A/N: I know it's been months (this chapter has been pre-written for that long), but finally an update! I'm still working on posting more frequently. But until then, just read it. :)

Consequences

Angrily folding her arms across her chest, Grace stared out the car window, watching as the buildings grazed into her peripheral vision for what seemed like a millimeter of a second, then faded into the scenery while the quiet lull of the engine replaced their stealth silence. The seatbelt webbing locked across her torso, making her feel as if it had her bolted to the black, Napa leather seat. If she so much as moved a minuscule muscle, she would bounce right back into confinement. The jaded truth that she also had nowhere to run if she miraculously escaped only fueled her discomfort. A quick glance at her mother out of the corner of her eye, whose gaze was fixated on the busy highway before them, told her that she was probably still just as upset as when she picked her up from school nearly thirty minutes ago.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head in annoyance, she stalely asked, "Are you not going to yell at me?"

Alicia glanced at her briefly. "Grace…" Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter as she tried to calm the rage still pumping through her veins. "I honestly don't know what to say to you right now."

"I wasn't having sex!"

Alicia nearly closed her eyes before remembering she was driving. That word, associated with her daughter, was a concept she was unable to process. In fact, she might never be able to. "That doesn't change the fact you were making out with a boy, away from everyone else."

Grace exhaled an angry huff, causing her mother to shoot her another warning stare for seemingly the umpteenth time since she picked her up. What began as a few members of her Campus Faith club holding an impromptu awareness rally on abortion, led to her and the club president slipping away to discuss a future rally in greater detail. The events that followed were never in her plans.

The teenager rested her head against the headrest and stared straight ahead. "It's such a double standard. Zach can have girls in his room but the one moment I do something mildly un-Grace like, you crucify me."

A look of blatant indignation flashed across Alicia's face. "Oh, Grace, don't get so dramatic and don't bring your brother into this."

"Why not?! I am not the only Florrick child that has screwed up."

"That may be true, but right now we are talking about you, and only you."

Biting her lower lip, she tucked her hair behind her ears as she shook her head in disbelief, hot tears brimming her bottom eyelids.

"How long is my punishment?"

Alicia suppressed a laugh. The gall this kid had. "I don't know. We have to talk to your dad first," she practically spat.

For some reason, Grace wanted a verbal smack down, wanted her mother to pull over and let her have it. This cool and calm demeanor coupled with simmering rage only infuriated her more.

"You never want me to do anything. I—"

"That's not true and you know it. You're rebelling. Don't try to play the victim."

Her hands dropped from her chest as her mouth fell open in shock. "I am not rebelling!"

Alicia looked at her quickly, flabbergasted. "Then how would you explain your actions, Grace?!"

She shrugged her shoulders as she swiped a stray tear rolling down her cheek. "I was just having fun."

"Fun?" Alicia laughed. "A type of fun that could have almost gotten you suspended? That's your idea of fun?" she yelled.

"It's not like it's going to happen again," she mumbled as she briefly became distracted by the unusual passing landscape. Streets were cluttered with mid-sized commercial buildings, trendy bistros and cafes on every corner. It was unfamiliar. Usually by now, trees lined with trimmed greenery and deserted sidewalks reflecting still, semi-suburban life would greet them. Instead, they were becoming surrounded by increasing traffic.

"And who is this boy anyway? What happened to Connor?"

She swallowed hard and stared back out the window. "He got a girlfriend."

For a second, Alicia softened. She had suspected her daughter of having low self-esteem for sometime. Sure, she was confident that Grace had the ability to easily make friends and socialize, but she couldn't help but think their lives being thrust into the public eye and being uprooted from everything they knew to be true had played a part in her social development. Especially during her teenage years.

"So, let me get this straight. Connor got a girlfriend—"

"I don't want to talk about it, mom."

"Oh, but we are. Mom needs to fully understand what possessed you to do something like this."

