I know it's been far too long since my last update, but I got a surge of inspiration so here is the next chapter! With any luck, I'll be able to post much faster now.
As promised, Darvey's first fight:
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
"What are you gonna do?" She questions, standing on the other side of his kitchen counter, watching him pour himself an extra stiff drink. His suit jacket is doing little to hide the tension in his shoulders and the way he's been clenching his jaw is certainly not going unnoticed.
She knows it's the last thing he wants to discuss, and she's been trying to give him space for most of the day, but enough is enough – it's obvious to everyone what he should do; she's just been waiting for him to come to the conclusion on his own.
Except, the way he's staring down at the swirling liquid in his glass, refusing to make eye contact with her – it doesn't seem like he's ready to make the call.
"I don't know," he breathes out before lifting his glass and taking a large sip.
It's not even close to the answer she was hoping for, but it's what she expected. Still, it forces a surge of irritation through her. "Seriously?!" She exclaims, momentarily losing her cool. "You don't know?" She repeats, letting her opinion known.
She can't understand his hesitation – the solution is so simple to her, and even though she doesn't expect it to be easy, as far as she's concerned, he really doesn't have a choice.
"Donna…" he responds, the tone of his voice saying it all. He already knows what she's going to say and it's clear that he doesn't want to hear it.
"You could get indicted," she reminds him, anyway, unable to hide the emotion from her voice. Just thinking about what could happen – she's scared shitless.
"I can't just throw him under the bus to save myself," he argues, the strain evident in his tone, as he finally forces himself to look in her direction.
She knows how he feels about loyalty – it's something she truly admires about him. Still, she can't help but roll her eyes at his words. "Right… because that's not exactly what he would do… except, he's the one who actually buried evidence!" She retorts, praying she'll finally get through to him.
"He was my mentor," he reasons, sounding more defeated than she can remember him being.
The look on his face gives her pause, allowing her to take things down a notch. "I know that," she responds, trying to be understanding. "But, Harvey… he's not a good man and you're sacrificing yourself for him… and for what? So he can keep breaking the law?" She continues, hoping she'll finally convince him.
But no; instead, he just shakes his head. "Donna, I don't want to fight," he tells her, looking at her with those pleading brown eyes of his.
"Neither do I," she assures him, lowering her voice as she takes a few steps towards him. "But, you can't just let him take advantage of your loyalty. He doesn't deserve it," she adds, unable to hide the desperation she's feeling.
He's staring at his glass of scotch again, swirling the liquid in his hand, as she lets him consider her words. It feels like an eternity stretches between them – the only sounds coming from the busy city outside as she watches him ponder the situation he's in.
Finally, he starts to nod. "I know," he admits before swallowing the rest of his glass.
Donna takes the victory and walks towards him, moving around the kitchen island until he's within reach. She's thankful for the admission, but she's well aware that it doesn't mean he's changed his mind. Harvey values loyalty over almost everything else, and despite the fact that Cameron Dennis doesn't deserve a speck of it, she's pretty sure Harvey won't be giving him up, regardless of the consequences.
Luckily, she has an insurance policy.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
It's a few days later and well into the afternoon when she sees him rounding the corner, walking towards her.
She can see it in his step as soon as he does – the tension, the anger, the betrayal.
She assumed he'd find out; she was just hoping he wouldn't.
Still, she stands by her decision. She did what she had to – she just hopes he won't be too angry.
"My office," he barks at her as he passes by her desk, not even bothering to make eye contact.
Letting out a sigh, she gets up and follows, closing the door behind her and mentally preparing herself for battle.
"Something you want to tell me?" He asks, the moment he turns to face her. His eyes are dark and he's pissed.
"Harvey…" she begins, hoping to calm him down.
No such luck, though, because he's already interrupting her. "How could you do that?" He reacts. "You knew I wouldn't approve and you did it anyway!" He shouts.
"I was trying to protect you," she retorts, standing her ground. "And I did, so you're welcome!"
Anger flashes in his eyes and she thinks he's gonna lash out, but he takes a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thinks through his response. "You kept it from me," he says, his voice dripping in hurt. "We aren't supposed to have secrets and now I find out that we've had one all this time and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that," he says, the statement making her chest ache.
She knows this man better than anyone, but she honestly had not prepared herself for this. She was ready to deal with anger and fury and yelling, but certainly not this – this doubt and distress. It's almost making her second guess her decision.
"I mean, what else aren't you telling me?" He wants to know, catching her even more off guard.
"Nothing!" She empahsizes. "There's nothing else," she promises him.
