Prompt by Aanya48181023 on Twitter. After 7x13 Donna doesn't return to the firm and Harvey struggles with her absence, while out having dinner with Paula he sees Donna with a guy, he mistreats her, Harvey jumps in.

...

"I'm here to give you this" He says as he rips the envelope and hands back her destroyed letter of resignation.

"Does she know?" Donna wonders and he nods.

"She does, she understands that it's not fair to make you leave, I told her that" He explains and Donna shakes her head.

"Well, tell her she can relax and not lose any more sleep over it, I'm taking Stu's offer anyway" She replies with a determination he's never seen in her before.

His eyes widen as her words sink in "Donna-" He starts in the same pleading tone he used after she got fired and he begged her to come back.

"No Harvey, not this time, I'm not a security blanket that can be used and discarded when you decide you'll be okay without it"

"That's not what you are to me" He's quick to reassure her "How can you even think that after everything we went through?" He raises his voice a bit in exasperation, he's not yelling but he sounds pretty desperate.

"How can you have considered firing me after everything we went through just to please your insecure girlfriend? I'm done Harvey, so I really should thank you for wanting me gone, it's made me realize that I can't do this with you any longer when-"

"Donna please" He interrupts to beg her again with pleading eyes that turn redder by the second.

"I said no. I accepted it when she asked you to choose, well now I'm making my decision, I want to work with Stu"

"I won't accept that" He retorts stubbornly

"You won't accept it?!" She asks with indignation in her tone, not believing his words after what he tried to do. "You asked him to offer me that job Harvey!"

"Yes, but that was before-"

"Before what?! Before you realized this time I wasn't going down the hall? Well I'm sorry Harvey, like I said, you made your choice and you chose her, so I hope you two are very happy together, I'm sure you'll save a lot of money getting free psychiatric treatment from your girlfriend" She slams the door in his face and he stares furiously at it for a few seconds while he breathes heavily.

"Really Donna?!" He screams at her door "You're gonna say your piece and leave me hanging here?!"

"Leave Harvey"

"No!" He retorts stubbornly

She rests her forehead on the door and sighs "Harvey please, I can't do this anymore, please just leave, please" She begs softly and the hurt in her tone makes him press his forehead against her door, unknowingly mimicking her action and he breathes out slowly as he feels his eyes filling with unshed tears.

He considers begging her to stay, begging her not to leave him again, but he understands she needs this, and he has to respect that. Just like last time, he'll just have to find a way to get her back.

So he leaves, he goes back to his condo, he was supposed to go to Paula's tonight but he can't bring himself to, he needs to be alone, he's not in the mood to put up a front with his girlfriend when all he wants to do is lay down in bed and think of ways to get Donna to give this a better thought and come back to the firm, come back to him.

Denial, that's what he's best at. It's been a week, he's tried to text her but she doesn't reply, he's called her a few times but she never picks up, he thought she'd give it a better thought and she'd come back, but he's not giving up just yet.

As he walks to his office one morning he sees Doyle, the maintenance guy about to scrape the 'D' in her name off her glass wall.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" He asks the man who stops his action and turns towards the Managing Partner.

"H.R. asked me to remove Miss Paulsen's name, they said she quit, such a shame, she was always so nice to me" The man replies and Harvey shakes his head.

"Well you tell them Harvey Specter told you not to touch that name until I say so" He retorts firmly and the man nods and leaves. Scrapping her name off would make this so much more real, and he can't bear that right now.

He walks towards his old office in search of Mike. "Hey" He says as he enters and the junior partner lifts his gaze up.

"Harvey, hi. You're here because of Hunt's case? Cause I-"

"Have you heard from her?" He interrupts and asks instead.

Mike leans against his chair and sighs "Harvey, don't"

"I just need to know she's okay"

"Well, she's one of my closest friends and she's Rachel's best friend, which means you know I hear from her regularly" Mike says apprehensively.

"So?" Harvey presses and Mike shakes his head.

"Sorry Harvey, I can't tell you anything, she specifically told me not to" He confesses and Harvey looks as if someone had just stabbed him in the stomach.

"She asked you not to tell me anything?" His voice is low and full of pain.

"She said she needs a clean slate Harvey, that there's no in between with you two and that she needs you to stay away"

"I understand" He says in a defeated tone as he turns around to walk out.

"I'm sorry Harvey, but I guess there was only so much rope to pull from"

"Yeah, I guess so" He whispers as he leaves Mike on his own.

