Against All Odds

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 42 (Unwilling Wingman)

"So why exactly are we at a bar?" Spencer asked as he and Michael drove up to the Tallahassee Bar and Grill. He felt a sense of déjà vu, asking the question, but shrugged it off. He knew it was reminiscent of what Sasha asked when he took her to the bar and proposed, but he didn't know what his cousin wanted. He glanced over as Michael parked the car and lifted up his index and middle fingers, grinning widely.

"One, I've always wanted to sit down and have a beer with you. Or at least, since turning 21." Michael put the switch into park, then leaned back with a sigh. "Second, I come here to have a dinner once a month, and there's this cute waitress that always strikes up a conversation with me…I was hoping to ask her out…" Spencer smirked teasingly and folded his arms.

"So I've become your wingman?"

"Precisely!" He laughed and lifted his shoulders. He didn't mind having a beer with Michael, it was long overdue.

The two made their way into the bar and were led to a booth off to the side. It didn't look all that different from the bar in Seattle, except for the fact that there was no karaoke station. Spencer heard some girl call out for Michael and looked over to see a waitress hurrying over, her red pigtails flapped with each step she took. Her plump lips were in a wide grin and her eyes were bright and blue. Michael looked at her and waved his hand. "Hey Raquel." He saw another waitress nearby throw her hands into the air and storm off, apparently Raquel had just claimed the table.

"I didn't think you'd be back in so soon Mike, you were just here a couple weeks ago."

"Yeah." He chuckled and pointed his hand towards Spencer. "This is my cousin, Spencer. I was hoping to buy him a beer, he just got in town." Spencer lifted his hand and politely smiled at the woman. She didn't look as old as Michael, but no younger than twenty-six. Raquel extended her hand and shook his. Her hand was soft, but cold.

"It's good to meet you, Michael's told me a lot about you. What can I get you to drink?" He took his menu and opened it up. He was a bit unsure how to respond to this girl, she seemed nice, but a bit perky. Hell, he didn't know her, so he didn't really care, but he never pictured Michael as being interested in such cheery girls.

"Good to meet you too, I hope Michael's said good things." He smirked at his cousin and lifted an eyebrow when he heard the man force out a laugh. "Uh huh." He moved his eyes to the drinks and pointed down to the imports. "Guinness please." Raquel nodded and started writing on her notepad. Michael opened his menu up and glanced down the page.

"Samuel Adams for me." She wrote down his order and pushed the notepad and pen into her belt pocket.

"All right, I'll have those right out for you." Spencer watched her depart, then leaned across the table, pointing his thumb at the girl. "That is the girl you're talking about? She seems too cheerful to be your type." Michael lifted his shoulders and stretched his arms out, flapping the menu briefly.

"Actually, take a look at the waiters, they're all supposed to act cheerful and happy. Although, she's a bit more personal because she and I have kind of struck up a friendship."

"So why have you not asked her out yet? I hardly think you need my help to do that, she seems into you…I guess." Was it the nerves? He never thought Michael would ever be too nervous to ask a girl out, but to his shock, Michael hid behind the menu in reaction to the question. "Dear god Mike, don't tell me you're not confident and cocky like always. Do you think she's going to wait forever for you to go ahead and ask her out?"

"I don't know, when it comes to women, I just…" Michael set his menu down and raised his hand up, scratching his head. "I don't have your luck, Spencer."

"My 'luck'?" Spencer's lip twitched as he held back a laugh. Was Michael referring to Sasha here? He didn't know if he could consider it luck. Maybe it was, but from what he saw now, they had a lot of love. It couldn't just be luck. "That's not luck, that's love, and a lot of trust. I don't even deserve half the love she has for me. You need a woman like that, someone who will stand by you even as you crash and burn."

"Man, I know that…I've been out of the dating game for so long that I don't even know if I'm ready for that long term relationship. I'm almost scared that people don't consider me datable anymore." Spencer stared at Michael for a minute, thinking silently as Raquel returned with the beers. He was trying hard not to break out laughing. How could Michael think he wasn't datable anymore? Hell, Michael was younger than he was!

"Okay Mike…" He smirked deviously and lifted up his fingers. Michael's eyes flicked nervously from him to Raquel. "Miss Raquel, I have a question for you." Raquel lifted her eyebrows and glanced over at him.

"Yes?"

"Spencer, what are you doing?" Michael was beginning to sweat, his hands starting to tremble. He moved his hands beneath the table and swallowed hard. Spencer was intrigued, Michael actually had zero confidence when it came to women! Was this the same man that so cooly put the fear of god in Nevel Papperman, and here he was shaking worse than a leaf?

