AN: I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed/commented on here and tumblr/twitter. The response to this was overwhelming and I'm just so thankful you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did in writing it. -ali

…

Harvey shuffles back into the room, depositing his earlier set of clothes on top of the dresser with a heavy sigh. His head shoots up to the bathroom when it swings open, and he's greeted with the sight of Donna, changed in slightly more casual wear- a moss green sweater and jeans with a gray beanie atop her head.

"Where were you?" She asks softly, noting his own pair of dark jeans and black sweater.

"I uh, I changed in the bathroom down the hall," he explains with a tight-lipped smile.

Donna nods, moving past him to drop her bag next to her suitcase, "So, you ready to go?"

"Donna,"

"Harvey, it's fine," she raises her hand toward him.

"No, it's not," he waits a beat before taking a step closer to her, "I- you were right. I've been acting like a jackass."

"Not much acting there," she retorts, crossing her arms.

He tilts his head at her, "Can I please just let this out?" At her defeated nod he continues, "You were right, it's a little… unnerving having everyone watching our every move and asking us all these questions and having us… kiss," he mutters, averting his gaze before turning his attention back to her, "It's weird, I don't- I'm not used to spending Christmas with my brother and his family and especially not with mom and Bobby being here. And I was the one to ask you to come here, to pretend to be my girlfriend because Marcus was baiting my ass the other day about not having anyone in my life, so yeah, I snapped and told him I was seeing you."

Donna merely nods, and when she doesn't say anything, Harvey moves on to continue, "And I'm sorry, if I did rope you into this. I- can't thank you enough for it, and yeah, I guess it's pretty fucked up when my family thinks all of this is real, but you are not 'just' my secretary, Donna. You never were."

Her lips twitch slightly at his words, and she shuffles her feet before looking up at him, "I know," she says quietly, "I was just- annoyed, I guess. It's nice to be here, meeting your family and getting to know them and just having fun, putting up a little show."

"'m sorry if I've been half-assing my best efforts to make this feel believable," he mumbles, "I've never actually done this before."

"Dated?" Donna raises her eyebrows sarcastically.

Harvey rolls his eyes, "No, brought a girl home, let her meet my family," he shrugs, "and despite what my brother says, showing off my girlfriends in high school, I was never one for PDA, so uh, sorry if that… kiss… felt off."

Donna blinks at his words, slightly taken aback by the sudden shyness that takes over him. When the stuttering in her heart ceases, she clears her throat, trying to shake off the rising fluttering in her stomach at the memory of their kiss, "Uh, no, don't be. It was… nice."

"Nice?"

"Well, I definitely think it got the message through, don't you?" Donna tries to even her voice, hoping she sounded as confident as she wished she felt.

Harvey smirks, "Maybe the second one."

"Yeah, that first one was pretty pathetic," she scrunches up her nose dramatically. And just like that, they were back to being them.

Harvey huffs out a laugh, moving past her to stand in front of the door to their room, "Gee, thanks."

"I'm just saying," she defends, throwing her hands up, "Try not to look like you're completely dreading to kiss me."

"I'm not," he confesses quietly, his voice suddenly too serious. Her eyes widen slightly at his words, feeling the room rising ten degrees all too quickly.

She clears her throat, moving to open the door behind him, "Okay, well, good. Just- try to show that next time… if the opportunity arises," she playfully warns with a raised finger. When she walks to move past him, she turns around abruptly, just outside of their door, "And oh, for the record? That story you told about our… first date, it uh, it was. Romantic, I mean."

It takes a moment for Harvey to register her words, his lips curling up slowly when they finally do, "Really? It wasn't too cheesy with the rain?"

"Are you kidding me?" Donna scoffs, "Rain kisses can never be too cheesy for any girl," she reassures, patting him on the shoulder before she saunters down the hall.

Harvey lets out a breath at her retreating form, closing the door behind him before he follows her down the stairs, her words echoing in his mind.

...

"Geez, what the hell took you guys so long?" Marcus playfully scolds when he sees Donna and Harvey exiting the house, their steps taking them to the front lawn, now covered in a sheet of snow.

"We were changing," Harvey replies, bumping his fist against his brother's shoulder.

"Changing, huh? Is that what the kids are calling getting lai-ouch!" Harvey chuckles when his sister-in-law slaps Marcus' chest, a warning look in her eyes.

