The sprite regained consciousness the next day, and he was not happy to find himself in a human home. He spent that whole day curled up in the little bed Niles had made for him, refusing to eat and baring his teeth at Niles every time he came close. Niles didn't push, but he spoke softly to the sprite, explaining what had happened and where he was. He left food out as well, changing it at each mealtime.

Ashton was a bit wary of the sprite himself, choosing to avoid him and hide in his carrier. He couldn't quite say why he did it, but he watched the sprite silently from the carrier, even ignoring Niles when the human came to check on him after checking on the sprite.

As the day wore on, Ashton could tell that Niles was worried about the water sprite. The faerie wouldn't eat or drink anything that the human offered him, and he was noticeably getting weaker. Ashton figured that Niles wanted to change the sprite's bandages as well, but the sprite was quite hostile.

He's the one who patched you up, Ashton wanted to tell him as he watched the sprite hiss at Niles for the umpteenth time. He's the only reason you're still alive.

As the late afternoon sunlight spilled through the window with no sign of surrender from the defensive sprite, Ashton finally decided to try to talk to him. They were the same kind, after all. Well. Sort of. Maybe he could convince the sprite to listen to Niles and let the human take care of him. Niles had been doing a good job nursing Ashton back to health. The least Ashton could do was vouch for the doctor's abilities.

Ashton waited until Niles was out of the room, off to prepare dinner, before creeping up to the sprite and sitting beside him. The sprite barely turned his head to acknowledge him.

"There you are," he said, looking straight ahead. "I was wondering when you'd show your face."

Ashton winced at his brusque tone, remembering belatedly that all sprites could sense each other within a certain radius. He had forgotten about that. It helped them locate each other in the water.

The sprite finally turned towards him, looking him up and down and frowning. He suddenly reached out and gripped Ashton's arm with his claws, and Ashton flinched away.

"You feel odd," the sprite told him. "You're too warm to be a sprite, and your skin's not slick enough. What are you, anyway? Some sort of halfling?"

Ashton nodded, trying to slow his hammering heart. "My dad's a sprite," he explained. "My mom's a woodlands."

"Ah." The sprite lay his head back down and sighed. "And why are you here?"

"I..." Ashton blinked, unsure of what to say. He had told Alexo yesterday that he was there for a wing amputation, but the surgical site was mostly healed. Why was he still here with Niles, anyway? 

"I'm... sick?" he said cautiously. He thought about it, stumped. He wasn't really sick, was he? And... he wasn't that hurt anymore, not since the stitches came out and the cast came off. But he certainly felt sick. And he definitely felt hurt. And he couldn't stay awake for more than two hours at a time, either.

He hugged himself. "I don't know," he admitted finally. "But I don't have anywhere else to go."

The sprite didn't seem too impressed by Ashton's answer, so Ashton hurriedly changed the subject.

"Anyways, umm, why won't you let Niles change your bandages? He needs to do that, so your wounds heal."

The sprite grimaced and turned away. "I don't think I need to tell you why I don't want a human touching me." He shivered, and Ashton could see fear flash across his normally stoic face.

"Niles won't hurt you," Ashton told him. He wondered at the weird role reversal. Just two and a half months ago, Lucy was the one trying to persuade him into trusting Niles. Now, here he was, reassuring another newcomer of Niles' goodness. He marveled at the fact that he could say all this to the sprite so confidently, but he could

The sprite eyed Ashton suspiciously. "Oh, yeah? Well, I don't see you letting him pick you up," he accused Ashton

"That's because..." Ashton began helplessly. He trailed off. How was he supposed to explain this to the sprite? That he trusted Niles, up until he saw Niles' hands reaching for him? That he wanted to be comfortable with being touched, but that his body always instinctively recoiled?

"It's... hard to explain," he finally said. "But Niles won't hurt you, I promise."

The water sprite snorted and then winced, clutching at his bandaged ribs. "Well, forgive me for not taking the word of a shivering woodlands who's too scared to let the allegedly gentle human lay a finger on him."

