It was just past midnight, and now it was officially Christmas Day.
Sam Sharp should've been excited, practically overjoyed as she climbed into her bed and got ready to fall asleep. When she woke up, it would be Christmas morning, she'd get to open her presents, and then she and her family would head upstate for a day of skiing...
And yet, Sam wasn't excited at all. She was depressed, disappointed, heartbroken... all because of what had happened earlier that day.
Her mother could see it as she walked past Sam's room, even with the lights off she could see the disappointment in her daughter's eyes, even the beginning of a tear forming in one of them. She turned the light on and stepped inside, confirming her suspicions... her daughter was upset.
"Sam, sweetie? Is everything okay?"
"...no, mom, it's not," said Sam with a sigh, looking away from her mother and over to the small dresser next to her bed. On the dresser was a picture of her and her girlfriend Luna, a picture she'd forgotten to remove. She let out a groan and reached over to put the picture face down. "...Luna and I broke up. ...actually, I broke up with her."
"Oh no, on Christmas Eve? What happened?"
Sam could hear the concern in her mother's voice as she sat down on the side of the bed. The blonde let out a sigh and sat up, clutching her knees tightly to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
"We made plans to go skiing tomorrow, but... she got a message on her phone from Mick Swagger, saying that he was coming to Royal Woods and he wanted to have a jam session with her."
"Oh, wow!" said Sam's mother excitedly. Sam looked up at her, a glum frown on her face. "Oh, uh, I mean... that's... bad?"
"Luna ditched out on the ski trip to jam with Mick," said Sam, sighing. "Even after I told her how much this trip meant to me. I mean, it was going to be our first trip together... I was going to introduce her to you guys, and we'd get to spend almost a whole week up there... I... I was looking forward to it so much, but then Luna just... and then..."
Sam's voice was shaking as she spoke, and her mother reached over to place a hand on her cheek. Sam felt her mother's warmth and smiled, despite the sadness she was feeling.
"I'm sorry, Sam, but... you know, she's not the only one who's a huge Mick Swagger fan."
Sam's mother gestured to the walls and shelves nearby. The walls were slathered with Mick Swagger posters, and the shelves of Sam's room were littered with albums and merch.
"...I know we're both huge fans of Mick, but I'd never ditch Luna, even for a once in a lifetime jam sesh with my idol."
"Maybe not, but... I don't think she ditched out on the trip because she doesn't like you," said Sam's mother, trying her best to make her daughter feel better about Luna's changed plans. "I think maybe she was a little starstruck and got excited."
"Yeah, but when I called her later and asked if she changed her mind, she said no, even when I told her how upset it made me feel!"
Sam remembered her breakup with Luna vividly... she called her on the phone, clearly sounding upset, and Luna had tried to explain herself, but was clearly still being defensive and flaky, which is when Sam decided to break it off. She remembered how upset she'd been after hanging up the phone... so upset she'd practically flung it against the wall. She'd never been this upset before... though now that she thought back to the phone call, she remembered barely letting Luna get a word in edgewise, not that it even mattered.
"You're sure she didn't want to change her mind?"
"I gave her one chance, and after she said she had to think about it, I broke up with her! What's there to think about? She ditched me, mom... she cares more about Mick Swagger than she does about me..."
Sam's mother reached up and wiped a tear away from her daughter's eye. She suspected Luna didn't feel quite the way Sam said she did, but she hadn't been privy to any of their conversations earlier, and she didn't want to assume anything. All she could see was that her daughter was hurting on Christmas, and she wanted to help any way she could.
"Do you still like her?"
Sam's mother reached over and lifted the picture still sitting on Sam's dresser. Sam looked over at it and saw herself and Luna smiling and sitting together, holding their guitars and leaning on each other's shoulders. Seeing the picture again made her feel a twinge of warmth, even as it also made her tear up again.
"...yeah," said Sam, looking away from the picture again. "But I don't know if I want to talk to her right now... or ever."
