AN: I forgot to mention this in the last chapter in my notes but in case you couldn't tell, this story picks up right after the last episode of the show. "#GettinWiggy" was the official last episode. Sadly. And I've taken the liberty of changing a few things here and there as you'll find out. Like, how I changed it that Cat didn't get arrested at the end of #GettinWiggy.

Chapter 2

It was a glorious Saturday morning as they sped down the highway on Sam's motorcycle, blue skies and the sun shining bright. Typical LA weather. It took a while for Sam to get used to it after moving there, being used to, and missing, the gray skies of Seattle. But then she realized that being in Seattle meant nothing if Carly wasn't there. And she slowly started to enjoy the LA weather over time. Carly. Why did she have to leave me like that? Did I mean nothing to her? Sam thought sadly as her mind drifted to that day the brunette had told her she would be flying to Italy with her dad. You know that's not true, her mind protested. Carly loved you. You can't blame her for this. No, Sam blamed herself for what had happened; the reason she and Carly weren't together.

Sam tried to push the negative thoughts out of her mind and enjoy the feeling of Cat clinging to her from behind. Cat had her arms wrapped around Sam's waist and was hanging on tightly. She always loved riding with Sam on the back of her motorcycle. She found it scary and exciting at the same time but the best part was getting to be so close to Sam and not have to come up with an excuse for it. Cat gently rested her cheek on Sam's back and smiled.

Sam felt Cat lean into her and rest her head on her back, making the blonde grin. She had been trying to deny her feelings for Cat for a while now. She's just a friend, Sam reminded herself. I don't like her like that. And she only likes me as a friend. But she felt her stomach do a loop when she felt Cat tighten her hold around her waist. Sam had known she was gay from a young age and had dated a few girls in her time. But she had only ever fallen in love with one before she left Seattle and moved to LA. And Sam's heart had broken into a thousand pieces when the love of her life left her so abruptly. That's why she left Seattle. The city meant nothing to her after that. No one else could have kept her there. Not her mom or any of her friends. Freddie or Spencer. The place was a dark gray hell hole without the brunette that had stolen her heart.

She wanted to leave and forget. And she had been careful not to let her heart become vulnerable again. That's why she refused to acknowledge her growing feelings for Cat. As they parked the motorcycle, Cat climbed off and removed her helmet. Sam did the same, grabbed her bag from the storage compartment under the seat, and then they walked into the gym together; Cat mindlessly grabbing Sam's hand as they crossed the parking lot. Sam involuntarily flinched whenever Cat did this but she forced herself to relax and just went with it. Pulling her hand away would only make Cat sad and the blonde hated it when Cat was sad.

"Hey, guys," Dice greeted them as they came through the doors.

"Hey," Sam and Cat greeted in unison, just as Sam nonchalantly pulled her hand out of Cat's.

"Here, Sam. Suit up," Dice instructed, handing Sam the protective padding to put on. "You'll be sparring with Dave today."

Sam put on the fighting equipment and then readied herself as she walked out onto the mat. Cat sat on the sidelines and watched with Dice. After stretching and warming up, the two fighters circled each other a few times and then Dave threw a punch, to which Sam dodged and then threw one of her own, landing it to Dave's ribs. She threw a few more punches to Dave's head and stomach, landing each of them.

"That's it, Sam! Keep your elbows tucked in!" Dice coached.

Sam blocked a kick Dave threw at her midsection and then kicked him in the head. Stunned, Dave then received a roundhouse kick from Sam and then fell to the floor.

"Yay! Go, Sam!" Cat cheered happily. She was relieved to see that Sam hadn't lost any of her fighting ability from spending most of her time babysitting over the past several months. Sam helped Dave up and they shook hands just before the male fighter staggered off the mat to rest.

"Alright, who's next?" Sam asked confidently.

"I'll have a go with you," Miguel, a much larger fighter, said. He loomed over Sam a good foot and a half and had large muscles.

"Sure, I have a couple seconds to waste," Sam replied cockily. Cat muffled a scared, high-pitched squeal as her fear for Sam built.

