I think this is my record for updating, but what's quarantine for, am I right? Anyways, I'd like to apologize in advance because once again I'm uploading this at some freakish hour of the night, and the friend I normally get to proofread for me is asleep because she's a normal human, so if it's awful and there are like a billion typos, that's on spellcheck.
This is for Annie because I will most likely not get around to writing that thing I said I'd write for her birthday even in quarantine. Sorry for lying to you, Annie, You're still my all-time fav.
"Honestly, fake
Honestly, wake
But honestly, no one is calling your name"
She doesn't really know why she calls Mark. Perhaps everything going on at the firm is bringing back old memories, or perhaps it's because she finds herself picking out the old book of Shakespeare Sonnets he once gave her, or perhaps she doesn't have a reason at all.
She realizes about two words in that it's a bit weird, but the conversation flows naturally, and before she knows it, she's asking him to have lunch, and they're even flirting a bit, reminding her how much fun she used to have with him, and it's so easy. She's smiling despite herself when they both hang up, but the smile turns into a frown when she hears feet shuffling around the corner.
Rosie enters the room slowly and groggily, eyes squinting to adjust to the bright kitchen light.
"What are you doing up?" she asks as Rosie passes her and flops down onto the couch.
"Can't sleep," Rosie shrugs, rubbing her eyes. "I'm really stressed about the test."
"I know, but we crammed for hours, and I really think it's going to go a lot better than you think," Donna says encouragingly, moving to join her.
"Maybe. I just don't get why I even have to learn world religions. If I wanted to be Buddhist, I'd figure it out on my own. I don't need someone to teach me where it originated. It doesn't even make sense anyway."
"I know, but learning about different religions helps you learn to respect people with different customs and cultures than ours. You have a whole world full of people that you have to coexist with for a very long time, and I want you to grow up to be a kind and understanding person who accepts people for who they are."
"I can do that without memorizing the five pillars of Islam," Rosie grunts.
"Which are?"
She sighs, "Profession of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage."
"See? Nothing to worry about."
Rosie stands up from the couch, seemingly beginning to make her way back to bed, but she stops just in front of Donna.
"Who were you on the phone with?" she asks.
"Uh, no one," Donna hedges, avoiding eye contact.
"It was obviously someone. You made plans with them. An old friend from college or something?"
"Or...something."
Rosie gives her a weird look, one that means she knows there's more to the story and she isn't going to stop digging until she finds out what it is.
"It was Mark, actually. Do you remember him? You probably wouldn't. You were pretty little when he was around. He—"
Rosie cuts off her rambling, "Who's Mark exactly?"
"My um...he's...an ex-boyfriend," she chokes out, knowing nothing good can come from the conversation that follows.
Rosie stares at her for a couple of seconds, "An ex-boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"That you just called out of the blue?"
"Yes."
"And now you're going on a date with him?"
"It's not really—"
"Are you insane?" Rosie practically yells.
Donna is taken aback by her emotion. Rosie is never exactly fond of Donna dating, but she hasn't yelled about it since she was a little kid. This is something else entirely. She watches intrigued as her daughter paces back and forth in front of the couch, muttering to herself.
"You can't go to lunch with him," she finally says in a voice clear enough for Donna to understand.
"Excuse me?"
"You can't go. That's right. I said it. I'm putting my foot down."
"And what makes you think you have the authority to tell me what I can and cannot do?" Donna challenges with eyebrows raised.
"I'll tell Dad," Rosie threatens. "I'll call him right now. I'm sure he knows exactly who Mark is."
"Your father is hardly in charge of what I do with my life," Donna scoffs, though the idea of Harvey finding out she's meeting with Mark does unsettle her an enormous amount.
"So you wouldn't care if I told him?"
Finding she can't answer that without lying, Donna chooses to say nothing, which is an answer in and of itself.
"I thought so," Rosie crosses her arms. "And that is precisely why you cannot possibly, under any circumstances, go to lunch with Mark tomorrow."
"You're really going to blackmail me?"
Rosie sighs, "Would you rather I get down on my knees and beg?"
"It would be interesting, to say the least."
"I will if that's what it takes," Rosie says, and without even needing to ask, Donna knows she's being sincere. For whatever reason, Rosie really doesn't want her to go on this specific date. She's always been indifferent to most of Donna's boyfriends in the past, but this was new. Donna can see the desperation in her daughter's eyes behind the mask of defiance she wears. In any other situation, she would never let Rosie get away with threatening her like this, but she realizes that more than being punished right now, Rosie needs her to listen. She isn't sure exactly why, and perhaps she'll have the chance to figure it out later, but if something about this situation is making her uncomfortable, then going through with it will only make things worse in the long run.
"Okay," Donna concedes. "You win. I won't go out with Mark tomorrow."
Rosie looks surprised, "Wait, really?"
"Really. But don't think this is how things are going to go from now on. Next time you have a problem with me meeting a guy, you better have a good reason for trying to talk me out of it."
Rosie mumbles something under her breath that Donna doesn't quite catch.
"What was that?" she asks.
"Nothing," Rosie answers quickly, but she's smiling. "I'm gonna go to bed now. For real this time."
"Okay, weirdo," Donna shakes her head, deciding to give her a pass. This time.
