This was a fun thing to write. I like character development and I really like exploring different relationships. There is a second chapter to this that is Harvey/Mike centric. This chapter can be interpreted as Donna/Harvey if you want to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Suits.

Growing older was difficult for everyone. Everyone that is except Harvey Specter. He had graciously accepted the inevitable, convincing himself that age only enhanced his spectacularly good looks. It must've started at a young age, the acceptance of growing older; with a name like Harvey Reginald Specter, how could you not? His younger brother was a constant source of trouble, in the fact that he attracted it or exhibited it. Harvey spent most of his time trying to shield him and fix the problems caused. He had grown up too quickly after learning his mother's dirty secret, the secret itself causing him to withdraw into himself and put up walls to guard his sinful mother.

Whatever the reason, Harvey didn't dread the coming of his birthday for the fact that he was another year older; no, he dreaded it because it caused an endless amount of embarrassment for him around the office. People were constantly stopping him to say their congratulations on another year survived. They stopped him mid-sentence when talking to a client, making the client themselves obligated to also offer their best wishes. Then there was that year that the whole firm sang him Happy Birthday. That was when he turned 30 and was promoted to senior associate. That was Jessica's birthday present. The only highlight of that evening was watching Louis stew in the corner nursing a particularly fruity drink while Harvey had been taking shots of tequila the whole night, picking up a particularly flexible waitress to play with. Yes, looking back on it now, Harvey could say that was one of the better birthdays, but only when looking at it now.

The thing that made the day better were the large amounts of presents he was given. Yes, even as a man in his late thirties, he still received many presents. And he accepted them gratefully. Presents from grateful clients, other partners, and his family. Good alcohol, fine chocolates, expensive knick knacks that he would never buy in a million years but kept because someone else had paid a lot for them. That and they made great re-gifts for Christmas. It was a good thing that rich people didn't remember what they bought for their lawyers.

Louis once said that Harvey only looked forward to his birthday because it was a day specifically made to stroke his ego. Harvey grinned and replied that yes, stroking his ego was exactly what Louis' wife did for him. Louis stuttered and produced the same excuse that he didn't have a wife, but Harvey had walked away already, chuckling to himself.

So, all in all, his birthdays weren't too terrible. He just had to get through the embarrassing well wishes from everyone. In recent years, Harvey spent his time in his office and didn't speak to anyone. The presents would steadily grow on Donna's desk and he would spend most of his time watching her try not to open them. It was amusing to watch, to say the very least. Her fingers would dance across the keyboard at a rapid pace that Harvey only sees once a year. She would try to distract herself from wanting to know what was in the boxes and bags next to her. Her back would slump about two inches with the weight of the unknown on top of her shoulders. If there was one thing Donna hated, it was not knowing something. Sometimes, Harvey would spend an hour lounging in his chair with a pen at his lips, simply watching Donna. He would watch as her head would turn a fraction of an inch, enough to see if Harvey was in the office. Then she would turn her head away, looking as if she was looking at a paper or a file, but Harvey knew better. She was trying to get a glimpse into a bag that was stationed next to her. She wanted to know who it was from, what it was and would Harvey hate it enough to give it to her. He would chuckle at the performance.

This year, the presents came early, which to Harvey meant that he would be spending most of his time Donna-watching. Harvey had already been seated at his desk when Donna walked in and saw the offending packages. Her back stiffened and her knuckles turned white from gripping the handle of her bag tightly. Harvey hid his smirk behind the file he was reading; just because it was his birthday didn't mean work stopped for the best goddamn closer in New York City. Donna strode into his office with the aforementioned package and threw it on his couch. He stared at it for a moment then turned his head to look at the irate redhead in front of him.

"Good morning Donna, how are you?" He asked cordially, unable to control the smile crossing his face. Donna sighed exasperatedly.

"You get too much pleasure out of this you know that?" She said almost whining. Harvey's smile turned into a smirk when he realized that Donna was going to begin making her case. This day was just turning into a ball of fun early.

"If you just let me screen the presents, I could weed out the bad ones. Remember, Paul Porter gave you that hideous bow tie three years ago? We could've saved all the mind soap for something better, like Louis at the tennis club," here Donna shuddered, "if you had let me just open the presents before giving them to you."

