"Every night I remember that evening,

the way you looked when you said you were leaving,

the way you cried as you turned to walk away."

/

"Give me an evening, or give me a night.

I'll show you the time, of your life.

I'll walk you home safe, from the dark.

I'll give you my jacket, I'll give you my heart."

Scouting For Girls - This Ain't A Love Song / Heartbeat

For the following week, Harvey and Donna barely had time to speak, or the energy, they were so busy. They both took it in turns visiting Rachel in the hospital but other than that, they managed to speak to and reassure every single client on Harvey's books. Harvey settled the class action lawsuit the firm was being held to for a tenth of what it was worth, using partner buy-ins and the threat of bankruptcy. It was a trick that Louis had actually come up with. He then took some of Jessica's workload as she was dealing with threats from both Bradson and Gould and Zane's company, who was working alongside the former employee of Pearson, Specter, Litt, Jack Soloff.

It was 5pm on the Friday evening and Harvey stifled a yawn. He'd been working fluidly from 7am till at least 10pm every night this week and hadn't been able to sleep well with so much going on. Despite this, the week had gone relatively quickly. He still hadn't spoken to Mike, under the stubborn nature that Mike should call him first. But, secretly, he'd spoken to an old friend who was an attorney at the prison and had a whole team of people keeping an eye on the kid. It worried him, knowing the extent of damage that Gallo could do, even inside a prison.

He stretched in the chair at his desk, having been working on paperwork for 2 hours now and feeling the strain in his back and shoulder muscles. Shaking himself free of the thoughts, he stood and walked to the door of his office.

"Donna, cancel my 6pm with Macintosh and arrange for Ray to pick you up and take you home." He said, a smirk gracing his cheekbones. Donna turned to look at him and he could see the tiredness in her eyes. She'd been here working earlier than him every morning and hadn't complained once. Anyone else wouldn't be able to see the slight droop in her eyes, or the way her neck was slightly crooked from leaning over the desk for so long. But, she was still flawless to him.

"But, Harvey, Macintosh is the only client we haven't spoken to yet." She questioned and he admired her concern.

"Yes, and he's only worth around a million to the firm." He said, feeling the gruffness of his voice, probably caused by extreme lack of sleep and overuse. Donna still looked at him questioningly, her eyebrow slightly arched. In response, he reached forward for her hand, pulling her up. She was now less than half a metre in front of him and slightly taller than him in those ridiculous heels.

"You're worth more to me," he smiled, her smile. The one he'd always subconsciously reserved, even with the many 'conquests' he'd had over the years.

They hadn't spoken about what had happened the other day, both silently acknowledging that they would make time for it once everything had settled down at the firm. It wasn't like before anymore. They weren't trying to avoid the subject, in fact Harvey wished everyday an opportunity would come up to arrange something. Until today when he took matters into his own hands.

"Harvey," she replied, a look of suspicion now gracing her face which Harvey silently laughed at. "It's only 5pm, I'm fine, I can carry on."

"Yeah, but then you would be too tired to go out with me tonight."

She looked up incredulously, and he could sense her excitement. But it was still stumbled by her protesting stance, her hands now cradling her hips in the exact position that he wanted to place his own. But he reminded himself that they were taking it slowly.

So Harvey gently moved her to the side and reached for the phone, speaking to Ray himself. Her look of astonishment made him laugh out loud this time.

"I thought you didn't know how to dial out?" She said, a hint of sarcasm, referring to the words he's said to her when he had attempted to get her to come and testify at the dreaded mock trial.

He didn't grace her with the many sarcastic comments that were filling his mind and instead bent down to pick up her handbag, placing her makeup and a few belongings from the top drawer inside, and taking her hand again, he pushed the handbag onto her shoulder. Graciously, he pulled her towards him, and almost in a dancers motion, twisted her so that she was facing away. He then gave her a playful shove towards the elevators and told her to go.

As she finally started walking towards the elevators, he forced himself not to focus on the gentle sway of her hips, and called out, "I'll pick you up in 2 hours."

-SUITS-

Donna headed home almost shell-shocked. This wasn't something she expected to happen this evening. In fact, she had been looking forward to heading home after work, having a glass of wine and trying a relaxing weekend, hoping no drama would go down. However, now she was rushing through showering, debating whether to shave and overthinking what to wear.

It was stupid really. She'd known Harvey for so long now and he had seen her in the worst of states and the best. But, they were starting afresh now and she really wanted this to work out. Should she curl her hair? Straighten it? Wear neutral make-up? Honestly, it was the lack of time that made the decisions for her in the end.

It wasn't long before she heard the gentle rhythm on her door, 3 knocks, equal length apart and even if she hadn't been expecting it, Donna would have known exactly who it belonged to. She took a deep calming breath, chastising herself for feeling nervous, before opening the door to let him in.

Harvey looked just as perfect as usual and it was a welcome sight to see him not in a suit. He looked much more relaxed with his hair, recently washed, brushed back and a warm but smart blue cardigan jumper covering his casual shirt and dark slacks. He smiled his big Cheshire cat smile at Donna as he produced a small but extravagant bunch of her favourite lily flowers. She smiled back and pulled him into a hug as she took the gift from his hands.

