Moonlight Dwelling

"Why is Dead Girl coming with us?"

Ned looked over at Emerson who was driving.

"She knows where all the good pies can be found."

Emerson just nodded because he loved pie. The girl should pull her weight since Ned insisted on bringing her each time.

"I sense pie with my nose to the left."

Emerson turned left and sure enough found a Polly's Pie The three got out of the car and sat down in a booth. Chuck sat next down to Emerson so she wouldn't accidentally touch Ned and become dead again.

"Can I take your order?"

"Coffee and a slice of cherry pie."

Emerson practically drooled at the thought of pie soon touching his lips.

The waitress whose name tag said Dolly turned to Chuck and said, "And for you honey?"

"I'll have fries and a Coke."

Dolly turned to Ned who was looking through the menu.

"I'll have a hot oil sundae."

Dolly put in the order. She grabbed a pot of coffee and brought it back to the table. She poured Emerson a cup of coffee and went to get him a slice of pie.

"Why am I the only one getting pie?"

"I just felt like having a sundae."

"Oh Emerson we'll need to get some hot fudge so keep a look out for a gas station."

"Okay Dead Girl."

"Stop calling me that. Do you want me to start calling you Pooh?"

Emerson thought about the time he got stuck in the window and shuddered.

"I'll try."

"Here you go one hot oil sundae and a slice of pie. I'll be back with your fries and Coke honey."

"So where are we going Emerson?"

"A town called Sunnydale."

Ned wondered why Emerson would go on a road trip to some town with such an odd name.

"Here you go."

Dolly placed a plate of fries in front of Chuck and put down her coke. She grabbed a straw out of her pocket.

"Thank you."

Chuck reached for the ketchup and poured some in the plate.

"Why Sunnydale?"

"If you must know Dead I mean Chuck I'm going to see an old friend. And why do you go by Chuck anyway?"

"Charlotte is too much of a mouthful."

Ned looked at Chuck wishing he could touch her without plastic between them. Maybe he could find a witch in Sunnydale since Emerson said it wasn't some sleepy little hamlet. He mentioned that it was on a Hellmouth whatever that was.

"Whatever!"

They finished eating and went back to the car. Ned and Chuck fell asleep while Emerson kept driving.

"Wake up you two we're here."

"Here where?"

"At my friend's house."

Emerson got out of the car. There was an odd gray car parked on the street.

"What a strange car."

Ned looked at it and said, "I wonder who would drive that thing."

"I don't know. I think it's kind of cute."

Chuck smiled at Ned and he smiled back. He held his hands behind his back pretending he was holding her hand while she did the same.

"Are you two going to stand out here making eyes at each other?"

Emerson walked up to the door and knocked. A guy that looked like a librarian wearing glasses opened the door.

"Emerson it's good to see you come in."

"Rupert."

They walked inside.

"Ned, Chuck this is Rupert Giles."

Giles asked if they'd like anything to drink. He went into the kitchen to put on a pot of tea.

Chuck whispered to Ned, "Do you think he works in a library?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

Giles walked back into the room.

"So what can I do for you Emerson?"

"The Nibblets have escaped. I need your help. We need to find the Sacred Jello."

"Put away your sock puppet Xander."

Xander and Anya walked in.

Hey G Man."

"Do stop calling me that Xander."

"So what's up?"

"Xander, Anya meet Emerson, Ned, and Chuck."

"Hi."

"Can we go now and have sex?"

"Anya this would be one of those things we don't talk about in front of other people."

The kettle boiled so Giles went into the kitchen for the tea.

"Xander do you know where Willow is?"

"She's doing some spelling with Tara."

"I need someone to look something up on that dread machine."

"Giles come into this century. Maybe I can help I'm no stranger to a computer."

Even though he wasn't a fan of computers he finally bought one,

"So what are we looking for?"

"The Sacred Jello."

Xander looked up at Giles.

"You're kidding right?"

"No Xander."

"Finally I have the knowledge."

Xander felt like a useless lump at times so it was great to have the answer for once.

"My Uncle Rory is the Guardian of the Jello."

"You need to call him immediately."

"He's at my place visiting my folks."

"Just get the Sacred Jello we won't need your Uncle."