"Donna, we've been through this. I like to open the presents later when everyone has gone home. It would just take the fun out of opening them if you opened them first." Harvey said, eyes dancing with humor. Donna stamped her heel on the carpeted floor.

"I'll wrap them up again. I have wrapping paper at the desk. You can enjoy opening the presents like the five-year-old boy you are and I'll be able to protect you from the really bad ones." Donna argued. Harvey chuckled as he leaned back in the chair.

"Donna, just take the presents and stack them at your desk. It's simple."

"You don't have them staring at you all day." Donna practically screamed in frustration. Harvey laughed out loud.

"They stare at you?" he asked humorously.

"Yes. They stare at me. They say 'Donna, open us. We won't tell Harvey. You are the supreme ruler and master of all Donna.'" Donna had adopted a creepy shrill voice to imitate the presents as.

Harvey's eyebrow rose. "Really, they say that?" He said dubiously. Donna nodded.

"Yes, even inanimate objects know of my greatness." She said seriously. Harvey rolled his eyes and sat forward.

"My answer is still no." Harvey said. Donna glared at him.

"Then they're coming in here." Donna said. "The presents. Let them talk to you. 'Harvey, you should've let Donna open us. Now you're getting another bow tie. It's polka dots. We know you love them.' Yeah, that's what they'll say to you."

"Fine." Harvey said. Donna nodded and walked out. There were other boxes waiting for her. Harvey watched as she gathered them and swung the door open with her hip. She then dropped them harshly on the couch. "Unlike you Donna, I can control myself."

"That's because you have everything!" Donna cried. Harvey smiled.

"No because I have impeccable self-control."

"You, self-control? Ha! You have the patience of a raging rhino. I give you to three, only because you have a meeting at one-thirty." Donna bet crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's my birthday. If I want to open my presents then I certainly can when I please." Harvey said leaning on his hand. Donna's eyes became murderous.

"Now see if I stop anyone from coming in here now." Donna hissed.

"It's no different than any other day Donna." Harvey reminded her. Donna pursed her lips and stormed out of the office. Harvey chuckled. This was just too good.

Donna sat at her chair staring at the computer screen as more presents came to her desk. She had stopped trying to leave them in Harvey's office one-by-one as they came when it became apparent that she was getting up out of her chair every five seconds to put them in his office. Now it was every so often she stuck them in the room, only when the pile got too big for her desk. She took the liberty of disposing the flowers that came for him. Harvey didn't like flowers much; for various reasons. They remind of him of his father's funeral, now five years ago. They remind him of his mother; the slimy woman always loved to have flowers in the house and would often wear perfume with floral undertones. They remind him of his younger brother and his wedding; something Harvey convinced himself he would never have simply because he viewed many women as he viewed his mother, with distain and mistrust. They were a cliché; something that reminded him of the fragility of life. It was why he didn't take flowers when he saw his father; a bottle of malt the two enjoyed was enough.

Donna had redistributed the flowers around the various offices. She rewrote the cards and sent some to people that needed a pick-me-up, a thank you, a bribe to leave her alone and just because she was Donna. They were all beautiful flowers, expensive and perfectly arranged. Nothing but the best for Harvey Specter. However, they were all wasted on people who were probably not deserving of their beauty, but such was life. Her thoughts were broken when someone came sidling up against her desk. Her head lifted and saw Louis staring smugly at her.

"Hi Donna." He greeted, the smirk on his face deepening. Donna resisted the urge to roll her eyes and cocked her head instead.

"No." She simply said and turned back to the computer.

"Donna, you don't even know what I was going to ask." Louis said pulling up one of his fingers.

"Doesn't matter, the answer is still no." Donna argued. Louis huffed and straightened stiffly.

"Donna this is ridiculous. I need to see Harvey."

"You don't have an appointment. You can't storm the castle without an appointment."

"I know you're curious about his presents. I can take these to him." Louis offered.

"No, I'll do it later." Donna said monotonically, hinting that she was finished with the conversation. Louis puffed his chest out trying to look important.

"Donna, I'm ordering you to let me in there. I'm still higher up on the food chain. And don't," he said before Donna interrupted. "Bring up that date. I have put it behind me and Dr. Lipscitz says that I need to accept my faults. So I'm over it."

