"Oh no!" I groan. "Kai, Kai wake up!" Kai grumbles incoherently as I shake him awake. "Kai get up!"

"Jeez it feels early what time is it?" Kai mumbles, throwing his arm over his eyes.

"It's five o'clock but that's not the point! Get up and look outside!" I urge Kai, shoving him up and out of bed. Kai stumbles clumsily to the window.

"Goddess! Look at it outside! I have to go! I have to- Popuri!" Kai scrambles, now clearly wide awake, in a panic to get his clothes.

"You're not going anywhere it's not worth it!" I grab his arm effectively halting him. "You'll just be lost in the storm wandering around or worse. It's not worth it! The storm will die down and you'll be able to get there when it's over."

"Everything is ruined!" Kai flops down on the bed and I roll my eyes at the bravado. Kai is so very melodramatic, on one hand it's entertaining, on the other exhausting.

"Everything will be fine! The storm might die down by the end of the day. Even if it doesn't you're still here and you can explain everything to her later. Do you want some breakfast now that you're up?"

"How am I supposed to eat? All I can think about is the disappointment Popuri will feel when-" I groan and tune Kai's melodrama out. Honestly! It's not the end of the world. He will still get to propose to her even if his romantic ideas about proposing on the Starry Night Festival were ruined by the storm. I turn my attention to breakfast. Hmm, what should I make that Kai will eat? Immediately I hunt through the kitchen to find some bowls and fruit, carefully dicing the fruit and placing a bowl deliberately on the coffee table right in front of Kai. Immediately he stops his whining and eats his fruit. Pineapples are always Kai's weakness. I smile at my cleverness. "This is delicious!"

"You sound so surprised! I grew these myself!" I feign hurt.

"Well you're great! And great for letting me stay here you know," Kai smiles. We sit in comfortable silence eating our breakfast. BANG! There's a whirring sound and the power goes dead. "What was that?"

"Power outage," I shrug. "It happens."

"No wonder I hate wintertime," Kai grumbles. "Now there's going to be no heat!"

"Oh keep your shirt on! Power outages happen in the summer too you know. We'll survive, I have a fireplace," I mutter, grabbing some wood from the cabinet and starting a fire.

"Where's your dog?" Kai asks, coming up behind me and leaning on the kitchen counter.

"He's in the stable with the horse," I smile reassuringly. "Don't worry he's safe. All my animals are. I always keep extra food out just in case something like this happens."

"Good, good," Kai says distractedly. What am I supposed to say to him? He's so completely torn up over Popuri and not being able to see her today. Hm, what can I do to cheer him up? I grab the kettle off the stove and pour some water into it.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" I ask Kai.

"Yes please, I love hot chocolate!" Kai's eyes light up and I know that, for now at least, we can talk about something else and he won't be quite so depressed.

"When is this going to be over?" Kai whines. I sigh and put my book down for the umpteenth time today.

"I don't know Kai," I say, irritation clear in my voice. He glares at me sourly, his child-like impatience showing through. A sharp pounding on the door interrupts our glaring contest.

"Is that- a person?" Kai looks nervously at the door.

"I don't know what it is, it could just be a branch," I shrug.

"What if it's a person?"

"It's not a person."

"How do you know?" Kai asks, staring earnestly at me.

"If it is a branch and I open the door, we could be trapped in the house with an open door and no way to close it. Then we'll freeze to death," I reply, adding just the right amount of bravado to my voice. "But keep your shirt on, I'll look out the window and see if I can see anything."

Kai follows me to the window and peers over my head as we try to see something through the white void. There is more pounding on the door and a muffled shout that can clearly be heard over the roaring of the wind. I quickly go to the door.

"Kai I need you to stand behind me and hold the door," I instruct him, dragging him by the arm.

"Do you think its Popuri?" Kai asks hopefully.

"Why would it be Popuri? She doesn't know you're here remember? And would you really want her to be here with the storm?" I look at him in exasperation before turning back to the door. "Ready?"

"Go for it," I steel myself and try to resist the door as I open it, but the wind is too strong and it knocks me into Kai. Kai pushes against the door and me and I squint to see who is at my door.

"It doesn't look like there's anybody there!" I shout at Kai over the wind. Suddenly someone comes through the white. "Gray!" I shout, and pull him into the house. Kai waits for a break in the wind to slam the door shut and lock it. Gray stands shivering with his arms wrapped around himself. He's only wearing his thin jacket and work pants. His lips are blue and he looks like he's in shock. "Kai we've got to warm him up! Go get some blankets out of the closet or off my bed!"

"Right!" Kai shouts and bolts towards my bedroom.

"Gray? Gray are you okay?" I approach him and reach out to touch his forehead. He's cold as ice.

"C-c-c-c-" Gray is in no state to speak I realize.

"No, no, don't speak. Come on sit down," I wrap an arm around him and guide him to the chair in front of the fireplace.

"I've got the blankets," Kai is back and I quickly wrap Gray in four blankets. He sits in the chair, shivers violently wracking his body.

"I don't think this is going to help much, I'm going to run him a bath."

"A bath!" Kai shakes his head in disgust.

