Author's Note: This story is dedicated to my lovely Vivi who, unconsciously, gave me an idea that I put into (many) words with immense pleasure and an enthusiasm that I thought I'd lost along the way.

I hope you will enjoy reading it so much as I loved writing it.

It was one of those days Alicia hoped she could forget. Losing the case she'd worked on for months left her with a mixed feeling of frustration and bitterness, only worsened by the helplessness of seeing condemned a girl whose innocence she never doubted, not for a single second. All those late hours wasted on nothing. Not to mention, the last look the girl gave her before being brought back in by the guard behind the bars: the look of someone who knows that you did everything possible, in spite of the outcome. Still, she couldn't forgive herself for letting it happen.

"You did everything," was all Will said as they crossed paths down the corridor at Lockhart & Gardner, a couple of hours later. She remembered using those same words once to try and make him feel better after losing a case. She smiled bitterly at the irony of it. She wished they were alone so she could just let herself sink into his warm and comforting embrace, let him cover her with kisses until she completely forgot why she was even sad in the first place. But the familiar surrounding of phones ringing, lawyers rushing past them and, as icing on the cake, Diane eyeing them both from her office, reminded Alicia that she wasn't allowed to let her feelings prevail. At least not at work. With a soft smile she silently thanked him. "We'll talk about it later," he promised while his well-known sultry eyes gave her the comforting hug. One she deeply needed.

Still, she decided to take the rest of the day off and grabbed her purse and coat on her way out. She needed some time for herself. Time to forget this day and to try and delete the image of that innocent girl from her mind.

An empty glass in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, Alicia let herself sink down onto the couch, before gently placing the glass on the small coffee table and starting to open the bottle: Peter had kept that Italian chardonnay for some special dinner (a month before she kicked him out). Since they weren't neither having special dinners or occasions to celebrate anymore, she thought she could at least make good use of it. Her phone ringing caused her to jump up, nearly letting the bottle fall onto the floor. Damn, by a whisker. She didn't even check the screen.

"Hello," she answered, not taking her eyes off the bottle.

"Hey Alicia, sorry to disturb." Oh, Will. Now this was an unexpected surprise. Or maybe not, since he promised they would talk about it.

"Hey," she said, her voice softening, a hint of smile forming on her face. "Don't worry, you're not disturbing," she reassured him.

"I…," Will hesitated. He what? She wondered briefly. "I need you on a case." His voice was barely a whisper, his hasty words gave away his discomfort in having to ask for her help so late and after such a bad day.

She let out a small, exhausted sigh, still contemplating the damn bottle. Her chance to relax and forget the day was officially over before it even started.

"You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary," Will apologized.

"I know… it's just… I.." She gave up, resigned. "Ok…" She agreed, although she wasn't really ok with that at all.

"Ok, I'm home. Let's say… here in half an hour? I can order some pizza, just in case we'll end up working late," he proposed.

Home? Well, at least she didn't have to go back to the office. "Fine, I'll be there in half an hour," she agreed, then hung up, throwing the phone on the table in frustration. She threw a quick glance at the wine. The still unopened bottle held such an irresistible appeal on her. Damn, she would definitely bring it with her. If she really had to work, she'd at least make sure to make it more endurable with some good wine.

Mustering that bit of strength she could still count on, she took a quick shower, then went over her wardrobe. She needed something comfortable but slightly sexy at the same time, because she had learnt that with Will, well… you know how it starts but never know how it ends. The green dress was perfect for the occasion. She checked herself in the mirror. The shower didn't take away the tiredness from her face, but overall she found the result acceptable.

In front of Will's door, as she stretched her arm to knock twice, Alicia just realized that she didn't even know what the case was about. So big was the disappointment for the end of her free evening that she didn't bother to ask for details.

She heard the familiar sound of steps approaching and the door lock clicking. These were usually the few seconds before their encounters when her excitement reached the top, sending shivers down her spine in expectation. This time there was none of it, just the plain disappointment splattered all over her face. Opening the door, Will probably caught her 'enthusiastic' look and tried to cheer her up with a warm smile.

With her best faux smile (one she had perfected over years in the spotlight) she lifted the bottle of wine up. "Since we have to work, I thought I'd bring the reinforcements."

"Italian chardonnay… excellent taste," Will read the label, nodding in agreement, before stepping aside to let her in.

"Then remember to thank Peter," she teased him as she crossed the doorstep.

Walking down the foyer, she was invaded by the smell of… "What…" - what was that? – "What's this…" - she had no idea but it smelt unbelievably good. "What's this smell, Will?" she asked curious and completely taken aback by it… whatever it was.

"Dinner," Will said, his voice so calm and casual, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Alicia followed him, still confused, as he made his way to the dining room. He turned around with a soft smile. "Surprise, surprise!" he said in a low, slightly singsong voice.

Mouth half open in surprise, it took her a while to put the pieces together. A table set for two, candles, and that amazing smell she still couldn't say what it was from. "There isn't any case, is it?" she whispered. Her gaze kept shifting from Will to the table then back to Will again. His look was… she couldn't tell for sure, she just loved the way he was staring at her; smiling softy with his eyes, a hint of pride, probably for what he did, for what he was doing.

"You had such a bad day," he said walking closer to her, "I thought I might at least make your night better," he whispered in her ear, as he gently circled her waist with his arms.

His closeness, mixed with the moods and the romantic atmosphere gave her goosebumps. She still wasn't completely aware of what was happening. She came here expecting papers, pictures and evidences… instead she found… "All of this… you did all of this…" For me, she thought, but didn't say it out loud because it was so obvious. She was speechless. Will just left her speechless. It wasn't something she was used to. She had the gift of always knowing what to say, on every single occasion. Except this time. With a hint of a smile, her eyes shining with delight, she just closed the last few inches between them with a soft kiss on his lips, letting him close her in completely in his warm, tight embrace. She'd longed for this, she'd needed this – and him – for the whole day. Now, letting herself sink into his hug felt just right, so soothing, relieving, loving and warming. Yes, it felt perfect.

