Previously on 'The Marvey Chronicles'…
Louis misread the sign of the charity box on Donna's desk and donated a huge amount of money to impress her. Later, he realized what the money was for and tried to get it back but Donna pointed at the bottom of the box that read: Non refundable. Meanwhile, Harvey and Donna missed each other and Mike told Donna that Harvey (the neat freak) seemed to think that he (the undomesticated puppy) made a mess everywhere he went. Harvey decided to give Mike some time to adjust to the new situation but it wasn't easy.
The next morning, the first piece of business that Norma had to take care of was to give the managing partner a weekly report on the Marvey front.
"I'm afraid I don't have much good news this week, Miss Pearson." She started with a small sigh.
Jessica hated to hear bad news first thing in the morning. It just messed up the whole day. "You know how I like to see positive results when I invest in a project, Norma."
"Of course I do! It's just that without Donna's eyes and ears, it's been a very challenging week. Miss Lana Lang seems to have no interest in eavesdropping through the intercom and I've heard that she didn't even glance when they were kissing rather… intimately." Norma kept it short. It didn't feel right to say 'Harvey's stare was milliseconds away from burning off Mike's clothes' or 'Deb claims that she heard Mike moan even from her desk' in front of her boss. The members of her club died for vivid descriptions but as far as she knew, Jessica preferred solid evidence such as pictures.
"What do you mean she has no interest? She still hasn't signed up for the club? It's been three days already."
"I know. I don't understand it either. She looks so normal." Norma let out another sigh. "Our recon agents have reported that Harvey and Mike have been showing less chemistry this week, so maybe it has something to do with that."
Jessica's eyebrow shot up in annoyance. Bad news always came in a bundle. "And, why is that?"
Norma swallowed hard. If there was one person who could make her nervous, it was Jessica Pearson. "From what I've heard, Harvey seems to be on edge without Donna around. You know, he's been totally Donnesticated. And, one of our agents overheard him scolding Mike about how he left his jacket so carelessly and how he didn't arrange the files on his desk."
Jessica tapped her chin with her fingers and Norma found the huge black ring on her middle finger very intimidating.
"And, what is the club doing to prevent the escalation of the situation?"
"We have raised quite a decent amount of money to support them through the difficult times. We are planning to give them a comprehensive toy box which should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Our procurement agents will use their spare time to put the finishing touches so it shouldn't affect their work."
"Very well." Jessica couldn't help but laugh a little as she figured out what kind of a toy box Norma was talking about. "I think Harvey will be extremely pleased with the gift."
"Oh, we certainly hope so. We're lucky that we have so many toy experts in the club. They're highly experienced." Norma stated proudly.
Jessica burst into laughter at the unexpected piece of information. "I'm glad to hear that you have such able members on board. Don't forget what our original agreement was, Norma. This should help me deal with Harvey more easily and he should be earning me even more money with his ridiculously happy face."
"Yes, Miss Pearson." Norma nodded and moved on to the next matter. "I would also like to report about the study group we have inside the club, you know, the one that Lex and some of the other lawyers get together and study Harvey's courtroom victories."
"Oh, yes. Right. You told me last week. What about it?"
"Well, it's been going pretty well but they want to bring in a guest to help them with some of the cases. Someone who actually witnessed how the cases were won."
"You mean Mike Ross."
"Yes. Donna's supposed to ask him this morning so we should have an answer soon. As you know, he's on a busy case with Harvey and Lex's team, but Lex said that he should have more time by next Tuesday."
Jessica gave her a nod of approval. It was good to see the club doing something productive that was work-related. "Anything else?"
"Yes, it seems like my boss, Mr. Litt, has been trying to convince Mike that getting married to Harvey or even in general is a bad idea."
The managing partner closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temple. "I've had enough of his antics these days. Other employees gave me positive feedback on the team-bonding activities but he couldn't stop nagging me about it. Can you do me a favor and take care of it for me?"
"Sure, Miss Pearson. Consider it done."
"Anything else?"
"No. That's all I have for this week." Norma got up from the couch and headed to the door. She felt bad for Jessica as she knew how irritating it could be to deal with Louis on a regular basis.
'I would have to get some scandalous Marvey pictures to cheer her up. I wonder which toy is her personal favorite, hmm… I'm sure that Harvey has an office sex kink so we just have to get a micro camera in his office somehow.' She reminded herself to talk to the toy experts after lunch. They would surely know which type of toy to put a recommending gold star on before including it in the box.
