RE-BETA'D AS OF 25.01.16
Notes: It's been ages since I've updated and this is still going just slower than before. Thanks to everyone who's read so far, hope you're enjoying the new season!
Chapter 7
If I lay my head down on you
Would it be, would it be too late?
'Cause you were my protection from the rain outside
You made me feel love like the old days 'Free' By Graffiti6
She's been watching it gently press it's weight on him over the past week. She's watched silently as it's peeled back at the layers of his resolve until his weakness is exposed in little fragments. It's taken a whole afternoon for her to find the right time, as he flicks through the paper.
She looks up, noticing him finally engrossed in an article.
"You miss her." She says pointedly.
He looks up, frowning. "What?"
"Layla. It's been a week, Harvey." She points out.
"I know." He says heavily, looking back to the paper.
He doesn't want to cause a fight, but her stating the obvious isn't easy to swallow when it concerns his daughter.
The amount that he misses her is unfathomable to him. He's never been like this about anyone except Donna and his late Father. They are his three point achilles heel and his daughter means no less.
She sits up from the sofa, a disappointed look on her face as she glides over to him, perching on a barstool, her red hair draping towards the countertop.
She's so good at chipping away at him without it irritating him these days. Months, hell, years ago she'd rile him and he'd have to warn her. Nowadays he finds himself bending against the collective weight of each dark brown, thick lash-framed eye boring into his. He relaxes, sighing into her.
"Scottie still won't see me." He says, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"She's hurt, Harvey. Do you really blame her?" She asks, her head tilting as her face softens.
"I just…" The words fall out with no ending.
"You miss her." She says.
"No,"
"I meant Layla." She smiles.
"Oh. Yeah. Too much." He regards.
"She's your daughter, Harvey. It's okay to miss her. And it's never too much. You made her."
"I don't know what to do." He says, rubbing at his face with a stray hand that leaves the paper in front of him. He shakes his face, banishing the feeling before turning to her.
"We'll think of something." She coaches, her hands sliding up his waist to pull him closer to her. His eyes are sad when her hands rest on his shoulders.
A man with the weight of the world pressing down on him.
She'd decided that she'd take the brunt of it all before she'd even broached the subject, and as she looks up the lettering of Harvey's old apartment, the door seeming so alien; given the very few times she's been here.
She never did belong here, she realises.
Something about the place. The eternal bachelor and string of conquests symbolically lining the walls always put her off.
She knocks on the door, holding her breath as she hears light heeled footsteps trace along the hall.
When the door opens, it's exactly how she expected it to be.
"You've gotta be kidding me…." Scotty says, sneering as she tries to close the door.
Donna's foot contacts with the doorframe as her hand grabs for the door.
The little brunette stares up at her, all fury and fire and flame.
"Scotty. Please." She says, her voice soothing.
She watches the woman weigh up the odds of her getting through the door. She sighs, bitterly, walking down the hall.
Obstacle number one conquered, she thinks to her self.
She opens the door, shutting it gently behind her before following.
"Harvey getting you to do what he doesn't have the balls to do, huh? I guess some things never change." She calls behind her, her voice hanging on a bitter edge.
"Dana…" She starts.
"No." She fires. "You don't get to break up my relationship and then swan in here and call the shots."
"I'm not. I came here...because I owe it to you. Not him." She says, her mouth slumping into a flat line.
"I never did trust you, you know? From the moment I met you I knew you'd do this one day. No matter who it was who was with him."
She knows the woman is wrong, but that doesn't stop her from wondering if she herself would be capable of such a thing had he not initiated it.
"I'm sorry." She says and means it.
"That's it? You're sorry? You fucked Harvey behind my back. You took my daughter's father away from her, and all you can say is 'You're sorry?'" She sneers.
"Scottie; all I ever did was support you and Harvey. From the start. He should have come to you when things weren't working and I should have told him the truth when he asked me too. But this isn't about any of us right now. This is about Layla."
"If you think he's stepping one foot in here then you are-"
"Scottie. That little girl needs her father. And Harvey has been a good father. You know that. Just… go out for the day, let him come over. I won't be here."
"No deal. He screwed up. He has to live with that." She says, folding her arms stubbornly.
"Don't punish your daughter because we hurt you. Please. Look, you don't even have to see him. If you like, I'll text you when he's gone, and-"
"What makes you think I ever want to see you again?" Dana points out, her immaculate hair waving slightly.
"Because if roles were reversed, you'd have done the same as I did without so much as blinking an eye. Because you love him. We both do."
"There's no way I'd-." Before she even has a chance to finish Donna interrupts her.