"It's okay, Sam, you can do whatever you think is best," said her mother, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "I hope you feel better tomorrow, if you don't feel like going on the trip-"
"No, I'll be fine, don't worry," Sam replied, smiling. "I just need some time."
"Of course, dear..."
Sam's mother gave her a tight hug, then left the room, turning one last time before stepping out the door.
"Good night, Sam... Merry Christmas."
"Night, mom... thanks."
Sam gave her mother one last smile as she turned the light off and closed the door behind her. Sam then looked back at the picture before placing it down on the desk and curling up under her sheets, letting out another sigh.
Maybe I do still like Luna... but I don't want to be hurt again... and she really hurt me...
Sam sniffled and wiped away a tear as she tried her best to fall asleep. As she closed her eyes, she began to hear something through her window... the sound of an amplified guitar, and loud singing coming from beneath her window.
"Wha...?"
Sam turned toward the window, and despite the cold weather, opened it so she could see and hear who was standing below.
Christmas carolers? It's a little too late for...
Sam's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a familiar person below.
…Luna!
"And I thought what I felt was simple, and I thought that I don't belong, and now that I am leaving, now I know that I did something wrong, 'cause I missed you... yeah, I missed you..."
Sam recognized the song immediately, a song slightly more contemporary than the classic rock she and Luna usually jammed out to. It was Lisa Loeb's "Stay", and as Sam stood at the window listening, Luna kept on singing, playing her guitar as loud as she could and singing equally loudly.
"And you say, I only hear what I want to, I don't listen hard, I don't pay attention to the distance that you're running or to anyone, anywhere..."
"Luna!" Sam shouted down to her, both bewildered that her now ex-girlfriend had shown up to serenade her and worried that her singing might wake up the whole neighborhood.
"Sam!" Luna shouted back, ceasing her song and putting down her guitar. "Sam, I'm so sorry I ditched you for Mick Swagger, I made a huge mistake and I'd do anything to-"
"Luna, wait!"
"Sam?"
"Luna, you're going to wake up my little brother... I'll come down there."
Sam had no idea if she was in any state of mind to accept Luna's apology, but she didn't want the two of them to get in trouble with her parents or their neighbors, so she threw on a pair of slippers, put a jacket over her pajamas, and rushed down the stairs and out to the backyard where Luna was waiting. As soon as Luna saw her, Sam could see the regret and sadness on her face, and continued to walk over, though she stopped about ten feet away, still not sure exactly how she felt about everything that had happened between them.
"Sam, I know you're upset and you're right to be upset-"
"Luna, I told you how much the ski trip meant to me and you completely blew me off! I like Mick Swagger too, I like him a whole lot, but he's not your girlfriend, I am! ...was! ...maybe."
"Sam, I am so, so, so sorry," said Luna, whose voice began to quiver as she continued to speak. "You're absolutely right, I was a huge jerk, and I feel terrible for even coming here and asking you to take me back after what I did... I won't try to justify it or explain myself, all I know is that today I realized how much you mean to me and I should've realized that a lot sooner. When you broke up with me I felt... I felt... I felt like I never wanted to play music again."
As Luna continued to bare her soul, Sam thought back to their breakup conversation earlier, and how Luna's stammering apology sounded so much like what she was saying now... only now that Sam was actually listening, she could hear the true sincerity in Luna's words. Luna continued talking, her voice getting more and more emotional as she spoke.
"You're... you're the first person I've ever felt this way about, ever... you're... you're so sweet, and cool, and amazing, and even after everything we've been through together, I threw it all away for what... a stupid jam session?"
"A jam session with Mick Swagger," said Sam, her expression starting to soften as she took a step toward Luna. "Listen-"
"It doesn't matter, this ski trip was going to be special, your family agreed to foot the bill and let me spend almost a whole week with you guys, and I was gonna ditch that for a rock star who barely even knows me... instead of spending Christmas with the girl I... I... I mean... Sam-"
"Luna, listen!" shouted Sam, closing the rest of the gap between them until the two were standing right next to one another. "Luna, I get it... when I heard Mick's voice on your phone, I got super excited for you, I wanted Mick to come hang out with you..."
