AN- So this oneshot isn't exactly a sequel, but it's a follow-up to ch598, where Freddie tells Sam that he wants to get to know her family better.

.

Consent

"-And here's another twelve tablecloth samples I picked out for you to look at," Carly said as she and Sam sat on the couch together. "Try to have a final decision by the end of the week, okay?"

"Carly…" Sam moaned. "Can we cool it with the wedding planning for the rest of the day? I'm exhausted. I just spent more time looking at flower arrangements than I ever planned on. Besides, Freddie and I don't get married for another five months. We don't have to rush and do all this now."
"Sam, planning a wedding isn't just something you can do in a couple weeks," Carly said. "We have to be doing all this now or the whole thing's going to wind up being a disaster!"

"Yeah, it'd be a real shame if there weren't perfect tablecloths at this thing," Sam mumbled just as the apartment door opened and Freddie walked in.

"Freddie," Carly said. "Can you please talk to your fiancée and tell her to cooperate with the wedding planning?"

"Well…we have another five months," Freddie said, hanging up his jacket. "I'm sure everything will get done."

"That's why I'm marrying you, baby," Sam beamed as Freddie stepped over and kissed her. "Where were you all day?"

"I was at the fencing gym," Freddie replied. "Just practicing some different techniques. And I reserved one of the private practice rooms for next weekend."

"Oh, are you and Spencer gonna go?" Carly asked.

"No," Freddie said. "I was thinking of asking Carmine and maybe Chaz and Vinnie to go with me."

"Um…hold on," Sam frowned. "When you say Carmine, you-you don't mean-"

"Your Uncle, yeah," Freddie smiled. "And Chaz and Vinnie; your cousins."

"That's what I thought," Sam nodded, getting to her feet. She stepped over to her fiancé and whacked the back of his head. "Are you crazy?"

"Ow!" Freddie exclaimed, massaging his head. "Sam! What was that for?"

"Freddie, you can't go fencing with them!" Sam exclaimed. "Are you looking to die?"
"I just thought it would be a good bonding activity for all of us," Freddie said. "I mean they are going to be my family too soon. I figured it would be fun to hang out and get to know them a little better."

"Baby…you have a degree from MIT," Sam said. "Yet you somehow think it's a good idea to willingly put yourself in a room with these people and give them actual weapons?"

"A fencing sword is not a weapon," Freddie scoffed. "It's a tool used for-"

"It's a giant, pointy stick!" Sam exclaimed. "They're not that picky; it's a weapon! They're gonna gouge your eyes out or pop your spleen or-"

"No they won't," Freddie said. "Besides, you said they were really warming up to me. When we went your aunt's parole party the other day I got a few chuckles from that computer joke I told, after all."

"That's because your fly was down," Sam said. She turned to Carly. "A little help here! You can't possibly think it's a good idea for him to go fencing with my family!"

"Well, um, she-she does have a point, Freddie," Carly said. "Fencing does seem like a bit of an extreme activity for you all to be doing. Maybe-Maybe you could see if they would want to try a safer bonding activity with you. Like-Like jacks!"

"No, no, no," Sam said. "Uncle Carmine spent two years locked up because of a jacks incident."

"Sam, listen, I told you years ago that I want to really get to know your family," Freddie said. "It's important to me that they see me as someone other than the dorky whimp who hangs around you. And now that we're going to be married it's even more important that we all have a good relationship. And the first step in doing that is for me stop being so afraid of them!"

"But-But you should be a little afraid of them!" Sam said. "They're all nuts! Look, Freddie, I think it's sweet that you want to bond with my family, but-but let's take it slow. Maybe we can invite them over for dinner one night after we hid all the utensils, pillows, soap, playing cards, baking soda-"

"Sam, stop worrying; I'm perfectly capable of handling myself in a fencing match with your uncle and cousins," Freddie said. "I am a pretty skilled fencer, after all."

"You only fence with Spencer!" Sam exclaimed. "He's practically a marshmallow compared to all of them!"

"A marshmallow?" Freddie repeated, amused.

