A/N: None really, just another update to tease you with.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Spoilers: None really.

We'll See

Chapter 15

Breakfast was a hit. Eli took them to one of his favorite restaurants. Even his daughter never complained about eating there. They chatted about anything and everything. Grace kept them jumping from topic to topic, but neither adult minded, in the face of her easy acceptance. They both knew that Zach would be the tougher nut to crack. Eli, for the most part, just enjoyed the company. His daughter spent little time with him. It felt for a few moments like this was his family. He let himself consider that fact. If things continued to that point between him and Alicia, this would be his family. The thought had him smiling.

Grace excused herself to the restroom. Alicia pulled him from his thoughts once they were alone.

"What has you smiling like that? It's almost sweet." She asked and he wondered if he should answer her truthfully. He put that thought out of his head and decided to tell her. Peter had lied to her too many times. So in his own defense, he would be as honest as possible about everything.

"I was watching you and Grace, and thinking that having breakfast together like this, almost felt like the two of you were my family. Then I thought that it was a possibility if you and I were to continue seeing each other to that end. I liked the thought, but I know it's too soon to talk about things like that." He answered.

"I'm glad you told me. I was feeling that way too. You are correct though. It is too soon. We barely know each other." She smiled at him softly. Grace rejoined them a moment later.

"So what should we do with the rest of our day?" Grace asked expectantly.

"That is entirely up to you and your mother. My time is yours today." Eli looked pointedly at Alicia, who smiled. Grace grinned at the two of them.

"You guys are so cute!" She practically squealed. "Can we go shopping?" Alicia nodded and turned wide eyes to Eli, and mouthed 'cute?' her confusion evident on her face. Grace was practically hopping up and down with excitement. "Great! Let's go!" She urged them out of their seats and out the door of the restaurant. She was nearly dancing up the street toward the shops. Eli just shook his head and grinned at Alicia, offering her his arm.

"Your daughter is quite exuberant." He commented.

"She loves to shop. I don't think she really cares if she buys anything, but I warn you now, she likes to look at everything and anything in the stores she deems necessary to visit. This could take hours."

"Well it's a good thing that I have all day, isn't it?" Alicia just laughed and shook her head. If the man had no sense of self preservation, then she wasn't going to attempt to save him again. They ambled after her daughter who had already spotted to the first store she wanted to visit.

As the day progressed, they added shopping bags to their adventure, but they were small and few in comparison to the amount stores her daughter pulled them through. By the time Eli dropped both ladies off at their apartment, the two out of the three of them were well and truly exhausted. Grace disappeared into her room to put away her purchases.

"How on earth does she have that much energy? Were you like that when you were her age?" Eli asked as they sat on the sofa.

"No. I think she gets it from her uncle. My brother was like that as a kid. Always on the go. He always had so much energy. He's not much different now, but time has slowed him down a little bit. You survived Grace, but you can't make it through her and my brother shopping at the same time. No one can. Which is why when he visits and insists on going shopping, I send them off together and stay out of it. My sense of self-preservation may be low when it comes to my daughter, but it's pretty high when it comes to my brother and daughter doing something together." Eli laughed at her answer. Despite the marathon they had figuratively run, he had enjoyed the day spent with mother and daughter. And it was sadly coming to an end. He felt reluctant to leave, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome.

"I guess I should be off. I'm sure you have things to do." He started to get up but Alicia held him in place with a hand on his thigh. She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Stay for dinner. Then if you insist on leaving, I'll let you go. Ok?" He nodded, still speechless from the kiss she initiated. She rose from the couch a moment later and set off toward the kitchen. He could hear her humming softly as she pulled out various pans and dishes and set about making something for them to eat. He was captivated by the sounds she was making, and by her simple presence. He didn't hear Grace approach until she sat down next to him on the couch, making him jump.

"You really like her, don't you?" She asked softly, so as not to call the attention of her mother.

"I really do." He answered.

"She likes you too. I haven't heard her that happy in a long time. Ever since this stuff with Dad started, she stopped humming. She only does that when she's happy. Uncle Owen noticed it when he was here for his last visit. That's part of why he kept asking Mom if she was going to divorce Dad. He said that she was the same way when they were kids. "

"Well I will do my best to keep her happy. I don't want to lose her, Grace. I feel like your Mom could be the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

"That's good. I hope you stick around, Eli. I like you too." Grace reached and hugged him quickly before hopping up and joining her mother in the kitchen. Eli stared after her. It seemed to him that the Florrick women were unusually adept at shocking him into silence. He followed a moment later to help them with dinner.