Donna sits on the pristine white steps with Rachel, staring out across the vast lawn. The remaining guests scattered around, chatting amongst themselves with glasses of champagne in hand, enjoying the warm weather of the early autumn evening as a light breeze begam to set in. The sky was turning a light lilac with wisps of candy pink clouds as the sun began to set. Although she was overwhelmed with excitement, emotion and happiness, Donna had never felt more at peace.
They were getting married.
Tonight.
She was still wrapping her head around everything that had happened today and an even bigger change was about to take place in a matter of hours. But it all felt right.
Harvey getting down on one knee at someone else's wedding, weirdly, felt right.
She was overjoyed when Rachel had surprised them this afternoon when she arrived at Louis and Sheila's wedding venue alongside Mike and even more so now that it was to become their wedding venue. Their best friends, who had rooted for them no matter what, would be there to see them get married and despite Louis and Sheila's baby making an early appearance, everything was slotting perfectly into place.
As she and Rachel sipped on their champagne and talked all things Donna and Harvey, the groom-to-be himself was helping the staff make the small, necessary changes for their own wedding to take place. Rachel was ecstatic. Despite being kept constantly in the loop through weekly phone and skype calls, this was the first time she was seeing Donna and Harvey together - and what a time she had picked.
She sees Rachel catch eyes with someone understandingly and her best friend quickly excuses herself to talk to Mike and her parents.
Not a moment later, a shadow casts over her on the steps and she doesn't even have to take her eyes off of the colourful sky to know her husband-to-be is the one standing next to her. She senses him before he's even within earshot, just like she has been doing for the few months of their relationship - and the 15 years of partnership before.
"Are you just gonna stand there or is my fiancé gonna join me?" she says teasingly.
She hears him chuckle before he takes his place right next to her and immediately slips his hand around her waist, pulling her as close as possible to his side as he places a quick kiss on her hair.
"You know, you seem pretty calm for someone who just had a wedding sprung on them," Harvey jokes.
"Yeah well you're not the only one who's surprised. I think Rachel was staying pretty much glued to my side just waiting for me to freak out, but honestly… I don't think I've ever been more calm and content," she says. She turns her head and meets his loving eyes, already set directly on her. "We're really getting married," she manages to chokes out, still filled to the brim with happiness at the realisation that they were about to become husband and wife.
"We're really getting married," Harvey whispers back. His voice also wavering a little with emotion.
Her eyes well up and she giggles as a broad smile takes over her face. Tear filled eyes matching his already wet ones.
"No- No don't you dare start with the tears again or else we'll both be emotional wrecks for the second time today before either one of us has had the chance to say any vows," he jokes as they both laugh and Donna reaches up to wipe underneath her eyes before meeting his eyes again.
"I can't help it," she giggles. The happiness bursting from her again, just like it always seems to be when he's around these days.
"And hey- you're one to talk about freaking out. You may be better than me nowadays with feelings and emotions but if someone had told you just over six months ago that you'd be married before the year is out, it would have scared the shit out of you," she accuses with her eyebrows raised and a teasing smirk on her face.
"Donna, if someone had told you this morning that you'd be married before the day is out, i wouldn't have been able to get you out of the apartment with all the freaking out you'd have been doing," Harvey replies, mirroring the expression on her face.
"Okay, okay-" she dismisses, clearly not enjoying being made fun of as much as she enjoys making fun of him. "- point is… we made it here in the end," she says dreamily. They've yet to take their eyes off of each other. Drowning in the emotion and happiness, saying all of the things their mouths don't need to.
Harvey tightens his grip around her waist as her left hand attaches itself to his cheek and her thumb begins to stroke soothingly across his skin. He leans his face closer to her own in response and brushes their noses together in the sweet eskimo kiss, each unable to kiss the other's lips as they both struggle to contain the wide grins that had overtaken their faces since Harvey had dropped down on one knee and she had said 'yes' to being his wife.
They lose themselves in this little bubble they've made for themselves. Breathing each other in, bodies and faces close together as they wrap their heads around the fact they would soon be husband and wife. While they sat together on the white steps, despite only being 10 or so feet away from the closest guests, it was almost as if the entire world had disappeared. They had no idea how long they sat there but it hardly mattered, only the two of them exist in this moment before everything changes.
Again.
Just like everything had changed the night he knocked on her door, stared into her understanding eyes and kissed her for all he was worth before closing the door and showing her everything he felt for her for the rest of the night (and well into the morning too).
He exhales and whispers, "You know I love you more than anything in the world, right?" before pulling back a bit to stare deep into her eyes once again. God, he could just get lost in those beautiful hazel orbs.
She smiles back lazily, eyes dropping down to his lips and then back to his eyes. She smirks up at him and rolls her eyes saying, "Okay mister, save something for the altar, yeah?" before tearing her eyes away from his and resting her head on his shoulder.
As much as he loves it when she does it, allowing him to nuzzle his nose into her hair and breathe her in, he needs her to look at him. Understand him. Understand all the love he has for her because he thinks he might just explode from it. So, he nudges her head slightly with his shoulder and she looks up at him again questioningly.
"Donna," he rasps out. And it never ceases to amaze her how merely the sound of her name coming from his mouth in that deep, emotional way that it does makes her want to sob with love.
The look on his face is urging, almost pleading with her to just be serious for a moment and let him tell her just how much he loves and adores her. The woman he's going to marry. Tonight.
"I know," she assures him. Allowing the dazzling smile that was beginning to make her face hurt, to take over once again. "And you know I love you just as much, right?", almost throwing back the same words he said to her.
His signature Cheshire cat grin takes over before they both lean in, giving each other a short kiss, still unable to completely erase their smiles and then pulling back to scan each other's faces. Quickly scanning the other's features, they had both silently assured each other and themselves that what was about to happen felt absolutely right and they could hardly wait to take this step.
Harvey stood up and held out his hand to his fiancée. "Come on, we should go check things out before it all starts,"
She reaches up and takes his hand and he pulls her up to stand next to him. He looks at her and asks,
"Are you ready?", waiting on her answer before moving any further.
"Never been more ready for anything in my life," Donna answers with complete and utter conviction, knowing he didn't just mean was she ready to move from this spot but really asking was she ready for this.
Ready for them.
Their wedding.
Forever.
Husband and wife.
After another quick peck and a smile, they stroll hand in hand back towards the venue, now lit with fairy lights and lanterns.
Hand in hand towards everything they were ever supposed to be.
Together forever.