David turned to his wife and smiled, slipping his arm under hers. He knew that many things about her had changed. She didn't move as quickly as she used to. But time could never take away her smile or her heart, and those were the things he'd fallen in love with so long ago. When they were first married, he used to wonder how anyone could ever let her go. But their loss had been his gain.

All of the planning was about to pay off. He had reserved a table at one of Mary's favorite restaurants. She thought it would be a romantic dinner for two, but of course Rhoda, Lou, and Murray would be there waiting for them. Rhoda had even been able to get in touch with Georgette and invite her as well. Since Ted's untimely death, poor Georgette had become even more quiet than she'd been previously.

The four were seated at a table, hardly able to believe they were in the same room. The last time they'd all seen each other had been Mary's wedding. Now that seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I wish Ted could be here," Georgette said softly.

Rhoda reached across the table to squeeze her friend's hand. "I know. But let's not ruin Mary's birthday by dwelling on that, OK? You know Mare's not going to want us all sitting here crying our eyes out."

Lou nodded. "Rhoda's right. I sure as hell didn't fly here all the way from California just to talk about Ted!" The anchorman's death had touched all of them. Lou regretted the times he'd been tough on Ted, but he also knew there were times when such treatment had been deserved.

"Well, if Ted were here, I'm sure we'd be right back into our old routine," Murray said with a smile. "It's too bad none of us thought to invite Sue Ann. She's fun at a party."

Lou rolled his eyes. "That's what you think!" He emptied his glass in a single gulp.

Before anyone could say another word, Mary and David entered the room. It took a moment before Mary took in the sight of her friends and realized what was happening. "What is this?" she asked her husband.

"Well, I wanted to do something really special for your birthday, so I made a couple of calls."

Rhoda was out of her seat almost immediately. She hugged Mary tightly for a long moment. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Mary pulled out of the embrace and smiled. "It's OK. You're forgiven." For an instant, Mary recalled another time when she and Rhoda had needed to apologize. Rhoda had let it slip to Mary's coworkers that she hadn't really graduated from college. Mary was furious, and the two did not speak for about a week. But both were miserable, and they made up. Even all these years later, some things remained the same.

Lou watched the scene before him as memories played in his mind. He could still see Mary sitting across from him during one of the most memorable job interviews of his career. He was never quite sure just why he felt he had to offer her the job, but he was always very grateful that he had.

Gradually, Mary realized that there were others here to see her. She could've easily spent hours talking to Rhoda, and she had a feeling she probably would, later. But then Lou got up and began walking toward her. "Mr. Grant." Mary's voice broke, just as it had so many times before.

Lou smiled and kissed her cheek before hugging her for a long moment. He was never one to get emotional. True to form, he merely looked her over before saying, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too," Mary replied. "I can't believe you came!"

Lou rolled his eyes. "You think I'd miss this? Well, I almost didn't come, 'cause I thought it might end up being another one of your rotten parties!"

Mary laughed. "I can't say I blame you." She knew that no one here would ever let her forget about those parties.

"Hi, Mary," Georgette said softly from her seat.

"Georgette, come over here." The sight of her made Mary remember Ted. After he had passed, Mary knew that Georgette would be lost, and she had meant to keep an eye on her friend. But, sadly, work got in the way, and she never quite got around to it.

When Georgette neared her, Mary pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry about Ted. How are you doing?"

A sad smile appeared on Georgette's face. "I'm OK. Luckily I've still got David and Mary Lou. I'm not alone. And I know Ted's watching me, wherever he is."

"If he isn't watching his own news broadcasts," Murray said with a smile.

"Murray," Mary said. "You haven't changed a bit."

He got up from his seat and went over to her. "Neither have you." He kissed her cheek. Seeing her again, he remembered how much he'd loved her. In fact, he'd been in love with her. "I asked Marie if she wanted to come, but she's kind of busy visiting our grandkids."

Mary smiled. "Oh, that's so nice. I'm sure you must be so happy."

"Yeah," Murray said, smiling proudly. "Li Chin is a doctor now. Can you imagine that? My son, a doctor."

"That's nothing," Lou said. "I've got great-grandchildren." His news reporting days were behind him, but he didn't mind a bit. He knew he hadn't given his family all the attention they deserved when he was working, and now was his time to make up for it.

Mary looked around the room, still amazed that these people were here. She had thought she would be spending a romantic evening with her husband. That would've been wonderful, of course. But this was something she never would've expected or thought possible.

Life had taken her far from that WJM newsroom. Often, those memories seemed like something out of another life entirely. It was easy to forget how many people had helped her get where she was now. But, in a sense, she knew she hadn't forgotten them at all, and she never would.

For so long, Mary's life had revolved around her husband and her work. She couldn't have asked for more than that. But, now, she began to wonder if she should seriously consider retiring. After all, she had found her family for the second time. These people were just as important to her now as they'd been all those years ago. There was so much more to life than just chasing the next headline. There was also love and friendship. Maybe it was time she went after those things instead.

The End