Prompt #33 by justdarvey: "There's a firm weekend getaway for the holidays and everyone tries to set darvey up. Samantha, Alex etc. talk to Harvey and Donna separately and realize that they want to be together, so they conspire to get them in situations where they'd have to be alone and face each other, in romantic settings etc. Specifics are up to the writer but bonus points for mistletoe kisses and smut"


Donna was really looking forward to this weekend. Ever since Louis suggested it, she had been rather excited. It was actually Donna who nudged him in the direction of Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid. Having been there once with one of her exes, although she didn't tell him that, she knew it would be perfect for the company.

She and Samantha were driving there together, sort of like a road trip. Even though the two of them weren't exactly besties, they had been getting along better recently. She was in her own little world imagining all the things she was gonna do at the lodge and who she was gonna do them with.

When they finally pulled up in front of the lodge after a few hours, Donna couldn't get out of the car fast enough. By the time Samantha retrieved her own luggage from the trunk and got to the reception desk, Donna was already heading up to her room. "Hello, I'm checking in. Samantha Wheeler with Zane Specter Litt." She pulled out her phone to find that there was basically no signal whilst the receptionist typed away on her keyboard.

"I'm sorry, but it looks as if there has been an issue with your room and we have had to move you into a Twin with another member of your party, a Miss... Donna Paulsen." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You are now in room 217. Miss Paulsen has already checked in, and this is your key." The receptionist smiled and handed the keycard over to Samantha. "I hope you enjoy your stay with us." She turned and headed for the elevator, making her way up to her room.

Within minutes she was entering Room 217, where she saw Donna sat out on the balcony taking in the view. Placing her bag beside the free bed, Samantha joined her new roommate who glanced up from her phone long enough to greet her. "Hey, I hope you don't mind that I took the bed by the window."

"Nope. Fine with me." Samantha answered as Donna returned her attention to her phone.

The truth was that Donna wasn't really paying much attention to anything; mindlessly scrolling through social media to distract herself from the multitude of thoughts that concerned spending the whole weekend out here away from the city with Harvey. The thoughts made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but they also scared her. She had known Harvey for years, and worried that if she were to confess her feelings then she might lose him and their friendship. She couldn't imagine her life without him; she didn't want to, and that means that she would rather have him as a friend than not at all.

"Dinner is at 7, right?" Samantha asked, bringing Donna back to reality.

"Um yeah I think so. Has everyone else arrived yet?" She remembered that Louis had left about an hour before they had, but she wasn't sure about the rest.

"I think Alex and Harvey were the last to leave, after us." Samantha answered, noticing how Donna's face lit up at the mere mention of Harvey's name. She smiled at the thought of the two of them being with one another. The idea just seemed right, as though they were somehow destined to be together.

When Louis suggested to Harvey a few weeks ago that it might be fun for some of the higher ups in the firm to go away on a little company retreat for the weekend, Harvey was not sold. However, Louis pestered him until he gave in, even getting others, like Alex and Donna, on his side first, which he knew would make it harder for him to say no.

Now it was the day of and thankfully the drive wouldn't take too long since the Whiteface Lodge was in Lake Placid, New York and had been recommended by a client, or so he had told Harvey. "You coming or what?" Alex asked, appearing in the doorway looking more than a little flustered.

Four and a half hours later, Alex pulled up outside the entrance to the lodge and was greeted by a valet, who couldn't have been much older than twenty. "May I...?" He seemed very polite and well mannered, so as Harvey retrieved their belongings, Alex handed over his car keys before watching the young man climb into the driver's seat and drive off towards the private parking lot.

"There you two are!" Louis called out as he excitedly rushed towards them. "We thought you might have gotten lost." He laughed, ushering them over to reception.

Before they managed to check in however, Louis interrupted. "Um... there is one thing. There was a slight mishap with your room, and the manager had to move you into a twin with Alex." Harvey looked angry and Louis shrank back a little. Of course he left out the part about it being his own room that was affected rather than Harvey's.

As if reading Louis' mind, Harvey snapped back. "I bet your room wasn't caught up in this little mishap now, was it?" But Louis didn't even get the chance to respond since Alex grabbed the keys off the receptionist as she offered them.

"Look, It's only for a couple of nights. I'm sure we can manage, right Harvey?" Alex was taking charge and saving Harvey from himself, knowing that if he could, he would rail against Louis. "Let's just go get sorted or we'll be late to meet Donna and the others for dinner."

The simple act of uttering Donna's name made Harvey's face soften, something that didn't go unnoticed by Alex and Louis. "Fine." He mumbled, before taking the key card from Alex and walking away.

Ten to seven; the elevator doors had reached the restaurant and Donna and Samantha followed the sound of the loud, obnoxious laughter that could only belong to one man; Louis Litt. When he saw them, he threw open his arms to embrace them in a hug. Samantha managed to dodge him, but Donna wasn't so lucky. "Donna, you look incredible." He exclaimed.

