A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their story alerts. I appreciate all of the feedback.
Just a heads up, italics indicate a flashback.
Disclaimer: I only own Alannah and Monica.
Harvey stared at the sign that read, O'Callaghan's, "You live in a bar?"
Alannah shook her head and tugged on his arm to get him to follow her towards the door, "No, I live in a loft above a pub."
"Seriously?" he replied with a chuckle.
"I'm not an alcoholic, I swear." Alannah opened the door to the pub, "My best friend is renting to own the pub and the loft. We live together."
He leaned down until his head was next to her ear and whispered over the music, "You do realize you're a lawyer who also happens to have zero student loans thanks to the firm. You could afford a nicer place."
She gently pushed him away, "Well, aren't you just a big snob."
"I just don't believe in living like I'm in college when I'm out in the real world with an adult job," Harvey defended.
The slightly younger woman smiled, "Just call me Peter Pan because Monica and I are determined to never fully grow up."
"Dia duit, Lana!" a red head greeted as she pulled Alannah into a hug.
"Dia is Muire duit!" She released herself from the hug and turned towards Harvey, "Monica, this is a fellow associate, Harvey Specter. Harvey, this is Monica O'Callaghan."
"Nice to meet you." Monica shook his hand before motioning to the patrons of the bar, "As you can see, we're pretty busy tonight so do me a favor and serve yourself, deirfiúr."
"No problem." Alannah replied before her friend walked away. The young woman headed for a secluded table in the corner with Harvey following behind her. She pointed, "Sit."
Harvey watched her walk towards the bar. She nodded her head along to the music that was playing as she slipped behind the bar and filled two mugs with beer. She rejoined him at the table and sat the mugs down. She took off her suit jacket and pulled off her heels. She pushed one of the mugs across the table to Harvey before taking a sip of her own.
He eyed the glass skeptically, "What is this?"
"O'Hara's." Alannah gleefully took another sip before finishing her statement, "No other beer is better and since you're not paying, you'll take what I give you."
He pushed the glass to the side before asking "What language were you speaking earlier?"
"Irish." She stared at his untouched mug, "You really should drink that, Harvey. It's the best beer you'll ever have in your life."
He took a sip, "Happy? Now, what I want to know is why you speak Irish and have an obviously deep affection for their beer?"
"Because I'm half Irish and no, I don't mean in the way college frat boys claim to be of Irish descent on Saint Padraig's day." Harvey started to speak, but she cut him off, "And no, I didn't pronounce that wrong. I just refuse to use the Americanized name of Patrick. My Da was born and raised in Dublin. He met my mom when he came to New York through a study abroad program in college. He went back to Ireland, finished his last semester and moved here to be with her. We spent every summer in Ireland which is how I know Monica. My grandda and her grandda own a bar together back in Ireland."
"How did I not know that?" he asked as he took another sip of his beer.
She grinned, "My last name should have given you some indication and, if that didn't, my slight accent should."
"It's New York," he defended, "Everybody has an accent."
"I guess I'll concede that point," she said through her laughter.
He waited until she'd stopped laughing before getting serious, "You want to talk about the case now?"
She took a large sip from her mug, "Not really."
Harvey did his best to sound sympathetic, "Everyone loses."
"Not you."
"Well, I'm extraordinary." Even though he was trying to make her feel better, he couldn't stop hide the smirk from forming on his face, "Comparing yourself to me is unfair. Just ask Louis."
She glared at him, "Comparing me to Louis Litt isn't helping."
"Getting drunk isn't going to help either."
She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him, "But if I get drunk, you might actually have a chance to have your wicked way with me."
Harvey chuckled as he unbuttoned his suit jacket, "I'm Harvey Specter. I wouldn't need to get you drunk for that."
"I'm Harvey Specter," she mimicked, "Does that actually work on women? "
He shrugged, "You'd be surprised.""
She shook her head, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've got standards, Specter."
He pretended to be offended, "I don't meet those standards?"
"Do you honestly want me to answer that?"
"Not really," he answered. "Lanna, it wasn't your fault. Nicole didn't give you pertinent information and you got surprised on the stand. You can only work with what people give you."
Alannah sighed, "You manage to get around that."
"Again, extraordinary."
She rolled her eyes, "I should have invited Donna instead of you."
"Donna wouldn't let you make her drink O'Hara's," he shot back.
"Donna doesn't get on my nerves," she replied without missing a beat.
"Ouch. If I had feelings, I'd be hurt." Harvey said as he placed his hand over his heart, "But I've been told I'm emotionally unavailable."
She leaned back in her chair and placed her feet in one of the empty chairs at their table, "That's only because you didn't let them stick around long enough to find out that you're really a big marshmallow underneath."
"I am not."
"But you are," she argued, "You could be out on the town right now picking up some woman who is in awe of you, but you're not. You're here, trying to make me feel better about making a fool of myself in front of Jessica."
