"meet me at sunrise, or sunset, or the new moon — the place is immaterial" - The Letters of Emily Dickenson

Matthew's knee hurt, but he pushed it aside as he rushed through the bustling corridors of the hospital; more people were there than usual, a lot more patients lined the hallways, and the sight of blood and bandages turned his stomach - he'd been a copper for some time now, but this was a magnitude he hadn't seen in a long time. Pushing it from his mind, he prowled the rooms and makeshift partitioned areas like a dog with a bone until the familiar sight of a pathologist graced his presence.

Ripping the screen open, he startled her and the nurse currently cleaning a gash on her forehead.

"Who do you think you are barging in he-!" the nurse moved to intercept him and Alice but stopped short when Alice herself reached out to the nurse.

"It's alright, Holly, Superintendent Lawson is allowed."

Alice shifted the icepack from her left wrist to the back of her head with a wince and motioned to the empty space on her right; Matthew could feel the eyes of Nurse Holly burning in a glare on the back of his head, but he took Alice's silent invitation and took over holding the icepack to her head.

"Thank you," she whispered - keeping still as Nurse Holly resumed cleaning the cut on her forehead; her right hand - now free of the icepack - rested on Matthew's good knee, gripping tight whenever the cleaning solution burned. His arm ached after a bit and when Alice shifted away from the icepack after the gash was cleaned, Matthew instead placed it on top of the wrist still resting in her lap. At her faint hum of approval, Matthew took a chance to lean in and kiss her temple just below the gash while Nurse Holly's back turned.

"Thank you, Holly," Alice smiled at the girl once she'd taped a bit of bandage over the cut.

"You're welcome, Dr. Harvey… thank you for what you did today. I'll go fill out your paperwork and let you rest here a bit."

It was then that he noted how the nurse's hands had shaken throughout the entire thing - so she'd been there as well.

Once the partition closed behind Nurse Holly, Matthew shifted on the bed.

"Matthe-"

"That was an incredibly foolish thing for you to do today." Her head hung and Matthew gently tilted it up with a hand below her chin.

"It was foolish… and so very brave. I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

A day like today should have never happened; this type of thing didn't happen in Ballarat - or it hadn't in centuries, not since Eureka. A man, delirious with rage and jealousy, had come into the hospital in search of his wife and children - who'd fled from him - and when he didn't get as he demanded… he opened fire.

Matthew's heart had lept to his throat when the call came in, and he and his men arrived in the aftermath of the shooting and an ongoing hostage situation between the man and a group of nurses surrounding the man's family; Alice was right there in the middle - of course, she had been… his Alice was a fiery one, and never one to sit by when she could help. It was a trait she shared with Lucien, and his friendship had stoked that fire within her to new heights - moreso after his disappearance.

He loved it, but it scared him - especially on days like today.

The man got distracted by the sudden appearance of Matthew's men, and went on a rant about all the "injustice" he'd received; Matthew wanted nothing more than to see this man in jail after seeing all the carnage he'd caused in his town. In the middle of the rant, when Matthew was trying to figure out how to calm the man down, Alice threw herself at the gun being waved around.

He had easily been near twice the size of her, but Alice had a tenacity unmatched by many; Matthew could only watch as his pathologist and the man wrestled over the handgun - not wanting to rush in and accidentally set it off, or hit her by mistake. Before they knew it, the man shoved Alice down on the floor, raised the butt of his gun, and struck her across her forehead; she grabbed the gun one more time, pulled him down to her level, and in the resulting kerfuffle it went off.

Time stood still, and so did Alice and the man.

Matthew, assuming the worst, ordered his men to pull the body off of Alice, and struggled to kneel by her side; blood covered her clothes and as he searched for the source of it - the freed hospital staff loaded the dying man onto a stretcher and wheeled him into an operating room - if he lived, he'd have the book thrown at him for this, no judge in Victoria or all of Australia would look kindly on this man's actions.

"'S not mine," Alice's voice - shaking and weak - finally reached his ears and he nearly kissed her right then.

Knowing she'd be embarrassed by such a display, Matthew squeezed her hand instead, "I'll let the nurses look over you, sweetheart."

"Come back?"

He nodded - noting how hard she gripped his hand (she was scared), "They'll have to put me in jail themselves to prevent me from returning… I need to deal with this bastard first."

"Okay," she nodded slowly and winced as the nurses and other staff loaded her up on a stretcher.

Matthew held on to her hand for as long as he could and barked at more than one person to tell him immediately when she was free.

And now, sitting here on this bed with her - secluded away from the rest of the hustle and bustle, Matthew finally felt the knot in his chest start to loosen.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart, but by God did you scare the shit out of me," his hand cupped her cheek - it shook, but he was thankful to feel the warmth of her skin beneath his touch.

