Chapter 1: Tonight's the Night

'God she's beautiful' he thought. Staring onto the dance floor at his wife of exactly three hours and thirteen minutes, Freddie was mesmerized, and suddenly very ready to get the honeymoon started. Sam spun in wild circles, holding Jax who clapped his hands as he laughed long and loud. There was something so joyous about them in this moment, so completely carefree, that it was hard to imagine the whole thing had almost ended before it could begin.

Sam caught his eye from across the room and winked, leaning in to whisper something in Jax' ear. Jax, right on cue, turned to find his father's face in the crowd, smiled and blew him a kiss. Freddie smiled and started toward them. He was aware of people around him patting him on the back, voicing the congratulations he'd been receiving for the last two hours. He smiled and nodded but his attention was focused on the two people standing at the center of the room. It was almost magnetic, his need to be near them. It was the only place in the world that made him feel this happy; this free. Ryland MacGregor had been right – Freddie was one lucky bastard.

"Daddy!" Jax cried, launching himself at Freddie as he approached. Jax had always been energetic. From the time he woke up to the time he went to bed, it was a steady stream of motion, but today Freddie could barely hold onto him as he wiggled and bounced, laughing and talking a mile a minute.

"Someone's extra excited today," he said looking over at Sam, who suddenly looked a little guilty. "And what's all over his face?" he laughed surveying the film of pink crumbs covering Jax' mouth.

"He might have had a Fatcake…or three…"

"Oh, really?" he said, turning to Jax, "Grandma is gonna love that isn't she?"

"I love Fatcakes." Jax said solemnly and Freddie burst out laughing. He was just like his mother – he took his snacks very seriously.

"I'm sure you do, buddy. But if we let you have any more we'll be in big trouble with Grandma Marissa."

Jax eyes grew wide, "Daddy in time-out?" That was the height of punishment to a kid that never stopped moving. Five minutes of silence and stillness.

"If they give you any more sugar I may have to put them in time-out." Freddie turned to see his mother behind him, her arms extended to Jax. "Come on honey, let's get you cleaned up."

Handing Jax to his mother, he wrapped an arm around Sam and they watched as Marissa went off, likely in search of her supply of wet wipes. Turning his attention back to Sam, he reached down to wrap his other arm around her drawing her close, his mouth near her ear.

"You just got a two year old hopped up on sugar and handed him off to my mother. You are cruel, Samantha Benson."

"I can't help it if my son has his mother's great taste in snack foods." She laughed, looking up at him. "That was genius you know."

"What?"

"The wedding cake made entirely of Fat Cakes. I don't know why we didn't think of it sooner. You're amazing."

Freddie swayed to the music playing, enjoying the feeling of Sam in his arms. "Well, isn't that one of the reasons you married me?"

Sam pulled herself closer to him and twisted her hips just enough for him to forget what he'd been saying. She bit her bottom lip and trailed a hand down his chest.

"Well…there are other reasons." She said, smiling wickedly.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Hmmm…it would require more of a, 'hands on' demonstration."

Freddie stared down at her, at her full lips and her blue eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but feared that if he started he wouldn't be able to stop and their reception guests would be witness to an exchange of more than vows.

"Let's get out of here," he said. It wasn't a question-it was a statement. He needed to get her alone. Now. Hooking his arm around Sam's waist, he moved her toward the exit doors where his mother and the rest of the bridal party were standing. The reception was almost over anyway. They'd had dinner and cake, a first dance, and toasts varying from sweet (Carly) to wildly inappropriate (Gibby). What else was there to do?

"Well aren't you…eager!" Sam laughed.

"Damn right." Freddie said as the reached the group. His mother, holding a still wiggling but markedly cleaner Jax, turned to them with a smile. "Hey, guys," Freddie pulled Sam to his side with one hand. "Listen, we're getting ready to take off…"

"What?" Carly cried, "You can't leave yet."

"Um, yeah Carls," Sam said, "actually we can."