"Thanks, Katie," He retorts, sharing a shy glance with Donna, "So, uh, I thought we were building a snowman?" Harvey ponders when he notices the kids playing on the snow-covered ground, making snowballs with their tiny hands.

"We decided that having a snowball fight would be more fun!" Hailey informs, turning her attention back to the clump of snow in her hands.

"Yeah, uncle Harvey, building a snowman is less fun," Jack jumps in, continuing to add to his pile of snowballs.

"Yeah, uncle Harvey, building snowmen is for old people," Donna teases, peeking out her pink tongue at him as she gives him a playful bump.

Harvey raises his eyebrows, turning to face her "Old, huh?"

"Uh oh, I know that look," Marcus warns, "It's the same one he got right before he would step onto the field during a baseball game. That's his 'game face' look," he warns Donna who turns to look at him, "I wouldn't mess with that."

Donna scoffs, "Please, I've worked with him for over twelve years, I think I know-" her words turn into a gasp of surprise, her cheek being hit with a splash of cold. "Oh, you did not just-"

Harvey gives her an innocent shrug, swaying on the spot, "Oh, I did just."

Her eyes narrow, head shaking as her lips turn into a wicked grin. Without taking her eyes off of him, she reaches down to the snow, blindly forming a snowball in her hands at the same time Harvey starts to back up from her, building his pace.

"Yeah, you better run Harvey Reginald Specter!" She breaks into her own jog, chasing him across the lawn before rounding her arm back, setting up her throw before she lets go of the snowball. She raises her hand in triumph when the frozen water hits him straight in the face, making him close his eyes on reflex.

"Oh, you really want to play this game, do you?" Harvey challenges, the glint in his eyes matching her own as he shuffles to where the kids' pile of snowballs lay.

"Harvey," Donna warns, catching on to his intentions, "That was just a one-time th-" she ducks on reflex, anticipating his throw and missing it. She turns around then, biting back a laugh when she sees his snowball had landed on Marcus' chest.

"Not cool, man."

Harvey only sends him a smug grin, setting into a jog when his brother reaches down to throw a fist full of snow his way, hitting him square in the chest as well. "Oops, hope I didn't just ruin your million-dollar jacket." It only takes a second before the older Specter reacts, reaching down to grab another snowball and throwing it at his brother, heckling out a laugh when he meets his goal.

"You were right, Jack, this is more fun than building a snowman," he tells his nephew before picking up two snowballs this time and gently hurling them toward the kids. Soon enough, all four adults and the two children were running around the lawn, Hailey yelling out a proud "snowball fight!" that only spurred on the adults. Hailey and Jack ended up staying in a corner, playfully throwing snow with no discernible shape toward each other, making up a new game to see who could pick up the most snow in their tiny arms. Their parents continued on a fight with the other pair, wordlessly splitting up into a game of women versus men.

They naturally veered into halves, however, with Donna targeting Harvey more while Katie tried to chase her husband with one snowball.

"That all you got, Specter?" Donna raises her eyebrows in challenge, shifting from one foot to another as she carefully eyes the snowball in her boss' glove covered hand. She's overcome with a sudden giddiness- and she doesn't miss the way the feeling alone is foreign to her, her relationship with him having fluctuated over recent years, and more so in the recent days.

Harvey smirks, carefully inching his way closer to her as she backs up, "I wouldn't get too cocky yet, Paulsen." He keeps walking until her back meets the trunk of a tree just in front of the porch, trapping her in place, "I guess you have nowhere to run," he whispers, eyes studying her usual pale cheeks, now tainted in a pink hue due to the cold.

Donna hums against him now, pulling herself up on her tiptoes until she was at eye level, "So you've basically won then? Come to claim your prize?" She licks her lips slowly, watching his own eyes darkening at the action, the hand that held his last snowball falling to the ground soundlessly.

"Prize?" His throat bobs at her words, eyes glancing from her hazel ones to her plump lips.

"Yeah," she husks, moving closer to him. When his eyes land on her lips, his face leaning forward on reflex to meet her half way, she smashes the clump of frozen water against his face, a pleased cackle falling from her lips when he scrunches it up. "Looks like you ran out of balls, Harvey."

Donna backs away from him then, her chuckles reverberating through her as he rubs the snow off his face, shaking his head in the process, "It's not about the balls, Donna."

"Oh, it's always about the balls," she reminds him with dramatically widened eyes.

