It was a rare occasion when any member of the Loud household got the house to themselves, but Luna found herself fortunate enough to benefit from just such an occasion. The rest of the Loud family had taken a trip to a culinary convention and was staying the night at a hotel, while Luna had opted to stay home. She was normally glad to accompany her family on these types of trips, but she couldn't pass up the chance to practice her music as loud as she could for one night, as she had a big concert to get ready for the following week. Before they left, her parents had told her she could have one friend sleep over, and there was only one person she could think of to spend the night with.

Luna had been crushing on a girl from her school, a fellow music player named Sam. The two had quite a bit in common: similar tastes in music and style, and easygoing personalities that made it easy for them to get along. Luna first noticed Sam nearly a year ago, and it hadn't started out as a crush, but as she spent more time at school with her and saw her more often, either playing her music or just walking down the hallway, Luna couldn't help but realize just how cute and fun Sam seemed to be. It had taken weeks for her to work up the courage to finally give Sam a letter expressing her feelings, and days after that for Luna to work up the courage to talk to Sam face to face.

She knows I'm totally into her, but I'm not sure if she's totally into me...

The two had spent some time talking, and while Sam was eager to spend time with Luna as friends, she'd confessed that she didn't know what her feelings toward Luna were beyond that. Luna knew it was a longshot that Sam even liked other girls, and was ready to accept whatever feelings Sam had toward her either way. She didn't mind being friends and nothing more, Sam was still really sweet and fun and there were plenty of other girls or boys for Luna to focus her attention on. Their friendship had grown closer over the past few weeks, but Luna still had no idea if it would ever turn into an attraction or something even greater.

Still, for Luna, every moment she got to spend with Sam was a fun one, and when Sam had agreed to come sleep over at the Loud house, Luna had struggled to contain just how happy she was. Her heart was beating rapidly as the time approached eight o'clock, when Sam had said she'd be over. Luna was already in her pajamas, which basically consisted of a long purple t-shirt with a skull on it. She hoped it wouldn't make Sam uncomfortable to see her dressed so casually, though she figured that since it was a sleepover, they'd both be in pajamas fairly soon anyway.

Luna sat in the living room, watching the window and door for any signs that Sam was there. The minutes ticked away as Luna's breath began to quicken.

Oh man, I hope we can find something fun to do together... I guess we could hang out and play music, hopefully the neighbors don't complain if we get super loud!

Luna started to go into the kitchen to gather up some snacks when she heard a knock on the door.

"Sam!" Luna said to herself, quickly walking to the door to open it up for her friend. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it quickly, but instead of Sam on the doorstep, she saw a man several inches taller than her, dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask on his face. "Huh?"

The man quickly forced his way inside and produced a pistol, which he pointed at Luna. Luna let out a gasp and took several steps back, nearly tripping and falling. She raised both her hands in the air and began stammering in a shocked and bewildered fashion.

"Is...is this some kinda joke, or-"

"Tell me where your valuables are, now!" shouted the man in a forceful voice, keeping the gun pointed at Luna while he used his foot to push the door closed. "I'm not gonna ask twice!"

Luna blinked her eyes in disbelief. Was this really happening? Was she really being robbed?

"I...we... we don't have any valuables!" Luna replied, her voice quivering slightly. "I'm serious, we don't have anything you'd want!"

"Cut the crap, I know you've gotta have something in here, this is a big house, you guys gotta have money!"

"There's like thirteen people living here, you think we can afford fancy stuff like that?" Luna shouted back, trying to get the robber to realize that he was barking up the wrong tree. She gestured toward the flat screen television in the living room. "You can swipe the TV if you want, that's probably worth a couple hundred bucks!"

"I don't have time for this," said the criminal, suddenly grabbing Luna and turning her around. He began to push her toward the stairs, and she reluctantly complied, not putting up a fight as she was pushed forward. "You better tell me where everything is!"

"Fine, but I'm serious, dude, we don't have any fancy stuff! And what we do have, it means more to us than it would to you, it's got sentimental value...!"

