"Sometimes I wish I wasn't alone in the world," mumbled a small voice in the corner.

"You're not," replied Spike. He was sitting on the second last step of the basement, his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes were watching to the dark ground.

"Everyone tells me I'm not alone. Everyone says I have so many people on my side, that will help me whenever I need," the voice told him.

"But that's not what you mean," Spike mumbled silently to himself.

The owner of the voice seemed to not have heard him and said: "But that's not what I mean."

"I know."

"You don't, William."

"It's Spike now," Spike said. She knew his name was Spike now, she'd never know him as any other person he was; the second vampire with a soul. But somehow she had found out his name was William and she referred to him as such. She didn't like these strange names people had.

"I feel empty inside, like my viscera have been torn out. And eaten if the image needs more flavour," the voice said. Spike thought he heard a trace of a smile in the young girls voice. It wasn't all to pleasant though. She was 17 years old, but never had any contact with viscera and had only ever used the word in biology class. He looked up towards her shadowed figure in the corner.

"I know that feeling. Only with me I actually got some more viscera stuffed into him," he said with a faint smile on using her word. He felt her smile.

"It's not about whose around us, is it, Will?"

"No."

"Do you know what it's really about?" She wanted to be sure. He knew that he wouldn't tell her the reason she was hiding away from everyone in the basement. It seemed so mature, but he understood.

"Yes."

"Then… why does everyone think they know?"

"People miss out on the things you know, Tiger," he said. Tiger was his nickname for her and she hated it. She disliked these stupid names.

"My name's not Tiger," she told him and swung the conversation around.

"It's Tiger for me."

"But it's not the name on my birth certificate," she said. And it wasn't. "The name on…"

"… my certificate is the name that was chosen for me and only me," Spike mocked her. He'd heard this sentence often enough. "Jessica Buffy Wryght."

"You just know me inside out, don't you?"

"Buffy's not a normal name either, you know," he told her.

"It's the name given to all slayers, William. You of all people should know," she explained. "The original slayer."

"She wasn't. The original slayer came from much longer ago," he clarified.

"That's not how the story goes."

"Why are you hiding in the basement, Tiger?" He changed the conversation. She would tell him her version of the creation of the slayers and he would tell her the real one. As always, she would tell him he was wrong.

"I don't feel it," she said, letting the conversation take her every time.

"Not even from me?"

"I feel it from you," she mumbled. He knew she was embarrassed about the fact although he should have been. He loved her as much as he loved every slayer that had been and every slayer that was to come. "But you don't mean it."

"Of course I mean it," Spike said and got up. He walked over to her and looked down upon her lowered head. He sighed deeply before crouching next to her and stroking her. "You know I love you, Tiger. I'll always love you."

"I've heard stories," she mumbled and waited. He said nothing. "I heard you only love us slayers because we remind you of her. Buffy."

"That's not true, Tiger and you know it. I love you because of who each and every one of you are. I would protect you forever so that the world could always have you touch it and let it grow. The world needs you, Tiger, and so do I."

"What if I don't want to help the world?"

"I'm sure, there's someone out there who needs you just as much. Someone that you might need as well."

"I need you, William."

"Someone you'll love more than me."

"I could never…"

"You will," he mumbled silently and pulled her into a hug. He stayed there for a moment and then got up. He turned and walked over to the stairs. "You will." He left her.