Alright! Here's the next chapter – a little bit odd in places but nobody's perfect.

Hopefully I'll have the next one up before the end of the year, but probably not before Christmas, so for those that celebrate it, I hope you have a really lovely Christmas!

I really hope you enjoy the chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated, especially critical ones!

(Trevor's parents are wholly a creation of my imagination, because, to my knowledge, we don't really find out anything about them in the show.)

Harvey Specter strode out of the Principal's office, door swinging forcefully behind him. His face was unreadable, with only his tightly set jaw betraying his annoyance. He didn't offer a glance to the boy slouched miserably on the chair outside, who scrambled to catch up with him.

'Harvey… Harvey!' Mike said. The man's stride didn't falter. 'Stop!'

Harvey turned on him so quickly that it was all Mike could do to stop walking before he barrelled straight into him.

'Fighting? Fighting? Of all things, Mike, I didn't think I'd have to tell you not to fight,' he said, pinning the boy with a hard stare.

'Harvey, I'm sorry, I…' Mike tried.

'Not now, kid. I need time to calm down. So do you. I'll deal with you when we get home.' With that, Harvey turned on his heel and stalked out of the main entrance to the waiting car. Mike followed, nodding a miserable greeting to Ray and trying not to think about what Harvey 'dealing with him' might entail.

Harvey watched silently as the teen slumped into the seat next to him. The start of the school year hadn't been easy for either of them. He might not have been Mike's dad but he had sure felt all the anxiety of a parent on the first day of school; despite his impressive brain, Harvey knew just how small and vulnerable the kid could be, and he wasn't exactly tall for his age. Seeing him off at the start of the semester had felt like sending a puppy into a cage of angry Rottweilers.

Mike's response to school hadn't exactly been encouraging either. Over the past two weeks, he'd progressively become quieter and quieter, offering only desultory responses to Harvey's probing questions. Having realised that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the questions, he had resolved to call the school and ask if everything was normal, but they'd beaten him to it. He'd had to excuse himself from a meeting with a client to answer his phone, only to find out that they wanted him to come in and collect Mike because he'd been in a fight.

Disbelief had been Harvey's first emotion; he couldn't quite compute the fact that the amiable, eager-to-please fourteen year-old could have got in a scrap. His disbelief had soon been replaced by anger, which, by the time Ray pulled into the underground parking of their apartment block, had been dulled to a muted annoyance.

Thanking Ray, he stepped out of the car and headed towards the elevator, expecting Mike to follow behind him. At the sound of feet almost tripping over themselves to meet his pace, Harvey breathed a sigh of relief; at least the boy had retained some of his sense.

Mike sat on the living room sofa, fiddling intently with his watch strap. On the other side of the coffee table, Harvey cut an imposing figure, standing with his arms crossed and fixing him with a deeply unimpressed gaze.

'I don't know what you're trying to achieve by not answering my question, Mike,' the older man said, 'if you think behaving like a child is gonna reverse psychology me out of calling you 'kid', you're wrong.'

At the unrelenting silence Harvey received, he sighed and continued, frowning, 'I'm not being funny, Mike. You're beginning to test my patience. You managed to pick up a three day suspension in the second week of school. I'm not impressed, kid. If you can't-'

'I'm sorry.'

Harvey ran a hand through his already tousled hair, sighing again.

'I know you are, kid. That's just about the only thing you've said to me since I picked you up.'

Mike's eyes darted up to meet Harvey's, before flitting down to focus on his hands. Once again, no verbal response was given. Fully aware he was fighting a losing battle, the lawyer decided to try a different approach. Sidestepping the coffee table, he sat down on the couch next to the boy.

'Look, Mike, I just want to be able to see things from your perspective. I get that I'm not an easy guy to trust, but we can't spend the next few months not communicating at all. I'm trying here, kiddo, and I'd appreciate a little effort on your part.'

Mike looked up again, a small frown creasing his brow.

'There's nothing you can do about it, Harvey.'

