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Will and Mac are barely out of the elevator on Monday when Maggie appears, wringing her hands. "Charlie wants to see you," she says, doing the anxious little dance that Mac knows means she's worked up about something. "He said to tell you as soon as you got here."
"Do you know why?" Will asks; Mac personally thinks that the answer to that is going to be no but she doesn’t say anything. Maggie might yet surprise her.
"No," Maggie says. "Just that you should go straight to his office. You and uh... Mac too. Both of you."
Mac isn't sure what she possibly could have done to warrant Charlie's attention and she casts Will a skeptical look. Maggie looks worried but, then again, Maggie always looks worried. It's just in her nature.
"Can't imagine what it is. Might as well find out, right?"
"Who knows," Will says, sighing. Neither of them have been checking messages since they’ve been gone, both out of exhaustion and apathy."Thanks, Maggie. Call and let him know we're on the way." His hand brushes against the small of MacKenzie's back as they turn to walk back to the elevator. "It wouldn't be a real day at the office without some kind of drama, would it?"
"Ah, no, we have a flair for the dramatic," Mac says, winking at him. She likes the fact that Will is open about touching her and being with her and though it's subtle (and needs to be at ACN) it's present. She needs it more than she ever realized before now.
"Maybe we'll get it over quick. I have a lot of ground to cover to catch up."
"We'll make it quick," Will says, but when they get to Charlie's office, he's got a copy of the New York Post in his hand and Mac knows that this is going to take most of the day. "What bullshit trash are they spewing now?"
"Apparently, your private island in the Keys wasn't as private as you thought," Charlie says, and he looks genuinely regretful as he hands it over to Mac. "It came out today."
Mac feels all the blood drain from her face when she sees intimate photos of she and Will dining on the beach, she and Will hand in hand as they left their little cottage and she and Will in their swimsuits. Worse, the biggest shot of them all is her without her top on, beaming at Will, and even though it's blurred in the magazine, she's utterly appalled.
"I think...I think I'm going to be sick. Very sick, very soon."
"Give me that," Will snaps, and snatches it from her hands. "I'm going to fucking kill somebody," he says, throwing the paper on Charlie's desk. "I swear to God, I'm going to have their fucking heads."
Mac is still shocked and she manages to pull herself together just enough to address Charlie with only the slightest hint of a tremor in her voice. She never wanted to embarrass herself, Will or ACN and she's gone and ruined things by being a complete imbecile on holiday.
"You'll have my resignation as soon as I can draft it. I'm very sorry, Charlie, I didn't know anyone was there. I thought it was private."
"Mac, you can't be fucking serious," Will says, at the same time Charlie's saying, "Absolutely not," and they talk over each other for a few seconds before Will finally gets in, "No, no fucking way. I'm going down to the Post right now and dealing with this shit. They can gossip about me all they want if they get off on it but you're off-limits and I'm going to make sure they fucking know it."
"Will, everyone's going to think I'm a fucking joke! How can I show my face in here when I'm no better than...than Anthony Weiner or something? Nobody's going to take me seriously and I need to just resign while I still can."
In truth, she's worried about what those higher up than Charlie will think and she knows they think she's part of the big problem with News Night. It's a convenient way to get rid of her.
"Anthony Weiner was taking pictures of his dick and tweeting them to his followers. You were on a private beach specifically rented for your own exclusive use--and I'm going to have some words with that resort about not getting what I paid for--not tweeting yourself to the world. Those two things are not even close to the same." He turns to Charlie, nodding upstairs. "Any word from the forty-fourth floor?"
"Leona hasn't said anything," Charlie says. "And I don't think she can. The two of you were off the clock, in private. It's nobody's business."
"You rented the whole beach for me?"
Mac hadn't exactly been aware of that. It had been empty, yes, but she'd chalked it up to it being late in the season and not because Will had rented an entire fucking resort for her personal use. It's just the kind of ridiculous and over the top thing she fell in love with in the first place.
