Will

As he stood at the edge of his kitchen, he watched as her face moved from calm to anger. He knew he was about to face a wrath. As soon as he had seen her his mind had been made up. It was all going to end.

"What am I doing here? Here in our apartment you mean? The apartment where you were supposed to be? How about you tell me why you weren't here? And then I'll tell you why I am". She fixed him with a glare that should have made him fearful, but all he felt was fed up. Fed up of wasting his time, fed up of doing what he thought was right instead of what he really wanted to do.

"Tammy I can't do this".

Her face fell. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it wasn't that. He expected her to scream, to shout, maybe to throw things, but what he hadn't been expecting was laughter. It was the hysterical kind, the kind you do when you're in shock. He contemplated speaking to try and drag her out of her craze, but he decided to ride it out; to let her work through it on her own. The laughter halted as suddenly as it began and she stared at him.

"It's Alicia right? That's where you were all night? You're letting her fool you again?"

"I'm not leaving you for Alicia; she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore". She laughed again, but this time it was more condescending than hysterical.

"So in other words, you want her but she said no? She told you she heard me talking about her in the bathroom didn't she?"

"She heard you?"

The confusion in Wills question was clear, and he could tell by the look that came across Tammy's face and the silence that seemed to fall over her that she regretted mentioning it. Multiple scenarios entered his mind and then it all fell into place. It was her fault that Alicia knew about what he had done. It was her fault that Alicia hated him. It was her fault that the love of his life was broken once again.

"You told her didn't you? How could you Tam"

"Well first of all it wasn't on purpose, she overheard us. And secondly you need to get over it Will; you need to get over her".

Will contemplated his answer before finally speaking, "We're done. You can keep the apartment, I don't like it anyway. And I'll get my stuff picked up tomorrow. I don't love you Tam. I'm not sure if I ever did. And you deserve someone who can love you".

He turned and headed to his bedroom to collect some items that he needed for the night. As he made his way to the door his mind spun. He was leaving. He felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. As he sat his hand down on the door knob ready to leave, he heard her parting statement;

"She's going to break your heart again Will. And you know she will, because that's what she does. And this time, I won't be there to pick up the pieces".

He didn't turn around. He opened the door and walked straight out. He knew he had made the right decision, there was no doubting that. He knew his old apartment hadn't been sold yet and had already decided that he would sort that out as soon as the sun rose. He realised that living with the ghost of Alicia everyday wasn't as bad as he once thought; it was all he had now.

Alicia

She woke up to the loud buzz of the alarm she had forgotten to turn off. She felt arms draped over her waist and knew immediately that they belonged to Grace. Her head was spinning. She was furious with Peter and pissed at Kalinda but she was disappointed in Will and in many ways that was worse. She realised that Will had no reason to be honest with her in the last year, they weren't together, and they weren't even friends but there was no reason for him not to be honest about it during their relationship or for that matter, after their relationship ended. All she could think about is how she was so hurt when she had to end things with Will ... Peter had changed, she had to give him and her marriage another chance and Will had all these solutions that would have set her free and he kept them to himself. She wasted more of her life trying to save a marriage that in reality had ended over a decade beforehand. That's what hurt the most.

Leaving Grace in her bed, she started to organise herself for the day ahead, first taking a shower. In her mind she had already created a schedule for her day. First on the list, was a visit to Peter. Once upon a time, there was nothing she hated more than driving out to her old home and seeing the man she once loved so truly and so deeply, starting a new family in what was once her haven. But now? Now all she felt was regret. Regret for letting him fool her into thinking they had created the perfect life for their family in that home. By the time she was showered, dressed and ready it was still only 8am. She sat in the kitchen, her fingers tapping rhythmically at the island. She went over and over what she wanted to say. Every now and then her thoughts drifted to Will; as they often did. What was he doing now? Was he awake yet? Did he sleep last night? Is he holding Tammy right now? She felt a pang of jealousy at the last thought and quickly tried to regain focus whilst thinking "you're mad at Will, you're mad at Will, you're mad at Will".

Maybe if she thought it enough, she would remember to believe it.

"Mom? I could hear you thinking from your room".

Alicia was saved from her thoughts of Will by her daughter. She hated how the roles had been reversed and she felt like her 18 year old was the one looking after her. But there would never be words grand enough to explain how much it truly meant to her. Her daughter was grown up. And soon she'd be leaving for college just as Zach had. Then she'd be alone. Just her and her firm. It crossed her mind briefly how she hadn't even considered factoring Finn into the equation.

"Sorry if I woke you sweetie. I'm going to see your father. Clear the air a bit. Movies and popcorn when I get back?" She knew that the only thing that would calm her after a heated conversation would be the company of her daughter.

