Suits
9x15
"Here Lies the Law"
A Season 9 Story
Written by darveyscactus and CatsBalletHarveySpecter
Leaning back in her plush leather chair, Katrina grins to herself as she takes in the skyline outside of her new office. It hadn't been an easy journey, getting here, but it was worth every set back and stress-filled moment she faced over the years. When she first joined the firm as an associate, she could only dream that one day she would become a senior partner at the firm. Now here she was a name partner.
Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett.
She'd come a long way to earn those seven silver letters that hung in the firm lobby. With Louis' guidance and the occasional call made to Donna, she knew she could fill the impossibly large shoes that were left for her to fill. One day at a time, she was facing the uphill battle that was working as a woman in law, and she was kicking ass, if she did say so herself.
Turning back towards the briefs littering her desk, she grabs a pen and signs a few forms as she prepares to call it a night.
"There you are!" Louis cries as he bursts into Katrina's office, face flushed.
"Here I am," she replies back skeptically, "In my office where I usually am. What's going on Louis?"
"I need my black swan," he says beneath his breath.
"What?"
"You heard me. I need my black swan," he repeats with a heavy emphasis on the swan.
"Louis, what on earth are you talking about?"
"Just because you're a name partner now, doesn't mean I don't still need you to do the occasional swanning!"
"I meant, what do you want me to do?" she replies calmly, swirling in her seat at her desk.
"So you'll do it?"
"Maybe if you told me what it was…"
"Oh right," he chuckles lightly, "I thought maybe the partnership had gone to your head and you wouldn't want to… You remember the good old days, yeah?"
"Louis…" she sighs, urging him to get to the point.
"Right. You and Samantha are close right?"
"I don't know if I would call us close," she muses, crossing one leg over the other beneath her desk, "But we've gone for drinks a few times."
"Perfect. I need the two of you to go to this gala tomorrow night and I need you to woo Miranda Priestly."
"I'm sorry, did you just say Miranda Priestly? Like Editor-in-Chief of Runway Magazine Miranda Priestly?"
"Do you know another one?" he scoffs.
"And you want us to woo her?" she replies, staring back at him with wide eyes.
"I need you two to sign her to the firm. Her former lawyer passed a few days ago, and though I hate to swoop in at a time like this, I need my two best swans to swoop and woo."
"Please, stop saying the word woo," she begs.
"I'll stop if you'll agree to do it."
"Alright Louis, I'm in. But good luck convincing Samantha."
"Convincing Samantha of what?" the blonde calls from the doorway before seeing herself into the office and taking a seat on Katrina's couch.
"I need you to go with Katrina to a gala tomorrow to help her sign a client," Louis explains.
"Why can't she go on her own? She's signed plenty of clients she doesn't need me to hold her hand?"
"Samantha, this client is a big deal. I need both of my best girls working on this. Besides, it'll give you two a chance to spend time together. Get to know each other a bit outside the office."
"It's an office event…" Samantha replies with a slight eye roll.
"I'm in," Katrina replies before blushing and looking down at her desk, "If you are," she adds.
"Alright, I guess I'm in," Samantha replies, offering Katrina a shy smile.
"Great!" Louis beams as he makes his way towards the door, "My black swan and my white swan off to woo our next client."
"What did he just call us?" Samantha asks once Louis is out of earshot.
"Trust me, you don't want to know," Katrina laughs.
"It's probably easier if we carpool tomorrow, right?"
"Sure. We could leave from here?" she suggests.
"Or I could have my driver pick you up?" she offers, "let's say 7?"
"7 sounds good. I'll text you my address," Katrina smiles.
"Great, I'll see you tomorrow. At 7," Samantha smirks as she exits Katrina's office leaving Katrina to mentally decide on which dress she wanted to wear tomorrow.
See the money wanna stay
For your meal
Get another piece of pie
For your wife
Everybody wanna know
How it feel
Everybody wanna see
What it's like
I'll even eat a bean pie
I don't mind
Me and Missy is so early busy busy makin' money
Alright
All step back, I'm 'bout to dance
The greenback boogie
Donna is standing at the kitchen island absentmindedly swirling vanilla into her and Harvey's morning coffee. She insisted on making it that morning so she could switch hers out for a decaf, knowing that's something Harvey would notice immediately.
She's lost in her thoughts - thinking about the life altering news she'd received less than twenty four hours ago. When Gretchen had suggested it, she didn't know what to think, but as she paced back and forth across the bathroom at the firm during what had to be the longest five minutes she'd ever experienced, she realized she wanted the test to be positive. And when she finally looked down and saw those two little pink lines, she was relieved - scared as hell, but relieved.
