I don't own the good wife, sadly or AP shippers would have never have anything to fear...

Again a huge thank you to my AP family and especially Kiki who is helping me with this project.

Peter

Peter was nervous when he rang Alicia's doorbell. He did have a key and could have let himself in but still it didn't seem right, after all he didn't live there anymore, though he had been using the key from time to time when he came over for their "thing" ever since Thanksgiving, to make sure not to wake up the kids with the bell or knocking. Still it was different picking her up for something like this. Why wasn't she opening the door? Had she regretted agreeing to do this, he wondered as minutes passed since he rang the bell.

"Coming." He heard her call from inside. He let out a deep breath; at least she was home and hadn't forgotten about this, though that would be unlike Alicia. Still he felt like a schoolboy picking up his sweetheart for their high school prom. Except Alicia was not his high school sweetheart she was his wife, and he would not expect to get laid by the end of the night like many high schoolboys did at their prom. Actually he would be lucky if he got a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night. Though they were having sex regularly now, the kids would be with them tonight and though they would go home early Veronica was staying in the apartment with Alicia, and he doubted she would go there again, even as badly as she might need it. If he knew Alicia right, as he used to know her, like no one else did, and he was pretty sure he still knew her the best of anyone, Alicia was mostly likely going crazy at the moment trying to escape Veronica.

Nevertheless his palms were sweaty and he felt very unsure how this would play out tonight. They would be expected to dance together and the fact that they came together would make many think they truly were back together, and he had no idea how much Alicia would allow of that at the moment. He wondered briefly if it had been a completely bad idea to get her the present resting in his pocket. She might find it inappropriate; after all he was not her husband in much else than name these days; her lover perhaps but not really much more. Sure they were friendly and they talked, laughed and spend time together, but it wasn't more than sex otherwise. Every try from his side on having a conversation about what they were doing was turned down, and every try on turning it into something more was also rebuffed. She did go to campaign events with him, and smiled and seemed comfortable with it but it didn't mean that tonight would be a given success. It was over two years since they had last been to something like this together, and that time she had spend mostly working, and he had been trying to find donors. Would she run of to work again tonight? He wondered briefly, but didn't have to long to start speculating as she pulled open the door at the same moment.

Peter felt like his jaw had dropped to the floor. Alicia was breathtaking her hair completely pulled back from her face, with not even a single lock resting along her cheeks. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her with her hair up, leaving her neck completely bare. Her make-up was soft, and made her seem more delicate, but at the same time her lips wer highlighted like a temptress's in a red color. But what really made him gasp was the dress. It really was ruby red like she had told Grace a few weeks ago, as his daughter had smilingly told him with a gleam in her eyes. But it was not just red; it was some silky material that almost shined. It seemed like forever since he had last seen her dressed so elegant. To top it off the dress was strapless showing the pale alabaster skin of the top of her cleavage and was in direct contrast to the ruby color of the dress. She looked like a queen more than ever. He was not sure how long he had been standing there gasping like a fish. But he guessed it had been for some time at least, since she cleared her voice and started to seem nervous.

"Is there something wrong? Do you hate the dress?" She asked him nervously, making him shake his head and blink a few times trying to get out of his shocked state of mind.

"No, of course not. You look..." He paused not sure what word would be enough to describe how wonderful she looked, "divine" he finally settled on. He took in the light blush coloring her cheeks, as well as the smile forming on her lips.

"You better come in I am almost done, but I am running a bit late, I got a late verdict in court... and umm yeah had a run in with my mom... it's good you didn't come earlier so you avoided running into her. She left already with David Lee... David Lee... I can't believe her." She started to babble along, he had never known Alicia to be doing much babbling so he guessed he was not the only one nervous, as she stepped aside and let him into the apartment. He wasn't sure if he should follow her as she turned around and went back into her bedroom. He noticed her dress was still not zipped up yet, and he had to close his eyes for a moment because of the rush of arousal running through him only the sight of her bare back, well all the soft looking pale skin of her back. He shouldn't be so easily turned on by her by now, but he was. It took him nothing when it came to her, just one look and he was a goner, and seeing her pale back... That was almost too much. He swallowed and forced himself to look away and think of something else, anything else.

