A/N When I first started hearing about one of the ideas for the iCarly reboot was that Freddie would have a kid something made me think how this could be an interesting concept. Back when I started this it wasn't clear whether he would be a single dad, married to whomever, divorced or what, but it really had potential for a plot line. The rough idea for this kind of started rattling around in my head and I began writing. That was back months ago. I've been wanting to do something centered on him for some time and this gives me a good chance. This will be a rather long story, at least 22-25 chapters, maybe more, and may not necessarily follow any established ships that I've used before.

Please keep in mind, this does NOT follow canon of the new series, so be warned now. And I am going to apologize right up front if anyone doesn't like some of Freddie's actions or feels he starts acting like a jerk. I'm trying to show a different side of him and he will be a little out of character from how he originally was. Hopefully, before it's all over he'll be back to his old self and might even win Sam over again. He might not either, he might be destined to be alone like his mother.

This is going to be told via a flashback in nearly every chapter, sort of like him helping catch Carly up on what happened in his life since she left. Sometimes the flashbacks will be multiple chapters. Just to keep it all clear, there will be a date/time frame listed for each flashback/chapter. Oh, and the only Creddie I have planned is purely friendship but he definitely won't be limiting his love interests to just Sam. Not saying it might not happen with Carly, it's just not planned.

The time line that we are flashing back from is set approximately nine years after the end of the original series, so the main characters are 26-27 years old. Freddie has a degree and a good job but he lives with his mother for reasons that will soon become obvious. Sam is in L.A., may or may not necessarily be doing the babysitting thing with Cat. No one's heard from Melanie, Gibby or most of their classmates lately. Spencer is pretty much still Spencer doing his art projects.

Before we begin, I want to disclose one thing: Freddie's kid is NOT Sam's! But I'm not even sure who her mother is at this point, I guess it just depends on where the story line goes. I'm not even sure if Sam will be a large part of the story because of Jennette's absence from the new show. Hopefully they play her as an unseen character like Socko or worst case scenario not spoken of, like Freddie's dad and Carly's mom.

Chapter 1

American Eagle Airlines, flight 1463 - Flight en route to Seattle - present day

Carly was excited to be going home. She missed her brother, her old apartment and her friends. Sure, she would miss her dad, too. He was spending his last years in the Air Force in Washington D.C. and rather than relocate to that area, Carly had chosen to return to Seattle.

The young lady had spoken to her brother and told him about her plans. He assured her that her old room was ready and waiting for her. Calls to her best friend who currently lived in California went unanswered but she did manage to have a nice long call with Freddie. Of course, she spoke to him more often than anyone back home of late. Some developments in his life over the past year caused her to feel she needed to be there for him.

She knew his life took a gigantic turn the day she left for Italy. The web-show was done, she would be gone and so was Sam, as she learned not more than four hours after landing in Italy. It took her several days before being able to hear what happened in person but texts, emails and quick voice mails had her pretty well up to speed. Sam had left without telling Freddie she was going and it was tearing him up.

It took months and months of wondering, unanswered calls and unreturned texts before he finally learned that the love of his life had settled in L.A. Venice to be exact and had started a babysitting service with some air headed, ditzy teen named Cat with strawberry red hair. When he discovered this fact, he called Carly right away to tell her, time difference and all. She knew this already but had promised not to tell him until Sam did herself.

Despite his friends' efforts and even his mother's pleading, he had not moved on from Sam in the months following her departure. His heart was still hers and he began planning a trip to L.A. to visit her at some point. He was vocal about that from the time he learned where she ended up. To say this plan displeased his mother was an understatement.

He was in for another huge surprise not long after he turned eighteen. He had filled Carly in on everything back years ago and she found it quite amusing. It was the final months of senior year and even with prom and graduation fast approaching, he wasn't happy. Carly remembered how surprised he was one time when he was asked to do someone a favor.

Flashback to March, 2013

Freddie had just arrived home after school on Friday afternoon. With very little homework, several days off from his part time job, his mother at work, and nothing else to do to occupy his time, he figured this would be a weekend spent playing video games online and hanging out with Spencer and maybe Gibby if the big boy's girlfriend or his little brother didn't keep him too occupied.

His phone had been ringing every ten minutes or so since right after lunchtime. It was on silent mode due to classes, but he felt it vibrate each time. He didn't recognize the number on the screen so he had been ignoring it. Unfortunately, whoever it was wouldn't give up and wouldn't leave a message. It was a Seattle number, but unknown to him.

