


My Fake Fiancé

by ilove2shipseddie



Category: iCarly
Genre: Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2013-10-22 01:03:32
Rating: T
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,021
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9411508/1/
Author URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/4434895/ilove2shipseddie
Summary: Sam recieves a letter in the mail from her parents congratulating her on being engaged. What happens when her parents think she's still engaged to this man? Can Freddie, her best friend, come to the rescue and become her fake fiancé for a whole month? How long will Sam and Freddie be able to keep up the charade before the feelings become real? Rated T. SEDDIE of course :)





	1. Chapter 1

"Hey," Sam glumly walked into her best friend, Freddie Benson's, apartment.

He frowned, looking up from his laptop. "What's got your chiz in a twist?"

She groaned, plopping down beside him on his couch. Her head fell to his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her neck.

"You remember how Austin and I got engaged a few months ago?" A nod. "And how one day he called it off because I accidentally poured chipotle sauce on his new sweater?" Another nod. "Well, technically that means I'm fiancé-less."

Freddie shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"

She pulled a piece of paper out of jacket pocket and tossed it in his lap. "It came in the mail yesterday."

"Dear Sammy," he read the note aloud. "We are so incredibly proud of you for getting engaged! This is a big step in a young lady's life and I'm glad you've found the perfect person to settle with. We wanted to do something a little special for you—so we're inviting you and that lad of yours down here to LA to stay with us for an entire month starting next Thursday, June 27, in our newly renovated house.

We love you Pooh.

Truly, your mom and dad."

Freddie smirked as he read the last line. "Well, how ironic is this?"

He chuckled and she punched him in the arm.

"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

He refrained laughter so he could talk. "June 27th, huh?"

"It's next Thursday!" she reminded.

"Why thank you. I _didn't _know that because I _didn't_ read the letter." He rolled his eyes, sarcastically.

"Seriously, nub, what am I supposed to do? I can't show up to my parent's house in LA without a fiancé. And I sure as heck can't show up by myself."

He placed the letter on the coffee table in front of him and drummed his fingers on his thighs.

"I just had _the_ craziest idea!" he told her, facing her now.

"Well, tell me what it is! Does it involve two plane tickets to Bagdad and a small box of pretzels!?"

Freddie frowned. "No."

"Then tell me! Chicken soup and monsters!?"

"No!"

"Well, seriously, tell me now!" she demanded, throwing hits at his arm.

"I could be your fiancé…your fake fiancé."

She jumped up off the sofa, biting her fingertips. "That idea is so…so…brilliant." She let out, smiling.

He shrugged. "You're my best friend," he nudged her elbow. "I can't allow you to go down to LA without a fiancé and risk the chance of you hurting your friends and family. Absolutely not."

She smirked, knowingly. "You only want to go because they have those special rice crispers at that one vending stand!"

"That might have had some influence."

…

"_All my friends are coming over_

_And I hope nobody told her_

_She has a way of turning sunshine into rain_

_I got on that shirt she hates_

_I just know that face she'll make_

_Even though it hurts, she's my favorite pain."_

Freddie grinned as he watched his best friend sing along to _She's Killing Me_ by _A Rocket to The Moon_.

"You'd think after being your best friend for so long I'd know you like this song." He concentrated on the road in front of him.

She ignored him for the time being, continuing to sing.

When it ended, she lifted her shades so that they rested on the top of her head. "You'd think after being your best friend for so long _you'd_ think to _ask_ what music I'm interested in."

"Hey, hey, hey," he kept his eyeballs locked on the road. "We're not best friends. You're my fiancé."

She rolled her eyes. "How much longer til we get there?"

"Er, about…half an hour. We've been driving for a while."

"Well, we did leave at dawn,"

"I can't wait to smell the sweet scent of California. I haven't been here since I was nine, you know."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Sam's phone vibrated in her pants pocket and she motioned for Freddie to hold on a second.

"Oh, hey mom!" Yeah, me and my…'lad' are on the way right now. Oh, um, his name? His name is Freddie Benson. Oh! Talk to him? Well he's kind of driving…wouldn't want my little man to crash in the middle of our engagement now would we…snookums?"

Freddie had to laugh gently. He didn't know how long he thought she could keep this charade up, but he knew the finding out part would be hilarious.

"Here," he was pulled back to reality when Sam's phone was suddenly pressed against his ear.

He gave her a 'the hell!?' look and she prodded for him to answer.

"Hey, Ms. Puckett. I've heard all about you…call you mom? You want me to call you mom? Erm, sure, why not…? Yes, I can assure you I love Sam very much. Mmmhmm, bye bye now."

Sam pressed 'end' and he laughed. "Your mother is…something. I'm glad this is my first time ever meeting her."

"Yeah, you keep being glad."

…

"Samantha!" A tall, bulky man answered the door. He immediately kissed Sam's forehead and she hugged him.

"Dad! It's good to see you, pops."

Sam turned to Freddie.

"You must be Sam's fiance, Freddie."

Freddie nodded, shaking the man's hand. "Yes sir, I'm the lucky guy."

"Pam, get down here! Sam and Freddie have arrived!"

Mr. Puckett took both Sam and Freddie's luggage, carrying it away.

"Sammy, it's so good to see you." Pam smiled, looking to the brunette standing behind her daughter.

"I should expect grandkids soon then?"

Sam's jaw dropped and Freddie nearly burned from all the hotness appearing on his cheeks.

"Mom!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "Me and my big mouth."

Sam nodded, her blush clearing up.

"Can you just show us our rooms?" Sam asked, following her mother around the house.

"Rooms?" Ms. Puckett asked. "You guys are about to get married! I only reserved one room for you guys."

Sam looked up to Freddie who shrugged.

"That'll be fine. Thanks, Ms. Puckett." He said, replying for Sam.

"Finally. _Someone_ around here who respects me."

…

**AN-So I got my inspiration from my fake fiancé of course but the movie plot is way more different than this one. I tweaked the plot from that movie and made it into a Seddie Story. I know this story won't even meet the standards of the movie but I hope you guys admire it as much as you admired my last few stories. Thanks. I hope you enjoyed and please review! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN-I know, I know! The last chapter was rushed! Sorry :3! I'll try and slow it down now. I just really wanted to get into the story but I promise I will slow it down!**

"Here you go," Sam's mom spoke, opening a room door after a walk down a long hallway. Sam and Freddie walked in, looking around.

"I'll let you guys be alone for a minute," she said, politely walking out of the room, closing the door while she was at it.

They ran their eyes over the huge bed in the middle of the room. They made their way around the walls and furniture, examining every painting, decoration, and accessory.

"Wow," Freddie said, facing Sam again. "You never told me your parents were rich."

Sam smirked. "I wasn't about to let you marry me for my money."

He laughed and so did she. "If the only people we're trying to hide this from will be my mom and dad, then we can totally do this for a month. Those two are oblivious to everything."

"Then we're good," he shrugged, walking over to his luggage which sat on one side of the large bed.

He plopped down on the bed, making Sam stare at him in confusion. "You know you're taking the floor, right?"

"What?"

"The floor. You'll be sleeping on it."

"But—"

"You're sleeping on the floor," she concluded. "There's no way you're sleeping in the same bed as me!"

"Why can't I have the bed and you take the flo—"

"Honey…Son," There was a knock at the door—Sam's dad—interrupting them from their debate. "Dinner's ready."

Sam threw Freddie a 'we'll discuss this later' look and he nodded. "Okay, dad," Sam called. "Freddie and I will get dressed and come down there!"

"You're both unclothed in there!?" He asked, sounding more panicked.

"What? No! I meant get into formal dinner wear…"

"Oh," he said, sounding calmer now. "Come down soon."

Sam ran a hand through her hair and looked down at her bags. When she looked back up, she saw Freddie, who was completely shirtless. She couldn't help but stare at his muscles and chest.

"Freddie!" She yelled, forcing herself to look away.

He laughed. "What? You've seen me shirtless before…"

"I know," she said, still hiding her face. "But we were thirteen and you looked a lot more nubbish!"

"How does that change? It's only been…13 years." He smirked while letting the words slip from his mouth. "You think I'm attractive?"

"Eh," she said, even though she really did think he was good looking. She grabbed her luggage and walked into the bathroom that was connected to their room.

She closed the door and searched her bags for a dress. _I hate dresses_, she thought, but slipped on a silk and strapless gray one anyway.

When she walked out, she didn't see Freddie and figured he had already gone downstairs for dinner.

"Wow," Freddie complimented, surprising Sam from behind. "You look incredible."

He had only seen her in a dress twice—for graduation and prom.

She examined him and saw he was wearing a tux. "You look good too."

She pressed silver earrings into her earholes and grabbed his arm. "You think this is believable enough?" She whispered, not wanting her parents to hear them.

He had almost forgotten they were pretending. "Um, yeah, sure."

She nodded and pressed herself in closer to him and he wrapped an arm around her waist, which wasn't entirely awkward—that's how they usually walked together. Everyone assumed they were dating but really, they were just best friends.

"There you two are!" Pam said, sitting the last two plates on the table. "You guys just look so cute together."

Sam shrugged. "Yep, here we are." She said. "Where's dad?"

Sam got her answer when her father walked through the door with a big bowl of spaghetti and garlic bread.

They all sat down, Sam and Freddie across from Pam and Rob.

"Aren't you guys so glad you'll finally be able to call each other wife and husband next month?"

Sam had completely forgot the wedding was supposed to be in a month and she nearly choked on her wine.

"Honey," Pam said. "Should you be drinking?"

"Mom, I told you. I'm not pregnant."

Freddie blushed slightly and Rob gave him a knowing look.

"So, Freddie, what do you do for a living?"

"Oh, that is a good question, Dad," Sam said, looking over to Freddie. "What _do_ you do for a living?"

"You don't know?" Rob asked, confused.

"Of course I do." Sam said, putting on a fake smile. "I just…love to hear him explain it."

Freddie laughed. "Well, it's actually how Sam and I met…right, Sammy?"

Sam smiled at him. "Yes, it is."

"Well, tell us the whole story!" Sam's mom pried. "I'm sure it'll be so romantic."

"_Yeah_, _soooo_ romantic." She nudged his side so nobody noticed.

"Well, as you all know," He started, trying to think of a lie. Sam should've had _some_ influence on him for the past thirteen years. "Sam is an amazing actress…and well, I directed one of the movies she starred in. Uh, you know, Galaxy Wars. The first day I met her, I knew I liked her. I asked her on a date one night when we weren't working late and well, the rest is history."

Sam smiled at her parents who believed every lie. Well, Freddie was a director, and she was an actress, but the rest—that part was a lie.

"That is so sweet," Mrs. Puckett said, smiling at Freddie. "What about your family? Your mom and dad?"

Sam tensed at this. She knew Freddie would _not_ want to talk about this. She felt his hand that was firmly wrapped around her waist tense too.

"Mom," Sam warned, but Mrs. Puckett kept talking.

"We should have them over for dinner." Rob added.

"Um," Freddie couldn't find the right words to say. "Excuse me."

