Kidnapped

A/N: Wow! Thank you for all the great support! Let me just say I'm so glad the flashback was well received, as you can expect many more! As per your reviews, I will try my best to achieve a good balance. :) Just remember that this is a story about kidnapping, so it will have its dark moments, but it will also have its romantic moments. I hope you enjoy the ride!

As promised, here is the 2nd chapter! Just as before, drop me a line to let me know what you think. I'd love to know who's reading.

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 own nothing.

Chapter 2 – Should, Should, Should

January 2013

If all the world was a stage, it was time once again to play his part.

Will sat at the ACN News Desk, reading off the prompts as though nothing was wrong. Charlie was trying to give him his space, but Will knew he was being watched constantly, the old man ready to jump in at any time if he needed him.

The only reason he was able to continue working was because he knew MacKenzie would have beat him senseless if he didn't. Their show had a purpose, and that didn't stop when one of them was… missing. Will tried to brush the negativity of that word away, focusing on the little red light that constantly reminded him he was on the air. Charlie's attempts to give him just a few days off had been firmly rejected by Will. It was healthy to take his mind off of the investigation for a while, as he was probably thinking about it for the other 23 hours of the day. For the most part, he left the block planning to the team and joined them in the final rundown so he had some sort of idea what he was going to be reporting that night. The rest of his time was spent checking every single method of contact he had to see if there was any hint of a word from MacKenzie.

"The US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has announced that he is to leave the office in March…"

Reporting was second nature to Will now. He could get it done no matter what. Bim, bam, boom.

Unfortunately, the only booming he felt right now was in his temples - a rhythmic, tympanic beat. The room was hot given the negative January temperatures outside. The spotlights were aggravating his headache and making him sweat. Once the commercial break had started, he greedily took Advil and drank from a hidden water bottle, silently willing the painkiller to work its magic fast. Bringing a fevered hand to his forehead, he noticed with slight alarm that it was still trembling. He wondered what people thought of him – he wondered what those in the control room were whispering about, with him shaking like this. Did they even notice? Please, he prayed, holding his fingers tight, steadying them. Just let her be okay. Will wasn't a man who usually prayed, but he found himself doing so almost every night now.

Thinking back to how he had woken up at the hospital with MacKenzie at his side did him no favours. She had saved him. She had found him when he had vomited blood from his stomach and passed out on the bathroom floor. Why hadn't he been able to do something in return? If he could have saved her – if he could have helped her, he would have. He was scared out of his mind for that woman, and he had no way to get to her. There were men who were threatening him – using her – and he had no real idea why. He scoffed as he remembered the conversation he'd had that night at the precinct.

"No idea?" the officer asked. "They didn't tell you why they took her?"

"No," Will answered blandly. "They said they would tell me. Later."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"You didn't press them for questions?" the officer asked, and Will had to take several seconds to recompose himself. Yelling at an officer would not make this process go any faster.

"No. One guy was holding a gun to her head and another guy had a knife at my throat. It wasn't the time for questions."

They were going to contact him. They were going to tell Will what it took to get MacKenzie back, safe and sound, though perhaps Will would recommend Dr. Habib to her for a swift recovery. He tried to think ahead. He tried to think of anything but what fear and peril she might be facing at this very moment.

He loathed himself for failing her.

"Fuck- Will, can you hear me?"

He heard Don's voice now in his ear, urging him, and Will looked up into the camera. The red light was on… Well, shit. He was on the air. They were replaying the prompt for him.

"Three car bombs exploded near military checkpoints and government buildings in Idlib Governorate, Syria, leaving 24 people dead. Two other bombs were defused by government forces…"

He wasn't sure how long he had been out of it, but he recovered as best he could. When News Night ended, he got up from his desk without a word and walked to his office. Loosening his tie, he poured himself a glass of bourbon, downing it in less than five seconds. His hands still shook. His office was sweltering and yet his sweat and his skin were cool to the touch. He felt the symptoms of a panic attack getting closer and closer, but he pushed them away. He had to be strong. For her, he had to be. He could push through this.

Any positive mental progress he had made in the past few seconds diminished when he once again remembered that it wasn't supposed to be this way. It was his fault. For the thousandth time, he told himself should have done something.

"If it had gone any other way that night, one of you might have died." Will jumped, not realizing anyone had entered the room. His boss was leaning against the door to his office now, watching him closely; he had probably witnessed Will's erratic behaviour from the control room and ran over the second the segment ended. He frowned as he watched Will, broken Will, down another shot of bourbon.

"She still might die," he reminded Charlie bitterly.

Charlie shut the door now, walking up to Will and putting his hands on his shoulders. He held him at arm's length, giving the broad man a shake. This was the first time Charlie had brought up the incident since the night at the precinct.

