AN: My gosh, your responses have been great. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Keep it up, and happy reading!

The following week had gone well for the both of them. Will had managed to get a lot more unpacking and rearranging done since Alicia had gone home on Sunday night, go figure, and he had gotten back into his work with Diane almost effortlessly. The only trouble was David Lee, but what else was to be expected he thought to himself. For the most part he tried to ignore David's words about him not being ready and he should consider taking it easy to get back into the swing of things. But Will didn't need to. He had always been a great worker and boss and now that he was back home everything just fell into place and was a lot easier getting 'back into the swing of things'.

Though there was a sort of constant nagging in the back of his head to ask Alicia to live with him. He knew it was too much but he wanted nothing more than to live with her now. He felt like they had wasted enough time by not being together, and now that they were he wanted to really be with her all the time. He wants to come home and see her sitting on their couch. He wants to see her sitting behind their desk doing her work, because he knows how much she loves it. He wants to hear her say "Honey, I'm home!" when she walks through their door, and he wants to see her lying next to him in their bed every single night he goes to sleep, and every time he wakes up in the morning.

But Will didn't know how to tell her any of that. She was literally about to get divorced within a couple of days and she had so many other obligations going on for her at the moment that if Will was to ask her to move in with him permanently she might actually spontaneously combust, and that wouldn't do any good for anyone. Though there was just something inside of him that couldn't resist asking her. Whether she said it was a good idea or that she'd have to think about it for a while, he had to throw it out there and let her know that he wanted this. That would fall under the Totally Honest category, wouldn't it?

Will sat across from Alicia at his new dinner table he had bought the other day, without Diane's help which he was mighty proud of, eating the couscous he had gotten take-away from a restaurant he loved. He may not know how to cook food, but he definitely knows how to pick food.

"Good?" He asked her while taking a sip of his wine.

"Mmm, very good. I've never eaten their food before. Where did you say it was from again?" She looked up at him and smiled expectantly. Was he doing the right thing by feeding her nice food and then asking her to move in? He hoped so.

"Shokran. Pretty good Moroccan food." He smiled back to her and concentrated on his food. He'd definitely ask her about it after their meal. She had to be well fed before dropping the big moving in bomb. He took in a very deep, very audible breath and let it out slowly, realizing with himself that he was just creating excuses to delay the talk he wanted. His nerves were getting the better of him, and that only ever happened when it came to Alicia.

"Is everything okay?" He looked up to see her. She looked a little amused and reached her hand across the table. He held onto it and squeezed it tight.

"Everything is okay." He reassured her. He pulled back his hand and took another bite of the couscous.

They put all of the leftovers they had into the fridge and decided to sit down in bed and watch a movie together. He had set up a second television in his bedroom so he could laze around in bed and watch whatever game was on. He had no idea what the movie was, or who any of the actors were but it was a good distraction for him to put off asking Alicia. He couldn't understand it though. That very morning and throughout the whole day he was confident and so determined that he would just ask her and accept whatever answer she would give him, but of course things changed when he actually stood next to her and kissed her hello. He just couldn't say anything, and he had the same problem now.

Her phone started ringing from the bedside table on her side of the bed, which Will sometimes like to sleep on because it always had her familiar scent and he always missed her during the week. She pulled off the arm she had draped over Will's abdomen and reached for the phone. She almost immediately put on back face down on the table and let it ring out.

"Not in the mood for talking?" He asked her nervously, he needed her to be in a talking mood.

"It was just Owen." She shifted her body to get closer to Will and let her head fall on his shoulder. He sat there for a few more minutes then told himself he had to get his shit together and just talk about it. It was now or never, as the saying goes. He picked up the remote and paused their film. She pulled back from him slowly and gave him a confused look.

"Will..?" She asked slowly.

"I've gotta talk to you about something." He tried to sound serious, but not so serious at the same time but obviously it didn't work well on the not-so-serious part considering she was looking at with concern written all over her face. She pulled back some more and sat up more, getting comfortable enough to hear what he had to say.

"Okay." She said calmly. He knew she was always a lot better with serious conversations, so she may take it better than he'd expect.

"I've been thinking for a while." Shit, no, never start with that, he thought. "Nothing bad!" He quickly said, and she already seemed to relax some more. At least he didn't think it was bad… "I just, I've been considering this for a while and I wanted to see what you thought of it."

"Alright." He saw her take in a deep breath. Maybe she was really wasn't ready for even the talk about it.

"Okay. Well I was wondering what you thought about us… moving in… together." He said it pretty awkwardly, but hey, he had finally said it.

But based on Alicia's extremely delayed reaction, he wanted to take it back. She didn't say anything, she just sat there with her mouth open a little bit. And Will couldn't say anything either, he didn't know what to say. He wasn't about to apologize for it because he had meant it, and that was all that came to mind.

"Say something?" He said softly, desperate to hear her say something, anything.

