For the third night a row Mike was still at his desk in the otherwise deserted office as the clocked near 1am. He was exhausted, hunched over yet another pile of paperwork as he read through and highlighted the brief in his hand. Mike had been working practically around the clock trying to redeem himself for the mock trial that he had essentially forfeited. Mike wouldn't apologize for what he had done but he knew that he had disappointed his mentor and he would do almost anything to make up for that. Mike wasn't sure when Harvey's opinion had become so important to him but the fact remained that Mike wanted desperately to make the older man proud.
Mike yawned with a quick shake of his head as he read through the last paragraph on the page. He quickly made some notes in the margin about a wording issue and capped his pen and highlighter. Harvey wouldn't actually need this research for at least another two days but Mike knew that it would make the transition between cases easier if all of the information was organized and just waiting to be read. As Mike began to clean up his cluttered desk and repack the two large boxes on the floor next to him he thought back over the past week.
Mike had caught a glimpse of Harvey leaving after the trial ended, with that disappointed look on his face, but the older man was nowhere to be found when Mike went looking for him before leaving the offices that night. Starting the next morning Harvey had kept Mike busy with nothing but paperwork and then, just for good measure, more paperwork. No client meetings either in or out of the office and Mike hadn't accompanied Harvey to court despite the several open cases that the older man was juggling. In fact, Mike hadn't seen very much of Harvey at all except to drop off and pick up papers. Any conversation was short and to the point, Mike unable to look Harvey in the eyes and Harvey barely even glancing at Mike.
The young associate couldn't help but yawn again as he carried the boxes down the hall to the corner office that belonged to his boss. The hallways were lit with dimmed lights, just bright enough that you could see your way, though Mike was so familiar with this path by now that he could have maneuvered it blindfolded. Arriving at the office he used his shoulder to gently and quietly push the glass door open. There was no reason to be quiet, after all there was no one else on the floor, but Mike felt like making any noise would disturb the near sanctity of the office that was present when Harvey wasn't actually occupying it. Both boxes were deposited on top of the otherwise clean work space and Mike took a second to look out of the large glass windows that lined two of the walls. New York twinkled below him, the noise of the constant hustle and bustle of the city not quite reaching up to where Mike was. Once again Mike became lost in his thoughts about the last week. The other associates, especially Kyle, had been ruthless in their hazing, which had bordered on harassing. Mike could handle them fine though; it's not like he hadn't been picked on endlessly as a kid because of his memory and IQ. Despite himself it still left Mike feeling depressed and more than a little sorry for himself.
It was only when Mike almost fell over that he realized he had fallen asleep leaning against the windows staring out at the sky. With another giant yawn Mike ran his left hand through his hair and turned around away from the windows. Catching sight of Harvey's couch gave him pause. He knew he was too tired to bike home (safety first after all) but his desk was definitely no place to nap for a few hours. The couch on the other hand…he could catch a couple hours of much needed rest and still be up and at his desk before anyone else came in. He would just use the alarm on his phone to wake him. Mike knew this was a bad idea, knew that he should walk out of Harvey's office and go back to his own desk and think of somewhere else to sleep. However his body and a different plan and before Mike knew what he was doing he was lying on his side facing the back of the couch, head pillowed on the arm rest and arms tucked against him. He fell into a deep sleep before he could set the alarm.
Harvey walked into the office with his usual morning cup of coffee in his right hand and the newspaper folded up and tucked under his arm. He stopped at Donna's desk to pick up his messages and get a rundown of what his day looked like.
"You have a meeting at 10 with Daniel Petersen in regards to the merger and Jessica wanted to see you as soon as you came in," Donna said while handing him his messages with her left hand, her right still on her mouse and eyes still focused straight ahead on the computer screen.
Harvey quickly scanned his messages to make sure there was nothing that required his immediate attention and seeing nothing that indicated a crisis was imminent amongst his clients Harvey turned back to Donna. "Good morning to you too," Harvey replied with his trademark smirk in place. "What has us in such a fine mood this morning?"