"Yes a bath. Unless you want to strip naked and cuddle with him!" I snap. Kai gives me a sour look but I stalk off into the bathroom and fill the tub, dissolving some Epsom salts in it. Trying not the think of the fact that a naked Gray is going to be in my bathtub I make my way back to the living room. Gray looks awful, and is turning a strange shade of grey; he's even paler than I am. I gently touch his cheek; it's as cold as ice! "Gray I've run you a bath. It'll help you get warm. Do you need help?"

Gray nods and follows me into the bathroom swathed with blankets. His teeth are still chattering and his lips are still blue. I stop the water from running and turn to see Gray trying to undo the zipper on his thin tan jacket, but it's hopeless as his fingers are frozen.

"Here let me," I murmur as I slide the zipper down. I slowly slide off his jacket and follow with his shirt. Chills are still wracking his body and I steel myself for what's coming next. "I'm going to help you out of your pants. Shake your head if you don't want me to." Gray doesn't motion with his head or make a move to stop me as I carefully undo the button and zipper of his tan pants. I slide them down his legs and he steps out of them. "Are you okay now?"

Gray nods. "T-t-t-th-"

"Shhh," I put my hand on his lips, imploring him to stop talking. As I leave I close the door behind me. I wait until I hear the sloshing of the water to venture into the kitchen where Kai is sitting.

"That was," Kai struggles to find the right word. "Unusual."

"What's unusual?" I ask.

"You and Gray?" Kai raises an eyebrow.

"What? No, not me and Gray," Scowling, I pick through the fridge. "I'm thinking baked corn for dinner?"

"Because it's Gray's favorite?"

"No! Because I have corn here and since the power is out I can make it over the fire."

"Someone's being defensive," Kai mutters.

"I'm not, I'm just explaining to you why we're having baked corn for dinner since it seems to need an explanation according to you."

"Why didn't you ask me to go help him in the bathroom?" Kai asks. That's a good question. Why didn't I?

"I- I just thought that you'd be uncomfortable with it," I stammer.

"Do you like him?"

"Sure I do, he's a nice guy what's not to like?" I ask, but my high-pitched voice betrays me.

"You do like him! Oh my god, tell me everything!" Kai perks right up and sits on a stool by the counter, waiting expectantly.

"You know Kai, if I didn't know better I would think you were gay."

"Good thing you know better then right?" Kai winks. I sigh and decide to tell Kai, because if I don't tell him he will eventually find out. Besides, I've already told Ann and if Ann tells Popuri…

"Gray made me this brooch," I point to the blue and silver object adorning the strap of my overalls.

"You wear that all the time," Kai's eyes widen. I feel like I'm experiencing deja vu.

"When I first moved here I talked to Gray more than anybody else. And he, well I thought he was opening up to me. But I guess I was wrong because after he gave me this he stopped coming by and when I went to see him he was never at the Inn. I guess he'd moved on."

"What do you mean opening up to you?"

"Confiding in me about issues at work, or with Saibara. Sometimes he'd just come by to tell me about what he made that day, but sometimes he'd talk about his past and-"

"Wait, Gray talked to you about his past?" Kai asks, looking at me incredulously.

"Yes, that's what I said," I reply agitatedly. "I realized after awhile that when I went to the Inn to look for him that he was going to the library. I guess he talks to a lot of people about his past. I realized that what I thought was something special really wasn't." Kai is giving me a weird look. "What?"

"I've known Gray for a very long time. He's never talked to me about his past, never, not once. He doesn't talk to anybody about that kind of thing and especially not about Saibara. What did he say to you?"

"Maybe I shouldn't-"

"Oh come on you know I can keep a secret," Kai pleads with his biggest puppy dog eyes.

"I guess everyone thinks him and Saibara don't get along but Gray was working really hard to earn his respect. He said that that was all he wanted, was respect. Gray is an angry person, but I don't think he's fed up with Saibara. I just think he has serious issues that make him want to work hard to gain approval."

"Wow," Kai looks blown away. "Gray, talking to you. He must really love you."

"Yeah, that's why he stopped talking to me and started avoiding me," I snap.

"Claire you can't give up on Gray. I've never known him to confide in anybody. Not even Mary. He's just scared, probably of his feelings for you. You have to believe me Claire," Kai is looking at me with his puppy face again and I look away and start rummaging through the fridge again.

"Yeah well I'll believe you when he tells me that. I should go check on him though, or you can do it," I ask, raising an eyebrow at Kai.

"No, that's all you," Kai looks at me suggestively.

"Husk the corn," I scowl, shoving a bowl of corn at him. I turn on my heel and make my way for the bathroom. I knock. "Gray? Gray how are you doing in there?" There is no reply so I open the door and peek my head in. Gray is fast asleep in the tub. I dip a finger in the water and find it lukewarm. That isn't going to help him get warm. I lay my hand across his forehead, it's warm, much too warm. I gently shake him awake. "Gray, Gray."

"Mmmm, wnnnz, hnnnph," Gray moans incoherently as he comes to. He blinks a few times before focusing on my face. Quickly he sits up, sloshing water all over the floor. "Claire!"

"Glad to see you're up!" I'm very careful only to look at his face. "I just wanted to come see how you were doing."

"Um, thanks," Gray's cheeks burn bright red as he discreetly covers himself.

"I'll bring you some warm clothes to put on. There's some towels to dry off with, so you can make yourself at home," I smile and quickly leave the bathroom, trying not to make the situation more awkward than is already is.