Giles shuddered at the thought of that man because he couldn't help but remember that one time he saw him in his underwear.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Help yourself to the mothballs."

Xander and Anya went back to his house.

Giles found Willow at Tara's dorm room.

"Willow I need you to come with me."

"What's wrong Giles?"

"The Nibblets are on the loose."

"What about the Sacred Jello?"

"Xander's taking care of that."

"Oh right Uncle Rory."

Giles looked at Tara.

"We need your help Tara."

"I'd be glad to help."

Giles drove back to his place with Willow and Tara.

"Tea anyone?"

"Got anything stronger?"

Giles pointed to the bookcase. Emerson walked over to the bottle of Moonshine.

"This will hit the spot."

Spike walked in without knocking.

"Giles did I leave any blood over here?"

"Oh great Spike just who I didn't want to see. Just grab it and go."

Spike noticed three strangers. It was odd that the guy and girl who obviously loved each other judging by the googley eyes weren't sitting right next to each other. It made him want to heave. He went into the kitchen and found a pack of blood in the fridge. He poured it in a mug and heated it up in the microwave.

"Why don't you take Dead Girl outside."

Spike walked out to the living room with his mug of blood.

"Dead GIrl? She isn't a vampire."

Spike walked over to Chuck but Ned stood up so Spike walked into him. There was a spark and a pounding sounded in Spike's ears.

"What the bloody hell?"

Spike felt the side of his neck.

"I have a pulse. What are you?"

Giles had heard of a rare power that allowed a person to bring someone back to life. It only made sense that the reverse would be true.

"You're a Daisy Pusher?"

Ned had never heard of this because he never knew what to call his power.

"I am?"

Spike pointed at Chuck and said, "She was dead wasn't she?"

Emerson and Ned looked at each other.

"Don't you know?"

"No. I'm not even sure where this power came from."

Giles sat down on the couch.

"It's a rare gift when a child's born to the chorus of resounding farts by all in the room."

It sounded silly to Ned but he was able to bring the dead back to life. Since his Mother died when he was little and his Father abandoned him Ned couldn't talk to anyone about what he could do. It was just chance that led Emerson to finding out about his secret and of course Chuck knew because he brought her back to life.

"So am I human again?

Ned was confused but since the very blonde man mentioned blood he thought vampire.

"Are you a vampire?"

"Well I was until you touched me."

"I could try touching you again."

"What would that do?"

"It makes the person dead again which is why I can never touch Chuck again or she'll die."

"Hands off mate I don't want to turn into a big pile of dust."

"Perhaps another Daisy Pusher could help."

That sounded great to Ned but if this Giles was right Daisy Pushers didn't grow on trees.

"Could my Father have this power?"

"It's possible since it can pass from father to son if you're an only child."

Ned hadn't seen his Father in years so he had no idea whether his Father had other children that he didn't abandon.

"I'm back with the Jello ladies and gents."

Anya and Xander walked in. He was holding a bright yellow Tupperware bowl.

"Giles do you have the spell?"

Willow and Tara got up from the floor where they were talking and walked over.

"You'll need to do this outside."

Giles handed Willow the book and went over to his chest to get some candles.

"I'll get the carrots.

Tara went into the kitchen to grab two carrots from the carrot jar.

"Okay Tara let's do this."

The others stayed inside to watch The Smurfs while Tara and Willow were casting the spell.

Outside Willow lit the candles and Tara put a carrot in each ear. Willow picked up the bowl of Jello and took the lid off.

"It's so pretty."

It sparkled and wiggled.

"Ready Tara?"

"Yes."

They both said the spell.

"Under the night sky
We summon Jello Power
Bind the Nibblets
End your reign of terror
Back into the abyss we send"

Willow started doing the hokey pokey for the next part of the spell while Tara took the carrots out of her ears and lit them on the end that was in her ear because ear wax helped juice up the spell. She set them down and stood back to yodel while walking counterclockwise.

"Okay that should do it."

A brown mist blew through the courtyard accompanied by the smell of chocolate.

"We did it baby."

Willow kissed Tara. They went back inside holding hands. Giles called for a peppermint pizza to celebrate banishing the Nibblets.

"I'm going to ask her."

To Be Continued...

By Barbara Desmond