Donna stopped typing and turned to face her boss. He was of course in one of his three piece suits, his black jacket buttoned over the vest and his hair slicked back perfectly. Very few knew Harvey like Donna did though and that was why she was she was able to see through the shiny exterior to see the man underneath. "You look tired Harvey. Having trouble sleeping?"
"When did you become responsible for monitoring my sleep habits? For all you know I brought a woman home with me last night." His reply was flippant but lacked some of the usual mirth that was present when the two of them argued. It was clear to Donna that he gave her this type of reply simply because it was what was expected rather than because he felt like verbally dueling with her this morning.
"We both know you were home alone last night Harvey," came the soft reply. "I can't help being a little bit worried about you. You've been off since last week, since the mock trial. You haven't talked to Mike about it yet have you?"
Harvey flashed a look of irritation at her and began to walk away from her desk. "There's nothing to talk about. The kid screwed up." At having the final word Harvey made his way down the hall to Jessica's office and after a few short moments of flirting with the secretary he was granted access. He didn't need the approval mind you but since he wasn't sure why Jessica wanted to see him in the first place Harvey decided to play by the rules until he was given a reason not to.
Jessica Pearson was sitting behind her desk, legs crossed and reading a file. She looked up as Harvey entered and gave him a small nod of greeting, flicking her gaze at one of two chairs across from her desk in an invitation to sit. Harvey unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat in the chair that he considered "his" whenever he visited Jessica's office. As Jessica finished scanning the document she had open in front of her Harvey allowed himself to look around the office even though he knew it as well as he knew his own. Harvey had never had a lot of patience before and this was no exception, so after a few minutes of waiting he decided to address Jessica and try to get this impromptu meeting over with. "Donna told me that you needed to see me right away so I thought that it must be important…" his voice trailed off a bit at the end though not losing any of its conviction, making it clear that he wanted an answer sooner rather than later.
"Don't even try to pull that with me Harvey, you know better," Jessica replied, finally looking up from the folder on her desk to shoot her newest senior partner a glare. Harvey just grinned back because whether she liked it or not she was finally talking and they could begin making some progress. "I wanted to talk to you about Mike Ross."
Harvey's eyes widened just a fraction as his boss mentioned his associate's name. There was a quick moment where Harvey worried that Jessica had dug into Mike's background and found out their little secret but then Harvey schooled his features like the pro that he knew he was and waited for Jessica to give him some indication of where this conversation was going.
"Harvey, despite my better judgment I like Mike. I do. I think he has a lot of potential and the fact that he's such a hard worker is going to take him places fast." Harvey felt himself relax slightly as he realized that Jessica was not preparing to call him out on his boldfaced lie to her and her company. "However, we both know that he's going to have to toughen up in the courtroom or all of his work will be for nothing. You're supposed to be mentoring him, teaching him, guiding him if you will. With Mike's potential and your already nationally recognized skills the two of you could easily be the best duo in the game."
"I'm already the best in the game," Harvey replied easily, his smug smirk firmly in place on his handsome face as he smoothed his vest and adjusted his jacket while his brown eyes twinkled at his friend.
"If you're this good by yourself, just imagine what new heights you could reach if there were two of you." Jessica's challenge gave Harvey pause. What if there was another him? Two of him to manipulate the competition, outsmart whatever idiot they were up against, out-maneuver the other side of the courtroom. It would be a sight to behold that was for sure.
"No one is another me," came Harvey's anticipated reply. He even managed to look offended at the thought that he could be replicated even though he had just been enjoying several of those scenes in his mind.
"Harvey, let me ask you something. Does Mike work hard?"
Harvey surprised himself with how quickly he was able to answer that question, not even needing to think for a second. "Yes. I'll give the kid that. He reads through paperwork like a puppy chews through his toys." Harvey thought back to all the files that Mike had breezed through, all the research he had been able to manage. The more Harvey thought about it the more he realized that he had come to rely heavily on Mike to handle the paperwork. There were still some screw ups of course, the kid was practically brand new, but he had quickly improved and could now handle the majority of the work himself, only asking for help in the more complicated situations.
