A/N: And this one is seriously massive. But whatever.

Chapter 14

xxx

Previously on the Nesroom...

"Although," Habib said casually. "As to the forgiveness thing."

Will felt himself get even more defensive. "Yes?"

Jack leaned forward. "Well, has it ever occurred to you that you've forgiven her already?"

xxx

Will stared at his psychiatrist in shock. "What?"

Habib smiled. "You admitted it yourself, you're quite happy to spend all kinds of time with her, to give into your physical attraction, to talk to her, to fight with, and for her."

Will gripped the arm of his chair slightly tighter. "So?"

"So, what the hell were you expecting forgiveness to look like exactly?" Habib wondered, watching the other man carefully.

Will just stared at him. "I don't know," he said after a moment. "I guess I thought I'd just know somehow."

"You've watched too many movies," Jack replied.

"What?"

"Will, forgiveness doesn't mean you forget what happened," Habib explained gently. "It means you move on enough that you don't need to carry the pain and anger and resentment around with you all of the time. It means that other things become more important. That rather than dwell on the pain, you move past it."

Will took a deep breath, almost overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through him. "Oh."

And Habib decided to really drive the point home. "When you look at Mackenzie now, what do you think about?"

"It depends," Will said, fidgeting slightly. If he'd forgiven her, if he was really ready to move on then... then he could... oh god.

Jack didn't back down in his questioning. "Well, what are the options?"

"I think she's crazy," Will said immediately. "I think she's beautiful. I think she's frustrating. I think she's brilliant."

"Do you want her?" Habib asked softly.

Will's hold on the chair turned into a death grip. "What kind of a question..."

"Will."

"Yes!" he exploded. "Of course I want her." He wanted her so much, sometimes it hurt.

Habib nodded. "And do you see Brian?"

Will recoiled like he'd been slapped. "What?"

But Habib persisted. "When you think about Mackenzie, do you see her with him? Do you see her mistake? Does she cause you pain?"

"No," Will whispered. That was no longer the dominant image in his brain. Oh god. Now when he looked at her or he thought about her, he mostly just saw her. Mackenzie McHale. The woman he wanted to be with.

Habib was smiling now. "That's what forgiveness looks like, Will."

"Are you sure?" Will asked.

Jack smirked. It was a bit different for everybody obviously, but... "Pretty sure," he told the other man.

Will frowned, not liking the uncertainty. "What?"

"No one can be sure but you, Will," Jack reminded him.

"But I'm not sure I won't ever get upset about it again," Will argued feebly.

Jack leaned forward. Yes, if Will wanted to, he could open the painful memories back up again. If he chose. "Do you want to be upset about it?"

"No!" Will replied immediately. "But what if we fight and..."

"And you dig up past mistakes?" Habib suggested.

"Yeah," Will admitted softly. What if they made a go of this thing and he fucked it all up because his brain was an awful place sometimes.

"You should try not to do that," Habib said dryly.

Will scowled. "Oh, well thanks Doc."

Habib sighed. Sometimes he felt like he was explaining things to children. "Of course you're not going to be 100% fine with it, 100% of the time. The goal to therapy isn't to make the feelings go away; it's to make them manageable, let you live with them."

Will paused to consider that. That, that might actually be manageable. "So you're saying that maybe I should be striving for 95%?"

Habib was loathe to assign a specific percentage. "I'm saying you need to forget about perfection."

"I used to think she was perfect," Will murmured.

Habib nodded. And that had been part of the problem. "I know. And she apparently thought the same thing about you."

"But she wasn't, was she?" Will asked slowly. She'd been Mackenzie. Wonderful, and amazing, and the woman he was completely in love with, but also tremendously flawed.

"No," Habib agreed "She wasn't perfect."

Will was lost in the memories, trying to sort things out. "It wasn't perfect," he said slowly.

"No." Neither Mackenzie, nor their relationship had been perfect. There was no such thing.

Will took a breath. Maybe part of what had happened had been his fault, or not his fault exactly but maybe... He'd definitely contributed. "I..."

"Will?" Habib prompted.

The anchor tried to explain. "She was always just the huge ball of idealism and light. Still is actually. And I never could figure out how I got so lucky. The fact that she apparently wanted me back made me feel good for the first time in years. She was my perfect Mackenzie." And he'd been so blindly in love with her that he hadn't seen anything else. Maybe not even that she'd been struggling.

