Author's Note: I hope everyone had a good weekend. I hope you enjoy this next installment. Thanks again for reading and reviewing.

Chapter 14

"That's all for this episode of iCarly. I want to thank my cousin Faye Dorfman for being a good sport in her appearance in our short film, Moonlight Twi-Blood Two. Sorry you got tied up by the cowboy and attacked by a pack of angry plush squirrels. I love you cousin," Carly finished with a big smile looking into the camera.

"Before any of you say anything, it's Dorfman, it's German. But Faye, that's what you get for going after Idiot Farm Girl's man," Sam finished with a smirk. "Now we have to get going so Carly here can get ready to go out on her date with Fredaldo."

"Sam!" Carly snapped in surprise and her eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

Sam raised an eyebrow and smirked as she looked into the camera, "The people have a right know."

"Bye!" Carly said curtly and covered the camera lens with her hand.

"And we're clear," Freddie announced after a quick button push.

Carly dropped her hand from the face of the camera and looked to Sam. In a stern, yet surprised voice, she asked, "Sam?"

Sam smirked as she jokingly replied, "I'm just having a little fun. The fans are going to go nuts. Hey, maybe we can attach a camera to one of you and feed it directly to the site. Imagine how many viewers we'd get watching you two out on a date."

"Absolutely not!" Carly replied in a panic.

Sam pouted, "Killing all my fun."

Freddie shook his head as he laid his camera down on his tech-cart and doubled checked his laptop. He wouldn't dare admit he found Sam's idea at least a little bit intriguing. He looked to Carly and spoke, "I'm heading out."

"Okay, I'll see you in about forty-five minutes?"

"Yep," Freddie replied with a smile then kissed her on the cheek. He then dashed out of the studio.

Sam just smirked and shook her head. "Okay kiddo, let's get you all dolled up for your date."

Freddie released a nervous breath and hoped that he looked good as he stood just outside the Shays apartment door. He wore a similar blazer jacket he did at the Girls' Choice Dance with very dark blue jeans and a dark blue button up shirt. He took one last breath before knocking on the Shay door. Almost immediately he was greeted with the face of Colonel Shay. The Colonel smiled at the young man and answered, "Mr. Benson."

"Mr. Shay," Freddie replied nervously.

Shay stepped aside and motioned for Freddie to enter. Freddie looked nervously around the living room and greeted Spencer sitting on the couch watching television.

"Carly is finishing getting ready," Shay offered as an explanation.

"Okay, that's fine. The guy should always wait for the lady," he replied as if something was lodged in his throat and sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Smart man, but you seem kind of nervous son," Shay chuckled.

Freddie shook his head, "No not at all."

Shay just smiled.

"Okay, I'm terrified," Freddie let out in a quick breath.

Shay patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright."

"Do you have any advice?"

Shay chuckled for a moment. "You know I'm her father right? The guy doesn't usually ask the girl's father for advice on dating."

"Well you're the one that keeps calling me son and I haven't heard you call anyone else that, but Spencer that," Freddie pointed out with far more confidence than he felt.

Shay lifted a finger at Freddie. "It took you nearly three weeks to notice that?"

It was Freddie's turn to grin and reply, "No."

Shay chuckled for a moment before answering, "Okay, my advice: don't screw up."

"Don't screw up?"

"You just have to be yourself. You can't be anyone or anything else. She has to like you—has to love you for who and what you are, not what airs or act you can put on in the hopes of impressing her."

Freddie nodded.

Shay then gave Freddie a soft punch to the shoulder. "Besides, you already threw yourself in front of a truck. What more could you do to impress her?"

Freddie smiled. "I see you point." After a moment, something caught his attention on the coffee table.

"What's that?" Freddie pointed to a handgun and cleaning kit lying on the coffee table.

"Oh, that's my sidearm. I was just going to do some cleaning tonight,"

"Any particular reason you're choosing tonight?"

"Nothing to do with you if that is what you are thinking," Shay replied in a serious tone.

Freddie swallowed nervously. "Right."

Before the conversation could go any further, the three gentlemen's attention was drawn to the stairs. Carly walked down slowly the stairs in her black high heels. Her hair was straight with just the lightest application of makeup to highlight her cheeks. She was wearing a black dress that flared down from her waist to her mid-thigh with three layers. Two black straps crisscrossed over just below her neck and attached to the bust of the dress at her cleavage. The crisscross strap led one's eyes to the purple butterfly pendant hanging around her neck.

She looked to Freddie with a smile and whispered, "Hi."

Freddie just stood there for a moment unable to speak as he looked at her.

Carly blushed and brushed some her hair behind her right ear.

Shay smiled and Spencer clamped his mouth shut in surprise.

"How do I look?" Carly finally asked in a soft tone.

