The last chapter! Thank you so much for coming along with me in this story and supporting me through it all! Enjoy the ending and this chapter is rated M!

Alice was quiet during dinner, far more quiet than she usually was and Matthew couldn't help but worry. He was happy to see her, but she very pointedly avoided being alone with him leading up to the meal. Jean cajoled her into conversation occasionally, the two of them chatting about cases and the hospital - Alice falling quiet whenever Jean turned to Matthew for his opinion.

He could feel her eyes on him throughout the meal, but every time he looked at her, her gaze was firmly on her plate.

Matthew didn't like this. He didn't like feeling this way, it was too much like the tension in his house growing up.

Alice was driving him crazy. Little touches of her were all over the house: stacks of medical journals in the study with notes in the margin made with her precise handwriting, an extra coat hung next to the door even when she didn't come over for dinner, dog-eared paperback books stacked in the parlor. He could smell her in his room of all places (she must have stayed over at some point when he was in the hospital, his pillows were off and his robe was draped over the foot of the bed instead of on the back of the door) and each night he'd toss and turn because she was there, but she wasn't and it left him short-tempered during the day.

Amy left as soon as dinner was done and Jean retreated upstairs for some reason or other, so Matthew took this chance and gingerly approached Alice as she washed and dried their dishes in the sink.

"Alice?"

"Mm."

It wasn't an actual word, but it was something.

He leaned up against the counter next to the sink, trying to catch her eye, but Alice wouldn't budge. She kept her gaze firmly on the dishes, a furrow of concentration (or was it irritation?) between her brows as her hands moved efficiently from one dish to the next.

"I just… I wanted to say that I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for scaring you. The raid got out of hand and I should've gotten out of there before it went awry, but I didn't and I'm sorry."

The only immediate reaction he got out of her was a clenched jaw and a white-knuckled grip on the towel in her hands.

"I don't… I don't like seeing you at the hospital, Matthew." Alice finally spoke, drying the teacups from the afternoon. "And I don't like having to operate on you either."

"At least it wasn't my leg this time," he winced the second that statement passed his lips and cringed even further when Alice sent him an icy glare over her shoulder as she started to put away the dried dishes. (He'd seen her frostiest one before, but never directed at him.)

"That… wasn't what I meant, Alice, I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm sorry for scaring you. It just… there are times where I feel like it doesn't matter, like my safety doesn't matter because I'm not wanted. Lucien isn't here and the closure rate isn't as good as it used to be. Melbourne isn't exactly subtle about itching to get me out… I just don't matter anymore."

The teacup shattered as it hit the floor; he jumped but Alice didn't even flinch. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

She whirled around and he saw angry tears gather in her eyes. "Stop saying that you don't matter, Matthew. You matter!"

He ran his hands through his hair, pulling slightly and shouted, "To who!"

"To me!" Alice yelled back and sucked in a breath so quick he was surprised she didn't keel over. Tears spilled down her face, and her hands clenched and unclenched as her whole body trembled before him. Her words rang in his ears and he watched her carefully, not sure what she'd do next.

"You matter to me," she whispered, her voice cracking on the last word and the dam finally broke. Alice sobbed into her hands, flinching instinctively when he first pulled her into his arms, but she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his waist.

Jean lingered in the shadows of the hallway.

She'd initially rushed down the stairs when she heard the cup shatter and raised voices, but slowed when she caught sight of Alice sobbing in Matthew's arms - his own tears streaming down his face, sorrow etched into every line. He rocked Alice gently as her hands clung to his shirt with a white-knuckled grip.

"Lucien is gone." Alice whispered into his shoulder. "He's gone, Matthew, and I moved on from that… but I can't lose you too. You matter to me, you're important to me… I don't think my heart could take it if I lost you. I love you too much for that."

Matthew slumped against the counter and he wrapped his arms further around Alice's shoulders. "I just feel like I'm not enough anymore, Alice… Everyone always looked to him for answers and now he's gone and… it feels like I'm replaceable."