"Sure mom. And give Dad hell. I know I don't know everything, but I know he hurt you. So don't worry about anything but yourself for a bit okay? I want you to be happy mom".

She smiled at her little girl, reminding herself that she wasn't so little anymore. She was grown up. When did that happen? And how could she make it stop? The idea of both of her children not needing her any more was terrifying.

She took a deep breath, grabbed her coat and walked out the door.

She pulled up outside the still beautiful house where the memories of her children growing up resided. Peter's car was sat in its usual spot on the driveway. She didn't bother to phone him and warn him of her arrival, she didn't want to give him time to prepare. She knew he would be home because he made a point of never working Sundays. She believed it was to fool the voters into thinking he really was a religious man who attended church every Sunday although he denied this any time she asked him about it. She was fully aware that Marilyn would be there playing house in a home that would never truly be hers – but it didn't faze her. She was really starting to believe that with all the curveballs life had thrown at her, nothing could really throw her off her game anymore. She laughed to herself at the baseball reference, knowing that Will would have appreciated it. She chastised herself, remembering quickly how she was still supposed to be angry with him;

"You're mad at Will".

Walking down the driveway and up the steps to the front door still felt so familiar to her. It still felt like going home. Some of her happiest memories happened within this home and that was never going to change. As she knocked the door, it crossed her mind that this would probably be the last time she would ever be in this house. She heard heavy footsteps heading in the direction of the door and was relieved immediately that Peter was the one approaching. She wasn't intimidated by Marilyn in the slightest, but she didn't want to deal with her today. When he opened the door, the shock of seeing his ex wife on his door step was written all over his face. He stepped back as if studying her appearance, trying to guess the nature of her visit.

"Alicia? Hi ... It's not that it's not pleasant to see you on a Sunday morning, but what are you doing here?"

"I have some things I'd like to discuss with you". He seemed confused and unsure, but opened the door further and let her walk past him and into the house. She didn't stop for him to lead her in. She marched straight in to the living room feeling his presence following behind her. As she turned to face him, she didn't feel anger, she felt calm. She wasn't going to argue with him. She wasn't going to ask questions and demand truth; she was going to end it. He gestured for her to sit but she remained standing.

"You know when we divorced, people told me that losing your name and renaming my firm would ruin our reputation. But you know what? It actually made us stronger. Losing our connection to you, made more clients run to us. I think removing you from my life will have the same effect. Our children are grown. You don't need to speak to me about them anymore. So that kind of means that there's no reason for me to have to smile and pretend that I can actually stand having you around me. We can exchange civil nods and hellos at events, but that's all our relationship will be from now on".

She felt calm...

Until she looked at his face to find him smirking.

"Oh come on Alicia be serious. This isn't the first time I've heard a speech like this".

"But it's the last time you'll hear one like it from me. You had me fooled for so long. I thought you were the love of my life, how wrong was I? When I found out about the hookers, I was devastated. When I found out about Kalinda, I was angry. When I found out about Marilyn, I was still angry. When I found out that you started your multiple affairs when I was pregnant with Grace I was devastated and furious and humiliated".

She stopped and stared at him, not allowing herself to look at the ground or appear weak.

"That's ancient history, it happened over 10 years ago for god's sake"

"What I don't feel like you're grasping is that I only just found out Peter, this isn't happening all those years ago for me, it's happening right now". Before giving him a chance to answer, she continued on her tirade. "I don't feel like you are a man capable of change. No matter how much animosity I feel toward Marilyn, I hope for her sake that you grow the hell up. Your actions have consequences Peter. You have children who love you, and with every fuck up, they're pulling further away. Sort yourself out, or all you're going to have in life is your precious governorship ... and your mother".

She didn't wait for an answer and she didn't turn when he called her name but she did pause – for a fraction of a second – when she walked out of the room and found Marilyn sat on the bottom step of the staircase after probably listening to their whole conversation. Alicia offered her a nod, getting a nod and a small smile in return, before exiting the house for what she was certain was the last time.

When she got home, Grace was already set up on the sofa. There was pizza, wine, popcorn and movies. It was exactly what she needed. She threw down her coat and keys, kicked off her shoes and curled up next to Grace.

For the rest of the day, she had no worries. She had no loser ex husband, no work stress, no sort of boyfriend she had to worry about, and definitely no ex lover who she couldn't stop thinking about.

"You're mad at Will, you're mad at Will, you're mad at Will".

Will

He was vaguely aware that someone was calling his name. He wasn't ready to wake up but when he opened his eyes and got his bearings, he remembered he was sleeping in his office. He turned his head slightly and made eye contact with a concerned, but stern looking Diane.

