Trifecta

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 4 (Dying Ember)

The following morning, Freddie sat with his mother on the couch while eating an omelet he prepared for breakfast. "Mom? What do you think of Sam? You still don't like her?" Marissa's shoulders rose and her eyes drifted to the right.

"I think the same as I thought of Carly, but that doesn't matter anymore." Marissa had always disliked any woman who threatened her relationship with Freddie. It was due to her fear of losing him, which he didn't think there was anything to the fear. "You're free to spend time with anyone if they make you happy." He moved a bite of his cheese omelet to his lips and raised an eyebrow at his mother.

"The fact that she's in LA doesn't bother you?"

There was a long pause as Marissa reached for the remote control on the end table. "Of course it does, but I'm done holding you back. I know you're a growing man, you deserve some freedom."

"What brought this on?"

"Nothing. I just…You're sick of me treating you like a baby." Freddie lowered the fork and remembered the argument he and his mother had many weeks ago when he flew into California. "You've got your Associates, you're going to leave me to go to University level. Your father would be proud, and I'm proud of you."

"Just because I'm going away doesn't mean I'm never coming back, Mom." He didn't even know what university he was going to. There were many he applied to, and many that accepted him, including the University of California in Los Angeles. Even Sam didn't know he'd been accepted into that school yet, but he wanted to tell her and see what she said. If she didn't want him to go, he wouldn't.

Marissa moved her arms around her stomach and studied the blank television in front of her. "Your father said he was coming back. Before he left to track that burglar. He should have left it to the police that were investigating the case, Freddie."

"No one could have known what was going to happen." The burglar that killed his father had been robbing a string of stores and banks in the man's old hometown, so feeling a sense of duty, John flew out to track the man down. He had a hunch about who it was, but police didn't find evidence linking to the man. "He was right though, and he did stop the man."

"It cost him his life, Freddie." Marissa closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. Freddie watched painstakingly as a tear left his mother's eye. "I don't like you going on the same career track as your father, doing investigations like some private detective."

"I have to admit, I like the thought of being a detective."

"It isn't as glamorous as those old classic movies." Marissa chuckled weakly and closed her eyes. "You don't get the pretty blonde walking in your office and starting a romance with you along the way." Freddie set his plate on his lap and leaned back, moving his hands behind his head.

"One can only dream, right?" Sometimes dreams came true, even if they seemed unlikely. He closed one eye and looked to his mother with the open one, sighing heavily. "Are you really afraid I'll just walk out the door and never come back?"

Marissa scratched at her hairline and leaned to the right. "It's not like I can claim I was the sanest mother in the world." Freddie relaxed and lowered his arms, frowning at his mother's gentle smile. "I will always love you, no matter what."

"You're my mom, of course I'll always love you. I'm not going to disappear someday and I'm not going to get caught up in some rogue investigation like Dad did and get myself killed." He kicked his heels up on the coffee table and placed his hands back behind his head. "But you do have to relax and let me expand, otherwise I'll never grow. Right?"'

"Just promise me you'll be a good person. Always do the things you need to and take care of those you care about." He raised an eyebrow at her and hummed silently. He wasn't going to try and analyze what she meant by that, especially since he didn't want to get involved in some long, drawn out emotional session with his mother.

"Of course." He reached over to feel of her forehead, but it only felt clammy. "You're not running a temperature. Are you okay? You're talking like it's the end of the world or something."

"I don't know, I guess I just worry. It feels like we're at a point…I'm not ready to let you go, but I know that you have to spread your wings and build your own life." Marissa pat his knee and Freddie's heart ached when he saw a peculiar sadness overtake her "I don't know if I'll always have a place in your life, but whatever happens. Wherever you go." She held her breath for what seemed an eternity, finally releasing it after only a few seconds. "I'm sorry for being such a crazy mother, for being obsessive."

"Mom, come on."

"No. The way I've been, it isn't the right way to raise a child." Freddie sat upright and a wrinkle formed between his eyebrows as Marissa looked down to the floor. "I've not taught you the things in life you need to know. You don't know how to handle things like relationships or other things parenting because I've shown you the way you shouldn't be."

He had to know what was bringing this on, but found little room to interject and ask. "You've been a great mother. I couldn't ask for any better." Sure he said otherwise growing up, but those were days when he was younger. "Don't doubt that."

"If your father had been alive, things would have been much different. He would have wanted you to grow, to go out and do the things you wanted and form relations. He would have wanted you to be free, and not sheltered by an overprotective, overbearing mother."

"You did what you thought was best, Mom. Whether or not it was right isn't an issue. There are a lot of worse mothers out there."

"Name one."

He rolled his eyes and lifted his shoulders. "Pam." Sam's mother was one of the more terrible ones out there. She didn't even lift a finger when Sam left, only to say that Sam was a horrible daughter for leaving her behind. In truth, Freddie thought Sam did the right thing by escaping that nasty woman.

"You're just trying to be nice, now."

"No really. Sam's softened up a lot since she left her mom. She's learned to relax and not to be so constantly aggressive." Sam still had some anger issues here and there, but she'd found ways to control that without major problems. "All I'm saying is don't count yourself out. You're a great mother."

"Thank you. I think I just had a long time at work is all."

"Probably. Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Yeah."

After Marissa went to bed, Freddie set his plate in the sink and leaned back against the refrigerator. His eyes scanned the counter with disdain at the trash and dirty dishes that lay scattered about. "This isn't like mom. None of this is." As his eyes drifted to the sink, he noticed the door beneath it ajar and the cap of a bottle sticking out. "What is this?"

Freddie reached down and grabbed the bottle, startled when he pulled out what was a large, half empty bottle of Vodka. "No." His mother's voice stunned him and he quickly turned to see her standing in the hall doorway with wide eyes.

