Reunion of Three

Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly

A/N: I'm noticing something, so I write this as a challenge and a bit of a step back. My most creative, most inspiring, "freshest" stories were in my other fandoms. There are a variety of issues with Victorious that causes the tone to seem similar, so with that I write this oneshot in iCarly…and may be working on a story that my friend and mentor challenged me to do that I hope to revitalize my groove. Hell, I didn't want to admit but I see some of my greatest works were in iCarly, even after the fandom crumbled. Enjoy this oneshot.

-SKIES ARE CLEAR-

The water was cool and crisp on Carly's fresh, sun-kissed skin as she sat in the pool in the backyard. She was on a step with her elbows propped on the red tile that framed the circular body. Beside her right elbow was a glass full of iced tea and an umbrella that poked up from the drink.

She watched the ripples in the water shimmer beneath the sun, mesmerized by them. On occasion she'd swish her hand through the water, creating more waves. Every so often she could hear a car on the street outside of her fenced in yard and she'd look up, curious as to who was driving by.

"I wonder if they're any different now," Carly pondered upon hearing the roar of a motorcycle engine. It couldn't be Sam because the woman wouldn't be able to bring her motorcycle to Italy. Still, the sound gave her a chill and caused her heart to leap with desire.

It was a visit long overdue, but both Freddie and Sam had been able to make time and gather the money to fly out to Italy.

With a tired sigh, she grabbed her tea and brought it up to her lips. She smiled and let her eyes drift towards the screen door. There was movement inside. Carly tore the glass from her mouth and sat up straight, studying the door in high hope that the two had finally touched down. Her phone was inside, so she wouldn't be getting any of their messages alerting her to when they arrived.

Finally the door opened and a familiar sight and sound graced her ears. "All I'm saying is just because Carly's here in Italy now doesn't mean you need to call me up in the middle of the night since it costs you long distance to call Italy!" Sam's body was tense and her hands were on her hips. The blonde's fiery hair flew as she tore her gaze away from the tanned boy beside her.

"What? I can't call my friend up and say hi?"

"I have no problem with that, Freddie. It's the calling me at ten, eleven o'clock because you miss Carly." Freddie crossed his arms and scowled at Sam.

Carly rolled her eyes and flashed a grin as her friends approached the pool. Her heart skipped a beat the moment their eyes locked with hers. "Some things never change."

"Oh sure." Sam grabbed a nearby pool chair and yanked it over with a scoff. Sam's eyes narrowed and her voice laced with annoyance. "You'll never guess who Freddie's newest crush obsession is over." Freddie's jaw dropped and he let his arms fall to the sides.

"Sam!"

"Even in LA, I can't get away from him."

"Hey, it was one time and your roommate said you were hurt."

"Oh yes." Sam's eyes moved skyward and her lips twisted into a smirk. "And let's not forget how quickly that concern over your hurt friend evaporated the moment she bat her eyelashes at you." Freddie's cheeks turned red and he cleared his throat.

"Not my, uh, proudest moment. No."

Carly pulled herself from the pool, struggling not to laugh. She made her way to her friends and hugged their necks, pulling them close to her. "I missed you guys so much." Her eyes welled up with tears and she slowly pulled back, patting their arms. "It's great to see you."

"You too," they replied simultaneously. She grabbed a pink towel from the nearby pool chair and tied it around her waist. Carly sat in the reclined chair and motioned to the other two chairs.

"So sit down, tell me everything!" She really wanted to hear about Los Angeles, and was a bit more interested in that than Seattle. Still it was important for her to know how Freddie was doing too, but she'd hoped that he'd moved on from his tendencies to obsess about women. "How's life in LA, Sam? Oh, and Freddie, how come you haven't settled down with a woman yet?"

"I haven't found the right person." He rubbed the back of his head and turned his eyes onto Sam, who merely bowed her head and rubbed her forehead. Carly raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.

Sam slid her hand through the bangs over her eyes and into her hair. "I've already told him it's not going to happen." Sam removed her hand and began to flick her fingers out as if counting. "He obsesses over you for years, goes on one date with you then kisses you. Goes on a date with me a few months later, makes me feel all whatever, we split and almost instantly he starts obsessing over you again. How am I supposed to feel about that? Not to mention the second you leave he calls me and out of the blue asks if I want to go out with him again." Sam crossed her legs and tapped her fingernails on her upper knee while turning her gaze onto Freddie. "I'm perfectly fine being friends, thank you. I'm not sure I want to be with someone that may or may not have commitment issues."

