A/N: This has taken me so long I thought I may as well make it long and juicy haha. Sorry if it's shoddy, I'll try get something more fluffy out with the next chapter soon!

Mothers Words - Moon Saloon

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Chapter 23 - Mother's Words

Will stands at the entry to the hotel bedroom. Alicia lies on the bed facing away from him, fully clothed over the covers. She's seemed off since last night, despite the amazing evening that they had - well, at least he did. He's at a loss for what to do. Just standing there won't do any good, he decides, so he tentatively paces over and sits by her on the bed.

"Alicia... what's wrong, are you sick?"

"No, I'm okay," she says in a weak, tear-thickened voice, staring off to nowhere. She's so obviously not okay.

"Hey," he soothes, running a hand over her hair. "Don't shut me out, talk to me."

All Alicia does is sigh and turn further into her pillow.

"What's going on? You've been worrying me all d-" Will pauses once he sees the object she holds out to him.

"Don't worry, it's negative," she sniffles, as it dawns on him that she's showing him a pregnancy test.

"You... you thought you were pregnant?"

"Yes. No, maybe- I don't know," Alicia sighs. "We've been careful and... I didn't even think I could get pregnant at this age. But I just- I've felt off recently and I kept thinking about it more and more, all day. And I realized, that's something we've never talked about... Kids. Well, more kids. Your kids."

Will is bowled over. "I-I don't know..."

"Then I thought about how you'd react, what we would do... if it was a boy or a girl..." Alicia starts to cry even more now. "When I had Zach, we knew. We found out I was having a boy. Although before that, I'd secretly been hoping for a girl," she admits, as her lips softly turn into a smile. "Until... until I saw his little face. His tiny hands. Once I held him, I- I wouldn't have traded him for anything in the whole world," she says in a whisper followed by sobs, grabbing onto the pillow that she's crying into even tighter. Will runs his hands up and down her back, squeezing her shoulders. He's not quite sure what else to do. He lies back on the bed, and Alicia turns to curl into his chest. Her breathing slows, then deepens, as Will runs a hand through her hair until she falls asleep.

When she stirs some hours later, it's 8 at night. Will rubs his eyes. He'd fallen asleep too.

"I'm starving," is the first this Alicia says. His stomach growls in agreement, so they both get ready and make their way to find food. Preferably the first thing they can get their hands on. Will takes her hand and leads her out.

"I'm sorry," she says over her dinner quietly.

"For what?" Will asks.

"For ruining the last night of our trip... dumping all of that on you."

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffs and takes her hand from across the table. "I want to be there for you."

Alicia looks down at her lap. When she raises her head again, he sees her full face in the warm, soft light of the restaurant. She shares a small and secret smile with him, squeezing his hand.

Will watches Alicia let out a wistful sigh as they board the plane. "Back to the real world now," she laments.

"Let's move here and just never go back to work," he suggests with a grin, taking the bag from her hands to place in the overhead compartment.

Alicia rolls her eyes. "You wouldn't last a week."

"Hey, I've lasted two so far, haven't I?"

"True," she chuckles. As once they sit down, however, Alicia's instantly distracted by the woman with her newborn baby directly across the aisle from them. The mother looks frazzled and tired. She's struggling to lift her bag into the overhead compartment with the baby, who is beginning to cry. Alicia frowns. Will is about to offer his help when she stands from the seat she's just taken, stepping out into the aisle.

"Here, would you like some help with this bag?" she asks, holding her hands out to take the bag.

"Actually, I- would you mind taking him for a second?" The woman requests after a sigh, looking down at her child. "It's just I need to get some things out..." Alicia smiles as the baby is transferred into her arms. After a moment of cooing and making faces at the whining infant, he settles and Alicia lifts him to rest in the crook of her neck. The baby's tiny fingers gently pull at her hair. Will watches the moment that Alicia and this little infant have with each other, he sees her glistening eyes as she eventually hands the baby back to the mother.

This time, as the plane takes off, it's Alicia who needs someone to hold her hand. There's a look on her face that Will can't quite decipher. Even as she's become more and more open with him, particularly since Ruby, he's still constantly on his toes with her. Will is still figuring out this beautiful, enigmatic, puzzle of a woman.

