Sorry for the delay with this story, everyone! Life has taken over this past week! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I feel I'm getting somewhere with the direction I decided to go in, which was basically to help me write something other than cutesiness over a 9 month story period. Nothing wrong with cutesiness. I'm just not very good at it!

Thanks for all of your support so far. Please please please leave me a review and let me know if you think I'm on the right track. Even if you're not enjoying it, let me know. It's always so helpful xx

Peace and love x

Eliza xx

X X X

THE BEST PART OF ME

Chapter 20 - Intent

It was after lunch by Harvey finally returned to the office, his stride purposeful and his composure rattled, yet determined. "My office, now," he all but whispered to Donna as he passed her desk.

Donna stood up a little quicker than she should and groaned as the ligaments in her lower abdomen stretched with her movements and her growing baby. She followed Harvey into his office, her hand rubbing her belly as she waited for him to speak.

"Are you ok?" asked Harvey as he noticed her discomfort, his eyes wide with concern.

"Yes, I just got up too quick. I need to remember I have this in front of me now when I stand," she said, pointing to her large bump.

Harvey nodded sympathetically, but he was too preoccupied with Hardman and the Dawson case to offer much more. They both took a seat at the desk and Harvey decided to dive straight in.

"Donna, I need you to think back to eight years ago. This guy, Dawson. Did you ever … and I'm not asking if you did something intentionally … but did you ever discuss any of my cases with him?"

Donna looked down, her eyes flicking as her mind processed what Harvey was asking. "No. I've already told you. I'm sure I didn't. Harvey, what is this all about?"

Harvey sat back in his chair and observed the woman he loved. For thirteen years he had trusted her implicitly with all his secrets and with every case he ever managed. She listened to his private conversations, she anticipated and fulfilled his ever need. He knew she wouldn't betray him intentionally, but he also knew she occasionally, unwittingly crossed the line. Usually to protect him – or somebody else.

"Stuart Dawson made five million dollars buying Eagle Star stock on the night preceding their merger with Hingis Turley. That was a deal I made and he's saying you tipped him off."

"What?" Donna's eyes grew huge and her mouth fell open in shock. "Harvey, I swear … I mean … I knew nothing about this."

Harvey didn't respond. He rested one arm on the armrest of his chair, stroking his top lip with his hand as he considered her protests.

"Harvey you have to believe me," she pleaded as she searched his expression for clues as to what he was thinking. "You do believe me don't you?"

"I believe you wouldn't ever intend to do this …"

He trailed off before continuing his sentence, but he didn't need to finish it. Donna could read him like a book. "Jesus Christ, Harvey, you think I did this, don't you?"

Harvey immediately sat up in his chair, a gigantic "oh shit" weighing heavily on his posture. "That's not what I'm saying, it's just …"

"What, Harvey? What is it 'just'?" Donna pouted and narrowed her eyes at him as her anger flared.

"Okay, it's just you do have history for doing this kind of thing, don't you?"

Donna tensed and her arms instinctively wrapped around her belly, shielding herself from the wounds brought on by his accusations. "Harvey, you have ten seconds to explain to me exactly what you mean before I walk out of that door and go back to my parents for … for indefinitely!"

Harvey swallowed hard. He was behaving as if she were a client and he didn't know how to get the job done without calling her out in the same way he would anybody he was tasked with defending. "All I mean is that in the past you've done things … unintentionally that have gotten us in some shit and I need to know if this could be another one of those times?"

Donna was stunned. "No Harvey, this isn't one of those times when your stupid secretary does something stupid and you have to bail her out. Yes, I know I nearly went to jail for fraud but that was a mistake. You committed fraud on purpose and all of us paid the price for it, so don't you dare lecture me on anything I've done in the past!"

Now it was Harvey's turn to get angry. "You'd bring that up? You'd bring that up now? Jesus Christ, Donna, I need an answer so I can get us out of this!"

"You mean so you can get me out of this." He didn't have to tell her 'me' and 'us' were the same thing this time. She could intuit that and much more from his worried expression. She sucked in a deep breath of air and allowed her anger to dissipate. "I'm sorry."

Harvey looked at her and his heart melted. He had always found it hard to stay angry with her, but now that she had become his entire world, it was impossible. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have accused you …"

"No you shouldn't."

"Can we get back to this case now?"

"We can, but Harvey, I swear I don't know anything about this and I haven't seen Stuart for eight years."

