So I wrote this on July 24, 2012, also known as National Tequila Day, also known as my favorite holiday. (Don't judge me).

So this is a little fic I wrote about today starring Will McAvoy and MacKenzie McHale from the Newsroom. After last week's episode "Amen," the end of the episode with the Rudy scene orchestrated by Mac for Will, my shipper heart truly set sail.

So here I'm writing a little one-shot, possibly two-shot pushing these two forward in MY world of The Newsroom. So enjoy! And I obviously have no affiliation with The Newsroom; I just have a vivid imagination.

And I was kidding about National Tequila Day being my favorite holiday.

ALSO, IF YOU LIKED THIS FIC (OR HATED IT, I DON'T CARE) PLEASE WRITE SOME NEWSROOM FANFICTION.

THANKS to Syd for encouraging me to write this and post it. Thanks baby girl.

It was 11pm on a Tuesday night, and of all of the bars in New York City, Will McAvoy and Mackenzie McHale were slumming it in a cheap-o bar somewhere downtown.

It was 10:15pm on a Tuesday night after another successful show and after the staff meeting in the conference room, Mac was in her office, packing up her things to head home to an empty apartment. There were no phone calls from Wade telling her to pick up some wine on her way home, and she was feeling ambivalent about the fact that Wade was no longer in her life. He wasn't the perfect boyfriend, but he did keep her mind off of her tumultuous working relationship with Will, and he was someone to come home to.

There were no phone calls or texts from Wade. No voicemails calling to apologize or text messages asking her to forgive him. She can't say she wasn't hurt, after all they had been together for a few months, though it wasn't anything too serious, but in the end he had used her for his selfish political agenda.

"What an asshole," she muttered under her breath.

As she packed her things, her mind wandered back to the hug she and Will had shared that same night. That was the first time since she'd been there that she had a genuine 'moment' with him. It felt good to be back in his arms; it was like nothing had changed between them. She felt safe, and loved.

As thoughts of romance spun around quickly in her head, there was a sudden knock on her office door; it was Will. She quickly stopped organizing her messy desk, and jumped a little at the intrusion.

"Hi."

"Hi." Mac stood there with papers in her hand, staring at him with a slight smile on her face. She was in a kind of daze, recalling memories of the two of them.

"Uhh Mac," Will said, trying to gage her full attention.

Mac snapped out of her daze and responded, "Yes William?"

"Good show tonight…you want to get a drink with me? Well…not…yeah with me.

"yeah…sure," Mac said cracking a smile.

Will stood in the door and looked at Mac as she collected her purse and other personal items. It reminded him of, when they were together, the countless times when he had to wait on her as she got ready for parties. He was always waiting on her to finish putting her make up on, or finish doing her hair. But she was so adorable when she was rushing around trying to hurry so they wouldn't be late. She would ramble on about how she was sorry she was taking so long and she was almost done, and he'd sit in a chair near her dressing table in her apartment and watch her. While he watched her scurry around he'd think to himself how much he actually loved her. He didn't know if she knew how much she mattered to him. When she was finally done making herself up, she'd hesitantly walk over to Will, crack a sheepish grin, and say "I'm readyyyy," quietly. Will would smile back at her, and look into her eyes. It was with that one look that would make her whole face light up. He loved when she looked at him like that. He would lean down and kiss her like he was kissing her for the very first time. This was their usual routine when they were invited anywhere, the way she—

"Will?" Mac said as she stood a few feet in front of him, ready to go.

"Yeah?" He answers, caught off guard.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," and with that, he let her pass in front of him as they walked out of her office into the nearly empty newsroom.

Will and Mac found an out of the way little bar somewhere downtown at 11pm. They made sure they wouldn't be seen out together, so they picked the diviest-dive bar they could find on the island of Manhattan. With TMI and Nina Howard still a threat, the two of them really weren't up for creating more tabloid fodder, plus Will wanted to be alone with Mackenzie, no interruptions.

"Mac do you know what today is?" Will asked smugly.

He was in a good mood, a really good mood, Mac thought to herself. The notion slightly concerned her.

"Mm July 24!" she said enthusiastically, but not knowing what he was getting at.

"Ok, yeah, but do you know why today is significant?"

"…no? Oh wait! Wait…oh no. It's not my birthday is it?" Mac said, honestly trying to remember her birthday.

"No, your birthday is in June, and no to whatever else you are about to say…"

"It's—oh ok…"

"No, Mac today is National Tequila Day."

"And that's significant WHY Billy?"

