Author's Notes: Thanks to teanc09 for graciously allowing me to use the idea of the brownstone as Mackenzie's New York home. Thanks to everyone else for the lovely reviews. I am trying to get this story, in its entirety, posted by the season two premiere. We'll see if that actually happens. Wish me luck…and happy reading! P.S.-A prodigious amount of reviews may encourage quick posting on my part…hint hint.
The rest of the week seemed to follow that same pattern. Will would find himself being dragged into the newsroom by his dog only to lose custody of him for the remainder of the day as Woody proceeded to lay himself at Mackenzie's feet. He finally gave up and just brought all the dog's things into her office.
By Friday Will was ready to admit that maybe the dog had a good idea. Laying himself at Mackenzie's feet and begging for her forgiveness for being an ass for more than a year sounded like a pretty good plan. Especially if that resulted in Woody, Mackenzie and him back at home curled up in bed together watching the morning news.
"Hi" he called out to her from the doorway of her office.
"Hello. Looking for Woodward?" she asked, barely looking up from the pile of paperwork on her desk.
"Yeah, I guess. I was going to take him outside and grab some lunch. Care to join us?" he asked nervously. Mackenzie looked up in shock.
"Lunch?" she asked warily.
"Yeah, you know that meal in the middle of the day that you usually forget to eat?"
"I don't forget it. I just don't tend to actually eat it, that's all" she pouted.
"Well, let's give it a shot then, shall we?" he pleaded.
"Ok" she responded, grabbing her purse and Woody's leash and heading for the door, keeping her eyes on him the whole time.
"Stop looking at me like I might spontaneously combust at any moment Mac. It's just a sandwich and a walk in the park, not the Spanish Inquisition."
"I think the Spanish Inquisition might be safer" she muttered under her breath.
That one hurt. He knew he had been an ass to her for a while now. He knew he had every right to be angry with her. He knew his wounded heart justified some of his behavior, but at a certain point he also knew he had a decision to make. Forgive her and move on or ask her to leave. And he knew he could never ask Mackenzie to leave. Hell, even in those first few days of shock, when she had told him about Brian, he wasn't the one to ask her to leave. He couldn't…his heart just wouldn't let him. However, he never uttered a single word to her either, so she made the decision for them. She left the country.
He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the elevator. Woody sat between the two of them and looked back and forth during the ride down to the lobby. Lonny was waiting near the front doors and joined them.
They made their way down the street toward a deli the staff at ACN frequented and he took the dog's leash and watched her go in to order their sandwiches. "It's easier this way Will. No one is going to recognize me." He had to admit, she had a point. So, he clutched the dog's leash and backed himself up against a vacant storefront and hoped to God no one would decide they wanted a picture with him at that moment.
"You're letting her buy lunch? Didn't your mother ever teach you how to be a gentleman?" Lonny asked him.
"I haven't knocked you out yet, have I? I think that's pretty chivalrous of me."
"I'm shaking in my boots McAvoy" Lonny muttered.
Soon Mackenzie returned, bag in hand, and they walked toward the park. Woody sniffed every tree and bush within a twenty foot radius, did his business, and then sat next to a park bench to soak up the sun. Will followed the dog's lead and took a seat on the bench, but Mackenzie just stood nearby grasping the paper bag containing their lunch in her hands.
"You know, if you don't stop that, pretty soon there won't be a lunch for us to eat" he admonished. Mackenzie looked down at the bag she was clenching between both fists and apologized.
"Sorry" she said nervously and took a seat next to him.
"Mackenzie, it's a fucking turkey sandwich. Relax would you?"
"Ok" she mumbled.
God, he hated that he had done this to her. Turned her into some sort of shrinking violet in his presence. Not that she was like that at work. Hell no! She wouldn't let him get away with anything at work, but alone…just the two of them…she tended to fall apart these days. And the worst part was that he knew he had made her this way.
"It's ok, Kenz. I promise" he told her, grasping her hands and loosening her grip on the deli bag.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Yeah" he reassured, handing her a sandwich.
"He's gotten so big" Mackenzie remarked, looking down at Woodward.
"He stopped eating for about a week after you left, so I bribed him with Chinese food. He's been a tad overweight ever since." Will watched as a tear streaked down her cheek and she turned her face away to hide it. He let her have a moment.
"You shouldn't feed him table scraps Will. It's terrible for him."
"Can I help it if he likes Moo Shu Chicken?"
"You like Moo Shu Chicken Will. He would happily eat whatever you give him, so stick to what the vet recommends."
"You hear that Woody? You seem to like her more than you like me these days, but if it was up to your mother you would eat nothing but that diet kibble the vet tries to push on us."
Then suddenly she was in tears again and he hadn't the first clue why.
"What? What did I say Mac? You can feed him whatever you want, ok?" he asked, passing her a few napkins to wipe her face.
"I should get back to work Will. Thank you for lunch and for letting me see Woodward. It meant a lot" she said quietly and gathered her purse to leave.
"Wait, Mac. Look, I don't know what the hell I did or didn't do, but please don't go. We can take an hour for lunch without killing each other. Can't we?" He felt like he was begging now, but damn it, he didn't know what else to do.
"Some other time, ok Will? I should go now." The dog began to whimper and pace.
"Maybe you could come over this weekend? To see the dog I mean. You can take him out on your own if I make you uncomfortable?" Wait, when the hell had he become the one begging her to come visit him? To come visit them? To come home?
