A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Chapter 4: Godspeed

The next morning, Spencer caught Mr. Benson before he left for work, and he managed to talk him into letting Freddie and Danielle stay with him and Carly throughout the rest of the week and through the weekend as well, which was obviously a big help to Freddie. Freddie and Danielle staying with Carly and Spencer meant that he no longer had to worry about suffering any more abuse before his wedding day, and that he didn't have to worry about it happening to Danielle, either. He greatly appreciated Spencer's help, of course, and that was putting it mildly. Freddie agreed to sleep on the couch downstairs for the next three nights, while little Danielle would be sleeping with Carly. Then on Friday, as soon as the wedding was over, Spencer and Sam would be going over to Socko's place with Danielle to spend the night there so that Carly and Freddie could have the place to themselves for their wedding night. Finally, that Saturday, after they had packed up all the new furniture they'd bought for their home in South Dakota into the huge moving truck they were borrowing from Socko, the foursome would be leaving Seattle. For good.

That Tuesday evening, after Carly, Freddie, Spencer, Sam, and Danielle all had supper, Carly and Freddie were hanging out alone together upstairs in the former iCarly studio when Freddie surprised his fiancée with an early wedding gift.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Freddie," Carly told him as he pulled a gray velvet box out of his pocket, and then he handed it to her.

"Just open it," he said with a smile, and Carly returned the smile and opened the box.

"Oh wow," Carly gasped when she saw it. It was a beautiful gold band with two small round rubies and two pearls on it. From left to right, there was a ruby first, followed by a pearl, followed by another ruby, and ending with a pearl. "Oh Freddie, it's so beautiful."

"I was going through a box of my mother's things a couple of weeks ago and I found it. It actually belonged to my grandma. It was the engagement ring my grandpa gave to her. I wasn't able to go out to get it sized for you until just the other day."

"Oh Freddie, I love it. It's wonderful," said Carly as Freddie took the ring out of the velvet box and slipped it on her left ring finger.

"I knew it would be perfect for you for two reasons. One, ruby is your birthstone, just like Grandma. Her birthday was in July, too."

"Really? I never knew that."

"Uh huh. And the second, more important, reason is, I know how you love the story in the book of Matthew about the pearl of great price. So when I found Grandma's ring, I just had to get it sized for you. I knew you had to have this."

Carly gave Freddie a very long kiss then, and she told him, "I love it, Freddie. I absolutely love it and I'll always take good care of it."

"I know you will," Freddie said with a smile, and then he kissed Carly passionately. "Plus, given the fact that your dad is giving us the wedding rings that he and your mom wore when your mom was still alive, I wanted to make certain to give you an engagement ring that was equally special."

"And you have, Freddie. You have. I will always treasure this."

"And I will always treasure you," Freddie told Carly with a big grin, and again, they kissed.

Several moments later, Carly held out her hand, looked down at her engagement ring, and said, "These four precious stones represent the four of us. These stones will always be together, and so will you, me, Danielle, and Sam."

"I really did find the perfect engagement ring for you, didn't I?" Freddie asked with a smile.

"You sure did. And like I said, I love it. And you know what else I love?"

"What's that?"

"Thinking about our wedding day."

"Me too. It's just a shame it can't be nicer. I mean, with this crazy, messed up situation we have to deal with, we haven't exactly had a lot of time to plan a nice wedding."

"Don't feel bad, Freddie. It's not your fault. And besides, even though we aren't exactly having the kind of wedding we've always imagined in our fantasies growing up, I still think our wedding will be plenty nice. I can't wait for you to see me in my mom's wedding dress."

"I can't wait to see you in it, either. And you know, speaking of our wedding, it's not all that surprising that Gibby agreed to be my best man. He seemed really flattered when I asked him. But what is surprising is that Sam actually volunteered to be your maid of honor."

"I know. It surprised me too. Given your history with Sam and everything, it really is incredibly generous of her. I think that talk she had with Spencer a while back really changed her."

"Yeah, I'm starting to think so, too. She really is being very helpful and supportive."

"The next time we get a chance to talk alone, I'll make sure to let her know how much I appreciate it."

In that moment, Freddie locked his eyes with Carly's and told her seriously, "There's someone else who should be appreciated."

"Who?"

