Will was standing just outside the gate area of JFK's Terminal Four very early on a Saturday morning. He was waiting with Lonny for Mac's plane to arrive and for her to make her way through customs. He thought back to just over a week ago….

Will was sitting at his desk working when Mac stuck her head in his doorway.

"Will," she said getting his attention.

"Hey," he said and stopped working. "What's up?"

"Charlie wants to see us."

He got up and walked to her and placed his hand on her back and together they walked to the elevator. When it arrived they were alone on the car. He gently kissed her and pulled back. Her thumb was on his lip, removing any trace of lipstick.

"Do we know why he wants to see us?"

"No, sorry."

Charlie's secretary wasn't at her desk. Will knocked on his door and heard Charlie say, "come in."

"You wanted to see us," Mac said as they sat in front of Charlie's desk.

"I did. Will, a few months ago I asked Mac to work on a program for new news producers. Basically a best practices type of program that gives them tools and exposure to the elite and how they produce."

"How long is the program?"

"The first meeting is a week. After that time period the attendees go back and work on projects and they come back together a few months later," Mac explained.

"I have the first group I want to you take through the program," Charlie said.

"Really," she exclaimed. "I can't wait."

Will was smiling at her enthusiasm.

"You are going to have a group of ten producers and this first group is going to meet in London."

"London," Will asked.

Mac was watching Will's reaction.

"Yes, in London. You'll be at The Savoy," Charlie said. "Jim will produce for you, Will. It will be good for him."

"Are you okay with that," Mac asked Will.

"Yes. I'd rather be in London with you."

"Sorry," she said taking his hand. Charlie smiled at them.

"You've got some lucky new producers," he said smiling at her.

"Thanks. When is this to take place?"

"You're on a plane tomorrow night."

"Charlie," she almost yelled. "I'm not prepped, I don't have anyone lined up, I've got to pack, Charlie," she said when she saw him smiling.

"You're ready, Mac. As for experts, I've gotten you a few lined up. I know this is short notice but you can do this, I know you can."

"Thanks. What time is my flight and who am I flying?"

"You're leaving JFK just after 7pm on Virgin and you arrive at Heathrow at 7:30."

"Will I have to teach that day?"

"No, you'll have a meet and greet with the producers late that afternoon, and dinner but that's it and the following day the classes start."

"Okay. What about materials and video equipment," she asked.

Charlie smiled at her. He knew springing this on her would get him all these questions.

"The hotel will be providing the equipment. They have Apple TVs so you can run everything from your Macbook, it will be just like in the conference room downstairs. Millie is coordinating the printing of manuals and handouts and is having those shipped overnight to the hotel. All I need you to do is to make sure Jim is ready here and for you to pack."

"I can do that, thanks," she said.

"Go talk to Jim and give Will and I a minute, okay?"

"Thanks, Charlie," she said and walked out of the office.

"You enjoyed that," Will said smiling at Charlie.

"It's not often that I can rattle her."

"She'll be good at this," he said thinking about Mac teaching young producers.

"She will. Are you going to be all right with Jim?"

Will thought about the question and said, "We'll be fine. He will need more input than Mac but he's more than capable. She taught him, so we'll be fine."

"Good. Go make sure Mac's not panicking."

Will went back downstairs and straight to Mac's office. She was making lists of things to do. She had several note pads out; each one had a different name at the top. His note pad had the most notes.

He smiled at her and sat down, "are you all right?"

"I will be, I've got lots to do and not enough time."

"May I do anything for you, help in any way," he offered.

She smiled at him. "You can do one huge thing for me," she said getting up. "Stand up." He complied and she hugged him and remained pressed against him. He kissed her temple and held her tightly for a few minutes. When she pulled back she said, "that was exactly what I needed. I love you," she said and kissed him gently.

"I love you, too, Mac. If you need anything, let me know, all right?"

"I will. Do you want to be there when I talk to Jim?"

"Yes, please. Get back to your lists, I'm going to grab us some lunch and we'll figure everything out, okay?"

"Perfect, thank you."

Will found Lonny and walked to the deli to get them some lunch.

When Will returned Mac was still making lists but at least now there were some items that had been crossed off the note pads.

"I know you're busy but please remember to eat," he said and sat her sandwich down on her desk and left her to note pads.

She put down her pen and grabbed her sandwich. She wasn't going to be able to see him for at least a week and she needed to spend some time with him, for both of them.

She stuck her head in his office and said, "may I join you?"

He smiled at her and said, "please."

She pulled one of the chairs from his table up to his desk and ate across from him. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Mac."

She smiled and said, "no, it's not. I always have time to spend with you. I will have over seven hours on a flight tomorrow to work on any last minute items. We need to talk about Jim and what you want and need from him. And we need some time to just be together. I'm going to miss you."

"You are going to do an amazing workshop and teach new producers how to be better. I do wish I could be there with you."

"Maybe Charlie will let us do the next workshop together. It's worth asking."

"I'd like that," he said.

They finished up their lunch and called Jim into Will's office.