Rosie's weird mood is, apparently, here to stay. It's been exactly a week since Donna canceled her lunch with Mark, and the kid is still acting all kinds of odd. It's Tuesday, and Rosie is spending her evening at the office where she'll then go home with Harvey for the night. She's been spending more and more nights in his penthouse, and Donna doesn't mind, really, because it's only ever for one night at a time, and she wants Rosie to have more quality time with her father, but adjusting to the joint custody thing has been weird. They decided there was no reason to get lawyers involved, and that they would figure things out as they went, as is more their style, but she worries when things like Christmas and Thanksgiving roll around how they'll manage it. She supposes that's a problem for another day, though. As of right now, everything is going great, more than great, really. In fact, she'd be tempted to say perfect, but she knows better than that. They're one step shy of perfect, and that's a step she doubts they'll ever take, but she's grateful for the normal they've invented.
Donna avoids pestering Rosie about her strange mood, hoping Harvey will notice and take it upon himself to have that conversation because, quite frankly, it's only Tuesday and she's over the whole week. The last two days have been packed with paperwork, and she'd never admit it, but this new job is still something she's struggling with. It's been hard to find her footing, and Harvey's been no help whatsoever. In fact, now that she thinks about it, he's been acting kind of odd today as well. She hadn't noticed until this moment, but ever since she'd walked Rosie to his office this morning, he's been actively avoiding her. She really can't be bothered with it too much at this point in the evening. With Rosie going back to his place, she decides she's just going to put the paperwork away on time tonight and be out of her by 6:00. Going home to a warm bath and some mindless television sounds absolutely wonderful.
She's just thinking about finding Harvey and Rosie to tell them this when her daughter pops into the room.
"Hey," she says quickly. "Do you have any extra staples? Louis is out and he's having a fit down the hall. I thought I'd do everyone a favor."
Donna chuckles, "Good idea. I don't think I've got any on me, but there should be some in the desk in the file room."
"Got it," Rosie nods, and turns to leave.
"Rosie," Donna calls out before she can get too far, waiting for her to turn back around. "I think I'm getting ready to head out, that okay?"
Rosie suddenly goes very stiff before stuttering out, "W-why?"
"Because I've had a long day," says Donna.
"But you can't go yet!" Rosie practically shouts. "Harvey isn't back from his meeting."
Donna gives her an odd look, "It's okay. Mike and Rachel will be here, it's not like you're alone."
"But…"
"But?" Donna prompts.
"Can't you just wait until Harvey comes back?" Rosie begs.
"Rosie," Donna sighs. "I just told you that I've had a long day. I'm at a good stopping point, and I've just convinced myself that it's okay to go home for the night. Why does it matter if Harvey's here or not?"
Rosie pauses for a minute, struggling to answer.
"It just does, okay?"
"No, not okay," Donna argues. "I let it go the last time you asked me to do something without a good reason, but you've been acting weird all week, and I want to know what's up."
Rosie's gaze drops to her feet, "I can't tell you."
"Is that so?" Donna raises an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, I might as well head home."
"No! Mom, please, just trust me. Just until Harvey gets back. I promise you'll understand soon."
"Understand what, Rosie?" Donna is fully annoyed by this point. "I can't imagine there's anything more important than me getting home and into pajamas right now."
"But it is!"
"Then tell me."
"I can't."
Donna shakes her head, the familiarity with this situation hitting her and making her even more reluctant to give in, "I'm going home. Go hang out with Rachel. I'm too tired for this."
Rosie moves to block her office door, "You can't. You can't because Harvey was going to ask you out on a date, and I've spent all day prepping him for it, and if you aren't here when he gets back, he's going to chicken out, and you'll never get married."
Rosie ends her rant with a big sigh and a look on her face like she's most definitely given away a secret that she wasn't supposed to tell. Donna, however, is still processing her words. Harvey was going to ask you out on a date.
"I…" she starts but doesn't finish. "I'm sorry?"
"He wanted to surprise you," Rosie frowns. "But you were leaving, and you wouldn't listen. I had to say something. Promise you'll still act surprised?"
Donna shakes her head, "I'm...Harvey...is going to ask me out? On a date?"
Rosie rolls her eyes, "Yes, Mom. I said that already."
"Could you, possibly, give me a little more to work with here?"
"I've already said too much, but you do look like you're about to pass out from shock, so I guess there's not much point hiding it now…"
And so Donna listens as she explains it all.
As soon as Donna is no longer visible outside Harvey's office door, Rosie cuts off the intercom and gets right to business.
"We need to talk."
Harvey looks up from his laptop, "O-kay?"
"You," Rosie points at him accusingly, "need to step it up, mister."
"Excuse me?" he asks, obviously confused.
"Someone is trying to make a move on your woman!" Rosie huffs, throwing her hands in the air to emphasize the fact.
Harvey's eyebrows shoot up, "My woman?"
"Yes!" she flops down in the chair across from him dramatically. "And if you don't do something about it, you're going to lose her forever, and I don't think that's what you want."
"You wanna slow down and back up a bit? Because I have no idea what you're on about."
"Okay. I wasn't gonna say this because I was waiting for you to come to me on your own, but you were taking too long and then Mark came up—'
Harvey stops her, "Who's Mark?"