'About what?' Harvey pushed, 'Is there something going on at school that you haven't told me about? Mike, I swear, if there's some kid picking on you-'

'It's not like that, I mean, not really. Just… just please don't be angry.'

'I'm not going to get angry at you.'

'I don't mean at me, Harvey, like, that would be nice and all, but what I mean is please don't get angry with them. It was all my fault and if you get all pissed off and talk to their parents or whatever, everyone'll think I need protecting and I don't. I can fight my own battles.'

Harvey bit his tongue before he could respond with a comment about how the impressive black eye Mike was sporting was a shining example of his ability to fight his own battles. Right now the boy needed gentle handling.

'How about you watch your language and I'll try and be as understanding as possible? Who are 'they', Mike?'

The teenager took his time to reply, opening his mouth as if to start speaking and then closing it with a sigh as if the words had escaped him, over and over again.

Finally, he said, 'Do you remember Trevor?'

Harvey frowned. 'The one who got you involved with the drugs, yes?'

Blushing a little, Mike said, 'Yep, him. He's not been making life super easy for me since school started. He was angry about the drug run going wrong, like, really angry. I don't know why – his dad runs a chain of high end clothing stores so he isn't exactly strapped for cash. I guess he probably lost the respect of the gang that he hooked me up with because I screwed up. But yeah, he was, um, kinda my only friend, so with him icing me it was a little tough, but I managed. And then this week the names started, like, not just from him, from everyone. It was pretty impressive, to be honest. I think I even got a few members of the senior football team whispering nasty crap in my ear in the corridor. I guess Trevor decided I didn't look miserable enough already.'

'Why didn't you say anything?' Harvey asked, openly shocked.

Ignoring the question, Mike continued, 'And yeah, so today when I saw Trevor heading my way in the hall I'd just had enough of it all, so I, um, decked him before he could say anything to me. I mean, I know it was really unreasonable and not a grown up thing to do and you're going to tell me how I'm a hypocrite 'cause I get annoyed when you call me kid but I acted like a complete child, but also it felt damn good and knocked the smug look right off his face. And I don't regret it, Harvey! I mean, I sorta did when he totally pulverized me after, but I hurt a little less now so we can forget about that part.'

Mike finished his tirade, a little of the fear returning to his eyes at the realisation that perhaps he'd said too much.

Harvey was lost for words. The boy had an unsettling power to render him speechless. Had he been in Mike's shoes, he'd have most likely done exactly the same thing to the Trevor kid, except much sooner. That being said, it was irresponsible and reckless, and as Mike's guardian, he couldn't give the impression that it was the right thing to do. It was tricky to strike a balance between protecting the boy's self-confidence and discouraging his acting out.

Aside from that dilemma, Harvey was also struggling to comprehend the emotion he had felt as Mike recounted it all – a sort of cocktail of primal rage and something bordering on fear that had tugged at his gut, insistent that this was all wrong, that this kid in his care was being hurt by someone and he had done nothing to protect him. Perturbed, Harvey tried to shake it off. Mike had been adamant that he didn't need nor want a protector.

'Why didn't you say anything to me, Mike? Honestly.'

'Didn't know how you'd react.'

'Come on, kid, you've got to be a little braver sometimes. Whatever it is you have to say, I'll always listen. I can't make any promises about supporting you if you decide to punch anyone else, but maybe if you talk to me first we could work out a way to deliver a sort of metaphorical, legislative punch instead of you rushing headlong into it.'

'Metaphorical, legislative punch'?' Mike repeated with a small smile. 'Wow, Harvey, you're a little too cool for me.'

'That's a long-established truth, kid,' Harvey said. 'I'm not joking about this, though. You've gotta stop acting like you're alone or you're going to do yourself some serious harm. Next time anything like this happens, I expect you to tell me straight away. Understand?'

At Mike's nod, Harvey gave the boy's shoulder a firm squeeze and stood up.

'I've got some stuff to attend to at the office. You'll be okay here by yourself, right?' he said, pulling on his overcoat.

