Hello all! Here is chapter 3! It takes place right where chapter 2 left off and then speeds up into right after Episode 7. This is basically how the story is going to go. I'll update some time after the new episode airs and I will right the little in between moments. I have zero desire to write a scenes of the newscast because I don't want to have to plan all that out. I am focusing more on just Will and Mac and their moments outside of News Night. Tell me what you think and thanks for reading! :D

****also I just went through and made some quick edits so hopefully it's not as horrible as before :p

All Mackenzie knew was that she was insanely comfortable. She turned over the in bed and was greeted by the morning sunshine beaming through the windows. As she slowly came to her senses, she realized that she was not in her bed. In fact, she wan't even in her own house. After a couple seconds of confusion, the night before came flooding back.

Oh my god. I spent the night at Will's apartment. Wait. Where's will?

She quickly shot up from the bed and looked around the room. Will was nowhere in sight. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep with Will's arms around her on his couch. She looked down and saw that she was still wearing his sweater.

Where is he?

Once she gathered he courage, she walked out of the room and down the hallway. She could see the light on in the kitchen so she headed toward it.

There, Will sat at the kitchen table reading the newspaper with a glass of orange juice and a plate of toast. He hadn't noticed her enter.

Mackenzie simply stared at him of a couple of more seconds, admiring how handsome he looked. Her head began to tilt as it always did when she was deep in thought.

"Mac."

Mac snapped out of her thoughts and straightened up.

Damnit, he caught her staring at him.

Mac's face immediately began to turn a slight shade of pink.

"Morning," she said, a little too quickly.

He looked at her curiously, set the newspaper on the table and responded.

"Good morning. You want breakfast? I have orange juice and toast and…well, that's about it. I forgot to tell the housekeeper to go to the store last week."

Will stood up, ready to fetch her what she wanted.

"Oh, um, orange juice is fine."

Will poured her a glass and they both sat back down at the table.

"Will…" Mac started. However, she wasn't exactly sure what to say. Last night had been nice, but it had also been unexpected. She had no idea where they stood and where to go from here.

"Mac," Will began. "I don't know quite know what do here."

"Neither do I."

"Last night, we both said…things."

"We did."

Silence. Mackenzie panicked. She was convinced he was going to freak out and take back everything he said. He wasn't ready, she should've just gone home yesterday.

"Look, Will. It was late, it had been a long day. It's okay. You can just forget about it. If that's what you want."

"That's not what I want."

"Oh."

Mac was taken by surprise once again. Normally, she could read him like a book. They just understood each other with the simplest of looks. But now, she was honestly at a loss. She knew her relationship with will as friends was solid. However, her relationship with him even the slightest bit romantically was fragile; it was being held together by scotch tape. The slightest move in the wrong direction and it could all fall apart. She desperately didn't want to screw anything up again.

"Mac, I can't lie to you. I don't know if I am ready for anything. Not yet. I wish I was, but I'm not. I can't…I just can't get the image out of my mind."

At first Mackenzie thought What image? But then she connected the dots: the image of her and her ex-boyfriend. At the thought, Mac's heart sank. She yearned for a way to make it all disappear. To erase her mistake. She was so stupid then. She wanted to convince him that she wasn't that idiot that cheated on him anymore-that she's grown and changed. But all of that sounded so terribly cliche. This wasn't a romantic comedy. This was her life. There life.

"Will, I am so sorry," She whispered.

"I know."

They both sat in silence for a minute; not knowing how to continue.

"Look," Will finally spoke up, "let's just go to work today and do the news. Give it some time. Maybe in a few weeks I can take you out to dinner and we can talk again."

Will looked at her with hopeful eyes and a subtle smile. He was trying.

She smiled back at him.

"Okay," Mac responded and got up from her place at the table. "I have to go home and get ready. I'll see you in the newsroom."

Will quickly rose from his chair too and stood in front of her before she had the change to dart away.

"I'll see you there," He said before caressing her face with his hands and laying a soft kiss on her forehead.

With that, Mackenzie gathered her clothes, got dressed in the bathroom and headed home.

