Toby ran, trying to get what had just happened out of his head. He didn't stop until he had run at least three blocks. All this was just a bit much to take in all at once. True, he'd known Luna for a long time and he did like her, but he'd never thought of her in a romantic situation before. And this made the issue with Pete that much more difficult. This is just great, he thought. Pete's been on my case about Luna being my girlfriend, and now it turns out that she really does want to be my girlfriend!

"I've got to find a way to deal with this," he said to himself. "There's got to be a sane answer to this."

But try as he might, nothing he could think of seemed right. He didn't like the thought of just not talking to Luna anymore. Crazy or not, she was still his friend. Tell her, "Thanks, but no thanks?" What if she persisted? There was only one thing he could think of to do.

Toby went to his father's house. If anyone knows how to deal with a problem like this, he should, he thought. He stopped at the door. He knew that he was always welcome, but he didn't want to barge in, so although there was a pet flap he scratched on the door.

"I'm coming," said the familiar voice of his father. A moment later Rex poked his head through the door. "Toby?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a bit of a problem," Toby said. "And I was hoping you might be able help me out."

Rex came the rest of the way out the dog door. "Well, I'm off duty right now, but okay, let's go."

"Um, it's not that kind of problem, Dad," Toby explained. "It's more of a sit-down-and-talk kind of problem."

Rex nodded, relieved that he wouldn't have to go outside and face the cold. "Okay, come on in." He pulled his head back in through the pet flap, and Toby followed. The two of them sat down by the fireplace. "So what's the problem?" asked Rex.

Toby wondered where to begin. "Well," he said, "Luna was acting kind of weird last week, and today she was telling me about this guy she likes, and I asked who it was."

"Jealous?" asked Rex.

"No, of course not!" Toby exclaimed. "But it turns out the one she likes is…" He hung his head, almost too embarrassed to speak. "Me."

Rex's eyebrows lifted a notch. "Okay, didn't see that one coming," he said. "So what'd you do about it?"

"Well…" Toby hesitated. He never thought he'd find himself in this situation. After a few seconds to gather himself, he said finally, "I ran."

Rex winced. "As much as I hate to put salt in a wound, that may not have been the smartest thing to do."

"What would you have done?" asked Toby.

Rex smiled. "I probably would have done the same thing."

Toby snorted. "I can see why you think it's so funny. You don't have to worry about it."

Rex shook his head. "Now Toby, I'm not trying to laugh at your expense. Don't get me wrong, I understand how serious this is."

"So what should I do?" asked Toby.

Rex sighed. "Well, you have to understand a few things about girls," he began.

"Oh, no," Toby groaned. "Not the talk. Freddie had it with his dad, and now they're not speaking to each other.

Rex rolled his eyes. "Well, this is a bad sign," he said. "But don't worry, I'll try not to embarrass either one of us too much. And if you'd rather not talk about it right now then perhaps later would be better. But there are a few things you should know right now."

Toby groaned. "Fire away," he said.

Rex nodded. "Well first of all," he began, "at Luna's age, it's perfectly normal for her to be attracted to boys. And since she knows you and spends a lot of time with you, it's not so surprising that she's zeroed in on you."

Toby let out a groan, dropping to the floor and putting his paws over his head as if he were facing a firing squad. "So what you're saying is that by being her friend, I've been setting myself up for this all this time."

Rex smiled. "Well, I wouldn't have said it quite like that. But then, I probably should have guessed that it would sound that way. Personally, I think it's really very flattering that out of all the boys in Nome, she likes you."

"Flattering?" asked Toby. "Flattening is more like it if you ask me."

Rex laughed. "I suppose it's only natural for you to think that. They say girls start liking boys before boys start liking girls. But tell me, how do want this to play out?"

"I don't know," answered Toby. "I guess it would be good to wake up and find out this was all a nightmare. Ow!" Rex had slapped Toby on the shoulder. "What was that for?"

"I was testing to see if you're asleep," answered Rex. "Next solution?"

Toby thought about it. "Well, doesn't a crush usually wear off?"