"Mom." Freddie lifted the bottle up and raised an eyebrow. "When did you start drinking?"

"I've…always drank." She walked into the room and slowly rubbed her forearm. "I was waiting for you to go to the university before I told you, because I didn't want you to worry." His heart began to sink as he glanced back at the door and saw a bottle of pills where the alcohol was. "I'm putting all my money towards your college-everything. The doctors, they want to hospitalize me. I've got cirrhosis of the liver, Freddie."

Numbness overtook him and his hand gripped the neck of the bottle tight as his emotions began to form a tornado inside him. "What?" This wasn't possible, at least he never noticed anything wrong with her. "No, I don't believe it. You-"

"I hid it because I didn't want to worry you. I'm dying, Freddie." Her eyes started to well up and Freddie began to pour the remains of the Vodka into the sink. "I'm sorry."

"No. You don't get to do that." He set the bottle in the sink and faced her, his voice rising with anger. "You don't get to tell me you're dying, and then say you're sorry."

"I don't know what else to say." She took another step forward and reached out, frowning at him. Now he understood why she'd been acting so strange, and he hated it.

"I-I have to think. I need to process this." He brushed past her and moved his hand to his abdomen. His stomach was tightening to the point that his entire abdomen and sides were in a great deal of pain. His heart was beating so fast that he had to lay down or risk a heart attack.

In LA, Sam answered her cell phone hastily after fumbling through her purse for half of its ring duration. When she heard Freddie's downtrodden and quiet voice, she was concerned something had happened. "Is everything okay, Freddie?"

"Yeah just, no. Do you have some time to talk?"

"Yes. I'm getting ready to join Cat over at her friend's place for a game of poker, but I've got some time." She sat on the end of the couch and pulled her legs up onto the cushions. Her elbow perched on the arm rest and her hand rose to dig into her hair. "You sound like someone just kicked your puppy."

"My mom's dying." A sudden gasp left her throat and she sat upright.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Never would she wish anything bad to happen to the woman, no matter how much grief she and Carly had given her over the years.

"Liver failure I guess. Alcoholism, she's been drinking for years and hiding it from me." Her hand moved up to her chest and she glanced over to see Cat watching her from the kitchen. "Oh, and if you ever come up to Seattle. Stay the fuck away from Gibby." She jerked back and raised an eyebrow at his sudden, strange remark.

"What's that about?"

"Nothing really." There was a long pause followed by a heavy sigh. If he just needed someone to talk to, she'd be there for him. It was hard to believe that Mrs. Benson was dying, but it was clear he wasn't ready to full on talk about it just yet. "I guess I should be honest, I've been looking into the whole thing with Nora."

"Nora? Didn't I tell you not to bother with that psycho bitch?"

"Yeah, but something didn't feel right. I talked to Gibby, even found and talked to Nevel. They both seem very…touchy. I don't think Gibby likes you, actually."

"He seems friendly whenever we talk, but it isn't that much." It wasn't too surprising to hear, though for Freddie to outright say that meant something had to have taken place between the men, and she wasn't sure about asking. "You think Gibby had something to do with Nora?"

"I don't know. I don't think he had anything directly to do with her, but he certainly admitted to giving her your address. I still think it's strange because he's the one that stopped her the first time-you would think she'd go after him too."

"Maybe, but what does it matter? If Nora's in prison, she's not a threat to any of us."

"I know, I know."

"If anyone else was involved, you can't really prove it on your own. Take it to the police. Don't investigate something and put yourself at risk."

"That's what mom was saying, actually, but police won't do anything on a hunch." She closed her eyes and shook her head. If he was truly insistent on investigating this, she wasn't going to fight him on it, but she did worry. "Oh, also, I wanted to run by you one of the possible universities I've been accepted at."

Her finger swirled absently on the armrest and her eyes clung to the circle. "Which one?"

"University of California at Los Angeles." She froze and drifted her eyes towards the door. Her heart jumped momentarily and she closed her eyes, sighing heavily. "I just wanted to make sure if that was somewhere I went, it wouldn't make you uncomfortable."

"It wouldn't. Besides, I'm not going to stop you from going where you want." She wouldn't mind seeing him more often, to be perfectly truthful. "It would be good to see you some more, I think."

"Really?"

"Yes. I mean…" She cleared her throat and brushed her lips together. As her lower lip tucked beneath her teeth, she turned her attention to Cat. The redhead was tapping her wrist impatiently. Sam lifted a finger and took a deep breath. "I don't want you to make a decision based on anything other than what you want. Still, take care of your mom-do you know how long she has?"

"Maybe a few months, I'm not positive."

"Well." She closed her eyes over and let her chest fall with a slow exhale. "I'll be here if you need to talk." It was horrible news, and for the first time in a long time she felt like she wanted to be there with him. No one should have to go through such grief.

"I appreciate it. Anyway, I should probably head out to the gym. I really need to relax-there's a lot on my mind right now."

"I understand. Get some rest, and stop worrying about this whole thing with Nora. Okay?" He didn't need the extra stress if it was unnecessary. At best she wanted to urge him to go to the police if he suspected anything more.

"Hey Sam?"

"What?"

"I uh…" A lump formed in her throat as Freddie stopped. She furrowed her brow and sucked her lips in. "Thanks for chatting."

"No problem." He hung up and Sam pulled the phone from her ear. She looked to Cat and smiled as the redhead grabbed her purse from the counter. "Alright, I'm ready to head out."

"About time," Cat replied, "Let's not worry about explaining why we're late to the poker game."

"You can always say traffic was an issue."

Sam flashed a smirk and Cat started to laugh. "Very true."

So, a little bit of bad news there.