Ruby sits in Alicia's office - if you can even call it that, when it has no walls - waiting in front of Alicia's vacant desk. When the lawyer finally appears between the glass and the rustic, brick columns she gawks at Ruby before it turns into a smile.

"Hey," Alicia greets cheerily.

"Hi. Hey," she stammers in response, standing to hug her. "Been a while." Dammit, Ruby, you should've at least thought about how you would do this.

"This a surprise. A nice one, though. I thought we were meeting tomorrow," Alicia notes suspiciously.

"Have a nice holiday?" It's obvious she's stalling and changing the subject.

"What's going on?" The lawyer questions, not buying it. Her perfect brows furrow.

"Nothing, nothing. I just... need your advice."

"My advice?" Alicia asks, placing a hand on her chest.

"Yes. Legal advice."

Alicia sits back in her office chair, with a contemplative frown. "Huh."

"As a general rule, I don't exactly trust lawyers... but I remembered that you're one and I trust you, so."

"Aww." Alicia smiles patronizingly, before rattling off lines that Ruby usually gives her. "Well, first of all, you should know that this is a safe space, your thoughts and feelings and emotions are valid and everything you say here is-"

Ruby rolls her eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Hilarious."

"Although I don't even have walls, but- wait, what's up? Is everything alright?" Alicia asks, seeming to sober up again slightly.

"I, um..." Ruby places a folder on her desk. "It's about a patient of mine. This is the police report, some other things. The photos might be pretty distressing, just warning you."

"I think I'll be okay. Unless this is somehow worse than a gruesome murder..." she begins with a raise of her brows, going to open the folder.

Before she can, Ruby stops her. "Wait, Is this, like, attorney-client privilege now? Or do I need to pay you?"

"Yes, it's privileged, and you don't need to pay me."

"What, not even a dollar bill?" Alicia frowns confusedly. "I watch a lot of legal dramas," Ruby admits with a grimace.

"That's more symbolic than anything else," Alicia laughs. "It just solidifies the reasonable understanding that you're my client. But we already have one, since you're asking for legal advice, in a professional setting where there's a reasonable expectation of privacy. So, this is privileged."

"Everything's so reasonable in the legal world, isn't it?" Ruby huffs. "Well, here's a dollar anyway. Our relationship is weird, and this is about a patient of mine, so best to make it clear as possible."

Alicia smiles and rolls her eyes as the dollar is placed on top of the folder, before pulling out her glasses. "Is there anything in here that you might not be able to share, confidential information from your work?" Ruby shakes her head in response. The lawyer finally opens the file, revealing close-up photos of a bloodied face, a bruised body. She scans them with an analytical frown. "So this is the patient of yours?" Alicia continues flicking through the photos and documents. She gasps loudly as she reads through. Jerks her head up to stare at Ruby.

"Not exactly. Well, I was. Um, I was... attacked."

"This is you?!" Alicia cries, ripping off the glasses she'd only just put on. She instantly drops the folder, unable to look at them. She lets out some air, now looking panicked and almost sickened.

Ruby winces. "Sorry, I probably should've led with that."

"When was this?" Alicia demands.

"Well... you know how I was away for a few weeks, a little while back?"

"You said you went skiing and got injured," Alicia accuses.

"Yeah... I don't ski, absolutely no interest."

Alicia lets out a huff of air and leans back on her chair. "Who attacked you, your patient? Aren't they- are they not in jail, isn't this a criminal case?" She's stammering, in shock. "I'm a defense lawyer... I- the state's attorney's office should be on this. Or wait, are you suing them? Trust me, Ruby, I will sue this bastard for everything they have-"

"Wait, Alicia. I think you're misunderstanding... This guy who's being charged, I want you to represent him."

"What?" She cries. "No!" Alicia stands from her desk, as everyone begins looking over at her and the scene she is making.

"Okay, okay, lets just... get rid of that..." Ruby slams the folder shut and throws it on the chair she's risen from, and takes Alicia's arms. "How about we go for a walk."

"I need some air," Alicia breathes.

She's done this completely wrong. Ruby thought that if Alicia was approached about this like a lawyer, she would handle it like a lawyer. But she should have known- she's not a client in Alicia's eyes. Not even a little bit.