And she'd come home last night so excited to share the news with Harvey, to start planning for their future as a family of three. But that air of excitement quickly evaporated when he'd made that comment about just the two of them. The rational side of her brain knew he probably didn't mean it, that he was just excited to see her again after their days apart. But she couldn't quiet the side of her brain that told her he might mean it. All their talk about kids had been theoretical - what ifs and one days - what if he still wasn't sure if he wanted this for them? Or worse, what if he decided he didn't want kids and hadn't told her because it hadn't come up?
She's so distracted by her internal monologue that she doesn't notice Harvey enter the kitchen until he's standing behind her loosely wrapping his hands around her waist and kissing her temple. She jumps slightly at his touch as he reaches around her and grabs his cup of coffee before taking a seat on the stool next to her.
"So, anything exciting happen on your trip," he asks her casually, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Not really," she replies quickly, before her brain has a chance to catch up with what she's saying.
"And how's your dad?" he asks. She can tell he's trying to engage her in conversation - she's usually the chatty one in the morning, so her quietness is probably weird for him.
"He's fine" she says, "he's the world's worst patient and he's already driving my mom crazy. We're waiting on a few more test results but I think - I hope - he'll be fine," she explains, turning her head so her eyes met his for the first time that morning.
"I'm sorry wasn't there," he says, and it's not a lie. Before Marcus invited him to Boston for the weekend, he was kicking himself for not insisting on going with her. As much as she tried to keep her cool about the whole thing, he can see now that it had worried her more than she let on, and he should have been there for her.
"No one was stopping you," she says, a bit sharper than intended but was this what it was going to be like from now on? She knows he's made an effort in the past, but Harvey and her father will probably never truly see eye to eye and the last thing she wants is a hassle every time they take their child to see her parents. She'd grown up on frequent visits to her grandparents and that's something she wants for her child too.
"Donna -," he starts, taking a breath and not quite sure how to respond.
"Just promise me you won't complain too much if he gets really sick and we have to go back, okay?" she huffs, walking to the other side of the counter to rinse out her now empty coffee cup and place it in the dishwasher.
"You know I would never," he tries to explain, but she's not listening. She's now looking over his shoulder at the bookcase in the living room where the cactus - their cactus - sits. Their cactus that is now brown and dry at the bottom.
"Did you forget to water the cactus?" she asks flatly, cutting him off.
"I -," he falters, taken aback by her out of the blue question, "I was in Boston," he says, but given her temperament this morning he's not sure that's a valid excuse.
"It managed to survive a cross country move and yet you're in charge for one weekend and it's on life support," she says.
"I think you're forgetting that I did a pretty good job keeping it alive on my own for a few years," he says lightly, attempting to joke with her.
"If you can't even keep that alive how are you ever going to -," she takes a breath and stops herself before finishing the sentence. His entire existence may be pissing her off right now, but she knows he deserves to hear the news for real, not thrown in his face in the heat of the moment during an argument. And she'll tell him for real, she promises herself, soon.
"How am I ever going to what?" he asks, genuinely curious about how her sentence was supposed to end.
"Forget about it," she says with a huff as she moves around the kitchen collecting her coat, keys, and bag. "I'm going to pilates - I'll see you at the office," tells him as she turns out of the kitchen, leaving him standing, mouth slightly agape, trying to make sense of everything that had just transpired.
"Put your coffee mug in the dishwasher the correct way and water that god damn cactus before you leave," he hears her call from the entryway before the sound of the slamming door echoes through the apartment.
"Have you talked to Donna today?" Harvey asks as he invites himself into Mike's office and takes a seat in one of the chairs opposite his desk.
"For a few minutes in the kitchen earlier," Mike replies, "Why?"
"She was in a weird mood this morning," Harvey explains, "I think we got into a fight about her dad - and our cactus," he adds after a breath?
"Your cactus?" Mike questions with a raised eyebrow, "you know what, I don't want to know," he says after a beat, dismissively waving his hand as he leans back in his chair.
"She's probably just tired from New York," Mike reasons, "plus, our flight got in late last night, she may be jet lagged."
"You're right," Harvey agrees, "plus we -," he starts, a smirk spreading across her face.
"Stop right there," Mike interrupts, raising his hand.
"What? Can't bear to hear about how much better I am than you?" He challenges, laughing slightly despite himself.
"Get out," Mike deadpans, pointing to the door and holding Harvey's gaze.
"Seriously, Harvey," Mike says after a few seconds, "it's probably nothing, but if she really is upset about something, I'd bet you anything it's got nothing to do with what you were fighting about."
Harvey doesn't respond right away, but takes a minute to think back to their first fight - her outburst about his relationship with her dad that was really about Faye's threat to take away her vote. Mike had a point and he only hoped Donna would let him in soon on what was really upsetting her. He was hesitant to push her, because he didn't want them to have another pointless fight, so he figures the best strategy is to wait it out - give her space to feel her feelings and tell him in her own time.
