Triskele

About a week later Bevan had yet to show up for the morning briefing and everyone was looking around the building for her. Noticing her office door ajar, Nigel peeked in.

"Bev, are you. . ." he said, walking inside to get a better look.

Bevan was asleep, leaning on her desk with her head on her crossed arms. Her hair was still up, but the braid of her bun was mussed.

"Is she in here?" Garret demanded, walking in.

"She's asleep," Nigel said softly. "Isn't she cute?"

"Bevan!" Garret said loudly.

Bevan shot up and looked around groggily. "Report's almost done, I swear!"

Nigel started laughing and she rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Eight thirty. Have you been here all night?" Garret asked, looking at her disheveled appearance.

Bevan grimaced. "I must have fallen asleep while I was typing up the report on Miss Jenson," she said. "Did I miss the briefing?"

"Bevan, take the day off," Garret ordered. "Go get some rest."

"But I still have so much to do," she said, looking horrified.

"We'll take care of it," Garret said. "You need a break. You've been going non stop for two weeks."

"But you won't know where I am on these," she told him. "I can be back in an hour."

"Be back in three," he said, giving in.

"I'll do it off the clock, I swear," she said, getting up and grabbing her purse. "I'll be back at eleven thirty."

She rushed past them and walked briskly down the hall, looking rumpled. Nigel and Garret both watched her walk, though for different reasons.

"Did she just offer to work the rest of the day off the clock?" Nigel asked, watching her hips.

"She did," Garret said. "That's Bevan Bayne, typical workaholic."

"I figured it had more to do with her parents," Nigel said.

"Jordan got you to check on her, didn't she?"

"She didn't have to push very hard. I wanted to find out more about her myself," Nigel smiled.

"She's out of your league, Nigel," Garret warned him. "Not to insult you, but she's a very refined person."

"And I'm not?" he asked with a wiry grin.

Garret gave him a meaningful look and walked off.

~~~~

Bevan came back at eleven in a deep green blouse and a khaki skirt, her hair up in it's usual braided bun.

"Is this casual for you?" Nigel asked, walking beside her as she went towards her office.

"Business casual Dr. Townsend," she corrected. "Business casual."

"You can call me Nigel you know," he grinned.

"I'm well aware of that," she told him, "but I have gotten rather used to calling everyone what I call them now."

"So do you have a personal thing against me or something?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said calmly, "I figured you'd enjoy being addressed in a proper manner. Apparently you have forgotten that you are a doctor in a very technical field."

"I haven't. I just think that friends should address each other casually," he said..

"And who said I think of you all as friends?" she asked, stopping suddenly and looking at him frankly..

"So you don't like any of us then?" he asked, suppressing his smile.

"I like you all just fine, Dr. Townsend," she replied hotly. "I address Garret by his first name because I have known him for at least eight years, and. . ."

"Eight years? I didn't know you all went that far back," he said. "I thought he only knew your father."

"I thought you all had been looking up personal information about me," she said. "I'm happy to see that I'm still so approachable."

She began walking again, very briskly. Nigel almost had to jog to catch up with her.

"So if Jordan and I had just asked, you would have told us?" he pressed.

"I never said that. Though I would feel a lot better than I do right now. Getting my permission before digging up my life would have been the least you could have done to be courteous."

"Courteous?" he asked.

"Yes Dr. Townsend, courteous," she said stopping again before her door, facing him. "You know, that little thing that people do to be civil or 'nice'. That would have been much more appropriate than just going behind me and looking in my closet so to speak, now wouldn't it? Maybe you could even call up everyone I've ever known and ask them about what a bitch I am, how would that suit you?"

She turned quickly and stormed off into her office, slamming the door behind her. He stared at the door, amazed by her outburst. He didn't realize Garret was standing next to him until he spoke.

"Her family's mostly Irish," he smiled.

"Would explain the temper," Nigel said. "Should I. . .?"

"If you value your life, no," Garret told him honestly. "Give her about half an hour and she'll probably apologize to you."

~~~~

Bevan knocked on the door frame of Nigel and Bug's office about twenty minutes later, peeking in. Nigel looked up and smiled.

"I figured you'd ignore me the rest of the day," he said.

"I want to apologize," she began, "I'm not exactly used to people actually trying to be nice to me. not that that's surprising or anything I'm sure."

"Not the first time a girl's chewed me out," he smiled, noticing she was still standing. "You can sit down if you want to."

"I'll stand, thank you," she nodded. "So . . . just how much dirt did you dig up?"

"Curious?"

"I just want to see how good your computer skills are," she smiled slightly.

"Well, you have a very impressive educational record," he responded. "How old were you when you went to college if you don't mind my asking."

She sat down in a chair and crossed her legs. "Sixteen. I had been going to school since I was four. Boarding schools start as early as two now."

"So your family just packed you up and sent you off?" he asked.

"You make it sound like they sold me or something," she smiled. "I loved school, and I got to see my great grandmother every holiday. Only part I hated were the etiquette classes."

"You obviously passed," he grinned.

"My great grandmother's family was very Victorian, and she still insists on being a perfect lady. She always used to check my nails when I got out of the bath, especially if I had just came from the stables," she said.

"So you grew up in England?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she nodded. "I spent half of the summer holiday here at home, and spent the rest at the manor in England."

"Manor?" he asked.

"The one in England," she said, "I spent winter holiday at the manor in Ireland. My family is quite well off, Dr. Townsend."

"So you're a trust fund baby?" he asked.

"I suppose," she smiled. "I haven't really touched it though. That's my sister's job. Spends it on anything and everything. First thing she did when she turned eighteen was went and got her breasts enlarged. Our father was quite angry."

"Odd way to celebrate your birthday," he smiled.

"That's what I told her. She told me to fuck off and get a life." She laughed at the memory.

"What's your sister like?" he asked, noticing she was gorgeous when she smiled.

"A dark haired version of me," she said. "Well, actually, she's an exact replica of our mum. I look like my great grandmother, my dad's grandmother."

"So when are we going to lunch?" he asked.

"Dr. Townsend, let me make something clear. I don't date, I have no personal life to speak of, and I like it that way," she smiled, thinking it was nice having someone to talk to.

"A vivacious thing like you doesn't date, I find that impossible to believe," he grinned leaning back in his chair.

"Vivacious? That's a first," she said. "Cold fish, ice queen, and snake-like I've heard, but never vivacious. I'm the most boring person in existence."

"Snake-like?"

"Cold blooded," she said with a lopsided grin. "I lack important social skills, at least that's what a guy told me in college. Right before I told him the only skill I lacked was the ability to deal with ignorant assholes like him, and that if he'd get his head out of the professor's ass he might have actually passed the psychology final."

"Really?" he laughed, she had proven herself to be rather blunt.

"First guy I ever made cry," she said with a shrug. "That happens a lot actually."

He chuckled and watched her smile slightly and shake her head.