fic: vast difference (will/alicia)
Title: Vast Difference
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Will/Alicia, Zach, Grace
Rating: PG
Summary: I just realized...you’ve never dated a woman with kids before.
Author's Note: post-2x22; I started writing this a long time ago, but after last night, I realized it was relevant and appropriate.
Alicia has spent the past few months seeing Will in places she’s not used to seeing him--across from her at a restaurant, not in the firm’s conference room, next to her at a bar, not at a courtroom table, her bed, not her office--but this might top them all. (Who is she kidding. Her bed.)
From her seat on the bleachers, she sees Will’s black Lexus pull into the gravel lot. She’s slightly surprised when he steps out of his car wearing a long-sleeved cotton shirt. She knows its Georgetown before she even sees the school’s crest. He’s still wearing his suit pants and strides across the field, a black canvas jacket in hand, not even needing to pause to spot her. Alicia waves anyway and she knows her smile is a mile wide.
“Did I make it?” he asks as he slides next to her on the cool metal bleachers, his hip flush against hers.
Very punctual, she notes. “You definitely did. They’re still warming up.” She thinks of all the times Peter was late or wouldn’t show up at all and she would take a sullen Grace home.
Will’s hand grips her tricep, the warmth of his fingers bleeding straight through the layers she’s wearing. “Hi,” he murmurs in her ear.
She turns her face towards him, just slightly, smiling. “Hey.”
He doesn’t kiss her. It’s too public and too soon.
“Let’s go, Grace!” he claps as the team jogs over to the sideline, the game getting ready to start.
Alicia giggles. It’s both endearing and odd to see him this way.
He grins at her. “You gotta be loud or she won’t know you’re here,” he says teasingly.
Those years they weren’t really friends, when she’d run into him occasionally, Will always made it a point to ask about Zach and Grace.
The two of them are nestled together in her bed on a Sunday morning, Alicia perfectly content to listen to the rhythm of his heart when they hear the front door open. “Mom!” a voice calls.
“Shit.” Alicia bolts up in bed.
“Is that--” Will asks, a little slower on the uptake, but at this point they’re both frantically pulling on clothes, Will tossing Alicia her bra.
“I’m sorry...supposed to be at Peter’s...” she speaks in half sentences as she dresses, glancing over at him.
“It’s okay,” he tells her and she knows he really means it. Alicia glances in the bathroom mirror to check her hair and opens the bedroom door, stepping out into the hall. “Zach?” she calls. Will wanders to the kitchen to make coffee.
A couple minutes later, Alicia comes into the kitchen, followed by Zach. “Zach, you remember Will, right?”
“Of course,” Zach nods, setting his book bag down at one of the stools, and shaking Will’s hand when its offered.
“How are things?” Will asks.
Zach shrugs. “Pretty good, I guess.”
“I know you have to go meet up with your study partner, but do you want breakfast or anything first?” Alicia inquires, her hand on her son’s arm.
But Zach shrugs her off, saying he can get a snack at the coffee shop where he’s meeting his friend. “Nice to see you again,” he nods to Will before he leaves.
“Yeah, you too,” Will nods. “Study hard,” he adds at the last second and Zach gives him a half-hearted grin as he walks towards the door.
“Sorry,” Alicia apologizes when he’s gone, but there’s a glimmer of a smile pulling at her cheeks.
“What?”
“I just realized...you’ve never dated a woman with kids before.”
“Does it show?” he wonders, suddenly nervous, but playing it off with a deprecating smile.
Alicia returns the smile, but her eyes are studying him. “You’ll be fine, Will. Just relax.” She steps towards him, taking the mug of coffee he’s offering. “And they’re teenagers, so remember not to take their reactions personally.”
He grins into his coffee cup.
“What?”
“You’re a great mom.” She flushes at that, ducking her head slightly, but he catches her chin, kissing her softly.
“Thank you.”
Now he’s cheering on Grace’s soccer team. Her high school team, which boggles Alicia’s mind. She can’t believe her baby girl is fourteen. Grace still wavers on what group (Alicia hates calling them cliques) she fits in with at school. She’s not a jock, a “cool” Christian, or an emo kid, which she tried for a couple weeks right after Peter moved out. She has friends spread across different groups and she's fine with that. Plus, she still talks about law school quite a lot, which makes Alicia beam with pride.
“She's good,” Will comments after the first period is over.
“Really?”
“She hustles and she looks like she's having fun, which is all that really matters, right?”
“It is,” she nods, touched at how much Will is paying attention. She laces her arm through his. Alicia doesn't miss the slight smile on his face. He's good at this, she realizes. She knows its been hard with the kids.
A few weeks ago, Will offered Zach tickets to a Bulls game. Alicia knows how much Will prizes those tickets. “I usually watch basketball with my dad,” he told Will.
“Of course.” To his credit, Will doesn't flinch. “Well, I have season tickets, so if you ever change your mind...”
“Yeah. Thanks,” Zach brushes him off, heading into his room.
She apologizes to Will, who assures her its fine and he understands, but she knows it hurts him.
