Dog Days

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.

A/N: My older fans will remember this story as one I started a little over 2 years ago, but never finished because I met someone who basically kept me from writing. Anyway, I've undusted this and brought it back, I will finish it of course, as I strive to finish everything. I just hope it'll be read this time around, lol. It seems like due to this last year and a half, I've lost all my readers. Gotta rebuild my fanbase here, haha. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 (Amato and Snowflake)

"Why won't he love me?" Shannon asked as she lay on her bed and stared at the ground. She was doing everything in her power to make Freddie fall in love with him, as long as those things were humane of course. Not once did he acknowledge her, he didn't even seem attracted to her. "Why can't I ever be happy!"

"Shannon, be quiet in there!" Her older brother exclaimed. "I'm trying to do some homework!" She rolled her eyes and sighed as he turned on a stereo and maxed the volume. She stood up and walked to the window of her house, she saw Freddie walking down the street with a smoothie cup in his hand. He had one hand in his pocket and a mouth on the straw, his eyes were focused straight ahead and his thoughts seemed to be on something important. She smiled and quickly fixed her hair, she had to look as attractive as possible. She opened the window and shouted out.

"Freddie!" Freddie stopped walking and continued staring ahead, he shifted his eyes to the side and turned toward her house. He lifted his head up and sipped some more of his smoothie, wondering why Shannon was talking to him again. "Freddie, I love you! I want to marry you and have your children!" His eyes widened and then grew dull as he turned around and started walking away. He shouted at her and said it was never going to happen. "You'll see! In ten years, I'm going to be your wife!" He stopped for a moment and slowly shook his head.

Shannon frowned and moved back into her room, she closed the door and let out a dejected sigh. As she turned around, she saw her older brother standing behind her, his arms were crossed and a smirk graced his face. She yelped and jumped back, not expecting to see him. "Aw baby sister is in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way for her," he said while making a clicking noise with his tongue. "That's too bad. I feel so sorry for you."

"Shut up!" She was on the verge of tears and hated the nerve of her brother, making fun of her like that.

"Here, let me offer you some advice." Shannon raised her eyebrow and her brother slowly sat on the bed. "If he isn't attracted to you in any way, then he's never going to like you. I suggest building up his attraction, but there is no way that will ever happen since he's already decided that he doesn't like you." Shannon frowned and narrowed her eyes, this was not helpful advice. "There is a little store down the street, though…I think it is some sort of magic shop, they should have something that will work."

"You mean it? I'll look right away!"

"Wait!" She was already rushing out of the room, so she didn't really hear what her brother wanted. She rushed down the stairs and out the doors. "I forgot to tell her about the repercussions." She hurried down the street and continued running until she found the magic shop her brother spoke of. She smiled and slowly entered the shop, seeing what seemed like thousands of items spread all over the room. She silently stepped next to a door and looked in. There was a woman with her back turned toward the door, she had long grey hair and a purple bandana on her head.

"It is impolite to linger in doorways," The woman said in a quiet voice. Shannon's eyes grew wide and she looked around. "Yes, I see you there." The lady placed her hands behind her back and turned around, staring at Shannon with a small smile. "I am Madam Fontessa, what is it you seek?" Shannon started to open her mouth, but Madam Fontessa held up her hand. "Shh, be quiet my dear, let your soul do the speaking for you."

Shannon raised her eyebrow as Madam Fontessa walked toward her and peered into her eyes. "Ah, I see, I see! You are dealing with troubles of the heart. A boy came to me once with the same troubles, but he learned the trouble was his heart was not attracted to the one his mind thought it was. Therefore, my magic caused him to be thrown into a great amount of confusion and he will battle this confusion until his mind becomes aware of the desires of his heart." Shannon didn't really care about what the lady was telling her, so Fontessa quickly silenced.

