Two years later

Sam and Freddie were still going strong in their relationship. It was hard at times, with Freddie having to go back to Seattle for work at least a few times a month, but the couple had managed to work through it. Freddie spent the majority of his time in New York now, though. He had even invested in a small studio apartment a few blocks away from Sam.

Carly wasn't able to visit New York as frequently as Freddie, simply because her job was not as flexible. However she had visited three times since reuniting with Sam, and Sam had flown back to Seattle once with Freddie and the twins. As they had promised each other, Carly and Sam didn't let the fact that they were far apart keep them from staying in touch. The girls talked several times a week and were up to date on all important happenings in the other's life.

Since the transplant, Leah had yet to have any sort of relapse with her health. Freddie's kidney was still functioning inside of her and she was living life just as any normal teenager would. She rejoined Kira in public school, where she made the cheerleading squad.

Kira had made the basketball team at school as well. Leah would always be at the games with the rest of the cheerleaders, screaming extra loud whenever he sister would get the ball. With Freddie's help, Kira was not only doing well in math, she was excelling. It was now her favorite subject. She did still struggle with the rest of her classes, but was always able to pull though by the end of the semester.

Sam was very happy in her life now. She sometimes caught herself wondering how she managed to get herself to this point. She had two healthy daughters, a best friend back in Seattle and an amazing boyfriend. Perhaps that age old saying, "Things will always work out in the end" proved to be true.

….

"Mom, please!"

"No, Leah," Sam said firmly, pulling on her jacket.

"Why not?" thirteen-year old Leah moaned.

"Because you're way too young to date," Sam said, adjusting her police belt.

"I'm thirteen!" Leah exclaimed. "That's practically an adult!"

"Mom?" Kira said, joining Sam and her sister. "Is it okay if I practice my layups in the kitchen?"

"What? No!" Sam said. "You'll break everything."

"Um…well, how not okay is it?" Kira asked. "Just out of curiosity."

Sam rolled her eyes. So that had been what that crash was five minutes ago.

Just then the front door of the apartment opened and Freddie walked in.

"Hey," Freddie smiled, putting his key in his pocket.

"I thought you were going to be here an hour ago," Sam said, grabbing her phone and jamming it into her pocket.

"I know," Freddie sighed. "But I had trouble finding a cab. After two years I still can't hail one properly."

"Well I have to run to work now," Sam said. "I'm about to be late."

"I'll wait up for you," Freddie smiled.

"You better," Sam said, her eyes sparkling. "I'll see you later."

"Hey, wait," Freddie said, grabbing her wrist gently before she ran off. He leaned down and kissed her. "Love you."

Sam grinned. "Love you too. But now I really have to go. Bye girls! See you tonight!"

"Bye," the girls echoed as their mother rushed out of the apartment.

"So," Freddie said, turning to the twins. "Looks like it's the three of us tonight. What should we do?"

"Oh, I've been practicing cooking lately!" Leah said excitedly. "Can cook dinner for us tonight? I can make a really good chicken Parmesan."

"I'm a sucker for Italian food," Freddie chuckled.

"Have takeout on stand by," Kira said warningly, earning her a glare from her twin.

"Well before I forget," Freddie said, pulling out a large back. "I have some presents here…"

"Sweet!" Kira grinned.

"Here you go," Freddie said, handing each of the girls a game case. "I got these from work. It's some new version of a game that's apparently super popular with kids today."

"Duh!" Leah nodded, looking at the game. "This is "Extreme Life Simulation". Our whole school plays this game! This version doesn't come out for another six months though."

"Ha! Everyone's gonna be so jealous," Kira smirked.

"And isn't that what matters?" Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "Carly also sent me up with some stuff for you guys…"

"But she just sent us huge packages last week," Leah pointed out.

"Why are you complaining?" Kira asked her sister, shaking her head.

"This is for Leah," Freddie said, handing the smaller girl a pale blue scarf. "Carly picked it up when she went to some fashion show last week. She said it was from some big designer…Gloria Vanda? Vala? Vava?"

"Gloria Valde," Leah corrected. "She's one of my favorite designers ever! This scarf is totally her. Look at the stitching. And the texture. And this color. I've never seen anything like this before."

"It's blue," Kira said simply. "And a scarf. You wrap it around your neck. It's not rocket science, Leah."

