Thanks go to Kiki for being my sounding board and encouraging me to give this another ending than planned ;)

Also a big THANK YOU to Sara for being my beta 3

M-rated warning for the end.


Alicia POV

I come home to a quiet apartment again shortly after 6pm. The verdict didn't come back in favor of my client but the appeal is the last thing on my mind right now. I get rid of my purse and coat but repress the urge to walk into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. This will have to wait until the unpleasant part of this evening is over. I take a deep breath before I steer my steps towards Grace's room and knock on the door.

"Yeah." I hear my daughter's voice say from inside. I open the door and find her sitting by the window, a book on her lap.

"Hey, how are you?" I ask, slowly approaching her. She just shrugs her shoulders avoiding my gaze.

"Can we talk now about what happened earlier?" I move the chair from the desk next to her and sit down. She shrugs her shoulders again, still looking at the open pages of the book.

"So, is Connor your boyfriend now?" I don't get an answer to this either just a mumbled sound which I take as an affirmation.

"Ok, sweetie. That's good. Your Dad or me don't have anything against you having a boyfriend. But you know that we want to meet your friends when they come here. So what were you thinking, Grace, bringing him here when you knew no one was home?" I try to reason with her and I guess I see her nod slightly.

"Why was Dad so violent with him? Was that necessary?" she asks in a low voice, finally looking at me.

"No, it wasn't. Your Dad overreacted. He knows that and he's sorry for it." I say smiling at her.

"Then why didn't he say so? Why didn't he apologize?"

"He will, Grace. He's coming over for dinner later and I'm sure he will apologize to you then."

"I still don't understand why Dad acted like that. Connor will surely never talk to me again." she whispers and I sense that she is close to tears again.

"Can you imagine the position your Dad was in, Grace? You're still his little girl. So what do you think he was going to do when he walked in on you kissing a boy he's never met. He lost it. I don't agree with the way he handled it but I can understand where he was coming from. Can you try and do the same?" I get up from the chair to sit down next to Grace.

"I'm not a little girl anymore and I haven't been one since..." she trails off but the unspoken words linger in the air between us - the scandal. I swallow hard as I am once again reminded of the major impact Peter's infidelity had on our kids as well as on me. He did not only betray me and my trust but also theirs. I wonder if they have forgiven him for somehow cutting their childhood shorter than it should've been by forcing them to deal with issues I'd have loved to shield them from a little while longer or wished they would never had to deal with.

"Are you still angry with Dad for what he did?"

"No, I just don't like what it did to us as a family. Especially since Dad moved out."

I can only nod at her statement, and yet I know I'm also partially to blame for that. I sometimes wondered if it would've been easier on our kids if I had divorced Peter at some point. But that's the one step I was never able to make; not after learning about Amber nor after Kalinda. I wondered why back then. Was it purely about not breaking my commitment to him and not ending up being like my mother? That's what I made myself believe as I stopped from feeling anything for and around Peter. I had bottled up all my emotions only letting some slip when my guard was down. But one day I realized the anger and hurt towards my husband had vanished like the sparkling does from a water bottle that has been shaken too often. I expected to find the remains to be stale and faded, for them not worthy to be saved in my heart anymore. Instead I found myself able to look at Peter without resentment clouding my view. And what I saw or rather felt took me by surprise. I still loved him.

"Are you, Mom?" Grace's questions jerks me from my thoughts.

"No, honey. What makes you think that?" I slowly place my arm over her shoulder pulling her towards me. I'm glad when I feel her accepting the hug as she slides her arm around me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"We're still not really living together again though, are we? We know you are back together with Dad but he doesn't even stay here every night when he's not in Springfield." she peers up at me, confusion written all over her face.

"You know you hurt your Dad with your comment about him having no right to throw Connor out of here?" I feel her nod against my shoulder.

"I'm sorry for saying that, Mom. But you still haven't told me why we still live in different places."

"It's been complicated the last few weeks, Grace. My new firm, your Dad spending so much time in Springfield. We talked about it but with so much going on it simply slipped from our radar." I know this sounds like a bad excuse for not addressing the issue but it is the truth. We discussed it before the election but postponed the decision until afterwards. But then with me leaving Lockhart & Gardner happening and the time we spent as a family let alone as a couple got reduced again.

"So, will Dad move back in here?" she sits up, watching me closely.

"You want to stay here? Not move back to the house?" I say, smiling at her as I'd like to stay in the apartment too.

"No, I like it here. And Zach will go to college in a while, so we'll have more room." she laughs now and I join in.

"Don't say that to your brother, Grace."

"No!" she chuckles and I'm glad she's smiling again.

"Good. So, to get back to the previous topic. Can we agree that you won't bring anymore boys home unless your Dad or me are home?" she casts her gaze down and nods.

"Yes, Mom. Promise. I'm sorry for this afternoon." she says as she looks up again and I believe she has learned her lesson.

"Good. Apology accepted, honey." I pull her closer again, placing a kiss on her head.

