Author Note: Wow. Thank you all for the amazing response throughout this story. I'm not sure when I last had a story that was this well received, and this well commented on. The last chapter was certainly popular with you, but this whole story has really opened my eyes in many ways. I tried something new, for me, and it's been a challenge, but it's also been a learning curve. I have learned more about visual impairment, I have learned more about challenging storylines, and I have learned more about people's capacity to accept the more difficult parts of a person's life.

Thank you for being part of this story, for reading, following, favouriting, and especially for commenting. You make it all the more worthwhile. This story is over now, but I do have another story that I am hoping to post up today. I've had a couple of stories I've been working on behind the scenes, so please look out for it - it's called Slide.

I know it's been hard losing the show, for many, to have it end. But I hope my stories will help, at least a little, in the short term.

The doctor moved his fingertips across Maura's face, scanning the length of the scars. She flinched, her breath hitched in her throat, until the second he pulled back. Papers shifted in front of her, a chair creaked with movement. A couple of tears slipped from her eyelids, strolling down the flesh of the disfigurement. She swiped the back of her hand across her cheek, as surprised as she'd been that first day she'd been able to touch it, at how foreign it felt.

"You're okay," Jane whispered, squeezing her hand. She breathed deeply, struggling to control her emotions as she breathed out.

"Maura," Doctor Sansing said, his voice level, warming. "I think I can help."

"You can?" She sat up a little straighter, tears overflowed down her face. She turned to where Jane sat beside her and squeezed her hand back.

"It's going to take a few procedures; cortisone injections, skin grafts, and it may look worse before it gets better. I can't promise you that you will ever have the face you had before, but we're going to try to get you a face that will make you feel more comfortable. If you're willing to put in the hard work."

She nodded, brushing tears from the edge of her chin. "Yes. I want to try. Thank you."

The chair creaked again. Maura could feel Doctor Sansing stood in front of her. Jane tucked a hand around Maura's elbow and they stood too. "I'd like you to come back here in a couple of weeks and we'll get started."

"That would be fine." Maura shook her head. "Except that we have a vacation planned, just a few days at the beach."

"Speak to Mary on the way out and she'll book you in for when you return."

"Thank you, Doctor Sansing," Jane said.

"Yes, thank you, Doctor." Maura held out a hand.

He gripped it on both sides. "You're more than welcome."

She felt Jane's hand wrap around her waist and allowed her to guide her from the office. A small sliver of hope forced its way into the world, into her heart, and Maura felt like crying all over again.

x

"What's this?" Jane asked, tucking her hands around Maura's waist and kissing the side of her neck.

"Dinner."

A moment's silence followed. Maura narrowed her eyes. She felt her way across Jane's neck and over her face. The crease between her eyebrows was deep.

"Are you frowning? What's wrong with dinner?"

"You're blind, Maura," Jane said, grasping her hands and lowering them. "I know we both know that, so I'm wondering how the hell you managed to cook anything that doesn't get shoved in a microwave oven. You've been eating cereal and stuff Ma leaves for you in the morning for months. Easy stuff."

"I learned how to cook something a little more substantial," Maura said, smiling. She picked up one plate and made her way across the kitchen toward the table. "Can you get your plate and some cutlery?"

Another silence.

She sighed.

"It's burger and fries, Maura. How did you cook burger and fries?"

"I told you. I learned. I sat in on a class where they made a basic meal. I didn't have everything I needed – I couldn't find my George Forman – so I had to improvise a little." Maura sat down. She felt her way across her plate and picked up a couple of fries. "Is it really that bad?"

"I haven't tasted it yet," Jane said, her voice closer as she sat down opposite her. "But it looks okay."

Maura put the fries into her mouth, then spat them back into her hand. She groaned, tears filling her eyes. "Fries aren't cooked enough."

"That's okay." Jane's hand touched her wrist. Maura pulled it away.

She could hear a knife and fork on Jane's plate. Not being able to see the expression on her face made the act of waiting for her to taste the food all the harder. Jane chewed, her teeth mashed together.

"It's horrible, isn't it?"

"The burger is…crunchy," Jane said.

"Burned?"

Jane laughed a little. "Yeah. Kinda."

"I thought I could do it," Maura said, pushing her chair back and walking across the kitchen with her plate. She left it on the counter. "It seemed so easy in the class. I guess I didn't really learn how to do it properly. They let me sit in but I should have participated."

Jane's footsteps came closer. Maura turned around. She reached for Jane, holding tightly to her body as she pulled her into an embrace. She pushed her face against her neck, allowing fresh tears to flow.

"It's okay," Jane said, brushing her hair down the back of her head. "Let's try something else."

"What?" Maura asked.

She guided her across the room. Maura sat down on the couch. The television turned on and she could hear a housing programme. She listened to the woman's methodical voice, going through various steps involved in house renovation.

"Drink this," Jane said, handing her a wine glass. She lifted it to her lips and sipped. "I'll get started on dinner and you can help when I get to an easier bit. How does that sound?"

"Okay, I guess."

