A/N: Hope you like it. This was set right after Will joined Stern-Lockhart. My own version of how the whole drinks and dancing came about. I wanted to write this mainly because the first scene I ever saw of the Good Wife was the one where Will was serenading Diane (Growing Pains) and they had a drink at the end of the episode. Enjoy and let me know.
People always wondered about it; the inside story as they would say. But there was nothing to tell, they insisted always. Truth be told, stories like theirs were just too precious and even an attempt to elucidate it would always come short handed. But to those who mattered, meaning him and her, it was always more than that. Of bourbons and dances, they would say.
He should have considered himself lucky. What guy in the planet wouldn't want this? He didn't even have to ask and yet here he was, all the pleasure at his feet waiting for his silent beckoning. Yet, that was not exactly how he felt as of the moment. The place was growing dimmer by the second and the loud thumping of the music blaring from the corners was not helping his current situation at all. He could distantly hear the sound of silent moaning and even whistling from a few patrons behind him and yet all he could think about was how exactly to leave. The girl in front of him was perfectly ok. She was doing what she was supposed to do-and in that moment was halfway into her routine. If he had a dime for every spread eagle he had witnessed, he would have been rich by now. Still, that did not console him. He tried his best not to look, shifted his attention to something else-finding the path to the restroom so amusing. And yet, the girl in front of him didn't even seem to get the message, if not, it only had made her work harder.
Her warm hands were slowly circling his shoulders now, grabbing the lapel of his suit from behind. He felt her grind and thrust from every possible direction, the music pushing her even more.
"Come on sweetheart, don't you like it?" She whispered huskily.
How he ended up in this place, he never knew. But he did conjure up a thousand reasons to leave. And just as he was finding more and more reasons to get up, the main reason as to why he should do exactly that decided to appear right in front of him.
"Please stop." He finally found his voice, touching the wandering hands that were slowly inching his way to his belt buckle. It took a while to get the message across-something he already counted on since the girl was doing her very best to engage him. And when it did, the girl looked up at him seeing if he was serious and when he nodded, she hastily left, muttering something about him being a complete idiot.
Will didn't even look up when the seat next to him was pulled up. He reached for the glass of bourbon in the table, bringing it to his mouth and drinking it all the way. This was not how he wanted to end the week. Berating himself as to how to explain the occurrence, he feigned notice of his surroundings.
"What was wrong with that one?" He heard her ask. She said it so nonchalantly he almost spit out his drink into the floor.
Shaking his head, he didn't even know what to say. But apparently, it was amusing to her.
"I wouldn't have minded you know." She said again, this time the smirk she was sporting was too obvious for his liking.
"I think its time to go." He said finally; still refusing to meet her eyes.
"Oh come on, lighten up. We just got here and I'm still on my first drink." He heard her say teasingly to him.
"Lighten up Diane? We are in strip club."
"Yeah so? You got a lap dance. You should be happy; not sulky." She said her voice not all changing. In fact, she was rather acting normally; something Will found so distressing himself. He watched as she casually brought the drink to her lips, her eyes wandering from corner to corner, not a tinge of unease present in her eyes.
This was not how he had wanted the week to end. Sure, he had repeated that a thousand times already and yet, his convictions grew even more every time. The name of the bar should have been a sign already. The Spanking Kitty? Really? They must have really been desperate for a drink since that was one clue they clearly ignored. There were more signs appearing even before they fully entered the establishment. The dark hallway, the thundering music, the kind of patrons and lastly, the bikini clad girls. Of course, Reno should have been a sign already and yet here he was thinking that Reno was not Las Vegas, apparently, it's still Nevada -strip clubs and all.
"Diane." He said warningly to her. His voice had an edge and Diane noticed it. But if there was one thing she learned that night, it was nice to make Will Gardner uncomfortable. And that was what she was doing. Sure she was never a fan of strip clubs and tried avoiding it all together. But what was he expecting anyway? He was in Reno, Nevada. Strip clubs are part of the state's name. She laughed inwardly at his discomfort, feeling that this was indeed a triumph for her and for once thought of sending Jonas a little thank you gift; for if it was not for him and his crazy daughter who happened to have a drug bust, she wouldn't have been in this situation with Will.
"Come on, your pouting. It's unbecoming." She said pointing her drink to him. She was not drunk. On the contrary, she was sober and relaxed. A feeling she had totally forgotten since forever and she was more than glad she could experience it now, even if it is in the expense of his new partner.
