As the class waited for Jade and Cat to return, they continued to use the time to chat.

Tori and Carly had gotten a chair each, and they glanced over at Sam who had curled up on the floor asleep, her head rested on her backpack and a satisfied smile on her face.

"I guess her intentions were good," Tori shrugged at Carly, smiling a little. "I mean, she did it for you. Kind of sweet, really."

Carly snorted and looked unconvinced. "I wouldn't have minded if she'd just yelled at Jade," she explained. "But she took it too far - and I think a lot of it was just so she could entertain herself."

Before they could say anything further, Cat and Jade finally appeared.

Fully expecting Jade to still be livid, Tori was surprised to see she actually looked quite composed, and even smiled without hesitation as Sikowitz welcomed her back.

Still, she knew the girl well enough to know that this wasn't a good sign. If Jade had harnessed her feelings, it generally meant she was building them up for the perfect strike - like a coiled serpent you might mistake for napping before it bit into your ankle.

Robbie nudged Andre. "Do you think she knows it was Sam?" he whispered.

As if on cue, Jade's emerald eyes set upon the sleeping blonde, so intense it was as though they may actually bore a hole right through her. Yet her smile grew, and it made Robbie shudder.

"Oh, she knows..." Andre replied, feeling equally nervous.

"Alright everybody," Sikowitz clapped to get their attention, "as much as I'd love for us all to laze around all afternoon, I'm actually getting paid to teach a class," he informed them, before muttering to himself, "although I'm not getting paid enough."

Everyone began to move their chairs back in their original positions, facing the stage. Jade made a point of slamming a chair down right next to where Sam was lying, and the blonde awoke with a start, glaring up at her.

"Sorry," Jade smiled sweetly. "Didn't see you all the way down there."

"What is it with you and interrupting my sleep?" Sam grumbled as she stood up, dusting herself off.

"Perhaps I think it might be in your best interest to watch your back," Jade suggested cheerfully as she slid into her chair.

"Sit with your groups!" Sikowitz hollered, picking up on the tension.

Sam narrowed her eyes at Jade and stalked off to sit with Tori and Robbie.

"All things considered," Sikowitz explained, "and since you've all had way longer than necessary to work on your creative shenanigans, I guess we should start right away. So, which group wants to go first?"

Tori raised her hand. "Um, we could-"

"Jade, Andre, Freddie, go!" Sikowitz interrupted, leaving Tori to slump back into her chair, annoyed at being ignored.

Freddie hoped the butterflies in his stomach would die down as he took to the stage behind his partners.

They stood there for a moment, and Andre looked to his teacher for guidance. "Do you want us to give you some context, or..."

"Nope," Sikowitz said, leaning forward in his chair and meshing his fingers together.

"Alright then," Andre shrugged, before mentally getting into character while the three of them took their positions.

Now it was just Andre and Freddie on stage, with their backs to the audience - pretending to pee.

Sam guffawed and Tori nudged her, trying very hard not to giggle.

"How many hours you bin on the road fer today?" Andre asked in a redneck accent.

"'Bout nine hours, I reckon," Freddie followed suit. He'd never been so glad that Sam played that cowboy with a mustache in iCarly. They'd done the skit so many times his accent was pretty good from copying her.

Andre pretended to zip up his fly. "Long time to be on the highway, good buddy. You oughta rest."

"Naah," Freddie mimed zipping up too, and they both turned to face the audience , "I gotta get to Denver by dawn."

"You best be careful you don't fall asleep at the wheel, son," Andre warned. "Ah seen some road wrecks that would make a strong man weep, caused on a counta a guy like you dropping zees on route."

"Aw shucks, 't'ain't nothin' to concern yourself with. I can drive for days, long as I gotta cup of coffee by my side and a woman waiting for me to get back home in one piece," he joked, smiling.

But Andre's face was dead serious. "Ain't no laughin' matter, boy. 'Bout twelve months back a trucker by the name of Doug was cruisin' on the blacktop, his mind not where it oughta be at, just tryin' to get where he needed to be, no matter what. He felt his eyelids drooping, drooping, gettin' heavier, and heavier, but he pressed on."

"Then whut happened?" Freddie asked, hanging on every word.

Andre paused and looked him straight in the eyes. "Doug gave in to the highway sandman. So he didn't know when his rig swerved across the lanes and into an incoming car."

Freddie shook his head sadly, before meeting his eyes again. "All hurt?"

Andre swallowed hard, like it was a struggle to continue. "The young girl driving the car died instantly," he said in a low voice. "And Doug..."

Freddie and the whole class leaned in to hear what he would say next.

"...Doug is standin' in a bathroom at the Lucky Springs gas station, wishin' things wuz different."

The reaction on Freddie's face conveyed that Andre was 'Doug', but his shock quickly turned to confusion. "But wait - you said it happened twelve months ago. Don't causing death by dangerous driving mean a spell in the pen?"

