Notes: This AU takes place during the finale between the time Donna and Harvey decide to leave the firm and NYC and Louis' wedding. In my world, I made a few changes to the finale, such as Lily didn't die at the end of 9x08.

Harvey walked into the Cornelia Street Cafe, hoping he would find a table for lunch. The place was usually busy at this time of day and today was no exception. But as usual, there was always a table available for one Harvey Specter, whether a 5-star restaurant or the local Denny's (not that Harvey frequented there) . Harvey sat down at one of his usual tables and started looking over the menu.

This was to be his last meal here, at least for the foreseeable future, as he and Donna would shortly be moving to Seattle. Once the decision was made to leave the firm and the city, Harvey has been on a sort of farewell tour of all the local restaurants. He knew that they would likely come back to visit often but restaurants close, sometimes without warning, so he wanted to make sure he got all his favorites in, just in case. He was saving a few for when Donna was with him, like Quattro Gatti, Nougatine, Del Posto, and of course "their" diner. But today he was on his own.

For one, this place was never Donna's favorite. She could find something to eat if they ended up here, but it wasn't somewhere she sought to go. It wasn't even at the top of Harvey's list, but he liked it and it was the perfect distance away from the firm. Close enough that he could get back there quickly if needed, while still far enough that he was unlikely to run into anyone who worked there allowing him a break.

And two, Donna wasn't even in town. There hadn't been a whole lot of planning (ok, none) before they decided to leave the firm, leave New York, and move to Seattle. But sometimes the best adventures start when there is no set plan. That is what Harvey is hoping. A great adventure and now that Donna was with him, anything and everything would be a great adventure. But even though the decision was made without planning, now that they were moving, Donna was not one to allow them to pack up their lives here and head west without someplace soft to land. No, instead she decided to take a long weekend and fly out to Seattle. Not only to figure out some living arrangements and take in the city, but also spend some quality girl time with Rachel. It had been far too long.

Over the long weekend, Donna and Rachel would look at some apartments that would serve them for a little while so that Harvey and Donna wouldn't have to stay in Rachel and Mike's guest room or sleep in their car. Both her and Rachel would then return to New York for Louis's wedding and then get to work on Donna's apartment to get it ready to rent out. Harvey and Donna decided that for the time being, they would rent out both their apartments until they knew for sure that Seattle would be it for them. Thankfully, Katrina was in the market for a new place closer to the firm, so having her apartment stay in the family, so to speak, was perfect for Donna as far too many memories were attached to the place and most of those memories involved Harvey. They were finishing up negotiations with a tenant for Harvey's apartment, who would move in after they left the city.

Donna had been slightly reluctant to pick an apartment in Seattle all on her own, but Harvey quickly reminded her that even if they were looking together, she would ultimately be the one to choose anyways so assured her he would be fine with whatever she chose. They had decided that they would stay in the apartment once they moved to Seattle so they would have a home base. It would also give them time to look for a permanent place together without feeling rushed. While the main goal was to find a temporary apartment, Donna also planned to look at a few houses she had seen online that caught her eye. She was under no illusion that she would find their house over this weekend, but it wouldn't hurt to look and if the stars aligned, she might just find their home.

While missing her immensely, which resulted in a flurry of text messages, phone calls, and facetimes every chance he got, this weekend also allowed Harvey to get a few things of his own accomplished.

Once the decision was made to leave, Donna and Harvey had mulled over waiting until after Louis's wedding to tell him, but ultimately decided that delaying would hurt more for all parties. Many hugs, a few tears, and many well wishes were had in that meeting, as well as a few of Louis's world-famous mood swings from happy to sad to angry back to happy all within a 30 second span. In the end, Louis was happy for them as he knew (along with the rest of the world) that Donna and Harvey were meant to be together. He also knew that the Harvey in front of him was no longer the Harvey that walked into the firm with Donna as his girl Friday.

All three of them had changed and for the better and it was time to move on to the next step. Surely the Louis that met Harvey and Donna in the lobby the day they started at Pearson Hardman would not be anyone's first choice to be an upcoming father, husband, and surely not be the managing partner of the firm that would finally have his name first. But Louis, like Harvey and Donna, had grown and changed for the better.

Now that everyone knew they were leaving, it gave Harvey the chance to exit gracefully with as little disruption as possible. He's spent the last few weeks meeting with his clients to figure out who would be the best person to take over their representation and soothe any hurt feelings, though there weren't too many. Most of Harvey's clients had been his for years and so had seen his transformation to the Harvey of today.

Thankfully, Mike had decided to stay in New York until after Louis's wedding in order to help both Harvey and Louis with Harvey and Donna's exit from the firm. He was currently meeting with Louis and one of Mike's old clients that Harvey had taken over when Mike had left. Louis himself would now be representing them so a meeting with Mike and Louis was welcomed. So that left Harvey to himself for lunch today.

