Author's note: Here's another chapter...I just get though one road block and hit another. This one was spurred by my massive levels of annoyance after the season 2 premiere and I'm still trying to recover, but I'm not giving up. :-) Enjoy!

"This has to do with me and not a thing to do with you. So don't try to understand; you don't have a thing to prove to me." ~ "Room to Breathe" by Reba McEntire

"Will, I mean, um, Mr. Gardner?"

"Yes?"

"This is Zach. Zach Florrick."

"Is everything all right? Has something happened to Alicia?" Will's panic was evident even to the teenager who'd never actually met Alicia's boss and friend.

"Mom's okay. I just… Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure." Will wasn't sure why Zach sounded so uncertain; Alicia had always characterized her son as a fairly confident kid for his age.

"I know there's something going on between you and my mom."

Was he going to be reamed out by a child over his affection for Alicia? "Look, Zach…"

But Zach cut him off. "Please hear me out. My mom has her hands full; everything with Dad, and Grace's demands to keep our family together…it's a lot. She needs a break but she's not going to get it. And now Mom and Dad are fighting about you."

"What do you want, Zach?" Will wasn't in the mood to be this kid's confidante.

"Give Mom some space. For the record, I totally understand why she wants a divorce, and I'm okay with it. But I think it would be easiest if she leaves him on her own, not for someone else."

Silence fell as Will contemplated Zach's words. He was beginning to see the dilemma. Peter would be angry enough losing his wife, but losing her to another man would be a double-hit to Peter's massive ego. "I appreciate your position and will give it some thought."

"Thanks." Click.

Kalinda was rarely at a loss for words. She'd heard what Alicia had to say, and had agreed to help her, as much out of self-preservation as anything, but she was shocked that Alicia was going to get down-and-dirty in this battle with her husband. Even thought she was apprised of Alicia's feelings for Will, Kalinda had expected that unless Peter let her go easily, Alicia would remain married rather than fight him.

Well, she mused, Alicia's more determined than I thought. A small smile tugged on Kalinda's lips before she settled in to make a game plan.

Will lay awake for more than an hour that night, mulling over what Zach had said and finally realizing how much came with Alicia. Recognizing that Peter wasn't the only obstacle between him and Alicia wasn't going to stop Will; it just made him aware of how many more individuals, and issues, any romantic entanglements with Alicia would involve.

Finally, exhausted and resigned to taking a step back to allow Alicia to dissolve her marriage without any interference, he fell into a fitful sleep plagued by thoughts of the woman he would once again wait for.

Alicia was awake for hours that night, too, but she, like Kalinda, was wracking her brain to come up with ammunition to get Peter to back off of his threats toward the law firm. She wouldn't let him jeopardize her job and numerous others over his anger at her wish to move on with her life. Alicia stole a moment's thought to realize once again the boulder blocking her path to freedom, but she took no time to dwell on it. There would be time for worry later; now she needed to find a way to fight back.

The next morning, Peter acted like nothing had happened the previous night. When Alicia rushed through the kitchen, tightening the clasp on her watch and yelling for the kids to get moving, Peter just smiled at her and offered a cup of coffee.

Alicia ignored him at first, unsure of his motives, and continued gathering everything she needed to take to the office. Peter offered the coffee mug again and murmured, "Peace?" with the charming grin that had never failed him.

Until now. Alicia, exhausted, hurt, and angry, brushed his hand away. "I have to go. Make sure the kids get to the bus on time." Grabbing her purse and laptop, she paused to wish her children a good day. Grace, as was becoming common, was sulking and barely acknowledged Alicia, but surprisingly, Zach stepped into the hallway to tell his mother goodbye.

The whole way in to the office, Alicia mused about whether the awful things her children had certainly overheard had finally allowed Zach to realize how flawed his father, and his parents' marriage, had become. Now, if only Grace could understand…

Alicia dove into the piles of work on her desk as soon as she reached her office, and she barely looked up until Will tapped on her door at quarter-to-one. "Hey, do you have a minute?"

She looked up, a tight but genuine smile on her face. "Come on in."

Will stepped far enough into the room to close the door but he didn't take his usual seat either on the couch or beside her desk.

"What's up, Will?"

"So, last night…" His voice trailed off, the question left unspoken.

"Last night did not go well." Alicia sighed. "You were right about Peter. He's trying to complicate matters, but I haven't changed my mind." She fiddled with her watchband, then continued, "Thanks for not making a scene last night, even though he was out of line."

Will shrugged like it was nothing. "I spent a lot of time thinking about this last night, and as much as I hate it, I think we need to keep our distance for now." He saw Alicia's face fall before she recovered her composed, expressionless mask and he felt like a heel. "Here's why. Losing you will be a huge blow to Peter's ego, but losing you to someone else would be even worse. If it looks like I'm out of the picture, maybe things will be easier."

Alicia released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Oh. That makes sense."

"This will give you time to handle Peter on your own, and I'll have time to work on Diane. I don't like it," and he grinned, trying to ease the tension, "but I think it's the best course of action."

She nodded in agreement. "How did you come up with this idea?" She doubted that 'space' would ever have been an option in Will's mind unless it was planted by someone else.

"Your son is very perceptive," said Will as he took his leave, and Alicia was left wondering just what had transpired between Will and Zach.