She hadn't dressed up too much; a simple green dress with a black shawl and clutch, so she was a little taken aback by Louis' comment. "Thank You Louis." She responded, pulling away from her friend. As she scanned the other faces around the table, she realized that Alex and Harvey hadn't arrived yet, but as though on cue, the elevator dinged and in they walked.

Confident as ever, Harvey strode towards the company's table and greeted Louis with a cordial handshake as Donna took her seat. His eyes met hers for a brief second and he zoned out; completely lost in how beautiful she looked. "Sorry we're late." He stuttered eventually.

"Nonsense. What's a few minutes, right?" Louis asked no one in particular as Harvey stepped back and made a beeline for the seat directly opposite Donna. He wasn't exactly subtle about his intentions and so it wasn't very hard for both Samantha and Alex to notice.

Dinner continued rather uneventfully. Samantha kept her eye on Donna, who failed miserably at hiding the fact that she couldn't keep her eyes off Harvey; and Harvey, well, he continued to steal glances at Donna, and although it went unnoticed by the majority of their colleagues around the table, Alex had spotted him on more than one occasion.

Louis remained totally oblivious. He had had rather a lot to drink and was practically having conversations with himself since no one was really paying any attention to him. It wasn't until Donna excused herself to go to the bathroom after dessert that he realized this.

"Donna, wait up; I'll come with you!" Samantha shouted after her, but Donna ignored her and continued on her way.

A few moments later, Donna emerged from a bathroom stall to find Samantha waiting for her, watching her with a weird grin on her face as she washed hands. "What?" She asked, feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"Harvey." That one word was all it took for Donna's cheeks to turn bright red. "You like him, don't you?" The question was rhetorical, but Samantha didn't need verbal confirmation because Donna's face said it all.

For a moment, Donna was flustered and didn't know what to say, but she managed to compose herself and respond. "No! Why would you say that?" She already knew that it was too late and that Samantha had figured it out. "Any anyway, what are we ... in High School?" She snapped before walking out of the bathroom and letting the door close behind her.

Samantha was left somewhat displeased that Donna hadn't just come out and admitted that she was in love with Harvey, but at least she managed to illicit some sort of a reaction out of her; a reaction that was to become the foundation of a plan to get Harvey and Donna to admit how they really feel about each other.

As they returned to the table, Louis stood and cleared his throat, so Donna filled her wine glass. Knowing Louis this speech could be rather long and painful. "As one of the three name partners of Zane Specter Litt," He began. "I would just like to say Thank You to all of you for all of your hard work, not only this past year, but every year." If he were to take a closer look at those he was addressing, he would have seen multiple eye rolls; Harvey and Donna among them, expecting he would drone on for a while. However, to their surprise, he began to wrap up pretty quickly. "So, once again, on behalf of of Zane, Specter, and Litt, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend."

As soon as Louis had finished talking, Harvey watched as Donna drained her glass, collected her things and hurried towards the exit. He wanted to go after her, but was ambushed by one of the senior partners. By the time he managed to shake him off, Donna was gone.

Both Samantha and Alex looked on curiously as the scene unfolded before them. Each noticed the other watching, and Samantha concluded that Ale could help her with her little plan. "Alex, hey," She called out. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Beckoning him over, she pulled him to one side so they could talk privately.

"Sam, what's going on? Is this about Harvey and Donna?" He inquired, making her sure she had chosen the right person. "Look, I know you've seen the way they look at each other and I think it's time we did something."

A smile spread across her face, liking just how in sync they thought when it came to their friends. Just as she was about to confirm what he had said, a very drunk and lively Louis interrupted them. "And what are we doing? Whatever it is, I want in!" Most of his words were slurred, but they understood him just fine. How could they turn him down? They didn't want to risk him screwing it up, but they knew Louis and he was like a dog with a bone when he sniffed out a secret. "Come on, Spill!"

They had no choice. A heavy sigh escaped Alex's mouth, and in that instant Samantha knew that they were about to tell him the truth. "Fine. We've been watching Harvey and Donna and it's obvious how much they like each other, but neither of them are willing to admit it. We think it's time that someone gave them a little nudge or two to change that." She said it all so fast that she wasn't sure if Louis had managed to keep up, so she gave him a moment to process what she had said.

"Wait, so let me get this straight, you want to play matchmaker and set Harvey and Donna up?" Louis asked, a cunning smile appearing on his face when both Alex and Samantha nodded in confirmation. "I'm in! Let me help!" He sounded eager to be of assistance, and three heads would be better than two when dividing the details.

"Okay."Alex mumbled, making it clear to Louis that he was only agreeing because they needed the help, and not because he actually wanted it.

