Author's Note: Well folks, we finally come to the end of this little story. Thanks for hanging in with me and for the lovely reviews that keep me writing, even when I feel like I have nothing else to say. Thanks to LilacMermaid for beta-ing. I swear I am working on finishing Reverse Spooning too…I've just hit a little bump in the road called writer's block. Still don't own The Newsroom. Enjoy!

Two months later

Mackenzie could hear Will's deep, even breathing behind her as she looked out at the sun rising over New York City. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to this again…she sure as hell would never take it for granted. This life they had now was so fragile and new that at times it still startled her. Waking up here, in this apartment with him, in this life with him would never cease to amaze her.

She sat up slowly and leaned against the headboard and looked down at him. It had taken quite a bit of time for him to stop watching her…stop hovering over her every movement. He had still been so nervous her first few days back at the office that even Maggie ran out of patience with him at one point. Telling him in no uncertain terms to get the hell out of the ladies room because he really didn't need to follow Mackenzie everywhere.

Mac chuckled a little remembering that one. She reached down and smoothed his hair back from his forehead. They had tried to go back to their separate lives for a while… to begin their new relationship with a few dates here and there, but let's face it, neither of them were terribly patient people. Add to that Will's near constant anxiety over her health and before you knew it she was living here once again.

Truth be told, she liked it here. There were times she was tempted to stay in this apartment for days, safe in the little cocoon they had built for themselves. Where Will wouldn't have to worry about her getting sick and she wouldn't have to worry about him re-thinking his decision to give them…to give her another chance. She shook those thoughts from her mind and resolved not to let herself stray into darker territory.

She stretched her arms over her head and quietly cleared her throat, coughing a bit due to the dry winter air.

"Do you have a fever?" he asked her scrambling to a seated position in bed.

"Jesus Will, I thought you were still asleep!" she sputtered.

"Well, I'm not. When did you start coughing?" he reached over to feel her forehead.

"I'm fine. The heat has been running all night and my throat is dry" she assured him. "Will, stop feeling my forehead. I do not have a fever and I am not sick."

"We can go in late this morning" he started speaking as if he had not even heard her last statement. "I'm going to get you some juice and the thermometer."

He began to get out of bed, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

"You have got to stop this Will. I'm fine. I promised you I would take better care of myself and I have been, but this is ridiculous. You're ready to take me to the emergency room every time I so much as sneeze."

"I'm sorry…you're right" he said quietly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright Mac?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm going to grab the newspaper and start the coffee…be right back."

She could still feel his eyes on her as she left the room. The man really needed to get a handle on his anxiety before he had a stroke or drove her insane, whichever came first. She hoped what she had planned would help a little in easing some of those new worry lines from his forehead.

She found her briefcase out on the kitchen counter and dug around inside it until she found what she was looking for. She placed the items inside the rolled up newspaper and took it and two cups of coffee into the bedroom.

"More than coffee please Mackenzie" he told her as he took the two steaming mugs from her hands so she could climb back under the covers.

"I know Will. Can I have just a little caffeine in my system before I try to come up with a breakfast that I will be able to stomach and that will satisfy your need to have me gain ten pounds?" she asked him. She knew the doctor had told Will she needed to be better about regular meals and gain some weight, but did he have to remind her every damn morning? She never had been a breakfast person. Eating a piece of toast was a feast to her, and Will wanted her to eat a damn seven course meal before she went to work.

She pushed the newspaper toward him, as nonchalantly as she could.

"Thanks" he mumbled.

She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye.

"What Mac?" he asked.

"Nothing. Maybe you should read the travel section" she pushed.

"Why? So I can read about all the places we'll never go because we can't leave the office for more than a day without your Blackberry nearly exploding with the amount of new emails it receives?" he replied sarcastically.

"Like you're any better about leaving work. I believe the last vacation you took was two years ago and that was only because Charlie forced you to disappear while the whole 'America isn't the greatest country in the world anymore' thing died down" she joked, nudging him in the ribs playfully.

She watched nervously as he set down the front section of the paper and reached for the rest of it. The tickets she had placed there slid out into his lap.

"What's this Mackenzie?" he asked her, his eyebrows rising dangerously close to his hairline.

"What does it look like?" she asked innocently.