"And you felt like you weren't enough," Habib suggested. "She was perfect and you were just you."

"Yeah," Will admitted with a sigh.

"You put her on a pedestal," his psychiatrist continued.

The phrase made him wince, but Will had to admit it was probably true. "Maybe."

"And then she tumbled down," Jack said quietly. "And it crushed you."

Will shut his eyes for a moment. "Yeah."

"Because she wasn't perfect," Habib added.

"I know," Will said softly. He knew that now. That was maybe the one good thing about all that had happened. He couldn't make Mac an ideal anymore.

"You said that to her, when you were arguing," Habib reminded him. "You told her that your relationship couldn't have been perfect."

"Yeah," Will admitted. He had said that. Because at that moment he'd realized at least part of it. He'd realized that he was expecting perfection and that just didn't exist. And maybe so was she, and that's why it wasn't working. Maybe that's why they couldn't get it together. Expectations were just too god damn high. "Do you think I put too much pressure on her and that's why..."

But Jack was unwilling to speculate on that. And anyway, Will needed to talk to Mackenzie. "I think you need to talk to her about that."

"Right," Will conceded. "But you do think forgiving her 95% of the time is okay?"

"I think that the issues aren't just going to go away because you've forgiven her," Habib said cautiously. "I think you need to talk to her. I think sometimes it's going to be tough. I think sometimes she's still going to feel guilty."

Will considered that. Knowing Mac that was almost certain. "Probably."

"I think you need to forget about perfection," Jack couldn't resist pointing out again.

Will paused. There were still so many things he was unsure of. "But what if..."

Jack cut him off. "Will, there's always going to be questions. No relationship is risk-free."

Still, there was one thing nagging at Will. "But what about what happened with Brian?"

Habib considered that. It made sense. Even if Will had forgiven Mackenzie, the fear that she might hurt him again would still be there. "You're afraid she'll do it again?"

"Of course I'm afraid she'll do it again!" Will snapped.

"Well, that's a specific issue you need to address then, wouldn't you think?" Habib asked lightly.

"What?"

Habib smiled. "I find it easier to deal with these things if you identify specific issues."

"So glad you only decided to give me this advice now," Will grumbled. Seriously, he could have started working on some of this weeksago.

"You weren't ready for it before," Jack said airily.

Will just glared. "How would you know?"

Jack shrugged. "I made an executive decision."

"You're not an executive," Will pointed out.

Jack shook his head. "I am. In a company of one."

"I think you're a megalomaniac," Will replied.

"Leave the diagnoses to the professional," Jack said glibly.

Will smirked.

Then he sighed. "Mackenzie still feels guilty. I know she does. I'm not sure if... I mean, even if I have forgiven her, she might still... There'd still probably be pockets of guilt. At the very least."

Habib shrugged, determined not to let Will build up more obstacles in his way. He didn't deserve it. Neither of them did. "So, she'd have pockets of guilt, and you'd have pockets of anger. You couldn't make it work the rest of the time?"

Will froze. Could they make it work the rest of the time? 95% of the time was pretty damn good. Even 90% of the time. He could live with that. That was so much better than... so much more than he'd ever expected. He let out a shaky laugh. "You know, Doc, that might be the first useful thing you've ever said to me."

"I try," Habib said dryly.

Will stood up abruptly.

Habib had to hide his smile. "And where are you going," he asked, despite being pretty sure he knew what the answer was.

"I need to find Mackenzie," Will said, shrugging into his coat. He needed to go and see her. Right now. He wasn't putting this off any longer. He needed to be where she was to tell her... He glanced at his watch. She'd probably still be at home.

"You need to do that right now?" Habib asked.

"Yes," Will said decisively. If traffic was good, he could probably be there in next to no time at all.

"You're sure?" Habib asked innocently.

But Will was firm. He'd made the decision now. "Yes. Otherwise, I'll just come up with some idiotic reason why it can wait until tomorrow."

"And it can't?" Jack double-checked, really enjoying himself.

"No."

"Okay," Habib replied, standing up.

That made Will pause. "Okay?"

"Yeah," Habib assured him, sending him a genuine smile.

Will just stared, his impulsive behaviour finally registering.

"See you next week Will," Habib told him.