"Mom's old boyfriend. Try and keep up would you?"
"I don't—"
"I heard you in the kitchen with Grandma, okay?" she blurts out.
"You…"
"Yeah," she continues, not bothering to wait for him to process it. "All that stuff about Mom and how you're in love with her and her stupid rule and you being too scared to risk anything because of me? Heard every bit of it."
"I—"
"I really wish we were having this chat under better circumstances, but there's no time for that. All you need to know is I'm okay with it and you need to do something. Like, now."
"Can we just—"
"Dad!" she groans in frustration. "Really, I'd love to have the whole heart to heart about it, but the situation boils down to this: you love Mom, she loves you, and I want my parents together. Now can we just get to planning how you're going to ask her out? I was thinking there should be flowers involved. She loves—"
"Lilies," he finishes. "I know."
Rosie smiles, "See? This is going to be super easy if you work with me."
"Let me get this straight," Harvey pauses, leaning back in his chair. "You came here to tell me that you heard that entire conversation I had with your grandmother about how I'm not good enough for your mom, and then instruct me on the best way to ask her out?"
"No," Rosie drawls. "I came here to tell you that Grandma was right when she said you were full of it, and that I'm old enough to understand there's more at stake here, and that it doesn't matter. I want you to go for it because I'd give anything in the world for my parents to be together, and not just because I want a normal family, but because I knew you two were perfect for each other long before I found out you were my dad."
Harvey considers this for a moment, "You're putting a lot of faith in the fact that I won't mess this up."
"You won't."
"What makes you so sure?" he asks. "You're the one who told me I always ruin my relationships."
"But this one is different, and you know it," Rosie argues. "The reason you've kept yourself from us for so long is because you were afraid to ruin the best thing you ever had, and that's not me. I mean, maybe I'm part of it, but it's mainly Mom. It was Mom way before I ever existed, and it will always be Mom."
Harvey smiles to himself, "Does anyone ever tell you that you're too smart for your own good?"
"Yes," Rosie smirks.
"Listen," Harvey says, moving forward so that he's leaning on the desk to be closer to her. "It's not that I don't want to. You know that. But, Rosie, I'm terrified. Like, Jack-in-the-Box times a billion. An entire room full of Jacks-in-the-Box unwinding at the same time."
"I know. That's how you know it's worth it. I'm rooting for you, and so are Mike and Rachel, and Grandma, and, well, everyone, basically. Except maybe Louis because I'm not sure he ever really knows what's going on, but once he does, he will be too."
Harvey smiles slightly, nodding his head slowly.
"Just believe in yourself, like I believe in you."
"Okay," he finally says.
"Okay?" Rosie jumps up excitedly.
"Okay," Harvey repeats, laughing as she darts around the desk to fling her arms around him.
"We're going to be a real family!" she squeals into his shoulder.
"Let's just take this one step at a time, Shortstop."
She pulls back to look at him before hopping onto his desk, "First step is, you need to ask her on a real date."
"I don't...I don't know what to say," Harvey admits.
"You've asked out girls before, Dad," Rosie reminds him. "It's not that hard."
"Yeah but...this is...she's different."
"Yeah, she is. Because she's already in love with you, so you don't have to worry about trying to impress her."
"You shouldn't keep saying that," Harvey warns.
"What? That she's in love with you? I wouldn't say it if it weren't true."
He shakes his head, "You can't know that."
"I do know it. I'm her daughter and her best friend and I know everything there is to know about her. You can trust me. I promise."
Harvey chuckles, but doesn't disagree, "Just help me figure out what to say, would you?"
"Of course."
When Rosie is through, Donna finds herself resting against the window of her office, hands gripping the windowsill while she stares blankly in shock. The chaos from the past week seems like a distant memory now.
"He really said all that?" she manages to ask.
"Yes," Rosie answers immediately. "So now do you get why you need to stay?"
Donna nods, but she can't quite bring herself to do much else.
"I'm going to give you a minute for the shock to wear off while I go look for those staples," Rosie says with a little laugh before leaving for the file room.
Alone with her thoughts, Donna can't even find a place to start. There's so much to unpack that she's slightly overwhelmed and lightheaded. Sliding down so that she's partially sitting on the windowsill, she finds that she can think easier when she isn't as worried about falling.
She knows she should be happy, ecstatic really, about this development, but she can't find it in herself to be. Maybe she feels like it's too good to be true because this is something she's wanted for so long, but mainly she thinks that it can't be true because it's Harvey. Harvey Specter doesn't do commitment and he most definitely doesn't do being in love. She tells herself it's because of the new dynamic they've had ever since Mike's trial. They've been acting a lot more like a family, and having reunited with his own, he must be romanticizing it in his head. Maybe he realized that having a family is something he wants, and it's easier to settle for what he already has than really going after what he wants.
But part of her knows that isn't true either. There have been moments, lots of them, when she knew with every fiber of her being that he felt something. She has each and every one of those moments ingrained in her memory down to the last detail. She's been playing them on loop in her head for years, and she knows she isn't imagining it.
Her brain keeps switching back and forth so quickly that she feels like a schoolgirl ripping off flower petals chanting, "He loves me. He loves me not," for what feels like hours. She never does have a chance to rip that last petal off and come to a decision when the object of her thoughts comes waltzing right through her door.
