Dangerous Journey

Disclaimer: Don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 3 (Into the Danger Zone)

"Here we are." Cat pushed Sam's arm once the car's rumbling came to a stop. She opened her eyes and groaned as they adjusted to the sunlight burning into them. "You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?" She answered with a yawn and swept her hand through her hair.

"Not really." She was taking online courses for the college she started in Seattle, and since she was behind, she spent a good portion of the night studying and working on projects. "Don't mind me. The road felt nice. I'm awake, though."

She pushed open the door and looked out to the house before them. Part of her was still a nervous wreck, and how couldn't she be when she was only half awake? "I'm just surprised you actually want to hang out with my friends." Cat walked around to the other side of the car and helped Sam to her feet. "You didn't seem interested in them before."

"I'm not." Her eyes darted over and narrowed on the redhead. "Forgive my bluntness. I'm more interested in the sisters."

"Oh." Cat tangled her fingers together before her waist and bowed her head. "Okay. Well, I'm sure Tori and her sister will enjoy your company." Sam looked away with a sigh and frowned upon seeing the beige sedan sitting in front of a red convertible and black minivan. Three cars meant Officer Vega was home.

"Look Cat, I'm not trying to be mean or snap your head off. It's just…" She rolled her shoulders back and peered at the front door. "There's some stuff that's hard to talk about. Like what we were talking about last night."

Cat sniffed and walked past her, shaking her head. "I know. You want to move in with a friend of yours." She tried explaining that it would be safer, but without telling her exactly what was going on, explaining herself was damn near impossible. "I hope we can still be friends, even when you go back to Seattle."

"We'll see." The decision hadn't been made yet, but at least Cat knew it was a consideration. If shit hit the fan, she didn't want anyone getting put into a dangerous situation for which there was no escape. "Let's just focus on the here and now, alright?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Great." She hurried to the front door and struck the doorbell, then mustered up a brave smile as she heard the chime from inside. It was a peaceful and melodious tune, one that could enchant the senses and lead someone into a false sense of security if they weren't careful. "Eerily peaceful."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She expected something more sinister and foul to come through those doors. Every muscle in her body was screaming for her to flee the scene, but her feet were glued to the concrete floor.

The sky appeared to darken around her, and as the wooden door opened with a creaking sound, she envisioned thick black smoke billowing from the door. "Hello." A deep and low voice pulled Sam back to reality, forcing her attention to the man in the doorway.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, his head was square-like and his jaw looked strong and tightly locked in place. The man had on a tight blue shirt and long brown pants.

Sam looked into his dark brown eyes and shuddered at the shiver running down her spine. "Mr. Vega, hi!" Cat chimed. Sam's eyes widened and she nearly screamed for the girl not to draw attention to them-as though she were already trying to plan a sneak attack.

Her chest tightened and her breath fled from her lungs as if they'd been pierced like balloons by this man's gaze alone. "Tori and the others are right inside," David Vega stated with a slight smile. He motioned at Sam with a nod. "Who might you be?"

"Sam's the name. I met Tori at the mall." She dared not say Trina on the chance that her prior prediction about his scaring off any friends of the girl coming into play. "Good to meet you."

"You too. Come inside." He opened the door, but Sam hesitated while letting Cat enter first. She dared not peer into the place, but summoned the courage via a tremendous inhale. Her hands tightened up and she took a quick step past the man.

The house was oddly serene on the inside, with nothing out of place or any disarray that could tip anyone off that a child abductor and murderer might live here.

Hell, if Cat was right about Holly being David's second wife and Tori not being his daughter, then it seemed evident even they didn't pick up on any signs of danger.

"It's a nice place you have here." She looked around the living room, then to the round table where Tori and the rest of her friends were. Trina, however, was nowhere in sight. "I guess Trina's not interested in cards?"

"No," Tori answered abruptly, "She kind of gave up on that." Sam opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Cat was already on the defensive.

"Well if you guys didn't push her away every time she tried to play with us, then maybe that wouldn't be the case." Sam raised an eyebrow and tuned them out for a moment so she could focus on the officer in the house.

David was already on his way to his study. She was stunned that he wouldn't bother to keep an eye on her or the others, but this action only enticed further curiosity.

She then scanned the ceiling and walls for signs of recording devices. "This guy's got to be anal about security cameras. He's not going to run the risk of letting something happen to get him in trouble, he'll want to be in firm control." There was no doubt in her mind that he had a security system in place to watch and make sure Trina didn't try to get help.

"He doesn't suspect me yet. Good." She exhaled and made her way to the table. "Let's keep it that way." Any questions regarding Trina would have to be subtle, and then, she couldn't outright interact with the girl in any way that would tip David off of what was occurring.

As she pulled back one of the chairs, she heard a scraping sound from behind and turned her attention to the stairs. Much to her surprise, Trina was standing on the top step and looking down to the group. Her eyes were eager and her lips pursed; her right hand grasped the stairwell so tight that her knuckles were as pale as her nervous face.

No one mentioned iCarly once since she arrived. This was a good thing, since it gave no possibility of David recognizing her as being connected to the Shay family. "Well sit down," said the dark haired girl beside Tori, "Let's play."

"Right, sorry." She took her seat next to Cat and reached for a pair of cards in front of her. "I should warn you, it's been a while since I've played a game of poker." Sam glanced once more at Trina and squinted her eyes as she contemplated her next move. "So how about this? Let's let Trina play too."

A sly grin spread across her face and her gaze swept back to the dark haired girl. From the way she appeared; dressed in black and with a streak in her hair, this was the girl Cat spoke about. Jade. "What?" Jade's mouth opened and her eyebrows closed together. "I mean, she never wants to play."

