Thank you for reading!

On the ride home, Major did, indeed, have to tell his mom everything—or as close to it as he dared to get. In return, she told him about Dalia and herself, and they talked about his childhood, and the divorce, and they both cried a little.

She pulled up outside his house. "I wish I could come in, but I really have to get back. It's so late, and Dalia will worry."

"There will be other times." Better times, Major thought, when Liv wasn't a zombie, and they were back together. "I promise."

"Do you?"

"I do. Mom, I'm so sorry it took me this long."

She shook her head. "Not another word. You came, and that's all that matters. Thank you for coming."

"I'm really glad I did." He reached across the car and they shared a long hug. "I'll let you know my number when I get a new phone, and I'll see you again soon."

"Okay." There were still traces of tears on her face as he climbed out of the car, but she managed a smile and a cheery wave as she pulled away from the curb.

Major turned to look at the house. It seemed all new, the lights glowing from the windows into the dark night, suddenly shiny and comforting, and … home. Where his friends were, where Liv was, where his life was. He hurried up the walk to the door, letting himself in.

They were all there waiting for him. Liv, Ravi, Peyton. "Major!" "You're home!"

And Liv, coming toward him, looking so beautiful, smiling at him in relief. "We seriously thought we'd lost you this time."

He didn't waste a second, going straight to her, taking her face in his hands, and kissing her the way he had wanted to since he woke up this morning and remembered who he was—who they were together. He never wanted to spend another minute of his life not being with her.

Drawing away, he watched her face, the smile that passed across it telling him everything he wanted to know about her future.

"God, it's good to be home," he told her. "I'll tell you guys everything. Just, uh, let me jump in the shower and then we can celebrate."

Ravi waved his arms to halt him before he could move toward the stairs. "Actually, this can't wait. Someone stole all the remaining doses of the cure from my office."

Major frowned. "Someone stole …?"

"Well, let's not dwell on that," Ravi said hastily. "I gave you a syringe a few weeks back. It's the last one, and we need it for Liv. Do you have it with you?"

All his castles in the air, his plans for the future, his buoyant delight at the idea of being with Liv again, suddenly collapsed. Gone, as if they had never been. He looked at the three eager, expectant faces of the people he loved most in the world, knowing he was about to have to disappoint them—and break Liv's heart, and cost him any chance with her for who knows how long. Possibly forever. "I … I did. Um …" He wanted to lie. He wanted to say he'd put it away for safe-keeping somewhere he couldn't get at right now, or anything, really, to keep from telling the truth, just to hold on to his dreams a little while longer. But they would have to know eventually, and not telling them, not telling Liv, now would only make it that much worse. "I … didn't tell you …" He turned to Liv. "I—I gave it to someone."

"To whom?"

"I—I gave the cure to Natalie."

The words hung in the air between them. Major couldn't have known at the time he gave that syringe to Natalie that it would be the only one left—he hadn't even known the cure worked properly at the time. But standing here in front of Liv, telling her that he had given what might well be her last chance to be human to another woman … He knew he had made a choice, somewhere along the way, and so did she.

Liv's shoulders slumped.

"I am so sorry," Major whispered.

"Who's Natalie?" Peyton asked.

"Major's zombie hooker friend." Liv turned away from him, her face paling even more than usual, if that was possible.

"Liv."

"No. I'm sorry, that's not fair. It doesn't matter what she was."

"I thought there were another sixteen doses. I was just trying to save her."

"This is Blaine's fault, not yours." Major could tell how hard Liv was fighting through her disappointment, and it broke his heart that he was the cause of it. "If he hadn't been faking this memory loss, I would have taken the cure months ago! Now that rat bastard has stolen the rest of the doses," she added.

"The thief might not be Blaine," Ravi argued. "Don E just offered me fifty thousand dollars for a dose of the cure. He said some zombie offered him a hundred grand."

"It's Blaine," Liv insisted. "And if I find him, I will beat a confession out of him."

"Liv!"

"He's still got his regular singing gig tonight," Peyton told her.

Ravi turned to her. "Peyton!"

Major had apparently missed more than he thought, if Peyton was offering Blaine up to be beaten and Ravi was defending the guy.

"Look," Ravi went on, turning back to Liv, "I don't think this … hot mess brain has completely worn off."

Liv shook her head decisively. "This is me, Ravi. This is me controlling my anger." Her voice was shaking with it, though, and Major didn't give Blaine much of a chance if she got her hands on him. Neither did Ravi, from the look he was giving her. Liv whispered, "I can just picture him … Smug. Pleased with himself. King of the world."

It was an accurate description. Heartsick, Major couldn't bring himself to try to talk her out of it. He was in the mood to land a few punches on that bastard's smug face himself.