"Kiddo, if you keep killing yourself like this, you're going to have another episode with your ulcer and nothing's going to get done. It's not your fault. It never will be your fault, and MacKenzie getting kidnapped is not going to change no matter how hard you wish it. It's time to act, Will. It's been an entire week. They'll contact you soon, and you need to be ready when they do."

Will swallowed hard when Charlie reminded him of how long it had been. The week had felt more like a year.

"It'll be all right," Charlie said, determined. "We're not going to lose her. We'll get through this just like we've gotten through all the other bullshit that's come our way."

Will nodded, mostly to show him that he was listening. He knew Charlie was right, that he had to get himself together, but he couldn't just lift his chin up and be in good spirits. He would try, though. Noticing Will's tortured expression, Charlie added, more gently, "You kids make a good team."

There was a pause as Will soaked in the words. Then, Will smiled. He nodded, looked up to Charlie, and smiled. However small it was, however sad it looked, it wasn't forced. It was real.

"Yeah. Yeah, we do."

October 2005

"So I heard you and Mac were talking about a new show."

"A little."

"Well, shouldn't I be hearing about it?"

Will McAvoy glanced at Charlie Skinner, unable to help but give Charlie's suit a once-over. Something looked familiar about it. That night, the man had opted out of his usual bow tie and was wearing a wide-necked blue tie.

"It's just in the planning stages, Charlie. Once we have something to tell you, we'll tell you."

"I'm your boss. Shouldn't you fill me in sooner rather than later?"

Will was too distracted trying to figure out why Charlie's suit seemed so goddamn familiar. Finally, it hit him, and he completely changed the subject.

"What the hell are you wearing, Charlie?"

"My Halloween costume," Charlie answered, his eyebrows raised. "This is a Halloween party, after all." Will waved an arm irritably at the older man.

"Seriously? I'm your Halloween costume? I'm not sure if I should be flattered or heinously insulted." Will took a step back, and though he would never admit it, Charlie had the suit down to a 'T'.

"You told me you didn't like dressing up on Halloween," the older man protested, his bushy eyebrows shooting up towards his greying hairline. "So I decided to have a little fun. Show you what you're missing out on."

"Jesus, Charlie…"

Standing next to each other in identical suits, the pair of them looked comical at that Halloween party. The way Charlie's hair was brushed back even matched the way Will styled his hair before each broadcast, with copious amounts of gel. Charlie stood up straight and matched Will's "news anchor" expression, pretending to look into a camera.

"Good evening, I'm Will McAvoy. Top story tonight: I am a non-committal jackass who refuses to share my opinion on anything even though I am a registered Republican!" The people around them chuckled, and Will shook his head. He hadn't shared that particular political tidbit of information with the staff, and he didn't exactly want it leaked out to the other networks. His popularity was only growing because people had no idea what side he leaned towards. As far as the viewers were concerned, he was completely unbiased.

To Charlie, however…

"Why does it matter that I am a Republican but don't share my opinion?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he feigned interest.

"Because Republicans are opinionated, Will!" Charlie exclaimed. Will scoffed, but he couldn't fully hide his amusement. A few years ago, when Will had been a legal correspondent on the show, they'd barely spoken. Now Charlie was one of his closest colleagues.

"I'm going to get you back for this," he promised, and Charlie laughed, raising his glass to Will in challenge.

"Looking forward to it! Make sure you discuss the fact that you should be allowed to have an opinion on this new show. None of this being dubbed the "Jay Leno of news anchors" crap. I don't want that shit catching on."

As Will took another sip of his drink, his eyes fell upon MacKenzie. She had just plopped herself down on the office couch, wearing a black dress with cat accessories, even going so far as to draw a black nose and whiskers on her face. He reserved a moment to take in the way the black dress tapered in at her slender waist, then flared out to accent her toned hips and show off her really, really long legs. Sometimes that woman was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. Will would have smiled in greeting, but she didn't even notice him. She was too preoccupied scrolling through her phone, and not in the way that she did when she was checking for news alerts or e-mails.

She looked sad.

Will drew in a breath and walked up to her, patting Charlie on the shoulder in farewell. He sat down on the couch beside MacKenzie, and without giving her time to greet him, he asked,

"What's wrong?"

MacKenzie sat up straighter and looked at him.

"Nothing's wr-"

"What's wrong?" he repeated, looking at her now. "You can't lie to me, Mac. We've been working together for eight months now. I think we make a pretty good team, but that only stands if you don't lie to me."

MacKenzie's expression faltered, and she looked back down to her phone. She scrolled, eyes directed at the screen but unseeing, and finally, she sighed. Her usually squared shoulders deflated, and he resisted the overwhelming urge to wrap an arm around her for comfort.

