Freddie woke up to hear soft whispers and a small thud. It was five in the morning. His Mom would still be fast asleep. Someone else was in the apartment. He grabbed his baseball bat from his wardrobe and tip-toed as quietly as possible to his bedroom door. Opening it gently, he cringed as it creaked and held his breathe. He could distinctly hear two voices. Fortunately, the burglars hadn't heard the noise, and he proceeded to creep slowly against the wall. Counting to three, he leaped out from hiding, holding his bat in front of him for protection rather than a weapon.

"AGGHHHH!!!" Three people screamed collectively.

"What the hell you freak! You scared the chiz out of us!" Sam whacked him on the arm with a wooden spoon.

"Sam? Mom?" You do realise its five o clock right? The sun's not even up."

"Fredward, please go back to bed." Marissa pushed him gently towards his bedroom door.

"No. This is too weird." Freddie turned to Sam. "Since when do you hang out with my mom?"

"Since when has it been any of your business?" Sam mocked imitating Freddie's tone.

"Well I'm not going until somebody explains," said Freddie standing firm.

"Well, you'll be waiting a long time."

"Sam…" Marissa was fond of the girl, but she did not like the tone that Sam was using on her son.

Sam shot an apologetic look Mrs Benson's way. "Fine. If you really want to know, your mom was helping me bake a cake for your birthday. But you went and ruined the surprise." She held up the mixing bowl in front of her so that he could see the mixture of butter flour and eggs half-blended together. Looking back at Sam he noticed that her hair was tied back for the first time in forever and that she had flecks of flour in it. There was flour on her jaw line too. He reached out to brush the flour off her jaw and saw her recoil. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kiss you," Freddie uttered before brushing her jaw with his thumb. He smiled. "You had some flour on your face."

"Oh? Is it gone?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"So why is your hand still on my face?"

Freddie stood for a second embarrassed before stretching. "I wasn't. I was just yawning and stretching. You know. Being the morning and all." He tried to coolly link his hands behind his head hoping Sam believed him.

"Whatever you say," she said with a funny look. She thrust the mixing bowl into his hand and took off her apron. "Well happy birthday. You ruined the surprise." She headed to the bathroom to clear herself up. This wasn't the plan. Freddie wasn't meant to get up so early. The decorations and cake was all meant to be ready beforehand. The kitchen looked like a bomb site and the cake was nowhere near ready. Stupid Scott had been no help. He had just sat there covered in flour looking all innocent. Stupid doll.

But Freddie was perplexed. "Why are you doing this? I thought you hated me."

"It's your 17th Birthday you nub. Doesn't that call for a truce?" Sam shifted on the spot looking uncomfortable. "And I wanted to apologise. Properly."

"You might have poisoned the cake or something. How do I know I can trust you?" Freddie was sure that Sam had a hidden agenda. She wouldn't usually give up so easily.

"Because I'll torture you if you refuse?" She stuck out a flour-coated hand. "Friends?"

"Sam! I'm not touching your icky hand." Freddie attempted to say it sternly but the amusement in his voice was undeniable.

Sam shrugged before stroking Freddie's face with the same hand leaving a trail of flour.

Mrs Benson laughed causing them both to face her. Damn, he had forgotten is mom was still there. "Sam, go clear up and I'll finish the cake."


Sam was dancing around Freddie's room in her underwear to 'girl who cut my hair'. She had just come out of the shower. As she bent down to grab her clothes from her backpack she heard a voice behind her. She nearly fainted.

Sam looked up at none other than Freddie Benson leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom door. "Nice panties."

"FREDDIE! GET OUT!" she screamed. Sam grabbed the first piece of clothing that she cold find, which happened to be Freddie's dressing gown, and put it on. She covered herself as much as possible.

Freddie did the opposite and walked into the room and grabbed his pearpod from his nightstand. "Why? You didn't care before. What's changed?"

Sam stuttered. "Well…I…Your older now. It's weird."

Freddie looked at her baffled. "Okay…that was just a few weeks ago."

"Just get out," she said as calmly as she could in this situation.

Freddie put his hands up in mock surrender. "Whatever you say, Miss I-heart-Taylor-Lautner."

