I just couldn't wait any longer to get this one out there. I've been tweaking at it and actually just added about 400 words, so sorry about it getting to be a little long. It's worth the long read because it's just pure Seddie-ness.

Previously: Sam stepped out of her mother's car and instantly heard Pam as well as a man's voice. She immediately thought her mother was arguing with some random boyfriend and after she promised she wouldn't have strange men in the house as long as Stephanie was there.

Sam slammed the car door shut, stormed up to the house and grabbed the doorknob, ready to go in for a fight. Suddenly she heard her mother's voice again, but she only made out the last few words. "That's your daughter upstairs asleep, ya damn dork."

Chapter 11

Sam released the doorknob, took a step back and nearly fell off the front porch. Her mother had just left her biggest secret out and to the one person alive who wasn't supposed to find out-ever! She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't work, it was as if the whole world was slowing down to a grinding halt right before her eyes.

"I-um-I, I, I should go, Mrs. Puckett." Freddie said as the little girl, his little girl, went back up the steps. Before Sam realized what was happening, Freddie opened the door and quickly walked out, colliding with her.

"Fr-Freddie?" Sam stumbled backward down the steps into the rain, catching herself by the hand rail. "W-w-what are you doing here?" She tried to act surprised but he could have cared less.

"Apparently, catching hell from the grandmother of my daughter." He said shortly. "How could you, Sam? How could you be this goddamn selfish? How could you not tell me about her? Were you just going to raise her by yourself and never tell me she exists?" Freddie threw his hands in the air in frustration before grabbing her arms and looking deep into her eyes. "I would have been there for you, for her, for both of you, every step of the way. Why, Sam, why didn't you tell me? I'd never have left you do this alone!"

"Selfish? Oh, yeah, that's exactly why! Asshole!" Sam shouted in in defense as she pulled away from his grip and pushed him backward, back up onto the porch. "I didn't tell you because you would have dropped everything, left college and came to L.A. to be with me. You would have ruined your future, been a college drop out, ended up in some minimum wage, dead-end job. I sacrificed my future, my happiness, everything, for YOU! For your degree, for your career, you stupid ass hat." Tears began to run down her face. She loved this young man more than life itself and it tore her heart to pieces having him think she didn't want him involved with his daughter's life for any reason other than his own good.

"But it's been a year, Sam. I graduated over a year ago!" He came back, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Even if you didn't want me to drop out of college, you've had 13 months to tell me the most important news I could ever hear. Even yesterday when I saw her, you didn't say anything! Not one damn clue! You just left me walk away from that beautiful little girl! You mean to tell me you thought it was right to keep me from my daughter, the only child I may ever have?" It was still stuck in his mind that Carly was dead-set against having kids.

"How could I say it, Freddie?" She sobbed, looking into his eyes. "Yes, there was a time when I thought I might tell you about Stephanie after you graduated. But then you hooked up with HER! I saw the pictures online, how happy you both looked. Hell, I was still thinking I should tell you, for Stephie's sake if nothing else. On the plane ride up here I made up my mind to just come out and say it as soon as I saw you."

Freddie stood silent wondering to himself why she didn't

"Then I found out about the ring. How the hell could I say anything after I found out you bought her a goddamn engagement ring? You bought her a ring, Freddie! For Chrissakes, you're going to PROPOSE to her." Sam practically livid, not only at him for buying Carly a ring, but for her own reaction when she found out about it.

"That would be reeeaal cool of me to tell you now, wouldn't it?" Sam turned to mocking him in a fake dorky voice. "Carly will you marry me? Even though I knocked up your former best friend five years ago?"

"Sammy, NO! Well, uh, yes, I have been seeing Carly. But it's just because we were both lonely and desperate and didn't have anyone else, I really don't even know how it happened. And we are living together, but she insisted on us getting our own place since Spencer was getting married. But the only reason I even bought the stupid ring was to shut her up, she fell in love with it as soon as she saw it. You know I never could say no to her when she uses the puppy dog eyes." Freddie was now sobbing himself.

"That stinkin' ring cost a small fortune, Sam. I didn't even give it to her yet. I - I don't know. I don't even know if I can. I just don't think . . . " Freddie was so used to putting his thoughts and feelings on the back burner that he could hardly speak his mind anymore. "I - I don't really w-want to m-marry Carly, Sam." He whimpered.

