AN: Hi, dear readers. My jaw has dropped and perhaps is still dislocated because of the love I got for the last chapter and the story in general! Way to make a girl feel special! A special Dankeschön goes to all the guest reviewers and the people who don't wish to be PM'ed. I can't thank you enough for your kind words. I'm almost done with writing the story, and it's been so much fun. I know this is a T-rated story, but I might be persuaded to include an M-rated chapter at the end. If you guys want that. Let me know in a review at the end. In this chapter we have no direct Donna-Harvey interaction, and it's also rather Harvey-centric. But I tried my best to incorporate Mike, and I hope I did a decent job with his voice.

Previously... Harvey and Donna had quite a lot of fun, flirting, enjoying their time together. Which made Donna panic and she all but threw him out of her apartment. Harvey was shocked and hurt by that, so let's see where this chapter takes us.

Monday. Or: Miscommunication At Its Best

Harvey felt empty. He was lost in his spacious apartment. It seemed corny to him, but as he glanced over to the left side of his bed, the Police song Bed's Too Big Without You popped in his head. His cell phone told him it wasn't even 6AM. He was wide awake, and he had been for most of the night.

If it hadn't felt like she was kicking him out the night before, he wouldn't have waited to get ready and drop by her place before work. She had explicitly called him her boss, which meant two things to him: One, she only saw him as her boss, not as a friend or possibly her lover or boyfriend. Two, by that specific choice of words she underlined her statement from years ago that she could never date someone she was working with. Harvey's hopes and wishes were effectively crushed. He had been so sure that their relationship had developed immensely in the past four days. Aside from him taking care of her, they had watched movies and joked, flirted even. They had spent time outside of the office, something that they rarely did. And because they've known each other for so long, Harvey felt like he could be himself. It was always so easy for him to feel comfortable around her.

At first Harvey had been surprised about the development, but it wasn't an unwanted one. After Donna had been fired, his true wishes were becoming clearer. But he hadn't been ready to let them come to the surface yet. He expressed them by giving her a huge check. After having feared for her health, Harvey was ready to think about the feelings that had been part of his daily life for the better part of a decade.

If he was honest with himself, one of the reasons for his deep feelings for her was Donna's ability to warm up to people so quickly. Him on the other side, he always needed a shield if not an armor of witty spitefulness to feel out a new situation with a person he didn't know well or at all. He released a sigh into the empty apartment and turned on his back. Harvey couldn't for the life of him figure out why Donna had been so adamant in her refusal to let him stay another night at her place. He was so sure that she enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers.

Their relationship was a unique one in his life. He wasn't really the type to stay in touch with ex-girlfriends or women he had slept with. But it was different with Donna. For one, they had to maintain a relationship, albeit a professional one at first. Aside from that, he wanted to have a relationship with her. The last days have shown to him that a solely professional relationship wasn't enough for him anymore. But after last night he was hoping beyond hope that she'd be willing to give it a try.

Harvey knew that Donna wasn't lacking offers. He had more than once witnessed how clients or even opposing lawyers tried to hit on her. Donna, ever the witty one, always let them down easy. Suddenly, Harvey's heartrate sped up. He couldn't help but wonder if he would soon be one to be let down easy by her. He released another sigh. He had to make his feelings for her known though. With determination he threw the duvet off his body and got up to have a shower and start his day.

Donna's night was a whole lot more revitalizing. She only woke up a couple times to blow her nose and quickly fell back asleep. Her bath the night before did wonders to her well-being. But she was agonizing over their situation and her feelings. She knew she had been too harsh by basically throwing Harvey out of her apartment. Her action came as a surprise to herself, but it was a reflex in the end. She had to protect her heart. She had enjoyed Harvey's company thoroughly and she was deeply touched by his devotion to her and her health. This all led to a beaten path in her head.

She wanted more.

It was awful imagining how she would soon have to get used to being alone again. So she wripped off the band-aid. Better now than later. Later that night she came to the conclusion that everything that happened between them was good, but that it was also good that they never became a couple. Too painful the memories of that morning at the diner where she was arrogant enough to expect him to come crawling to her, when in fact he wanted nothing but her signature on an employment contract. Who knew if they would have survived ten years as a couple.

Her doctor's appointment wasn't until 11AM, so Donna took her time getting ready in the morning. It wasn't her routine to take her time in the mornings. In a way she really enjoyed being sick and actually staying at home for a while. Too often had she dragged her weakened body to the office to be of some service, even if it meant she wasn't as quick or bubbly as usual.