Two months, that's how long it's been since he last saw her face, the longest he's gone without seeing her and without talking to her. He misses her terribly, and it's not the professional part of her he misses. That, he's come to realize, he can manage without. He misses his best friend, he misses his confident, the only person that really gets him and always saves him from himself. He doesn't have that anymore, and even though he's managed to make things work with Paula, she could never be to him what Donna is, she could never mean to him as much as Donna does, and he's hopeless, he has no idea what to do about it, cause Donna made it clear he's not someone she wants in her life anymore, and nothing ever hurt so much.

He's sitting across from Paula in a new restaurant she wanted to try, she's talking about a trip she's been insisting on going together for a few weeks now. She doesn't get that he simply can't pack up and leave his job for two weeks, the firm needs him. Donna would have understood that, he thinks bitterly, and dismisses the thought as soon as it comes to him.

He picks on his food and she continues to move her lips but he's not particularly listening and all of the sudden he gets a feeling he quickly recognizes, a sixth sense that he developed fifteen years ago, and he knows she's near, he can sense her. He looks up and believe it or not, he sees her walking into the restaurant with a tall dark haired man. He keeps his gaze fixed on her, it feels like seeing colors again after being doomed to a black and white life for the past two months, just the sight of her feels like coming back to life.

She looks beautiful, a dark green dress hugs her figure, and he's always loved that color in her. She always looks stunning, but maybe there's something about having been deprived of seeing her for so long that makes him think that she's never been more beautiful than she is right now.

The waitress accompanies them to their table, across the room from him, and she sits looking in his direction, she looks at him and they lock eyes for a second or so, before she quickly looks away, and he wonders if she has the same ability he does for knowing when she's near or if she simply spotted him.

He considers walking up to their table to say hi, a desperate need to hear her velvet voice again after so long, or what feels like too long, cause it's only been two months after all, but for Harvey it's an eternity all the same.

"Harvey" Paula takes him out of his thoughts and he remembers he wasn't alone in the restaurant.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a second, a lot on my mind" He apologizes and she smiles at him.

"It's okay, I understand, I was just asking you if Tuscany sounds good, or maybe we could visit the French riviera"

"Yeah, um, about that Paula, you know I can't just leave the firm, so I would have to talk to Louis first and see when it would be a good time to leave" She looks down and shakes her head in a clear upset manner.

"Harvey, you haven't taken a single day of vacation in years, it's been a while since I last saw my family, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to take a trip to Europe so you can meet them, and then we can visit some other countries too" She explains, trying to make him feel bad for not putting a better effort to take this trip with her so she can see her family again.

From the corner of his eye he sees Donna and her date engaged in what is clearly an argument and he catches the moment she's trying to leave the table but the guy sitting across from her forcefully grabs her wrist and yanks on it so she stays right where she is. He sees the pain invade the beautiful features of her face and he sees red.

"Where are you going?" He faintly hears Paula asking as he abruptly stands from his seat and takes a few strides towards the couple.

He takes the man by the lapels of his suit jacket and yanks on them "Touch her again and I will rip your arm off" He snarls as he's face to face with the asshole that dared touch his Donna that way.

"Harvey what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Donna exclaims as she stands and tries to rip him off her date.

"What do you mean what am I doing? I saw the way he gripped your wrist"

"I'm sorry dude, who the hell are you and why do you care about how I treat my woman?" The guy asks and Harvey is about to launch himself at him again when Donna decides to step in between them.

"Don't" She warns in a low voice.

"Are you serious? You're gonna let him treat you that way?"

"It's none of your business what I do or don't do Harvey, it never was" Her words cut him, because he always thought he was someone important to her, someone who's opinion mattered, just like she was to him.

"I'm your best friend" He says in a pleading tone

"Were" She retorts coldly. "She doesn't look happy at all, you should go back to her" She says then, motioning towards Paula with her head. He remembers she's there for the first time since he saw that asshole putting his hands on Donna and takes a step back, now seeing the scene he's caused with all the other customers looking at them.

"Sir" A voice calls behind him and he turns around to find who he assumes is the Restaurant's manager "I'm gonna need to ask you to leave" He says and Harvey nods.

"No need, I'm leaving" He glances at Donna one more time and walks back to his table, he opens his wallet and throws a few bills that surely covers for more than their check.

