AN - there may be some errors as I wrote this on my tablet which is harder than I first thought. It's probably a one shot. But I may change my mind. Hope you all had a happy holiday!

The first thing he noticed when he entered the dimly lit coffee shop was the abundance of people. All kinds of people. All revelling in the hit of caffeine that they hoped would get them through the day. He sighed - a little over dramatically - and joined the long queue. As he stood impatiently in line, he let his eyes trail over the people standing in front of him. A tall man shuffled restlessly from one foot to another, sighing in frustration. A shorter and undeniably rounder man held a briefcase and checked his watch intermittently, prompting Will to do the same. At this point he realised that he was going to be late for another meeting, but ultimately decided that turning up without his caffeine fix would be detrimental to everyone involved. Continuing his glance down the line, his eyes fell upon a woman talking animatedly in her phone. His mind flew through the reasons why he should not listen, but he quickly disregarded all reasoning as he realised that with his close proximity, he really had no choice.

"Seriously Owen? I do not need your help to-" he watched curiously as she glanced around, before lowering her voice and finishing her sentence "get laid." Will couldnt help the small, quiet chuckle that fell from his lips. He let his eyes wander appreciativly down her body and couldn't help but agree; she wouldn't need anyone's help to get a man. From her perfectly styled hair, to her designer heels ... she was a vision; and that was without having to see her face. His amusement blocked the familiar feeling he had felt from the voice he was listening too. He watched as the woman raised a slender hand to dark hair and raked her fingers through softly. "Owen, if I wanted a man, I would go look for one. Don't you have have something more important than prying into my sex life to do? Like I don't know ... your job." And then it happened. She laughed. And it was loud and boisterous. More drunken sailor than elegant woman. It was also everything he had missed in the long years since he had last been close to the enchanting woman before him.

"Alicia Cavanaugh." He almost whispered.

The party was loud and busy. Filled with eager law students all trying to let loose one last time before the hard work set in. His eyes made an inquisitive trail around the pool, seeking out what he believed were the most attractive women. The women he would no doubt, be talking to later on in the evening.

He took his place a few paces back from the edge of the pool, preparing himself for what would be his 6th cannonball of the night. Just as he was readying himself to start his run off, a noise penetrated his senses. A laugh. A laugh he would not soon forget. His head shot up - almost of it's own accord - instantly trying to find the girl this laugh belonged to. And then he found her; head thrown back, mouth realising more laughs and smile firmly placed on her lips. His eyes raked down her body. The royal blue of her dress made her pale skin seem porcelain. Her dark hair was curly - wild - and untamed. She was breath taking. As his eyes moved back to her face, he instantly realised that her dark eyes were watching him. A small smirk placed firmly on her lips. He felt his lips rising slowly into a smile of his own, until a force hit him from no where, charging him into the pool.

As his head finally broke the surface, his ears were filled instantly with the laughter that had filled the poolside. Clearly, everyone had enjoyed the spectacle. He raised his hand in a wave, before bowing dramatically. He looked over to the friend who had tackled him in, shaking his head and chuckling slightly before turning to the side of the pool, ready to climb out. A pale hand reached toward him and his eyes moved from the feminine hand, to the face it belonged to. And he stared.

"Need a hand?" She smirked slightly.

The mystery woman. She was laughing again; this time at him. He was dumbstruck. He realised he had been staring and mute for a moment too long when he looked back to her face and noted that one perfectly styled eyebrow was raised questioningly. He shook his head, cleared his thoughts and took her hand, climbing out of the pool.

He chuckled to himself quietly before flashing his most dashing smile. "Will Gardner."

She smiled slightly, eyes filled with mirth "nice to meet you, Will Gardner."

And with that, she turned and walked away. After a short while he realised he was surrounded by friends, but still looking in her direction; still yearning to know more about her ... everything about her.

"Alicia Cavanaugh." He turned abruptly to the unexpected voice that had sounded from beside him. A student he had met earlier in the party pointed not so discretely in the mystery girls direction. "Her names Alicia Cavanaugh."

"Alicia Cavanaugh," Will whispered, a soft smile laying softly on his lips.

When he looked back up, he was staring straight into her eyes. Eyes that displayed every emotion she felt. Her lips pulled upward into a large smile and her head cocked to the side adorably.

"Will Gardner."

