AN: SORRY! It took me long enough to post the announcements...again! It went a little like this: This is the sequel of "Don't Talk To Her Like That" that I posted like a million years ago (or so it feels like)..."The Rogue Cub" it's been nothing but trouble with my writer's block and life in general...it's misery anyways a round of thanks to:
StarRose2011, Mirioni Toku, forensicduck, MTChS (Sorry for my tardiness, I hope this makes up for it though), Anbu Fox, Maxir, Orchidae (Told you, I was oing to continue!)
Attention: In order to understand better read "Don't Talk To Her Like That"
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything but the plot and its ridiculousness...USA Network and Aaron Korsh are responsible for every marvelous character...
Due to popular demand, here it is:
The Lost Weekend Of Forever
x
After his demonstration that Mike Ross in fact was a very ballsy man and a worthy associate under Harvey Specter's wing, the kid had an early lunch with his wife –Rachel, you know the pretty paralegal that is also pregnant!– and was back to his passive aggressive self.
The same couldn't be said about the rest of the associates, who looked at him with mixed emotions in their faces. 'Jealous douches.' He just focuseoing to continued on his work, silently waiting for the other shoe to finally drop.
The only warning Mike had was the shadow of his boss, the man he owed endlessly and who without breaking his stride tapped Mike's cubicle wall and with a fleeting move of his head beckoned Mike towards his opulent office. 'Well might as do it now…shit!'
Mike sent a silent prayer somewhere in the universe as he trailed after Harvey like an obedient puppy, he really needed some back-up here. As Mike passed Donna's desk he was glad too for his big blues.
Donna glared yet there was a gleam that spoke of the mirth she felt with what he knew she knew and a smirk that said: 'Good job puppy.' He stayed longer that he should have it seems if the redhead's pointed look was anything to go by. "I'm going, I'm going…"
'Geez! That woman and her control of information' Mike knocked for the first time before coming inside, Harvey gave him a pointed look that followed his words. "You finally knocked? Now?"
Mike just shrugged and took a seat in front of the other man, squared his shoulders and without beating around the bush said: "How much did you get to hear?"
"Not really important, but around the part where you were about two seconds from punching a Junior Partner in front of your pregnant wife. What was that?"
"Oh"
"Oh? Do you know how close you were to lose your dream job? The one I'm staking my career in for? My hard earned career?" Harvey was worked up; facing Mike at the moment was doing no good to his 'in a short leash' emotions. "You act stupid on purpose, Mike? Is this some kind of joke to you?"
The associate blushed and shook his head, eyes downcast, after a couple of minutes silent, Mike's face was transformed. His blue orbs fiercely narrowed and lips curled in a snarl. "I wasn't going to let him or anyone and I mean anyone Harvey, give her shit about mistakes that are not her own."
Harvey was then and there very proud of himself for not flinching at this Mike. "Kid, I'm all for putting Louis in place but you have to understand…"
"That I'm nothing but a dispensable associate, I know." Harvey was seriously thinking of suing him; the kid was giving him whiplash. There was no denying though his puppy was very defensive of the pretty para…- his family!
"Are you interrupting me?" The rhetorical question had Mike glaring at the floor and biting his lip.
"You sound like Rachel." Harvey heard Mike murmur, okay how was he the wife here?
"She's a smart girl, with a dumb choice for a husband."
"Hey!"
Harvey quirked an eyebrow and rolled his eyes while Mike huffed and pouted. "Child. And how all this came to fruition?"
"And we weren't even invited? You see Harvey? Ungrateful…" Donna's voice made Mike snap his eyes, frantic and fearful Donna's no doubt coming retribution.
"N…no…It wasn't like that Donna, Harvey?" Mike was looking for his help, and until Harvey had the full story, the kid was on his own. "I... oh ok look. Neither Rachel or me were planning for this to happen, ok?"
"You can do better." Donna simply said taking Harvey's words right out of his mouth. "I want a full narrative, to even consider forgiving you for your blatant disregard of my opinion and feelings…I have feelings Michael!" The choked sob at the end had Mike ready to bolt and probably grovel at Donna on his knees. Harvey wanted to laugh.
"F…fine, just Donna, please don't cry?" Mike got out quickly, eyes searching the room and legs bopping up and down.
