Author's Note: So, I just finished watching "The Good Wife" and holy crap! Jason Crouse is one charming man. I gathered some inspiration to write about him and well... Here we are! I hope you guys enjoy it! I've got a lot of plans for this story.


Samantha spent every night at her local coffee shop. She was a writer and always managed to brew up inspiration when she wasn't in the comfort of her own home. She would order her usual coffee – one pump of vanilla and a splash of milk to her liking. Occasionally, Samantha would order a chocolate chip muffin and a vanilla latte if she thought she deserved it.

Though, there was something about writing in coffee shops that had interested her. Being able to sit at a table, look out the window and observe her surroundings always managed to invoke her muse and allow her to write as if inspiration magically came to her.

It had been months since she had been coming to the Buzz: Killer Espresso coffee shop. She always took a seat at the bar counter that elongated along the large windows overlooking the main street. Samantha first stumbled upon this place due to its interesting name and she had made the mistake of adding an espresso to her coffee one night. It was indeed killer since she couldn't sleep the entire night.

It was a chilly evening in Chicago, so sitting outside was out of the question. Samantha pulled on her coat and draped her laptop bag over her shoulder to walk across the street to the coffee shop. She loved the ambiance of Buzz. It was modern and very "hipster-like." She enjoyed the background noise of the milk steaming from the coffee machine, the quiet chatter amongst employees and customers, and the background noise coming from the main street. It was a perfect place to write.

Samantha sat down at the stool, setting her bag atop of the table before retrieving her wallet form her bag.

"Hey, Sam. Getting the usual?" The employee, Josh, asked. It was a sign that she had come here too often that the employees knew what she was going to order.

"You know, I think I'm going to try the vanilla latte tonight. Maybe even a chocolate chip muffin," she grinned. Samantha paid for her order, dropping a five-dollar bill into the tip jar before taking a seat.

While it had been months since she started coming here, Sam was usually very observant. She noticed the same man sitting at one of the booths every night as well. At first, she wondered if he enjoyed coming to coffee shops like her but after the first few conversations, Sam knew to keep her distance.

Every time her eyes would catch him, she would notice him staring at her. He had stopped bringing a book to read and instead, replaced it with his laptop. She didn't necessarily know what to make of it, but she figured if she kept her distance then he would get the hint.

"Sam!" Josh called. She stood from her seat and walked to the register, grabbing her plate of food and her mug.

"This looks beautiful. I don't even think I want to drink it because of this latte art," she teased.

"Well, I made it with love," Josh replied.

Sam smiled. "Oh, I wouldn't doubt it for a second."

As they were stuck in a conversation, the man who caused her to feel uncomfortable stood and tried to join in and interrupt.

"Hey, Sam."

Sam cleared her throat, looking over at him. "Oh, hey, Todd."

Todd grinned, "Need help?"

Just as Sam was going to reply and shake her head, he was quickly grabbing her mug of coffee and her plate of food to bring back to her table.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking her seat.

Todd sat next to her, obviously too close for her liking but close nonetheless. "How was your weekend?"

Sam shrugged, pulling her laptop out of her bag. "It was fine. Went running. Figured I'd reward myself for being fit with a chocolate chip muffin," she laughed.

Todd smiled, staring at her with loving eyes. Sam definitely took notice and it made her uncomfortable.

"You don't have to run. You look great already," he commented, his eyes deviating to her body.

Sam cleared her throat. "Oh, uh, thanks. If you don't mind, Todd, I've got some work to do. I'll talk to you later." She put her earphones on, hoping that Todd would get the hint and leave her alone.

Todd, however, narrowed his eyes and his smile fell from his lips. He gently patted her upper thigh, causing Sam to tighten her jaw and shift away from him.

"Don't touch me." Sam removed an earbud, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"It's just a friendly gesture," he responded.

"We are not friends. You know nothing about me. Just because we have had a few conversations here and there does not give you the right to touch me however you please."

Todd masked his hurt with a smile. He nodded and stood up from his seat. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Throughout the night, Sam focused on her writing. When she noticed that Todd left the coffee shop, she let out a breath of relief. Now she could relax. The only downfall of this coffee shop was that they closed earlier than others she had been to.

So when seven o'clock was approaching, Sam began to gather her things. She thanked the employees before leaving the coffee shop. She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it from her pocket, seeing the text message.

Unknown number: Hey. It's Todd.

Sam cleared her throat. She didn't know how he got her number. She looked around, obviously freaked out before quickly walking to her car and heading home. Once she made it to her apartment, Sam called her best friend, Brandon, to let him know what was going on.

"What am I supposed to do? I didn't even give him my number, Brandon." Sam walked around her apartment, dressed in shorts and an oversized t-shirt.

"Okay, that's freaky. I know a few lawyers who could help you out. You got a pen and paper on you?" Brandon responded.

Sam quickly grabbed her notepad and a nearby pen, ready to write down the name and number for the lawyers. She didn't expect to be a victim of a stalker once she moved to Chicago.

"Alicia Florrick and Lucca Quinn. They'll definitely help you out. Mention my name and I'm sure it'll be a done deal."

Sam arched a brow. "Do you mean Lucca as the one you dated before you joined the military, Brandon?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Listen. She and I left on good terms. We still keep in touch, but I know there isn't any bad blood between us. Besides, they're good. Just give them a call tomorrow morning."