He placed his napkin from his lap on the table and excused himself from the table. He ran up the stairs and into the bathroom.

"Was it something we said?" Rob asked, looking concerned.

Sam frowned. "It was everything you said."

Sam ran up the stairs after her 'fiancé' and frowned when she saw him leaning against the sink, his head faced down.

"Hey," she said, and he popped his head in her direction. "You okay?"

"No, yeah, I'm fine." He assured her, then he shrugged. "I just really miss them."

**AN-There's chapter 2 of **_**My Fake Fiance! **_**:) I hope you guys like and thanks so much for the reviews! The next chapter will be up tomorrow! The dinner scene will be continued and yes, other characters will be mentioned. But oh yeah, I'm going out of town to the beach this Sunday so there won't be an update for any of my stories on that day. But to make up for that, I will post two chapters either tomorrow or Monday when I get back (it'll be at night). Again, please review and I hope you're looking out for the next chapter tomorrow.**

**~ilove2shipseddie~**


	3. Chapter 3

Before Sam and Freddie walked back into the kitchen, Sam decided to let him cool off for a bit, showing him around the house.

He frowned when he saw multiple pictures on the wall—one of which that caught him off guard.

"I didn't know you got married before," he pointed to the picture and Sam turned around to see what he was talking about. The girl looked exactly like Sam, except wearing a wedding dress and a guy stood beside her—with two kids.

She rolled her eyes. "That's my younger twin sister, Melanie," She told him. "And her husband, Mark, and their kids Stephen and Jennifer."

"How come I never knew you had a sister?" He asked, incredulously. "And a brother-in-law and a niece and nephew?"

"Like I said again. You never asked." She fiddled with her fingers.

"Did your parents pay for your sister's wedding?"

Sam shrugged. "Of course. She was perfect in their eyesight," Sam said, glumly. "I haven't talked to her ever since she got married 3 years ago."

"Oh," he said, not pressing the issue forward. "How did it turn out?" He asked about the wedding instead of the sister.

Sam scoffed. "It was okay…I mean, if you're into that sort of thing." She paused. "It was full of Vera Wang dresses, perfect gourmets, a flock of doves were released when they kissed. My mom still cries when she talks about it."

"See," Freddie said, shrugging. "Now all she has to worry about is you. Maybe you should let them pay for the wedding after all."

"Dude, I'm an actress. You're a movie director. We have the money. We're paying them back. Especially since this whole thing is a charade…it's not fair to them."

He was about to reply when she shook her head. "Let's just head back down there before they start looking for us."

They made their way back to the dining room, putting on their best smiles.

Rob and Pam looked like they had been having a conversation while the two were off.

Sam cleared her throat, catching her parent's attention.

"Sweetie," her mother called. "Will you help me with the desert?"

Sam looked at Freddie and then at her father. Freddie nodded her on, giving her a smile.

She followed her mom into the kitchen and left Freddie alone with her father.

"Pam and I are sorry about anything we may have said to offend you—"

Freddie cut him off. "No, it's fine."

"Do you mind me asking why you don't want them to have dinner with us?"

"Oh, um, I don't really speak with them anymore," He said, looking at his fingers. "When I was twenty I moved out and followed my dream of becoming a movie director. They're both doctors and they wanted me to be one too." He remembered. "They refuse to talk to me now."

Rob hung his head. "Oh, I'm so sorry," he looked at his future 'son-in-law' and gave him a sad smile, patting his shoulder. He decided to change the subject, getting up and stealing Sam's seat for a second. "Is Sam pregnant? Tell me the truth."

"Uh, no, she isn't." Freddie shook his head, reassuring Mr. Puckett. "I guarantee you. We haven't even…"

Mr. Puckett shook his head, understanding what Freddie was trying to put across. "Shoot, why does that girl not hear her clock ticking? It's like tick tock tick tock tick tock."

Sam appeared in the doorway, unnoticed by the guys.

Freddie decided to just agree. "Nah, it's more like 'bong'."

Rob and Freddie burst into fits of laughter while Sam stared at them in disbelief. Her mom pulled her back into the kitchen where she couldn't hear a thing they said anymore.

"You know, you seem like a really decent guy and I have to say. I haven't seen Sam this happy in a long time."

"Really?" Freddie asked, a genuine grin spreading across his face. "She seemed happy to you?"

"Yeah," Mr. Puckett secured his doubt. "It's the happiest I've seen her in years."

Freddie breathed in and smiled. "Wow."

"Hun, can you come in the kitchen?" Mrs. Puckett called her husband into the kitchen.

"Potholders are in the bottom drawer!" He called back, and then turned to Freddie. "Memory—it's the first thing to go. Well, after voluptuous activity, of course."

Freddie raised his eyebrows and nodded, taking in what Mr. Puckett had just said to him. Was he referring to _sexual_ _activity_?

He didn't really know why but certain images started to pop in his brain that he didn't know if he could ever erase. "Oh."

To save him from more distasteful talk like that, Sam walked back into the dining area and recuperated her seat as her father rose.

"I can't find them." Pam appeared in the doorway signaling Rob to come in there _now_.

"Okay," he stretched his words. He turned back around for the slightest second. "Now you two lovebirds try and keep your hands off each other."

Freddie shot him a grin, as he and Sam's cheeks lit up. "Okay, Mr. Puckett."

"Dad," he corrected. "Call me dad."

The two were left alone now, still blushing slightly. She punched Freddie in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" He whispered.

"Thanks to you my mom wants me to be pregnant!" Sam said. "What happens in nine months when she doesn't get her little grandkid!?"

"I'm sure we can dress up toy babies in cute little clothes and—"

"We're desperate, not psychotic!" She hit him again. "And what would we do about my stomach?"

"Buy extra-large clothes and make you walk around with a basketball in your shirt for a few months."

"I said my parents were oblivious; not stupid!"

Sam ran a hand through her hair and Freddie's eyes widened, remembering something wildly important in an engagement.

"Engagement rings! We don't have any!"

"No problem, I have a lot of rings in my suitcase. I found them on the playground when I was a kid and never let them out of my sight. Those babies could be worth a lot of bucks."

Freddie nodded, breathing correctly now.

"Samantha, Freddie" Sam and Freddie's heads snapped towards Sam's parents. "Rob and I are paying for your wedding."

"What?" They asked simultaneously.

"There's no way we can let you do that." Freddie said.

"We can take care of it," Sam added. "In fact, we're just thinking about eloping."

"Eloping?" Rob questioned, then shook his head furiously. "We cannot let you do that. We're going to give you the wedding you deserve."

"It's out of the question," Sam said, disagreeing.

"It's a mother's right to get to do this for her daughter," Sam's mom assured her. "You cannot deny me this joy."

"I'm sorry we can't accept—" Freddie started.

"We're doing this, alright?" Rob interrupted.

Sam and Freddie sighed. There was clearly no getting past these people. "Fine."

"Ah, there's just one catch."

They looked up. "What?"

"We spent your wedding fund."

"_What_?"

"We landscaped the backyard. Doesn't it look great?"

"You spent my wedding fund?" Sam asked, unbelievably.

"We thought we had more time," Rob defended, throwing his hands in the air.

"Don't you worry. We're just gonna move some money around so we can throw you the wedding of your dreams. It'll be our gift to you." Pam guaranteed them.

Sam and Freddie shrugged. "Sounds great…"

"Good," They cheered, walking back towards the kitchen. "This is great."

…

**AN-Chapter 3! :) Review! I'd say since this is based off of a movie and I tweaked the plot a little, this story won't have that many chapters. Maybe eight at the least. That's what I'm shooting for.**

**Like I said, Sunday, I'm out of town and I just figured I'd write up an extra chapter. Oh yeah, I totally forgot to write a chapter for **_**After Four Years **_**tonight but I'm working on that now! It's the AM here so I should get some sleep! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Sam heard a knock on the door and turned her attention from a picture of her and her sister to the ceiling.

"Come in," she said, smoothly, after placing the picture down. She thought it'd be Freddie, but it turned out to be her mother.

"Mom?" She asked, confused as to why it wasn't her fake fiancé instead. "What're you doing here?"

"Do you remember your friend, Carly Shay?" She asked, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, I remember her…"

"She called and I told her you were getting married and I knew you didn't have any bridesmaids so…I told her it was fine if she could be one."

"Mom!" Sam yelled. "I haven't talked to her since I stole her tuna sandwich in first grade!"

"I know, I know," Pam said. "I knew you two were close…she'll also be with you to pick out your wedding dress in a few days."

"You're kidding right?" Sam asked, groaning. "We were best friends…now it'll just be super awkward."

Pam moved to the head of Sam's bed and stroked her hair. "I think it'll be good for you to rekindle your connection with her. She sounded really genuine when she asked about you."

"What is she doing talking to you anyway?"

"Her dad and I still work for the same police department. He told me she'd call."

Sam rolled her head back, covering her eyes in frustration. "Whatever mom."

Pam got up and walked to the door. "Wait." Sam said, and Pam turned around. "What do you mean you knew I didn't have any bridesmaids?"

Pam shrugged. "It's no mystery that you haven't had a decent female friend in a while."

Sam's mouth opened with disbelief. "Please go."

Pam shrugged and walked out just as Freddie entered. "Hey, am I interrupting something?"

Sam shook her head as Freddie closed the door. "What's that?"

Freddie shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. Thought my fiancé might want some."

He handed her a plate with a dessert on it and she smiled glowingly.

"Is this a bacon and ham flavored shortcake?"

He nodded. "Before my mom and I stopped talking, she taught me how to make a bunch of cool breakfast desserts."

Sam nodded, taking a bite. "It's delicious."

He grabbed a palette and laid it on the hard floor. She cut off the lamp beside the big bed and rolled over to one side. "Thanks."

…

"Yes!" Rob cheered as he and Freddie sat on the couch watching a basketball game and the team he liked scored.

Sam rolled her eyes, flipping through a bridal magazine with her mother.

"Do you like this one?"

Sam shrugged and she felt Freddie's presence behind her. "What are you ladies talking about over here?" He directed his question to his blonde fiancé.

"Oh, just making plans," Pam smiled cheerfully.

"Wow," he said, picking up a sheet of paper. "What is _that_ number?"

Sam decided to answer. "Uh, that is the price per human head."

Freddie looked up at Sam's mom. "Is this the price for a real human head?" Freddie joked, then he became serious. "We seriously can take care of the price."

"Weddings aren't cheap, Freddie," Pam told him, sitting down. "And don't worry, Rob and I have got it covered."

Freddie threw Sam a skeptical look but averted his gaze back toward Mrs. Puckett. "We don't have to have that many people. We can just have more food—it's less."

"Listen to that boy. He makes good sense." Rob popped in.

"Sweetie," Sam smiled at Freddie, warning him. "We're throwing a wedding, not a tailgate party."

"We lucked out Freddie," Pam said, bumping knuckles with a confused Freddie. Then she turned to Sam, but Freddie still listened. "The country club had a cancellation for July 25…can you imagine? Less than a month before the wedding."

Sam looked away.

