Beaus (1/1)
Title: Beaus (1/1)
Author: frequencyshift
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: The Good Wife
Pairing: Alicia/Kalinda friendship, Alicia/Peter, Kalinda/Nick
Notes: Continuation of the storyline started by a prompt in sweetjamielee's 2012 Summer Ficathon. AU - what if Alicia and Kalinda met while still in Georgetown? You can find the first installment here and the second one here. Reading them is not necessarily required, but probably helpful.
He leans against the door to the bathroom, watching her with hooded eyes and a half smile. "You look nice," he says, eyes lazily trailing down before returning to her face.
Alicia shoots him a look, a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Thanks," she says, leaning forward as she puts the other pearl earring in. He can't help but admire how only Alicia could make a grandmother's jewelry look so modern and classy. "You didn't have to come over just to watch me get ready."
Peter shrugs, pushing off of the doorway and sliding up behind her. His hands sneak around her waist and he pulls her close. "You didn't honestly expect me not to, did you?"
She's rolling her eyes at him, and it makes him want to kiss her senseless. "We're engaged, not conjoined," she teases, but he can tell she's not at all displeased at his presence. Which is good, since he spent a small fortune on the ring she's wearing. He's not poor, but he doesn't come from the kind of money she does, and his parents are less financially supportive anyway.
He nuzzles her neck, breathing in the faint smell of perfume. "You could cancel," he hums, placing light kisses where he'd rather sink his teeth. "Spend the night in with me instead."
It was the wrong thing to say, apparently, because he feels the slight stiffening of her body. She's leaning forward to touch up her makeup in the mirror, and even though he shouldn't feel disappointed he does.
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to get her to agree to go out?" she asks as she paints her lips a gorgeous dark red. She presses them together, then uses the corner of her thumb to clean up an edge. "I practically had to get on my knees and beg. And still it took her almost two weeks to call."
He moves away, sitting on the closed toilet seat. "Tell me again why this is so important?" He'd never seen her so adamant about another person before. Even when they had started going out, Peter had been the aggressor, chasing her as she was forever looking demurely away. He'd be jealous if it wasn't for the ring. And the fact that this Kalinda was a woman, and not a man (not Will).
"I don't know how to explain it," Alicia says with a sigh. "I mean, I should be able to let it go. She just seemed so..." This time the noise she makes is of frustration. "I don't know. One moment she seems broken, the next so self-assured, and it's all wrapped in this bundle of mystery that I feel I could spend years solving and never get the answers." She turns away from the mirror, giving him a rueful smile.
Something in his gut tightens, and he reaches out for her hands, pulling her towards him in between his knees. She makes a small noise of complaint as he kisses her, and Peter knows he's ruining the makeup she just applied, but he doesn't care. "Just be careful," he says as she pulls away, cheeks flushed. "People who are mysterious tend to be frustrating. Don't let her play games with you."
Alicia shakes her head. "I know," she says, brushing a finger over his knuckles. "I really think it's just that she needs a friend. I honestly can't see her doing anything to hurt me." There's a confidence in her words that both soothes and worries him.
Peter wants to tell her to stay home. Her roommates are out, they have the place to themselves, and with her lipstick slightly smeared and flushed cheeks she is desire personified. He wants to worship her. But Alicia's got an independent streak, and he knows that won't work. So instead he grins rakishly and lets her hands go. "Well, if you get done early, you know where to find me. I'll be more than happy to let you play games with me."
She laughs as she slaps his shoulder, and turns to the mirror again. Peter's gut stays clenched.
--
The door slams as Leela is pulling on her leather jacket, and she looks up into the hallway mirror to see Nick watching her. He's hunched forward, jaw jutted out, and the scowl on his face is so commonplace that it doesn't even phase her anymore.
"Going out, I see," he says, and the nonchalance in his voice is more dangerous than anything else. "Got a date with some hot guy?"
