Prompt by Malak (DonnaPaulsen19): Pre-canon (season 7 after Paula/ before the wedding) One night Donna is drunk and overthinking why Harvey didn't want to come inside when he ended things with Paula. Is it because he really didn't feel a thing. Or because he was still in love with his therapist… She goes and knocks on his door wobbling on her feet and ready to confront him (it was raining so she was wet and intoxicated)

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Why?

Chapter 1 - Something's Off About Donna

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Donna sat at her desk in her office. She was back here because Harvey had come to her apartment the previous night to tell her that he needed her back. He also said that he was ok as long as she came back. What she could not fathom was why did he not come in to talk things out when she invited him. Instead he gave her a look that said silently that he had only needed a minute to say no.

"Hey, Harriet Specter, how about drinks tonight?"

Donna jumped when she heard Rachel's voice.

"Oh, Rachel," Donna said brushing a lock of red hair from her forehead. "I don't think so. I'm just back and I don't want to..."

"Yeah, about that. Why did you leave and then come back?" Rachel carefully came into Donna's office. "I know the Andrew Malick thing was tough on you, but..."

"Rachel, look, I have a meeting in five minutes, but I will, I promise, come to your office the minute I'm out and tell you everything. Ok?"

Rachel hesitated for a minute. She waited and watched Donna for a second. She knew that something was bothering her although she seemed to be happy to be back.

"Rache, I promise. Ok?" Donna asked again when she realized that Rachel had not left her office.

"Ok. If you don't find me, text me."

By that point, Donna had returned her attention to her notes for her meeting, so Rachel turned around and quietly left.

Meanwhile, Harvey waited in the conference room for Donna and Louis. The partners' meeting was beginning and most of them were present for the weekly Thursday meeting. Soon Louis ventured in and took a seat at the other end of the table.

"Good morning," he said as he paraded down the long table.

Most of the members mumbled a 'good morning' in return.

"Where's Donna?" Louis asked.

Harvey shook his head without speaking. Where is she? She said she would come back.

Harvey's eyes searched for her outside the conference room transparent doors. He soon saw her appear and he smiled at her. He was happy to see she gave him a little smile back. As she walked into the room and took her accustomed seat next to him, Harvey still felt something off.

"Everything ok?" he asked in hushed tones. He desperately wanted to reach out a hand and place it on her arm. Instead he got as close as he could without touching her. Their never spoken self-imposed policy of no touching really pissing him off.

Donna nodded silently at Harvey in response to his hushed question. She then went back to look over the agenda for the meeting.

Harvey rose at her nod and started conducting the meeting...

When the meeting was finished two hours later, Donna did not return immediately to her office. She texted on her phone to Rachel telling her she was on her way and to respond if this was not a good time. Luckily, Rachel texted Donna back and told her that she was free.

Donna came in and took a seat in front of Rachel's desk.

Rachel saw the look on Donna's face as she took the seat and knew there was something much more wrong than what happened to cause her to resign and then return.

"Donna, you look like someone just killed your puppy. What is going on?"

Donna swallowed and just took a minute to look at her and wonder how much she really wanted to reveal.

"This is a long story, so I'll just cut to the chase," she said as she rose and decided to shut Rachel's office door.

"I kissed him."

"What?" Rachel asked.

Donna talked as she took her seat again.

"I knew it was getting serious between him and Paula and I kissed him," Donna said.

"Donna, this is huge!"

"Not the point here. It's a long story. Harvey and Paula broke up. He had to make a choice. Harvey chose me over Paula."

"That's good, right?"

"Yes, but..."

Suddenly Rachel's phone rang and she had to take the call. She signaled to Donna that it was an important long call. Donna silently excused herself and went back to her own office.

Harvey, in the meantime, sat in his office and wondered what was wrong with Donna. She really did not seem herself at the meeting. She did her presentation in front of partners and seemed confident in her information, but he had tried to speak with her and joke with her like they normally did during partner meetings and she ignored him.

He sat in his office and turned around to look out his window. He really missed his old office. Harvey did not know why he agreed with Mike to take Jessica's old office. His records were sitting in the wall shelves and his bar was in another part of the office. Harvey definitely appreciated the larger space but he really did miss his old corner office. The one advantage was that Donna was next door. It was almost like it used to be when she was only 12 feet away.

As he watched the storm clouds gather over the Manhattan skyline, Harvey thought about last night when he hastily broke up with Paula and asked Donna to return to the office. The thought of Donna not being at the firm tore him apart. The firm would have never been the same without her.

