Significance

"Come on, baby, just think about it," Freddie pleaded to his wife. "Please?"

"No!" Sam snapped. "You've had some very lame ideas before in the twenty years we've been married but this has got take the cake."
"Okay, first of all, we've been married twenty-one years," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "And second, it's not lame!"

"Freddie, newsflash," Sam said. "Starting a couple's vegetable garden is the definition of lame!"

"It would be fun!" Freddie said. "We'd get some fresh air, we'd be able to grow our own food-"

"Clearly you haven't been very observant during the last twenty-one years," Sam smirked. "I hate the outdoors and vegetables."

"Fine, I'll start my own vegetable garden," Freddie said. "And when me and the kids are feasting on fresh carrots and squash and zucchinis from the garden, you can't have any."

"Darn…" Sam said, shaking her head. "Where do you come up with these torture ideas?"

"Cute," Freddie chuckled.

"Thank you," Sam grinned leaning over and giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "I know."

Freddie smiled as he kissed her again, this time more passionately as he slowly put his arms around her.

"Okay, gross, it's like, four in the afternoon," came a voice from behind them, and Sam and Freddie pulled apart to see their almost sixteen-year old twins standing behind them.

"Yeah, you know dad, you can't yell at me for making out with Quincy when you do the same exact thing," Emma said, crossing her arms. "Maybe this is where I picked it up. Ever think about that?"

"Hey! I will be as mad about you kissing as I want!" Freddie said firmly. "When you and Quincy are our age then you may kiss all you want."

"Can we help you with something?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Ashton said. "We have a very important matter to discuss with you both."
"Aw jeez, what is it?" Sam sighed. "You either want money or someone's in trouble."

"No," Ashton said. "Now, as you may know, mine and Emma's birthday is just around the corner. In two weeks and three days, to be exact."

"Yes, we've noticed the countdown calendar on the fridge," Freddie said.

"And since this is going to be our sixteenth birthday, we were hoping we could so something sort of big. Sixteen's, like, the most significant year ever," Emma said. "I mean Clarissa had that huge part when she turned sixteen."

"I think that party was more for Carly than Clarissa," Sam pointed out.

"Either way," Ashton said. "Emma and I really want to do something cool for our Sweet Sixteen. I mean I could plan a party in my sleep!"

"And we promise it won't be too big," Emma said. "And-And we'll stay on a budget and we'll double check with you on everything."

Sam and Freddie exchanged glances.

"Well girls," Freddie said. "It just so happens your mom and I were discussing your birthday just a few nights ago."
"You were?" Ashton grinned.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "And we agree with you. Sixteen's a big year. And you're good kids, you should get to do something special."

"So you're saying we can have a party?" Emma asked excitedly.

"Yes, we decided you can have a party," Freddie said. "Or…"

"Or?" Ashton said. "Or what?"

Sam reached over to the coffee table and pulled out a brochure from underneath a pile of magazines and handed it to the girls.

"Whoa!" Emma gasped. "This is one of those fancy Paradise Cruises! They're supposed to be the best! A girl from the track team went on one once and she said they had a fifty-foot waterslide, hot tubs, massages, all-you-can-eat buffets and a whole bunch of other stuff!"

"Yeah, they're really great," Freddie nodded. "So here's your choice. You can either have a party here or we'll take you on a five-night Paradise Cruise and you can invite a couple of friends."

"Oh my God! We have to do the cruise, Emma!" Ashton said. "Look at those towel boys!"

"Duh we're doing the cruise!" Emma beamed. "Who needs some dumb party when you have a fifty-foot table filled with honey-glazed hams?"

"You're both sure?" Sam said. "We have to book our tickets tonight and once we do, it's a done deal."

"Oh, we're positive," Ashton said. "Hey, can we invite Clarissa?"

"Of course, we even already talked it over with her parents," Freddie nodded.

"And we have to invite Quincy," Emma added.
"Oh no, no, no, no," Freddie said at once.

"What?" Emma moaned.

"Dude, why can't Quincy come?" Sam asked. "He's one of their best friends! He's known them their whole life."

"No, he's Ashton's friend," Freddie corrected. "He's Emma's boyfriend."

"So? We're gonna be on this cruise too," Sam reminded him. "They're not gonna do anything. Besides, they'll sleep in separate rooms."

"Yeah, daddy," Emma said, pulling on a sweet voice as she looked up at her father with her big, brown eyes. "Please? It would make me so happy."
Freddie sighed, knowing he had lost this argument. "Alright!" he agreed. "Quincy can come. But I'll be keeping my eye on you two!"

"Thank you!" Emma beamed, throwing her arms around Freddie's neck.

"Come on, we have to go call Clarissa and Quincy and tell them!" Ashton said. "Oh, and I'm gonna have to the mall and find some appropriate cruise outfits. Thanks mom and dad, you're the best!"

"Aw, did you hear that?" Sam grinned as the girls ran up to their room. "We're the best. Great idea coming up with this cruise thing, baby. Did you see how happy they were?"

"Great idea?" Freddie scoffed. "I just arranged for one daughter to chase after towel boys and for the other to be on a tiny little boat with her boyfriend for five days. I think this was one of my worst ideas. Why didn't you stop me?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Oh relax, they're gonna have a good time. And we're bringing Tyler. If you start to get super paranoid about something he can always swoop in with his 'annoying little brother' bit."

"That is true…he can really annoy them when he wants," Freddie said thoughtfully.

"There you go," Sam said, kissing him. "Now stop spazzing out so we can get back to what we were doing before the twins came down."

"Okay," Freddie sighed as Sam laced her arms around his neck, kissing him again.

"Bye, mom, bye dad!" Ashton said suddenly, coming back downstairs. "I'm gonna go meet Clarissa at the mall. I need to buy some new bikinis. The ones I have now will never get a cute towel boy to rub sunscreen on me."

"What?" Freddie exclaimed, jumping up. "What-What-Ah!"

"And you're spazzing again," Sam sighed.