That got Will moving again. "Right," he muttered, pulling out his phone.

"And good luck," Jack called after him.

Will wasn't listening anymore, already halfway out the door.

Habib watched as Will pulled out his phone, hearing the tail end of a conversation before the door shut behind him.

"Mac? It's me. Where are you? Okay, do me a favour, would you? Stay there; I need to talk to you."

Habib shook his head softly. Oh how he wished he could be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

xxx

Mackenzie McHale was freaking out. She was taking a small amount of comfort in the fact that she knew it. Not much, but a small amount.

She'd woken with a smile on her face. And why not? Yesterday had been a good day in a lot of ways, a very good day. After all, it wasn't every day that a woman was desperately kissed by the man she was absolutely lost in love with.

Okay, maybe that was how it worked for some lucky women, but it hadn't been Mac's reality in years. Not anywhere close. Though it had been true twice in the last week, which she was choosing to believe indicated a definite upswing in the state of her personal life.

So yeah, yesterday had been a good day. This morning had been good too.

She'd puttered around her getting ready for work, checked the newspaper and the internet for any important news stories, made breakfast, that sort of thing. Then she'd started picking out an outfit for the day.

At which point she'd realized that she'd selected an emerald green blouse. Not a big thing, except that it was almost the exact colour Will had once told her he loved on her. And that was when the freaking out started.

Because was she really doing that now? Dressing to attract Will, to try and make him want her or even just make him pay attention to her? Sure the blouse was attractive, and she loved it on its own, but now, with all the Will stuff going on (not just the kissing, though the kissing was a big part of it), things had gotten complicated. Maybe picking out the blouse was just a coincidence, or a subconscious choice (god damn her subconscious for going after what she wanted more directly than she had). But was she seriously thinking about actively pursuing Will now? Because that would hurt like hell (not to mention potentially destroy their show) if it went wrong or she'd misread things.

And anyway, did she even have the right to pursue Will? After what had happened five years ago... Mac steeled herself.

No.

No, no, no. She was done with that. Or at least she should be. She couldn't pay for a single mistake for the rest of her life. It wasn't fair. And anyway, he'd told her to stop doing penance, he'd told her...

He'd told her a lot of things actually. Will had told her he was trying to forgive her, that he was happy to spend time with her, that he didn't want to cause her pain, but that he wasn't sure they could ever be friends. Then he'd kissed her. And now she was so fucking confused it wasn't even funny. The only thing Mac wasn't confused about was that she wanted him. And she wanted him to notice her in her blouse.

Well, okay she also wanted to find out what the hell was going on, because she wasn't sure how much longer she could take this not knowing. It didn't help that she had next to no idea what he was thinking.

Well, except that he didn't seem to mind kissing her. She had grabbed Will and kissed him not even twenty four hours earlier. She'd grabbed him and held him exactly where she'd wanted him for as long as she'd wanted. Okay, not as long as she'd wanted, as long as she'd dared. Still, it'd been a pretty long time. And he hadn't seemed to mind at all.

In fact, he'd responded later with a kiss of his own. Or rather multiple kisses. Kisses that had left her longing for so much, it was almost painful. Or it would have been if he hadn't still been there when he'd pulled away from her. Still near. And he'd been close by all evening, all through the show. Just on the other side of the monitor, smiling at her, talking to her, just there. So when Mac had gone out for drinks with Sloan afterwards, she'd been happy. It felt like maybe, for the first time in years, she and Will were on the same page, or at least reading from the same book.

Mac fidgeted with a stack of bills on her kitchen counter, trying to calm herself. Trying not to get her hopes up too high.

Except that, even apart from the kissing, Will was apparently rejecting offers from beautiful, accomplished, intelligent women in favour of spending the day with her, Mackenzie McHale, instead (a thought that still created a bubble of warmth in her chest). Surely that was progress too? Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Not that Mac minded going slow. She had no problem with slow. At this point, moving slowly was probably a good idea.

She just wished she had some idea what they were moving towards.

(And she didn't dare hope that it was what it sometimes seemed like it might be.)

So now she was wearing the stupid green blouse, because at this point, what could it hurt? Maybe a little push was necessary, or at least a little encouragement. Even if the idea also made her feel vaguely uneasy.

A friendship was easy, if maybe not ideal. This, whatever it was, that they were doing wasn't easy. This was terrifying. Terrifying, but also maybe wonderful.

