Sports Night.

Insecurities.

A/N. There may be one or two quotes from the actual show used, for example the normal show introduction, mainly because its what they say in every show. All characters belong to Aaron Sorkin and production team of Sports Night etc.

This is my first fan-fic...

- - -

Natalie walked quickly through the office, hair bouncing as she did so. It was clear to everyone that day that Natalie was in a mood, and when that happened, or when she was especially angry, no-one wanted to cross her. Stopping instantly in front of Jeremy, who was sitting at his desk typing statistics into the computer, she spoke. 'Hey Jeremy, do you think I'm sexy?' she asked impatiently.

'Of course. Who wouldn't?' Jeremy replied, looking up at her, wide eyed and pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

'You're lying.' Natalie said, shaking her head so that her hair shook, half grinning nervously as she looked at Jeremy. 'I can tell when you're lying.'

'Well, I do think you're sexy Natalie. You're sexy as hell. A knockout in fact. But what do you want me to say? You want me to tell you you aren't? Cuz I can't do that.' He quickly said, then more insistently added, 'I like you too much.'

Natalie turned a little so she ended up talking more to the office and its jumble of furniture than to Jeremy.

''Well why won't anyone say I am? All I get is little and cute. Even from you. Can't you try more?' She threw up her hands and with another shake of her head, walked off, determined to find someone, anyone to complain to.

Jeremy stood up and went straight to Dan and Casey's office where Dan was sprawled on the sofa, can of Red Bull in hand, reading a newspaper. 'You gotta help me.' Jeremy pleaded.

Dan looked up form his paper with a bemused look on his face.

'Ya lost another battle?' asked Dan, who was by now well used to Natalie and Jeremy's various fights. In fact the entire production staff of Sports Night were. When Natalie got bored she liked to provoke fights with Jeremy. It was like an ongoing ball game in itself, with Jeremy the one dropping the ball and he lost out to Natalie every time with no idea why.

Jeremy ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair. 'She just asked whether I thought she was sexy.'

'I heard.' Dan replied. 'And you said.' He asked more like a leading statement than a question, as Dan already knew the answers and did not want to give off the air of being interested in this saga.

'I said of course. I mean what's wrong with that? She is. Sexy I mean. So I said of course. That's right isn't it?' He frowned, pacing up and down the office.

Dan sighed. He had become used to being something close to mentor to Jeremy, finding himself surprisingly able at giving advice to someone, when he himself lacked experience, or a current woman in his life to think of as anything near sexy. Swinging his legs off the sofa so he could manoeuvre himself to a sitting position, Dan motioned Jeremy over.

'C'm here. Sit down.' Dan clapped his hand on Jeremy's shoulder as Jeremy lowered himself to sit next to Dan. Jeremy jerked his head towards Dan in reaction to Dan's display of manly friendship.

Dan began wildly gesturing with his hands. 'See, with women, well…they're complicated.'

'Thank you Freud.' retorted Jeremy.

'No, I mean complicated to the likes of us men who know what we want and say it. We're men, that's what we are. And that's how we play it. Down the line. As men. But women,' He pursed his lips and shook his head, 'complicated.'

'Complicated' Jeremy repeated.

'Yeah. And someone like Natalie, you gotta catch her off guard. You gotta give her somethin' she's not expecting. Throw her a pass.'

Jeremy looked at Dan as he was in full flow. Dan now had his arm around Jeremy's shoulders. How did Dan get to know this about Natalie? Had Dan…? Jeremy gulped. Was Dan really only talking about Natalie? Jeremy blinked hare, trying to get rid of any thoughts not about Natalie. 'So, throw her off guard?' he questioned, hoping Dan wouldn't notice his zoning out.

'Keep in the game.' Dan punched Jeremy lightly in the chest with his left arm. 'S'all I'm sayin'.'

- - - - - - - -

Casey strode through the corridor, a smile playing across his face. Turning the corner he crashed headlong into a frantic Dana, who was currently hopping on one leg, her shoe in her hand, just missing Casey's head.

Casey started. 'Dana. Whoa. Hey. You okay?'

'I'm supposed to be going out to dinner later.'

'Who with?' Casey asked, some small part of him fearing her answer.

'Gordon, Casey, I'm going out to dinner with Gordon.'

Casey's heart plummeted.

Dana added, 'I wanna look nice. Great in fact. It's what Gordon likes. How can I if my shoe is broken?'

