In the Footnotes

by 2shy the Shippy

Sometimes you have to burn things down to have a fresh start. Unexpected consequences form at work and home for Will and Alicia when she decides to leave to start her own firm. Alicia gets to better understand herself, Peter, and their marriage. Will's new determination on work leads to an unexpected second chance at love. A/P, W/O-endgame A/W.

3. To Ask for So Much Part I

AN: This chapter will be revised and checked for any spell/grammar errors in the next few days, but I just publish it already. I clocked in 12,000 words, which 31 1/2 pages in Microsoft Word. I was NOT planning for the chapter to be this long AT ALL—the story just took me there. There may be some vagueness/inaccuracies regarding practicing law and becoming a chef, but I know nothing about either professions, so bear with me. I also don't know the legality of certain relationships, so overlook that if you need to. And, oh yes, there will be a part II to this chapter since I have more to tell for this part of the story.

Will handed Laura her files, as she turned to walk away, she abruptly stopped. "I forgot to ask: how did the meeting go?" Laura held the files close to her chest, it was almost as if she was hugging them.

"With who?" As Will spoke to Laura, he looked at a case file in front of him. Back and forth, he flipped the page as he searched for a section he had read earlier. When Will found the section, he tabbed it.

"Gertrude Carter," she supplied. At this, Will widely grinned. "Oh…that good?"

"That good," he parroted back. "Numbers don't lie, but they also don't reveal the whole picture either. I lost the case, but I impressed the hell out of Ms. Carter as well."

Without asking, Laura sat down across from Will, and then crossed her legs and placed her files on her lap.

"That's great, Will," Laura congratulated. "This is a good pick up for you and the firm—no, it's a great pick up!"

It made Will happy to see Laura genuinely enthused about his meeting with Gertrude Carter. There wasn't a reason why she shouldn't be, especially since she worked for him, but he didn't have many people at work that he considered friends as well. Alicia stabbed him in the back and Diane left to be a judge.

He missed Diane terribly though. Sure they butted heads from time to time, but they respected one another and heard each other out even if they disagreed. They went through many things to gather and had just as many celebrations together. She was his best friend. They still met up and had lunch, occasionally they had dinner and started hanging out outside of work, but it wasn't the same with her not around.

Alicia was just something he didn't want to think about at all. The less he thought about her, the better.

Having Laura around made things easier for him. Will had no doubt that he could make the firm succeed on his own, but having a friend in his corner who supported him made things even better. It gave him someone who he could share his thoughts with and who would give him an honest opinion. Yes, she was his subordinate, but he did still value and ask for her opinion from time to time.

"Well, I haven't been hired as her full time attorney—it's just for this case," Will, admitted. "But, she did bring in a much bigger fish: Phillip Carter."

"Her father," Laura stated. "Wow."

"Yeah," Will nodded. "He was impressed with me as well and is going to bring his business over to Gardner and Associates. I had a meeting with him later on that night—we sign the paperwork tomorrow."

This is incredible," she gushed. "That is a huge account! You already know that, but my God. You were right not to listen to me. This is why you're name is on the door and not mine."

Will smiled as he leaned back in his chair and twirled a pen in his hand. "No, I've just had longer experience in this type of law environment than you have. You're used to dealing with military rules, and then practicing at the State's Attorney's office. Give time, you'll be as savvy as I am."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence," she said.

"No, I'm serious," he pressed. "I don't take chances on people I don't believe in. You're on your way to being a phenomenal lawyer."

Laura gave a closed-mouth smile before biting her lip, and then fiddling with her hair.

"Don't say things like that, Will," she began. "It only makes my attraction to you grow stronger."

"Don't be supportive and encouraging," Will said as he raised an eyebrow.

Laura chuckled. "No, Will, you have this, this thing about you: you aren't just supportive and encouraging, you're charming as well," she explained. "You're kind, smart, and driven, but not obsessive." Will gave her a disagreeing look. "Not that, I mean that when you're at work, it's all about work and when you're at home, it's all about that. Yeah, sometimes you get emergencies calls or there are super important cases, but you do know how to make a woman feel like she is the most special woman in the world. You—you—you aren't disrespectful regardless of if you're sleeping with a woman or dating her. It's why women love you—we can screw you and totally be our friend the next day all while respecting us."

Will shrugged. "I have sisters."

"And that," she said as she pointed to him. "I know you're listening to me, but you just have a way of making women feel comfortable and diffusing or preventing situations from being awkward. If I meet your sisters one day, I'm going to thank them."

"You think too highly of me," Will brushed off.

"No," Laura disagreed. "You don't think highly enough of yourself."

"Well, some would say I'm arrogant."

"I prefer confident," she corrected.

"Confident it is," Will said as he smiled at her.

They stared at each other in silence. There wasn't any discomfort, just assessing and contemplating.

"So, you said that Ms. Carter is only hiring for one case," Laura went back to the original topic. "If she was so impressed with you, why not full time?"

Will put his hands behind his head and laced his fingers together. "What did you just say? That I had a charm about me?"

"She asked you out on a date," a shocked Laura asked.

"No, she asked me out to dinner, so I wouldn't feel cheap and used for what is going to come after—her words not mine," Will cockily grinned. "Apparently, women aren't immune to the charm even in the courtroom."

"So, when is this dinner," she inquired. Despite their previous conversation, Laura didn't feel jealous or possessive of Will. Just because she was interested in him didn't mean that she had to feel jealous when other women were as well. As she told him earlier, he was charming and had a way with women.

"I don't know," he answered. "It'll be whenever I wrap her case up."

Laura nodded at his words. "Understandable—that can get really messy very quick." After a moment, she then said, "Do you know where she's taking her business after the case is resolved?"

"No clue, but I don't think she thought that far ahead." Will then got up and picked a baseball off of his desk and tossed it back and forth in his hands. "Are you thinking of pursuing her when the case is over?"

"Yeah," Laura admitted. "But, I have to see if she's just staying away from you specifically or your business as well. If it's just the former, I may have a chance; the latter, I'm just wasting my time."

From beginning until end, his day had been productive. Already he could see where he wanted to go with Phillip Gardner's case, but he had to check with Kalinda to make sure that his new client didn't have any skeleton in his closet or was keeping vital information a secret.

Briefly, he went over a few of his other cases and took some notes, but he didn't want to get too engrossed in his other case files. Will made himself a promise when he first began to never overwork himself or bite off more than he could chew. He heard the horror stories of people that overworked themselves. In his mind, that didn't prove that they were necessarily hard workers, but rather, they didn't know their limit (or had a crummy boss). The hours put in when it came to excelling up the latter was important, but so was a person's mental heath as well as overall health.

Excitedly, Will took out a bottle of bourbon from his head and poured himself a glass.

There was a knock on his door as he poured his drink. Will briefly looked up.

"Hey, Laura," he greeted. "Is there anything you need?"

"Uh, no," she answered with a smile on her lips. "I was just about to ask you that. And from what I can see, you're celebrating. The Carter account, I assume?"

"Yup," he grinned, and then took a sip of his drink. "You want to join me?"

