A/N: Huge thanks to my sweet beta Maria! Other than that (ignore the obvious I suck at posting) enjoy the lengthy read. :)

The Outing

The crisp, fall air whipped against their skin as they walked towards the restaurant in contented silence. It was Saturday, their agreed upon day to meet and follow through on Dr. Lewis' requested exercise. Alicia thought she could avoid the outing and lay the blame on Peter after not hearing from him for nearly three days after their session. That dim hope was quickly axed. On Friday, he called as usual to discuss their new pick-up schedule since Zach would be starting basketball in a few weeks, and to plan their day out together. Long after the call ended, she'd been fighting an internal battle about this day. If she had to sum up her turmoil in one word, foolish seemed most fitting.

It will only be a few hours, she reminded herself while trying to calm the steady wave of somersaults in the pit of her stomach as Peter opened the door to the restaurant and allowed her to walk through. Deciding upon a late lunch was a safe bet and she was glad he chose a place with a seeming casual yet inviting atmosphere.

"Hi! Just two today?" asked the hostess, grabbing two menus.

"Ah, yeah. Actually," Peter turned to Alicia, "want to sit at the bar or do you prefer a table?"

She quickly surveyed the empty dining room before glancing to her right at the equally vacant seats perched against the expansive wraparound bar.

"Bar," she said with a wide smile. Seated at a bar would make it feel less of a date and was closer to the much needed alcohol.

"You read my mind." He turned back to their hostess. "We'll head over to the bar."

The young woman warmly smiled. "No problem. Sit anywhere you like. Your bartender today is Michael."

"Thank you."

Alicia ingested their surroundings a second longer as she followed Peter, impressed with the perfect mix of rich earth tones and complimenting modern decor, adding a boost to her in limbo mood. She'd passed the chic eatery numerous times on her way in to work and recalled Cary occasionally mention how great the "delicatest burgers" were. From what she observed in passing, it seemed to be a favorite of young professionals. They were usually littered along the urban designed patio in the evening hours with a drink in one hand while they chatted amongst themselves.

"What are you thinking?" Peter asked as he pulled out a barstool and helped remove her coat. "You seem a mile away."

"Sorry. I was remembering Cary mentioned coming here often. He seemed to like the burgers."

Draping her coat on the back of her chair, he did likewise and took the seat next to her.

"He actually dragged me here one afternoon for lunch. I can attest to their burgers." Wiggling his brows, she grinned, briefly reminded of how she enjoyed his often playful nature.

"How is he doing?"

"Great. Settling in nicely."

She remained silent while he made small talk with their bartender and listened to Michael lively recount the specials of the day before picking up the menu. Or what she thought was the menu. Once she flipped open the black, matte cover, an electronic tablet shone bright in her face, offering the option of tapping for food or drink. This must be why it was so attractive to the younger crowd; it was modern and tech savvy. Two things she was not.

"See anything you want?" he asked, scrolling along the screen using one finger like a pro.

"Probably the turkey sandwich and caesar."

"Okay. I'm going to go with the chicken. Wine for you?"

"Yes. I feel like I need it after this week."

Smiling, he reached for her closed menu. "Well, I can't wait to hear about this stressful week, and hopefully some talk about us."

Reaching for her glass of water, she took a sip as she pondered his statement. How open would they get?

###

It wasn't long before their food was delivered and glasses refilled of beer and wine that she was still pondering that question, more so avoiding it. Idle chat about work and the kids filled their empty plate of conversation. But Peter knew better, and he wasn't going to let her get away with her unspoken plan of meeting him half-way outside of their therapist office.

"So…" he broke their sphere of conservative discussion as he wiped his mouth then reached for his half-full glass of beer. "Are you uncomfortable?"

She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip. "No. It's been a nice lunch so far."

"Except…"

She flashed him a mixed look of intrigue and unease. "Except what?"

"We haven't talked about us."