"Raquel, would you consider Michael to be 'datable'?" Her cheeks turned red for a split second and she turned her head to him. Michael gave her a gentle smile and leaned forward, putting his hand to his forehead. Raquel tapped her lip with her pen and lifted her shoulders

"I haven't dated him or anything, so I don't know. We've had a lot of good talks, so we get along…"

"Isn't that always the first step though?" He reached for his wallet and pulled a nickel out. Michael glared at him as his lip twisted into a smirk. This may be the only way to jumpstart anything for his dear cousin. "Raquel, would you be willing to date him?" Michael's eyes widened and his hands froze upon the table. Raquel's eyebrows rose sharply and she quickly turned to Spencer.

"He hasn't said anything about that."

"Ah he's being a big chicken. Confidence is the most attractive thing you can have, I'll say that much. He does want to ask you out, and thinks I want to be his 'wingman' so to speak. So, I'm going to flip a coin here…" Michael tugged on his collar as Raquel's eyelids fell halfway. "Heads, you two can go on a date, tails, it doesn't happen-"

"Okay, hold on!" Michael interrupted, much to Spencer's pleasure. Spencer flashed him a toothy grin, hoping his trick was going to work. He wanted to force some confidence into his cousin, one way or another. Michael looked up to Raquel as she slowly folded her arms across her chest.

"Is that true, what he says?"

"Yeah, I was just too nervous to…ah hell…Would you be willing to go out with me some time?" Spencer closed his eyes and tossed his nickel back into his wallet, grinning with pride. He was pretty sure Michael wanted to strangle the living hell out of him now, but he only did it for his own good. He popped his beer and took a quick sip.

"Well I'd have to think about that…" Raquel pulled her lip to the side, humming lightly as she swayed her hip slowly to the right. Spencer raised an eyebrow and turned his head to the window, sighing with exasperation. "I mean, you come in here and we chat enough that my coworkers and boss are starting to get upset."

"So maybe it would be good to see each other outside of work?"

"Oh yes it would." Was he detecting a hint of a flirtatious tone in her voice? He squinted the side of his face and started tapping his fingers on the table. Couldn't they just get it over with? She did seem like she was attracted to him, so if she was, she could simply say that rather than lead him around. "In fact, this is Debra's table. I'm going to have to give her one of my tables."

Spencer closed his eyes and whispered for Michael. "Is she available tomorrow…ask!" Michael glanced at him, then to Raquel with a quick smile.

"Are you off work tomorrow?"

"No, I'm off."

"Oh, well that's good." Spencer lifted his head p, then dropped down, smacking his forehead with his palm. Raquel blinked momentarily and pointed at the menus, fixing to ask if they decided on any food. Before she could say anything, Michael quickly added to his statement. "So maybe you'd like to grab some dinner tomorrow?" Spencer moved his hand an inch away, staring at his palm with a shocked expression. Michael was actually getting the hang of this, so far so good. Michael cleared his throat and placed his hands on the table, looking Raquel in the eyes. "Everyone's pretty busy tomorrow, but I would be glad to take a step away from all the drama and take you out somewhere."

"Well I have been wanting to go to Applebees for a while."

"We could go there?"

"Sure! I'll just check my schedule. What time?"

"How does six work?" Raquel grinned and quickly nodded her head. Spencer lifted his eyebrows up and started reading his menu. Michael smiled at her. "Then it's date."

"I'll see you then!" Raquel looked over her shoulder and sighed. "Um, I'd better give Debra back her table before I get in trouble, actually…Oh, and Mike?" She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on his temple. "It's about damned time." Michael blushed deep as Raquel turned and walked off. Spencer gazed over his menu and snickered.

"See Mike, you've got what it takes, you just needed a little push."

"Yeah…" Michael paused and narrowed his eyes, flashing off a mischievous smirk. "But don't think this means I'm not going to get you back for that little coin trick." Spencer laughed and gripped his beer.

"Yeah, I'd like to see that. I highly doubt you've retained that childhood foolishness from our younger days."

"Just wait, you may find yourself sleeping in a bed of shaving cream very soon."

"In Mom's house? Also, with Sasha there? Yeah, good luck with that one." When they were younger, they'd be going at it like a pair of devils, just pranking and tricking each other until the end of time. Jessica did not like that, because it usually meant things were going to wind up broken, or in a mess of some sort. Nowadays, with Sasha, it would probably be a bad idea to try the old shaving cream in the bed gag. "Dude, Sasha would so have your head."

"Maybe, but at least I'd die with the satisfaction that I got you back." The two started laughing as the waitress started moving towards the table. Spencer couldn't deny that this was one of the best times he'd had in such a long time.

Got to love cousin Mike.