Chapter 1:
Harvey takes one look back into the bedroom, as he pulls his grey sweater over his head, slipping his arms into the sleeves. The early morning light streaming weakly through the glass walls of their apartment. It seemed so bare now compared to what it was before, most of their things boxed away, ready forthe fast approaching moving day.
His heart gave a somersault at the thought. An old upper-east side townhouse. They'd spent the better part of the last year renovating their new home, finally ready for them to move in, after much hard work. But it couldn't have come at a more perfect time.
He couldn't help but smile softly at his sleeping bride to be. They had put off the wedding too focus on moving into their new home, but just as the time had come around, another, happy surprise decided to raise its head, causing another delay.
They hadn't been trying, but that didn't make the news of her pregnancy any less welcome. He remembers how elated he'd been. It was something he didn't know he wanted until it was happening, and now, with only two weeks left of her first trimester, they couldn't wait to share the news with the rest of their friends and family, unveiling the nursery they had worked on in secret, for their little bundle of joy.
With one last look, he turned, heading quietly for the front door, opening and closing it with a soft click and setting off on his morning run. It had become harder to head out on these necessary outings every second morning, tempted to just stay with his arms wrapped around her in the warmth of their sheets. Not only that, but since they'd discovered she was pregnant, Donna had grown increasingly anxious and obsessive, afraid to put a foot wrong, something the doctors had insured them to be completely normal, especially in first pregnancies. Her morning sickness had also proven a challenge, as often it stretched over the whole day, leaving her worn and sickly.
The thought drove his feet a little faster in their jog, carrying him around the quiet park at an accelerated pace. He wanted to get back before she woke, guilt nestled in his stomach as he thought of leaving her this afternoon, due to head on a business trip out of town that was meant to last three nights, he'd managed to negotiate them down to one. He didn't want to be away from her for longer than that, not only because of her own anxieties, but because of his as well.
Harvey let out a puff of breath, coming to a stop at the water fountain for a moment of rest. Bending down to the tap, he noticed something strange out of the corner of his eye, a man, dressed in dark clothing, sitting on one of the park benches not far from him. An unusual sight for this early on a Wednesday morning. The park was almost deserted, save for a few morning joggers like himself and some maintenance staff. If that wasn't odd enough, the man seemed to be watching him, unashamedly, staring intently and not diverting his gaze as Harvey glanced in his direction.
Harvey rose from the fountain, dragging the back of his hand across his mouth as he set off again, stealing a glance back in the direction of the figure, who had risen and began moving slowly after him. Almost certain now that he was being followed, he made a turn, diverging from his usual route, and sure enough the stranger followed at a distance. It baffled him, whoever this person was, he clearly wanted to be seen. In an act of defiance, Harvey came to a halt, turning to face the man in a challenge, who stood a good distance away from him, further down the path.
But upon doing so, the figure stopped, and Harvey was certain he could make out the faintest of smirks on his face, before he turned and began walking away, calmly. And although he would never admit it, it startled him.
"Hey!" Harvey called, but it made no difference, the man continued to walk in the opposite direction, disappearing almost out of sight.
He tried to shake the feeling of unrest that clung to his shoulders, as he ran home. His gut instinct telling him there was something more sinister going on, while his mind tried to rationalize the encounter. Compiling every possible reason why there could be someone following him. An ex-client with a grudge, an unhappy current client? Or worse, someone he put away. He didn't want to let his mind go there, the thought making his hand tremble slightly as he fumbled with the lock of the front door.
He could hear the kettle boiling as he made his way into the living room, indicating that Donna was just awake, always starting with a coffee before she began getting ready for the day. But as he turned the corner into the kitchen, the redhead was nowhere in sight.
"Donna?" he called softly, to no reply. He noticed an apple sitting on the counter, two bites taken from it before it had been discarded. He grimaced, knowing too well what that meant.
He made his way to the bathroom door, the sound of coughing drawing his attention as he almost completely forgot about that morning's encounter, too concerned with helping her.
He gave a soft knock at the door before pushing it open, "Don?" he whispered, letting her know he was there as he spotted her hunched over the toilet bowl.
She sat back, white over-sized t-shirt crumpled and hair disheveled, pale skin bare, with dark circles shadowing her eyes, but she still looked as beautiful as ever to him.
"You okay?" he prompted, kneeling down next to her and reaching out a hand for hers, which she took gratefully. She replied with a weak nod. Getting to her feet on unsteady legs and reaching a hand out to flush.
"It's a no breakfast morning." She mumbled, moving forward into his embrace, snuggling her check against his chest, her arms curled between both their bodies, not hugging, letting him enclose her completely, longing for that comfort of feeling protected.
"Do you need to take the day?" he asked, knowing the answeralready but planting a kiss on her temple in the hopes of softening her reaction.
"Absolutely not." She replied, her voice rising slightly, "I've taken enough days off already-"
"One and a half is hardly considered-"
She laughed softly, rolling her eyes, looking up at him, bringing a hand to touch his face with a small smile.
