A/N: This takes place shortly before the Logan Sanders drama, just around the time Harvey's using Rachel as his replacement for Mike. Set in season 4.

I've always wanted more fanfics of Rachel's perspective on Harvey & Donna, and I'm sorry if this wasn't Darvey centered enough- I just got carried away by a little Rachel and Harvey dynamic because that's something I didn't realize I wanted till I wrote this. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise to write the next with more interactions with Darvey!

The Best friend's Gaze

Rachel was exhausted. She was running herself ragged with the new caseload. She used to be envious of Mike's spotlight with Harvey and Louis, used to roll her eyes just a little whenever he'd complain because she would kill for the opportunity. She had been salivating at the mouth for years to do what he so effortlessly stumbled into and then glided out of. But Rachel now had firsthand experience of what being Harvey Specter's "It" guy was like. And she didn't have a magic memory to rely on. In fact, she felt handicapped by her brain as she struggled to balance being a part time paralegal, student, and associate. There wasn't enough time in the day- hell in the fucking week to do what she was meant to.

It was ten o'clock at night and she had already texted Mike at around seven to not wait up for her- again.

She sighed as she walked the hallway from her office to Harvey's with the newly highlighted, researched, shortened, and annotated files just the way he preferred it. Rachel had once asked Mike how he managed to figure out Harvey's preferences, and why he preferred things in a certain way, to which Mike snorted. "I wasn't the one to come up with this specific filing system. This was Donna's way of helping him out with cases, and even though it's such a small part of his prep, he still wants it done the exact same way."

At first, Rachel found it endearing that Harvey was still used to and preferred Donna's way of helping him out with cases from all those years ago. But when Rachel was actually tasked with doing it- she found it incredibly annoying that Harvey wanted her to do something in his secretary's style. His secretary, who very clearly, used to go the extra mile in the prep portion because she lacked some of the technical knowledge you needed as a lawyer. She also idly wondered why the hell Donna still didn't just do it for him as his secretary. She'd grumbled that once to Donna herself, jokingly irked as to why she had to fill in Donna's high heeled shoes if she was right there, to which Donna smartly replied "I'd still do it if he'd ask, except he knows better than to bother me with associate work now that he actually has one, he trusts, Ms. Zane. Just suck it up and do your job. But not now, now it's time for drinks with yours truly,"

Rachel was bracing herself for an annoyed lecture from Harvey because it took her longer than expected to come back with all the files. She took in a large breath, reminding herself not to flinch or roll her eyes at her boss's upcoming words.

But when she came across Harvey's see-through walls, Rachel stopped herself from entering. She was expecting Harvey sternly sitting on his desk, his eyes focused on his laptop and looking up at her exasperated equal parts annoyed with her for being late and interrupting him with her presence.

Except that wasn't the sight she was greeted with at all. Instead, she saw him laughing, or more accurately chuckling and smirking into his glass of scotch, and it didn't take Rachel even half a second to realize the reason for his amusement was standing in his office, to his left, her red hair flowing eloquently on her shoulders, with her back facing Rachel.

Rachel spotted Harvey's demeanor that was clearly relaxed, almost as if he were off the clock with his white shirt's sleeves rolled up, his jacket and tie astray on his office couch, his posture unlocked as he leaned slightly in Donna's direction. Rachel wondered if this was how Harvey's close friends saw him. How Mike remembered him fondly from his lawyer days, how Jessica was charmed by him all those years ago and continued to be, and how Donna clearly still got to see him.

Donna was standing near his record collection, her hand holding some vinyl Rachel couldn't make out as she faced Harvey, waving the record aimlessly at him.

Rachel's never seen the two of them together after hours. And she's never seen Harvey this at ease- ever. It shouldn't be a shock to her that he is at ease at the hands of Donna, but it is still surprising to see this side of her boss. She'd always understood the Specter charm, both as a professional lawyer she'd admired from afar and as an attractive bachelor who got his way most of the time, but this seemed different, this seemed more intimate and honest.

She saw Harvey's eyes twinkling in amusement at whatever Donna just said, his head shaking in response, and she saw Donna's shoulders shrug at him back. Donna's head tilted slightly downward, like she was focused in on the vinyl cover, eyes trained on it, when Harvey's eyes were traced on her.

