Kidnapped

A/N: Hey guys, I know this section has died down a bit but I really had the urge to write for the Newsroom! If the fic isn't received well, I'll take it down. But if you're reading, please drop off a review and let me know what you think! Knowing people are reading will really keep me going.

After their engagement, things go awry due to News Night's recent unpopularity. There will be drama, some angst, but also flash backs to keep the story from being too dark. You won't figure out why or how they were kidnapped just yet, but you will later on in the story! This chapter starts off a bit dark but it gets lighter from there.

I hope you enjoy!

Summary: That night at 8PM, the news anchor's expression was grim; his eyes were dark. The lines in his face were even more pronounced. "Good evening. My name is Elliot Hirsch. Today commenced the second day of investigation into the kidnapping of ACN's Will McAvoy and MacKenzie McHale. For those of you just joining us on the story, here is a rundown of the events thus far..."

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, just the fic!


Chapter 1 – Meet-Cute

January 2013

Will McAvoy wanted to know what the hell he had done wrong.

His hand shook as he took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled, trying to find some sort of habitual peace in the act. He couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve everything that had happened to him in the recent months.

Forty-six different emotions were flooding through him at that moment, and he felt as though he was just on the brink of losing his sanity. If he worried any longer about MacKenzie; if he kept thinking about the worst-case scenario, he would truly go mad.

So he focused on the selfish thoughts instead, such as: why the fuck couldn't his happiness ever last? It was so much easier to be selfish. He had grown up with an abusive father. He had protected his mothers and his siblings without regret. He fought to keep the voter fairly informed in the hopes it would eventually lead to a better America. He may be an idiot sometimes, and everyone knew he could be a jerk, but wasn't he still overall a decent human being? In his lifetime, aside from the three or four years of being an asshole to his staff due to tragic heartbreak, hadn't he been a good guy? Did he really deserve all this shit?

He had been good to MacKenzie at first, and that resulted in his heart being torn into a million microscopic pieces. When she had come back into his life, sure, he had been terrible to her, but he had also realized how daft he was being and worked to make amends. (Okay, he didn't really make amends; he'd proposed to her, but she'd said yes, hadn't she?) They had just started to get their relationship – their life – back on track.

Now it might be too late.

His lips quivered as the the events from earlier that night came flooding back to him. He could hear her scream in his ear. He could hear the van door slam shut before it drove away, taking his fiancée with it.

It was all his fault.

He couldn't save her. Tears rushed up and threatened to fall, and he brushed them away with the back of his hand.

No! Will! He could hear MacKenzie shouting at him, over and over.

Will! His name, screeched in desperation, torturing him as he played it over and over again in his mind. Her beautiful, round eyes widened in utter terror as she reached out to him, only he couldn't reach back.

The sound of the precinct door opening whirled him out of his self-deprecating spiral. He tried to snap out of it, hastily straightening his appearance as the footsteps tread closer and closer upon the snow.

"Will?" His name, spoken much gentler this time, echoed through the alley. Sloan's usually indifferent voice sounded kind and concerned. He immediately turned his back to her, still trying to brush his tears away.

"Right here."

"You shouldn't stay too far from us now."

"I told Lonny where I was. I just needed a minute." Or twenty. Will couldn't look at Sloan, for fear his eyes were still bloodshot and his face stained with tears. But that woman was nothing if not adamant, so she walked in front of him, forcing him to face her.

"It's not your fault," she said, and he exploded.

"Like hell it's not!" It was not a yell – he had screamed at her, and he could hear his voice echo back at him more than once, the bitterness hitting him tenfold. He knew Sloan was trying to be nice; she was trying to comfort him, but those words sparked a fire inside of him. They sparked a deep hatred for himself that had been growing ever since he let MacKenzie go all those years ago.

"I was right there. She yelled for me, she called for me, and I- I couldn't save her. The death threats were directed towards me but they figured it out. The best way to hurt me wasn't through me, it was through-" He choked on his own words and those hot tears started flowing very much involuntarily down his cheeks.

"MacKenzie would never want to put your life in danger over hers," Sloan said quietly. "She was just scared. She didn't-"

"Not now," he said, and his voice fell eerily quiet. "Please, Sloan. Not now. I know you mean the best, but please." He held up a hand to force her distance, as though his five gloved fingers would make her go away. But as stated before, the woman was adamant. Sloan interlocked her fingers with his, making him look up with surprise. But then she pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms tightly around his broad shoulders. He could see now, in the light of the street lamp, that she was crying too.

