Author's Note: In case you're all wondering what this is, it's a random one-shot that I decided to write as an alternative ending for chapter 15 of my Creddie fic, "iLost And Found". For those of you who have read it, you know what I'm talking about. But if you don't, then I suggest you go read it right now. Kidding. You don't have to read my other stories because this one-shot pretty much stands alone. And as the summary suggests, it's set to Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now". I never thought I'd say this, but I love me some country music.

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or Lady Antebellum. And that sucks majorly.

He found himself sitting stiffly on his hotel bed an hour later, his head in my hands while he contemplated what had transpired between him and Carly in this very room.

He had kissed her.

Picture perfect memories

Scattered all around the floor

Not like one of those small pecks on the lips either that you only reserved for aging female relatives or platonic female friends. Their kiss (or had it been several kisses, he really couldn't remember) had lasted for more than 5 minutes and every single one had been gentle, rough, hesitant, passionate.

Reaching for the phone 'cause I can't take it anymore

It wasn't that it had been perfect in the least; but even in its imperfection, he had still felt inexplicably alive and free somehow. It was as if Carly had found her way into that region of his brain which made his limbs move, making him impossibly numb with arduous elation as her soft lips melded effortlessly with his in the ensuing darkness.

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind

He hadn't meant to kiss her, it had just happened. Carly had been leaning against the wall adjacent to the hotel room door, biting her bottom lip demurely while she gazed back at him, her eyes shining bright with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Why had he told her that she was staggering? It was absolutely the worst thing he could've said. And yet…he had to say it. Not saying it wouldn't have made it less true. Carly Shay always had and always would be staggering. Looking at her was like being underwater for a really long time, just holding your breath, waiting for that sweet burst of oxygen to come rushing towards your brain, overpowering you with its intensity for giving and sustaining life.

For me it happens all the time

And he had taken it; he took every bit of oxygen he could get when he kissed Carly. Even though he knew it was wrong, even though he knew she already had someone else. Because he hadn't breathed like that in years, not since Sam. Carly made him breathe again, and he'd been fighting that fact for weeks now, ever since he'd accidentally found her at Camp Dreamland. But it didn't matter now anyway, because she was marrying someone else and he'd somehow found a way to make things a whole lot worse for himself and for her.

It was just a kiss.

It was just a kiss. It was just a kiss. It was just a kiss. It was just a kiss.

It was just a stupid kiss.

It didn't mean anything.

Who was she kidding? Of course it meant something. It meant everything.

It was everything.

That's why she was sitting in the bathroom right now, taking a 45-minute shower. But none of it mattered because she was already engaged. To Jake, not Freddie.

It wasn't fair. Why did Freddie have to say that she was staggering? Who says something like that to someone else? Freddie wasn't supposed to say things like that to her; he wasn't supposed to care about her at all after everything they'd been through. He chose Sam, he loved Sam. He wasn't supposed to look at her like that; like he loved…her.

It's a quarter after one

I'm all alone and I need you now

This was all her fault. She should never have agreed to go alone with him on a tour of the city. What had she been thinking? While a part of her had wanted to avoid him until after the wedding, a part of her had also wanted to do something to make him smile, even something as simple as showing him a part of her world, wanting him to know her again like he used to. God, she was so stupid. She should never have let him kiss her in his hotel room an hour ago when they had been on the verge of catching pneumonia from getting caught out in the rain.

She shouldn't have kissed him back.

No matter what had happened in her life, Carly Shay had always been in control; she had never second-guessed herself until Freddie had kissed her. He had caught her off guard and she had fallen hard once again. He had just been staring at her right after he had said the words, like he had been searching for something in her eyes that only she alone could give him. Her heart had been hammering so loudly in her chest at the time that she swore he could've heard and felt every single beat.

Said I wouldn't call

But I lost all control and I need you now

And then he had kissed her, his ice-cold lips meeting hers in the darkness of the room, sending a wave of intense shock coursing through her veins. That's when her brain had split completely from the rest of her body. She couldn't have Freddie, but she still wanted him. And she had needed to know for herself what she had missed out on all these years. So she let him kiss her and then she kissed him back, wanting to show him that he still had her heart after all this time. And now she couldn't take it back.

