So, this had been running through my mind for a while now and I just had to write it. So here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't Suits.

Harvey didn't think that he would be coming back here so soon. It wasn't a particularly inviting place when looked upon from the outside. Even when he walked up the two flights of stairs to the second floor it wasn't inviting. The paint chips on the walls and the floors were probably lead-based if he had to guess. The color of the paint left much to be desired and the fake cockeyed metal plates on the door were tarnished and gaudy. Harvey paused at the green door, his fist raised to knock. He had no idea what he was doing, the first time in a long time he was at a loss. He told himself he was just coming over to the apartment to check up on Mike. The kid did just lose his grandmother after all; Harvey remembered how he was after he lost his father. He was good at hiding his emotions to the general masses but when he went home and was alone, it hurt, he hurt, everywhere. He couldn't stop pretending anymore and wallowed. As much as he denied it aloud, Mike was very much like him; the kid pushed away his feelings in public but was probably…no definitely was a wreck if the previous trip to this place was an indicator. Mike needed to be told that just because Harvey had a lapse in judgment and smoked pot with him once did not mean that the rule of no smoking was off the table now. Harvey still expected that Mike should not smoke pot anymore; he didn't need that shit clouding his beautiful mind anymore. It also wasn't best to cloud away the pain either.

So here he was, simply checking in on his friend…his friend. Making a house call to see if he was alright, that he wasn't smoking pot and he wasn't making poor decisions. Harvey let out a breath to steady himself and knocked, three powerful authoritative knocks so Mike would know that it was him. There was no response; no 'hold on', no 'one minute, not even an 'I'm not here!' Simply silence. Harvey wondered if the other man was at home and checked his watch. He could call him but that would require extra effort. Harvey decided to knock again and once he received the same silent response he turned away; he'd check on Mike later he decided. He was halfway turned when he heard a loud bang from behind Mike's door. Startled and slightly feared that someone dangerous could be in the apartment and Mike needed help. Harvey strode to the door and checked the knob to see if it was locked. When the knob turned effortlessly in his hand Harvey rolled his eyes. Of course the idiot would leave his door unlocked; Harvey would need to give Mike a stern talking to about that-Mike didn't live in the safest neighborhood after all. Harvey slowly opened the door, hoping that there really wasn't a burglar in the room beyond the green door. He slid his head cautiously to peer into the room and…that definitely wasn't a burglar Harvey thought when his brain processed what his eyes were seeing.

There was a half naked woman dancing in Mike's apartment.

Harvey blinked, thinking he wasn't seeing this but after the fourth blink and the second eye rub didn't cause the sight to disappear he had to accept that this indeed was happening. There was a half naked woman dancing to muted music in Mike's apartment. Harvey's eyes dragged appreciably over the form of the woman. She was holding an iPod in her left hand as she dragged a dusting cloth over some of the trinkets on the black shelving that Mike had in the apartment. She was wearing a lime green sports bra over her small breasts with a matching pair of lime green yoga shorts clinging to her pert bottom. Her body looked trim, not muscular but she certainly worked out, if the leanness of her thighs were any indication of that. Her waist was small, a natural thinness most women were jealous of, with barely rounded hips; undeniably a body to die for. Her long legs seemed to reach on forever and tapered off at the bottom with long feet, each toenail delicately painted with clear nail polish that glistened with the sunlight coming through the small windows. She was tall, only a little shorter than Harvey with surprisingly short dirty blonde hair; it was endearing on her.

Harvey's ogling was cut short when the song must've ended and the woman turned around seeing Harvey standing there and staring. She gasped and looked down at her body, seeming self-conscious. She looked around and her eyes settled on a suit jacket that was on the couch. She threw it around her shoulders quickly and covered her body. Harvey coughed, embarrassed and quickly closed the door behind him, lest anyone come up the stairs to see the woman in a state of indecency. The woman quickly crossed to the small alcove in the apartment where Mike's bed sat and threw on a robe, depositing the jacket on the bed before coming back into the main room where Harvey was still standing. She took a breath and approached the lawyer.

"Hi." She greeted in a slightly husky voice. Harvey slid a charming smile on; his patented go-getter smile.

"Hi…I wasn't aware Mike had a girlfriend." Harvey noted holding his hand out to the woman's. She giggled.

"I'm not Mike's girlfriend." She assured him, taking the hand and shaking it quickly before pulling her hand back.

