Notes: Part of me wants to jump five years. i fear there may have to be a sequel to this at some point... Slight sexy-time, think it's still T. Hard T, but a T none the less.
Break the Silence - By Atheniandream
Chapter 8
Donna was rarely nervous. Nerves didn't really sit with her, she was almost always raw hard edges, or soft well-thought out intentions. But nervous? He'd seen her many things but not nervous. He snuck a glance at her, sat next to him, fidgeting, seemingly unhappy with any possible way she could have sat in that chair. He was so used to her having all the answers, seldom being confronted with her own personal dilemmas – save for the Memo and the recent situation – she seemed to crumble when a real problem reared its ugly head in her own life.
"Donna, it's going to be fine." He said, trying to placate her. The sterile walls and mint furnishings surrounding them both didn't help situations. Why were doctor's surgeries, even good ones, so clinical and uninviting? No matter how much you paid it never made a damn bit of difference, they all brought the same sense of a detached unknown.
"I know. I just…" She mumbled, straightening her skirt.
"They said they'd have the results back within a day. It's not like we're going to have to wait a week." He said.
"You're right. I just…if it's his, then that was a planned thing, but not the best scenario. And if it's not,"
"If it's mine," He clarified. He really was taking this better than he thought he would have.
"If it's yours, then that was NOT in the plan. Any of the plan,"
"Donna," His voice was low, intimate, immediately catching her unfocused attention. "We've pretty much screwed this up…at every stage and still made it out alive. Everything's going to be fine."
Her features softened; disbelief in her eyes. "Since when did you become the voice of reason?" She smiled.
"Since the voice of reason," Inferring her, "Lost her head…a little."
"Donna Paulsen?" A woman appeared with the obligatory clipboard and an emotionless face.
He looked to Donna; who he could see was slightly more herself after his pep talk. "You're up, Counsellor." He eyed her carefully as she straightened out of the chair.
By the fifth minute he was starting to get antsy, not one for waiting for anything or anyone, but because it was getting hard to sit in the same position. She finally walked back out, heading straight for the elevator.
"How'd it go?" he asked.
"Yeah, good." She said, almost unreadable as they got into the elevator and he pushed the button.
Harvey was happy just to get that sterile smell out of his lungs as he kept a pace with Donna on the busy street.
"Okay, so what's the deal?" He asked her, wishing she would slow down a notch.
"They're going to call tomorrow when they have the results; and they'll confirm if I'm pregnant, how far along. If it's longer than a week then… we know what's going on."
"Right. So we wait,"
"No. I need drink," She said.
"Do you really think that's responsible parenting?" He halted, bring her to a stop.
"It may be my last for at least fifteen months, Harvey. I'm having one drink; a big one."
He had to hand it to her. Donna was back.
She'd picked a small Irish pub that she used to frequent back in her first years of arriving in the big city. She'd never really talked about her life before meeting him, perhaps as Carl had rightfully said, a lot of their past was centred around his life, his success rather than about where she had come from. But he did know she had a fondness for Irish pubs; with their earthy interior and opportunity for well sculpted banter, McSorley's on East 7th didn't get much better than that. It was oldie-worldy, with worn wooden chairs and old black and white photos hanging everywhere from its first years open in 19th century New York, back when freedom and destiny were still being defined. Lucky for them even though it was a Saturday, rush hour hadn't quite started yet, so there was still room at the bar. An errant thought ran through his head, the pondering of her possible Irish roots as he followed her in, watching her sidle up to the bar giving the Bartender a flirty little wink as he smiled at her and nodded in his direction.
"Donna, hows life treating you? Haven't seen you here for a while," The man said.
"Good Mark and you?" She turned, stealing a gaze at Harvey. "Mark, Harvey, Harvey, Mark. Mark's been on the weekend shift here for…5 years, is it? And Harvey's…"
There it was again, that stray look of hers hanging over his almost denomination. What camp of Donna Paulsen's did Harvey Specter now fit into? Friend? Boss? Colleague? Lover? Boyfriend? Father of her child? All of them? It would kill him if they didn't clear this up soon. It was like being an unmentionable.
"Thirsty. Nice to meet you," He cut in, shaking the guy's hand. Now was not the time to air their complicated situation.
"What can I get you guys?" He leaned against the bar.
"I'd like a Guinness… Harvey?"
"Uh…I'll take an Ale. That one, thanks" He said, impulse striking him based solely on the image of a tractor. It seemed adequately prosaic, as he undid the top button of his shirt, pulling at the tie a little, paying before she could make it through her purse. She rolled her eyes; a silent thanks on her lips as she made for a seat.