"Sam, uh, about that-"
"Shh," said Sam, reaching forward and putting her hand over Luna's mouth. "Luna... I get it. You got excited for Mick, and it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Thing is... it wasn't just that you ditched me, it was the way you did it... it was so... dismissive, you know? Saying there'd be other trips, not caring how I felt about you not being on the trip with us... it felt like you were taking me for granted, and that really, really hurt. You got so excited for Mick that it felt like you didn't care about me."
A tear slid down Luna's face, and Sam moved her hand away from Luna's mouth to brush it away. Luna bowed her head, and Sam moved her hand down to Luna's chin to lift it back up.
"I'm so sorry," Luna whispered softly, barely able to speak without crying, too ashamed about hurting Sam to look her in the eye. "...you don't have to take me back, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, but I am so sorry I hurt you and I would do anything to make it right."
"You don't have to do anything," Sam replied, wiping another tear away from Luna's face. "...Luna, do you still want to be my girlfriend?"
"Of course I do, Sam... I swear, I'll never, ever take you for granted again. I really care about you, I just wish I had a way to show it..."
As the cold night air blew across the yard, Sam began shivering, and Luna reached up and put her gloved hands on Sam's cheeks to shield her bare skin. Sam felt her cheeks reddening under Luna's gloves, and felt a smile return to her lips.
"...I... I want to be your girlfriend too," said Sam, looking into Luna's eyes. "I... I'm sorry I got so mad over the phone."
"...what, are you kidding? Sam, I was a jerk!"
"I was kind of a jerk too," Sam replied, looking away from Luna.
"No, no way, I blew you off for Mick Swagger."
"And I overreacted, maybe, a little."
Sam looked back at Luna, who started to laugh... and Sam began laughing too, even as the cold continued to sting her face. The two shared a laugh together for several seconds, as Luna began shaking her head.
"We just got back together and we're still fighting," said Luna, still snickering as she wrapped her arms around Sam to pull her close and protect her from the cold. "But at least we're back together again... and I'm still sorry for everything. I'll never, ever ditch you again, not even for a million private jam sessions with Mick Swagger."
"Okay, I believe you," replied Sam, giggling as she rubbed her face against Luna's warm winter coat. The sadness she'd been feeling just ten minutes before had almost entirely faded away... she was back with Luna and feeling so much happier, and feeling dumb to have gotten so upset in the first place, even though she knew she'd been right to be upset.
"I don't think you'd believe the night I've had," said Luna. "First off, that Mick Swagger message? It wasn't even real..."
"You know, I thought it sounded kind of sus," Sam replied, thinking back. "I mean, 'see you spoon'? So what was it, another one of Luan's pranks?"
"Nah, it was Lincoln."
"Lincoln?!" replied Sam, eyes widening in surprise. "What was he doing breaking up our ski trip?"
"He felt bad that we weren't gonna be together at Christmas," said Luna, who couldn't help but smile. Despite everything Lincoln had put the family through the last 24 hours, she couldn't stay mad at him, knowing his heart was in the right place. "So he put together this elaborate scheme to get everybody to stay home. He called Lori at college, he called me with that fake Mick Swagger message, and he even pranked an entire retirement home to get Luan fired from her gig there tomorrow."
"Geez, he must've really wanted you all together at Christmas..." thought Sam. "I can't imagine Simon pulling something like that to keep all of us together, though there was that time he and his friends duct taped me to a chair because I wouldn't let them play Grand Theft Auto V..."
"Oh, I remember that, I'm the one who had to save you," Luna replied with a laugh.
"Then we made them listen to Pink Floyd for three hours so we wouldn't tell my parents."
"Simon was all like, 'when's this song gonna be over, it's so booooooring!'"