Donna was silent, not looking at Louis. Louis tried to contain his glee when suddenly he heard sniffling. Donna looked at him with teary eyes striking guilt into his heart.

"You know. This is has been a rough day for me already and you're not making it better. Everyone is making it worse. They all want to go in and I try to do my job and not let them in and all I get is anger and contempt and people yelling at me and I can't handle it anymore!" Donna sobbed, her face red and voice high-pitched. Louis' face fell.

"Who's yelling at you? I'll make them pay." He offered, anger building.

Donna continued as if she didn't hear him. "And then you tell me I'm being ridiculous and all I'm trying to do is my job and you're telling me I'm being ridiculous. Harvey's going to be so mad if I let anyone in today because he doesn't want to be disturbed and he's already not happy with me because I keep giving him his presents but there's just too much and he won't listen to me. I can't keep them on my desk all day because then I won't be able to do my work. Then you come and want to go in and you're giving me a hard time. Everyone is giving me a hard time and they won't leave me alone and I think you should go now because I'm really upset." Donna said, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Okay. Better still, I'll tell everyone to leave you alone." Louis promise and walked away from her.

"Thank you Louis you're a saint." Donna said tearfully. When he had rounded the corner, Donna sighed and smiled. That was too easy, she thought. She wiped her tears off her face and looked into the mirror. Her makeup hadn't washed away too much, she still looked presentable. That was good. She smiled and continued to do her work as if nothing had happened.

"Nice job Donna." She heard from the intercom. She smiled and turned her head to wink at him. He winked at her and looked back at his files. She turned back to the computer just as more presents and flowers were stacked at her desk. She glared at the delivery boy who just shrugged.

"Don't shoot the messenger." He said walking away. Donna sighed and pushed the flowers further away from her. She pulled out the copy of the company directory that she printed out especially for this day. She took in the highlights and pen markings that indicated who got flowers already and for what. Her manicured nail scraped down the list to find a name that hadn't received flowers yet. She stopped on the unhighlighted one that came next. She sighed and decided that the card didn't need to be sent. She picked up the smallest vase and made her way down the hall to the associates' bullpen.

There were whispers flying everywhere. Heads whipped toward the clacking heels as they made their way down the linoleum floor. Eyes bugged as the source of contention stopped at a small cubicle where a blonde man currently sat, Mike Ross, his eyes glued to a piece of paper, yellow highlighter threatening to fall from his lips. Earbuds currently sat in his ears, ensuring that he didn't hear anything that the other associates were complaining about.

The music swept in his ears and around his brain. Mike had found after experimentation with different variables what could help ease the furious activity in his brain. The first variable was of course the pot he had been smoking since he was kicked out of college. That helped a lot but it was not the safest of variables for him since he was strictly forbidden from using it. He then tried alcohol and while it helped a bit, it was damaging in the long run. Music had actually been tried on happenstance. After the mock trial, the taunting and snickers were extremely hard to take, more so than usual. He was tired and had enough so he turned on his Pandora and began to listen. The music helped him concentrate better, stopped invading thoughts from entering and allowed him to recall the information he needed at the moment. After the resounding success he found at that time, he decided to experiment with different genres. The type of music he found helped the best was classical music. Mike wasn't a fan of it at first; the music bored him, however during one of his more stressful work periods, his Pandora decided to feed him a song from a famous play, The Phantom of the Opera, The Overture, to be precise. The loud sweeping crescendos, the crashing percussion, the singing violins; they put his mind to rest. After that he found more Broadway musicals that had large orchestras and loud music. He chuckled as he remembered one time when Louis had pulled the earbuds out of his ears to berate him for listening to music during work and was completely shocked at the lovely sound of Sarah Brightman belting out Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again through the buds. Louis' eyes bugged out, more than usual and he simply turned away with a "continue what you were doing Ross" and that was that. He didn't bring it up again until much later when Mike had found two tickets to the show sitting on his desk and Louis commented that it was a shame to not see it live. It was a nice time, surprisingly. Louis wasn't as much of an asshole when doing something he enjoyed. He smiled briefly for a moment until he saw a flash of red in his peripheral vision. He looked up and saw Donna standing over him.

