Timeline: 3 years after Silver Bullet

Disclaimer: Diane, Kurt and Will belong to the writers of TGW and CBS, the original character is mine

Note: Here I go with another multichap. I'm really excited to finally post this. It has been sitting on my computer way too long and I've been trying to figure out what to change in it, what to add, but I couldn't really change anything, so I decided to consider it finished and start posting it. It has 13 chapters, some are shorter others are longer. It may be a bit out of character at times, but I tried to find good enough reasons for that. I really hope you'll enjoy reading this story!

Reviews are always appreciated! :)

Chapter One: Unforgettable Memories

„Hey," the sound of a familiar voice made her shake a little. She hadn't heard this voice, his voice for a long time, but she still remembered it, remembered him. That single word started to bring back memories all at once, memories she'd thought she had forgotten long ago. This unexpected encounter already puzzled her. It took her a while until she got her act back together and finally looked into those all too familiar eyes, regretting it the next moment.

"Hey," she replied, trying to sound casual, but she was feeling uncomfortable.

They both remained silent, looking into each other's eyes for a short moment. She tried to think of something to say, but her mind was focusing on the memories that flooded it just a minute ago. Their first meeting in her office when he'd told her he hadn't liked Chicago, then the night when he'd told her he'd wanted to go away to Costa Rica. What was he doing in Chicago again? And what was he doing talking to her in front of the court house? Why didn't he just walk past her? If it hadn't been for him she wouldn't have noticed him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked to break the silence and in fact she was curious to know why he was there, when he'd told her he would have left. She thought he wouldn't have come back, their last goodbye had seemed final to her, he had been determined to go and she hadn't been ready to go with him.

"Working."

He said the word so easily, like it had been the most natural thing in the world for him.

"Good, " she said nodding slightly and she had no idea what else to say.

"I wanted to congratulate you, I heard that you've become a judge."

"Thank you," she said automatically, thinking of what it could have meant he seemed to be so well informed about her, while she was surprised to even see him in town again.

"You deserve it," he continued and she actually had to bow her head down a little to hide her face from him for just a moment. Why was he so nice to her? She basically rejected his proposal the last time they met. Even if it had happened almost three years before, that night still remained a bitter memory for her, a memory she hadn't been able to forget, but apparently it was different for him.

"I have to go now," she said quickly lifting her head again. She didn't say it because she wanted to get rid of him, she really had to go, her first trial of the day was about to start in a few minutes. But she actually became curious about why he had stopped her, why he wanted to talk, why he was so well informed about her career. With this move he clearly showed her that he didn't have hard feelings towards her and she obviously had no reason to feel differently towards him. She wished to continue this conversation with him, some other time, when she would have been prepared.

"It was good to see you," he replied smiling and his smile made her smile.

"Maybe we could get together for a coffee one of these days?" she asked and her question obviously caught him off guard. He looked away for a short minute, then looked back into her eyes again.

"I…I'm sort of seeing someone."

It wasn't the answer she'd wanted to hear and not because it made her uncomfortable again, but it also wasn't how she'd meant that offer. She thought they could probably meet as just friends, talking about the last years, something they'd barely done when they had been dating. So much had changed in her life and she somehow found herself wishing to talk about it with him, with someone who knew her, but also saw her from a different point of view. But his reply suggested that her intentions hadn't been all that clear to him.

"I…I thought we could just…never mind. It was good to see you too," she said and smiled at him for a second time before walking away.

She was glad they had met, she was glad they had talked, she was glad it had all gone so smoothly. Still seeing him again unsettled her. He wasn't away any more, he was back and he was with another woman. Right after he'd left her she used to think about what she should have done differently, had she wanted to keep him. Despite their differences they had still fit on some levels which could have been enough for an actual relationship, maybe even for a long lasting one. They still ended up going on separate ways, but their paths crossed again that day and she couldn't help asking herself what if…