Settling in a nearby booth shaped like an old cart, Harvey eyed her drink curiously.
"Guinness? Really; they sell that everywhere?" He questioned. With the assortment of old drinks here it was unfathomable that she had chosen generally common Stout.
"Look it's meeting in the middle between drink and 'good for possible baby.' You made me feel guilty so…I'm trying to please both camps." She said with a smile, taking a sip.
"Good for the baby?"
"It's a good source of iron, Harvey." She exclaimed, shaking her head at him as if it was sacrilege not to know this titbit of information.
"You always did want everything at once."
"I like it how I like it. How's your Ale?" She eyed him suspiciously. It's was annoying that she knew him. Not because she knew him, but because it gave her an upper hand most of the time.
"Murky." He eyed the pint, trying to avoid measuring her eyes.
"If you don't like it, get a Whiskey." She said, rolling her eyes.
He watched as she slowly licked the Guinness off her lips, trying to ignore the tightness in his pant leg and concentrating on the drink in his hand. These days the little dance they did had him in a constant stir.
"No, I'll brave it." He said, not sure of just who he was convincing as he took a sip. Scotch was heavy, but manageable. Ale was like being forced to drink something that seemed a little like punishment. "Plus, Irish Whisky is not Scotch," He argued.
"Well done," She chided, patronisingly so he noted.
"No I mean it doesn't taste the same, or as good, in my opinion." He argued, suddenly realising that he wanted her on his side of the bench. He'd missed touching her; they fell into a pattern of no PDA when they were out of the house, and it was beginning to grate on him.
"I don't know; it depends. They both put hair on your chest,"
"Now that's an odd image,"
"Not on yours though," She played. He could literally see her playing with him; she had that devil in her gene pool and he wasn't talking about the hair.
"Look, I'm just not that hairy okay? I never have been and I never will be," He defended, feeling the need to 'gussy up'.
"I think Mike has more than you," She goaded. Even on the apex of a huge life changing event when she went 'balls to the wall' she really threw it at him.
"Now that is a lie. And when have you seen his chest?"
"When I meet him in the downstairs bathroom so he can change into a suit? It happens more often than you'd think."
"You remember you're my assistant right? He sparked at her.
"You really think you can play that card now?"
She was right. There were possibly a lot more things on the table now to trump 'executive assistant'.
Suddenly Donna's face took on a strange look, and almost sadness creeping into her features.
"What?" He asked, toying with the idea of taking a sip.
"Things… they're really going to change aren't they?" She mused, drinking her beer.
"Yeah, they are; Reservations?"
"Of course, Harvey; I love my job."
The unfortunate truth of that was palpable between them. It was generationary that her life would change and his would balance on the apex of what it once was.
"I know you do. A lot can change in nine months." He said, wanting to support her but not knowing how.
In the strangest of ways, things could be falling into place. Jessica had been right about Managing Partner; he hadn't been ready to step back a year ago, to take the lead where others would follow. Jumping to Managing Partner only two years after Senior Partner would have restricted him from doing what he loved, from practising law, kicking ass and making money. But a year down the line, and maybe 9 months down the line from now; Managing Partner could be the clean slate they had been looking for. If only she was looking for it.
"What are you saying?" Donna asked, taking another sip of her beer.
"Maybe Managing Partner would be a good fit by then?"
He watched her think everything through, the implications of her not being there, of him stepping back from his case load and taking the leadership role more often. You could almost see the cogs in her head turning as she lined all the pros and cons up against one another.
"That would be a lot of change for us, Harvey." She warned; a hesitation in her voice.
"Could be just what we need." He offered.
"What are you saying?" Her forthrightness backed up by beer.
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to be the best way to turn a complicated situation into a positive one. However, the little niggle in his mind, that five percent doubt that she was having her ex-fiancé's child would change his plans.
He never answered her question, yet somehow her expression held his answer.
"We'll see what tomorrow brings." She smiled softly.
This time on the same night just a week after her wedding day; Donna wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep. His mind was reeling; thought after thought triggering in his brain like a timed explosion. He wasn't nervous, more impatient for a solid answer, for a tangible state for them to work against. If the kid was his they could deal; they could plan, arrange their futures to fit their needs. But if it was the other guy's; that would mean a third wheel in the mix, someone else controlling the field in which they played with. He wanted to hope that they could deal with it; her having another man's baby, but the reality?
