Disclaimer - I don't own The Good Wife

Author's note - Okay, so I know some of you will be thinking that Alicia would not abandon her kids to move to New York for a year. But let me just clarify that at this time her kids are growing up, and Peter is there. In my mind she made the decision because it would work out giving them all a better life. Plus in my mind she saw her kids a minimum of once a month.

American Bar Association Convention, Chicago, Illinois, 2015

It had been a strange year, actually that was an understatement.

This time last year the whole prospect of expanding was just that, a prospect. A dot on the horizon. A consideration. An idea. Now it was reality, it had happened. After days of considering New York or Washington DC, they had somehow managed to win the civil cases for the State's Attorney's Office in New York (thanks to all their success in Chicago), which had proven profitable enough to open offices in the city. All of that had happened just a month after the ABA convention in Boston, and after a long time spent considering, they had decided that Alicia would go to New York for the first year and get the offices set up.

The whole aesthetic of the New York office was very similar to that of their Chicago ones. They had chosen a run down building with views over the river, just outside of the city centre. Those offices had now being done up to the same level of those in Chicago. They were now fully staffed as well, which had meant that for the last six months Alicia had not had to do the work of ten associates as well as that of a named partner.

However a month she would be back in Chicago, and Cary would be leaving to look after the offices for his year. She would take over the running of the original offices, and maybe attempt to get some sort of a personal life.

The fact she had been away for so long meant that she hadn't seen Will since their last convention in Boston, when they had drunk enough to allow a civil conversation to take place. Alicia didn't know what would happen this year, she didn't know whether or not he would even be there. Let alone whether they would have a conversation which continued on in the same manner as the one they had participated in the year prior.

She was standing in the lift on her way up to the floor where the convention was based. The flight from New York had been delayed meaning that she had missed the entire first morning of the convention. When the doors opened she slipped out of the lift and made her way to the ladies room, deciding to freshen up before she was dumped into a room full of legal and political talk.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she felt as though she had somehow reversed the ageing process. The life she had been living in New York was a lot calmer than that which the last few years in Chicago had given her. The offices had opened with clients on their books and money in their pockets. Meaning that not every night was one where she would sleep in her office.

Taking in her appearance she decided she looked good. Alicia Cavanaugh was at the top of her game, and just looking at her reflection that was obvious. Her hair was a little longer, and fell just past her shoulders. Her eyes had a brightness that the feud with Lockhart & Gardener had stolen for a little while. The deep green of her silk blouse emphasised the paleness of her skin, making it look porcelain like, and the high waisted black pencil skirt accentuated her curves. Alicia knew that in the last few months she had put a little weight on, but she didn't care. She was happy in her self image, and she was happy in her life.

Cavanaugh, Argos & Associates was doing better than ever, despite the name change which everyone had told her would cause them to loose clients. If anything, it had drawn them in. The media had been kind over the divorce, or at least as kind as the media would be. Generally they had respected the pair for cutting ties, and rumour had yet to leak of Peter's second round of adultery. When it did, Alicia knew that it would only increase the client base of her firm. Her children had taken the new exceptionally well. Whilst they were sad that it meant there was no hope of their parents ever rekindling, then saw in their mother's eyes that was what she wanted, and that was enough for them. Both had seen how much happier she had become in the last year, and that in turn made them happy. Because she had given up everything for them, it was about time she got to enjoy her own life.

Many had wondered why she changed her name when everything she had achieved in the last few years she had achieved as Alicia Florrick, but she always simply replied with 'I'm more than my surname'.

Taking a deep breath the brunette applied a coat of her red lipstick and smiled, she was happy. That evening she would get to see her children for the first time in a month, and that was enough to get her through an afternoon of boredom.

"Alicia!" Cary greeted her, pushing through the crowd of suited lawyers to meet his partner. She gave him a hug, glad to see the man who had become one of her closest friends in the last few years. "Finally decided to show up?"