Laura shook her head. "Naw," she answered. "I'm going to let you enjoy this moment by yourself."

"Oh, come on," Will pressured. "You have to say yes, I invited you to drink AND I would enjoy this moment more if I had someone to share it with." Will could see her resolve crumbling and went in for the kill as he lowered his voice and said sadly. "If Diane were here, I'd being sharing it with her."

"You don't play fair," Laura said as she entered the office and sat across from Will. The male attorney laughed as he poured her drink.

"No, I play to win," he shot back as he handed her the cup. "Cheers."

"Cheers," she repeated as the clinked cups.

An hour and a half later, Will and Laura leaned against his desk as they stared out the window in their inebriated states. Will truly felt at peace for the first time in a long time. Laura took a sip out of the bottle and handed it to Will.

The world didn't end when Alicia left.

He survived.

As much as he tried to hate her, a part of him would always love her—he couldn't help himself. But, it was time to move on. Simply having sex with other women wasn't moving on. It was having fun, but he wanted something more. Although he wasn't trying to start now, it needed to be an option or, better yet, a goal. He wanted to build a life with someone; he wanted to get married and have kids. And a dog. He wanted a dog too. He wanted to teach his son or daughter how to play baseball and take the kid to games. He wanted to wake up to his wife and be greeted good morning by her eyes. He wanted it all because living wasn't overrated, it just didn't always happen the way you planned.

He loved her.

He loved Alicia.

He wouldn't have broken her heart or cheated on her like Peter didn't. For a long time, he knew her worth, but he couldn't live like this anymore. He deserved more. He deserved better, so it was time to start living.

"Hey, hey," Laura whispered. "This is your moment, sadness has no place here."

Will looked at his beautiful female companion. God, he wanted to kiss her. Slowly, he leaned in and brushed against her lips with his own.

A small laugh escaped from him. "I'm trying so hard to be this new Will," he admitted.

"And what was wrong with the old Will?" Laura's mouth was only a millimeter away from his.

"He could be a bit irresponsible," he stated.

"Can't that be said for all of us," Laura provided.

Will nodded in agreement. "I just—I just don't want to make it a habit of fucking subordinates. I don't want your credentials questioned if anyone ever were to find out—I don't want them to think you're getting special treatment because you aren't. And, most importantly, I don't want to make your job harder."

"What other subordinate have you fucked?" Laura ran her fingers through his hair and Will leaned into her touched.

"Technically," Will began, as he took another sip out of the bottle. "Only Alicia. What happened between us," he gestured to her, and then himself. "Was before you were hired."

"Did anyone find out," she questioned.

"No, but they suspected," he said.

"Did she get any special treatment?"

"If she did, it wasn't intentional, but I don't think so," Will answered. "Alicia was really good at her job—I mean really, really good. Even if I did give her special treatment, her capabilities as a lawyer made it hard to discern if she got it because she was screwing me or if she got it because she was fan fucking tastic at her job. And she had a lot of vital connections that led to some business opportunities."

"Will, you've been a name partner for how many years," she asked rhetorically, which Will understood. "If Alicia is your only blemish on your record and, potentially, myself, I doubt that having sex with subordinates will become an issue for you. Honestly, if that were the case, it would've manifested itself a long time ago regardless of how much you tried to hold back."

"Laura," Will whispered as he faced her. "Come home with me."

Laura kissed him. When they broke apart, Will said:

"My place is closer."

She chuckled, and then playfully rolled her eyes.

Laura knew that it would never be more than sex, but that didn't stop her heart from breaking. When she first got to know Will, she liked him. As she told him earlier that day, he was charming, but also funny and really smart. He knew how to make a woman feel at ease and want to tell him anything—even encourage her to charm him herself. She's dated her fair share of questionable guys and even a few decent guys, but Will had a unique combination of traits. His swagger was undeniable and his attentiveness was alluring.

It boggled her mind that Alicia resisted Will the way she did when all Laura wanted was a chance to date him. She did know how to cut her ties, but God, Will made it so hard when she was around him all of the time and when he confided her.

Even though he was drunk, he wasn't sloppy. Firm kisses were placed on her body as Will held both of her wrists in his hands above her head. The other hand crept between her legs.

"Will, Will," she begged for more. Her lover softly bit her chin before sliding his tonguing in her mouth and massaging her sweet center. She moaned in relief and thrust up into his hand.

"You like that," he mumbled into her hair after he kissed her forehead.

She gasped, "Yeah."

As if second nature, Will spread Laura's legs, and then grabbed a condom off of the nightstand and rolled it onto his cock. Roughly, he grabbed her legs and pulled her closer to his body. He rubbed himself against Laura without penetrating her. She groaned in frustration and lifted her hips before wrapping one of her legs around his hips. Will used his weight to lower her body to the bed, and then his cock slowly sank into her.

"Oh my God… Will," she gasped again as Will stroked into her at a maddeningly slow pace. Laura threw her head to the side and bit down forcefully on her lip before she tightly grabbed the pillow. "W—W—ill," she grunted his name.

She was rendered speechless shortly afterwards.

Carefully, Laura disentangled herself from Will's arms and legs as he softly snored in her ear. Involuntarily, he tightened his grip and placed a kiss on her back as he slept.

"Believe me, Will," she said to the sleeping man. "I'd love to stay in bed with you, but that's not how these things go."

After giving up struggling for a bit, Laura tried to escape from Will's grasp again when, suddenly, he let her go and rolled over away from her. Laura was afraid that she woke him and leaned across his body to see his eyes closed and his soft snoring continued. His breathing was still slow and steady, so she figured he just changed positions without waking up.

Quietly, she gathered her clothes and as she began to dress, she became paranoid about Will waking up. Laura had no issues about facing him when he woke up, but she wanted him to get a good amount of sleep in before work. So, she picked her clothes back up, exited his room, and then slowly closed the door so she wouldn't wake him. When she looked up, she saw a blonde and brunette staring at her.

"Oh," Laura said in embarrassment as she pulled her clothes closer to cover her body. "Hi."

"Hi," the two women said in unison. They looked slightly amused at the woman sneaking out of Will's room.

There was an awkward silence.

"Um, I'm Laura," she introduced herself.

"I'm Sarah," the woman introduced, and then pointed to her companion. "This is Aubrey; we're Will's sisters."

Laura laughed. "Umm…wow. Well, hi, Sarah and Aubrey; Will's sisters," she babbled. "I have to get dressed in order to go to my place to wash up and change for work."

"Oh yeah, right, right," Audrey said.

Sara and Aubrey went further into the living room so that Laura could dress in the hallway. The lawyer dropped her pile of clothes on the floor and search for her panties. Once she found them, she slid them on, and then search for her bra and hurriedly put on that item. Laura then put on her tank top and button up, which she fastened before reaching for her skirt. Laura made sure that her shirt was tucked before she zipped her skirt, and then slid on her heels. Laura stuffed her panty hose in her jacket pocket, and then put on her coat. She then peeked back into Will's room, and then searched her pockets.

"Shit," she exclaimed. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Will's sisters came back into Laura's line of visions and gave her a questioning look.