Spencer attempted to answer, "Ah, maybe a little—"

Shay interrupted his son with a smile, "You look absolutely beautiful my little angel."

"Thanks dad," she answered beaming a smile.

Freddie was finally able to form words and spoke, "He stole the words right out of my mouth."

Carly walked down the rest of the steps with Sam behind her holding a black leather jacket and small black purse. "You're pretty handsome yourself," Carly replied as she approached Freddie. The tech producer just smiled at the compliment.

Sam rolled her eyes as she watched the pair stare at one another without speaking. "You two just can't stare at each other all night. You have to get going."

That snapped them the pair out of the mutual admiration for one another. "Right," Carly spoke up. "We have to go."

Freddie cleared his throat and agreed, "Right."

Carly turned to Sam and she handed Carly her jacket. The brunette she quickly slipped in on black leather jacket that went a few inches past her waist and pushed the sleeves up just below her elbows. She then took her purse from the blonde.

The couple then turned and headed out of the apartment.

Shay spoke up, "I do have something to say before you go."

They both turned to the Colonel as they were both halfway out the door.

"Yes dad?"

"Have a nice night," he replied warmly.

Carly walked back over and kiss her dad on the cheek. "Thanks dad," she replied happily then she and Freddie were out the door.

A moment later the door opened and Mrs. Benson stepped inside.

"What are you doing here Marissa?" Shay asked in short tone.

"My Freddie is going out on his date and I am not waiting up all night by myself."

Shay sighed. "Fine Marissa."

She immediately took a seat on the couch and quickly noticed the firearm sitting on the coffee table. "Is that a gun?" Mrs. Benson asked half frightened.

"Yes Marissa," Shay answered with a hint of annoyance.

"Why do you have it?"

Shay blinked at her. "I'm in the military remember?"

"Oh, right."

May 1980

Steven slowly walked down one side of the room as he took in the sights. It was an entire room, no almost an entire floor dedicated to the creation of art with various tools and supplies for its creation strung all over the place. What took up the surrounding walls were various paintings, colored drawings, and black and white sketches hung on the wall or on easels and he took a moment to look at each one. Some where portraits of people he didn't recognized: men, women, babies and children; others were still life; one painting was some nightmarish depiction of Hell with goules and demons he could hardly fathom coming from Taylor's mind; another painting looked like a depiction of the Garden of Eden in vibrant paints and pastels. He continued around in the half circle to the opposite side of the room, looking at more paintings and sculptures and for some reason, various types of telephones. Some sculptures were made out of clay, others metal, one was a six foot tall statue made out of glass soda bottles.

He finally stopped walking when he reached his original position at the end of the room. He lifted up his hands from his sides and spoke, "This is you. All of this is you?"

She smiled slightly at him and nodded.

He pointed to one black and white sketch of a little girl standing alone and stated, "This is what you're afraid of." He then started pointing to various other paintings and sculptures. "This is what you love or hate or laugh about or cry about or dream about. It's all you." He shook his head and looked at her in complete astonishment.

The brunette shrugged her shoulders then turned and walked to the other end of the room. There was a sleeping bag and a radio/alarm clock sitting on a table at the end of the room and she took a seat cross-legged on the top of the sleeping bag facing him.

"This is your own little world to escape to," he whispered in which she smiled warmly back to him. He slowly walked across the room and knelt down on both knees in front of her. He just watched and studied her for a moment as the music box played the 'Row, Row, Row, Your Boat' melody.

"So this is your way of telling me about yourself?"

She nodded with a small smile.

Steven let out a nervous breath before asking, "Why won't you talk to me?"

The brunette took a quick breath and stared at him for a moment. It was the strangest look to Steven and the closest he could describe it was utter sadness. He didn't have a clue why the question would get that kind of response from her.

She slid her left hand up and took a hold of her bandana and pulled in down and away from her head finally exposing the rest of her brunette hair. She then looked down at the floor and in a bashful and quiet tone, and to Steven's ears, a sweet voice, Taylor began, "Row, row, row your boat… gently down the stream… merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream…"

She then looked up at him with a slight frown and sad eyes. "…and I don't want to wake up, because when I speak, I'll wake up and you'll be gone."

Steven took a deep breath. "Why would you think that?"

She looked down into her lap, not being able to hold eye contact with him and whispered, "Because I'm abnormal; I'm not like other people. I'm just odd. You wouldn't want to stay with me if this is all real."

He reached over and slid his hand into one of hers and used the other to lift her chin gently for their eyes to meet. "Taylor, I would describe you extraordinarily unique and I don't want to leave you."