Mac and Will were sitting at his table when Jim arrived. "Have a seat," Will said.

"What's up?"

"Starting tomorrow and for all of next week you are going to be executive producing News Night," Mac said. She could see the questions coming and smiled. "I'm going to be teaching a workshop in London and I'm leaving tomorrow. You and I are going to be working close for the rest of today and most of tomorrow getting you prepped, okay?"

"What ever you need," he replied. "Are you okay with this," he asked Will.

Will smiled at him. "You'll be fine. Mac trained you for this, trust your instincts and I'll be right there if you need anything."

"Thanks," he said getting up and leaving Will's office.

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Mac and Jim were hold up in her office going over everything that she needed Jim to be able to do for both her and Will over the next week or so.

After the show Lonny took Mac and Will to the brownstone.

"Where is your largest suitcase," he asked.

"On the second floor, in the closet of the first bedroom. Will you bring it upstairs, please?"

He nodded and started up the stairs. He turned when he heard her say, "do you want a beer?"

"Please."

She grabbed them both beers and met him in the master bedroom. He had placed the suitcase on the bed.

"Thank you," she said and handed him his beer.

"No problem. Can I pack anything? Do anything?" She knew he was feeling helpless and not sure what to do.

"You can keep me company. Here's something…you can check my computer for clips and make sure they all play."

"Okay," he said, booting her MacBook Pro. On her desktop was a picture of a very cute puppy.

"Who is this," he asked, turning the screen so she could see what he was asking about.

"Isn't she cute? That is Maggie. She is a goldendoodle puppy."

"A what?"

"She's half English stock golden retriever and half poodle."

"Maggie…she's not named after anyone is she?"

"Not that Sir David will admit to, or at least admit to me," she replied smiling.

"Are you going to be able to see them while you're there?"

"My father is picking me up and we're going to the Oxford house and later in the day he'll take me into London. We'll be having dinner a couple of times in London but I think that's all I'll get to see them."

"Please tell your parents I said hello."

She smiled. "I will."

"Is it this folder on the desktop," he asked.

She moved to see what he was about to click on and she was about to say no when he clicked. "Look at me," she said.

He lifted his head and looked at her. "That's not the folder and the one you clicked on has videos of me in Islamabad. I don't think you want to watch those. They are unedited and full length."

She was trying to tell him the videos were of her being stabbed.

"Have I seen them?" He knew exactly what she meant.

"If anything you're seen the edited version."

"Mac," he said looking up at her.

"I will watch them with you, but I don't think you need to see them. They are going to upset you."

"I need to see what really happened and to understand."

"Okay, scoot over." She sat in front of him and leaned back against his chest. His hands came around her and held her tightly.

When the video started it was of her and Jim standing at the edge of a protest, getting footage. "Who took this?"

"Another producer that was with us. We often shot double in case we had footage confiscated."

All of a sudden the video changed and the crowd was surging toward Mac and Jim. Will's arms tightened around her. She took his hand in hers. The cameraman got a close up of the man coming toward her, he yelled something in Arabic and shoved a knife into her. Mac fell to the ground and was bleeding heavily. She was screaming in pain. Jim was trying to help and finally the police came and put Mac into a makeshift ambulance. The last of the audio was Mac screaming Will's name.

Mac stopped the clip from playing again, closed the lid and pushed the computer away from her.

She turned to look at Will who was ashen. "Are you all right," she asked as he flew off the bed and into the bathroom. He threw up and collapsed against the side of the toilet. She grabbed a washcloth and ran cool water over the cloth. She was on the floor next to him wiping his face. "Just breathe." He had tears in his eyes and his hand was shaking.

"Mac," he whispered.

"It's all right. I shouldn't have let you watch that, I'm sorry."

He pulled her to himself and held her close. She could tell he was crying and all she could do was to hold him. Nothing she could say would make him feel any better right now. He was still reacting to the video.

She leaned back enough so she could look at him and said, "I love you, I'm right here and I'm fine."

He nodded and pulled her head back to his shoulder. After holding her a few minutes he pulled back and she could see he was doing better.

"Want to go sit in front of the fire with me?"

"You need to pack."

"I can pack later. I need to make sure you're okay. Come sit with me," she said getting up and held her hand out for him.

He took her hand and she led them downstairs. She turned on the fireplace and sat on the floor in front of it with Will.

"I shouldn't have let you watch that, I'm sorry," she said.

"I needed to see it," he replied looking at her. "I needed to know what really happened not the watered down edited version. I should have realized there was more."

"Are you all right?"

"I will be."

"Will you stay here, tonight, with me?"

"Sure. Is there food here, yet?"

"No, sorry. You're going to have to have take away. What are you hungry for tonight?"

"How about I go get us some food and you work on your packing."

"Okay. Pizza okay?"

"Sounds great. Where do you want pizza from, the place down the block?"

"No, I usually order from Jake's, over a few blocks. It will come to us, you don't have to go out."

"I need some air, Mac."

"Okay. Call Lonny and I'll get packed," she said getting up off the floor. He followed her up and kissed her before she went back upstairs.

