To Mac's frustration the day had ended up being one mini crisis after another and she and Will hadn't had an opportunity to speak since she came back from Charlie's office. Even the run down meetings were continually being interrupted leaving one to remain running the meeting while the other left to deal with the problem.

Just because there wasn't time to have a real conversation didn't mean that Will hadn't been able to make time to continue his mission. Not only was he continuing his stepped up efforts on the show and with the staff, he managed to always have a whispered comment at the ready whenever they passed each other.

"Have I mentioned how I love that skirt?"

"I'm blown away by how amazing you are."

"Those shoes do amazing things for your legs."

"I could listen to your voice all day. I can't wait until you're in my ear tonight."

She began to anticipate where he was in the room and when they would be in close proximity so she could adequately steel herself and school her features to remain professional.

It was nearly 5 minutes to air when she realized that she didn't know where he was.

"He went out to the balcony." Jim interrupted her thoughts as she stood, scanning the room for signs of Will.

"What?"

Jim smirked, "Will. He went out to the balcony like a minute ago."

Mac smiled and shook her head, "Oh, no I wasn't…I mean I…"

Jim's smirk turned into an honest smile and he placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Mac. We've all known something was going to happen eventually. I'm happy for you guys."

She stilled, "Wait, what do you think is happening?"

Jim shook his head and looked around the room, "I honestly don't know Mac. All I know is that Will is happy and blatantly flirting with you and that you've been wandering around for the past day and a half with a school girl smile on your face."

She pouted and crossed her arms, "I have not!"

Jim nodded, "Yes. You have. And it turns into something not quite so innocent each time you catch Will checking you out…which has been all day."

Mac could feel the heat rise up her neck and she looked down to her shoes.

Jim stepped closer and lowered his voice, "Is something wrong? What's going on?"

She shook her head and looked up at Jim with moisture in her eyes, "You all could tell there's something going on?"

Jim nodded slowly, "Yeah, I mean Will hasn't been exactly trying to hide it. Hell, half the girls here were ready to swoon when they saw him put the bear and rose in your office this morning."

Mac's eyes went wide. She had assumed he had sneaked in early, that this was a private game between the two of them. But he wasn't hiding anything; he didn't seem to care who knew that he was actively pursuing her. It was one thing for him to wear his heart on his sleeve for her and Sloan and Charlie…but in front of everyone?

She gave Jim a trembling smile, "I guess it really is real."

Jim frowned, "What's what, now?"

She smiled and shook her head, patting the younger man's arm reassuringly. "He's outside?"

Still visibly confused Jim nodded, "Yeah."

She smiled as she made her way across the room, surprised that she wasn't more self conscious about her love life being so public. She supposed her and Will's relationship had been public with the staff since day 1 what with the yelling…or day 5 when she sent an email to more than 100,000 people…or a few months later when it was broadcast to nearly a million viewers thanks to ACN morning… come to think of it, perhaps she couldn't be happier that her closest coworkers knew that something good was brewing.

She found him leaning against the wall of the terrace, smoking a cigarette.

She stopped just outside the door, "What are you doing out here?"

He turned, a smile on his face as he flicked his cigarette. "I wanted a smoke."

She crossed her arms, "So?"

He shrugged, "You hate it when I smoke inside. If you've changed your mind about that I'm happy to go back in seeing as it's barely 50 degrees out here."

She smiled at him, conflicting with her stern shake of her head and tone, "No sir. If you want to stay warm than perhaps you'll just stop filling your lungs with cancer."

He shrugged, "It's the middle of March. The weather will be getting warmer soon."

She stepped closer, arms still crossed, "And what happens next fall when it starts to get cold again?"

He smirked, "Then I'll just have to hope that you're around to warm me up and help take care of me after I get pneumonia from following your crazy rules."

She dropped her arms and narrowed her eyes, "You think it's the standing outside that's going to give you the pneumonia, not the smoking?!"

