Disclaimer: I don't own.

Warning: T for now, will change to M later.

Chapter 1: Coming home

As she stepped off the elevator, she took a deep breath and smiled. The hustle and bustle was nice; lawyers and clients were everywhere. She had to admit, that busyness was something she missed deeply when she left her last firm; reassuring clients, the smell of old courtrooms and fighting for the rights of those who couldn't fight for themselves. Nevertheless, she discovered a new passion and she had to follow her heart. And for years, she had been happy.

"May I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"Is Alicia Florrick available?" The young lady looked at the appointment schedule on her screen.

"Is she expecting you?"

"No, I just thought I'd come by to see if she had a few minutes."

"Let me check." She picked up the phone and made a called. "Mrs. Florrick you have a visitor… No ma'am she doesn't have an appointment… Okay." She hung up. "Follow me please."

"Thank you." The visitor followed the receptionist through the maze of cubicles around to Alicia's office. Alicia was talking to several people and the visitor came in on the end of her sentence.

"So with this new information, do we think she actually did it?" Kalinda asked.

"I hate to agree with Kalinda Alicia, but it certainly looks like we might be losing." Diane said. Alicia sighed.

"I know and I hate it. We all know Kalinda is good at her job and if she found this, it's more than likely true." Alicia replied.

"Ah, the life of a defense attorney. I have to say, I miss the challenge but not the headaches." Recognizing the voice, Alicia looked up from the evidence and what she saw turned her frown into a huge smile.

"Oh. My. God. Zenobia!"

"Alive and in living color!" Alicia stood and ran to her door to hug her friend.

"My goodness! Zenobia Gatewood how have you been?!" Zenobia and Alicia gave each other the hug their longtime friendship deserved.

"I'm good girl. Life is good." They broke apart and Alicia looked at her friend's face for the first time in about ten years. "I can see life is good for you too. Motherhood has treated you kindly."

"Well, with teenagers the wear and tear more on the inside than the outside."

"Teens? They're both teens now?"

"Yep, Zach even has a car."

"My lord, where does the time go? The last time I saw them they were itty bittys."

"I ask myself that all the time. And they have Peter's height so they haven't been itty bittys for a while now. Oh where are my manners let me introduce you to my colleagues." She turned to the small conference table. "This is our investigator Kalinda Sharma and half of the company's namesake Dianne Lockhart; this is my college friend and roommate Zenobia Gatewood." Diane got up and came around to shake her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Zenobia. Alicia has mentioned your name from time to time. Welcome to Lockhart-Gardner."

"Thank you."

"If you're in need of a lawyer, Alicia's a good one."

"Oh no one knows that better that I do. We were always pitted against each other in mock trials and other classes. We learned how to be competitive together."

"Steel against steel." Alicia said.

"Absolutely." Zenobia replied as they did a little secret handshake.

Unbeknownst to the trio, the other namesake of Lockhart-Gardner was walking down the hall with Eli Gold and David Lee in tow, on their way to one of the large conference rooms. Will paused and looked in Alicia's office at her visitor.

"You go ahead; I'll be there in a minute." He said as he walked to her door.

"Pleased to meet you as well. We don't often get to see the people Alicia went to school with, except Will." Kalinda commented as they shook.

"Speaking of Will, where is Chicago's most eligible and determined to stay that way bachelor?" Just then, Zenobia heard his familiar voice.

"Are my eyes deceiving me…?"

"Aha speak of the devil and he arrives."

"Is that the famous Zenobia Gatewood standing in my law firm?" She turned completely around, hands on her hips.

"Could be infamous by now, depending on who you talk to. How are you handsome?" she said smiling and opening her arms to hug him.

"I'm good and surprised to see you!" He replied as they hugged. "It's a good surprise though. How the hell are you beautiful?"

"I'm good. Getting used to the city again. Haven't been here in forever. Oh and you can drop the Gatewood, I'm back to Bakari now."

