Chapter Thirty-Two
The next day, everyone was happy and content of the time being. Christmas was on the way, even if it did lack snow. But, then again it was Sunnydale, not Snowville, which Kellie wished it were.
The days were counting down to the Dawn's class Christmas party and the Bronze's very own Christmas party. Kellie, however, wasn't very excited about Christmas, even though she was attempting to make the Summers house more Christmas friendly.
At the moment, Kellie was making hot chocolate and singing Christmas carols. She boiled the water and was mixing in the power. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas." Kellie sang. "Just like the ones I used to know."
Dawn stared at her. "Kellie, just because you keep singing about snow doesn't mean its gonna snow." Dawn said.
Kellie was pouring the hot chocolate into seven cups, she stopped before she poured chocolate in the last cup. She glared at Dawn. "Fine, now you get no cocoa." Kellie spat and put the pot back on the stove.
Dawn shrugged. "It's not like we need cocoa anyway, it's like 90 degrees outside." Dawn said.
Kellie carried the hot chocolate filled cups over to the kitchen table. She set the cups down in front of everyone except Dawn. Kellie sipped at her chocolate and smiled. "Just like home." She grinned.
Oz looked down at his cup and then looked over at Darry, who just shrugged. "This is great Kellie." Oz said and pretending to sip at his cocoa.
Darry smiled over at her boyfriend and then looked down at her drink. "So, I've never seen snow before." Darry said, attempting make conversation.
"Never?" Kellie asked, appalled by the thought. "Why not?" She asked.
"Because I've lived in L.A. until just a few months ago and it never snows in L.A." Darry answered.
"It snowed here, in Sunnydale, about three years ago." Buffy said.
Willow nodded. "I remember." She muttered, more to herself then to anyone else.
Darry shrugged. "Well, that was three years ago; looks like you're not going to get your snow this year Kels." Darry said and smiled at her cousin.
Kellie frowned. "But, what fun is Christmas without snow and snow man and hot cocoa?" Kellie asked.
"We got the cocoa." Oz said, motioning to Darry's cup still on the table.
"I don't." Dawn muttered.
"That's your own fault." Kellie muttered.
Buffy frowned as she drunk her hot chocolate; she wondered if all people in California hated hot chocolate. "Why don't we make the house more Christmas like?" Buffy suggested.
"We always get a tree." Dawn pointed out and looked over at Buffy. "And the decorations should be in the basement." She added.
"Next week is Christmas, after all and the Bronze Christmas Party is on the day after Christmas." Buffy said.
"Why do they call it the Christmas party if it's the day after Christmas?" Kellie asked.
"Who's playing?" Oz asked, suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. "The band, who's playing?" He restated.
"I don't think they have a band yet." Willow answered, watching the marshmallows in her cocoa dissolve.
"Dingoes Ate My Baby should play." Oz said.
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Oz, you guys haven't been a band for, like, two years." Buffy said.
"I think Devon and the others still live her in Sunnydale." Willow pointed out.
Darry looked at Oz and then at Buffy and Willow. "Wait, rewind, Oz you used to be in a band?" Darry asked.
Oz nodded. "I was the lead guitarist." He answered.
Darry smiled with a hidden pride at her ex-musician boyfriend.
"If Devon and the other members still live in Sunnydale, why don't you guys just get back together?" Kellie asked. "And what kind of name is 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' anyway?" She muttered.
Oz seemed to think about what Kellie said, about the Dingoes joining up again. "You know, I don't think that that's such a bad idea." Oz muttered.
"I bet Devon would be happy to find something to do with his life again." Buffy pointed out with a shrug.
Oz stood up, pushing his chair behind him. "I'm going to go pay Devon a call; maybe the Dingoes will be having their two year reunion." Oz said and left the house.
Darry waved goodbye to her vanished boyfriend and then turned back to face Buffy and Willow. "So, when are we going to decorate for Christmas?" She asked.
Willow smiled. "You're excited about this, are you?" She asked, making reference to Darry's excitement about decorating for Christmas.
Darry nodded sheepishly. "The only Christmas I've ever had was at Kellie's house when I was five and I didn't really get to do anything. It'll be neat to see festive decorations." Darry said.
Buffy shrugged. "Well, it might take awhile to find all the decorations but Dawn and I will get right on that." Buffy said.
Darry smiled and nodded. "We should have our own Christmas get to together on Christmas Eve, Xander and Anya can come; so can Oz and Spike and we can, I dunno, do stuff that you do on Christmas Eve." Darry suggested.
Willow couldn't help but notice the sparkle in Darry's eyes. "Sounds like a plan." She said. "If its okay with Buffy." Willow added.
Buffy nodded. "Sure, the last Christmas get-together I had was with Faith and that turned out to be a bust because I had to keep Angel from killing himself." Buffy said.
Kellie grinned. "If it's one thing I can do, it's plan a party." She said. "Though, I don't know how much planning we'll need because its just going to be us, plus Xander and Anya and Spike and Oz and Tara, too." Kellie added.
Darry looked over at her cousin. "I can't wait to tell Oz." She muttered, not sure if anyone could hear her or not.
Later that day, Oz returned to the Summers house with news. He had indeed found Devon, as well as the other Dingoes, and they had re-formed Dingoes Ate My Baby. Dingoes Ate My Baby's first gig was to play at the Bronze's (after) Christmas Party. Darry was excited for her boyfriend and definitely showed it.
Dawn and Buffy were still in the basement, searching for the Christmas decorations and Kellie was still singing Christmas carols and complaining about the lack of snow.
Anya and Xander had come over as well and Xander was in the basement helping the Summers girls find the Christmas stuff. Anya was sitting on the couch trying to grasp the concept of Christmas.
Darry was still telling Oz how great it was for him to have a gig at the Bronze, even though she had never been there to see any band play. "Oz, on Christmas Eve Buffy is going to have a party here, like a little get-together for everyone. Kellie's planning it and everything, it'll be fun." Darry said and smiled.
Oz smiled back. "Sure, last time I was at the Summers house for a get-together we were attacked by zombies, but that was Buffy-planning. I'm sure Kellie will pick a little less excitement then that." Oz said.
