Hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter X

Wedding Rings and Storks

They got together in bed like any married couple would, pretending to be husband and wife for the sake of their daughter. The situation had turned so complex.

"Impressed?" Donna whispered in the darkness.

A quiet pause followed her words.

"What do you think?" Harvey shifted in bed to look at her.

Donna was resting on her side, her beautiful eyes gleamed in the dimness of the bedroom. He remembered her this way from the first time they made love, with her bright red hair spread all over the pillow, teasing and laughing while chatting the night away.

The circumstances were different though. It was difficult for Harvey not being able to hold Donna the way he once did. He wanted to, but he wouldn't dare to cross the line again. He knew he could screw up.

"You would've enjoyed it thoroughly with whipped cream," she chewed her lower lip a bit, trying to hold a smile.

"Oh, I enjoyed it." He smirked. "Who would have thought you could bake from scratch?"

Donna narrowed her eyes at him, moving her legs slightly under the covers to touch his ankles with her cold feet.

"Donna!" He moaned, moving his feet away from her.

Harvey was enjoying it all. He enjoyed sharing his life with Donna and their kid more than he could've ever imagined. Even though Donna resisted his advances that night; her rejection was something he expected, moreover, the scenario helped him to put the cards on the table.

It made Donna understand that he wanted her, and not just in a professional way. He only needed to stop being afraid. Afraid of ruining it and therefore losing her.

"Shh!" she warned him. "She's going to wake up, and think we're doing things in here."

"It would make it all more convincing," he gave her a smugly smile.

Donna touched him with her cold feet again.

"Stop it! She doesn't even know what is to do things!" Harvey fixed the pillow under his head. "Remember how I explained her that a stork dropped her at the firm?"

Donna stared at him without blinking, "She was four, Harvey. Today, she asked us to make a baby; she knows how things work."

"She's growing up too fast," Harvey groaned.

"And she's going to figure out we're lying," Donna added. "If not now, later."

"She won't," Harvey assured her. "I've got a trick up my sleeve. I'm going to play my cards right this time."

"What are you talking about?" Donna was puzzled. "What are you planning to do?"

"I can't tell you," Harvey closed his eyes. "I don't want to jinx it."

She stared at him with suspicion as he burrowed himself under the covers.

"Night, Fire." He drifted off to sleep, knowing well he had played his first card earlier that night.

A second later, Donna touched him with her foot again.

xox

Amanda opened her eyes to the bright sun that beamed through large windows of the bedroom. She woke up confused as to where she was; her eyes looked around the comfy and spacious room until she remembered.

Home!

Her heart filled with happiness again. She kicked the duvet cover aside, recalling how she had fallen asleep on the couch the night before. Amanda was sure that Mom and Dad brought her to sleep to the guestroom. She looked at herself, noticing that she had the pajamas they bought the day before.

The little girl smiled.

Quickly, her feet took her to the living room.

Everything was quiet.

She guessed her parents were asleep.

Amanda spotted the empty glasses and dishes with leftovers on the kitchenette's counter as she walked across the large room looking for her parents' bedroom. She loved the place where they lived. It was big and luxurious, but felt cozy and warm at the same time.

It was nicer than she ever thought it would be.

The little girl moved silently through the condo, thinking how her mom did a great job decorating it, although the fact that there weren't any family photos ticked her mind.

It took Amanda just a few seconds to find her parents' bedroom. Softly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. She saw their sleepy shapes in bed, and was going to approach them, when she caught a glimpse of the door on one side of the room.

Her curiosity piqued and she tiptoed into Harvey's walk-in closet. Amanda found herself surrounded by an impressive collection of dress shirts, suits, and shoes. All neatly placed in the exquisite wall-to-wall shelves.

It puzzled her though, that there were no dresses, high heels, or skirts.

The carry-on bags Donna brought with her the day before stood on one side.

Amanda frowned, something wasn't right.

After brushing a strand of her shiny orange hair behind an ear, she left the closet and tiptoed over to her parents' bed- She smiled at the view quickly forgetting about the wardrobe.

Amanda noticed how Donna had pulled the covers off of Harvey, leaving him with nothing but a pillow under his head. Their feet were entwined, as if they had been playing footsie before falling asleep, but there was enough space between their bodies for her to snuggle. Carefully, the little girl managed to sneak into the bed, until she sat between her sleepy parents.

Harvey mumbled something incoherently, shifting a little.

Amanda giggled, leaning over to kiss his forehead.

"Daddy?" She whispered.

He opened his eyes slightly, squinting at her. Harvey couldn't get enough of that word.

Daddy.

"Donna, why are you kissing my forehead?" He smiled a little.

"It's me!" Amanda laughed.

He pulled her into his arms, kissing her cheek. "You look really small this morning, Donna."

"I'm not Mom!" Amanda giggled, as he began to tickle her.