Luna knew that her parents and siblings had lots of trinkets and baubles in their respective rooms, but nothing of major monetary value. It was all random treasures they'd acquired over the course of their very unusual but very active lives, maybe some things worth a few bucks on their own but nothing that would bring in a big haul for any robbers.

"Before you go tearing up our house looking for stuff to steal, I'll save you the trouble, just take the TV and maybe the video game thing, the rest of it's worthless, I swear!"

Even though Luna had a gun pointed at her, and even though the criminal was a lot bigger and stronger than her, she had begun fighting his efforts to push her toward the stairs, not wanting to help him take anything that her family truly treasured. The robber thought about intimidating Luna into not resisting, but he figured that he didn't need a guided tour of the place and that she'd be more hindrance than help. Instead, he suddenly redirected Luna, away from the stairs and toward the nearest closet. He made her stand in front of it, keeping the gun pointed at her as he walked over toward the kitchen.

"Tell you what, if you're gonna bitch and moan about me robbing your house, I'm just gonna keep you out of the way for a little while."

Luna stood in front of the closet door for several seconds that seemed a lot longer than they were as thoughts started to race through her head. She was still trembling, though part of her wanted to run up to her room as quick as she could and grab her phone so she could call the cops.

Maybe if I'm quick enough I can...

Luna made the decision and immediately bolted toward the stairs. She'd barely gotten halfway there when the robber roughly grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her backwards.

"Let me go!" shouted Luna, kicking back with her bare foot as hard as she could. It slammed into the robber's chest, but barely fazed him as he roughly threw her down into a chair he'd gotten from the kitchen. "You jerk, I'm not gonna let you take my family's stuff!"

Luna lunged forward only to be shoved down again, even harder this time, and before she could make a third attempt, she could feel duct tape being rapidly wound around her body and the chair, binding her arms to her sides and to the chair's back. She continued to thrash, but this just caused the tape to be pulled even more tightly around her body despite her protests and screams.

"You're lucky I didn't just shoot you," said the robber, tearing the tape off the roll after he'd taken about a dozen turns around the chair. "Now hold still, this is only gonna hurt as much as you make it."

The robber grabbed Luna's wrists and forcibly crossed them behind her back and behind the chair. Luna tried pulling her arms out of his grasp, but failing that, she defiantly flipped the bird at him as he taped her crossed wrists tightly behind her.

"Ugh, you're not gonna get away with stealing our stuff, dude!" said Luna, glaring at the robber after he came around to the front of the chair again. "Last chance to take this tape off me and get the hell outta here!"

The robber laughed, and grabbed Luna's ankles, holding them up as he began to wrap more duct tape around them. Luna didn't struggle this time, as much as she'd wanted to. She knew that with her wrists and arms already taped up that any struggling at this point while the robber was there would only make him even madder, and likely he'd tape her up a lot tighter than this. She'd thought about kicking him between the legs, but even if she'd connected, he'd almost certainly recover before she could get herself free.

"I'm not here to hurt you, you know," said the robber, setting Luna's feet back down after he finished with her ankles. "I'm just here for your stuff, I thought the house would be empty after seeing your van leave with all that luggage in it."

"Oh yeah? Why'd you bring a gun then?" asked Luna, glaring harshly at her captor.

"Can't be too careful," the robber replied, smirking under his ski mask. "Speaking of which..."

The robber tore off another strip of duct tape and reached toward Luna's face.

"Can't have you calling for help from the neighbors," said the robber, moving to press the tape over Luna's mouth.

Who the hell would I call for help from? Mr. Grouse? Even if he heard me, doubt he'd do anything... even if he showed up, I'd only be putting him in danger... Luna turned her head away to try and avoid being gagged, but it was a half-hearted attempt at best, as she'd largely resigned herself to being taped up. After the first strip went over her lips to seal them up, the robber tore off another strip and pressed that one over her mouth as well. Luna lifted her head and shot the criminal her fiercest glare, followed by some muffled snark, but he just chuckled and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Now you behave yourself while I take my pick from your family's belongings," said the robber. Luna yelled at him again, a bit louder and more vulgar, before the closet door was shut, trapping her inside in her captivity.