In between the hammering, drilling and what sounded like someone painting a wall, Maura could hear Jane muttering to herself. She could hear the bubble of boiling water, and the incessant tapping of a knife slicing through something and hitting the chopping board below.

"Are you ready for me yet?" she asked, only for Jane to hand her another glass of wine.

After a few more minutes, Jane reached out a hand and took Maura's. "Come on."

She followed her across the kitchen. Jane turned on the faucet and she washed her hands, front and back, between her fingers, until she was certain they were as clean as they were going to be.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded. Jane linked her fingers over the top of Maura's and lowered their hands onto the counter top. Her fingers collided with powder and a squishy warm substance. She breathed in slowly, trying to assess what it was she was touching.

"Gnocci?"

"How did you know?" Jane asked.

"I can smell the potato and egg."

Together, they pulled the flour, egg and potato together. Moulding it with every action, pulling it into a dough. Maura closed her eyes, allowing Jane's hands to guide them through the process of combination. Eventually, it became more like a dough and less like a gooey substance.

"Now you can knead it," Jane said, removing her hands.

Maura continued the action, pulling it over and pushing it back, until it came together further. She breathed in slowly. "I've missed this."

"Ma's gnocci? She makes it all the time."

"No." She moved the dough, rolling it into a long rectangular shape. "Cooking. Doing things I could do before."

"You'll be able to do it again," Jane said, brushing her hair from her face and kissing her cheek. "Once everything's set up, you can prepare gnocci without any help. When you learn how to use that thermometer thingy and the water level whatsit, you'll be cooking gnocci like a pro."

Maura shrugged. "I don't know about that."

"Here," Jane said, putting a cutter into her hand and guiding it through the dough. "Think you can do the rest?"

"I can try." She rested her thumb across the dough, in an attempt to measure the distance from the cut piece. She chewed on her bottom lip as she concentrated on placing the cutter back onto the dough. It sliced through with ease. "How's that?"

"Perfect," Jane said. "You finish that and I'll start on the sauce."

"You've not started the sauce?"

"It doesn't need long to cook."

"That's what you always say." Maura moved her hand across the dough and cut another piece. "But Angela always starts the sauce first, so it has time to cook fully."

"Well, I'm not Ma, and this is how I do it. So finish off cutting the dough so we won't still be here at nine pm."

Maura sighed. "I'm not very fast, you know."

"I know," Jane said, kissing her shoulder. "I'm just joking. Even if we eat at midnight, I don't care."

x

"It wasn't midnight," Maura said, lying on her side under the bedsheets.

"No, it wasn't," Jane said, pulling her into her arms.

Maura breathed in the heady scent of Jane's skin, could feel her whole body tingle with the proximity. She trailed her fingers across Jane's shoulders and down her back, tugging away the edge of her sweater.

"Not yet," Jane whispered, cupping her cheeks. She stopped moving her hands, resting them on the small of her back, skin to skin. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"Yeah. I know."

"Maura." Jane's voice grew louder, her breath tickled Maura's cheek. "I'm so proud of you. How far you've come these last few weeks. I know it's been hard, and it's still gonna be hard, but look at you. We made gnocci, Maura. You know what Sue said, not to run before you can walk. There's no rush. I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to do this alone."

"I know," she said, sighing. "Thank you, for being here, for being the most amazing support I could have ever asked for."

"I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else."

"So much has happened, there's still so much change to come. There's still some days when I don't know if I can do this, be this person who can't see."

"You can do anything," Jane said, capturing her lips. "You can be anything. If it was possible to be a blind medical examiner, I'm sure you'd be right in there being the first."

"I don't want to be a medical examiner anymore," Maura said, tangling her finger up in Jane's curls. "It's in my past. But maybe I can find a way of incorporating it into my future."

"What do you mean?"

"Teaching." She sighed. "I always thought I'd do more teaching, eventually. When I became older, ready to retire. It's going to take some time before I feel ready. I'd like to get through the treatment for my scars first. Then when I'm healing, maybe I can look at getting a teaching position."

"That's a brilliant idea." Jane moved her hands up across Maura's back. "I always thought you'd be a good teacher."

"Just not right now," Maura said. "There's still too much I need to do; to recover, to adapt to this world. I need to look after myself until I'm ready to do something more. Is that okay with you?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"I don't know." Maura twirled her finger across Jane's cheek. "I guess I feel more of a burden being at home all day. At least when I'm working I'll have lunch prepared for me. If I can get a position at BCU, which I'd like, I can eat in the canteen. They do the best chicken pot pie, every Tuesday in the Harlow canteen."

Jane laughed lightly against her face, her breath tickled her skin.

"What?"

"You're months away from even trying to get a teaching job and you're already thinking about what you're going to have for lunch."

"It was really good pie."

"Maybe we can go and eat it sometime."

Maura shook her head. "Only faculty and students can eat in the canteen."

"Even when you're faculty?"

"I could probably sneak you in."

"Maura?"

"Yes, Jane."

"You're gonna be alright, I know you are."

"I hope so."

The End/It's over/there will be no more...unless I write a sequel...