oh, lets see how far we've come (and just how far we need to go)
Sam looked up from the homework she wasn't doing as she heard Freddie stir. She had dragged her unconcious friend back to his apartment with the help of T-Bo, seeing as Gibby had locked himself in the bathrooms of the Groovy Smoothie crying hysterically and couldn't exactly help.
She had dumped him on the couch about a half an hour ago, and had settled down at the kitchen table with the algebra homework she should have handed up two weeks previously to wait him to come around.
Possibly so she could knock him out again for being a complete jerk.
"W-what happened?" Freddie groaned, struggling to sit up. His dark hair was all over the place, his shirt crumpled.
"Your plan backfired." Sam replied, not looking up from her homework.
"Yeah, I guess as much." Freddie said, rubbing his forehead. "Christ, Gibby can throw a punch. It feels like someones hit me in the face with a hammer."
"Gibby could be an awesome fighter if he didn't cry every time he hurt someone." Sam said.
"There goes your dream of managing an MMA fighter." Freddie joked.
"Meh." Sam shrugged. "Seattles a big city."
Freddie winced. "I have the worst headache ever."
"You deserve it." Sam said, standing up, and heading for the medicine cabinet in the Benson's kitchen. It was locked, of course, but even a Ms Benson style lock couldn't keep Sam out. She smiled, satisfied as she heard the familiar click of a lock springing open.
Filling a glass of water, she took two paracetamol out of the box, and walked over to Freddie, sitting down next to him on the couch, folding her legs beneath her.
"Thanks." Freddie accepted them gladly, downing the entire glass of water in a matter of seconds.
"That's new."
"What?"
"You didn't even get annoyed with me for picking the lock to one of your moms cupboards."
Freddie laughed. "Would it have stopped you?"
"Nope." Sam said, popping the 'p' in the word loudly.
"See? I knew that." Freddie said. "I know you too well to argue you at this point."
Sam didn't reply, looking at Freddie carefully.
"What?"
"You've been acting like a jerk." Sam said quietly.
"I know." Freddie sighed. "I let Gibby convince me into doing something stupid. I should respect-"
"I don't just mean this past week." Sam gave him a pointed look.
"I know." Freddie replied after an agonising pause. "I know I have been."
"Why?" Sam inquired. Her voice was emotionless, and steady.
"I don't know-"
"As if." She interrupted.
Freddie looked at Sam. Her blonde curls were messy, pushed back off her face in messy waves. She was gorgeous.
"I miss you."
"That's not a reason."
"Yeah, it is." Freddie argued.
"You miss me so you've been acting like a jerk?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"It sounded better in my head." Freddie said. "I miss you, and I've been trying to deal with it."
"By being a jerk?"
"Apparently." Freddie said, absentmindedly picking at a loose thread in his jeans. "I thought that if I pretended nothing happened, it'd be easier to get over you."
He looked up at her. "It didn't work. I still miss you, and I'm not over you."
"You could have just told me that, not acted like a complete asshole."
"You seemed to be okay without me."
Sam snorted. "That's no excuse. And I thought you knew me 'too well'?"
"Huh?"
"If you knew me as well and you say you do, you'd know I'm not okay." Sam said. "How the hell could I be okay? You asked Carly if it was too late for you to love her. How am I supposed to be okay if you pull something like that? That's just yet another person picking Carly over me."
"I'd never pick Carly over you!"
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really!" Freddie said. "I was stupid when I said that Sam. But I honestly thought that if my life went back to how it was before us, I'd feel better."
"And you're supposed to be the intelligent one."
"Yeah, I know, I'm an idiot." Freddie said. "But I've never been good with this love stuff."
"God, we're a horrible match." Sam said, laughing slightly.
"I think we're pretty perfect, actually."
"If we were perfect, wouldn't we still be together?"
"Not necessarily." Freddie said. "Sometimes people who should be together aren't."
"Are you quoting crap romantic comedies at me?"
"I've had girls for friends for too long, haven't I?"
