The soft patter of raindrops drumming against the glass window pane formed a quiet background him in the otherwise silent room. A light rain had been falling pretty much all day. Nicole Green was curled up in a comfy armchair by the window, reading a book. The teenage girl took a sip of her hot cocoa before returning to the exploits of Miss Katherine Worthington, Steampunk Detective!

Just when she was about to discover whether the heroine had escaped the clutches of the nefarious sky-pirates, Nicole was interrupted from her reading by the chiming of her cellphone. As she glanced at the number, Nicole noted the call was from her best friend, Rachel.

"Hey, Rachel!" She said, answering the phone. "What's up? I thought you were babysitting the Peterson boys tonight?" She remembered how, back in the summer, during a squirt gun fight, the two brothers had captured Rachel and her and held the two girls for a "ransom".  

"I am," Nicole friend replied. "It's going very well. In fact, why don't you come on over? We're having a lot of fun!" In the background, Nicole heard a pair of muffled sniggers.

She sighed. "Let me guess…they've got you tied up…"

"Well…yeah…" Rachel said, sheepishly. "It's bit of a long story."

"I'll bet…" Nicole said, with a grin.

"Anyway, they wanted me to ask if you want to come over and play with us."

Nicole shrugged. "Well, I suppose I didn't have any other plans this evening…why not? Give me ten minutes and I'll be over there." Hanging up, Nicole finished off the last of her hot chocolate and reached for her boots…


Ten minutes later, Nicole pulled up in front of the Peterson's house, parking behind Rachel's battered old car. Scrunching down in her jacket, Nicole got out of the car and dashed through the rain up the path to the front door, and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened.

"Hey!" Rachel said, grinning. "We've been waiting for you to get here." She stepped aside and waved Nicole inside. Nicole slipped off her coat and hung it in the hall closet. Underneath it, the young woman was wearing a grey turtleneck sweater, a knee length skirt, black stockings and calf-high boots. Rachel was wearing a light blue blouse, khaki pants and sneakers.

"Is that Nicole?" A boy called out from somewhere in the house. "Can we start now?"

"Yeah, Nicole's here! We'll start in two minutes!" Rachel shouted back. She turned, smiling. "The two have been a little antsy all evening, seeing as how they've been cooped up in here all day with the rain."  She led Nicole through the house into the kitchen. A Monopoly set was lying on the kitchen able, open. "We're playing "Cops and Robbers" right now…" she explained. "You get to be the bank teller!"

"Alright." Nicole nodded. She stepped around the table and sat down on the chair. Primly, she adjusted her glassed. In her most proper voice she announced, "Next!"

Grinning, Rachel stepped up to the table. "Hello. I'd like to make a withdrawal today."

"Certainly, ma'am." Nicole nodded. Reaching over, she began to count out bills of monopoly money. Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open and two boys rushed in. "Freeze! This is a stick up!" they yelled, waving toy pistols in the air. Nicole had to struggle not to laugh and to look properly scared. The two brothers had fashioned masks out of paper and some string, colored in crayon.

"Oh no! Please don't hurt me!" she wailed, raising her hands in the air. Beside her, Rachel did the same.

"Just do what we tell you to do and you won't get hurt." Jimmy growled. His brother, Hank, stepped forward holding an empty pillow case. "All the money in the bag!" He ordered.

Playing along, Nicole nodded, scooping handfuls of monopoly money into the sack. Grinning behind their masks, the two boys danced around the kitchen. "We're rich!" They shouted triumphantly.

"Hey!" Jimmy said, "You know what we need now...We need a couple hostages!" Hank nodded, eagerly. They both turned to the two teenage girls. "Sorry ladies…looks like you two are coming with us!" The girls played along, pleading for the two not to kidnap them.

Hank reached into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out several tangled shoe laces. He hurriedly spent the next few minutes trying to untangle the cords. "Alright!" He said, at last. "Hands behind your back!" Trying to hide her grin, Rachel turned, crossing her hands to let the younger boy tie her.

Jimmy, meanwhile, turned to Nicole, raising his toy pistol. "You to, doll!" He said, in his best gangster accent. Nodding in mock fear, Nicole stepped around the table and presenting her own hands for binding. Her eyes widened with surprise as Jimmy quickly lashed her wrists with the shoelace. Looks like Rachel had been teaching them a thing or two since Nicole had last met them.

"We'd better blindfold them, so they don't find out where our secret hideout is!" Jimmy suggested. Hank nodded and ran out of the room. A moment later, he returned with several brightly colored bandanas. The two babysitters knelt down, to let the boys tie the cloth over their eyes.

"Time to get out of here…before the coppers come!" Jimmy said. He prodded Nicole in the back with the barrel of his toy gun. "Start walking ladies!"

"You'll never get away with this, you crooks!" Rachel said, defiantly. She and Nicole struggled back to their feet. Guided by soft tugs and pushes, the two prisoners were marched out of the kitchen and through the house. Nicole grinned as she was led, helpless, to whatever destination they had in mind. There was something enjoyable about behind completely helpless, having no clue where you were behind taken, or what might happen to you. Knowing it was all just a game didn't lessen that feeling any. Rather, she felt safe, knowing nothing really bad would happen.

"Alright ladies might as well make yourselves comfortable!" Jimmy grinned, as he and Hank helped the girls into a sitting position on what felt like a couch. "After all, you might be here for some time!" Nicole felt one of the boys kneel and quickly bind her feet with another shoelace. Presumably, Rachel was also getting the same treatment. She heard a rustle of paper as the two boys began sorting the play money.

"Don't you two know; crime never pays!" Rachel said. "Police, Help Police!" She called out in mock terror.

"Guess we'll have to keep the two of you quiet!" Hank said, standing up. Nicole heard the ripping of duct tape. Rachel's mock cries for help suddenly turned into a muffled groan as the boys slapped a strip of tape across her mouth.

"Your turn!" Hank said with a giggle, smoothing tape over Nicole's lips. The two teenage girls kept of a chorus of soft "mmmppphhh's!" as their captors sat down to divide the loot. Just then, a police siren suddenly wailed into life, outside the room.

"It's the coppers!" the two boys cried, jumping up. "Run for it!" The two boys ran out of the room, making more noise than a herd of elephants, leaving the two tied up girls sitting side by side on the couch.

A moment later, the siren died down and Jimmy shouted from the other side of the door. "This is the police! We have the place surrounded! Come out with your hands up!" The two boys reentered the room, this time as the police. "Anyone in here?" Hank called out.

The girls grunted into their gags, calling for help. "Hold on, ladies!" Hank said, as they ran over. "We'll have you free in a moment!" Before long, the two babysitters were unbound, and ungagged. As Nicole's blindfold was removed, she saw the two brothers had traded their masks for paper stars, taped to their t-shirts.

"My heroes!" Rachel said, pretending to swoon. She leaned over and kissed Hank on the cheek.

"Just doing our jobs, ma'am…" Hank replied, blushing.

"Why don't you two go and plan the next game." Rachel suggested. Nodding, the boys hurried out of the room. "So Nicole, how'd you like the game?"

"That was pretty fun." Nicole nodded, standing up. Rachel meanwhile stepped out of the room for a moment. When she returned, she held up her iPhone.

"I set a timer, with the siren for the alarm." Rachel explained. "Just to remind the boys they're playing cops and robbers…"

Nicole grinned in reply. Together, the two girls quickly cleaned up the mess Hank and Jimmy had left, shoe-laces, bandana's, balled up tape, not to mention the pile of monopoly money all over the floor. Just as they finished, Nicole heard the two call out from upstairs, "Come on! We're ready!"