Harvey was heading back to his office with a fresh cup of coffee when he heard the unmistakable sound of familiar high heels clicking gracefully on the other end of the hallway. 'Donna?'
He turned around just in time to see her stop and look his way. He automatically gave her a small but warm smile and got a matching smile in return. As he had expected, she was wearing those violet heels that he had gotten her last year for her birthday.
Harvey raised his cup of coffee and Donna laughed before shaking her head. 'So Louis couldn't get her the right coffee all week, huh?'
There was no doubt in his mind that she would come back to him once the secretary swap week was over, but it was still comforting to know that her current boss was incapable of keeping her satisfied.
'I can't wait to see his face when she packs her stuff and walks out of his miserable life.' He chuckled as he pictured the rat lookalike hold on to the end of Donna's skirt and beg her to stay for a few more days.
Donna caught Harvey's attention by making a gesture to mess up her hair. 'Ah, Mike. Yes, he's doing fine.' Harvey smiled and gave her a nod.
Then he saw her point at her watch. Harvey nodded again. She was right. He didn't have time to waste in the hallway on a busy day like this. Harvey wondered what would be the best way to say goodbye to her. They never waved at each other and Donna deserved better than a small nod. He didn't feel like giving her a salute either. He didn't have to ponder for much longer though. The secretary gave him a playful wink as if she could read his mind before turning around and returning to her spot.
'What a waste of valuable resource.' Harvey thought bitterly but he had felt the need to send Donna away to rekindle their relationship. They had been so close to each other for such a long time and Harvey believed that it was in both of their interests to spend some time apart. What he hadn't expected though was how difficult it would be to not have her sitting outside his office for a week.
'It's just five days. Only one and a half more day to go.' He told himself as he walked into his office. If he was a poet, he would have composed hundreds of beautiful poems and recite them in her ears, but he was not. So the best he could do was to give her the proper welcome she deserved when she came back into his life.
Harvey vowed to himself that he would never let her go again unless she wanted otherwise. Lana did all right like most of the other secretaries in the office but he had never known how to appreciate something that was only 'all right'. His mood was getting worse with every new hour and he had come dangerously close to snapping at Mike for scattering the files everywhere this morning. The last thing he wanted to do was to put a strain on their relationship when Christmas was only three days away.
"Harvey? Is everything okay?" Mike asked with a worried look from his desk.
"Yeah. It's just that my coffee doesn't taste great." Harvey wasn't exactly lying. It was true that his coffee had tasted weird all week.
"Do you want me to go out and get something from Dustin's stand?"
"Nah, it's fine. It's snowing anyway."
"Then do you want me to add a little kiss to your coffee?" Mike gave his boyfriend a suggestive smile.
"Nah, it's fine. I'm sure it's just one of those days when nothing tastes right."
Mike nodded, a little thrown off. Harvey had never rejected him before but he supposed that there was a first time for everything. He was hoping that he could lift Harvey's spirits with a short make out session but it looked like he had to work another angle.
"Oh, hey, guess who invited me as a guest speaker next week? I said yes, by the way." Mike hadn't had a chance to bring it up. Lex and Seth had only left their office ten minutes ago.
"Let me guess. Your grandmother's nursing home." Harvey settled down at his desk, thinking that the answer was painfully obvious.
"No! Our beloved fan club! They have a study group that works on your past cases and they want me to tell them how awesome you were in court."
Harvey's snort sounded smug in Mike's ears. His tactics were working. "I heard they're even trying to make it into a song. With five verses! Don't you think that's too much? Even for you?"
"Well, what can I do about it? I already agreed to endure all their activities in exchange for getting a chance to teach them a lesson."
"Ah, that's too bad. It must be so painful to watch them praise you like a god."
"You have no idea. The pressure is unreal. But if they live for such joy, who am I to stop them?"
Mike had to laugh. He had to admit that smugness worked for Harvey. He looked even more attractive with that amused grin hanging around his lips. "Hey, do you think you could endure the pain of letting me kiss you? Because I really need to kiss you right now."
"Ah, it looks like someone can't take no for an answer." Harvey joked as he drank his coffee.
"Well, if you can't give me what I need, I'll have no chance but to go look for it outside. I'm pretty sure Gregory wouldn't mind helping me out."
"Who's Gregory?" Harvey had never heard of that name before.
"Oh, not again." Mike shook his head in disbelief. "Harvey, I know that associates are like meaningless bugs to you but some of them are my close coworkers! I'm even having lunch with them tomorrow! It surely wouldn't kill you to remember a few names."
