Sadly, this will be the last installment in this series. If my writing was not interesting or compelling enough, I apologize. For those who did review and enjoy, thank you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"So here are the ground rules, Peter. I am supporting you for Governor only because Mike Krestiva is a horrible person, and I do not want him elected dogcatcher. This is still a marriage in name only. We will continue to live in separate homes. If you win, the kids and I are staying here. We will not move with you to Springfield."

"Alicia, we're in a public place. What if someone overhears you?" Peter was saying.

They were having lunch in a downtown restaurant. Eli had suggested they go out in public more in order to keep up appearances.

"I'm sorry. By the way, I talked to the kids about what's going on. They were confused, but they understand. It's time someone was honest with them for a change."

"Thank you for doing this," Peter said to her.

He easily won the Democratic primary. Mike Krestiva ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. In August, Alicia went with Peter to the Democratic convention in Charlotte. Together, they watched Barak Obama accept the nomination for his second term.

They were invited to a reception tha the President and First Lady were scheduled to attend. Alicia found herself shaking hands with Barak and Michelle Obama, disbelieving that she was actually in the presence of the President of the United States.

She cringed when Peter put his arm around her. It had come to this. Her lies, this charade had extended to the freaking Oval Office.

Her relationship with Will was chillier than ever. When his suspension ended and he was back at work, they barely spoke.

One night when she was a little drunk, and feeling lonely, depressed, and suicidal, she picked up the phone and called him. She could hear a woman's voice in the background and felt a sharp pang of jealousy.

"What do you want, Alicia? How's Peter doing?" he asked her sharply.

"I 'm so sorry. I know you don't understand Will…."

"I have to go, Alicia. I have nothing more to say to you," he said as the phone went dead.

She could understand why he wanted nothing to do with her. She had broken his heart, rejecting his love repeatedly. She hoped he found what he was looking for. Happiness with someone.

In September, she took a leave of absence to help with the campaign. The campaign bus crisscrossed the state of Illinois. Peter was ahead in the polls. He came across as charming and affable while Mike Krestiva appeared to be rude and brusque. Nothing was a given, however. Obama was in a tighter than expected race with Mitt Romney. Riding the President's coattails might not lead to the Governor's office.

When the day ended, and she was in the hotel room in Carbondale, Moline, or Kankakee, she would lay awake in bed and think about what a jumbled mess her life had become. Her relationship with her kids had become chilly and distant. She was still trying to mend things with Kalinda. Will refused to take her calls. Even her brother Owen questioned what she was doing.

Back in Chicago, she managed to sneak away from Peter and Eli and meet Kalinda for a drink.

"So how are the things at the office? How is Will doing?" Alicia asked as they downed shots.

"Will is just being Will," Kalinda told her.

Alicia had no idea what that meant. "Kalinda, why do you always have to sound so cryptic? Why can't you just come out and say what you mean?"

Kalinda downed another shot of tequila. "Okay fine then. I'll do that. You look like hell, Alicia. You look like you haven't slept in a month, and your eyes are red from crying. You're not happy. You've got to give this up, or it's going to kill you. And just to let you know, Will is just as miserable as you are."

"Thank you for being honest," she said to her former best friend.

She woke up on Election Day feeling physically ill. She went to the polls early in the morning with Zach, who had just turned 18, and voted for the first time. It was impossible to avoid the press. It was actually Zach who spoke to them while she ran for the car.

` Alicia didn't know where this ended. If he won, they would be expected to appear as a unified couple. The Governor, and First Lady of Illinois. There was already talk of Peter succeeding Obama and running for the White House in 2016 or 2020.

The race went back and forth all night. But when the results came in from the Chicago suburbs, it became obvious that Peter Florrick was now the Governor-elect of Illinois.

Krestiva conceded by eleven-thirty, and Peter stood ready to lead her onstage his acceptance speech.

, Alicia had her hands covering her mouth, feeling as though she were about to vomit.

I cannot do this…she thought to herself.

Peter, Eli, Jackie, and the kifs were all cheering, hollering and whopping it up. They were paying no attention to her. She took her phone and began to text Will.

I want to see you. I'm still yours if you want me

He texted back within minutes How soon can you get over here?

She took Zach and Grace aside and explained that she had to go somewhere, but she would see them later. The she bolted from the room with no explanation for Peter, Eli or Jackie.

Two hours later, she was in Will's bed, watching as a blonde reporter relayed the night's events.

"Peter Florrick has made his acceptance speech as Illinois Governor elect, but the stunning news is that his wife, Alicia was nowhere to be seen. The couple had of course hit a rough patch in their marriage, but had supposedly reconciled. "

"So are you sorry you did this? This is going to have huge consequences, you know?" Will said.

She simply smiled and snuggled closer to him. "No. I'm happy. I'm finally taking control of my life. I love you, Will."

"I love you too. We'll get through this."