She just wasn't sure she could afford to get her hopes up again.

Then her phone rang. Mac grabbed it immediately, surprised by the number on her screen, though she wasn't sure why. He'd always had the most uncanny timing. "Hello."

"Mac?" Will's voice asked in her ear. "It's me. Where are you?"

She frowned, not expecting the question. "I'm at home," she told him, glancing at her watch. 10:30, like she'd thought. "Just getting ready to go to work."

"Okay," Will said. "Do me a favour, would you? Stay there; I need to talk to you."

Mac knew it was irrational, but her stomach dropped out at those words. It wasn't quite the clichéd We need to talk, but it still didn't sound particularly good. "It can't wait until we get to work?" she asked lightly.

"I don't want to have this conversation at work," Will replied. "Just, it's important. I know you like to be there for the first rundown meeting, but just this once could you call Jim and let him handle it? Please."

She'd have done it anyway, but his soft please got her right in the chest, leaving her helpless to resist. "Of course," she assured him. "I'll call Jim and tell him I'll be about an hour late."

"Tell him something's come up, or you were delayed, or I don't know," Will said, "You'll figure it out.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can handle this, Billy" Mac said dryly. After all, given that she couldn't remember the last time she'd showed up after 11, she was pretty sure she wouldn't even need an explanation. Not that Jim was going to ask for one.

Will smiled to himself as he searched for a cab, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't see him.

Mac hesitated. "Is everything okay?" she asked softly.

Will winced as he climbed into the backseat of a taxi, realizing he'd probably really freaked her out. "Just a sec," he told her as he gave the driver her address. "Sorry about that," he murmured.

"S'okay," Mac assured him, biting her lip.

"Nothing's wrong," he assured her. "I'm fine. The show's fine. Pretty sure you're fine too, unless there's something you're not telling me."

"No," Mac murmured.

"Good," Will replied. "It's just, I suddenly realized I needed to talk to you right away. It's important, but it's not bad news. You'll like it, at least, I think…" Will took a breath, trying to tamp down on rising insecurities. This is why they needed to have this conversation now. Right now. Before he talked himself out of it because he was half-terrified. He closed his eyes and searched for the feeling of realizing he'd forgiven her, ordering himself to relax.

"Will?" Mac asked breathlessly.

He smiled, her voice helping him in finding pleasant memories. "Not all conversations are bad news, Mackenzie," he reminded her gently. "Aren't you supposed to be the optimistic one while I'm the cranky bastard?"

The affection in his voice knocked her off-balance (or it would have if she wasn't already half there). "You're not a jerk, Billy."

Will realized he was smiling again. "I'll be there as soon as I can, say fifteen minutes?"

"I'll be here," Mac promised.

"Okay," Will replied. "And Mac?"

"Yeah?"

He tried to convey his smile down the phone line. "Try and calm down."

Mac hung up her phone, absently dropping it on the table and feeling anything but calm.

Not bad news? He didn't think it was bad news, and he seemed pretty certain she wouldn't either. Which unless she'd been sending him really mixed signals…

Mac winced, because he'd been sending her mixed signals. So maybe she'd done the same thing inadvertently.

She'd been over it all again and again in her head, and she still couldn't make any sense of it.

She desperately wanted to believe that they were moving forward, but she wasn't sure she could quite get there.

God, she was going to be a nervous wreck before he even arrived.

And anyway, didn't he have therapy this morning? Right now actually? What was so important that he'd apparently abandoned the session midway through? What…

What did he want? To spend their free time together over various meals, with the odd kiss thrown in for variety?

Mac giggled before she could help herself. That mightn't be too bad. If Will wanted to do everything but label the relationship, she wasn't necessarily opposed…

Though she wouldn't be his dirty little secret he was too afraid to admit to either.

And seriously, what did he mean by good? He thought whatever he wanted to talk to her about was good, but maybe he'd think retribution for what she'd done to him five years ago was good. She felt the guilt and pain start to resurface, threatening to overwhelm. After all, maybe this was some sort of cruel trick, one designed to raise her hopes and so cause her more pain… Maybe…

No.

No.

