"God this is unfair!" Ravi searched around him for an unopened beer bottle in the mess that tangled through his office.

Liv fished out a half full tequila bottle from under a pile of empty chip packets, sloshed the liquid around, and poured a good amount into Ravi's proffered "you don't have to be dead to work here, but it helps" mug. "Not my fault zombies get sober quicker. I'm trying to keep up." She poured an inch of tequila into her plastic water cooler cup and drank a sip. Grimacing, she put it on the desk and picked up the wine bottle next to the sofa she was sprawled across.

"Yeah, and how does that even work? You shouldn't be able to process alcohol at all." Ravi waved an arm, luckily the one not holding his mug. "I mean, there's so many things about the zombie virus that don't make sense. You're supposed to be dead, but your body systems aren't shut down, they're just slowed down. And that should mean you don't have enough energy to function. Is there some chemical reaction with the brains you eat that is some incredible energy source? It'd be fascinating to study if it weren't such a bloody nightmare." He slumped back.

"Preach it sister." Said Liv, searching around her for some kind of vessel to pour her wine into. The middle aged mum currently sending her scarring visions of her domestic murder may have no qualms consuming bottles of wine in a sitting, but she draws the line at swigging straight out of the bottle.

"You know," said Ravi, relaxing into a pondering pose with his feet propped up on the desk, "one would have expected the teenage girls you've eaten to have the best gossip game, but really you can't get past the bored housewife."

Liv smiled. "It's a more mature form of gossip. It has weathered years and sustained through many a hard time." She leaned forward, elbows on knees. "So, I believe we were about to get to the juicy stuff?"

With a heavy sigh, Ravi stood up, his long legs coming dangerously close to clearing the wreckage off the desk. He dramatically flopped down onto the sofa beside Liv, slouched so far that his neck rested on the low back of the couch. "Liv. Think. How much juicy stuff can there possibly be when you work in a morgue, not to mention spend most of your life working on a zombie cure-"

Glancing to the side, his voice faltered as he saw Liv's frozen face. He hurriedly pushed himself up to a more upright position. "Oh. Not that I'm not happy to- I mean, I chose this. Liv. Forget it. Even if I weren't busy, my natural idiocy would probably drive the chicks away, tonight being a case in point."

Liv's mouth twisted into a smile. "Nah, like anyone could stay away from this handsome doctor." She said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. They giggle and Liv dropped her hand to his arm, rubbing the sleeve of his sweater. "Seriously Ravi. I appreciate what you do for me. You're the best friend a zombie could ask for, and any women who turns you down is an idiot."

Their eyes met, and they both smiled, a soft moment. Then Liv pulled away, reaching for her wine mug. "Wasn't there that one girl recently, Amanda? The British one."

Ravi shrugged, reaching up absent-mindedly to touch the place where Liv's hand had been. "Our differences proved too much to overcome."

"Soccer?"

"Football. Some of her opinions were frankly outrageous. Plus, the smell of formaldehyde takes some getting used to."

Liv held out her mug and Ravi reached a long arm over to the desk to grab his own and clinked it against hers. They both raised their mugs to drink.

"C'est la vie." Said Liv, smiling a little.

"What about you then? Any honeys on the down low Ms Moore?" Ravi leaned back a little, his body angled towards Liv, his elbow on the couch back.

"As if. I can't tell anybody why I have personality changes, I can't explain the albino look, and I can't, well, you know… the other thing."

Silence fell over the cluttered office. Liv scowled at Ravi's disbelieving stare. "Wine mum isn't quite out of my system. Sexy gossip is more fun the more you hedge around actual sex apparently… I might go for another glass of wine." She turned away to grab the bottle and when she turned back was transfixed with the sight of Ravi, paralysed with giggles, hunched over on the sofa. "Stop it! It's not my fault."

Wiping a few tears from the corner of his eye, Ravi took a deep breath and responded. "Sorry, it was just your tone… but wait, can't you just date zombies? Not the widest dating pool, but not impossible."

"Yeah, well, didn't end so well the last time. I've decided to stay out of romance until this thing is over and my life is less full of murder."

Ravi grinned. "Okay, but there must be some stories from your past. Sorority girl, pretty, popular?" He said, his voice singsong and curious.

"Popular?" Liv scoffed. "I don't know where you got that idea. I was all about the academia. I joined a sorority for the connections, and only ended up making friends there by accident. And besides, I was with Major for so long… I didn't really date before him."

Ravi took a thoughtful sip from his tequila mug. "I hadn't thought of that. I knew you and Major were together a long time, but wow. Does that mean you've only dated…" his voice trailed off as his drunken brain fumbled with arithmetic, "two men?"

If she could have, Liv would have blushed. "Yeah, well. You have a few years on me and no real long-term relationships. We're both of us losers." She slumped back next to him.

"Cheer up Liv. The way I see it, we're incredible catches, and the rest of the world is too stupid to see it. We're the only ones good enough for each other." He chuckled and stared fondly down at the giggling girl next to him, her hair brushing against his side and statically stuck to his sweater. It was rare to see her laugh like this, so carefree and light. She looked very, very alive.

Liv sat up and yawned, oblivious to the hand that had been inches away from touching her cheek as Ravi pulled it back hurriedly. "God, I think I've had enough gossip and wine for one night. I have to put this brain to bed, ready for another hanger on in the morning."

Ravi sprang to his feet, helping her to clear a path through the rubble and towards the door. He paused at the office entrance. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for a movie? I've got some good ones around here, and you could come in late tomorrow. I won't bust you."

Liv shook her head sleepily. "No thanks. Sounds lovely, but I need to get home and drink lots of water. Do zombies get hangovers? Whatever." He accompanied her to the stairs leading out of the morgue, and just as they reached them, Liv paused.

"This was just what I needed, Ravi. The perfect evening." Standing on her toes, she craned her neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled warmly. "You're most welcome."

Ravi watched as she walked up the stairs and continued to stand as her footsteps faded to echoes. Then he spun around and, a little shakily, returned to the office to begin cleaning up, his hand rising to brush his cheek with every few steps. The perfect evening.