"Will what on earth are you doing? It's 7am on a Monday morning, why are you already here?"

He considered telling he came in early for a case, but thought better of it. At the moment, she was one of the only friends he had and he had no reason to jeopardise that.

"Actually, I've kind of been here since very early Sunday morning ... after I had a huge blow out with Alicia and then ended my relationship with Tammy. I gave her the apartment, so while I work on getting my old one back, this was the only place I knew to go".

He watched Diane's expressions change considerably. He didn't want her sympathy or her pity but he appreciated her just for listening.

"You could have stayed with me and Kurt. But that's ... interesting information". He could tell she wanted to say more, but tried to control herself.

"Yeah ... interesting is the perfect word but I'm not one to dwell. So what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well actually Will, I was going to ask you to take my case this morning, I'm double booked". He'd already decided he was going to do it, anything to get him out of his office, but then she continued talking "it's against Finn Polmar..."

"Oh".

He didn't want to go up against him. Not so soon after everything that had happened with Alicia. He didn't want to be in court thinking about his opposition with the woman he loved. It almost made him feel queasy. But he agreed to do it. Diane gave him the keys to her apartment in the city so he could go and clean himself up before heading to court. As he was organising himself to leave, Kalinda was at his door. He wasn't sure if she knew what had happened. He didn't know how she would know, but that never seemed to stop Kalinda.

"Diane said you're taking over her case and I should offer assistance. She also said you argued with Alicia and broke up with Tammy ... so if you need assistance with that I can help out there too".

She sat on his couch and opened her notebook. He went straight for the jugular.

"So you slept with Peter Florrick".

She laughed. Will assumed it was not in a "ha-ha" way, but in a "this is none of your business" way, which is why he was surprised when she responded.

"I'm coming to the conclusion that you and Alicia discussed a hell of a lot. But yes. I did sleep with Peter. No, I'm not telling you why. Yes, that is why Alicia and I lost touch for a while and no, it wasn't an on-going affair. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly before answering, "Yes". He considered his words before continuing to talk "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you may have more issues to come in your relationship with Alicia. She knows that I asked you to look into Peter".

"Ah. It's all so clear now. She left me a voicemail asking if we could talk sometime".

"Sorry K. Blame it all on me. I did ask you to do it after all".

"Yeah but I could have said no. It's fine Will. I can handle myself. Now go clean up, you look like crap. I'll meet you at court in 2 hours and catch you up". With that, she stood and left the room. He was almost surprised, he had expected more of a reaction ... and then he remembered who he was talking to. Collecting his belongings, he left the office and headed to Diane's.

He got to court as close to the start time as possible. He assumed this would mean less time to make idle chit chat with Finn. After grabbing snippets of information from Kalinda, he entered the courtroom and took his seat, immediately pulling Finns attention.

"Will? I was expecting Diane. Not that I mind, she scares me a bit" Will watched as he laughed to himself before continuing. "Sorry I had to leave early Saturday, duty calls. Alicia said she left not long after me so I guess it worked out okay".

Will decided to feign innocence; after all he was unaware of what Alicia had told Finn. This was his chance to find out how close they really were.

"Yeah I saw her leave, she looked a bit flustered, everything okay there?"

"Oh yeah of course, she just felt ill and wanted to get home. She'll actually be here eventually, she wants to get lunch".

The judge came in then, which meant an end to their conversation. Wills mind was spinning. She hadn't told him the truth, so she obviously didn't care that much about him right? But she wanted to see him for lunch so she obviously still enjoyed his company.

He was doing well. The judge was on his side and it seemed like the jury was too. He knew that he was trying hard because he was anticipating her arrival. He knew that she always loved watching him in court. He knew it was wrong, he knew she had moved on, but he also knew that however much she wanted to deny it, she loved him.

After an hour, the door opened and he stilled for a fraction of a second as his witness spoke. He didn't turn around because he knew one look at her would make him crumble. But he knew it was her. He was accustomed to the sound of her heels against the floor. He felt a thrill that he only ever felt whilst in her presence. He used it to fuel his passion to win.

Alicia

She was taken back when she entered the courtroom but as much as she hated to admit it, she was pleased to see Will at the defence table instead of Diane. It had been too long since she'd been able to just admire how he worked. Ever since Georgetown, the power he was able to hold over a courtroom did things to her that she couldn't explain. It had once intimidated her. But she was still always in awe.

Since their last conversation, she had thought of hardly anything but him; something that hadn't gone unnoticed by her daughter.

"Mom? Are you happy?"