"Pour soul…oh well! I guess one girl's heartbreak is another girl's special day." Pam said, getting up and Sam faked a smile.

"So," Pam cheered up. "Your first counseling session with Reverend Jim is Tuesday night."

"Counseling session?" Freddie asked, his eyes following Pam.

"You just…go in and chat with the reverend about your relationship and the hopes and fears you have about marriage."

"It's a bunch of touchy feely mumbo jumbo if you ask me," Rob said from the couch.

Freddie turned to Sam, an urgent look on his face. He whispered, "What are we gonna talk about?"

Sam ignored him, turning to her mom. "Uh, mom, remember I told you, Freddie is not very religious. Do you think, uh, Reverend Jim would make an exception?"

"He will not perform the ceremony if you don't go thru with the counseling first," Pam said, and Sam bit her lip, looking up to Freddie.

"Say 'yes dear'," Rob said. "It's the two most successful words to get through a marriage."

Freddie turned to Sam. "Yes, dear." And she nudged him, playfully.

"Have you thought about colors?" Pam asked, as Freddie walked away. "Cause I'm thinking teal. It's one of those cute colors that doesn't wash you out." Pam said, as she wrapped a plain teal scarf around her shirt. Freddie stared in disbelief and Sam shot him a look that said 'now you see why I haven't been around her since I was nine'.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and everyone turned their attention to the door. "Were you expecting someone?" Sam asked her mother.

Pam nodded, smiling at Freddie.

"Actually, I am." She walked over to the door, opening it to reveal Marissa and James Benson. Freddie's mouth fell agape and he stared at the two figures that he hadn't seen or communicated to in so long.

This couldn't be happening. He didn't _want_ this to happen.

Freddie felt his body go numb as he stared at him and they stared back.

"Hey Pam," Marissa finally spoke. "Look at you…"

"It's nice to finally meet you." Marissa said to Pam.

Rob walked over to stand near Freddie.

"You must be Rob." Marissa hugged Sam's dad and Freddie's dad gave Rob a man hug.

They turned to Sam. "And you must be Samantha—my son's fiancé."

Sam gave both of Freddie's a glare as they leaned in to give her a hug. She rejected, going to stand over by her best friend, who silently made his way out of the door.

"Once again," Sam said, her gaze averting back from James to Marissa and finally to her mom. "Pam Puckett ruins the day."

…

**AN- Tell me what you thought! I should do this:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or the movie **_**My Fake Fiance. My respects go out to Dan and…ABC Family…Lol.**_

_**Anyway, review! **_


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey," Sam sat beside Freddie on the side of the pond in her parent's backyard.

Everything was silent and still for a moment, Freddie trying his best to make these words come out correctly. "Did you know?"

Sam scrunched her brows in confusion. "Did I know what?" She stared at his face, trying to read what he was thinking and most importantly, what he was trying to ask her.

"Did you know your mom was gonna bring those…those _people_ here?" You couldn't miss the disgust apparent in his tone.

"You know I'd never…" she trailed, an incredulous look plastered across her radiant features.

He shook his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry; I don't know what I was thinking."

They both didn't talk for a few minutes after that. They simply sat there, legs crossed, knees touching, and breaths trembling.

She rested her head on his shoulder and he placed his arm around the small of her waist and like always, they were both comfortable, wrapped up in one another.

Freddie knew they were best friends, but for some reason, at that moment, he realized he felt something more arising. He didn't know what it was—well actually, he had a pretty good idea—but he couldn't wrap the concept around his head.

He and Sam as a couple? He had only thought of her in that way a couple of times, but he brushed them off, thinking he was just caught up in the moment. He knew Sam could feel the tension between the two of them too. He observed her actions and expressions and knew _something_ like that had to be going through her mind. He decided the only way to know was to ask.

For now, they both figured they'd ignore everything bad that was happening, and talk about something different—something slightly out of their comfort zone.

"Sam?" He asked, his chin resting atop of her golden tresses.

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever think of us as more than just best friends?"

This question took her by surprise, causing her to look away into the scenery. "I…"

"You don't have to answer that…" he said, shaking his head.

"I want to. We tell each other everything, right?" He nodded and she continued. "Of course I do. And I'm pretty sure everyone around us does too."

He couldn't help but grin a little.

Once again, there was silence. Not an awkward silence, but a silence long enough to make them think about how grateful they were for one another.

"I know you're in a really bad place right now," Sam started. "And I know I'm not the sappy, sentimental one," he let out a laugh. "But you should know that if you don't have anyone else…I'm always here because I…I, um, well, I love you. You've been my best friend for 13 years. I don't want that to change."

They were now facing each other, she was looking up at him, and he was looking down at her.

They had said they loved each other as best friends—but did they really mean much more?

He leant down, bringing his hand to her cheek and caressing it gently. She grasped the back of his neck and leaned up, until the space between their lips couldn't be measured. She rolled him over, and he was now lying on the grass, her body directly on top of his.

"There you guys are!" They heard Pam say. "Rob and I searched the entire house and I find you guys out here smooching on the grass."

Sam shot up, her face flushed and her lips red.

"Why did you do that?" Sam asked, not holding back. She just wanted to find something to say that would take her out of this embarrassing predicament of being caught making out with her 'fiancé'.

"Do what?" Pam asked.

"Invite Freddie's parents over!" She said, angrily, climbing off of Freddie who lay awkwardly on the grass. He didn't know if he should join Sam in scolding her mother or just keep lying there.

Sam finished her and her mom's argument, speeding out of there like a cheetah, not wanting to be seen or noticed by any sign of existence.

She rushed up to the room she was sharing with her best friend and locked the door behind her. She ran a hand through her hair. What had they just done?

…

Freddie stiffly walked behind Pam into the house, making a bee line for the bedroom.

"Son?"

He stopped dead in his tracks and his heart ached as he heard his father call him 'son' again. He ignored the voice and kept walking up the stairs.

"Freddie?" His mom called. He stopped once again, turning around to face the people he was supposed to call his 'parents'. They had done nothing for him these past eight years. Why all of a sudden did they want to get back into his life? What did they want from him?

He held himself together as he spoke. "What?"

They walked a little closer to him.

"It's good to see you all grown up, Son," His dad said, giving him a smile. Freddie didn't return it.

Freddie cut right to the chase. "Why're you two here?"

"We're gonna stick around for a while."

"Why now?" He asked, his glare piercing right through them.

"We're helping Pam and Rob pay for the wedding."

Freddie shook his head. "There's no way in hell I'm allowing you to do that." He continued to walk up the stairs.

"Freddie," His mom ran up and clutched his arm, giving it a gentle tug. "I know the past few years have been rough on you—all because of us. And I realize I'm not gonna be voted mother of the year—"

Freddie interrupted her, looking between her and his father. "I would've settled for just a mother." He looked to his dad. "Or just a father."

They nodded, and she continued to speak. "Recently, your father and I got a big promotion—we became doctors for the president. We get tons of money now—it was the big payoff we've always been waiting for." She said.

James walked up to stand behind Marissa and picked up speaking where she left off. "After the excitement wore off, we realized we had no one to celebrate it with besides each other…"

"Guess that's what happens when the medical field is your home, Dad,"

His dad sighed. "We're trying to make amends, Son," His father told him, his voice raising a little. "We want another chance…we know we don't deserve it—"

"You don't," Freddie's voice was full of unreason and coldness. He shook his head, glaring at both his parents.

"Alright," Freddie's dad backed down, pulling a checkbook out of his back pocket and quickly scribbling things on it. "I'm proud of you, Freddie."

Freddie looked away and his father continued. "Fallen in love…getting married…creating a family…" He trailed, still scribbling away. Marissa looked up at Freddie and for a second, Freddie held her gaze, knowing that if he looked into those eyes and saw someone who he loved desperately when he was nine, he'd easily give in. "I envy you." Freddie looked down, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "I lost my relationship with you."

Freddie gulped, looking down at what his dad was handing him. "That is my _biggest_ regret."

Freddie turned away. "I don't need your money." His jaws tightened as his mom's voice pulled him back.

"Freddie, c'mon," She said. "Please…_please_. Let us do this much, alright?"

Freddie looked back, not locking eyes with either of his parents.

He took the check and turned back. "Wedding's in the next two Saturday's. 5 PM at Greater Union Christian."

With that, he walked back upstairs, not looking back down at his parents anymore."

…

**AN-I got back from my trip! Here's the chapter! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN-This chapter starts in the marriage counseling session with Reverend Jim! Hope you like! Thanks!**

Sam and Freddie awkwardly sat in Reverend Jim's house, both waiting for him to come back with their bottles of water.

"Here we are," he handed Sam and Freddie their bottles. "I'd like to get right into the session now, if that's alright with you two."

They both nodded, glancing at each other. The two of them hated it being awkward. It had been a few days after the kiss in Sam's parent's backyard. Neither of them had been able to start a living conversation. They also refused to discuss the kiss but they knew that eventually, they'd have to talk about it. They wouldn't let it ruin their friendship forever.

"So, Sam and Freddie, what caused _this_," he motioned between the two of them. "To happen?"

"Well," Sam said, deciding to go with what Freddie had told her parents. "To make a long story short, he's a movie director; I'm an actress. I starred in one of his movies a few years back and that is how we met."

Reverend Jim nodded. "What attracted you to him?"

"He's, uh," Sam huffed, looking at him. "He was nice…caring…a great best friend…"

"So, before this relationship formed, you were best friends?" Reverend Jim asked.

Sam mentally slapped herself. She was a great liar the rest of her life but now, of all times, her skills wanted to act up on her? Freddie saw that she was struggling with words and decided to take over. "D'uh, well, my, uh, no. My best friend is her, uh, her sister's husband, and uh, yeah he used to tell her all about me."

"How does Sam make you feel?" Reverend Jim asked, looking between the couple, suspiciously.

"When I'm around Sam, I can be myself. I can tell her everything without being afraid." Freddie said. Sam knew this wasn't about the fake marriage. He knew it was about the awkwardness between them and how he wanted it to end. "Really, we're the perfect duo together. We're so different but that's why we're together. We click in this strange, but magnificent way and I can't imagine my life without her."

Sam's heart raced and she almost got lost in him before Reverend Jim spoke again, pulling her back to reality. "That's very nice of you to say, Freddie."

Freddie nodded, and looked at Sam who was smiling at him.

The clock dinged. "Alright, it's been fifteen minutes. This session is over. I'll see you guys at the wedding. Good luck. Any other questions?"

"Actually, yes," Sam said, and Freddie gave her a questioning look. "It's not a question, but I need to say one more thing."

"Go ahead, Ms. Puckett."

"Freddie doesn't…like his parents. The other night, and I know this was wrong, but I kinda snooped into him and his parent's conversation. They really want to get back in his life and he keeps rejecting them," Sam said, and Freddie's eyes focused on her. She began to shake her head. "I mean it's clear that he has abandonment issues and I just feel like instead of avoiding them, he should just confront them head on. I don't think he should push them away. I know they shouldn't have left him for eight years but I think the important thing is that they're _trying_ so desperately now."

