She didn't liked to be touched.

It was one of the first things he noticed about her in the months before they actually met and talked outside of work. He watched as she shied away from hands at the hospital and barely tolerated Blake's tactile acts of affection at first. Hands and hugs were more welcome from Jean or Mattie or Rose, but Matthew noted how she froze whenever a touch came unwarned and he filed away this information for future reference.

They barely touched - barely interacted prior to his accident. Still, Matthew made sure that if he ever needed to touch her for whatever reason, he gave her fair warning. Whether it was a call of her name, or a gruff "excuse me", Matthew always let her know before he gently touched her elbow. Soon she stopped flinching away from his hand, and she leaned into his touch.

His touches traveled. Starting at her elbow, migrating to the small of her back whenever he needed to get by or for her to walk in front of him, wrapping her hands around a warm cup of tea during hard cases, and squeezing her knee when she handed him a pen for The Courier's crossword puzzle at the Blake's table.

She grew more comfortable around him, but Matthew noticed that he was always the one to initiate the touching. As they danced around each other and a potential relationship, he worried that he was pushing her beyond her comfort level with how he touched her.

And then one day she touched him.

They were walking home from the quiz show - Matthew escorting Alice to her little flat - when her fingers brushed against his. And then they did it again before she hooked her index and middle fingers around his pinky. When he looked over in surprise, Matthew noted the faint flush spreading across her freckled cheeks. He smiled and pulled on her hand until she met his gaze; Alice smiled back and gently swung their joined hands between them like a child as they walked.

Matthew chuckled and laced her fingers with his in a more comfortable way, his heart beating faster when Alice leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Comfortable?" he asked softly as they turned onto her street.

"Mm-hm," she hummed and wrapped her other hand around his arm. "You make a nice pillow."

"Is that so?" he laughed and pulled her closer with a soft kiss to the crown of her head - his cheeks warming when she leaned further into him. "I'll have to put in for retirement then."

"Whatever for?" Alice demanded as she jerked her head up. She stopped walking and he turned to face her.

"I found a new job," Matthew smiled at the furrow of confusion between her eyebrows, "as Dr. Alice Harvey's pillow."

Realization dawned on her face and she dissolved into a fit of giggles.

"You silly man," she teased as he pulled her close.

"That's me. If we're being honest, being your pillow sounds a lot more fun than Chief Superintendent of police."

"Yes, it does," she nodded, "but you're the best person for the job, Matthew, and you do important work for all of Ballarat."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead - smiling at her sudden intake of breath. "Thank you, Alice."

"You're welcome," she smiled softly - her hands coming up to rest on his chest, fiddling with the lapels of his coat.

Matthew kissed her forehead again and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "C'mon, you're almost home and both of us might be called in tomorrow."

Alice nodded and slipped her arm around his waist as they walked towards her flat. Their pace was slow, both to accomodate for Matthew's leg and because neither wanted the evening to end just yet. Matthew smiled at Alice's little hum - her body warm against his side as they walked - and the ease she had at being so close to him. Slowing to a stop at her front walk, he reluctantly slipped his arm from her shoulders and Alice followed suit.

"Well," he cleared his throat and looked down at his feet, "I suppose this is goodnight."

She shuffled her feet and he watched as her shoes stepped forward and her hands came up to rest on his chest again, "I suppose so… but what if I don't want it to be?"

Matthew lifted his head, clearing his throat when he saw just how close Alice was to him. "What are you saying?"

"Come inside, Matthew… please."

"You're sure?"

She nodded and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, "I'm sure."

"Okay," he whispered and looped an arm around her waist as she kissed his cheek again. "Okay, Alice."

With one last kiss to his cheek, Alice led him up her front walk and through the door; when the door closed behind them, she turned to him and leaned in close - her hands shaking on his chest as she bit her lower lip and avoided his gaze.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asked softly - feeling her tremble as he rubbed her back.

"I'm… I… it's still a little hard with touching people and to welcome someone's touch… I'm a little out of my element."

"We won't go any further or faster than you want," he kissed her forehead - smiling as Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You've never pushed, Matthew… I've always liked that about you. It makes me feel safe."

"Good, I'm glad."

Alice drew back and her hands slid up to cup his face; Matthew waited patiently as her eyes roved over him - shivering when her thumbs caressed his cheeks. A small smile spread across her face and he returned it. "Will you stay?"

"If you're sure."

"Stay, please," Alice whispered and bit her lip before she leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his lips. She leaned in for another kiss - humming in the back of her throat when he tightened his arm around her waist. "Stay."

He nodded and Alice led him away from the front door to her bedroom.

Matthew stayed over more, both he and Alice talking some about him moving in eventually, but for now they enjoyed their evenings out that led to Matthew spending the night in her bed. Alice grew more comfortable with him outside of her flat - touching him to get his attention at the police station or the morgue, sharing more of her brilliant smiles when others could see them, swinging their joined hands as they walked around town. Where he had been the one to first initiate contact between them, it was now Alice who was the more tactile of the two of them. Where once he was worried about pushing her beyond her comfort level, Matthew now couldn't keep the smile off his face whenever she came striding into his police station or when she bantered theories back and forth with Lucien over a body in the morgue - the two of them sharing knowing glances when their mutual friend went off on a tangent.

As Alice swung their hands between them while they walked down Lydiard Street one day, Matthew looked over at her with a smile - feeling like he could walk on air when she smiled back.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm glad you asked me to stay all those months ago."

She beamed and leaned in to give him a quick kiss, "I'm glad you stayed."