Dice watched closely. He knew Sam was good but she wasn't a professional. And Miguel was one of their best fighters. Cat looked worried. Miguel was big and scary looking to her, with tattoos covering both his arms. Sam and Miguel began to circle each other until Miguel threw a kick. Sam ducked out of the way and then punched him in the face when he regained his footing but it wasn't enough to take Miguel down. Sam threw a right punch, then a left, then a right. Miguel blocked them all and then landed a blow to Sam's stomach. The blonde backed up a little and reassessed. She waited for Miguel to make the next move.

He came at her with a one-two punch combo with a kick but luckily Sam anticipated this move. She had been keeping her eyes on his feet and could sense what he was about to do. She blocked the punches and when his leg almost made contact with her middle, she grabbed it, holding it in place as she punched him in the face and threw him down to the floor, using his leg as leverage. Miguel landed on his back but quickly rolled to his feet.

Cat watched, wide eyed, worried about Sam getting hurt but so far, she was holding her own and it was impressive, especially considering the size of her opponent. Then Miguel landed a punch to Sam's face and then another two hits to her ribs. Cat gasped in shock. But Sam regained her balance and then landed a side kick to Miguel's face, causing the large fighter to spin around and fall to the floor. Cat sighed in relief.

"Wow, Sam!" Dice cheered, "I didn't know you were that good!" He'd only seen Sam fight a handful of times.

"Ah, I grew up on the streets of Seattle," Sam replied with a grin, "and in the Puckett house."

Miguel stood back up and then shook hands with Sam, impressed with her fighting skills. They took a break and got some water before moving on to the next training activity.

Three hours later, Sam had exited the women's showers, freshly bathed and dressed in her regular clothes she had brought to the gym with her. She shouldered her bag and asked, "You two want to get some lunch at Bots?"

"Sure," Dice agreed. The three headed over to their favorite restaurant and ordered their food once they got their usual table.

Cat sat close to Sam as Dice jabbered on about Sam's fighting skills from across the table. She always sat close to her but this time, her thigh was touching Sam's but the blonde didn't seem to notice. Cat had been worried about Sam fighting at first but as she watched the training, her mind had been put at ease and she even found herself becoming turned on watching the blonde beauty spar with other fighters. She was snapped out of her daydreaming when she heard Sam speak.

"I'm fine with you training me, Dice," Sam said, "just as long as Bubs Dixon isn't involved in any way, shape, or form."

Bubs Dixon had temporarily trained Sam back when she was to fight Rita Rooney. The crazy, loud, trainer woman wouldn't let Sam do anything fun, made her wake up at 6am to train, and go to bed by 9pm. She also wouldn't let Sam eat anything but lettuce and worked her too hard, often training her more than 5 hours a day. Every day. Not to mention she was just downright annoying and loud.

"Oh, don't worry," Dice replied, "I agree. She was a bit extreme."

"A bit?" Sam said in disbelief. Bubs Dixon had caused Sam to quit the fight before it even happened. The routine had caused Sam to "hate her life" and she'd even said so a few times during that week.

Sam and Dice continued to discuss Sam's regimen, agreeing on a few terms. Sam had made Dice promise not to wake her any earlier than 8am, let her stay up until at least 10pm, and let her do anything fun she decided she felt like. She would train no more than three hours a day, four days a week, while getting at least 10 hours of sleep per night (per Dice's instructions). And Sam agreed to try to keep her diet to lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, unsweetened dairy, nuts and seeds, with certain other allowances every once in a while.

Their food finally came and they spent the rest of the time talking about what was going on in each other's lives. Cat happily chatted about starting school soon and the next play she would be auditioning for, making Sam promise to come see it if she got the part. Then the topic steered around to babysitting gigs.

"So, you two are giving up the babysitting business?" Dice asked around a bite of pork fingers.

"Yeah," Sam replied after munching on her sub sandwich. "We agreed we needed more money coming in and babysitting wasn't cutting it."

"Well, if you do well in this match, Sam, I could agree to keep training you and booking you more fights," Dice offered.

