Heyllo Seddiers of the internet! I would like to dedicate this chapter to UnderxGravity for coming along and totally inspiring me to write this chapter! But also, I'd like to thank every single one of you for making it this far. I went back and reread my story, and the first couple of chapters were extremely painful to read, definitely not my best work, so I'd like to thank you all for sticking it out and making it here, to what is hopefully better writing!

Tech-Man, there's a scene in here you inspired, and KingxLeon thanks for betaing, making this the best it could be! :]

"She can sleep on the couch." Mrs. Benson icily informed her son, no doubt very annoyed that there was an important girl in his life. To make matters worse, it was one that she had always hated.

"Its fine mom, she can take my bed. I'll take the couch." Freddie said innocently, hoping his mother would just magically agree. Sam murmured softly and burrowed her head into his should blades, once again on his back after using him as a pillow on the car ride over.

"But Freddie the couch will mess up your back!" his mother protested, turning to look at him with huge, panicked eyes.

"I don't care Mom, I'm being a gentleman!"

"No, you're being a crazy head!"

Freddie sighed a little, understanding who he got his lack of insulting skills from, "Mom, Sam is sleeping in my bed, and I'm taking the couch," he replied sternly, looking seriously towards his mother, whom he was finally taller than. Mrs. Benson shrunk back, obviously not pleased that her little boy was standing up to her again, and unsure of how to respond.

Freddie took this as a silent consent and continued to his bedroom, Sam's eyes fluttering open as he gently set her down on her feet next to his bed. Using one hand to keep her standing, he used the other the pull back his blankets. Sam watched him with interest as he revealed his Galaxy Wars sheets.

"Are we sharing your bed?" she asked, intrigued. She didn't sound particularly upset or excited, just curious.

Freddie blushed and gave her a little push towards his bed, where she flopped down on the sheets, apparently too tired to care about the insane amount of dorky-ness she was lying on. Freddie estimated she'd had at least 9 cans of Peppy Cola, judging by how hard she came crashing down from her sugar induced high.

"Are we?" Sam question again, this time more impatiently.

"No Sam, I'll be on the couch downstairs." Freddie murmured softly, hoping she'd drift off to sleep soon.

Sam frowned a little at this and titled her head to look up at him while he pulled the blankets up to her neck, "But I like having you in the same room while I'm sleeping. Then I have someone to throw at a robber if they come in," her tone was childish and whiney, but there was a hint of real fear there, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with her mom. Immediately, guilt washed over him and instantly he knew he'd be defying his mother once again this summer.

"I promise to sneak up here once my mom goes to bed," he whispered softly, feeling slightly paranoid that his mother could be hiding outside the door, listening to everything he was saying, but his paranoia went away when Sam beamed up at him, her eyes closed, "I'll stay awake till then," she promised. Freddie rolled his eyes a little at this, knowing she wouldn't make it for another five minutes at the most. She didn't notice Freddie's eye rolling as her head was, now, burrowed in his pillow and she was breathing deeply.

Freddie turned to leave, crossing his room almost silently, stopping, only when he heard Sam mutter that his pillow smelt way too good for something covered in such dorky pictures. He laughed lightly, then, made his way back to the living room. There he found his mother and the couch, covered in three blankets and two pillows were waiting.

"I have to leave very early in the morning to attend a special conference on Obsessive Parenting; I'll have Spencer come in to watch you when I leave. He was the one who figured out where you, most likely, were tonight, so my trust in him has been restored," She informed him.

Freddie nodded, knowing Spencer would just crash when he got to their apartment, so he wouldn't have to worry much about that. Wordlessly he climbed underneath the three blankets and settled down, hoping his mother would go to bed without a fuss.

"Freddiebear you're not wearing your pjs!" his mother was hovering over him, protectively, in an instant, and Freddie groaned softly to himself.

"I'm just too tired, ok Mom? Can I please go to sleep," he begged, pleased with how convincing he sounded. Lying, punching, sneaking out; there were so many awful things that Sam was teaching him this summer.

"Of course darling," Mrs. Benson smiled tenderly at her little boy, pecking him on the cheek before walking off to her room. For about ten minutes, Freddie waited until he heard the tell-tale sounds of her snoring.