Freddie looked to his left at the clock resting on the pedestal and groaned.

1am.

And I don't know how I can do without

He was never going to get any sleep now. Shrugging the duvet away from his body, Freddie got out of bed and strolled groggily towards the mini-bar fridge. He winced at the piercing light which shone out of its confines as he stared at the options for beverages before him. There were a couple of liqueur bottles resting inside the door to the mini-bar fridge while the bottom row contained cans of every popular brand of soda. The top row itself contained several cans and bottles of Heineken beer. Freddie ignored the liqueur bottles and the cans of soda and grabbed the nearest bottle of Heineken. There happened to be a bottle-opener in close proximity to him on the writing desk; he simply cracked the bottle cap off the top with a satisfying pop. Then he took a very large swig of beer, swirling the contents around the inside of his mouth momentarily as the alcohol danced around his tongue and teeth before swallowing in one big gulp. It became infinitely easier after that to chug the rest of the bottle's contents down…

I just need you now

Carly wasn't about to let a bout of insomnia and a guilty conscience get to her. She scrambled hurriedly out of her bed in her pyjamas and made her way towards the mini-bar fridge in her hotel room. She scanned the available beverages and grimaced. She definitely needed something stronger than Dr. Pepper and a bottle of liqueur just wasn't going to cut it. But she wasn't in the mood for chugging down beer. The solution came to her when she discovered a bottle of whiskey lying comfortably in the corner of the fridge. She brought it out slowly and examined it carefully. It was a gift from Jake's Aunts', an early wedding present for her and Jake to share together. It still had the red bow taped to the front.

"Sorry, Jake. But you always said you preferred vodka." Carly mused dryly right before opening the bottle.

Another shot of whiskey

Can't stop looking at the door

Not bothering to get a glass, Carly pressed the bottle tightly against her lips and took a big swig, her cheeks expanding with the effort of taking it all in. Then it went rushing all the way down Carly's throat, causing her to cough ever so slightly at its fiery texture, which was making her feel her skin feel tingly all over. This was most certainly the good stuff, but she'd definitely had far worse. Carly had found herself in any bar she could find weeks after Sam's death, inhaling drinks of every creed and nationality into her bloodstream just to take away some of the relentless sting. It had become something of a game over the years to test her limits, to see how far she would go.

Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before

She smacked her lips together, feeling distinctly pleased with herself. She was buzzing like a bee now.

Except it was having the opposite effect. The drink was supposed to be paralysing her, not making her more alert, more keenly aware of Freddie's presence just a few metres away in the building. Her body was trembling all over as she got to her feet, the half-drunken bottle of whiskey abandoned on top of the coffee table. She wasn't drunk, far from it. But the alcohol had awakened her senses, amplifying every emotion she was feeling in that moment till she felt like screaming in protest. She couldn't run from this, she couldn't run from him. It was impossible. He was leading her towards the door, as if he were really pulling on those imaginary strings in her chest connected to her frail heart. And she didn't want to pull back; she didn't want to stop herself at all…

Two bottles later, Freddie sat atop his bed again, the hotel phone clutched tightly in his hand. He knew it was pure lunacy to even try talking to Carly now, but he couldn't help himself. He wasn't drunk, but the alcohol was making him feel prickly all over and more hyper-aware of his surroundings and the situation than ever before. He had to hear her voice, he had to feel something; anything that would take the sting away from his head and chest that just wouldn't let him be.

And I wonder if I ever cross your mind

For me it happens all the time

He gave a sudden start when he heard someone knocking gently at the door. Glancing rapidly at the clock yet again, Freddie frowned in confusion, especially when the knocking grew louder. His feet began moving forward painstakingly, his heart in his throat. He knew it was futile to even hope, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting it to be Carly at the door. Freddie's prayers were answered when he opened the door swiftly and saw Carly on the other side, her fist raised in the air as if she had been poised to knock again. The confusion and hesitation in her brown eyes were mirrored in his own as they stood just a few millimetres apart, their breath coming out in stuttering tremors.

It's a quarter after one

I'm a little drunk and I need you now

"Carly," Freddie said slowly, the syllables of her name rolling off his tongue with punctuated tension.

"Freddie." Carly answered, the breath in her throat feeling constricted as she tried her hardest to look him directly in the eye.