Asshole! thought Luna, clenching her fists tightly behind her back. Now that he's gone, I gotta get out of this and go for help...!

Luna thought of her family's treasured belongings... her brother Lincoln's Ace Savvy collection, her sister Lynn's sports trophies, Luan's treasured comedy props, Lola's pageant crowns, Leni's favorite outfits... she didn't want to let this robber have any of it, whether he had a gun or not. She began to test her bonds... the tape was strong, and wrapped tightly, tightly enough to make her hands feel slightly numb. She didn't think she was in any danger of having her circulation cut off, but it hurt to struggle, and instead she decided she'd try to fight against the tape binding her to the chair itself. If she could get that off, she'd be able to hop her way to the door and possibly to a neighbor's house...preferably not Mr. Grouse, but she wasn't picky.

I'd put up with any of his smartass comments if he'd get me out of this, thought Luna, grunting as she strained fiercely against the chair she was taped to. The tape around her body had a bit more give, but not enough for her to loosen it up yet. Come on, come on...!

She thrashed fiercely, yelling out through the tape across her lips, yelling to no one in particular and yelling nothing intelligible, but it did help her relieve some of the frustration of her predicament. The chair rocked as she fought against it, yanking her arms up and against the chair to try and break the tape's hold on them. Her legs kicked against the carpet and the air, and she twisted back and forth as best she could, her shoulders jerking as she strained and squirmed.

This reminds me of a song by Immortal Vesper... thought Luna, recalling a deep cut from one of her favorite obscure European bands about a woman who found herself chained up in a trunk as her friends were being stalked outside. Chains in the night, hear my stifled cry... hear my plea, set me free...

More song lyrics raced through her head, and she even recalled an old story of Mick Swagger's about how he'd once been robbed after getting too drunk and letting a hooker tie him to a bed. Somehow, he'd managed to get himself free, but Luna couldn't quite recall how.

Dammit, Luna, you were too busy laughing to remember what Mick was sayin'! And it wasn't funny! He could've been seriously hurt. It must have been terrifying for him! Maybe this is karma for laughing about it... no, no, he was laughing about it too, even his bandmates were laughing! And someday, Luna, you're gonna look back at this and laugh. But first you gotta get free, so come on!

The chair continued to rock as Luna fought against the tape, but still, none of her bonds were beginning to give, not even a little bit. She kept thinking about her family, how devastated they'd be after getting robbed of all their stuff. She was determined to fight, to get free for them... she began to think about how glad she was that she hadn't gone on that trip with them. Sure, she wouldn't be in this mess right now, but she wouldn't have been able to stop the house from being robbed either.

It's a good thing I stayed home... and anyway, Sam's coming over and-

Luna gasped under her gag.

Oh no... SAM!

Sam was still supposed to come over. She was at least a few minutes late but she was still coming...and when she did she'd be walking right into a dangerous criminal with a loaded gun.

No, NO! I have to get free and stop Sam from coming, if she shows up while he's here...!

Luna's struggles went into overdrive. She jerked against the chair as hard as she could, desperate for the sound of a small rip, some indication that the tape had started to loosen, but nothing. She cried out, a loud, muffled cry of desperation and frustration that echoed inside the small closet, then she resumed her struggles. She even began to tug against the tape wrapped around her wrists, as much as it hurt to do so. She tugged, and strained, and fought, and kicked, slamming her feet into the floor again and again. The chair rocked forward, lifting almost completely up off the ground.

Wait a minute...the chair's not attached to anything! I can...

As quickly as Luna's mind formed the idea, she pressed her feet into the floor and began to stand. The weight of the chair was more than she'd expected, however, and the chair came back down again. Luna let out a quiet 'oof!' and tried again. She pushed her feet against the floor and stood a bit more slowly, but again, the weight of the chair defied her efforts, and she was forced back down.

Dammit! Luna could feel sweat trickling down her forehead and arms as her struggles began to exhaust her. The chair's too heavy...no, no, I can't give up!

Luna redoubled her efforts, crying out as she managed to lift the chair yet again. Her shoulders and knees ached, and her bound ankles wobbled, but slowly she was making progress. The chair scooted slightly forward and she could feel herself supporting its weight. She concentrated and tried to make her way to a standing position. Her legs shook wildly, and she let out a groan of pain.