"It wasn't that bad," he assured and then winced at how condescending it sounded.
She decided to gloss over it instead of calling him out on it, "Daniel finally let me sit at the adult table and I screwed up. I don't think I'm cut out of the courtroom. I don't think I have that cutthroat instinct that you do."
"Again," he motioned to himself, "extraordinary."
She picked up a peanut from the bowl that was in the middle of the table and threw it at him, "Shut up. Look, I've been doing research. Trying to figure out how to make myself super valuable to the firm and put myself on the partnership track."
"Daniel Hardman is your mentor. I'm pretty sure you are already on the partnership track." When he only received a glare as an answer, he asked, "What'd you come up with?"
"Mediation."
He waited for her to continue and when it became apparent that she thought that explained everything, he asked, "What about it?"
"No one in the firm specializes in it which is a shame because with every case, you get to bill two clients instead of one. I would hardly ever have to see the inside of a courtroom. It's a win-win for the firm and for me," she explained.
He nodded, "What'd Daniel say?"
"I haven't talked to Daniel yet. I wanted to run it by you first." After she finished that statement, Harvey started looking around the bar. She turned to see if anyone was behind her and when she found no one there, she questioned, "What are you doing?"
"I was looking for Rod Serling," he answered, "I was waiting for him to tell me that we've entered the Twilight Zone. You're actually seeking my opinion over Hardman's?"
Alannah gave a small snort, "No. But you'll poke holes in it so I can go to him with a solid argument."
"I'm crushed."
"Lie. Emotionally unavailable, remember?"
He grinned, "Big marshmallow, remember?"
She grinned back, "If I become the best damn mediator in this town, Harvey, I make myself indispensable to the firm.
"No one is indispensable," he pointed out.
"Besides you?"
He laughed, "Again, extrao-"
She launched another peanut across the table at him, "You are so full of yourself, Specter."
He caught the peanut in midair and popped it in his mouth, "I wouldn't be a good lawyer if I wasn't."
"You gonna sit around all afternoon or are you actually going to help me clean for the nighttime rush?" Monica O'Callaghan asked as she threw a dry dishrag at her friend and pulled Alannah out of her thoughts.
She picked up the rag and stood, "Sorry. I was just reliving some memories."
Monica teased, "And would any of these memories have to do with a tall cocky lawyer who looks rather dashing in a three piece suit?"
"Five years later and you still haven't gotten that that ship has sailed?" Alannah asked as she began to wipe down the table that had been sitting at.
"And yet, you're the one daydreaming about him so maybe you haven't gotten that memo either?" she shot back as she moved from the table she had been cleaning to a different one.
"Mon, could we not do this today?" she sighed, "Being back at Pearson Hardman is stressful enough. I'd like to come home and be able to relax."
She stopped cleaning and crossed her arms, "Does that mean I can't remind you that your incredibly intelligent best friend warned you that going back wasn't a wise choice?"
The other woman looked at the floor, "I had to. You know that."
"No, Alannah, I don't know that." Monica threw her rag on the table, "What I do know is that you barely escaped Pearson Hardman with your career intact last time. Deirfiúr, you know I'll stand beside you no matter what, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to tell you that I believe that this is a bad life choice."
"Daniel made sure I was taken care of when I was fired," she argued.
The red head scoffed, "He should have. He was the reason you were fired. You don't owe Daniel, Lanna. He owesyou."
"Dammit, Mon, I don't want to hear this lecture again," Alannah flung her rag down in frustration and sat back down in the seat she had vacated.
"And I don't want to give it again because it's always going to fall on deaf ears." Monica sat down across from her. She took a few deep breaths before moving on to what she thought would be safer territory, "What was it like seeing Harvey again?"
Grateful for the subject change even if she wasn't particularly thrilled with whom her friend had changed the subject to, "He threatened me."
"He what?" she exclaimed as she pushed back her chair and started to get up, "I'll kill him."
"Sit down!" Alannah tried to hide her smile at Monica's protectiveness, "He only threatened to ruin my life if I screwed him and Jessica over again. In his defense, it was after I was toying with his associate."
Monica crossed the room and sat down in front of her, "Are you sure you want to take him on again?"
"Monica." Alannah scolded.
"Don't Monica me," she reprimanded, "I'm your best friend. Your sister by choice and I was there through it all the first time around. Jessica firing you from Pearson Hardman mildly upset you, but you were damn near inconsolable after Harvey kicked you out of his apartment and told you to never come back. I don't want to see you like that again."
"I won't be," she guaranteed, "Harvey doesn't get to me like he did back then. I'll be fine."
"Okay," Monica replied skeptically, "Look, I think you're a right eejit for doing this, but on the off chance that it all goes to hell, I'm here for you."
She smiled, "I know and I appreciate it."
"Now," Monica picked up the rag that Alannah had tossed down earlier, "get back to scrubbing."