July

A non-descript brown folder drops unceremoniously onto Eli's desk in the middle of his lunch. "What's this?" he asks.

The young man eyes it, then him, and then walks right back out. He hadn't been hired for his conversation skills. Eli wipes his hands on a napkin and opens the file. The material – a half-a-dozen black and white photos taken with a long-focus lens – is not unusual; the issue lies with the subjects. He looks up beyond the glass walls of his office and diagonal into that of Alicia Florrick's.

"Eli," she says when he opens her door after a perfunctory knock, "What do you need?"

He sits down, composed, indifferent, in one of the chairs. "Could you take a look at this for me?" he asks, leaning forward a little to place the folder onto her desk.

She gives him a curious look, but doesn't question it, merely does as he asks. He has to give her credit: she doesn't react as he expects. When it comes to her personal life, he's learned, she has a tendency to get a bit impassioned. This time, though, she simply flips through the pictures, briefly narrows her eyes, and says, "Have you been spying on me?"

"Peter's up for the governorship."

She leans back in her chair, "So that's for certain then."

"It's ninety percent certain."

"Uh huh." She's unfazed. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm trying to look out for you."

"For me?" She crosses her arms. "Or for Peter?"

"When it comes to this," he answers, "It's one and the same."

"So, what? I'm not allowed to have dinner with friends now?"

Eli reaches across the table, flips open the file, but she slaps her hand down on the pictures before he can touch them. It doesn't matter. His exhibition piece is right on top. "This," he says, "is not dinner with a friend." He points to the picture of Alicia with Will sitting cosily at a restaurant, fingertips millimetres from touching on top of the tablecloth. "This is dinner followed by a movie followed by an invitation back to his place."

"Peter and I are separated."

"Look," he responds, unapologetic, "I'm only keeping up with the opposition."

"And since when does the opposition care about my dinner plans?"

"They don't, not right now, but they will when the race really starts to heat up and they realise that the competition's still technically married wife is following in her husband's footsteps."

"Hey," she snaps, eyes cutting, "Don't you dare go there."

"Look," he says, "I don't much care who you share a bed with—" Alicia looks ready with a vicious retaliation, so he barges on "—but if you don't want this particular part of your private life joining the media news loop, I'd suggest you be more careful. Because if my people can figure it out, so can theirs."

She doesn't answer for a second and then, "I'm keeping these," she says, brandishing the folder.

His smile in return is not unfriendly. He likes Alicia, he really does. "This hasn't gone further than you and I," he says, trying to reduce the sting of the information.

"And the photographer."

He shakes his head. "I wouldn't worry about him."

Zach feels out of place in his cargo shorts and sandals. It's summer vacation and he has a day of joyous nothing planned. That morning he had considered calling some of his buddies over to play some video games, but his mom had phoned and asked if he could drop by her office and help her with yet another technology issue. Which is why he's currently leaning against the receptionist's desk waiting for her. He's been trying to help his mom out more, trying to make up for all the ways his dad had hurt her, and spending a lazy summer day at her office is nothing he can't handle.

He's playing with his iPhone when his ear perks up to the ding of the elevator and then the familiar voice of his mom.

"Did Diane call you?" she's saying.

A male voice answers. "Yeah. Last minute. I had plans to spend the day with Lilly here."

Their voices get louder as they get closer. His mom is talking again. "You said your sister and her husband are out of town?"

"For a couple of days."

"So you're just going to have her sit in on the meeting with you?"

"Yeah, I don't know how that's going to work."

"Zach!"

Zach looks up to the sound of his mom calling him. Instead of just one pair of eyes, though, he's met with three. Turns out, the male voice talking to his mom had belonged to Will. And Will, in turn, has a little kid tagging along beside him.

"Hi mom." He pauses a little before he says, "Hi Will."

"Hey Zach."

Will sounds cooler than the last time they had met. Looks cooler, too. Instead of a suit, he's wearing slacks and a short-sleeved blue button up. His mom, on the other hand, looks just as nervous. Zach wants to roll his eyes. He and Grace aren't stupid. He sees the way his mom and Will act around each other, and he and Grace notice how weirdly quiet their dad gets when Will's name is mentioned. They may not have any concrete proof, but the two of them are sure Will Gardner's more than their mom's boss and old college friend. They're just waiting for the day their mom decides to 'fess up.

