Alicia sat on the sofa in her front room late in the evening. Paperwork cluttered the coffee table. A half empty bottle of wine sat on the end table next to her. Focusing on work was getting difficult. Her mind kept wandering to events from earlier in the day. She needed to talk to Will about it but was still having mixed feelings.

Her burner phone buzzed next to the wine bottle distracting her from her thoughts.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey, were you asleep? I know it's late," Will said.

"No. I'm doing some work from home tonight."

"You work too hard," he said.

"You always say that," she mused.

"That's because it's still true," he responded.

She sighed leaning back into the sofa. "I'll go to bed after we talk."

"You better," he teased. "I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'd hate for you to miss out on some fun because you were too tired."

This got a laugh out of her. "Oh yeah, some fun. Me giving a speech to five- hundred people I barely know. Accepting an honor I don't deserve. Followed by answering a barrage of questions from the press that I absolutely loathe."

He laughed this time. "Well, I didn't mean all of that. I was more referring to the fun we'll have the rest of the weekend. In fact, that's why I called. I wanted to finalize a few plans."

They talked for a few minutes about the upcoming weekend and then there was a long pause.

"Leesh, you okay? You seem distracted tonight."

She stared across the room and took another sip of her wine. "I'm fine. It was a long day at work."

"You want to talk about it?"

She did and she didn't in ways. "I was at the Whitehouse today."

He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

She continued. "The President wanted to see me."

He'd gotten used to her mentioning meetings with senators, congressmen, and even the director of the FBI. Meeting with the President of United States was at a whole new level. He knew they interacted periodically, but it was still pretty surreal to think she held a position where the President knew her by her first name, could…and did…summon her to the Whitehouse whenever she was needed.

"About a case?" he questioned.

"No…" she hesitated. "She asked if I'd consider a nomination to the Federal Courts as a Federal Circuit Judge." She'd been floored when the President had asked. It was the last thing she'd expected when she'd been called to the White House earlier in the day. The times she'd been to the White House she'd met with staff members who conveyed the President's wishes or needs. The few times she'd spoken directly to the President were in meetings where the Attorney General had also been present. She really couldn't believe the President, and others, felt like she was ready for this step in her career.

She continued. "Of course, just because the President asked doesn't mean the senate would accept the nomination. They'd scrutinize my career."

"I…" Will was speechless. A thousand things ran through his mind in that moment. What an honor that would be for her. Another great accomplishment to add to her already impressive list. He was proud of her. He wanted her to succeed. He wanted her to have everything she'd worked so hard to achieve. But…what did that mean for them? Had she already accepted without even discussing it with him first? Federal, not district, court judge? That meant she'd have to stay in D.C. He didn't like where this was headed. But he couldn't just tell her no, could he?

"Alicia, that's…amazing." He tried to sound supportive, enthusiastic even.

"It is," she responded. "But what do you really think?" She'd had a few hours to process this and had come to the most reasonable conclusion. But she wanted him to be honest with her and tell her what he really thought either way instead of simply accepting this huge curve ball she'd just thrown to him without discussing it. If they were going to be married they had to be honest with each other.

"I really do think it's amazing, Leesh. I mean a federal judge. But I obviously have some questions and some hesitations. If you accepted the position what would that mean for us? You'd still have to work in D.C. Chase and I moving to D.C. just isn't an option. I don't know that it's something we can make work. A Federal judge postion is a long term commitment." He was quiet for a few moments. "Leesh, you know I'd never try to hold you back if it was something you really wanted…but I'm not going to lie to you. I don't want you to take it. I just don't see how we can make that work." He felt guilty. What if this was something she really wanted to do?

"Okay," she responded. "I won't do it. Thank you for being honest with me."

He was surprised at her response. That she'd given in so quickly. Was she just trying to avoid an argument? Would this become a sore spot between them when they argued? Something she'd always hold over his head? "Are you sure?" he questioned.

