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"On a scale of one to oh fk, we’re all gonna die?" I flipped the folder open and read, " ‘Considering the risk of mutation, the concept of the reservoir conditions as the next stage in Kellis-Anored We would be severely reers, that such an evolution may present’ " I closed the folder, but didn’t look up "What the fk does it eventhe folks with reservoir conditions The nu, even if everybody else is But what does it uess"

"Yes" I glanced toward the hall "Everybody else asleep?"

"Yes, they are I think a few of theet that ith cheie had prepared the guest roo enough to break out fresh bedding and clean towels I’ood luck charot the rooms ready, we’d show up alive As it hen bedtiuest rooms, since the other two spare rooms had been converted, respectively, into a ho "only" about a house with six bedroorew up in a house with three, and ours were connected enough to practically count as a single roouest rooms meant one each for Alaric, Becks, and the Doc I’ve slept on couches before It doesn’t bother me

Besides, I wanted to stare at those nu sense After alhed "I’"

Don’t be so hard on yourself, said George You’re tired

"That’s easy for you to say," I snapped, before I could stop ie I was expecting… I don’t knohat I was expecting I get a lot of reactions to the fact that I still talk to ie’s fell so at htly to one side "She really talks to you, doesn’t she?" she asked "It’s not just you talking to her She talks back"

"Hell, half the time she starts it," I said, half-defensively "I know it’s weird"

"Well, yes, it’s weird Technically, I think it’s insane But who aed "I live in a houseto happen, with an ars for coe, be, louder, "That’s, uh, different"

"At least you know that you’re crazy That means you have the potential to recover"

I hesitated There are a lot of people who’d say that et over et over it "Well, um, thanks," I said The words sounded even laie didn’t see off into one of the darkened corners of the one even more wistful "I knew Dave loved me, you know," she said, with a studied casualness to her tone Whatever she was going to say, she was going to say it whether she got the right conversational prompts from me or not I was an audience, not a participant "But I was still getting over losing Buffy, and Dave and I, ere doing this… this weird circling thing, like we needed to figure out every single line of the script before we could even start theabout it" She sniffled A very small sound that seemed loud in the sudden silence of the roo had to be perfect, or it wouldn’t work Like it was a story"

I wanted to say soers twitching slightly on the folder I still held I wanted to reach for her I wanted to take her hand Only I kneasn’t her hand I wanted--the hand I wanted had been reduced to ash and chips of bone before being scattered down the length of California Highway 1--and so I didn’t ie looked back towarddown her cheeks

There’s never been a good answer to that question I didn’t even try I just shrugged

"Love sucks," said Maggie, and stood "Everyone I fall in love with dies Try to get so I can’t post that" She chuckled, the sound barelyinto a sob "You know, it seeic love story to tell, I can’t post it It wouldn’t have been fair to Buffy, and noouldn’t be fair to Dave It’s… there’s so little that’s personal any past the dryness in my throat "I’m pretty sure he knew you loved hi set up on the roof--"

"I know" Her smile was brief, but it was real "Get so to be any better"