The flight home was exhausting and long, it was no secret that she was tired, the last two weeks had been a painful endurance, ever since the revelation of the bomb that their mother had dropped, Owen and Alicia had turned rather silent and remained like that for the rest of the journey.
Her little girl was the symbol that kept her in line, Zahara through their connection could sense that her mother was sad and often cheered her up which without a doubt worked successfully.
It was Owen that she was mainly worried about, he had burnt all the photos he had with their father and resented him for the unforgiving lie that had been brought down upon the family. He had even gone to lengths of calling Peter and asking for a few favours.
Thank god Peter was naïve and busy enough to ignore his former brother in-laws orders, though questions were raised and curiosity had gotten the better of him.
So far, other than the country that she still half led, and the small human who had stolen her heart; Alicia's entire world had fallen apart, after all, this type of revelation was something that she would expect to have actioned by her mother, but her father?
Her father was a man who stood in between right and wrong, his morals and intentions had always been correct, he was an honourable man who loved and adored herself and her sibling, he was perfect, and yet in between all of that, he had managed to have himself a mistress, while simultaneously including a secret child that nobody else knew about until now. Twenty years after his death.
"I'm so tired" Owen said, his head was against the seat in the plane, the coach was dark and dimly lit, the majority of their team were asleep, Zahara remained in her arms – unconscious and perfect and she pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. "We have a few more hours before we land in DC, you should get some rest." She said
"You haven't slept all day, are you feeling good?"
"I just can't sleep. I'll be fine once we get home."
She returned back to her slumber of inactivity and allowed her mind to take over once again, pressing her daughter further into her chest;
In a way, she was no different than her father in reality, she had adopted Zahara four months ago and had gone under every length to make sure that nobody knew of her, she was the secret that could either make or break her reputation among humanity. But what could be more awful than having a parent who chose conviction over certainty? Who preferred their own pride over honesty?
Alicia winced at the idea of having Zahara away from light for the rest of her life, giving her no chance at honouring her identity and accepting her chosen family with love and respect. Alicia refused to make the same mistake as her father, and she completely despised the idea of her child feeling like this in a decade's time, the direction of this revelation had suddenly taken a vast turn in Alicia Florrick's life.
"What are you gonna do Alicia?" Owen looked at her with concern – he read her mind.
"Nothing" she said, kissing her child's head again and closing her eyes briefly. "Don't worry Owen."
/
She waited for Peter to finish in the office before she crashed to the bed, she was exhausted beyond words, and she knew he could see by the way he took Zahara off her arms and offered to take care of bath time.
Her lashes fluttered open in the dark room and her gaze instantly settled on the clock on the nightstand. 8:30pm, it marked, she had been asleep for two hours. Outside was pitch back and DC was unusually quiet on a Sunday night. They had arrived midday, though it felt as if it were a decade ago.
She pressed a button on one of the remotes, one of the curtains opened immediately, allowing available light from outside the balcony and into the room. There was a knock on the door followed by a familiar voice calling her name. She kept her eyes closed with her ear pressed to the pillow. "Come in"
"Hi Alicia" Eli said gently, careful not to disturb her, but clearly wanting something.
"Hey" she mumbled
He sat on the chair next to the bed and rested his elbows on his knees, he looked down. "Your mom told me about what happened, I'm so sorry."
"It's disgusting right?"
He remained quiet.
She ran a hand through her messy hair and dug herself deeper into the covers. "I know you've just come back from a very long trip but we need to talk about the possibility of this becoming news. First lady finds out that she has a half-sister. This woman could be exposed, or worse, followed.'
"That's not necessary. It won't happen because I'm not meeting her."
There was a longer moment of silence before he spoke. "You're.. not?"
"No." she said strictly "I don't want anything to do with her."
"Oh" it was in rare moments like these where Eli Gold was the target of speechlessness that ultimately always had her questioning her bluntness.
"Okay." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and pulled back.
"Back to business. There's the dinner that the house is hosting Friday night. The one where we honour the most successful businesses that have had a positive effect on the econom..."
"Yes I know, I'll be there."
"Yes.. I just feel as though it's fair to warn you that Lockhart Agos and Gardner are invited." She closed her eyes. Her earnest desire to have her life wash away at this point was quickly removed from thought when a knock to the wall came from the doorway and Peter walked in with their child in his arms. Zahara was a ball of cuteness in her silk purple pyjamas with her tired eyes, she had done so so well on the travel from Africa to the states; for the eleven month old had made it clear to every member of their travel team that being rendered into this type of lifestyle was not her choice, changes had to be made rather prudently and Alicia had to sacrifice some months from her busy schedule in order to provide the steady routine Peter had talked of a month ago, and having her in the room now reminded her why she needed to get out of the depression that was slowly creeping up again.