"Now Freddie, don't you see why your fiancé is so concerned about your relationship with your parents."

"They had their chances," He said, still staring at Sam. He wasn't speaking to Reverend Jim; he was directing his answer to Sam. "They don't deserve anymore."

Sam shook her head. "I know where you're coming from—"

"No, you don't," Freddie told her, shaking his head and looking down. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You don't like your parents either," Freddie challenged.

"It's obvious you don't like my mom either. You see what I see in her—a terrible woman!"

"This is true," Freddie admitted. "The point is, why're trying to force me to do something that you wouldn't want to do if you were in my position?"

Freddie gave her one last hard look before exiting Reverend Jim's house and sitting in the car, waiting for Sam to hurry out.

…

Sam passed Freddie an envelope and he put the nice invitation in it, making sure the correct name was on it. They both were silent; yesterday's counseling session really took a toll on them.

Suddenly, Sam's parents burst through the room. "Oh good, both of you are here." Pam said, coming closer.

"Mom, there's a thing called knocking! You're required to do that unless it's some kind of emergency!" Sam said, turning to face them. Freddie turned also.

"This is an emergency!" Pam said, looking at her husband, who came to stand by her.

"The wedding is _off_," Rob said, looking at Freddie.

"_What?_" Sam and Freddie asked instantaneously.

"Your father played golf with Reverend Jim this morning," Pam said, crossing her arms and looking at Sam. "He told Rob about how you," she pointed at Freddie. "Didn't like me!"

"I—I do like you, Mom," he said, referring to Pam. "I do!"

Everyone looked for Sam to say something.

She didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, Son," Rob said, placing an arm around Sam. "I'm not letting my daughter marry someone who doesn't approve of her parents."

"I thought that session was supposed to be confidential," Freddie said, looking to Sam.

"Oh!" Pam shouted, startling everyone. "Reverend Jim is a terrible gossip. That man could never handle the pressure."

Freddie looked awkwardly at Sam, who still stayed silent.

"Freddie, I know you like me," Rob said. "But my wife. You have to like both of us or none of us. We have to look out for Sam here. She hasn't always made the best choices when it comes to men."

Sam frowned, and finally spoke up. "Excuse me?"

"Remember Bryce Steiner?" Her mom asked. "The gum in hair incident."

"Mom, that was second grade!" Sam shouted.

"Just saying. It's a pattern."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rob spoke again. "We can't support this wedding."

"I see." Freddie spoke quietly, looking down."

Sam shook her head, going to stand next to Freddie and grabbed his hand. "Mom, Dad," she said, in a very serious tone. "I'm ashamed of you. Marriage isn't only for the good times."

Pam and Rob looked between each other.

"Mom, did you leave Dad when he got that awful toenail fungus?"

Pam looked Sam up and down. "No…"

"Dad, did you leave Mom when she gave herself that bad home perm and was bald for a year?"

Her dad's eyes averted to her mom. "No, I didn't."

Sam looked to Freddie and smiled. "Then I'm not leaving Freddie in his time of need either. I'll help him like you. Just like you helped each other with each of your problems."

Freddie grinned at her. "Thanks."

"Besides, Freddie agreed to take an, um, uh, couple's in-law training to help like you."

Pam gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. She walked up to her future son-in-law and grabbed him by the lapels. "You brave boy."

"I'm proud of you, Son," Rob said, hugging Freddie also. Freddie looked down to Sam.

"Yep, I, uh, I have."

Sam continued to feign happiness. "I'm so proud of you." She kissed his cheek and smirked. He smirked back, glad they were back to normal.

**AN-Next chapter! Please review! They inspire me to write longer chapters! Like just now!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Hi, I'm, uh, Freddie," Freddie stood in front of the couple's in-law class and spoke, nervously. "And I hate my fiancé's mom."

Sam had told him to say that in order for people to believe he actually needed to be in that class.

"Hey Freddie," It started out with one voice and soon everyone had said it to him. He nodded to them, a little embarrassed.

How could Sam put him in this class that he didn't need? He didn't _hate_ Pam, but she wasn't at the top of the 'people he fancied' list either. She was somewhere towards the bottom—near his parents.

He sat back down, looking around, and sure enough, all eyes were on him. They leaned in, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

He turned to the guy sitting next to him and whispered, "Is it still my turn?"

The guy nodded and he stood back up, placing both his hands in either side of his pocket. "Well, uh, what can I say? Um," he paused for dramatic effect. "You gotta know when to hold them…know when to fold them…" He looked around the room, seeing how inspired everyone looked even though he seriously didn't even know what he had said. "Thank you."

They all clapped for him and he looked around, smiling, and nodding to everyone. He patted the shoulder of the man next to him. "That felt good."

…

"Sam Puckett?" Sam turned around to meet a pretty brunette. Her hair trailed down her shoulders and her outfit was exceptional.

"Carly Shay?"

"Wow," Carly hugged her to which Sam grimaced.

"Not a hugger, not a hugger, _not a hugger_," Carly let go, grinning.

"Wow, it's so good to see you again. I didn't think we'd ever meet again…especially not after you ate my tuna sandwich."

Sam laughed, remembering her younger years.

"So, you're getting married?" She asked, and Sam nodded. "To who and how long have you guys been together?"

_Was a gossiper in first grade, still a big gossip now_, Sam thought, shaking her head. "Remember that kid from kindergarten who moved in less than a month to some youth medical school? His name was Freddie Benson?"

"That's who you're marrying?" Carly asked, incredulously.

"Does he still wear those three inch shoes to be as tall as everyone?"

Sam smiled, shaking her head. "Trust me, he's grown a _lot_ since then."

"Aw, that's so cute," Carly said, smiling at Sam. "Oh, here we are."

She opened the door to a wedding dress boutique and the two walked in.

"Oscar, I haven't seen you in a while!" She said, smiling at the guy standing by a rack of wedding dresses.

Carly and Oscar ran up to each other and she gave him a kiss on each cheek, to which he returned.

"Carls!" He embraced her again.

Sam stood in the back, rocking back and forth on her heels. "You guys know each other?"

"Oscar was the same guy who helped me pick my wedding dress," Carly explained, smiling. "Oscar, meet Sam, Sam meet Oscar."

Sam extended her hand. Instead, the man pulled her forward and placed two kisses on each of her cheeks. "Any friend of Carls, is a friend of mine."

"Okay then," She said, still confused by the man's gesture.

"Now let's get to picking." He placed a long, white dress in her hands and she smiled in return.

"Woohoo," she said with her best enthusiasm.

…

"So when am I gonna meet this Freddie?" Carly asked, nudging Sam as she waited for more dresses from Oscar. "As a matter of fact, why _haven't_ I met this Freddie? Has the family met him?"

"Everyone except Melanie." Sam said, sighing.

"Sam," Oscar's voice boomed through the door as he walked out, yet another dress in his hand. "What do you think of this one?"

Sam stared at the dress. "It's too frilly…I want something simple, yet elegant, and beautiful, but not too showy."

"Sam, you're the bride! You need something showy!"

"Eh," Sam said, shaking her head. "I guess but whatever you do, no pink!"

…

"Hi, my name is Charlie and I used to hate my in-laws with passion," The guy started, and Freddie paid attention.

A roomful of 'Hey Ben's' filled the constricted area, one coming from Freddie.

"My wife's mother used to fill me with anger so quickly…and her dad, he always talked down on me and told her how she could've done better."

Freddie nodded. "Ah, I hear ya," he said, nodding and looking around. His eyes locked on a brunette who looked as though she had been staring at him. She smiled at him and he couldn't help but be enticed by her beauty. He gazed over her features, taking in her necklace, they read 'Laurie'—he assumed that was her name.

He smiled back at her and looked away for the slightest second.

"I used to go off on them a thousand times a day." Charlie said, taking Freddie out of his woman trance. "These meetings helped my relationship with my mother in law and my father and law. We share everything with each other now. Very scarcely do we argue; being closer to her parents helped me become closer to her and a better father and husband."

Freddie looked at the girl again as he and the rest of the small group clapped.

Charlie sat down, letting out a 'Thank you'.

"Way to go," Freddie shouted, feeling bolder than ever.

"In fact," Charlie stood up again. "I just took my filming company public. My in-laws are helping me run it."

Freddie's eyes popped open at this. This guy could make him a better movie director than ever. He looked experienced too.

The man continued. "Who would have ever thought I'd be a multi-millionaire?"

The guy sat down, nodding as everyone clapped for him again.

"Charlie shows us what's possible if we learn to get along with our in-laws." Another guy, the head of this program, said.

Freddie nodded, clapping some more.

…

"I knew you two would hit it off," Carly claimed, tying the back of Sam's dress for her.

"Who?"

"You and Freddie."

Sam frowned. "How?"

"You two always picked on each other for that short while he was there and when he left, I saw how disappointed you were."

"Pfft, me? Disappointed?" Sam laughed. "Never."

Carly gave her an 'oh really' look and Sam nodded.

"How is he with his mother?" Oscar asked. "That should tell you what he'll be like with you."

Sam scoffed. "He's terrible with them."

"Well, what about with your parents?" Carly asked.

Sam sighed. "Strangely enough, he's finding his way to like them."

Carly smiled. "See, he must really love you."

Sam looked down at the veil in her hand and placed it atop her head.

"How is he with the horizontal hokey pokey?" Oscar asked, and Carly laughed as Sam blushed.

"You guys…" she said, still smiling.

"Yeah, Oscar, so rude," Carly giggled. "But can we talk about his body?"

"Seriously, he has ab muscles I never knew existed." Sam let out, and then covered her mouth.

"Oh my god; you're blushing." Oscar said.

"No I'm not." Sam said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes you are!" Carly looked over at her and smiled. "I'm not sure I've ever _seen_ you blush before."

"Aw," Oscar smiled. "Cute."

…

"Charlie!" Freddie ran over to Charlie after their in-law meeting let out. "Hey."

"Hey," Charlie said, turning around to shake Freddie's hand.

"Hi," he said. "I spoke a little earlier."

Charlie laughed. "I remember you."

"Yeah, um, listen, your story…saved my life tonight."

The guy smiled.

"Yeah, and I was wondering—"

"If I could be your sponsor? Sure." Charlie said, about to walk away.

"Actually if you could come to my wedding."

The guy gave him a confused look. "But we just met."

"I know…I know." Freddie said. "I would just really like it if you came and we could discuss some things. I'm a movie director myself and I thought you could teach me some more things. If you could just write down your name and address, I'd love to send you an invitation."

The man shrugged, digging around in his pocket until he fetched a pen and paper. "Sure."

He wrote a few things day and handed it to him.

"Thank you." Freddie said.

"You're welcome." With that, Charlie walked away, and Freddie was about to follow him, until he heard a voice behind him.

He turned around.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhearing…" It was the girl from earlier. "You're not really getting married, are you?"

Freddie didn't know what to say. "I, uh, yeah, I am."

The girl nodded. "Too bad."

She walked away and out the door. Freddie popped out and rushed to her side.

"But not for another week." He added. The girl stopped and turned around, grinning at him.