As she had told Harvey the night before, Miriam accompanied her to the doctor. Her neighbor assured Donna how much better she looked. If only it weren't for the returning pangs in her heart. Although she knew she had ultimately done the right thing by not allowing for more to happen between her and Harvey, she still knew she hadn't done it exactly right. There could have been another way of doing it nonetheless. In the waiting room at the doctor's office Donna made the decision to make up for it. She had felt no dizziness on the way to her doctor, so she felt safe to take a cab by herself.

Dr. Feldman told Donna she recommened to stay at home for two more days in order to avoid infecting co-workers, which gave Donna reassurance. She wasn't back to 100%, but she felt so much better than a day or two ago.

"You've been taking good care of yourself, Ms. Paulsen," said the doctor.

"I had some help," she smiled sheepishly.

Back at home, she stood before her closet to choose her outfit for the night. She was trying to look her best, while at the same time not going full-on alluring. With three options hanging on her closet doors, Donna decided to take a nap so she would be able to stay up late that night. Because she simply had to see him to clarify her reasoning of throwing him out of her place. That, and she needed to issue an apology to him. She knew she had promised him to call after her appointment, but now she'd rather do it in person. Even with knowing Harvey so well, phone conversations were always trickier. That way she could make sure that he saw her face and she could immediately see his reactions, too. This wasn't the time to grant them both the opportunity to hide their true feelings. Donna needed a face-to-face interaction.

He stared at the brief on his desk. At one point his eyes seemed to have read the document, but they were no longer scanning the page. Harvey still hadn't heard a word from Donna. He knew her appointment was before noon, and now it was 5PM and he had no idea why she hadn't called. But he knew what it meant. It meant that last night she had thrown him out to make the point that she couldn't see a future for them as something more than co-workers. Had he pushed her too much? Had he intruded her life in a way that was too much for her? He was certain that the formerly untread territory felt good to be in, at least he thought it was, but could he be wrong when he assumed it was good for her, too? There were a lot of things neither Donna nor Harvey had ever explicitly talked about were off-limits, but both knew there were things they better not touch. Literally. Had Harvey gone too far by being too physically close to her? His cheeks reddened when he thought back to the accidental boob grab when he walked her to the shower. Her words had haunted him for most of the night. I really need to fight you off with a stick today. Had she shown her true feelings right there and then and was kind enough to sugarcoat them? It wasn't like Donna to be anything other direct though.

Harvey was pulled from his thoughts when a paper ball landed on his left cheek.

"What the-?" he asked his associate.

"Harvey, I asked you four times what's going on with you. You didn't react," Mike defended himself.

"I was reading the brief!"

"Even old men like you don't need ten minutes for one page."

"Not everyone's a genius like you. I was being thorough," Harvey defended himself.

"You were distracted," insisted Mike.

"I was not," Harvey waved it off.

"Just call her when you miss her."

"I don't miss her," Harvey lied.

"Sure. Maybe that's why your cubicle is empty and you couldn't bring yourself to ask for a temp."

"A temp would only screw up her system."

"Can't you even say her name?" Mike asked curiously.

"What's it to you whose name I can and cannot say?"

"Seriously Harvey, there is no shame in liking a woman. Donna is amazing. It's a miracle you two have never been together," stated Mike.

Harvey's look went down on the brief again. He clenched his jaw as scenes from the infamous other time flooded his brain.

"Holy shit!" Mike exclaimed. After a while he asked, "When?"

Harvey raised his eyes and glanced at Mike. He released a breath and swallowed. "It's been a while."

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"It was one night right before we started working here. I had just quit at the DA's office. There had been an... interest expressed on both sides prior to said night. But afterwards, I don't know. She was such an integral part of why I came to Pearson Hardman. Back then I thought I'd easily find someone who was as fantastic as her as my girlfriend. Ten years later, there still is no one greater than her."

For a moment, Mike thought he was dreaming. Since when was Harvey carrying his heart on his sleeve?

"Have you told her any of this?"

"No. I couldn't. Not after yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" the younger man asked.

"Let's just say she made it pretty clear that she only wants a work relationship. Maybe I pushed too hard."

"What did you do?"

Again, Harvey sighed. "I was over at her place and she threw me out."

"I need more details."

"No, you don't. Go back to work," Harvey ordered.

The associate tried his hardest to focus back on the brief, but it was tough after everything Harvey had just laid out for him. He cleared his throat. "Um, can I ask you one question?"

