Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly - it, and all of its characters, belong to Nickelodeon and the awesome Dan Schnieder.

Summary: Carly and Freddie made friends easily; they seemed to attract great people like lavender attracted bumble bees. Sam had never found it so simple.

iDon't Want to Lose You:

Samantha Puckett sighed as the cool night breeze gently ruffled her hair. She was standing on one of Bushwell Plaza's many fire escapes, leaning on the railing and gazing unseeingly out at the streets below.

She heard the rustle of someone climbing through the fire exit, but didn't turn around to see who it was.

"Hey," came her best friends quiet greeting. "Hi," Sam answered with a small smile. Carly stood behind Sam and slid her arms around the shorter girl's waist, "What are you thinking about," the brunette asked, resting her chin on Sam's shoulder.

"Just, things." The blonde mumbled evasively.

"Sam..." Carly's voice was gentle, but her tone was firm and Sam knew she wouldn't let the matter drop until she got an answer.

"It's just, we've only got the summer, and then we're all going to be in different places."

"We'll talk every day, or every week at least. And then there's Christmas and other holidays.

"But what if..." Sam trailed off and closed her eyes, determinedly fighting back tears.

"Nothing and no one is going to come between you, me and Freddie, Sam you know that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just can, we're a trio. Stop worrying about it; it's not good for you."

Sam did her best to smile and dropped her head back onto Carly's shoulder, her eyes still closed. The two stood in silence, which remained unbroken until Freddie's arrival ten minutes later.

Freddie took a seat on the windowsill as the girls turned to smile at him.

"Everyone's wondering where you've gotten to." He informed them.

"We were just talking." Carly smiled, detaching herself from Sam and ruffling Freddie's hair as she climbed past him. "I'm gonna head back to the party, make sure the apartment is still in one piece, see you later." She waved cheerily and headed off down the hall.

Freddie moved to the stairs and Sam took his place on the windowsill.

"This is a familiar setup." Freddie smiled. Sam huffed out a laugh and settled her legs over his lap. He fiddled absently with the straps of her heels as he studied her face intently.

"So what's bothering you?" he questioned her cautiously, afraid she might take off running at the thought of telling him something personal.

She surprised him by answering immediately. "I don't want to go to university." Well that wasn't what he'd expected.

"Why not, most people say the best years of their life were during university."

"But you and Carly won't be there."

"We'll call you all the time," he reassured her, his hand curling around her ankle, "and you'll make new friends."

"I don't want to make new friends, I like the ones I have."

"We like you too." He grinned at her. The smile she returned didn't touch her eyes and he lifted her legs so he could stand and sit next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she tucked her head into his neck, one hand resting on his thigh. They were silent as Freddie rubbed Sam's shoulder and Sam got lost in her thoughts.

It was easy for Carly and Freddie to make new friends; they seemed to attract people like magnets, but Sam was wearier, more guarded and less quick to trust and consequently struggled with befriending new people. Her biggest worry, although she wouldn't admit it was that her two best friends would be too busy with school and new friends and would neglect her, even if they didn't mean to.

"Honestly," Freddie's voice broke the silence and Sam jumped, startled. He tightened his arm around her, "I don't want to go so far away from you and Carly either." "Really?" "Really. I'm going to miss you two like crazy; but I know we'll all keep in touch and we can always visit each other during holidays."

"Yeah, I guess."

"We're not going to abandon you Sam, never think that."

"But you'll be so far away." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip.

"Doesn't matter." Freddie replied firmly. Sam sniffed and turned into his side, burying her face in his chest.

Freddie turned towards Sam and wrapped his nearest arm around her back; his free hand ran through her hair.

Eventually, Sam's tears stopped and she shifted, nuzzling deeper into his neck. The smell of Sam's hair, citrus and so familiar, drifted to his nose and Freddie found himself wishing he could hold her forever. He cursed himself for being so affected and leant away from her.

She stared into his eyes as he held her face and wiped her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"Feel better?"

"You promise to call every week?"

"Every day if you want." Freddie smiled, dropping his hands and standing up. Sam beamed back and fell into place beside him as they made their way back to Carly's. Freddie caught Sam's hand as she reached for the door handle and brought her to a stop. She turned to look at him, curiosity shining in her eyes.

Freddie pulled her closer, until only a couple of inches separated them.

"Do me a favour, while you're away?"

"Hm?"

"Don't meet any cute guys."

"Okay." She smiled tip toeing to kiss his cheek.

Freddie led her through the door and they settled happily on the sofa to chat until Carly dragged them onto the dance floor.

