Hellooo lovely people! As mentioned, this is a 3 part story and I wanted to thank you for all the wonderful feedback on the first part! This one is a little longer, as the third part will be, but hey, I knew this was a big story going in. This one took a while because I wanted to get the details just right so please, review review review!

Please feel free to leave me some feedback or comments, I'm new to the AU world so it would a lot to know what I can improve on etc!

I'm having some real fun with this one, and I'm BEYOND excited to get writing what I have in store for the last part!

Happy Reading -xx S


The One That Got Away - Part 2/3

Upper West Side, 2013

A Wednesday Night in Late October

She spent the entire week busy with rehearsals, fittings and shuttling the kids to and from school. She was so busy that when Wednesday evening rolled around, she'd nearly forgotten she was supposed to chaperone Jason's school trip to the Aquarium the next day. Making a few quick calls, she rearranged her rehearsal schedule and went to tuck the kids into bed.

Reading Amelia a chapter from her favourite story, Harry Potter, she tucks her daughter into bed and places a soft kiss on her forehead as she quietly slips out of her room. She pokes her head into Jason's room to find him already fast asleep and tiptoes up to his bed to remove the toy firetruck from his hand and place a kiss on his head.

She fetches herself a glass of wine and crawls into her own bed, intentions set on finishing the latest novel she'd picked up but she finds her mind elsewhere. She downs her wine in two large gulps and closes her eyes, seeing the wrinkles that formed at the corner of his eyes when he smiles, the toned arms and the tanned skin. Snap out of it, she tries to tell herself, you haven't seen the man in twenty years and you're never going to see him again, let it go. But despite her greatest efforts, she can't seem to let it go, images of them swirling through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

.

.

Brooklyn, 2013

That Same Wednesday Night in late October

"You'll never guess who I ran into the other day" Harvey says, as he finishes off his beer and leans back against the bench in the dug out.

"Who?" Marcus and Mike both ask at the same time.

"Donna Paulsen" he sighs, tossing his arm up on the back of the bench.

"Like from high school?" Marcus clarifies and Mike just stares back confused. He'd known Harvey for a while, but never once did he hear him talk about a woman named Donna.

"Yes" Harvey replies, avoiding his brother's penetrating gaze, "turns out our sons are in the same class."

"She's married?" Marcus questions.

"She didn't have a ring on" he reasons, and his brother recognizes the dopey look on his face. Harvey had been in love with Donna Paulsen since the ninth grade, and his brother was suddenly sporting a lovesick look he hadn't seen in years. When Marcus first moved his family to the city, it was to help Harvey out after Claudia had passed away, and in the six years since Harvey had been single, he hadn't once seen him smile like this. His little brother was head over heels in love with Donna in high school, and that was before they ever even dated. The pair were inseparable all throughout junior year and Marcus would often tease his brother about having a crush on the redhead, but he always denied it. He's not sure when things shifted but suddenly the summer before his brother's senior year they started dating and he'd never seen Harvey as brokenhearted as when she left the following year.

"That doesn't mean anything. You still wear your ring but…" Marcus stops, unable to finish his sentence.

"Marcus, you're up!" their teammate calls and Marcus grabs a bat and makes his way to home plate.

"Who's Donna?" Mike asks, passing Harvey a second beer.

"Just an old friend" Harvey tries to brush it off, Marcus' comment about her being married unsettling him, even though it shouldn't.

"An old friend? Or an old girlfriend?" Mike presses.

"Drop it Mike, forget I said anything, she's no one" he grumbles before taking a bat and making his way to the plate for his turn at bat.

He debated not saying anything to Marcus, knowing his brother wasn't Donna's biggest fan. The funny thing was, he was always the one who rooted for them together in high school, encouraging Harvey to tell her how he felt for years before he worked up the courage to finally tell her.

.

.

Boston, 1992

Summer Before Senior Year

Climbing in through his bedroom window, the sound of Marcus' voice behind him nearly gives him a heart attack.

"You were out late" Marcus clucks, sitting at the end of Harvey's bed flipping through a comic book.

"I went mini-golfing across town" he explains, tossing his bag onto the floor and shutting the window behind him.

"What are you even doing in here?" he asks, glaring at his brother as he gathered a pair of pajamas out of his drawer.

"I was looking for something to read," Marcus explains, holding up the Superman comic that he was reading.

"Who did you go golfing with?" he adds, flopping back down onto his brother's bed.

"Donna and her friend Rachel" he replies, tossing his band t-shirt over his head and slipping into his pajama top.

"Right, your little girlfriend" Marcus smirks, watching as his brother's cheeks redden.

"How many times do I have to tell you that we're just friends?" he rolls his eyes at his brother, flopping down on his bed next to him.

"When are you going to man up and admit you have feelings for her?"

"Never, because I don't!" Harvey snaps and Marcus can tell he's struck a nerve.

"Alright, fine. But let's say you did. You should tell her how you feel because I have a funny feeling, she feels the same way. I've seen the way that girl looks at you, and she doesn't look at you like you're her best friend. You two have been as thick as thieves for as long as I can remember, but my god take a risk and tell the girl how you feel, would you please." Marcus says before tossing the comic book on the bed and marching towards the door.

"It's not like that Marcus…"

"Are you telling me that if Donna told you she wanted more, you would say no?"

Harvey thinks about the question for a moment before muttering a soft "No"

"There we have it" Marcus throws his hands up with an exasperated sigh.

"I can't tell her" Harvey sighs, a look of defeat washing over his face.

"Why not?"

"What if she doesn't think of me that way and it ruins everything?"

"I think the question you have to ask yourself is whether or not what you feel for her is worth the risk. Because my guess is that it's worth the risk."

"Maybe" Harvey thinks out loud as Marcus sees himself out of his brother's room.

.

.

Brooklyn, 2013

A Baseball Field

Marcus and his father adored Donna in high school. She would join them for family dinner where she and his father would spend hours talking about music and when she left Marcus would whisper that he should just tell her how he felt, and he would deny having feelings for her; a never-ending cycle between the brothers. She joined him when he went to visit Gordon in the studio and sometimes his band would let Donna sing along with them while Harvey watched with pride as his two favourite people bonded. Before he got his licence, Gordon would drop them off at the ice cream parlor where they would spend hours playing the old arcade games inside. Once he was able to drive, he would take them but Marcus would occasionally join and convince Donna to share a banana split with him.

His brother was always supportive of his and Donna's relationship, until he saw how broken-hearted he was when it fizzled out and they hadn't talked about her since that night Marcus found him curled up on the couch, his tear-stained face puffy from the tears he'd cried.

He focuses on the ball being pitched and sends it flying over third base, letting out his frustration and sending Marcus' running home while successfully sliding into second base safe. He never should have mentioned it to Marcus, but he needed to tell someone because he couldn't get her off his mind.

After leaving the school last week, he asked Gordon about his new friend, Jason, but he didn't say much other than Jason had an older sister named Amelia and that his mom was famous. He wasn't sure what eight-year old's defined as famous so he went home and looked her up, the first time he'd allowed himself to do so, and discovered she was starring in the Broadway production of Waitress that was opening in a few weeks. Smiling to himself, he closed his search and poured himself a drink, he always knew she had what it took to make it.

After the game Mike asks if he and Marcus wanted to come over for a drink but he declines the offer, knowing that if he doesn't get some rest, supervising Gordon's class trip to the aquarium the next day would likely kill him.

.

.

Upper West Side/Brooklyn, 2013

"Mooom we're going to be late!" Jason calls from the porch, impatiently tapping his foot as he waits for her to join him.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she calls as grabs her purse and places a kiss on top of Amelia's head.

"Amelia, you be good for Auntie Rachel and make sure you get to school on time" she calls as she waves to Rachel and heads out the door.

"We'll be extra early" Rachel calls after her, flashing her a reassuring smile before Donna shuts the door behind her and ushers Jason towards the car.