The boy beside Jade, with his arm around her shoulders, was her boyfriend, Beck. Beck pulled his arm away and looked up to the stairs. "Well, you're the one that never wants her to be involved, Jade. Maybe just once wouldn't hurt."

"It isn't a good idea." The bitterness in Jade's tone was startling, and a little concerning, but Sam opted to remain quiet and observe how everything would unfold.

"Why not?"

This time Robbie was chiming in, much to the surprise of the table. "Yeah, why not? She's a bit crazy, but you're friends with Cat and myself, so what's wrong with her?"

"I'm not your friend," Jade growled, "Beck's your friend."

Sam leaned back and whistled softly. She looked down at her cards and tried to ignore the arguments going on with the group. "These people are…interesting."

"It isn't like she lets people get close to her," Andre muttered. "She's all up in your face, but then she starts to get scared. I don't know."

"You wouldn't know," Tori remarked with a scoff, "You've never talked to her. Stop making up shit." The others flinched. Tori set her cards down and brought her hands to her hips. "None of you have tried to talk to her. If anything, you push her away. I'd love to see you actually give her a chance."

Jade's voice rose and a single laugh erupted into the air. "She's a ball of crazy! Like I would want to mess with that." Sam ran her hand over the back of her neck and stood from the table. She had enough of the dysfunction. Jade looked up at her and frowned. "What's up? Where are you going?"

"I think I need a break."

Cat tugged on her shirt, whining once. "But we haven't even started yet." The girl pleaded with her eyes and tried to smile. Sam pulled away and looked towards the stairs.

"Well, I'll join in a later hand." She walked away, relieved to be away from the mess. She was questioning the friendships, but at the same time, she didn't care. Her goal wasn't to worry about them.

She climbed the stairs and sat down on the top step where Trina had taken her perch. Trina's arms were wrapped around her knees and her bewildered eyes were cast onto her. "What are you doing?" Her tone was quick and silent, as though she didn't want anyone to know what she was saying. "Go back down there."

"They're um, they're a little distracted." She looked to the group and shook her head. If she, Freddie and Carly acted like these people did, then their friendships would have ended a long time ago. "I wanted to talk to you, anyway."

"Why?"

"Well you seen nice, and you know Sasha." Trina shot her a skeptical look and leaned back carefully. "It can't be wrong to want to talk to you."

"I don't know." The girl's eyes drifted over to Jade, and the corners of her mouth dropped. "It's not that they don't like me, it's just…complicated." Sam felt a strange sensation surrounding her and watched with a heavy heart as Trina's gaze drifted towards David's study.

"I can't have friends. Anyone that tries to talk to me either turns up dead or goes missing. Anyone that's ever cared." Tears welled up in Trina's eyes and she quickly wiped them away. Sam's stomach flipped and her blood began to heat inside her veins.

The girl didn't have to say much for Sam to get what she meant. At this point, it wouldn't surprise her if Jade and the others had been threatened by David to stay away. "What do you mean? Can I ask?"

"People I've dated, people I've been friends with, something always happens to them in the end. Either that or they're forced to move."

"Would it have anything to do with your…'father'?" She leaned towards Trina by an inch and the girl's eyes grew suddenly. She noticed a tension in Trina's shoulders and arms.

"I've said more than I should." It wasn't an answer, yet it told her what she needed to know.

"Why don't you come play a game of poker. It might be fun." She pat Trina on the shoulder and looked throughout the house once more. "By the way, where's your mom at?" Trina clenched her eyes and brought her hands up to her head.

"Holly's not my mother." Her smile faded and she pat Trina gently on the back. There wasn't anything she could say or do now. She wanted to tell Trina what was going on and why she was here, but it was too risky. "She's probably out with Gary or something."

"Gary? Who's Gary?"

"The guy she's seeing behind dad's back."

"Oh…ouch." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "I wonder what she'd think if your dad were something like a General." The girl jerked her head back and a sly smirk spread across Sam's face. It was a sneak reference, but she was talking about Mr. Shay here.

The man had been promoted to the rank of a General just recently, so he was a powerful force. It could be possible to utilize him as an ally in this, but she wasn't sure just yet if she wanted to include the man. Carly hadn't yet told her dad what Sam was doing, so it wasn't the best idea to involve him unless Carly gave a green light.

"Is my dad a general?" The question came out muttered, but just enough for Sam to hear. She smiled cheerfully and started to respond positively, but before she opened her mouth, she stopped herself. "I think Holly would be impressed, maybe. She doesn't exactly feel good about him."

"No?"

"To be honest, Gary is her ex-husband. Tori's dad." The shock hit Sam like a ton of bricks. She looked down the stairs at Tori and tapped her fingers on her knees. "It's complicated. They've started to reconcile, I think she feels safer with him."

"Safer? You talk like your dad is a dangerous criminal or something." She turned her gaze back to Trina, eyeing the girl with a keen interest in her response.

There was none. Trina remained seated and stared down at her feet while tapping them on the step. "You know, when you and Cat drove up, someone parked on the other side of the road." Her heart stopped and she looked over her shoulder at a window down the hallway. Trina ran her hand over her neck and breathed in slowly. "This guy that looks a little like Burt Reynolds."

"Burt Rey…" Her voice trailed off and a shallow feeling overcame her. She knew of someone that might slightly resemble the actor, but only because he had the same type of thick moustache. Only his hair was darker and wavier.

"Yeah, they've been sitting outside for about five minutes now, talking. The guy and his son."

"So someone that looks like Burt Reynolds who as a s-" Her heart skipped a beat and she jumped up with a growl. "First, he doesn't look that much like Burt Reynolds, and secondly...Goddamn it!" She ran for the window and threw it open before leaning out and glaring at the two men standing alongside a Nissan Altima.

"Freddie Benson, what in the hell are you doing here."

So what are your thoughts here? Observations? Do tell.