AN- This oneshot actually isn't a request; it's something I've been wanting to write for awhile now. I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be back to posting requests next chapter!

...

Sudden

"Carly, you've been obsessing about this all day," Sam said, holding her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she slid a ham out of the oven.

"Because it's a huge deal!" Carly said on the other end. "You know how snobbish Alyson Erikson is, and today she wears the same exact shirt at me and flaunts it in the lunchroom? Now I'm going to have to spend all night putting together an outfit tomorrow that will blow the socks off of anything she wears, and I still have to go to that PTA meeting."

"That's your fault for getting suckered into it," Sam said, stirring her potatoes on the stove. "I've never been to one of those meetings, and I never will."

"Yeah, how is that fair?" Carly asked. "I've only got one kid at the middle school, you've got two. You should be going instead of me."

"Oh come on, they're twins, they count as one," Sam said. "Besides, I have you to tell me anything important, so why should I bother?"

"Can't you just come tonight?" Carly pleaded. "It's always so lonely."

"Couldn't even if I wanted to," Sam said. "I'm stuck taking Tyler to baseball practice since Freddie's going to be helping Jason with his science project all night."

Just then she heard the front door of the house open.

"That's Freddie," she said. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Smells good, baby," Freddie said, walking into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist and planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"It's ham, it always smells good," Sam grinned, returning the kiss.

"Gross, get a room," Sam and Freddie's fifteen-year old son, Jason said, walking into the kitchen.

"I picked up the magnesium rods for your project on my way home," Freddie said, letting go of Sam. "Did you finish calculating the capacities of all the variables?"

"Yup, we're all set," Jason nodded. "I'm definitely going to win the science fair this year with this project."

"Look what you've done to him," Sam said darkly to Freddie.

"Oh awesome, ham," Jason said, picking off a piece of meat.

"You were saying?" Freddie chuckled to his wife.

"Just go set the table, nub," Sam said, shoving a pile of plates into his arms.

Freddie walked into the dining room, passing the living room where his other three children were sitting watching T.V.

"Hey, guys, dinner's ready," Freddie said to them. "Come sit."

"But this guy's about to dip his hand into a box of bees!" his eleven-year old daughter, Emma, exclaimed.

"You're mom has this on tape," Freddie said. "You can watch it later."

"Fine," she moped, clicking the television off.

Freddie set the plates down as Emma, her twin sister Ashton, seven-year old Tyler and Jason took their seats while Sam brought out the dinner.

"Hey mom," Tyler said as Sam cut some ham for his plate. "I told Bobby Stintson from baseball that you could knock any guy out with just a sock full of butter, but he didn't believe me. So can you show him tonight?"

"I wish," Sam said, sliding him his plate as the older kids began to help themselves. "But daddy won't let me bring my butter sock to public places anymore."

"Sam, you knocked out our waiter on our date last month," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"He got my order wrong! He had to learn!"

"Guess what happened at school today," Emma said, taking a bite of her ham. "Me and Clarissa were in History, and the teacher was being totally boring, as usual, so I took this spider that I had caught during lunch and-"

"I don't want to hear the end of this," Freddie interrupted.

"I do," Sam said. "Tell me after dinner, Em."

"Well I hacked into my French teacher's computer," Jason said. "You know, the one who gave me a C on my report because I insisted on turning it in digitally instead of printing it out on a hard copy like in the caveman ages. Anyway, I made her computer scream out that she was a Russian Spy for six hours."

"Using that new software I gave you?" Freddie asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Nice," Freddie grinned. "I mean, no! That's not nice! You're not supposed to use technology that way!"

"It's the only fun way," Sam mumbled.

"Sam..."

"Ashton, why aren't you eating?" Sam asked, looking at her daughter, who was just pushing her ham around on her plate. "You feeling okay?"

"Um, yeah," Ashton said. "I'm just not very hungry."

"I call her ham!" Emma yelled.

"I want it!" Tyler exclaimed.

"No way, I get it!" Jason said.

"Eat at least a little," Freddie said.

"Could I just eat the potatoes?" Ashton asked.

"Why don't you want ham?" Sam frowned. "It's just," Ashton started. "I was sort of thinking of...becoming a vegetarian."

Sam dropped her fork. "What?"

"No meat?" Emma cried. "Are you crazy?"