"Of course I rented the whole damn beach, island, resort, whatever. I didn't want you to have to put up with this tabloid bullshit the first time we get to spend any time together." He swipes a hand through his hair. "Charlie, tell her you're not going to let her resign."
"I'm not going to let you resign."
"Thank you,” Will says, visibly relieved. Mac feels a little swell of pride that he fights for her so damned much and wonders what she ever did to deserve it. She’s pretty sure she doesn’t, actually, but she guesses she’ll take what she gets.
"I feel like an idiot," Mac says, sitting down in a chair to keep from actually passing out. "I just...I don't even know what I was thinking, Will, and I should have just kept my damned clothes on."
She's worried about how the associate producers will see her. So many of them are young and idealistic and look up to her and now she's little better than the trash that the other networks exploit for ratings. How is she supposed to expect better of them when she can't even behave?
"You were thinking you were in a private place, is what you were thinking," Charlie says, before Will can get the words out of his mouth. "I'm sorry this happened to you, MacKenzie. And I want you to know that I don't think any less of either of you because some people have a misguided idea about what constitutes 'news' these days."
Will moves behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders. Mac can tell he’s angry by the way his hands tremble against her shoulders but he’s still gentle and kind to her no matter how fucking angry he is about the Post."I'm going to take care of this," he says. "It's not your fault."
Mac presses her lips together and relaxes just slightly when Will touches her shoulders. She hates feeling like a fool and like she's embarrassed herself and Will along with it but knowing he's not angry at her about it goes a long way to help.
"Now the question is what do we do about it. It's out, there's no stopping it."
"What I really want to do is go down to the Post and ... well, I don't know what, but it wouldn't be good," Will says. "Realistically, I don't know what I can do. If they were on resort property I suppose they can go down for trespassing, unless it was a resort employee..." And if it's a resort employee he's going to sue for breach of contract and anything else he can make stick.
"Like as not, someone else took the photos and merely sold them," Mac points out. "And a resort employee would fit the bill. I doubt highly that a photographer could have gotten on that island if you paid to keep them out but a resort employee might have taken a bribe to let someone in or taken the photos themselves and sold them. That's the only way I can imagine it going down."
“I don’t think it really matters,” Charlie volunteers. Mac guesses that it doesn’t but she’s still absolutely mortified about her breasts being all over every newsstand in the city and she doesn’t know how she can face the staff. She wants to ask for time off but she’s just come back from extended leave and it’s the coward’s way out. Still, there’s nothing to do but to press on.
The newsroom is fairly subdued. A handful of people come by to tell her that they’re glad she’s feeling better and Mac nods and smiles when appropriate but slinks off to her office and just stays there in hopes that she’ll actually become invisible. It seems to work for a little while before she hears a quick knock and Jim pokes his head in.
“Mac? Can we...?” Jim, of all the staff, knows her just as well as Will does. They were in a foxhole together and that sort of intimacy never really fades. If there’s anyone she wants right now, it’s him, and she waves him in. “Shut the door, please? I’m not exactly feeling up to having a parade come through here.”
Jim settles in the chair opposite her desk and fixes keen eyes on her. Mac is fairly sure she wants to end up under the desk but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she waits for what he has to say. At least he knows her well enough that possibly he won’t judge her for being a fucking idiot.
“Nobody is talking about you. I caught a couple of the research guys with the magazine and told them off but nobody is judging you, Mac. What happened was a breach of your privacy. You’re not going to hear anything from us, okay? So you don’t have to hide in here.” Mac sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. It’s all fine and good that Jim’s saying that but how is she supposed to be an example to the up and coming journalists out there if she’s showing her tits in public?
