Chapter 15
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
AN1: Thank you so much for the support. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT.
It has been six weeks since Katrina got a job at Pearson Hardman, five weeks since she started and since then she has been finding her place at Pearson Hardman, something that has been rather difficult since Louis feels personally insulted that Jessica hired an associate, without even talking to him, and because of that he has been making Katrina's life rather difficult.
"Okay, seriously how do you breathe down here?" Katrina asks as she walks into the file room where Mike is working, like normal.
"It's not that bad." Mike says, not even looking up from what he is doing, and deciding not to mention that they have had this conversation before because he knows Katrina is just teasing him.
"Kind of is." Katrina tells him, "But I get the desire to avoid everyone here."
"Louis still giving you a hard time?" Mike asks curious, as Katrina sits down on the table next to where Mike is working.
"Yep." Katrina confirms, "The thing is he's good, and I could see us working well together." Katrina says as the cases that Louis works are the kind of cases that she is really interested in.
"But he's being Louis so he won't let that happen any time soon." Mike realises, honestly he agrees that Louis and Katrina could work well together, he also thinks that because of how sneaky and devious they both are they could be pretty unstoppable together, plus cause his mother a lot of headaches.
"Yep."
"Do what I did when I first started." Mike suggests.
"Go to the club with Louis and let him blackmail me?" Katrina asks, not liking the sound of that.
"No." Mike says with an amused look on his face, "Show him what you can do, how good you are." Mike explains to her, "Make a case about why you are a good person to work with. Show him what you have that he can't get from anyone else."
"Huh, that may just work." Katrina realises.
"Glad I could help." Mike says, as his phone starts to ring, "Yeah?" Mike asks.
"Get up here." Harvey's voice responds, before hanging up.
"Looks like I got to get to work now too." Mike says, packing up his stuff.
"Do you even spend any time in your cubical anymore?" Katrina asks curious, "Or are you always here or in Harvey's office?"
"I avoid my cubical as much as possible." Mike admits, "Not all of us are lucky enough to have a private office."
"Well, you're the one who decided to start from the bottom again." Katrina tells him, "But I'm sure you'll get your own office again soon." She comments.
"Guess we'll see." Mike comments, "Good luck with Louis."
"Thanks." Katrina responds, being pretty sure that she is going to need it.
"Drinks tonight?"
"Definitely." Katrina confirms.
"I'll be at your office at 7:30." Mike says, leaning over and placing a kiss on Katrina's cheek before leaving the room.
After Mike goes Katrina gets up and heads out of the room, planning on heading back to her office so that she can figure out how to use Mike's advice to her advantage.
A couple of hours later Katrina has figured out her plan, and is on her way to Louis's office so that she can put it into motion.
"What do you want Katrina?" Louis asks as Katrina walks in.
"To prove to you what I can do." Katrina says, throwing files down on Louis's desk, "I'm summarised all your open cases, and prepared all the motions you gave to Harold." She reveals, "I'm a fifth year. I get my own cases, Jessica has been great about assigning me work, but I don't only want to work alone. I want to work with a partner, I want to work with you." Katrina explains, as she knows the best way to advance in the firm is to work with a partner.
"Well I don't want to work with you." Louis says simply.
"Well, you should, because I have something that no one else in this building has." Katrina reveals, "Mike Ross is my best friend, so I know things about what he does, about what Harvey does, and even though I'll never betray my friend I do know things. I do have connections you don't." Katrina reveals, being okay with saying that to Louis as she and Mike have talked about it in the past and even though she won't tell Louis things that he can't know, or that Mike, Harvey, and Jessica don't want him to know, there are still things that she can offer Louis, things that no one else can, "Just something you should keep in mind." Katrina says before leaving, leaving Louis to his thoughts.
A few hours later Katrina isn't surprised when she hasn't heard from Louis. Ever since leaving his office she went to hers where she has been working in ever since. Looking at her clock Katrina realises that it is almost eight and Mike hasn't come and so she decides to go looking for him.