They walk through the park together, wordlessly for a while. Ruby simply enjoys the light breeze, feeling the grass under her feet - even if it is through her shoes - it relaxes her somewhat. She then has the clarity to keep explaining. "His name's Jarrod," Ruby starts, "Jarrod Poletti. But you have to understand... that isn't who attacked me that night. He wasn't Jarrod when he did it. He's got a whole host of psychological problems that I had only just begun to delve into before it happened and the system failed him, Alicia."

"You're seriously justifying this?!" Alicia cries. Ruby sighs in frustration, clenching her fists around her bag. This is not how she wanted this to go at all. So, in her usual fashion when she's panicked, she decides that maybe if she keeps ranting something will stick.

"To top it all off, they're going ahead and prosecuting him despite me not wanting to press charges, apparently because it was so violent but now he's got some shoddy guy from legal aid since he has no money. Please, Alicia, I need your help."

"You mean Jarrod needs my help," the lawyer corrects swiftly.

"Same thing!"

"Are you okay now?" Alicia asks, running a hand over Ruby's hair.

"Yes mother, I'm fine." Ruby rolls her eyes which makes Alicia smile, probably because that's usually her job. They sit down on a bench they find along the pathway.

"Are you sure?" The lawyer presses.

"Yes and even if I wasn't, I have a therapist of my own that I can rant to, anyway."

"Really?" Alicia chuckles.

"What, didn't you know? Every therapist has a therapist," Ruby informs her with a grin.

"Good. You deserve one, dealing with nut-cases like me."

"You're not so bad," Ruby teases, nudging her gently.

"Oh, but I was," Alicia insists. "I got really bad for a while back there. I didn't... I never told anyone- not you, no one, but I... I was thinking about killing myself," she admits quietly.

Ruby's blood pressure rises. She had her suspicions, but it's frightening to have it confirmed by Alicia herself.

"I don't anymore," Alicia promises. "It was before we, you know, started talking regularly. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be put on some sort of psych hold."

Ruby sighs. "I know, I understand. I had a feeling it got that bad, not that you would admit it, so I made sure I kept an eye on you."

It's as much as they'll say about it, for now. Ruby will save that for another day. As they sit in comfortable silence, Ruby and Alicia lean against one another and rest their heads together.

"Harry Styles," Alicia says quietly to break the silence, almost a whisper.

"Huh?" Ruby frowns, sitting up.

"Harry Styles," she repeats with a laugh.

"Yes I heard what you said, what about him?" Ruby demands as though she's reasoning with a 5-year-old.

"He's my guilty pleasure," Alicia says. There's a sly grin on her face. Ruby still doesn't get it. "You asked me who my celebrity crush was, a while ago now. George Clooney, remember? And then you asked who my guilty pleasure was. I didn't have one, but now I do. It's Harry Styles."

Ruby doesn't react at first. She just shakes her head and rests it back on Alicia's shoulder.

After a moment of silence, however, she suddenly doubles over in cackles and snorts of laughter. She ends up almost lying down on the bench and even over Alicia's lap.

"Harry Styles!" Ruby cries, breathless from the laughter.

"I know! He's so young, I feel like I'm fawning over a child but he's gorgeous!" Alicia immediately exclaims in a wild squeak. "Have you seen him these days?!"

Ruby is in tears by this point. "I can't, I can't- stop it's too much!"

At this point, they're getting stares from people walking past, but Ruby doesn't care because it feels so good to have a proper laugh and be silly with Alicia. She was worried that she wouldn't able to, so soon after telling her about Jarrod. They still have a lot more talking to do about both of their revelations, that's a given. But the smile on Alicia's face isn't the one she uses to hide her pain - she sees the wrinkles of a genuine smile beside her eyes. It assures Ruby that she will be just fine.

Will looks across the dining table at Alicia, who just stares at her food with a dazed look on her face. Once she snaps out of it and notices Will, he doesn't need to say a word. What's on your mind? He asks her silently. Will wonders that all the time, but something has her distracted tonight.

"It's nothing, just... work," she tells him out loud, after their wordless conversation. "Well, technically it's work. It's about Ruby."

"Ruby? You're representing her?"

"Sort of," she sighs. "It's a long story. And it's work, you know- privileged. I just wanna help her, you know?"

"Of course you do," Will nods in understanding. He places a hand on her leg, as though it will help to keep her down on earth, keep her mind from wandering to places where he can't protect her. Luckily it seems to work, as she takes a deep breath and picks up her fork.