The question had taken her by surprise due to the fact that it had come out of the blue but even more so because she had no idea how to answer the seemingly simple question.

"I'm happy with you. And I'm happy with work".

"But what about when I go to college? Me and Zach were talking earlier, we don't want you to be alone Mom. We want you to be happy".

She felt overwhelmed. Once again her daughter was proving how grown up and remarkable she had become.

"I know you're angry with Will, but is it fixable? Because he was so concerned when he got here the other day and when he saw you in the shower, he looked so sad. I think he might be in love with you, mom"

Alicia smiled to herself thinking about how sharp her daughter was.

"I think you might be right sweetie. But me and Will ... there's a whole lot of stuff going on there. It's tricky".

"It's only tricky when you make it tricky".

She had to stop herself from laughing in court. She loved her daughter. She loved how it was her concern during that conversation that had made her realise that she needed to finish whatever she had with Finn. She knew it was never a long time thing. It was still going to hurt, but she knew it wasn't going to be heartbreaking. Her world wasn't going to stop turning, and she probably wouldn't cry. But it didn't mean that her time with Finn had been meaningless. He had put her back together after Peter had broken her. Just as Will had years before.

She had completely lost track of what was happening. Will was still questioning his witness. As wrong as it was, her eyes were hungrily scanning his body. She was relieved to be able to sit, unnoticed and think about him in a way she had been stopping herself from doing for too long. She was attuned to his every movement and concentrated on every step, which is why when he turned in her direction and made eye contact before taking his seat; she couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. She quickly tried to disguise it, but she knew he'd already seen it as he sent her a small, confused but happy smile in return.

She was in love with him. She hated him. She hated him so, so much, but she loved him. She thought about his closing statement 2 days previous;

"I'm never going to stop loving you Alicia Cavanaugh. There's no one else. And if you ever find a way to forgive me, I'm still going to be here because there's no amount of time that could erase how I feel about you".

In that moment she knew she felt exactly the same. Nothing he had done, or anything he could ever do, would ever make her stop loving him. She didn't know how it would work, or even if she would do anything about it at all, but she knew that she loved him.

Half an hour later, when she was entering the coffee house with Finn, she was completely sure of her decision. She gave the usual generic explanations. She explained how happy he had made her and how pleased she was to have spent so much time with him. She wasn't surprised when he was completely gracious about the whole situation.

"You don't have to explain Alicia. We had a great time together. And I feel blessed to have been allowed in your life. Go get what you want now okay?"

"Excuse me?"

She watched as a sly smile spread across his face "Will". She felt certain that a violent red blush had spread across her face. He knew? Of course he did.

"I can't. There's too much water under the bridge. It's too hard". He looked thoughtful for a minute before laughing to himself.

"You can waste your life drawing lines, or you can live your life crossing them ... You think you have forever but you don't. You never think the last time is the last time. The only remedy for that is to take chances. Take risks. Playing it safe is easy; it's the risks that will change your life".

Alicia laughed quietly. "That was incredibly profound Finn. Straight out of a movie".

"Okay don't laugh at me but I'm pretty sure I quoted a lot of that straight out of Grey's Anatomy".

She raised an eyebrow at him before laughing again.

"Seriously Alicia, take the chance. You deserve to be happy more than anyone else I know".

She stood, walked to his side of the table and placed a soft kiss on his lips before pulling him into a deep hug. "You're an amazing man Mr Polmar. Don't be a stranger? Please? I couldn't bear it".

"Of course not. And besides, I still get the pleasure of getting my ass handed to me by you in court"

"Thank you Finn, really ... thank you". With that, she gathered her belongings and left the coffee shop.

Before she really knew what she was doing, she was outside the all too familiar building. She could feel her heartbeat increasing. She walked the familiar steps, saw the familiar surroundings. With each step she knew she was closer to where she truly wanted to be. Stepping out of the lift she felt multiple eyes land on her - surprised by her unexpected appearance in the office - as they usually did in this building these days. No one bothered to stop her as she bypassed reception; she already knew where she needed to be. When she reached the room where she knew he would be – where she wanted to be – she smiled to herself. He sat with his back to her, throwing a baseball from one hand to the other, staring out of the window. As she walked to his door, she took a few moment s to watch him, the ball still being flung back and forth, back and forth;

"Back to the miners?"

Finally there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Willicia shippers. Sorry again that I took so long to update, I really have no idea where this is going. I originally wrote that it was Kalinda at his apartment at the beginning but decided this morning that I hated that. And I apologise for the shameless Greys references but i'm currently watching it again from season 1. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Any ideas for the next bit let me know, because i'm stuck ... Happy Saturday everyone!