Against All Odds

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 43 (Getting the Job)

The next morning, Spencer woke to the sun shining in on his face. Sasha was being spooned in his arms, her hair smelled sweet, like lilac. He breathed in and slowly ran his fingers along her smooth, milky white skin. She swayed her body forward, then back against him. She opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, gazing up into his eyes as he curved upwards, gazing down upon her. "Good morning," She whispered to him. Her voice, sweet as honey, and soft as her silky purple gown.

"Hey baby…" He groomed her hair back and leaned down, kissing her lips tenderly. As he lifted upwards, she moved with his lips, then moved back onto the pillow. He moved his eyes from her lips to her eyes. Her breath flowed against his face, enriching him and filling him full of life. "How did you sleep?" Her chest rose and fell with a soft sigh. He felt her arms slowly brush against him as she moved her hands to the back of her head.

"It was the best sleep I've ever had, and better yet, you were with me." She arched her body upwards as she did her usual morning stretch. He slid his arm around her stomach and continued to gaze into her eyes.

"I wish I could hold onto you all day." Could there truly be anything wrong with just laying in each other's arms for the rest of the day? He didn't think so. She huffed and smiled as she moved her finger and tapped his lips. He breathed softly as he kissed her finger.

"You can't miss your interview with Mr. Johnson down at the museum." There was that one extremely good reason not to be lazy today. His mom was taking Carly to the Jamaican shop for her job interview, so he could have his car for the day. "But if I had my way, I'd lay with you all day long…Just us together, nothing else."

"I would love that. Maybe when we're not worrying about so many things, and there's a day we're not busy, we can do that." It was the small things that really mattered in a relationship, and cuddling was definitely among those things. "What if I told you by this time next year, I could see us living in our own home?"

"I can see it happening. Maybe not within a year, but I can see it."

"That a challenge? You don't think I can do it, do you?" He smirked at her and she gradually placed a gentle hand to his cheek. She reached up, giving him a chaste peck upon the lips. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his.

"I know you can do it. I don't doubt you at all." Her arms slid around his neck and her cheeks started to grow pink."I think…it may be a good idea for you to get dressed now, and get down to the museum, and get that job."

"Right." He couldn't let himself get distracted now. After all, it was this beauty that he wanted to satisfy. This one, and the two children she'd blessed him with. "I just want to get it off my chest, how beautiful you are." Her sweet smile grew and she slowly shook her head.

"I have bed hair and I haven't even taken a shower yet."

"So?" He smoothed his hand through her hair, slowly and softly. "You don't have to be all dollied up to be beautiful, appearances aren't everything. You know, I don't think I could have gotten through all of this without you. I need you in my life. I do."

"Same…" She cuddled close to his chest and closed her eyes, sighing with contentment. "When do you have to be at the museum?"

"Noontime. It's only nine right now."

"So…maybe we can cuddle for just a few minutes." He wrapped his arms around her and lay beside her. His gaze moved to the window for a brief moment while the wind outside led the tree branches to brush against it. His eyes gradually returned to Sasha's serene expression, a strand of her hair had fallen against the bridge of her nose. He swept it away with his fingers, then rested his arm around her body.

Hours later, after he'd gotten dressed up and Sasha wished him the best of luck, he hurried on towards the museum. He was in a blue dress shirt, silver and black striped tie, and black slacks. He had high hopes, and his mom seemed certain that this place would hire him. The manager only wanted to interview him, to at least make it appropriate and fair. Apparently there was truth to the idea of knowing someone in order to get a job

When he entered the museum, he was intrigued by the walls covered with artwork both current and ages old. In the center of the front area, surrounded by staircases on either side arching up to the second floor, was a large sculpture of a Greek God. He wanted to explore, but knew it was better to remain on the task at hand. He wasn't there to entertain himself, he was there to get a job as the museum security guard.

To his right, he saw a short and stocky bald headed man with glasses making his way over to him, the man had a thick brown mustache and thin glasses that rested on his large nose. He smiled at Spencer and extended his hand. "You must be Spencer Shay, I presume? I'm Walter Johnson, the curator here at the museum."

"Hi, you've got the right person." He smiled back and shook the man's hand with a firm grip. The man's handshake was almost like shaking a cold fish, but he paid no mind to the icy grip. "I'm here about the security job."

"Yes, right this way." He followed Walter through a few rooms filled with various paintings and statues, all intriguing him even further. He caught Walter eyeing him, and smiled politely. "Your mother told me quite a bit about you, Mr. Shay. I must say, I'm excited to have such an art enthusiast on my team here at the museum. As you can see, we pride ourselves in having artwork from the present times all the way back to ancient days"

"Amazing. Did Mom mention how 'desperate' I am for the job?" He chuckled nervously and waited as Walter let out a hearty chuckle.

