Thanks again for all the follows & reviews; I just love reading your opinions. We'll get to see Donna and Harvey out of the office a bit more from now on; hope you'll like it and enjoy reading :)

Chapter 14 – The Cactus

"Okay," she answered. She couldn't say more. She knew why she did it at the time, but it had been her biggest 'what if' ever since and right now she didn't know how to answer. "Okay?" Harvey snapped, "that's your answer."

"Yes, for now it is. You paused this subject," she reminded him as she got up from the couch to emphasize the fact that they weren't going to talk about this now. "No, I didn't," he objected. "Harvey, you and I both signed that contract," Donna answered as she started walking. She stopped by his door and turned around to meet his eye before she stepped out of the office. "By the way, Jessica wants to see you."

.

Mike walked towards Rachel in the library. "Hey, are you working on the Agard case?" he asked. Rachel put the book back on the shelf and turned to him, "the what?" she mumbled. "The Agard case, are you working on it?" Mike repeated. "Harvey had a meeting this morning," he added for clarification.

Rachel looked confused. "No, I'm not. But I also haven't heard of that particular case," she answered. "You haven't," Mike repeated as he frowned. "Okay, that's weird, cause I saw it in his calendar."

"Mike, I'm serious. I don't know anything about this," she answered as she took a step closer. "Have you found any evidence yet?" she whispered this time. "Ooh, that's right," he replied as he reached for the postcard in his jacket and handed it to her. Rachel looked at the picture of Donna in a bikini on the beach and read the message on the other side. "Oh my god," was all she managed to say.

.

Harvey walked back from his meeting with Jessica. If he hadn't been irritated before, he sure as hell was now. She had made him sign off papers the entire afternoon and because Louis had been out he also had to do his fellow name partners part.

Donna looked up towards the hallway, she just knew Harvey was walking back to his office at this exact moment. She could sense it and she had grown accustomed with the sound of his shoes on the floor. As he got closer she took in his face, he still looked irritated. Not good. "How was your meeting with Jessica," she chirped, normally meetings this long with Jessica meant either the rooftop or lunch in her office. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Harvey leaned on the edge of her desk. He sighed before he spoke. "Spend the entire afternoon signing papers. Had to do Louis part as well," he complained. "Ooh you poor thing," Donna teased him, making Harvey give her a fake smile. "Any messages while I was out?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "Harvey," she continued, "you look exhausted. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Donna," he replied, "just didn't sleep that well," he sighed. "Maybe you should go home, get some rest," she whispered looking concerned now. "Donna it's only six," he replied with a face as if she had just insulted him in the worst possible way. Donna shook her head and laughed. "I know. And normal people would have left by now. How about you go home already and I'll get some groceries and cook you dinner," she offered.

.

Harvey woke up from his power nap by the sound of the doorbell. Why can't she just use the key I know she has, he thought as he dragged his feet towards the door to open it. He stared at the green thing Donna was holding in her arms. "I thought you were getting groceries, not that," he asked pointing at it.

"It's a cactus, Harvey," Donna replied as she entered the apartment and walked over to the kitchen. Harvey followed her. "Yeah, I can see that. I'm just wondering why you have it," he countered. "Because, if I'm going to have to live here, this place needs some life. A plant."

"But a cactus?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow. "I thought I'd get something that you're less likely to kill after I leave again," she countered as she looked around the apartment. "Have you ever thought about redecorating the place?" she asked. Harvey looked around as well, "no why?"

"Well it has been nine years since you decorated this place. Don't you think it's time to change something? It's so calm, cool and almost clinical," she spoke taking in the surroundings before she faced him again. "You do realize you picked every single thing in here," Harvey countered, his smirk curling up on his lips as he knew she had just mocked her own choices.

Donna swallowed and looked around again. He was wright, still after nine years the place was exactly as she had picked it out. "Maybe we can… or I can help you pick out some new pieces?" she asked as she faced him again. "No, we can't," he answered firmly.

Donna was taken aback by the 'we can't'. "Why not?" she asked. "Because rule no. 1 was no fighting and there's no way we'll be able to redecorate this place without fighting," he replied. "We didn't fight about it nine years ago."

"Really, how about those chairs over there," he said as he pointed at his dining room table. "But they're so comfortable and I just needed a day to convince you to take them," Donna answered with a smile. "I absolutely hated those chairs," he continued. "But you bought them anyway?"

"I did," he answered, because you liked them. "Ooh," Donna mumbled. "So, if you desperately want to change something in here, start with those chairs. Now let's make dinner," he answered as he felt his phone vibrating. Harvey took it out of his pocket and looked at the message. It was a calendar update, Thursday 9.00-11.00:: shopping for new chairs.

Harvey laughed and looked at Donna. "Really? How did you do that?" he wondered, but Donna just imitated his smirk smile, something she had mastered in all these years she had known him. "No, seriously. You weren't even holding your phone," he continued. "I'm Donna," she laughed as she gave him a wink and turned around to cook.

.

Harvey was making his bed on the couch again when Donna appeared in the door opening of his bedroom. He took in her figure and smiled at the sight of the redhead in one of his boxers and his old Harvard t-shirt. "Aren't those mine?" he questioned.

