New chapter! Enjoy...

Freddie POV 6:18AM Day 13

"Great planning, Benson. Why do people think you're the smart one again?" Sam snaps, eyeing the closed storefront with disgust. I wince, partly from the frost forming on my face from the freezing morning and partly from Sam's righteous anger. I had dragged her out of bed at six in the morning to walk three blocks in the bitterly cold air on the promise of ham and had failed to deliver. To be fair, the store's hours had said they would be open Saturday at six in the morning, but a last minute change had occurred and the hours changed.

"They said they would be open." I mutter in my defense, turning to walk back to Bushwell. I half-expect Sam to attack me from behind or perhaps break into the store herself. That's why I jump about a foot in the air when she slips her arm in mine. I dig my hand deeper in my pocket instinctively, pulling her closer.

"I mean, I'm so obviously the intelligent one that only a moron would think you were smarter than me." Sam continues as if nothing had happened, unaware that my attention was exclusively hers.

"A moron." I repeat, caught up in her. Sam turns to look at me, surprised by my agreement.

"Right." She emphasizes, seemingly oblivious as her hand fastens on my upper arm and sparks awareness. "And don't think you're off the hook, Freddifer." Sam taps her head with her free hand, the slightest smile gracing her features. "I'm already thinking of a way for you to pay me back."

"Like?" I prompt, amazed at how quickly she had gone from annoyed to playful. Sam furrows her brow, eyes darting about the deserted streets around us. The sun is just barely up, the streetlights still flickering to provide enough light for people who are unwilling to brave the cold. Well, normal people who were unwilling to brave the cold. We were still out here.

"Got it!" Sam announces, releasing my arm and taking all hope of tranquility with her. "I wanna test something." She says seriously, leaning close enough that her breath puff dissolved on my face. "You're it." Sam whispers, reaching out to graze my arm before spinning on her heel and sprinting in the direction of Bushwell. It takes a second to register, another second to recover from her close proximity, and another second to take my first stride forward. She's fast; not impossibly so, but fast enough that few could catch her. My stomach rises, similar to a balloon struggling to escape the limitations of gravity and a wide grin stretches across my face. Why, exactly, it was so fun to chase Sam through the darkness of an icy dawn on deserted Seattle streets was a mystery, one that would probably never be solved.

Only a block from Ridgeway, Sam had maintained her lead, even gaining some space between us. I could blame it on my huge coat, but Sam's jacket was hindering her just as much as she sprinted. Driving my feet into the pavement harder than before, I desperately search for the drive and ability to catch Sam that had been there only a week ago. It just wouldn't come, probably because my adrenaline wasn't nearly as potent as it had been that night. Sam reaches the fringes of the parking lot, slowing to a stop before whipping around to look for me.

"Ha! I knew it was a fluke! No way you co-." I barely break stride, bending down and hitting her knees to make them buckle. Sam's taunts cut off as she falls, landing squarely in the bridal style she hated so much. I do a 180, careful not to drop her, and begin sprinting down the pavement. Sam is surprisingly silent, shocked at how suddenly everything was taking place. After about thirty yards, I slow to a stop. She finally comes to her senses, automatically bringing her arm to cuff me behind the head. I laugh, only wincing slightly in pain, and pretend to drop her. It's extremely satisfying when she gives a small cry of surprise, reaching up to cling to my neck. "Freddie!" She protests, so distracted that she forgets to insult me. It only takes her a second to realize her slip and her eyes narrow at my cheeky grin. Before Sam gets the chance to retaliate, I set her feet on the ground and ensure she has her footing before taking off towards Bushwell. "Come here, Benson!" Sam growls, her footsteps audible as she chased me. I speed up, almost slamming into the lobby door as I tried to pull it open without slowing down. Sam's hands graze my back just before I dart inside, ignoring Lewbert's curses and making a beeline for the elevator. I push the button, hoping that some miracle could stop her from-

Sam slams into me, pushing me face-first into the wall and twisting my arm behind my back. Lewbert squawks in protest (NO FIGHTING IN MY LOBBY!) but Sam ignores him, leaning up to rest her chin on my shoulder. I shiver, her cheek brushing against mine as she pushes me further into the wall.