"I mean the entire time I'm there watching you guys, I'm gonna be freaking out about you getting hurt!" Sam continued. "Do you want to drive me insane?"

"Of course not," Freddie said. "Which is why you are not invited."

"You mean you want to be alone with these people without Sam's protection?" Carly frowned. "Are you out of you mind?"

"Freddie," Sam said, trying to stay calm. "I really don't think this is a good idea. You're going to get hurt and-"

"Argue all you want," Freddie said simply, giving her another quick kiss. "But this is happening. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go call your Uncle Carmine and Vinnie and Chaz and tell them the good news."

"Well," Sam sighed, collapsing back down on the couch as Freddie left the room. "We might as well stop all that wedding planning now, Carls. I can't marry a dead man."

…..

"This is going to be so fun," Freddie said happily a few days later as he loaded up his fencing bag. "I'm so glad they all agreed to fence with me! I mean at first they sounded a little reluctant, but once I explained what fencing was they got right on board!"
"Oh, you mean once you told them they'd have the chance to attack with a sword?" Sam pointed out.

"Freddie, are you sure you want to do this?" Carly asked. "We can't get the deposit back from the reception hall if you have to postpone the wedding from loss of limb or something."

"Guys, relax," Freddie said. "For the millionth time, it's going to be fine."

"Uh-huh…" Sam said reluctantly. "You-You've got that first aid kit in your bag, right?"

"Yes, baby," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"And your padding?"

"Yup."

"Protective cup?"

"Yes, yes, I have all my gear," Freddie assured her.

"I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what a protective cup is," Carly said.

"Er, we'll get to that later, Carly," Sam said quickly. She turned back to her fiancé. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Sam, I'm sure," Freddie said, giving her a kiss. "You'll see; this is going to be the beginning of a fun, wholesome, family tradition. Me and the guys will hang around the fencing gym laughing and messing around for years and years and years, all because I took the first step and showed them that I'm not some pathetic, scared nub."

He leaned down and gave her another quick kiss. "I'll be home in a few hours; I'll even bring back a pizza for dinner. Bye girls."

"Oh my God…" Sam moaned as Freddie headed out of the apartment. "My fiancé is gonna wind up in a body cast."

"You don't think your cousins and Uncle Carmine will be too rough on him, do you?" Carly asked. "They know how much he means to you."
"I know," Sam sighed. "But they're used to messing around with Pucketts. Not too rough to them could still land Freddie in the emergency room! They-They might just think they're messing around with Freddie, but he really might not be able to handle it! I don't know why he has to be so stubborn about all of this!"

"Well I think it's kind of sweet that he's making such an effort with your family," Carly said.

"Yeah, it's real nice, but…God, I just know this is going to be a disaster!" Sam said. "Maybe I should sneak down there and watch this whole thing just to make sure everything stays under control."

"Sam, you know that's just going to upset Freddie," Carly said. "Look…I-I'm sure this will be fine. Your family does care about you; they'll probably scale their aggressiveness back a little bit with Freddie."

"No," Sam said. "Because this same thing happened when my cousin brought her fiancé around. He was a pretty normal guy just like Freddie, properly freaked out by all of us…and then he got the crazy idea in his head that he should go out for coffee with Uncle Joey and my cousin Thereasa."

"What happened to him?" Carly frowned.

"Nobody's clear on the details," Sam said. "But what we do know is that the poor guy had to eat his wedding cake with a straw!"

"Er, well, Sam, Freddie-Freddie is capable of taking care of himself," Carly said. "He's a lot tougher than he comes off to be. And he does have a point about this being the first step to a real relationship with your family. I think you just need to try and focus on something else right now. Hey! I know what will get your mind right off of Freddie; let's look at centerpieces for the reception tables!"

….

"-Alright, so you like these red pieces and the yellow ones," Carly said several hours later as she sat with Sam at the kitchen table, scribbling into a large notebook. "So I think to narrow it down, we should just see which one matches best with the tablecloth you picked out. Oh wait…you haven't done that still!"