“I’m just sick, Jim. Sick. Nobody is ever going to take me seriously again. You know, I was slated to give a lecture at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism and they’ve asked me not to come? It’s been planned for over a year and they’re canceling on me two weeks out. They don’t feel I represent what their students need to hear. They asked me not to come.” Mac looks down at her desk as if it will somehow open up and swallow her whole when she hears Jim shift and get out of his chair. He tugs her up into his arms and Mac accepts the hug gratefully; there’s very few people she wants hugging her but Jim is on that list. She just hopes he can’t feel her tears through his shirt.
“Mac, don’t be ridiculous. You’ve had a long, hard year. If Mizzou’s J-school doesn’t want you to come speak, the hell with them. I’m sure you can book something else, anywhere else, and they’ll be kicking themselves for losing out on MacKenzie McHale. We’ve missed you here. I don’t think I have nearly the command of the rundown meeting as you do.” Mac inhales noisily and shakes her head.
“What, no useless acronyms and mixed metaphors? I’m sure they didn’t know what to do with themselves. I haven’t kept up as much as I’d like so I’ll still need your help putting the show together tonight.” His and Will’s, but that goes without saying. Mac will never, ever run a show where the anchor doesn’t contribute because she’s not in the business of putting glorified teleprompters on the air.
Mac lifts her head and Jim touches her chin lightly before drawing away and turning to leave. She has only a little while before she has to actually go do her job and she intends to read through the last of the news alerts to determine what to put on the air before going to put the show together but she’s barely got her glasses on when her door swings in again. This time, it’s Charlie. “They want you to go on ACN morning tomorrow.”
“Why?” It’s petulant but honestly, why? She’s not on air talent. Nobody outside of journalism would even know who she was if she wasn’t dating Will and it’s honestly nobody’s business where her breasts show up. “I’m not even famous. I’m not even remotely famous. They only care about this nonsense because I had the poor judgment to enter into a relationship with Will, who is famous.”
“People above me seem to think you need to go on ACN morning tomorrow and talk about this. Don’t worry. They’re going to handle you with kid gloves, all right?” Mac frowns. “Does Will know about this? Will’s not going to stand for me going and doing this and...oh my God, he doesn’t know, does he? And we’re not going to tell him, which is why you came in here alone. Charlie, I can’t lie to him. He’s going to know I’m leaving early when we sleep together almost every night. He’s going to know when he turns on his television and sees my face.”
Charlie gives her a little smile. “Don’t worry, Mac. I’ll have plenty of bourbon in the green room for you.”
Mac doesn’t think that makes it better.
***
He takes a drag from his cigarette and reaches into his jacket to lightly pat the inner pocket. He used to keep cigarettes there but now he’s started keeping a little black velvet box that he’s too fucking chicken to give to the woman who deserves it. He’d wanted to ask MacKenzie to marry him down in the Keys but he hadn’t got a chance and as much as he wishes they were engaged, he’s glad her memory of that isn’t marred by all this tabloid bullshit. He thinks that maybe he ought to wait until everything blows over before he asks and until then, he’s just going to keep the ring close by. Just in case.
As much as he has been in a shitty mood since coming into the office today, he’s looking forward to having her run the show again. Jim’s good, but he’s not MacKenzie, and MacKenzie has a way of drawing out the best in him and making it shine. Jim doesn’t really inspire him to do anything but passable - which is more a function of himself than Jim’s talent.
He puts out the cigarette and heads down to the rundown meeting a little late, hoping the scent of smoke has faded enough from his clothes that he won’t be caught. Besides, Mac will be at the front of the room and he’ll be in the back so there’s even more time that he’ll have to let it fade away. She’s already at the board and talking when he gets in and takes his seat and goddamn if he doesn’t love to watch her work. She’s wearing her glasses today and they slip down her nose a little when she gets particularly animated illustrating a point. She’s fucking beautiful, and smart, and Will wants to get down on one knee and pop the question in front of everyone here but he doesn’t because that’s private and he is not pressuring MacKenzie to do anything she doesn’t want to do.