He struggled to find the words to form an elegant reply. A simple "hi" slipped from his lips. He watched curiously as she held a finger up to him, as if motioning for him to wait a minute. He listened intently as she ordered her coffee - the same one she always ordered - and then continued to order his. She turned to him, smiled and motioned for him to follow her.

"I assumed you still ordered the same."

"You assumed correctly." He smirked at her and followed dutifully as she made her way to a table, placing her briefcase by her side and taking a seat. She smiled up at him, "are you in a hurry or do you have time?"

He had a meeting, but as if he could deny her. He had seen her a handful of times over the years, but mainly in court; never for friendly conversation. Without any consideration to the meeting he would be missing, he shot a quick text to Diane and took a seat opposite Alicia, with a grin set firmly on his face.

"I have time." He watched her smile tentatively, "how have you been?" Her smile faltered slightly and his mind immediately flashed with the images that had been plastered all over every news outlet for the past few years. "I'm sorry, I-" she waved a hand dismissively, cutting him off before he could finish his apology;

"It's fine Will." Clearly catching the apprehensive look on his face, she smiled slightly, "seriously, it's fine." She sighed softly. "The news has died down, my divorce was finalised, Zach and Grace are well ... teenagers." She scrunched her eyebrows together and Will chuckled. "My firms finally out of the red, my mother is engaged for the 6th time and I got a dog." She smiled and nodded, indicating that her story was over and he tried not to let his thoughts linger on the fact that she was no longer married. "And what about you? How has your life been for the last 18 years?"

His eyebrow furrowed momentarily, trying to find a way to explain his existence in a way that didn't make it seem as though he were a playboy who's married to his job. But one look at her smile and he remembered how understanding she always was. How she always took the time to listen. How she never judged him.

"I work ... a lot. That's pretty much what my life has revolved around. We're expanding to New York and LA so I've been travelling a lot. Diane - my partner - is going out on a limb supporting me with it, and probably hates my guts a little." He chuckled to himself and looked up to see a large grin on Alicia's face, her eyes twinkling slightly. "What?"

"I'm proud of you Will." He raised an eyebrow questioningly, prompting her to continue. "You did what we always said we would do. Maybe not in the way we said we would do it." She chuckled and shook away the memory he realised she was thinking of, "but you really did it."

He grinned back at her, unable to contain his glee at being complimented by the woman he looks for in all others. "You did it too Leesh." The nickname slipped out before he had a chance to think about it, he hesitated, but continued as he watched her try to hide a smile behind her coffee cup. "Maybe not in the way we planned; Gardner, Cavanaugh and associates wasn't it?" She giggled before correcting him. "Cavanaugh first, Gardner. I dont believe for a second that you don't remember that." She pointed a finger and winked at him playfully as he shook his head and continued. "As I was saying, you did it too. You may be doing it a little later than you had imagined, but you're still doing it." She nodded apparently digesting his words, and they both smiled into their coffee.

The books lay scattered around the small room. The claustrophobic feeling was unavoidable. Every few minutes he let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, gaining a glare from Alicia and causing him to chuckle. This happened multiple times before he looked up to a large, heavy looking book flying in his direction. He didn't have time to duck before it hit him square between the eyes.

"OW!" He rubbed a hand over his face. "Was there really any need Leesh?" He looked up to find her rolling on the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter. He forgot his pain. He forgot pretty much everything in that moment; except how truly remarkable she was.

"Oh Will, that" another laugh "was so" a louder laugh, "funny" a laugh and a splutter.

He tried to scowl at her, but found it impossible. "That may be ... but you could have found a better way to get my attention you know."

"Maybe so. But I'm quite sure that it wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining." He did scowl at her this time. "Oh come on you Will you deserved it. You've been interrupting my studying with your childish sighing for the last hour."

"Well I'm bored."

"You sound like a petulant child."

"Maybe I am a 'petulant child'."

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled to herself. "10 years from now, we'll be successful. We'll be partners at our firm, we'll be rich and happy and won't be studying in small cramped apartments because we'll be rich enough to afford mansions to study in." She nodded to herself with a smile on her face. "We'll be the best lawyers in whatever state we end up in. But to get all that ... we have to actually study."

He was too busy focusing on the fact that she had entwined their futures so closely together to form a reply. The goofy smile stayed on his face.

"Gardner, Cavanaugh and associates." He nodded as if it were set in stone as she raised a hand to her chest and gasped in mock horror.

