Fic - Sway (Alicia, Will/Alicia) pg, 1/1
Title: Sway
Summary: Alicia closes her eyes and makes a memory to carry with her, to last until she's ready.
Rating: pg
Author's Notes: 1,012 words. Set directly after 2x23, Closing arguments. Written for the prompt sentimental over at sweetjamielee's comment fix-a-thon.All mistakes are mine. These characters, however, are not.
In the morning she wakes to the sunlight filtering through the window and the sound of their personal bellhop knocking on the door. It takes her a moment, a few actually, to re-enter reality, to digest and compartmentalize everything that has happened, to brace herself for the eventual repercussions. The bed shifts behind her and it startles Alicia. The movement, the invasion manages to drag her fully over that line between consciousness and sleep and into reality. She watches through half-lidded eyes as Will pulls on an undershirt and crosses the suite to the doorway. There are some whispered words, an exchange of money, and Alicia watches the curve of Will's back, listens to the smooth and efficient tone of his voice and remembers the man she met all those years ago. Alicia fondly remembers the man who fumbled kisses and held her hand and knew nothing about longing and unrequited love. Of the moral gray area they have both grown to know so well.
Alicia remembers the person she was then, too - the somewhat naive, soft, still idealistic young woman who thought she could somehow have it all - the perfect career, the perfect marriage, the perfect life.
(The hindsight would make it amusing if it didn't hurt so much to realize how badly time has treated them.)
As he turns around Will's smile perpetually twists at the corner of his mouth and Alicia finds herself smiling back without so much of an afterthought. Things are natural and easy, almost as if this is something they've been doing all their lives, like they are just picking right back up where they left off a decade and a half earlier. It's nice, calm, and over breakfast they joke and laugh about nothing at all important. They ignore the clock ticking away their time together on the bedside table. They ignore the harsh reality of the outside world threatening to impede on this lovely fantasy they've created amongst themselves. He reaches for her hand across the table and she lets him, watches their fingers intertwine and smiles something beautiful in return.
Will stares at their hands for a long time. Alicia catches him, a quiet little smile playing on her lips, but says nothing of it.
It's perfect until it's not, until they're about to leave and Will is joking about how he probably didn't even get any points for using his American Express last night and she finds herself laughing absently, her mind on something else entirely. Alicia turns to him in the elevator, her hand brushing against his as their arms dangle at their sides.
"This isn't... I'm not..." she starts and stops and tries to think of a nice way to say it, to say that she's not ready for this. That in her heart she's still married, that she's been with Peter for so long that she needs to learn how to adjust to not being with him. That she needs to not be married to him in every sense of the word before they can ever do this again. Alicia wants to tell him she thinks it could very well end up being the two of them attempting happily ever after one day, but she can't even begin to find the right words to string together and push past her lips.
"I know," he says after a moment. Will ducks his head and shuffles his feet and actively doesn't look at her. It breaks her heart for reasons she can't explain and she knows that she can't keep doing this to him. Alicia can’t keep giving him these things, this hope, and then taking it away. "It's okay."
The elevator dings. They step off without another word.
In the parking garage she kisses him softly, her mouth wide and certain under his as she opens herself wholly to him. Will falters for just a moment before losing himself in her, before his hands reach up and cup the side of her face. His fingers are warm against her soft skin and she moans into his mouth at the feel of his body pressed tightly against her, at the way he kisses her like it's for the very first time.
When they pull apart she's breathless and Will is smiling again, his eyes shining as he glances down at her. "See you later?" he asks softly. It's not the harsh goodbye she was expecting and there is a promise hidden under his words. She holds onto it the best she can and merely nods.
After, she sits in the car, her head resting against the back of her seat as she waits to flick on the engine until she sees the red of his taillights fading in her rear-view mirror. For a while she just sits there in yesterday’s clothes and yesterday's makeup, her hair curling at the ends and remembers the night before. Alicia tastes the hint of Will and tequila branded on the tip of her tongue, raises her fingers to her mouth and allows them to linger there for a while. She can feel his touch embedding itself into her skin, licks her lips and can still taste him perfectly.
Alicia closes her eyes and makes a memory to carry with her, to last until she's ready.
At home Owen just smiles knowingly. Only teases her after the kids are out of earshot and she's freshly showered and has her guard fully up. He knows her well, knows there are some things she shares willingly and others she doesn't. Alicia has always been more private than most.
"It looks good on you," he tells her. They have The Today Show playing softly in the background. Alicia holds her cup of coffee snugly between her palms and makes a show out of staring at the files in her lap.
"What does?" she questions innocently.
"Happiness. You look happy." Owen bumps his shoulder with hers, his tone quiet, cautious. "It's been so long that I'd forgotten what it looked like."
