A/N: I am so overwhelmed with your responses to my writing! I appreciate all your reviews and follows so much! Thanks to the reviewers, goodwifefan5, guategal, StrawberrySab, Ladybug-Jojo, Elisa, Steffili and BeTheIntegrity! I didn't know whether I would continue but you have inspired me to keep it going! I adore these sides in Alicia and Will and I miss then so much, so I had to see them again! Please, please enjoy.
And I do not own any of these glorious characters.


As Will was walking out of his office that same night he had his talk with Alicia, he received a text from Isabel.

'Hey Will, if you aren't working I can come over to your place? ;) xo'

He was not in any condition to see Isabel that night, let alone partake in any activities she would want to do. He hadn't wanted to think too much about his earlier meeting but it was all he could think about. He thought about how nervous he felt at 2.24 and wondered if she would be early. Maybe she would be late and keep him waiting. He had gotten out as much work as he could so it looked as though he was extremely busy, but it was all for show. She got to his office at exactly the time she had said and he had to think that through later. He had to go over every little thing said, and every little thing not said.

He walked through the offices and into the elevator. When it had hit the ground floor and the doors opened he saw Kalinda standing there, tapping her tall boot on the ground with her notebook in her hands. As she looked up and saw him she raised an eyebrow.

"You look like could use a drink." She said to him. He must have looked terrible, he thought.

"I probably could." He stepped out of the elevator and expected to see Kalinda get in. She turned to face him instead.

"Then let's go get one." She turned on her heel and started to walk out of the building. He didn't do anything but follow her. He really could use a drink with Kalinda.


They arrived at their usual bar and sat at the counter. Will got a beer for them both and Kalinda got them a tequila shot each. They threw back their shots and sat in silence.

"You talked to Alicia then?" Kalinda started their inevitable conversation on this topic.

"Yep." He took a sip of his beer and just stared at his glass.

"What did she say?"

Will paused. He was ready to talk about it but he still couldn't believe how easy the conversation he had with Alicia was. "She told me why she left, because I asked." He said with a deep voice. Kalinda nodded and took a sip of her drink.

"Why did you ask?" She was genuinely curious. She knew that a week ago Will could barely care why she left the firm, she knew that she convinced Will to talk to her. She knew a lot of things, this just added to the list.

"I needed to hear her say… Why exactly she left. No lies."

Kalinda just looked at Will. "And she just told you? The actual truth?" Will nodded and took a bigger sip of his beer. "That doesn't sound like Alicia much. Just saying something." She looked down at her drink.

"I know. I can't figure out why she would just say what her reasons were. I don't know why she agreed to see me in the first place. Maybe she is just a new Alicia." He drank some more beer.

"Maybe she's just as tired as you are."

And that was all they said on that matter. Will would think about it at a later time, alcohol would not help his thoughts at all. They drank some more, discussed random topics and took cabs home. Will never replied to Isabel and he didn't care one bit.


It was a little more than a week since her meeting with Will and Alicia wasn't feeling her best afterwards. She couldn't sleep for three nights after it, thinking that she had probably messed their relationship up more than she really intended. If there was still a relationship there. They weren't exactly friends anymore, but they didn't seem to hate each other either. Otherwise they wouldn't have been so civil with one another. She knew she was still tired of everything. Starting this new firm, which was wonderful and her dream, left her no time to just take an hour to relax and rejuvenate.

She was in court for the day and that just drained her even more than usual. Her current case seemed easy on the outside but her witnesses were unreliable and as a result she wasn't getting far. They were mostly uncooperative and it was a lot of work to get them court-ready. Cary was helping as much as he could but even then their clients were not easy.

Alicia told Cary that after court she just couldn't go back to the office for the rest of the day and work from home. He told her she deserved it and she should be with her kids. He was getting to be a really wonderful partner. Possibly the best she could ask for.

Before she left for home she stopped by a coffee cart in the court house. She was lining up and heard someone stand behind her.

"Alicia, that you?" She heard his voice. It sounded almost pleased. She spun around and looked at his eyes. Gorgeous eyes. No, not gorgeous she quickly thought. She politely smiled at Will.

