A/N: So I had a little fun with this chapter. The idea came out of nowhere one day and I just HAD to write it. I hope it's as much fun to read as it was to write. I can't get the image from my head now.

Thank you to Heather and Stephanie for our daily talks and debates. You have both influenced this story so much and this chapter maybe most of all. Nathalie, you are my Darvey muse. Thank you for always taking the time to give honest and genuine feedback. Love you girls so much.

Chapter 16 - Road Trip

It's been over five years since Harvey played in the minors. The atmosphere is completely different than Yankee Stadium, but not in a bad way. It's actually pretty nostalgic. Most of the guys are different, his old teammates had either made it to the Bigs or hung it up by now, but the manager is the same, and so is this town.

Playing in the minor leagues reminds him of the State Championships in high school. A small stadium but packed with the most loving and die-hard fans. The love and support of a crowd like this is unconditional. Win or lose, strikeout or homerun, they love their team and its players. Sometimes he misses that.

The stadium is bursting at the seams of its nearly 11,000 seat capacity and Harvey is well aware that it is mostly due to his presence. When word gets out in a town like this that a major leaguer is making an appearance, people come from all over to take a gander. It may very well be the only time they see a player of his caliber pitch.

It's when they line up along the baselines and remove their caps for the National Anthem that he spots them. Sitting just behind home plate in the third row, a bag of fresh peanuts and a cold beer in hand, are Donna and Mike. He clenches his jaw at the sight of them, a swelling feeling of gratitude and love flowing through his veins as the first notes of The Star Spangled Banner echo through the stadium speakers. He silently blames the glistening in his eyes to the emotion of this song and his return to the game he loves, but under the surface, he knows it's much more than that.

…..

In Donna's opinion, this game is even more fun than the ones at Yankee Stadium. The fans aren't on their cell phones, or coming late and leaving early. People are actually watching the game and hanging on every pitch. She loves it! And it doesn't hurt that her boyfriend is the main attraction. As much as she had feared his fame early on, she has to admit there is a certain element of excitement to it. And now that she knows he loves her, and what they have is real, she is actually enjoying it quite a bit.

Their seats are next to a father and son who explain they had driven over four hours from Pittsburgh just to see Harvey Specter.

"Sean, Sean Cahill. And this is my boy AJ," the father introduces himself.

"Nice to meet you both." Donna smiles as she shakes their hands. "I'm Donna Paulsen and this Mike Ross."

The four talk throughout the game and Mike is tickled by the fact that AJ knows every single statistic of Harvey's entire career. The boy proudly shares his rookie Harvey Specter baseball card, encased in protective plastic, that he has clutched in his hand the entire game. And when Harvey comes in to pitch, and strikes out the side on 12 pitches, the entire place goes ballistic, but none louder than little AJ and his dad.

The father and son have no idea who either Donna or Mike are, or that the two of them are about to make this little boy's dreams come true.

After the game, she and Mike stand back at a distance and watch as Harvey is mauled by the thousands of fans who had come just to see him. AJ is on pins and needles and he can't stand still.

"Are you sure about this?" his father Sean asks. "He looks a little busy."

"Trust me," Mike smiles and winks at the nervous father, "he's got time for this."

When Harvey finally makes his way over to them, he drops his duffle bag and lifts Donna up off the ground in a twirling embrace. As if they are the only two in the entire parking lot, he takes in a deep breath of her hair and plants a kiss on her lips.

"God, you're beautiful," he says just loud enough for her to hear as he places her unsteady feet back on the ground.

"And who is this?" he squats down and tugs on the bill of the worn Yankee hat on AJ's head, "a new member of the team?"

The boy just stands there blinking at his idol, speechless.

"This is AJ, Harvey. He drove all the way from Pittsburgh to see his favorite player," Mike pipes in. "And this is his father, Sean."

"Nice to meet you, Sean." Harvey stands and gives the man a firm handshake.

