Making the Move

Authors Notes: To those of you that are reading my Harry Potter story 'Shadow Warrior', don't worry. I'm still working on it and am making progress with chapter four. I just got the idea for this fic from watching the recent iCarly episode 'iOMG' and had to get it down on paper before I lost the whole thing. My story starts right at the end of the episode. And I am aware that this is just another drop in the bucket of post iOMG stories, but I hope that it's at least slightly enjoyable.

Sam slowly, reluctantly, pulled away from Freddie and took a half step back, waiting for his reaction.

She didn't know what had possessed her to kiss him like that, whether it was Carly's encouragement or Freddie's own reassurances that drove her to act on her desires. She certainly didn't act completely of her own accord. Making the first move, being the one to put her feelings out on the line was so unlike her. She didn't have the strength, or the courage, to put her heart in another's hands, to give them the power to crush her with only a few words. That was Melanie, sweet, kind, quiet, perfect Melanie; she was the one who could boldly tell someone how she felt and to shrug it off if she were to be rejected.

And now, because of one impulsive action, she had fallen right into the very type of situation she had been trying to avoid with her aggressive and hostile personality. She had cast the die, put her heart into the hands of fate and the young man that she loved, the same young man who was head over heels in love with her best friend. She could only pray that he would be gentle with his, inevitable, rejection.

"Sorry." She mumbled after what felt like hours.

Freddie stared at her for a painfully long and awkward stretch of time before replying. "It's cool."

She could immediately see the rejection in his eyes, hear it tinting his voice. 'Idiot!" she thought savagely. 'Of course he's going to reject you. He can't possibly love you, he prefers girls like Carly or Melanie, even Wendy, girls who don't treat him like shit.'

Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. She turned away from him, towards the doors leading back into school, determined not to let him see her so close to crying.

"Sam?"

The genuine concern in his voice and the gentle touch of his hand on her shoulder was too much for her to take and her tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Don't touch me, Freddie." She said, half-heartedly at best, and shook his hand free, turning just enough for him to see her tears streaked face.

Almost instantly, Freddie pulled her into a hug.

Sam let out a half-strangled sob and pressed her face against his chest, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. She quickly lost track of time as she stood there, leaning against Freddie, engulfed in is warmth and his scent.

Finally, long after her tears had ceased, Sam reluctantly extricated herself from Freddie's embrace. "Sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you like that."

"It was me, wasn't it?" He asked quietly,

Sam nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Then why shouldn't you have kissed me?"

"Because! It's obvious that you love Carly. You've loved her for like forever." Sam said. "And you'd still be with her if it weren't for me and my stupid foreign bacon analogy."

Freddie smiled, causing a flutter in Sam's chest. "You're 'stupid foreign bacon analogy' helped me and Carly a lot. We were moving too fast, and if it weren't for you we would have ended up doing something that we weren't ready for and would eventually regret. And you helped me realize that Carly and I just weren't meant to be.'

"What do you mean by that?" Sam asked cautiously, trying not to get her hopes up.

"After the Girl's Choice Dance, once we'd both gotten rid of our less than satisfying dates, Carly and I shared a slow dance at the 'Groovy Smoothy', and the entire time I felt like I was dancing with my cousin, Carly felt the same way. After that, we decided that we were better off as friends."

Sam recalled that night, seeing them through the window. Still reeling from being thoroughly rejected by Gibby, of all people, the sight of her two friends in such an intimate setting had been a massive blow to both her heart and her confidence. She had even called in sick the next day so she wouldn't have to see them together again. "You never said anything about that."

Freddie shrugged. "It didn't seem all that important afterwards. Nothing really changed between me and Carly."

"If you two had gotten back together, would you have kept it a secret?"

"Not from you or Spencer. My mom maybe, but she and Carly don't really get along that well. I think Carly's scared of her."

"Yeah, Carly's never been very good at dealing with the crazies, or hobos for that matter. Probably because so many of them end up crazy."

"And you're an expert on crazies?"

"More 'well-versed' than 'expert'. And only about certain kinds of crazies, I stay as far away as possible from anyone wearing a foil hat or distributing a manifesto."

"That's a good idea." Freddie said. "So, how would you handle my mom?"
Sam flashed him a quick smile. "Give her an industrial strength fruit masher and a two year subscription to 'Cleanser of the Month' to get on her good side. And every once in a while get her a jumbo pack of anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic mega sponges."

"That would definitely earn you some points with her."

Freddie was silent for a moment before speaking. "So, you love me?"

Sam couldn't keep herself from blushing. "Yes, I do."

"For how long?"

"I can't really say." Sam said aster some thought. "You grew on me over the years and one day I just realized that I loved you. Being near you, hanging out with you was like having a double-stacked deep fried bacon-wrapped ham sandwich with a side of Fat Cakes, only much better."

"I rank higher than fried pork and refined, processed sugar? Wow!"

"I know. It even surprised me."

The pair was silent for a while before Freddie spoke. "I'd like to say that I love you too, but I don't really know love feels like. Though I am willing to learn, if you're willing to teach me."

Sam let his words sink in for a moment before scowling briefly and punching him, lightly, on the shoulder. "Dork!"

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"That was for sounding like some cheesy romance movie."

"It sounded a lot better in my head." Freddie said defensively. "And romantic."

"Well it wasn't." Sam said then punched him on the shoulder again.

"What was that one for?"

"That was for seeing me cry. And this is for being you." She stepped up to him, slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him again.

This time Freddie wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer and kissed her back.

Sam felt her knees weaken slightly and she sighed, contentedly, against his lips.

When they pulled apart, due to lack of air, Sam sighed again, then promptly punched Freddie's shoulder for a third time.

"What the hell Sam?"

"That was for making me feel like some romance novel girly-girl cliché."

"That part's never going to change, is it?"

Sam shook her head. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Good," Freddie said as he leaned in to kiss her. "I wouldn't have it any other way."