


Killing Me Quietly

by SimplyAMemory



Category: iCarly
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-04
Updated: 2010-03-21
Packaged: 2013-07-25 07:48:28
Rating: T
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,502
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4768512/1/
Author URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1076249/SimplyAMemory
Summary: Freddie can't stop thinking about his kiss with Sam. And just by telling Carly about it, he turns their lives upsidown. Because sometimes, ears hear things that mouth's shouldn't have spoken. Seddie.





	1. Chapter 1

**Ok, random idea. It takes place after Sam and Freddy kiss for the first time. Let me know if it blows or not.**

_"So...good work."_

_"Yeah, you too."_

_She looked down at her feet, and sort of nodded a little. Then she mumbled something while she turned to swing her foot over the window seat. I smiled._

_"Hey," I said. She turned around. "I hate you."_

_Then a small smile attempted to appear. But they formed to repeat the words I had just said to her instead. "I hate you too." I felt my smile grow, and she turned to leave. I leaned slightly to the left to watch her walk away._

Then, something impulsed me to do what I did next. I'm not sure what it was, but it was powerful. Like an ice cream truck flying out of an airplaine and onto my foot.

...Only totally different.

My feet hurried to stand me up, and I practically jumped over the window seat. She was about to turn the corner. "Sam, wait up!" I then ran toward her, feeling my heart start pounding when I saw her actually smiling for the first time since we'd kissed. When I had reached her, I grabbed her left hand with my right, and looked into her eyes. She stared right back, deeply, like she was searching for something. Suddenly, she let go of my hand. I almost started panicking, thinking I was being rejected.

Then I realized what she was doing. Her arms reached up to rest of my shoulders, and she leaned closer to me. I rested one hand on her waist, and wrapped the other arm around her, resting my hand on the small of her back, to pull her closer. Then we were kissing. But this time, it was different.

Our lips moved with desire, rather than fear. Her fingers were suddenly in my hair, and I felt my hand lowering further down her back. She seemed to be enjoying herself, so I didn't dare stop her. I stepped backward, and she stepped forward. I was up against the wall, and she was diving even deeper into the kiss. Her tounge escaped into my mouth, and mine started to explore hers. THIS was the kind of first kiss I had been hoping for. But the thought of it being with Sam had never even crossed my mind.

I broke the kiss, and looked into her eyes. "Is this right?"

She took a deep breath and smiled. "Feels right."

This made me smile too. But as soon as I smiled, she was kissing my neck, practically begging for more. So I gave it to her. "You know, my mom won't be home for a few hours. She went to Tompkinsville to get some gluten free meat patties."

Sam looked up at me. Then at the bedroom door. Then back at me again.

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

She looked down, blushing, and nodded.

"No, no, no. Hey, it's ok." I put my hand under her chin and lifted up her head. "It's ok. Relax, I was just making sure that we were on the same track here." She smiled a little, so I kept going. "I want to. God, you have no idea how long I've wanted to."

I could practically feel the joy radiating off of her at this point. I put her hands down by her side and laced our fingers together. Then, I led her into the bedroom.

**Ok, should I keep going? Tell me what you think! :D Reviews :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys sooo very much for the reviews :D They make me happy. Ok, well, here goes nothing. Hope ya like it ;)**

I woke up to a sudden flinch that made my eyes shoot open. When my vision cleared, I saw Sam sitting straight up in bed, the covers covering her bare body. To let her know I was awake, I breathed in deeply and cleared my throat. She whipped her head around to look at me, and I smiled on impulse. "Hey," I exhaled, not realizing I had been holding my breath.

She smiled and shyly looked away.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Geeze, you're freezing," I said, scooting closer.

"Maybe you should learn how to use the heat." Ah, that sarcastic tone I loved so very much had returned.

"I'll work on it." My phone started vibrating in my pocket that was on the floor. So I pulled a small blanket out from under the bed and wrapped it around myself. I heard Sam smirk.

When I turned around, she was rolling her eyes.

"What?"

She laughed. "I just saw you naked for two hours straight. You don't have to cover yourself up."

I, naturally, blushed. "Oh, yeah. Ha. Good point." The blanket stayed on me, however, as I reached down and retrieved my phone. I let it slip off as I slid back under the sheets. Then I looked at my phone. Three texts were waiting for me.

_I will be home in 10 minutes. Get ready for your flee bath :) - Mom_

_Where r u?!?! - Carly_

_R u with Sam? I need to her for the show. And I need u 2! - Carly_

I looked over at Sam to tell her about the texts, but she was absorbed in her own phone. "Did she text you, too?"

"Only twenty times. I forgot we put the show on hold so I could come talk to you." She stood up, no cover, and started getting dressed. Underwear first (blue and green stripes), then her bra (blue with green polka dots), capries (khaki, a little past the knee), long sleeved undershirt (pink with brown stripes), and her overshirt (pink with a darker pink design in the center).

"Well that's new."

She looked away from her shoes to give me a confused look. "What?"

"Since when do you wear pink?"

Her expression led me to think that she was actually trying to trace back to the last time she had worn pink. But in reality, she was attempting to come up with a witty comeback. And she found one. "Since you started screwing me."

I clicked my tounge. "Point taken." She smiled and bent down to tie her shoe. I took this opportunity to get up and put some clothes on. Then I noticed the time on the clock and sped into overdrive. I pulled on my boxers, then my black jeans, black shirt, and blue and white overshirt. "My mom said she is gonna be home soon. So..."

With both shoes on her feet, she stood up. "Yeah, I should probably go find Carly and let her know I'm not dead."

Then I froze. What were we going to tell Carly? She knows that Sam came to talk to me, and then didn't come back for two hours. So how can we explain the time gap? We promised that neither of us would tell about the kiss. "I assume that this is gonna be a secret, right?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course. God, I'm not telling Carly that her two best friends are acting like hamsters."

"Um...hamsters?"

"Have you seen how quickly they reproduce! I mean, they must be at it all the dang time!"

I laughed and walked around the bed to her. Then I brushed her hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. Just as I started leaning in for a kiss, she stopped me.

"That was my favorite part."

Ok, I was officially confused. "What in the world are you talking about?"

Her cheeks flushed for the millionth time that night. "When we were, well, you know. You brushed my hair out of my face. That was my favorite part." She smiled and reached up to grab my hand that was still on her cheek.

Out of everything we did in those two hours, THAT was her favorite part? I realized then that I would never understand a girl's mind. "Well, I'm glad you like it. I guess." To get rid of the awkward conversation we seemed to be trapped in, I leaned in to kiss her. This time, out lips actually touched, and I pulled my other hand up onto her waist. Then I slid it onto her back. Then lower, lower, lower.

"Freddie, I'm home!"

We both yanked back, breaking the kiss. "Shit," she muttered, and grabbed her cell phone off the bed.

