A/N: Well, that took me a while aye? Life is demanding and life is hard peeps in these weird times. Oh and writing two multi fics at the same was maybe a bit of a wild idea too. I write where inspiration hits me so sometimes it's this one and sometimes it's the other fic. Don't fret, I still have a clear plan to finish them both. My wonderful beta Stefanie will keep feeding me ideas me until I wrap it up with a nice bow. Enough of me rambling, without further ado… Please let me know what you think.

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Maybe This Time

Chapter 9

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She's back in his life and it feels so right

Maybe this time, love won't end

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Sitting down on a stool at the breakfast bar in Rachel's kitchen, Donna heaved an enormous sigh. She was physically and mentally exhausted.

She had gotten up at 5 am this morning, flying solo with two kids, dumping their luggage at the hotel, and heading straight for two interviews at two different schools for Aubrey.

The girls crashed in front of the TV but it was so quiet that she wouldn't be surprised if they had fallen asleep.

Donna yawned loudly as Rachel studied her. "You should have accepted my invitation to stay here. Now you have to make the track back to Manhattan."

"Does Harvey still eat here?"

"Every Tuesday and Friday," Rachel nodded and proceeded to slice some tomatoes.

Donna tilted her head.

Rachel cocked her head right back.

"He never brings her."

Pursing her lips, Donna said, "Still, it would be awkward, uncomfortable, my kids would be right here."

"Forgive me but wasn't the whole reason for this visit to see Harvey?"

Donna fiddled with the apples in the fruit bowl, stacking them in neath circles.

"Not necessarily. I'm looking at gifted programs for Aubrey and…"

Rachel's eyes bore into her and she scrunched up her nose.

"Fine, yes. But I can't march up to him and say, 'Hey, I changed my mind, I want to be with you.' He is with someone."

"I think he'd be very okay with it."

Rachel pushed some cheese and crackers in Donna's direction.

"Eat. You look like you need an energy boost."

"I need sleep," Donna replied, popping a cracker in her mouth nonetheless.

…

It has been five years since Donna had worn any of her designer dresses. She had brought a few, which was a challenge in itself to bring them on a plane, along with two kids and the overwhelming amount of luggage that comes with young children.

She had opted for a pink floral lace sheath dress by J Mendel for a visit to the Specter Litt Ross office.

She didn't know how many people of the past still worked there but she couldn't walk in, in her normal everyday attire. Having a little girl on each hand was enough to look very out of place. If she was to be the COO she needed to look as professional as possible.

She had intended to drop the girls at Rachel's office first but she had run straight into Louis at the elevator bank and he had ushered them all inside his office. He gushed over the little ones but Ella had hidden into her mother's chest and Aubrey had nearly tipped over Norma's ashes while asking Louis inappropriate questions. But Louis being Louis had answered them all, not realizing some of these responses had been equally inappropriate for children's ears.

She told him she struggled to find affordable reasonably sized housing, preferably in the vicinity of a school that could tailor to Aubrey's needs.

Just yesterday their family home had gone up for sale. Whatever she decided to do, she had come to the conclusion El Cajon was not it. But for now, her money was still tied up in the house and it wasn't enough to make a dent in the overheated housing market that is NYC anyway.

Louis had used very big words and a lot of show to convince her SLR wanted her badly enough to offer her a signing bonus. It would help tie her over to rent something for the time being but she couldn't help but feel it was all favoritism.

Of course, nothing went past Aubrey so upon hearing the number she had asked her mother if they were rich. Donna had quickly ushered them out of the office but not before Louis summoned her to walk around the bend, have a look at Jeff Malone's old office.

With a girl on each hand, she was engrossed in something Ella held up to her and didn't notice passing Harvey's office who just stepped outside.

He swerved to avoid a collision. "Donna?"

"Harvey!" Aubrey exclaimed brightly, unknowingly helping Donna, who hadn't been prepared to run into Harvey which in hindsight was not very smart at all. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here," he responded with a bemused smile. "The big question is, what are you girls doing here?" He crouched down to their height. "Hi, Ella."

The little girl looked from her mom to Aubrey, to Harvey. Deciding he was to be trusted, as she faintly recognized him, she said a shy, "Hi."

Aubrey was chattering in his other ear. "We are here to see if we like New York, which is stupid because I already know it is like so cool. They have schools with gifted programs here, which is so much better than El Cajon. They make me count to twenty but I can count to a hundred thousand. That is why I know fifty thousand is a lot. It is what that man with the big teeth offered mommy to work here."

Donna's cheeks flushed a shade of pink as bright as her dress. She loved her little chatterbox but sometimes she wished she had an off button.

A goofy smile played on Harvey's lips as he took in Donna's uneasiness. He pointed to the stuffed bunny Ella had tucked underneath her arm. "Who's that?" he whispered while shifting his eyes back to the still rambling Aubrey.