Rex shrugged. "Sometimes it does," he answered. "And sometimes it doesn't."

Toby didn't like the sound of that. "Did you ever have a problem like this?"

"Well, not really. I was always wrapped up in police work at your age, so I never paid much attention to girls. The closest I've ever come to what you're going through now would be the way I met your mother."

"Not helping, Dad."

"Well," Rex said defensively, "I'm only telling it to you as I experienced it."

"So what should I do?" asked Toby in despair.

"Tell me something," said Rex, staring at Toby intently. "Is it really the thought of a relationship that bothers you, or is it more Pete's teasing?"

Toby shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "I mean, it doesn't help that Pete's been on my case about it. But…" He shuddered. "Well, it's just so weird. I mean, Luna's my friend."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "And assuming you had to pick someone to go out with I suppose you'd rather be dating your worst enemy?"

"Well, no, but…" Toby tried to come up with a response, but he couldn't think of anything to say. "I guess you're right about that."

Rex nodded. "Well, this may seem like I'm pushing you and Luna together, but may I point out that your mother and I started off as friends."

"I'm not looking for anything like…like you and mom. I just want this to be over!" Then out of curiosity he asked, "So how did it go for you and Mom? I mean…you know, how you met?"

"Well, that's a bit of a long story. I think it would help if you understood that your mother and Pete's father had the same master, so they lived together. But when Pete's father died, she was so heartbroken she couldn't bear to be near anyone or anything that reminded her of him. So she ran away from home and became a street dog."

"So that's why she spent those weeks on the street that she's always talking about," Toby realized. "But what does it have to do with you?"

"More than you think. You see, a lot of the street dogs weren't so happy about a housedog intruding on their turf, so she got into a lot of fights she didn't want. And one day, while I was going for a walk…"

"You?" asked Toby incredulously. "Out for a stroll? But you never go outside unless you're on duty."

Rex's paw strayed to his thin fur. "Well, it was summertime, and the chief said I should get some exercise. And it's a good thing he made me do it, because I found your mother caught up in a fight with three other dogs. I wasn't such a great fighter, but I managed to drive them off. Then once I had calmed her down enough that she could talk, I convinced her to tell me her story and then I persuaded her to go home. And, since it just so happened that she lived nearby, we saw each other quite a bit after that. We became friends and, well…by and by, we fell in love."

"Well, I'm not quite sure I want it to go that way for me and Luna," Toby said, half-fibbing. Now that the subject had been brought to his attention, he couldn't deny that the idea of him and Luna getting hitched was at least a little appealing. AI just want to be friends with her, that's all. I don't want it to get romantic."

"Well, in that case, you'd better go talk to her before she becomes too upset to be your friend."

"Okay," Toby said, heading for the door. He thought that was the end of it, but something wouldn't let his mind rest. "Dad?" he asked.

"Yes?"

Toby gulped, deciding it was time to confront that badgering in the back of his mind. "Well, lately I've been thinking a lot about Luna. When she started acting weird, I was worried. Really worried, more than when she's been sick before. So the truth is…that I think I do sort of like her."

"Well, if you like her and she likes you, what's the problem?"

"Well, having a girlfriend seems like a lot of pressure. I mean, what if I do or say something stupid and end up looking like a moron in front of her?"

Rex thought about that. "Ah, yes. The pressure to impress her. Tell me, when you two are together, just as friends, are you worried about making a mistake?"

"No, why?"

"Well, if she likes you warts and all as a friend, she'll probably like you any other way too. In light of the hospital incident, it's pretty obvious that she knows you're not perfect and accepts you anyway."

Toby winced. That incident had been an accident, but he still felt guilty sometimes when it was mentioned. "Could we please not bring that up?"

"Hey, I'm just saying that if she knows you're not perfect, it takes a load off your shoulders."

Toby shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'll give you one more piece of advice, Toby."

"What's that?"

"Don't rush into anything. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. When your mother and I realized we were becoming attracted to each other, we took it one step at a time and thought things through. Neither of us wanted her to get heartbroken again." He shrugged. "Of course, Luna may prove to be a bit impatient sometimes, but she seems like she'd understand in this case."