"Hmm, you may be right," he murmurs, still deep in thought.
"You know, that has been known to happen," Mike quibs as Harvey stands to leave.
"We're doomed," Donna huffs, taking a seat across from Rachel at the restaurant they'd agreed to meet at for lunch.
"Care to elaborate," Rachel says, shooting her friend a questioning look.
"He killed the cactus, hates my father, and doesn't know how to load a dishwasher," she deadpans.
"He being -," Rachel pauses, trying not to laugh at Donna's statement, "Harvey?"
"Of course Harvey," Donna replies, as if Rachel should have known the answer, "who else would I be talking about?"
"So I take it you haven't told him yet?" she asks as Donna shakes her head.
"And why not?"
"Because he killed the cactus, hates my father, and doesn't know how to load a dishwasher," she repeats.
"Donna," Rachel replies, giving her a pointed look telling her to cut the crap.
"I was going to," she relents with a breath, "l was going to tell him as soon as I got home, but them," she pauses, taking a breath to collect herself, "he said something about being happy it was just the two of us, and I panicked."
"Donna, I'm sure he was just excited to have you home," Rachel attempts to reason, "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."
"But what if he really doesn't want this?" Donna asks, "I mean, we haven't had a practical conversation about it, only small hypothetical conversations here and there. And he's said he wants it, but what if he's thought about it more and decided he doesn't?"
"You know," Rachel says calmly, hoping to ease her friend's growing anxiety, "the only way to get those questions answered is to tell him."
"I know, Rach, I know," Donna says as she lets out a defeated sigh, "but we got into a stupid fight this morning, so now I have to deal with that too."
"Let me guess, it involved a cactus, your dad, and the dishwasher?" Rachel asks, which makes Donna crack a halfhearted smile.
"Oh god it sounds ridiculous when you say it like that," she admits with a laugh, "but he asked me about my dad, and then I just got so mad about the fact that they don't get along and I thought ahead to when the baby is born - I don't want him to drag his feet every time we go visit my parents, and then I saw the cactus," she pauses, catching her breath, "I sound insane, don't I?"
"You sound hormonal," Rachel clarifies.
Donna shakes her head and lets out a self deprecating laugh just as a waitress stops by their table to take their orders. Once she's gone, Rachel turns back to Donna to discuss the issue at hand.
"Donna, I know you well enough to know that the longer you wait to tell Harvey, the more you're going to talk yourself into thinking he doesn't want this," she reasons, and Donna knows she's right, the irrational side of her brain is powerful enough without pregnancy hormones thrown into the mix.
"Besides," Rachel continues, a smile spreading across her face, "I need you to tell him soon so I can be excited about this! It's barely been a day and I've already almost let it slip to Mike twice," she says with a laugh.
"You haven't told Mike?" Donna asks, "I thought for sure you would. Could you? And then have him tell Harvey?" she jokes, which makes Rachel roll her eyes.
"It's not my news to tell," Rachel explains, purposefully ignoring Donna's second question, "plus, I know he'd much rather hear it from Harvey or you, and not me."
"And who knows," Rachel continues, taking a bite of her salad that had just arrived, "if all goes according to plan, our kids can grow up together," she says nonchalantly.
"What do you mean 'our kids'?" she asks, shooting Rachel a look.
"We've started trying," Rachel admits, smiling a bit wider as she shared the news.
"Rach!" Donna exclaims, "that's fantastic!"
"And very fun," Rachel adds with a smirk, which makes Donna laugh out loud.
"Promise me you'll tell Harvey about your little bun in the oven tonight," Rachel says after a moment.
"I promise," Donna agrees, "as long as you promise to never call this," she says, gesturing to her not yet visible baby bump, "an oven ever again."
Wrapping up his final case for the night, Mike tucks a few files into his briefcase and leans back in his home office chair. Having Harvey and Donna at the firm turned out to be a huge game changer and both he and Rachel were enjoying getting to leave before the sun set on weekdays.
Flipping his laptop shut, Mike saunters into the kitchen and wraps his arms around Rachel's waist while planting a kiss on her cheek.
"That smells amazing," he sighs, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"You always say that," she laughs, lifting her spoon out of her sauce pot so he can taste it over her shoulder.
"It always smells amazing," he beams after tasting the sauce.
He steps around her and grabs a few wine glasses and moves to set the table.
"You know what else tastes amazing," she muses, joining him at the table with the pasta.
"What?"
"That chicken from that little place on the corner in Little Italy," she smiles before falling silent and staring off into space.
"Raaach," he calls her attention back to their conversation. "Something on your mind?"