Suddenly Harvey received a client call claiming that he was contemplat. Harvey spoke with his client and all thoughts of the problem with Donna suddenly left his mind.

Much later that night...

She banged on Harvey's door. She was soaked and she had to get that burning question answered.

"Harvey!" Donna yelled while banging loudly on his condo door. "Harvey! I...know you're home! Op..en that goddamn door!"

Suddenly the door was opened and Donna almost fell into Harvey's arms as he stood there.

"Donna! What the hell!" He exclaimed as he caught her thoroughly soaked body. "You're soaked."

"Yes, I'mmmm wet! It's rrraining," she told him in no uncertain terms.

"You're drunk, Donna. What are you doing here?" Harvey asked concerned. It was very unlike Donna to drink too much. He had known her get a little tipsy on occasion but never so drunk her speech was slurred.

"Mmmaybe?" Donna said as Harvey guided her with one hand on her arm and another around her waist. She pulled away and slapped him.

"Don't tttouch me...Spppecter!"

"Well, ok, Donna," he said as he removed his hands. She stumbled on her stilettos and her ankle bent to the side as she fell heavily against his kitchen counter.

Harvey came up behind her and as he guided her without touching to a seat at the kitchen bar. Her red hair usually so coiffed was a darker red from the rain and hung in ringlets which glistened with raindrops. Her mascara had run down her cheeks leaving black stains. Her coat was soaked and her blue knit dress with the peek-a-boo neckline was untied at the chest giving Harvey a great view of her breasts which were pushed up in her well soaked bra. The raindrops shone in the track lights above the kitchen bar.

"Ooo, I think I sprained my friggin' ankle!" She said as she bent down and kicked off her shoe. She came back up and bumped her head on the underside of the kitchen bar.

"Donna! Stop! Let me look at your ankle and then your head," Harvey said as he started to rub the back of her head gently. He wanted to make sure she had not injured herself too badly. He knew from experience that when you're drunk and you hurt yourself you may not feel it. However, once you were sober the pain could really be bad.

He bent down and examined her ankle. He removed her shoe and held her foot in his hand. He realized that wherever he touched Donna he felt electric and his fingers tingled as he manipulated her foot. He had the urge to kiss her foot and then as he rose he really wanted to kiss her and help take away the pain she must have been feeling if she had drunk a little too much.

He shook his head and said quietly. "It doesn't look swollen, and you don't have a lump where you hit your head."

"What? Issss that your d-ddiann diagnosis, Docta Specter?"

Harvey rolled his eyes and figured there was no reasoning with a drunk. He walked over to his refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. He put it on the counter in front of Donna.

"Drink this. You need water," Harvey instructed.

"I don wanna," Donna slurred and left the bottle on the counter untouched.

"Now to get you out of those wet clothes," Harvey said coming around the corner again.

"Ah! You're not getting me out of these clothes that easy. That reminds meee..."she drawled and took a swipe at her hair impatiently pushing the red curls out of the way.

"Damn hairrr...it curls in the rain," Donna mentioned getting impatient with her unruly hair wherein she kept slapping the same pieces back out of her face.

Harvey gently came around and moved the hair from her face and placed it behind her ear. Momentarily he took her face in his hands. The urge to kiss her pulled him so hard that he moved within inches of her lips. He had not cared that she smelled like she had downed an entire bottle of rum-straight. He resisted, though, because he felt that once he started he would not be able to stop kissing her and that may lead to other things which in the morning they may regret.

Donna stopped talking. When Harvey held her face in her hands, she thought he would kiss her. Their faces were so close. Then he recovered, pursed his lips, and let go. She watched as he escaped toh his bedroom.

When he returned, he carried a package of boxers, a sleeveless t-shirt, a pair of his HARVARD sweatpants with a matching sweatshirt as well as a pair of white padded athletic socks. He knew that all these things would swim on her slender frame, but she would be warm. He also brought a spare blanket from his bedroom. The blanket he knew would be warm.

He handed her the clothes. "Here, Donna, go into the bathroom and change. You can crash here. You can sleep in my bed. I'm perfectly fine on the couch."

Donna would not take the clothes from him at first. She shook her head which spread some of the remaining raindrops into the air.

"Nnnnooo! I'mmm good," Donna said. She was suddenly cold. She shivered. She took the clothes from Harvey and did as she was told. She slid from the chair without her shoes and looked up at Harvey.

"I'll be right here when you get back and you can ask me that question, okay?" Harvey offered as he looked at her. He had forgotten she was shorter than he was without her four inch heels. He watched her as she walked slowly to his bedroom and into the bathroom.