It did indeed appear to be a nice day for a walk as Illya Kuryakin and Marion Raven set out from UNCLE headquarters on their way back to Marion's apartment. The evil plan of Harold Bufferton and Gervaise Ravel to use a fear-inducing gas to control the world had just been thwarted, and the Russian looked forward to getting to know the beautiful blonde better.
All of a sudden Marion felt a raindrop land on her nose, and without warning, the sky opened up and unleashed torrents of rain onto the sidewalks of New York City.
"Quick! In here!" Illya urged Marion, tugging her in the direction of a quaint little shop on the corner. They were barely inside the door when a bolt of lightning struck the place on the sidewalk where the two of them had been standing just five minutes before.
"Oh my God!" Marion cried, clinging to Illya. She shielded her ears as the loud clap of thunder sounded right afterwards.
As if that weren't bad enough, the next bolt of lightning hit the power lines, causing the light in the store to immediately go out.
"Well, it looks as if we are going to be here for awhile," Illya said glumly.
"I don't like being in the dark during thunderstorms." Marion's voice was shaky as she clung to Illya.
"What we have both just survived was worse than this," the UNCLE agent pointed out.
"I know, but being in the dark during thunderstorms has always given me the creeps," Marion replied. "My mother died during a thunderstorm."
"Did she?"
"She was driving home in the rain one night and never made it. The next day, the police found her inside her wrecked car. She'd lost control and driven right into a tree. Her neck was broken, and she died instantly."
"Now that father's gone as well, I feel all alone in the world for the first time. Sure I still have my friends, but none of them care for me the way my parents did."
"Bednaya devotchka," Illya said sympathetically.
After what seemed like a very long time, the thunder and lightning finally stopped, and the rain eased up enough that they were able to continue their journey back to Marion's apartment.
They arrived just in time to see a masked man climbing out of a broken window carrying Marion's television set. The man saw them coming and dropped the set and ran. Quick as a flash, Illya was after him, tackling and subduing him while Marion called the police.
"You're lucky you came home when you did," one of the policemen told Illya and Marion when they arrived. "Burglars have been using the recent rash of thunderstorms as an opportunity to break into homes and steal valuables. If you'd arrived five minutes later, you would have been too late."
"Will you stay and let me fix you a cup of tea?" Marion asked Illya after the police had arrested the burglars and taken them to jail. "I don't really feel like being alone right now."
"Of course I'll stay," Illya assured her. "Later, we can curl up on your divan and listen to the kind of music you like," he added with a grin.
And that was exactly what they did.