She looks up, immediately rising from her spot on the windowsill, but still feeling as though she could topple over any second. Watching as he opens his mouth to speak, she notices that he falters a little as well.
He tries to smile at her, but it comes shakily as he starts to speak, "Good. You're still here because I wanted to talk to you about—"
Before she can think, she's striding over to him and then her lips are on his, effectively cutting off whatever speech he had prepared.
He goes very still, and she instantly regrets her boldness, but she doesn't pull away just yet. If this is the moment he realizes he's made a mistake by coming to her, then she isn't going to waste this kiss. She slides her fingers into his hair, kissing him for all she's worth before she goes to pull back. Just as she does, she thinks she might feel him start to reciprocate, but she isn't so sure.
When she opens her eyes, he's staring at her in a mixture of shock and confusion, and she almost smiles thinking of how she'd felt when Rosie first told her his plans just moments ago.
"I'm sorry, Harvey," she whispers, trying to place some distance between them. "I just—"
But before she can even finish the thought, his lips are crashing against hers. His hands are on her waist, pulling her to him and then anchoring her there, crushed against his chest so tightly that every single part of them is touching. One of his hands moves from her waist to her hair, tangling itself inside as he deepens the kiss, begging her to follow his lead.
She does. Even though it's her turn again to be in shock, she finds herself instinctively pressing against him, allowing him to bear her weight as she sinks into his embrace. Seconds, maybe minutes later, he begins to urge her backward. It's a bit difficult, seeing as he hasn't detached himself from her for more than a few seconds at a time, and only with his lips as they take a few, much needed, breaths. But eventually she stumbles into her desk, and he lifts her onto it, taking the opportunity to trail kisses across her jaw, behind her ear, down her neck.
"Harvey," she manages to gasp just as he reaches her collar bone, and something inside them both snaps, because then he's jolting upwards to look her in the eyes.
Her hand, from where it had placed itself at the base of his neck, moves to slide down onto his chest, but he grabs hold of it in order to ensure she can't remove it entirely.
"You just what?" he asks, gaze so intense that for a moment she isn't sure what he's saying, and even when she does figure it out, it takes a few more seconds to realize he's referencing her fractured sentence from before.
"Needed to know," she finishes, breath heavy, eyes never moving from his.
"Needed to know what?" he murmurs so quietly she almost misses it.
She glances at her hand in his, then back up at him, "If this was really what you wanted."
"Donna," he says, and the softness in his gaze and in his tone is enough to make her heart melt right then and there. "I have never wanted anything more in my whole entire life."
She can't help it. She smiles.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he smiles back, tenderly using a hand to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I guess that means Rosie told you about my grand plan, huh?"
She nods, shyly.
"I just wasn't sure if...if you were doing it for her, or—"
"I'm not," he promises. "She was the one who pushed, but she wasn't the reason."
She wants to believe him. She really does, but in twelve years worth of disregarded moments and compartmentalizing feelings she isn't sure she can do that as easily as she wishes she could.
"You're worried still," he observes. He knows her all too well. "What can I say to make you believe me?"
"I don't—"
"What if I told you that ever since the day you told me you were pregnant with Rosie, I've been working towards becoming the man you both deserve?"
She feels her jaw drop slightly.
"For the first four years of her life I was determined I could become that man," he continues. "I tried so hard. I wanted to be what you needed so badly, but then my dad died and I...I couldn't even face my own mother. And you wanted me to distance myself, so I did. And I spent the next six years trying to pretend I could move on, that who I was was the best version of myself and that I'd find someone who could take me as that or I'd end up alone. But I was lying to myself. Up until a few months ago, I refused to acknowledge that part of me that still wanted you so badly it hurt. And then I ended up talking to my mom. And she made me realize that all the reasons I'd been keeping myself away from you were because I didn't have faith in myself. I wanted to talk to Rosie, and this morning, she just…"
"Just what?" Donna urges, needing to know what sparked the change.
He takes a deep breath.
"She believes in me, Donna. She sees who I am. All my baggage. All my flaws. And she doesn't just accept me. She loves me. It's not easy to find someone like that in this world, and yeah, maybe she has to a little because I'm her dad, but the only other person whoever did that, without any obligation, was you."
Donna can feel tears building in her eyes, threatening to spill, but she doesn't dare move to wipe them away for fear of losing contact with him for even a second.
"You've been doing that since the day I met you," he swallows. "You didn't need me to become a better man, Donna, because you make me a better man. And once I realized that, there wasn't anything stopping us from being the family we were always meant to be."
She feels as if her heart could burst and break at the same time as she says, "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You've spent your entire life running from your past like it was what broke you, but I know different. Your past is a part of you, and it has helped shape you into the most amazing man. You're such a wonderful father to Rosie, and the best friend to me. Through all our ups and downs, I've never doubted that."
He strokes her cheek softly, "I'm going to try having faith in me. I know I'm not good at it, but Donna, I want to do it for you. I want to be worthy of all that you just said."
"You are," she assures him, thinking back to the night she tried to talk him out of turning himself in for Mike. "You've always been worthy of us, Harvey."
"Keep saying it, and I might believe it," he chuckles, and she realizes it's the loveliest sound.
