Chapter 55 (A night of discussions)

This chapter will be all Seddie. To honor those that didn't want to see the story end. You let me know that there were still readers out there enjoying it. You all rock, and are appreciated more than you know. Enjoy! :P

After Sam's worries and uncertainties were put to rest; Sam and Freddie enjoyed the rest of their time together at the beach. Sam looked around the beach; scanning all that was going on; when she had a thought.

"Hey…Fred Nerd."

"What…?"

"I'm wearing my swim suit; where's yours…?" She asked; pulling her shorts off; looking at him sitting there in the shorts he was wearing at Gibby's house.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about…Where are they? You can't go swimming in those; your mom will have to disinfect you along with those shorts, and probably at the same time when you get home." She said.

Freddie blushed a little, but he did have a little surprise for her. Freddie stood up, and began pulling his shorts off; revealing the Speedos she had given him during their last spring break.

"I didn't know you were going to go swimming in your underwear." Sam said; mocking him.

"Underwear..? Well I better put my shorts back on, I feel naked all of a sudden." He said as he reached down to pull his shorts back on.

"Don't even think about it…take them all the way off Fred muffin." Sam said; enjoying the view.

Freddie slid his shorts off and sat back down next to Sam. He was still a little embarrassed about it, but was willing to do it for Sam.

"I'm starting to feel a little cold here Princess." He said as he reached over and pulled her over to him.

"I don't know how someone as hot as my nerd could feel cold, but I'll keep you warm." She said as she pushed him down and rolled on top of him.

"Better…?" She asked; now lying on top of him.

"Surprisingly…yes." He said.

"Surprisingly…?"

Sam quick sat up and pinned Freddie's arms down with her knees and threatened to do things to him.

"No Sam…NO…! AHHHH…!" Freddie screamed as she had started tickling him mercilessly.

"SURPRISE…! Now I'm surprisingly..." She said as she rolled off; releasing him so he could get back up.

Sam stood up, and made her way to the water's edge, as Freddie was still trying to recover from her attack. He finally got to his feet, and made his way over to where Sam was now standing; waiting for him. Freddie reached down and grabbed a hold of her hand, and interlaced their fingers.

"Can you feel it…?" Freddie asked out of the blue.

"Feel what…?"

"This…here…us, it's kind of where we started things." He said.

Sam thought about what he said, and in a way, he was right. It wasn't exactly where things started, but it did become their favorite spot to be together; a place they both felt connected.

"Yeah…it holds a lot of memories…good and bad; sort of." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well…We have had a lot of fun here, but there was the time you had to help me get out of the rocks; remember? Not the best memory I have of this place." She said as she felt Freddie let go of her hand, and place his arms around her shoulders.

"Well….if you ask me. They were all good memories….yes you did get stuck in the rocks, but we got out alive; not dead. So to me they are all good memories. Besides I got to be your knight in shining armor and save my damsel in distress." He joked.

Sam would normally insult him about being so sappy, but this time she loved what he was saying.

"Yeah; except he was wearing Speedos..." She joked.

"Well the armor and horse thing wouldn't have helped in the rocks." He joked back.

Sam and Freddie hung out at the beach until it started getting dark; and chilly from the breeze that had started blowing in from the water.

"Looks like your cold there Sir knight…" Sam said; smiling as he started looking embarrassed at her comment.

"Funny…let's get going, because I want to go do something with you this evening." He said as he hurried to go get his shorts on.

Sam smiled as he made his way to their clothes; quickly putting his shorts back on.

"Here you go Princess…a pair of shorts for you as well." He said; holding them up.

Sam grabbed the clothes, and made quick putting them on, because the temperature dropped quickly, and she was feeling a little chilled herself.

"So where are we going tonight…?" She asked curiously.

"Somewhere nice, so I have to drop you off at your house so you can change."

"What's wrong with what I got on…?" Sam asked.

"Nothing…just thought you would like to put something a little warmer on…that's all." Freddie answered.

When they got to her house, he walked around and helped her out of the car. When Sam was fully out of the car, the two of them stood there a few moments, before saying anything to one another.

"I'll see you in about a half hour…see you then" Freddie said as he gave Sam a simple kiss and hug goodbye.

"See you Sir-knight of Nerd-a-lot…" Sam said smiling; as she turned and headed to her house.

Freddie shook his head; got into his car, and sat there as he watched her go into her house, before heading home himself.

XXX

Freddie walked through the door of his apartment, and saw his mom watching how to cook toe-foo deserts on the Food Channel. She liked to keep up on the newest toe-foo recipes.

"Hey mom…"

"Hi Freddikins…Haven't seen you all day. How's Samantha…?" She asked as she briefly looked up from the TV.