"Really?" Sam asked sounding somewhat surprised.

"Oh, yeah, if you work your way up to pro, you could be making $10,000 to $30,000 per fight. Top tier fighters make $500,000 per fight or more but they only compete in one to three fights per year. Amateur fighters have to fight more just to bring in the money. Like, maybe 12 to 27 bouts per year. But with your skills, it wouldn't take long for you to work your way up."

"What about when Goomer gets back?" Sam asked.

"I can manage you both," Dice replied with confidence.

"And what happens when school starts back up?" Sam wondered, knowing Dice would have to spend the majority of his day in classes.

"Well, you can either wait to train with me in the afternoons or you can train with Dave in the mornings. Or we could do a combo. Start working out with Dave around 2pm and then I can meet up with you for the rest after school lets out."

As they spoke, Cat stayed silent. She was worried about Sam. She was a good fighter but Cat was still concerned about her safety. She looked over at Sam and saw the excited look on her face. She didn't want to rain on her parade, so she just stayed quiet.

"So, are you cancelling the last of your babysitting gigs?" Dice asked, wondering if Sam would have the time to train this week for the upcoming fight.

"No, we'll finish out the last of the ones we have scheduled for the rest of the month and then just not take on anymore," Sam answered.

"Well, maybe I'll schedule just a few here and there," Cat added. "We may still need the money even with your fights."

"You sure?" Sam asked. "I don't want you to have to worry about anything but finishing your senior year."

"I'm sure. I don't mind doing a few, even if I'm by myself. I know you'll have to spend a lot of time training," Cat offered. "I can at least keep doing them until school starts back up in a couple weeks."

Sam smiled at her and it made the redhead melt. After they had finished eating, Cat excused herself to go to the restroom. As soon as the redhead was out of earshot, Dice quietly said, "Uh, Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam replied.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of Cat but…as your manager…there is another rule I have to add to your new regimen."

"What is it?" Sam asked, now curious as to why Dice didn't want to discuss it in front of Cat.

"Well, this may sound like an odd request…but…" Dice trailed off, his face turning red.

"Just spit it out, Dice!" Sam commanded in a forceful tone.

"Okay, please don't kill me for this but…another major rule for fighters during the weeks leading up to a match is…you can't have sex." Dice rapidly mumbled the last part quietly so no one else would hear. He felt extremely awkward discussing this with Sam, especially since he was a few years younger than her. And he knew how Sam got when someone tried to tell her what to do.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked confused.

"Fighters aren't supposed to have sex leading up to a fight," Dice explained.

"What a dumb rule," Sam snorted, taking a sip of her drink. She'd heard about it and the reasons why, but always thought it was just a myth. "But, no biggie. It's not like I have a partner anyway."

"Well, that rule includes…uh…servicing yourself too," Dice turned even redder.

Sam just looked at him point blank. "What?" she angrily but quietly asked.

"Plus," Dice went on, trying to steer the conversation away from that topic, "I know about you and Cat."

"What?!" Sam questioned a little louder this time.

"Don't worry, I think it's great," Dice went on, "I'm not judging you two or anything. I'm totally cool with it. You don't need to keep it a secret. At least, not from me. I know some people like to keep it a secret for obvious reasons but you don't need to from me. Or Goomer, for that matter. He's picked up on it too."

"Dice, what the hell are you talking about?" Sam asked, now irritated beyond belief.

"You know…you and Cat. You're like…together," Dice quietly mumbled.

"No, we're not," Sam chuckled, her face turning red. "We're just friends."

The curly haired boy just stared at her in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. "Does she know that?!" Dice asked incredulously. "You two are so close. I thought for sure you two were a couple. Like for the past whole year!"

"Well, we're not!" Sam insisted angrily and with disappointment. "So, just drop it, alright?!"

"Alright!" Dice conceded, raising his hands in surrender. But after a few awkward silent moments, Dice asked, "Do you want to be with Cat? Because I'm pretty sure she wants to be with you. Like a lot!"

"DICE!" Sam all but shouted to get him to shut up.