"I don't know, Mike. I think it might actually kill me. Without an eidetic memory like yours, there's only so much space in my memory room." Harvey took another sip of his coffee and frowned. "So where's that kiss you've been talking about?"
Mike chuckled and headed over to the senior partner's desk. He glanced outside to see what Lana was doing and wondered if it would be all right to sit on his boyfriend's lap. "Don't worry. She's not going to look. That's like the one good quality she has."
Mike wanted to argue that the woman actually had many other good qualities but he was being kissed and there was only so much he could do with one mouth.
'Perhaps I should've made my case properly yesterday.' Mike lived to regret it twenty-four hours later as he watched his boss tear into the secretary for making a mistake.
Apparently, she had been busy and forgot to confirm the restaurant reservation for the client dinner. Mike thought that Harvey probably wouldn't be so harsh on her if it wasn't Christmas time. It was virtually impossible to get a table in a decent restaurant this time around so he understood Harvey's frustration.
'Oh no, she's going to start crying any moment now.' Mike stood up and headed to the door, hoping to play the role of a mediator. He was almost out of the office when he noticed that Lex was watching the scene from the hallway. The expression on the senior partner's face made his heart sink. He had to help Lana.
"Uh, Harvey? Don't you know the chef at 'La Perle'? Perhaps he could help you get a table."
"I shouldn't need to call in favors for such a small matter." Harvey snapped. "How long does it take to confirm a reservation? Only a minute."
"I know. But what are we going to do about it? She made an honest mistake and it's no use crying over spilt milk."
"This is nothing like spilt milk, Mike. The client has specifically asked for this restaurant and that was pretty much the only thing that he has asked for. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants another lawyer to represent his firm now. We couldn't even get him a table so why would he trust us to get him a deal?" Harvey rubbed his chin in a way that screamed annoyance and disappointment. "This would've never happened with Donna. Never."
And, with that final nail on the coffin, Lana burst into tears and left her area, running towards the ladies' room. Mike saw out of the corner of his eyes that Lex was running after her. At least, she wouldn't have to sob alone.
Mike wasn't happy with the way his boss had handled the situation. Harvey was fair and tough as he had once said himself but this week, he had to squint his eyes to spot his fair side. "Harvey, I know it's not my place to say anything but was that really necessary? I'm sure she felt truly sorry the minute she realized her mistake. Plus, it's her last day today. It's not like she'd get another chance to screw things up."
"Unless you're going to fix the problem, Mike, I suggest you keep your mouth shut. Or even better, I suggest you arrange those damn files that are still all over my office. Nobody's ever taught you how to be neat like a grown man? To put things back at their places after using them?"
Mike knew that Harvey wasn't blaming the one who had raised him but he still felt like his grandmother was getting insulted. "You don't have to be so mean, Harvey. I'm trying to be neater but it takes a little time. I'm sorry that you can't appreciate my progress."
Harvey opened his mouth to say something along the lines of 'What progress? Where? I must've missed it!' but he had already yelled enough for one day. So he just fixed his associate with a hard stare and went back inside his office. He had a favor to call in.
"Um, is everything okay?" Harold asked as he witnessed yet another shrimp getting tortured under Mike's fork.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Mike put the shrimp in his mouth and chewed. This was supposed to be a pleasant lunch with coworkers but all he could think about was how mean Harvey had been. His grandmother had taught him well, thank you very much.
"Well, you have very dark clouds over your head." Harold answered and nudged Gregory who nudged the paralegal.
"What's wrong? Had a fight with Harvey?" Rachel shook her head at the wusses and stepped up to the plate.
"You can say that." Mike pondered for a moment if he was allowed to tell them what had happened. 'Oh, what the heck. He's probably telling Jessica right now anyway.'
After briefly wondering what the managing partner and her favorite senior partner would be having for lunch, he started to tell them all about the 'Lana incident' with as much details as possible.
"Oh, he's so charismatic like that. I love him so much." Harold wiped some drool off his chin with a napkin.
"Hey, why don't you get a Harvey bib? Why use a normal napkin that has no cleaning power?" Gregory teased his colleague.
"That's an excellent idea! But I don't know if anyone else would want to buy it. Otherwise, I would have to buy ten bibs on my own. But what am I going to do with ten bibs? It's not like I have any nephews." Harold knew that the rules stated that the club only made merchandises that had received over ten requests.
