here we are, folks, at the last chapter of Wounded Hearts! this isn't the last you'll see of this au, I've got plenty planned for it, but for now, enjoy the end of this particular story for these two. I'd like to extend my extreme gratitude to all who've read this and commented, I love each and every one of you and thank you for encouraging me on this story. To Leah, thank you so much for writing A Messy Kind of Love, for without it, Wounded Hearts would have never happened. To Ariel, for being my cheerleader and a constant friend when I needed it, thank you so much. Much love - Dee
She woke to the weight of an arm across her waist. It wasn't a new sensation - she and Matthew had shared a bed before, in the hospital and in the week of leave she took at his small flat in Melbourne after the Alderton fiasco was over - but it was still new enough that it took her by surprise when she first woke. She shifted and heard Matthew snuffle a bit in his sleep. His arm slid from her waist and she turned to find him lying on his back - his other arm still under her neck.
Propping herself up on her elbow, Alice watched him sleep with a smile. He looked better, much better than he had after his accident and the months spent in hospital. Sleep lessened some of his wrinkles, and she traced the lines around his mouth and eyes with a featherlight touch. He stirred under her fingers, but didn't wake. Pressing a light kiss to his cheek, Alice got up from the bed and shrugged on the pajama top she'd borrowed from Matthew weeks ago in Melbourne.
She tidied up their clothes at the foot of her bed and took his jacket to hang up by her door. Noting the dropped holdall and cane by the front door, Alice smirked. She hefted the bag up off the floor and brought it and the cane back into her bedroom. Leaning the cane up against the bedside table, Alice put his bag next to their clothes and climbed back onto the bed. She sat at Matthew's side, drinking him in as he snored lightly - blissfully dead to the world and Alice's gaze.
She smiled as she looked at him, her eyes slowly drifting over his sleeping face, his bare chest, and the muscles of his arms (Alice was very glad she'd studied classics alongside her medical classes in university - she appreciated well-defined musculature and Matthew had very good musculature). Her rumpled sheet pooled around his hips and Alice felt her cheeks warm before she turned her attention to the faint scars adorning his body. Some were familiar - she'd felt when he got them - and others were the products of his childhood. She reached out and traced a few of them, her mind drifting back to the times when she felt the pain - one had happened in the middle of a lecture hall and it was mildly embarrassing to cry out like she did from the shock, but the bullet graze had hurt.
"You're up early," Matthew's voice - low and rumbling - broke through her thoughts.
"Habit," she answered softly, not wanting to break the comfortable spell over her bedroom. "Sleep well?"
Matthew nodded, his eyes still closed, but he shifted closer to her on the bed. "Like a log. You?"
"Like the dead," she grinned when he chuckled at her little joke. "Need anything?"
Matthew opened his eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them as Alice's hand continued to map out his body. Capturing her wandering hand when it got a little too close to his ticklish sides (not that he'd admit it), he tugged on it. She laughed softly and scooted closer to him, lying down with her head on his shoulder.
"I don't need anything, sweetheart," he answered, his thumb rubbing across her knuckles. Lifting her hand up and pressing a kiss to the palm - right over her scars - he smiled, "Work today?"
Alice shook her head, "We did the autopsy yesterday and I'm waiting on test results. I'm on call today, so they'll ring if I'm needed."
"So I've got you all to myself?"
"Until the phone rings, yes."
He sighed theatrically and Alice laughed. "You were planning on going to the station today, Matthew, or have you forgotten?"
"No, you're just more fun than Bill Hobart."
Alice threw her head back and laughed like he hadn't seen since he'd returned from his demotion nearly a year ago. "You're terrible!"
Matthew smiled; he rolled onto his side and slid his arms around Alice as she laughed. He'd missed this - the intimacy of waking up to her, the luxury of time together in bed. Their one week together when he was out of hospital and she'd come to stay after everything with Alderton hadn't been enough for him. In such a short time, Matthew had gotten used to the warmth of her body next to his, of her hand curling around his arm as they slept, and the tornado of her red curls against his pillows. This morning felt familiar, echoing their mornings in Melbourne, and he felt like he was home.
