I think this is my shortest chapter in the entire story, but it's probably my favorite one. Not only did I have fun writing it, but I realized I made Mrs. Benson sound like my own mother...kids...don't be like me. Anyway, this chapter is mainly Freddie, for good reasons. ENJOY.

Disclaimer: I only own my imagination and the plot. Thanks.

Chapter 8 Promulgate

The door rattled off its hinges. There was a low groan behind the door, followed by a deep thud. The door flew open, a desperate brunette with eyes glowing stared back at him. "What, Freddie?" She demanded.

He stood there, gaping like a fish. She only cocked her hips and crossed her arms across her chest, her lips curling in annoyance. He stared blankly at her and walked past her. Sitting on her couch, she was reminded of when he used to come over after school and spend time with her and Sam watching Girly Cow and thinking up different effects they could use on iCarly.

Closing the door, she moved and sat next to him. Crossing her legs, she got comfortable and faced him. She held her face with one arm perched on her knee. "Freddie?"

He turned to look at her. "You knew…didn't you?"

She looked inquisitively at him. "What do you mean?"

His faces showed an emotion that she hadn't seen from him in a while. His eye brows furrowed at her. "Carly, you knew about them and didn't tell me. You knew she was pregnant the last time we saw her; the last time I spoke to her."

Carly huffed and puffed out her cheeks. "I hate it when you two put me in these situations. This is exactly what you two did when you dated and you're still doing it now, years later."

Freddie turned his body to face her. Surprised Carly scoot back at his sudden turn. She took a deep breath after he stared at her, but said nothing. "Look, Sam's had a rough couple of years. For once, in her mind, not telling you about the twins was unselfish of her because she wanted you to actually accomplish all of the things you said you wanted to do with your life. Sam's changed because of them; she's become responsible and, somewhat, mature."

Freddie sat there, not facing her again, but listening to her and trying to sync it all. Sam made a decision for him, but would he have reacted the way Sam would have wanted if she had told him at the time? He didn't think this would happen to him of all people. Freddie was raised by a single mother, so he knew what Sam's been going through for the past five years with Charlie and Topher.

"Freddie?" Carly asked, gently tapping his shoulder.

He turned and stared blankly at her. "Would you have done the same?"

"Huh?"

Freddie leaned over and gripped Carly's small shoulders firmly. He spoke slowly, "Would you have done the same?"

Carly refused to make eye contact. Pretending to evaluate the question, Freddie grew impatient. He imitated a growl from deep in his throat. "Answer me!" He barked.

"YES!" Carly heaved. Her chest rose as her cheeks turned rosy.

He looked taken aback. "What?" He questioned.

Carly looked down at her lap in shame. "You asked me if I would have done the same as Sam. I answered you yes. It's not that you wouldn't be a great father. I just don't think at the time that Sam birthed those two would have been the right time for such a responsibility for you. It was good for Sam because those two taught her so much. But you had your mind on other things back then. The twins would just have been a nuisance for you, even if you refuse to admit it now."

Freddie rose from the couch. Running a hand threw his hair, he turned to face her. "I think I have some explaining to do with my mother. If you see Sam, let her know I left early so she doesn't have to worry about running into me any time soon."

He started his walk towards to the door. Carly stood up. "Freddie, don't be like that."

He stopped. Turning, he faced her in anger. "Like what, Carly? I'm not trying to be like anything. I'm just trying to figure this out."

Walking up to him, Carly put a hand on his shoulder. Smiling, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it. Turning to look up at him once again, she whispered, "Check your messages."

Freddie's phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw a new picture mail from Carly. Chuckling, he opened the picture. It was Sam hugging Topher and Charlie in front of a school building. "That was taken on their first day of preschool," Carly said softly.

Freddie's smile grew wide as he stared at the picture. Sam was glowing with a smile so big he couldn't believe his eyes. "Thank you, Carly," he whispered as he grabbed the smaller girl into his arms.

She hugged him back with a pat on the back. Slightly pushing him off, she chuckled. "Go break the news with that mother of yours. Let me know how it goes. Caleb and I are flying down there next month for the twins' birthdays, in case you get some crazy idea that you want to go with us."

Freddie nodded. "Sure thing."