Louis was ecstatic, and finding it difficult to contain his excitement. Samantha grabbed his arm and shushed him, startling him. "Did you just shush me?" He snapped.

"Yes I did." Samantha retorted. "And unless you want the whole world, including Harvey over there, to know what we're up to, I suggest we keep it down." She finally got him to calm down and the three of them managed to come up with some sort of a plan, and they decided to start the implementation first thing in the morning.

The next day, Donna awoke bright and early, ready to get the day underway. She knew Harvey probably better than anyone, with the exception of Jessica and Mike, and knew that he could waste no time in hitting the slopes, which Samantha had already suggested they do along with Alex and Louis. However, not wanting to come across as too eager to chase after Harvey, she had pretended to want to go ice skating and let her roomie convince her otherwise. She played her part quite well and soon Samantha was practically begging her to go snowboarding.

An hour later and loaded with gear from the rental shop, the four of them headed for the ski lift, but as they got closer, Louis' palms started to sweat and he began to feel more than a little nauseous. "I'm sorry guys, I'm not feeling well. "He really did want to go through with this for the sake of the plan, but he just couldn't. If he felt this bad now, then it would just be a million times worse once they got up there. "You go ahead. I might meet you up there in a bit." He lied.

Alex nodded and led the others towards the turnstile entrance to the ski lift. Spotting Harvey a few seconds later, he called out to him and began pushing past the handful of people between them.

Harvey heard Alex calling his name, and turned to see where he was, but he couldn't find the words to respond when he did, because his gaze was fixed upon the gorgeous redhead behind him. She looked so radiant, even bundled up in snowboarding gear, and her smile elevated his mood immediately. It was as if she was lighting up his entire world. Donna hadn't spotted him, so he managed to pull his eyes from her and focused on Alex instead. "What are you doing here?" He asked. Alex told him how after they had discussed going snowboarding that morning, he had invited the girls along too. However, knowing that Harvey would never let him live it down, he chose to omit the part about Louis chickening out.

As the girls caught up and joined them in the queue, Harvey greeted them both with a nod. "Hey Harvey." Donna said cheerfully. Samantha also said hello. "Looks like a good six inches laid last night. Should be good out there." He had to agree. It's why he liked to be the first, or at least one of the first out on the slopes.

Before they knew it, they were next in the queue and Samantha and Alex had edged back enough so that when the first chair arrived, Harvey and Donna were the only two being seated. "Wait!" Donna called. "There's enough room for you two as well." She shouted, the remark aimed at Samantha and Alex.

"It's okay. You go. We'll get the next one." Samantha replied, happy with how well phase one of their plan had worked so far. As he finished speaking, the chair drifted upwards into the distance, Donna glancing back over her shoulder glaring at her.

If looks could kill, the daggers that Donna was aiming at Samantha would have pierced her heart by now. Donna knew that Samantha knew that Donna liked Harvey and although she had no proof, she also knew that Samantha had done this on purpose; set them up so that they were alone on the ski lift together.

They rode up in silence, neither of them wanting to be the first to talk. It wasn't until they reached the top that Harvey finally spoke. "Hey, how about a little wager? Whoever reaches the bottom last, buys lunch?" He had noticed that Donna had been acting off with him lately, and he was sick of it. He hoped that this would bring out her competitive spirit and that she would feel the need to beat him.

He was right. "You're on!" She smirked and before he had a chance to process what she had said, Donna lowered her goggles over her eyes and set off down the slope. Once his brain registered what had happened, he took off after her, catching up with ease. "Pretty good for an old man." She teased.

"Old Man... who are you calling old man?" He retorted, overtaking her.

It continued like that all the way to the bottom of the slope; each one overtaking the other and making a snide remark or a dig when they did so, but as they neared the bottom, Donna overtook Harvey one last time, making her the winner and that meant that Harvey owed her lunch.

To make one last jibe at him, she lifted her goggles and stuck her tongue out at Harvey, acting like a petulant child. He wasn't mad though; in fact he found it adorable. The way her eyes sparkled in the sunlight made him smile and with how childish she was acting right now, all Harvey wanted to do was to take her in his arms, kiss her, and not let go. But he couldn't; not here. What if she didn't feel the same? What would he do then? And what would that mean for their friendship? It was too much for him to think about; right now he would just focus on spending time with her.

Donna's voice brought him back to reality. "I feel sorry for you. Shall we make it the best of three?" She was taunting him, and it was working. When he didn't answer, she pushed some more. "What? Are you afraid I'm gonna beat you again?" She just couldn't help herself.

"You feel sorry for me? Why do you think you won? I let you, but clearly that was a mistake. Game on!" He was already starting to feel peckish and if he didn't have to pay for lunch, then all the better.

He sped off down the next slope, leaving Donna in the dust. "Hey!" She called out after him.