"You look pretty mom" he smiles up at her as she helps him into his seat.

"Thanks baby" she smiles back before climbing into the driver's seat and catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She'd decided on a pair of dark jeans and a cream coloured turtleneck, a pair of black booties and had her hair swept out of her face in a half-up, half-down style. Her makeup was subtle, but there and she finished the outfit with a red lipstick that made her cream coloured sweater pop.

Jason spends the duration of the ride to the aquarium talking about all the sharks he was going to see, and she must applaud his memory. For someone who was only eight, he sure knew a lot about random things, like fire trucks and sharks. Once Jason was interested in something, he became obsessed with it, begging her to buy him as many books about the topic as possible so he could learn everything there was to know. Last month, it was bats, this month is was sharks. The only interest the remained constant was his interest in fire trucks, a fascination that she can't quite figure out.

Luckily Rachel had agreed to take Amelia to school so she could chaperone the field trip she'd forgotten about, another reason she was blessed to have a friend like Rachel in her life. She hadn't had much time to spend alone with her lately, but she made a mental note to plan a girl's night soon. She'd been contemplating avoiding one, wanting to avoid detailing her run in with Harvey, but she figured she better get it over with sooner rather than later. Rachel would realize something was up the moment they were alone, there was no hiding anything from the girl who knew her better than anyone.

Pulling into the school parking lot, Jason practically jumps out of his seat to join the other kids that were already lining up to get on the bus that was going to take them to the aquarium. Donna trails behind him, carrying his backpack to where the other parent volunteers were signing in with Ms. Pearson.

She's yelling at Jason to stop running when she spots him, a massive grin spread across his face as he laughed at something one of the other dads was saying. She stops in her tracks when upon seeing him, reminding herself to breath, she regains composure and continues towards the other parents.

"Donna, it's good to see you!" Shelby, one of the other moms greets her.

"You too Shelby, how's Ethan doing?"

"Oh, you know, balls of energy these kids" she chuckles, and Donna laughs along before reaching for a sign in sheet and her name tag. Sticking it to her shirt, the sticker read, Donna Paulsen.

"Hey" his voice comes from behind her and she whirls around to come face to face with him.

"Harvey" she greets, hoping her voice came out steady and not showcasing the sudden nerves she felt fluttering in her stomach, "I didn't know you'd be here."

God, why did she say that? She hadn't seen the man in twenty years and she practically just admitted she'd been thinking about whether he would be here today; a thought that until this moment never crossed her mind.

"And miss the first field trip of the year? Gordon would never let me live it down" he smiles, sticking his own name tag to his navy cardigan with a dopey grin.

"You two are pretty close, huh?" she asks, peering over his shoulder at their two boys who are both showing off their collection of toy firetrucks to one another.

"We're all each other has" he responds with a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know-" she begins to apologize, her face fading into a shade that matches her hair.

"How could you have known? We haven't seen each other in what…"

"Twenty years" she answers for him, their eyes momentarily locking before they both turn away.

"Twenty years too long" he mumbles under his breath, but she doesn't catch it.

"How have you been Donna?" he flashes her a genuine toothy smile that makes her heart lurch.

"I've been… I've been really good. These guys keep me on my toes, but I wouldn't trade it for the world" she answers.

"Gordon told me you're, um…acting" Harvey says, trying to be discrete about the fact he looked up her acting career.

"Ya, well, journalism didn't really work out for me, so I figured I'd give acting another shot and here I am, about to star in my first play that isn't off Broadway."

"I always knew you'd be a big star one day."

"I think you were the only one that ever believed in me when it came to pursuing acting" she replies, slowly letting her guard down as the conversation continues.

"Common, that's not true, what about Rachel? She was always going on about the big parties you would drag her to once you'd made it." He exaggerates the last part just like Rachel used to when she would drone on about all of the handsome men she would meet once Donna was an actress.

"I think we've traded big party's for babysitting my kids" Donna laughs, tossing her semi-ponytail over her shoulder.

"You two are still friends?"

"We are. She's been a real asset in helping raise my kids. After the divorce, she was a second set of hands and I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, you don't care…" she rambles, embarrassed to have just spilled details of her personal life when he was probably only making conversation to be polite.

She was divorced. It suddenly all made perfect sense. Why her kids had a different last name, why she didn't wear a ring. He watched as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she'd had since high school. Every time she got nervous or flustered, she would do it and he found it adorable that even after all this time, she appeared to be nervous around him. The feeling was mutual, his stomach turning the moment he spotted her step out of her car. She was dressed down compared to the last time he saw her, but she was still a sight for sore eyes.

She had her hair pulled back again and if recalls correctly, she'd always hated having it tied back because she was insecure about her neck, but he'd always loved when she pulled it back. It showed off the freckles along her her neck and shoulders, freckles that once upon a time he would trace patterns between with his tongue, and it accentuated her collarbones.

"Rachel is good with kids? Now that is something I would pay to see. She used to always go on about how much she hated kids" he chuckles and she's grateful he doesn't pry for information about her divorce.

"She says that since they're my kids it's different" Donna laughs, allowing the back of her hand to graze his forearm for a fraction of a second before realizing and quickly pulling it away.

"So, what I'm hearing is she hasn't changed at all?" he smirks.

"Not in the slightest," Donna continues to laugh, and she can't believe how natural this conversation between them seems to flow.

"Alright, chaperones," Ms. Pearson claps her hands to gain everyone's attention.

"If you can all line up with the group number you are supposed to supervise, we can get this show on the road! Every group should have two parent chaperones, if your group doesn't, come find me."

"I guess I should head over to good ol' group number 3" Harvey says, holding up his information sheet with a large three at the top.

"We might as well head over together" she smiles and holds up her sheet with an identical 3 in the top right corner. She doesn't know if fate is playing a cruel joke on her or if it was trying to tell her something by pairing them up, but she was trying to focus on the positive.

"Well, after you" he gestures towards where their kids are standing in line next to the bus.

.

.

Boston, 1989

"Harvey Specter?" an older balding male calls out at the front of the classroom.

"Yes sir?" an eager young Harvey answers the man at the front of the room. They were two weeks into ninth grade and Harvey was working to make a good impression on all his teachers, even if that meant being an over-enthusiastic teachers pet.

"Your partner for the semester is going to be Ms. Paulsen, please go and take a seat next to her" he instructs.

Harvey had seen Donna a few times in passing but had never spoken to her. They ran in different circles. He was trying out for the baseball team while she was a member of the drama club and on the cheer leading squad.

Gathering his books, he saunters over to the desk the redhead is seated at and takes a seat beside her.

"Hey, I'm Harvey" he smiles, sticking out his hand to shake hers, something his father taught him to do when he introduced himself to someone new.

"Donna" she answered with a tight-lipped smile, reaching out to shake his hand.

"You're in the drama club, right?" he asks.

"And I'm a cheerleader, I like to keep my options open" she states matter-of-factly.

He peers down at her English notebook and notices she's colour-coded the dates of all her notes, her penmanship was incredibly neat, and she appeared to be insanely organized for someone who was barely sixteen years old.

"Are you in any clubs?" she asks, doodling a small star in the top corner of her notebook.

"I'm going to be the star of the baseball team this year" he winks which causes her to giggle and blush. She'd seen Harvey in the halls before, and while she'd never actually spoken to him, she found him cute.

"Is that so?" she questions with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

"Just you watch"

"Is that you inviting me to one of your games?" she replies with a coy smile.

"Maybe it was"

"You're an idiot" she laughs adding a small heart doodle next to the star and working her way down the margin of the page.

"I'll have you know I'm no idiot, I might even become a lawyer one day"

"Easy hot-shot" she chuckles and rolls her eyes, something he finds irritatingly adorable.

