AN: Hello dear readers and thank you for clicking on my latest chapter of this little story; I hope you are all well.

Thanks, as always, go to everyone who read and reviewed chapter 13; I truly appreciate all your views and feedback.

God of the Challenge - it has a little but, so long as they're happy, I doubt our couple really care too much about the opinions of certain others (though Freddie does have to be mindful of life in Seattle with them after his summer with Tori comes to an end).

Fanfic-Reader-88 - there are, I'm sure, plenty of places that Freddie likes to go. Certainly the pinball museum has jumped up his list as a place to go to avoid certain people. As for jealousy and anger at the end, well I'm sure Carly is angry at not being the centre of Freddie's universe. If either girl is jealous, at this point it would be more likely to be Sam.

Cornholio4 - as soon as I discovered the existence of a pinball museum in Seattle I knew I had to work it into a story somewhere and somehow.

Challenge King - thanks.

Darck Ben - thank you.

Mbell1022 - Tori and Freddie are pretty compatible so a big fight between them is unlikely. We know from the show that Sam in particular can bring out the worst in him and things may well start to brew a little.

DufFran - thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it.

Ms Simmons - thanks and here is an update.

Also my thanks to ExplodingKnuckler who is working through the story and reviewing past chapters; my thanks to you.

One-Horse-Shay has been updating his Who Are My Brothers? story.

Chapter 14

Apartment 8-D, Bushwell Plaza, Seattle

Tuesday, 26th July 2011.

Marissa Benson wasn't too sure how she should be feeling as she got up this morning. She'd received a call late the previous evening that she was needed on the night shift for the next few days. On the one hand she was pleased that she'd get the opportunity to spend a little more time with her son and his girlfriend; on the other the two of them would have all evening and night unsupervised and she didn't want to think about what they'd get up to. She was thankful for the surveillance system she'd installed in her home but was under no illusions that Freddie was smart enough to circumvent it very, very easily if he wanted to.

She heard her son's bedroom door open and adopted a happy expression. "Good morning Freddie," she greeted him warmly.

"Hey mom, I bet it felt good to sleep in a little after being on day shift recently?" he grinned.

She smiled; it was nice not to be getting up early but as someone who craved routine she had to admit that she would much prefer to be permanently on one of the shifts rather than rotating.

"It's nice to have the day free," she agreed, "in fact I thought I might come with you this morning to the International District if that's ok? I could do with picking up a few things from the market there." She looked at him and gave a small sigh. "I promise not to get in the way and you can drop me off here before you go on to the zoo this afternoon."

Freddie swallowed down any annoyance he may have been feeling; it was obvious that his mother wanted to spend some time with him after he'd been away for so long.

"It will be nice to have you along mom," he told her with sincerity. Tori, who had just emerged from her room, heard the end of this.

"Oh, you're coming to the zoo with us?" she asked in surprise.

"No," Marissa clarified, "just the international markets this morning."

Tori resisted the urge to raise her eyebrows in surprise; privately she didn't think anything that was sold in that sort of area would make it into Marissa's cooking given her penchant for culinary blandness but she chose not to say anything. She genuinely didn't have a problem with Mrs Benson (other than her tagging along could limit the affection she and Freddie could exchange) and, looking on the bright side, her presence this morning would make the possibility of Carly and Sam tagging along diminish substantially.

International District

"Déjà vu," Tori joked as they passed Pioneer Square, having visited it the previous day. Freddie found a free parking spot and they left the car, covering the short distance to the district on foot. The heady mix of flavours and spices washed over the Angeleno as soon as she set foot on the main road; it was enough to cause her to pause briefly.

"It really hits you, doesn't it?" Freddie asked jovially, before he inhaled deeply and savoured the aroma. His mother, meanwhile, seemed to be battling the urge to hold her nose; Tori mused that she may have been wrong about what Marissa was hoping to pick up.

This appeared to be confirmed as the matriarch eyed one of the local fishmongers' shops with interest, almost pressing her nose to the glass as she examined the wares before moving on, making a mental note to return to collect something on their way back to the car.

The teenagers followed a couple of spaces behind her, happy to make conversation with her but allowing themselves just enough personal space to enjoy one another's company; Freddie frequently called on his mother to stop as Tori browsed a number of the stores, eager to take in all the delights of this part of the town and perhaps find a few more souvenirs to take back to LA with her.

