Against All Odds

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 17 (An Uncle's Support)

Spencer rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together beneath his chin as he watched iCarly begin. He had to wonder if Sasha was going to watch, she would want to see it, so he had started recording the video for her. He hoped Carly would come up with some fun antics, as difficult as it might be for her in this time, but he would be proud of her if she was able to. As long as she didn't say anything too revealing, his family did still watch iCarly. Regularly. He didn't need anyone worrying about them.

As he eyed the scenery of the home, he was impressed with the Puckett family. Pam must have really made a life for herself, but at the same time, it was clear she was still struggling. The group was in the living room, which had floral wallpaper and burgundy carpeting. Behind them was a brown, three seat couch, two black end tables on either side, and an oval coffee table in the front. There were some plants hanging from the ceiling with leaves draping down and curling beneath the brown baskets they were in.

In the shot stood Carly, Sam, and Gibby, while Freddie held onto the camera as usual. Gibby was looking around in awe of the house, as though it were his first time being there. Carly stretched out her arms and grinned widely. "Okay iCarly lovers, we're here at Sam's house, our new place to shoot iCarly!"

"Go on Freddie, show them my home!" Sam exclaimed happily. Spencer raised his eyebrows and watched in awe as the camera started spanning the house. The home was actually not that much bigger than the house he was in now, although the living room was expansive. There was a small television set that the couch faced, and two windows on either side. On the other side of the living room was a oval oak table that Pam was sitting at. She smiled at the camera for a second, then covered her face with a shirt she was folding from a pile of laundry. "Anyway, that's just the living room, you don't get to see anything else, the camera's cord doesn't stretch far enough and we're using Freddie's technical equipment that he leaves at my place…and that's not much."

"Unfortunately it's come to this." The camera returned to Carly, who had a pout on her face. She quickly smiled and looked over at Gibby. "I was moping pretty badly earlier, but Gibby gave me some solid advice. I'm just glad I still have my friends right now." She folded her arms over and closed her eyes. "So much is happening right now, a lot that not many of you would understand. Just know that my dad's a much different person than I thought he was. Thanks to Nevel, we now have to shoot iCarly here because where I live now isn't spacious enough to do the things we would do on iCarly."

Spencer's face fell and his eyebrows rose high, that wasn't something he would have wanted to reveal. He turned his eyes to the cell phone and chuckled slightly. He still had the same number, but of course, a cheaper phone and was using phone cards from wal-mart now. Why he still had the same number escaped him, but at the same time, he did enjoy calls from his Uncle. "Hopefully Uncle Ken isn't watching iCarly right now and she doesn't say anything to raise suspicions about what's going on…" Would it be too much to ask for? Probably. If it wasn't Ken, it would be his Aunt Regina or his cousin Michael, who was just a year younger than he was. Many times Ken would call and Jessica would be there, ready to talk to her son. It was nice to know they'd found a loophole with Robert's 'rule'.

"So what do we have planned for today, Carly?" Sam turned her head towards her mother and grinned. "Maybe make a mess out of the laundry pile mom pulled from the dryer?" Carly laughed and Pam quickly protested. "Or maybe we can play 'make my boyfriend-'" Suddenly Sam stopped talking, her eyes widening in a mild panic. Spencer furrowed his brow as he watched his sister ask her friend what was going on. "It's nothing, just not feeling too well. Can you, uh…hold on a minute, I have to go to the restroom real fast."

"Okay?" With that, Sam bolted from view, holding her stomach and her right hand over her mouth. Carly closed her eyes and sighed, shaking her head. "Probably nothing to worry about. So we'll wait for her." Carly moved to the couch and sat down, putting her hands behind her head and sighing softly. "So in case you're all wondering, yes we've moved out of the house. Well…we were kicked out, Dad decided to stop paying rent. Go figure, he goes overseas and then decides to treat his children like-" She stopped talking and looked up as she heard Sam vomiting from the background. Her face twisted in disgust and she quickly stood up. "Damn, I wonder if she ate something rotten. I'm going to go check on her." Pam had already gotten up to go see what was up with her daughter. Carly hurried off and the camera shifted to Gibby, who was frowning at the door.