"See you at the bottom!" He yelled back over his shoulder.

For the next hour and a half, the two of them raced each other over and over again until Harvey had beaten Donna nine out of the ten races. "Okay, Okay, I'm done. Lunch is on me, just name it." She collapsed into a heap in the snow, closing her eyes and praying that Harvey wouldn't torture her anymore.

He drifted to her side and reached out his hand to help her up. She hesitated, but accepted his gesture and as she found her balance again, Donna found herself staring at Harvey's lips and imagining what it would feel like to kiss them. Although they had gone there before, it was a long time ago, and for fear of losing the friendship they had they had never gone there since, but things had changed for her recently and she had once again began to see Harvey romantically.

"Tell you what... how about we head in there," Harvey gestured towards a nearby bar. "and see what they got?" Donna knew he was talking, but wasn't really paying attention; still daydreaming about the man in front of her. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, Harvey tugged on her arm and pulled her over to the bar. "Come on!" He flashed her another smile causing her to mindlessly agree and follow him.

Leaving their boards on the rack outside, the two of them headed inside, and selected an intimate table at the back. He pulled out the seat for Donna, allowing her to sit down first before he himself sat down opposite her. "Thank You." She said graciously. He looked up at her over the top of his menu, confused. "I forgot to say it before, so thank you for helping me back there." She was Donna and she rarely thanked Harvey for anything, so to him this was huge.

"No problem." He replied. He wan't just going to let her lie there in the snow and not help her out. "Anytime." This made Donna blush enough to have to hide her face behind her own menu. "So, have you decided what you want?" She nodded and he called over the waiter. Harvey ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and the Lodge Burger for himself before Donna requested Chardonnay and the Squash Rigatoni.

Their drinks arrived promptly and as they waited for their food, the pair found themselves falling into old habits; laughing and joking like old friends as though neither were fantasizing about the other. When the waiter came back with their meals, they thanked him and dug in, eating in silence while occasionally glancing at each other in hopes that their eyes would meet.

Finished with their meals a half an hour later, Donna could feel the nerves creeping in again causing her to want to leave; to just get back to her room and chill for the afternoon before the Christmas quiz this evening. "This was fun." She said, barely looking up from the table. "But I think I'm gonna head back and relax before the quiz tonight." Harvey nodded in understanding. Even though she wasn't looking directly at him, Donna knew what he had done. "This should be enough to cover it." Placing $100 on the table, she stood to leave, but Harvey caught hold of her hand, stopping her in her tracks.

She turned and looked him straight in the eye; staring him down and trying to figure out what he was playing at. He found this hilarious, yet somehow managed to keep a straight face. "Until next time." He stated, flashing Donna a cheeky grin and a wink.

Flustered and at a loss for words, Donna pulled her hand away and walked out of the bar, leaving Harvey at the table, now more certain than ever of his feelings for Donna; she was the only one for him. With a smirk on his face, he himself then left the bar.

Staying true to her word, Donna had spent the afternoon relaxing. She borrowed a book from the Lodge's library, and read in her room for a bit with the dinner she ordered from room service. Samantha had finally caught up with her at about four, and was eager to find out all of the juicy details about her snowboarding adventures with Harvey. Donna however, remained tight lipped and refused to give anything away.

Just thinking about how easy it was with them while they were out on the slopes gave her butterflies, but even though she knew what that meant, she wasn't ready to admit it to herself just yet so she pushed those feelings down as far as they would go and focused on her need to beat Harvey at the quiz.

Everyone had arranged to meet in the lounge at Seven Thirty, where they would decide teams ready to start at Eight. So far though, Donna and Alex were the only ones there; left to wonder if they had gotten the time or location wrong since they were alone and it was 7:28. Just as she was about to give up, a few voices coming from the main dining room caught her attention. Well, one voice in particular; His. Donna felt a pang of jealousy pierce her heart at the sight of Samantha draped on Harvey's arm. She could feel the anger building within her to the point where she thought that if she didn't let it out, she might explode.

"Oh my God, that's hilarious!" Samantha exclaimed as the group reached the bench where Donna and Alex were waiting.

Clenching her fists at her sides, Donna could feel her nails digging into her palms and she used this to focus her anger. She managed to speak. "What's so funny?" She said through gritted teeth, plastering a fake smile onto her face.

Harvey sensed something was wrong, and wanting to make her feel better, focused all of his attention on her. "Oh, nothing really. It's not important." He said matter-of-factly before leaning in and lowering his voice so that only Donna could hear. "Are you okay?" The sincerity in his voice caught her by surprise and she could tell that he was genuinely concerned about her.

Feeling the anger that she had barely managed to contain moments earlier slowly dissipating, Donna smiled up at Harvey. "I'm fine." She said, "Ready to sweep the floor with you!" The confidence was all an act, but she still meant every single word.