Of course, it was Alice's home and bed they curled up in, and he didn't want to assume. There was still much to talk about - more than what they'd whispered in the dark of his small flat in Melbourne as they learned how to live with each other in a shared space - but they had time now. Previously, their time together had been in snatches of visiting hours and coinciding days off; it was precious in the fact they'd tried to squeeze out every drop that they could. Now that he was back - for good, the higher ups were sure in that regard - they didn't have to rush. No deadline loomed over their heads for once.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked him, her hands cupping his face.
"Just enjoying this," he smiled.
Alice smiled back and gently kissed him, "Me too."
Nuzzling her nose with his, Matthew pressed a kiss to her lips, "Think I can convince you to take a sick day, then?"
She laughed against his mouth, "You can certainly try."
"I think I will." Matthew grinned and cut off any retort Alice might have had with a kiss and rolled her underneath him on the bed.
She'd never get tired of kissing him, she mused as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He was just so good at it - so good at reading her already - when they kissed. Their journey had been a slow climb to where they were now and it shouldn't surprise her that Matthew was so good at reading her. He'd always seen right down to her core from the beginning, just as she was able to see through him. They'd danced around each other even before their bond had been revealed, akin to a waltz and she smiled.
"What is it?" Matthew asked.
"Just thinking."
"Is this the kind of thinking that gets us into trouble?" He grinned when she narrowed her eyes at him.
Alice tried to glare up at him, but she let out a laugh at his dimpled, boyish grin, "No, I was thinking about us and something Miss Fisher once said."
"What about?"
"That a good waltz is 'slow and close'... I don't know why it reminds me of us, but it does."
Matthew leaned down and kissed her, "I can see the connection, sweetheart. A waltz requires trust, concentration, and effort on both parties to perform. It's also timeless."
Alice felt her cheeks warm at Matthew's quiet response, at the implication of his words. "I like that."
"Me too."
She pulled him down for another kiss, sighing contently at the weight of his body on hers. "I love you, Matthew."
"I love you too, Alice." His mouth moved from her lips to her jaw, nuzzling and kissing as he went. "Have I told you that I like the new hair?"
Alice chuckled as his hands slid up and he wove his fingers into the tangled strands, "I remember you mentioned it a few times last night. Something about 'it was easier to reach my neck', I believe?"
He growled and lightly tugged on her hair to tilt her head back - his mouth kissing and nipping at her throat; she squirmed underneath him as his stubble scratched against the sensitive skin - feeling his chuckle more than hearing it.
"I also like you in this shirt," Matthew mumbled as he pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat. "I wondered where it had gone."
"You gave it to me," Alice gasped out.
"Leant it," he nipped at her collarbone. "You were supposed to give it back."
"You didn't ask for it back."
"What cheek!" Matthew kissed down her sternum, his hands moving from her hair to her sides. He grinned when he saw the darkening marks he'd left on her the night before (as well as one that was fainter - a blotchy red instead of the purplish-red like all the others - and he knew that one was all Alice's doing, at least he had a collar high enough to hide it). Her skin warmed beneath his lips, a pretty pink flush spreading across her chest as he opened up the stolen pajama top further.
Alice's fingers curled in his hair and she let out a breathy sigh, "Matthew."
"Yes?"
"Don't start something you might not have time to finish."
He laughed against her skin, feeling her squirm underneath him. "I'm trying to convince you to stay home… is it working?"
The fingers tightened in his hair, nails lightly scratching at his scalp as Alice sighed again.
"I'm taking that as a yes."
"Matthew."
He grinned and slid his hands up under her top - her skin smooth and warm under his palms. Lightly tickling her sides, Matthew chuckled when she tried to wriggle out from underneath him. "I didn't know you were ticklish, sweetheart."
"Like you aren't," she shot back, giggling when he tickled her again. "Matthew Lawson."
"Alright, alright. I'll stop." He kissed his way back up to her mouth and rolled onto his side. Grimacing at the twinge in his leg, Matthew jumped when he felt Alice's hand on his thigh.
Her other hand cupped his cheek, "Sore?"
"A little," Matthew leaned in and kissed her gently to reassure her. "I can live with it."