Kellie was checking over the calendar; she sat down on the couch beside Darry with it in her hand. "One week from today is Christmas Eve." She informed everyone.
Dawn emerged from the dirty basement. "Really, well we don't have a tree and most importantly we don't have any presents." Dawn said, brushing the dust off her shirt. "We found the decorations." She announced.
Kellie jumped up from the couch and ran over to the basement door to watch Buffy and Xander carry up the cardboard boxes full of the Christmas stuff.
"Okay, this will be so cool! My mom let me help decorate every year." Kellie said and took one of the boxes from Buffy.
"Maybe I should get some decorations for Spike's crypt." She muttered to herself and pulled out a string of garland. She turned to Buffy. "When do you usually get your tree?" Kellie asked.
"Well, whenever I guess. Let's just hope they're not all dead in the heat." She muttered.
Kellie frowned and looked out the window. "If it's one thing I'm never going to get used to, it's a Christmas in Sunnydale." She muttered, clearly displaying homesickness for Snowville, if not her old home and her parents.
"You should go to Siberia around Christmas time, Kellie." Oz said. "There's so much snow that you can't even leave the house, or hotel or whatever, and they dress yaks up like Christmas trees."
Darry raised an eyebrow. "You went to Siberia?" She asked.
"Yeah, long story though." He shot a looked to Willow before returning his gaze back to Darry.
Kellie stood up, holding the string of garland. "So, where do we start decorating?" She asked.
After the sun had set and he returned home, Oz received a phone call from Devon. The lead singer of the Dingoes was almost too excited to speak.
"Oz man, you'll never guess what's up." Devon gushed.
"With you, Devon, I can never guess." Oz said, deadpan and sat down on his bed, cradling the phone between his head and shoulder.
"I got us a gig in L.A.!" Devon exclaimed.
Oz brightened a little. "Really, how did you finagle that?" Oz asked.
"I made a few calls, you know, worked a little of my Devon-charm and got us a gig at this night club, um I can't remember the name but I think I've heard of it." Devon answered.
Oz thought for a minute, perhaps this was the start the Dingoes had been looking for; a good gig to get them back in the flow of things, not that they were ever really even flowing but…it would be a good start.
"When is it?" Oz asked.
"Well, it's Christmas Eve but we'd be back in time to play the Bronze's Christmas party." Devon answered.
Oz bit his lip. Christmas Eve, that was the night of Buffy's Christmas party thing; Darry was really excited about him going. However, the Dingoes couldn't play without him. "I'll have to ask Darry; I'll get back to you Dev." Oz said.
"Wait, who's Darry?" Devon asked as Oz put the phone back on the jack.
Oz looked out the window, it was too late to go see Darry now but he would go see her in the morning.
Buffy was beginning to think that Spike was right, even more then she was, about something big coming. She decided that the only place she could get some solid information was the only place she didn't want to go. However, it was Slayer duty to ensure the safety of the people, as well as herself and without Giles to aid her, she needed to be ready for this 'thing' herself. Buffy walked into Willy's Bar and was surprised by the large number of vampires.
Some of the vampires turned to look at her; others cowered in their chairs or slunk into the shadows. Buffy didn't pay any attention to the vampires and walked up the bar; a vampire jumped off his bar stool and bolted out of the bar.
Buffy took a seat; Willy walked over to her. "What are you doing her Slayer? You're ruining business." Willy said.
Buffy glared at him. "Deal's this, Willy, you tell me what I want to know and I clear out of here. You don't tell me, I got a few pointy friends that wouldn't mind meeting some of your customers." Buffy said.
Willy looked uncomfortable. "Uh, sure Slayer what is it that you want to know?" Willy asked.
"What's the deal with the vampires in Sunny D?" Buffy asked. "What is this 'big thing' they're all getting ready for?" Buffy asked.
Willy shrugged. "I really don't know, honestly, I just know its something big. Something real big and the vampires want to be ready; I don't think you can stop this thing Slayer, unless you know exactly what it is." Willy said.
Buffy frowned but tried not to let it show. "I can handle it." She said and got off the stool and walked out of the bar.
The next day, Darry was helping Kellie decorate their room. Kellie was stringing garland along the inside foyer of the door and Darry was stringing bells along the sides of their beds. Darry had found a spare set of Christmas lights and was going to string them along the legs of her nightstand, which was still bare.
The top of Kellie's dresser was covered of old pictures in worn frames. There were pictures of her and her parents, or her and her friends from Snowville. There was a picture of Kellie with a guy, they were both in skiing outfits and had on skis. When Darry had asked Kellie who the guy was, she just replied 'a friend'.
As Darry finished hanging up the bells, someone knocked on the door. Willow called "I'll get it" from downstairs and then went to answer the door.
Willow was in the process of putting a Menorah on the mantle above the fireplace when someone knocked on the door. She went to answer it; was Oz.
"I need to talk to Darry." He said.
"She and Kellie are in their room decorating." Willow said and motioned upstairs.
Oz walked upstairs and entered the girls' bedroom. Darry turned around and smiled when she saw Oz. "Hey Oz." She greeted.
Kellie looked over to the foyer when Darry spoke. "Oz, greetings." Kellie grinned.
Oz said hello to both his girlfriend and her cousin and then walked over to where Darry was standing. "I need to talk to you." He said.
"Okay." Darry said, studying him.
"Devon called me last night and said that he got us a gig to play in L.A." Oz said.
"That's great Oz." Darry said and smiled.
"But, the gig is on Christmas Eve." Oz finished.
Darry bit her lip and hoped that her face didn't show the disappointment she felt inside. "Oh. Well, you should go; it's important for the band to play." Darry said, hoping her voice wasn't shaking. "You should go." She repeated.
Oz studied her. "Are you sure, it's the night of Buffy's Christmas Party." Oz said.
"I know." Darry said. "You should go, you'll be back the day after that right? So, you should go." Darry said.
Kellie watched from her spot near the door, studying her cousin. She could tell that everything Darry said was a lie and she wanted Oz to stay. It was also clear to Kellie that Oz was asking Darry if he could go, if she said yes he would go, if she said no he wouldn't. However, Kellie admired her cousin slightly for telling Oz he could go.