"How did things end with him?"

"He was the guy who told me to choose between him and work, remember?"

"Him and work. Or him and me?"

"Him and you. You know this."

"But, I never met him."

"Yeah you did. You met him once."

Harvey frowned. "I did?"

Donna sighed and shook her head. "Jesus, you're an idiot. Do you not remember that party when we were celebrating the Osbourne win?"

Harvey searched his memory. "There was drinks here, in the office that night? The night Paul Porter got pissed on Norma's passion fruit daiquiris and almost knocked himself out by trying to walk through my office wall?"

"Yep. And?"

"… oh, shit that guy?" The penny dropped.

"Yeah, the guy you arm-wrestled for fifty dollars. You were such a dick."

"He was a wuss. I took him in less than ten seconds."

"He didn't forget. He hated you."

"Why the hell was he even at our office party?"

"We'd been due to go out, but I cancelled because of the Osbourne thing. He was crazy angry about it, so he showed up saying he'd come to see what all the fuss was about."

"You were a shit girlfriend, Donna."

"What? I'll have you know I was very … erm … thoughtful …" her sentence trailed off as she laughed at his remark. "Okay you got me. I was shit … but that's only because he …"

"He wasn't me?" interrupted Harvey, with an arrogant smirk.

Donna laughed but then her face changed as the realisation hit her. "Yes. Because he wasn't you."

They shared a moment in silence. Donna was now able to talk freely about the love she'd kept secret from him and herself for the past thirteen years. It was now okay to say out loud, 'Yes, my boyfriend left me because I'm in love with Harvey Specter'. It felt good to say it.

"How did you break-up?"

"A couple of days after the Osbourne party he asked me if I was in love with you. I denied it. He said some horrible things. He ordered me to find another job. I told him to fuck off. He told me to fuck off. He … erm … well that was it."

Harvey squinted. She was keeping something from him. "No it isn't. What are you not telling me?"

"It's … uhm … it's nothing."

He cocked his head and shot her a glare. "Donna …?"

"We fought."

"You … fought?" Harvey gulped as he imagined the worst. "Did he hurt you?"

"Well, not exactly. He kind of shoved me a little bit, so I … uhm … hit him."

"You hit him?"

Donna twisted her mouth in 'not-quite' shame. "I gave him a bloodied nose."

Harvey couldn't hide his amusement. "You didn't."

"I did."

"Shit, you're brutal."

"It wasn't funny Harvey. Well, it wasn't funny at the time."

"Okay, I'm sorry, so that was the last time you saw him. With a bust-up nose?"

Donna nodded. "Harvey, tell me what his story is. What is he saying I did?"

"Hardman is representing him and Anita Gibbs is prosecuting. I've visited both of them."

"Anita Gibbs. Shit. That's not good."

Harvey dismissed her worry with a wave of his hand. "I'm not worried about her as much as Hardman. He was a devious rat as usual this morning and I can't help thinking this is all down to him. He's clearly enjoying this. He says he never knew Dawson back when Eagle Star were his largest client. What was his job?"

"He was just a broker. Didn't earn very much."

"He earned enough to buy a shitload of stock on the eve of a merger that made him millions. He's been living the high life ever since."

Donna squinted her eyes at the revelation. "What? No way was Stuart making that kind of money. He made less than me."

"You're the best-paid legal secretary in the city, Donna."

"True, but I don't earn enough to buy million dollars worth of stock."

"He didn't have family. He didn't inherit?"

"Not that I know of. Unless he was really stingy. He rented a one bed apartment in the Bronx. It wasn't that great."

"Well he now has a penthouse to rival mine and he spends his days blogging and shopping."

Donna grimaced. "Sounds like he's morphed into a woman."

"From what I remember about that arm wrestle I think he was already half-way there."

They both laughed but the seriousness of the situation still unsettled Harvey's stomach. This was the kind of skirmish he'd gotten out of a million times previously, but things were always different when Donna was concerned. And because of the baby there was more at stake. He couldn't allow Donna to worry about this.

"Gibbs told me she interviewed Dawson and he didn't mention you. Not once. She didn't know what I was talking about when I told her you'd been subpoenaed. All of this happened after Hardman got involved."

"You mean this is Hardman coming after you again?"

Harvey's face fell with guilt. "I think so. I'm sorry Donna. I'm sorry if this is down to me."

Donna smiled tenderly at him. "Sounds to me like it's down to Hardman."