"One day you will," she promises. "I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you if I have to."
"The rest of your life, huh?" he teases, quirking an eyebrow at her.
She smiles, "This is it for me, Harvey. You're it for me. You know that, don't you?"
"I do. And I'm going to make this work, I promise you right now."
"I'll hold you to that."
He pulls her to him, embracing her in a way that is soft and warm and home.
"But did you really think kissing me was the best course of action?" he asks as he pulls away, smirking at her and taking both of her hands in his.
She laughs, then shrugs casually, "It seems to have worked out in my favor."
"Mmm," he hums in response, lifting their hands to place a few open-mouthed kisses into her palm. "Must've been pretty sure of yourself."
"More like Rosie was pretty sure of herself," Donna corrects, struggling not to lose control of her wavering voice.
He chuckles against her wrist, kissing it once as well before meeting her eyes again, "You sure of yourself now?"
She pretends to ponder this, "I may need to test my theory again."
"And I'd be more than happy to oblige," he smiles, "but we are still at work."
She lets out a huff of annoyance that turns into a slight pout, "Unfortunately."
"Lucky for you," he smirks, moving to press his lips against her ear, "I already sent Rosie home with Mike and Rachel."
She raises an eyebrow at him, "Now who's sure of himself?"
"I was planning to ask you out on a date, remember?"
"I do. And your intention was incredibly sweet—"
"Thank you."
"—but completely unnecessary," she finishes.
She moves her fingers to the knot in his tie, toying with it while glancing down at her lap.
"I say we skip the dinner and go straight to the main event," she suggests.
She worries his eyes are in danger of falling out of his head the way they bug out at that statement, and she has to stifle a laugh to keep from ruining the mood.
"Uh, Donna..." he stutters. "As much as that thought appeals to me, don't you think that's a bit...much? Too soon?"
"Does twelve years seem too soon to you?" she counters.
"No," he whispers, and as she was expecting some sort of witty comeback, the sincerity surprises her. "It doesn't."
"Alright then," she says decidedly, placing a chaste kiss to his cheek and hopping off of her desk. "Let's get a move on, Specter."
He nods once, but just as she moves to go in search of her things, he stops her with a hand on her waist.
"Donna."
She turns to him, questioning his hesitation.
"You know I love you, don't you?"
Of all things to catch her off guard tonight, she certainly wasn't expecting this one, and certainly not like that, phrased the way it was. Nonetheless, she believes it to be true with every fiber of her being.
"Yes, Harvey," she assures him. "I do know that."
"Aren't you gonna ask me how?" he teases, but the pure happiness in his voice sort of ruins the playfulness of it all.
"I don't want you to tell me how, Harvey," she bites her lip with a smirk of her own. "I want you to show me."
And so he does.
After they've gone back to his apartment. After he spends a ridiculous amount of time ravishing her against the back of his front door. After she shows him herself. After a whole night of the softest, gentlest, most beautiful connection she's ever shared with any other person. After she tells him they need to sleep. After the sun awakens them in the wee hours of the morning when they're wrapped up together and still too tired to form coherent sentences. After he tells her over and over again: against her cheek, her neck, her hands, her stomach, her lips. After she tells him, not for the first time, and most certainly not for the last, that she loves him right back.
For the first time since finding out she was pregnant, Donna doesn't think about Rosie even once.
She wakes in the morning to him kissing her shoulder. His arms are wrapped tightly around her, so she has to detangle herself in order to face him.
"Morning," he mumbles, smiling.
"Morning," she smiles back.
"You sleep well?" he asks.
She nods, "You?"
"Best sleep I've ever had," he replies with a wink, and she laughs.
"As much as I'd love to lay here all day, we do have work."
He groans, "Can't we take a day off?"
"You haven't taken a day off in fourteen years," she reminds him.
"I haven't had a reason to take a day off in fourteen years," he shoots back, burying his face in her neck where he returns to kissing her.
"Harvey," she wines.
"I'm in the middle of something very important," he mumbles against her skin, making her giggle when his breath tickles her neck.
"And what would that be, exactly?"
He lifts his head so he can look at her in the eyes, "You wanted me to show you how I love you. I'm not finished yet."
She figures it'd be okay if they were a couple hours late. Just for today.
This is how everything is for the next three days. Rosie is over the moon when they tell her the news after work on Wednesday evening. She screams and pops these little things of confetti that Donna didn't even know she had, and FaceTimes Mike and Rachel immediately, who already know, of course, and the three of them celebrate together while Harvey orders takeout with Donna's arms wrapped around his waist.
For three days, he stays at Donna's apartment watching TV with her until they're sure Rosie is asleep, and he sneaks out the next morning before the sun comes up. On Saturday, he comes back only a couple hours after leaving with bagels and coffee for his girls, and takes them out to lunch. They go to Neiman Marcus afterward, and he trails after them both for hours while they do some serious damage to his debit card, but he doesn't mind. Donna watches him get several pitying looks from other men while he weaves between the Gucci and Jimmy Choo pumps. He either doesn't notice or doesn't care, and she smiles at the thought that to any random stranger, they look like a typical family.