Luna and Sam shared a laugh at that memory, just another reminder of all the good times the two of them had enjoyed over the past year they'd been together.
"Actually, those weren't the craziest stunts Lincoln pulled today. Turns out he and his friend Clyde built this giant sharkodile-"
"Wait, the sharkodile was him?"
"Yeah, trying to spook my fam into canceling their trip to Miami. They ended up leaving it in the woods, and somebody spotted it and freaked out, and well... you saw the news, right?"
"Oh yeah, I thought we'd have to cancel our ski trip because of the curfew. ...he really went to all that to keep you guys together for Christmas, huh?"
"Yeah, his heart was in the right place, but he wasn't thinkin' ahead... kinda like me today, you know? All I could think of was jammin' with Mick Swagger, and it made me forget what I had right here in front of me... the most rockin' girlfriend ever."
"Hey, no worries," said Sam, tightening her embrace around Luna, both to show how much she still cared about her, but also to keep herself warm... despite the lack of snow, it was a really cold night. "If your little brother would go to all that trouble to keep you around for Christmas, I think I can keep you around as my girlfriend."
"Thanks, Sam... I promise, I'll make it up to ya," said Luna, nuzzling her forehead against Sam's and smiling softly. "...I guess it's too late to come with you guys on your trip, huh?"
"Actually, we've still got room for you," replied Sam. "As long as your brother doesn't mind."
Luna laughed, letting out a sigh and shaking her head.
"Don't worry, he knows he messed up... and he'll have plenty of time to think about what he did, 300 hours of community service for driving his sharkodile through the mall. ...you're sure you want me around after-"
"Of course, I already told you we're back together, don't worry about it! Just be ready at noon, we'll come pick you up at your place."
"Thanks, Sam," said Luna, tightening her arms around Sam once again, a grateful smile on her face as another tear started to come to her eye. "I won't let you down again, I promise."
"I know," Sam replied, looking into Luna's eyes with a warm and tender smile. "...Merry Christmas, Luna."
Sam leaned up, and Luna leaned in, and the two shared a passionate kiss, a kiss so warm that even the coldest of breezes couldn't make them shiver. After a few seconds, they parted, and Sam looked slightly disappointed. For a moment, Luna was worried that it had been the kiss, but then Sam began to speak.
"Now I'm really bummed about missing you at the Christmas tree lighting," said Sam, sighing. "Mom and dad saw you and your family on the news and tried to get me to watch, but I was too upset to look at you... I missed your big performance."
"Well, it's probably already up on Youtube," said Luna, starting to pull out her phone. "I could- no, wait a second, I have a better idea."
Luna picked up her guitar, and began strumming as Sam watched excitedly, a wide smile on her face.
"It's Christmastime, and our hearts are free..."
O-O-O
And later that day, after sleeping for a few hours, opening presents, and sliding down a hill of fake snow on Lincoln's brand new toboggan, Luna was ready for the ski trip. Sam's family arrived a short time after the Loud family returned from their brief toboggan run, and as the family got together to see Luna off, Sam stepped onto the front lawn to greet her. As she did, her eyes went wide, looking all around at the fake snow that still covered the house and its surroundings.
"Lisa, right?" asked Sam, though she already knew the answer.
"Oh yeah," Luna replied, smiling proudly at her genius little sister. "If the snow thins out up at the slopes, maybe we could have her fly up from Miami."
"Don't worry, my weather monitoring equipment predicts excellent snowfall all week at the ski resort where you and Sam will be staying," said Lisa, holding up a piece of digital equipment resembling a slightly thicker smartphone. "But do remember to watch out for avalanches... and wolves."
"Not too worried about wolves, animals love Sam," said Luna. She gestured toward her girlfriend, who was at the moment high-fiving and hugging Lana. "I'll miss you guys while I'm up there though... I'll try to video chat every day!"
As Sam parted from Lana, and Lisa walked away, Luna walked over to Sam and the two started to head toward her family's van... only for Lincoln to step in front of them.
