Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise, you know the drill.

A/N: Just for the record, seeing that I have been getting reviews about Xander (Quite a bit actually :S), he is not on Spike's side. He helped Willow and Tara set him on the couch because they weren't managing very well and he is more concerned about Buffy and what this would do to her. She has to face her own problems. Oh and the 'Buffy not hitting Spike in the actual series' thing, I added that because it would make the ending seem a lot sweeter. Get it? SORRY FOR ALL THE READERS. THIS STORY IS A B/S, I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT.

And seeing that I love James Marsters, I hate the way Xander treats Spike so I changed it for my own liking. I am trying to be original but if you guys want it, I'll change him back and make him more cold hearted (sob).

Chapter 3: Of All Things Tolerable

Buffy handed Spike his mug of pig's blood with a straw in it. It was the same mug he had drunk from while chained to Giles' bathtub two years ago. She still didn't like looking at him drinking, it was grotesquely wrong in her mind, to see blood going up a straw. "Don't even ask whether it's the right temperature." Spike raised an eyebrow. "Call me when you're done, you can watch the TV in the meantime."

She went to the dining room for the doughnuts that her friends had bought. Xander patted the chair beside his own. "Come and sit Buff, we have enough fatty food to put weight on even the thinnest stick insect."

Buffy sat and grabbed a jelly (jam) doughnut. "Mmmmm, Buffy like food."

"So how's he doing?" Willow inclined her head to where Spike sat, watching Dawson's Creek.

"Drinking blood through a straw, what else?" Buffy shrugged.

Xander frowned. "What the hell does he need a straw for? You didn't break his hands. Did you?"

Buffy glared at Xander. "No I did not! He just said that it was cool, watching the blood go up the straw."

Xander looked like he was going to be sick. Tara who was strictly vegetarian said "You eat animals, burgers with blood in it but you can't appreciate the fact that the only way Spike can survive is to drink blood?"

Dawn, a practising vegetarian, joined into the conversation nodding. "And at least he also eats normal food unlike Buffy's ex undead boyfriend."

Xander put his food down and got up. "You know, I've had a lot to eat" he hadn't touched a thing "and I need to be at work, like now. All this talk of blood has my appetite just soaring. See you guys around." And he was gone, as fast as his feet could carry him.

Buffy laughed and turned to her sister. "Now look what you did, you chased him away."

Dawn nodded and Willow said "It's good for the soul."

"Buffy!" Dawn sounded pretty urgent. "Who's going to give Spike a bath? How is he going to get changed? How is he going to go to the toilet and where is he going to sleep?"

Buffy frowned, thinking. "Well Dawn. Have you ever seen Spike take a bath?" Dawn raised an eyebrow, Buffy ploughed right on "People don't use their legs to get changed, does he pee? He'll sleep in the guest room."

Dawn sent a withering look at her sister. "We don't have a guest room and he can't climb stairs."

Buffy had the presence to look ashamed at that. "We'll figure it out Dawnie. His legs won't stay broken for long. He heals about as fast as I do."

"Buffy? Willow and Tara are going out, can I go too. They said that if you said it was okay, I could go with them and it's not like they don't live here so they wouldn't be dropping me off. Please."

Buffy's head was spinning "Calm down Dawn. Okay, you can go and seeing that tomorrow is Saturday, you can stay out until 11pm and that is all. Understand?"

Dawn squealed, nodded and ran to her room to get her things. They were gone in 10 minutes. There was nothing left to do and it was too early to patrol so Buffy decided to join Spike with some Pacey Bashing, as he liked to call it.

"So…" Buffy said, settling herself down beside Spike. "Anything new?" She indicated the TV.

Spike shook his head, "Same old thing. Pacey wants Joey but it's so obvious that she really wants Dawson and its obviously like this huge triangle. I don't see why Pacey can't just let her go…" Spike finished his answer of lightly. He realised that he had just about summed up the way he felt and cursed himself because now he saw it from another persons point of view.

He looked down at his feet; at least they weren't at a weird angle as he has seen on TV when people's legs were broken. He missed them though. "I have to get into that wheelchair again don't I?" He said as a hope for a changed in subject but he heard Buffy's voice change and knew that she had also picked up on the subtext. "'Fraid so, no other way you're going to be able to get out of this room and I don't want a ripe smelling Spike room. Oh you do pee!"

Spike started "What?!"

"Oh!" Buffy put her hand over her mouth "Did I say that out loud? Dawn was just mentioning…never mind."

Spike looked affronted "I don't think I approve of you and the Little Bit speaking of my 'ways of excreting' when I am not in the room to overlook and defend myself."

Buffy blushed. "It's a puzzle."

Spike rolled his eyes. "I can move my toes. Not my knees."

Buffy pondered this. "Well I didn't break you toes so I can see why."

Just then, dust started swirling again and Buffy knew what was coming. Rayya appeared in all her glory looking just the same as the first time Buffy had met her. She stood there for a little while, observing the Slayer and the vampire sat side by side and then she spoke. "Well, feeling any better William?"

Spike growled. "God damn it woman. How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Buffy looked at Spike confused. Why was he talking to her like that? It soon became apparent that Rayya and Spike knew each other as more than just mere acquaintances.