Alicia just laughed at the comment, glad to be around friends once more. "How have you been Cary?" She questioned, looking at him seriously. Whilst they had spoken on what was almost a daily basis for the last year, the majority of their conversations had centred around either some aspect of their firm or the law. It was only on occasion, when the calls had continued late into the night and the conversational topic had segued off that they spoke in a personal nature.

"Good." He answered with a smile. As he stood there he took in the appearance of his partner. This time a year ago she had looked overworked, stressed and exhausted. Whilst she was still two of those things – they both were – the exhaustion had been replied by a new lease of life. Whether that was the result of New York or her divorce, Cary didn't know. Yet part of him didn't really care, because at the end of the day she looked better for it. He was just glad to have his partner back to her old self, or rather a healthier and happier version of her old self. "You look well." He commented; the sincerity of his tone made Alicia smile.

"I am." She commented, a content smile forming over her features. Yet she was not the only one who looked well. Cary had a new sense of maturity about him, and a renewed confidence in his aura. He also had a new suit which was more expensive in taste that those he had worn back in the early days. Both of their lives meant that a lot of the time the majority of their pay checks ended up sat in their bank accounts untouched. After all neither one of them were in a serious relationship and Cary didn't have a family to support. So an expensive suit or hair cut here and there was more than deserved. "I like the suit." She commented making him smile. Automatically he straightened the dark blue tie he was wearing.

"You fancy escaping here and grabbing a coffee before the keynote?" He suggested, and Alicia nodded enthusiastically. That was certainly the best idea she had heard all day, and she was certain she was going to need the caffeine boost. Especially considering that this years keynote speaker was Louis Canning. A man who had an incredible talent for getting on her nerves.

Hours later, the keynote speech had finished and Alicia was stood outside the front door to her apartment. Carry-on case by her side, and smile on her face. Even from outside of the apartment she could hear the sound of her children and Owen inside. Her brother had been incredible the past month, and despite the distance they had somehow managed to become closer.

Alicia grabbed her case with one hand and opened the door with the other, stepping into her apartment. Before her coat was even hung up and the door closed she was hugging her children, a massive smile on her face. It didn't matter that they were growing up, to her they would always be her babies.

It was later that night, when she was curled up on the sofa, dressed in her pyjama shorts and a vest top, glass of wine in her hand that the name she had effectively avoided all day came up. "Is Will at this convention then?" Her bother asked, so out of the blue that she nearly spat her red wine all over him. Alicia's eyebrows rose and she glared at him, before taking another, larger, sip of the wine and contemplating her answer.

"I don't know." the lawyer responded, attempting to sound neutral. It was not a lie though, she honestly had no idea as to whether or not her former boss was at the conference. She hadn't seen him that day, however that was not to say he was not there. She had only attended the key note speech, and he may have decided to attend another speech instead. Alicia was pretty sure she had seen one on law and sports that he would much rather have been in. Alternatively he may just have been too caught up in work to attend.

"Hmm?" Owen pried, raising an eyebrow. Alicia just grabbed the cushion and hit him with it, he laughed and so did she, it was moments like these which New York had been so lacking in. "You look good sis." Owen complemented once their laughter had calmed down.

"I feel good. I feel like I know who I am again, like I know what I want; as Alicia Cavanaugh not Florrick." Owen just smiled at her response. He would be lying if he said he had not opened a bottle of champagne when he heard that his sister was divorcing her cheating husband. However he had managed to sound relatively empathetic on the phone. Or at least in his opinion he had.

"How are you?" She questioned, and before they knew it they were on their second bottle of wine, putting the world to rights and discussing everything from maths and law to relationships and internet dating. Both threatening the other with setting them an account up.

It was the next day, when the convention had broken for lunch that Alicia finally saw Will Gardner. After taking one look at the spread of half stale sandwiches and crushed crisps she had decided to go out and buy something. She was sat in a sandwich show, near the back, her chicken and avocado sandwich in front of her and coffee in hand. It was the kind of place that had big windows, bench seats and tables which looked like they had just chopped down a tree and dumped it in there. As she unwrapped the food and took a sip of her coffee she looked up, just as Will Gardner finished paying and began to survey the room on the hunt for a table.