She blinked in response and tried to speak, but the words wouldn't form. So she did the most logical thing she could do: she reached up with her free hand and slipped the other one out of his hand to cup both sides of his jaw and run her fingers behind his neck and through his hair. She then pulled him close and leaned forward to capture his lips with her own. He was momentarily caught by surprise by her forwardness, but then leaned into her kiss.

Her hands let go of the back of his neck and cheeks and her arms slid behind his neck as she deepened the kiss. He in turn wrapped his arms around her lower back as the pair softly traded dominance in the kiss. Her lips were soft and he could taste the peppermint flavor from the mint she had eaten after her pizza less than an hour ago. To him, it was innocent, tender, desperate and erotic all at the same time. The kiss broke apart for a moment then resumed in a series of quick trading kisses. After what seemed like hours, but more likely lasted about a minute, each rested his and hers forehead on the others.

Steven smiled. "You're still not much for words are you?"

She giggled for a moment before answering, "I think that was far more illuminating about how I feel than I could ever put into words."

Steven smiled then kissed her cheek then her forehead. "I don't know how to care like that back; I am really messed up Taylor."

She took both of his cheeks in her hands and forced him to look into her soft brown eyes. "You are a trouble, broken young man, but with a kind heart and good person that's still buried underneath all the pain and anger and apathy to the world you feel. I see that and I think it's beautiful."

Steven felt his throat constrict and the need to clear it as eyes felt moist. "Do you know what I see about you?"

She shook her head then with the pad of her thumb wiped away a tear threatening to fall.

"I see a beautiful girl with a kind and caring heart; that carries herself with a grace many would envy and a free spirit that defines her own normal."

She smiled again and pulled him towards her for another kiss.

September 2011

The car pulled up to one of the last places Carly expected and her surprise was evident on her face which just brought a smile to Freddie's face. "We are here," Freddie announced with a hint of joy in his voice. He turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car. Freddie walked around and opened the passenger side door for Carly.

He held out his hand, "My lady?"

Carly blushed and took his hand to help her out of the car. Once she was out of the car, he hooked his arm with hers. Freddie tossed his keys to the valet who smile and nodded as he passed. Carly looked up to see the Seattle Space Needle.

Freddie leaned in and whispered to Carly, "Well, your dad said you were a little angel, so I guess it is appropriate to take you up to the clouds. Okay, just a little closer to them."

Sky City Restaurant

Seattle Space Needle

It was a short elevator ride to the restaurant with a promise of another one to the observation deck later. The pair was escorted to a booth with a clear, unobstructed view of the outside. After a quick thank you to the escort, Freddie offered to take Carly's jacket as she brushed her skirt down to slide into the booth seat. She tried her best to keep the giddy look off of her face as Freddie slid into the seat opposite to her.

She took a moment to look out the window to her left to see the lighted night Seattle Cityscape slowly rotate. She subconsciously knew that it was her rotating and not the city, but she thought it was a breath taking sight. "This is beautiful Freddie."

"I know," he replied looking straight at her.

She looked at him for a moment and blinked.

Freddie grinned. "Oh, you meant the view. I'm sorry… actually I'm not sorry. I think you are beautiful. I have always thought you were beautiful and I'm not going to waste any more opportunities to tell you."

Carly looked down at their table and blushed.

The young female waitress approached the table and offered the pair menus. Each took their respective menus and began to skim over the options. It didn't take Carly a moment to realize the steepness of price for anything she would order. "This is pretty expensive Freddie—"

"I know, but let me treat you this one time? Please?" he asked with his best puppy dog face.

"Okay," she whispered then looked back down at her menu.

After a few moments, each placed their orders and the waitress took back their menus.

Carly looked back at the slowly rotating landscape and whispered, "My parents' first date was in a booth. They went to a pizza place."

"Really? I'm glad we didn't break tradition about the booths," Freddie replied with a laugh.

Carly gave a small smile and looked out the window again. "My Uncle Barry said the date didn't end until the following afternoon."

Freddie raised an eyebrow. "That's… interesting?"

"He didn't go into any details and my father wasn't too eager to add any, but dad let it slip that it was the moment they fell in love with one another."

"Falling in love after the first date?" Freddie asked hesitantly then grinned. "I did it in an instant."

Carly giggled then after a few moments realized that it wasn't that funny. Her face fell and she suddenly found the white tablecloth interesting. She didn't think that he fell in love with her was a joke, but realized that they weren't her parents and she couldn't honestly answer the question about 'being in love' with Freddie.

Freddie reached across the table and gently took one of her hands. She looked up and saw him looking directly into her eyes. Her breath hitched as she saw the look he was giving her: one of complete acceptance and love. "But you take all the time you need. I'm not in a hurry."

"What?"

He repeated hesitantly, "I said take all the time you need."

She quickly replied, "No, the other part."

"I'm not in a hurry?" he asked in soft and somewhat frightened tone.

