"Welcome home back, honey" Donna says to her daughter after entering their apartment.
"Do you need anything? Water, tea?"
"scotch" Amelia shoots out with a smile. She knows very well it's not gonna happen but she wants at least to try and make her mother laugh. And she succeeds.
"yeah sure, you'd love that, wouldn't you?"
"Yes" she confirms smiling "A tea would be great" she let's her know and they walk over to the kitchen island.
A few minutes later the tea is ready and Amelia sips on it, carefully.
"I had no idea I would miss it that much"
"Are you really okay, sweetheart?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Dad is much worse"
"He'll be fine" she tries to reassure her.
"Yeah, I hope so. I- really thought he was gone. He lied motionless on the ground and then that bastard shot at him" she stops talking while she remembers the scene.
"I'm so sorry" Donna reaches over the counter and grabs her hands "It's over now"
"That goddamn asshole didn't even tell me he's alive. First he beat him up, then he shot at him and left him injured on the ground and later just said I had another father waiting for me."
"son of a bitch" Donna says madly.
"He called him multiple times just to torture Harvey… and then he fired the gun after you told me you'd love me" Donna gulps
"He forced me to say that, I thought he was going to kill me… but he never shot in front of me while I was kidnapped" she tells her mother confused.
"Then Mike and Rachel were right. He just wanted us to think you're dead"
"Oh my god" Amelia covers her mouth with her palms "I'm so sorry" she gets up and circles the counter taking her mother in her arms.
"Mom" the teenager looks up at her
"How bad is dad really? I mean he shot at him"
"oh my god- uhm honey… the bullet didn't hit him. He was beaten very badly and a rib is broken but there was no gunshot wound"
Amelia lets out a long breath "Thank god" she closes her eyes in relief.
"How bad is he? I would ask him myself but he wouldn't tell me"
"He'll be fine"
"Mom, please"
"Look… It was bad, he had internal bleeding and while he was in surgery we didn't know for a while what's wrong or if he's gonna make it. The doctors managed to stop it. He was very lucky he got medical help that fast. And he got it because of you. You saved his life" she smiles at her. Donna puts Amelia's curly red hair behind her ear and wipes a tear from her dauther's cheek. "You don't need to worry about him, he'll be fine. You saved his life"
"why? Why did they do that to him?" she sniffs.
"I don't know honey. They said it's my and Harvey's fault. That we pissed off a lot of people and now we have to pay for it. But we have no idea what we did or who it could be. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that"
"I don't blame you mom. Non of you. I want you to know that.
Actually it's my fault. If I hadn't pushed dad so hard to talk to me, none of this would have happened. At least not to dad"
"Honey no, stop! They planned this, they would've done It anyway. There are some people out there who hate me and Harvey and they want revenge, you did nothing wrong."
"But dad wouldn't have been beaten up"
"It was their plan. And who knows… if he would've been alone- maybe it would've ended much worse for all of us. He was lucky you were there and made sure he could call help, so please stop thinking this is your fault" Donna asks her softly and Amelia nods
"I'll try it"
After a pause Amelia starts speaking again.
"Mom, I think it's someone from the firm"
"Yeah, that's what we think too but why d'you think that?"
"There were two men and one of them used something to change his voice. Both of them used masks but only one of them changed his voice. I had never seen something like that before. I don't know what it was but it worked out. As much as I tried to hear his real voice, I failed. And he admitted that we know him. Besides he knew about Derek, there aren't so many people right now who know. It's not a secret yeah but… we also didn't shout the news from the rooftop"
"was there a woman, too?"
"Only the two men, why?"
Donna hasitates to tell her
"Mom no secrets, please"
"I got a call a few days ago. She said you were gone and that it'd be mine and Harvey's fault because we pissed off to many people. But she changed her voice too and I have no idea who it could be. I did something and you paid for it. I'm so sorry and probably it's just me and Harvey Is innocent."
"I don't think so. That man, he was in rage. He wanted to hurt him and he enjoyed it while he hit dad"
"yeah, but maybe it was because she wanted to see me suffer"
"They hate both of you. What if-" Amelia presses her lips together "what if they try to kill him again?" she asks her mother scared
"They have what they wanted. They'll leave him alone"
"we don't know that. He shouldn't be alone"
"Let's just not think about it. They got what they wanted. He is hurt, he suffered- we both did- they have the money. Everything will be alright again, I promise" she whispers and kisses her head.
"It's so good to have you back" she hugs her tight
"it's good to be back"
… … …
Harvey blinks a few times to be able to hold his eyes open when he wakes up, It's 7:50AM
'Amelia will be here in 10 minutes' he thinks and a smile builds up on his face. He knows he told her she doesn't have to be there that early and he also knows she needs rest too but it makes him happy that she insisted anyway. He didn't even want to let her go yesterday. He can't say it in words how happy he is to have her back. So he waits impatiently for the ten minutes to pass and the visiting hours to start. He laughs about himself 'cause he's acting like a five year old boy on christmas.
It's 08:07 when someone knocks on Harvey's door.
"Yeah" he says eagerly
"Morning Mr. Specter" the nurse greets him. Her name is Bertha, she's about 65, a little curvy, petite and her long straight hair is always tied back in a ponytail. Harvey likes her most, she's kind, polite and compasionate. She tried so many times to make him feel better when he was sad about Amelia those last days and Harvey was really thankful to her even though it didn't really work out.
