Disclaimer: The Good Wife is not mine

A/N: I wanted to show a little bit of Alicia regretting not being able to make her marriage work. A little bit of her dealing with her emotions. This is a filler chapter, but I wanted to write it because I felt it was important to the story being told.

September, 2017, Washington DC

It was strange, how despite the fact that the townhouse had been her home for so many years, walking into it she no longer felt anything for it. The wooden flooring and panelled walls. The expensive Persian rugs lying on the floor and the flash kitchen- it wasn't her. Truth be told it had never been her. The whole house screamed Peter.

The brunette pushed her hair behind her ear as she closed the door on the security guy who stood there. She would not miss their constant presence, that was for sure. As she took a step into the hallway she paused, composing her thoughts. She had arrived at the old house to pack up her clothes and the few things she wanted to keep. The sound of footsteps made Alicia's brow furrow, she had thought that Peter would be at the White House.

"Alicia." The voice of Eli greeted her, and the brunette smiled, almost grateful it wasn't her ex-husband. The emotions she felt towards Peter were still conflicting, and she wasn't completely sure that they would end up in a screaming match if she did speak to him. Something that after her delayed flight to DC, she did not have the energy to participate in.

"Eli, I've come to pack up my things." She stated, looking at the man who had once been Peter's crisis manager and was now his right hand man. Eli just nodded, as he took in the appearance of her. She looked happier, even if she was stressed and still hurt by his boss' actions. Her suit had been replaced by a pair of dark wash jeans and a white long sleeved t-shirt. Tomorrow she would go into the office and talk with her equity partners about the merger, just as Will and Diane would do back in Chicago. Both firms had been satisfied with the other's financials, and Alicia's clients had been enthusiastic at the prospect of a more powerful law firm backing them. One which could look after their interests not only in Washington DC but in Chicago too. There was even the possibility of opening offices in New York if the merger was successful. There was a very strong possibility that this merger could create the most powerful law firm in the country.

"Peter has left you some cases out. You may keep them." Despite the fact that Eli was only the messenger, Alicia half wanted to laugh in his face. Peter was allowing her to keep the cases she had bought – how very generous. Instead the lawyer just nodded and began to make her way up the stairs to their room- what had been their room. But paused half way up when Eli spoke once more. "Alicia, I hope you are happy, and I mean that." It wasn't said in a bitter or sarcastic manner. It was said in a tone that showed her he cared, that he truly wanted her to be happy. No matter whether that was with or without Peter.

She just nodded and looked at him with a smile on her face. That sad sort that told him there was a long way to go until she was happy, but there was hope in it as well. "I will be." He just nodded before retuning into the living area where she could see his laptop sat on the coffee table with papers surrounding it. Sighing a little Alicia made her way up the stairs and into their bedroom.

Her wardrobe hadn't taken long to pack, all of the clothes had simply needed folding, and the truth was that there weren't even that many. The majority were suits and blouses, all her casual clothes were already packed from her trip to Chicago. It was when her eyes his that shoe box on the top shelf that things started taking longer. She pulled it down and placed it on the floor, sitting down so that she could examine it's contents. Not that she needed to even open the box to remember what was inside it. No, she knew the contents almost off my heart. It was her box from Georgetown. The box which held memories from almost a lifetime ago.

A small smile crept across her face at the sight of the essay which sat on the top. It was her constitutional law essay, the first essay she ever got an A on at Georgetown. A smile spread across her face as she remembered the moment she had received it. A giddy squeal had escaped from her lips and all of her friends had simply rolled their eyes, each one had knew she would get an A.

Alicia moved the piece of paper as felt her heart pound a little at the sight of the Georgetown baseball cap which Will had given her back when they were just the best of friends. A photo of them laughing after their first win in moot court, back when they were just the best of friends. A photo of them at Franklin Lakes back in the summer after their first year, back when they were just the best of friends. She missed those days, she missed them almost more than she missed the days when they were head over heels for one another. She missed the way that they would just laugh and joke, acting like children but not caring what people thought of them. The way that whenever he was about to hit on a girl at a party he would turn and wink at her. The way that he would pick on her, and her on him.

They'd been so inseparable; even when they were together romantically most things hadn't changed. A tear rolled down her cheek, but was swiftly brushed away. It hurt, to think that all those memories were now twenty years old. To think of how many years they went without talking, to think just how easily their relationship had fallen to pieces.

Alicia missed him, she missed him in her bed every morning, but more than that she missed her best friend. She missed Will Gardner.

The feeling of her heart breaking caused her to put the lid back on the box and place it in the bag, ready to be taken away with her. The last thing she wanted was Peter seeing that box. It would cause questions, ones that she didn't need to answer any more.

"I thought you might want to know that Peter will be back in a half hour." Eli said, standing at the door and watching her. Alicia turned to him and nodded.

"I'm nearly done." She answered. Eli simply smiled before leaving. Standing up Alicia opened a few drawer and placed their contents into the cases. It was on the final drawer that she saw the second shoe box of the day. Opening it she smiled at the contents. It was the box of memories she had kept from the children's first few years. There were little frames with their first curl in, and the first tooth they lost. Amongst all of that were pictures. Ones of them in the garden, on holiday, on their first day at school. She picked up a picture of Peter, Grace and Zach. It was from their first family holiday. Peter looked younger, he didn't have any grey hairs and there were fewer lines on his face. Both of the children had their sun hats on and Grace wore red heart shaped glasses. Alicia chuckled, her daughter would hate to see that picture.

The brunette placed the lid on the box, but left that one picture out. Once both cases were fastened up, she looked around the room. It looked like that of a hotel now. Sighing she placed the photograph on the bed, where she knew that Peter would see it. It didn't mean anything spiteful, she didn't want to rub anything in his face. The picture was simply a reminder that not all of their marriage was bad. It was there to tell him that they were allowed to miss the good times, even if they were no longer married.

One by one Alicia carried the cases downstairs. Once they were in the car, she stood there, and looked up at the townhouse with a heavy heart. None of her things were in that building now. It was no longer her home, just a building in which she had once lived. Taking a deep breath Alicia got into her car and drove away, towards the hotel she was currently staying in. As she drove away, all that the brunette could think was that it really was the end of a chapter.

Reviews really do make me smile ... ;)

Abby