"I… I don't know if I can believe that," he says, regretfully.
A few seconds of silence tick by as she stands there, gaping at him. She knew he'd be angry, she knew he'd feel betrayed, but she never anticipated the doubt being directed her way. "Seriously?! Now you don't trust me?" She scoffs, struggling not to feel offended.
"You kept something from me, Donna. Something big," he points out.
"To protect you!"
"I don't need your protection. I need your honesty," he remarks. "You went behind my back, you did something you knew I would disapprove of, you kept secrets from me… you were the person I trusted most in this world, and you betrayed that… and now, I just… I don't know if we can get that back," he tells her, looking all kinds of defeated.
"What are you saying?" She asks, feeling like her heart is about to explode out of her chest.
"I… I don't know," he responds, not wanting to say it out loud. "I guess I just need to figure that out," he shrugs.
Standing in the middle of his office, she feels like the wind has been knocked out of her. She doesn't know what to say, how to make this better – or if she even can.
She doesn't get the chance to, though, because Mike rushes through the office door, with big news related to their newest case, and Donna leaves them to hash it out, not wanting to start crying in front of the associate.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
Glancing at her phone once more, she lets out a sigh when she realizes it's only been eight minutes since the last time she checked.
It's almost ten o'clock and he still hasn't called, hasn't texted, hasn't shown up at her door – she knows what that means.
He hasn't forgiven her.
The realization causes her stomach to twist in knots. She knew giving that information to Jessica was a risk. She knew he wouldn't be happy when he found out.
She just didn't think he'd be this unhappy.
For the first time today, she's wondering if she did the right thing – if she's just ruined everything happening between them, if maybe he'll hold a grudge, if he truly has stopped trusting her, if he'll call this whole thing off.
Everything between them is still new and trying not to mess it up whilst still doing her job – it's a lot harder than she thought it would be.
If she was just his secretary, she wouldn't give it a second thought until Monday, at which time she'd march right into his office and tell him he's being a stubborn fool and she was just trying to protect him.
But now, she's more than his secretary and she has a lot more to lose, which makes this whole thing a lot more complicated.
So, instead, she's nursing her second glass of wine and trying not to check her cell.
She just wishes he'd call.
But, by now, it's clear that he won't.
And she's never been the type to sit by the phone, waiting for a man. So, she gets up off the couch, dumps the rest of her glass in the sink, and decides that she's going out.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
When Monday morning rolls around, she still hasn't heard from him.
She's trying not to dwell on it, but in all honesty, she's concerned. The whole weekend was torture – desperately trying to keep herself busy so as to not let her racing thoughts consume her.
In the last three months, they have never spent this much time apart and she really doesn't want to think about what that means.
She was a bundle of nerves when she stepped off the elevator this morning, running through all of the possible outcomes in her head, trying to figure out what she was going to say.
Of all the ways she thought this could go, she never anticipated this.
It's almost ten o'clock and he still hasn't shown himself. He doesn't have any court appearances or meetings out of the office today, but he's nowhere to be found.
There's no empty coffee cup in the trash or jacket hanging in his office, and his laptop is missing from his desk, implying that he's most likely just avoiding her, and it's seriously pissing her off.
She wants to reach out, she wants to go looking for him. She really wants to resolve this thing for good.
But, she doesn't.
Because she knows better than to confront him when he's like this. She's sure he just needs some more time to cool off.
At least, that's what she keeps telling herself.
And she hopes to God she's right.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
He's avoiding her.
He knows it's stupid and childish and immature, but he's just not ready to face her yet.
He's still pissed.
She's the one person he's always trusted and finding out that she lied to him, that she went behind his back – it's not something he can just get over.
So, he's been avoiding his office. He spent the last hour in the law library, and now he has a meeting with Jessica, but after that, he's probably going to have to go back to his office and he's not looking forward to it.
He can only imagine what she'll say when he finally shows his face.
Regardless, he's just not ready to hear it.
"You look like shit," Jessica declares, the moment he steps into her office.
"Why thank you," he retorts with a roll of his eyes as he settles in the chair across from her desk.
"Is this because you were out with some bartender until 3AM last night or is it because of Donna?" She asks him, this pointed knowing look in her eyes.
"Donna?" He says, playing dumb.
"You're still pissed at her," she assumes, that no-nonsense expression on her face – the one he has become quite familiar with over the years.
Harvey sighs, sinking into the chair a bit, as he realizes there's no use in pretending. "I'm trying not to be," he explains, fidgeting with his tie.
"Harvey, you've got to get over it," she stresses, adding a roll of her eyes like he's being so unreasonable.
