Just like that, he was gone. The very next day, apparently off to Chicago, on the first available flight, leaving her to pick up the pieces his sudden absence caused. No explanation given to the partners, only she knew why. She had walked away from him after the kiss, had left him standing in her office, uninterested in what he had to say. They had done this too many times, falling right in the exhausting predictable pattern: it started with a look, a touch, even a jealous comment, all threats that dared to hinder their perfect arrangement. Then she yelled, pressed him for answers or confessions, or simply an honest conversation, and every single time he denied her, ran from her, left her wondering. Like a freight train at the end of a route, they always stopped right on the tracks, stood on the line, never moving past the finish line. Never past the breaking point, from there...only backwards. His actions were so foreseeable that the bastard might as well patent the move, she thought, running away like a stray dog that bites and flees with the steak.

She knew exactly why he left.

Others didn't.

"You're the COO of this firm, Donna, how is the managing partner gone for undetermined time and you don't know WHY?" Louis yelled, indignant with Harvey's unexcused exit.

"I don't know what else to tell you, Louis." She responded, trying her best to keep her own thoughts in order.

"You're covering for him because it's something big, isn't it? He's planning something big with Jessica and they're leaving me out of it, aren't they?" Louis continued pressing.

"Louis, for the last time, I do not know why he went to Chicago. And don't even go there, you're always thinking they're plotting against you!"

"Oh my God… it's a merger!" He whispered, panic across his face. "Donna, they're going to merge and we're gonna be kicked out of here! it's so obvious!" he added, completely ignoring her.

This time she actually looked up at Louis, knowing she needed to dismiss that idea as fast as he had voiced it.

"Louis…" she said calmly, as if talking to a child holding a porcelain vase, "they'd never do that, okay? They are not merging. Harvey would never go behind our backs like that."

"Maybe not behind your back" he pouted, "but he'd definitely do it to me!" assertive as always, with some truth to it. "Well have you called him? Did you reach Jessica? 'cause I haven't been able to reach her either!"

"Yes, Louis," she replied quickly, "he said he was in Chicago for a few days. That was all."

A necessary lie. She knew Jessica wouldn't reply, Harvey must have asked her to dodge any calls. Donna hadn't actually called him, considering she had woken up to a 5 AM text that read "Heading to Chicago for a few days. Call me only if it's a business emergency."

It had taken her a lot of breathing exercises to not throw her brand new iphone out the window, to not respond in all caps with foul language or call and scream what he deserved to hear. No, she was not going to get caught in the same decade old game.

"That doesn't make any sense, Harvey tells you everything. I can't understand how you don't know this? Do you not care? How did we not get notice of this? Why won't he answer my calls, Donna? Why?" he paced around her office.

Her veins pulsed on her temples, the headache making itself extremely noticeable. It was like the Spanish inquisition, his questions shot at her, and this was the worse moment to be berated about Harvey. "Louis, that's enough!" she finally said, raising her voice, forcing him to stop and stare at her. "I don't know why he's there, or why he's not answering you, but you have to trust him that he is a responsible partner and things will be fine. Now please just go cover for him with the new client and if you can convince him that they don't need Harvey, the client is yours. Now for the love of Hamlet, let me work?!" she pleaded.

As he angrily walked out of her office, Donna pressed her fingers to her temples, letting out a loud sigh. It was going to be a long day.

At 7 PM, the pile of papers in front of her confirmed her night wasn't nearly finished. The morning and part of the afternoon had been filled by successfully controlling Louis's temper, managing dozens of phone calls and emails and answering a few questions from clients about Harvey's whereabouts, buying herself time with certain important decisions, taking responsibilities with others, and in the evening Donna felt like the day would never end. It didn't matter that she anticipated his behavior, she grew angrier at him by the hour. As she poured herself a glass of Macallan and pulled out a gray Montblanc pix, Mike's voice made her look up from the folder on her desk.

"Careful with that, pretty sure that's illegal." He said, leaning against her door frame.

"I'm flattered, Mike, but unless the legal drinking age is 30 now, I should be fine." she joked, twirling the ice in the glass.

Mike chuckled. "I meant signing his name on the documents. I can tell by the pen you're using. His signature is pretty hard, but you're Donna." He spoke as he walked closer to her desk, watching over to see her perfectly imitate Harvey's handwriting.

"13 years of practice," she smiled, "I'm probably more convincing than he is at this point. Drink?"

"Nah," he waved his hand dismissively, "Rachel is waiting. I just came to say bye."

Donna smiled and leaned back on her chair, watching him suspiciously.

"No," she said, narrowing her look " you came to tell me you spoke to him."

Mike dropped his shoulders and sighed loudly.

"What's happening, Donna?"

"Nothing's happening, Mike." She answered quickly, without hesitation. But it only took a second for her to realize that a quick response wouldn't get Mike to believe her more, she figured by his frown.

"Bullshit." A blunt accusation right out of his mouth. How could this kid get even more pretentious? She wouldn't have it.

" Excuse me?" she stood up, taking the accusation a little bit more serious than he had imagined she would.

"You're signing paperwork with his signature because you don't know when he's coming back and you don't want to jeopardize any agreement," she looked down as he spoke, this time avoiding his look. Mike continued, "Harvey was totally out of it on the phone, it was hard to keep a conversation and you just got super defensive. Plus you're even drinking his whisky."

It was hard to understand how Harvey and Mike worked so well together, one being so clueless at reading people's emotions and the other being so annoyingly good at it. He was almost as good as...her.

"What do you mean... totally out?" she asked, concerned spread all over her face.

"I don't know, he was just unfocused and when I mentioned your name he came up with a crappy excuse and said he had to go, not to mention you've been locked in here the whole day, you gave his client to Louis…"

"I didn't exactly give.."

"Donna...come...on!" Mike said, announcing every word as he called her out. "It doesn't take much to realize something happened." Maybe she wasn't as good of an actress as she thought. Or she had taught him well. "But if you don't want to tell me, fine, just answer me this: Is it business...or is it personal?" he blurted out, knowing he didn't have much time to get something out of her. "Because for the first, as a partner, I have the right to know. For the latter, as your friend, I'd like to know... so I can kill him." He said, smiling shyly.

The sweetness in Mike's intentions were hard to ignore, but the dread of discussing Harvey with him was still too powerful to just cease. Donna softened her look and walked closer to him, returning her empty glass to the drink cart and replying dryly: "I do appreciate your concern, Mike, but why don't you ask him the same question?" She challenged him, hoping to set him on his way.

"Who says I didn't?" Mike debuted, a grin on his face all too familiar to her. She turned away from him and started walking back to her desk, but wasn't able to resist the urge to hear what Harvey's answer had been. "And…?" She said, turning her ear slightly towards Mike's voice.

Mike took a few steps backwards to the door, finally answering her after a pause.

"He said it's never just business with you."

He walked away watching her as she stood, looking out her office window.