A/N: Just a short chapter for now, so that we get back to the new friendship that is at the heart of the story. There are also links to Easter eggs planted in other chapters, see if you find them! I love the lyrics to the song with this chapter. If you have ever seen The Lake House, it is used in that film when the main characters dance.

Chicago, March 2016

This Never Happened Before (Paul McCartney)

Alicia, Diane and Angela meet for dinner at Bavette's restaurant. At Diane's instigation they had started to have regular monthly dinner dates together. The dinners were good for all three women and Diane was particularly pleased that Alicia and Angela had developed a bond over their mutual love and loss. It wasn't perfect yet, as both parties were still cautious of what they said and Angela's grief, in particular, was still very raw, but Diane was hopeful.

"I really like this place," Diane said as they were shown to their table, "it is a new take on a steakhouse and somewhere Kurt is happy to eat dinner." Angela chuckled, recognising it was hard to find somewhere fancy enough for Diane but comfortable enough for Kurt.

They thanked the waiter and ordered some drinks. Angela perused the menu, "This all looks good," she smiled.

"Yes," Alicia agreed, "I'm starving."

Their drinks arrived and, as Angela lifted her glass, Diane noticed the platinum band she was wearing. The older woman nodded and smiled in approval at Angela, who give a little head bob in return. The gestures did not go unnoticed by Alicia who said, "What?" smiling and looking between the two women, "what am I missing?"

Diane rocked her head from side to side and smiled, "It is just nice to see Angela wearing that ring," she gesticulated at her friend's hand.

Alicia turned towards Angela and looked at her hand. Angela waved her left hand at Alicia and removed the band in question from the ring finger on her left hand. She placed it on the table between the women and said, "I rarely wear it, but, lately, I have started to." Alicia looked confused. "It's not a wedding ring or an engagement ring, but a symbol of something more," Angela began, "Will gave it to me, along with a companion piece, an aquamarine and diamond ring. This band fits alongside and under the stone of the other piece."

"You never wear that one," Diane said, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. "No," Angela shook her head, "scared of losing it." Diane nodded.

"They match my necklace," Angela said as she fiddled with the aquamarine stone around her neck, pulling it across the chain. Alicia recognised the necklace: Angela often wore it and she had it on the first night the two had met. Suddenly more pieces of the jigsaw began to fall into place in Alicia's head. She picked up the band and twisted it in her fingers, "It is beautiful," she said quietly, "Will always had good taste," she added.

"Yes, he did," Diane confirmed.

Alicia continued to examine Angela's ring. She noticed an inscription inside before immediately handing it back, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look at the inscription," she said, slightly embarrassed.

Diane winked at Angela, who put the ring back on, chuckling to herself. "No, no, don't worry about," the redhead said, "it's a bit of an in-joke."

"Hot Shot Lawyer," Diane added, taking a drink of her Martini.

Angela laughed and ran her fingers through her hair. She sighed, "Well, it won't hurt now," taking a breath before beginning to explain the meaning behind her jewellery. "As you know, Will and I go back a long way. We met on October 15th 1998. That date is important," she noted to Alicia, who nodded that she understood. "We used to celebrate that date as a kind of anniversary, every year. Regardless of whether we were dating other people, we always made time for each other on the 15th of October."

Alicia felt another jolt of recognition. She realised that when she and Will were dating, she had planned a weekend with Will around that date and he had flat-out refused to accompany her on the Saturday evening. At the time she had felt quite hurt and they had fought over it. She would put money on it now that if she checked the calendar, the Saturday would be the 15th. "Okaaay," she said, taking a large gulp of her wine.

"When we had known each other for ten years, Will gave me the necklace. It is my birthstone of aquamarine surrounded by fifteen diamonds. The diamonds represent the date of our meeting. By the clasp is a small disc of platinum that has the digits '10' engraved on one side and '98' on the other," she smiled at Alicia, "he said it was corny, but really, nobody else would ever understand the code so it was good to have that reminder."

"I loved his grand gestures, little things that meant a lot," Alicia spoke up, her voice weak with emotion.

"Yes," Diane added. "When we faced bankruptcy and had to let the 27th and 29th floors go, Will saved a Lockhart Gardner sign from a dumpster on the 27th. He kept it and when we were back in the black and things we looking up, he wrapped it and gave to me as a gift. A sign of good times. It stands on a sideboard in my front room," she smiled and sniffed back a tear, the emotion getting the better of her again.

Angela held her hand out to Diane, offering a handkerchief, that the older woman took and dabbed her eyes.

"So, that is the story of the necklace," Angela said. "The rings were to celebrate fifteen years together. Will gave them to me on our last anniversary. The first is the matching ring to the necklace. It is beautiful. Since I'm going all out," she said waving her hand at Alicia, "the inside of the band is inscribed 'BA' which represents the Brewer's Art, a bar we went to the night we met and," she paused to take a sip of bourbon, "it was where we kissed for the first time," she smiled at the two women who were collectively surprised. Alicia nearly choked on her drink and Diane let out a joyful laugh, throwing her head back in her seat.

