"Give me one goddamn reason why I shouldn't fire you!?" Jessica towers over her desk, adrenaline pumping through her spread out fingers as she scowls at Harvey's sheepish shrug.
Six fucking weeks he's been gone. Technically, AWOL. Sean Cahill advised her to concoct some bullshit cover story about Harvey being abroad to negotiate a prospective merger. Because not one of his clients would have believed he left to attend to family business or personal matters.
As it is, she's had to sacrifice several accounts to keep his high-end clientele resourced, and she doesn't give a damn about the fact he was helping with a federal investigation.
For Harvey to waltz into her office—no word or warning—and expect he still has a job is beyond his usual blowhard arrogance. "Well?"
He stuffs his hands into his pockets, not sure what Jessica is expecting from him. It's not like he was off gallivanting around the Bahamas. He's been working to bring down one of the largest drug syndicates in New York. It's been less than twenty-four hours since the federal court ruled consecutive sentences on both Vasquez brothers, and he came as soon as he could, but her piercing gaze is still demanding an answer. "I'm charismatic, handsome… and a brilliant lawyer." He shrugs casually, smirking. "See, there's three."
"Un-goddamn-believable." She murmurs the curse, closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath to try and calm the urge to strangle him. "Six weeks, Harvey." She exhales, meeting his gaze again. "Do you have any idea the kind of shit we're in, all because of this little stunt you pulled?"
He takes offense to her belittling the investigation. But seeing how pissed she is tells him the firm took on more losses than he was expecting. He does feel slightly guilty but stands by his choice. If he hadn't entered the witness protection program with Donna, he would have been putting everybody, including his clients, in jeopardy. The safest option was to assist with the trial against Vasquez, and he would hardly call that a little endeavor. "I'm sorry for trying to stop us all from getting killed."
"Don't be a cocky ass. I might still kill you." She straightens, folding her arms over her chest. If he'd listened to her in the first place and stayed away from the whole mess, the FBI would have prosecuted. There was no reason for anyone's life to be threatened. None, other than a certain redhead who has become an infernal pain in her ass.
Prior to Paulsen's influence, she was worried Harvey wasn't capable of showing the compassion it takes to be a leader. But he showed it all right. By placing one woman over her firm. "Let me ask you this? Is Donna Paulsen worth your entire career? Because I didn't send you to Harvard to become a goddamn vigilante, Harvey. You ran into a burning building, and worse, you dragged the kid in with you. That kind of behavior is reprehensible from a senior partner, let alone a managing one!"
"What are you saying?" he asks, scowling at the threat woven into her question. If she's implying he has to choose between a promotion and Donna, then he'll walk out the damn door right now.
"Donna Paulsen is a distraction." She makes herself as clear and concise as possible. "I can't dictate who you should be in a relationship with. But if you've developed feelings for her, I would think long and hard about how that might affect your focus."
His frustration flares up, but he fires a fast breath, managing to temper his emotions. "Hire her then."
"Excuse me?" Her eyes bulge at the suggestion.
"I do have feelings for her. I did something reckless because I need her." He tells the truth, no longer condemning his emotions as a weakness. "Donna was the one who stopped me from punching Louis' lights out when he tanked my case. She told me how to hook Bateman, which landed us our biggest account. She makes me a better lawyer, hell, a better man, and if you want to see that for yourself, then hire her."
Jessica berates herself for even considering the preposterous suggestion, but before she can dismiss it completely, Harvey keeps going.
"She majored top of her class in business school, and you've seen how she is with people. If we're in as much shit as you say we are, then what have you got to lose?"
She has nothing to lose. Except the last shred of sanity she's barely holding onto. The man brings her house crashing to its knees and thinks he should be rewarded, not punished. It's infuriating. But assigning someone to do PR would go a long way in bridging their losses. Refusing to admit the idea he's presenting has potential, she snaps her frustration. "Get out."
Her irritation spikes when he smirks knowingly, and she waits for him to leave before sinking into her chair with an exhausted sigh.
Of all the people he could have fallen in love with, he had to pick the one woman in NYC as charmed as himself. Because, instead of firing his goddamn ass, she picks up the phone to dial HR about creating a PR position.
They're already up shit creek. She may as well swing her aim at getting them a paddle.
…
Harvey knocks at the address Donna gave him, relieved to find he's at the right place when her face greets him. "Hi," he smiles, beaming through his tiredness. While she spent the day organizing her apartment, he was in hell dealing with the fallout Jessica warned him about, but the tension he feels melts away when Donna grins.
"Hi, yourself." She motions for him to come in, closing the door with a soft click behind him.
He sheds his jacket as he takes in the deep red walls of her entry way. The color is strikingly bold, just like his girlfriend.
"Dinner's almost ready." A wave of excitement buzzes through her as she shows him where to hang his belongings. The safe house they stayed in was nice, cute and quaint, but for the first time in months she's relishing in her own independence again, and she takes him by the hand, leading him through to the kitchen.
The tangy aroma of his favorite Chili con carne warms him from the inside. Teaching her how to cook was one of the activities they engaged while waiting out the duration of the trial, and he wraps his arms around her from behind, indulging his other favorite hobby.