Following the hug, Harvey pulled back and straightened, seemingly unsure of what to do with his hands. He placed them casually in his pockets and looked Donna up and down.

He seemed to be a bit lost for words as he replied simply, "you look beautiful."

Donna smiled brighter, flicking her hair behind her neck. She had chosen a slightly longer than usual, plain black, slimline dress and kept it simple with some silver diamante jewellery to brighten it up a little. He examined her necklace casually and looked questionably at her. She acknowledged the silent questioning easily.

"I told you before, you're very generous on Secretary's Day."

And her favourite playful smirk graced his face, making him look just as young as he did 12 years prior, that mischievous glint in his eyes reminding Donna of a kid about to cause trouble.

Whilst she cleared up some things in the lounge, she sensed Harvey pacing gently around her apartment, his eyes falling for just a second on the dining table. It then occurred to her that the last time he had been here was that fateful night before Mike had taken the plea deal. The night that she had managed to convince to Harvey to not do what Rachel had pleaded unsuccessfully with Mike not to do. He had wanted to turn himself in and she remembered the unbelievable pressure she had felt when trying to convince him not to. Knowing the consequences if she failed.

She approached him quietly from behind, seeing the same memories flashing through his mind by the expression he wore in the reflection on her window. She reached her arm gently over to the opposing shoulder and whispered gently in his ear.

"You ready to go?"

He turned with a slightly watering smile and led them both out the door.

-SUITS-

Ray was waiting for them outside her apartment and it was only a short ride towards the city to where Harvey had chosen for dinner. He was acting very gentlemanly, opening the door for her into the car and also helping her to step out.

She knew the restaurant that he had chosen. It wasn't far from the office but was much more relaxed and quiet than the majority of establishments around here. When she entered, a young Male waitress met them at the door who smiled brightly at Harvey shaking his hand in greeting.

"And you must be Donna," he turned to the redhead, gently taking her wrist and bending to place a gentle kiss on the top of her hand. Donna didn't know who the young man was but his warm voice, with a vague Italian accent made her feel very welcome.

She followed behind him to their table, with Harvey pulling her into a one-armed embrace and keeping her close to him without being too overbearing. They took their seats at a small table towards the back of the restaurant. It was still in the restaurant but was bordered by low walls in a booth and she was comforted by the slight edge of privacy. When they sat, Harvey ordered some wine from the waiter and Donna took the time to admire the candles in front of them. She took a deep breath, trying to gather the scent, of which she pinpointed to be wild fig.

Harvey grinned at her when the waitress left, a smile that spilt all the words he had restrained from saying over the years and Donna felt an overwhelming joy of emotions and hope that they would make it last. She swayed along gently to the soft piano music she recognised as Ludovico Einaudi, a classical piece she had dreamed of learning to play eloquently as a child.

The evening went perfectly, with much wine and glorious food. It warmed her to see Harvey so relaxed and happy, his shoulders no longer drooped with the constant tension. They made conversation easily, as they both always had been able to do and somehow managed to avoid anything to do with the firm or Rachel and Mike, wanting to escape from it all for one night.

Despite their earlier tiredness, they were both beaming with energy after leaving the restaurant, Donna feeling incredibly satisfied. It was a cloudy but unusually warm New York evening and they opted out of catching a cab. Instead, they gently strolled through the city, admiring many of the sites that they so often took for granted. Donna had always appreciated the little things in life. She remembered as a kid, being mesmerised by this beautiful city at night and being content at just observing it for hours. Harvey seemed happy with the knowledge that she was happy and every time she turned to him, he would be looking at her, a deep smile brightening his eyes.

As it started getting busy, Harvey hailed a taxi and they went back to Donna's apartment. As Donna stepped out of the cab, she felt sad at the thought that their evening was over. Although their physical contact had been restrained and the evening had been rather chaste, it was obvious that their emotions were much deeper than a first date. There had been a lot of eye-gazing and dopey smiles.

Harvey stepped out of the car behind her, thanking the driver. He was a little tipsy whether from the alcohol or happiness, Donna wasn't sure. She could also feel the vibe from the situation. It was quiet; apart from the gentle flow of traffic. Harvey took her to the door of the apartment and she turned towards him.

"Thanks for tonight Harvey, it's been lovely."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. You ok from here?" He looked up towards her apartment, both of them unsure of how to end it.

"Yes, see you Monday?" She said, out of courtesy and Harvey nodded in response before turning to walk away.

But Donna impulsively pulled his shoulder back towards her and he smiled.

"It's okay Harvey," she said.

In response, he placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her into him before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. It was much less than she was expecting and her body groaned in its need for more, but she knew he was only catering to her requests and that this was the best way to go.

Just as he turned to go, she told him to let her know when he was home safe.

"Alright Mom," he didn't turn back but she could hear the smirk in his voice.

When Donna re-entered her apartment, tiredness hit, and she instantly changed into her comfortable pyjamas and did what she need to do in the bathroom before climbing into bed. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, her phone buzzed on the bedside table.

I'm home safe. Thanks for coming with me tonight. H x