"That would be nice. Maybe I will" she assured him as she turned to go.
Later that night, lying in bed with Woody stretched out along what used to be Mackenzie's side of the mattress, Will wondered what the hell he was doing. A few months ago he was strutting through the newsroom with women young enough to be his daughters and yelling at Mac to mind her own damn business when she dared question his dating habits. Now, suddenly, he was trying to share joint custody of their dog with her?
"Have I lost my mind Woody?" he asked the dog. Woody growled and jumped off the bed in response.
"I take it from that retort that you want her to come back home?" Will shouted after him. Woody barked twice and left the room.
"I'm working on it pal. I'm working on it."
The weekend dragged along and time and again Will stopped himself from calling her. She had never promised she would come over. He wouldn't try to force her. But by noon on Sunday he gave up all pretences of looking cool and aloof and dialed her cell phone.
"Hello?" she answered in a hoarse voice.
"Mac?"
"Will? Did you need something?"
"Well, I thought you might want to take the dog for a bit, but you sound awful. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just a cold…or laryngitis…or something. I don't know. Listen, I'm going back to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow ok?" she asked, and then coughed so loudly he had to hold the phone away from his ear.
"Are you sure you should be alone Mac? Can I bring you some soup or something?" What the hell McAvoy? She's a big girl…surely she can battle a virus on her own.
"I'm fine Will, really. I'll see you tomorrow" she said and hung up the phone.
He sat and stared at the wall. Then he paced. Then he looked through his cupboards for soup and cold medicine. He knew Mackenzie and she never prepared for anything. Her cupboards were always bare. He called Lonny and told him to come and pick him up.
"Come on Woody. Let's go take care of your mother before she hacks up a lung" he told the dog and then stopped dead in his tracks. Mother. That's what had upset Mackenzie the other day. He had referred to her as Woody's mother. As silly and juvenile as it sounded, they had always referred to each other as Woody's mom and dad when they were together. It was the kind of ridiculous stuff every couple did…before they had actual children, Will supposed. Telling the dog to bring the toy to Daddy. Or asking why the mangy mutt wouldn't inform Mommy of its need to go outside. That's what had probably stunned Mackenzie in the park the other day. Because if they weren't together anymore, and if she wasn't around to take care of Woody, then she wasn't his mother…was she?
Oh good Lord, now he was silently debating the ethics of canine custody and to whom the dog owed his allegiance. He really needed professional help…or maybe he just needed his girlfriend back.
Will loaded Woody into the back of Lonny's SUV and then got into the front seat and gave the bodyguard directions to Mackenzie's house. Lonny gave a low, appreciative whistle when they pulled up in front of the brownstone.
"Does she get paid more than you do?" Lonny asked.
"She's very good at her job, but no, she doesn't" Will barked out harshly, then softened his tone. "This is her parent's house, but they spend most of the year in England now, so Mac lives here."
"And you broke up with her? Let me get this straight? She's brilliant, she's hot, she keeps your crazy ass in line and she's rich? What the hell McAvoy? Get in there and beg her for another chance!" Lonny shouted.
"Shut up Lonny! And I'm working on it, ok?" Will replied as he jumped out of the car and grabbed the dog.
"I'll be down the street waiting for your call, unless, you know, you want to just spend the rest of the weekend here?" Lonny shouted out the window after him.
Will had the distinct urge to flip the man off, but he didn't. With his luck there would be some tourist with a camera waiting to sell that photo to TMZ within the hour. He rang the door bell and waited.
"Will?" Mac croaked hoarsely as she opened the door. Woody pushed his way in and Will had no choice but to follow.
"I figured you would have nothing here so I brought some soup, Nyquil and ginger ale. Oh, and of course, Woody."
"Hello boy!" Mackenzie greeted the dog, then began coughing. "Come on in you two."
She had barely gotten the sentence out of her mouth before Woody shot off up the stairs toward Mackenzie's bedroom.
"What the hell do you have up there Mac? A meat packing facility? I haven't seen that dog move so fast in years."
"Oh shit!" she yelled and took off up the stairs hot on Woody's trail.
"Mac?!" he yelled, running after her.
Woody was running through the brownstone like his hair was on fire and Mackenzie was making quite an effort at keeping up with him.
"Mackenzie stop!" Will yelled, watching her wheeze and cough. "Would you like to tell me what the hell all that was about?"
"Bernstein!" she yelled between coughs.
"The Washington Post reporter?" he asked, beginning to wonder if perhaps she wasn't a bit high on cough medicine already. Maybe he really didn't need to bring her any Nyquil.
"No, my cat" she told him, plopping down on the stairs and pushing her hair out of her face.
"You have a cat named Bernstein? Wait, let me get this straight? You named our dog Woodward and you named your cat Bernstein? Watched All The President's Men one too many times, have we Mac?" he asked, chuckling.
"Hey, they were heroes of journalism when journalism still stood for something! Forgive me if I have a sentimental longing for days gone by" she huffed.
"Me too" he whispered, sitting down next to her on the stairs and pulling her into his side.
"I missed him" Mac said desperately, watching Woody run around her house as if he owned the place.
"Just him?" Will asked.
"No, not just him Billy" she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head in his shoulder.
Just then she sneezed into his polo shirt.
"Thanks Mac" he said sarcastically.
"Sorry."
"Come on, let's get you some soup and some medication. Those two will work it out" he reassured her, hoping like hell that he was right. He'd hate to discover Woodward making a meal out of Bernstein.