The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 141 (Farewells and Hellos)

A couple days later found Jonah, Valerie, and their families waiting at the airport. Valerie's heart was racing with excitement and uncertainty, it was exactly like standing on the edge of a deep black hole and looking in, knowing full well she would have to jump into the abyss. Though as long as she had Rachael with her, she knew she wouldn't have to be scared. She would be meeting Rachael at the gate, 1A, going towards New York City. Valerie had asked that she wait there, but that would mean she'd not get to talk to the family since they couldn't go through the detector and everything.

Sam and Freddie were there as well, to pick up the pieces of their best friends and to say goodbye to Valerie as she left for a long time. The first time she would really be able to visit, since she had to finish off the semester of high school while dealing in her apprenticeship, would be spring break in March. Her body was tense with worry as she walked in silence with everyone, nobody really knew what to say. Hell, they were all afraid as well of letting her go off into the big world, and that was normal anywhere rather than just the Big Apple!

In her arms she cradled Aaron and held his eyes, humming a soft lullabye to him. She whispered to her son, promising that she would never abandon him and that she was only leaving for education purposes, that she would provide. She lifted her head to Jonah and smiled as she continued to cradle her son. She was still going over the steps to take care of Aaron, even though she'd told everybody a million times over, it just wasn't enough. "You're going to make sure you record every moment, right? I don't want to miss a thing!" Jonah smiled and nodded his head, giving her a feeling of relief that everything would be just fine.

"You know I will, Valerie. I'm pretty sure that Sam and Freddie wouldn't let me get away with missing anything if I wanted to."

"Well good!" She grinned at her friends and they acknowledged her with a smile. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you guys around to keep Jonah in line." Jonah laughed and tilted his head curiously.

"And what does that mean, sweetie?"

"Oh nothing at all." She tapped Jonah's jaw and lightly pecked his cheek. They made it to the line and Valerie felt a sense of nervousness buffer her once more. All of her suitcases, as they'd packed for four years, had been shipped to New York. Granted Rachael lived several miles north of New York City, plus she actually filmed in Manhattan about once or twice a week, so it was a long drive. She managed to get some of the top notch chefs to come by the airport when they would land. Valerie had some luggage on baggage. She wouldn't be meeting Guy Fieri like she thought she would, but she would be meeting Paula Deen and Bobby Flay. She liked Mrs. Deen on the food network, Bobby Flay seemed to be a bigger star than the not nearly as popular, Ricky Flame. Of course, Ricky's show was just a ripoff of Mr. Flay's, she needed to ask Rachael why that was.

"This is where we get off sis," Vanessa said as Valerie tearfully handed Jonah their son. She hugged Vanessa closely and sniffed, she really was afraid of all that she would miss, but at least she knew she'd be able to see them again.

"I'm going to miss you!"

"Yeah I know." Vanessa smirked and rubbed Valerie's shoulder gently. "Don't let New York change you too much."

"I won't!" She turned to Jonah with tears in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and hugged him. Her eyes moved to Aaron's and she relaxed. She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders and gazed up with a smile. "Look at us Jonah, a perfect family, right? You, me, your little sister, all my sisters, our parents…I can't believe I'm about to leave you all."

"Are you having second thoughts?" Could she afford to have second thoughts? Chances were, she couldn't. She carefully wiped her eye and slowly shook her head as she thought of a possibly bright future.

"No, I know I don't want to leave you all behind, but I know that right now it's best for my education." She turned her eyes to Sam and took a step forward, gently taking Sam's hands in hers. "You'll take care of the café, right? I know our boss is putting you in charge of the kitchen. It's a big responsibility! Remember Sam, if you need me to, I'll always come right-"

"It'll be fine," Sam interjected with a rapid tone. Valerie's heart sank just slightly, but she still had the utmost faith and confidence in her friend. She felt her friend move forward and quickly she joined in another teary eyed hug. "Now get going. We're all going to miss you, but if we take too much time here you'll miss the plane! Besides, Rachael's waiting on you." Sam then turned to Jonah and took Aaron into her arms. "Now let me hold my godson, you two need to say your goodbyes. We've all had our chances while coming here." Valerie hiccuped once and wiped her eye as she smiled and turned to Jonah, who immediately swept her into his strong arms. She met his eyes, not a word was needed. She let out a soft sigh and rested her head upon his chest.

"You'll be sure to watch Rachael's show every time it's on, right? I don't want you to miss me assisting her."

"I promise you, I'll catch every show."

"And what you can't catch, you record. Okay?"

"Yes dear." He smirked playfully and continued to hold her as she moved her eyes to his. They held their gaze for several seconds, perhaps minutes, they were not entirely sure. She heard his soft whisper hover to her ears as he gently placed his forehead against hers. "I love you Valerie."