"Let me get right down to business, dearie. But I should warn you, you should take heed of my warning. I shall not give you what I gave the boy, for it will not work on you." Madam Fontessa walked over to a shelf and picked up what appeared to be a small crystal orb. "If you give this to the one that your heart seeks, then if it is right, he shall fall in love with you. Be warned, however-" Shannon squealed and took the orb, she wasn't thinking about anything but Freddie liking her. She rushed out of the shop and Madam Fontessa let out a small sigh. "The young must learn to listen…Hmm."

Shannon pulled out her cell phone and dialed Freddie's number, she waited until he answered. "What?" His voice seemed slightly dull and bored. She squealed and heard him shout out in pain. "Damn it woman, what is your problem? Stop calling me." She then asked where he was and he let out a sigh. "Yeah, because I really need a stalker like Carly…whatever, don't bother me…" He hung up the phone and Shannon let out a sigh. She knew he was going to do iCarly soon, so she would go to Carly's place.

Madam Fontessa followed behind, making sure she was cloaked well. "Poor girl doesn't realize what this orb does. If given to the wrong person, the recipient will experience changes that they never imagined. The giver will experience a similar fate, but will revert back when her mind and heart are one. The recipient must find another way." She sighed and followed Shannon into Bushwell. Shannon made her way to Freddie's apartment and knocked on his door. He opened and frowned when he spotted Shannon.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to have this!" Shannon said as she placed the orb into his hands. Freddie looked at the orb and frowned. Madame Fontessa stared at Freddie with wide eyes and recollection, she had met him prior.

"Oh the poor, poor boy," Fontessa said while shaking her head. "He must suffer yet again." Freddie sighed and rolled his eyes. "The only way for him to turn back, I'm afraid, is to clear his mind of confusion and help the one he loves most of all."

"Look, it just isn't going to happen," Freddie said while narrowing his eyes. He didn't want to sound mean, but he really didn't know how else to tell Shannon that he just didn't like her. In fact, he wasn't sure who he liked anymore. "I have a webshow to do."

Freddie brushed past Shannon, leaving her staring ahead with wide eyes and a single tear running down her face. He opened the door and entered, hearing her scream. He rolled his eyes as Carly and Sam looked over at the door with confusion. What he didn't know was Shannon just saw white, curly fur sprouting from her arm. Carly looked at the orb in Freddie's hand and raised her eyebrow, it was glowing a bright blue color.

"Hey Freddie, what's that?" Carly asked while pointing toward the object. He looked at it and shrugged.

"It's just some stupid trinket that Shannon gave me."

"Ugh, why can't she stop annoying you?" Sam asked while taking a sip of her drink. "When will she realize that you will never love her? Yet, you'll never realize one important thing, either." Freddie raised his eyebrow and felt his stomach start to churn. "Carly will never love you…" Sam wished that Freddie would like her, but she figured it would never happen. He didn't know her, he only knew the rough side of her, the side that kept everything she knew hidden away. Carly rolled her eyes and smiled at Sam.

"Sam, be nice." She stood up from the stool she was sitting on and raised her eyebrow, she heard a noise coming from somewhere, but didn't know where. "Hey, do you guys hear that? It's kind of a yipping sound…" Sam shrugged and Freddie looked toward the door, he opened it and a small poodle ran into the room. "Oh my god, it's a dog!" Carly froze up and Sam laughed as she scooped the poodle up.

"Aw, she's so cute!" Freddie blinked and raised his eyebrow as Sam gave playful air kisses to the puppy. "Who's the cute little puppy? That's right! It's you!" She stopped for a minute and instantly set the puppy on the ground, dusting her clothes off. "I mean, ew, it's a dog…" She chuckled nervously and Freddie smiled at her.

"I didn't know you liked dogs so much, Sam," Freddie said as he scooped the poodle up. He looked into the poodle's eyes and then instantly set it on the couch. "Weird…Let's go upstairs and do iCarly. Since Carly doesn't seem to like dogs, let's leave the dog down here. Maybe we can leave the thing here too."