Unfortunately for Donna, beating Harvey would have to wait, as fate, or maybe just some meddling colleagues of theirs, had other ideas. Alex had been put in charge of Organizing the teams and he had fixed it so that the two of them would lead one team whilst he and Samantha led the other.

Now they were sitting, drinks in hand waiting for the quiz to start. There would be three rounds and a music round, all of which they planned to dominate. "Okay, welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to this year's Annual Christmas Quiz. Is everyone ready to see who has the knowledge to come out on top and take home the trophy?" A woman's voice announced through the speakers.

Samantha flashed Alex a cunning smile as cheering erupted throughout the room. "We're gonna let them win, right?" She asked and Alex raised an eyebrow and gave a slight nod in response.

"Now Round One is Christmas Traditions." The woman announced into the microphone. "Question One; Which country started the tradition of putting up a Christmas Tree?" She gave them a couple minutes to confer, but Donna didn't need them. She had the answer written down within seconds.

Harvey read what she had put and asked her one simple question. "You sure?" He trusted her and if she was certain, then he would back her.

He watched her as she lifted her head to look at him, a smile on her face. "I'm Donna. I'm sure!" She stated and he smiled too. For a moment they were once again lost in the thought of each other; Donna was gazing lustfully into his eyes, while he stared at her beautiful pink lips wishing that he could just lean over right now and kiss them. It wasn't until the announcer began to read out the next question that they remembered where they were and refocused on listening to the rest of the questions. For the remainder of the first round, the two avoided eye contact, something which did not go unnoticed by the rest of their team.

Before the second round started, Donna excused herself to go to the bar, but on her way back, she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and ran into someone. "Oh, sorry." She said, glancing up to see Harvey's sultry, brown eyes staring back.

"No. I'm sorry!" He wasn't; not at all. In fact, he had engineered this whole little run in by watching for when she left the bar and intentionally bumping into her. He had to; she had been avoiding him since the first question. He was apologizing now because he hated to see her feeling even the slightest bit guilty. All he wanted was to see her happy and if he could be the reason she was, then that would just be the cherry on top of the cake.

It worked; Donna's lips curled up into a smile. "We should get back to the table." She took off ahead of him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to his side.

Her heart was beating so fast, contemplating what the hell Harvey was playing at. He lowered his voice as he began to speak. "We're gonna crush them, right?" The question was rhetorical since he knew how competitive Donna was and that she would stop at nothing to win. He knew because he was just as bad. Together they could be unstoppable, and they would be as long as they could communicate.

"Too right we are!" Her confidence had come back, but it was talking everything she had not to throw herself at Harvey right then and there. So, before he could distract her anymore, she turned and strode way from him, back to their table.

Rounds two and three passed rather uneventfully. The top two teams were both from Zane Specter Litt, with Harvey and Donna in the lead by two points. The music round had let them down a little, but they could still claw back the victory in the final round and with only one question left, they were confident that they would be the champions. The announcer began asking the last question and Donna's face lit up causing Harvey to imagine what it would be like to wake up her smile every day. The question was about The Nutcracker Ballet and since Donna loved the ballet, he knew she had it in the bag.

When the winners were announced less than fifteen minutes later, both teams from the firm were ecstatic that one of them had won; Harvey and Donna had come out victorious after all. Without thinking Donna threw her arms around Harvey's neck in celebration and he was so happy that he held on for a little too long. "We did it!" He whispered in her ear, sending a tingling sensation coursing through her entire body. He was going to be the death of her and she didn't know how much longer she could hold her feelings back.

Donna woke up feeling refreshed the next day with a plan to visit the spa for an hour or so in the morning, which she had done, and then she wanted to head over to the ice rink and dust off her skiing skills. When she was a kid, she would go all the time and she even got pretty good. She loved the way gliding across the ice made her feel like she was flying; it was her escape from the world and there was nothing like it.

Unbeknownst to Donna however, Samantha had already leaked her plan to Alex, who then informed Harvey and so he was already waiting for her by the skate rental hut. He wasn't the best skater by any means, but to spend more time with Donna, he would give it a go. Seeing her coming straight towards him, he headed in her direction, meeting her in the middle. "Hey." He said. "Fancy meeting you here." He meant for it to sound light-hearted and jovial, but all Donna got from the remark was that he had somehow planned this encounter.

Yeah, she saw right through him alright. "Funny," She said with a deadpan facial expression. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Me wait for you, yeah right!" Harvey retorted a little too defensively.

"Whatever." She let it go. "You any good?" This time he didn't answer, he just ignored the question and asked the guy behind the counter for two pairs of skates; one for himself and one for Donna, who should not have been surprised that he knew what size to get for her.