"Are you telling me what to do?" She asked, irritation dripping from her voice and through the intercom, the younger lawyer cringed and shook his head.
"Donna, he's close to having a panic attack and we need him conscious for this." Harvey calmly spoke, getting up and pouring his favorite scotch in two tumblers, giving one to Mike while sitting back with his own already close to his sinful lips.
"Fine" Donna huffed, then with a chipper voice said. "Carry on Mike."
The rookie downed the contents from his glass and cleared his throat. "Yeah, well it happened like this, remember that weekend you couldn't get a reach of me? I told you, I wasn't in the vicinity of my phone." He looked around the office, gave the office phone a pointed look, cleared his throat again and looked at Harvey. "Actually I wasn't even the same state as my phone, you see…"
Mike sighed for the umpteenth time in the last two hours, his mind was failing him in the worst moment, and well if he was completely honest with himself this week has been a major suck of his spirit, mind and soul. He wanted nothing more than to huddle in his apartment and sleep the whole weekend, maybe eat the greasiest pizza and the cheapest beer his broke ass could afford, then go back to sleep.
Everything had been a seesaw since the Drybeck-Aberdeen accountants/thieves/spy/kissing-Rachel-while-pseudo-dating-Jenny episode. His paranoia was somewhat abated but then Jenny had become suspicious of Mike and said that she couldn't risk her heart getting broken again and had dismissed their relationship, they were going through the awkward friends phase now and it sucked, then there was Rachel, his hot paralegal 'friend' who rejected him, fought him and then fucking KISSED him! And back to square 1 again.
"Oh fuck!" Mike sighed, it was 7:30 pm on a Friday night and he was nowhere near done with the briefs, even though they weren't needed until Wednesday, he wanted to be free to disappear inside his bed sheets without a single worry in the world.
"You're still here?" The question made a tiny smile crept to his lips, at the Rachel-esque sass, he'd missed that sass!
"So are you, what's the big idea here?" He shot back, those were the first non-awkward -Oh My God we kissed! - words they have spoken in weeks, Mike leaned back and gave her a once over, arching a brow.
"I'm on my way out, actually."
"Walking on the wrong direction? Is there an alternative exit I don't know about?" He jabbed at her and she laughed at his sarcasm.
"Yes, I'm rappelling down."
"In those Manolo's. Bad ass."
"That's me! And I don't know whether to be impressed you know what kind of shoes I'm wearing, or scared that you know at all?" Rachel smirked and Mike chuckled.
"It's part of my vast knowledge." Sticking out his chest, in a display of manliness. "Wait for me then, I can't concentrate, so there's no use in staying longer than I planned to." She quirked an eyebrow this time and put her hands to her hips. "What?"
"Is something troubling you Mike?" His eyes widen and he chuckled nervously.
"No, I'm fine."
"Bullshit!" Mike shook his head in quick and jerky repetitions; she wasn't swayed by his cuteness. "Don't forget I'm around lawyers all day long, my Bullshit-meter is top notch."
"Oh God!" Mike gasped in a laugh. "Bullshit-meter?"
"Glad to know you still can laugh, even if is at the expense of my superior ways of speech." She said haughtily, nose in the air as she entered the elevator. They were standing side by side inside the elevator, Mike trying and half failing to control his laughter, 'Oh goodness he'd missed her so!' Mike thought fondly. "So are you?"
"Uh?"
"Alright, are you?"
"It's…it's complicated. A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks, I just feel a bit overwhelmed at times." He shrugged and leaned back against the wall of the cart. From his peripheral Mike caught Rachel nodding, deep in thought it seemed. "Are you? I mean, are you alright?"
"I got it without the rephrasing Mike, and yeah I think so." She murmured more to herself than to Mike, and with a swift shift of volume, she turned to him as the doors opened. "What are you doing?"
"What'chu mean?"
"In the weekend? You're leaving early, going out with Jenny?" At the pursing of his lips, she backtracked. "Sorry, it's none of my busine-…"
"No!" he jumped as they stopped just outside the building; Mike couldn't allow himself to lose what little people that seemly cared for him anymore, and Rachel misinterpreting something again might do just sever what little they do have. "Jenny… well it was doomed anyways and I was just going to head home and hibernate for the weekend, Heaven knows I need what little luxury of free time I get."
