" SO, HOW WAS school today, kiddo?"

Daphne Lawrence had just picked up Carly Shay, her best friend Spencer Shay's little sister from school. The younger brunette didn't look excited when Daphne had picked her up but that didn't stop the Lawrence girl to ask Carly how her day was.

Carly groaned in response. "Awful! Sam and I are in charge of videotaping auditions in the upcoming talent show on Saturday because of Sam replacing Ms. Briggs' face on a picture of a rhinoceros."

Daphne cringed. Her and Carly were supposed to be going to see Cuddlefish concert on Saturday, and she new how much Carly was looking forward to it. Daphne herself was, too. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have to admit, it was funny." Daphne said to the girl.

Carly and her best friend, Sam, had shown the picture to Daphne, who thought it was hilarious. Ms. Briggs had taught Daphne in school and Daphne never liked the crabby lady. She was meaner than the average teacher and was always rude towards Spencer , always making fun of his art career. In all honesty, Ms. Briggs had what was coming to her.

"I know, but it still sucks," Carly sighed.

"Don't worry, Carls. I'm sure you'll be ok," Daphne reassured, until seeing the look Carly gave her. "Oh, come on. It won't be awful! At least you don't have detention."

"I guess so."

Daphne pulled into the parking lot at Bushwell Plaza, turned off the ignition, and her and Carly both leaving her vehicle as Daphne grabbed the groceries she had picked up before grabbing Carly. They entered their apartment building, ignoring the obnoxious doorman, Lewbert. 

They made it to their apartment and Carly grabbed the keys to hand them over to Daphne. As she grabbed them, her water bottle had fallen out of her bag but before she could pick it up, Freddie Benson, her other best friend, ran out of his apartment and grabbed it for her.

 "You dropped this!" Freddie smiled, holding the water bottle Carly's face.

Carly gave him a small smile, grabbing her water. "Um, thanks, but you really--"

"I was gonna walk you home from school but I couldn't find ya," Freddie interrupted her before he gave her a wave. "Hey!"

"Freddie, were you just looking out your peephole waiting for me to come home?" Carly questioned, already knowing the answer.

"No!"

"Freddie..."

"Yes."

Daphne chuckled at the young boy and his crush on Carly. It was very obvious to everyone -- even to Carly -- that the Benson boy had a huge crush on the Shay girl. As always, Carly rejected him but Freddie was not one to give up, which Daphne admired about him.

"I thought we talked about this," Carly scolded him softly. "We can be buds, but you gotta get over this crush thing."

"I am over it. Seriously," Freddie reassured. Daphne and Carly both shared looks, knowing he wasn't. "I'm in love with you, you just want to be friends, and I'm totally cool living with that constant pain."

Carly rolled her eyes playfully before she and Daphne entered their apartment, leaving Freddie in the hallway. 

"We're home!" Daphne called out, closing the door behind her. She walked into the kitchen, placing the bags of groceries on the counter.  

"Hey, Daph, kiddo! Up here," Spencer called from the ceiling. Daphne shared a confused look with Carly before looking at Spencer. "Just taking some pics of my robot sculpture. Smile! Yeah."  

Daphne giggled as she began to put away the groceries with the help from Carly. Daphne and Spencer have been best friends for as long as she could remember. She had always loved Spencer's quirky personality and his passion for art. She also admired the relationship he had with Carly, always very protective of her and willing to do anything for her.

"You know, for most eighth grade girls, if they came home and found their 26-year-old brother dangling upside down from the ceiling over a giant robot made out of soda bottles, it'd be weird," Carly confessed, though she smiled at the end. 

Spencer gave her a look. "You're saying I'm abnormal. Bubbles, Carly's being mean!" he exclaimed to his best friend. She smiled at the nickname he had given her when they were kids.

"Well, honey, she's not wrong," Daphne agreed with Carly as she gave Spencer a smile. "Now, why don't come down from there before you hurt yourself and help us put away these groceries."

"Don't worry. I got my leg wrapped around this pipe-- Ah!" 

"Spencer!" Daphne and Carly cringed as he fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Could one of you please come help me up?"