"You," he said seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"Carly, you're leaving behind everything you've ever known. You're becoming a wife, and basically a mom, at age eighteen. You're giving up so much, just to get Danielle and me out of danger. I think it's about time I said thank you. Thank you, Carly. Thank you so much for making so many sacrifices in order to save my sister and me."

"You're welcome. And I thank you for being so patient with me for so many years until I finally came to my senses and realized that I'm in love with you."

"You were worth the wait," said Freddie, and then he gave Carly the most loving kiss.


Carly now stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror in her room. She couldn't believe what she saw. She was now dressed in what had once been her mother's wedding dress. It was an off the shoulder, long-sleeved white silk gown with a small train. Carly's hair was up in a bun, and she was also wearing her mother's veil. Carly couldn't believe it that she was now looking at herself as a bride.

Her thoughts were then interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Come in," Carly called.

Carly's father came into her bedroom then, and he told her, "Oh sweetie, you look amazing. Absolutely amazing."

Carly smiled and said, "Thanks, Dad." Colonel Shay was wearing his Air Force uniform, and he looked incredibly nice.

In the next moment, Colonel Shay came up to his daughter, kissed her cheek, and said, "Baby, I am so proud of you. When you and Spencer called me and explained everything that was going on with Freddie and your plan to help him, I wasn't exactly happy at first. I mean, I wanted you to help Freddie; don't get me wrong. But I was afraid that you were taking on too much, too fast; that you were too young for all of this."

"Well ordinarily, I'd never think of getting married at age eighteen. But as we both know, these are not normal circumstances. Freddie's and Danielle's lives are at stake, and I'm not going to use my young age as an excuse to keep me from helping them."

"And hearing you say that only proves to me that you're ready for this, even though you are so young. My little girl really has grown up and become a woman. Like I said, I'm so proud of you. And I know that if your mom were here, she'd say the same thing."

"Thank you, Daddy," said Carly while fighting off tears, and then she gave her dad a big, long hug.

As soon as their embrace ended, there was another knock on Carly's bedroom door.

"Come in," said Carly.

Sam came in then, wearing a sleeveless green dress that came down to her knees and had spaghetti straps.

"I just wanted to let you guys know that the minister's here," Sam informed them.

"Thank you, Sam," said Colonel Shay.

Carly looked at her father then and asked, "Dad, could you leave Sam and me alone for a minute? There's something I'd like to say to her in private."

"Of course. I'll be right outside."

"Thank you," Carly told him, and then he walked out of the room.

"What did you want to say to me, Carly?" Sam asked her.

"I just wanted to say that I know that it's not easy for you to support Freddie and me like this. I imagine it's also pretty hard being my maid of honor today. I just want you to know that I appreciate your support. I appreciate it so much."

"You're right. This isn't easy for me. But I know that at the end of the day, you and Freddie really do belong together. I've realized recently that when you love somebody, when you really, truly love them, you'll be willing to do what's best for them, no matter how much it hurts you. I love Freddie. I'll never stop loving Freddie. But I'm not the best girl for him. You are. And Freddie is the best guy for you. You're both warm, loving, considerate, strong, and smart. You and Freddie really are made for each other."

Carly gave Sam a big hug in that moment, and then she told her, "Thank you so much for saying that, Sam."

"I'm just telling the truth. And besides, even though I'm not the one getting married today, I know I still have a lot to be grateful for. I really do appreciate you and Freddie letting me tag along with you guys to South Dakota. If it weren't for the two of you, I wouldn't have a real home or family."

"Oh Sam, we're not 'letting you tag along.' We want you to come with us. You're family. You always have been, and you always will be."

"Thanks, Carls," Sam said as she began tearing up. She then quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Come on. Let's get this show on the road and get you two married, huh?"

Carly nodded, and then she went out into the hall where her father was and linked her arm through his, and Sam went downstairs to notify everyone that Carly was ready for the wedding to start.


All the furniture had been cleared out of the living room downstairs, and now, it was just Freddie, Carly's grandfather, Spencer, Gibby, and the minister standing there in matching white tuxedos waiting for Carly to come downstairs on her father's arm. Principal Franklin, whom Carly and Freddie had invited at the last minute, was there in a white tux as well. They had an old CD in Carly's stereo with Here Comes the Bride on it, and after Sam told them all that it was time, Gibby hit the play button.