It had been a good morning, Freddie reflected as they made their way back towards the car after finishing their walk around the district; his mother didn't particularly cramp their style or keep an obviously watchful eye on them (in truth she didn't particularly want to watch her son interact with his girlfriend, preferring to maintain the illusion that her little boy wasn't really growing up whenever she could). They spent an enjoyable couple of hours taking in the various sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of the multi-coloured, multi-cultural region of the city; he also found himself laden down with several wares and mementos that Tori picked up for her friends back home.

"I'll do this for dinner tonight," Marissa announced as she left the fishmonger's they had passed earlier and the trio made their way back to Freddie's car.

"Sounds good, mom," he agreed idly, watching Tori from the corner of his eye while his girlfriend looked around them, appraising the architecture of the area.

"We'll have to eat early since I'm working tonight so try not to be late back."

"We shouldn't be too long; we're only going to the zoo this afternoon," her son replied, drawing a nod from his mother.

Apartment 8-D, Bushwell Plaza

Once home Freddie set about making a start on lunch (with Tori's help) while Marissa put away her shopping before preparing coffee for them; Tori's assistance stopped Freddie's perfectionist side from coming to the fore too much and before long everything was ready.

"What time do you expect to be home?" Marissa asked as they finished eating.

"Your shift starts at 7?" Freddie asked; she nodded her confirmation. "We'll aim to be back around 5 then, to eat around 5:30?"

"Ok, try not to be late."

Her son glanced at his watch. "Ok, we'd better go then, if we want to see everything and get back in time." Tori nodded, nipped to her room to collect her bag and camera before the teens headed out again. Marissa sighed as they left; if this was the future, an independent Freddie eager to spend time with his girl, she didn't much care for it. She consoled herself with the fact that Tori would be returning to LA (though she did worry about losing Freddie for the holidays in the future) and that at least this girl was a far more suitable option than some he could have chosen.

Apartment 8-C, Bushwell Plaza

Carly, one of the 'unsuitables' that Marissa had been thinking about, was one again feeling frustrated that she'd missed the couple as they left; her impatience with Sam was growing as the blonde's love of sleeping in meant she hadn't been around for the two girls to muscle in on the couple's plans. Instead the brunette was busily preparing things for the evening. Unfortunately for Sam, she was one of the things that her dark-haired co-hostess was trying to prepare.

"What are you doing?" the irate blonde demanded as she used the full-length mirror in Carly's room to appraise the other girl's handiwork. "The hair, the dress," she snarled in a disgust-laden voice, "you've made me look like Melanie," she spat out her twin sister's name as if even the utterance would make her physically ill.

"Of course I have," the brunette replied patiently, "he went to this club with her during her last visit. They danced, they had a good time, they kissed," she reminded her emphatically, "don't you want that?"

Sam drew on her memories of the summer – the lock-in, being comprehensively rejected by Freddie afterwards, his escape to LA and triumphant return with a girlfriend in tow – she really wasn't sure what she wanted anymore; Carly, though, was undeterred as she continued to work on her pet project.

Woodland Park

5500 Phinney Avenue North

Freddie found a spot in the Bear lot; Tori blanched a little as the pictures reminded her of Cat and the near-disastrous incident shortly after she started at Hollywood Arts, winding up with a zombie mask stuck on to her face with Grizzly's near-industrial cement of a glue.

"Anything wrong?" Freddie glanced nervously at his girlfriend.

"No," she assured him, clutching his hand firmly and relating the story to him; she pouted as he roared with laughter at the escapade before he mollified her with a gentle kiss, one that she was keen to deepen – neither teen cared that they were very publically making out in the parking lot. It was a few minutes later that they finally made it to the entrance and entered the park, thankful that Seattle stayed dry and sunny while they strolled hand-in-hand around the park viewing the exhibits, though Freddie did chuckle as they entered the Tropical Rain Forest zone having wended their way down the Northern Trail, through Australasian, Asian, African Savannah (Tori's favourite, particularly the lions and zebras) and Temperate zones.

"Seattle definitely gets the rain part," he smirked, "but I doubt our weather could ever be considered as tropical." Tori grinned back at him and hugged his arm as they moved from there to the Antarctic region with the penguins – something Tori felt was equally inappropriate for the Pacific North West's mild climate.

The path took them back through a meadowed region and the Historic Carousel (Tori looked so longingly at it that Freddie just smiled and paid for her to have a ride on it before they left); Freddie was happy that they were leaving the lot just before rush hour was due to start, allowing them to traverse the city reasonably quickly and return home a little before Marissa was ready to serve dinner.

