A/N: Hey there everyone! So I don't feel great about this chapter (I rewrote it twice!) so if you could just let me know what you think about it, that'd be great and very much appreciated. I'm grateful for all you readers and reviewers too, so happy reading! :-)

Alicia was nervous about the upcoming lunch with Will. She knew they would definitely have to talk about the night before, it was very much inevitable. You don't just confess your love for someone and then leave it be. Not after what Alicia and Will had gone through she thought. Though, they did sort of just leave it at that last night. Alicia felt every kind of wonderful but also completely terrible at the same time. She and Will finally told each other they loved each other. How could she not feel wonderful after that? But she was completely destroyed from the fact that her marriage would be ending. She loved Peter too, of course she did, but not in the same way. She didn't know how to explain it to herself. And she still hadn't explained any of it to her kids. When Alicia arrived home the night before, neither of them seemed to be in good moods at all. She couldn't blame them, it had only been a day since Peter left them so suddenly. Alicia didn't want to bring up the issue of their parents separating for a final time. It would have been too much. Alicia drank her second coffee of the morning and watched the kids leave for school, wondering if they already somehow knew what would be coming. It'd probably be in the back of their heads, but once it's announced, it's a whole new ball game, she thought.

She took a sip of the strong cup of coffee and thought about Will again. Every few minutes or so, her mind flipped back to last night. She couldn't help it.

"I, William Paul Gardner, fucking love you."

The words lingered in her ears. Bouncing off the walls of her apartment, they kept coming back to her.

"I fucking love you too."

She didn't often use that type of language but it seemed to fit their moment. They finally had their moment together. She never thought it would actually be real. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she and Will would be able to say those words to each other. And her dreams about Will could get pretty wild. She also thought that she would be disappointed that their night still ended there, but she was definitely not. She did happen to think that if they would say those words to each other in the past, they'd jump each other's bones and have their clothes off in five seconds flat. But they had just stood there for a few minutes and looked at each other, smiling like crazy. There was no kiss, just a peck on the cheek after they agreed to still have lunch and then Alicia left. She felt warm inside when she thought of it though. And then when the exchange with Peter entered her mind she felt ice cold.

She never intended to hurt him like that. She hadn't even had time to think about the whole situation when he found out. And he was hurt. He was angry. He was irrational, and it felt like a stake through Alicia's heart when he said those words.

"Just get out Alicia. This marriage is over now. I'm done trying to make it work for us. Clearly you are too. You get out of my office, and I'll get out of whatever this marriage is."

She broke down after she left his office. She couldn't say anything back. She had nothing to say, she couldn't just take back her love for the only man Peter had ever felt threatened by. No matter how many times he said he wasn't, she knew he was because of their past.

And that was the thing for her. She had a bigger past with Will. He was there way before Peter was. She has shared things with Will that she never did with Peter. Of course she wanted to, but he was never a great listener in the start of their relationship and early on in their marriage so eventually she just considered it non-worthy information.

Alicia glanced at the clock and realized she was late for work. She put her cup in the sink, grabbed her bag and keys and rushed out of the apartment. She didn't have time to idly think about her love life in the mornings anymore. She had a firm to try and keep afloat.

She walked into the office and went to her desk. She sat in her chair and opened her day planner. In ten minutes she had the first of five meetings for the day. For some reason, Tuesday seemed to be the only day available that week for important clients. Luckily not one person wanted to go meet over lunch which Alicia was silently grateful for. And Cary had to sit in on all of the meetings as well, so Alicia didn't feel terribly overwhelmed by all the activity that would happen during the day.

"You going to lunch?" Cary asked as Alicia picked up her bag and jacket.

"Yes. We don't have anyone coming in do we?"

"No, I was just wondering if you could pick me up a sandwich or something on your way back in." She paused, was he really asking for her to get him a sandwich?

"That's why we have assistants Cary." She looked at him with disbelief. He broke a smile a laughed.

"I'm messing with you. I just wanted to see your reaction." Oh, what a hilarious comedian he was, she thought.

"Very funny. You should try stand-up!"

"I have been thinking about it." Cary laughed again and Alicia couldn't help but smile with him.

"I'll be late to lunch. Gotta go."

"Of course, have a good lunch." And away she went.

Will and Alicia agreed that he would meet her in the lobby of his office building at 1pm and from there they would go to lunch at a café a couple blocks away. They knew they needed to talk somewhere private, without prying eyes, without interruptions. Alicia luckily found a free park across the street from the building of Lockhart/Gardner. She got out and walked across the street. Before she even entered the doors Will came out and smiled at her. She noticed how relaxed and refreshed he looked. She noted to herself that this was how she loved him most.

"Hi there." He greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Will." She said, less cheerfully.

"I thought we'd walk. I know it's chilly outside but I don't have a lot more time here and I need to see it." He smiled at her.