"So you came to see your favorite player, and you got stuck just meeting me? Who is he? You want me to go find him?" Harvey jokes.

"Oh no, Mr. Specter. It's… it's you! You're my favorite player," AJ says excitedly, finally finding his words. "See," he juts out the hand holding Harvey's card, "it's your rookie card. I saved up my allowance for months to get it."

Donna isn't sure when exactly it happened, but her eyes are now full of tears. She can't be certain if it's the look of admiration in this little boy's eyes, or the sweet and sincere expression in Harvey's.

"Wow!" Harvey raises his eyebrows. "Do you mind?" He nods at the card, and the boy hands it over without hesitation. "I see you have it in a nice case, would it be okay if I took it out? You know, so I could sign it for you?"

AJ's eyes grow like saucers as he blinks at Harvey and then looks up to his father. When Donna sees the man swallow and nod down at his son, she can see she's not the only one on the verge of tears.

Harvey smiles and carefully removes the card. Mike holds a pen out to Harvey which he takes and kneels back down in front of AJ. He autographs the card, carefully puts it back in the case and hands it to his starry-eyed fan.

"How about a picture?" Donna suggests as she wipes a tear from her beaming face.

After Sean and AJ pose for a photo with Harvey, they say their thank yous and goodbyes. And Donna, Mike and Harvey head out for a bite to eat. No one talks much more about what had just transpired. It may have been a typical experience for Harvey and Mike, but for Donna, it had been anything but.

….

"You can sit up front, Donna," Harvey calls as she starts to climb into the back of the Navigator the following morning.

"What? No. Your legs are longer than mine." She smiles at him as he approaches the SUV.

"Yeah, and this thing is a damn boat, the back seat has plenty of legroom." He reaches for her arm to stop her. "Really, please. I'll sit in the back." The look in his eyes saying he'd doesn't want to argue.

"Okay, Harvey. Thank you." She raises up on her toes and kisses him square on the lips.

For the first thirty minutes of the drive, the three friends talk about last night's game, the weekend series against Tampa Bay, and the upcoming closing night of Donna's show. It's when the conversation dies down that Mikes throws out a suggestion.

"Cell Phone Karaoke!"

"What? No! No way." Harvey shakes his head vehemently looking at Mike in the rearview mirror. "Plus, that's a drinking game and we can't play it while driving. Pretty sure that's illegal."

"What's Cell Phone Karaoke?" Donna asks looking back and forth between the two men. She'd been sitting with her body turned sideways, one leg tucked under the other, the whole time so she could see Harvey.

"It's a great game we used to play in college," Mike says, his face practically glowing in excitement.

"It's a stupid game, that's meant to be played when you're drunk. Not sober as a judge. And definitely not in the car where I can't run away from Mike's freakishly underdeveloped prepubescent voice."

"He's scared." Mike looks at Donna and tilts his head. "He knows he can't beat me, and he's afraid to sing in front of you." He nods and purses his lips.

"Afraid? I'm trying to protect her. From you!" Harvey scoffs. "And I can't beat you? Please. The two of you combined don't have half my knowledge of music and you know it."

"Oh! Now it's ON!" Donna chirps with mock offense. "I have no idea what this game is, but if it involves singing, I'm pretty sure I have the advantage over you two jocks."

"Seriously, Harvey," Mike pipes back up, looking at his friend through the mirror. "She doesn't stand a chance and we both know it." He raises his brows teasingly. "Donna will be the one doing ninety percent of the singing anyway. You really telling me you wouldn't like to spend the rest of the ride listening to your beautiful, and talented, girlfriend sing?"

Donna looks back at Harvey with a pout. "Well, Specter?"

"Fine," Harvey agrees begrudgingly. "But I'm picking first."

Mike explains the rules to Donna. Each of them takes a turn selecting a song on their cell phone and playing it. The other two have to shout out the title as fast as they can. Whoever loses, has to down a shot, and sing that song aloud, karaoke style. Obviously, they will skip the drinking step.

