Whisper Down The Lane

Well, that has been interesting…

Sloan emptied what must have been here fifth champagne flute in one go and just wanted to get a refill, when Don appeared at her side. „What's interesting?"

„What?" She jumped. „Shit, did I say that out loud? Nothing... nothing."

„Aha! Methinks, the Lady doth protest too much!" Don nudged her with a grin on his face. „Come on, Sloan, throw me a bone! So far I have spent most of the evening trying to keep Maggie and Jim apart..."

Sloan frowned. „Why would you do that?"

„Because..." He stopped. „Doesn't matter. What's interesting?"

„Oh nothing, really. I just talked to Mac and she called Will her boyfriend. But don't tell anybody, it just slipped out. She's with Wade."

„She did what? That is interesting..."

„It is, isn't it?" Sloan pondered about her words. „I thought it was, too, but my head's a littly fuzzy, so I'm not quite sure why..."

Don watched her for a moment, shaking his head. „You really are as socially inapt as you always say, aren't you? I'v got to talk to Maggie, see you later."

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He found Maggie with Lisa, who apparently was asking his girlfriend tons of questions about Jim; his likes and dislikes, his taste in women and more. Don could see that Maggie was about to explode, and decided that a change of topic was probably called for to not ruin his further plans for the evening (which definitely included getting Maggie out of that sexy red dress!).

„Hey, guess what I just heard!"

„How should I know? Neal's got Mac to cover Bigfoot?" Maggie didn't try to hide the fact that her mood was at the bottom of a ten point partymeter and rolled her eyes at Don.

„Nah, even better: Mac still thinks of Will as her boyfriend!"

„What? You're making that up! She's with Wade, and Will is flirting with that gossip columnist, even though I don't have a clue what he sees in her."

„I know, doesn't that make it extra juicy?" ‚Fun-Don' grinned. „Mac just called Will her boyfriend!"

„Honestly? How do you know?"

While Don repeated his conversation with Sloan, Tamara, who had just passed the couple, hurried over to her best friend Tess.

„I can't believe it! I just heard Don tell Maggie, that Mac and Will are together"!

„ What? You're kidding! How is that even possible?" Tess excitedly scanned the room to look for her bosses. „You must be wrong. If they were together they would stay with each other, and not be at opposite sides of the room. And Mac came with another man."

„Maybe they don't want anybody to know yet." Tamara shrugged.

„Right." Tess sighed. „I thought you are a journalist. Why would she talk about it, if it's a secret?"

Tamara was quiet for a moment, but then she grinned. „You tell me all your secrets, expecting me to keep my mouth shut, don't you?

„And see how good you are at keeping secrets..." Tess smirked, but then turned her attention to Kendra, who had just walked up to them.

„What secrets?"

Before Tess could distract her Tamara already shared her exciting news with the booker. „Kendra! Have you already heard…?"

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A while later Will felt a hand on his shoulder and turned sideways, facing a beaming Charly.

„You sly old dog, why didn't you two tell me? I'd like to think that I have a right to know! After all I played a key roll in all of this!"

Will's confusion clearly showed on his face. „After all of what? What are you even talking about?"

„That you and Mac are back together, of course! Cheers!" Charly lifted his glass and drained it, while Will was clearly in shock.

„What? What the fuck are you talking about?"

Patiently Charly broke it down for his protegé. „You. Mac. Happy couple. Does that ring a bell?"
Not even noticing that Will had frozen he went on. „Why did you want to keep it a secret anyway? Was you flirting with that blonde part of the plan?"

„What the hell is going on? Who gave you that crazy idea?"

„Instead of you telling me, I had to hear it from Elliot, who had it from Herb, who had it from Martin, who had it…Oh, don't ask me. Anyway, it basically came directly from the source."

„And who would that be?" Barely hiding his impatience Will gritted his teeth.

„Mac, of course." Looking out for a waiter with a tray of filled glasses, Charly was completely oblivious of his friend's mood. „Are you planning on making a big announcement at midnight?"

„Wait a minute… Mac said…? Excuse me." He didn't wait for Charly's reply but left him standing in his place, looking for his producer instead.

He found her standing along the row of offices, apparently waiting for Wade who was on his way to the bar. „Mac. My office. Now."

Will didn't even wait for an answer to his brusque command but took off, expecting her to follow him. Reaching his office he paced in front of the window until she joined him, asking her to close the door in as curt a tone as his previous words.

When she did, he stopped to face her. „What the fuck were you thinking?"

Her look of confusion almost fooled him, but he knew that Charly wouldn't lie, so he just waited for her to speak.

„What are you talking about, Will?"

Suddenly not being able to breathe he pressed the words out. „You've told… somebody... that we are back together! Why would you do that?"

„What?" Mac stared at him with her trademark big eyes. „I didn't say anything like… Oh my God!"

„What?" Will couldn't understand why Mac sounded horrified; after all it had been her who had started this rumor. Nevertheless there she was with her hand over her mouth and white as a sheet. „What, Mac?"

„Shit, shit, shit! Somebody must have overheard us..."

„Overheard what?" Will hadn't expected the obvious terror she showed, and his words suddenly sounded a lot kinder than he had intended.

„I… I… When I talked to Sloan before, I accidentally called you... my boyfriend." The last words came out as a whisper and Mac looked up, her eyes pleading with his. „I'm sorry, I… It just slipped out.. I'm certainly not delusional, I know we are not together."

