This was just an idea that came to mind, I wanted to give have a perspective of Alicia as a mother when her children were only toddlers and also give a perception of her as a working mom and not the Alicia from the actual series where we see that she stopped working after Zach was born. This is very different from the series and I hope you like it! Please review your thoughts.
I DO NOT OWN THE GOOD WIFE. All credits go to the writers/creators of the show.
When she found out she was pregnant with Zach, Peter had proposed to her and gave her that big ring. They brought a big house in Highland Park and started their own little family. There was a time in her marriage where she thought everything was perfect, she had a loving devoted husband, an amazing little baby and a wonderful home. She had to admit that they probably rushed into things a little quickly after finding out that she was indeed pregnant. She had taken six months of maternity leave once the baby was born and then went back to work once she was ready. It was safe to say that the law firm she was working at Crozier, Abrams & Abbott was one of the biggest and most successful law firms in Chicago, its biggest competition was always maxed out against Stern, Lockhart and Gardner and Alicia loves the fact that six years out of law school, her best friend Will Gardner is already name partner at a successful law firm. They have both tried to keep in touch these last few years but with life and bad timing getting in the way they were both too busy to keep seeing each other on a regular basis.
When she found out she was pregnant, yet again with Grace she panicked. They weren't ready to have another child, they had just settled in with one year old Zach and both their jobs were extremely demanding. Peter had wanted her to stop working for a few years to raise the children and be a stay at home mom, she had thought thoroughly through the idea but refused it and thankfully she did because, otherwise four years later she would have found herself looking for a job once she was to find out that her husband was sleeping with hookers and betraying their marriage in more ways than one. In a way she was kind of glad from the fact that her marriage was over, she and Peter were never honestly truly happy with each other. They were both too young and had jumped in to things a little too quickly. He was always a wonderful and kind natured man towards her, he loved her and his children with all his heart but the pressure of being a political icon and devoting husband was just too extreme for him.
When she found out that Peter was indeed having an affair and confronted him about it she lost it, she screamed awful things to him and he just stood there, in their living room begging her for forgiveness, explaining that it was just a mistake after mistake after mistake. "What! You couldn't keep your pants sipped yet again Peter!". She screamed at him. Yes, this was the second time he cheated on her, the first time was several months after Zach was born, they were both stressed with a new born baby and demanding jobs that he couldn't handle it anymore and slept with one of his work colleagues. He literally begged Alicia to forgive him and for the sake of her marriage and new born child she accepted his offer to work on their marriage a little more. After that, she never once thought that he would do it again but she was wrong because he did and this time not just with one woman but many others. The only ordeal now that she has to keep an eye on is the press, if they even get a whiff of this, all hell will promptly break loose.
She was thankful that the children were with Jackie the afternoon she confronted Peter about his infidelities because she completely lost it. She had demanded a divorce the second she found out and Peter couldn't do anything to change her mind. She packed her and her children a suitcase full of clothes that were fitting for two nights away and told Peter she was driving to her parent's lake house and spending a weekend with her mother. He couldn't do anything but nod and keep his head down. Once Jackie had walked through the door with little Zach and Grace running towards their mother for afternoon hugs, she immediately noticed Alicia's suitcase besides the door and the tears in Alicia's eyes. After a quick tight hug with her children she had informed them that they were going to visit grandma Veronica for a couple of days and instructed them to go up to their rooms and pack their favourite toys and pillows for the trip. Once the kids were out of sight she turned her attention back to a curious confused Jackie and a miserable looking Peter.
"What is going on?" Jackie looked between her son and his wife.
"I'm going away to spend a couple of nights with my mother for the weekend" she muttered while walking towards the living room to grab her coat.
Jackie still didn't seem convinced as to Alicia's sudden need to disappear "What is going on" she demanded eyeing the other woman viciously "You're not one to just pack up and leave without an explanation"
Alicia looked between Jackie and Peter "Are you going to tell her or what?" she blurted out towards her husband while adjusting her coat and tying her hear into a pony tail, not really interested if Peter is going to tell her or not, she just wants to get out of there as soon as possible.
Peter looked at her apologetically demanding for her to let this go. "Your son has been having an affair" Alicia finally admitted, casually as if she just stated what shape the moon is tonight. Jackie's loud gasp confirms that she wasn't expecting this. She eyes her son up and down as if she's waiting for him to confirm and notices how he bows his head down ashamed.
"He's been sleeping with…. other woman for the past two years" Alicia confirms while strapping her hand bag against her shoulder.
"And what? You're packing up and leaving?" Jackie demands an answer.
"I'm taking my children to visit their grandmother for the weekend" she corrects.
"And then what!" Jackie snaps
"And then…" Alicia pauses looking at Peter's defeated and ashamed gaze. "We will be back home Sunday night, in time for Peter and me to be discussing the details"
"Details? What details"
"Divorce" she simply states and Jackie gasp horridly at the woman's words, then eyeing her son suspiciously. "It's okay mom, everything is okay" he tries to reassure but his tone sounds desperate and pleading on Alicia's behalf.
