The conversation between Donna and Samantha and Donna's nonverbal argument with Harvey during that scene, made me think of this little scene. What if Samantha actually confronts Donna about Harvey?

This was a difficult fanfic to write. I didn´t want to be too fluffy or too ooc. I hope I managed to do that. Enjoy! x

Something had been off with Donna and Harvey. Donna's whole demeanor had changed once she noticed he had entered her office. She changed from fun and bantering to passive aggressive. But a passive aggression with something underneath. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was a lovers tiff of some kind. There was more than met the eye with Donna and Harvey and she would find out. With that thought in mind, she left her office. Not knowing things bothered her but it was too late to ask now. She would have to wait for the right moment and she hoped that moment would present itself sooner rather than later.

Little did she know that she didn´t even need to wait twenty-four hours to get to the bottom of that tension.

It was another normal day at the office. Things had calmed down. Thanks to Donna she understood what it meant that the firm was a family and you helped each other out, that you would keep things in the family. She liked that. It was a new feeling. She was only used to fighting to get her way, to get where she was now. There always had been fighting. Not having to fight and having someone you could trust was different. Almost foreign. It was all thanks to a certain redhead. And she had to be careful not to fall for said redhead.

With those thoughts running through her mind, she made her way to the elevators to go and see a client, when she heard a familiar voice snap at someone. It was Donna. Samantha felt awkward for listening - albeit involuntarily. There seemed to be a lot of irritability with the other person. It was different than voicing her opinion. Something she wasn´t used to in her, as far as she knew her.

Halting for a moment to give them some privacy, well as much privacy as you could give someone in an office. The voice that was the source of Donna's chagrin spoke now. It was Harvey. He seemed defensive but insecure at the same time. It was obvious to her that he was uncomfortable having her snap at him in a public space, at least she assumed that was the reason. It could also be that he didn't want to fight with Donna, but she didn't know them well enough to decide which one was the case.

She waited until she heard her storming away in the opposite direction of where she was standing. Samantha desperately wanted to go and check on her friend but time was running and she couldn't be late. She decided to go and see Donna as soon as she could.

It had been a meeting and a half but she eventually got what she wanted. As soon as she stepped out of the conference room her mind wandered back to Donna. She had to see what was going on. With that thought in mind, she went back to the firm and straight to Donna's office.

She arrived tentatively as she wasn´t sure in what mood she would find her in. Knocking on the glass door just to be sure she wasn´t intruding, she tried to draw Donna's attention to herself. Upon seeing who was standing in her doorway the COO smiled, but Samantha could see that she was not fine. Far from it.

"Hey stranger," Samantha said, stepping into the office.

"Hey yourself."

"We haven´t seen each other all day and I figured we both deserved a drink."

"Oh, God, yes," came a very relieved reply on Donna´s side. The first genuine reaction she had seen on her since she had entered her office.

She got up, took the tumbler and put two glasses on her desk. Donna was pouring in the drinks when Samantha decided to speak up. There wasn´t a way around it, and no way to approach this carefully, so she decided to just rip off the band-aid.

"What's with you and Harvey."

Donna stopped pouring and looked at her somewhat shocked, but immediately trying to put on a poker face again.

"Nothing, why?"

"I couldn´t help overhearing you argue earlier today and last night you were passive-aggressively glaring at each other like an old married couple."

That did it. Donna looked at her intensively and slumped down on her seat. That hadn´t happened before.

"Samantha, I appreciate your concern, but I honestly don't want to talk about it."

Samantha honestly didn´t want to tread on anyone´s toes but she wanted to help her friend and talking was sometimes the only way to get passed a problem. That´s why she decided not to follow Dona's wish.

"I understand that but it won't go away by not talking about it. So why don't you just start from the beginning." They held each other´s gaze until Donna seemed defeated and looked down.

"The beginning of what?" the redhead said somewhat evasively.

"Of that argument, of you and him."

Donna looked at her, insecure. Samantha could see the wheels in her head turning.