"I didn't mean to."

"I know," he nodded and tears burned at the corners of his eyes. "I-I know that, and I know you don't always throw yourself headlong into danger but when that gun went off…"

Matthew shook his head and chewed on his inner lip - desperately trying not to lose it in front of her.

Her hands - cool to touch from the icepack now forgotten at the foot of the bed - cradled his face and her thumbs wiped away his tears.

"I…" he started, his throat closing around the words he wanted to say since that call came in. "I thought I lost you."

Alice pulled him in and kissed his forehead - her lips moving to kiss the tears as they fell; there were quite a few of them, but Alice kept at it - soothing him as much as she could

"I'm sorry, dearest."

"I know."

"I'll try better in the future."

He smiled and kissed her softly, "I won't change who you are."

"I know," she nodded. "I know that, and I love that, but I can't put you in that position again… I love you too much to hurt you."

He kissed her again, wiping her own (relieved) tears as he pulled her to him - a little too tightly judging by the faint groan of pain; easing up, he still held her close - thankful to be holding her at all after what had happened today.

Resting her forehead against his, Matthew smiled when Alice nuzzled their noses together.

"Take me home, Matthew."

"You're sure?"

She nodded and kissed him once more, "I don't… I want to feel warm and safe and I don't want to be alone… take me home."

"I can do that, sweetheart."

That got him another kiss, even as Nurse Holly surprised the two of them by re-entering the partitioned area.

"Your paperwork, Dr. Harvey," she handed it over - her cheeks bright pink and Matthew hid his smile in Alice's hair as he surmised she either had seen them or overheard them.

"Thank you, Holly," Alice smiled and took the paperwork with her good wrist (Matthew wondered if the other should be wrapped, he'd have to ask her once they got back home). "Take the rest of the day, I'll make sure you get paid for all of it."

"Thank you, Doctor… for everything," the nurse smiled. "Have… Have a good rest of the day at home with the Superintendent."

"I will, thank you."

Alice held tight to his hand as they left the secluded area of the hospital - tightening her hold as he made to drop it (he never wanted to, but she'd been concerned about people seeing and talking even before they decided to be together).

"Let them see," she whispered when he looked at her.

"You're sure?"

Alice nodded, "I'm tired of hiding… have been for a while, but especially after today. Let them see."

Warmth filled his chest and he pulled her close - dropping her hand to wrap his arm around her waist as they walked through the halls of the hospital; she hummed when he kissed the side of her head - her eyes closed as she completely trusted him to lead her out of the building and back home. They got a few stares and whispers, but the overall vibe of the looks and talk were good - they were happy for them and grateful for what Alice had done today, and it warmed him to the bone.

She'd finally found her place here, finally found her footing in the hospital and the town, and now she was ready to let the world see a small sliver of their love for each other.

'How far both of us have come,' he mused as he led Alice to the waiting police cruiser - Crowe gave them both a small smile when he saw them wrapped up in each other, but thankfully said nothing as they eased into the backseat

"We should probably wrap that wrist, right?" He asked her quietly as Crowe pulled away from the curb.

Alice hummed again, "Probably."

"I think there are proper bandages at home. Probably should have let Nurse Holly do that for you before we left."

"She's done enough today, I'm sure Nurse Lawson can be a good help to me."

Chuckling at her slightly impish smile (and ignoring Crowe's poorly concealed laugh).

"I'll try my best."

She leaned against him on the ride home, slowly slumping more and more on the drive home; he wrapped his arm around her again (careful of her still sore back) and held her close. Crowe dropped them off with a short goodbye - wishing Alice and him a good night before he left to finish his shift at the station - and Alice was practically glued to his side as he led her into 7 Mycroft Avenue.

"C'mon, sweetheart," he kissed her forehead (right next to the gauze bandage), "let's get that wrist taken care of and then change into comfortable jammies."

Alice hummed at Matthew' suggestion of pajamas - he knew she liked to shed the day practically the second she got home and this tiny morsel of herself that he'd remembered warmed her to her bone; giving him a soft kiss, she entered the study and rummaged with her good hand through Lucien's supplies (though she supposed they were technically hers now with him still gone). It didn't take her long to find what she needed and she directed Matthew to sit in front of her - their knees slotting together as he wrapped the bandage around her extended wrist with her gentle guidance.