"That's it." Without warning, Harvey starts chasing after her, a squeal of surprise leaving her when he picks up his pace. Both were now without any snowballs, merely running around the large front lawn like children. Donna manages to miss his advances, swerving to the left unexpectedly until she stood behind Hailey. "Okay, that's cheating, you can't use my niece to block me," Harvey scolds, watching in amusement as she ducks to stand behind the eight-year-old.

"It's not cheating if it's working," the redhead exclaims, making the younger girl giggle.

"Says who?"

"Says me!" With that, Donna manages to hurl a handful of snow at Harvey, this time hitting him just above his pants

"Careful, any lower than that and you may not be able to have kids," Marcus muses from the corner, now standing next to his wife as they both look on amused.

"Shut up, Marcus," Harvey growls, taking his attention off Donna long enough to let her flee from the comfort of standing behind his niece. "Oh, nice try, Paulsen. You can run, but you can't keep hiding!"

Donna manages to fly past him, but before she could reach the front porch, Harvey's sprinting toward her, his large frame encompassing her. Not seeing his attack, the redhead yelps in surprise, barely missing the low, "gotcha" that falls from his lips. In an attempt to detangle herself from his hold, she loses her footing and feels herself tumbling down. On reflex, she grabs onto Harvey's coat, and they both end up falling in a heap, with Harvey's body landing on top of hers.

"Shit, are you okay?" Harvey immediately gasps, his concerned eyes raking over her entire body, making sure that she didn't get hurt.

Donna shakes her head, her eyes screwed shut as a giggle leaks out of her. Harvey watches on amused, her laughter easing his worries slightly, and the corner of his eyes crinkle in response, "What? Did you hit your head and you're delusional now?"

"No," Donna giggles, "The snow broke my fall, but you should've seen your face when you realized I was taking you down with me." His own laugh mirrors her, and the two of them stay rooted to the spot, flakes of snow falling all around them, unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching on, completely immersed in their own little bubble.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting that," he breathes, his chuckles now subsiding. It's only then that he notices how close they were, with him lying almost completely on top of her, his hands holding him just far enough so their faces were a mere inch away from each other. Their twin smiles slowly fade, and Harvey takes the time to watch the slight flecks of gold in her eyes twinkling in the daylight. He swallows back, watching her copper hair tainting the white canvas below her, her gray beanie pushing the locks in place. His eyes fall down to her lips, parted and glowing pink. Her eyes widen when he carefully shifts in place, leaning down just an inch to gauge her reaction. She merely swallows in response, her chest heaving in anticipation, and when she glances down to his own lips, he takes the plunge.

Her lips are cold against his, and he momentarily realizes that he wouldn't mind if they were stuck, frozen together. But with the first seconds that pass, he tentatively moves his lips against her, nipping at her bottom one to merely test the waters, eliciting a sigh from her. His hand slides through the snow-covered ground until he's cupping her cheek, using his hold on her to angle her face until he's deepening the kiss. A low moan leaves her when he boldly snakes his tongue to meet hers, starting a slow dance that soon leaves them breathless. When the bite from the cold hits his lungs and it becomes too painful without any oxygen, he pulls back.

"I ceased an opportunity," he tells her breathlessly.

Donna blinks up at him, surprise and something akin to arousal in her eyes making him thickly swallow back. When he opens his mouth to speak again, he feels a cold splash against the nape of his neck. "The hell?"

"Hey, lovebirds, this is a family show. No schmoozing out front for all my neighborhood to see," Marcus yells from the other side of the lawn, his voice laced with playful arrogance. Harvey purses his lips at his brother's words, quickly noticing that Katie had been keeping the kids occupied by making snow angels. He feels his cheeks growing hot then, both relieved and embarrassed that he let himself go- his niece and nephew almost having witnessed him making out with his girlfriend right on their lawn.

He turns back down to the redhead in question, taking in her flushed skin and still wide eyes. It's then that he realizes he was still lying on top of her, and in a quick yet awkward manner, he scrambles off of her, extending out a hand to help her up.

"Uh, sorry," he manages to mutter once she was standing to full height, shaking off the snow from his own clothes in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

Donna lets out a shaky laugh, hoping it masks her nerves, "Like you said," she flicks off the remainder of the snow from her clothes, "you ceased an opportunity." She gives him what she hopes is an assuring smile, clearing her throat in the next second, "I uh, I'm gonna go inside. Help your mom in the kitchen."

"Donna-"

"I'll see you back inside," and with one last tight-lipped smile, she's jogging up the steps of the front porch, opening the door to enter.