There were so many things they both had to learn from each other and she was just glad she had to learn about him this way. She was sure Jonas had already filled Will in about her and if his actions were any indication since they landed in this awful place, he was actually trying to make an impression on her. Sure she wasn't entirely thrilled of the idea of the merger and didn't at least once try to cover it up. He is as cocky as hell and was willing to thread the lines. She knew he was capable of cutting some corners and she often wondered how they would survive this partnership considering who she was and what she believes in. But this week had showed her a different side of him; a gentler, more human side. One that showed he respected her. Of course sharing a room for a week did that to someone. She had learned quite a few things about him that week; not just that he snores when he sleeps or that he has quite an attractive five o clock shadow. No, beyond the superficial things, she realized that she surprisingly likes working with him and they were a great team, something she knew he echoed too.
"You're not the first man to bring me to a strip club you know." She admitted to him, folding her hands in front of the table as she looked at him. She knew that he was surprised by the sudden revelation and she was glad that it had its desired effect since after that, she could feel that he was getting back to his senses.
She watched him as he looked at his drink, realizing it was empty before calling the waiter and asked for another one.
"And here I was so proud of myself for that, shame." Will replied looking directly into her eyes, his teasing smile gracing the corners of his mouth.
"Well, you are the first one to stop a lap dance in my honour, so I guess that should count for something." Diane replied easily, sipping her drink once again.
"It should. It takes something really great for me to do that you know. She was doing a marvellous job by the way." Will finally admitted, enjoying himself finally. It must have been the alcohol or the place, but something about this moment made him feel invincible. Maybe it's because of the new side of Diane that he discovered-one that likes bourbon or is as easily game to the challenge that he was putting up. Something about this moment was perfect.
"I can tell." She said just as easily, making a point to look him up and down. "We better call your friend over again. She was pretty sad when you told her to stop."
He couldn't help but laugh at her reply, nodding his head. She was a defiant woman, not in the bad way, no, not at all. It was actually alluring on her and he found himself staring at her.
"Nah! You'd enjoy it too much." He said finally. The hint evident in his voice and this time, it was Diane's turn to shake her head.
Just as she was about to reply, another woman came up to their table dressed in nothing but a bikini top and a thong. She couldn't help but miss the look the young blonde was giving Will and for the first time that night, she felt a bit uncomfortable. Still, she feigned ignorance. Leaning back into her chair, she watched as the other woman practically threw himself at Will.
"I'm actually having a good time already, thank you though." She heard Will brush the woman off once again and she couldn't help but give him a small smile. The woman left, joining the ranks of the other fallen soldiers.
"You could go you know, I wouldn't mind." She said quietly this time, looking up to his hair, something Will figured out she would do when she was nervous or unsure.
"I'm in great company already so stop encouraging me." He said sincerely, looking into her. He watched as a gentle smile graced Diane's features and he couldn't help but marvel at it. "So, who's the bastard who took you to a strip club before I did?"He added, perfectly changing the subject and making light of it.
She stifled a laugh, running her fingers through her hair. He watched as she repositioned herself in her chair, crossing her legs.
"An old boyfriend of mine back in law school." She replied, smiling at the memory.
"Wow."
"I know. That should have been a clear warning sign about his favourite past time."
"He cheated on you?" The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to do everything he can to take it back. Diane allowed a laugh to escape from her lips though and he was relieved that he was not opening old wounds.
"Yup, with the stripper who gave him a lap dance while I sat across from him."
"Wow." He found himself saying again for the lack of better words and Diane couldn't help but look at him through her lashes. "Good thing I stopped that woman." He added.
They were silent for a while after that. There was nothing to say and nothing to do. They drank the remaining drinks in their glasses each left to their own thoughts.
"Another round?" He asked and she nodded. When the new drinks were placed in front of them, Will looked at it first.
"I never pegged you as a bourbon kind of gal." He admitted finally. And his revelation had made Diane laugh. Not the silent laugh but the full blown belly laugh he wasn't even sure was possible, especially coming from her.
"Kind of gal?" She managed to ask finally, her hands cradling her face. They were now in their third glass and laughing full heartedly was growing easier by each passing moment.
"Well, I meant..."
"Yes?" She continued further, enjoying the discomfort he was projecting once again.
"I don't know lots of women who drink bourbon." He ultimately admitted, laughing nervously.
"Maybe you were in the wrong company." She replied. "I love it, what can I say; a good hard earned bourbon at the end of the day can never compare to anything." She added, raising the glass to him in mock salute before she brought it to her lips, eying him as he watched her.