"Why yes, I understand that you have a fiancé and a son to take care of?"

"Yes sir."

"Here at the museum, we offer all employees a chance at growth in the career field. If you do your work well, you'll get raises and whatnot. You do get benefits, health insurance and 401K…we do offer you the opportunity to broaden your horizons with college, we are in conjunction with TCC of course." Spencer felt his heart leap to his throat. He was already impressed, and surely this man had just started talking! "Now, I understand you have a degree in criminal justice?"

"Yes sir. Art is a hobby, a passion of mine, and that's why I'm interested in working here."

"That degree will earn you a higher wage than most guards, and I am happy to hear that you do enjoy artwork so much. That tells me you will care about your job."

"Yes sir." There was absolutely no doubt he would care about the job. They made it into Walter's office and took a seat at the long brown desk. There were several papers strewn about. Walter pressed his fingertips together and leaned forward. "I said I'd interview you for the job, however, I would like to skip to the job offer. There's no doubt in my mind that you are qualified, but first…you need to be able to carry a gun license. I would like to start you on immediately, this coming Monday, but you will need a license."

"I can get that." Wherever the nearest shooting range was, he would head there as soon as possible. "I will do whatever is necessary for this job." Walter smiled and slowly nodded his head.

"Good to hear, Mr. Shay. I've set up for you to be given a tour of the facility, you can do that once you're done with all the paperwork. After that, I'll send you to the nearest shooting range for that license, you can return here, and we can further discuss your schedule. First, however, I'd like to go over the details of the job…"

After going through the interview, the paperwork, and the tour, Spencer found himself standing before a distant target in a shooting gallery. In his hand was a semi=automatic pistol. Beside him was a tough looking man with a tattoo on his upper arm and a handlebar mustache. "Have you ever shot a gun before?" The man asked while crossing his arms.

"Once, and that was when I was a child. It was a BB gun." He'd not fired a real gun before. He stared down at the pistol in his hand and took a deep breath, he was almost scared to fire it. He didn't dislike guns, he knew they were necessary, especially if he ever had to use one to protect his family. He would do it in a heartbeat. The man already explained everything he could, so this was just a test to see how well he could fire. If he could make eighty percent of the shots within range, he would be granted the license.

He closed his left eye and lifted his arms, holding the gun with both hands, and pointed it towards the target, twenty feet away. It ran in his mind, if he needed to use a gun to protect his family, could he manage to take a life, if he had to? As his eyes bore down onto the target, he imagined his dear old dad, beating on his mother.

One shot fired

Next, he imagined his father, yanking him and taking Carly away from Jessica.

Two shots fired

When he imagined all that his father had done in the recent months, and imagined the things his father could try to do to Sasha, to Blake and that unborn child, he narrowed his eyes and smoothed his finger on that trigger. He fired off several consecutive rounds, until the man lifted his hand to declare the test complete.

Most of the shots had been centered around the chest dot, one was in the neck, and two were off on the side. It was enough for him to be granted a license, as well as a pistol for protection. He'd talked to Sasha about it over the phone before, she hadn't been happy about the idea of having a gun around, but she was okay with it for protection purposes.

When he returned to the museum, he proudly showed Walter his gun license. "When can I start, Mr. Johnson?" Walter rose from his office chair and smiled at him.

"As I said, you can start on Monday. You'll be working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday for now. Your starting salary is eleven dollars and fifty cents. I want you to start coming in at eight in the morning, which is when we open our doors, and you will work until eight in the evening." Twelve hour workdays, four days in a week, it seemed rough to be away from Sasha and the family that much, but it was what was needed to take care of them. "Keep in mind, I can be flexible with the scheduling if need be, just don't be afraid to discuss whatever questions you have."

"I understand sir."

"Good, you will be trained by our lead guard for your first two weeks on duty. It's good to have you as an addition to the team, Spencer."

"I appreciate this, thank you so much." He shook his new boss's hand and felt a sense of satisfaction and pride welling up deep inside. He finally had a job! He could finally take care of his family. One step at a time, yes, but it was still a job and he was thrilled! To think, all he had to do was tell his mother he would be willing to accept help, and then the family landed him a good job.

When he returned home, he was full of eagerness and anticipation, awaiting Sasha's reaction. She met him in the living room, where she'd been reading a book while Blake ran about the place. She rose to meet him and smiled. "How did it go today, Spencer?" He grinned and extended his arms, moving towards her.

"You're looking at a working man that can support his family, Sasha."

"You mean you got the job?" She gasped and quickly rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy for you! When do you start?"

"Monday. Things are getting better, Sasha. They really are."

"I know. You never cease to amaze me." She kissed his lips and he pulled her into a tight embrace. If this was part of his reward for a job well done, he would gladly accept it. Nothing could tear him down from this high.

Well hopefully you enjoyed it.