Hi All Again! If you stuck through short Chapter 1 then thank you from the bottom of my heart. Here's chapter two. Let me know what you think. Thanks again - Love - Carebearmaxi

Mr. and Mrs. Specter New Ventures

Chapter 2

Three weeks after Harvey had returned to work, Jessica announced she was taking a long sabbatical from the firm for the time being. She had decided to finally venture into motherhood. As she had explained it to her two partners, she was tired of chasing corporate power. Last year she had helped Rachel win a Innocene Project case and that hit home with Jessica and the reasons why she became a lawyer in the first place. She and her husband, Jeff Malone, had decided to adopt. She and Jeff had been married a few years now and on their vacations had traveled all over the world. What had struck Jessica the most about the many places she had visited was not the sophisticated restaurants and the historic, romantic places, but the people in the villages and the simple folk who went to work everyday or had to fetch water from the only well in the town.

Together she and Jeff had opened funds or given to charities with their accumulated wealth when it hit them that one way they could help was to give a child a new life and a fresh start. There were many orphans in the United States let alone the world. She and Jeff being who they were and having loving hearts to give were perfect candidates to adopt a child.

"You don't mean like an infant, do you?" Harvey said staring unbelieving at Jessica and then turning his gaze over at Louis who was quiet but was probably thinking something totally out of context.

"No. Babysitting your two in that stage was enough of a wakeup call for me. I'm too old for that shit!"

Harvey smirked. "I know...I know. There were times when I almost threw the baby out with the bathwater."

Louis scowled and said, "You're lucky to have those two darlings and you are so lucky in whom their mother is. Why she wanted to have your babies is beyond me..."

"Jealous, much, Louis?" Harvey asked enjoying Louis' indignation.

"Enough, you two, you would have thought I would have had enough of mothering because that's all I ever seemed to be to you. Always settling your fights..."

"Jessica. I think that's wonderful. I am happy for you," Harvey interjected. "I wouldn't trade being a dad for anything in the world."

"Well, you have grown up!" Jessica exclaimed.

Donna had returned from lunch and Harvey met her at her desk.

"I suppose you know that Jessica is leaving temporarily?" Harvey asked.

"Of course, I knew it was in the wind. I suspected as much when her secretary kept fielding calls from adoption agencies," Donna said examining the look on her husband's face.

Donna followed Harvey into his office, and as he sat at his desk in a contemplative and discomfited mood Donna went behind him and put her arms around his neck and her chin on top of his head.

"You, ok?" She asked.

Harvey smiled a regretful smile. "She was my mentor," was all he said.

Donna knew Harvey worshipped the ground Jessica walked on. She, for all intents and purposes, had been a mother figure to him or an older sister. She corrected him when he had been wrong and had guided his footsteps through the trenches of corporate law. Jessica had always seen the potential in Harvey and worked tirelessly to show it to the world.

"Do you want to be alone?" Donna asked wondering if he would prefer to contemplate the future without her presence.

He placed one hand on each of Donna's arms as they lay around his neck. He looked up at her and said, "No. Not if you'll stay."

Donna just held him closer.

Meanwhile, Louis had returned to his office and contemplated the future as well. He also despaired of how he could get Harvey to listen to some of his ideas for the future of the firm. Harvey and he were not real palsy at the best of times. They admired each other for their skills and ambition, but Louis was the more petty and less able to see the big picture. In the years since he had become a name partner, he had changed only a little. He was still liable to react on emotion rather than on raw skill or thought.

Once Harvey had only worked for his own aggrandizement, but since Jessica had named him as a name partner as well as taking on a wife and children Harvey had grown very much and now understood that by being good to the firm you were good to yourself. Say that Harvey could still be heartless when it came to the law, but he was obviously the better gambler and therefore more liable to act after deep thought and analysis.

Rachel breezed by Louis' office. As she swept by, Louis called out to her.

"Louis. What can I do for you?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I was on my way to see Mike, but I have a few minutes. What can I do for you?"

Louis took a moment and swallowed hard.

"Jessica is leaving."

"What?" Rachel shook her head incredulously. "Leaving? Where? Permanently?"

"Yes, on a long sabbatical. I don't know exactly where and I'm not sure in answer to your last question. She and Jeff are adopting a child," Louis said almost biting a thumbnail.

"Oh my word! I wonder if Mike knows?" Rachel wondered.

"Probably not since Jessica just dropped that bombshell about an hour ago on Harvey and me in Harvey's office."

"You're wondering how this will affect you and Harvey as name partners, right?"

"Yes. You know it's always been Jessica that hammered any of that shit out between us. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I suppose you will have to work it out between you and think what's good for the firm," Rachel stated logically still in shock that her mentor and friend was leaving the firm.

Suddenly Mike entered Louis' office and found his wife and Louis in heavy contemplation.

"I just heard. Harvey just told me. Jessica's leaving?" Mike said as he entered Louis' office and sat next to his wife.

"What happens now?" Mike asked.

Louis nor Rachel could contemplate. They both hunched their shoulders and held up their hands with a questioning look.