Laura tapped her forehead indicating a ditz moment. "I forgot my purse."

"In Will's room," Aubrey asked.

"No," she answered. "I left it at the office. It wouldn't be a problem if I had any cash on me to catch a cab, but I'm shit out of luck."

Laura walked, as if defeated, through the hallway and stopped as she approached the living room.

Sara went by the door and got her purse off of the coat hook. A wallet appeared in her hands as she walked back into the living room.

"How much do you need," she asked. Sara looked into her wallet again, and then back up at Laura.

Laura's jaw dropped in horror. "Oh no! I couldn't ask that of you. No way."

"You didn't, I offered," Sara countered. "Besides, how are you going to get home?" I'd offer to give you a ride, but I have a feeling that you'd be less open to that." Laura gave a tight-lipped smile in agreement. "So, how much?"

"Ten," she relented. "I'll take the L; it's cheaper."

"Ten it is," Sara said aloud as she handed Laura the money. As Laura began to walk away, Sara put a hand on her forearm. The brunette raised her eyebrows, and then tapped her own lips and gestured to her hair.

"Oh," Laura gasped as she got the woman's point. As Laura searched her body, Sara pulled a compact mirror out of her purse. In appreciation, Laura smiled as she took the mirror. She wiped the smudged lipstick off of her face and fixed her hair. "Thanks."

"No problem," Sara waved off.

After she gave Sara back her mirror, Laura hurriedly walked to the door and said, "I'll pay you your money back."

"Don't worry about it."

Blindly, Will reached for Laure as he sleepily rubbed his eyes. From the coldness, it was clear that she'd left the bed a while ago. Then there was that delicious aroma permeating his room.

Will knew that put in one hell of a performance last night, but he didn't think it was that good that Laura would get up and cook breakfast for him. It has happened before, but would it really happen again?

"No," Will said aloud to himself as he laughed. But, what else would explain the food? For a moment, Will sat on the edge of the bed and he mentally prepared himself for the day. Once he that passed, he got up and threw his boxers and a shirt on.

Instead of being greeted by one lovely lady, Will was greeted by the sight of two lovely women when he exited the hallway.

"Sara, Aubrey," Will kissed both of his sisters. "Don't get me wrong, it's a pleasure to see the both of you, but what are you guys doing in town? And so early, at that?""

Aubrey led her brother to the couch and forced him to sit as Sara followed behind them with food. After she distributed the plates, she poured them each cups of coffee and made her way back to the couch.

"To answer your first question," Aubrey began. "We wanted to make sure you were still alive since apparently your phone doesn't work. Regarding the second, we believed this was the best time to catch you—you have to sleep sometime. Can't avoid us forever. We need our quality sibling time together."

Will chuckled. It's been a while since he spoke to his sisters due to the shake up at work. They'd been calling him and either he didn't have enough time to talk, missed their calls, or they were busy.

"How thoughtful." Will placed a hand over his heart, and then sniffled before wiping faux tears. Aubrey smiled at her brother as Sara rolled her eyes (and unsuccessfully tried to fight back a smile).

Aubrey picked at her eggs and stole glances at her brother. She wiggled her eyebrows and said, "Earlier we met a friend of yours."

"A friend," Will repeated, and then it dawned on him. "Oh Laura; she's nice, right?"

"Nice as in physically appealing to look at," Sara said, "Or nice as in a nice girl to date and potentially settle down with." Will groaned. "Yes to the former; not enough info for the latter."

Will chuckled, and then sipped his coffee.

"Laura's a nice girl…woman," he corrected. "But, I just got so much going on at work to even think about a relationship, let alone dating anyone. It wouldn't be fair to her or any woman for that matter."

"What about the sweet voice girl," Aubrey inquired. "Ka—Ka…"

"Kalinda," Will provided.

"Yeah, her," Sara said excitedly. "What happened between you two-you and Kalinda?"

"Nothing," Will shot down. "Nothing has ever happened or will happen between us. There was never anything there…or will be."

"Oh, come on, Will," Sara pushed. "She's a nice girl AND she works with you, so she understands your crazy work schedule."

Will bit into a piece of his toast and chewed slowly, and then shook his head. His sisters were determined to pair him off with someone…preferable Kalinda and only because of mistaken identity. Not that he'd ever correct them on that.

"You all barely even talked to her," Will argued. "And I don't work with her, she works for me—two people working the same hours doesn't work; that would mean we'd barely have any time to spend together."

"So, you've thought about it!" Aubrey clapped her hands.

"No," Will denied. "I'm just disproving your argument—it doesn't take a lot of thinking to come to the conclusion that for a relationship to work, two people would need to spend quality time together." Will took a few pieces of bacon off his plate and Aubrey's as well.

"Hey!" She hit her brother on his leg.

"Also, I need to get ready for work," he said as he half ran to his room. "We'll get to hang out latter."

When Will got to work, he checked his messages and prioritized them in order to get a better handle on his day. He spoke with a few of his clients to update them and reassure them that everything was going fine. They seemed to have faith in him, which delighted Will. After he spoke to his sisters about meeting up for lunch, he then got back to work. He was engrossed in a case file when the phone rang.

"Hello," Will said as he took notes.

"Mr. Gardner, you're sisters are here to see you," Miranda informed.

"Thank you, Miranda," Will said. "Send them in."

He hung up the phone and tabbed his section before putting the manila folder away.

"Hey, butt munch," Aubrey greeted.

"Real mature." Will gave an amused tight-lipped smile. "So, where are we going?"

"Wherever's close," Sara said as she took a seat.

"No, I want to take you both out to a nice restaurant," Will stated, and then picked up his phone. "Miranda, I know it's last minute, but see if you can book me a table for three for lunch at one of the finest restaurant in Chicago—there has to be some open VIP tables somewhere."

"Will," Sara admonished. "That's not necessary."

"It is," he argued. "We don't see each other often and haven't spoken in a long time; I want to treat the both of you."

There was a knock at Will's door. Will looked up and gestured for Laura to come in. As he did, his sisters turned to see who interrupted them.

"I don't mean to interrupt, Will," Laura apologized, and then stopped when she saw his sisters. "Oh…hi Sara and…Aubrey."

"Hi Laura," Aubrey said in a singsong voice.

"How was the train how," Sara asked.

"It was okay," she answered, and then bit her lip. "Umm…Will, do you have time to look at a case for me?"

"Yeah, sure," Will said, and then discretely looked at his sisters before taking the file from Laura.

"So, how are you, Laura," Sara began. "Since we last saw you—how has your day been so far?"

"It's been going well," she answered and gave a small smile.

"Sara," Will warned. "No."

Will flipped through a few more pages.

"What's the issue?"

"Apparently, nothing, which is what I wanted to make sure of," she answered. "Florrick and Agos claim that we're playing games and aren't being forthcoming with them."

Tiredly, Will rubbed his eyes.

"Seriously," he said in disbelief. "We're the ones playing games." He chuckled. "They're stalling for time. Get them on the phone and tell them either they deal now or get their asses handed to them in court."

