Meant to Be

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Chris turns back to the kids and walks further into the room. As soon as Sam sees him turn his back, she quickly steps forward, trying to get to Anna and Matthew.

"Don't" Chris warns and grabs her wrist, "Don't move" Sam can feel her heart ringing in her ears. Chris smiles when he can hear her breathing heavy, he knows he has her on edge.

"Chris please…" Sam whispers. She curses herself for sounding so weak, but he has her kids at gunpoint and that puts her entirely in his hands and he knows it. He drags his hand slowly down her cheek and walks over to Anna. He just grins and places the gun on her. "Don't you point that at her!" Sam shouts. She hears Anna's muffled cries and her heart breaks. Stay strong, she tells herself. Sam wants so badly to run over and hold her kids… just make them feel safe.

"You're sexy when you get like this, you know that?" He taunts.

"You're sick" Sam spits at him.

"Now is that anyway to talk to your husband?" He asks, moving the gun to Anna's head, "Well?"

"N—No" Sam answers quietly, her eyes never leaving Anna.

"So tell me, why did you leave? You knew the consequences" He says. Sam stays silent, knowing he really isn't looking for an answer. "I love you, I gave you everything! And you leave for him! I gave you Matthew and Anna and this is how you thank me?"

Sam can see Chris getting more infuriated every second. I have to calm him down before he hurts them. "I'm sorry" Sam says.

"Oh no just saying sorry won't work for this" He snaps and loads the gun, "You have to learn your lesson"

"No!" Sam yells, losing all sense of control, her emotions are going all over the place and she can't stop the tears when she hears Anna cry out. She can see Chris's twisted smile when she loses it; he always enjoys breaking her. "Please! How can you do this? They are our children, please! Did you never care about them at all? Chris, don't… don't please" Sam begs him.

Chris is quiet for a moment, "These kids were to keep you in line and with me. Now they are the ones keeping you with Freddie" He says with disgust, "They chose him, but you… You don't get a choice, you're mine. I thought you understood that. Well now you will have to learn and I will promise you that you will never leave me again" He looks back at Anna and Sam sees his hand start to squeeze the trigger. Sam doesn't think as she screams and tackles Chris, she shoves his arm up in time that the bullet hits the wall, instead of Anna. Chris gets the upper hand as soon as they hit the floor, flipping himself and pinning Sam to the ground with his hand around her neck. Sam tries not to squirm and takes shallow breaths, but Chris is crushing her windpipe so she is struggling.

Chris seethes at her, "Do you really think you can win in this? I have wanted you for so long… You just don't get it, we belong together. You and I are meant for each other, how can you not see it?" Sam struggles under his grip, trying to not to pass out from the lack of oxygen. Sam hears Matthew and Anna's screams for her. She tries to push him off, but it's useless. Chris stares at her for a moment and releases his grip. Sam instantly takes a deep breath and starts to focus again. Chris looks around the room, getting off her. Sam stays on the ground, still trying to regain her breath. She glances over at her kids, trying to comfort them in anyway… just showing them she is okay. She hears Chris grab something harshly off the table and turns to him.

"This isn't what you want" He yells, looking at the picture of Sam and Freddie. He yells and throws it at Sam, just missing but breaking the glass into hundreds of shards. "How could you do this to me?" He throws another picture and another, both breaking into pieces. Sam covers her face, trying to avoid the glass pieces hitting her. Chris just keeps walking around the room, yelling and flinging pictures off the walls and throwing everything in Sam's direction. He flips over the living room table in a rage, everything shattering as it hits the floor. Soon every picture and thing in the room is smashed on the ground and Chris is standing there enraged. "I'm through with this" He says and heads back to Anna and Matthew. Sam knows she has to stop him now or he really will shoot them.

"Chris!" Sam shouts, she tries to get up from the ground but slips on the shards of glass and slices her hand. "No! I'll go! Okay? Anywhere, I don't care, please. We can go now, I'll go, I will. Please, please… I- I'll go" Sam pleads. Chris stops and turns to her. He crouches down and strokes her cheek; he grabs her chin and pulls her to look at him. Sam tries to blink away the tears when Chris leans in and kisses her. Sam knows she doesn't have a choice and kisses him back. She doesn't know how long they have been kissing before she feels Chris being pulled off her. Chris flies back into the wall, the gun dropping from his hand and Sam looks up. "Freddie!" She cries. He doesn't have time to reply because Chris runs back and shoves him hard.

"I'm going to end this once and for all" Chris shouts at him. Freddie reaches Chris and punches him square in the face. Soon punches are flying and Chris and Freddie are focused on the fight. Sam tares her eyes away from Freddie and runs over to Anna and Matthew.

"Shhhhh, Shhh, Shhh. It's okay" She says pulling the tape off Anna's mouth then Matthew's.

"Mommy" Anna cries.