"Yes, Will, I'm sure. I was flattered. It felt really good to know that people trust me enough to take on that role. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to accept. It reminded of the that Diane and you offered me a named partner role. It felt like I'd really made it." She fell silent for a few moments.

"Leesh, you've already made it to the top."

She laughed lightly. "I know but Will, it was tempting…for about an hour. Even though I knew in my heart that it wouldn't work. I knew it wasn't the right thing for me or for us."

He was relieved, but still felt slightly guilty. If he wasn't in her life she could do this. She wouldn't have thought twice about it. "Leesh, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me…"

"Will, don't. I appreciate that you're so supportive of me, but I want to be with you. I want to run our own firm together. Yes, being a federal judge would be an honor, and might, someday, lead to a Supreme Court appointment, but that's not what's important to me anymore."

"You're sure?"

There was long pause. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll call the President tomorrow and decline."

He was mostly convinced she was being honest with him, but he couldn't help but pick up on the slightly resigned tone in her voice. He understood. If he were in her shoes, he would do the same thing, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be a little sad about it all. Sadness, that's probably what he had really picked up on.

"Okay. Leesh, I know this wasn't an easy decision for you. I just want you to know that it means a lot to me that you're choosing us."

"Yeah, well, you know I've decided I kind of like you," she responded playfully.

He chuckled. "Good, because I definitely like you."

"I was thinking earlier that we should go to that restaurant we were supposed to have our first date at in law school," she said.

"You mean the one where you got the time wrong?" he laughed.

"No, the one where you got the time wrong." A smile crossed her lips. "I figured if we went together we could actually have that first date."

"Is that place even still there?"

"Yes, it's still just as popular as it was thirty years ago," she said.

"We'll be the oldest ones there," he mused.

"Maybe, but not as old as you'd think. It's become more of a young professionals spot."

"So, the crowd will be early thirties instead of twenties? I'm still going to feel old."

She laughed. "I'll make a reservation."

"Okay. At least I'll have someone who looks half her age on my arm."

"Stop it. You don't look your age either. It'll be fun."

"Yes it will. Glad we'll be able to finally mark "first date" off the list."

"Right! And just think…it will only be thirty years in the making."

She called the President the next day and declined the offer. She knew it was the right thing. She was confident in her decision, but she was admittedly a little down about it. Will had picked up on this the few times he'd spoken to her since, but he knew better than to try to bring it up with her. It would pass. They both knew it would.

A week later he flew to D.C. in the morning and now sat in an office a few floors down from Alicia's. He was meeting with Finn and another agent to work out the final details for him to reunite with his family.

"We've contacted your mother and sisters. They were obviously very shocked to hear the news." Finn said.

"How did they react?" Will pushed.

"Your mother nearly passed out. Your sisters were stunned, but they also asked a lot of questions. I couldn't get a good read on your sister Sara. I'm not certain if she was more happy or angry."

"That sounds like Sara," Will said.

"Anyway, we've gone over all the precautions with them and have tentatively set July 2nd, for the reunion."

"Did they question the timeline?" Will asked. If it had been him in their shoes he would have wondered why they had to wait nearly two more months before they could be reunited.

"At first. They didn't understand why they had to wait so long. We kept it vague…bureaucratic red tape etc."

"So no mention of Alicia?" Will wanted to clarify.

"Right."

Will sat back in his chair running his hands over his face. "Wow, okay. This is really going to happen." The grin on his face was clear evidence of his excitement.

Will and Finn took the elevator up to Alicia's floor. Will was quite impressed when they stepped off the elevator and were surrounded by expensive art, heigh ceilings, and large chandeliers hung throughout. He followed Finn down the wide hall towards Alicia's office.

Angie greeted them. "Alicia wanted me to have you wait in her office. She shouldn't be too much longer."