Daphne went over and grabbed his hand, pulling him up carefully. "Are you all right?" She questioned, checking him for injuries. 

"Yea-- nope. I dislocated my shoulder again. One sec." Spencer said before dropping himself on his shoulder. He stood back up again with a smile. "Yeah, that fixed her."

"Good," Carly smiled at her brother as she walked over. "So listen, I need a favor."

"Shoot." 

"I have to tape a bunch of auditions at school on Saturday," Carly explained to her older brother.

"Fun."

"Yeah, not really," Carly deadpanned. "Anyway, would you let me borrow your video camera?"

"I would," Spencer replied.

"Awesome."

"Though, I can't."

Daphne gave him a look. "Why can't she borrow the camera? I swear, if you already broke --"

"I didn't break it, Bubbles," Spencer reassured her, though he seemed nervous.

"Then, why can't I use it?" Carly questioned as she gave him a look.

Spencer let out a nervous laugh before grabbing the camera that now was now a squirrel. "I made it into a squirrel."

Daphne and Carly both playfully rolled their eyes. Of course, he made it into a squirrel.

"You owe me $185, sweetie."

"I'll give it to you tomorrow."

♘

"I am so mad!" Carly exclaimed, entering the apartment with Sam and Daphne.

"Me, too," Sam agreed, shutting the door behind her. "I need some ham."

Daphne groaned, rubbing her temple with her fingers. She had just picked up Sam and Carly from school, listening to both of the girls complain about Ms. Briggs. She loves the girls to death but they sometimes get so annoying. Of course, she wouldn't never admit it out loud.

"I'm sorry you girls are having a tough time right now but you shouldn't let Ms. Briggs get to you," Daphne reassured the younger teens as she followed them into the kitchen. 

"I'm sorry, Daph, but seriously, Miss Briggs is the worst!" Carly continued.

"You don't gotta convince me," Sam says, taking the ham out of the fridge. "I hated her even after she got that brown lump removed from her nose."

Daphne shuddered as she grabbed a fork for her and Sam. "She still has that brown lump?"

"Not anymore."

A knock was heard at the door and Daphne went to the peephole to see who was it was. Seeing it was Freddie, she let him in.

"I'll tell you something," Carly scolded as Freddie walked in. "She is what's wrong with the world."

"Who's what's wrong with the world?" Freddie questioned, joining the girls in the kitchen.

"Ms. Briggs."

"Oh. Well, hey, at least she got that brown lump removed from her nose."

"I just hate it when adults like her get control of what kids can do and see," Carly explained as she grabbed drinks. "It ticks me off. Some people should be like you, Daphne."

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked in confusion.

"You're one of the coolest adults we know. You don't get mad at us for anything," Sam answered, trying to take the bone out of the ham. "Why do they put a bone right in the middle of a ham?"

It was true. Daphne did let them do whatever they want but they were also good kids. She loved the three like they were her own and would do anything for them. She would make sure they have lunches for school, clothes on their backs, and help them with their homework if they needed it. Carly, Sam, and Freddie all looked up to her as a mother figure in their own way.

"Just because I'm a "cool adult", it doesn't mean I let you guys do whatever you want," Daphne explained to the three younger teens. "As long as you guys do what you're told, we won 't have any issues. And remember, if any of you guys need anything, don't hesitate to come talk to me."

"Thanks, Daph. We know you're just trying to look out for us," Carly thanked her before she got an idea look on her face. "Hey, remember all that stuff those kids wrote about us on the message boards?"

"Yeah."

"Things like, "You guys should upload more videos," and "When's your next show," and "We want more"?", Carly continued as she smile mischievously. "Let's give 'em more."

"More?" Freddie questioned in confusion.

"Okay, what are we talking about here?" Sam followed.

"I think where she's going with this is you guys doing a web show," Daphne answered, hearing what Carly was saying. 

"Exactly. Online, every week," Carly says as she looked between her two best friends.

"Why?"

" 'Cause it can be whatever we want it to be. No adults to say, "You can't do this, you can't do that."," Carly explained. "We can do whatever we want. Say whatever we want."