"It's nothing. It's just I was talking with my dad at the golf course and I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed a few things in the city."
"Things like Italian food?" He teases.
"Amongst other things," she laughs.
"I guess I was just feeling sentimental. So many amazing things happened in Manhattan. That's where we met, fell in love. It's where we both passed the bar and started our lives; personal and professional. And I'm just missing it all a little bit extra today."
"You know, the other day I woke up craving those falafel wraps from Tony's," Mike smiles.
"You miss falafel wraps?" She laughs, reaching for the wine bottle and pouring them each a glass.
"And the bagels obviously," he smirks. "Maybe a few other things, too. It was weird being back there. It still felt like home."
"I think it will always be home," she admits with a small smile.
"Rach? What are you getting at?" He asks when he spots the devious look on her face.
She pauses as she studies her husband, contemplating voicing the nagging thought she hadn't been able to rid, despite her efforts. She notices a small twinkle in his eye and a tug at the corner of his lips and she begins to think maybe her idea isn't so far fetched. Perhaps, he was thinking the same thing.
"I think we've both been thinking the same thing. But it's crazy, right?"
"Is it?"
"We can't just pack up and move across the country Mike."
"We did it once," he points out.
"But now we have the practice to think about."
"Exactly," he smirks.
"Mike Ross, you are not seriously suggesting we move our practice back to Manhattan?"
Mike says nothing, taking in a mouthful of food and smiling softly at his wife from across the table.
"We couldn't? Could we?" She wonders out loud, the sudden hopefulness in her voice seeping through.
"I don't see why we couldn't," he adds.
"What about Donna and Harvey?"
"Well I'm not sure they would fit in our suitcases but we could always try."
"Mike!" She cries, reaching across the table to playfully smack him in the arm, "I'm serious!"
"You saw how Donna was when we visited the firm, who's to say they wouldn't want to join us?" He asks. She pauses to think about his suggestion for a moment, knowing that with Donna's pregnancy her friend would probably love to be closer to her family. She doesn't voice the opinion to Mike, worried he may say something to Harvey before Donna has a chance to tell him but she knows her friends wouldn't be opposed to the move.
"What do you say?" He asks.
"I say, we need a pen and paper and the bottle of wine," she says as she grabs the wine bottle off the table and marches towards the living room.
"What are we doing?" He asks as he follows her into the living room. He stares at her with a slightly amused grin for a moment before joining her on the couch and refilling their wine glasses.
"We're making a pro-con list," she explains, drawing a line down the center of the page.
He nods and leans back, waiting for her to get the pen ready. If he'd learned anything over the years it was that Rachel was not one to make a decision without making a list of some sort. Though he knew what their decision would likely end up being, he decides to play along, knowing the conversation will go alot faster and smoother with a list in her hand.
"Pro - Falafel," Mike states proudly.
"That is not going on the list," she laughs as she playfully rolls her eyes in his direction.
"It's a major selling point!" He whines and she concedes, jotting down falafel in the pro column.
"Con - we just got settled here," she says, before adding, "Pro - my family is in the city."
"Is that a pro?" Mike teases before he's met with a pointed glare that says "really."
"Alright, this is going to take a while, pass me that bottle," he says as he gestures towards the wine. Taking a long swig directly from the bottle, he comes up with another pro for the list and passes the bottle to Rachel.
Finding the bottom of the wine bottle, they find themselves sitting in a mess of papers, littered with various pros and cons. Some of the pages strewn about the coffee table are crumbled from the game of trash-can basketball Mike tried to convince Rachel to play, telling her that if more pros ended up in the can they could conclude that the pros won.
Instead of having a productive game, they ended up getting maybe three pieces in the basket before a drunken set of giggles over-took them and they found themselves sitting on the living room floor eyeing the stack of papers that were supposed to help decide their future.
Sighing, Mike leans back against the couch and smiles at his wife, who's folding one of the pages into a paper airplane.
"We're moving to Manhattan, aren't we?"
Donna gets home after Harvey that night, having opted to join Alexa and some of her fellow associates for drinks and dinner. Part of her knew she'd accepted the invitation in an attempt to prolong the inevitable, but now that she's home she takes a deep breath as she moves through the entryway. After her talk with Rachel, she's ready to apologize for her hormone-driven outburst that morning and, more importantly, tell Harvey their news.
"Harvey?' she calls as she kicks off her heels and tosses her keys and bag on the counter.
"In here," she hears him reply and moves through the apartment to his study, where she sees him sitting at his desk, leaning back in the chair with his feet resting on the desk as he flips through some paperwork.
"Do you have a minute?" she asks, pushing the door open wider and poking her head in.
"Actually I'm kind of busy," he says and she's taken aback by his bluntness.