'When'll you be back?' Mike asked.

'No later than eight,' Harvey said, 'there's some leftover chilli in the fridge if you get hungry.'

'Kay. Bye, Harvey.'

'See you later, Mike.'

Harvey grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and headed towards the door.

He paused for a moment in the doorway and called over his shoulder, 'Oh, you're totally grounded by the way. Just because I understand why you did it doesn't mean I'm impressed. For the next two weeks you're either at home, your grandmother's or school. Be good.'

With that, Harvey disappeared. Mike sighed and slouched into the sofa, pulling a blanket over himself. As he flicked through the channels on the TV, he realised he was the happiest he'd been in a while. Yeah, Harvey was still a tiny bit annoyed at him, and yeah, he was stuck at home for a fortnight, but after talking to him about everything, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Mike kicked off his sneakers and swung his feet up onto the cushions, contentedly settling into the rerun of an old NCIS episode.

Harvey sat across the table from the couple, a forced grin plastered on his face. He'd found Trevor's parents to be surprisingly pleasant company, and yet his hackles had been raised the whole evening at the thought that their son had hurt the boy in his charge.

After leaving Mike at the condo, Harvey had swung by the firm, made a few calls and then done some research on the Evanses, before asking Donna to invite them out to dinner as a 'peace offering'. Two hours later, he found himself sitting with them at a swanky restaurant, drawing on deep reserves to maintain an amiable façade.

Trevor's father was a chubby, balding man, whose sole passion seemed to be menswear; Harvey wasn't sure if his waistcoat had ever been so thoroughly examined over dinner before. His wife was more conversational, even if her favourite topic was her only son. The way the woman shook her head and smiled fondly whilst regaling him with tales of her son's 'misadventures' made him feel slightly sick.

Finally, the meal came to a natural end and Harvey footed the bill. Mrs Evans excused herself to the washroom and he seized the opportunity to get Mr Evans on his own, telling her that they'd be waiting outside, and that he and her husband were going to clear the air with a 'little man-to-man chat'.

Mrs Evans smiled indulgently, saying 'You boys behave yourselves,' before heading off to the bathroom.

Outside, Harvey cornered Mr Evans. Ignoring the bewildered look on the other man's face, he let his voice take on a menacing edge and said, 'Tell me this, buddy. To what extent are you aware of your son's involvement with a drug ring, and his damn awful bullying of Mike Ross?'

The man bleated a nervous laugh, his small eyes darting around, looking for an escape route. At the lack of an answer, Harvey released a sigh.

'Disappointing, Mr Evans. And I was really beginning to like you,' he said, 'What the hell did you think you were doing, letting your teenage kid pull shit like that, hm? And dragging other kids like Mike into it?'

Mr Evans began to stutter a response, but Harvey raised a hand to halt him.

'Rhetorical questions, Mr Evans,' he said, 'and I'm not done yet. I've got a few more questions, and I'd like answers for these ones. Does your wife know about what Trevor's been getting up to?'

The man paled, shaking his head

'No, not really, but… I'm sure she'd understand,' he said, visibly trembling as Harvey stepped closer and raised an eyebrow.

'She'd understand what? That you let her precious son run wild with a group of criminals because you were too scared to confront him? Sounds pretty dangerous when you put it like that, huh?' Harvey smiled, pleased with the look his words had invoked on the man's face. 'Here, answer me this – does your wife know that your entire business is founded on fraudulent papers?'

Mr Evans' jaw dropped and his eyes popped open in an almost comic expression of surprise.

'I don't know what you think you're talking about, Mr Specter,' he stuttered when he'd regained enough composure to speak, 'but I think you should stop before you say something you can't take back.'

'Would you like me to spell it out for you, Mr Evans?' Harvey asked, 'To set up a business in this state, you need a state-issued business license. When you set up your business in 2003, you did not have one. They're only £225, probably negligible to you these days, but back then you were living in a one room apartment and expecting a child, and it was probably cheaper to forge one and hope for the best, yes? Congratulations, Mr Evans, it looks like that move worked out for you. Although, a word of warning – if the authorities were made aware of just how long you've been operating without a valid license… Well, I don't think you'd be operating at all for much longer after that!'

