A/N: Thank you so much for your passionate reviews! I loved every single one and they all made me giggle. Warms my heart to see so many invested in this story. Special thanks to marysunshine81 for helping with Diane!

"Alicia?" she faintly heard Eli's concerned voice behind her.

"I have to go."

"What? What do you mean?" She stood, motionless with her back to him. Taking one step toward her, "Is everything ok?" he whispered, hesitantly.

Slowly, she turned to face him, tears in her eyes and worry etched on her face. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I have to go." She repeated while putting her hand up to stop him when he took another step toward her. "There's been a…a shooting…at the courthouse. Lucy and…" She shook her head and moved past him to retrieve her coat and bag.

He watched her and finally spoke before she reached the door. "Alicia." She turned slightly and he tried to swallow his nerves. "Is Will there, too?"

"Eli…" she said in a warning tone.

He bowed his head briefly, before raising his eyes to meet hers again. "Will you be ok by yourself? Or should I drive you?"

She exhales and smiled faintly, appreciating the gesture but shook her head. "You have to stay with Peter." She replied quietly before turning to walk away. Stopping abruptly, she took a few steps back toward him. "Thank you, Eli." She rushed out before he could respond.

As she quickly made her way to her car, she tried calling both Lucy and Will again. Still unable to reach either of them. Opening her car door, she quickly tossed her bag onto the passenger seat and started the car. Before pulling off, she sent separate texts to both asking them to call her immediately. Revving her engine, she pulled out of her spot and took off for the courthouse. As she was stopped at a red light, she checked her phone. No calls or messages. She tried both again, to no avail. Focusing once again on the road in front of her, she took a few deep breaths to quell the tears that threatened to escape. Her frustration growing as she continued to get stuck at every red light.

"Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me!" she yelled out before hitting her steering wheel in frustration. She stood stopped at a railroad crossing. She leaned forward to see how far the train was and could not see one coming from either direction. Noticing that the barriers were not yet lowered, she considered speeding across the tracks, thinking that Peter could get her out of whatever mess she ended up in legally. She thought better of it and sat back resigned. Checking her phone again, she frowned at the empty screen of notifications. "Come on, Will. You know how much I worry when you don't return my calls."

"Are you going to tell me why you're upset or are you just going to stay curled up on the other side of the sofa there, pouting?"

She looked his way, glaring at him and then turned her attention back to the textbook in her hand. "I'm not pouting." She whispered.

"Leesh…"

"I tried calling you all day."

"I wasn't home."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." She took a sip of her beer. "I left you messages to call me."

"I haven't been home. I came straight here after I dropped Lucy off." She looked his way, confused. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"Today was the father/daughter picnic at her school. The one I promised to take her to."

She sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head at herself. "I did forget."

"Is that why you're upset?"

"I'm not upset." She raised her gaze to meet his. "I was worried." She shrugged.

Smiling, he quickly scooted across the sofa to her. "You were worried? About me? Why?" He tugged the book from her grasp and tossed it on the floor, never taking his eyes off of her.

"I hadn't heard from you all day." She replied as she looked away from his intense gaze.

He leaned in, nuzzling her neck before placing a soft kiss in the spot right below her ear. "You're adorable." He whispered in her ear.

Tilting her head, she looked into his eyes. "Adorable? Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Shut up." She playfully pushed him away.

He gently pulled her legs out from under her and she followed his lead, shimmying down so that she now lay under him. Hovering over her, he kissed her several times making her giggle. "But, you know what's the most adorable?" she looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "When you pout. It does things to me." He said before lowering his mouth to her neck again.

"Ow! Did you just bite me?"

"I told you it does things to me." He chuckled before biting her again.

She leans forward searching for the train whose horn she'd just heard the faraway wail of. Still no sign.

"Is this the kind of crap I'm going to have to deal with?" Lucy gestured toward the TV with the remote.

She laughed when she saw what she referred to. "Zach loved Thomas the Tank Engine."