Jessica looked at Harvey steadily until the man sitting across from her desk made eye contact. "I want you to start working with him." Jessica quickly held up her hand to stop Harvey from interrupting her. "I mean really working with him. He already knows how to do the research. Now he needs to start learning how to work a courtroom, how to control a jury, how to perform in front of the judge. He isn't going to learn these things on his own Harvey. And who better than you to teach him?"
Harvey considered Jessica as they watched one another. The mock trial had made it clear that Mike needed work in this area. Harvey remembered the lost look he saw on Mike's face right before he strolled down the hallway after the trial had concluded, not looking back, not bothering to check on his associate to see how he was doing before he left the building that night. There was just one problem. "How do you teach someone who does nothing but argue with you over your approach, who thinks they know better than you?"
"You mean someone like yourself? You didn't want to hire another Harvard clone. You wanted someone who could think for themselves, who could think on their feet. I think you found him. Face it Harvey, Mike is a challenge and you love a challenge. He isn't going to follow you blindly; he's going to ask questions, he's going to want answers. But something tells me that if you're up front with him, Mike will still follow you anywhere."
Harvey sat, staring at Jessica but not really seeing her, for what felt like hours. His face was blank but his mind was whirling at lightning speed, considering what Jessica had just told him and thinking through the last several months that Mike had been working for him. The rookie had proved himself useful time and again, won a few minor cases (with help, but he was still new) and had signed a few clients for he and Harvey. Mike had come farther in a few months than any other associate out on the floor.
Jessica was watching Harvey closely, waiting for him to come to a decision about the matter. As the boss, she could try to order Harvey to do what she wanted him to do but Jessica knew that if Harvey arrived at this decision on his own it would be much more fruitful, for him, for Mike and ultimately for her. Plus, she genuinely did like the kid. She knew the moment Harvey had reached his decision and she smiled, changing the subject. "Good. I also wanted to ask you about the Petersen merger. I know you have a meeting with him this morning."
Harvey made eye contact with Jessica again and this time he gave a true smile. "Yes. The meeting is at 10, according to Donna anyway. The files are in my office. Walk with me?"
They both rose from their chairs and met by the door before exiting the room and heading back down the hallway side by side to Harvey's office. Their pace wasn't hurried and neither spoke, both lost in their thoughts about the conversation they had just had. As they arrived at his office Harvey opened the door for his boss and waved her in telling Donna to hold his calls. Harvey moved over to his desk and immediately noticed the two boxes lying on top. Jessica noticed also. "I didn't know you had started another case Harvey. I was under the impression you were still putting the finishing touches on the Petersen merger."
"I am," Harvey replied, his confusion plain in his voice. "That's why the meeting is scheduled for this morning. Everything should be wrapped up then." Harvey took the lid off of the top box and pulled out the first folder that he grabbed with his hand. After quickly scanning the top page Harvey realized that he was reading the McKinnon files, the case that he had given Mike not even two full days ago and that he wouldn't even be ready for until Monday. Yet here were the files, each folder with Mike's writing in the margins, tabs along the sides of the pages and a multitude of colors highlighting various sentences or sometimes whole paragraphs. "I gave this case to Mike to start reading through the other night. I never expected him to finish so quickly though."
"We knew he had no problem with the paperwork," Jessica replied easily as she glanced through another folder. She was just about to ask Harvey her question about the Petersen case when they both heard a rustling sound and a whimper from the other side of the room. Both turned and found Mike sprawled along the couch, one arm hanging over the side so that his hand rested on the floor.
"What the…?" Harvey started but never finished as all of a sudden Mike startled awake and sat bolt upright on the couch. After running his hand over his face and giving his head a shake Mike swung his legs to the floor and looked up, finally noticing the other two occupants of the room.