Will didn't reply and only watched her, surprised by a feeling deep inside him that he recognized as regret.

When he leaned against the window sill, not letting his gaze waver, Mac couldn't hold back. Of course she had hurt him again, although nothing had been further off her mind. „Will, I am so sorry… Please, say something."

Again he didn't answer, although she noticed that he attempted to speak a couple of times. Finally he mustered all his courage.

„When you left my office before, it felt like I'd had you lost you all over again..."

„What?" Mac couldn't help but think, that this evening really seemed to be full of surprises.

„You telling me that you want a partner, calling Wade your boyfriend..." Will watched her cheeks and neck flush. „Mac? Why do you think you called me your boyfriend? Before you came to my office, after it… I don't know..."

Wide hazel eyes looked at him, showing confusion, but mostly surprise. Finally Mac managed to speak, her voice trembling. „Will?"

„I need to know, Mac." He didn't say anything else until she dropped her eyes to concentrate on her nervously twisting fingers. After a long moment she whispered, almost inaudibly.

„Because I want you to be..."

Will took a sharp breath. „Do you really mean that?"

„Of course!" Now she looked at him again openly. „I love you! I have never stopped loving you, Billy..."

This time his eyes conveyed all his feelings. „Mac… Is that true? But why did you..."

Mac didn't let him finish. „Because I was stupid. Because in the beginning I used you to get back at Brian. I never expected us to have what we had, but once I knew that I had fallen in love with you, it has always been you, Will."

When she saw his gaze soften she went on. „Yes, I want a partner, and my biggest hope will always be that it is you. Everything else would be settling for second best… I love you, Billy, and I always will. If working next to you is all I can get, I will take..."

She didn't get to finish the sentence, as Will took a couple of big steps and pulled her into his arms. His lips crushed down onto hers, and after a moment of shock she feverishly returned the kiss.

When they finally broke apart Will softly cupped her cheek. „I love you, too, Mac. I love you so much. Seeing you every day and not being able to touch you is hell… I don't want that anymore."

Tears filled Mac's eyes and she gave him a watery smile that quickly took over her whole face. „Billy, are you serious? That is all I ever wanted… I am so so sorry..."

„Hush…" Will placed his index finger on her lips to silence her. „We will talk about everything, but this is neither the time nor the place. I just need to know that this is it. You and me, no backing down, no second toughts..."

„Yes..." She nodded excitedly. „Yes, I'm in. I'm all in."

Smiling at the reference to his commitment to their show he pressed her against him and placed a long kiss in her hair. „I love you, MacKenzie."

For what felt like hours they just stood there, neither of them wanting to let go, but finally Mac sighed. „What happens now?"

When Will spoke she could hear the smile in his voice. „Well, Charly is expecting us to come clean at the strike of midnight..."

She pulled back to look at him. „We… We can't. I'm here with Wade..."

Will's face darkened. „You are hopefully not planning on kissing him at the striking of the clock…?"

„No, of course not, you are right." She sighed and let her hand run down his chest. „I need to tell him now..."

„Do you want me to come with you?"

Mac thought about it but then shook her head. „No, I have to do that by myself. He's a good guy and… I will tell him that we will still be prepared to cover the defunding of the DOJ, if he wants us to. If that's okay with you?"

„Yeah, sure." Will grabbed her hand when she took a step towards the door and pulled her back. „I love you."

Mac couldn't have prevented the joyous smile that automatically appeared on her face, even if she had tried. „I love you, too, Billy. Wait here for me, I'll be right back."

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Wade had understandably left the party immediately after Mac had told him what had happened. She felt bad for him, but in the end she had the feeling that it was more important to him that they were still willing to pick up his pitch. Actually, so much more important, that she would have been offended if she hadn't been so glad that their break-up didn't cause any scene in public.

Afterwards she went back to Will, who was waiting for her and smiled when she stepped in. „You look absolutely gorgeous tonight."

„Thank you, kind Sir," Mac answered coyly and curtseyed before walked up to him. „You are looking quite handsome yourself."

„How did it go?"

„It was… okay. He's left already." While she fixed his bow tie, Will let his hands slide around her waist and pulled her closer.

„I was going crazy at the thought that he would be the one to get you out of this dress tonight..."

„Good thing that you wanted to set the record straight and not just brood over what Charly said." Mac smiled lazily and leaned in for a long and slow kiss. „Do you want to tell him now?"

Grinning Will held her tight. „It's about 30 minutes to midnight. Why don't we do as he expects us to?"

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And that was exactly what they did.

They managed to mingle separately with the others without sharing too obvious glances and smiles with each other for the next half an hour or so, before Will came over to Mac and pulled her into the middle of the bullpen when the countdown started. „Are you ready?"

Practically beaming Mac nodded, although she tried not to touch him too obviously, and their eyes locked. „Happy New Year, Billy."

„Happy New Year, MacKenzie."

At the stroke of midnight Will leaned in and they openly kissed, forgetting everything around them. Mac closed her arms around his neck and let her fingers slide into his hair, while Will pulled her closer with his hands on her back and behind.

Having inconspicuously been watched by most of the party guests – at least that's what they thought – loud cheering and applause erupted, which they ignored until they broke the kiss after a long while.

Of course nobody was surprised, as everyone already 'knew'; even Sloan hadn't believed Mac's denial. Only Neal was sitting at his desk, his date Kaylee in his lap, and gaped at the new-old couple.

„What?"

.

To all of you a very happy New Year 2019!