The reality wasn't all that clear.
Their future literally hinged on the outcome of one little blood test.
And yet, she had never looked so beautiful, her breath dancing slowly in the moonlight.
He woke early that morning to a cloud covered sky; Donna's hair on his shoulder as he mumbled into her side that he was going for a run. Through a morning daze, he threw on his sweater and grabbed a note or two for water on the way. The hopefulness seemed to wane in the grey morning light; a complete polar opposite to a week ago. A week ago, he'd woken up to the sun, perfect blue sky and the vibrant red hair and peachy skin of a beautiful woman. It had been the perfect Sunday. This Sunday was dancing on a dime head and it was driving him to distraction. Even Central park looked drab, everyone huddling in the thick morning air, faces painted with glum and faraway expressions, dog walkers silently cursing their animals for having to be exercised. Being here was making him irritable, and now he needed a coffee.
"You're not Mike." Harvey said as the door opened before he had a chance to knock and Rachel appeared, clad only in what he assumed was Mike's shirt. He tried not to linger on the thought; but she was a beautiful young woman; anyone could see that.
"Harvey, uh… come in?" She asked, vaguely gesturing into the apartment as he sauntered confidently passed her. "Mike's just in…Mike! Harvey's…"
"He better be on the phone because it's Sunday and I intend to fu-Harvey!" Mike yelped when he saw his Boss standing in his lounge.
"Does he a make a habit of dropping by?" She asked, eyeing the two men.
"No," "Yes." They said in unison.
"I should," Harvey backtracked, sensing that he'd completely ruined their very private mood.
"It's fine. Coffee…?And what happened to your face? Donna get rough?" Mike yawned, walking into the kitchen and leaving Rachel with him in the lounge.
"Sure." He yelled back, ignoring his questions and taking a seat until he realised that Rachel was still just standing there in front of him.
"Harvey, seriously, who punched you in the eye?"
"Donna's ex-fiance."
"Ouch...I told you that was going to happen."
"And yet it still happened..."he grumbled.
"Well, I'm stood here in a shirt so I'm just going to go… change. " She said, diplomatically shutting the bedroom door behind her.
It wasn't long until Mike was back with coffee, handing him a black steaming mug. The kid always made it strong, just how he liked it. No milk, one sugar.
"So, why are you here, at," Mike looked at his watch, making him wonder who the hell wore a watch to bed these days. "9am in the morning?"
"Donna's pregnant," He said, under voiced and suddenly aware that Donna's best friend was in the other room.
"What the…?" He shouted, Harvey bringing a hand up to silence him.
"And we don't know who the father is, yet." He said.
"Oh my god Harvey; how did this happen?" Mike said, raising his voice again; his eyes wide.
"Did your grandma never tell you about the birds and the bees?"
"Ha ha, you know what I mean." He said; accentuating the sarcastic. "How could Donna be pregnant with your child?"
"You take a minute on that."
"No, but surely that's…too fast?"
"Fast, but not impossible apparently," He let a long sigh out. It was nice to have the opportunity to talk with an outside observer on this; even if a part of him felt bad for sharing what should only be their secret.
"I can't believe Donna's having a baby! Oh my god…" Mike still look shot in the gut.
"Donna's what?" She said, complete look of shock all over her freckly face.
Bad time for Rachel to re-enter the room…
"Is it Carl's?" She said; a scandalous look on her face mixed in with a genuine fear for her friend.
"We don't know. We're waiting for a call today."
Her face suddenly registered the dilemma, sitting on the seat opposite. "Suddenly understanding the black eye." She said.
"Oh. And you can't take the waiting? That's why you're here…" Mike quipped, the comment going over Rachel's head.
"This isn't like waiting for the World Series."
"How's Donna taking it?" Rachel asked; her face concerned.
"She's holding up." He said. If holding up meant avoiding talking about them then yes, holding up would be accurate…
"Maybe I should go over there?" Rachel said, standing to get up.
"No, I better head back." Harvey said, finishing his coffee and then coming to a stand.
"Is there anything we can do?" Mike said.
"Yea, keep it to yourselves. I'll see you tomorrow."
When he arrived home, she was on the couch again, the whole day resembling a full seven day circle. She looked dazed; almost completely out of it until she noticed him and visibly straightened, chewing on her lip as she raised her eyebrows, a tight smile forming.
"What is it? Did they call?"
She nodded in response and his stomach sunk below the surface line.