"Would you like to explain what the hell was that?" Paula asks with anger in her eyes and Harvey sighs deeply.

"I saw he was forcefully grabbing her wrist, and I couldn't just let him hurt her" He explains but Paula doesn't seem happy at all with his response.

"Let's go, you've embarrassed me enough for one evening" She retorts as she walks past him and he follows her. He looks at Donna's table one more time to find her gone as her date is standing to grab his coat. "Are you coming or not?" Paula spats at him and he nods, following her outside.

The ride to his place is quiet, he can tell she's upset and pissed at her, but instead of trying to figure out a way to get her to forgive him, all he can think about is Donna. Is she safe? Did she leave with that asshole? Is she home? Are they in a relationship? Was this the first time he treated her like that? All those questions keep running through his head and he wishes he had an answer to all of them, unfortunately, he doesn't.

He closes the door behind him as Paula walks further inside and drops her coat on the back of his couch.

"You know, when I asked you to let her go, I told you it felt like there were three people in this relationship… But today I've realized that she was never the third person in our relationship" She says with tears filling her eyes and Harvey lowers his head.

"What are you saying Paula?" He asks then, not in the mood to hear her professional analysis on the situation, if she wants to say something then she better just fucking say it.

"Exactly that Harvey, she was never the one standing between us, I am the one standing between you two"

"That's not-" He tries to defend himself but she cuts him off, fed up with his denial.

"It's not what? It's not true? because I saw the way you reacted as soon as she walked into that restaurant, I also saw the way you were looking at her after you almost got into a fist fight with her date in a public place, because make no mistake Harvey, I know that's exactly what you wanted to do. You've never once looked at me that way"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm the most important person in the world to you, like I hold your world together, like…" She trails off and sniffs softly "Like you love me more than anything Harvey, that's how you look at her, with love in every fiber of your being and I tried to lie to myself, I tried to pretend that I was delusional, that you did want me, that her feelings for you weren't reciprocated"

"What do you know about her feelings for me?" He asks instead of addressing her words, too scared to admit everything she just said is the absolute truth.

"She came to see me once, she was looking for you, it was the day Jessica was about to be voted out of her Managing Partner position. She didn't say it but she didn't have to, I saw it in her face, just like I saw it in yours the first time you came to me, and you told me about her leaving you"

"So, you're saying you knew my panic attacks had to do with her leaving me and you blamed the whole thing on my mom?" He asks incredulously and she shakes her head.

"No Harvey, I do believe it had more to do with your mother but I did realize that there was more than a co-workers thing going on with Donna. I did suspect you had deeper feelings for her than you let on, but I was attracted to you since the first time I saw you and I… I thought that if I could convince you that you had no romantic feelings towards her whatsoever maybe you'd realize we could work, and I was right because exactly a year later you came to find me"

Harvey grabs his head and looks at the woman he once thought he could have feelings for, the woman he thought could help him get over his hidden feelings towards Donna.

"Stan was right" He whispers and Paula looks at him with a confused look.

"What?"

"I saw doctor Lipschitz a couple of times, Louis sent me to him, after Donna… quitted"

"You've been going to therapy?"

He ignores her questions and continues his ramble "He suggested I may have transferred my feeling for her towards you, cause it was safer… You know me, I don't have to try with you-"

"You don't have to put in an effort and you have no riks with me Harvey, that is why you pursued me, Stan is right" She admits and he lowers his head.

"I'm so sorry Paula" He says quietly, his voice almost above a whisper.

"Here" She says as she takes her purse from the kitchen's counter "This never really belonged to me" He looks up to see his spare key, Donna's key, on her hands.

"Thank you, I hope you can be happy Paula, I never meant to hurt you"

"Neither did I, I'm sorry for not helping you figure out your feelings sooner, for steering you away from them, that was my job as your doctor and I failed you" She apologizes sincerely and Harvey nods.

"We both made mistakes, no need to keep a score, I really wish you the best"

"Me too Harvey" She takes her coat and her purse and leaves his condo.

He hails a cab and is at her place ten minutes later, he calls for the elevator but it's taken it forever to arrive so he decides he'll just have to run up the twelve floors to her doorstep.

He rapidly knocks, one, two, three, three, four, five, six, seven times, seven knocks that will define the rest of his life.

She opens with confusion all over her beautiful face and lets out a long breath when she sees him.

"Is it serious?" It's the first thing he asks and she shakes her head.

