"Tate…" Alice stood at the bottom of the basement stairs, her hands trembling as she looked around nervously. The eerie feeling she always got when she walked down those stairs gave her chills, but she couldn't run away from it now. She had to find Tate, perhaps make him understand that she wasn't going to hate him, even if he vanished like this. She shivered, tugging her sleeves over her hands and took a step away from the stairs, keeping as close to the wall as she could. "Tate, please, I just… I need to talk to you." She couldn't keep the desperation out of her voice. It had been a month already without him, or around that at least, and it was getting difficult to pretend everything was fine.

A figure stepped out of the shadows after a moment, startling the tiny blonde girl for a moment before she recognized who it was. He was watching her, not saying anything, and it made her nervous. She ran her hand through her messy hair, suddenly aware of what a mess she must look like. She shook the thought off and said his name quietly, almost like an experiment to see if he disappeared as soon as she spoke. When he didn't, she continued. "I – I can't hate you. I don't think you're a monster. Nothing will change that, Tate."
"Why can't you just fucking understand? I am a monster. I killed fifteen kids that were just like us, Alice. I killed you. You need to hate me because that's all I fucking deserve. I deserve to be hated and miserable and alone just like every other monster. I've done so many horrible fucking things that I need to suffer for. You're the complete opposite of me, Alice. You're pure and you're kind and you deserve happiness. I'm the darkness, I'll only ruin you."
"Shut up." Alice was looking down, fighting off the urge to cry. At her words, Tate's fists unclenched as he stared at her in shock. She had never told anyone to shut up before, and even if she had, it would have been in some polite form. She bit her lip, looking up at the boy. "How am I supposed to believe you're such a monster when all you've ever done is save me? Even if I wanted to, I would never be able to hate you, because you can't truly hate your best friend. I tried. When… when you killed those kids and left me alone, I tried to hate you, I really did. I just ended up missing you more because you're all I've ever had…" Her voice shook as she finished, a tiny sob escaping her lips. She rubbed her eyes with the ends of her sleeves. "Even if you were all the awful things you say you are I would never hate you because…" She paused, biting her lip. "Because you're my best friend, Tate, and I don't want to lose you."

Tate blinked, trying to clear the tears in his eyes with little success. He had trouble believing anyone would fight this hard to keep him around. It was also strange to think that someone as pure as Alice was this scared of losing him. He hated the small voice in his head that kept repeating that he would only hurt her more if he continued the friendship, but she needed him now. The thought of someone needing him was terrifying, but he knew somewhere in his mind that she had always needed him. In a way, they needed each other, because otherwise, they would have been so much more fucked. At least with their fucked up friendship, they weren't alone. He walked forward and gathered the petite girl in a hug. She deserved happiness more than anyone in this fucking house and if he could bring her that, then so be it. "It's never going to be easy to be associated with me, Alice." He whispered, resting his cheek on the top of her head as she clung to the front of his shirt.
"I – I don't care." She replied just as quietly, sniffling as she spoke. "I can… I can handle it." It was a relief to know that he didn't hate her, and that he somehow managed to get over his anger with her for not hating him. As much as she had wanted something more with Tate when they were alive, she had come to realize that the only thing she would ever get from him was friendship, and she had accepted that. As long as they were still close in some way. "I just… I can't lose you again…"
"You aren't going to lose me, Alice. You're never going to lose me." The words felt strange on Tate's tongue and if he were talking to anyone else, he never would have said anything like that. Alice was different though, she always had been. She was almost like his own angel or some shit like that. He must have done something right to have her.
"Y-you better mean that." Alice's voice still shook, but she had managed to stop crying. She still held on to the fabric of his shirt gently though, afraid if she let go he would disappear into the darkness that infested the basement. "I – I can't… I don't know what to do without you, Tate…" She released his shirt, tugging her sleeves over her hands and wrapping her arms around his waist. Tate's arms around her tightened, holding his friend close.
"Trust me, I mean it." He whispered the words, looking down at the tiny girl in his arms. How much easier it would have been if he had never been told what he did to get shot by the police. He never would have remembered that he had been the one to trap Alice here. It was just another reason to hate the woman who claimed to be his mother. She had managed to fuck this up without even being directly involved.

Author's Note: Sorry this is so short! They won't all start getting this short, I promise. This one's just short because it's like the last bit of the last chapter.