The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 180 (Tyrone Gets Schooled)

Sam woke up to the wondrous smell of enriched hot chocolate rousing her, commanding her. She slowly sat up and grinned, she loved hot chocolate. So far, she learned many great things about her family, and one of those was that her grandparents made excellent food and hot chocolate.

Looking over, Melanie was already up and out of bed. Go figure, her sister would beat her to the hot chocolate. She tore the sheets off of her and, while still in her night gown, shot out of the bedroom and down the stairs like a bullet. When she made it to the table, everyone was already sitting with fresh cups of hot chocolate next to a plate of bacon, eggs, and sausage. The hot chocolate smelled different than what her grandma made, this one had smells with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. "Melanie, not fair, how come you didn't wake me up!" Melanie snickered as Sam took her seat next to her sister, she already had a plate and cup ready for her. "You know I don't like being the last one awake, right?"

"I know, but I thought it would be polite to let you sleep in." She smirked and Sam quickly reached over for the hot chocolate. "Anyway, you're in for a surprise, this hot chocolate is Aunt Lucy's!" Sam's eyebrows lifted as she slowly lifted the cup from the table and looked up to Lucy. She noticed a very pleasant expression on her aunt's face, something that she was extremely proud of. She and Melanie talked about Lucy last night and she learned that the woman hadn't really smiled that much throughout the years. Maybe now, she could finally be happy. "Aunt Lucy always makes great hot chocolate. This is the first time anyone here has tried it though, they all like it."

"Great! Wait…I'm the last one trying it too? Unfair." Melanie laughed and hugged Sam's shoulders with one arm. Sam smiled happily and brought the warm drink to her lips. As the hot fluid hit her tongue, she was welcomed by the glorious taste of chocolate, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mixed in with whipped cream and marshmallows. She swallowed the drink and pulled the cup away, gasping with delight. "Oh my god, that is awesome!" She looked over to Susan, who was standing next to Lucy with a chipper smile. "Grandma, no offense, but I think I have a new favorite hot chocolate maker!"

"None taken sweetie, who do you think taught her how to make it when she was young?" The others laughed and Lucy's face turned beet red. "Now enjoy your breakfast. After that, we're all going to walk across the street to the church and help set up. The Children's Sunday school is doing a performance tonight, based on the Nativity Scene. Well, mostly us women…Morris and Brian are coming, Maggie and Madeline are staying here. Violet's coming to help, Venus is too. We have Lucy going, but she's going to talk to the counselor over there." Sam nodded and sipped her drink again. She was proud of what Lucy was doing and grateful that Marissa believed in the woman enough to let them know the charges would be dropped.

"I'm glad you're going to do that, Aunt Lucy." Lucy smiled back at her and nodded her head. Susan looked over to her daughter and held her pleasant expression.

"Thank you."

"You know something? Mom always spoke highly of you."

"She…did?"

"Yep, made me want to meet you." Lucy's face went red once more and she quickly bowed her head. Sam was a bit amused, but she did understand how sensitive Lucy was right now. "Okay Grandma, who else is going?"'

"Greg and Annie are going to drive up, if they can ever wake up. Hugh is staying here and Buzz is going to drive up with Garth. I think Garth said he and Buzz were just going to help Hugh out with some preparation for tomorrow's Christmas Dinner."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan." She moved her fork over to her fried eggs and grinned at the pepper atop the eggs, if she'd known she was going to have an all star breakfast like this all the time, she would have started visiting her grandma more often! She paused and flicked her eyes up at everyone else. They were, for the most part, already dressed. "Uh, I'll have to get cleaned up first, after eating." Susan nodded and closed her eyes, lifting her eyebrows up, causing Sam to emit a nervous chuckle. She stabbed at her egg and quickly brought a piece of it to her lips.

After breakfast, she and Melanie were upstairs. She was brushing her teeth while Melanie was sitting on the edge of the bed, kicking her feet through the air. Sam grabbed her hair and held it over her shoulder while leaning over the sink and spitting out. "Hey Mel, isn't it great that Aunt Lucy can finally be a part of her own family?"