Mac shook her head, ruthlessly clearing that line of thinking from her brain. It wasn't fair, to either of them. He wouldn't do that to her. Not now. Not her Will. Hadn't he told her that he was trying not to hurt her all the time, that she had to try to move past things too? He might have been cruel two years ago, but… that was two years ago. And he wasn't cruel, not that cruel.

So it must be something he actually thought was good news.

The thought made hope well up in her chest as Mac tried to contain her grin.

Will was right. They did need to talk. And she had things she needed to say to him too. Things about how she'd made a mistake and done a horrible thing but that didn't mean he could string her along indefinitely. Not that he'd been doing that. But if he was going to keep kissing her, she was going to demand an explanation. And god damn it, she deserved one.

Yes.

Yes, that would work. She could do that. She didn't want to make demands, and she really didn't want him to stop kissing her (god no), she just wanted a little clarification.

And if she was lucky, that was exactly what Will wanted to. With that conclusion, Mac heard the knock on the door.

As she went to answer it, she ordered herself to calm down, not to get too excited. To just look calm and friendly. She would just be normal. Pleased to see him, but normal. After all, like the blouse, there was nothing wrong with a little encouragement. Just a little smile.

The result was that she was practically beaming when she opened her front door.

Will was standing on the other side of it trying not to fidget. And reminding himself that this was what he wanted. Very much what he wanted.

Then the door swung open and he stopped needing to remind himself.

She just looked so happy. Nervous, maybe even a little bit cautious, definitely beautiful (he loved that colour on her), but for the most part… happy.

And that was what made it easier to take that final step towards her. His arm slid around her waist and he kissed her. The fact that the simple kiss in greeting felt like the most natural thing in the world chased away the worst of his nerves. After a moment, he pulled back, stroking her cheek.

Mac let her eyes flutter open and leaned her forehead against his. Things were definitely starting off well. "I thought you wanted to talk," she reminded him.

"That too," Will admitted, playing with her hair. He wanted a lot of things.

Mac giggled. "Billy…"

He angled the two of them into her apartment so she could shut the door before dropping another kiss on her lips. It'd been over twelve hours since he'd kissed her last, after all.

A little while later he was practically wrenching his lips from hers. "No," he muttered. "I really do need to talk to you."

Mac nodded, hating the sudden anxiety she could feel brewing in her gut. She stepped backwards. Still she stuck to her guns. "I need to talk to you too."

It was all Will could do not to go after her when she stepped back. He settled for reaching for her hand. "Of course. You're right. Just, let me go first, okay? There's something I need to say to you, something that can't wait and I just... You can say whatever you want afterwards. Whatever you need, I promise."

Mac just stared at her fingers, toying with hers. "Don't you have therapy today?"

Will nodded. "I just came from there. Left midway through actually."

"Why?" she whispered.

He shrugged, trying to be casual. "This seemed more important all of a sudden. Like I said, I couldn't wait any longer."

"To come and kiss me hello?" she asked softly.

Will shook his head. "Well, that too, I guess," he said upon further consideration. "But mostly because I wanted to ask you... I wanted to ask you if you'd be okay with forgiveness 95% of the time."

Mac was pretty sure time stopped for a moment. Forgiveness? Did he mean... "What?" she gasped, forcing herself to breathe.

The question unstopped Will's throat and caused the words to just come tumbling out. "That's why I had to leave my therapy session and come talk to you right away. Because I realized that I've forgiven you, Mackenzie, for all of it. It probably happened ages ago, and I didn't even realize. For God only knows how long. I can't say I'll never get angry about it, that I've forgotten, that it'll never come up. But for the most part, I think I've, well, come to terms. And I was wondering if you'd be okay with me being okay with it 95% of the time, with the odd relapse on a bad day. I'm not perfect Mackenzie, but I am trying. I was wondering if you'd be okay with not trying for perfection, but well, working on something good."

"Okay with it?" she repeated emotionally, trying to control her breathing.

And Will realized in his rambling he'd left out a crucial detail. He grabbed her hands. "I want you back Mac, I want us back. So much. You have to know that. You have to..." Looking at the shock on her face, he suddenly realized that maybe she didn't know. "Oh god, you don't." He gripped her forearms, inching closer until their bodies were almost touching as she looked up at him with those eyes that always told him exactly what she was feeling.

"Will..." she whimpered.

"I'm not going to rush you," he told her gently. "I've had lots of time to think about this, probably more than you have. It's okay. I'll give you time, all the time you need. You don't need to answer right away. If you need some time..."