Ten minutes later Katrina has checked Mike's cubical and the file room and has seen no sign of Mike, and because of that she heads up to Harvey's office, which is also empty.
"Hey Donna." Katrina greats, the two of them having actually spent some time together since she started at Pearson Hardman and have even started to be friends.
"Katrina." Donna greats, looking up from what she is doing.
"Do you know where Mike is? We were supposed to go out for drinks." Katrina explains.
"He and Harvey are dealing with a difficult client." Donna admits, "Probably going to be a late night."
"Right." Katrina says, failing to hide her disappointment.
"Okay, you're coming with me." Donna informs Katrina.
"Why?" Katrina asks, looking slightly suspicious.
"Rachel and I are meeting in the lobby in five minutes. We're going out drinking tonight on Harvey's corporate card." Donna reveals, "And you're joining us." She says, standing up, "No arguments."
"Wasn't planning on arguing." Katrina admits.
"Good." Donna tells her, "Five minutes, downstairs."
"I'll be there." Katrina says before heading to her office to get her stuff.
Half an hour later Harvey and Mike are both arriving back at the Firm, both heading to Harvey's office, as they walk Mike's phone goes off.
"Really?" Mike mutters as he checks his phone.
"What is it?" Harvey asks.
"I was supposed to go for drinks with Katrina tonight. Apparently she's replaced me with Donna and Rachel." Mike explains as they arrive at Harvey's office.
"Can't blame her, they are better company." Harvey comments, with a teasing look.
"Thanks." Mike says sarcastically, "So, we've got until nine am to figure out a way to save the company. It's gonna be a long night." Mike realises as he sits down in one of the chairs.
"What wrong Rookie? Too much for you? Don't think you can handle going all night?" Harvey asks with a smirk.
"I'm not the one who should be worrying whether I have the stamina, you're the old man after all." Mike responds, with a teasing tone of voice.
"Ohh, believe me, I have plenty of stamina." Harvey responds with a flirty smirk as he takes of his jacket so he is in his vest, shirt and tie.
"Good to know." Mike responds, completely meaning that.
"Okay, focus. The files will be here in fifteen minutes." Harvey responds as even though he would love to continue to flirt with Mike they have to work, "And once they're here we can't stop until we find what we need."
"So I'll go get supplies." Mike tells Harvey.
"And I'll order food." Harvey responds and Mike nods.
A bar near Pearson Hardman Donna, Katrina and Rachel are sitting together, drinking and talking, getting to know each other better.
"So you broke up with your boyfriend last month and haven't been on another date since?" Donna asks Katrina.
"Nope. Mike and I went to a bar a few weeks ago and I'm pretty sure he got hit on by more guys than me." Katrina reveals.
"Do you guys do that a lot? Go to bars to pick up guys together?" Rachel asks curious.
"Yep. We also go clubbing to." Katrina admits, "When Mike and I first met he wasn't even twenty-one. So, when he started at the DA's office we started to go out to bars and clubs a lot, so I could show Mike that you can actually have fun and still do your work really well." Katrina explains, "He's always struggled with finding the balance between work and fun." She reveals, knowing that Trevor is to blame for that as when Mike is around him Trevor gets him to have fun and forget about work.
"Huh." Rachel comments sounding surprised, "You really know him, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do." Katrina responds.
"And you really know Harvey." Rachel says, looking at Donna.
"Yeah." Donna confirms.
"I wish I had that." Rachel admits, "You and Mike are best friends." She says looking at Katrina, "And so are you and Harvey." She says, looking at Donna, "You know each other so well, best friends, I don't have that with anyone."
"You will." Donna assures her, "But tonight's not for talking about them. Tonight is for us to have some fun." She says with a smirk.
"That it is." Katrina confirms.
"Definitely." Rachel confirms and they all do the shots that are in front of them.
Ten minutes later Rachel, Katrina and Donna are all sitting with some guys who are clearly hitting on them.