"Are you sure, Darry?" Oz asked.
Darry nodded. "Yeah. Go." She told him and did her best to force a smile.
"Okay, we're not leaving for a few days." Oz told her. "I have to go see Devon but I'll see you later, okay?" Oz said.
Darry nodded and bid him good-bye.
Once Oz left the room, Darry dropped onto her bed and sat; she was looking for to Christmas because she finally had someone to share it with. Now, Oz was leaving and her 'joy' for Christmas was leaving with him.
Kellie walked over to Darry and sat down beside her. "You could have told him to stay." Kellie said.
Darry looked over to her cousin. "I know but I wouldn't feel right about that. He was in a band before he met me, he shouldn't stop being in a band on my account." Darry said.
"You're definitely a different person Daralyn." Kellie said with a hint of pride in her voice.
The next few days passed uneventful in Sunnydale; Buffy continued to notice a dwindle in the demon population and continued to spend hours in the Magic Box's training room, getting ready for whatever was coming.
On the day before Christmas Eve, Dawn finally found the prefect tree and she and Anya bought it to take to the Summers house. Buffy found the outside Christmas lights and, at the moment, she and Xander were putting them up along the trim of the house. Or, Xander was holding the ladder while Buffy was putting them up.
Anya found another cardboard box and opened it. She pulled out a string of bells and began to shake them.
Oz, who was helping Darry put lights up in the tree in the front yard, turned around to look at Anya. "What's that?" He asked.
"Jingle Bells!" Anya exclaimed. "Like in that song, about the horses that Kellie keeps singing."
Kellie looked over at the ex-demon. "Wonderful Anya." She muttered.
Anya began to shake the bells and smiled at the ringing sound. Buffy looked down at Xander. "Looks like Anya found a new toy." She grinned. Buffy finished stringing the lights and climbed down the ladder.
Xander grimaced at his fiancée shaking the bells. "Well, I know what I'm getting her for Christmas." He said. Buffy didn't know if he was serous or if he was just joking.
Darry finished putting lights in the tree and jumped out. "There." She said and pulled a leaf out of her hair.
Kellie looked at the Summers house. "Looks like Christmas in July." She remarked.
"Very funny, you can always move back to Snowville." Buffy joked.
"Or, you could go to Snowville and put a bunch of snow in some cups and bring it back to Sunnydale and put it on the ground." Anya suggested, looking totally serous.
"And I thought the stupidest thing she'd ever said was about smashing Glory with a piano but oh no…" Buffy muttered.
Kellie looked over at Buffy, ignoring Anya's comment. "Are there any lights left?" She asked.
"Yeah, why?" The Slayer answered.
"I'm going to decorate Spike's crypt." Kellie answered and took the rest of the lights.
Buffy started laughing. "I can just picture that: Christmas lights strung on the outside, Christmas cookies baking in the oven and Spike drinking eggnog while watching 'Rudolph' on TV." Buffy laughed.
Darry and Oz joined the rest of the Scoobies at the front of the house. "Well." Oz said. "I have to go, Devon said we have to be there by 6:00 tonight even though we're not playing until tomorrow. I'll see you guys Christmas Day." Oz said.
He turned to Darry and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye." He said. Darry bade him goodbye as well and watched him get into his van and drive away from the Summers house.
Buffy turned to Darry. "You're okay?" She asked.
Darry smiled, a fake smile but nonetheless a smile, and said, "Sure, it's not like he's going to be gone forever."
Kellie finished decorating the outside of Spike's crypt with a satisfied grin. The sun was just beginning to go down, prefect timing; Spike could see the lights.
Kellie walked into Spike's crypt and was surprised to see him putting up a tiny Christmas tree that looked like he had pulled it out of the ground. Spike turned to see who had entered the crypt.
He looked at Kellie and then at his tree. "I know you like Christmas, it was supposed to be a surprise." He muttered.
Kellie grinned and walked over to him; she kissed him and then looked at the little tree. "It's so cute." She said.
"It's not supposed to be cute, it's the Big Bad, of trees." Spike said and looked at his tree.
"I decorated the outside of your crypt." Kellie told the vampire.
Spike smiled. "Thanks pet." He said.
"You're coming to the Christmas party at Buffy's tomorrow right?" Kellie asked.
"Of course." Spike answered.
"Oz isn't coming, he's got a gig to play in L.A. and Darry's really upset." Kellie told him.
Spike frowned. "Wolf-boy's never been one for commitment." Spike muttered.
"He's not leaving her, he's just going to play for one night and he's coming back the next day." Kellie said.
Spike nodded.
The next day, Dawn asked if she could invite Steven to the Christmas Party night. Buffy agreed, deciding it would be a prefect time to meet the guy that had her sister so infatuated.
For the rest of the day everyone worked on making the Summers house more Christmas party friendly. Anya and Dawn had fun decorating the Christmas tree; Xander and Darry worked on baking Christmas cookies; Willow was putting little Menorahs all over the house while Tara watched; Buffy and Kellie were checking all the lights and decorations and picking Christmas music to listen to.
As the day ended, Spike showed up with eight tiny wrapped presents. When Buffy opened the door, she was surprised to see that he had brought presents at all.
"They're crappy presents." He said as he handed them to her. They weren't big but it's the thought that counts, Buffy thought and put them under the tree along with the other presents.
Spike joined Kellie on the couch and they began to talk. Darry sat at the other end of the couch, attempting to look merry and in the Christmas sprit. She figured she was doing a good job because no one asked her if she was okay.
When Steven arrived, Dawn was very nervous but excited as well. When she opened the door, he stood there holding a present and a box of candy canes. "I didn't know how many people were going to be here so I just brought candy canes." He said as he handed Dawn her gift.
"Thanks Steven." Dawn smiled and shut the door behind him. Kellie took a candy cane and brought it over to Darry, she sat down on the couch beside her.
"Here, it's a candy cane." Kellie said and handed it to her.
"Thanks." Darry said and wrapped it.
"So, you look like you're enjoying yourself. Very nonchalant, very happy go lucky." Kellie said.