“Why didn't you take the tickets, Zach?” she asks after Will leaves.
Zach sighs and sits back in his desk chair. “It's...he's trying too hard. It's like he wants to replace Dad.”
“No one is trying to replace your father. Will was trying to get to know you and--”
Her son bites back. “Maybe I don't want to get to know him.”
“I just want us to get along, Zach,” she tells him. “Will's important to me. And he's a good guy. Next time he offers you tickets, you're going.”
So when Grace comes over after the game finishes, Alicia expects her daughter to be less than thrilled about Will's appearance. “Hi, mom,” she says cheerfully, her face bright, her long hair pulled back into a tight braid. “Some of the girls are going out for pizza. Is it okay if I go?”
“Of course. Do you need me to come pick you up after?”
She glances over at her friends waiting. “I'm not sure yet. I'll call.”
“Okay. Great game, sweetheart.” Alicia's aware of Will standing near her elbow.
“Yeah, great game,” he adds. “You might even be better than your mom was.”
Grace looks surprised, glancing between her mom and Will. “You played?”
Alicia feels her face flush. “In law school. Just for fun. It was a long time ago.”
“Don't let her fool you,” Will jumps in. “She was quick.”
Her daughter actually laughs at this. “You'll have to tell me about it later.” She starts to go, but stops and turns. “Thanks for coming,” she nods at him.
“Of course,” he smiles back. Alicia watches her daughter join her friends.
“I can't believe you told her that,” she elbows Will. He chuckles. “I can't believe you remember that.”
“Alicia, I refereed your games.”
“You did?” She frowns, trying to remember. “Oh.” The championship game. They were playing against the third years and when she scored the winning goal, she vaguely remembers kissing him in the middle of the soccer field. That version of herself always remains hazy, maybe purposefully so. She's lost track of how many times she's had to reinvent herself since then, but Will always seems to be able to find the old Alicia in her.
He's watching her now. “Yeah, oh,” he chuckles and laces his fingers through hers as they reach her car.
The divorce will be in the papers next week. So she breaks her earlier rule about it being too public and too soon and pulls Will towards her for a kiss. He looks surprised when they break apart. “Thank you for being here.”
“Anytime,” he tells her.
“I know this isn't easy, Will...” She glances down at their fingers tangled together and spots the bare skin where her ring used to be.
He reaches up, tucking her hair behind her ear, his eyes connecting with hers. “Worth it, though,” he smiles easily. “You were always worth it.”
Alicia takes a deep breath. For the first time, she feels like things are going to be okay.
fin
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Will/Alicia, Zach, Grace
Rating: PG
Summary: I just realized...you’ve never dated a woman with kids before.
Author's Note: post-2x22; I started writing this a long time ago, but after last night, I realized it was relevant and appropriate.
Alicia has spent the past few months seeing Will in places she’s not used to seeing him--across from her at a restaurant, not in the firm’s conference room, next to her at a bar, not at a courtroom table, her bed, not her office--but this might top them all. (Who is she kidding. Her bed.)
From her seat on the bleachers, she sees Will’s black Lexus pull into the gravel lot. She’s slightly surprised when he steps out of his car wearing a long-sleeved cotton shirt. She knows its Georgetown before she even sees the school’s crest. He’s still wearing his suit pants and strides across the field, a black canvas jacket in hand, not even needing to pause to spot her. Alicia waves anyway and she knows her smile is a mile wide.
“Did I make it?” he asks as he slides next to her on the cool metal bleachers, his hip flush against hers.
Very punctual, she notes. “You definitely did. They’re still warming up.” She thinks of all the times Peter was late or wouldn’t show up at all and she would take a sullen Grace home.
Will’s hand grips her tricep, the warmth of his fingers bleeding straight through the layers she’s wearing. “Hi,” he murmurs in her ear.
She turns her face towards him, just slightly, smiling. “Hey.”
He doesn’t kiss her. It’s too public and too soon.
“Let’s go, Grace!” he claps as the team jogs over to the sideline, the game getting ready to start.
Alicia giggles. It’s both endearing and odd to see him this way.
He grins at her. “You gotta be loud or she won’t know you’re here,” he says teasingly.
Those years they weren’t really friends, when she’d run into him occasionally, Will always made it a point to ask about Zach and Grace.
The two of them are nestled together in her bed on a Sunday morning, Alicia perfectly content to listen to the rhythm of his heart when they hear the front door open. “Mom!” a voice calls.
“Shit.” Alicia bolts up in bed.
“Is that--” Will asks, a little slower on the uptake, but at this point they’re both frantically pulling on clothes, Will tossing Alicia her bra.
“I’m sorry...supposed to be at Peter’s...” she speaks in half sentences as she dresses, glancing over at him.
“It’s okay,” he tells her and she knows he really means it. Alicia glances in the bathroom mirror to check her hair and opens the bedroom door, stepping out into the hall. “Zach?” she calls. Will wanders to the kitchen to make coffee.
A couple minutes later, Alicia comes into the kitchen, followed by Zach. “Zach, you remember Will, right?”
