FIRST OFF PLEASE READ THE A/N AT THE BOTTOM IF YOU'RE INTERESETED IN BETA-ING A NEW STORY OF MINE OR JUST HELPING ME OUT WITH A FEW DECISIONS AND THINGS, OR EVEN JUST GOING OVER MY STUFF AND GIVING ME AN HONEST OPINION :D There really was no need for capitals there haha.

Finally a new chapter for you guys!! I'm really sorry for the wait - i'm working on a new story that i want to post when i'm at least half way done, so that i can update more frequently, so all my other stories have been kinda pushed to the back for a bit. It's because i have so many ideas for the new story and i know how bad it is when you lose inspiration and i really don't wanna because i think this new story is my best yet, so yeah haha.

And i'm sorry about any grammatical errors - i don't know what's going on, but my Beta hasn't answered my emails or anything - i mean i know she's a busy bee (lol i feel like i'm 5 years old all over again saying that, mind you i feel like i'm 5 a lot :D) but she'd never took this long to respond. PampleMouseeRose what's going on girl?

Disclaimer - i'm still not owning this - i gotta speak with my lawyer (Shame i'm not important enough to have one.)

Freddie had just walked into the Shay's. As soon as he stepped into the familiar apartment he felt the atmosphere dull and tense. It was so different to the usual fun up beat tone in the apartment. Freddie could see Spencer and his mum in the kitchen. Mrs Benson seemed to be in deep conversation with Spencer though Spencer didn't seem to be paying much attention.

There was no sign of Carly or Sam and he assumed they'd be up in the loft getting ready. Sam had stayed at Carly's that night and Freddie couldn't help but feel like it was his fault – scratch that, Freddie knew it was his fault.

"Hi," Freddie said to the two in the kitchen. They both looked up at Freddie. Mrs Benson smiled at him and then continued talking to Spencer who had given Freddie a small wave.

Mrs Benson was dressed in a black skirt and matching flowy shirt. Spencer was in his favourite black tux, but he wasn't as chirpy as he normally was when that particular outfit was worn and a glum Spencer whilst wearing his tux wasn't a good sign.

"Where are Carly and Sam?" Freddie asked moving towards the stairs as he knew the answer anyway.

"You got it." Spencer said as Freddie smiled at him and started up the stairs.

As Freddie walked up the stairs he could hear Sam's shouts and very soon Carly's too.

"Carly just stop it okay! I'm not a little kid – I'm fine I don't need you to fuss over me like this!"

"I'm looking out for you Sam. I'm just-"

"I don't need you to look out for me just yet though. I'm fine."

"Your not fine Sam and I know it. You're forgetting I can see right through you. I can see right through this act and I know you are not fine."

He turned the corner to the loft and saw the two through the window on the door. He didn't feel the need to knock and walked straight in.

"Guys…" He tried to get the girls attention, but both hadn't even noticed he'd walked in. "Guys," Again they ignored his shouts. "GUYS!!" He yelled. This time both girls turned to him abruptly.

"What is going on?" He asked.

Carly sighed and sat on one of the many bean bag chairs scattered around the room.

Sam just scowled at him before walking out of the room.

"What happened?" He asked bringing a chair nearer to Carly and sitting down.

Carly sighed again. "It…it's nothing. Just Sam I guess. I mean she's acting like the whole thing doesn't affect her, you know? But I know her. I can see through it all. She's hurting Freddie, she really is." Carly finished tears glistening in her eyes as she looked up at Freddie.

"I know Carly, but it's Sam we're talking about here. We have to give her space. She'll come around...eventually." He added, eventually seemed more appropriate with Sam.

Carly nodded, but he could tell she was still concerned. He wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her shoulder for support. He knew it meant nothing more and he didn't want it to mean nothing more. They were two friends in the same boat right now. And they needed each other as much as Sam needed the two of them. She just didn't want to admit it.

The funeral was over and Sam just stared at the people walking past her giving her sorry, pitiful looks. She didn't even know who they were and she knew they would have to go quick as she couldn't stand there looks any longer. She could feel Carly and Freddie eyeing her suspiciously as she hadn't yet shed a single tear. She was looking at the newly laid gravestone, reading it over and over:

Here lies Laura Puckett beloved mother 1975 – 2009.