"If we're going to work together the entire semester, we need some ground rules. First, you can stop trying to flirt with me. I'm trying to focus on my grades and my acting career, I'm not looking for a distraction."

"Donna, I wasn't flirting with you" he protests, using his own pen to draw an upside-down smile next to her latest heart doodle, earning him a death glare from her.

"Save it, Specter."

"Is that a superman logo on that page?" he asks, noticing the diamond encasing an 'S' on the top corner of her note from the previous day.

"Yes, are you always so nosy?"

"You like comic books?"

"Only the good ones" she smirks, flipping to the front page of her notebook to reveal a page of doodles that included various superhero symbols.

"Who would win in a fight? Superman or Thor?"

"Superman" she answers as though it's obvious.

"I think we're going to be good friends."

.

.

Brooklyn, 2013

"Moom! Are you excited to go see the sharks?" Jason bounces on his heels as she and Harvey join him and Gordon in line for the bus.

"Of course I am" she beams, patting Jason on the shoulder, "Do you like sharks too Gordon?" she asks the shy boy she'd met the week prior, who was now hiding slightly behind his fathers leg.

Harvey flips her a thank you smile for trying to include his son and nudges Gordon, who peers out from behind his father to answer, "I like red sunfish" he smiles shyly.

"Well sun fish are excellent fish. Very fast swimmers" she says, and a grin breaks out across Gordon's face.

"Is red your favourite colour? Is that why you like the red ones?" she adds, hoping to get him to feel comfortable with her, after all, he was friends with her son, and it appeared the four of them would be spending the day together.

"Yes, red is my favourite colour because it's dad's favourite" he responds and Harvey's cheeks redden.

In high school, his favourite colour had always been green. He was obsessed with green cars, had a stripe of green lucky tape around the base of his baseball bat and always complimented that green summer dress she wore. She catches herself wondering when his favourite colour shifted to red, but suddenly remembers that the Harvey she knew was twenty years younger, and a lot could change in twenty years.

His cheeks flush at his son's words, almost like a secret admission that he sometimes thought about her flaming locks, the way they used to frame her face so perfectly. He doesn't remember exactly when his favourite colour shifted to red, but deep down he knew it was because the colour always reminded him of her, and a small part of him had never truly been able to let her go.

"What's your favourite fish, Mr. Specter?" Jason pipes up and asks.

"You can call me Harvey, sound good buddy?" he grins down at her son and notices that the freckles that paint his face are nearly identical to the freckles that would appear on the bridge of her nose each summer.

"Okay. Harvey." Jason tests it out and gives himself a satisfied grin upon using an adults first name without getting in trouble, "What's your favourite fish?"

"Hmmmm, that's a tough one but I think it's a sea turtle."

"That isn't a fish!" Both boys protest in unison. Donna's heart swells at the sight. Unlike her daughter, who was a social butterfly and made fast friends, Jason struggled to make friends and didn't usually like spending time with other kids his age, a trait she assumed Gordon shared after seeing how shy he was, and she was glad they found each other. She tunes out of the conversation for a moment, watching as both boys giggle about something Harvey said, the smiles on both of their faces, glee-filled and genuine. She had to admit, he was a natural with the boys. She wasn't sure how long he'd been a single father, or why his marriage ended, but it was clear that he would do anything for Gordon and that he was a wonderful father.

By the time she rejoins the conversation, Harvey had convinced the boys that a sea turtle could count as his favourite fish and the class was beginning to board the bus.

The boys follow Harvey to the third row, where they plop down beside each other and begin rambling with the excitement that accompanied getting to ride on a yellow school bus together; something neither got to do on a regular basis. He nods to the seat next to him and she obliges, sliding herself onto the vinyl seat cover and placing her purse between them.

Neither of them says anything while the rest of the class piles onto the bus, the kids anxiously waiting to get to the aquarium and the other chaperones all engrossed in their own conversations. The watch as their boys giggle and squirm, both encompassed by a weird sense of Deja vu.

"It's weird, right?" he asks

"What's weird?" she plays dumb, deciding to ignore the elephant in the room.

"Me and you, sitting here, on a school bus… together"

"Alright can I have everybody's attention" Jessica claps her hands at the front of the bus and explains that once they reach the aquarium each chaperone will be in charge of their group for the afternoon. They would reconvene at 3pm to head back on the bus but were free to wander the aquarium as they pleased. The third student that was supposed to be in Donna and Harvey's group was out sick,, so it was just the four of them for the day, go figure.

.

.

Boston, 1991

"You really had to take the entire thing home?"

"You really had to get caught sneaking in after curfew and lose the car this week, of all weeks" she fires back, helping lug the giant backdrop onto the bus and dropping it in the seat in front of them.

"Might I remind you I was caught coming home after curfew because you begged me to run lines with you" he cocks an eyebrow at her and she rolls her eyes in response, something she did just to push his buttons.

"You owed me after you made me sit through that entire Red Sox game last weekend!" she cries, slumping down into the seat as the bus pulled away from the school, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Besides," she peers up at him from her place on his shoulder, "You had fun running lines. I don't know why you don't just join the production."

"Because I'm too busy with baseball. And don't you dare tell anyone I enjoyed it, or I'll find a new best friend" he warns.

"So, you admit, you liked it?!" she cries in an ah-ha moment and jerks her head away from his shoulder to watch his response.

"You're insufferable, you know that Paulsen?"

"But you put up with me anyways" she grins.

.

.

Brooklyn, 2013

The rest of the ride to the aquarium is relatively silent, the previous conversation having been dropped when Jessica interrupted. They briefly discussed where they should start once they arrived and listened as the boys chatted in front of them. One of the moms sitting behind them began asking Donna about her upcoming show and Harvey was happy to listen in. Her voice was riddled with excitement as she told the woman about how well rehearsals had been going and his heart lurched with pride for the small-town girl who once cried in his arms because she'd accepted she would never make it on stage. She'd really gone out and accomplished all of her dreams from back then, she was a star, she got married and had a family and from what he could tell, she seemed happy.

Once inside the aquarium the boys decided they wanted to start with the freshwater fish exhibit, leaving Donna and Harvey to trail behind them as they rushed from tank to tank, comparing the different types of fish.

Harvey stuffs his hands in his pockets as they stroll side by side through the corridor. When he signed up to chaperone this field trip, he wasn't even aware her kids went to the same school as his son, and now here he was, paired up with her, standing awkwardly next to her as they looked over their eight-year-olds who were excitedly pointing at an assortment of trout. It was odd, the silence that lingered between them. For whatever reason, it didn't seem awkward, it just felt comfortable and familiar, even though they were practically strangers, an entire lifetime between when they last saw each other and now.

"So, you know what I do, but I just realized you haven't told me what you do?" she asks, shattering the silence that filled the air between them.

"I teach ethics at the law school at Columbia" he replies, hands still tucked into his pockets as they continue to leisurely stroll after the boys.

"You always did talk about being a sports lawyer."

"That was the plan throughout college, I actually went to Columbia, for law school, but when Claudia got sick, I decided that teaching would let me have more time at home compared to life as a lawyer.

"I'm so sorry Harvey, I had no idea" she reaches out and places her palm on his forearm, a sincerity filling her eyes that makes his eyes dampen.

"It's okay. It gets easier with time. Gordon, he never really knew her, and he doesn't ask about her often but when he does, I love that I get to be the one to tell him how incredible she was" he sighs, not really sure why he decided to tell her all of that, but glad he did.

"I see the way you are with him, you're a natural" she smiles, removing his hand from his arm and instantly missing the connection.

"Thank you, Donna. That means a lot. You're not so bad at this parenting thing either" his lips curve upwards into a small grin and finding the confidence to playfully nudge into her shoulder.

"Jason is such a shy kid, I'm glad he's found Gordon."

