Chapter 13

Shay Apartment

About an hour later, after Shay finally pulled Barry away from the Pak-Rat game by unplugging it and explaining to Carly why Granddad Shay left, the Shays and Dorfmans were around the kitchen table. Shay looked to Barry across the table and stated, "I make no promises that your food is exactly to your specifications. You didn't give me enough lead time."

"One little time won't hurt if it isn't exact," Barry replied as he poured himself some green glop soup.

Sam tried to suppress a look of being sick at seeing the green mess of food. Carly and Spencer was far better at hiding it due to being use to it and having to make it a number of times.

"Glad you understand. I pride myself on my cooking skills, but you do have unique eating habits that I haven't cooked for in years."

Barry took a mouthful of the green glop of soup. After swallowing it and forming a big grin on his face, Barry replied, "Your cooking is always the best Steven."

Spencer asked cautiously, "So, Uncle Barry, you really like Pak-Rat?"

"I used to love it as a kid," he answered excitedly. "I got hooked on it as soon as it was released. They had one at the local pizza parlor then the local arcade got one."

"You were quite good at it as I remember," Shay spoke up from his 'normal' meal.

"That's how we met. I kind of interrupted your mom and dad's first date," Barry stated before digging back into his soup.

Carly's face lit up. "You have to tell us that dad."

Shay took a sip from his drink before replying, "There's not much to tell."

"Always the modest one Steven," Barry commented happily. "His date with my sister didn't end until the following afternoon."

"Dad?" Carly and Spencer asked at the same time. Faye looked just as surprised at the revelation.

Barry laughed. "You never told them?"

Shay cleared his throat then rubbed his chin. "There is a time a place to tell one's children when their parents fell in love, Barry. That time just never came up."

"I'll let you tell them that story someday, but how 'bout we get back to the beginning?"

"Fine then, you can tell them the beginning," Shay relented with a sigh.

"Yes," Barry answered cheerfully. "It was a late Friday afternoon and I was playing Pak-Rat at the pizza parlor. I was a freshman in high school and three of my schoolmates tried to start bullying me to get off the game. Your mother then came up from behind me, which was a happy surprise for me. They started mouthing off at her and who shows up a moment later? This long hair boy with an angry look on his face and looking like he was ready for a fight came walking up."

Shay laughed. "Well I couldn't exactly let your sister take on three to one odds now could I?"

"No, but that was an interesting solution you had."

"What was that?" Carly asked with a furled brow.

"Your dad almost bashed one of the guy's head onto the top of the machine."

Shay shook his head. "You're exaggerating just a little there Barry."

"So you didn't try and smash his head?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, I had him get quite acquainted with the surface of the Pak-Rat tabletop. I got his and his friends' attention."

"By smashing his face onto it," Barry pointed out by raising his spoon and pointing it at Steven.

"Okay I smashed is face onto it, but I didn't really hurt him or damaged the machine. They got the message of not bothering the Dorfmans anymore."

"Wow, daddy Shay really was a badboy," Sam stated with a joyful tone then broke into a laugh.

"Well, love will make you do stuff," Shay offered lamely before taking another sip from his drink.

"That is the one thing you and sis never lacked between the two of you." Barry looked to Carly and with a big grin on his face he continued before Shay could say anything, "Speaking of love, so little Carly's found her love?"

"Ah, well…" Carly started, but got tongue tied and unable to form an answer.

Shay spoke up, "They're still working to get to that point. They are taking their time to be happy."

Barry smiled as he asked, "So she's being slower than her old man?"

Shay laughed and replied, "Don't you mean slower than her mother?"

Barry laughed loudly, "You're probably right."

Sam looked back and forth to each of the older men then asked, "I don't get it."

Shay took a breath and looked to Sam. "Samantha, my wife and I went from meeting each other to marriage in just over seven months. That's covering friends, dating, engagement and marriage. Then Spencer was conceived about two months after that."

Sam laughed. "You don't like wasting time do you?"