"So, are you looking forward to Uni now?" Carly asked as she spun Sam under her arm and shimmied her hips in time with Freddie's slight bopping.

"I guess so." Sam admitted as her best friend twirled her into Freddie's waiting arms. He caught her and dipped her down, keeping an arm around her waist as he righted her and swinging his free arm over Carly's shoulders. Gibby, shirtless of course, bounced past with drinks for him and Tasha and Sam threw a grin at him over her shoulder. Carly bumped her hip against Sam's and they grabbed each other hands, spinning under together twice before Carly spun Sam once more to Freddie who caught her around the waist and took her hand to waltz her around in a circle. The music changed to a slower tune and Freddie released Sam's hand to wrap both arms around her waist. Sam glanced at Carly, who was happily accepting the invitation of a guy Sam thought she vaguely recognized. She smiled and returned her attention to Freddie, looping her arms around his neck.

"So this brings back memories," Freddie grinned. Sam scrunched her nose up, sticking her tongue out at him. The two had shared a disastrous slow dance at their Prom, than had ended with Freddie nearly on crutches for the second time in his life.

Freddie laughed, lacing his fingers at the small of Sam's back and locking his eyes onto hers. The intensity of his gaze got too much for Sam and she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She sighed contentedly, her breath ghosting over Freddie's neck, making him shiver and tug her closer.

The soft song ended, replaced by a more upbeat tune and Sam slipped out of Freddie's grasp, eeling her way through the crowd.

"Where's she going?" Carly asked from behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Food table, probably." His theory was proved correct two minutes later when Sam returned to their sides with a plate of food. She shoved a cookie into Freddie's mouth and offered Carly a cup of punch. The brunette sipped her drink and Freddie munched on this treat, wiping crumbs from his shirt as the three sat on the sofa once more. Sam threw her legs over Freddie's lap, her feet landing in Carly's as the taller girl looked at her watch and let out a mournful sigh. "It's nearly eleven." She announced, "I promised Spence I'd end the party at half past."

"So let's dance," Sam grinned, grabbing Carly's wrist and dragging her back to the mass of bodies moving under the multi-coloured lights.

Freddie watched them swaying and bopping to the music and grinned, swiping a cupcake from Sam's abandoned plate of food.

He was just licking the icing from his fingers when the blonde returned.

"I left Carls in the arms of some hottie, want to join me in her place?"

"Sure," Freddie's lips pulled into a half smile as she took his hand and lead him into the throng.

A fast song was playing and Sam stationed herself in front of Freddie, shaking her hips and waving her hands in the air, a blissful smile stretched across her face.

Freddie watched her for a few seconds, before moving his body in time with hers. By the end of the next song Sam was pressed against him and they were dancing in a way Freddie was sure would give his mother heart failure. He caught Carly's eyes over Sam's shoulder and she narrowed her gaze, grinning suggestively. Freddie rolled his eyes and squeezed Sam's hips. Sam leant back, one hand fisted into the front of his shirt, the other held high above her head. She continued to swivel her hips as she fixed her eyes on his challengingly. The music changed to a final slow song before he could accept so he curled his arms around her waist. Sam smiled peacefully up at him.

"Do me a favour, while you're away at University?"

"What is it?" Freddie asked with a giddy smile. Sam was moving closer, her lips just brushing his ear as she whispered, "Don't meet any pretty girls."

"I promise."

Sam giggled softly and rested her cheek against his shoulder. Freddie's face settled easily into a happy smile as contentedness washed over him.

The song drifted to an end and the duo retreated to the edge of the room as Carly took up her post by the door to say goodbye to her guests.

When the last person left, Carly closed the door and flopped down onto the sofa.

"I'm gonna clean up in the morning," she yawned, kicking her shoes off and propping her legs on the table.

"I'm gonna head home." Freddie announced, heading over to the door.

"See you tomorrow," Carly smiled, waving. Sam followed him to the door, leaning in the frame and grinning at him.

"What are you up to?" he interrogated, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Nothing, goodnight Freddie." She bounced forward to kiss his cheek and closed the door with a soft click.

Freddie stood, staring at the door with a hand on his cheek. He heard Carly and Sam laughing through the wood and let out a breathy chuckle; entering his apartment, he dodged his mother and fell asleep, still in his clothes, the second his head hit the pillow, to dream about blonde children with brown eyes.

- End -

Well, then ending is a bit... meh, but I'm happy with it overall so I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to pm me or leave a review if you spotted any spelling or grammar errors that I missed. xx