"Thinking about a beautiful woman?" Donna said hand cocked on a hip. Mike smiled and pulled the highlighter from his mouth.

"Yeah, you could say that. She's standing in front of me." Mike said batting his eyelashes. Donna laughed and pushed the small vase full of flowers at him. Mike took them, crinkling his eyebrows together. "What's this for?" He inquired curiously.

"For being you." Donna simply said turning away. Mike sat back at his desk staring at the arrangement of roses and lilies. He smiled and placed them on one of the counters behind him, turning back to the task at hand. He ignored the stares and gasps the other associates. He put the buds back in his ears and began to get lost in a world of romance and law briefs.

Time seemed to move quickly after that. Saturdays tended to be that way. Everyone worked faster to get everything done so they could rest on Sunday. That and getting completely trashed at the bar down on 50th and Lexington. People were leaving in groups and Donna remained at her desk to take the rest of the straggling presents that came from those leaving. Donna took the presents and practically threw them beside her, whishing it was almost over. She couldn't stand it anymore; the presents were practically overtaking the entire office. This was the most Harvey had received in years. She thought it was because of the amount of cases but was startled to find that Harvey had taken fewer clients this year. It was curious, to say the least. She then cocked her head over the partition and was able to see the corner of one of the associates' cubicle. She smiled as she leaned back. It wasn't because he had more clients, it's that the ones he had were more grateful than previous years and a certain blonde man had something to do with that.

"Donna." Harvey called through the speaker. Donna raised an eyebrow in curious wonder. He rarely uses the intercom to call her, preferring to just speak in a raised voice to the glass door. She turned her head and was met with the entire glass wall covered with presents. She stifled a giggled and stood up, grabbing many packages from her desk and walked into the room.

Harvey was seated at his desk, staring at the presents. There were so many more since he got back from his meeting. A lot more. He may have to rent a U-Haul truck to get them out of the office. Hell, he might just have to get a crane to pull them out of the window. He was tired, he surmised as he rubbed his eyes. His jacket was hanging on a chair, his tie loosened slightly. He had gotten back from his meeting at three-fifty. He had been working until just before seven. Since then he was staring at the presents, plotting how to remove them from the office. Maybe next year he will take Donna up on her offer of screening the presents. She was just placing another set of bags on the floor when she whistled loudly.

"Harvey, are you in here? I can't find you through all these boxes. What are you going to do with them all?" Donna wondered loudly, sarcasm dripping from every word. Harvey cocked his head and pursed his lips in annoyance but remained silent. Donna smirked widely, "And I know what you're thinking, 'Donna, next year you should screen these before I take them home.' That's exactly what's going to happen next year." She said. Harvey still remained silent his eyes looking off to the side at the new presents.

"Hell, we should put them in another room and wait until Christmas. Then give them to the other partners." Harvey said. Donna rolled her eyes.

"Isn't that what you do anyway?" Donna asked. Harvey blushed a bit.

"Just for the ones I don't have to impress." Harvey chose his words carefully not wanting to use the word 'care' in any shape or form. Donna sat in an unoccupied chair.

"Good day love?" She asked slight British accent forming at the end. Harvey smiled.

"Nailed the Benson merger." Harvey gloated. Donna smiled at the happiness in his voice.

"Good for you. Guess Mike found the smoking gun huh?"

"Just in time to almost be late." Harvey said. At any other time it would have been a bitter statement, this time though it sounded slightly…affectionate. Donna let this one go…for now.

"So, wanna crack open the champagne and start opening these bad boys? I got the garbage can from the custodians for the presents that need to be removed ASAP. Oh, what's better, we can set up a fire in the parking lot for the really bad ones." Donna gushed. Harvey smiled brightly, lips turned up in amusement.

"That sounds like an idea." A voice sounded from the open door. Jessica Pearson strode into the office, heels digging into the carpet. "Dangerous, but so you." She added smiling at Harvey. She pulled a bottle of champagne from behind her and three flutes. As if Harvey's smile could grow any bigger, he let himself laugh at the managing partner's insight. She set the glasses on the desk and popped open the cork.