"Grace, dinner!" She calls.

As they eat, Alicia jumps slightly at the feeling of a foot on her ankle, tracing up to her shin. She gives Will a look and feels her face heating up. He's sporting a mischievous grin, so he must think it's worked as a welcome distraction. Alicia shakes her head - she supposes that he'd be right.

"No denim, no leather, NO fishnet, and no whacky colors," Alicia instructs as she and Ruby walk through the store. "We're going professional, okay?"

"I know," Ruby groans. "I'm not stupid, I do know what I should and shouldn't wear to court. I just don't have very much that's suitable in my wardrobe."

"Okay, now try this on." Alicia grins and hands her an outfit.

Ruby emerges from the changing room, and it suddenly seems like the perfect time and place to probe. "So what's been going on with you, hm?" Ruby asks as Alicia helps her zip up a dress she's tried on. "Something's been on your mind, and it's not just about Jarrod."

Alicia sighs, looking up at Ruby through the mirror from behind her. "I was feeling a little off before Will and I got back... I thought I might've been pregnant."

Ruby swivels around at lightning speed. "What?"

"I'm not, the test was negative and I went to the doctor. Turns out I'm probably just... premenopausal," she admits with a wry chuckle and looks down.

"Did you want kids with Will?" Ruby asks.

"I... don't know. I don't think so. It's too late anyway," Alicia decides with a shake of her head.

"Well, never say never..." Ruby carefully examines every slight change in her expression. She doesn't seem too bothered by it, or at least she's masking well. She should speak to Will. "How do I look?" Ruby eventually asks, stepping back and patting down the outfit.

"Hmm... I'm not so sure about the color," Alicia muses.

"It needs to be bright pink, like in Legally Blonde." Ruby quickly swivels back around. "I object!" she exclaims, with her best Elle Woods voice into the full-length mirror.

Alicia giver her classic roll of the eyes, but it's accompanied by a smile that she seemingly can't hide - a standard reaction to Ruby's shenanigans.

Ruby steps through the elevator doors at Lockhart/Gardner. She scans the 28th floor, trying to find a familiar face. Luckily Alicia is right there.

"Hey, why are we here and not your office?" Ruby asks immediately, starting to get suspicious. Her stomach begins to churn. "He's not here, is he? Jarrod? Because I may be forgiving enough to get a lawyer for him, but I'm not exactly ready for a nice little sit-down and chat with you and him-"

"Hi, no he isn't here. It's okay," Alicia smiles and puts a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder. She exhales in relief. "I'd never do that to you, silly. I just wanted to go over some things and I've been working on a class action here."

"With Will?" Ruby asks excitedly.

"No, Diane mostly," she laughs.

As they walk along the hall, they see Will in the conference room. He's stood at the head of the table, addressing a bunch of important lawyerly-looking types. But it's almost comical, the way Alicia catches his eye. He appears to stop mid-sentence and just smiles. Alicia returns it coyly, observed by the few lawyers who turn to see what's stopped Will in his tracks. His smile becomes less dazed and more friendly once he spots Ruby next to her. She throws him a two-fingered salute and a grin as they keep walking, and he collects himself to continue with whatever he was saying. "You two are gross," Ruby teases. Alicia doesn't seem to care though. That's my girl.

Once Alicia's done with her witness prep (brutal grilling), Ruby pokes her head around to speak to Will. She sneaks past his assistant and knocks on the open glass door.

"Will, hey."

"Hey, how's everything going?"

"Good, I wanted to say Alicia told me she was a bit upset about some stuff. She talked it through with you a little."

"Oh... yeah, I didn't really know how to help, what to tell her."

"No that's why I'm here, you handled it perfectly," Ruby insists. "See, you guys think that women are all complicated and everything, but we're not, really. If Alicia had wanted your advice or your help to fix a situation, she would've asked. She didn't. She was upset and wanted you to listen, be there for her. Which is precisely what you did. So, gold star for you."

Will grins proudly.

"Just make sure that she knows she can confide in you with stuff like this, that she's not burdening you," Ruby encourages. "Because she isn't, she just needs to feel like she can talk to you. Which she does, but yeah. Keep at it."

Will nods. "And you're good?"

"I'm good," she assures with a smile. She must've told him about the whole Jarrod thing. Interesting.