"What if you don't know the song?" Donna asks.

"The idea is to pick popular songs. Songs everyone should know. It's more fun that way. The point isn't to stump people, just to see who can name it faster." Harvey shrugs, "And usually to see who gets the most hammered and then laughing at them all night. But I guess today, it's about watching you lose and listening to you sing." The grin he flashes is so cocky, Donna hates that it simultaneously infuriates and excites her.

"And you can read the lyrics from the screen. You know, karaoke style. So, you don't have to have it memorized or anything," Mike adds glancing over to Donna.

"How are you going to read lyrics? You're driving!"

"Donna." He rolls his eyes playfully. "Number one, No one will be faster than me, so I won't have to sing. And two, have you forgotten about my memory? If, by some miracle one of you beats me, I won't need the lyrics, trust me."

Harvey starts the game by skimming through songs on his phone. The shit-eating grin on his face is making Donna nervous.

"Would you just pick something already!" She reaches back and slaps his leg.

"This is going to be fun, actually. Mike, great idea." Harvey winks at Donna and scoots up in the seat so he's closer to both of them. You two ready?"

Mike connects Harvey's phone to his Bluetooth so they can get the full effect of the music, but he places a paper from the glove box over the display screen.

Harvey presses play and Mike shouts, Like a Virgin, before Donna even hears a second note.

"What? No way you could be that fast." She looks accusingly between the two of them. "You guys cheated!"

"Prove it." Harvey sits back. "The rules are the rules, Donna." He hands Donna the phone and chuckles.

She's pretty sure she's been duped, but she actually loves this song, so she plays along and doesn't hold back.

I made it through the wilderness

Somehow I made it through

Didn't know how lost I was

Until I found you

Mike discreetly looks back at Harvey in the mirror. His eyes are transfixed on Donna. He's completely enthralled and it makes Mike stifle a laugh with a cough. Yeah, Harvey definitely owes him one.

Donna plays into it and lets the hair, she'd pulled back for the drive down, shaking it as she runs her hand through it and belts out the chorus. She is an actress after all and she can see what she's doing to Harvey, which only makes her play into more.

Hoo, like a virgin

Touched for the very first time

Like a virgin

When your heart beats

Next to mine

As Donna finishes the song, she wishes she had a mic to drop. She feels like a winner with the way she shut these two up, but she slowly realizes that this had been their end game all along.

"Okay, my turn to pick!" she says excitedly.

"Uh, no." Harvey laughs. "It's Mike's turn. The winner from the last round picks next."

"Oh, that's ridiculous." Donna hands the phone to Mike. "So, if you win this time, I sing again, and then it's your turn to pick? I'll never get to pick a song."

"That's the plan," Mike teases. "Basically Harvey and I are just going to take turns picking songs for you to sing."

"Not if I beat Harvey!" She huffs. "Or you!"

But she doesn't. She loses to Harvey by a millisecond on Mike's choice and she sings 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton while the two men eat up every second of it.

She loses a third in a row when Harvey plays "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson and Mike only needs three drum beats.

"I thought you'd get that one." Harvey acts as if he's disappointed. "I really wanted Mike to sing this."

"No, you didn't Harvey. Don't be a sore winner." She scowls at him but her eyes are still playful. She's actually having fun. She's always liked karaoke.

The next song played by Mike begins with a few soft notes on the piano and Donna knows it immediately.

"Piano Man!" she yells, clapping excitedly. "I got it. I got it!"

Harvey said it as well but a good second or two after Donna.

"What?" He raises both hands up in the air. "No way, that was totally me."

"No arguing, Harvey." Mike tsks from the driver seat. "Those are the rules. My turn, I decide. And that one goes to Donna. Hands down."

"Billy Joel, Mike? Really?"

"What? He plays piano, it's kinda Jazz-ish" Mike defends his song choice.

