This story is about how I want season 5 to end. It's set second half of the season 5.

This is my first story :) Thanks to lovely AW girls Talita and Karolina for their very helpful feedbacks and Sabrina for storytelling tips :) Love u all!
Also many many thanks to Steffi for being so patient with me and beta reading this, you're the best! Hope you'll enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to these characters, they belong to CBS and Robert & Michelle King. I wish I did tho.

Chapter 1: Running Away

After they had finished a meeting for Bishop's new case, Alicia was waiting for the elevator at L/G offices. Lockhart&Gardner and Florrick&Agos were working on the case together upon Bishop's request. She was exhausted; it had been a long day. Working around Will was more exhausting than rushing from court to court. Before all this, they had been able to work together no matter what had happened between them but now it was electrifying. When they were in the same room everyone was nervously looking at them, like waiting for a bomb to go off. The only thing they didn't know was that the bomb had already exploded a few days ago, starting with an angry kiss during a fight about the case leading to sex in the office. The tension was even worse now. She tried not to think about the intimate moments, closed her eyes and shook her head to get them out of her mind when the elevator's door opened.

All those moments were saddening to think about, knowing they were not going to be repeated. It made the distance between them harder to endure, and it seemed he didn't want to go forward this time; he was ignoring her whenever he could. She was sure that he was considering it a mistake. Kalinda rushed in before the doors closed. Their friendship was much better now; working together made them closer again, even though mending all of the broken pieces would still take some time.

Alicia smiled at her. Kalinda smiled back, and then started talking without looking at her.

"He's leaving"

"Who?"

"Will. He's leaving"

Alicia couldn't figure it out, what was she referring about?

"So am I Kalinda, as you can see" laughed softly rising her eyebrows, pointing out the obvious.

"No, he is leaving Chicago. For good. He is moving to NYC to manage the new L/G branch."

Alicia gulped.

"I... why... I mean… He…" she said, faltering. She couldn't get it together for a minute. Then she inhaled and looked at Kalinda.

"When?" It was all she could say.

"At the end of this month."

Alicia was having hard time processing the news. This didn't make any sense.

"Why?"

Kalida eyed her without answering, suggesting she knew why.

"I mean Chicago is everything to him." she said after a brief moment, trying to hide the true reason.

"You were everything to him Alicia." Kalinda's voice was sweet. "He can't bear being around you, it... hurts too much."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"No Kalinda, he moved on, living with his new girlfriend," she said with a little jealousy in her voice, rolling her eyes. "He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. He's done. There must be another reason."

Kalinda smiled softly, her voice was full of understanding. She knew their story and how they really felt for each other, maybe Alicia could make herself believe that, but Kalinda didn't bought it. That's why Alicia always felt a little exposed around her, she was hard to fool.

"Alicia, come on. You know that's not true. He's running away like you did." she said, without hesitation and shrugging her shoulders.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Alicia couldn't move while Kalinda walked out of the elevator. Alicia called her name at the door and couldn't say anything more. Words stuck in her mouth. Kalinda turned back and looked at her, understanding what she was trying to say. How could she stop him?

"Talk to him Alicia. Just tell him you don't want him to leave."

Alicia's tongue was still tied with the shock. After a brief moment Kalinda smiled and said "I would ask for a shot at the bar together, like old times, but I have to be somewhere."

Alicia tried to smile back with a lot of sorrow in her eyes and nodded,

"Another time."

She leaned back to the elevator, watching Kalinda turning around and walking away. She didn't know how to process everything at once, took a moment alone, feeling paralyzed. Then she walked towards her car slowly, not noticing the surroundings around her, drowned in her feelings. When she got in the car, she inserted the key, but couldn't find the strength to turn it. She couldn't move or think, because ofallthe memories that were rushing through her head. His look, his touch, his kiss, his smell... and his anger. When she remembered how he looked at her the day she left L/G, so devastated by her actions and so broken, she couldn't hold it any more and broke into tears.

TWO MONTHS BEFORE

That night was the night everything started, before Kalinda told the breaking news to Alicia, before all this mess she created between two firms got even much worse. It was after New Year's and Alicia was working late at her office when Diane walked in. When she raised her head from the paperwork and noticed her, she was surprised and confused. She hadn't expectedher to come over, especially not in the middle of a war to get Bishop's account. She eyed her ex-mentor suspiciously.

"Diane, I...wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?"

Diane had a serious look on her face and this made Alicia even more worried and curious.

"Alicia, we need to talk. Do you have a minute? This is important."

Alicia thought it must be a contra attack on L/G for Bishops' account and she probably wouldthreaten her about some cases she worked on for Bishop when she was an employee of Lockhart& Gardner.

"Is this about Bishop?" asked Alicia, smiling smugly and in her warrior mode. She leaned back in her chair self-confidently. She was expecting L/G to strike back after they stole the last case about Bishop's fitness centers from them. She was ready to blow whatever coming from them of and fight back.

"No." Diane didn't have any time for client wars. Alicia wasn't expecting this, she tried to sit more properly, changed her tone, started taking this seriously.

"I'm listening. What is this about?"

"Do you remember the case we handled for Mr. Marwat, the translator? They thought he was a terrorist."

Alicia was thinking about the case and trying to remember its details, since it was 3 years ago. She wasn't sure what is about.

"Yes, yes I do remember. But we cleared him, didn't we?"

It sounded weird, talking like a team again. They both tried to ignore it.

"Yes we did but... I got a tip from a personal contact that since then NSA have been listening, toyou and me, to get information about the client's terrorism connection."

Alicia looked at Diane, wide-eyed.

"I don't get it, it has been like 3 years now... How? Are they still..." She was much more surprised now. Things didn't make any sense.

"Yes they are. They also extended the listening chain this year. I have no idea why, but all of our contacts..."

Alicia was nearly shouting now as a thought appeared in her mind.

"Like Peter?"

Things were starting to become clearer now. She was breathing heavily and quickly, beginning to notice how big this was.

"And…" She lowered her voice, nearly whispering. "Will?" Noticing that all the personal conversations between them had been listened by the NSA was horrifying. Her secret was out.

But for Diane, this NSA thing wasn't just a threat for her, either, but everything she believed in. Alicia knew it and understood where her anger comes from.

"We need to fight this Alicia, this is stupid. We need to fight this together to win. And need Peter on our side. It's not just about you and me; it's about everyone we know. Also we both won't have any chance to represent Bishop if it gets out and you know it."

Alicia was frightened about this getting out; she needed to protect Peter from this. It had nothing to do with him, and if this got out, onlya little whisper about a connection with some terrorist case, it would destroy his public image.

"I don't want Peter to be involved, I don't want his Governorship to be hurt by this."

Diane knew that she needed Alicia, and she knew which subject she should mention to make her be on her side, the most vulnerable part of her, the scandal.

"If we don't fight this, he will be hurt one day. Somebody will start fishing and everything will be like... 5 years ago. Again."

Alicia took a moment to think. She knew that she never wanted to live everything all over again. All the press, everyone talking about them and their family, all the attention... The Kids. They would have to live through that hell again, which would be devastating. After everything Peter had done for her and for their family, she had to fight this even if she didn't like it. Evenif it meant working with the enemy. And Will. She took a deep breath, letting the logic talk.

"Let's do it." She sounded determined. But it wasn't that simple. If they were going to fight this together, they had to pause this client war and be a team again.

"Are the other partners...going to be OK with this?" Alicia asked.

They both knew it wasn't about the partners, it was about Will. Would he accept it?

"He has to be. This is bigger than all of it."