"Geez, man. I knew you had it bad for her, but," Marcus lets out a low whistle, sauntering up to his brother with a knowing grin.

"Shut up, dickhead," Harvey slaps his chest, only making the younger Specter chuckle.

"Man, I give you two… exactly two years max before you have a mini Donna or Harvey in the picture."

Harvey swivels his head toward his brother, brown eyes going wide, "Seriously?"

"Hey," his brother puts his hands up in defense, "with the way you two are going at it Joanie Loves Chachi style, I wouldn't be surprised if my future niece or nephew gets conceived here this weekend."

"Alright, that's it," Harvey crouches to gather up a handful of snow in his hand, hurling it toward his brother, "you asked for it."

…

Her hands shake as she opens the front door, blaming it on the cold as she enters the house, her back meeting the mahogany with a heavy sigh. Donna closes her eyes, taking a moment to get her breathing to settle, but the slow breath she takes does nothing to settle the rapid beating of her heart.

"I ceased an opportunity."

His words echo in her mind, and she keeps telling herself it was all for pretense- an act to keep up their little game of charades for his family. She had given him permission to kiss her again should the opportunity present itself, but her mind kept replaying the look he had given her just before he leaned in- eyes dilated and completely sure of himself. Donna licks her lips at the memory, his taste prominently stuck on her tongue, her body sizzling with the feel of him on top of her.

She lets out a low growl, pushing herself off the door as she turns to look out the window. Her lips curl at the immediate sight of Harvey throwing a patch of snow to his brother, to which Marcus retaliates by throwing one back, leading in a jovial back and forth snowball fight between the brothers. She feels a shiver course through her when the sudden memory of their recent kiss comes to mind again, and she relays the message she kept telling herself since arriving.

It was just an act. He said everything will be back to normal come Monday.

With a final shake of her head, she wills her legs to move and lead her into the kitchen, smearing on her best smile as Harvey's mother comes into view.

"Donna!" Lily chirps as soon as the redhead steps into the kitchen, "did the kids finish that snowman they kept talking about?"

Donna chuckles, her mere presence bringing on a natural ease, "Not really, we ended up having a massive snowball fight instead. I managed to get out just after I hit the ground, but your sons are still going at it."

The older woman laughs, "It amazes me how those two can still act like they did when they were younger." She lets a solemn silence take over, both women sharing an understanding smile.

"So, uh, do you need any help?" Donna breaks the silence, walking over to stand next to Lily near the island. She eyes the array of already baked sugar and gingerbread cookies, some dough and flour taking up the rest of the space.

"Do you bake?" Lily asks, already handing Donna a rolling pin.

Donna shakes her head, "Ha, no, not really. But I'm a quick learner."

Lily chuckles, "Well, the hard part is done, you just have to roll the dough and then cut out the shapes," she points to a pile of silver cookie cutters, varying in Christmas themed shapes.

"Easy enough," the redhead nods. She lets Lily guide her, sprinkling some flour on the dough to keep it from sticking before flattening it out.

"There, just make sure it's thin before cutting into it, that way the cookies won't inflate when they bake." Donna follows suit, listening to the older woman's advice before cutting out a snowflake shaped cookie dough.

"Oh, would you look at that, I'll be popping these out Martha Stewart style in no time," Donna compliments herself.

"And maybe I can show you the recipe later, have you start learning now so you can bake them for your little one someday."

Donna freezes at Lily's words, schooling herself to stagger out a nervous chuckle before she continues rolling out the dough again, "Very subtle."

"Well, I can't afford to waste any time. I'm not exactly getting any younger here, and I would like to have more grandkids before my time is up," she nudges Donna's shoulder, "and neither are you two. I know it's not my place, and you two only recently entered a relationship, but I got to tell you, Donna, the way my son looks at you, the way you look at him… some people would kill to have that kind of love."

Donna pauses, her head turning to look at the woman next to her, "You know, I had a feeling my son was seeing someone, when he came to see me a few months back," at the quizzical look in Donna's eyes Lily continues, "he told me that someone very special to him convinced him to forgive me, and I know that was you, so I just wanted to thank you."

Feeling her eyes watering, Donna mentally curses herself, her voice going hoarse when she speaks, "He said that?"

Lily nods, "He never told me your name, but when Marcus told me he was bringing over his girlfriend, I just knew it had to be you. Earlier today, when he was sharing his story about your first date, he had that same look in his eyes he did that night. He really loves you."