"So is Gordon, it's refreshing to see him actually getting along with someone his own age" Harvey agrees. Coming to a halt in front of a crab exhibit where the boys were stopped.

"You have a daughter too, right?" he adds.

"Amelia, she just turned ten."

"Is she shy as well?"

"Just the opposite, she can pretty much become friends with anyone, she's definitely the more outgoing one."

"Reminds me of you" he answers, and she can feel her cheeks burn as he recalls what she was like in the past.

"I don't know how you do it, throw yourself into work and still find the energy to go on class trips" he muses.

"I would drive myself into the ground if it meant making them smile."

"Just another thing we have in common" he concludes, smile persisting on his lips.

She turned to look for Jason and spotted the boys at the front of the group surrounding the exhibit. She was surprised that the conversation was flowing so freely between them. When she first spotted him in the lot this morning, she was worried the day would be awkward, filled with unsaid words and unrequited awkward glances, but it was far from what she expected. The last time she saw Harvey Specter, she was screaming at him, and for years she wondered what she would say when she saw him next, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

In college she often wondered what would happen if she ran into him. Would they pretend they didn't know each other? Would they make awkward small talk, or would they pretend like nothing had happened between them and catch up just like old times? But they ran in different circles, their shared friends avoiding the topic of the other when they talked, and soon they became distant memories to one another. They never ran into each other while at college, never had an accidental meeting when they went home for holidays, and neither of them ever reached out to see what the other was doing.

Hearing about his former wife and how he altered his career path to better support his family was not how she pictured them meeting again going, but she was grateful the meeting didn't involve any screaming or accusations. It was almost like they were meeting again for the first time, lovers turned strangers, getting to know each other once again.

"You studied to become a lawyer?"

"I did, after I got my degree from Yale, I went to Columbia for law, some of the best years of my life."

"What about you? What was college like?"

"It was, an experience" she chuckles, "I went to NYU for journalism, but I hated every second of it and finally after a year and a half I dropped out and applied to the acting program at Yale. I worked for a few years in some off off off Broadwaay productions before I finally went back to school though."

"What I'm hearing is we're both Yale alumni?"

"It seems like it. You know what they say about great minds" she allows herself to flirt.

"Mooom!" Jason calls running over towards where they are standing against the back wall, getting reacquainted.

"I have to go to the bathroom" he explains, Gordon trailing close behind him.

"I can take them" Harvey offers with a soft smile before directing both boys to walk in front of him up the hall towards the restroom.

She watches as they follow his instructions, her eyes settling on the way the fabric of his top hugs his back muscles and she finds herself thinking back to how they used to feel wrapped around her on all of those nights they spent out by the lake, talking about their hopes and dreams for the future. He looks back and notices her watching, tossing a smile in her direction before ushering the boys into the men's room. God, if she wasn't careful, she was going to end up falling for that smile all over again, and she couldn't go down that road, not again. She'd fallen in love with Harvey Specter once before, and she was not about to let herself fall for him once again, she'd had one conversation with the man in twenty years it was by no means grounds to start thinking about the way he used to make her feel, but something about his charm and quick wit had her mind going to places she'd long since tried to forget about.

Waiting for the boys to finish up in the restroom, he splashes some water over his face and takes a series of deep breaths. He never let himself think about her. Not about the way her smile made his heart swell. Not about the way he often dreamt of her laugh, the way her nose crinkled ever so slightly when she was trying to flirt with him, a crinkle he watched grace her face only moments before when she made that comment about great minds. Not even about the way her lips perfectly complimented his, the way that kissing her made him feel alive in unparalleled ways. For twenty years, he didn't let himself go there, and now after only one morning with her, he couldn't help himself from thinking about all those times she made him feel alive.

She mentioned that she was divorced, and for the first time since his wife left him, he found himself interested in a woman. It wouldn't be a crime to flirt with her, but after the way things ended, he doubts she would want that. He was just getting used to being someone she loved when things went south but perhaps, they could be friends. There was a point in time when she was his best friend, and despite the decades that had passed, he can see she hasn't changed much, she was still the same Donna Paulsen that stole French fries off of his plate and watched all of his baseball games. The same spirited girl who made him spend countless weekends working on the sets for school productions and hang posters with her on weekends before shows.

He knows he's getting ahead of himself, but seeing her here, being placed in the same group as her, it was like fate was giving him a second chance. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with it yet, but the one thing he was certain of was that he wasn't going to let her go, not again.

The boys finish up and he takes them back to where she's waiting, and the group decides it would be best to grab lunch. Gordon ends up taking a liking to Donna, who he insists on calling "Jason's mom" and tells her all about his baseball team, a team that his dad coaches, as he proudly tells her.

"Dad used to play baseball when he was a kid!" Gordon brags.

"I bet he used to be really good" she humors the boy, biting into her sandwich.

"He says that he would always run really fast to impress the girls!" Gordon giggles when his father's face reddens, a reoccurring theme for Harvey on this trip.

"Alright, I think that's enough of that story!" he cuts off his son, practically choking on his own sandwich.

"Why dad? You said that you liked to show off for one of the cheerleaders" Gordon adds innocently and this time, it's Donna's turn to blush.

"Mom, you were a cheerleader, that's so funny!" Jason giggles along with Gordon.

"That is funny, isn't it" she says in the most enthusiastic voice she can muster up.

She brushes off the topic, knowing that their kids were oblivious to their past relationship and changes the subject for both of their sakes. The past hadn't come up much in conversation, and for whatever reason, she knew they both preferred it that way.

"Are you boys ready to go see the sharks?" she asks, and they immediately forget about the prior conversation.

"Yeah!" they both exclaim, hurrying to finish their sandwiches.

.

.

Boston, 1993

"I don't understand why we have to be here…. Why can't we cheer at real sports, like football" a blonde girl named Christine whined as the squad took their places in the first row behind third base.

Donna had joined the cheerleading squad in the ninth grade to help keep her options open but soon discovered she enjoyed cheering. It combined her love of being creative with cute skirts and glitter and had the added bonus of getting to attend all of Harvey's baseball games.

The rest of the squad wasn't to keen on the fact that Mrs. Gunther made them attend every sporting event, but Donna viewed it as an excuse to watch her boyfriend show off. Even before she and Harvey started dating, she always enjoyed getting to watch her best friend in his element.

She drops her gold pom-poms into her lap to wave to Gordon from her seat in the front row and he waves back with a wink. Harvey's dad never missed a single game, and she would always join him after the seventh inning, despite her teammates whining that she was ditching them. She and Gordon had always got along well, he always treated her like a daughter of his own and when she and Harvey started dating he was overjoyed, so she didn't mind the excess glares from her teammates when she went to join him in cheering for their Harvey.

Their team was absolutely destroying the visiting team, and by the top of the sixth, Harvey had already hit two home runs and was currently waiting on third base as the next player got ready to hit. She hopped down from her seat and banged on the fence near him, clinging to the top of the metal wiring with her fingers, her green cheer leading skirt drawing his immediate attention.

"Looking good out there, Specter" she whistles and he jogs over to the fence while his team mate got ready at the plate.

"Looking good out there, Paulsen" he smirks, leaning down, despite her already being up on her toes, and placing a kiss on her lips through the fencing.

"Shouldn't you be one the field, scoring me another run?" she flirts, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"You better get out here and celebrate it with me then" he winks before jogging back to third. She watches from beside the fence as his teammate sends to ball flying beyond second base and Harvey slides into home. He gets up and dusts off his pants before lifting up a single finger and motioning for her to join him. It was a simple point, nothing like winning the championship like they had the year prior, but she didn't care, she was bounding out from behind the fence the moment he called for her.

Running towards where he stands near the dug-out she tosses her arms around his neck as he lifts her feet off the dirt and twirls her around with a kiss. Placing her back on the ground, he places a second kiss into her hair as he whispers, "You know every point I score is for you, right?"

