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Casey walks into Dana's office and closes the door behind him.

Casey: You wanted to see me?

Dana: Casey, yeah.

Dana gets up and twiddles a pen in her fingers.

Casey: What's going on?

Dana: Have you told Dan?

Casey: About what?

Dana: You know... your contract.

Casey: No.

Dana: You need to.

Casey: I know. Why?

Dana: Cause I told somebody.

Casey: Who? Natalie?

Dana: Yes, Natalie.

Casey folds his arms across his chest.

Casey: Why?

Dana: I had to. I had to do it to... protect us.

Casey: That's what her call was about earlier?

Dana: Yeah. I'm sorry, Casey.

Casey: Whoa, whoa, hold on there. How is you and me dating related to Natalie finding out about my contract?

Dana: I told her to keep her off track.

Casey: So Natalie accuses you of seeing me, and you, in turn, blurt out that my contract is not being renewed?

Dana: It sort of came out that way.

Casey: What exactly did you say?

Dana: Natalie was starting to figure some things out. She knows about Jeremy seeing us a few weeks ago. She suspects we were together last night. Casey, I did it to protect us.

Casey: You still haven't explained why you told her.

Dana: I admitted we were together last night. She already knew we were both away from our homes last night. I told her I was seeing you because I felt bad for you.

Casey: You felt bad for me?

Dana: Yeah... because... because of your contract expiring.

Casey: Do you?

Dana: Feel bad for you?

Casey: Yeah?

Dana: No.

Casey: Because when you just said it, you sounded pretty convincing.

Dana: I had to be.

Casey: Would you be dating me if my contract was a moot point?

Dana: Casey.

Casey: Because I don't need your sympathy- especially if you feel you need to go out on pity dates with me.

Dana: Casey, we both know this is difficult for us. We've been hiding our relationship from everybody to protect our careers.

Casey: To protect your career.

Dana: Casey-

Casey: Cause I'm not going to be working here come mid-July.

Dana: Casey, I'm sorry.

Casey: You see? This is why I haven't told Dan. I don't need his sympathy.

Dana: Casey, please calm down.

Casey: You involve me in dramatic moments by throwing water on me or punching me just to say you're pissed off at me. You do this to prove to everybody you have no romantic inclinations involving me. Yet, when Natalie comes in and starts making accusations, you cave like a house of cards.

Dana: What is this about Casey? Is this about your job, or about you and me?

Casey: Both.

Dana: What?

Casey: That's right. God, I love you so much. I want you so badly, and you push me away. I haven't spent the night at your place-

Dana: Well, I slept at your place last night.

Casey: That's all we did last night.

Dana: Well, fine then.

Dana angrily slides everything off from her desk and they fall to the floor.

Dana: You want to take me, big boy? Take me, right here, right now, on my desk. Come on, Casey! You know you want it!

Casey: Dana-

Dana gets right up into Casey's face.

Dana: How dare you come in here and carry on like that. I said I am sorry. I am sorry, Casey. Don't you realize the pressures I am under? I have to run a show on a network with no direction. I have to get the ratings up. I have to please Isaac and Sam and the network and the people who will be coming in. I have to hide the relationship with the man I love. I don't need you pissed off at me because you are afraid people might feel bad for you. They have a right to feel bad because they all care about you, and if you don't realize that, then maybe you shouldn't be working here after all.

Casey: Are you through?

Dana: Yes.

Casey reaches out, pulls Dana's head close, and gives her a big kiss.

Dana: Casey, don't try to confuse me right now.

Casey: During your little tirade, you said you loved me.

Dana chuckles.

Dana: I did... didn't I?

Casey: I'm sorry for taking my frustrations out on you.

Dana: I'm sorry for saying I felt bad for you.

Casey: You need help cleaning up?

Dana: Nah. I got it.

Casey: I'll see you later.

Casey starts to leave.

Dana: Wait.

Casey stops as Dana leans over and takes a tissue out from its box.

Dana: You have lipstick on your mouth.

Dana takes the tissue and gently wipes the lipstick away from Casey's lips.

Casey: Better?

Dana: All better now.

Casey winks at Dana as he opens her door and leaves her office.

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Natalie goes into the editing room and approaches Jeremy from behind.

Natalie: Hey.

Jeremy: Hey.

Natalie: The rumors are correct.

Jeremy: About people being let go from Sports Night?

Natalie: Yeah.

Jeremy: Who? Marcus?

Natalie: No.

Jeremy: Who?

Natalie: You have to promise.

Jeremy: Promise what?

Natalie: Promise not to tell anybody.

Jeremy: Okay.

Natalie: Promise me.

Jeremy: I promise.

Natalie: It's Casey.

Jeremy: What about Casey?

Natalie: Duh... he's the one being let go.

Jeremy: What? Are they insane?

Natalie: Apparently so.

Jeremy: You're joking.

Natalie: Dana just told me.

Jeremy: Who else knows?

Natalie: Isaac, Dana, you, me, J.J., Ray, and Billy.

Jeremy: J.J., Ray, and Billy were fired.

Natalie: I know.

Jeremy: They were the ones making the decision.

Natalie: Yeah.

Jeremy: There's still a chance the new regimen may keep Casey.

Natalie: Dana doesn't think so.

Jeremy: She doesn't think so?

Natalie: Yeah.

Jeremy: Are they insane?

Natalie: Yeah.

Jeremy: Has Casey told Dan?

Natalie: Not yet.

Jeremy: I don't feel like having dinner tonight.

Natalie: Jeremy, you've got to eat.

Jeremy: I know.

Natalie: You don't want your blood sugar to drop.

Jeremy: I just feel sick. I'll be all right, Natalie.