She pushed her finished plate aside and leaned into the space between them, granting him her full attention. Peter's eyes danced at their sudden closeness, knowing that he would enjoy the path they were about to head down when he got a closer look at her glazed eyes.

"What is it about us that you want to talk about?"

He pursed his lips and thought for a weighted second. "All of our issues have been voiced and analyzed. Are you ready to heal and move forward or you still want to fight about them some more?"

The smirk etched on her lips faltered slightly. Their eyes met in a challenging tango before she sighed and looked away. He knew that look, was familiar with that sigh. Without saying anything, she albeit told him to drop this 'talk' in a matter of two seconds.

"It's not that simple, Peter."

"I know." He gently grabbed her chin and pivoted her attention back on him. The slight raising of her eyebrow at his action didn't go unnoticed by him. "Choosing to remain tight-lipped about your feelings isn't helping either. We've been down that road once."

Her eyes closed at the reminder. "I know."

He leaned in close and whispered for her ears only. "Infidelity…jealousy…mother-in-law issues…miscarriages…sex…the list goes on and on."

She tucked her hair uneasily behind her ears. "Think we'll ever reach a solution?"

"Yes," he said with so much certainty she almost believed him. "We can choose to have learned and put everything behind us. The question is, when will you be ready to get to that step and whether you truly want to give us another chance? Even though we're separated and in counseling, that doesn't mean one day you'll wake up and decide you're done."

"I've loved you for twenty years. I don't think I'm going to wake up one morning and decide I won't anymore."

"I've put you through enough," he whispered.

Her heart softened at his admittance. She watched as he finished his glass before turning in the chair to completely face her. His unwavering stance suddenly made her nervous. He seemed taller even though he was seated, more assured even though they were visibly relaxed.

"Come on, babe. Talk to me. Really talk to me."

She stared into his eyes for what felt like the first time in a long time; his deep brown orbs were sincere and inviting. For an unbeknown reason, she accepted and trusted the vulnerability he was offering despite the seeded thought in the back of her mind that she would regret it tomorrow.

"Remember the promise we made to each other on our wedding night?" she asked. The question fluidly fell past her lips.

His brows furrowed as he scratched the side of his head. "That we would wait at least two years before having another baby? Because we failed at that."

She grinned. "No. We promised that if something horrible happened in our relationship, we would exhaust every resource possible before we ever considered divorce. That we would work through it as much as we could before placing that card on the table." He placed his forearm on the back of her chair and leaned in closer. "Some mornings when it was so hard to get out of bed, I remembered that. And I remembered that I never wanted our children to believe when things got tough in a marriage, that divorce was the only answer when you're still trying to figure out what is."

His lips curled into a smile and grew wider when she returned the small gesture.

"Seems like a lifetime ago doesn't it?" she said, her voice seeming to trail off into a realm of bittersweet recollection.

"What does?"

"Our wedding day. Zach and Grace's birth…when we moved to Highland Park…"

"Yeah…felt like we had it all."

An unsuspecting surge of emotions ran through her as those memories engulfed her wholly. "We did," she whispered.

The nostalgia hit home for him as well.

"We still can…" He reached for her hand and met her hesitant eyes, holding steadfast when he felt her begin to pull away. The fear and uncertainty reflected in her orbs screamed at him. "Alicia—"

"Alright, will this be all for you two today or you'd like another drink?" asked Michael, breaking their much needed moment.

Leaning back, Peter eyed both their empty glasses before looking to Alicia. "Want another drink or do you have somewhere to be?"

"Ahh…no I don't." She cleared her throat and sat up straighter. "I'll take another drink."

###

"Peter, you really don't have to do this today. I can call—"

"Alicia, I'm here. I'll take a look at the faucet and fix it if I can. Then I'll be out of your hair."