She stared at him, not quite able to believe what was going on. Time? She didn't need any time. "But..."

"But?"

"But what about Brian?" she whispered, before cursing herself for bringing it up.

Will's grip tightened slightly on her arms. "What about Brian?"

"What about my cheating on you?" Mac pressed. She needed to make sure. She couldn't do this on a whim. It would break her.

Will leaned his forehead against hers, and tried to explain. Except that he couldn't find the words.

"Will?" Mac prompted.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, we need to talk about that. If we tried again, it would need to be... I mean, we'd have to start off exclusive, right from the start Mac. Because I can't share you. I just can't."

Mackenzie let out a shaky breath, and made him a promise. "You wouldn't have to."

Will's heart started beating a little too quickly. He slid an arm around her waist. "Mac?"

"I give you my word, Billy," she said quietly but firmly. "No one but you. I don't want anyone else, and I don't want you to see anyone else either. I couldn't deal with that either, if we..."

Will sighed, releasing the tension he hadn't realized had been collecting in his shoulders. "Okay."

"Do you believe me?" Mac asked hopefully.

"I'm trying to," Will assured her. Part of him did, he just wasn't sure it'd hit home yet. "I really am trying. It might take time..."

Mac inched forward, running a hand up his chest. "Can I try and convince you?"

Will couldn't take his eyes off hers. "Please."

Mac took a deep breath. "Do you remember that first story we did together, all those years ago? I managed to overload a monitor until it crashed and we had to do the interview with a foreign head of state with audio only?"

"Of course I remember that," Will said. It'd been one of the first times he'd met her. He'd been half in love with her even then. "It wasn't either of our finest hours."

Mac nodded. "Do you remember what you said to me afterwards, when you came to find me?"

"You were half drunk in a corner in some dive bar if I remember correctly," Will mused, remembering the night well.

"Yeah," Mac agreed. "And do you remember what you said?"

Will paused. "Yeah."

But Mac was going to tell him anyway. "You bought me a drink. I asked why you weren't trying to get rid of me, or at least just mad."

Will trailed his fingers up and down her arm, suddenly desperate to touch her. "Mac..."

"And you asked if I knew how badly I'd screwed up," Mac murmured, wrapping one arm around his waist.

"You said you did," Will said softly. He'd known it was true. Mac's guilt over her error had been written all over her face.

"And you asked if anyone felt worse about it than me," Mac said, moving towards the end of the story.

"You said no," Will whispered.

"And you told me you didn't ever think I'd make the same mistake again then." It'd been really useful advice. She'd passed it along to several people herself over the years. Mac took a breath, turning back to the subject at hand. "Now, I'll grant you that you probably feel as bad about the Brian thing, but do you honestly think that I could feel worse about it? Or that if I got another chance to try and be with you, I'd screw it up again?"

Will wasn't sure he was even breathing anymore. He didn't care. If she meant that... if... "Kenz..."

"Do you have any idea how much I've missed you, Billy?" she asked quietly, reveling in being in his personal space.

"I have some idea," Will admitted.

She nodded. "I know how badly I screwed up Will. I had three years to think about it. Three years of wishing I could take it back. If I have another chance, do you really think I'd be so stupid as to do it again?"

"If you get another chance?" Will asked incredulously. Did she not understand that she had another chanceÉ That was exactly what he was standing here offering her.

Mac nodded. "Well, it's not just my decision, is it? Do you believe me?"

Will stared down at the imploring eyes in front of him. He did believe her. He couldn't not. "You're very convincing."

Mac sent him a blinding smile, the happiness crashing through her almost frightening in its intensity. "Good."

Her smile caused something to lighten in Will's chest. "I love you Mackenzie."

And with that the joy Mac was feeling shifted to shock. "What?"

Will felt her go rigid in his arms and did his best to try and calm her, realizing he'd probably moved a little too fast again. But he couldn't not tell her that. He needed her to know. "I know you probably don't believe me, because of all the..."

"Last week you told me you didn't think we could be friends!" Mac interrupted a little hysterically. And that had hurt more than she'd ever imagined it could.

