Disclaimer: I have nothing but the highest respect for Aaron Sorkin and HBO and hope they won't mind me taking their creations out for a very brief spin.
Summary: After Leona refuses their resignations, the surprises keep coming. (Post-episode for 2x07 Red Team III. Picks up exactly where the episode left off.)
Will McAvoy/MacKenzie McHale
Rated M.
x X x
Having made her opinion very clear in a tone that brooked no argument, Leona left as quickly as she'd arrived. More than a little shell-shocked, for a full minute neither Charlie, Will or MacKenzie said a single word.
Will was the first to recover.
"Well I for one think this calls for a celebratory drink. Charlie?"
"Not this time. I've had about as much excitement as I can stand for one day," said Charlie.
"Mac?" Will appealed. "Just a quick one?"
"One," she agreed, holding up a finger to make her point. "And it had better be very quick."
x X x
As they walked into his office, Will made straight for the drinks cupboard and poured two generous serves of single-malt scotch whisky, breathing deeply in appreciation as the ice cubes clinked gently against each other.
He handed MacKenzie her glass, then leaned back in his chair, briefly closing his red-rimmed eyes.
"Ah, the good stuff. Thank-you," said MacKenzie. Unable – or unwilling – to sit still, she paced from one side of the room to the other like a caged animal. Will tracked her movements absently as he sipped at his drink.
"I still can't believe that just happened. Leona was amazing – like a woman possessed. From what you and Charlie said about her, I thought she'd have the three of us out on our proverbial arses without a second thought. It was the most surprising thing that's happened to me in, oh I don't know how long."
"Mac," said Will quietly.
"Yes, Will." She paused in front of his desk and looked down at him. His expression gave nothing away.
"Marry me."
With slightly shaking fingers, MacKenzie raised her glass to her lips and drained the remaining liquid in one long gulp. Will's eyes were drawn to the slim line of her throat as she swallowed and he smiled faintly when he saw her grimace as the alcohol burned on the way down.
Very deliberately she placed the glass on Will's desk then bent to retrieve her laptop bag.
"I'll see you in the morning," she said, and turned to leave.
In a second Will was on his feet, blocking her exit from his office. His previous lethargy forgotten he reached for MacKenzie's hand, but she drew back as though burnt, avoiding his grasp.
"Mac, I asked you a question."
Shaking her head, she tried to push past him but he stood firm.
"Will, this really isn't funny. At all," she said, eyes downcast, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly with unshed tears.
"I wouldn't joke about something like this, Mac. I've never been more serious in my life," said Will. Again he reached for her hand and this time she let him take it.
Encouraged, Will continued speaking.
"When you came into my office and told me we had to retract Genoa, more than anything else I should have been worried about my own credibility, my reputation, my career," said Will.
"But the only thing I could think about was losing you. Not being able to see you every day, no more having you in my ear, owning my ass between eight and nine – and the idea of that was simply…" he paused, looking into her eyes and searching for the right word before settling on "..unbearable".
"Oh, Will," said MacKenzie, letting her bag slide to the floor so she could take his hand in both of hers.
"Of course you felt like that. So did I. We have a strong working relationship. I mean, we're practically co-dependent, if you want to get all psycho-analytical about it," she joked, in an unsuccessful attempt at levity.
"But Leona refused point-blank to accept our resignations. Remember? In the morning we get up, we go back to work, and we try to do better. You and me against the world just like it's been for the past two years. Don Quixote and San Churro."
"Sancho," corrected Will mildly.
"Right, that's what I meant," she said, letting go of his hand.
"You make a compelling argument, Counselor," said Will.
"I learned from the best."
Will inclined his head, acknowledging the compliment. "And if our relationship was purely professional, maybe we could pick ourselves up, brush off the dirt and pretend that nothing had happened."
MacKenzie opened her mouth to interject but Will cut her off.
"Let me finish. Please." He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion threatening to derail his train of thought.
