A/N- Just a quick update. I really enjoyed writing this. Harvey and Mike have such a wonderful relationship. I hope I've got the characters right so far and you're all enjoying it, if you have any comments, feel free to share. :)

Donna was sat at her cubicle. She'd barely been able to concentrate on her work all day, her mind kept drifting to Mike and Rachel. Why had Mike got fired? She hadn't managed to get much out of the guilt ridden brunette this morning before Rachel had rushed off to law school.

She turned to glance at Harvey. He was sat at the desk with a bored and indifferent expression on his face. Of course Mike wouldn't tell him. He'd be too embarrassed.

But Donna knew Mike. He'd be worried sick over the situation and there was no way he'd accept her turning up at his door. Nope, it would have to be someone he admired and looked up to. She stood up and headed into Harvey's office. It was time to play matchmaker.

Harvey was at his desk nursing an oncoming migraine. After all the drama had passed from the last few weeks with the takeover battle against Mike, he had had a relatively relaxed few days. A few troubled clients that he had sorted and the odd meeting with colleagues (mainly Jessica) but nothing all that stimulating. And he didn't like it. The reason Harvey loved his job was because it was always hectic and busy and no one day was the same. He was typing up some notes on research and sensed rather than heard another presence in the room.

"Hey! So I just wanted to run through the schedule for the rest of the week." Donna was wearing a black sleek dress which made her fiery hair stand out magnificently in the spring New York sunshine beaming through the windows. She planted herself abruptly in the seat opposite of Harvey.

"Go ahead." Harvey continued typing, sensing there was a greater objective here and wanting Donna to get to the point. Although he was a having a more relaxed week, he still had a lot of work to keep on top of.

"You've got Ellis at 4 o'clock today, McKinney at 10 tomorrow, Chamberlain at 2 and when should I pencil you in to go see Mike?" And there it was. Harvey had been barely paying attention but now he caught Donna's eye.

"See him for what?"

"To be a friend?" She was actually being serious. Suppose he'd have to spell it out to the legal secretary.

"Donna, as far as he's concerned, I sold him out to win the takeover. I am the last person he wants to see right now." Harvey said, fed up now and returning to continue his work, giving indication to Donna that she should leave.

"And I would agree with all that, except for the fact that Mike got fired." It took a moment for Harvey to register this. Even after, he thought he'd heard it wrong. But one look at Donna and he realised this was her actual motive. He often marvelled at her knowledge of everything that was happening, most of the stuff that he blanked or put to the back of his mind. But this, how could he not know this?

"What? When?" Why hadn't Mike or Rachel told him? He would obviously go to support Mike. It was probably his fault that the kid got fired. Still, it wasn't adding up. Mike fought hard for the takeover and had shown Sidwell he had the balls to make it in investment banking. No way would Johnathon let him go after that. No, he'd have to find out what was going on. But right now, he'd keep up the facade that he didn't care. Still he made a mental note to see Mike before Rachel was home this evening.

"And I wasn't gonna tell you because you should be hearing it from him. But men are idiots and they'd rather be alone and miserable than ever run the risk of needing someone." He stared at Donna. Harvey could sense her teasing of him. Were they talking about Mike still? Or himself?

"He has Rachel.-"

"Who is the one person Mike believes will stand by him no matter what. Which makes her the one person he won't believe when she says he didn't completely fail." She had a point. Harvey knew Mike was extremely sensitive and would be beating himself up over this. No, he'd have to go see his former pup now before he did anything stupid and to put the kids mind at rest that this wasn't his fault. He turned back to the computer screen. No way would he be able to concentrate on that any further.

"How important is the meeting with Ellis?"

"He says it's urgent." This was more urgent, Harvey thought quietly to himself.

"Tell him I have to reschedule." He pulled himself out of the chair.

-SUITS-

Mike had made it home safely. Knowing his luck lately, he was expecting to have been stopped and searched and then his situation would have been even worse. Still, it came in useful having an eidetic memory. He'd taken a longer walk back than usual: one that he knew wasn't littered with cops.

Still, he was already regretting buying the weed. It was too risky and he had been clean for so long now. Plus, now that there wasn't an income coming into the family he'd have to be more careful with expenditure. One hurdle in the road and he'd given up. An addict in need of of a fix.

His Grammy would be disappointed if he didn't put more fight in than this. But he felt so lost with no idea what the future held. For as long as he could remember, Mike had wanted to be a lawyer. He had adored working at Pearson Hardman, something he had thought never possible. Now, he'd have to start again from scratch, build a new career with nothing to back him up. His past was either a lie or a failure and his future was unknown. He was just shoving the drugs in a secret stash behind the bathroom cupboard when he heard someone knocking the door. Sighing, he went to answer it, already knowing who was on the other side.

