Disclaimer

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Casey walks into the newsroom. We're picking up near the end of the previous episode, so you know it's after midnight and Casey is still wearing his tuxedo from the awards ceremony.

Claire: Casey, you just missed it. Dana got up here a few minutes ago and we all congratulated her.

Casey: I'm sorry to see that I missed that.

Ted: She was really moved by it. I think she was taken by surprise.

Casey smiles and nods his head and continues through the newsroom. Casey walks into his office, turns on the light, and takes off his jacket. He drapes the jacket over a chair and looks over a few memos sitting on the desk. He looks up and out into the newsroom. Casey then leaves, headed towards Dana's office.

Casey reaches outside of the office and he knocks on the door. He peeks in the window and sees the light is off.

Casey puts his hands in his pants pockets and casually walks back down the hall and into the newsroom. He walks through the newsroom and watches the West Coast Update team gather up the late-evening scores and highlights. He takes a quick peek inside the conference room to see if Dana is in there. Dana isn't, so Casey continues his casual search to find her.

Casey walks out the double-doors and by the giant CSC logo at the end of the hallway. He walks through another set of doors and into the dimly lit studio.

As he is casually looking around, Casey notices somebody by the anchor desk. It is a woman who is holding her chin in her hand.

Casey: (whispers to himself) Wow. She's beautiful.

Casey takes a few steps closer, and the woman looks up and at him. Casey is taken aback when he realizes he is staring straight into Dana's eyes.

Dana and Casey gaze at each other, admiring how beautiful the other person looks this evening.

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Dana: Hey.

Casey: Hey.

Dana: Big night, tonight.

Casey: The whole world now knows what we've known all along.

Dana laughs.

Casey: You're the best at what you do.

Dana: Casey?

Casey: What is it?

Dana: (shakes her head) Nothing.

Casey: Are you all right?

"...all right? ...all right?"

The scene goes dark.

The scene comes back, and you find yourself in a community field on a college campus.

"...all right? ...you all right? ...Are you all right?"

"I was the one who took you down."

"Well, you came down with me."

"Well, look who has the most grass stains on their clothes."

September, 1983

You come across two characters. One is a tall, skinny guy with brown hair and wearing a gray sweatshirt which has "Broncos" in green block-lettering. He also has grass stains all over his sweatshirt and blue jeans. The second is a woman with long, strawberry blonde hair, which is tied in a pony tail in the back. She is wearing a navy blue sweatshirt with gray shorts. She has smudges of dirt on her face, elbows, and knees. The are walking side-by-side as a flag football game breaks up.

"I'm Casey."

Casey holds out his hand.

"Dana. Dana Whitaker."

The two shake hands.

Casey: You know, if you were on the football team, Toledo wouldn't stand a chance against us on Saturday.

Dana: Toledo doesn't stand a chance with or without me.

Casey: You're right.

Casey takes another glance at Dana.

Casey: You're in Morgan's calculus class, aren't you?

Dana: Yes.

Casey: And you're also in Brakebill's mass comm class, aren't you?

Dana: Yes. You're the guy in the front row. The guy who knows everything.

Casey: You know where I sit?

Dana: Yes, I do.

Casey: There's like a hundred people in that class.

Dana: And you're the one who knows all the answers.

Casey: I do my homework.

Dana: I do, too. I'm just not a braggadocio like yourself.

Casey looks puzzled, then he laughs.

Casey: That was a put-down, wasn't it?

Dana: No, I'm just merely stating the facts. Plus, you sound just like my roommate.

Casey: Do I?

Dana: Yeah. Plus, I already know I can do something better than you.

Casey: And what's that?

Dana: Tackle.

Casey: It was flag football!

Dana runs ahead and turns to face Casey.

Dana: But still... I took you down.

All Casey can do is smile and shake his head.

Casey: How about grabbing a bite to eat?

Dana: I'm sorry... I can't... I have a paper due Monday and I haven't even started it.

Casey: Okay, then I guess I'll see you later.

Dana: Yeah, I'll see you in class.