The music was changing and the mood was drastically different inside the rustic bar. The saxophone was a great contrast to the beats played earlier and it wasn't until this time that they both realized how late it was. It was now almost four in the morning and the bar goers as well as the performers had slowly left. They still had time to kill before their 7 am flight and somehow, both of them didn't seem as much in a hurry to leave for the airport.
There was a single man playing the piano, the melodious sound lulling both of them. Safe for the few crew members who were cleaning up, it was just them and a couple a few tables away who were in the midst of making out.
"I had a great time working with you." Diane found herself admitting to him and she meant it. She looked up to him, easily seeing the smile he was mirroring.
"I did too." He said. Bringing the glass to his lips, he continued watching her.
"Will?"
"Yes?"
"When we get to Chicago..." She had started saying and Will knew exactly was she meant. This was the new beginning they were both hoping for; the common ground they both needed.
"We will work, together or not; depends on the case. I'm gonna piss you off, you will shout at me, we might throw a fit here and there but we will talk. I'll come by your office, you will prepare me a drink and we will be what we are now." He said to her, promising her the things he knew she wanted to hear. She gave him a smile, one which simply lit her up and he did too.
Raising his glass, she looked at him and she too did the same.
"And we will put all the days work to where it properly belongs." He finished.
"To our common ground." She said raising her glass, toasting with him before they both drank the liquid. The sting and the burn were still there but it was too good to pass. Setting the glass down, Will turned to Diane.
"You never know, I might take you to another strip club again." He said, winking at her. They laughed and for a few minutes, they were left to their own thoughts.
Both didn't notice it but somehow, they ended up sitting next to each other. Will's hands casually draping against the back of Diane's chair, both their legs propped up in the extra stools. The man playing the piano had long since gone by then. The couple to their right had left a few minutes ago, both obviously intending to take their ministrations somewhere else. The bar was almost empty now and almost different-worlds apart from what took place earlier that evening. The stereo was now playing some random jazz music and every once in a while, Diane would close her eyes, moving her head with every beat of the song. She didn't entirely mind that Will's hands were drumming against her skin, or occasionally how it would drift towards her hair, twirling a lock in his fingers.
The bar tender was nice enough to let them stay and she reminded herself to give him a generous tip afterwards. The clock was now striking five but it still was relatively quiet, the only sound emanating was from the speakers. Soon, Nina Simone's voice filled the air, the first bar of Just in Time playing.
Diane closed her eyes, enjoying the music; her memory recalling the distant past.
"I saw her once, at New York right out of college. She had such an amazing voice, full of soul, you know." She had said, still lost in the memory.
"I know. Shame she died." Will replied, just as lost to the music as she was.
"Have you seen her live?" She asked, turning her head towards him, their faces mere centimetres apart.
"Didn't get a chance to." He answered, looking at her lips, and she smiled turning once again allowing the music to take over her.
"She was great you know, she would...She would..." She started, moving a little bit and Will took it as a sign to let go of the lock he was holding. Diane stood up without care, leaving her stilettos off and standing directly a few feet in front of him, the song picking up the tempo in the background.
"She would move towards the audience taking her time swaying her hips." She started, showing him exactly how it was done and Will couldn't help but marvel at the sight in front of him-pure uninhibited Diane Lockhart with a glass of bourbon on hand. She moved towards him, exaggerating the sway of her hips imitating the jazz singer perfectly. "And then she would look at someone in the audience, sing to him. She would say-yes sweetheart, yes baby." She added again, breathlessly and huskily he might add. She was pretending to look at something or someone and in her head; it might have been an awestruck person in the audience.
The sound of the piano in the middle of the song was just perfect and Will realized that Diane standing in front of him losing all the cares in the world was even more perfect. She had an easy smile on her face, just allowing herself to feel and not let all the guards up and it was just a sight to behold.
"And then she would go back towards the piano after that, taking her time again, saying I love you's to some random person, her derriere looking so perfect in that gold tight fitting dress she was wearing." She continued and then, she just stayed there, slowly dancing to the music closing her eyes and just living the memory. Will had to bite back the smile that was ready to escape but it was of no use.
"Baby." She started this time looking at him straight in the eye, sounding just like Nina Simone. "I think we're gonna miss that plane." She finished, smiling wickedly at him and before he even knew it, he was standing up joining her in their make shift dance floor. She had her back pressed against him and they were dancing slowly, her hips moving perfectly against his, her hand on top of his that was currently resting on the expanse of her flat belly, her other hand still holding her drink. She leaned back to him and he pressed his lips near her ears, placing a gentle kiss.
"I know." He whispered.