The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N: As you know, thoughts are in italics and speech is in regular font.

Chapter 108 (Reunion: Puckett Family Gathering)

The day had come, October 6th, the day when Sam was going to meet the entire Davidson/Benson clan. She would be required to memorize all of their names. It wasn't so much that she had to memorize them, she wanted to do it. She wanted to impress the family by looking into the family history and learning all she could. It was stressful, and to top it off, her family had to be there. This was enough to make Sam want to die of so many things. Not only did she have to worry about being accepted into the Davidson/Benson family, she now had to worry about the impression her relatives would leave on them.

"Dear god!" Sam exclaimed as she ran around her room and started throwing her clothes around at a frantic pace. Freddie leaned against the doorway and raised his eyebrows as he watched Sam. "I can't do this! I can't do this!" Jonah and Valerie were outside the room as well, they were going to join Sam and Freddie at the reunion. Emily and Robert were watching from a nearby room, they were quite concerned as well as all the others that Sam might just be having a meltdown. "What will I wear? How will I act! Will they like me!!!"

"Girl relax!" Valerie said in a quick voice. She pushed Freddie aside, much to his displeasure. Jonah patted Freddie and chuckled as Valerie took a dress out of Sam's hand. Sam was jumpy and very nervous, Valerie knew there was no way Sam would do well if she was so nervous. The best thing to do in this situation was to remain calm. They knew Tyrone wouldn't show up, there was absolutely no chance of that happening. If he did, however, he'd be quickly sent away.

"I can't relax! My family's going to be here soon, even!" Sam had sent out all the invites, she wanted to talk to her family before they went. The only problem was that the majority of her family was uncouth. She couldn't help but to wonder how the hell her crazy and insane family would mix in with Freddie's calm and regal-like family. She hoped, no, prayed that her family wouldn't screw this up. Did she have any faith? Who knew. All she knew was her only grandfather still living basically burped all the time, one of her grandmothers had a reason for being in a nursing home, and at least her other grandmother was normal.

"It's going to be fine."

"I'm pulling out my hairs here!" It was times like these that Freddie was glad Sam's best friend knew their secret. That way Valerie could take care of certain things while Freddie just relaxed. He knew his family would love Sam, no matter what her family was like. Hell, he even loved her family. Sure, most of them were an odd bunch, and Sarah never trusted any of them to take care of her daughter, but they still weren't horrible people. "I can't even decide what dress to wear!"

"I thought that beautiful sea blue dress with the red lace on the collar and ends of the sleeve, along with the bottom was beautiful," Freddie said while crossing his arms over. Sam blinked and looked over at the dress lying on the bed. Freddie was right, the dress was gorgeous. She smiled and nodded her head, she could wear that one. She looked over at Valerie, Jonah and Freddie, smiled, and walked over to hug her fiancé. Freddie gently kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes. "Hey Sam, are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah…"

"Remember, my family is usually very accepting. They're not hard to please, trust me. You have nothing to worry about…nothing. It doesn't matter who or what in your family is a troublemaker, my family will typically work around that. They might not like some people, but it's not going to be pure hell." Sam gave a slow nod and heard the doorbell ring. Her eyes widened and Robert glanced at the door, it seemed that Sam's relatives were here. She wasn't even ready, she still had a lot to do!

"Oh no, entertain them or something, I'm not ready!"

"Can do, can do…" Sam quickly hurried into her room and slammed the door shut. Freddie sighed, dusted his pants off and walked over to the front door. He had met all of Sam's relatives over time, and he thought they were all great people. Sure, they had done some bad things in the past and were oddballs, but they didn't seem like horrible, virulent people in any way. If anything, the family on Sam's mom's side was easier to handle than the family on her dad's side. Also on her dad's side, Greg and Annie were probably the greatest and calmest of the relatives.

