Seeing You Broken Part 3

Disclaimer: Don't own em, just being mean.

Summary: Xander tells Spike what happened.

Reviews: Yes, please. Love reviews, adore reviewers. Readers Rock but Reviewers RULE!

A/N: This might be the last chapter in this part of the story. What do you think? Leave it here? Or go another one? Hmmmm…

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Xander rocked back on his heels. "Shouldn't have bothered? Now you tell me! I can't believe you!" He stood up and stalked over to the ancient refrigerator. Wrenching it open he angrily grabbed out two bags of blood and threw them into the small microwave, viciously punching in the numbers to heat the red fluid the vampire needed.

"Drag his undead ass all the way from the police station and he says I shouldn't have bothered! Spend all day looking at his smashed-in face hoping he doesn't dust and he says I shouldn't have bothered!" Muttering under his breath, Xander rummaged through Spike's 'kitchen' and found an oversize mug to dump the heated blood into. "Take the day off from work and beg Chuck to cover for me so that now I have to work extra hours next week and he says I shouldn't have bothered!"

The brunette Scooby carried the huge cup over and wrapped the vampire's unmarked fingers around the handle. "You so much as spill a drop of that and I'll make the beating Buffy gave you look like love taps." Xander inhaled, trying to calm his raging temper. He couldn't believe he'd actually been worried about the peroxide pain in the ass. Noticing that Spike sat there without drinking the blood he needed to heal, Xander leaned down to speak softly into the blond's ear.

"You need to drink that, cause if you don't it'll take too long to heal. Your eyes are swollen shut and if you can't see me, you can't hit me." Xander smirked at the frown trying to crease the bruised forehead. "Oh yeah, you can't hit me anyway, can you…Fangless."

Spike growled as his anger began to build. Without bothering to shift into gameface, Spike began draining the cup. He dropped it on the floor when it was completely empty. He could feel the blood begin to work its magic. Being animal blood, it worked a little slower than human would have but he could feel the swelling in his eyes begin to recede a little. He tried to open his eyes and could barely make out the face of the Whelp. The human was crouched in front of him staring at the damage, watching avidly to see if the healing would kick in.

Xander hid his glee as he saw the slivers of blue peeking out from the swollen lids. Sparks of gold shot through the sapphire as he watched Spike get angrier.

"Okay, he's feeding. Does this mean we can go home and have orgasms now?" Anya asked. Her dark brown eyes took in the slight improvements in Spike's appearance.

Spike inhaled, feeling the pull of the broken ribs as his chest expanded. He winced at the stab of pain. Brutalized facial features protested the wince causing him to take in another sharp breath. He groaned softly as his body began to add up all his injuries. Carefully, he unbent his legs and planted both feet on the floor. He hissed as his ribs grated against themselves. As empty as his mind had been earlier in the day, it was now racing with thoughts. Panic welled as he remembered Buffy's determination to turn herself in.

"Buffy! Did she? The police… is she?" He couldn't verbalize the fear that the slayer he loved so much had thrown her life away by confessing to murder.

"Spike! Calm down. Buffy's fine. She's not in jail. It was Warren. He killed his ex-girlfriend and tried to make Buffy think she'd done it. The police ruled it suicide. We can't prove Warren did it but we know." Xander explained. His tone was soothing; completely at odds with the anger he'd been feeling.

The blond vampire heaved a sigh of relief. "Bloody wanker." He muttered darkly. Another thought occurred to him. "When did she find out? Did she confess and then they…no, that wouldn't have been right. What happened?"

Xander gazed at the floor trying to word his answer. He knew what he was about to say would anger the vampire but there wasn't any way around it, Spike had to know.

"She never spoke to the officer. She heard him on the phone. As soon as she heard who the victim was she knew Warren had had something to do with it. She left right away." The male Scooby's voice was low and apologetic. "She didn't say anything about you being there. I found you by accident."

A sharp inhalation from the vampire was all the warning Xander and Anya got. The blond leaped to his feet and fairly flew over to the opposite side of the crypt. He punched the wall, causing the humans to jump in surprise. The exertion caused agony to bloom in his injured chest. He ignored the feeling and threw his other fist into the stone wall. Cradling his now-bloodied hands to his aching chest, Spike turned his back to the wall and banged his head against the cold stone. Xander and Anya had to strain to hear the words pouring out of the furious vampire.

"Left me lying in the dirt, she beat me to a bloody pulp and left me there! Couldn't see to get home, could have dusted. Had to be saved by the Whelp of all people. All I tried to do was keep her from throwing her life away. Stupid bitch was gonna confess. She didn't do it, I knew that but would she listen? Oh hell no! She knows best. She knows the right thing to do." Spike ranted as he slid down the wall, ending up in a heap curled up next to the stone. He rested his face against his bent knees and sucked in a shuddering breath. "I could be dust right now and she'd never know. She wouldn't care. Does she hate me that much?"

Xander and Anya exchanged startled looks. They had known that the slayer had been the one to pound Spike into the ground but they hadn't been aware of exactly why. It all made a kind of horrible sense. Now they knew why Buffy hadn't said anything about Spike being with her at any point during the entire ordeal.

Anya ventured closer to the shaking vampire. "Spike, I don't think Buffy hates you. She said something odd earlier. 'You always hurt the one you love'. Do you know what she meant?"

Spike's entire body stiffened. He'd forgotten the humans were there. He'd lost it in front of the two people in the world he would have staked himself before saying anything to. He closed his eyes because it just hurt too much to keep them open. Fighting the urge to break down and sob like the nancy-boy he'd been as a human, he swallowed hard.

"Get out." The demand was low and rough.

"Spike? What did you say?" Xander asked. He hadn't quite made out what the vampire said.

"Get out!" Spike raised his voice. If they didn't leave soon…

Xander blinked. "But you need help…" He trailed off. Anya backed up and grasped Xander's arm.

"Let's go." She murmured.

"But, Ahn, Honey." Her fiancé babbled.

The ex-demon tugged him toward the door. "He wants to be left alone. We can come back later."

"Don't bother. Just leave. Now!" Spike growled, hanging on by less than a thread.

Xander made sure the door was closed tightly behind them. He lingered there for a long moment, sure there was something more he could have done to help the injured vampire. His blood chilled at the howl of anguish that echoed through the heavy door he'd just closed. He hadn't heard the vampire make a sound like that since the night Buffy had jumped from the tower. It was something he'd hoped he'd never hear again. He glanced at Anya and was shocked by the tears standing in her big brown eyes.

"She left him there to die, Xander." She sniffled. "Why would she do that to someone who loves her so much?"

"I don't know, Honey." Xander swiped at his eyes. He wasn't crying. The Xan-man would never shed tears over a broken vampire. "I just don't know."