Completely exhausting a round of slow, passionate love making both of them lay still in the bed, as repercussions of their actions washed over Will and Alicia.
The bed shifted and Will closed his eyes, unwilling to watch her walk away he let one hand find hers. Instead of leaving his touch his heart fluttered as she let him pull her closer, breathing her in, feeling her smile against his neck.
"Did we really just do that?" she asked, looking up, meeting his hopeful eyes with excited ones of her own.
This was the way he always wanted to remember her, hair falling in soft waves around her as she propped herself up on her elbows, looking down to him with happy eyes as she traced circles on his chest. There was something she brought out in him, a part he thought was long lost but came alive whenever she was near. He never wanted to lose that, never wanted her to leave.
"Will, what did you really say in that second message?" she asked.
He chuckled softly, searching her eyes only to find real conviction. "It doesn't matter, Alicia. We're here, this is what matters."
"It matters to me," she said, looking down at him with that patient half-smile as heher fingers traced patterns on his heated skin.
She wasn't going to let go until he told her the truth and he knew it.
His fingers toyed with the silky strands of her hair. "I couldn't make a plan on my own, Alicia. I wanted to make one with you, with the kids, with everyone that mattered."
Her eyes searched his, probably looking for any signs of deceit or poetry as she liked to call it, but he stayed honest almost feeling naked under her gaze. With everything going on in her life he wasn't expecting an instant answer, but he was willing to wait. No matter how long it took he would wait for her because she was worth it.
She nodded at his confession before diverting her eyes and settling back to his chest, clutching his shoulder as if he might disappear. Concern washed over him but he didn't say anything, instead letting his warm hands sliding over her arms do the talking.
"I don't want to hurt you," She whispered the confession against his neck, mumbling each syllable against his skin but he heard every word loud and clear. Kissing the top of her head, he pulled her even closer.
Their hour was almost up, and he knew she would slip away as soon as he let go, but for now he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms and the soft breath laced with moisture against his neck.
Cool, wet moisture elicited spikes of pain. Will opened his eyes to harsh sunlight and wet painful dabs to his neck. Lurching away from the contact, he tried to focus but squinted through the sunlight.
"Relax, Will. You're okay now." A familiar voice said from his bedside.
"Kate?" He tried looking to his right, but soft hands on either side of his face kept his head still.
"Don't move. It will hurt more." Her hands withdrew and he heard soft footfalls approach the window and kill the light. His eyes adjusted, focussing on the cool elegant features of Kate Miller hovering over him with a relieved smile. "Let me apply the bandage, you can sit up afterwards."
Her fingers danced over his sensitive skin, applying pressure and the familiar feel of sleek fabric to his neck. Despite her insistence, he sat up as soon as she finished.
The high thread count beneath his palms let him know he was in bed, just not his bed. The royal red patterns adorned the spacious room. Actually to say spacious was an understatement, the entire place looked like an apartment but common sense told him it was only the bedroom.
Reaching a cautious hand to the bandages on his neck he glanced at the trays. Specks of blood on discarded cotton balls, syringes and a few other medical tools earned her a questioning look.
"What happened last night?" He managed to ask through a scratchy throat.
Sitting at the foot of the bed, Kate gave him a gentle smile in return. "I found and treated your wounds."
With a firm hand on the bandage, he tested his range of motion, it didn't extend very far. Biting back pain, he focussed on breathing steady. Much of last night came in patches but the full picture never surfaced. Thankfully his shirt and pants were still on, making it unlikely that they did anything to regret. He slumped in relief at the realization.
"You're a doctor too?" he asked when the pain finally passed. Running a hand through his hair, he surveyed his surroundings.
"Among other things," she replied, watching him avidly.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." He blurted without thinking, only realizing after that his clothes were still on.
"The most interesting events are never planned." She smiled, meeting his eyes. "How do you feel?"
"Alive," he replied, risking another wave of pain by touching the bandage. "I'm still working on last night. What happened exactly?"
"I was about to ask you. That's high level poisoning, metal poisoning if I'm correct," her head tilted in concern as her gaze swept over him. "How does one get metal poisoning in a place like the states?"
Will shrugged, silently berating himself as his shirt collar brushed against the bandage. Kate was at his side instantly, flattening it away.
"Try not to aggravate it," she chided. "I managed to drain most of it, but the anti-biotic needs time to fight the infection."
"Right." He relaxed as she stepped back with a satisfied look at her handiwork. "Dom said you wanted to see me last night?"
"Yes," she replied. "But only because you haven't taken me up on my most generous offer."
"What would that be?"
"You still haven't figured it out?" she asked with a wistful smile. "What a pity."
Frustration wasn't enough to describe what Alicia felt as she strode towards the States Attorney's office. Her confidence sunk with each approaching step as the usual excuses not to see him blazed through her thoughts.