Ashton frowned. He didn't know why, but he was offended that the water sprite wouldn't give Niles a chance. He's not like that! he wanted to protest. He really is just trying to help you! But everything he said would sound hypocritical, so he just sat there.

After a minute of silence, the sprite pointed to the scars on Ashton's back. "Was he the one who did that to you? Is that why you're so afraid of him?"

"What? No! Are you kidding me?" Ashton exclaimed in disbelief. He almost laughed at the ludicrous assertion that Niles could have sawed his wings off. There was simply no comparison between Niles and the human who had actually done this to him. The two of them were polar opposites.

"Niles would never hurt me," Ashton insisted. "All he's done this whole time is take care of me. I'm the one who..." he fell silent and blinked. The sprite waited for him to continue, brows furrowed.

"I..." he stopped again, confused and frustrated by how ashamed he felt. "Never mind," he said quietly. 

He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He felt sad just feeling how thin and bony his legs still were. What a mess, he thought. Everything's a mess. My body's a mess. My life's a mess. How can I reassure this faerie when I can't even reassure myself? 

Out loud, he said, "Forget I said anything. Do what you want. Trust Niles. Or don't. It doesn't matter either way. We're both stuck here until we're better."

A tap at the window startled both of them, and they looked towards it in unison. Ashton immediately recognized the woodlands who had brought the sprite to Niles. Alexo.

Ashton glanced around anxiously, but Niles was still in the kitchen. And it's not like he could open the window. The latch was too high. He shrugged helplessly at Alexo, who waved his hand in dismissal before flying up and checking the latch himself. Finding it unlocked, he helped himself inside and was soon seated next to them on the desk.

"Hi," he greeted them, grinning. Ashton looked at him more closely. The last time they had met, he had been fighting off a panic attack and didn't get a chance to really look at him. The woodlands' dark hair was pulled back in a long braid, and he had the old-young feel of a faerie who had already undergone the geant. There was no way to tell how old he was just by looking at him.

Alexo looked the sprite up and down. "Oh, you're awake," he commented. "How are you feeling?"

The sprite narrowed his eyes. "Who in the abyss's name are you?"

The woodlands looked a bit surprised at the sprite's aggressiveness, but he brushed it off. "I'm Alexo. What's your name?"

"Svernin. Do I know you?"

Alexo shook his head. "No. But I'm the one who found you crumpled in the woods behind Niles house yesterday," he explained. "You were unconscious, and no one was around to help, so I brought you here. Niles stitched you up."

"That was you? You're the reason I ended up here?" the sprite asked, narrowing his eyes.

Alexo nodded. "You were in pretty bad shape," he added. "But Niles is a faerie doctor, so this was the best place to take you."

The sprite stared at him in horror. "You thought... you actually thought it was a good idea to take me to a human?" he spluttered.

Alexo raised a thin eyebrow. "Umm, yeah?" he said. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Niles is a faerie doctor. You were unconscious and bleeding out. Of course this was the best place to take you."

Svernin looked outraged. His mouth worked silently for a moment before he exploded. "You daft woodlands!" he exclaimed. "Honestly, you lot all have frog spawn between your ears. How could a human house be the 'best place' to take a faerie, hmm? Humans are known faerie killers! They lure you in and keep you trapped as little pets or worse! They're curious and ruthless and will peel you apart just to see what lies underneath your skin!"

Ashton and Alexo both stared at him, surprised at the sprite's outburst.

Finally, Alexo frowned. "Well, has Niles hurt you since you've been here?" he asked.

Svernin bristled. "No," he admitted. "But it's only a matter of time."

Alexo scratched his head. "Has he given any indication that he's going to hurt you?"

Svernin was looking progressively frustrated. "No, but what does that matter? He's still dangerous!"

"And how do you know that?" Alexo challenged. "You just met him!"

Svernin glared at him and looked desperately at Ashton, like he wanted Ashton to back him up. Ashton could only stare back at him, speechless. The thing was, he did agree with the sprite. Humans were dangerous. But Niles wasn't. So, he just didn't say anything.