Donna can only nod, summoning up every ounce of strength she could muster to not break down in that moment. She knew her words had held up and paved the way for Harvey to go see his mother, to forgive her, but she never knew he would go so far as to mention that it was because of her, and to share that with his mom.

"I uh, I don't really know what to say to that," Donna weakly chuckles, wiping away a tear before it could slide down her cheek.

Lily gently reaches out to touch her arm, "You don't have to say anything," she pauses to sigh, "I'm sure my son has told you all about… me, our history," at Donna's meek nod she continues, "There are a lot of things I wish I could've handled differently, we ended up missing years of our lives without seeing each other. Time is a precious thing, Donna, and when you have kids, well, everything changes."

Donna can only nod, her words caught in her throat as a sudden guilt washes over her. What were they doing? Here they were, carrying around this facade of being a couple, being in love, but was it even a lie?

Lily's words echo in her mind again. He really loves you. Someone very special. She exhales on a shaky breath, giving Lily a semblance of an understanding smile, and tries to swallow against the vile taste that arose in her mouth. Here was this woman, thanking her, telling her to not waste any time, that she couldn't wait to have more grandchildren. If she only knew her son and I weren't even in a relationship.

"Lily, I-"

"Hey, oh good, you're baking more cookies!" Marcus rushes into the kitchen, popping a gingerbread into his mouth as soon as he walks in.

"I thought Katie told you to wait," Lily playfully scolds.

Marcus shrugs, speaking over a mouthful of cookie, "She's not here right now."

Donna wanes out a weak smile, hoping neither could read through her current veil, "I uh, I just remembered, I have to call into work to check on some things."

Lily frowns, "So close to Christmas?"

"Uh, yeah, well, I just want to make sure Louis, the other name partner, hasn't wreaked havoc yet. I know Harvey would want me to check."

"Damn, and he can't do that himself?" Marcus suggests.

"Can Harvey ever do anything for himself?" Donna jokes, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Touché," the younger Specter salutes.

With an affirmative nod, Donna exists the kitchen, her shoulders slumping as soon as the other two were out of sight. Her feet carry her upstairs then, taking quick measured steps until finally reaching the guest bedroom. She drops her head as soon as the door closes, her eyes shutting with a heavy sigh.

She felt the beginnings of a migraine taking over, the room around her immediately feeling like it was closing in on her. Opening her eyes, she takes off her coat, throwing it onto the bed before starting to take off her clothes. I need a shower, she suddenly decides, needing to wash away the last couple of hours from her body. The guilt, the kisses laced with too many questions and feelings she wasn't ready to face…. She couldn't shake off the sensation of his lips on hers, the look in his eyes as he still cupped her cheek after their snow rendezvous. And then his mother had to go and thank her, give her speech on time and love and kids and she felt the heaviness of her words weighing in on her, adding to the already heavy load she'd been carrying.

It'd been fun at first, teasing Harvey and making him squirm, but reality had soon set in, and she no longer felt like she could keep carrying this pretense, not when her supposed future mother-in-law was already intending on teaching her a cookie recipe so she could pass on to her and Harvey's kids.

She shakes her head, continuously getting more light headed by the second and she resumes taking off her clothes until she was stripped down to her underwear and bra. Heaving out a sigh, she runs her fingers through her golden locks, and heads straight to the closed bathroom door. As she goes to open it, the door swings open and she collides head on with a dripping wet, naked Harvey.

Everything seems to happen in a flash and in slow motion all at once. In an attempt to hold herself steady, her hands reach out to grab his chest, her eyes widening as realization dawns on her, she's holding onto her very wet, very naked boss slash friend slash pretend boyfriend.

"Oh shit," she hears herself exclaiming, eyes drifting downward to take in all of him, completely hard and chiseled and dripping with tiny droplets that cling to every cress.

"Donna!" Harvey shrieks, and if it weren't for their current predicament, she would've laughed at the high pitch in his voice. His chocolate brown eyes are bulged, raking over her body before he realizes what they're doing and he's closing them shut, placing a hand over his eyes as he grabs the towel he held in his hands to place over his front.

"What- what are you doing here?" He stutters out, moving away from her to stand in front of the bed, nearly tripping on her discarded boots.

"Me?" Donna all but yelps out, covering herself even though his eyes were currently shut, "I thought you were still outside, when the hell did you turn into a mouse?" She chastises, still breathless, annoyed that she hadn't heard him stepping out of the shower.