"My dad loves Billy Joel." Donna seems genuinely offended by Harvey's criticism. "I grew up listening to it." She smiles back at Harvey, enjoying the moment immensely.

"Here, I'm guessing you'll need the lyrics." She hands Harvey the phone and he takes it but keeps his eyes right on hers.

"Just play the song."

The music starts and Donna turns in her seat even more to get a clear view of Harvey, which makes Mike laugh out loud.

Harvey holds the phone in front of his face, and looks right at Donna as Billy starts to tickle the ivories. The moment the harmonica starts, he turns the phone over and places it face down on the center console. Signature smirk intact. He raises his eyebrow and gives her a wink.

It's nine o'clock on a Saturday

The regular crowd shuffles in

There's an old man sitting next to me

Makin' love to his tonic and gin

His voice is soft and a lower register than his speaking voice, but good. Quite good. Donna's eyes widen and she is pretty sure she's gaping.

Harvey pretends to pull a harmonica from his pocket and plays the invisible instrument along with the music.

He says, "Son, can you play me a memory

I'm not really sure how it goes

But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete

When I wore a younger man's clothes"

His voice grows louder and more confident with every line. Donna is in complete shock. He sounds amazing as he nails every word and every note without fail. He has the slightest gravel in his tone that makes her feel warm all over. She's pretty sure Mike is laughing his ass off in the front seat, but she can't tear her eyes away from Harvey to look.

La la la, di da da

La la, di da da da dum

She's completely awestruck. She's also aware that Harvey is feeding off her flabbergasted expression but she doesn't mind it one bit.

The air harmonica is back before he rolls right into the chorus. Literally belting it in the back seat like he's sung this song a million times.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man

Sing us a song tonight

Well, we're all in the mood for a melody

And you've got us feelin' alright

As he plays the air harmonica again, with his eyes playfully fixed on hers, she realizes she's been played. He knew he could sing and he wanted to catch her off guard. To impress her. And he had done both in spades. Mike is now playing back up piano on the steering wheel and she gets the feeling they've done this before.

Harvey goes on singing about John and Bill, and Paul and Davy. Donna can literally feel herself falling deeper in love with this man with every word that comes from his beautiful lips. As if he wasn't already perfect enough.

The two men continue to play their pretend instruments and Harvey sings verse after verse. Then he scoots up in the back seat and places one hand on the backs of Donna's and Mike's seats so that his face is only a short distance from hers.

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday

And the manager gives me a smile

'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see

To forget about life for a while

He leans in and gives Donna a quick, hard kiss on the lips before pulling away and leaning back to bellow out the last verse like he's on stage at a concert.

And the piano, it sounds like a carnival

And the microphone smells like a beer

And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar

And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"

As the chorus gets ready to play for the final time, the three exchange looks between them and with a quick nod they all join in and sing the chorus together, and Donna can't remember the last time she had this much fun.

When the music dies down, Harvey leans in close to her.

"My dad is a big fan of Billy Joel, too."

He winks, smiles, and places another kiss on her parted lips.

…

Saturday afternoon, Harvey sits in front of his locker holding his jersey in his hands. He had dressed out last night and warmed up with the team, but tonight was different. Tonight he knew that if the need for a closer presented itself, he would make his return.

He had just finished an interview with Alex Rodriguez from ESPN, a former Yankee legend and future Hall of Famer. They spoke about his injury, rehab, and pending return to the closer roll. They also spoke about the Yankees success, playoff hopes, and Harvey's bid for the All-Star closer for the American league.

As he pulls on his uniform, he listens intently to his pregame playlist and reflects on the recent changes in his life. Meeting Donna, reconciling with his mom, his panic attack, Lipschitz, his injury. He's grateful for all of it. The good with the bad. Everything that has transpired over the last several months has led him here, and he feels... blessed.

"You ready?" Tanner stands over him with a grin that challenges Harvey's best.

"You bet your ass I am." Harvey laces up his spikes, sets his headphones in his locker, and grabs his glove.