"I-I love you too." Her voice broke and she fought the urge to cry. Why was this so hard? They weren't breaking up or anything, they could talk every day if they so desired. Granted she'd be busy and he was going to be getting a job somewhere, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be able to connect with him! She cleared her throat and slowly closed her eyes. What more was there to say? She'd stay in his arms all day if he asked her to, even though she knew there was no way she could miss the flight.

"This isn't goodbye, Val." Her eyes flew open and she gazed almost mournfully into her husband's strong brown eyes. He was shaking, his heart racing. He wanted so badly to tell her not to go. Freddie placed his hand upon Jonah's shoulder and he slowly exhaled. "This is the start of a new beginning in our lives. It's not a goodbye, so…it's an 'I'll see you later', how does that sound?" Valerie wiped her eyes and nodded as she took a step back. She scanned the eyes of her family and her friends for one last time, they were all mixtures of joy, sorrow, pride, love, and so many other emotions. She knew the next time she saw them, and as the years passed along, things might be different, but those feelings they had would only become stronger.

"Okay then." Her lips curled up as her heart started to rise, she no longer had any time left to say goodbye. "Not saying goodbye, but…I'll see you later."

"Be sure to call us when you get there!" Viola said with joy sparkling off each word. She nodded and looked over as her mother-in-law, Denise, gave her a hug just before motioning her towards the metal detector and the security officers. Valerie's lips formed an 'O' and she quickly removed her shoes and any metal objects. She hurried through the metal detector and wiped her eyes with one hand while waving at her family with the other. They waved back and didn't move, instead, they stood their watching with proud, but tearful eyes until she disappeared around the corner, eager to get the nearly five hour flight over with.

After some time, Valerie and Rachael were in the air. She was sitting next to the window and had been staring out of it for a very long time. She was already wanting to hold her son or to be nestled into Jonah's arms. Even with all the emtions that racked her mind, she was still overcome with the awe of seeing the large puffy white clouds below her.

On her lap, she had a cookbook that she'd been studying, it was propped open to a page about stuffed turkey, the same recipe she used during the Thanksgiving break. She tore her gaze from the window and looked to Rachael, who was reading a book of her own. She was starting to feel a little lonely, so she thought to make conversation. "Hey Rachael." The woman smiled at her and set the book down on her lap.

"Yes?"

"When we get there and we meet Mrs. Deen and Mr. Flay, are we going to go to the studio?"

"Yeah, are you nervous?" She placed her hand to her stomach and sighed, she didn't want to be nervous. Rachael closed her eyes and placed her hand onto Valerie's arm. "It's okay to be a little nervous, all the chefs are eager to meet you!"

"Really?"

"Yes, I told them a lot about you." Valerie's eyes lit up with wonder and she sat up attentively. She wanted to know more about the other chefs and what they thought of her. It finally hit her that she wasn't just meeting her hero, she was going to meet everyone on the Food Network. At least, in the four years, she hoped to meet them all. "Paula and Bobby are going to take us to the studio and we'll show you around. After that, we're going to head over to my place up in the Adirondacks. Beautiful lakeside villa in upstate New York." Valerie's eyes grew large and her heart pulsated inside her, was this where she'd be staying? No, surely Rachael wouldn't have that in mind for her, or would she? Rachael smiled and folded her arms over, smiling proudly. "It's a nice quiet place where my husband, mom, and our dog and cat are…it'll aslo be where you'll stay throughout your apprenticeship."

"R-Really! I don't know what to say, I mean…"

"Well I want you to be my assistant, so why shouldn't you get your own room there? How am I going to teach you anything or even learn from you if you're not with me?" This was true. Valerie was speechless, but entirely grateful. She hugged Rachael, not realizing what she was doing until a second later when she pulled away quickly.

"Sorry!"

"About what? I don't mind a hug or two." She felt her cheeks go red and slowly glanced to the side. She really needed to remember that Rachael, along with these other chefs, were just as normal and human as the rest of them. Then again, some celebrities were often a lot harder than that and didn't like to be around those who were affectionate, but she had forgotten that Rachael was so down to earth. "So what do you think of that? Mom and John will have your room all set up by the time we get there."

"I think it's wonderful that you're doing all this for me. You don't have to, but you are, and I really admire that." Rachael smiled as Valerie rested her head against the headrest. "I'm glad that the other chefs want to meet me, does that include Mr. Flame?"

"Eh…" Valerie's lips fell slightly as Rachael tapped her chin, she suspected Ricky probably wouldn't be too thrilled. An apprentice meant more popularity, and everyone knew Ricky was just so set on stealing ideas. "Not so much. He's always been a bit on the jealous side, so determined to be better than the others."