"They're here," Laura, announced.

"Who?" Will looked through his glass walls to see if he could see one of the firm's representatives waiting. "Both of them or one of them."

"Alicia."

In anger, Will slammed the file on his desk. "Fuck! I don't have time for this bullshit." Will got up and began to pace. Anxiously, he rubbed his fingers through his hair. "All right, I'll deal with this. If Alicia wants me, she has got me."

"Will," Laura called out to him as he walked to the door. "Are you sure you're ready to face her?"

"You know what, fuck Alicia," Will spat. "She used to act as if she was so far above playing games to win, but now she wants to use that to throw me off. I'm not a minor league player and she will get her ass handed to her if this is the game she chooses to play."

Will stormed out of the office. Worriedly, Laura looked after him, and then went over to pick up the file.

"Who's Alicia?" Aubrey looked confused and worried as she got up and looked out the office.

Laura debated how much to tell Will's sisters. "She's a former partner who took some of the firm's top clients a few months ago," Laura explained. "Of course something like that is going to be an issue, but Diane had left around the same time and Will really trust Alicia, so she's not his most favorite person right now."

Sara looked at Laura, and then at her brother through the window. "No kidding," she agreed.

The women exited his office and watched as Will angrily conversed with Alicia in the conference room. Sara and Aubrey couldn't see her face from where they were standing, but they could see that their brother was upset. It looked as if he was going to tear this woman a new one. The thing that was so scary about his rage was that it was the kind that was controlled—the one that brought you to chills because of what wasn't being said. It was rare when two sisters saw Will that angry.

Sensing that the situation was going to escalate out of control, Sara tapped Aubrey so that they could go get Will.

"Will, get over yourself," Alicia dismissed. "No one is trying to stall."

"You've got to be kidding me, right," Will said as he put his hands on his hips. "Alicia, I taught you that trick and you think a few tweaks is going to prevent me from noticing what you're doing."

"Look, I don't care what you think," Alicia proclaimed. "This is not a trick or a stalling tactic or—or whatever you think I'm trying to do—"

"I swear to God, Alicia, you don't want to go down this road with me," Will promised. "I know you're stalling for time—I fucking know it; either we settle this now or I will hand your ass to you in court and, this time I'm going to personally do it myself so you'll think twice about trying to fuck with me."

Will saw his sisters outside of the conference room when he finished ranting at Alicia and messed with his tie before straightening his jacket. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Alicia—he didn't know if he ever would be. They had got another case that was against Florrick and Agos and Laura was assigned to deal with them again. They had worked out a deal, but Alicia was trying to pull some last minute stunt to see if she could buy more time.

The thing was: he wasn't going to let her because there weren't any last minute discoveries to be made. He had Kalinda investigate every nook and cranny of the case and came up with nothing. He doubted that Robin could come up with more; she was good, but Kalinda was better. Perhaps his reaction was an overreaction, but he just didn't want to see her face—he didn't want to speak to her. He believed that Alicia said that the paperwork wasn't right to get Will involved because she believed she could rattle him. Did it work? No. Yes, he got upset, but he wasn't falling for her crap.

Finally, the two Gardner sisters got a good look at Alicia.

"Sara," Aubrey said in a low voice. "Does she look familiar to you?"

"Yeah," Sara answered. "I was just thinking that. Where do we know her from?"

"I can't place the face." Aubrey stared at her more intently to see if something would trigger her memory.

"Me either," Sara remarked. "She can't be one of Will's ex-girlfriends."

"Why now?" Aubrey looked at her sister. "We've met his serious girlfriends, but knowing Will, he may have casually dated her."

As Will walked away from Alicia, her defiant expression dropped for a brief second before she put her battle face back on. In that moment, it was enough time for Aubrey to place her. She remembered the longing, the sadness, and unsaid words—the confliction.

"Oh my God," Aubrey gasped. "That's Alicia."

"Really," her sister said sarcastically. "Good that you figured that out because I would have never guessed."

Aubrey rolled her eyes.

"No," she began. "That's—that's Alicia…Alicia Cavanaugh," Aubrey said in victory. "The girl who visited Will during Christmas break his second year in law school."

"The one he broke up with Helena for," Sara whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah, and she ended up dating, and then marrying some other guy."

"Holy shit," Sara gasped. "No wonder shit got real around here."

Will approached his sisters after he spoke with Miranda.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "Are you two ready to eat?"

"Yeah," he sisters said in unison. Will stared at them suspiciously, but didn't say anything.

"Okay," Sara admitted as she chewed her food. "You were right to treat us. This food is AMAZING!"

"Right?" Will grinned and gave himself a mental pat on the back.

"I know," Aubrey agreed. "I'm having an orgasm in my mouth."

They ate in silence for a while, which was rare for the trio and unsettled Will. Non-stop talking was normal, silence meant that something was on their mind and/or they were planning something.

"So…Laura works for you," Aubrey stated before sipping her wine. Of course, she wanted to lead with Alicia, but Will was like most people, you had to ease him into dealing with the big stuff.

"Yes, she works for me," he admitted.

"Don't you think that's problematic," Sara asked. She cut her chicken into smaller pieces as she looked at him. "You know, with you being her boss and all."

"Or she might be trying work her way up that latter," Aubrey provided.

"It's not like that," Will denied as he waved off Aubrey's speculation. "I mean, yes, I'm her boss, but she's not trying to fuck her way up the latter."

"And you know this how?" Sara raised an eyebrow at her younger brother. "Baby brother, you may sleep with women, but you clearly don't know them as well as you think you do."

"I know her," Will asserted. "Laura and I almost went out two years ago when she was at the State's Attorney's office—she had no plans on coming here, I convinced her, and the only reason she is here because of all that shit that happened a few months ago. I had to restructure the firm so I wouldn't be out of business. She was a good pick up. Simple as that."

"And now you're fucking her," Aubrey stated.

"It was only twice," he clarified. "Once before she was hired and last night—this isn't some normal thing for us."

Sara sat back in her chair and looked at her brother. "Okay, just as long as you know what you're doing."

"I know what I'm doing, sis," he reassured.

"Is that what you told yourself when you started messing around with a married woman," Sara accused. Will immediately stopped chewing his food and took a sip of his beer.

"I'm not messing around with a married woman," he said as he looked at his plate.

"Okay, when you 'messed' around with her, is that better," Sara challenged.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Sara," Will said. "Besides, who the hell are we referring to? You're accusing me of having an affair with a married woman, but haven't mentioned her name once."

"Yet, you're first response was to deny it and not ask what the hell we were going on about," Aubrey remarked. "You can lie to these other people without batting an eye—hell, that comes with the job, but with us, you can never look us in the eye; I wonder why that is."

Will sat his knife and fork down, and then wiped his mouth.

"And how did you two come up with the conclusion that I'm having and an affair," he asked. "And with who?"

"Will, don't play dumb," Sara chastised. "You know exactly who were are talking about; Alicia, Alicia Cavanaugh who I'm assuming either goes by Florrick or Agos now."

"Florrick," he stated.