"Ugh! Talking trains? So stupid." She muttered as she hit the power button on the remote.

"Someone is cranky this morning." She observed as she walked by her and into the kitchen.

"Sorry." She said as she followed her and sat at the island, checking emails on her iPad.

"It's ok. Have you eaten?"

She shook her head. "Please don't mention food." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ah, morning sickness." She nodded, knowingly. She poured herself a mug of coffee and sat across from her.

She groaned. "I have to go see another apartment later."

"I can go with you. I don't have to be in court today." She winced. "Dammit. I have that luncheon with Peter."

Pushing the iPad to the side, she leaned forward to place her head on her arms. "I don't want to look anymore. Tess can do it when she gets here." She grumbled.

She sighed and smiled sympathetically at her. "I'm going to miss you when you move out."

Lucy pouted. "Me, too. But, I'll still be working with you. And I'll come bother you all the time." She perked up, her eyes brightening. "Hey! Let's just get a big house we all can live in!"

She chuckled. "Oh, Lucy. Why aren't you calling me back?" her voice cracked in the silence of her car. She looked up as the train flew by in front of her. "Finally." She straightened in her seat, ready to take off as soon as the train had passed and the barriers were raised. Forgetting that she'd turned her ringer on; she jumped when the sound pierced through the silence. Quickly, she looked at the screen. Cary. "Did you talk to Lucy?"

"No. That's why I was calling you." He sighed. "Alicia… They're saying that there were casualties." She could hear the hesitation in his voice. "And I know that Will should have been there." His voice barely a whisper.

She closed her eyes. "I'm on my way there now." Her own voice sounded unfamiliar to her ears.

"I'll meet you there."

She ended the call without saying goodbye. Unable to hold them back anymore, her tears start to flow down her face.

"So there we have it. A plan."

She nodded and smiled at him. "Now let's just hope that nothing-"

"Shh shh shh. Don't say it. No matter what happens. We're not letting anything get in the way this time. I'm not going anywhere."

She wiped the tears away and they were immediately replaced with new ones as the lights started to flash on the barriers signaling that they were about to go up.

"Your appointment is tomorrow, right?" Lucy nodded in the passenger seat. "I believe I made sure my schedule was clear so that I could go with you."

"You don't have to. I can go alone."

"No way. That's my niece or nephew, I said I would be there for you and I want to be." She smiled at the prospect of hearing the baby's heartbeat.

Her sobs were interrupted by the blaring of the car horns behind her, alerting her that the road had been cleared. Silently, she thanked whoever was responsible for her change in luck as she was able to keep her momentum, no longer meeting every red light. Blocks away from the courthouse, traffic is at a standstill. Knowing the area well, she takes an immediate right and parks in the lot of a department store, choosing to walk the rest of the way.

Within minutes, the building loomed in front of her. Countless police cars and ambulances surrounded it. Crowds of people making it difficult for her to make her way to someone she could get answers from. Spotting a police officer a few feet away from her, she pushed her way through the crowd. "Excuse me. Officer?"

Shaking his head, "No one is allowed past ma'am."

"Can I just-"

"Please stay where you are."

Exasperated, she put her arms out. "Does it look like I can walk through the damn barrier? I'm trying to ask you a question!" He continued walking away.

"Alicia."

She quickly turned. "Diane." She searched the woman's face for any clue.

"He was inside." She answered the unvoiced question. "So was Kalinda. She was meeting me here, but I was running late." She added quietly, looking away into the crowd in front of them. She looked back to Alicia and shook her head. "They haven't told me anything."

Inhaling deeply and gripping the police barrier in front of her for support, she fought the new onslaught of tears. Feeling Diane's hand on her left forearm in a comforting gesture, she looked up meeting her gaze with her own; noticing for the first time that she too had shed tears.

"I'm sure he's fine." She whispered.

Taking another deep breath, she nodded in agreement. "Right. I'm sure he is. Lucy… We think Lucy was in there as well."

