AN: Whoa, are you guys serious? I can't thank you enough for the reviews, faves and follows to this story. I'm floored. As promised, here's the weekly update. This is the halfway point of this littlle story, but I made the chapter longer for your reading pleasure. You're welcome. Though I marked this fic as Romance/Humor there will be some angst in the upcoming chapters. But I'm all for a happy ending, so fear not!

Previously... Donna's been having a fever, but Harvey stayed with her and made sure she was taken care of. He even called his brother and his doctor to ask for advice.

Sunday. Or: Movie Interruptus

For the entire night Harvey hasn't left her side. He checked her temperature almost every hour and was there when she was shivering for most of the night. Then she'd go through phases where her temperature would go up again. It's been a rollercoaster and Harvey was more than exhausted.

Donna woke up in the morning and turned around to find him next to her in her bed. She faced him and gently stroked across his stubbled jaw. The action almost shocked her for a moment. It was either the meds she had taken or her fever was coming back. She barely got to see him like that. She mostly only knew him neat as a pin, dressed in the best suits his money could buy. For a second she was wondering when a woman was last allowed to see him like that. It had to have been when he was in college. After a moment he opened his eyes and smiled.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," she greeted him. He immediately noticed how normal her voice sounded. It wasn't where it usually was, but it was way better than in the past couple of days.

His smile got broader. "If I'm Sleeping Beauty, what makes that you? Rapunzel?"

"Please, that girl just waits and waits until a guy helps her? You should know me better than that," she said as she again touched his growing stubble. Harvey all but flinched at the unusual contact. "Maybe I should call you King Thrushbeard from now on."

She ran her thumb across his chin.

"I'm not familiar with that name," he told her, his voice deep and sleepy.

"You should read up on your Brothers Grimm then."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm better. And I feel gross. I definitely wanna take a shower."

"Alright. I should make us some breakfast."

"Sounds great. I could eat some solid food. If I see one more bowl of soup in the next days, I think I might go on hunger strike!" she proclaimed, and as if to prove her point her stomach growled loudly.

Harvey got up from beside her and she instantly noticed the cold that seeped into her again. She lifted her upper body and simultaneously swung her legs out of the bed. He was around the bed in no time and held out both hands to help her up.

"Today you're getting the Specter Special," he announced.

She suggestively raised her left eyebrow. He noticed her reaction, and tried to laugh it off.

"Not that Special. Besides, you already had that Special," he defended himself and sounded nervous to her. She was taken aback for the briefest of moments. They never talked about that night ever. They weren't supposed to.

"Which after all those years is just a distant memory," she teased. After all, banter was always the first thing she went to.

"Is that so? I remember it like it was yesterday," Harvey said with a smirk and more confidence. His words sounded almost hushed, like he was telling her a secret.

It made her heart jump. She hoped that he wasn't lying in that moment. "That's because I'm memorable."

"And I'm not?" he asked with a hint of feigned hurt in his voice. Before he gave her a chance to reply, he quickly added, "Anyway, that bed has seen some action in the past."

"It sure has," she said, but the tone of her voice suggested that she wasn't necessarily just referring to the other time.

"Way to ruin a guy's ego, Donna," he said in mock-defeat.

"Yeah right. All I do is course-correct. Otherwise your ball collection would need its own room."

He gave her his trademark smirk in response. "Ready?" he asked and moved a bit closer to her, his hands still ready to help her up.

She got up on wobbly legs, but he steadied her. Together they walked to her bathroom door, where he left her on her own. As soon as she was inside the door, she felt a dizziness that made her legs unsteady again. She clutched the door knob, which caused the door to open again. Surprised by the movement, she let out a shriek. Within seconds, Harvey was by her side again.

"Are you OK?" he asked concerned.

"I felt dizzy for a moment. I'm fine though."

"Let me help you get inside the shower."

"In your dreams. Not after that conversation."