Sam just looked up at him with smeared mascara and tears running down her cheeks and moved closer to his body. She looked like a cross between a raccoon and an 80's TV preacher's wife. He was beyond upset and it was now or never, she knew she had to do something drastic or risk losing him forever.

"I swear, If I had it to do over again I would have jumped on a plane and went back to L.A. the first time I didn't hear from you. I - I love you Samantha Puckett. I love you and I love our daughter. All I've ever wanted since the day we broke up back in high school is to be your boyfriend again, to hold you and be with you - forever. You mean the world to me, Sam." Freddie wiped at his face and looked sadder than Sam ever saw him.

Before he could utter another word, Sam stretched up and gently pressed her lips to his. For the first time in years, Freddie felt sparks when he was kissed. "I love you, too, Freddie. I always have and I always will, but I don't want to come between you and Carly." There was so much passion and honesty in her statement that Freddie's knees buckled.

Freddie put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer still before he kissed her deeply. She threw her arms around his neck to pull his face closer to hers. He nipped at her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to return the passion. The swirled their tongues together and kissed right there on Pam Puckett's porch, like teenagers after prom, for what seemed like an eternity. The small part of him that told him he was technically cheating on his girlfriend was overridden by the huge part that knew he was kissing the only girl he could ever truly love.

"I really don't think there's much to come between. Like I said, I don't want to marry her. It - it's just so messed up, it's frickin' complicated." Freddie said with a frown when their lips parted and they rested their foreheads together. "I need you, Sam. I never want to be away from you again. If - if you'll have me."

Sam just nodded in agreement to his thought. "But what about . . . "

"Like I said, there's not much to come between. I can't keep doing this to her - or you. I don't want to keep lying, Sam. I do love Carly, but I'm not in love with her. The thing is, I'm afraid that if I go home and say anything, she'll try to change my mind and it'll end up hurting her even more in the end. What's worse, I don't want to hurt you by being with her and I know what her first move will be. Either that or she'll go completely off the rails, she's not the old Carly we knew in school, Sam. She has no confidence in herself anymore, she's very fragile."

"Do you think something happened to her in Italy?" Sam immediately worried that her friend had been assaulted or abused by a boyfriend or something.

Freddie knew what she was getting at. "No, not like that, but when she moved away, I think she just lost all faith in herself, she was thrust into an alien environment and she never made any close friends over there. She went from a-list to d-list overnight and she needed something, someone familiar to pull her out of it."

For the first time Sam began to see Carly as less than the quasi-celebrity she was in Ridgeway High. She understood because if it weren't for Cat Valentine, she would have been in the same boat in California.

"Why don't you wait until after Spencer's wedding to tell her?" She suggested. "You're right, odds are good this is going to wreck her and it's not fair to Spence to have her being all depressed for his wedding. Or worse, going all postal on you in front of a whole church full of people."

He left out a sigh. He didn't know where to go, but going home wasn't an option and going to his mother's would be certain doom because he would have to explain to her why he wasn't with Carly. That was a conversation he'd sooner wait to have as well.

"You-um-you can stay here. I-uh-I mean if you need to." Sam offered, like she read his mind. Freddie just nodded. She took his hand and led him into the house. They were both totally soaked from the rain and getting chilly. The food at the bridal shower was lame to say the least and her stomach was growling, but she could think of nothing other than cuddling up with Freddie and spending the night in his arms. Though neither of them specifically intended to, there was no doubt where this night would likely lead.

"Guess you made up your mind to come clean, huh Sammy." Pam smirked at the sight of them holding hands.

"Yes, mother. And if you'll excuse us, I need to spend some time catching up with the father of my child." Sam responded as she pulled Freddie toward the stairway. "And there's someone upstairs who would probably like a good night kiss from her daddy." Sam looked over her shoulder at her mom, who was stretched back in her favorite recliner. "By the way Pam, thanks."

"Yeah, thanks, Mrs. Puckett." Freddie said quietly. "Good night."

"Ah, hell, boy, call me Pam. My own kids do." She responded, taking a sip out of the beer bottle she was holding after lifting it in the air in a mock toast.

Freddie and Sam went up the steps, Sam quietly opened the door to Melanie's old room where her daughter was now fast asleep in the frilly pink bed, clutching her stuffed piggy.

"Looks like you'll have to wait until morning for a proper introduction, Fred-dad." She said quietly, squeezing his hand. "She's such a good girl, Freddie. She sleeps the night through and never fusses."

