A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for another update. Between school and work, and school and work, and family, things have been rather busy. I finally had time and inspiration to write another chapter. That's not saying much I know, but what can I do? Anyway, this one may seem a little out of character, because I'm attempting to establish the personality Alicia had before she was the political wife of a state official. That being said, I hope you enjoy this short chapter, and hopefully it won't take me as long to post another one.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Spoilers: None

We'll See

Chapter 10

After packing up her belongings and her flowers, and heading home to her empty apartment, Alicia suddenly wondered when she'd gotten so old. It was a Friday night. She was off duty, so to speak, for the weekend, and the kids were with Peter. By all rights she should have been out with girlfriends having a few drinks at a nice restaurant, and giggling like teenagers over the cute waiters. But she wasn't. She was at home, the silence surrounding her. It was a little disconcerting to not hear anything when she walked in the door, but it was starting to become familiar.

Alicia set aside her briefcase, and set the flowers on the island countertop, before making her way back to her bedroom. She kicked off her heels, letting her calf muscles stretch deliciously before she padded to the closet to change into something more comfortable. She eyed her clothes for a few minutes; finally landing on a pair of dark wash boot cut jeans. They were almost brand new, as she'd had very little occasion to wear them. They had a cute rhinestone pattern on the pockets, and she smiled at the memory of Grace picking them out for her, and then proceeding to gush at how good they looked, when she'd finally broken down and tried them on. She had decided to live a little and bought them on impulse, just like she was going on impulse now and wearing them. Alicia dug through her closet, looking for something appropriately casual the wear with them. Her eyes fell on a blue striped oxford shirt and black vest. It was casual and she had loved wearing it the one time she'd worn it around the house. She decided it would be perfect with her jeans. Once she was dressed in more casual clothes, she wanted to go out. She had nothing to hold her to the apartment. She refreshed her makeup, pulled on some black boots, and pulled out a leather jacket she'd had since college.

After putting her ID, a credit card, and some cash into the breast pocket of her shirt, under her vest, Alicia picked up her keys and cell phone and headed out the door. It felt nice not be tied to her briefcase, or her power suit. It felt nice to be herself. She didn't need to wear her mask. She could be Alicia Cavanaugh, for the first time in ages.

Deciding she didn't really want to be alone on her night out, Alicia dialed Kalinda first. The younger woman answered on the first ring and without even a hello.

"What's up?" Kalinda asked in a soft voice.

"Nothing. I was going out, and wanted to see if you had plans." Alicia answered.

"So nothing work related?"

"No. Just me, asking a friend out to have a drink, maybe get some dinner."

"Ah. I'm a bit busy at the moment, but rain check for next Friday?"

"Sure. Have fun." Alicia hung up the phone. She was a bit disappointed, but she would survive. Hadn't she told Will that very thing? Her thoughts turned to the man in question, and briefly considered calling him, but decided against it. It was a little too soon to start testing the bonds of their friendship by going out, in what could possibly be construed as a date situation. Her roaming thoughts landed on Eli. He was a much more suitable candidate for what she had in mind. They could talk, and any romantic interest could be addressed as needed because she had a feeling that after a little more time, she would probably be going that direction with him anyway.

Alicia felt her phone vibrate, and the tune that spilled out made her smile. It seemed Grace had gotten her hands on her phone again. Goldeneye by Tina Turner poured out of the little speaker on her phone, as it informed her that the man she'd just been thinking about was calling her.

"Do you have ESP?" She asked instead of her traditional hello. She could feel a smile tugging at her lips already.

"Why yes, I do. How did you know?" Eli Gold asked from the other end.

"I was just about to call you, when my phone rang, and you were calling me."

"Ah. I supposed Caller ID would be a dead giveaway."

"What did you need, Eli?" She asked, her tone soft and inviting. It was warm, and he took a moment to revel in it. He loved the sound of her voice when she spoke to him like that, and used his first name.

"I was wondering if I could take you to dinner, as another apology." She smiled. He was going a little overboard, first with the flowers, and now dinner.

"I would love to go to dinner with you, although, you really don't need to apologize any more, especially after the flowers you sent. Thank you, by the way. They're amazing."

"Great. So what were you going to call me about?"

"I was going to see if you wanted to go to dinner. You must be really good with your ESP." They both laughed for a moment.

"I'm heading out now, are you still at the office, or home?"

"Neither actually. I'm about a block from your office. I'll meet you out front?"

"Sure. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"See you in a few." They both hung up their phones, and stared at the screens. Alicia felt a smile tugging at her lips again as she completed her journey to the front doors of his office building. Eli shoved his phone in his pocket and started out the door. He left his briefcase under his desk and picked up his overcoat, loosening his tie as he went. He had a little spring in his step as he walked to the elevators. He was having dinner with Alicia. He could hear how relaxed she had sounded in her voice. It was like she had flipped a little switch and become the woman she was before she was Peter's wife. He had a feeling he would be seeing a lot more of the carefree Alicia, and a lot less of her previous incarnation, Mrs. Florrick.