Alicia

The weather in Washington was different to Chicago's. Which bearing in mind, to Alicia it was a good factor. She couldn't quite describe it, the climate was moderately the same but the air was different, the atmosphere was altered. It caused her to miss home more than often, talking to her family over the phone was never enough, but she had gotten used to it over the past ten years. Georgetown was everything she expected it to be if not better, she had experienced some of her best years in Washington DC but then again, she knew the worst years outweighed the good.

Whenever she thought about year one of law school her thoughts always drifted off to Will, she couldn't quite grasp why, after all, it wasn't like he was there to experience it with her but he was, in some alternative, there in her mind constantly. She wondered what he was doing, if he found his first year at Harvard difficult, had he moved on with some other girl? She cried herself to sleep numerous times that year, just craving to be in his arms or to talk to him. But in saying that, she had to admit, living without him had been one of the hardest decisions of her life but it also gave her the chance to grow. Experience life without him, become a stronger person from a result of heartbreak and become accustomed to change.

Change was significant to Alicia in the last ten years. She not only changed personality wise but also exterior wise. She still enjoyed the odd jeans and sneakers but her outfits, nowadays were narrowed, usually accustomed to the life of a lawyer. She replaced sneakers with boots, wore heels nearly every day and became familiar with tight, uncomfortable dresses and tahari suits. Her posture had even converted into what one would call proper, she always sat up straight, crossed her legs and entwined her hands. It became the usual when she had received her first job in Baltimore which was where she had met her fiancé.

Finn, she always smiled when his name was mentioned. During her years at law school she had avoided dating all together, still caught up in the idea of Will, she had to snap herself back to reality and recognise that it was time to let it go, shed the entire past and start again. That's when she allowed Finn into her life, seven years after.

She got a natural fright when he had proposed to her, it was certainly unexpected and they were only in their third year of dating but with a little persuading on Finn's part she finally said yes.

She felt all her hopes and dreams crash this morning as she challenged her father over the phone. She assumed that he would be happy for her, but that was no longer the alternative as her father raved about not getting permission or even having the opportunity to meet Finn. Her father had managed to persuade Alicia in flying to Chicago for two weeks which of course, was out of the question but then she came to realise that if she spent time with him she could sway him into accepting Finn.

But that wasn't the only problem she had to face with going back home. She had accepted, long ago, the fact that Will, her ex high school sweetheart was working for her father and she had to face the reality that no matter what, they were always going to cross each other paths, just hopefully she wouldn't have to stay in Chicago for too long and that her parents were going to accept the fact that she was planning on living in Washington forever and keeping her distance from Chicago and all the memories that came with it.

Alicia Cavanaugh prided herself on having the ability to overlook certain memories and store them into a box but that didn't necessarily mean she could forget them forever. In fact, just as she was stirring her coffee on the kitchen counter of her and Finn's apartment she caught what looked like a movie that had a couple swimming in a waterfall, through the television, sparking up a certain memory that she had forgotten for more than a decade.

They were in their first month of dating and he had taken her out to some small waterfall out in the country near his family lake house, she laughed at his face as his eyes roamed over her swimsuit. She made sure to stay clear from the water whilst he had already jumped in and had been begging her to join in. She shook her head and wrapped herself tighter in his hoodie.

"Will! It's freezing! You're crazy, we're going to get sick"

"Oh come on Leesh, it's not cold when you get in! Stop being a killjoy, you don't want to ruin that swimsuit do you?"

"If you keep going the same way you are now Will, I'm never going to get in" she threw him a glacial glare that could easily have frozen the sun.

He sighed "I'm sorry baby, please get in" he threw in his sweet soft voice, which she now knew how to divert.

She threw him another glare before crossing her arms and pouting like a small child. "It's cold, I want to go home."

She watched him laugh before he moved closer to the rock and reached out. "Okay, can you help me up first" she smiled down at him, happy that he was accepting her request and took his hand, only for her to be sidestepped as he grasped her hand tightly and pulled her down with him into the water. She screeched as the cold water hit her skin and slapped his head, much to his amusement. She laughed before splashing water at his face and pushing away from his arms but she knew it was hopeless as he made sure not to let her go.

They chuckled at each other before she slipped her arms around his neck, looking deeply into his eyes she leant forward and caught his lips into a soft, lingering kiss. She ran her hands through his wet hair, feeling the warm proximity with their connected bodies and the loud thumping of the water fall she pulled back and gazed into his eyes which mirrored the same amount of love pouring through. Feeling every emotion she had been experiencing over the last month, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I love you" It was the first time she had said it, and by the expression on his face she was starting to regret it, until, she watched as a wide smile spread across his features.

"I love you too, so much."

She smiled at the memory, her eyes falling soft as she recalled the taste of his lips that day. His lips always tasted nice and she often wondered if he made sure to have nice breath, just for her.