This is for Sam... I have to make sure she's safe... I have to get out of here!

Luna let out another loud cry...then felt her legs give. She nearly tumbled over, but managed to steady herself just enough to make sure the chair came back down on all four legs. She cried out again, feeling all her effort evaporate. She had to stop and catch her breath, her nostrils flaring above the gag. She opened her eyes and could feel tears welling up in them.

I can't stop. I can't stop. Sam needs me!

O-O-O

Sam Sharp had ridden her bicycle to the Loud house and had gotten there about 15 minutes later than she said she'd be. She hoped Luna wouldn't be mad with her, and was thinking up excuses as she made her way to the front door.

It was traffic... on a bicycle? Sam, come on, she's not stupid! It was my brother! Ugh, no, she lives with ten siblings, she's probably heard all the brother excuses by now!

Sam had ridden to Luna's house in a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, both of which matched the teal streak in her hair. She'd come in her pajamas so she wouldn't have to bring a change of clothes, and instead had brought just her guitar, which she was wearing on a strap attached to her back. She approached the front door, slightly nervous. This was her first sleepover in a couple of years, and definitely the first time she'd slept over at the house of someone who had a crush on her.

Luna's pretty awesome, but... I mean...

It wasn't that Sam wasn't into girls. She was, though she'd mostly experienced crushes with boys since she'd started middle school. She just didn't know if she was into Luna in particular. She liked being Luna's friend, but love was a complicated emotion, and while Luna was definitely 'cute', Sam didn't yet know if Luna was truly her type. She'd known a lot of rocker girls, but none of them ever clicked with her as anything more than just a friend.

Maybe it's true that opposites attract, thought Sam, smiling to herself. Or maybe we just need some more time to get to know each other...

Sam put her hand on the doorknob, then looked down. To her surprise, the door was already very slightly cracked open.

"Hunh," Sam said to herself. "Luna forgot to close the door all the way..."

Sam pushed the door open and made her way into the house.

"Hello?" Sam called out, looking around the living room. She set her guitar down on the couch. "Luna? You home? You left your door-"

It was then that Sam could hear several loud, muffled yells coming from inside the closet, along with a slight banging sound. Sam walked over toward the closet and reached toward the door handle. She opened the closet.

"Oh my God!"

Sam could see Luna still taped up and gagged, struggling in the chair she was taped to. Luna made two loud, muffled cries, trying to warn Sam of the danger she was in.

Sam, get out of here! Luna cried through the tape.

"Who did this to you, are you okay?" asked Sam, walking into the closet and reaching down to pull the tape off Luna's mouth. "I'm getting you out of this, don't worry!"

NO! Sam, don't worry about me, just get the hell out of here and go get help! Luna tried to twist her head away from Sam's hand, but Sam was determined to free Luna, and carefully pulled the tape off Luna's mouth. "Sam, RUN!"

"I'm not leaving you taped up like this!" shouted Sam, starting to go around to the back of the chair to free Luna. It was then that the two girls could see a shadow coming over them.

"SAM, GO, NOW!" Luna screamed. Sam turned and saw the robber towering over her, but barely had time to put her arms up before the butt of his pistol was slammed down across her forehead, knocking her to the ground. "SAM!"

"Where'd she come from?" asked the robber, looking menacingly down at Luna while holding his pistol.

"SAM!" Luna screamed again, a mix of sheer terror and rage going through her. A tear ran down the side of her face, and she turned from Sam to look back at the robber. "You piece of shit, if you've hurt my friend-"

"You should've told me she was coming, I wouldn't have hurt her if she hadn't surprised me," said the robber, looking back down at Sam. "She'll be fine, but she's gonna wake up with a lot of duct tape wrapped around her..."

The criminal bent down to grab Sam. Suddenly, from the seemingly unconscious girl, a boot lashed out. The first kick struck the robber's gun, while the second struck him squarely between the eyes, knocking him out of the closet and onto his back.

I'm a lover, not a fighter, thought Sam as she sat up, grateful that her aim had been true, but I WILL fight for my friends...!