Will winced. "I know! I know! I'm so sorry. But I love you. And if all you want is friends, I'll do my best. But it might not be enough, okay? Like I said, I know this is probably really fast. I can slow down. You don't need to decide anything today, I just need you to know. Anyway, I think I'd like to pursue you for a little, because you deserve..." He trailed off when he realized the woman in his arms was practically shaking.

Will went into damage control. "Mac are you okay? Oh god. It's okay. I know I made up my mind too quickly for you last time and you weren't quite sure. It's okay. It's whatever you need."

"I need you to say it again," she whispered softly.

And with that Will realized that he may have misread the problem. He was only too happy to comply with her request. "I'm in love with you," he assured her, rubbing soothing circles along the small of her back.

"Oh," she gasped.

"Oh?" he repeated incredulously. It wasn't exactly the response he'd been hoping for.

Mac shook her head, trying to clear it. It was all too much. He'd said he had good news, but this was too good. This was... It couldn't be real. "Um, actually, I think I need you to tell me that I'm not dreaming. That I didn't just fall asleep on my desk. That in five minutes I'm not going to wake up in my office, horribly alone, with an imprint of my notebook on my face." She'd had this dream (or a variation of it) so many times that...

Will was smiling again. "You're not dreaming, Mac," he assured her.

Mac shook her head quickly. "Except that's exactly what you'd say to me in a dream."

Will put his hand on her cheek. "You're not dreaming Mackenzie," he murmured before kissing her.

"Still what you'd do if I was," she whispered, when he pulled away.

He looked at her considering. To her surprise, he smiled, trailing his lips down her neck. He'd always loved a challenge, and he had told her he wanted to pursue her.

As she felt his lips make their way along the sensitive spots on her neck, Mac decided at least this dream was a particularly good one.

Then Will got to her pulse point, letting his mouth linger there.

She sighed.

He started reciting baseball statistics.

She froze, not sure what was going on. "Will?"

He nuzzled his way back up to her ear. "Does this happen in the dream?" he whispered.

Mac let out a shaky laugh. She had to give him that one. "No. There's less discussion of batting averages and stolen bases in the dream."

"Nothing wrong with stealing a few bases," he murmured against the shell of her ear.

Her laughter turned more genuine, "Billy!"

He thrilled at the joy in her voice, unwittingly tightening his hold on her before running a hand up and down her back.

"I'm in love with you Mackenzie," He murmured. Then he flicked the back of her neck.

"Ow!" she said loudly.

Will placed an apologetic kiss on her cheek. "Sorry. But a pinch would have been a cliché; you might have assumed it would happen in a dream."

"Will..." she murmured, leaning into him.

"You know, time is on my side," he pointed out. "Because I don't know how long your dreams usually last, but eventually we're going to get past that length of time. Eventually you're going to have to give me an answer." He had no problem holding her until they reached that point. Will found he was really enjoying fighting for her. Having something that he cared enough about to go after, something in his personal life.

"An answer?" Mac repeated, trying to follow the conversation. It was difficult given the other things his lips were doing.

"About whether or not you think we could ever try again," Will explained. "About whether..."

He trailed off when Mac suddenly grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. Her eyes were wide.

"This never happens in the dream," she said bluntly.

Will paused. "What?"

"You don't have to ask..." Mac explained. "You just... Oh...Oh, oh oh oh, oh."

"Mac?"

"You know right away. You just, you know," Mac told him. She'd dreamed of him more than once, and he'd never questioned her feelings. "Like when we met. You knew right away. It took me longer, and I was an idiot. I know that." She squeezed his chin when it looked like he might interrupt. "But once I did know... It's always been you, Billy. For five years. Of course I'm still in love with you. Of course I want to try again. Of course I... mmpff."

Whatever Mackenzie was going to say next was cut off by Will's lips on hers. Mackenzie buried her hands in his hair and kissed him back, thrilled when she realized that she was starting to re-familiarize herself with the feel of his mouth. Will's hands were digging into her hips, holding her against him.

He was the one to pull back first. "We can't do this."

Mac froze in confusion. "What?"

Will swore internally before hastening to reassure her. He started playing with the strands of hair that had fallen into her face. "I meant we can't do this now, because we have to get to work."

Mackenzie sighed in relief. "Oh, right."

"We can't both show up three hours late," he pointed out.

Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. "Three hours?"

