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Becks crossed her aresture that was only semidefensive I don’t knohy she looks at me that way I’ve never hit her Dave a few times, and I broke Alaric’s nose once, but never her "Dave says you’ve been up here for three hours"

I blinked "I have?"

I thought you needed the sleep, George said

"Gee, thanks," Iinside ht have some helpful side effects, like, say, inso insane, with none of the bonuses

"You have," said Becks, with a sreat shots, especially fro the crowbar Before everything got bad, I mean"

"You checked your license allowances before you let hi h to confir in one position for way too long

"Of course," she said, sounding affronted "As long as I stayed within five feet and he was in no ial rights as a journalism teacher What do you think I am, some sort of field newbie?" She sounded even more offended than the question would justify, because there was another question underneath it: When did you stop being any fun? Becks hired on as a Newsie under George and switched to my department almost before the ink on her contract was dry She’s one of nature’s born Irwins, and she and I worked together really well That’s why I gave her my department when I stepped down And that’s probably also why she seems to really believe, deep down, that all she needs to do is find me a stick and a hole to poke it into and I’ll be fine

It’s really a pity that I don’t think it’s ever going to work that way for me Because damn, it would be nice

"I don’t think you’re a field newbie, Becks, I just think there are some people who’d love to have an excuse to slap us with et those ‘standing too close to a goat’ charges off Mahir’s record? And he’s in England They still like goats over there"

"All right, fair enough," she admitted "But still, Alaric did really well out there today I think he’s alood"

"He just needs a senior Irwin to sign off on hin"

"Shaun--"

"Was that the only reason you cah"

You’re trying to distract her

I gritted e but me; everyone heard me when I talked to her Not exactly the fairest deal I’ve ever been a part of, but, hey, I’, so I probably shouldn’t coe wouldn’t colare at people, drink a lot of Coke, and write scathing articles about how our judg to ave ht?"

"I’e to shut up until I’d o away "Just stiff And that didn’t answer my question What else made you come up here?"

"Ah, that You have co her hands into the pocketsof her jeans She’d changed her clothes, which onlyshe’d worn in the field needed to be thoroughly sterilized before it was safe to wear again The logical need to change didn’t explain why she’d put on new jeans and a flowery shirt that wouldn’t offer any protection in an outbreak, but girls have never e was always there, ready and willing to play translator

I raised an eyebrow "Company? Define ‘company’ Is this the kind of company that wants an interview? Or the kind of coainst?" Most people don’t think I’ia’s death very well, ith the whole "hearing her inside s Well, if I’ it at all, since they’ve spent the last year alternately pleading withto sue me for ownership of her intellectual property I always knew they were vultures, but it took so for me to understand just how appropriate that co around before thefor a way to make a profit off the situation

I mean that literally I checked the time stamps on the first e-mails they sent rieve before they started trying to et their piece of the action So yeah, I took out a restraining order against thely well thus far Maybe because it’s done wonderful things for their ratings

"Neither," said Becks "She says she knows you froet hold of you for weeks--soraia was involved with back when you were--Shaun? Where are you going?"