"Just a friend," Leela says, grabbing her keys from the hall table, gripping the keychain tightly before turning around. "Nothing special."
He looks her up and down, notices the knee high boots, tight dress and leather jacket. Hair in a perfect up-do. "Right," he drawls. Nick bends down, unzipping the sides of his work boots before kicking them off. "Whatever. Is dinner made?"
She nods, watching as he moves past her into the apartment proper. "I left some butter chicken for you. There's rice in the cooker."
He moves to the tiny kitchenette, ignoring the tupperware on the counter and opening up the fridge. The hiss of carbon dioxide sounds throughout the apartment as he cracks open the beer, and then he's in the living room, slouching into the armchair. "Where's the remote?" he asks, not looking at her.
She spots it on the couch, a stretch away from him, and moves forward. Without saying anything she grabs it and hands it to him.
"Thanks," Nick says, not looking at her as he turns on the television. "Aren't you leaving? Wouldn't want to stand up your date."
"It's not a date," Leela says again, quietly. "I don't have to go, Nick."
He laughs quietly, and it cuts through the air like a knife. He glances at her again. "You don't have friends, Leela," he says bitterly. "You only have me, and the randoms you decide to fuck when I'm not good enough. Who the fuck is it, anyway?"
She blanches, a bit, and that's something new. Now he's interested, and his eyes focus in like lasers. "Shit, this is someone important, isn't it?" Nick's laughing now, and for a moment he looks like the man she married, the man he was when she desperately wanted to escape the strict life her father imposed on her. "Oh man, this is unreal." He snorts into his beer as he downs almost half of it. "Don't let me keep you waiting, sweetheart."
She's moving to stand in front of him, and then she's in his face, and this is something else that's new. Nick blinks, but doesn't withdraw from her presence. "What?"
"It's not a fucking date, Nick," she says fiercely. "Tell me to stay, and I'll stay. Just like I've stayed every other time, and just like I'll always stay." She blinks, and for a moment he thinks he might have spotted a tear.
He takes another drink. "Just like you've always stayed. Except when you didn't." The words cut them both. "It's fine. It was a mistake, so you've said." He laughs, and this time it's nothing but sad. "I'll get over it eventually. Go, have fun with your 'friend'."
She stands up straight, looking at him with eyes that are nothing like the eyes he married, and he wonders when it all changed. When he started to hate her so much. He wonders how long it will take for her to hate him back.
Leela walks out the door, closing it gently behind her. Nick doesn't watch her leave, eyes glued to the television.
--
Alicia glances at the delicate watch on her wrist for the third time that minute, nervously tapping a finger against the martini glass in her right hand. It's fifteen minutes past when they're supposed to meet, and she's starting to wonder if maybe Peter was right. Friendship, even fledgeling friendships, shouldn't be this hard.
"Sorry," a voice breathes into her ear, soft and warm, and then Kalinda is sliding onto the bar stool next to her. "I hope you weren't waiting long."
She smiles, shaking her head. "No," Alicia replies, and it's a total lie since she arrived twenty minutes early because that's just how she is. It doesn't matter, though, because the other woman didn't stand her up. She can forgive a little tardiness. "I've only been here a bit."
Kalinda smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "What're you drinking?"
"Vodka martini with a twist."
It suits the older woman, in a way. Most women her age were still drinking fruity cocktails, but Alicia seemed classier than an appletini. When the bartender sidles up, Kalinda thinks of ordering the same. "A shot of tequila and a Corona."
Alicia raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment. She opens her mouth to say something, then shuts it. Suddenly, she's chuckling, and when Kalinda gives her a look of confusion it just gets worse. "Sorry," she finally manages to say. "I just realize I have no idea how to start the conversation. That's never happened to me before."
"Speechless already?" Kalinda muses. "That can't be good."
"I know, right?" Alicia says, raising her glass to her lips. The move catches Kalinda's eye, and she can't help but appreciate the way the light reflects off of whatever lipstick the other woman uses. Maybe she'll ask about the brand later. "I should just be totally cliche. What are you studying?"