"What's taking them so long?" Sam frowned, looking at her phone and ignoring her best friend's comment. "Freddie said he'd be back by now."

"I'm sure everything's okay," Carly said. "Maybe he got delayed at the pizza place or something."

"Or he's unconscious."

"Sam, come on," Carly said. "You're driving yourself crazy! Your family, as crazy and unconventional as they may be, does love you! They wouldn't hurt Freddie because they respect you. You've said so yourself; they're good people, they've just gotten into some trouble over the years."

"I know, I-I probably am being a little paranoid," Sam admitted. "But I can't help it! Sometimes Freddie just acts so dorky that it's like he's begging to get beaten up. I still have trouble limiting myself to only 'playful' punches when he goes off on a real geek rant."

"Well Freddie will know better than to be too dorky with your Uncle and cousins," Carly told her. "Seriously, just try and stop obsessing. In a few minutes Freddie will probably walk through the door with a couple of pizzas and all his limbs intact."

"Well…okay," Sam sighed slowly. "I-I guess you do have a point. Freddie's not that stupid. And I really do trust Uncle Carmine…he's like a dad to me; he wouldn't do anything that bad to Freddie. And Chaz and Vinnie are on the calmer side of the family too, I guess…Yeah, you're right. Freddie's fine."

Just then her phone rang and she looked down at the screen to see her fiancé's name flashing across it. "Oh look, that's him now."

She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hey baby."

"Um, hi Sam," Freddie said.

"Where are you?" Sam asked.

"Well, I'm at the hospital-"

"The hospital?" Sam exclaimed. "What? Are you okay? See, I told you! I told you that you were asking to get hurt with this little experiment of yours!"
"No, Sam, I-"

"I'm on my way," Sam said. "I'll be there in a second."

"Freddie's in the hospital?" Carly frowned as Sam quickly grabbed her keys.

"Yes! He probably has a fencing sword sticking out of him!" Sam said. "Man…I can't believe this. I'm going to kill those guys! They broke my fiancé!"

….

A short while later Sam rushed into the emergency room and ran to the front desk.

"Hi, I need to see my fiancé," Sam said urgently. "He was just brought in here. He probably has a fencing sword coming out of him somewhere."

"What's his name?" the nurse behind the desk asked.

"Freddie Benson."

"Hmm," the nurse said as she typed the name in on the computer. "Well, there's no Freddie Benson that has been checked in here."

"What? He just called me and told me he was here!" Sam said. "Check again!"

"Ma'am, I'm telling you, there's no Freddie Benson here," the nurse said. "Now please calm down before I have to call security and-"

"Sam!"

Sam spun around to see Freddie walking towards her.

"Freddie!" Sam cried, rushing over to him. "Oh baby, what did they do to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Freddie asked. "I'm fine."

"I can't believe they hurt you!" Sam said. "They know how much I love you! They're supposed to be-"

"Hey look, Sammy's here!" Chaz said, coming around the corner with a bag of potato chips. "How you doing-"

"How could you?" Sam snapped, swatting his shoulder. "All Freddie wanted to do was get to know you guys a little better before he married into this family and you go and put him in the hospital?"
"What's she talking about?" Chaz asked, inching away from Sam.

"Sam, nobody put me in the hospital," Freddie said, holding her back from her cousin. "We're not here because of me. We're here because-"

"Boy I tell you, these hospitals are a lot nicer than those prison clinics," Uncle Carmine said, coming around the corner with Vinnie. His right arm was in a sling. "That nice nurse even gave me a lollypop. Hey! Sammy! You came!"

"Wait…Uncle Carmine, what-what happened to your arm?" Sam frowned.

"Oh, just a slight fencing accident," Carmine said.

"A fencing accident?" Sam repeated, turning back to Freddie. "So-So they didn't hurt you? You hurt my Uncle Carmine?"

She punching his shoulder. "Dude!"

"Ow! Sam, nobody hurt anybody!" Freddie winced. "It was an accident!"

"Yeah, Carmine here tried to do this fancy jab move that Freddie taught us," Vinnie explained. "But he slipped on his shoelace and fell down and dislocated his shoulder."

