On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
An accidental night with family.
Working on a Sunday wasn't something that Donna did if she could avoid it, but this particular Sunday she didn't mind. She and Harvey, along with a few of the other associates, had offered to come in and get a few things done so that the firm could close between Christmas and New Years (save for a few staff members that volunteered to work).
That morning, she arrived at the office before Harvey and placed a coffee on his desk. She wondered if things would be awkward between them after their text exchange where she accidentally revealed she was wearing his sweater, but he was cheery when he arrived, thanked her for the coffee, and nothing seemed to be different between them.
Harvey had spent the majority of the morning working on a client case with Mike, while Donna had begun sorting through his calendar for the New Year. She notices he has New Year's Eve blocked off in his calendar and wonders if he has plans. He probably did. He usually went to some type of black tie event with a girl who's name he never mentioned afterwards.
She reminds herself that she has no right to be jealous, but she is, and she hates herself for it.
Mike leaves Harvey's office and stops to talk to her, asking about her evening with Rachel and her plans for the holidays. She notices he doesn't mention her spending time with Harvey and wonders if Rachel told him not to say anything. She knows he knows, it's one of her Donna skills, but he doesn't mention it and she doesn't dare bring it up; he'd be too excited and for nothing.
Donna tells Mike she'll see him later when she comes over to watch the newest episode with Rachel, and waves as he walks back to his office. As soon as Mike is gone, Harvey emerges from his office and leans over the top of her desk with a massive smirk.
"Hey," he says in a soft and sultry tone that he reserved for usual use with her name.
"Harvey," she greets him. She rolls her chair over to the side of the desk he's standing on, straightens up a stack of papers and looks up at him. "Can I help you with something?"
"Nothing in particular." He stays rooted in his spot, both elbows propped on her desk, arms reaching into her space. She watches as the boyish grin on his face grows and waits for him to spit out the reason he's loitering beside her desk.
"So, my sweater," he finally says, grin going from boyish, to sheepish, to smug in a matter of seconds.
"Oh my god," she groans, "it wasn't a big deal."
"Hmm, I don't know Donna. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're into me." He leans over her desk and whispers the last part, sending a reminiscent chill down her spine.
You're into me.
"We've had this conversation, but in case you've forgotten, I'm not into you, I'm…"
"Donna!" a shrill voice calls from up the hall.
Both Donna and Harvey whip around and spot a tall red head striding towards them. She was wearing a fur coat, tall black boots and bore a striking resemblance to Donna. Harvey slides himself back and off of Donna's desk, the space between them suddenly seeming much too vast for his liking.
"Amy?" Donna exclaims, stammering as she hurries to stand and round her desk to hug her older sister. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a girl drop by and surprise her little sister? I stopped by your apartment but you weren't home so I figured you'd be here. And here you are." Amy gives Donna a once over, and Donna folds her arms over her chest. Her sister was always judging her for spending so much time in the office, what she wore, and for the way she chose to live her life. Amy, though nearly ten years older, was always the "put-together" one. Donna grew up living in her shadow, and she'd always resented Amy for being perfect at everything.
Amy moves and pulls Donna into an awkward side hug, which Donna reciprocates with one hand while praying Amy didn't have plans to stay with her in the city over the holidays.
"I'm sorry, we're being rude," Amy says, breaking the hug. She eyes Harvey and steps around Donna to extend her hand towards him.
"I'm Amy, Donna's sister. You must be her boyfriend."
Harvey pauses, hand semi-extended, his mouth opens and closes twice before he speaks. "Harvey."
He shakes her hand and doesn't correct her assumption.
"My boss," Donna adds.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Amy smirks, "I just assumed the way you two were cozied up when I walked in that you were together."
Ya, right. Donna thinks to herself. She'd told Amy countless times about her boss, Harvey, and she knew her sister had thrown a flame into the fire on purpose.
"We're friends," Donna explains.
"You'll have to forgive me, I just assumed my sister would have jumped on the chance to date a handsome man like yourself," Amy flirts. Donna watches as she shifts her body and angles it towards Harvey while batting her eyelashes hard enough she could start a hurricane.
"I didn't know your sister was in town," Harvey says to Donna, though his eyes are fixed on Amy. Men, Donna internally sighs.