"You're enough, you've always been enough to me." Alice drew back from his embrace, tears still falling. "You'll always be enough, I don't need you to go off half-cocked into dangerous situations out of some need to prove yourself to me or anyone else. I need you here because you're irreplaceable and because I want you here."

Matthew cradled her face with shaking hands and Jean felt a pang in her heart - she was intruding on this special, pivotal moment between the two of them. She was happy for them, that was no question, but it just reminded her of similar moments and realizations of her own past. Sucking her lips between her teeth, Jean blinked back tears and slipped back upstairs.

They didn't need a witness, not anymore.

"I love you, Matthew," Alice whispered, shivering when Matthew's calloused thumbs caressed her cheeks. "I'm so sorry for making you wait, and for wasting time…"

The tears started again and her face crumpled; Alice gripped his shirt so hard it wrinkled in her fists as she let out hiccuping sobs, "I was scared when I saw you lying there on that gurney bleeding. I was scared when I had to be the one to operate on you. And I was scared of losing you before I had a chance to tell you how I felt because I'd been scared of what people would say, of how it would reflect on you and on me. I'm so sorry for thinking that any of that mattered before."

"Shh, sweetheart," Matthew pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You were right to worry. It's alright."

"It's not, Matthew! We've wasted so much time… I've wasted so much time."

He tugged her towards him and slanted his mouth over hers. His fingers slid into her hair as she gasped into the kiss - her hands clutched at his back and she lost herself in the kiss. Heat flooded her body, her skin tingling as Matthew kissed her again and again.

He drew back, gently nuzzling his nose against hers, and pressed a light kiss to her still parted lips. "No more wasted time, and no more apologizing, sweetheart. I'm here and I love you… I'm not going anywhere."

Matthew kissed her again, and guided her out of the kitchen by her hand.

"Matthew, what abou-?"

Another kiss from Matthew cut her off and Alice sighed into it.

"I'll clean up the spill later, right now I just want you, just you," he whispered against her lips - his eyes searching hers for permission.

She nodded and kissed him, gently nipping at his bottom lip. He groaned in the back of his throat and tugged her towards his room with a greater sense of urgency than before. Butterflies filled her stomach along with a deep-seeded ache for the man in front of her.

Matthew pulled her into his bedroom and pushed her up against the door. His mouth was hot against hers as she scrambled to lock the door behind them. He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her in for another kiss; Alice pressed her body against his when Matthew nipped at her lower lip.

Her hands tugged Matthew's shirt from his trousers, seeking the heated skin underneath as he nipped and sucked at the skin of her neck. When he hit a particularly sensitive spot, Alice gasped and her fingernails dug into the skin of his back, causing Matthew to grunt against her neck. She swept her hands up to his collar, her fingers shaking as she sought to rid him of his shirt. When Matthew chuckled against her neck at her irritated huff, Alice grabbed both sides of his shirt and pulled.

Buttons clattered to the floor and Matthew pulled back in shock.

"I'll fix it later," Alice promised with a grin and a quick kiss to his lips. Nipping at his bottom lip, she jolted Matthew back to the more important matter at hand and he kissed her hungrily as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders. His singlet followed soon after and Alice eagerly explored the newly revealed skin of his torso.

She'd touched him on the operating table, through gloves and in a sterilized, frantic environment. She'd touched him in his recovery room, his skin cool under her fingers as she checked on the stab wounds and mottled bruising on his torso. She'd touched him before, but not like this. She'd never really known what "skin hunger" was until Matthew, until that spark lit between them and utterly consumed her. Alice couldn't get enough of him, the warm weight of his hands as they swept up and down her back, his skin - hot and soft and wanting - under her hands, and the press of his hardness against her hip. Matthew pulled her up for a messy kiss - all teasing tongue and teeth and Alice dragged her nails down the length of his spine. Heat enveloped her, fizzing throughout her body as his kisses fired off all of the synapses in her brain telling her this was good, this was pleasure, this was Matthew.

Everything was Matthew, everything was heat and trembling hands.

He pulled the hem of her shirt up - she lifted it up the rest of the way above her head and threw it to the side as Matthew's hands explored her back and teased her breasts through her slip and bra.