Ruby stands at the courtroom doors, just staring at them. She tries to start naming all the items she can see, the door handle, the wall, the seats, the telephone, the sign. Grounding techniques- she teaches them all day, but rarely feels the need to use them herself. She feels Alicia's hand on her shoulder, and that works, too. It calms Ruby to know that she's done this whole court thing a million times before, and her features are relaxed. You've got this Ruby, Alicia's got this. "You'll be great," the lawyer assures. "It's all going to be over soon."

"Thank you," Ruby says. "For helping me." She wants to thank Alicia for being there, but Ruby doesn't think she would understand. She imagines what her mother would be saying in a situation like this. Probably something along the lines of, you can't fix anything with worrying or melodrama. She begins counting backward in fours from fifty, since there's no time for nostalgia either. Only then is she ready.

"Hey, it's the least I could do," Alicia smiles. "Let's go in, Judge Parks hates when people are late."

Watching Alicia in action as a lawyer is quite mesmerizing. There's no way that Ruby would be able to hold her own in a courtroom like that, but Alicia never misses a beat. Ruby knows that the law involves a ton of paperwork more than anything else, but seeing it played out in court is almost... theatrical. Focusing on the interesting customs of an American courtroom, seeing Alicia in this new light, is what keeps Ruby calm throughout the entire proceeding. She risks a few glances at Jarrod. And it's okay, he looks okay. He looks well. This Judge Parks dude sounded freaky before she went in, but he has kind eyes. And she gets through it.

"I survived," Ruby breathes as they finally exit onto the lobby. "He survived, he's... he's not going to jail. That's good... isn't it? That's a good thing?"

She wishes she could talk through all this with Luke.

"It is," Alicia agrees, putting an arm around her. "Hey, you did the right thing, despite my... initial reservations. You did good, you were great," she assures. The lawyer is glancing around the courthouse, though, distracted. Probably looking for Will. Ruby huffs- how dare she mentally abandon her in her time of need.

"These damned heels are killing me," Ruby grumbles, itching to sit down again and just take them off. Her feet are positively screaming out in pain, even though she's barely done any walking at all. Alicia doesn't seem to even care though - she's smiling at someone, probably Will, across to their right over Ruby's head. Typical.

"My my, don't you look fancy."

Ruby gasps at the voice she hears next to her. She grabs Alicia's arm and freezes. They come to an immediate halt. It can't be... but then she turns and sees him.

Luke Ashby, leaning back casually against the wall, a relaxed smile on his face. That damned, sexy smile.

"Go on, give us a twirl," He encourages teasingly.

"What... the hell are you doing here?" Ruby blurts. It's all she can get out.

"Well, I heard you've been missing me," he announces, looking all cocky. "And having a bit of a rough time, fighting the law and all. But at least Alicia, here, can help you with that."

Ruby blinks, turning to Alicia who's sporting a massive grin. Unbelievable! They must've cooked all of this up together. She takes a breath and sticks her nose up childishly. Folds her arms. "Well, for your information. I'm fine."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

Luke fully stands from against the wall, his leather jacket in tow. "Right, I suppose I'll just get right on a plane back home then..." his cheeky remarks are interrupted by Ruby. With no permission from her mind, she finds herself stepping towards him. He's quick to slide his arms around her waist.

"Don't you dare," she orders lowly. "Now hurry up and kiss me." Luke gives a soft smile and, thankfully, does as he's told. She wraps her arms around him eagerly, reacquainting herself with the feeling of his lips right there in the courthouse. She soaks in the familiar smell of his cologne. It feels like she's just returned home.

He must be able to tell that she really needs him from how tight her hold is, how she buries her face into the crook of his neck, because the only thing he whispers is, "I missed you, too." She doesn't have very much in the way of words right now, so she just presses her lips to his again.

"Ugh, you two are disgusting," she hears from behind her. They break the kiss to look back at Alicia, whose perfect brows are raised challengingly. Ruby glares at her, she knows perfectly well that she and Luke were having a moment, thank you very much. It's probably well-deserved, though, after everything she's subjected her and Will to. Alicia puts her hands up and steps backward. "Going, going..." she concedes, before getting distracted by Will who has magically appeared next to her.

Typical.