Sam sighed. She had no other choice. "Fine. Okay. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know how it went."

The next morning, Sam called the number that Brandon had given her. It was a quick conversation, but once she mentioned his name, Lucca instantly agreed to meet with her later that day.

Sam dressed in black jeans and a maroon sweater. She slipped on her ankle boots and grabbed her bag before leaving her apartment. Ever since last night, Sam was paranoid. She was glancing over her shoulder every five minutes.

The address that was given was an apartment building. Sam was expecting an office, but she remembered that Brandon reassured her that these two women were the best lawyers out there. She had to trust him for his word.

When Lucca opened the door, she led Sam to the office that was towards the back of the apartment. She noticed a dark red-haired woman sitting behind the desk with a neutral expression. Lucca motioned for Sam to take a seat and she happily obliged.

"So, you've got a stalker?" Alicia asked.

"I didn't think much of it, but he got my number somehow. I never gave it to him," Sam replied.

"Do you still have the message?" Lucca asked.

Sam instantly nodded. She pulled her phone from her bag and showed the two women the message.

"Can we place a restraining order on him or possibly sue him for stalking? I don't know how this all works. I'm just kind of freaked out," Sam said.

Alicia and Lucca both look at one another. They were dressed very professional and it seemed like they meant business, but from the looks on their faces, Sam knew she was going to receive bad news.

"Well, this is a very tricky situation, Sam. We have no evidence aside from this text message. It's not enough to bring him to court. We believe you, but it's going to be difficult to represent this to a judge," Alicia said.

Sam sighed, dropping her eyes to her lap. She heard someone enter the room and glanced over at the man dressed in all black, sporting black framed glasses with a beard that was streaked with silver.

He caught your eye and smiled politely.

"This is Jason. Our private investigator," Lucca introduced.

Sam simply nodded, turning her attention back to Alicia.

"So, what am I supposed to do? Wait for something to happen? He touched me last night."

Alicia arched a brow. "In what way? Were there any witnesses that could attest to this?"

"Well, no. I was sitting down. He patted my leg. It was underneath the table."

Lucca sighed. "Again, we can't use that. It'd just be your word against his."

Jason interrupted, looking over at Sam before picking up her phone that was resting on Alicia's desk.

"Have you given him hints that you were interested in him? Anything that he could possibly have taken the wrong way?" Jason asked.

Sam sighed. "No. In fact, I never initiated conversation. Sure, I talked to him when he came up to me, but that was it. When I first met him, we had a decent conversation. But that was that. Ever since then, he started coming the same time I did. Leaving the same time I did. Even the people that worked there found it odd."

Jason nodded, opening his laptop. "Alright. What's the name of this coffee shop?"

Sam looked over at him. "Buzz: Killer Espresso."

He grinned, flashing his dimples in her direction. "What a clever name. I can't believe I've never been there before."

"I can assure you the name is not misleading. Add one shot and you're up for the entire night," Sam commented.

"Then I must definitely check this place out," Jason replied.

Alicia arched a brow, looking down at the desk as if an idea came to her. "Sam, go there tonight. See if Todd is there. We'll have Jason be there too."

Sam cleared her throat. "No, no. I can't. Who knows what Todd would do!?"

Jason looked over at her. "I'll be there. Nothing will happen. You want something on this guy, well, you're going to need a witness."

Sam looked hesitant. She didn't want to go back to the coffee shop.

"Jason will protect you. He has punched a man before," Alicia added, flashing Jason a small smile.

"Well, sure. I've punched someone before too but that doesn't mean anything," Sam replied with a sigh.

"I'll be there before you, Sam. Don't worry. Todd won't do anything as long as I'm there," Jason reassured.

Sam looked at the three people who were staring at her, waiting her to accept the idea. She knew this was the only way, but it still scared her. She didn't want to see Todd.

"Okay… I'll be there at five. It's the usual time I go there. He's usually there before me as if he's waiting for me to arrive. What happens if he isn't there?" Sam asked.

"Then we try again tomorrow night," Alicia replied.

Sam nodded, standing up from the seat and grabbing her bag. She took her phone from Jason's grasp, nodding in his direction.

"I'll see you tonight, Sam." Jason said.

"I guess you will." Sam then turned to Alicia and Lucca who lead her out of their office and to the front door. "Thank you. For doing this. I'm just a bit shaken up. He's always made me uncomfortable and testing his boundaries every time he talks to me."

Alicia nodded and Lucca offered a small smile. "We'll get enough evidence to get this guy. Focus on tonight. Act like you normally do. Order what you normally get. We don't want him assuming you went to us for help," Lucca said.

Sam nodded, "Okay. I can do that."

Later that night, Sam entered the coffee shop and set her bag down at her usual spot. She tried to act normal, but when she noticed Jason sitting at the corner, she felt slightly relieved. That was until she also noticed Todd.

"Hey, Sam. What're you going to get tonight?" Josh asked.

"I'll just do a regular coffee with –"

Josh smiled, "With a pump of vanilla and a splash of milk?"

"Your manager needs to give you a raise," she teased, paying for her coffee and dropping another five-dollar bill into the tip jar.

Sam moved back to her seat, pulling her laptop out of her bag and trying to ignore the anticipation of what could possibly happen. For now, she was going to act normal. Just like Alicia and Lucca suggested.