A/N: OK, this is my first iCarly fanfic. Hope you guys like it!

Don't own iCarly!

CHAPTER 1

"Absence diminishes mediocre passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans fires."

~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Carly sat near the airport security gate, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her friends. Freddie's plane was due to land any minute, followed by Sam's about an hour later. The screen depicting the times displayed that Freddie's plan had landed She stared down the hallway at a cluster of exiting airplane passengers, tapping her foot impatiently. Where was that boy? Her eyes scanned the passers-by, looking desperately for some hint of a familiar face. A year of college probably would have changed Freddie a little bit, but she was still pretty confident she could pick him out of a crowd. A tall, good-looking man passed her by, giving her a small smile and nod as he glanced down at her. She smiled back half-heartedly. He walked a few steps further, came to a sudden stop, and pivoted quickly on his toes.

"Carly?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows.

"How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously. He walked closer to her, a lazy grin spreading across his face. He sat down on the bench next to her and dropped his suitcase on the floor. She started to inch away

"You really don't recognize your former tech producer?" he asked, spreading his arms out.

"Freddie?" she gasped. He nodded. She screamed and threw her arms around his waist. He had grown nearly a foot since he left high school. His hair was cut shorter and streaked with gold, and he had clearly hit the gym a few times. Thick ropes of muscle covered his arms. "Oh my God," Carly exclaimed, laughing. "You look so…different."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is." She smiled.

"You look pretty different yourself," he added. Carly had also grown up in just a year of college. Her body had filled out to gorgeous curves that hadn't been there senior year. Her hair had grown past her shoulders and hung in luscious waves around her face, a thick strip of red adorning the right side of her hair. Carly smiled at Freddie.

"It's so great to see you again," she said, taking his hands in her own. His dark brown eyes looked down into her hazel ones. Carly felt her pulse speed up.

Wow, she thought, things really have changed, haven't they?

"It's great to see you too," Freddie replied in his deep baritone voice. "It seems like forever since we were all together, huh?" She nodded.

"We're not all together yet though," she said weakly.

"Oh yeah," he said, looking up at the screen that displayed landing times. "When is Sam getting here?"

"Oh, about an hour, give or take. You know how planes can be." He nodded.

"Guess we've got some time to kill," he said, letting go of her hands. "How's life been for you?"

"Oh fine. I'm still living at home with Spencer." Freddie raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked. Carly gave him an 'are-you-serious-right-now' look.

"Would you trust Spencer in a house by himself?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Good point."

"Anyway, school was good. I managed an A in all of my classes this year, but then again I'm not taking the smart people classes like you are." Freddie shrugged.

"Journalists don't need classes like calculus to get by I guess," he replied. She shook her head.

"I don't understand how you could be going into engineering," she answered. "I'd probably kill myself before I gave a damn about the value of x and y." Freddie chuckled.

"It's actually a lot more complex than that. You see…"

"Stop," Carly interjected before he could go any further. "You'll make my brain explode." Carly and Freddie soon became lost in their conversation about school, new friends, the future, and new love interests.

"So far, I haven't really seen anyone I like," Freddie said. "I mean, I'm too wrapped up in school work to notice any girls anyway. Plus…," his voice trailed off, but Carly could tell where, or who, his mind was drifting to.

"I've met a few guys that have caught my eye," she said, trying to take his mind off of her. "I don't know though, we'll see what happens I guess." Freddie nodded. He looked at Carly, a distraught look on his face.

"I really just can't stop thinking about her, and how it all ended," he said softly.

"Um…I probably should've told you this earlier, but Sam says she's bringing someone with her."

"Who?" Freddie asked.

"She didn't say. Just that she thinks I'll approve." Freddie felt his heart sink slightly.

Maybe it's nothing, he thought. Probably just a roommate or something.

As if on cue, a petite blonde girl burst through the security exit. A duffel bag hung heavily on her shoulder, but the weight didn't seem to have any affect on her. She was dragging a tall, thin boy behind her. He had dirty blonde hair and vivid green eyes. A tight, sleeveless T-shirt vaguely defined his six-pack abs. Sam's eyes quickly landed on the Freddie and Carly. She dropped the boy's hand and her suitcase and ran. Carly stood up just in time for Sam to jump on her, enveloping her in a tight hug. The girls both laughed, hugging each other like it was the last time they'd ever see one another. The boy came up behind them, carrying Sam's suitcase with him. Sam finally let go of Carly and turned to Freddie. Their eyes locked and Freddie felt his heart speed up slightly.

"Freddie," she said formally, sticking out her hand. Freddie took it awkwardly.

"This isn't a job interview, Sam," he said lightly. "You're allowed to give me a hug or something." Sam looked at him as if contemplating something then shook her head. She gave his hand a small shake and backed away. She smiled at her two old friends before turning to the guy behind her.

"Carly, Freddie," she said, gesturing to the boy, "this is Jason, my boyfriend."