Andre turned away and sighed deeply. "Does if ya get caught..." he muttered, before slowly turning to Freddie - a prop knife in his hand.

Freddie's eyes widened, and he backed up with his hands up. "Don't shoot!" he cried.

Andre frowned, looking at his knife. "What are you-"

"BANG BANG BANG!" Jade appeared, and Andre fell to his knees, and then slumped to the ground.

Freddie kept his hands raised as he looked at the girl, frightened.

Jade looked at the 'dead body', then at Freddie. "He left me to die a year ago, like road kill," she explained softly, her lip trembling. She then looked angry again, and Freddie flinched as she pointed the gun at him (or, at least, her hands miming a gun).

"Ma'am...no..." he pleaded.

She stood frozen for a moment.

Then the actors hung their heads, signalling that their scene was over.

The class broke into applause, all smiling and congratulating them.

"Nice work," Sikowitz grinned. "Very nice. Very Jade West," he noted, and a hint of a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"She wrote all the cool twists," Andre nodded. "Freddie chose the setting and the characters. And I...uh...I..."

"Acted your heart out," Jade patted him, and then it was Andre's turn to blush.

"A little dark, but a great collaboration," the teacher enthused as the three took their seats again. "Very promising, Freddie."

"Well he was playing a spineless yokel," Sam pointed out.

Freddie's smile turned to a deep frown.

"Kidding!" Sam touched him with her foot. "You weren't as terrible as usual."

The boy was satisfied with this. It was probably the best compliment he could get from Sam.

"Alright miss Puckett," the teacher raised an eyebrow, "let's see if you can make me believe you're something other than a snark-queen," he winked. "Sam, Tori, Robbie, impress me!"

The students took their places, with only Sam on stage while Tori waited in the wings and Robbie hovered around in the background, trying to look inconspicuous.

Sam stuck on a fake mustache and a smart brimmed hat, and walked slowly and confidently across the stage. She paused and mimed casually leaning on something.

Robbie spoke, using a far more manly voice than usual. "Well, if there was ever a good time to be sober, this ain't it."

Sam pretended to take a brisk shot from the imaginary bar, then set it down and licked every last trace from her lips. Her posture slumped, looking weary.

"I've got about as many new leads for this case as a bald cat has hairs," Robbie continued, voicing Sam. "The way things are going, the bank's gonna take my apartment and I'll be out on my...assistant..." he trailed off.

Sam became alert as Tori flounced on stage, one hand on her hip and the other on her handbag as her stilettos clicked towards the bar. The blonde's mouth fell open.

"She walked into the room like it was a new car and she'd just plastered a 'sold' sticker across the window," narrated Robbie, rather nonsensically.

Tori 'leaned' on the 'bar' and made an obviously intentional effort to totally blank the other person.

"I knew I recognized this dame. She's Greckle's assistant - or was, before they found him sleeping with the goldfishes," the boy explained as Sam gazed intently at the newcomer. "He'd been drowned in his aquarium."

Sikowitz snorted amusement.

Tori finally set her narrowed eyes on the blonde, looking subtly disgusted. "Y'know, you're liable to catch bugs keeping that trap of yours open," she said icily.

Sam hurriedly shut her mouth, looking awkward before retaining her cool again and taking another 'shot' from the 'bar'. "'scuse me, ma'am," she apologised gruffly.

"My eyes are up here, big shot," Tori pointed out, and Sam quickly brought her gaze up to make eye contact.

Robbie piped up again. "There was no denying it, she was hotter than a lava rock on a barbecue. But in this town, a pretty female means just one thing - trouble."

"And right pretty eyes you have, too," Sam noted, tipping her hat.

Tori rolled her eyes.

"Say now, don't I know you from somewhere?" asked the blonde.

Tori poked her harshly in the chest. "If this is a line, it won't wash with me, buster," she hissed.

"Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart," Sam smoothed her newly ruffled shirt. "If I want a cheap fix of sugar, I'll go to the saver mart."

Tori scowled and took a deep sip of her drink (a glass of water Robbie had subtly handed to her) before asking, "Then what do you want?"

"You work for Grecko?"

"I did."

"You like him?"

"Oh yeah, he was swell."

"I note the sarcasm, any bad blood there?"

"Who are you?" Tori demanded angrily.

Sam reached into her pocket and then handed the girl a card. "Detective Surge Manbo."

"'Manbo'?" Tori repeated, incredulously, before rolling her eyes again. "I don't speak to suits."

"Ain't what I heard, sweet cheeks," Sam said with a faint smirk. "Although maybe you prefer your bedroom activities to be conversation-free."

Tori snapped a cold glare in her direction.