"We're lawyers." Donna says.
"Pearson Hardman." Rachel says, catching on to what Donna is doing.
"I'm…. Harriett Specter." Donna lies.
"Michelle Ross." Katrina says, figuring that if Donna is going to lie then she is too.
"Lois Litt." Rachel lies, it being the first name she can think of and together the three of them continue to lie and pretend to be other people, while chatting up guys.
At Pearson Hardman it has been a few hours since Harvey and Mike got to work and they are both in Harvey's office surrounded by boxes of files, food, coffee and red bull. As they both know it will be a long night neither of them are wearing their jackets anymore and they have both rolled up their sleeves and loosened their ties.
"We need another plan." Mike says from where he is sitting on the floor, leaning against Harvey's couch.
"We don't have another plan." Harvey says, from where he is sitting on the chair near Mike, "This is the only thing we can do to find what we need."
"I get that, and we both might be good, but I don't even think both of us are going to get through all of this, and figure out a plan by tomorrow morning." Mike admits.
"So what, you want to give up?" Harvey asks, sounding disapproving.
"Of course not." Mike says, "I'd never even suggest that."
"Then what are you saying?" Harvey asks curious, and Mike turns to look directly at him.
"I'm saying that if we're gonna get through all this then we need help, we need another person." Mike explains to Harvey.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm here." A voice says and Mike and Harvey turn to look at the door.
"Mom."
"Jessica."
"I thought you already left for the night." Harvey comments, being surprised to see her.
"I did, but then Davis called me, wanting to make sure that the best were on this. I assured him that they were." Jessica reveals, "Now, what is going on?" she says as she puts down her bag on one of the few empty spaces.
"We have until nine am to find something in this files that we can use to save Davis's company." Harvey explains.
"How much have you gone through?" Jessica asks, looking at all the files.
"The boxes close to the window." Mike explains.
"Then you're right. You need another set of eyes." Jessica says, walking over to one of the chairs, "Davis is one of our biggest clients, we not going to lose his company."
"Don't worry, Jessica. I have no intention of letting that happen." Harvey assures her.
"Neither do I." Mike adds.
"That's just what I want to hear." Jessica says, pulling files towards her too and getting to work as well.
A few hours after they started talking to guys Donna, Katrina and Rachel are leaving the bar together, all slightly tipsy.
"That was fun." Rachel comments.
"Really was." Katrina confirms, "I'm really glad I'm not in court tomorrow." She comments, causing Donna and Rachel to laugh.
"We got to do this again, and again." Donna informs the others.
"Yeah, we do." Rachel confirms.
"Yep."
"I'll see you two tomorrow." Donna tells Katrina and Rachel.
"Yeah, see you then." Rachel says and she, Katrina and Donna all hug each other goodbye before they go their separate ways to sleep off their light of fun.
Ever since Jessica arrived at Harvey's office a few hours earlier Jessica, Harvey and Mike have been working in silence, all trying to find a way to save the company.
"Got something." Mike suddenly says.
"Let me see." Harvey requests and Mike hands over the file.
"It might be a long shot." Mike says as he does, "But it might work."
"Hang on I saw something that should help make that less of a long shot." Harvey realises, "I just read it." He says, looking through the files that he read.
"What are you thinking?" Jessica asks as she stands up and walks over to Harvey.
"Got it." Harvey says, finding what he needed, "This is Mike's idea." Harvey says, showing Jessica the file, "And if we add it to this, it should be more than enough." He says, showing Jessica a different file.
"That it should be." Jessica confirms once she reads the file, "But we've only got three hours to put it together and get to court." She says concerned, not entirely sure if they're going to be able to pull it off.
"Then I guess we better work our asses of." Mike comments and that is exactly what the three of them do.
Hours later, people who haven't been at the firm all night have arrived at Pearson Hardman, Mike, Jessica and Harvey have made their case, Jessica being the one who argued it, and now Harvey and Mike are in Harvey's office, cleaning up the files that made their way all around Harvey's office the night before.