"She was asking for you"
Alicia opened warm arms and allowed her little girl into her chest, "Anyway" Eli changed the subject. "How was the trip?"
"Intense" she answered. "Busy. We went from village to village, we stopped at hospitals and children's facilities more than usual, some of the conditions are horrendous; I had our auditor go over the budget for renovations, also I met up with some investors, their intentions seem pretty reliable, however donating a large amount of money was completely unexpected."
"They probably have an agenda"
"Yea, I'll go over it in the morning."
"So how was Zahara on the road?" Peter came to the bed, offering his hand on holding the heavy child but accepting when Alicia silently shook her head. Already, there was competition between which parent needed her the most.
"She was perfect, as always" she smiled down at her, "Right sweet girl?"
Zahara shrugged and snuggled further into her arms, she was tired and only slightly grumpy, she fluttered her lashes and her breathing began to slow down as she pressed her cheek against the soft skin of Alicia's chest.
Eli left the room and so did Peter.
The week travelled at a slow pace, Alicia obliged to the relaxed atmosphere with gratitude. She had spontaneously taken Zahara out to lunch with a friend from LA the previous evening, and the cameras had managed to capture all of it. Eli had received several calls from his posy of reporters asking for a statement in whether the rumors of an adoption were true, and thus some of her staff were experiencing the familiarity of panic, only it was coming from the other side. She, in fact, was extremely calm.
Zahara was beginning to walk, she was able to stand on both feet but could only make it a few inches before someone caught her. The child's first birthday was in a month, and Alicia had already made the arrangements, including the difficult task of going through Eli to clear Peter's schedule for a day and have Zahara christened in Ethiopia.
The dinner was only a few hours away, the strangeness of knowing that Will would be in proximity was overwhelming, but she didn't have the time to think too much into it, Zahara had tethered herself to a cold over the last couple of days, and when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to have her toddler feel better again.
Zahara was restless as she slept on the sofa, the doctor had just been in for the second time today, checking her temperature which seemed to have calmed down over the last couple of hours. The guilt she felt in leaving her child was undoubtedly an ache to the chest, but Nancy, the house keeper and sitter for the chosen time was more than willing to take care of her; an angel sent down from god, she was sure of it.
"Alicia you have a half an hour before that dinner. Why don't you go and get ready?" the older woman addressed later on, Alicia nodded, her gaze still set on her little girl.
"Go! You crazy woman"
"Okay, I'm going!" she teased, leaving Zahara with a kiss against her chubby cheek. Reluctantly, she exited the room and headed for the hair and makeup team, indeed she trusted them, she trusted them with everything and smiled slightly, containing her excitement while seemingly gasping for oxygen. Five months prior she had no knowledge that she would bump into Will, but she did, and their conversation was one that she truly enjoyed. She needed his advice now more than ever before, she needed him to tell her that her father was a wonderful man no matter what anyone else said.
The styling of her hair and makeup took longer than expected, but it was worth the time for she flourished in a dark navy blue gown, there was a large split in between her breast, where the length of dark fabric continued down to follow the curves of her hips and eventually her flaunting gorgeous legs. Another split found its way on the right leg from an inch above her knee to conclude down among the Louis Viton heels that stood out and made her seem almost taller than her husband. Her back was covered this time; for the dress had enough revelation, her stylist made sure to accommodate to the chief of staff's wishes, however that didn't stop him from including a dark shade of maroon lipstick. The long hair that often had people talking was pinned back into a tight bun, the choice had her smart cheekbones stand out.
"You are a rare form of beauty Alicia, from the 1920's" her stylist said when he took a look at the final result
"Umm, thanks?" she laughed.
He walked her down to the dining room, there were numerous people; as expected, she tried to search for the man of the night, but failed, and finally allowed her grip to loosen from the firm bicep of her favourite gay man – Owen was never to know that she had her own list.
"Thank you for walking me down sweetheart."
"Try not to drink too much okay?" she laughed loudly and pushed him away, he left a kiss on her cheek and saluted a nod to Eli who made his way for her. He rolled his eyes, "You're late."
"I am"
"Alicia!" the loud voice from behind her shoulder had her turn, her dress stirred flawlessly with her movement and she smiled at the woman instantly. She was a business woman down from LA and had donated to Peter's presidential campaign three years ago.
