A long time later Will was sprawled on one of the chairs in Charlie's office gazing in to the amber liquid in his glass and rambling to Charlie about the difference between small farm and big farm culture in Nebraska.

The older man was slumped in a chair on the other side of the table and emphatically agreeing with each point Will was making.

"They don't name any of their animals. Not even the dairy cows or breeding sows that they'll have for nearly 15 years. 15 years! After everything the very least they deserve is a name!"

"Those cold hearted bastards!"

"Yeah. And another thing about the damn big machines they run all night long..."

Mackenzie had long since tuned them out and was sitting at Charlie's computer and getting frustrated. She waited until Will had finished his rampage about the sound of industrial farming equipment ruining the stillness of the night and interrupted him before he could go on to lord knows what,

"Will!"

"Hrm?" He rocked his head over to look at her and from the way his eyes took a moment to follow she judged he was even more drunk than she had suspected.

"What's more important to you? Not sitting in coach or getting to the house when you said you were going to?"

He just looked at her; confused.

She sighed and spelled it out as one would address a child, "You need a plane ticket Billy. You told your sister you'd be there by noon tomorrow but the only direct flights from New York to Lincoln that land before noon don't have first class available. If you want first class you're not going to land until 1:15 which means you won't get to Elmwood until after 2. Even if you take coach the earliest you will get to the farm is 12:15. Nothing is landing before 11:20."

He just blinked at her, nonplussed.

"Will?"

"What?" he asked blankly.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked with forced patience.

"About what?"

Her forced patience wore off, "Sometimes I seriously think about pushing you out a window."

He frowned, "That doesn't sound like a very nice thing to say to an orphan. You're supposed to be nice to me, my father just died you know."

She closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. "I do know Billy, and I'm trying to be nice but you're drunk and making it difficult."

"I'm not drunk!" he objected, "I have the tolerance of 10 men!"

Mackenzie's eyebrows arched in amusement, "Really? You're not drunk? Prove it. Snap your fingers."

Will glared at her but brought up his hand next to his face and moved his fingers. When they were silent he looked at his fingertips as if they had just let him down and began focusing intensely on finding the magic movement that was a snap. When Mackenzie began to laugh at him he glared at her, "Whatever, so I have momentarily misplaced my ability to snap. So what? Anyway it was your idea that I drink."

"It wasn't mine, it was Charlie's." She clarified.

"You said I could toss it back and sip. You encouraged multiple drinks." He pointed accusingly.

"Okay, whatever, I'm bored of this game Billy; what do you want to do about your flight? Coach and arrive close to 12 or first class and after 2?" She leaned across the desk and locked onto his eyes.

He sighed heavily and rolled his head back. "I can't be late. I told her I'd be there before noon, I have to do that."

Mackenzie deflated, "I know Will but there isn't a whole lot by the way of early morning flights to Nebraska. Like I said the very earliest I can do is have you land by 11:20. By the time you get your luggage and pick up the car it's going to be after noon no matter what you do."

"I can't!" He yelled with sudden ferocity. "I told her noon and I can't let her down, not this weekend!"

Mackenzie bit her lip and looked in askance to Charlie who nodded and silently left the room.

She tried to let him sit in silence for a bit but she couldn't stand watching him just brood silently into his drink.

"She would understand if you just texted her and said you'd be there 20 minutes late. She knows you pulled noon out of thin air when you were talking with her."

Will sat forward, "She shouldn't have to." He whispered.

"I know." She quietly agreed.

He looked up at her and they maintained eye contact for a long, silent moment before Will broke it and looked at the floor, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "This is so fucked up."

Mackenzie nodded, "Yep."

He looked around as if noticing for the first time they were alone, "Where's Charlie?"

"Working on plan B." Explained Mackenzie, "He'll be back soon I'm sure."

As if he had been waiting for his que Charlie ducked back in to the room and nodded to Mackenzie. "Yeah."

Will looked between his two colleagues, "Yeah? Yeah what? What was plan B?"

Charlie sat back down and picked up his glass. "Leona extends her sympathies and her jet will be warmed up and ready to take off from Laguardia at 7:30 tomorrow morning giving you plenty of time to land, rent a car and be with your family before 12."

Will gaped at Charlie. He looked at Mackenzie who smiled and shut off the computer in front of her. He turned back to Charlie and stammered, "I...don't even..." And it was as if the dam was released and the tears that had yet to fall finally escaped. He dropped his head into his hands and his shoulders shook with silent sobs.

Both Mac and Charlie exchanged shocked looks and moved from their places to situate themselves on either side of Will. Charlie placed a firm hand on his back and Mac pressed a cheek to his shoulder. They didn't say anything, just allowed him this moment.

Mac felt Will begin to shake his head. "What is it Billy? What can we do for you?"

His frame shook again, "I...don't know...I don't..."

Charlie looked over Will's hunched back to make bewildered eye contact with Mackenzie. "What don't you know Will?"

Will swallowed, composing himself before he picked up his head and looked at Charlie, "I don't understand how I deserve to be surrounded by such good people."

