They had a terrible fight. The first serious one since they got together. All the trouble with Faye, Donna's frustration about him having such a hard time reconciling with her father, Harvey's anger about her not talking to him about her problems and a million other little things had piled up and exploded that evening. The final straw that broke the camel's back - they both didn't know what it was anymore.

But it ended with Donna furiously grabbing her purse and coat and yelling "I'm sleeping at my place tonight" before slamming the door to his condo shut behind her.

Harvey remained rooted to the spot and stared for a while at the point where she had been standing a moment ago. But he was too enraged to run after her now. And too proud, too. So he walked over to the couch, poured himself a generous whiskey, and stepped out onto his balcony into the cool evening air, his gaze restlessly wandering over the New York skyline.

Donna, meanwhile, was trying to get comfortable at home. She was pretty sad about their argument, but no less angry and annoyed. She went straight to bed, cried a few tears about her being so rude to him and him being so stubborn, but eventually, she fell asleep exhausted.

It was inevitable that they would have a huge fight at some point. After all, they were both extremely impulsive and hardheaded personalities and had been bickering fiercely long before they were anything more than colleagues and friends. And it was also clear that this would not remain the only argument in their relationship. Just as it was obvious that they would soon make up, since neither could really be mad at the other for long.

Nevertheless, they were both quite taken aback by this first real fight and the feelings that came with it - completely different and so much stronger than in all the ones they had had before.

.

Much later, Donna woke up to a light in her bedroom. When she opened her eyes, she found it was coming from the hallway and was falling through the open door. And in the doorway she recognized Harvey who was just standing there, wordlessly watching her.

Donna lifted her head a little, voice sleepy and slightly annoyed as she asked "What are you doing here?".

Harvey sighed before answering her question. "I just couldn't stand the thought of spending the night apart," he faltered. "I know you are still pissed, and so am I. But … can I sleep here, please?"

Donna let out a heavy breath, considering her options. She could not just forget about her resentment. But if she was being honest, she had missed him and his warmth in her lonely bed. And she also thought it was pretty sweet of him to show up here.

"Okay fine," she therefore replied, eyes already closing again, still not ready to forgive him.

"Thanks" he whispered into the darkness as he switched off the light and rounded the bed. He quickly stripped off his shirt and suit pants and crawled under the covers next to her, leaving enough space between them so she wouldn't feel straitened.

He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts circled around everything and nothing while he tried to unwind. If only they both weren't so goddamn stubborn. He hated this kind of tension between them, he hated fighting with her. Even though he knew that it was unavoidable sometimes and that they both even needed to vent their emotions on occasion.

Eventually, Donna turned onto her other side, facing him then, but her eyes remained closed. Harvey turned his head to watch her, fully aware that she was not sleeping either. A few minutes passed before his gaze wandered back to the ceiling, not sure what to do.

He was still lying there in this exact pose, when suddenly her arm moved under the blanket and a hand came to rest on his chest. The relief he felt from this small gesture was incredible and he smiled softly into the darkness, his body immediately relaxing under her accommodating touch. It wasn't long before he finally fell asleep.

.

When he woke up the next morning, she was gone. He found her in the kitchen, where she was making coffee. "Hey," he greeted her shyly.

"Morning," she mumbled back as she turned to him and headed for the dining table with the pot in her hand. "Coffee?" she asked, not yet daring to return his gaze.

They talked for a long time this morning before getting ready to leave for work. The explosions from the night before had died down by then. Instead, they talked calmly and matter-of-factly, listened sincerely to each other and tried to engage with one another. Constructive, not destructively.

In the end, their fingers timidly intertwined first before their lips did the same, and with that the argument was settled.

It certainly wasn't the last big dispute they'd have. But they both knew for sure that everything would be all right in the end and that they would always make it through. Because their love was forever.