A/N: This is a really really rough draft for an idea that popped up in my head yesterday morning. I honestly wish I could've had Hayley interrogate Donna some more (both with silly, and serious protective questions) but my writing skills these days involve much less plot than I like. I just wanted to post this and exercise my writing abilities with fluff again. Hope you read and enjoy!

Donna and Harvey through the eyes of Hayley Specter...


A Fangirl's Eyes

Haley was geeking out. She knew it, her dad knew it, Tom knew it and she most definitely thinks her uncle Harvey and Donna knew it too.

She couldn't help it. She was a 12 turning 13 young adult who spent her head in the clouds, or the books, or the shows and movies fangirling and obsessing over every fictitious character's unrealistic love story. She has had a dose of skepticism lately about love stories. She always had- considering she never experienced it first hand- but ever since her mom and dad's separation it grew tenfold. It tainted some of her favourite ships, yet simultaneously made her cling on to the hope and heart flutters and ecstatic butterflies they gave her whenever she did dive back into a fandom.

So no one should really blame her for bombarding her parents with questions and squealing when she got answers and staying mystified and excited over the prospect of meeting a real life couple she shipped.

Because Haley Specter was a full blown Darvey shipper now. She didn't care if it was embarrassing or "lame", as her brother loved to say, that she was gushing over her uncle's new yet old relationship with his now wife- her own aunt!

At first she could care less about the news. When her dad told her he just got a text from uncle Harvey that he got married she was mystified and stumped. For the past 12 years he was notoriously single and had a "frat boy mentality" her mom used to say which Hayley never quite understood. And to be fully honest, Hayley wasn't 100% invested in this news. She felt cheated out of the opportunity to go dress shopping and attend a lavish wedding in New York City, but other than feeling stifled out of a family affair, she couldn't say she was affected. Still, Hayley was curious. She did love her uncle Harvey and she felt he deserved a good happy ending. So she asked "Who was he even dating again? And how did he get married so fast I didn't realize he was engaged?"

Her dad chuckled softly looking at his phone, still presumably texting his brother. "I don't think you really remember her, but do you recall Donna Paulsen? She used to be Uncle Harvey's secretary, you've met her once or twice. Definitely gotten a good amount of gifts from her."

Hayley frowned trying to remember the handful of times they'd go to New York to see her uncle. "He didn't get the gifts himself?" Hayley mumbled to herself. "Wait.. I sort of remember someone I really liked at his office but not really. I was like 4 last time I was there."

Marcus chuckled at her. "You were 8 but I get what you mean. Well he married her. Well I'll be damned. Your grandpa Gordon would've owed me 50 bucks for waiting so long for this to happen."

"Hold on- grandpa Gordon knew her?! How long have they been dating? I thought he was single all these years."

"He was. He most definitely was." Her dad rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, before texting one last thing on his phone then sitting down next to Hayley on the couch.

"Your grandpa met her years ago. When uncle Harvey first became a lawyer in New York City. Before you were ever born kiddo." He poked Hayley's side and she squirmed away with a chuckle before settling back down in her place. "She was his secretary back then too. And your grandpa was smitten with her. He said he never met anyone who had that much charm and sass that it managed to carry over the phone and in person. He said the only other person he ever met like that was grandma lily." Her dad's eyes seemed lost in memory, shinty with emotions as he recalled the story.

"Dad loved her the minute they met. Said she had something special about her." He cleared his throat and looked back at Hayley next to him, "he kept pestering your uncle to date her but Harvey said things were just professional between them. Except that was a lot of shit. I mean crap." Hayley chuckled at her dad's language.

"Harvey clearly liked her. I met her around that time too and I loved her."

Hayley stiffened feeling slightly jealous of a female figure that apparently had wrapped around not one, not two, but three specter men around her. She wondered what her mom thought about this mystery femme fatale.

"You know she even helped set me and mom up. I mean not literally, but I'd call her up for relationship advice. She had a way of knowing exactly what you needed. Your mom would even joke around that if it wasn't for Harvey we'd never have made it."

That settled some of Hayley's suspicions, although it made her sad seeing her dad lost in memories about her mom.

"So what she was his secretary and they were friends for 12 years?'' She repeated the question mainly to get her dad back into the conversation and out of his head.

He cleared his throat. "Well yeah, bug. They were friends and coworkers for 15 years. She was the person I'd call when I needed updates on him. She's the person I'd call to give him bad news or good news even."

"So kind of like mom with you. She already was acting like his wife?"

Marcus hesitated, not wanting to put any simplistic labels or comparisons on a relationship that was vastly complex. "Kind of. She was just-"

"His person?" Hayley offered and Marcus nodded. "Exactly. I'd been telling him for years to wise up and tell her his feelings. And I guess he finally did a little over half a year ago now."

Hayley wasn't going to lie, she felt herself grow a little fond of this love story that seemed straight out of the movies she ingested but still… a little hesitant about this Donna person.

"So what, he decided to have a wedding without his family? Is she pregnant? Did she force him to put a ring on it for money, isn't he loaded?"

Hayley didn't wanna fully accuse this person of playing the long con but she clearly was as charismatic as a con artist and Hayley knew she shouldn't think this but..a secretary marrying her boss wasn't exactly out of the realm of gold digging. And the fact that 3 simple men were wooed didn't help ease her suspicions even if her mom sort of liked her as well.