"So…" Zach says now before the beat of silence becomes awkward, "I looked at your computer, mom, and I couldn't see anything wrong with it."

"It wasn't the computer," she says, "It's my tablet. Grace was messing with it last night and I think she did something with it."

Now Zach really does roll his eyes. "I told Grace not to touch it. She doesn't even know what she's doing."

"Zach," his mom has that tone in her voice, "It's fine. I'll talk to her."

"Hey Alicia?" Will touches his mom's arm. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure," she answers. Will and the kid have gone about three steps when—"Oh, hey Will!"

"Yeah?" he turns back around.

"I've got an idea about Lilly." Her eyes flick down to the little girl's and then to Zach, and he knows he's about to get volunteered for something he doesn't necessarily want to do. "Zach can look after her while you're in your meeting." Yup. That's it. "Won't you Zach?"

He holds his mom's eyes, and he doesn't know why she wants him to do this but she does. So, "Yeah," he answers. "That's fine. I'll do it."

Will looks sceptical, though, as if he knows better than to believe a teenage boy on summer vacation is willing to babysit. "It's okay," Zach says, trying to sound reassuring. "I have to help my mom anyway."

Will smiles gratefully. "I will make it up to you, Zach," he says. He squats down next to the little girl. "Hey Lil, did you hear that? You're going to spend some time with Alicia and Zach here. Just for a little while until Uncle Will finishes his meeting, okay?"

Zach is impressed with how readily the kid accepts this proposition. She walks right up, pulls on the hem of his mom's dress, and asks, "Can I have some juice?"

"Um. Sure," she replies, smiling a mom-smile and looking down at the kid.

Lilly's wide brown eyes stare back for all of three seconds and any lingering apprehension turns to complete trust. It has to be the mom vibes, Zach thinks, because there's no way all little kids are this impressionable. Will leaves them then, and he follows his mom and Lilly into her office.

Everything is fine for the next forty-five minutes or so because his mom's actually working from her desk and keeping an eye on the kid at the same time. He's kind of amazed at how she can carry on a juvenile conversation and work on whatever crazy lawyer thing she has going and not screw up on either when he can't even go on Facebook chat and do simple algebra at the same time.

He's basically done fixing her iPad when Eli says he needs to borrow his mom and she shoots him an apologetic look.

"Zach, do you think you can—"

"Mom, don't worry about it," he replies, because there's nothing else he can really say and he wants her to think he can be responsible. Fifteen minutes later, though, it's clear he needs reinforcements. He calls his sister.

"Yeah, what?" she answers.

"You're a girl," he says.

"Great. Thanks for reminding me."

"Are you busy right now? Where are you?"

Wherever she is, it's loud. "At the movie theatre," she answers.

"Finishing?"

"No. Starting. I just got here."

"Can you get to mom's office?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He glances at Lilly. It's a little unnerving, the way she's sitting on the couch, swinging her tiny feet back and forth, just staring at him. "Except… I kind of need your help."

"I'm helping you or mom?"

"Me."

"Then, no. I told you I was hanging out with my friends today."

"Look, can you just get here? Take a cab. I'll pay you back."

"What do you want me to help you with?"

"God, Grace," he says, annoyed, then, "You owe me! For last week. I covered for you with Grandma."

There's a pause over the line where he can only hear the sounds of people talking in the background. "Fine," Grace finally grumbles. "I hate you."

His sister does not look impressed when she shows up.

"This is what you needed my help with?" she says, "It's a five-year-old girl, not an alien."

"I don't know what to do with her!" he says. "I don't know girls."

"That's for sure," Grace mumbles.

"Oh shut up."

"So, you said she's Will's niece?" she says this pointedly.

"Yeah," he nods, knowing exactly what she's thinking because he's been thinking the same thing.

"And what's her name?"

"Lilly."

"Hm. Cute."

"Sure. Whatever."

.

"Um. Hi?" Alicia steps into her office, slightly confused at the scene in front of her. "Grace, what are you doing here?"

"Hi mom," she peers up from her position on the floor, "Zach called me. Couldn't handle Lilly here." Grace pokes Lilly in the arm and the little girl giggles.