Sam cringed. "Would it mean I have to do, like, work and stuff?"

"Well, if you're gonna do a show, you got to prepare for it, hon," Daphne reasoned the blonde girl.

"Eh, then it can be Carly's show," Sam says, looking up at Carly. "You do the work, I'll just show up and be your amusing little sidekick."

Daphne smiled, reminding Sam and Carly's friendship of her and Spencer's. 

"Wait, what's the show gonna be about?" Freddie asked Carly.

"A web show can be about anything," Daphne replied. "Every week, you can do something different."

"Yeah, but for the first show," Carly chuckled at her friends. "Kids with bizarro talents."

"Ah, clever," Sam smiled, catching on her best friend's idea. "Ms. Briggs says, "no, no. no." We say, "yeah, yeah, yeah."

"Hey, why don't you guys call your show "iCarly"," Freddie suggested, grabbing a piece of ham. "You know, "i", Internet, "Carly", you."

"That's good," Daphne smiled at the boy.

Sam nodded, looking over at Carly. "I like it."

"iCarly's cool."

"And um, you're gonna need a technical producer, right?" Freddie continued, obviously suggesting himself. "To set up the lights, audio, work the camera..."

"Aw," Sam smiled with a tease. "He wants to be our geek."

Freddie growls in annoyance. "You got a big mouth, lady!" he exclaimed.

"Sam, play nice," Daphne scolded the girl.

Suddenly, Spencer came running inside with a huge mannequin that was in half. 

"Hey! Look what someone just left in the dumpster," the 26-year-old smiled, showing them the pieces. "Isn't she amazing?"

The three kids ran up to him, ignoring the mannequin, though Daphne was very concerned as to why Spencer would bring something like that back to the apartment.

"Hey, can we use the third floor as kind of a TV studio?" Carly questioned her older brother eagerly. 

"Well, I don't--"

"Thanks!"

"You rock!"

"Later!"

"Wait, I didn't say-- why do you-- okay, later!"

Daphne chuckled in amusement as she watched Carly, Sam, and Freddie run up the stairs to get ready for their first show. She walked up to Spencer, who set the two-piece mannequin down, giving her a confused look.

"What are they up to?" He questioned.

"They're planning a web show," Daphne replied before glacing down at the mannequin. "What's with the mannequin?"

Spencer shrugged. "I thought she was pretty."

Daphne gave him a disturbed look. She just shook her head at him, patting his shoulder as she walked past him.

"Can't believe I'm friends with you."

"You love me!"

"Not as much as I love Leonardo DiCaprio!"

♘

Daphne was helping Spencer cleaning his area where he keeps his sculptures. As they did so, they suddenly here the three kids screaming. The two shared a look before the adults shrugged, joining the kids as they cheered.

"Why are we happy?" Spencer interrupted the cheering, wondering what was going on.

"'Cause our very first web show rocked!" Carly exclaimed with a huge smile. 

"And it was was watched by over 37, 000 people!" Sam added with the same excitement.

"Congratulations, you guys!" Daphne congratulated, pulling the three kids into a group hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Daph."

Spencer pulled his sister into a side hug, giving her a noogie. "My baby sister's a web star!"

"Hey, we should have a party!" Sam suggested. "You know, to celebrate."

"Yeah, that'd be so cool/tight," Carly and Freddie agreed.

"Yes, yes we should," Spencer agreed as well, but Daphne noticed the same mischievous look that looked identical to Carly's. "But, it shouldn't be a normal, regular party."

"Oh, no," Carly says playfully, sharing a glance with Daphne. They both knew where Spencer was going with this. 

"It needs to be something different, something..." Spencer trailed off. "Wonderfully random."

"Crazy hat party?" Daphne chuckled at her best friend.

"You know me so well, Bubbles," Spencer smiled, wrapping an arm around Daphne's shoulder.

"Sadly."

"Hey!"

♘

Author's note!

I am so sorry that this took me so long publish! Everything came all at once and I didn't have time to work on this but it's finally up! I'm already loving the dynamic between spencer and daphne, and daphne's relationship with the kids <3 let me know what you guys think and I promise, the next update won't take long!