"Hey there bro, what do you want? I'm on a date" Sloan whispers into her phone.
"Sis, I need help here and a plan to get out of a mess I'm in…..of my own making,... but still…" Will whispers back.
"Hard to dump Nina eh!" she giggles with unusual insight "have you met your match?"
"Listen little sis, I'm in a jam and I need your help. You're family for this and I need you to take a fall like you did once for Neal"
"Hey, no, Will it's not a good thing that you ask. Get one of your other hangers on to help. Mac will do anything for you…or Nina…or that woman who threw the wine, or the cheerleader or the brain surgeon or that one with the gun. You have multiple possibilities"
"But sadly, it must be you Sloan. No one but you can be a believable alternative to Nina."
With no more details forthcoming, Sloan eventually promises to meet up with him on Saturday morning around noon.
Before she takes the phone from her ear she turns off the speaker and smiles at Mac.
"Will seems to need another girlfriend to annoy Nina" she says grinning "Told you he was being stupid last week when he asked her to move in. And wasn't it the same day that he threw the football and broke the light stands on the Morning Show. Remember?"
Mac nods as she recalls Will's temper in the pitch meeting. He'd had some issues that day. Such a shame, because she'd had a really lovely dinner at Valentino's just the night before, with Max. It had been a long time since she'd been there- the last time was with Will of course.
And Will had asked her there tonight too. Her favourite place, but still a bit of a coincidence for it to come up twice in one week after a five year gap.
Mac puts it together fast.
Will must have seen her at Valentino's with Max, and hit back at her with the Morning Show and arguing at the rundown. Possibly even moving forward more quickly than he'd planned with Nina (though he must care for Nina deeply to be with her so long, and want her to live with him she admits to herself.)
When Will had met Max he'd have known he'd messed up royally.
She's sure she understands his dinner invitation now. Will must have learned about FOX's interest; he has contacts everywhere. He wants to repair their working relationship to avoid the show losing her.
Strangely there's relief at knowing that Will was not being disloyal to Nina when asking her out, just stupidly misguided in how he was going about things...as usual. But whatever his motives, he is now asking her best female friend for help-(but not her, and that hurts too. He's moving away and it's just going to get harder).
Mac suddenly feels tired of it all; the slights, the unpredictable emotional rollercoaster at work, the knowledge that Will loves someone again but it isn't her. It's embarrassing and exhausting.
Fox is looking better and better.
Saturday sees Mac with the head of Fox news in their building not far from the ACN tower. He grills her about her values and skills for all of 2 minutes and then proceeds to beg her to join them and raise the standard of their news broadcasts. She can bring with her whoever she likes. Transferring staff will be offered 25% increased pay and a review after 6 months if they are working out. Her package is double her current, with several other perks. These people have serious money to spend on news.
"What anchor are you wanting me to produce?" she asks
"Well actually we are running Paul down to retirement over the next few months so are on the lookout for someone else" Steve says, watching her carefully. He knew this question would come up. "We could approach McAvoy if you want"
Ahh! That was their plan. Poach Charlie's best presenter.
"I think I'd like to grow new talent" she answers keeping her voice calm.
"Have you considered yourself?" Steve grins hopefully
"Not interested thanks, I'd never find a good enough EP" Mac returns steadily. Steve's not the first person to suggest she follows Diane Sawyer.
"Well, just a thought, you'd look great on camera and you know everything there is to know". he says, seed planted.
"Still" she shrugs
"We'll see you here in a week if possible then, OK?"
They shake and nod and Mac goes away with a lot to think about.
Not least is her need to get clear of Will.
Knowing the relationship between Nina and Will has progressed, watching him rush home to Nina is now even more excruciatingly painful than it has been for the passed few months. Mac knows her continued presence might make Nina feel so threatened (without foundation in Mac's opinion) that she could break things off, devastating Will and replicating his father's rejection.