It is completely and utterly cliche, and Kalinda can't help but smile. "I'm majoring in journalism," she replies. "Although it's sad to say I'm not very good at writing. I make a much better researcher." Her drinks arrive, and she takes a moment to down the shot. "I'm actually pretty good at digging up information."
Alicia shrugs. "There's tons of jobs that you can do with skills like that. There's no reason you couldn't take that degree and do something other than write articles for some newspaper." She pauses. "Unless you're looking for a Pulitzer. Then you might have a problem."
Shaking her head, Kalinda traces a finger through a patch of condensation on the bar. "I never cared for winning any prizes," she says softly. "Although I think everyone wants to be the next Woodward and Bernstein. I just had this idea of finding the stories that, when brought to light, would change the world. Make things better for people."
Kalinda seems almost bashful, and it's so endearing Alicia wants to hug her. She's not nearly close to being drunk enough, though, so she settles for giving her a sappy smile. "That's so noble," she says. Maybe she is drunker than she thought. "I mean, you basically want to help people with words. Get in the dirt with them and then raise them up." She sighs. "Kalinda, I think I might be developing a bit of hero worship."
That causes the younger woman to practically spit out the beer she just drank, coughing for a moment before she can gather herself. "What?" Kalinda asks, completely baffled. "Why in the world...?"
Alicia rolls her eyes. "Just go with it, Kalinda. I don't pretend that it makes sense."
Taking another drink of her beer, Kalinda's mind races to find something to say. "Well, why did you want to be a lawyer?"
"It just kind of happened," Alicia responds after a moment. "I mean, my parents were always pushing me towards great things. I think they would have been just as happy if I'd been a doctor, or an engineer, or if I wanted to teach. But I'm good at arguing," and her cheeks flush a bit, "and I like puzzles. The law is like this great big puzzle that if I work at I can get it to do almost anything I want. In certain cases, you can even push it until it changes completely."
Kalinda's got a smile on her face now, and it goes all the way to her eyes. Alicia's chest feels a bit tight with how happy that makes her. "You're a law nerd," Kalinda says suddenly.
Alicia bristles a bit, even though it's entirely true and said without malice. "Maybe," she finally huffs, downing the rest of her drink. "So what?"
Kalinda shakes her head. "Nothing. I think it looks good on you, even if you are going to work for a soulless corporate law firm."
She motions for another martini before turning back towards Kalinda. "I hadn't exactly planned on going corporate," she admits, playing with her engagement ring. "But Peter is doing an internship with the DC appellate court, and then wants to do some time at the district attorney's office. Neither of them pay well, and we're getting married after graduation. It'll be nice to have a decent paycheck if we want to live somewhere other than a one-room apartment." She shrugs. "Besides, the law firm does pro bono work, some of which is human rights, and I've already been promised I can work on that."
"And you call me noble," Kalinda says with a twinkle in her dark eyes. "Maybe I should be the one feeling hero worship." Her dusky skin seems to darken a bit, but it's hard to tell in the light from the bar.
Alicia knows her own skin is flushed, but with another martini in her hand she finds that fact less embarrassing than she normally would. "Well, que sera sera." She leans forward, raising an eyebrow. "Now tell me, what did you do for your boss that got you hired? I just know there's a story there."
Kalinda leans forward a bit as well, a natural reaction. "Well..." she says slowly, drawing out the syllable with a small smile. She doesn't seem to realize that all the tension she'd brought to the bar is gone from her shoulders.
--
Peter stays up late, despite telling himself he shouldn't. Alicia doesn't call, and most of him doesn't mind.
--
Nick is up when Leela comes home, smelling of tequila and with a looseness in her stance that he hasn't seen in months. Her hair is still perfect, though, and in a way that makes him madder than if she had come home mussed and smelling of sex.
He makes love to her, and it's so tender it hurts.