The Colonel replied in a somber tone, "We had to take our time in a hurry."

Sam blinked and looked to Shay that his answer just confused her. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"It means that time was never a luxury for me and Taylor. Some people think that they have all the time in the world, but some of us don't, so we have to make the most out of it as we can."

"That's pretty bleak," Sam answered in a sad tone.

"Life can be that way," Shay replied in a serious tone then reached over and covered one of Carly's hands with his and patted his son's shoulder with the other. "But it can be full of joy as well."

Barry raised his glass of some kind of organic drink, "Well said Steven."

Spencer looked to Carly and spoke up, "I just hope you don't follow in mom's footsteps then. I'm not ready to be an uncle."

"Spencer!" Carly snapped.

Shay blinked as he looked at his son. "They've been together for just over a week. Why is marriage being brought up?"

"You don't need to be married for that," Spencer pointed out hesitantly.

Shay narrowed his look at his son then spoke, "Spencer, irrational fear is making you say stuff that indicated really offensive premises you hold towards your sister. You may want to stop."

"I'll be quiet now," Spencer replied then clamped his mouth close.

Suddenly Faye piped up, "Can I tell people back at school that Creddie is real? Please? There's so much speculation on the message boards that it's driving people crazy. People are even arguing with people who say they go to your school."

Carly let out a breath and replied, "Yes you can."

Faye clapped her hands excitedly. After she calmed down for a moment, Faye asked, "I was wondering, if you were filming anything before the show, could I… I mean, can I appear on iCarly? Some people don't believe I'm even your cousin."

Shay leaned over to whisper to his daughter, "I think you can work your cousin into a skit. You work the Gibson fellow into them and it obviously would mean a lot to her."

Carly looked to her father and saw the seriousness look directed at her. It took her barely a moment to realize that he was right. She turned back and looked to her cousin. "How would you like to appear in the sequel to our original vampire skit, Moonlight Twi-Blood?"

Faye clapped her hands and smiled like a fool. "I would love to. All the girls at school are going to be jealous when I get to be in a scene with Fredward Cullen. I will be in a scene with Freddie right?"

Carly smiled warmly at her as she replied, "Of course you can be in a scene with him."

Faye reached over and hugged Carly. "Thank you."

Carly was surprised by the hug, but quickly patted her cousin on the back. "You're welcome Faye."

Shay smiled and shook his head slightly.

"We can celebrate with a song," Barry suggested then started singing happily, "Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the stream—"

Faye sat back down and jumped into the song a moment later, "Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream."

Sam groaned loudly and Carly shut her eyes and shook her. What surprised the two teens was when Shay quietly picked up, "Gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream…"

May 1980

Steven pulled to the curb in front of the Dorfman home, but instead of hopping off the back as usual, she motion for him to drive up in to the driveway. He gave her a raised eyebrow look, but she just motioned again. He shrugged a shoulder and pulled up in to the driveway. She then hopped off the back of the motorcycle and gently grabbed his wrist and tugged him to get off the bike.

"You want me to come inside?"

She nodded and smiled.

"Okay?" Steven answered hesitantly.

Taylor put away the helmet in the saddlebag as Steven got off the motorcycle. She then took his wrist and led him to the front door. The bandana wearing teenager dug into her jean pocket for a moment then opened the front door. Taylor entered first and dropped her backpack down beside the front door and headed deeper inside. Steven just stopped just inside the door and looked around at the expansive home.

"Wow. And I thought it was big on the outside," he whispered as he took in the openness of the home. To his right was a dinning room and to his left was a large parlor area. He took a quick glance to see it decorated with various military memorabilia; predominately US Air Force and US Army Air Force. He didn't have long to look as she grabbed his hand and led him to the stairs in front of them. The brunette teenager led the long haired boy up three flights of stairs to reach the third floor.

A few more steps later, Taylor led him to loft type open area that made up the majority of the third floor. She let go of his hand as he stopped at the threshold to the area. She passed by a small lamp table and started a music box playing. The soft melody of 'Row, Row, Row, Your Boat' started filling the room. The bandana wearing girl passed by a light switch and an overhead light came on illuminating the entire area. She walked to the center of the area and turned to him with a hesitant look on her face.

