Wrapping Up
Inspired by my girl, Nathalie(Evenstar1002)'s sexy Darvey edit on Twitter:
Twitter Evenstar1002 / status / 1343941511768117254 (take out the spaces)
As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to write something to accompany it, and get one last fanfic in before the year ends.
As always, Nathalie and Nannalyn have been the best friends and cheering squad a girl could ask for: both for looking over this, and for making this difficult year so very bearable with our watch-parties and squee-fests.
This story is for them, and for every single friend I've made in this fandom - who in one way or the other have brought a smile to my face. You all rock.
Happy New Year, Darvey fandom!
And further thanks to Nathalie again, for the cover-image, featuring a different version of her edit.
*~o~*
"That will be all," Donna dismisses her assistant, Daphne, before she turns back to the mirror, and sighs.
Daphne had been in to help her out of her costume and loosen the gazillion pins that had held her hair up. She then cleared everything away, as Donna changed into a simple black evening dress for her celebratory dinner with Harvey and their friends.
She takes herself in: her skin is still flushed with exhilaration owing to the adulation she's received from her audience and her co-stars. Her eyes are shiny and her cheeks look rosy even in the dim lights of her dressing room. Her hair is a cascade of golden-red waves around her face and she pushes a stray lock behind her ear, even as she continues to gaze at her reflection. However, she notices a slight tightening around her lips and eyes that matches the small pinch of sorrow that currently resides in her throat.
Today, New Year's Eve of all days, had been her last closing night in the city she'd called home for the best part of her life. Her company had presented its final run of a modern interpretation of A Christmas Carol, where she'd played the gender-swapped version of the story's main character.
It was, Donna thought, the perfect way to cap a year that had brought about a complete turnaround to the path she'd thought was laid out for her. Where she'd once envisioned an uncertain future, there was now the promise of one that she'd only dreamt of.
A week from today, she and Harvey would start the new year in a new city and a new home. And as happy and excited as she is to be embarking on the rest of their lives, Donna finds that the sorrow of leaving New York sometimes catches her unawares - and she's sure it's the same for Harvey.
While most of her experiences and interests had been tied to the firm and the life she built there, this wasn't. The stage was her original dream and her passion. The driving force that had brought her to New York from Cortland, with visions of her name in lights.
Over the years, her dreams had changed, but her passion hadn't. Once - or twice, if time and circumstance allowed it - a year, she turned into the version of herself that she'd envisioned before Harvey had stepped into her life. This was a side of her that no one had seen or cared about, with the exception of Louis - and that had been a complete accident - and Harvey, who'd been to one of her closing nights.
Or so she'd thought, until she'd discovered a drawerful of playbills in her husband's desk at his condo.
As it turned out, he hadn't just been to one of her closing nights; he had been to every single one of her plays.
She'd been floored. And he'd been smug - at first - and then pleased when she pounced on him, and made love to him among the scattered reminders of his love for her and her art. The memory of that night brings a small grin to her face, before her thoughts return to the present.
She doesn't know what her life in Seattle is going to bring her. However, in all her excitement - and fear - of the new life that awaited her on the West Coast, she hadn't truly considered the way she'd feel upon having to leave the company she'd been a part of for the past 15 years.
And so, when it finally occurs to her, it hits her like a ton of bricks.
She's going to miss this.
This theater. This company. The few friends she'd made here, who'd banded together to give her a parting gift.
She steals a glance at the large framed picture - signed by every single member of the company - resting against her dressing table. It'd been taken on the closing night of a five-week successful run of their production of Much Ado About Nothing. While she doesn't exactly count them close friends in the way Rachel and more recently, Samantha, had become, they were still people who'd made an indelible mark on her life.
So, here she sits, for the last time in this room, surrounded by flowers and mementos from her friends - Louis and Sheila had been in the audience tonight, and even Katrina and Samantha. She had been surprised and flattered to see them seated there, next to Harvey.
Her eyes stray further to the large bouquet of white lilies and peonies in the very center of the display, that had come from her husband. She smiles, allowing her finger to trace the petals of the largest lily in the bunch. He knows she loved lilies, even though she'd never explicitly told him that: proving yet again that he'd always set her apart from all the people in his life.
And as if on cue, almost as though her thoughts had summoned him, she hears a soft knock before Harvey's head peers around the door. He scans the room for her assistant and seeing that she's alone, he steps fully into the room, a soft smile painting his features.
"Hey," he says, gently, his eyes raking her figure in appreciation. "You are so beautiful."