"I know we're supposed to be learning to get along with our in-laws but everyone could use a little break from that."

"What do you have in mind?"

The girl shrugged. "Buy a girl a drink?"

"Maybe just…one." He followed her out the door.

…

"You look _fantastic_," Carly told her as she walked out of the dressing room with another dress on.

The dress was strapless, white, and simple, but elegant—just like Sam wanted it. Small diamonds set in a beautiful arrangement across the back, showing off just how beautiful the train of the dress happened to be. A lilac tie wrapped around the stomach part of the dress—the part that separates the chest from the abdomen.

Sam looked to Oscar for his approval and he nodded, looking as though he wanted to cry.

"Freddie's gonna love it," Carly said, smiling. "You look breathtaking."

She smiled. "I hope so."

…

"Here's my stop," The girl said, turning around to face Freddie, who had walked the girl home.

He laughed. "Be careful getting off."

"That'll be up to you." Her accent flowed in such a way that Freddie really loved.

The girl leant up, kissing Freddie's lips.

For a second, he had no idea what he was doing, so he kissed back. The girl pulled away, smiling at him, as they walked into her apartment complex building.

"Well, Mr. I hate my fiancé's mom, how much risk are you willing to take?"

The elevator bell dinged and Freddie stared at the girl. With some hesitation, he followed her into the elevator.

**AN-MY LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! A lot happened! Review for more chapters like this! I decided to post another chapter to this story because, and hold back your sobs, it ends in a few chapters. No, not because I choose to, but because, literally, from where I have stopped, there's about thirty minutes of the movie left.**

**Anyway, review!**

**Thanks!**

**~ilove2shipseddie**


	8. Chapter 8

Sam frowned as she woke up and hopped out of bed the next morning. Usually, she'd feel Freddie's rough blankets underneath her soft feet, but today, she didn't.

_Maybe he slept on the other side of the bed today_, she thought, and checked the other side.Nothing— except his neatly folded palettes on the chair beside the bed. They didn't even looked touched since she had seen them last night. Hmmm_, that's strange. Maybe he's downstairs_, she thought, and again, checked. She ran back upstairs and checked her phone. He hadn't called or anything, but she did miss a call from a weird number. She pressed the 'call' button beside the number and pressed the PearPhone up to her left ear.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Ms. Puckett, we're glad you called back." It was Jerry, Freddie's co-director.

"Oh, hey, Jerry," she said. Maybe he had heard from Freddie. "We've found a movie that you could audition for here in LA. If you could catch the nearest plane here, that'd be great—"

"Oh, lucky you, I'm already here in LA." Sam said. "Anyways, have you talked to Freddie?"

"No, I was hoping you knew where he was." Jerry said. "They wanted you to act in the movie and him to be the director. Last time, it was a huge success."

"Well, I haven't heard from him ever since last night…did you try calling him?"

"Yes, I did," he told her, now sounding a little worried.

"I'll see if he shows up home anytime."

"Great, come in to LA studios as soon as you can."

Sam nodded, said her goodbye, and got dressed as soon as she could. Before driving off, she picked up her cell phone and checked for anything from him. Still nothing.

"Dude, where are you?" She left a voicemail. "Get your disappearing self up wherever you are and come in to LA studios as fast as you can."

With that, she hung up and drove off, genuinely worried about her best friend.

…

Later that day, Sam walked into her parent's house, moving past the living room where her dad was napping.

She placed her coat on the coat rack and put her keys down. "Mom?" She yelled, hearing nothing but echoes.

She searched upstairs and finally heard voices coming from the balcony. She opened the doors to the balcony and still, didn't see anything. She still heard the voices, so she continued to look on the balcony even though it was quite clear they still weren't out there.

"Hey there, bridezilla," a voice bellowed from bellow and she jumped, startled. She looked over the balcony and into the backyard where she found Freddie grilling and her mother watering the plants.

She ran down the stairs and out the door, walking the rest of the way into the backyard. "Hey." He spoke again.

She was still angry and she wanted answers from him _now._ She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing?"

"Well, I know how much you like meat so I decided to grill some to celebrate."

She put her arms out in a 'what for' fashion. "Celebrate?"

"Yeah, we got our first official wedding gifts today." He took off the apron and placed the meat in a bowl, carrying it inside. She followed him into the kitchen and then up into their bedroom. "You are now the proud owner of a cupcake carrier and a check for a hundred bucks." He told her, motioning to the things on the bed.

"Awesome." She feigned enthusiasm.

"Oh, hey, um, sorry about last night…" He said, and she shrugged, pretending like it was no biggie.

"Last night?" She questioned, breaking away from his gaze and looking down at her feet.

"Yeah, I should've and would've called you to let you know I wasn't coming home," he said, walking around to the other side of the bed. "My phone went dead."

She shrugged once more and looked up to meet his eyes. "Oh, did you not come back? I didn't notice."

He didn't say anything for a while, just continued to stare at her. "Oh, well, um, good."

"We're fake fiancés, Nub. It's not like we're really in love." She scoffed and he continued to stare at her.

She saw the confusion rising in his eyes and suddenly felt like she shouldn't have stated it like that.

"I—I got it…" he deterred his gaze back down to the floor.

There was a silence between the two before Freddie decided to speak again/

"You know," he said, picking up his phone to give himself a distraction. "At some point, we're gonna have to talk about our vows." He sat at the square table in the corner of the room.

"Can't we just repeat what the reverend says?"

Freddie sneered. "Church vows are so unemotional and impersonal."

She gave him a strange look. "Yeah, I'd hate for our _fake___vows at our _fake_ wedding to not be from the heart."

"Look, all of my family and friends are gonna be there," he told her. "They already disown me for enough…okay? If the vows are fake I still want them to be impressive."

He grabbed a pen and paper and sat his phone down. "Can't I just read a poem or something?" she asked to which he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you know what? Nevermind? I'll write your vows for you, okay? You don't have to worry about it." He went back to writing things down and she stared at him, slapping her hands against her thighs before rising and going to sit on the other side of him.

"Well what about your vows?"

He shrugged, looking over at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well you get to write exactly what you want me to say to you. What about what you're gonna say to me?"

He threw her a look, using her own words on her. "Ah, I just thought I'd read a poem or something."

"No, I don't think so," she said, rolling her eyes. "You know what? I'm gonna write your vows."

"Fine," he conceded, looking down at his paper.

"Will you hand me a piece of paper?" She asked and he handed her one from his stack.

"Pen?"

Again, he reached over to one side of him and tossed her a pen.

"Thanks."

He began writing and she looked over to him, and then gazed out the window. What _did_ she want him to say to her?

She drummed her pen against the table, still thinking. She, again, looked over to Freddie who looked like he was having no problem.

She pretended to write, and asked nonchalantly, "what do you have so far?"

He picked up his paper and read what he had written. "Freddie, I didn't know how loving a person could be until I met you—"

Sam began to laugh at him, grabbing his sheet of paper. "You're kidding, right? I'm not reading this to you. I'm gonna sound like such a loser. I don't even think I can read that with a straight face."

"Oh, I don't even know if you can read period." He teased and she rolled her eyes.

"You know what?" She asked, sitting her pen down. "Enjoy the meat. I just lost my appetite."

He scoffed. "What?"

"Oh, I dunno. You still have an appetite?" She asked. "I thought maybe you left it where you were last night."

"Mm, so now I'm _supposed_ to check in with my fake fiancé?" He asked, giving her a strange look.

"No, because that would be considerate—something you know _nothing_ about." She snapped.

"For your information, I walked someone home last night and because it was so late, I slept over at her apartment." He informed her. Her jaw tightened. _Her_. He slept at another woman's home. Those words kept stabbing at her heart. "Why?" He continued. "I have no idea why."

She threw him a hard look and he immediately knew she was _not_ happy with him.

Before she could say anything, her phone began to ring. She picked it up and Freddie looked away from her. "Hello?" She said, in the happiest voice she could muster. "Oh my god. Okay, I'll be right there."

The way she stood up from the chair was dangerous and it caught Freddie's attention. As she began to run for the room door, his eyes followed her. "What happened?"

"My sister's in the hospital. My mom and dad went up there a few minutes ago. She's been in a car accident."

Freddie stood, frantically following Sam out of the door.

**AN-Yay, another longish chapter. Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Sam rushed into the hospital, Freddie trailing very closely behind. She stopped in the middle of the doorway and he bumped into her, nearly making her fall down. He quickly caught on to her waist and pulled her up to steady her balance.

"Thanks," she said, then looked away, remembering what he had revealed to her earlier.

Though she'd never tell him, she was slightly hurt. The idea of him being with other women, even though this whole thing was a charade, made her sick to her stomach.

"Aunt Sam!" Sam and Freddie both twisted their heads to the right, and Sam saw her niece and nephew standing beside two chairs.

"Hey, guys," she rushed over to them and Freddie watched her from a short distance. She embraced her niece and nephew into a tight hug and he looked away, feeling regret wash over him. He shouldn't have gone all the way with some random lady from the couple's in-law class. If there was anyone he'd prefer to go all the way with it would be his best friend, Sam.

"Where are grandma and grandpa?" Sam asked them, bending down so she was eye to eye with each of them.

"Inside with mom and dad," Stephen said, stiffly.

"They won't let us see mommy," Jennifer said, sighing.

"They didn't want Jennifer to get scared," Stephen said. "So, I had to stay with her."

Sam nodded, taking everything in. "You guys gonna be okay out here by yourselves for a little bit?"

"Yep," Stephen said, confidently. "I'm in charge."

Sam grinned and ruffled his dark brown hair. "Okay, be right back, alright?"

She didn't give them time to answer before rushing off down the hospital hallways, Freddie following behind her, giving the kids a small smile before walking away.

"Who's he?" Jennifer whispered to her older twin brother.

"Some guy." Stephen answered, shrugging.

…

Sam approached her sister's hospital room and slowly opened the glass door, Freddie peering at her from the outside.

"Melanie," Sam whispered. The person on the bed did not respond. There was bandages and casts everywhere on her, starting from her arms on down. She had a mask covering her whole face; well, except for her nose where they had her breathing from. Sam's eyes watered and Freddie continued to watch and listen from the outside.

She sat on the edge of the hospital bed and stroked the fragile bandaged face. "I'm so sorry. Look, I know our relationship has been rocky," she paused, wiping at her eyes. "But what can I say? Here's what I can say. You're my little sister—so I didn't expect you to get married first."

Freddie disappeared from the doorway, giving Sam and her sister a little privacy. Instead, he found his way back out to the kids.

Sam continued her speech to her sister. "But you did…and I had to deal with that. And then Jennifer and Stephen came along and you guys were like…a picture perfect family. Mom and Dad wanted to spend all their time with you guys and I just…I felt like an outsider. And I admit, I was jealous." She paused again, holding one of the hands of the person's fragile body. "Look, even though we've had our differences, I know you know me. I don't cry—ever. But look at me now." She laughed, softly, and then began shaking her head. "I'm still jealous. But if you could just…pull through, I promise I'll put all that behind me. In fact, I was thinking, you'd make a pretty good maid of honor." She continued to look at the bandaged body and heard a familiar voice behind her.