And it broke him.

Will bowed his head into Sloan's shoulder and let out a devastated sob, his arms wrapping around her as well. She joined him in his cry, the both of them shedding tears for the woman who meant so much to them.


November 2012

MacKenzie had meant to open the door. She had meant to hold it open for her fiancé. Instead, the very buzzed News Night EP ended up putting all her weight on the door and slamming it open against the wall. She erupted into sheepish giggles.

"Oops. Sorry."

"It was only a two thousand dollar door, don't worry about it," Will replied casually and sarcastically, shrugging off his coat. Feeling pleasantly warm in his apartment compared to outside, MacKenzie removed her coat as well, her heartbeat fluttering when she turned around and he was standing so close.

"You paid two thousand dollars for a door?" she teased, giving him a little shove.

"It's a beautiful and secure door," he defended. The slight redness to his cheeks signaled that he was as drunk as she was, and she couldn't help but smile as he leaned in for another kiss. The alcohol and the fact that she had been surrounded by colleagues was probably the only thing that had kept her from really analyzing the situation. But as she stood there in Will McAvoy's apartment, snogging him senseless, the weight of everything finally began to hit her.

"What the fuck have we done?" she whispered, laughing. "Oh my God, Will, what have we done?" He observed her carefully, as he always did. Then, he laughed. As the events of that night finally registered, they laughed together and Will brought MacKenzie's left hand to his lips, kissing her ring. She had gone from ex-girlfriend to fiancée in less than twenty-four hours!

"I mean, we were yelling at each other one moment, and now…" MacKenzie was shaking her head, still in disbelief.

"Well, we fight like a married couple in the newsroom anyway," Will said, shrugging. "It was about time we shut up and made it official." She just scoffed.

"No, Will, we fight like a bitter couple that has been in a relationship for a very long time, live together but aren't married, with growing resentment who read on the weekend!"

"We do read on the weekend," Will defended, taking her hands and placing them on his chest. He resumed their kisses, but when she started blabbering again, he redirected his lips down her neck. She had to give him props for his dedication.

"I can't believe this is really happening," she whispered.

"I know, it feels like a dream," he whispered back, and she felt his hand gently cradle the back of her head.

"Say it again," she whispered, and he pulled back to look at her.

"I love you."

"No," she said, noting the slight irritation that graced his expression. "The other thing."

"That usually is the other thing," he insisted, but she just smiled. He seemed to catch on to what she wanted him to repeat, and he shook his head.

"Oh, come on…"

"Please?"

"Can't I just kiss you?"

"Please?" She looked up at him with those eyes of hers, and he almost fell for it.

"Hey – I already said it once tonight. It's your turn, if anything. Heck, I proposed! You need to say something now."

"I did – I said yes." She smiled and she knew she had him. He rolled his eyes and sighed, and MacKenzie could tell this argument was pushing away his buzz. She knew his pride didn't want to give into her, but he could either continue arguing or continue kissing.

She was thrilled when he chose the latter and repeated himself, word for word.

"I am going to be in love with you for the rest of my life," he said quietly, pressing his forehead against hers as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's no way out of that. It's just a physical law of the Universe. You own me." His gaze flickered to her smile.

"I'm yours, MacKenzie McHale, for all intents and purposes."

She reveled in those words. Everything he had thrown at her these past three years was suddenly worth it. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her lips against his ear and whispered.

"I'm yours, too."

Hearing her say it must have lit a fire in him, because suddenly she was being pressed roughly against the wall. His lips crushed hers and she found herself returning the kiss with just as much fire. Damn, he had always been a fantastic kisser. His hand never let go of her left, his thumb brushing against the ring, as though reassuring himself that it was all real.

"I can't believe meeting you on set all those years ago led us to here," MacKenzie whispered as they broke apart for air, and Will smiled at her. His blue eyes were filled with love.

"I can."

"Really?" It was genuine surprise. She had still been with Brian when they met; it wasn't until after they had broken up that Will had expressed any real interest in her. But... that made sense. Will would never approach any woman if she were already attached. She looked up at him, grateful that she could finally read his expression again. Until tonight, he had always tried so hard to hide his emotions from her.