"Yeah, I think it's great. She deserves to be happy like anyone else. Anyway, I forgot to tell you, but Freddie called last night." Her head perked up and she stared at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe she missed a phone call from Freddie!

"He did? How come you didn't wake me?"

"I didn't think you wanted to be, but I offered and he told me not to worry about it. Respectful."

"Yeah, I'll give you that. Do you think it's too early to call him?" She turned her attention to the clock on the wall and frowned, it was only nine in the morning. Freddie usually was a late sleeper, so chances were likely he wouldn't be awake until noon. "Yeah, it's too late to call." She looked back to Melanie, who was looking at her with a curios sadness.

"Do you ever miss living with him? I know you started living with Aunt Maggie and Uncle Morris in October, so…"

"Yeah I miss it, but it's better this way sometimes. I mean, we're not as tempted and we can be apart healthily and prepare ourselves for a life together." Melanie nodded and smiled dreamily as Kyle came to her mind. Sam raised her eyebrow and folded her arms over, smirking at her sister.

"Now what are you thinking about?"

"Kyle, and Marissa's culture…do you think I'd go through the arranged marriage thing?" Sam tapped her chin curiously and pulled Melanie from the bed. The two girls started heading towards the stairs in silence.

"I'm not sure. I mean I know Carly's going to go through it because Marissa's her mom. Spencer, sort of went through it, he didn't really, but for the hell of it he asked and they 'chose' Sasha for him." Melanie laughed and started heading down the steps first. People were talking down below, it sounded like someone arguing with someone, but no one had reason to argue. "I went through it because Mom asked Marissa. Sure she's your legal guardian, but I don't know that she'll actually put you through the arranged marriage thing."

"It would be nice…but I understand if she doesn't. Especially not with people like-" Melanie stopped talking abruptly and froze in her steps. Sam raised an eyebrow and continued her descent.

"What's wrong, Mel?"

"Tyrone! Upstairs Sam, upstairs!" She yelped as Melanie began shoving her back up the stairs. Her heart began racing and her feet started working as she scaled the steps. Why would Tyrone be here? What did he want? He couldn't know about her, could he? She and Melanie ran to the railings and peered over, seeing Tyrone talking with Morris and Hugh. Everyone else had already gone over to the church, so that just left Morris, Hugh, Maggie, and Madeline.

Morris had his arms crossed and face etched with displeasure, Hugh looked angry and annoyed. Maggie was sitting in a chair, reading a book. She looked up at the girls and frowned, slowly shaking their head. It was her way of telling them to stay upstairs for now. Madeline was actually in the kitchen, washing all the dishes.

"Look Mr. Puckett, I'm not saying anything, I'm just asking you to think it over. I can tell you everything you want to know about arranged marriage and why it's a piece of crap." Morris growled and took a step forward, poking Tyrone in the chest with his finger.

"You have a lot of balls to come here on Christmas Eve to try and discourage me from letting my niece remain involved with Freddie. It isn't up to me, Tyrone."

"It should be, don't you think?"

"Why? If Sam is in love with Freddie, and Freddie's in love with her, then what's the problem?" Sam's eyes widened and her heart crashed to a stop. Tyrone knew! She knew it was coming, she knew it was coming when Shane kissed her and started that uproar! Only, now that he knew for a fact, what did it mean? Was she in danger? Was Freddie in danger? She looked to Melanie, who was looking at her with concern. She whimpered and felt her sister wrap her arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay Sammy, Uncle Morris is dealing with it. You're not going to lose Freddie..."

Tyrone placed his hand on Morris's shoulders and the man quickly brushed his arm away. "Think about it, how do you, or even a couple sixteen year olds, really know if they're in love? Isn't it brainwash?"