"Bakari? For how long and what happened?" Alicia asked.

"What? Where's Deon?" Will asked.

"Happily married in Boston. I haven't been Gatewood for nearly twelve years."

"What?" Alicia said. Zenobia nodded her head. "So you have the kids?"

"I wish. No kids."

"None? I would have thought you guys would have had quite a few. Deon always said he wanted a baseball team." Will said.

"He's on his way there. Actually us having a child was the beginning of the end."

"I don't follow."

"I was pregnant. He came with me to my first appointment, everything was great. We were leaving, going back to work. I made a left turn from the building, he a right. Without knowing it I drove right into a drag race in the middle of the day in downtown Atlanta."

"Oh my goodness." Alicia said she cover her opened mouth in surprise.

"I know right? Who does that? Anyway, he saw the accident in his rearview mirror and ran to my car. My pelvis was crushed as well as my leg and part of my spine. The baby didn't have a chance and I almost didn't."

"My god how did you recover?" Diane asked.

"It took a long time. When they finally rebuilt everything, including my uterus, they medically induced a coma on me for three weeks. PT took nearly three years. Deon was true to most of his vows, he was there by my side for the whole thing."

"Most of his vows?" Will asked. "Which ones did he break?"

"The most important…remaining faithful. He took care of me. There wasn't much I could do for myself, so he definitely saw the worst. I wasn't there physically and emotionally for him so he eventually found someone to lean on. Just happened to be my childhood best friend." Will and Alicia had confused looks on their faces.

"But wasn't your best friend…-" Will started.

"Your cousin Franklin?" Alicia finished.

"Yep. Of course, Frank was there, he was supposed to be because he's family. Apparently he was there in more ways than a few."

"Wow. I'm so sorry to hear that." Will said.

"I was too at the time. But we had to get over it because we're family and you know my grandmother Pauletta wasn't having it."

"So where is Deon now?" Alicia asked.

"Married to Franklin in Boston with their three kids and two dogs."

"You're a strong woman. I don't know if I could have done that." Diane said.

"Neither did I, until I was standing on the other side of it." Zenobia replied.

"So what are you doing back in Chicago?" Will asked. "Oh, wait don't tell me… you're the new lawyer at the Gladstone and Associates?"

"I didn't know they were hiring." Diane said.

"I heard about a position or two." Will replied.

"Nope. I did interview with them though. Wasn't going to be a good fit."

"Simpleton and West?" Zenobia laughed at that.

"I interviewed with them too. And you know me; I research the companies I deal with. I thoroughly checked them out but nothing in my research, and I mean nothing, told me that I would be the only ink spot in the whole damn law firm."

"They don't have any African-American lawyers?" Diane asked shocked.

"Not a one. And I was not about to be the first. I didn't see many women there either. Apparently, they want to attract more black and female clients. But they are mainly looking for more public defenders." Zenobia replied.

"Then why in the hell did they call you? If they had done their research, they wouldn't have bothered. Very stupid on their part. Very stupid." Will said. Alicia nodded.

"I agree."

"We should keep that mental note in mind if we're ever up against them." Diane said to Will.

"I went ahead with the interview, to be polite but you know I'll always follow my passion. For the last ten years that has been teaching and preparing the next generation of lawyers and judges. So you are looking at the next Dean in the School of Law at Loyola University."

"Wow, look at you! Congratulations Zenobia!" Alicia exclaimed and hugged her friend again. "That's wonderful."

"I agree, they couldn't have gotten a better person." Will said.

"Thank you. I'm very much looking forward to it. The current will be stepping down officially at the end of this semester because of health reasons. I'll be learning the ins and outs now and in January, I take over."

"Congratulations. I'm sure you're more than qualified." Diane commented.

"So since I know you two, and now I've met you Diane, I can count on you to help out the students in mock trials and so forth?"

"Absolutely." Diane said. She pulled her Blackberry out of her pocket. "Which app do you use?"