"No, and I already broke it off, not that it's any of your business, like I already told you in the restaurant"

"It is my business, anything that happens to you will always be my business"

"Why?" She asks in a tired tone, so not in the mood for his games.

"Can I come in?" He asks back and she rolls her eyes, it's so like Harvey to deviate from her questions.

"I don't think your girlfriend would approve" She retorts with an icy tone.

"It's a good thing I don't have a girlfriend anymore then" He lets the truth out and he would laugh at her stunned expression if the situation called for it.

"Just now?" She asks and he nods. "Come in, I'll pour you a drink" She steps aside so he can enter her apartment and she follows him into the living room.

He hasn't been inside this place since he came to see her the night before Mike cut that deal with Gibbs, the night she begged him not to turn himself in because she didn't want to lose him. He ended up losing her instead and he wonders how could he be so stupid to let that happen.

"This place looks great Donna" He compliments.

"Didn't think you'd notice" She replies, surprised he did notice the remodeling she did on the place after making COO.

"I'm observant sometimes" He walks into the kitchen and looks at her "Is it still…?" He asks as he points towards her cabinet.

"Yeah, it's there" She confirms and he opens said cabinet to retrieve the bottle of Macallan 18 she always keeps there.

She takes two tumblers and places them on her dining table so he can pour the amber liquid into their glasses.

"What was the deal with that asshole?" He asks, still a bit shaken by what he witnessed in the restaurant.

"Nothing, I met him at a bar, we went on a date, this was our second one, he suggested we could leave the restaurant, said something about not being able to wait to rip my dress of me, I told him that wasn't gonna happen tonight, he got upset, I tried to leave, he grab my wrist to stop me and you know the rest"

Harvey grips his tumbler tightly and breathes heavily, wishing he had indeed beated the shit out of that asshole.

"I know how to look after myself Harvey, it's okay" She tries to reassure him when she notices the tension on his body. "Why did you and Paula end it?" She asks, trying to distract him from the murderous thoughts she knows he's having towards her date.

He shrugs and looks at her "She, like everyone else, seems to be able to see the one thing you and I never never seem to be able to" He replies criptically and she scoffs.

"And what is that?" She asks in a low tone.

"You know we have a couple's name in the firm?... Had"

She doesn't reply, ignoring his question, because she very well knows what their couple's name is. She overheard a few paralegals and associates calling them that over the years.

He swirls his drink, keeping his gaze fixed on the amber liquid "They call us Darvey, and it fits because it's always felt that you and I are one at some point… My panic attacks are back" He blurts out then, completely catching her out of guard.

"What?" She whispers in shock.

"I should have known they would the second I walked into the firm to find you gone… And not across the hall, gone for real" He lifts his head to look at her again "I've been going through hell since you left me Donna"

"Are you seeing someone about it?" She asks apprehensively and he nods.

"I'm seeing Dr. Lipschitz"

Donna snorts and Harvey rolls his eyes "Sorry, it's just you whined for a week about you and Louis sharing the same dentist and now you're seeing his psychiatrist"

"Well, we've come a long way"

"I'm glad you're getting help Harvey, and I'm sorry my absence from the firm caused you to have panic attacks again, it was never my intention to hurt you in a any way"

"It's not your absence from the firm that's causing them, it's your absence from my life… I can do without my COO, I can't do without my best friend" He confesses and she sighs as tears prick her eyes.

"So, you're saying you don't want me back at the firm but you want us to go back to being friends"

He takes a deep breath before speaking again "I want you back in the firm if you want to come back, always, but I want you back in my life more, in any capacity I can have, that is up to you" He explains with so much conviction she's not sure this is really Harvey Specter sitting in front of her.

"And in what capacity would you want to have me back?"

He chuckles and his grin takes a smile out of her too, despite the serious situation "Well, if it were up to me I'd buy a ticket to Las Vegas so we could elope, right now, but your mother would kill me if I did, and I happen to like Clara" He confesses and Donna rolls her eyes.

"Seriously? We haven't even really talked about our feelings and you're proposing already? a half shitty proposal by the way" She says with annoyment all over her face.

"Well, thirteen years on the making do call for moving things a bit faster than usual"

"Harvey, stop joking about it"

"Who says I'm joking?"

"Harvey" She warns and this time he keeps a straight face as he nods and leaves all jokes aside.