Huffing, Alicia planted her elbow atop the windowsill and leaned her head against her fisted hand. Just when she thought they were keeping their names out of the papers another incident occurs. She was certain this would somehow make its way into the rumor mill.

"Where are we going?" asked Grace, noticing they were approaching the Congress Parkway ramp, which would lead to downtown. This definitely wasn't the way to go home.

Alicia flashed her a testy glare. "To your father's office."

Grace's eyes widened as she felt all color drain from her face.

"WHAT?! Why?"

"Maybe you can explain to him what you were doing since you can't find the words to tell me."

Slamming her back against the seat, she let the budding tears freely flow from her eyes as she angrily stared at the steady flow of cars that now filled her line of sight.

"I hate this," she murmured.

"Yeah, life isn't so fair anymore is it?"

Shaking her head, Alicia merged onto their exit, still in utter disbelief. As she glanced at her daughter, defeat embodying her slouched stance, she couldn't help but wonder what went wrong. Or what was she doing wrong as a parent. This was not her child. Grace was always the good girl; she played by the rules. She found Jesus for crying out loud. But this...she wasn't ready for. She always knew the day would come but no one told her how to prepare for it. Noticing they had approached Peter's office building, she wheeled the car right into the connecting parking deck, mentally bracing herself for round two.

###

Peter leaned back in the executive chair as he stared at his little girl. The three of them were seated at the long oak table where he held meetings—he and Alicia on one end, Grace situated at the other. Her shoulders were slouched, head drooped, the tip of her nose gleaming a bright red, and her usual vibrant, curious eyes were weak and tinted red. All tell-tale signs that she had already endured the summated part one rectification attempt in the car with her mother. He could only imagine what happened. His observant eyes watched how she kept pulling at the long sleeves of her burgundy sweater and re-tucking the fallen pieces of hair behind her ears. She never made eye contact with either them; she had not since they sat down.

Alicia had just finished informing him the reason behind their impromptu visit. The escalated tone of her voice clued him into the fact that she still had not calmed down from the curveball, but he couldn't help but wonder how his mute daughter felt. Grace didn't say a word the entire time. Nor when silence filled the room just seconds ago, a clear opportunity for her to speak and defend herself. Instead, she continued to look down at the table and conceal her sniffles.

"Grace."

She lifted her head slowly and met his steel gaze, her bottom lip quivering. Father and daughter stared at the other, both wondering how to broach this issue. Fourteen-year-old eyes saw nothing but love while he delicately processed her innocent fear.

"I'm sorry, dad," she said, her voice shaking.

Peter smoothed a hand down his neck and exhaled slowly. "I guess I'll ask the most obvious question," he said calmly. "Why?"

"I don't know." She shrugged and looked away. "I wasn't thinking."

"You weren't thinking…" he repeated slowly. Sitting up straighter within the seat, he clasped his hands together and rested them on the table. "Who is the mystery boy that got lucky?"

She frowned at his words. "He didn't get lucky."

"Any boy that gets close to my daughter without my permission is lucky. So who is he?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and inhaled an unsteady breath. "His name is Scott McKinley. He's a senior."

"Ah. I see. A ninth grader and a senior." He glanced at Alicia who only shook her head at the revelation. "You never thought Scott was probably a little too old for you? That maybe his interests are different than yours?"

Confusion replaced her remorse as she shook her head in disbelief. "You're older than mom. Why does age matter?"

"Because we are adults and you're still a child. Don't try to turn this around."

Tucking her hair behind her ears, she stared at both her parents long and hard. They weren't budging. She felt as if she was a convict on the prosecution stand with no other alternative than to plead guilty.

"I don't know, dad. I don't really have an explanation. I just…did it."

Peter inhaled a deep breath. "Did he make you go off with him? Did he pressure you to do something…you didn't want to?"

Her eyes bulged at his suggestion. Were these two people truly her parents? "Wha—dad—No! It wasn't like that!" Averting their piercing gaze, she lowered her eyes back to the table and mumbled, "He didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do."