"I know, but I do this don't I? I make enemies."

Donna sighed. "Harvey, you can't blame yourself for anything to do with Daniel Hardman. That man has gotten away with murder over the years. So what happens next?"

"Gibbs says she'll need to speak to you at some point. She said the DA's office received an anonymous tip about Dawson, which they investigated and uncovered the Eagle Star deal. She hadn't looked at the discovery yet and she wasn't convinced by it. I trust that woman as far as I could throw her, but I believe she didn't know you'd been implicated. She was suspicious. She wants to know why Dawson's changed his story. Somebody must have put him up to it. Somebody with the ability to manipulate people and somebody who hates … well who hates me."

"That narrows it down to a few thousand … shit …"

"What?" Harvey froze as Donna's train of thought carried her back to her visit to Danbury prison several weeks ago. "What is it, tell me?"

"Okay, this could be nothing, but … well time before last that I visited Mike, Charles Forstman was in the same visitor's hall. We talked about him. Mike said he was looking out for him. Did you … ?"

"No. I mean I knew Forstman was in Danbury too. Mike's said he's seen him around a few times. He hasn't said anything else. Why didn't you tell me?"

"There isn't really much to tell. And I forgot. I caught Forstman's eye a couple of times while I was visiting Mike. He was with a business visitor. He smiled at me. He knew who I was. Then, after they were all called back after visiting time ended, he came over to me and said something along the lines of 'send Harvey my congratulations'."

"Congratulations? You mean the baby?"

"I just assumed he was being snide. You know, how people have always been about us. I figured he didn't know you were the baby's father but was insinuating you were to get a rise from me. I just laughed it off."

"What if he overheard Mike? Or me when I've visited? Dozens of people in there know who I am. He could have learned it from anybody sitting next to us. Jesus, I've been in there showing Mike the baby's first scan picture, telling him about us being together now. Anybody could have overheard and passed that on to Forstman. Jesus Christ, how have I been so stupid?"

"So what, Harvey? So we're together and having a baby? That's just what everyone else in the world does. Daniel Hardman could easily have learned about us from anybody in the city. It's been hot topic of conversation in the legal world for quite a while now."

"It has?" Harvey didn't understand gossip.

"Sure it has. Do you know nothing? I'm the girl who finally pinned down Harvey Specter. Women hate me. Men are impressed that I tamed you."

Harvey shook his head and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, I don't think I want to hear anymore. And who says you've tamed me?"

Donna motioned to her baby bump. "She does," she said with a chuckle.

Harvey pouted again. He couldn't argue with that. "I'm going to see if there's anything out there linking Forstman to Dawson. Is Rachel around?"

"Uhm … I think she's at school, but she gets back in an hour or two."

"Right, tell her to get in here when she gets back, will you?"

"Yeah," said Donna as she rose from the chair – slowly this time – and moved to leave the office.

"And Donna … ?" said Harvey.

Donna spun around on her heel. "Yes, Harvey?"

"Don't worry about this. It's nothing. I'm going to fix it."

"I know you are, Harvey," she said with a smile.

X X X

It was 9.30pm by Harvey arrived home that evening. He'd sent Donna home earlier because he was being careful not to overwork her. She usually worked the same ridiculously long hours as he did, but that simply wasn't possible anymore. He dreaded her maternity leave. Six months with a temp. How the hell would he survive? Maybe he could poach Gretchen from Louis.

He thought she wasn't home at first. He couldn't remember her saying she'd go back to her apartment on the 5th floor. He just assumed she'd be at his place – soon to become 'their' place. He threw his keys down on the hall table and emptied his pocket contents before removing his jacket and tie. He was starving. He went straight to the drawer in his kitchen which contained his collection of take-out menus.

As he thumbed through the pile of fliers hunting for the pizza place on the corner of 10th that he liked, he heard soft cries coming from the bedroom. His heart sank immediately as he scrambled around the kitchen units to get to her, nearly falling over his armchair and going his length in the process.

Donna was sitting on the edge of the bed which was littered with dozens of pairs of shoes. He scattered them to the floor as he enveloped her in his arms, petrified that something bad had happened. "Donna, what is it? What's wrong? Is it the baby?"

He felt her shake her head as she nuzzled in close to him.

"Then what? Is it the thing with Hardman, because I've told you not to worry about that? Really it's nothing."

She shook her head again and sniffed. "It's my shoes."