Defeated, she resumed fiddling with the key in the lock. The two shots of tequila they had were clearly a bad idea. All rules and cautions she previously rehearsed in her head were quickly forgotten. She felt much too relaxed, and too relaxed to be alone with him. The heat radiating from his frame towering behind her was also not helping. At all. It subtly reminded her of how long it's been since they were intimate, or she's experienced any type of pleasure with a man. The reminder sat on her conscious like a cat on a windowsill.

Finally opening the door, she moved ahead of him, watching as he turned to lock the frame then removed his jacket, tossing it onto the nearby chair. She momentarily thought of an emergency excuse to use if he stayed longer than she wanted.

"Alright, the kitchen faucet, right?"

"Yes." She removed her own coat and shoes, choosing to end her mental war and debunk the silly excuse. They were adults; she could handle this.

"Where are the kids?" he asked as he rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the island.

"Grace is at Shannon's working on a project and Zach is at the movies with Nisa."

"Seems like he's getting serious about her. What do you think?" He turned on the faucet briefly to gather the state of the leak before retrieving the flashlight from a counter drawer and lowering himself to the floor to look under the sink.

She grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and set one on the counter, and uncapped the other. "I don't know. I hope not. They're so young and have their entire lives ahead of them to deal with complicated emotions."

Brushing a few tendrils of hair from her face, she peered down at his stretched out form. Thoughts of their recent session discussing their sex life rushed to her mind. Once again the lack of intimacy drifted into her conscience. Or rather, the lack of any action for her. It made their separation feel incredibly long when in truth, it was simply longer than she was used to since they've had sex. She was positive it was the alcohol reeling these thoughts, but whenever he fixed things around the house, she found it a turn on.

"Okay, seems like it's just a loose bolt. I'll grab a wrench and tighten it; that should do it." Standing up, he caught the smug look on her face and boyishly smiled in return. "What?"

"Nothing." She shook her head, feeling reckless for being caught in a lustful daydream. "The toolbox is still in the laundry room."

He smiled, sensing something was amiss in her head but chose to keep his curiosity at bay.

"Okay."

Quickly grabbing the toolbox he kept in the house, Peter set it on the island surface, his hooded eyes floating between searching through the tools and her.

"Mind showing me so that if it happens again I can fix it instead of calling you?"

He smiled wider. "Sure. Come down here."

Instructing her to lay on her back, he resumed his outstretched position at her side and placed the wrench in her hand. "Place it around the bolt then roll the worm-screw forward to adjust it to size and lock in place."

She tried to focus on anything but his body pressed against hers and did as instructed. "Now we're going to tighten it." He covered her small hand with his own and began turning it clockwise.

Her eyes drifted up to his face briefly. The warmth of his steady breath washed over her face as the curve of his body heightened her senses even more.

"There. That's it." Lowering their hands, he ensured the bolt was secured once more.

"Now I won't ever have to bug you."

Peter looked down at her, his eyes glued to her mouth.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered.

"You're just so beautiful."

Even after all of these years, when he said that her heart skipped a beat. "Are you trying to get laid?" she teased.

"No ma'am." He lowered his face down to hers. "But can I kiss you?"

For a potted second, she wanted to adhere to every alarm firing off in her head and say no; and make up an excuse so that he could leave. Her present, daring intuition overruled, causing her to extend her neck upward slightly.

"I suppose since you treated me to lunch."

Grinning, he lowered his mouth to hers without hesitation. Just before their lips touched did the front door swing open.

"Mom, I'm back! Are you here?" called out Zach.

They speedily broke apart causing Peter to hit his head on the bottom of the porcelain basin sink.

"Ow! Damn it!"

"Dad?" said Zach, his attention directed towards the kitchen.

"We're in here, Zach," said Alicia as she rose from the floor. "Are you okay?" She extended a hand out to touch his head all the while laughing as he slowly rose to his full height.

"I'm glad you find this amusing."

"I'm sorry. It's just…the face you made." She continued to laugh while walking backwards towards the fridge.

"What were you two doing down there?" Zach asked, taking a seat at the island.

