Alicia stood at Peter's side after they emerged from the courthouse – the divorce was official. Eli said it would be a good idea to make a public statement, so that the rumors of the reasons for the divorce would be kept to a minimum.
Things ran smoothly. Peter was brief. He told the media he and Alicia had simply grown apart. That they had been through a number of struggles in recent years, had tried to work through them, but in the end they had both come to a mutual agreement that it would be best for them, and their children, if they severed their marital ties.
As usual there were a slew of questions coming from the journalists. After answering only a few, Peter ended the press conference. As he and Alicia began to walk away from the podium, one reporters question could be heard above the crowd.
"Governor, are you divorcing because of the affair your wife has been having with her former boss Will Gardner?"
Alicia paused, and turned back toward the crowd. Eli quickly stepped next to her. "Alicia, let it go. Keep walking," he urged.
The crowd had quieted some, as all eyes and cameras moved to Alicia. She felt Peter's hand grasp onto her arm, but she pulled away and walked the few steps back to the microphone. Eli began to panic, and moved towards her, but Peter held up his hand to prevent Eli from reaching her.
/
Diane rushed into Will's office. He had the news feed up on his computer screen. "Are you watching?" she asked.
"Yes," his eyes never waivered from the screen in front of him. He watched as Alicia remained composed, but gripped the sides of the podium.
"What's she going to say?" She moved behind Will so she could continue to watch. Will just shook his head. He was surprised Alicia would even give the reporter the time of day.
/
Alicia looked right at the man who had voiced the question. "Sir, I don't know where you're getting your information from, but let's make one thing clear - on the record. I am not having an affair with Mr. Gardner." Before she could continue the reporter spoke up.
"You were spotted last weekend with him on what looked to be like a date Mrs. Florrick. You were seen having lunch with him Wednesday afternoon - just two days ago. I have it on good authority that you spent two weeks with him at his cabin in Ohio two months ago, and that it was there where he was shot. Not at a client's cabin, where the incident was originally reported to have taken place."
Alicia was fuming inside. She had always been able to handle the press with ease and grace, despite her dislike of their intrusions into her private life. But turning what had happened to her, unbeknownst to nearly everyone - especially the public - into an incident of infidelity, was making it extremely difficult to remain calm.
"Do you have any comment in regards to these accusations Mrs. Florrick? Is the Governor divorcing you because you cheated on him?"
Her eyes bore right into him, her lips forming a thin line. "It's not Mrs. Florrick anymore. Two months ago I went to Ohio with Mr. Gardner because my life was being threatened. Mr. Gardner is a friend," she emphasized. "It was determined among several federal agents, my former husband, and myself, that going to Ohio would be a safe place for me to go under the radar, away from the man that was threatening my life. Despite those efforts - and under constant FBI surveillance during those weeks - that man found us. Mr. Gardner was shot trying to protect me from a bullet that likely would have taken my life. Last weekend we were out together. But as I already mentioned, we are friends. Our dinner together was merely my way of showing appreciation to him for saving my life."
Everyone thought she would stop there, but she didn't. "It's not any ones business what I do in my private life. But since I know how this will go if I don't comment - for the record - Peter and I signed our divorce papers a month ago. Today was a formality. If I had been out on a date last weekend I would not have been in any violation of any marital commitments. The next time you want to accuse me of something, get the facts straight first. Mr. Gardner saved my life. That is the only thing relevant or factual to your allegations."
She turned and walked past everyone. Reaching the car that waited for her, she climbed in, shutting the door before anyone could reach her.
Diane smiled. "Good for her. Hopefully the press will leave her alone now."
"Yeah," Will replied, contemplating Alicia's response. He knew full well the situation had gotten to her.
Diane stepped in front of his desk, seriousness filling her features. "Are you two dating now?"
He sighed. "We are... working through our issues right now."
She nodded, leaving him to his thoughts.
/
"The new wall signs are in, and will be put up tomorrow. We started using the new letterhead and business cards today," Cary said, sitting across from Alicia at her desk.
"Good." She and Cary had been discussing firm business. Client's and the firm's name change to, Cavanaugh, Agos, and Associates.
"Okay, that's all for now." He stood and began to walk towards the door, but turned back around. She already seemed to be buried in her work.
"Are you okay? I mean, it's gotta be a little strange now that it's official."