"MacKenzie McHale, you may not have known it, but you've owned me since the day we met."


February 2005

"Three minutes to air."

Will McAvoy nodded at the camera as one of the many voices of the control room filled his right ear. He was accustomed to the multitude of voices by now, and he even knew whom all of the voices belonged to: Bill, Jake, Greg, Amy, John… That voice from a moment ago belonged to John, he was sure. 80% sure, anyway. Will tidied up his pages, picturing the control room's usual buzz before show time as he stacked the notes into a neat little pile.

"One hundred and twenty seconds, McAvoy. Are you ready?"

The sudden accent caught him off guard. He couldn't recall meeting anyone on his team with that particular voice, and he was a tad afraid that his memory was failing him. The woman he had just heard sounded kind and a little playful – but what he noticed the most was how she sounded confident. No, he decided. With a voice like that, he would have remembered her.

"Who is this?" he asked, hiding his intrigue as he glanced at the camera. He could practically hear the smirk in her next words:

"I'm MacKenzie McHale, and I'm your new EP."

He said nothing, trying to remind his logical self that a person couldn't hear a smirk. He busied himself with his papers although he had no need to review them again. Will's last EP had been swept away by ABC, and he knew Charlie had been scrambling around to find a replacement. It had been a few weeks now of senior producers and EPs from other timeslots subbing in, but he had almost completely forgotten that MacKenzie McHale was supposed to start tonight. He had even signed off on her paperwork two weeks ago.

"Hey," MacKenzie said, interrupting his thoughts through his earpiece. "You didn't answer my question."

"Your question?" he repeated. There was a pause, and he heard her laugh. It was quiet; lilting.

"I asked: are you ready?"

Will paused again, toying with the idea of being serious or completely messing with her. After a moment, he finally gave a safe answer, as he always did: "That depends on what you have in store for me, Ms. McHale."

"Buck up, McAvoy," she said, and again he could hear the grin (You can't hear expressions, Will, he reminded himself sternly) in her words. She said, so simply, "You and I are going to do the news."

He couldn't stop his own smirk from lifting the corner of his lips.

"Then I'm ready."

At the start of their first commercial break, MacKenzie McHale made her way to the set, standing beside the camera until they had transitioned to commercials. As soon as she was given the okay, she walked right up to Will with those long legs of hers and stuck out her hand. One look told Will that not only did her face match her voice, but she was probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. His handshake was firm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Will McAvoy," she said, "I've seen your work, you know. You're quite good." She crossed her arms and looked up at him with playful interest. The woman was tall, but he was taller.

"Yes," he said easily, "because when a news anchor is fighting to secure his place near the top, he really hopes that the overall impression he gives is quite good. Doesn't that expression mean 'mediocre' in the UK?" He was teasing her, just as she was him, and MacKenzie laughed. She didn't seem fazed by the comment.

"I believe people are calling you 'affable,' actually," she said, "and with my help you could become quite affable." She grinned at him and he couldn't help himself. With those doe eyes and that teasing smile, he wanted to get to know her better. But right now there was a time limit on their conversation.

"Look, it's Valentine's Day and I know it's a little silly, but the staff and I are having a party after the broadcast. You should stick around – get to know everyone."

"Oh, Will, I'd love to, but I actually have plans tonight," she said, and he nodded, swallowing the very slight twinge of disappointment. His new EP suddenly tapped her earpiece and said, "Ninety seconds. I'll leave you be. Say goodnight before your big party, yeah? The show is quite good tonight."

"Don't think I don't notice that you're calling our show mediocre in British English!" he called after her as she walked away.

"I'm American!" she replied proudly over her shoulder. MacKenzie and those long legs of hers disappeared behind the glass door with remarkable speed. Will cleared his throat and returned to his desk, scratching his brow to hide his minor embarrassment. Of course the intelligent EP with long legs had a date on Valentine's day – look at her!

"You ready?" came that teasing voice in his ear again. He quirked an eyebrow at the camera.

"Are you going to ask that before every broadcast?" he countered.

And even in the silence, he knew she was smiling.


A/N: Always open to constructive criticism, so let me know what you think. :) R&R for the next chapter!