"Hey, baby. It's okay, it's okay. I'm here" Sam whispers, trying to console them. She looks at Matthew, knowing he is just as scared. Sam tries to untie them, but the binds are really tight. Sam hears a crash and sees Freddie on the floor and Chris limping over to him. She sees blood across Chris's face; Freddie struggles to stand back up and Chris takes the opportunity to kick Freddie hard in the ribs. Anna screams and Matthew shouts Freddie's name. Chris looks in their direction, grabbing the gun from the floor and walking back to them. Sam immediately stands up and puts herself in front of Matthew and Anna. Sam goes to hit the gun out of his hand, but Chris catches her arm and slaps her hard across the face, throwing her to the ground. He raises the gun as Sam screams; she hears Anna and Matthew cry. Freddie jumps up and launches himself at Chris. Chris loses his balance and slips on the broken pieces of glass, sending him through the living room window onto the front lawn. Chris doesn't move and a moment later sirens are coming down the road. Soon several police cars are around the house. Sam runs to Freddie and hugs him tight, crying. Freddie holds her tight for a few moments, before Sam pulls away and goes back to untying Anna. Freddie goes to Matthew and kneels down to untie him.

"You alright?" Freddie asks him.

"Ye-Yeah" Matthew answers, his voice raspy from crying and shouting. Anna jumps from her chair and hugs Sam and just starts crying on her shoulder. As soon as Matthew is untied, he goes over to his mom too; Sam wraps her arms around both of them.

"Freddie" Sam whispers. Freddie walks over and joins their hug. They stay there for a moment before looking up at Allison, who just entered the room.

"Sam. Freddie" She says acknowledging both of them.

"Allison" Sam says, standing up and grabbing Freddie's hand with Matthew and Anna behind her.

"It's over" She says, glancing at Matthew and Anna. Sam and Freddie nod, knowing what she meant.

"Here" Freddie says, handing Sam a mug of hot tea. He joins her on the front porch steps. Matthew and Anna fell asleep nearby on the patio furniture. The police are still inside examining the scene. They gave their statements about the night and the police left them alone. Freddie wraps an arm around Sam and she takes a deep breath. She sees Mrs. Benson sitting in the back of the ambulance breathing slowly into an oxygen mask with Nick watching her vitals. Mrs. Benson was only knocked unconscious by Chris and is now slowly recovering. Sam leans closer to Freddie, taking another drink of tea.

Freddie places a soft kiss on her forehead. "I love you"

"I love you so much" She says. Carly walks out of the house with blankets in her hands, she throws one over Matthew and Anna and then wraps another around Sam, who thanks her. Carly showed up a few minutes after the police. She drove here after Freddie called her acting strange and talking about her power going out. Freddie called Carly when he was near her house to see how she was doing with the power out. Carly was confused and told Freddie she never called Sam and that her power is working fine. Freddie cursed and hung up before turning the car around, heading back for his house. Carly sits down and joins them on the steps.

"Thanks for coming Carls" Sam tells her.

"Don't be ridiculous Sam. Of course I'd come" She says. The three of them sit there in comfortable silence for a while just watching the scene in front of them. Carly excuses herself to go talk to Nick by the ambulance.

"I don't think I ever thanked you" Sam tells Freddie.

"You don't need to thank me, Sam. I didn't do anything that any other man wouldn't do to protect the woman and kids he loves…. and I promised you, didn't I?" He says. Sam smiles and looks over at Matthew and Anna sound asleep. They're safe. It's really over. Sam thinks before resting her head back on Freddie.

Epilogue

"I now pronounce you husband and wife" Sam and Freddie kiss and cheers and woots come from the crowd. Matthew and Anna are clapping and shouting happily. Sam hugs Carly and looks around at everyone. She smiles at Gibby who is cheering loudly with his two daughters by his side. Spencer stands proudly next to Freddie with his wife and kids sitting in the pews. Mrs. Benson is crying and as Sam scans the gathering of people for this event, her heart is overjoyed knowing this is her true family.

The reception went great, everyone enjoyed themselves. The food was delicious and the music was perfect. Sam definitely cried at Carly's speech and Spencer made a great speech, even if he did embarrass them a lot with it. It was the perfect night, a perfect start to a beginning. Soon everyone said their goodbyes and Sam brought Anna to her room for bed.

"You look beautiful, Mom" Anna says as Sam helps her out of her dress.

"You too, sweetheart" Sam says and kisses Anna goodnight.

"I love you" Anna says as Sam quietly shuts her door and she drifts off to sleep.

Freddie checks in on Matthew who just climbed into bed with one of his favorite comics to read. Freddie picks up Matthew's tuxedo from the floor and says goodnight. "Goodnight, Dad" Matthew says. Freddie freezes at the door and turns back to Matthew who smiles at him.

"Goodnight son" Freddie says back with a smile and shuts his door.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?" Freddie asks as Sam walks back out in the backyard. The lights are dimmed and Freddie is sitting down, watching her walk over, the most beautiful bride. Sam joins Freddie on the chair, lying close to him. He hands her a glass of wine as he takes another sip of his. "So where do we go from here?" He asks.

"Will you be with me?" Sam whispers.

"Always" He answers.

"Hmmmm, then I don't care where we go as long as my husband will be with me" She smiles.

"I have been waiting so long to hear you say that" He says.

"Well I have been waiting to say it" She says and kisses him.

"How does it feel to call me husband?"

"Amazing" She answers.

"Really? Well… my wife…. my love… Mrs. Benson…" He calls her, lightly kissing her when he says each name.

"Mrs. Benson?... It sounds like your mom" Sam jokes.

"Well thanks for that image" Freddie jokes and kisses her.

"I love you" She says.

"I love you too" He says. He looks back at the house and smiles, "We're home"

Sam's heart flutters and she smiles wide, "Yeah we are. This is our home" And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

END

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