Dangerous Journey

Disclaimer: Don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 8 (The Secluded Past)

Sam had Spencer on the phone, hoping to report her findings to him. He was trying to convince her to turn back if she felt like she was in any sort of danger. "No, I'm not backing down now. I've come too far to give up."

"I know you have, but I wasn't thinking about what exactly I was asking you to do." Sam picked up a strawberry from the bowl beside her and moved it to the whipped cream beside the bowl. It was her favorite midday snack these days; a bowl of strawberries with bowls of whipped cream, powdered sugar and melted chocolate. "You do not have to keep this up, I'll find another way to get my sister back from him."

"You can't put me on a road and expect me to turn around once I've gotten to a certain point. It doesn't work like that." She dipped the berry into the cream and took a bite of it. "Besides, I've already made contact with David." She swallowed the bite and listened to a sudden clattering noise on the other end. "Spencer?"

"What do you mean you've made contact? You've talked to him?"

"A full on conversation. Over a game of chess." She didn't know she was into chess as much as she used to be, but there was no denying the game was fun. "Who knew you could get such a rush playing chess with the enemy. He's a criminal without a doubt, but not as frightening as I thought."

"He's still dangerous, Sam."

"I know." She lowered her hand to the table and sighed. "That's why I have to be extremely careful how I do this. I can't start off asking too much or I'll tip him off, but I have to gain his trust at the same time so he doesn't see me as a threat."

"Look, I can tell Mr. Benson to find officers loyal to him and investigate the kidnapping. I can do that. I'm sure there are those willing to investigate David."

"Oh?" She dipped her eyebrows and crossed her legs. "Spencer, no officer is going to investigate that man. Not even people close to Freddie's father." She adjusted the phone on her ear and spun herself around on the stool. "You want to know why he got away with it?" Spencer let out a sigh.

"Why, Sam?"

She put her left elbow on the surface of the table and smacked her lips. "Because of his family." Her right foot tapped the ground and her eyes slanted. "His father was the police chief at the time. His grandfather and great grandfather both made it to the rank of Assistant Chief and Police Commander-respectively-during their tenure."

Her voice started to rise as the blood within her heated. "His mother was a congresswoman." Spencer started to cough, so she waited until he stopped to go any further. "What more is I discovered through Tori that David's grandmother was one of the city's first female attorney's."

"Shit." A faucet started running in the background, followed by the sound of ice clinking against a glass. Spencer made a few swallowing sounds, then exhaled. "How did you learn that?"

"Because I got into his home through his stepdaughter and her friends. I've talked to Trina also." Spencer gasped softly and Sam leaned her head back. "I had a moment to chat offhand with David when I saw his father's and grandfathers' portraits on the wall."

"I see…"

"There's more. I talked to him about your mother."

"You what?" His voice jumped into panic and something shattered on the floor. "Shit!" She clenched her eyes shut and waited as a string of curses fell from his lips. "Are you trying to give yourself away?"

She remained calm, still waiting for him to relax. "They dated in high school, Spence. It was brought up during a casual conversation over the game of chess we just had earlier this afternoon."

"Oh. I get it now. So they knew each other."

"Knew each other well. They were in love." She hopped off the stool and walked over to the refrigerator. "Apparently she cheated on him and became pregnant during that affair…" She paused for a moment, waiting for a response from the man.

When she didn't hear any sound whatsoever, she checked to make sure their phones were still connected.

Sam opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of strawberry milk she purchased from the local market. "Spencer. I don't know how long it lasted, but he said she let him believe that child was his. Why do you think that would happen?" She clamped the phone between her ear and shoulder while uncapping the small bottle.

Spencer's voice quieted for a moment and he started to speak, hesitating for a brief second. "I know about that." Her eyebrows rose and she lifted her head, grabbing her phone in the process.

"You knew?"

"Dad told me, but I didn't know David was the guy mom cheated on. I don't think Dad knew at the time either. Dad knew mom was in a relationship, but he never met the guy."

She felt her heart sinking and slowly walked back to the counter. It was hard to believe, or moreover it was hard to understand how this could have happened. She never pictured Steven Shay being a willing participant in someone's affair.

"Why was this allowed?"

His voice was trembling now. Sam was feeling numb and her stomach felt empty despite the food she was putting in. "Because my father was a few years older than Mom. Dad always said she had a penchant for guys in uniform, and he was just joining the military."

Her fingers tapped the surface of the countertop and her eyes slanted. A military man in the late seventies and early eighties getting caught up in an affair certainly didn't sound good.

"They slept together a few times and she told him he was pregnant just before they had to ship him off to basic and immediately overseas. That's when she told him she was in a relationship with someone. At first, Dad wanted to call off the affair, but mom said she wanted to be with him."

"Why?"