At work it's becoming harder to speak calmly to Will when she wants to kiss him and scream at him by turns. But she loves without limit, so she also feels pleased for him. He should not be lonely or uncared for. If Nina is the one he loves, who can look after him and support him, then so be it. But she isn't strong enough to look on for much longer without crumbling herself.
Thank God for FOX.
The following week she visits personnel and Charlie several times before fearlessly sitting down with Will in his office and telling him with an unsteady voice, that she has accepted a position as an EP at Fox. Will starts by shouting at her and pacing the room
"Why didn't you tell me what you were thinking Mac?"
"You cannot leave! FOX is never going to do what we...what you want to do, the way it should be done." his voice rising in force "You will be made to chase ratings and work with mean-spirited, talentless, self-serving critics with no objectivity, Mac, NO objectivity!...and what about Maggie and Jim and Sloan and Charlie and Neal and Don and Elliot and Charlie and...did I already say Charlie?" Mac nods silently almost crying "And Gary and Kendra and Joey and Herb and..." he runs out of names and pauses
"And you..." Mac says so softly he barely hears the words. "You're telling me you're going to miss me and, truth time Will, I'm going to miss you too, like hell. But I can't do this any longer and if I stay it won't be long before Nina will start pressuring you to move me along. We have too much history Will. You two need space to become more to one another. I can't watch, let me go quietly Will, don't let's row about this, please." she begs
Mac looks at him with her furrowed brow, liquid brown eyes brimming with unshed tears, her lower lip gripped tightly in her teeth and her arms tightly wrapped around her waist. She looks pale and anxious but very, very beautiful and he melts as always. He's caused this... just Shit!
"Ok. ok Mac!. It's just a shock to me, that's all. We can discuss this after the show" he says trying to calm himself
Will steps forward, taking her hands and pulling her out of her chair, attempting to take her in his arms for a hug. But Mac pulls back and puts her hands on his chest. "Please Will, don't make this any more difficult. You have Nina and I have to ...just..." she doesn't finish the sentence but shrugs and walks to the door. Turning and looking at him as though it has to last her forever, she says "Friday's my last show" and she turns on her heel and leaves.
Will is reeling. He's angry, sad, desperate and more...oh Fuck. He needs her to wait a couple more weeks, he needs her to be in his ear, he simply needs her and can't tell her and his breathing is coming in shallow pants and he recognises the anxiety building in his gut and his chest. He needs his Xanax and he needs to get a grip or he'll be back in the hospital with a heart attack or ...
He remembers the hospital. How Mac found him bleeding in his apartment and saved his life- which he doesn't think he ever thanked her for. How she was there for him with her yelling and pyjamas and ...love. And how he kept sending her away and she kept on showing up and sitting with him.
He thinks back to her silence following the voicemail he had been so sure would be well received. His misery and then anger about Mac no longer loving him, rejecting him. That was the reason he had pushed her away in the hospital. He had learned to live without her.. rejecting her in retaliation.
When he'd learned the truth he should have told her how he'd blamed her for not replying to a message she never received. She would have been angry with him perhaps for a little while but would have understood his mistake and forgiven him...she would, she's Mac. But she'd have been furious with Reece and Nina.
Nina had been the one who stopped them being together and happy and... what the fuck. Finally the tears squeeze out from under his closed lids and run down his cheeks.
How had he ever hooked up with Nina of all people?
He has repeatedly told himself that Nina is not a means of hurting Mac but of moving on from her; of trying a relationship with a smart beautiful woman who is also a journalist... of sorts. All through his months with Nina he has applauded himself that he had stopped aiming unkind verbal barbs towards Mac. He'd felt proud of his restraint.
But being truthful with himself, Will now sees that he'd chosen to date Nina in order to punish Mac in the most painful manner possible. He is truly a bastard and the sadder thing is that Mac would never allow him to think so badly of himself.
Mac is leaving his newsroom
She's hurting believing him to have moved on
He can't stop either of these things right now and he may never be able to put this right, may never have her in his ear again and ...he can't bare to think of losing her forever but..
"Oh! how are the mighty fallen!" he mumbles, "Charlie was right I am a fucking idiot!"