"Not anymore," Donna answered. She had had the shirt since the first time she had slept in this apartment, nine years ago. Harvey smiled at her words, continuing with his pillow. Donna looked at him for just a second and took a big breath. "You don't have to sleep on the couch," she said to him.

Harvey looked up and met her eye. "Are you sure?" he asked. Donna nodded and walked back into the bedroom followed by Harvey. "Woah, are you building a fort in there?" he asked when he spotted all the pillows in the middle of the bed and Donna on the right side of them.

Donna laughed. "Just making sure you stay on your side of this mountain," she answered as Harvey got in the bed on the other side. But it was more to protect herself from doing the exact thing she was accusing Harvey of, she thought as she recalled how she had curled up against him the last time.

Harvey smiled. "You do realise Gordon took Marcus and me mounting climbing every summer?" he teased. "I know for fact that isn't true," she answered. "You're sure?" he countered. "I'm sure," she replied, "besides mounting climbing is something you do during the day."

"Well, I'm so skilled I could do it in my sleep."

"I bet you could," she laughed and although she couldn't see him she knew he was turned with his face towards her. She could hear him breathing, as if he was finding the courage to say something. She turned around as well. If the pillows wouldn't separate them they would have stared in one another's eyes.

"The cactus," Harvey started, "was that something from those cards?" he asked. Donna frowned, not sure what he meant. "I know dr. Agard gave them to you as well, I saw them in your hands when you left," he added. "Ooh, yeah something like that," Donna answered.

"What do you mean?" he whispered. "She didn't actually give me a card that told me to buy you a cactus," Donna continued, "it was about adding something to your house." He turned on his back. "Hmm," he mumbled, staring at the ceiling. "She brought up my mother," he said after a while. "She did? The bitch," Donna commented even though she knew it was a smart move from dr. Agard.

They lay there for a couple of more minutes on either side of the mountain. Just chatting about whatever came to mind, both of them where taking small steps. Taking pieces of that mountain away, so to speak. Each in their own way. The road ahead was long, but the hurdle they had to take (or mountain in their case) became smaller.

"Good night, Harvey."

"Good night, wifey," he replied jokingly.

.

The next morning Donna guided Harvey through the furniture shop. "How about this one?" she asked as she pointed towards a black leather chair. "Looks alright," he answered and it was the truth the chair wasn't half as bad as the ones he had at home.

"Don't just stand there," Donna continued as she seated herself in one of the chairs. Harvey looked at the redhead in front of him, his eyes lingered to her long legs that she had crossed. He didn't care what the chair looked like, she looked perfect. "Harvey?" she asked as she noticed he was somewhere else with his head. "Huh," he mumbled as he quickly looked at the table behind her, "what were you saying?"

"That you should try these chairs yourself as well," she repeated, "otherwise we'll have the same discussion in another nine years." He looked at her for a seconds, "Will we?" he asked. "Not if you sit your ass down," Donna commanded. "Bossy," he answered, but he obeyed anyway as he pulled another chair from the dining table and seated himself next to her. "Nah, this one is too soft," he concluded as he wiggled around a bit.

They continued walking through the store trying different chairs, when Harvey spotted the bedroom department in the corner of his eye. "I need a new bed," he said firmly his smirk smile on his face.

Donna turned around and looked at him. "I don't think you'll need my opinion for that," she answered, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Well you're currently sleeping in mine, so …," he teased.

Donna swallowed and tried to hide her blush. "Let's just focus on this task today, shall we," she replied as she continued walking to the next stall. Harvey waited a couple of seconds, glancing at the bedroom section one more time. Testing beds would be so much more interesting, he thought. When he turned his head again he took the opportunity to take in her full form before he increased his step until he walked besides her again.

They tried a couple of more chairs before she pointed at one that had already gotten his eye. Donna pulled the chair back and signalled Harvey to sit down. "Ooh yeah, this is it," Harvey concluded as he looked at Donna who was standing next to him. "Well sit down, try."

"They've got only one of these chairs on display, Harvey," she replied. "So, you can sit right here," he teased and he clapped with his hands on his legs, as he looked at her with his signature smile. "I thought the purpose of this trip was to test chairs," Donna countered as she leaned forward. "Not your lap," she whispered. Harvey had to suppress a laugh, "well I'm flexible about the purpose, you know."

"I bet you are," she answered. "But I'm perfectly serious," Harvey added, "I need to know if this chair could hold the wait of two persons." Donna laughed out loud. "I'm not falling for that one, Specter. But if you want I could ask that lovely sales lady to come over here," she added as she pointed towards the approximately sixty year old woman further down the shop.

Harvey followed the direction of her hand and looked at the woman and back to Donna. "I think I know enough," he said as he got out of the chair and stood next to her, but Donna didn't seat herself down. "I'm out of the chair, you can sit down now," he said as he grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her in the chair. Harvey had been right, this had been the best chair yet. Not that she could really focus on the chair as his hands still rested on her shoulders, they didn't touch.

Donna threw her head back and looked at him. "Since you're standing there you should give me a massage," the words leaving her lips before she could fully register them, and they sounded more flirtatious than she'd like to admit. "I thought the purpose of this trip was to test chairs, not me giving you a massage," Harvey countered as he leaned in on her, using her own words against her. "Well I'm flexible – "

"Ooh, I know you are," he whispered in her ear.