Natalie: Just because we are no longer dating, it doesn't mean I no longer care for you.

Jeremy: I still care for you too.

Natalie: If I was being let go, would you quit?

Jeremy: It depends.

Natalie: On what?

Jeremy: Where you would be going.

Natalie is speechless.

Jeremy: Hello?

Natalie: I meant quitting in protest. Leaving because they would be breaking up our team.

Jeremy: I know. I was joking.

Natalie hits Jeremy in the arm.

Natalie: That wasn't funny.

Jeremy: I understand my faux pas.

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Dan knocks on Isaac's open door. Isaac looks up from his desk and smiles.

Isaac: Danny, come in.

Dan: Hey, Isaac.

Dan sits in front of Isaac's desk.

Isaac: What seems to be troubling you?

Dan: I heard about Marcus.

Isaac: Yeah, I had to do something. If I just attributed it to a lapse in judgment and forgot about it, the network would have fired me. Plus, I could imagine the ridicule this network would suffer.

Dan: Yeah. You made the right decision.

Isaac: It was the only decision to make.

Dan: Yeah.

Isaac: Danny, there's something more which is troubling you.

Dan: Did he say how long he has been smoking pot?

Isaac: He said he started when he was playing in little league. He and his friends would get together after games and use it.

Dan: Yeah. That's when I was first exposed to drugs.

Isaac: I assume you were not exposed with Marcus and his friends.

Dan: No, not at all. I started when I was playing little league. It was the rebellious, experimental thing to do at the time.

Isaac: Are we going to have to start testing ten- and twelve-year-olds for drugs? We're going to have testing while they are still in elementary school?

Dan: I don't know. They might.

Isaac leans back in his chair and brings his hand to his chin.

Isaac: So tell me. You knew about Marcus... and his habit.

Dan: Yeah.

Isaac: Didn't you do something?

Dan: I tried.

Isaac: What happened?

Dan: A few months ago, when we were in Miami for the national championship game, I had to pick Marcus up at the hotel.

Isaac: Because you were the driver.

Dan: I had the rental car. Casey waited downstairs and I went up to get him. When he opened the door, I could smell it right away.

Isaac: He did this before going to work?

Dan: No, this was the night before the game- after we wrapped up taping.

Isaac: Because last night, Marcus said he had never used drugs on the job.

Dan: I believe him.

Isaac: What did you do?

Dan: After we finished going out, I sat Marcus down and spoke with him. We talked for over an hour.

Isaac: Did you tell him about your experiences?

Dan: I told him about me... I told him about... Sam... I told him about the dangers.

Isaac: Did it seem to help?

Dan: No, not really. He was convinced he wasn't doing anything wrong to harm himself.

Isaac: So he went out after he smoked pot?

Dan: Yeah. Why?

Isaac: It's nothing. It's just something Marcus said to me during our conversation.

Dan: We went out, had a few drinks, and went back to our rooms.

Isaac: He feels he is invincible.

Dan: I could educate him on the dangers, but I felt I couldn't get him to stop.

Isaac: Why didn't you tell me?

Dan: I didn't think he was a criminal who needed to be prosecuted.

Isaac: We could have gotten him some help.

Dan: No, we couldn't.

Isaac: Yes, we could.

Dan: Isaac. Marcus won't get help until he seeks out help. He won't be cured until he reaches out to us.

Isaac: What should we do?

Dan: Wait.

Isaac: We need to wait?

Dan: Yeah. One day he might mess up badly, and he will need as much support as possible.

Isaac: He absolutely cannot mess up while he is working for this network. He needs to realize this is creating damaging consequences- both personally and professionally.

Dan: We can be there for Marcus as friends.

Isaac: So we should just wait to see if he falls?

Dan: If he falls, we will be there to support him and pick him back up.

-----

Casey is walking through the newsroom. He has a tape in his hands.

Casey: I've got the Twins and Red Sox. Who wants it?

Kim: I'll take it.

Casey hands the tape to Kim.

Elliott: Casey?

Casey: Elliott?

Elliott: I've got the update on the Blazers and Lakers.

Elliott hands Casey and sheet and continues walking.

Casey: Thanks.

Natalie walks up to Casey.

Natalie: We're dropping Stackhouse tonight.

Casey: Good, because I needed the time.

Natalie: Actually, it looks like three NHL games are going into overtime. We'll need the time for updates. We'll move the Stackhouse interview to tomorrow night.

Casey: How long are we going to keep putting off Stackhouse?

Natalie: I know we've pushed it back the last few nights, but I promise we will get it on tomorrow night.

Casey: Thanks.

As Natalie walks by, she reaches out and reassuringly rubs Casey's arm. Casey turns around and watches Natalie walk through and out of the newsroom.

Jeremy: Five minutes, Casey.

Casey: Thanks, Jeremy.

Jeremy walks toward the control room.

Dan: Casey.

Casey turns toward his office.

Dan: Catch.

Dan tosses him a baseball. Casey drops his piece of paper and catches the ball with both hands.

Dan: Nice grab.

Casey tosses the baseball back to Dan.

Casey: Thanks.

Dan catches the ball and places it back on his desk.

Dan: Ready to go?

Casey: Yup.

Casey picks up the sheet of paper he dropped, and the two start walking toward the studio.

Dan: Natalie tell you about Stackhouse?

Casey: Yeah.

Dan: Ready for the weekend?

Casey: Yeah.

Dan and Casey walk by Dana.

Dan: Dana, two eligible bachelors are going out this weekend for some fun.

Dana: Well, if you find any more, send them to my house.

Dana and Casey exchange quick smiles. Dan and Casey continue into the studio as Dana walks toward the control room.

Dana: Good show, everybody!