"Your dad came over to fix our leaky faucet and was showing me how to also fix it just in case it happens again." Quickly locating the necessary items, she proceeded to make him an icepack.

"How was the movie with Nisa?" asked Peter as he eased into the adjacent barstool.

"It was cool. Mind if she comes over later for dinner, mom?"

"Not tonight, Zach. Maybe next week. I need to do work stuff." She handed Peter the icepack. "You hit your head pretty hard. How does it feel?"

"Not too bad…throbbing as expected."

"Let me see." She began to lower his hand that was covering the wounded site. The big red knot was unmistakable. "Maybe you should lie down with that on your head for about an hour before heading home, Peter."

"Mom's right, dad. I once saw on TV this man died forty-eight hours after bumping his head. He had internal bleeding and didn't know it."

"You watch too much TV."

"It's true."

"Peter, I would feel better if you stayed just an hour. You can lie on the couch."

"Yeah, dad, and we can watch the Bulls game. It starts in thirty minutes."

"Okay, okay." Holding the icepack to his head, he began the short trek towards the living room.

"I'll bring you a blanket and a pillow," said Alicia.

"Thanks," he said before turning the corner.

She stood within the entryway and watched as Peter stretched out on the couch while Zach moved an accent chair closer to get a better angle at the television and be near his father. This image before her was once her forever dream. Sighing, she reluctantly tore her gaze from her two boys and went to get the necessary items.

###

"Peter." She shook his shoulders a second time. It was almost midnight and the game had long gone off, and Zach gone to bed. Sitting down on the edge of the couch near his legs, she reached up to remove the icepack that was now mostly water and tapped his shoulder a little more aggressively.

"Peter," she said louder.

It felt like an eternity passed before he slowly opened his eyes, looking around the room dazed and confused. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. You fell asleep on the game."

"Who won?"

"The Bulls of course."

He caught her sly smile and grinned.

"You watched."

"A little bit. Being married to you, it's almost a requirement, isn't it?"

Slowly sitting up, he took a moment to stabilize himself, and then planted his feet on the floor.

She rested a soothing hand on his back. "How do you feel?"

"Massive headache but other than that, I should be just fine." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll take a few aspirin when I get home and be good as new."

It was on the tip of her tongue to offer him to stay. She wanted him to stay so that she could keep an eye on him; the protective wife in her needed him to stay. But she didn't want to accidentally move them faster than they were prepared to.

"Thanks for letting me rest for a bit."

"Of course."

Rising from the couch, he stretched lightly then journeyed towards the door and slipped on his shoes and coat. She stood within the foyer, watching as he turned to open the door when he surprised her by swiveling around to face her.

"Thank you for today. It was nice."

She exhaled a nervous breath. "I agree…it was."

"We should do that more often." He zipped up his coat. "Want to make it two 'outings' before we see Dr. Lewis again?"

She stared into his face, doubly surprised once she realized he was serious. She felt as if she'd need at least a week to digest their earlier outing.

"Let me think about it."

He knew where her hesitation stemmed from, choosing to wisely let it remain at bay. Nodding, he lowered his head down to her eye-level, this time hoping to accomplish what he didn't before.

"Can I get my kiss before I leave?"

Staring up at him, she slowly nodded, feeling as if everything happened in slow motion once he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She stood on her tip-toes as she angled her mouth up to his and received his tender peck; not mistaking the sound of his low groan, knowing where it came from without asking.

Letting her go, he finally turned to open the door.

"Phone me once you've made it home," she called after him, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew he had arrived safely.

"I will, as soon as I walk through the door."

Parting with a wink, she waited until he disappeared into the elevators and closed the door, leaning against it. Her gaze drifted straight ahead and lingered on the kitchen island as she thought of their minutes beneath the sink. Their future track seemed inevitable as she took a moment to process all that just happened, and what could possibly happen…sooner rather than later.