Darry turned to her cousin. "Yeah, you call me happy go lucky but you don't know my heart is dying inside. The scary thing is, I do my 'happy go lucky' so well, I'm even fooling myself." Darry said.
Kellie gave her cousin a comforting smile. "He'll be back tomorrow, you'll see." Kellie said.
"I know, but he's not here now Kellie and that's what hurts." Darry said.
~L.A.~
Oz sat at the bar of the club the Dingoes were playing in, in about an hour, but he wasn't drinking, he was just sitting and thinking about Darry. He couldn't believe he had agreed to come to L.A. instead of staying in Sunnydale with the one that he loved. Wasn't that the point of Christmas Eve? Being with the one you loved?
Oz laid his head on the bar and cursed himself for being so stupid.
"Oz?" A voice behind him said. Oz looked up and turned around and was surprised to see Angel, the vampire that Buffy had once loved, standing behind him.
"Angel? What are you doing here?" Oz asked, confused to see the vampire after almost two years.
"I had the night off of baby-duty, Cordy offered to take care of Connor for the night, so I thought I'd see what bands were playing. What are you doing here?" Angel asked.
"My band is playing tonight." Oz answered.
"You don't look very in the Christmas sprit." Angel said and took a seat beside Oz.
Oz shook his head. "Does it show?" He asked.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"I left the person I care about alone, back in Sunnydale, just so I could come and play this stupid gig." Oz answered.
"You're back with Willow?" Angel asked.
"No, but I met her through Willow and Buffy; I don't know why I agreed to come here, tonight." Oz muttered.
Angel thought for a minute. "If you leave the person you care about, you may never get the chance to reconcile. I should know; Oz, you should never take any for granted. I'm not saying that you're taking this girl for granted, because you don't strike me as that kind of person, but you'd be surprised how easily a relationship can end." Angel told him.
Oz sat and let the vampire's words sink in. "You're right Angel." Oz muttered.
Oz got off the stool and started to walk away from the bar. "Where are you going?" Angel asked.
"Back to Sunnydale." Oz answered.
Angel smiled. "At least you still can go back." He muttered and turned away from the departing Oz.
~Sunnydale~
As the night began to become a little 'mature', Christmas began to draw near. Dawn started to bug Buffy about opening presents. So, Buffy decided that there was no reason why they couldn't open their presents now.
Anya insisted on opening hers first; she opened the one from Xander and was happy to see that he had indeed gotten her 'jingle bells'. Kellie opened her present from Spike and it was an ornament that had her name on it. Buffy opened her present from Darry and laughed when she saw that it was a stake.
"I didn't know what to get you." Darry said, her voice was flat but she tried to make it sound cheery.
Xander opened his present from Anya and couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, Anya had to tell him. "It's a waffle maker." Anya told him and smiled.
Xander smiled and kissed Anya, as a thank you. Dawn opened her present from Buffy and smiled when she saw it was a golden necklace that said her name, because she had lost the silver one shortly after they got their memories back.
"Just in case." Buffy smiled and put the necklace around Dawn's neck. Everyone opened his or her presents, except Darry, who only had one from the entire Scooby Gang. She wasn't upset that she only had one present; she wasn't in the present opening mood.
Once everyone was finished opening his or her presents, Steven decided it was time for him to go, least his mother start worrying. As he walked to the front door, he looked out the window. "Someone just pulled up in your drive." He said, turning around to tell Buffy.
Everyone stood up to look out the window to see who was visiting at such a late hour, except Darry who didn't care. Kellie peered out the window and the grinned.
"Darry, come here." She said, turning around to face her cousin. Darry stood up and walked over to the window. Darry's eyes widened as she saw who was parked in the Summers drive.
"Isn't Oz supposed to be in L.A.?" Spike asked Kellie. Kellie shrugged and looked over at her cousin.
Darry opened the front door and rushed out to greet Oz; Oz was just as happy to see her and they met with an embrace. When Darry broke the embrace, she looked up at Oz.
"What happened to L.A.?" She asked.
"A friend helped me see that being here was more important then being there." Oz answered.
Darry smiled; Oz lowered his head and gave Darry a kiss. Darry closed her eyes and kissed him back, feeling all her thoughts blur together and the only thing that mattered was Oz.
Oz broke the kiss and looked down at Darry, who smiled. "Merry Christmas." He whispered.
Darry smiled. Oz felt someone cold on his cheek and looked up at the sky and felt his eyes widen at what he saw. "It's snowing." He whispered.
Darry looked up at the sky and looked up at all the tiny white flakes that were falling from the velvet blue sky.
She turned back to the house. "Kellie!" She called. "It's snowing!"
The front door opened and everyone in the house peered out; Kellie ran outside and smiled. "It is snowing!" She cried happily.
Everyone left the house and looked up at the sky, hardly believing that it was snowing again in Sunnydale. "The last time it snowed, the weatherman said it was a miracle." Buffy muttered.
"Then that's what it is." Willow said and smiled.
As the snow began to fall thicker and stick to the ground, Kellie began to make snowballs and engage the Scooby Gang in a snowball fight. Darry couldn't believe how everything had happened, with Oz coming home and then it snowing but she wasn't sure she wanted to believe. Perhaps it was better to think of it the way Willow said, that it was a miracle.
After Steven went home, the snow continued to fall. Kellie was watching the Weather Channel to see if the snow would stop anytime soon.
"Well folks, it looks like Sunnydale is experiencing another shocking cold front like the one three years ago. The snow doesn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon and the sun won't make an appearance until late in the day, if at all." The weatherman said.
Kellie clicked off the TV and grinned. Darry and Oz were still outside, playing in the snow like kids. Kellie remembered playing in the snow when she was little, so she didn't think Darry was being childish at all.
Kellie entered the kitchen, where everyone was seated and having Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. "Do you have a camera?" Kellie asked Buffy.
"Yeah, why?" Buffy asked.
Kellie looked out the window, Darry and Oz were seated in the snow, and just talking; Darry and Oz both had snowflakes in their hair and snow all over their clothes. "I think it's time that Darry have a picture to put on her table." Kellie answered.
Kellie took Buffy's camera and took a candid shot of Darry and Oz together, simply happy just to be together.