That was the last thing her mother wanted to hear. "But you knew better, Grace!" Alicia seethed as she rose from the table and began pacing in front of Peter's desk.

Her mouth dropped at her mother's outburst. "How come dad gets all the free passes?"

Both Peter and Alicia looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"What?" asked Alicia while Peter looked on, baffled.

"When dad went to jail…the scandal. We don't ever talk about it. We don't ever talk about anything anymore."

"Quit deflec—"

"Alicia, wait," he said firmly, ending the fireball threat she was about to hurl. She stared back at him, speechless. When he extended a hand out, signaling for her to calm down and let him take the reigns, she drew back slightly, realizing his plan.

"Grace," he calmly began, "you know you can always come to us if something is bothering you."

"Well," she wiped her eyes, "your separation has been bothering me. Maybe that's why I did what I did with Scott. I just wanted a distraction…an escape…to feel happy."

"Grace—"

"No, Mom. Don't. Don't say everything is going to be okay because it's not."

"So you're going to blame us instead? Is that it?"

Peter looked behind him and saw how unhinged his wife was becoming. Though he couldn't blame her, right now, they needed to be careful how they handled this.

"Alicia—"

"No, Peter. That's what she's doing. She's turning this around so that we will feel guilty! As if we were the ones caught making out behind the school gymnasium!"

Peter covered his face with his palm and hung his head low.

"But I'm not trying to turn it around!"

"Then what are you trying to say, Grace?" she practically shouted.

She stared at both her parents, exasperated. "I don't like it…this arrangement," she said between tears. "Everything was good. We were a family again, and then all of a sudden we're back like before. Why did you move out, dad? You or Mom never really told me and Zach why."

He glanced behind him at Alicia, who only stared at him, not bothering to say a word. "Uh," he looked back to Grace, "things got complicated and your mom and I thought it was best we figured out some issues while separated."

"What got complicated?" She fervently looked between them both. "In the bible, it says that marriage is held honorable above all. Why can't you work through your problems and honor your marriage while we live together as a family?"

They stared at the other, speechless, for the second time. "We're doing the best we can, honey," Peter reluctantly answered.

"Well so am I, dad."

A stoic silence filled the room as they focused on her, both now keenly aware of just how much everything was affecting her. They thought living apart would spare their children from the battlefield of their emotions. Perhaps they misjudged that.

"Okay, yes," said Alicia, "Maybe your father and I should try harder to communicate with you and your brother about our marriage, but you both know that you can come to us at any point and share how you feel. You know that. I've said that to you numerous times. Right?"

"Yeah," Grace mumbled.

"And you may also have a point. Your actions might have been out of spite, but that does not excuse them. It wasn't okay, Grace. You may have been hurt or upset about Connor—"

"Mom." Her eyes flashed to Peter who looked between both women clueless. The last thing she wanted was to discuss the intimate details of her relationship with her mother, especially with father present. "Not now. Please."

"Okay," Alicia said with a nod. "We will talk about that later at home. But just so we're clear, you don't want to be known as that kind of girl at school right? A girl that's…easy?"

"No."

"Good. Because we didn't raise you to be that kind of girl. So please refrain from making out with boys during school hours. Or…" she folded her hands together in a praying manner, "Ever. Please spare us for awhile, okay?"

Peter chuckled.

"Mommmm," Grace whined.

Alicia held up her hands in defense. "Okay, okay. I'm done."

Stretching out his arm on the table, Peter tapped his fingertips along the sturdy wood in a rhythmic rhyme. "Grace, what do you think your punishment should be?"

His question caught her off guard. Never before had her parents allowed negotiation of their bad behavior. "I don't know."

"How about…one-month of you only going to school and coming home? There will be no attending club meetings after school, friends coming over or you going to their houses. You can only use the computer for homework and you'll take on more chores. And that trip to Washington, D.C. we have planned for your birthday? I want you to take this month to tell us why you still deserve that." He looked behind him at his wife. "How does that sound, hun?"

