Against All Odds

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 8 (Spiral)

What was he doing? He was never like this before, but maybe it was true what people often said, about how being a father changes people. He was still as witty and seemed silly too, but he had a distinct charm about him as well, a strong point that kept her coming back for more. He seemed so serious, granted this was a serious matter, but she didn't expect him to be so serious. So yes, it came to her as a shock.

Then again, what was she doing? Kissing him, going out with him, crawling into his bed unannounced and cuddling up to him? What was going on!

Sasha gripped the handles of the blue stroller and kept her eyes in front. Carly was walking in front of them while Spencer stayed next to her, she could hardly fathom the change and determination that he had in himself. All things considered, she loved him. She never stopped loving him. She came back to him with the thought that she wouldn't worry about falling for him all over again, but for some reason, she let her guard down and failed. He managed to get her all over him like a lost puppy. She needed to back up, but at the same time, she didn't want to. She was accustomed to running, could she really run away after this? Her heart slammed into her chest as her eyes drifted over to Spencer. He was looking at Blake and making silly faces, causing the baby to laugh. Carly was spinning around in front of them. The girl was just too excited to be an Aunt, it was very relieving to see her so happy and full.

Spencer looked up just as Carly tripped over a root and caught her balance. "Hey Carly, you probably should watch where you're dancing." Carly's cheeks went red as Spencer smirked teasingly and walked off towards his little sister. Sasha stopped walking and gazed at Spencer and Carly with a subtle smile. A family walk in the park, it felt a lot better than running around or being alone. She almost didn't want to leave. She truly didn't want to, she wanted to be with Spencer, but how likely was it that he could be mature enough to be her man? Mature enough to be a father? How did she know he wouldn't just dash off the minute a prospective buyer called about his art? Not that she didn't think it was good that he could sell his art for money, but he needed a real job. Whether it was a lawyer, or something else, he needed something that would pay. She pressed her lips together and sighed. There weren't many apartments in Seattle with rent less than one thousand dollars.

"Spencer?" Spencer and Carly looked over to her and she slowly breathed in. "How much money does your art make you?" What would happen if his dad cut them off? Would he? After Nevel's big reveal, chances were the man would be pissed. She was nervous and afraid of that man, and she'd never met him before. Spencer rubbed the back of his head and Carly hurried over to Blake, playing with him. It was such a subtle way of telling Spencer that he was on his own.

"Honestly? Nowadays I'm lucky to get any project requests during the week. On average I get about three requests for a sculpture." Right, he did mention still waiting on the museum to accept his artwork, but they were wavering. She bit her lip and felt her heart beginning to sink. She would hold her tongue, even though she didn't like his relying on artwork and his father, she wasn't going to say anything more about the art. She hated fighting with him. "On average, depending on the size of the project, I could get fifty to three hundred dollars, usually it takes a week to finish a project. That's why I work almost all day…" He still had to finish the project he was working on before, but he was here with them instead. Did that show for anything? Sure. Spencer's eyes moved downwards and his voice lowered, just enough that she could hear it. "For this studio apartment, and all the 'accidents' that have happened, rent's become about three grand per month."

"What? Really?" Her eyes grew large and her voice rose just a tiny bit from the shock. She held back, not yelling at him. She didn't have the heart to do that, but how could he be so irresponsible? "Why? Why did you allow all the damages? What other damages happened?"

"Well…Carly's room burned down, numerous fires have occurred, there are holes in the walls, our elevator's busted up, and Lewbert's just plain irritable and impossible to talk to." Sasha's jaw fell and the color seemed to fade from her body. Spencer swallowed hard and a frantic expression grew on his face. "I'm not that bad anymore, though! I promise…I am responsible." She closed her eyes and started walking, pushing past him with a small huff. Spencer extended a hand and sighed. "Sasha…is she mad?"

Carly frowned and pat his back, then started to follow Sasha. "Well Spence, I'd say you just got in trouble." Spencer sighed and hurried over to Sasha, walking directly beside her. She felt his body heat rubbing off on her, bringing her own temperature up. She turned her eyes to him and frowned. "Sasha, you know, or well…I can tell you…you're looking for a man that can support you, support Blake, and I'm telling you that I am that man. I will do everything in my power…I'll even go back to law school!"