The next day, everyone was happy and content of the time being. Christmas was on the way, even if it did lack snow. But, then again it was Sunnydale, not Snowville, which Kellie wished it were.
The days were counting down to the Dawn's class Christmas party and the Bronze's very own Christmas party. Kellie, however, wasn't very excited about Christmas, even though she was attempting to make the Summers house more Christmas friendly.
At the moment, Kellie was making hot chocolate and singing Christmas carols. She boiled the water and was mixing in the power. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas." Kellie sang. "Just like the ones I used to know."
Dawn stared at her. "Kellie, just because you keep singing about snow doesn't mean its gonna snow." Dawn said.
Kellie was pouring the hot chocolate into seven cups, she stopped before she poured chocolate in the last cup. She glared at Dawn. "Fine, now you get no cocoa." Kellie spat and put the pot back on the stove.
Dawn shrugged. "It's not like we need cocoa anyway, it's like 90 degrees outside." Dawn said.
Kellie carried the hot chocolate filled cups over to the kitchen table. She set the cups down in front of everyone except Dawn. Kellie sipped at her chocolate and smiled. "Just like home." She grinned.
Oz looked down at his cup and then looked over at Darry, who just shrugged. "This is great Kellie." Oz said and pretending to sip at his cocoa.
Darry smiled over at her boyfriend and then looked down at her drink. "So, I've never seen snow before." Darry said, attempting make conversation.
"Never?" Kellie asked, appalled by the thought. "Why not?" She asked.
"Because I've lived in L.A. until just a few months ago and it never snows in L.A." Darry answered.
"It snowed here, in Sunnydale, about three years ago." Buffy said.
Willow nodded. "I remember." She muttered, more to herself then to anyone else.
Darry shrugged. "Well, that was three years ago; looks like you're not going to get your snow this year Kels." Darry said and smiled at her cousin.
Kellie frowned. "But, what fun is Christmas without snow and snow man and hot cocoa?" Kellie asked.
"We got the cocoa." Oz said, motioning to Darry's cup still on the table.
"I don't." Dawn muttered.
"That's your own fault." Kellie muttered.
Buffy frowned as she drunk her hot chocolate; she wondered if all people in California hated hot chocolate. "Why don't we make the house more Christmas like?" Buffy suggested.
"We always get a tree." Dawn pointed out and looked over at Buffy. "And the decorations should be in the basement." She added.
"Next week is Christmas, after all and the Bronze Christmas Party is on the day after Christmas." Buffy said.
"Why do they call it the Christmas party if it's the day after Christmas?" Kellie asked.
"Who's playing?" Oz asked, suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. "The band, who's playing?" He restated.
"I don't think they have a band yet." Willow answered, watching the marshmallows in her cocoa dissolve.
"Dingoes Ate My Baby should play." Oz said.
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Oz, you guys haven't been a band for, like, two years." Buffy said.
"I think Devon and the others still live her in Sunnydale." Willow pointed out.
Darry looked at Oz and then at Buffy and Willow. "Wait, rewind, Oz you used to be in a band?" Darry asked.
Oz nodded. "I was the lead guitarist." He answered.
Darry smiled with a hidden pride at her ex-musician boyfriend.
"If Devon and the other members still live in Sunnydale, why don't you guys just get back together?" Kellie asked. "And what kind of name is 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' anyway?" She muttered.
Oz seemed to think about what Kellie said, about the Dingoes joining up again. "You know, I don't think that that's such a bad idea." Oz muttered.
"I bet Devon would be happy to find something to do with his life again." Buffy pointed out with a shrug.
Oz stood up, pushing his chair behind him. "I'm going to go pay Devon a call; maybe the Dingoes will be having their two year reunion." Oz said and left the house.
Darry waved goodbye to her vanished boyfriend and then turned back to face Buffy and Willow. "So, when are we going to decorate for Christmas?" She asked.
Willow smiled. "You're excited about this, are you?" She asked, making reference to Darry's excitement about decorating for Christmas.
Darry nodded sheepishly. "The only Christmas I've ever had was at Kellie's house when I was five and I didn't really get to do anything. It'll be neat to see festive decorations." Darry said.
Buffy shrugged. "Well, it might take awhile to find all the decorations but Dawn and I will get right on that." Buffy said.
Darry smiled and nodded. "We should have our own Christmas get to together on Christmas Eve, Xander and Anya can come; so can Oz and Spike and we can, I dunno, do stuff that you do on Christmas Eve." Darry suggested.
Willow couldn't help but notice the sparkle in Darry's eyes. "Sounds like a plan." She said. "If its okay with Buffy." Willow added.
Buffy nodded. "Sure, the last Christmas get-together I had was with Faith and that turned out to be a bust because I had to keep Angel from killing himself." Buffy said.
Kellie grinned. "If it's one thing I can do, it's plan a party." She said. "Though, I don't know how much planning we'll need because its just going to be us, plus Xander and Anya and Spike and Oz and Tara, too." Kellie added.
Darry looked over at her cousin. "I can't wait to tell Oz." She muttered, not sure if anyone could hear her or not.
Later that day, Oz returned to the Summers house with news. He had indeed found Devon, as well as the other Dingoes, and they had re-formed Dingoes Ate My Baby. Dingoes Ate My Baby's first gig was to play at the Bronze's (after) Christmas Party. Darry was excited for her boyfriend and definitely showed it.
Dawn and Buffy were still in the basement, searching for the Christmas decorations and Kellie was still singing Christmas carols and complaining about the lack of snow.
Anya and Xander had come over as well and Xander was in the basement helping the Summers girls find the Christmas stuff. Anya was sitting on the couch trying to grasp the concept of Christmas.
Darry was still telling Oz how great it was for him to have a gig at the Bronze, even though she had never been there to see any band play. "Oz, on Christmas Eve Buffy is going to have a party here, like a little get-together for everyone. Kellie's planning it and everything, it'll be fun." Darry said and smiled.
Oz smiled back. "Sure, last time I was at the Summers house for a get-together we were attacked by zombies, but that was Buffy-planning. I'm sure Kellie will pick a little less excitement then that." Oz said.