Entering Alicia's office was even more impressive. It was a large space. Built in bookshelves ran along the walls at each end of the room. Two upholstered chairs sat near a coffee table with a large floral arrangement in the center accenting the gray couch that sat behind it. A few feet further in was a large, intricately carved wooden desk with large windows behind it framed by thick draperies. The artwork looked expensive. It was obvious to him that Alicia had decorated it herself. The space was contemporray but still held the essence of the long rich history that was so prevalent in D.C. architecture. It reminded him of the law school at Georgetown.

Thoughts of the law school brought back a flood of memories. Late night study sessions in the library. Mock trials. Fifteen revisions Alicia made him do on his law review article. Coffee, pizza, movie nights, and…a lot of talk about their future dreams and successes as seasoned lawyers. Now here he stood in her office admiring her success.

Will and Finn sat on the sofa. "Wow. This is…"

"Intimidating," Finn joked.

"I was going to say impressive, but yeah, intimidating if you were coming in here on the wrong side."

A few minutes later Alicia walked in with the AG right behind. Will and Finn stood up to greet them. Alicia couldn't help but smile to herself at Will's reaction to Elizabeth. Only Alicia could see the slight hint of intimidation in him. The way he stood. The way he held out his hand to greet her, and the way he said, "Ma'am," five times in two minutes, were clear signs. It was actually quite amusing to see this overconfident man she knew dwindle down to putty in front of female authority.

Elizabeth and Finn both left them a few minutes later.

Alicia couldn't help but laugh under her breath as she moved to stand in front of Will placing her hands on the lapel of his suit jacket.

"What's so funny?" he asked, moving closer to her.

"You and women in high ranking positions. They intimidate you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, smiling sheepishly at her.

"You with Elizabeth just now reminded me of you and your behavior around Judge Kuhn."

"Judge Kuhn, who threw me in the brig?"

"Exactly. You were different with her, just like you were with Elizabeth. But the regular female judges never seemed to get to you." She raised a brow to him. She was probably having a little too much fun with this.

"It's not intimidation. It's just respect for their positions," he claimed, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Uh huh." She couldn't help but laugh a little. "What if I were the Attorney General, or Vice President, or something like that? Would I intimidate you?" She said it with a hint of seduction as she wrapped her arms around his neck pressing her body closer to him.

He let out a sigh. Their time apart was getting more and more difficult in many ways. Knowing she was committed to him made him want her even more – all the time if he could get away with it.

"No, but I could definitely find ways to show my respect for you." He raised a knowing brow to her this time pressing his body against hers.

She very briefly wondered if she could get away with taking him right there in her office. It was a Friday, and many employees had gone home for the day. But…

He released his grasp on her. From the look in his eye he was having the very same thoughts.

"I can't wait for you to show me just how much respect you have, but I need to do a few quick things before we leave."

"Okay, I have a few things I need to do for work as well. I'll sit here." He stepped back towards the sofa.

She walked towards her desk. "If you want anything to drink there are a few things in the fridge." She pointed across the room to a mini fridge. He hadn't even noticed it because it blended so well with the other décor.

"I'm good, thanks."

It was hard to focus on his laptop. He kept stealing glances at her. Watching her work had always been a favorite distraction of his. Watching her work here was no different. She fit perfectly in this office, in this building, in this position. She'd been joking earlier but he could totally see her as the Attorney General or Vice President. It only made him feel more guilty about the Judgeship position. He shook his head. He had to stop thinking like this. She'd chosen him because she wanted their life together, because being with him was what made her happy. She wasn't going to bail on him. Not this time.

It wasn't putting on the fancy clothes, or makeup, or expensive jewelry that bothered her. It wasn't spending the extra time it took to pull her hair up either. The thing that bothered her, she thought as she stood in front of the mirror putting in her last earing, was being put in the spotlight again at a high-priced function. Even more though she didn't like having to leave Will behind – again.

What she wanted was to be able to take Will, her fiancé, with her to these functions. She wanted to eat the mediocre meal with him while they shared quiet gossip about others in attendance. She wanted to dance with him in their fancy clothes and just be another attendee…not anyone important.

