Alicia glanced at the clock. 6:50. She turned to look at herself in the mirror again. She turned side to side, looking at herself in her little black dress from all angles. It hugged her perfectly in all the right places and her still-slim physique showed no signs of a baby bump. She kept telling herself to stop worrying about how she looked, but she couldn't. Maybe this is too much, she thought as she headed back to her closet to change for the third time. However, the sound of the doorbell stopped her in her tracks. She had been so focused on her wardrobe that she had actually managed to forget to worry about the impending dinner for a few moments. Now, the nervousness hit her in the stomach like a ton of bricks.

She quickly checked her hair and makeup in the mirror, slipped into a pair of high heels, and headed to answer the door. She paused with her hand on the handle, took a deep breath, and swung open the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Will was still waiting for the day when the sight of her didn't take his breath away. It definitely was not tonight. He looked at her in her tight, black dress, which showed off her body quite nicely. He took in her loosely curled hair and her daringly tall heels. And finally, he rested his eyes upon her beautiful face.

"Hi," he said.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Will had picked a small, quiet restaurant on the outskirts of Chicago. He thought it was best to find a place that was out of the way, where they could talk without worrying who was around them. The ride there began somewhat awkwardly, but was soon filled with lighthearted small talk. He told her about his closing arguments and she shared with him some details about the case that had kept her so busy. They soon fell into easy conversation, something they had always been able to do. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, they were joking and laughing and feeling much at ease in each other's company.

It was when they were finally seated that the awkwardness really set in. They both knew there were big issues to discuss, yet neither one knew how to begin. Or maybe neither one wanted to ruin the good time they had been having by talking about their stressful situation.

"So…" Will started.

"So…" Alicia began, "I think we really need to start figuring this out. We've been avoiding it for almost two weeks now and we can't keep pretending that this isn't happening. Because it is, whether we like it or not."

"We haven't been ignoring it. We've just…been busy. But we're here now, so let's talk."

"I've been thinking about it a lot. A lot." She added, for emphasis. She wondered if that accurately conveyed the fact that she thought about it in every second of her free time. "And I think that there's certain things that have to be done. I think, first, I need to divorce Peter. Well, I don't think, I know. I can't be married to him when I'm having someone else's baby." She stopped when she saw the hurt look on his face. "No, Will. I didn't mean it—"

"It's fine, Alicia," he interrupted her. "It sounds bad, yes, but that's what it is."

"I don't want you to think that I think this is a bad thing. It's just a bad thing that this has happened when I'm married"

"I get it, don't worry. Go on."

"Okay, well… yes, I'm going to file for divorce. And that means I'll have to talk to Peter first, and then Zach and Grace, and Eli at some point…" she buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed. "Ugh, I'm sorry. I promised myself I wouldn't lose it."

"Alicia, no. Don't feel like you have to be strong. I'm here to help you. Anything you need, I'm here. Look, I'm really sorry about all that you have to go through. But, yes, you do have to deal with your family first and I don't want to impose."

"I know, I know. I have to do this. I'm going to tell Peter. And then I'm going to tell Zach and Grace. And by that time, I'm sure the press will be all over the divorce story. But Will, I don't want to tell anyone I'm pregnant until I'm in my second trimester. With my age, there's a high change that I could miscarry in the first three months and I just want to make sure that this baby is a sure thing before we tell anyone. Are you okay with that?"

Will was shocked. He had been worried in the beginning that Alicia might get an abortion, but he hadn't even thought about the fact that she might lose the baby. God, why was he so bad with this stuff?

"Yes, definitely, if that's what you think is best, then I'm on board." He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Look Alicia, I'm going to be honest here. I really don't know that much, or anything for that matter, about babies and pregnancy and all that stuff. And frankly, it's freaking me out. You're telling me there's a good chance you might lose the baby?"

Alicia flashed him an apologetic look, "I'm so sorry Will. I know this is all new to you, I'm sorry. Yes, the doctor said that with my advanced maternal age there's a higher risk for miscarriage and birth defects. I know, it scares me out of my mind too. But if I take it easy and try to not stress and make it through the first trimester, then I'll most likely be able to carry the baby to term. And there's also tests they can do before the baby's born to make sure it's healthy."

Now Will's head was spinning. This was a lot to take in. There was much more to worry about than he first thought. And she clearly had more time to think this all over than he did. "Okay, okay… So, you need to take it easy then. You have to cut back at work. I don't want you working long hours and being stressed out if it's a hazard to the baby."

"Will, I can't really do that when I'm not telling anyone that I'm pregnant, now can I? Look, I won't work long hours, I promise. And I won't stress too much about my cases. It'll be okay."

Will wasn't sure what to think. Alicia had done this before, right? So surely she knew what she was talking about. But all this talk about losing the baby had him worried. He knew he would never be able to stop her from working, but he made a mental note to try to lighten her workload and help her out around the office.

"Okay, yeah, you know what's best for you, I guess. So this second trimester would be…?"

"In a month. I'm eight weeks along now, so another month until the first trimester is over."

"And that's when we tell Diane?"

"That's when we tell everyone, ready or not. I'll start showing sometime in the third month."

Will felt like he should have brought a pen and paper. He was feeling overwhelmed. A month. He couldn't help but think that this second trimester was some kind of benchmark. Once they got there, the baby would be safer. But, once they got there, it would be real. They would tell people. They would be in the news. And just six months from that point, they would have a baby, and actual human being to take care of.

His worry must have shown on his face.

"Will…?" Alicia asked timidly.

"Wha—I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in. I'm sorry. I know you have it so much worse than me, but I can't help but freak out."

Alicia instinctively reached across the table and rested her hand on his. "Will, no, no, no. You have every right to freak out. We both do. I completely understand that all of this is new to you, but this is why we're here. We're going to help each other and we're going to work everything out and everything will be fine."

Will took her hand in hers, never wanting to let go. For a while he just stayed like that, holding onto her like a lifeline, staring into her eyes. She stared right back, enjoying the moment.

"And what about us?" Will asked, "Where does that leave us?"