Blackout
by: raileht

Summary: It was over. The fight in her was almost completely out and she was nearing total exhaustion. She was about to die.
Disclaimer: The ones you don't know are mine, the ones you do aren't.
Rating: T, to be safe

Spoilers/Timeline: post-finale but the last scene with McVeigh and Lockhart (when she came to see him in the end) never took place in this story. Also, Eli Gold isn't in the firm and let's pretend Alicia found some other way to stay in L&G. And of course, Peter is still in jail.
Warning: Bad words and a lot of violence right from the start. Will be a somewhat dark story so people will be in pain—physical and emotional. Maybe not for the faint hearted.

Chapter Title taken from:
Adele, Chasing Pavements

-o0oo0oo0o-

Chapter Twelve: Chasing Pavements

"What are you talking about?"

Daniel smiled and shook his head, "You insult my intelligence, Gardner…and here I thought we were starting to become friends."

"We are, I mean, yes," Will said, backtracking a little for the unintended slight. "I mean, what do you mean exactly? Diane and Kurt are…are, well…"

He trailed off, not entirely sure what he was allowed to share knowing even he wasn't even aware of the full extent of Diane's relationship with the ballistics expert. He knew they'd slept together and even knew about the dinner that came before that, but what about after? Will didn't want to end up giving out the wrong information, especially since this information wasn't even his to consider.

Will was starting to rethink playing host for Diane's brother. The man had the uncanny need to spring the most absurd and/or shocking questions he could think of in the most inopportune moments. As if it wasn't bad enough being asked if he was sleeping with his sister, what more another man who Will knew next to nothing about?

"I don't know," he shook his head, his tone honest because he was. He didn't know anything so what else could he say? He certainly wasn't going to make up some sort of half-truth. Lawyer Will lied, yes, but common man Will, who valued his life and family jewels beyond anything, wasn't up to playing gossip queen with his partner's brother.

"I appreciate your attempt at loyalty," the older man said, sounding genuine enough. "But don't take me for a fool, Will and don't worry, I'm just asking. This isn't high school where the big brother will beat up the neighbor kid for looking at his sister. I just prefer to be…informed."

Will nodded, "I'm not lying, Dan. I really don't know what's between them."

"Oh?" Daniel raised an eyebrow, "Fine. Then answer me this—have they ever slept together?"

Now what the hell was he suppose to say to that? Will wondered, taking his eyes away from the man standing next to him and staring ahead. What would happen if he told the truth? What would Diane say? She obviously hadn't told her brother of the new man in her life—if he even still was at this point—so there must be a reason for that. He was skating on thin ice, Will was sure and it was either deal with Diane, who he knew could punish him in so many different ways or deal with her potentially mentally unstable brother.

This was a rock and a crazy place for Will and just as he was deciding on how to answer the question, he heard the other man beginning to chuckle. He looked at him, just as the doors opened, "What? I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to," Daniel smiled wickedly, "The look on your face was enough and don't think for one second I did not see those rapidly turning screws in your head."

"I didn't—"

"So my sister slept with a Republican, eh?" Daniel laughed merrily, "That explains the screaming I heard—that was our grandfather, trying to claw his way out of the grave."

"Dan—"

"I mean, seriously," the older man ignored him, "Danni Lockhart, little Danni, getting into bed with the enemy. Classic! If grandfather were alive…well, he would have died! Oh, the horror!"

Will felt his cheeks burn slightly, wondering what mess he'd just gotten himself into. Daniel was enjoying everything a little too much and if Diane had purposely hidden her relationship—whatever it was—with Kurt McVeigh, he'd just found out why. The older man was positively gleeful, smiling brilliantly and gesturing madly. Will watched him, wondering just how screwed he was.

"For the record, I didn't say anything," Will insisted, "I didn't."

"Of course you didn't," Daniel chuckled, "But it's not like you had to…you might be a damned good lawyer, Will," the other man stepped out of the elevator ahead of him, "But god in heaven, you can't keep your fear of my sister out of your eyes."

He laughed and went ahead, leaving Will with no other option but to follow. Normally, he would have denied being afraid of Diane Lockhart or any woman except his mother, but heaven knew he was off his game today. Diane was going to find out, how could she not? And there was no way she wasn't going to figure out it was him who'd just let it slip. Will was tempted to leave, just walk away and try and avoid seeing her until he was somewhat sure she wasn't going to kill him.

Then again, he thought, either way, he was dead. If she really wanted to kill him, she'd find him herself and beat the hell out of him. In every which way or form, Will was terminally screwed so, instead of following his instincts to run, Will stepped out of the car, followed Daniel and mentally prepared himself for his inevitable annihilation.

Lockharts, he thought almost miserably, were trouble.

-o0o-

Alicia Florrick had seen crime scenes pictures before and had, at one point, even unknowingly walked into one thanks to a peculiar client named Colin Sweeney, but never in her entire life had she ever walked into a crime scene where the person who'd been hurt was someone she actually knew. She was finding, as she crept into the kitchen where there were still signs of the recent events that took place, that the experience was indeed more unpleasant.

There was still some overturned furniture, she noticed and, on some surfaces she could see print powder from where the forensic investigators had obviously passed through. Alicia made sure to avoid anything that was quite obviously part of the scene, stepping over markers left behind, overturned chairs and other pieces scattered on the floors.

With a trained eye, even though she wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, Alicia took in the feel of the kitchen, absorbing everything she could. Even in the midst of the obvious chaos that took place, she could see the place had once been immaculate. The place reflected who the occupant was and somehow, she could see the similarities between the woman who owned the kitchen and the woman who stalked the halls of the firm.

