Donna raises her head to the sound of keys jingling in the door.
Her door, because going back to Harvey's hadn't felt right without him, even though her apartment isn't faring much better. With Catalina still in intensive care it's a safe space but it feels empty and hollow, ghostly reminders of everything that's happened still haunting her. She'd been in the hospital herself for hours while Harvey was being held for questioning, Samantha doing everything in her power to get the charges dropped. The text she'd received saying they were on their back was the only thing that's been able to calm her rattled nerves. However, there's still tension radiating through every one of her muscles, pain flaring when she moves because she'd refused more drugs. She'd wanted to stay clear-headed in case there was something she could do to help Harvey but it turns out sitting and waiting was the only option available.
Richard and Louis have been keeping a careful eye on her, both of them like hawks ready to swoop in, but when the door closes echoing through the quiet space, she ignores Robert's gentle hand at her shoulder, pushing up to meet the approaching footsteps.
Samantha enters first, Harvey a step behind, and she stops in front of him holding herself back to take in his exhaustion features. His eyes do the same, worry pooling in his gaze as it quickly washes over her.
"You okay?" His fingers settle at the crest of her elbow, his heart hammering at the simple novelty of being able to touch her.
She nods, pushing his worry aside to address her own. "What happened?"
"They have Harris confessing. The original charges were dropped." It's not over. He still has to answer for his actions but the evidence corroborates they'd been in self-defense, and he slides his palm up to her cheek, brushing his thumb against her pale skin. "You should sit down."
Warmth tingles beneath the sensation, relief choking her words. "I'm fine." She's hesitant to reach for him, aware they have an audience, but he doesn't have the same restraint. He pulls her closer, his lips tugging at the corners as they slide over hers, gently steering away her unease. There's nothing urgent about the kiss. It's slow but all-consuming, his palm pressing at her spine to keep them together, and she clutches his shirt, not wanting to be anywhere else.
Samantha fights a grin as she watches the pair, not at all surprised by the development. Robert's expression barely changes, but he does raise an eyebrow, and Louis is a little less subtle.
"They're... when, what?" He stammers, his gaze flicking to his other colleagues in confusion.
Samantha pats his shoulder, discouraging the questions. "We should probably give them some space."
He snaps his jaw closed, a warm feeling spreading through him because the details don't matter. His friends are together, safe, and he couldn't be happier about their union, but Robert is the one to interrupt them, subtly clearing his throat.
Donna presses lightly against Harvey's chest, blushing as she tries to separate them, but he keeps his fingers spread across her back, and rather than force them away, she turns in his arms with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."
Robert chuckles softly. "Don't be, Red. We're all just glad you're both okay."
"This isn't exactly what you agreed to put your name to," Harvey comments, not at all caring about openly displaying his affection. He doesn't want to let her go, not now, not ever, and can't even begin to express his gratitude for their friend's support. When Jessica left he thought he was losing a member of his family. He had no idea he'd wind up extending it.
"I think you'll find it's exactly what we all agreed to." Robert claps the man on the back, placing his hands in his pockets with Louis and Samantha in tow.
Harvey stops Samantha, his expression growing softer. If it wasn't for her, he can't imagine how things would have played out, but her lips wind into a smirk before he can think of what to say.
"Your office will do just fine, pretty boy."
She winks, and he knows she's kidding, but he'd give it to her either way, his stomach fluttering when Donna pulls away to wrap her arms around Louis. He catches the man's gaze with a nod, his hand back at Donna's waist like a flash when the man releases her.
She wipes her eyes as the three of them exit the apartment, overwhelmed by exhaustion, and when Harvey turns her around, she tries to force a smile, but he sees straight through it.
"Come here."
He draws her to a hug and she fully embraces him this time, her fingers feeling their way up to the nape of his neck and pulling him in closer. She can only imagine what he's been through, being questioned and repeatedly accused of something he didn't do. It prompts her to push a small amount of space between them, her concern bubbling to the surface. "What happened?"
It wasn't a picnic, that's for damn sure. He'd been gruelled, raked over hot coals and pushed to the edge of his limits. They'd played the recording of her over and over trying to get him to break, but the thought of getting home to her guided him through the worst of it.
"Nothing," he lies smoothly, wanting to protect her from the truth. "They asked a bunch of questions, that was it."
She swallows, her gaze trailing from his busted lip down to the bruises marring his wrists. They're worse now, scratched and bloodied, and she knows he's hiding the brunt of the ordeal. It had obviously been brutal, but instead of pushing him, she takes hold of his hand, leading him through the living area to her bathroom.