"But you haven't thrown the bouquet yet!" Melanie moved to stand beside Carly, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest. "What's the big hurry anyway?"

"Seriously Mel…do I need to spell it out for you?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh…" Mel, blushed furiously. "Well, at least throw the bouquet. Then you can get…started on your honeymoon."

Thirty minutes later, Sarah MacGregor was the proud owner of Sam's bouquet, Spencer was in possession of the blue garter Sam had worn, and Sam and Freddie were standing on the curb outside the reception hall, saying goodbye to Jax and giving Marissa final instructions.

"Make sure you read to him before he goes to bed," Sam said, "and don't make the Big Bad Wolf too scary or he won't sleep. And make sure he has Charlie Bear when he goes to bed. Oh, and if he gets a rash there's some special ointment in our medicine cabinet. And…"

"Samantha!" he mom said, cutting Sam off. "I have done this before…stop worrying. Jackson and I will be just fine. Won't we, Jackson?"

Jax looked from his grandmother to his mother and back again, his little face suddenly crumpling as he began to wail.

"Don't go Mama!" Jax' blue eyes ran a steady stream of tears and he reached out for his mother, attempting, in vain, to wiggle out of Marissa's arms.

Sam looked at Freddie in desperation. She was not the strong one when it came to Jax. If he left it up to her right now, she'd throw Jax' bag in the back with their suitcases and they'd have a new addition to their honeymoon trip.

Freddie reached out and took the inconsolable Jax from Marissa's arms.

"Hey," he said, tickling Jax under his chin. "Remember what you're going to be today?"

"A big boy," Jax said, sniffling as Freddie wiped his tears.

"That's right. And what do big boys do?

"Behave."

"That's right! So you're gonna be a big boy for Mommy and Daddy and go with Grandma, and we'll be back before you know it. Okay?"

"Okay," Jax said, laying his head on Freddie's shoulder, not sounding entirely convinced about this 'big boy' business.

Sam leaned up to kiss Jax' cheek, whispering in his ear how much they loved him. Freddie looked down to see tears in her eyes. This was hard, for both of them. This was the longest they'd ever be away from Jax, but he knew if they didn't leave soon, they'd run the risk of not going at all, and he'd been planning this honeymoon surprise for too long to back out now.

"Come on Jackson," Marissa said, taking Jax from Freddie's arms. "Let's go inside and see if we can find Jason." She turned to Sam and Freddie. "Well, I'm not going to get all emotional again." She said, but her eyes said different. "I'm so proud of you…both of you." She leaned in to hug Sam and then Freddie, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Now go on you two…have fun and be safe. Call me when you get there."

The doors to the reception hall opened and their guests poured out onto the street, all loudly calling their goodbyes. Sam stood by the open limo door, calling out goodbyes to her family and blowing kisses to Jax. Freddie waved his own goodbyes, smiling at his friends and family. Catching sight of Sam's Uncle Carmine standing on the edge of the crowd, he paused. Carmine had pulled him to the side during the reception, giving him what amounted to a death threat if he so much as considered hurting Sam. Now he stood on the edge of the crowd and offered Freddie a soft smile. The men nodded at each other. They'd reached a silent understanding; Carmine had nothing to worry about. Making Sam happy was Freddie's priority, one he didn't intend to mess up.

The cacophony of voices and well wishes cut off abruptly as Freddie shut the door to the limo. Reaching down, Sam pulled off the heels she'd been complaining about all day, throwing them across the limo's plush backseat before settling into her seat and Freddie's arms.

"So…are you ready for this?" he asked.

"Ready for what? My super-secret honeymoon?" she laughed. "Are you finally going to tell me where we're going?"

"I think it might be easier to show you." He said, reaching over to grab a flat white box that sat across from them. Sam looked at him curiously as he placed the box in her hands. "Go ahead, open it."

Sam cast one more sidelong glance at Freddie before removing the red ribbon that held the box together. Opening the lid she looked in at the PearPad inside and lifted it out. Freddie reached across and turned it on, pressing icons on the touch screen to bring up the video he'd loaded a week ago.