"If Harvey and I had had a baby, and things weren't working out and he came to you and said that he regretted not seeing things through all those years ago, you'd have dragged him to bed without so much as a sigh. Because that is what that man does to us. He doesn't mean to, but he just does."
She can see it, the measuring in Scottie's eyes as she looks back at her.
She knows she's right.
She's not about to tell Donna, and she knows that. But she's right.
She stands, immoveable in the lounge, her daughter chirping happily in the background.
"And I am sorry, Dana. Really, I am." She says, looking towards her one last time before turning her heel.
She's not sure if it's worked. She knows it hasn't made things worse but whether it's made things better or not,
She supposes time will tell.
When she's in the cab, her phone buzzes against her purse.
The message reads:
I'll be out at 3. He better not be late.
She feels a small victory laden smile appear on her face.
When she gets back in. Harvey is annoyed somewhat at her disappearing act.
"Where the hell did you go?" He fires at her.
As if he knows exactly what she's been up to.
"You need to go get ready." She says, putting down her purse on the large side table, filled with lilies.
"Why?" He grunts, narrowing his eyes.
"Because at three o'clock Scottie is going out so that you can go and spend time with your daughter."
"What did you-" He starts, but its cut off by her hand waving in the air.
"Everything is fine. She'll message me when she's coming home and I'll call you. Okay?"
"You're not coming?" He asks, slightly confused by the turn of events.
"Part of the deal." She says softly.
"Donna," He starts, pushing off of the sofa, pacing into the scratchy sessel rug. "What did you say to her?"
"I told her that we were the same. And that I'm sorry, and that Layla shouldn't have to suffer just because we hurt her mother."
"And she just… let you-"
"No. But Scottie and I have always had a...common interest." She says approaching him, a small wry smile on her face. "Now," She starts, turning him towards her. "Are you gonna be mad that I interferred, or are you gonna get ready to go and see your daughter?"
He glares at her for a second, the refusal to admit that she's made his day playing in his eyes.
"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" He says, his voice scratchy and harsh against the slight smile on his face.
"Well someone's gotta take the emphasis off of you," She jokes, grinning lightly at him as he walks towards the stairs, running a hand along her stomach as he passes by.
She feels accomplished, for a Saturday.
It's a baby step of progress.
He's missed this. His Daughter. Just being around her, watching her explore the world with new and confident eyes that match her mothers.
He's between regret and resolve of the matter.
But one thing he's learnt from life so far, is that sometimes something just exists within in the grey.
He's sure that he's one of them. Those Grey people, and very much terrestrial, sans the extra.
The four hours fly by too quickly, with the majority of their time together spent on the carpet in his lounge.
He decides then that next time will be an excursion. Central Park maybe, or the Zoo. Something to get her out of the apartment and out into the open air.
"I'm gonna miss you, kid. Maybe we can get you to come and stay at mine soon, huh?" He offers, ruffling her hair as she pokes a coloured block his way.
He's almost entirely sure that she's going to be a Project Manager, or an Architect, at the very least. It dawns on him that she may turn out to be neither. He didn't exactly observe a direct path to his future.
His phone vibrates in his pocket, as he fishes it out, looking to read the message as it scrolls onto the screen.
'She's in the building. Bought Chinese. Text me when you leave the apartment xx'
He smirks at the message, until his gaze drops to his daughter, looking at him with mildly observing eyes. Suddenly the smirk is gone when he realises the obvious. It's time to go. He sighs, picking her up and hugging her, before popping her back down onto the carpet.
It seems unnatural to leave her just sat there. That his baby, his little baby, is just allowed to be alone?
Luckily he has a key, he thinks, as he shuts the front door. He waits along the end of the hall, suddenly paranoid about his little girl being left alone in a moment where accidents can easily happen. He suddenly realises just how much he's changed. He's now a worrier, it appears.
He spies brown hair flash past the corner he's hung around, the noticeable lock of his own apartment, and the door shutting. He releases that breath he didn't even know he'd been holding since he'd left the apartment.
He decides there and then that he is not leaving his child in an apartment for any length of time until someone else, whomever else replaces him directly. He presses the button to the elevator, feeling his phone buzz once more. He pulls it out again to read: 'She's in the apartment xx' , from Donna, as he walks into the elevator. He smiles, messaging her back to tell her that he'll be home soon,
But not before he stops off to buy her the most expensive flowers he can find in Manhattan at this late hour.