"Matthew," Alice breathed, tilting her head back - hitting the door with a faint 'thunk!' - when Matthew's teeth scraped against her collarbone.

"Sorry I can't sweep you off your feet and carry you to bed, sweetheart," he whispered into the skin of her neck. "You deserve to be romanced."

Alice pulled him up for a bruising kiss, her thumbs caressing his cheekbones, "I just want you, dearest, in whatever way you are. You're all I need."

Matthew kissed her back, his hands curling around her hips and pulled her body flush with his. He pulled her away from the door and turned them towards the bed, leaning against her for balance as they drew closer to the bed - Alice stealing kisses along the way as she mapped out the muscles of his arms and chest and back with her fingers.

Nimble hands unzipped her skirt and nudged it to the floor; they smoothed up her thighs - over her stockings, under her slip - and over the curve of her bum as Matthew nipped at her neck. Alice raked her nails down his back again - feeling his groan more than hearing it - and pulled her slip over her head; she reached for Matthew's belt at the same time as him, their hands tangling together in a frantic knot as he quickly undid the buckle while she unbuttoned his pants and slid the zipper of his currently very tight trousers down. Matthew gasped against her mouth when her fingers brushed his erection through his pants and Alice grinned. She got that reaction from him, she did.

He nipped at her lower lip and swept his hands up her back as his trousers fell to the floor - the buckle clattering on the rug at their feet. Alice moaned softly as his fingers danced across her back - it was like every touch ignited a fire beneath her skin. She hadn't been with anyone for some time and she'd missed the simple, yet intimate act of touching another person. Matthew's skillful fingers unhooked her bra and he tossed it to the side. With a gentle push towards the bed from Matthew, Alice sprawled across the top of his covers, naked from the waist up and flushing under Matthew's appreciative gaze.

She held out her hands - shaking in the low light of his room.

"Please," Alice whispered. "Please, Matthew."

He took her hands and sat on the bed, pressing gentle kisses to her fingers and the backs of her hands. "Patience, sweetheart. Let's enjoy this."

"I am enjoying it," she pouted.

Matthew chuckled and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, "Let this old man take his time enjoying the woman he loves."

She sat up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck as Matthew let out a note of surprise at the sudden move. "You're not that old, Matthew, and we've got all night, we can take our time later."

"How can I argue with you when you put it like that?" He laughed against her lips and slid his arms around her waist.

Alice pulled herself onto his lap - careful not to put too much weight on his right leg - and pressed herself up against him so she was flush with his body. Matthew trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck while he unhooked her garters and removed the garter belt. She held his head to her chest - her fingers threading through his hair as he nipped and sucked at her skin, littering it with darkening bruises that she'd have a hard time hiding.

Alice didn't care, all she wanted was Matthew. Dear Matthew, who was stroking every inch of her with deft hands and tongue. Dear Matthew, who she loved and cherished - the new scars from his recent hospital stay reminding her just how close she came to losing him. Dear Matthew, who suddenly flipped them so Alice lay on her back and his body pressed her into the mattress.

He muffled her surprised whoop with a kiss - his tongue lazily caressing hers as he smoothed his hands over her body, tripping over her ribs and the jut of her hip bones. Alice lifted her hips, seeking out the friction she desperately wanted - needed - from him.

Matthew nipped at her lower lip, "Easy, sweetheart."

"Matthew…" Alice dragged her nails down his back again, shivering when he bucked against her. She tugged at the waistband of his shorts, "Off, please."

"Don't I get a say in it?" he chuckled against her neck.

"Matthew."

He grinned, "You're just so beautiful, I want to savor every moment."

She flushed at the compliment - no one had ever called her beautiful and meant it. With Matthew, she could almost believe it was true. He kissed her deeply, gently sucking and nipping at her jaw and on the sensitive skin below her ear.

With one last nip to her throat, Matthew took off his shorts and then eased her stockings and knickers down her legs at what seemed like a glacial pace. She wanted him, needed to feel him inside her, against her - his skin on hers, but Matthew seemed determined to touch and taste every inch of her. His fingers glided up her trembling legs, drawing idle designs into the soft skin behind her knees, her inner thighs, the crease of her hips - his lips pressing kisses to her stomach, ribs, the valley of her breasts as he teased the dark, damp curls between her legs.