"I am very much aware that I am the one who's put up barriers at every turn, thrown Brian in your face both figuratively AND literally, and doggedly refused to forgive and forget," he confessed.
"Will, I'm so tired I can barely see straight and you can't be far behind. I don't remember the last time either of us slept. You don't have to do this tonight," said MacKenzie, her voice rising in pitch and tinged with something that sounded a lot like hysteria.
"MacKenzie, I mean this in the nicest possible way. Shut up."
Oddly reassured by Will's brusqueness, she did as he asked.
Will continued. "I know that I have no right to expect you to change your tune just because I've finally realised that you mean more to me than anything else in the world. But goddammit, I'm hoping that you might."
"Because the thing is Mac, I'm fucking tired of pretending."
"Every time you whisper in my ear – that the show is running long, or to get some moronic guest back on topic, I imagine you're really saying something else."
Will deliberately lowered his voice. "Something like 'take me to bed', or maybe even 'I love you, Billy'."
MacKenzie's eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly in astonishment at what he'd just revealed.
"Come home with me tonight, Mac. And never leave."
She drew in a shaky breath. "Can I speak now?"
He nodded uneasily. Her obvious surprise had unnerved him and as well as he knew her, he found himself for once completely unable to predict how she'd respond. If MacKenzie rejected him outright or even tried to let him down gently, he'd hunt Leona down and force her to accept his resignation, whatever it took.
Recognizing that Will had put everything on the line, MacKenzie left him hanging for no more than a few seconds.
"You'd better still have that ring!" she said.
Will threw back his head and laughed in utter relief. "That's my girl! I should have known you wouldn't have forgotten about that."
He crossed to his desk and unlocked the top drawer, retrieving the ring box before walking back over to MacKenzie.
She held out her hand expectantly but Will shook his head. MacKenzie pouted, much to his delight. Her reaction had sent his heart soaring into the stratosphere and soothed the worst of his fears. Now he was rather enjoying himself.
"Uh uh, you haven't said yes yet," he teased.
Standing on tiptoes, she leaned in very close to murmur directly into his ear. Will shivered as her lips grazed the ash-blonde stubble on his jawline.
"Yes, I'll go home with you. Yes, I'm in love with you. Yes, I'll marry you. And yes, I very much want you to take me to bed."
At lightning speed MacKenzie found herself in his arms, the ring-box falling to the floor unnoticed, Will's lips on hers.
She clung to him like she was drowning and he was a life-buoy. In her wildest dreams she'd never imagined the night ending up like this – but my god she was beyond elated that it had.
Kissing Will was familiar, but somehow new and exciting at the same time. Everywhere they touched her skin felt hot and over-sensitized. Her heart was thumping like crazy – or was that his? – and her blood seemed to be dancing in her veins.
"Mac," he hummed against her mouth. "Love you."
"Me too." Her hands were already under his jacket and she yanked his shirt from his pants, desperate to feel bare skin. He inhaled sharply as her nails raked across his lower back, his eyes closing involuntarily for just a second.
"God Will, I've missed you, so many times I've wanted to touch you like this."
"Call me Billy," he pleaded, pressing fervent kisses to her nose, her cheeks, her eyes. "You're the only one who does."
"Billy," MacKenzie sighed against his neck, and he groaned with need, one hand sliding down to cup her ass and press her more tightly against him.
"Mac, unless you want me to take you on the floor of my office, we need to get out of here."
x X x
The way MacKenzie's eyes lit up as he placed the ring on her finger while they waited on the sidewalk had been worth every penny he'd spent on it.
For the first few minutes of the cab ride she'd admired and fiddled with it in turn, then they'd started making out again.
With a warm and willing MacKenzie pressed snugly against him for the first time in many years, Will had been sorely tempted to take things further than just kissing. But the cab driver's look of recognition and frequent glances in the rear-view mirror were enough to douse his ardor. Apparently MacKenzie hadn't noticed; her wandering hands had driven him almost to distraction.