"Your … shoes?"

"They don't fit me."

Harvey didn't understand. What was this madness with women and shoes? "Well, you can buy a different size, can't you?"

"You don't understand. None of my shoes fit me. Look at my feet."

Harvey looked down at Donna's feet which were red and swollen. "How did that happen?" he asked as he turned her around and placed her feet on his knee, softly massaging them.

"I don't know. They're like balloons. My shoes have been tighter for days now. Dr. Walker said it's normal when you're pregnant, but she doesn't understand how much I need my shoes. What am I going to do?"

"Wear flats?"

Obviously that was the wrong thing to say as Donna's sobs got louder and more strenuous. "I'd rather die. I can't be Donna without my shoes."

"Well pregnant Donna is going to have to wear different shoes for the next couple of months. It isn't long. Come on, surely it isn't that bad."

Donna sniffed and removed her feet from Harvey's lap. "You don't understand," she sobbed again. "Imagine you couldn't wear … uhm … gel in your hair for three months."

"I wouldn't care."

"You would."

"I wouldn't and what the hell scenario would mean I couldn't wear hair gel?"

"I don't know. Maybe hundreds of ugly, puss-filled boils spread all over your head and you can't use anything that would irritate them."

"That wouldn't be much fun for me," said Harvey, grimacing, before starting to laugh.

"It isn't funny. My entire body has gone to shit. My feet look like dumplings. My fingers have been replaced by ten fat hotdogs. I can't wear any of my rings. And to top it all off, I have a stretchmark."

"You have a stretchmark, as in just one?"

A look of horror spread over Donna's face. "Are you saying I have more than one?"

"No, no, I mean … I don't think one stretchmark is anything to worry about?"

"How would you know? You don't understand …"

"I know your tits look great."

"They've always been great."

Harvey laughed because he knew she'd see the funny side of this conversation once the shoe-trauma was behind her. He stood up and softly placed his hand on her forearms. "Look, I know I don't understand but all this is just temporary. Your feet and fingers will … uhm … deflate." He started to giggle but soon stopped when he registered her glare. "You're beautiful."

"I'm not beautiful."

"Yeah you are. Besides, I don't care about your feet or your fingers or your one solitary stretchmark. I'm more interested in what's happening in here," he said as he placed his hands gently on her abdomen, before kissing her cheek.

"Now I feel terrible."

"Don't feel terrible. I'm sure it's normal for pregnant women to go a bit … uhm … crazy."

She batted his arm. "I'm not crazy."

He pulled her back into an embrace and kissed her again. "You're a little bit crazy."

She smiled as she felt his arms around her, protecting her, and she allowed herself to breathe in their happiness. All of this was happening. She and Harvey were together. Then her stomach flipped as the day's events came back to her. "Did Rachel find anything out?"

Harvey sighed as he sat down on the bed, pulling Donna down next to him. His arms were still holding her tight as he began to talk. "Stuart Dawson was remanded to Danbury after his arrest. Just for a few days before he was bailed. All of his assets were frozen and they remain frozen."

"So, he met Forstman?"

"Or Mike."

"Mike wouldn't? I mean …"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But there's a chance he spoke to someone and talked about us without realising. Rachel's going to visit him first thing tomorrow to see if he can come up with anything."

"Okay. So, who bailed him?"

"A guy called Neil Whittaker. We haven't found any connection between him and Dawson yet. Other than the bail. He isn't an attorney."

"And the money?"

Harvey sighed, remembering how he felt when Rachel gave him the news earlier. "There was a deposit in his own personal account for a hundred thousand dollars. The exact sum he invested in Eagle Star stock. It was a fake online account set up in the Caymans, with a Caymans address. It was set up in your name."

Donna froze at Harvey' words, her entire body beginning to tremble with fear. "What? How?"

"Don't worry. It's a fake account."

"Harvey, don't tell me not to worry. An account in my name? Why?"

"Anybody can set up an account like that. It means nothing."

"When was it set up?"

"A week before he bought the stock. Then the account was closed a few months later."

"Who do you think did it?"

"This has Forstman's name all over it. He does this. He has all of these little back-up schemes around every corner, waiting to use them whenever he wants. I'm going to goddamn screw him into the ground if this is down to him."

"But it doesn't make sense. If Forstman gave him the money to implicate you sometime down the line, then why use my name and not yours?"

"I've no idea but I'm going to goddamn find out."