Eagerly tossing off his blankets, and as quickly as possible while still not making a sound, he snuck to his room; blankets and pillows in his arms. He knew his mom might freak out when she found him sleeping on the floor of the room that Sam was sleeping in, but he didn't care. Sam needed him, and he'd be there for her. That's what friends did.

His room was completely silent, which was strange, because usually the murmur of some electronic device would be filling the room. He, also, noticed that he didn't hear any heavy breathing or snoring from Sam. As he padded across the floor slowly, her head came up, a sleepy but peaceful expression resting on her face, something he only saw briefly as she moved in, then out of the path of the moonlight.

"You're still up," he commented in surprise, arranging two of the blankets into sort of a makeshift bed on the floor.

"It's easier to sleep when you're around," Sam mumbled, her head just a dark silhouette in his unlit room, "I barely slept when I stayed with Spencer."

Freddie smiled at her statement, mentally tucking it away because he knew it was the kind of thing she'd regret admitting to in the morning, and probably deny saying altogether. Her head flopped back down but she made some sort of floppy gesture with her hand, apparently requesting his attention.

Slowly Freddie shuffled over, staring to feel quite tired, himself, "What is it Sam?" he asked patiently, sitting on the floor next to his bed, their heads at even height as she rolled over from her back to face him.

"Thanks for getting me away from that party. I was way too hyper and if Thomas had kept hitting on me, I mighta ended up making out with him or something," Sam pulled a disgusted face, making him laugh quietly in the dark.

"Anytime," Freddie whispered softly, struck by how gorgeous her eyes looked in the semi-darkness, the moonlight catching them again. Of course, they always looked beautiful, but this was the first time he'd seen them innocent and soft, wrapping him in their blue layers. Without thinking, he felt almost like he was in a trance, Freddie moved his hand up to Sam's face and gently pushed a blonde curl from her face. Her big blue eyes stayed locked on his and he let his fingers linger on her cheek, leaning forward a little, while her eyes didn't move in the slightest. When he was just inches away from her face, their noses nearly touching she abruptly snatched her gaze from his and rolled over.

"Anytime Puckett," Freddie sighed, "anytime."

Flopping down on his nest of blankets Freddie wondered if he'd wake up and discover this whole summer was nothing but a fantastic dream. That would make more sense than the emotions he'd felt pounding through his heart when he'd been locked in eye contact with Sam just moments ago.

"Ughhhhhh," Sam groaned, her head hanging off the side of his couch, "I hate pop hangovers."

Just like he had suspected she would, Sam acted like nothing had happened between the two of them last night and they went right back to behaving normally…not that their relationship was the least bit normal. Freddie laughed lightly at Sam's new term, and also silently breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't a real hangover.

"Why'd you get so protective of me at the party?" Sam asked suddenly, flinging her head up to look at Freddie suspiciously. For once they were not practicing cuddling, instead one of her legs was draped over the back of the couch, the other resting in his lap. Now she was supporting her head with her elbows that rested on the very edge of the couch. To the right of them Spencer could be heard muttering quite loudly to himself while he made all three of them lunch.

Silently Freddie picked at one of the shoelaces on Sam's sneaker, unsure of why he had been like that. All he could think about was how he hated seeing Thomas like that, hated thinking about how Thomas could take advantage of her, or many other multiple bad things.

"I just care about you I guess," Freddie smiled cautiously at her, hoping she'd not cut off his balls for being so cheesy. Or freak out for being so sappy.

Sam nodded, and flopped her head back now, accepting his answer and moving on with her life. Relieved, Freddie went back to playing with her shoelace, a bright green one that looked really great with her plain black sneakers.

"Lunch is ready!" Spencer called out, emerging from the kitchen with a giant lobster hat on.

"What up with the hat?" Sam smirked, swinging her legs over Freddie's head and on to the ground. Freddie glared at her for nearly clipping him on the skull, but she was too intrigued by Spencer's hat to notice.