"Um, stay her and make the bed. I'll figure something out." Before she answered, I was out the door. My mom was in the hallway, walking toward me. "Hey mom, need some help with the groceries?"

She held up the bag in her hand. "Nope, this is it. Now go get ready for your bath."

I was about to object, until I saw that the was going toward her bedroom. She would be in there for a few minutes, giving me just enough time to sneak Sam out. So I turned around, opened the door, and waved her over. The bed looked messy, but it would have to do until I got a chance to wash the sheets. "Come on," I whispered. She ran over to the door, and I made sure my mom was gone before grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room. We walked out to the fire escape, where she would be able to climb up to Carly's apartment.

We both took a deep breath, standing there awkwardly. "Thanks," she said, letting go of my hand to grab the latter.

"Any time."

"Is that a promise?"

I smiled. "Definitely."

She leaned down to kiss me softly. When she pulled away, she looked me in the eyes. Then, she said a phrase I never thought I would hear. _Especially_ not from Sam. "I think...I love you."

**Hmm, what will Freddie say to that? Well, review and find out! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! I really, really appreciate them. And thanks for reading my story!!! :D**

I shot up in my bed, blinking uncontrollably, trying to clear my vision. Had I just woken up from a dream? Or do I just not remember going to bed after Sam left? Only one way to find out. I grabbed my phone and scrolled down my contacts list to find Sam's name. I pressed the call button.

_Riiing._

_Riiing._

_Riiing._

_Rii..._

"Hello?" a tired voice answered.

"Sam?"

"Freddie?"

"Hey, um, what's up?"

"Well, I was sleeping."

"Oh, right."

Silence.

"Sorry."

"It's 3 in the morning. What do you want?"

I hesitated. "I-I, well, what did you do yesterday?"

"I apoligized to you and then we kissed. Do you have brain damage?"

"Well, not excatly... Did anything else happen?"

"I went back to Carly's apartment and we watched TV."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. What is wrong with you? Are you high or something?"

"No, I just... I gotta go."

Then I hung up the phone.

Great, we kiss once and then I dream about screwing her. How freakin STUPID. I chucked my phone onto the floor and threw my head back onto the pillow. I knew right then that the day ahead of me was going to be a very long one.

**Short, I know. But some people are hatin on them "doing it," and so I thought I would go ahead and clarify that it was a DREAM. The beginning of the story is the beginning of his dream. And then the beginning of this chapter is reality ;) Thank you and have an absolutely fantastic day.**

**:D**


	4. Chapter 4

**I love you guys for being awesome reviewers! Thanks for reading!**

After the phone call with Sam, I laid in bed for a while, thinking about Sam. I thought about how much different things would be if we actually got involved in a relationship. I wondered what would happen to Carly. I pondered on the fact that Carly didn't appeal to me the same way as she did about a week ago. She is a beautiful girl, but the rejections finally got to me. But if that was the case, why did I like Sam, who cut me deeper every day. Maybe I liked the adventure of not knowing what nasty thing she'd say to me next. I wondered how she would be mean to me after what happened. But knowing Sam, she would figure something out.

Then I looked at the clock. I'd been thinking for an hour straight. My stomach growled, so I pulled off the covers and stuck out to the kitchen. I reached into the freezer and pulled out the box of strawberry toaster strudels. I put one of them in the toaster and got out a plate from the cupboard. It was then that I noticed the dishware's brand was Sam Inc. _You have got to be freaking kidding me_, I thought. Then, when I squirted on the icing, I swear it looked like Sam in a bathing suit. Or a hamster on a unicycle. I couldn't decide which.

Maybe some cool air would calm my thoughts. So I put on my running shoes and went for a jog. My mom was still sleeping and wouldn't be awake for about an hour and thirty minutes. When I got down to the lobby, Newbert was on his hands and knees behind the front desk, probably looking for his wart. Ew.

The air outside hit me like a ton of needles. So I went back inside. And then upstairs.

I decided that being alone was going to drive me absolutely insane. So I went to Carly's apartment. When I got there, she was sitting beside the door, hugging her knees. "Um, Carly?" I said quietly.

Her head shot up to look at me. They were bloodshot, and her eyes were pink and puffy. She sniffled and reached up to wipe her hand under her eyes.

"What's wrong? What are you doing out here?" I walked up beside her and leaned against the wall. Then I slid down it, landing in the same position that she was in.

All she could do was shake her head, and more tears came. I put a reassuring arm around her, and she put her head on my shoulder. If this would have happened last week, I would have been going insane with love. It's strange how things change so quickly. She sniffled again, and looked at me. "Sam and I got in a fight."

I felt my eyes widen. "What? When? Why?"

"Like, 15 minutes ago, she woke me up to tell me about some weird dream she had. And then I told her that the dream was dumb. I guess I hurt her feelings cause she just grabbed her cell phone and left. Then Spencer heard the door slam and came outside, and I told him what happened. He told me I was being a brat and he left too!" She stopped to let out a sob, and then swallowed. "I don't even see what the big deal is! How is what I said any different than what I normally say?"

That was awfully strange. Maybe I was dreaming again. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I looked at it to see that I had gotten a text from Sam. I didn't read it. "Oh, dangit, my mom is gonna wake up in a few minutes. I'm sorry, but I gotta go." I started standing up.

Carly nodded and shrugged. "It's fine, you won't be the first person to leave me alone tonight."

I sat back down.

She smiled. "Thank you, but you don't have to stay."

"I know, but I want to." She smiled and looked down at her knees. "So, what was her dream about anyway?"

I heard her scowl, and then sigh. "Honestly, I'm not sure I can tell you."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Why not?"

"Well," she paused and seemed to ponder for a moment. "It was about you."

Wow.

"But I'm mad at her, so I guess I can make an exception."

I swallowed. "Alright. Lay it on me."

"Wait. There's one condition."

Great, just what I need. "What do you want?"

She laughed a little, and then looked me straight in the eye with a smirk on her face. "I'd just like to know what you were doing calling Sam at 3 o'clock in the morning."

Crap. I didn't think about the fact that she was probably at Carly's house when I called. Being a good liar would have helped in a whole lot with answering what she had just asked me. Too bad I'm not one. "Well, you see, I needed to ask her something about... homework?"

"At three in the morning?"

I sighed. "No."

"Then why'd you call? Come on, I won't tell anyone."

I hesitated, but realized that she was going to find out eventually anyway. And she was mad at Sam, so she wasn't about to call her and tell her or anything like that. I took a deep breath and let out the words carefully and nervously. "Sam and I...well, we kissed last night."

Her mouth flung open, and I swear her eyes almost popped out of her head. "Oh. My. God. Are you serious?"

I nodded.

She squealed.

Then, someone cleared their throat.

Carly and I looked to our right at the same time to see Sam, standing above us with her arms crossed.