And Rachel got hit by a surge of warm flutters in her chest at his adoring look directed at her best friend. It hit her in full force, reverting her back to an earlier naiver version of herself, when she held an ounce of hope that her best friend would end up with Harvey, her long-time boss and friend, because it was romantic and how grand would it be if after all those years, they confessed their love to one another?

But then she grew closer to Donna as Mike waltzed into their lives and she got to see up close how steadfast Donna was to deny herself the chance of her and Harvey being something, and she saw how he caused her hurt by firing her and not reaching out to her properly, and she saw him date other people, and her date other men and sleep with these great characters, and saw her fumble and stumble into Stephen Huntly who absolutely wrecked her in more than one way- and all of that lead to Rachel to forget about the chance of Harvey and Donna ever crossing the line because their friendship and their dynamic simply came to be white noise to her, they were close friends and coworkers and just that.

Except now- now Rachel was seeing a glimpse of what Mike was always talking about. She used to write off his opinion on them because Mike? Mike was the biggest romantic Rachel had ever met. He wore his heart on his sleeve and his instinct is to believe first and foremost that others do as well. And Harvey and Donna are his surrogate parents of sorts. They gave him his second chance in life, they guided him through the treacherous waters of Pearson Hardman and gave him the courage and strength to stand on his own two feet through their mentoring and well-intended advice. Of course, Mike would hold on to his childlike fascination of wanting his surrogate mommy and daddy to end up together in the end, so why would Rachel take his word for it when Rachel's been around long enough to know that Donna would never take that step with Harvey, and Harvey's never done anything to show Donna that he would ever consider her in that way.

But the scene unfolding before her told another story because Harvey's gazing at her best friend like she carried the sun, and not in the typical way most people are in awe of Donna and her astounding ways, but in a way that said he had concrete evidence she held the sunup for him in his life. He looked at her a little bit longingly, like he was soaking up whatever time he could with her, like he never had enough one on one time with her when she sat fifteen feet away from him every day. And Rachel wondered how in the hell did Donna, Donna who was clued in on everything related to Harvey Specter miss that fact?

Rachel got her answer as Donna finally looked up to meet Harvey's gaze and Harvey's look of love was lowered, almost gone completely minus a wrinkle of a smile that still ghosted his face.

If Rachel were more secure with her dynamic with Harvey as his associate, she'd pack up her things right now and leave Harvey to have his alone time with Donna- but she wasn't and she wasn't about to gamble Harvey's good mood to last till tomorrow if she boycotts his demand from earlier. So, Rachel hesitantly knocked on his door to make her presence known.

"I have your files ready."

Harvey put his drink away as he rounded his desk, "Finally!" He quipped sarcastically.

"Don't let his grumpiness get to you Rachel." Donna scolded from the sidelines as she put away his record back on the shelf and picked up her purse that rested on the coffee table.

"Well, I'm off to drinks with Theatre friends. Rachel, text me when that ass of a boss of yours lets you off, maybe I'll buy you a drink and we can exchange war stories about horrible bosses."

"I can hear you; you know." Harvey noted amusedly.

Without stopping for a second, Donna replied "You were meant to." as she winked at Rachel and walked out of his office.

Rachel caught the look of affection and warmth once again grace Harvey's face as his eyes followed Donna's retreating figure, the smirk on his face almost distracting Rachel from the obvious heart eyes he had going on.

Suddenly, Harvey Specter, the fool in love with Donna Paulsen seemed less like a dog who'd bite.

"I promise to keep any horror stories about you shorter than Mike's career as a lawyer." The words flew out of Rachel's mouth as she took a seat across from Harvey, whose eyebrows went up in surprise at her quippy comeback. He chuckled in surprise at her, shocked that the innocent doe-eyed brunette took such a strong shot at her own boyfriend. He raised his glass towards her.

"Grab a drink, Rach. No reason to have to stay sober during all this." Rachel grinned as she made her way to Harvey's infamous decanter.

Maybe being his "It" guy wasn't so bad after all. And maybe Mike wasn't a fool to hold onto the hope of their best friends getting it together.