Showtime.

…..

The Yankees continue to outperform the competition and when they lead 3-1 in the eighth inning, the bullpen phone rings.

"Specter!" the pitching coach shouts after answering the call. "You're up."

Harvey nods to his coach and swallows. It's time.

Before he even throws his first pitch in the pen, the Jumbo Tron camera displays him taking off his jacket and the place goes ape-shit. Harvey fights back the smile that threatens to split his face. He's not the type of player who gets off on the attention. He's always been the all business type. But even he can't deny that it feels good to hear the fans chanting his name. It feels damn good.

Harvey channels the excitement of the crowd into pure adrenaline. The combination of that, his arm never feeling stronger, and the power in his legs from the extra rest, has his confidence through the roof. The last out of the 8th inning is made when the Yankees have a runner caught stealing, and the announcer wastes no time announcing his entry to the game.

"Ladies and gentleman," the guitar solo of Thunderstruck blares through every speaker, "now pitching for your New York Yankees," Harvey pushes through the gate and starts his sprint to the mound, "Harrrrrvey Specterrrrrrr!"

….

Donna hands her phone to Benjamin backstage as she awaits her next cue. It's killing her to miss Harvey's return, but she only has so many performances left and she's committed not to miss any more of them. She knows from her MLB app that they are headed to the top of the 9th with a 3-1 lead, and as long as everything is going according to plan, he should be taking the mound this minute.

She knows he's ready, and that he will do great, but it doesn't stop her from wishing she could be there cheering him on.

"Pay attention to the game. I want every detail," she says to a scowling Benjamin before running on stage.

…

The first pitch Harvey delivers is hit hard, a line drive right into the glove of his second baseman. It was a rope, no doubt about that, but an out is an out. And getting that first one always helps him to relax. One pitch. One out. Can't beat that.

Tanner walks out to the mound for a quick meeting while the Rays announce a pinch hitter entering the game.

"How you feelin'?"

"Listen to this place," Harvey says into his mitt so the cameras can't pick up their conversation. "How do you think I'm feeling?"

Tanner winks and gives him a quick smack on the butt. "Let's finish this."

Harvey gets a read on the pinch hitter the minute he steps into the box. He's young, nervous, and out of his league. Harvey keeps him completely off balance and sits him down on three breaking balls. The batter was guessing fastball every time and never stood a chance.

The cleanup hitter gets jammed on an inside fastball on the first pitch and Harvey picks up his 13th save of the season on a 5 pitch inning, a new personal best.

…

Donna heads straight to Benjamin once the curtain falls.

"Well? How'd he do?" She grabs the phone from him and starts clicking wildly.

"They won," he says with a slightly irritated expression that Donna doesn't even notice.

"They won? Well, good. But how did Harvey do?"

"Good. I guess?" Benjamin shakes his head at Donna. Wondering what had happened to the woman he once knew. He knows absolutely nothing about baseball and he's not sure when exactly he became an analyst on the topic.

"Oh my God!"

"What?" Benjamin cries out as Donna covers her mouth with her hand.

"Five pitches!" She rushes toward her dressing room. "He only needed five pitches," she yells as she disappears around the corner.

As soon as she closes the door to her dressing room, she calls Harvey. She's not surprised when he doesn't pick up but she leaves him an excited message.

"Harvey! Oh my God! I saw your stats! 5 pitches!" She paces around the room with nervous energy. "Save number 13! How's your shoulder? Good, I hope? Okay. Okay. I'm rambling. Call me as soon as you can. I love you!"

She hangs up the phone and sets it on her makeup counter. She looks at her reflection in the mirror. This is what people mean when they say someone is glowing. She feels… fabulous.

Things with Harvey have been so much better since they had that talk on the phone. She still gets a wave of sadness now and then, and getting herself balanced is a work in progress, but she knows that the reality of it all is that this wasn't the best time for her and Harvey to start a family. They are both enjoying success in their careers and the incredible feeling of finding your soul mate, a revelation she has yet to share with Harvey. Someday, when the timing is right, she will carry his child. She believes that with her whole heart.