"Neither did I," she says, "What brings you to the city?"
"I wanted to see you."
Donna tilts her head in disbelief. She and Amy had never been close and they definitely did not have the type of relationship that involved dropping in to casually catch up.
"And I have a business meeting in town tomorrow," she adds. "I thought that maybe we could do dinner tonight?"
"I have plans…"
"Can you cancel them? C'mon Don, when's the last time you and I had a chance to catch up?"
"I don't know Amy…"
"Harvey here can join us," Amy suggests. Harvey, who had tuned out, looks to Donna for help but finds her equally as flustered by the offer.
"I think Harvey has better things to do than come to dinner with us."
"Do you have plans tonight?" Amy asks Harvey.
"Well, no…"
"Then it's settled," she claps, "you'll come to dinner with Donna and me."
"Amy," Donna says in a warning tone.
"What? If y'all are friends it'll be fun. I'd love to get to know your friends," Amy smirks at Donna and Donna knows Amy is well aware she has backed Donna into a corner.
"I should get going, I've got an appointment to get to. 7 o'clock, I'll text you the address," Amy calls over her shoulder. "It was good seeing you Donna. Nice to meet you Harvey!"
Amy leaves as she enters, a chaotic storm trailing her. Donna looks to Harvey and studies his face, but finds no signs of discomfort.
"You don't have to come tonight," she tells him.
"It's fine," he shrugs. "I've got nothing else going on tonight. Besides, it'll be fun to hear about some of the embarrassing things you did in high school."
"Don't you dare!"
"Just try and stop me," he winks. He returns to his office leaving Donna to her thoughts. For some reason unbeknownst to her, Harvey accepted her sister's spontaneous dinner invitation, and she knew exactly how this evening was going to go. Amy would say things to make Donna uncomfortable, like the comment she'd made about Harvey being Donna's boyfriend, and it would put a strain on the relationship she and Harvey worked so hard to rebuild after the other time.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the evening, she sends a message to Rachel, asking if she and Mike would mind tagging along. She'd told Rachel enough about Amy in the past for Rachel to understand that Amy had tricked Harvey into attending, and tells Donna that she and Mike will be there as buffers.
Before the end of the work day, Donna re-iterates to Harvey that she doesn't mind if he cancels, but he promises he doesn't mind. He makes plans to meet her at her apartment for 6:30 so they can head over together, and he reassures her that it'll be fun, especially with Mike and Rachel joining them.
"Just a group of friends grabbing dinner, try not to stress about your sister going, it's all going to be alright," he said with an honest look in his eye.
She appreciated his ability to read her and know that having her sister around put her on edge, and she realized now that he'd likely accepted the dinner invite to help her through the evening. She leaves the office before him for the first time in a long time and heads home to get ready for dinner.
.
.
Two glasses of wine to calm her nerves and half a tub of chunky monkey later, Donna stares at her own reflection in the mirror and admires the red velour gown with the plunging neckline she's selected for dinner.
It was a tad bit fancier than what she'd normally wear to this restaurant but she was on a mission to impress her older sister. She fixes a few of her curls and turns on the television to catch the start of the new Twelve Days episode while she applies her makeup.
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The Twelve Days of Christmas
Chapter 6: An accidental night with family.
"Can I have the butter?" Rebecca asks Michelle.
"Say please," her father instructs.
"Please," the young girl adds.
Michelle reaches across the table and helps the young girl add butter to her roll. She was sitting at the Shawn's dinner table, having dinner with Mr. Shawn and his two daughters, Rebecca and Sadie. Hesitant to accept the invitation to have dinner with his daughters, Michelle was pleased to discover that it was the girls who insisted Mr. Shawn invite her to dinner.
This was the first time she'd ever been over to Mr. Shawn's, and just as she expected his home was lovely. The dining room and adjacent living room were decorated in soft white lights, and a tree stood in the far corner, presents scattered across the floor beneath it. The girls excitedly welcomed Michelle and showed her their rooms; decorated in shades of pink and purple, before the four of them settled down to enjoy a steak dinner.
