She stepped aside to let him in. Will stood there in her kitchen, and took a deep breath.

They were thinking of the same thing – it's been so long since he stepped foot into her apartment. She remembered every detail of what they did last time he was here.

She poured him a glass of wine. Will took it and sat down. They both avoided eye contact, and just sat there silently for a long time. Since when the silence between them became so awkward and uncomfortable? She thought.

The memory of her making coffee in the morning and Will hugged her from the behind in this kitchen kept appearing in her mind. They kissed passionately, right here at this spot a lifetime ago. She sensed that he was thinking the same thing.

Finally, she gave in. Her heart was racing when she said quietly "What have we done?"

Will was looking down at his wine. It took him a long time to respond. "You tell me." He was not angry. He was… heartbroken. Alicia's tears are threatening to fall.

"Will. I… I never meant to hurt you. I…. I know you thought I was manipulating you, using you the whole time to get what I wanted. But I wasn't. What I said in that balcony in the New York hotel…. I meant every word."

He knew very well what word she was referring to. He didn't say anything and didn't look up.

"I… I was…. I was terrified. When I made the decision to leave L/G on election night, I was... terrified." She paused. He still didn't look up.

"I'd never felt anything like this for anyone, not even Peter. You have no idea, what it is like… to miss you so badly, that I couldn't help but to think about you every day, every minute, every second." Will took a deep breath when he heard this, but he still didn't look up.

"I thought I loved Peter, until you… I thought, if this is love, then what was that? Do you know how terrifying it is to realize that you have spent 18 years with someone then found out he is not the one? I…."

She had to pause to catch a breath. Her tears were all over the place already.

"I messed up. I tried to protect my children, my husband, my career, my business partner. And… and I ended up hurting the one person that matters the most to me." She was almost sobbing at this point.

Will didn't move, but he was breathing heavily. She wiped her tears just to realized it was useless. She couldn't stop crying.

"Will…" She wanted to tell him she couldn't live without him. She wanted to tell him she is sorry and she loves him. She wanted to tell him she would give up everything just to be with him. "Will…."

It felt like eternity had passed. When Will finally looked up, she realized his eyes were red and wet. He took a deep breath.

Slowly, he said "I remember you were wearing a red dress on the first day of our mock trial at Georgetown." He smiled a little when he said this. She was surprised to hear about their Georgetown memories.

"You kept objecting. The professor clearly thought you were annoying. But you wouldn't give up. You were confident, and you stood your ground. Even though we lost the mock trial at the end, I knew on that day, that I had fallen in love with you."

Alicia cried even more. Will sighed.

"On graduation day, we were saying goodbye to each other. I got hired at a firm in Baltimore, you were heading to Chicago. I was already sad when I learned that you were engaged to Peter. Then…. Then I saw you, put your hand on your stomach."

Alicia got pregnant with Zach before the wedding.

"That… was the worst day of my life."

Alicia cried so hard that she started to feel dizzy. She didn't know how long more until her legs couldn't support her anymore. She broke his heart… again and again. She was heartbroken to see what she had done to her love in front of her. But Will continued.

"I know exactly what it felt like to think of someone every day, every minute, every second. When we were together before… I know, it's just an affair to you. Just sex. Or a revenge for Peter who cheated on you. But for me…"

Will had to wipe his tears too. His voice was cracking.

"For me it was more than that. It was… the happiest I've ever been."

Her own words.

She couldn't take it anymore. She pulled him into a hug. They hugged each other tightly. They didn't need to say anything else. They just cried and cried and cried, to let all the misunderstanding, bad timing, anger, confusion, and pain washed away with the tears. They slowly silently picked up the fragment of each other's broken heart, and cradled it until the hearts started to heal.

After a long time, she pulled away to face him.

She whispered "I love you…. with ALL my heart." His lips crashed onto hers. She cupped his face, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. The world around them disappeared. All the hatred, anger, disappointment, uncertainty... all melted away when they were kissing.

Sometime later, they were lying on her bed. As she snuggled in his embrace, she realized for a long time, it's the first time she felt…. right. This is where she should be, with him, forever.

He whispered into her ears "Don't leave me like last time."

"I won't, this is not like last time."

"Not like last time?"

"Yes. Because last time, it was a distraction, a temptation, an adventure."

"And this time?"

"It's a decision."

A decision to not only love each other, but not feel shameful for loving each other. A decision to hold each other's hands until the end of the world. A decision to face the future together, their future.

This is truly, the happiest they've ever been.