*Setting: ACN newsroom after the Bin Laden broadcast

News Night 2.0 was running smoothly the past few weeks. The days had gone by like most other news days. The newsroom was busy with throughout the past month, with reporters and producers gathering information and assembling the rundowns. Editorial meetings went quickly and with the usual bits of sass and sarcasm thrown around. Her and Will had gone about their normal bickering and subtle flirtation. It was as if everything had gone back to normal. Except, that's exactly what Mackenzie didn't want. The night she went to Will's apartment, she wanted to make some sort of progress. But, she had no room to complain. She had to let Will deal with this at his own pace. She owed it to him. She just hoped that she wouldn't be left waiting forever.

And then there was tonight's broadcast. Mackenzie wanted to slap and hug Will at the same time. On one hand, the broadcast was a success and they did break the story before anyone else and before the president spoke. On the other hand, WILL WAS FUCKING BAKED. What was he thinking doing drugs the night of the anniversary party? Was he out of his mind?! God, that man had the ability to piss her off and amaze her simultaneously.

As Mac sat in her office she glanced through the glass and saw that almost everyone had cleared. Only Lonny sat in a desk chair outside Will's office, which meant Will must still be in there. Quickly, she got up and made her way to his office. She opened the door to find Will staring off into space, totally zoned out and totally unaware that she just walked in. After snapping her fingers a few times, she called out his name.

"Will…Will…WILL."

He snapped his head toward her and stared at her dumbfounded.

"When did you walk in here?"

"Welcome back to Earth, William."

He cringed and shut his eyes.

"Stop speaking so loud. I feel as if someone is repeatedly pounding a hammer on my skull."

"Post-pot, post-alcohol, and post-vicodin hangover?"

"Shut up."

"You should go home. Lonny is waiting for you outside your office."

He looked at her intently and spoke.

"Come home with me. Have a drink with me."

"You want to have a drink? Now?"

"Yes, can't have a hangover if you're still drunk right?"

Mackenzie rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Right. That logic seems sound."

"Come on. Come have a drink with me. I'd say let's go to a bar and get one, but it seems today that everything I do outside of my house ends up on page 6."

Mac thought about it for a few seconds. Is this a chance to move forward with him?

"Is this the remnants of Wasted Will talking?"

"Mac, I am fine. Come have a drink with me."

Boy, he is being persistent. I can't really say no to him can I?

"Okay," Mac gave in and followed Will out the door of his office.

Will quickly acknowledged Lonny. "Lonny! Let's head out."

Lonny looked at the two of them and noticed Will's arm around Mac. He raised his eyebrows slightly. Like everyone else in the office, he knew that there must have been something going on with Will and Mackenzie. He smiled at them and led them to the car.

Once they entered Will's apartment, he quickly flung his jacket onto a chair and before Mackenzie could do it herself, he approached her shoulders and took of her coat as well. Thankfully, he actual hung her coat in the closet.

He turned to her.

"What do you want? Scotch? Bourbon? Wine? Seriously I have everything."

"I'm not surprised," Mac joked. "Just a glass of wine for now."

"What kind?"

"Surprise me."

He fetched her wine and poured scotch for himself. They two sat in the living room talking about everything under the sun. Politics, books, News Night, Neal's latest attempt to suggest we had made contact with extraterrestrial life. They laughed for hours. One drink turned into two, two turned into three, and before they knew it they were both just a tad inebriated. Not falling over drunk, but enough to cloud normal judgement. It was 4 hours into their night of talking and drinks that their conversation fell silent. Will looked at Mac and they just stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours. Will leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. She quickly returned the kiss with passion and fervor. Will pulled her closer and if they had any sense telling them this might not be the best idea it was drowned out by the liquor they had consumed.

*The next morning.

All Mackenzie knew was that she was insanely comfortable. So, so, so comfortable. She snuggled her face closer to her pillow.

Wait that's not a pillow.

Her eyes shot open and the light shining in from the windows ignited a fierce pain in her heard. After a few seconds she realized where she was. She was in Will's apartment, in his bed actually, and she was very much entangled in him and her head lay on his chest. And, they were both very much naked.

Shit.