She immediately felt herself tense as she sensed a pair of strong arms slip around her waist from behind followed by a gentle kiss on her shoulder. She looked up from her day dream towards the window, automatically wishing the memory to be erased completely so that she wouldn't have to feel so guilty in her fiancé's arms.

"You seem lost" Finn murmured

"What?"

"You looked like you were in a completely different world" he explained

She shrugged before taking a sip of her coffee. "I'm just a bit tired, I have to start packing for my flight tonight as well" she explained and turned around in his arms, facing his curious blue eyes.

He frowned "Tell me why you have to leave so early."

"Because, I told you, my father is never going to give up until I spend some time with him, he's just resenting me for not visiting him in ten years"

"And if it works, I'll be flying over in two weeks right?"

She smiled, nodding her head "Right"

"Well, I better pray for a miracle then" he laughed

"I can get him to like you, honestly. He's just not ready to let me go yet, that's all" Finn laughed before circling her waist.

"Trust me, I know the feeling" he replied whilst moving in for a kiss. She giggled against his lips and as she opened her eyes she got a fright for a moment as she replaced Finn's body and face for Will's. The shock in her eyes was evident, causing Finn to furrow his brow confused before pulling back and opening his eyes. "Is everything alright?"

Finn's face faded back and she sighed with relief. Noticing the plain concern in his face she nodded. "Yes" –she lied. "I'm just, you know, nervous and all"

"You'll do great" Finn's smile was hopeful and happy at the same time; happy that he was going to marry the woman of his dreams, causing her to feel all the more awkward. She wasn't used to this kind of intimacy, opening up to someone had been foreign to her during her years at law school. It was a concept that she avoided at all cost, due to wanting to stay away from the likes of a romantic relationship but of course, that all faded when Finn and his persistence in taking her out for a date came along.

She kissed Finn goodbye at the airport, sensing the passion and emotion that was pouring out of him from one kiss. "I'm gonna miss you" he murmured

"I'm going to miss you too"

"Call me every night"

"I will" she smiled, before pulling him in for a hug, she rested her chin on his shoulder and gazed up towards the ceiling, suddenly feeling the huge wave of realisation as she was about to visit the home city that she grew up in, and most likely going to be bumping into a certain someone that she had been avoiding for far too long.

"I love you Alicia." Finn whispered causing her to smile hesitantly.

"I love you too, I'll see you soon" she ran her thumb along his cheek before giving one last kiss and letting him go. She sighed as she waved goodbye. Sighing in relief? Exhaustion? Alarm? She didn't know, but she was petrified at what was about to arrive.

She called the familiar Chicago landline, smiling as she recognised the little voice on the other side. "Hi sweetie, its aunt Alicia, how are you?"

She winced as the little girl screeched in excitement through the other line, causing pain to Alicia's ears. "Aunt Licia! Aunt Licia! I want to come back to your house!" Emily said excitedly through the phone making Alicia laugh out loud.

"I'm sure we can arrange that sometime over the holidays, where's your mom?" she heard a few muffled voices behind the phone in which Emily was clearly complaining to her mother that she wanted to stay on the phone longer until she finally let go.

"Leesh?"

"Hi Liz" she smiled happily at the mention of her former best friend. She heard Liz chuckle through the other line.

"Hi to you too. You know, if my corrections are right, I'm sure the last time you called was only last night, miss me already?" she joked

Alicia chuckled before sighing and gazing around the terminal. "You'll never guess what I've just done" she whispered into the phone

"What?"

"I called my father this morning and told him about the engagement, he was pretty pissed and it doesn't look like he's going to like Finn anytime soon, with you know, not having the opportunity to meet him yet" -she heard Liz sigh through the phone.

"And it gets worse. I'm coming back home for a couple of weeks, I have to try and convince my family to like my fiancé, have you ever heard of such a thing? It's crazy"

"You're coming back HOME!?" Liz said in shock through the other line causing Alicia to chuckle.

"Yes, I'm at the airport now actually, which brings me to my next question, mind if I stay at your place for the next two weeks?" she laughed

"Of course, I'll pick you up, your god daughter is going to freak when she sees you" Alicia laughed once again at her words before gathering herself and walking towards the gate.

"Okay, I gotta go. See you soon" with a few more exchanges Liz hung up and as Alicia pressed decline her screen saver popped up. One single photo of her and Finn, her arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, she noted his smile reach all the way up to his ears, feeling the air pierce through her and the sudden guilt wave through her as she realised, ever since Finn proposed a weak ago, she had been thinking about another man since.

Please don't begin to dislike the story because of the Finn storyline, I know most people don't like him and I totally understand, but I didn't want to invent a new character because it just wouldn't have been realistic and I certainly wasn't going to use Peter, so Finn was the only option. But there won't be much Finn in this storyline anyway so you wont have to put up with much of him. Review please!