"Cavanaugh, Gardner and associates or you go it alone." She raised an eyebrow daring him to fight back. He smlied to himself.

"Whatever you want Leesh."

"I guess sometimes it's not how I imagined it to be." He had to rack his brain for a while to try and remember the path their discussion was on, "I always thought everything would have calmed down by now. I never imagined that I'd have a start-up with a relatively baby lawyer." He smirked at her and she chuckled. "But he's great. Carys fantastic. And pushy enough to get me to do what I need to when I need to do it. Especially when it gets to the grey areas." He watched her grimace slightly. She always had trouble with the more seedy areas of the law. Dancing on the lines of technicalities. "But if I had to be doing this with someone other than my original partner" she nodded to him and he felt his heart expand slightly, "then I'm glad it's him."

He nodded and chuckled at her again. When LG had let Cary go, he knew he had gone to work at the SA's office because they had a lot of cases against each other for a while. However he had never expected a merger between Alicia and Cary. It had never really occured to him that being in close proximity to Peter also meant being in close proximity to Alicia. They were an unexpected and formidable team.

"Ah Cary. How is my old junior associate? Does he miss his old boss?" His expression was full of mirth.

"The old boss who fired him and kept a woman who was evidently way under his level?" She raised an eyebrow. "I think he's getting by just fine."

They both laughed. It was loud and carefree, like it always was between them.

"He was quite angry at you, you know. But of course, us beating you numerous times in court helped him to get over it." He watched as she laughed at the grimace on his face, knowing how he always hated to lose.

"If I remember correctly, you only beat me twice. How is it that we've only faced each other three times in what? 18 years?"

"Because unless a case was something that I felt somehow connected to emotionally, I'd pass it over if you were opposing council." She must of caught the scowl on his face as she continued immediately. "You know I always hated being against you. All through Georgetown we were a team. I still hate the thought of us being against each other."

He smiled finally, slightly appeased by her reasoning. "Your first case aagainst me as Cavanaugh, Agos and Associates you scared the hell out of me." She laughed loudly and as she struggled to form words through her laughs, she used a hand gesture to indicate that he should continue. "You were just so fierce. Everything I had, you had something to counter. I'd never seen you so aggressive before."

She sighed loudly. "My divorce was finalised that day." She chuckled somewhat darkly. "I guess I took my anger out on you."

He nodded in agreement. "That you did." She smiled and he decided to move to safer territory. "How's your family?"

She smiled brighter than she had since they had sat down. "They're great. Zachs getting ready to head to college, Grace is wise beyond her years and my mother's travelling with her latest lover." He waited to see if she would mention her brother. Smirking and cocking his head to the side, he asked;

"And your brother? How is Owen?"

He watched as her eyes scanned him inquisitively, his smirk growing widely. A flush started to work it's way from her chest, up her neck and onto her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands and peeked through her fingers at his still smirking face.

"You heard? On the phone?"

He nodded and laughed loudly as she groaned in frustration.

"Oh God. That is so embarrassing."

"Don't worry. I agreed that you wouldn't need his help in that department before I even realised that it was you I was looking at and listening too."

The words were out of his mouth before he even thought about what he was saying. He felt a blush start to crawl its way across his skin. Although the thought that they now matched in their embarrassment was reassuring.

"You always were a charmer Will Gardner." She finished the statement with a wink, and before he had the chance to respond, her phone was ringing, dragging them away from whatever moment may have been created.

"Uh huh, sure, yes, no problem at all Cary, I'll be there in 20minutes."

She smiled apologetically and he waved a hand in dismissal.

"Duty calls."

She laughed and stood up, starting to gather her belongings as he did the same. And then she stopped abruptly to look at him.

"We should do this again some time." She rolled her eyes at the smirk on his face. "I am very aware that that sounded like a line."

He laughed. "It did. But we should. What should we do?"

He watched her look around the room and smile, "Coffee?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Same time next week?"

She smiled widely at him and then did something entirely unexpected. She pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping herself up in him. He breathed in her scent whilst he had the chance. He felt a warm breath close to his ear, "I've missed you, Gardner." And then she pulled back and smiled at him.

As she started to walk out, she turned and smiled at him over her shoulder. "Same time next week." He nodded, still at a loss for words. And she was gone.

He stood still, stuck to to the spot, smiling to himself; lost entirely in the moment.

"I've missed you too, Leesh." He whispered to himself. His words getting lost in the hustle of the small coffee shop.