They put their skates on in silence, then Harvey took to the ice first. As Donna stood to her feet, he held out his hand to her; a clear suggestion for her to join him. Reaching out, her fingers connected with his and he took her hand, drawing her closer to him until she could feel his breath on her cheek. As soon as he felt her touch, a bolt of electricity shot down his spine. She obviously had an effect on him and she wasn't blind; she saw Harvey's eyes widen for a split second before he regained focus.

Determined not to make more of it than it was, Donna broke the awkward silence. "I don't want to brag, but I actually used to be quite the Ice Queen!" She joked, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Harvey.

"Oh yeah, let's see what you've got then." He was baiting her and he knew it would work; she would want to prove herself.

In one fluid motion, Donna pushed off on her right foot and glided across the ice like she had always belonged there. Harvey watched in amazement as she swerved elegantly in and out of the other skaters.

To Donna, it felt like she had never been off the ice. It all came back to her; just like riding a bike, the intricate moves and the way it made her feel free. When she was out there it was as if she were alone and no one was watching, but then she caught a glimpse of Harvey out of the corner of her eye and decided to show off a bit. Attempting a jump she used to be particularly good at, she miscalculated the landing and landed flat on her face.

Within seconds, Harvey was at her side. "Are you okay?" The concern was evident in his voice when he spoke. He leaned over to check on her, but she waved him away.

"I'm fine. Honestly. I've had worse falls than that over the years. "She laughed, picking herself up off of the ice and dusting down her jacket and pants.

"How about we take it slow and stick around together for a while?" Harvey asked, his worried expression replaced with a sweet and sincere smile.

Donna didn't have to think twice before accepting his offer. "Okay." It was a simple answer, but it made Harvey's day.

For the next half an hour the two of them skated slowly around the rink, hand in hand. Music played in the background, and although it was mostly Christmas songs, there were a few regular ones thrown in, but just as they were about to skate over to the exit, the opening notes of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time came through the speakers. Before Donna had even managed to step foot off the ice, Harvey pulled her towards him again and held her there in his arms as the whole world melted away around them.

The chorus hit. "If you're lost you can look and you will find me. time after time." The lyrics hit Donna like a freight train as she realize that they mirrored her relationship with Harvey "If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting; time after time." The song continued, but neither of them moved; they just stood there frozen in each others arms until it ended and as it did, Harvey couldn't take it anymore. He leaned in, fully intending to kiss Donna, the way he had been dreaming of doing for the last few months.

Understanding what Harvey was about to do, Donna slid out of his embrace and turned her head so that his lips met with thin air instead. "I'm sorry, I can't!" She mumbled and skated away, leaving Harvey alone in the centre of the rink.

For the rest of the afternoon, Harvey couldn't stop thinking about what had almost happened at the ice rink. When she left, he didn't know what to do. Part of him wished he had gone after her, but another part of him was telling him that she wasn't ready and not to push. He knew he would see her tonight since Louis had insisted on everyone going to the bonfire, but he was considering skipping it altogether.

However, an hour later after a call from Alex, who had convinced him to go along anyway, he found himself following him through the trees and into a clearing where the rest of the firm were gathered around a large bonfire in the middle. He spotted Donna instantly, but chose to head in the opposite direction where Alex had joined Samantha.

Donna watched as the man she loved walked away from her and she couldn't help but think that it was all her fault. She had pushed him away at the rink earlier and now he was avoiding her; it didn't take a genius to figure out that he blamed her too. Having him ignore her was like having a knife driven into her heart.

"Everything okay? You look a little distracted." The remark broke her from her thoughts and Katrina was quite an observant person, so if she had picked up on something, then the likelihood was that others had too and would soon start asking questions.

"Honestly, I really don't know anymore." She stated and walked away, wanting to get back to the solitude of her room. Coming here had been a mistake and now all she wanted was to leave.

"And where do you think you're going?" Donna heard the voice before she saw who it belonged to; Samantha.

Donna wasn't in the mood to deal with her juvenile behavior right now. "I'm leaving. Don't try and stop me!" She snapped; her raised voice catching the attention of the rest of the group who all turned to see tears streaming down Donna's face. She ran as fast as she could through the trees and hid behind the biggest one she could find.

Sinking back against the tree, Donna let the tears fall. She felt humiliated, but the only one she could blame was herself because she was the one who lost her temper. What was she thinking? Now they all probably thought that she's lost her mind; going off on Katrina and Samantha for no reason. She sobbed for another couple of minutes before pulling herself together and wiping away the last of the tears. She stood up and headed back to the lodge.

As she got there however, she found Harvey waiting for her on the steps to the entrance. "What do you want?" She spat, attempting to walk right past him.

"Donna, what's going on? Talk to me!" He ran around her, cutting her off before she could reach the door. "Please. I know you and I know something's wrong." He did know her; he had known her for over a decade and he could tell when she was hiding something and when she had been crying.