"Is it from the region? Because if not, then it's just sparkling wine." Harvey quipped, remembering something Mike told him Louis said. Donna laughed and took one of the flutes when Jessica poured some into it. Harvey leaned over and grabbed the second one. Jessica took the last one and lifted it into the air.

"Harvey Specter. 39 years well lived." Jessica toasted. Donna whooped and lifted her flute in agreement. Harvey smirked and lifted his. The three clinked glasses and drank at the same time. They set the flutes down with a giggle and felt content. Harvey's eyes were glowing with delight as he picked one of the boxes from the ground and ripped off the paper.

"See, five." Donna turned to Jessica. Jessica nodded in agreement. Harvey almost, almost, stuck his tongue out. He pulled the paper away and looked for a place to dispose of it. Donna jumped up immediately and ran outside pulling in a large black garbage can on wheels. The wheels snagged on the carpet and she tugged harder to pull it through the door. Harvey nodded his thanks and threw the paper in the empty bag. He opened the box and found a pair of silver studded cufflinks with a note. Best Wishes. Alexander R Capman. Finance partner. He lowered the box down next to him and pulled over another one.

This continued for another half-hour, each gift either being decidedly better or worse than the one before. This year Paul Porter gave him a tie. Ties were good; ones that had devil pitchforks were not. Donna rolled her eyes and put it with the ones that were going to the bonfire tomorrow night. The old devil would remember the tie if it were to be re-gifted since it seemed that the tie was personally picked for Harvey. The stacks soon became piles; ones to be taken with Harvey, ones to be re-gifted, ones to be thrown away, ones to be burned, sent to his brother and donated. There was also a small pile close to Donna that she was going to take with her, but no one knew that yet. Jessica had left sometime during the middle of a squabble about a crystal vase given to him by a client. Harvey hated it and wanted it gone; as in he never wanted to see it again, ever. Donna loved it and wanted to take it with her. Harvey swore that he would never talk to Donna again if she took it to her apartment. Donna was upset but Harvey had taken the vase and smashed it in the garbage can into a million pieces. Donna got over it quickly when Harvey handed her a gift to take with her; tickets to the newest show on Broadway.

The presents were soon sorted after an hour and a half. Donna had taken the garbage can down the hall to where the custodians could take it. They decided the rest of the gifts that Harvey wasn't going to take with him were to be left in his office for a time until they could be moved to an empty office downstairs until Christmas. Donna would take care of sending his brother the presents on Monday. The donated gifts were to be taken on Tuesday and he and Donna would do the honor of burning the others on Sunday after lunch. Donna took a look around at the handiwork they did.

"I have to say, that was the quickest we ever accomplished that." She remarked. Harvey followed her gaze and bobbed his head in agreement.

"I think it's the fact that I have too much crap in the condo that I'm reluctant to take anything with me." Harvey said looking at the small pile he was going to take with him. Donna looked at her larger pile.

"I just like getting your presents. And speaking of." She said slipping out of the office to her desk. She grabbed two wrapped packages and came back into the office. Harvey rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Donna." He whined. She pursed her lips in feigned anger.

"Excuse me? You did not just insult the great Donna. I am the best gifter in the world. My presents make kings shake. What did I get you the first year we started working together?" She demanded. Harvey rolled his eyes again.

"The can opener." He replied like a child caught taking a cookie from the jar.

"The can opener." Donna repeated slowly. "Now sit and wait to be stunned. I have a story." Harvey sat and crossed his legs and arms. Donna stood in front of him dramatically.

"The story begins six years ago. A young beautiful legal assistant is our heroine. She is fair, just and beautiful. She commands the heavens with her eyes and her voice is enough to make even the most stubborn lawyers fall in love with her." She flashed a smile to Harvey who smirked back, shaking his head humorously. "She puts a hand in her pocket to pull out her camera, in order to…be awesome." She dragged out. Then she suddenly gasps and looks at her empty hand. "Then, there is not such a device in her hand. She darts left and right. She looks high and low but lo, there is not a camera to be found. She is upset, for you see; her memories are on that camera and she is lost without them." She then perked up at once and pointed at the first present in Harvey's lap. It was bulky and heavy. "Then, at a distant time, some six years hence, she finds the missing piece. Her camera was found behind a dresser. She takes the photos to be developed and the proof is in the pudding." Harvey clapped as Donna took a theatrical bow.