"I offered you to talk to me about protection before. I'll do it again, Grace. There is nothing you can't ask or tell me. So, anything you want to talk about?"

"I was wondering...no, actually I'm good, Mom." she replies and smiles at me but I can feel she's holding something back.

"You sure? Just tell me, sweetie. What were you wondering?" I smile encouragingly, hoping she won't shut down again completely.

"Would you come with me to the gynecologist so I can get the pill?" she murmurs against my shoulder. I inhale sharply. I hadn't anticipated this. My first instinct is to tell her we should wait a little while longer for this. But I reconsider before I answer.

"If that's what you want, we can certainly do that, Grace. But please don't let yourself be pressured into something you don't want to do, honey."

"No, Mom. I never even talked to Connor about...you know. This afternoon just happened. If I take the pill it won't mean that..." she trails off again but I know what she is referring to.

"That's good, Grace. I will call and make an appointment on Monday, ok?" I squeeze her shoulder as she nods, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime." I pull her into an embrace.

"Hey, anyone home? Alicia? Grace?" I suddenly hear Peter's voice from the hallway.

"In here, Peter!" I call back as I loosen the embrace.

"Hey!" Peter says as he opens the door. He remains just outside the room apparently not sure if he should come in or not.

"Hi Dad." Grace gets up and walks over to her father.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Are we ok, Dad?" she stops in front of Peter with her back to me so I can't see her expression but I can see Peter struggle to keep a straight face, a big smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I'm glad Grace made the first step towards her father to clear the air. It shows me she realized she was in the wrong earlier. And knowing my husband and his inability to stay angry at his daughter for long I'm sure he has already forgiven her for everything. I know I'm right as I watch Peter pull our daughter in an embrace, the smile now clearly visible on his lips.

"I'm also sorry for scaring you, Grace. I snapped. Sorry, honey. Are you ok?" Grace just nods at his words, her face buried in his chest and I can't help but smile as I look at them.

"I'll let you two talk." I say as I leave the room placing a quick kiss on Peter's cheek as I pass him.

I walk into the bedroom to change so I can finally start on dinner. As I come back to the kitchen Zach sits at the counter.

"Hi Mom."

"Hey. How was school?" I smile at him while I get some stuff from the fridge.

"School was ok, but as I hear the interesting stuff happened here this afternoon." he chuckles.

"What did you hear? And from whom?" I ask, looking up from the onions I just started to peel. I hope Connor didn't drive back to school to tell the story to his friends.

"Grace just said that Dad threw Connor out of the apartment. That's all I know." he shrugs his shoulders.

"Ok, good." I exhale slowly as I already imagine the headlines. The press would have a field day with this. I just hope Connor will be too ashamed of the incident to ever tell anyone.

"Yeah, there was a little turmoil this afternoon. But you have to ask your sister if she wants to tell you." I tell him as I turn back to cooking.

"Is she ok?"

"Yes, she is. Your Dad is with her now."

"Good. Need any help?" he asks as walks around the kitchen island.

"You can slice the tomatoes." I accept his offer as I hand him a knife.

"So I get why Grace was home in the afternoon as she told me Connor would give her a ride after her class got cancelled but what were you and Dad doing home that early?" Zach breaks the silence after a while.

"It was a coincidence...I had left some files here this morning...and your Dad needed some documents for the Chicago office." I stammer keeping my gaze on the pepper I'm dicing.

"Ok, cool." he states and I get the feeling he knows I'm lying. I look over to him. He's done with the tomatoes and I take them from him.

"Need any more help?" I shake my head.

"No, thanks. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Can you tell your Dad and Grace?" he nods and walks away.

Twenty minutes later the lasagna is in the oven and I start to clear away some unused ingredients when I get pulled backwards and stumble against Peter who is suddenly standing behind me.

"You scared me." I say, slapping his hand that rests on my stomach playfully as he slips his other arm around me as well.

"Sorry." he places a kiss behind my ear and I relax in his embrace turning my head so I can kiss him on the lips.

"So, I take it you talked with Grace?" I ask as we break the kiss and turn in his arms so I can face him.

"Yes, we're good again." he smiles.

"Great. I had a good talk with her, too." I return the smile.

"Yes, she said something about you explaining our living situation to her. Anything I should know?" he asks in a flirty tone.

"Maybe." I tease him as he lets go of me stepping back a bit, leaning against the counter.

"I'm all ears." he smirks at me.

"We never talked about this again after the elections but I want you to sell the house and move back in here. What do you say?" I close the distance between us resting my hands on his chest.

"Move back in here? Are you sure? Won't it be too small?"

"Not with Zach in college as your daughter put it. And we could turn your old room into your study. You certainly won't be sleeping in there again." I let my hands wander over his arms upwards as I watch him, observing an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"Now I might be interested. Tell me more." he says, winking at me as he places his hands on my hips stroking my sides lightly with his thumbs.