Apartment 8-D, Bushwell Plaza

"Alright Freddie, I'm leaving now," his mother declared; she had gratefully accepted Freddie's offer to wash up (assisted by Tori) as she had to dress for work as soon as they had finished eating. She entered the kitchen and kissed his cheek before furnishing Tori with a genuine smile. "Have fun tonight and don't be late home."

Her son resisted the urge to roll his eyes, simply settling for saying, "We won't, mom."

Tori's eyes gleamed as Marissa left; Freddie turned back to the washing-up bowl, with the last few items to finish up, only for his girlfriend to scoop up a handful of water and throw it over his front.

"Tori!" he complained, surprised at her antics.

"What are you going to do about it?" she challenged him slyly; he narrowed his eyes and splashed her in return, drenching her front as he scooped handful after handful from the bowl until she raised her hands and laughingly pleaded for mercy.

"Truce?" he asked.

"Truce," she agreed, engulfing him in a hug and soaking him anew.

"I'll get the mop while you take a shower?" he offered.

"Good idea," she agreed, stripping her sudden T-shirt and wringing it out over the sink; she hurriedly finished off the washing up in the much-depleted bowl, rinsed the items and headed off for her room. Hearing a knock at the door she alerted Freddie to it before continuing her journey; he set the mop against the wall of the kitchen and crossed the apartment to open the door, a quick glance through the peephole confirming his suspicion that it would be Carly.

"Hey," the brunette, dressed in a simple but pretty knee-length black dress, greeted him, eyeing his wet clothes uncertainly. "Are you guys nearly ready?"

"We won't be long; I'll call for you when we're ready. I just need to jump in the shower and get ready. Fifteen minutes?"

"It looks like you've already taken a shower," she observed somewhat huffily. He unnecessarily glanced down at his front.

"Yeah, the washing-up kinda turned into a water fight after mom left for work," he admitted sheepishly. When Carly didn't reply he added, "We'll call for you when we're ready?"

"Ok," she agreed; he closed the door and hurriedly mopped the kitchen dry before heading for the shower, thinking that it wasn't a great start to the night that Carly was pissed at them before they'd even left the 8th floor.

The two girls sat waiting impatiently for Freddie and Tori to be ready; finally they heard a knock on the door followed by Freddie opening it and peeping around into the apartment.

"You girls ready?" he asked, glancing from one to the other; to Carly's surprise and disappointment his gaze didn't linger on Sam.

"Yeah, we're good to go," she confirmed; the two girls got up and left the apartment. Carly took in Tori, dressed once again in her skinny jeans and a figure-hugging T-shirt, a little more casually than she and Sam but perfectly acceptable for the venue they would be attending; she frowned as the couple walked ahead of them, hand-in-hand, paying no attention at all to her or Sam. It seemed that she would have to step up her plans.

Foundation

2218 Western Avenue

The beat from the music was audible as the quartet approached the club; the noise of the venue washed over them as they opened the door and stepped inside, walking past the doormen.

Freddie made a drinking gesture to his girlfriend before glancing to the others; the three girls all nodded so he made his way to the bar, collecting four peppy colas and making his way to the table they had claimed near the dance floor. He could see Tori leaning her ear towards Carly but wasn't sure if the other brunette was able to make herself heard over the volume of the music. She caught her boy from the corner of her eye and waved to him as he approached; he grinned and set down the four drinks. To Carly's annoyance he immediately took her hand as they sat there watching the goings-on in the place.

After about five minutes he and Tori had both somewhat depleted their drinks; he leaned close to her and asked if she wanted to dance. The girl nodded and the two stood; Carly and Sam watching in impotent fury as the couple made their way on to the dance floor and clearly having a good time together. Carly pulled Sam to her feet and practically manhandled her onto the dance floor with the intention of getting the blonde to cut in on their dance. Her scheme failed as the couple really didn't want to be interrupted – to the point of Tori slipping her arms around Freddie's neck to keep her place in front of her. As Carly's insistence grew the couple had finally had enough; the latest song ended and they returned to their table leaving a furious brunette and a very uncomfortable looking blonde on the dance floor.

Freddie sniffed cautiously at his and Tori's drinks, taking a quick sip and savouring it. Unable to detect any difference in the taste he advised Tori to do the same; she did, also offering it to him (neither could taste anything so assumed that the dregs of their drinks were untouched). After they finished them, rehydrating from their dancing, Tori left to get refills as the other two girls trudged back to the table.