Charlie's fell from concern to one brimming with love as his heart broke for the man in front of him.

Tears gathered in Mackenzie's eyes and she answered for Charlie, "Just by being you Billy. Just by being you."

Charlie nodded, "You're a good man William Duncan Macavoy. You make people want to be able to help you."

Breathing deep Will straightened and wiped the tears from his face but his gaze fell back to the floor. "I think I need another drink." He half laughed, half choked.

Charlie smiled, "THAT I can do for you without a problem. Do we want to keep going at this bottle or try something a little different?"

Will smiled and twisted in his seat to peruse Charlie's bar.

As the two men were discussing the merits of the various scotch Will's phone buzzed and Mackenzie picked it up, eyebrows arching as she looked at the screen.

Will looked over to her, "I don't want to talk to anyone I'm not related to. Is it my sister?"

Mac shook her head, "No. It's Nina Howard. Why would she be calling you?"

Will sighed, "I..." finding it difficult to keep eye contact with Mac he let his eyes drop, "I can't talk to her right now."

"Okay." Mac bit her bottom lip then after a moment of hesitation she hit the answer button with resolution, "Hello?" Will stared at Mac, eyes wide.

"Oh, Um, Hi? Who is this? Mac?"

"Yes, Hi Nina. I'm sorry, I answered Will's phone for him."

There was a long pause on the other end, "Oh...well is he around? We were...um...supposed to meet up...I was just checking in on him."

Will was gesticulating wildly but Mackenzie turned away from him. "Well, yes, he's here but he's with Charlie at the moment."

"Oh...you're all still at work? Is something happening? I...I saw the end of tonight's show and I was wondering..."

Mac bit her lip, "Yes, well, there was..." She turned back to look at Will before she continued speaking, "There was a death in Will's family tonight so he's been sitting with Charlie. He is bloody well tanked up at this point and not really in a position to talk but didn't want you to think he was blowing you off so I picked up the phone for him. He's getting on a plane home first thing in the morning but I'll make sure he calls you before he leaves." Will had stopped moving and was sitting quietly watching Mackenzie.

"Oh...Oh my, well.. of course. I understand. Tell him...tell him no worries, just call me when he can and I'll see him when he gets back."

Mac nodded to the phone, "I will."

"And Mac?" Nina added, "Tell him I'm so very sorry."

"Of course."

"Thank you. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight Nina." Mackenzie kept her eyes on the phone as she lowered it and clicked the red hang up button. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat before raising her gaze to meet Will's. "She said that she's very sorry, to call whenever you want to and she'll see you when you get back to New York."

"Mac...I..." Will's face was as confused as she'd ever seen him.

"I'm sorry I answered your phone Will." She cut him off, "But if you had let it go to voicemail that would have been bad for you. You never want to stand up your girlfriend on a Friday night and then not take her calls. That's bound to make her angry. So I'm sorry I answered the phone but trust me, it saved you a lot of grief later."

Will blinked his eyes and opened his mouth to speak but before he could Charlie lambasted, "You're dating Nina Howard?! Since when?"

Will turned back to Charlie and shrugged, "I mean dating is...it's...I don't know. A little while."

"Since September or October." Mac stated calmly.

Will turned back to her, agape. "You knew?"

"It's March!" shouted Charlie again. "How did I not know?!"

Mac shrugged, "You're not as stealthy as you think you are. Did you really think that after 5 months of arriving late, leaving early and relative telephone silence that I wouldn't realize you had a girlfriend? I didn't know who but I knew; of course I knew."

Will hung his head. "I didn't tell you because..."

Mac waved him off, "It doesn't matter Will. It really doesn't."

"It does to me!" again objected Charlie.

Mac smiled at the older man warmly and patted his arm. "It's okay Charlie; You're just less observant than I am."

He crossed his arms and huffed an angry grumble to himself.

She smiled and turned back to Will who was still staring at her looking lost. She tilted her head, "Come on now, finish your drink and then Charlie will bring you home so you can pack and be at the airport on time."

He nodded slowly and mechanically brought his glass to his lips, never breaking eye contact with her.

Mackenzie smiled and moved so she was next to him and could look him in the eyes, "I'm going to head out of here for now and I'll see you when you get back. Please feel free to take a few extra days; between Elliot and Sloan we can cover the show for however long you need, okay?"

He nodded mutely. She sighed and gave him a loose hug from her seated position, "It's going to be a tough weekend for you. Don't worry about being the strong one all the time. And you know my phone is always on, I will always be there for you, okay?"

He nodded again. She gave him a squeeze and then stood and walked to the door taking the time to give Charlie a pat and whisper "Take care of him tonight." before she was gone.

A/N: I personally feel that Mac gets a bad rap and is occasionally portrayed as a weaker character than she is. So if you're wondering, yes, of course she is hurt and upset by the revelation that Will is with Nina but she knows her role at the moment is to be supportive of Will because she loves him and she's willing to quietly burden her own hurt in order to make sure he feels supported and loved; especially that night.