Robbie interrupted. "If she was innocent, she'd either have laughed or slapped me in the face. But no reaction at all would mean-"

Tori suddenly threw the contents of her glass into Sam's face and strode away.

Jade smirked.

"Of course," Robbie continued, "I could be wrong."

The actors paused and looked to Sikowitz to show the scene had ended, and again the audience clapped enthusiastically, while Sam mopped her face with a towel.

"Interesting," Sikowitz grinned. "I like the comedy twist to the film noir angle. Nice work, you three."

They took their seats, all smiles. As Sam sat by Freddie, he took the opportunity to lean over and ask, "So you just carry that mustache around with you?"

Sam simply looked at him and then stuck the prop to his forehead.

"So, last to dazzle us with acting prowess, let's have Carly, Beck and Cat," the teacher beamed, leaning back in his chair.

Carly gulped and nervously walked to the front of the class with Cat. This was a world away from iCarly.

Beck set up two chairs on stage and he and Carly took a seat, while Cat sat on the floor. He observed the new girl's nervous fidgeting and gave her a reassuring smile. She managed to smile back, and then the scene began.

"There's no way they'll think to look here," Beck said in a low voice.

"How can you be so sure?" Carly replied, quiet and urgent. "If they find her, they'll take her away from us. You know that."

"I won't let that happen," Beck took her hand in his and looked into her eyes.

She sighed doubtfully.

"Mom? Dad?" Cat piped up. "How long do we have to sit in the dark?"

"Just for a while, sweetheart," Carly said softly. "Try to stay as quiet as you can."

"Like a little tiny mouse," Beck added, flashing a brief grin before putting a finger over his mouth.

Cat repeated the action and giggled.

Carly frowned slightly at Beck. "Are we to carry on like this for days? Weeks? Months?" she murmured.

"I can't say. We just have to take one day at a time."

"One day at a time," Carly repeated, before looking at him intensely. "And if they come here and demand that all women be taken into custody?"

Beck exhaled deeply and stood up, looking pensive as he took a slow circuit of the stage. He paused and looked at Carly and Cat in turn, both pairs of eyes fixed upon him in expectation.

"Then me and Sarah will go with them willingly, so they have no cause to harm us," he explained, sitting on the floor by Cat and stroking her hair, before shooting Carly a grave expression. "And you will come and save us."

Carly stared at him for a moment, then nodded firmly. "I will always save you."

There was a brief silence, then the audience jumped as a loud banging sounded (which, in reality, was Beck secretly rapping his knuckles on the stage). The three actors looked up, fear in their eyes. Carly rushed to Cat and Beck, placing a protective hand on both of their shoulders.

"I will always save you," she repeated.

And they hung their heads.

"The end!" Cat squealed, slightly ruining the mood. Still, they received hefty applause, and Sam whistled her appreciation, giving Carly two thumbs up.

"Very good! You moved me," Sikowitz pretended to wipe tears from his eyes and Carly laughed as she took her seat. "I enjoyed the twist that Beck was playing the wife, that was most unexpected. Nice job."

"I played the daughter!" Cat chuckled, sitting down.

"We noticed," Andre said patiently.

Jade was slightly put out when Beck sat a few chairs away from her, but made sure to go over and sit on his knee, purring about what a great job he had done - making sure Carly noticed.

"Very well done class," said Sikowitz brightly as he retook his position at the front of the room. "I see some great potential from our not-foreign foreign exchange students. I was fully expecting you all to be terrible."

"...Thanks?" Freddie offered.

"You are welcome," he replied. "Now, since clearly working in groups is a good influence, I'll be giving you another assignment shortly - a fun, quick-fire sort of thing. Before that, I'm splitting you into different teams. I like to mix it up," he grinned fiendishly.

The class simply stared at him.

"Right," he cleared his throat. "The new teams are as follows: Beck, Robbie and Carly, you're team alpha. Tori, Andre, Freddie, you're team beta. Jade, Cat and Sam, you are team...whatever."

"Team whatever?" Cat asked, puzzled.

"Yes Cat, congratulations, your hearing is impeccable."

"...What?"

"Get in your teams and get to know each other!" Sikowitz ordered, grabbing his bag. "I'll be back soon to give you further instructions."

"Wait," Robbie said, "but what do we-"

Sikowitz scampered out of the room and out of sight.

"...And he's gone," Robbie sighed.

The students got up and started to move into their new groups. On their way, Tori and Carly passed each other.

"Sam with Jade?" Carly said pointedly, looking worried.

"Jade with Sam," Tori nodded and sighed.

She couldn't help but feel that putting the two of them together would be a lot like putting fire with dynamite.

A/N: Apologies that this chapter is a little late, I've been mega-busy of late with a bunch of boring stuff that I won't bore you with! So anyway, please let me know what you think via review, pm or twitter (fatcaketacos), and see you in the next installment (hopefully very soon!). Peace, love, and tacos.