"I… I, um… I don't know." She looked up to him, into his eyes. She looked completely lost. Was this really that out of the blue for her? Surely not, at least he hoped not.

"You don't know?"

"I don't know, Will. I… I need time?" It was phrased like a question, and he knew he freaked her out too much.

"Time…" He repeated the word to himself, of course she would need time…

"I have to think." She said, uncertain of her words. Well that was a better sign.

"Yes. Think about it. I'm not saying we do it now, I just thought I'd get us talking about it." He blurted out. He felt a need to clarify why he was bringing it up now. She nodded at his words and bit her bottom lip in thought. He desperately needed to know what she was thinking, but that would be a dangerous game to encroach on her own thoughts. She always thought about things and that was always a private process. One that he didn't entirely understand, yes, but one that he knew was necessary for her.

She climbed off the bed and stood next to the bed with her back to him. He didn't know what she was doing; she wasn't moving.

"I should probably go…" She said softly, hesitantly.

"What? You don't have to." He pulled himself off the bed and walked around to her. She slipped her feet into her heels and picked up her phone from the table.

"I think I should." She looked to him and he couldn't figure out what emotion was on her face. It was either a mix of every feeling in the entire world, or just one of nothing. Both options seemed pretty grim to him.

"Alicia, you don't have to go. Just stay here and we'll talk about it and think through it together." He needed her to stay and figure it out with him. He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her upper arms. Their eyes locked and Will smiled at her, trying to convey that it was all alright but she just gave him an unsure smiled and started to walk out of the room.

"No, I really should go. Owen is probably on the way to the apartment right now wondering why I didn't answer." He knew what she was saying was bullshit, and so did she. He didn't want to push her into it.

"Okay then." He said dishearteningly, just watching her walk away and not even look back to him. He should have followed her downstairs and seen her out, but he didn't. He just stood in his bedroom feeling miserable. Not that they would have said more than goodbye to each other at the door anyway. So Will just let his face fall into his hands then let his body fall back onto the bed. He took a look at his watch.

7.27

It wasn't too late to go for a good run and build up some endorphins to try and beat that miserable feeling. He quickly jumped into some workout clothes, put his sneakers on and left the house, going in no particular direction.

Alicia closed the door and just leant back against it. What was Will even thinking? She thought to herself as she kicked off the heels she had been wearing since 8 that morning. What was he thinking? He had just moved back to Chicago and they were really just getting used to them being a couple. They hadn't really been one before he left for New York and it truly only began three months ago. Even then they weren't even together, so what could he be possibly thinking now. Moving in together. Sure, she had recently thought about the possibility of Will wanting to marry her but she hadn't given it any serious thought. And now here they were; Will wanting them to live together. She couldn't quite comprehend that, it was just so real. He'd actually said it and it freaked her out.

Maybe she shouldn't have walked out like that, she'd admit that. She should have stayed and talked to him about it, but she really does need to think about it on her own right now. It was a huge decision, a huge step. Grace was about to start her final year of high school and she was only just now about to be legally divorced from Peter. She hadn't even thought about whether she'd take her old name back, let alone the direction of her relationship with Will. It all seemed like too much.

And for once in her life she didn't want to sort this out on her own. Usually she'd have the kids to distract her when she had something big on her mind so she could sort through it in her head in moderation but they weren't home, and she was done with work for the day, and she didn't have Will to distract her… There was no doubt she felt guilty about leaving him earlier, but she wasn't ready to sit and talk.

She went through her bag and pulled out her phone. She walked to the couch and sat down, holding onto a pillow as she dialed Owen's number. It rang four times. She wasn't sure he'd answer until

"Hey big sis!" He said cheerfully through the phone.

"Hey Owen." There was nothing cheerful about her tone of voice, though she did try to sound happy.

"Oh, okay, something is up." He had his concerned brother voice switched on immediately.

"Nothing really. Why did you call before?" She'd get his business out of the way first, and then she'd get to herself.

"Not anything in particular. I just wanted to say hello mostly."

"Hello then."

"Hello." He sounded uncertain on such a simple word, but she knew he would be hung up on her oh-so-cheery demeanor. "So tell me what's up."

''I'm not sure I should be talking about it." And she wasn't sure. It had just happened but she couldn't keep this to herself and she really only had Owen to talk to. Her mother wouldn't be much help on the subject. At least not in a way that Alicia needed.

"Come on. Just spit it out." She took in a deep breath and began.

"Will asked me to move in with him." She stated, and she could almost swear that she heard Owen gasp with shock, but it may have been in her head. He did stay quiet for a while though, which was a little strange for him. "That was my reaction too." She spoke as she slid down onto the couch and put the pillow on her lap behind her head.

"What did you say to him?" Was that really the first thing he'd say?

"I ran out of there pretty fast. I just told him I needed to think." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well that probably wasn't the best thing to do." Talk about hitting the nail on the head…

"I know, thanks Owen. I just… I do need to think. I don't know what to think." She closed her eyes and did her best to relax into the comfort of her own home. Her home. A place she had found pure serenity five years before after everything that happened. She'd made it into a home for her kids, and for herself.