"Brian," she said, and he nodded. He'd figured as much.

"Ah. What was it this time? Did he come home late again?"

"We broke up. He was supposed to come to the party tonight, but when he came over to pick me up, he broke up with me instead."

Will hesitated, reminding himself to keep calm. MacKenzie was in a vulnerable state right now. He had heard her rant and rant about how Brian infuriated her one moment, and how she absolutely adored him the next. When he brought up her almost bipolar reactions towards her (now ex) significant other, MacKenzie simply waved her hand dismissively and told Will that this was how all relationships worked. He didn't think so, but he was in no place to actively try and disrupt MacKenzie's personal life, no matter how attractive Will found her. She deserved to be happy, so seeing her upset made him want to punch Brian in the face.

"I'm sor-"

"I swear to God, if you finish that sentence, I will hit you," MacKenzie said, shooting him a quick sideways glance. "I don't need you feeling sorry for me, Will. Comforting words, sure. A friendly pat on the back, fine. But I don't need or want your pity. He broke up with me. It's not the first time I've gone through a break up and it won't be the la-"

"Do you want to get out of here?" He interrupted, and she sent him that doe-eyed look that she always did when she was surprised. He'd caught her off guard, and it was infuriatingly adorable.

"What?"

"You're upset. There's a bar across the street. You can vent about how Brian's a jerk – which I've been telling you incessantly, by the way – I can listen, and then at the end of the night we can go our separate ways without the whole office knowing what happened. Plus, I can get away from Charlie dressing as me for Halloween."

"Why would you do all this for- wait, Charlie dressed as you for Halloween?" MacKenzie immediately turned her head in search of their boss, but Will reached a hand out, using his thumb and his forefinger to gently redirect her chin so she was facing him again.

"I said earlier we make a good team," Will repeated quietly. "As your partner, I'm going to be there for you when you need me." He stood up from the couch, sliding his hands into his pockets as he walked towards the door.

"You coming?"

MacKenzie had just been staring after him, unmoving. He had felt self-conscious for a moment, but then he saw her snap out of her reverie and collect her belongings off the couch.

"…Yeah," she said, hurrying to catch up with him. As he held open the door for her, he felt a strange, warm and very satisfying sensation rush through him. He watched as MacKenzie turned off her cellphone and ran towards him instead.

No more Brian.

"So, are you sure you want to do this?" MacKenzie asked as she caught up with him, following him towards the crosswalk. "I don't want to spoil your Halloween by wallowing in self-pity."

"Well, it can't be worse than having to stand next to Charlie all night mocking me," he offered, hoping some humour would distract her for just a moment. He saw her resulting laugh reach her eyes, brightening them, and once again he had to remind himself not to pounce. He would crack terrible jokes every day if she would just smile, really smile, like that for him. But Brian had just broken up with her, and now he had to take his time. Will had waited a few months for MacKenzie. He could wait a little longer.

When they reached the bar, he made sure they received their drinks right away. He had never seen his EP drink excessively at any of their work events, so his eyebrows rose a little when she downed her cocktail in almost one gulp.

"So I'm guessing you didn't see this coming, huh?" he asked carefully, and MacKenzie sighed, pushing away the empty glass and gesturing to the bartender for a refill.

"Actually, I did see it coming, but I tried to deny it. I thought if I could just keep working at it, then he would too."

"Well, what did he say? Did he give the "it's not you, it's me" speech, or something along those lines?" Will took a much more modest sip of his scotch, welcoming the smooth burn that spread through him.

"No," MacKenzie said, placing her chin in her palm as she glanced at him. "It's me. He just… doesn't love me anymore."

As the bartender passed MacKenzie another drink, Will furrowed his eyebrows and leaned closer to her.

"Then he's an idiot." He didn't feel the need to back up his statement, but she just shrugged and took another long sip from her new drink. "Did he say anything else?"

"He said we were getting too serious for his liking and he still needed to take the time to explore before he settled down."

"Douchebag," Will muttered, and MacKenzie laughed.

"Yes! Yes, exactly. Brian is a giant, idiotic douchebag."

"Careful, Mac, you're dressed like a cute little cat so I doubt many people are expecting you to use words like douchebag."

"I can say whatever the hell I want tonight. I got dumped."

Silence settled over the two of them as they waited for their next order of drinks. Will glanced at her again.

"I really am sorry. I hate to see you upset, especially over a giant, idiotic douchebag."

MacKenzie smiled sadly, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning over. He felt her soft, pink lips brush against his jaw, and his eyes closed for just a moment.

"I know, Billy. Thank you."

A/N: Are you guys still with me? Next chapter, if everything remains on schedule, you should be finding out a little bit more about the kidnapping. Please R&R for the next chapter!