Six weeks later

There was standing room only in their usual bar this Friday evening, but Alicia didn't mind. She felt too restless to sit anyway.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Cary said, beer in hand and smiling at her as she immediately felt heat rise to her cheeks. Diane, Kalinda and David stopped talking and looked back and forth between them. "Here's to our newest partner, Alicia Cavanaugh, who is living proof that Cavanaugh, Agos, Lockhart and Lee is like the Mafia — once you're in, you can never really get out. So… Welcome home, Alicia." Laughter sounded as they all clinked their glasses and drank.

"Thank you, Cary… Thank you all," Alicia said, looking at each one of them. She felt warmth spread through her heart when she realized that the people around the standing-table were not only her colleagues, but also her friends. Maybe with the exception of David, but even he had seemed to warm up to her a little over the past weeks. And he was here with the rest of them, celebrating both her official return to the firm and the fact that the judge had finally granted the divorce today. "It's good to be back. But I haven't prepared a speech, because my campaign manager was too busy to write one…"

They laughed again, and then Diane said, "It's good to have you back."

"Yes, welcome back, Alicia," Kalinda added, with a small but warm smile. "But where is that campaign manager of yours? We'd hoped to finally meet him today… Officially, that is."

"He'll be here in…" Alicia checked her watch, "…Five minutes, actually. But just to pick me up, so you probably won't see him." John had been working hard over the past weeks, because the Rhodes Foundation was in the middle of a transition period. Trevor Rhodes had had to take a step back, on doctor's orders. His grandson-in-law Eric was taking over most of his tasks, and it was up to John to make sure the reputation of the Foundation didn't suffer from the change in leadership. So far, it hadn't.

"Ooh, hot date, huh? That explains the outfit…" Cary gave her a speculative once-over and winced when Kalinda punched him in the shoulder.

Alicia tried to ignore the last part of his comment. She was feeling self-conscious enough about her looks as it was.

"She looks great," she heard Kalinda mutter to Cary. Then, to Alicia, "You need better boots though."

Alicia chuckled, looking down at the old tan ankle boots she'd dug up from the back of her closet. They were the only pair of sturdy boots she owned that matched the cream-colored leather pants John had given her as a 'divorce present' this morning and that she was currently wearing over her Calvin Klein jeans. "Only if I ever get on the back of a motorbike again after tonight," she said, trying to keep the nerves wreaking havoc on her stomach out of her voice.

Diane snorted. "That's what I said when Kurt wanted to take me hunting. Now I can't wait for next time. Where is John taking you tonight?"

"We're going on a weekend getaway, actually," Alicia admitted, unable to keep the joy at being able to spend a whole weekend alone with John, without any secrecy or interruptions, out of her voice. "John's grandfather used to own a cabin in New Buffalo, right on the beach of Lake Michigan. He left it to John in his will."

"Sounds nice," Diane said.

It did. If only John hadn't insisted on taking his bike… What was wrong with taking a car, like sane people would? She'd seen the bike and doubted that there would be enough room for her and John to sit on it together. What if she fell off?

"See? I told you he was dating Nancy Crozier…" Kalinda said to Cary, startling Alicia from her thoughts.

As she followed their gazes, she saw the outside door open and Finn come in, Nancy in tow. But it was the sound of a heavy engine that drifted in after them as the door slowly closed again that made her heart start to pound in her chest.

"Hey Alicia! I think your ride's here," Finn said. Nancy's eyes widened at the sight of Alicia her leather clothes.

Alicia drained her wine and put on her new cream-colored jacket, the smell of leather she'd come to associate with John over the past six weeks now surrounding her and calming her enough to pull the zipper up without anyone noticing the slight tremble in her hands. "Okay, see you all on Monday then," she expelled a heavy breath before muttering, "If I'm still in one piece by then…" Laughter and good wishes followed her to the door.

When she stepped outside, into the light of the setting sun, she felt her nerves settle slightly at the sight of John straddling his bike. She trusted this man with all of her heart, so she might as well trust him with her life, she decided as she walked towards him.

"Hey," she said when she reached him. Making a pirouette, she showed off her clothes. "So… How do I look?"

"Good enough to eat." He said, taking off his helmet and pulling her in for a kiss. "But there's something missing…" He continued when he withdrew. He reached behind him and produced another helmet. "Here, put this on and I'll take you for a ride."

Alicia's nerves returned full force when she put the helmet on and John helped her fasten it. But she refused to acknowledge them, instead giving him a decisive nod when he asked her if she was ready. She climbed onto the bike and he showed her where to put her feet. Then he started the engine, making her squeal and grab on to him as tight as she could.

"Don't worry! I'll go slow the first couple of miles!" She could barely hear him over the noise the bike was producing, but the hint of amusement in his voice came through very clearly.

"Just the first couple of miles?" she muttered, her voice sounding strangely confined. Then she squealed again, tightening her hold on John even more as he set the machine from hell into motion. Slowly, like he'd promised. But gradually picking up speed as they made their way through the familiar streets of Chicago, before leaving the city behind.

It wasn't long after they'd passed the city limits before the sense of freedom John had told her about took hold of Alicia and she relaxed, a wide smile coming on her face as she let go of her fear and simply enjoyed the ride.

