Freddie stood in that parking lot of Carly's reception for nearly an hour, as light rain began to fall down, before he drifted back inside to whisper small goodbyes to family and friends, shaking the groom's hand and asking that he let his new bride know that he unfortunately had to duck out. And then he snuck out the back door, into his car, and drove straight to his apartment. He had no energy to change, just kicked his dress shoes off to the other end of the room, threw his tuxedo jacket over the back of his couch, loosened the tie around his neck, found two cold beers in the fridge, and collapsed onto his sofa.

He stared at the blank television set for what must have been hours, the rain building up from a drizzle to a storm.

His life felt like a storm. He knew he loved Sam; he knew he wanted to be with Sam. But maybe, just perhaps he couldn't give her all of the things she needed. Maybe he wasn't amazing enough to match such an incredible spirit.

He should just walk away, he believed.

And then, he heard a knock on his door.

Something deep inside of him knew that it was her long before he got to his feet, paced a moment, took a few small steps toward the door, and pulled it open without daring to look at the peephole, without bothering to ask who it was.

He could have just walked away, he thought.

And now here she was, his Sam, standing before him, breathtaking and breathless, drenched from rain, a sad pale pink dress clung to her curves.

"Freddie."

It sounded more like a breath, than a word.

And just like that, with just the sound of his name coming from the lips of the woman he loved so deeply, he knew he still had so much more to give her.

He could never walk away, he knew.

His voice sounded desperate, and harsh, almost as though he had been the one to show up at her doorstep, pleading, so much so that he never gave her a chance to speak, "You were right, Sam. We loved each other….and it didn't work." He took a step forward, crossing the threshold of his home, "But I was a kid then and I'm a man now. I know that there is more to this than just love. I will still be here even when it's rough….and I'm not going to abandon you even when you make a mistake. I like your antics. They keep me alive. So, we can fight day in and day out….because I don't want to fight with anyone else but you. Don't you see it? Our friendship is what led us here today ….and what will get us through tomorrow."

His voice cracked, "You're still my best friend. That could never change. My God, Sam, I don't just love you…..", a lone tear fell to his cheek, "…..I need you."

And before he could go on, in the blink of an eye, she slammed both of her hands against his chest, forcing him back into his own apartment. He nearly fell backwards, as she slammed the door shut behind them.

"Would you just shut up for a second, Benson? Jeez."

Sam had left the reception shakily. It took her a full hour to calm down after her little eye-opening chat with Carly and then it took her another hour to realize that she was an absolute fool. Another half hour or so searching for Freddie and comfort all over the reception hall, until finally she found herself speeding to get to him, caught in the storm of her life.

And now, here she was….almost as if her whole life had led her up to this.

Her voice was shallow, soft, nearly broken as she looked at him, dazed, "My whole life, Freddie….I refused to let my fear stop me from having whatever it was I wanted. I mean, c'mon, I can do the craziest things because I'm Sam Puckett. And it's my life, my choice. I have the power. How could something hurt me if I didn't let it? And I convinced myself that if I could think this way, if I could live this way, then I could face anything."

She paused shakily, "Except when it came to this one thing."

Her eyes welled up with full tears.

"You."

He wanted to speak, wanted to reach out and grab her in his arms, but somehow couldn't.

Sam only pressed on, "I didn't know how to control those feelings or what they could mean. Everything felt like it was spinning out so out of control, out of my grip, so I did what I could do best: run. Run as fast and as far away as I could."

Her gorgeous blues met his stunned ones, "Until tonight. Until something made me realized that I don't have to be so scared anymore."

Freddie could only manage a whisper, "Like what?"

Devastated and broken, Sam could only utterly surrender to him, "Like you."

She took two steps toward him, "Because you never left. Even when you should have. Even when I gave you every reason to."

Freddie let out a shaky sigh as she continued to move toward him.

She wrung her hands together, taking small step by step, "I know I said it was because I was afraid you would always love Carly more. And I even said it was because I wasn't good enough for you. And then, I was standing in the middle of bathroom, with my eyes shut….and none of it mattered anymore. Because when I think about my life and my future…all I can see is you."

She stood right before him now, now more than an inch or so, pressed up against his stoic chest.

She wiped the wet strands from her face, before her hands reached out to grab his face in her hands, "I don't want to run anymore, because I'm pretty sure I've been running all this time just to get back to you. Because…I am in love with you. Since that very first kiss….and every single second in between. "

He never hesitated before he bowed his head down to capture her lips with his own. He wrapped his arms around her soaked waist, bringing her in as closely as possible, stunned and somehow fulfilled. She met his intensity straight on, kissing him deeply and long, still scared but somehow never more sure.

And they stayed that way for minutes or hours, exploring the recesses of each other again, falling in and back in love harder than they ever had before.

Pulling away first and only briefly, Freddie smiled against her hair, holding her tightly as he could in her arms, "Sometimes, you make me want to do the craziest things, Puckett."

Her arms draped around his waist, she looked up at him, resting her chin against his chest, lighter and happier than she had been in years, "Oh yeah? Like what?"

He placed a chaste kiss to her lips, before pulling away, his eyes lighting with a fire that only she could bring to him, "Like marry you."

THE END