A/N: Not entirely sure yet where this story is going, but it is based on an idea I got from certain comments made about John by Peter and Eli in Oppo Research. More chapters to come. Please review!


When John Elfman woke up from the depths of his sleep, he didn't immediately know where he was. The room was almost pitch dark, but what little he could see of it was completely unfamiliar to him. His sense of disorientation only grew stronger when he became aware of a woman's hand lazily drawing circles on his chest. It couldn't be… "Claire?" he whispered, turning his head on the soft pillow.

Alicia's hand stilled. "Who's Claire?"

John blinked as his brain finally clicked into gear and he remembered how he had ended up here.

A strategy meeting, they had called it, but that had been merely an excuse—and they'd both known it. The tension between them had been building for weeks now, and furtive looks had been exchanged all night as they planned Alicia's final steps on the road to becoming SA. At some point they had moved from the kitchen table to the couch and the conversation had taken on a new, more personal tone. One accidental touch had led to another, and another. And then…

The first kiss had been tentative. The ones that followed, hadn't been.

"John?" Alicia's whisper interrupted his pleasant memories. "Were you dreaming?"

"I guess," he replied. He didn't really remember if he had been, and that realization brought a pang of sadness. He would have liked to see her face again after years of not dreaming about her. In most of his past dreams, Claire's face was beautiful. No blood, no bruises.

"So is Claire your—"

"She's… someone I knew. Years ago. Ancient history, really." John tried to keep his voice light. He didn't like holding back, but he couldn't tell her about Claire either. He rolled to his side and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, enjoying the silkiness of it. "Alicia?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing?"

She chuckled as she placed her hand at his nape, pulling him to her. "What does it feel like we're doing?" she whispered against his lips.

John groaned and pulled back a little. "What happened to not having feelings for me?" Tension of a different kind than earlier tonight suddenly filled the room.

"John—" Alicia sighed and rolled to her back, staring up at the ceiling. "—Do we really need to label it right now? Can't we just… enjoy it?"

Okay. Now he knew where he stood. No big surprise there, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't just a little disappointed. He should probably leave, anyway. Before some reporter or tracker saw him leave her apartment. Election day was only days away, and a sex scandal at this point in the campaign—

John exhaled. Who was he kidding? "Sure," he said, pulling her close again, making her gasp when she felt the evidence of how much he was enjoying this. His hand made its way south over her body, while hers did a little exploring of their own.

His disappointment was soon forgotten. After all, lust and desire were feelings too and they both seemed to feel plenty of that…

§§§

John managed to leave the bedroom without waking Alicia. He collected his clothes from where they had landed when they'd taken them off and went into the living room to get dressed. Thankfully, Grace was staying over at a friend's house. So no chance of getting caught with his pants down.

He didn't like sneaking out, but he needed to think. This night with her had changed… everything. Putting on his jacket, he let his gaze wander the room. It landed on a photo of Alicia with her husband. Before John became Alicia's campaign manager, he had never met the governor in person. Still, every time their paths had crossed over the last few months, John had wondered if Florrick remembered the Elfmans from his time in DC.

He wondered about it now, as he silently walked out the front door. But, like all the other times, he couldn't tell. Did it even matter? John probably remembered enough for the both of them. And for now, it was even better if Florrick didn't remember. Because he wouldn't see it coming then.

Before leaving the building, he made sure there were no reporters or other people watching. At 4 am, the street looked deserted. Quickly he walked down the street and turned the corner. He'd parked his car a few blocks down, so no one would notice it sitting outside Alicia's building all night. After all, Alicia Florrick was still a married woman.

John got behind the wheel, but he didn't drive off immediately. Instead, he stared through the windshield, thinking about the first time he'd met Alicia and the surprise he'd felt when he found out that the Florrick marriage was as dead as… Well, as dead as Claire was.

John hadn't known who the mysterious candidate was that Eli wanted him to meet. He'd been shocked when she'd opened the door that night. When they sat down and talked, the shock had initially been replaced by contempt for the 'saint' that had stood by her husband all these years. But as the evening had progressed, that contempt had started melting away, in favor of reluctant admiration.

He wasn't really sure when admiration had grown into liking her and then into… whatever he felt for her now. Not that first night, that was for sure.

All he could think about then was the opportunity that working with her would provide him with. And how good it would feel to finally ruin Peter Florrick's career, maybe even his life.