"That's Alfie," Aubrey responded for her little sister, adding in the same breath, "Our house is for sale. We need a new house. Do you have a house?"

Sensing, the smart four-year-old suddenly entered a territory that left her less confident than she presented herself, Harvey weighed his answer carefully. "I do have an apartment here in the City. But grownups make arrangements about when a house is available for new owners. New people won't move in until you've got a new awesome place. Your mom and dad will make sure of that," Harvey assured the strawberry blonde girl.

Donna eyed him gratefully while her eldest continued her babbling.

"My dad is in Chicago. For his work. Did you know they have a Lego store and M&M's store here?"

Harvey's eyebrows frowned very shortly upon the dad comment but he kept engaged in her Q&A.

"I do know that. I have been to the Lego store to buy presents for my nephew."

"But you have never been to the M&M store?" Aubrey's eyes went wide when he shook his head as a negative. "They have all the colors of the rainbow!"

Harvey chuckled at the excitement of the little one. She was practically jumping up and down already without being hopped up on sugar yet.

Donna felt a little tug on the hem of her dress. "MM!" Ella looked up at her mother brightly. "MM?" she repeated questioningly.

"You should come with us to the store." Donna heard her daughter dish out an invitation while Ella's pleas turned into a whine.

Grabbing two small hands she announced, "I think that's our cue to go. Let's look at that office Louis was talking about."

It was only a few steps further and she tugged her girls along. She halted when the name on the door came in sight. She shook her head slightly. This was Louis being Louis.

Donna Campbell-Paulsen

Chief Operating Officer

Her heart skipped a beat and sank at the same time. The fact that these people saw her worthy of the title of COO flooded her with warmth. But they also thought she was still married? She wasn't planning on keeping Jack's name.

The other thing that was painfully obvious, was the fact that her office would be right next to Harvey's.

It made sense for the COO to be next door to the Managing Partner but was she up to that? There would be nowhere to hide. Was he up to that?

Glancing over her shoulder she saw him standing in the exact same spot. Hands in the pockets of his grey suit pants, he was watching her.

"Are you okay with—, this, me being here?" Donna asked, biting her lip.

"I'm the managing partner. I sign off on all new hires."

"Right, right."

With a little wave to Aubrey and Ella, he walked away and a loud breath escaped Donna.

Aubrey gave her a funny look so she took them inside the office.

"Wow, look at all those buildings." Aubrey already hauled herself up on the windowsill.

Ella had her arms stretched out just a second later and Donna did as asked, lifting her up next to her sister. Together they admired the view. Donna pointed out all the famous landmarks, her heart soaring higher than it had in a long time. The feeling just suddenly washed over her. This was home.

"What did you think of those schools we visited?"

"I felt like they understood me, mom." Her four-year-old was quick to respond.

She placed her arms around her girls, gathered them close, one on each side of her. She needed to ask them an important question. Ella wouldn't really understand but her youngest one needed to be included in this decision too. Unlike Aubrey, she was a timid, reserved child so she leaned into her mother with her thumb in her mouth.

"How would you feel if we moved here? Lived in New York permanently? Find a house here, close to one of the schools we visited?" Donna looked at her daughters expectantly. "Of course they have planes from New York to Chicago too. It is even closer from here to Chicago than from San Diego. You will see your dad regularly," she quickly added. Jack would very much be a fixture in their lives, no matter where they lived.

"I would miss Hannah and Chloe and Nevaeh. And Nana and Pop and Daniel and Evy." Aubrey listed all friends and family she would need to leave behind in California. "But we'll be closer to grandma and grandpa P right?"

"Absolutely," her mother confirmed.

"I'll make new friends," she said confidently. "I already have friends here. Uncle Mike and Aunty Rachel and their baby. Louis is your friend so therefore he is mine. And of course Harvey. I'll be fine."

Donna simultaneously laughed and cried a little. Her overly smart confident little one would be fine. She just listed their safety net. One she so desperately missed in California. She had people that would help her. Her in-laws, some other mothers, neighbors. But these friends here in NYC. They were her people. Her family. And she was finally ready to admit that.

At the same time, her daughter listed grownups as her friends. She desperately wanted her to find some friends of her own age that were on par with her IQ.

"So New York it is then?" Donna asked, looking at Aubrey who nodded resolutely. Her head turned to Ella who did everything her big sister did so she too was nodding ferociously. "Hew Work," she said loudly, holding up Alfie.

"Yes," Donna smiled. "New York, new work, here we come," she said in a determined voice, kissing the top of their heads.

A few yards away, shuffling a few papers at his secretary's desk, Harvey was observing the three girls huddled together.

A sigh escaped from his lips. His secretary Gretchen quirked her eyebrows at him, as he dug out his cellphone.

We need to talk, he typed out to Emily as he strolled back to his office. Redheads had ruined him forever.