Against his better judgment, he answered it anyway if for no other reason than to get the person to stop. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Freddie Benson." An older female voice called out clearly. "Finally. I've been trying to reach you all day."

At first he thought it might have been a teacher or even someone looking for his mother. He definitely did not recognize the voice. "Yes, um who's calling please?"

"Oh, yeah. Hey, kid. This is Pam Puckett, Sam's mom." The woman tried to be friendly.

He immediately panicked that Sam had been hurt or was stranded somewhere and needed his help. "Is Sam OK?" He also wondered how this woman got his number. The inattentive mother probably found it in Sam's old room somehow. "What happened?"

"Yeah. I guess. I haven't talked to her in a week or so." The woman replied with a shrug to her voice. "Listen, I need to ask you to do me a favor."

"As long as Sam's alright." He breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he knew it would probably lead to tragedy, he agreed. "I don't understand. What could I possibly do for you, Mrs. Puckett."

"Call me Pam. My own kids do." She stated clearly. "I need you to show Melanie around your school."

He bristled. Sam admitted she made up the whole sister Melanie thing years ago in an attempt to trick him. In fact, there was no mention of 'Mythical Melanie' for years, ever since their date, from Sam or even Carly. This explains how the middle aged woman got his number. Sam gave it to her and obviously they were in cahoots to play some kind of prank on him. It wouldn't surprise him if Sam were sitting right there, listening in to the conversation.

"Hey! You there, son?" She called a bit louder. "Hel-loooo?"

"Yeah. Er, yes I am." He wasn't sure how he should respond but decided to play along anyway. "I thought she was in a boarding school out of state or something. Sam hasn't mentioned her sister in years."

"They don't get along all that well. At least not that they admit. See the thing is, she was in a school their dang worthless dad arranged, but the joint just burnt down. Well, not the dorms or anything, so she's alright. But the main school building pretty much burnt to the ground by the sounds of it. She called me last night and told me that she has to come back home to finish off her senior year."

This was apparently Sam's way of coming home from her 'world discovery tour' without making it seem like she came crawling back with her tail between her legs. She'd re-enroll in school as Melanie to save her own reputation. What he couldn't figure out was why she didn't call him personally. For Sam, he guessed he could play along with the ruse.

"So she's going to be going to Ridgeway for just two months?" He asked as his mind raced.

Pam scoffed. "That's the idea, kid. I sure can't afford to pay to enroll her anywhere else. I called over to your school this morning and talked to a secretary or some junk, she starts Monday. I have to go to the train station and pick her up tomorrow."

"And what's this all have to do with me?" Freddie couldn't figure out what part he could possibly play in this, unless Sam wanted to gauge how he'd react to her return. She could have simply showed up out of the blue and told him herself.

"Alight, boy. Try to follow along and I'll go slower for you." She talked to him like he was an idiot. "Melanie doesn't know anybody in Seattle except for you. I guess she knows you, you did go out with her that one time. She's not like Sammy. She's kind of shy and quiet. That's why she was in the boarding school in the first place. Her father thought she couldn't handle public school and he pulled some kind of strings to get her in there. I'm afraid that if I just drop her in a strange place, where she doesn't know anybody that she'll freak out and end up in Troubled Waters."

"And you want me to hold her hand for the next two months so she makes it in public school and graduates?" This would be interesting. Sam keeping up the charade of being a weak, shy girly-girl for a couple of months.

"Hey, look at you. You caught up to the rest of the pack." Pam cracked. "Now, I'll bring her over by Bushwell Monday morning and take you both to school. Maybe you can walk her home or something?"

"I actually drive myself to school now, Pam. I'm eighteen, and I have my own car."

"You do?" Pam lit up. "Well, hot dang boy! I wonder if you could go and pick her up tomorrow then, too? You see, Bingo starts at 1:30 and she's supposed to get in around three. The progressive jackpot hasn't hit in weeks and it's up to almost two grand. Man, if I hit that, I could have a heckuva weekend in Vegas."

"I, um, I suppose I could." He was now positive this was all Sam's idea. She definitely wanted to reconnect with him and this would provide a wonderful excuse to not make it seem like she was anxious to see him. How she ever put her mother up to this, he'd never know, though.