"I just got the call." Jessica says, walking into the office.
"And?" Harvey asks, turning to look at her.
"We did it." Jessica reveals.
"Yes!" Mike says smiling.
"Good work, both of you." Jessica says, smiling at Harvey and Mike as while she argued the case Harvey and Mike gave her what she needed to be able to do so, but before anyone can say anything Donna comes hurrying into the room, and the second he sees her Harvey realises that something is wrong.
"Donna, what's wrong?" Harvey asks concerned.
"Alicia Hardman died last night." Donna reveals.
"Daniel Hardman's wife?" Mike asks surprised, and as he does he looks around and sees the looks on his mother's and Harvey's faces, "Why do you two look like it's the end of the world?" Mike asks concerned.
"it's not the end of the world." Jessica tells her son.
"But it could be the end of the firm." Harvey reveals.
"Okay. I know you guys forced him out, but why?" Mike asks as his mother came to see him at Harvard when she took control of the firm, but she didn't explain why.
"You don't need to know, not right now." Jessica tells her son, "For now it would be best if you stay as far away from anything to do with Daniel Hardman as possible." Jessica tells her son as considering the fact that she and Harvey used Daniel's family against him she knows that he would use her family against her.
"You can do that by handling this." Harvey says, handing a file over to Mike, "Swinton merger, somethings holding it up. I want you to work with Katrina, find out what is going on and fix it." Harvey requests, even though he hasn't worked with Katrina much he knows she's good because Mike and Jessica think so, and they trust her, which puts her pretty high in his book, "I don't want an update or to hear from you again until it's closed." He informs Mike, knowing that considering their shared experience there would be very little that Mike and Katrina couldn't handle together.
"Got it." Mike tells him, "Good luck with whatever it is that you guys are going to do." He says before walking out. After Mike walks out Donna walks out too and closes the door.
"Why don't you want Mike anywhere near this?" Harvey asks Jessica as soon as Mike and Donna are out of the room.
"Hardman knows about Mike, they've meet." Jessica reveals.
"When?" Harvey asks, not being able to help his curiosity.
"The summer when Mike was eighteen." Jessica explains, "Mike might have been younger then but Hardman will still recognize him." She explains, "And because he is informed when someone is hired he knows that Mike is going by Ross rather than Pearson-Ross." Jessica explains to Harvey, as to keep up appearances that Hardman was just taking care of his wife he gets some basic information about the firm, new hires being included in that information, "We used his family to force him out, if he sees a chance he'll use Mike to get to me, to hurt me, and he won't care what it does to Mike." Jessica says, pain in her voice.
"We can't let him." Harvey says, trying to keep his voice calm as he knows that he will not let anyone use Mike, and he'll never let anyone hurt him, "We've got to stop him before he comes back."
"We don't know for sure that he's coming back." Jessica says, not sounding at all convinced.
"We do, and you know it." Harvey tells him, "You wouldn't be as worried about Mike as you are if you didn't think so." He explains, "That asshole's coming back, he'll screw both of us out of our jobs, because there is no way in hell he wants to be number two."
"We've got to find out for sure, and then we go from there." Jessica informs Harvey.
"Okay." Harvey says with a nod.
After leaving Harvey's office Mike goes straight to Katrina's and the second he sees his friend Mike realises something.
"You're hungover." Mike says, sounding slightly amused.
"Which is why you should keep your voice down." Katrina requests.
"I'll do my best." Mike says with a nod, "So, you had a good night last night?" Mike asks curious.
"Yeah, it was a really good night." Katrina confirms, "Donna and Rachel are pretty great."
"Yeah, they are." Mike confirms,
"Do you need something?" Katrina asks curious, "Or are you just hear to bother me?" she asks and because she is hung over Mike knows that she isn't as annoyed as she seems.