"I know you were in love with her in law school, but she's married, Will," Sara said softly. "It's been two decades and she probably has kids with this guy and you two had an affair, but you won't let it go—you won't let her go."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Will dismissed. "I mean—who gets all of that from an argument?"

"Someone with two eyes," Sara spat. "I understand why you are angry with her, but it's clearly more to your anger than her just leaving with some of your top clients."

Will mirthlessly chuckled. "Do you hear yourself right now? My anger is more than about one of my former partners leaving with top clients? Do you know how many firms survive when a partner and a few fourth year associates take top clients to a new firm? I can tell you…not many and those who do survive, it's not an easy battle."

"That may be true," Aubrey interjected. "But, even if the words were strictly professional; the argument seemed to be very personal. It was very passionate in a way that a business dispute isn't."

Sara seemed upset. She moved the food around on her plate, and then gulped down her wine.

"I know we've been down your back about settling down," she began. "But, having an affair with a married woman isn't a substitute for the real thing. I can't—I can't believe you'd even do anything like that. Sometimes married people are tempted to stray and she did. I'm not excusing her for taking your clients, but maybe she left to protect her family. She needed to get away from you to be a better wife and mother."

Will looked as if he'd just been slapped. No, no, this was not happening. His sister was not defending Alicia and why she backstabbed him. If she wanted to leave, she could've; he wouldn't have stopped her. Yes, he would've been upset, but he would've gotten over it if Alicia had said something to him first and was honest.

But, the way she left? It wouldn't only put him out of a job, but destroyed his business as well. Sure people wanted to branch out and do something new and different, but work was all he had—she had a husband and kids to go home to. All he had was his work. Whether or not he planned that life for himself, Alicia didn't have a right to take that away from him. You don't do that to friends or people you claim to care about. It doesn't matter how scared she felt—she could've destroyed everything he'd built over the years.

"Alicia's decision to leave had nothing to do with me or wanting to protect her family," Will contradicted. "She just doesn't give a fuck about stepping on the people who helped her get where she is in order to get to the top."

Aubrey refilled her wine glass, and then took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's what you'd see because you're so close to the situation, but I think you have it wrong," his younger sister argued. "When you walked away today, I saw it in her face how she felt about you; whatever happened between you two wasn't just about sex for her. I don't know if she's in love with you or really, really cares about you a lot, but even if it's not the complete reason she left, it seems as if leaving for her family is a plausible explanation."

In disagreement, Will shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Even so," Aubrey commented. "You two had an affair and she most likely ended it; it's time to let go, Will, she's married."

"Yeah," Will agreed passionately. "But, only when she wants to be!" Other customers looked at their table and Will lowered his voice. "I didn't pressure her to do anything she didn't want to do. Sure, I kissed her, but she returned it. And every time I tried to keep my distance and respect her marriage, she was the one acting as if she didn't have vows to keep—she was the one who initiated the affair NOT me." Will fought back the tears that began to form in his eyes. "When she ended the affair because she thought she was failing as a mother, despite that being utter bullshit because she would NEVER fail her kids, I didn't make her job any harder. I didn't lash out at her or punish her—I just acted as if nothing happened—that, that, that all we ever were to each other were just friends. Even after that, she was still flirting with me and kissing me like she didn't have her piece of shit husband to go home to."

Tears streamed down Will's face as he frantically wiped the traitors away. He was done being upset about Alicia and crying over her. He didn't understand why he loved her so much. Or why he wasted so much time and energy on her.

"That's the reason she's even practicing law again," he continued. "Peter cheated on her. He banged a prostitute like eighteen times and was caught, and then sent to jail on some shit his enemies were trying to frame him for. He cheated on her," he paused for a moment. "There were other women, but that's the only one the public knows about. So, Alicia had to go back to the work force and I HIRED her," Will pointed to himself. "When every other firm considered her poison, I hired her and gave her a chance when no one else would. I mentored her, I got her promoted as a partner, I almost made her managing partner and this is how she repaid me? And I didn't hire her because I was trying to fuck her—no; I was trying to do a friend a favor. I didn't mentor her and get her promoted because I wanted to fuck her and eventually did, NO, she proved that she was an incredible lawyer—heads and shoulders above the rest. She earned everything she got, yet; she stabbed ME in the back. And, God…her husband's still scum—she fucking deserves him. They're both scumbags…one and two."

It was then that everything made sense to the Gardner sisters. Will's anger and rage was both personal and professional—the perfect storm. Although Will was a passionate person, it really did take a lot to make his anger boil over and Alicia's actions did exactly just that. When all of the intense and negative emotions were stripped away, it all came down to Will believing that, regardless of what happened to them, he and Alicia could still be friends in the end. He probably saw her even as his work wife—someone he could build a partnership with at work that had a foundation of trust, respect, and communication.

The affair they had was never a substitute for the real thing for Will, it was the idea that they could be "married" at work even though he could never fully have her again, at least, not in the same way as before. But, he was content with what they could've built. Alicia was supposed to be Diane's replacement, but she came with a complicated romantic history as well. Will would've been an adult and put that all to the side just to have her in his life in some way…just to be able to work with her and be close to her. Sara and Aubrey doubted that Will had any ulterior motives and it wasn't just because he was their brother, but he was pretty straight forward when it came to relationships. Yes, he wasn't open about his relationships with them all of the time, but from what they did know, he did have pretty good relationships with his exes, which can't be said for many people.

Alicia threw that all in Will's face with how she left. Their trust was ruined, respect spat on, and communication was non-existent. The one person he thought he could count on betrayed him in a very big way and Will didn't know how to handle it. His emotions weren't just personal because he was in love with her, but also because they were (or had been) friends as well and he'd invested so much in her as a lawyer. He'd expect that of his other employees, but never Alicia. She was supposed to be too honest for that sort of behavior.

Will had been betrayed on several fronts.

In an effort to calm himself, Will rubbed his temples as he looked down at the table. Unsuccessfully, Will trued to prevent himself from thinking about Alicia, but thoughts of her kept bombarding his mind. All of the words she ever said as well as the things she didn't; the promises that danced on her lips; the hope for something more.

"This is the happiest I've ever been," he mocked aloud. "She was so full of shit."

Abruptly, Will stood up and searched his pockets.

"Will," Aubrey called out.

"I'm going to the restroom," he said. "Flag the waiter down and ask for the check." Will then pulled out his wallet and handed her his credit card.

Will stared himself in the mirror: red, puffy eyes and moist cheeks. He was confident, but only at work or when it came to sex. But, romantically, he was broken and lost. He knew he was a handsome man and that women wanted him. Not just to fuck him, but to date him as well. Laura was proof of that. But, he didn't know what to do. For over a decade, his heart was wrapped up in one woman even when he hadn't seen her in years, and then when she reappeared in his life…she was the only thing that mattered even when he dated other women.

He turned on the faucet and splashed his face with water.

It can't be like this anymore.

He had to move on. Will didn't know when, but when it happened, there would never be a place for Alicia in his heart again. He deserved better than her.

After he signed the receipt and left a tip, Will paid for his sisters cab back to his place, and then went back to work.

