Chapter Text
April 2010
Will sat in the garden smoking. Tomorrow was his first night back at work since the Northwestern disaster. He’d spent 10 days in St Lucia over spring break with the kids and then another week or so holed up in the townhouse he’d bought with Mackenzie in the West Village.
‘Mackenzie’ he laughs. The whole reason he was in this mess in the first place. The vision of his ex-wife in the crowd prompting to launch into a profanity laced tirade at an undergrad. ‘It’s not but, it can be’. He can’t help but snort. He first met Mackenzie around 15 years ago in 1995, he was teaching classes at Georgetown and had been for a few years having suddenly found himself a free agent following Bush’s loss to Clinton in the ’92 presidential election.
Flashback:
“Professor McAvoy!” A voice called out from behind him and he saw one of his graduate students Macauley something he thinks, probably his favourite student. She was clever and passionate, he also thought she was pretty, but it was redundant she was his student and that was the number one rule of teaching. You don’t date the students, especially not pretty grad students who are considerably younger than you.
“Office hours are tomorrow at three.” He calls back although she appears undeterred.
“I just wanted to ask what you thought about the criticism of the Points of Light Foundation.”
Will stopped and turned “What?”
“The Points of Light foundation.” She says again “The LA Times ran an article last year criticising it’s use of federal funds. I know you were instrumental in crafting the policy…”
“I was a junior speech writer. I didn’t get much say in policy.” Will starts walking again.
“Professor…” She starts again. “You were hardly a ‘junior’ speech writer, I’ve done my research…”
“What?” He asks interrupting her “Why do you care about this? Domestic do-good charity initiatives aren’t exactly on the syllabus for a class on US-China relations.”
“Because my father tells me not to ask your opinion on China, he thinks every opinion you’ve ever had about China is wrong…”
“Yet you’re taking my class?” Will cuts in.
“I wanted to see if he was right or not.” Mac fires back without missing a beat “And besides, I’m writing a piece about Thousand Points of Light Initiative for the Hoya and I know you were responsible for that part of the speech in the ‘91 state of the union so I thought, you might have some opinions…”
“Like your father has opinions on my opinions on China.” Will shoots back.
“He also thinks you’re Republican Nitwit.” She smiles.
“Ahhh, Democrat?”
“No, not really. You’ve met him you know?”
“Have I?”
“Ted McHale.”
“Oh.” He was surprised, he wasn’t expecting that answer. Ted McHale was Britain’s Ambassador to the United Nations, a Conservative with liberal leanings who was Margret Thatcher’s choice for US Ambassador and then Major sent him to the UN in 92.
“Anyway. Points of Light.” She prompts.
He can’t help but grin at her determination. “Office hours are tomorrow at 3pm.”
She huffs and walks away. It would be hilarious if he didn’t find it so cute. ‘Stop it.’ He told himself, thinking that way about 20-something grad students he was supposed to be teaching. Especially not 20 something grad students whose fathers sit on the United Nations Security Council.
“Wait!” He calls after her. “What do you think? Is your father right about my views on China?” He calls after her as she walks down the hall.
“I’ll guess you’ll find out during office hours!” She calls back without ever turning around and he laughs out loud.
End Flashback
“Dad?” Will looks up and again sees a vision of his ex-wife, this time in the form of his 12-year-old daughter Emily. “You shouldn’t smoke.”
“I know.” He makes a point of stubbing out the cigarette. He tries his best to smoke in-front of the kids and even quit once but, after Mac left, after he’d found out she’d taken the assignment in Iraq he found the habit returning, seemingly the only way to calm his nerves. Not that he’d ever admit that he was worried about her over there.
“Then why do you do it?” Emily asked him.
“I don’t know.” He answers, it’s easier than the truth.
“Can I go to Tiffany’s after school tomorrow? She’s having a study thing.”
“A study thing?” He asks
“Yeah, Chelsea’s going too.”
“What’s a study thing?” He asks again
“Like where you do homework and stuff.”
“What about your brother?” Will asks.
“I think he’s got like T-Ball and then scouts.”
“He’s too old for T-Ball.” Will says. His daughters lack of interest in sports rivals her mothers.
“So not the point Dad.” Emily whines “Can I go or not?”
“Be home when he finished scouts.” Will points out.
“Deal.”
