A/N: Happy Newsroom day! I'm very excited for a new episode tonight. Until then, hope you enjoy the conclusion of this story. Also, I am not sure which character I want to get these two together next, so if you have a preference, let me know. Enjoy, review, yay!
Catch Me a Catch
Charlie: The Purposeful Matchmaker, Part 2
"You're here again," Will sighed. He rolled his eyes as he watched Mac walk right past him as if she had been invited over. Like she owned the place, like she owned him.
Mac had been coming over practically every day for the last two weeks under one flimsy excuse or another. They had a routine down at this point. She would show up and push Will about reconsidering his decision to quit. Then, he would get broody and snappy and dance around the issue. Eventually, she would back off just before she knew he was getting to the boiling point of kicking her out. After that, Mackenzie would just soak up being able to be around him in this way, to eat dinner with him, or watch a movie, or just have a wonderfully mundane conversation about things besides the news. She never wanted to leave, but pushed herself out the door every night, not wanting to press her luck with him too far.
She was getting nowhere in regards to getting Will back on television, but it did seem to Mac that Will was getting used to her presence in this new limbo life he was in. He seemed to put up less and less of a fight at her presence and sometimes he didn't even really fight it at all. As a result, Mac was more relaxed around him every day. Especially because it appeared Will's new hermit lifestyle was really working in her favor as far as keeping him unaware of Charlie's plan. She knew if confronted she would tell Will everything, at the same time she didn't feel the need to offer up the information without a reason. She was happy it looked like she would get the opportunity to tell him when the timing was just right.
"I have nothing else to do, I am unemployed. And I was thinking I could go for some guitar playing and of course I thought who do I know who plays the guitar? Then, I thought oh yes, that's right, I believe Will plays the guitar." Mac chirped full of energy.
"Jim plays the guitar." Will reminded.
"You're closer." Mac countered. "Besides, I'm already here."
"So, let me get this straight. You show up unannounced, AGAIN. And now you want a concert from me? Have you officially lost it?" Will sarcastically asked, but his heart wasn't in it. The truth was Will didn't really mind her visits so much anymore, or really at all. Without work, her popping up was the only thing he had to look forward to these days besides the occasional late night marathon of musicals on TCM, but he sure as hell wouldn't admit that to her.
"It doesn't have to be a concert. I am not unreasonable. A couple songs will be fine."
"What are you doing, Mac?" Will asked and they both knew he meant so much more than her current quest to get him to play for her.
"I have free time, you have free time. Hmm, maybe if we had less free time…"
"You need to stop. I am not going back to News Night. There is no more News Night."
"But if you did," Mac started.
"Drop it and I will play you one song." Will offered. Anything was better than talking about work, his former work, he mentally corrected.
"Three songs, my choosing," Mac countered.
"Two songs, one dealer's choice, one of your choosing."
"Deal, but please Billy nothing too obvious. No Van Morrison."
"You mean I am not the only guy to play you Brown Eyed Girl? I am shocked," Will joked.
"You'll just have to be a bit more creative. That's never been a problem for you." Mackenzie lightly flirted.
Will was at a loss as how to respond to Mac, so he simply turned around and headed to his room to get his guitar, wondering how in the hell he had ended up agreeing to this. Then, he heard Mac call out from the living room, "Sucker, I would have settled for one song."
Will couldn't help but laugh.
"Of course, it's you again." Will remarked utterly unsurprised at seeing Mackenzie at his home.
"Don't sound so excited." Mac replied with a smile.
"Ever heard of giving someone time to miss you," Will grumbled.
"So you'd miss me then."
"That's not quite what I said."
"Close enough for me."
"Oh forget it. His Girl Friday just started on TCM. I'm going to watch it. Feel free to join me. Or feel even freer to go back to your own home, which I assume has its own TV, but maybe not if the frequency of your butt being on my couch is any indication."
Mac didn't let his sarcastic words get to her at all. She was too busy being pleased he relented so easily.
"Cary Grant, I am in."
"Really, I leave you to your own devices for five minutes and you're watching this crap." Will said to Mackenzie, placing some popcorn on the coffee table as he flopped back onto his couch.
"It's called the news. You know we used to do a better version of it not so long ago."
Will wasn't listening to Mac at all. Something on screen caught his attention and he was now focused on the news program Mackenzie had switched it to in Will's absence. They both watched for a few minutes in silence. Well, Will watched, and Mac watched him watch, before she finally spoke up.