All Alicia can do is smile and wait.
Summary: Alicia closes her eyes and makes a memory to carry with her, to last until she's ready.
Rating: pg
Author's Notes: 1,012 words. Set directly after 2x23, Closing arguments. Written for the prompt sentimental over at sweetjamielee's comment fix-a-thon.All mistakes are mine. These characters, however, are not.
In the morning she wakes to the sunlight filtering through the window and the sound of their personal bellhop knocking on the door. It takes her a moment, a few actually, to re-enter reality, to digest and compartmentalize everything that has happened, to brace herself for the eventual repercussions. The bed shifts behind her and it startles Alicia. The movement, the invasion manages to drag her fully over that line between consciousness and sleep and into reality. She watches through half-lidded eyes as Will pulls on an undershirt and crosses the suite to the doorway. There are some whispered words, an exchange of money, and Alicia watches the curve of Will's back, listens to the smooth and efficient tone of his voice and remembers the man she met all those years ago. Alicia fondly remembers the man who fumbled kisses and held her hand and knew nothing about longing and unrequited love. Of the moral gray area they have both grown to know so well.
Alicia remembers the person she was then, too - the somewhat naive, soft, still idealistic young woman who thought she could somehow have it all - the perfect career, the perfect marriage, the perfect life.
(The hindsight would make it amusing if it didn't hurt so much to realize how badly time has treated them.)
As he turns around Will's smile perpetually twists at the corner of his mouth and Alicia finds herself smiling back without so much of an afterthought. Things are natural and easy, almost as if this is something they've been doing all their lives, like they are just picking right back up where they left off a decade and a half earlier. It's nice, calm, and over breakfast they joke and laugh about nothing at all important. They ignore the clock ticking away their time together on the bedside table. They ignore the harsh reality of the outside world threatening to impede on this lovely fantasy they've created amongst themselves. He reaches for her hand across the table and she lets him, watches their fingers intertwine and smiles something beautiful in return.
Will stares at their hands for a long time. Alicia catches him, a quiet little smile playing on her lips, but says nothing of it.
It's perfect until it's not, until they're about to leave and Will is joking about how he probably didn't even get any points for using his American Express last night and she finds herself laughing absently, her mind on something else entirely. Alicia turns to him in the elevator, her hand brushing against his as their arms dangle at their sides.
"This isn't... I'm not..." she starts and stops and tries to think of a nice way to say it, to say that she's not ready for this. That in her heart she's still married, that she's been with Peter for so long that she needs to learn how to adjust to not being with him. That she needs to not be married to him in every sense of the word before they can ever do this again. Alicia wants to tell him she thinks it could very well end up being the two of them attempting happily ever after one day, but she can't even begin to find the right words to string together and push past her lips.
"I know," he says after a moment. Will ducks his head and shuffles his feet and actively doesn't look at her. It breaks her heart for reasons she can't explain and she knows that she can't keep doing this to him. Alicia can’t keep giving him these things, this hope, and then taking it away. "It's okay."
The elevator dings. They step off without another word.
In the parking garage she kisses him softly, her mouth wide and certain under his as she opens herself wholly to him. Will falters for just a moment before losing himself in her, before his hands reach up and cup the side of her face. His fingers are warm against her soft skin and she moans into his mouth at the feel of his body pressed tightly against her, at the way he kisses her like it's for the very first time.
When they pull apart she's breathless and Will is smiling again, his eyes shining as he glances down at her. "See you later?" he asks softly. It's not the harsh goodbye she was expecting and there is a promise hidden under his words. She holds onto it the best she can and merely nods.
After, she sits in the car, her head resting against the back of her seat as she waits to flick on the engine until she sees the red of his taillights fading in her rear-view mirror. For a while she just sits there in yesterday’s clothes and yesterday's makeup, her hair curling at the ends and remembers the night before. Alicia tastes the hint of Will and tequila branded on the tip of her tongue, raises her fingers to her mouth and allows them to linger there for a while. She can feel his touch embedding itself into her skin, licks her lips and can still taste him perfectly.
Alicia closes her eyes and makes a memory to carry with her, to last until she's ready.
At home Owen just smiles knowingly. Only teases her after the kids are out of earshot and she's freshly showered and has her guard fully up. He knows her well, knows there are some things she shares willingly and others she doesn't. Alicia has always been more private than most.
"It looks good on you," he tells her. They have The Today Show playing softly in the background. Alicia holds her cup of coffee snugly between her palms and makes a show out of staring at the files in her lap.
"What does?" she questions innocently.
"Happiness. You look happy." Owen bumps his shoulder with hers, his tone quiet, cautious. "It's been so long that I'd forgotten what it looked like."
All Alicia can do is smile and wait.