Mrs Bensons arm was wrapped protectively around her son and Spencer's around Carly. Although Sam knew everybody was there for her she still felt lonely, though she was the one who drove them away. As if they'd noticed how she felt Carly and Freddie were immediately at her side. Carly held her cold hand and it seemed liked the mornings argument was forgotten. Freddie stood close by her side. Just stood there, but him just stood there meant so much to Sam.

Again she felt Carly and Freddie's worried eyes on her and she looked up to see Spencer and Mrs Benson too watching her concerned. Everybody knew that it hadn't sunk in yet. She was still in shock. Even as the coffin was lowered to the ground as Carly cried and Mrs Benson shed a few tears Sam was silent.

"Sam sh…shall we go, or d…do you want to stay?" Carly asked softly.

Sam looked up suddenly tearing her eyes away from the gravestone.

"No, you guys go. I…I wanna stay." She said quietly, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

"No we'll stay too." Carly replied not wanting to leave her friend in such a state.

"It's fine…you guys go."

Carly was ready to argue, but this time Spencer spoke.

"No Sam, we'll stay with you. We're here." He said firmly, but his voice full of comfort at the same time.

Sam still wasn't convinced.

She turned to Spencer,

"Please?" She whispered her eyes begging with him and Spencer couldn't say no, as he looked into Sam's vulnerable eyes for the first time ever.

He nodded. "Come on." He said leading the others out, whispering something to Freddie.

Sam waited till they were all out of sight and then looked to the gravestone again. The shock seemed to be wearing off as she read it for what must've been the hundredth time, but this time all she could read was:

Here lies Lau… before her vision blurred from the tears which were now forming in her eyes. It had finally sunk in. She was dead. She was gone and she wasn't ever coming back. Deep down she knew this was why she had wanted the others to leave. She had wanted to just sit and cry on her own. With the only memory she had left of her mother, a gravestone. She kneeled down next to the gravestone and cried. She hadn't cried before because she just couldn't and part of her knew once she did she wouldn't be able to stop.

She cried and cried thinking of all the time she'd spent with her mom. At first she'd tried to wipe away the tears as they fell, but soon she realised there was no use in that as they weren't going to stop any time soon.

She didn't know how long she'd sat there on her own on the damp grass. Her head was leaning on the cold hard gravestone and her neck was stiff. Her back hurt from sitting down for so long and the cold wind was sending shivers down her spine. The tears were flowing slowly and silently now as she just sat still thinking.

She didn't even flinch when she heard a voice, his voice near her.

"Hey," He said quietly. She didn't look up and he sat down near her. She still didn't look at him until his arm brushed hers.

She looked to him and saw him wince at what was probably the state of her.

"That bad." She said quietly, her voice croaky.

It looked as if contemplating whether to lie or not and then he nodded sheepishly.

She smiled at him before turning back to the gravestone.

They sat in silence until Sam spoke.

"She got me into my first club you know. I was only 15, but she said it was fine and it was. She knows her stuff. She got me an awesome fake ID a…and that she got her foot tattoo. Y…you know I chose that right?"

"Really?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah. She let me choose it…" Freddie sat silently nodding and hmm-ing at all the appropriate times as Sam told him all of the memories she shared with her mom. Time passed quickly as she told him every little detail, almost as if she was reminding herself.

"And then…and then he had to hurt her like that j…just when everything was going fine. He just had to screw it all up!" Freddie looked up at the blond who seemed to be crying angry tears right now, but she wiped each one away furiously as they fell.

"I hate him. I hate him so much. He did this to her, but… but she…she didn't have to…to die on me!" Her voice was slowly rising.

Freddie knew she was getting angry, but it was all part of the 'Grieving process' as they'd once been taught in school. Redemption, Anger, Sadness, it was all there.

"Sam…"

"Why, why did she? Why… why'd she die on me." She said desperately looking at Freddie as if expecting an answer.

"Damn it Freddie, tell me!" she shouted as she pounded his chest. Freddie felt the blow, but he knew it wasn't as hard as Sam could hit him. She was weak and it showed.

