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The next night, Liv called Major before her big date with Justin—they were going together to an event for DA Baracus. Justin was attending in official capacity as security, but thought he would look less conspicuous if he had a date. At least, that's what he'd said. Major assumed it was just a convenient excuse to see Liv dressed up.

"I need to ask you a favor," Liv said.

"You want me to call you at a certain time so you can bail if you're not having fun?"

She smiled. "No. I need some brains."

"Kind of fresh out of other people's, I'm afraid. And mine are tender and juicy, sure, but you can't have them."

"I mean brain mush. Do you still have any?"

"Oh. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do. Let me look." He did so, finding a whole bunch of tubes lurking behind a bag of frozen peas. "Yeah, looks like it."

"Great. Can you bring one over?"

"You want to eat brain mush? I thought you were opposed to the stuff. 'Young man, in this house we eat whole brains'," he quoted.

"Not tonight. Tonight I would like to be Liv Moore on a date, not Dungeon Master Liv on a quest."

"Ah. I see. I'll be right over."

"Thanks, Major. You're a life saver."

Liv let him into her apartment, taking the brain tube he held out. She was wearing a beautiful dress, dark blue and flowy. It clung to her curves nicely, without actually reveailing anything at all. Classy. "You look nice. New dress?"

"Thanks. Yes. What do you think? Too much, not enough?"

"Just right."

She nodded her appreciation, warming the tube up in a cup of hot water. When it was ready, she squeezed the contents down her throat, grimacing as she did so. "Thanks for the brain mush."

"That is the first time anyone has ever been thanked for that stuff."

"I just really want to be myself for Justin tonight."

"No problem," Major told her. "I got a freezer full of Z-rations since I took the cure."

"She discards the empty tube, eager to escape the clutches of the Dungeon Master's brain, but knowing that—" Liv dropped the empty tube in the trash. Realizing that she was still narrating what she was doing as if running a quest, she lifted her arms in supplication to the brain gods if such things existed, and looked at Major in frustration.

Before he could comment or commiserate, a knock came at the door. Liv looked at it, panicked, then started walking toward it, reminding herself as she went, "Don't narrate; just be." Then she stopped and turned to Major, holding out a handful of dice to him. "Here. Take these. Don't let me have them back, even if I beg."

He tucked them into his pocket, smiling a little bit as he watched her open the door to his friend. Much as he loved her, tonight he was Major the good buddy, Major who showed up with the brain tubes and took the dice and saw her off with a song in his heart.

Nevertheless, it felt weird to be standing here watching as Justin took in the first sight of her with obvious appreciation.

"The young woman melts as her suitor makes sound indicating that her dress is a success," Liv murmured breathlessly.

"All right, I should get goin'," Major said. They had officially moved past weird and into awkward, and he needed to leave before they got to creepy. "That video game's not going to play itself."

"I'm sorry you're not helping out with security," Justin said as Major went past him through the door.

"Baracus is already down in the polls. He doesn't want the Chaos Killer at his fundraiser."

Liv smiled at him. "More shrimp for me."

Major considered stopping to banter with her about her unholy love of shrimp, but he had already overstayed any normal 'ex-boyfriend at the date's arrival' time, so he nodded at her and took his leave.

The night was beautiful … but he had nothing to do with it, nowhere to go in it, and no one to share it with. Sighing, he got in his car and drove home, where the house was empty with Ravi at work. Just another reminder that everyone he knew had a life—except him.

He collapsed on the couch, intending to get to the next level of … some game or other, but he couldn't be bothered to turn on the system. Or to find the controller. Instead he flicked on the TV, idly flipping through channels. When he found himself beginning to watch a Love Boat rerun he clicked it back off. Love was the last thing he wanted to think about tonight. Sighing again, he managed to lever himself off the couch.

Up in his room, he found himself staring at the letter. The desperate letter from the serial killer groupie. Was he really stooping to this? As he picked up the phone and began typing in the number, he accepted that apparently he was.

Shawna said she would be right over.

Major got ready—fresh shirt, deodorant, the works—while still half sure he was going to text her back and tell her not to come any minute now.

But before he could make up his mind to do so, the doorbell was ringing and he was walking down the stairs and opening the door to—a surprisingly good-looking and normal-seeming woman. "Shawna."

"Major."

"The Chaos Killer in the flesh. Come on in." Only after he had said it did he realize what a bad idea it was for a defenseless woman to enter a serial killer's house. But by that time she was inside, and there was no turning back.