When they pile into the back seat of his Lexus with arms full, Ray greets them with a knowing smile. He's been driving Harvey to and from her apartment a lot over the last couple of days, and she knows he's witnessed more than a little of their fondling in the backseat on the way back from work. He doesn't say anything, though, but she can tell he's another in a long list of people who are glad for the transition in their relationship.
They order pizza for dinner and rent the newest Marvel movie afterward. Donna really couldn't care less about superhero movies, but Harvey loves them, and Rosie has been trained to like them both by her father and by Mike, so Donna doesn't complain. She thinks Rosie is a little put off by the fact that Donna now sits in the middle of the couch, the spot Rosie used to take, but the looks she keeps stealing at Harvey with his arm around her tells Donna she's probably okay with it.
Rosie decides she's going to bed once the movie is over, which is unusual, but Donna lets her without protest. Donna changes into her pajamas soon after, and goes in search of Harvey once she's done, wondering if he's ready to go to bed too or he's planning to stay up for a while longer. She's on her way to the living room when she hears him in Rosie's room.
She can't help herself from eavesdropping as she stands just outside the door to wait for him.
"Are you spending the night?" she hears Rosie ask him candidly and has to bite down on her lip to keep from giggling out loud.
"Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours about where I may or may not be sleeping tonight," Harvey responds in kind, and she doesn't need to see him to know he's wearing that signature grin of his.
"Okay," Rosie sighs, "but if you're going to try and sneak out in the morning, be a little quieter this time. You've woken me up the last three nights in a row."
Donna snorts out loud before she can stop it, instinctively covering her mouth with one hand even though it's too late.
"Goodnight, Rosie," Harvey calls with a little hum to it as he slides out the door.
"Goodnight, Dad," Rosie replies with a little extra emphasis on the title that makes the grin on Donna's face grow impossibly wider.
Harvey turns to see her standing with her back against the wall and he shakes his head in mock disappointment at her.
"What are you so smiley about?" he asks, though she can tell he's already well aware.
"Just happy, that's all," she replies immediately, forfeiting the opportunity for lighthearted banter with him. They have plenty of time for that. Now seems like a time for being honest.
"Good," he says softly.
He reaches up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear and lets his fingers trail across her cheek and jawline before giving her a kiss that's short and sweet and full of all the happiness she knows is reflected in him as well.
"Turns out we haven't been quite as stealthy as we thought," he says afterward, eyes still trained on her lips.
"And by we, I hope you mean you. I wasn't the one who ran into the end table last night."
He shakes his head, but he's smiling all the while, hand sliding from her chin to her waist as he pushes himself more firmly against her.
"Eventually I'm going to learn to navigate this place in the dark, you'll see."
"Alright, hotshot," she rolls her eyes at him. "In the meantime, maybe you ought to just use a flashlight. Your phone comes with one, you know."
"I think I've had enough of your sass for one night, woman."
"Oh yeah?" she challenges, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you plan to do about it?"
She's expecting a suggestive comeback, but what she gets is his hands settling on the back of her thighs and him hoisting her up so that she's forced to wrap her legs around his waist, arms instantly encircling his neck as she lets out a little squeal that's very uncharacteristic of her.
"If I told you, it would just take all the fun out of it, now wouldn't it?" he murmurs against her ear, breath hot and making her blush just the slightest.
Before she can respond, though, a loud groan comes from Rosie's bedroom accompanied by a shout of, "I can hear you, you know."
Harvey bursts out laughing at the exact same time she does. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, grinning against his skin as he begins to carry her in the direction of her bedroom.
"Is this weird?" he asks once they're at a safe distance from Rosie's room.
"A little," she shrugs.
He tosses her lightly onto the end of her bed, hovering over her with his arms encasing her, palms flat against the bedspread on either side of her waist.
"How much do you think she knows?"
"She's eleven, Harvey," Donna laughs at him. "She's seen Titanic a handful of times, and she watches Friends reruns religiously. She knows what's going on."
"I don't want to make her uncomfortable."
"Harvey, every kid is uncomfortable thinking about their parents doing anything other than holding hands. That's natural. But she's happy for us, and I think she understands that it won't be like this forever."
"Yeah," he agrees, kissing the tip of her nose, which she scrunches up in response. "If it bothered her, she'd tell us, right?"
"Yes," says Donna, having had enough of his worrying. "Now stop talking so much."
She draws him down to her so that she can kiss him fully, feeling him smile against her lips.
He doesn't sneak out the next morning. In fact, he even stays for breakfast. Rosie insists on pancakes because it's Saturday, and Harvey makes sure to add a generous amount of strawberries and whipped cream, shooting Donna a look across the table that almost makes her choke on her coffee.
By Saturday night, Mike and Rachel decide that the new couple has had enough alone time and insist on a double date. Without their 24 hour babysitters, Harvey and Donna have no choice but to bring their daughter with them, but Rosie doesn't seem to mind. She trails along behind them in a Gucci jumpsuit and heels Harvey claims are way too tall for someone her age, and she never even says a word about the way they hold hands all the way from the car to their booth.