Alicia wasn't privy as to whether Diane Lockhart was the type of woman to cook, but from the way things looked—the high end design, state of the art appliances and fixtures—the place had obviously been kept up to date. If the place was for show, then Diane or whoever was responsible for the house's modeling, they'd done a good job.

Once again, she was reminded of just how little she knew about the woman and with that, came the same feeling of guilt that somehow, Alicia was violating her privacy, prying into her life in a way she never should. The feeling that she was doing something utterly wrong came again only this time she knew she'd gone through the point of no return. She'd seen the place, seen things she shouldn't have seen without being invited in. Alicia felt like a ghoul.

A ghoul with a conscience, that is.

Taking a few measured steps, Alicia left the kitchen, looking around carefully and trying to find some sign of Kalinda, wondering just where the woman had slipped to this time. She was just along for the ride, essentially, so it was best that she stuck with her, right? The private investigator definitely knew more compared to her when it came to dealing with crime scenes. Alicia, for all she was worth, was a lawyer through and through and except for knowing police procedure by the law, she knew next to nothing about playing a cop and that included walking through crime scenes unguided.

Not knowing whether they were supposed to be there or not made things all the more complicated, of course. She still had brief flashes of her and Kalinda getting arrested for trespassing, maybe jeopardizing an ongoing investigation—an investigation concerning their boss.

"Kalinda?" she called out, careful not to be too loud. She was sure they were alone, but couldn't help the bite of paranoia that told her not to make too much noise. The place was quiet, almost too quiet and it was eerie was hell.

Alicia walked down the hall, ignoring the images that flashed through her mind. She knew parts of the investigation, the part that said everything had started near the front of the house and had ended in the kitchen. That meant that chances are Diane herself had gone through the same path she was now taking, most probably running from a killer, was enough to make Alicia's mind spin so she ignored it. It was better that way.

It was no secret she'd grown steadily better at ignoring things now anyway.

"Kalinda?" she called out again, measured steps taking her to the front of the house, heading towards the front door and bypassing the living room. She headed towards the stairs, somehow guessing that Kalinda would be up there where, of course, more of Diane's world lay waiting.

Again, she was hesitant to go there, knowing things were getting more and more personal. Up there, she knew where the bedrooms had to be and, again, Alicia felt the twist of guilt. Dare she stop now?

Logic and the screaming sirens going off in her head told Alicia not to go, but even with all that, she couldn't stop her foot from taking the first step upwards. She spotted the small marker where, to her horror, it looked as if there were a few drops of blood and, again, she chose to ignore that. She stepped far and away from the marker and crept up the steps, slowly. Having seen that piece, Alicia had no other way to go but up. She wanted to be away from that as much as possible.

Everything inside her mind told her to stop, go back down and head back to the car. Being five wasn't so bad and the more she violated her boss's privacy and trampled in her life, staying in the car was beginning to look more and more preferable, if only to stop the guilt that was continuing to work its way through her system. But, as if caught in a trance, Alicia could not stop herself from going forward, from taking each step up and coming closer and closer towards the core of Diane Lockhart's world.

There was a special place in hell for lawyers, she always knew, but as she landed at the top of the stairs, catching sight of Kalinda's form just slipping into what she guessed was the master bedroom, Alicia found herself coming towards another conclusion.

There was a special place in hell for Alicia Florrick.

-o0o-

Will and Daniel had gotten to the room just in time to see a nurse exit. Though his mood had remained quite cheerful after getting another one up over the lawyer, the feeling quickly vanished when he spotted the woman dressed in white.

"What's going on?" he asked, foregoing politeness as his own worry reflected quite clearly in his eyes.

"Miss Lockhart was beginning to feel some discomfort after the morphine was beginning to wear off," the nurse explained. "We've administered another dose. She should be comfortable for a few more hours."

"Oh, good then," Daniel nodded, reaching past her for the door. "Thank you."

Will nodded, "Yes, thank you."

She smiled and nodded, stepping out of their way to let the two men pass. Glancing back just as the door closed, she smiled to herself again, wondering just how their high profile patient managed to get her men in line and within arm's reach every time. Not counting what she'd just gone through, the young woman could easily surmise that she was a lucky woman, having all of them be at her beck and call.

Daniel slipped into the room first, just in time to see Kurt McVeigh sitting back down in the seat he'd occupied that morning. On the bed, Diane lay with her eyes closed, seemingly relaxed though there was still a small knot on her forehead, a sure sign that while she was trying to stay down, something else was clearly bothering her.

"So," he said casually, going to the other side of the bed. He gave a cordial nod towards Kurt who returned the gesture, sitting back in his seat with his hands clamped together. "I heard they gave you the good stuff, sister dearest."

"They did," Diane answered though she kept her eyes closed. "Remind me to get a batch for my office. I'm going to need it for some…choice clients."

Daniel grinned, "Ah, sharing your drugs. How thoughtful."

"It's not for them," she mumbled, "It's for me."

From his position leaning against the wall in front of the bed, Will chuckled while Daniel took his seat, smiling to himself. Leave to his sister to begin recovery already.

"Will Gardner, what are you doing here?" she asked, still attempting to relax though obviously that was not to be at the moment. "Don't you have a firm to run or have I slept away the last ten years and you're about to tell me we no longer have one?"

"Relax," Will said, "My schedule for today is clear, the firm is in good hands and I've informed them to let me know if anything happens."

Diane opened her eyes, "Will…"

He smiled and shook his head slightly, "You know what? Fine. If it makes you feel better, I'll call the office right now, okay? I'll check on things and if they need me, I'll leave."

"Thank you," she said then waved him off.

"See? What did I tell you?" Daniel called after Will who shook a fist at him over his shoulder.

"What was that all about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her brother.

"Just me proving a point," he answered with a shrug. "So…I met your friend earlier," he nodded at Kurt.