Mike could literally feel the blood drain out of his face. His palms started shaking and sweat started to bead on his forehead. The amused look on Jessica's face he could deal with but the thunderous look on Harvey's was enough to convince Mike that he would be fired as soon as his boss recovered enough to start yelling. He jumped off of the couch and ran out of the office, leaving Harvey and Jessica staring after him and causing Donna to jump a mile high out of her chair as he rushed past.
Mike had spent the whole day at his desk waiting for Harvey to come down to his cubicle and fire him, or for Donna to page him and say that Harvey was waiting in his office to fire him, or a pink slip to magically appear next to him with the words "You're Fired" written across the top. All day Mike waited. He was sure he was going to go into cardiac arrest from the stress. He got nothing done, couldn't even focus enough to get through one folder. What Mike did do was sit hunched over some papers so that he looked busy and tried to think of a way to find a new job, a way to tell his grandmother that he got fired.
When his office phone buzzed at 4:30 that afternoon, Mike felt his heart rate triple. He was sweaty and shaky and he considered not answering, but he didn't really have a choice. Taking a deep breath Mike grabbed the handset and practically whispered "Hello? This is Mike," into the phone. The voice that answered him was of course that of his boss.
"Mike, I need you to come down to my office. There's something important I need to discuss with you." Then the dial tone sounded. Mike sat for a minute staring at the phone in his hand. Slowly he got up and made his way down the hall. Not going to see Harvey was not an option; the older man would just come to his cubicle then. At least Harvey's office offered some privacy so that Mike could get fired without everyone listening.
Mike stopped next to Donna's desk and glanced inside. Harvey stood at the windows staring out at the skyline with his hands in his pockets. Mike noticed that his boss had taken off his suit jacket. "I guess he wants to be comfortable while he fires me," Mike thought. Donna wasn't at her desk and Mike made a mental note to send the red-head some nice flowers as a thank you for everything she had done. Taking a deep breath Mike pushed open the door to the office and stood just inside. "You wanted to see me Harvey?"
Harvey turned at the quiet voice. The kid was staring down at the floor, arms hanging limp at his sides. The fact that he looked like a little boy didn't escape Harvey. "Yeah, I wanted to thank you for finishing the McKinnon files so fast. I went through them this afternoon and there's some real good stuff in there Mike."
Mike couldn't help but to glance up at Harvey though his gaze quickly returned to the floor. That was definitely not what Mike had been expecting to hear but that didn't mean that the rest wasn't yet to come. "Oh. You're um, you're welcome." Mike put his hands in his pockets and waited. He started bouncing on his feet a little to burn off some of the nervous energy.
Harvey was still standing near the windows, now with his back to the scenery. He took in Mike's appearance, the paleness of his face, the way the suit seemed to be a little too big for him. There was a tightness in Harvey's chest as he took in his associate's haggard appearance. How in the hell had he missed this? "Mike, why don't you have a seat?"
"No, that's ok Harvey. I think I'll just stand. Easier to leave after you fire me, you know?"
To say that Harvey was shocked was an understatement. The kid really thought he was going to get fired? It was definitely time to do some damage control and fast. Harvey thought back to his meeting with Jessica that morning and decided that maybe it was time to start being upfront with the younger man. "Mike, I am not going to fire you. You're the best associate I've seen in years and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you go and then be forced to replace you with some nitwit," Harvey said.
Now it was Mike's turn to be shocked. He stood, rooted to the spot, staring at Harvey who was looking right back. It was the first time the two had made eye contact in a week and neither was ready to quite look away. Mike took in the look on Harvey's face, the openness and the honesty, and Mike had the strangest thought that maybe this week had been just as hard on Harvey as it had been on him. Still not sure what to say Mike just continued to stand where he was.
Harvey sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He moved over towards his desk and sat in his chair, reclining slightly before turning towards Mike. "I had a meeting with Jessica this morning." Mike's apprehensive look was enough to cause Harvey to smile. "I promise that she doesn't want to fire you either. In fact she spent a good chunk of that meeting telling me all the ways that I've failed you as a mentor."