"Oh, are you his long lost sister then?" Harvey tried. The blonde shook her head.

"No, Mike's an only child. And no, not a cousin." She said, assuming his next question. Harvey chuckled.

"Then you must be doing a good Christian act." He commented jokingly. The woman laughed loudly.

"The Quiet Man, good one," She deflected turning away and walking over to the kitchenette, absently running over the counter with the rag she left there. Harvey crossed over to her and leaned his elbows on the counter, resting his chin on the tops of his hands, lacing his fingers.

"You aren't going to tell me who you are?" Harvey asked lightly. The woman scoffed and rubbed the rag harder onto the counter.

"Why should I? Maybe I like being mysterious." She shot back, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper. Harvey cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

"I like a good mystery but…I'll get you to tell me." Harvey promised her. This time the woman cocked an eyebrow, a challenging look flashing through her light blue eyes. Familiar looking blue eyes, Harvey thought before sending her a panties-wetting smile. She wasn't fazed.

"You think you get me to tell?" She challenged.

"Oh I can… because I'm the best damn closer in New York and when I want something, I will do anything to get it."

"Anything? You're gonna get me to settle?" She mocked.

"Oh of course my dear." Harvey assured her leaning forward to hold her hand. She glanced down at the hand and looked at Harvey, not impressed.

"You want me to settle?" She teased leaning forward, her voice deepening.

"I'll even orchestrate it." Harvey said the remark rolling off of his tongue while his smirk widened.

Harvey then paused, his smirk falling, the conversation feeling very familiar. There were only three people, besides him, who knew how that conversation went and they were all men. He cocked his head seriously, looking over the woman curiously, noting she looked slightly distressed. The look in her eyes showed him that she wanted to bolt…a look he had seen plenty of times on…

"Mike?" Harvey questioned aloud, causing the other to flinch. Harvey shook his head. "No way." Harvey said standing straight up and walking around the island counter taking her face in his hands. He looked at her up close and saw that, this woman and his associate shared a great deal of facial features. The woman bit her lip and pulled herself away from Harvey, crossing her arms over her chest protectively. Harvey followed her body as she sat on the couch looking every bit like Mike would when he…she?…would sit on Harvey's couch at the office. She sighed and looked up at Harvey with crestfallen eyes.

"What do you want to know?" She asked him, not denying nor confirming anything in her voice.

"Are you Mike?" Harvey asked leaning on the counter. The woman hesitated then nodded shallowly. Harvey sighed sharply and closed his eyes. His hands drifted wearily down his face as he took in her dejected form. Her shoulders slumped forward as her hands were cupping her cheeks. It was uncanny, the similarities to Mike…considering that she was Mike. "How…what…why didn't you tell me?" Harvey finally decided on asking. Mike's eyes found him irritation in his eyes.

"How would that conversation have gone?" She retorted to him sharply, "'Oh yeah Harvey, by the way, besides the fact that I'm not a real lawyer, I was dressed as a man when you gave me the job but I'm really a woman?'" Mike cocked her head to the side sarcastically. Harvey glared at the other occupant in the room.

"You could've told me when we met. You could've said your name was…what is your name anyway?"

"Michelle Ross." Mike responded.

"Michelle?" Harvey drawled out. "How did that go with HR?"

Mike looked pained for a moment. "It's pronounced Michelle but spelled like Michael. Therefore the checks come with 'Michael Ross' written on them and no one is none the wiser." She explained. "Harvey…you don't know what it's like…in the bullpen. The other women are treated like crap by the other associates; I don't treat them like that," Mike interjected quickly, sighing, "I did want to tell you…but I…"

"Did you think I would treat you like that?" Harvey inquired incredulously. Mike winced before beginning to stutter.

"No…you…well…" She began to think about the first few weeks working under Harvey; how cold he was, unhelping and unfeeling. Would it have been different, had she told him? Harvey took her silent thoughts uneasily.

"You think that poorly of me?" Harvey asked her, trying and failing to mask the hurt in his voice. Mike looked sheepish as she shook her head.

"No, but…you weren't exactly the most helpful in the office when I first started."

"So you kept the secret based on the fact that I was …hard on you?" Harvey asked.

"I…it was a combination of things…the associates, Louis…Rachel..." Mike trailed off. Harvey rounded the island and came to the couch next to her.

"Didn't you go out with her…you didn't tell her?" Harvey asked.