"Like you don't know! Everyone else has probably figured it out already; I know Samantha has." Donna wasn't having any of it; he could plead ignorance all he wanted, but she couldn't understand how he couldn't know. However as she looked at the confusion on his face it was clear to Donna that maybe he really didn't get it. But she had already put it out there now so there was no going back "You really have no idea?" He shook his head, wondering what was going on and what could be so bad that she would end up crying into a tree. "Come with me!" She stated, taking his hand and pulling him along beside her in the direction that the sign she had seen so many times had directed.

Wherever Donna was taking him, Harvey wasn't complaining since it meant that he would be alone with her. He was curious though. "Where are we going?" He asked. Donna didn't answer, but he trusted her and so he just kept following her until a few minutes later when they had rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of an old renovated barn which housed multiple horse drawn carriages. When he realized what her plan was, Harvey took a step back.

"Do you trust me?" Donna asked, flashing him a cheeky smile, which he instinctively returned before nodding his head. "Well come on then!" She led him over to a nearby carriage where a couple were just climbing down and greeted the driver. A moment later, Harvey climbed aboard; turning back to assist Donna. "Why thank you, kind Sir." She joked, taking his hand. They settled into the seat, spreading a blanket over their laps as the carriage began to move.

They rode in silence for a while until Harvey couldn't take it anymore. "So, what's this all about?" He had an inkling of what was coming and his nerves had skyrocketed.

Donna took a deep breath as the carriage turned off towards the boating lake and the twinkling lights caught her eye; like stars sparkling in the night sky. It was actually quite romantic and rather fitting for what she was about to do. Turning to look at Harvey again, she noticed the glint in his eyes, the slight curl of his lips and the somewhat concerned look on his face and she suddenly knew that he really did care about her, maybe even loved her. She knew she loved him and she hoped he felt the same, but now she knew exactly what to say. "So, about earlier when I pulled away from you when you tried to kiss me; I want to explain why I did that." There was a small pause but Harvey's gaze remained fixed on Donna. "I got scared. I know that sounds stupid, but it's how I felt. I was worried that if we took that step then it would ruin what we already have. We only just managed to salvage our friendship last time and I didn't want to risk it again. I don't want to lose you; I can't imagine my life without you in it and the thought of that scared me." She finished talking and couldn't look at him. She felt as though his eyes were burning a hole into her soul, so instead she stared at her hands and fiddled with the blanket.

"Donna, look at me." Harvey said softly, urging her to do as he had requested, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. When she didn't move, he reached over and placed a hand gently on top of hers to get her attention. When she felt his touch, she froze, her eyes fixed on their hands. She still didn't look at him or say anything, so he lifted his free hand and cupped Donna's face, turning her to face him.

"You won't lose me." He said, his voice barely audible. "You could never lose me. I Love You!" There. He'd said it. The truth was finally out there. and there was no taking it back.

Donna was gobsmacked by his confession. Had he really just told her that he loved her? She wanted to say it back; she did, but her brain wasn't functioning properly and she couldn't speak. So she did the only thing that made any sense at all to her and crashed her lips against his. He reciprocated, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss.

They didn't break apart for a good few minutes, and when they did, they realized that the carriage ride was almost over. Donna composed herself again and looked over at Harvey. "Hey, I forgot to say something before. I Love You too!"

Upon hearing this, Harvey pulled Donna into another kiss, this one shorter and sweeter than the last. "Glad to hear it." He said, letting out a small giggle. She joined in and they both wondered the same thing; why it had taken them so long.

They thought about heading back to the bonfire, but decided against it, opting to spend some time just the two of them before they told anyone else. They had discussed that matter and the plan was to tell the rest of the partners at breakfast in the morning. They didn't see the point in hiding their relationship since neither of them wanted to be apart from the other ever again and they suspected half of them were already eagerly awaiting for the announcement.

Tonight however, they were gonna grab a bottle of wine and hang out in Harvey's room, but Donna just had a thought. "Wait, what about Alex? What if he comes back?"

"Good point." He laughed. "I'm pretty sure Samantha wouldn't mind sharing." He found himself hilarious, but she wasn't laughing. She had brought up a serious concern and here he was making a joke. As much as she loved his playful side, she didn't find this funny at all.

"Harvey, I mean it. I really don't want anyone to know until tomorrow. Can you just message him and tell him you want to be alone for a couple of hours?" She batted her eyes at him and it did the trick. He relented and pulled out his phone, typing a message to Alex, asking as Donna had requested.

When he put his phone back in his pocket, he took her in his arms. "Now it's just you and me." Running his fingers through her hair, he pressed his lips to hers and in that moment Harvey felt like the luckiest man in the world. He finally had Donna by his side and that's the way he wanted it to stay. Forever.

