Kate had just emerged from the wreckage that was once the Capitol. Knowing she was off the air now, she spoke into the microphone to Phil, thanking him for hanging with her and assuring him that she was fine. He scolded her affectionately for ignoring his orders, and then told her she’d done a fantastic job; take the rest of the night off. She laughed at him as she unclipped the microphone, effectively severing their audio connection. Turning to Gene, she gave him a huge bear hug and a kiss on the cheek; his blush was visible even in the moonlight. She thanked him for his dedication and professionalism, and for his friendship. Handing him her earpiece and microphone, she told him to take the satellite truck and head home.

And then Kate walked off alone, moving over to a marble bench in front of the fountain on the Empire State Plaza just across the street from the Capitol, where she sat down heavily, putting her head in her hands.

From some thirty yards away, Jay watched as the reporter hugged her cameraman and then walked off by herself. Part of her resisted going further, not wanting to intrude on this heroic woman when she seemed to want to be alone. Jay could see plainly that the anchorwoman was exhausted both physically and emotionally. But a bigger part of her was desperate to offer comfort; so she followed her heart.

As Jay got closer, she began questioning what she was doing; she couldn’t believe how nervous she was. "What if she doesn’t remember me? Or what if she does remember me but she doesn’t want to see me? Heck, the last time she saw me I was pretty much catatonic."...

Vaguely, Kate was aware of footsteps echoing on the marble walkway. She looked up slowly, trying to focus her abused eyes, thinking dimly to herself, "Wow, you must be more tired than you know; you’re hallucinating." For five years she had tried hard not to dwell too much on the memory of the one woman who had made her consider the possibility that love at first sight might be more than a cliché. Now, for the second time today, Kate found herself thinking about Jay again. Not only that, this time she was seeing her as if she were really here, in Albany...

The footsteps stopped just in front of where she sat facing the remains of the Capitol. Kate opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "My God," she thought, "It’s been five years and you are even more beautiful than I remember, Jay."

"Hi," Jay said shyly as she was captured by the intensity of that regard. It was just like the first time they had made eye contact, the day she stopped to see what all the fuss was about as a crowd gathered on the hill near the tennis courts that autumn day five and a half years ago...

Kate motioned her to sit down. "Hello, Jay," she said warmly. "You cut off your hair."

"Well, she remembers me, anyway." "You don’t like it?" she half questioned self-consciously, aware of the absurdity of having a discussion about her hairstyle with a woman who had just been through what this woman had.

Kate, her resistance weakened, reacted without restraint, reaching out and running her long fingers through the locks in question. "No, it’s gorgeous," she said sincerely. "It suits you." Her palm briefly brushed Jay’s cheek.

Jay felt the gentle touch all the way to her toes, but as much as she enjoyed the simple contact, she was aware of something else, too. She grasped the hand that had caressed her face in her own soft hands and turned it over to examine the palm. She gasped when she saw that it was raw and bleeding. Then she got a closer look at the rest of the anchorwoman.

"You need to go to the hospital, Katherine. You’re hurt." She began to pull on the statuesque woman’s good hand to get her to stand.

"No, Jay, the hospitals all have their hands full with the seriously wounded, I’m fine."

"No you’re not, you’re bleeding, you’re cut and you need to be seen," the blonde prodded stubbornly.

Trying to change the subject, the tattered woman said, "My friends call me Kate."

"Oh, are you including me in that number?"

"Sure."

"Boy, you’re easy."

"Don’t let it get around," Kate replied smiling tiredly at the repeat of their very first conversation.

"Your secret’s safe with me," Jay winked. "And now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get you to the hospital."

Seeing that she was going to have to do something to placate Jay, Kate decided to take a different approach. "I don’t want to spend hours sitting in an emergency room; my doctor can handle my injuries."

"At this hour?" Jay questioned skeptically.

"She’s a friend of mine," Kate answered reasonably.

"Okay, then call her, because I’m taking you there right now."

"That’s really not necessary."

"Let’s go find a pay phone," Jay said determinedly.

"All right, all right already, I know when I’ve been outmaneuvered." Kate sighed and led her companion over to the nearby Convention Center, where a pay phone sat outside the entrance.

Now Jay was feeling a little sheepish. "Umm. I took a cab here. You do have a car, right?"

The anchorwoman laughed for the first time in many hours. "C’mon, one of my co-workers dropped my car off nearby hours ago." She led the way across the plaza to the opposite side away from the Capitol.