"Freddie, I think she's right." Freddie's brow furrowed and his shoulders rose for a moment, then fell. Carly had spoken with Sam a few times and it sounded like she was attracted to her roommate's older brother that was in the military.

If that was the case, and if Freddie had begun to like Sam, he might find himself having a difficult time winning the blonde over. "But come on, we didn't get together to talk about that stuff."

"You wanted to know about LA?" Sam flung her hair over her shoulder and threw her hands up, laughing as she gazed into the sky with an almost dreamlike gaze. "It is enormous and heavenly. Nowhere near as much rain as Seattle, and a lot more sun."

"Seattle's not too bad," Freddie commented, "Boring as hell without either of you guys there. But it's not bad." He tapped his foot on the ground and ran his hands over his legs. "I've been working for T-Bo while trying to put myself through college, but I think I might have to leave for a bit." Carly frowned and Sam's eyes darted to him, widening with astonishment.

"Why the hell would you drop out!"

"I need to take care of my mom. She might be starting to lose it." His eyebrows moved inwards as the right corner of his mouth pulled back into his cheek. "Although, I question if she ever really had any sanity to begin with."

"Don't drop out, Freddie. You're one of the smartest guys I know, so you should know how stupid that would be." Sam turned to face him while Carly nodded in agreement. "You're twenty years old, you've almost got an Associates of Arts degree in teaching. If you drop out now, you won't get that and you won't be able to work in the field you want to go into."

"Again, I have to agree with Sam on this one Freddie." Carly knew Freddie wasn't a quitter, but sometimes he needed a little nudging from the girls to finish what he started. "Mrs. Benson will survive. You've spent all your life trying to be independent of that woman, don't give up the one thing that's going to give you a life just because she can't let you go."

"What about you guys?" He crossed his arms then flung his finger out at them. "Sam's babysitting, and you're-I'm not sure what you're doing now." Carly turned to Sam and smiled as the blonde straightened her posture and moved her hand to her chest.

"I'm taking online classes at the local community college, Freddie." Sam beamed with pride and quickly swept a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm going to get an associates in culinary arts, then I want to continue on to get a bachelor's degree."

"That's awesome!" Carly clapped once and stretched herself out in her chair. "I'm not sure what I want to do yet, but I've been taking a lot of political science classes. I really enjoy them." She had in mind working for the government and contributing to society through politics, but she still remained undecided.

It was fantastic to see everyone had their minds and hearts set on a given path, and she truly hoped both Sam and Freddie could achieve their goals. They grew up quite a bit from their days in high school, and being back together again brought all those memories back to light.

"You guys remember graduation?" She watched Sam's eyes light up and grinned when Freddie began to laugh uncontrollably. "I always wondered what happened to Mrs. Briggs after that."

"Hip surgery," Freddie pointed out and covered his mouth while clearing his throat in an attempt to stop laughing. "Is it bad that I can't stop laughing about it?" Sam pushed him playfully and he swayed off to the right. Carly shook her head and closed her eyes, mulling over her own growing smile.

"Well Freddie, you didn't want to graduate and be forgotten, so you certainly made a name for yourself.

"What can I say? It was a blast."

Sam smacked her knee and quickly wiped her eye. "I didn't even think you were serious when you asked for my advice. How did you not get in trouble?" For graduation the principal and a teacher of their choosing handed out plastic, hollow tubes to give to students as they walked across the stage.

Freddie managed to sneak in and find the one with his name on it, and loaded it with confetti and a timer that he coordinated to the time it would take for Mrs. Briggs to get to his name. As he walked onto the stage, the canister exploded, startling Mrs. Briggs and causing her to fall down on the stage.

"I'm good at sweet talking my way out of things. It's a skill you learn."

"Go figure." Carly watched Freddie's gaze hold on Sam, though the blonde was unaware. She snapped her fingers and he averted his eyes. Sam looked to Carly and took a deep breath. "So Carls, what's Italy like? Also, how's Spencer? Fred here hasn't said much of anything about the guy."