"I didn't think about it fully, you know the bigger of the two secrets was on the forefront of my mind at the time." Mike admitted, her shoulders shrugging.

"So your being a woman was the lesser of two evils and you wanted to tell her about you being a fraud. Didn't you tell me you didn't want a relationship based on a lie?" Harvey questioned, his eyes narrowing. Mike sighed.

"I didn't tell her anything anyway, so it doesn't matter." Mike waved her hand, waving away the conversation as it didn't make much sense to her now.

"Okay…but...Rene, I sent you to him, didn't he figure it out?"

"I'm very convincing. He didn't have to touch much around me." Mike shrugged again. Harvey looked at the woman beside him in awe; this…she was able to keep such secrets, despite not wanting to.

"Now…why did your grandmother go along with it? When she came to the office before she…passed...she called you Michael." Harvey pointed out. Mike smiled sadly at the mention of his grandmother.

"Because she wanted to see me happy my entire life. When I told her that I got this job but I was masquerading as a man…she didn't care. It didn't stop her from calling me Michelle though." Mike's lips pulled in embarrassment with the name.

"Why is your name spelled Michael?" Harvey asked, intrigued by his associate's secret life.

Mike sighed and pulled a hand through her short hair. "My dad…wanted a boy…heh…isn't that how all secret gender stories begin? I've read enough of them to know…" Mike trailed off humorlessly. "He wanted a boy and already wrote Michael on the birth certificate; he didn't go in with my mom…but when he found out I was a girl, he refused to change my name, instead calling me Michelle since it phonetically is the same, the al sound in particular." She explained sadly.

"So when you told me about the problems you had with your father…were they about your gender?" He asked carefully, not wanting to upset her too much.

"Mostly…then it was about my memory…I loved him a lot and I didn't want to fight all the time…" Mike explained, "I started calling myself 'Mike' to make him happy…it didn't sit well with my mom but she accepted me, whatever I did she supported me…" Mike remarked sadly, remembering her parents. "And when they died and all I can remember is the last words we said to each other…" She said monotonically, her blue eyes tearing up as she undoubtedly remembered the words in perfect clarity. "I'm not upset I'm a girl. I'm not ashamed of it and I don't wish to be a boy," Mike said frantically, trying to convince Harvey of what she was saying. "He never said it out loud but I could see it in his eyes. I love being a girl…sometimes…you know when I don't have my period." She joked sadly, trying to laugh, to make Harvey laugh but he wasn't laughing. "Are you mad at me?" Mike said quietly.

"No…I'm not mad at you…who knows?" He asked just as quiet.

"Trevor, Jenny, Tess, and Donna."

"Donna knows?"

"Of course Donna knows. She knows everything." Mike said exasperatingly.

"How?"

"She caught me in the bathroom trying to get…a tampon." Mike said, her cheeks coloring with a slight pink. Harvey held back a chuckle, picturing in his head how that conversation went down. Mike must've heard him because she sent him a chilly glare complete with narrowed eyes.

"Sorry… so…hm." Harvey looked around the room in thought as he tried to figure out what his next plan of attack would be. "Why not let the secret out now?" He suggested. Mike's eyes widened so much, Harvey thought they would fall out of her skull.

"What? Harvey…I can't now. Not after Hardman leaving."

"It's a clean slate. We're going to rebuild the firm, cut some loose ends and now's the perfect time."

"But if this gets out then…won't the other one come out?" Mike asked quietly. Harvey took a hand and squeezed it gently.

"I told you before; you aren't getting fired on my watch. We're in this for the long haul." He promised. "They're not going to look, we're safe." He assured her, holding her hand tightly. Mike looked at their conjoined hands and back up to Harvey's face, looking into his eyes. She searched the brown depths for the emotions running through them. She heard the words, could feel the unspoken plea for her to trust him. She wanted to; she had to because she had no one else now. She swallowed and then sighed.

"I…need to think about it." She told him. He nodded.

"I understand." Harvey said letting go of her hand. He rocked on the couch for a moment before standing. Mike stood up and walked him to the door. Harvey turned the knob and opened the door, Mike following behind him. Harvey turned to the woman and paused. "I'll see you at work." Harvey told her before turning to walk out of the hall. Mike watched him go down the stairs before turning into her apartment, closing the door behind her.

I'd like to feedback from you about this story; what you like, what you don't like...anything. So leave a review or a PM.

KatrinaKaiba