A comfortable silence - nearly every silence with him was comfortable, she mused - settled over them as Matthew methodically wrapped her wrist; Alice had always admired his hands even before they started dating - rough, yet gentle whenever he touched her, they always gave away his mood. Where Lucien talked with his hands (she often wondered if he'd been told not to, and so he did it out of spite), Matthew hid his either in his pockets, behind his back, or beneath crossed arms. He was a guarded man, her Matthew, but surprisingly (at least to her in the beginning) he'd been completely open to her; Alice mused it could have been that he sensed their kindred spirits from early on, but whatever it had been, she was glad that Matthew had let her wriggle under his grumpy exterior and get to know him.

He was still grumpy, probably always would be, but he was hers and she wouldn't change that for anything - especially not after today.

Tears welled up against her wishes and she didn't want to disrupt Matthew's task, but at the first one to drop on the back of his hand, he immediately stopped what he was doing.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's the matter?" he asked her softly - the remaining bandage set aside so he could cradle her face in those gentle hands of his.

"I… I think it's finally catching up to me."

"What?"

"That I could have lost this… you… everything, all because of a bone-headed foolish decision to be the savior."

"Sweetheart," Matthew kissed her forehead and then her lips as the tears still fell - his calloused thumbs wiping them away. "Sweetheart, it's alright."

"No, it's not! I could have died today and others could have died, I should have left it to you - you've been trained in this, I haven't and- and I could have severely harmed someone besides him! I could have left you behind and…"

She leaned forward - ever grateful that Matthew knew what she needed and wrapped his arms around her as she cuddled as close as she could in their current position.

"I scared you today and I don't ever want to make you feel that way again," she whispered into the crook of his neck and Matthew's arms tightened around her. "I love you, Matthew… so much and I can't be the one to hurt you."

"I know… I know, sweetheart. I love you," he kissed the crown of her head and tilted her face up to meet his eyes. "What you did today saved people… I need you to know that, sweetheart. You saved lives today when you didn't have to, and I know those nurses and that family will be forever grateful for you. You scared me, yes, but I know I've scared you in the past and probably will in the future. It's the nature of our work to be put into potentially dangerous situations that we're not always prepared or trained for, but you didn't hurt me, sweetheart. I love you and all of your bone-headed foolish decisions."

He kissed her forehead and then her lips again, and Alice sighed into the kiss.

"You're Doctor Alice Harvey, who doesn't take kindly to bullies of any kind, and I wouldn't want you any other way, sweetheart… even if you scare me half to death sometimes, I'll probably return the favor a few times before my retirement."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay… I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for feeling your feelings, Alice," Matthew kissed her again. "You've been through a lot today and it's natural to be out of sorts for a while afterward. How about I finish with this bandage, we get into jammies, and I make some of Jean's hot cocoa?"

"Can I steal your cardigan?"

He chuckled, "Usually you don't ask, but yeah, I'll let you steal my cardigan."

"And your socks."

"And my socks, and then we'll cuddle in bed until dinner and you can cry it all out if you feel the need to."

She hummed into his kiss and nodded when he drew back to finish bandaging her wrist; he kissed the bandage once done (purely to make her laugh, he was still trying to convince her that "kiss and make it better" actually worked), and led her back to his bedroom.

It felt more like their bedroom these days than just his; her hairbrush sat on his dresser, he'd emptied out a drawer for her to put pajamas and a change of clothes, and her robe hung next to his (mostly unused after all his cardigans were much more comfortable). As Matthew slowly undressed her - the clothes were undoubtedly ruined by the man's blood, but Jean would stubbornly try to get the stains out for her - he kissed each and every bruise; lingering around her collarbone like he usually did because it made her squirm in delight.

"Matthew."

"Just making you feel better, sweetheart."

She laughed and lightly pushed on his shoulder to get him to draw back a bit; kissing him softly, Alice smiled, "You promised me cocoa, cardigans, and cuddles."

That got her a grin, "A regular poet, are you?"

"You would know it."

He kissed her, slowly as if savoring the ability to do so, and wordlessly helped her out of the rest of her clothes; when he was done, Matthew softly told her to stay put and left the bedroom. She heard the pipes run and surmised correctly once he'd returned that Matthew had gone to get a damp flannel to help her wipe away the day. Alice was too exhausted for a full shower, and warmth filled her at the fact that Matthew knew this, but knew she also wanted to be clean.

As he had been throughout all of this, Matthew was gentle as he cleaned her with the cloth - making sure to be especially careful around the bandage on her forehead (bestowing a little kiss there as well, just to amuse her); goose pimples rose after each wipe of the flannel - a reaction to more than just the simple act of being cleaned. Every touch from Matthew warmed her heart; she'd never known intimacy like this until him, and she never wanted to return to that kind of life.

Alice pulled him in for a kiss once he was done - the flannel forgotten beside his hamper as he flung it in that general direction; smiling against his lips as he wrapped his arms around her, Alice broke the kiss.

