Sam Puckett was never the best person on earth, but she wasn't necessarily the worst either. She passed most of her classes with high C's in school, she was a good best friend to Carly, and she was a genuinely okay person to be around. She just couldn't wrap her head around why the powers that be had her wake up to absolute darkness.

Losing one of her senses was jarring, more so than losing a physical fight. Freddie was with her during the testing that the doctors put her through; all the scans and lights in the eyes. They called it amaurosis fugax, or just a fancy shmancy way of saying temporary loss of vision.

In her case, the injuries sustained from her mother and the additional migraine caused from Mrs. Benson's yelling had aggravated the condition. Her doctors weren't sure when she would regain her vision, because most people were afflicted for no more than a few minutes.

For Sam, it has been a little over three weeks. And in those weeks, the Bensons had been willing to take her in. Or, at least, Freddie did.

Losing her sight made Sam appreciative of the little things. Like the savory taste of a well-cooked piece of bacon. Or like the raspy sound of Freddie's voice when she would wake up next to him. Or the feeling of her fingers carding through his short-cropped hair whenever they would kiss.

"I never thanked you for helping me," Sam had said one morning. She was laying in the crook of Freddie's arm as they sprawled out on his mattress. "I wouldn't have wanted to help me."

"Shut up, don't say that."

"It's true! I know your mom must think I'm a burden-"

"She doesn't."

"-fine, but I feel like it."

Freddie sighed a long sigh, and Sam heard the sound of his phone screen locking. "What do you say we get out of this apartment?"

"And do what? Go sightseeing around Seattle?" Sam snorted. "Wrong person to ask, buddy."

"Okay, compromise: Let's go to Pike. You'd also be able to enjoy the food and the atmosphere." He was hopeful, optimistic. The feeling sort of oozed into Sam's soul.

Sam retorted, "How do you expect me to navigate through the crowds?"

"I'll be your eyes," Freddie responded, his voice sending a shiver down Sam's spine. "Oh, but speaking about eyes…" He leaned off of the bed, reaching for something. The bed shifted under them when he leaned back. "Hold your hands out."

Sam did just that. A light, spherical object was placed into her hands. As big as a balloon, like a paper mache ball. "What is this?"

Freddie sounded sheepish as he said, "It's a pig. I, uh, made it from paper mache. Painted it like the green Angry Bird pigs." Something in the shape of a pen or marker was placed into Sam's hands. "I didn't color in the eyes. I figured we could do one now, and then when you get your eyesight back, we can finish the other."

Sam felt a sort of warmth build up in her chest, but she didn't show exactly how much she appreciated the gift. "You're too optimistic for your own good."

"No, I would say I'm pretty realistic. Perhaps just -istic." Freddie helped her place the marker at the correct place on the mache pig, and she swirled the marker around to-hopefully-fill the eye.

Freddie took the pig and marker from her, then cleared his throat. "You did pretty good with coloring in the lines for a blind person."

"Don't patronize me." She raised a hand to his face, felt around for his cheek with her fingertips, and then gave him a light slap. They shared a small laugh.

Sam shifted on the bed, sitting on her knees. Both of her hands cupped Freddie's face, and she traced the contours of his features with her featherlight touches. As she went, she tried picturing his face in her mind. The edge of his jawline, his full lips, the strong bridge of his nose, the shape of his eyes, the arch of his eyebrows.

Sam thought to herself, God, you have no idea how much I love you.

Sam didn't need to be sighted to know that her face had flushed a dark red. Did she really just say that? Like, out loud? She really just said that. Holy shit, she hasn't said that since-

"I love you too."

It wasn't long before his breath mingled with hers, and their lips brushed against each other. It was like the last few years hadn't been spent states away, and they hadn't grown apart. Freddie's lips were just as she would always remember; soft, demanding, addicting.

Both of his hands slid up her thighs and to her hips, pulling her closer to him. Sam started combing her fingers through his hair, pulling at the nape of his neck. When he moaned into her mouth, she knew that they wouldn't make it to Pike Place that day.

Sam and Freddie were walking around Downtown Seattle the following evening; it was a great night out, and Sam wanted to stretch her legs a bit more after spending a couple hours reacquainting with one another the previous day. They decided to make the short trip to downtown, just past Pike Place Market, where all the shops were. Freddie had Sam on his arm, and she had one of her thin canes in the other hand.

She could hear the vehicles pass by them as they walked down the moderately busy sidewalk. Sam was content. For the first time in a long time, she was actually happy. Maybe her sight would come back, or maybe it won't. But Freddie would be with her every step of the way, and that was all that mattered to her.

"Okay, I wanna know," Freddie said to her after they finished their discussion over their favorite foods in the pig category.

"Whatchu wanna know?" Sam responded casually, a small smile lingering on her lips.

"When you first started to like me."

She could hear the smirk starting to grow on his. Sam laughed sheepishly. "Okay, remember the time I pushed you in front of that bike messenger and he knocked you down and hit your head on that fire hydrant?"

"Uh, briefly, yes."

"Well afterwards, when you were laying there, moaning…" She held back a girlish giggle, just thinking back on the memory. "...and blood coming outta your ear…"

"Yeah..?"

"I dunno, you looked… kinda cute."

"Aww. Then it was worth the hearing loss."

Sam leaned into him, shaking her head. "Being with you again was worth the loss of sight, too."

They walked a few more paces before Freddie slowed them to a stop. "Sam, just stay here for a couple minutes. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Well, hurry up before I decide to run a marathon."

When his hand left her arm, she immediately felt a chill. It was like Freddie had taken all the warmth of the world with him. Sam stood in the same spot for a few heartbeats before she started to see blurry spots of light in the darkness. Her hand gripping the cane tightened around it. The more Sam blinked, the more her eyes began to adjust to the nightlife around her.

She began to clearly see the passerby around her, the occasional car that would pass by her on the street. The lights from the shop windows and signs caught her eye. Happy tears started to pool in her eyes, and a sort of hysterical laugh came from her.

"Sam?"

She looked forward to see a sharply dressed Freddie Benson standing across the street. The first thing she noticed was the slightly confused expression on his face, and then she waved at him. A huge grin split down his face. Sam could have sworn that she had never loved somebody like he loved Fredward Benson.

He raised his right arm, showing her a plush pig in his hand. "Merry Christmas, Sam!"

Their eyes stayed locked on one another. They were both on Cloud Nine, grinning mad like children. Sam supposed Christmas miracle cliches weren't all bad. But the only thing that stood in their way was the width of this stupid road.

Sam watched as Freddie took two steps into the road, an ignorant smile on his face. Sam watched as a car horn sounded, stealing Freddie's attention.

Sam watched as Freddie disappeared from sight.