Late Night Reflections
After the end of Season 2 I just had to go back and start watching from the beginning. This is just a series of short reflections that Will and Mac might have had during/after each episode.
1x01 – We Just Decided To
Mac:
Lying in bed that night, Mac relaxed into the softness of the mattress with a sigh as she had done every night since she'd returned from the Middle East. It was so good to be home again and she was still coming to accept the fact that she was back, safe and sleeping in a normal bed again. Tonight though that feeling was at war with the stress of having spent the day working at News Night. Seeing Will again had been hard enough, but realising the animosity he still held towards her was almost unbearable. She didn't expect things to go back to what they were before but she'd hoped they could be friends at least.
It had been so good to see him despite his attitude. He looked as good as she remembered, and while she thought he looked great on air in a suit, seeing him in his casual wear always made her heart turn over. It was hard having to hide what she felt but she knew he'd have thrown her out straight away if she'd even suggested she was still in love with him. But she could still go head to head with him about work without fear. Getting that part of their relationship back was almost enough, at least for now. Even when they'd been a couple they'd argued about work issues on a regular basis. Will needed to get back to doing what he was meant to do – the news – and she wanted to make that happen. Mac laughed out loud remembering their discussion right before the show. She'd thought he was going to have a heart attack when he looked at the preview monitor but he'd been shutting her out and that couldn't be allowed if they were going to work together.
Who knew what would happen though. At the end there, things had been better. It had been a great show. Later, they'd had a whole conversation devoid of animosity and he'd seemed almost concerned when he'd mentioned Charlie's comments about her being exhausted. She couldn't let him see the truth of that– neither of them was really ready to deal with her fairly fragile emotional state. He'd opened up to her though, revealing that he'd been flustered at Northwestern because he thought he'd seen her in the audience. She almost chased after him to tell him that it was her but maybe, for now, it was better him not knowing. It had given her hope for the future and she didn't want to do anything that might ruin that.
Will:
With a glass of scotch on the table next to him and a lit cigarette in his hand, Will was lying out on the terrace as he did most nights after the show, trying to decompress. He was finding it more difficult tonight than usual and there was only one reason for that. Mac. He'd been furious at Charlie for pulling this off behind his back. Intellectually he understood his reasoning, and even sympathised with Mac's situation, but to see her and work with her again was almost unbearable. The hurt hadn't lessened, probably, if he was honest with himself, because he'd held on so tightly to it. And although he wouldn't show it, he'd been hurt to know how badly thought of he was by the people he worked with. He didn't realise how much he'd alienated everyone around him over the past few years. He really had been shutting himself off from everyone, not allowing himself to get close to anyone after his and Mac's relationship fell apart.
As much as he hated to admit it, Mac was right about the show. It had become a poor excuse for a news show, resembling the daytime chat shows more than he cared to admit. The idea of doing the news properly again was exciting but scary and he wasn't sure if he could be that person again, not caring about the ratings or how his audience felt about him. They'd become the substitute for everything that was missing in his life. He'd felt good tonight during the show though, more energised than he had in a long time. Despite the uncertainties of where the story was headed, breaking real news, investigating the issues and running the entire hour on the fly had been exhilarating. He'd never tell her but Mac was right and they could do better.