Alice nodded, her thumb caressing his cheek as she looked down at his right knee. "May I?" she asked quietly.
This was the first time she'd seen the scar around his knee - really seen it. She had a corresponding scar on her own body, but it wasn't quite the same as seeing it on him.
Turning to kiss her palm, Matthew nodded. She leaned in and kissed his lips, a gentle kiss that he barely felt before Alice sat up slowly to study his knee. Her fingers were hesitant - fleeting touches over the raised scar and surrounding muscle that made him shift on the bed until her hand rested on his knee, stilling his movements while she traced the edges of the scar.
"It's strange," she remarked quietly.
"What is?"
"I know this scar, I have it on my own body and I've studied it, but it's… odd to be familiar with it and yet not at the same time." Alice's fingers moved over the tiny stitch marks around the scar, her intense eyes taking in every detail. Her hands mapped it out; calloused palms felt the tense muscles below his skin, and her cool fingers searched out every nook and cranny. "Does the actual scar itself hurt, or am I just feeling the muscles spasming when it hurts?"
He reached down and curled his hand around her knee - the one that carried his scar - and squeezed lightly. "From what Lucien said and Mac told me, the actual nerves where they stitched it all back together are shot, I don't feel anything at the scar itself anymore. It's the muscles, healing and relearning everything, that causes the pain."
"So you can feel my hand here," she gently rubbed above his knee - above the scar, "but not here?" The fingers of her other hand traced over the scar as she asked.
"Basically."
"Is there any way to make it better? To make you not hurt as much, I mean."
Matthew shrugged, "Mac mentioned exercises to strengthen the leg; it's what we were going to start on when I got called before the higher brass and sent back here."
Alice leaned down and pressed a kiss to his knee before she laid back down in his arms, "I can ask her about them if you'd like."
Matthew held her close and kissed her forehead, "She's going to call later this week, but thank you, sweetheart."
She smiled and kissed him right as her telephone rang. Alice sighed and rested her forehead against his chest, "Back to work…"
"Looks like it."
She pressed a kiss to his chest and another to his cheek, "I'll be right back. It might not be a work call."
He watched her go and heard her answer the call out in the living room. She talked for a bit and he heard her hang up the telephone before her front door opened. It closed and Alice walked back in to the room with a newspaper tucked under her arm as she sorted through her post.
"Do you have to go in?" He asked.
Alice nodded and sat down next to his hip, her eyes still on the envelopes in her hands. When he shifted she put his hand on his chest. "Don't get up, dearest, maybe you can get some more rest before you go to the station."
Matthew smiled and pulled her to him - post and all - to steal a kiss. "I'd get more rest if you were here with me."
Alice laughed lightly. "I'll bet. Unfortunately, the test results have come in as well as Mickey Ellis' medical records. Lucien will want to see them, so I have to get up I'm afraid."
He stole another kiss and let her sit up, "Ah, well, back to the real world I suppose."
"Mm-hm," she hummed. "I'm serious about you getting more rest, Matthew, you need it."
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of her head, "I concede defeat, sweetheart, you wore me out."
"I wore you out?" Alice gave him an incredulous look.
"Mm-hm," Matthew mimicked her hum, pressing a kiss to her cheek to make her smile. "You did."
"You're a silly man," she kissed him. "I'm going to get ready, need anything?"
"Can I read the paper?"
"Only if you leave me the crossword," Alice smiled and handed over the paper as she got up.
Matthew smiled and unfolded it as Alice put the post out on her kitchen table and puttered around her room. She pulled out clothes for the day and Matthew peered over the top of the paper to watch her get ready.
"You're staring," she told him as she pulled on her slip over her underwear.
"It's a nice view."
Alice laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed to pull on her stockings, "You're in a mood this morning, Matthew."
He smiled and turned his attention back to the paper as she finished dressing. Her heels clipped on the hardwood floors as she walked into her bathroom. When he looked up again at the sound of her footsteps, Alice had styled her hair (straightening out the curls and waves), and applied her make up for the day. Matthew noticed she'd picked a blouse that covered up the marks he'd left last night and he smirked.