"It's his isn't it?" He asked, almost falling back into the seat next to her.
"We're having a baby." She mumbled.
"What?" His brain shorted, ticking over in attention. He looked to her, as her eyes slowly met his.
"It's ours,"
"Ours… as in… yours and mine?"
"No, the mail man's Harvey, of course I mean us." Her comment would have seemed sharper if there wasn't this complete haze of an expression making her look almost shell-shocked.
"You're in shock," He said.
"I'm in shock," She agreed.
"You're really in shock."
"I'm in shock. Why aren't you in shock?" She asked, studying his features.
"I'm going to be a…Dad." He took a moment over it.
"Oh my god; I'm having my boss's baby."
"Okay, we really need to have that talk soon."
"Not now."
"No Donna, right now. Look, if you don't want this, then we should talk about it. It's early and we're not in a situation where we're stuck. We have options."
For a second she focused, her eyes knitting together and then relaxing.
"I'm going to have to leave my job."
"Not until the babies due if you don't want to. And you get to decide, when and if you want to come back." He reasoned.
"What about you?" She asked, chewing on her lip.
"I'll be fine. I need you at work, but… we'll work around it. I intend to make Managing Partner before then and that way I'll get more say in what goes on. Things will change; but hopefully they'll be changes that will...suit us better."
"Harvey, we've only been…doing this for a week." She argued,
"Donna, the sex is great, you run most of my life, we've spent a week together and we haven't killed each other yet, I love you and we're having a baby; what else is there?"
"What,"
"And we're not getting any younger, maybe this is our chance to-"
"Did you just say…?"
"Yes, I did; and you're going to make me say it again, aren't you?" He asked; irritation in his throat.
"Yes, I am." She said, expression goading him but covered with a look of cynicism, as if he couldn't say it.
Bad for her, he'd decided long ago.
"Donna,"
"Yes Harvey?"
"I am in love with you. And contrary to a little speech you once gave me; not like a cousin; or any bloodline member of the family,"
"You better not be proposing,"
"Of course I'm not,"
"Good." She said.
"Well, unless…?"
"No. Continue,"
"Well, don't you have anything you'd like to say…?" He asked.
"I thought you hadn't finished?"
"It suddenly occurred to me that you haven't said anything back." He said; the annoyance tempered in his voice. He understood the reservations, but she had to break this need to build up those walls, or this was never going to work. He watched as she got up, walking to the kitchen. "Can you even say it, Donna?"
He couldn't believe this. After all that they had sacrificed, all that they'd been through; not just through the past week but for as long as he could remember, and yet she just couldn't give it up; couldn't be honest about them when they needed to be a united front, when they needed it most.
"You've been avoiding having this talk; why?" He fired at her.
"Because a lot was going on,"
"No. You've had one foot out the door since you got here. Why?"
"If it doesn't work out, we lose everything. I lose everything."
"Everything has its risk Donna."
"Harvey, it's a lot of a change. A week ago I had a completely different life plan, one which wasn't going to change most of my life."
"Are you regretting breaking off the wedding?"
"No," She snapped at him, the tension in her face building.
"Then WHAT…?" He all but shouted at her. He was losing his patience. Here he was, finally open, telling her how he felt and yet she was retreating inch by inch. He couldn't take it anymore.
"I need time." She said.
"We don't have time. Tomorrow we have to tell Jessica what we've decided. And if you don't want this, any of it, then you need to say, RIGHT NOW, because I can't take you running anymore."
"Harvey, I,"
She started to back away as he cornered her in the kitchen. He'd had enough of this.
"If you don't love me, then why are you still here?"
"Harvey, don't. Let it go." Her words reminded Harvey of himself long ago.
"I've let it go every single time. I've had enough. Tell me you don't feel the same way and we'll go back to before." He demanded, continuing to advance on her as she pressed up against the corner unit.
"We can't just go back,"
"Yes we can, we've done it before. Tell me." He fired at her again.
"This is ridiculous, Harvey. It's been a week!" She shouted.
"Bullshit. This has been going on for a long time. Just say it."
He was now inches away from her, breath mingling and she hadn't moved an inch. His voice as low, filled with abated anger, eyes solid and dark trying to break through. Her eyes looked to the bruise on his face, the hollow of his eye still purple.
"You accused me of never fighting for anyone I cared about. But I fought for you then and here I am doing it again," he said, bitterly. "Fighting…for us. Now tell me you don't love me." He ordered.