"Doesn't Sam have like a hundred year old grandfather?" Jonah asked while walking with Freddie. That was the truth, the father of Alice, Sam's grandmother, had been born in 1910, it was now 2011, exactly three years after the choosing of his bride. Carl Fields had managed to live long enough to see his great granddaughter find her husband.

"Isn't it amazing what medicine can do for ya?" Freddie smirked and opened the curtain to glance out the window. It looked like Sam's family was starting to gather up. It was sad, Sam's grandma, Alice had died the prior year. At least she'd met up with her best friend before her death. He could see an old man in a wheel chair, that had to be Carl. Annie Puckett was pushing him and her brother Greg was apparently holding a flute in his hand and staring at it. Annie glanced back at two people stepping out of a car, it was Sam's Uncle Morris and Aunt Maggie. They were the parents of Greg and Annie. Freddie's eyes shifted over to another car that was parking. A few seconds later and Sam's Uncle Buzz and his son Garth stepped out of the vehicle.

"Let me guess, they're all showing up at once?" Freddie nodded and chuckled lightly. Garth was wearing a cowboy hat, that wasn't too bad.

"Hey Jonah, Valerie, did you know that Sam's ancestor, Lucas Michaels lived to see even Sam's birth? He died in 1999, but was born in 1888."

"Damn that's old…"

"The longest living of any of her relatives so far, and on her mother's side. He saw his daughter's birth, his son's birth, his granddaughter and finally Sam."

"Sam once told me her great grandfather, Branton, died fighting a bull," Jonah said with a quick nod. The man lived to be sixty four, he lived off of bullfighting. Freddie chuckled and placed his hand on the doorknob, he figured it was about time to let the relatives in. It was a shock though that none of the relatives on Sam's mom's side showed up yet. They'd probably be there soon. Freddie opened the door and Annie grinned.

"Hey Freddie!" Annie said with a quick smile.

"Come on in, guys. Sam's just getting ready," Freddie said while holding his arm out. Annie nodded and pushed Carl into the room. Greg followed closely and gave Freddie a high five. Buzz, Morris, Maggie and Garth all entered and looked around the place with large eyes.

"Wow, is it okay if we rob this place?" Buzz asked with a large grin, clearly joking. Freddie rolled his eyes and chuckled as he shook his head.

"No, it's not. Now listen up you guys…" All the relatives looked to Freddie and waited for him to speak. "Sam's really nervous about all of this, you understand, right?"

"I would think so," Carl said in a quiet voice. The other relatives nodded and continued to look toward Freddie's eyes. They all understood how nervous she must be. She had to memorize all of Freddie's relatives, get ready, and deal with a family like them. The uncles sighed and Maggie turned her head down, Freddie raised his eyebrow and frowned.

"What's the matter you guys?"

"We know your family has to meet us, but…you know how we are," Morris stated while pushing his hands into his pockets. "I'm sure your family will be great, but we're all…"

"Oh just say it Morris, we're a disgrace to Sam!" Maggie said while crossing her arms. Annie and Greg frowned as their family all exchanged guilty and forlorn looks. Freddie rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Look you guys, it's going to be fine," Freddie said while giving them a reassuring smile. He felt people were getting too worked up, his family really wasn't all that high up or filled with any great people. "There's nothing you can do that could make my family look down on you. Unless Buzz over here decides to try and rob all my relatives' blind." Morris, Maggie and Garth turned their glares to Buzz and caused the man to chuckle nervously.

"Okay, so maybe I'll ogle whatever jewelry they have, but I promise not to take anything!"

"Uncle Buzz, remember that this is important to Sam," Annie said as she turned to her uncle. "I think it's best especially for you to keep on your best behavior."

"I have a feeling if you do anything wrong, you're going to get kicked out of there," Greg said as he pushed his flute into his pocket. He had practiced hard, he was going to play a few songs for Freddie's family. He hoped they were going to enjoy them. Annie wasn't just good with body art, she was good at paintings. She'd painted several images for the family, all of the images were in her car at the moment. Garth was going to sing a couple songs, mostly country. Everyone wanted to do something for the family and provide entertainment. Valerie was going to be busy helping the cooks with lunch at two. Then she had also made a big cake for everyone.