"Why do I feel like you're the reason she did that?" Luke asks while gesturing towards Alicia, recapturing her attention. Ruby just rolls her eyes. "Oh, I have something for you." He pulls out a small box, making Ruby's blood pressure instantly skyrocket. "Don't panic, it's not a ring," he teases. She opens the box to reveal a silver-chained necklace. She gapes at the pendant. "It's made of-"

"Ruby..." she finishes for him. "It's made of ruby."

"I figured it was fitting. Not just because it's your name and gemstone, but... the color is like you, too. Deep and vivid, bold," he explains with a grin as he lifts it out of the box, holding it up. "And when you see it in the light, for what it really is, there's just a hint of a sweeter tone. It's you, Roo-bear."

She doesn't know what to say. She bites her lip to keep the tears behind her eyes. "You know, you can't just buy my affections," is all she gets out.

Luke chuckles and turns Ruby around by her shoulders. He brushes her hair to one side with his fingers, before clasping the necklace around her neck. "Now, why would I need to buy your affections when I already have them?" he teases and pulls her in from behind, wrapping his arms around her torso. Right there in the courthouse.

"So I guess I can't joke about you not getting laid, now, because you are," Alicia notes with a laugh, sipping on her wine with her feet lifted onto another chair at the dining table. She probably looks more relaxed than Ruby's ever seen her. It's a stark contrast to the broken woman that she'd met at the hospital. That Alicia had seemed ready to give up on life altogether. She was indeed ready to end it all, by her recent admission. Now, though, seeing this woman in front of her smiling and content - well, that's the best feeling in the world, Ruby decides.

She shakes her head, returning to what Alicia was saying. "You've spent way too much time around me. Evil."

"Yep, you've created a monster."

As Alicia replies, the front door opens and Grace appears in the hallway.

"Hi honey, how was school?"

"Good," she starts with a smile. "Hi, Ruby."

"Hey, Grace," she replies, before racing into her room.

"So, what's up?" Alicia asks. "Please don't tell me I need to represent another patient of yours..." She says with a wince, probably kind of joking but mostly serious.

"No, nothing like that. Just more an announcement, actually." Ruby tries squeezing out a smile, to accompany her uncomfortable laugh. Because it's not outright bad news, she's nervous about what it means. For everything, her future, her relationship with Alicia. Everyone here. "Luke said he wants me to go back with him. To the UK. And, well, I told him that I would."

"Wha- Seriously? Wow," Alicia gapes, blinking in shock.

"Yes, and before you say I'm giving everything up just to be with some guy..." Ruby argues, "I've been thinking about it for a while now. And seeing Luke the other day did it for me. Chicago's great and all, but... I'm a little homesick."

Alicia takes a moment to process the information. She gives a solemn nod. "I'm gonna miss you," she eventually says with a pout.

"Oh, I know you will. But you'll survive. Probably." I'll miss you even more, is what's hidden between her light-hearted reply.

"We can still Skype or something, right? We should do that," Alicia decides with a slight quirk of her lips.

"Well, maybe... maybe this has come at a good time, maybe it's for the best," Ruby posits. This is what she was unsure about. She has to be delicate about the way she puts this. She can already see the bewildered frown beginning to form on Alicia's face. "Lately, you seem to be doing a lot better, at least a lot better than last year. I think if you feel like you need to continue talking to someone like a clinical psychologist, it should be... not me."

Alicia blinks. "Why do you say that?"

"I um, I feel like I'm not removed enough from your personal life."

"I mean, we never really had a professional relationship. You were only officially my psychologist for a few days," Alicia points out. "What's going on?"

Alicia raises her eyebrows. Ruby sighs in frustration. "It's me, okay?" She blurts defensively. "I've become... too involved, too invested."

Alicia still doesn't understand. Which is, well, understandable. They've previously had no problem getting personal with each other.

"Did I tell you why I became a psychologist in the first place?" She asks. Alicia shakes her head. "It was my mum, really. She always said I should become one and she had a lot of influence on me. My dad wasn't around, as you already know, so it was essentially just us two for my whole life. I only considered it as a career after I turned 18, though. That was the day after... the day after she died." Alicia's face changes instantly, and Ruby quickly continues. "Before you start feeling sorry for me, I'm okay, and I had a really good shrink after that. He helped me a lot, so that's when I began to think seriously about doing the same for others. When you first came into the hospital, I wanted so much to help you. But Holland warned me about getting too tangled up when you've got stuff of your own to deal with. And I've been thinking, about you, about Grace, Zach, and Will... you're amazing Peach, but you've got family of your own. And my job here is basically done. Maybe it's for the best that I'm leaving. Before I start feeling too much like you're... feel as though-" she struggles with the words. "Like you're a mother figure to me, also."

