The blizzard had buried him. Digging out of the snow had been too much like digging out of the earth. Thinking about graves, both old and new, he continued north, driving himself until his legs wouldn't hold him up any longer.

Where he'd fallen... Spike had thought it would be as desolate as his heart, but it wasn't. It was beautiful. Staring up at the stars, surrounded by drifting snow, he could wait, peaceful and serene, until he'd faded to nothingness and found Xander again. The dust would look just like snowflakes, if there were anyone there to see them.