Sam got to her feet, groaning as she rubbed the spot on her forehead where she'd been pistol-whipped. It wasn't bleeding, but she was sure she had a bruise, and she'd probably have a headache for at least the next few hours.

"Oh man, Sam, you kicked his ass!" said Luna, half-relieved and half-impressed. "Now hurry!"

"Right," said Sam, walking back around to free Luna from the chair.

"No, grab his gun!" Luna shouted, gesturing toward the robber's discarded weapon. "Before he gets back up!"

"His... gun?" Sam said nervously, looking down at the weapon on the floor. "I... I..."

Sam's hands shook as she reached down for the gun. She'd never held a gun before, and the thought of pointing one at someone, let alone pulling the trigger, was terrifying. Still, she knew it was her best chance to keep the robber from hurting her or Luna, and she slowly reached down to take the weapon. As her hand went toward it, it was suddenly snatched away and pointed at her head. The robber had recovered, and now he was aiming his gun directly at Sam's head.

"Hands up...now," said the robber. "Do it!"

Sam felt a chill go through her, as did Luna. Now both of them were at the robber's mercy, and all of Luna's worst fears had come true. Now they were both in this situation, and no one else would be coming to the rescue.

"Luna, I'm sorry I hesitated-"

"NOW!" shouted the robber, grabbing Sam by the wrist and yanking her out of the closet.

"Let me go...!" shouted Sam, trying to tug her arm out of the robber's grasp.

"Don't touch her!" Luna screamed, but the robber ignored her, pulling Sam into the living room and shoving her down onto the floor.

"Please...!" Sam pleaded, holding her hands up as she lay on the floor with the gun still pointed at her. "I'm the one who kicked you, so whatever you want, don't hurt Luna! Please, she didn't do anything to you!"

Luna stopped yelling and just sat there in silence, thinking about what Sam had just told the robber.

Sam, we... we only just started hanging out like two months ago, and you're pleading for my life and not yours? Oh man...I...I...

Luna was still stunned and unable to speak as the robber roughly turned Sam over onto her stomach and crossed her wrists behind her back.

"You're not the one giving the orders here, understand?" the robber shouted, tightly binding Sam's wrists up with the tape.

"I'm not, I just don't want you to hurt my friend!"

The robber said nothing else for the moment, continuing to restrain Sam tightly with the duct tape. He wrapped up her arms, and then moved on to her ankles, binding them as tightly as he had Luna's.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told her, you should be grateful I don't put a bullet in your head."

"Hey!" shouted Luna from the closet, the criminal's threat suddenly snapping her back into action. "Leave Sam alone, she's not the one you're robbing here!"

Sam quietly struggled in her bonds, but the tape held tightly. She felt a lump forming in her throat, and her eyes burned with tears. She was terrified, and not just for Luna, but for herself as well. Taped up by an armed criminal, an armed criminal who she'd just kicked in the head... he was right, she was lucky to still be alive. She and Luna would both be lucky to make it out of this alive.

"Please..." Sam begged, her voice almost a whisper as she looked into the robber's eyes, the only visible part of his face behind the ski mask. "I won't fight back anymore, just don't hurt L-"

Sam's pleading was muffled by a strip of tape being pressed and smoothed over her lips, and ended with a quiet sob as her desperate eyes met with Luna's in the closet. Luna looked back at Sam, whispering 'I'm so sorry' to her. Another strip of tape was pressed over the first, and then the robber smiled at her.

"We'll see," he said with a laugh, before moving down to her bound legs and removing the purple boots from her feet. "For now, let's make sure you can't kick me anymore."

The robber set the boots on the couch next to Sam's guitar, leaving her in her black socks as he briefly ran his hand up one of her legs. Sam shivered from his touch, while the robber's smile grew even bigger.

"Hmm," he said to Sam, leaning in toward her face. "I only came here to score some stuff, but maybe later-"

"Hey Aqualung, don't even think about it!" Luna shouted from the closet, a furious look on her face. If he so much as touches Sam again I'm gonna bust out of this chair and kill him!