Diane turned to the other man, giving him a questioning look only to get a slight shake of his head. Slowly, she turned back to her brother, "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Daniel Archer Lockhart the third."

"Nothing," he insisted, showing his hands as if that would prove his innocence. "I only briefly met Mr. McVeigh, all right? We had a nice chat and no, I did not tell him any of your lovely little exploits as the young but troublesome little Lockhart."

"I highly doubt that," she mumbled, remembering all the times he'd embarrassed her in front of suitors. Her brother had a perverse sense of switching between the threatening brother and the annoying brother. Up to now, she still wasn't sure which she preferred.

Daniel grinned, "Oh, come on, Danni. I've been very good. I wouldn't even think of telling your boyfriend any secret of yours. At least, not yet."

"He's not my—" she began, only to receive a look from him. Her face turned grim and easily guessed what was spurring on her brother, "Will."

"Now, to be fair, he didn't exactly say anything," Daniel explained though he was obviously enjoying the whole thing.

"He's not my boyfriend and god," she rolled her eyes, "What a juvenile term…"

"He is still in the room, you know," Daniel pointed out, leaning to the side slightly and flashing a smile at Kurt who, up until then had been quite comfortable sitting quietly while the two siblings hashed it out.

Diane rolled her eyes, "I really don't see why this is any of your business…"

"It's not, I just like prying into my baby sister's private life," Daniel said simply, "So, Kurt…you and my sister…"

"Dan," she said warningly.

Daniel ignored her and instead looked at Kurt who was watching him with passive eyes, "Did she happen to mention who her father and grandfather were?"

"Kurt, may I borrow your phone?" Diane said loudly.

"Uh, sure," Kurt said, pulling out his phone and looking at Daniel, "She didn't say who they were specifically, but I know of them. I live in the country, but come on, it's Chicago."

"I know, right?" Daniel grinned, "And you're a Rep—"

"Daniel, did I mention to you that Gwen is currently—"

Daniel's smile fell and suddenly lurched forward, reaching towards the bed with one hand, only to have Diane raise the arm that was trapped in a cast. It had hardened significantly well and, as she was now happily discovering, made the perfect shield. In the background, Kurt stood up, unsure what was going on but ready to help Diane if needed.

The brother was a complete stranger to him and though Kurt knew Diane was capable of taking care of herself, he wasn't about to sit by and just let something happen to her. Brother or not, Kurt knew his part in all this. There was no way anyone was laying a hand on her again.

Unfazed by the sudden movements, Diane gave her brother a dark smile, "Try me, brother dear, try me. One good reason, really. I'm just dying to call her."

"You wouldn't."

She smiled serenely, "Oh, wouldn't I?"

Daniel frowned, "You've lost your sense of humor."

"Lay off and I'll drop the phone, it's as easy as that," she smiled. "If anyone's lost their sense of humor, right now, it's you."

Deflated, Daniel sat back down, frowning at his sister, "You're mean."

She rolled her eyes at her brother, "And you are a pain—you can't blame me for taking drastic measures just to keep you in line."

"But calling Gwen? I fail to see the fairness of the situation, honestly."

"Because it's not meant to be fair," she shrugged, "Come on, Danny boy. Don't you miss her? Even just for a little bit? I'm sure she misses you...just how many times has she called you in the, say, last hour?"

Daniel gritted his teeth, "She left messages."

Diane giggled in a way Kurt had never heard her done before, "Let me listen?"

"No," he scoffed, "I deleted them."

She smiled, "Liar."

"Did I ever tell you how much I hate when you do that?" Daniel mumbled then looked at Kurt again, "You're dating a human lie detector, did I tell you that?"

Diane laughed.

"She is having too much fun," he mumbled, rising from his seat, "And she's fighting dirty. And I can't even fight back…" he shook his head, "I'm going to see what's keeping lunch."

"Yes, go and do that," she said, chuckling. "And remember—I know her number! By heart!"

"You're doing this to your flesh and blood," Daniel pointed out, "This makes me wonder—do you even have a heart?"

She continued to laugh.

Daniel left the room, muttering slightly. Diane sat back, pleased with herself and what she'd just accomplished. Sibling rivalry games were always fun, especially whenever she brought up the Gwen card. Yes, it was dirty, but god, was it effective.

"Who were you talking about?" Kurt asked, though he was glad to see her smiling.

"Hm?" she hummed.

"Gwen?"

She smiled, "His first ex-wife."

"First?"

"He's had three," Diane answered then sobered up, "I'm sorry for what I said…"

"About what?"

"What Daniel implied and how I…" she stopped, "If I sounded too dismissive, believe me, that was not my intention, I just—"

"Nah," he shook his head, "We…we never exactly defined what we, uh, were…are?"

Diane looked at him, regarding him for a moment, taking in how he fidgeted ever so slightly in his seat. She remembered laughing with him, how much she enjoyed being around him despite their differences. She'd dated before, loved even, but he was different. And as much as she'd tried pushing him from her mind, she couldn't deny it to herself that the more she pushed, the more he stayed.

She knew she wasn't supposed to even be thinking about entertaining rekindling what she and Kurt had, but somehow, looking at recent events, what was slowly developing even before the incident, she was slowly starting to realize just what she'd been lacking lately. Pushing from her mind the rest of the world and for once, concentrating on what she wanted, regardless of how it may look to the outside world, Diane allowed herself to come to a conclusion she'd long been avoiding ever since that first night with the last man she'd ever expected to even consider.

Diane handed his phone back to him and simply said, "Are."

This was what she needed.

-o0o-

Slipping out of his sister's hospital room again, Daniel found Will Gardner speaking to a younger man dressed in a suit. Watching him with observant eyes, he immediately came to a conclusion that the man, though dressed properly, could surely not be a lawyer. At least, not an employee of his sister's firm because, as shallow as it seemed, that firm liked seeing their people well dressed.

