Warnings: Mention of Infidelity

Robin

The doorbell rings as I'm opening boxes. I clamber up off of the floor, wiping my dusty hands on my worn, ratty jeans. I've almost got everything unpacked, but I think we're going to have to rearrange the furniture again. Even with Zach away at college, the apartment really isn't big enough to house a business, but there's no money for an office at the moment.

I peek through the peephole, expecting to see a messenger or a package delivery person. Instead, I see Will Gardner. Well, well. Today just got a lot more interesting.

I quirk my eyebrow, my expression light as I open the door and lean against the frame, glancing at the flowers he's holding in his arms. "Legal trouble?" I quip. "Technically, we're not open yet, but I suppose we could make an exception for an old friend."

Will laughs and gives me his trademark smile. "Robin," he greets me genially. "How are you?"

"Surviving, Will." My voice is gentle; I know it's hard for him to be here. I tilt my head and gesture to him. "Come inside. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"No, no, I'm fine." Will brushes off the offer, a little uneasy as he steps into the apartment and looks around. He follows me into the kitchen, setting the potted plants he's brought on the counter. I take one, setting it in the light by Alicia's sink.

"Big apology?" I wink at him as I turn around, glad to see him laugh again. Ever since the courthouse shooting, he hasn't been the same. Not that I expect him to be; that would hardly be fair. But it's still nice to see glimmers of the old Will, who was far more confident and carefree.

"No apology needed, as far as I'm aware." He holds up his hands in a jokingly defensive gesture. "The yellow ones are for you. Your favorite color is yellow, right?"

"It is," I acknowledge. "Nothing wrong with your memory, I see." My voice softens as I continue. "How's your arm?"

"Almost good as new," Will answers quietly. "Thanks for asking."

I sigh, crossing my arms and leaning back against the sink. "You should just talk to her, Will. I know that a lot has happened, but after everything you've both been through, you deserve a chance to be happy."

"I don't know," Will hedges. "Maybe we missed our moment. It's all so complicated now, even more than it was before."

"It's not too complicated to get past if you really love each other," I tell him honestly. "And I think you still do."

Will glances down nervously before deftly changing the subject. "Where is Alicia, anyway?"

"Bond court." Will grimaces and I chuckle. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's how she feels about it too. But she's doing what she can."

"She can't be paying you much," Will ventures. I shake a finger at him playfully.

"Trying to poach me again, Will? You should know by now that's not going to happen. I'm managing, and things will get better. We just have to get our feet firmly on the ground." I really am confident that it will all work out. It's just going to take time. But when I say managing, I mean barely. It's been a hard few months since the election scandal.

"Well, I should get out of your hair," Will finally says. "I need to get back to the office anyway. I just wanted to say good luck. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other around."

I nod. "I'm sure we will." He turns to go. "Talk to Alicia!" I call after him sternly. He throws a hand up to show that he heard me, but I have no idea if he's going to take my advice.

I grab my sketchpad, wandering through the apartment and thinking of ways to organize everything so that it fits and still makes a good impression on clients. At least Alicia's apartment is nice. That's a good start.

After my conversation with Will, my mind can't help but wander back to the courthouse shooting. It was a close call. Will had been shot in the arm, but Finn Polmar had died. Will was treated like a hero, but he certainly hadn't felt that way. He had felt like a failure for not being able to save Finn, and he'd started reevaluating everything in his life.

I'd never seen Alicia as unhinged as she was that day. After Peter's issues, of course, everything else mostly seemed small. Alicia had always struck me as pretty unflappable, even when I met her on her first case after being hired as her assistant. I've been her assistant ever since; I'm one of the only people who really knows everything that's going on in her life. She trusts me, and I trust her. It's a good relationship.

But that day? She was a wreck. I was honestly shocked that she and Will hadn't reconciled right then and there. But instead, they had started dancing around each other, both too afraid of what they wanted to admit the truth.