"Yes, sounds good." She smiled back but without a great deal of effort. She was happy to see him but half of her world was falling apart and even the other half wasn't great. Will noticed how unenthusiastic she seemed and addressed it as they walked to the café.

"You don't seem particularly happy. I mean, happy isn't right. I don't know why you would be happy after yesterday."

"It's okay. I know what you mean. I'm happy to see you, you have no idea, but I'm not happy with almost everything else." He nods his head and keeps walking.

"Did you talk to your kids about Peter?" He asks softly.

"No. I just couldn't. They weren't in the best mood when I got home. I guess I didn't want to hurt them even more." He nods his head again.

"That is probably for the best." He looks at her briefly then looks ahead of them. They don't say anything else until they get to the café. It's a fairly small place but luckily doesn't have a lot of customers. They sit at a table near the back of the room.

"Do you want a coffee or tea or something?" Will asks her.

"Uh, no. I'm not really in the mood."

"Food?"

"I'm not that hungry actually." She states, slightly embarrassed because they did want to meet for lunch.

"Okay, well I'm just going to get a coffee and a sandwich of some sort. I'll be right back." She nods at him and watches as he gets up and goes to the counter to order. She knows they need to talk, and that's why they're here but she just wants to hide away with him until he leaves and then return to the world. She knows it's silly but she wants it, needs it. She needs an escape from it all right now. She needs to be with someone who understands her. She watches him as he walks back to their small table. He smiles at her as he sits down and she just looks at him. This is what she wants.

"What?" He nervously laughs. She made him feel awkward now. She scolds herself internally and looks down to her hands on the table.

"Nothing." She sees Wills hands hover over hers for a second and then he holds her hands. It's warm, and she immediately feels his warmth flow through her veins. It's such an intoxicating feeling, she thinks.

"You're okay, right?" He asks. Alicia detects worry in his voice. She looks up and into his eyes.

"I'm okay." Which is true, she feels okay. Not great, but okay. The waitress walks over to their table with Wills order and he takes his hands back. She somehow feels less okay.

"Thank you." He says, barely looking up.

"No worries." The young waitress smiles outrageously large and walks away. Alicia can't help but notice it; Will Gardner is always attracting female attention.

"So, let's talk." She immediately says, wanting all other thoughts about all other women out of her head.

"Yes. I don't have a lot of time, I have to get back soon and do a few things then go start packing boxes." She watches him as he takes a bite of his simple chicken and salad sandwich. She thinks about him packing boxes. She doesn't want to, but she's surprised he hasn't begun yet.

"You haven't started yet?"

"Nope. I've been busy, but I am taking half days until Thursday to get my things together."

"I can't believe you're really going."

"I know." He takes a sip of his coffee.

"I know you said you don't have a lot of time, so maybe we'll just get into it." She proposes and he nods slowly, thinking of what to say next.

"Okay, I know how this will sound, but even after last night, I don't expect a lot to happen." He moved in a little closer to her and lowered his voice. "I do truly love you, and you know that, but I know that you now have a lot to go through. So I'm not expecting you to jump in my arms." He laughed nervously. It was going to be a tough lunch to get through but Alicia knew it had to happen before he left. And it hit her again. He's leaving. He's moving. Nothing could happen even if everything with Peter was sorted out.

"I just don't know if anything would even happen, Will. You're moving away. I know how we feel and I can't help but think it really is too late and if I'm being selfish in wanting to try this with you." She started to overthink it all. She is getting divorced and it will not be easy. She has to tell her kids about the divorce. She loves another man who is moving at the end of the week. She doesn't want him to wait because she knows how long he has already been waiting for her. And then she feels the tears welling in her eyes. Will grabs her arm and it stops her tears. His eyes and face go serious.

"You aren't being selfish, and it isn't too late. You know why?" She nods her head, too nervous to say anything. "This time around, we make that plan. Okay?" She nods again and remembers that night, years ago. "This is plan making time. We make real decisions today and we'll figure this out. If we discover it won't work, then it won't work but at least we will have tried, alright? That's all I'm asking today, because I know this is a tough time for you. I want to try." She doesn't know if it's possible, but Alicia just felt her heart grow because of the love she has for this man sitting before her.

"Okay. A plan." She says. "I don't know what should happen first yet, but I have to tell my kids about Peter and me." He pulls his hand back and he takes another bite of his lunch.

"Step one, you tell your kids about that." And that's the beginning of their plan.

"Thanks Will."

"No need to thank me. That's the most important part." She doesn't know how he could be more supportive, without actually being her… Something. She doesn't know what he is. Friend?

"Honestly Will, I don't think anything should happen before I sort out the divorce with Peter too."

"That's understandable. Step two; you sort it out with Peter. I'll be in New York. There isn't much I can do from there." She nods in agreement.