"Oh shut up, dork." Freddie shrugged as he walked upstairs, Carly soon followed. Sam stared at the ground and sniffed once. "Stupid idiot, I hate this…" The poodle looked over at Sam and moved to her, whimpering slightly and licking her leg. Sam chuckled happily and bent over to pet the poodle. "You're such a sweet looking puppy. Too bad Carly is afraid of dogs, you'll have to stay down here." The poodle growled at the mention of Carly's name and Sam merely smiled. "Aw, don't do that. Carly's the nicest girl ever. All the boys love her…Anyway, I'll see you after the webshow." The poodle watched as Sam walked upstairs, she curled into a ball and closed her eyes.

-NEW SCENE-

After the webshow, Freddie clapped and smiled at the girls. "Great job, girls!" He said as he moved his hand to the laptop. He looked down and froze when he saw black and white colored fur appearing onto his hand. "What the hell…" The girls hurried over to Freddie and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Hey girls, I have to go home for a bit, I'll see you later!"

"Um, okay sure," Carly replied. Freddie nodded and quickly rushed out of the studio and down the stairs. The poodle lifted her head and Freddie stopped running when he saw his arms growing black and white colored fur.

"What the hell is going on? I'm changing!" The door opened and Madame Fontessa stepped in, Freddie looked at her with wide eyes. "You! What's happening? What did I do this time? I thought it was only enormous confusion, not fur coming from my body!" Madame Fontessa pointed to the orb and Freddie glanced over to see it glowing. "What is that thing anyway!"

"You are not at fault," Madame Fontessa said in a cautious voice. Freddie raised his eyebrow and soon fell to the floor. He screamed out as his arms and legs grew thinner. "Just close your eyes and relax." He nodded and closed his eyes, after a brief moment, he opened himself and started to speak, only to find his words coming out in a bark. He looked around and yelped, he was a Shiba Inu. "Okay, yeah, that's definitely not good. Well, at least you're a dog, and a cute one at that."

"I'm a dog!" He glared over at the orb and growled as he ran toward it.

"I wouldn't do that…" He leapt up and swatted the orb, causing it to fall on the ground and shatter. "Smashing the orb really doesn't do a thing, you're stuck in that form for a while." Freddie shook his head and growled, he then lifted it and sniffed in the air. He could catch Shannon's scent, she was somewhere, and she was the one that handed him the orb. He looked over at the poodle, he growled and the poodle stepped back.

"Freddie, it's just me, Shannon!" The poodle exclaimed.

"I know that," Freddie said while stepping forward. "I see you're responsible for my white fur and the black spot on my back!"

"No! I didn't know this would happen! I was just trying to get you to like me, and Madam Fontessa said the orb would work!" Freddie barked and lunged toward Shannon, she yelped as he held her toward the ground. "I'm sorry, but why won't you ever like me! Even the orb didn't work!"

"The orb will work when given to the one that matches with your heart's desire," Madam Fontessa said while crossing her arms. Freddie and Shannon looked over and the lady continued. "The one who is attracted to you, the one that your heart truly wishes to be with as well, that is when the orb will work. If given to the wrong person, then the changes will come."

"Oh great," Freddie muttered as he stepped off of Shannon. "No wonder I'm a dog…" Freddie sat down ad sighed. "I will have to get used to this." He looked over at Shannon as she sulked lightly. "Shannon, I don't know how to tell you this without shattering your heart, but I'm the wrong person for you."

"Gee, you don't say," Shannon remarked. Freddie rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Madam Fontessa spoke some more, but neither dog heard her. "Boy, you must learn to not be so selfish. When your heart learns not to be selfish and you do good things for others without caring about yourself, then you shall change back. Do these things for people you don't like, people you have just met, and finally the one you love most of all." Freddie and Shannon looked over at her, not sure what she had said to them. Shannon shrugged and looked back to Freddie, she frowned and looked to the ground.

"So, why don't you like me anyway?" He sighed and closed his eyes as he thought of a response for her.

