Some parts of this story correspond to specific episodes of the show, the titles of which are listed above that section. But some do not, and for them I've just said where we are on the "Seddie" timeline as marked by key episodes like iKiss. And speaking of iKiss, the first section takes place...

Before iKiss

Freddie could feel the prickliness in his nose that meant, if it continued unstopped, he might cry. And he really didn't want to do that just then because he was stuck on a couch between the last two people on earth he wanted to cry in front of.

Carly he didn't want to cry in front of because he was trying to look cool in front of her, and Sam because he'd learned right quick it was not wise to show weakness in front of Sam. Not wise for anyone, but him least of all.

But when Carly had suggested watching House because she had a crush on Hugh Laurie, he of course hadn't known the episode would wind up being so much about a father and son. While the girls were gossiping about Laurie's looks vs. his talents – Carly thought he was sexier than Sam did, but Sam was impressed with him, as an actor – Freddie was watching a story about a father asking himself what his adult son really needed to be happy - and whether it was worth losing a gift that had brought him fame and fortune.

When at the end the father marveled full of emotion, at his son's newfound ability just to button his own shirt, Freddie had to choke down a sob … and he was very glad Sam had gotten up to get some punch. But Carly heard, and as was her way, responded lovingly, as she always did to her friends. She even gave him a quick kiss on the cheek (after a quick look-round to see if Sam was watching). He shot her a grateful look, she'd known Freddie a little longer and a lot better than Sam, and realized what he was thinking of.

"Your dad, huh?"

"Y-yeah."

"Still no word?"

"No. Nothing."

Freddie's father had left his mother when he was only a few weeks old. As he got older and familiar with his mother's over – protectiveness and germ phobia, he began to think he knew why. By the time he was a preadolescent, Freddie really didn't think he blamed his father for running away from her. There were increasingly nights when he wished he could do the same. What he didn't understand though was why there'd been no attempt to contact him.

His mother promised him all the contact info they had then was still in use, and on most of the new technologies that had come along since, they were publicly listed.

Which meant if he wanted to, his father could find him. But he hadn't. Which meant...

So that was why depictions of fathers, especially good ones, sometimes got to Fredward Benson. Carly knew that. But Sam did not. Sam only knew that her favorite victim was crying. And as she loomed (well, inasmuch as a 5 '2 girl can) up behind them, she said with disgust, "I don't get you. Baby."

iWill Date Freddie

Sam didn't really know why she'd taken such an instant dislike to Valerie, and when Carly asked her why, she didn't want to talk about it. She knew her friend's brain was addled from too many romcoms and Broadway musicals and if Sam admitted the idea of Valerie dating Freddie made her feel weird, she knew Carly would leap to the wrong conclusion: That she was jealous of Freddie's attention. It certainly wasn't that.

She was almost relieved when she found out Valerie was trying to take the dork, and Sam herself, away from Carly for her own show.. Ahha. That's all it was. My instinct telling me she was a skunk bag.

The next time Sam saw Valerie after Freddie had come back to her...and Carly, she made sure to give a big alligator smile. I gotcha, babe!

Before iKiss

Freddie knew Sam did a lot to keep up her image as a lazy know – nothing, and part of that was true: The lazy part. But by now he also knew something many did not: Sam Puckett wasn't stupid. Not one bit. She just didn't respond well to directed learning in a school environment. But give her something she cared about, like iCarly, and she'd knock over bodies to find out what she wanted to know.

Usually, that would just be an expression.

One day, Freddie was in the A/V room playing with a new camera. Aiming out the window to test focus, to his surprise he picked up Sam sitting outside the school, with no one else around. Instinctively he zoomed in, idly hoping he'd catch her having to pull her underwear out of her butt or something, that he could use to embarrass her.

But as he got closer his anticipatory glee was stunted by the distress on her face.

Distress was putting it mildly. She was full – on ugly crying, snot bubbles and all. Some part of Freddie wondered what could've made big, bad Sam Puckett lose her cool so totally.

Then he saw the book at her feet; by zooming in, he was able to make out the title. It was Because of Winn-Dixie. Oh, this was perfect. Sam Puckett was crying over some dumb book about a dog, and he had caught her on - camera doing it.

Now, how best to use this incriminating piece of film? Whatever way he thought of, soon Ridgeway would no longer be Sam's personal torture garden. No one was going to be intimidated by her, once they saw her take big, heaving breaths to try to regain control of her emotions. This was going to work out just fine.

Now we'll see who's a baby. I got you. I finally got you, baby.

The best place to show the video was, of course, iCarly, and as the show's technical producer, or as Sam called him (...HAD called him but would soon be stopping) 'equipment dork" he was well – placed to get it ready to run when Sam pushed just the right button on her remote.

She'd think she was calling up some graphic or sound effect but really, it would be the tolling of her own doom.

The tolling of her own doom.

He so liked the sound of that in his head that he didn't even hear Carly come into the studio and look over his shoulder as he was cuing it up.

"What's that?'

"Gah! It's just -"

"Is that Sam?" She shoved Freddie out of the way and took his place before the screen. When he tried to take it back and she held him off with one hand; he was glad anew Sam wasn't there.

Carly finished watching the whole clip, the discovery of Sam, the close – up on her sobbing face; the zoom onto the book. It ended, and Carly looked up at him in a way he'd never seen before. It wasn't just that she was angry, he'd seen angry. She was righteously angry, her hot, glaring eyes flecked with concern.

"Where'd you get this?" She demanded.

"I shot it. At school."

"Sam doesn't know you have it, does she?"

"Not yet. She will tonight though, and so will every single viewer of iCarly." He smiled at her, and his smugness was so insufferable to Carly, she was moved to something she never did. Not something she rarely did or only sometimes did, NEVER did.

"You prick," she seethed.

"What?" He honestly didn't know which he was more stunned by, Carly's language or her vehemence.

"You can't show that to people."

"Why not? It's gonna teach her a lesson. Let people know behind the tough act is a girl who gets weepy over dog -"

"You idiot. She's not crying over the dumb dog or even the book at all!"

"Then, why -"

"It's her dad!" Freddie's face suddenly lost expression as Carly explained. "Her dad was in the middle of reading that to her when he left the family. He just went out one day and never came back and she slept clutching that book for DAYS, a little eight year – old girl hoping he'd come back and finish reading it to her but he never did."

"Oh god."

Believing he grasped just how bad what he was about to do would have been, her voice softened somewhat.

"And this is –" she pulled out her PearPhone and swiped it. "Yeah, this week is the eighth anniversary of when he did that. We met like a week later and she was already into her "hurt them before they hurt you" thing. I think I eventually helped get some of the edges off, but you can't show this to people."

"Can't show what?" Sam said, striding in.

This time, Freddie AND Carly both said "Gah!" And even though the video had ended, they both turned and closed ranks between her and the screen.

"Oh, gross. Freddie didn't try his hand at amateur porn, did he? And I do mean his hand."

"No," Carly said, "of course not – ew!"

"Then what were you watching?"

"Nothing!" she said, a little too quickly.

"Carls," Sam said, her eyes narrowing, "let me see the video you were just watching." She took a step forward, hands raising to push them out of the way.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter...