Anybody

"We've really got a full house right now, don't we?" Freddie said as he walked into his and Sam's bedroom. "It's a little chaotic, but you know, I've missed having so many people around. Since the kids moved out its felt a little weird."

"Did everybody finally get situated?" Sam asked, looking up from the book she was flipping through.

"I think so," Freddie said, sitting down next to her on the bed. "Quincy and Emma are in the twins' old room, and Savannah is sleeping on a blow-up mattress in there with them. Ashton and Pete are set up on the pullout couch. Don't know why they have to sleep in the same bed, but I know that's a lost argument. My cousin Amanda is in Jason's old room, your Aunt Maggie is in the office, and Jason and Tyler are bunking up in Tyler's old room. Doubt Jason will do much sleeping though…Nobody does the night before their big day. He's probably all nervous; I know I was a wreck the night before our wedding. I kept thinking of all the things that could go wrong…most of them did go wrong, but you know, we made it through, baby. Now here we are…Crazy, right? After tomorrow two of our kids will be married."

"Yup," Sam sighed sadly.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Freddie asked.

"Just some old pictures," Sam replied.

"These are from the day Jason was born," Freddie commented.

"Uh-huh," Sam nodded, smiling down at a picture of her lying in her hospital bed, exhausted, but beaming as she held a small bundle of blankets. "Twenty-three hours of labor with that kid."

"He was so small," Freddie chuckled, wrapping an arm around his wife.

"He didn't seem so tiny coming out," Sam smirked. "But yeah…he really was. And now he's all grown up and getting married."

She wiped a tear from the corner of the eye. "I can't believe it…"

"You alright?" Freddie asked.

"No, I am not alright!" Sam snapped. "My firstborn son is getting married and leaving me, you nub! I'm a wreck!"

"But, baby, you-you've already been through this before," Freddie gently reasoned. "Emma and Quincy were married almost three years ago."

"And I was a wreck then too, wasn't I?" Sam scoffed. "But at least those two only live a few hours away. And they gave me a grandkid; I've forgiven Emma for leaving me. But Jason and his wife are moving all the way to stinking Pittsburgh! That's thousands of miles away! We're only going to see him a few times a year now!"

"Come on, you love Eileen," Freddie said.

"She's taking my son across the country," Sam mumbled darkly.

"Well technically they're moving to Pittsburgh because Jason got a job there," Freddie said. "So if anything Jason is taking Eileen across the country."

Sam glared at him.

"Er…never mind then," Freddie said quickly.

"I do like Eileen," Sam sighed. "She's a great girl, and Jason loves her. But still…that doesn't make this easier. I mean Pittsuburgh?"

"It will be rough, not seeing Jason that often," Freddie agreed. "But he's our son; he's not gonna cut us out of his life. We'll see him at holidays and he'll call and we can all web chat."

Sam didn't reply.

"Baby, this is supposed to be a happy time," Freddie sighed. "Our son is getting married to the love of his life."

"I am happy about that," Sam said. "But…he's my baby, Freddie. He is my first child…"

"Sam, I know it's rough letting go when the kids start spreading their wings and taking big steps like this," Freddie said.

"No chiz," Sam scoffed. "They need to knock it off. Ashton and Tyler better not pull this same stuff…"

"But they're always going to be our babies," Freddie said ignoring Sam's comment. "No matter how old they get, no matter how far away they move…"

"They just all grew up too fast," Sam sighed.

"Well, yeah," Freddie agreed. "But it was a great ride while it lasted."

"Alright people, you all need to get breakfast and start moving!" Freddie said loudly the next morning as he passed a large plate of waffles around the living room, where everybody was scrambling to get ready. "We need to be out the door in less than an hour!"

"Ugh, where's my make-up bag?" Ashton moaned, searching her suitcase. "Don't tell me I lost it on the plane! Em, can I just borrow your make-up?"

"Sure, whatever, my bag's somewhere upstairs," Emma nodded, looking up from attempting the squeeze her two-year old daughter's feet into a pair of new white sandals. "But hurry up with the stuff; I need to get ready as soon as I'm done here. Come on, Savannah…cooperate for me."

"No shoes!" Savannah whined stubbornly.

"Here, Savannah," Sam said, coming over and sitting down next to the toddler. "Want grandma to help you?"

"Okay!" Savannah nodded at once.

"Sweet," Emma said, handing over the shoes and getting to her feet. "Thanks mom!"

"Ganma, I fower girl!" Savannah smiled proudly as Sam successfully strapped her shoes on.

"I know, and you're going to be the cutest little flower girl out there," Sam grinned, kissing the top of the girl's head. "Alright, why don't you go get some breakfast from grandpa?"

"Yeah, come on, sweetie," Freddie smiled, handing her a waffle. "I'll go get you some juice to go with this."

"Don't let her spill anything on her flower girl dress!" Sam called after him.

"Got it!" Freddie nodded.

"Alright mom, I just dropped Jason off at the church," Tyler announced, coming in through the front door.

"Well what are you doing here then?" Sam frowned. "You're supposed to be there with him helping him get ready! You're the best man!"

"I know, but I forgot my tux," Tyler replied. "So I left him with Cindy for now. You know Cindy, my date? The hot model who was in a shampoo commercial last month? Have I mentioned that?"

"Only about a million times," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Well go grab your tux then and get back down there! The rest of us will be there soon."

"Okay, okay," Tyler said. "Jeez, weddings make you all wazzed out, mom."

"You're telling me," Sam mumbled under her breath.

….

"People are starting to arrive," Carly told Sam at the church. "Spencer's handling the seating."

"Okay good," Sam nodded. "I just talked to Eileen's parents and they're on their way to pick up the minister now. We're right on schedule."

"Huh, that's never happened at a Benson wedding before," Carly said approvingly. "You know, I've got to say, Eileen's done a great job with the planning. Everything's so organized; I love it!"

"Yeah, she's really good at this kind of stuff," Sam smiled. "Oh, hey, would you mind doing me a favor? Can you go check on Ashton and Clarissa and see how they're doing with the cake pick-up?"

"Sure thing," Carly nodded.

As Carly headed off down the hall, Sam stepped towards the nearby door and gently knocked.

"Come in," a voice inside said.

Sam pushed open the door and saw her soon-to-be daughter-in-law standing, already dressed in her wedding gown, in front of a mirror, nervously fidgeting with her veil.

"Wow, Eileen, you look great," Sam said, shutting the door behind her. "Really beautiful."

"You were there when I picked this dress out, though," Eileen said. "You've already seen me in this."

"I know, but you still look amazing," Sam replied. "So…how you feeling?"

"Anxious," Eileen said at once. "But also excited."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Sam nodded.

"Is everything going okay out there?" Eileen asked.

"Oh yeah, everything is fine," Sam assured her. "I just came in here because I wanted to talk to you."
"About what?"

"Well, you're-you're going to be my daughter-in-law now," Sam said. "And I just wanted to let you know that I care a lot about you, Eileen. I see how happy you make Jason and I know that you two will have a wonderful life together. And-And you can always come to me if there's ever anything at all that you need. Also…I know first hand about mother-in-laws who are all crazy towards their daughter-in-laws because they 'stole their precious sons away'. Believe me, I could write you a book on that. And-And I'm not gonna lie, I'll always be overprotective of Jason, but…I'm also going to make sure I never make you feel like anything less than welcome in this family."
"Wow, thanks, Sam," Eileen said, stunned. "That-That means so much to me."

"Eh, come on kid," Sam smiled. "I think you're at the point where you can call me mom."

"S-Seriously?" Eileen said softly.

"Well if you want," Sam said.

"Of-Of course I want to," Eileen nodded. "Mom."

Sam beamed as she held out her arms and embraced Eileen.

"You'll be great out there, sweetie," Sam told her.

"I hope so," Eileen sighed. "I just want everything goes smoothly. I already know the reception is going to be a little crazy. Since my entire family's in the pie business they all insisted they bring pies to add to the refreshment table. There's going to be like, fifty-some pies and a wedding cake! What am I supposed to do with all that?"

"Oh don't you worry," Sam said. "I'll make sure there won't be any leftovers."

"Thanks, S-Mom," Eileen said, relieved.

"Any time," Sam chuckled. "Well, I need to go check on Jason now, but I'll see you out there."

"Wonder if he's as nervous as me," Eileen said.

"Oh I bet," Sam replied as she headed out the door.

She headed back down the hall and knocked on the door a few rooms down from the one she had just come out of.

"Come in!" she heard Freddie call from inside.

She opened up the door and stepped inside and saw Tyler and Freddie standing on either side of Jason, helping him straighten out his collar.

"Wow, looking good, kid," Sam said to her eldest child. "How you feeling?"

"He's already puked," Tyler replied readily. "But, being the best best-man that I am, I had the bucket all ready to go."

"He-He's a little nervous," Freddie said.

"I'm freaking out here!" Jason exclaimed. "What if I forget my vows? Or I drop the ring? Or what if there's an earthquake or-"

"Dude, snap out of it!" Tyler said, shaking his brother's shoulders.

"Seriously, Jason, relax," Sam said, helping Jason sit down in a nearby chair. "None of that stuff will happen."

"I dunno…I did the math this morning and there's like a point-zero-two chance of a freak tornado coming through here during the ceremony," Jason said.

"I think we'll be fine," Sam smiled. She glanced over at her husband and gave him a quick look. Freddie got the message and turned to Tyler.

"Alright, Ty, we should go check on everything out there," Freddie said, clasping Tyler's shoulder. He turned to Jason. "We'll be waiting at the alter for you. And stop worrying…you'll be great."

"Thanks, dad," Jason nodded, still looking like a deer in headlights.

Once they left, Sam and Jason simply sat in silence for a few moments.

"Here," Sam finally said, reaching over to Jason's tie. "Let me fix this for you…You were never any good with ties."

"Thanks," Jason mumbled.

"You know, they say it's a good sign if you're nervous before your wedding," Sam told him.

"Guess I'm in good shape then," Jason said. "Hey, mom, have-have you seen Eileen today?"

"I have," Sam nodded. "And she's just as nervous as you are. But she's also excited."

"Yeah, well, I'm definitely excited too," Jason said. "So…she's okay then?"

"She's doing just fine," Sam nodded. She looked down at her lap. "So you're leaving for your honeymoon first thing in the morning, right?"

"Yup, we're heading to Greece," Jason nodded. "We've both always wanted to go."

"And then you-you're moving to Pittsburgh," Sam sighed. "All the way across the country."

"Um, yeah," Jason nodded. "The apartment is all ready for us there."

"Right," Sam said heavily. She looked up. "You do realize you still need to call home at least once a week."

"I know, mom," Jason said, giving her a small smile.

"And you're always going to be coming back for Thanksgiving and Christmas," Sam continued. "Eileen's parents are here in Seattle too; you have no excuse."

"Got it," Jason chuckled.

"I still can't believe this," Sam said, shaking her head. "You're really leaving me…"

"Mom, I-I'm not leaving you," Jason said. "I'm just, you know, starting my own life."

"Your own life…" Sam repeated. "Two thousand miles away…Couldn't you have found a job a little closer to home? California wasn't bad; it was definitely closer than stupid Pittsburgh."

"Mom…you know that no matter how far away I am, you're still going to be my mom," Jason told her. "And you'll still be the best mom out there."

"The best mom, huh?" Sam smirked.
"Oh for sure," Jason nodded. "I mean…mom, it's because of you that I have the courage to take this huge step in my life. You always taught me to go after what I want and to follow my dreams…and you've helped all of my dreams come true. I'm marrying the love of my life and I'm starting my dream career…and it's all thanks to you, mom. I couldn't have gotten to this point without you."

Sam wiped a tear from her eye as she pulled him into a hug.

"I love you, mom," Jason said as he returned her hug.

"I love you too, honey," Sam said softly.