This couldn't turn out well.

**:D Review, revieww, reviewww!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am loving the reviews! You guys rock my knee high socks off :D haha. No joke. I really am wearing knee high socks. But that's beyond the point. You guys keep me motivated. I am very glad that you enjoy my story and I hope you continue reading until the end!**

All I could do was try not to puke.

Carly looked like she had just seen a watermelon truck fall from the sky and turn into a three legged chicken.

Sam looked like she was about to pull out a gun and blow somebody's head off.

My head.

The words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat (along with my toaster strudel). _Sam, I'm sorry. But Carly is our friend. She loves us no matter what. And she even squealed! She's happy! See?_

But no. I couldn't say that because she would argue back and find some way to make me feel horrible. That's just how Sam operated. When the spotlight went on her, she attacked someone else to pull the attention away from her. So I did the only thing I could do. I stood up, and I left. I could feel their eyes burning a hole into my back as I walked across the hall to the stairs. As I was walking down them, I stepped on each step slowly and carefully, listening to the small creaks that the wood made. My rhythm stayed consistent until I was about halfway down, when the stairs started making noises that my feet definitely weren't making.

Someone was behind me.

I softened my footsteps and listened carefully to try and figure out which one it was. Soft steps meant it was Carly, and stomps meant it was Sam. But what I heard was in between that. Almost like a loud sneak.

Someone was trying to follow me, without me knowing. And that freaked me out a little.

As I approached the large window located above the platform before the last set of stairs into the lobby, I figured out a way to find out who it was. Just one more flight of stairs. As I walked, I listened to the footsteps behind me. They would get closer, then stop. Then closer, then stop. Not to mention that they were way offbeat from mine, which sounded something like this:

_Thump Thump, Thump Thump, Thump Thump._

Relatively similar to a perfect heartbeat.

Their's sounded more like this:

_ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump-p. (Long pause). ThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThumpThump-p._

Relatively similar to a woodpecker on crack.

Finally, the window was in sight. Since the sun still hadn't risen, it was still dark outside. This would make it easier to spot my stalker.

The stalker was on a pause break, and I slowed my steps slightly to catch their reflection before I turned the corner. Slower, slower, slower. Still nothing. They had stopped walking completely and didn't seem to have any intention of continuing.

So, not caring if they saw me or not, I turned around.

And nobody was there.

**Alright, I felt like that was a good ending for this chapter. I wanted to do a quicky update. My next chapter will be long and eventful, I promise you. Until then, review like the wind, my friends! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long, I've been very busy. But the chapter is here! So sit back, relax, and enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

I decided to go on that jog after all. The cool air bit at my nose, but it didn't bother me. At least I could think about how cold it was and how much I wished I could feel my feet (seeing as that would make it much easier to run...). It helped me keep my mind off of everything that had been happening. When my phone vibrated in my pocket, I nearly fell into the street (not that it would be a big deal, since there were no cars on the road). The text was from Carly, asking me if I was ok. Then I realized that I had never read my text from Sam, the one she sent me while I was talking with Carly. I quickly opened the unread message, and it said:

_Hey, um, can I call u? Carly and I got in a fight. I need 2 talk 2 some1. Plz?_

Great. Just great. She actually wanted to come to me with her problems, finally trusted me enough to confide in me, and I blew it. Me and my big stupid mouth. If only I would have just read the dang text right when I had gotten it. But no! I had to be a moron! As I drug myself back in the direction of home, I imitated my stupid self. "I'm sorry you're sad Carly, but oh! Guess what!? Me and Sam FREAKIN' kissed! Whoopdiedo! Let's all have a party! Oh, hello Sam! I hope you don't break my neck now!" A can on the sidewalk was directly in front of me, and looked very kickable. So I kicked it. "UGH!" It flew into a window with a loud crash.

So I hauled butt, not looking back until I reached the apartment complex. Outside the doors, I stood for a minute to catch my breath. Then I looked down at my phone, to see that my mom would be awake in ten minutes. So I ran into the lobby, and Lewbert screamed something about just cleaning the floors. But I ignored him and bolted up the stairs.

Although I was out of breath, I managed to make it to my floor. Just before I turned the corner, I caught the sound of two guys talking. So I listened closely to their hushed voices, trying to quiet my heavy breathing.

The first voice said, "Why should I have to be the one who knocks? You're the one to wants to talk to her."

"So?" the other one snapped back. His voice was deeper and snottier, allowing a distinction between the two conversers. "You're not as nervous as I am! And if we don't hurry, she may leave. So just do it! And remember what I told you to say." His voice sounded slightly familiar, like I had heard him in a background conversation or something once before.

Guy number one sighed and said, "God dude, you really need to get a hobby."

"This _is_ my hobby. Now knock!"

_Knock, knock, knock._

They were knocking on Carly's door, from the sound of it. I waited quietly, wondering what they could want from the Shea's this early in the morning. After a minute or so, they knocked again. Still no answer.

"Shit man, we're too late!"

Guy number one just said, "Dude, chill. This means that she's just at home."

The other one sighed. "You're right, let's go."

Crap. They were about to come toward the stairs. I backed up quickly and then loudly stepped around the corner, so it would seem as if I was casually walking to my apartment. I only got a quick glance at them when we passed, but I saw that one of the guys was short with light brown, shaggy hair. He was wearing a red and gray polo shirt, and khaki capri pants. He was thicker than the other one, who was tall, with thick black hair. He had on a white button up shirt with jeans.

I almost stopped to listen to see if they said anything on their way down the stairs, but then realized that my mom would be up soon. So walked as quickly as I could to the door, reached for the doorknob, and was about to open the door when it swung open.

My mom was standing in front of me in a pink bathrobe, hand on her head. "Freddie, why aren't you in bed?"

"Well," I swallowed. "Carly needed me to fix her laptop. And I didn't want to wake you, so I just went."

"Couldn't Carly have waited until later for you to look at her laptop?"

I shrugged. "Technology is tricky. It could of blown up by nine, for all we know."

She just shook her head and walked back inside. I followed her, relieved, and pulled out my phone. I asked my mom to make me some toast as I walked into my room, dialing Carly's number.

"Hello?" she yawned.

"Carly, we need to talk. I think you might have a stalker."

-----

Carly was pacing back and forth across her living room, while I sat on the couch and watched her, eating my toast. She had that stressed/thoughtful look on her face, the one she got when she was digging deep into her mind. This was an expression I used to go gaga over. Now, I just wanted her to stop pacing and sit the hell down.

"Just relax, ok? I'm sure it's nothing."

She stopped right in front of me, hands on her hips. "And what if it's not?"

I shrugged. "Then you call the cops. Just sit down." I grabbed her arm and gently lowered her onto the couch cushion beside me. "Now breath." Surprisingly, she did as I told her. "Where's Spencer?" I asked.