"You having fun?" he called idly, feeling pretty sure that they weren't, something that Carly's sulking pout seemed to confirm. Sam snatched her drink and sucked it down savagely as she glowered at him.

Determined not to let them wreck his evening, Freddie focussed on having a good time with Tori; the two of them surpassed that, having a great time together, dancing and generally having fun. He did allow Carly to cut in at one point and had a dance with her. Sam, having already been rebuffed once, didn't try again, instead choosing to snarl and snipe from a distance (knowing that with the numbers and doormen present that she wouldn't be able to try anything against them anyway).

Finally, around 1 a.m. and beginning to tire, the couple decided that they wanted to go home; two unhappy but unprotesting girls followed them from the club to his car.

8th floor,

Bushwell Plaza

"That was a lot of fun," Freddie observed as they walked down the hallway towards their apartments.

"For you maybe," Sam grumbled; he just shrugged off her complaint.

"I had fun, too," Tori decided to stir the pot; she pulled Freddie into a kiss. "It's fun to have a night of dancing every now and then."

"Yeah, no karaoke though," Freddie grinned back.

"You didn't have to ignore us all night," Carly snapped hotly.

"We didn't," he retorted, "you and Tori were talking earlier, we had a nice dance… well I thought it was nice anyway," he eyed her indifferently.

Carly opened her mouth to argue but he continued, "We had a fun night and now I'm going to bed. Good night," he opened up his apartment and led Tori in; Carly stood open-mouthed at his dismissal and watched the closed door for several seconds before turning and storming back into her own home, Sam in tow.

Apartment 8-D

The beautiful sound of silence greeted the teenage couple as they finally reached the refuge of the Benson apartment. Tori had stepped into the apartment while Freddie locked the door; she closed her eyes and sighed only for them to shoot open as Freddie walked up behind her, cupping her breasts through her shirt and nuzzling at her neck. The brunette was suddenly privately bemoaning the fact that she was dressed as the combined sensations in her neck and her chest sent little lightning bolts up and down her spine.

"Freddie," she groaned throatily, leaning back into his embrace and turning her head in an attempt to eventually find his lips.

"Mom's at work all night," he whispered gleefully.

"Yeah, just the security system to worry about," his girlfriend grumbled.

"Get into bed," he whispered, heart-rate rising as quickly as her own was, "I'll deal with the system."

Freddie quickly headed to his own room and changed for bed, getting into his bed before loading up his laptop and connecting to the home security system. Ever the gentleman, he refused to look at the camera feed as Tori disrobed, changed into her nightdress and slipped under the covers; he used his computer to record about a minute of footage of her in bed and then set it to play back on continuous loop before calling her and getting out of bed and out of the view of the camera trained on his own room, in the pretence of putting his computer away for the night. Tori rushed towards his room, surprised that she met him in the doorway, before he explained his plan. Under his direction she repeated his actions from earlier, recording some footage of him in bed and setting it on loop.

"Now, as far as mom needs to know we're both tucked up in bed," he smiled.

"Who's to say we won't be?" the half-Latina grinned wickedly, kissing him, gently at first but the passion in them quickly escalated. She began to gently push at him, expecting to guide a willing accomplice on to his bed, only to be surprised as he suddenly stopped and held her gently.

"We can't, not here," he whispered; suddenly his face looked overcome with guilt. Tori felt confused and more than a little hurt at the abrupt cancellation of the plan. "I mean," he added quickly, "look, mom has certain rules – one of those is that I can't, y'know, be with a girl under her roof. Even if she'd never know, I would – and I can't betray her trust like that."

"So that's it?" Tori asked; she was feeling far too disappointed and frustrated to appreciate his reasoning at this time.

"No, but we need a quick change of scenery." He swept his keys up from his computer table, grabbed a couple of robes from the back of his door and took her by the hand, leading her to the door. They donned the robes as he set the alarm again and they left the apartment quietly, sneaking down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"My hideaway," he explained about the top floor apartment as he led her up to Casa del Fredo, where he had briefly stayed after moving out of home the previous year.

"Oh, so this is your love nest?" she smiled as she appraised the Spartan surroundings.

"Something like that," he grinned, "the girls don't even know that I hung on to this place after I moved back in with my mom; sometimes I can come up here and just avoid people. And now," he rested his hands on her shoulders, I have another use for it. He kissed the girl and his hands slid down to undo the belt of her robe before he quickly removed his own; they continued to kiss as they found their way to the mattress he'd placed there, while their robes were swiftly joined on the floor by their nightwear.