"What are you doing here?" Freddie questioned in a voice wrought with a mesh of euphoria and guilt.

What was she doing here? Carly still wasn't sure what she was hoping to achieve by filling up her world with even more turmoil by willingly going to Freddie's room in the early hours of the morning. All she knew for certain was that she had to be near him and she couldn't leave again.

Said I wouldn't come

But I lost all control and I need you now

"I don't know." Carly admitted truthfully, her voice strangely hoarse amidst her conflicting thoughts.

Her honesty seemed to be enough for Freddie as he took a step back, opening the door all the wider. Carly bowed her head ever so slightly and gulped down a breath as she swept past Freddie, hearing him closing the door softly behind her. She wrung her fingers together awkwardly while contemplating what she was about to do. Carly shivered slightly from the sudden impact of Freddie's breath on her neck as he stood behind her. She turned around to face him as she prepared to say something, but stopped short at the look on his face. It was as if those hazel-brown eyes of his were penetrating right through her body, filling her up with inexplicable warmth which made her stomach and chest ache.

"Why did you come back, Carly?" Freddie asked quietly, tilting his head ever so slightly to look at her while he spoke.

"Because the thought of leaving is killing me. I can't stay away from you, Freddie. It's impossible." Carly responded painstakingly.

If only Carly knew what those words were doing to Freddie on the inside. How could she be so sure of what she wanted when her face and overall body language reflected just how torn she really was? Because none of this was simple and Freddie knew that. But he couldn't let her leave again, not just yet. Especially when she had sought him out in the first place.

And I don't know how I can do without

Without thinking about it first, Freddie moved his hands towards Carly's, lacing their fingers together as he steered her towards the foot of the bed. Carly sat down obediently, watching Freddie follow suit, the bouncy spring of the mattress beneath her soothing her tumultuous thoughts for the meantime.

"What do you want?" Freddie whispered, the weight of the question burning through him like a laser beam.

"I…I want…I need…" Carly stammered, a sudden wave of nausea settling in her stomach as she looked down at her hands.

"What? Tell me." Freddie urged rapidly, his fingers moving of their own to stroke Carly's jaw line tentatively.

The sudden movement took Carly by surprise, the cool sensation of Freddie's fingertips sending a quiver through her cheeks. She lifted her eyes to gaze at Freddie, meeting his intense stare with breathless abandon. Neither one was sure who initiated the kiss seconds later, but their lips had met somewhere between reason and obsession as they delved further into each other.

I just need you now

There was no longer any hesitation, only a battle of teasing tongues, teeth ghosting over skin in a cataclysmic frenzy as logic disappeared completely, only to be replaced with mind-numbingly hungry fervour. Carly pushed herself closer into Freddie's chest, her arms wrapping around his neck and back tightly, her eyes half closed in the dimming light. Freddie was trying his very best to taste every inch of her skin: beginning with her lips, then her soft cheeks, finding their way to her chin before moving down towards her limber collarbone. Every sound she made spurred Freddie on to greater heights of exploration, his hands and lips venturing across her skin as if she was a previously undiscovered island.

All of Freddie's actions were making Carly breathe hard and fast, like she had just run a marathon. She arched even more into Freddie, her fingers tangling through the smooth tendrils of his hair as she gave herself over to him completely. Kissing Freddie now was even better than before. Before, she hadn't known what to expect; she hadn't expected that dormant volcano inside of her to erupt suddenly, setting her senses alight. And now that she knew, she couldn't stop the inferno from burning her inside and out. She had to have more. When they eventually broke apart, Carly followed Freddie's eyes as they trailed down towards her flannel pyjama top. She glanced back up at him and Freddie couldn't help noticing how flushed her cheeks were and her swollen lips.

"I need you." Carly whispered slowly.

Freddie didn't think it was possible for three simple words to make his heart rate accelerate even more in the space of a few seconds. But then again, everything to do with Carly had always made Freddie feel more of everything: brave, uncertain, bold, terrified.