Alicia looked back up at him, peering over the rim of her glasses. "I'm fine Cary, thanks. I don't think it's really sunk in yet. I don't know that it even will. It's been so long since Peter and I were really husband and wife, I don't know that it will feel any different than before."
He nodded. "Well if you want to talk, you know where to find me."
She smiled, nodding her head. "Thanks Cary."
/
But it had affected her. While divorcing was for the best, and what she and Peter had wanted, she hadn't taken any time to process, or mourn over the fact that the marriage she had had for twenty-one years was gone. And though very rocky at points, in the back of her mind throughout those difficult years, the marriage had provided some footing in her life, no matter how shaky.
To avoid thinking about it, she buried herself in work over the next few weeks. She and Will had spoken briefly the night of the press conference, but she had pretty much avoided him since then, responding to text messages with short answers, and never answering if he called. She cancelled her therapy appointments two weeks in a row, telling Natalie she had to much work that needed to get done. She and Cary barely spoke because they were on different cases, and he had spent a good portion of his days in court.
By the middle of the third week after the divorce, she had barely had any sleep in the past weeks. Grace was busy being back in school, so Alicia had spent her weekends at the office. When Cary had come in early Monday morning and found her already busy at work he asked her about the hours she'd been keeping.
"I think it's just an adrenaline rush from the divorce Cary, work has kept my mind off it - nothing to worry about," she smiled confidently, in an effort to convince him she was fine.
She thought she was fine. Work was enjoyable. She'd signed a few new clients over the past few weeks. But two days after Cary spoke with her, she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. She knew she needed some sleep, so she took some sleeping pills Natalie had prescribed for her, and fell back asleep.
Will didn't know what to think. At first he figured she just needed some space for a few days. But at this point he was slightly irritated, at her lack of contact. If she wanted some space, he was fine with that, but he expected her to tell him, not just avoid him.
When Cary still couldn't get a hold of her the following day, he began to worry. He went to her apartment around noon, but got no answer. He called Will on his way back to the office.
"Have you talked to Alicia since Monday?" he asked.
"No, why?" Will asked, grabbing a file off his desk.
"Because she hasn't shown up to work for two days, and she isn't answering her phone. I just left her apartment, she wasn't there, or didn't answer."
Will sighed. "Did you try calling Grace?"
"Yes, but I didn't want to worry her. She said she hadn't noticed if Alicia was home last night, or this morning before she went to school."
"What do you mean she didn't notice?"
"She got home late. Alicia wasn't in the main part of the apartment and she went to bed. This morning she woke up late, so had to rush out to get to school on time. Will I'm worried. Ever since the divorce she's spent every waking hour, and then some, at the office. She'll barely acknowledge my presence when I try to talk to her. It's not like her to not call in."
"Okay, Cary look. I have to be in court in fifteen minutes. I'll try to get a hold of her, but she's been avoiding me too."
The two hung up, and Will tried both Alicia's cell, and her home phone, but got no answer. He was still irritated with her, but was worried now. He'd try to get through court as quickly as he could.
/
He called Cary around four, still no word from Alicia.
"Let me call the psychologists office. She's supposed to be there now. Maybe she just needed a break for a day," Will said, making his way to his car.
He grew more concerned when Natalie told him she wasn't there, and that she had cancelled the previous two weeks. He drove straight to her apartment.
"Alicia," he called, banging on the door again. A few minutes later when she still hadn't answered, he sighed, leaning against the wall. A few minutes later Grace stepped off the elevator and let him into the apartment.
They both went straight to Alicia's room, where they found her sleeping.
"Is she okay?" Grace questioned, as Will put a hand to Alicia's sleeping body.
"I'm sure she's fine," he said quietly, moving his hand to nudge Alicia awake.
She opened her eyes, and peered at him and Grace. She felt sluggish, as she attempted to focus and wake up some more.
"What are you doing here?" she said, looking at Will. She managed to move to a sitting position.
"Making sure you're not dead," he said, with a hint of irritation. "What have you been doing the past two days? Cary's going crazy."
"I've been sleeping. I'm tired. I just needed to rest. Why? What's wrong?" She peered over to Grace who seemed relieved, and decided to leave Alicia and Will alone.
He ran a hand through his hair. Court hadn't gone well, and he was doing his best to remain calm. "I understand you're tired. Cary said you've been working nonstop. But Alicia, it's not normal to sleep for two days straight. You didn't call into work, Cary's worried sick, not to mention you haven't returned a single one of my calls in two weeks."