She turns off the hotplate, feeling giddy as he flutters a trail of kisses across her skin.
"I missed you." He nuzzles her ear, squeezing her tightly.
"That's because we've become codependent." She's joking, but the comment isn't far from the truth. For the past six weeks, they've been in their own little suburban bubble. After talking about their return to the city, they decided to try and adjust to living alone again, but the hours he's been gone were torturous.
"If we can be codependent without our clothes, I'm not complaining," he chuckles, torn between wanting to taste her food and appreciate her.
His hands start roaming, eliciting a soft moan from her smile. "We should eat first." She clasps his fingers, reluctantly stopping their exploration.
"I intend to," he hums, turning her around, but her playful gaze falters as he clutches her waist. "What's wrong?"
"Jessica called me." She was going to wait until they were seated before bringing up the conversation, but the news tumbles out. "She offered me a PR position at the firm."
Surprised Jessica listened to him but excited by the prospect, he's confused by Donna's lack of enthusiasm. With her father now awake and recovering, she told him she wanted to start looking for a new job, and the job would be perfect for her. "Is that a problem?"
She bites her lip nervously. The role isn't the issue. They agreed living together should wait. Working side by side for ten hours a day isn't exactly going to give them space to be a normal couple. "We decided to wait before moving in. Don't you think accepting her offer might be rushing things?"
Her hesitation stings, and he lowers his gaze to avoid looking at her. He was all for them living together. He only agreed to take things slowly because he didn't want to pressure her. After everything they've been through, he doesn't feel rushed, he's ready to make a real commitment. But she obviously has a different opinion. "You're right. We should eat before the food gets cold."
He lets her go, but she catches his hand with a gentle squeeze. "Hey. Talk to me."
He sighs, heaving a shrug and being honest. "No, I don't think it would be rushing things, Donna. But you clearly do, so what's there to talk about?"
His hostility throws her, and she doesn't understand the sudden switch. She thought they were on the same page, but he's right, they obviously aren't. "Harvey, what's going on?"
Under probing concern, he feels bad for snapping. He shouldn't have. But they've barely been back in the city a day, and it's like she's doing everything she can to wedge distance between them. She doesn't want to live together, working together is off the table. He's starting to wonder if she even wanted him over for dinner. "I know you want your independence back, and I get it. But if you've changed your mind about us, then you need to tell me."
Hurt flashes in his eyes, and she doesn't understand how he could tally up the last six weeks and jump to the conclusion she wants to end things. Nothing could be further from the truth. She wants to live a normal life again, not survive living out of an overnight bag. There are friends she wants to reconnect with, and he's right, she doesn't want to be confined to one place. But he's a part of all of those plans, and she lightly grasps the lapels of his jacket, tugging him closer. "Harvey, I love you."
He ignores the statement, keeping his head down, and she raises her hand to his jaw, forcing him to acknowledge her. "I don't want to stop spending time with you. I missed you today, too. You have no idea how many times I wanted to pick up the phone. But that's why a little space is a good thing."
"What if it's not?" Even though what she's saying makes sense and he has a life outside of federal trials and safe-houses as well, when they met, she didn't have other options. Jessica warned him about his 'hero' complex wearing off, said he would grow bored, but the irony is he got attached, and now he's the one scared Donna will leave. But as vulnerable as he is, he feels safe enough to share his fears. "What if everything goes back to normal and I'm not enough anymore?"
His hoarse whisper makes her heart ache, and she should have seen this coming. Given his issues with abandonment, she can understand why he's worried about their relationship being tested. But it's already been tested to breaking point. They may be working backwards in a sense, but they're still moving forward. "I wasn't trapped into falling in love with you, Harvey. I fell in love with you, and a couple of nights apart isn't going to change that."
Her warm gaze eases his doubts, and he relaxes enough to start making his own compromises. "Only a couple?"
"Maybe less." She smiles, sliding her hands around his neck. "You're also nice to look at."
She smirks, and his anxiety starts coming undone as he strokes her sides.
His knees are ready to bend down and lay his heart bare with a proposal, but she's slowly been teaching him that some things are worth the wait. She trusted him when she was at her most vulnerable, and he's prepared to do the same. "Does that mean we can stay codependent a little while longer without our clothes?"
She laughs, stealing his mouth in a kiss and mumbling that he's an idiot as she threads her fingers through her hair. He replies with a deep chuckle, squeezing her tighter.
And not for the first time in their relationship, she ends up proving him right. Space doesn't drive them apart, it pushes them together, toward dinners with friends, trips to see her parents, and eventually reconnecting with his own family.
Spending nights apart, but still messaging and calling each other at late hours when they're in separate places, leads to an exchange of keys, moving into a new place together, and a ring in his hand that—when he does get down on one knee—she accepts with the most beautiful smile he's ever seen.
It doesn't take becoming her husband to know they're going to be together forever.
Looking back, his heart figured that out the night they met.
...
AN: Thank you to everyone who was invested in this AU and left reviews. As someone reminded me in the comments section recently, I did promise more, and here it is, the last chapter! :) Thank you to Southsidesister (darvey_love) for being my amazing beta! And a shout out to all the people still posting so much amazing Darvey content. Love you guys!