I was going to wait to start posting this story until I had more chapters finished, but I just couldn't. I realize that it's another short one - but the next chapter is much longer, don't you worry. Anyway, this one's more of a prelude anyway.

Enjoy!

Prelude

Jenny had been working at News Night for a week and two days when she first saw it.

She'd had her suspicions after she'd read the article that maybe Will McAvoy wasn't who she'd first thought when he'd ranted at her a year ago. Those suspicions had been confirmed when he'd barged into her interview.

But it was a week and two days into her internship when she saw the reason behind the man, when she saw what she suspected to be the reason why he returned after his overdose. Tess and Tamara had filled her in on the morning of her second day – Will almost didn't come back; those were the rumors, at least.

Jenny had sort of taken on the role of Mac's assistant. God knows the woman needed one. In this capacity, Jenny had been privy to sheepish smiles shared between her two bosses, sideways glances when they thought no one was looking. Jenny especially liked the commercial breaks during broadcast. She'd sit in the back of the control room, listening to Will and Mac's casual banter, and wonder what it would be like to know someone so instinctually.

Of course she knew about their past – everyone did. Tess and Kendra had filled her in on the email debacle. And so for a week and two days Jenny thought what everyone thought – except for maybe Sloan, who understood more than people thought – that Mac and Will were good friends, nothing more.

She was standing near the assignment desk, trying to learn what that specific job entailed (turns out it wasn't that hard), when she looked up and saw Will heading to his office. What had made her look up, however, was Mac's voice, calling over the newsroom to him, asking him for some help on some matter or other. He stopped, looked around, and locked eyes with her – and something in his face changed.

Jenny had been working at News Night for a week and two days when she first saw the unconditional and unequivocal love Will McAvoy held for Mackenzie McHale in just one look. And everything fell into place for Jenny – the jokes that only they understood, the shared smiles over takeout, how they would isolate themselves in a corner of Hang Chew's for hours. What she'd assumed was a close friendship borne out of mutual respect and a shared history, was a man who loved a woman without reserve. All it took was one look over to Mac to see the same expression painted on her face.

One week and four days after Jenny started working at News Night she managed to broach the subject with Sloan, who was (Jenny hated to say it) obviously Mac's only female friend.

"So Sloan, I was wondering… I know it's none of my business, but…"

"You want to know if Mac and Will are together." Jenny was stunned. Whoever said Sloan Sabbith wasn't perceptive was off by miles. Tactless, yes. But not obtuse.

Jenny nodded her head. Sloan took a deep breath, "No. They're not," and then mumbled under her breath, "God knows they should be."

From the way they acted Jenny might have thought Sloan was lying to her but for the well-known fact that Sloan valued the truth. That, and she was a horrible liar. She'd only worked at News Night for a week and four days but already Jenny knew that. So she took Sloan's words at face value and concluded that Will and Mac were not, in fact, together.

Although she agreed with Sloan – they really should be.