Sorry this took so long and ends so quickly. I had some family stuff happen last week that I needed to deal with. Thank you all for the kind reviews! You don't know how much they mean! PS: The Sophie thing is kind of a mess up on my part. I started the story and could not remember what Will's sisters' names were and then I kind of got attached to Sophie and here we are.

This chapter serves two purposes. The first is to introduce Sophie to some key characters that will come into play in the future and the second is to explain what should have happened in New York. ;)

Again, I own nothing.

/

Will was setting the table for dinner when he heard his phone ping with a text message. His sister, Sophie, grabbed the phone before he could. "What are you waiting for, big brother?" She asked in a sing-song voice.

"Nothing. None of your business."

"Then I guess you won't mind if I read this text message out loud…"

"Sophie. Give me my phone. Stop."

Sophie relented, handing Will his phone.

Will quickly keyed in his pass code, seeing that the message was from Diane regarding their trial the next day. He set his phone down, disappointed. His sister could read the expression on his face and thought it best not to say anything. "Why don't you go get Bea ready to eat?" She asked, hoping to get his mind off the subject, which she assumed could only be one thing…or person.

They ate dinner with quiet chatter coming and going. Bea was still exhausted from their day at the park and was not her usual talkative self. Will was glad. He was not in the mood for silliness and he didn't want to snap at his niece. The rest of the night passed quietly.

The next morning, Will woke early to go for a run. After five miles, he returned home to find his sister was awake and making pancakes.

"Hey," she said. "I'm making breakfast."

"I see. I'm going to take a shower."

Sophie noticed he was back to his solemn behavior. She knew he was in pain. She knew what it felt like to have someone fill your heart with love like helium in a balloon and then pop it with the simple prick of a pin. She wished there was something she could do.

Will emerged from his room, dressed in a neat suit, briefcase in hand. He grabbed a pancake with a paper napkin in his other hand as he walked towards the door. "I'll probably be late; don't wait for me with dinner."

"Bea wants to know if we can bring you lunch."

"I don't know when I'll be back in the office. It probably won't be until after 2."

"That's fine. We'll see you then! Love you!" She kissed him on the cheek.

Will left, thinking about how his sister had become so much like their mother lately. He kind of liked it. William Gardner liked having someone taking care of him…not that'd he'd ever admit it.

He took the elevator to the underground parking lot. Getting into his car, he heard his phone go off. He sat down in the car and pulled his phone out of his breast pocket. It was a text…from Alicia. If it was possible for your stomach to actually drop into your shoes, it would have happened to Will at that exact moment.

Fumbling, nervous, Will opened the message. It was succinct, as messages from her always were.

"Sorry. Had kids last night. Fell asleep early. This week?"

Their entire relationship had been defined by bad timing. He began to wonder if they'd ever have good timing; if they'd ever want the same thing at the same time and be able to have it. Will threw the car into drive and sped out of the parking lot.

Sophie sat on the balcony outside his loft, sipping hot coffee and enjoying the quiet before the storm woke up. She felt curiously at peace. Maybe things were getting better. Easier. Her mind drifted to the past; before Bea, before marriage.

She was eight or nine years old. Will was away at Georgetown for law school. She remembered being so excited that he was coming home for a break. She came home from school that day and changed into the Georgetown sweatshirt he had sent her. She waited at the top of the stairs, keeping her sentry post for what felt like hours, declining dinner, denying the sleepiness that was overtaking her eyelids. When he finally came home, he had a girl with him. Sophie became so enraged that she didn't speak to him the entire time he was there. This was supposed to be her time with her big brother. She didn't see him that often because he was always at school. She had made plans for them. They were going to play baseball and go to the movies and ride in his convertible.

Sophie now realized that her anger was misplaced. She didn't have a right to be angry that Will had disregarded the plans he didn't even know about. His sister also recalled that the girl had dark hair and creamy skin. "Holy shit," she thought to herself. "It was Alicia. All this time, it's been her."

Still in a state of reminiscence, Sophie thought about how Will reacted to her snub that weekend. He kept trying to talk to her. He offered her the world and all she wanted was his time. Alicia left after a day and they could have spent the rest of the time together but by that point Sophie had dug herself a pit of resentment and she was not going to climb out.

It was always like this. Sophie always expected things of people that they couldn't give her, mostly because she didn't ask for them. She was mature enough to accept her faults.

