This chapter is from Alicia's POV. Hope you enjoy! I know it's a lot of characters involved, but over the years they have all played a part in either breaking up or making up the A/W relationship. Thanks for the reviews!

Chapter 3: Resentment

Alicia was on her third glass of wine. She was seated in Eli's office at the Governor's Chicago office waiting on him to get off an important call. After today in the courtroom she didn't know whom else to turn to other than Eli. He used to get on her last nerves when she first met him, but surprisingly over the years he had become a very good friend.

She could hear him mumbling on the phone in a tone that sounded very unlike him. She was used to the sharp with and anxious bantering he would do on the phone with an adversary but this conversation definitely had a different undertone to it.

While she waited she started to think about what happened today at court. It was just a short meeting to present the judge with briefs for an upcoming case but there was something different about the atmosphere… about him.

Will strolled in without his usual over the top haughty ice-cold attitude that she was used to seeing from him; instead he seemed a bit more indifferent. At least when he hated her she could feel like he still cared. Something had changed now and she didn't know what.

He kept his eyes forward the whole 10 minutes they were seated in front of the judge. As they prepared to walk out, he didn't hop up and bolt out like he usually does. He actually paused for a moment to let her walk through first. She looked at him to see if there would be any eye contact and if he would give her any indication of what changed but there was nothing. She walked out slowly in front of him and he made sure to stay a few paces back. She paused at the door to give him an opportunity to catch up before she opened it. For a brief second he was so close to her without touching. She could feel that same electric pull that she felt all too often but she didn't know if he did.

Why should I even care if he did? Alicia said out loud to herself.

"What?" Eli said as he came in just hanging up his phone. Alicia noticed he looked more resigned than usual.

"Nothing I was just talking to myself" she said as she took another sip of wine.

"Long day?"

"The longest"

"Well that makes two of us," Eli said while he poured himself a glass and sat down at the small wooden table next to Alicia.

Alicia was suddenly worried about Eli. She came to talk about her problems or just wallow with someone but she felt that he was the one who actually needed the shoulder to cry on.

"Eli, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Politics finally wearing you down?" They both chuckled softly and continued to drink in silence. They were both lost in their thoughts. Finally Eli spoke up.

"I never once thought there would be a moment when I resented what I do. But now I do. I've been divorced; politics came between my ex and me. But I never resented it, until now."

Eli's words were slow and calculated. Alicia could tell that he felt like he was divulging more than he should. They never really discussed details of his personal life before. She was just used to him running around meddling in her personal affairs for the sake of the campaign.

"What's different now?" she asked, her voice low.

"It's gotten in the way of something I really want. Well, someone."

Eli hurried and took another sip of his drink right after he made the statement.

"Is this about Natalie?"

"Yes."

Natalie Flores had come back to Chicago recently and ended up working with Peter's office for a few weeks. Alicia had a feeling that a couple of years ago Eli had a crush on Natalie, but with all her drama recently she hadn't noticed that there was something between them again.

"I guess it doesn't look well for a Chief of Staff or a possible presidential campaign manager to be in a relationship with the former illegal alien nanny that he helped to expose."

"Oh Eli, I'm so sorry", she said while rubbing his shoulder.

"I was willing to take the leap and work through it but she just didn't want to put her family

through that kind of media scrutiny again. Guess I don't blame her."

Eli finished off his glass of wine and immediately began to pour another.

He paused and then looked directly at Alicia. After a few moments he said, "I guess we all sacrifice the person we really love for the sake of the image right?"

The question which she could only assume was rhetorical, took Alicia off guard. She immediately dropped her hand from Eli's shoulder and turned back around to take another drink.

"Wow, that was like taking a bullet."

"I'm sorry Alicia. I shouldn't have sa—"

"No it's fine." She said cutting off his apology. She thought about whether she should ask the next question but she couldn't help herself. "How is he?"

"He's angry. Hurt. Masks it well but it's there."

"It's weird. I wanted him to not hate me for a long time. But then in my mind I convinced myself that as long as he hated me then at least he cared, that he felt something. When I saw him today, he acted as if…I don't know like it didn't matter anymore."

Eli didn't say much, he seemed like he was thinking long and hard about something. So she continued.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't want him to hurt. That's the last thing I want but I just want him to feel something. I thought that being away from the firm would be a fresh start and I could stop feeling what I felt, but it's only made everything more transparent."

"And how do you feel?" Eli finally chimed in.

"You were right. In your assessment just now. I love him. Life would be easier if I didn't, hell everything would be easier if I didn't but I do love him. I don't know how to cut it off. It hurts worse because I don't think he loves me. I doubt he ever did. It's weird. I don't think I've ever said it out loud before."

Eli took a deep breath, closed his eyes and touched Alicia's hand.

"Alicia, I have to tell you something. Promise me you won't hate me after and promise me you won't tell anyone that it was me that told you."

"Ok Eli you are scaring me. What is it?"

Alicia sat in stunned silence as Eli told her about the voicemail from Will he deleted from her phone those years back while at Peter's press conference. He looked sincerely sorry and completely uncomfortable because he felt a fierce sense of loyalty to Peter. However, he was torn between being both Alicia and Peter's friend. Right now with everything that he was feeling, he felt that Alicia deserved to know the truth.

"Alicia… Alicia?" Eli kept calling her name.

"Hunh?"

She was dazed and confused and still trying to process that not only had Eli been keeping this from her for the past few years but Will had professed his love for her….and then lied about it.

"Alicia, please don't hate me. At the time I just thought it was for the best."

"Best for who?"

"Peter."

"I just don't know what to say. I asked him. I asked him about the voicemail."

"You did? What did he say?"

"He said that on the voicemail he thought I made the right decision by choosing Peter."

"I assure you Alicia. That's not what he said. I'm not sure when you asked him about the voicemail but he probably figured that it was best to not to dig it all back up."

"I can't believe he lied to me," she said in pure astonishment. "I gotta go"

Alicia jumped up immediately and headed for the door. Her sudden movement took Eli off guard.

"Where are you going?" Eli asked.

"It's probably best if I don't tell you." He nodded his understanding.

Alicia ran to her car and headed straight to Gardner & Associates. Knowing Will, he was probably still at work.