Spencer rolled his eyes, "It's a cooking hat. Duh. Now come eat," Spencer enthusiastically waved his arm in the air and Sam hopped off the couch, making a beeline to the kitchen. Getting up slower, Freddie went to follow after her, but his PearPhone began playing the Galaxy Wars theme song, alerting him of an incoming call.

Without looking at the caller ID Freddie snatched it up and hit 'Talk' figuring it was Carly, "Hola, Freddie speakin!"

"Freddie?" whimpered a pitiful little voice on the other end of the line, one Freddie recognized, but couldn't place a name to.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"It's me Mackenzie…" she trailed off pitifully.

"Oh. Hi," Freddie said awkwardly, "What can I do for you Mackenzie?"

"Those pictures and videos you sent me, of Thomas and Sam…" a little light bulb went on in Freddie's head, the pictures, of course! He'd completely forgotten that he let Sam send those to Mackenzie last night!

Trying not to fall into Mackenzie's trap once again, Freddie tried to keep his voice mellow and indifferent, "Yes, what about them?"

"They're real?" she sniffled dramatically.

"Yes they're real…"
"Ohhhhhh….oh my goodness, I can't believe they would do this to us!" the cheerleader was now full on bawling, her voice reminding him of cat in distress.

"They?" Freddie asked, feeling very confused.

"Sam and Thomas, they cheated on us!"

Oh crap. That wasn't something Freddie had thought of. Logically speaking, yes Sam and Thomas were both cheaters in that picture, or at least to anyone who didn't know about their little scheme. After all, Thomas wasn't the only one with their paws all over someone who they weren't dating.

Mackenzie continued to sniffle softly and for a few moments that was all that could be heard, till Mackenzie spoke again, "Freddie, I miss you."

Freddie felt his head start to spin, she missed him? What the hell was that supposed to mean? What was wrong with teenage girls, did they really have to be mysterious and challenging?

"I wanna get back together," was the next thing Freddie heard her say, rather pitifully. Well at least she was clear about that…

"Mackenzie, I'm still dating Sam…"

"After she cheated on you?"

"We're trying to work it out. But if things don't work out, I'll give you a call okay?" Freddie fibbed. There was no way he'd ever go back to Mackenzie, not even if he was offered a 3000$ shopping spree at the PearStore in exchange for being her 'cuddle bunny'.

"Okay Freddiebabe. Listen, I'm having a party at the end of the summer, you should totally come," Mackenzie's voice was now free of any pain, right back to full on flirt mode.

"I promise I will," Freddie told her before exchanging quick goodbyes and hanging up his cell.

"Who was that?" Sam called from the kitchen around a mouthful of grilled cheese.

"It was Mackenzie," Freddie called back, shoving his phone into his pocket and walking over to the dining table.

"Ugh what did that skunkbag want?" Sam groaned, Freddie pulling his seat between her and Spencer, who was tapping his foot rapidly on the kitchen tile.

"She wants to get back together."

Instantly the room went quiet, Sam stopped chewing, Spencer stopped tapping, and for a second Freddie was sure he stopped breathing. The look on Sam's face was pure betrayal and hurt, Freddie opened his mouth to quickly add the rest of the story, but Sam closed up again, her face going back to her normal expression, and she savagely bit off a chunk of sandwich.

"So we need to up our game," Freddie finished. Sam looked at him curiously, and Spencer grinned, resuming the drumming with his toe.

"Now that we know she definitely wants me we'll drive her really crazy when she sees us together, especially when we show up to her End Of Summer party as a couple," Freddie grinned broadly at Sam, who not only looked happy, but surprisingly enough, relieved.

"Awesome," Sam approved, nodding while she chomped off another hunk of cheese and bread, "we're gonna make that little skunkbag so jealous, she'll have a giant hissy fit at her own party and everyone will know about how much of a dog she is."

Freddie grinned happily at Sam, sandwich spilling out of her mouth, her messy hair hanging in her face, and one of his shirts slipping down on her shoulder. Suddenly he was really looking forward to Mackenzie's party.

Alright, favourite line in your review, pretty please? Also, any thoughts on iOMG...? Personally, it left me speechless ;)

Also, if you're not reading the story by author iCabal and any of the writings by members of the Cabal, you're missing out!