Fortunately, Lonny was still close by as he wasn't sure if Will was spending the night, or not. Lonny wasn't thrilled with the idea of walking to the pizza place, but he could tell that Will needed some air.

While they were gone Mac was able to finish packing and had her computer downstairs going over the video clips for her workshop along with the manual that Millie had sent to her late in the day. She had been able to get in touch with the experts that Charlie lined up and everything seemed to be falling into place. She hated to be caught unprepared and she knew Charlie enjoyed springing this workshop on her. He liked to rattle her when he could and if she was honest with herself she enjoyed the challenge. News Night was home but it sometimes got tedious and predictable. The rush she got from when Will said to throw out the rundown was only rivaled by the orgasms he gave her.

She heard his key in the door and looked up to see him come in with their dinner. "Hi."

"Hey, Mac," he said leaning down to kiss her. "Ready for dinner?"

"I am, thanks. Do you want to eat down here or in bed?"

"How about in front of the fire," he suggested.

"Perfect. What do you want to drink, beer or wine?"

"Beer, please."

She grabbed them each a beer, plates and napkins. He looked lost in thought when she came back out to the living room.

"What are you thinking about," she asked.

"How much I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too. Did your walk help?"

He nodded. "Good," she replied and put pizza on both of their plates.

"Did you finish packing?"

"All done and I've checked the video files and the manual, it's all good to go."

They finished their dinner and were lying on the couch watching the fire, being quiet, together. He kissed her neck and pulled her tight against himself. "I love you, Mac."

She turned her head and kissed him and then said, "I love you, too, Billy. What are you worried about?"

"Are you happy at News Night?"

She sat up quickly and faced him. She placed her hands on his cheeks. "Listen, I am exactly where I want to be and am doing what I want to do, what I've always wanted to do. I can't imagine doing anything else and I can't imagine doing it with anyone else. You are my partner and I couldn't even wish for a more involved or perfect partner, in every sense of the word. Am I excited about this workshop? Certainly and it will be even better if we can do it together. I will be asking Charlie about bringing you in as part of the program. Trust that I love you and that I am exactly where I want to be and that I love you with all my heart." She leaned down and kissed him.

"I just needed to be sure."

She smiled at him. "I know. Want to go upstairs?"

He nodded and she stood, holding out her hand. She led them upstairs. He sat on the edge of the bed with her standing between his legs. He unbuttoned her top and pushed it off her shoulders. He kissed her scar and looked up at her. "We are very lucky, sweetheart."

Her hands were in his hair. "We are," she said. He hugged her and held her against himself.

She knew he was still thinking about the video of her attack. She needed to get his focus onto something else, at least for a little while. She eased back and leaned down to kiss him. Not the gentle kisses of earlier, but a deeply passionate kiss. He scooted back on the bed, pulling her with him. They lay on the bed, her half dressed, making out.

He turned them over so he was now on top and when he rested against her she could feel his arousal. She arched her hips into him and made him moan.

"Mac," he whispered, kissing down her neck and playing with her breast. He managed to remove her bra and began licking and playfully biting her nipples.

She pulled his shirt out of his pants and over his head, not bothering with the buttons.

He unbuttoned her pants and pulled the zipper down so he could slip his hand inside, touching her over her underwear, feeling her arousal. "Billy, please," she moaned.

He removed his hand and pulled her pants off, along with her underwear. He quickly took his pants and boxers off and tossed them off the bed. He could feel how wet she was when he rested against her. He held them still, silently looking at one another, and then he pushed inside of her. Again, holding himself still, resting on his elbows, he tucked some hair behind her ears. "I love you so much, Mackenzie. I don't know how I'm going to make it a week without seeing you, or touching you, kissing you," he said and gently kissed her.

"I love you, too, Billy. It won't be the same but we'll talk and text and I'll show you how to Skype and before you know it I'll be back home and in your arms, kissing you and making love to you."

They didn't talk any more. They made love slowly and quietly, making sure the other knew how much they were loved.

The next day Lonny picked them up, along with Mac's luggage, as he would be driving them to the airport later. Their day was full of meetings and Mac was going over last minute things with Jim. They did manage to steal a few minutes for Mac to show Will how to Skype. She made sure both of their cell phones were able to work internationally and then it was time for them to leave for the airport.

Mac said goodbye to everyone and finally came to Will's door. "We've got to go."

He grabbed his coat and they met Lonny in the lobby, who had the SUV right outside. Mac and Will took the backseat, holding hands the entire ride to JFK. Lonny was quiet, giving them their privacy and time together. When they pulled up to the airport Lonny got out and got Mac a cart for her luggage and loaded it for her.

Mac leaned over and kissed Will. "I love you and I will talk to you very soon. If you need anything, call, I don't care what time it is here or in London, do you understand?"

He nodded. "I love you, so much. You're going to do great. Have a good flight and I'll talk to you after you land." He kissed her one more time and she got out of the SUV.

"Thank you," she said to Lonny.

"You're welcome. Safe flight."

Will watched her walk into the airport and then Lonny drove them back to the studio.