Mr Evans gaped at Harvey, his eyes searching those of the lawyer's for some sign that this was all a joke, some twisted prank that would be over in a minute. Finding no such reprieve, his gaze fell downwards and his shoulders dropped in a resigned slump.

'What is it that you want from me, Mr Specter?' he sighed.

'A promise, Mr Evans, nothing more,' Harvey replied. 'You're going to act like a real father and put a stop to your kid's behaviour. It sounds like he's on a dangerous path that no one, not even me, wants to see him go down. You're also going to make him tell his friends to back off of Mike. That's for his own good, too, Mr Evans, because if your son ever sets a foot near my boy again…'

'I get it,' the man said, blushing slightly, 'and if I take care of Trevor, you won't say anything about, you know… the thing?'

'You've got it, Mr Evans!' Harvey grinned, 'I'm so glad that we managed to reach an understanding. Oh, and your wife's arrived just on time!'

Mrs Evans smiled a greeting at the two men, completely oblivious to her husband's distress.

'Did you boys sort things out?' she asked, looping a hand through his quivering arm.

'Absolutely,' Harvey replied, 'no bad blood, hm, Mr Evans?'

'No bad blood,' the smaller man echoed quietly, not quite meeting Harvey eyes.

'Well,' Harvey said, 'it's been lovely, but my ride's here and I really should be getting home.'

He leant in to kiss Mrs Evans' cheek before giving Mr Evans' shoulder a friendly slap, revelling at the way the man flinched at his touch.

'Until next time,' he said, climbing into the waiting car. Under the cover of the tinted windows, Harvey dropped the painfully forced smile for the first time that evening. There would absolutely, definitely, not ever be a next time.

'I have a proposition,' Harvey said around a mouthful of chilli. He'd got home well before eight and was sitting in the kitchen, helping himself to Mike's leftovers whilst the boy sat on the counter next to him, swinging his legs back and forth.

'Go on.'

'Right, so, you still need to go to school every day, but-'

'I'm not gonna lie, Harvey, that's not a wildly innovative proposition,' Mike cut in.

'Alright, kid, at least let me finish before you get all smart with me,' Harvey said. 'I've thought about everything you said, and I don't think you should be stuck for the better part of the week in a place that makes you feel so low. Honestly, I don't think you're really getting much academically out of school either.'

'Really.'

'Hey, I thought we were holding off the sarcasm until I was done,' Harvey said, rapping the boy affectionately on the top of the head, 'Anyway, I came up with a sort of compromise. There's this group for gifted kids which runs during school hours. Places are in pretty high demand, but the man who runs it is the brother of one of my old Harvard professors so I managed to bypass the waiting list and there's a place for you, if you want it. I thought maybe you could do two days a week at normal school doing normal fourteen year-old stuff, and then Wednesday to Friday you could go to this group.'

Mike thought about it. The prospect of only doing school twice a week seemed pretty inviting, but the idea of going to this 'gifted' group was more than intimidating.

'Take your time to think about it,' Harvey continued, 'if you don't want to rush straight into it, the owner, Dr Paroussos, has said you can try it out for a day, no strings attached.'

'I think I'd like that,' Mike said, finally.

'Alright, I'll give Dr Paroussos a call tomorrow.'

'Thanks, Harvey,' Mike said, 'not just for that, for everything. I mean it.'

'I know you do, kiddo.'

Mike smiled, hopping down from the counter. He took a seat on one of the bar stools and began to spin around on it, quizzing Harvey about his day at the office.

Expertly avoiding incriminating questions, Harvey watched the boy rotate in dizzied amazement. It was hard to believe that this was the same child as the closed-off, morose boy that had walked into the apartment hours earlier. Yes, Mike getting suspended in the second week of school was not an ideal circumstance, but Harvey sure was glad that it had happened.