Before Jackie can respond they hear giggling coming from upstairs. Grace is the first to reach the stairs, carefully walking down them in case not to fall. Alicia walks over to the bottom of the stairs and smiles as her baby daughters eyes shine with adoration towards her mother. Her three year old has her blue blanket and teddy bear in one hand and a couple of bedtime story books in the other. "Mommy, I take teddy" Grace squeals happily as her mother lifts her into her arms and kisses her cheek. "Good baby, teddy can sleep with us tonight right?" Graces eyes widen with glee. "I sleep with mommy tonight?" she asks happily, her parents have been teaching her to sleep in her own bed in the last year so this is obviously a surprise.
Alicia smiles at her little one "Of course baby, mommy needs her cuddles." Out of the corner of her eye Alicia detects Peter bowing his head down ashamed at the fact that his wife is going to be sleeping in a completely different bed for tonight and probably for the rest of their lives. He will never be able sleep in the same bed as Alicia and the sudden realisation has hit him hard, there is nothing he can do and that's it. After all he already cheated on her once a few years ago and vowed to her that he would never ever do it again, this time there is absolutely nothing he can do, by the look of disappointed and grief in his wife's face she's already made her decision.
Alicia gently lays her daughter onto the ground "Go say goodbye to daddy" she whispers and Grace runs towards her father bowling into him as he lifts her up in the air. "Wooaahh! You're getting heavy" he exclaims while pulling her into a tight warm hug. After a good few seconds of embracing his daughter into a warm embrace and kiss against her head she quickly wiggles her way out of her father's arms running straight back to her mother. Grace and Zach have always had a thing for their mother, it's not a circumstance where they love their mother more than their father, it's just that they have always had a sentiment to be near Alicia and it shows each night where Grace and Zach prefer Alicia to put them to bed and read them a bedtime story.
Zach comes running down the stairs with a wide grin on his face and Alicia admires her son as his ruffled curly hair bolts up and down with every step he takes, he has already taken the prospect to put on his jumper although it's obvious he's had some struggle in zipping it up. He has his Thomas the tank engine mini train in his hand and baseball glove and ball in the other. Once he reaches his mother she kneels down to his height zipping his jumper while pecking his forehead with a quick kiss. "Already my little man." Zach nods his head while glancing between the three adults in the room and noticing the weird scary way his grandmother stares at his mother.
"You can't just leave, you have to talk. My son made a mistake! You can't punish him forever" Jackie interferes stepping closer to Alicia and the children. She ignores her mother in law and helps Grace shuffle into her coat while adjusting warm scarves and beanies to both her children to keep them warm. Alicia lifts her three year old into her arms but before she can make her way over to her suitcase Jackie blocks the passageway. "You can't just give up on your marriage! You're being selfish!" she spits back and Grace furrows her eyebrows curiously at Alicia. Peter quickly interferes, demanding Jackie to let it go and step out of the way, she does as he says but before Zach can follow Alicia in her footsteps Jackie pulls Zach by the arm making him jolt in alarm. "You can't take my sons children away from him!" she spits back and Alicia quickly jumps back, her motherly instinct bursting out.
"Let go of my son" she shrieks, trying her hardest to remain calm in front of her children. Grace wraps her arms tightly around Alicia's neck burying her face into her mother's shoulders and she shakes frightened by the way her grandmother's eyes fill with outrage.
"Mother, that's enough, let go" Peter demands moving towards his son. Jackie glares at Peter for a few seconds before releasing her grip on the little boy, watching him as he bolts into Alicia, wrapping his arms around her leg. Alicia slowly opens the front door pulling the suitcase outside on to the front porch while Zach makes his way to the car. Peter offers to take the suitcase but Alicia declines shaking her head and ignoring his gaze. She can't find it in her body to even look at his face. Peter gradually follows his wife to the car saying his last goodbye's to his children. When Alicia finishes buckling Grace into her seatbelt she moves towards the driving seat while Peter already has the car door open for her. "Please Alicia" he pleads to which she lightly shakes her head. "Not this time Peter" she whispers and he can do nothing but look down ashamed.
"Can you at least call me when you get there, so I know you've arrived safe?" he pleads
"I'll make sure the kids call you before bedtime, it's only an hour drive" she buckles her seatbelt in and closes the door while avoiding his gaze the whole time.
"Thank you" he replies and thank god the window is wined down or else he's pretty sure she would have slammed it right in his face. Alicia avoids him as he says goodbye to Zach and Grace with a quick kiss and hug and with that she reverses out of the driveways giving Peter one last look of disappointment before driving away. Oddly she finds it strangely bizarre that she feels absolutely nothing, they both let everything out on the table an hour ago and now she doesn't feel a thing for what he has done. Maybe an hour ago she was full of anger and rage but as she glances through the rear view mirror in the car and admires how Zach and Grace interact she realises that the only thing that matters in her life at the moment is her children and their safety and happiness. She understands that the next few weeks are probably going to be full of tears and confused little children but the only thing she can do, the only choice she has is to explain as lovingly and thoroughly as possible.
Please review me your thoughts, I've erased, rewritten, rephrased so much in this story because I'm never satisfied with the writing so go easy on me. Hope you like it! Next chapter coming soon…