"I just need to put on my shoes and jewelries." she called out to him.

"It's fine." He told, still trying to forget the tempting sight of her pale back, and how easily the dress could be pulled off her, and that she wasn't wearing a bra as he had noticed when he caught a glimpse of her back. And he knew well enough from all the years spend with her that some of those dresses didn't need a bra and even fitted better without because it was a corset top.

"Peter do you think you could please help zip me up? The zipper seems stuck. Please!" She called out. How would he be able to stand touching her like that and not peel the dress of her instead and say screw the party and make love to her all night, but there was no way he would say no either. Anything of her was still so much better than nothing. He walked over to her bedroom; the look on her face was slightly annoyed.

"Of course." he moved over to her, and found the zipper. She was right it was stuck into some of the material of the dress. He carefully pulled it out making sure to not touch her soft milky white skin, just under the tips of his fingers as well as not destroy the material of the dress. He zipped her up, letting his fingers rest for a second on her skin. He felt chills run through him, and felt her shiver as well.

"Thank you." She whispered softly, before she started to move away.

"No problem." he answered. "Alicia..." She turned around and looked at him with a gentle smile.

"Yes?" She asked a bit confused.

"I have something for you." He hesitantly told her.

"For me?" He could see he had confused her further. But he nodded while he pulled the black velvet box out of his pocket and presented it to her. He took in how her face changed from confused to surprise and nervous.

"What is this?" She asked as she took the box.

"Open it" he told her trying to sound confident, he kept his eyes focused on her face as she carefully opened the box and took in what it held. He saw how her eyes first light up and then grew serious.

"It's beautiful." She whispered softly, "But Peter... it's... it's too much." She said as she looked up at him, her eyes a mix of emotions, everything form fear to wonder, to amazement and love.

He swallowed and tried to remember the arguments he had come up with.

"No, Alicia it is not. I mean I haven't gotten you anything for our anniversary for the last 4 years, and you are still my wife. In addition to that I didn't get you a Christmas present last year or this year, and for your birthday I only gave you flowers, not to mention valentine where all you got were flowers too. And I gave you the same when you made partner, and when you did that you deserved so much more. This doesn't even cover all of those things but I wanted to get you something. Please take it as a thank you and an acknowledgment of all that you have done for me and the kids and what you have achieved for yourself," he explained. He could see she was about to object once more.

"Please, let me do this for you, its been 4 years since I gave you anything remotely personal." He begged her. He waited and saw how she looked down at the necklace.

"It's perfect. I have never seen anything this before." She whispered, softly as she ran her fingers over it. "Was this the reason behind Grace's begging, to find out which dress I was wearing?" She suddenly asked as she looked up giving him a piercing gaze.

"I might have asked her to find out." He admitted. "Turn around Alicia." He told her she hesitated for a second before she did it.

He guided her over so she was standing in front of a mirror and stepped up directly behind her once more, their reflexions showing in it. He has to fight the smile starting to form on his lips seeing them like this. He reached around her and picked up the necklace, which he slowly pulled around her neck. Alicia bended her head a little so he could fasten it around her throat. "Perfect," he whispered as the pendant came to rest on her chest just above her cleavage. The ruby in it had the exact same dark red color as her dress, and the diamonds shined and sparked much like her eyes. The single pearl in the creation was what made this exquisite piece of jewelry, so... Alicia. He knew that in many cases she preferred pearls over diamonds and that was why he had insisted that there was at least one pearl as a part of the creation as he had talked with the jewelry store and had it costume made for her.

"It is amazing Peter, so elegant." She whispered slowly, her fingers tracing it lightly.