"Shh!" she shot back. "I'm thinking." After a moment of silence, she sighed. "Why'd you do it?"

My expression became confused. "Do...what?"

She sighed again and turned her body to face me. "You know..." She cleared her throat, hoping I would catch on. At that point, I knew what she was talking about. But I was hoping she'd give up and drop the subject, because I didn't wanna say something that I would regret. "...why'd you kiss Sam?"

Too late to drop it now. My face was reddening, and I wiped my sweaty palms onto my pant leg. But I didn't say a thing.

"Look Freddie, she's still not talking to me. I just want to know what the heck is going on between you two."

I thought for a second, then said, "I think I've already said too much."

Her face fell, obviously hurt. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her any more. Not yet, at least. Not until I had Sam back on my side. I wondered what Sam was doing. Probably eating something, or...yeah she was probably eating something.

Alone.

Carly stood up and walked toward the kitchen.

"Hey," I said. She turned around. "Is Sam at home?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. She should be."

I stood up, straightened out my shirt, and turned to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To make things better."

-----

So once again, I was out in the cold. This time, however, I was dressed warmly in my coat and gloves. I had texted Sam after telling my mom that I had to go to the electronics store to get a piece to fix Carly's laptop. All I said in the text was "sorry." That's all. Well, except then I wrote another text telling her that I was going to her house. I didn't want her to be in the shower or something.

After about ten minutes, she still hadn't texted back. So I sent another one, saying pretty much the same thing. Five minutes passed, and still no reply. That led to calling her, which after an unsuccessful first time, led to seven more failures. She just wouldn't pick up her dang phone. I was about to give up and go back to Carly's. Maybe she would have a way to get inside Sam's head and knock some sense into her.

But as I thought about it more, I realized something; something that I probably should had realized long before then. Sam was used to being neglected and ignored, since her mom was always bringing home one druggy boyfriend after another. They would curse at her, yell at her, and treat her like some sort of slave. Then they'd leave. Her mom had given up trying to reach out to her, since Sam would just push her away. The only thing Sam knew to do was push people away. When something wasn't right between her and another person, she'd shut them out. And that's what she was doing to me.

She was waiting for that one person who would try to come back, who would try to get inside her closed up heart. That one person who could make it all better; who would never give up.

That meant I couldn'tstop trying. Ever.

She meant too much to me.

So once I saw her house, I knew there was no turning back. The red bricks collided with the overgrown bushes against the house, and the yellow flowers on them looked sad. The one tree in her yard, a weeping willow, danced with the slow wind. Her dog, Henry, was chained to his small wooden dog shelter that leaned against the house. All of the blinds were shut, and there was no sign of light coming through the cracks. The sight looked more like a depressing movie scene than an attempt to make things better, which didn't help my confidence. At all.

My feet were heavy as I walked down the cracked sidewalk that lead to her front door. I looked over to see that her mom's car wasn't parked in the carport. That meant she was either home alone or not home at all.

When I reached the one step up onto the porch, I froze. Adrenaline was rushing through my veins with the thought of seeing her. My hands were shaky, and if it weren't so cold outside, I would've been sweating uncontrollably. My foot finally rose up onto the step, followed by the other, and before I knew it, I was at the door. It took me a minuted to decide between ringing the doorbell and knocking. I rang the doorbell, in case she wasn't in the living room. Then, I waited.

My heart leaped when I heard the sound of footsteps. Then I heard hands push against the door, probably to look through the peep hole. Knowing that she was looking at me, I felt my face get hot, and I looked down at my feet. Then, the footsteps started up again, and began to fade. So I rang the doorbell again.

Nothing.

That's when I swung back the screen door and started knocking. Quietly, at first. Then after she still ignored me, I formed my hand into a fist and started pounding. I was going to talk to her, if it was the last thing I did. "SAM!" When it was still quiet, I tried again. "SAM! I know you're in there!"

Still nothing.

Then, just to get her attention, I jiggled the doorknob.

It was unlocked.

And when I opened the door, I saw something that nobody wants to see: their best friend lying on the floor, half naked and bleeding to death.

**Gasp! What kind of monster would do this to Sam?! Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I think you will like this chapter. Enjoy!**

Sam's fragile body laid there, under the thin hospital sheets, looking vulnerable. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and her arms sat lifeless on top of the covers, IVs invading her skin. There was a large bandage on her shoulder, and even though I couldn't see it, I knew about the bandage wrapped around her stomach, covering the large slit in her side. Her skin was paler than ever, sort of turning a blueish color. A shiver ran through me, and I considered that face that she could use some more blankets. Every inch of me wanted to go over to her and hold her close, to comfort her, and to make it all okay again.

It was an hour after we called Mrs. Puckett (Alexandria) when she finally arrived at the hospital. She was sitting in a chair beside Sam's bed, her elbow on the armrest and her head in her hand. She looked almost as bad as Sam, like she had just ran ten mile marathon on no sleep. Her eyelids kept easing shut, then shooting back open when she would start to fall out of her chair.

Carly and I sat in two chairs beside the door. Her and Spencer had gotten to Sam's house just after the ambulance arrived and rode behind us to the hospital.

All that Spencer knew to do was pace. Back and forth, from the window to the bathroom door. Window to bathroom door. Over, and over, and over. His footsteps were the only thing that broke through the silence. None of us knew what to say. The only words in the room within the two hours that I had been there were spoken by the nurse and Sam's mom.

Then he stopped pacing, and we all looked at him. "Alexandria, would you like to join me in getting some coffee?" I guess he had seen that she was tired, and was willing to do anything to get away from the awkward silence we were all consumed with.

She simply nodded, and stood up. He opened the door for her, and she said, "Thank you." Spencer said that it was his pleasure and, before the door shut, I heard her say, "By the way, you can call me Alex."

After they were gone, I looked over at Carly. She was playing with her multicolored beaded bracelet, carefully sliding each bead over to the right side. Then she slid them all back to the left. Then to the right again. She looked up at me, and then over at Sam. Her mouth opened, like she wanted to say something. She looked at me for a second, then closed her mouth and looked away.

"What is it?" I asked.

She swallowed and looked at Sam again. Then she sighed and looked down at her bracelet. "You probably don't want to talk about it."

She was right, I didn't want to talk about it. But the worried expression on her face broke through that barrier, and I insisted. "It's ok, you can ask me anything."

"Well, I was just wondering... what was she like when you found her?"