"I just -," she starts to explain, but he interrupts her.
"Look Donna, I know you're upset about something but I don't want to fight with you, so just let me know when you're ready to clue me in on whatever I did to piss you off, okay?" He says, barely lifting his gaze from the papers in his lap.
Normally, she'd call him out on the spot for talking to her like that, but right now she doesn't have the energy. Maybe it's the lingering jetlag, exhaustion from the day, pregnancy hormones, or a combination of the three, but she closes the door without another word and leaves her husband to his thoughts.
Tomorrow, she thinks, taking a deep breath and swallowing back the tears that were prickling at the corner of her eyes. She'd give him space tonight and tell him tomorrow.
"To what do I owe this pleasure," Donna says happily, answering her phone and reclining back in her desk chair.
"I need your guy," Katrina says seriously on the other end of the line.
"I'm doing great Katrina, thanks for asking! How are you?" Donna asks, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm sorry," Katrina replies sheepishly, "It's just, Louis is making Samantha and me go to this gala because he wants us to sign Miranda Priestly -"
"The Miranda Priestly?!" Donna interrupts.
"One and the same," Katrina confirms, "which is why I need your dress guy."
"You can't just wear anything," Donna agrees, "something classic, but in season, and not too predictable," she muses.
"Thanks, Donna," Katrina says, smiling into the receiver.
"This is a big deal, Katrina. Louis has wanted to sign Miranda for years," Donna says. "Why now?"
"Her lawyer died," Katrina explains, trying her best to stifle a laugh.
"That is so Louis," Donna replies, laughing with her.
"You're going to be great, Katrina," Donna says after a moment, hoping to reassure her. She was no doubt feeling the pressure from Louis to sign Miranda, but if anyone could rise to the challenge, it was Katrina.
Heeding Donna's advice, Katrina picks up a new Jenny Packham dress from her dress guy on her way home from the office before she heads home to get ready for her evening. She'd only spent time with Samantha outside the office on a few occasions, usually with Donna present and she had an odd nervous feeling that had been eating away at her all afternoon. She eventually chalked it up to the pressure Louis put on her to sign Miranda, but the nervous excitement fluttering in the pit of her stomach when she dialed Donna was certainly unrelated.
She takes a quick shower, giving her legs some extra attention since the dress she selected had a slit that ran up one leg before she finds herself wrapped in a towel, wet hair cascaded over her shoulders at the foot of the bed. She peaks at her phone and clears the notification from Samantha telling her the car will be outside in an hour and she groans while making her way back to the bathroom. A half hour later, with her hair pinned back in loose curls she finds herself in front of the mirror admiring the way her new dress hugged her body. She paints her lips with a pale shade of pink and puckers them before tucking her phone into her clutch and grabbing her wrap.
Satisfied with her look for the evening, she makes her way into the kitchen and pours herself a glass of wine, hoping it will help steady the unjustifiable nerves she'd just be struck with. Downing half the glass of red wine, she begins to wonder what her and Samantha will talk about. They didn't have much in common, aside from the fact that they were both name partners and though they'd gone for drinks a few times, Katrina suddenly can't seem to remember what they talked about. She's saved from her own thoughts when her phone buzzes and she sees a message from Samantha telling her she was downstairs. She quickly finishes the contents of her glass and heads to the door when her phone buzzes in her hand again. She considers ignoring the call but recants when she spots Louis' name flashing across the screen.
"Hey Louis. I'm actually just on my way out the door, is it urgent?" she answers as she steps out into the hall and locks the door behind her.
"I just wanted to make sure you ladies were set for tonight?"
"We're all good Louis, I'm on my way to meet Samantha now," she explains.
"And you two have some sort of plan for signing her?"
"The same one we went over with you this afternoon Louis."
"Repeat it back to me," he demands as she reaches the lobby of her building and begins to make her way outside.
"Louis-"
"Repeat it, I need to make sure we're on the same page," he repeats into the phone.
"I'm not going to repeat it Louis…"
"Katrina, I need you to take this seriously!"
"I've got to go know Louis, Samantha's here," she explains as she approaches the black Lexus parked out front of her building. "Yes, yes Louis she just got here. We're on our way now. Yes, I got it. I know. Alright," she mouths an apology to Samantha as she gets in the car.
A few minutes after pulling away from her apartment she finally hangs up and apologizes, explaining that Louis was just worried about them being able to sign the client.
"You'd think I would be used to Louis being so Louis by now but it still surprises me," Samantha laughs when Katrina finally hangs up the phone. "You look nice by the way."
"You too," Katrina blushes at the compliment, "I love the colour of that dress."
"Ready to get this night over with?" Katrina adds with a nervous chuckle.
"Free food, open bar, who knows, maybe this will turn out to be a fun night."