"Freddie, what is this?"

"Just watch," he smiled, "and prepare to be amazed."

The screen was dark as a song from Tom Jobim flowed from the speakers, slowly the screen began to fill with water as blue as she'd ever seen, lapping softly at a white sand beach that seemed to go on for miles.

"We're going to a beach?" Sam asked.

"Not just any beach…keep watching!"

The camera moved in from the panoramic view of the white sand beach, approaching a beautiful building all steel and glass surrounded by palm trees of the greenest green. The view continued, focusing in on the hotel's name.

"Árvore Verde?" Sam asked, confused and Freddie could tell she was doing her best to call on her one year of Spanish to translate. "Green … something?"

"Very good! Green Tree. It's a large chain of five-star hotels that sits on the beach…in Brazil."

He looked at Sam and every minute of planning, plotting and listening to her whine about being kept in the dark was worth it as her eyes grew wider and wider. Once, about a year ago, they'd been watching an episode of 'Dude takes on Food,' Sam's favorite show, as it filmed in São Paulo, Brazil. Sam had been completely taken with the setting, partially because of how beautiful the place was but mostly because in this particular episode, Dude's challenge took place in a restaurant that served a variety of meats, carried around on swords by the servers. Sand, sun and meat…it was Sam's perfect place. When it was time to plan the honeymoon, he knew right away where he was taking her.

"Freddie! Oh my God! Are you serious right now?"

"As a heart attack."

"We're going to Brazil?"

"Yep."

"Right now?"

"Yep."

She threw herself into his arms, planting loud, wet kisses all over his face.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you right now?"

He laughed and buried his face in her hair, rubbing her back. "If it's even half as much as I love you then I'm a pretty lucky man."

She sat back on her seat but left her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she leaned in to kiss him. "And you're about to get even luckier."

By the time the limo pulled up in front of the hotel they'd be staying in for the night, Sam's excitement at knowing the honeymoon's location had lessened a bit, overtaken by a sudden nervousness. She was getting ready to start her honeymoon. It all felt a little strange, though she couldn't put her finger on why.

She continued to smile as Freddie helped her out of the limo and they headed through the doors of the Seattle Fairmont Olympic Hotel. As they passed, people standing in the lobby smiled at them, congratulating them, wishing them good luck. All the while the butterflies in in Sam's stomach steadily multiplied.

Freddie settled her on an ornate chaise near the concierge desk as he checked them in.

"Freddie and Samantha Benson." He said to the woman standing behind the desk. His face radiated so much pride at those words. The woman, whose name tag identified her as Gerta, looked over at Sam and smiled.

"Ah, yes, of course. The Bensons for the honeymoon suite." She typed in their information and handed Freddie their key cards. "Your bride is beautiful," she said. Freddie turned to Sam, something new and transfixing in his eyes.

"Yes," he said, "She is." He walked over to her then, offering her his hand as the bell hop grabbed their bags. "You ready?" he said as she stood.

She nodded, not really trusting her own voice, took his hand, and followed him to the glass enclosed elevator. As it ascended, she wondered if the bellhop could feel the palpable tension in the small enclosed space. She looked from beneath her eyelashes at Freddie. His collar was open and his face flushed as he stared at her with hooded eyes. Her hands were itching to touch him, her body growing desperate to allow him to do to her the things she saw just behind his eyes.

After an eternity, the elevator let them off on the top floor and they followed the bellhop to their room. Freddie opened the door and allowed the short, uniformed man to place their bags inside but held Sam's hand to keep her from entering behind him. Tipping the man as he left, Freddie reached down and swept Sam into his arms, walking into the room.

Her breath caught at the shock of being lifted and she barely had time to recover before his lips were on hers, slow and rhythmically moving against her. She was breathless when he pulled back, setting her down gently in front of him. She smiled up at him and turned around, taking in their surroundings. The room was gorgeous, modern with light wood and silver accents, large and open with a wall of windows where the Seattle sunset served as a backdrop.