Harvey ripped the paper and found a book. A sky blue photo album. He flipped the cover over and was met with the smiles of himself and Donna, six years ago. The pictures grew in number but what was evident is that there was happiness in the photos. He quickly flipped through the book smiling at each photo as it stimulated a memory. He turned the page and his heart stopped for a moment. There, in the plastic sleeves, were pictures of his father staring up at him. Harvey's eyes glossed over for a moment as he took in what was going to be the last time he and his father truly spent a significant amount of time with each other.

Gordon Specter was a truly handsome man; he had to be to have such an attractive son. Many of Harvey's own features were staring back at him as he took in his father's face. His neat, sandy blonde hair was a testament to Harvey's natural hair color. His light grey eyes glowed in the picture that Donna had taken. The older Specter had wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty and Harvey had obliged. Donna had taken the picture while they were still on the ferry to Liberty Island. The statue was standing proudly in the background, its beauty and grandeur was triumphed by the look of glee on the man's face. Harvey traced a finger around the face, losing his focus from the tears blurring his eyes. There were more pictures, more memories that were forgotten by Harvey during his stint of grief. The pain of losing the man that meant everything to him forced him to shut himself away once more and lose himself in the world of law. During that time Harvey had been promoted to junior partner and with such a promotion he had more case loads than ever, but that was just fine by him. He needed the monotony of work, the distraction it brought, to help stifle the ache left by his father's death.

He was shook out of his thoughts by Donna who handed him another present. This one was much thinner and hard. He ripped the paper off and gasped, his hand shot to his mouth. This was another photograph. The subjects were his father and…himself. It was a much older photo than the ones in the photo album. For one, his father looked physically younger and he, Harvey, was blonde. It was taken just after he became an associate at Pearson Hardman, before he dyed his hair brown. He laughed as he remembered his father's reaction at Christmas when Gordon opened the door and was met by a clean shaven, fitted suit-wearing brunette in the place of his son. It was an interesting conversation to be honest. Harvey was hard pressed to remember any of it since it had been a touchy subject. With his looks, being blonde was a problem. He was a jock as well as a blonde, as such he was expected be as dumb as a singular celled organism. He wasn't, by any stretch of the imagination, an idiot and anyone who expected that was knocked to the ground, by a baseball or a fist. It cursed him his entire life, his hair color. After leaving the DA's office, he decided that he was going to dye his hair with some of the signing bonus Jessica gave him.

His father was distraught, and that was putting it mildly. He had told Harvey that the color of his hair brought more than a change in perception. His father told him, after a few glasses, that Harvey looked like his mother. Harvey, who had also had a few glasses, was stunned in anger. After everything, everything, his father had the gall, the audacity, to compare him to his mother. Harvey had yelled and threw things, waking up his niece; an infant at the time. His father had tried to placate him, but Harvey would be moved. He screamed until he began to cry. It was then his father was told how long his ex-wife had been playing him. Harvey was 27 at the time. Harvey, his father's eldest son, had caught his mother playing around when he was 16. For nine years, Harvey had closed his eyes and lived with the pain of his mother's sins. It was then Gordon pulled his son in his arms and apologized for the comparison. It was then Harvey vowed to never sleep with a married woman. He never wanted to cause the pain his mother caused his father to another man.

Donna had wrapped her arms from behind him and rocked him from side to side as the tears flowed down his face, silent but still present. She ran her fingers through the gelled tresses, mussing them up. Her other hand grabbed his and he held it, squeezing them; his lifeline. The tears stopped eventually and they were replaced with a smile. He let go of Donna's hand and made a move to stand. He then turned when the two had straightened and embraced her tightly. He whispered against her cheek and in her ear, "Thank you, this is better than the can opener." Donna laughed deeply, the vibrations shaking the two of them. They stayed like that, a moment or two more, and separated.

There were no more words to be said. Nothing more to be done. The lights were turned off and things were left behind. Memories and thoughts. Tears and laughs. It was another day over. Another year passed. This one, Harvey thought, was the best of them all.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. The next part should be up sometime when I can connect to the internet.

Reviews make me happy.

KatrinaKaiba