For the man's age, he could be a fresh graduate, kid out of law school and if he indeed was a lawyer for Lockhart & Gardner, then he should have been dressed to the nines. Kids out of law school tended to choose to dress expensively, even beyond their means, if only to impress their superiors and clients. With a firm like Lockhart & Gardner, presentation was everything.

Still smarting from his sister's threats, Daniel decided to find something else to occupy his thoughts, which was why he also decided to barge into Will's obviously important little meeting.

"Why so serious?" Daniel commented, sliding in next to Will as he stood by the opposite wall, obviously intimidating the hell out of the young man who was carrying a file case and a small pouch. "Another reporter?"

"No," Will answered, "This is Kevin. He's Diane's assistant for today—temporary until Annie is allowed back in."

"Oh, hello," Daniel said kindly, sparing the young man a kind shake as he obviously looked distressed. "Daniel Lockhart. The Brother."

"A pleasure," the young man answered, trying to muster up a firm handshake.

"What brings you here, Kevin?" Daniel eyed the black file case.

"Miss Lockhart called me at the office, told me to bring her a few things," he showed him the case. "She said I should bring them over here."

"Oh, did she now?" Daniel exchanged a look with Will. "How did we miss the phone in that room?"

Will shrugged, "I already told Kevin to bring it right back to the firm" He turned to the younger man again, "I also said if it isn't pressing, it can wait until Diane comes back. If not, have it be forwarded to Julius' office who is currently the one responsible for sorting out Diane's load."

"But Miss Lockhart—"

"Miss Lockhart is a stubborn mule," Daniel sighed, "And I believe you…" he turned to Will, "You can't fight this, you know. She'll just keep calling him back until he comes. If not, she'll fire him and kill you. Either way, she's getting those files and…" he eyed the pouch suspiciously, "Whatever else she's asked him to bring."

"She needs to rest," Will answered, frowning. "She needs to recover—am I the only one who cares that all of this happened less than twenty-four hours ago?"

Daniel nodded, "I understand where you're coming from, believe me, I do and yes, I would like nothing more than to tie her stubborn highness to the bed, but believe me, you can't win this one."

"Well, what do you want us to do? Let her pile in on her work and kill herself?"

"She knows her limits and if it does come to that," the older man waved his hand, "We'll bring in someone who can control her."

"I can't imagine such a person exists," Will said sardonically, clearly annoyed. He too was coming to a grudging acceptance that no matter what they did, they wouldn't be able to stop Diane from getting what she wanted. Unless, of course, sedation was involved, but even then eventually they would have to wake her up again and then hell would start. Either way, there was no winning this one.

"Oh, she does," Daniel said with a devious little smile, "But we'll save the best for last. Let her do what she wants, Will. We'll monitor her and if she doesn't listen…well, that person, she exists and she's only a phone call away."

"She lives in the city? This angel lives in Chicago?"

Daniel grinned, "Hell yeah."

"Why am I only finding out this now?" Will muttered, "I could have used the help in the past."

"Yes, I know," Daniel smiled, "My sister is a pain in the ass. It's genetic."

"This person…" Will looked doubtful, "Really a phone call away?"

"Faster than you can say 'nap time'."

Will thought for a moment then nodded reluctantly and motioned for Kevin to head to the door.

"Thank you, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Lockhart," Kevin mumbled as he passed.

Will stopped, "Kevin?"

"Yes, Mr. Gardner?" the doubt was in the man's face, wondering perhaps if Will had changed his mind.

"You tell her nothing of what you just heard," Will intoned, all trace of his previous amusement gone. He meant business and it was not hard to miss.

Kevin nodded, "Yes, of course, sir."

Will waved him off then turned to Daniel.

"You just saved his job," the other man remarked.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Will asked, watching just as the door closed.

Daniel smiled deviously, waving his phone, "Of course."

If his sister wanted to play dirty, then so could he.

-o0o-

"What exactly are we looking for?"

Alicia stood outside the master bedroom, unsure whether she could really go in or not. Technically, Kalinda was doing her job, which included invading people's privacy—yes, even their boss'—and looking into things no other person should be privy to. Her, on the other hand, a lawyer and really just that, wasn't supposed to be there, out in the field and definitely not anywhere near one of the partner's homes.

"I'm looking for evidence," the woman finally answered, "Anything that can help explain what happened or if there were signs that something like this could happen."

"You already have the letters," Alicia pointed out. "Isn't that a sign already?"

"It doesn't hurt to look for more," Kalinda answered simply, her voice sounding a little distant. "I'm in the bathroom already, Alicia. I haven't found anything damning. You're safe."

"I'm…fine here," Alicia said nonchalantly, looking at a painting on the far wall. It was a lot different than the ones in the office, the ones Jonas Stern had tried to take away.

The paintings in the house were done in a realist style, very much different from the abstract paintings in the firm. The colors were soft and warm, some a little wistful even and somehow, they reminded Alicia of Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World, a piece she remembered studying in college for one of her classes.

"If you were expecting something crazy, like…an S&M den, there isn't one," Kalinda said, exiting the bedroom with a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Oh, god," Alicia muttered, shaking her head. "I was so not thinking that…"

"Yeah, but now you are," Kalinda smiled mischievously and this time didn't bother to hide her obvious enjoyment.

Alicia gave her the evil eye then followed her as she advanced towards down the hall, leading away from the bedroom. "Tell me again why I'm here…?"

Kalinda shrugged, "Contingency plan."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that if anyone asks, we're here under Will Gardner's orders and you," she headed straight towards a set of wooden double doors and slid them open, "Are here to collect a few things for a case he and Diane are working on together."