"Because I know how much you enjoy good tequila. If I remember correctly, the night I met you, we were attending a certain party for a certain retired anchor, and you were tanked and hitting on this retired anchor WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS. You were drinking the cheapest liquor they had, which by many people's standards isn't so cheap. Tres-Quatro-Cinco."

As he said the name, a bottle of Tres-Quatro-Cinco was placed in front of Will with two shot glasses.

He continued,"and for every special occasion after we started dating, we drank Tres-Quatro-Cinco together. You don't remember that?"

"Will, I was way too drunk the night you met me, and I practically embarrassed myself in a room of my colleagues. That was a night I wanted to forget…except the whole meeting you part."

Will raised his shot glass and Mackenzie mirrored his gesture. They took their shots; Will grimacing, and Mac, wide-eyed, but taking it like a pro.

"And in fairness, William, I thought you were just breaking out a bottle of Tequila because you knew I liked it. I had no idea it was the kind I was drinking at the party. So either you are a real bastard for making remember such an embarrassing evening, or…"she sighed heavily and paused before she spoke again "…or…you're a really sweet guy who's reciprocating kindness…which by the way, is very unbecoming of you if you want to keep up the 'tough-guy' persona around the office." She giggled as she poured herself and Will another shot and raised her glass before gulping it back.

"And then there's the third option, which involves you reminding me of all of the good times we used to have together…which also counts as reciprocating kindness…" Will smiled widely at this notion.

The two continued talking for another two hours; discussing everything from politics, to literature, cell phones, Leona and Reese Lansing, and just about everything else you can think of.

The bottle was getting less and less full while Will McAvoy and Mackenzie McHale were getting more and more loose as the hours went by.

They were having a good time. They were laughing heartily and it reminded them both of when they were together, though both parties were reluctant to say what they were thinking in this moment.

"William Duncan McAvoy, tell me about your girlfriend…with the chest…" she says playfully. She extends her hands out in front of her chest, to suggest the woman's large chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" he says in a more serious tone trying to cover up his blatant intoxicated state.

Will didn't want to get into this with her right now because if she pushed him any more about relationships he was afraid he might tell her how he felt. That he might tell her that he missed her. That he might tell her that he still loved her.

"You know…the…the pilot…with the boobs…and the hair extensions…"

"She, haha…she was a cheerleader, and she's not my girlfriend, Mac…"

"Oh girlfriend, schmirlfriend—you know Will I—"

"—Mac please…"

"What?"

Will looks at her with a sad glance. Neither of them said anything, but they both had an inkling of what the other person was thinking.

"Will, I should go. You were very sweet to do this for me, but I really think I should go…" She puts her coat on and grabs her purse ready to head out the door.

"Mackenzie! I…I'm trying to do something nice for you. Please…stay."

"Will, maybe this is—"

"Wait, just please sit," Will says in an upbeat tone, despite the awkwardness of the current situation.

"It's just you and me, like old times, sitting in a dive bar drinking ridiculously expensive tequila…"

"Darling, we've never sat in a dive bar drinking ridiculously expensive tequila together…" Mac says with a slight smile.

"What I'm trying to say, is that this doesn't have to be anything more than just us sitting here talking…"

Still standing, Mac says "It's never going to be that simple Will…I fucked things up a long time ago, and I'm just trying to do right by you and—"

"You don't need to do right by me, you need to let yourself be free of whatever perverse sense of guilt you've got, and just embrace what we have now…"

"Oh? And what do we have now? Because I can't think of a word to describe our current relationship!"

A bit bewildered, Will says "Wow…I don't think there is a word for what we've gotten ourselves into…"

She drops her head a little bit, and smiles despite the slight tension. She gives in.

"Goodnight Will. Thank you for the drinks."

Will nods his head. He's sad to see her go, but the night had to end somehow. I guess this was the ending she chose, he thought.

Mackenzie moves slightly to leave, but before she can even turn her body towards the door, she stops herself.

She looks back to Will. He's looking at her with a tired grin on his face.

Mackenzie pauses momentarily. She remembered the look on Will's face on Valentine's Day when he realized she was behind the Rudy moment. She slowly leans in to kiss Will on the lips. He leans in to the kiss, and the exchange is gentle, but passionate and built up.

She pulls back for a moment. Was this her giving up her guilt and giving in to her feelings for Will?

So that's it guys. For now anyway. Continue? Yes/no?

PLEASE leave a review. It's not the best writing in the world, but you can't say I'm not trying here.

THANK YOU!