Authors note: I forgot to mention, for the purpose of this story the Seddie arch never took place. However all those pent up feelings and sexual tension between the two are alive and well ! What did take place was iGoodbye excluding Seddie moments (thought they were quite rare) and #TheKillerTunaJump.

Also I know I'm quite terrible at editing please forgive me, but for some reason a lot of time words that I know I am typing don't appear when the story get uploaded…it's so weird! Hope this one has all the words.

Enjoy.

Sam Puckett hated labels

"Sam…it's me..uh Freddie Benson." She smiled in spite of herself at his nubbiness. " This is my 58th attempt to get you to answer your phone. We really need to talk..I meant what I said before. I um…at least let me know that you're alive...please, I'm wrapping it up I know you hate it when I ramble, but yea ..I miss you."

Sam lowered her phone from her ear and hit the power button, looking at her home screen she was met with a picture she and Freddie took on his last visit to see her. It was a picture of the two on the boardwalk; they both wore matching smiles, the corners of their mouths stained with the color orange. One of his arms held her around the waist, while she had an arm slung across his shoulders. She was holding a first place trophy while Freddie held a blue participation ribbon. They both had entered a hot dog eating contest, her idea of course; he managed to eat 7 while she put back 23 a personal best. Her favorite thing about the picture was his eyes, while hers were pointed at the lens his were directly on her. That was an awesome day…a simpler day. Sam jumped dropping her phone as the song Ace of Spades blared from its speakers.

"What's up Dice?"

"Sam thank God, I've been looking everywhere for those court documents you wanted me to mail out."

"Oh uh yea I put them in the kitchen drawer."

"Aww not the junk drawer." He said while moving over to the kitchen. "It's a surprise you can find anything in here." He said while opening the drawer. "Ever think of I don't know labeling your files?"

"I think I was eating Chinese that day look for an envelope with possible soy sauce stains."

"You know markers can work wonders." He said with a laugh. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks kid." Placing down her phone she began swirling her straw in her drink…maybe he was right. She thought, thinking about how they left things.

"Sam we need to talk." Freddie stated following her into her and Cat's apartment.

"I have a better idea, how about we don't mention it and you buy me a bucket of chicken." She said while taking off her coat and tossing it on the couch.

"Sam I'm serious."

"So am I." She said while turning around to face him. "Just let it go."

"I can't" At this she grew angry, why couldn't he just leave well enough alone.

"Freddie what you did back there was way out of line."

"Sam that guy was hitting on you right in front of me!"

"And so what if he was?"

"Do you seriously think I'm just going to stand by while some jackass tries to come on to my girlfriend?

"Newsflash Benson I care take care of myself and I'm not your girlfriend!" She stated while poking him in his chest. "What is It with you…huh? Why does it always have to be all or nothing?"

"Maybe it's because I love all of you and you seem to want nothing to do with me!"

She knew it was a bad idea three months ago when they started…whatever it was that they were doing. She should have just left his nerdy ass in the hospital. At the time everything seemed perfect, he was back in her life, and suddenly that empty feeling she tried to ignore in her chest suddenly didn't feel so empty, and his lips, the boy knew how to use a pair of lips. He also knew how to complicate things, and complicated they were. Surprise hook ups, late night phone calls, and no strings attached should be the average guy's dream, but no not Freddie Benson he just had to go and call her his…girlfriend and to make matters worse he used the L word, that's when she knew she had to end things.

She knew she had a…issue with labels. She avoided, rearranged, and disregarded them her whole life. Labels equaled pressure, control, and ultimately disappointment…labels always ruined everything.

Flashback

"Alright Sammy this time I want you to step out with your left foot, and don't forget to shift your weight, I don't ever wanna see this ball again, got it?" Andrew Puckett said preparing to throw a pitch to his daughter.

"Got it dad." Nine year old Sam replied adjusting her stance. "Get ready Mel, this one's going far."

"Here it comes!" He called winding back his arm and throwing the ball. Sam swung back following her father's instructions she hit the baseball with all her might. She watched in astonishment as the ball flew through the air over their gate, pass the neighboring house, and then out of sight. "And the ball goes out of the park, it's a home run and the crowd goes wild!" Sam laughed as her dad picked her up spinning her around in a circle. Moving towards Melanie he scooped her up slinging her over his other shoulder.

"Daddy I'm wearing a skirt!" She exclaimed while tugging on the garment.

"Alright you three, dinner's almost ready and clean hands get first dibs on the chicken." Pam called out the front door.

"I'm so getting the thigh." Andrew said rubbing his hands together.

"Hey Dad who's that?" Sam said nodding her head towards a black sedan that stopped in front of their home. She took noticed as her father's smile fell, his face quickly becoming serious as he turned away from the car and look back to her and her sister.

"I want you two to get inside and wash up for dinner."

"But what about you?"

"I ..I have to run out and get some milk for dinner." Mel nodded her head, while Sam looked around her father and back to the car.

"I'll go with you." She stated moving forward.

"No Sammy." He said stopping her, the sedan suddenly let out a loud honk, causing the twins to jump. "I'll …I'll be back soon." Turning his head he held up a finger to the car before turning back around. Kneeling down he put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Now I want you two to remember two things, I love you both more than anything in this or any other universes out there don't let anyone ever tell you different, you are those most amazing things in my life."

"Dad.."

"Secondly people in this world won't always be nice they'll talk about you, call you names, and do anything to break you if you let them…never let them. You are only what you say you are, not anybody else." The horn beeped again, this time Sam noticed a window slowly begin to move down, but before she could get a look in the car her father once again blocked her view.