"Seriously, Peter, I know you've driven to the house some nights when it got late in the office because you weren't sure if it was ok to just show up here. I want this to be your home again, too. I didn't make my decision to recommit to our marriage lightly, Peter. I really want to give us another try but I want to do it right. No more secrets, no more walking on eggshells around each other. Can we do this?" my hands glide down towards his interlacing our fingers. I study his features, a hint of a smile flickering on his lips.

"If you really want this, Alicia, I'm in. I don't want to lose you again." his hands slide up my back and he pulls me closer.

"I love you."

There was a time I never thought it possible to ever utter these words towards Peter again. And yet it seems so easy to say them out loud now. It's not like an old habit anymore. I no longer state them routinely but because I really mean it as I experienced how quickly love can be destroyed and what an effort it takes to rebuild it again.

"I love you, too." I look into his eyes which mirror his words and I can't help but feel happy that we found a way back to each other.

Our lips meet gently at first like we are sealing the promise we just made to each other. I feel Peter's hands roam over my back pressing me further against him, his fingers finding their way beneath my loosely fit sweater. His thumbs brush my breasts softly causing me to moan into the now passionate kiss. I run my hands through his hair pulling him even closer as the desire to feel him erases every other thought from my mind.

"Mom, did you see the phone any..." we jump away from each other at Grace's words turning to face our daughter both still breathless from the heated kiss we just shared.

"Never mind." she has already turned on her heels, seemingly in a hurry to leave the room again.

"Grace?" I call after her.

"Just tell me when dinner is ready." she already vanished behind the corner and I look at Peter whose gaze is on the floor.

"Ok, now we were caught, too." he winks at me with an amused smile playing on his lips.

"You think this is funny?" I ask, not really sure what to think about what has just happened.

"Yeah, in a way. And you do, too." he chuckles.

"True." I nod as I smile back at him.

"So, you need any help with dinner?" he changes the subject.

"You could set the table while I finish the salad." I gesture to the dishes and silverware that I already laid out earlier on the counter behind him.

"Sure." he nods, grabbing the plates and leaving the room. I busy myself with the salad. I hear him return and suddenly he stands behind me reaching for the glasses in the cupboard above me, resting one hand on my hip.

"Peter?" I turn my head raising an eyebrow at him.

"Just reminding you to hold that thought from earlier for after dinner." he whispers in my ear before placing a quick peck on my cheek. I smile at him knowingly as I look forward to the rest of the evening.

Dinner passes pleasantly and the smile won't leave my lips as I watch my family gathered around the table. After we're done eating the kids say their goodbyes to meet with some friends and Peter helps me clean the kitchen.

"Leave the rest and join me on the couch." I look up from loading the dishwasher to see Peter leaning in the doorway, two filled wineglasses in his hands. I smile as I walk over taking one of the glasses from him.

"Maybe we should take this directly to the bedroom this time." I suggest after we both take a sip from our wine. He nods as he takes my hand pulling me toward the bedroom. Once inside he puts the glasses away and his hands are roaming my body before I can step any further into the room. He pushes me against the door and while his one hand slips under my sweater his other turns the lock.

"Getting busted once was enough, right?" he whispers, winking at me. I just nod before our lips meet hungrily. This afternoon felt like the longest foreplay ever so our clothes are spread over the floor in no time, our hands eager to touch the bare skin of the other. Somehow we make it to the bed, Peter pinning me to the mattress with his whole body kissing me slowly. I'm a bit surprised by the change of pace as I thought he needed to find his release as badly as I do. I start moving under him impatiently. I feel him smile into the kiss while he grabs my hands, interlacing our fingers above my head as he starts kissing his way down my neck. He shifts to continue his trail towards my breasts, swirling his tongue around the peak of one breast while he lightly strokes the other with his fingertips. I moan softly as I feel his hand travel downwards over my hips to the spot I need his touch the most. He places some open-mouthed kisses over my chest and captures my lips in another passionate kiss as his fingers part my folds and he starts stroking me slowly. I whimper at the intense feeling it gives me and arch into his touch. His skilled movements soon have me on the verge of falling apart.

"Peter, please." I pant, my eyes pleading with him to finally give me what I want the most now; him buried deep inside of me. He just smiles at me, sealing my lips with another kiss while his fingers continue their sweet torture until I fall over the edge.

He goes on caressing me while I slowly come down to earth. I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him on top of me again. I shift my legs and he finally enters me with one stroke. We both moan from the sensation, holding each other still as we enjoy the closeness. We share an unhurried kiss as Peter eventually starts moving slowly. My sighs of pleasure encourage him to pick up his pace as I feel he's not able to hold back any longer. I cross my legs around him which lets me feel his thrusts even deeper. I cling to his shoulders as we move as one until we find our release. Peter buries his face into my neck and I hold him close till our breathing evens out again. He looks up at me, placing a gentle kiss on my lips before he reaches for the covers tucking us both in. He settles behind me pulling me closer to his chest. I snuggle into his embrace and it's not long before I fall asleep, a smile playing on my lips.