He looked through the peephole just to check and saw the familiar face of the older lawyer. Reluctantly, Mike swung the door open. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Harvey, he just felt embarrassed and knew he'd let Harvey down to. His approval was something that Mike always sought to achieve and Harvey's disappointment when he found out the truth of why Mike was fired could break him. Suddenly, Mike felt like a naughty kid in front of his parents.

He realised that he hadn't told Harvey. So it must have been- "Rachel or Donna? Who told you to check up on me?"

"You don't think I'd do that on my own?" Harvey actually sounded hurt by Mike's statement. But Mike wasn't in the mood for pitying anyone other than himself, and he was still kinda pissed at Harvey for going behind his back on the takeover.

"No, I don't."

"Well I wouldn't have. Because I didn't think you'd need it. But then I found out that you got fired." Harvey's tone was soft, if a little questioning. But the words still hit Mike in the gut. Mike shrugged it off, heading back into his apartment.

"So what? People lose their jobs every single day."

"Yeah, not people like you." Harvey shut the door cautiously behind him. He wasn't sure how to approach this, but felt very worried about his former associate. He watched Mike walk with his shoulders slightly sagged, like a puppy with his tail between his legs. The kid looked so defeated. "Why'd you get fired?"

"You mean other than the fact that I picked a fight I couldn't win?" Mike knew their was no point hiding this from his former partner. He would soon find out. Especially as Rachel had probably already told Donna.

"I don't care how it turned out. You went 15 rounds on your first shot. No way Sidwell lets you go after that." Harvey wanted answers now. He felt a protective instinct over his former protege and friend and wanted to hurt whoever had knocked the younger lads confidence so much. There was a moment of silence as Mike tried to find the right words to explain to Harvey what a dick he had been. But Harvey had a moment of realisation himself.

"It was Forstman, wasn't it." Of course it was.

Mike looked down at the floor. He could sense the older man's frustration and didn't want to look him in the eye as he told him what he had done. He had once gone behind Harvey's back and sold his boss out and Harvey had dropped him right there and then. Loyalty was something Mike knew Harvey valued above anything, even winning.

"I only got Forstman's money if I agreed to cut Sidwell out of the deal." He almost felt better for saying it. Coming to terms with what he had done was very difficult.

"And Sidwell found out."

"He didn't just find out, Forstman told him."

Harvey put his hand to his head counting to ten. He had allowed Forstman to play him once and knew how manipulative the man was. He had managed to almost save his younger brother from him and his immoral ways 11 years ago but hadn't been so lucky now. He breathed out his anger. Now was not the time. "That son of a Bitch."

"Yeah, there's more. That son of a bitch has offered me a job." Mike released what had really been on his mind.

"Mike. You. Can't. Do. It. And you know it." Harvey was quick off the mark. He could almost see the temptation in Mike's eyes and wondered how much that rat had offered him. There was no way Harvey could let Mike take that job. It would be anything but good for him.

"What choice do I have? I was an investment banker for 10 minutes and I blew the only deal I'm ever going to get near."

"Well that sounds exactly like the kind of bullshit Forstman tells people to wrap them around his finger." They were both sat opposite each other now. Mike had stopped pacing but still looked overly stressed, like he was prepared to just runaway at any second.

"Doesn't mean it's not true."

"Yes it does, I could get you 5 interviews before tomorrow." Harvey's voice was raised slightly now. He was pissed at Forstman and his worry for Mike was turning into anger at his defeatist attitude.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"By making 5 goddamn phone calls."

"And what are you going to say when they answer. Are you going to tell them I was a Harvard educated lawyer working for you? Because if you do that, I might as well go back to being a fraud." Even though Harvey hated his sarcastic way of saying it, the younger man had a point. Harvey had no idea what he was going through right now. His job, though risky, had always been relatively secure. When at the DAs office, he always had Jessica's offer to back him up. He was struggling to make the younger version of himself feel better. Mike had his head in his hands, sighing.

"What if I can get Jessica to take you back?" It was a shot in the dark and Harvey knew he didn't sound very convincing. Jessica had never been happier than when he told her Mike was leaving. Even though she respected the kid and even admired him a little, Harvey knew how much it jeopardised the firm having a fraud working there. And the firm was Jessica's life.

Mike laughed with more than a hint of sarcasm. "What if you can bring my parents back to life, because both of those things have about the same chance of happening."

"Mike, I'm trying to help you." Harvey was getting slightly agitated by the younger man's attitude here.

"And I appreciate that Harvey. But I only have 2 references here: you- who has to lie for me and Johnathon - who wants to kill me."

"Mike-"

"Harvey! That's enough. As much as you want to help me, you just don't know what it's like to have been a fraud and to have to start all over." Mike was tired of this conversation but Harvey was shaking his head in denial. His deep brown eyes were lit up with recognition.

"I don't. But I know of a man who does."