What I really wish the case (which I didn't like at all) in 7x02 had given. Even if i hated the plot when it happened, it is one left hanging I still wish had been dealt with.
7x02- Talking Points (Grace and Alicia)
She was half asleep already, when she heard her bedroom door being opened. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and tried to sit up. She noticed Grace slip in and how her daughter moved to crawl up on the other side of her bed and under the covers to her.
"Grace is anything wrong?" She sleepily asked her as she tried to reach for her phone and check the time. The light on the small screen confirming it was past one in the morning.
"Can we talk Mom?" Grace asked her and Alicia laid back down and turned to her daughter holding her arm open so Grace could move closer and hugged her tight.
"Of course... Is something wrong?" She asked slightly worried over her daughter seeking her out like this in the middle of the night, to talk.
"Your case... the one you just finished... Did you really not think it was child pornography?" Grace asked and Alicia swallowed hard.
"I think it might have been at least it was in the gray-area, I even had a witness in who was a convicted of child pornography." She admitted as she caressed Grace hair.
"But you still wanted it as a civil case not a criminal?" Grace asked, and Alicia sighed.
"I wouldn't be paid otherwise... Does it bother you Grace? Would you rather, I hadn't showed you the pictures?" She asked her daughter who shook her head.
"No, it is okay. I am just trying to understand it. I think it bothers me a little... I like it when justice is served." She answered and Alicia stroke her back.
"Sometimes justice comes in unexpected forms." She offered, and could have bitten her tongue off right there.
"Is that your lawyer speech or Mom speech?" Grace joked and Alicia relaxed a little over that her daughter had caught on to what she was doing.
"Lawyer I think... I am sorry Grace... that you are seeing this side of me..." She whispered suddenly worrying over if having Grace work for her really was such a smart idea after all or if it was better if she didn't. Alicia enjoyed having this time with Grace, and getting to know her daughter this way, having a bond with her over this. She secretly hoped it would inspire Grace to go to law school someday. Because though Grace had said she wanted to years ago things had changed and she sometimes wondered if Grace still aspired to go to law school, but working with her like this, gave Alicia hope that she did.
"It is okay Mom, I know it isn't really you, just the job part of you... Like the politician isn't really Dad, just a part of him. I like seeing it actually... How could I ever live up to the two of you if you were completely perfect and good at everything." Grace joked and Alicia swallowed hard.
"Oh Grace... you don't need to live up to us... we are so far from perfect... Has that been worrying you?" She asked and got a little shrug from Grace, that made her pull her in tighter.
"Not really, just sometimes... it is a pretty big set of shoes I have to fill: Zach goes to Georgetown, My dad is Governor running for president, and my mom a famous brilliant lawyer. I am worried I will disappoint." She admitted and Alicia felt her throat grow tighter.
"You will never disappoint us Grace, never." She offered and for a few minutes neither of them said anything else.
"Do you want to stay in here tonight?" Alicia offered. Though it had been years since either of her childen slept inside her room and in her bed. It would maybe be nice for once to have Grace do it again.
"May I?" Grace asked, and Alicia smiled to herself, at least she could maybe pretend her daughter was a little girl for a night, instead of the grown up woman she had to get used to these days.
"Of course. Are you alright Grace?" She asked as she wondered if this had been all that troubled her daughter's mind.
"There is something I think I should tell you Mom, something of years ago... but you have to promise not to get mad at me or Zach!" Grace whispered and Alicia stiffened. This didn't sound good. The last secret she had learned of her children's were of the abortion Nisa had with Zach's child. Yet she had no doubt Grace wouldn't tell her if she didn't promise.
"I promise!" She sighed, feeling like she would regret it but what else could she really do. She also didn't want to scare Grace off from confronting in her.
"A couple of years ago... someone hacked my webcam." Grace mumbled as Alicia blinked tired and confused over why that was suddenly weighting on her daughter's mind.
"Okay?" She asked, as she realized she had no idea where this was going.
"Can you remember when you thought the firm was spying on you and Cary? It was really about me." Grace admitted making Alicia feel even more confused.
"What do you mean Grace? I thought it was hacked while I was on?" She asked Grace who sighed.
"No, or well I don't know about that... it wasn't the point... it was about filming me..." She whispered softly, making Alicia sure there was something Grace wasn't being upfront about.
"Grace, why did they hack your webcam? I am not sure I understand it completely. Speak to me like I am not supposed to know everything." Alicia requested, as she stroke Grace's back gently and felt her daughter hug her closer.
