October 2017, Chicago

Halloween stuff was everywhere. Plastic pumpkins and spiders filled every shop window in the city. It was a holiday that she knew her children loved, and that made it just the more strange not to have either of them home. So, instead of spending the whole day at work, moping around and missing her children, she had agreed to have lunch with her mother. Something she had immediately regretted agreeing to.

The last two weeks since the interview had been strange, the combination of the press attention on every corner, new clients coming in left right and centre, and the fact that she and Will had not spoken about what happened in his office when no one else was around made her head spin. Whilst the kiss had not been a topic of discussion, there had been many an instance when she had found herself sat watching him, or had caught him watching her in the middle of a partners meeting. That, of course, simply added to the confusion with regard to what was actually going on. Consequently making her feel like someone was pushing her on a round about and the whole world was spinning faster than she could keep up with.

As Alicia sat opposite Veronica, in the small Italian restaurant that was not too far from the courthouse, she wondered what on earth had possessed her to agree to lunch with her mother. Surely she could have asked Owen? No, he would be working and that would be just as annoying a lunch, Diane would have been a better option. However she was there now, and there was no getting out of it. "I did not appreciate the comment about how many times I have been married." Veronica stated as she took a healthy sip of the large glass of red. Alicia just rolled her eyes at the comment and took a drink of her own wine.

"It was a joke mum, it was not meant to offend." Alicia stated, before taking a bite of the chicken salad that she had ordered.

"Yes, well at least I tried to move on after your father. Are you dating Alicia? You should be, you need to move on from that cheating-"

"-No mum, I'm not dating." Yet another reason for Alicia to regret asking her mother to lunch. She just prayed her mother would not bring up what she had said about her college boyfriend in the interview, the last thing she needed was her mother realising that the said boyfriend was now her partner. The partner who just two weeks ago she had been passionately making out with in his office. That was something she did not want her mother knowing. Or her brother, for that matter of fact, if Owen knew the whole world would know.

"What about Mr. Georgetown?" It was too late, Alicia internally groaned, placed her fork down and took a long and healthy sip of her wine.

"How do you-?"

"-Your brother." The look of outrage on Alicia's face was enough to make her mother laugh. "Well if he didn't tell me then you never would. So, are you going to make a move? Or are you going to just ignore the fact you were once in love with the partner of your firm?"

"It is not that simple mum." Alicia said. "Oh, and tell Owen that I am never talking to him about anything ever again!"

"You always did over react."

"I did not-"

"-And actually, it is that simple. I'm not telling you to marry the man. Just, have some fun Alicia, you deserve it. You're looks won't last forever you know."

This time Alicia's groan was not internal. "I am not having this conversation." She stated, placing her head in her hands and mentally counting to ten.

"Why not, it is a conversation we need to have. Women have needs too you know-"

"Mother, please." Alicia begged, as she scooped up some of her chicken and lambs lettuce.

"I am just saying." Her mother stated, defensively. Alicia just nodded. Once of the waiters walked past the table and stared at her for a moment. Alicia just shrugged it off, recently she had been getting that a lot. People staring at her.

"What was wrong with him?" Veronica questioned. "Do you know him? He is rather attractive."

"No, it happens, people recognise me off of the tv and stare." Alicia stated, however she did get the feeling that there were more that just that one set of eyes on her. As she looked around the restaurant everyone seemed to be staring. Alicia just shook her head and put it down to the rebroadcast of the interview last night.

"That son of a..." Veronica said. Alicia looked at her mother, whose eyes were fixated on the tv in the corner of the room. As Alicia turned to look, she saw the headline that rolled across the bottom of the screen. It had started all over again. Everything was falling apart.

Vice President to become a father as 18 year old intern reveals she is pregnant. Florrick states he and his family will welcome the addition of both the intern and child.

"I can't, he-" Alicia just looked down at her plate. "Mum, can we leave please?" Just like that, Alicia was transported back to five years ago when the first scandal broke, transported back to five months ago when the second scandal broke. It didn't matter that they were no longer married, it hurt, it broke her heart. He had slept with someone the same age as their daughter, younger than their son. He had been so irresponsible that he had gotten her pregnant. Now he was speaking on her behalf, telling people what she and her children would be doing.

The brunette lawyer felt like she was going to throw up. Her stomach turned, the room seemed to spin with all of the eyes on them Before she had even realised it her mother had placed the money on the table and was helping her daughter up and holding her arm as they walked out of the restaurant. It struck Alicia that what her mother had just done was probably the most responsible thing she had ever done.

Veronica helped her daughter into her car, and set off from the restaurant. Alicia was silent in the passenger seat, she simply sat there staring out of the window. Veronica drove them both out of the city and into the countryside. "Where are we going?"

"To the house Brian gave me." Her mother said, Brian had been her mother's third husband, and the house had been given to her in the divorce. It was a large country house, with no neighbours and a lake in the garden. The whole thing was stunning and Alicia had never understood why he had willingly parted with it. "Did you mean what you said in the interview? About wanting to get closer as a family?"

"Yeah, I did." Alicia said, her voice soft and sad.

"Then we will all have Christmas here this year, me, you, Grace, Zach, Owen. He isn't coming, but Mr Georgetown may." Alicia didn't have the energy to argue with her mother, she just rested her head against the window. She stopped her thoughts drifting to Will, her heart was already broekn, her head confused, her spirit dampened, the last thing she needed was the longing feeling for something more between her and Will Gardner. The last thing she needed was to remember the way his lips had felt against hers, remember the touch of his fingers...

"I need to ring the kids, book them a flight out here. They shouldn't be alone." The countryside passing them by would have been therapeutic in any other circumstance. But that day it just felt like it was rubbing in her face that she was alone. That everything was falling apart all over again. "What do I say to them mum, how do I...how could he do this? To them?" Tears threatened to roll down her face but Alicia was fighting them, desperate not to cry any more tears over her ex-husband. "I don't know if they can take anymore." Alicia said, desperately. Truth was, Alicia wasn't sure that she could take anymore herself.

"They are stronger than you think Alicia, and so are you. You will all get though this, and you will come out stronger. Just as you have every other time." Her mothers voice was so matter of fact that for a moment Alicia actually believed her. She actually believed she would manage. However then she thought of work, her reputation, of the firm, and all that belief was shattered. Because how much would people hear before they decided they didn't want anything to do with her anymore? Once was fool him, twice was fool her, what was three times?