"Donna, you can trust me. I won't peek," he assured her, his look stern but soft at the same time. She believed him. The last thing she needed now was him seeing her like that without her clothes on, without having grabbed a shower in two days and no opportunity to run a razor across her armpits.

"OK. You can give me a hand. But I'll undress in the shower."

"What if you get dizzy again?" Harvey asked her worriedly.

"I'll manage," she said and held her hand up. "The shower walls will give me stability, something to lean on."

Donna was nothing if not a prideful person, so Harvey respected her wishes. It wasn't in his interest to embarrass her. All he was here for was to help her get back to her normal, amazing self. And a not insignificant part of him wanted to take the opportunity to take care of her for a change. She had been nothing but wonderful to him for over a decade, and sometimes Harvey was wondering how he could ever repay her. He was aware that she was only doing her job, but he also knew how dissatisfied with their secretaries some of his colleagues were, and at least Donna looked and dressed the part of an executive secretary at one of the best law firms in New York, unlike Norma with her unflattering seasonal sweaters. Not that her looks were the best or even most important thing about Donna, far from it. It simply was a sign of her infinite integrity and dedication to her work. Harvey also suspected that her talent for acting played a part in it. Costumes made the role, and she played the role of his secretary like she was going for an Academy Award.

They slowly made their way to the shower. Harvey opened the shower door and she took a tenative step into the basin.

"Socks?" he asked her cautiously.

"Right," she nodded as she bent forward to take them off.

After the first sock was off, she grabbed for the second one, but lost her balance. Quickly, Harvey tightened his grip on her waist with one hand and reached up with the other one to steady her on her back. But she twisted slightly and his hand came in contact with her breast.

With an apologetic "Shit, sorry," he quickly retracted and his hand moved lower.

"I knew you couldn't control yourself," she smiled.

"Very funny," Harvey rolled his eyes. If there was one thing he wanted to avoid was to touch her and not enjoy it.

Donna's bare feet now made contact with the cold bottom of the shower and she gave him a small nod to signal she was ready.

"You sure you'll be fine?" he asked again.

"I thought you had more faith in me."

"Donna, you know I believe you can do anything you want. You're amazing," he told her sincerely.

"Thank you, Harvey," she replied with a humble look on her face. It meant the world to her that he had an unwavering belief in her. "Now leave me alone. Geez, I really need to fight you off with a stick today!"

The wink that followed her statement told him everything he needed to know about the seriousness.

"You bet," he said and gave her his cockiest grin.

It were moments like these that questioned everything about their relationship. Donna loved to play the game, but at the same time she didn't know how to deal with lines like that. Was he really interested in her in that way? She normally didn't believe so. He had made it very clear that time at her favorite diner that he only was interested in her in a work-related fashion. And with embarrassment did she think back to that day where she actually for the fraction of a second thought he was going to say that he was wishing for more, in a whole other way. Donna to this day was wondering if she was disappointing in the bedroom and that's why he didn't want to be in a relationship with her. She would be mortified if he ever found out that this had partly been the reason why she started doing yoga all those years ago. To limber up. To do better next time, even when next time never meant a next time with him.

Only when Donna heard the lock on her bathroom door click did she take off her clothes. She threw the garments over the glass walls of her shower and turned on the water. She had missed the soothing feeling of the warm water on her face. She didn't feel dizzy at all, on the contrary. She came alive again under the spray of the shower, and she took her time to wash and condition her hair, clean herself and shave.

Harvey waited by the bathroom door for a moment. When he didn't hear her yell for help, he slowly made his way into the kitchen. He checked her fridge and noticed it was nearly empty. He went to her entryway where he had hidden his bag and changed out of his sweatpants and t-shirt and back into his jeans. He had changed out of them when Donna was fast asleep at night. He grabbed her keys and went to the grocery store around the corner.

When he came back, he found her dressed in dark jeans and a green cardigan. He could see a white collar peeking out from her cardigan. She looked nice. Her look was completed with the towel she still had wrapped around her head. And if he could rely on his trained eye, she even wore a bit of make-up. Not the Donna at work make-up, but a bit of mascara and a light lipgloss.