She pulled Matthew up for a heated kiss as he slipped a finger into her folds - gasping against his lips when he stroked her clit and added a second finger. Her hips bucked against his hand and Matthew nipped at the pulse point on her throat. Heat flooded her body, coiling in her belly and ricocheting through her veins as Matthew pushed her closer and closer to climax. There'd be bruises and marks she wouldn't be able to hide with her clothes for a few days, but Alice didn't care. She'd be sore in the morning, but she didn't care.

Matthew was here, Matthew was alive and here. The weight of his body pressed against hers - sweat gathering between them as the air grew hot and heavy in his bedroom. She'd never be able to look at his fingers the same way again, knowing the pleasure he could bring to her with a crook of a knuckle and the sharpness of his teeth against her skin. Reaching between them, Alice palmed his erection, grinning when Matthew groaned and instinctively thrust into her hand. She teased him, as he teased her, and a satisfied smile settled on her face when Matthew rolled and pinned her to the bed - her wrists held in a vice like grip above her head. There was a wild look in Matthew's darkened eyes and Alice arched up into his body - enjoying the clench of his jaw when the heat of her sex brushed against his cock.

Pressing a bruising kiss to her lips, Matthew growled, "Patience, sweetheart."

"We've waited long enough, Matthew, and this isn't going to be a one time sort of arrangement," she pouted.

The wild look softened just a touch and he leaned down to kiss her, letting go of her wrists as his tongue dragged along her already swollen lips. Alice eagerly sought him out, her hands splayed against his back as Matthew slowly lined up himself up and pushed into her heat. She bit down on her lower lip to muffle her groan - Matthew rocking slowly to let them both get used to it - and her head fell back against the pillows once he was fully seated inside her.

Matthew's arms trembled on either side of her and Alice pulled him down so he lay flushed with her; his hips bucked and her nails dug into his shoulders as she gasped.

"Good?" he asked, peppering her freckled shoulder with kisses. Alice nodded and wrapped a leg around his hip as Matthew started thrusting into her in a languid pace. She lifted her hips with each of his thrusts and it took a bit for them to figure out a good rhythm. Matthew groaned into the crook of her neck and she clutched at his back, feeling the muscles constrict and relax with every thrust. His hands bruised her hips, his nails leaving stinging red welts all down her sides as she nipped and licked at the tendons of his neck.

When his thumb circled her clit, Alice arched up into him and bit down on his shoulder to muffle the half-strangled scream tearing from her throat - clawing at his shoulders and back when he flicked the bundle of nerves with each thrust.

"Yes," she panted. "Oh, fuck, yes."

"Christ, sweetheart," Matthew kissed her - sloppy, messy - and she threaded her fingers into his hair.

Alice littered his shoulders and chest with kisses and love bites of her own as his hips rolled against hers - his tempo occasionally losing rhythm as they both chased their building climaxes. It started in her toes - tingling and sparking as it traveled up her legs, coiling deep within her, tension building in her thighs as she trembled underneath him.

"Sweethear-"

"I'm with you," Alice nipped at the pulse point just below his jaw and felt his groan vibrate against her lips. "I'm with you, Matthew."

He buried his face in her neck, thrusting with abandon - his thumb circled her clit one last time as he bit her shoulder and Alice muffled her shout against his neck as she came. It rippled throughout her body, stars exploding behind closed eyelids, limbs tingling, and warmth spreading within as Matthew wasn't far behind. She held him close as he shook in her arms, and he slumped against her with a tired - but satisfied - sigh.

Rolling to the side, Matthew slipped out of her and smoothed her hair out of her face with trembling hands. Alice smiled and pressed a kiss to his palms - his rapid pulse matching the heartbeat still roaring in her ears as the sweat started to cool on their bodies.

Matthew's breath was warm against her forehead and he let out a faint chuckle, "Wow."

"My sentiments exactly, Superintendent," Alice grinned and pressed a kiss to his chin. "I love you."