"I'm sorry. I suggest we go back to being friends first and see what happens along the way"

He knows he's damaged their friendship goods, so he can't rush this, he can't make a stupid love declaration like he did last time, when he first lost her, he knows that will probably send her flying in the opposite direction, he needs to mend their friendship first and then see if it leads where he wants it to lead.

"Okay, yeah, that sounds good Harvey, I'd like to go back to being friends"

"Would you consider being friends with benefits?" He asks with a teasing smile and a quirk of his eyebrows as she leans forward to slap his arm.

"Harvey!" She exclaims with a smile that she can't seem to be able to hide.

"What?! We don't work together anymore, it was worth the shot" He retorts as he leans back into his chair to sip on his scotch.

She shakes her head as she does the same "Friends, and we let things run their course"

"Deal" He agrees "Are you in the mood for a poker game?" He asks next, picking up their friendship right where they left off.

"Sure, as long as you don't suggest strip poker" She teases and swears his face turns a shade redder.

"I won't until I have finished courting you miss Paulsen, which for your information I plan to do, properly this time" His teasing smile has Donna laughing as she stands to go find the set of cards.

It's been five years since that night they got back on the right track to fix their wounded relationship.

The playground is currently crowded, the beautiful summer day a perfect opportunity for parents to bring their children to play on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Donna keeps her eyes glued to the redheaded little girl to make sure she doesn't get hurt.

She sees the girl literally running into a blonde woman, causing said woman to almost trip backwards, so she stands and walks over to her daughter.

"I'm so sorry" She says and when the woman turns around, Donna is met with the face of someone she never thought she'd see again, someone she wishes she'd never have to see again.

"Donna" The woman says with the same shock on her face.

"Paula, hi" Donna replies as she looks down at her daughter who is now clinging to her leg. "Avery, did you apologize for running into her?" She asks the little girl who shakes her head.

"I'm sorry lady" She says, never letting go of her mom.

"Oh, that's okay, and you can call me Paula"

"But I don't know you, I'm not supposed to call grown ups by their names unless I know them" Avery explains to Donna's delight.

"Oh" Paula says with an awkward smile "She's well trained" She says, now looking at Donna.

"It's not an easy task to raise a kid but we try our best" Donna replies. Trained? Who says that about a kid? She's not a soldier for god's sake, Donna thinks bitterly but restrains from calling Paula on it.

"You and the father I assume" She says next and Donna nods.

"Yeah, me and my husband" Donna confirms as she looks around trying to catch a glimpse of said husband but not being able to.

"So, I see you've been good, you're a mom and you have another one on the way, congratulations" Paula says with amazement while looking at her baby bump while wondering if she's married to who she thinks she's married, she wouldn't be able to tell from the kid, who's the spitting image of her mother.

"Oh, I have yeah, thank you"

"I'm gonna be a big sister in a few months" The little girl confirms with a big grin and that's when Paula takes her last thought back and pretty much confirms her suspicions, so certain she's seen that unmistakable grin before, probably the only thing she inherited from him, from the man who broke her heart like not even her ex-husband did, the only man she's ever really loved.

"I'm sure you'll be a great sister" Paula compliments "She has his smile" She whispers then, making Donna feel a bit uncomfortable at Paula's realization.

Before she can reply a familiar voice can be heard behind both women "The line for the ice cream was far worse than Hermés's when they are on sale" He complains with his gaze fixed on his wife and daughter, not noticing the woman standing beside them.

When Donna turns around but she doesn't chuckle or smile at him for his comment he finally takes a better look and notices Paula standing there too.

"Paula" He says with surprise in his voice, he hands Avery her cone of ice cream and his arm instinctively reaches for Donna's lower back afterwards.

"Harvey, hi" She greets him and an awkward moment passes by.

"Paula was just pointing out how Avery has your smile" Donna comments.

"Oh, yeah, all she got from me as you can see" He says and Paula keeps her tight smile in place.

"Didn't even need to ask Donna who the father was, as soon as she smiled, I knew" She says then and this is awkward as hell.

"I'm sure this one will look just like you" Donna reassures him as she places a hand on her belly.

"Nah, you know that if it were up to me, both would look just like you" Harvey tells his wife as he smiles adoringly at her, once again forgetting all about Paula being there.

She watches the scene in front of her and confirms that she was right when she told Harvey he looks at Donna as if she holds his whole world together. He never once looked at her like that, never once was so loving towards her when they were dating. He looks as in love with her as he did the first time she had a glimpse of them together, back when she and Harvey were still dating.