Over the next few days, Will decreased the amount of hours he worked to spent time with his sisters. They don't explicitly talk about Alicia again, but there are a few moments where they conversed about her indirectly. Will's sisters could see that he was trying to work through his anger and betrayal; they saw that he was trying to move on. It wasn't necessarily that they had sided with Alicia, but they didn't know the complicated history between the two.

Sara immediately reacted to Alicia being married because she was married with kids herself. Sure she found other men attractive, but the idea that she or her husband would actually act on those feelings shook her to the core. She never stopped to examine the flipside of the person who had an affair with a married individual and the circumstances surrounding it.

When they went back home, Will devoted himself to work. He'd gathered his top performing associates and assigned them to do the research on either Phillip or Gertrude's case depending on their strengths and weaknesses. The progress he got from them was satisfactory, but he pushed them to do their better. Will wasn't just about winning; he was about producing great attorneys as well. As the months passed by, Will was more than comfortable with the cases he was building. He had Kalinda do as much investigating as she could do all while making sure that the associates didn't overlook anything.

Alicia seemed to take his threat from the previous months seriously and backed up, after that, they rarely ran into one another at work or outside of work, which was just fine with Will. He still hadn't made much progress on the dating front, but he felt like a new man. He was more focused and didn't have as much stress in his life.

Due to the success of his restructured firm, Will was considering branching out to New York. He'd been talking to Clarke to see if it was doable and if he'd have to sacrifice anything to make it work. To his surprise, Clarke was all for the plan (Will thought he was going to say no to the whole idea) and suggested the best possible course to take. Since Will followed Clarke's orders and was responsible about the firm's money, Clarke's trust was gained and he believed that Will could establish a successful branch elsewhere if he wanted.

And now, he was enjoying his day off…with Laura.

"Oh God," Will moaned as he threw his had back.

Laura tightened her grip on Will's shoulders as she straddled his lap and rode his cock. Will squeezed her hips and pulled her down as he moved up.

"Ooh," a sharp gasp escaped form Laura's lips. She tried to get control of the situation, but Will rolled his hips and she was a goner. An orgasm suddenly overtook her as she held onto Will for dear life.

In exhaustion, Will sat back in his cushioned chair and Laura rested against his chest. Lazily, he threw his arms around her waist and placed a sloppy kiss on her forehead. She smiled against his chest.

"This is the last time," she announced and Will chuckled in her ear.

"We said the last time." He reminded.

Laura raised her head and looked at her boss/lover. "I know, but I met a guy."

"Oh really," Will teased as he widely smiled. It was one of genuine interest and happiness.

"Yes," she confirmed. "We've been casually dating for the past few months and we've talking about being exclusive."

"You really like this fellow," Will asked.

Laura shook her head yes.

"Well, then I wish you luck," he said. "I hope it all works out for the best."

"Thanks, Will," Laura said before sobering up. "When are you going to find someone?"

"Oh, you know me," he began. "I'm a bachelor for life."

"Seriously, Will," Laura chastised.

Will shrugged. "If it happens, it happens. I do want to settle down, but I'm more concerned about getting my life together being happy. If that means being single, so be it."

Deeply, Laura kissed him, and then got up. He saw her walk to the bathroom and heard the shower a few moments afterwards.

Will hadn't planned on sleeping with Laura after that second night, but for reasons he can't remember, he was over her place and somehow ended up in her bedroom discussing strategy. As he was about to leave, they kissed. A few more kisses were exchanged before she grabbed unto his lapels as he lowered her onto the bed.

Between kisses they agreed, "This is the last time."

Of course, it wasn't, but Will knew that this was the last time. Not just because Laura was planning on getting serious with another man, but he also had to stop using Laura as an emotional fluffer. They had sex too, but it was a friends with benefits type deal and not an actual relationship. They both deserved more than that.

When Laura got out of the shower she put on some yoga pants and a tank top, and then left his room again.

Will got up when he heard noises in the kitchen.

"What are you doing," he grinned.

"Cooking you breakfast," she said as she flipped a pancake.

"Don't I feel special," he replied. "A goodbye breakfast."

Laura rolled her eyes and pointed to a plate. "Can you hand me that?"

Wordlessly, Will brought the plate to her, and then stole some bacon. Laura slapped his hand.

"Hey," she warned.

"Owwee,"Will groaned as she shook his hand. "That actually hurt."

"Have you forgotten," she asked. "I used to be in the military."

"Actually, I did forget," he admitted, and then smiled at her as he watched her cook.

As they ate, Laura told Will about the guy she'd decided to see full time. She really liked him and her face animated as she talked about the man. Will intently listened as he heard about their first date and their subsequent dates, their phone calls, and how he remembered the little things.

"So, what took so long for you two to make it official," Will inquired.

"Well, we were just testing things out to see how it went, but didn't want to just limit our options," Laura explained. Will knew that from Laura's part, but he didn't know that this other guy felt the same way or that they were in agreement. Will recalled Laura going out on dates with other men, but coming to his place and telling him about it before sleeping with him or waking up in his bed the morning on, and then going out with them later on that night.

When they finished eating, Will and Laura washed the dishes together and she then gathered her things to leave.

They stood at the door and stared at one another.

"It's been fun," she grinned.

"Yeah, it has," he grinned back, and then hugged her. "I'm going to miss you." Will's forefinger trailed down the side of Laura's body.

"I'm going to miss you too," she parroted, and then slapped his ass. Will pulled her in for another hug as he laughed in her ear.

Laura kissed him on the cheek. "Whatever it is, I hope you find happiness, William." They rested their foreheads against one another's for a moment, and then Laura left.

On Monday morning, Will had his associates give him the research them had found and sorted through the paperwork to see what better supported his strategy.

Not to say that Will slacked off as a lawyer and boss the last few years, but Alicia's betrayal motivated to work harder than he had ever imagined; harder as in smarter not working endless hours. The hard work he demanded of the workers was paying off big time as he read through the work that was handed to him. Will also encouraged an open dialogue between him and his associates to see what they were thinking and/or get their opinions. If their assessments were off base, he guided them in the right direction. If they provided an informative suggestive, he tried to see if their belief was applicable. He'd done this in the past, but he wanted his employees to know that they were being heard.

The high standard Will had set for himself was also why the associates were working hard. They saw that he was working his ass off and not just passing work off to him. Will couldn't do everything or do as much research as them, which they understood, and that was because he did have a law firm to run. He was responsible for over 300 workers, had meetings to attend to, as well as other duties that they didn't have to worry about.

His phone beeped and Will pressed the speaker button.

"Yes, Miranda," Will said distractedly.

"Mr. Gardner," Miranda began. "Ms. Carter is here to see you."

Will stopped what he was doing and looked at the phone.

"I thought my schedule was clear for today," he asked.

"Yes, it was," Miranda said. "Ms. Carter said she wanted to drop by and talk to you."

"Is anything wrong," he asked without thinking. "No! Don't ask her that. Does she look worried or upset to you?"

"No," Miranda answered.