"All you had to do was ask."

She turned around to see her sister lying in the bed across the room along with her husband and her parents. She was wearing a neck brace—that was all. She turned back to the mysterious person who was all wrapped up and patted their shoulder. "Feel better," she told them before walking over to stand by her sister's bed instead.

"Mom said you were hit by a truck!" Sam exclaimed, looking at her mother, who shrugged.

"Mom!" Melanie said, rolling her eyes.

"Those weren't the exact words I used!" Pam defended.

"No, I was getting some of the kids' stuff out of the attic to give to Goodwill and I accidently stepped on Stephen's _toy_ truck and fell down the stairs."

"Oh, alright. Are you okay?" Sam asked and Melanie nodded. "So, I, uh, I guess you heard all of that over there, huh?" Sam punched her shoulder lightly, trying to make this moment a little more Samish.

"Yeah," Melanie whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too." Sam said, and she and Melanie hugged.

…

"I hope you guys aren't the type of kids who are used to letting the adults let you win all the time." Freddie said, smiling as the two kids stood opposite of him, crouching. "Because today the game is on. It's on like a night light." He made a flicking noise with his mouth.

The kids laughed but got back in their stances.

"Let's go." He said and the kids attacked him.

Stephen ran up to him first, but Freddie quickly picked him, twirled him around, and threw him on the cushioned sofa nearby.

The kids began laughing as he took the play puck and kicked it in a way that it slid right under the bottom of the sofa, which technically, was their goal.

"Woohoo!" He cheered, picking Jennifer up. "Score! Score!"

Every attendant in the room gave the three odd looks. I mean, it wasn't exactly normal for a grown man to play hockey with two little kids in a hospital waiting room. Freddie ignored the strange looks and continued playing with the kids. He picked them up simultaneously and tossed them in the air, catching them both perfectly.

"Woop! Woop!"

He sat them down and grabbed his jacket, swinging it around in the air. Stephen and Jennifer tackled him to the ground, each taking their turns to jump on his back. Boy was he lucky they both were petite.

The elevator dinged and Sam walked out with Pam and Rob as they witnessed both Jen and Stephen giggling on top of Freddie.

Sam laughed and looked back to her parents who smiled back at her, giving her a thumbs up, to which she took as a sign that they thought he'd be very good with kids.

Freddie hadn't noticed them standing there at all. "He's angry, wooh, he's angry." He got on all fours like a horse and beginning crawling across the floor as the kids chased him and knocked him over again.

"_Okay,_" Pam said, snapping Freddie's head up. "Visiting hours are over. Your dad and Rob and I are gonna stay here at the hospital with Mel."

Jen and Stephen stopped playing and pouted. "So that means we have to stay at the hospital with you, grandma?"

"No," Freddie said. "You guys can come stay with Sam and me."

The kids got off the top of him and began clapping. "Yeah!"

"Wooh, that's what I thought." Freddie said, taking the two kids in his arms. "Good job, kids. Great game."

…

**AN-Alright, this was a kinda playful chapter with Freddie, but a serious chapter for Sam and her sister. Anyway, I may post an extra chapter for this story today since this chapter was kinda short and weird. And yes, everything that happened in this chapter happened exactly like this in the movie! So, Freddie's connection with the kids had to be put in here. It's important to the story! And so is Sam's vulnerability towards her sister. The next thing that happens will be much more interesting. If you've seen the movie, you'll know what that specific thing is. So, stay tuned! **

**PS. Yesss, Freddie **_**did**_** go all the way with that woman that he had just met! Stupid Freddie! But don't worry; things happen for the better.**

**Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Sam bent over and placed a kiss on a sleeping Stephen's head. She flipped the light off and ruffled the kid's chestnut hair. She then walked over to the other side of the floor where Jennifer was sleeping and bent down to press a kiss on her forehead too. Freddie watched in admiration as to seeing how well Sam handled kids. Before this whole marriage thing, when they just saw each other as best friends, he remembered how she would tell him she didn't want any children when she got older and would always complain about how much of a responsibility they wore; not to mention how much pain women went through just to have a child. She'd also say how nine months on a healthy diet wasn't her forte. He smiled lightly, the memories resting somewhere deep in his heart.

She walked past Freddie and into the bathroom. Freddie walked in slowly, leaning on the doorframe. "So, uh, I've been sleeping on the floor these past few weeks and I think I'm starting to get regular back pains now…do you have anything comfortable I can at least have to sleep on?"

Sam considered this while brushing her teeth. Once she spit and rinsed about three times, she answered him. "Hey, nub, how's your stamina?"

She made it sound so casual that Freddie didn't even consider why she even asked. He shrugged, watching her take a brush through her hair now. "Never had any complaints."

"And, uh, how's your lung capacity?" She asked, continuing to brush her hair in the mirror.

Once again, he shrugged, and she awaited his answer. "Fantastic." He told her.

She nodded, walking out of the bathroom, down the stairs and into the storage closet. Once she found what she needed, she threw it at him, and responded, "Great, then you'll have no problem blowing up a bed." He frowned as he caught the bluish thing she had tossed him which looked like an air bed. She smiled her cheekiest smile and returned to the bathroom. "Goodnight!"

He couldn't help but let a smile grow upon his lips.

…

"Hey, Boss," Sam said, walking into LA studios. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's no problem," her boss claimed. "Now where's that new fiancé of yours."

Sam bit her lip. "Who? Freddie? Oh, um, how'd you know?"

"Word around here travels fast," he said, grinning at her. She crossed her arms over her chest and threw him a menacing look. "Okay, fine, Jerry told me."

Sam grimaced. "I knew I shouldn't have told him."

"Boss!" Freddie walked into the room. "How ya doin?"

"There you are, Benson!" He yelled. "Where were you a few days ago when Jerry called?"

He shrugged. "Uh, buying my…self some cologne."

His boss smelt him. "You smell wonderful."

Freddie puckered his brow but nodded in response. "I heard you and Samantha were getting married in less than a week. Why so soon?" He didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he gasped. "You got her pregnant?"

Freddie's cheeks reddened. _Why must people assume that?_ He looked over to Sam who was listening to the guys' conversation with much concentration.

"Freddie!" Jennifer and Stephen rushed into the room and Sam deterred her gaze to the two of them. "The set is so awesome!"

His boss grinned. "Aw, are these you and Sam's little ones? How come I never heard about them?" He gulped. "Did Sam just have them? Well how in the heck did they grow to be so big already?"

Freddie sighed. It was no trying with this guy. "These are actually Sam's twin sister's little kids. Not mine, nor Sam's." He didn't give his boss a chance to answer. "Don't I have a movie to direct? I believe I do. And Sam, don't you have to go get ready for the first scene? I believe you do. Everybody get back to work!"

…

"C'mon, I totally know my Charzard can beat your Squirtle!" Freddie said, pressing buttons on the remote. Both Stephen and Freddie's eyes were glued to the videogame they were playing on the bedroom TV. Both guys were already dressed for bed and just thought playing a little game would be fun.

Jennifer was in the back with Sam about to get her hair brushed. Sam frowned as she walked out of the bathroom and saw the boys playing.

"Hey, no more videogames; it's time for bed." Sam said, from the doorway.

"C'mon, just one more game, Aunt Sam…" Stephen begged.

"Yeah, I'm really behind here," Freddie added.

"I said yes one game ago," Sam rolled her eyes. "Now get in that bed…well on that floor little man." Sam told him.

Freddie sighed, turning the TV off and grabbing Stephen's remote. "Alright, let's do it. Get in there."

Freddie watched Stephen crawl into the covers on the floor and stood, but didn't walk away.

"Aren't you gonna tuck me in?" Stephen asked, his voice soft and wishful.

"Well, yeah," Freddie said, getting on his knees and tucking the boy in. "Be warned. This has been my first official tucking."

Stephen laughed and so did Freddie. "Uncle Freddie?"

Freddie stopped in his tracks and spun back around. _Did he just call me Uncle Freddie?_

"Yeah?" He answered the boy.

"Are we going home soon?"

Freddie didn't know how to answer. He decided to go on a playful route, thinking the boy would just laugh. "Oh, you didn't hear? Your mom called earlier and said that you guys get to stay with us _forever_."

"No!" The little boy cried out. "I wanna go home!"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Freddie said, frantically standing up.

Sam came running out of the bathroom. "Woah, what'd you do to get his underwear in a twist?"

"Uh," Freddie stuttered. "I—I think I broke him."

Sam knelt down to the side of Stephen. "Stephen? Tell Aunt Sam what's wrong."

Freddie watched from the sidelines.

"Uncle Freddie said mommy left us here forever."

Sam turned to Freddie throwing him a 'really!?' look.

"It was a joke." Freddie whispered to her.

"Uncle Freddie was just trying to be funny." Sam assured her nephew.

"But he's not funny," Stephen said, frowning.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam muttered and Freddie heard her, rolling his eyes. "Hey, do you have any, uh, favorite nighttime stories?" She asked, while grooming his hair with her fingertips.

"Mm, Peter Pan." Stephen said.

"Oh really?" Sam asked. "I don't think I know that one. Can you…can you tell it to me?"

"Okay, well, it's about this kid named Peter Pan."

"Oh, I like it already." Sam smiled. She would never really admit it, but she loved children and she _did_ wish she could have some of her own.

"And also there's this girl Wendy…" The little boy went on. "And this fairy, Tinkerbell. And this pirate that has a hook rather than a hand."

"Oh really? What else?"

The admiration appeared in Freddie's eyes again and he grinned wildly.

"Well, Peter Pan takes Wendy up to Neverland and they go on an adventure…"

Freddie watched at how well Sam had handled this. She would really make a great mother.

…

Freddie blew his last breath into the small blow up bed as he and Sam got ready for bed.

"I'm sorry you had to sleep on that air mattress this whole time," Sam said, hopping into the bed for _two_. She pulled back the covers and pulled off her rob, dropping it on the floor.

"It's alright," He said, laying it on the floor. "It's kind of fun."

"Wow," Sam teased. "You haven't complained once. It's almost like you're a real adult."

"That's the worst thing anyone has ever told me."

He lay down on the blue air mattress type thing and for a while, they both were silent, even though they weren't asleep yet.

"Goodnight dork." Sam said, turning off the lamp.

"Goodnight, Sam."

Just as Freddie pulled the covers over himself, a small sound erupted from the air mattress—a leak.

"I think you sprung a leak," she told him.

"Eh, it's a slow leak. It'll be fine."

She stayed silent for a while before making a decision. "I guess you can…sleep up here."

She waited for his answer. "Wouldn't that be weird?" He asked and she thought about it for a while.

"Just stay on top of the covers." She shrugged, even though her mind was practically screaming 'danger'.

She snuggled back into her pillow, lying on her side, facing away from Freddie.

Freddie got up, bringing his blanket with him and turning on his side facing away from Sam.

"Night." He said.

She sighed and said it back. She began turning around in bed, squirming. She couldn't find a position she wanted to stay on. Freddie did the same. Ironically, the comfortable sleeping position for both of them was lying flat on their backs, facing the ceiling. She laid her hand down and it grazed his.

