Prompted to me by Sam (swancharmings) via CuriousCat and based on this scene from General Hospital: /IUgj4V5YkR0 [11:42]. It ended up being too long not to post as an actual fic, so.
Thank you to both Heather (kalingswifts) and Sam for playing tag-team beta on this one. I love you more.
(Also! Happy five month wedding anniversary to Donna and Harvey, and five year anniversary to Intent. I'm declaring it an international holiday.)
—
the battle axe
It's moments like this that he loves, especially after a difficult, stressful day; peering into Donna's office not long before it's time for them to pack up and watching the way she's so immersed in the job that absolutely no one can conquer the way that she does. The sight that he finds today is different, though not abnormal and no less something that only she can do immaculately. Maybe he's biased.
Donna's on the couch, laptop abandoned on the desk with the miniature version of herself crushed into her side. Her fingers run lightly through their daughter's hair — both of theirs igniting in the light cast through the window by the setting sun as she answers an abundance of questions and admires the confident livelihood of the four year old next to her. Every ounce of strength and integrity that she carries in her job, she carries into motherhood and Harvey knows, without a doubt, that he has never loved anything more.
Their daughter's thumb meets her lip and he can tell that it's time to go — the sitter had canceled today so she's been in the office since school let out at noon, meaning that she definitely missed her nap. If they don't get home soon, well… she's equal parts her mother and father encased in the ticking time bomb of a preschooler. Gremlins had the right idea, Harvey thinks. They're lucky the one that they made is so cute — even if she's too cute for her own good but then again, she's Donna Paulsen's daughter. One would expect nothing less.
"Hey," he says from the doorway before taking the last few steps into the office, "You both ready to head home?"
Donna nods with a soft smile, "I have a few things to finish up but I can meet you in the lobby in ten? If you want to…"
Looking pointedly at the littlest Paulsen-Specter, Harvey gets the message. Scoop her up before she has time to react and she'll be fine, make her leave Mommy's side on her own accord and she won't budge. Not without tears, anyway. He can't blame the kid. He hoists her into his arms quickly and as predicted, she doesn't fight it, instead clinging to him with a force that Harvey feels like he'll never deserve.
He takes the easy transfer as his cue to go, leaning down to place a quick kiss on Donna's lips before carrying their girl out the door and down the hall.
By the time they reach the elevators, she's giggling that high pitch, uncontrollably exhausted little kid laugh that's such a staple in his life that Harvey doesn't think to calm her even though they're in a place of business. He eggs her on with a tickle and she giggles louder, catching the attention of a batch of new associates at the front desk.
"At least someone's having fun in this place," one of them says snidely, "Look out, the COO's still lurking around here somewhere."
"Excuse me?" Harvey stops. He knows that Donna had to come down hard on a few of the newest today — two had decided to take matters into their own hands, nearly screwing a settlement in the process and a third cared too much about firm gossip and too little about their job. Assuming that these were the three, he wasn't surprised by the malice regarding one of their bosses.
The second chimes in, "We barely get away with breathing in this place."
"Well, it is a law firm and you have a job to do. You aren't getting paid to dick around all day."
Grimacing, the first nods toward the child in his arms. He can tell that she's trying to get a read him — trying to reason with the fun-loving dad that he seems to be, not knowing that not only is he one of her bosses, but that he's very happily married to the one she's just insulted.
"Fortunately, the COO's a total battle axe," the third associate remarks, sarcasm lacing his tone. "It'll be all work and no play from here on out."
If it's some ridiculous, caveman instinct, Harvey doesn't know (it probably is), but his hold on their daughter tightens just slightly — protective of his girls, "That's a little harsh, I'd say."
"Eh, not really."
"Have you ever tried running an institution where everything filters through you? Yeah, I didn't think so. It's a tough job and Donna is the best of the best."
"You know her?"
He catches it then — whether or not these new associates have any idea who he is, they know nothing about his and Donna's relationship or the fact that Donna is truly the most capable, intuitive, incredible woman that will do wonders for their careers if they let her.
"Yeah, I do know her. That 'battle axe' is my wife," the reply comes out just as smugly as Harvey had intended; a smugness that he knows Donna would roll her eyes at but he can't help it. She doesn't need him to protect her or to defend her, he knows that and he thinks that maybe he isn't. He's showing the child that they made that he's carrying in his arms that her parents will always and have always gone to the ends of the earth for each other. It's a weak justification but he won't regret the stunned look on the associates' faces as he turns on a heel and walks into the elevator with his daughter clinging to him, little arms tangled around his neck.
It's five minutes later that Donna meets them in the lobby, fingers lacing through Harvey's and giving them a squeeze before moving closer to lock their arms together as her other hand trails up his bicep. Her eyes meet their little girl's tired ones then — she's half asleep with her head tucked under her father's chin and they both know that there's no way she'll last the drive home.
"I wanna be a battle axe like Mommy when I'm a grown up," the four year old murmurs through a yawn.
"A what?" Donna asks. She immediately catches Harvey's smirk which seems to be enough to clue her in.
Harvey chuckles, "Nothing."
"You got into it with the associates, didn't you?"
"No," he scoffs, "But it seems like you did."
He isn't wrong, but neither is she. And Donna doesn't need to tell him that he doesn't need to fight her battles for her, Harvey knows that but it doesn't exactly hurt to acknowledge that this is how and how much he has always loved her. Besides, they're a team and they always have been. They always will be. They can't fault the other for the protectiveness that they feel — for the way that they defend each other, especially in front of their child. It's instinctual… beyond that after so many years side-by-side.
Rolling her eyes, Donna laughs, "Let's go home before you find someone else to intimidate in my honor."
"You put them in their place this afternoon, I just made sure that they knew it. I didn't intimidate them."
"Oh, really? So what's next week then? Having a 'talk' with some preschoolers? Maybe slap 'em with a lawsuit for not sharing with your daughter, Specter?"
"Hey, you're the battle axe and I'm the closer. You'd be the one fighting four year olds."
"You sure about that?"
Grinning, Harvey concedes, "No. You know I'd do anything for the two of you."
ღ
Thank you for reading!
Comments and criticism are always welcome.