Trifecta

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 10 (Actions Not Taken)

The week went by at a slower pace than most for Freddie, he left Sam alone for the most part and stayed away from either Gibby or Nevel. While that held true, he still tried to investigate what he knew. Even now he sat before Spencer once more, trying to warn him of what he'd found.

"I know I might sound a little like a lunatic Spence, but you need to hear me out." Spencer was leaning to the right, with his arm bent at an angle on the arm rest and his finger rubbing a circle in his temple. "I really believe you need to warn Carly and Mr. Shay to get somewhere safe."

Spencer lifted his head from the finger and pulled his lips back into his cheeks. "Let's say for a minute that I believe you." Freddie's eyebrows curled up in the middle and his mouth turned down as Spencer leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk. "Let's say that Nevel is so driven for revenge because you people ruined his show many years ago that he's building some sort of super plane to fly to Italy and kidnap my sister for ransom-somehow lifting her out of an Air Force Military Base." He cocked a smirk and leaned back, chuckling softly. "And he's going to do this completely unseen by even military radar."

"Okay so maybe when you put it that way…" Carly could be in the safest place as any of them. If that was the case, then it was potentially as Nevel said, and they'd turn their sights on either him or onto Sam. Sam was safer in LA than Seattle right now, and he'd been pissing Gibby and Nevel off enough as it was. If they truly were a threat, then they'd go for him.

"Freddie. Why do this? Is this another one of your cockamamie plots to win back my sister by trying to rescue her?"

"No! Besides, I love Sam." Spencer froze and studied him with wide eyes and one arched eyebrow. His burning gaze filled Freddie with great discomfort, only heightened once Spencer broke out laughing.

"Oh god I don't know who to feel worse for. You, or her. At least you're not still obsessing over my little sister, I'd hate to have to hire one of my bosses."

"Wha-well Sam's a lot more toned down, but it doesn't matter. I care about her."

"Then I feel sorry for her." Spencer's shoulders rose and he closed his eyes, speaking with nonchalance. "Before I gave her that bike, she told me about the fight you and her had. And the whole issue between you, her and my sister. She felt moving away would be best for everyone. She even contemplated it before Carly was to move with Dad."

"What? Why?"

"Because she still loved you." His heart sank as Spencer reached for his coffee mug. "She still loved you, you loved Carly, and she didn't want to stick around for that. She made plans to leave and was going to wait until after dad went back to Italy before announcing it."

"How did you even find out?"

"Because I'm the one she came to for advice. I'm the one that gave her that bike and told her to do what she thought was best." Now it made sense to him why Sam would be so confused and so conflicted, and why she'd be so uncertain. He didn't like it, but giving her some space might help her. "You know what they say. If you love someone, let go if that makes them happy. She let go, and now you're pushing back again, aren't you?" Spencer crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm giving her space, Spencer."

"Freddie. I'm only going to tell you this once. I should have told you this from the start with Carly, but since you're over her…Sam became like a sister to me, so I think it's alright when I say this." Spencer lifted his hand and pointed a long index finger at Freddie. His nose crinkled and his narrow glare sharpened. "Don't fuck around with that girl's heart, don't screw around with her mind. If you're sincere and you mean it, great-but don't you dare lead her on."

"I won't!" He rubbed his forehead and groaned in frustration. "Look, I didn't just come here because I wanted you to warn Carly and your father and I didn't come to be scolded for past mistakes. I want help, I want to protect Sam and Carly, and I have a hunch that Gibby and Nevel are working with Nora."

"Can you prove that?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't actually heard either of them mention her name and I've seen nothing that implies her involvement aside from 'mutual friend'."

"That does leave it rather vague. You also realize that nothing you find can actually be used in the court of law because you're not an actual investigator at this point. Right? Anything you show me or tell me, I can do nothing with. Then again, I can do nothing with it anyway because I am only a paralegal. You want legal aid, you look to one of my three bosses. You want something notarized, I do have some leeway there-so unless you have a will to sign, Freddie boy…I've got nothing to give you. I'm sorry."

"Thanks Spence, you've been a great help." He rolled his eyes and pushed himself up from the chair. "What the hell happened to you, man?" Spencer's face grew flat and he slowly smacked his lips.

"Carly moved, and I grew up." Spencer's finger flicked off to the right and his cheeks sank further. "The police department is right down the street. They are the first stop for citizens who feel a crime is taking place. The law firm is not-unless your case is a civil matter. Feel free to pay them a visit."

Freddie grabbed his jacket and watched as Spencer checked the golden watch on his wrist. "Sergeant Mikol will be getting off his bagels and coffee break in approximately thirty minutes. I know this because Einstein Bagels is right across the street."

He spoke with such disdain that Freddie was beside himself with shock. There was no way this man was the same man he grew up remembering. "Jesus, you must hate your life." Spencer sipped on his coffee and then returned it slowly to the desk.

"Benson. I got my degree and went to law school, I dropped out of law school and college entirely to build sculptures and paint for little kids. Some people bought my artwork, was it enough to pay the bills? No, so I lied to my father for nearly a decade until he finally found out and lived irresponsibly with my kid sister and her friends. I was practically evicted from my apartment…let's not forget the one woman that wanted to be with me despite that I didn't have a real job was a former gamer chick who moved away to another state entirely, and I barely got this job. So maybe I make enough money now, but I'm thirty-two going on three. I'm single, I'm living alone, people still refer to me as that 'guy that's related to the girl on iCarly', and I now have no real family." Spencer grinned and spread his hands out. "Am I bitter? By no means!"