Wednesday, 27th July 2011.

The summer sun woke Freddie early; he shivered a little and the hairs of his arms stood up as the goosebumps raised too in the chilly air. His attention turned to the slumbering brunette in his arms and he began to pepper her with kisses as he pulled her closer in an effort to warm himself a little.

"Mmm, don't stop," she breather sleepily, enjoying the attention he was lavishing on her before the realisation of her surroundings hit her. "What time is it?" she asked, looking around and taking in the room around them; if she wasn't so sleepy and otherwise distracted by Freddie she might have appraised the small home gym and weights room that he'd set up here. No wonder it was a place he could go to just get away from other people and spend some alone time.

He leaned over her (a little more so than was strictly necessary but neither of them minded) and looked at the clock. "6:30; we have plenty of time before mom's shift finishes but I guess we need to be home before she is," he observed.

"Later," she mumbled, turning in his arms and embracing him.

"Later's good," he agreed as casually as he could given the situation he was in.

Apartment 8-D

They finally made their way back to the Benson apartment shortly before 8; Freddie shut off the alarm and the security feed while Tori showered. He set some coffee going before taking his own shower; he was done just before Marissa returned home.

"Oh hey mom, how was the hospital?" he asked .

"It was ok," she replied stiffly. "Is Tori around?"

"In the kitchen," she called airily.

"Do you want something to eat before you go to sleep?" he enquired.

"No but I would like a word," she gestured towards her room; Freddie traded a look with his girlfriend.

"I'll be back in a minute," he promised her; she nodded.

"Do you think I'm an idiot, Freddie?" Marissa demanded as soon as she'd closed the bedroom door.

"What? No!" he insisted.

"You thought I wouldn't notice you interfere with the camera feed?"

Freddie sighed. "I hoped you wouldn't. I didn't want to just cut it as I wanted you to know we'd got home safe and sound so that you wouldn't worry."

That did nothing to placate his mother. "I accept you're growing up Freddie – even if I don't like it. I accept you've got a girlfriend and brought her here but we have rules, young man and I can not allow you to break them. Don't you have any respect for me at all?"

"Yes," he insisted, "which is why we didn't stay in the apartment last night." This stopped Marissa's tirade dead in its tracks. "We had a nice time at the club, despite Carly and Sam," he added with a trace of bitterness, "but yes, you not being here, we wanted to take the opportunity to…" he gestured uncomfortably, reddening at the thought of discussing his sex life with his mother, "be together but I just couldn't do it here because of your rules, so we went upstairs."

His mother's eyes widened; she was probably the only other person who knew what he'd done with the room (as he'd had to disclose it when he'd slept there one night, causing her to panic when she checked his room and saw his bed empty). "Well," she floundered a little before recovering her stride, "I guess I should be glad that you do respect my rules, even if you don't believe what I taught you."

"I love Tori," he declared in a low voice; it felt so good to finally say it out loud that he smiled with relief, "and I want to be with her. It's not just some fling, mom," he promised. "I truly do love her."

Marissa's jaw dropped a little at the disclosure; she really wasn't sure what to say so settled for, "I think I should get some sleep now."

Freddie nodded and left the room.

"Everything ok?" Tori asked anxiously; she was surprised to see him smiling broadly and even more surprised, though very happy and willing, when he gathered her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

"Things are better than ok Tori Vega," he gazed deeply into her brown eyes, "I love you." His smile widened even further. "I love you," he repeated, sealing it with a kiss.

Tori's heart swelled in her chest; it began to hammer rapidly and if her mind had been a bit more coherent she may have wondered about it bursting. Instead she knew immediately that what she'd said to her own mother was true, that she felt the same way. "I love you too Freddie Benson," she replied and they kissed once again in the living area.

"We really should have some breakfast," she said finally after they'd traded several more kisses, "before the coffee gets too cold."

"What do you want to do today?" he asked after they'd eaten.

"I don't know, did you have anything in mind." She felt she'd agree to nearly anything given how good her mood was at the moment.

"Maybe have at least a morning in?" he suggested. "We could go back upstairs for a work-out?"

"Another one?" she teased wickedly, enjoying him reddening a little at the potential double-meaning of his suggestion.

"Whatever you want to work out is fine by me," he smirked back. Suddenly their breakfast things were forgotten as they hastened to get ready and go back upstairs.

AN: Once again, thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed it. PD