Lexi James sat on the floor in the attic just staring at the piece of paper in her hand. She couldn't believe she had found it. Her parents had never shown it to her but there it was in black and white, her adoption papers. She had known since she was very little that she was adopted but she had never known who her birth parents were. She looked at the names on the paper, Mary Richards. Her birth mother's name. She ran her finger over the signature of the woman who gave her life and then gave her up. She wasn't angry. She just wanted to know the circumstances. Was she alone? Did her birth father not want her and force her to give her up? She heard her mother's voice from downstairs.

"Lexi!" She called, "Bess is here."

"Coming, Mom." She called out. Bess, she thought, Bess was always talking about her Aunt Mary. She told me her last name was Richards, didn't she? She's always bragging about how she produces a news show. Could she be my birth mother?

Lexi came into the living room, "Hey Bess."

"Hi, what were you doing up there?" She asked

"Oh, just looking for some stuff for a class project." Lexi was fifteen, a year younger than Bess. They were friends from being in the Drama Club together, "Mom, we're just going to the library. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay, Honey." Susan James smiled at her daughter, "We'll be eating about six."

"Bye, Mrs. James." Bess said as they headed out the door

As they got in the car Lexi formulated a plan, "Hey, I was wondering, I have that journalism class and I need to get an internship. Doesn't your Aunt Mary work at a news station?"

Bess pulled out of the driveway, "Yeah, but I don't want to take advantage of her like that."

"Advantage?" Lexi asked, "Just ask her if they have any internships there."

"Well, okay, but if there isn't, I'm not gonna bug her about it." She insisted

"Yeah, okay." Lexi agreed

Lexi thought that if she could just spend some time with her and see if she could possibly be her birth mother then she might be able to tell her. But what if she rejected her when she found out? She may have never wanted her and gave her up because she hated the idea of having a child? Bess thought her Aunt Mary was the coolest person ever, for an adult, anyway. But that didn't mean she wanted the kid she gave up showing up and messing up her life.

MARY'S APARTMENT LATER THAT EVENING

Mary walked out of the kitchen with two snifters of brandy. She and Andy Rivers, the station's sportscaster had been dating for several months and things were beginning to get pretty serious. He was just the kind of guy she could see herself with in a committed relationship. He was funny, smart, good looking and unlike most men in their mid-thirties, he had little to no baggage. She really enjoyed being with him and was looking forward to a quiet evening alone. They had just come back from dinner at a new restaurant that they had heard great things about.

"That had to be one of the worst places we've eaten." Mary said handing him a snifter and sitting next to him on the sofa

"Yeah well, there is one advantage to that." He said taking a sip, "We got back here early." He leaned in and kissed her

She smiled as their lips parted, "Ah, you always know how to find a silver lining." They moved closer to kiss again but there was a knock at the door. She sighed, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Aunt Mary." Bess called from the hallway

"Oh, come on in, Bess." She said, "I'm sure she'll only stay a minute." She whispered to Andy

Bess came inside, "I'm sorry to bother you, Aunt Mary." She said, "Hi, Andy."

"Hi Bess, how are you?" Andy asked politely

"Fine." Bess answered

"It's alright, Darling." Mary told her, "Did you need something?"

"Well, I was wondering, I have this friend who would really like work in television, like you." She explained, "And she's taking this class at school that requires her to have an internship…"

"And you wanted to know if she could work in the newsroom?" Mary asked

"I hate to ask you but it would really help her." Bess said

"Well, I can check with Mr. Grant but in the meantime, tell her to stop by on Monday after school and I'll at least show her around and all."

"Really?" Bess asked surprised, "You're the best, Aunt Mary." She said hugging her

"It's no problem, but I can't guarantee anything." She reminded her

"Okay, I'll tell her. Her name is Lexi." She said, "Bye."

"Good night, Dear." She said as Bess shut the door behind her. She turned to Andy, "So where we're we?"

"Hmm," He said, "I think we we're right about here." He kissed her long and deep

"Ah, now I remember." Mary said as they pulled away

"Well, Bess is right about one thing." Andy told her

"Oh, and what's that?" She asked smiling

"You're the best."

MONDAY-WJM NEWSROOM

Lexi pushed open the doors and nervously looked around. She didn't see any women in the room so she approached the first person she saw.

"Hi." She said

"Oh, hi." Murray Slaughter said smiling, "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Mary Richards." She explained

"You must be Lexi." He said, "Mary will be back in a few minutes. She's looking at a film in the editing room. Why don't you sit at her desk and wait for her."

"Are you sure she won't mind?" Lexi asked

"Oh no. You'll love Mary." He assured her, "She's about the nicest person you'll ever meet."

Mary walked in from the editing room and noticed the young girl sitting at her desk, "Lexi?"

She nervously came to her feet, "Miss Richards?"

Mary smiled, "Please, call me Mary." She insisted, "It's nice to meet you."

Lexi paused for a moment to see if there was any resemblance whatsoever. She thought they might have the same nose but Mary's dark hair and soft brown eyes weren't reflected in Lexi's honey blonde hair and bright green eyes, "It's really nice to finally meet you, too. Bess thinks you're just great."

"So I've been told." Mary quipped, "Well, why don't you let me show you around and then we can talk a little about what you're interested in."

"That would be great."

TBC