Sighing, she gave a gentle squeeze to her forearm. "They won't even say which room it was. They're not releasing any details."

"Hey. Were you able to find out anything?" Cary approached them.

Alicia shook her head, weakly. "I tried to ask, but they won't even listen to me."

"Do they know who you are?" he asked.

"What?"

"Alicia, you're the First Lady of Illinois."

"Cary now is not the time to-"

"No, Alicia, he's right. Use that to your advantage." Diane told her.

"Excuse me! Hello? Officer! Over here!" Cary yelled and waved him over.

"Look, I've already told the lady-"

"I would highly suggest you take note of the lady that you are addressing." Cary warned him.

"I'm sorry?"

"You are speaking to the First Lady of Illinois. She is looking for family and friends who were inside when the incident occurred." Cary informed him. The officer looked at Alicia who made eye contact, standing taller. "Now if you cannot or will not help her, I suggest that you find someone who will or she is left no choice but to call the governor for his assistance."

"My…my apologies, ma'am. I'll get my supervisor right away." He replied before rushing off.

"I can't believe we just did that." Alicia muttered under her breath.

"Desperate times…" Cary said.

"No! I do not need to go to the hospital! And you need to stop touching me!" They all whipped around to the left of them.

"Would you stop being such a stubborn brat?!" Will turned to the paramedic. "She's pregnant and…" he turned back to Lucy. "Kalinda said she pushed you down when she heard the first gunshot. Right?" he asked Kalinda, who, shocked by this bit of information, simply nodded in response. Turning back to the paramedic, "So she should get checked out, right?"

"I'm fine!" she yelled.

"I don't care what you think you are!" he yelled back. "You're going to get checked out." He said, calmer.

"Will." She breathed, feeling the relief washing over every cell of her body. She wanted to run to him. To wrap her arms around him. To smother him with kisses. Tell him, repeatedly, how much she loved him. However, she was well aware of the fact that they were surrounded by the media and they, in turn, were now well aware of her identity.

"Mrs. Florrick." She turned to see an older detective hurriedly making his way to her. "My sincerest apologies for any delay you may have experienced. One of my officers has informed me that you are in search of family that may have been inside?"

"Alicia?" she turned to see Lucy and Will staring at her.

Making eye contact with Will, she exhaled and smiled, trying to tell him everything she felt with her eyes.

"You have the most expressive eyes that I've ever known anyone to possess. One of the many things I love about you."

"Thank you." She smiled at the detective and nodded in their direction. "I found them."

Quickly, he pulled away the barrier so they could pass. "If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know."

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked her as she let her envelope her in a tight hug.

Looking up at Will behind her, "I tried calling you so many times. I started to think the worst." Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he saw that it was still off and looked at her apologetically. She pulled away and looked at her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"She should go to the hospital." Will cut in. "Kalinda pushed her down, what if, you know…"

Alicia looked to Kalinda. "Thank you."

She smiled faintly and nodded. "She should get checked out, just in case." To which Lucy groaned.

"So none of you were in the line of fire?" Diane asked.

"We were in the hall directly outside of the courtroom he was in, which is where it happened." Kalinda told her.

Diane looked at Will, wide-eyed. "You were in there?"

He shook his head. "We were in judge's chambers trying to come up with a deal." He explained.

"Thank God." She replied.

"We should let the paramedics take you in now, Lucy." Cary told her.

"Oh my God. Are you really all going to make me do this?" She rolled her eyes when they all nodded.

"Besides, if your sister gets here and finds out we didn't? She'd probably kill us." Alicia told her.

"Tess is coming?" she nodded in response. "Ugh. You all are so dramatic." She whined as she let the paramedic help her into the ambulance.

"We're dramatic? Right. Sure." Will teased as he helped Alicia climb in behind her. When she turned and thanked him with a smile, he mouthed that he would call her later.

"You know, when I told you to keep mom busy, I didn't mean anything this drastic." Zach joked.