"You look very nice," he complimented her as he passed her on his way to the kitchen. He unloaded his two bags of groceries on the counter and put most of it in the fridge.

"Thanks. So do you," she replied and gave him a once-over. "Who knew you were capable of grocery shopping..."

"It might surprise you, but I have to eat, too."

"Oh, I know that. I just thought you had someone go to the market for you."

He simply smiled in return. "There are a couple things I can do myself. Hungry?"

"Hell yeah," she nodded enthusiastically.

"Good. I got croissants and that raspberry jam you love so much from Céline's. I wasn't sure if your tastebuds ran at full speed again, but I thought I'd take a chance."

"Are you kidding? I'm drooling! Even if I can't taste everything, it's still refreshing to have some other textures besides soup," said Donna, wondering how he even knew she loved the croissants and jam at Céline's.

"Why don't you dry your hair and I'll set the table," he suggested.

Donna wordlessly went into the bathroom and couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into Harvey. It was almost as if he enjoyed the domesticity. This was all new for Donna, who mostly knew him in a professional setting. Of course, when you've worked together for a decade, you couldn't keep the personal out at all times, and after a while they became friends. With that, she always saw the two sides of Harvey, but moreover she also wondered what he'd be like at home. She tried to avoid his apartment best as she could. On one hand, she didn't want to overstep any boundaries. On the other, Donna knew it'd be stepping on dangerous territory.

Knowing what a boss or a human being Harvey was was one thing, but seeing him in a role she had wanted to see him in for a long time was part wish fulfillment, part torture. It scared her, but at the same time it also gave her hope. For the first time since that night many, many moons ago, Donna was the one who was taken care of. By him. He made sure she had everything she needed, and she'd lie if she said she didn't love every minute of it. It was nice to be on the receiving end of it, but she knew it wasn't wise to push him for more. She knew him after all, Harvey wasn't able to have successful relationships, and neither was she really. But Donna was certain that she could make a relationship work if she wanted to, a concept she didn't know Harvey even wanted at the moment or ever.

Stepping back into her living room, she found him sitting at the table, sipping coffee and looking at her expectantly. Besides the croissants and jam she saw fresh fruit, omelets, bacon, yogurt and toast. In the middle of the table sat a small bouquet of coral red Peruvian lilies.

"I must say Harvey, when you throw out words like Specter Special, I would have expected something completely different," she remarked with a raised eyebrow as she sat down next to him.

"Like?" he asked amusedly.

"Sausage," she said without looking at him, busying her hands with taking a croissant.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, that may have been the case in my 20s."

"Or possibly in your early 30s," she smiled knowingly.

"Oh, I can get you sausage if you want!" he challenged her.

"Can I please have breakfast first?" she retorted, and fluttered her eyelashes for good measure.

"Sure," he smirked and his mind immediately went back to the other time, an image he was smart enough to push out of his head immediately.

Hours later Harvey returned from his place where he had gone for a shower and a change of clothes. When he came back to Donna's apartment, he found her watching TV in the living room.

"Hey, what's this?" he asked as he sat on the couch next to her.

"Nothing you'd ever watch."

"Try me."

"Gilmore Girls," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Never saw it."

"Really? You're not into shows centered around female leads? That does surprise me, Harvey," she deadpanned.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Fine. I wish I could breathe through my nose."

"How's your temperature?" he said and touched her forehead with his palm.

"Fine I guess. Why?"

"I'm just worried about you, Donna. You're normally a force of nature. Having seen you like this..." he swallowed thickly and avoided her gaze.

"Thank you for being there for me. This isn't something I would have expected."

He tried to not take it as an insult. "How do you mean that?"

"I mean that I never got to know you as the type of person who'd take care of someone like that. Before you say something, I wanna say that I really appreciate everything you did. I'm amazed that you went above and beyond. I know that you care, but the way you've shown me just how much you care has blown me away. Thank you so much," she said sincerely.