"If we got there at all," he told her truthfully. He didn't want to rush her, but if they stayed where they were, and she kept kissing him like that, he would not be held responsible for his actions. He was willing to be patient, but even that had its limits. The fact that they both had jobs was the only thing stopping him from trying to nudge her towards her bedroom. Or actually, at this point up against the wall in her entryway would be fine too.

Mac stared at him for a moment, before stretching up to kiss him slowly. Will was just considering how best to call in sick, when she transitioned to a hug, wrapping herself around him.

Will leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "I'm not against picking this up later though."

He felt her smile against his neck. "I hope not."

"Though, we don't have to rush," Will murmured. "If you don't want to."

"What?" she asked.

"And I know you stood by and you waited for two years," he explained. "Well, I'm waiting now."

Mac snuggled further into his arms. She was so happy, it was frightening.

"I haven't dated anyone in almost a year," Will added.

That caught her attention. "Really?" she asked happily.

"Well, other than you," Will qualified.

Mackenzie pulled back with a frown. "Me?"

"Habib seems to think I've been dating you," Will explained, running his fingers through the hair framing her face.

"If that was true, you think we'd have been aware of it," Mac couldn't help pointing out.

"That's what I said!" Will replied.

"Good," Mac said.

"I mean, can't two friends share a simple meal from time to time? Will asked.

"Exactly my point!" Mac said enthusiastically.

"Yeah."

"Besides, I think I'd like to control when I start dating someone," Mac muttered.

Will grinned at her. "Well, exactly."

"I thought you said he was a good therapist?" Mac asked, enjoying the fact that she was still half in his arms.

"He is," Will assured her. "But sometimes he gets... ideas."

"Hmm."

Will smiled. "Have dinner with me tonight."

That got Mac's attention. "As two friends sharing a simple meal?"

Will's smile was slow. "What do you think?"

Her breath caught as she pretended to consider the question. "Hmmm."

"Mac?" Will prompted a bit nervously.

"So, this would be a date then?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

And with that, Will realized that she'd been toying with him.

"Answer the question, Billy," Mac prompted.

He shook his head. "First answer my question about whether you think we could give being us a try again."

She stared at him. "I did answer that."

"Not directly," He said stubbornly. Or maybe she had, but he wanted to hear it again.

"Well, maybe if you could just ask me out on a proper date..." Mac grumbled.

And Will gave in. Besides, he liked telling her how he felt, particularly since she seemed to like hearing it. He loved the look she got in her eyes. "Mackenzie, I'm in love with you. I want to be with you. Would you go out to dinner with me tonight as a way of helping that along?"

She kissed him quickly.

"According to you, that doesn't count as an answer," he murmured

She smiled before kissing him again.

"We should go to work," he whispered.

"Yeah," she agreed, sliding out of his arms.

"Mac?" he asked.

She smiled suddenly. "You can pick me up after the show. We'll get dinner."

Will picked up her hand and kissed it. "It's a date," he told her, before opening her front door and ushering her out of her apartment.

"Oh!" he said suddenly. "What did you want to say to me?"

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"Mac," Will said in warning.

Mackenzie turned to him as they waited for the elevator. "I wanted to tell you that you couldn't just kiss me and string me along without telling me what you wanted, or if you wanted anything or..."

"So we already cleared that up, then?" he summarized.

She leaned against his shoulder. They'd cleared it up and then some. She still couldn't quite believe what was happening.. "Yeah."

"I want you," he whispered against the top of her head.

She smiled. "Ditto."

Will took her hand in his with a smile. Leaving his therapy session early had been the best decision he'd ever made. And he had a feeling he'd have a number of things to tell Habib next week.

Will glanced down at the woman next to him, who was lost in her thoughts. He wasn't sure if she was plotting something for their show, or for them. He didn't care. He knew the upcoming weeks probably weren't going to be easy, but he was pretty sure they'd be more than worth it.

Especially since this time, they were both determined to make it work.

He really did feel almost stupidly happy.

Will almost laughed. He had a feeling the show tonight might be interesting...

xxx

The end

A/N: So, I went with a format change for this one. I decided it was best in the end. Still not sure how I feel about it. It's the end for now, but I may decide to epilogue. Because I'm not sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. This fic has made me realize how much I enjoy writing Newsroom fic. So much so that I'm pretty sure I'm writing it for het_bigbang, which should be out in September. Anyway, thanks to all my lovely reviewers and to people who took the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it.