The five of them enjoy a nice dinner at a new seafood place Rachel had discovered a couple weeks ago, and it's not even until they've ordered that Mike makes a comment on how weird it is to finally see them together. Harvey rolls his eyes at his best friend, but underneath the table he reaches a hand over to place on Donna's leg. He doesn't move it even after the food comes, preferring to eat with only his right hand, which makes her smile despite herself. When it's time for dessert, she doesn't even bother ordering. She knows she's entitled to at least half of whatever Harvey's having, and she trusts his judgment, but more importantly she's ready to seize the chance to forgo any sort of pretense that she's eating her own when he's obviously going to share. She used to do that when they'd get dinner together before—pretend she lost her appetite for her own choice once she saw his and steal a couple bites until he'd eventually slide it over onto her side. When his cake comes, it's only with one fork, but he offers her the first bite and doesn't hand it over, choosing to feed it to her instead, which, of course, she accepts.
"I don't know, Rach," Mike says as he takes another sip of his wine. "Maybe they weren't ready to be around people yet. They're clearly not aware the rest of us are still trying to eat without gagging."
Rosie snorts into her ice cream and Rachel stifles a giggle.
"Very mature," Harvey throws back at him.
"Rosie, if this is what you've been dealing with for the past four days, I'm really very sorry I sent you back home," Mike says, as though Harvey and Donna aren't even there. "You're welcome to stay with me and Rachel until the newlyweds get back from their honeymoon."
"It has been pretty disgusting," Rosie admits with a dramatic sigh.
"Okay, Lindsay Lohan, if you didn't want to see it, you shouldn't have tried to Parent Trap us in the first place," Harvey retorts.
Rosie rolls her eyes, "I wouldn't have had to Parent Trap you if you both weren't complete idiots."
"Rosie," Donna warns, eyebrows raised.
"Maybe if you would've just been together in the first place, you wouldn't have had to rely on an eleven-year-old to be your fix-it girl, and I wouldn't have to put up with being a background character in the newest installment of Fifty Shades of Grey."
Mike's drink nearly comes out of his nose, but Donna can't even be bothered by it as she's too busy worrying over the shade of red her cheeks must have gone. Rachel is staring down at her lap, lips folded to keep from bursting with laughter, and Harvey looks an odd combination of shocked and indignant.
"That is not true," he defends.
"Would you prefer I said Sex in the City?"
Mike bangs his fist against the table, shaking with suppressed laughter and Rachel finally lets out a chuckle, unable to stay quiet any longer.
"It's not...I mean, we're not...I didn't...we—"
Donna struggles to explain, but she's uncharacteristically flustered and can't seem to form a coherent sentence, so she looks to Harvey for help.
"Oh, this is the best day," Mike says to no one in particular, head thrown back against the booth, eyes towards the ceiling.
"It's really not like she's making it seem," Harvey explains, attempting to save their dignity as best as he can. "We haven't...I mean we have, but not like...not, you know..."
"Relax," Rachel finally manages to step in, much more sober than her fiancé seems to be at the moment. "It's totally understandable. Mike laughs, but he's no better, really. Right now everything is new and fun and exciting and especially for two people who have wanted to be together for as long as you two have, it makes perfect sense."
"Thank you, Rachel," Donna sighs, her cheeks feeling a little cooler now, but she's sure they're still bright pink.
"Of course," her best friend gives her a warm smile. "And I know Mike was kidding earlier, but we really wouldn't mind if Rosie wanted to come stay with us for a little while. It might be easier for everyone. You two deserve a little vacation. It's not like either of you have had one in the past decade."
Donna looks to Harvey who, without speaking, seems to agree that Rachel does make a good point.
"Let her come over for the week," Rachel urges. "You guys can have your privacy, and Rosie and I can get back to planning the wedding. I've been meaning to look over everything for months, but it's a horrendous task to take on by myself. Rosie loves helping me, and we'd have so much fun."
"Can I, Mom?" Rosie pleads.
"I don't know," Donna hesitates, glancing back at Harvey. The idea is tempting, but what kind of mother dumps her kid on her best friend just so she can spend some quality time with her new boyfriend?
"It's okay to think about yourself for once," Rachel adds, almost reading her thoughts. "You've earned some time off, Donna. And it's not like you're abandoning her. She wants to come."
Donna bites her lip, thinking over Rachel's words, then turns to Harvey, "What do you think?"
"I think a little vacation would do us all some good," he murmurs, squeezing her leg with the hand that's still wrapped around it.
Donna looks from Harvey to Rosie to Rachel, then to Mike, who has finally ceased laughing and seems to have no objection to this plan.
"Just for a week," she finally says, and Rosie does a little breathy cheer. "And you're still going to school like normal. Don't think you can talk Mike into letting you skip without me knowing. You have to get your homework done and sleep at a normal hour. This isn't some elongated slumber party, understand?"
"Yes, Mom," Rosie shakes her head with mild amusement.
Mike and Rachel follow them back to Donna's to collect Rosie's things for the next week. Donna still isn't entirely sure she made the right call with this, but she knows Rosie doesn't have a lot of friends her own age, and she loves spending time with Mike and Rachel. She'll have fun hanging out with them.
It takes them close to an hour to get everything packed, but the second they're out the door, Harvey has Donna pinned against the door while he tickles her sides. She's laughing so hard she can barely breathe, but she isn't worried about being quiet anymore.
"Harvey," she gasps. "Let me go."
Instead, he lifts her by the waist and throws her over his shoulder, making her scream. He laughs as he walks her to the couch and throws her down on it before crawling on top of her. She's completely out of breath, but she's smiling so much her cheeks hurt when he leans down to kiss her.