"Good. Actually I'm taking her out tonight, and I'm just home to get changed." He said as he headed for his room.

"Hold up just a minute..." She said as she looked over at him once more, but giving her full attention to Freddie this time.

"What…?"

"Do you ever plan on eating at home anytime soon…?" She asked.

"Yes…why are you asking me that now." He asked; knowing he wasn't going to tell her he wasn't fond of her food, and was enjoying the fact he was eating normal food.

"Because, I would like to have Samantha over for dinner." She said as she waited on an answer from Freddie.

"I'll tell you what. How about I ask her when I see her tonight, and let you know when I get home…okay?" He asked; hoping he could get to his room so he could get changed.

"Fine…but let me know…" She said; almost sounding disappointed; going back to watching her show.

Freddie got to his room, and began getting himself ready. He had a lot to say to her; important things, and he wanted to get going so he had enough time to say them, and bring her back to see his mom; knowing Sam would like to talk to her as well.

XXX

Sam walked through her door, and was heading to her room, when her mom walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Well…there's the prodigal child."

"Funny mom…do you mind, I have to get changed. Freddie's taking me out tonight, and I need to get ready." She said impatiently.

"Never thought I would see the day when my Samantha would be in a hurry to get herself ready for a guy." She said as she sat down on the couch.

"He's not just some guy mom…we have a future." She said.

Sam realized what slipped out of her mouth, and hoped her mom didn't catch it. But she did, and she wanted to know exactly what kind of a future Sam was talking about.

"What do you mean future…?"

"Nothing mom…I just like him a lot…that's all."

"C'mon Sammy, I know when you're lying. Now tell me what you meant." She said; not giving up the conversation until Sam told her what she wanted to know.

"Mom…really…?"

"Yes…now start talking." She said firmly.

"It's just that I think we will go farther than a couple; you know getting married someday; that's all." Sam said; waiting for her mom to start laughing.

"Sam…why do you want to go and ruin your life like that? You know it don't work out? Look at all my wrecks, they never worked out, and I would really hate it if that happened to you as well." She said.

"Mom…Freddie's different, and if we did get married, I know we would never break up. He's not like the guys you get involved with; I'm done talking about it." Sam said angrily; wishing she had said nothing at all, and slammed her bedroom door.

Sam was mad at her mom. She couldn't believe her mom would even say anything about it; considering the record of broken marriages she has had. Sam made quick of getting ready, and left the house before her mom had a chance to say anything to her. When Sam left her house, Freddie still hadn't got there, and she didn't really want to hang around her house after what her mom had said, so Sam stood a couple of houses down and leaned against a giant oak tree.

XXX

Freddie had just turned onto Sam's street, and noticed she was leaning up against a tree that was nowhere near her house. He pulled up to her and got out; noticing the scowl on her face.

"What's up Sam…?" He asked.

"Nothing…let's just go." Sam said as she got into the car and closed the door,

Freddie walked around to his side of his car, and got in himself. Sam didn't look at Freddie. Instead she kept her gaze out the window; stewing over her mom's comments. Instead of grilling Sam for answers, he started the car and drove off in silence. Freddie figured she would tell him about what she was upset about when she was ready. Freddie glanced over at her, and noticed she was wearing a skirt, and nice dress shirt.

"You look nice Princess…" Freddie said.

"Thanks, but I'm not someone that looks that great dressed up." You know I have never cared for it." She said still upset.

"Are you kidding me…? You could make a burlap sack look good." He said; realizing she still had a hard time feeling confident in her appearance.

"How can she not know how beautiful she looks? Even other guys take a second look when she walks by." He thought to himself.

He was reminded of her when he listened to "Just the way you are" by Bruno Mars. He would always see her as the one that no other girl could hold a candle to. Freddie continued driving to a nice place he had wanted to take Sam to, and just enjoy being with her.

"Where are we going Freddifer…?" She asked.

"Panini's…a little birdie told me you liked Italian food." He said; knowing she was going to like it.

"You do know the way to a girl's heart." She said; sounding more like herself.

"And here I thought it was just Ham that made its way into your heart." Freddie said jokingly.

"Well…it is number one in my life, but Italian ranks up there with it." She said; now smiling and having a good time.

Freddie pulled into the parking lot; got out, and walked around to open the door for her. He held his hand out for her, to help her out. As they were walking to the entrance, Freddie grabbed her hand; enjoying the smile that had finally appeared on her face.

As they walked in, the hostess met them with a smile.

"Party of two..." Freddie said.

"Right this way sir." The Hostess said as she led them to the back of the restaurant.

Freddie looked around and noticed that it was a little darker in their spot than in the rest of the place. "Couldn't have asked for a better spot." He thought to himself. Freddie let Sam sit before sitting himself.