Alicia is rarely impulsive. She's methodical. She likes to think over every decision carefully, analyzing the situation to death until she thinks she knows the right thing to do. It makes sense, really. That's how lawyers think. They're trained to see every possible outcome. But in practice, it's hard to make that kind of philosophy work.

I wish they'd been impulsive. I wish Alicia had finally asked Peter for a divorce, and that Will had finally confessed his feelings.

But they waited too long, and all of the usual problems got in the way. Peter's career. Eli. The merger. The State's Attorney race and all the problems that that bred. Cary's arrest. Lemond Bishop.

Then James Castro had threatened to out Alicia and Will's old affair, forcing them to stay away from each other so they didn't ruin her chances of running. Of course, shortly after, Peter had started sleeping with Ramona, which could have hurt everything for both of them. Alicia had been so close to telling Will everything. I urged her to do it, but her caution won over again.

It had all really fallen apart when Peter tried to hurt Alicia's campaign. She gravitated towards Will again; being together actually seemed possible, especially when Alicia won the election and officially exited the firm. There was a brief denial when she was asked about their previous relationship. Both of them lied to protect the other. That was nothing new, so they got over it quickly.

But Alicia had been accused of stealing the election and dropped out. Her choice to start her own firm instead of going back opened up the old rift from when we left the first time. Alicia and Will had briefly discussed starting a firm together, but had ultimately decided that it was a bad idea.

So here we are, back at the start.

I don't resent any of Alicia's professional choices. I don't blame her for the fact that our situation is a little dire at the moment. We've supported each other through everything over the past seven years. I don't have any family I can turn to, and I barely have any friends. Alicia is the one person I really know I can depend on, and she knows she can depend on me too.

It's just hard to see your friend, your boss, and a woman you greatly respect sacrificing her own happiness for what she considers the greater good.

I wish someone loved me as much as she and Will love each other. That kind of love is definitely worth fighting for, and I hope they both see the light eventually.

I stop, finally back at the boxes again. I think I've figured out what to do. Grace will probably help me move the furniture when she gets home; she's insisting on assisting me with my duties since I'm being pulled in so many different directions right now. Alicia isn't sure how she feels about it. We both know that Grace just wants to support her mother, so we're letting her, at least for now.

I hear the door open. "Hi, Alicia!" I holler. She groans, coming into the room and flopping down in one of the chairs unceremoniously. "How was bond court?" I ask, though I can already guess based on her mood.

"It has a steep learning curve," she sighs. "I didn't make anything today."

"You'll get there," I assure her. "You're tougher than all of them. Come on. Let's get you a drink."

She laughs. "Yes, please!" We both wander into the kitchen. I start brewing a fresh pot of coffee for me while Alicia makes herself a cocktail. "Staying late?" she wonders, eyeing the coffee.

I nod. "May as well get everything set up. The sooner we're ready, the sooner we can take clients. Besides, you know you're my life," I tease.

Alicia rolls her eyes. "Yeah, we should really get you some other kind of life. Look where I've landed you." I don't bother saying anything. We've had this conversation before. She knows I don't feel like that, and we both know that we did the best thing for us right now. "The flowers are nice," Alicia remarks as she looks around the kitchen. "Did you get them?"

I pause, looking at her curiously as I admit, "Will brought them earlier."

"Will was here?" To anyone else, the question would sound nonchalant, but not to me. I know how Alicia thinks.

"You should just talk to him, Alicia. There's enough separation now. You don't work together, you and Peter aren't trying to be a couple anymore, the election is over and soon everyone will forget about the scandal. You deserve a chance to be happy." It's a speech I've given her before, but I hope that one of these days, it will break through her hard exterior.

"You said that to him too, huh?" I shrug, grinning at her. She knows how I think too.

"I did. Now you both just need to listen to me." Alicia finishes her drink, taking off her suit jacket and stretching her arms over her head.

"Maybe one day," she exhales wistfully. "I'm going to go change. We have a lot more work to do." I nod, getting my coffee ready as she leaves the kitchen.

Whatever happens, I think it's going to be an interesting year.