"Okay, okay," Dice admitted defeat. But he had been so sure they were secretly a couple. At the very least, he could tell that the blonde and redhead liked each other and were maybe even in love with each other. He was young but he wasn't blind.

Cat returned to the table a few seconds later and after she sat down (right next to Sam), she gripped Sam's arm in a hug and leaned her head on the blonde's shoulder. She closed her eyes and smiled happily like she always did when she hugged Sam. Dice just gave Sam a pointed look that said, I told you so! And Sam glared right back at him. She then started gently nudging Cat with her shoulder in an attempt to get the redhead off her. Cat finally sat up straight and let go of Sam, taking a sip of her drink.

"So, what did I miss?" Cat asked.

"NOTHING!" Sam and Dice both blurted out at the same time.

Cat just eyed the two of them suspiciously. A second later, Sam's cell phone rang, causing the blonde to sigh in relief, and she pulled it out of her pocket to look at the screen. Her eyes went wide though when she saw who was calling her, and then she had a slightly nervous expression that she quickly hid. But Cat had caught the anxious look and there had also been a hint of anger mixed in.

"Who is it?" Cat asked curiously.

"Um…no one," Sam replied, pressing the ignore button and sliding the phone back in her pocket.

Cat just continued to look at Sam suspiciously but they soon went back to chatting and sipping their drinks.

After a short while they said their goodbyes to Dice and left Bots. Cat smiled happily, hugging Sam from behind as they sped down the highway on the blonde's motorcycle. The redhead tightened her hold around Sam's waist and squealed in delight as Sam sped up. Sam smiled at the physical contact from her roommate and the happy sounds she was making. But then she felt a warm and tingling feeling in her chest and she stuffed down the emotion. She refused to fall in love again. Not after what happened the first time.

Eleven months ago

Carly snuggled into the blonde's side and lazily glided her fingertips over Sam's chest, softly caressing her smooth skin as they cuddled naked in bed together under the covers. The brunette sighed happily like she always did after they made love. Sam kissed the top of her head and stroked her back gently. The blonde didn't think she could be happier, except for the anxious feeling about the near future that was looming. She lay on her back with her arm wrapped around Carly and sighed contentedly.

"I love you so much, Sam," Carly murmured blissfully as her head rested on Sam's shoulder.

"I love you too, Cupcake," Sam replied with a smile.

"Remind me why I agreed to go to Italy with my dad," Carly said with uncertainty.

"Because you haven't seen him in years and you miss him," Sam replied.

They had just finished their last iCarly episode, insisting to the fans that it wasn't 'goodbye'. But they all knew it would be a long while before they would do another episode, if ever. Carly's father, Colonial Shay, had returned briefly to attend the father/daughter dance with Carly and then unexpectedly invited her to come back to Italy with him. Carly had agreed to go after both Spencer and Sam encouraged it. Sam knew how much Carly had missed her father over the years, being away in the military. He hadn't been able to come home in at least seven years. Carly had been able to keep in touch with phone calls and video chats but it wasn't the same. She missed her father tremendously. Sam had been Carly's shoulder to cry on, time and time again, when her dad was supposed to come for a visit and then it unexpectedly got cancelled for various reasons.

When Carly had turned to Sam after her father had asked her to fly back with him, the brunette saw the sad, panicked look in the blonde's eyes. But Sam had encouraged her to go anyway, even though she desperately didn't want Carly to leave her. And the brunette didn't want to leave Sam, her best friend for the past nine years. Their relationship had changed when they were 15 when they realized they'd both had feelings for each other for years. They had been secret girlfriends for the past two years. The only people who knew were Spencer, Freddie, and Gibby. Their fans had suspected over the years but they never publicly came out of the closet.

"But how can I leave you?" Carly asked with sadness in her voice.

"We'll keep in touch with calls and video chats. And it's not like you're planning to stay there forever. It's only for a few weeks, right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, two weeks. No more than three, tops," Carly reassured. "But still, I'm gonna miss you! I wish I could take you with me."