She smiles and looks down; hearing him call her beautiful still sends her heart skyrocketing in the way it did when he'd said it to her on that fateful night after his hearing, just after he'd entered her.
He'd stilled for a brief moment, buried to the hilt inside her, his eyes fathomless pools of black as he let those words escape him in a breathy whisper before he'd set a slow, deep rhythm that was widely outpaced by the beat of her own heart.
Donna shakes her head and steps into his embrace, her head moving up and down once, as she takes him in.
"You don't look half-bad, yourself, Mr. Specter."
She moves her hand to his open collar, her fingers brushing lightly against the exposed skin.
She loves seeing him like this.
He's sans tie, with a crisp off-white Tom Ford shirt that he'd teasingly told her he'd bought to replace one of the many shirts she'd nicked and claimed for herself. He's paired his shirt with her favourite grey jacket.
Her eyes move back to his face and her hand scrapes against the five-o-clock shadow that she hadn't wanted him to shave. His hair, gel-free and slightly ruffled, completes his look.
As she catches his gaze, his expression morphs into one of pride, "You were phenomenal tonight. Watching you in your element on the stage is something I'll never ever get tired of. You take my breath away, every single time."
"I still can't believe you never told me you've seen them all," she says with faux petulance.
He smiles, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, "Believe it."
She smirks, and pulls him back for another kiss.
When they break off, Harvey asks, "You ready to go?"
She nods briefly, her eyes scanning the room again - taking it in one last time, before coming to rest again on the gift from her cast-mates.
Harvey follows her gaze, before he looks closely at her.
"Donna, you alright?"
"I am," she says, quickly, meeting his concerned expression with what she hopes is a reassuring smile.
But, of course, her husband sees right through her, and he squeezes her waist.
"Donna."
It's just her name, but she hears his unspoken words all the same.
Let me in.
And she does. Harvey listens quietly, his eyes intent on her as she tells him how she feels.
"I mean, I couldn't be happier about Seattle," she finishes. "I just never really considered how much I'd miss this."
"I'm sorry, Donna," Harvey says, pulling her back into his arms. "I know we've talked about everything we're leaving behind, but I guess it never occurred to me to ask you about this. I know how much this meant to you."
"Harvey," she shakes her head, sliding her hands under his jacket to pull him closer to her. "It hadn't even struck me until now. And we have had a lot on our plates since we made this decision."
"True," he replies. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
She smiles, her heart warming at the fact that he's trying, despite knowing that there isn't much to be done besides working through it.
"You already are. Just being here. Holding me," she tells him. "But there is one more thing I need to do."
"What is it?"
"I need to talk to Rachel about changing my role to a part-time one."
"What?" Harvey's voice comes out in a shocked whisper, but Donna senses no anger in his tone and that gives her the push to tell him more.
"Yeah," she says. "I want to have more time to pursue acting. I don't want to let it fall on the sidelines again. I love being COO, but I also love acting. Does that make sense?"
He nods, "It does. It's high time you put yourself first, and I know I'm partly responsible for pulling you away from acting…"
She gives him a look, "You didn't pull me away, Harvey. I chose to stay. I wanted to."
"All the same," he says. "I never bothered to ask you if you missed it. I saw you in all your plays, and I saw how brilliant you were. And I have to admit that I couldn't bring myself to ask, because I was afraid of the answer."
"Well, you know the answer, now," she says, tugging his collar. "I missed it, but not enough to stop working for you. I loved my job, Harvey. And I was already in love with you. I wasn't going anywhere."
He smiles, his eyes glistening in the dim light, "I love you so much. And whatever you do, Donna, you know I'll support you, all the way."
"Even if it means seeing less of me at work?" she asks, teasingly.
"Even then," he affirms, seriously. "We'll make it work."
"We will," she agrees and this time, she presses a deep, grateful kiss to his lips that has him tightening his grasp around her waist, pulling her further into him.
Donna lets out a muffled gasp as her front collides with his, even as his lips tease her mouth open, before his tongue slips inside to tangle with hers. He tastes of scotch and chocolate from the wrap party, and she closes her eyes against the sensation that floods her system, warming her insides before settling low in her belly.
He's intoxicating and heady, and hers. And Donna feels her knees buckle as her brain shuts down all conscious thought except for what he's making her feel. He catches her, as he always does, and moves them backwards till she feels her back hit the edge of her dressing table.
However, instead of lifting her to sit on it, as she expects, he gently turns her around. She meets his eyes in the reflection of the mirror in front of them.