… … … … … …
Will’s day had gone from bad to worse, first he’d come back in and found that Don was fleeing the sinking ship of Newsnight and taking his entire staff with him. Then he’d gone upstairs to speak with Charlie and found that Charlie had hired his ex-wife Mackenzie to come and run his show. He’d stormed straight over to his agent after discovering that he doesn’t have contractual approval over his EP, he’d had to give up a million dollars a year and agree to a non-compete clause just to be able to fire the woman who was now stood in front of him.
She was as beautiful as ever, if not a little thinner with shorter hair. She shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the other and bit her bottom lip as she looked at him “Hi Will.”
He hadn’t said a word to her since he’d mumbled “Get Out” from behind his hands as she’d confessed to cheating on him. “Let’s go to my office.” He forces out, walking to his office knowing she’d follow him.
He lights a cigarette steadfastly ignoring the withering look she gave him as he does so, she gave up the right to judge his habits when she chose to ignore the part of their vows where she promised fidelity.
“I didn’t know you were back.” He eventually says breaking the awkward silence.
“Did Emily or Dylan not tell you? I spoke to them weeks ago” Mac looked at him awkwardly.
“No. We don’t talk about you.” He cuts her off.
“I’m not sure that’s healthy” She mumbles.
“Mackenzie…”
“I mean they should be able to talk to you about me…” Mac starts to ramble “I’m only their mother…”
“Who cheated on their father with her waste of space college boyfriend and then left for a warzone for three years.”
“That’s fair.” She agrees.
“Talking to them twice a week on Skype isn’t parenting Mackenzie.” He spits out angrily.
“I know. I’m back now.” Mac tries to hide the hurt in her voice.
“For now.” He says smugly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asks, “I have a three-year contract.”
“It’s not a three-year contract.” Will leans forward in his chair. “It’s a 156-week contract that gives me the opportunity to fire you 155 times”
“What?”
“I gave back some money off my salary.” The statement comes with a nonchalant shoulder shrug.
“How much?” She needed to know, what figure did he put on hating her.
“One million dollars a year.” He lights another cigarette.
“You paid a million dollars just to fire me whenever you want?”
“Three million dollars actually.” He corrects her math “And not whenever I want, at the end of each week.”
“How the hell much money do you get paid?” She asks incredulously
“What’s a matter hon, not happy with your alimony check?”
“It’s not about that Will.”
Any snarky response Will had planned is ruined by Jack or whatever his name coming in with the story about an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
… … … … … …
“How was Mom?” Emily asked when he walked in the door.
“So, you did know?” He sits next to her at the dining table.
“Yeah.” Emily shrugs
“Why didn’t you say anything?” He asks softly
“Would you have wanted to know?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He takes in his daughter’s defiant stare and she shrugs again. He shakes his head “Go on. It’s gone 10, you’ve got school tomorrow.”
Once he hears Emily climb the stairs he pours himself a scotch and with a shaking hand, pulls his blackberry out and dials her number.
“Will?” The voice on the end of the phone seems surprised.
“Hi.”
“Is everything ok? Emily and Dylan are they…” Mac sounds panicked. Will hasn’t called her in years.
“Both fine.” He says quickly. “I um, just wanted to say good show tonight.”
“Thank you.” Mac sounds surprised.
“And if you want, it’s now a 158 week contract.”
Mac laughs in response, a breathy chuckle that Will was once so familiar with, the memory of it causes his chest to constrict in pain. “Thank you.” She tells him in acceptance of his offer.
“Listen Mackenzie, earlier in my office I was…” He trails off taking a moment to think “I was harsh.”
“But right.” She says sadly.
“The kids, they miss you.” Will takes a sip of his scotch.
“I miss them. I’ve missed them every day.”
“We uh, now that your back…” He looks at his ceiling “If you want to have your lawyer take another look at the custody arrangement…” The sentence trails off.
“The custody agreement?” Her voice is high pitched. “We have joint custody Will.”
“I have physical custody though.” His tone turns defensive “Since you were leaving.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” She snaps.
“I don’t want to fight Mac.” Will adds quickly. “I just, if you want to see the kids more.”
“Of course I want to see my children. Why do you think I took this job?” She asks him angrily “I certainly wasn’t because I thought you’d welcome me back with open arms.”
“I’m sorry.” Will whispers.
Mac sighs “It’s been a long day. We’ll talk about this another time.”
“Goodnight Mackenzie.”
“Goodnight Will.”
He hangs up the phone and sips his drink thinking back to when she came to office hours all those years ago.