For a minute or two she just looked at him, her eyes glassy, tight around the edges, breath hitching in her throat.
"I'm…"
"Say it."
"I'm…scared Harvey."
"Me too," He said, voice strangled against his erratic heartbeat. He was scared that she didn't love him; that the one woman over all the rest, the one that he'd genuinely fell in love with didn't actually love him back. And worse, was standing there, making this child with every second that passed and was breaking his heart for the first real time in his life.
Tears started to fall down her face, causing her to look away, trying to stem the flow as she wiped her nose, trying to hide them.
For all the hard resolve he had; her crying had become his biggest weakness. "Hey," His arm came up to her hand, his eyes finding hers, red and vulnerable. You could see she was scared, not like he was going to lay a finger on her, which he never would. She was scared that he'd get into her heart and set up camp. That had always been her problem.
'Turn down the lights,
Turn down the bed,
Turn down these voices,
Inside my head.'
"I'm not very good at this, Harvey." She sniffed, failing to look anything other than adorable.
'Lay down with me,
Tell me no lies,
Just hold me close,
Don't patronize me.'
"I can see that." He said; his eyes sad. If she wouldn't tell him then he'd have to make up his own answer. He retreated from her, his jaw setting as if it would never move again.
'Cause I can't make you love me
If you don't,
You can't make your heart feel
Something it won't'
"Harvey, I'm," He heard her call out. He didn't turn, the slumping of his posture deepening as he waited for the apology, the 'sorry' to excuse her lack of love for him.
"I'm not good at being in love with you. Working with you, sleeping with you, being with you: but not loving you. And it's been buried so far down that I…I don't know how to work with it anymore."
He could hear the tears in her throat, as he turned.
"I love you-" He didn't wait for her to finish before his hands were all over her; her hot, wet face against his, lips tasting of salt and tongue tasting of pineapple juice.
'I found love darling,
Love in a nick of time'
Her kisses became fiery, purposeful as they deepened and he pressed her up against the counter top, hands linking with hers, fingers mingling. Her legs encouraged apart as his knee came between them, rising to contact a rhythm as she gently rode his thigh, his erection building against the inside of her legs, her breasts peaking against the cotton fabric of his sweatshirt.
His lips and teeth found the skin of her neck, sucking at it, marking her skin as she panted, a puff of air escaping her. "Fuck me," She breathed, finding his eyes as he looked for confirmation that she wasn't just being flippant, irises dark and solid as his. His hands pulled hers together up and over her head, locking them with one hand against the cold white surface of the cupboards above. Her kisses were filling and frantic as he undid her jeans roughly, a lustful pout against his lips as she let him dominate the situation. She slid out of her jeans as he undid his, letting them pool at his feet. She sucked at his mouth, pulling his bottom lip between hers in wanting as her leg came around his waist, pushing his erection to her. He groaned into her lips as he faltered, his free hand supporting her leg as he started to thrust, again and again, her body arching pleasurably against his.
"Harder," She gasped.
"Okay," She said into the darkness, "Ground rules. We keep the personal at home and the professional at work. We work just like we did before, you telling me what to do, me pushing at you when I think you're wrong. No changes. No giving each other the room."
"Except for the baby,"
"Except for the baby." She agreed.
"If anything happens with the baby, we deal with it there."
"We don't tell anyone about us,"
"Except Jessica," He added,
"Rachel,"
"Mike," He added, leaving out that they already knew.
"Louis,"
"Louis? No Louis," he objected, huffing in to the almost darkness.
"Harvey," She said; her tone scolding.
"No Louis. What if he decides to use it against us months down the line?"
"He won't. It involves me Harvey, he wouldn't dare.
"Fine, Louis. We need to get your stuff too."
"And I need to tell Carl,"
"I'm coming with you,"
"I'll do it alone." She argued.
"What? Donna, the guy punched me!"
"Which is why I'm going alone; I'll take a morning and pack whilst he's at work, then I'll call this week and set up dinner to tell him. I want to work until the baby's born."
"Good. I don't want an assistant until it's absolutely necessary. But, as we agreed, if you're having issues being pregnant at work, and it starts to affect you, we talk about you leaving early and you hear me out on it." He negociated.
"..Okay….deal." She agreed. You could hear the room for technicalities with that one, as Harvey was suddenly warped into an image of a pregnant, hormonal Donna with a stubborn streak.
"And we take this one day at a time; which means no more balking. No more running. We keep each other on the same page."