"When I look at you, I see me. I see someone who stalked Carly and never even listened to her whenever she said no. I would never be able to like you without calling myself a stalker. It's like they say, no person will ever love their stalker. We could try being friends, but I don't think it's going to be easy."

"I-I understand." Shannon lay on the ground and rested her head on her feet. "So what do we do now?" Sam and Carly then walked down the stairs and Carly froze when she saw the dogs. Sam's eyes danced with delight and she ran toward them.

"Aw look, it's a Shiba Inu!" Sam squealed as she wrapped her arms around Freddie's neck. He raised his eyebrow as Sam kissed him and squealed once more. Madam Fontessa rubbed her chin and smirked when she looked at Sam. Sam looked up and smiled at the lady. "Are these your puppies?" Freddie and Shannon quickly jumped up and hid behind Sam's legs as she stood up. She looked down and giggled lightly. "They're so cute, but they look scared…"

"Whatever you do, don't stop begging Sam," Freddie said in a quick voice. Neither he nor Shannon wanted to go with Madam Fontessa. They quickly stood up and pawed Sam, causing her to laugh.

"I'd say they want to go with you," Madam Fontessa said while crossing her arms. She couldn't understand the dogs when they talked, no human could, but she could tell they wanted to go with Sam from how they were acting. "They were my dogs, but I can no longer care for animals. They seem to like you, so I suggest you take them. Will your family let you?"

"Of course they will!" Sam exclaimed as she knelt down. Shannon rolled over and Sam rubbed her belly.

"Ooh, this feels good!" Shannon said in a quick voice. "You should try it, Freddie!" Freddie rolled his eyes and Madam Fontessa smiled.

"Then take good care of them."

"Oh, I will," Sam said with a smile. Fontessa left the room and Sam looked toward the two dogs, wondering what to call them. "Let's see, I think I'll call the poodle Snowflake. Do you like that one?" Shannon yipped once and Sam grinned. "I thought you would."

"Snowflake's a great name," Shannon said as she rolled over and looked toward the door. Freddie snickered and Sam looked toward him, she gazed into his eyes and her breath stopped for a moment. Sam blinked and quickly shook her head.

"Amato, that's what your name will be." Freddie tilted his head and Shannon looked over at him.

"Amato is a name for a male dog, it means love!"

"I would say I need Amato most of all," Sam whispered while giving a slight chuckle. "That sounds so corny…" She rubbed Freddie's head and smiled. "Well, the guys will never love me, they'll just love Carly…so I guess you'll have to do." Freddie blinked and Shannon glanced over, he didn't realize Sam was concerned that much. But then, it did make sense.

"Sam, I don't want to sound mean or anything…but could you get the dogs out of here, please?" Carly asked while shaking slightly. "Dogs kind of scare me." Sure, they dressed the wiener dog up, but that was long before Carly ever became scared of dogs. She once had a bad experience with dogs and it led to her becoming afraid of them, so now she didn't like to be around them at all.

"Yeah, I'll go ahead and take them home." Sam started scratching behind Freddie's ear, causing him to sigh with contentment. "Hopefully they'll stay with me, they don't have a leash." Freddie looked over at Shannon and smirked.

"Hey, I'll try not to run you into the road," Freddie remarked. Shannon rolled her eyes and looked over at him.

"I'm thinking that your breed is the energetic ones, meaning you're more likely to chase after a car and get yourself killed," She replied with a subtle smirk. Freddie blinked and Sam slowly stood up.

"Come on Amato, Snowflake, let's get going," Sam said as she walked toward the door. The two dogs quickly followed after her.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have 14 written already, so that gives me good time to try and remember everything I can about this story and remember the direction I'm going in. This one in particular has been bugging me to finish, so I shall. I have others that I must resurrect, they will come, but I don't want to do too many stories at one time. My fans will remember them, such as BEFORE SHE CAME, and a few other old timers that sadly had to go. Nothing's holding me back this time. I AM BACK IN FULL GEAR.