§§§

John smiled as he looked out over the beach from the kitchen window, lost in childhood memories of long weekends like this one, building castles in the sand with his grandfather, water skiing with his friends and later, as a teenager, picking up girls at the New Buffalo ice cream parlor downtown. But although he'd had some great times here, the company had never been as good as it was now.

His gaze landed on Alicia, sitting in the sand by the water, looking out over the lake. She really was something else. He'd seen the fear in her eyes right before she climbed on his bike, but she'd met her fear head on and defeated it before they were even halfway. If he were honest, he'd been a little bit nervous himself, too. He still hadn't completely shaken the memory of the incident on the I-65, and if the weather forecast had predicted even a slight chance of rain, he would have left the bike in Chicago and brought her here by car. But this time it seemed the weather Gods were on his side, and the ride had been smooth and very enjoyable, with her curves firmly pressed up against his back.

The coffee maker was done, so John reached into one of the overhead cabinets and pulled out two mugs, one of which read The World's Best Grandma in faded letters. It reminded him of a thought he'd had earlier today. A crazy thought, but he couldn't seem to shake it. It was crazy, because Alicia's divorce had only been finalized today. It was also crazy because they hadn't known each other that long. He hadn't even been formally introduced to her family yet. So he would wait. Still, he wondered what had happened to his grandmother's old wedding ring, a beautiful piece of jewelry made out of three delicate bands of gold woven together in an intricate pattern. It would look beautiful on Alicia's finger, he imagined. Maybe he could ask his mother where it was, next time he saw her…

Shaking his head with a slightly self-deprecating grin, he poured the coffee. He'd never been a guy to stay in one place, he hadn't been lying when he'd told Marissa that on election night, but look at him now. Who would have thought that he would not only settle in one place, holding a steady job, but also start having thoughts of settling down in other ways so soon?

He picked up the mugs and stepped out on the deck, inhaling the fresh evening air. Alicia turned her head, as if she'd sensed him come out, and smiled. He didn't think he would ever get enough of her smile. He held up the mugs and she waved him over, clearly enjoying this peaceful moment too much to come back inside already, even though it was getting dark. John couldn't blame her. He stepped onto the beach, the cool sand soft under his bare feet as he made his way toward her.

§§§

It was just a ninety minute drive, but still the city and her everyday life seemed so far away here, Alicia thought as she quietly left the cabin on sunday morning and walked to her favorite spot on the beach, right by the water where she had an amazing view of the Chicago skyline in the distance. She had really enjoyed this weekend retreat with nothing other to worry about than potential sunburn.

But now it was almost time to return to real life, and she found herself worrying about Zach and Grace. Over the past six weeks, they seemed to have gotten a little more used to their parents not even pretending to be together anymore, so that was all good. But it wouldn't be long before she would introduce them to John, and she wasn't sure they would just take that in stride... Although she wasn't pregnant of course, so their reaction to John could hardly be as bad as or worse than their reaction to Ramona, right? Grace had even refused to spend the weekend over at Peter's, and was now staying with a friend. Peter sure hadn't liked that, especially with Zach opting to stay at Georgetown when he heard his mother was going out of town for the weekend.

So, yeah, Alicia really hoped that her kids and John would get along. She'd hinted that the 'friend' she was going out of town with was a man, trying to ease them into the idea of her moving on from their father before outright telling them. But she wasn't sure they'd picked up on it, since they had both just told her to have fun. Although Grace had added that she was glad her mom was 'traveling to new places', so maybe her daughter had read between the lines after all. She'd find out for sure next weekend, at the family dinner she had planned for Saturday evening. Her mother and Owen would be there too. As would John.

"Good morning, sunshine." John's arms came around her from behind.

"Hey you," she replied, turning around and pulling him in for a kiss.

"So, ready to go home?" He asked when they broke apart again.

"Only if you are coming home with me." When she saw his eyes widen in surprise, she realized what she'd said and chuckled. "That's not what I meant. I think you should at least meet my kids before you move in with me, don't you?"

He smiled. "Are you saying you can actually see us living together at some point?"

Alicia answered his smile, secretly wondering what he would say if she told him that she could even see them get married... Not right away, of course, that would be crazy. But who knew, maybe in a year or two?

"Definitely," she said, answering both his question and her own unspoken one.

The End

A/N: In this epilogue, I have tried to wrap up some minor storylines as well as give Alicia and John their happy ending. I hope you liked it, even though it didn't contain any of your requests. I couldn't write those in without starting new story lines, and that is not what an epilogue is for. But I have taken note, and if I ever write the requested sequel I will try to incorporate Owen and Veronica, payback for Peter, John in Alicia's office and interacting with Diane... And whatever else I can think of.

But the sequel will have to wait, because I have another idea first. My next fic will be about Alicia and John, but also about a couple from another show, and it will be M-rated crime/romantic suspense. I hope to start posting the new fic soon, but it requires a lot of research, so please be patient. If you don't want to miss the first chapter, hit the follow author button if you haven't already ;)

In the meantime, I have really enjoyed writing this story and reading your thoughts on it. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Special thanks to Anita, Elize and Kathy, who all love John and Alicia as much as I do and don't mind listening to me obsessing about the show, lol.

FIND MY NEW STORY IN THE M-RATED CROSSOVER SECTION... IT IS CALLED BLOOD RUNS HOT