"OUT!!" Sam bombarded him with his own pillows until he left before flopping face down onto his bed.

She was never going to live that down.


By the time Sam had finally been able to show her face, the mess in the kitchen had been cleared up and Freddie, still in his pyjamas was opening his presents, cross-legged on the living room floor. Scott was beside him. She watched Freddie for a second before she sat down next to him moving Scott to the couch. Freddie had just opened the present that she had given him.

"No way! Laser tag!?" He hugged the girl close to him and she let out a very un-Sam-like giggle.

"Well, at least now we have a reason to dual."

Freddie paused. "Wait, why are you still in my dressing gown?"

"I dunno? It's comfy?" Sam grabbed one of the target plates and a gun before leaping away. "Come on Benson! You wanna fight or what?"

The next hour was filled with laughter, screams and electric shocks. To no one's surprise, Sam was winning. Mrs Benson had gone out to get some more supplies and left with strict instructions not to wreck the house. The teenagers hadn't listened.

Finally with her target plate covered, Sam had blocked Freddie into a corner. He only had one life left and she knew she was about to win.

"Mama always wins."

"I know, but the dressing gown has come undone, you might not want to be flashing so much skin." Freddie announced.

The second Sam dropped her guard and looked down Freddie pounced and grabbed Sam's gun, disarming her before pinning both arms against the wall above her head. "Looks like I win Puckett."

Sam's robe was still slightly open and the fact that Freddie was standing so close was making her heart beat at a tremendous speed. She was sure he could hear it. "What do you want as a prize dork-face?"

A suggestive expression moulded onto Freddie's face. "I could think of a few things…" He let his voice trail off. Freddie couldn't believe how much he was enjoying flirting with her. Not to mention their last kiss. He wasn't going to deny it. That girl could kiss. He mentally cursed himself for thinking about the kiss because now he couldn't focus on anything but her lips.

"Freddie?" She breathed so quietly that he wasn't even sure that she had spoken his name until she repeated it. "Freddie? You still have some chocolate on your neck."

In the same flirty tone he asked jokingly, "Why don't you lick it off?"

Sam's breath hitched in her throat. She knew he was messing with her but she spoke before her brain could even process the question. "Okay…"

Freddie was stunned. She wasn't meant to agree. She was meant to scream at him and kick him repeatedly in a place that should never be kicked. She had to be bluffing. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

She couldn't go back now. Leaning just a couple of inches closer she stuck out her tongue and dragged it slowly across the chocolate stain before kissing the now clean area, seductively. Though he tried to suppress it, Freddie let out a guttural moan. "You okay?" Sam whispered, glad he liked it.

Freddie just stared at her taking it all in. All he knew was that in that moment he really wanted to kiss her. Without so much of another thought Freddie brushed his lips across hers and at the exact same time his cell phone buzzed.

He pulled away from his daze and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. Reading the name he glanced at Sam before stepping away and tousling his hair. Flipping the phone open he answered. "Hi Carly."

Sam remained frozen to the spot.

"Thanks, yeah, its been okay so far."

"Right now? No I'm not doing anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah sure, just give me twenty minutes to sort myself out and I'll come round. See you soon." Freddie hung up the phone and punched the air!

Grabbing Sam by the arms he beamed. "Carly wants to take me to the Settle fair for my birthday." Sam detested the fact that he looked so happy.

"That's awesome!" she forced, but in her head she was thinking what the fudge? Weren't they just having an actual moment?

"Well got to go get ready. Wish me luck."

"Good luck..." Sam said staring at her bare feet as Freddie rushed into his bedroom. She kicked the wall but fell holding the violating foot in pain.

As Fredward Benson left he didn't even give a backwards glance at Sam. He had left her alone in his apartment.

Scott began to cry.

She had had enough. There was no way Freddie was going to like her with Carly around.

She was giving up.


AWWW poor Sam...but she did get to lick him.

AGGHHH this is gonna be my last chapter for a while, I'll try and update as soon as I can but in the meantime, REVIEWS would help A LOT!!! They always keep my going when I'm writing!!

Thanks to everyone so far for all the great comments that I have had!

Seddie all the way!

DDF

XXX