Disclaimer - The Good Wife is not mine

Authors note - Thank you for your views Greatly appreciated :D Will may seem a little out of character in this chapter when you compare it to the last, but this one does take place over six months later, he is a little past tipsy and if he were to remain brooding for the entirety we would not be getting anywhere.

(I have checked and this is where the ABA was held in 2014)

The American Bar Association Annual Convention, Boston, Massachusetts, 2014

A year ago she had been making the keynote speech, Alicia was more than a little pleased that it wasn't her this year though. This time around she and Cary were there representing Florrick, Argos & Associates. The firm which now worked from two floors of office space, and was currently considering opening offices in either New York or Washington DC. To say that the contract with the States Attorney's Office was a saving grace would be an understatement. It had facilitated their signing of numerous large businesses in the last eight or so months, including one with offices in both DC and New York.

Florrick, Argos & Associates was no longer just the flavour of the month because of her surname, they were fast becoming one of the top firms in Chicago. The truth was that could easily move into larger offices in the centre of the city, but had decided that they all quite liked the rustic offices where the firm had began nearly two years ago. The final floor of the building was being restored, and they had managed to sort out a lift which had a bit more sophistication than the freight elevator had.

Despite the fact that they worked in the same city, and had many opposing clients, Alicia had not seen Will in the last couple of months. Rumour had it that he was focussing all his efforts on Chum Hum who had returned to Lockhart & Gardner only a couple of months after they had left. It was no secret that a lot of their clients were not quite as happy as they had once been.

Alicia's life had not just changed in respect to the fact that her firm was now one of the big guns, her life had changed in the fact that she had decided that she and Peter had reached the end of their marriage. Despite her concerns, she had hired David Lee as her divorce lawyer, and the proceedings were well underway. A confidentiality agreement had been signed by all parties at the demand of Eli. A man whom Alicia had expected to have a fit when the news was broken to him, but who had nodded and agreed it was for the best.

Over the years Eli Gold had developed a hell of a lot of respect for a Alicia Florrick. Whilst the media had seen her as a scared, prudish woman who was under the thumb of her husband, he had learnt that in actual fact all she did, she did for her children. A week after she had informed the crisis manager that she was to divorce her husband she arrived at her offices to discover Eli Gold stood in Cary's office shaking the younger man's hand.

Eli was now not only one of their biggest clients, but also the crisis manager for Florrick, Argos & Associates. Something which had no doubt been a blow to the gut of Lockhart & Gardner. Both Alicia and Cary had admitted a few months ago, when they were both a little shy of drunk, that they were pleased their former firm had not gone bust as the papers had speculated it was about to. After all both were well aware of the fact that neither would be in the position they were if it were not for Lockhart & Gardner. Alicia especially.

"Where is the bar? I need a drink." Alicia stated as she found Cary amongst the sea of suited lawyers. He just chuckled and turned away from his conversation to look at a very tired Alicia Florrick. As their firm had grown, so had their work load, and both were in need of a month off, never mind a week. However the two partners had decided that this time was too good to waste, and were making the most of it. Accumulating potential clients for their expansion and spending the early hours of the morning assessing whether New York or Washington DC would be the best venture.

"Well you are going to need it even more when you see who is here." Cary said, a knowing look on his face, Alicia's eyes immediately began to scan the room.

"Will?" She questioned, not even needing to see Cary's nod to know that she was correct in her guess. "Where is he?"

"I'm guessing with Diane, she is the keynote speaker this afternoon so I assume he is helping her prepare."

"Or using it as an excuse to avoid me."

Cary couldn't comment, he was well aware of the situation between his partner and former boss. However, he was also aware of the amount both cared about the other, and how deep those feeling ran. Something he was not entirely sure that either party was truely aware of. Alicia told Cary she would meet him in the auditorium for Diane's speech and headed towards the bathroom.

The mirror was large and covered almost the entire top portion of the wall. The lighting was harsh, and the lack of windows meant that every line of her face was exaggerated. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. The brunette placed her bag on the counter and pulled out her phone. Automatically she checked for messages and emails only to find nothing. Clark had been left in charge, and both she and Cary were safe in the knowledge that the running of their firm would remain smooth until they returned. It didn't stop her worrying though. In the last two years the economic state of the country had worsened, and she had seen firms that had once been so strong fall to the ground, fast. It had made her realise how fragile everything she had was.

Alicia pulled out her lipstick and swiftly applied the red to her lips. As she placed the lid on the makeup she heard someone emerge from a cubicle. Flicking her eyes upwards she saw Diane. Unsure how to react she smiled briefly before flicking her eyes back down again and placing her lipstick in her bag. Alicia then looked in the mirror, and tucked a few of the strands which had escaped the ponytail into the bobby pins.

"Any tips?" Diane asked, turning to look at the other lawyer.

"I don't think I'm the person to ask, do you?" Alicia commented, remembering how disastrous her speech the previous year had been. Or at least how disastrous it had felt from the podium.