"I don't believe you would even attempt to say something so absurd. Do you not realize driving up here was a waste of your time? Ours as well!" Tyrone lowered his arms as Hugh started walking toward the front door, he was ready to shove the old man out the door, but Morris put his hand up. "No, now wait a moment…I have something I want to tell him." He narrowed his eyes and circled Tyrone, crossing his arms over and spreading his legs. "Tyrone…"

"What…"

"You know that family reunion that took place back in October, correct?" He nodded his head and Morris took a deep breath. "We learned a lot then. I don't know if it's pure arrogance, ignorance, or stupidity on your part, but are you aware of who your relatives are?"

"I recently became aware, yes…"

"And what? That changes nothing? Is that it?" Tyrone's lips went downward and scowl lines formed around his mouth, there was no possible way he could answer that question. "Or are you just so bent on that energy you've spent trying to deport your own family that you don't know how to change? What's your problem? I'm almost certain it isn't arranged marriage you're against…so what's your beef? What's the real reason you're here? It may be Christmas Eve, but I'm not afraid to leave you out in the cold."

"What my issues are…they're none of your concern."

"They may as well be, because right now, you're only screwing yourself." Morris walked around him once more and glared into his eyes. "You lost your wife because of your anger, you agreed to set Marissa up with Robert, but changed it because something pissed you off. Now it wasn't Arian, was it? It wasn't arranged marriage, but maybe…you don't believe in all that 'love' stuff, do you? Is that it?" Tyrone huffed turned his eyes away. Sam's jaw dropped, she could see him starting to sweat, to become hot under the collar. He wiped his brow and walked over to the table, tossing his briefcase onto it and opening it up. He pulled out some papers and handed it to Morris, who was standing with his chest puffed out and eyes still slanted.

"Here, facts and myths about arranged marriage, not biased-"

Morris swatted the papers away and growled as Tyrone watched them fall onto the ground. "I don't give a fuck about your research. It's all bullshit, and something tells me you know it. I think you're a closet case."

"A what? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean…I think you support arranged marriage. I think you support it because you don't believe in love. I think it scares you, Marissa's concept of arranged marriage, it's so different from what you know." Sam's brow furrowed as Tyrone started to stammer. Uncle Morris had him backed into a corner, there was no escape. "I did my research too, Tyrone. I know plenty about arranged marriage."

"You…" Morris flipped his index finger out and Maggie closed her book, setting it calmly on her lap and watching her husband closely.

"In some cultures, there is no love. In some cultures, a man and woman do not know each other and are put together based on status circumstances. Be it wealth, social status, class, whatever the hell it is. They're then supposed to marry upon meeting, maybe never even meeting before they marry!" Sam's eyebrows rose and Tyrone straightened his back slowly as Morris lifted his second finger. "There are some cultures out there where a woman absolutely must remain a virgin until marriage. Not bad so far, right? Hear this. Assume the first case is true, there are some cultures where the night before the wedding, the man and woman must have sex on a bed of white sheets. If there is blood, she's a virgin. If there's no blood, no matter what, she's immediately a disgrace to her family, dubbed a 'whore' to everyone who knows her, not marriageable, and can be banished or disowned. Doesn't sound too fun, does it? Does love exist? Well, apparently love is supposed to develop after marriage."

Sam swallowed and felt her stomach flip. That information was a bit scary to her, but at least she knew it wasn't like that with Freddie and Marissa.

"However you should know this third fact to be true as well. Couples in arranged marriage can be more satisfied than otherwise. You also note Marissa's culture, different from the two I just mentioned. There are many different cultures, Tyrone…you know this, don't you?" Tyrone slowly nodded as Morris smirked with satisfaction. "Every culture has its own stuff. Now if Marissa practiced one of the two I just mentioned, do you think I would let my niece be involved with her son? Fuck no." Sam felt a chill run down her spine and chuckled nervously as her sister rubbed her back, she was definitely grateful her uncle knew his stuff. "You know Marissa's culture though. I know you do, because I know without a doubt Arian would have educated you."