"Harvey" Donna calls softly, a soft warning that they are not indeed alone. And she is all for a little showing off after what Paula put her through when she pretty much forced Harvey to remove her from his life, but things turned out the way they were supposed to, and there's no point in gloating when she's sure it's more than clear to Paula where Harvey's heart is, where it always has been.

"Sorry" He says with an apologetic look towards Paula.

"No need" She retorts politely.

"So, how have you been?" He asks with a genuine smile.

"I've been good, my boyfriend is right over there playing with his son, and yes, life is good I suppose" She forces a smile as both Specters nod at her.

"Well I'm really glad… Um honey we should get going, I just talked to my mom and she'll meet us at our home in an hour" Harvey explains to his wife who eagerly nods.

"How's Lily?" Paula asks, having kept a fond memory of the one time she got to meet his mother.

"She's good, thanks. Thrilled to be a grandma of four, well soon to be grandma of four" He corrects with a grin as he rubs Donna's belly softly with his thumb.

"That's great, send her my love"

"Will do"

"Bye Paula it was nice to see you" Donna says in a once again polite tone as she takes Avery's hand.

"You too"

"Daddy, I'm tired, carry me please?" She asks with her best puppy dog eyes, Donna's eyes, and he's not able to refuse his wife's mini me, he never is.

"Of course pumpkin" He replies as he picks her up. "Goodbye Paula"

"Goodbye Harvey"

She watches them go as the family they are, Donna and Harvey holding hands as he carries their daughter. The little girl looks at her over Harvey's shoulder while she licks her strawberry ice cream and if she didn't know better she'd swear the kid is giving her a mocking grin, but she supposes it must be only her imagination.

"You okay?" Harvey asks his wife softly as they start walking out of the park.

"Of course I am" Donna replies as she shrugs his question off.

"I'm sorry"

"Harvey" She whispers "It's fine, you've apologized a thousand times already, I let it go a long time ago"

"Is that the evil witch that tried to break you and mommy apart?" Their daughter asks from her position on Harvey's arms and Harvey pushes her away slightly so they both can look at her.

"Where did you get that from?" Harvey asks with a firm tone that has Avery biting on her lower lip, afraid to be in trouble.

"I overheard you and uncle Mike talking once, and he was saying something about thank god Paula the evil witch didn't get to break you and mommy apart" She confesses and Donna glares at Harvey.

"He is the one that can't keep his mouth shut and you glare at me? How is that fair?" Harvey asks his wife with indignation all over his face.

"Because if you're talking about those kinds of things you should make sure your daughter is not eavesdropping"

"Well, if you really think about it, it's your own fault" He turns the tables on her and she gasps while she takes a hand to her chest in mock indignation.

"And how is that so?"

"Well, you've been listening to my private conversations since I was an associate, she takes the eavesdropping from you, not me" He simply explains earning himself another glare and a light slap in the arm.

"Shut up" She says softly as she links her arm through his.

"I sooo got you" He says with a huge smile that she can't help but return "And you, young lady, shouldn't be listening to adult's conversations" He tells his daughter as he looks at her with a serious expression.

"Sorry daddy, but is she?"

"No Avery" Her mother replies "She's not an evil witch, she's someone daddy used to know before he and I got married, and she's not a friend but she's not a witch either, it's rude to call people that" Donna explains calmly and the little girl nods.

"Okay mommy, I understand"

"Your mommy and I were meant to be since the moment we met, so no one could ever break us apart sweetheart"

"Not even an evil witch?" She whispers the question to his ear so Donna won't hear and Harvey chuckles.

"No, not even an evil witch" He reassures her softly in her ear.

While Lily and Avery play with her dolls on their living room floor Harvey approaches Donna who's in the kitchen putting the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

"You were quiet over dinner" He murmurs as he wraps his arms around her waist from behind and rests his chin on her shoulder.

"Oh, um, I guess I'm a bit tired, your son drains the energy from me faster these days"

"Donna, I've known you for the past twenty years, I've been married to you for the last five, you can't fool me"

She sighs and rests her head against his shoulder. "Seeing her brought back a lot of painful memories, and I know it's stupid because in the end you chose me, and I know you love me, but, I don't know, sometimes it still hurts a bit"

"I know, but just like you said I chose you, I still do, every day, and I love you and our kids more than I've ever loved anything in the world"

"More than your ball signed by Michael?" She asks teasingly and he chuckles as he plants a kiss on her shoulder.

