Title: A Hostage Negotiation

Pairing: Will/Alicia

Summary: According to Celeste, Will and she were trying to negotiate a deal last night. Could this be true?

Author's Note: Spoilers for episode 3x03 extended promo

.com/shows/the_good_wife/video/17905831/the-good-wife-get-a-room

Words: 652

After two long days of staring at the walls of the same hotel room, Alicia was getting restless. Currently, she and Will were in a forced mediation for a client with two other lawyers, one of which was Will's ex, Celeste Serrano. While Alicia held no resentment over Celeste's past relationship with Will, there was something about Celeste that felt out of sorts – Alicia just didn't trust Celeste. Not a moment after Alicia came to the disappointing realization that they were not going to settle this mediation tonight, she heard Celeste speak.

"Will and I were trying to negotiate a deal last night."

"Excuse me," Alicia interrupted.

"Will and I were negotiating last night, he proposed . . . a deal that I took to my client and was prepared to accept this morning."

"He did nothing of the sort," Alicia fired back, standing up from her seat at the table.

"Alicia," Will said, trying to get her attention.

"No Will, I will not sit still and let Ms. Serrano lie."

"Alicia," he said, quietly but stood staring at Celeste, "we have no proof, there is no way to refute Ms. Serrano's allegations that she and I were negotiating last night," turning to look into Alicia's eyes, he repeated "we can offer no proof Alicia."

And he was right. She couldn't disprove the negotiation claim without announcing to the mediator and the other lawyers in the room that the reason she knew Will hadn't been negotiating with Celeste last night was because Alicia has spent the entire night alone with him in his hotel room.

"I suggest we break for dinner now," Will added. Celeste had opened her mouth to object but something in Will's expression changed her resolve. He obviously was not going to budge on the matter.

"We'll reconvene in two hours," Will said as he ushered Alicia out of the room.

"Will."

"Not in the hallway, we'll talk upstairs," and Will continued to lead Alicia down the hall toward the elevator bank. He was silent and he was pissed. How could he let Celeste corner him like that? How could he not see that Celeste did not like being rejected? And he had dismissed her advances.

Once inside the comfort of his hotel room, he loosened his tie and motioned for Alicia to sit down on the bed. He desperately wanted his baseball, handling the ball, feeling the seams on his fingers, calmed him so how. He had discovered that years ago.

"Will, why did she lie?" Alicia asked, breaking the silence.

"She said . . . she said she missed me."

"Okay?"

"When I didn't respond, she assumed there was someone else."

"And you didn't deny it?"

"No, I just thought it would be easier but I didn't say it was you."

"I know, but somehow she knew. She wanted to see my reaction and I confirmed her suspicions."

"I'm sorry Alicia," Will said, sitting on the bed beside her, "I'm so sorry."

"Will, this isn't your fault," and after seeing the doubt cross his face, she took his hand and stared at him, Will him to understand, "this is not your fault."

"But I should have known she was up to something, she didn't seem to care about me when we were together. I hate this though; she just turned this into a hostage negotiation. She has our secret and will use it against us if we don't end this mediation on her terms."

"So let's use it against her."

"How?" Will asked, not seeing how to get out of this mess.

"The first step in hostage negotiation is to get to know your hostage-taker. We need info on Celeste . . . we need Kalinda."

"Really Will?"

"Yes Celeste. I will keep this a secret as long as you keep my secret. All you have to do is come back to the mediation and play fair."