Alice narrowed her eyes at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking about, "I'm very glad I have blouses with high enough collars." She walked over and sat down next to his hip as he set the newspaper aside. "If Lucien sees any of these, we'll never hear the end of it."
Matthew chuckled, "Lucien forgets the amount of times I've seen love bites on him from his wife after they got married."
She laughed and leaned in to gently kiss him, careful to not mess up her lipstick. Matthew curled his fingers beneath her chin and kissed her more firmly. Alice sighed into the kiss and into his arms.
Resting her forehead against his after drawing back, Alice sighed again, "I have to go."
"I know," He kissed her again, one last time, and let her sit up. "I'll see you later?"
Alice nodded with a smile, "We can have lunch here and then I can drop you off at the station if you'd like."
"Sounds perfect," Matthew smiled back.
"Good." Alice pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Rest, dearest. I'll be back before you know it."
"I look forward to it." He opened the paper back up as Alice touched up her lipstick, collected her things, and left for work. Their domesticity was comforting and pleasant, and Matthew looked forward to more mornings like this.
"So… Frank Carlyle?"
"Oh, he's in a world of trouble."
Lucien sighed and gestured to Matthew's leg as his old friend stood up from the desk. "And your…?"
Matthew smiled at him, "Oh, it's perfectly fine."
"Good… good…" Lucien smiled. Matthew turned his head and Lucien caught sight of a tell-tale sign of a love bite right below his ear (he hadn't seen one on Alice, her hair must have hidden it). He looked to see if anyone was listening in before he leaned in towards Matthew. "Alice know you're back?"
Matthew's cheeks and ears turned pink as he avoided Lucien's gaze.
Lucien grinned, "I see."
"Ah, shove off, Blake." Matthew narrowed his eyes at him, but it did nothing to dissuade the warm feeling in Lucien's chest at his two friends finding their happiness - nor did it stop the grin spreading on his face.
"That explains Alice's good mood this morning."
"Blake," Matthew ground out. "I'm warning you."
Lucien held his hands up in defeat, "I'm stopping, Matthew. I just wanted to say that I'm happy for the two of you, that's all. Though she might want to… aim her love bites a little lower." He gestured right below his ear.
Matthew's ears burned brighter and he coughed, "She did… uh, that one is mine… on, uh… on her."
"Matthew Lawson, you dog."
His old friend simply glared at him and limped out of the station, grumbling. Lucien caught "Alice" and "scalpel" and ducked his head to hide his grin.
"Don't you have work to do, Blake?" Matthew shot over his shoulder.
"Yes, yes, I do." Lucien laughed and followed Matthew out of the station to meet Charlie at the car. Matthew was back, Alice was happy, and there was a murder to solve. Everything was right as rain in Ballarat.
Alice poured over the test results and Mickey Ellis' medical records. Once her and Lucien had come to the conclusion that the boxer died from poisoning, she'd sent off his blood for analysis. They knew it was poison, just not which one. She still waited to hear back about the powder on the man's trousers as well as the presumed Plaster of Paris; the lab assured her they'd get to the samples as soon as possible with their limited staff as a rash of colds had felled most of the toxicology department.
Knuckles rapping lightly on the frosted glass door made her look up. Matthew smiled as he pushed the mortuary door further open, "Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all, I was just seeing if there was anything Lucien and I missed." Alice smiled.
"Waiting on more results?" He walked in, his cane tapping on the tiled floor.
Alice nodded, "Toxicology is a bit understaffed, but I'm hoping the results will be in tomorrow. What can I do for you, Superintendent?"
Matthew held up the newspaper, "I promised that I'd leave you the crossword, Doctor Harvey."
She laughed and stood from her stool to take the paper from his hand as he took off his hat and hung it by the door. "Why, thank you."
"It's been awhile since I've been down here," Matthew remarked.
"Not since before the accident," Alice nodded.
"Actually I was thinking of about a week before that," he smiled. "When I was angry at Munro and uh…"
He blushed and Alice thought it was adorable. She took the newspaper out of his hand and leaned up against the autopsy table. "You mean when you pinned me against this table and nearly kissed me?"
His blush deepened, "Bloody hell, Alice."
Alice laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek, "You're easy to tease, Matthew."
