Chapter Six



The next day, Buffy declared her 'rest day' and retired to her room for the day. There wasn't really much to do because it was raining outside; it had been raining since early in the morning and hadn't let up since.
Dawn was nearly driven mad with boredom, as were the other members of the house. Oz had come over sometime after morning and the members of the Summers house had discovered the art of playing board games.
Darry couldn't help but let her thoughts wander to Kellie, who was probably in Snowville, doing whatever. However, Darry was sure that her cousin was alright but wished that she would call or something, like Oz had, to give her the chance to tell her cousin that she was indeed alive.

In Snowville, it was a clear and sunny day. The sun shown down on the snow that still covered the ground, even in the middle of February. Kellie knew that the snow would stay, and perhaps it might snow again, up until May, if they were lucky. After all, this was a ski town, a tourist town so what would it be without snow?
Kevin and hung out with her every day since he had come to visit her the first time. Now, at the moment, he and Kellie were talking about all the places they had visited as kids. Kevin was telling her about how he had lived in London when he was younger, before he moved to Snowville, which fascinated her because she knew that Spike was from London and she couldn't help but listen.
She must have been thinking more then listening because Kevin startled her out of her thoughts. "What's on your mind pet?" He asked, faking a British accent.
Kellie looked up at him, shocked at what he said because Spike had once said the same thing to her.
"Did I say something wrong?" Kevin asked, seeing the look on Kellie's face which was like a nauseated surprise.
"What? Oh..." Kellie said, drawling the words out. She stood up, walking into her bedroom and picking up her suitcase. She started throwing clothes into it, throwing neat packing to the wind.
"What are you doing?" Kevin asked, going to stand in the foyer. "Where are you going?"
Kellie carried her suitcase into the hall and over to the mantle; she grabbed the pictures off the mantle and began shoving them into her suitcase. "I have to go, somewhere." Kellie answered.
"Where? How are you going to get there?" Kevin asked as he watched Kellie zip up her suitcase and carry it to the front door.
"I'll take the bus." She answered and opened the door to her apartment; without looking back, headed out of the apartment and left a very bewildered Kevin standing inside.

Back in Sunnydale, Spike watched the rain fall from the sky without much amusement. How could someone be amused by watching it rain?, he asked himself, it was like watching paint dry. Not that he ever had.
It had been raining in Sunnydale all bloody day, not that there was ever anything to do in the day anyway, but the rain was messing up the reception on his television so he couldn't watch "Passions".
Besides, the rain always made him reflect on all the dreary things that had happened in his long life; at the moment, he couldn't help but think of Kellie and how he had let her go a month ago.
She was probably never coming back and now Buffy was getting on his case about the whole thing. Spike couldn't help but think of Buffy as a hypocrite because as soon as she decided that she wanted him, she would come and they would make love. But, then she would change completely, trying to be the goody-two-shoes that he knew she wasn't.
He knew that in his immoral life he would never be able to understand women.

Kellie didn't have much time to greet the familiar scenery of Sunnydale because she was in a hurry to get back to where it mattered the most. She didn't think about the fact that it was pouring down rain in Sunnydale, as she left the bus and collected her suitcase.
She ran toward the cemetery nearest the Summers house where Spike took up residence. The rain whipped her face as she ran, causing her hair to stick to her face and neck.
She realized that she must have dropped her suitcase somewhere along the way because when she entered the cemetery, she noticed her hands were empty. She brushed her waterlogged hair away from her face, feeling the rain pelt her skin and stick to her eyelashes.
She walked through the cemetery, not thinking about where she was going but trusted her feet to guide her in the right direction; mud stuck to the button of her sneakers, but she didn't really mind.
Her clothes stuck to her body, and she was thankful that she wasn't wearing a cotton outfit. However, her shirt clung to close to her body and itched and her jeans were uncomfortable and scratched her wet skin.
In front of her, she saw Spike's crypt, somehow more visible against the gray, sunless sky. Water dripped from the top of the crypt and along the tangled vines.
Kellie walked to the crypt, feeling her heart thud in her chest, feeling as though it was going to explode.
She opened the door and stepped inside.