"Ms Paulsen, what did I say about coming on the field?" the coach calls from behind her.

"Sorry coach, I was just leaving" she giggles and squeezes his hand before skipping off the diamond and rejoining her teammates.

"God, could you two be any more in love, gross" one of her teammates rolls her eyes in disgust but Donna ignores her, knowing the girl was just jealous. What she and Harvey had was special, and everyone who ridiculed them was only envious of the bond they shared.

After the game, Harvey meets her and Gordon at Gordon's car, bag slung over his shoulder, his sandy hair a total mess.

"Good game son" his father pats him on the back, "Donna was just telling me how badly she wanted a milkshake, what do you stay we stop on the way home?"

"But, you never want to stop for shakes?"

"What can I say, she has a way with words" Gordon shrugs, rounding the car to get in the driver's seat. With Harvey's car being repaired, Gordon had kindly offered to drive him to and from games, a ride Donna usually shared with them. Usually, he and Donna would go grab something to eat after a game before he would sneak into her room once her parents went to bed, but tonight, for some reason, milkshakes with the girl he loved and his dad sounded ideal.

"You're a wizard, you know that? Convincing people to do things could be your superpower" he turns to her and opens the back door for her.

"Hmmm, let's test that theory, shall we?"

"How do you suppose we do that?"

"Kiss me"

He doesn't need to be told twice, it's a PG kiss, with his father mere feet away but it still makes her heart swoon, his hands folding around her waist as he pulls her into him.

"I guess it works" she whispers.

"I think we should test it out some more later, and maybe some more after that once I get my own car back" he smirks, climbing in the car after her.

.

.

Brooklyn 2013

"Alright boys, let's get in line" Harvey says and they follow his lead and line up to enter the shark tunnel. Jason and Gordon detailed the entire walk from where they had lunch to the tunnel with how excited they were to have sharks swim on top of them, so much so that Donna and Harvey hadn't been able to get a single word in.

Harvey noticed a few people eyeing Donna as they passed by the line and it occurred to him that in a public place like this, she was likely to be recognized, she was about to star in a production after all. Sure enough, as soon as the thought popped into his mind, two young girls approached her and asked for her autograph, a request she gladly accepted.

"Does that happen often?" he asks with a grin, unbelievably proud of how far she'd come.

"That was the first time" she answers, slightly stunned.

"Better get used to it, I hear that the stars of the most anticipated show on Broadway get recognized a lot"

"I doubt my show is that highly anticipated" she rolls her eyes at him and the line begins to shuffle forward.

"Donna, there was a sign for it in the bathroom"

"You're kidding?"

"How do you think I know what show you're staring in, you hadn't told me" he explains and she realizes he was telling the truth.

"I'm proud of you" he practically whispers, eyes finding hers and holding her gaze as she processes his words. He recognizes the look that flashes across her face from their younger days, one that she used to wear when he would tell her she was going to change the world one day. On the days where she doubted herself most, and he told her he had faith in her, she would look at him this way, eyes pooling with adoration and thanks.

"Thank you" she replies in an equally hushed tone, eyes still trained in his.

The moment is broken when the line begins to move once again, and they get to enter the tunnel. The glass tunnel is filled with sea creatures, an assortment of tropical fish swimming beside them as they begin to walk down the path. The boy's eyes dart frantically from one fish to the next, pointing at a bright blue fish that swims over head, eyes peeled for sharks.

When they spot one, laying on the top of the tunnel, Gordon gets excited while Jason suddenly goes quiet and holds on to Donna's leg.

"What's wrong buddy?" Donna asks her son, who is clutching onto her leg and avoiding the area with the shark.

Harvey sees what's going on and notices that Donna is shocked with Jason's sudden fear and has an idea, pulling them all out of the line and off to the side of the tunnel where the shark was resting.

"Hey buddy" he squats down so he's at eye level with the redheaded boy, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure" he replies, fingers still latched on to Donna's leg.

"I'm a little bit afraid of the shark and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to look at it with me?"

"I don't know" Jason replies quietly, slowly releasing his hold on his moms' leg as Harvey continues to talk.

"You're afraid too?" he adds, peering up at Harvey, surprised that an adult was afraid.

"Tell you what, what if you stand with me while I pick Gordon up and you can see that the shark isn't that scary? Then if you want you can have a turn, okay?"

Jason nods his head and steps out from behind Donna, stepping right next to Harvey as he scoops Gordon up and places him on his shoulders so he can get a closer look at the shark. Donna watches as her son steps closer to Harvey's side, Harvey's hand reaching down to pat him on the shoulder and reassure him while Gordon giggled and smiled down at his friend to show him there was nothing to be afraid of.

"What do we think buddy? Do you want a closer look?"

"Okay."

Harvey places his son back on the ground and scoops Jason up, placing him on his shoulders so he can get a better look. She can tell he's hesitant at first, but once he sees the shark moving, he relaxes and begins to enjoy himself. She watches the scene unfold, Harvey giving to boys turns sitting on his shoulders while they all laugh about the joke he tells about sharks not being able to tell time, Jason laughing along and much more relaxed than he'd been ten minutes before. She catches the wrinkle beside his eyes as he laughs, something that always reminded her of his laugh and she can't help herself from smiling, the scene before her so domestically wholesome she nearly forgets it's not real. Harvey met her son for the first time that morning and yet he could already read the kid, something he'd always been good at doing when it came to her emotions and she knew the apple did not fall far from the tree.

The group spent the rest of the afternoon in the shark tunnel, the boys eager to show Harvey every new shark they spotted, while Donna followed along encouraging them. It was strange to see Jason so willing to be open with Harvey, aside from Rachel her kids didn't usually take well to new adults, but Jason stuck by Harvey's side for the rest of the afternoon.

Once they boarded the bus to head back to the school, both boys were spent, Jason falling asleep on Donna's lap and Gordon on Harvey's the moment the bus left the parking lot. The ride back to the school is filled with small talk about the day, detailed with a few tales from their college days and work lives, but nothing about high school is mentioned.

Donna wakes Jason once they arrive at the school and helps him into the car where he immediately goes back to sleep, much like Gordon who is fast asleep in the back seat of Harvey's car.

Before he can pull out of the lot, there's a knock on his window and he finds her standing there, arms pulling her sweater closer to her body to cut the wind from seeping through.

"I just wanted to thank you, for what you did for Jason today. He's a really shy kid and I appreciate it" she thanks him.

"Anytime, Donna" he answers with a smile and she turns to head back towards her car.

"Hey Donna?" he calls after her and she stops in her tracks, the question in his voice enough to peak her curiosity.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

"I'd like that."

.

.

Boston, 1993

The Night Before Senior Year Begins

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime? Seriously? That was how the dude hit on you?"

"Are you saying you could've done something smoother?" she teases, kicking her legs up onto the couch and into his lap.

"I know I would've used a better line than that" he scoffs, fiddling with the laces on her converse.

"I don't know, I've seen your flirting skills and they could use some work" she fires back.

"That's not what you were saying at Andrew Stales party the other night!"

Her faces pales and she drops her feet from his lap and sits up, pulling her hair back away from her face. They were lounging on the couch in her living room, as they usually did on a Sunday afternoon, but it was only the second time they'd seen each other that week; a rarity in their relationship seeing as they usually saw each other daily. They didn't talk for nearly four days after that party, and when they finally did it was to agree that they should put it out of their minds and never bring it up again. Well, that is until he brought it up.

"I thought we weren't talking about that?" she says, pretending that something on the floor had her attention as the muttered words left her lips, afraid she'd be able to read his face too well before he responded.

"What if… what if I want to talk about it?" he asks, placing a hand on her knee and forcing her to face him.

"Why? We both know it was a mistake, we just got caught up in the moment. We didn't feel anything. Case closed!" she rants, getting up and pacing along the side of the couch.

