A/N: This chapter talks about the night Will and Angela met at a legal conference in Maryland.

I Don't Want To Miss A Thing (Aerosmith)

Baltimore, October 1998

Angela was tired; she'd had a long day and spending the evening in the company of Baltimore's finest attorneys didn't fill her with the utmost joy. Still, she was here for a reason and was looking forward to dinner with the most important man in her life. She smiled at herself in the mirror, reapplied her red Coromandel lipstick and sprayed some No. 5 over her décolletage. She rarely wore make-up or perfume in deference to her job, so when she did, she made sure it was Chanel. Slipping the familiar glass bottle into her purse, she checked her watch: 6:10pm. She really should make an appearance.

She climbed out of her car, smoothed her dress and noted her reflection in the side window: happy with what she saw, she pressed the button on her key fob, heard the familiar clunk as the car locked and walked towards the hotel.

As she entered, there was a moderate buzz as the assembled throng chattered, networked and pretended to laugh at each other's jokes. She scanned the room. Damn! She thought to herself, can't see him. Oh well, best get a drink. She made her way towards the long table that served as a makeshift bar. It was busy. She sighed, hoping she didn't have to wait too long.

Will Gardner exited the bathroom and looked at his watch, he had time for a drink. Looking over at the bar he spotted an unfamiliar figure. It was her hair that he noticed first; it was a vibrant, fiery, flame colour, brighter than a Titian painting, but not artificial. It was slightly wavy and fell to her shoulders. She had her back to him, wearing a long-sleeved navy blue dress that stopped at her knees and seemed to go in and out in all the right places, creating a wonderful hourglass shape that excited him.

As he walked across the room, he fastened the top button of his suit jacket before placing his left hand in the pocket of his pants. He approached the table and excused himself after banging into an elderly male lawyer in his eagerness to fill the space next to her.

At last it was her turn. She asked for bourbon, no ice, with a dash of Angostura bitters and a slice of lemon.

"That sounds good," Will smiled, turning to his left to look her.

She turned to face him and he met her dark brown eyes, "Hi," he said softly.

"Hello," she replied, taking in his face and surreptitiously looking him up and down. "Can I get another one?" she gestured to the bartender as she handed Will her drink. "Thanks," he said.

That accent, Will thought, English, but not quite Minnie Driver, instead she had a Midwestern twang he couldn't figure out. It intrigued him, just as her silhouette had intrigued him from across the room.

The bartender handed her a fresh drink and she removed the swizzle stick, looking up at Will as she passed it between her lips before placing it on the table.

"I'm Will. Will Gardner, from Osterman, Lee and Canfield," he said, fumbling to present his nametag.

"Angela Austen, I work at Mercy."

"OK, are you in-house counsel?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink and nodding at approval of the taste.

"Oh, no, no," she said waving her hand in front of her, "I'm not a lawyer, I'm a third year resident," she smiled at him, bobbing her head before adding, "I'm really just here for the free bar," giving him a cheeky wink.

"I see." He said, chuckling and putting his hand gently in the small of her back, pulling her towards him and guiding the two of them into the centre of the room. "Well then, I shall make sure you get good use out of it, and, at these events, it is usually the best part," he smirked.

She laughed at him and smiled before taking a large mouthful of her drink. He noted that her laugh was quite feminine, somewhere between a girly giggle and something more flirtatious. He liked that, it made the corners of his mouth turn up and presented him with a challenge, and, given her body language, maybe not a very difficult challenge.

"Thanks," she replied. "I kinda have to listen to the keynote too, and, show a little enthusiasm," she said, glancing upwards and pulling her face into a wry smile, before taking another sip of her drink.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Will spluttered, "are you here with somebody? I hadn't realised you were on a date, not the most romantic choice, I certainly wouldn't have brought you here." He regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth and wished the ground would swallow him up or that he could drown in his bourbon. "Sorry, again, I mean no disrespect," he said, again stumbling over his words and raising a hand in front of him.

Angela smiled and chuckled. She placed her left hand on his right forearm, which made him tense with surprise, "Well, I am here with somebody, but not on a date." She smiled, "I'm here with my Dad. And," she paused, "your concern is cute, trying to rescue me from dull lawyers and mediocre liquor."

Will smirked and realised that his goofy grin probably gave far too much away. He was interested in this woman and hoped he didn't appear too much of a fool. "I just thought," he began, before stopping and realising what she had said. He was a clever lawyer but sometimes he could be incredibly stupid. "Wait," he paused, shaking his head and pointing his finger, "your Dad, you're here with your Dad?"

'Yeeaah," she answered, puzzled.

"Austen!" Will sighed and titled his head back as the pieces fell into place, "your Dad is David Austen?"

She nodded in confirmation.

"Wow! Sorry, I'm not normally like this."

"Yeah, you're very smooth. Like Bond," she said with a light sarcastic tone, sliding her hand up and down his arm. He felt the lightness of her touch through the cloth of his jacket and it made him tingle. She was surely flirting with him; it couldn't just be his imagination. He smiled and briefly closed his eyes, lost in thought.

"I heard your Dad speak when I was in law school and he was amazing, so natural and engaging."

She smiled and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. "Well, he does like talking, guess we're similar in that respect, never knowingly quiet!"

Will chuckled and finished his drink. "Want another?" He asked, titling his empty glass towards her.

"Thanks," she replied, handing him her glass. "I'll pop to the bathroom and meet you back here." He watched as she turned and walked away, before pushing his own path through the crowd to the bar. As he waited in line he thought over what he had said and kicked himself a second time for suggesting the Bar Association was date night. He shook his head and cursed himself under his breath, "Idiot."

Drinks in hand, he returned to meet Angela who was back in roughly the same spot. Giving her a drink he noted that they should be going in to hear her Dad's lecture. "Shall we?" He gesticulated towards the main room. She replied, "Yes" and linked her left arm through his right as they followed the surge of people into the room. Will smiled to himself and felt more confident than he had been a few minutes ago, yes, she was definitely flirting.

They found two seats about halfway down the auditorium and as they sat down Will gave a nod of recognition to a couple of people he recognised from court. "Will," she whispered, leaning towards him, he could feel her warm breath on his neck and smell the soft scent of her perfume, "where would you take me on a date?" He looked at her smiling at him and reached over to take her hand in his, squeezing it gently, he replied, "You'll have to wait and see."