disclaimer: I do not own Emily of New Moon

"Emily this is insane!" Isle Burnley told her best friend.

"Ilse this is the only way to get money to save New Moon." Emily Starr insisted.

"But it's your best feature."

"Jeez, thanks Ilse." Emily said looking att he pair of scissors she held in her hands.

"Emily? Ilse?" Laura Murray called.

"Laura, hurry!" Ilse said.

"Ilse!"

"What's the matter?" Laura asked.

"I'm only trying to help get money for New Moon." Emily said.

"By cutting off her ebst feature." Ilse added.

"Emily, give me the scissors."

"Fine." Emily said as she handed them over.

"We may not have to be so hasty about this Emily. Uncle Malcolm is coming for a visit."

"Is he going to stay?"

"Only until New Moon gets back to the way it used to be."

"What about Cousin Isabelle?"

"No mentioning about her."

James Murray came upstairs. "There's a letter for you downstairs Sparrow." he said.

"Thanks, cousin Jimmy." she said as she and Ilse both gave him a hug and ran downstairs.

"What you doing with those scissors?" Jimmy asked Laura.

"Emily thought if she could cut and sell her hair she could make enough money to help us out."

"Poor, Sparrow."

Emily and Ilse took the letter into the parlor. "It's from Africa."

"Isn't that where Perry was stationed?"

Emily nodded as she opened the letter and read it out loud. "To whom it may concern. This is the War Department of KIA. We understand that you were a close friend of Perry Miller. We are sorry to say that he..." Emily couldn't finish.

"Emily..." Ilse said taking the letter from her pale faced friend. "We are sorry to say that he is dead. He was killed in action. We share your pain!" she looked at Emily. "Oh, Emily..."

Emily ran out of New Moon crying. "Emily!" Ilse called.

"What's wrong Ilse?" Laura asked as she and Jimmy came downstairs as Ilse handed them the letter.

"Oh, my." Laura said crying along with Jimmy and Ilse too.

Hours have passed and still no word on Emily. "We should go and look for her." Laura said as they got they're things on and went to the door. When the opened it a police officer was standing there. "Does she live here?" he asked showing Emily.

"Emily!" Laura said hugging her. "Thank you sir."

"Yes, well I found her up at the old gray house on the roof. Tell her suicide is taken very seriously now a days." he said leaving.

Teddy Kent saw a police officer leave New Moon and he hurried over. "What happened? Emily are you okay?"

"She's fine Teddy." Ilse said. "But not really." she said showing him the letter.

"Oh, Emily. I'm sorry." he said giving her a big hug.

"I'll go make us some tea." Laura said.

"He was cute." Ilse said.

"A great help on the farm." Jimmy said.

"A wonder to be around." Laura said.

"A nice friend." Teddy siad.

"A great kisser."

Teddy and Ilse looked at Emily, "When did you ever kiss Perry Miller?"

"The day Maid Flynn came back for little Ollie." Emily said as there was a knock on the door and she and Ilse went to answer it.

"Hello there." Aunt Thom said smiling.

Emily flung herself into her arms. "I'm so sorry." she said crying.

"Sorry, about what dear?"

"The death of your only nephew." Ilse said showing her the letter.

"Why didn't you tell me you wer edead boy?" she asked loudly.

"I didn't know I was dead." Perry said coming form behind Aunt Thom with a bandage around his arm.

Ilse and Emily squealed in delight as they tackled Perry to the ground with a big hug.

Laura, Jimmy, and Teddy got suspicious and gasped when they saw Perry, alive and well, except for the bandage on his arm.

"So what happened to your arm?" Ilse asked later that night while they were all in the barn.

"Some guy from the other side had this huge sword and cut me with it, it's not as bad as it looks though." he said. "So who all have slept in this bed besides me?"

"Just this guy named Jack Haszard." Emily said.

"She means a passionate stranger." Ilse said giggling.

"Huh?"

"While we were in Summersville for the essay to high school in Shrewsberry, Ilse peed in his camp, we took him with us, he wouldn't leave Emily alone, she bought his tuition inside there which was fifty cents, instead of writing the essay Emily wrote a little story about a passionate stranger."

"Don't forget that you knocked off every freckle off his face too." Ilse added.

"And it was the best kiss in the world I ever had." Teddy said smiling as Emily blushed and looked at her shoes.

"You two kissed?" Perry asked shocked.

"I'll say they did." Ilse said. "It was so revolting that I left. I have to go home. See you later guys." she said giving Perry a peck on the cheek and one to Teddy too.

"I have to get home too, or my mother will start to get worried." Teddy said. "Nice to see your alive Perry." he said giving Emily a quick kiss on the cheek and left.

"I'm so glad your okay, Perry." Emily said giving him a big hug as he returned it.

"So am I Emily, a lot of people died, I guess I was one of those lucky guys."

"It's been so lonely around here since you left." Emily said.

"I've missed you a lot, Emily."

"I missed you a lot too."

"About what I said to you before I left. There is a lot of things I wanted to tell you that I never got a chance to and a lot of things to do also."

"Like what, Perry?"

"I know we've done this before, but I want to do it again." he said leaning towards her and kissed Emily on the lips and to his surprise Emily kissed him back.

"Emily bedtime!" Laura called from the house. "We have a lot of things to do tomorrow morning!"

Emily and Perry slowly pulled away. "Good night Perry."

"G*night Emily." he said kissing her again as she went into the house.

The next morning after breakfast Emily and Perry were finishing up in the fields, as they put the crops into a wheelbarrow and both carried it back to the barn. Then they had to chop wood. "Watch." Emily said as she split a thin piece of wood.

"Where'd you learn that?"

"Jack." she said taking a thick piece and then she couldn't get it out.

"Well, now what do you do?" Perry asked smiling.

"I don't know, he never taught me. He left before he could."

Perry's face fell pale as a stranger came behind Emily and put his arms around her and places his hands on her over the axe. "You place your foot up and gently pull back, but first make sure no one is behind you."

Emily smiled. "Thanks, it's good to see you again."

"You too." he said smiling. "What no hello hug?"

Emily gave him a hug and he lifted her into the air and twirled her around twice, before setting her down giggling. Perry walked behind Emily and put his arm protectively around her. "You look different Mr. Jack Haszard."

"I look more grown up don't I?" he asked.

"Defiantly." Emily said smiling.

"Teddy, look Perry is not interested in Emily." Ilse insisted as they walked together to New Moon."

"Who really?" he asked as he saw Perry's arm around Emily.

"Teddy don't..."

"What the hell do you think you're doing Perry?" Teddy asked angrily.

"Huh?" Perry asked.

"Jack!" Ilse gasped.

"Hey, blondie."

"What are you doing back here?"

"I missed you two sweethearts of course." he said smiling. "And didn't I say that when I came back you two would be happy like hell to see me again."

'Dear father on the road to heaven,

Perry's back and a live and so is Jack. Ilse says that the three boys are completely smitten by me, but I'm not sure. I love Teddy, but I also have strong feelings for Perry too and also feelings for Jack as well. I shall never tell a soul about the kiss between me and Perry Miller, ever.

Love,

Emily Byrd Starr