"Do you want to move in with him?" He asked cautiously.

"I have no idea. I love him, with all my heart, but with so much happening I don't know what to think about it."

"You do have a busy life right now." She heard through the phone something that sounded like the opening of a wine bottle. She'd hear that sound from a mile away by now.

"Are you drinking?" She quickly asked him.

"I can't have this conversation without some assistance." That made her laugh. Her brother could always do that. Just one reason on a long list about why she loved him so much. She decided to do the same and went to the kitchen to get herself a glass of wine.

"If you really don't know what to think then I would start with the basics." He said.

"Basics?"

"You know, does he like to keep his house clean. Things like that."

"Oh…" That didn't occur to her before. Maybe speaking to Owen was definitely the right way to go. She probably never would have thought of that.

"You shouldn't live with someone if they never clean up after themselves."

"Of course. That makes sense."

"And when you stay over, does he put the toilet seat down for you. That seems like it'd be important to a woman." Well he does have it right there. She never seemed to see the point in all that nonsense but it is better walking into a bathroom will the seat down. "Those are just fundamentals though. Only you can decide whether you are ready or not." Again, he had it right.

"That is what I'm getting stuck on. Zach is about to move away at the end of the summer, Grace is starting the last year of school and I don't even know if I should change my name back."

"I was with you until that last bit, sis."

"When I'm officially divorced. I don't know what I should change my name too." She took her glass back to the couch and sat down again, quickly taking a sip.

"Oh my god. I almost forgot about that. How are you doing with that?"

"I don't know about that one either. I have no idea what's happening with either men in my life." She sighed loudly.

"Sounds rough." He stifled a laugh.

"It's too difficult." She lifted up one of her legs and put it against the coffee table. "Maybe I'll go away on a holiday for a while."

"Oh, can I come?"

"Sure." They laughed together again and fell silent for a short while. "How do I know when I'm ready?" She asked him softly. It had been a long time since she had to think about this sort of thing. The last thing that resembled her current problem was when Peter had asked to move back into her bedroom, and though that took a little while to get used to the concept it was a lot easier thinking about it back then. He was already in the house and they had so much happen between them. Though there was a lot of bad back then, it didn't erase all of the good she knew was true.

This was different of course. She was older now, and this was with someone different. Someone she had no doubt in her heart about, not even a sprinkle. So maybe that meant she was ready? That she knew he'd treat her like a queen and never do anything to hurt her, and protect her every day. But she didn't feel sure about it yet.

"I think you'll just know." Owen's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. He was right yet again. She felt like she should have known all of this, and maybe she would have worked it out in time on her own but she also knew she didn't have the time for that. She just left Will standing there, probably making him feel like crap as she walked away, so she had to figure out what the hell she was thinking.

She gave Owen her thanks and goodbyes, telling him she'd call later (though later would no doubt be a few days in the future) and hung up. She leaned back against the couch once again and tried to sort through the chaos in her head. It was a mess in there and it would probably be a little while until she sorted it out.

Saturday afternoon came and Alicia finally had something to tell Will. They hadn't spoken since the night before when she left and that only piled onto the guilt she had about leaving but at least is wasn't any longer than a day. She put in a few hours of work at home to keep on top of all of her work things, and to keep Cary happy that she was still doing work and not ditching it all to spend time with Will. She grabbed her phone and keys, forgetting about her bag, and left her apartment for Will's townhouse.

She stopped by the side of the street one over from Will's, checking with her nerves about actually talk to him. She had the outline of a plan in her head to go over with him. While at least one (and during the summer, both) kid was at home for the next year there would have to be a plan in place. She couldn't disturb Grace's life any more than she definitely had to, but she almost remembered a time when Grace had told her to do what makes her happy.

Alicia pulled her car around to Will's street and parked in front of his house. She took in a deep breath before she got out the car, and walked up to his door. She rang the doorbell and waited until Will came to the door.

She saw that he looked genuinely surprised that she was standing at his doorstep.

"Hey." He said, trying not to sound awkward but he did anyway. She didn't want him to be awkward, so she just jumped in with it.

"I want to." She saw him process her words carefully.

"You…" She took a step closer to him and placed a hand over his chest.

"I want to." She said softly, close to him. He started to smile at her but stopped.

"Why now?" She wasn't sure she got his entire meaning. Now seemed good because he had asked her. She shook her head slightly, trying to really understand his question. He moved his face closer to hers, so their noses were almost touching.

"Why now?" He whispered to her. And she understood completely that he was asking if she was sure because of her reaction yesterday. She thought about a response for a few seconds, until something popped into her head. Something that meant a lot to her. Something that probably started this entire reconnection between them. Something so little that fixed a small crack so the others would close up and they'd be whole again.

She reached up to his face and held it between her hands, resting her forehead on his and whispered so softly, "I felt ready now…"