"Donna…"

"What?" she snaps, finally turning to look at him and seeing it written all over his face; he felt something. One of Donna's talents was that she could read people better than anyone, a talent that often drove Harvey crazy, but in this instance, she was considering her talent to be less of a blessing and more of a curse.

"Oh my god, you felt something didn't you?"

"Are you telling me you didn't?" he asks, getting up and marching towards where she's leaned against the back of the sofa.

He stops a few feet away and studies her, arms folded across her chest, her expression clearly guarded and he knew, she was scared, which only meant one thing, she must have felt it to.

"We shouldn't be having this conversation" she reasons, refusing to meet his gaze.

"I want to have this conversation" he tosses back, taking a step towards her and reaching for her chin, lifting her face so that her troubled eyes find his.

Taking a deep breath, he wills himself to tell her what he's wanted to say for years, what he's denied himself from feeling time and time again but after that kiss, he can't pretend he doesn't feel it anymore. That she doesn't fill every crease of his mind, consume his thoughts and keep him up at night. He can't keep pretending he doesn't look at her THAT way, when he had been looking at her THAT way for a long time now.

"Donna… What I felt when I kissed you, I've been feeling it for a while now, and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to kiss you again" he says in a hurry, worried she'll turn away but her eyes stay fixed on his, her expression softening.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because, Donna, I'm in love with you. And I know it isn't fair for me to say that, because I would never want to jeopardize our friendship, but I can't keep pretending that I'm not. I'm in love with you Donna Paulsen and if you'd let me, I'd really like to kiss you again."

A small smile curls upward on her lips and she closes the distance between them, the backs of her hands skimming his palms and he cautiously takes her left hand in his, trying to read her expression. He's reassured when she follows his lead and intertwines their fingers, her chest brushing his with every breath she takes and he finds himself struggling to calm his racing heart.

"What if this ruins everything?" she whispers.

"I think it's worth the risk" he whispers back, afraid to move and break the contact between them.

"Then say it again…" she breathes.

"Donna, I love you, like a lot more than a best friend…"

Her lips cut him off, leaning up on her toes, she closes the gap between them with a kiss. It's slow at first, both unsure and charting unfamiliar waters but he quickly takes the lead and his hands encircle her waist and draw her even closer, his tongue pushing past her lower lip and seeking hers out. Her hands find the baby hairs on the nape of his neck and he practically moans into the kiss. When they finally part for air, she rests her nose against his and whispers,

"I think I love you too"

"You think?"

"I'm processing" she smirks, grateful that he's still able to joke around with her, "Harvey, I love you too."

He leans down and kisses her again, reveling in how great it feels to have finally told her how he felt, the feeling of her lips on his the most natural, electric feeling he has ever felt.

"Does this mean we're…?"

"Do you want to be?"

"Yes" she smiles, reaching up and placing a small peck on his lips.

"So, you're my girlfriend now…" he thinks out loud and her cheeks turn a deep shade of rose.

"Lucky you" she winks, pulling him back down towards her and kissing him once again.

.

.

Upper West Side, 2013

"Wow something smells good in here" Donna calls out as she opens the door and smell of pizza wafts into her nose.

"We're making a homemade pizza!" Amelia exclaims as she runs down the hall to greet her mother.

"Are we now?" Donna smirks and scoops her daughter up for a hug.

"Auntie Rachel I got to see a real live shark!" Jason yells as he beelines for the kitchen to tell Rachel all about his day at the aquarium.

"No way?! A real shark? And you weren't afraid?" Rachel beams down at her god son as she sprinkles some cheese onto the pizza she's preparing for dinner.

"I was afraid at first, but then Harvey put me on his shoulders so I could get closer and it wasn't scary anymore" Jason continues, hardly pausing to take a breath between his sentences, the excitement bubbling from within showing itself as he seats himself at the table.

"Harvey?" Rachel asks casually as Amelia joins her brother at the table and Donna begins to fish around in the fridge for a bottle of water.

"Yeah, my friend Gordon's dad," Jason begins to explain and Rachel's eyes dart to where Donna is still hiding behind the fridge door.

"They spent the whole day with me and mom and it was awesome! I'm going to see if maybe he can come over for a play date sometime."

Donna reluctantly shuts the fridge door and turns to face her best friend, who is staring at her wearing an expression that combines confusion, concern and question.

"Harvey?" Rachel mouths to Donna but Donna ignores her and moves to set the table.

She spends the rest of the dinner avoiding the penetrating gaze Rachel keeps tossing in her direction and listening to the stories about Amelia's day at school and about Jason's favourite part of his field trip. She knows as soon as the kids are out of earshot, Rachel's going to ask her if it was that Harvey, her Harvey, but she knew there was no point in lying now that the cat was out of the bag. She was grateful Rachel knew better than to bring it up with her kids around, since Amelia was quite observant, and she wasn't in the mood to answer the million questions that would follow them finding out she was once friends with "Gordon's dad."

Once the table is cleared and the kids are off in their rooms, Rachel turns to face Donna who is scrubbing at a plate that is already clean.

"There is only one Harvey I know that would name his son Gordon, is there something you'd like to share?" she asks sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip for dramatic effect and to an onlooker it would appear as though Rachel was Donna's mother, waiting for her to come clean about breaking curfew.

"I didn't think I would run into him again, but it turns out our sons are friends" she shrugs, soapy hands flinging suds across the counter.

"Okay go back. I have so many questions about every part of that sentence. Run into him again?"

"I saw him when I went to the parent-teacher thing last week…"

"You ran into Harvey Specter last week and you're only telling me now?!" Rachel says louder than intended and Donna shushes her.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to make a big deal about it" Donna rolls her eyes slightly as if to prove her own point and Rachel shrugs with a soft "What?"

"Wasn't it a big deal? I mean you haven't seen him in what…. Twenty years? Not since…"

"Yes" Donna cuts her off.

"He's married?"

"Widowed"

"He has kids?"

"A son"

"And?"

"And what?" Donna stares back at her blankly.

"Common Donna. You and Harvey Specter were the most hot and heavy couple I've ever seen in my life and you're trying to tell me seeing him after all these years wasn't weird?"

"It was weird, it's just today was actually…nice"

"Oh no, you are not falling for him again" Rachel whines and Donna immediately jumps in and defends herself.

"Relax. No one is falling for anyone. I'm just saying it was nice to catch up after all these years. He's a professor now, moved to the city about six years ago and Gordon absolutely adores him. You know it's weird, his son may be quieter than Jason and it's so sweet to see that they get along. He finally found another kid to play with Rach, what was I supposed to do, separate them all day while avoiding him? Were all mature adults, I think we can handle some small talk."

"Alright, alright, just one more question and I'll drop it. Is he still incredibly handsome?"

"I'm not answering that" Donna replies, grabbing Rachel's coat and leading her towards the door.

"On a scale of 1 to I would go home with this guy if I met him at a bar, what would you say he looks like now?" Rachel smirks, taking her jacket from Donna's arm and tossing it over her shoulder as Donna flings the front door open.

"Wow, no answering and shooing me onto the front porch he must have somehow gotten even more attractive. I bet he's a hot dad!" she calls as she steps outside, and Donna leans against the door frame.

"Goodnight Rach" she sings, sending her friend an innocent smile.

"Are we still on for girl's night tomorrow?" Rachel calls behind the almost closed door.

"If you behave!" Donna calls back before closing the door and heading to prepare lunches for the next day.

.

.

Upper West Side, 2013

"Dark roast, two sugars, splash of vanilla!" the barista calls.

Before she can grab her cup off the counter, another hand swoops in and grabs it. She follows the hand up to a Cheshire cat grin beneath a baseball cap and shakes her head.

"We have got to stop meeting like this" she chuckles, swallowing hard when she takes in the white form fitting v-neck and dark jeans he was wearing.