"Hi Will." He smiled back at her.

"Getting a caffeine hit before going back to the office?" Was he really making conversation? It was unusual to say the least.

"Uh, yes. Big day in court." She was willing to play along, it might be nice.

"Same." He laughed very quietly. She gave a full smile and bowed her head. They noticed the line moving so Alicia turned around with her back to Will and they took their new places. Apparently a lot of people had a bad day in court. The line eventually got shorter and Alicia made her way to the front, without speaking another word to Will. She ordered her simple latté, received it and was ready to walk away when Will called to her. She spun around.

"Do you want to have this cup of coffee together?" She detected that he was nervous about asking her because that wasn't the most well-structured sentence he could have gone with. She gave it a little thought and then glanced at her watch, Will watching her the whole time. She looked back up at him.

"I guess I have some time, sure." She half smiled and waited until he got his cup. Double espresso with two sugars and a splash of milk. She knew his order, and might never forget it. They made their way outside and sat down on a bench together.

"How have you been?" She asked him with a sweet tone in her soft voice.

"Good. Working hard." He softly laughed, she smiled. This seemed normal.

"As have I." They both took a sip of their hot coffee. Will wondered why he asked her to have coffee. He couldn't think of why not and that was it, he asked her.

"Do you know when you leave for New York?" She asked him and looked into his eyes. He looked back at her.

"I have about three weeks I think. We found some offices and we are getting them redone. Diane went out last weekend to get the look right. I'm no good at designing that stuff." He laughed and she joined.

"I know you aren't." He darted his eyes at her waiting for the explanation. "I remember that day you brought in that new couch for your office, it was terrible." She laughed heartily.

"I thought that couch suited my office." He defended himself.

"It really didn't. The green was awful." She was still laughing.

"I'm glad you told me to get of it then. I would have kept it." He turned his head and looked out to the road in front of them.

"I know you would have." She took a sip of her coffee and started out onto the same road. "Diane would have told you to get rid of it if I hadn't." She told him.

"She saw the movers take it downstairs and had this disgusted look in her eye." He showed her the face and they both burst with laughter. They both noted to themselves how good it felt just to laugh with each other. To laugh in general actually, it had been a dreary time for them both lately. Then they stopped, paused for a moment and simultaneously took a gulp of coffee.

"How is Diane? Is married life treating her well?" Alicia asked him with a flat voice.

"Seems to be. She looks happier most of the time." Alicia nodded.

"Tell her… I don't know. Never mind." Alicia stopped herself from letting that slip.

"Tell her what?" Will wasn't letting her stop there.

"Just… Tell her hi from me?" She seemed reserved but she didn't know if she could say hello to Diane through Will, or at all. She had never had any sort of talk with Diane. Yet.

"I will. I'm sure she'll appreciate it." He was obviously just making her feel better. Diane would probably roll her eyes and ask him why he was saying hi for Alicia. He would have to tell Diane about his conversation with Alicia eventually. It just seemed right to tell her.

Alicia took a glance at her watch. "I better go. I have to make dinner for Peter and the kids." She told him, with a sprinkle of sympathy in her voice. She was strangely enjoying this little coffee break. It made her think that things could be the same, even though they both knew they never would. It would be too weird going back to that now. Alicia had hope about it though, especially after this encounter.

"Right, okay. I'll see you around then." She smiled and got up. Just as she got up he called to her again. He was getting his fair share of those lately. "I…" She waited for whatever he wanted to say. "I have a sort of, girlfriend."

Why did he have to open his big mouth and tell her that, he though angrily to himself. She looked startled. She really wasn't expecting that. There were a dozen emotions running through her face and he couldn't pick up on one. They changed too quickly. Finally she settled on that look. The one she uses when she is in public and campaigning for Peter. The plastered one, with the fake smile, that she always used to tell him that she hated she had to do it so much.

"Oh. Good. I hope you're happy with each other, Will. I really do." Her voice sounded fake too. He knew she wasn't swallowing this information easy.