Mr. Shawn offered her an apologetic smile for the girl's excitement, but she whispers that he has a lovely home and thanks him for inviting her to dinner. She wasn't sure accepting the invitation was a good idea, not wanting to impose on his home life, but he insisted she join. It was refreshing to see Mr. Shawn at home with his girls. She knew he was a great father, but seeing him with them made her feel all types of things.
Charming, charismatic, good with kids. He really was the whole package.
"Daddy," Sadie pipes up from across the table. She looks at her father with wide-eyes as she speaks.
"Are you going to marry Michelle?"
He nearly chokes on his steak when she asks, and has to take a large sip of water before speaking. Michelle waits for him to respond, curious as to how he was going to handle this one.
"Well sweetheart, you have to be in love before you get married."
"But you do love Michelle," Sadie says.
Mr. Shawn locks eyes with Michelle across the table and a charged energy passes between them. There's silence and a beat before anyone speaks again.
"Of course I do darling, but I love her like a friend or a co-worker. To marry someone you have to love them romantically," he explains.
"Besides," Michelle interjects, "there needs to be all of these other things, you'd have to get along well enough to live together, there has to be a sexual tension," she brushes her palm against his beneath the table and blushes, pulling back as they share a knowing glance.
"What's a sexual tension?" Rebecca asks.
"I think that's enough questions for today!" Mr. Shawn exclaims, "why don't you two run along and play while Michelle and I get dessert ready?"
"Okay," both girls cry together. They scramble down from their seats and scamper off into the living room to play.
"Sorry, they aren't used to me bringing anyone over," he apologizes. He rises and begins to gather the plates, stacking them and clearing the table. Michelle helps him by doing the same with the platters and follows him into the kitchen to place them in the sink.
"It's alright. They're adorable."
"Sorry if they made you feel uncomfortable."
He turns on the water and begins to rinse the plates she passes him. They stand side-by-side washing dishes in the sink.
"It's alright," she smiles, placing her hand over his forearm. He turns to face her as she does so.
He chuckles softly to himself, and she smiles at the fact that he's smiling. "Wild little imaginations they have. Asking if we're going to get married. We aren't even together."
"You've never brought someone home?" she asks quietly.
"I don't want them to get attached to someone that won't be around long," he replies.
"Then why…?"
"Invite you? You're different. And I plan on keeping you in my life."
"You do?" she whispers.
"If that's alright with you?" The words roll off his tongue in a whispered tone, and he's standing close enough that she can practically feel them. His eyes scan hers, his palm settles on the small of her back and tugs her half a step closer to him. She holds her breath and leans in, her entire body humming in anticipation. His lips hover inches from hers but Rebecca's call from the living room shatters the moment and they pull apart.
"We're coming!" he calls back, reluctantly releasing Michelle's waist.
Michelle turns and prepares to leave the kitchen when the sound of his voice, gruff and hushed, forces her to turn around.
"Michelle."
"I-" he whispers, lips hovering just above her ear, his body pressed against hers in the threshold of the doorways
"Yes," she breathes.
"You consider us friends don't you?"
"Obviously," she responds.
"But…"
"But," she whispers, her lips ghosting over his with an extreme patience that requires all of her attention.
He gives in quicker than she does, his lips capturing hers in a searing kiss.
It knocks the breath out of her, and leaves her winded when he pulls back to answer the calls of his children who are now demanding dessert.
"To be continued?" he asks before he walks away.
She swallows hard and nods.
.
.
Donna coats her lips in a crimson red and puckers them. Deeming herself ready, she turns off the television and fetches her heels from the closet. She decides watching part of the episode while she was getting ready was a mistake. Normally, it left her feeling light-hearted and hopeful, but tonight, it paralleled her own life a little too closely (with the family dinner and all) and it just reminded her of all the things she didn't have with her own boss.
She's contemplating a third glass of wine when the doorbell rings.
She opens it and Harvey, wearing a navy suit jacket, white collar shirt but no tie, steps into her front hall.
"Wow, you look…" the word beautiful dies on his tongue, "nice."
"Thanks," she smiles. "Let me grab my coat and we can get this over with."
Donna retrieves her red wool coat from the closet, and tosses it behind her back while slipping her left arm into the jacket. Harvey grabs it and helps her pull the other arm through the sleeve without being asked, his fingers brushing against the nape of her neck as he does so. She blushes while thanking him and the two of them head off to dinner, his hand guiding her from where it's resting on her lower back as they march to the elevator.