"Yeah, why is he still around since he copied Mr. Flay's idea?"

"Because the producers and the food network like his crazed energy, but they're getting a little tired of him. We all are."

"You weren't even going to take an apprentice. I mean the other chefs did, but you weren't going to…why did you?"

"Because I liked you." Valerie almost jumped out of her seat, and if her eyes got any wider, they might fly from her sockets. "I saw a little of myself in you and when I tried your cooking, it just…I figured I had to take you under my wing."

"It really means a lot to me. Do you think it'll set off Mr. Flame though?" Rachael shrugged and moved her eyes to the side. "I mean, he didn't take an apprentice and he's always competing with you isn't he?"

"So what if it does. He can't do a whole lot, the chefs are already talking to the network executives about possibly firing him." The chefs knew what an apprentice would do for their ratings, everything would go up. Some probably did so just for ratings, while others just wanted to hand over their spatula to someone else. The older chefs that did that, like Paula Deen or Bobby Flay, might be considering retiring and want to hand off to a new generation. The younger ones, like the guy from the Iron Chef, probably, would have likely done it for ratings.

Their plane landed in a couple hours and the two were making their way through the large crowds, of course Bobby and Paula probably hadn't managed to find the terminal just yet, but Rachael had them on her phone. Valerie was astonished by the size of the building, so wide and spacious, she'd never seen any place so huge!

"This way, they're down the hall!" Valerie glanced over and nodded, grinning widely as she followed Rachael. She hardly had time to stop and gaze, but there might be plenty of time for that. As they continued their search, her eyes froze upon two people in the distance. There they were. Bobby was standing with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised up while Paula was waving her free arm in the air, her other hand was holding the phone to hre ear. Excitement flooded Valerie as she watched Rachael hang up the phone and smile at her, motioning for her to move ahead. She just couldn't believe that it was actually them.

"Oh my god…" Rachael laughed heartily as the two other chefs walked up to meet them. Following behind them were their apprentices, one female with short blonde hair going to her shoulders and a boy with curly red hair and shiny blue eyes. They were the same age, it seemed, though a few years older than Valerie was. The two apprentices walked forward and shook her hand before their mentors. The girl was the first to speak.

"Hi, I'm Penny and this is William, we just started as apprentices yesterday!"

"Yeah, Mrs. Deen and Mr. Flay?" The girl nodded and looked up as her mentor laughed cheefully and shook Valerie's hand.

"Please, call me Paula." Valerie nodded and glanced over as Bobby waved his hand and gave a slight smile.

"And you can call me Bobby, I don't mind. It's good to meet you."

"Thank you, it's really good to meet you and I really appreciate this opportunity!"

The greeting exchanges continued on for a couple minutes before they heard someone clear their throats. When they turned around, they saw Ricky Flame himself, staring them down with angry eyes. Valerie chuckled nervously and Rachael put her hand out in front of her.

"She's mine, Rick."

Confusion shot through Valerie's eyes and William scowled a bit at Ricky. "What's going on?" William turned his head to Valerie and decided to explain, hoping to fill her in on some less than appealing exchanges that had been going on.

"Just the other day Ricky called Rachael in a rage, he said he wanted her apprentice for himself because he was too late in getting one on his own. So he figures he'd steal the one from his big rival, I guess." Valerie's mouth fell and she started to become angry, she wanted to put her best foot forward and say there was no way she was leaving Rachael's side! Though, she knew better than to do that, it was best to just let the chefs fight their own battles.

Paula and Bobby stepped next to Rachael and crossed their arms, leaning in towards Rachael. Ricky took a step back and frowned as Paula wagged her finger in the air. "Ricky, you leave Rachael and Valerie alone, do you hear me?"

She was cheering for Paula now, in her mind at least. Penny nudged her side and she quickly turned her attention over to her. "Careful though, he apparently likes to play dirty. Anyway, the host of Chopped, Ted Allen, wants to have a friendly battle with the network chefs and their apprentices working as a team…in the form of his show."

"Really?" Her eyebrow arched up in surprise as Penny nodded her head with a smile.

"It doesn't mean much, except the winning chef and their apprentice will get a whole three hour block introducing their apprentice and cooking several different meals. It would be amazing, and of course…Ricky's not getting the chance now since he opted out of the whole apprentice thing."

"Why did he?"

"Oh, because Rachael wasn't going to. He's always been constantly battling her. When she announced that she'd taken you in, he got steaming mad! He'd probably do anything to get you."