Holding her gaze, Harvey slips his left arm around her stomach, while his right reaches up to push her hair to one side, before bending his head to press his lips to the skin where her neck met her shoulders.
Donna feels her breath catch at what she sees in front of her and it strikes her how they just fit together.
Her golden curls are pressed against his dark head, while his lips trace a delicate line from her shoulder to the back of her ear. His left hand, splayed flat against her stomach, moves gently up and down over her dress. And as he does, the light catches his wedding ring and Donna reaches her left hand to thread between his.
And though it's been nearly a month since that wonderful day, the sight of their rings next to each other still sends a thrill of awe into her.
That this here is her - their - reality.
That Harvey really dropped to one knee in front of their closest friend and a crowd of strangers and asked her to be his forever and a day, holding his grandmother's ring and his heart in his hands. And a few short hours later, she was in his arms as his wife, sharing a dance that was perfect.
Harvey squeezes his fingers around hers, bringing her attention back to his face.
"Where did you go?" he asks, his thumb soothing against her skin.
She doesn't reply, but lowers her eyes to their joined hands, before looking at him again and he gets her meaning. He lifts their hands to his lips before dropping hers, and moving his palm to the strap of her dress, his eyes questioning.
Donna swallows, "Don't we have a dinner reservation?"
"Yes, but we have time. And since you're the one we're celebrating, we can be fashionably late. Louis will hold our reservations," he says, a cheeky grin lighting his face. "Right now, I just want some time with the star of my life."
"You're an idiot," she says, but her voice comes out in a low whisper, and Harvey takes his cue, his fingers curling around the strap of her dress and pushing it gently off her shoulder, while his other hand slides her zipper down.
When he's finished, his eyes slide back up to their reflection, and they both watch as her dress slithers off her body in the wake of his hands which come to rest on the curve of her waist. The silence is barely pierced by the soft swish of the garment hitting the floor, before Harvey's fingers brush against her bare stomach, and Donna shivers at the sensation that stirs low inside her at that. She watches mesmerized as his fingers trail up towards her breasts, curling gently around them as his thumbs stroke over her covered nipples, taut and ripe for his touch.
"Harvey," she pants, her head falling against his left shoulder, while his lips come down to soothe against her cheeks. A low groan rumbles in his throat when Donna's hands leave his to reach behind her, finding its target over the clasp of his trousers, her fingers tracing his arousal.
His grip loosens slightly, and Donna uses the moment to turn around in his arms, her hands making short work of his jacket before his hands come up to help her with his shirt. But just as the last button slips out of its buttonhole, Harvey turns her back around, his fingers reaching for the clasp of her bra.
"Watch," he whispers in her ear, directing her gaze back to the mirror. "I want you to see what I see when we do this."
"Oh," she breathes out, as she feels her bra loosen around her and her breasts spill out. She lets out a whimper when Harvey lifts her hands up, to rest them around his neck, a silent request to keep them there.
It's a testament to how much she trusts him, that Donna does as he asks. He presses a grateful kiss to the inside of her upper arm, before he lets his palms slip back over breasts, massaging and kneading them, while his thumb glides over her nipples, pushing and rolling them alternately.
His touch, gentle but firm, ignites every nerve ending under her skin, and Donna sees the flush spread all across her body. Her chest heaves, pushing further into his fingers, demanding more. Harvey obliges, paying due attention to them for a few moments more, before one hand leaves her chest to trace the waistline of her panties.
Donna tightens her grip around his neck, her head moving against his shoulder to let her cheek land against his own, reveling in the way it scratches against her skin before turning even further to press her lips against it.
"Do what you must," she husks. "I'm waiting."
"Donna," his voice is roughly delicious in her ears, and his fingers curl into the fabric of her panties. Donna raises her head to watch their reflection, as he drags it down slowly, inch by inch, baring her to their joint gaze.
"Do you see?" he asks, as her panties join the pool of her dress on the floor.
"See what?"
"This," he murmurs, his fingers coming to rest gently under her belly button, just above the place where she really needs him, before pushing her gently backwards so her bare skin brushes against the front of his trousers.
"I'd have a better notion- " she says in a slight huff, although it's lost in the arousal coating her tone. "- if there weren't two layers of clothes between us."
He chuffs a soft laugh out. "Fair point," he says, before he evens the playing field. Donna lets out a moan when she feels him against the small of her back. Her eyes move back to the mirror, and she feels her heart shift into a double-time beat at the sight of both their bodies together.
