Hi there! It's been a little while… I've been busy, uni demanding a lot of time. But this is something that's been in my head for a while now. and I'm glad to write it out. It might get a little complicated and I'm in no way a legal expert, but I hope you'll like it!
"Harvey, could you-" Donna lifts her eyes from the file in her hands when she walks into his office, pausing when she sees Mike there too. The atmosphere is tense, Harvey is standing with his arms folded in front of his chest, looking out of the window while Mike is sitting in front of his desk, bent over a paper that he now quickly flips over. Donna narrows her eyes, "am I interrupting?" She asks, noticing Mike making a pile of the papers and shoving them into a folder. "No," he answers, at the same time Harvey says "yes."
Donna's questioningly lifts an eyebrow. "We were just finishing up," Mike says, shooting Harvey a pointed glare that Donna doesn't miss. Just as she opens her mouth to ask what's going on, Harvey shakes his head, prompting a sigh from Mike, "tell her, Harvey." His words set Donna on edge and she straightens herself, "tell me what exactly?"
Mike leaves the office without saying another word, keeping his eyes on his shoes to avoid Harvey's death glare and Donna's questioning look. When he is gone, Donna takes a few steps closer towards Harvey. She stops, however, with enough distance in between them. She doesn't want to give him an opportunity to distract her. "What is going on, Harvey?" She asks him point-blank, meeting his eyes for the first time since she came in.
Harvey sighs deeply and averts his eyes. Donna can practically see him thinking. She takes another step towards him, "Harvey?" She softly prompts. He looks back up, meeting her gaze. He doesn't answer, but he holds her eye and allows her to take him in. Slowly, she takes one more step to close the distance between them, resting one palm against his chest, "what has gotten into you?" She narrows her eyes, taking another look at him, "why are you so worried?" He lets out a breath, glad that she's still able to read him so well. It's a lot easier to only have to tell her half the story.
With a slow, hesitant move, Harvey takes the file that Mike left on his desk. He hands it to Donna and then lowers himself on his chair. Donna leans against his desk as she quickly scans through the papers. After two pages, she just seems confused and she looks up at him. "Keep reading." He tells her. She gives him a look, but directs her attention back to the file. Harvey knows exactly what's in there, and he knows where she's at by the expressions on her face. The confusion changes to a frown, then to anger until she stops at a worried shock with large eyes and her mouth slightly open.
"Harvey?" Donna puts the file down with trembling hands and looks at him, "what is this?" His left hand reaches for her right, giving it a soft squeeze. "Exactly what you think it is," he admits in a low voice. "Blackmail? Threats?" She takes a deep breath, "like, actual death threats?" He rubs his thumb over her knuckles and nods solemnly.
Donna closes her eyes for a moment, taking time to gather her thoughts. "This has been going on for a while," her eyes find Harveys again. She noticed the dates scribbled at the top of the letters and she doesn't know whether she's hurt or angry that Harvey kept this from her for almost three weeks. "Let me pour us a drink," Harvey says, standing up and leading Donna to the couch in his office. She sits down, her back straight and her eyes still on him.
"Here," Harvey offers Donna the scotch before taking a seat next to her. He sits close, their knees touching. He likes being close to her, it makes him feel comfortable. She takes a sip, wincing slightly as the liquid burns in her throat. Then she hands the glass to him and looks at him expectantly. He takes a sip too, before taking a deep breath. "Do you remember the Hawkins case?" He asks.
Late. That's not something usually associated with Donna Paulsen, but this particular Tuesday morning she gave in to Harvey's begging eyes – and his hand slipping between her legs. On her way through the lobby, she notices a woman in a pretty dress, looking a little out of place. Any other day she would have taken a moment to figure out what about this woman caught her attention, but this morning she doesn't have the time. She has to get to her meeting.
Hours later, when Donna crosses through the lobby again, she notices the same woman still sitting on one of the benches. Donna pauses, pretending to rifle through her purse, but actually observing the brunette. At first, Donna can't exactly pinpoint why she looks like she doesn't belong. She is wearing a formfitting navy-colored dress, Roland Mouret if Donna had to guess. Her dark her is styled neatly and her makeup is immaculate. She could easily be a lawyer for one of their large opponents, were it not for the way her eyes nervously shoot left and right and her shoulders are just a little too tense. That, and the fact she has been sitting here for hours.