Author: frequencyshift
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: The Good Wife
Pairing: Alicia/Kalinda friendship, Alicia/Peter, Kalinda/Nick
Notes: Continuation of the storyline started by a prompt in sweetjamielee's 2012 Summer Ficathon. AU - what if Alicia and Kalinda met while still in Georgetown? You can find the first installment here and the second one here. Reading them is not necessarily required, but probably helpful.
He leans against the door to the bathroom, watching her with hooded eyes and a half smile. "You look nice," he says, eyes lazily trailing down before returning to her face.
Alicia shoots him a look, a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Thanks," she says, leaning forward as she puts the other pearl earring in. He can't help but admire how only Alicia could make a grandmother's jewelry look so modern and classy. "You didn't have to come over just to watch me get ready."
Peter shrugs, pushing off of the doorway and sliding up behind her. His hands sneak around her waist and he pulls her close. "You didn't honestly expect me not to, did you?"
She's rolling her eyes at him, and it makes him want to kiss her senseless. "We're engaged, not conjoined," she teases, but he can tell she's not at all displeased at his presence. Which is good, since he spent a small fortune on the ring she's wearing. He's not poor, but he doesn't come from the kind of money she does, and his parents are less financially supportive anyway.
He nuzzles her neck, breathing in the faint smell of perfume. "You could cancel," he hums, placing light kisses where he'd rather sink his teeth. "Spend the night in with me instead."
It was the wrong thing to say, apparently, because he feels the slight stiffening of her body. She's leaning forward to touch up her makeup in the mirror, and even though he shouldn't feel disappointed he does.
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to get her to agree to go out?" she asks as she paints her lips a gorgeous dark red. She presses them together, then uses the corner of her thumb to clean up an edge. "I practically had to get on my knees and beg. And still it took her almost two weeks to call."
He moves away, sitting on the closed toilet seat. "Tell me again why this is so important?" He'd never seen her so adamant about another person before. Even when they had started going out, Peter had been the aggressor, chasing her as she was forever looking demurely away. He'd be jealous if it wasn't for the ring. And the fact that this Kalinda was a woman, and not a man (not Will).
"I don't know how to explain it," Alicia says with a sigh. "I mean, I should be able to let it go. She just seemed so..." This time the noise she makes is of frustration. "I don't know. One moment she seems broken, the next so self-assured, and it's all wrapped in this bundle of mystery that I feel I could spend years solving and never get the answers." She turns away from the mirror, giving him a rueful smile.
Something in his gut tightens, and he reaches out for her hands, pulling her towards him in between his knees. She makes a small noise of complaint as he kisses her, and Peter knows he's ruining the makeup she just applied, but he doesn't care. "Just be careful," he says as she pulls away, cheeks flushed. "People who are mysterious tend to be frustrating. Don't let her play games with you."
Alicia shakes her head. "I know," she says, brushing a finger over his knuckles. "I really think it's just that she needs a friend. I honestly can't see her doing anything to hurt me." There's a confidence in her words that both soothes and worries him.
Peter wants to tell her to stay home. Her roommates are out, they have the place to themselves, and with her lipstick slightly smeared and flushed cheeks she is desire personified. He wants to worship her. But Alicia's got an independent streak, and he knows that won't work. So instead he grins rakishly and lets her hands go. "Well, if you get done early, you know where to find me. I'll be more than happy to let you play games with me."
She laughs as she slaps his shoulder, and turns to the mirror again. Peter's gut stays clenched.
--
The door slams as Leela is pulling on her leather jacket, and she looks up into the hallway mirror to see Nick watching her. He's hunched forward, jaw jutted out, and the scowl on his face is so commonplace that it doesn't even phase her anymore.
"Going out, I see," he says, and the nonchalance in his voice is more dangerous than anything else. "Got a date with some hot guy?"
"Just a friend," Leela says, grabbing her keys from the hall table, gripping the keychain tightly before turning around. "Nothing special."
