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Major made it all the way out of the building before his legs started shaking too much to keep walking. He leaned against the wall and tried to hold back the tears. His friend. His good friend. Hiding all of this, leading a whole separatist movement right under his nose.

And he'd had no choice but to shoot him. His first friend in Fillmore Graves, the guy he'd introduced to Liv when they couldn't be together any longer. Justin with his big smile and his great jokes and his stalwart support. Only the support had been a lie. What else had been a lie, and when had it started? How long had the friendship in Justin's eyes been covering up disdain and pity and a determination to take down everything Major stood for?

It was no use. He wasn't going to be able to fight the tears. Hurrying across the campus, Major made it to his car before he really broke down. He sobbed his heart out. For Justin, yes, but for all the others—the ones killed in Justin's bid to make New Seattle a place where zombies and humans were constantly at each other's throats. Good people, all of them.

When the storm of weeping had passed, Major felt drained and wearied. He couldn't face more of Fillmore Graves today. Every stack of papers in his office would remind him of Justin—both the friend and the traitor. And he couldn't do it. Not tonight.

Instead he drove home, spending a really long time in the shower, drowning his sorrows in video games, although not the zombie one.

Fortunately Liv texted him in the middle of his misery, reminding him that he'd agreed to come feast on the fruits of her current brain—that of a high-level chef. He texted "Be right there" back in relief. Liv and the kids were exactly what he needed tonight.

By the time he'd made it through the tunnels and was knocking on the wall, he had decided not to tell Liv what had happened with Justin. Not tonight, at least. For tonight, he would simply enjoy being here, the peace and quiet of the safehouse.

Liv was in the kitchen, creating something that smelled absolutely amazing, and the four kids were settled around the table, passing around a plate of something else. Major took his coat off, still caught up in the events of the day, unable to shake the feeling that if one of his best friends had betrayed him, others were lined up, just waiting to do the same.

"Hey, Major," the kids called to him.

He looked up and said hi back, hanging his coat on the back of a chair. Liv had settled down at the head of the table and she smiled at him across it. Maybe that was how he got through tonight, he thought. Pretending that this was their life, their family, and these were their kids, and that was all that mattered.

One of the girls came toward him and gave him a hug, as if she could tell he needed it, and she led him to the table. He took his place at the foot, opposite Liv. The kids had already filled his plate for him. All that was needed was for Major to pick up his fork and take a bite—and what a bite. Whoever the chef had been, compliments to them. And to Liv, who had always been a good cook in her own right. Major closed his eyes, chewing blissfully.

Opening them, he looked at Liv across the table, lifting his wine glass to her in a toast. All the kids lifted their water glasses, copying his gesture, and he smiled for the first time all day.

The meal was over too quickly. Major desperately wanted just to hide here, not to have to go back to the rest of his life, not to have to deal with the fallout of Justin's betrayal.

"Major, can you help me with my math homework?" Jalen asked him.

"You sure you want this guy's help?" Liv was smiling at him from the kitchen, where she was stacking and scraping plates. "I happen to know how he got through his college math classes."

"Low blow, Moore. And I'll remind you that you weren't around to help with my middle school math."

"Yeah?" The corner of her mouth quirked up. "Which one of your girlfriends was it, then?"

He pretended to think. "Katie Sullivan."

"You were pretty quick to come up with that one. Still carrying a torch?"

Major watched as Liv turned to the sink and began rinsing the plates. He was still carrying a torch, but not for Katie Sullivan, who was married with three kids last he'd heard, but for the beautiful woman in the kitchen who was the only thing in his life that had ever really mattered.

He turned to Jalen. "Let's see those math problems."

After Jalen's math, it was someone else's history report to look over. Major could get used to this simple domesticity, the quiet peace of an evening of homework, watching Liv as she worked with the other kids on their science project, catching her eye over their heads and smiling. In another world, another life, this was their family. These were their children.

Damned boat party. If it hadn't been for that …

Major swallowed and pushed away an image of Justin, dead on the floor. Only one of many, many things he'd been forced to do since the boat party that he never wanted to think about again. Only, he didn't have that luxury.

He got to his feet eventually, reluctantly. "Thanks for having me, guys!"

They all called a good-bye to him as they were being sent off to brush their teeth. Liv came up to hug him. "You okay? You seemed very quiet tonight."

"Just … tired."

"I get that."

He knew she did … but she didn't, either. Some burdens you had to bear alone. "Good-night, Liv."

"Good-night, Major."