A\N: This is my 11th Fluff and comfort oneshot, and this is more of a happy/romance oneshot for our couple, with the sadness, comfort and fluffiness intertwined. I hope you enjoy this one, Angels.
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Oneshot 11 title: Will and Alicia (the loss of a friend)
Oneshot 11 summary: Will and Alicia mourn the loss of a friend from college.
POV: 3rd person.
Chapter count: 1.
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Alicia wanted to tell Will he was mistaken but she couldn't deny that he was telling the truth when she saw his face.
They're at work, in a meeting when Will's phone rings in the middle of it, he shoots Diane an apologetic look and leaves the conference room without a word as he answers the ringing phone. Alicia watches as he takes the call, walking into his office. The call lasts for more than half an hour. She notices his steps back to the conference room are shaky and his face is pale, he looks like he'll pass out at any second.
"A... Alicia, I need to talk to you alone, in my office." He says, his voice cracking when he says her name. She stands up and makes her way to him, placing her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes. What she sees in his eyes, she hasn't ever seen, and never ever wants to see again: tears.
"Will, Will, what's wrong? What's going on?" She asks him, her voice is low so that only he can hear her. Will just shakes his head. "I'll tell you in private, just come with me?" He asks. She nods, takes his hand and leads him to his office.
Alone in his office, Will has his back to the door.
"Leesh, I got a call from Tony's CO," Will starts before taking a breath.
Already she can tell it'll be bad: Tony's CO only calls Will if it's serious.
"Leesh, Tony's dead, he was killed by an IED this morning." Will says, Alicia shakes her head, it can't be true. Tony can't be dead, he was a stubborn bastard who refused to be put down.
"Why didn't his CO call both of us then? That was our agreement. If Tony was KIA, then his CO would call both of us." She argues. Will sighs. "He changed it after Peter's sex scandal and imprisonment, he thought that you had enough on your plate without adding his death on top of it. He made the choice, Leesh." Will says, right now, Alicia can't find it in her to care about why Tony changed their 15 year agreement. Tears slip down her face as she hugs Will.
Will's arms wrap around her as he holds her close, his tears falling down his face. "I can't believe he's dead." She sobs, leaning into his shoulder.
"I can't either, he shouldn't be dead." Will agrees with her. Alicia pulls away from Will and sighs, wiping her eyes.
"What are we gonna do, Will?" Alicia asks. Will sighs and wipes away the remaining tears off her face before wiping his own face of tears. "We go back into the meeting then tonight we'll talk." Will says, Alicia nods and walks out of Will's office, Will beside her.
Everyone turns to look at them when they reenter the conference room. "Everything okay?" Diane asks them as they sit down at the table. Will nods his head, lying to his partner. Diane lets it drop in front of the partners, Alicia grabs his hand and holds it throughout the rest of the meeting, no one questions the drying tears on their faces, Alicia leaning into Will or their hand holding.
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Will pours them both a glass of scotch and sits beside her on his sofa, handing her a glass. He raises his glass in a toast.
"To Tony." He says sombrely.
"To Tony." She echoes, clinking their glasses together and sipping their scotch, kicking off her heels.
Silence surrounds them as they drink, both of them remembering their friend.
The two of them met Tony a week after the first semester started, they were in Criminal Law 101, and became a study group. The three of them became The Three Musketeers on campus. It was known to the guys on campus who wanted to date Alicia that they had to pass 'the best friends test', which more than the majority didn't come close to passing the test, to the relief of Will and Tony, and the dismay of Alicia, but if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't all that interested in dating. It was also known that the three of them were protective of each other, going as far to take the blame for each other if they got in trouble.
After they graduated, Tony did a year of lawyering before telling Will and Alicia he had joined the Marines. He got a slap across the face from Alicia that made Will wince and left Tony with a bright hand print on his cheek. He left for basic training the day after Alicia married Peter, he and Will both walked her down the aisle and danced with her. He called her the day she gave birth to Zach, congratulating her for giving him and Will a nephew and did the same when she had Grace.
Over the years, both Will and Alicia got calls about Tony being injured, but that he had survived. Over time both Will and Alicia started to believe that nothing could keep Tony down for long, that he'd always stay alive.
Until today.
"He was a great brother, wasn't he?" Will suddenly asks, placing his empty glass on the table in front of them and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, he was." She agrees, drinking the dregs of her scotch and placing her glass beside his.
"What did his CO say to you?" She asks, Will sighs.
"Said that Tony died from an IED, went out a hero, saved four kids before the blast went off, the shrapnel killed him instantly so his death was instantaneous. The Marines are planning his funeral for us, so that we don't have. He'll get a Medal of Honour. His CO said he'd either email or call us to let us know when his funeral is, should be next week or so, we can invite whoever we want." Will explains.
Alicia groans: when she first learned about Tony joining the Marines, she thought about what it'd feel like to know when she learned that Tony was dead. What she thought is nothing what she's experiencing now. It doesn't feel real to her yet.
"Okay." She says simply, staring out of his office door at everyone moving from one place to another.