"Could you give us a minute?" the robber said to Sam, before standing up and walking back toward the closet, duct tape in hand.

Luna struggled for a brief moment, but quickly realizing the tightness of the tape and the futility of her situation, her expression softened and she tried desperately to appeal to the robber's sense of decency.

"Look, dude, take whatever you want from the house, do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt Sam, please, I'm beggin' ya-"

The robber smacked Luna hard across the face. Though the blow was somewhat softened by the gloves the robber was wearing, it still hurt, and Luna's desperation immediately coalesced into fury.

"FUCK YOU-" was all Luna could get out before one and then two strips of duct tape were pressed back over her mouth. The robber kept his hands on Luna's face and roughly grabbed her by the cheeks, holding her and forcing her to look at him.

"You know what? I changed my mind. After I'm done robbing the house, I'll be having some fun with both of you. Don't worry, she'll get to watch everything I do with you."

Luna nearly retched as she was forced to inhale the robber's stinking breath through her nose. She swore furiously under her gag, and her legs, still unattached to the chair, lunged forward, aimed directly at his crotch. He blocked the kick with his hand, then stepped back, away from Luna and out of kicking range. She continued to swear at him as he closed the closet door, leaving her trapped inside and leaving Sam alone in the living room. She'd tried struggling free of the tape, and had even tried using her guitar strings to cut the tape from her wrists, but she'd made no progress by the time the robber was back with her, and soon he was on top of her, pressing his weight against her body as she lay helpless on the floor.

"Now...where were we?"

O-O-O

Inside the closet, Luna was screaming her lungs out, alternating her swearing with cries for help from anyone who could possibly hear her. She'd given up on pride, she was desperately wishing for anyone to come and get her and Sam out of this. She'd give anything she had to get Sam away from the monster who was about to have his way with her, especially since she blamed herself for getting Sam into this in the first place.

This is my fault, if I hadn't invited her here, if I'd just gone with my family to that convention, none of this would be happening to us! Sam... I'll never forgive myself... oh Sam... I... I shouldn't have even given her that love letter! Why didn't I just stay away from her?

Luna bowed her head and felt the tears streak rapidly down her face. She screamed into her gag, imagining all the things Sam could be going through right now because of her.

SAM! NO!

Luna sobbed violently, twisting against the chair, kicking her feet hard into the floor. Her body convulsed with despair and rage, most of the rage directed at herself. She didn't care what happened to her, all she cared about was Sam.

I let her down... I failed her...

Luna's fists clenched hard behind her back. Even though her hands were starting to get really numb, she could feel every bit of pain as her fingernails dug into her skin. The pain came, and immediately went away. Her wrists tugged against the tape, her body began to contort against it and against the chair. Any pain, any exhaustion she was feeling was leaving as quickly as it came. Her heart was beating rapidly, harder than it ever had before.

Sam...no...no, this WON'T happen... I refuse... I REFUSE!

Luna gritted her teeth and grunted loudly. She pressed her bare soles into the carpet and hoisted herself upward, and the chair came up with her like it wasn't there at all. She looked back at the wall behind her, and all the rage and fury within her began to fill her soul like a flame consuming her entire body.

I don't care what happens to me, I won't let anything happen to her!

And Luna slammed herself and the chair into the wall as hard as she could, making a loud banging noise. Nothing happened. Luna did it again. There was pain, lots of pain, in her shoulders and arms mostly, also in her chest, but it went away. Luna did it a third time. Nothing except more pain. Luna concentrated and slammed the chair into the wall again. She cried out as loud as she could, feeling the tape on her lips start to buckle at the edges and the tape around her body start to give as well. She slammed the chair into the wall again and again and again and again, screaming every single time.

Sam! I'm coming!

O-O-O

Sam was more terrified than she'd ever been, but from the moment she felt the robber get on top of her, she felt a good amount of that fear leave her, replaced with the same rage and determination that Luna was feeling. She wasn't going to let anyone have their way with her, not without a hell of a fight. Despite the fact that the robber weighed more than twice what she did, Sam immediately rolled out from under him, and kicked him with her bound feet when he tried to get back on top of her. She swore at him under her gag, and when he tried to hold her down, she swung her head at him.