"Thanks. We are." He forced that out. He didn't know if he was happy, he was just enjoying it.

"Well, I have to get going now. Bye." She said and walked away. Trying to hold herself together for a while longer so she could walk to her car. Alicia had no idea why it bothered her so much. She told him herself that he should just get over her, but that was in a moment of heat and she had to say something snarky. She got to her car alright, got in and sat in her seat for a few minutes trying to compose herself. She had to stop thinking about it before she began to drive otherwise she didn't know who could get hurt on the road.


"Kids, dinner!" Alicia called out to her children as she took the pasta bake and roast potatoes out of the oven. She rarely got to cook them a proper meal these days and tried to do something she never had time to do anymore.

Grace came out first. "Mom, that smells really good."

"Why thank you Grace." She smiled at her daughter. "Can you get some cutlery for us three, please?" Alicia asked her daughter as she served everybody a plate of the food.

"Us three? Where's dad?" Zack asked as he came into the kitchen. Grace pulled out enough knives and forks and set them in a pile on the table next to their plates on the kitchen counter.

"Your dad called earlier saying he'll be a little late. Eli needed him for something." The kids both nodded, took their plates and cutlery, and took a seat at the dining table. They ate and made mild conversation about their day. Grace telling her mom and brother about something funny that happened at lunch with her friends, and Zach telling them that he started to finish off his final assignments, and that they were killing off his brain cells in the process. They all laughed and had a nice family dinner. Even if Peter wasn't there, but that was how it was for most of their lives.

A while after dinner Alicia's phone rang. She ran to get it from her bedroom. Her and the kids decided to watch a movie after dinner, like old times. She looked at the caller ID.

Peter

She knew he was either calling to say he'll be right up, or that he won't make it. She didn't have to be psychic to figure that one out.

"Peter, hi." She answered.

"Hey. Look, I know I said I'd be there for dinner. And then that I would only be a little late but turns out I have to be in Springfield early tomorrow morning so I'm heading there now. I'm sorry babe, I wish I could have had dinner with you and the kids." And there it was. The obligatory apology.

"It's fine, Peter. There probably isn't enough food left over for your meal anyway. Everyone was pretty hungry tonight apparently." She laughed softly. She hated to give him a reason that it was okay he bailed on dinner but that was her being a wife to Peter. She knew he felt bad and she tried to make it better. At least he appreciated it these days.

"Well then it worked out okay. I will see if I can make dinner tomorrow or maybe we can all go out on Friday. My treat."

"Sounds nice. Just let me know?"

"Sure thing. Say hi to the kids for me."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later then."

"Sure, sure. Night hun." And he hung up. It wasn't often Peter kept his word about making it to dinner but Alicia had gotten used to it years ago. She told the kids hi from their dad and told them she couldn't watch the end of the movie. They grumbled something and kept their eyes on the screen. They probably love her, she thought to herself as she wandered over to her bedroom.

She took a long bath which eased some tension in her body and got dressed into her silk pajamas. She was having a relaxing, early night so she could kick some butt in court the coming week. As she climbed into bed, her phone beeped. She reached to her bedside table for it and read the message. It was from Will, surprisingly. She felt a small twist in her stomach. She remembered what he had told her today. She had told herself she wasn't supposed to think of him for a while, but she read his message anyway.

'It was nice having coffee with you today. Maybe we should bump into each other again and have some more before I leave. Anyway, have a good night.'

Was it safe having coffee with him again, she asked herself. Probably. He was leaving after all, and they did have a nice time… Until the end of it. No, she would not think about that. She wondered if she should reply that night, and decided she would. There was no harm in coffee. 'Unless it was too hot and burned her tongue!' She laughed to herself, mom jokes were her forte, even if her kids didn't agree. She began typing.

'Sure. Bumping into each other for coffee would be alright. I'll look out for you near coffee carts. Good night to you.'

That was an appropriate response, she thought. Then she put her phone back onto her side table, wriggled underneath her quilt and fell into the most relaxing and deep sleep she'd had in weeks.