She's humming. Doesn't realize it, but she hums from the elevator to the car, and from the car to the restaurant. Harvey notices and grabs her hand before they enter the restaurant.
"Hey," he says, eyes locking on her face, "it's going to be alright. This is supposed to be fun."
"I know, it's just, I know Amy and I know she's going to say something that will make this… will make you…"
"Donna," he says with a squeeze of her palm. "She can't say anything that will offend me. I offered to be here. I've heard enough stories about your sister to know what I was getting myself into."
"And if she says something," she pauses and takes a deep breath, "about us."
"It'll be nothing the associates don't already think," he smirks. She stares back at him with wide eyes, her hand still pressed firmly in his palm and he laughs. "What? I'm not allowed to make jokes about that?"
"I didn't know you knew," she admits.
"Mike may have let it slip once," he tells her, "it's cute that they spend their time thinking about us, don't you think?"
She'd never thought about it that way. There was a time in her life when the gossip bothered her, but she'd come so far in both her personal and professional life, she no longer cared when anyone thought.
"You're just trying to make me forget about how badly I'm dreading this," she remarks.
"Is it working?"
"A little bit," she smiles, "enough that I'm ready to go inside."
Harvey follows her lead into the restaurant, holding her hand in his until they spot Amy waiting for them and he gives it one last reassuring squeeze before letting it fall back to her side.
.
.
"Donna, over here!" Amy calls from a table located in the center of the restaurant.
"Hey," Donna greets her sister as she and Harvey join her. To her surprise, Harvey pulls out her chair before moving to his own, located between the Paulsen sisters and across from the empty seats reserved for Mike and Rachel.
"How was your meeting?" Donna asks.
"Oh you know, same as always." Amy never discussed what she did with Donna, instead she often chose to use vague terms that left Donna wondering what she even did. Luckily, Mike and Rachel arrive before any more small talk has to be made, and Donna introduces her sister to her best friend and her boyfriend. Amy chats with Rachel about a few items on the menu, both women immediately bonding over their interest in food, while Mike, Donna and Harvey order their second round of drinks and discuss Mike's newest potential client.
The group orders their food and talks about where Donna and Amy grew up. Amy shares an embarrassing story about a time when Donna locked herself out of the house after school and decided to climb up the side of the house and crawl through her bedroom window, only to have her skirt get caught on the gutter and Jim had to get her down from the roof with a massive ladder that was borrowed from a neighbour.
Amy listens as Mike tells her how he and Rachel met, and Donna finds herself enchanted by Mike's version of the story. Of course, Rachel had shared the same story with her thousands of times during their girl's nights, but something about hearing Mike describe the first time he knew Rachel was the one, captivates her. She knew he had a secret soft side, but she never really had a chance to see the two of them together outside of the office and it was sweet to see how in love they were.
"Here," Donna whispers to Harvey, using her fork to put the mushrooms that came on her dish onto his plate.
He accepts them and without being asked and places a few cherry tomatoes on her plate. It had become something they'd grown accustomed to doing when they went out to dinner. She hated mushrooms but her favourite pasta dish always came with them, he could care less about tomatoes, so they traded.
Harvey places a final tomato on Donna's plate and snags a few of her noodles with his fork, stuffing them into his mouth before she has a chance to protest.
"What if I was going to eat that?"
"You never finish it. Besides, you can have some of mine if you're still hungry."
She puffs out her lower lip and fake pouts but soon returns her attention to her meal. Rachel watches as the pair interact, as if sharing their meals was something they did every day. She can't help but notice to comfort and ease with which they orbited one another. They moved in tandem, and seemed to communicate without having to vocalize any of their thoughts. She always knew that the bond Harvey and Donna shared was special, but watching them act so instinctively domestic was eye-opening. She knows that Mike sees it too, and she wonders if Amy can also sense something going on between them.