"What?"

"Relax," the woman said, stepping into what looked like a modest library. "It's all taken care of."

Alicia shook her head, "This is insane."

The other woman just waved a hand, looking around the room. Alicia followed, this time a little in awe of the room they were now in. On two sides of the four walls in the room, there were shelves that started from the floor to the ceiling with every space filled to the hilt with books. Some were covered in glass, some open and, in the far corner, there was a wooden ladder leaning against one of the shelves.

On the remaining wall, right across from where Alicia stood, there was a fireplace and two wing chairs and she could imagine Diane sitting there, reading by the fire, maybe with a glass of wine or two. The room was well decorated, warm with rich dark cherry wood finishing and it stood out from the rest of the rooms in the house. Stepping into this room made Alicia feel like she'd stepped into an altogether different house. The only thing bearing any sign that it was the same house was the large painting over the fireplace, with the same warm colors and realistic strokes.

Standing in the room, something told Alicia the owner of the home frequented this place the most. She didn't know why, but the image of Diane being in the room, being comfortable and safe there, would not leave her mind. The place was warm and welcoming, even she could imagine staying there for hours.

"This is the room partners love to visit," Kalinda said simply. "Diane has…an extensive collection."

"That's one way to put it," Alicia muttered, looking around. "This is hers, all of it?"

"Mhm," the investigator hummed, "She has a lot of first editions. And there's even a popular story around the office—one time, Stern found a book he said he had to have and offered Diane money—insane amounts of it and the other partners, mainly Rosenblatt and Michaels, heard what he was doing and it started a bidding war."

"A bidding war? For a book?" Alicia raised an eyebrow, her interest certainly piqued, not having pegged the latterly mentioned partners to be readers.

"Yup," Kalinda smirked, "It pissed Diane off—this was her party, after all, and decided to keep the book out of everyone's view. She hid it in her room."

Alicia blinked, "Don't tell me…"

Kalinda grinned, "She found Stern in her bedroom, rummaging through her things. Everyone could hear her screaming at him."

The lawyer chuckled, not at all surprised by their former boss's antics. "Did she ban him from going here?"

"No," she shook her head, "But she drew up a contract for him to sign…nobody knows what it was, but it was serious. Will knows about it though."

Alicia shook her head, "So what exactly are we doing here? The…incident happened downstairs and this is really beyond the—"

Kalinda ignored her, heading towards the fireplace and, without a word, abruptly pulled the corner panel of the ledge, pulling it roughly out. The wood gave easily, revealing itself to be a small rectangular drawer, cleverly disguised as just another finishing. Alicia looked on, surprised and very curious.

"What are you doing?"

"People like Diane like their secrets," Kalinda said simply, "And this," she held up a key, "Is one of them."

The investigator left the room, key in hand and the lawyer didn't bother questioning again, knowing she'd just have to wait to find out what exactly the woman thought she was doing. How she even knew where the panel was so quickly was a mystery to Alicia.

But then again, she wouldn't put it past the woman to have a copy of the blueprints of the house.

Alicia followed Kalinda, her surprise and curiosity taking her back to the bedroom and entering without even noticing what she was doing. She'd promised herself she would not enter, but evidently curiosity won out and before she knew it, she was standing by the door of Diane Lockhart's large closet, watching with a slight morbid fascination as the woman pushed aside a set of coats on the left side of the room, revealing a small keyhole and pushing the key in easily.

"Dare I ask…?"

Kalinda's head bobbed slightly, "No."

Alicia waited, still standing by the door and this time, promised to stay where she was and look nowhere else. A big part of her wished that Diane would never know that she'd been there. Her privacy and safety had already been compromised by what happened, she wasn't sure she would appreciate someone else stepping into her home, her bedroom especially, without her consent.

Observing her friend instead, Alicia watched Kalinda pull out her small camera, laying something on the floor of the room and taking a few pictures, brief flashes coming now and again. Once finished, with careful precision, she picked up the things she'd taken pictures of and put them back, closing the door and locking it. The coats were pushed back in place and, tucking the camera back into her pocket, faced Alicia, her eyes dark.

"What…?"

"We're done here," was all the woman said, slipping by her and out of the closet, into the room and out of the bedroom. All the while, Alicia followed quietly, wondering what she'd found.

She wasn't sure what it was, but from the look on the investigator's face, it was serious.

And once again, Alicia wondered just what else Diane Lockhart was hiding.

-o0o-

"Please tell Mr. Cain that I will be contacting him as—"

Diane stopped, mid sentence when the door opened and Will stepped in.

Will had managed to catch Kurt stepping out, explaining briefly that Diane was going through some work related things and had subsequently thrown him out for letting his displeasure known regarding her going back to work so soon. Relieving him of his post and from what he'd had correctly guessed as some classic post-Lockhart verbal whipping, Daniel easily managed to get Kurt to agree to fetching their lunch from the lobby, the delivery having been halted by security due to the current barring of unnecessary presence concerning their sought after patient.

They'd left Will with the perfect opportunity to slip back into the room, just to see what kind of work Diane was doing now. What he found, he was not liking at all.

Beside Diane, Kevin stood, having spent the whole time he'd been in the room trying to appear normal when inside he felt like he'd been sucker punched upon seeing the appearance of his boss. She'd sounded so normal on the phone, he had foolishly managed to convince himself that she was really fine.

Instead, he'd faced an obviously battered Diane Lockhart, an image he never thought he'd encounter. The shock of the bruises on her face and neck, plus the cast on her arm and the fact that she was in bed made the reality harsher than it had originally been in his mind. He had tried not to stare, not wanting to make her uncomfortable with his own discomfort so instead, he took out his notepad and started jotting down everything she wanted him to do, avoiding her injuries with his eyes as much as possible.