Kellie was checking over the calendar; she sat down on the couch beside Darry with it in her hand. "One week from today is Christmas Eve." She informed everyone.
Dawn emerged from the dirty basement. "Really, well we don't have a tree and most importantly we don't have any presents." Dawn said, brushing the dust off her shirt. "We found the decorations." She announced.
Kellie jumped up from the couch and ran over to the basement door to watch Buffy and Xander carry up the cardboard boxes full of the Christmas stuff.
"Okay, this will be so cool! My mom let me help decorate every year." Kellie said and took one of the boxes from Buffy.
"Maybe I should get some decorations for Spike's crypt." She muttered to herself and pulled out a string of garland. She turned to Buffy. "When do you usually get your tree?" Kellie asked.
"Well, whenever I guess. Let's just hope they're not all dead in the heat." She muttered.
Kellie frowned and looked out the window. "If it's one thing I'm never going to get used to, it's a Christmas in Sunnydale." She muttered, clearly displaying homesickness for Snowville, if not her old home and her parents.
"You should go to Siberia around Christmas time, Kellie." Oz said. "There's so much snow that you can't even leave the house, or hotel or whatever, and they dress yaks up like Christmas trees."
Darry raised an eyebrow. "You went to Siberia?" She asked.
"Yeah, long story though." He shot a looked to Willow before returning his gaze back to Darry.
Kellie stood up, holding the string of garland. "So, where do we start decorating?" She asked.
After the sun had set and he returned home, Oz received a phone call from Devon. The lead singer of the Dingoes was almost too excited to speak.
"Oz man, you'll never guess what's up." Devon gushed.
"With you, Devon, I can never guess." Oz said, deadpan and sat down on his bed, cradling the phone between his head and shoulder.
"I got us a gig in L.A.!" Devon exclaimed.
Oz brightened a little. "Really, how did you finagle that?" Oz asked.
"I made a few calls, you know, worked a little of my Devon-charm and got us a gig at this night club, um I can't remember the name but I think I've heard of it." Devon answered.
Oz thought for a minute, perhaps this was the start the Dingoes had been looking for; a good gig to get them back in the flow of things, not that they were ever really even flowing but…it would be a good start.
"When is it?" Oz asked.
"Well, it's Christmas Eve but we'd be back in time to play the Bronze's Christmas party." Devon answered.
Oz bit his lip. Christmas Eve, that was the night of Buffy's Christmas party thing; Darry was really excited about him going. However, the Dingoes couldn't play without him. "I'll have to ask Darry; I'll get back to you Dev." Oz said.
"Wait, who's Darry?" Devon asked as Oz put the phone back on the jack.
Oz looked out the window, it was too late to go see Darry now but he would go see her in the morning.
Buffy was beginning to think that Spike was right, even more then she was, about something big coming. She decided that the only place she could get some solid information was the only place she didn't want to go. However, it was Slayer duty to ensure the safety of the people, as well as herself and without Giles to aid her, she needed to be ready for this 'thing' herself. Buffy walked into Willy's Bar and was surprised by the large number of vampires.
Some of the vampires turned to look at her; others cowered in their chairs or slunk into the shadows. Buffy didn't pay any attention to the vampires and walked up the bar; a vampire jumped off his bar stool and bolted out of the bar.
Buffy took a seat; Willy walked over to her. "What are you doing her Slayer? You're ruining business." Willy said.
Buffy glared at him. "Deal's this, Willy, you tell me what I want to know and I clear out of here. You don't tell me, I got a few pointy friends that wouldn't mind meeting some of your customers." Buffy said.
Willy looked uncomfortable. "Uh, sure Slayer what is it that you want to know?" Willy asked.
"What's the deal with the vampires in Sunny D?" Buffy asked. "What is this 'big thing' they're all getting ready for?" Buffy asked.
Willy shrugged. "I really don't know, honestly, I just know its something big. Something real big and the vampires want to be ready; I don't think you can stop this thing Slayer, unless you know exactly what it is." Willy said.
Buffy frowned but tried not to let it show. "I can handle it." She said and got off the stool and walked out of the bar.
The next day, Darry was helping Kellie decorate their room. Kellie was stringing garland along the inside foyer of the door and Darry was stringing bells along the sides of their beds. Darry had found a spare set of Christmas lights and was going to string them along the legs of her nightstand, which was still bare.
The top of Kellie's dresser was covered of old pictures in worn frames. There were pictures of her and her parents, or her and her friends from Snowville. There was a picture of Kellie with a guy, they were both in skiing outfits and had on skis. When Darry had asked Kellie who the guy was, she just replied 'a friend'.
As Darry finished hanging up the bells, someone knocked on the door. Willow called "I'll get it" from downstairs and then went to answer the door.
Willow was in the process of putting a Menorah on the mantle above the fireplace when someone knocked on the door. She went to answer it; was Oz.
"I need to talk to Darry." He said.
"She and Kellie are in their room decorating." Willow said and motioned upstairs.
Oz walked upstairs and entered the girls' bedroom. Darry turned around and smiled when she saw Oz. "Hey Oz." She greeted.
Kellie looked over to the foyer when Darry spoke. "Oz, greetings." Kellie grinned.
Oz said hello to both his girlfriend and her cousin and then walked over to where Darry was standing. "I need to talk to you." He said.
"Okay." Darry said, studying him.
"Devon called me last night and said that he got us a gig to play in L.A." Oz said.
"That's great Oz." Darry said and smiled.
"But, the gig is on Christmas Eve." Oz finished.
Darry bit her lip and hoped that her face didn't show the disappointment she felt inside. "Oh. Well, you should go; it's important for the band to play." Darry said, hoping her voice wasn't shaking. "You should go." She repeated.
Oz studied her. "Are you sure, it's the night of Buffy's Christmas Party." Oz said.
"I know." Darry said. "You should go, you'll be back the day after that right? So, you should go." Darry said.
Kellie watched from her spot near the door, studying her cousin. She could tell that everything Darry said was a lie and she wanted Oz to stay. It was also clear to Kellie that Oz was asking Darry if he could go, if she said yes he would go, if she said no he wouldn't. However, Kellie admired her cousin slightly for telling Oz he could go.
