This is it! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I feel so accomplished when I finish a story. I think I deserve a cookie. Or a slice of pie. Or a drink. Or all three.
Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own the characters.
The first thing that Mac registers is how fucking bright it is.
She groans when the sunlight hits her face, and she hears her husband chuckle behind her.
"Vegas is too damn bright," she complains, rolling over and burying her head in Will's chest.
"You were the one who insisted we come here to celebrate our anniversary," Will's voice is muffled, his nose buried in her hair, and she slides her hands over his back and he responds by pulling her closer.
"I thought it would be romantic," Mac replies. "I didn't take into consideration how bright it was."
"You also didn't remember how brutal those 'Three Wisemen' shots were either," Will reminds her, brushing her hair back from her face.
"Sloan's fault," Mac moans.
"Why did we invite her again?"
"Don wanted to propose," Mac says, rolling onto her back as Will readjusts to keep his arms around her.
"He did more than propose," Will smirks.
"Copycats," Mac grins at him. "We did it first. We made eloping in Vegas cool."
"Think Sloan's parents will force her to have a giant reception when we all get back home?" Will was still recovering, nearly a year later, from the massive party the McHales threw for the newlyweds when they returned from their honeymoon. Mac's mother was known for her elaborate parties, and she held nothing back when it came to her only daughter's marriage.
"I'm only going to get to do this once," Helene McHale kept repeating, and the knowledge that her parents approved of Will, and that everyone was as convinced as she and Will were that this marriage was solid and real and one for the ages, made Mac want to cry just thinking about it.
It also made her agree to all of her mother's crazy demands, and before Mac knew it, they were inviting nearly 400 people to a reception at the Plaza.
It had been lovely, really, but after making the rounds and making small talk with hundreds of people, both Mac and Will were exhausted.
They had almost made it to the door when a voice stopped them.
"You're leaving your own reception early?" Jim had asked, and Mac had grabbed his arm and looked at him imploringly, a pout forming on her lovely face. Will knew that Jim was a goner, and wasn't surprised when Jim sighed. "Go." Mac had smiled, rocking forward to place a kiss on Jim's cheek.
"Thanks Jim," Will clapped Jim on the back as he followed his bride out into the warm, New York night.
"For Sloan's sake, I hope her parents skip the big reception," Mac says.
"I don't think anyone does a party like Helene McHale does a party," Will replies.
"No," Mac agrees with a smile. "Ugh, seriously though, next year let's relive our honeymoon and not our elopement. I've had enough Vegas I think." She slides out of the massive bed, grabbing her robe from the chair and slipping it on.
"Noted," Will says, stretching out and watching as Mac stumbles to the coffee maker in their suite. He thinks about getting up to help her make coffee, and decides it's more fun to watch her struggle.
"We're supposed to meet everyone for breakfast," Mac reminds him.
"Why did we agree to that?"
"I think we were drunk," Mac says. "Come on, husband. Let's go get breakfast with our friends out of the way and we can spend the rest of our first anniversary in this beautiful hotel suite. And if you get out of bed right now, you can come join me in the shower. It's very green, you know, saving water and all that."
"We're all about saving the planet, aren't we, Mrs. McAvoy?" Will climbs out of bed, moving towards his wife.
His wife. It's been a year, and it's still not old. It'll never be old.
The past year hadn't been perfect. There were rough patches. There were fights that left Will on the couch and Mac in tears; there were still trust issues and anger to get through, and that hadn't happened overnight.
But he loved this woman with every fiber of his being, and at the end of the day, that's all that really mattered.
"Every little bit helps," Mac shot back, the robe slipping from her shoulders and pooling at her feet. "You coming or not?"
"I'm definitely, definitely coming," Will replies, kissing her deeply and reaching behind her to turn on the water.
"We got married last night," Sloan says for what Mac has counted to be the sixth time in as many minutes. "I mean, we actually got married. Is this how you felt last year?"
"Yes. Only a little more panicked. After all, at least you and Don had been dating. Will and I went from tearing each other's heads off to tearing each other's clothes off in a matter of hours." Mac still had a feeling of wonder when she looked down at her hand and caught the engagement ring and the wedding ring that Will had placed there.
The engagement ring had caused some fights over the past few months. She was ashamed to admit that it made good ammunition in their fights, and the last time Will had finally yelled,
"I'll buy you a new goddamn ring! I'll buy you a hundred new goddamn rings! If that ring makes you angry and upset every time you look at it, then we need to do something about that. I didn't return it! That's what you should take from the whole thing. I'm an idiot, and I've always been an idiot, but I fucking love you, Mac! And I always have."
Mac had thrown herself at her husband, placing a searing kiss on his mouth, and tangling her hands in his hair.
"I fucking love you too," she replied. "And I'm sorry. I don't want a new ring. I don't. I'm an idiot too sometimes." And that had been the end of that fight. Mac couldn't remember what it had started over, but it had ended with the two of them stumbling towards the bed.
"You aren't mad at us, right?" Sloan says suddenly, grabbing Mac's hand. "We're not stealing your thunder or anything? Ruining your anniversary weekend? This was supposed to be about you and Will, and Don and I went and made it about us."
"It's fine," Mac replies. "Honestly, we're so happy for you."
"Thanks," Sloan got a faraway look on her face, and glanced down at the ring on her finger in disbelief. Mac is sure she's had the same look on her own face more than once, and she knocks her shoulder into Sloan's.
"He better be taking you somewhere good for your honeymoon," Mac says with a smile.
"Hawaii," Sloan answers. "I'm not sure when he did it, but he booked us a flight and a hotel room. We figured since we're all the way on this side of the country already, we should probably just seize the opportunity."
"I am really happy for you, Sloan," Mac tells her sincerely, squeezing Sloan's hand.
"We're happy for you too," Sloan replies. "And I'm very sorry for the shots last night." Mac laughs, wrapping her arms around her friend and giving her a tight hug.
"You're forgiven, but only because it was your wedding day," Mac says. "Now, where did our husbands run off to?"
"Husbands," Sloan looks stunned, and Mac laughs again. "Do you ever get used to that word?"
"I'll let you know if it happens," Mac assures her, and glances back to see Will and Don coming in the door, Will extending his hand for Mac to take.
"I know you said that you're over Vegas," Will says as they walk a couple of steps behind Don and Sloan, "but I still think it's pretty magical." He picks up her hand and gently kisses her wedding ring, and she looks around at the bright city. She takes in the flashing lights and crowds of tourists, and she looks back at her husband and smiles.
"It has its perks," she admits. "Have I mentioned yet today how glad I am that you crashed our bachelorette weekend?"
"Not yet today," he replies, leaning down and kissing her.
"I love you, Will McAvoy," Mackenzie says with an absolute certainty.
"I love you, Mackenzie McAvoy," Will answers. Mac beams and gives him one more kiss before pulling on his hand to get him to catch up with Don and Sloan.