He is too distracted by this shit and tries to cover by scratching out illegible notes on the legal pad in front of him; he’s never needed notes for anything but he can pretend to need them now just in case MacKenzie calls him out. He’s getting older. It’s within the realm of possibility that his memory might slip.
They end up booking someone to talk about Occupy Wall Street and Will doesn’t know how the fuck he’s even going to manage this. He’s the 1% they’re railing about and while he’s not, say, Leona Lansing, he might as well be to the college kids scraping together change to get on the train to get downtown. Still, he trusts in Mac and she trusts him and they pull through together without any major mishaps. He hasn’t asked MacKenzie to come home with him tonight but he hopes that’s implied and that he doesn’t have to ask. Still, he makes a beeline to his office to go change so he can catch her before she leaves if she has other plans.
He’s still fiddling with his tie when MacKenzie walks in, heels clicking against the floor. The newsroom is still busy with everyone getting ready to pack up and head home and she pushes the door closed, affording them a little bit of privacy in the chaos that surrounds them at work. She crosses over to him and her fingers brush against his at his tie before she starts working at the knot. There’s few things Will has ever found as sexy as a woman taking off his tie and when it’s MacKenzie, it’s that much hotter.
“Are you ready? Lonny should be downstairs waiting,” he says, breath catching when MacKenzie presses up against him and pulls the tie loose. “I just assumed you’d be staying at my place tonight.” Maybe he shouldn’t assume that but the cat’s out of the bag now and if she’s not into it, it’s better that he knows up front and she’s not feeling awkward at his apartment and unsure how to get out of it.
“I wanted to,” MacKenzie says softly. “I just thought I’d wait for you to ask me.” It’s weird, since MacKenzie could just move in if she wanted, but Will lets it go because she’s saying yes. He gives her a soft smile. “You made it through the day, Mac. One foot in front of the other.” She nods and Will leans in and kisses her softly before heading into the bathroom to change back into his street clothes so they can go home. Once he’s done, he offers his arm to her and escorts her downstairs.
“Have you ever had a woman you’re fucking end up naked in a magazine before?” It’s blunt but it’s Mac and she has that tendency. Will sighs and wishes that they didn’t have about twenty more floors to go. He wants to be home with MacKenzie wrapped in his arms so he can do the kind of mushy, sappy shit that he thinks might take her mind off it but for now, he has to settle for trying to make her smile.
“Well, there was the time I dated May and December at the same time. That’s Miss May and Miss December. Hef did me a favor.” Mac laughs so hard that she snorts and then gives him a little horrified look, which only makes them both laugh even harder. They’re still in hysterics by the time they hit the bottom floor and Lonny’s looking at them like they’ve grown three heads between them. Will keeps his arm around her as they head out to the car and tries to shield her from the wall of people taking pictures. He’s used to it, but MacKenzie isn’t, and he doesn’t want her face plastered all over someone’s Facebook wall just because they were trying to get a picture with him. He opens the door for her and slides in after, pressing a kiss to her temple. It’s about as affectionate as he dares to be in front of Lonny.
“It’s not just fucking, MacKenzie. Stop thinking that it is.” It’s low enough that he thinks maybe Lonny won’t hear and while it’s a risk, it’s one he’s willing to take. If she’s getting down on herself about something that wasn’t her fault, he’s going to make sure she knows that she means more to him than anyone else in the world. He’d told Sloan back when she fucked up that he’d always be right beside her and out in front. It’s true for MacKenzie too, except he would fucking wrap himself into a pretzel to be sure she was shielded from this shit and he needs her to know that. She took a bullet for him. He’s going to take one for her now.
MacKenzie is quiet on the ride to his apartment and it’s only after they’re inside and changed and he’s fiddling with the fireplace that she says anything. “They want me to go on ACN morning tomorrow and talk about the scandal. Charlie came to my office and told me before the rundown meeting.” Will curses under his breath and manages to get the fireplace dealt with before crossing over to her.