"Man I wonder if she went to that new restaurant downtown, Salome. I got sick after eating there once." Spencer shuddered at the thought. He'd been there himself and it was a very unpleasant experience. Freddie and Sam did mention a date there recently, so maybe it was food poisoning. Why the hell hadn't anyone decided to close down that restaurant yet? "Anyway, once the girls get back, I think we were actually going to perform that old 'what am I sitting on' game. Though if Sam's not feeling well, then probably not. What do you think, Freddie?"

"Well if she's not feeling well and doesn't want to do anything, I understand that."

"Yeah."

"Hey, I've been meaning to say, thanks for talking to Carly earlier. Sam was pretty upset that she was avoiding us…" Freddie set his camera down on the coffee table and sat on the couch with Gibby. Spencer pressed his lips together and felt a tense air around him. He didn't know she'd been avoiding them, surely he would have tried to talk to her about it. "I know she's having a hard time with everything going on…"

"Friends support each other, that's pretty much what I told her. Things will work out, I'm sure of it. Sometimes you have to go through hell before you can reach heaven."

"Yeah, we'll stand behind Carly as long as we can." The girls came back into the room and Freddie quickly stood up. "Sam, are you all right?" Sam cleared her throat and waved her hand in the air.

"Yeah Freddie, just grab the camera, let's keep going." Freddie grabbed the camera and put it on the girls. Sam looked worse for wear, as if all the energy in her had just been sucked out of her. "Okay, so...I'm just going to sit down…and let you guys continue. I need to sit."

"Okay."

iCarly went on for another hour without a hitch, though Sam had spent a great majority of it on the couch. She looked ready to vomit at every turn. Lenny had returned at some time with a new mower and a bunch of tools to help work on the house. He was currently mowing the lawn. Socko had finished the first coat of the bedroom and was working to paint the other bedroom. Spencer was about to go help, but his phone started blaring. He turned his gaze to the phone and lifted his eyebrows, the caller ID stated it was his Uncle.

"Crap…" As he picked up the phone, his lips fell and his eyes closed. This was exactly what he dreaded, now the man would be asking him a whole bunch of questions. Of course, if his mother were around, she'd probably be doing all the talking. He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button, slowly bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey Uncle Ken. What's up?"

"Just saw iCarly, Spencer." The man's deep voice filled Spencer's head, almost calming his nerves. Ken had always had a calm, soothing, but at the same time, commanding voice. It was strange really, but he suspected the man's compassionate fatherly side had something to do with it. "You didn't tell me that your father kicked you out. Are you okay? Is Carly okay?"

"Yes, we're fine…" He tried to hide the uncertainty in his voice. He had no proof that things would be okay, he only had to do whatever he could. "I'm actually planning to look for a job right now…my uh, the museum didn't accept my artwork." Ken gasped and clicked his tongue.

"I'm sorry to hear that, your mother was hoping it would make it in." Spencer's heart lifted and a smile smoothed over his lips. It was nice to know that his mother did support him. "So you're going to try and find work? Do you have enough money to sustain yourself? Where are you living right now?" And thus began his uncle's worries. His lips thinned and his shoulders slumped. He was not going to ask for help.

"We're fine. We found a place. Well, Socko found a place for us."

"Socko? That odd friend of yours?" He could feel Ken smirking through the phone, chuckling at the thought. His mother and uncle had their thoughts on Socko. They respected him and were glad that he was Spencer's friend, but they often stated their concerns over how Socko acted at times and the things he did. Such as, making neon socks. "I hope it's a good place…but Carly didn't sound too satisfied."

"Well, I'm working on the house, but it's the best we can afford right now." He froze and mentally slapped himself. Immediately he wished he could take those words back, now Ken would try and offer money.

"Spencer. How much money do you have right now?"

