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"Well, my Aunt Susan called," Freddie said, hanging up his phone as he stepped into his and Sam's shared living room. "She wants to know if she can bring her humidifier to our wedding ceremony."
"Uh, you told her no, right?" Sam frowned, looking up from her laptop.
"Course I did," Freddie said, sitting down next to her. "Just expect a few phone calls from my mom later yelling at us about how we're trying to kill her sister…So what are you up to?"
"Nothing," Sam shrugged, shutting the laptop. "I was just thinking about something…can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Well," Sam said. "The wedding's in three weeks…"
"Right," Freddie nodded.
"And, well, I was just thinking about everything that we still need to decide on," Sam said.
"What else is left?" Freddie asked. "Carly's taken care of all the wedding planning. Honeymoon is set, everybody's RSVPed…what are we forgetting?"
"The official stuff," Sam said. "We still need to actually go down to city hall and get our marriage license."
"Oh yeah," Freddie said. "Well we can go down and do that later this week if you want."
"Okay," Sam nodded. "But, um, before we do that…there-there's kind of something else we need to discuss."
"There is?"
"Yeah, um, do-do you want…should I…um, how do you feel about this whole last name situation?" Sam asked slowly.
Freddie blinked. "Last name?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "I-I've been thinking about that lately; about whether I'm going to stay Sam Puckett or if I'm gonna become Sam Benson."
"Oh," Freddie said lamely. "Well…I-I guess that's up to you, isn't it? It's your name, after all."
"I know," Sam sighed. "But it's kind of a hard decision. And it slipped my mind until now. I've been so busy worrying about my dress and the guest list and all that other junk."
She looked up at Freddie. "Do you want me to take your last name?"
"Well yeah, of course I do," Freddie nodded. "I-I would love to have you be Mrs. Sam Benson. But if you don't want to, that's your call."
"Would it offend you?" Sam asked softly. "I know it's kind of the tradition that the girl takes the guy's last name."
"And when have we ever been a traditional couple?" Freddie chuckled.
"I know," Sam said. "It's just this is kind of a big deal…"
"Look," Freddie said. "The bottom line is that it's your last name. I can't tell you what to do. I'll love you whether you decide to stay Sam Puckett or change your name to Sam Benson. As long as I get to marry you, there's not anything else I can ask for."
Sam smiled as she leaned over and kissed him. "Thanks, baby. I love you too. But I do kind of have to figure this out soon so I know what name to put on the marriage license."
"Okay, well, how about this?" Freddie said. "Which name can you see yourself having for the rest of your life? What's going to be the name you want to hear called at the DMV and sign all your official documents with?"
"Huh…" Sam said thoughtfully.
"Just think about it," Freddie said, giving her another quick kiss as he got to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go call back my cousin Amanda and tell her she can't change her dinner order to stewed beets…"
…
Later that evening, Freddie was lying the couple's bed, flipping through channels on the television.
"Hey," Sam said as she walked into the bedroom and sat down next to him.
"Well hey," Freddie grinned, turning off the T.V. and wrapping his arms around his fiancé.
"Easy there, baby, we're not doing anything until our wedding night, remember," Sam chuckled.
"I know, I know," Freddie sighed.
"Besides, I need to be up early tomorrow," Sam said as she settled underneath the covers.
"How come?" Freddie asked.
"I have to go down to city hall, and I want to beat the lines," Sam replied.
"City hall?" Freddie repeated. '
"Yup," Sam nodded. "Apparently they have the forms I need to fill out to have my name officially changed after the wedding."
"Wait, are you serious?" Freddie beamed. "You-You're going to change your last name to Benson?"
"Once we're married, yeah," Sam smiled.
"Sam, that's awesome!" Freddie exclaimed. "What-What made you decide to do it?"
"Well, like you told me, I-I just thought about what name I wanted to have for the rest of my life…" Sam said. "And, well, there's no denying I'm a Puckett. Anybody whose ever seen me throw a punch or flip a trucker can tell you that. But…I want people to know me as a Benson too now."
"Wow, that-that means a lot, Sam," Freddie said, kissing her temple. "Of course…you-you do realize that you're going to be the new Mrs. Benson…you-you'll have the same name as my mom."
"You know, I weighed that," Sam said. "And I still decided to go with it anyway. Let's just…try to avoid ever actually calling me that."
"Deal," Freddie laughed.