Lately, Harvey and Donna had been getting closer. Rachel watched as they began to spend more and more time together outside the office. She noticed Donna carefully selected her words when speaking of Harvey and she knew her friend only did that when she was trying to protect herself from getting hurt. Normally, she would advise Donna to be careful. Harvey wasn't a relationship kind of guy, and Donna needed someone who was going to be there for her, but lately, Rachel had noticed a change in Harvey and she was beginning to wonder if maybe he was finally becoming the man Donna needed him to be.
"So, Amy, how is Bradley doing?" Donna asks.
"Well. He was just promoted and he's hoping to make the senior management team by the end of the quarter."
"Shame he couldn't make the trip with you."
"It's for the best," Amy chuckles, "He'd only prevent me from spending an arm and a leg at Hermés."
"I see you Paulsen women have a lot in common," Harvey laughs. "Donna once dragged me around Hermés for nearly three hours until she finally settled on a bag."
"It was not three hours, you're being dramatic," she rolls her eyes in Harvey's direction but her smile tells him she's teasing.
"They offered me snacks."
"They offer every customer snacks," she replies.
Amy watches as the pair bicker back and forth and just shakes her head. The light-hearted debate finally comes to an end and Amy excuses herself to use the restroom.
Rachel looks between Harvey and Donna, who are now grinning into their meals and dares to ask, "Okay, I thought you invited us because this was going to be awkward with just the three of you but you two are surprisingly comfortable around Amy, have you done this before or something?"
Donna and Harvey exchange a brief glance and both grin in a way that drives Rachel mad.
"No," Donna answers.
"Well, there was that one time," Harvey adds.
"Oh?" Rachel urges him to go on.
"I helped Donna cook dinner for her mom and her new boyfriend once and I ended up sticking around for dinner. Amy was only there for a short while though, she had to leave for some work-related thing."
"Hang-on, Harvey, you've had dinner with Donna's family? You told me to put off the family dinner until things were getting really serious," Mike says.
"Hey!" Rachel exclaims. Harvey looks away sheepishly and Mike mutters something of an apology to Rachel, claiming he didn't take Harvey's advice.
"That's different. We aren't together," he wags his finger between himself and Donna.
"Wait, this wasn't when you two…" Rachel's voice trails off and her eyes grow wide.
"No!" Donna says before Rachel has a chance to finish her sentence. She wasn't sure how Harvey would feel about her telling Rachel of their night together, and this certainly wasn't the place to have that discussion.
"He helped me cook and then my mom insisted he stay," Donna explains, "it ended up being quite fun, even though dinner was an absolute disaster and my mom's boyfriend was awful."
"You forgot about the shrimp thing," Harvey laughs.
"Believe me," she says, "no one will ever forget about the shrimp thing."
"I felt so bad, I never knew hairspray was so sticky."
"She had no idea for hours."
"For the record, you were the one who made me laugh and spit it out."
"But you were the one that suggested we finish that entire bottle of wine."
"I didn't hear any objections."
Mike and Rachel watch in silence as their friends get lost in their own conversation. Rachel can tell by the way Harvey's body is angled towards Donna, that to him, she might as well be the only person in the room. His entire face lights up when he makes her laugh, and if Rachel didn't know any better she swore his hand was inching closer to where Donna's was resting on the table.
When Amy returns from the restroom, Donna and Harvey are giggling while Mike and Rachel smile, nod and pretend they're in on the private joke.
"What did I miss?" Amy asks as she reclaims her seat.
"Oh nothing," Donna manages to say through her giggle fit, "Just reliving some good memories."
Harvey catches her eye as they all engage in a conversation about Amy and Donna, and they have one of the silent conversations they'd become so good at having.
That night was special. And it meant alot to both of them. Donna, because Harvey was there when she needed him to be. Harvey, because it was the first time in a long time he felt like he wasn't alone.
As the evening begins to wind down, Mike and Rachel excuse themselves and Rachel promises that she and Donna can talk about the episode the next day once she watches it. Mike offers Donna a ride but she assures him that she'll catch one with Harvey.
While they head out of the restaurant Mike leans over and whispers to Rachel, "I'm sure she will," and Rachel spends the entire ride home lecturing him about why they can't meddle in Harvey and Donna's romantic relationship.
"I should get going, early morning and all," Amy says as she stands and prepares to leave. "Harvey," she extends her hand to shake his, "it was nice seeing you again. Take care of my little sister."
