A/N: You can thank the love of my life for working late a couple of nights, giving me time to write despite my own busy schedule ;) Just don't get used to this. Next week I'll be on a short vacation, so next update will take longer than usual.

We're entering home stretch in this story, although I do have a few more chapters up my sleeve after this one (and yes, more sexy stuff to come in one of those chapters - you didn't think I would leave you with just that one M-rated scene, did you? *wink*).

Joey - no need to apologize, reviews are very much appreciated, but I'm happy you're reading regardless!

Tgwfan - don't worry, abandoning stories is not my thing :)

"You think I'm going let you in after what you did to me? Think again, Peter. Just say whatever it is you need to tell me and leave." Alicia crossed her arms and arched her eyebrows at her husband.

Peter sighed. "Look, Alicia, I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have…"

"Last night? To hell with last night! I'm talking about this morning!"

"This…?" His brow furrowed in apparent confusion. Then his eyes widened. "You think I leaked that story about you and Will?"

"Oh, come on. I know you did, Peter, so don't deny it! But you know what?" Alicia lowered her voice to a loud whisper as she got right in his face. "Leak all you want. I won't let that stop me. I won't let you bully me into not divorcing you…"

"Good."

"And I won't accept—What?" She blinked when her mind processed what he'd said. "What did you say?"

"I said, good. Now, can I come in? The divorce is exactly what I came here to talk about. And I'd rather not do it out here." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "Please?"

Stunned, Alicia stepped aside and let him enter. As he passed her, she noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept at all. She frowned and shook her head, then closed the door and followed him into the living room. He stood by the window, his back turned to her.

"I've had… a lot on my plate," he started, turning to face her.

"Yeah? Well, so have I. And you're not helping," she bit out.

"I know… I'm sorry I've been such a jerk lately."

What? Another apology? "And saying sorry is supposed to make that okay?"

"No, of course not…" He shook his head on another sigh. "How did we end up like this? We used to love each other so much." He sounded genuinely surprised. "Well, anyway. I just came to say… I've already destroyed the file. I did it last night, actually. And I won't fight the divorce."

Alicia's jaw dropped. "What? But… How… What?" She walked to the couch and sat down, her legs suddenly shaky. "What's going on, Peter?"

"Ramona." He avoided her eyes. "She told me to finally choose between you and her."

"And you're choosing her." Alicia waited for an emotion to go with her statement. Hurt. Jealousy. Anger. Relief, even. Anything. But she just felt… empty.

"I—I have to." He bent his head. "She's pregnant. I want to do the right thing this time. I'm sorry, Alicia."

Where she'd felt empty before, she was now experiencing bone-deep exhaustion, as her mind immediately painted a very clear picture of the new scandal that he was bringing down on her and her children. "This time, Peter?" Even her voice sounded tired.

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "Lauren is mine, too."

Again, Alicia waited. For shock or surprise, this time. But again, nothing came.

§§§

The two words Ashley had whispered over the phone were printed neatly on the styrofoam coffee cup John was currently holding, while leaning against the wall under a sign that said cellphones should be turned off. Mercy Hospital. Ashley and Mrs. Rhodes had left the ER waiting area ten minutes ago, following the doctor who had come to get them.

According to what Ashley had told him when he arrived an hour ago, she and her grandparents had been eating breakfast when her grandfather had suddenly started complaining about chest pains. Just when they were about to call the family physician to come check him out, the old man had dropped to the floor. After having rushed him to the hospital, the doctors had started working on him. When things had started to look bad, Ashley had taken her grandfather's phone and called John with it.

He was just taking another sip of coffee when the double doors opened and Ashley and Mrs. Rhodes came out, looking tired and pale—but they weren't crying. John took that as a good sign. He straightened and went to meet them.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Well, it was touch and go for a while, but the doctors now think he'll be okay," Ashley said. "They're keeping him for observation, but the surgery has apparently gone well."

"Thank God," Mrs. Rhodes added on a shaky sigh. "I really thought…" She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked ready to collapse.

"Maybe you should sit down." John took her arm to guide her to one of the waiting room chairs. "Ashley, can you get your grandmother some water?" Ashley nodded and crossed the room to the water cooler.

"You are such a sweet young man." Mrs. Rhodes sank down on the chair. "Too bad Ashley's into women," she continued, casting a worried glance across the room.

"She told you?" That surprised him, after the conversation he'd had with Ashley on the balcony last night.

"This morning. Right before Trevor…" She took a deep breath. "I've suspected for years, though. So has Trevor—Thank you, dear." She took the cup Ashley handed her.

"You… You knew all along?" Ashley said. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and glistening with tears. "Grandpa too?"

"We suspected, dear."

"And… You're both… Okay with it?" The younger woman impatiently wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Of course we are. We love you, no matter what." Mrs. Rhodes handed John the water and pulled her granddaughter into her embrace. "So you have nothing to feel guilty about, you hear? You did not cause what happened."

Ashley broke down crying. John was beginning to feel like an intruder here, so he backed away from them and put his coffee cup and Mrs. Rhodes' water on a table. When he put his hands into his pockets, his fingers brushed his phone and that made his mind turn to Alicia. He needed to call her, after hanging up on her like that. Catching Mrs. Rhodes' gaze, he gestured he was going downstairs to make a call. She nodded and waved him off.

On the way downstairs, he ran into Eric and Samantha, who had reluctantly gone to get breakfast thirty minutes earlier. "Any news?" Eric asked John.

