-Seattle-

Freddie awoke to his mother screaming, and the sound of rampant knocking at his front door. He could hear Gibby yelling his name outside, over and over again with a growing panic that makes him rush from his bed and not care that he's wearing Galaxy Wars pajamas. Tripping over his covers as they tangle around his feet he runs to his mother's side just as she pulls the door open. Gibby's face is wrecked with distraught. He's crying and the door to Carly and Spencer's apartment is open... and it's empty.

"He's gone! Freddie, he's gone! He up and left!" Pushing past one of his best friends he crosses the hall with his mother and Gibby close behind. Standing in the middle of what used to be a living room, he looks around. The walls bare, the furniture was gone, the appliances were all still there, but everything that made this place a home was gone.

His own keen brown eyes sweep over the place, looking for anything before Gibby breaks out into a heavy sob. Raking his hand through his hair, Freddie takes off to the hallway that leads down to Spencer's room. Where he throws open the door to find the room barren. "Oh god! The Studio!"

Running from Spencer's room up the stairs until he practically breaks through the door into the iCarly studio only to find it to be the only room that still had anything in it. A folded piece of paper lay taped to the hood of their fake car with his, Sam, and Gibby's name on it. Walking over to it, he carefully rips it free and opens it.

Pain tears at him as he reads a simple and short letter left behind for them.

Hey, guys! I know this is sudden and not the best way to handle this. But I can't live here anymore. I need a change of scenery and something to take my mind off of how empty this place is without Carly. I know that you're going to feel like I've abandoned you. But you're all about to go out and live such great adventures that I have no place being a part of, and that's okay! I'm so happy and proud of all of you, and what you've grown up to be. Just know that, should you ever need me, I'm only a phone call away.

Yours,

Spencer

P.S. This place still has its rent paid up for like two months so you can find a good home for the rest of the iCarly studio. I could never take this place from you. It's always been yours, and it always will be.

Feeling his mother come up behind him, her hand gripping his shoulder as he raises the letter for her to read. With an angrily shaken voice, he croaks out, "He left us a 'Dear, John' letter... and just disappeared."

"I'm so sorry, honey." Marissa whispers, trying to pull him into a hug. He won't have it, though. Pulling away from her he storms off down the stairs and drops the letter in front of Gibby. His face a mask of bitter betrayal.

But only if he knew what was coming next. Crossing the hall so he can get his phone, he hears it chirp, "One new voicemail!" With a furrowed brow he jerks the phone from its cradle. Running his thumb over the home button he spots that the voice mail is from Sam. The very person he wanted to call so he could warn her about Spencer's sudden departure. "Why would she leave me a voice mail?"

Usually, she would just call and text him until he answered. Because she was annoying that way, but he loved that about her. After last night with Carly leaving, and now with Spencer having left, all he wants to do is hear her voice. Clicking the play button and lifting the phone to his ear he almost immediately breaks down in tears.

"Hey, Fredweird! It's me. Sam. Of course... you know that, don't you? Of course, you do, you're you, and I love you for it. But... I'm at a gas station right now, about halfway to San Francisco. I took off last night and just kept driving, found myself in California before I knew it. I've got some money saved up, and I'm thinking about heading down to LA for a while. I... I knew that if I tried to talk to you about this, or if I tried to tell you in person I wouldn't be able to do this. So I'm leaving you a voicemail while you're probably still too asleep to answer it.

I don't know how long I'll be down there, you know we've got friends down there. So I might stay with them for a bit, and don't worry I will continue my school work! Despite not wanting to!"She laughs, and it tears at his heart. His left-hand clenches into a fist. Staring blankly ahead he listens to her laugh go a little too long before she clears her throat awkwardly. "I will be coming back, though, before prom. Or at least, that's the plan. Don't think I've forgotten about it, or that I don't want to go with you. I do. I love you, Fredward. This isn't about you, and I don't want you to think it is either. I won't be hooking up with anyone, or anything like that. I just need some breathing room. That's all. But I still need you, Freddie. This isn't a breakup, or a goodbye..."

The phone drops from his hand, where he hears it crack and Sam's voice echo into vibrant life as the speakerphone turns on. But he's not listening. All he can hear is the rush of blood through his ears, and the sudden sense of bitter betrayal that's burning up his mind. The feeling has him frozen in stunned rage. Fists clench and shake with tension by his sides until a scream rips from his lips while his mother hears the commotion and comes running with Gibby in tow. "So, please don't take this as either. I know I can't force you to do that. But I just need to get away. I'm sorry. I love you."