Rachel laughed under her breath, shaking her head as she did so. "Rookies."
"Hey!" his mock hurt only fueled her laughter. "Glad to know my pain gives you the giggles. So we're clear, if you fall down in your fit I'm leaving you there."
A crazy, very crazy idea popped in her head at the moment and she just went with the flow. "Let's go to dinner, my treat!"
Mike eyes widen and for a second she waited for 'no', but as always he left her reeling. "Are you asking me on a date Ms. Zane?"
Fuck-head! "No! I'm inviting you to dine with me."
"It sounded an awful lot like a date from where I'm standing."
"Just say no then!" She sanpped.
"I wasn't declining Rachel, keep the claws at bay, I was just teasing."
"So…"
"Let's go, I'm famished!"
They actually ate in the very restaurant where Mike held his Rookie Dinner and they mostly talked about the work they've been buried in for the past few weeks, nothing too personal. They argued about beer and wine, calling it a tie as the exited, flushed with the warmth of good food, good company and laughter.
"I had a great time, thanks Rachel." Mike said to the brunette hanging on his arm, his boyish smile in place, eyes filled with content.
"Me too, oh Lord! I haven't had that much fun in a while." Her whiskey brown eyes were shiny and open. Rachel added wistfully. "It makes me wish that it doesn't end."
"There still early in another part of the world." Mike threw without much thought. Rachel's head snapped to face him and her whole demeanor changed. Had he said something…?
"That's very true." She whispered, but an instant later Rachel let go of his arms and stood at the edge of the curb. The lawyer frowned at his friend strange behavior but shrugged in the end.
"Well I should get going, see you on Monday?"
Rachel gave him a look over her shoulder and Mike had a hard time finding his bearings and almost swallowing his own tongue. "Sure, see you Monday, Mike." Two seconds later, a yellow cab stole her away into the night, leaving Mike also wishing for an endless night.
By the time he got home all his plans for the weekend, looked dull and with a huff, Mike stripped, showered and then tidied up his humble apartment, he was so far gone in his task that the knock on his door had him jumping 3 feet in the air. Hand steady over his heart he went to see who was interrupting his boring night.
The next second he open the door, eyes wide and question in the tip of his tongue. "Rachel!"
She was standing there in a little black dress hugging and accentuating her curves, strappy high heels, hair tied to the side, exposing her neck from where a little gold chain rested against her tan skin. And she was giving him a once over with those smoky eyes of hers. "I called you…"
"Oh!" he expressed lamely, shaking his head, Mike motion her to come inside. "I forgot to turn up the volume, why are you here? And how do you know where I live?"
"I kept thinking about what you said earlier and this crazy idea popped into my head." She was a bit fidgety, while she looked anywhere but at him. "And you know working in a law firm doesn't allow us to enjoy the decadence of the world and I thought why not take the night, paint the town red and stuff…"
She was babbling, Mike knew it, she knew it and he tried to pull her out of her misery. His voice just a bit apprehensive but deeply amused. You never know with the women of Pearson Hardman, bad ass bunch. "Rachel, what's going on?"
"Well I kinda…got us a flight somewhere where is early?"
Mike choked on his own spit. "A…a flight? Where?"
"Las Vegas" she answered sheepishly, heat flooding her cheeks.
"Let me get this straight." Harvey interrupted Mike's narrative. "Rachel took you on a date…"
"It wasn't a date!" Mike defended, Harvey just raised his eyebrows, silently pointing out Mike's ill argument given his current situation, the younger man's shoulders sagged and he muttered with a childish pout. "Whatever."
"Then flew you out to Vegas for the weekend, and you did all the clichéd 'Get wasted, get married' thing you see in movies?" Harvey was playing with the kid, but if Mike's furious blush was anything to go by, he'd been spot on. "That's exactly what you did, didn't you?"
"Do you wanna hear what happened or don't you?"
"Harvey, shut up. I wanna know Mike's male version of Pretty Woman." Donna said and Mike's eyes widen as he caught on her implication.
"How am I Julia Roberts here, Donna?" He asked clearly miffed.
