A/N: Fanfiction net was down foreeever but I think it's back up now? I hope you like this chapter and please leave a review if you do so I don't lose interest in this story. xx

hold me near (and I will steal solid ground)

.

He's barely stepped out of the very elevator that they got stuck in a week ago when Donna greets him chirpily.

"You look like shit."

Harvey gives her a death glare but gratefully accepts the cup of coffee she's holding out for him. He's used to her pointing out the obvious to him but annoyed that she detected the lack of sleep on his face that quickly once again.

"Gee, thanks. Just what a guy wants to hear first thing in the morning."

They fall into step with each other and it's not long before she asks, curiosity getting the better of her. "Long night?"

"You could say that," he grumbles, opening the door to his office.

"Ooh, that good?" She puts two folders neatly on his desk. "Or that bad?" she adds quizzically upon seeing the grumpy look on his face.

He rounds his desk and sits down on his chair. A sigh escapes his lips, his bones aching in a way he hasn't felt since well before university.

"Neither."

"Aw, was she that unmemorable?" Donna jokes, taking a seat across from him. He notices her sigh the same way he just did and glances at her.

She looks… the same as always, yet something is off about her. He can't quite put his finger on it. Her hair is styled in a way that he's always liked on her. Glossy copper locks falling over her shoulder and onto her dress softly. His eyes get lost around her boob area for a moment before he actively looks away. It's her face that's different, he realises. Donna is definitely wearing more make-up than usual. Her extremely cute and inviting freckles – although he would never admit to thinking that – are covered by thick foundation and her eyes are small and bloodshot.

So to be fair, she doesn't look much more awake than him. She's just better at masking it.

"Actually you're wrong. There wasn't a woman."

Donna furrows her brows, not having expected that. "Oh," she breathes. She holds her breath for a second before she exhales.

"Are you okay?" he asks, a hint of humour in his voice.

"Mhm fine." She stands up. "I'm just going to… ehm go and you should start working. You have an 8:30 with Chris Williams."

"Donna."

"Yes?" she whirls around.

"What's going on?"

He's been off his game all week. Ever since they got stuck in that goddamn elevator, he's not been himself. Sleep used to come easily to him, he could sleep whenever, wherever. But it's been barely seven days and each day he's been getting less sleep.

But it's Donna who worries him. Donna's been off her game too and that's unprecedented. He can't remember a time where she couldn't read him, or misplaced his files and double booked his appointments.

She's about to brush him off but something about his somber face must make her change her mind at the last second. "I can't sleep," she admits, desperation evident in her voice. "I've tried everything but nothing helps. It's driving me crazy."

"Miss sleeping next to me?" he jokes. It's a throwaway comment but her head snaps up immediately, eyes wide.

"No."

She's flustered and now that's interesting. "Admit it. You miss me."

"If anyone's missing anyone, it would be you missing me," she is quick to retort, raising an eyebrow.

"I am not the topic of this conversation."

She bites back a grin. "Harvey." But her facade slips when she tilts her head. There's a silent conversation happening in their eyes. Something's been different since they fell asleep together in that elevator and they both feel it.

"Look. I'm just saying… it's weird." He looks at her for reassurance, to know that they're on the same page. "I keep thinking about that night. Without you there, I would've lost it completely."

"Sometimes we need a little help, Harvey."

Donna shrugs like it's no big deal and he loves that about her. Her support has always been unconditional. She's his compass and he knows how lucky he is that she sees something inside of him. Something good and worthy that he himself doesn't see. He credits everything he has achieved so far to her.

"I guess so."

"Now try to get some work done. I'll be outside."

He watches her leave, lost in thought. He could use a little help falling asleep for sure, and his sleeping pills aren't cutting it anymore. Without a decent dose of sleep, and not just two one hour naps per night, he won't make it through this week.

.

The day passes by slowly and Donna's work keeps piling up on her desk. Her lack of sleep is affecting her work performance more than she'd like and after she snaps at Rachel and has a real go at Louis for no valid reason, she gives up and slumps down on Harvey's couch.

He's still sitting on his desk working hard and he glances up when she sighs dramatically.

"Why don't you go home?" he offers kindly. "Get some sleep."

"I would if I thought I could. You have no idea the kinds of things I've tried to trick my body into thinking it's time to go to sleep. Not happening."