They're at the event for about an hour before they see Miranda. There's a noticeable stir when she arrives and Katrina gestures to Samantha to where a small crowd had gathered around her on the other side of the room.
"She's hard to read," Katrina says under her breath, updating Samantha on the intel Donna had given her. "She talks quietly and probably won't say much, but from her, a nod is a good sign."
Before Samantha has a chance to respond, she's cut off by the vibrating of Katrina's phone on the table.
"Sorry, that's Louis again," Katrina mumbles, grabbing the phone.
"What is it Louis? I'm a little busy…" Katrina groans into the phone.
"Have you talked to her yet?"
"Not since I told you I hadn't ten minutes ago," she huffs.
"Well why not?"
She's about to tell him it's because his persistent phone calls kept interrupting but instead opts for a simple, "We're working on it."
"Keep me posted."
"Goodbye Louis," she sighs with a dramatic tone before hanging up and dropping her phone back into her bag.
Samantha keeps her eyes trained on Miranda as she moves across the room. Seeing her alone at the bar, she elbows Katrina in the side and nods in her direction, urging her to hang up on Louis so they can put their plan into action.
Katrina is at the bar waiting on her martini when she feels her phone begin to vibrate in her clutch. Rolling her eyes, she fishes it out of her bag and slams it down on the bar, waiting for the call to be sent to voicemail. This was the third time within the hour that Louis called to check on her and Samantha and she was sick of the overbearing attitude that was spoiling her evening.
Samantha finds her at the bar and strides up beside her, gesturing for the bartender to bring her a new drink. Her palm accidentally brushes the hand Katrina has laid on the bar and she feels her cheeks flush before she pulls away.
"Having fun?" she asks as she turns to face Katrina just as the phone on the bar begins to rumble again.
"Oh you know, I could be having more fun if Louis would stop calling."
"Still?"
"This is like the fifth time in the past hour."
"I turned my phone off after the third one," Samantha smirks and Katrina's phone begins ringing once again interrupting the conversation.
Before Katrina can silence it, Samantha snatches the phone off the bar and answers the call with a huff. "Louis, I swear to god, you call us one more time and I will chop your balls off and you'll have to explain to Lucy that she's an only child because her father couldn't understand how to keep his nose out of other people's business!"
Giggling, Katrina stares back at Samantha with wide adoring as she hangs up the phone, "I can't believe you just did that!"
"Yeah well, I was sick of that phone interrupting every conversation we had."
"He's going to be so angry-,"
"He can deal with me on Monday," Samantha grins devilishly and Katrina's Louis-related nervousness suddenly vanishes.
"So, before he called for what, like the fourth time? You were telling me about those dance classes you started taking-,"
The evening winds down nicely and after successfully poaching Miranda and having her agree to sign on as a client at Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett the girls find themselves at the bar once again. Katrina contemplates ordering another drink but her yawn makes her wonder if maybe she should call it a night instead.
"Louis aside, I had fun tonight," Katrina smiles shyly over at Samantha.
"Maybe next time we go out we'll actually be alone."
"Ms. Wheeler, are you flirting with me?"
"And how would that make you feel if I am?"
It'd been two days since she first promised Rachel she'd tell Harvey their news. Two days of the two of them walking around each other on pins and needles at home - him giving her the space he thought she wanted in fear of another outburst and her allowing him time to be mad at her which part of her thought she deserved after the ridiculousness of their initial fight. But she missed him, and deep down she knew it was unfair to keep this from him as long as she had. She had no doubt he was racking his brain trying to figure out what he'd done to upset her when in reality, he hadn't done anything.
Looking down at her phone as she receives another forceful text from Rachel, the third of the evening, she takes a deep breath. She wanted to be excited about being pregnant, and she wanted to be excited with her husband.
She finds him in his study, nursing a scotch and listening to one of his dad's records. She stands in the doorway for a moment and watches him. He's swirling the glass absentmindedly in his hand and he's looking up at the ceiling. His expression is blank, but she can tell he's deep in thought, his mind a million miles away.
"Harvey?" she asks tentatively, the sound of her voice pulling him from his thoughts as he turns his head towards her.
She pushes the door open and takes a seat in the arm chair on the other side of his desk. It felt oddly formal and she'd laugh about it if she wasn't so nervous about what she was going to say. She rings her hands together a few times in her lap before taking a deep breath and diving in.
"I'm sorry," she says, "for picking a fight about my dad, and the cactus, and then being so cold, and I'm sorry for not telling you this right away, but I was nervous and I'm not entirely sure why -," she pauses to catch her breath. She's rambling now and she searches Harvey's face for any indication of the effect her words are having on him, but his expression is unreadable.
"I'm pregnant," she finally says.