"She's clearly the loaded one here kid, do go on" She said dismissively while the steady hit of fingers on the keyboard filled the silence.
Mike tighten his jaw before pseudo-relaxing. "Since it's already been implied that I'm a clichéd broke hooker, might as well tell you the rest…It took me a while to process everything but in the end I caved."
"Clearly, Julia." Harvey smirked at Mike's heated look and motioned him to continue.
Ignoring Donna's sniggering, Mike did so. "So... we got to the airport and the private jet was already prepared for flight…"
Mike was still in complete awe with the sight of the city as they soared through the night sky, Rachel in front of him had a serene look on her face while sipping her wine, she had told him about the call to an old friend and how he had been glad to lend her his jet if it meant she was going to have fun and let go of stress. Mike called his Grammy and told her about his plans for the weekend because the only stipulation Rachel's friend had was: 'No Phones, tablets, computers or any sort of link to work. If you're taking my baby for a spin, no work and all play is the rule.' So it befell on Rachel to ask his Grammy permission to steal him away.
"Oh, but of course, he must certainly needs to get out, thank you dear." Was his grandmother's reply to Rachel sweetly phrased question. It wasn't until much later that Rachel told him why she had blushed so savagely before thanking his Grammy and passing the phone back to him. "She's a keeper Michael, take care and have fun dear!"
"I'll see you when I come back, Love you Grams." They ended the call after that and left.
Now watching the descent into Nevada, his nerves skyrocketed; the view was completely breathtaking, lights and signs everywhere stretched out over the hot valley, another city that never slept. He noticed Rachel smiling fondly at him, eyes crinkled with laughter. "What?"
"You're humming."
"Am I?"
"Yes, never would have pegged you for a Cee Lo Green fan. More like Foster The People."
"And I would have never pegged you for a Lil' Wayne fan, but assume made an Ass of you and me."
Rachel's laughter increased in volume, wrapping around Mike as she saluted with her glass and took another sip, after they landed a car was waiting for them to take them to The Strip, Mike held the door open for Rachel and she curtsied. Sitting back they looked at each other.
"So, how are we gonna go about this?"
"What do you mean?" Rachel pulled the confused puppy look and seriously she beat his ass at it.
"What are we gonna do? Gamble? Get plastered? Watch Celine? Or end up like Katy?"
"Like…seriously you scare me, but I don't know I didn't get too far ahead." She bit her lip, obviously racking her brain, gauging his reaction, because you just don't go and fly people halfway across the country without a plan, do you?
"Ok, let's do this!" Mike hollered.
They went to the casinos (where Mike won, thank you very much), they went dancing (Mike very robot like), up and down The Strip, drinking all the while. They stopped near an Elvis impersonator on the sidewalk between one hotel and another; the man assessed them with knowing eyes and started to belt out a love song for the tipsy New Yorkers:
Wise men say, only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you…
Mike shrugged his shoulders because this man didn't know any better, and he wasn't about to correct him, so he offered his hand to the pretty paralegal watching with rapture and swaying unknowingly, she in turn tilted her head and took it, then and there they wrapped around each other dancing on the sidewalk to the King's song.
"This is crazy" Rachel said at the same time Mike quipped. "This is nice."
They looked at each other and kept dancing as onlookers shook their heads or aw'ed at them and tipped the Elvis serenading the fake lawyer and the pretty paralegal.
"Crazy can be nice sometimes."
She looked up into his bright blue eyes and smiled. "Yes, I guess crazy can be nice."
When the final notes of the song faded Mike pulled Rachel with him towards a huge fountain and proceeded to drench them both, laughing as Rachel shrieked. The events got a bit blurry after a while, at some point, and somehow they found each other stumbling together, singing loudly and a bit off key and then it was morning.
The sun was shining bright in the horizon as Mike shook the last vestiges of sleep with a groan, that turn into a moan as the well know hangover headache made act of presence, you know to avoid disappointment and whatnot.
"Shhh, keep it down." Mike eyes widened a great fucking deal because as he took in the room, well swanky much? He looked down and shot off bed the next second, because he was in bed WITH Rachel, NAKED Rachel!
And he…OH GOD! Mike searched for his pants, boxers, ANYTHING! He was naked and Rachel was curled in bed naked and shit, he needed to pee, pants can wait.
