This is a complete A/U of the last five minutes of the Good Wife finally. Just wanted to make it more family centered! Enjoy!
~*~THE GOOD WIFE~*~
"You all packed up?" Alicia asked her son, leaning on the door frame to his room.
"Yea." Zach was putting some of his clothes into a duffel bag. "Sam wants to leave tonight, you know, get an early start on the traffic and we'll be there by mornings." Alicia's eyes slowly filled with tears. Zach noticed his mother's tears, "is that ok?" He asked.
Alicia nodded, "You know thats what I did right?"
"Yea, Grandma told me you didn't want to stay any longer than you had to." Alicia nodded, "But that's not why I'm leaving tonight mom, honest." Zach loved his mother so much, she was the strongest woman he knew and would probably ever know. He knew leaving would be hard, but Georgetown was his mother's dream, and slowly became his.
"Oh Zach, I know." Alicia walked into her sons room, filled with boxes and sat down on his couch next to him. "I know you aren't leaving early because of me." Alicia sighed, "my life at home before I left wasn't a place I wanted to be. I wanted to get as far away from your grandmother as possible because well, you know, she's your grandmother" Alicia and Zach laughed a little.
"Don't worry mom, that's not me. Yea i've wanted to get out of here sometimes, and I was mad when we moved here after everything that happened with dad. But i've finally realized, you and dad don't love each other anymore and there's probably no chance of you guys getting back together and that's ok." Zach put an arm around his mother, "And I want you to be happy. I mean, you can marry again you know?"
Alicia chuckled softly, tears still in her eyes. "You listen to me Zach, after all the advice i've given you over the years I just want to remember this one thing. You always choose love ok?"
"Mom, I-"
"No, you choose love Zach. Not money, not power or politics; just love." Alicia was crying now.
"You didn't choose love did you?"
"But I love you and Grace with everything I have."
Zach let his mom lean into him and cry. She had never broken down like this before in front of him, even when his father had been sent to jail and the news talked about all of the stripper an hookers his father had been with. "I know mom. I know how much you love us and I know that the love you didn't choose was Will."
Alicia looked up at her son, her very smart son. Alicia nodded, "and now he's gone."
"You'll find love again mom. I know you will."
"Thanks Zach."
There was a honk heard outside Zach's window. "That's Sam. I got to go."
Alicia and Zach stood up, "I love you kid." She said, hugging her son fiercly.
"I love you too mom. And don't worry, I'll be home for Thanksgiving!"
Alicia watched her son walk out the front door and then she was left alone in his room, surrounded by the boxes she would soon have movers pick up and send to Georgetown. She closed her eyes and smiled, thinking of Georgetown, of how quiet it was when she had gotten there early, and how there was this amazing little coffee shop right below the apartment so had no trouble waking up in the morning. She was always on time for class, with a half-sweet skim vanilla latte in her hand. Zach would actually be staying in the same neighborhood, she would have to ask him if it was still there.
~*~THE GOOD WIFE~*~
THANKSGIVING
Alicia waited anxiously at O'Hare airport for Zach. He would be home a whole four days and Alicia wasn't going to waste that time letting him drive the ten hours from Georgetown to Chicago so she had bought him a ticket and told him to get his ass home as soon as possible.
She could see the top of his head walking towards her in the large holiday crowd and then she saw something else. A girl was with him, tall, slim and with brown hair. Zach held her close as he spotted his mom and waved to her as he made his way over to her. "Hey mom, this is Cassandra. Hopefully there's enough room for her?"
"Of course." Alicia pulled her son to her and gave him a huge hug.
"Don't worry mom, its for love." He whispered in her ear.
Alicia smiled at the young girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you Cassandra."
"You too Ms. Cavanaugh."
"Oh please, call me Alicia."
END
A/N: Hope you all liked it. Just a little alternate ending to tonight season finale!