Donna stirred under the bedcovers, aware that a tickle battle was about to begin by her side. Almost immediately, she flipped her eyes open in case they decided to make her the target.

"Hi Mom," Amanda grinned.

"Hi Donna," Harvey gave her a wide smile as well.

They were indeed going to make her the target of their battle, but Donna had opened her eyes just in time to prevent a surprise attack.

"Wait a second," Harvey looked at Amanda, pretending to be shocked. "You're not Donna!" He tickled his daughter again.

Amanda's laugher filled the room.

Donna smiled, snuggling against her pillow. She never imagined she'd be waking up next to Harvey and their kid. It felt nice and special.

She was beginning to think the pretense wasn't that bad.

"What time is it?" she buried a yawn in the pillow.

Harvey glimpsed at the alarm clock on his night table, "Almost nine."

Donna let out a loud yawn, "wake me up in an hour, or two."

"But it's Sunday!" Amanda hugged her mom. "Yesterday you said we would go to play baseball in Central Park."

Harvey began to pull the bed covers away from Donna. "Yeah, Donna. Go to Central Park and give me the comforter back."

"You're coming too, Dad." Amanda looked at Harvey with an expression that reminded him of Donna. A very determined Donna. It amused him how much his daughter looked like her.

"I'll be right back," Amanda crawled out of the bed, and went out of the room.

"She's demanding," Donna closed her eyes, but fluttered them open when she felt Harvey trying to steal the comforter from her. "Stop pulling the covers, Harvey!"

"They're mine!" He finally managed to pull the comforter away from her, snuggling himself under it. He smiled.

"Wow, you're such a gentleman," Donna looked at him.

"I'm cold!" He complained.

Donna smiled a little before speaking, "actually, you're hot."

Harvey lifted an eyebrow at her.

She responded with the same expression.

"Are you hitting on me?" Harvey feigned disbelief.

Donna blushed, and it was the first time in years Harvey had seen her red-faced.

Yes, she was hitting on him.

In that moment, Amanda returned with a baseball bat in her hands.

Harvey and Donna looked at her uneasy, as if she could beat the shit out of them if they didn't take her to the park.

The day before, Harvey promised Amanda they'd go to the park. He was so thrilled with the idea that he got their kid a new baseball bat, since the DeMarini he once bought her was at the boarding school.

"You promised me, Dad." The little girl dragged the bat into the bed.

Harvey was about to give into Amanda's wish when his phone buzzed on the night table. He grabbed it to find four text messages, all from Mike:

"Hey daddy, I need u 2 check the Berkeley docs. Important."

"S.O.S. Berkeley not happy w/u rescheduling. Angry Jessica alert."

"Totally random but u should marry Donna. r u w/her right now?"

"Berkeley is going to O'Melveny & Myers. Not cool. Tell Donna 2 call his PA asap."

Scottie had sent him a text too:

"Do you have any other surprises? By any chance, are you married to her?"

Her sarcasm was blatant.

Donna sat on the bed, resting against the headboard. Amanda nestled against her, waiting for Harvey's answer.

"We can't go out today," Harvey sat on the border of the bed. "We've got to work on the Berkeley account, Donna." he explained, as he deleted Scottie's message.

Amanda lowered her eyes in disappointment.

She had forgotten that her parents were busy people, and she was suddenly aware that her presence was probably getting in the way.

"How about," Donna noticed Amanda's disenchantment. "If we have a nice breakfast together? We could have pancakes―" she caressed her daughter's hair.

"―and fries." Harvey added, trying to get Amanda interested.

"All the fries you want," Donna nodded in approval.

Harvey and Donna were enjoying each other's company too much. It was something that couldn't be hidden.

They turned their attentions to Amanda.

"We'll go to play baseball next week," Harvey promised.

"I won't be here next week, because you're going to send me back." Amanda avoided to look at him.

Harvey and Donna exchanged looks. They hadn't thought when their daughter would be returning to school, but neither was ready to let her go yet. It saddened them though, how their child made it sound like she was a package that could be sent back when not needed. It wasn't the way they wanted her to feel at all.

"Hey," Harvey tried to make Amanda feel better. "The reason why we send you to that school is because we're horribly busy parents.

Amanda finally lifted her eyes to look from mom to dad.

"You're not horrible," she said.

"Oh, yes. We are." Donna agreed. "We work from eight in the morning, until very late at night, almost every day of the week."

"We would never be able to look after you the way they do in your school," Harvey agreed.

"I wouldn't care; I just want to be with you. I want to live with you," the little girl begged.

Her words touched them, but also put them in a difficult position.

"I wish it could be that easy," Donna looked at Harvey with a knot in her throat.

Harvey knew Donna wanted their kid to live in Manhattan, but their lifestyles wouldn't allow them to raise a child in the city. The most difficult part would be exposing Amanda to the awful truth.

"Am I a mistake?" Amanda blurted out.

"What?" Donna looked in shock at her kid.

