Mary couldn't believe she was here. She walked into the Minneapolis airport, surrounded by travelers, but she wasn't going anywhere, nor was she meeting someone. No, she was here on a professional basis. There had been an accident with one of the planes here last night. Facts were scarce, so her boss had sent her here to try to dig up information. But, if the incident might make the airlines look bad, it was very unlikely that anyone would talk.

She sighed in frustration. Sometimes, she felt like giving up on the news entirely. This job could definitely be stressful. She had thought she knew what stress was years ago, when she had to deal with Ted Baxter on a day-to-day basis. But working for one of the highest-rated stations in the city made that look like a cakewalk. Still, she reminded herself, this job gave her an independence that she loved. Dating was becoming a greater disappointment by the day. Once upon a time, she'd believed that she would find true love, get married, and have a perfect life with a white picket fence, two children and everything else she'd always wanted. But, now, that dream just didn't seem realistic.

I can do this, she thought as she walked up to what looked like an airline employee. "I'm with KPMN, and I'd like to ask a few questions about what happened here last night."

The young woman behind the counter looked bored. "Sorry, we've got no comment."

Mary couldn't say she was surprised by the response, but it frustrated her nonetheless. "Look, I know that's what you're supposed to say, but people are going to start asking questions. Not just reporters, either. I'm sure the police are already wondering if any laws were broken."

Her argument was met with a shrug. Clearly this young girl had no interest in answering Mary's questions. In fact, she didn't even seem to want to do her job at all.

"Well, thanks so much for talking to me," Mary muttered sarcastically. She turned around, planning to find somewhere to sit and try to figure out her next move.

But when she started to walk away from the counter, something made her stop in her tracks. "Mary Richards."

"Mr. Grant? What are you doing here?"

"First of all, none of that 'Mr. Grant' stuff. I'm not your boss anymore, Mary. My job in LA ended, so I figured I'd come back here. I'm not cut out for California."

"Lou," Mary said. She found that she felt no awkwardness in saying his name, as she had before. A definite sign that she had changed since then. "Well, I didn't think I'd see you here." She hugged him.

"I didn't think I'd see you, either," Lou said. "Are you going somewhere?"

"No. Although at the moment, I might like to." She sighed once again.

"What's the matter?" Concern was evident on her former boss' face.

Mary suddenly realized then how glad she was to see him. It was like the answer to a prayer she hadn't even said. "Well, it seems that last night, a flight was delayed due to a mechanical issue. But an insider says it's a bit more suspicious than that. My boss sent me here to get some facts, but I couldn't even get an answer." Mary looked over at the employee who'd avoided her question. "No one's going to talk. The whole story's going to be a disaster." Without warning, Mary could feel herself breaking down.

"Wow….this job's taking a toll, isn't it?" Lou asked. "Take it from a guy who's been in the news a lot longer than you have: it's just not worth it. Why don't you play hooky?"

"You want me to lie?" Mary asked, incredulous.

"Not lie, exactly. Call your boss and say something came up, and you need to take the rest of the day off. I can tell you could use a break, and we need to catch up."

For a moment, Mary didn't know what to say. His offer sounded an awful lot like a date, and that was the last thing she wanted. No matter how stressful her job was, it was still better than going out with men who weren't worth her time. But then she remembered, this wasn't some stranger who didn't know the first thing about her. He was an old friend, and that was something she definitely needed.