"Well Will was impressed, and that takes a lot, he despises these things." Diane gave her a small smile. The older woman had noted how tired Alicia looked, noted the increased number of lines on her face. She didn't comment though, because she remembered all too well the early years of her own firm. She would be the first one in the office and last one to leave, always working on some way to ensure their security.

"Just be yourself, and remember no one would be there if they didn't care about what you were about to say. You will do perfectly Diane." Alicia smiled, before walking out of the women's bathroom and heading towards the auditorium.

She had long since changed out of her suit and was now sat in a bar a couple of blocks away from the hotel and venue of the ABA. Dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, and an oversized blue shirt she felt a lot more relaxed. Cary had gone out with some of his old law school class mates who had been at the convention. Despite the invite Alicia was now sat alone, away from the chaos.

She placed a piece of hair behind her ear before leaning forward to grab the oversized glass of red wine and take a sip. Her eyes glanced at the rest of the bar over the rim of the glass. It was a relaxed place, the kind of venue which has big, soft and squishy couches, and booths where you can see everyone but they can't quite see you. Where the wine is reasonably prices and if she weren't alone she would be drinking tequila by the bottle.

Her eyes took in the men who were gathered around the bar laughing, and that was when her eyes caught ahold of the man near the edge, the man she had effectively avoided for the entirety of the day, whom she had very nearly forgotten was even at the convention. As if it were some soppy romance movie he turned to survey the bar at the same time, and caught her eye.

Alicia placed her glass down and watched as he walked away from the men. Will Gardner was no longer dressed in a suit, but instead a pair of jeans which fitted him especially well, and his white shirt that he had no doubt worn in the day. Now he had the top button unfastened and the shirt untucked. The man she had known for over twenty years placed his bottle of bear on the table and slid into the booth.

"I've been trying to find an excuse to escape them for the last three hours." He said, and she smirked. She could tell from the tone of his voice that he had drunk more than she had; the way he blended 'three' into 'hours.

"If you're choosing me over them, then they must be bad." She commented, taking another sip of her wine, slightly larger this time for fear she may need it.

Will bit back a comment, and took another drink of his beer. They sat there in relative silence for a while, just drinking and ordering shots of tequila. Alicia felt the soft buzz of alcohol in her blood, and the desire to giggle from her tipsy state. "I don't hate you Alicia. I did, but I...I don't know, I just don't anymore. I haven't forgiven you, but..."

She looked at him, he was past tipsy, but wasn't that when they said you were your most honest? When you were drunk? "I'm divorcing Peter." She met his honesty with her own. Matching it bite for bite. His eyes widened and she saw him attempt not to smile. Because even if he did not like her anymore, even if he did not approve of the decisions she had made, he damn well knew that Peter did not deserve her. He never had.

"Why?"

"He had another affair, not just with some prostitute either, someone he worked with. I couldn't do it again, the press, the rumours, I'm not the person I was nearly six years ago."

"You shouldn't have to." He held up a fresh glass of tequila, somehow they had managed to acquire the bottle. Maybe the staff had gotten bored of bringing shots over. She didn't really care how it had gotten there, she was just glad that it had. "To fresh starts."

"To fresh starts." They downed the shots and she laughed as he pulled a face at the taste. It had never been his drink of choice, he had always preferred bear or Vodka. He had drunk it for her, but he didn't have the love nor the tolerance for it that she did. "Wuss!"

"Says you! I seem to remember it taking how many shots of vodka exactly to get you on the floor in Georgetown?"

"Oh, are we going there? Hmm? How many beers was it before you were unable to get the ball in the net?" She questioned laughing, remembering the night after their land law exam when they had taken a crate of beer down to the basketball court.

"You're one to talk, you couldn't even get it in when you were sober!"

"But I wasn't on the basketball team!" They both just laughed, probably more than the conversation deserved, but they would put that down to alcohol. When they finished she looked up, and caught his eye. It was one of those looks, a look which said so much more than it should, than they were able to with words. It was heavy, and emotional, and it took guts not to break that eye contact.

In the same way that all those years ago it was Owen who had stopped things going any further, that night it was Diane, calling him to remind him that he actually had to be awake before midday the next day, and he should probably make his way back to the hotel – if he was in a state to do so.

"I should probably-" He began.

"-yeah so should I." She agreed, and they got up from their seats, leaving more than enough money tucked under the bottle of tequila.

It was strange, there was something about tequila that changed how they viewed the consequences of things. That kiss in Georgetown had been down to tequila. The whole affair had begun on the back of tequila. Now, whatever it was they were doing, that was caused by tequila. A conversation, laughing and joking, that was in comparison to other people probably the equivalent of getting married.

It was significant, and as they walked back to the hotel in a comfortable silence, both contemplated their relationship. Alicia and Will, almost simultaneously realised that there was hope for them. Not now, because there was a whole lot of heeling to be done yet, but one day.

That, however, was a conversation for when they were sober. Or at least, more sober.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.

-Abby xx