"Uh…enough?" He knew his uncle better than to expect him to believe everything would be fine. He also didn't like to lie to the man, he respected him more than he respected his own father. "Everything is fine, Uncle Ken. Believe me, I am doing the best I can."

"Spencer, level with me here. You're taking care of your little sister, a girlfriend and a son. You have no job yet, and by how Carly sounded throughout the webshow, not in a very good living environment. How can you satisfy me that everything is 'okay'? You know how worried your mother may get if she knew all this?"

"Don't tell her anything, please. I don't want her getting worried or mixed up in all this." He prayed the man would keep quiet, but he knew chances were slim on his mother not finding out anything. After all, whether Ken said anything or not, Jessica did watch iCarly. Ken took a deep breath. Spencer heard heavy footsteps and the sound of curtains shifting, which probably meant Ken was looking out the window.

"You know your mother better than that. She'd know whether you hid it from her or not. She knows Blake is your son, of course."

"Yes, I know, you were there for that earful…" The last time they spoke, Jessica was with Ken. She was upset that Spencer had sex without protection. She wasn't worried about it causing problems for her, but she did let him know that she wanted to help. She wanted what was best for him, for Carly, and for Blake. Spencer mocked his mother for a moment, chuckling. "'How could you not at least wear a condom? I thought you were raised to wait for marriage! You should be glad she came back to you and isn't forcing you to pay child support, but you have a big responsibility now!' And on and on…" Ken chuckled and Spencer's smile grew a bit more. "A better reaction than my father had."

"It would appear so, but you know Jessica would never disown her own. She does care about you. We all do. Regina was just telling me how much she wants to board a plane and bring you all home here…" Spencer's eyes glazed over as he stared out the window wistfully. As much as he would love that, he couldn't accept it. Maybe things would be better, but he had to do this himself. Automatically he was assuming Sasha wouldn't be pleased if he just gave up like that, but she seemed more like she'd be the type to tell him to take their help if they offered it. "We're all ready to do that, you know. All you have to do is say the word, your father can't do anything now…"

"Why? Why did my dad have so much power over her? Over all of you..." He heard more footsteps and listened as the sound of a coffee mug clinked onto a table. Then came the sound of someone sitting on a mattress. "I'm thirty years old, you don't have to spare me or make things softer for me…after what's been going on, I'm pretty much willing to accept my dad's the greatest asshole on the planet."

"I don't know." Ken chuckled and Spencer felt his heart cry out for an answer to a question that had plagued him for years. "Your father made some threats after paying off the judge. He went so far as to say he'd bring forth false accusations that could very well ruin all of us politically and morally…"

"Such as?"

"One accusation he said he'd generate, and that Colonel friend of his, Colonel Morgan, was willing to help…was that your mother was having extramarital affairs on the side." Spencer's jaw fell and immediately he felt a flash of rage shoot through his body. How could his father do something like that! "Your mom was ready to keep fighting, even if she lost her career, but the more your father squeezed, the more our dad was forced to tell her to stop pushing before the man did something worse. Once Robert realized that the political career wasn't her weakness, he said he was willing to take matters elsewhere…Spencer, I really don't want to talk about all this…"

"I-I'm sorry about that…" Spencer's muscles were tensed and his jaw locked tight. His father had done everything possible to keep his mother away, but why? "I know I shouldn't press, but…why was dad so persistent?"

"I don't know. As far as I know, he just didn't want your mother to win."

"Well it's out of his hands now. Our lives have turned to shit because of him, and he doesn't even care!" Once more he slapped himself mentally, groaning with frustration as he'd just revealed that things were not going so well. "We'll find a way, Uncle Ken. Don't worry."

"You know you can't say that and expect us not to worry. Please, if you don't want to at least come to us, let us give you some help to afford something better?" His throat tightened and he slowly shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't…I want to, but, the whole reason my dad disowned me was because I was 'irresponsible' and I was depending on his money for so much. I need to do this on my own."