"She completely betrayed my trust," he exclaims, feeling defensive all of a sudden. "She did something she knew I wouldn't approve of, kept it from me, and then went behind my back when she had no right to," he argues, his shoulders tightening as irritation swirls in his chest.
"Harvey, c'mon. You know she was just trying to protect you," Jessica reasons, trying to diffuse the situation.
"I know," he sighs, running his fingers through his hair. He doesn't want to be upset with her. He wants to pretend none of this ever happened – he wants to forget, he wants to forgive.
But, loyalty and trust are everything to him, and he's not sure how he can just disregard that.
"She deserves the benefit of the doubt, you know she does," Jessica continues, her gaze softening a bit. "You need to get over it."
"I'm trying. It's just… it's not that easy," he admits.
"Yes, it is," she argues.
He gives her a look right then – asking her to explain herself, and the moment that smirk starts to form on her lips, he wonders if he's going to regret it.
"Okay just… think about what your life would be like without her," she suggests.
And yeah… that about does it.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
As he leaves Jessica's office, he doesn't make a pit stop in the executive kitchen or try to find Mike at his desk, like he had been planning to do – anything to avoid facing her.
Instead, he goes right to his office, finally ready to talk this out, as Jessica's words continue to ring in his ears.
Life without Donna – it's not something he can even fathom, and just the idea of it makes him realize how stupid he's been.
She hadn't betrayed him – she was trying to protect him, just like she always has. Even if he didn't agree with her methods, he knows that she's always had his best interests at heart.
As soon as he turns the corner and spots her sitting at her desk, twirling her multi-colored pen as she talks to someone on the phone, the realization hits him again.
He's an idiot.
As he makes his way towards her, she finally notices him and her whole body tenses as their eyes meet. He offers up a warm smile as she says her goodbyes and hangs up the phone.
"Hey," he greets her, somewhat sheepishly, as he arrives at her desk, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Hi," she responds while the awkwardness nestles in between them.
"Can we talk?" He asks, nodding his head towards his office.
"Sure," she agrees, standing up and following him, shutting the door behind her. They meet in their usual spot, by his records, away from all of the prying eyes. She stands there, waiting for an explanation, but he has no idea how to even start the conversation – he's always relied on her for that.
And of course, she comes through, as always.
"You've been avoiding me," she expresses as she searches his eyes for whatever answers she's looking for.
"I know," he responds, an apologetic look washing over him. "I'm sorry," he tells her. "I just… I needed time to think," he tries to explain.
"Okay…" she says, not sure where this is heading. "And?" She wonders.
Letting out a sigh, his eyes lift to hers and one look at her face and he can't help but pull her close, letting her fall into his arms. "And, you know I can't stay mad at you," he murmurs into her hair.
Relief washes over her as she exhales the breath she had been holding. She really wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, but she's beyond relieved to hear that he's forgiven her.
"I just don't want you keeping things from me – you know we're not supposed to have secrets," he remarks, pulling back to meet her gaze.
"I know," she acknowledges with a nod. "I just… I knew if you found out, you'd destroy it and… I was worried," she explains, using her fingertips to lightly brush the nape of his neck.
"I get it," he tells her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "But next time, come to me, okay?" He implores.
"Okay," she agrees with a nod of her head.
"Good," he says, his lips curving upward just slightly, before he pulls her back in for another hug, feeling better than he has in days.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
By the time they waltz into Harvey's condo that evening, all is well between them. It's as if this weekend never even happened, and for that, she's thankful.
Harvey surprised her with takeout from the shitty Thai place and she entertained him through dinner by relaying her encounter with Louis that afternoon, the one in which he practically accosted her at her desk and refused to leave until he showed her each and every photograph of his new kitten – most of which included the poor thing dressed up in a variety of outfits.
They were both laughing well into the night.
It wasn't until they got into bed that anyone brought up their weekend apart.
They're both naked and he's inside her when it happens – him hovering over her, gazing intently. She keeps expecting him to move his hips, but he doesn't. He just watches her, something clearly on his mind.
"What?" She questions, with a curious tilt of her head.
"Nothing, I just… I missed you," he tells her, open and honest and vulnerable. It's a side of Harvey she probably won't ever get used to seeing.
Still, the words bring a quick smile to her lips. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," he nods as his fingers thread through her hair.
"I missed you, too," she tells him, resulting in a smile flooding his lips before he leans in for a kiss.
And that's when he finally starts moving his hips.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
Next chapter – someone finds out Harvey & Donna's secret…
Don't forget to review!