"Freddie, this is amazing." She breathed.

Freddie walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, lowering his lips to her neck.

"Not as beautiful as you," he said.

She shivered at the feel of his lips against her and struggled to maintain her composure.

"I need to get this dress off."

She felt Freddie's hands at the back of her dress, pressing on the buttons there. "I'd be happy to help you with that."

She laughed and turned around, pushing lightly against his chest. "No…I need to, you know…shower and stuff."

He placed a soft kiss on her cheek and walked over to her suitcase, placing it in the bathroom for her.

"Go ahead, baby. Take your time. I have a surprise I need to get ready for you anyway."

"Freddie! I don't need any more surprises. Seriously…this, all of this, is enough."

He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose as he exited the bathroom. "No arguments. Now go get ready…and no peeking." He smiled as he shut the door behind her.

She looked around the bathroom and shook her head. It was bigger than their bedroom at home. On the far wall was a multi-head two person shower. Beside the shower four steps inlaid with marble led up to a garden tub big enough to fit four people. Along the opposite side, his and her pedestal sinks stood in front of a wall of mirrors, linked by a marble countertop. She didn't know bathrooms could be beautiful.

She heard a soft knocking at the suite's front door and whispered voices. She laughed to herself, wondering what exactly Freddie was up to. She figured she'd find out soon enough. Walking to the center of the room she turned to the mirrors and looked at herself. Even after a couple hours of dancing she had to admit she still looked pretty good. She removed her dress and felt as if she were moving in slow motion as she took a shower, covered her body in a scented lotion Freddie loved and then reached into her suitcase to pull out the satin robe she'd purchased for tonight. Carly and Melanie had tried to talk her into all sorts of fancy lace get ups but Sam was adamant – anything she put on wasn't going to stay on for very long, so what was the point?

She washed her face and brushed her teeth, putting on a little mascara and lip gloss in Freddie's favorite flavor – cherry. The exact same kind she'd been wearing when they'd kissed for the first time out on the fire escape. It had taken her days to find it but it just felt right. Standing back, she surveyed herself. Freddie had always loved her hair long She ran a hand through the curls, closing her eyes as she thought of how it felt to lay in Freddie's arms and have him play with her hair.

"Sam?" Freddie knocked softly on the door. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out." Glancing once more into the mirror, she took a deep breath and headed for the door. As she opened it she had to adjust her eyes to the darkened entryway.

"Freddie?" she called.

"Out here, baby. Just follow the lights."

Sam did indeed notice soft light, but she was speechless as the room came fully into view. In the time it had taken her to get ready Freddie had managed to transform the already beautiful room into something akin to paradise. She didn't know how, but at the moment she didn't care. This was everything she'd ever dreamed of.

The lights were off and candles seemed to cover every surface, illuminating the space. The king sized bed sat on a platform at the center of the room, covered in rose petals that trailed from the downy white comforter to the place where she now stood.

Freddie stood beside the bed, his chest bare, a pair of white drawstring pants slung low on his hips. Above them her eyes traced the outline of his abs to his broad shoulders, accentuated by lean muscle. She loved his body. Watching him now, she was gaining a new appreciation for it and struggled to maintain her composure as she considered the way his skin would feel beneath her hands … the way he'd smell, the way he'd taste.

Her breath was halting as she raised her eyes to meet his. Walking toward her, he came to a stop close enough to touch her. She shivered in anticipation of the moment his hands made contact but instead he stood still, his eyes raking over her.

"Sam?" his voice was gruff, heavy with need, all the more powerful because of the silence it shattered.

"Yes?"

"I want to see you." he said, "all of you."

With shaking hands she undid the knotted belt of her robe, shivering as the silk slid from her shoulders and pooled at her feet. She was left bare. The light cast dancing shadows over her body and a rolling heat settled in the pit of her stomach as Freddie's lust filled eyes drank her in.