Lay me down
Close your eyes, Close your eyes
Side by Side
We close our eyes
When I'm tired you lift me baby,
In the heart… ~ 'Lay me down' By Graffiti6
When he gets in, she's sat on the couch in the middle of the room. Unfortunately, even with the amount of furniture they now have there it still echoes a bit to open the door, so the idea of sneaking up on her is thrown out of the window immediately. He places his keys on the side table, keeping his coat on and saunters up to the couch, noticing that she's not turned around yet. It alerts him to something mildly different about her, as he leans over the couch, lifting the flowers over her head to place them in front of her face.
She immediately leans back, as he places a kiss to her neck, watching as she wraps her hands around them, looking at him incredulously. "What? You buy the whole shop?" She remarks, juggling the weight of the large bouquet in front of her.
He frowns at her, giving her a look that gently pulls into a smile as he rounds the end of the sofa to sit down. "You're the only person I know, who has a sarcastic comment ready when they're handed flowers."
"Well, I've gotten so many in the past that I've developed high expectations."
"Just on flowers, huh?" He remarks, watching her wander off and behind the kitchen counter, directing a shy smile his way as she pulls out a jug of water. "You didn't need to, by the way."
"That's not why I got them." He says, pokerfaced. "Do we not have another vase?"
"It's on the list," She smiles, suppressing a laugh at the way the flowers droop unceremoniously over the sides of the rather small jug. "They look...wonderful."
"Well, they did. I'll get another vase to tomorrow."
"Vase shopping? What's next, a spread in Home and Garden?"
"I take it back. You're buying the vase."
"It's already being delivered along with the rest of the list at 1pm tomorrow." She grins, making her way over to him, her hands sliding all too naturally over his shoulders as she kisses him soundly. "How was it?" She asks tenderly.
He kisses her back, his hands sliding around her waist to gently squeeze it. "It was great." He admits. "I didn't want to leave her."
"Of course not. At least..it's a step. A baby step. You want wine?" She asks, moving back to the kitchen, as he struggles to get comfortable, his muscles protesting from sitting on the floor for four hours.
It was almost depressing to think of how old they were getting. Or at least him. As he looks towards Donna pouring the wine between two wine glasses with knife edge concentration, she seems to him more youthful with every passing day.
He wonders if this is what love is really like. As close to the movie version as he's ever going to get. "Sure." He smiles, sitting back to observe the large spread of chinese food, and plates, napkins, and cutlery all laid out on the table. He didn't even bother asking what she'd ordered. She was the well practised and the comforting kind of reliable. She hands him a glass, as she sits next to him, picking up a remote and pointing it above them, the lights gradually dimming somewhat.
"Oh, someone's learnt how to use the house remote." He plays, and immediately grins, hiding his impressed look in the wineglass as he takes a long sip.
"Well someone had to. If it was up to you the apartment would look like Times Square every day." She remarks dryly, giving him a challenging look as she too sips her wine.
"I don't see a problem with that. You're a drama queen. It seems fitting."
She rolls her eyes, starting to plate up the food. If only he knew how true that statement was...
"Hey," He suddenly calls, leading her to pause and look at him. He leans forward, his lips finding hers. The kiss is soft and tender and filled with something akin to love with the calmness of inevitability between them. She drops the spoon she has in her hand, leaning forward then, her bottom lip grazing his top one as she slides closer to him. He immediately reacts to where her gesture is leading them, one hand finding her hair and the other snaking in between her skirt and the camisole she has on. She gasps into his mouth as his cool hand grips her ribcage, encouraging her onto his lap.
"What...about...the food?" She manages between the growing need in between kisses, her hands raking his scalp.
He pulls away for just a second, giving her that smouldering look, "I've got something far more delicious in mind." He breathes, sliding his hands down the length of her back with a devouring smirk. "You know...as a thankyou."
"Wait," She pauses, looking down at him. "Then what were the flowers for?" She enquires.
"It's a two-part gift." He says, giving her look.
"Hmm." She relinquishes, nodding for a moment before her lips descending on his with a smile. "Then what are you waiting for?"
Two hours later they finally get back to the Chinese. It's cold and delicious,
Just the way - he knows - she likes it.
They naturally fall into the rest of the week, their home routines and work routine starting to move in parallel, taking after one another from dawn until dusk. It isn't quite as daunting a task as either had expected it to be. It turns out that all those years have accounted for more than just their work accomplishments. He knows her more than she's ever given him credit for, and he's blissfully happy to not have to explain himself to the one person he needs the most.
And they just...are.
And right now they're just arguing.
"Ugh. NO." He says, shaking his head as he looks out of the window of the car.
"Why not?" She huffs, folding her arms as she glares at him.
"Donna...having lunch with your parents is a little much don't you think? Considering everything that's happened lately, It's not exactly a natural situation. They've had a son-in-law for over two years that's suddenly not in their life. I don't want to have compete with that."