Freddie hesitantly knocked on the apartment door of his childhood home. His free hand was shoved into his jean pocket, fiddling with the lint in the corner. The door creaked open and Freddie felt his cheeks rise into a smile. The woman just stared back at him with surprise. She looked older that the last time he visited her; when was the last time he visited her? Quickly, she moved in to greet him in an embrace. He didn't refuse, but he realized he missed the familiar hold. The same he saw on her face was worn; the wrinkles that were barely visible around her eyes were more prominent as he stared at her now.

"Freddie, I missed you," she spoke directly at him. He grinned. She never spoke to him in any other way but directly. She was always sure to make eye contact and her voice at normal level. After he made the decision to study out of state, she made a conscious decision to respect his choices as an adult.

"I've been trying to find a chance to come visit you. I'm sorry," he felt immensely guilty as she brushed off his excuse. Holding his hands, she dragged him inside and towards the couch.

"Did you want something to drink?" she smiled at him. He felt a surge of emotions rise up in him. He didn't know how he was going to tell her. The clock on the wall's constant ticking of the seconds had him on edge. His foot tapped as his mother stared at him from her peripheral. She was on the island with two empty glasses and a pitcher of her homemade juice. He stood next to the couch. His hands felt like they would start shaking any minute.

She sighed. "Sit down, Freddie. I'm your mother and I know you have something you need to tell me." She smiled at him as he felt his face heat up from the embarrassment.

Sitting on the edge of the couch, his mother handed Freddie a glass and he sipped it quickly. Putting it down on the coffee table, making sure to have a coaster underneath, he stared at him mother as she sat next to him sipping her glass slowly. She gently put a hand on his leg with comfort.

"I got Sam pregnant 5 years ago," Freddie blurted. He quickly clamped his lips with his shaking hands as he watched the emotions on his mother's face change as she let it sink in.

"I'm sorry, Freddie. I thought you just said you let Samantha be pregnant due to unprotected sex, that I never knew you two even had because you broke up, and let her raise the baby by herself. I thought I raised you to see the difference it is growing up with just a mother to provide everything for her children," Ms. Benson said calmly.

"I'm surprised you're taking this calmer than I expected you too, mother. And it's actually two babies; she had twins," Freddie spoke hesitantly.

Ms. Benson placed her glass on a similar coaster next to Freddie's on the coffee table. With a smile, her eyes glittered at Freddie, "You think I'm oblivious to your actions as an adult, Fredward? Those twins at Carly's wedding had features and characteristics of a Benson, and you thought I wouldn't notice. I didn't say a word because I thought I raised a smart young man, but I see it took some realization and persuasion to put the puzzle pieces together." She gently covered her lips with a giggle.

Freddie felt his face heat up once more. "I can't believe you figured it out before I did." He placed his head between his hands resting on his knees and sighed loudly. He felt her comforting hand on his back rubbing soothing circles.

"Now, Freddie. I can't excuse this type of behavior of unprotected sex you seemed to have done without my knowledge. But from what I learned raising you was that I was always the bad guy. No matter what I did, even if it was with good intentions, you always seemed to think I was smothering you. I want you to take that into your consideration when you go to speak one on one with Samantha about how those two will continue to be raised. If I raised you right, I know you'll make the right decision about those three," Ms. Benson spoke softly. The mother he had been raised by wanted all her thoughts to be heard by the young father.

Taking in a deep breath through his nostrils, Freddie rose from his spot on the couch next to his mother. Exhaling, he smiled at her. Mrs. Benson sat on the couch with a gentle glance. With a nod, he extended an arm out to the older lady. Clasping her hand in his, he breathed out, "I'll let you know what I end up doing and you tell me if it's the right decision or not."

OxOxOxOxOxOx

"Freddie!" the woman shrieked in delight. Her almond eyes glittered with unshed tears as she bounced at the entrance of the waiting area. He waved at her with his free hand; his carry-on bag slumped over his right shoulder. She ran up to him and latched her thin arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around waist as he hugged her back.

He felt her lips press against his neck and he wondered if she could tell his mind was somewhere else. Kissing his cheek, she loosened her grip on him and giggled. Her aquamarine colored eyes mesmerized Freddie's mind every time he watched them fill with emotion. He realized she dyed her hair back to its unique vibrant red with her aviators pushing her delicate curly hair away from her face. The mint colored v-neck showed off her ample bust, which was currently pressed against Freddie's own chest with a considerable view, and her muscular swimmers legs were, adorned in short black shorts along with her peach flip flops. He loved the color of her skin against his, her heritage made her skin glow in the sun with her Puerto Rican blood against his paler hue. "Sierra," Freddie pecked her glossy lips as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey you. Did you miss me?" She whispered. He gently set her back down on the tiled floor of the airport.