"Love is strange", she said out loud to no one.

"What is strange, Mama?" she heard a voice call.

Sophie laughed. "Everything."

Bea immediately found the pancakes and buzzed through the rest of the morning. Sophie got Bea dressed and grabbed her laptop. They headed to the park around the block from Will's apartment. Bea played easily with the other children and Sophie sat under a tree and worked on her latest project. She was writing a memoir about her time as a travelling music journalist. She hadn't wanted to do that at all but conceded when she saw the first advance the day after she'd gotten legally divorced. The money would help them start over and that's all she really wanted.

The girls returned to the apartment and ate a quick lunch. Then Sophie asked if Bea wanted to see where Uncle Will worked. Bea responded with an enthusiastic nod of her head.

Entering the office, Sophie looked around for her brother. Someone stopped her and asked if they could help.

"I'm looking for my brother, Will Gardner. He said he'd be back around 2."

"Oh, okay. He just returned. His office is that way." The man pointed down the hall, towards an office with a glass wall.

Sophie grabbed Bea's hand and they headed toward the office. An intimidating woman with short blonde hair and a gorgeous pearl necklace stopped them.

"Hello."

"Hi," Sophie replied brightly.

"Who…are you?" The woman asked, fearlessly.

"Oh, I'm Sophie Gardner."

The woman relaxed a bit. "Will's sister? I'm Diane, one of the partners."

"It's nice to meet you!"

"You too. Who is this?" Diane asked as she moved her gaze down about two feet.

"I'm Beatrice Gardner Salerno." The child stuck out her right hand. Diane, without a second thought, reached down to shake it.

"Well, Hello! If you don't tell your uncle, I'll show you where the candy is."

Bea looked up at her mother who nodded with permission. The little girl and the fierce woman walked away. Sophie walked into her brother's office.

"Delivery." She placed a paper bag on his desk.

Will looked up and offered a half-smile. "Thanks, where's Bea?"

Sophie turned and pointed to Diane's office where the two were meticulously choosing a piece of candy.

"She's some kind of magic," Sophie said proudly.

"Yes, she is. I've never seen Diane with a kid before."

"This seems to be a week of firsts."

Diane returned Bea to Will's office and walked away, leaving Bea with a wink. Bea held out her hand and showed her mother and uncle her spoils. She smiled sweetly at her mother, batting her eyelashes.

Sophie could not resist. "Just one piece."

Just then, a woman with jet black hair, sienna skin, and knee high leather boots came in the office. "Will, the Pattersons are her e to see you."

"Thanks, Kalinda. I'll be right in." He turned to his sister and said, "Sorry, I'm really busy this week."

Sophie smiled sweetly and said, "It's okay, we just wanted to bring you lunch."

Will stood and walked towards the door, stopping to tenderly kiss the top of Bea's head, as well as his sister's.

As Sophie and Bea left the office, they ran into Kalinda again, literally. Bea was talking about how she wanted to be a lawyer, or maybe a unicorn, when she was 27 and she walked right into Kalinda's legs.

"Shit—sorry. Sorry."

The woman answered, in a soft British accent, "Don't worry about it. Are you related to Will?"

"I'm his sister, Sophie, and this is my daughter Beatrice."

"I think I've seen pictures. I should get going. See you later."

Kalinda she walked away briskly. Bea reached up and took her mother's hand. They exited the office, swinging their arms.

The rest of the week went by quietly. Will was busy with work. Sophie and Bea did their best to stay out of his way. They spent a lot of time at the park and the library. These were places Sophie could work and Bea could play. Sophie felt guilty that Bea was missing out on preschool this year and made a point to research schools in the area.

/

At the end of the week, Will had a conference in New York City. He left early Thursday morning before either of the girls had woken up. He was never good at goodbyes, no matter how long they were for.

When he arrived at his hotel in the city, he opened his suitcase to find a stack of Bea's artwork. They had written him cards. Will picked up one off the top. It had a picture, obviously drawn by Bea, and his sister's neat handwriting. It read, "Dear Uncle Will, have fun in New York. Bring me a present. Please. I love you—Bea." At the bottom of the page, he noticed his sister had added her own note. "Will—Make good choices. ;)"

Will might have mentioned that not only was Lockhart/Gardner going to be at the conference but Florrick/Agos would be as well. His sister might have giggled like a little girl at this. Her brother was named one of Chicago's most eligible bachelors but he gave his heart away a long time ago and Sophie loved the idea of Will and Alicia being together.