Her hands shook then tightened around the piece of paper she clutched. It seemed like a lifetime since that press conference turned her life belly up. There were many times since, she toyed with the idea of giving him this paper and never did. Peter Florrick just had to beat her to the punch yet again.
Leaving her doubts behind, Alicia turned the knob and walked in. Peter stopped talking and stared at his visitor as relief and confusion played over his features.
"I'll call you back," he said abruptly before lowering the phone to its cradle, never taking his eyes off her. "Alicia."
"Peter," she greeted with the warmth of an iceberg before slapping the papers on his desk. "What is this?"
"Divorce papers," he said dryly, lowering his gaze to the empty signature line.
She crossed her arms and studied him coldly. "You cheated, Peter. Not me."
"They're not cheating papers they're for the divorce you dangled over my head since." His own frustrated gaze met hers.
Surprised, she raised a brow in mock amusement. "That I dangled over you?"
"Oh come on, Alicia." Peter stood, using the advantages of height as he looked down at her. But she refused to be intimidated; especially by someone so self centered that they still thought this was about him. "I made a mistake. I tried to make it right. I apologized, pleaded, even turned a blind eye to whatever you felt or didn't feel for Will."
"This isn't about you!" She snapped, following his movements as he sidestepped his desk and leaned back against it. "I didn't come here to listen to excuses."
"Then tell me what you want me to say?" He said in what sounded like an angry plea.
Her eyes swept over the tall confident man she married, he looked nothing like his old self. Tired lines marked his face, making him look more distinguished but less understanding. His normally patient eyes were ablaze with pain which only made it harder to look away.
Her throat felt like sand paper but she forced it to work. "I stayed because of the kids."
Peter nodded in what looked like disappointment, yet somehow she didn't feel it was directed at her. "That's why I'm doing this." At her confusion he clarified, "I don't want our kids anywhere near Will and that thug."
"Thug?" She questioned, loosening her demeanor.
Peter regarded her carefully. "Dominic Turelli is a dangerous man, Alicia and you're fighting him."
"So are you," she replied, remembering all the evidence boxes from the states attorney's office.
He shook his head. "He knows who our kids are. What do you think his people will do when we throw him in jail?"
"Just because you think he's guilty—"
He frowned. "Don't you? You're opposing counsel."
"I don't know..." she said softly, wondering how they went from divorce papers to Turtle. "Peter, I've known him for a long time. He wouldn't do this."
Peter shrugged with a half-smile. "You've known me for a long time. Things are not always so black and white."
Clearing her head she steered the conversation back to the topic at hand."How does a divorce protect our kids?"
"They would come home to me after school."
"No."
"You can get partial custody." He offered.
"No."
"Think about this, Alicia. When was the last time you did something with them? Meyers works you to death and they're stuck running around your old law firm with your old boyfriend. It's not fair to them."
"To them or you? Keep your ego out of their lives, Peter." Done arguing she snatched the papers, signed her name and shoved them at Peter's chest. "If this makes it easier for you to get around at night then so be it. But you're not taking my kids away."
"They're my kids too." He nearly growled after her as she walked out the door.
"Good, keep me posted." Will ended his call and turned back to Kate. Her kitchen, like the bedroom, was huge, making it difficult to believe they spent all morning in one apartment.
"They're working you too hard," Kate said over her shoulder as she expertly flipped the omelette on her pan.
"Life of a lawyer," He mused, tapping his phone against the kitchen island as he tried to figure out the therapist, doctor, sex monger and chef before him.
Turning off the stove, she set a plate of steaming hot omelette next to his phone.
He smiled up at her appreciatively. "You didn't have to do that."
"Which means I wanted to." She winked at him before returning to the stove and gathering up the second one, returning to sit right beside him at the kitchen island with a plate of her own.
Unable to contain his own smile Will savored his first bite instead. The soft egg, mixed with cheese and a crunchy bit of green pea stalk made his mouth water as he realized just how hungry he was.
They enjoyed the meal in companionable silence. He was surprised at how relaxed he felt around her and vice-versa. They both had so many questions, the past couple of hours had more than proven that, but somehow they were both content to let them hang in favor of enjoying this moment.
His phone suddenly vibrated to life, rattling on the granite countertop. Both eyes went to the caller display showing Alicia's name on it.
Kate was kind enough to glance away as Will kept staring at the LED. All the emotions that name brought up rushed to the fore as he reached for the device and shut it off. Then without missing a beat he reached over and took Kate's slender hand resting beside it.
Curious green eyes landed on his as he felt her stiffen, but he didn't let go. Eventually she relaxed and let him entwine their hands as he tried to interpret her sad smile.
"Why did you not see a doctor?" She asked quietly, gaze locked on their hands.
Choosing to ignore her coy attempt at ending his analysis, he replied, "Many reasons."
"Such as?"
Coasting a thumb along the inside of her wrist, he kept his eyes down. "I'm on an important case."