When the door to his crypt opened, Spike turned around, surprised because he wasn't expecting visitors, especially in the pouring rain. When he saw who was at his door, he took a deep breath.
Kellie stood in the foyer, her wet hair clinging to the pale skin of her neck and forehead. Her clothes clung to her body, as though forming as one with her figure; he noticed that she was breathing hard, as though she had been running.
She looked at him, her blue eyes hidden under a thick brow of eyelashes, soaked with rainwater. Spike walked over to her and took her into his arms, holding her wet form close.
Kellie wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest, feeling complete for the first time since Darry had died. Kellie looked up at him, locking eyes.
Spike raised his hand and brushed back her wet hair, causing it to drip on her already wet shoulder. "I didn't believe you would really come back." Spike whispered, placing his hand on Kellie's cheek.
"I told you I would, didn't I." She whispered, feeling it wrong to speak above that level.
Spike lowered his head and kissed Kellie, tilted her head as he did so. Kellie ran her hands through Spike's hair as she kissed back, clinging to him as though he was her sole support in life.
Spike took his hand off her cheek and let it travel down her body; Kellie pressed herself closer to Spike and stopped thinking all together. The only thought in her head was of Spike.

As the day wore on, it continued to rain in Sunnydale; creeks and rivers began to overflow and run freely over the grass with their muddy waters. Water gathered in puddles on the streets so that when cars drove by the water cascaded in a liquid blanket.
The rain didn't really bother Darry as she sat with Oz on the couch in silence, listening to the rain beat against the roof and fall down the window pane. Darry rested her head on Oz's shoulder but kept her eyes fixed on the window, watching the rain run down like a tiny river.
Darry took a deep breath and closed her eyes, listening to the rain and to her own thoughts.

The rain finally stopped when it was nearly ten o'clock. Kellie snuggled against Spike's chest and laid her head against it. Spike looked down at her and brushed her now drying hair away from her face. Kellie smiled at his touch, which was like a light brush. She ran her fingers along his bare chest and then kissed it.
Kellie was happy that she had come back to Sunnydale.

Buffy decided to go out patrolling, even though she doubted that Sunnydale would be alive with much of anything, even the undead.
She decided to go to Spike's crypt and see what the vampire was doing, since there was really nothing else she could do. And she knew he would be happy to see her, even though she detested him.
She neared Spike's crypt and her boots squished in the mud, getting water on the end of her jeans. She opened the door to Spike's crypt and stepped inside.
Buffy was surprised by what she saw; Spike and Kellie (which also surprised her) were sitting on Spike's "coffin table", barely dressed, just talking.
When she entered the crypt, both Spike and Kellie turned their heads, equally surprised.
"Buffy?" Kellie said, probably the most surprised out of everyone.
"Buffy, can't you bloody knock?" Spike asked and stood up, wrapping a blanket around his lower body.
Buffy took a step back, very surprised and very speechless. "Whoa." She muttered. "When did you get back, Kellie?" Buffy said, probably the weirdest question she could asked at the moment.
"Just now." Kellie muttered and pulled her own blanket around herself, looking away from the Slayer.
Spike walked over to Buffy. "How 'bout you get out of here Slayer." Spike suggested and gave Buffy and shove toward the door with one hand.
Buffy stepped out of the crypt and Spike slammed the door in her face. It was only after she was outside, standing the mud, that she remembered that Darry was indeed alive and Kellie should know.
Buffy composed herself and knocked on the door to the crypt. After a few seconds, Spike jerked the door open. "What?" He asked, crossly.
"I need to tell Kellie something." Buffy answered, looking past Spike and into the crypt where Kellie was quickly putting her clothes on.
Spike looked behind him and then back at Buffy. "Make it quick." He muttered, still upset with her.
Buffy entered the crypt after Spike stepped aside. Kellie was putting her socks on when Buffy walked over to her.
"Kellie, I have something to tell you; it's going to be hard to believe at first but believe it." Buffy said. Kellie looked at her and raised an eyebrow, signaling Buffy to continue. "Darry's alive." Buffy told her.