As soon as the music started, Danielle came down the stairs first, wearing the cutest light green dress, spreading flower petals everywhere. Danielle, of course, was followed by the maid of honor. Sam slowly marched down the stairs towards her place in the front of the living room, carrying a bouquet of pink roses. And the instant that Freddie saw his bride carrying a bouquet of white roses, coming down the stairs on her father's arm, his heart stopped. Never before had Carly looked so beautiful and radiant to him than she did right now. Freddie couldn't believe it. He was flabbergasted that he was actually getting to marry Carly Shay today; that she was willing to do so much in order to help him and his sister. It was all Freddie could do to keep from crying.

Once Colonel Shay had escorted his daughter to her fiancé's side, he kissed her cheek and stepped to the side, and Carly then took Freddie's hand.

The minister then said, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in holy wedlock. If there is anyone here with any reason why this man and this woman should not be married, speak now, or forever hold your peace." No one said anything, of course, so the minister continued. Looking at Freddie, he asked, "Fredward John Benson, do you take this woman, Carla Elizabeth Shay, to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her in sickness and in health; for richer, for poorer; for better, for worse, 'til death do you part? And forsaking all others, do you promise to keep yourself only for her as long as you both shall live?"

Freddie squeezed Carly's hand then, looked right into her eyes, and said, "I do."

In the next moment, the minister looked at Carly and asked, "Carla Elizabeth Shay, do you take this man, Fredward John Benson, to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish him in sickness and in health; for richer, for poorer; for better, for worse, 'til death do you part? And forsaking all others, do you promise to keep yourself only for him as long as you both shall live?"

Carly locked her eyes with Freddie's, smiled, and said, "I do."

"The rings, please," said the minister, and while Gibby reached in his coat pocket and handed Carly's ring to Freddie, Sam gave Freddie's ring to Carly, and then Carly handed her bouquet to Sam.

"Freddie, put the ring on Carly's left ring finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

Freddie slipped the ring on Carly's finger then and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Carly, please put the ring on Freddie's left ring finger and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

Carly put the wedding ring on Freddie's finger in that moment and said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"By the power vested in me by God and this state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Freddie, you may now kiss your bride." With joyful tears in their eyes, the bride and groom gave each other a long, passionate kiss, and then the minister said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Benson."

Everyone responded with applause, and then, overcome with emotion, they all tearfully hugged the young couple.


"So, how do you feel tonight, Mrs. Benson?" Freddie asked Carly who was sitting at her window, staring out at the world below. It was ten o'clock that night, and everyone had left over an hour ago. Carly and Freddie had changed out of their wedding clothes, and now Carly was wearing a pink shirt and jeans, and Freddie was wearing jeans and a blue shirt. "Do you feel…married?" he inquired.

"I don't know. I don't really feel all that different than I did before. How about you?"

"I don't know. It feels kind of unusual, knowing that we're married now."

"Yeah. But it's a good kind of unusual."

"It sure is," Freddie said with a smile, and then he gave his new wife a big kiss.

"I'm going to go into the bathroom and get changed for bed."

"Okay. I'll change in here."

"Okay," said Carly as she stood up, and then she grabbed the bag that had her new nightgown in it and went into the bathroom.

When Carly came out of the bathroom a couple of minutes later, Freddie had already changed into a nice pair of black silk pajamas. And the instant Freddie saw Carly in her short-sleeved lavender silk gown, he was mesmerized by her beauty.

"Wow, Carly," he gasped. "You look incredible. You really do."

"Thanks," said Carly with a big smile, and then she leaned in to kiss him.

In that instant, Freddie stiffened, and he put his hands on her arms to stop her. "Wait," he whispered.

"What is it, Freddie? What's wrong?"

"I…I'm just a little nervous. I just need a minute."

Carly then sensed what the problem was, and she asked in the kindest voice, "Freddie, are you scared? Because of everything your father did to you, I mean."

"I…yeah. Kind of. I can do this, though. I just need a minute or two."

Carly shook her head and said, "No, Freddie. I don't want you to try to make love to me if you're scared. I don't want it to be a bad experience for you that you have to grit your teeth and endure. If you don't feel like you're ready for this right now, it's okay. It's perfectly okay. I know that if I were in your shoes, I'd be pretty terrified right now. And I don't want us to do anything if it scares you or hurts you."