"Look, I don´t mean to meddle in other people's business," which earned her a somewhat incredulous look on Donna´s behalf, "but you know you can trust me."

Donna sighed, taking a gulp of her drink. "We had a fight."

"About David Fox?"

"Yes and no. As you know, Harvey wasn´t too pleased about having to work for David and I made him do it, because of the deal I arranged. We got into a fight because his ego couldn´t handle the fact that he had to work for a lying asshole. But instead of handling it the way he should have, calmly and rationally, he behaved like a child and accused me of putting him into this position and told me in my face that I only am where I am today because he put me there. He knows as well as I do that this is bullshit. We have known each other for more than thirteen years and as long as I can remember, he never doubted me. Never made me feel his minor. Never. We have gone through some tough shit together and we were always there for each other. Why turn on me now? I deserve this position and he knows it as well as I do. I - ugh - I am so angry, I…" and with that, she stopped ranting, tears in her eyes, but with a determined look to fight them, not willing to show how much this affected her.

"I am sorry, Donna," but before Samantha could say anything else, she was interrupted again by Donna who clearly was over her initial inhibition of not telling anything.

"Why can´t he just treat me, the way he used to, before the… before everything?"

Donna stopped as if she had almost betrayed someone in front of the headmaster. It hadn´t gone unnoticed by Samantha either who eyed her curiously.

"Before what?"

"Nothing…", sighing once again, "it´s a long story."

"I have time, " Samantha tried to ensure her, make her feel safe.

Donna hesitated for a moment. "The worst thing in Harvey's eyes is infidelity... He was in a relationship up until a few months ago. I knew that, but... I still kissed him."

Samantha couldn´t help but bulge her eyes at this piece of news. Now the angry and tender gazes all began to make sense.

"What happened?"

"Our relationship was tense after that. It went as far that I nearly quit and left the firm for good."

"What changed your mind?"

"Harvey. He tore up the letter of resignation and chose me over Paula. He broke up with her for me."

That was something Samantha hadn't expected. She thought there was more to it, but this became much more than just an office crush. Before she could analyze Donna's words, she continued.

"And it all almost became normal again. The banter, the conversations, the flirting. Just that I am the COO now and not his secretary anymore and he still seems to not understand that we are equal partners and I don´t want to go back on his desk."

"So basically, you two love each other and you work together and he doesn't regard you the way he should at work."

"He doesn´t love me. I don´t think he does. Not in that way. He once told me he did and then took it back, but yes, to the rest."

"He confessed his love to you?" Samantha couldn´t keep her surprise out of her voice.

"And took it back. It was after something I did that nearly landed me in jail. He got me out and told me he loved me."

"But he took it back?"

"The next day when I confronted him about it, about how he loves me, he said it was out of pity."

"He didn´t!"

"He did."

"What did you do?"

"I stopped working for him and started working for Louis."

"That must have been hard."

"It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. We didn't look at each other for weeks, let alone speak to each other properly. At some point, I found out he was having panic attacks because I had left him. There was nothing more I wanted to do than go to him, but I couldn´t. He wasn´t ready."

"You know what I think?" Donna looked at her, glass in her hand, "I think you two are idiots. You love each other and you do nothing about it. Why not? If I didn't know it better I'd say there was even more than just a kiss."

At those words Donna stared down at her glass, keeping her eyes focused on it.

"Oh, there was more! Then why?"

"Because… because he still isn't ready. He has a truckload of issues and if he doesn't face those, he will never be ready. And Harvey doesn´t face emotions, he suppresses them and then tries to run away from them."

"You two need to talk. And I mean talk. Not yell or snap. And he needs to make the first step."

"I know. But you heard what happens if we talk...And don't you dare go to him and tell him that."

"I won't"

Her heart ached for Donna. Samantha wanted to keep her word but she wasn´t too sure if she could. There were two people who clearly cared about each other deeply and they deliberately made it more difficult for themselves than it was actually necessary. She wanted to help her family and those two belonged to it. She had to talk to him.