The list had been growing quite lengthy and the appearance of the firm's other partner stopped whatever else Diane was about to have him do. Kevin wasn't sure whether he should be happy or not, especially since he was now stuck between both partners, with Will wearing that look on his face that always meant trouble was looming ahead.

"That's enough," Will said, pointing to the door, "Kevin, thank you for coming, now please, go back to the office and make sure Miss Lockhart's phones are covered."

Kevin stared at him, swallowing a lump in his throat that he was so sure hadn't been there before. The look on the man's face was serious, so serious that he was tempted to take a step back.

But the fact that less than two feet away was the woman who was basically even more terrifying than the other man in the room left Kevin wondering exactly what he was suppose to do. Clearly, he couldn't just walk away from his boss so, with his heart hammering, Kevin stayed put, looking at Will then at Diane, unmoving.

"Kevin…?" Will said, sounding a little more than impatient.

"Didn't we talk about this already?"Diane said, raising an eyebrow as she took off the glasses Kevin had procured from her office. She always had a spare lying around.

Will frowned and opened his mouth to say something before his eyes widened, "Did you get another phone?"

She glanced at the small box next to her, "Yes. And it's been updated to have my contacts and the same number I had on my previous phone which, as we all know, is currently in evidence…somewhere in this city. God knows where."

Will glared at Kevin who avoided his eyes, "Diane, do you not understand rest? You need time to recover. You can't just jump back into work as if nothing happened!"

"Yes, I can," she said stubbornly, "I'm not dead Will! I can definitely work, I'm fine!"

"No, you're not," he said, though he was calm. "Stop being so stubborn."

"Stop telling me what to do," she snapped, "God! What makes you people think you can just tell me what to do now? You think THIS changes things? Because if you do, then all of you are sadly mistaken!"

"Diane—"

"No, you listen to me," she pointed a finger at him, "I am not about to let some dead psychopath stop me from living my life. And guess what? That includes doing my job so, please, spare me the lecture because I am not interested!"

She hadn't been aware she'd begun to raise her voice until she stopped, hearing herself near the end and seeing Kevin's pale face. She stopped, blinking a few times and bringing her hand to her temple, pushing her hair back and completely ignoring her fingers brushing the edge of the bandage on her head. She breathed in deeply, eyes closed and wondering just how she'd let herself lose control so suddenly. She needed to regroup.

Will turned to Kevin, "I think that's enough for today…"

Kevin looked at his boss, who nodded almost imperceptibly. He was lucky he'd worked with her enough times to know and read the signs correctly. Gingerly, he gathered the few papers she'd sorted, slipping them into the file case and left the room without another word, leaving the two dueling partners to deal with the situation.

"I know…" Will began, then stopped. "I can only imagine how you're feeling and I know that isn't enough, but Diane…you need time to recover. I know you want some semblance of control back and how you think you can only function with work, but…"

He paused, taking a few steps closer to the bed, watching her as she kept her eyes closed, her uninjured hand pressed to her lips.

"But if you want to get back to work as soon as possible," he continued, "You need to take care of yourself, give yourself time to heal or else…what happened, what you refuse to talk about and acknowledge…it'll eat you up and it's going to—"

"Stop."

"Diane, I just—"

"I swear to god Will, if you do not stop I'll get off this bed and beat you with this cast," Diane snarled, opening her eyes with a ready glare.

Will stopped, nodding slowly as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "I…what can I do? I-I don't know what to do, Diane, okay? I-we deal with things like this, but this…"

"Will, stop it."

"I don't know what to do, okay?" he went on, as if he hadn't heard her. "For once, I don't have a single clue about what to do. I stay at the office, my head will go right back here, I stay here, you do what you want and what you want is to not rest and try to heal as fast as possible, either way—I can't help you."

"I never asked you to."

"Well, tough," he said, throwing his hands up, "I'm here, okay? And right now, I don't know where else I could be because, damn it, I can't leave. Do you understand that?"

"Do you understand that we have a firm—"

"Oh, would you STOP talking about work?" Will cut her off. "Please, Diane, for the love of god, stop thinking about work for one second and just…do you understand where you are? Right now?"

"For your sake, I hope that is a rhetorical question…"

"You. Are. In. A. Hospital," he said, slowly and pausing in between each word deliberately, hoping that this would get through to her and slowly hating himself for what he was about to do. "You were hurt. Someone came into your house and hurt you. You have a broken wrist, bruises and god knows what else. You have not seen them yet, but you have bruises around your neck, do you understand that? Someone hurt you, Diane, and I'm sorry but…do you have any idea what-what kind of torture it is, seeing you on that floor, unconscious? Do you understand what kind of hell that was?"

Diane stared at him, fully understanding why he was behaving that way. It wasn't just the fight or the fact that she'd been hurt. It went beyond that. In the man's face, she could see remorse, regret and a whole lot of guilt. Will, in ways she could only guess, felt more responsible for what happened to her than she initially expected and, realizing that, her anger began to thaw. She didn't blame him for reacting this way, not when he was letting her see things from his point of view.

"I'm…" she stopped, shaking her head slightly. "I'm fine, Will."

"No," Will said, shaking his head as he looked at her. "You're not."

Their eyes met.

She looked away.

-o0o-

"Honey, I'm home."

Daniel walked in, bags in hand and immediately, he knew he'd walked into a minefield.

Will was standing a few feet away from the bed, looking grim and upset. On the bed, his sister sat, her lips in a thin line, eyes ever challenging and, even while propped up by pillows, still managed to get into a perfect battle stance. Daniel did the only thing he could think of to help the situation.

He whistled.

"Wow, isn't this the happiest place on earth."