"You don't play fair." He stepped closer to her, his hand coming up to rest on her hip. He smirked when he heard her breath catch in her throat as he pressed her back against the autopsy table. "Y'know, we could reenact it right now, sweetheart."
Alice hummed, "Really?"
"Mm-hm," Matthew leaned in close, his nose bumping against hers, "but we won't because this is your workplace and someone could interrupt." He dropped a kiss on her cheek and stepped back. Alice swatted at his chest with the newspaper and he laughed at her little huff of indignation.
"You are the worst, Matthew."
"You don't play fair, I don't play fair." He limped over to the other stool and dragged it over to hers. Sitting down with a groan, Matthew looked over the files she had spread out on the table. "I did come here to ask you to catch me up on the test results, but…"
"They aren't back yet," she nodded, completing his thought. Alice slid back onto her stool next to him and put the newspaper to the side. "I could answer any questions you might have, but I think Lucien already told you everything."
Matthew smiled, "He did, in the way he usually does, but thank you for the offer, Alice. Do you have any questions?"
She shook her head with a smile, "No, I don't think so. I'd ask why the fact that two men pummeling each other is a sport, but I don't think I want to know."
"You don't like boxing?"
"No, it doesn't make any sense to me." She shrugged. "Seems like unnecessary violence."
"Do you like any sports?"
Alice shrugged again, "I don't know, they've never appealed to me so I never really learned about them. You?"
"Lucien's the boxing enthusiast, I prefer cricket," he smiled. "But I like my quiz shows and movies more."
"I've never been."
"To quiz shows or to the cinema?"
"Both."
"Would you like to go?"
"Are there lots of people?"
Matthew gave her a half-shrug, "There can be."
Alice frowned, "I'm not so sure about that."
"It's alright, sweetheart," he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We can try the shows and cinema when you feel comfortable about them. In the meantime, we'll find other things to do."
Alice smiled and lightly kissed him on his mouth, wiping away a small trace of lipstick with her thumb. "Like this crossword puzzle?"
Matthew smiled as she opened up the newspaper to the puzzle and put away the folders on the table. He pulled out a pencil from his jacket pocket, "I think we can afford a little break from work."
Alice scooted her stool closer to his and they bent their heads over the crossword. Conversation passed easily between them as they worked on the puzzle, alongside teasing suggestions for answers from both of them just to rile each other up. Matthew's hand was warm in hers (she'd grabbed it to stop him from trying to take the pencil out of her hand and write his own answers - he'd still taken it with a triumphant "ha!" and that was when Alice found out he was left handed).
He filled in the squares of a few answers, a smug smile tugging one the corners of his mouth as he worked. Alice rubbed the knuckles of his right hand with her thumb - tracing the familiar scars on them. Leaning in, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"What's that for?" Matthew asked softly, his pencil poised over the next box.
"No reason." When he raised an eyebrow, Alice smiled. "It's just…"
"What?"
"I like watching you work. It's fascinating."
"Really?" Matthew put the pencil aside and turned to face her fully, their joined hands coming to rest on his lap.
She nodded, "You get this look on your face when you know the answer, it's hidden well, but your smug smile gives it away. It's just… it's fascinating to watch you work."
Matthew smiled, "Thank you, sweetheart." He kissed her cheek, "I like to watch you work too."
"You do?"
"Mm-hm," He kissed her cheek again, "you get this little wrinkle between your eyebrows when you're concentrating, right here." Matthew kissed her forehead, smiling when she giggled. "I love watching your mind work. You're so very smart."
Alice curled a hand around the back of his neck as she pulled him in for a kiss. "So are you, dearest." Matthew kissed her back, his arms sliding around her waist as he pulled her closer; her hands clutched at his shoulders.
"Aren't you worried about someone interrupting?" she asked him quietly.
"They can all go hang," he muttered against her lips, muffling her laughter with a kiss.
"I can come back later," Rose's teasing voice made them jump apart and they turned to see her standing in the doorway. She leaned up against the doorjamb, her body language relaxed, but the smile on her face was warm and teasing. "You two look like you're quite busy."
"Rose-" Matthew frowned, but he stopped at Alice's hand on his chest. Looking at her with raised eyebrows, Matthew sighed when Alice shook her head.