Five minutes later, the door to Harvey's room was being pushed open and he and Donna stumbled inside, barely able to keep his hands off one another. "Wine?" Donna managed to mumble as she caught her breath.

Harvey didn't answer; he took off Donna's jacket and pulled off her sweater, letting them fall to the floor as his hands roamed over her bare flesh. He had waited so long for this and he wasn't really thinking straight, although ironically his mind was clearer than it had been in a long time where Donna was concerned. She was the most important thing to him and right now he wanted nothing more than to be with her. "Just you!" He finally responded to her question as he threw his own sweater onto the floor.

Donna couldn't believe what was happening. She wanted to sleep with him, but right now everything was just moving too fast. She needed to breathe, and so it took everything she had to push him away. "Not now. Not here." She sounded breathless, but that's exactly what Harvey did; he took her breath away, but she was doing what she had to.

"What's wrong?" Harvey asked, worried he had done something to upset her. He was confused as to why she would just suddenly change her mind.

"Nothing." She answered, picking her clothes off of the floor before closing the distance between them and resting a hand on his chest. She fixed her eyes on Harvey and once she was sure that she had his full attention, she continued. "I love you and I want to be with you, but here, here is not where I want this," she gestured towards the bed, "to happen."

She was being honest with him and Harvey couldn't fault her for that. He wrapped Donna in his arms and kissed her like they were the only two people left on Earth. "I love you too." He whispered.

Pressing her lips to his one last time, Donna bade him goodnight, left his room and headed back to her own.

The next morning Donna woke up early having spent the whole night going over and over what had happened with Harvey in his room last night. She knew she had made the right decision in leaving and as she thought about how in less than two hours they would be going public, she climbed silently out of bed, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and headed out onto the balcony. Watching the sun rise over the horizon, she thought she could feel magic in the air; the magic of a new day and of a new relationship.

"You're up early." Samantha's voice caught Donna off guard. "You okay after last night? You seemed pretty upset." Donna hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until Sam had referenced the bonfire and then she let it out and visibly relaxed. "And where'd you go anyway?"

Unsure whether or not to be honest with her roomie, Donna opted against it. It's not like they were best friends and she would find out with everyone else soon enough anyway. "Not much." She answered nonchalantly. "I just went for a walk by the lake to clear my head." Not a complete lie, she just omitted the carriage ride and the Harvey of it all.

Samantha however saw right through it, having spotted Harvey going after Donna at the bonfire and since neither of them had reappeared, she had assumed they had finally gotten everything out in the open. She decided not to push the issue, but hoped she was right. Instead, she asked Donna if she was feeling better, which she said she was.

Half an hour later, Samantha disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower and Donna took this opportunity to pack and when she was done, she grabbed her phone off the nightstand and typed a message to Harvey. Good Morning, it read.

Within seconds his reply came through. Morning Beautiful. How did you sleep? This made her smile.

Good. You ready to do this? She asked

His answer popped up almost immediately. Too right! I want the world to know how much I Love You!" His message melted Donna's heart and she felt those pesky Butterflies in her stomach again.

Me too. See you soon xxx She sent back and threw her phone on the bed.

At that moment, Samantha came out of the bathroom and saw the huge grin on Donna's face. She could help but smile to herself also because if it was because of Harvey then that would mean that her little matchmaking scheme had worked.

Everyone met for breakfast at seven thirty. They didn't have to check out until ten and so had left all of their belongings in their rooms until later. Louis had arrived first and then the rest all came down in dribs and drabs until the only four missing were Harvey, Donna, Alex and Samantha.

The elevator dinged and he hoped it was them, which it was. Alex and Samantha exited first with giant smiles plastered onto their faces and as they passed Louis, they flashed him a rather dramatic thumbs up. He was confused for a moment until he saw Harvey and Donna making their way towards him hand in hand. "And what do we have here?" He joked.

Donna's fingers were interlocked with Harvey's and he gazed over at her, his eyes full of love. The pair of them looked elated, but that was nothing compared to what they felt on the inside. They couldn't believe it had taken them this long to finally admit how they truly felt and now they couldn't imagine it being any other way.

"None of your business!" Harvey stated, knowing how much it would annoy Louis.

And annoy him, it did. Surprisingly though, Louis didn't take the bait. "Whatever. It's about time and I'm happy for you." He turned to face Donna. "Both of you."

"Thank You Louis." Donna said, giving Harvey the stink eye before leaning over and kissing Louis on the cheek.

They took their seats opposite Alex and Samantha. They could feel all eyes on them; everyone was either wondering when it happened or why it took so long. They didn't care though; they had each other now and neither of them wanted that to change any time soon. Because it had taken them so long to get together, they didn't want to waste any time. Harvey already had plans to propose and there was no doubt in his mind that Donna would say yes.