They were all gathered in Alicia's living room. Tess had arrived at the hospital while Lucy was being checked out. Owen and Veronica were waiting for them when they reached home.

Lucy giggled and leaned in to Tess, who had not left her side since arriving. "Shut up, punk."

"So, you and Uncle Owen are going to have a baby?" Grace asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"I know it's confusing Grace, imagine how I feel?" Owen said as he walked in carrying a tray that held mugs of hot chocolate, while Veronica trailed him holding three glasses of wine. Two of which she handed to Alicia and Tess.

"So, it took the possibility of me dying to get you to talk to me?" Lucy asked Owen, causing Tess to lightly smack the side of her head, reproachfully. "Sorry."

He sighed dramatically. "I just needed time."

Tess eyed Alicia, who stood across the room, staring into her wine glass, not engaging in the conversation.

"Doesn't matter. We're all family and that means we will be there for one another." Veronica held up her glass. "Here's to all of us being safe and healthy." She looked behind her as Alicia walked out of the room headed toward her bedroom. "Alicia? Where are you going?" She moved to follow her.

"Oh! Veronica…" she jumped up from her spot on the sofa next to Lucy. "Let me?" she nodded in response and smiled as she watched her go.

She found Alicia sitting on her bed, propped up against her headboard, pillow in her lap. "Hey you." She gently closed the door before taking a seat in front of her. "What's up?"

Smiling faintly, she shook her head. "Nothing."

"Oh come on. It may have been years since we've spent time together, but I know you. Something is bothering you." She put her hand on her knee. "You know you can talk to me."

She nodded. "I know." She took a shaky breath and shrugged. "I…I don't know. I feel…I'm so relieved that Lucy is ok. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to her." Her voice cracked.

"But…" Tess pushed.

"I don't know. It's weird. I'm happy, but I have this unsettling feeling. As if I'm missing something." She whispered.

"I see. Could the something that you feel you are missing be Will?"

"What?"

"Look, you went through every emotion today trying to find out what, if anything, happened to him." Alicia shifted her gaze downward. "Then, when you see him…see that he is alive and well…you can't even deal with your feelings properly." She tilted her head and tried to make her look at her. "Am I close?" Her sniffles were all the answer she needed.

"I thought he was gone." She whispered, before giving in to her tears.

"Oh, honey." Wrapping her arms around her, she soothed her as she cried softly into her shoulder.

They heard the doorbell ring and Grace say that she had it. A soft knock on the door and Zach poked his head in. "Mom? It's Mr. Gold."

Trying and failing to wipe her tears away before Zach saw her, "Oh God." She groaned. "I can't deal with him right now."

"He's insisting on talking to you."

Tess looked from him to Alicia. "Who's that?"

"Peter's Chief of Staff."

"So?" she turned back to Zach. "Tell him your mom isn't available."

"We tried that already."

"Well then…" she said as she stood. "I will."

He moved out of her way as she walked out of the bedroom and turned back to his mom. "Are you ok?"

She nodded and smiled to reassure him. "I'm fine."

"You were crying."

Shrugging, "It's been an emotional day."

He walked over and sat next to her. "But, Aunt Lucy and the baby…they're ok. Right?"

"They are."

He eyed her for a few seconds. "It wasn't just them that you were worried about, was it?"

Looking at him, she reached over and ran her hand through his hair, sighing. "You should go make sure Tess isn't eating Eli alive." She joked.

Smirking, he moved to stand but changed his mind and turned to hug her, surprising her. "I love you, Mom. I always will, no matter what."

Choking on the emotion his words brought to the surface, she hugged him back and kissed his head. "I love you, too."

/

"Can I help you?" Eli gaped at her, grasping for words and finding nothing but air. "Ummm…"

Shaking his head, he gathered his senses and looked at her again. "Alicia… I'm here to see Alicia."

"That's what the kids told me, but she's not available at the moment, Mr.…?"