"Hold still or this'll hurt even worse!"

No matter what he threatened her with, Sam wasn't going to stop fighting. She already knew that he was probably going to kill both her and Luna, so it wasn't going to do either one of them any good for her to comply.

I'm not letting you hurt me or Luna...! thought Sam, remembering when she'd seen the robber hit Luna just a few moments before. Luna...I should have listened to you and picked up the gun when I had the chance...I'm not gonna make that same mistake again!

Sam struggled ferociously as the robber fought to hold her down, but the more she fought, the more tired she became, and it didn't take long for her to exhaust herself to the point where she could no longer effectively fight back. The robber finally got her pinned, and this time, there'd be no more fighting.

"Now hold still," said the robber, with a laugh. "Or don't, maybe it'll be more fun if you're squirming."

Sam tried to look defiant, but she couldn't hide the tears streaking down her face, tears that only intensified as the robber started to reach down to the top of her pants. She gave one last futile attempt at a kick, but after the robber pressed his knee down onto her legs, she could no longer move. She turned her head away, closing her eyes and burying her face into the carpet.

I'm sorry, Luna...

Sam thought back to Luna, still trapped inside that closet. Sam hadn't had any time to think about what she really felt for her friend, but now she couldn't stop thinking about it. What had driven her to offer up her life so quickly for Luna's after the criminal had threatened them? They'd only just met and yet Sam felt like the two of them were kindred spirits. And then Luna... Luna had done the same thing for her, tried to protect her only to be cruelly struck across the face. During Sam's struggle with the robber, she'd heard several loud bangs inside the closet, but after about twenty of them, the bangs had stopped. Sam could only imagine what had happened.

She must have worn herself out trying to get free... or...or knocked herself out...

Sam sobbed with despair. Maybe it was a small mercy, maybe Luna had knocked herself out for so long that she wouldn't feel what the robber would do to her after he'd finished with his first victim.

It'll be over quick enough...

Sam could feel her pants starting to be lowered.

Then she heard a loud crack, and a grunt.

What?

Sam looked up to see Luna standing over her, duct tape hanging from her arms and chest, a broken piece of wood in her hand, part of the chair she'd been taped to. The unconscious robber was lying on the ground at Luna's feet. The two girls' tear-soaked eyes met, and Luna tossed the chair leg aside and immediately fell upon Sam in a tender embrace.

"Sam, oh God, Sam... did he-"

Sam shook her head, an incredible wave of relief flooding her body and mind. She'd been saved from that, and from worse, but more importantly to her, Luna was safe too. As Sam let out several cries of joy and relief, Luna gingerly peeled the tape from her lips. The first thing Sam shouted as soon as she was free to speak was Luna's name.

"Luna, you're safe...you're okay...you saved me!"

"Nah dude," said Luna, looking into Sam's eyes with a relieved smile. "You saved me."

Sam choked out another exclamation of relief, and shook in Luna's arms as she felt her friend's tight embrace. She didn't even care that she was still taped up, she just wanted to be in Luna's arms, safe and warm and tight.

Then she and Luna both remembered at the same time, and Luna quickly went over to the unconscious robber and removed the gun from his waist. She immediately removed the clip from the gun and pocketed it, then took the gun itself and ran it to the kitchen, placing it on the table before returning to the living room.

"Luna, I'm sorry I-"

"No way, Sam, don't even worry about it, I shouldn't have asked you," said Luna, a guilty expression on her face. "Even I felt creeped out holding that thing. I never would've asked you to shoot him."

Sam nodded her head, looking over at the robber as Luna began freeing her from the tape.

"You...think you really hurt him?" asked Sam, who sounded slightly concerned, even for someone who'd just threatened her and her friend and had tried to have his way with her.

"I dunno," Luna replied, "but after we get free we gotta call the cops. I'll tell them to send an ambulance too, and not just for him but for you, you took a pretty nasty blow to the head."

Sam blushed and reached up to feel the aching spot on her forehead where she'd been pistol whipped. In all the terror of what was happening, she'd forgotten about the pain, but now that the ordeal was over it was starting to come back.

