A/N: I'm ashamed of how long it's been since my last update on this story. I'm still determined to finish it eventually, thank you for your patience.

Chapter Twenty-Two

"We just got the latest poll numbers," Eli rushed into Diane's office without a greeting or a knock. It could have meant he had good news, but his face indicated that the opposite was the case.

"Did the article do much damage?" Diane guessed. They had anticipated as much, but she still hoped the people were smarter than to believe such baseless allegations.

"You're down five points and Adler benefited from that. You are still the front runner, but she's catching up fast. And considering she was late to the party, this is very concerning." Eli Gold was angry and Diane desperately wanted to find a way to calm him.

"You tell me what I need to do. I'm here, I'm ready, I want this," she declared firmly.

"We have to get on the road, meet the people. They need to get to know you in person, to know who they are voting for." His suggestion sounded reasonable, and she figured in this state of mind he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I need to discuss that with Will," she pointed out.

She hadn't seen Vicky as that much of a threat, but now that the poll numbers backed her up as a viable opponent she's starting to realize that it was going to be a hard battle. But she was aware of her limits, she had her family to consider.

"You have to really want this, Diane, or I'm out the door. The Attorney General is the highest legal official of the state. And once you get elected you won't be able to spend that much time with your family anymore. You might as well start practicing now." His words sounded cruel, but she was well aware of all this herself.

"All right, just work out my schedule and we will do this. I'm all in," she promised. She had no doubt Will would understand. And maybe at least Nat could join her on these trips so she wouldn't have to leave everyone behind.

"It will be on your desk by the end of the day," he declared and he seemed calmer now than when he arrived.

"Thank you." She smiled at him, grateful for his attitude.

This was exactly what she needed. And even though she only got a barely visible nod in return she was certain he appreciated it.

o-o-o

"So how much time are we talking about?" Will was trying to process Diane's news, which clearly took him by surprise.

"We have a two-week schedule for now. I'd be away three to four days a week, weekends included," she had given him a copy, but he seemingly preferred to hear it from her.

"That's a lot," he stated, and it was hard to tell how he felt about it. He was probably undecided yet.

"I know, but Eli thinks it's necessary." She was aware that bringing up her campaign manager wouldn't make it any better in Will's eyes, but she felt like emphasizing it wasn't really a choice.

"I'm sure. It's the article's fault, isn't it?" he concluded.

"It didn't help, but the rumors are worse. Every news outlet seems to have a different spin on the story. Meanwhile, Vicky looks holier than thou and is catching up fast in the polls. If we don't conjure up some good press for me, I might as well concede to her now. Not going on the road really isn't an option," she explained. She wished there had been a different solution that hadn't required her to spend so much time away from her family, but she trusted that Eli knew what was best for the campaign.

"Well, it's only two weeks, I guess we can do this," Will noted. He didn't seem happy about it, and Diane wasn't either, but it was what it was.

"I'd love to take Nat with me for a few days, so you'd only have Emma to look after," she proposed. She didn't want to pile more parenting duties on her husband, when he already had his hands full managing their firm.

"Well, she's a handful already," he joked. Truth be told Nat was the easier kid to handle right now.

"I'm hoping this job is helping her become more responsible," she emphasized with a smile.

"So far she is doing really well and seems to be enjoying it," he mentioned proudly.

"I had no doubt that she would. Just imagine if one day she could take over our firm." She expressed her biggest wish.

"She'd need to find her Will first, because she wouldn't be able to do it alone," he pointed out with the most adorable look on his face. And obviously Diane couldn't agree more.

"I'm sorry you have to do it alone for now," she noted. She was sure he didn't want to guilt trip, but she was also aware he had a huge responsibility there.

"I don't feel like I'm alone." He took her hand in his to clarify what he meant.

"We will talk on the phone all the time while I'm away," she promised.

She didn't care that she probably sounded like a teenage girl who was upset because she had to part from her boyfriend for a day. She and Will were used to being together each day and night, it was only natural they would miss each other. They were already missing each other since she'd left the firm to work on her campaign.

"It's only two weeks," he repeated, trying to convince both of them.

"For now," she reminded him. Even though she didn't want to, she couldn't help thinking ahead.