"Got it?" The twins looked to each other and then back to their father with a nod. "Good now, I love you." He pulled them both into a hug. Which Sam noticed was a tight hug, and you only give tight hugs when you wouldn't be seeing a person in a while. Kissing their heads, he looked at them both long and hard, before standing up. "Make sure to listen to your mother." He said while walking to the car.

"Come on Sam we better wash up, Dad will be right back." Melanie said walking into the house. Sam watched as her dad got in the car and it pulled away, and she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her stomach that he wouldn't.

It had been a week, one week since she last seen him, their mother was a wreck. She would go driving around town everyday looking for him. It cost her, her job but that didn't stop her. Melanie cried every night, and with their mother so wrapped up in finding their father, it became her job to calm her down.

The week turned into weeks which quickly turned into months, five months to be exact. It was Thursday night, and not any old Thursday night, it was the night of the ice cream social, and Mel had begged her to come to which she agreed, she was never one to turn down food.

"Hey Sam." Freddie Benson said while walking over with a smile. Freddie was an interesting kid. He was really smart but not only in the nerdy kid of way, he had an unfortunate wardrobe, and a mother who was almost as crazy as her own …but what she liked most about him was that he didn't care what other people thought.

"What flavor did you get?"

"A little bit of everything, why choose one when you can have them all, you?"

"Oh this." He said while moving his spoon around his cup. "Is yogurt that my mom made, she said there's too much sugar in the offered selections." He said with a shrug.

"Your mother is crazy." She said shaking her head. "Hey you wanna get a game of four square going?"

"Yea sure." Tossing out their cups, both children headed over to the black top.

"Hey got room for two more?" Sam asked a group of kids standing on the court.

"Nope we're full." A boy said with a sneer before turning back to the other children.

"Well then we call next." She replied crossing her arms.

"We'll still be full."

"Come on Sam lets' just get out of here." Freddie said while putting a hand on her arm

"No way, we want to play four square, so that's what we're going to do." She said while shaking Freddie's hand off of her, and walking closer to the boy. "Dude what's your problem?"

"My problem is that my mother told me not to play with bastards, so why don't you and your little friend get out of here." The other children in the circle all began to snicker. While Sam and Freddie looked to each other, neither sure of what the word meant.

"Come on Sam the swings are free, I'll push you if you want." Sam glared at the group of children but allowed herself to be pulled away.

"So what do you think it means?" She asked once they were out of ear shot.

"Not sure, never heard it before."

"Freddie! …Freddie?"

"Crazy's moving in."

"Oh my goodness! There you are I've been looking everywhere for you, did you finish your yogurt?" Marissa Benson said while moving forward to wipe her sons face with a wet wipe.

"Yes mom, Sam and I just wanted to play for a bit." Freddie stated while expertly dodging his mother's wiping attempt.

"Oh hello Samantha, I see you're still in your t shirt phase." She said while gesturing to Sam's Girly Cow t-shirt. "How's your mother, is she here?"

"No Mrs. Benson she… had to work late, so she couldn't make it." Sam said while scuffing her toe in the dirt.

"Mom can we please play for a little while?" Freddie asked noticing his friend's discomfort.

"Alright but be careful, you can have 15 more minutes remember boys without bedtimes…"

"Thanks mom." He smiled giving her a quick hug. "Oh and one more thing..what's a bastard?"

"Fredward Karl Benson where did you ever hear such a word?!" Marissa exclaimed with a hand over her heart.

"Those kids over there said me and Sam couldn't play with them because their mothers said they couldn't play with bas…that word I said before. Is it a bad word?"

"It's a word that you must never say, now show me who said it." As Freddie pointed out the kid, Sam watched as she marched over to a group of mothers standing near one of the tables. At first they spoke in hushed tones, until one of the other women, a rather pale and pudgy woman poked a finger in her and Freddie's direction. The next thing they knew Freddie's mother proceeded to smear ice cream across her face. They looked to one another with equally shocked expressions, and Sam just knew she had to find out what the word meant.

That night after Mel and her mother went to sleep; she made her way to the computer. Opening up a window she quickly did a search on the word.

The first meaning she found stateda person born of unmarried parents; an illegitimate child. Moving down she read the next definition, a vicious, despicable, or thoroughly disliked person. Which she tried to pretend didn't bother her too much, but scrolling down a little more she saw the third and final definition, a fatherless child.

Sam sat back in her chair staring at the words on the screen. Feeling something wet on her cheeks she wiped at her eyes, not realizing that she had started to cry. As she wiped at her eyes her father's words once again began to play in her mind.

You are only what you say you are.

But instead of understanding she felt something different anger. So they thought of her as a bastard, then maybe she would give it a try. She would be the best bastard she could be, and that was her decision not theirs.

That night she went to bed with a new outlook on life, one that would play a huge role in shaping her future.

End Flashback.

Bastard was one of the first labels that played such a big role in her life, and many followed after it…delinquent, senseless, tease, and those were a few of the nicer ones. Which was fine, because she didn't let it get to her, the label would only stick if she let it, but there was always this one thing that did get to her, him.

No matter how hard she try to fight it…she literally pounded on the kid through most of their childhood , with him she couldn't help but feel like her typical "rules" didn't apply, with him a label didn't seem so bad, and that's what scared her the most. Taking one last slurp from her cup, she stood sliding her backpack onto her shoulders.

"Hey want another for the road?"

"Nah I'm good." She said picking up her helmet and throwing away her cup.

"Well good luck with everything, I'm routing for you."

"Thanks Teebs." Sam said with a small smile while walking towards the door.

"If it helps I know he's missed you like crazy."

"The funny thing is I think I've missed him more." She sated sliding her helmet on while walking out the door.

…..

Okay so I'm toying with the universe a little here as well as the definition of the word Bastard ,but ehhh call it writer's power or something else more catchy.

Sorry if this was confusing, hopefully the final chapter will bring more clarity.