She'd been naked in front of him before, more times than she could count. There wasn't a part of her body that he wasn't familiar with. But like the first encounter with a new lover, every curve called for his touch, begging him to claim all of her. This was a feeling beyond want or desire. It was need, potent and feral in its intensity.

Under the power of his gaze, she felt suddenly and irrationally self-conscious. Her body was different since she'd had Jax. The changes were small, likely only noticeable to her. But in this moment, with Freddie's eyes trained on her unflinchingly, she was painfully aware of them all. She raised a hand to cover herself and Freddie bridged the gap between them, grabbing hold of her arm.

"Don't," he said, raising her hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on her palm. "You're so beautiful."

As he lowered her hand and looked into her eyes, Sam saw an acceptance that bordered on adoration, and she felt her insecurities melt away. Without another word he came to her, so close there was barely room for air between them. Leaning down he placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. She closed her eyes and felt his arm around her and then weightlessness as he lifted her, carrying her to the bed.

"Quite the gentleman, aren't you Mr. Benson?"

He smiled at her, but said nothing and she felt his hands shaking beneath her. He was nervous. She was relieved not to be the only one. 'But why?' she wondered. They'd been together for over two years. They had a child together – a life, and now they were married. What was there to be nervous about?

She was the one who'd told Freddie that marriage was just a piece of paper, an official seal on something that had already been decided. But the feeling she had now, this sensation of opening her eyes to find the world brand new, was proof that she'd been wrong.

This was different. They were different. They weren't playing house or testing the waters. This wasn't a temporary situation and there were no easy exit doors. Looking down at the diamond that sparkled on her left hand it was clear to her. They were now an 'us' in the truest sense of the word.

Freddie placed her softly in the middle of the bed. His face was serious, a range of emotions played out behind his eyes. She knew him too well – he couldn't hide anything from her. He was thinking – too hard.

"Good thing I'm not allergic to flowers," she laughed, attempting to draw him out. "But I have a feeling I'm going to have rose petals in very strange places in the morning." Underneath the words she spoke she hoped he heard the words in her heart.

"Things have changed, but not the most important thing. We're still us."

Freddie slid into the bed beside her, drawing the blanket over them. When he looked back at her, the shadows in his eyes were gone.

"Seriously Sam," he laughed, "I did all of this and all you can think about is rose petals in your 'special' places?"

"Got you to laugh, though."

"Yeah…" he said, smiling down at her. "You did. You always do. How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Know exactly what to say – exactly what I need."

She shrugged and turned her body toward him, "I don't know…it's a gift." She laughed.

"You're a gift." He reached out a hand, cupping her chin, "I love you Samantha Joy Benson."

"I love you, Freddie." She said, placing both hands on the sides of his face, pulling his lips down to meet hers. The kiss was soft at first but as he lowered himself onto her, skin meeting skin, desire wound itself like a coil tighter and tighter in her stomach. His touches were feather light as he slid a hand down her side. His fingertips trailed down to her hip and back again, halting as they brushed against the edge of her breast. She ran a hand up the back of his neck, grasping the hair there, pulling him to her. She kissed him with greedy insistence. His hands continued to skim her body, ghosted touch over every part of her until she thought she'd go mad. He dragged his hand down the outside of her thigh, his movements slow and deliberate as he continued to kiss her, tracing the outline of her bottom lip with his tongue. She moaned in anticipation as his fingers inched their way up her inner thigh, tracing soft, lazy circles over her skin, stopping short of where she wanted them to be. Reflexively she groaned, the ache building at the center of her.

Freddie pulled his lips from her and chuckled softly, whispering in her ear.

"Patience…" he said, tracing his tongue over her earlobe. "We have all night. And I intend to make good use of every second."

The sound of his voice, deep and throaty in her ear, only served to intensify her need. Wrapping her arms around his neck she slid her leg up his body, hooking it around his waist. She lowered her head to the base of his neck, licking slowly upward to his ear – the spot that made him generally agreeable to whatever she wanted, and nipped at it. Freddie moaned, his eyes closed, momentarily distracted from the slow torture to which he'd been subjecting her. Taking advantage of his brief loss of control, she twisted her hips and rolled them both over, pushing his shoulders back onto the bed as she straddled him.