MacKenzie has always been a small woman but right now she looks tiny and lost in an oversized t-shirt (his, Jets, faded) and bare legs. He slides his arms around her. “Why the fuck do they want you to do an apology tour? You have nothing to fucking apologize for.” She shrugs and presses closer; Will has always loved the way she fits her head right in the crook between his neck and shoulder.
“Charlie says it comes from above him. He says they’re going to be gentle about it.” Will stiffens. He doesn’t think MacKenzie has any need to apologize because she’s done nothing wrong and he’s pissed that he can’t protect her from this. He guesses he could go on ACN morning himself but it’s not really relevant since he wasn’t the one whose naked pictures were plastered all over the papers. He can’t take this bullet for her and it’s killing him.
“I’ll go in with you. If they won’t let me go on with you, I’m going to stand right in your eyeline and you look at me when you need to.” He knows that MacKenzie is capable of this. In the twenty six months she worked for CNN, he saw her report with nothing but grace and gravity even when shit was being fired at her from all directions. She’d been beautiful, every damn time, and he’d always ended up watching her even though it hurt.
“I’m going to ruin everything,” she whispers, and Will silences her with the kiss he’d wanted to give her in Charlie’s office this morning and hadn’t dared. The thing about MacKenzie and mistakes is that she never means to make them, doesn’t do things badly out of spite or malice, and this is not something she ever would have done if she’d just known they were being watched. He hopes he can take her mind off the guilt with his mouth and hands instead, kissing her deeply and wrapping her into his arms until the only thing she can think about is the two of them.
***
Mac presses up against him and now it’s Will’s turn to groan; he breaks the kiss and kisses her neck before pressing his lips right up against her ear and speaking in a low voice laced through with desire. “Fuck, MacKenzie. Are you trying to kill me?” Mac laughs and tilts her head to give him a little more access.
“No. I was trying to seduce you. Is it working?” Will’s response is nonverbal but no less clear and he slides a hand into her panties, cupping her ass and bringing her close enough to rub against his cock. She is suddenly regretting the layers of clothing between them and really, really wants to just get naked. She’s a little shocked when Will actually picks her up and she wraps her legs around his waist and keeps kissing him while he carries her back to the bedroom.
He drops her on the bed and Mac giggles lightly, only for that to slide into a moan when he kneels at the end of the bed and tugs her down so his mouth can work over the soft cotton of her panties. “Billy, your knees have got to be killing you,” Mac protests but it’s not really much of a protest, not when he’s teasing her and driving her fucking insane by not giving her enough stimulation. Will pushes up the t-shirt to expose her belly and moves his mouth higher, laying kisses over her hips and navel and everywhere in between.
He’s driving her crazy. Will has always been good at that and she still doesn’t know why the fuck she ever cheated on him and risked losing this. Mac props herself on her elbows and watches as his big hands skim up her thighs and tug down her panties; he leaves them on the floor before cupping her ass and bringing her close to his mouth and then he isn’t fucking around anymore. His mouth is soft and open against her, occasionally sucking her clit but not lingering long enough to give her the satisfaction of coming. Mac twists and pushes her hips up against his mouth, frustrated as hell. “For the love of God, McAvoy, please.” She feels Will turn his head and press a messy kiss against her thigh, stubble scraping against the soft skin there, and then he laughs.
“Greedy and impatient. I like it.” Mac groans in frustration and sighs in relief when he fixes his mouth over her again. He slides two of his fingers in her and she’s never been more grateful for the fact that they’re so long because when he crooks them he hits the perfect spot and she’s coming, hips bucking and whimpers getting louder and louder. He gently kisses her all over her hips and thighs as she comes down and when she lifts her head to look at him, his face is still a little wet and he has a smug grin on his face.