When they alighted from the cab, Will gave their driver a very generous tip in the hope that it would keep them out of the tabloids.
"Shall we?" he said to MacKenzie, gesturing towards his building where the doorman waited patiently despite the late hour.
She nodded, but felt suddenly awkward. Back at the ACN offices, Will had seemed an equally enthusiastic participant in the kissing and groping that had gone on, but in the cab he'd been almost hesitant. Was he, she wondered, already regretting his hasty declaration and spur-of-the-moment proposal?
The silence that accompanied their elevator ride did nothing to dispel MacKenzie's anxiety, but she was still trying to come up with a convincing excuse to leave when a low-pitched ding announced that they'd arrived.
Ever the gentleman, Will let her precede him from the elevator and into his apartment. He switched on the lights and dropped his keys on the kitchen counter.
"Another drink?" he offered. "More scotch, a glass of wine, champagne?"
She took a deep breath. This was it. "Actually, I'm feeling pretty tired and –"
"Of course you are." Will smiled sympathetically and MacKenzie felt a dull ache start to build in her chest. It seemed he couldn't wait to be rid of her.
"You'll feel better after you've had a shower. I'll leave a shirt on the bed."
x X x
Minutes later, standing under a steady stream of water turned up as hot as she could stand it, MacKenzie had to admit that Will had been right. Along with the grime and sweat of the day, she mentally let some of her regrets about Genoa, and her thankfully unfulfilled fears about losing Will and her much-loved job in one fell swoop, wash down the drain along with the soapsuds.
Having dried herself and with a towel wrapped firmly around her body, MacKenzie opened the bathroom door a crack and peeked out. There was no sign of Will, but the promised shirt lay on the bed.
For a moment she contemplated the underwear she'd discarded on the bathroom floor, but replacing any piece of the clothing she'd worn for way too many hours the previous day was not an appealing thought.
Before she could change her mind, she dropped the towel and pulled the New York Jets shirt over her head. It was soft and well-worn and smelled faintly of laundry detergent.
The sound of footsteps in the hall announced Will's approach and overcome with a sudden attack of shyness, MacKenzie leapt into the bed, pulling the sheet up to her chin. She needn't have worried; Will knocked before entering.
"MacKenzie?"
"Come in," she said, propping herself up on one elbow and reassured that her voice sounded steady even though the rest of her felt decidedly otherwise.
Will came into the room, smiled goofily at her and picked up the towel which she'd abandoned on the floor in her haste.
"I'm just gonna –" he gestured towards the bathroom.
"Sure, I'll be, uh, right here," said MacKenzie.
As soon as the door closed behind him, she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"I'll be right here. Could I sound any more inane?" she moaned out loud, letting her head fall back against the pillow.
x X x
Shower running, Will whistled as he undressed and examined himself critically in the full-length mirror. Okay, so he'd packed on a few pounds since the last time MacKenzie had seen him naked but he didn't think she'd hold it against him.
For a man in his fifties he felt he was in pretty good shape. Broad shoulders and a firm chest covered with a smattering of curly blonde hair. A cute butt, or so he'd been told on more than one occasion. And as for the body part currently standing at full attention thanks to MacKenzie's ministrations on the drive over, well he'd certainly never had any complaints.
Showering and drying off in record time, Will took a deep breath. He didn't normally suffer from performance anxiety, but then again there wasn't just any woman waiting in his bed. This was MacKenzie McHale, the best EP he'd ever had, the love of his life, the woman he was going to marry, and he wanted their second first time to be memorable for all the right reasons.
Unfortunately, he was slated for disappointment.
MacKenzie had turned off the ceiling light, so the only illumination was a warm ambient glow from the bedside lamps. She lay almost as before, but on her side instead of her back, facing the middle of the bed – and fast asleep.