_"Sam?" I gasped. I didn't even bother closing the door behind me as I rushed over to her. Her eyes had rolled over to look at me, but her expression remained the same: terrified, lost, hopeless. She was laying on the ground, one of her hands clutching her side. There was no way for me to know exactly what had happened to her, but I made my assumptions. Someone had tried to invade her. The obviously hadn't succeeded, since her shirt and underwear were still in place. "Sam, what happened to you?"_

_A groan escaped her closed lips, and moved her hand to reveal a large slit in her side. It was gushing out thick, red blood, staining her white shirt. I took in a quick, shaky breath and looked around for something to close the wound. There was a basket of laundry beside the couch, and I grabbed a sweatshirt from it._

_"Here, hold this against your side." She slowly reached out to grab it, and then held it against her body limply. I reached down and pushed it harder against her, my hand on top of hers. "You need more pressure on it so you don't loose too much blood. Hold it tight." Then I searched the room for a phone. If I used the home phone, they would be able to trace the call to Sam's address, allowing them to arrive faster. "I'll be right back." I took my hand away from hers. "Hold it tight, ok?" She nodded weakly and I stood up._

_As I walked across the room, I watched her to make sure that she kept the shirt against her side. Then I grabbed the phone, pressed the three numbers, and explained what had happened. They told me to remain calm and that they would be there as soon as possible. I hung up the phone. And throughout that entire process, my eyes didn't leave her. Not once._

Carly sat there, waiting for me to speak.

"She looked pretty beat up," was all I could say.

After nodding, Carly looked down at her hands. "What did you do?"

I shrugged. "Called 911."

Still looking away, she continued cautiously. "Do you know who did it?"

"No, how am I supposed to know?" I felt my voice getting hostile, and took a calming breath. "Nobody knows."

"Not yet. But there have got to be fingerprints somewhere..."

I thought of the knife that I had seen laying on the coffee table. Whoever did it to her had to have touched the knife. There had been someone in that house, and their DNA was left somewhere. Then I remembered hearing footsteps, thinking it was Sam, and voices, thinking it was a TV. Someone had looked out the peep hole; someone who wasn't Sam. Then they left. Some way, some how, they left that house, leaving Sam to be haunted forever. What kind of person would do that?

A monster, that's who.

Carly sighed and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go talk to Spencer. I wanna know what the police are doing to find whoever did this." She didn't wait for me to say anything in return. The door opened and closed, leaving me alone with Sam.

I looked around the room, searching for a blanket. My eyes spotted one on a small shelf beside the bathroom door, and I walked over to get it. Then I unfolded it, and gently laid it on top of her, trying my hardest not to wake her up. I could have sworn I saw her eyes open for a moment, but blew it off as an illusion, and pulled at the blanket to make sure it was covering her entire body. Then, I found myself leaning down, further, and further, until the space between us was closed. Her lips were soft, and a chill ran through my body. Then, I felt her kissing me back, and her hand brushed my face. I pulled away and looked into her eyes. She smiled, and I felt like for a minute, everything was okay.

**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Sam had been awake for about an hour when the doctor finally came in to check on her. "Hello, Sam, did you sleep well?" he asked her politely, pulling his stethescope from around his neck to in his ears.

All she did was glare at him, and I understood why. What a stupid question to ask a girl who just got attacked and is laying in a hospital bed. It's like asking the dead lobster on your plate if it's had a good day.

The doctor turned to Spencer, Carly, and I and reqested that only immediate family be present during her examination. We quietly stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind us.

It was funny how sam was still herself after what happened to her. After she woke up, everybody kept asking her if she needed anything and repeating how glad they were that she was awake. Her responce was, "All I did was wake up, not get ressurected." And then she asked when dinner was. We laughed, but she seemed to take the matter of her food very seriously and demanded it every time a nurse walked by her door.

Carly pulled me from the memory by waving her hand it front of my face. "Hello? DreamyMcDreamster, I'm talking to you."

"Oh, sorry. What'd you say?"

She turned her head in the direction of two police officers. "I think they're here to talk to Sam. And..."

"They'll probably want to talk to me too, I know."

Her hand rested on my shoulder. "It's ok Freddie, Sam's fine. Just be thankful for that."

I took a deep breath and tried to be glad, but it seemed impossible. Just the reality that she could have been killed is enough for me to fall into a psychological imbalance. If it would have been worse, I never would have got to tell her how sorry I was.

My eyes widened as I realized something.

I hadn't even apoligized yet.

"Carly, I still haven't said I'm sorry."

Her face looked concered, but then she realized something. "Me neither."

It was then that the two officers from across the hall arrived at Sam's door, one of them knocking three times. Sam's mom answered and asked them to wait outside for a minute. They smiled at her before she closed the door. They walked down the hall to the snack bar and grabbed a few doughnuts.

"I wonder if they've got any suspects yet," Spencer pondered, sipping on his coffee behind us.

We both shrugged and our hopeful thoughts started pouring out. "It's hard for someone to break into and leave a house without leaving any trace of them being there behind," I said. "Not to mention that Sam's neighbors might have seen whoever it was go up to her house and be able to identify him."

"Or her," Carly added. "Woman are criminals too, you know."

It's hard to believe that a woman would want to take off Sam's pants, but I kept that to myself. No need to have that conversation. Plus it's usually guys who stalk and assault women. It wasn't two girls who had been trying to get into Carly's apartment just earlier in the day.

The door to Sam's room opened and the doctor stepped out, smiling at us before walking away. We didn't go inside yet, knowing the police officers would want to talk to her next. Assuming that might take a while, I sat down in a chair next to spencer. "All that's left to do now it wait."

-----

"Did you see anybody around the victim's home before you entered it?"

"No."

The woman officer, not one of the two I had seen earlier, nodded and wrote something down on her notepad. "Could you tell if any one was inside the house before you entered it?"

"Well after I rang the doorbell I heard footsteps come up to the door and then walk away, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't Sam."

She jotted down what I had said. "What did you see when you entered the home?"

I swallowed. "She was laying by the couch and she was bleeding."

"Were there any weapons nearby?"

I resituated myself in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. "There was a knife on the coffee table."

"Was there blood on it?"

"Yes."

Her pen went wild against the paper. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but what was the victim wearing when you found her?"

I hesitated, taking a deep breath. "Just her shirt... and underpants."

She nodded. "So you have no idea who could have done this. Any enemies that you know she might have had?"

"No, I'm sorry. I wish I could be more help."

"That's alright, you've done all you can. Thank you so much." I watched as she put the notebook in her pocket and stood up. "You can go see her now. She's been asking for you." The officer smiled and I thanked her before heading off to see Sam and give her a well overdue apology.

-----

About twenty minutes before visiting hours were over, everyone left to give Sam and I a chance to talk alone for a while. I pulled up a chair next to her bed and took a seat. She just stared at the ceiling, trapped in her thoughts.

"Sam, I need to apoligize."

Her expression shifted to an emotion I didn't recognize. "For what?"

Apperantly she was going to make me say it. "For telling Carly that we kissed. It was stupid, and unfriendlike, and I can understand if you never want to trust me again because I made a promise and you aren't supposed to break promises, but I did which was really stupid and..."