Donna straightens herself, squares her shoulders and makes her way to the brunette. "Can I help you?" She asks when she's close enough. Dark eyes meet her hazel pair, "I-I… Are you a lawyer?" She asks, her voice thin. Donna hesitates for just a second. She noticed fear in the brunette's eyes, true terror, and she doesn't want to make rash decision with something that might be complicated and delicate. "No," she eventually admits, "but I am the COO." She offers the woman her hand and a warm smile, hoping to ease her nerves, "Donna Paulsen-Specter."
After a few more warm smiles and gentle nudges, Donna learns that the woman is Danielle Hawkins, wife of one of the most powerful politicians in Seattle. Danielle's face falls when Donna makes the connection, and that's when Donna invites her to her office, to provide a little more privacy for the conversation Danielle seems equally desperate and terrified to have.
Donna quickly reschedules a meeting for that afternoon, sensing that getting the full truth from Danielle might be delicate business and she needs her full attention for this. It takes a while for Danielle to relax a little, to drop the nerves and tell Donna what the problem is. But eventually, she tells her whole story. She tells Donna about her husband, who was so kind but then – with increasing power and amounts of alcohol consumed – got abusive with her. Not just once, or twice, but regularly. And if it were just her, she'd leave, but they have two young children and she can't expose them to that. But he won't give up his children and she would make a custody suit of it, but when she threatened him with that, he just laughed and wished her good luck. Because while she has taken pictures on her phone of every single bruise and cut, she doesn't know where to go. He has friends in high places that make it hard for her to decide who to turn to. Until she heard of this place; a firm full of great lawyers who aren't afraid of a large fight.
It takes over an hour for Danielle to tell Donna the full story. And after that, she's reduced to a shaking, teary mess. Donna gets her a cup of tea and softly talks to her, although she is careful not to make any promises she won't be able to keep. After almost another hour, Danielle has calmed down again and she and Donna have exchanged phone numbers. They part with Donna promising to talk to some of the partners and finding a good lawyer for the case, although she already knows who she would prefer to take on this woman.
As soon as Donna has seen Danielle out, she walks into Harveys office and sits down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. When Danielle started crying, she thought Mike might be the best choice. He is the best mix between empathic and a great fighter they have. But the more Danielle said, the more Donna knew Harvey should take on this case. Because this woman needs someone to fight aggressively, to play in the grey and to not back down, no matter what happens.
"Of course I remember the Hawkins case," Donna looks at Harvey, a sigh falling from her lips, "I brought it to you." A twinge of guilt shoots through her. She started this mess. He had kept her in the loop, admitting that it was harder than he thought. Because of Hawkins' political influence over the city, Harvey hadn't been sure who to turn to and who to trust, exactly what Danielle had feared. He had told her he was trying to find ways to figure it out, put out feelers for trustworthy allies in the police force and the world of law. But he hadn't said a word about these threats.
"I know I should have told you," Harvey murmurs, looking at Donna. "But I-I," he sighs, "at first it seemed like a stupid joke." He takes her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. She looks up at him, "but still, Harvey… They got worse and you didn't say anything." She pulls her hand back, having decided she is both angry and hurt. He exhales sharply, "because I don't want you involved, Donna."
Donna's hazel eyes burn with fury when Harvey dares to meet them. He knows his words came out wrong and he fumbles over and apology, "no. That's not-I don't… This is dangerous…" She narrows her eyes, "so?" He risks taking her hand again, "Mike and I talked it over. We want to go to the police, but we're still not sure on who to trust. If we go to the wrong guy, it could blow the whole case." His thumb skates over her knuckles, "and… If this goes wrong it could be dangerous. Like, really dangerous. And I can't risk you being in danger." He softly admits.
"I'm your wife," Donna protests. She has to admit it's a little hard to be mad at Harvey when the reasons for keeping it a secret had such good intentions, but that doesn't mean she agrees with him, "we don't do secrets." He nods, absentmindedly toying with her fingers. "I know… And for what it's worth, Mike didn't tell Rachel either." She smirks, "are you sure? We both know he can't keep his mouth shut for more than five seconds."
Harvey chuckles softly before turning serious again, "are we okay?" The corners of Donna's mouth curl up as she nods, "we are. As long as you promise to tell me if you get any more threats." He moves closer to her, pressing a kiss to her temple, "I promise." His hand lifts, fingers softly threading through her hair, "don't worry too much, okay? Mike and I are close to finding a contact in the police force and that'll make this a lot easier." She leans into him, "good," she murmurs, softly squeezing his hand, "I don't want you in danger either, Harvey."