The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

Chapter 85 (Loss of a Friend)

Three days had passed by, Sam and Freddie were still on the cruise. They called Jonah and Valerie almost every day to let them know what was going on. Jonah and Valerie would tell them what was happening around their place as well. It was pretty quiet around Seattle, anyway. Tyrone hadn't done much hassling, since Freddie was nowhere to be found. Robert and Emily were dating, and clearly becoming closer. Sasha and Spencer were the same way as well. Carly actually wondered where her two best friends went, but she didn't worry too much about it.

It was pretty suspicious that Tyrone hadn't done anything, usually he at least called Emily to bother her once a day. He didn't know about Emily and Robert dating, nor did he know about Spencer and Sasha. Emily actually didn't know about them either, but they were considering letting her know. The gangs were getting riled up, however. There was speculation that one city gang was planning something, something that Tyrone didn't actually know about. The leader of that gang was often a rebel, someone that usually went against whatever Tyrone did or said.

Currently, Jonah and Valerie were talking with Jake. Jake had some suspicions that he'd been wondering about. In nearly two years, Jonah was Freddie's closest friend. That was fine. The only thing he'd been wondering about was the glances that Freddie gave Sam whenever they performed on stage with their band. Those, and several other instances made him wonder if perhaps there really was something going on. Some people actually mistook Jake for Freddie's closest friend. It wasn't that hard to mistake, if you didn't see the trio that much. Jake sipped a drink and smiled lightly at his friends.

"Hey, you remember when we finally got onto Seattle Beat?" Jake asked with a slight smirk. They had made it onto Seattle Beat around two months ago. It was a blast. Jake had also seen Freddie talking to Sam that day, they were hidden away slightly. Jonah gave a brief nod and leaned back, that was one of the best moments that he could remember ever having. "Man that was great, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was awesome," Jonah replied. They had been able to sing several songs, it was perhaps the greatest gig the band ever had.

"Yeah, since then…even before sometimes, I've been noticing a few oddities." Jonah raised his eyebrow and Jake took a deep breath. He was sure of it by now, he was positive that Sam and Freddie were together. "Why is it that no one told me Freddie was dating Sam?" Jonah and Valerie stared with wide eyes, they had no idea how to respond to that. Jake let out a small sigh and crossed his arms, he felt hurt that he was left out of the loop. "I'm your best friend, yet no one let me know about them…"

"We weren't even supposed to know," Valerie said with a quiet voice. "I found out one day when Sam let it slip, then they decided to tell Jonah because he was my boyfriend…Their relationship has to be kept a secret or else they risk being ripped apart by a complete ass." Jake raised his eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, that was a surprising way to put it. "His mom's culture is something that some people don't like, so he can't let anyone know that his chosen bride is Sam."

"I see…so that's why no one could tell me?" Valerie nodded her head and Jake looked toward the ground, he still felt hurt by it. "So, do you know where the really are?"

"They're on a cruise, it's their second year anniversary of dating."

"How long have you two known?"

"We'll have known for two years around October or November," Jonah replied while crossing his arms over. He knew Jake felt betrayed, but he was also sure Jake could handle it. "Listen, you can't let anyone know that you know. We don't want anything bad to happen to Freddie or to Sam."

"Of course, I wouldn't tell anyone. I just wish I had known…"

"We're sorry if you feel deceived," Valerie said as she took a bite of some cake she had made. "Just please understand, there were good reasons why no one could tell you…and it's not you in general, either. There are just some people who want Freddie's family out of here, and they would take Sam away if they knew she was his future bride."

"I see how that would be a bad thing." Jonah nodded and Jake took a bite of cake. He understood now, it wasn't that he wasn't trusted, it was that it would be dangerous for him to know. "So, when do Sam and Freddie get back?"

"Tomorrow." Jake smiled and leaned back slightly.

"Can I go with you guys and see them?" Jonah and Valerie looked at each other, both questioning whether they should let him do that or not. If they did, Sam and Freddie might get a little upset that he found out. Then again, they were usually understanding about these types of things. Surely it wouldn't be bad if Jake went along, but they would have to call their friends up first and let them know that Jake knew about them.

"Yeah, just let us call them up first," Jonah replied while standing up from the table. He took his and Valerie's empty plates and carried them over to the sink. Jake took another bite of his cake and swallowed lightly.

"Yeah, I suppose we wouldn't want to drop it on them that I knew about them. I just hope they don't get mad that I found out."

"They shouldn't. I wouldn't see any reason why they would." Jake smiled as Jonah took his cell phone out and dialed Freddie's number. He waited until Freddie picked up the phone.

"Hey Jonah, what's up?" Freddie asked. "I'm watching Sam play cards with a group of people on the ship, she's winning." Jonah chuckled and Freddie took a slow sigh. "She doesn't want to leave."

"Hah, so I take it she's having fun on the cruise?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Jonah laughed and leaned against the counter. Valerie and Jake glanced over at him and smiled, they figured their friends were enjoying themselves if Jonah was laughing at something. "So Jonah, what are you calling for?"

"Well Freddie…Jake knows about you and Sam." Jonah waited as Freddie paused, contemplating his response.

"So he knows. That's fine, Sam and I were actually considering letting him know."

"Really, you're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with him knowing."

"Great! Well, he also wants to be there tomorrow when we swing by and pick you up."

"Okay, I'm fine with that. I'll talk to Sam about it, I'm sure she won't mind at all." Jonah heard a laugh in the distance, it seemed Sam was cheering about something. "Heh, she won again. I'll have to let you go."