Freddie took a small step back as Spencer turned to his computer with a snarky tone. "Now unless you have anything else to say, I'd like to get as much work done as I can before my lunch break in an hour. And no…" He raised his eyebrows and shot a look at Freddie. "I doubt I'm important enough to anybody to kidnap my sister and hold her for ransom. Dad can keep her safer than I ever could."

"I…suppose you're right." He walked out of the office without another word, shaken by Spencer's bitter words. The man was right, Carly would be safe. Gibby and Nevel were still around, which meant they'd not made a single move yet.

Either they were waiting for something, or they were not doing a damn thing. Yet everywhere he went, he felt as though he were being watched. They were investigating him as much as he was investigating them.

"So what do they want? Police won't listen to me because 'no crime has been committed', and I've got enough stress with my mother…what are they waiting for?"

He stopped at the parking meter beside his car and chuckled to himself. "Maybe they're just waiting on me to quit investigating this issue."

Freddie hardly knew what to do if he managed to prove all his suspicions regarding Nevel and Gibby. He managed to finally catch the news and was aware that Nora escaped prison yet again, so this put him on hot coals.

Of course, it would mean the girls were worried as well if they knew.

He needed discernable proof that this 'mutual friend' was Nora, and if he found that out he could take it to the police and they'd investigate then. Yet finding out if they were involved would mean one of two things, asking them himself or going into their homes again.

Neither of which was a good sounding option. In his mind, he could only picture Gibby strangling the life out of him while Nevel prepared some strange device.

"God, I think I need a drink." A strong craving for one of T-Bo's smoothies was calling him. The Peach Sunset flavor had always been his favorite, and it was great for helping him to wind down. "Maybe I'll go for one."

Twenty minutes later he was parking outside the smoothie shop when he saw a yellow taxi dropping someone off. As he exited, he saw a blonde woman paying the driver. She was wearing a thin brown overcoat, a purple shirt underneath, and had a pair of shades covering her eyes.

When she pulled her purse strap up on her shoulder and turned, Freddie recognized her. "Sam?" He started to call out to her, but she was already entering the shop.

As he entered, he caught a glimpse of Gibby sitting close to the register. His heart stopped when Gibby looked up and called out. "Hey! Sam, what are you doing back in Seattle?" Sam stopped before the register and pushed her sunglasses into her purse.

"I was looking for Freddie, he hasn't called me in a week and I wanted to make sure he was okay. His mom said he was out and told me to check in with T-Bo, so yeah. I was concerned about him." Freddie curved his lips upwards and Gibby stood up, laughing once.

"Well it's amazing to see you, I was thinking of telling Freddie he should invite you to come up here for a while. When'd you come in? How long are you staying?" Gibby waved his arm over and Sam started to shake her head. "Come. Come sit down."

"I'd better not, I just want to find Freddie that's all. Do you have any idea where he's at?"

"No, he's probably out digging through trash. God knows that guy's trying to be his father." Gibby walked over to her and reached for her hand, in which she pulled away. "Come on Sam, you need to relax. Did you just get off your plane? I'll buy you a drink."

"Well I am a little jet lagged…" Sam looked to T-Bo and let out a soft sigh. "Peach-Banana sounds good right about now, so maybe I'll just sit down and have one drink. Text Freddie and see if he answers this time."

"Go ahead and call him." Gibby paid T-Bo as Sam walked over to a booth and took her seat. Freddie rummaged through his pocket and looked up, cursing himself for the moment. He'd left his phone in the car. "Though I don't see why you would."

"Well he is a friend. He did tell me I should probably stay away from you, now that I think about it."

"Why?" Gibby chuckled and threw his hands to his chest. "I'm just the same as I've always been. Perhaps he's the one you ought to stay away from." Sam shifted uncomfortably in her seat and began to sift through her purse.

"You know he obsesses over you just like he did Carly, why would you put yourself through that?" Freddie's heart clenched and he started to feel the urge to rush up and punch the man for his remark. Instead, he waited, curious what her reply would be.

"I don't know, I don't think he's like that anymore Gibby. I-I need to see it for myself." Gibby folded his arms over and shrugged.

"Fine." Sam removed her phone and glanced up at him. "You know, I could just take you to him. My car's right outside." Freddie's heart began pounding as the sense of danger that surrounded him intensified.

"No, I'd rather just call him. Let him know I'm here."

"Didn't you say you haven't gotten ahold of him in over a week?"

"Yes…" Gibby let out a grunt and flicked his eyes to the right.

"Call him then."

"Didn't think I needed your permission."

Freddie ran out to grab his phone, unsure why he wasn't just walking up to the group. Though his intention was to avoid Gibby Walking back in, he heard Sam refusing to let Gibby massage her shoulders.

As she moved her phone to her ear, Gibby's hands slid onto her shoulders against her wishes. As Gibby's hands inched closer to Sam's neck, she began to squirm. A paralyzing fear shot through Freddie as he watched T-Bo leave the register to move into his back office and he didn't notice his phone buzzing in his hand.

Ah seems a cruel place to leave off, but those of you that know me and know Sam probably know Gibby's not getting close.