"One week of you all to myself," he murmurs into her ear. "That's a whole lot of Donna."
"Worried you'll get sick of me?" she jokes.
"No," he replies, entirely serious. "Never."
She can't help but kiss him then.
From that point on, it's a week full of laughter and kisses and late mornings and homemade meals and (with Donna's protest) late nights watching Survivor on the couch. She teaches him the art of a good selfie, and he mutters that it's easy for someone who looks good in any light. She changes her lock screen to a picture of the two of them. His is just of her. She learns a little about baseball from watching a couple games with him, but mainly she reads while his eyes are fixated on the screen. Some days they have brunch, some days they eat breakfast in bed. One particularly messy morning consists of strawberries and whipped cream and nostalgia, and she ends up having to throw out the sheets (just like last time), but he promises to buy her new ones. On Wednesday, he celebrates their one week anniversary by taking her to Del Posto, and she laughs at the ridiculousness of it all but doesn't complain.
By the time Saturday arrives, she couldn't possibly feel more full. She's overflowing with love for this man, and she decides while they're getting ready for bed together that night that this is exactly what she wants for the rest of her life.
They're laying in bed just a few minutes later, her head on his chest and one of his arms folded behind his head while the other wraps around her to gently stroke her hand laying on his stomach. He's awfully quiet, something she's discovered to mean he's being contemplative.
"What are you thinking about, mister?" she asks.
He shifts to look at her and smiles, "Just how this has been the best week of my life."
"Oh yeah?" she smirks.
He nods, "Yeah."
"Well at the risk of letting it get to your head, this has been the best week of my life too."
"Oh yeah?" he mimics.
"Yeah," she repeats, biting her lip.
"Rosie's coming home tomorrow," he says suddenly.
"Yes."
"You miss her," he observes.
"I do," Donna agrees with a sigh. "It's weird not having her around. It's always been just the two of us, you know? Like Gilmore Girls or something."
"You, Donna Paulsen, are no Lorelai Gilmore," Harvey points out with a laugh.
"Well, you aren't very Luke Danes," she challenges.
"Good. His fashion sense is horrendous."
"I think at least forty percent of your fashion sense is thanks to me," says Donna
He doesn't argue this.
"Probably."
"I miss Rosie," Donna admits after a moment, "but…"
"But?"
"I'm not ready for you to go just yet," she finishes, looking at him carefully.
"I'm not ready either," he frowns slightly.
"Then don't go."
"What are you saying?" he asks, shifting even more so that they're no longer tangled together but they're facing one another, eyes level.
"I'm saying, don't go," she repeats. "Just...stay."
"Stay here? You mean move in with you?"
She shrugs, "If that's what you want to call it..."
"Well, that's what it is," he points out.
She huffs in slight annoyance, "Harvey."
"Donna."
"I'm being extremely vulnerable right now, and you're not making it easy," she wines.
"I'm sorry," he says genuinely, pressing a small kiss to the palm of her hand.
"So...what are you thinking?" she urges.
"I'm thinking I really, really don't want to go home."
"Good," she smiles, "Then don't."
"But…"
She sighs, eyes downcast, "But."
"I don't know," he hesitates. "Don't you think it's a little fast?"
"Harvey, we've talked about this," she reminds him because they have. "It's been long enough already. I'm tired of waiting."
"Waiting isn't the same as being in a relationship.
"No, it's not. But you told me you loved me before we even went on a first date, so I think we're pretty much already doing this in the wrong order. You are planning on moving in eventually, aren't you?"
"Well...yeah. Eventually. Not, you know, one week into it."
"Ten days, actually," she corrects.
"Oh, well, those three days really make all the difference."
"Harvey," she groans. "Look, if you don't want to move in, I'm not going to sit here all night trying to talk you into it. I just...I don't know. I thought we were having a great week, and I know we're still in that honeymoon phase or whatever, but I know it doesn't make a difference. We're both in this for the long run, and I'm so ridiculously in love with you. I don't want to go to sleep or wake up without you again. Ever."
There's a long silence. Then:
"Okay."
She sits up, looking down at him.
"Okay?" she repeats, needing clarification
"I don't ever want to go to sleep or wake up without you either," he says as though it's the simplest thing in the world, as if it hadn't occurred to him until she'd said it, but now that he thinks about it, there's no other way.
"What about it being too soon?" she asks, just to make sure.
"You were right about that too. We're doing things on our own timeline, and I have to stop comparing us to other couples. We're not like other couples."
"No," she smiles, "We aren't."
"We're just us. And I like us a whole lot."
"I like us a whole lot too. Love us, even."
"Agreed."
"So you're moving in?" she asks one more time, wanting to hear him say it. "Officially?"
"Looks like it," he smiles. She doesn't think she's seen him smile that big since he first saw Rosie.
"I love you," she tells him, leaning over to grab his face in both of her hands. "So much."
"I love you too," he whispers just before pulling her down to kiss him.
Definitely the best week ever.
I have nothing to say other than that I hope you're all as happy with this as I was writing it. I love overly affectionate Darvey, and we didn't get as much of that in the show as I would've liked, but I like to pretend it happened anyway.