"Me too, but you know I'm not welcome in Europe," Sam replied, referring to one of her many arrest warrants. "And I'll miss you too. Trust me, Cupcake, I don't want you to go either but I know how much your dad means to you. You should go spend time with him. I'll still be here when you get back. We can finish out our senior year and then go off to college together like we planned." Sam had actually pulled her grades up enough and gotten accepted to the University of Washington. She and Carly were going off to the same college together the following year. It was only a 10-minute drive from Seattle so they planned to live with Spencer in their apartment and commute to school to save money.

Carly sighed, "Yeah, and maybe I'll find the right time to tell dad about us." The brunette lifted her hand and eyed the beautiful ring on her left ring finger. The diamond was small because Sam couldn't afford much but Carly loved it. She smiled at it and then looked up at Sam and kissed her lips, caressing the blonde's cheek lovingly. Sam had bought the ring a week ago but was just trying to figure out the right time to propose to her gorgeous girlfriend. When her dad had invited Carly to Italy, it seemed as good a time as any. She had taken Carly to her room after their last webshow and proposed to her there. Carly's eyes lit up and she started to cry as she said 'yes!'. Sam smiled happily and slid the engagement ring on her finger and then they made love. They knew now that they only had a couple hours left for Carly to pack and get to the airport.

They promised each other they would call and video chat every day for the next couple weeks. How could things go so wrong so fast?

Sam wiped the tear off her cheek as she sped down the road. The memory was one of her happiest but also, saddest of her life. It was the last time she and Carly would be happy together. Over the past year living with Cat, Sam was grateful to have found such a great friend. She hadn't been expecting it. And she hadn't expected to ever have those kinds of feelings for someone ever again. She had been trying in vain to only care for Cat as a good friend. She hadn't meant to develop romantic feelings for her. And she knew Cat felt something for her too. Sam wasn't sure if it was love but she was fairly sure the redhead liked her as more than a friend. She didn't want to hurt the poor girl. So, that's why she kept her interactions with Cat as purely platonic.

Or, she tried to, anyway. But with the amount of affection Cat threw at her constantly, it was hard at times. Sam's heart sped up when she felt Cat's arms tighten around her waist from behind and heard the redhead humming happily. She felt the vibrations through her back as Cat all but purred against her. Sam took a deep steadying breath and exhaled slowly, trying to get her frantic heartbeat back to normal.

They stopped at a supermarket on their way home, knowing they needed some groceries. Cat helped Sam pick out some healthier options that would fit well with her new diet for her training regimen. After getting everything they needed, they loaded the majority of the groceries into the storage compartment of the motorcycle, with the rest of the bags hanging precariously from the handle bars, and then headed for home. Soon enough they were pulling into the parking spot behind their apartment and Sam turned off her motorcycle. But Cat didn't make a move to get off the bike.

"Uh…Cat? We're home," Sam said gently, removing her helmet.

"Hmm?" Cat hummed. She was in a world of her own and was still firmly pressed up against Sam's back with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "Oh!" she finally said, realizing that they were home and Sam had parked the motorcycle. The blonde had been waiting for Cat to climb off the bike first so she, herself, could dismount. The redhead finally let go of Sam's waist and got off the bike with a blush on her face. She removed her helmet, helped Sam grab the groceries, and then made her way over to their back patio doors.

They entered their apartment and no sooner had they started putting the cold items away than Sam's cell started ringing again. She pulled it out of her pocket, looked at the screen, and then sighed in frustration.

"Again?" Sam mumbled angrily.

"Who is it?" Cat asked curiously.

"Uh…it's nothing. But…I better go ahead and take it," Sam said as she walked off in the direction of their bedroom.

Cat couldn't help but wonder who kept calling Sam all the time. Since Sam had started living with her, the blonde had been receiving these calls that always annoyed her. Sam would always say it was just a telemarketer or one of those phone scam callers. But Cat had noticed that it would be from the same number and it had a Seattle area code. Over the past few months, every once in a while, Sam's phone would ring and the blonde would be in the bathroom or outside working on her motorcycle and Cat had been able to spy the number on the screen. There had been no other contact info, just the number and 'Seattle, Washington' listed at the bottom. She had been tempted to answer it a few times but didn't want to pry into her roommate's life. This time, however, Cat crept closer to the bedroom door so she could overhear Sam's side of the conversation.