A thought instantly ran thought her mind: We had to take our time in a hurry.

"My father said that he and my mom had to take their time in a hurry… am I just being stubborn in not saying those three little words and meaning them?"

"I think I know you best, but even I can't answer that question," he replied with a shake of his head. "What I do know is that we aren't our parents. We have to figure out what is best for us. I know that I love you. I don't have any doubts and you're still trying to figure it out. I think you should just let it happen when it happens. If you have doubts, don't ignore them or belittle them. I think you should deal with them and I'm right here to help if you need me. That's why we broke up to begin with: I wanted it to be real and I know you want it to be real too."

She smiled warmly at him. "When did you get so wise Freddie Benson?"

"I think it was when I realized for the second time that you were still the girl I love."

"And you're the boy I like in the good way," she replied with a beaming smile.

"That's a start," Freddie laughed joyfully.

A moment or so later the waitress approached the pair with their respective meals.

Shay Residence

"Do you have to keep doing that?" Mrs. Benson asked from the seat beside Shay. She had been watching something on Discovery Health Channel as Shay sat beside her on the couch continuing to clean his Para-Ordnance P14-45.

"What?" Shay asked as he took apart the slide and barrel away from the .45 and started cleaning both pieces for the fifth time.

"That," she pointed. "You've already cleaned that five times."

"I don't complain how often you clean inside your home and besides, my life could depend on this weapon functioning properly."

"That's not why you are doing it," she challenged with a stern look.

Shay looked to Mrs. Benson with an irritated look. "Then why am I doing it?"

"You're nervous too."

Shay sighed. "Fine I'm nervous, but I have a right to be as a father. She's my little girl."

"You don't trust Freddie?"

In a tired breath he replied, "It is her I'm more concerned about."

"Why?"

He sat the half-assembled firearm back on the table and turned to look at the brunette. "She likes your son, but she is not in love with your son yet and that troubles her to a certain extent. She hasn't talked about it, but I know it is true. I just don't want her to attempt anything to convince herself that she is in love. She jumped into a relationship with him before convinced she loved him like that."

"You compared our children to saints and had no problem with them being alone in her room. Why the sudden change?"

"Because there is a difference in being in her bedroom after school and out on a romantic dinner and maybe I'm just having a little irrational fear as a father of a teenager girl."

Marissa took a breath then patted Shay on the shoulder. "Steven, I trust Freddie to keep them both out of trouble."

"Trouble? What a euphemism."

Mrs. Benson found herself laughing before asking, "This coming from a man who had is first child at eighteen?"

Shay chuckled in return. "We were married when Spencer was conceived. The first time me and Taylor made love was on our wedding night. We were both old fashion: if you are going to have sex with somebody, do it within the confines of marriage. If you don't, that's your business and none of ours, but don't judge us for getting married at such a young age instead of just having sex and moving in with one another after high school."

She looked at him astonished for a moment before nodding in reply. "I see your point. I just don't necessarily follow in your and your late wife's footsteps, especially with a baby."

"I understand that Marissa and for the most part agree, but I'm not afraid of her getting pregnant eventually, just not with in the next few years. I'm terrified that she couldn't carry a baby to term anytime soon. Look at her, she is pretty slim and her mother had problems carrying both her and Spencer, because she was similar size along with some other factors. Do you want to lose a potential grandchild?"

Marissa pointed to the firearm on the desk. In an urgent tone, she asked, "Teach me how to clean that safely."

Shay smiled. "Okay, it really is relaxing," he replied as he began to field strip the weapon.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door echoed into the room.

"That can't be them," Shay whispered as he got up from his seat. He took a quick look through the peephole and opened the door.

"Colonel Shay," the young woman replied and saluted. She was a quite an attractive young woman in her late twenties with dark brown hair put up in a bun. She was in her Class A US Air Force uniform and wearing a long overcoat.

He returned the salute and whispered in surprise, "Captain James?" His tone turned to one of great concern before the young captain could reply, "Has something happened?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I'm just here to deliver a message from General O'Neill. He wanted to make sure it was delivered to you personally." She then pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to him.

He quickly took it and read the stamp in red ink: URGENT He quickly opened the envelope and quickly skimmed over the letter and a small smirk formed in the corner of his mouth.

"Good news sir?"

He looked up at her and replied, "Yes, Captain, but I have to share it with my children first. You understand?"

"Of course sir," she replied with an equally warm smile.

Shay turned and motioned into his apartment. "Would you like a refreshment or need anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I was just going to turn around and catch a redeye back to DC. There is a transport plane leaving within the hour."

Shay nodded. "Then have a safe journey Captain."

"Thank you sir," she replied and saluted once again. He returned the salute and the young Airman was on her way.