"Yeah and if I do anything wrong, then I'll make Sam look bad," Buzz said while falling back into a couch. He placed his hand to his face and groaned. "Maybe it's best that I don't go, for fear of screwing everything up for my niece."

"No, she wants you to go," Freddie said with a soft smile. It was true. While she was scared as hell of how Freddie's family would react to hers, she still wanted all her relatives to be there. "It's important to her. Plus, they want to meet everyone in her family. Give or take the few that can't make it. Just be there for her, okay? I know you'll do fine."

"I'm just so nervous, and you know how I get when I'm nervous. I can't help myself! It's like I'm attracted to shiny and pretty things when I get nervous!"

"I think I'll help you out there, Dad," Garth said with a tired sigh.

"It's no wonder Sarah didn't trust any of us! When David died, she didn't even stay in touch with us very much…"

"Maybe she just didn't know how to face you," Jonah said while leaning against the wall. The relatives looked over and raised their eyebrows. Jonah sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean when her husband was murdered, I would think she was grieving too much herself and was too proud to let his family see her grieve."

"Yeah, we all grieved when that happened," Maggie said with a quiet voice. Carl closed his eyes and slowly shook his head, it had been hard on him to have to live through both his daughter's death and his grandson's death. It had been harder with David. David had been murdered, Alice died of natural causes. Maggie crossed her arms and stared at the ground. "Anyway, I've decided to leave all my cigarettes at home…I don't want to be seen smoking in front of your family. I'm afraid it'll look bad if I do that."

"Okay, that's thoughtful of you," Freddie said with a nod. From what he knew, nobody in his family smoked. Plus, they had a small child there. He admired how much Sam's family was trying their hardest to be better than how they usually were. Hell, they were even wearing suits and dresses, rather than casual clothing they always wore, even to formal churches. "I just want to say that I'm really happy that you guys all feel Sam is important enough to look, act, and do your best for her."

"We want her to look good, nobody wants to drag her down," Carl said as he placed his elbow on his armrest and his hand to his cheek. "Got any relatives in a wheelchair?"

"From what I know…no…"

"I see, any war veterans?" Freddie chuckled and nodded his head. Carl snapped his fingers and sighed. "Well then, I guess I'm not alone in that department. Did you know I fought in World War II?"

"I think Sam mentioned that." Carl smiled and his eyes brightened, he enjoyed when people seemed to think his tales were important enough. "You were fighting on the ground, right?"

"That's correct! Why I was with my very best friends…It broke my heart seeing almost every one of them gunned down, but unlike the other soldiers…I didn't let that bring me down. For them, I fought harder. For America, I fought harder. For the Jewish culture, I fought, with pride. I also helped to free a concentration camp! One of my best friends for the longest time was a survivor from there."

"That's amazing, you must tell my family about your time in war. They would love hearing about it." Carl grinned and Freddie checked his watch. "Hey Morris, Buzz, do you know if your cousin is supposed to show up?" Reggie had a sister who gave birth to a man named Todd Bryant. He had a wife named Blanche and a son named Danny. Danny was one of Sam's youngest cousins. Her youngest cousin was still older than she was, though. Venus Parker was her name, she was eighteen years old while Danny was twenty one. Venus was actually on Sam's mom's side.

"No, unfortunately Blanche is ill, so Todd has to stay home," Morris answered. Freddie frowned and looked to the side. It was a pity, his family would have liked meeting them. "Danny was looking forward to coming, but he's helping to take care of his mom and is having some issues in college."

"Sarah's relatives are coming, aren't they?" Maggie asked as she nudged her husband. Morris nodded and checked his watch.

"Yeah, they should be here soon, actually-" The doorbell rang and Morris glanced over. "That must be them."