"It isn't irresponsible to accept monetary help when it's offered. That's the difference…"

"I know, but I have to prove this to myself, to Sasha, to…to Carly and Blake. It's a pride thing, I guess." He waited as his uncle remained silent for what seemed an eternity. The man took a deep breath and sighed.

"All right Spencer, but please know that your mother, myself, all of us…we'll still be here if and when you decide to call on us."

"I know you will be. And thank you." He wiped a stray tear from his eyes and closed them, dreaming only of how life could have been like if he had been with his mother all this time. He opened his eyes once more and frowned, remembering the loan sharks that had destroyed his apartment. "I have a question for you. It's just a thought. Have you ever dealt with loan sharks?"

"Loan sharks?" Ken paused and Spencer silently prayed the man wouldn't read between the lines. Ken's voice filled with extra concern and grew shaky. "Spencer, you're not involved with these types, are you?"

"Me personally? No…I was just wondering about them. You know, doing a little research." His Uncle paused again, possibly debating the validity of Spencer's statement. "I was wondering about people who get caught with them, how do they escape?"

"It's difficult once you get mixed up with them, and dangerous too. The best thing to do if you can't pay them off is to call the police." The man hesitated again and took a breath before continuing. "Spencer, if you're having trouble with loan sharks, please tell us. We can do something."

"Nothing to worry about, Uncle." He gave off a fake smile and slowly shook his head. He already regretted bringing it up. His uncle would likely want to pay it all off somehow. Politicians knew how to handle these things without them coming to light. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to say something.

"If it wasn't something that affected you, then why would you bring it up?"

"Well uh…"

"I know you don't want to make your mother worry, or anyone else for that matter, but seriously…"

"Well you know T-Bo down at the groovy smoothie? I think he's had a run in with one."

"Spencer." Ken's voice fell flat and Spencer cringed, he knew that wouldn't work. Was it in his voice? How could his uncle tell he was hiding something? "What's going on?" After a second hesitation, Ken sighed and continued. "Okay I'll bite, who is this loan shark that T-Bo is dealing with?"

"Oh, some guy named Clarence Clayton. I keep telling T-Bo to call the police or even move to where they can't find him. It's not working!'

"Clayton? Why does that name sound familiar…Anyway, a question for you. Does Sasha know about us?"

"I've told her about mom…" Sasha knew his mother was a politician somewhere, he told her all about his family when they first dated. "I wouldn't keep that from her."

"Well that's good, I'm proud of you. Your mom is, we all are. Your mom wants to talk to Sasha, you know, to meet the mother of your child. You thinking of marrying her?" Spencer's heart lifted and joy filled his body as he imagined Sasha all dressed in white, walking down that aisle. His lips formed a wide grin as his heart danced inside him.

"I would love to marry her. You think Mom would be happy about that?"

"I think we would all be thrilled to see you marry someone who makes you happy. Seems to me this girl makes you happy."

"More than you could ever know. I'd do anything to make her happy."

"That's love, or at least part of it." Ken took a breath and clicked his tongue. "I need to go check on dinner, I'm making the food tonight, surprising Regina with a romantic meal."

"Awesome, I hope that goes well."

"Indeed. Let me leave you with some final words. Doing whatever makes the woman you love happy can sometimes mean putting your own feelings aside for her."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind…"

"Have a good day, Spencer."

"Thanks, you too, Uncle Ken." The man hung up and Spencer pulled the phone from his ear, sighing quietly. What did Ken mean by that? Perhaps ridding himself of that infernal pride? What would make Sasha happier? Protection, shelter, anything that made her feel safe. He wanted to show her that he could do this, though. He wanted to prove to her that he was responsible. Whatever it took to do that, he would do.

He lifted his eyes to the screen door and raised an eyebrow when he saw a familiar man knocking on his door. After taking a second to debate who this man was, shock made him freeze up. James 'Carl' Greene. "Officer Carl?"

So your uncle offers to help you. To send you money, to send you any kind of assistance whatsoever, and out of your own pride...you turn him down. Really Spencer? Really?