"Right." Alicia gestures to the three of them, currently sprawled out across her floor on their stomachs, heads hovering over two iPads. "So, what are you guys doing exactly?"

"Playing battleship," Zach answers without looking up.

"Sink your battleship!" Lilly pipes up.

Grace gives her a high-five. "We're kicking Zach's as—butt."

"Uh huh. And where did you guys get another iPad?" Alicia asks, sitting down.

She peers over her desk when nobody answers her. "Hello?"

"Yeah, mom, hold on," Grace says, to which Zach finishes, "We're trying to set up our ships."

Alicia blinks. How quickly she gets shut down by both of her children when they have a common interest. "Can you at least reassure me that you didn't steal it?" she says dryly.

"'Course not," they both reply.

"Well, fantastic," she says.

Will steps into her office moments later with the same expression of confusion on his face.

"They're playing Battleship," Alicia informs him blithely.

"Uh. Cool?" he replies. He joins Alicia behind the desk, leaning against her chair slightly as he places a warm hand on her shoulder.

She looks up at him, smiles, is about to say something when—

"I need my iPad back," Kalinda says, stopping at the threshold of Alicia's door.

"Really Kalinda?" Grace says, in a tone that is laced with both hope and disappointment.

Alicia gives her daughter a look and Grace contritely shuts down the game.

"I have one at my house," Will offers.

Zach perks up at the thought and stares down his sister. "Rematch, Grace."

Grace hands Kalinda back the device and rolls her eyes at her brother. "Oh, it's on." Lilly jumps up and goes to stand next to Grace, her stance a direct mimic. "Lilly and I can take you, right Lil?"

The little girl nods, adorable but clueless. "Right."

Alicia and Will watch all of this with increasing amusement. Kalinda coughs to get their attention. She makes a circular motion, clearly meant to indicate the room, and mouths, "Very domestic."

.

"Can I have the last slice?" Zach asks, skidding to a stop when he hits the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, go for it," Will says, nudging the pizza box in his direction.

"Thanks," he mumbles around the huge bite he's already taken as he hurries back to the living room so he doesn't miss any more of the movie.

Will had brought Lilly, Zach, and Grace back to his apartment, and they had spent the rest of the afternoon playing digital board games and Wii. Alicia had joined them after work and they had decided to order pizza for dinner while watching Back to the Future – a movie Will had been shocked to hear Zach and Grace had never seen. They had loved it, of course, and had vowed to finish the trilogy that night.

"Okay, if you guys are going to insist on staying then I'm going to get some work done," Alicia had said after the first one.

To which Will had replied, "Really Alicia? You're really going to ruin the party by working?"

"I've seen the movie a hundred times! So have you, for that matter."

Will and the kids had let her go, but he had ended up joining her anyway to see if he could help.

"Is it almost done?" Alicia asks now. They're sitting in the chairs along his kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Will replies, "They should be starting the last one soon."

Alicia nods. She had decided to take a break from all of the paperwork and now has Lilly – who had gotten bored not even halfway through the second movie – on her lap.

"Can I please have more, 'licia?" Lilly asks, tilting her head to look at Alicia. She's referring to the strawberries that Will had just washed for them.

"Yeah, of course, honey," Alicia answers, plucking a couple from the big bowl and putting them on Lilly's plate.

Will watches as she takes one for herself, and even though he knows she doesn't mean to eat it seductively, it doesn't change the fact that she looks sexy doing it.

"You're staring," she says, eyes twinkling. "Do I want to know what you're thinking about right now?"

He leans over, gives a quick sideways glance into the living room, and kisses her. It's a lingering kiss, a few seconds longer than usual so he can taste the strawberry on her lips. "Probably not," he answers, pulling back with a cheeky grin. "Wouldn't be suitable for tiny ears."

Lilly wriggles around to check out what they're doing behind her back. "Uncle Will," she says, once she's reassured no fun is being had without her, "I have to pee."

Will laughs and reaches for her, but Alicia stops him. "It's okay. I'll take her. I have to use the washroom too." To Lilly, she says, "Can you keep your hands in the air for me, Lilly?"

The little girl scrunches up her face. "'Cause they're sticky with strawberry juice?"

"Yup, that's right," Alicia replies, hopping off of the stool before letting Lilly slide from her arms and to her own feet.