"Can we please talk about something other than a bib? We're having a meal here." Rachel frowned. She had wanted to have lunch with Mike alone but Mike had asked with his puppy eyes if she could be generous and let the two associates join them.
"Sorry. What do you want to talk about then? The Harvey wig that Mike's going to wear for us next week?" Everyone except Mike laughed at Harold's words.
"Excuse me? Who's wearing what?" Mike realized that a part of him missed working in the associates' area. There were always crazy rumors going around at full speed.
"Haven't you heard? Donna's getting you a wig that looks exactly like Harvey's hairdo. You're going to wear it for our study group." Gregory kindly informed him.
"Ahaha, really? And, where does Donna get such a valuable object?"
"Oh, who knows… I heard the other day that she even has a safe house somewhere. Benjamin kept insisting that there was a safe house under her name that was totally not safe." Harold lowered his voice as if he was revealing one of the greatest conspiracies of all times.
"Why would she have a safe house?" Even though he had asked, Mike didn't find it too hard to believe that the woman had a sanctuary. He could imagine her having many enemies that were jealous of her unprecedented awesomeness.
"Perhaps she got it when she worked under Harvey at the D.A's office." Rachel offered. "There must've been insane clients with a grudge. She must've gotten a safe place just in case."
"She's a goddess for a reason!" This time Harold managed not to drool and Rachel could keep her appetite. It was a close call though.
"So what are your Christmas plans with Harvey? Throw a bone for us singles." Rachel asked the question that the whole fan club was dying to know the answer to. According to Donna, Harvey hadn't asked her help with anything and it worried her that he might not have anything planned.
"I don't know." Mike shrugged his shoulders. "We've been so busy that we didn't really have time to talk about it. I don't even know if he celebrates Christmas. And, now that we've had a fight, I don't know if he wants to celebrate it with me."
"He didn't mention going to see his family?" Gregory was glad that he was tight with his family. He wouldn't want to spend the holidays alone.
"No. He told me that his folks lived in the North but as far as I know, he only talks to them on their birthdays."
"Aww, I'm sure he'd love to spend Christmas with you, Mike. If he's not going home, why don't you go visit your grandmother with him? She hasn't met him yet, has she?" Rachel couldn't wait to hear what Mike's grandmother thought about Harvey.
"Oh, that's a fantastic idea. I've been meaning to introduce Harvey to Grammy anyway." Mike smiled. If Harvey met the woman who had raised him single-handedly, he would think twice before starting a sentence with 'Nobody's ever taught you…'
Louis was busy polishing the small bronze statue of himself when Norma and Donna marched into his office.
"What do you want?" He shrieked at the presence of the two women who usually made him feel like a little boy.
"Gosh, I know it's winter, Louis, but you really need to open those windows and let some fresh air in every once in a while." Donna pinched the tip of her nose. The office smelled like sausages, envy, and desperation.
"If you don't like my office, you can always turn around and leave, Donna. I'm sure you know where the door is since you've just walked through it." Louis sniggered. He loved his sense of humor. He believed that it was one of the many reasons why clients warmed up to him. It was also one thing that Harvey didn't seem to have; his endless jokes about his non-existent wife were lame at best.
"I'll leave when Norma and I are done with the intervention." Donna made her intentions clear.
"An intervention? Why on Mother Mary's earth would I need an intervention?" Louis wiggled his unpleasant eyebrows.
"Well, we've been told that there have been some suspicious activities concerning you and Mike." Norma paused to let the information sink in. "Is it true that you sent him certain reading materials through his e-mail when Harvey threw away the book you had subtly left on his desk?"
"How do you know that?" Louis was smart enough to know that it was no use denying it. "I must tell you that hacking another person's system is against the law though. Really, ladies, having worked for lawyers for so long, you should've learned a few things about law."
"We didn't hack his system, Louis. Mike told us." Donna had gotten Gregory's report on the lunch as soon as he had returned to the office.
"Oh, that little tattletale, running to his mommy like that." Louis clicked his tongue in disgust.
"I'm sorry, am I mommy in this scenario?" Donna's tone reminded Louis and Norma of Harvey, and Louis made a helpless sound before pulling out an antique dagger from the lowest drawer.
"You keep a dagger in your office? What for? You think one of your clients will see you for who you really are and decide to make the world a better place?" Donna snorted, still displeased that she could be someone's 'mommy'. She would have normally brushed off the comment but a few wrinkles had been added to her face since she had tried to get her boss to make a move on his associate.
