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Harvey's heart leapt into his throat as he heard the crash, convinced that Huntley had got to Donna and she was in trouble. He raced out of his office and into the kitchen, terrified of what he'd find.

'Donna! Oh my god Donna, are you ok?' he panted. Harvey looked around for a sign of Huntley, but he couldn't see him.

Donna stood in the corner of the kitchen, a bewildered expression on her face. 'I'm fine, Harvey, I just dropped a mug, that's all. Are you ok?'

He crossed the room to her, took her in his arms and held her tightly to prove to himself that she truly was all right. Donna felt him nod, but she still wasn't convinced.

'Harvey, what's wrong?'

He needed to tell her. He'd promised to protect her, so he had to tell her. He knew he did. He just couldn't quite bring himself to do it right then.

'Nothing, Donna. I'm fine. What were you making- hot chocolate?'

He knew her so well, after a decade of working together and after a couple of months of dating her, that he didn't need to wait for a response. Harvey pulled two fresh mugs from the cupboard and made the hot chocolates, adding a few drops of vanilla essence to each and dusting the whipped cream off with a sprinkle of cocoa powder, exactly the way Donna liked it.

Back in Harvey's office, they sipped the warm drinks on the leather sofa together in a comfortable silence, Donna leaning on Harvey's chest with his arm around her. With her legs curled up underneath her and her hair let loose around her shoulders from its tight bun from the morning, he watched how peaceful she looked and he almost despised himself for taking that away from her.

'Donna.' He shifted in his seat, indicating to her that she should sit up and listen to him. 'Jessica came to tell me earlier, when you went out, that Stephen Huntley has escaped from jail. And the DA saw fit to tell her because we turned him in, but obviously we know a bit more about why he might've escaped.'

There was silence between them again, though a much less comfortable one.

'Donna?'

She stood up, putting a hand on her stomach like it hurt. Watching her pace the room, Harvey studied her face for a hint of what she was feeling, but for all her criticism of his lack of emotion, she was giving nothing away.

'Donna, talk to me,' he pleaded.

'I think I'm going to be sick,' she confessed. 'How the hell did he get out of prison?'

Harvey shook his head. 'I don't know. But you're going to be all right, I promise. I'll make sure of it.'

She nodded. 'Ok. God, I thought it was over. How could I have been so stupid? He's a murder for god's sake, of course he can escape from prison!' A tear traced down her cheek.

'Hey, don't beat yourself up. We all thought it was over. You're not stupid. Come here.' He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her and tucking her under his chin, breathing in the scent of her coconut shampoo and letting her cry for a minute.

For the second time that night, he was taken back to when they thought they had seen the last of Huntley and it made his blood boil to think about what he'd done to Donna. The strongest woman he knew, reduced to tears. After a second, she pulled away from him.

'God, sorry,' she laughed and wiped the tears from her face. Crossing over to Harvey's desk, she opened the bottom draw and took out two glasses and a bottle of scotch, pouring one each for her and Harvey, though hers was rather more full. He noted this and frowned at her, but said nothing.

'Donna, he's not even anywhere near us. He'd be stupid to come after you in the middle of Manhattan; he's probably just running. It's what I'd do if I were ever stupid enough to be caught ordering the murders of innocent people.' Donna looked at him from over the top of her glass. 'Oh, you know what I mean.'

They both burst into laughter at the thought of Harvey murdering people, their hysteria fuelled by the stress they were both feeling, though they pretended it wasn't there.

'Seriously though, Donna. I promised to protect you and I'll be damned if I don't keep that promise. I won't let him come near you and if he so much as walks past you in the store, I want to know and we'll get him, ok?'

'And when exactly do you think I'll have time to go to the store?' she laughed, settling back down on the sofa and cradling her mug.

'Tomorrow with my corporate card, of course. We'll take the day and you can pick as many bags and shoes and dresses as you like. That's another promise.'

Harvey smiled as Donna grinned, the lamplight flickering in her eyes like a thousand tiny stars and casting a warm, amber glow about the room.

'We better get back to work, or Jessica will send us both home,' Donna joked, taking Harvey's hot chocolate and finishing it for him before taking the mugs back to the kitchen to wash up, swaying her hips as she went because she knew full well Harvey would be watching her walk away.

'Donna!' He called after her. 'I love you.'

She beamed.

'Love you too, Harvey.'