"So much more" He replies without hesitating. "The ball is a close second though" He jokes.

She laughs softly through the tears pricking in her eyes and turns around in his arms "God, I hate pregnancy hormones" She complains as she sniffs and he smiles down at her.

"I know, only four months left and we'll have our baby boy with us" He comforts her while he hugs her to him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt" Lily says as she walks into the kitchen and frowns when she sees her daughter in-law tearing up "Donna, are you alright?" She asks with concern and the redhead nods.

"Yeah, I'm just… pregnant and emotional" She explains and Lily smiles knowingly.

"I remember the feeling"

"We ran into Paula this afternoon at the park" Harvey explains further and Lily frowns.

"Hmm" She simply hums in disapproval.

"Mom" Harvey warns.

"What? I didn't say anything. All I'm gonna say about it is that I'm glad Donna is the one my grandchild calls mommy"

Harvey rolls his eyes and Donna laughs softly "Well, at least you made her laugh"

"Mission accomplished then" Lily retorts as she walks towards the couple and takes Donna's hands in hers "Why don't you let Harvey tuck Avery in, so I can tell you all about the time I had dinner with him and that woman and I put my foot on my mouth confusing her with you" Lily offers and Donna smiles down at her mother in-law.

"I'd love that Lily" She says as she takes the woman's arm and they walk out of the kitchen.

Later that night after they are all sleeping Harvey reminisces on the past, and on how hard he had to work for Donna to believe he was finally ready all those years ago.

After breaking things off with Paula, he had his turn pining over Donna. With the admittance of his feelings came the aching pain of having to be only friends at first because he couldn't afford rushing things, he wanted Donna to know that his feelings were for real and that he was all in.

So he put back together the shattered pieces of their friendship first until they were completely back to normal, and then he manned up and asked her on a date. She was hesitant first, the understandable fear of messing things up and going back to square one after having just gone back to normal stopping her, but after a lot of insistence and persuading on Harvey's part, she ended up agreeing, he promised that if it didn't work out they could go back to being friends, no hard feelings and it wouldn't change a thing.

He smiles softly at the memory as he feels the soft raise and fall of her body pressed against his while she sleeps soundly in his arms.

The date went great, he brought her flowers, they had dinner in Del Posto and then he drove her home. He tried to be a gentleman and not initiate anything that night, but his wife has always been a step ahead of him, so she kissed him in her doorstep and invited him inside, that was the first night they spent together after The Other Time, and they didn't know it yet, but they would never sleep on their own again. He returned his spare key to its rightful owner three days after that, on the first night they spent together as a couple in his condo.

He tried to convince her to come back to the firm, but she was thriving in her position at Stu's company, making a name for herself and proving to the world and to herself that she could be a successful business woman without the support of the great Harvey Specter. He respected her decision and it turned out she learned fast about the world of finance. She's now Stu's partner in their own trading company.

A couple of months after they started dating he proposed in the middle of their living room and she said yes, they got married in a small ceremony with their friends and family, and she got pregnant with Avery during their honeymoon.

He glances down at her, his hands resting securely on her stomach, where she's growing their second miracle and he's once more overwhelmed with how much he loves her.

"What?" She asks groggily and he smiles like a fool.

"Nothing" He replies as he plans a kiss on top of her head.

"You're staring, again" She likes to point it out every time she catches him staring at her for too long.

"I just like watching you sleep, that's all"

She smiles and kisses his chest through his t-shirt "And who would have thought Harvey Specter was such a romantic?" She teases.

"You mean whipped?" He retorts and she chuckles.

"You're not whipped, you're sweet" She snuggles further into him as he continues to caress her stomach.

"You know there's never been anyone else I would have wanted to have a family with, right?" Seeing Paula today opened some old wounds and he needs her to know there was never really a choice to make.

"I know that, we were always inevitable Harvey, everyone but us knew that for years, and there's no one else I would have wanted a family with either, you're the real thing, and so are our kids"

He hugs her tighter and she returns the hug as she places a sweet kiss on his neck.

"I love you" He murmurs with sleep already claiming him again.

"I know, I love you too" She whispers back as she also lets herself fall into a deep slumber in her husband's arms.

He knows everything they went through led to this perfectly imperfect family they are building together, and he wouldn't change a thing. In the end things turned out the way they were supposed to, it took a while, but she was definitely worth the wait.