"Okay," said Toby, glancing at the window. "It's getting dark. I'd better get going." He headed for the door. "Hey Dad?" he added, looking back at his father just before he slipped out. "Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes."

"It was my pleasure," said Rex with a grin as Toby stepped out into the gathering dusk. "Good luck, son."

Luna walked down the road, head hanging, ears drooping and tail dragging. I've really done it now, she thought miserably. I've blown it, messed things up, and probably lost my best friend. She was so busy dwelling on her problem that she didn't realize she had walked past her parents' house until she heard running feet behind her.

"Luna, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Luna, come on. Tell me what happened."

"Mom, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Which probably means you should."

Luna spun around with her eyes burning. "I blew it, okay!" she snapped. "I completely blew it. I choked, I panicked, I scared him off, and I don't think he'll ever speak to me again!"

"Ouch," said Taya. "That doesn't sound good." Then she noticed some of the other dogs on their street were staring at them, surprised by Luna's outburst. "Come on, let's go somewhere we can talk about it alone." The two dogs found a quiet spot and sat down. "Now, tell me what happened."

"Well," said Luna, "I started off just like you said. I told him there was a guy I liked, and he took that just fine. But when he asked me who it was…" She started to choke. "I tried to say it was someone he might know, but when I opened my mouth, out it came."

"Ouch," commented Taya, wincing. "So then what happened?"

"Well, he looked at me as if I'd attacked him or something, and when I tried to explain, he ran off."

"I'm sorry, Luna."

Luna hung her head. "No, it's my fault; I'm the one who blew your advice." She started to cry. "I've completely messed it up, and probably lost my best friend."

"Now hold on, Luna. You two will still be friends. He'll get over it."

Luna was near tears by now. "But what if he doesn't want to talk to me anymore? How am I supposed to speak to him after…after…" She sank to the ground and broke into heaving sobs.

"Don't worry," said Taya, trying to console her. "These things are rarely easy. It certainly wasn't for your father and me. But Toby's a good dog. It'll be all right, you'll see."

"But what if it doesn't get better?" Luna sobbed. "What if he thinks I've gone crazy or something? What if he doesn't want to see me anymore? What if he―"

"Luna, stop it," Taya commanded firmly. "Get a hold of yourself. We've all known Toby for a long time, and you know just as well as I do that he's not one to end a friendship just because there's some rough ground."

Luna looked up and stared into her mother's soft, loving eyes. "You really think so?" she asked, starting to calm down. "You really think he'll still wanna be my friend?"

"If nothing else, absolutely," Taya said with a firm nod. "Toby's a very good dog. One of the best I've met since your father. He won't cut you loose and leave you out to dry."

Luna sighed, then sniffled, "You're awfully sure about that, Mom. I wish I had your confidence."

"You already do, honey," Taya said softly. "That and more. You just haven't realized it yet." She kissed her daughter's cheek. "Now, would you do me a favor?" Luna nodded. "Go home and get some sleep. And when you wake up, carefully think through what you want to do next. It'll save us all a lot of worry."

Luna got up, sniffing. "Okay," she said, heading for home. "Thanks, Mom."

Taya smiled. "Anytime." Then she too turned and went home, where she sat staring out the front window.

After a while Copper joined her. "What's up?" he asked.

Taya sighed. "Luna."

"She's still got a crush on Toby, huh?"

Taya nodded. "She tried to tell him today…it didn't go too well."

"Is she okay?"

"I talked to her and it seemed to help. She's worried that she might lose Toby's friendship now that this has come up."

"I wouldn't count on it. Toby doesn't seem like the type to let something like that get between him and a friend. I've seen this kind of thing sort itself out before."

Taya nodded and leaned against Copper, staring out the window for a long time. "That's what I told her," she said, Abut she's having a hard time taking it in." Then with a start, she saw Toby come running down the street. "Where do you think he's going?" she wondered.

"I don't know, but there's one way to find out," said Copper, slipping out the door. Taya was fast on his heels.