When she lets go, he feels suddenly empty, and wants to insist the med-kit she brings out isn't necessary, but she shoots the protest down with a warning look.
Her fingers close around a tube of antiseptic cream, and she uncaps the ointment, wishing she didn't have to cause him any more pain, but she doesn't want the raw skin getting infected, especially knowing she's the cause. Anyone else would have given up trying to free themselves but not him. He'd have fought to the death if it meant keeping her safe, and the thought is more terrifying than it is comforting.
He winces when she rubs the cold lotion into his skin but forces himself not to flinch away, trying to meet her gaze, but she keeps her eyes cast down, and he sighs. "Donna, this wasn't your fault."
She breathes in sharply, still refusing to look up at him. "I left you there."
Her voice is quiet, filled with regret, and his own is in no way malicious, but he is curious. "Why did you?"
She moves to his other wrist, circling her thumb over it with the same motion. "Landon said he had information he couldn't tell me at the station. I thought it was the only way to help you."
Her words waver, lodging in his chest, and he feels his own guilt swim to the surface. He should have realized it would have only been to protect him, or try to at least, and he takes the tube from her grasp, placing it down and cupping her hands. "You couldn't have known what he was going to do."
"I should have," she argues, angry at herself for ignoring her instincts. She isn't a lawyer, she didn't go to Harvard or get a fancy degree, but the thing she's always fallen back on is the ability to read and know what people are thinking. If that fails, she has nothing, and she slips her fingers out of his grasp. "I didn't see it with Landon, just like I missed it with Stephen, and look what happened."
He tenses at her tone, having never seen her question herself like this before. Albeit, she rarely has a reason too, but that makes him even more determined to squash her doubt. She can be right ninety-nine percent of the time but she's still human, and he breaks the promise he made to keep what happened during his interrogation to himself. "They played the video Harris made."
The comment snaps her attention to him, the air in her lungs heavy as she finally meets his gaze. But it isn't filled with pain like she expects. Instead, there's a gentle softness to his expression.
"It was hell," he admits, his eyes never leaving hers, "and not because of what you were saying, but because I knew it was killing you to do it." He doesn't mince his words, needing to get his point across. "I asked you to, because the only thing I wanted was to keep you safe, and that's all you were doing when you left with Harris."
She nods slightly, but he isn't finished, and steps closer, placing his palms over her shoulders this time. "You told me not to blame myself after what happened with Catalina, and this is the same thing. We're not responsible for other people's actions."
She blinks, wondering when he became so able to know the right thing to say. Only a short time ago he couldn't even admit to his feelings, and now he's giving the same advice she'd told him, meaning she can't refute it. "You're getting too good at this."
"I'm learning from the best," he smiles, reaching his hand up to push the hair back from her face, wincing at the marks that have now darkened around her neck. He has his own regret to work through, emotions that aren't merely going to go away because they weren't in control of the situation, but they're in this together and that's how they need to deal with it; as a team. "Why don't we try to put all this out of our minds for tonight, get some rest?"
It's what she wants more than anything, to curl up beside him and forget the past week ever happened and when he sinks his palm back into hers, she lets him lead her to the bedroom, the silence nowhere near as daunting as it had been.
They get changed, her into a pair of pyjamas while he strips down to his boxers but he's never more than a few feet away, and when they crawl beneath the covers, his arms automatically winding around her, it feels more like coming home than returning to her apartment did. "Harvey?"
"Hmmm," he breathes out slowly, his eyelids already starting to flutter under the weight of complete exhaustion, but he manages to keep them open.
"I missed you." It's been less than twenty-four hours since they woke up tangled together but it seems like a lifetime has passed, and she knows he feels it as well when his grip tightens.
"I missed you too," he murmurs, half tempted to keep them here and let the rest of the world be damned, but things will go back to normal, they always do, and this is the first time he isn't afraid to face what the rest of his life is going to look like.
So long as Donna's by his side, he knows that's the only thing he's ever going to need.
AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews, support and to everyone who has been following this story! I'm leaving it here for now but there may be an epilogue added at a later stage :) I've been working on another multi-chapter fic in the background which will hopefully be making its debut soon :P
And a shout out to the talent and amazingness of the Darvey fandom! Eight months since the last episode aired (ish, I'm bad at math) and I'm still being blessed with new fic/art/gifs/vids every day. You guys make me so happy :D