Walking towards the moving belt to grab his bags he interlocked his fingers around hers, noticing her neatly manicured nails. Everything about Sierra was neat, orderly. She knew what she was studying and what she was doing after college. Out in the real world, she already had jobs lining up with interviews and hopeful job opportunities. Squeezing her hand tightly with reassurance, he spoke gently, "Of course I missed you babe."

Freddie watched her visibly sigh, with almost relief. "Aw I missed my cuddle bug at night. The bed was so cold and uncomfortable without you. The girls missed you too."

The girls. She was talking about her two cats; Lily and Dahlia. Not the twins, Topher and Charlie, Freddie reminded himself. She doesn't know.

Freddie tried to make polite conversation with Sierra about her cats for the next hour ride back to the apartment near the college. When they went to bed, Freddie couldn't help but feel different with his arm around the petite girl in the bed next to him. He could hear her nose whistle softly as she slept soundly in his arms. He couldn't think of anything else besides the twins; their personality and the way Sam had raised them. Never in Freddie's wildest dreams did he ever think this would happen to him, of all people. He can't recall what happened that day back from his flight, but Sierra began to notice little things about him that she knew for a fact he never did before.

Freddie began to stutter every time he called her name, almost catching a different name before her own. He would play with her red curls and whisper under his breath when he thought she was asleep. During dinner, he would play with his food and push it around with his fork while waiting for his phone to light up with a new text message. She would catch him sneaking glances at a picture he saved under his files in his phone. Sierra began noticing the smaller things as the days went by, until she couldn't keep it to herself.

"Freddie," She spoke softly while nestled under his arms as they watched a movie on cable a couple of days later.

He blinked and glanced down at the girl. "Hm?"

She sat up slightly and put a soft hand on his chest, "I've been meaning to ask you about your trip. Something's been on my mind since I called you when you were still in Seattle. How were your friends? Did you see that girl who you weren't sure was going to be there?"

Freddie blinked rapidly as Sierra questioned him without trying to set off alarms. "Sam."

"What?"

"You mean did I see that girl who I hadn't seen in five years. Her name is Samantha. But yes she was there, surprisingly," Freddie shrugged.

"Well you don't seem too excited about your trip; you were so anxious to even leave for a week and miss classes and now you won't even tell me anything about it. What happened on that trip that I should know about, Fredward?" Sierra's voice began to grow weary. He knows she will lose her temper soon. It was only a matter of choice words to set her off.

"Look, nothing of importance happened that needs to be mentioned. My best friend got married and I finally caught up with an old friend; that's it."

Sierra didn't look convinced. Sucking on her cheeks, she accepted his blank answer. Settling back into his arms, she whispered, "You know I called your mother to see if she had heard from you the entire time you were in town."

Freddie was flabbergasted. "You called my mother? What for?"

"Well to be honest, I wasn't completely sure you were going to Seattle for a marriage. From what your mother has told me, you used to love the girl who just got married. I was a bit worried you would do something rash and unlike you. You sometimes have the flash moments where you decide to do something out of the ordinary and I hate to clean up your mess every time." Sierra shrugged her shoulders.

Freddie leaned away from the girl who sat next to him nonchalantly. "I'm sorry but when do I ever make mistakes that you need to clean up after me?"

"I hate to tell you when you do because it just gets to you so deep, emotionally. But all the time. I'm surprised something hasn't happened of value from these spurts of rare unclarity you have," Sierra crossed her arms defensively.

You have kids. Twins. Topher and Charlie. You're a father. "Fuck you, Sierra."

SO? What you all think? Like I said, shorter but to the point. Mrs. Benson was probably my favorite to write. (Even if she did come out sounding like my own mother.) I know this chapter was mainly Freddie, but hey, he wasn't in the last chapter. Why not give him his own, to reflect and digest what the hell has been happening this entire time, AM I RIGHT?! Next chapter is a blend of people. Let me know what you guys thought about the Freddie-centric chapter!