She discards her Jimmy Choos and tucks her legs under her thighs. Even without looking up, she feels Harvey's gaze burn into her. After a moment, Harvey abandons the case he was working on before she interrupted him. He pours them both two fingers of scotch and sits down next to her with a tired sigh. They both nurse their drink in comfortable silence for a minute.

"You should call it a night," she says gently after taking in the tired lines around his eyes and the tightness of his jaw.

"What's the point? Can't sleep anyway," he grumbles.

She doesn't have anything to say to that. It's precisely the reason why she's here and not at home too. They keep sitting next to each other, content to just decompress together. His proximity reminds her of being stuck in that elevator with him and to her surprise, she feels her eyelids grow heavy. She leans her head on his shoulder, acutely aware of the fact that they don't usually do this, but Harvey instantly shifts to accommodate her and she closes her eyes. His fingers slowly trace up her arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. It's the first time all week that she's felt a tidal wave of exhaustion hit her that might actually allow her to slip into some real sleep.

She's too tired to question what's happening and judging by Harvey's deep, slow breaths he is slipping into a state of unconsciousness too, so she lets it happen, again, feeling safe and secure with him.

.

They wake up not that much later when someone from the cleaning crew enters his office and apologises profoundly for interrupting them.

Donna draws back from Harvey's embrace sharply, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She's not sure why, but it feels like they got caught doing something they shouldn't be doing at the office. Harvey avoids her gaze even after the cleaning lady left, busying himself by chucking down the scotch left in his tumbler.

"We should go," he says passively.

"Yeah."

She doesn't know what it means that they were able to fall asleep next to each other without any problems and she doesn't want to dwell on it but she can't deny that her body is craving more. It would be insane to ask Harvey if they can just stay here for an hour or two to catch up on some much-needed sleep so she brushes the thought aside.

"Good night, Harvey."

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"Home?" she replies confused.

"Donna." He looks torn for a second, like he wants to back out, but then he says what he wants to say for once. "I don't know what just happened but I was actually able to get some rest. Can we just… can we just try something tonight?"

"What?"

Before he even says anything she knows what it's going to be and her heart is beating wildly in her chest. It's insane and yet.

"Come home with me tonight. Just to sleep. I got none of my work done today. Please, I need this. I need to be at the top of my game tomorrow."

The very idea of possibly getting a good night's sleep overpowers any other feelings she has in regards to crossing lines and boundaries with her boss. Her body is craving sleep, no matter in which package it's wrapped, and so she agrees quicker than she would have if she wasn't so sleep-deprived.

"Fine. But just because I really need to catch up on my beauty sleep."

"I think you're doing fine."

She rolls her eyes at his little wink. He's an idiot. "This is a one-time thing, got it?"

He agrees, his eyes crinkling at the corners as they lock with hers, relief evident in them.

.

They make a quick stop at Donna's apartment so she can get an overnight bag and afterwards they decide to stop for some Italian take-out a few blocks from Harvey's apartment since neither of them has had any dinner yet. They eat the food straight from the containers on Harvey's kitchen island. It's comfortable but Donna feels herself grow more tense and nervous the closer they get to finishing dinner.

Sure, she's been to Harvey's place a few times over the years and it hasn't changed much since the last time she was here. It's a very impersonal space. It looks like a page you'd find in a furniture store magazine rather than an actual home but she's not surprised. Harvey lives to work. He doesn't work to live.

She wonders what Harvey's bedroom looks like. There has never been a reason for her to go in there and the idea of sleeping where he's been with other women before somehow seems like a really bad idea now. She's not the type to get nervous but something about sleeping, just sleeping, next to someone can be such an intimate thing as well and she has no idea how they're going to cope.

After they've disposed of the containers, Donna asks, "are you ready for bed or are you going to stay up a while?"

"I'm ready now. You?"

She nods and he leads her into his bedroom and she marvels at the New York skyline that is peaking in from between the curtains.

"That looks beautiful."

The light from outside is illuminating the room, catching the corners of his bed and bedside table. Sleeping in here must make him feel like he's on top of the world and she thinks she understands why Harvey feels like he can achieve anything. He's made it this far, what's stopping him from becoming managing partner and taking over the firm one day?

"The bathroom is over there," he vaguely gestures at the adjacent room. Then he scratches his neck sheepishly. "There's also a guest bathroom if you prefer to use that one. It's just around the corner to your right."

"Yeah, I think that would be best. Thanks."