Not trusting himself to speak and voice his deepest fears and insecurities, Freddie cupped Carly's cheeks in his hands and kissed her deeply, his tongue streaking across Carly's plump bottom lip, begging for entrance. She acquiesced, opening her mouth wider to let Freddie in, drowning slowly in the sensation of their bodies touching, even in this small way. Freddie's hands slipped lower down towards Carly's shoulder blades to hold her tighter. He felt sure that they were standing on top of a very steep cliff now and they were seconds away from jumping off the edge. But until that moment, he needed something to cling to, something tangible.

Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all

Then his hands left Carly's shoulders abruptly; she stared quizzically at him when he moved away from her unexpectedly towards the foot of the bed once more. He bowed his head slightly before meeting Carly's gaze once more, his hands going towards his pyjama top, untying the buttons one by one. He knew what it had taken for her to come to him and he wanted to put her at ease as much as possible.

Carly watched as each button came loose on Freddie's shirt. Her breath caught in her throat when Freddie began shrugging out of his shirt slowly, his pale chest exposed before her as he tossed his shirt to the side. If Carly had thought that Freddie's upper body had looked impressive after he had taken a shower earlier, then it was even more exquisite as he stood in front of her. Her hands began trembling at her sides as she longed to run them across the smooth planes of his abdomen and chest. He bent forward slightly to remove his pyjama pants, dragging them past his waist till he kicked them off his feet. That left him in his boxers, standing before Carly, goosebumps rippling all over his body from the cold and the heat emanating from her intense stare. Freddie hesitated for only a fraction of a minute before he slowly pulled them down till he was fully exposed before her.

Then Freddie allowed his numb feet to guide him right back into Carly's personal space as he sat back down on the bed. He met Carly's eyes nervously as her own eyes raked over his body with a penetrating stance.

"You're beautiful." Carly whispered painstakingly, one of her hands moving towards Freddie's cheeks to caress it gently.

He closed his eyes at the action, savouring her gentle touch for as long as he could keep it. He had to have her, he needed to show her just how much she meant to him.

It's a quarter after one

I'm all alone and I need you now

"Can I?" Freddie asked softly, his eyes drifting towards the top button on Carly's pyjama shirt.

Carly glanced down at her shirt before looking back up at Freddie, nodding slowly. Her breath quickened in her chest, hammering loudly in her eardrums as Freddie's fingers moved towards her shirt, loosening the cotton confines. All that could be heard was the sound of Carly's heavy panting as Freddie's cold fingertips gently slid the shirt away from her upper body. The cold air hit Carly's bare chest instantly; she would've covered her breasts self-consciously with her hands if not for the look of tenderness and reassurance radiating from Freddie's gaze as he looked at her.

"So beautiful," Freddie whispered huskily in such a way that Carly could only believe that he really meant it.

The way he was staring at her body made Carly tingle all over and her hesitation vanished right out of the window. She confidently opened up the duvet cover and lay splayed out on the bed, her knees bent upwards. Freddie got to his feet and followed her movements, his hands going towards the top of Carly's pyjama pants, dragging it down over her legs in a torturously slow fashion. Carly lifted herself slightly off the bed so that Freddie could remove her underwear, shuddering slightly from the tickling sensation of the fabric grazing against her skin as Freddie slid those off of her body as well.

And I said I wouldn't call

But I'm a little drunk and I need you now

After a pregnant pause of glancing at her hands, Carly finally took off her glittering engagement ring from her fourth finger on her left hand and placed it tentatively on the pedestal beside her, feeling a giant weight lifted off of her. After that, Freddie and Carly stared at one another for what felt like the longest time, just drinking in the sensation of being together, if only for this moment. With that in mind, Freddie promised himself that he would make this last for as long as possible so that Carly would know once for and all how he felt about her.

And that's exactly what happened when they finally began their lovemaking. At first, they both went slowly: savouring the sweet motion of their bodies rocking together as Freddie thrust in and out of Carly. But then Carly angled her hips in such a way that Freddie buried himself deeper inside of her and they were completely lost to the outside world soon after.

And I don't know how I can do without

Carly's arms wrapped themselves around the backs of Freddie's shoulder-blades as if they were disconnected from the rest of her body, pulling him impossibly closer to her. She'd never had this feeling when she and Jake made love; this inexplicable feeling of utter abandon, of being completely absorbed in someone else. Especially when that someone else was Freddie and he was bringing her to these new and thrilling realms of pleasure that was slowly building up in the tips of her toes and coursing right through her chest with the faint pressure of his hips moving swiftly against hers.