"You're it." She whispers, releasing my arm and backing away after a long second.

"NO FLIRTING IN MY LOBBY!"

Carly POV 7:00AM Day 13

"CARLY!" Someone screams, pulling my warm comforter off and dropping it to the floor. It was one of those mornings where it's so cold outside that you want to stay in bed all day, but apparently Spencer has other plans. "I HAVE TO TELL YOU BEFORE I FORGET! COME ON, LITTLE SIS!" I groan, rolling over and shivering in the freezing air. Spencer grabs my foot, shaking me vigorously.

"What?" I ask, burying my head deeper in my pillow.

"I had a dream, an amazing dream!" Spencer says, releasing my foot to pace. I mumble incoherently, hoping it would pass for acknowledgement. "It was exactly like that vision I had when I passed out yesterday, except this time the hummingbirds were flying all around me but it sounded like paper fluttering everywhere. Then I figured it out! They were made out of…wait for it…pictures!" He pauses, waiting for me to respond. Truthfully, I'm half asleep again.

"Yay." I murmur weakly, so close to sleep that I could taste it.

"Hundreds and hundreds of pictures with you, Sam, and Freddie! It's like the documentation of your friendship!" Spencer exclaims, already moving out the door.

"Yay." I repeat, slipping into sleep without really processing anything that Spencer had said.

Sam POV 9:28AM Day 13

"Hey." Freddie says half-heartedly, closing the door behind him.

"Hey." I murmur back, keeping my attention on the TV. Freddie collapses on the couch next to me, seemingly exhausted, and I try to focus on the MMA fight. Just then, my phone vibrates…again. I ignore it, trying not to think about the call that I was so unwilling to take that I had locked my phone in a drawer in the kitchen after she had called for the fifteenth time. The saddest thing about all of this? I'm not exaggerating.

"Do you hear that?" Freddie asks, looking around in confusion. I shrug, focusing intensely on the TV screen. "It sounds like it's coming from the kitchen." He gets to his feet, following the sound until it leads him to the locked drawer. Freddie pulls on the door, grunting in surprise when it refuses to budge. I reach into my jacket pocket, clamping my fingers down on the key. Footsteps, and then Freddie stops at the edge of the couch, listening as the phone stops vibrating. "What is that? Don't pretend you didn't hear it."

"I-." Before I can begin my long-winded denial/insult that Freddie must be hearing things, the phone begins to vibrate again. If it was up to me, I would have turned it off, but my phone was stubbornly set on vibrate ever since I knocked it off the table earlier this morning. I was tempted to break it, but I was betting on Freddie's ability to fix it before it annoyed me to that extent. The phone buzzes again and Freddie raises his eyebrows. I roll my eyes, deciding that the sooner I told him, the sooner he could shut the damn thing off. "It's my phone."

"Why don't you answer it?" He asks condescendingly, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because, Freddork, I need you to work your little tech wizard magic on it and get it to shut up." I reply just as condescendingly, pulling the key out of my jacket pocket and offering it to him. He takes it, blinking in confusion now.

"If you just answer the phone, it would stop ringing." I hated myself, I really did, for allowing a simple hand brush to distract me like this.

"Yeah, but I don't want to answer it and I happen to know a nerdy dork that can fix it for me." I respond, my full attention back on the MMA fight by now. The phone finally stops vibrating and I sigh in relief, hoping she won't call ag-. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Of course she calls again. I feel Freddie's silent question and sigh reluctantly before answering it. "It's Melanie and I don't want to talk to her, so chop chop! Make her shut up." Freddie looks startled for a second at my casual mention of Melanie, but he's rolling his eyes by the time I finish my demand. He turns away, leaving me to focus on the MMA fight once more. Shelby Marx was kicking ass, as usual. Freddie returns, blocking the TV and forcing me to look at him. I'm struck, remembering the last time he had blocked the TV. The difference this time being his geek-print pj's (not kidding, he literally has 'geek' written all over them…well, more than usual.) and his light sweatshirt that were more him than the whole nerd-with-a-six-pack thing. For about the billionth time, I wonder why he even went to the gym in the first time. To impress girls? That didn't really seem his speed either. Finally, I notice that he's saying something.