But it was then as he was relieving himself from the liquid burden, that his azure eyes befell on the glinting object adorning his finger and everything came at once.
Mike almost let go, but one disaster at the time and thanked God –if there was any, 'cause this was just cruel!- that he had two working hands and he was a righty.
The chapel and Rachel's fucking wine and…
"NO! no, no, no, no, no, no, no, too crazy, too crazy!" So his WIFE was awake and freaking out. Surprise, surprise!
Well…
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
"If you don't get out in the next five seconds, I'm castrating you, with my bare hands!" Mike didn't want to tempt Fate as it was and also he's very fond of his parts, all of them so he did as commanded. He was met with the tiny brunette look of horror marring her features. "What the fuck happened?"
"Uh…umm."
"Cover yourself for God's sake!"
"You weren't complaining earlier, if I recall correctly and you know I remember perfectly…"
"Finish that sentence, I dare you." Rachel warned through clenched teeth. Mike gaped a little and began to back away.
"We need coffee." He finished as she shut the door of the luxurious bathroom. He went in search of the missing pants with a knowing smirk on his face and filing away how hot Rachel looks with just a sheet around her. "Focus, damnit!"
His brain was still sloshing around in alcohol, so it took a while to find the pants that somehow ended behind the sofa in the entrance of the room, then he set in the hunt for caffeine goodness and that's how his… Rachel found him as she emerged from the bathroom looking more human than him, for sure.
"Where's my coffee?"
Mike fumbled with the phone as she gave him a death glare, "Um…will you stop!"
"We're married! Married! In Vegas!"
"I know Rachel; I was there when it happened!"
She gapped at him for a total of five seconds. "How could you be so calm?"
Mike was still holding the phone, when Rachel snatched out of his grasp, and punched the buttons for Room Service. "I don't know…" he was about to add something else in order to appease her but what? What exactly could he say that would make it better? Was he registering everything? Probably not.
Rachel put on his shirt and slumped over the couch in the suite, they waited in silence as the food was delivered because hello! Foodie in the room! "What are we gonna do?"
"Annul it."
"That simple, uh?"
"You wanna make it complicated?" Mike studied her face for a while before speaking again. "I wasn't planning this either, Rachel. We'll eat, get dressed, go to a judge and annul the marriage."
She said nothing but nodded. As there was a knock announcing their food arrival, it was a festival of edible things, though Mike stuck with a greasy serving of bacon, eggs and toast with a side of fruit and coffee. They were half through breakfast when her voice broke through.
"How do we go back from here?"
"What'cha mean?"
"We slept together, Mike! For God's sake look at yourself!"
"I don't need to look Rachel, I don't forget, remember?"
"So what? We pretend nothing happened?"
"We should go." With that Mike stood and went to fetch the rest of his things.
They didn't speak all the way to the courthouse, she barely acknowledged his presence at all and Mike let her, because he was still trying to make sense of how things had gotten so out of hand.
"Ross and Ross." The bailiff called stirring Mike out his stupor, they made their way to the judge and explained the case, but even with their hopes up and Rachel's doe eyes, the judge's verdict was definitive.
"I will give you six months, if by then you still want nothing to do with each other, I will personally handle the divorce, until then, good day!" with that the judge banged his gavel and dismissed them. "These kids nowadays think marriage is a plaything…"
"Just freaking fantastic!" Rachel looked ready to pull her hair out and Mike didn't blame her. Six months, really?
"Calm down, Rachel, it'll be…"
"If you say it'll be okay so help me Mike I will…"
"You know what you need to fucking chill, you aren't the only one in the situation, okay! And we're stuck with each other until half a year goes by and after that too, because let me remind you, WE work in the same building, for Pearson Hardman, if you want we'll pretend this," gesturing at her then at himself. "Never happened, now let's go back home."
"Mike, I…"
"Forget it, okay?" with that he turned to hail a cab back to the hotel.
"So we came back and here we are." Mike finished.
"Ah, ah, ah puppy, what about the baby? Was that reconciliation sex?"
"Donna!" Mike blushed to the tip of his ears and docked his head, how embarrassing!
"Answer the question." Harvey ordered more than requested.
"Are you cross-examining me?"