"You look AMAZING" she threw her hands up "As always."
"Vanessa, I didn't expect to see you here tonight, you look lovely."
"Yes, well, I was hoping you would tell me why I'm invited to such a chestnut party."
"It has nothing to do with Peter and myself, Eli's trying to seize money for Peter's next presidential election, but don't tell anyone, it's supposed to honour the most successful businesses in the country." She whispered cheekily
"My lips are sealed."
She made a series of conversations around the room, still yet to distinguish the man who had broken her heart two and half years ago, she was about to give up when an instant draw across the room caught to the eye. In the foreground, stood some guy who she had been talking to for the last fifteen minutes, but right behind his shoulder was Will.
He was at one of the buffet tables, she could only see the side of his form, but she knew instantly that it was him. He was glowing in happiness, and he was a handsome form of humility.
But the woman on his shoulder was certainly questionable, she was beautiful of course, and in another universe if Alicia were a stranger, without a doubt, she would walk up to Will and separate the hand that settled on his bicep. The woman with unfamiliar blue eyes leant in and pressed a kiss against his cheek, and he blushed while talking with the guy who stood opposite them. She would separate that too if she could.
She pulled her gaze rapidly from his form to the businessman that stood in front of her, she laughed at something he said, her exterior was pulled off by her beauty, but the interior was filled with the familiar feeling of disappointment once again.
She made her way into the ballroom where she knew Peter was, her husband was talking to the big money, and before she could make her appearance by his side, she was stopped once again, this time by somebody she actually liked.
"You're late!" he teased
Her smile that reached her beautiful green eyes was genuine this time. "Handsome"
Cary smiled and shook his head, "Give me a hug Alicia."
She wrapped both arms around his neck and sighed, "Twice in one year" she said. "I wish we could see each other more often."
"Well then move back to Chicago."
"I wish." She pulled back and looked at him, nobody that she knew from home ever seemed to age nowadays.
They moved to a corner and talked for longer than she had with anyone else in the room, favouritism never went well with Alicia, especially when she was exposed but Cary was her own individual.
They talked a great deal on the personal side of their lives, Cary seemed uncomfortable talking about the professional success of the firm, though he did mention something about having to cut back on spending. She informed him on how well the campaign was doing, she wanted to tell him about Zahara, the excitement was overwhelming, but she couldn't do it, the revelation would shock him, and she couldn't deal with another reason to form yet another explanation.
Owen had joined them at some point, dressed lavishly in his tuxedo, Marissa was there too, and then eventually Diane, she was stunning in a floor length white gown, but when she invited Will to join them Alicia tensed. He was just as uncomfortable as she was when he introduced the blonde into the group, however she caught the intense gaze of which his eyes reflected her own.
"Your daughter is going to be an amazing lawyer Mrs Florrick" his… friend addressed after Alicia politely declined the formal intro of Madam First lady.
"My daughter?"
"Yes, I had the pleasure of working opposite her in depo's last week."
"Um" she smiled up at Owen, she almost went cross-eyed, she found the situation humorous seeing as the woman had confused her even more, and though arrogance was never something Alicia favoured, she found herself doing it out of spite for the woman who she disliked already for no apparent reason. "Depo's?"
"Yes?" now she was confused. "I'm working against Lockhart Agos, your daughter is the intern there? She's really wonderful"
The group had stopped talking to each other at this point and their attention resumed to Alicia's face that formed with a drop of realisation. "My daughter is the intern at Lockhart, Agos and Gardner." She repeated to herself as she looked up at Owen, their sibling connection through the shock of the situation didn't go unnoticed by anyone.
"Oh wow" Owen said as he took another sip of wine
"I seriously thought you knew Alicia?" Cary said, he looked more than shocked, he was horrified.
Alicia smiled, her grin forced with a painful grimace, she could hear the vast pound of her heart that sung through her chest.
"Alicia" Peter's secretary interrupted, unacquainted to the current spectacle taking place, she whispered something in Alicia's ear. Alicia nodded; Zahara wanted bed time story from her momma.
"No I didn't know that. But I'm going to kill her nonetheless." She answered to Cary and smiled softly, stretching a hand out to Will's girlfriend, "It was a pleasure to meet you anyway, I hope you all have a lovely night."
She understood for when she walked away with Peter's secretary in toe that she was rude, but she no longer cared.
Exhausted with a sense of heavy fatigue and a hungry tummy, she rushed upstairs and fed her attention to the only little one who managed to make her night. Even with her dress that was beginning to dig into her skin, she made the story choice enthusiastic enough to have Zahara fall asleep in her arms, it was difficult untangling the child from her grip, but when she did, it made her return down to the dining room all the more difficult.