Harvey already discarded his suit jacket when they came home earlier and he starts undoing his tie now. Donna stares at him befuddled, suddenly frozen in place when he pops open the buttons of his shirt.

"What?" he asks, shrugging off his shirt. His body looks just as good as it did six years ago, if not even better; his stomach is a bit more toned and his muscles are more defined and it's doing things to her insides.

She shakes her head, feeling too hot all of a sudden.

"Nothing. I'm gonna go change into my pajamas," Donna says, stumbling over her words.

Harvey raises an eyebrow, and she swears she sees a hint of a smirk on his face, but he says nothing.

Donna rolls her eyes at herself as she walks into the bathroom around the corner. She didn't expect him to undress in front of her and it's thrown her off her game. He's attractive, she's allowed to think that but she hates that she wasn't able to hide it in her sleep-deprived state. Putting down her overnight bag, she gives herself a pass. Better get it out of the way now than later. She unzips her dress and changes into a loose pair of satin pants. When she goes to unhook her bra, she thinks twice. Does she really want to be in bed with Harvey without a bra? She decides to keep it on. Something about being braless seems too intimate.

When she's done brushing her teeth and braiding her hair, she squares her shoulders and walks out feigning confidence. Harvey is laying on top of the comforter, his back propped up on a stack of pillows. He's wearing a simple, white t-shirt and grey sweatpants as he reads through a case file he brought home. Her body pulses with a raw need that is usually stored away safely when she registers that there's a simple pair of black glasses sitting on his nose too. Her heart skips a beat before she reminds herself that this is not real. This is not their reality.

They are not a normal couple taking turns using the bathroom before they snuggle up in bed together and make love. And she does not think about these things from time to time because that would mean that she is subconsciously crossing that invisible line she put between her personal and her professional relationship with Harvey all those years ago. What they have is more than a boss/ secretary relationship, that's undeniable and she wouldn't change that for the world, but she wonders where going to bed together falls under that category of somehow being more than friends and less than lovers.

She walks up to the other side of the bed and pulls the comforter back. There are extra pillows and she's not sure what to do with them. She doesn't want to be rude and throw them on the floor because they're not hers. So she sits on the bed and tries to discreetly smash the pillows down. Despite her efforts, they keep puffing back up.

"You can throw those off the bed if you want," Harvey tells her with an amused look on his face.

Donna turns to him. "I only need one. You want the others?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm good."

She shrugs and puts three of the pillows on the floor next to the bed and lays down. Then she pulls the comforter up to her chin and stares at the ceiling blankly. Her eyes are dry and hurting from a long week of little sleep and she wonders if Harvey is going to go to sleep soon.

After a few minutes, Harvey closes the case file and shuts off the lamp on his bedside table.

"I didn't know you braid your hair at night," he mentions casually as he gets under the blankets.

"I didn't know you wear reading glasses at home," she quips back.

Somehow the exchange makes it a tiny bit less uncomfortable as they lay side by side in the pitch-dark room, the curtains not letting any light through.

"This is weird," Harvey says, breaking the ice.

Donna chuckles. "Yes, it is." She rolls onto her side. "Maybe we should cram ourselves into a confined, elevator-sized space," she jokes. It's too dark to see anything, but she feels Harvey's smile against her arm.

"No thanks."

Donna's eyelids grow heavy, the darkness of the room, coupled with the comfort of Harvey's bed making her sleepy. She's about to doze off when she hears some tussling beside her. Her eyes pop wide open when she feels Harvey scoot closer to her. Their arms touch and then his pinky wraps around hers.

"You smell nice," he tells her in a soft voice.

"Thanks. Must be my shampoo."

"Vanilla?"

Donna smiles. "Yes. Vanilla bean. It's my favourite scent."

"I didn't take you for a vanilla kind of girl," he jokes, his voice so close to her ear that it sends shivers down her spine.

"Oh, I'm not."

Harvey chuckles lightly. "I think we both know you're not."

Donna bites her lip. The conversation taking an unexpected turn from uncomfortable to too comfortable.

"Harvey," she says warningly.

"Sorry," he apologises quickly. They don't mention the other time. Ever.

She tightens her pinky around his to let him know it's fine.

"Good night."

"Night, Donna," he murmurs.

She feels his warm breath tickle the bare skin of her arm again and despite the fact that this is weird and unconventional and crossing most of the boundaries she set for herself, it's also comfortable and they still feel like them. She hopes she won't regret it in the morning.

.

A/N: Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading xx