"It's not just a scarf, Kira," Leah sighed. "It's the focal point of any outfit."

"Right…" Kira said.

"This one's for you," Freddie said, handing Kira a box set of DVDs. "They're vocal training DVDs. Your mom mentioned to Carly that you were thinking of trying out for your school musical next month."

"It's no big deal," Kira shrugged. "I probably won't get it. Another girl's trying out who always gets the lead parts."

"Hey, you'll do fine," Freddie told her. "Your singing is terrific, Kira."

"Yeah, it's really not bad," Leah nodded.

"See? You're actually good enough to warrant a compliment from your sister," Freddie laughed.

Kira gave a small smile.

"Freddie, tonight can we go to the movies after I make dinner?" Leah asked.

"Oh, and mom took us to this really good ice cream place last week," Kira added. "You have to try it. It's amazing."

"Y-Yeah, okay," Freddie said. "But first…I want to talk to you two about something first. Here, come sit down."

The three sat down on the couch and the twins looked up at Freddie expectantly.

"Okay," Freddie said, taking a deep breath. "You guys know that your mom and I have been dating for a little over two years now, right?"

"Sure," Kira shrugged.

"And you know that I love her very, very much," Freddie continued.

"We know," Leah giggled.

"Right," Freddie nodded. "And, well, I love you girls very much too. Which is why I wanted to ask you something important. How-How would you guys feel if I…if I asked your mom to marry me?"

"What?" the girls both gasped.

Freddie chuckled and pulled out a small box and showed them a sparkling engagement ring. Him and Carly had spent weeks searching for it back in Seattle.

"Whoa," Leah breathed, staring down at the ring. "It's so pretty!"

"So…would you be alright with this?" Freddie asked. "I know how close you guys are with your mom. I wouldn't want to do anything like this unless you two would be completely comfortable with it."

"Please, I think it's fantastic," Leah said. "My mom's gonna be so happy! Obviously she's going to say yes. I can't believe this! When are you going to propose?"

"I was thinking tonight," Freddie said. He looked over at Kira, who hadn't said a word.

"Kira?" Freddie said gently. "How do you feel about this?"

"If you marry my mom," Kira started slowly. "Would that make you, like, my stepdad?"

"It would," Freddie nodded. "If you're okay with that."

Kira looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay with that."

And with that she stood up and hugged Freddie. Leah joined in as well, and for a moment, Freddie simply sat there, beaming.

….

"Well, work wasn't a total bust," Sam announced later that evening, returning to the apartment. "I got to taze four people. I had to chase them down for six blocks first, but I got them."

"Sounds like fun," Freddie chuckled, meeting his girlfriend at the door and greeting her with a deep kiss.

"Not as fun as that," Sam grinned when the two pulled apart. "Hey, where are the twins?"

"Sleeping," Freddie said.

"It's ten o'clock," Sam frowned.

"Yeah, well we went to a movie and ice cream, so I think they got tired out," Freddie said quickly.

"Well, at least now we've got a little time to ourselves," Sam said, lacing her arms around Freddie's neck. "Wanna go and make up for the last week you've spent in Seattle?"

"Definitely," Freddie nodded. "But first…I have a little surprise for you."

"Is it food?" Sam asked excitedly.

"Um, not exactly," Freddie said. He took her hand. "Follow me."

He led Sam out to her own fire escape, where him and the twins had spent over an hour decorating it rose petals and candles.

"Whoa," Sam said softly, looking around. "It's so nice."

"I figured, you know, fire escapes are sort of our thing," Freddie said, quickly pulling off his jacket and hanging it around Sam's small frame. "You remember back in the ninth grade?"

"Our first kiss," Sam nodded.

"And then in our junior year," Freddie continued. "After we broke up…we went back to my fire escape and made out until midnight."

"I think it was actual twelve thirty by the time we stopped," Sam chuckled.

"Probably," Freddie agreed, sitting down on the chair he had brought out. He held out his arms and Sam sat down on his lap.

Freddie craned his neck and gently kissed her. "I missed you."

"You were only gone for a week," Sam smirked.

"I still missed you."

"Yeah, well, I guess I missed you a little too," Sam chuckled. "But you had to give that presentation…how was that, by the way?"

"Fine," Freddie replied. "But I have some exciting news for you."