"Oh you can beam it if you want." Zenobia said as she pulled hers out to receive Diane's electronic business card. "I've got it."

"Let me know what you need, I'll be more than happy to help. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to get to. It was great to meet you Zenobia and I hope we can work together."

"Same here Diane."

"Actually I'm supposed to be in the same meeting." Will said looking at his watch. "Since I've been back officially it's been one thing after another."

"Back from what? Have you been sick?"

"No; that probably would have been more fun. I was on a six month bar suspension."

"A six month what?! Will what did you do?"

"It's a long story and I promise to tell you. How does this work?" He asked trying to beam his info to Zenobia's phone. "Oh, wait, I see it now."

"Okay, I've got it. Look, you better call; you owe me an explanation."

"Yes, I do. I promise I will. Pizza and beer? Yes, no, maybe?"

"Uh…maybe." She said narrowing her eyes at him while smiling. "Linguine Carbonara and wine would be nicer though." Alicia laughed at their familiar banter. It had been ages since she'd heard it. Will laughed and kissed her cheek.

"And when have you ever known me to be nice?" Zenobia laughed heartily. "God I've missed you. Welcome back Zen."

"Thanks Will." and he left for his meeting. Kalinda smiled at their banter as well. She thought it was… interestingly cute.

"I need to go too. It really was nice meeting you Zenobia."

"Same here Kalinda." As she walked out, Kalinda closed the door behind her.

"Are you settling in okay?" Alicia asked as she began beaming her info to Zenobia's phone.

"Yes, I found a nice house in a great neighborhood, not too far from my parents. Just getting used to driving around the city again. Thank God for GPS. You and Peter should stop by. I'd love to see him. Zach and Grace too."

"Ah, I'll definitely stop by. I can even bring the kids. Can't guarantee he'll be with me though." Alicia replied as she folded her arms across her and leaned on the back of a chair.

"Hmm mmm. I figured as much. Why do you think I suggested it?"

"It's complicated."

"So I've heard."

"You heard in Atlanta? What have you heard?"

"This and that. And I heard it in Charlotte; you know how lawyers like to talk and try to spin politics. The bottom line is do you want to be back together? Do you want your marriage to work?" Zenobia asked. Alicia thought and shrugged her shoulders.

"Depends on the day. I want it to do more than just work, you know?"

"All to well. I was there, it's not easy. You and Peter are still fixable. I lost Deon to Franklin; no coming back from that." Zenobia gave Alicia a reassuring smile. "Well, I'm sure you have work to do and I need to hit the grocery store. And Wal-Mart, I gotta find a Wal-Mart. We'll talk when you come by."

"How's Friday? Peter has the kids this weekend."

"Works for me."

"I'll bring wine."

"Even better." They laughed, each remembering old times.

"I'm sorry about what happened between you and Deon. I thought if anyone could make it work, it would always be the two of you."

"I've always thought the same of you and Peter."

"Yeah, well. I'm happy with what's going on in your life."

"Thanks Alicia. So am I. It's a great place to be."

Will's big meeting ended and everyone returned to their respective offices. David had followed Eli into his office to ask him something. Just then, Eli saw Kalinda walking the hall and he called out to her.

"You rang?" She asked as she stuck her head in.

"What is this, the Addams Family?" David asked. Eli ignored the comment.

"Yeah, a couple of questions for you my dear Ms. Sharma. Will had sort of a goofy grin on his face during the meeting and I could tell he was a little distracted."

"That's a statement, not a question." Kalinda replied.

"I'm getting to it. Any reason why? Second question, who was the woman we saw in Alicia's office earlier?"

"Ah, this will be easy. The answer to both questions is Zenobia Bakari."

"Zenobia Bakari? Who is that?" David asked.

"The woman in Alicia's office and I'm guessing the reason Will had a goofy grin on his face."

"Who is she? I want to know everything about her."