"With you trying to steal my coffee? I'd say so" he flirts, gesturing towards the second identical coffee that was placed down on the bar beside her that read Donna along the side.

"You order your coffee with vanilla?" she challenges, moving to grab a lid for her drink and passing one to Harvey for his.

"Old habits die hard I guess" he replies and she flushes, knowing she was the one to introduce him to vanilla in coffee, back in the summer of 93.

"What brings you to this side of town?" she asks

"This place has the best coffee in the city. And I'm hiding from my students while I do some marking" he shrugs, holding up a folder filled with what she assumed were term papers.

"What about you?"

"Just grabbing a coffee before I go meet Rachel."

"Do you want to join me?" he gestures towards a vacant table, "Only if you have time…"

"Um, sure" she says, placing her bag on the back of the chair and plops herself in the seat across from him.

She was glad she'd changed into something more casual after rehearsal, her jeans and beige tank top much more comfortable than the black dress she was in earlier. She had her hair in loose curls that hung over her shoulder and her lips painted a pale shade of pink, a perfect casual combination. She was supposed to be meeting Rachel for a girl's night in a half hour across town, but she figured she could spare a few minutes to talk to him without any kids around to interrupt.

"Jason could not stop talking about the sharks, you really made his day" she tells him, unaware of why she just brought up one of her kids when she was just focused on a kid-free conversation.

"He's a great kid, reminds me a lot of you"

"How so?"

"He's dedicated to what he's passionate about. Just like you used to be doing all those school productions."

"Harvey" she responds, in not a questioning or a scolding tone, but rather a reminiscent one. This was the first time either of them had mentioned something from their high school days since they first ran into each other, and it brought a wave of nostalgia over them both.

"I meant it when I used to tell you I knew you'd make it one day" he offers her a timid smile before taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Thank you, for always having faith in me" she smiles back, following his lead and reaching for her own cup.

"Thank you for being worth it."

"So, ethics papers, huh?" she asks, trying to change the subject and tread on lighter, more recent events.

"Unfortunately, they aren't going to mark themselves" he chuckles, "Though it looks like lost my pen so they may end up not marked at all."

"Here," she says, fishing around in her purse and pulling out a blue, four-coloured Bic pen, "Borrow mine."

"You still use one of these?" he laughs, thinking back to the way she used to colour-code her notes with her trademark four-coloured pen.

"I'll have you know those are the most practically pens you can buy!"

"When you're sixteen…"

"Fine," she reaches for the pen she placed in front of him, "Try marking your papers now."

"I take it back," he holds his palms up in a surrender, "Leave the pen!"

"Only if you admit that it's the superior pen" she challenges.

"Fine you win. It's the superior pen."

"Thank you" she says with a pop, tossing the pen back down on the table, her jaw sore from how wide she's smiling. She can't remember the last time she'd felt so at ease when talking to anyone, but it was nice to see that things hadn't changed much between them. They were still Harvey and Donna, the over-imaginative redhead and the jock who could make her laugh.

"Do you like being a professor?" she asks, finishing the rest of her coffee.

"Honestly, I love it. I never thought it was for me but getting to have such an important part in kids lives, it's something special."

"If you could do it all over again, would you have gone down that road from the start?"

"Not a chance, my brief time in law school was the time of my life, I made some of my best friends there, and they definitely had the best parties" he laughs.

"What was the wildest thing you ever did at a party?"

"The wildest? Well, there was this one time… wait, how do I know you aren't going to use this as blackmail material?"

"Who say's we're even going to run into each other after today?" she jokes, not noticing his face fall at her words.

"Well, I hope we do" he blushes, "I mean, if you'd want that?"

"I can't see why I wouldn't" she responds with a genuine smile. It was weird, that she didn't find this weird. Talking to him it was like no time had passed, they fell into a natural rhythm and she was finding it easy to be herself around him.

"What about you little miss drama school, what's the wildest thing you ever did?"

"Well that is more of a story to be told over alcoholic beverages" she winks with a small giggle.

Her wink sends him back decades prior and suddenly he's a seventeen year old kid, sitting across from her as she giggled about the way his milkshake spilt across his shirt, her red curls tossed back in a messy up do, her freckles in their prime thanks to the sunny afternoon they spent in the park. Sitting in the old diner across the street from his house, he watches as her laugh makes her eyes squint and her nose flair. Only it wasn't the seventeen-year-old girl he had a secret crush on seated across from him, it was a grown-up version, flaring her nostrils and squinting her eyes in a way he knew all too well. And somehow, he found himself in the same position he was in all those years ago, watching her laugh and knowing he was already too far gone.

"That could always be arranged you know" his lips curl into a devilish grin. He knows he's playing a dangerous game, treading the fine line between normal and making things awkward but he figures he should shoot his shot while he had the chance.

Her phone rings before she has the chance to reply and fishing it out of her bag, she notices she has four missed calls from Rachel. She answer's the incoming call with a rushed "Hello" and explains she's on her way and that she's sorry she's running late. She sends a quick message to the babysitter to check on the kids and drops her phone back into her purse, looking across the table at him with an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry, I really have to go, but this has been really nice."

"We should do it again sometime. Maybe over drinks so you can tell me that story?" he asks, quickly adding, "As friends, of course."

"I'd love to" she says, placing a hand on his shoulder before excusing herself from the coffee shop and heading back to where she parked her car.

.

.

Upper West Side, 2013

"I know I'm late, I'm sorry!" Donna calls as she let's herself into Rachel's apartment, bottle of wine in hand.

"At least you knew well enough not to come empty handed!" Rachel reaches for the bottle of Rose and pours them both a glass.

"Grab that, would you?" Rachel gestures to the cheese plate she'd prepared and makes her way to the living room with the two wine glasses in hand. Following close behind, Donna places the cheese tray down on thee table and flops onto the couch, tossing on of the throw pillows in her lap to hug.

"Long rehearsal, I can't believe you guys ran that late?"

"Well…"

"Here it comes… rehearsal didn't run late, did it?" Rachel asks, joining her best friend on the couch and cradling her wine glass in her lap as she turns her glare towards Donna.

"I may have bumped in Harvey at a coffee shop on my way home. But in my defense, I didn't plan on staying to chat, I was just going to run on for a coffee and leave!"

"You almost blew me off for a coffee date with your ex-boyfriend?"

"Ugh, Rach, can we not call him that? That was ages ago?"

"And yet, suddenly it seems relevant again. Look Donna, you know I love you and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not going to get hurt Rachel. Besides, we're just friends. He even asked if I wanted to catch up over drinks, as friends. He said those exact words" Donna explains, sinking back into the sofa as she rambled on about her afternoon conversation with Harvey.

"What do you want to gain out of seeing him?" Rachel asks.

"Maybe we can be friends?"

"Can two people who used to be in love be friends? It was high school Donna, I know that's not real love, it's puppy love…"

Donna looks down at where she's picking at the nail polish on her thumb nail before sheepishly, she looks up finally and she knows Rachel can read her face.

"Unless, it wasn't?"

"It's been twenty years, I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not like either of us still have those feelings," Donna says, not sure if she's trying to convince Rachel or herself. She knows that she's not only speaking for herself when she tells Rachel what her and Harvey had was not puppy love. She knows they were young, but their love was passionate. It was raw and unfiltered and unlike anything she'd ever experienced, even to this day.

"Exactly. It's in the past. I'm sure you two will be able to be casual friends" Rachel agrees, rather unconvincingly but Donna lets it slide and they begin watching a movie while working through the bottle of wine.

.

.

Boston, 1993

A Week Before Senior Year Starts (4 Days Pre-Relationship)

"Easier Specter, it's not like she's your girlfriend"

"You're right she's not, but she's my best friend so you can either back the hell off, or I'll make you back off. Got it?"