"I think I'll be okay," said Sam, placing a hand on Luna's shoulder as she picked up the phone to call 911. "And you...?"

"Huh?"

"Are you gonna be okay?" asked Sam, looking Luna over. Luna looked down to see that she was pretty bruised up from banging herself and the chair repeatedly against the wall until it broke, and that her wrists were deeply bruised from the tape being wrapped so tightly around them.

"Yeah, I...I will be," Luna replied, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She knew she'd be fine physically, but she knew exactly what Sam meant. She started to speak, then picked up the phone and dialed 911. There would be time for everything else later.

O-O-O

A half hour later, Luna and Sam were seated next to one another, their legs dangling out the back of an ambulance parked in the driveway, towels wrapped around both of them. Nearby in another ambulance was the robber, who'd woken up with a nasty concussion, being read his rights by the Royal Woods Police Department. He'd be fine, though his ordeal was only just beginning considering the numerous felonies he was about to be charged with.

"Luna Loud? We called your family and they're headed back to Royal Woods now," said a female police officer. "We'll have them meet you at the hospital. Sam, your family's headed to the hospital too. The paramedics said you'll both need to be checked out for observation but you should be able to come home tonight provided the doctor doesn't find any serious injuries. We'll take your statements there too, but feel free to take time to gather your thoughts, we'll give you all the time you need. Is there anything else we can do for you right now?"

"No, but thanks," said Luna with a smile.

"Yeah, I think we'll be okay now," Sam added. "Can...can we have a few minutes alone before we go to the hospital?"

"Sure," said the officer, turning to walk back to her squad car.

Sam and Luna looked at one another for a few quiet moments, neither of them speaking at first. Finally, Luna broke the silence.

"Hey Sam, tonight I was gonna ask you something but...we've both been through a lot so it should probably wait until this isn't so fresh in our minds, you know?"

Sam looked at Luna and from her expression could tell exactly what Luna was going to ask. She felt a blush forming on her face.

"I was...really looking forward to hanging out with you tonight," said Sam, smiling sheepishly. "It's been a while since I've been on a sleepover with anyone, and you're like the coolest girl in school, so I know we would've had a blast."

Luna's eyes widened.

"You think I'm the coolest girl in school? I'm not-"

"Are you kidding? You're the best guitar player, the best singer, you always get so into your music, I mean, my band's awesome, but nobody rocks like you do, Luna."

Now Luna was blushing, and blushing hard. Every last inch of her face was bright red, and she felt warm, so warm that the towel was making her uncomfortable.

"And everything I said in there was true, I would've done anything-"

"But you shouldn't do that," replied Luna, placing her hand on Sam's. "And...why?"

"Because you're my friend, and that's what friends do," said Sam, taking her other hand and holding Luna's tightly. "And you were ready to do the same for me."

"You know why..." said Luna softly, before looking away. "Not that...not that I...I mean... don't answer until..."

Sam could see just how nervous Luna was, trying to contain her feelings. Luna really didn't want to put any pressure on Sam at the moment, considering everything they'd been through and worried that the trauma would skew whatever it was Sam felt for her.

"Luna..."

"Look, just wait until we both recover from this, however long it'll take, I don't want you to think-"

"Luna," said Sam warmly, placing her hand on Luna's cheek and turning Luna's head toward hers. Their eyes met. "That has nothing to do with this."

Sam began to lean in, and when Luna started to turn away again, Sam rubbed her hand softly against Luna's cheek. Their eyes were still locked on each other's, and Sam stopped for just a moment to give Luna another chance to turn away. But this time, Luna didn't. She came forward, and their lips came together.

It was a brief kiss, lasting only a couple of seconds, but it told Luna everything she wanted to know. Sam did like her back, and not just because of the ordeal they'd been through. Sam and Luna would have died for each other before Sam even opened the door that night. What they'd been through had merely confirmed it.

"I love you," whispered Luna as their lips parted.

"I love you too, Luna," said Sam, holding Luna in a tight embrace. "And I would do anything for you, even that."

"So would I," Luna said softly, her head resting on her new girlfriend's shoulder.