When she walked back in, she apologized for her delay once again, Owen commented on it being a consistency nowadays, and she embarrassed him by mentioning that she only ever saw him at the dinner table when he wasn't in his room drinking. Some laughed, and others didn't understand a thing.
Alicia sat at the table next to Peter, "You okay?" he said quietly
She looked up at him, a strand of hair caught among her long lashes and she pushed it away. "No I'm not. But thanks for asking." She whispered.
He took her hand across the table and squeezed it, the concern in his eyes was real, their hands separated and the moment of comfort was broken as Peter returned to his dinner while making conversation with the lovely Asian man who sat across from her, apparently he was the wealthiest in the room, though that was still to be proven.
She smiled broadly at her chef like a child, he made his way from across the room smiling, "And what would you like madam first lady?" he teased, knowing that she hated the name with a passion
"Salmon tartare pleeassee" she smiled up at him with wide teeth, he shook his head, she would have it every night if she could, just to piss him off.. "You drive me insane you crazy woman. Anything else?"
"Nope."
"Really? Not even wine?"
"Not even wine." She watched him exit the room, she couldn't deny that he was charming and sexy, the odd philosophy behind her fascination in men with good taste in food and wine was strangely alluring.
The table's content of so many people who all seemed to talk over each other was a bit overwhelming. She waited patiently for her food while looking at everyone else's, she hadn't eaten all day, and the consequences of her poor decision were beginning to weigh in.
Her eyes unconsciously scanned the table, she didn't mean to, but her gaze settled on him for a moment, and the minute suddenly took a turn when Will's attention went from the minor across from him, and directly to hers, as if he could sense the beautiful pair of green eyes that settled into his, this allowing for fortune and figure to enter their first kind moment of the night.
And then in a flash it ended abruptly with the food that was placed in front of her, she thanked Michael and grasped the first set of cutlery, why did they fucking have so much? –she thought
"Alicia" this time her own secretary interrupted, she sighed and closed her eyes. "Can I just eat my food first please?" she begged
"It's very important, it's your mother?" she had the phone by ear, Alicia stood up, excused herself – again- and grasped the phone. She opened the patio doors, unfortunately for the sake of her own credibility, she slammed the doors shut with excessive force without thinking much into her action and made her way around the side of the house, where the crickets sung and the moonlight reflected on her skin and the lights outside led her to her destination.
She found the railway of twin stairs that circled down to the ground of the property, she stood in between them and sat on the bench, her body was exhausted when she spoke into the phone.
"Mom, what is it?"
/
Alicia's disappointment in the many members of her family was unquestionably large, first her father, her brother, Grace, and now her mother. Alicia was much too old to be playing these games, for the change of heart in her mother remained unforeseen; Veronica had gone out to Chicago and met the woman herself, the sister, the girl whose birth was in the wake of an affair that tore her marriage apart.
Apparently, (not yet substantially proven) the woman was beautiful, she was ten years younger than Alicia, and her name was Victoria.
The stream of natural, and honest words indicated to Alicia that her mother was clearly trying to encourage the epiphany into creating a relationship that could potentially fix the wall Alicia had built over the last two weeks.
Alicia was disgraced of course, and failed to understand why her mother was so desperate at having Alicia and Owen know the hidden sister.
Sister
The odd terminology still sounded foreign to her ears for she only ever had a younger brother.
Alicia hung up on the phone before Veronica had a chance to reveal the essential goodness of this woman's character. Alicia didn't want to know.
There was a lingering smell in the air that had her questioning whether her true morals were in the right place, as artificial as it may sound, she still felt as if she were struggling to maintain her friendlier nature when everyone else around her was going against her wishes, and leaving her in the most uncomfortable circumstances.
Oblivious to her surrounding's she didn't hear the slow footsteps that followed her previous path until they came closer and she turned from where she stood near the rail to find that, despite the long journey from the ball room to this side of the house, someone had managed to track her down after all.
In reality, she would be questioning the length of how he had known where she was, but as in love as she once was with him, her speculation ceased some, for when he smiled at her with soft warm eyes, everything else was forgotten.
Will stepped closer and she saw that he held another glass of wine for her, she stretched her hand out for it, and he gave it to her without reluctance, she took a sip.
He had good taste – as always – and he selected the best choice of wine, the expensive one that was only brought out on special occasions. She looked at him and he looked at her and the smile that spread across her face indicated her true pleasure in having him to herself, finally.