There's a click that follows those last three words, as he stands there screaming. His mother comes up behind him, trying to hug him while his screams slowly die and give out to sobbing. Gibby watches on, his mind racing about how everything had gone to complete shit from zero to sixty real fast after Carly left. He knew it would too. He could sense it that night. Everyone else had been oblivious to the pain and rejection that was written all over Sam when her best friend... no... no, her sister had actually considered going to Italy and breaking up their little family.

The half-hearted joke she had made. The way she had hidden all of her tears. Though, the thing with Spencer surprised him. But all of this coming at the same time, leaving him and Freddie behind in the wake to deal with everyone leaving. That was heavy.

Pulling his phone from his pocket he calls Carly. Of course, it goes right to voice mail, and he just sighs at the beep and curses, "Goddammit..." Hanging up he stands there useless and sniffling. He'd figure out a way to deal with this, to be there for Freddie. He'd be the strong one, the reliable one, the one to hold everyone else responsible.

T-Bo catches him off guard, sleepily coming out into the hall and looking into Freddie's room with sudden panic in his eyes. His question makes Gibby almost laugh in anger, "What the heck happened, man?"

"Sam and Spencer left. Not together... they both just left... us... because they couldn't handle Carly leaving." His jaw sets tight when T-Bo whistles in shock. Nodding and clicking his tongue, Gibby adds quietly, "Yeah... that's about right."

-San Francisco-

Ending the call she had just made to Freddie's voice mail. Sam sits back on the seat of her bike, her helmet in her lap. Dark, stormy blue eyes rimmed red with tears. She'd just screwed that up completely by doing this. But at least she had called him, right? It was better than no call and just disappearing on him and reappearing in time for Prom like nothing ever happened. Like she hadn't just pulled an invisible woman.

Right?

Her phone beeps quietly, the face on the screen one of Mrs. Benson shooting her a snide look. If she was calling then it must really be bad. For a moment, her thumb hovers the answer button before it quickly presses reject. Her chest tightens, her throat burns, and she begins to breathe heavy with uncertainty. Almost crying now she slips her helmet back on and tucks her phone away into her jacket.

No. No. She couldn't think about them right now. Couldn't think about Bushwell or anything related to Carly. She needed to explore a little bit, needed to be by herself. Kicking her bike into life, she peels out of the gas station and speeds onto the Pacific Coast Highway. With one thought resting in her mind, 'LA here I come!'

-Somewhere in Montana-

Spencer sits behind the wheel of a massive U-Pull storage van. Most of his stuff was shoved in here, the rest was dropped off at a local Good Will in the middle of the night. Socko had helped him move out and even brought a few guys along to make it happen before anyone stopped by. That much noise coming from that apartment late at night wasn't unusual. In the morning when he handed over the two month's rent up front, he talked to Bushwell and agreed to take on the topiary roof project.

However, in doing so, he told him that the only way he'd do it was if he could do all of the buildings that Bushwell owned. All of them. Not just the ones in Seattle. The man agreed, but only if he could retain his services permanently. While that had scared Spencer at first, the thought that he might get to travel the world and complete these lavish projects for people to experience was too much to pass up. Getting paid to do this art, so that he could affect people's lives, change them, bring them something new? That's what he always wanted.

So he was driving to his first stop, Chicago! Where he would be living and working for around four months until they could get someone to take over the care of the rooftop lawn. Then he'd probably be going to New York, maybe Boston, then to god only knew where!

He was excited and happy while he tried not to think about how he had just left everyone behind. But it was okay, right? They were about to leave him for their own adventures, anyway. So why shouldn't he get a head start on his own?

-Somewhere Over the Atlantic Ocean-

Carly had slept fitfully. She never could sleep well on planes. Mostly for fear of it falling from the sky and plummeting everyone to their deaths. Now she knew that wasn't going to happen. But it still got her sometimes. Smiling softly when she feels her father sweep hair back over her ear, his voice soft, "How you doing, kiddo?"

"I'm okay." She answers, her voice husky with sleep. Turning to smile at him, she can spot the guilt in his eyes. He feels bad for taking her from her friends and family. But she's not ever going to be upset at him over that.

"Excited?" He asks, forcing a smile on his face. Nudging her with his elbow he leans back into his seat, his eyes marveling at the beautiful and mature young woman his little girl had grown up to be. He had missed so much of her life. So many years wasted. Not anymore. Yes, he felt guilty about taking her from her friends, and from Spencer. But he needed to spend some time with his little girl, as selfish as that was.

"Of course! I can't wait!" That wasn't a lie either, and it wasn't exaggerated. She legitimately couldn't wait to see Italy, to live in Italy! To experience it and to be with her father. This was going to be their time, and that made her unbelievably happy.

To Be Continued?