Freddie searched the rack of the costume shop with no real interest in finding his costume. Three days before the dance the committee changed the theme from a simple masquerade ball to a costumed masquerade ball. So he, Carly, and Sam were in the costume shop searching for costumes. In reality, he was only there to help Sam and Carly chose their costumes. He had already picked his in secret, since Sam would be meeting Anonymous at the dance and couldn't see the costume Anonymous would be wearing. Sam frowned as Carly forced her into another princess costume and made her show it off for Freddie. He bit his lip so he wouldn't say anything. She looked beautiful in his mind but he knew she probably looked ridiculous to everyone else in the extravagant blue gown. Carly sighed and reluctantly granted her permission to change out of it but ordered her not to leave the dressing room. She went in search of another outfit while Freddie sent Sam a message as Anonymous. You look miserable.

I am. You're here? I didn't see anyone young enough to be you here, she replied. She peeked her head out and looked around for him before ducking back inside. Freddie pretended to be looking through the racks once more.

I was passing the store. Saw you inside. I think Freddie's got something you'd like better. She came out with the gown still on and took the costume Freddie held to her before going back inside to change. Freddie smiled. I'm going to spy and see how you look.

Good. You can tell me what you think. Carly gushes over everything and Freddie just shrugs so I'm not really sure how I really look in something, she replied, smiling as she stripped off the princess costume and tossed it over the curtain to Freddie. He hung it up and smiled. She was so honest with him when he was pretending to be someone else. It was refreshing.

She stepped out wearing the black wedding gown, matching black veil, and grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, I like this," she said as she modeled it for Freddie, Carly, and –hopefully- Anonymous. The gown hugged her curves, had a purple sash with the ends frayed a bit around the waist, and was made to appear kind of ragged. It had off the shoulder sleeves that looked perfect on her. The veil was longer than her hair and hid her face slightly but she still looked amazing. "What do you think?"

Freddie just shrugged but Carly looked ready to burst into song, she was so happy. "It's perfect. How did I miss that?"

Sam went back in the changing room to change into her regular clothes and Carly went to search for the mask she still needed. Freddie unzipped his jacket to reveal the plain white, short sleeve shirt he had been hiding all day and stepped into the changing room. Before Sam looked up from looking at her phone, waiting for his text, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her so she was facing the curtain instead of the mirror. He could remain hidden this way but he put his hand over her eyes just in case. Then he wrapped his free arm around her waist and began to kiss her exposed shoulders tenderly. Making his voice deeper and huskier, he whispered, "You look lovely, Sammy. I love this costume."

"Anonymous?" she asked nervously.

"Of course. There's only so much I can take, sweetheart. I had to come talk to you." He sucked on her neck enthusiastically and she gasped in pleasure and in pain when he gave her a love bite that would later turn into a hickey. "You're a goddess."

"Oh, please," she breathed, placing her hands over his around her waist. "Tell me your name."

"How about an initial?" he asked as he kissed higher up her neck towards her cheek. She nodded her agreement and he thought about whether or not he should lie before giving her a half-truthful answer. "B."

"B? Ben? Barry? Barney? Burney? Baby? Brighton? Burk?" She rattled off names for another five minutes before he turned her head and kissed her lips to stop her. "Oh, God, you're a good kisser."

"Don't try to guess, gorgeous. Just let it be. You can wait a few more days. Then I'll tell you everything about me. Your skin…so soft. So sweet. You smell so good, Sam." She whimpered and put her hand on his head to hold his lips to her neck. "If you do decide to date me, I'll be the happiest man on earth. So long as you promise I'll be allowed to kiss you and touch you whenever I want."

"Whenever you want," she promise breathlessly. He slid his free hand over her stomach toward the V between her legs and she moved her hand to guide his but before he could touch her, Carly called to Sam through the curtain, telling her to hurry up already. Sam growled angrily but called, "Yeah, okay. Just…give me another twenty minutes. I'm having some trouble with the gown."

Freddie wanted to murder Carly but he just straightened with his hand still over her eyes then turned her around and gave her a long, chaste kiss before slipping out while she was still in a daze because of it. Carly gave him a weird look but he ignored her as he pulled on his jacket and went towards the checkout counter. He paid for Sam's costume, bribed the casher to lie about who paid for it, and sat down on a bench next to the door. Carly and Sam giggled about Anonymous' actions the whole way home and Freddie just followed along them and smiled to himself.