"Are you still ok… with me leaving for the night." Her smile faded slowly, but she quickly forced another one in its place.
"Yes. I'll be fine." But she barely managed to convince herself, never mind Harvey, she turns away, leaning her back against him, and wincing when she spots her reflection in the mirror.
He tilts his head in that way that tells her she's not fooling anyone, but there's sympathy behind his eyes. He hates leaving her like this, when she needs him most.
"Hey," he begins, his hands coming to rest on her waist, "just think, this time next week, we'll be standing in our new home,permanently, all three of us." He brings one hand across, palming her stomach fondly.
She smiles, a single tear threatening to fall, "I can't wait."
"Me either." He replies, hugging her closely.
"I'm just scared…" she breathes.
"Donna-"
"It's not uncommon in women my age – " he shakes his head, not sure what to do to soothe her worry, God knows he's tried over the past few weeks, her fear of miscarrying stemmed from her sister's own complications in her first pregnancy, it had frightened her,"I just want this first trimester to be over, then I can relax."
"You're going to be okay, both of you, I know you don't believe me –"
"I want to," she admits, resting her hand over his on her stomach, "I just want this so much."
"And we have it," he tries but her frown remains set in stone, "I wish I could take some of that weight off your shoulders."
Donna sighs with a thankful smile, "come on, we better start getting ready… have you even packed yet?" she begins fussing, removing herself from his hold and heading back into the bedroom.
He watches her go, wondering how he got so lucky with her.
XXX
-Hey Don, everything ok?
…
-Yes. All of your meetings were taken care of, everything's running smoothly.
He rolls his eyes at the response, he could care less about his meetings, it's her he wanted to check on.
-I meant are you alright? Feeling any better?
There's a longer wait for a reply this time, he knows what that means.
-Just the usual. Is your flight on time?
-Just boarding now, I'll call you tonight at 11, I should be back at the hotel room by then.
…
-Okay, Fly safe, love you x
-Text me if you need anything. Love you too x
He slips the phone back into his pocket, grabbing the handle of his carry-on bag as he stands from the chair. The flight seems quiet, not many people waiting at the gate to board. Just as he's about to make his way to the desk, a familiar face catches his eye, approaching him, flanked by another man who he doesn't recognize.
"Ross?" Harvey calls with a smile, taking the final few steps to close the gap between them, his hand out stretched to shake, he hadn't seen his friend from the police force in almost a year, although word of his promotion had reached him, "How have you been? Congrats on the new job."
Ross takes his hand, shaking it firmly, "Harvey Specter, good to see you, the circumstances unfortunate however, this is my colleague, Eric," Harvey shakes his hand, although his attention remains on Ross.
"Listen, if you need help on case, I'm afraid now's not a good time-"
"It's not that. Follow me please," He leads them off in the direction of a staff door, leading to a small conference like room and signaling for him to sit.
"What's all this about?" Harvey prompts, fiddling with the cuffs of his suit jacket.
Ross clenches his jaw, "We have reason to believe that Anthony Lawson is back in New York, and furthermore, we believe he may be back with the purpose of evening the score between the two of you."
"Shit." Harvey curses, Anthony Lawson was essentially a gang leader, he'd crossed Harvey's path a few long years ago, in relation to the framing of one of his clients, he'd fled the state on the cusp of being tracked down by the authorities, as a result of the information Harvey had fed them, they'd managed to put away one of his top associates. It was a well-known fact that Harvey had been one of his prime targets since then.
"We have intel which suggests that he planned to intervene on your business trip today, we want to take you into witness protection, but we need to move fast-"
There's only one thought on his mind, "what about Donna? My fiancé, you'll have to take her too."
Ross grimaces, "We have to be careful about how we do this, we have a cover story but you're going to have to work with us."
"What's the cover story?" he asks bluntly.
Ross nods at Eric, who removes a file from his briefcase, handing it to Harvey. The lawyer skims the contents, one glance and he already has his answer.
"No."
Ross clears his throat, "Harvey with all due respect-"
"No, I'm not leaving her, even if it's only for a couple of hours, I'm not putting her at risk-"
"If you go back there now, you'll be putting her at even more risk, you don't get on that flight, and they'll realize something's up." He tries, pleading with his friend to trust him, "you think they haven't got someone watching you?"
It strikes a nerve as he remembers his encounter earlier that morning.
"You promise you'll get her out as soon as you can?" he asks, he can't bear the thought of what he's about to do, knowing he has no other choice.
"We promise." Replies Eric, and Harvey narrows his eyes, scrutinizing the strange man.
"Anything happens to her, and you'll regret the day you were born." He warns, taking a deep breath, "Let's get this show on the road."
Xxx
I'm back!! This is my first multi chapter in a while and about a year on since I wrote my first fic on this site! This one is going to be packed with drama and I'll try to keep the updates regular! Please review and let me know what you think!