"Why, why, why!" She shouted her voice now thick with tears as they streamed down her cheeks again. With every word she continuously pounded Freddie's chest harder and harder each time, but they were still weak blows. Until she finally stopped and fell, a broken, fragile, heap into his open arms.

Carly was pacing back and forth in her apartment worried sick. Freddie hadn't come back with Sam a yet and they hadn't heard from either of them. Freddie hadn't even called yet.

"Maybe I should go get them." Mrs Benson started "What with the weather right now. They'll both get sick and-"

"No, I think Sam's going to need time. We should leave her. I spoke to Freddie before we left and the kid knows what he's doing." Spencer said.

Carly nodded agreeing with her brother leaving Mrs Benson to sit on the couch defeated.

Carly jumped when she heard a knock on the door and ran to open it. She sighed in relief when she saw Freddie at the door a sleeping Sam in his arms.

"Just thought I'd let you know we're back. I'm gunna put her into bed now, she need's sleep."

Carly nodded as Freddie motioned for his mum to open the door to the opposite apartment.

Sam and Freddie both woke to the sound of Mrs Benson's shouts.

"What the hell…" Freddie exclaimed as he finally got up. He'd been lying in bed too lazy to get up, even though he was awake. He'd been listening to his mum shouting and couldn't lie there anymore.

"17 minutes," Sam said shocking him, "She's been shouting for exactly 17 minutes." She said looking up at the clock on the wall in front of her.

"Oh, I… I know. Do you know why?" He asked her. Sam was sat cross legged on her bed leaning back, the covers pulled right up to her chin.

"No. I couldn't be bothered getting up to see."

Freddie nodded as Sam looked at him this time as she was talking and he could tell straight away that she hadn't had much sleep at all. Dark circles were forming under her red eyes. He blushed as her eyes travelled to his bare chest and then back up to his face. She seemed to give him a small smirk that Freddie would've missed completely if he'd blinked and then she turned away, looking at the clock again.

"I'm going to go see what's up – you coming?"

"I guess, there's not much to do in your nerd cave." Instead of taking offence at Sam's insult to his room Freddie just smiled at her glad to have a tiny bit of normality. If Sam was back to insulting him things must be getting better, right?

"Why are you smiling at me like that, it's creepy."

"Oh, sorry," Freddie said quickly. He hadn't noticed he was still beaming at her.

"It…it's just nice to see your smile. It's been missing for a while." He said a small blush creeping onto his cheeks as he thought Sam would laugh at him for saying something so pathetic, but that was the old Sam – this Sam was different.

He was waiting for Sam's reaction, but all she did was look at him blankly for a moment before getting up and walking out of the room.

Yeah, he was pretty sure he liked the old Sam much better.

"I will not, I will not and I will not!" Mrs Benson shouted her voice raising an octave higher with each word.

"Mom look…" Freddie said from his current spot on the table next to Spencer. "Just calm down, breathe, and then think about this."

"How can I even begin to think about this idiotic request-"

Sam and Carly were both perched on the Bensons kitchen worktops watching the commotion wordlessly. An occasional muttering of words like 'Crazy' and 'Psychotic' coming from the two.

"Mrs B if you just listen to the social worker lady first and then-" Spencer started, but was cut off by the social worker.

"Mrs Benson I'm sorry, but the bottom line is you have two days to move out of this apartment and into apartment 10C. I don't see why it's a problem, we already have fit fully paid for and furnished for you." Mr Benson was outraged at this and was about to interrupt, but the social worker carried on speaking.

"If you are not out by then I will have to call higher authority and have you removed from this apartment."

With that the social worker made a swift exit leaving the 3 teens and adult with the mind of a teen to take the wrath of Mrs Benson.

You guys know reviews are the best gift and i know your amazing at them :D Look at me flattering you haha! Thanks for last chapters reviews! You rock my sox, yeahh - i don't know what the hell that was just there :S

OKKK SO THE IMPORTANT THING - You know the story i'm working on, i mentioned it at the top i was wondering if anybody here is willing to Beta it for me? Someone who can read over my stuff and edit it best they can :D And someone to go over ideas with when they're a jumbled mess AND someone who's good at summaries. Yeah i don't ask for much lol, but i'd really appreciate it :D

Thanks guyss!!!