Will rejoins Grace and Zach in the living room, but when Alicia and Lilly don't return after a good twenty minutes, he gets up to see where they've disappeared to. He finds them in the guest bedroom, where Lilly is staying for the night. It looks like Lilly has managed to convince Alicia to read her a story because the two of them are curled up in one of the big leather armchairs, with Lilly tucked closely into Alicia's side and a picture book between them.

"You smell nice," Lilly is saying and Alicia smiles tenderly at her, stroking a hand through his niece's hair – straight and long and brown just like Sara's.

"Thank you," Alicia replies, "I think you smell nice, too."

Will had never gotten the chance to see what Alicia had been like as a mother back in the day when Zach and Grace had still been little, but he imagines it would be similar to what he's seeing now.

Later, after the two of them have tucked Lilly in for the night and they're standing in the kitchen with their glasses of wine, quietly looking over Zach and Grace, he'll say, "This is nice, isn't it?"

She'll take a sip of her wine and murmur, "Mhm."

And he'll follow up with a casual, "Feels normal."

And she'll smile, a soft expression on her face, and reply, "Yeah, it kind of does."

Will returns from his pick-up basketball game later than usual. Streetlights filter into his apartment from the window, but it doesn't prevent him from nearly tripping over a pair of shoes. He palms the wall and quickly flicks on the hall light, looking down only to realise that they're Alicia's shoes: a pair of black three-inch heels.

He kicks his own shoes off, drops his gym bag lightly onto the floor, and pads further into his apartment. None of the other lights are on except for a muted glow coming from his living room, the house so quiet that, if it hadn't been for the shoes, Will never would have guessed Alicia's presence.

"Alicia?" he calls quietly, about to say something more when he enters the living room and stops at the sight. Because there's Alicia, curled up on his couch, still dressed in her work clothes, fast asleep. He catalogues the open files strewn all over his floor and coffee table, the legal pad full of notes beside her resting face and the pen dangling loosely from her fingers, and it brings back memories of their late-night study sessions back in law school.

He does what he used to do back then. Going into his room, he pulls a fleece blanket from the top of his closet and gingerly manoeuvres around the paper mine to get to Alicia. Kneeling down at her side, he removes the yellow legal pad, laying it gently on the floor, and silently cheers when he manages to lift the pen from her hand without her waking. He covers her with the blanket and goes to take a shower.

She's still asleep when he finishes and he's loath to wake her. He rests a hand on her upper arm, hesitating, but he has no idea whether the work she's doing is time-sensitive and, if nothing else, her sleeping position and attire can't possibly be all that comfortable. Trailing his hand up the side of her face, he brushes his fingers along the shell of her ear, leaning forward to whisper, "Alicia," as he gently kisses her cheek. He continues to stroke her hair, speaking soft words until her eyes blink open. "Hi," he says.

"I used your key," she murmurs.

He had given her a set of his house keys the other week, a few days after he had basically spent an entire day with her kids and she with his niece and she hadn't completely lost it. At the time, to keep it from being a big deal, he had said, "For emergencies," but this is the first time she's ever used it and that makes him strangely ecstatic.

"Your apartment is closer to the office," she continues, burrowing cutely into the blanket.

"Needed a nap?"

"Mm," she responds, eyes flickering at him, "Tired."

He smiles. "You know you're welcome anytime."

She smiles back and the world feels hushed and subdued around them. He still hasn't turned on any more lights and in the steady, warm glow of the single lamp, her sleepy eyes look greener than usual. He can't resist. Sliding his hand to cup the base of her neck, he bends down to kiss her. She tastes like honey and midnight.

She hums, a sound of dopey bliss, as their tongues map each other lazily and their lips meet under light pressure. He can feel her long eyelashes brushing against his cheek, feather soft, and her fingers on his white t-shirt, grip secure. He presses chaste kisses against the corner of her mouth.

"I want to keep you," he breathes out.

Her hand comes up to his face. She angles her lips so that they press against his ear. "You have me," she whispers.

It's not true, not technically, not socially, not yet. But it's true in all the ways that matter.

.

.

.

A/N: And we're back to lighter, fluffier territory (with bonus adorable children)!

We have one more chapter to go.

And as always, I would love your thoughts.