"Let's take it one step at a time," he suggested and she was more than happy to oblige.

"I'll have a talk with Emma tomorrow, make sure she is prepared."

She'd planned to discuss it with Will first and only tell the kids afterwards. She wanted to believe that Emma was up for the challenge and she probably wouldn't even mind having more freedom. Diane could only hope her daughter would use it wisely though.

"She already has a hard time trying to replace you in the office, she'll freak out when she finds out she will have to do the same at home," Will pointed out.

"Well she has a huge advantage," she responded with a smile. "She's our daughter."

"She is," Will agreed, returning her smile. "So how tight is this out of town schedule of yours in the evenings?" He inquired.

"I'm not sure. What do you have in mind?" She was glad to see he moved past the shock and entered the planning stage.

"Well, you know we have this thing called a car, and I was thinking Emma might be missing you two too much, so she might want me to take her to you on the weekend." The expression with which he uttered the sentence was way too adorable. He looked like a lost puppy at that moment.

"Emma would be missing me and Nat? Well that would be a first a teenager misses her mom and her baby brother." She saw through his statement easily and it flattered her a lot that he made such a suggestion.

"I guess you caught me," he admitted. He had no reason to hide that he'd be missing her when she'd be gone, because she felt the exact same way.

"I guess I did. And I love the idea of you two joining us," she declared happily.

"See? You can't get rid of me after all," he teased her, making her chuckle.

"Who said I wanted to get rid of you?" She sent him a disapproving look to tease him back.

"I thought that was the whole point of you running for office," he explained with an innocent face.

"You are so funny Mr. Gardner," she praised him.

"And you are so going to be kissed right now, Mrs. Gardner," he responded, and her smile widened hearing him call her that.

"I don't even know what you're waiting for," she urged him and she didn't have to say it twice.

o-o-o

"Can I count on you to look after dad?" Diane wanted to make sure her daughter knew what was expected from her exactly.

"You can, you don't have to worry about anything," Emma promised. Diane was aware that wasn't true, but she had to at least try and trust her.

"You'll have the chance to prove yourself now. I really hope you'll use it well," she reminded her.

"I will do my best," Emma reassured Diane.

"I will miss you both," she admitted and had to stop herself from hugging her daughter. She'd do it when she actually left instead.

"We will miss you too," Emma sounded quite convincing and Diane appreciated it.

"Dad said you're already irreplaceable in the office," she mentioned, making Emma's lips curl up.

"I'm enjoying it," the girl admitted.

"Have you made friends already?" Diane inquired.

"Yes, some of the paralegals are really sweet," she replied.

"That's good, I'm glad," Diane nodded with a smile.

"Mom, can I ask something?" All of a sudden Emma's facial expression changed, she seemed rather fidgety.

"Of course," she encouraged her. She should know that she could ask or tell her anything.

"Is everything okay between you and dad?" she inquired cautiously.

"Of course, why are you asking?" Diane eyed her confused.

"No reason, I just wanted to know," Emma cleared her throat, and tried to hide her gaze, but she couldn't fool Diane. She had to know what was the reason for her question.

"You can't ask me that and expect me to forget about it. Come on, you know you can tell me anything," she put some pressure on her, hoping she'd budge.

"All right, I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but there's a gossip going around in the office that dad and Gillian have gotten really close, but it's probably nothing." She tried to act cool about it, but Diane was sure she wouldn't have brought it up if it hadn't bothered her.

"Thank you for telling me," she reassured her that she did the right thing. "Your dad and Gillian are good friends, that's all," she stated confidently. She wanted to make sure her daughter knew she wasn't worried so Emma had no reason to worry either.

Diane wasn't surprised at the gossip, she'd seen the two together with her own eyes. If she hadn't trusted Will she would have been concerned about Gillian too.

"I know, but I have a feeling dad needs to know what people are saying behind his back. Should I tell him?" Emma suggested, and Diane was glad she chose to tell her first.

"I will handle it," she promised.

The situation was complicated enough already, there was no reason for Emma to interfere. Diane would figure out when and how to bring this topic up with Will. Under the circumstances it was really unfortunate that she had to spend time away from him. She really had no choice but to trust her husband, even if lately it was getting harder and she could only blame herself for that.