"Donna?"

There's a soft knock on her door.

"Come in."

Benjamin walks in with a crazy look on his face that Donna can't quite read. He may not be a man of many words but she's not sure she's ever seen him struck dumb.

"Benjamin? What is it?"

He seems to be in some sort of trance but he manages to drag his eyes to Donna's.

"You'll never believe who is waiting outside to talk to you."

….

Harvey is dog piled by his teammates as if they just clinched a playoff berth. It's a bit of an over-reaction if you ask him. He's only doing what he's being paid millions of dollars to do. But he can't deny it feels good.

Before he can even make it off the field, he's got half a dozen microphones in his face and twice as many cameras flashing.

"Harvey! Harvey!"

"How's your shoulder?"

"Is it good to be back on the mound?"

"Harvey, what do you think about your All-Star chances?"

He takes each question in stride.

"The shoulder feels great."

"The mound is where I belong, of course I'm glad to be back on it."

"I'm just trying to help my team win games. Today, I was able to do that. Now I just want to do the same tomorrow. It's as simple as that."

He politely, but deliberately, makes his way through the crowd and into the clubhouse. Waiting for him just inside the door is Mike. Harvey stops in his tracks and looks into the eyes of his best friend. He extends his hand with a swallow and a nod but Mike steps past it and wraps his arms around him.

"You were amazing."

Harvey lets all the emotions of the past few weeks rise up to the surface. There had been moments, he had felt so weak and helpless. He was on the verge of losing the things that mattered the most to him, his career, Donna… but in this moment, he feels invincible.

"Thanks, Mike," he croaks out and walks away before he fucking cries in the middle of the locker room.

He sees he missed a call from Donna, but he wants to quickly shower and change before he calls her back. He's feeling like his old self and a mischievous grin spreads across his face. Tonight, he feels cocky as hell and he can't wait to get Donna to bed and remind her just how good a closer he is.

…

Donna exhales a shaky breath as she checks herself one more time in the mirror before going to meet her guest. She tries to ignore the butterflies in her stomach but she's pretty sure one has made its way into her throat.

When she enters the room backstage, she spots him immediately. He's looking down at his phone in the corner and is almost a foot taller than anyone else in the room. She had always found him incredibly handsome on the big screen, but he's even more spectacular in the flesh. She slowly walks toward him and his eyes cast upward until they meet hers.

"Donna Paulsen." His smile is soft and warm as he takes her extended hand and kisses the back of it like they've been transported to another time. "I'm Thomas—"

"Kessler. I know who you are." She blushes despite herself. Starstruck doesn't come close to depicting her current state.

"I'm flattered."

Such a simple response but it leaves her without one.

"I was wondering if we could talk for a bit? Maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee?"

"Oh. Um. Of course." She stumbles over her words.

Benjamin had explained when he came in earlier that Thomas Kessler, the very well known stage and screen actor turned producer, had seen her performance and wanted to speak with her about her future career plans. And knowing what a huge fan of his Donna was, he had offered to stall him while she pulled herself together.

The first time she had seen Thomas on stage was a few years ago when she relocated to downtown to start her career on Broadway. He had given a breathtaking performance as the Phantom, in the world-renowned musical and Donna had never been more inspired. His career skyrocketed from there and he was cast in several lead Broadway roles and even made his way to Hollywood. He had earned a Golden Globe nomination last year when his first movie took the box office by storm. The word on the street was that he was delving into producing his own work now.

After agreeing to his offer, she makes her way back into the dressing room and tries desperately to calm her nerves. Thomas Kessler wants to buy me a coffee and talk about my career plans? Is this a fucking dream?

She grabs her coat and tosses her phone into her purse, not even noticing she had just missed a call from Harvey.