She ran a hand through her hair as Casey tried to dodge the other hand still clutching the offending shoe. Casey thought Dana already looked better than great. He always had, though in their fifteen or so years of friendship and working partnership he would never admit it.

'Uh, I'm probably not the best person to ask.' Casey nervously offered. 'Don't you women have spares or something? Isn't there some sort of code? Ask Natalie.'

'Aaaarrgh.' Dana groaned, limping quickly down the corridor towards the edit suite where she was hoping Natalie would be. She didn't want to admit to Casey but she would have turned to Natalie, her associate producer and right hand, first of all, and Casey knew it.

Casey knew many people turned to Natalie, and today seemed to involve many people having conversations mentioning her name. Take Dan for instance, who was right now finishing off educating Jeremy on the finer points of conducting relationships.

'Danny.' called Casey, entering their office and going to his desk.

'How goes it Case, my friend?' retorted Dan.

'Nearly got killed by Dana in a death by shoe incident.' Casey replied, a touch of bemusement and sarcasm in his voice. 'I'm having a great day.' He began sorting through the paperwork and unfinished script drafts that littered his desk.

I'm trying to stay away from women today,' his co-anchor announced, settling himself back on the sofa. 'They're all aliens.'

'Aliens.'

'Yes.' Dan stated, matter-of-factly. 'They're trying to undermine us.'

'Where did you get that pearl of wisdom?' Casey asked without looking up from his desk.

'It's true. They are not of this earth my man.'

'All of the women in this office are aliens?' Casey raised his eyebrows.

'Well, maybe not Kim.'

'Why not Kim?'

'You think she's one of them too?' Dan sat up straighter.

'I don't know, you tell me Danny.' grinned Casey, wondering how Dan could have gotten to such conclusions.

'Not Kim.' Dan determined. 'But Sally, certainly from a men hating planet of giant women.' Sally was the producer of the 2am West Coast Update and was disliked by many in the office for her flirtatiousness around the Sports Night men and her attitude towards Dana. Dan continued, 'Dana, is clearly possessed by some malevolent spirit.'

'A spirit Danny?' Casey asked, amused by Dan's imaginings.

'A shoe hating spirit. A poltergeist maybe.'

Casey laughed, weighing up whether to destroy Dan's theories by telling him poltergeists didn't possess people.

'And Natalie…' Dan stopped. Suddenly he didn't want to imagine Natalie possessed by poltergeists, demons or any kind of otherworldly being. Yes she was forceful, but that was good. He liked that in a person. Kind of like a sparring partner.

Casey figured Dan was caught up in imagining Natalie with her head spinning round or something like that. 'Danny, you got way too much free time buddy.'

- - - - - - - -

'Ok, what have we got?' Dana's voice rang out loudly and clearly through the conference room, cutting through the banter of the assembled Sports Night staff. 'Item 23. Did we get a confirmation on who saw the fight?' Dana asked, now clearly in charge and confident in this area of her life.

Jeremy looked up from his notebook. 'Apparently the custodian did when he was sweeping up.'

'Right. Elliot, can we get a graphic on that?'

'Sure. On it.'

'Great,' Dana commented. 'Next item…'

Suddenly Natalie's bright voice rang out as she read a memo out to the staff. Instantly, Dan's stomach flip-flopped, causing him to drop his pen, which clattered noisily onto the table.

'Dan?' Natalie enquired, looking concerned. 'Are you listening?'

'Yeah. Uh. Just zoned out for a second. I'm in. No problem.' Dan's stomach did not seem to agree with this reassurance and threatened to spill his breakfast.

'Maybe you're possessed.' Casey grinned wickedly. Any chance to taunt Dan welcomed.

'Possessed?' said a bemused Dana.

'Danny reckons all women are possessed or are aliens' Casey teased, enjoying watching Dan squirm.

Dan made a noise in his throat. 'No I didn't!' he cried, looking wildly round the room and catching Kim, Dana and Natalie looking threateningly at him, spying various places in which to shove his pen.

'Ah chicken.' Dana taunted, joining in with Casey.

- - - - - - - -

Dan was not sure how he managed to endure the rest of the rundown meeting with everyone, especially Dana, mocking him mercilessly. He was not sure either why his body kept acting so strangely, or why he could not look Natalie in the eye during the entire meeting. Jeremy did not know it, but he was right about Dan's enthusiastic speech earlier. Dan was not only talking about Natalie. Dan was himself in need of a sparring partner.