"Aw, c'mon little bro, we talked about this," said Luna, smiling and rubbing her fist on top of Lincoln's head. "We'll hang out next week, maybe we can ride your toboggan again if it snows for real."
"It's not that," said Lincoln sheepishly. "Well, mostly... Sam, I'm sorry I tried to mess up your trip with Luna. When I heard you guys broke up, I felt awful... you make Luna really happy, and you're super nice to Lana, and... you're just awesome to have around, and I'm glad you decided to take Luna back. Please don't be mad at her for what happened, it was all me and Clyde's fault, and-"
"Hey, it's okay, I'm not mad at Luna or you," said Sam, smiling. "And don't worry... I totally get why you wanted to hang out with Luna so much, she is really cool, isn't she?"
Sam smiled back at Luna, who was blushing slightly. Then she turned back to Lincoln.
"Hey, I heard you have to do a whole bunch of community service."
"Yeah, but I deserve it," said Lincoln, bowing his head.
"Well... I'm gonna try to pull some strings and let you serve some of that community service at the animal shelter with me and Lana, you think that'd be okay?"
"That... sounds like it might be fun!" said Lincoln, his eyes lighting up. "Uh... I won't have to pick up any poop, will I?"
"Don't worry, Lana's already got dibs on all the poop cleaning duty," replied Sam with a giggle. "And sometimes Luna comes and hangs out at the shelter too, so you'll be able to spend time with two of your siblings while you're doing your service."
"Gotta warn ya, me and Sam might prank you for some of the stuff you pulled yesterday," said Luna with a mischievous smirk.
"Can't say I don't deserve it," Lincoln replied, still looking a bit guilty. "Sam, it'd be really fun to get to hang out with you and Lana and Luna, but... why are you trying to help me? You don't owe me anything, especially after everything me and Clyde put you and Luna through."
"I love your family, and I want to get to know you guys better," Sam replied. "In fact, maybe next Christmas I can come hang out with your family... if it's okay with all of you, that is."
"Of course it'd be okay with me, and I'm sure it'd be okay with everyone else!" said Luna. Sam looked up and could already see several of the Louds nodding their acceptance, eager to spend time with Sam next Christmas if she decided to come over. "I mean, if our plans don't change, anyway... we might spend next Christmas together, but if something comes up..."
Lincoln nodded.
"I've learned that Christmas isn't just about being together in the same place, but it's about being together in your heart, and if things don't go according to plan, we'll still be family through thick and thin."
"Sounds like you all really had an exciting Christmas," said Sam, smiling warmly. "Speaking of exciting, we'd better get going... Luna, you still coming?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Sam," Luna replied, giving her parents and siblings one last hug before walking over to Lincoln and hugging him tightly. "And I'll miss you guys... especially you, little bro."
"I'll miss you too, Luna... I'm glad you and Sam are back together... have fun on your trip!"
"You too, Lincoln."
With one last wave, Luna climbed into the van with Sam, the two of them holding hands as they took the middle seat together. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled, before Luna took one last look out the window at her family.
I'm so lucky to have all of you... and you too, Sam...
Luna could feel Sam's head resting on her shoulder as the van pulled out of the driveway. She knew this trip was going to be the start of something truly special... nearly a whole week together with her girlfriend Sam, skiing and meeting her family and spending more time with each other than they ever had before.
And whatever happened on the trip, Luna knew she'd have her family, with all their quirks and faults and all the crazy things they did together.
Sam looked up into Luna's eyes, not regretting for a moment that she'd taken her back. She knew Luna was telling the truth when she said all those things last night, and as upset as she'd been with her before, she felt so glad to be back with her now.
I guess the only reason I was so upset was because you mean so much to me... and I think last night you finally realized that. Things are going to be different now... and I know it's only going to get better from here.
The two looked into each other's eyes, unable to shake the smiles from their faces. Both of them were thinking the exact same thing.
Sam...
Luna...
...you totally rock.