There it is. The clincher. The thing Ruby's avoided admitting to herself all this time. "Oh, Ruby..." Alicia coos, putting a hand on her arm. "Do you think that after I had Grace, I loved Zach any less?"

Where's she going with this? "No, of- of course not," she answers, bewildered.

"Right, of course not. There's more room for you in here, Ruby. There's no fixed capacity." Alicia brings her hand up to her heart. "I know you've already been raised by somebody. She was a wonderful woman, I'm sure. But you can still... you can still be my family as well, Roo. My precious girl..." she murmurs and brings a hand to caress her hair and cheek. The tears that were stinging at Ruby's eyes instantly spill over.

"No one's- no one's said that to me before," she cries as she's drawn into Alicia's arms.

Just for a moment, if she closes her eyes, her mother doesn't seem so far away.

Ruby walks through the airport under Alicia's arm, whose other hand is in Will's. Luke almost changed his flight to go with her's, but she insisted that she would be fine and she'd see him in a couple of weeks.

Once she's checked in and gotten rid of her bag, a nightmare to pack even after sending some things back with Luke, she's given an immigration form. They all wander around and find somewhere she can fill it out.

"Here, I have a pen," Will takes one out of his pocket, reading her mind.

"Great, thanks. Now for all the ridiculous details. It's the 18th, right?" Ruby turns to her right, hoping Alicia will have the answer to her question.

Instead, she finds the lawyer sniffling through tears, wiping at her wet cheeks.

Ruby's heart aches. "Oh no, don't you start! Hey, you're gonna be just fine," she assures, as she pulls in Alicia for a hug that's nearly too tight.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Alicia insists, pulling away. "Fill out your form," she instructs, gesturing to the counter that Ruby is using. Fill out your form Ruby, no fussing or blubbering.

She makes it to the entry for departures without a breakdown. "Right," she nods. "Off I go. Behave yourselves, you two. See you, Will."

"Thanks for everything, Ruby," Will smiles as he pulls her in for a hug. She then turns to Alicia, who is trying not to cry again.

"None of that, we'll be able to stay in touch." Ruby rattles off. She's mostly saying these things to herself.

"Don't you dare be a stranger, okay?" Alicia instructs. "And make sure you ask for a lot of water, they never give you enough on the plane. And remember to-"

"Hey," Ruby smiles. "I'm good. I've got everything," she assures her. Alicia sighs and wraps her arms around Ruby. "Love you, Peachy-Leesh." The hug they share is tight but doesn't linger too long. She takes a breath and steps away.

Good, good. Not too much fuss, Ruby thinks to herself. She grabs her suitcase, takes her jacket that Alicia hands her and steels herself. She starts to walk towards the gate, but she's hesitant and slow. She suddenly feels an invisible force pulling her back and begins to panic. She can hear Alicia sniffle again. Is this the right thing, going? Leaving everyone here? Ruby's got so many people here that matter. They really, really matter. She starts to well up, tears spilling over way too quickly.

Ruby stops in her tracks, turning back around with a huff. "Dammit, Alicia!" she wails, throwing her jacket to the ground. She races the few steps right back into her arms, leaving her suitcase in the middle of the walkway.

"Oh, honey. I'm gonna miss you," Alicia cries.

"Okay, okay, I'm good. I'm good." She pulls herself together and turns back around, wiping her wet cheeks. She walks with no hesitation this time.

"Willicia forever!" She chants through her tears as she turns back around one last time, pumping a fist into the air. Will chuckles and Alicia blushes as they wave goodbye.

"So, we're Willicia?" She hears Will ask Alicia from behind her, as she picks up her jacket and continues through to the departure gates.

"Yep, that's our name," Alicia replies with a wet laugh. "Like Brangelina."

"Well, I hope we last longer than those two," he comments. You will, Ruby thinks to herself with a grin. She hears them tease each other until their voices gradually fade, as Ruby walks towards her future.