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Major woke to a familiar gentle touch, fingers stroking his hair. He opened his eyes to see Liv sitting there with him. God, she was beautiful. "Hey."

"Sh-h-h. Go back to sleep," she whispered.

He realized that he was lying in bed, in his own room, when he was sure just a minute ago he'd been in the locker room at Fillmore Graves. "What happened?"

"The pneumonia was going to take you out. But we couldn't give you the cure until your combat wounds had healed a bit." She gestured at his side, and he remembered now—the battle, being stabbed, the box full of frozen heads, collapsing in the locker room.

Sleep was out of the question now. Knowing he was on borrowed time, he didn't want to miss another minute with her. As a last-ditch hope, he asked, "What happened with Blaine? Did the memory serum work?"

He could see by her face what the answer was. She shook her head. "It didn't. I'm so sorry, Major."

Well, that was only to be expected. It wouldn't be easy, but he could take it. He would have to. "Then this is it. Once I heal up, I take the cure, and … everyone I've ever known is wiped from my memory."

"Maybe the cure won't have the same effect on you. Maybe you—"

He knew what she was doing, but he couldn't pretend to hope. Not now. "Liv. Stop."

Somewhat to his surprise, she did.

In the silence, he said, "I need you to do something for me."

"Name it."

"Once I'm new me, keep reminding me of what we meant to each other?"

She nodded. The very idea of forgetting her, forgetting everything that had been between them, broke Major's heart. In everything, all the ups and downs, it had never occurred to him to imagine a future in which he didn't love Liv, and he didn't want to start now.

He sat up, smiling at her. "And give me a new name. One that's less silly."

"Garden Plantston."

"Why not."

She laughed.

"Tell me about the first time we kissed." He could remember it as if it was yesterday, the sheer joy of being in her arms for the first time. "That's one memory I don't want to lose."

"It was more of a heavy makeout session, actually. You'd come over to 'study'—"

"Remember what you were wearing?"

Liv smiled. "I don't."

"Pajamas. Laundry day pajamas." She laughed. He had always loved making Liv laugh. "I thought, 'there is no way this girl's into me'."

"I was comfortable around you. It's a gift you have, Garden. You put people at ease."

Major reached for her, putting his hand on her thigh. She covered it with her own, and they looked at each other. It felt so warm, so familiar—so just the way things should have been. Despite everything, she was still the best thing that had ever happened to him, the person who belonged in his heart. "You looked beautiful," he told her. The memories of when they met were so clear in his mind; he had been so blown away by her smile and her eyes and everything about her. "You know, there's one silver lining to forgetting everything."

"What?"

"You'll knock me off my feet all over again."

He leaned forward, cupping her cheek in his hand, and kissed her, soft and sweet. Not like the first time they'd kissed, when he couldn't get enough of her, but like the second time, outside her door, when he knew he should go but couldn't quite seem to stop kissing her. When the kiss broke, he dropped his hands to the buttons on her shirt, undoing them and sliding the shirt off her shoulders as Liv kissed him again, moving closer. It had been such a long time. He wanted to learn how she tasted, how she felt, all over again, and Liv felt the same, her hand curving around the back of his neck to hold him to her.

Careful of the wound in his side, she reached for the left side of his shirt, tugging it up, and they broke the kiss again long enough for him to pull it off over his head and drop it on the floor. Liv kissed her way down his throat and across his chest as Major closed his eyes, drowning in her touch. He had missed her so much.

"Liv."

She lifted her head, looking up at him, and he drew her up so that she was straddling his lap.

"I've never— All this time, I never stopped—" It was hard to hold on to the thread of the thought while he was cupping and stroking her breasts through the lace-trimmed camisole she was wearing.

Liv leaned forward into his touch. "Me, neither."

He stripped the camisole off over her head and let his mouth explore where his hands had been, drinking in the sounds she made in response. She rocked back and forth on top of him, pressing herself more tightly against him, and Major groaned. He tried to turn her over, but she shook her head.

"You let me do the work this time. Can't risk it," she said, nodding at the injury in his side. Getting up, she shimmied out of her jeans and underwear, and tugged the covers off, but as she was about to climb back into bed he stopped her.

"No. Let me look at you." He took his time, tracing his fingers along her skin. She was more fit as a zombie, more muscular, but she was still the same Liv he had fallen in love with, every curve and dip and line so familiar to him. He could have spent a lifetime making love to her and never grown tired of looking at her and touching her. "You are so beautiful."

She smiled. "So are you." Gently she worked his pajama bottoms off, and then she was on top of him again, bare skin pressed against bare skin, so good.

He had to kiss her again, and he reached for her, hands in her hair, holding her close against him. She kissed him back with equal fervor. One of her hands had slid between them, stroking him, and Major groaned with pleasure, returning the favor, finding her center. They pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed, as they touched each other, until it was too much. It had been such a long time.

She fit him as perfectly as she always had. They were still a moment, savoring the feel of being connected so intimately once more. And then she began to move, and Major could only think how much he loved her. He needed her to know that, before— He forced his eyes open, his hands on her hips stilling her movements for just a moment. Just long enough to tell her.

"Liv."

"I know, Major. I know."

"Always. Always, always."

"Always," she said, kissing him even as she started to move again. And then words were beyond them.

They lay together after it was over, just letting their hearts beat, listening to each other's breathing. Major hadn't meant to, but it was so sweet and so perfect to be lying here with Liv in his arms that he fell asleep.