"Do you mean that, Carly?"

"Of course I do. We can just sleep tonight. We don't have to do anything. It's no big deal."

"I don't want to ruin your wedding night."

"It's your wedding night too, Freddie. And besides, didn't I promise you today that I would stand by you for better, for worse?"

"Yeah," Freddie said sadly, overwhelmed by the feeling that he was letting Carly down.

Carly gave Freddie a warm kiss and hugged him, and while they were embracing, she said, "Don't feel bad, Freddie. Don't worry about anything. I knew what I was signing on for when we got married today. I knew that it might take a while before you and I would be able to…you know."

"Yeah," said Freddie as he began to smile. He was beginning to feel a little better now, thanks to Carly.

"I'll wait as long it takes," she assured him after their embrace ended. "We'll just relax and take our time with this, okay?"

"Thank you, Carly. You're the most wonderful woman in the world."

Carly smiled and said, "I won't argue with that. Come on. Let's get some sleep. We've got a big trip tomorrow."

"Right," Freddie agreed, and then they got into Carly's bed and fell asleep holding each other.


"Okay," Carly sighed. "That's the last box. Everything's all loaded up in the moving truck."

"I guess this is it, then," said Freddie. "I guess this is really goodbye."

"For now," said Spencer. "I'm going to come out to South Dakota to see you guys as often as I possibly can."

Carly hugged her big brother then and said, "And we will call you and write to you every chance we get."

"We certainly will," Freddie agreed. He then walked up to Spencer, gave him a big hug, and told him, "Thanks so much for supporting us. Not every brother would've supported the marriage of his eighteen-year-old little sister the way you've supported Carly and me. It means the world to me. I want you to know that."

"I've watched you grow up with Carly and Sam. You've always been a part of our family. You've always been so kind, loving, considerate, responsible. I wouldn't trust ninety-nine point nine percent of the young men on this planet with my sister's heart. But you? You, I do trust. I know how much you love Carly. And I know that no matter what happens, you'll always be there for her. No brother-in-law could ask for anything more."

"Thank you for saying that," Freddie said in a choked-up whisper.

"It's just the truth," said Spencer.

Carly then walked up to her big brother and gave him a long, fervent hug. "I'm going to miss you so much," she said tearfully, still clinging to him.

"I'm going to miss you too, little sister. I'm going to miss you so much. But I know everything is going to be alright."

The embrace ended in that moment, and Carly nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. We'll be okay. But we will need your prayers."

"I'll be praying for you guys every second," Spencer assured her. "You know that."

"Yeah, I know," Carly said with a smile, and then she picked Danielle up. "Okay Freddie, I think it's time to go now."

"Right," Freddie said quietly, and then he, Carly, and Danielle left. Now, it was only Spencer and Sam standing alone in the living room.

"Sam, I…I've been thinking that maybe I should apologize to you. I know I came down hard on you when I–"

"Don't worry about it. Hearing what you had to say…yeah, it hurt. It hurt a lot. But I know deep down that I've been needing to hear it for years. You were right to tell me the truth about myself. It's about time I started making some changes in my life; in the way I treat other people."

"I know you've really been through a lot in your young life, and I am so proud of you for being so strong. And I want you to know that I really am grateful to you for going with Carly and Freddie. I think they're really going to need you there with them, looking out for them and protecting them."

"Don't worry. I won't ever let anyone hurt them. I'll take good care of them."

Spencer gave Sam a big, long hug in that moment, and he told her, "I know you will. You just remember to take good care of yourself too, alright?"

"I will," she assured him, and then their embrace ended.

"I'll be praying for Carly, Freddie, and Danielle, but I want you to know that I'll be praying for you too, Sam."

"Thank you," Sam whispered.

"Godspeed, Sam," Spencer gasped as tears filled his eyes.

Sam, too emotional to respond, simply nodded, and then she turned around and left.

A few moments later, Spencer looked up towards heaven and whispered, "Please, Jesus, keep them safe. Please let them be okay."

The instant he finished his prayer, his spirit was filled with an overwhelming feeling of certainty, and it was then that Spencer knew that no matter what lied ahead for Carly, Freddie, Sam, and Danielle, God would take care of them, and they would be alright.