"I will," he nods.
"And Donna," she says as she moves around Harvey to hug her sister. "It was great to see you."
"I'm going to go and find Ray, I'll leave you two to say goodbye and meet you outside?" he asks Donna.
She tells him she'll be out in a moment and thanks Amy for inviting her to dinner.
"I had a surprisingly nice time," she laughs.
"You're lucky to have someone like him who loves you," Amy says, nodding in the direction of the door Harvey just vacated.
"Amy, I told you, it's not like that. We're not together."
"I know," Amy smiles. She extends her arm and pats Donna's shoulder before stepping around her towards the exit and waving goodbye.
Donna stands there at the table a moment longer, thinking about what her sister just said. Amy was always pushing Donna's buttons and trying to get a rise out of her, but something about the way she said she knows leaves Donna to wonder if she truly meant what she said.
Harvey is waiting out front with Ray by the time Donna gets outside, and he opens her car door before rounding the Lexus and climbing in next to her. He leans back against the leather seat and allows his right arm to fall next to hers in the space between them. Their hands lie close but not touching for the duration of the ride, and each time he shifts in his seat she wonders if he'll brush the back of her palm. The ride to her apartment is short and quiet, but the thrumming of her heartbeat in her ears occupies her so much so that she hardly notices they've arrived.
Harvey walks her to her door and waits while she fishes her key out of her purse. Once inside, Harvey lingers in the doorway, running his hand through his hair while he waits for her to say something.
"Thank you, for coming tonight. It means a lot to me."
"Donna, you know I'd do anything for you," he smiles.
He would. And she knew it. The thought alone is enough to make her heart race. Harvey Specter, the self-proclaimed greatest closer the city had ever seen was willing to sit through an uncomfortable dinner for her, and she couldn't make sense of what that meant. She heard him tell Mike that you didn't meet the family until you knew things were getting serious, but he'd met her family, twice.
"I know," she smiles. Instinctively, she reaches for his tie, but he isn't wearing one and her hands fall to his shoulders. She leans forward and presses a soft kiss to his cheek. "Good night, Harvey."
He steps back, dazed, sticks his hands in his pockets and takes a few steps back. "Good night, Donna."
She waits until he gets on the elevator to close the door. He waits until he gets on the elevator to punch the wall. He should have kissed her. If there was ever a perfect moment for him to do so, it was the one he just missed. Timing had never been their strong suit. There were careers and career changes and significant others that always stood in the way, but now, he was running out of viable excuses to use as reasons for why they shouldn't be together. He no longer wanted to find an excuse, he just wasn't sure how to go about telling Donna that, and he wasn't convinced she felt the same way. She had her rule, and he had to respect that. But tonight, there was a moment and he was sure that if he'd have kissed her, she'd have kissed him back.
When he reaches the car, he gives Ray the rest of the night off and tells him that he feels like walking. The fresh air impales him with a cruel slap of reality, and it suddenly dawns on him that tonight wasn't the first time he wished he'd kissed Donna. It hits him all at once that he's in love with Donna Paulsen, and he has no clue what to do with this newly discovered information.
.
.
Donna closes the door and sinks down against it with her head in her hands. She lets out a frustrated sigh and slowly climbs to her feet. She drags herself into her bedroom where she changes into a nightgown and slippers and climbs into bed where she replays the moment she and Harvey were at her door repeatedly. She thought he was going to kiss her before he walked away. For a moment, she thought he may even turn back and kiss her, but he walked away with his hands stuffed in his pockets and left her wondering if she'd imagined the entire moment.
Tonight, she accepted what she'd already known deep down for years. She was head over heels in love with her boss.
But she was the one who once demanded they not cross the line between friendship and romance, and now she was wavering. She could revoke her rule, but was she ready for that? Was he?
She'd never felt so lost.
Maybe what she wanted was to remain lost. There were no rules, no right and wrongs, do's and don'ts. Perhaps, she never wanted to be found. She wanted to live in the land of possibility, where she could pin Harvey up against the wall in her hallway and kiss him senseless simply because she felt like doing so. Flirt with him because she felt like it. She was lost, yes, but for the first time she was starting to realize she didn't want to be found.