Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, sadly.

Night had fallen as we drove down the highway. The monotonous rhythm of driving was beginning to get to me. I had to keep myself awake, but Sam didn't seem to be having any trouble.

"I think we need to find somewhere to stop for the night. I'm getting a little bit tired," I said, with a yawn that seemed perfectly placed.

"I can drive. Pull over," she commanded.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Really? You never drive."

"I do when you're not in the car, which isn't that often, but still. I really want to," she said, with an expression similar to a dog begging for food.

"Okay, if you really want to," I said. She could've asked for anything and I would've given it to her.

Sam smiled brightly. "You're the best Benson."

"Oh, so we're on last name basis again huh?" I said, with a teasing glance.

"When did we ever get off of last name basis?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"I think it was somewhere in between junior high and last night on the beach," I replied.

Sam laughed. "Just pull over nub."

The pulled the car over on the side of the emptying highway, and Sam and I switched places. It was very odd having her in the drivers seat. It wasn't like I had some male superiority problem that made me not want a girl to drive my truck. It was just that this was a change from our usual pattern. Sam was always next to me in the passenger seat. It just felt abnormal for me to be where she usually was.

But, I didn't have to long to dwell on it, because the passing landscape outside my window slowly lulled me to sleep.

"Freddie, wake up," Sam said loudly as she shook my shoulder.

I rubbed my eyes and moved my head out of the awkward position it had been in, using the seatbelt as a makeshift pillow.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

"We're in Newport I think. I need you to help me find somewhere to get gas," Sam said.

"Just turn off at this road," I said, pointing to a winding road that looked as if it ran right along beside the ocean.

"Got it," Sam said.

I saw the lights of a gas station up ahead and Sam pulled in the parking lot. It looked old, but kind of cozy. Sam pulled up by a pump and got out of the car. An older man came out of the small, cabin-like building. I decided to get out and ask him if there were any campgrounds around, seeing as we couldn't afford a hotel.

"Excuse me sir, I was wondering if there are any campgrounds around here?" I asked.

The man had a greying beard and was wearing an old fishing cap. His voice was gravelly when he spoke. "Not one that I can recall. Do you need somewhere to stay for the night?"

"Yeah, we do. Is there any hotels around, anything?" I asked.

"No one would dare compete with Castle Hill. It's a resort, just down the road there. My brother owns it, I could ask him if he would put you up there for the night," he answered.

I felt slightly embarrassed asking him, but I had to. "Is it expensive? We don't have much money."

Just then, Sam came walking around the truck and stood beside me.

"Hello," she said tentatively.

"Hi, I was just telling your husband here that there's a resort just up the road here if you need a place to stay. And to answer your question, I'll see if we can work out a deal with my brother," he said.

I nodded. Sam and I were both too tired to correct him. Plus, his mistake didn't bother me. "That sounds great, thank you," I answered.

Sam grinned. She seemed to like him. "My name's Sam and this is Freddie."

He shook both of our hands. "I'm John, but everyone calls me Johnny. If you guys just want to follow me up the road, I'll take you to the resort."

Normally I would've been a little nervous to follow a stranger somewhere, but he seemed nice enough and we didn't really have anywhere else to go.

"Thanks again," Sam said as we got back in the truck. We followed his little truck, which was definitely getting old, up the road. I could tell it would be scenic during the day, but it was too dark to see much of anything at the moment.

Finally, we saw a cream colored sign with lights illuminating the words Castle Hill Resort. We pulled inside a set of gates and Johnny's truck pulled over at what seemed like a place to check in. It looked to me like a mansion, with large turrets and a welcoming front porch with swings and white rocking chairs. Sam parked and we both got out of the car. Even though I had taken a nap, I could feel how tired I was with every step.

Johnny led us into the mansion through a set of white double doors. The lobby was spectacular. It had a high ceiling, with more woodwork than I've ever seen in a room. There were couches and armchairs everywhere, with a large, intricately carved check-in desk towards the back.

"This is beautiful," Sam said softly. I nodded in agreement.

We followed Johnny to the check-in desk.

"Hey Johnny," an older woman behind the desk said. "I was just getting ready to lock up. Did you need anything?"

"Actually, these two pulled up to the station and said they needed a place to stay. Seeing as this is the only place for miles, I figured I'd take them up here," Johnny said warmly.

"Well, you've come to the right place. My name's Andrea, what kind of room can I put you in? We have guest rooms here at the inn and we also have six beach cottages scattered throughout the grounds. It hasn't been a very busy week, so you can take your pick," she said.

"We can't afford much," I said nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. I could tell the resort was way too expensive.

Andrea smiled kindly and Johnny cut in. "I was thinking Pete could work something out with them."

"I'll go get him. He' s in the back," Andrea said.

"Thank you so much for this," I said, as I turned to face Johnny.

"It's no problem. You two remind me so much of my wife and I. You look just like she did," he said, turning towards Sam. He had a sad smile on his face.

"Thank you," Sam said quietly.

Just then, Andrea came back with who I was guessing to be Pete. He was a heavyset man with a jolly face and twinkling eyes. He reminded me of a younger version of Santa Claus. "Hello, Andrea here told me that Johnny brought us some new guests. My name's Pete," he said, reaching out his hand.

We both shook it. "I'm Freddie and this is Sam."

"Nice to meet you. Now, I'm guessing you need a place to stay," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah, but we can't afford much." I felt like I was going to have to repeat that sentence endlessly on this trip.

"No problem. We're short on breakfast servers in the morning, so how about if you help me out, I'll put you up in one of the cottages. There's a really pretty beachfront one open right now," he said.

"That would be great. Thank you," I said happily.

"I'll have Andrea give you the keys and directions," he said.

About ten minutes later, Sam and I were standing in front of a little cottage with two rocking chairs on the front porch. We climbed the steps and Sam put the key in the lock. Once we were inside, I turned the light on.

I heard Sam's breath catch in her throat. We were standing in one of the prettiest places I had ever seen. The walls were painted white, and wide planked hardwood floors were under our feet. The windows had white, wispy curtains covering them and in the middle of the room, there was a king sized bed with a canopy and blue pillows. In the corner there was a blue rocking chair and right outside the window was the ocean. It looked like something from a movie.

"This is unbelievable," I said. Sam nodded in agreement.

There was a small bathroom to the left. "I'm going to take a quick shower," Sam said, still in awe of the cottage.

"I'll bring our stuff in," I said.

A few minutes later Sam lay down beside me in her pajamas. "Freddie, I can't believe how lucky we are. I'm glad you told me to turn down that road for gas."

"I know, me too." I answered.

She curled up next to me and put her head on my shoulder. "Goodnight Freddie," she said softly. She must've been too tired to think of a nickname.

I heard the waves roll into the shore as I looked down at her. As I kissed her temple, I knew that this moment would be near impossible to beat. "Goodnight Sam," I whispered into the dark.

A/N: I'm sorry for how long it took me to update this; I just had a really bad case of writer's block. Thanks for sticking with this story, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Thanks for reading and please review!