"Will just admit it! You are itching going back on air! I can feel it. I see you watching this, I hear the notes you're grumbling under your breath. You can run circles around this guy and you are dying to do it. You can't hide from me!"
"At this point Mac, what does it fucking matter?" Will angrily asked.
"IT MATTERS!" Mac yelled back.
"It's too late, I quit, remember! And Leona already wanted to fire me and I just did her job for her. Is that what you wanted to hear? I fucked up, Mac. I let some hatchet job from your idiot ex-boyfriend get to me and made some fucking dumb choices. So, I don't know why you keep showing up here subtlety trying to get me to go back to something I can't have. You are too damn optimistic for your own good."
"Things aren't always what they seem." Mac hedged knowing it was time to come completely clean.
"What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"You didn't quite resign." Mac admitted.
"What! Yes, I did."
"Okay, you see. Well, Charlie, kind of chose to, um forget, and well ACN and Leona they think you've been recovering for the last three weeks. So, the show is still there. You still have a job, if you want it."
"I do?" Will asked completely shocked.
"You do." Mac confirmed.
"It's so nice to be taken seriously by my nearest and dearest." Will sarcastically spit not quite ready to admit how happy he was he could go back to work. He was trying to muster anger, but all he could feel was deep relief.
"I am your nearest and dearest?"
"Well. You're definitely nearest. You're here every damn day. So, I can really just come back?"
"Yeah, just call Charlie."
"Oh, you bet I am going to call Charlie. I can't believe he would meddle like this. We'll see if I come back." Will ranted, mostly for show.
"Yes, you can believe it, and yes you are coming back." Mac firmly stated.
"I still am going to give him hell for it." Will admitted. He knew he shouldn't be letting her off the hook, so he half-heartedly added, "I have some hell to give you too."
"Can it wait?" Mac asked hopefully trying to look as sweet as possible.
"I guess, but only because I really liked the movie we were watching. Hand me the remote, so I can turn this show that barely passes for the news off, and put it back on a classic. Oh and pass the popcorn while you're at it. Hopefully, we haven't missed my favorite part."
"Okay, bossy, and what about Charlie?"
"I'll just call Charlie when it's over, he deserves my wrath first. This reeks of Charlie and I can smell you were just an accomplice."
"It will be pretty late when this movie is done."
"Good. He deserves to be woken up for his little scheme. Now let's watch some real old school news men and women." Will said pointing to TV screen as he turned it back to His Girl Friday.
"Mac, I am coming back to work on Monday. You don't need to come over anymore and try to convince me."
"I know that. I am not so quick to forget my great accomplishments." Mac retorted as she made her way into Will's place.
"So why are you here, then? If it's to apologize again, I told you I forgive you for not telling me I was only on hiatus. I can see why you went along with it, and really it was on Charlie. You know occasionally I can recognize on my own when I am being a stubborn ass."
"It's not that. It's just I didn't know what to, I mean I've been, we've been, everyday practically…I got used to coming. I like being with you Will, even if the feeling isn't entirely mutual." Mac finally got out.
"I got used to having you here." Will admitted, which clearly surprised Mackenzie.
"You did?" Mackenzie looked up at Will under long lashes, a flirty smile gracing her face.
"Come on Mac, don't do this." Will sighed.
"Do what?"
"Act like you might want something when we both know you don't."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." Will stared intently at her as if it would get her to admit something. "Why are you trying to make me say it? Knowing I did it is embarrassing enough…"
"I'm seriously very lost."
"The damn voicemail message I left you. If you wanted, this, wanted me, wanted to try some version of us, you would have called me back then."
"What message? When? What the fuck is happening? Not want you, that's fucking preposterous!"
"You really don't know what I am talking about do you?" Will finally realized as he really took the time to examine the honestly confused look on Mac's face.
"No." Mac emphatically replied.
"Fuck." Will breathed out.
"What?"
"I left you a message after the night with Bin Laden. When, I ate those cookies." Will explained. "You really didn't get it?"
"I never got a message from you."
"Well, I definitely left one and it was definitely your voicemail. I was high, but I wasn't that high," Will reiterated before his eyes lit up as something important began to click into place for him, "I told you I was high on that message. And TMI is in the phone hacking business. And you never heard my message. But I bet you a million dollars that Nina Howard did."
"Oh, shit. That is why Nina needed another source! Charlie was right, it was fishy!"