"I get it, fredward." She gave me a sly smile and looked back at the ceiling. Then she took a deep breath. "I'm the one who needs to apoligize."

"Why? What for?"

"For you having to see me like that..."

Not sure what to say, I just took her hand and stroked it with my thumb. "Sam, look at me." She slowly rolled her head enough for her eyes to meet mine. "What matters is that you're ok. I would have ripped all your clothes off if that's what it took to save you."

"Well thank God that wasn't an issue," she mumbled before looking away.

"Why do you keep looking away from me?"

She laughed. "Because it hurts to move my neck."

The nurse stuck her head in the door and told us to finish up.

"So when can you go home?"

"Well, they have to finish checking things out before I can actually go home, but they're letting me out of this 'fine establishment' in two days. If they haven't found these guys by then they want me to stay with someone until they do. They said it's not safe at home, or whatever."

If that was the case she would definately be staying with Carly, meaning she would be right across the hall from me. I thought about how great that was before what Sam had just said sunk in. "Wait, there was more than one guy?"

Her breathing became unsteady and she tightened her grip on my hand. "Yeah, uh, just two."

"How did they get out so fast? I heard them walking around inside like a minute before I opened the door."

"Look Fredwierdo, I really don't wannt talk about this..."

Then the door squealed open. "Visiting hours are over."

I nodded and looked back at Sam. "Looks like you don't have to." She smiled. I reached out and gave her a gentle hug. "See ya tomorrow."

"See ya."

I started to walk away, but something in me took over and I turned around. Then I leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. When I pulled away, she was smiling, and that was all I needed to feel okay.

Carly and Spencer were waiting for me in the hallway and we left the hospital together, wondering what the next day would have in store for us.

**Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. This is gonna sound crazy, but I kinda forgot I was writing this story. Oops, silly me. Well please let me know what you think! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

As quickly as possible, I scooped up all the jacks just in time to catch the ball as gravity pulled it back to the ground. "Ha, I win." Carly crossed her arms and pretended to pout. "Oh, get over it. You won the last twenty times."

She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at me. "Pfft!"

My eyes shifted Sam who was sleeping soundly. "Shh, you'll wake her up."

"It's about time she did. She's been asleep since we got here." Carly took the jacks from my hand and put them back onto the ground. She chucked the ball at the tile floor and it shot up in the air. She grabbed all the jacks and looked up. "Ouch!" She rubbed her face where the ball had hit and grunted.

"Just let her sleep, her body needs rest. She lost a lot of blood."

Carly gave me a strange look. "Since when do you care about how much rest she gets?" She rolled the ball over to me and I just tossed it from one hand to the other.

My shoulders shrugged. "It's just been different since we kissed."

She nodded, and then looked me in the eyes with a sly smile. "Wait, it isn't because you like her, is it?"

I didn't say anything.

"Oh my gosh, you do!" Her hand shot up to her mouth and she giggled. "That's so cute! Freddie and Sam, sittin' in a tree..."

"Okay! I get it! Geeze."

"Well are you gonna tell her?" Carly asked, taking the ball from my hand and throwing it on the floor.

I shrugged. "Maybe. It kind of seems like a bad time, don't you think?"

She caught the ball, but one jack fell from her hand as she did. "Darn. I have to win!"

"Hello? Bigger issues over here!" To keep her from getting distracted again, I snatched the ball from her hand.

"Just do whatever you think is best."

If only I knew what that was.

The door opened behind me and I turned to see who it was.

"Hey guys, is Sam still sleeping?" Spencer asked, shutting the door behind him. Sam snored, and he laughed. "Never mind." He joined us on the floor. "Whatcha guys doin? Playin' some jacks, talkin' a little?"

Carly smiled and nodded. "Yep, just talkin' and playin'."

"Well hey, I've got some playing cards down in my car. I'll go get them," Spencer suggested. "Anyone want to join me?"

"I'll go," I offered.

"I'll stay here in case Sam wakes up," Carly said, going to sit in the chair beside Sam's bed. "See you guys soon."

Spencer and I left the room, shutting the door quietly behind us. The only people at the hospital that early in the morning were a few nurses and two men. They were leaning against the wall fairly close to Sam's room. I felt like I had seen them somewhere before.

Once we boarded the elevator, I started thinking about what Carly had said. If Sam knew about my feelings for her, things would be weird. Unless, of course, she liked be back. But then what? Could her and I really date and it not be weird?

"Hey Spence, can I ask you about something?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, sure."

"Well, I kinda, sorta... have feelings for Sam. And I'm not sure if this is a good time to tell her or not, considering everything that's happened. What do you think?"

He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Think of it this way. What if you hadn't of found her when you did? It might have been too late." He moved his hand across his throat like his head was being sliced off. "You don't always know what's gonna happen. Anybody's number could be up today. This cord holding up this elevator could snap, sending us into a certain death. See what I mean?"

"Yeah, and I also see that I'll be taking the stairs back up."

We both laughed and exiting the elevator. "It's never really the wrong time to tell someone you care about them, because you may never get another chance."

That being said, I decided to tell Sam once we got back to her room. The worst thing that could happen was she wouldn't like me back, and there are other girls out there. It would just be hard to leave those feelings for her behind...

Spencer and I arrived at the door to her room. My lungs filled slowly with air, and then the air was released through my lips. The knob turned with my hand and the door eased open. My eyes widened when I saw an empty bed and dangling IV cords.

"Carly, where's..." The sentence got stuck in my throat when I saw Carly slouched in a chair, unconscious.

I suddenly realized where I had seen the men who were standing in the hallway before. They were the ones who were at Carly's apartment not even an hour before I went to Sam's house. They were the ones who had passed me on the staircase.

Two men had hurt her.

They were the two men.

And now she was in their hands.

**Thank you guys so much for reading! This is my first story to reach 100 reviews!**

I can't thank you enough for being such an awesome audience :)

Please let me know what you thought! 


	10. Chapter 10

It was the dead of night, my feet were numb, and Sam was still nowhere to be found. The police kept asking me the same questions, hoping I would have a different answer time after time. But I never did and never would. Everything I knew about the two men had came out of my mouth so many times that I could barely even remember them now. Search dogs lead the way through the woods a few miles down the road from one of the suspects home's. The dog had picked up a trace of Sam there.

The rest of us were slugging slowly behind, hoping Sam would soon be found. Spencer and Ms. Puckett were following behind Carly and I, but none of us spoke. We were much too tired.

Suddenly the search crew in front of us stopped and turned around to us. "If you would like to return home, you may do so. You will be contacted if any signs of her are found. We have sent out an amber alert and the border is being carefully patrolled."

Sam's mom just crossed her arms. "I'm not leaving until my daughter is found."

Carly looked over at Spencer who shrugged. "I was going to stay but if you would like to then I am going to take Carly and Freddie home." She just nodded and continued along with the search team. The three of us stood together, not really knowing what to do.