"Fine, Ray," Flame said with mild irritation. He stepped forward and threw his finger towards the ground. "How about this, you and I go at it head to head on my show and the winner gets your apprentice!" Valerie gasped and Rachael slowly narrowed her eyes. Valerie could see the woman wasn't about to accept, but so could he. "If you don't accept, then I'll go onto my show and tell the world how you were too afraid to put your cooking to the test."

"I know my cooking is good-"

"I'll lie." Rachael's eyes widened and Paula's hand cupped over her mouth. Valreie's eyebrows rose as Ricky slowly walked around the three chefs. She could see that Bobby looked just about ready to tear this man's head off, and rightfully so! How dare he attack one of their best chefs! "The world might know that one of your cakes decided to fall flat at the last minute." Rachael growled and closed her hands. She was about to speak, but Bobby stepped in for her.

"She'll accept, but under my conditions." Rachael raised her eyebrow and Ricky let out a low growl. "If not, I'll expose your true nature to the world and everyone will see what a greedy little snake you really are." Ricky's eyebrows flattened and he huffed.

"Fine. What are the conditions."

"One, this will be a contest so the apprentice can see how well the food is cooked, the style, and the attitude of the chef. She will choose who she wants as her mentor." Valerie's jaw dropped and the two apprentices beside her grinned. Thank god for Bobby Flay. "Two, the apprentice will choose the meal, since she's the topic of this. Also we'll pull in a few apprentices from the other chefs to be the judges." Ricky tilted his head as Valerie began to feel her pride coming up inside of her, she was very pleased to see how well the true to heart chefs stuck up for one another. "And finally, the loser of the cook off will bow out give their segment to the winner for a whole week." Rachael's eyebrows rose some more and Ricky narrowed his gaze as Bobby smirked and leaned back. "Come on Rick, what have you got to lose? Nobody's ever beat you on 'Food Fight', right? You're bound to win. Right? All you have to do is impress the judges with your behavior and your cooking, not a problem at all, considering most of the apprentices don't exactly know how your behavior is. You also win a week of your own segment and an extended time slot. That should enhance your popularity, with or without an apprentice, am I right?"

"Bob, what are you doing?" Paula asked in a hushed whisper. Bobby kept his eyes locked with Ricky's, daring him. Challenging him. His lips tugged into a smirk as Ricky's eyes darted from him, to Valerie, to Rachael, and back to Bobby.

"Fine. I accept those conditions. Nobody can extinguish the flame!"

"Good, I'm glad." Bobby shook his hand and smirked triumphantly. "A deal is a deal, can't back out now."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Bobby leaned over to Paula and gave her a wink.

"Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." He swirled around to Valerie and met her eyes. "Okay Valerie, it's up to you, what meal routine would you like the chefs to attempt?"

Suddenly she could feel the pressure as all the chefs eyed her quietly. The sweat rolled down her arm and she quickly brushed it off. What could she do, really? Perhaps something from her grandparents' hometown? Her eyes dazzled and met Rachael's eyes with pride. Could she do it? Yes, Valerie had shown her how to make the entire course, with a few special 'secret' additions, or substitutions, that had been done by her grandmother.

"I have it! The perfect meal." Rachael and Ricky faced her and awaited the dish. Valerie tilted her head and grinned. "Now I won't help you any from this point, but Rachael already knows this recipe. My grandparents, Valentine and Vala, came over here from Italy, and with them, they brought their entire recipes. This is a full meal of Chicken Marsala with Quinoa Pilaf and Italian Pasta Veggie salad as appetizers, roasted brussel sprouts as a side dish, and a delicious Italian Cream Cake for desert!" Rachael's eyes sparkled as she recognized the full course meal as one of those that Valerie had shown her, now she would be able to do Valerie's grandparents the honor of using their recipe. Surely Ricky would not know the full recipe, so he would be making the foods the normal way, without the substitutions.

Ricky stood firm and rubbed his chin, nodding silently as Valerie met his gaze. "Yes, I recognize those meals. I visited Italy once and watched some of those, with the exception of the pilaf, prepared. Either way, it won't be long. I accept the meals." Valerie smiled widely and slowly nodded her head as Ricky grumbled and turned away from the group. "Anyhow, I heard you all were going to show your apprentices around the studio, I thought I might help with the tour."

"Do what you want," Paula said with mild irritation. "As long as you don't bother anyone, no one will bother you." The others nodded and began walking. Valerie followed with pride as the group discussed exactly when this competition would take place. Her grandparents' cooking never failed to satisfy, so hopefully it wouldn't let them down.

So we see Ricky Flame, and he's jealous as ever. Valerie's finally beginning her apprenticeship and already she's met good people and not so great people. See what happens next!