Sam had closed the bedroom door behind her but it was still cracked open a couple inches.

She answered the call in an angry voice without even giving a proper greeting, "I told you to stop calling me!" Sam paced the bedroom, fuming. There was a pause and then Sam went on. "Well, that's not my problem!"

Cat felt bad about eavesdropping but her curiosity had been getting the better of her. She didn't know much about the blonde's background. Just that she had lived in Seattle with her 'nutjob' of a mom and that her homelife was unstable. She did iCarly with her friends, Carly, Freddie, and Gibby and Carly's brother, Spencer, sometimes made an appearance on the webshow. Sam had a tendency to be angry at times but she always treated Cat with care. For the most part. And although Sam seemed tough and often used humor as a form of expression, Cat seemed to notice that the blonde usually had a hint of sadness in her eyes. Sam hardly ever talked about her past and Cat didn't want to push but the redhead had been getting more and more curious and frustrated at Sam for not opening up to her. She crept closer to the door and continued to listen to Sam's call.

"I will never come back to Seattle! So, just drop it!" Sam yelled.

Cat's eyes went wide. Who was trying to get Sam to leave her?

"I can't go back. Not after…you know what. And I know why you keep calling me. To make sure I'm still alive."

Cat's heart sped up. Still alive? she thought with horror. Why wouldn't Sam still be alive? What is going on? She knew Sam used to do illegal and dangerous things and still had a tendency to be reckless at times but Sam always seemed to know what she was doing and could take care of herself.

"Look, I know what I wrote in that letter. You don't have to quote me…stop acting like you care!" Cat heard Sam pause briefly and then she continued. "Listen, my mom never acted like I was alive even when I was living with her. She'll be fine. And what I decide to do with my life is my decision…yeah, and whether to live or not is my choice too!"

Cat gasped in shock. She didn't like what that implied. She could tell Sam got depressed quite a bit and always tried to cover it up with anger or jokes but this was way more alarming.

"I left for a reason…stop…stop…no, just stop it! You know what? Just go to hell!" Sam yelled and then she hung up the phone and threw her cell down onto her bed.

Cat slowly opened the door and warily entered the bedroom. She didn't care if Sam knew she had been eavesdropping at this point. "Are you okay?" Cat asked with concern in her voice.

Sam had her back to her and she sighed in frustration. "Yeah, I'm fine, kid." She sounded so sad.

"That sounded like a bad call."

"Yeah, just another one of those damn telemarketers again."

"Sam, I know it wasn't a telemarketer. Who was it?"

Sam didn't say anything. She just stood there and sighed heavily again; her shoulders slumped sadly. Cat thought Sam was fuming but she heard the blonde sniffle and realized just how upset she was. The redhead had only ever seen Sam cry once and that was on "Yay Day". It was only once and it was very brief but it was enough to break Cat's heart. She walked over and hugged Sam from behind, wrapping her arms around the blonde and resting her cheek on her back. Neither said anything for a long while and Sam got her crying under control. She looked up at the ceiling and tears slipped down her face as Cat continued to hold her from behind.

After a few silent moments, Cat finally heard Sam sadly mumble very quietly, "Not a hugger." It was barely audible but Cat heard her. She said it now more out of habit rather than an actual request for Cat to stop.

Cat chuckled sadly and said, "Well, that's just too bad. Because you're getting hugged." And then she tightened her hold on her blonde roommate. She knew that Sam didn't actually hate her hugs and that the blonde really needed one at the moment. Plus, Cat was always ready to hug Sam. Or cuddle with her. And she desperately wanted to do more with her as well. After several more quiet moments, Cat spoke again, "I think I know what we need."

"What's that?" Sam asked wiping a tear away.

"A movie marathon," Cat replied, trying to cheer her up.

Sam chuckled softly, "Sure, kid. Sounds good."

AN: Hope you are enjoying it so far. Let me know what you think in a review.