“Get up here,” she says, aiming for annoyed and failing miserably. Will slides off his clothes before spooning behind her in bed and she feels his cock pressing at her. Mac laughs; she’s too tired to be athletic but they can figure it out. She’s never been averse to finding the world’s most comfortable sexual position for lazy sex.
“Get in me.” Will pushes her thigh forward and rocks into her, hips barely moving, and kisses her neck. “You’re demanding,” he teases and Mac reaches for his hand and tugs it up from her hip to cup her breast and his thumb starts working over her nipple, teasing it into a little peak. She tilts her head back to lay on his shoulder and that hand of his moves further south, thumb rolling over her clit while he rolls into her. It’s only when she’s coming again that he comes, thrusting one last time and gripping her hip tight enough that she’s sure there will be little finger-shaped bruises in the morning. Will kisses her neck.
“Sleep, MacKenzie. Knock ‘em dead tomorrow. I will be right there.”
***
“Actually, I was in a private place, and it’s really only in America that nudity is such a taboo. In Europe, what I did wouldn’t have merited a second look.” Mac has a whole argument prepared but suddenly they cut to commercial and Will is rushing over to tug her off the sound stage. “MacKenzie. Jesus. They’re gonna have a field day with that.”
Mac shrugs. “Let them. I was right.” She’s done with this bullshit and if it gets around the tabloids, it gets around. It’s stupid news anyway and she’d rather just focus on her job and making News Night the best show she can. Maybe if she keeps her head down, this will all blow over and nobody will remember what her tits look like six months from now.
***
“It has been suggested,” MacKenzie says softly and carefully, “That our relationship is a distraction and is driving ratings down. It has also been suggested that it is my undue influence over you that has driven the direction of the show of late and that we need to trend back toward the center instead of going so far left.” Will is aware they’ve been taking on some pro-choice issues lately, which he doesn’t necessarily always agree with, but he’s been giving equal airtime to the pro-life people too. Or so he thought.
“MacKenzie, that’s bullshit. Just keep doing the show and we’ll pull the numbers up.” MacKenzie shakes her head. “I can’t do this anymore, Will. My face...there are websites out there devoted to how I’m fucking you and that’s the only reason I even have a career. They’re crucifying me in the press, the ratings are bad, I can’t do this. I can’t tank News Night. So I’m...I’m taking a leave of absence. Jim’s going to step in and in a few months, if the show’s more stable, maybe I can take the helm again.”
Will knows that MacKenzie lives for her job and the idea she’d take time off willingly means this shit has really gotten to her. He reaches out for her hand across the desk and she pulls hers away, settling it in her lap instead. “I thought, too, that I might need some distance for a while. I wasn’t entirely prepared to be sharing tabloid real estate with Jennifer Aniston and I just...I need some time, Billy. I don’t think being in a relationship and running the show is really what’s going to be best for me right now.”
It’s a deep fucking blow. They’ve finally worked out their shit and Mac is cutting and running, leaving him and the show behind, and Will wants to know what he did wrong. He’s tried his damndest to make her happy, to cherish her and shelter her from the worst of this tabloid bullshit and now MacKenzie is going to walk out the door. He can’t let her do that.
There’s a ring in his desk and Will fumbles for a minute with the key, yanking the drawer open and flipping open the little box as quickly as he can. “MacKenzie, don’t. Marry me, MacKenzie. Marry me and we’ll figure the rest of this shit out but don’t run because you’re scared. Stay and fight and make sure this bullshit doesn’t knock you down. Marry me.”
MacKenzie’s eyes go wide and her mouth opens and closes a few times before she shakes her head. “I need to think, Billy, I can’t...I can’t give you an answer right now. I’m going to England to stay with my parents for a little while. I’ll...I’ll call you while I’m there, okay?”
She leaves and Will shoves the ring back in his desk, exchanging it for a pack of cigarettes. He smokes the whole goddamn pack and when Tess comes in to get him for the rundown meeting, he tells her to go fuck herself.
Fucking MacKenzie.
Fuck.