These Words Are My Own

Chapter 7

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Will had found out that Nina was going to have a baby. She had been by his apartment every night talking about schools and baby names. She seemed happy. She had mentioned about settling down at some point in their short relationship. Will didn't know it was going to be with him, but it was nice to see someone happy. He certainly wasn't.

Will and Mac fought every chance they could. If they couldn't have each other, they were apparently going to have a piece of each other. They fought over stories and camera angles and sound levels. They fought over which staff belonged to who. They fought about the font sizes on inter-office memos. If it could be fought about, they about it.

The fighting wasn't the worst of it. Fighting with Mac was something Will was used to and she looked beautiful yelling at him-eyes lit up, cheeks red, her shrill English accent igniting a fire within him. No, it was nighttime that killed him the most. Late at night when Nina fell asleep on his chest, he stared as phone willing it ring or vibrate. Anything. But nothing ever came. He called her exactly twice to go over ideas for the show which he hoped would lead to something else, but his calls went directly to voice mail. He knew she was up, hitting decline, probably throwing her Blackberry across the room in anger. He didn't blame her. How could he?

Will and Mac were called into Charlie's office on a Friday. He was on the phone, when he motioned them to take a seat across from his desk. They sat there awkwardly fidgeting, doing anything but looking at each other.

Charlie got off the phone and furrowed his eyebrows at the two of them. Oh boy.

"So children. As you know, we have some research to do for the upcoming interview with Bohener interview."

"Yeah, Jim has the questions ready. We just have to edit them down." Mac replied.

"Yeah, the staff also need to go through all of his transcripts for the racism quotations." Will added.

"That's where you're wrong." Charlie replied.

"What do you mean?"

"The staff isn't doing anything. They're going home."

"Wait? Why?" Will asked confused.

"Because they have been saints dealing with both of your shit for the past few weeks and you're going to stay and give them a break. Maybe it will give you chance to think about the actions that led you to this little all-nighter. Consider it a trust exercise. Now be gone."

Mac walked out, pissed off. Will stayed behind.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"I know," Charlie replied, "You going to tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Staff appreciation thing at that dive down the street?"

"Hang Chew's? Oh yeah. That. Yeah, I'll be there."

"Good. How's Nina feeling?"

"I don't know. Good, I think."

"Let me know if you need anything." Charlie smiled.

"Thanks. Anyway, better get started on our punishment." Will turned to leave.

"Will..."

He turned to face Charlie.

"Take it easy on her. She's heartbroken."

"Yeah, I know. She's not the only one."

"Still?" Charlie asked.

Will shrugged his shoulders defeated, "It's always been Mackenzie."

"It's not too late."

"Tell that to Mackenzie."

"Good luck, kiddo."

The men smiled at one another and Will left.

The bullpen was dark. Everyone had gone home for the night, except for Will and Mac who sat tired and tucked away in his office. He had texted Nina earlier in the evening to let her know that he was working late and that she should stay at her place tonight. She seemed to understand, which he appreciated. He needed at least one woman in his life to be agreeable, because the one beside him, milking her third cup of coffee, certainly was not.

"Do you have March 18, 2010?" She asked.

"No, it should be in at the end of the table."

"Will, I asked you about an hour ago to keep the 2010 transcripts in the box. Damnit. I have to sort through it and organize it again."

"Mac. It's like 3 am and I don't remember at this point what you asked me two minutes ago, nevermind an hour ago..."

"Yeah, I'm know. I'm losing steam, too. Damnit Charlie."

"This isn't Charlie's fault. This is all us." Will said, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She snorted softly, before yawning.

Mackenzie took out her ponytail and shook her hair, massaging her fingertips through her strands. He was a leg man and she had plenty of leg to keep him satisfied, but he loved her hair. He remembered when they had first gotten together, the many nights before they had slept together, when they made out like teenagers on his couch, her couch, the back of a cab, anywhere really. He press his fingers to her hair and hold her to him. Those days seemed to simple now. At the moment, everything seemed to complicated.

"March 18?" She repeated.

"Wha...what?"

"March 18? I must have asked you like three times. Where were you?"

"Tired. Sorry. Let me help you find it."

"Maybe it's there..."

Suddenly she pointed to a pile of paper, when her hand hit her cup and cold coffee was sent flying onto Will's sweater.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Will, I'm so sorry." She exclaimed while, grabbing a pile of napkins.

"It's okay." He replied, applying a used napkin to wipe away the coffee stains.

"No, it's not. Let me help you. I'll pay for the dry-cleaning. Do you have another shirt in the bathroom?"

She started to wipe away the spillage as well.

"Yeah." He got quiet, realizing her closeness.

"God, I'm so clumsy, add lack of sleep onto that and well, you get this..." She started to unbutton the shirt. God, she was close.

She was still unbuttoning his shirt when she started to slow down, realizing that she was violating his personal space, but she couldn't stop.

"Mac..."

"God, this shirt was probably a fortune." She said softly, helping him out of the saturated garment.

"Mac, I don't care about the shirt."

And there he was standing there in his undershirt, looking down at her. She couldn't look at him. Mackenzie McHale was sure of a lot of things-the names of all the American presidents, every living congressmen and his/her district and she knew what it looked like when Will McAvoy wanted to kiss her. And in that current moment, she didn't even need to look at him to know that this is exactly what he wanted. She also knew that kissing him was wrong for a multitude of reasons, but he was a force of nature. And like all forces of nature, he could not be controlled. She didn't want to control what was about to happen anyway. She wanted Will McAvoy to kiss her more than she wanted anything in her entire life.

And so he did, sweetly at first, then hungrily, then greedily until they collapsed into each other gasping for air.

Then Will pressed her against the wall and kissed her again.

And then finally, he kissed her on his desk chair with her in his lap and with her hands in his hair.

The kissing didn't end until one of the first shift janitors hit the lights in the bullpen, indicating it was time to stop and go home.

They cleaned up what little they could, saving the rest for Monday and rode the elevator together to the lobby.

Being ever the gentleman, Will hailed Mackenzie a cab.

"See you tomorrow night?" She asked with a slight smile.

"See you tomorrow night."

Will turned around to hail his own cab, when he felt a soft hand pull his. He turned around and felt Mac wrap her arms around his neck and place her lips on his one more time.

"Good night." She whispered, before getting into her cab and driving off into the distance.

He stood and smiled.

Will McAvoy just couldn't help himself. He loved McKenzie McHale.