"Gold. Eli…Gold." He stammered. "It's actually imperative-"

"I don't think it is."

Taken aback, he blinked repeatedly before answering. "I'm sorry?"

"Whatever it is that you need to talk to Alicia about, I'm sure it can wait." She raised her hand to stop his protest. "Look, she's had a rough day as I'm sure you are aware."

"I was with her when she was informed."

"Well, then it should come as no surprise that she would like to be left alone with her family for the remainder of the day."

He nodded once. "Of course."

"Good night, Mr. Gold." She said, closing the door before he could respond.

He stood with his mouth open as he was ready to respond and immediately shut it, looking at the closed door in front of him, confused. "What just happened?"

/

"All taken care of!" she exclaimed as she walked back into her bedroom, finding her now seated on the edge of her bed. "He's kinda cute. All flustered and stuff."

Alicia looked at her, disgusted. "I'm not even going to grant that a response."

She laughed and sat next to her again. "Why don't you go to him?"

"Huh?"

"Will. Go to him."

"I can't do that, Tess." She sighed.

"Why not? You're a mess right now…because of him. Going to see him will make you feel better. He's always made you feel better." She pushed her playfully. "Come on. No one has to know where you're going."

She chuckled. "Except, they'll all know exactly where I'm going."

Tess waved her hand to dismiss what she'd said. "Ah, whatever. I'll cover for you."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she turned to her. "I…I need your help."

"Need me to watch the kids? No problem. Come on, fix yourself up. I'll help." She jumped up.

"No no no, Tess. Not that." She sighed.

Slowly, she sat back down next to her, a look of concern on her face. "Alicia… What is it? Whatever you need help with, I'm here for you."

Flipping through the channels aimlessly, he took another gulp of the beer in his hand. Unable to find anything of interest, he turned it off. For the umpteenth time that night, he picked up his phone and located her name in his contacts. He wanted to call her. He wanted to make sure she was ok. He couldn't shake that look in her eyes when she saw him earlier. Sighing, he sat back on his sofa and rested his legs on his coffee table.

It bothered him that he couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion he faced in her gaze. Was it fear? Relief? No. That was too simple. It was more than that. He felt it. He knew he could call her with the excuse that he was checking on Lucy. But, he realized that a phone call wouldn't suffice right now. He needed to see her. He wanted…no…he needed to hold her.

Bolting upright out of his sleep, he looked around frantically from his spot on the sofa, trying to locate the reason for his being awoken. Rubbing his eyes, he picked up the remote from the coffee table and lowered the volume on the TV. Hearing the rain pelting against his windows, he realized it must have been the thunder. He jumped when he heard a loud knock on his door.

He opened the door to find Alicia, dripping wet from head to toe and looking very upset. "Leesh… What…"

"Can I come in?" she whispered.

"Get in here." He said as he pulled her inside by her arm. "I thought you were coming back tomorrow." Noticing that she stood with her head down, sniffling, "Hey, are you ok?" he asked her gently. She shook her head and he saw her shiver. "Hey, come on. Let's get you something dry to change into."

A little while later, she emerged from his bathroom clad in a pair of his sweatpants and his Georgetown sweatshirt, her favorite. She continued to dry her hair with the towel he gave her as she walked over to find him laying on the sofa. Tossing the towel onto the nearest chair, she climbed over him and nestled into the space between him and the back of his sofa.

Lifting his arm to invite her to lay her head on his chest, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead when she did. "Should I assume that whatever it was your parents wanted to talk to you about this weekend, was not good?"

"They suck." She muttered into his chest.

"You wanna talk about it?" he felt her lightly shake her head.

Tightening her hold on him, "Will you just hold me?"

"Of course. Whatever you want." He replied, pulling her even closer to him.

Hearing the faint knock on his door, he perked up at the prospect that Kalinda took him up on his offer to come over for drinks when she called to update him on Lucy. A distraction was exactly what he craved right now. However, when he opened his door, he was shocked to see who stood on the other side.