He caught his breath trying to take in all the sights and beauty of the room. Steven whispered in a nearly hallowed tone, "So this is your world Taylor Dorfman?"

She smiled warmly at him.

Shay Apartment
Tuesday, September 2011

After finishing dinner, the three teenager girls were in Carly's room. The brunette was eager to show off the clothes that she had bought to wear on her date with Freddie on Friday night. Carly held up the dress against her front and looked to Sam and her cousin. "So what do you think?"

Faye was sitting at the end of Carly's bed and spoke almost giddily, "This is a really pretty dress. I know he's going to love it."

"You really think so?" Carly asked bashfully.

Sam piped up, "I told you in the store that the nub is going to love it. Then again you could show up in a worn out T-shirt and jeans and he'd still find you beautiful."

A knock from the bedroom door interrupted the 'girl talk'.

"It's Freddie!" Carly shouted in panic.

Sam asked perplexed, "How do you know?"

"I texted him earlier. We have to film Faye's scene before she has to leave, remember? Just stall him," she instructed as she tried to hang the dress back up.

"Carly?" Freddie called out from the other side of the door.

"You two put the dress away, I'll stall," Faye offered as she stood up and headed for the door.

An instant later Faye opened the door slightly and smiled at Freddie. "Hi Freddie."

Freddie blinked in surprise and hesitated at seeing Faye again. He finally formed words a moment later, "Hi Faye, is Carly in here?"

Faye grinned as she replied, "Yes."

"Can I come in?" Freddie asked hesitantly.

Faye looked over her shoulder, but made sure to block Freddie's view into the room. She turned back to face him and answered, "I'm stalling you."

"Stalling me? Why?"

"If I told you why I was stalling you that would kind of undermine my ability to stall you, wouldn't you think?" she asked him as he was the one being silly.

"I guess that makes sense?" Freddie questioned with a raised eyebrow.

The pair then heard Carly's voice shout out, "You can come in now Freddie."

Faye stepped aside and allowed Freddie inside. He immediately smiled as he saw Carly. "Hey."

"Hi," she replied just as softly.

Sam rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for this lovey dubey. We have a scene to film."

"Sam wanting to get to work? What a day," Freddie spoke cheerfully.

"Watch it nub," Sam warned.

The smile immediately left Freddie's face as he replied, "Or what?"

"Off to the studio," Carly interrupted before Sam could reply. She grabbed Sam by the arm and then Freddie's as she pass him on her way out the door. Faye was right behind them eager to get started, but curious about what she just saw.

Once they reached the iCarly studio, Freddie said, "Give me a few minutes to get into make up and we'll be ready."

"I'll double check the equipment," Sam offered half-heartedly.

Freddie replied hesitantly, "Thanks."

"Well… go get ready," she shooed him away.

"Right," he answered then went off to the bathroom.

Faye pulled Carly off to the side and asked, "What was that about?"

Carly took a deep breath and looked away for a moment. After releasing the calming breath she looked back to Faye. "They're… they are still working out… something."

"Okay…"

"It's something personal between them okay," Carly hesitantly answered.

"Okay… it's not Seddie is it?"

Carly blinked to the question before forming words. "No, it's something else. There is no Seddie."

"Good, you just got your man and I wouldn't want you to lose him. Unless it's to me," she finished with a smile a poke of her elbow to Carly's side.

"I'll remember that," she replied with a genuine smile.

About fifteen minutes later of Carly going over a quick rewrite of a scene for the skit with Faye, Freddie walked back into the studio in full Fredward Cullen make up and dress. "Are we ready?"

Faye clapped giddily then looked to Carly, "All the girls at school are going to be jealous. Thank you Carly."

She smiled warmly at her cousin. "Not a problem Faye."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed today's installment. See you again on Monday. Have a great weekend.