He was looking over the menu deciding which would be the best last meal here when a slight shadow appeared over the menu. Thinking it was the waiter coming to take his order, he looked up ready to ask to give him a few more minutes to decide. When he looked up, the person in front of him was definitely not the waiter. Instead, it was that of his ex-therapist or, in other words, his ex-girlfriend.

"Paula. Hi. Didn't expect to see you here." Harvey added the "here" after the slightest of pauses. She was definitely not one who he expected (or wanted) to run into again, but it wasn't a total surprise as while they were dating, he had met her here for lunch a few times. Despite the relative proximity to the firm, the cafe had become one of her favorites and so to the staff, it was not a shock to see her here for lunch a few times a month.

"Harvey. Nice to see you. I didn't expect to see you here either." Expect no, but in the back of her mind, she had thought or maybe hoped to perhaps run into him at some point after they broke up but this was the first time she had seen him since that day in her office where he chose Donna over her.

She eyes the seat across from Harvey and seeing how busy the place was, including the number of people still waiting for a table, Harvey motioned for her to sit down. He didn't want to be rude and hadn't even ordered yet so felt a bit of an obligation to invite her to join him, though she was not high on Harvey's list of people to have a meal with.

"Thank you. This place seems extra crowded today."

"Do you want the menu?" Harvey offers as he has decided what to order.

"That's ok. I pretty much get the same thing any time I come here."

"You come here a lot?" Harvey asked, wondering why Paula would frequent a restaurant nowhere near her house and office and a bit too close to his office for his liking.

"I wouldn't call it often. Maybe a few times a month. If I have an appointment or something downtown, I might swing by for lunch but I don't make a special trip just to eat here." She answers, with a knowing smile. She could tell by Harvey's question that he wanted to know why she was anywhere near the firm.

After the waiter takes their orders, they spend the next 20 minutes making small talk. To an outsider, it sounded like a pleasant conversation, but to the two people sitting at the table, it was extremely awkward. Polite questions about movies or books. Nothing personal.

Harvey intentionally kept the conversation away from Donna as he knew that was not a topic he wanted to get into with Paula. He also didn't mention leaving the firm or moving. He didn't need her analyzing his relationship with Donna anymore than she already had throughout the time they had known each other. Though that wasn't necessarily the truth.

However, since going to Dr. Lipschitz with Louis for "couple's counseling," Harvey had met with Stan regularly ever since. Stan had zeroed in on one of Harvey's issues relating to family and abandonment within just one session and by then, Harvey knew it was well past the time for him to fully work out his issues so that he could move on with his life. Or more precisely, move on with Donna. He had known Donna was it for him for a long time, likely since that first meeting at the bar, but denial, rules, and just about anything or anyone else got in the way of Harvey working that out until recently.

And since he has been honest with himself and with Donna, he has never felt better. Though he had gotten lost and taken a few wrong turns, including the one sitting across from him, Donna has always been his home and the joy of being home was indescribable. And the ring his mother had given to him on her last visit to New York City was just burning a hole in the box it was in on the very top shelf of his closet. The one Donna couldn't reach.

Lily had come to town to visit an art exhibit at MOMA and took the opportunity to finally meet Donna and spend some time with her son. Harvey had told Lily that Donna was the one on the phone and taking the chance, she had brought his grandmother's ring with her to give to him. After meeting Donna, she had no doubt that Harvey was planning to propose very soon. The utter contentment and joy Harvey exuded throughout supper was hard to miss. She knew Harvey had found his true happiness and the meal and conversation had gone off without a hitch. Quite a difference from the last time she had a meal with Harvey and one of his girlfriends.

Paula, misreading Harvey as she had many times, took the lack of Donna in the conversation as a sign that either she was no longer in his life or no longer an issue. Maybe Donna had finally met another guy and had moved on from Harvey. As the meal winds down, Paula decides to be bold. "Harvey, this has been nice. How about we do this again sometime. Perhaps next week?"

"I don't think that is a good idea Paula. Besides I am not going to be in New York for much longer. This was actually a last meal of sorts." Harvey tries to politely decline.

"What do you mean, last meal? You're leaving New York?" Paula is quite shocked. The thought of New York City without Harvey is just, wow.

"Yeah. Off to the west coast. Going to work with Mike. An opportunity arose and we decided to take it." Harvey smiles wistfully as he is thinking of Donna and him in their new home together.

We. That is the first mention of Harvey with someone. Paula's stomach drops. We. She used to be a part of that we.

"We?"

"Yes. We. As in me and Donna. We are together and moving to the west coast. The Big Apple will be without one Harvey Specter shortly and we can't wait." He grins his world-famous grin, though it doesn't quite reach the height it does when Donna is actually in his presence given the person he is opposite at the moment.