"So, she probably wants an update or something," he speculated. "Send her in and bring me a cup of coffee and a cup of tea for her. Earl grey—a cream and three sugars."

Will put his files away and buttoned his jacket before leaning back in his chair.

Gertrude walked in shortly afterwards and smiled when she saw Will. He got up and pulled the chair out for her to sit down.

"Such a gentleman," she remarked as she sat down. Will half sat, half leaned against the edge of his desk as he grabbed her file off of his desk.

"Well, I do have some home training," he quipped, and then glanced at the file. "As we've discussed before, your former partner's lawyer is trying to make a deal. They both know they can't win this case—the evidence is too damning." Will handed her the folder and pointed to a few items on the document. "This is what they are offering."

Gertrude intently listened as Will explained her options and what was the best course for her to take. In thought, she looked at the file as her thumb rubbed across her bottom lip.

"Take a few days to think it over," Will suggested as he held his hand out for the file. "And get back to me when you're ready."

One last time, Gertrude looked at the file, and then closed it before handing it to Will. As she got up she said, "Make the deal."

"Are you sure," Will asked. "There's no rush."

Gertrude smiled at her lawyer as she smoothed out her outfit. "I know," she said. "But, I got what I wanted. As tempted as it is to take him to court and wipe the floor with him, it's not necessary. That's just overkill."

In admiration, Will smiled at her.

"I expect to hear from you soon," she said as she turned to leave.

"Why not call?" Will was still leaning against the desk and had his arms folded across his chest.

"I was in the area," she said. "And I wanted to see you. Once you take care of number two, we can get to number three." At this, Gertrude gave Will a once over. "Have a nice day."

"You too," he shot back.

Will smiled to himself as he watched her walk away.

Every since the day where they officially met at the Cubs game, Gertrude kept in touch and made sure that she was always up to date with her case. After her father signed with Gardner and Associates, she didn't inquire about the account because her father was capable of taking care of himself. Although he had his daughter speak for him initially, it didn't mean she wanted her speaking for him all of the time or trying to insert herself in his legal matters.

Usually, when the two conversed, it was mainly business. Every now and then there was subtle flirting, but nothing more than that.

Will set the meeting later on that day to go over and finalize the deal, which was scheduled to take place in three weeks. He then focused his attention on Philip Carter's case over the next few weeks. Her father was equally happy with her results, but in his case, they were going to trial, which was fine with Will. He enjoyed being in the courtroom. To be honest, he liked making deals as well—it really depended on the case; settlements and trials both had their pros and cons.

When the day of the meeting arrived, there were a few amendments to the original deal, mostly from Gertrude's side, but she could live with the few the opposition proposed. They finalized the deal and Will gave it to one of his most trusted associates to file.

"Hellinger's been sniffing around," Gertrude said suddenly as she sat across from Will.

Will raised an eyebrow.

"For my business," she clarified.

"Oh," Will said in realization. "Why test out the market when Gardner and Associates have creams of the crop attorney's at your disposal? She's one of out best lawyers. Very promising."

Gertrude smiled at him.

"No offense to her, but I've got to test my options," she answered his rhetorical question. "I may have struck out once, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying."

"Pfft," Will waved off. "You're going to see that testing the market is overrated and come crawling back on your hands and knees to sign us as your full time lawyers."

Gertrude smirked.

"So, you're the only competent law firm in Chicago," she jokingly asked.

"No," he denied. "The world," Will expanded his arms as he spoke.

At this, Gertrude audibly laughed. She shook her head and rose up from her chair.

"Well, you've convinced me," she said sarcastically. "Where do I sign?"

Gertrude began to walk out of Will's office.

"I'm telling you, Gerty, you're only going to be disappointed," he said loud enough for her to here. At his nickname for her, Gertrude stopped.

"What did you call me?" Gertrude held the door open as she looked at Will.

"Gerty," he repeated.

"You know," she began. "You're a little too comfortable with me." Will knew that she wasn't being serious, but was poking fun at him.

"Says the woman who won't hire me because she wants to fuck me," Will remarked.

Gertrude chuckled again, and saluted him. "Touché."

A day later, Will got a call from Gertrude's secretary to see when he was available for dinner. They scheduled for a Saturday night, which was in three days.

If his dinner had been an actual date with Gertrude, Will would've been nervous. But, it was just a meal before they had sex. It went without saying, but Will was very confident when it came to his skills in bed. He figured that they weren't going anywhere fancy since he was told to dress casual. So, when the day came, he wore a light blue cashmere sweater with a white shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, and boots.

A car picked him up in front of his apartment and drove him to the restaurant that he'd ate in with his sisters a few months ago. Silently, Will laughed to himself. It was Gertrude's restaurant chain.

Will was escorted to the kitchen when he entered the restaurant. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Gertrude lift the top of a pot and waft to smell the food. Seemingly unsatisfied with the scent, she sprinkled a little more seasoning. She gestured for him to come over.

Will walked to where Gertrude was standing and expectantly waited for his next instruction. She dipped a spoon in the sauce pan and then moved it towards Will's mouth to try.

As soon as the sauce touched his tongue, his senses exploded. "Oh my God," he said in disbelief. "That…that's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted; I think I could just eat the sauce by itself."

Gertrude smiled at him and gestured for him to finish the rest of the sauce on the spoon.

In order for them to eat dinner sooner, Gertrude had Will help her fix the plates. As if in a trance, Will watched as Gertrude made a design on the plate and food as she poured the sauce. When she finished the first plate, she moved to the next one. After she finished the plates, she disappeared for a moment and came back with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.

"Come on," Gertrude gestured. "Follow me."

Will followed Gertrude to a table and sat their plates down. She opened the bottle of wine and poured some in each glass. After she finished, she took off her chef's jacket and handed it to the waiter, and sat down.

At Will's amused expression, she said, "What?"

"All of this just for sex?"

The cook rolled her eyes. "I like to wine and dine my male companions," she admitted. "Why do men get to have all of the fun?"

"Fair enough," he said. "So, why me? From the moment you saw me losing to your lawyer, you decided you had to fuck my brains out?"

"No, it was just that I'd never seen anyone so confident in themselves even though they knew they was going to lose," she answered. "I think the jury wanted to side with you even though all of the evidence was on my attorney's side—it was very attractive to me." A smile played on her lips as she spoke to Will and said suddenly, "I'm not looking for anything serious: I just moved here and I have a lot on my plate like yourself, but when I see someone I like, I go after that person. And you just exuded confidence and intelligence. You were funny and charming and, and passionate. It was very sexy."

She sipped her wine, and then watched Will take some bites of his food.

"The sexiness can't be contained," he joked. "I would say I tried to, but that'd be a lie."

Will shrugged as Gertrude laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes," she said, "You're definitely confident and funny."

"So," Will asked after he took another bite. "You're an heiress and you own your own restaurant chain AND some nightclubs. I know you had the money to make that happen, but unlike many other—excuse the term—trust fun kids, you've actually been successful in your business endeavors you've pursued."