He towers over her, since she hadn't yet slipped into her heels when he'd come in, and when his arms slide back around her, she's mesmerized by how easily he envelops her in his embrace. It's like she belongs there, the curves of her body seem to be built to match his like two slotting jigsaw pieces.
Before she can stop herself, her mouth voices her thoughts. "We do look very well together," she says, her hand coming to rest on his folded arms.
"We do," he says, his lips brushing against her bare shoulder, before gently picking up where they left off, as her hands return again to the back of his neck. Harvey's right hand then dances a slow, tortuous path to her center, his middle finger slipping easily between her folds, his nail bumping gently against the bundle of nerves before finding its way further down.
At that, Donna clenches her fist against his skin, before her fingers open to thread into the soft hair on the back of his head when she feels two digits slide inside, electrifying her core into a white heat that has her try to muffle a scream into the side of his neck. His grip tightens on her, holding her up as her legs turn weightless, trying to find purchase on the floor which seems to have mysteriously disappeared from under them.
Sensing her need, Harvey sidles them towards the chair next to them, and gently lifts her left leg to rest over the arm of the chair. The movement both steadies and weakens her, especially when her eyes catch their ever-present reflection.
Harvey also clearly seems affected by the sight in front of him, because he stops, his fingers still inside her.
"God, Donna," he rasps, the hoarseness in his voice sending yet another frisson of heat into her. "You're beautiful."
She feels a tickle in her throat, as her heart pushes out the emotions this man makes her feel in the form of two tears that slide down her cheeks.
"Donna?"
His voice is instantly concerned and he goes to remove his hand, but she stops him, pushing his fingers back over her.
"Keep going. Please, Harvey," she says and he obliges, slowly building the rhythm back up. Donna holds onto him, her eyes never leaving their reflection. Before long, she's unable to keep them open, and her head drops back on his shoulder.
However, just before she reaches the precipice, Donna musters the last vestiges of coherent thought to push her lips against her husband's ears, "Harvey, I want you. Inside me. Now." She pushes her butt against his front to make her point.
"Donna," he grits out, his voice strained from his own arousal.
"Exactly," she coos, her right hand coming once again to rest on the hand that's inside her, and he lets her lift his fingers to her mouth and press a gentle kiss to them. Releasing her hand, Harvey reaches for her cheek to face him, his lips falling over hers in a kiss that once again brings tears to her eyes.
Even as she loses herself in his taste, she feels him slide into her, and she breaks the kiss to suck in a deep breath as he fills her.
"I love you," he whispers against her lips, before he begins to move. Donna's eyes land briefly on their reflection again, but the sensations he elicits inside her make it nigh impossible for her to focus on anything but him - inside her - surrounding her in an embrace that feels very much like home and forever.
Donna lets herself drown in his warmth, even as he stokes the fire inside her into a blazing inferno. She grasps the forearm of the hand around her waist for purchase, which allows her to move with him. His other hand then slides to the place where they're joined and together they hurtle towards the precipice until Donna finds herself soaring in free-fall, Harvey right alongside her. She can distantly hear the sound of their names mingling in the air, barely registering that they're coming from her own mouth and his.
She feels the pleasure spread through every single cell in her body, before she careens forward against the table, with Harvey behind her. He runs his hand soothingly over her waist, his own chest moving against her back, as he catches his own breath. After a few moments, he exhales a warm breath against her neck, before gently pulling out of her.
Donna turns in his embrace, unwilling to let him go just yet, and her hands go around his neck. His arms come easily around her again, and he gently settles her on the table, stepping between her legs to stay close.
Donna buries her head into his shoulder. "I needed that," she says, her voice still breathless.
"I'd do anything for you, Donna," he says, his hand tracing the bumps of her spine.
She raises her head to look at him and feels her heart leap - as it always does - at the look of pure adoration and love painting his features. His eyes, clear and deep brown now, sparkle even in the low light, and his sharp features are thrown into soft contrast.
She pulls him down for a kiss, and just like that, she finds that the early melancholy has entirely left her. She realizes that as long as she has him to fall back on - the way he is now - she can deal with any changes that throw her for a loop.
In fact, unbeknownst to both of them, a big change already looms around the corner - a happy change that comes in the form of a plus sign on a plastic stick.
*~o~*
Please, as always, let me know what you think.
I hope the coming year brings us more Suits content and generally more joy than 2020 ever did. Stay safe and I'll see you soon with another story.
xoxo
Caroline.