"Yep. Harvey's Swinton merger is being heled up. He wants us to figure out what is going on, fix it, and not give any updates or talk to him about it until we've closed it." Mike explains to Katrina.
"Did he actually request me by name?" Katrina asks, a little surprised.
"What can I say, you've made an impression." Mike explains.
"Give me the file." Katrina requests and the two of them get to work.
Two days later Jessica and Harvey are both at the cemetery after the funeral of Daniel Hardman's wife, waiting to talk to the man himself.
"Daniel. I'm sorry for your loss." Jessica tells Hardman as he walks towards them.
"Thank you." Hardman says, "Harvey." He greats.
"My condolences." Harvey says, as he takes off his sun glasses.
"Doesn't sound the same, coming from you." Hardman admits.
"You have my sympathy for your wife, but I don't pretend this is page one of the story." Harvey comments, not even caring about how inappropriate it for a funeral.
"You must think I hate you both." Hardman says, looking between Harvey and Jessica.
"Well, that might have something to do with the fact that I was listening the last time you spoke to me." Jessica comments.
"I was pissed, wasn't I?" Hardman asks, sounding amused.
"You threw your phone at my head." Jessica reminds him.
"I did miss though." Hardman points out.
"That's because you throw like a girl." Harvey comments.
"You're still angry, Harvey, and I don't blame you. But what you don't understand is for the last five years have changed everything for me." Hardman admits.
"How so?" Jessica asks.
"I reconnected with Alicia. I cared for her. I know you can't get back lost time with your family, but you can make up for it." Hardman says, "Look at Sarah. I never really knew her, and now I do." Hardman reveals.
"Last time I saw her, she was a little girl." Jessica says, a little surprised at how much the girl has grown.
"She's about to graduate high school. Going to Harvard, this fall. The truth is, what you did to me was the best thing anyone could have done for me." Hardman admits.
"That mean you're coming back?" Harvey asks curious.
"It's my wife's funeral, Harvey. I haven't given it any real thought yet." Hardman says, though both Harvey and Jessica think he is lying, "I am a changed man, Jessica. And I have you to thank for it." Hardman says before walking away.
"You actually buying that pious bullshit?" Harvey asks curious.
"Not for a second." Jessica admits, "He's coming for us." Jessica realises.
"I can stop him before he even gets through the door." Harvey informs Jessica.
"I don't see how you're gonna be able to do that." Jessica admits.
"I have extra motivation." Harvey reveals.
"Yeah, what's that?" Jessica asks, turning to look at him.
"You said it yourself, he'll use Mike, he'll hurt Mike, to get to you and I'm not going to allow that." Harvey reveals, speaking with more protectiveness than Jessica has heard from him, "I won't." Harvey says before walking away.
As Harvey walks away Jessica watches him go with an odd look on her face, wondering just what is going on with her son and protégé as they are clearly more than boss and employee, and she also knows that Harvey doesn't offer to do something like that for just anyone. Honestly she isn't quite sure how she feels about her son and Harvey having a relationship that is clearly not professional, and may even be more than just friends, but what she does know is that will watch them closely from now on so she can figure out just what is going on between them, and she'll decide what to do once she figures out what's going on.
At the firm Mike is sitting on one of the shelves in Katrina's office while Katrina is sitting at her desk.
"So you told her that she was in a unique position to hold up the merger?" Katrina asks.
"I know; I was such an idiot." Mike says, sounding frustrated with himself.
"You really were, you screwed up." Katrina tells him, turning to look at him, "Which means you know what you have to do."
"I have to fix it." Mike comments.
"Yeah, so why are you in here talking to me instead of fixing it?" Katrina asks curious.
"I haven't figured out how to yet." Mike admits.
"Well, you better figure it out, and soon." Katrina tells him.
"I know, I know." Mike mutters.
"Okay, I have an idea." Katrina says, standing up and walking over to him, "You're going to tell me everything, and we're going to talk it out and figure out what to do."
"Just like we used to do." Mike realises.