"I love you."

He smiled and kissed her forehead, "I love you too, sweetheart."

Matthew steadied her as she pulled on a nightgown (it was simple enough and didn't require buttons like some of her others, it also happened to be a favorite of Matthew's) - pressing a kiss to her exposed sternum (the reason it was his favorite), Matthew kissed her cheek before he changed into pajamas of his own.

"Cocoa time," he helped ease one of his cardigans over her shoulders - holding it up as she gingerly wove her injured wrist through the knitted sleeve.

"And then cuddles and a nap."

"Tired?"

Alice nodded, smiling when he kissed her softly.

"Understandable. The cocoa will help; stay here and snuggle up under the blankets, I'll go make us a mug to share so we get maximum cuddle time."

"Silly man," she giggled.

"That's me, your silly man."

Alice did as he suggested - shaking her head fondly as Matthew insisted on tucking her in under the covers of his bed (cardigan and all, she wasn't relinquishing any comfort today); the warmth of his bed seeped in and Alice felt her muscles finally relaxing after the hellish day - comforted by the familiar blankets and smell of this place. Vaguely, she felt Matthew return - humming shortly when his cold feet met hers under the covers.

"They'll warm up soon enough, sweetheart," Matthew kissed her neck, "think of it as payback for all the times you shoved your icicle toes under me."

"Icicle toes!"

"Your feet - and hands, by the way - are freezing on a good day," he took her hands (gentle with her wrist) and warmed them between his before reaching over on the bedside table to pick up the still steaming cup of cocoa. "This should help though."

"You spoil me and wound me at the same time."

"Nonsense, I give you only what you deserve."

Alice laughed - Matthew always had a way with words, it was one of the many things that had her falling for him after they spent more time around each other outside of work. This quiet, grumpy man whose prevailing mood most of the time was various shades of annoyance was hers and she wasn't going to give him up any time soon.

Taking the cup from his hands and putting it on the bedside table, Alice smiled at his confused look.

"Matthew?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's get married."

A myriad of emotions crossed his face: confusion, dawning understanding, hope, and finally absolute elation.

"Yo… You're sure?"

She nodded, "After today… I don't want to hide, I don't want to wait or think about anyone else's opinions. I love you, I want you, and I want to be sure you'll be taken care of provided something does happen… you're the one I trust to make sure things are properly done to my wishes should the worst happen."

Tears welled up in his eyes, as though the mere thought of him outliving her was unbearable and Alice kissed him softly.

"I want to be with you, Matthew, always."

He smiled and kissed her, "Then yes… let's get married."

"Nap first though, right?"

Matthew laughed and nodded, the tears that had welled up dropped onto the pillows between them, but he quickly wiped the remaining ones away.

"Nap first, I promise," another kiss to her lips. "I love you, Alice Harvey, and I was ready to be with you in whatever shape our relationship took, to go at the pace you felt comfortable with. You make me happy, sweetheart, and I'll be proud to call myself your husband, to wear a ring that shows our love and bond to everyone else - bugger the haters."

Alice kissed him, "And I'll be proud to call myself your wife… Superintendent and Doctor Lawson, that'll drive the brass mad."

"They can deal with it, our closure case rate speaks for itself. And if they order you to go, then I go… and probably most of the station, so I don't think we have to worry about that lot."

"Our boys do like us, don't they?"

"They do, especially Crowe. How far he's come from disturbing your crime scene by accident, and now he's your little protege."

"Leave my constable alone."

"Your constable?"

"Yes, my constable, but not in the way you're my superintendent," she teased. "Peter's got potential and he's very sweet."

"Too sweet if he's got you calling him yours."

Matthew laughed as Alice swatted his shoulder.

"You silly man."

"You love me."

She smiled into his kiss, "I do… God help me, but I do, and I never want to stop."

He grinned against her lips and pulled her close underneath the covers - the cocoa long forgotten.

Jean arrived home sometime later and smiled when she peered into Matthew's room to check up on them; Alice lay on her side - injured wrist propped up on Matthew's arm around her waist as the man himself curled around her protectively with his forehead pressed against the back of her shoulder, their legs tangling together beneath the covers. A sparkle caught Jean's eye as Alice shifted slightly on the bed, and she was surprised to see a small ring resting comfortably on Alice's finger; the design was older and the smile grew wider when she realized it must have been Charlotte Lawson's old ring (the only thing besides her wedding ring she'd prevented Matthew's father from pawning).

Easing the door closed, she slipped away to the kitchen to start on dinner - she'd wake them both when the time was right, but for now, they could rest and recoup from the events of today and no one would disturb them lest they face the wrath of one Jean Blake.