For his own part, Freddie gritted his teeth, trying his hardest to hold out so that Carly could reach her end well before he did. He balanced his hands on either side of Carly's head so that he wouldn't crush her with his weight as he left her heated center only to return to it once more. However this ended, Freddie was determined to make this experience memorable for Carly, to make her feel everything that he felt with every touch of his hands and every movement of his body against hers.

I just need you now

Then Carly's hands were reaching out blindly towards Freddie, sliding across skin, muscle and bone as she pressed into him with smooth touches that soon morphed into relentless talons which clutched and clawed at him as if she wanted to mark him as her own. And that's exactly what Carly wanted as she held on tightly to Freddie; wanting to belong to him, if only for a short period of time. She wanted every moan and cry that escaped her mouth to be his, for him to know that it was all for him.

They were tumbling over into bitter-sweet oblivion now, groping at each other in the darkness, turning and twisting their bodies in several manoeuvres to reach the point of no return. Freddie marvelled at how Carly could be in front of him, all around him, wrapping her legs around his waist, grasping at him like she'd never let him go when he knew full well she would eventually. But he couldn't stop himself from breathing in her sweet scent, clasping at her wondrous locks of hair, howling at her tight walls surrounding him as he pushed into her with hurried strokes.

Carly could feel clammy moisture forming on both hers and Freddie's bodies as they writhed together in agonising bliss. Her lips found his once more, tasting and teasing his upper and lower lips before moving lower towards his neck and his chest. She secretly delighted in causing Freddie's low moans to intensify into rumbling growls which reverberated through her mouth as she pressed small butterfly kisses all along his abdomen and bellybutton.

Freddie was coming apart slowly at the seams at the sounds that Carly was making: mewls of heart-wrenching pleasure that struck at the chords of his very soul as he drove into her repeatedly, relishing and mimicking every single one of them as they both approached their peak. He gripped her legs and hitched them around his waist, burying his face into her chest as he gave himself over to his orgasmic climax.

Carly pressed her hands against Freddie's chest, her body arching more and more of its own accord into him; she began to feel sparks of blinding white light forming beneath her eyelids, which was soon followed by a similar flash of white light which coursed through her very bones. And then a cord of rapture snapped inside of them, ricocheting off the dimming light surrounding them, through their joined bodies and out of their lips as they met one last time, ending in cries of final release.

I just need you now

Instead of simply parting ways there, Freddie moved Carly onto her back, his lips dancing between the valley of her breasts momentarily before finding her lips once more. Then he came to lie down beside her, covering their bodies with the duvet to shield themselves from the onset of cold which emanated from the inherent dislocation of their bodies. To soothe her accelerated heart rate, Carly shifted her body to lie on her side, dragging Freddie's hand over her stomach to hold her closely. Freddie acquiesced by moving even closer into her, making Carly marvel at how perfectly they fit together in every way, if only for just a night. Freddie brought his other hand over Carly's waist and laced their fingers together, inwardly relieved that he could no longer feel the metallic pressure of that weighty engagement ring on her left hand; for just a moment, it was almost as if it had never existed nor ever come between them.

Oh baby I need you now

They both knew that they would have to talk about everything in time, knowing full well that such a conversation would most likely culminate in further heartbreak. But for now, it didn't matter. They had taken what they could from each other, taking that insatiable need deep within and transforming it into something they'd always carry around afterwards. It was something between them now, another thing neither one of them wanted to take back or erase. All that would come for the meantime was sleep.

Blissful and dreamless sleep.

Author's Note: Okay, let me have it? Too angsty? Too...M-rated? I was conflicted about whether to put it in the T-section or the M-section based on the overall content of the lemon. If any of you think it's M-descriptive, then let me know 'cause if a lot of people concur on that point, then I'll happily move it over to the M-section. But I was going for more feelings than action in this one. If you happen to see this, a big thank you to demondreaming for giving me tips on how to write about 'sex with feelings', your writing is the bomb : ) Well, that's all from me for now. Thanks for looking past my insanity and giving my writing a chance, my crazy brain thanks you too. Snapplelinz out!