"Take it as you want."
Mike huffed but answered nonetheless. "Vegas baby."
"What? your swimmers are snipers." Donna piped, completely enjoying Mike's discomfort.
"Oh God, kill me now!" He moaned; she was trying to off him with mortification only.
"Out with it puppy." So did Harvey apparently. Damn them!
"Well…"
It took them about a month to be around each other without palpable awkwardness and two weeks later, Rachel dropped the bomb on him.
"Mike," he looked up from the contract Harvey wanted him to check for any hindering loopholes, his face turned from curious to concern in 2.5 seconds. "We need to talk."
"Sure." He was out of his seat a moment later. "What's wrong?"
"Not here." She looked around and he followed her lead, to be met with nosy associates all around, don't these people have work to do? With a nod, he followed her down to filing room with fidgety hands inside his pockets. Once they were in the most secluded part of the chamber, she turned to face him. "Something happened."
"You dating someone?" He tried to keep the flicker of jealousy at bay but he…well he tried.
"No! You?" Oh! Interesting. But she wriggled her hands in a nervous matter, she continued before he even opened his mouth. "It doesn't matter, I…well…"
Mike took a hold of her shoulders to anchor her, she was close to hyperventilating. "Rachel, take a deep breath and let it out, okay?"
She nodded and did as instructed. "IjustfoundoutI'mpregnant!"
Mike looked even more bewildered, doing nothing to calm his frayed nerves. "Uh, what?"
He watched as her eyes close and repeated everything deliberately slow. "I just found out that I'm pregnant."
Mike stood stock still in front of her in complete silence, pregnant, Rachel was pregnant. Was it his? "…I was feeling sick and went to the doctor; he ordered some lab test, the results…"
"Mine?" He couldn't help but ask and she finally opened her eyes, they were filled with tears, threatening to spill at any given second. She just nodded and docked her head. "Oh God!"
"I don't know what I'm going to do Mike." She sounded so…lost. Mike did the instinctual thing and pulled her into a hug, where she proceeded to sob her little heart out. "I…I needed to tell you first, I understand if you…"
"Shh…don't even finish that thought, I'm here, okay? I'm completely shocked, but I'm here."
"Do you want…?"
"Yes! God Rachel, I would never…It's my flesh and blood there, I understand if you…"
"No!" the vehemence of her tone, set in clear in Mike's head, they were going to have a baby, a baby!
Her crying renewed with a vengeance and Mike could do nothing more than hold her and rocking back and forth with her in his arms. As her sobs subsided Mike took her face in his hands and started to kiss the tears away, covering her face with them, at some point in the silly venture, Rachel's hiccups turned into giggles and Mike smiled in a kinda dazed way but a true smile nonetheless.
"So what are we gonna do now?" She asked him, voicing the question looping over and over inside his head.
"I…I don't know." He answered truthfully, but took her hand and kissed it gently, not letting go of it he pulled her out of the room. "Feel better? Rachel, we'll get through this, I promise."
"So that's what happened? Happy now? Satisfied?" Mike chanced a look at the clock and said. "Well, hate to leave you, but I have a date with my wife, she doesn't like to be late."
Mike was already at the door when Harvey and Donna's voices stopped him. "Date?"
Mike grinned, he felt like Scheherazade, the glee of leaving them wanting felt so good. He nodded and turned to Harvey. "Yes, we're taking things slow."
"She's already pregnant!" Harvey said.
"You're already married." Donna provided.
"We're kind of going backwards and all." Mike was already out and down the corridor. "The judge did give us six months." He supplied as a farewell.
"I need a drink." Harvey groaned. Donna walked in half a second later.
"I second that." She took a Mike's vacant place and crossed her legs, Harvey handled her, a tumbler with two fingers of his best scotch, as he reveled on the burn Donna dropped her last thought. "If the puppy is gonna be a dad, does this make you the uncle or the grandpa?"
Yep, he was definitely going to need at least half that bottle.
The ...?
AN2: Okay guys sorry it took me so long...ant to all of you who'd fave'd or alert me and the stories...Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are awesome and your enjoyment of my stories push me through this damn Writer's BLOCK.
Take care, I hope to read you soon...don't forget to feed the whore...I mean the Muse.
Love
Lola