The shorter blonde male nodded to show Harvey he understood and mumbled an apology to Donna before scampering off to the opposite side of the party, terrified of what Harvey would do if he caught him talking to Donna again.

"What an ass" Harvey rolls his eyes after the kid was out of his sight, tossing his arm around Donna's shoulder, "If he bothers you again, I'll kick his ass."

"Thanks Harvey" she leans in for a side hug before he releases his hold on her.

Mason, the blonde Harvey just frightened had been trying to hook up with her the entire evening, and while she normally would fight her own battles, she was tipsy and annoyed and decided it would be easier for Harvey to help her out. She tended to avoid asking for his help in situations like this, seeing as the kids in their grade already assumed the pair was an item, having Harvey scare other boys off typically added fuel to the fire.

"What do you say we grab a drink?" he asks, linking his arm through hers and leading them towards the fridge where his beers were stored. He opens a bottle for her before retrieving his own out of the fridge when one of the party-goers, a girl named Daphne turned to Donna.

"You two are soooooo cuteee" she slurred, clearly already drunk out of her mind despite it hardly being 11pm.

"Oh, we're not together" she explained, gesturing between Harvey and herself.

"Yeah, right" the girl laughs before stumbling out of the kitchen into the other room.

"That never gets old, does it?" he chuckles, raising his bottle to tap against hers before they both take a large swig.

"It's like these people have never seen a guy and a girl who were just friends before" she laughs before waving to some girls she knew and heading over to join them.

Right, he thinks to himself, friends, just friends.

Later in the evening they both find themselves in the backyard, Harvey chatting with some boys on the baseball team and Donna standing next to his group talking to a boy in their English class named Damion.

"Careful Damion, get any closer and Specter might give you a black eye!" the party host Trevor calls from across the lawn, Harvey's head snapping in his direction when he hears his name.

Donna's eyes find Harvey's before she looks towards Trevor and she silently pleads for him to let her fight her own battle, a plea he gladly obliges and follows along with.

"Wait, I thought you two weren't dating?" Damion stares between them, confused.

"We're not!" They cry in unison, Donna's face painted with annoyance that she was going over this for the second time in one evening.

"Please, you to are the only two that don't see it, aren't you?" Trevor asks.

"See what?" Donna asks, her voice heavy with an annoyed tone.

"You get extremely jealous and protective of each other" he continues to explain, both of their stares fixed on him as he spoke.

"We do not!" Harvey jumps in and protests the accusation.

"Give me a break! You practically jumped at the chance to scare Mason off earlier, and don't get me started on how pouty you get whenever she leaves with someone that isn't you!"

"Common Trevor, that's enough" Donna tries to help but Trevor is on a role.

"Don't think you're innocent in all this, you do the same thing. Always becoming extra touchy when another girl flirts with him, pretending it doesn't bother you when he kisses other girls but we all know you were ready to fight Pamela Jackson when she kissed Harvey during that game of spin the bottle a few months back, and you weren't even playing! When are you two going to open your eyes and see what's right in front of you?"

"I think you've had too much to drink Trevor, Donna and I, were just friends" Harvey pats him on the shoulder and excuses himself to fetch another beer. Trevor had a point, and he knew it. He'd known how he felt about her for a while now, he just hadn't realized his jealousy was so obvious. He's so lost in thought, he hardly hears her come in and it isn't until she clears her throat that he turns around and spots her standing behind him.

"Hey, are you stalking me now?" he teases, popping the cap off of his beer and offering her the first sip, an offer she gladly accepts.

"Sorry about Trevor, he was being a tool. Are we okay?" he apologizes leaning back against the cupboards while she leans against the island in the center of the kitchen.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"Just thought I'd check. Just so you know, I know you don't get jealous" he adds, accidentally knocking a glass of water over and soaking the counter top beside him.

"For the record, I know you don't either."

He looks around for napkins and spots a pile behind her.

"Good. Because I'd be lost without you as my best friend" he smiles down at her before placing himself directly in front of her and leaning over her shoulder to grab the pile of napkins. His breath tickles her ear as he speaks and her breath hitches in her throat as his chest briefly brushes against her own. He senses her sudden stiffness and freezes, suddenly hyper aware of how closely their bodies are pressed together. He grabs the napkins and pulls them back slowly, but he can't bring himself to step away from her, his body suddenly desperate for more contact. Every nerve in her body comes alive and suddenly, it's as though time is moving slower.

Next thing he knows, he's dropped the napkins back in their initial spot and he places his left hand on the counter beside her hip, trapping her between the counter and his body.

"Harvey-" she whispers and he pulls back from his place above her ear to meet her stare, her eyes pooling with lust and he hesitates before speaking. He can't tell if her words are a warning or a plea, but he's answered when her palm comes to rest flat on his chest and he closes the distance between them with a desperate, sloppy kiss. Her hands are weaving through his hair as her tongue slips past his and a soft moan escapes her lips. His hands greedily roaming her body, grazing her bare shoulders, pulling through her hair and settling on her ass, where he hoists her onto the counter and finds a place between her legs.

Their kisses a messy, sloppy and desperate, fueled by desire. When they finally part for air, he begins to place kisses down her neck, stopping every so often to nibble on her skin, her legs wrapped around him, urging him closer. She can feel his bulge against her as she rakes her fingers down his back, wishing they were anywhere but here so she could remove the layers of clothing keeping them apart.

The sound of a car horn blaring causes them to dart apart, Donna sitting awkwardly on the counter as she adjusted the top Harvey managed to half remove, and Harvey on the opposite side of the kitchen wiping the lipstick from his lips as he fixes his belt.

"Hey man, you're brother's here!" someone calls into the kitchen at Harvey.

"Do you want a ride?" he asks and she nods, following him to Marcus' car without saying another word.

"Give me a minute?" Harvey asks Marcus before following Donna to her door. The car ride had been filled with awkward silence and small talk and he knew he couldn't let her leave without saying something about what happened at the party.

"Donna, wait!"

"I'm pretty tired Harvey, what is it?"

"Are we going to talk about what happened back there?"

He was pretty hopeful that the conversation they were about to have would give him a chance to tell her how he really felt, but rather the words that leave her lips leave him deflated.

"What is there to talk about? We had a momentary lapse in judgement. You said it yourself, we're best friends. So, let's just put it out of our minds and pretend it never happened, okay?"

"Yeah… right… out of our minds, like it never happened."

"Goodnight Harvey" she smiles before opening the door and closing it behind her, leaving him alone and confused on her front porch. He could have sworn she was about to talk about the way that kiss made her feel, because he'd never felt anything like the way he just felt kissing her. Maybe she wasn't into him after all, if she really didn't feel anything, he would be best to move on. Trudging back to Marcus's car he hops in the front seat and buckles up his seat belt.

"Do you want to talk about it?" his brother asks.

"There's nothing to talk about" he sighs, looking out the window as the back out of her driveway.

On the other side of the door, Donna sinks down with her head in her hands, confused at all of the emotions filling her head. She made out with her best friend tonight, and it made her feel things she didn't know were possible. Sure, she had a crush on Harvey, but she'd convinced herself they were better off as friends because he didn't see her that way. After the way he kissed her back there, she was questioning if maybe he did see her that way, the way she saw him. But even if he did, was it worth risking their entire friendship?

.

.

Upper West Side, 2013

Sitting on Rachel's couch watching The Ugly Truth, Donna listened as Katherine Heigl droned on about why the perfect man didn't exist and she realized, she had nothing to worry about. Sure, she'd run into Harvey a few times and yes, they hit it off just like old times, but who was to say he was even looking for something more? What if all he wanted was a second chance at the friendship they obliterated years ago?

Maybe fate wasn't telling her to give him a second chance romantically, maybe fate was giving her a friend back. The least she could do was grab drinks with him, after all, what harm could it possibly do, right?


Stay tuned for Part 3 because the fun is only just beginning!