He looks her up and down, notices the knee high boots, tight dress and leather jacket. Hair in a perfect up-do. "Right," he drawls. Nick bends down, unzipping the sides of his work boots before kicking them off. "Whatever. Is dinner made?"
She nods, watching as he moves past her into the apartment proper. "I left some butter chicken for you. There's rice in the cooker."
He moves to the tiny kitchenette, ignoring the tupperware on the counter and opening up the fridge. The hiss of carbon dioxide sounds throughout the apartment as he cracks open the beer, and then he's in the living room, slouching into the armchair. "Where's the remote?" he asks, not looking at her.
She spots it on the couch, a stretch away from him, and moves forward. Without saying anything she grabs it and hands it to him.
"Thanks," Nick says, not looking at her as he turns on the television. "Aren't you leaving? Wouldn't want to stand up your date."
"It's not a date," Leela says again, quietly. "I don't have to go, Nick."
He laughs quietly, and it cuts through the air like a knife. He glances at her again. "You don't have friends, Leela," he says bitterly. "You only have me, and the randoms you decide to fuck when I'm not good enough. Who the fuck is it, anyway?"
She blanches, a bit, and that's something new. Now he's interested, and his eyes focus in like lasers. "Shit, this is someone important, isn't it?" Nick's laughing now, and for a moment he looks like the man she married, the man he was when she desperately wanted to escape the strict life her father imposed on her. "Oh man, this is unreal." He snorts into his beer as he downs almost half of it. "Don't let me keep you waiting, sweetheart."
She's moving to stand in front of him, and then she's in his face, and this is something else that's new. Nick blinks, but doesn't withdraw from her presence. "What?"
"It's not a fucking date, Nick," she says fiercely. "Tell me to stay, and I'll stay. Just like I've stayed every other time, and just like I'll always stay." She blinks, and for a moment he thinks he might have spotted a tear.
He takes another drink. "Just like you've always stayed. Except when you didn't." The words cut them both. "It's fine. It was a mistake, so you've said." He laughs, and this time it's nothing but sad. "I'll get over it eventually. Go, have fun with your 'friend'."
She stands up straight, looking at him with eyes that are nothing like the eyes he married, and he wonders when it all changed. When he started to hate her so much. He wonders how long it will take for her to hate him back.
Leela walks out the door, closing it gently behind her. Nick doesn't watch her leave, eyes glued to the television.
--
Alicia glances at the delicate watch on her wrist for the third time that minute, nervously tapping a finger against the martini glass in her right hand. It's fifteen minutes past when they're supposed to meet, and she's starting to wonder if maybe Peter was right. Friendship, even fledgeling friendships, shouldn't be this hard.
"Sorry," a voice breathes into her ear, soft and warm, and then Kalinda is sliding onto the bar stool next to her. "I hope you weren't waiting long."
She smiles, shaking her head. "No," Alicia replies, and it's a total lie since she arrived twenty minutes early because that's just how she is. It doesn't matter, though, because the other woman didn't stand her up. She can forgive a little tardiness. "I've only been here a bit."
Kalinda smiles back, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "What're you drinking?"
"Vodka martini with a twist."
It suits the older woman, in a way. Most women her age were still drinking fruity cocktails, but Alicia seemed classier than an appletini. When the bartender sidles up, Kalinda thinks of ordering the same. "A shot of tequila and a Corona."
Alicia raises an eyebrow, but doesn't comment. She opens her mouth to say something, then shuts it. Suddenly, she's chuckling, and when Kalinda gives her a look of confusion it just gets worse. "Sorry," she finally manages to say. "I just realize I have no idea how to start the conversation. That's never happened to me before."
"Speechless already?" Kalinda muses. "That can't be good."
"I know, right?" Alicia says, raising her glass to her lips. The move catches Kalinda's eye, and she can't help but appreciate the way the light reflects off of whatever lipstick the other woman uses. Maybe she'll ask about the brand later. "I should just be totally cliche. What are you studying?"