"Well, let me give you my congratulations. Though I can't say I'm surprised. I suppose you and Donna were inevitable. I guess Donna wasted no time in pursuing you since you are moving in together." Paula responds, first with a forced and sour smile, then with a smirk with a hint of disgust as she rolls her eyes.

"Excuse me. Where do you get off saying something like that? For your information, Donna and I have been together all of two months and we've been pretty much moved in together ever since. And I pursued her, not the other way around. What I should have done all along, But apparently I still had some things to work out and it took me even more time to realize this since my last therapist didn't do their job. Thank goodness for Stan." Harvey stresses and pointedly directs his words at her.

"Me? I did my job as your therapist. I helped you out with your mother. You never would have gone to her without me. And need I remind you, you pursued me, not the other way around. I was the one caught in the middle of whatever toxic "relationship" you and Donna have." Paula makes quotation gestures as she snidely says the word relationship.

Harvey had tried to be polite throughout the meal but enough was enough. "It has taken me time but I have realized that you were no victim in any of this. I may have left with the thought that you were an innocent bystander and I was sorry for the way things ended, but now I realize that things should have never started in the first place. And Donna, her kissing me was the best thing that could ever happen. She saved me."

"See, with Stan's help I have finally realized where my heart is and always has been. I had just been afraid. Weird that despite coming to you because I was having panic attacks when Donna left me and when I told you that I had dreams about her in bed, you never once asked the nature of our relationship. You never once asked what we are or were to each other. When I told Stan about my earlier 'therapy' and how it started when Donna left, you know the first questions he asked? 'What does she mean to me? Has she ever been more than just my secretary?""

"When I came to you, yes I was a mess and didn't want to talk about Donna, but as you know you were able to get me to talk about things. But you never once asked me whether Donna was more than just a secretary. And when you found out later, well, you used that against me. Called me a liar. While I had my issues with my mother, thank goodness for Donna pushing me to make up with her. And yes, that was Donna. But when I told you that I had dreamed about Donna in my bed, did you ever even think that this was a straightforward dream. That I wanted Donna there? No, you attributed it to my mother."

"No wonder Donna and I took so long to get together. While I understand my own denial was a part of it and I have to live with my responsibility of so much time wasted. But you, you put yourself in the middle of everything. So please spare me the poor-you diatribe. You knew that she had feelings for me, you knew I had unresolved issues about her, and yet you got involved with me and then tried to separate us and sadly I almost let you.. Did you ever tell me she came to see you, and I don't mean before she resigned, I mean while I was still in 'therapy.'"

"And what's funny, and by funny I mean utterly frustrating and excruciating, is that when I asked you out, you even mentioned how unethical it was but you went ahead with it anyways. You, as a professional, should have realized that I still needed help and refused me."

"But you went along with it anyways. You knew I was in denial. Clearly I was still screwed up since I was flattered when you described your fantasies about me. Just so, so wrong."

"And the whole time, you knew how Donna felt about me. Despite knowing everything, you still tried to separate us. You cost me time and you almost cost me the love of my life. For that, I will never forgive you."

"Now, I see how exactly messed up our entire relationship was. And you put yourself there. So no, we will not do this again. Ever. Hopefully, your patients are getting actual therapy rather than whatever you want to call what you provided me, or better yet, maybe you need to get some help of your own before you try to help others."

Once Harvey started, he couldn't stop and the person in front of him just disappeared. He just had to share what had been plaguing his mind and heart for too long. When his vision finally came back into focus on Paula, he saw her sitting quietly, clearly shocked. He didn't want to hurt her or anyone else, but he needed her to understand just how she hurt him and hurt Donna, which is a mortal sin in his book.

Once he was a man who couldn't share his feelings because he didn't want to show weakness. But today, sharing wasn't a matter of weakness, but strength. He has the strength to be honest with others and himself.

Harvey calmly stood up and grabbed some cash from his wallet to cover both their meals. He was done with Paula. He walked out of the cafe without saying another word to Paula. Once he was outside, he was able to take a deep breath in and exhale. He also couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face.

As he started walking back in the direction of the firm, he grabbed his phone. Not wanting to interrupt Donna and whatever appointments she had, he texts her to call him when she gets a chance, adding a few heart emojis at the end of his message. He knew that box in his closet was not going to stay there much longer. On his walk back, he began trying to come up with the perfect way to propose.

Of course what actually happens, asking at the spur of the moment at the "reception" of Louis's wedding after the bride went into labor during the ceremony while everyone is just waiting around having nothing to celebrate, probably wasn't high on his list. But like most things connected to Donna, it was just perfect.

Harvey smiled as he continued to walk away from his past and towards his present and future.