Harvey responded with a look combined with a motion of his head to ask away.

"Why do you think you pushed too hard?"

The older man sighed. "I think I shouldn't have come over to her place every day. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to insist on being there and making sure she had everything she needed. She's Donna, for Christ's sake. She probably would have been fine without any of it."

"You've been there every day?"

"Yeah," Harvey confirmed, almost embarrassed for it now.

"Wow, you really take care of your employees," Mike mocked him.

"Shut up."

"I can't wait for what you'll do for me when I catch a cold," the associate said playfully.

"For someone whose entire future is depending on me, you sure don't know when to let things go."

"Shutting up now."

After a while the associate cleared his throat. "She alluded to this once."

"Donna did?" Harvey asked surprisedly.

Mike nodded. "When you told me not to pursue Rachel."

"What did she say?" Harvey asked with piqued interest.

"She told me to let her down easy. Then I asked her how I was supposed to work with Rachel after that and her reply was that the feelings eventually go away," Mike recalled.

Harvey closed his eyes and felt the pang in his heart. There it was. Proof that the window was firmly closed because Donna had gotten over him. It shouldn't have been such a surprise to Harvey. With all the things Donna had gotten to know about him over the years, he was sure she fell out of love at some point. If she ever was in love with him in the first place...

"At the time I hadn't really thought about the two of you as her point of reference. I'm sorry," the younger man told Harvey sincerely. After a few moments, Mike added, "Does this have anything to do with the can opener?"

The question earned him an exasperated look from his boss, so he decided to let it go and get back to work.

Later that day, when the sun had almost completely dipped below the horizon, Harvey decided to call it a night. When the day had started, he was sure he should tell Donna about his changed feelings for her. But after Mike's insight and still not having heard from her, he questioned everything. He needed to clear his head. In situations like these, when he needed to mull things over, he always went to small jazz clubs by himself. Sometimes he went to hear old friends of his dad's play, but tonight he went with the intent to get some clarification for his head and his heart. He knew that some people considered him a heartless bastard, but when he was listening to jazz and soul music, he allowed himself to feel everything that he more often than not shoved in the very back of his heart.

Donna called Rachel when she was waking up from her nap that had taken longer than planned.

"If it isn't my dear friend and colleague Harriet," the paralegal said giddily. "How are you doing?"

"I'm so much better, Michelle. Listen, can you do some spying for me?"

"Sure."

"Great. Could you check if Harvey is still in his office? I wanna surprise him at his apartment and I don't wanna wait around forever in case he pulls an all-nighter at work."

"Yeah, I can do that. I have to drop off some files for Louis, so I can walk by Harvey's office."

"You're the best," Donna said and hung up.

When Donna got Rachel's text Office empty a couple minutes later, she got up from her bed, touched up her make-up and got dressed. The cab brought her directly to Harvey's apartment. With a grocery bag filled with popcorn, Chunky Monkey and the DVD of A League of Their Own Donna walked past Julio, the doorman, who gave her a nod and a smile. Julio didn't have to inform Harvey who was coming up, so he waved Donna through. She was as rarely in Harvey's home as he was in hers, at least prior to the last week, but she always knew which people to include in her annual holiday gift list.

When she got off the elevator she was hesitant to knock at first. She had a key to Harvey's place, but since she wasn't running an errand for him at the moment, she felt uncomfortable using it. For a moment she was pondering if she should do it anyway. The melting ice cream in the bag made her push away her doubts and she rapped her knuckles against the wooden barrier. Nervosity spread in her body when she couldn't hear anyone walk up to the door. Maybe he was in the bathroom. She waited a couple minutes before she knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps he was at work after all. He was possibly just fetching himself a cup of coffee when Rachel walked by. Donna considered leaving the popcorn and movie by his door so he could watch it by himself if he felt like it. She took her phone and texted Rachel.

Sorry to bother you again, but are you sure Harvey isn't at work?

The reply came an unbearably long three minutes later.

Checked again. Not in his office, nor in Jessica's.

Donna's heart sank. The thought had popped in her head before she got Rachel's text, but it only confirmed her suspicions. He must be on a date. Sadness written across her features, unsure feet carried Donna back to the elevator. She regretted not having brought a spoon from home, because she really needed some of that Chunky Monkey now.

I hope it wasn't too angsty for you guys. Soon this angst will be behind us. So, what do you think: Should I keep this story strictly T-rated, or finish this with some smut? Please let me know in a review. Thanks for reading!