"She's an angel, alright. A perfect little angel." Freddie touched the little girls head, bent down and kissed her cheek. "She's so beautiful, Sam. Just like her mother."

"Mel and Mom say she looks like you, I thought that's where she gets here cuteness." Sam smirked at him and laced her arms around his neck. "Did I tell you how good you look?"

"Mmmm, did I tell you?" He responded, content as could be with Sam nuzzled into his chest, his cheek resting on her wet, blonde head. "But I've gotta ask you, what's up with the pig?"

"Well, when she was little, I mean, just starting to crawl, I couldn't keep the thing away from her. I tried putting it up, hiding it, everything. But she always seemed to find it. I guess maybe somehow it tied her to you, I don't know. Anyway, I was away with Cat and Jade one evening when they were back in town and Melanie left her take the pig to bed just to get her to settle down. From that day on, she won't go to sleep without go ol' Nub."

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow. "You still call the pig Nub?"

"Yep, and from now on her and I both get to snuggle with our Nubs." Sam stretched up for another kiss before leading Freddie to her own room. "And I'm ready for some serious snuggle time. Got about five years' worth to catch up on."


Daylight broke before either of them knew what was happening and for the second time in his 23 years, Freddie Benson spent the night making love to Sam Puckett.

Sam got cleaned up for the day and after getting dressed, both of them went downstairs. Unusual for her, Pam had gotten up early and had Stephie dressed and watching cartoons when the couple made their way into the kitchen.

"I thought you two were gonna stay in bed till noon." Pam chuckled as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Sounded like you didn't get much sleep last night."

Freddie blushed bright red and Sam just rolled her eyes at her mother's statement, thinking back to how many times she heard her mother 'in action' when she lived at home.

"Do you think we should wait until after the wedding ceremony to say anything to Stephanie?" Freddie asked Sam quietly. "You know, in case she would say anything in front of Carly before I can talk to her. I'll just say hello and a few words and then I'll head out."

Sam nodded. "I guess that would be best."

He looked at his phone. "Annnd, speaking of Carly, she's been blowing up my phone. Gheesh, 76 missed calls. I bet she's either mad as a wet hen or worried sick."

Freddie went into the living room to say hello to his little girl, being extra careful not to let on that he was her father, there would be time for that discussion later. "Hello, Stephanie. I like your pig." Nub was sitting beside her on the couch.

"Uh-huh." Stephanie replied, as she stared at the blue and purple farm animals dancing and singing the alphabet song on the TV screen.

"Ooh, I see you have some frosty pops, there." He picked up the pig and held it as he sat down on the couch beside her and waited for a commercial.

"Yeah, they're my favorite." She responded and kept eating the dry cereal, a piece at a time.

"I always liked them, too. I couldn't eat them at home because my mom didn't allow me to have sweets. Your mom and I would always eat them at our one friend's place and we could really put 'em away. We sometimes got a big, gigantic bag and ate those things instead of popcorn when we watched a movie."

"Mommy still likes these." She informed him with a wide smile.

"I'll bet she does. Your mommy likes a lot of yummy foods. You know what, I need to get going now, but I hope we can talk some more later."

"Mmhmm." She said shyly.

Freddie put his arms out and the child came over to give him a hug. He kissed the top of her head and quietly said I love you to her before making his way to the door. He stopped to give Sam a hug before she led him outside. They stepped out onto the porch together for a quick goodbye kiss. Without making it obvious, Freddie wiped at his eyes. He had missed so much time with his child that he could barely walk away from her, and Sam quickly noticed his emotion.

"Remember now, we need to keep our distance at the wedding until you get a chance to have a heart to heart with Carls." Sam said as he put his arms around her waist. She smiled at his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, let's just hope they don't have us seated at the same table for the reception. It might be hard to keep my eyes off you." Freddie smirked. "Beautiful."

Unknown to both of them, they were being watched from the window by a pre-schooler with a mile-wide grin on her face and her grandma. The child had never seen her mother look so happy and Pam was pleased to see her 'tough as nails' daughter in the embrace of a man she truly loved. Pam secretly began to think about what it might be like to find her own daughters' father.

"Sure, Sam." He reluctantly agreed and gave her another kiss. "And as soon as the reception's over, I'll get her aside and break the news to her."

Like I said, sorry about this one getting too long, but I hope it was worth it (especially the part where Sam led Freddie upstairs). Anyway, 2 (maybe 3) chapters to go, so don't forget to look for the next chapter next weekend.