AN- This is a sequel to ch517, where a young Sam and Freddie spent a year of their childhood playing together at a park before they met again two years later when Freddie moves into Bushwell plaza and doesn't seem to recognize Sam.
…
Destination
"Hmm…I think Cancun is in the middle of its rainy season," Freddie mused, looking through a pile of travel brochures on the coffee table of his and Sam's apartment. "But the Bahamas usually have great weather conditions this time of the year. But then again, so does Rome…Let's see, we could try Bermuda, but I'm not sure if Sam's allowed back there yet. Or maybe-"
He was thrown from his thoughts as all of the sudden, his fiancé plopped herself down on her lap and kissed him passionately. He was caught off guard, but Freddie quickly recovered and wasted no time in returning the gesture.
"Well hi," he grinned as him and Sam pulled apart.
"What are you doing?" Sam asked, wrapping her arms around him.
"Just trying to find the perfect honeymoon destination for us," Freddie replied. "I mean the wedding is in a month. We should probably start making reservations."
"Eh, we can do that later," Sam said, giving him another quick kiss. "Hey, baby? I need to ask you something. But before you do…just know there's no right or wrong answer, and I'm not going to get mad at you or anything no matter what you answer."
Freddie's smile dropped at once. "Aw jeez. What did I do?"
"Nothing!" Sam said.
"Then why are you torturing me like this?" Freddie moaned. "I'm not an idiot, Sam. I know when you tell me there is no right or wrong answer, there is, in fact, one right one, and if I don't give it, you will get mad at me."
"I'm serious," Sam said sweetly. "It's just a simple question. I just want your honest answer."
Freddie sighed. "Well I know I'm gonna regret this in a few minutes, but okay. What do you want to ask me?"
"When was the first time you met me?" Sam asked.
Freddie blinked. "What?"
"The first time you met me," Sam repeated. "When was it?"
"Um…are you serious?" Freddie said, confused. "That's what you wanted to ask me?"
Sam nodded.
"Oh," Freddie said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to ask me something a little bit more complex. But that's an easy one; it was the day I moved into my apartment across from Carly's in Bushwell Plaza. I think we were, what, eleven?"
Sam pursed her lips. "So that's your final answer then? We met when we were eleven when you moved in across the hall from Carly?"
"Er…yes," Freddie said.
"Positive? One hundred percent sure?"
"Sam, come on, we're engaged," Freddie chuckled. "In one month we're going to be husband and wife. I think I can remember the day that we met."
"Fine," Sam said simply, getting to her feet. "That's fine. That's super!"
"Um, what do you mean?" Freddie asked, giving her a strange look. "Why'd you-"
"I can't believe you, Freddie Benson!" Sam snapped, thumping him in the back of his head. "You're-ugh!"
She got up off his lap and glared at him. "That's really the answer you're gonna stick with?"
"Sam, what other answer is there?" Freddie asked, taken aback by his fiancé's reaction. "We met the day I moved into Bushwell Plaza! Remember? You told me my shirt looked like it came from a dumpster and that I had a geeky face."
"Oh, so you remember that?" Sam fumed. "But you can't-You know what? Never mind!"
And with that she stormed out of the room, leaving a very confused Freddie behind.
"I blame myself," Freddie sighed. "There's always a right answer."
….
A little while later, Freddie cautiously opened his and Sam's bedroom door and poked his head in.
"Um, baby?" Freddie said, looking over at his future wife, who was lying on the bed, watching T.V. as she popped potato chips into her mouth. Freddie felt it was wise not to bring up the 'no crumbs in the bed' rule he had instated at the moment. "Is-Is everything okay? You seemed a little, er, upset, earlier."
Sam didn't reply, and simply ignored Freddie as she continued to stare straight ahead at the T.V.
"Sam, come on, if something's bothering you, please tell me," Freddie pleaded. "I mean for crying out loud, we're about to be married. A healthy marriage is built on communication. If you tell me what's wrong, maybe I can fix it."
Sam sighed as she turned off the T.V. She sat up and looked over at him. "Do you really not remember?"
"Remember what?" Freddie said desperately.
"When the first time we met was," Sam said softly.
"I-I told you when that was," Freddie said weakly. "It was when I moved into-"
"No," Sam cut him off. "It wasn't."
Freddie frowned. "Huh? Yes it was."
Sam shook her head. "Nope. It was a couple of years earlier."
"A couple of years-Sam," Freddie said, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I-I think you're mistaken. I would've remembered meeting you. I don't think-"
"When you were around eight years old," Sam interrupted. "You used to go to this little park all the time after school with your dad."
Freddie gave her a strange look. "How-How'd you know that? I didn't think I ever talked about that."
"And then there was this one day," Sam continued, ignoring Freddie's comment. "When you were sitting in the sandbox building this lame farm and a girl came over and told you that your farm was-"
"Stupid," Freddie finished, looking absolutely stunned. "Sam, you're kind of freaking me out now. How could you possibly-Oh my God…"
He stared at his fiancé, wondering how he hadn't made the connection before. "That girl…that was you."
Sam didn't reply.
"We-We played together everyday for almost a whole year," Freddie said softly. "You-You were my first-my first real friend. Oh my God, I-I can't believe this."
"First real friend who you just forgot about," Sam scoffed. "And the second you see me years later, you decide to just start lusting after my best friend."
"Sam," Freddie said gently. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."
Sam shrugged. "Whatever…it doesn't really matter. I'm not exactly mad about it…not really. But it just always bothered me. I mean, we were pretty close for that year at the park. I know you moved and we didn't see each other for another two years, but was I really that easy to forget."
Freddie gave her a small smile as he put his arm around her. "It's not that you were easy to forget. Honestly, I don't remember much from that time in my life…That's when my parents were going through their divorce."
Sam's expression softened. Freddie hated bringing up his parents divorce.
"I've tried to block most of that stuff out," Freddie said. "When my mom and I moved away from my dad, I thought the best way to cope with everything was to just really focus on starting fresh and not focus on everything that I had to leave behind."
Sam reached for his hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I-I didn't mean to bring up your parents' divorce."
Freddie shook his head as he leaned down and kissed her. "Don't worry about it. I can talk about it. I just prefer not to."
Sam kissed him back. "Well then we don't have to."
"Thanks," Freddie said. "I'm just sorry I made you think I forgot because that year we spent at the park didn't mean anything to me. It did. It meant a lot."
"It did to me too," Sam told him.
"Crazy, though," Freddie said. "We met when we were eight, then again when we were eleven…and here we are, twelve years later, about to be married. Kind of seems like we were always meant to be together."
Sam laughed. "Looks like we're really stuck with each other."
Freddie kissed her again. "Well I can't think of anyone I'd rather be stuck with than you."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Hey," she said. "How about you take a break from planning where we go on our honeymoon so we can practice what we'll do once we get there?"
"Hmmm," Freddie said thoughtfully as he wrapped his arms around Sam's waist. "I suppose I can take a break for that."