He slowly entangled their fingers and before they knew it, he was on top of her, kissing her wildly. Her hands wrapped around his neck and his hands found their way to her back. This wasn't a soft kiss like in the backyard, no. This kiss—it was rough and wild and crazy.

And neither of them stopped it. At least not _yet_.

**AN-I guess you can call this a cliffhanger since it continues in the next chapter as to their reactions and stuff. It's gonna pick up right where it left off so yeah…cliffhangerish.**

**Anyway, review! I'm thinking the next chapter will **_**most likely**_** be the last.**


	11. Chapter 11

_(Previous Chapter)_

_He slowly entangled their fingers and before they knew it, he was on top of her, kissing her wildly. Her hands wrapped around his neck and his hands found their way to her back. This wasn't a soft kiss like in the backyard, no. This kiss—it was rough and wild and crazy._

_And neither of them stopped it. At least not yet._

"Wait, wait," Sam stopped him, unlocking her lips from his. "What are we doing?"

"I dunno," he answered, but remained on top of her. "I've never done this before."

She laughed and reconnected their lips. The intensity remained the same—still wild, still rough, and still crazy.

Suddenly, there was a voice coming from the on the floor. "Aunt Sam?"

This startled both Sam and Freddie, causing them to jump off of each other in attempt to act natural.

"Yeah?"

Jennifer rose from the ground and walked over to Freddie's side of the bed. "I don't feel so good."

Freddie sat up so his feet touched the ground and Sam crawled next to him, but her whole body lingered on the bed.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Sam asked her niece.

She held her lower abdomen. "I think I have a tummy ach—" She couldn't finish her sentence before vomit erupted out of her mouth as she hunched over. Freddie winced as he felt the cold lumpy substance hit his bare feet. Sam stifled a laugh and he rolled his eyes at her.

"You feel better now?" He asked and she nodded. "C'mon, I'll help you get cleaned up."

Jennifer shook her head. "I want Aunt Sam to do it."

"You do?" Sam asked. Her niece and nephew had never been this attached to her. "Aw, come here, let Aunt Sam do it."

She took the little girl by the hand and lead her to the bathroom, leaving Freddie there smiling. He didn't think a simple charade like pretending to be engaged to his best friends would allow his emotions to change so quickly. He then looked down at his feet and whispered to himself, "I knew I should have worn some slippers."

…

Sam decided to let her poor little niece sleep in the bed with her. She wrapped her arms around the little girl and Jennifer snuggled into her chest, snoring lightly.

Stephen woke up in the middle of the night, squirming. He stood, quietly and looked over to see if his little sister was still under the covers. When she wasn't, he began to panic, but soon saw his little sister snuggled up with his aunt.

He looked around for Freddie but he was nowhere in sight. He quietly opened the bedroom door and walked down the steps and into the living room where he then saw Freddie asleep on the couch. He looked at the empty couch on the opposite side of Freddie and lay there.

"Hey, little guy," Freddie said, raising his head from the pillow. "What're you doing down here?"

"I saw Jennifer sleeping with Aunt Sam."

"Oh yeah, she's not feeling too good." Freddie paused, thinking back to the earlier events. "It's been an, uh, interesting night little man." He let his head fall back onto the pillow.

"What happened?" Stephen questioned and Freddie lifted his head again. Children were most definitely the definition of curious.

Freddie smiled as he remembered Sam's lips on his. "One day, I'll tell you all about it, alright? Maybe when you're in college."

"I'm not going to college…" Stephen said, grimly. "Neither is Jennifer."

Freddie frowned as he stared back at the little boy. "Why not?"

"I heard grandpa say they're gonna use our college fund to pay for the wedding."

At that moment, Freddie knew he couldn't let Sam's parents pay for the wedding. These two kids had every right to go to college, get a great education, and become something great. He couldn't ruin it now. He thought back to the money his parents had given him. He wasn't going to use it since he felt like it was only a pity gift from his parents to say 'can money buy you back our love'. It could pay for the entire wedding and even more. He wasn't one on taking things, but then again, if his parents insisted…he had no idea what he would do. He would use his money, but all of it was back home stored up in a bank.

He finally found words to say back to the kid. "He said that?"

Stephen nodded, sadly, turning around so he wasn't facing Freddie. "Goodnight, Uncle Freddie."

Freddie let his eyes travel to the floor. He knew what he'd have to do.

…

"Say goodbye to your Aunt Sammy," Melanie said to her two kids. She had gotten out of the hospital and the kids wanted to spend time with their mom again. "Don't forget to say thank you."

The kids ran up to Sam and nearly trampled her to the ground. She picked them up in each of her arms and they held on to her tightly.

"Aunt Sam? Where's Uncle Freddie?" Stephen asked, keeping his gaze on Sam.

"Yeah, I want to see him." Jennifer added.

"Hey!" Freddie's voice came from behind and he ran toward the kids who hopped out of Sam's hands and into his. "Here I am. You were gonna leave without saying goodbye?"

Stephen laughed and hugged him tighter. Freddie averted his gaze to Sam and pulled the check from his pocket. "It's from my parents."

Her eyes bugged at the number of 0's on that thing. She looked up to him and saw his expression. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, giving her a small smile. "I will be."

Freddie put Stephen down and stooped to his height. He ruffled his hair and said, "Sorry, kid. Looks like you'll be going to college after all."

"C'mon, let's go," Mel said, putting the two into the backseat.

"I'm gonna miss them," Jennifer said, before her father buckled her in.

"Don't worry," he said. "They're not going anywhere."

Sam and Freddie looked at each other and grimaced. The kids didn't know that after the fake wedding Sam and Freddie would be going back to their home in a different state.

…

"You know, the kids have only been gone a few hours and I miss them already," Freddie told Sam that night.

"I know." She said, about to climb in bed.

He was blowing up the air mattress again. He chuckled. "This thing still has a leak in it."

"Listen, about what happened last night—" Sam started, looking at him seriously.

"Or _didn't _happen last night," Freddie suggested and Sam looked down.

"Yeah, it's probably for the best." She agreed.

He nodded, both of them trying to hide their disappointment.

"Yeah, it's just…things could get complicated."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I'm just a simple guy…"

She didn't reply. She only stared at him.

He nudged her arm. "No comeback?"

She looked at him warily before turning around and officially climbing into bed. "Goodnight, Nub."

_He can't even acknowledge the fact that we're still best friends_, she thought, carefully. _Maybe this whole fake wedding was a big mistake…but the wedding's in two days!_

He stared at her before speaking.

"Well, I don't think I'm gonna risk the air mattress again tonight. I'll probably just—"

He stopped, realizing she was ignoring him. She shut off the lamp and faced anywhere that wasn't in his direction.

He nodded slowly. "Night. See you at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow."

…

**AN-So I think it's clear that Sam's really starting to see her feelings for Freddie and she thinks he doesn't feel the same way since he just blew off what happened with them. And oh yeah! I thought this was gonna be the last chapter but there's still 16 minutes left in the movie! I'm almost certain the next chapter will definitely be the last…and possibly the longest.**

**I have a few things to do today. I just got a new car so I can imagine my parents will be asking me to chauffeur them or my little siblings around! So, the next chapter for **_**After Four Years **_**will be up later! Review! **


	12. Chapter 12

Sam looked around the room as everyone smiled and laughed. The many 'congrats' or 'I can't wait for a little munchkin to be running around here' taunted her. To know that everyone thought what she and Freddie had was real killed her. She almost believed it herself—that is until last night, when Freddie pushed the matter away like it was just another rock on the road. What else could she do besides agree? Tell him she loved him—foreal? She sighed, feigning happiness as everyone gathered around the table.

She looked over to her fake fiancé who looked like he was having the time of his life. He caught her staring at him and gave her a look as to say 'what's wrong'. She merely shook her head and turned away, going back to drinking her wine. Everyone was having a fantastic time—except for her.

She looked around to see everyone was there and seated. Carly, Melanie, her parents, even Freddie's parents were there. The rest of the people were either distant relatives or people who were _invited by_ her distant relatives.

Once again, her gaze found Freddie's and he began to wonder why she was acting so stand-offish to him. Ever since last night, when the two of them had agreed to forget the kiss, she'd been cold and aloof. Did he say something wrong? Did she not want to forget the kiss? That couldn't have been possible. There was no way his best friend, Samantha Puckett, was in love. He knew well on that she was a hard person to get through—he couldn't have broken the barrier in just a month could he have?

He fell back into reality when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see the lady from the in-laws class that he had slept with.

He frowned. Now was not a good time—especially when he kept having mixed emotions for his fiancé—fake…fiancé. He had to keep that in mind. This was all just an act to her. He wished he could tell her how she felt but they were best friends. That'd ruin the whole dynamic, wouldn't it? Sometimes he would wonder what having her as a real wife would feel like. He'd be able to snuggle with her and kiss her whenever he wanted. He'd be able to tell her I love you and actually know that she just might mean it back. Again, his attention was surfaced back up to the woman in front of him.

"Laurie? What are you doing here?"

She smiled and handed him a piece of paper. He took it and read it, 'Rehearsal dinner 7:00 July 26'. "You left it at my apartment."

"You have to leave." He told her immediately and she frowned. "Just go…"

"But—the other night…"

"Meant absolutely nothing. I was caught up in a wave of emotions and I guess I...I guess you're a good persuader."

"Can I persuade you to come back to my apartment after this dinner is over?"

He shook his head. "I told you. It was all a mistake."

"Mistake?"

"It was irresponsible on my part, okay?" Freddie sighed. "Just please go."

She looked up at him, a devious glint in her eye. "This won't be the last time we encounter each other, Freddie."

He watched her walk away and groaned, pulling his head back in frustration. He didn't even want to _know_ what that meant.

He turned around and went back to his seat beside Sam, who paid him no attention, and continued to eat.

_Chime, chime._ Melanie tapped her spoon against her wine glass and smiled, standing up. Everyone quieted and looked up to Sam's twin.

"Um, my parents and I couldn't be happier that we have all of you here to celebrate Sam and Freddie's wedding tomorrow." Melanie started, smiling as she looked around at the many guests. "Well, it's probably safe to say that a lot of us never thought Sam would get married." Everyone laughed and Sam frowned. "_But_ she has found this wonderful man," she gestured towards Freddie who looked up at her, thanking her with his eyes. "He's so…funny, giving and warm," everyone looked around and exchanged happy beams with the bride and groom. "And he obviously adores her." Sam looked up at this. "I mean…I've seen the way that Freddie looks at Sam when she's not looking." Sam looked down again. Some of this was way too much. "A-and I can see what he must see. I look forward to tomorrow seeing my beautiful sister as happy as I was on my wedding day. But more importantly, I look forward to being a part of the life that Sam and Freddie make together. To Sam and Freddie," Melanie concluded, raising her glass. "May you live happily ever—Sammy."