"I'll get it," Jonah said as he pushed himself from the wall and moved to the door. Freddie smiled and looked over. Jonah opened the door and saw two people standing. A young girl around his age and her mother.

"Oh, it's Venus and Aunt Violet," Freddie said while stepping forward. He gestured for them to come in, and they obliged. "Violet, your brother and parents are coming, right?"

"Yes, they're in their own cars," Violet said with a subtle nod. "In fact, Mom and Dad were right behind me." Her brother was Brian Daniels, his wife was Madeline, and his son was Leon. Leon was twenty five. Sam's grandparents were Hugh and Susie 'Maw Maw' Daniels. Susie was probably the only truly normal relative. Hugh didn't do much, he just burped. In a few seconds, the grandparents hurried inside.

"Okay Hugh, remember…socialize," Susie scolded while shaking her finger in the air. Hugh rolled his eyes and sighed. Susie placed her hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes. "This is for Sam. This is the one of the biggest moment of her life and I won't have you ruining it for her!"

"I'm not going to," Hugh said as he crossed his arms. He wanted to come along and he was going to try his best to actually not be antisocial. After all, he didn't want to cause Freddie's family to look down on his granddaughter. Hugh blinked with realization and looked over to Freddie. "By the way, Leon called up and told us that his parents won't be able to make it. He'll be here soon, though."

"Bummer, but at least Leon can be here," Freddie responded. He smiled and crossed his arms. He couldn't be prouder of Sam's relatives. "If only she could see how much they want to make her happy right now. She's so stressed out…she's been stressed for months because of this…"

"We are going to make our Sammy proud of us," Maggie said while giving a determined smile. "All of us are trying our best to cast aside all our problems and focus solely on making Sam look good in front of your family." Freddie chuckled and pushed his hands through the air, he didn't know how many times he had to tell them it wasn't that big of an issue.

"It's really not that big of a problem…I mean, they're not going to shun Sam if you mess up…I mean hey, none of you are like Tyrone, he's not even allowed to step foot near the place!" The relatives all looked at Freddie with narrow eyes. They understood what he was saying, but they felt that he probably didn't realize how important, regardless of the family's status, it was in order to impress the family and make Sam look good. As everyone gathered around, they heard a door open. Everyone looked over toward a hallway and saw Sam starting to walk out. She looked beautiful. Her hair was up, her dress sparkled, and a brilliant golden necklace rested gently on her neck.

"Sam, you look amazing," Susie said with a smile. "Your mother would be proud." Sam smiled slightly and eyed all of her relatives. She looked over as her cousin Leon entered the house. This was it, everyone was here. From here, they had to make their way to the Benson family reunion. It was such a small gathering at the house, chances were they'd lose sight of each other, but no matter what, they were going to do their best for Sam. Everyone took a deep breath and glanced over as Robert and Emily entered the room.

"Wow, nice seeing everyone," Emily said with a smile. "Spencer and Sasha are already on their way to the building. I suggest if anyone has to make any pit stops, do it now. We have an hour drive…also there are about four bathrooms in this house and we need to leave in the next thirty minutes…" The group all nodded and began either resting up or going to the restroom. Sam merely stood near the door with Freddie, he had his arm around her waist and was smiling softly at her.

"You know, they're really trying," Freddie said quietly. Sam nodded, she realized that. Normally her family was often negligent or forgetful, but when the time came, they did show how much they really cared. Whatever they did, they vowed to try their best not to embarrass Sam.

I hope you liked that chapter. Her family's all banding together to try and leave a good impression for her. No, Carly isn't going to the reunion, and before you say anything, I have no place to put her there. There will be too many family secrets, and one of which involves her, which she can't hear right away for the plot. Plus, October 6th 2011 is a Thursday, she'll be in school while Freddie, Sam, Jonah and Valerie are not. Each of which will have a reason for not being in school. Just face the facts that Carly has no purpose being at the reunion (Plus Robert's probably the only Shay allowed) Review.