"She thought a man in the military could provide better." The more she heard about Camille, the less her respect for the woman became. She could almost see why it was Spencer never talked about his mother. "Don't get me wrong, my mom wasn't a bad person. She was a fantastic mom, and we loved her tremendously. She made a mistake, Sam…"

Her hand balled up and a scoff jumped from her throat. "A mistake that cost her life and caused one of your sisters to grow up in hell."

"I know that. My mother wasn't perfect, no one's perfect."

"Keep it up and I'm almost feeling sorry for Mr. Vega." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

It didn't matter what Camille had done; a life was lost and another stolen. She didn't deserve to die and Trina didn't deserve to be abducted. Justice still had to be done, Trina still needed to be returned to her rightful family.

"Listen Spencer." She raised her hand to her forehead and curled her fingers around her bangs. "Did your father ever explain why your mom might have told David the baby was his?" She pulled her bangs back and dropped her hand with a heavy sigh.

"He did."

"Why, then?"

"Mom was scared it wouldn't work out with Dad. She thought once he left that the military might change him, and so recently after the Vietnam war, she was terrified he would die overseas-even though there was no risk of that where he went. Dad said it was on a whim that she informed the man he was with that the child-that I-was his son."

"So you're telling me she used David like insurance?" She raised her voice and slammed her hand down on the counter. "How can you tell me that was right?"

"It wasn't. I can't explain my mother's actions, and I'm not trying to justify them either! Mom was only eighteen at the time. I would hardly classify that as being old enough to not be acting on impulse all the time."

"There's no use in this shouting match." With an inhale, Sam struggled to cool her temper. What was done was done, and there was no changing it. "David's still a kidnapper and murderer. I won't say your mom deserved what happened because that wouldn't be true…no one deserves to have their life taken so violently, no one deserves to lose a child, a sibling…"

"Thanks." Spencer sighed. Sam shut her eyes and clicked her tongue off her cheek. "Sam. When my father came back to town, mom still wanted to be with him. She had a blood test done and went to that man-I guess David-and told him she lied. That I wasn't his son, and she was leaving. Dad always says mom remembers David saying it wasn't right that she would take his child away…he still felt like I was his."

"Can't you see why? Even though you weren't by blood, he had a hand in raising you for no matter how long it had been."

"You think maybe that's the reason he took Trina away from us?

Not only did she think it was very likely the reason, the painful sense in her gut told her it might not have only been Trina. "I think it's very possible that Carly would have been taken away too."

"And me?"

"You were old enough to fight him. If he didn't kill you he would have left you alone." David may not have even meant to kill Camille. When talking to him about Mrs. Shay, Sam got a vibe from him that suggested he wouldn't have killed her without reason.

If his goal was to steal a child and Camille got in the way, she would have done what any mother would have, and she would have fought.

Her breath grew shallow and her hand lifted up over her mouth. "Spencer. I think your mother wasn't meant to die that day." He replied with a confused murmur. "I think he tried to take Trina when she wasn't looking. I think she saw him and tried to fight. I think she fought for her life and he shot her trying to get away."

"There's no way to know that for sure."

"At this point, you're right."

"Why wait all this time?"

"Your mom joined the military too didn't she? Your parents transferred around a lot. I'm willing to bet Mr. Vega stewed on his anger, and I bet he didn't know where to find any of you until that trip your mother took. She might not have recognized him until it was too late."

Silence surrounded her and she heard no noises or movement from his end. She didn't know what to do about this situation, nor was she certain her theory was accurate.

"Have you ever brought it up with Carly? The fact that Mrs. Shay cheated on someone?"

"And I was born because of an affair? No. What would that serve?"

"An explanation." She would tell Carly herself, but it wasn't her place. Spencer needed to be the one to do so, and when he was ready of course. "I don't know if it matters either, it's up to you, but she at least deserves to know her sister."

"There's no question about that."

"Right." She grabbed a strawberry and carefully dipped it into the powdered sugar. "I um-I met Sasha." She took a deep breath and listened to the awkward, sad tone in Spencer's voice.

"How is she?"

"She misses you. A lot."

"I miss her too." He still loved Sasha from what it sounded like, but she wasn't going to ask him what happened between them or why they weren't together. It might do him a world of good to talk to her, but this was something else she wasn't going to force on him. "I-" His voice broke and Sam pulled her lips back into her cheek. "I should get back to work. Sam, be careful."

"I'll be fine. Take it easy, alright? I'm going to find a way to get Trina out of there. I just need time."

"Not sure how much time we have."

"We'll get her. We'll get justice for your mom too. I'm not going to give up, Spence. Okay? I don't care what happened with your mom, with David, I don't care about any of that…You got me started on this, and I'm going to finish. I swear that to you, okay?"

There was a long pause on his end, followed by a quick intake of air. "Okay." He exhaled and Sam tried to smile. "Thank you. I mean that."

So we know the history, or a great deal of it. What are your thoughts on everything? How about Sam's theory? What will happen next.