Diane shot him a look, warning him, but Will stepped back, shaking his head and waving a hand dismissively, "We were just talking."

Daniel looked at Will, "You didn't listen, didn't you?"

"She…" Will began, then shook his head. "No, not really."

The older man shook his head, "Impatient much?"

Will glared at him and Daniel looked from him to his sister, "Are we playing nice, Danni?"

"We were just talking," Diane said simply.

"Yeah," Will nodded, noticing that she was still avoiding looking at him. He took it as a sign, "But it doesn't matter. We're done here."

He made a swift exit, leaving the siblings in each others presence, Daniel still standing with bags from one of his sister's favorite restaurants in the city while Diane stared at the wall in front of her, trying not to show just how upset she was.

"What?" she snapped defensively.

Daniel sighed, "You really are a pain in the ass, you know that?"

-o0o-

"Everything okay?"

Will looked up, seeing Kurt leaning against the wall, looking at him curiously.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Diane and I…just had a few things to talk about."

Kurt nodded, "Saw the work and the phone?"

Will rolled his eyes, "Yeah."

"She can't help herself," the other man said thoughtfully, "It's the way she copes…it's familiar so she's doing it. Everything's gone to hell and she doesn't know what else to do so she sticks to what she knows. It's…self-preservation."

"I know," Will nodded, "but I can't help it…she needs to rest."

"Yeah, but…" the cowboy shrugged, "Okay, I'm still getting to know her, okay? So I know I've barely scratched the surface…but if I'm allowed to guess? Maybe working helps her rest. You've known her a while…you should know that busy head of hers can't ever stop ticking."

Will nodded, "I know, but that doesn't stop me…"

"…from worrying?"

He nodded, hesitantly, avoiding the other man's eyes. He barely knew the man, yet here he was, sharing his thoughts about the person they'd both grown to care deeply about.

"It's okay to admit it, you know."

"I'm not so sure."

Kurt nodded, "She just needs to know things aren't falling apart."

"But that won't be enough," Will said, "It won't save her from herself. She'll keep pushing because…hell, if she keeps doing this…she'll kill herself. And you know it."

Kurt nodded, "Yeah, I do, but I also know a little basic fact about her..."

"What?"

"You don't push Diane Lockhart."

Will nodded, "Seems I forgot about that one."

"So…you screwed up?"

The lawyer nodded, "Sort of."

"Do you need to be anywhere else?" the older man asked.

Will shook his head, "Not really. What about you?"

"No," Kurt replied, glancing at the door beside him, "Got nowhere else to be."

"Okay."

"So…you're gonna wait out here," Kurt nodded at his direction, "And, believe me, you're gonna wait. By the look on your face, I say you pissed her off good, but…give her a while. She'll come around."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"I've seen you, most of the morning," Kurt shrugged, "You care about her. A lot."

"I do," he nodded.

Kurt stared at him for a moment, then nodded, "Caring is good and our mothers and people tell us to care, right?" He paused, "What they don't tell you is that what a bitch it is to care about someone who thinks they don't need anybody."

"Sounds like Diane."

"Because it is," Kurt shrugged. "Whatever you did…don't worry about it. She's just on edge. She'll get over it."

"Here's hoping," he let the corners of his lips curl up, without humor. "So…did you two get to talk?"

Kurt turned back to Will then nodded slowly, "A little."

"She let you stay," it wasn't a question.

"Until she kicked me out."

"She'll let you back in anyway," Will grinned, "So, things are okay? With you two?"

"We're…sorting things out," there wasn't much else he could say.

"That's…good," Will nodded, "I'm glad. Diane…you're different."

"Different good?" Kurt smirked, "I mean, things didn't exactly start out too well with us. With that case and all."

"Different good," Will confirmed, "And that case, well, that was different too. I saw Diane after you got together…" he paused then gave a small nod towards him, "You're good for her."

"Yeah, well," Kurt glanced at the door again, "She's good for me too."

"So does this mean you're staying?"

Kurt looked at the man again, then nodded.

"I'm staying."

-o0o-

"Damn it!"

Daniel looked up, seeing his sister trying to use her phone with one hand while she tried to let her long fingers wiggle in the confines of the cast. She wasn't used to it yet, being immobile like that and clearly, she was not happy with the situation. He sighed, reaching for the phone and snatching it out of her hand.

"Wh—HEY!"

"Eat."

"No," Diane said, glaring at her brother yet again one arm laid on her stomach, "I'm not hungry. Give me back my phone."

"Danni, come on, eat," Daniel stood by the bed, arms crossed over his chest.

"I am not hungry," she growled, "Now, give me my phone. I have an important—"

"Don't waste your breath," Daniel said, tucking the phone into the pocket of his pants. "I am not giving your phone back until you do something normal for once. Now, again, eat."

"Daniel, I have work to do," she said, trying to calm herself but obviously failing to do so. "Now, please, give me—"

"Look, I'm not even going to ask what you did to Will again," he began, for once, letting his frustration with her show. He'd been trying to reign it in, try not to be frustrated with her after what she'd gone through, but even he could see this was getting ridiculous, "But I think, for once, you are the one in the wrong here, Danni. You're trying to do too much too soon, do you understand?"

"Have I suddenly stopped speaking English?" she snarled, "Have I somehow been speaking in Japanese or Chinese that everyone keeps asking me if I understand?"

Daniel smirked, "No, sister dear. You have been speaking in perfect English, but that is not the problem, alright? The problem is you haven't stopped speaking and have completely ceased listening to anyone. Not that it's much of a surprise…"

"Daniel—"

"This is ridiculous," her brother said, "You just went through something…really bad, okay? And, Danni, nobody will think less of you if you take a little time to yourself." He motioned to the food, "Just…try to eat, all right? Even just a little."

