One of the things Will had never understood about Mac was her complete inability to travel 'light'. The woman had been in two wars, where she surely couldn't have taken her what looked like her entire wardrobe with her, yet here she was going on a three day conference with the world's biggest suitcase and, yep she even had hand luggage. He had no idea how she did it.

'Right, you ready?' She appeared in his doorway, dragging suitcase that could cover Texas when it rained behind her.

'Tell me why I'm going again?'

'Please don't tell me we have to have this conversation again,' the smile she'd come to his door with had gone as she sighed and rolled her eyes. It was their dance, so he made the next move, pushing the conversation into its usual playful direction.

'But I know all this stuff, why do I have to go a conference for other people to tell me about something I already know?'

'For the tenth time because it looks good for the network, which makes the 44th floor happy- plus it would be nice if you would be slightly supportive of the fact they've offered me the key note speech'

'Well yes, I am supportive, but I can be supportive over text, or even by email- it's the digital age, it'll be like I'm right in the room. Or I could send Jim or Tess to be supportive on my behalf, or Sloan, Sloan and you are friends right? Friends are great at supporting other friends,'

'Aren't you and I friends?' She said this a little too quickly and she knew it- so did he. Of course she was his friend, she was his best friend- he'd drop the banter, but just for a second. She wasn't winning that easy.

'Well, yeah, of course we're friends- but she's a female friend, female friends supporting each other, millions of movies and tv shows are built on that premise,' She rolled her eyes, but he could she reassured, they knew each other too well.

'You can talk yourself out it all you want, you know as well as I do, you're coming with me because Leona 'wants' you to come with me, which means Charlie 'wants' you to come with me, which means you will be coming with me,' She never used air quotations before, he made a mental note to tell her not to the next time she did (and now she'd done it once she'd do it again)- she looked ridiculous, cute ridiculous, but ridiculous all the same. He got up and walked over the chair where his normal person sized bag and tux were sitting.

'Fine, but I could be supportive from here,'

'I know, I mean I can feel it right now.' She rolled her eyes as they left his office

'Oh shoot,'

'What?'

'I left my 'go on Mac' foam finger in the office' She didn't even turn round as they kept walking across the newsroom

'One of these days William I am going to kill you,' He closed the door behind them as they turned to the stairwell.

As they were half way down the stairs she turned to him looking truly vexed in a way only Mac could, 'What's the tux for?'

'The formal dinner,'

'What formal dinner?' She looked genuinely concerned which meant now was the not the time for a sarcastic answer and as much as he didn't really want to go to this thing, he didn't really fancy being pushed down the stairs either.

'The closing dinner, it was on the leaflet'

'Well nobody told me about it,'

'Well it was on the l-'

'Will, I didn't read the bloody leaflet!'

'Well, some people would say that was foo-' he was veering dangerously close to 'being pushed down the stairs' territory. His smiled softened 'Well surely you have something in that house you're bringing with you?'

'No, and it's not a 'house', it's a'-

'Don't do air quotes,'

'What?'

'Don't do air quotes, it makes you look weird'

'What?!' He tried so hard to cover up the smile on his face 'Will now is not the time,'

'I'm just saying, you do this weird thing with your face when you do it, I-' She was about to hit him, he knew it. But instead she turned from him and ran her hands through her hair, she was panicking "Mac, you could go to the dinner in what you're wearing now, you're not going to Buckingham Palace?'

'I sincerely hope you're kidding,-'

'What you were hoping to go to Buckingham Palace?'

'Don't push me Billy- I've been in these clothes since 6 am. We'll just have to go via my flat so I can pick something up,'

'Mac, we haven't got time,'

'We've got plenty of time,' Now she'd apparently solved her problem she was happy again and walking down the stairs

'Mac, we'll miss the plane,'

'Now who's worried about missing the conference? Come on,'

'We're actually going to your place?'

'I know, exciting isn't it?'

'Can't you just pick something up in Chicago?'

'Will, we'll be in hotel the whole time, and I don't really fancy going in a bath robe or a as tennis player'

'You're a great tennis player'

'You would know- how many times did I win, I forget?'

'Look, if you had injuries like I had, you'd struggle too,'

'Oh yes, that's right, I was undefeated!' She turned round and shot him a smile before she carried on walking. He looked at the floor and shook his head. They walked out the building together as the doorman hailed them a cab.

'You really do look stupid when you do air quotes though,'

'I do not!' The doorman shut the door as they drove away from the building. It was going to be an interesting weekend.

They got to Mac's building in good time. Will had tried to stay in the car but she'd dragged him insisting she needed his opinion as she had 'options'. He knew this would only slow the process down and so had already decided whole heartedly to tell she looked gorgeous in the first dress her saw her in.

He had already suggested the dress she'd worn at New Year. She had been quite surprised he'd remembered and he'd enjoyed how momentarily flustered she'd got –but sadly, this time saving tactic had failed, the dress was at the dry cleaners as she'd finally gotten round to taking it in a month ago and still hadn't been able to pick it up.

As they walked into her apartment she grabbed his hand and dragged him to the bedroom. He'd made some sarcastic comment about how this wasn't what he signed up for this weekend but it secretly made his heart beat a little faster as it forced him to graze the memories he'd been trying so hard to shut out.

As she grabbed a handful of dresses from the closet, he looked round the room. It smelt like her and he liked it. She had a picture of her and her father on her night stand- he'd missed Mac's father, he was the closest thing he'd ever had to a male role model, other than Charlie, and Michael was slightly more stable and considerably less of an alcoholic.

'When was this picture taken?'

'What picture?'

'The picture of you and your dad'

'Oh, erm, last year- just before I came back to New York, I flew home on the way over and spent a few weeks with them,'

'Is he well?'

'Yeah, he's fine. Still smokes too much. But mum thinks he's quit so at least they don't argue about that anymore,' He smiled. He loved Mac's whole family. Her mother was just like her, but more sensible, her idealism came from Mike, it was kind of the perfect combination.

And here that perfect combination was, and as it turned out his plan was pointless anyway because she really did look gorgeous. She'd chosen a green, floor length dress that hugged her beautifully in the right places. He realised he hadn't said anything and she was starting to look insecure, but she should never look insecure, especially not in that dress…

'That one,'

'You're just saying that because you don't want to see the others'

'I'm not, Mac you look beautiful,' She knew him well enough to know he wasn't joking. She looked to his face, waiting for his smile, but it never came. She just watched his eyes which were moving slowly up and down her figure.

'So this one?'

'That one'

'Great, I'll be two seconds'

He sat down on the bed facing the window as she went back into her bathroom to get changed. He tried so hard to focus on the skyline from the window but she'd left the door oh so slightly a jar and from the corner (ok maybe not so much the corner) of his eye he could see her silhouette against the black tiles of her bathroom. He hadn't allowed himself to think of her body in a long time but right now he was losing the battle with his conscious, God, she really was beautiful. He forced the memories of how soft her skin was and how perfect her lips felt and all the others to the back of his brain and in doing so realised that this weekend, for the first time in a long time they were going to be spending the weekend as just them. They had no newsroom staff to buffer the tension, no Charlie or Don to interrupt the chemistry- it was just him and her and if these feelings were anything to go by, well, it was going to be difficult to remain 'professional'.

She emerged from the bathroom two minutes later, fully clothed and ready to go. They resumed the air quote debate on the way down the stairs- if nothing else; this was going to be fun.