"Excuse me for not announcing my every move, you could've knocked!" He weakly defends, his towel still covering his front.

Donna swallows back, willing her eyes to remain at eye level with his covered face and not on his six pack or the muscles that lead down to his pubic bone. "Like I had the time to, you were already coming out… naked." An awkward silence fills the room then, already heavy with tension and too many words left unsaid.

"Uh," Harvey begins, "Are you going to shower now or…?

"What?" Donna shakes herself out of her reverie.

"Well, it's starting to get a little cold and I'm still… indecent," he clears his throat, "Unless, you're enjoying the view," he peeks through two of his fingers, sending her a smirk when she scoffs at him, hurling a throw pillow from one of the nearby chairs in his direction.

"You're an ass," she yells, entering the bathroom with a loud slam of the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, did you just say you like my ass?"

Donna rolls her eyes, finally being able to let out a long exhale once she was in the small enclosed bathroom. She chooses to ignore his quip, instead now focusing on the fogged-up mirrors inside as evidence of his recent shower. Letting out another breath, she feels herself growing dizzy again, the smell of his aftershave both overwhelming and calming her senses. The image of his toned body comes to mind, not much different than how she remembered it from nearly a decade in the past.

"Get it together, Paulsen," she mutters to herself. With shaky hands, she finally removes the last of her barriers, her body humming at the mere memory of getting a full-frontal view of one Harvey Specter.

Maybe a cold shower wouldn't be a bad idea.

…

After her impromptu peek at her boss, Donna cautiously exited the bathroom, making sure she was alone before scurrying out to change, still trying to rattle the images of him from her mind. It'd unnerved her- had awoken something she'd tried to suppress for so long, but now couldn't seem to shake off. After changing for dinner, putting on a pair of dark jeans and a navy blue sweater, she made her way downstairs, her heart firmly stuck in her throat. She thanked her lucky stars when she reached the kitchen and Harvey was nowhere to be seen.

"He's outside," came Lily's voice when she entered the space, giving Donna a smile before she took out a bowl and started cutting up some lettuce for a salad. "He's helping Marcus get some wood for the fireplace. The rest are in the family room, watching another Christmas movie."

Donna merely nods, suddenly self-conscious about how good her own poker face was. She walks over to stand next to her, "You need any help preparing for dinner?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," the older woman smiles, "Marcus is going to handle the roast and potatoes, but you can help me make the salad. Katie's already setting the table."

They work in tandem then, dividing the work between cutting up the vegetables to add to the salad, picking up a silent rhythm.

"Everything okay back at the firm?" Lily asks after a beat, peering at Donna from the corner of her eye.

"What? Oh, yeah, everything is fine," Donna smiles, suddenly feeling awkward under the woman's gaze.

"Then why do you look a little… shaken, if you don't mind me asking?" Lily gently prods, picking up another tomato to dice.

So much for your acting skills, Paulsen. Donna sighs, silently cursing the woman for reading her current internal predicament. What is she to tell her?

I'm feeling guilty that I'm pretending to be your son's girlfriend and you've all but got your imaginary grandkids' names picked out.

I still can't stop thinking about the kiss your son gave me or seeing him naked for the first time in over ten years.

"I just have a little bit of a headache," she offers instead, which wasn't a complete lie, she did have a headache in that moment.

"You sure you're not…" Lily glances down to her stomach before looking at up her eyes again.

Donna tilts her head, confusion written in her face before her eyes widen and her chest tightens, "Oh, oh God no, no I'm- I'm not," she chuckles nervously.

"You sure?" Lily smirks, "I used to get headaches every time I was pregnant with both boys, drove me crazy."

"Yeah, no, I'm… definitely not," because I'm not sleeping with your son or anyone, for that matter, she mentally adds.

"Okay," Lily laughs at her reaction, "although, if you were, Harvey would be thrilled."

"You think so?" Donna finds herself asking, her voice too low and timid.

Lily nods, "A mini you or him running around for him to spoil? He would be thrilled. I know I haven't been able to watch him interact with Hailey and Jack until recently, but from what Marcus has told me, he's great with them. He'd really make an excellent father."

Donna smiles at the woman's words, her chest filling with a yearning for something she couldn't quite decipher, or wouldn't let herself think about, "Yeah, he would."

"Hey," Harvey's soft voice breaks her out of her thoughts, his presence taking her by such surprise that she lets the knife in her hand slip, feeling a sharp pain on her in index finger.