"It is nothing in comparison to you." He told her in a low hoarse voice, just before his lips brushed over her bare shoulder. He knew he shouldn't do anything like this but she was just too alluring, too radiant, and if he had a hard time holding back before they started sleeping together again it was nothing compared to the internal fight to hold back he was facing now every time his eyes fell upon her now. That moment with her in the bathroom months ago, first kissing him so passionately and then feeling her surround him, once again holding her as she found her sweet release and the kisses and the passion they had shared, had meant so much more for him than he knew it had meant for her and every time since then it made it harder to resist kissing her the second he saw her again, no matter if they were alone or not. Or stop kissing her if he first started, he longed to kiss her all the time. He had a hard time remembering any point where he had wanted her more and longed for more with her than now. Back at Thanksgiving she had confirmed it was about her mother, though he was not sure in which way if it was a rebellion or something more she was proving to him and herself. He wasn't sure what it was about afterwards when she kept up their sex encounters. Lately though she had seemed like she had pulled back a little on the time they spent together such as dinners and helping with his speeches, he wasn't sure what that was about.

He knew she was conflicted about what was happening between them and in the last month sometimes almost seemed nervous around him, like she was hesitating in what she said and did. And he had no idea why she pulled back but he feared it was because she was starting to realize how badly he wanted more and she wasn't ready to give him that.

This was the reason why he quickly pulled back now, knowing she might not react well to this at all. But to his shock she turned around and smiled at him softly.

"Thank you, Peter... I..." She whispered, as she reached up closing the gap between them and pressing her lips against his in a sweet tender kiss. It was way too short for what he would have preferred; he barely had anytime to react. Still feeling her soft lips on his again right now was more than he hoped for and everything he had longed for at the same time. She gave him a soft smile before she reached in again. This time it was far from the innocent one she has just given him. He enjoyed the feeling of her hands on his face and her lips on his. This kiss was similar to those they had shared so many times before, before he went and screwed it all up. He let his arms surround her and held her close to him. The feeling of having her in his arms, pressed against his hard chest, her soft curves molding against him was amazing. He was careful to not speed up the kiss but instead it was kept as a soft exploration of the other, rediscovering this between them. As he grew closer to the edge to give into the need to deepen the kiss, and what was happening right now between them, god how he wanted to peel the dress off her and take her to the bed and make love to her forever or at least for the rest of the night, he broke apart from her, his breathing labored and panting.

"Alicia... I..." he broke off not knowing what to say to her to explain or to apologize he wasn't sure. However it seemed she sensed his uncertainty as she reached up once again and gave him a quick peak on the lips, he guessed it was her way of letting him know she didn't regret the kiss, and wasn't going to freak out about anything. She turned back around and walked over to her vanity table. "I guess I just need to find some earrings that can match." She told him, as she started looking through her jewelry. He watched her fingers halt before picking something up. He couldn't see what it was from where he stood and he was confused by why Alicia had frozen up like that.

"Are you okay?" he worriedly asked her. She nodded and whatever it was she held in her hand, she placed down on the table in front of her, as she found a pair of earring and put them on. She picked up the object she had taken from the box that had made her freeze up and turned to face him. He took in how she was fiddling with her hands and how nervous she seemed, and as she held out her palm to him so he could see what it was.

The round objects resting in her palm made him understand why she suddenly to have grown more nervous. Her eyes were soft and clearly giving him the answer to the question starting to rise in his mind. That perhaps she really was ready for what he had wished, a real second chance for them. Ever since Thanksgiving he had been wondering what it meant to her, what they meant to her, if she truly was willing to maybe try and give them a second try, but he had been to scared to ask her. Fearing he would push her to fast, to hard and make her back off. This however gave him the answer. The one he wanted and had longed to get. This was Alicia's way of saying yes. He took the two pieces of white gold as well as her soft hand. He caressed her hand as he looked into her eyes. He lifted the hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on top of it, before he smiled at her softly as he slowly and carefully sliding the two rings back on her finger where they should be, where her wedding ring had stayed but not the ring. The one he gave her so long ago with a question of spending their life together. That ring hadn't rested there since he turned their life upside down in the worst possible way, more or less destroying the life they had built together, but he knew it would never again be taken off.