Dana starts jogging down the sidewalk.

A couple of guys catch up with Casey from behind.

"Ha-ay, Casey. My man! You hookin' up with the the hot redhead?"

"Going for the physical type, Casey?"

Casey: Hey, guys. I'm just checking her out.

"Well, Case... she's a hottie."

"So smooth, so sweet."

"Did you get her number?"

Casey: I'm working on it.

The two guys start to laugh at Casey as they jog ahead of him.

Casey: (to himself) I'm definitely working on it.

"...working on it. ...working on it."

The scene goes dark.

The scene comes back, and you find yourself inside a closet. You can hear laughter going on outside.

"...working on it. ...definitely working on it. ...I'm definitely working on it."

You come out of the closet, and go into the room- a dorm room. There are a group of five people inside the room. Three men, including Casey, are on one side, sitting either on the bed, a chair, or desk. Two women, Dana and Lisa, are sitting back on their beds. All of them have beer cans in their hands, are slightly intoxicated, and laughing.

Dana: You're not going to ask her out, Casey!

Casey: Yes, I am... She found my work to be fascinating and beyond the scope of mere intellectual composition.

October, 1984

Everyone laughs.

Dana: She said that?

Casey: I thought the 'A' spoke of that.

"She's your T.A."

Casey: And a very cute one at that.

"I know her number."

Everyone sits up straight. Dana lets out a little giggle.

Dana: Are you going to call her?

"It's at 7653."

Everyone stares at Casey. He looks at everyone and picks up the phone. He looks at them once more and then he begins to dial.

Dana: (whispers to Lisa) He's not going to do it.

Casey: (on phone) Hi, is Kelly there? No. How about Sheri? No.

Casey looks puzzled.

Casey: (on phone) Oh, I was just calling to ask her out. (listens) Kelly. (listens) I understand this is a wrong number. Hey, hey, hey. Wait a second. Let me ask you something. Would you like to get together sometime?

Everyone begins to laugh as Casey tries to quiet them down.

Casey: (on phone) I don't know. You sound cute. (listens) You know you won't ever get a man with an attitude like that. (listens as you can hear shouting coming from the other end of the line) Fine, then you just lost out on something beautiful.

Casey hangs up the phone as everyone continues to laugh and they begin applaud him. Casey gets up and sets himself down between Dana and Lisa.

Casey: I had to try.

A flashbulb goes off.

"Gotta' save this for posterity."

Dana: Hey! We're all out of beer!

"What time is it?"

"Ten-thirty."

Dana: We've got to get to Little John's before they close!

Dana gets up off the bed.

Dana: Who's coming with me?

Casey: I'll come with you.

Dana: Great let's go.

Dana and Casey both grab their jackets and leave the three others behind in the room. The two walk down the hall and down a flight of stairs.

Dana: You know who you should ask out, Casey?

Casey: Who?

Dana: Lisa.

Casey: Oh, come on.

Dana: I'm serious here. Ever since her and Richard broke up, she hasn't been the same.

Casey: No offense... but Lisa?

They walk out the door and into the crisp night.

Dana: Hey, I'm trying to do you a favor here and what do you do? You put down my best friend. Maybe you don't deserve her. Maybe she deserves better.

Casey: I'm sorry. I was just thinking about... about...

Dana: What?

Casey: I never had thought of Lisa. I never had thought of going out with her. Your suggestion took me by surprise.

Dana: You should take her to that Kool & The Gang concert next month.

Casey: I'll think about it.

Dana: You should do it. You should ask her out. You'll thank me later.

Casey: We're still meeting for lunch tomorrow, right?

Dana and Casey stand outside of a car. Dana pulls out a set of car keys.

Dana: Yes, and maybe we could go over some calculus.

Dana giggles.

Dana: You really don't understand it, do you?

Casey: It's not that I don't understand it...

Dana looks over at Casey as she unlocks her car door.

Casey: Okay, yeah, it's that I don't understand it. But more than that, when in life am I gonna need to find the derivative of a function?