"Any faerie with a half a brain knows that humans are dangerous," Svernin finally said. "You don't have to know them personally to realize this."

Alexo was starting to look angry, too. "Well, it just so happens that I do know this human personally," he told Svernin. "And I know for a fact that he's harmless."

The sprite opened his mouth to argue, but the smaller woodlands wasn't done.

"Because unlike you, I actually lived with Niles for years, and would you look at that, I'm completely intact! And I'm no one's pet. Niles knows this. I know this. So yes, I thought it was ok to bring you here because this human's house does happen to be the best place to take a faerie, you gaping-mouthed catfish!"

Now it was Alexo's turn to get surprised looks from both Ashton and the water sprite. Ashton wasn't too familiar with sprite slang, but he did know that term. It was a grave insult to call someone a catfish. Ashton's uncle called his father that all the time.

Niles walked in at that point with dinner for the faeries, effectively breaking up the tension between Alexo and the sprite. Alexo noticeably perked up when he saw the human.

"Niles!" he greeted him. "How's everything going here?"

Niles smiled and held out his hand. Alexo flew over and settled in his palm comfortably.

Niles glanced over at the sprite, who scowled and turned away from him. Ashton could see a faint smile playing around the corners of Niles' mouth, the ghostly outline of his dimple starting to show.

"He's doing better," Niles replied. "He's awake, though he doesn't seem to trust me much. He won't eat anything or let me close enough to change his bandages."

"What?" Alexo exclaimed, whipping his head around to look at the water sprite on Niles' desk. The water sprite refused to be moved, so Niles had set up bedding for him there, including a little overhang to create the illusion of a cave. Water sprites were notoriously reclusive creatures, and they hated being exposed and vulnerable, especially when sleeping. So, Niles had made a makeshift cave for him to help him relax a little.

Alexo flew back down to the desk and strode up to the sprite, putting his hands on his hips. Svernin didn't even bother looking at him.

"Hey," Alexo snapped, nudging the sprite gently with his foot. The sprite finally rolled over and scowled up at him.

"What?" he grumped.

Alexo pointed back towards Niles. "Why won't you let him change your bandages?" he demanded. "You need to listen to him! He's a doctor!"

Svernin frowned deeper. "I don't want him touching me," he complained, and Alexo threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Alexo," Niles called, and the woodlands looked back over at him.

"Look, if he doesn't want me to change his bandages, how about you do it?" he asked, holding up a roll of cloth. "I'll walk you through it."

Alexo blinked and looked back at Svernin, who was now sitting up and crossing his arms across his chest challengingly. Finally, Alexo sighed and held out his hand for the bandages.

"Fine," he relented. "I'll do it." He glared at the water sprite. "Think you can handle that, you overgrown swamp frog?"

The sprite nodded and got to his feet, wincing. Alexo's scowl slid off his face, and he hurried to move under Svernin's arm, propping him up with his shoulders.

"Yeah, yeah," the sprite said testily. "That's fine. Let's get this over with."

Ashton scooted out of the way and moved to stand by Niles, eyes wide as he watched.

After bandaging up the sprite, Alexo forced him to sit at the faerie-sized table and brought over the food that Niles had made. When Svernin just stared at the food without moving to touch it, the woodlands popped a bite of watercress in his mouth and swallowed.

"See, it's not poisoned, you guppy," he pointed out, and Svernin scowled before finally nibbling on a piece of fish.

Ashton was surprised at Alexo's ferocious caregiving style, and even grumpy Svernin seemed a bit cowed. Only Niles seemed unsurprised, and Ashton caught him turning away so Svernin wouldn't see him laugh to himself.

By the time the aggressive woodlands left them later that night, the sprite had been fed, watered, and tucked safely back into bed, no human handling required.

___________________________________________________________________

A/N: Tough love + pretty face = Alexo 

Thanks for reading! See you in the next part!