Will thought about waking her. Her soft even breathing, the tantalising curve of her breast beneath his Jets shirt and the silken spill of her hair on the pillow were doing nothing to quell his arousal. But then he remembered just how long she'd been awake, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Guess I should have made it a cold shower," he said under his breath.
x X x
MacKenzie woke slowly, blinking at the light streaming in through the curtainless windows of Will's bedroom. She was alone in the bed, and it took her several minutes to recall the events of the previous evening – the retraction of Genoa, the anticipated confrontation with Leona that had turned out to be nothing of the sort, drinking with Will, kissing Will, the cab ride to his apartment, and then…
"I fell asleep," she said out loud, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "I can't believe I did that."
Rolling onto her side she eyed the indent in the other pillow and the mussed sheets which told her that despite his current absence, Will had spent the night beside her. A good sign, she decided, that he wasn't having second thoughts after all.
Climbing out of bed, she tried fruitlessly to yank the shirt she was wearing any lower than mid-thigh before giving up and padding off in search of Will.
He wasn't in the kitchen, so she helped herself to some water, pressing the cool glass against her still-flushed face before taking a long swallow. The muted sounds of a sports match drifted through from the living room and MacKenzie's heart-rate picked up. She suddenly wished she'd taken the time to check her reflection and fix her hair, but then dismissed the thought on the basis that Will knew very well what she looked like first thing in the morning.
Engrossed in a college football rerun, he didn't hear her come in. MacKenzie leaned against the doorframe, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to study Will with his guard down. Attractive as she found him polished and elegant in a suit and tie, she'd always been more partial to this Will – shirtless and barefoot, his hair rumpled, wearing nothing but a ratty pair of sweatpants that were fraying at the ankles.
Glancing at the wall clock, she saw it had just gone seven. Still several hours before either of them had anywhere to be, leaving her with plenty of time to make it up to him for last night.
Just the thought of seducing Will made MacKenzie warm all over. Her breasts felt heavy, aching for the touch of his fingers or the firm tug of his mouth. She bit her lip and pressed her thighs together, enjoying the friction and drawing out the anticipation for as long as she could bear it.
She knew the exact moment that Will sensed her presence in the room. His body stiffened slightly, and he half-turned on the couch to face her.
Under his gaze, her nipples pebbled tightly against the cotton fabric of the shirt she wore and goosebumps formed on her arms; his pupils dilated as he took in her state of undress and obvious arousal.
"Hi," he said, his voice gravelly from disuse.
"Hi yourself."
Will cleared his throat. "About last night –" he began, before MacKenzie cut him off.
"Will," she said. "Come back to bed."
The alacrity with which he bounded off the couch deserved a reward, and he found it when he reached MacKenzie, who flung her arms around his neck and drew him down for a kiss so scorching he felt sure they'd leave burn marks on the wall he had her pressed against.
Mouths meeting again and again, his fingers ghosted over her hip, reaching the bottom of her shirt and slipping underneath to stroke the smooth skin of her bare ass before dipping even lower.
MacKenzie's knees buckled under the onslaught and he took her weight, cradling her to his body, his thigh between her legs. He could feel her through his sweatpants – hot and wet – and it was too much and not enough at the same time.
Bracing herself with one hand against the doorframe, she thrust her breast towards his mouth. He sucked and mouthed it through the cotton fabric and MacKenzie let out a strangled moan.
"Mac, come on, I'm too old to do this up against the wall," Will panted.
MacKenzie giggled. "Come on then, old man. Let's get you into bed where you belong."
She darted through the kitchen and down the hall, pulling the shirt over her head as she went and flinging it back at Will, half a step behind. Just as she reached the bedroom, he caught up with her, grabbing her round the waist and tackling her onto the bed.
"Old man, huh?" challenged Will. MacKenzie lay beneath him, gloriously nude and shaking with barely suppressed laughter.
Will grinned down at her. He'd forgotten how much fun sex could be with someone who knew you inside out and back to front and wasn't afraid to take it not-so-seriously.