She stopped abruptly and locked her jaw tight. She turned her eyes to his confident, concerned gaze, and exhaled. She lifted her hand and curled her fingers towards his chest, not touching him. "Spencer, I don't care if you go back to law school or not." He lowered his arms and pursed his lips. "I just want you to get a real job, a career. Something that would pay the rent. Your dad isn't going to be alive forever! Hell, he might not even be supporting you forever. If your rent is at three thousand, there's no way you can afford that and still support a family. As for college, I remember you said you had a bachelor's degree, right?"

"Yeah, Criminal Justice degree…" Sasha smiled and slowly nodded her head. There was a chance he could work as a security guard somewhere. If he really wanted to, he could be a security guard at an art museum, she would support that, and he could be around as much art as he wanted. He once thought about teaching, but he'd have to go through college for four more years to be an art teacher, he would need to get a bachelor's degree in education and art. "Sasha, if it means that much to you, I can look around for a-" He was cut off by his phone's ringtone blaring out from his pocket. She flinched and looked down as Blake started crying from the loud noise.

"Ugh, answer the phone, I need to tend to Blake." She reached into the stroller as Spencer flipped open his phone and walked off. She lifted their son up and started bouncing him in his arms. Her voice softened as she tenderly kissed Blake's forehead and whispered to him. "It's okay baby…it was just daddy's phone." Her eyes flicked to Spencer as he started trying to calm his caller down, it sounded like the buyer of the sculpture he was building. She rolled her eyes briefly and turned to Blake, gazing into his bright eyes. She began to sing him a soft lullaby, hoping it would comfort his tears.

Spencer and Carly watched her as a gentle breeze blew against them. They smiled and met each other's gaze. Spencer lowered his arm, ignoring the frantic caller on the phone. After a second, he shook himself from his trance and brought the phone back to his ear. "I'm sorry, I'll have to call you back…" He closed his phone without another word and pushed it into his pocket while moving to Sasha.

Sasha tensed, then relaxed as she felt his arms around her waist. She turned her eyes to him and smiled as he rested his chin on her chest. Blake cooed happily and Carly hurried over to the three, grinning as she gazed up at them. Sasha's heart was bursting in her ribcage, she could make almost a musical tune out of it, but that was only if she could manage to concentrate on anything other than Spencer's hot breath on her neck. She let out a shuddering breath and moved her eyes back to Blake's. "Who was that, Spencer? Art buyer?"

"Yeah, A pissed off one at that. I'm working on a sculpture that needs to be ready by tomorrow evening. I'm only half done." She frowned and her heart began dipping. She couldn't ask him not to do his work, but she really wanted him to spend time with them. "I don't think I can get it done in time, and the buyer is an important artist himself…I'm just going to have to call him up and tell him I won't be getting it done in time, ask him either for an extension, or nothing."

"Why?" She turned to him and furrowed her brow. "Why would you not get it done?"

"Because…I have a son and a wife to take care of, along with my sister." She closed her eyes and exhaled sharply. It was irritating for him to refer to her as his wife, but at the same time, she was flattered, because it showed that he wanted to be there for her, that he did in fact, love her. "The only way I could complete it in time is to spend all of the rest of this night, then all of tomorrow on it, and I just can't do that to you." He moved his hand and gingerly cupped her cheek. She steadied her breath and held Blake closer. "I won't do that to you or Blake, nothing to lose you two again. I made a promise to both of you, and I fully intend to keep it."

"Spencer…this might be one time you should work on the art. Blake and I…we aren't going to go anywhere right now." She would give him the benefit of the doubt, and why shouldn't she? He deserved that much, after all the hell she was giving him, after having kept Blake out of his life for two years. "We'll be fine, I want to get to know Carly a bit more as is." Carly grinned and quickly nodded her head. "Keep in mind there's a line that you need to know when it's okay to cross, and when it isn't okay to cross. You need to be wise in balancing your hobbies, your work, and your family. Sure, I don't want Blake growing up without a father, but I don't want him growing up with an absentee father. There's a line, you just have to be careful." He smiled and too her hand in his. She felt her cheeks go red and her body start to sway to the side.

"If it isn't too soon to say…I love you." Her heart shot to her throat and she slowly closed her eyes. God, if he kept saying that to her, he'd have her wrapped around his finger. She wanted so badly to tell him how she felt, but she was scared. She was afraid of someone leaving someone, she was so used to being alone.

"You've been saying that, Spencer." Her eyes opened when she felt his hand brush her cheek. His strong, confident gaze melted her tender and anxious one. Carly reached up and took Blake in her arms, then bumped Sasha forward into Spencer's arms. She yelped and tried to look over, but couldn't tear her gaze away from him.