In Chicago, Sophie and Bea resumed their newly formed routine: get up, eat breakfast, get dressed, go to the library, eat lunch, take a nap, go to the park, eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed. It seemed a little mundane when she thought about it but that's exactly what they needed.

While at the conference, Will had run into Alicia a few times. Their meetings were brief and distant. His spurt of candidness was spurned by reality and responsibility. However, his last night in New York, Will was again struck with a streak of recklessness.

It all started when that familiar face was seated at the table next to him in a crowded diner on his last night in the city. His heart leapt into his throat so hard he thought it would come out of his nose. As much as he wanted to keep up the cool and distant demeanor he had put on around her, when he saw her, he thought of that day at the park. He saw the way she relaxed, letting her hair blow imperfectly around her face. He thought of the impulsive text message he sent her that night. He wanted to be angry, oh, did he wish he could be angry around her but as soon as she walked by and the delicate scent of her perfume hit his nose, all the anger and contempt went out the diner door.

"Hey," she said coolly.

Will stared at his plate, wishing there was more liquid courage in his glass. "Long time, no see."

"Funny how I keep running into you-funny how timing works." Alicia said, her voice decrescent.

They kept their distance, making polite but reserved conversation. Will wanted to say something, to grab her hand, to move into the chair next to her, but he restrained himself. His restraint exhibited as disinterest.

Alicia leaned over and whispered, "What the hell is wrong with you? Last week, you were introducing me to your family and asking me to dinner and now you barely look at me."

"To be fair, my family introduced themselves to you. I had no part in that and as far as asking you to dinner, maybe I was drunk. Maybe I was stupid."

She scoffed. "Bull. Shit. Will, you forget I know you. I can tell when you're holding something back and I can tell you for a fact that right now you are holding back."

Will stood up briskly. He walked away from the table without saying a word, knowing that if he did, he would lose it. He would say everything he wanted to say in the last two years and William Paul Gardner had more self respect than that…or so he thought.

He walked to the cash register and paid both his and Alicia's tab. The hostess asked, "Do you want me to tell her who paid for it?"

"Just tell her I'm in room 203," Will said brusquely. He resisted the urge to turn and look at her and rushed out the door. His undisciplined side was showing itself more and more often lately.

/

Sophie was thankful for summer breaks from school that night. Her friend Sara called and asked her to meet for drinks and Sophie needed a break. Luckily, Will's neighbors were home and willing to sit at the apartment with Bea while she went out.

Sophie walked in the bar and spotted her friend. "Hot damn, am I glad to see someone who doesn't need help going potty or tying their shoes."

Sara laughed. "Well, you certainly know how to make a girl feel good about herself."

The women spent the night laughing and drinking, drinking and reminiscing, dancing and drinking. Ordinarily, Sophie would hear Will's voice in the back of her head. She'd feel the devil sitting on her shoulder. Recklessness was running rampant in the Gardner family and for once, Sophie welcomed it.

/

In his hotel room, Will poured himself a drink. He sat down on the couch. He got up. He took his jacket off. He paced. He sat down on the bed. He got up. He paced. His mind raced. Would she show up? What would he say? Would he be able to maintain restraint? Did he want to?

His spinning head was interrupted by a knock at the door. His palms were soaking wet by the time he grabbed the handle.

There she was, Alicia Florrick, in all her glory, at his hotel room door.

"Will Gardner. I don't know what the hell this is about but I swear that you are the most confusing, infuriating person I have ever met."

He put his hand on her face. Her eyes widened and she started to say something. His mouth reached hers before the sound escaped. At first, she stiffened. She didn't kiss him back. He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. She sighed with her whole body and leaned into him, conceding. When he kissed her, he tasted anger and regret and resentment. When she kissed back, he tasted only desire.

He led her into the hotel room, never losing contact. Will's hands tried to make up for lost time while his mouth found the places it had once loved. She was even better than he remembered. They fell onto the bed. They had both waited too long for this.

When he awoke, he looked at the clock. 3:42. His limbs were tangled in Alicia's. He felt her breath on his chest. Perfect timing, he said quietly.