"Is there a question in there somewhere," she asked before she chewed her food. Will mocked glared at her. "Fine. I wanted to make a name for myself, so I put in the work to make it happen. I wanted to know if I could be successful on my own merit," she explained. "I've been cooking since I was a little girl and wanted to get in the business. So, I'd have people try my food without letting them know that I cooked it to see what they really though; I got a lot of good and constructive feedback. Then when I worked under some professional chefs, they gave me the most honest feedback I'd ever gotten up to that point. It was eye opening, but they also let me know that I could make it as a chef. So I continued and put in the hard work, got some schooling, and then certified."

"How did you go about opening your own chain," Will inquired.

"Actually, an older business chain was failing, so I bought it out," she explained.

"Pretty ambitious," Will admired.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It could've blown up in my face. But, I had the best business minds around me and took a lot of calculated steps AND risks. I could've tried to build it from the ground up—may have been more rewarding, but money does offer opportunity, so I chose that route. It's not like I didn't have experience as a cook and working/running a the kitchen, so I was pretty familiar with how things went." There was silence for a moment. "Opening the nightclubs was just a hobby…nothing serious."

A waitress came out with the dessert, which was a warm Dutch apple pie with ice cream on top serve on one plate. Gertrude stood up, and then picked up the plate before leaning against the table. She cut the dessert with her fork, and then put the utensil near Will's mouth. It was then that Will noticed her outfit.

"Step back," he instructed and turned so he body could face her.

"What?" Gertrude raised an eyebrow at his demand.

"Let me see your outfit," Will pleaded as he put on a wounded expression look. The blonde smiled and folded her arms as she complied with his plea. "Put your arms down."

Gertrude wore a semi sheer sleeveless white button up, form fitting black jeans, and black four-inch Louboutins. Her make up was light, lipstick was ultra red, and her hair was in a messy curly bun.

"You look mesmerizing," he said in awe.

In response, Gertrude snatched her forehead, which obscured Will's view of her face.

"Are you blushing," Will grinned as he placed his hands under her knees and pulled her close.

The woman took bit of the pie and ignored his question. Will patiently waited for an answer.

"No," she denied. "I'm just hot."

"Yea, you are," his grin got wider.

"You did not," she mocked frowned.

"I did," Will eagerly shook his head yes. "But, it feels fine to me."

"Fine," she admitted. "I was blushing. I don't know…I can take a compliment, but your reaction just seemed so pure, honest, and non-sexual; that you just saw me as beautiful," she explained. "I'm not used to that. I feel beautiful, but I'm used to guys trying to woo me to get me into bed. There's no reason for you to work that hard for a sure thing."

"It's hard for some people to appreciate beauty," Will said before opening his mouth for the dessert. As he chewed, he covered his mouth, and then pointed to it. "Did you sell your soul to Satan to cook this good?"

"Yes," she replied seriously.

Will laughed so hard that tears fell down his cheeks. Gertrude tried to fight a smile as she ate more of the dessert.

"Like I said, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with food and desserts," she said. "I took cooking and baking very seriously as a little girl—I still do."

"It shows," Will complimented.

"Thank you," she said graciously.

After dinner, Gertrude took Will to a hotel that was five minutes up the street.

She sat on the bed and leaned back against her elbows.

"Come here," she instructed.

Will listened obediently and stepped in front of her.

"Closer," she instructed again as her pointer finger gestured the same thing.

Will's body covered hers and he leaned over the woman. His arms were placed on opposite sides of her shoulders and his was few inches from hers. Slowly, teasingly Gertrude moved closer, but didn't kiss Will; her face hovered in front of his and her lips grazed his.

Her thumb caressed his cheek as she gazed into his eyes. Will leaned in to kiss her, but Gertrude pulls back. After the chef found whatever answer she was looking for, she pulled Will into a kiss and he gently lowered his body onto of hers.

They don't remove each other's clothes as their mouths get acquainted. Will's hand it placed on Gertrude bare back and her arms are wrapped around his shoulders. Contently, they spent a while making out like two teenagers.

There is a knock at the door, then, "Room service."

Will answered the door and a young man entered with a silver tray that had a bottle of champagne and two fills glasses. Will tipped the guy and sent him on his way, and then handed Gertrude a glass. When he tried to get back on the bed, she waved her finger no.

"Undress," she instructed, and then sipped her champagne. "Slowly."

"Do you want me to dance for you," he quipped.

"That's not necessary," she responded. As Will slowly took off his sweater, Gertrude said, "Slower."

He went slower and once he got the sweater off, he threw it at her. She caught it in time. His undershirt was next and this piece of clothing he threw on the floor. As he was about to unbuckle his belt, the companion said:

"Stop." Her eyes briefly ran over his body. "Come here."

Gertrude ran a hand across his chest and down his stomach. She then nuzzled his stomach with her nose and mouth before unbuckling his pants. His pants immediately fell to the floor as the woman then focused on his underwear. She kissed the area below his belly bottom and started trailing kisses lower and lower as she pulled his underwear down.

Abruptly, she got up and forced him to sit down.

"Lie back," she ordered. Will raised an eyebrow, but did as told.

In silence, Gertrude slipped off her heels, then her pants and panties, but kept on everything else. Before she straddled Will, she grabbed a condom off of the nightstand. Expertly, she rolled the latex on Will's erect cock, and then lowered herself on it.

An unexpected moan of pleasure fell from her lips as Will groaned from below her.

He tried to place his hands on her hips.

"No," she said as she held his arms above his head. "Not right now."

Gertrude's hands settled on his chest as her hips set a pace they both liked. Panting and squeaking springs filled the room as Gertrude lost herself to sensation.

AN2: If you want insta-Willicia, this is not the story for you. Yes, they are end game, but they aren't getting together immediately. Sorry, it's just not happening. Why? Well, look at Alicia. Look at why she left and how she'll do just about anything to keep her family. Look at Will and how he's hurting. Alicia's not some cold calculating bitch, but if anyone can recall the episode "The Decision Tree", we get an insight to how Will is feeling. He is confused by Alicia's action and sees her as someone who never loved him as well as manipulated him, which makes him unable to let his anger go because he felt betrayed on multiple levels.

So, to the reviewer who said that Will needs to get over himself because Alicia could die in an accident tomorrow, he can't get over it because she could've destroyed his business and, in his mind, spat on their friendship (and his love), but he wants to. Since you skimmed the chapter, you may have missed parts like Will saying that he needed to get over her or his anger seeming very personal. They haven't talked and Will doesn't want to talk to her, so he doesn't know the truth (would Alicia even admit to it at this point?), but he is trying to move on with his life and get over Alicia. Whether or not he is truly over Alicia, he doesn't want to pine over her like he used to. Having sex with other women doesn't mean that he is over her, but rather, he's not going to stop living because he can't have her.

So, with all of that being said, this story is about how they get there. What drives them to put everything aside and deal with one another. Although I can't give some of you the insta-Willicia you need, there are other stories that have what you're looking for.

One more thing: I'm pretty sure I have a fairly strong understanding of the Will character. We all watch the show, but I've predicted Will's behavior 90% accurately for most of the series. It doesn't make me some expert, but it also doesn't mean that my characterization is wrong either.