"I haven't seen him since he moved out." Sam's lips parted and her eyebrows rose up.

"Yeah he moved," Carly replied quietly. She'd not heard much from Spencer. There were times when they'd call each other and talk for what seemed like hours, but then they'd have a long period of no communication. "You remember that Sasha girl?"

"The gamer?" Their faces contorted and they exchanged surprised glances.

"She ended up looking him up after a while, so they hooked up. I think they're engaged now and living together. She's a video game designer, and Spencer started teaching art at some school in Washington state." Distance and life really had more to do with the lack of communication than anything else, so it wasn't a bad thing, but just a matter of things getting in the way. "As you know, it's hard to keep in regular contact with someone halfway across the globe."

"Damn right." Sam rubbed her left shoulder and cracked her head over it with a groan. "I'm still jet lagged from that flight."

"Want a massage?" Freddie inquired

Sam opened her eyes and let her eyebrows fall into straight lines above them. "And I'm incredibly grumpy because the seat I was in was broken, uncomfortable, and someone behind me had a baby that would not stop crying during the entire flight. I couldn't move." Freddie nodded and smiled sheepishly before frowning.

"Sorry you had a bad flight."

"Could have been worse, to be honest. Still wish I could have taken a nap, though." Carly rubbed her chin and looked towards the house. She lived on base with her father, of course, and the base had an enormous amount of amenities that Sam could make use of as Carly's civilian guest.

"There is a spa on base here."

"Tempting as it is, I'll be fine. I don't want you to go out of your way like that." Sam looked over to Freddie and dropped her shoulders. He was staring inquisitively at her. "What's the problem?"

"I was just wondering something. You said you're taking classes at a community college, but how are you paying for it all? Not all with that babysitting money, I'm sure?"

"No. The Hazelwood Act. Remember my dad was in the military."

"Oh, no I don't think you've ever talked about him much. Hell, none of us talked about our parents…I thought your dad was who Melanie was living with."

Carly spoke up, knowing full well Sam probably didn't want to touch on the topic. "That's her stepdad, Freddie. Sam's and Melanie's father was in the army, stationed at the same base my dad was stationed at when we were eight. That's how we ended up meeting over that sandwich. Her father served in Afghanistan, he uh…"

"Didn't make it." Sam finished with a nonchalant tone in her voice. Freddie's mouth formed an oval and he glanced apologetically at Sam. The girl lifted her hand and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, the Hazelwood Act is an exemption, they cover most college expenses until you turn twenty six." Sam folded her hands in her lap and looked to Carly with a tiny smile. "So, you still haven't told us anything about living here."

"Oh!" She sat upright and pulled her legs up so she could wrap her arms. "It's great, and there's a lot of cute boys on base." She didn't want to tell them, but she actually went on a few dates with one guy at her college and ended up having sex a few times. Something she'd never experienced before, but was certain neither Sam nor Freddie wanted to hear about her first time. "I've been to Rome, Venice, Florence. I've seen the coliseum and so much more!"

She was excited to share her stories with them, but to be entirely honest, it would take her hours just to tell them everything there was about Italy. "This isn't really a place you talk about so much as experience." Freddie chuckled twice and stood up from the chair.

"Well what are we doing here, then? We should be touring the town. Just you, me, and Sam. All of us together again for a time." Her heart pounded an eager rhythm and Sam glanced up to Freddie with a grin.

"How long are you guys here for?"

"I don't know about Sam, but I'll be here for a couple weeks."

"Same here," Sam remarked, "Cat's got everything taken care of at the apartment and classes are finished for the semester. I am all for exploration if you guys are."

"Sounds great." Carly pushed herself up from the chair and bent down to grab her glass of tea from beside the pool. "Just let me go inside and get dressed. It'll be just like old times." She started to walk to the door and paused to look over her shoulder. "Can't wait to show you everything, I've missed you guys so much. Glad we're back together." Even if it was only for a couple of weeks.

"It is good to be back." Sam and Freddie smiled at her and she turned away, sighing contently.

"Never change, you two."

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. You know, part of this is due to some of you iCarly fans wanting me to write for iCarly again. Well, I might put a little in again. This was a refreshing change of pace. Or, return of pace? Either way, let me know how you liked the oneshot.