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Major started the training session feeling like it might be his last. Well, if it was, he was going to make it a damned good one, he promised himself. He was careful, he was sneaky, he was fast on his feet. He was everything they used to say about him at UDub and more.

And he led White Team to its first victory since he joined them.

He couldn't believe it as the lights came up and Black Team guys with big white splotches on their helmets started getting to their feet. Finally! Finally, he had done it. He was one of them. For how long remained to be seen, and he wasn't going to worry about it right now. He was going to savor this moment, as the rest of his team crowded around him, patting him on the chest and back, smiling for a change. He even got a "Nice work, son" from the training coordinator.

It was his best day in quite a long time.

He and Justin were showered and changed when Stoll came through the locker room with their brain tubes. Major caught his in midair, turning it over in his hands. He could use it, for sure—but it wasn't what he wanted. Not tonight. If his time as a zombie was coming to an end, he wanted … real brains. Mood swings. Visions. Fun.

Looking over at Justin, he gestured with the brain tube. "Hey. You ever had the real deal?"

"The uncut stuff? Never."

"Hm." Major pondered that for a minute. Making a new friend, having some fun—how long had it been since any of that had been part of his life? "You know, I have a hook-up." Blaine owed him one. More than one. Justin looked at him warily, and Major smiled. "All the cool kids are doing it."

"Why not. You only live once, isn't that what they say?"

Or a few times, if you were a zombie who was about to have to take the cure. But Major didn't want to think about that. He and Justin drove to his house, with a pit stop at Shady Plots, where Blaine owing him one still cost an arm and a leg. As they entered the house, he decided, mostly on a whim, that this night was already missing something. The best thing. He texted Liv. "Something's come up. Get over here STAT."

Then he laid out the brain he had bought in little shot cups, put Liv's dance party game on the console, and he and Justin got down to the serious business of having fun.

They had so much fun that he didn't hear Liv knocking or see her texts, and she had to let herself in with her key. He was in the middle of a sharp turn, keeping up with Justin just fine for all that his friend was a former deejay with some sweet moves of his own to add to Zumba instructor brain, when he saw Liv standing there, and hurried to pause the game.

Liv was smiling, her beautiful smile that he had loved for so long. She waved a hand to tell them to keep going. "By all means. This is the highlight of my week."

"Liv, this is Justin, my friend from work. Justin, this is Liv." He didn't bother to explain who Liv was—and from the look on Justin's face, he would have been wasting his breath, because Justin wasn't paying attention to him at all.

"Hey, there," he said, shaking her hand, a little more breathless than could be blamed on the game.

"Hi." Liv smiled at Justin before turning her attention back to Major. "Your text freaked me out. 'Get over here STAT'?"

He grinned. "We're on Zumba instructor brain."

"That explains a lot." She looked back at Justin. "I hope you're a zombie, or the snacks here may have been more than you bargained for."

Major leaned in and whispered to her, "I saved you some."

"Can't."

Justin made a noise indicating what a shame he thought that was, but Liv was not daunted by lack of appropriate brain. "That said, I don't need Zumba brain to kick your asses."

Major laughed as she moved to restart the game. This was exactly what he had hoped for. They played a few rounds and then Major left the other two to battle it out for final dance domination while he went to the kitchen to make more snacks. Low-maintenance snacks—plain brains on Saltines. Liv would be mortified that he hadn't done something more creative with the Zumba brains.

The cough caught him by surprise. Deep and rough, coming all the way up from the bottom of his lungs, it felt like. He had hoped to have more time before it came back. Would this be the last time, or would it resolve itself again like it had last time?

Didn't matter, he told himself when the paroxysm passed. Not tonight. Tonight he was going to party like it was 1999 … or like it was the last night of his life. In the living room, Liv and Justin were in the groove, laughing and having a great time. It was so great to see her happy, for once, he could have stood here and watched her all night. They might not be a couple, but he loved her. Always had, always would. If this was his last night as Major Lilywhite, with all the memories that implied, spending it with her, watching her have fun, was all he could ask for.

"Hey, I've got winner," he called, bringing his snacks into the living room.

Liv grinned at him. "Give me a minute, will you? I'm not done wiping the floor with this guy."

"Oh, I think I have a few moves that might surprise you," Justin told her.

"Yeah? Let's see 'em."

Major watched, letting them dance, wishing this night could go on and on, because he didn't think he wanted to know what tomorrow would bring.