"And you mean to tell me no other case is as important?"
"No." He smiled. "This one's different. I think you know that if Dominic shared anything with you."
She shook her head dismissively. "You know the rules of doctor/patient confidentiality. I can't share anything he talks to me about."
"Sounds a lot like lawyer-client privilege then, doesn't it." He smiled at her laugh, finding himself liking it more than he thought he would.
Collecting herself, Kate blinked away her embarrassment. "Alright then. I guess the plight of Dominic Turelli comes first and foremost to everyone around him."
"You don't sound too happy about that." Will observed, taking a sharp breath when she reached out to ply his collar away from the bandage. Her fingers lingered on his stubbly throat.
Her concerned frown only grew as she looked over her handiwork. "The thing I don't get is, why do you feel so indebted to Dominic?" Her hands grazed a sensitive spot, making him wince. "You knew this was serious." Her tone was hard but her eyes apologetic as she tried to sooth the bandaged wound.
Unable to pull away, Will grabbed the hand on his neck instead, caressing it just like her other one. "I owe Dominic a lot." His eyes lingered on her full lips. "Can't defend him from a hospital bed."
"You also can't defend him if you're dead." Scrunching her brow she ventured further, pinning him with piercing green eyes that he swore could see inside him. "You don't want his case passed down. Not to your trusted partner, your other lawyer friend, no one but you...takes the fall."
Panic spiked through him but faded when the sadness returned to her green eyes. Taking a hand out of his embrace she placed it square over his heart, splaying her palm against the shirt fabric he wished wasn't there.
"You know he's guilty." She stated simply.
"I don't know anything," he said, a little irritated that everyone he met was coming to that conclusion. "What I do know is that my best friend shouldn't have to pay for his father's mistakes."
She didn't meet his eyes as she drew patterns on his chest leaving him to wonder if it was really some gift for reading people that got her to that conclusion, or if there was something else.
"Are you in trouble, Kate?" He asked in a low voice after a while.
She frowned, dropping her hand away. Before he could say anything else, she let go of his entwined one and stood, stepping to the window.
"Is that a yes?" he called out when she stopped a good seven paces away and studied the skyline.
"You shouldn't worry about me when you're the one getting yourself poisoned." He couldn't figure out where the hostility was coming from, but he knew that he wanted—needed to understand if this situation between Dom and Kate was ever going to make sense.
"Is this the worry portion of our session, doc?" He tried to joke but she kept her back turned, prompting him to try a softer approach. "Kate, what is it with you and Dominic?"
"His watch killed twenty people, Will. Not just ordinary people, rivals, harbingers and competing investors, all dead by poisoning. Don't tell me you haven't arranged the pieces?"
"Why would he kill his lawyer?" Will watched as his question transformed her from a warm companion to a cold and reserved woman he barely knew.
"Because you found something you weren't supposed to." She looked away but stepped closer. "Now you're a puppet. Destined to perform until such a time when your services are no longer needed."
Narrowing his eyes he studied her carefully when she stopped within arms reach. For the first time since they met, Kate seemed to hesitate. Folding her arms, she bit her lower lip and looked at him cryptically.
Every impulse begged him to ask what the hell just happened, but a direct attack was just dumb at this point. An expert like Kate would deflect it without batting a lash.
Allowing a brief pause, Will smiled wanly before asking, "What's that generous offer you were telling me about earlier?"
Eyes searching his, her mouth reciprocated a smile. "You're an interesting one. You know that?" her demeanor lifted temporarily as she regained her seat. He remained standing and looked down to her. "I offer many services," she said, looking directly at him.
"Really?" he replied with a mock frown, "don't think I tried them all."
"Likely because you don't know them all," she commented coolly with a steady voice, despite the flicker of disappointment he saw flash in her expression.
Pulling up a chair he leaned in at eye level, abandoning all tactics since everything seemed to lead back to this anyways. "Kate, are you in trouble?"
Her cool palm made contact with his stubbly cheek as she caressed the flesh. The light caress tickled, but Will didn't move, he couldn't breathe as green eyes kept him pinned to the contact. Something about the way joy and sorrow played in her iris's made his chest tighten.
"You're not happy here, Will..." she said softly, migrating her hand to knead his shoulder. "I can get you to safety. Someplace where you don't have to stand trial or risk poisoning again."
Will laughed lightly. "Run away with you, like Bonnie and Clyde? Where were you in my sophomore year?"
"I won't be running." He missed the contact of her hand the second she drew it back. "But I think my offer is generous." She watched him stand before saying, "Safe."
"I don't do safe." Grabbing his coat he returned and kissed the crown of her forehead before backing away from a regretfully sad therapist, sex monger and chef. "But thanks for everything, Kate. I owe you so don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."
Reciprocating her mysterious smile he let himself out the door, regretting that she wouldn't let him do more for her.