"It looks like plane tickets to Miami. Actually it looks like plane tickets for only the return trip to New York. Care to explain?"

"I found out Charlie has to send AWM's corporate jet down to Miami to pick up one of the Chief Operating Officers. No reason why we can't hitch a ride down there. Then, at least one way, we won't have to worry about standing in the security checkpoint while half the airport recognizes you. And the flight back is a red eye, so the airport won't be nearly as crowded." She hoped her reasoning convinced him. It was unpleasant for the average traveler to deal with overcrowded airports. Add to that being a recognizable face, and it could be downright unbearable.

"You already booked return tickets and a hotel room?" he asked her, a little surprised.

"Hope springs eternal" she replied.

"Do I get to see you in a bikini?"

"No. Sorry Will, those days are gone. I am not ending up in TMI wearing a bikini that exposes a giant splenectomy scar. I really don't need the side by side photo comparison they will paste on the front page of your last vacation companion and me" she said sadly.

"Hey, I love every inch of you, including that scar. I don't care what you wear…I'll still get to see all of you back in the hotel room" he assured her, setting their coffee cups aside and pulling her against him.

"So, we're going then?" she asked as he nuzzled his lips against her ear.

"I don't know how you managed to get us both three days off, but if you did, then yes we are going."

"I think I may have inadvertently promised someone our firstborn son, but I made it happen" she told him.

"Firstborn son? Is there something I should know about Mackenzie?"

"No, just a figure of speech. But I did have to do a lot of schedule rearranging. Suffice it to say you will be broadcasting on New Year's Eve this year. Sorry."

"I'll survive. When do we leave?" he asked her.

"Tonight" she whispered.

"Tonight?! Who's filling in?" he nearly shouted into her ear.

"Elliot. And Don will be supervising Jim as EP. He needs the practice anyway. If you are going to continue enforcing these damn work hour limitations and food break requirements, then I sure as hell better know that Jim has some clue what to do when I'm not there" she told him, exasperated at times by his overprotective nature.

"I know you've never liked following the rules Mac, but we had this conversation already. When it comes to your health, I'm not taking any chances. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Can't I convince you to forget about breakfast and stay in bed with me?" she suggested playfully, pulling his arms more tightly around her.

"Nope. You barely ate dinner last night. Now what will it be?"

"Egg white omelet if you insist."

"Coming right up. And yes I do insist."

Several hours later they made their way to Teterboro Airport to board the AWM plane, accompanied, of course by Lonny. She really hoped the man considered their hotel room a secure location in which Will would not need a bodyguard, otherwise this vacation was not going to be nearly as enjoyable as she had hoped.

They had spent a couple of hours in the office earlier settling everything for the upcoming shows before they left. Sloan gave them a wink and a raised eyebrow as they left the building encouraging them to "screw each other senseless and make up for the last few years." She and Will ducked their heads and left the building as quickly as possible after that.

Lonny had seated himself near the front of the plane leaving the two of them seated quietly in the back. She never even remembered falling asleep, but awoke to the jarring sensation of the plane hitting the tarmac and lifted her head from Will's lap.

"Sorry. I didn't realize I was so tired. I'm shaping up to be a thrilling travel companion already aren't I?" she asked as he helped her sit up and rearrange her rumpled shirt. She hated to admit it, but she did tire more easily than she used to. At some point, she was going to have to come to terms with the fact that her body just wasn't going to let her get away with trying to keep up with her twenty-something newsroom staff.

"I'm always thrilled with your company and I'm glad you got some sleep" he told her, helping her out of her seat as the plane came to a stop near the hanger.

It was jarring to have left New York on an overcast, forty degree day and arrive to the humid night air of Miami. They made their way to the private car waiting for them nearby and settled in for the short ride to their hotel.

She could tell a few staff members of the Ritz Carlton were momentarily startled when they recognized Will. She had reserved the room under her name, and it only now dawned on her that they wouldn't be prepared for the ACN anchorman to be checking in as well. They hid their surprise well.

As they settled into their room, Will came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as they stood at the balcony doors. They listened to the waves crashing on the shore nearby.

"We've needed this for a while. Thank you for surprising me" he whispered in her ear.

"You're welcome. Thank you for taking care of me while I was sick and for not giving up on us when you had every reason to."