To her surprise he had walked over and sat down opposite her. The brunette woman didn't miss the way he stared at her for a moment before he even said anything. Her blushing gave away that she had noticed and caused red to rise up his neck as well. She pushed a stray hair behind her ear and sat back, taking a sip of her coffee. "Hey." He said, and she just smiled.

"Hey." She replied, wondering why he was sat in front of her, wondering if it was sign that he had forgiven her.

"You look good, really good." Will complemented, and she smiled, taking a bite of her food.

"Thank you, you look just the same." And that was true, because he had not changed a bit since the last time she had seen him.

"I'll take that as a complement." He stated, and she just nodded, not knowing quite what she was meant to say. "Congratulations on New York, looks like you beet us there."

"It was mainly Cary. I just went up there and set it all up. He laid the foundations."

"Congratulations none the less."

A few minutes passed, minutes filled with silence and not the kind which was comfortable. Picking up her napkin she wiped her hands before looking over at him as he ate his BLT. Taking a deep breath she decided to face the situation head on. After the past year she had realised that if he never wanted her then it wasn't the end of her world. She would move on, and she would survive. It was the not knowing which was the worst part, that was what she couldn't cope with. "Why are you here Will?" She questioned, eyes serious.

"I wanted a decent lunch-"

"No, why are you here? Why are you sat at my table?"It was hard, saying the things that might send him running away or lead to another argument. She wasn't sure whether a year or two ago she would have been able to ask those questions or whether she would just have played along with the small talk. Things were different now though, she was different.

He looked at her, taken aback by her straightforwardness he took a deep breath. "I've missed you Alicia, I've missed fighting with you in court, missed seeing you across the table in depositions... I know we were ... I know we weren't really talking before you left, but not seeing you..."

"What are saying Will? That you want to be friends again? Because we are, friends I mean. Or at least I hope we are." Her voice was soft, tentative but serious and honest.

"We are friends, I've always thought of you as a friend, even through everything. If you had called and said you needed me then I would have been there."

"Then what? What are you trying to say Will? Because I have spent the last two years waiting for you to forgive me, to give me a sign. This last year, though, I've realised I don't want to wait anymore. If you don't want me now, then I want to be able to move on. I've spent too long hoping that things will change, with Peter, with you. I don't want that anymore. So I'm asking you, do you want me? Do you want us?"

He looked at her, at the passion ablaze in her eyes, and realised for the first time that he had forgiven her. He knew why she had left, he understood. At the end of the day he might not agree, but all she had wanted was the chance to build what he had built. But from the ground up. She had wanted to be able to stand there and say look what I did, and I did it on my own.

He understood that.

Sitting across from her, looking at the may she had evolved in the last year, he found himself falling for her all over again. Her hair was longer, like it had been the day they graduated, her eyes sparkled and her face glowed. It wasn't that which he was falling in love with though, that he had never stopped loving. He was falling in love with her success, her confidence, her passion... All of her.

"I want us." Was his reply. The corners of Wills lips began to lift, hoping she would respond, hoping she would smile. Will Gardner had never felt a moment go so slow. The look of surprise that took over her face, the shock, the fear, all of which were overtaken eventually by a smile. Relief flooded through him. His hand automatically moved forward, and grabbed hers. The contact made her close her eyes in bliss simply because of how surreal the moment was.

In that moment, neither of them knew what was to come. Neither knew whether it would work or where they went. But there was hope, and that was something they could work with.

"So do I." Alicia replied. She looked in Wills eyes before she spoke. Not knowing quite how to say what she wanted to. "If we are going to do this, then we need to do it right. We don't just jump into bed, okay? We date, and we get to know each other again. The people we are now, not the people we were three or so years ago, or the people we were at Georgetown. Then we see where this goes."

"Okay, I agree." He said, smiling. Will was pretty sure that in that moment he would have agreed to anything and everything she said.

She smiled, wide and bright, and he squeezed her hand. They were finally moving in the right direction. Even if it felt like it had taken them over twenty years.

This was a year after the last chapter, just to reinforce that.

Reviews are welcomed.

Abby x