- - - - - - - -

Whilst Casey headed to get some food, Dan sought the empty comfort of the edit suite. Opening the door and backing in, watching Casey's retreating back, he turned around, his hand still resting on the door handle, and felt the full force of Natalie's head against his chest, winding him, and sending his brain into outer space.

The tapes Natalie had been carrying clattered to the floor. Natalie looked at Dan, at the mess of videotapes scattered on the floor, and back at Dan, realising Dan had not noticed the tapes nor flinched at the noise. Something was clearly wrong.

'Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Dan I didn't see you come in. Are you okay?' She grabbed his arm and led him to a swivel chair, putting Dan's lack of reaction down to injury. Dan's eyes suddenly focussed on a concerned Natalie, who was now peering intently into his face.

'Natalie.' He exclaimed breathlessly.

'Oh my god. You recognise me. That's good. Do you know what just happened? Can you remember?'

Reality set in just then for Dan. 'Nat, you got my sternum not by brain. I'm fine. Just a little winded, that's all.' He grinned. 'You're like a little tornado, you know that?'

Natalie looked sheepish. 'Yeah. Sorry about that. Got carried away with some stuff on the tape. Didn't see where I was going. Still reading the tape label, you know…' Natalie was nodding and shaking her head at the same time as she spoke, her dark bobbed hair flying, 'I'm…babbling…aren't I. You don't wanna know about the tapes.' She bent down and looked expectantly at Dan, resting her thumb against his cheek, caressing it carefully.

'Ice.'

'What?' Dan looked at her, confused.

'Ice.' Natalie blurted out again. 'I'll get some. Or, no, water. I, I'll get you some water. You want water?'

Natalie pulled back her arm and straightened suddenly, swivelling on her heels towards the direction of the door. Dan reacted quickly, standing also, gently grabbing her right arm with his left hand as he did so, and pulled her towards him, her head bumping against him again. He looked down at her small figure, smiling at the thought of her injuring him the exact same way twice in as many minutes. He placed his right hand underneath her chin, gently pulling her head up towards his. Dan gasped as Natalie's huge brown eyes looked straight into his. Natalie reacted to this.

'Dan, are you really okay? You are hurt aren't you? I should get Dana…'

'Natalie.' Dan whispered breathlessly, but insistently, his hand beginning to stroke her chin. She stared up at Dan intently.

'Natalie.' Dan repeated more slowly as his head dipped hesitantly, his mouth meeting hers slowly but firmly. Dan's tongue flicked against her lips, testing. Natalie seemed for the first time in a long while, to be putting up no resistance. She parted her mouth, letting his tongue roam. Dan let go of her wrist, slipping his arm around her small waist instead. The other hand now touching the back of her neck, caressing it and stroking and curling his fingers through her hair. She melted into him, letting her arms travel round him, holding onto his back. They parted cautiously, Dan the first one to speak.

'Wow Nat. I uh…' he could not believe it and neither could she but Dan was lost for words. 'What about Jeremy?' he settled on saying, now believing more than hoping her feelings were mutual. His fear was soon dispelled however at Natalie grinned up at him.

'Shut up and kiss me again.' She demanded. Dan smiled at her. Yes, she would be just the right sparring partner.

- - - - - - - -

Dana's voice boomed loudly into Dan and Casey's earpieces. 'Sixty seconds to air. Good show everyone.'

Dan and Casey looked at each other, certain that the show would go better than the day had for most people there that evening. Casey was mumbling something about Dana's bedside manner when it came to microphones, but Dan could not care less, he was grinning all over his face but he could not help it. When Dana spoke again, he had to agree with Casey for once as she loudly stated 'Dan you look like you swallowed a coat hanger.'

'Just happy to be here Dana.' Dan answered, not wanting to give too much away.

The announcement came, 'In five, four, three…'

'Good evening and welcome to New York City. I'm Dan Rydell, sitting alongside Casey Macall. Those stories plus we'll take you ringside where battles are going strong tonight for the title.'

Casey took over. 'All that coming up after this, you're watching Sports Night on CSC so stick around.' while Dan glanced over at Natalie in her seat next to Dana. He gave a wink, barely seen by anyone but noticed by her.

Elliotts voice was heard, 'And we're out.'

Then Natalie herself. 'Two minutes back.'

Yes, Dan thought to himself, battles have happened, and things are definitely going strong…