"What?" Sam asked curiously.

"Well, I've been talking to my bosses for awhile now," Freddie explained. "And I finally got them to agree to transfer me to their New York office."

"What?" Sam exclaimed.

"It's a smaller branch," Freddie went on. "But I'm doing the same thing I'm doing there."

"So does that mean you're going to move down here…permanently?" Sam asked slowly.

Freddie nodded. "I'm probably still going to have to go back to Seattle at least a couple times a year. You know, so my mom won't go completely berserk, but I won't have to keep going back and forth anymore."

"Good," Sam said. "Because I lied. I didn't miss you a little…I missed you a lot."

Freddie laugh and he hugged her close.

The couple sat like that for several moments, simply enjoying the other's touch.

Finally, though, Freddie made to sit up, and Sam slid off his lap.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"Nothing," Freddie said, feeling his palms sweat a little, looking out at the city. He took a deep breath and turned back towards Sam.

"Sam…you know I'm crazy about you, right?"

"You tell me that at least five times a day," Sam smirked. "I think I got the message."

"I only say it so often because I really mean it," Freddie said earnestly. "When I have to go back to Seattle without you, it's the hardest thing in the world. That's why I'm so glad I get to move up here for good."

"I'm glad too," Sam told him.

"You've become my whole world, Sam," Freddie continued. "I-I never thought I'd love someone as much as I love you. I know how life is without you, and it's horrible. I never want to have experience that again. Which is why I've wanted to do this for awhile…"

He slowly lowered himself on one knee and pulled the small box out of his pocket.

"Freddie…" Sam whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Samantha Puckett," Freddie said. "Will you marry me?"

Sam was completely silent for a moment. She stared down at her boyfriend for almost an entire minute, still not saying anything.

"Sam?" Freddie said, starting to feel a bit nervous. "Um, did-did you hear me? I-I asked-"

"Yes," Sam said quickly, finding her voice.

"Yes?" Freddie repeated.

"I-I'll marry you," Sam said, a huge smile creeping onto her face. "I'll marry you."
Freddie could feel his face lighting up. He quickly scrambled to his feet and slid the ring onto her finger. He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.

"Oh my God…"Sam breathed when they pulled away. She looked back down at her finger. "We're getting married. I-I can't believe it."

"Me neither," Freddie said, his heart still racing. "I'm so excited, Sam. You have no idea how happy you just made me. Oh! Wait, come back inside, the girls are probably freaking out right now…I promised them I'd tell them the second I did this."

"Wait, I thought they were sleeping," Sam frowned as Freddie helped back into the apartment. "We can just tell them tomorrow or-wait. Did they know?"

Freddie nodded.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Which means they're probably in there ready to explode."

Sure enough, when Sam and Freddie reached the twins room, they could hear muffled whispers and there was light shining through the crack of the door.

Sam opened it up and saw the girls both huddled together on Leah's bed.

"I should've known there was no way you two would ever be in bed at a normal hour," Sam said.

The girls barely heard her as their eyes jolted down to their mother's hand, where they say her new engagement ring.

"Yes!" Leah cheered, jumping off her bed and running to hug Sam. "Yes! You're going to marry Freddie!"

"Yeah, I heard you guys knew before I did," Sam laughed.

"Duh, whose idea do you think it was to do the candles?" Kira said, nodding over at Leah as she hugged her mother as well.

"Hey, who wants to go out and celebrate?" Freddie asked.

"Where?" Sam inquired.

"Wherever, I don't care," Freddie said. "I'll be the happiest man on earth no matter where we go."

Sam leaned up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Okay, we get it, you're getting married," Kira cringed. "Are we going to have to see you two mashing lips every second now?"

"Shush," Sam smirked playfully. "But since Freddie says he doesn't care where we go…who's up for a trip to Bacon-Wrapped Everything?"

"Me!" the girls both yelled.

"Bacon-Wrapped Everything?" Freddie repeated.

"Oh man, that place is the best," Sam said. "I would've taken you earlier, but it just opened back up again. It was closed down by the health inspectors a few years back."

"Well…I'm marrying into this family," Freddie chuckled. "So I guess I better get used to this."

….

AN-Well, that's it. Thanks so much for everyone who read/reviewed/supported this story. I loved writing this!