"Without a doubt."
"I mean it though Sam. We are good for each other."
"You're delusional Freddie." Sam said. "We're bad for each other."
"Why?"
"Because we bring out the worst in each other." Sam said. "You know that as well as I do. I mean, I just make you act like a jerk."
"I'm sorry Sam." Freddie said. "About acting like a jerk. I really am sorry about that. But I am never going to believe we're not good for each other."
He smiled at her softly. "You made me loosen up- and your GPA went up by half a point when we were dating, because I made you start doing your homework."
Sam didn't say anything.
"Come on Sam, talk to me."
"Just because we were a little good for each other, doesn't mean we're good together." Sam said. "All we do is fight. We don't act like a normal couple, we just argue, and-"
"Do you love me?" Freddie demanded.
It took Sam a second to reply, her voice shaky. "Yes."
"And I love you." Freddie said, edging closer to her. "Nothing else should matter."
"But other stuff does matter Freddie!" Sam said. "Like the fact you're probably going to be going to some fancy college on the other side of the country in a few months, and I'm going to be here. You, you're going to achieve things Freddie, and I'll probably end up exactly like my mom-"
Sam was cut off by Freddie pressing his lips to hers. She sat, frozen in shock as he kissed her.
"Don't ever say that." Freddie said as they broke apart. "You are never, ever going to be like your mom."
"That doesn't change the fact that you're going to get out of here and I'm not." Sam said, trying to catch her breath.
"Who the fuck told you that?"
"No one needed to." Sam replied, her voice quiet.
"I hate this."
"What?"
"I hate seeing you put yourself down all of the time." Freddie said. "God Sam, if only you could see what I see!" He looked at her carefully, his expression frustrated. "When I look at you I see this hilarious, gorgeous, brilliant girl who doesn't realise just how much potential she actually has."
"Don't-"
"You, Sam, are one of the most creative people I've ever met." Freddie interrupted. "And you and I both know creativity isn't something that comes naturally to most people. I mean, look at me!"
The made Sam smile, if only slightly.
"I know I've been acting like an idiot Sam, and I don't think I can apologise enough for it." Freddie said. "But I don't want you to think that my opinion of you has changed. I still think you're amazing, and I always will think you are. Regardless of what happens between us."
"Really?" Sam sounded so young, and fragile.
"Yeah, really." Freddie said. "I don't expect you to forgive me straight away Sam- if ever- but I really would like if we could try and fix things between us. You mean a lot to me."
"I only mean a lot to you?"
"You mean everything to me." Freddie said simply. "I love you Sam."
Sam nodded slowly. "I love you too, nub."
"So are we okay?" Freddie asked, feeling a little relieved.
"We're getting there." Sam said. Right now, she was exactly ready to forgive him straight away. She was going to let him sweat it out a little- he deserved it after all, and well, Sam wasn't going to let herself be played as a fool. If he really meant what he was saying, he was going to stick around for as long as it takes.
She had jumped into their relationship heart first, without thinking, the first time around, and it had got her hurt. She had no questions about her feelings for Freddie, but she wasn't going to let him mess with her heart again.
(even if it did, undoubtedly, belong to him and only him.)
"Hows your head?" Sam inquired after a few minute silence.
"It hurts." Freddie admitted, and flashed her a tiny smirk. "But nothing a kiss wouldn't fix."
Sam flicked his shoulder, hard. "Don't push your luck Benson." She replied, but she couldn't help but press a soft, lingering kiss to the side of his head.
They were going to be okay. It had taken one hell of a punch from Gibby to push them back together long enough to talk, but they would be okay. They were on the right path, and things were starting to look up.
Maybe the stupid band hadn't been such a bad idea after all.
/
Author's Note; I found this on my harddrive when I was looking for a history essay, and I'd completely forgotten about it! I wrote it after iGet Banned (which is probably very obvious) and rather than let it sit on my hardrive and collect cyber dust, I thought I might as well upload it.
So yeah, feedback is much appreciated!