"You've been in my life for eleven years, Harvey. They know who you are."
"They think I'm an asshole." He says.
"You are an asshole." She remarks matter of factly.
She's right.
"I'm your asshole."
"You know, sometimes...you feel like it." She jokes, the edge of annoyance lacing her words.
"I'm sorry Donna, but I'm not that guy," He says calmly, aware of the double entendre as he gets out of his side, walking around as she meets him on the sidewalk, and is confronted with her defiant stare and her purse clamped against her legs like she's meeting for a fight at dawn.
"Fine. Then we're not having sex again until you change your answer." She says matter-of-factly.
He frowns, watching her expression. "I can't tell if you're joking or not."
"I'm deadly serious." She says, walking ahead of him, laying the weight of her statement.
He rolls his eyes, following her inside.
She doesn't talk to him the entire journey up to his office. She's not pissed at him. She's just..laying the bait.
And he knows that fact which is why he isn't budging. He hates Parents. Hell, he barely had them growing up - as much as he loved his Dad - and any girlfriend he had in school would only push him to make an effort with their Mom and Dad.
It was tiresome.
He hated making an effort socially.
He wanted to be shown the target, execute the job and be handed the money. He only had a handful of friends, and every single one of them were colleagues that he respected in the field and born out of mutual interest.
But Parents….after the person in question there was very little mutual interest and a mile wide age gap. No need or want on his side to make a connection.
He looks to her as she straightens in the elevator. Watches her tapping her toe and chewing her lip at the impatience growing inside her.
She could be thoroughly impatient for a number of things. Sex included, he thinks, letting himself be blissfully occupied by the recent memory of them in bed together. Lots of freckles and unruly red hair.
He follows her out behind her confident swaying of hips and a dress that makes her ass look like an olympic athlete's, a swagger reaching him too as he spies his name on the wall to his left, and the people that avoid his gaze out of sheer respect and his reputation alone. He watches as she reaches her desk, popping her bag on it and sitting down, immediately typing away as if she'd been there for hours.
So that's how she's going to play it, he thinks, his features sharpening with a tight smile as he wanders past her.
She doesn't even acknowledge him. Or hand him anything for at least the next twenty minutes.
The fact of such starts to crawl up his leg and itches his neck. No coffee. No files. No warnings of meetings or messages.
And the phone rings twice so he knows for a fact that there are messages...
She's playing hardball like he's never seen and should he not be the intended target, he would have been impressed.
But instead he was agitated.
He couldn't handle when she cut the cord and he wasn't ashamed to admit the fact. She was everything to him. Most days, since they'd gotten together, he struggled not to give her everything just to have a minute of her time outside of work to make up for the fact that at work, it was pretty much his time.
He mashes his lips together, rolling his eyes as he stands up, shaking one pant leg as the hem of his trousers catch at the end of his shoe, before walking up towards her - not calling her in; he had learnt a few things recently - and standing at the edge of her cubicle, waiting for the right time as she continues to blindly ignore him.
"Donna?" He asks.
Nothing.
He shuffles, suppressing a huff before attempting one more time. "Donna." He says again, his words softer this time.
She finally turns her head, a nonchalant look on her face but no words for him. Just large brown eyes and a slight pout.
She was a vixen and his god damned undoing.
"Make the reservation." He says.
She turns her chair then, standing to walk towards him. An earned gesture. "You sure?" She asks, her faced reserved.
"I'll do it on my own turf, and they are not staying in our house."
"I'll book them a hotel."
"Good." He says, aware of her victory as her hands slide into his lapels, possibly noticing a discrepancy there, or perhaps using it as an excuse to touch them. "You're turning me soft," He accuses, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Good, cuz we're at work, and I do not have time to fix that." She remarks devilishly, smirking at him as her hands slide out of his suit.
He moves in to kiss her, an alien impulse striking him. She leans back immediately. "Uh...What are you doing?" She asks, the startled look painting her face red as she holds up a finger in protest.
"Come on. Just one." He encourages, that smoulder about him as he tries to charm her. It fails, as he lowers his chin to look at her like he's five and lost in Macy's.
"No." She says, sneering at him.
"Nobody cares." He shrugs, downplaying the fact.
"I care." She huffs.
"Hello Harvey."
The sound of her voice is like bucket of cold water on them both. Donna, wide-eyed as he closes his eyes in dread. Donna turns to look at the little blonde woman with the razor sharp bob staring in between them.
"Harvey," Donna says through gritted teeth, the irony dripping off of her words. "Your Mother is here to see you."
Thought it needed a gear shift after a long gap on this.