Then she deliberately lifted her hips off the bed, grinding against him and it was all Will could do to keep from tearing off his sweatpants and burying himself inside her in an instant.
"MacKenzie McHale, you're going to be the death of me," he joked, summoning up every ounce of self-control in his possession.
"Yeah, but what a way to go!"
He felt her hands at his sides, eagerly working to rid him of his final piece of clothing which he was soon able to kick off onto the floor, before rolling over and pulling MacKenzie into his arms.
"I am officially the biggest idiot in the world," Will said, shaking his head in self-reproach. "How did it take me two years to get here?"
"Oh stop it," said MacKenzie, pressing two fingers to his lips. "There's been plenty of stupid behavior on both our parts, but that's all in the past now – so let's leave it there, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed, sealing the bargain with a soft kiss which turned into a sharp inhalation when he felt her grasp him firmly in one hand before giving a few experimental strokes.
"Is this for me?" she said mischievously, licking her lips. "I think I need to take a closer look."
His wild-eyed look of panic at her words was almost funny.
"Mac, if you go anywhere near me with your mouth right now, it will all be over in seconds," warned Will, batting her hand away.
To distract her, he lowered his head to her breast, licking and nipping in turn until she was writhing in his arms.
"Will, please," she begged.
"Please what?"
In answer, she grabbed his hand and thrust it between her legs, whimpering when he instinctively touched her right where she needed him to.
"Feels so good. God Will, don't stop."
Will had tried so hard to forget everything about MacKenzie McHale, and especially this, but like the notes of a favourite melody his fingers remembered exactly how to make her body sing for him.
He played her like his most treasured guitar, now plucking, now strumming, now stroking, until her gasps and moans segued into one long, drawn-out cry of release.
Unable to wait any longer, Will nudged her legs apart before embedding himself within her in one deep stroke. He groaned deeply, eyes rolling back in his head. It felt like coming home, jumping off a cliff and scoring the winning touchdown all rolled into one.
Wrapping her long, slim legs around him, ankles hooked behind his knees, MacKenzie urged Will on.
"More, Will, harder!"
Willingly he did as she asked, claiming her as his with every thrust, erasing the years they'd missed out on, the mistakes, colossally bad decisions and sheer pigheadedness that had kept them apart.
And when he felt her clench around him, he gave a shout of triumph before following her over the edge.
x X x
When MacKenzie woke for the second time, she wasn't alone in the bed. Will sat beside her, reading the New York Times, a plate precariously balanced on his knees.
"Hungry?" Will queried, waving a piece of toast in her direction.
MacKenzie nodded, eyes darkening, her gaze falling suggestively to the sheet covering his lap.
Will chuckled. "Flattered though I am by your faith in my powers of recovery, we need to get going. It's after one."
"One!" yelped MacKenzie, sitting bolt upright and coming dangerously close to upsetting Will's breakfast.
"Relax," said Will, righting his plate and placing it on the table beside him. "I emailed everyone over an hour ago, pushed the first rundown back and told them we had two big announcements to make."
Mac gulped. "Two announcements, Will?"
"One," he said, making a ticking gesture. "The fact that we offered to resign, Leona refused, and that we're all going to put Genoa behind us and get on with doing our jobs."
"Uh huh," said MacKenzie. "And two?"
He lifted her left hand from where it lay between them on the bed, kissing her thumb and each finger in turn until he reached the one where the solitaire diamond engagement ring he'd given her sparkled brightly.
"I think people are going to notice this, don't you?" Will asked.
"Oh God, you're going to tell them. Already?"
"Nope," he said.
"Oh thank goodness, for a moment there I thought..and I know this is forever and that's exactly what I want but that…"
"You are."
"…doesn't mean we have to tell them right away…" MacKenzie's rambling speech trailed off.
"Wait, what?" she said.
"You're going to tell them," said Will.
x X x
An hour and a half later, MacKenzie stood in her usual position next to the whiteboard, heading up the rundown meeting. As the team filed in through the double glass doors, she placed her left hand behind her back in a way she hoped appeared casual to anyone observing her closely.
