Side Note: Okay this is something that randomly popped into my head post-episode 8 and I just quickly wrote it. Idk if this even makes sense but I just had t get it out of my head and I needed to write something will/mac while I figure out how exactly to continue my other fic, haha. Let me know what you think! Reviews make me happy. :D

Side Note 2: We really need some more Will/Mac or just Newsroom in general fics. So, if you ever had a fleeting thought maybe even for just a few seconds, about a scene you wish happened or something, go ahead and write! The Newsroom fandom will appreciate it. Just some words of encouragement for you, :).

Mackenzie McHale has never been a devout believer in God, but even she had to admit this was quite the sign.

Groans were heard resounding in the studio from frustrated producers, but Mac breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a subtle smirk.

Even God knows this is complete bullshit, she thought.

"Mac?" Herb looked up at her using her his cell phone to light the dark surrounding him.

"Yes?"

"What should we do?"

Honestly? Mac thought, I don't even care at this point.

But she couldn't say that right now could she? No, she had to wear the professional face of Executive Producer.

"Someone call the technicians to see if they're on it and if we have a time estimate on when the power will get back," Mac ordered.

Secretly Mac hoped the power wouldn't come back for hours and they'd be forced to scrap the segment-hell, at this point she wouldn't be too disappointed to scrap the night's whole newscast. After all the work the News Night team did to produce an honorable and serious news show, they had to put the cocktail waitress murderer and the man-whore politician on air instead of actual news. This complete dismantling of everything she had put in place was suffocating her and it pained her to watch. Therefore the power-outage provided her with a comforting precipice of darkness from the short-attention-span-theatre. While producers around her called their colleagues and worked through the darkness with only tiny LCD screens of light, Mackenzie closed her eyes and enjoyed the small moment of peace.

However, her peace was soon ruined by an intruder.

"The power in the studio is out." Will exclaimed as he burst through the glass doors.

In the past few days Mackenzie's relationship with Will has been put to the test as the two of them were on edge. The two were constantly at each other's throats with razor sharp rhetoric and sass. Mac could not believe how willing Will was to grovel on his knees for the viewers once the ratings took a dive. In the blink of an eye, the Will they had come to see, the integrity of the show, the intelligent, no-nonsense anchor reverted back to the ratings-obsessed child he was before Mac arrived at ACN. She understood that they had to give in a bit to offset the ratings loss, to bring viewers back, but the extent that they have been milking out every once of emotional manipulation of Casey Anthony and Wiener was unbearable. The last thing she wanted was Will to get fired, but there had to be another option. Mackenzie was not ready to give up their fight for civility, but apparently Will was.

"Really? What makes you say that?" Mac's response to Will was laced with a bitter annoyance that had been growing inside her for days.

Both Mackenzie and Will were extremely aware that the reason for the tension between them lately was about more than simply their change of news coverage. Despite the progress they had made in the past year, despite the warm relationship of trust and friendship that her and Will had regained, he just had to go and hire Brian. The move felt like a blow directly in the gut to Mackenzie.

What other reason does he have to insist on hiring Brian other than to hurt me and achieve some sort of sick revenge? She thought, Maybe I deserve it…

No, Mackenzie thought. She couldn't keep herself in jail anymore for this. She thought they had at least fostered a mutual respect for each other and this was a petty and childish move on his part. If his intention was to hurt her, although she hated to admit, it was working.

Mac sent Will an irritated glare to send him a message to not bother her at this particular moment.

Will, however, either didn't receive the message or didn't care.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?"

With a roll of her eyes Mackenzie brushed passed him and stormed out of the control room to go see what could be done about the power and also to not be in the same room as Will.

Before she could make her way very far down the dimly lit hallway, Mac heard heavy footsteps following her. Mackenzie had a sixth sense when it came to Will; she knew the footsteps were his. Without looking behind her, she quickened her pace. However, Will caught up with her faster than she anticipated and deftly wrapped an arm around her and swooped her into the nearest empty control room.

In the pitch-black control room Mackenzie couldn't see a thing as Will led her quickly into the room until her back lightly touched the wall behind her. Only their heavy breathing could be heard and Will stood directly in front of Mackenzie; closer than what one would normally associate with "friend-zone." His forehead was just centimeters away from hers and despite the darkness Mac knew his eyes were closed. He had her cornered. The two stood there for seconds breathing each other in as Will kept a his hands on Mackenzie's shoulders. All the pent up frustration, all the pent up tension and anguish of the last few days too overwhelming for either one of them to find the proper words.

"Will," Mackeznie began, but Will cut her off with a barely audible, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry," he again slightly louder than before, but still whispering.

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"Then stop," Mackenzie pleaded.

Slowly letting his arms fall from her shoulders back to his sides, Will took a few steps back, allowing him a moment to think.

When seconds passed by and Will still hadn't come up with a response for her, Mackenzie began to move from her spot against the wall and toward the door.

"I'm still in," Will spoke as Mackenzie's hand graced the handle of the glass door.

Upon hearing his voice she halted in her spot.

"I'm still in the whole 2.0 thing," he continued. "I don't have a need to be loved by strangers. I'm not turning back into a ratings person. I just want this debate and I want to keep my spot in that chair."

He paused in his speech to see if she would turn around and face him, but she stayed with her back to him.

"Look, we have Leona in the palm of our hands with Charlie's source and we will find a way to bring back 2.0, but we just need to give this now because we are in too fragile of a state. I know you hate it. I hate it."

Once again, he paused to see if she'd face him and once again she remained facing forward. Will knew what she was waiting to hear. He let out a sigh and continued.

"It shouldn't take a shrink to figure out why I brought him here."

Mac knew he was referring to Brian. At that moment, she turned to face him and saw the raw and vulnerable look in his eyes. Reciprocating his expression, Mac let her defenses down for a split second and let a single tear slide down her cheek.

"Dr. Habib pointed out that it's probably hurting you and that I'm holding my hand over a flame or a candle-I don't know what the fuck, but Brian's here now and he knows a lot, so I don't know if I can make him leave at this point. He has a good enough idea already of what's going on and although I want to put the guy threw my office window, I know he can put together a decent story," Will spoke without taking a breath.

Mackenzie was surprised that he'd mentioned his therapist. In fact, she assumed he never saw him again. Before Mac could even begin to respond, Will spoke again.

"He said I should forgive you, Dr. Habib. He said that's what I needed to do. I thought I had, but I guess … I don't know Mac, I …" Will didn't know how to continue his thought.

Slowly he took a few steps toward her until he was standing mere inches away from her once again. He pleaded her with his eyes.

"Don't give up one me just yet," Will barely whispered. "I'm getting there."

At a loss of words herself Mackenzie nodded her head slightly, knowing that despite the lack of light, he'd be able to read her. She knew that she'd never be able to say no to him-that if there was even the slightest possibility he could look at her the way he looked at her before her mistake, she'd do whatever it took to get there. She could never give up on him.

"Okay," She whispered back.

Suddenly, light flooded around them as the power returned causing a slight ache to their eyes that had grown accustomed to the dark.

"We should get back to work," Will said softly as he held the door open for her.

"Yeah."

With that, the two exited the control room and parted ways as Will headed back to the studio and Mac returned to the proper control room.