"Okay,"
She suddenly released a long breath as they paused from their agreement, shifting to rest her head against his shoulder, their bodies pearly in the hard light of the night sky.
"We're having a baby." She said matter-of-factly, her nose brushing against his neck. He shifted to place a kiss on her forehead.
"We don't tell Jessica?" He asked her delicately into the moonlight.
"Not yet. Not until we have to. She doesn't need to know everything."
The next morning, as Monday hit the ground running there was this strange little smile between them as they rode the elevator down to the limo. He pulled at the hem of her dress, his thumb and index toying with the silky fabric.
"Get off," she swatted his arm playfully, pointing a finger at him but finding themselves both smiling broadly.
"I see you're already back to normal." He said, droll humour that they were so used to.
"Well, someone's got to be. No touching me at work, Specter."
"We're not at work yet,"
"Still counts."
"What if, no one can see…surely that's just a man's rite?"
"No under the table touching. We made a deal." She eyed him, nodding to Henry as they walked out of the building.
When they met the sidewalk, Ray was already waiting.
"Donna, well this is my birthday and Christmas seeing you."
"Morning Ray; good weekend?" She asked, a warm smile waiting for him.
"Lovelier for seeing you. Morning Harvey."
"Hey Ray, you guys want me to step outside for five minutes?" He eyed them curiously. He had always been used to Ray's lavish treatment of Donna, but he always had to comment on it, he couldn't help himself, being a little jealous even; it was in his nature.
When they eventually made it to work, they eyed one another. They were both nervous, but they were also a team, and they'd do what they always had; cover each other.
"You ready?" He asked; his game-face already on.
He hadn't been ready for her to kiss him, lips grazing over his before she swiftly excited the car and he was confronted with the door slamming in his face. He eventually got out on his side, eyes coming to meet hers, a number of possible things on his lips as she stood on the sidewalk.
"I'm not apologising for who I am." She said; raising her eyebrows before replacing them with her trademark wicked grin.
Well, two could play at that game.
It was strange sitting in Jessica's office with Donna, almost like they were being reprimanded by the Principle, as she sat there, clad in Prada and Louboutin, eyeing the two of them over her laptop.
"Okay, what's the deal?" she asked, stony as ever, eyes lingering over his still bruised right eye.
He looked to Donna, who looked to him for a second.
"We've set Ground rules. " Donna said.
"And they are?" Jessica asked, her voluptuous features sharpening at them.
"Nothing changes. We work as we did before; at work the focus is work." Donna said simply. God she was good at this. He'd forgotten just how Jessica and Donna operated; like they were in court every time, fine simple answers, no ambiguity as if the other were to catch them out on a technicality.
"Good."
"Everything is on a 'need to know'; as in no one needs to know. It's our business, and our focus at the firm is business." Harvey interjected.
"You realize I'll be going over people's heads with this? If they find out, Partners may not be happy." Jessica warned.
"Jessica, it's not like there haven't been rumours since we came from the DA's office. Just because the rumours are true now doesn't change anything."
"It's more Ammo." She argued.
"We can handle it." Harvey said, letting his arrogance fly.
"We figure it's more important to stay as a team, rather than I leave, or be transferred elsewhere." Donna said.
"And what if it doesn't work?" She asked.
There it was. The question they had avoided like the plague.
Donna jumped in again. "Work is still the focus; if I have to I'll leave. I have connections throughout Manhattan; I won't be out of a job."
"You'd have to sign a gag on leaving, being so close to Harvey all this time." Jessica fired.
That was a low blow; he thought. It was a little much; however Donna seemed unfazed by the idea.
"I've never betrayed the firm, but that's fine. It makes sense, if I go to another top firm, which I would, that I wouldn't take any of Pearson Darby's secrets with me."
"Well I suppose that's it. If I see anything, and I mean anything that draws your attention away from the firm and onto you two;"
"Oh come off it Jessica, we're not kids you know! What a crock of-"
"Harvey." Donna warned, earning a double take from him and Jessica. She ignored his look and faced Jessica. "You have our word."
The older woman suddenly smiled at Donna, seeming satisfied. "Good. Then it's settled."
Just when he thought they'd made it to the door, Jessica looked back up from her computer.
"Oh, and one thing; you might want to decide between you what you do about Dana Scott. She is one of ours now, and she's back next week. Don't let her become a problem."
His eyes looked to Donna's; both of them tensing.
Scottie… could be a problem.
Thanks for everyone who's with me so far.
The song was Bon Iver: I can't make you love me/Nick of time