Freddie stared up at her, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her into him. His response to their change in position was immediate and evident and Sam threw her head back at the sensation of him throbbing beneath her. Never taking his eyes from her, he wrapped one arm around her back and sat up, placing soft open mouthed kisses down the center of her chest, his other hand kneading her breast.

She ground her hips into his, placing her hands behind her on the bed to balance herself. The way he was touching her now was like worship, giving his full attention to each kiss, each touch. His mouth found her breast and she hissed at the moist warmth of his mouth, arching her back as her fingers reached out to tangle in his hair. She felt him smile at her reaction. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Sam reached down through the space between them, hurriedly tugging at the draw string on his pants. From the way his fingers dug into her hips, the soft moans that escaped his open mouth, she knew he now had as little interest in going slow as she did. She needed him – now.

"Freddie," she said through halting breaths, "I can't….I need…"

He raised his head to look at her, his mouth still occupied. "What is it baby? Tell me what you need."

She groaned as he began to suck at the soft skin of her collar bones. She was rapidly losing the ability to form coherent sentences.

"You know…you know what I need."

"Say it," the command came out like a growl from somewhere deep in his chest, "I want to hear you say it. Tell me what you want."

She'd never wanted him like this. Never needed him like this. Her body tensed, her heart a timpani in her chest. Without words, it begged for the release only he could give her.

"I need you…inside me. Please." Her voice was pleading.

Her words were all the encouragement Freddie needed, and he flipped her onto her back and hovered over her. She reached down to his hips, clawing at the thin fabric that was the only thing separating her from what she wanted most. Freddie shook his head, grabbing her hands and pinning them over her head with one of his own. His lips were firm and demanding against her own and she felt sure that at any moment he'd devour her whole.

Sliding his pants from his hips he kicked them onto the floor. Running his hand up the back of her thigh he wrapped her leg around him and lowered himself onto her. Sam cried out at the contact, her head filled with a steady buzzing that made it impossible to think of anything but him or to even consider that the world existed outside this moment.

The feeling of him around her, over her, inside of her, was almost too much to bear. Her hips matched his, thrust for thrust, driving her closer and closer to the edge. She grabbed onto his shoulders, dragging her nails down his back. He hissed into her shoulder, wrapping her leg around him, changing the angle of his entry. As he moved against her, pressing his lips to her ear, her heart, already overflowing with him, was filled again as he whispered his love, restated his promise.

'I love you. I'll always love you. You're everything to me.'

She tried to respond with words, tried to make clear the depth of her love for him. But this, what she was feeling, was beyond words. It wasn't just two bodies, it wasn't just pleasure. This was the sealing of the greatest promise she'd ever made. There was a truth beneath this passion that brought the world into sharp focus. The words being spoken, the eyes staring into hers, the heart beating against her own; these were the road signs confirming that she'd chosen the right path – she'd found where she belonged.

The frenzied energy between them was like fire, building until it threatened to consume them and they both surrendered to it, the screams of their release echoing off the walls of the room. Freddie fell against her and rolled to his side, pulling her toward him until her back was flush with his chest. Neither of them moved, or said a word. They lay in each other arms until their breathing slowed. Finally Sam spoke.

"That was…"

"Amazing? Spectacular? Life-changing?

Sam laughed and turned to face Freddie, laying a hand on his chest. "Better than ham."

Freddie's eyes grew wide in mock surprise. "Wow…that's a pretty high honor. So, you gonna trade in a lifelong love of meat for consistently amazing sex?"

"I don't think so," she laughed, pressing her body against his, "but what's wrong with having your cake and eating it too?"

"Well, Mrs. Benson…" Freddie smiled wickedly as he leaned down to kiss her. "I think that can be arranged."