Melanie frowned as Sam got up and ran out of the dinner hall, through the door, tears stinging at her eyes as did many of the guests. Melanie was torn on whether to follow her or leave her in peace. Freddie quickly made that decision for her—running out of the hall and out the door.

Sam paced around outside, inhaling and exhaling, her deep blue eyes glistening in the moonlight. She couldn't do this. She wouldn't do this.

Freddie wondered outside and saw her standing in the parking lot, facing the opposite direction of him. He placed his suit jacket around her shoulders and she jumped, wiping at her eyes. "Hey." He said, softly.

"I can't go through with it." She said, not turning around. "I—I can't…deceive all my family and friends…or yours either. I'm sorry…I—I just can't." She exhaled after telling him that.

"We have to," he said, not wanting her to back out.

She shook her head. "I-I'm calling it off." She began to nod after that, trying to convince herself that this is really what she wanted.

"No, you're not." He told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She brushed it off, turning to face him now.

"How can you go through with this?" She asked, almost yelling.

"You can't do this to me, Sam," Freddie told her, shaking his head. "I could've taken that money my father gave me and—"

"And what? Threw it away? Wasted it? Never used it?"

"No…"

"Why didn't you?" She asked, looking up into his eyes.

"I dunno…because…because I just didn't."

There was a moment of silence.

"Look, I can't—I can't stand up there tomorrow and…_marry_ a man who doesn't love me." She said, almost desperately.

He scoffed, looking out into the night sky. "Now you tell me…it's great timing, really."

"Sorry, we'll just have to go back to being friends."

"If I had anything else to do, I would've done it." He said, shaking his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry it's been so terrible!" She snapped, crossing her arms.

"Why don't you go back in there, Sam?" He asked. "And tell your parents you lied to them about almost everything about this relationship. Tell them this "love" wasn't real—everything was fake."

She pursed her lips, her gaze falling to the ground.

"Can you do that?" He asked, continuing to stare at her. She didn't answer. "The wedding is _on_. Unless you want both of us to look like complete fools."

She unfolded her arms and grabbed his hands, wrapping them around her, and walking back into the dinner hall, but not before muttering, "After the wedding I never want to see you again. Thank _God_ I didn't sleep with you."

"Ah, you would've loved it," he smirked.

"Yeah, just as much as you would have." She smirked back.

"Mmhmm." He agreed and they walked back to their seats.

…

Freddie waited anxiously in his room, trying to desperately figure out how to work that stupid tie. "How do you tie these things?" He asked Mel's husband, who was sitting on the couch in the church dressing room reading a magazine.

"Why didn't you just get the clip on?" Mark asked, looking up.

"I dunno. Maybe cause I'm getting married, man!" He snapped, rolling his eyes.

There was soon a knock on the door and Carly burst in the room, covering her eyes. "Are you decent?"

"Yeah!" Freddie answered, turning away from the mirror and to the door.

"Wow," Carly smiled. "You look…dashing."

"She okay?" Freddie asked, ignoring the compliment. "She's still going to go through with it, right?"

"Yeah, of course she is." Carly smiled. "I mean, sure, she's a little uptight but that's just the nervous jitters. But she did ask me to give you this—" She paused, handing Freddie a closed envelope. "And she said you should have something for her and if you don't , I'm supposed to wait here until you do. I think it's code." Carly winked and Mark laughed.

"Okay," Freddie placed the letter on the couch next to Mark and took out a pen and scribbled something down on a piece of paper.

"It's really sweet," Carly said, grinning. "You know, exchanging love letters right before the ceremony."

Freddie said nothing in reply, but handed her the now folded sheet of paper.

Carly squealed, hugging him, and meeting his chest with a hard thump. "Ooh. Sam was right; you _do_ have abs that she couldn't even imagine."

Freddie grinned, glad to know Sam thought these things about her.

"Oh yeah," Carly exclaimed, before closing the door. You might wanna tie that tie."

Carly closed the door and Mark stood next to him, watching him struggle. "Just think of it as a shoelace…but for your neck."

…

Freddie fiddled with his fingers as the wedding music began to play. He thought of the vows Sam had made Carly deliver to him—and how could he forgot how Carly thought they were love letters. He then thought about the vows he had given to Sam. He hadn't read what Sam placed on the letter yet and he hoped she hadn't read his yet either. He wanted to do this correctly. He exhaled and watched as the wedding party walked down the aisle one by one.

He smiled at each of his groomsmen and laughed as Jen and Stephen walked down the aisle too.

Sam waited anxiously outside of the church doors with her dad standing beside her. She looked in the mirror at herself. Her blonde curls cascaded down her back, neatly, with a veil covering her face. She looked at the flowers she held in her hand, they were all shades of purple bundled up together. She bit her lip. She was really doing this. When had this charade turned into something more? She hadn't read her vows yet. They probably had a bunch of cheesy things on them anyway.

She breathed in and out and her dad walked over to her, placing a hand behind her back. "Okay, okay," she whispered to herself.

That's when she heard the 'here comes the bride' song start to play from inside the doors. She heard everyone shuffle to their feet and the nerves came rushing back again.

A smile grew on Freddie's face as he anxiously waited for Sam to enter.

"Wait, close the doors," Sam whispered to the guys in charge of handling the doors. They obeyed and when Freddie saw the door close, he had thought Sam backed out.

"Honey?" Rob said, looking at the woman standing next to him. "It's time."

"I don't think I can do this," she whispered.

"Sam, of course you can," He stated.

"No," she said, barely audible. "Freddie and I—"

Rob stopped her, placing both his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, your mother and I always doubted you'd even get married—"

Sam closed her eyes, not really wanting to hear this speech about how they thought she was going to be lonely forever.

"Yeah, I know Dad. Thanks."

"_Because_," he told her, lifting her chin. "We'd never thought you'd meet anybody worthy of all you have to offer."

Sam smiled. _This was new._

"I couldn't be prouder of the woman you've become," he told her. "And I'm really sorry I haven't always told you that."

She embraced her father with a hug for a while.

"Dad…I just—I need to tell you—"

"Sweetheart," he interrupted her again. "I know you're scared and as hard as it's going to be for me to give you away, I know you're gonna be in good hands. Freddie loves you."

She shook her head and looked down.

"K?" He didn't give her time to answer before locking his left arm with her right and telling the men to open the door. She nodded and tried to keep on a straight face as she felt every eye on her.

This was something she was new to. She had never walked down an aisle before—not being the bride. She had no idea what she was doing, but it was too late to back down now.

Her dad gave her one last smile before placing her hand in Freddie's, granting her permission to become Mrs. Benson.

"Wow," Mark whispered to Freddie.

Freddie bit his lip, nodding. "I know."

Sam gave her flowers to her maid of honor who reached over and gave her a smile.

Reverend Jim stood in between the two of them. "Dearly beloved," he started. "We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in the sacred bonds of holy matrimony. I have had the chance to spend time with Sam and Freddie and they are unusually strong feelings for each other are…quite apparent." Sam looked at Freddie for the first time that whole entire day and noted how remarkable he looked. "I've done this job long enough to know when a couple is getting married for the wrong reason," Freddie gulped and looked at Sam. Did that mean them? "Some, they're in love with the idealized version of the person they are marrying. And others feel that they are too old to be single anymore." Did _that_ mean them? They were 26! That couldn't apply to them. "And some, well some just want all the gifts." Laughs echoed through the church. "But what they don't realize is that marriage is a journey. A wonderful, exciting, and at some times excruciating journey. Am I right?"

Everyone said their 'yeah's' and he continued. "But Samantha and Fredward…they see each other for who they really are. They are no wrong colored glasses on these two…not at all. They are standing here today committing to each other knowing full well what they're getting into. The couple has elected to recite their vows. Freddie, we'll start with you."

Freddie gulped, taking out the letter Sam gave him to read. He looked up to Sam for confirmation and she nodded. "Sam, I didn't know how loving a person could be until I met you.—" He started to laugh, right then and there, and Sam gave him a confused look. "I…I cant."

Everyone looked around at each other, curious as to what Freddie was doing. "I gotta speak from the heart here."

Sam shook her head, furiously, but Freddie still went on. "Sam, you are the most frustrating person I have ever met." Everyone gave loud gasps and Sam's eyes widened. "You are opinionated, and stubborn, and at times, really _really_ bossy." Nobody knew what to say. There was complete silence. "And that is why I've fallen in love with you." Everyone's expressions softened and so did Sam's. He loved her. He had said it. From the heart.

"I didn't plan on it; believe me," he continued. "It just happened. And along the way, I noticed your generosity, your kindness, your great sense of humor, and just your basic sense of decency. You are beautiful in every way imaginable. I've known you longer than anyone realizes, and I, off all people, know that you're the greatest woman on Earth to me. And I would be honored to call you my wife."

Sam had never gotten so emotional. At first she was angry, but now she just wanted to know if he meant it. The genuine look in his eyes gave her an answer.

"Samantha, it's your turn," Reverend Jim said, smiling at Sam. She wiped at her eyes and took the letter Melanie handed her. She opened it to reveal what Freddie had written.

In big letters, Freddie had written, 'Will you marry me? (Foreal)'.

She looked down at Freddie who was now on one knee and pulling out a real wedding ring—one he had purchased. She stared at it for a moment, taking in its beauty.

"We're not quite to the rings yet," Reverend Jim interrupted, but Sam nor Freddie listened.

"Whatdya say?" He asked her. "Will you marry me?"

"You know," Sam said, not giving him an answer yet. She wanted to say her vows too—right from the heart. "I try my hardest to read people…and when I met you thirteen years ago, I thought you were a total nub." She paused, looking at him. He still remained on one knee. "But every day that I've spent with you here, I've found little things that I never really realized I love about you. Like the way you make my niece and nephew laugh…and ever since then, I just…find myself loving you more and more each day. I love you, Fredward."

He stood up, looking at her, confused. "Is that a yes?"

She laughed and so did everyone else. "Yeah…it is."

He stumbled to get the ring out of the box as she held her left hand out and he slid the ring onto her finger; it fit perfectly.

He picked her up and brought her lips to is for a long, deep kiss.

"Guys, the kiss comes later—"

They still kissed.

"Freddie, do you take Sam to be your lawful wedded wife?"

He continued to kiss her, but put his thumb, signaling his answer was yes.

"Sam, do you take Freddie to be your lawful wedded husband?" Sam nodded while still kissing him.

"Uh, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may do…well, that."

Everyone cheered and Sam and Freddie broke away from each other, grinning heavily.

Freddie took Sam's hand and they ran down the aisle together, happily. They stood in the doorway, kissing once more, before running out, everyone following after them, cheering.

Well, that was it. They had done it. They had become husband and wife, forever and always.

**AN-Woah that was a **_**lot**_** of typing. But it was worth it! I decided to post this last chapter tonight because tomorrow will be a really busy day for me. Like I said, I got my new car today, and I love it, and my friend called me up and wants to hang out for a few hours ;) That's the perks of having a car—everyone wants to hang out with you. LOL. Keep watching out for **_**After Four Years **_**and something new to come next week! **

**That's the end of **_**My Fake Fiancé. **_**Thanks for reading! Now review! :)**


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