"Did you come here to lecture me? Because I don't need a lecture Will. I told you I'm tired. I just needed a break. I took some pills so I could get some good sleep, that's all. I should have called Cary, but I didn't. I'll be back to work tomorrow. I don't see what the problem is."
"How many pills have you taken in two days?" He glanced at the bottle of pills on her bed side table.
"I don't know, a few yesterday morning, and then a few more in the middle of the night. Maybe one today…"
He picked up the bottle, reading the label. "You don't know? You could have overdosed on this stuff. You're only supposed to take one pill every twenty-four hours."
She pulled the covers away, and stood up. "So I took a few more than was recommended. I needed the sleep. I'm fine, you can go. I will call Cary, and be at work tomorrow."
He shook his head, and looked her right in the eye. "No"
"What do you mean no?"
He moved right in front of her. "I'm not leaving. You are not going to push me away again. Not this time, unless you're ready to end things now – permanently."
"I'm not trying to push you away," she protested.
"No? Then why haven't you returned any of my calls in two weeks?"
"I've been busy. You know how it is. I've been too tired to do anything but sleep when I get home at night."
"You're using work as an excuse to keep from dealing with the real issues. You're not tired because you've been working too much. You're tired because your life is in an upheaval right now, and you can't find the control and stability your used to having."
She knew he was right, and she hated the fact that she'd allowed herself to lose such control over things. She sat down on the edge of the bed, he sat next to her. "I don't know what to do. Things were going so well, and then the divorce was official, and that reporter… and I was so angry. What do I do?" she asked, glancing over to him.
"You stop skipping therapy, and trying to do everything on your own. You have an office full of employees who can take a chunk of the caseload. You might be divorced, but Peter is still the father of your children, and from what I've seen, he is more than happy to step in when he needs to. You don't have to be super mom all the time. Needing people to support you, is not a sign of weakness." He reached over taking her hand into his.
"You want space, fine. Just tell me, but remember, if you're sad, or scared, or have a really good day and want to tell someone about it - I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
She nodded, leaning against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. It felt good to be in his arms again. "I'm sorry for not returning your calls. I felt suffocated, and it wasn't because of anything you did."
"Okay"
They sat in silence for a few moments. "This psychological stuff is real isn't it?" she said, glancing over to the bottle of medication. "I really could have taken too many pills and… I didn't even care. I just wanted to sleep."
"Yes, it is real. Which is why you're going to get showered and then I'm taking you to see Natalie. She said she could still see you tonight."
Alicia stood, and headed towards the bathroom. "Then I'm cooking dinner for you and Grace," she said.
"We can get takeout," he said, standing.
She turned towards him, shaking her head. "You eat out to much, and cooking a meal for you is certainly the least I can do."
/
An hour later, Alicia was sitting in Natalie's office, and Will was in the waiting room. Thirty minutes later Alicia emerged from the office. Will stood and went to her, placing his hands on her arms.
"How did it go?"
"Good. Natalie wants to talk to both of us. Are you okay with that?"
"Sure"
They entered the office and both sat on the sofa across from Natalie. They chatted casually for a few minutes before Natalie got to the point.
"I think it would be helpful in a few weeks, after I've worked with Alicia a bit more, to have Will join us for a portion of a few sessions." She looked at Will, who seemed a bit surprised. "You're obviously going to play a major role in her support system. That's good. She trusts you. I may be making unwarranted assumptions here, but I assume your relationship will progress in more ways than just support. With your background together, and the nature of her rape, it may pose some… unexpected issues."
Both Will and Alicia knew exactly what she was talking about. It already had caused some issues as far as intimacy had been concerned. Alicia glanced at Will, and then looked back to Natalie.
"Yes, I think that's a fair assumption." Will nodded in agreement.
"I think things will go smoother for both of you if we can talk through a few things, and I have a few suggestions I think might be helpful when the time comes. Are you both comfortable with that?"
They both agreed, and a few minutes later walked out of Natalie's office together.
Later that night, Alicia walked Will to the elevator, after their meal with Grace.
"I think she likes you," Alicia mused, as they came to a stop outside the elevator.
"Yeah, I thought that went pretty well."
"Are you sure you're okay meeting with Natalie?" she questioned, becoming more serious.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, and smiled. "Yes"
"I still don't deserve you," she said, moving a bit closer to him.
He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Yes, you do, and don't ever think otherwise."