Will sat down at the far end of the table and leant back in his chair, perfectly at ease.
MacKenzie, in contrast, felt thoroughly rattled – not helped at all when Will had the temerity to wink at her.
As the last of the staff made themselves comfortable, MacKenzie cleared her throat.
"Thank-you all for being here. I'll cut straight to the chase. Very early this morning, Will, Charlie and I met with Leona Lansing and offered her our resignations."
Her statement was met with gasps and exclamations of shock. Everyone started talking at once and Maggie looked like she was about to cry.
"Guys, I'm not finished," MacKenzie said, but no-one paid her the slightest bit of attention. She banged her first on the table, but regretted it almost instantly when she came away with nothing but bruised knuckles.
"Right," said MacKenzie, slipping off her Louboutins and climbing onto her chair. Inserting her thumb and forefinger into her mouth she let out an almighty wolf-whistle. Gratifyingly, silence followed instantly and Will looked particularly impressed.
"As I was saying," MacKenzie continued, getting down from the chair. "We offered to resign, but Leona flatly refused to accept it. It seems we have an ally upstairs after all. NewsNight is here to stay and so are we!"
An instantaneous standing ovation followed the second part of her announcement. It was quite some time before she could be heard again, but this time she gave them free rein to vent their excitement. When it eventually died down to a dull roar, she smiled at her team.
"So now it's back to business as usual," she said, picking up a marker from the table and turning to the whiteboard which already displayed the proposed list of segments for the night's show.
"Wasn't there something else you needed to tell us?" Sloan interrupted.
MacKenzie froze, swallowing visibly and dropping the marker which rolled under the table.
"Will's email. It said there were two big announcements," prompted Sloan.
Before MacKenzie could go on, Charlie forcefully pushed open the door to the meeting room.
"What the hell is going on in here?" he growled. "I could hear you all from out in the hallway."
"Calm down Charlie, we're just doing a bit of celebrating," said Will. "And, as it happens, I'm delighted you're here because MacKenzie has another announcement to make and you won't want to miss this one."
Making a face at him, MacKenzie took a deep breath.
"Ok, so here's the thing. After we met with Leona, we came back down here for a quick drink – to celebrate. One thing led to another, and, well, Will-proposed-and-I-accepted," she finished in a hurry.
Charlie's eyebrows flew into his hairline in surprise as he turned to Will for confirmation.
Will said nothing, but looked insufferably smug.
"Will McAvoy, you sly old dog!" said Don, thumping him on the back.
Fully recovered from her earlier bout of teariness, Maggie looked delighted, especially when Jim caught her eye and smiled from across the table.
Sloan, meanwhile, leaned across to whisper wickedly in MacKenzie's ear, "Bet I can guess why the rundown got pushed back."
Having shaken hands with Don and Gary, and exchanged a hug with Tess, Will made his way to MacKenzie's side just in time to hear Maggie questioning her about whether they'd set a date for the wedding.
"We haven't really had time to discuss it yet," said MacKenzie.
Maggie nodded. "That's understandable. I mean with it being so sudden and everything."
"Sudden?" said Will quellingly. "Maggie, when you've been in love for seven years…with the same guy I mean," he added, earning an elbow to the ribs from MacKenzie, "come and see me and we'll talk."
"And as for sudden –" without further warning he took MacKenzie in his arms and dramatically dipped her halfway to the floor, cutting off any protest she might have made by kissing her soundly.
When they finally came up for air, MacKenzie blushing rosily, it was to the cheers of the newsroom team which were louder than ever.
Smiling, Charlie just shook his head at the two of them, threw up his hands, and joined in the applause.
The End
Author's Notes:
I would be thrilled to hear what you think about my little story. This is the first fanfic I've written in well over a decade, so hopefully I'm not too rusty! Email me at gkingsley
P.S. Who else is devastated that there are only two episodes left this season!