The look that appears on his face is one of complete bewilderment. She can tell she's surprised him, but she's not sure if it's a good surprise or a bad surprise. They sit in silence for a few moments as Donna continues to study his expression until she sees a huge grin spread across her face.
"You're smiling," she observes, a smile of her own tugging at the corner of her lips, a wave of relief washing over her entire body.
"Because it's good news," he replies with a laugh, "it is good news, right?" he asks when she doesn't immediately respond.
"Yes," she assures him, "I was just worried you wouldn't think it was."
"And what on earth would make you think that?" he asks, standing up and crossing the room before offering her his hand and pulling her to standing, his hands finding her waist.
"Because when I got back from New York you said you were happy it was just the two of us," she explains, realizing as she speaks how silly it sounds.
"Donna," he breathes, "I didn't mean it like that at all," he assures her, "I missed you and was happy to have you home."
"You're really happy about this?" she asks, looking into his eyes and searching for reassurance.
"I really am," he says, "I've wanted you to have my baby from the moment I saw you holding Lucy for the first time," he admits, reaching up to wipe away a stray tear that had fallen to her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"Harvey," she breathes, taken aback by his words.
"Our kid is going to be the luckiest kid alive because she's going to have you as a mom," he says.
"She?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Or he," Harvey replies with a shrug, "doesn't matter to me."
She's smiling so wide it's starting to hurt her cheeks, but she doesn't care. In the back of her mind she knew she'd feel better when she finally told him, but getting to share her excitement with him has her happier and more relieved than she'd imagined.
She brings her hands that had been resting on his forearms around his neck and, rising to her toes slightly, pulls him into a kiss. She catches him by surprise, but he responds quickly and tightens his grip around her waist.
He's smiling into the kiss, which makes her own smile widen and she wonders what she was nervous about in the first place. She lets out a breathy laugh as they part, her hands finding their favorite place at the back of his neck.
"It's a girl, by the way," she says, laughing as another look of complete shock washes over his face.
"For sure?" he manages to ask.
"No, but I just know," she smirks, and he knows better than to challenge her.
"Plus, you're such a girl dad," she explains, her smile widening at the thought of their little girl convincing him to dress up as a princess or have a tea party. He'll complain, but she knows he'll enjoy every minute of it.
"What if it's twins," he says, widening his eyes and baiting her.
"You stop right there, Mister," she replies, playfully swatting his chest.
"How did this happen though?" he asks after a moment.
"If you need a biology lesson on this I'm not sure I want to raise a child with you," she jokes.
"No, I mean how did this happen for us?" he clarifies.
"You know birth control is only like 98% effective, right?" she teases.
"So what I'm hearing is that this kid is already the exception to the rule," he says, which makes her smile and shake her head.
Settling into his leather office chair, he pulls out his cell phone and places it down on his desk, pausing to admire his lock screen. He remembers that day like it was yesterday; she had dragged him to every store he could think of searching for the "perfect shoes" to go with a new dress she bought, and he was quick to discover that the perfect pair of shoes did not exist.
He'd followed her around for hours, carrying the bags and offering an opinion when she asked, groaning occasionally about the extended shopping trip, while they both knew he secretly enjoyed it.
He snapped the picture when she wasn't looking- and her smile was organic in a way that made his heart swell with pride; first, because he was the one to cause it, second because she was his to love. Above her smile her eyes were hidden behind her large rimmed sunglasses and her hair was pulled back into a sleek updo, something she rarely did during the work week. She had her left hand outstretched as she reached for his phone, likely whining about him taking too many pictures of her as she often did, but he had no intention of stopping. Not when the pictures captured their love through her smile and allowed him to be overcome with a wave of emotion and adoration each time he looked at them.
Naturally, she complained when he set the candid photo of her as his wallpaper, but he loved it too much not to. The way her smile shone. The way her wedding ring was visible on her outstretched hand.
He unlocks the phone and scrolls through his contacts, his thumb hovering over a familiar number.
"Harvey, this is a surprise. Is everything alright?" Stan asks into the receiver.
"Everything's great actually. How have you been?" Harvey asks, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
"I think I'm supposed to be the one asking you that," Stan points out. "There's something on your mind."
"How did you-?"
"It's my job to know Harvey. Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm not a patient anymore Stan," he replies.
"I didn't mean as a patient, I meant as a friend."
"That's actually why I called. I have some news," Harvey says, taking a deep breath before he continues.
"Donna's pregnant."
"Harvey that's amazing. Mazel tov! That is good news, right?" he asks when Harvey remains silent on the other end of the line.
"Do you remember when we were talking about Louis and you asked me if I would ever want a family?"
"I do," Stan replies hesitantly.