He shrugged, "I'm just saying. I'm willing to risk making myself sick for you."

She rolled her eyes, "That may just be the most romantic thing you've said yet, Romeo."

He snickered and she continued to shake her head. He began to stub out the cigarette butt and she was allowing herself to look him over when she suddenly stopped herself.

"What the hell is going on with your tie?"

He looked down at himself, "What?"

"It's a bungled mess. Did you let a 10 year old do that for you?"

He shook his head, "Nah, it was giving me trouble so I just twisted it around and tightened it a little differently than normal but it looks fine."

She gesticulated in frustration, "It most certainly does not look fine. You're really okay going on the air like that?"

He just shrugged again.

"Ugh." She shook her head in disgust and moved forward to untie the mess of a knot he had made and began twisting the fabric into a proper windsor for him.

She was part way through the motions when she felt his hands wrap themselves steadily around her waist and slide up and down drawing lazy shapes on the curve of her backside.

She felt the heat rising up her collarbone and she tilted her head up to see his face tilted down to hers, his eyes dark and dilated.

He was going on the air in all of 3 minutes. They didn't have time for a conversation, never mind time for this…whatever this was.

She cleared her throat, "'Trick her into tying my tie' wasn't on the list, Billy."

He smirked and keeping his hands low he pulled her closer to him so their bodies were flush and he could whisper in her ear, "I'm improvising."

She closed her eyes and her hands dropped the tie and slid over the planes of his shoulders, coming back to rest alongside his neck. He was warm compared to the cool air and she could feel his pulse beating under her hand as her thumbs slowly began to glide over his skin. When her hand wrapped behind his head and began to stroke the hair there he let out a hiss and pulled her impossibly closer to him.

She gasped as she felt the evidence of his desire against her hip. Not that she was surprised, she was practically there herself. The only thing stopping her was…

Was…

The show!

Right, the show.

Dammit. The show!

She closed her eyes and summoned the will to push herself away from him.

Dear lord, they had simply embraced and she was flush and breathing as if she had just jogged up a flight of stairs.

It was obvious that he had not intended for things to progress like that either as he seemed to cast about to regain his control, coughing in to his hand and distractedly smoothing out his shirt, "Uh, yeah, almost time I guess?"

Mac nodded, barely trusting herself to speak, "A little under 2 minutes."

He avoided looking at her but nodded, indicating his half tied tie, "I'm umm…just going to fix this on my own."

She smiled, "I don't know if I should trust you to do that."

He looked at her, a wicked grin on his face, "Well we certainly can't trust you to do it, we'll miss the whole broadcast."

Mac shrugged, "I doubt it. Someone would come find us. May be Maggie or Don. Charlie if he's around."

Will rolled his eyes and let out a weak chuckle, "Thanks for that. Imagining that scenario is just what I needed to calm myself down."

She smirked at him, "Literally."

He looked at her, a warm smile on his face. "So my plan is working?"

She shrugged non-committedly, "I may be enjoying having you pursue me."

He grinned, "Well I am definitely enjoying pursuing you."

She smiled, "Well it's Friday so after the broadcast I'll be going to Hang Chews if you'd like to continue your pursuit."

His eyebrows climbed, "How kind of you to provide me a map."

She shrugged, "It occurred to me you might need help; historically you've been a little slow."

He dared to step close and drop his voice, "You used to love it when I went slow."

She flushed again and began to stammer a response when Jim appeared at the door.

"Guys? 60 seconds…."

"Oh!" Mac stepped back, froze, gave Will one last small smile before turning and running full speed to the control room.

Will put his hands in his pockets and sauntered to the door as if he were a man with all the time in the world.

"Jim," He asked as they walked down the hall, "You have your guitar here?"

Unsure what was happening Jim nodded, "Yeah…"

Will smiled and clapped him on the back, "Be sure to stop by and see me before you go to the bar after the broadcast."