Set a week after Season 1 ended.
It was about a half hour before the first pitch meeting of the day. Mackenzie
strolled into Will's office and took a seat. When he looked up, she tossed him a
small stack of stapled papers.
"What's this?"
"It's your script."
"You wrote my script?"
"Yes. I thought it was time that you did another editorial. America and I really
liked the last one you did."
"That was a one time thing, Mac. I am not going to do editorials at the end of
every episode of Jerry Springer."
"Who?"
"You know, Jerry Springer, the talk show host who had all of these crazy people
on his show fighting all the time?"
"Never saw it, but his name sounds familiar now that you mention it."
"He ran for a senate seat about ten years back."
"Please tell me he lost by a large margin."
"What do you think?"
"I can't really tell what the American electorate is going to do these days."
"He dropped out of the race. Now back to the point. Why are you writing my
scripts?"
"I worked on it all night. Just read it." She sat and waited.
"Are you waiting for me to read it out loud, or have you lost your way back to
your office?"
Mac huffed. "Just read it. Humor me and pretend I am the camera."
"I always imagine the camera light is you," he replied quietly.
She smiled. "I know. Now stop stalling and take a look at your editorial
comment."
He looked down and picked up the papers, noticing how large the font was. He
looked back at her questioningly.
"You're old. Wanted to give you a larger font so you wouldn't have to struggle."
"You are a real riot."
"STOP STALLING!"
Fine. "Hello. I'm Will McAvoy. I'd like to start tonight's broadcast by saying I
am an idiot."
"What the hell Mackenzie?"
She bit her lip. "So far it's the truth. Just keep reading, please."
"This is fucking ridiculous." He lit a cigarette before continuing.
"I was high the night of the Bin Laden broadcast. I left a voicemail message for
my Executive Producer…."
He stopped and dropped it on his desk. "Yeah, I am not doing this. Not now, Mac.
I have told you for the past week I wasn't going to get into this."
"WILL! Just read it. Read it to yourself if you want. I will wait."
"If I pretend to read it, will that appease you?"
She softened her voice. "Please?"
I'm not reading it out loud. He continued to read it to himself.
"The voicemail said something important, but despite my amazing ability to write
scripts and speeches, I cannot articulate what it said to Mackenzie McHale." He
glanced up at her worried face, and flipped the page.
"Mackenzie has been by my side for two years now, putting up with all of my
stupid acts, the most recent of which left me in the hospital. Throughout this
time, I punished her in every way I could think of—prancing women through the
office, buying a fake engagement ring, bringing in her ex-boyfriend. But despite
it all, she still loves me, and most importantly, she knows that even though I
can't say it, that I love her, too."
He glanced up again, shocked, with a look similar to that he had the night she
held up the notepad.
He looked back down to finish up the last page of his large print script. It
only had two sentences.
"I love you William Duncan McAvoy. Now get up out of your chair and give me a
hug."
She waited nervously after he set down the script as he still looked absolutely
shocked. He put out his cigarette and got up and walked around his desk. He
pulled her up off her chair, steady as can be.
"I can do you one more."
He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss, with her top lip in between his. He
pulled her into a big hug and whispered "Does this go in the A-block or D-block?
Should we put together a graphics package?"
She busted out laughing into his shoulder.
"Idiot."