A touch of disappointment pervaded her as she felt him loosen the embrace. "Now, you don't want to let all these culinary pleasures cool, right?" he asked, forcing a laugh out of her.

"Did you really cook?" she asked between amused and shocked.

"I'm an excellent cook!" Will declared, not hiding a certain pride, as he chivalrously gestured for her to take a seat.

She smiled at his bragging, still surprised by a skill she didn't have any knowledge of. With a slightly teasing tone she told him, "Will Gardner, you never cease to surprise me…"

"There are lot of things you still don't know about me," he said, as he gently placed a still steaming dish of baked pasta with béchamel and meat sauce in front of her.

"And I thought you were an open book to me," she joked. "Where did you learn it?" she asked, really curious and eager to know.

"Living with two sisters proved to be useful," he explained, placing his own dish on the table and taking a seat in front of her.

"Mmmm… your sisters? Tell me about them," she asked, breathing into the enticing smell coming from their dishes. She had got so used to eating pre-cooked foods that this was a real five stars menu.

"About who?" Will pretended, and very obviously failed, not to understand. "Enjoy your meal!" he said in a miserable attempt to change topic.

"Your sisters!" she repeated between laughs, very slowly, not giving him the chance to play dumb. Not breaking eye contact, she ate a forkful of pasta. Damn. It tasted really amazing!

"Oh. Them," he simply said. He looked down for a moment before starting again. "Adorable, sweet, caring, oppressive, slightly intrusive…" His description gave her a good idea of his relationship with them. "Maybe not slightly," he corrected himself.

"I think I met one of them once," she said. She had some vague memory but couldn't place it either in time or space. In their law school days for sure, but as for the occasion, her mind was numb.

"Believe me, you would remember if you did," he said, trying but failing to hold back a laugh. "Third degrees are nothing compared to their questionings," he explained.

"You still didn't tell me how you became such a good cook," she asked, her curiosity not satiated yet.

He looked away for a moment. She thought she's seen a hint of sadness in his face but wasn't sure.

"When my mom got sick… I was around 17," he paused, apparently lost in some memory, "we shared out duties between us… you know, housecleaning, laundry, cooking and all these things." As he looked up, Alicia gave him a soft and understanding smile, which he instinctively returned.

"Aubrey was the official cook, except on Sunday. Sundays were mine… and I loved it," Will explained smiling. Alicia looked at him amazed, and slightly disappointed at the same time, by how many things she really didn't know about him. "Even when mom recovered, a couple of months later… it just… it remained as a sort of tradition. I kept cooking, every single Sunday, till I left for college," he concluded, returning the attention to his pasta before it cooled.

Sunday. It was the day they first met, the day of the pool party, and it was probably his first day breaking the tradition. It made her feel… uncomfortable on one hand, realizing how treasured that tradition was for him. But at the same time, it felt pleasing that so many years later, they were here, sitting in front of each other, sharing a romantic and completely unexpected – to her - dinner.

"How does it taste?" he asked, bringing her back from her thoughts.

"It's honestly the most delicious pasta I've ever tasted," she complimented him with a warm smile.

He cooked for her. He arranged the fake case, the dinner, the candles, everything for her. She felt delighted and honored. A hint of conceit filled her as this thought crossed her mind. A hint of anxiety filled her as another thought crossed her mind: was this something that simple friends do, may they be friends with benefits or not? She wasn't sure, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. She agreed on a just-for-fun relationship but there was something, some feeling that she couldn't recognize; or maybe she did but she just didn't want to acknowledge it. Slowly, but inexorably, she was falling from him. She tried to ignore that growing mixed feeling of butterflies, beating heart and shivers. She tried to hush every possible feeling that could be classified as belonging to 'love'. She tried. Because the way she was feeling now, it was the proof that she was miserably failing.

"Thank you," she just whispered softly.

"For what?" he asked with a sweet smile.

"For…" For what? There were some many reasons she was supposed to be thankful for, she didn't even know where to start from. "For tonight… for this dinner… for making my day better," she said smiling. He really turned completely upside down what was an awful day until only a couple of hours ago. "For being… for being who you are, for being… how you are." She felt a touch of sadness rising inside of her and promptly dissipated it with a smile. She wondered how long this could last, how long they could last. One thing was sure: it was already too late to let their little soap bubble explode without damages. They were both bound to end up heartbroken and completely devastated. It was just a matter of when and how.

"Are you ok?" Will asked with a hint of concern in his eyes.

Damn. He did all of this to make her feel better and instead, here she was, contemplating the possible consequences of their end. For a moment, she hated herself for it, for not being able to just enjoy the moment.

"Yes," she whispered, giving him a soft smile. "I was just…" She was just what? "I was just thinking that this is really a night to remember," she simply said. It wasn't a complete lie.

"And it's not over yet…" he teased her, with a warm smile. Reaching out on the table to get close to her, he whispered in her ear, "I prepared the dessert, too."

Dessert. Of course he did that as well, she thought, smiling to herself. Replicating his own gesture, she got close and whispered teasingly in his ear, "I thought I was the dessert."

The predatory look that Will gave her made her burst into laughter. She assumed that whatever the dessert was, it couldn't top her. Her curiosity and palate satisfied, there was only one thing left to satiate and Will didn't let her ask twice. Lifting her from her seat, he held her by her ass and dashed into the bedroom, as she flung her arms around his neck with ardor, placing hurried, passionate kisses on his lips.