"Calm down, Emma," Freddie said. "Ash, why do you want to become a vegetarian all of the sudden?"

"It's because of your grandma's tofu lectures, isn't it?" Sam asked. She turned to Freddie. "Go call your mom and-"

"No, it's not because of that," Ashton said quickly. "It's because of this video we saw in school."

"You got this from school?" Sam said. "School? And everyone said that place was supposed to be good."

"What video?" Freddie asked.

"It was in health class," Ashton explained. "And it was showing how they make meat, and all the poor little animals just looked so sad. You saw it, Emma."

"No, I don't think I did," Emma said. "Health is my nap class."

"So-So now you-you want to become a-a-" Sam stuttered.

Ashton nodded. "I researched it on the Internet. There's a ton of meat substitutes I could eat and they're really cheap to buy."

Sam didn't say anything, she just continued to sit in her seat looking shocked.

"Um, Sam, can I talk to you in the kitchen?" Freddie asked, standing up.

"Why?"

"Just come on," Freddie said.

Sam reluctantly followed him.

"Okay, look," Freddie said. "I know this is kind of...sudden, but if Ashton wants to become a-"

"Don't say it!" Sam hissed.

"Sam, you're overreacting," Freddie said.

"Am I Freddie? Am I?" Sam snapped. "You're the one who flipped out when Tyler said he didn't get the point of Galaxy Wars. My daughter, my own flesh and blood wants to be a...vegetarian. Do you know what that means?"

"That she'll eat more salads?" Freddie shrugged. "I really don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal?" Sam repeated. "The big deal is that there's going to be tofu touching my meat now, and when we go to Mr. Ribby's All-You-Can-Eat Rib Shack, we're going to look Mr. Ribby himself in the eye and say we want a rack of meatless ribs. And my dream of starting a competitive family hot dog eating team is dead."

"You just made up that last one," Freddie said.

"You know, I'm going to go to that PTA meeting Carly was trying to get me come to," Sam said. "And give them a piece of my mind. They can't corrupt the minds of children like that! This is America!"

"Sam, listen," Freddie said. "You love Ashton, right?"

"What? Yes, of course I do!"

"And you'd love even if she had some terrible disorder or a disability, right?"

"Yes, I would," Sam said. "But that's not the point! The point is-"

"And," Freddie continued. "You'd love her if she didn't want to eat meat anymore."

"I never said I wouldn't love her," Sam said. "Obviously I'd still love her as much as I always have, but..."

"But what then?" Freddie asked.

Sam crossed her arms and didn't reply.

"Sam, Ashton becoming a vegetarian isn't the end of the world," Freddie said softly. "In fact, like I said, it's not a big deal."

"But...it's meat," Sam whispered.

"I know," Freddie said. "And I know how much you love it. But you love Ashton more, right?"

Sam nodded.

"And hey," Freddie smiled. "Now you'll only have to split the meat five ways instead of six."

"That's true," Sam mumbled.

"Come on," Freddie said, kissing her. "Let's get back out there."

...

Later that night, Sam was sitting on the couch watching a program about a haunted house. Freddie was still helping Jason with his science project, so she was all by herself.

"Mom?"

Sam turned and saw Ashton standing behind the couch.

"Hey, it's almost midnight," Sam said, muting the show. "You're supposed to be in bed."

"Are you mad at me?"

Sam smiled. She patted the seat next to her. "Come here, Ash."

Ashton sat down next to her mother.

"First of all, I'm in no way mad at you," Sam said. "It's just...you kind of caught me off guard at dinner tonight. But you know me and meat, right?"

Ashton giggled and nodded.

"Listen sweetie," Sam said. "I'm sorry I made such a big deal about this whole thing. And if you want to be a vegetarian, then I'm fine with it."

"Really?" Ashton asked.

"Really," Sam said. "We'll just keep your tofu stuff away from the meat, deal?"

"Deal," her daughter agreed.

"And you're sure you want to give up meat?" Sam asked. "You know that means no more steaks, or burgers or those chicken wings you like."

"I'm sure," Ashton said.

"Well then do it. Anyway" Sam said, looking at her phone. "Now it's really late, and I have a hard enough time getting myself out of bed in the mornings, I don't want to have to worry about dragging you out of your bed tomorrow, so go sleep."

"Night mom," Ashton said, giving her mom a hug. "I love you."

"Love you too, Ash," Sam smiled, hugging her back.