A big thank you to Guest, Marina, Guest and Guest for their feedback on chapter VI!

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Nichts macht uns so einsam wie unsere Geheimnisse. – Paul Tournier

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He knows she's there even before he opens the door to his apartment. He hears the quite sound of one of his John Coltrane records when he enters and he thinks that it is nice not to come home to an empty apartment for a change.

Her high heels and her handbag are neatly placed next to the door and when he enters his living room he sees her sitting on the far edge of his couch, bare feet propped up on his coffee table, a glass of white wine in one hand and his copy of Shakespeare's Julius Cesar in the other. Donna once gave it to him.

"You're late", Jessica says without looking up from the book.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings", Harvey recites from memory. He means it as an apology – if not for being late.

Jessica raises an eyebrow at him as she puts the book down.

"Are you implying that I am Brutus?" she asks.

Harvey considers her question for a moment. And, indeed, the symmetry seems striking. But he thinks that he can't say that after the fight they had today – which already felt too much like being stabbed in the back – and so he slides his hands into his pockets and says instead,

"Are you checking up on me?"

"Someone has to", Jessica retorts knowingly.

They have a staring contest for a few seconds, struggling to put aside their many differences if only for the evening, before Jessica gives in without so much as a blink.

"Go wash your hands – dinner's ready."

And when he sees the sushi containers on his kitchen counter, Harvey is glad that she didn't bother with the cooking this time – it turns out, it is one of the few things she is not very good at.

They eat mostly in silence, the quite jazz in the background easing the tension of several weeks between them and Harvey is grateful for that. He enjoys her company, even after today, but he still doesn't feel much like talking and she doesn't seem to do either.

He knows that Jessica wouldn't have come to see him afterhours to bring him sushi if he weren't up to his neck in trouble. He's lost two cases in a row – which is almost unprecedented – and as of today, he was about to lose one of their most important clients because of a personal difference of opinion. Things have been slipping out of his control lately and it drives him crazy that he doesn't seem to be able to shatter the many walls he's backed up against.

He's barley able to control his anger these days and neither his work nor boxing or easy brunettes seem to provide the release they used to. In quieter moments however, Harvey secretly wonders if that is what it feels like to get old.

After dinner Jessica retreats back to his couch and picks up the book again as if it is what she does every night. Harvey pours them two glasses of scotch and starts to randomly browse through the latest issue of the Times. It is yesterday's news, but he's to tense to concentrate on anything else.

He knows he will have to make up to her for picking a personal fight with one of their most important clients.

Harvey eyes her uneasily over the rim of his glass and when he can't stand her silence anymore he says,

"I'm sorry about today."

Jessica briefly looks up from her book. Her voice is quite yet confident when she says,

"I know."

"I'm going to fix this."

This time, she doesn't look up.

"I know."

Harvey relaxes a little at her reassurance. He reclines in the chair on the other side of his coffee table. As he takes a sip of his scotch, he wonders if the woman across from him is still as broken as he is.

It is only much later, after Jessica turns the last page of the book that she puts it down in her lap and looks at him again.

"Do you know why I didn't tell Jeff about Mike?"

He's startled by her question momentarily – then again, he knew she didn't come here to read Shakespeare and keep him company. And, yes, Harvey has wondered why she didn't tell Jeff about Mike but instead got herself even further tangled up by dragging Louis into it.

And he certainly can relate to the impulse to share one's secrets with the people you care about. If he's learned one thing in the past four years than it is that a secret can forge a powerful bond between the people who share it – who have to protect it. And at the same time, it can create an infinite divide to the people who are excluded from it.

If you trust someone with your secrets, you trust them with your faults. You trust them to handle your inadequacies and your flaws and love you despite them. You trust them not to take advantage of your vulnerabilities. Harvey knows from experience that that is an excruciatingly hard thing to do. But he also knows from experience that Jessica values her firm above everything else and he respects her for that.

"I didn't tell him because I believe keeping a secret relies on keeping the number of people involved as limited as possible."

Her voice is calm, unagitated and Harvey can only nod as he isn't sure if he likes were she's going with that. To be on the safe side, he gets up to get himself a refill on his scotch.

"You and Donna-", Jessica suddenly says without breaking her stoic demeanor even in the slightest.

Harvey whirls around at that. He wants to cut her off, tell her that it's none of her business or that he doesn't want to talk about it, but his dismissive reply dies on his tongue when he actually thinks better of it. It is not like Jessica to pry and Harvey has always appreciated her quite unique take on life. In her own way, Harvey thinks, Jessica is a very wise woman, and if anything, she's an excellent negotiator. It is what makes her an exceptional lawyer. And Harvey thinks that he could actually use a little negotiating.

As she waits for his approval to continue, instead of cutting her off, he slowly asks,

"What about me and Donna?"

"You need to fix that too."

The anger of several weeks ignites as easily as a match and Harvey immediately fails to control it appropriately. He's never felt this stuck in his entire life and it's driving him crazy. He can't seem to let her go. He can't seem to reach out to her either. There's no going back and there's no going forward in this and that's a new experience in and of itself because Harvey Specter doesn't get stuck. His voice is loaded with sarcasm and much louder than before as it echoes of the walls of his loft.

"And how exactly do I do that?"

Jessica only stirs slightly. She fixes her gaze somewhere above his coffee table, but she doesn't seem bothered by his sudden agitation. She knows his anger isn't directed at her. At least not this time.

"You do what you do best", she says decidedly as she takes a sip of her scotch. "You talk to her."

And Harvey's anger gives way to resignation as he remembers the last time he's brought up the subject at Mike's and Rachel's engagement party six weeks ago where Donna had walked out on him.

Since then, knowing his working schedule and his daily habits, Donna has perfected the task of avoiding him at the office. They've only ever accidentally run into each other once. Donna had to work late and Harvey had a late client meeting. They met at the elevator and she had looked at him as if she was seriously considering walking down fifty floors worth of stairs. It was the most uncomfortable elevator ride of his entire life.

"She doesn't want to talk to me, Jessica", Harvey says as he heavily drops back into his chair and runs a hand trough his hair in resignation.

"You're a lawyer, Harvey", Jessica reminds him, as if he was in danger of actually forgetting about that. "Nobody ever wants to talk to you." There's a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

He can't help but grin at her for a moment.

"Are you telling me this, because you are concerned about your business?" he asks, but it is in good humor.

Jessica neatly places the Shakespeare next to her empty tumbler of scotch on his coffee table as she moves to get up. She smoothes down over her skirt before she looks at him again. Her voice holds no resentment when she says,

"No, Harvey. I'm telling you this, because this women already knows every secret you ever had and she still stuck around with you for more than twelve years."

As he hears her quietly close the door to his apartment and he is alone with his scotch and his jazz again, Harvey's grateful for her intervention. He thinks that one day he might actually be able to return the favor.