Dana: I don't know, but I know one thing.

Casey: Here we go again...

Dana: Someday, somehow, it all comes back to calculus.

Casey laughs.

Casey: It does, does it?

Dana: One day, we're gonna think back to when we first met, and it all comes back to calculus.

Dana opens her door and gets inside. She reaches over and unlocks the door on the passenger side. Casey opens the door and gets inside.

Casey: Yes, it does.

The scene goes dark.

You hear a car door slam shut and a vehicle pull away.

When the scene comes back into focus, you a Los Angeles television affiliate van pull away. Dana and Casey are walking side-by-side as they enter a bar.

December 31, 1987

Casey and Dana maneuver their way through the crowd of people. Even though it is dusk outside, some patrons already have had enough to drink. The sound of clanging glasses, conversations, and an infrequent noise maker can be heard. The two make there way up to the bar and they take their seats.

A bartender comes over to take their order.

Dana: I'll have a martini.

Casey: Yeah, and I'll have a beer. Whatever's on tap.

The bartender nods his head and walks off to get their drinks. As Dana munches on some pretzels at the bar, Casey notices a group of gentlemen behind him.

"Hey, McCall! The young prodigy is in the big time in L.A.!"

Casey: Hey, Dana. It's the guys back from Detroit.

Dana pops a pretzel in her mouth.

Dana: Yeah. You go and have a good time.

Dana spins around in her chair, smiles, and waves at the men.

Dana: Hi, guys. Having a good time here?

"Great time... Danielle."

Dana offers a big smile as they call her by the wrong name. Casey seems hesitant at first, but at Dana's urging, he heads on over to the table.

The three gentlemen at the table exchange handshakes with Casey.

"So you pulling for good ol' Michigan State?"

Casey: First of all, I'm looking for a good, exciting game.

"I don't know. It's USC this year."

"That's good ol' Casey. Looking for the next big story. He's going to put us to shame, gentlemen."

All the men laugh.

Casey: Well, I do work for a Los Angeles television station, so I think I should be leaning a little toward the Trojans.

"Straight out of college, and working the sidelines at the Rose Bowl."

"And with your little redheaded girlfriend over there, too."

The three reporters give Casey some catcalls.

Casey: Hey, hey, hey, guys. She's producing the feature for my show. There's nothing going on between us.

"No need to explain, Casey. We've got you covered." (winks and slaps Casey on the arm)

Casey: We're just friends.

The reporters laugh at Casey, not believing his story.

As you move forward into the future, Dana is sitting at the bar by herself, and then Casey comes up and joins her.

Dana: How was reminiscing the good ol' days with the boys?

Casey: It wasn't bad.

Dana: If you want to spend the night with them, that's fine. I can take a taxi home.

Casey: So I spent twenty, thirty minutes with them. I haven't seen them since we graduated.

Dana: It's just...

Casey: It's just what?

Dana: You're so much better than them. Look at them. Been in the business for ten or twenty years, and their work isn't that great. You shouldn't be hanging out with them.

Casey: Thank you, mother.

Dana throws some pretzels down on the table.

Casey: Dana. (holds on to Dana's hands) We're here to have a good time. The game's tomorrow, we have some time tonight. Let's use it.

Dana: Okay.

Dana and Casey have a conversation: discussing different things, bringing up points, having different opinions, and laughing at jokes. A couple hours pass by and the two are walking through the bar. They pass by an unmanned piano. Casey looks at it and smiles.

Casey: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Dana: What are you going to play?

Casey: Remember two years ago at Goebel Hall?

Dana: How could I forget?

Casey: Well, Lisa isn't here to get jealous.

Dana: Let's do it.

Casey takes a seat at the piano. Dana stands next to him. Casey cracks his knuckles and plays a few notes. A few of the customers turn to watch. Casey begins to play a song.

Casey: You know this song, don't you?

Dana: I do. It's "Always On My Mind." I don't know if-

Casey: Care to join in? Here's your cue.

Dana smiles and opens with lyrics from "Always On My Mind."