"Wow! You look amazing!" Will broke her thoughts as he entered the bedroom and stepped toward her. She looked absolutely beautiful in the dark blue dress. It was sleeveless, gathered at the waist and was fitted to her perfect curves all the way to the floor. If she wasn't going to wear red, blue was definitely next on his list of favorite colors on her.

"You don't look half bad yourself," she replied, with a twinkle in her eye as she pulled on her long dress gloves. "You didn't have to put on a tux just to watch me give a speech on screen." They'd made arrangements to have the gala speeches streamed via private conferencing so Will could watch from her house.

"I know. I wanted to." He had plans he hadn't told her about for when she got home. The tux was part of those plans.

"Leesh, I think you should take the Judgeship position."

She froze, her mouth involuntarily opened in shock. "What are you talking about? Why would I do that? Will, we already discussed this. It won't work." Then she panicked. What was he saying? That he wanted out. That he couldn't do this anymore.

"I know what we said. But after seeing you today…at your office…working. Leesh, you're a natural at this government thing. You're at the top. I knew it before, but actually seeing it today…I can't ask you to give all of that up just for me." He stepped closer to her. She was still trying to process what he was saying. "And we both know you wanted to take that position."

She looked down. She shouldn't have. It was only confirmation of what he'd just said.

"Will," she looked back up, right into his eyes. "No. I'm not going to do it. Unless…" She had to choke back tears. "Unless you're telling me that you don't think we can make a go of this." She held up her gloved left hand. The diamond ring making an imprint through the fabric.

"Will, what are you saying?" she sounded panicked now.

"I'm saying that if it's what you want we'll make it work." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I do want us. I want us more than anything else in this world. But Alicia, I'm not going to be the one to hold you back from your dreams."

"This is my dream, Will. You…us." She stepped back from him. She felt a flitter of anger coming on. "You and me. That's what has filled my dreams for ten years now. I'm not taking the job. We can't make it work. I'd never ask that of you. Why would you even think I'd consider it?" Her hands went to her hips.

He sighed placing his own hands in his pockets. "I guess because I feel guilty about it, and I know you wanted it. You can't deny that."

Her brief anger began to calm. "You don't have any reason to feel guilty. Yes, I wanted it. Yes, I'm a little sad about it, but I want this more. That is only a job. This, what you and I have, is a life."

"Leesh, I just wanted to make sure."

"I'm sure. So sure."

A knock at the front door interrupted them. "That's Finn," she said.

Finn was going to be her escort for the evening. He was admittedly a little jealous, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

"Here," he grabbed her shawl off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"We're okay, right?" she questioned.

"Yeah, we're okay." He reached out and touched the side of her face leaning in for a kiss. He held her hand as they went to open the door for Finn.

The smile on her face when she saw Finn, the way she so naturally laced her arm through his as he escorted her out, the way he put his hand on the small of her back just before she got into the vehicle with him and her two Secret Servicemen…seeing it all definitely made him jealous. Overly jealous and he knew it. He trusted her. He trusted Finn. He knew there was nothing to worry about, but he did briefly wonder if they'd ever slept together. The way they were together – always – it was a little difficult to think there hadn't ever been some sort of intimacy between them. Stop it Will, he thought. There's nothing going on, and it doesn't matter if she slept with him years ago. She's with you now.

Hie sighed closing the door once the vehicle was gone. He flipped on the television to ESPN and headed to the kitchen. He had things to do until her speech.

This event was being held to raise money for organizations that help victims of sexual assault, and sex trafficking. It was being held at the National Portrait Gallery part of the Smithsonian Museum. There was a whole evening of events planned. Entertainment, speeches from some of the victims who'd been helped by the various organizations, and the presentation of a few awards to individuals who had, in the organizers words, made a significant impact for good in the war against sexual assault and human trafficking.