"How long did you intend to be there?" She feels nervous about his answer. She would have expected it would be for good since he decided to leave when they were at war.

"I did plan to stay there for quite a while." He says slowly. Of course he did, she thinks. She takes in a deep breath.

"Should we really try it if we aren't even going to be in the same city?" She doesn't want to ask, but she needs the answer.

"I really only need to be there to get things going. Make sure the new lawyers can handle everything on their own. I could do that in… six months maybe."

"Six months?" He mumbles a 'yes' through his mouthful of sandwich.

"That would be enough time to sort everything out with Peter. And Eli." She says quietly, mostly saying it to herself. Alicia knows that the whole situation isn't ideal, but she had been thinking about whether she would divorce Peter after her realization that she loved Will. She tried getting away from him and it didn't work so she had owed it to herself to maybe see if they could work as something real. She owed it to Will too. She owed it to their entire past. The kids would be okay, if she explained it all to them. She knew that she wouldn't be their favorite person in the world but they would get through it together.

So that was it, Alicia thought as she watched Will eat. She couldn't stay in the marriage, she loved someone else more than her own husband. She'd tried to make it work countless times but it never was the same after the scandal. She would most likely always feel selfish for putting herself first this time, but even her kids didn't see her as a happy-go-lucky person anymore.

Will looks up at Alicia and they can see it in each other's eyes. The realization that they have a plan now. A rough outline of a plan yes, but a plan nonetheless. More than they've ever had before. Alicia smiles at Will and he smiles warmly back.

"So are we saying that we'll give this… Us… A go in about six months?" She asks him.

"I suppose so. Yes. Definitely, yes." Though Alicia can see he looks hesitant.

"What?" She asks him. She doesn't want him to back out and say that it seems like too long and they will be different in six months, but she watches him take a breath in.

"I know I waited half my life for you, and recently I was very much over the waiting game, but this time it's worth it Alicia. You're worth it. This time it feels real. We're actually making it happen. And I know that you have everything else happening for you, so you take these six months for you. Do what you have to do, because I promise you I'll be on the other side of it." She doesn't know if she's dreaming or not. She can't understand how Will still want's it all to happen, she thinks to herself.

"I don't know why you are still here." He gives her a confused look. "I mean, after everything we've gone through. Everything I've put you through. I don't get how you can still be here." She says softly. Will thinks about what she said for a few moments.

"Because I have always loved you. In every way possible. When we were friends, I loved you that way. And when we hadn't spoken in so many years and you came to me looking for a job, I loved you for persisting, for your strength in getting back on your feet. When we were together, I literally loved you in every way." They look at each other rather seductively. Both of them remember how well he loved her. "I loved you when I hated you. And now I love you so much. You're it for me." Alicia could feel her cheeks go red hot and knew she was blushing like crazy. Will continued on.

"When I knew I loved you in more than a friend way, you know what my mother told me?" He asked, she shook her head and gave him a confusing look. "She said 'Don't lose her, because the best luck you'll have is her'." He smiled widely. Alicia took in a deep breath and held it. She had never even met this woman, but she got to the conclusion that Will must have talked about her a lot back then. Alicia grabbed his hand and held it tight.

"I love you so much Will. Just you being here for me now is enough for me. For understanding that I have to figure out everything else with my kids. That means more to me than anything, they are so important to me. And you get that. I love that, and you." She smiled at him, then she heard his phone ringing with a message tone. He took his hand back and looked at his phone.

"I have to get back. I'm sorry for a quick lunch. I can call you later if you want?" He asks apologetically.

"Sure, it's okay. I have to get back to work too." They stood up, Will leaving some money on the table to pay for his meal, and started to leave.

"I have to tell my kids tonight." Alicia said lazily as they walked back to Will's building.

"You can do it. I know they'll be okay, I'm sure they have your strength." Will reassures her.

"I might call you in tears." She laughs.

"I'll be there." She looks at him with gentle eyes. He smiles at her again and she feels better. Someone will be there for her and she cherishes that. They get back to the building and say their goodbyes with a small hug. Alicia gets back into her car and checks her phone for messages. She has a missed call, she checks her voicemail.

"Mom." Alicia recognizes Grace's voice. "Dad just came to get me and Zach from school. I just thought I'd let you know. I think he wants to talk to us. I guess we'll be home for dinner. We'll let you know if not, but I didn't want you to worry. I love you."

At least Grace now left detailed messages about her whereabouts, but Alicia definitely got concerned about them being with Peter. That would only make the 'Divorce Talk' with them even harder, considering that would be what Peter was doing now. She felt anger run through her body. He didn't have a right to do that without her there. Alicia started her car and drove back to work, ready for the day to end and be with her kids and hopefully not have to see or talk to Peter.