She turned to his niece, "Something happen?"
Rose straightened and looked down at her feet, "Maybe? But I'm serious, Alice, I can come back later."
Matthew looked back and forth between his niece and Alice - evidently this was not the first time Rose had come down to the morgue to visit his soulmate. He relaxed and smiled; he liked the idea that they'd gotten comfortable around each other, that Rose had accepted Alice.
'One less family member to accept her,' he mused.
Clearing his throat to get the attention of both of them, Matthew grabbed his cane, "Actually, I should be heading back to the station. I'll leave you two to it." He winked at Rose and she grinned.
Alice smiled as he stood, it widened when he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Will you stop by later? After work?" she asked softly.
"Depends on how late I'll be, sweetheart, but I'll call," he pressed another kiss to her cheek. Straightening, Matthew walked over to the door and paused by Rose. She looked up at him expectantly, and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Rose." He spoke soft enough for her to hear.
"For what?"
"For getting to know Alice even though you didn't have to."
Rose looked over to Alice - still seated at the autopsy table - and back up at him with a smile. "She's important to you. I had to make sure she was right for you too… getting to know her was an added benefit. I like her… she's refreshingly honest."
Matthew chuckled, "How often have you visited?"
His niece shrugged, "A lot. I first started coming to figure her out, and then I started coming to vent about my life… Alice is a good listener and I like her advice. She asked about you, what you were like when I was growing up… so of course I told her only the most embarrassing stories."
He rolled his eyes as Rose grinned, "Rose."
"I like her, Uncle Matthew. She's good for you," Rose nudged him. "You should get going. But, uh, before you go…"
"What?"
"I'm not sure red's your color," she motioned to her mouth with a teasing grin, a laugh bubbling up when Matthew cursed under his breath. She fished out a handkerchief and handed it over, "Here, you can return it later."
"Thank you, Rose." Matthew smiled and kissed her forehead.
"You're welcome, now shoo! We're having girl talk!"
Matthew laughed and grabbed his hat before Rose gently pushed him out of the morgue. Before the door fully closed behind him, he heard Alice's voice.
"What's wrong in the world of Rose Anderson today?"
"What isn't wrong? But I'll start with Charlie."
"Put your foot in it? I saw the article."
"Oh, don't you start too."
He grinned and whistled softly as he limped away from the morgue up into the hospital. Those two were going to be trouble one of these days.
Alice looked up from her book when she heard the front door close. Matthew's distinctive step drew closer to the bedroom and she smiled when he appeared in the doorway.
"Find the spare key alright?" she asked him quietly.
He nodded with a sigh, "It was right where you said it was, thank you. I put it back when I unlocked the door."
She watched silently as he slowly stripped out of his uniform and folded it neatly for tomorrow's use. When Matthew caught her watching, Alice looked back down at her book with feigned interest - her cheeks burning when he smirked.
"What are you still doing up, sweetheart?" Matthew asked as he limped around to the other side of the bed.
"I wanted to see if you needed anything," she shrugged. "That and this book is actually quite good."
Matthew smiled and drew back the covers. He slid under them and pulled himself over to her side. Alice lifted her arms without looking away from her book and he rested his head on her chest. Slumping into her embrace and wrapping his arms around her middle, Matthew sighed.
"Need anything?" she shifted the book to one hand, the fingers of the other softly carding through his hair.
He sighed again and shook his head slightly, "Nah, I've got all I need here."
She smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Setting the book to the side, Alice wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You should sleep, Matthew, this case was a long one."
"So should you, sweetheart." He shifted in her arms to get comfortable. Alice ran her fingers through his hair - lightly scratching at his scalp - and he felt his eyes start to droop. "Alice?"
"Hm?"
"Do you think it'd be alright if I stay here for a bit? I have a room at a hotel, but I'd like to spend some more time with you… if that's alright with you."
Alice was quiet for some time, but her fingers still moved through his hair - lulling him into a half-asleep state. He felt her press a kiss to the top of his head and she tightened her arms around him. "That's perfectly alright, Matthew, for you to stay here. My bed is big enough for two."
Fin