Angela chuckled at the reaction to her words and continued her explanation, "This ring," she said, taking it off again and studying it, "is the one that means the most to me. It is an eternity band, so represents the everlasting love and bond between us. Keeping the symbolism of our anniversary, there are fifteen stones: fourteen diamonds and a central aquamarine, which was to match the other pieces."

"It is gorgeous too," Alicia noted. Diane nodded, "I remember when he designed the rings. He went back to Tiffany's in New York, which I understand has some significance too," she queried. "Yes," Angela nodded. Diane continued, "He was supposed to be meeting a client and spent too long choosing stones he was late and nearly lost us a $15 million account!" She laughed and the other women joined in. "I remember," Angela said, "he told me the story when he gave me the rings."

"So what do the letters inside mean? Is it code for something?" Alicia asked. She was intrigued by the story Angela was telling, as it gave her some insight into Will's other life and it reiterated his thoughtfulness and care that she felt had been lost when other people discussed him nowadays.

Angela giggled and ran her tongue across her top lip. She looked at the inscription and read it to the two women, "J N HST." Diane obviously knew what it meant and laughed, her face beaming at Angela. "I think you know I called him 'Hot Shot Lawyer' after something Diane said years ago. He called me 'Jane' after the novelist. So, the J and HST are us. The N is," she chuckled, "a reflection of my English heritage and something that Will always remembered from our trips to the UK." Alicia looked confused.

"Fish 'n' chips," Diane interjected, smiling at Angela.

"Yeah, 'N' represents 'and' and is often abbreviated. Will said, 'Fish 'n' chips go together, just like we go together,' it was sweet and again, something probably only we would understand and find funny. Bit like Benny Hill!" she joked.

Alicia nodded, "He really loved you," she said, her voice almost breaking.

"Yes," Angela agreed, "but he loved you too. He loved you so very much."

"He did," Diane confirmed, smiling at the tearful brunette.

"But I hurt him, I drove him away," Alicia sobbed quietly.

The waiter came over to clear their plates, interrupting the conversation. Alicia excused herself to go to the bathroom.

….

A little later the women were finishing dessert, when Alicia asked Angela, "Was Will 'The One' for you?"

"OK, wasn't expecting that," she leant forward in her seat and let out a deep breath. "I think in our entire lives Will and I truly only loved two people, in a romantic way. Besides each other, I loved a detective and Will loved you. He loved you for most of his adult life," she said meaningfully.

"Who was the other love of your life, if you don't mind me asking?"

Diane sighed and looked down at her plate. She knew that Angela struggled with relationships and rarely stayed with a man longer than a few weeks, so for her to commit to somebody like Frank meant a great deal to her and, as a result, it caused her a lot of pain when they split up.

"Frank," Angela paused and smiled to herself, "Frank Seabrook. He's a Police detective and I haven't spoken to him in a long time, not since before Will died."

"Was that because you and Will were," she hesitated, "together?"

"Not exactly. I saw him a few weeks before I went to Africa, told him I was leaving and he didn't say anything. I don't know what I was expecting," she looked into the distance avoiding Alicia's gaze, "a declaration of undying love or being asked to stay, but it cemented my belief that there was never going to be anything between us again."

"I'm sorry," Alicia said.

"Don't be," Angela answered her concerned look, "I don't think I'm destined for a happy ever after, not now, and," she bit her lip, turning back to the brunette, "anyway, he's getting married."

"What?" Diane looked up, somewhat surprised by Angela's revelation.

"Oh," Alicia looked downcast for her friend; she reached out and grabbed Angela's hand, squeezing it gently.

"How do you know this?" Diane asked.

"Well," Angela let out a deep breath before taking a drink of her wine, "a few months ago we'd been out for drinks and you two both left early. I stayed on for a while and across the bar, saw Frank. He was with a few guys from the station and didn't see me. I left without talking to him." "OK," Diane nodded. Angela took another sip before continuing, "When I got home I wished I'd approached him, but didn't have the courage to ring him. So, every now and then, I'd go back to the bar in the hope of 'bumping into' him. Not the brightest plan," she smiled, "but not the stupidest either."

"So, you saw him?" Alicia asked.

"No, I haven't seen him since that first time. But, last Friday, I ran into his old partner, Johnny, and he told me that Frank was engaged. He's getting married in July."

"Oh," both women appeared to say in unison. "Yeaaaah," Angela said slowly, sighing before downing her espresso. "We can all have bad timing," she added, getting to her feet and pulling some notes out of her wallet to place on the table, "and with that, I'm going home."

"Goodnight," Diane said as she watched her collect her coat and leave the restaurant.

"Do you think she's OK?" Alicia asked as she stirred her coffee.

"No," Diane replied. "Unlike you, she doesn't have a rugged investigator to take her mind off what could have been. Or, in her case, what could have been twice."

A/N: So, what do you think? Angela's turmoil is continuing, but the next chapter has Will in it and a little Alicia/Will too.