"Here are some menus; your server will be with you shortly to take you order." She said.

Moments later their waitress showed up, holding an order pad in her hand; ready to take their order.

"What can I get you to drink?" She asked; readying her order pad.

Sam made a thinking face; pondering on what she wanted.

"Water…" She said plainly.

Freddie was taken by surprise that she didn't order a Peppy Cola; it was kind of her favorite soda. Freddie turned and faced the waitress and ordered himself.

"Lemon-aide." He said; giving her a kind smile as she wrote their drinks down and made her way into the back to get their drinks.

"Nice place…Fred Cutie." She said as she looked around."

"Yeah it does have that cozy feel to it doesn't it?" He said; happy to see Sam was seemingly enjoying herself.

Freddie waited until the waitress returned to the table before starting to talk about what he needed to discuss with her.

"So…Fred nerd, why did you want to take me here for…?" She asked.

As luck would have it, their waitress came back with their drinks; saving him from having to answer Sam at that moment. Freddie didn't know where to begin and wanted to say things so she wouldn't feel upset.

"Sam…?"

"Yeah…?"

"I have been thinking about us; you know college and things, and I need to know your feelings on it." He said; taking a sip of his drink.

Sam sat there speechless, it was the one topic that she didn't want to deal with, and thinking that he would have to leave her scared her, but she also had to be honest with him as well.

"Well…before I answer that, let me ask you a question." She said.

"Fair enough…shoot." He said.

"Are you still considering M.I.T. ?" She asked nervously.

"To be honest…yes. I think it would be a great opportunity for my future…possibly our future." He said, hoping she would be okay with the idea, and not freak out about talking about the marriage future like they discussed they wouldn't.

Sam sat there silent; taking in all that he was saying. She loved him, and to have him leaving for who knows how long, wasn't a thought she liked having. Sam picked up her water and took a sip; stalling a little. But then she realized she had no right to tell him he couldn't have his dream, just because she would miss him, so she decided to tell him.

"Freddie I won't lie to you, I'm not happy about you taking the invitation to go to M.I.T."

"Oh…well…"

"But I want you to be happy. I want you to go and fulfil your dreams." She said. Feeling sad at the thought of him leaving.

Freddie loved her honestly, even in one of the toughest decisions. He knew she could have easily said to go to a college in Seattle, but she didn't. Freddie loved her for it. It actually made his decision even more difficult. Freddie took in a breath and let out a sigh.

"Sam I have to say one thing to you."

"What…?"

"I love you. I love you more now than I ever have.

Their conversation was interrupted by their waitress returning to take their order.

"Have you two decided what you are having tonight?" She asked.

Freddie looked over at Sam. "May I…?" He asked with a simple smile.

"Go ahead Dork…"

"The lady will have your best plate of lasagna, and I'll have the same…oh, and make sure we have plenty of parmesan" Freddie said as she handed the menus back to her.

"Wow…you really do know the way to my heart." Sam joked.

"It's never been a secret. You love anything that doesn't move faster than you do." He said; waiting for a smart reply from her.

Instead Sam sat there with a more serious; yet confident look about her. It confused him. One minute they were joking back and forth, and then Sam went all serious on him without using any words.

"I'm going with…" She said silently, as she looked down at the silverware sitting next to her.

"What…?"

"I'm going with you." She repeated; looking at him this time.

"Going with me where…?" Freddie asked not sure exactly what she was saying.

"M.I.T. I'm going with you, I want you to have your chance; your chance at a bright future." She said feeling more confident in her decision.

"Sam…you have a scholarship. What about that? Are you just going to walk away from the opportunity of a life time?" Freddie asked in disbelief.

"Freddie I thought about it, and the more I think about it, the more I think it's the right decision. I can apply to the colleges out there. I'm sure if I can get a scholarship here, I should be able to at least get accepted to one out there." She said; actually firm on her decision.

"But Sam…"

"No Freddie, when you first told me about getting accepted into your dream college, all I could feel was how I felt; how I was going to miss you. I never gave any thought to what you wanted. I was being selfish. Besides, if I go with you, it will be very hard for me to miss you." She said; smiling.

Before Freddie could say another word, their waitress brought their food out and placed it on the table in front of them.

"Enjoy…" She said as she turned and made her way back to the kitchen.

Without another word, Sam picked up her fork; giving him a loving smile, with a look that told him there was no way he was going to change her mind; not that he wouldn't try, but knew most likely couldn't.

There you have it. Will they actually make it there? Will they go and regret it? Will Marisa cause issues that make them rethink? Sorry…Had to keep you guessing…makes it more fun that way. Anyway, I would like to thank everyone once again for reminding me there were still readers enjoying my story. I'll try to update as often as I can, but life makes it difficult…be patient. ;P