"H-How do you know…"

"Marissa educated me, she educated Sarah. It's a continual thing in her culture, they educate the potential spouse's parents on the matter and on their culture."

"That's true…"

"So you know Marissa's culture allows the bride and groom to know each other well beforehand, you also know that they encourage dating, like so many other cultures out there. The bride and groom should date each other a while after selection and just like Marissa, if the two don't like each other…they must say so before marriage. Sam and Freddie get along and those two are very much in love, believe me, I've seen it. My wife can vouch for it. Arranged marriage…that's not your problem, so what is it?"

"Maybe you're right, maybe I don't believe in love. My wife left me-"

"Why? You don't think she loved you? I'm willing to bet she did, but there was a reason she left, what was it?" Tyrone clenched his hands and glanced off to the side.

"I let my anger get the better of me and then changed my mind on Robert and Marissa. It was too late though…and then I…I did the same thing my father did to…"

"Say it. What did your father do? Who did he do it to? These things came out at the reunion." Tyrone stuttered and started picking up his papers. As he was reaching out, Morris slowly put his show over his hand, causing him to freeze up. "Go ahead. I want you to focus on me. I know it's hard accepting, I know it's hard to understand. I can see it in your eyes, you know who your mother is, don't you…"

"D-Drita…Davidson…"

"Yeah. I'm sorry to hear about that, man. Then your father, whatever happened to that old sap anyway?"

"He…He died…I didn't even know." Tyrone's eyes started to glaze over as Morris removed his shoe from the old man's hand. He slowly stood up and started to tremble. "I hadn't spoken to my dad in thirty years because he told me how I was born. I thought…I thought maybe mom and dad cared about each other, but…apparently not…"

"Then you became angry, angry at the world. Maybe even accused your own wife of not giving a shit about you…maybe you accused your son's bride of not giving a shit…maybe that's what happened? I personally don't know, nobody knows except for you. Maybe you've wasted all your time being angry at the world instead of really looking at it. God knows what went through your head."

"You think…You think I wanted this?" Tears ran down the old man's face as he tried to cover them up by turning away. Sam's heart sank and she slowly backed away from the railing. "Of course I'm happy for my son marrying Marissa, maybe there's more to that arranged marriage shit than I know. I don't know, I don't even know if I should or even can bring myself to care."

"Yeah, well I know one thing. You continue down being as arrogant of an asshole as you are and you'll lose your family. Don't believe me, just take a look at your own son. Now you've wasted your time coming here to try and talk me out of letting Sam be with Freddie. You've wasted my time, as I had other things I wanted to do. Figure out your problem, work on it, and don't bother me again. You're not convincing me to break up my niece's relationship. Just because you couldn't be happy in life does not mean that my niece is going to be unhappy. Sorry."

"R-Right…I understand…I'm sorry for wasting your time." Morris closed his eyes and pointed to the door, heaving a heavy sigh as Hugh opened it up.

"Good. Now leave before I personally kick you out of the house. Don't think I won't do it, either." Tyrone nodded and quickly hurried out the door. As she watched Hugh shut the door and pat Morris on the back, Sam's face brightened with a smile. Her heart lifted and she embraced Melanie in a tight hug. She was eternally grateful to her Uncle just now and hoped that maybe, just maybe, Tyrone would leave them alone for a while.

She parted with Melanie as she heard her aunt calling up to her. "Sam, Melanie, it's time for you guys to get over to the church. I'm sure your grandma's wondering what's taking so long."

"Okay Aunt Maggie!" Sam practically jumped for joy and started rushing down the steps, with Melanie fast in tow. The two were laughing for no particular reason. Their family smiled at them as they ran out the door and across the street where Susan was waiting for them. "Grandma! We're here!"

So we learn a few things and Tyrone gets a sharp kick in the ass by Uncle Morris! Maybe Tyrone will start coming around, who knows. He's learning a few things. Hope you enjoyed the chapter ^_^.