"He's going to be fine," he assured them and they hurried towards the waiting area. John continued his way downstairs and took his phone out as soon as he stepped outside, dialed her number and waited for her to pick up.

§§§

Alicia jumped when her phone started vibrating in her hand. She'd completely forgotten that she was still holding it. She declined the call without even a single glance at the caller ID and put the device facedown on the coffee table. At least the interruption had served to break through her numbness after Peter's revelations, and a thought she'd had earlier surfaced again.

"So, if you destroyed your little blackmail file on me… Who leaked the story?" she asked him.

Peter gaped at her. "That's your first question? I just told you…"

"Yes, Peter. I know. You just told me all about your problems. Because that's what they are. Your problems. I had nothing to do with you getting Ramona pregnant. Twice. So excuse me for focusing on my own problems for a change."

"You don't think the end of our marriage is your problem too?" He was clenching his teeth now, looking ready to explode.

"As far as I'm concerned, our marriage ended years ago. We just need to finalize it. That's merely… Administration."

"What about Zach and Grace?" he spat. "Are they administration too?"

"Really, Peter? You're trying to make me feel guilty about their feelings when you're the one that caused this… this whole friggin'… mess?" Unable to stay seated any longer, she got up and got right in his face. "Maybe you should have thought of them before you decided to screw everything up!"

"Don't you think I know that?" He took a step back and sighed, the anger draining from his face, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "Not a day goes by that I don't wish I could turn back time. Be a better man. A better father. But I can't."

"No. You can't." Alicia's anger subsided. She just couldn't hold on to it any longer, didn't want to waste any more of her emotions on him. "I'll get David to draw up the papers on Monday. Do you want to tell the kids together?"

Peter nodded. "That might be the best way."

"Okay. And Peter…" Alicia sighed. "If you really want to be a better man, a better father… You have the chance. With Ramona. Don't waste it." To her own surprise, she meant every word.

He chuckled, but there was no joy in the sound. "I'll try."

She walked him to the door, a weight dropping off her shoulders when he got on the elevator and the door closed behind him. Peter and his antics would be one less thing to worry about from now on.

When her phone started vibrating on the coffee table again, she was reminded of John. And Ashley. She still hadn't been able to come up with a reasonable explanation for them being… wherever they were… together. If that was him calling, she would demand he tell her the truth about what was going on with him and the blonde, she decided. And if she got even the smallest indication that he was lying…

It was him, Alicia saw when she rushed back into the living room and picked up the phone. She let her thumb hover over the green phone icon for a moment, then slowly put the phone back down and let the call go to voicemail.

Peter had lied to her for years and she'd been too blind to see it. What made her think she would know whether John was lying to her as well? Especially when talking on the phone, when it was easy to hide giveaways like body language and facial expressions?

He had told her he was going to his apartment. She thought she'd heard him mention something to Rhodes at the gala about renting his old one back, and she knew where that was.

Alicia grabbed her coat and purse and hurried down to the parking garage.

§§§

John left Alicia a short voicemail message and put his phone back in his pocket. He'd go back upstairs, but only to tell Mrs. Rhodes he was leaving, he decided. With the immediate danger to Rhodes' life gone, he probably wouldn't be needed at the hospital anymore. He could just as easily write up a press statement about the old man's health from Alicia's apartment, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible.

He turned to go back inside when Ashley came walking out. A bit of color had returned to her cheeks, but her eyes were still red and puffy. She gave him a watery smile.

"Grandma asked me to go pick up some of Grandpa's stuff. Could you give me a ride?" she asked. "My car is still at their house. I'd take the L, but since you're still here…"

"Sure, no problem. If you don't mind coming to my place first. I need to change my clothes before—my next appointment." His apartment was closer to the hospital than the Rhodes mansion.

"You do." She took in his rumpled tux and surprised him by giggling. "So, how's Mrs. Florrick doing?"

John chose not to answer that, heading for the parking lot instead. She caught up to him when he unlocked his car. The ten minute drive to his apartment went by in silence, Ashley leaning back with her eyes closed, John keeping his eyes on the road and his mind on Alicia.

John would rather have had Ashley wait for him in the car, but she asked to come upstairs because she needed to use the bathroom. He showed her where it was and then quickly went to change his clothes in the bedroom, opting for jeans and a white shirt. He was still buttoning up when he heard the doorbell. He wasn't expecting anyone, so maybe he should just ignore whoever it was. He didn't have time to buy girl scout cookies or whatever.

But then they rang the bell again. Sighing, John went to open the door. His sigh turned into a surprised smile when he saw who was on the other side.

"Alicia—hi. I was just on my way to…"

"Okay, ready when you are," came Ashley's voice from behind him. "Oh—hi, Mrs. Florrick…"

§§§

Alicia took in his appearance—his hair mussed, his shirt only half buttoned, his feet bare—and looked over his shoulder to where Ashley stood, straightening her skirt. Then she cast her eyes to the floor, swallowing the swelling wave of anger and hurt down before she lifted her gaze to his.

"Alicia? Are you alright?" He looked worried.

"Yes. Fine." She managed a smile. "Looks like you're busy, so I-I'll just…" she gestured vaguely towards the stairs, biting back the tears that threatened. Knowing the dam could break any moment now, she shook her head, turned and fled, his voice following her down the stairs.

"Alicia, wait!"

"You didn't tell her?" Ashley shrieked, and then Alicia heard footsteps behind her and ran faster, her vision growing increasingly blurry because of the tears now spilling down her cheeks.