"All right, we'll talk to you later. Have fun."

"Oh I will."

"I don't doubt that for a moment." Jonah hung up and smiled as he looked toward his girlfriend and Jake. "Freddie says he's fine with it." Jake grinned and cheered slightly.

"Awesome!" Jake cried out. Valerie laughed and Jonah slowly shook his head, smiling at the display. "So when do I have to start getting ready?"

"Well, you can just come over here around four, that's when we're leaving to pick them up."

"Okay, I'll see you then. I need to get home, though!" Jonah nodded and Jake exited the house. He was happy that Freddie was accepting of him knowing about the secret.

-NEW SCENE-

The next morning, around noon, Jake was walking down the street. He had some last minute shopping to do. His girlfriend, Stephanie, had wanted him to buy something for her while she was in bed with the flu. He loved her with all his heart, so he would do anything for her while she was sick. He just needed to pick up some medicine and some soup, then he'd go help take care of her. He decided to take a shortcut and enter through an alleyway. The only problem was that the alley had a dead end, so he had taken the wrong alley.

He sighed and turned around, but spotted a man in a brown overcoat. The man was in his twenties at least. He had a scar over his eye and a scowl on his face. Jake didn't like the looks of this guy, he seemed really dangerous. "Hey, who are you?" Jake asked with a slight chuckle.

"No one important," The man said while narrowing his eyes. "I know who you are, though. Jonah Brown, best friend to Freddie Benson and you play the guitar on your band." Jake raised his eyebrow and took a slight step back. That was a bit off, but he decided not to say that.

"Okay, so what?" The man stepped forward, keeping his hands in his pockets.

"You are Freddie's closest friend, are you not?" Jake swallowed hard and chuckled nervously. Jonah was his closest friend, but Jake wasn't about to reveal that, or that he wasn't Jonah.

"Yeah, I'm his closest friend. Why do you want to know?"

"So we can scare him." The man pulled his hand from his pocket and revealed that he was holding a gun. Jake's eyes widened and he pressed his back against the wall. He didn't like the situation he was in.

"What are you doing with that?"

"If I kill Freddie's closest friend, then Tyrone will be happy since it will scare the Benson family away."

"You think killing me will do anything at all?"

"Yes, it will." Jake's eyes widened considerably as the man pulled the trigger on the gun. He winced as he felt a burning sensation go into his chest. Jake fell to his knees and shouted out in pain. "Tyrone doesn't condone murder, but I could care less."

"D-Damn it…" Jake clenched his teeth together and breathed in. He didn't care that he'd been shot, if it meant taking a bullet most likely meant for Jonah, then he was fine with it. Jake's eyes went skyward and he fell toward the ground. The man smirked and turned around, but met the fierce and angry eyes of Tyrone Shay.

"What the hell have you done!" Tyrone shouted as he punched the man in the face. "Why is it that only you…out of every goddamn gang leader or member that is loyal to me, it has to be you that does the stupid and idiotic crap! I said no killing! You bastards can use violence all you want, but why the hell are you killing people?"

"I'm sorry boss, but I just thought…"

"No, you didn't think. You can't think! If you could think, you wouldn't kill someone! Do you know what I want you to do now, before I take my gun and shoot your balls off?"

"What?"

"Go to the police station and tell them that you just shot a man. I'll be with you the entire way! Don't you dare pin this on me either." The man frowned and Tyrone placed a gun toward the man's back and growled. "Walk. The police station is right next door, it won't be hard."

"Fine…" Tyrone followed the man into the police station where he met up with Emily. Tyrone had since left, but the man thought he was still there.

"Excuse me sir, but why are you entering the police station while holding a gun in your hand?" Emily asked while raising her eyebrow. The man sighed and closed his eyes.

"I just shot and killed a man. Arrest me, I will show you where the body is…"

"I see…" Emily followed the man to the alley and her eyes widened when she spotted Jake lying on the floor, blood seeping out. "Oh my god…I can't believe this." Emily quickly took a bag and had the man put his gun in it. She handcuffed him and dialed for backup to come. Very quickly, police and paramedics littered the alley. Emily closed her eyes and felt tears go down her face, Freddie and Sam had just lost a close friend.

"I wasn't supposed to do it, but I killed Jonah anyway." Emily raised her eyebrow and stared at the man with confusion. Had he just referred to Jake as Jonah? Was the bullet meant for Jonah?

"Was there someone else here, sir?"

"No, it was just this man."

"The man you shot was not Jonah Brown. The man you shot was Jake Krandle." The thug's eyes widened as Emily led him into the police car. "Do you know if anyone else wants to kill Mr. Brown?"

"No, I was the only one in my gang that was gunning for anyone. My boss doesn't condone murder, he just wishes to scare…"

"Scare?" Emily's eyes widened slightly. She frowned and gave a deep sigh. She couldn't arrest Tyrone for this. By what the man was saying, it sounded like Tyrone had nothing to do with Jake's murder. She cursed slightly and looked over as an officer started to tell her about the report they made.

There it is, the next chapter is a little sadder, depending on whether it will be sad or not. Chances are it will, since it's the groups initial reactions. Leave a review if you shall ^_^

By the way, I want to let you know that I'm redoing the last few chapters of SAM'S DARK PAST in order to make it more compatible with my story, JESSICA'S DARK PAST, which can be seen on my other profile, King Nate. I've actually changed a lot throughout SDP, so rereading it may be a good idea...but I'll post an alert on it when I'm done fixing up SDP