Alicia had been to the gallery with James in the past. It still had the same impact on her this time as it had then. It was incredible to see all the portraits of individuals who had some sort of impact or influence, good and bad, in American history.

She and Finn wandered the gallery halls, snacking on hors d'oeuvres and drinking expensive wine with other guests before the main event started.

"James loved all the images from the Revolutionary War period," she said, as they stood in front of a very large portrait of George Washington.

Finn smiled. "Just those ones? I've never known a man so invested in history and art."

She breathed out a pleasant sigh as they continued to walk. "Me neither. I suppose that's one of the things that drew me to him. He knew so much. So many interesting things. It was all so different from the law and politics that surrounded me all day. I loved to just sit and listen to him for hours." Her mind wandered back to museum visits, hours spent on the couch, and a fire glowing in the background. James would pull out one of his many books and thumb through the images all while telling her stories about events is history. Stories that she'd never heard until then. It struck her in that instant that she felt a longing for days like those again. Days that seemed so much easier. Days where life felt like it was in balance. A stark contrast to the way she felt these days.

She was the last speaker for the evening. After a brief introduction by a woman she'd only spoken to by phone a couple of times, and the presentation of her award, she stood behind the podium. With grace and composure she started her speech. She had a few notes but was mostly going from memory. It was practiced, perfected, and polished. She'd written it herself. Hadn't used the speech writer they had on staff at the office, like so many would have done.

She was good at this, she thought to herself. She'd perfected the art of speaking in front of a crowd and, being in front of the cameras and the press. It was really no surprise. She'd had plenty of practice over the past fifteen years with Peter, campaigns, and work.

She continued speaking but her mind went back to some of those instances and all the times she'd wanted to be somewhere else. So much of it had been to keep up appearances. Doing things just so the world around her wouldn't completely fall apart.

In thinking back, her desire to be with Will increased exponentially. She glanced down at her notes and caught a glimpse of the ring on her finger, still covered by her glove, but there. An all too blunt reminder that Will was there, in her life. He always had been. Sitting back patiently waiting for her to be there for him, with him – completely. The guilt hit her like a thunderous wave. What was she doing keeping him from his family, from running his own firm, from being in a relationship where the person he loved was always there to support him? In that moment she realized just how much she loved him. She'd felt it before but now…

He sat on the sofa in her front room watching her. Such poise, such perfection she had. This was a reminder of all the other times he'd watched her on screen. All the other times when he thought how fantastic she was but had let her slip away anyway. Even when others had tried to tell him to go after her…Kalinda, Veronica, he hadn't listened because…why? Because he was a fool and he'd been scared. Scared that she'd reject him. Scared that he wasn't good enough for her. He may have been the better lawyer all those years back, but she was better at everything else. She was definitely the better lawyer now. Even after everything they'd been through he had once again, just a few hours earlier, given her yet another way to slip away from him. Idiot, he thought. What was wrong with him? The person he wanted the most in this world was standing in front of him. She was willing to be with him, wanted to be with him, and he'd gotten scared again. It was like their relationship their future together was always barely out of reach.

His mind had wandered, but then for a brief moment she fumbled over her words, looking down at her notes as though she was completely lost. He froze holding his breath, but it was a fleeting moment. She continued on as if nothing had happened and finished strong. The standing ovation was evidence.

He wondered what had been running through her mind in that moment. No matter. He wasn't going to let her slip away from him again. He got up from the sofa, took another sip of his scotch, and turned the television off. He had a few more things he needed to get ready before she got home.

She shook hands, answered a few questions from the press, and mingled with supporters, but her mind wasn't in it. She was forming a plan and in the next few minutes she'd start executing it. By the end of the night there might be some people who weren't very happy with her, but she didn't care. It was time to put Will first in her life.

A/N I know I left you all with a little cliffhanger here, but the chapter was getting long, and there's so much more that's going to happen with this that I decided to break it up into two chapters. Thank you all for continuing to read. Please leave any thoughts you have in your amazing reviews.