"Shit," she hisses, the sight of her now red tinted finger nearly making her pass out.

"Are you okay?" Harvey rushes to her side, worry creased in his face as he glances from her scrunched-up expression to the finger she clutched in her hand.

"I'm- oh fuck, fine. Oh, sorry," she blushes, remembering his mother was standing right next to her.

"Oh, honey, please. Nothing I haven't heard or spoken before," she reassures, "I'll go grab the first aid kit," with a hand on her shoulder, Lily sends her a reassuring smile before starting to walk out.

"Thanks, mom," Harvey calls out, face still riddled with worry as she disappears. "Okay, we should really wash this off," he gently guides Donna to the sink, opening the tap and bringing her hand under the running water.

The redhead winces as soon the cold water meets her wound, "You sure you know what you're doing, doctor?" She mocks, her face distorting as the stinging in her finger only matures.

"I know we need to get this cleaned before we wrap it up," he tells her in a voice too soft. She looks up at him then, watching his forehead creased in concentration as he waits for the blood to clear from her sore finger. His touch on her hand rapidly feeling too heavy, too heated, and her face flushes at the memory of him just an hour earlier.

"Harvey-"

"Okay, it looks fine, I mean not great, but the cut's not too deep, so I don't think you'll need stitches," he observes, closing the tap before glancing up at her slightly wide eyes, "How'd this happen anyway?"

Donna purses her lips, "You kind of caught me by surprise."

"You want to me to kiss it and make it better?"

She gapes at him at his abrupt tease, his voice still too quiet and now smug, standing too close to her, holding her hand in a near visceral grip, almost as if he were afraid she'd let go and flee.

"I think I'll live," she replies, her own voice just as low, their eyes trained solely on each other. She glances down to their joined hands then, noticing how his thumb is running soothing circles on her palm, the touch alone sending all sorts of tingles in every other crevice of her body. When she opens up her mouth to speak, Lily's voice carries through the open space.

"Here, I've got ointments and wraps and band-aids, you name it. I guess with two little kids here, your brother is more than prepared," she chuckles, handing Harvey the small box with all the aid. "Now that I see you're in good hands, I'm going to help Katie set up the table," she winks at the redhead before sauntering off.

"Thanks Lily," Donna calls out, wincing when Harvey applies the ointment to her finger, "I thought this was supposed to make me feel better."

"It's going to sting first, trust me, it's not my first rodeo," he gently blows on her cut, and she nearly jumps at the cool touch of his breath on her.

"What, did you make your ex-girlfriend's jump and had them cut themselves in the process?"

Harvey rolls his eyes, "If you must know, I've tended to a couple of cuts and bruises Hailey and Jack have endured."

Donna eyes soften, too many images of him attending to little kids that were not his niece and nephew suddenly filtering through her mind. She watches idly as he cautiously picks up a band-aid and wraps it around her throbbing finger, and she's thankful for the sudden distraction that pulls her out of too dangerous thoughts. "There," he states, "All better," she watches with wide eyes as he lifts her hand to his lips, giving her finger a soft kiss. Her heart rate picks up at his gentle touch, only increasing at the steady gaze he gives her.

"Thank you," she whispers. Her eyes cast downward to his lips on reflex, swallowing when he inches closer to her, his left hand sliding to her lower back.

"Does it still hurt?" He murmurs, dipping his head down until his lips are nearly grazing hers.

Donna shakes her head, "What does?" She meets his eyes again, but before he can close the gap, Marcus steps into the room.

"Oops, sorry, am I interrupting a moment?" He chuckles.

The pair jump back as if set on fire, setting at least a foot of distance between them. Harvey sends his brother a glare, watching as he walks over to the oven to check on his roast. "I was just- helping Donna. She cut herself," he clears his throat, side eyeing said redhead who was avoiding his own stare before clearing up the counter of the first aid supplies.

He couldn't figure out why he was so quick to defend their actions- they were supposed to be a couple. They'd already kissed in front of his family. Twice. And yet… why did he feel like he was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar?

"Right, well, dinner should be ready soon, but between mom and Katie trying to perfect the dinner table set up, it could be a while longer. You two want a drink?"

"Yes!" Comes their immediate twin replies. They share a tentative look, not noticing the way Marcus gives them his own amused glance.

"Well, okay then. Let's get the party started."

…

AN: As always, love to hear your thoughts :)