'I'll make Harvey pay for my facelift. There has been tremendous development in that field and I understand that we don't need surgeries for a good lift anymore. How wonderful. I should start looking up the best clinics. Hmm, I wonder if my Christmas bonus will cover it.' Donna hoped that Harvey had forgiven her for going behind his back and that her actions hadn't affected the usually generous bonus.
When she had stopped musing about the bonus, she noticed that Norma was doing a fine job, putting her boss back in his place. 'Wow, she's very dedicated to her matchmaking affairs. I hope she won't try to be the wedding planner though. There's no way I'm not doing it.'
Feeling the urge to get out of the smelly office as soon as possible, she tapped Norma's shoulder and left her to finish the job. She would have to talk to Marvey on Monday and secure her wedding planning privileges in case Louis' secretary tried something funny.
'Let's go check if the toy box is ready. We should have it delivered in a couple of hours.' She checked the time on her wristwatch and quickened her steps. She wanted her boys to take it home with them and spend the naughtiest Christmas ever.
Mike was grateful that the client dinner had gone much better than he had expected. Harvey had managed to get a table at another upscale restaurant that suited the client's taste and had used his silver tongue to keep him content. Mike had remained silent for the most of the evening, listening to the conversation and learning a few tricks. No matter how many times he got to observe Harvey handle the clients, he was always impressed. Harvey put a lot of efforts into pleasing them and he did it with class.
"Let's go home." Harvey offered after he saw the client out. Mike had stayed behind to double-check that they had got the client's signature in all the right places.
"Can we stay a little longer? Get a couple of drinks maybe?" Mike looked up with a small smile. They hadn't exactly made up and now that the client was gone, the tension was starting to come back.
"I'm tired, Mike. We have drinks at home too." Harvey grabbed his jacket and stood up.
"I want you to meet my grandmother." Mike blurted out. He had waited all afternoon and evening to ask. If he waited any longer, he was going to develop an anxiety issue.
Harvey sat back down. "When?"
"On Sunday…?" Mike's tone was hesitant. Two days' notice sounded too short for something of this magnitude.
"You mean on Christmas?" Harvey looked surprised.
"Yeah. I thought you weren't going anywhere. But I know there's not much time to think about it, so I'll understand if you say no." Mike really hoped that Harvey would say yes but he didn't want to force the issue.
Harvey watched his boyfriend finish his glass of water in a hurry. He looked anxious as if he was expecting him to refuse. Harvey took a deep breath, trying not to get offended by the lack of faith that Mike was displaying towards him. They had gotten into a small argument like any other couple and Mike was acting like there was something wrong enough that he wouldn't want to meet his family.
"I'd be delighted to meet her, puppy. I feel privileged that you asked." Harvey gave him a warm smile and reached out to caress his cheek.
Mike couldn't help the broad smile that covered his face. "I'm so thrilled that you're willing to meet her! Grammy's going to adore you to bits and pieces!"
Harvey laughed. "I just hope she doesn't chop me into bits and pieces. How much have you told her about me?"
"Well, I talked to her whenever you were mean so maybe you should look out for your neck and limbs." Mike loved how they were exchanging banters again.
"Well, if that's the kind of fate that's waiting for me, I should make great use of my time left. Don't they say that make up sex is the best? I saw Ray loading a questionable box in the car earlier."
"Ahaha, yeah, it looks like Santa came early to give us some special toys." Mike couldn't wait to go home and examine the contents of the box.
"Ah, if that poor, old fellow came all the way down here, we should do those toys justice." Harvey's imagination was starting to come up with some very exciting ideas regarding Mike and toys.
"Then what are we waiting for? Ray should be allowed to go home a little earlier today, don't you think?"
"You're right. Let's go, sweetheart." Harvey leaned in for a quick kiss and got up.
"What did you just say?"
"I said let's go. Come on, puppy." Harvey didn't wait for Mike and pulled out his phone to check if Ray had come to pick them up.
'Wow, this must be a Christmas miracle.' Mike blinked his eyes, savoring the moment. He didn't have to hear anything special from Harvey to know that he loved him, but to think that he was the one person who could make him use a term of endearment filled his heart with joy.
'Perhaps I should call Grammy and let her know that Harvey has a romantic side too. We don't want him to get chopped into pieces after all, do we?' Mike chuckled as he rushed out of the restaurant. As soon as they got home, he would have to show Harvey just how much he meant to him.