"And I love you too," he kissed her forehead.

She trailed her hands over his chest, lightly tracing the still pink scars below his ribs. The bruising on his face and torso had faded - Alice saw some of the worst still healing on his skin. "How are the ribs?"

"Sore, and so is my knee," he sighed, his hands smoothing up and down her back as she continued her inspection. "Might have overdone it, but… eh, it was worth it."

Alice laughed lightly and brushed her lips against his - once, twice, three times, "I don't think that counted as 'light exercise', Matthew."

"If I promise to rest, will that make you feel better?"

She kissed him again, humming when his tongue swiped across her lower lip. "Just take care of yourself, then I'll be happy."

"That I can do," he whispered against her lips. Matthew's tongue lazily met hers, his fingers tangling in her hair as he kissed her. "That I can do, sweetheart."

"And no more getting into dangerous situations… intentionally," she added, when his eyebrows rose. "I know things can get out of hand at the drop of a hat, but no more going head first into danger."

"I'll try. And the same for you, you attract trouble just as much as Lucien did." Matthew laughed when Alice swatted lightly at his shoulder. "Though, you're much quicker to sedate with a needle than he ever was."

"I'm smaller than most perps, I have to use things to my advantage."

He laughed again and pressed a kiss to her nose. "I haven't gotten the chance to say this, sweetheart, but I'm so proud of you, what you've done as police surgeon, how you've handled everything after Lucien disappeared… I'm just so proud."

Alice hummed and lightly kissed him - her cheeks blushing pink at the praise, "Thank you, dearest."

Matthew held her close and kissed her forehead, "We'll be alright, the two of us."

"Yes, we will," she agreed. "But for right now, we should probably sleep."

He chuckled and hid a yawn behind his hand, "I suppose you're right."

"I'm a doctor, don't you know?" Alice smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'll help you get under the covers and slip out for the bathroom."

"And then sleep?"

She nodded and he smiled. Making short work of the covers, Alice tucked Matthew in - held captive by his hands until she gave him kisses - and borrowed his bathrobe to slip out into the rest of the house. Tiptoeing through the hallway towards the bathroom, Alice relieved herself and then swung by the kitchen to clean up the shattered teacup from before.

Only to come face to face with Jean sweeping up its remains.

"Oh!" Alice lurched to a halt and her hand rose to instinctively hold the robe tighter over her chest. "I'm… I'm sorry, Jean, I meant to clean that up earlier."

Jean simply smiled - the smile growing wider when she realized just what Alice wore. (Alice felt her ears burning, but Jean seemed happy for her.)

"It's alright, Alice, I knew someone would clean it up eventually. You and Matthew… talked?"

Her ears burned even more, but Alice smiled and nodded.

"And everything's good?"

"Yes."

"Good," Jean practically beamed and enfolded Alice in a brief hug.

She drew back and squeezed Alice's elbows, "You can stay here, as long as you want." Then, Jean leaned in with a mischievous look in her eyes, "You left some spare clothes up in Mattie's room, so if you get called out to a scene, it'll look like you came from your house first."

Alice giggled as Jean winked, "Thank you, Jean."

Jean pressed a kiss to Alice's cheek, "You're very welcome. Now go, spend time with him. I'll let you know if a case comes up."

After another brief hug from Jean, Alice slipped back into Matthew's room; she took a moment to watch him dozing on the bed - covers around his waist, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting on his stomach as he lightly snored. She was so incredibly lucky, getting this second chance with him and she definitely wasn't about to squander it. Hanging the robe back on the door, Alice slipped back into bed with Matthew.

His hand reached for her before his eyes opened and she settled against his side with a sigh - his hand landing on hers as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice low and rumbling beneath her ear.

"Yes," she pressed a kiss to his chest. "Everything's perfect."

"Good."

Matthew slipped back asleep within seconds and Alice pressed another kiss to his chest as she soon followed him. There would be talk of them, of their relationship, but Alice didn't care. She had Matthew, she had Jean's support, and the support of their closest friends. Whatever happened, they'd weather it together.

She was home.