"Shit is right." Will said. "I am going to go call Charlie. He needs to know this ASAP. We need a plan to make this work in our favor."
"Just so you know, I like this take charge Will much better than the quitter inhabiting your body for the last month." Mackenzie said.
Will couldn't help but smile. Then before it could become anything more he quickly turned and left to the room to call Charlie.
Meanwhile, Mac felt extremely fidgety. First, she sat down on his couch. One second later, she hopped up and began wandering the living room touching random plants and paintings. Then, she sat back down in one of his chairs. Then, got back up and paced up and down the middle of the living room.
Her thoughts exploded in her brain like a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. Mac knew her main focus should be on her phone being hacked, but all she could think about was the part where somewhere in the message Will had apparently left for her he had said he wanted to try again, with her. The man she thought was lost forever might not be so lost.
"Charlie wants to see us first thing tomorrow he thinks this is key into getting us out of this mess with Leona for good." Will said as he stepped back into the room.
"What did you mean when you said I didn't want you? What else did that message say?" Mac immediately interrogated.
"Oh that." Will said sheepishly hoping she might focus on the other part of his earlier reveal. Will wasn't sure he was ready for this. He hadn't even fully wrapped his head around what all of this really meant. She had never heard the message!
"Will, I don't do well with being left in the dark! I insist that you tell me. The message was for me after all."
Will stared at Mac not speaking for a moment and thought about the last few weeks with her, how easy it was, how little he thought about her past mistakes, how much he'd miss her when she left. Then, he thought about the last few months, everything he'd put her through, bringing in Brian, his health scare, all over something she never even heard. Damn, she had been amazing about everything considering what he now knew. Finally, he thought about the last year and the wonderful show she helped him build and maintain, the lengths she went to for him. He'd loved her when he left that message, but now he loved in a thousand new ways and for the first time since she cheated, loving her meant more to him than feeling betrayed.
Will knew if he tried to explain all this he might fuck it up. So instead he impulsively grabbed Mackenzie by the waist. He pulled her tightly to him, molding their curves and contours together. He leaned down and their lips passionately met. His tongue slid between her lips and Mac wasted no time kissing him back just as hungrily. When they finally took a moment to breathe, he barely removed his lips from hers. He kept her close and held her snugly. Then he tilted his head to the side and whispered into her ear before nibbling on it a bit, "That was pretty much the sentiment of the thing."
"I am not quite sure I understand yet," Mac sexily breathed back, "I think we're going to need to investigate the sentiment of this message further."
"I can do that," Will sexily growled. Then Mac lips hit Will's hard. They both ravenously went at each other's mouths, an enthusiastic homecoming. Soon clothes were being shed and they were quickly and clumsily, making their way to Will's room.
They were now lying on Will's bed. Will was slowly inching down Mackenzie's naked body kissing and nipping every part of her, really taking the time to take her all in after being apart for so long. His mouth was leaving feather light kisses on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, when Mackenzie felt the overwhelming urge to speak before this actually, irrevocably, happened between them. She whispered, "Will, just be clear, I love you. Only you."
"I love you too, Mac," Will replied without hesitation. His breath tickled her skin as he continued inching down her body, leaving a lingering kiss on her collarbone.
"You do?"
"Of course," he confirmed. "But promise me one thing."
"Anything Will."
"Burn those pajamas you wore when you spent the night."
Mac's responding laugh quickly turned into a moan as he surprised her when his mouth made its way to her breast.
"Oh god, Will I really missed you!" Mackenzie moaned as Will continued his ministrations on her willing body.
After that, no more words were spoken and no more words were needed as Mackenzie and Will spent the night showing each other exactly how much they'd missed each other.
Charlie watched along with most of the News Night crew as Mac and Will entered ACN for the first time in almost a month. He was so happy that for once the good guys were winning. They had confronted Leona and Reese yesterday, getting Reese to admit to the phone tapping. Will's job was now secure and Will was back where he belonged.
Charlie noticed that Mackenzie's arm was locked around Will's in a much more possessive manner than normal. She had the most brilliant smile on her face and Will had a lightness about him that Charlie hadn't seen from the man in years. He chuckled to himself, as he put the pieces together. Charlie had figured out a month ago, that throwing Mackenzie into Will's path away from work, day after day, might do more for the pair than just getting Will back to work. Charlie took the way they both glowed as all the confirmation he needed to know he was right as usual.