"Are you sure, Darry?" Oz asked.
Darry nodded. "Yeah. Go." She told him and did her best to force a smile.
"Okay, we're not leaving for a few days." Oz told her. "I have to go see Devon but I'll see you later, okay?" Oz said.
Darry nodded and bid him good-bye.
Once Oz left the room, Darry dropped onto her bed and sat; she was looking for to Christmas because she finally had someone to share it with. Now, Oz was leaving and her 'joy' for Christmas was leaving with him.
Kellie walked over to Darry and sat down beside her. "You could have told him to stay." Kellie said.
Darry looked over to her cousin. "I know but I wouldn't feel right about that. He was in a band before he met me, he shouldn't stop being in a band on my account." Darry said.
"You're definitely a different person Daralyn." Kellie said with a hint of pride in her voice.
The next few days passed uneventful in Sunnydale; Buffy continued to notice a dwindle in the demon population and continued to spend hours in the Magic Box's training room, getting ready for whatever was coming.
On the day before Christmas Eve, Dawn finally found the prefect tree and she and Anya bought it to take to the Summers house. Buffy found the outside Christmas lights and, at the moment, she and Xander were putting them up along the trim of the house. Or, Xander was holding the ladder while Buffy was putting them up.
Anya found another cardboard box and opened it. She pulled out a string of bells and began to shake them.
Oz, who was helping Darry put lights up in the tree in the front yard, turned around to look at Anya. "What's that?" He asked.
"Jingle Bells!" Anya exclaimed. "Like in that song, about the horses that Kellie keeps singing."
Kellie looked over at the ex-demon. "Wonderful Anya." She muttered.
Anya began to shake the bells and smiled at the ringing sound. Buffy looked down at Xander. "Looks like Anya found a new toy." She grinned. Buffy finished stringing the lights and climbed down the ladder.
Xander grimaced at his fiancée shaking the bells. "Well, I know what I'm getting her for Christmas." He said. Buffy didn't know if he was serous or if he was just joking.
Darry finished putting lights in the tree and jumped out. "There." She said and pulled a leaf out of her hair.
Kellie looked at the Summers house. "Looks like Christmas in July." She remarked.
"Very funny, you can always move back to Snowville." Buffy joked.
"Or, you could go to Snowville and put a bunch of snow in some cups and bring it back to Sunnydale and put it on the ground." Anya suggested, looking totally serous.
"And I thought the stupidest thing she'd ever said was about smashing Glory with a piano but oh no…" Buffy muttered.
Kellie looked over at Buffy, ignoring Anya's comment. "Are there any lights left?" She asked.
"Yeah, why?" The Slayer answered.
"I'm going to decorate Spike's crypt." Kellie answered and took the rest of the lights.
Buffy started laughing. "I can just picture that: Christmas lights strung on the outside, Christmas cookies baking in the oven and Spike drinking eggnog while watching 'Rudolph' on TV." Buffy laughed.
Darry and Oz joined the rest of the Scoobies at the front of the house. "Well." Oz said. "I have to go, Devon said we have to be there by 6:00 tonight even though we're not playing until tomorrow. I'll see you guys Christmas Day." Oz said.
He turned to Darry and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye." He said. Darry bade him goodbye as well and watched him get into his van and drive away from the Summers house.
Buffy turned to Darry. "You're okay?" She asked.
Darry smiled, a fake smile but nonetheless a smile, and said, "Sure, it's not like he's going to be gone forever."
Kellie finished decorating the outside of Spike's crypt with a satisfied grin. The sun was just beginning to go down, prefect timing; Spike could see the lights.
Kellie walked into Spike's crypt and was surprised to see him putting up a tiny Christmas tree that looked like he had pulled it out of the ground. Spike turned to see who had entered the crypt.
He looked at Kellie and then at his tree. "I know you like Christmas, it was supposed to be a surprise." He muttered.
Kellie grinned and walked over to him; she kissed him and then looked at the little tree. "It's so cute." She said.
"It's not supposed to be cute, it's the Big Bad, of trees." Spike said and looked at his tree.
"I decorated the outside of your crypt." Kellie told the vampire.
Spike smiled. "Thanks pet." He said.
"You're coming to the Christmas party at Buffy's tomorrow right?" Kellie asked.
"Of course." Spike answered.
"Oz isn't coming, he's got a gig to play in L.A. and Darry's really upset." Kellie told him.
Spike frowned. "Wolf-boy's never been one for commitment." Spike muttered.
"He's not leaving her, he's just going to play for one night and he's coming back the next day." Kellie said.
Spike nodded.
The next day, Dawn asked if she could invite Steven to the Christmas Party night. Buffy agreed, deciding it would be a prefect time to meet the guy that had her sister so infatuated.
For the rest of the day everyone worked on making the Summers house more Christmas party friendly. Anya and Dawn had fun decorating the Christmas tree; Xander and Darry worked on baking Christmas cookies; Willow was putting little Menorahs all over the house while Tara watched; Buffy and Kellie were checking all the lights and decorations and picking Christmas music to listen to.
As the day ended, Spike showed up with eight tiny wrapped presents. When Buffy opened the door, she was surprised to see that he had brought presents at all.
"They're crappy presents." He said as he handed them to her. They weren't big but it's the thought that counts, Buffy thought and put them under the tree along with the other presents.
Spike joined Kellie on the couch and they began to talk. Darry sat at the other end of the couch, attempting to look merry and in the Christmas sprit. She figured she was doing a good job because no one asked her if she was okay.
When Steven arrived, Dawn was very nervous but excited as well. When she opened the door, he stood there holding a present and a box of candy canes. "I didn't know how many people were going to be here so I just brought candy canes." He said as he handed Dawn her gift.
"Thanks Steven." Dawn smiled and shut the door behind him. Kellie took a candy cane and brought it over to Darry, she sat down on the couch beside her.
"Here, it's a candy cane." Kellie said and handed it to her.
"Thanks." Darry said and wrapped it.
"So, you look like you're enjoying yourself. Very nonchalant, very happy go lucky." Kellie said.