"She's an old friend of Will and Alicia's from college. Apparently, she's a top-notch lawyer. She recently interviewed with Simpleton and West and Gladstone and Associates."

"Well, I heard Simpleton and West are looking for black and female lawyers. I guess the discrimination suit is headed their way. If she had accepted, it would have changed things." David said. "She must be worth it Gladstone only takes the top of the top."

"She turned them down as well."

"What the hell for? I hear it's a great firm." Eli asked.

"To become the Dean of Loyola's Law School." Eli and David looked at each other.

"Wow." That's all they could say.

"Top notch indeed." David said.

"Anything else?" Kalinda asked. "I sorta need to get back to work."

"Yeah. Using your perception, what do you think of the goofy grin?" Remembering what she witnessed in Alicia's office earlier, she wasn't about give Eli that info without knowing what Will thought of it first. Kalinda prided herself on her skills of perception. And being able to hide what she knew and when she knew it. She knew what she saw in Will's eyes. She knew.

"I didn't see it so I'm guessing it was just goofy? What's there to think about?"

"I guess he liked what he saw?" Eli asked. Kalinda shrugged.

"Maybe you should ask him that."

"Hmm, maybe I will. Thank you Kalinda." She left for her office.

"Just what are you up to?" David asked.

"You never know." He paused. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"

It was the end of the day and Alicia was about to head out but stopped by Will's office first. He was nearly neck deep in files and phone messages. His normally organized desk was anything but.

"Your desk looks like a warzone." Alicia said.

"It feels like one too. I shudder to think what it would look like if nobody had given me updates for the past six months."

"Lesson learned?"

"Yep, ingrained on my brain like a tattoo." Alicia sat on the arm of one of the chairs.

"So what do you think about Zenobia's news? Isn't it wonderful?"

"Absolutely! I love it for her. I think she'll be great at it and those students will benefit immensely from her expertise. And she still looks the same…hasn't changed one bit."

"Her hair is finally the length she wanted it. I like it on her."

"So do I. I'm sorry about her and Deon though."

"Yeah, me too." Just then, Diane walked in.

"Your friend Zenobia is making quite a splash already. Two prominent articles circulating the lawyers' circle already. The Women's Lawyers Guild has a bright spotlight on her. And it's a great article. Word is they haven't chosen a speaker yet and want her to speak at their winter charity ball in a few months. "

"I'm glad. Zenobia is a strong force to reckon with when it comes to the law. If she decides to run for any vacant judge positions, she will turn heads." Will said.

"I'm very happy for her." Alicia said. "She deserves it." She gathered her things. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Night." Will replied.

"Good night Alicia." Once they were alone, Diane sat down in front of her partner's desk and he offered her a drink.

"Join me?"

"Not tonight. Don't feel like celebrating much after seeing the evidence Kalinda dug up for the Shepherd case." Will sighed.

"I know. We just might have to play this one out. It could turn in our favor."

"I hope so." She sighed. "On a lighter note, I noticed your attitude seemed a little happier earlier today."

"Yeah, every time I wasn't sitting here it was lighter than air. I hope to catch up on all this by the weekend. Kalinda has nicknamed my desk the wasteland."

"Appropriate."

"Unfortunately."

"So you, Alicia, Peter and Zenobia were the awesome foursome huh?" Will laughed.

"More like four plus five; there were nine of us. Deon, her now ex, Bobby, Keith, Lisa and Elise. We were all kinda nutty but somehow we kept each other in line. Zen was the stickler for studying. Then when things got too serious, she would make us all laugh though. Some of the best lawyer jokes I've ever heard came from her." He shrugged and smiled at the memory.

"Well, I can tell seeing her did something to you."

"What? Me? Nah, just hadn't seen her in a while. Glad things are going well for her."

"Hmm mmm." She as she smiled and stood to leave.

"What? I genuinely am happy for her."

"I believe you. Good night Will." Diane called from the hall.

"But I am happy for her."