"I had many more reason not to give up Mac. You know that" he said, pulling her tighter against him.

They spent their three days quietly walking the beach and eating dinner at small, quiet restaurants, hoping for privacy but not always getting it. Unfortunately, Will couldn't exactly disappear into a crowd. The man was six foot three and currently being followed by a rather large bodyguard. They quickly found it was easier to stick to the hotel rather than wander South Beach looking for a place to eat. It didn't dampen their spirits though, it was hardly a tragedy to eat room service at a five star hotel and spend most of their time in bed.

All too soon, Mackenzie found herself packing up their things and preparing to head back home.

"Hey, why so glum?" he asked, coming up behind her as she filled the suitcase lying on the bed.

"I'm not ready to go back" she told him quietly.

"What? Mackenzie McHale is not ready to go back to work? Are you sick again?" he asked, playfully feeling her forehead.

"No, I'm not sick" she replied, batting his hand away. "I liked it here, just the two of us."

"Just the two of us and Lonny" he replied jokingly.

"He's good at his job. You tend to forget he's there after a while" she told him.

"I don't. You'll have to teach me how to block out the presence of a six foot four former defensive tackle."

She spun around and grabbed him by his belt and pulled him to her for a kiss.

"Ok, that's a great way to forget about Lonny" he told her. "Why are you really so eager to stay here Mac? I thought you'd be chomping at the bit to get back to the studio."

"I told you. I like it when it's just the two of us."

"I do too, but you're not telling me everything Mackenzie."

"I don't want to go back and hear what some gossiping secretary has to say about us or see some tabloid story about how you gave up a bevy of blonde cheerleaders for the cheating ex-girlfriend" she pouted, plopping herself down on the bed.

"Mackenzie, really? We can't be back to this can we?" he asked her, shocked that she could even question who he wanted to be with.

"Would I give a flying fuck about what you ate for breakfast if I didn't love you? Would I stay up at night listening to you breathe and trying to decide if your chest sounds congested if I didn't love you?"

"You listen to me breathe at night?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do Mackenzie. Because I adore you and there is nothing more important in this world to me than you…than us. So how you can even think there is any doubt in my mind about who I want to be with is beyond me. We had this discussion already, remember?" he asked her, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"I remember. I'm all in…I promise."

"Me too Mackenzie. I'm all in for the rest of my life" he swore.

"For better or worse?" she asked, uncertainly.

"In sickness and in health. But I'd prefer you stay healthy from now on, ok?"

"Ok. I love you Will."

"I know that and I love you too, you neurotic workaholic. Now finish packing, we have a plane to catch."

As they made their way back to New York, Mackenzie couldn't help but clasp Will's hand in hers and watch his face as he slept. These past few weeks, as they had settled into their new relationship together she had scolded him repeatedly for watching over her like a hawk, but she had been doing the same thing in her own way.

Watching for signs that he was unsure about giving this another chance…giving her another chance. Waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop. The comment from a co-worker or a tabloid that would make him re-think a life with her. But he never wavered. Not even once.

Just as they were about to land, she leaned over and kissed him awake.

"I like being told to prepare for landing that way. You know, the flight attendants never do that" he told her.

"I would hope not."

They followed Lonny out to their car and wearily dropped into the back seat.

The ride back to their home, and she still had difficulty calling it their home, was pleasantly short due to the light traffic at this hour.

It was good to be back, despite her misgivings. She loved this life they had…filled with crazy friends and colleagues and ungodly work hours. He would always hover over her just a bit, and part of her loved him for it. And she would always wonder how she had gotten so lucky as to capture his heart not once, but twice.

As she settled into bed and curled up into a ball against his side, she remembered the countless times she had done this in the past and hoped there were many more years in the future that would find the two of them cocooned together like this.

She knew now, perhaps in a way she had never understood before, that Will loved her and she loved him….and it wasn't something to be afraid of. It didn't make her feel weaker or less self-sufficient. It didn't make her want to run back to her old apartment in SoHo and pretend she didn't need him.

No, this time she understood that falling in love with someone was wonderful and terrifying and left you vulnerable in a way that, previously, she had not been willing to accept. This time she would revel in the joys and the sorrows, the triumphs and the failures. They were both all in this time….from this day forward for as long as they both shall live.

The End.