"What are you talking about?" Harvey was as shocked as Donna.

"Some girls in school say all mistakes are sent to boarding schools and nobody visits them," Amanda's eyes glistened with tears.

Her words were like an arrow straight to the heart.

"Listen to me," Harvey was angry. Some kids were so damn heartless. "You're the second best thing that ever happened to us."

He looked into Amanda's eyes with sincerity.

Donna furrowed her brows. The second best thing? If he dared to say that the Firm was the first best thing, she was going to beat the shit out of him with the baseball bat.

"What's the first best thing?" Amanda sniffled, as Harvey wiped her tears away.

"Meeting each other," he looked at Donna. "Because if I hadn't met your mom, you wouldn't be here, right?"

Amanda let out a timid smile as Harvey and Donna shared a lingering gaze.

The feelings they held for each never went away. They had always been there, buried deep in their hearts and all of a sudden, it became clear to Harvey and Donna that they weren't going to be able to hold them back for long.

"Can you at least have a baby?" Amanda cut short their moment.

They looked at their kid.

"What's up with you wanting us to have a baby?" Donna tickled Amanda, managing to get a full smile from her.

"Oh come on," Harvey tried to understand. "Why would you want to share us with someone else?"

"If you had one, it would have to come to school with me, and I wouldn't feel lonely anymore." Amanda tried to explain. "You live together, you work together, you have each other, and all this." She looked around her. "I'm alone."

Donna felt a knot of guilt growing inside her again and she was certain that Harvey felt exactly the same. She embraced her child. Amanda snuggled in that embrace.

"We love you, okay? You're not alone," Donna began to give the situation a thought. She didn't even look at Harvey for approval. "Maybe ―maybe we could transfer you here, to a new school."

"Really?" Amanda's face lit up.

"We'll talk about it later," Harvey looked at Donna with an air of doubt. He didn't want his daughter to feel alone, but wasn't certain if moving her to the city was the best thing to do under the current circumstances.

"Can't wait!" The little girl smiled. "But I still want a brother, or a sister."

Donna held a smirk. Amanda was as stubborn as Harvey.

"We'll get you an iPhone instead, how about that?" Harvey moved his eyebrows up and down.

Amanda lifted an eyebrow at him, "you're trying to bribe me and change the subject."

"Smart girl," Harvey pointed out. "You'd be a great lawyer."

"Or a fabulous legal secretary," Donna kissed her temple.

"I'll be both, if you have a baby." Amanda got a little distracted by her mom's hands.

She had no wedding band.

Her eyes moved to see Harvey's hands as well. The little girl noticed that he wasn't wearing a wedding band either.

"Hey, why don't you write to the stork?" Harvey proposed, standing up from the bed.

"That's not how it works, Dad." Amanda shook her head in disapproval. She tried not to give much importance to the absence of wedding bands, even when it was gnawing away at the back of her mind. Just like the absence of family portrait and the weird distribution of the walk-in closet.

"Really?" Harvey lifted his eyebrows. "How does it work?"

"Harvey―" Donna smiled, shaking her head.

"I just want to know if she knows," he shrugged.

"First, you've got to love someone; like from here to the end of the universe." Amanda explained.

"Sounds reasonable," Harvey accepted.

"Absolutely," Donna nodded.

"The way you love mom," Amanda continued.

Harvey remained silent, and so did Donna. Amanda's words made their stomachs flip.

It was sweet to know she thought of them that way.

"And you have to kiss that someone," Amanda stated.

Harvey and Donna gasped, feigning utter shock. As if a kiss was the most scandalous thing in the world.

"You're being annoying…" Amanda blushed and giggled.

"A true love's kiss?" Donna smiled at her daughter's innocence. She could tell Harvey was relieved Amanda didn't know the whole deal.

"Yes, you know." Amanda gave them a soft nod.

"You know who also meet these requirements?" Harvey smirked.

"Who?" Amanda was suddenly interested.

"Mike and Rachel," Donna read Harvey's thoughts.

"Oh yes!" Amanda was thrilled. "But they shouldn't be kissing much because they aren't married..."

It suddenly hit Amanda, that maybe, her parents weren't married. She paused to think before speaking, but would her parents lie to her? She began to feel played and misled. "Unmarried couples who have babies…Well, the school nurse told me they burn in hell."

Amanda shrugged in the most natural way and jumped off the bed. "Can I take a bubble bath in the big tub?"

She pointed to Harvey's bathroom.

"Yes," Harvey and Donna replied uneasy at unison.

Amanda walked out of the bedroom putting two and two together, thinking about everything she had seen her parents do and say. The result was very interesting to her.

"Burn in hell?" Harvey asked horrified in a whisper.

"We're already steamy hot, Harvey." Donna wrapped her body in the bedding. "Wake me up in an hour."

I think Amanda is a little pissed...also, Harvey is going to have to buy a bedding set especially for Donna.

Thanks a lot for reading!