"Mm from the looks of it it was a sudden last minute proposal and marriage all in one. They were at a friend's wedding where the groom and bride were MIA and Harvey decided they should take their place. And Donna doesn't really need his money bug, she's the COO of their firm."

Hayley's eyes winded a little at that. A woman who worked her way up from secretary to a full blown executive was impressive…

"So they got married just like that? No dress no rings no family no nothing?!" Hayley felt a little outraged now with her uncle.

"Oh he had a ring alright. He had grandma lily's ring. She gave it to him when she first found out he was dating Donna."

Hayley saw her dad choke up a little at the memory of his mom and she clasped his hand in hers squeezing it comfortingly like her parents did with her when she was upset.

"Grandma lily knew her too?" Hayley whispered in awe. She loved and trusted her grandma fully. She would never tell her mom this but she absolutely was her favourite grandparent. She never really knew Gordon, her mom's parents lived all the way out in Florida and she never really saw them more than twice a year or so, and sure, Grandpa Bob was nice and funny at times. But Grandma lily and her bonded in a way that she never would with anyone else. She was her first grandkid. She'd spoil her rotten and play with her and teach her art and picked her up from school most days when her dad was sick or her mom was busy. She helped raise her and at the same time would have sleepovers with her and watch old Rom-coms with her. They were like friends first and foremost. And Hayley respected her grandma as much as she loved her. So if she approved of Donna, that settled most of Hayley's doubts.

"Look, this is them at the wedding." Marcus interrupted her thoughts, showing her the picture.

"Oh my god!" Hayley did know Donna. She had a vague memory of being obsessed with her when she was younger. They had played mermaids and secretary at the one and only time she visited her uncle at his company. Her hair had made her believe in mermaids for one whole summer till she met another redhead and realized it was normal to be one.

And Donna was as great as everyone apparently had said. She looked drop dead gorgeous at the wedding, smiling wide at Uncle Harvey in a beautiful black long big dress with pastel florals on the side. She looked like a modern day princess.

But what stood out even more to her was Uncle Harvey's eyes and smile. They looked at Donna like she was the most precious thing in the world. He looked at her with gratitude and disbelief like he was thankful she said yes but not truly believing this was his reality. He looked like what every song and book ever tried to describe what being truly in love looked like.

So it came to no one's shock that when she sat across from Harvey and Donna she bombarded them with questions about their relationship. Questions her dad didn't know how to answer a few days prior when he revealed their newly minted aunt's identity. Questions like when did they get to together, when did they first fall in love, how was Harvey like around her, and was Donna open to the idea of living with a boy and giving up her glamorous lifestyle as a single girl in the city? Because Hayley knew, of course, that was a significant sacrifice to make. Every movie she'd ever watched had taught her that girls in New York City were hard pressed to give up their independent cool life for a boy.

Harvey's eyes grew wide as saucers at her last question of when did they first share a kiss, feeling embarrassed at the invasion of his privacy, especially it coming in the form of his little niece gushing over love.

Donna simply laughed as Tom yelled "yuck". She said a lady never kisses and tells, paired with a mock wink that made it seem like Hayley would get her answer in a sidebar conversation one on one. Girl talk. Hayley beamed at her in response and winked exaggeratingly back.

Her dad laughed next to her. "I'm just glad she got over her suspicions over you Don. She was not happy with the lack of a wedding fyi."

Hayley blushed at being ousted with her first impressions on their relationship. "Not my fault it was starting to sound like she was a femme fetal or black widow or something." Hayley huffed as she took a bite of her dad's famous rigatoni.

Harvey and Donna shared a glance. All wide eyes and teasing smirks before Donna burst out laughing knowingly. "That's the highest compliment you could ever give me Hales."

Hayley snorted at the remark. "Uncle Harvey she is way out of your league." She teased jokingly, finding it unbelievable her uncle managed to find such an openly expressive fun actress turned corporate badass in his dreary profession of being a lawyer.

"Trust me kid, I know." Harvey clasped his hand in Donna's, squeezing it slightly before Donna took both their intertwined hands and rested them on her lap under the table as her other hand fiddled around with her plate of food. She had on a small shy smile before she glanced back at Harvey. They shared another secretive look as they seemed to have a silent conversation with one another before Hayley's wide eyes probably bored a little too deeply on them and broke the spell between them.

Harvey glanced at his niece and smirked a little at her. "Any other questions, counselor?"

"Hmm just one. Can I be a bridesmaid in the re-do wedding?"

"Hayley!" Marcus scolded lightly a tinge of amusement at his daughter's abrasive manner.

Harvey just chuckled in response. "That's really up to the bride-to-be."

Donna smirked as she fondly rolled her eyes. "I have it on good authority there's a high chance of a bridesmaid dress in your future. Although if I'm being honest, being a bridesmaid entails a lot of female bonding. We're gonna have to be fast friends if you're gonna be in the wedding kiddo."

Hayley laughed at that. "Great, I can come by New York to hangout whenever really. I'll have my people call your people."

"Meaning your dad?" Her father responded by chuckling at the turn of conversation.

"That's what I said!" Hayley joked, causing the entire table to laugh.

Maybe love was a little bit more like the fairytales than Hayley remembered.