She swept across the floor and came at a stop right opposite Spike. "I will not lower myself to calling you what others do and besides. You know that you don't mind me calling you that. We have known each other forever after all." Spike rolled his eyes again. "Well are you going to just stand there or do you think that you can find it in you to sit down and behave like a normal person." He was grinning now.

"No William. I just knew that everyone, except Buffy of course, was out so I decided to pay one of my frequent but fly-by visits. See how much I do for you?"

Spike grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit next to him. "You may be immortal but I will not have you towering above me when I have no power to be as equally intimidating."

Rayya relented and sat. "So you haven't kicked each other to another dimension yet?"

"Can't even if I wanted to love. Remember? Buffy's trying to be nice to me but I can see that it's costing her every ounce of control she can muster. And I will not accept pity or charity." He growled at the Slayer.

Rayya stood up. "I'd love to stay William but I have other people to overlook. Take care, you too Buffy. I'm glad to see that you're coping but it still needs work." And she was gone.

"I don't understand her." Spike said.

"I do."

*               *               *               *               *

A week had gone by. Rayya didn't turn up again, Spike's bruises had cleared up, allowing Buffy to look at him again with less guilt, and they had worked a few things that Dawn had mentioned out. Spike would shower upstairs, Willow and Tara levitated him up there and it was extremely freaky. He would urinate in a bucket, which was quite gross for the person who had to empty it. He didn't need help changing, although Dawn would sometimes take a peek. She never saw anything rude which lead Buffy to believe that Spike knew that he was being watched. He slept on the couch. In a whole week, he had only used the wheelchair once to which he was very grateful.

"Spike?!" He was being shaken awake. Had it been anyone else he would have thumped them. "Come on Spike, get up or I won't give you your blood." That did it. He was up.

"Damn it Niblet. What do you want?" He groaned, managing to sit up without much more injury.

"Do you always sleep without a shirt on?" She asked distracted. Then she grinned cockily "Or is it so that Buffy might walk in on you by accident?"

Spike growled at her. He realised that he had been doing that quite a bit since he had moved here. Dawn loved to hear it though (god only knew why), that way she knew that she was getting to him. "It's hot here. Haven't you women ever heard of air conditioning? This is California after all. Anyway, Buffy's seen me without a shirt before. What's the big?" Dawn put on her big innocent eyes while Spike rolled his.

"So do I get to eat now?"

"Brush your teeth first. Vampire's can still get yellow teeth you know and I wouldn't want you to ruin those perfect whites. Besides, you drink the blood, not eat it so why do you say eat?"

Spike shrugged. "Not one to ruin a perfectly good vampire stereotype. Never asked."

"Well go and brush them then."

Spike grimaced. "This house really discriminates against the wheelchair bound you know?"

"Yep. Buffy'll be up in a min and if you're going to stick by what you said, I'd don a shirt." Dawn went to grab her breakfast with Willow and Tara.

"I'm finding it really hard to stop the resentment I am feeling at not being able to use my legs." He grumbled to himself.

"Well then you should have defended yourself."

Spike turned his head and saw Buffy. "Didn't hear you coming down Slayer. You also know that I wouldn't have.  Used to be taller than you. They will mend in a few you know?"

Buffy grinned "I know, then we can have it out like we should have."

Spike reached out, quick as lightning and grabbed her hand. Buffy didn't have time to flinch. "I stand by what I say. I would hurt a hair on your head. Unless of course…" It was perfectly obvious what he was suggesting. Buffy rolled her eyes but couldn't quite place the emotion that was behind his eyes when he told her that.

She nodded stiffly. "Go get ready. I'll heat your blood for you."

He nodded once and departed. Buffy went into the kitchen to find Dawn smiling mysteriously from the centre island. "Did he have a shirt on? I know Angel never looked that good with his shirt off."

"Dawn!" Buffy warned.

"Well did he?" Willow and Tara were making an obvious effort to ignore the sisters.

"No he didn't and I do not think it's appropriate to be thinking things like that about him. Rayya should have known that a very adolescent teenager would be living under the same roof. Especially one that has a major crush on him!" Buffy mock glared at her sister.

"Hey! I do not." Dawn protested.

"Yes you do sweetie." Willow said, admitting defeat that she couldn't pretend not to hear anymore.

Dawn shrugged. "I have school now. Xander should be over soon and tell Spike that I said bye." She blushed at the last words and left via the back door just as Xander came through the front.

"Does anyone lock our doors? This is Hellmouth central after all." Buffy locked the door behind Xander and Anya.

"So" said Xander. "How's it like? One guy and all these girls. I could just imagine." Anya thumped him.

"No, don't imagine. It's really gross. Willow and Tara are lesbians, they would never do that."

Buffy looked pointedly at Anya.

"What?" Anya said.

Xander closed his eyes, praying for someone to help him. "She means Dawn, Ahn."

"What about her?" Anya was way too literal. "And anyway Xander can only have sex with me."

"You know…" Buffy said, "I'm so glad that Dawn just left. You are going to corrupt her. God, you're corrupting me!"

Spike returned a few minutes later and Buffy handed him his mug of pig's blood with a straw in it, at the right temperature.

*               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *               *

I thought it would be kool to end the way I began. What do you think? Review please and please don't flame.

Oh and buffan03, I wouldn't say not to that bot either. Who would?

Pure-HP