"Fine with me," said Alicia. "But these rules apply to both my house and dad's. Understood?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Leaning forward within the chair, Peter inhaled a deep breath. The hard part was over, but he couldn't end this with them not addressing the issue Grace had pulled from Pandora's box.

"Now, is there anything else that you would like to ask me and mom about our separation?"

She looked between them, taking a moment to ponder his question. "How long will it last?"

They looked at each other somberly. "I don't know," he finally answered.

"Are you getting a divorce?"

Peter glanced at Alicia, his eyes saying that he wanted her to answer that one.

"We don't know yet. That's why we're in therapy," Alicia responded, her tone considerably softer.

"Okay."

"Anything else?" asked Peter.

"No."

"Alright." Rising from the seat, he outstretched his arms. "Come here." He smiled as she eagerly stepped into his embrace and closed her eyes, hugging him back just as tightly. Peter kissed the top of her head as he smoothed a hand down her chestnut brown locks. "I love you," he whispered.

She only nodded against his chest.

Alicia watched them as a longing ache tugged on her heart. Moments like these she missed. She knew how much Peter enjoyed being a father and how close he was with both their children. To witness the display triggered Grace's words to replay again in her head, reminding her of their situation.

"Grace," she said, causing the pair to break apart, "wait for me outside. I need a minute to talk with dad."

Saying a final goodbye to her father, she did as told and left the room, softly closing the door behind her.

"What do you think?" asked Peter as he nestled his hands in his pockets and walked towards her position.

"She was with a boy!" hissed Alicia.

Peter grinned. "She's young. She's going to experiment."

"But at school, Peter?" she said disapprovingly. "A Christian school!"

"Hey, it could be worse. At least it wasn't in my office."

Alicia's cheeks flushed a dark shade of crimson. She knew what he was referring to. Their steamy lovemaking in his father's office during his family's holiday dinner party, which doubled as a celebration of their engagement. Nine moths later they had Zach.

"It's not the—"

"I know. Relax. It's handled."

"Are we handling this wrong?" she asked him as he leaned against the edge of his desk and folded his arms across his chest.

His head tilted to the side in curiosity. "Handling what wrong?"

"Us."

He looked at her, instantly reminded of how Grace would adopt the exact expression when she asked him a question, secretly hoping he might have a genius answer that would solve all of her troubles.

"I think we're doing fine. We're taking the right steps and co-parenting." Shifting his stance, he looked back at her, clearly confused when he saw the dissatisfaction of his response plastered across her face. "Okay…or not. I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at."

"Grace's comment. I don't know." She looked behind him at their framed family portraits neatly lined across the wood console table situated at the back of his desk. "It makes me wonder."

"Wonder what?"

She began twirling her wedding band. "If we should've tried harder."

"We are trying, Alicia. We're in therapy."

"But is it enough? Will it be enough?"

He sighed heavily. "Right now it has to be."

Releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding, she offered him a somber smile then turned to leave. As she was walking towards the conference table to grab her purse, she suddenly spun around. What possessed her to share with him what was on the tip of her tongue, she didn't know. But for some reason, she felt compelled to.

"I had a session with Dr. Lewis today." She paused and waited for his reaction. Honestly, she didn't know what type of reaction she was expecting. But his silence, coupled with the calm and surprised look on his face, told her that he wanted her to continue. "I didn't know you had cancelled the appointment until I got there. Actually, I was there when I got the call from Grace."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "How did it go?"

"Well," she grabbed her purse off the table, "it wasn't very enlightening."

He smirked. "Let me guess. You gave him a hard time?"

"I was proactive. I maintained my due diligence as a patient."

"Uh huh," he said knowingly. "Are we still a go for our session next week?"

"Sure."

"Good." Leaning up from the desk, he followed her towards the door. "I'll call you later to check-in with how she's doing."

She nodded and stepped to the side so that he could open the door for her. With a final goodbye, they all went their separate ways, thankful that yet another crisis had been solved.