It is completely and utterly cliche, and Kalinda can't help but smile. "I'm majoring in journalism," she replies. "Although it's sad to say I'm not very good at writing. I make a much better researcher." Her drinks arrive, and she takes a moment to down the shot. "I'm actually pretty good at digging up information."
Alicia shrugs. "There's tons of jobs that you can do with skills like that. There's no reason you couldn't take that degree and do something other than write articles for some newspaper." She pauses. "Unless you're looking for a Pulitzer. Then you might have a problem."
Shaking her head, Kalinda traces a finger through a patch of condensation on the bar. "I never cared for winning any prizes," she says softly. "Although I think everyone wants to be the next Woodward and Bernstein. I just had this idea of finding the stories that, when brought to light, would change the world. Make things better for people."
Kalinda seems almost bashful, and it's so endearing Alicia wants to hug her. She's not nearly close to being drunk enough, though, so she settles for giving her a sappy smile. "That's so noble," she says. Maybe she is drunker than she thought. "I mean, you basically want to help people with words. Get in the dirt with them and then raise them up." She sighs. "Kalinda, I think I might be developing a bit of hero worship."
That causes the younger woman to practically spit out the beer she just drank, coughing for a moment before she can gather herself. "What?" Kalinda asks, completely baffled. "Why in the world...?"
Alicia rolls her eyes. "Just go with it, Kalinda. I don't pretend that it makes sense."
Taking another drink of her beer, Kalinda's mind races to find something to say. "Well, why did you want to be a lawyer?"
"It just kind of happened," Alicia responds after a moment. "I mean, my parents were always pushing me towards great things. I think they would have been just as happy if I'd been a doctor, or an engineer, or if I wanted to teach. But I'm good at arguing," and her cheeks flush a bit, "and I like puzzles. The law is like this great big puzzle that if I work at I can get it to do almost anything I want. In certain cases, you can even push it until it changes completely."
Kalinda's got a smile on her face now, and it goes all the way to her eyes. Alicia's chest feels a bit tight with how happy that makes her. "You're a law nerd," Kalinda says suddenly.
Alicia bristles a bit, even though it's entirely true and said without malice. "Maybe," she finally huffs, downing the rest of her drink. "So what?"
Kalinda shakes her head. "Nothing. I think it looks good on you, even if you are going to work for a soulless corporate law firm."
She motions for another martini before turning back towards Kalinda. "I hadn't exactly planned on going corporate," she admits, playing with her engagement ring. "But Peter is doing an internship with the DC appellate court, and then wants to do some time at the district attorney's office. Neither of them pay well, and we're getting married after graduation. It'll be nice to have a decent paycheck if we want to live somewhere other than a one-room apartment." She shrugs. "Besides, the law firm does pro bono work, some of which is human rights, and I've already been promised I can work on that."
"And you call me noble," Kalinda says with a twinkle in her dark eyes. "Maybe I should be the one feeling hero worship." Her dusky skin seems to darken a bit, but it's hard to tell in the light from the bar.
Alicia knows her own skin is flushed, but with another martini in her hand she finds that fact less embarrassing than she normally would. "Well, que sera sera." She leans forward, raising an eyebrow. "Now tell me, what did you do for your boss that got you hired? I just know there's a story there."
Kalinda leans forward a bit as well, a natural reaction. "Well..." she says slowly, drawing out the syllable with a small smile. She doesn't seem to realize that all the tension she'd brought to the bar is gone from her shoulders.
--
Peter stays up late, despite telling himself he shouldn't. Alicia doesn't call, and most of him doesn't mind.
--
Nick is up when Leela comes home, smelling of tequila and with a looseness in her stance that he hasn't seen in months. Her hair is still perfect, though, and in a way that makes him madder than if she had come home mussed and smelling of sex.
He makes love to her, and it's so tender it hurts.