“Of course,” Zach nods, setting his book bag down at one of the stools, and shaking Will’s hand when its offered.
“How are things?” Will asks.
Zach shrugs. “Pretty good, I guess.”
“I know you have to go meet up with your study partner, but do you want breakfast or anything first?” Alicia inquires, her hand on her son’s arm.
But Zach shrugs her off, saying he can get a snack at the coffee shop where he’s meeting his friend. “Nice to see you again,” he nods to Will before he leaves.
“Yeah, you too,” Will nods. “Study hard,” he adds at the last second and Zach gives him a half-hearted grin as he walks towards the door.
“Sorry,” Alicia apologizes when he’s gone, but there’s a glimmer of a smile pulling at her cheeks.
“What?”
“I just realized...you’ve never dated a woman with kids before.”
“Does it show?” he wonders, suddenly nervous, but playing it off with a deprecating smile.
Alicia returns the smile, but her eyes are studying him. “You’ll be fine, Will. Just relax.” She steps towards him, taking the mug of coffee he’s offering. “And they’re teenagers, so remember not to take their reactions personally.”
He grins into his coffee cup.
“What?”
“You’re a great mom.” She flushes at that, ducking her head slightly, but he catches her chin, kissing her softly.
“Thank you.”
Now he’s cheering on Grace’s soccer team. Her high school team, which boggles Alicia’s mind. She can’t believe her baby girl is fourteen. Grace still wavers on what group (Alicia hates calling them cliques) she fits in with at school. She’s not a jock, a “cool” Christian, or an emo kid, which she tried for a couple weeks right after Peter moved out. She has friends spread across different groups and she's fine with that. Plus, she still talks about law school quite a lot, which makes Alicia beam with pride.
“She's good,” Will comments after the first period is over.
“Really?”
“She hustles and she looks like she's having fun, which is all that really matters, right?”
“It is,” she nods, touched at how much Will is paying attention. She laces her arm through his. Alicia doesn't miss the slight smile on his face. He's good at this, she realizes. She knows its been hard with the kids.
A few weeks ago, Will offered Zach tickets to a Bulls game. Alicia knows how much Will prizes those tickets. “I usually watch basketball with my dad,” he told Will.
“Of course.” To his credit, Will doesn't flinch. “Well, I have season tickets, so if you ever change your mind...”
“Yeah. Thanks,” Zach brushes him off, heading into his room.
She apologizes to Will, who assures her its fine and he understands, but she knows it hurts him.
“Why didn't you take the tickets, Zach?” she asks after Will leaves.
Zach sighs and sits back in his desk chair. “It's...he's trying too hard. It's like he wants to replace Dad.”
“No one is trying to replace your father. Will was trying to get to know you and--”
Her son bites back. “Maybe I don't want to get to know him.”
“I just want us to get along, Zach,” she tells him. “Will's important to me. And he's a good guy. Next time he offers you tickets, you're going.”
So when Grace comes over after the game finishes, Alicia expects her daughter to be less than thrilled about Will's appearance. “Hi, mom,” she says cheerfully, her face bright, her long hair pulled back into a tight braid. “Some of the girls are going out for pizza. Is it okay if I go?”
“Of course. Do you need me to come pick you up after?”
She glances over at her friends waiting. “I'm not sure yet. I'll call.”
“Okay. Great game, sweetheart.” Alicia's aware of Will standing near her elbow.
“Yeah, great game,” he adds. “You might even be better than your mom was.”
Grace looks surprised, glancing between her mom and Will. “You played?”
Alicia feels her face flush. “In law school. Just for fun. It was a long time ago.”
“Don't let her fool you,” Will jumps in. “She was quick.”
Her daughter actually laughs at this. “You'll have to tell me about it later.” She starts to go, but stops and turns. “Thanks for coming,” she nods at him.
“Of course,” he smiles back. Alicia watches her daughter join her friends.
“I can't believe you told her that,” she elbows Will. He chuckles. “I can't believe you remember that.”
“Alicia, I refereed your games.”
“You did?” She frowns, trying to remember. “Oh.” The championship game. They were playing against the third years and when she scored the winning goal, she vaguely remembers kissing him in the middle of the soccer field. That version of herself always remains hazy, maybe purposefully so. She's lost track of how many times she's had to reinvent herself since then, but Will always seems to be able to find the old Alicia in her.
He's watching her now. “Yeah, oh,” he chuckles and laces his fingers through hers as they reach her car.
The divorce will be in the papers next week. So she breaks her earlier rule about it being too public and too soon and pulls Will towards her for a kiss. He looks surprised when they break apart. “Thank you for being here.”
“Anytime,” he tells her.
“I know this isn't easy, Will...” She glances down at their fingers tangled together and spots the bare skin where her ring used to be.
He reaches up, tucking her hair behind her ear, his eyes connecting with hers. “Worth it, though,” he smiles easily. “You were always worth it.”
Alicia takes a deep breath. For the first time, she feels like things are going to be okay.
fin