"Luckily Freddie here had his first aid kit on him," Carmine said, patting Freddie's shoulder. "He cleaned me up real nice, but he still insisted on taking me here just to be safe."
"Oh…" Sam said slowly.

"Too bad we had to end early, though, because I was really starting to get the hang of that whole fencing thing," Chaz said. "That sword is sick! If I could ever bring one of those to a fight-"

"Hey, hey," Freddie said. "What did we discuss?"

"A fencing sword is not a weapon," the three Puckett men mumbled.

"W-Wow," Sam said, completely flabbergasted. "So-So you guys actually had a good, harmless time?"

"Uh-huh," Freddie smiled.

"Yeah, I've got to say, fencing seemed like a totally lame thing," Vinnie said. "And I thought I was gonna have to set Benson's shoes on fire just to have a decent time, but I didn't even have to!"

"Yeah, I didn't know Benson could be so entertaining to hang out with," Uncle Carmine said. "You know…you're alright kid. I think I might have finally forgiven you for taking away my pork rights."

"R-Really?" Freddie grinned. "Wow, that's so nice of you to-"

"But don't think this means I still won't break your face if you ever hurt my Sammy," he said firmly. "You do that and you're a dead man."
"Er, of course," Freddie nodded. "I-I would never hurt her though."

"Good," Carmine said. "Because I want you to show me how to do that little turny move you did before. Think we could go fencing again next weekend? My parole meeting is done by noon!"

"Yeah, come on Benson, let's do it!" Chaz said.

"Well…okay," Freddie said. "If you all want me to. Er, is that okay with you, Sam?"

"Um, yeah," Sam said. "I-I guess."

"Great, so it's all set then!" Uncle Carmine said. "Oh and Benson, after we'll take you back to our place and I'll teach you how to make my special Puckett Coco. It's perfect after a fight."

"Whoa, you're actually gonna give him that recipe?" Sam said. "You guard that thing with your life!"

"Well, I can afford to keep it in the family," Carmine smiled, clasping Freddie's shoulder with his good arm. "You leak it though, Benson…"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Freddie smiled.

"Hey, let's go check out the cafeteria here," Vinnie said. "I hear they're serving tater tots!"

"Alright! Let's go get some tots!" Chaz cheered as him and Uncle Carmine started after Vinnie. "Sammy, Benson, you guys coming?"

"In a minute," Sam said. "We'll meet you there."

Once the three Pucketts had hurried away, Sam looked up at Freddie. "Well…okay, I'll admit it. I'm seriously impressed."

"I told you this would be the beginning of a strong bond between all of us," Freddie beamed proudly. "Look at me; I'm getting the secret Puckett coco recipe! I am in baby!"

"Yeah, well, just be careful with that recipe," Sam warned. "He's not messing around with it. It was the whole reason he was in prison that first time you met him."

"Sam, I think I've more than proven myself with your family today," Freddie said, giving her a quick kiss. "You can relax now."

"Yeah…I guess you have shown me that you can be a slightly manly nub when you have to be," Sam chuckled. "Seriously, though, I can't believe you got them to find an activity they all actually enjoy other than stabbing! Heck Vinnie gave up his parole opportunity a few years back because he refused to consent to the condition about taking up a 'healthy method or relieving pent up energy that doesn't involve personal harm to other beings'."

"Well, dealing with one crazy Puckett for so many years has given me plenty of experience," Freddie smiled. "And hey, since we're on the subject of family…how about we talk about you spending some quality time with mine?"

"Um…no," Sam said at once.

"How come?" Freddie frowned. "You just saw how successful this was; wouldn't you like to have the same connection with my side?"

"Um…okay, tell you what?" Sam said. "You take over planning the rest of the wedding reception with Carly, and I'll spend one afternoon with your family bonding. That's a fair trade; one torturous activity for another!"

"Er, actually, on second thought…let's-let's just focus on me bonding with your family right now," Freddie said quickly. "I saw Carly's wedding binder last night…there's no way I'm dealing with that kind of crazy."