"Great! She comes in on three o'clock train, but you know how trains are always late. I'll tell her to be looking for you."

"So, Saturday afternoon I need to go down to the train station at three to pick up Sam, er, um, Melanie?"

"Thanks, boy. I knew I could count on you." With that, the woman hung up leaving Freddie to wonder what exactly he agreed to.

Freddie spent the evening gaming online. He tried calling Sam but she wasn't answering, most likely because she was waiting until she saw him on Saturday to bring him up to speed. He settled for an email, only trouble was, Sam had a bad habit of waiting days or longer to check her messages.

Saturday he got up, showered and was ready to go long before noon. With nothing better to do, the former tech producer dropped in on Spencer to see what he was up to before it was time to head down town to pick up the girl. He made a habit out of keeping an eye on Spencer if for no other reason than to make sure the building didn't catch on fire.

"Yo, Freddi-o." Spencer greeted at the door. "Come on in. I was just painting my latest sculpture. Check it out!" The man pointed to a gigantic whatever it was, right in the middle of the living room floor.

"That's, uh really cool. So, um . . . "

"I'll bet you're wondering what it is, right?" Spencer said with excitement.

"Sorta." Freddie admitted quietly, looking at it from different angles.

"Well, that's the thing. It really isn't supposed to be anything. It's just there. That's the beauty of art."

"I guess, in that case, you nailed it." The younger man gave two thumbs up.

"So, why are you all dressed up. You have a date or something? I haven't seen you in more than an old t-shirt and worn out jeans on a weekend in forever. Especially if your mom isn't home." Spencer knew about Marissa's work schedule, she always asked him to keep an eye on Freddie and their apartment. In truth it was the other way around at Carly's request.

"I actually have to go down to the train station to pick Sam up in a little bit." Freddie responded as he sat down on the sofa and watched the older man paint.

"Sam! She's coming for a visit?" Spencer exclaimed in excitement. "I wonder why she didn't say anything when we talked yesterday?"

Freddie was confused why Sam talked to Spencer and not him. Especially when she wouldn't even answer his call the previous evening. "You talked to Sam yesterday?"

"Yeah, she called to get Carly's phone number. Dad got her a new phone for an early graduation present and Sam needed the number."

"Oh." Freddie softened. He was a bit shocked that Sam didn't call him back after he tried to reach her. Then again, she was probably talking to Carly. Combined with the whole 'coming in from God knows where' thing, she obviously would soon be seeing him in person anyway.

The two men talked for a little while. Gibby dropped by to return Spencer's cordless drill and before long, Freddie decided it was time to leave for the train station.

He didn't generally drive in that part of town but at least there wasn't the typical work day traffic on a weekend. Soon, he found a place to park his car and made his way inside to look for his old friend. As Pam Puckett suggested, he soon found that the train he was supposed to be meeting was running a little late, so he sat down near its platform and entertained himself on his ridiculously over sized Pear phone. An announcement preceded passengers beginning to disembark and he tried to keep an eye out for a familiar face.

The girl appeared, having apparently left everyone else get off first, and he headed toward her. The firs thing he noticed was her hair, not only was it pulled up in a pony tail, but it was perfectly straight and dark, nearly auburn as opposed to blonde. This was odd because the last he talked to Sam, she told him about getting her hair cut short but keeping it the original color. This was probably a complete lie he now realized.

Melanie knew who she was looking for, thanks to her mother's message and spotted him before he got done thinking about her hair. "Freddie!" She called. "Hey!"

He walked closer and she, being as friendly as always, gently sat down her case and hugged him. "It's so good to see you. When Mom said you were coming to get me, I was so excited. We haven't talked in years. What a nice surprise. How have you been?"

"Good. It's um, good to see you, too." He admitted. "I missed you." He blurted out.

Melanie blushed as she reached down for her bag and he noticed something oddly different about this young lady. First off, she was wearing perfume. Sam only ever wore perfume when Carly got to complaining too much about her not showering. His hand instinctively went to the handle of the case as well and he effectively grabbed hers. She didn't object and laced her fingers into his as he picked it up with the other hand. Maybe this would give them a chance to pick up where they left off years before. Sam hardly ever displayed this level of PDA, even when they dated. He found it odd that she was willingly walking through the public train station holding his hand.

So, once again as smart as he is, Freddie is totally clueless.