"What? No Harvey, I'm the one who let you down. I'm the one who botched the mock trial and disappointed you. You didn't do anything wrong." Mike had started moving toward Harvey the moment he started speaking and by the time he was done he was standing right in front of the desk.
"Yeah Mike I did a lot wrong. My advice was to not go to trial! I could have helped you prepare an argument, put together a witness list, something. I didn't do any of that. I left you out there on your own without so much as a safety net. As far as being disappointed…"
Mike's face immediately regained the sullen expression that it had when Mike first stepped into the office. "I know and I'm sorry," he whispered once again unable to look at Harvey, afraid of what he would see.
Harvey sighed. "No Mike you don't know. Look at me." Harvey waited until Mike made eye contact and then Harvey leaned forward in his seat to make sure he had the kid's full attention. "I was disappointed, but not disappointed in you. I know what you're capable of Mike. I've seen you out-think and out-play some of the best minds in the business already. But at that mock trial, none of the other partners got to see you in action; they didn't see what you're really capable of. No, Mike I wasn't disappointed in you."
"But I lost the trial. Jessica told me that I wasn't what Pearson Hardman was looking for."
"Well today she told me that she liked you." This time the look on Mike's face actually made Harvey laugh. "She likes you and she wants to make sure that I start teaching you how to be a lawyer instead of nothing more than a glorified research boy."
Mike was starting to look like his old self, some color had returned to his face and his eyes looked like they had some life in them again. He was still guarded though and Harvey was determined to fix that. "What about what you want Harvey? Or is this whole conversation happening because Jessica told you to?"
Harvey maintained full eye contact while he answered the question. "Yes, Jessica told me to start training you properly. But do you think that I would be having this conversation with you if I didn't want to? I could trade you to another partner or find some other way to make this not be my problem. What about what I want? I want to make this right Mike. You're my associate and it's my job to train you. More than that, I want to teach you. If you'd let me after this week."
The unasked question hung in the air between the two men. Did Mike still want to work for Harvey? Harvey was waiting with a knot in his stomach. He really didn't know what he would do if Mike told him no and walked away. He would deserve it but he sure as hell wouldn't like it. After several long moments Mike looked up at him with a small smile on his face. "Yeah Harvey I think that I would like that."
Harvey got up from the chair and rounded his desk. "Come here." He pulled Mike into a hug and held the smaller man there for a minute. Mike in turn wrapped his arms around Harvey's back and enjoyed the first hug from someone who wasn't his grandmother in almost a decade. Harvey's voice caught his attention again. "I'm proud of you. I'm proud of the work you've done here and the progress you've made. You're not that same kid that busted into my interviews with a briefcase of pot," Harvey said causing both men to laugh.
Mike stepped back out of Harvey's arms and finally looked up at the older man with a face free of worry. "I'm not that kid anymore because of the opportunity that you gave me. It was the second chance that I needed and I meant it when I said that I wanted to be the best lawyer you have ever seen."
"Second best lawyer I've ever seen. I'm still going to be number one kid." Mike couldn't help but laugh at the typical Harvey reply and the older man smiled at the laugh that he hadn't heard in too long. "Are we good?"
"Yeah," Mike nodded. "We're good. Thank you."
The two smiled at each other before Harvey said "So I have dinner with a client scheduled for 7." Harvey looked up at Mike and said "I know it is short notice but if you can make it I would appreciate having you there."
"Sure I can make it," Mike answered in a rush, elated at the chance to be included in the cases again. There was no way he was going to turn this down.
"Good," Harvey said as he walked to the door with Mike following him. "I wasn't sure you were properly rested after spending the night on my office couch." Mike could hear the smirk in Harvey's voice and he rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
"Next time just be sure you're up before Jessica comes in," Harvey replied while throwing his arm around Mike's shoulder as they walked toward the elevator. Mike grinned and nodded at the basic open invitation. "Good boy."