"When you asked me that, I had no idea whether or not I wanted a family. But then Donna and I got together and suddenly it was so clear that I wanted everything with her. I wasn't sure I was ready to be a father when we got married, but I've always been certain Donna would make a great mother. And now that I'm going to be a father, and we're starting a family I know the answer to your question. I want to be the kind of man that my son or daughter is proud of. And I want to show them what love looks like. I'm ready for this Stan. I thought by leaving the firm Donna and I were starting the next chapter of our lives, but this is the next chapter. And this time, I know I'm ready."
"I'm proud of you Harvey. That's quite the realization to come to on your own."
"We both know Donna helped get me here," he admits, smiling into the receiver.
"You're lucky. What you two have is something special."
"Being with Donna is easy. It's natural, it's almost like breathing. And sometimes I wonder how it took us so long to get here but other days I think of how different our relationship would be without our complicated history. I know it's a huge part of what makes us, us, but sometimes I think it's the reason we have trouble communicating."
"Because you expect the other to just know?" Stan clarifies.
"Partly. But I think maybe part of it comes from the fact that, well at least on my part, I'm terrified I'll say or do the wrong thing and this will all disappear.
"You and I both know that the key to a solid relationship is communication. I think that you need to trust in what the two of you have. Push past the fear. We both know that the love you two have for each other can withstand a difference of opinion."
"I know that you're right. And I'm working on it but sometimes that fear is still there."
"It's a process Harvey. You and I both know that, but it's good to see that you came to this realization on your own. It's nice to see that you're making real progress still."
"Thanks Stan."
"Keep working at it, I know you two will figure out what works for you in terms of communication," Stan says.
"And Harvey, you're going to make a great father," Stan says before he hangs up and leaves Harvey to himself in his office.
"It's a little early for a push present, you know," she jokes as he places a small gift bag in her lap as he crawls into bed beside her.
"A what present?"
"Seriously, Harvey, you didn't have to get me anything," she says as she pulls the tissue paper out of the bag and unwraps it in her lap.
She laughs out loud when she sees what he's gotten her. It's an impossibly tiny grey onesie with three potted cacti across the front with 'don't be a prick' written underneath.
"I promise I won't kill this cactus," he teases, pulling her closer and kissing her temple.
"You better not," she huffs, cracking a smile, "but you've already got the dad jokes down pat," she adds.
"Thank you," she says after a moment, turning to face him and cupping his cheek and giving him a quick kiss.
"I'm sorry I was an asshole," he says sincerely, "and I'm sorry about the next time I'm an asshole, too."
"Apologies don't work like that, Harvey," she laughs, "but thank you."
"Have I mentioned you look beautiful tonight?" Harvey whispers in Donna's ear as he guides her towards a table in the corner of the restaurant where Mike and Rachel were waiting for them.
"I wouldn't mind hearing it again," she smirks, the feel of his palm on her back sending a chill down her spine.
"You look beautiful. Both of you," He purrs into her ear.
"Harvey," she blushes, hand brushing her stomach briefly over her dress before falling back to her side as they reach the table.
"About time you two showed up," Mike teases as he slides over in the booth and makes room for the couple.
"Harvey said we were meeting at 8:30, it's hardly 8:25?" Donna replies confused.
Mike smirks and glances between the pair before settling back against the booth, "Oh really. I hate to break it to you Donna, but your husband lied to you, our reservation was for 8."
"What? Why?" She turns her head quickly to face her husband, who refuses to meet her gaze.
"My guess is it had something to do with that dress," he half chuckles before Rachel gives him a warning glare.
Harvey blushes and takes a sudden interest in his napkin, while Donna laughs softly and takes his hand beneath the table. She knows Mike was trying to embarrass him but she finds it cute that he can't keep his hands off her. Maybe it was the hormones talking but she was a sucker for horny Harvey and she didn't mind that they were late.
Mike orders a round of drinks for the table and a water for Donna as the group falls into a comfortable conversation about a new brunch place Rachel had recently discovered. The waiter brings over their drinks and Mike clears his throat, holding up his glass.
"To the parents-to-be," Mike toasts.
Clinking their champagne glasses , Mike smiles across the table at his friends and reaches for Rachel's hand.
Clearing his throat, he grips her hand and faces the group, "while we're all here, Rachel and I have something we want to share too."
"Oh my gosh are you guys?!" Donna squeals, eyes darting to Rachel.
"Oh no no, it's not that. But it's big and we're excited to see what you guys think."
"It's about the firm. We wanted to see how you guys would feel about a relocation," Mike explains.
"Relocation? Where?" Harvey asks.
"Manhattan."
Stay tuned for...
9x16 - Home
Mike and Rachel move their practice back to the city. Donna and Harvey move back home to start their family. Louis throws a firm wide party to welcome his family home.