"They filmed me while I undressed Mom, and uploaded it online for people to pay to view." Grace whispered softly making Alicia gasp for her breath. In a matter of seconds she had sat up and turned on the light to be able to see Grace's face. Her daughter's eyes troubled, worried and with a hint of fear in them and a glimmer of tears.
"Grace, what are you saying?" She asked breathless, as she filed with worry over what it was her daughter basically told her.
"It is alright Mom, Zach handled it. It was someone from school, but I just... the case... it made me think about it, and decide I was ready to tell you." Grace explained in a small voice making Alicia feel even worse. Her daughter hadn't felt ready to tell her until now? Had she really been a that terrible mother that Grace hadn't thought she could tell her this?
"Grace you can always tell me things... especially things like this... I want to know. Why didn't you tell me?" She asked and got a small shrug from Grace.
"Because we handled it, and we didn't want to worry you or dad. You had so much going on in your life." She whispered as Alicia reached to pull her into a hug.
"No, matter what is going on in our lives, we are never to busy to listen to you guys... I know it seems like it sometimes, and we might seem to close off... but you can always talk to us. And you should have about something like this. Grace what he did was a crime." She stated and got a confused look from Grace.
"I thought you would be able to understand it a bit better now with your case. I didn't want a big drama out of it. If he was charged or something everyone would suddenly know. I just wanted it to go away..." She whispered and Alicia closed her eyes as she swallowed hard. She tried to calm down the feelings all of this stirred in her.
"Grace... these pictures or movies of you, are likely still out there. People could find them, the press could find them, and it would be a drama anyway." Alicia explained softly as she stroke Grace's hair.
"But it hasn't happened yet, so maybe it won't? I mean it didn't happen last year while you ran for office..." Grace argued and Alicia swallowed again. It was true, they hadn't even found it in her oppo research, which she was rather upset to learn now they hadn't. They were meant to protect her and her family and they had sat in her living-room and told her Grace was good to go.
Well this wasn't her daughter's fault, but it was still stuff about her. Stuff they should have found out so she could have prepared for it. She would have to yell at Eli for that one tomorrow. And he wasn't the only one she would have to talk to about this. The other would be incredible much harder. To tell Peter about this wouldn't be fun. She wouldn't be surprised if she learned later he had CIA or someone like that capture the guy who did this and shipped him to Guantanamo, if that was even possible as a governor. She at least knew he would go full on political power on that person. Something which both worried her and made her glad, that this man or boy at least would get what he deserved for having done this to Grace.
"Grace, I ran for office locally, your dad is running for president... I am glad you told me now, but we do need to take action on this. And we need to tell your father." She explained making Grace stiffen up.
"Please Mom, you can't... I just... I didn't tell you to make a mess out of things..." Grace whispered and Alicia sighed.
"I know Grace but it doesn't change things... We still need to tell Dad... I will talk to him tomorrow... you don't have to be there... I am glad you told me... but you need to let us handle this... we are talking about a crime..." Alicia explained to her and felt how tense Grace had become.
"I just want it to be forgotten again, Mom... I shouldn't have told you... and it would all have been fine..." She whispered as Alicia closed her eyes. She knew what her daughter meant, after all she had pushed back telling Grace and Zach so much because it might never come out, it might be forgotten if it wasn't spoken about.
"I know Grace... but such things... they... they always come back, when we don't want them to." Alicia explained and felt Grace sigh.
"Don't be sorry for telling me, Grace... I am glad you told me... I wish you had told me back when it happened, but I understand why you didn't. I just wish you had." Alicia explained and felt Grace's soft nod.
"I couldn't Mom, I was embarrassed, and confused, and worried." Grace admitted softly.
"You had nothing to be embarrassed about Grace, you didn't do anything wrong. Someone did something wrong to you." Alicia explained and got a little sigh out of Grace.
"Do you really need to tell Dad?" She asked and Alicia felt her lips twist while she also felt a bit sad over the meaning behind Grace's words and her worry.
"I do... it will be alright... he won't blame you either... he will hate the one who did this but not you." Alicia explained and felt Grace sigh, and took it to mean okay. After all what else was there to say to this.
She didn't personally look forward on having to tell Peter this tomorrow, but it had to be done. She knew he would wish they had known this years ago as well, just like she did. That he would also wonder what they had done to make their kids keep things this serious from them. At least Grace had told her on her own compared to Zach and Nisa's abortion. But it still made her wonder where she had gone wrong as a parent to have her children keep such secrets from her.