"Dana, can I talk to you for a minute?" Natalie asked as she walked into Dana's office.

"Sure," Dana answered, pushing herself away from the desk.

Natalie sighed deeply, then closed the door.

"Dana, I went with Dan to his family reunion," Natalie said, sitting down on the small couch.

"I know that," Dana responded quietly.

"But you don't know what happened..." Natalie murmured.

Dana echoed Natalie's earlier sigh, then came to sit across from her.

"At first, it was okay. I met David Rydell. He's one of the friendliest people I've ever met. He watches Sports Night in London. He told Dan that he was really good at what he did, and that he really liked Sports Night. It was so cool to hear someone compliment us," Natalie told Dana, a smile lightly on her face.

Dana smiled also. Natalie was right, it was cool.

"...Then Jay came in. I didn't see him at first, but he made his presence known by screaming at the top of his lungs asking how Dan had gotten in," Natalie whispered, her smile fading.

"He told Dan that he was rejected by his family. Now that might not have been bad, but... Dana, he called him a reject... a failure..." Natalie continued, then trailed off.

"How could he say that?!" Dana asked, her heart going out to Dan.

"...I tried to defend him. I told Jay about how good of a person Dan was, how hard he works, how he's stood by us all during many of a trial. He didn't care, Dana, not in the least bit," Natalie explained.

"How did Dan react?" Dana asked.

"He just... left. He wasn't mad... I don't know what he was. It scared me Dana, it scared me a whole lot. I can't imagine what I would do if my father told me I was a reject and a failure. I'd probably shoot myself," Natalie murmured.

Dana watched quietly as Natalie's eyes filled with tears.

"Dana, I tried. I tried to stop his pain. I failed....I failed.... damn it I failed!" Natalie said as she finally broke the barrier and started sobbing. Dana pulled Natalie into her arms as she sobbed.

She kept sobbing into Dana's arms for a good five minutes. In that time, Dana felt an anger she had never felt before at someone she had never met before.

Jay Rydell.