"I can't believe this is happening," Carly sighed. She had awoken only two hours before, with no recollection of what had happened before she passed out.

The only thing left to do was wait. We had no way of knowing where they took her. Heck, we didn't even know why they took her. These people were out to get Sam for what seemed like no reason. It was a ridiculous game that only a psycho would play.

Not even aware that I had been walking, we reached a sidewalk and called over a taxi. They pulled over and let us in.

Carly sat in between Spencer and I, resting her head on my shoulder. Not too long ago, I would have been going crazy over that simple action. My feeling had changed since then, however. Sam was the only one on my mind, and there was no way I could tell her that. Just before she went missing, I had decided to tell her about my feeling for her. Little did I know she wouldn't be there to hear my confessions.

Once we reached the apartment, the three of us walked upstairs drowsily, almost like zombies. I knocked on the door to my apartment, waiting for my mother to answer.

"Bye Freddie, see you in the morning," Carly mumbled, just about to close the door behind her. I waved at her and the door shut. My mother answered the door and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh Freddie, I am so glad you're alright. Did you find Sam?"

I just shook my head and walked past her, straight to my room, and onto my bed, where I would have a sleepless night, hoping Sam was okay.

-----

As morning broke through my window, a small ounce of hope washed over me in knowing that it would be much easier for the search crew to spot Sam during the day time. My mother knocked on the door and told me breakfast was ready. There was no way in hell I was going to eat at such a time.

So I pulled on some fresh clothes and grabbed my cell phone. There was a text from Spencer, asking me to come over as soon as possible. A smile swept onto my face, assuming it was news about Sam. I immediately ran out of my room.

"Don't you want some whole wheat toast and juice? It will keep you from getting backed up!" my mom called as I closed the front door behind me.

It was only a few steps to Carly's apartment after one knock Spencer opened the door. "Hey Spence, what's up?" Carly was sitting on the couch with her hands wrapped around her knees. There was a police man sitting beside her, watching the television. "What's going on?"

Spencer held up a piece of paper inside of a zip lock bag. I grabbed it from his hands and stopped breathing when I saw what it said:

"You are next."

"Who...what...when?"

"When we got home it was sitting on her bed. We have no idea how they got into our apartment but that what the big man on the couch is for. He's been there all night." Spencer walked over to the couch and sat down, putting one of his arms around Carly. Her face was frozen in a terrified position. "So has she. I think she might be in shock." He poked her face but nothing happened.

It took a moment to soak everything up. Sam was gone, Carly was next. Where did I play into all of this? Were they after me too? Was my purpose to just be paranoid and worry too much about myself that I do nothing to help the police? So many questions with no answers.

Before I got a chance to say anything, Spencer's phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket. "Hello? Uh-huh. Okay. We'll be there as soon as possible."

"What was that about?" I asked.

"They know where Sam is."

I smiled for the second time that morning. "That's great, where is she?"

He paused for a moment, looking at the ground. The smile escaped from my face and my eyebrows pushed together. Spencer finally looked up at me, his emotions in a whirl. He choked on his word for a second, but it finally creeped from his lips. "Dead."

**Could it be? Did they really kill her?**

Review and find out :)


	11. Chapter 11

If Carly hadn't been in shock before, she definitely was after hearing that. Spencer even had to carry her down to the car. My feet weren't in the favor of walking either, but I doubt Spencer wanted to carry me too.

The words that had left Spencer's mouth just moments ago echoed in my head. My brain refused to process them. So they swirled around, consuming my every thought. That was fine, though. I wouldn't believe she was dead until I saw her dead myself. She meant too much to me, and for at least a little while, I felt it was okay to pretend she was still alive. Just a little ounce of sanity was all I needed.

Carly laid on me in the car, just staring straight ahead. None of us said a word. Surprisingly, Spencer was able to drive without having a mental break down. If I had a hold of the wheel, Sam wouldn't be the only one who died today.

The police station was about five miles away, but we got there in no time. Either I had fallen asleep or Spencer had decided to speed the whole way. Neither option would have surprised me. As soon as the car stopped, my door was open and I was marching toward the station. Spencer was close behind, trying to get Carly to walk on her own. I pushed through the front door and into the lobby.

And there they were.

No police officers to be found.

Just THEM.

Those monsters!

Every inch of me wanted to tear them to pieces, but if I killed them, we would never know where they were hiding Sam. My thoughts then went to Spencer and Carly who were just about to come inside. I turned around to lock the door, but it swung open before I reached it.

"Come on Carly, WALK!" Spencer groaned.

"That's alright," The first man said. "None of you will be doing much walking once I'm through with you." Carly's eyes shot wide open then, and she was standing on both of her feet.

"Where's Sam?" I demanded, taking a step toward them. The other man pulled a gun from his pocket.

They both smirked. "Now why would you ask such a question? I thought I made myself pretty clear during the phone call with Spencer."

"URG!" I growled, lunging forward. A pair of arms caught me, and I looked back to see Carly.

"Don't provoke them," she whispered.

The first man chuckled. "Ah, Carly. How nice to see you. Sleep good while your best friend was being kidnapped?"

Carly's hands turned into fists and she took as step forward. I grabbed her by the wrist and whispered, "What happened to 'don't provoke them?'"

Her fists unclenched "They were being mean..."

Spencer came up from behind us and stood in front of Carly and I. I leaned my head around him to keep an eye on the sickos. "Now gentlemen, you have some nerve to scare little kids like this. If you do anything to hurt any of us, I have the right to call the police."

"Good luck with that. They're a little... tied up today."

So these two freaks had the only hope we had tied up somewhere. That was reassuring.

"Look, just give us what we want and I won't have to hurt you," Spencer warned. The second man raise his gun higher. "Oh wow, a gun. Is that the gun you used to kill Sam with?" What Spencer was doing made no sense. If he kept it up, it would be the gun they killed him with. "Or did you use something else? Did you use a..." he started naming off various weapons, but I shut my ears. They all sounded much too grotesque. Then I noticed Spencer's hand behind his back. He was waving it, telling us to go.

"Carly," I whispered, looking down at the signal he was giving us. She nodded and slipped away in to a hallway just beside her. After looking to make sure the two men weren't looking, I followed in her footsteps. "Where are we?"

"A hallway."

"No duh Carly. Do you see a light switch anywhere?" I felt around on the wall until I came across a button. I pressed it, and heard a mechanical sound coming from somewhere down the hall. Then I pressed it again, hoping I hadn't just let out any prisoners.

"I found one!"Carly announced, and then a dim light came on above us.

There was a flashlight on the ground beside me, and I picked it up. "We might need this." The hall was creepy, almost like in a scary movie. The only thing missing was blood dripping down the walls and a monster chasing us.

"Freddie?" Carly whispered from behind me.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they really killed her?"