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Freddie came into the Shays apartment and smiled when he saw Carly adjusting the pink and white bunny ears on her head. She was wearing a pink, strapless leotard with a matching skirt that had a white cotton ball tail in the back. She also had white gloves on her hands with cuffs on them, brown pantyhose, a brown chocker with a white how on it, and white boots. She looked adorable. She laughed when Freddie told her this and turned to go into the kitchen. As she went, she shook her tail at him and he laughed. "Sam's ready!"

"All right! Show us!" Carly called back to Sam. Sam came down the stairs and Freddie smiled. Of course she didn't leave the costume as it was. She had shortened her dress so it was just above her knees except for a lot of material in the back she had made into a short trail that went down to her ankles, somehow puffed out the skirt, tied the sash so it made a bow in the back, put purple material over the straps and top of the dress, and had ditched the veil but kept the purple roses that was supposed to hold the veil on her head. She was wearing the mask, a pair of fishnet gloves and tights, and a pair of black boots with buckles on them. Freddie's jaw nearly dropped. She looked amazing. She jumped down the stairs and twirled. "Oh, my God! You look fantastic, Sam."

"Thanks. I feel fantastic." She licked her purple colored lips and grinned. "I just hope my beautiful B thinks I look fantastic too."

Freddie rolled his eyes then frowned and said, "Hey, how do you know he's beautiful? You've never seen him?"

"He has too good a voice to not be beautiful," she said happily. Freddie rolled his eyes at her. She had been a lot odder than usual since the costume store. "Where's your costume?"

"I got a rip in my pants and mom's fixing it. Gonna be a bit late, to say the least," he told her and Carly. They nodded and he picked up his backpack before returning to his apartment. He really hoped he could fool Sam once at the dance.

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Freddie waited until the dance was almost over to walk over to Sam. She had spent most of the night dancing with Carly, Gibby, or Wendy or lingering by the food table and no she was dancing with Carly again. He walked over and took her hand as the upbeat song turned into a slow ballad. "May I cut in?" he asked Carly in the same husky voice he had used in the costume shop. Carly nodded and gave Sam a thumbs up before going off to find a dance partner. "Hi."

Sam smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey, B," she greeted. They began to move together, finding the rhythm easily. She admired his ragged tuxedo and black mask with a smile. "You look very handsome, love. Take off the mask, please?"

"No, darling. The rule of the ball is no one takes off their masks until midnight. You know that," he told her firmly. She sighed but nodded her agreement. "Have I told you how beautiful you look?" He twirled her and she laughed. "How about how I can't stop thinking about Tuesday? The feel of your skin under my lips…God, Sam, you got me so worked up."

She was very grateful he was whispering so no one else would hear. "Oh, babe," she whispered back. "I can't begin to tell you how worked up you got me. All I wanted was to run after you and drag you back into that changing room."

"I can't believe how carried away I got. I shouldn't have even thought of touching you like that. We haven't even been on a proper date yet." She shrugged to indicate she didn't honestly care. He chuckled and rested his forehead against hers. "You're too good for me, Sam."

"Funny. I was thinking the exact opposite." She moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music. He inhaled the wonderfully sweet scent of her hair while she breathed in his spicy cologne enthusiastically. "I want to be alone with you."

"C'mon." He led her out of the gym to the courtyard and they stood under a tree to talk. They eventually sat down and Sam rested her head on his shoulder.

As midnight grew closer, they rose and began to head inside. But Sam wasn't ready yet. She pulled him to her, kissed him deeply, and said, "I can't live without seeing your face. I need to know who you are, B. Please, please, take your mask off."

"I will," he replied in his disguised voice. He took a deep breath then quickly pulled away when she reached for his mask. He grabbed her wrists gently and shook his head. "Wait. I have to say something first, all right? I need you to know that everything I said to you, every compliment and word of love, was straight from the heart. I love you and I always will, even if you reject me. Just know I only did this to prove that to you."

She nodded and he released her wrists. She pulled off his mask and stumbled back in surprise. He reached out the steady her but she smacked his hands away. Then she stood there for what felt like years, silently staring at the familiar face. Freddie swallowed hard, waiting for her to say something, but the only thing she finally uttered was, "Freddie?"

"Hey," he replied in his normal voice. She felt tears well in her eyes and, his mask still grasped tightly in her fist, she shoved him. His back hit the tree and she ran. "Sam!"

Sam ran and ran until she reached her home. She threw herself on her bed and sobbed into her pillow despite how she hated to cry. It made her feel weak and Sam Puckett was not weak. But her love had turned out to be Freddie. There was no way in hell any of it was true. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest and beaten with a meat mallet. Even if she had wanted to stop crying, she really couldn't have.

To be continued…