"I already told you," she barked. "I am not hungry."

Daniel glared. He'd give her anything she wanted, but not this. He was there to look after her and that included not letting her starve herself to death, "I know you were in your office late again last night and you haven't eaten anything since…well, god knows when. You have to eat."

"No," she answered stubbornly. "I have an MRI scheduled and—"

"Bull," he snorted, "There are no diet restrictions to MRI's, darling and I know that for a fact. Now, stop with the excuses and eat."

She squinted her eyes at him, "In all the years we've been stuck with each other, just how many times were you ever able to get me to do anything again?"

He smirked, "Well, nothing comes to mind, but the circumstances are different at the moment. One, you're in bed, stuck—and don't think I won't ask the doctors to have you restrained because I will—and two, you may have your one phone call but guess what, darling sister? I have one too."

Diane rolled her eyes, "Please."

"We both know there's always ever been just one person who could tell you what to do…" Daniel paused, grinning stupidly. "And guess what? She is waiting for my call."

She was about to make a condescending remark when she stopped, eyes wide and realizing just who he was talking about, "You. Wouldn't."

"Oh, wouldn't I?" he mimicked her from earlier, waving his phone. "You have your one phone call, I have mine." He glared at her, a glare very much similar to hers. "I have been giving you freedom to be anything and say anything for the last few hours, but Danni, this is getting ridiculous. Will sees it, Kurt sees it and damn it, so can I."

"Daniel—"

"So, let me play dirty and have my phone ready," he cut her off. "You won't listen to me or them so you leave me no choice."

"What—?"

"I make no light of what you went through, Danni, believe me, but…" he rubbed his hands together, "You know what? I have been waiting decades to be the one to make this call. It's always been you making this call because pain the ass Daniel could never behave, well, guess what, sister. You're in the dog house now too."

Diane glared at him, her phone forgotten now that she was being threatened, "As if this was my choice!"

"Yes, well, she really doesn't care about that now really," he smirked. "So, what's it going to be, Danni? You've got your bitch, I've got mine but keep in mind…mine can get here quicker."

She glared at him, for once, foiled and with as much acid she could muster she spat at him, "You're going to pay for this. Big."

Daniel ignored her and simply said, "Chicken or fish?"

-o0o-

"There were photos."

Will's eyebrows shot up, "What?"

Kurt looked up, curious. The sharp tone of Will's voice had gotten his attention as both of them were sitting in the waiting area again. The look on the man's face was of pure surprise with hints of anger and somehow, Kurt guessed that this was about Diane again.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked, oblivious to the fact that he was being observed and heard.

"There were photos taken, most probably with the letters," Kalinda replied. "I found some photos in her house—someone has been taking photos of her. Someone has her under surveillance."

"You're kidding."

"No and it looks professional," Kalinda paused, "Someone's been watching her."

Will looked up, catching Kurt's eyes then nodded, "Where did you find…them?"

"In her house," Kalinda replied. "She hid them.

"She hid them…" he repeated, slowly, trying to look as if Kurt's observation wasn't bothering him. "Of course…see what you can find out. I don't care what time or when, the moment you know something you let me know."

"Of course."

Will nodded, "Okay…just…find out what you can. I want to know everything."

"I'll look around."

"Good…and Kalinda?"

"Yeah?"

Will swallowed, "I need you to find out. We need to know who's behind this."

"I'm on it," she said then hung up.

Will hung up, staring at his phone, his mind reeling. He was so immersed in his thoughts that, for a moment, he'd forgotten where he was until Kurt's voice brought him right back to reality.

"Anything interesting?"

Will shook his head, "Another case…tricky one."

"Aren't most of them?" Kurt nodded, "I've seen your investigator. She's good."

"Yeah, she is," he nodded then stood up, "I have to go."

"Not staying?"

"No, something came up at work," he replied. "And you know I'll just piss her off more if I pawn another one off on someone else."

Kurt grinned, "That might actually just get you back into her good books."

"Then there's hope for me yet, isn't there?" he smirked then headed towards the elevators with a small wave, leaving Kurt to watch him walk away.

Will was smiling when he left, but inside, he was beginning to feel that subtle beginning of rage. At the moment, he was a torrent of emotions and it wasn't doing him any good. And to say he was off his game was an understatement.

A part of him wondered why he was even still surprised, after everything. It had only been a day, but to him, this was beginning to feel like a week. Everything Kalinda was finding out, what the police had told him and everything else that was being brought to the table took him to a place where he was beginning to question his lack of professional interest in his partner's behavior.

Surely, it was odd that something like this was happening to her, that she would keep quiet about it, but the fact that she went on what was looking to be extreme lengths to hide what was happening? The fact that even the investigators hadn't found what Kalinda had? Will wasn't so sure anymore.

He was beginning to question why Diane was acting the way that she was.

It wasn't just a behavioral quirk anymore, not something that he could just comfortably say as Diane Lockhart being Diane Lockhart. This was big, whatever it was and he wondered if perhaps there was something she should have told him a long time ago.

They needed t talk and soon. It didn't help that she was still confined in bed in a hospital, in need of rest and recovering. Her behavior, her need to rush going back to work was another thing to consider. Will knew, if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to hold back. He needed to know so many things and, being the impatient man that he was, he knew if he didn't leave, he would end up demanding answers.

And from their last conversation, the last thing he needed was to start demanding things from Diane. She was angry and frustrated, two things that were more than enough to make her volatile and Will knew, facing that, he didn't stand a chance. At best, she would ban him from seeing her, at worst, well, his guess was as good as anyone's because Will knew Kurt had been right about one thing.

You don't push Diane Lockhart.

-o0o0o0o0o0o-

Oh, who cares?