I froze in my tracks. If they didn't kill her, she was probably somewhere in the building. Spencer was keeping the guys busy, but it would only be a matter of time before they came looking for Carly and I. We had a very limited time to find Sam. "Carly, dead or alive, I think Sam is somewhere in here. We need to find her before those guys find us."

She nodded, and we started walking again. "Sam!" Carly whispered loudly.

"Good idea. Sam! Sam!"

"Mmm!"

"What, Carly?"

She looked at me weird. "...I didn't say anything."

Both of our eyes widened at the same time, and we both said, "SAM!"

Over and over again we said her name, pausing afterwards to listen for her mumble. It was constantly getting closer, and by the time we reached the end of the hall, it felt like she was right beside us. I flicked on the flashlight and searched all around us. Nothing. "Sam?" I asked, looking around.

"Mmm!"

"Sam?" I leaned my ear against the wall.

"MMM!!!"

"Sam! It's Freddie and Carly!" There was happy mumble, and I turned to Carly. "She's in there!"

"But there's no door," Carly whispered. "How are we supposed to get to her?"

I thought for a minute, knowing there had to be a way in. If there wasn't how would they have gotten her in there? "Should we just get a hammer and break down the wall?"

"No, we might hurt her." Another precious moment went by, and we still had no way of getting to Sam. "Wait! Ask her how to get in there!"

It seemed like a good idea for a second, but then I realized something. "All she can do is mumble!" Carly frowned and looked down at her feet. "But I guess we can try to figure out what she's saying." She looked back up and me and smiled for a second. Then I pressed my ear to the wall. "Sam, how did you get in there?"

"Mmmm!"

"What?"

"MmMm!"

"Huh?"

"Bmmmn!"

"One more time!"

"Bmmtmn!"

"Button!" I realized, instantly running back toward the button I had pressed earlier. The loud mechanical noise I heard earlier must have been a trap door opening! I reached the end of the hall where I had found it before. My hands searched the wall, desperately trying to find the button that would reunite Sam and I. When I finally found it, I pressed down on it with utter joy. The mechanical sound began, and I started running toward it. A sense of relief came over me, knowing in that moment, right then, Sam was okay. And she would soon be in my arms.

**So, Sam's not dead! Yippie!**

**But how in the world are they going to get out of the police station with two psycho killers in the main lobby blocking the entrance?**

**It should be interesting.**

**Thank you all so much for being faithful readers! I really love seeing reviews, and nothing gives me the urge to update like an enthusiastic review! You guys keep me writing :) So I hope if you are reading this that you actually reviewing and not just pressing the alert button.**

**Please review. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yes, it's been a while. But here's the last chapter.**

The second Sam was free from the many ropes tied around her, I held her in my arms. Her body fit perfectly against mine, making me never want to let her go. "Sam, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. We were so worried! And before something else whimsical happens, I have to tell you something."

"Mmm!" She replied. I loosened my grip, and she backed away to pull the duct tape off of her mouth.

"Oh... sorry about that. But anyway, Sam I need to tell you that..."

Suddenly, my lips were against her's. I kissed back, relieved to be blessed with the chance to feel her against me once again. When we pulled away, she rested her head on my shoulder.

I whispered into her ear, "I love you."

With a surprised expression, she looked up at me. Then she smiled. "Back atcha."

Sam was back to herself again, that was for sure.

Carly cleared her throat, and Sam and I quickly separated. "Now that you two are done... we kind of still have an issue to take care of!"

"Right." I said. "Let's go check on Spencer."

It felt weird to be walking calm and collected through the same hallway I had been freaking out in hardly ten minutes ago. The lights seemed somehow brighter, and the entire vibe of the place seemed less creepy.

Once we reached the end of the hallway, Carly peered around the corner. She must have been watching something shocking, because her face turned to an expression I hadn't seen in a long time. Then, the sound of Spencer's voice came from around the corner, and Sam and I sighed with relief.

"That should do it," Spencer said.

All three of us walked into the lobby to see what had happened. The two men were on the floor, tied together with computer cables. Spencer had just finished shoving his socks into their mouths.

"Wow, Spencer. Good work," Sam said.

He turned to look at us. "Sam! You're alright!" Spencer ran over to hug her, and then gave us all a group hug. "Come on guys, let's get out of here and go find some of the lucky cops who were out getting doughnuts when these creeps invaded."

We all left the building together, leaving the monsters behind us. Sam laced my fingers with her's, and everything was slowly starting to feel right again.

After making a few phone calls, Spencer found some police to go put those guys in jail. Sam was reunited with her mother, and Spencer drove Carly and I back to the apartment building. First, I went straight to my mom and let her know everything was alright. Then I went over to see Carly, who was watching the local news.

"Today, a young girl was kidnapped from the hospital, ironically by the same men who had put her in there. She had been assaulted by them in her home just two days before the men snuck into her hospital room and stole her while she was sleeping, Luckily, two visitors entered the room shortly after to see she was missing. The story gets even more interesting when the police call to report the young girl _dead_, but her friends arrive at the police station to find no police, but the criminals, waiting for them in the lobby. No names are currently being released, but the men are in jail and the girl is reported to be safe."

Carly looked up at me. She was clearly exhausted, but managed to mutter. "Thanks Mr. Hippo kite."

I smiled at her, not exactly sure what she was talking about. Instead of asking questions, I sat next to her and let her fall asleep on my shoulder. It wasn't long after Carly started snoring that my eyelids started getting heavy, and I drifted to sleep.

----

As soon as I woke up the next morning, something didn't feel quite right. At first I thought it might have had something to do with the fact I hadn't eaten anything in the past day or two, but that thought passed when I looked at my phone to see a text from Sam saying:

"Somethin doesnt feel right"

I called her immediately and told her to come to Carly's apartment. Carly was up in her room sleeping, so when Sam knocked on the door, I just walked into the hallway to talk to her.

Sam smiled and looked at her feet. "Hey."

"Hey."

"I got your text. What's up?"

"I don't know exactly. It feels like there's something still wrong with this whole situation."

She looked at me funny. "Yeah, me too. But what?"

I shrugged. Then it hit me. With all the excitement of finding Sam and her kissing me, I never said I was sorry for telling Carly that we kissed. Maybe it didn't matter now, but she deserved my apology.

"Sam, I'm sorry."

"Um, okay. For what?"

"Breaking my promise."

All she did was roll her eyes. "That's the last thing on my mind, Freddork. I'm just glad I'm not dead." Then she grabbed my hand and kissed my cheek. "And I'm glad you're not dead too."

After Carly woke up, all three of us went to the Groovy Smoothie together. It was a new day with new lessons learned. And not to mention that Sam was mine. Despite all the crazy stuff that had happened in the past few days, it all ended up falling together, and everything was just the way it should be.

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for motivating me to write and finish this story. Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


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