"I know you're afraid of getting hurt, not sure about me, and no matter how many times I tell you that I'm with you, you're not going to know it until you see it. I can promise you, I'm not going anywhere." She swallowed the lump in her throat and moved her hands gently upwards along his chest. "No matter what, baby, I will find a way to support you and Blake. I will. I am not going to hurt you." Her arms drifted to his shoulders, then around his neck. How could he promise her all that? God she hoped he meant every word, his eyes were so full and honest, he had to mean it.

"I guess…we'll see about that, then."

A few hours later, they made it back to the apartment, but they walked in on a surprising sight. Sasha's eyes widened as she froze in the doorway, Carly clenched up and Spencer let out a terrible shout. The house had been ransacked! The couch had been flipped over, Spencer's sculpture destroyed, papers and drawers were emptied out on the floor, and there were even more dents in the walls. The refrigerator doors were wide open and food was strewn out along the floor. There w as tissue paper rolling down the stairs, along with more papers and linens. Sam and Freddie were standing on either ends of the couch, watching back with wide and fearful eyes. They had red, raw marks around their wrists, and tears in their eyes. "What happened here?" Spencer asked as he stared at the two of them.

"These men…" Sam's voice was so quiet that a pin drop might have been louder. Sasha's heart crushed as realization soon dawned upon her, she'd left Spencer's photo in her house. Mr. Clayton's henchmen probably saw it! If so, they were here. "They came and tore the place apart, they tied us up in the studio. They said they were looking for Sasha…" Guilt hit her as Spencer and Carly turned their eyes to her. She took a step back and slowly shook her head, contemplating running. No. She couldn't run from everything. That wasn't the solution. What would Spencer say, though? That she was too much of a danger? He caught the look in her eyes and put his hand to her shoulder. She shied away and swallowed hard.

"I-It was Mr. Clayton's henchmen…the Loan Shark…remember, I said I borrowed money to try and help with rent and so forth? They want their money back, I ran from them when I came here…They must have seen your picture in my house." Spencer lowered his arm and slowly nodded his head. He looked like he was thinking seriously about something. She held her breath as he turned and ran his hand through his hair.

"It's okay Sasha. We're in this together now, okay?"

"Together? I brought them to you, I shouldn't have…I probably should-"

"I'm not letting you go anywhere, so don't finish that statement." She stifled herself and watched him turn sharply in her direction, looking fiercely into her eyes. "We can deal with this. Maybe, just maybe, I can find a way…but you're done running, okay? I'm not going to let you run."

"Spencer, these men are dangerous! They've already hurt Sam and Freddie, I don't want them to hurt you or Carly."

"I won't let that happen, Sasha. Now…" He started moving towards his busted sculpture and Sasha breathed a sigh of relief. When had Spencer become so stubborn and determined? She watched him closely and felt Carly push her back inside the house. She eyed the broken sculpture and felt a rushed feeling come over her, she wanted to faint, but she couldn't. "I'm in trouble…they destroyed the sculpture. Damn it!" He kicked his art to the side and ran his hand through his hair, rubbing vigorously. Sasha flinched as Carly watched her brother, a growing fear inside her. What were they going to do?

"Spencer, I'm sorry…"

"This isn't your fault, Sasha." He turned his eyes to Sam and Freddie, who were watching on quietly. Sasha was wondering how they got untied, chances were, Spencer was wondering the same thing. "First things first, I'll deal with the sculpture later. The buyer's not going to be happy, but that'll be okay…hopefully he'll understand. Sam, Freddie, did you see anything about those men?"

"Not really," Freddie replied. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at Sam with worry. "They hit us over the head from behind. We heard them talking from outside the studio, but never saw their faces." Carly ran over to them and hugged them, telling them how grateful she was that they were safe.

"Okay. Now another question, how are you untied right now? Judging by your wrists…those ropes had to be pretty tight…" The couple swallowed and exchanged nervous expressions. Spencer heard the clicking of a camera phone and looked up to see Tyrone walking from his bedroom. Sasha's eyes widened as the man stared at Spencer. Frown lines creased the man's lips and the wrinkles on his face and forehead were more evident than she remembered. "G-Granddad?"

"Hello Spencer. We need to talk…I have your father on the phone right now."

Okay, things just took a turn for the worse. Deep breath Spencer, this is your life on the line. Moreover, Sasha, Blake, and Carly.