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Tony's funeral is on a Thursday, a week after Will received the news and told Alicia. Diane, after being told about Tony and his death, has given them next four days off uninterrupted.
Will knocks on her door, two hours before Tony's funeral is scheduled, and lets his mouth hang open at the sight of her in a black dress with black heels. She smirks as she lets him in and hugs him.
"This day isn't going to be easy is it?" She asks as he pulls away. Will sighs and shakes his head, taking a seat on the sofa. "Not one bit, Leesh." He says, she smiles when she hears that nickname roll off his tongue. It's been ages since she's been called that by him.
"God, it's just starting to hit me that he's gone." Alicia says, swallowing the lump in her throat as she takes a seat beside him. Will wraps an arm around her shoulders. "I know, me too, Leesh." He says quietly. Will stands up and offers her his hand. "Come on, I'm taking you to breakfast before his funeral. I know you've not eaten yet and we need some time alone before we're swarmed with people." She takes his hand before going to her bedroom to retrieve her purse and coat, locking the door behind them. She slips her hand back in his as they walk to the elevator, a smile spreading across her face as images flash before her very eyes at what happened they were alone in an elevator. Will must be thinking the same thing because he chuckles.
He takes her to breakfast at a diner near to where Tony's funeral is taking place, and they order the same thing: pancakes with bacon and syrup. A lot of syrup. The way they had had them at Georgetown with Tony when they pulled all-nighters.
"Is it weird to want to pick up the phone and tell him we're having pancakes and bacon drenched in syrup, knowing he won't answer another one of our phone calls again?" Will suddenly asks after swallowing a mouthful of pancakes and bacon. She smiles sadly around her own pancakes and bacon drenched in syrup.
"No, it's not. I've had days like that too. Yesterday, after I won in court, I was texting him and was about to hit 'send' before I realised that he was never going to read another text." She answers sadly, Will covers her free hand with her own over the table, with a smile.
After they've eaten breakfast, Will takes hand again and they leave the diner, walking around the block to a park close to Tony's funeral venue. They find an empty bench and sit down, shivering as the wind nips at the two of them. Alicia pulls her coat closer around her, crossing her legs to warm them up.
"He was rooting for us to get together, you know." Will suddenly says as they watch two toddlers run past them, giggling.
"I know. He wanted us to get together in Georgetown. He tried to make me change my mind on my wedding day to Peter, he was right." Will looks at her as she chuckles, remembering the past. She allows a smile to creep on her lips.
"He said 'Peter will only break your heart, hold you back, and chain you to his side. Will on the other hand will do anything in his power to keep you happy, move heaven and earth if it means keep you safe, he'll fight beside you to help you achieve your dreams, marry the man you can see growing old together, because I don't see you and Peter growing old together, I see you and Will on a porch and watching as your grandkids run around, Will holding your hand in his. You've captured his heart, Cavanaugh, give him a chance to capture yours.' But he knew I couldn't not marry Peter, I was pregnant with Zach, and even though you'd treat him like he was your own, I couldn't do that to Peter, no matter how in love with you I was. Tony was right about Peter breaking my heart and holding me back. I was out of law for 13 years because he wanted me to be a stay-at-home Mom and raise Zach and Grace, not that I regret for a second raising them, but I could've done both. Tony was always right, why didn't I do what I wanted instead of doing what was expected of me? We could've been so happy, Will, if I had chosen you 20 years ago."
Tears are falling from her eyes. If only she had listened to Tony the day of her wedding. She had just smiled through tears and said that Peter was her forever, and that Will was her best friend, nothing more, nothing else.
Will's lips press a kiss to her hair as her tears continue to fall down her face.
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Will holds Alicia's hand as they watch Tony's coffin being lowered into rain soaked ground. It started to rain a few minutes before his funeral started and hasn't stopped, not that he or Alicia mind nor do they care about the rain.
They're alone at his grave, rain falling down on them.
"We love you, Tony, Semper Fi." Alicia says, pressing her fingertips to his name and leaving Will alone to say his own goodbye.
Will simply stares at the headstone, unable to say anything. His best friend is dead.
"You were right about what you said to Leesh on her wedding day: she did capture my heart, and I'll move heaven and earth to keep her safe. Semper Fi my brother." Will says as tears make their way down his face. He's alerted to Alicia's presence by her hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, let's get home before we get sick." He says: the last thing either of them need is to get sick.
"Okay, but first," Suddenly her lips are on his, her arms winding around his neck, the rain continues to fall as the kiss deepens. They pull away when they need to breathe.
"You captured my heart the second I laid eyes on you at our 1L Orientation pool party, I was just scared to tell you." Alicia tells him, Will smiles and swings her around in the rain.
"Told you Tony was rooting for us." He says, kissing her again. Alicia laughs.
They walk out of the cemetery, hand in hand, rain soaking their clothes, smiles on their faces despite it being the funeral of Gunnery Sargent Tony Briggs.
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A\N: This has taken two days to write mostly because I had a meeting on Monday and I was reading all day today and kept getting distracted by The Good Wife,(7x16!) and new story ideas both for Fluff and comfort and for non related story ideas. I hope you enjoy, Angels.