"-answer and I'll fix it. Deal?" I roll my eyes, getting the gist of what he wants. He hands me the phone as soon as I hold out my hand, settling on the couch next to me as I waited for her to-. Buzz.

I pounce, flipping the phone open before immediately closing it. "Done. Here you are, Fredward." I try to hand him the cell phone but he pushes it back, silently ordering me to answer it this time. Buzz. Dang, she's fast. Reluctantly, I press the phone to my ear. Now, for the record. I ONLY answered the phone because the fight went to commercial.

"Finally! Fifty-eight 'missed' calls later!" Melanie's huffy, annoyed voice greets me with particular venom in the 'missed'.

"Was it fifty-eight? I counted fifty-six." I reply, purposely trying to make her angry enough to hang up. Melanie believed that anger should never be taken out on others and, if she felt even a hint of the emotion, she would hang up or walk away. Melanie breathes deeply, trying to keep her cool.

"I'm glad you picked up this time. That's what's really important." I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass over-optimism was. "I heard she kicked you out. Is that true?" Just like that, all hint of emotion fades and leaves me with nothingness.

"I prefer to think it was a mutual agreement that my presence wasn't welcome." Freddie perks up as this, trying his best not to eavesdrop (goody two shoes, remember?) but not able to miss this. He shifts uncomfortably when I continue. "Carly let me move in for the week so I'm good. I'll be living at home full-time by July." This month was always the hardest, when she missed him most. Gradually, I would spend more time at home until I finally started to sleep there full time from about Halloween to Valentine's Day, except for the days Carly invited (or I invited myself) to sleep over.

"That's not right, and you should know that." Melanie, pleading slightly now, is trying to guide the conversation in this direction yet again. Freddie, despite how desperately curious he obviously is, stands abruptly and paces towards the kitchen so he wouldn't be able to hear.

"I know I'm lucky to have that much." Melanie cuts me off before I continue, trying to convince me of something that just wasn't true.

"It wasn't your fault! Sam, you can't blame yours-."

"Goodbye, Melanie." I snap my phone shut, the nothingness masked as I try to appear bored. "Phone, Benson." He returns, taking the phone from my outstretched hand and struggling with something. I focus back on the TV, waiting for the inevitable. I'm extremely surprised, to say the least, when he doesn't ask any questions after all; instead heading over to his apartment without a word.

It was odd; almost like he was afraid asking me too many questions would piss me off. Well, enough questions and he probably would, but one question wouldn't have been to out of line. Another thought, even more startling then the first: maybe he didn't ask me anything because he was afraid of scaring me off. I immediately push away the idea, disgusted at the thought of me scared of something. Unsettled, my stomach lurches involuntarily at the thought that Freddie Benson might know me better than I thought he did.

Maybe, just maybe.

Nahhhhhhhh.

So...Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(

HUGE thanks to the amazing reviewers from last chapter: Romance and Musicals, bella3590, delenaseddieluv, RobSp1derp1g, coketree20, Mystapleza, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Seddielovergrl, violet0scar, IamMu-chan, LettersFromTheHeart, leodoglover, Plant Love Grow Peace, Gabsikle, iMaximumSeddie, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, AnimeRose93, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, popcorn1001, chickiebabe, twilightcrazed999, mirage888, Castle-of-Bones, seddieroxxmysoxx, ober22, Mari13ssa, M U L T I S E D D I E, iPeppyCola, SpeakNow4, Kpfan72491, Thalico 4 evah, xBeckyBooHerex, kelseighrox925, smileyface, singstar29, Geekquality, PurpleMousefurGomez, icecoffee18, and Misskress!

TO DELENASEDDIELUV: 1. Sam and Freddie were talking on the phone and then Freddie knocked on the door. Sam opened the door and poked him with the water gun. 2. Wendy has a family reunion on the East Coast.

TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: It does seem to be taking a while, doesn't it? Sam has her reasons and Freddie is convinced that Sam hates him. Glad you liked the chapter anyway!

TO iPEPPYCOLA: Glad you liked the bit with Wendy's Uncle, that was very fun to write. Bummer Bushwell Plaza doesn't really exist. :(

TO MISSKRESS: Glad you liked it! :)

So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please, please REVIEW! :D