His eyes have been glued to her lips. At first he expected her to insult him, but now Harvey didn't know how to react. It was such a non-brainer for him to help her. She almost made it seem as if it had been a big deal.

He waved it off. "It was nothing."

Now it was her turn to check his forehead. "Are you OK? Have you just said something humble?"

"Shut up," he said and got up. "I'm getting started on dinner."

He walked around the coffee table and went into the kitchen.

"This better not be the dish Scottie taught you," she warned.

"Go watch your menstruation show," he ordered and vanished in the kitchen.

After they had eaten the stir-fry he had cooked, they found themselves back on her couch.

"Do you wanna stretch out your legs?" he asked as he scooted further away from her to give her more space.

"I'm good. How long do you wanna stay?"

Harvey was somewhat surprised by her question. He had planned to stay the night again. He was scared her fever might return. He had brought a change of clothes just in case. He cleared his throat. "Um, I don't know. I could stay the night if you wanted me to."

"No, Harvey. This is very nice of you to offer, but aren't you tired?" she asked worriedly.

He could never tire of her company. "I feel fine."

"But you stayed here and were awake all night last night. This is going to be a tough week. You need some sleep. And we both know that you only like to sleep in your own bed."

Why was she always right? But still, Harvey couldn't shake the feeling that he was being thrown out. There was no place he'd rather be than with her.

"Donna, it really wasn't a big deal that I took care of you. If anything, it was a lame attempt to make up for a decade of you taking care of me. And this doesn't tip the scale in my favor at all. It was nothing compared to everything you've done for me. Yes, I like my own bed, but I wanna make sure you're OK. What if your fever returns?"

"It hasn't returned all day. I feel so much better than last night. Besides, I wanna take a long bath and you couldn't help me with that."

He smirked at her then. Why was he always going there and looking irresistable while doing so?

"Please, Harvey. I have to insist on this one. You've been there for me, fed me, acted as my nurse and watched me sleep. The only way you can help me now is by going home and taking care of yourself. You'll need a good night's sleep for the week ahead of you. You have the Folsom Food case to think about. Tomorrow, I'm having a doctor's appointment and she'll tell me when I can come back to work. I think I can handle everything on my own until then," she assured him with a smile.

"But-," he interjected before she interrupted him.

"Uh-uh-uh," she said as she held up her hand in protest. "I feel so much stronger. I promise to drink more ginger tea and hot water with lemon. And before you say anything, Miriam will come to the doc's appointment with me, just to play it safe."

"Huh, seems like you got it all figured out," Harvey remarked, a hint of disappointment evident in his voice.

He got up from the couch and made his way to the entryway. She followed him. "Don't be mad, OK?"

"I'm not mad. I'm glad you're feeling better. Just for the record: I wouldn't mind staying," Harvey stated and gave her a reassuring look.

"Just for the record: You're always welcome here. You're the best boss there is. Come here," she said and leaned in for a hug.

Was that what she was thinking this was? A boss being worried for his secretary? Donna was a secretary to him in the true sense of the word. She was the keeper of all his secrets like they were her own. Now he was doubting everything. Hadn't he made his intentions clear? He returned her hug and reveled in their embrace. He couldn't remember the last time they had shared one. It must have been on his last birthday.

"Please call me when you need anything, OK?" he mumbled into her fragrant hair.

"I will."

"And let me know what your doctor said," he insisted.

"I will."

"Sleep well."

"You too."

"And get well."

"I'm almost there."

"I know."

Only then did they step out of the embrace. Harvey put his jacket on and grabbed his over-night bag.

"Good night, Donna," he said as he opened the door.

"Good night, Harvey," she replied. She smiled at him broadly and put her hand over her heart. "And thank you, so much!"

He nodded and left, feeling more unsure about her and them.

That was a rough ending, I know! What did you think? Did you like it? Write your praise and complaints in the box below.