"Exactly." Katrina tells him, "Start talking." She says and as Mike starts talking about everything that has gone on and together the two of them start to figure things out.
Three days have passed since Alicia's Hardman's funeral, and since Mike and Katrina talked about Mike screwing up the merger so that they could figure out how to fix it.
Having just fixed the problem with the merger, and closed it, Mike and Katrina are arriving back at the firm, walking out of the elevators on the fiftieth floor.
"You two look happy." Harvey notes as he sees Katrina and Mike.
"We dealt with the problem, closed your merger." Katrina informs Harvey.
"Good. That's what I like to hear." Harvey admits as the three of them begin to walk.
"What about what you've not been doing the last few days, how'd that go?" Mike asks curious.
"It's handled." Harvey says, but as they continue to Harvey hears a familiar voice and as they round the corner towards the library Harvey, Katrina and Mike see Hardman standing in front of everyone talking, and so they walk in, as they do Harvey and Jessica look at each other, all thinking that this isn't going to be good.
"When I ran Pearson Hardman. I was charming, witty and adorable." Hardman says with a laugh, "I was also unscrupulous, power-hungry and greedy." Hardman reveals, "I thought I could get away with anything. And that's exactly what I tried to do. I risked the firm's reputation and the careers of everyone in it." Hardman reveals.
"Do you know what he's talking about?" Katrina asks Mike in a whisper.
"No." Mike responds, also whispering.
"These last few years have humbled me. And I've decided to come back and show that we can be a successful law firm without breaking the rules. Unfortunately, the only way that I can do that is by coming clean about my past. Because if we are busy hiding what we have done it leaves us vulnerable to anyone who discovers our secrets." Hardman reveals and as he does Mike suspects that his mother and Harvey might be the reason why Hardman has decided to be so open "And we become so consumed with keeping them, that it is a slippery slope to doing even worse things." Hardman reveals, causing Harvey and Jessica to once more exchange looks, "While I was head of this firm, I borrowed funds from various escrow accounts. The clients never found out about it. I paid back every cent. But make no mistake, I could have been convicted of theft, plain and simple. I want everyone here to know the kind of man I was. And the kind of man I am. Thank you." Hardman says and as he does everyone starts to applause.
"I'm guessing that's not the whole story." Mike says to Harvey.
"It's not." Harvey responds as Jessica walks over to them, and before she can tell Mike to go before Hardman can see him Hardman is already there.
"Mike Pearson-Ross, it's good to see you again." Hardman says, and because he spoke with a slightly loud voice, something which he did on purpose, everyone around turns to look.
"You too, Mr Hardman." Mike says, having no idea what else to say as he knows that it will be all over the firm in a matter of minutes.
"I'm very glad that you decided to work for your mother and me." Hardman says, looking at Mike, and Harvey, Jessica, Mike and Katrina all know that everyone is looking at them,
"Technically Harvey hired me as his associate, without knowing whose son I am." Mike reveals, doing so because he knows that everyone is listening.
"After seeing the work you were capable of when you were eighteen I am very much looking forward to seeing what you can do now that you've finished Law School, I look forward to working with you." Hardman informs Mike, making it clear that he wants to work closely with Mike, something which neither Jessica nor Harvey like the idea of.
"Thank you Mr Hardman, speaking of work I better get back to it." Mike says, wanting to get away from all the eyes that are on him.
"Of course." Hardman responds and Mike and Katrina leave the library, both heading straight to Harvey's office, leaving Jessica, Harvey and Hardman to talk.
"I understand why you had Harvey do what he did. But I'm not the same person I was, and the only way I could think to prove it was by doing what I just did." Harvey reveals, "I told my daughter everything. I hope we can figure out a way to work together." Hardman says before walking away.
Once Hardman walks away Jessica and Harvey are left standing in the library where they both can tell that everyone is watching them, thanks to the secret that Hardman just revealed.
"He just started a war." Jessica says to Harvey, with an angry look on her face.