Darry turned to her cousin. "Yeah, you call me happy go lucky but you don't know my heart is dying inside. The scary thing is, I do my 'happy go lucky' so well, I'm even fooling myself." Darry said.
Kellie gave her cousin a comforting smile. "He'll be back tomorrow, you'll see." Kellie said.
"I know, but he's not here now Kellie and that's what hurts." Darry said.
~L.A.~
Oz sat at the bar of the club the Dingoes were playing in, in about an hour, but he wasn't drinking, he was just sitting and thinking about Darry. He couldn't believe he had agreed to come to L.A. instead of staying in Sunnydale with the one that he loved. Wasn't that the point of Christmas Eve? Being with the one you loved?
Oz laid his head on the bar and cursed himself for being so stupid.
"Oz?" A voice behind him said. Oz looked up and turned around and was surprised to see Angel, the vampire that Buffy had once loved, standing behind him.
"Angel? What are you doing here?" Oz asked, confused to see the vampire after almost two years.
"I had the night off of baby-duty, Cordy offered to take care of Connor for the night, so I thought I'd see what bands were playing. What are you doing here?" Angel asked.
"My band is playing tonight." Oz answered.
"You don't look very in the Christmas sprit." Angel said and took a seat beside Oz.
Oz shook his head. "Does it show?" He asked.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"I left the person I care about alone, back in Sunnydale, just so I could come and play this stupid gig." Oz answered.
"You're back with Willow?" Angel asked.
"No, but I met her through Willow and Buffy; I don't know why I agreed to come here, tonight." Oz muttered.
Angel thought for a minute. "If you leave the person you care about, you may never get the chance to reconcile. I should know; Oz, you should never take any for granted. I'm not saying that you're taking this girl for granted, because you don't strike me as that kind of person, but you'd be surprised how easily a relationship can end." Angel told him.
Oz sat and let the vampire's words sink in. "You're right Angel." Oz muttered.
Oz got off the stool and started to walk away from the bar. "Where are you going?" Angel asked.
"Back to Sunnydale." Oz answered.
Angel smiled. "At least you still can go back." He muttered and turned away from the departing Oz.
~Sunnydale~
As the night began to become a little 'mature', Christmas began to draw near. Dawn started to bug Buffy about opening presents. So, Buffy decided that there was no reason why they couldn't open their presents now.
Anya insisted on opening hers first; she opened the one from Xander and was happy to see that he had indeed gotten her 'jingle bells'. Kellie opened her present from Spike and it was an ornament that had her name on it. Buffy opened her present from Darry and laughed when she saw that it was a stake.
"I didn't know what to get you." Darry said, her voice was flat but she tried to make it sound cheery.
Xander opened his present from Anya and couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, Anya had to tell him. "It's a waffle maker." Anya told him and smiled.
Xander smiled and kissed Anya, as a thank you. Dawn opened her present from Buffy and smiled when she saw it was a golden necklace that said her name, because she had lost the silver one shortly after they got their memories back.
"Just in case." Buffy smiled and put the necklace around Dawn's neck. Everyone opened his or her presents, except Darry, who only had one from the entire Scooby Gang. She wasn't upset that she only had one present; she wasn't in the present opening mood.
Once everyone was finished opening his or her presents, Steven decided it was time for him to go, least his mother start worrying. As he walked to the front door, he looked out the window. "Someone just pulled up in your drive." He said, turning around to tell Buffy.
Everyone stood up to look out the window to see who was visiting at such a late hour, except Darry who didn't care. Kellie peered out the window and the grinned.
"Darry, come here." She said, turning around to face her cousin. Darry stood up and walked over to the window. Darry's eyes widened as she saw who was parked in the Summers drive.
"Isn't Oz supposed to be in L.A.?" Spike asked Kellie. Kellie shrugged and looked over at her cousin.
Darry opened the front door and rushed out to greet Oz; Oz was just as happy to see her and they met with an embrace. When Darry broke the embrace, she looked up at Oz.
"What happened to L.A.?" She asked.
"A friend helped me see that being here was more important then being there." Oz answered.
Darry smiled; Oz lowered his head and gave Darry a kiss. Darry closed her eyes and kissed him back, feeling all her thoughts blur together and the only thing that mattered was Oz.
Oz broke the kiss and looked down at Darry, who smiled. "Merry Christmas." He whispered.
Darry smiled. Oz felt someone cold on his cheek and looked up at the sky and felt his eyes widen at what he saw. "It's snowing." He whispered.
Darry looked up at the sky and looked up at all the tiny white flakes that were falling from the velvet blue sky.
She turned back to the house. "Kellie!" She called. "It's snowing!"
The front door opened and everyone in the house peered out; Kellie ran outside and smiled. "It is snowing!" She cried happily.
Everyone left the house and looked up at the sky, hardly believing that it was snowing again in Sunnydale. "The last time it snowed, the weatherman said it was a miracle." Buffy muttered.
"Then that's what it is." Willow said and smiled.
As the snow began to fall thicker and stick to the ground, Kellie began to make snowballs and engage the Scooby Gang in a snowball fight. Darry couldn't believe how everything had happened, with Oz coming home and then it snowing but she wasn't sure she wanted to believe. Perhaps it was better to think of it the way Willow said, that it was a miracle.
After Steven went home, the snow continued to fall. Kellie was watching the Weather Channel to see if the snow would stop anytime soon.
"Well folks, it looks like Sunnydale is experiencing another shocking cold front like the one three years ago. The snow doesn't show any sign of stopping anytime soon and the sun won't make an appearance until late in the day, if at all." The weatherman said.
Kellie clicked off the TV and grinned. Darry and Oz were still outside, playing in the snow like kids. Kellie remembered playing in the snow when she was little, so she didn't think Darry was being childish at all.
Kellie entered the kitchen, where everyone was seated and having Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. "Do you have a camera?" Kellie asked Buffy.
"Yeah, why?" Buffy asked.
Kellie looked out the window, Darry and Oz were seated in the snow, and just talking; Darry and Oz both had snowflakes in their hair and snow all over their clothes. "I think it's time that Darry have a picture to put on her table." Kellie answered.
Kellie took Buffy's camera and took a candid shot of Darry and Oz together, simply happy just to be together.