"Morning" Harvey says back and even though he tried to cover up his dissapointment she notices it.
"Oh, I guess you were expecting someone else" she says with a smile
"I'm sorry" he apologizes quickly "I didn't mean it like that it's jus-"
"I know" she smiles at him "I heard you got your daughter back yesterday. Don't worry, I don't take it personally. I'm really happy for you. I guess you are waiting for her?"
"Thank you. Yes, she said she'd be here at 8AM"
She laughs looking at the clock
"I know, I'm acting like a child. She said she'd be her at 8AM"
"You are" she confirms laughing but still lovely.
"If she's anything like my daughter, she's missed the bus"
"Yeah, probably. It wouldn't be the first time" They both chuckle "Now, let's check up on you first"
"Before you ask… No, I am not in much pain, actually it's only when I move too much or too fast. I am not nausea or dizzy or sick or anything else and I really feel like I could go home" he says in a breath what makes the nurse laugh again.
"okay, okay I see. I'm glad to hear that. Getting your daughter back was the best medication for you, wasn't it?"
"You're saying it" he smiles "seriously, when can I go home?"
"I guess it's gonna last a few more days. Your rib is broken and you need to rest. You had a concussion, remember?"
"It's only my rib and actually I handle it myself." He points at his rib "I just need a little longer to dress, that's all. And by the way… I do nothing but lying around here, I could also do the same at home, sooo?" he raises an eyebrow
"So you're back with your wife, too?"
Harvey's smile disappears and Bertha gets that it was a wrong conclusion.
"No" he answers
"I'm sorry I-"
"No, it's okay. I meant my hotel room." He explains
"Mr Specter" she starts "I know it's non of my business and that I'm crossing every line here but… from what I saw… I can tell you for sure that she loves you."
"You don't know that. You saw her only a few times and you don't even know what she did"
"I saw her more often than you think" Harvey looks at her with an questioning look
"She was here every day even though she knew you wouldn't let her in. She wanted to be here in case you change your mind and the other day she told me" Harvey gulps
"Listen, I know how you're feeling because I was in the same position years ago. You don't believe her when she says she loves you, you don't know how to get over it and how to trust her again and to believe her that it's never gonna happen again. I know all those feelings. I forgave him and I can't tell you how happy I am I did it. He loves me, with him I have the life I would've never had with someone else. We all make mistakes, don't forget that" Harvey nods "thank you I really appreciate that but- it's different with us" Bertha nods and turns to leave "I'll talk to the doctor, maybe we can convince her to let you go in one or two days"
About 08:30AM Amelia finally arrives.
"I'm sorry, I missed the bus" she tells him and places a kiss on his cheek. Harvey chuckles "why doesn't that surprise me a bit?"
"ha ha" she smiles at him.
"How are you doing?" she asks taking the chair and positioning it next to Harvey's bed.
"pretty fine. Maybe I'm allowed to leave but I need the doctor's okay" he tells her
"That'd be great" she says existed "but please only if the doctor is really okay with it, promise me"
Harvey hasitates 'cause actually he wanted to leave anyway "Amelia"
"No, I need you to promise me. I need to know you're safe"
"okay" he promises "I'll leave when the doctor allows it"
"Will you come back home?" she asks hesitantly
"No" he shakes his head and tears the look from her looking out of the window on his right "I can't"
"she is sorry, dad"
"yeah maybe but- she did it anyway. I just can't get over it. I wish I could but I can't. I let her coming over here and being together while we thought you were… and I'm glad she was there but now you're back and I just need time to think about everything. I had no time to think about anything but your safety in the last week. All that mattered was getting you back" She nods in agreement. Then she gets up and sits on the edge of his bed. "I can't tell you how terrified I've been for the last days. He didn't even tell me you're alive. I thought he shot you" her voice breaks
"Hey stop it" he wipes a tear away from her cheek. Then he takes the remote control and adjusts his bed so that he is in a half-sitting position. "I'm alright" he embraces her. "We thought the same about you. He had fun letting us believe that and probably he enjoyed you thinking that about me, too. Let's just don't think about it anymore. We won't have him the satisfaction any further, right?" he gives her a smile and she agrees. "We'll be fine" he assures her.
… … …
Donna enters the firm for the first time in days again and stops in her tracks when she sees a woman waiting for her in her office.
"Donna" she smiles "It's a long time ago"
"Not long enough. What do you want here, Scottie?" she asks upset.
"I just wanted to look how my old best friend is doing"
"You never were a real friend"
"How can you say that? I really cared about you. You were one of the most important people in my life and then you took the one thing away from me I loved most in the world" she says upset.
Donna laughs sarcastically "You mean when I found out you wanted my husband?"
"He wasn't your husband. You were dating and you were still crying after Derek. I loved Harvey from the first second I met him"
"You knew I was dating him, you knew I cared about him, later you knew I was pregnant and you didn't care. What kind of best friend does something like that, huh?"
"You weren't pregnant with his baby you slut. You knew Derek could be the father! You could've… no you should've gone back to Derek, he's the father anyway… you would've been happy with him and I would've been happy with Harvey" she yells at Donna
"Harvey loves me." Donna yells back
"Well, from what I heard he's a free man now and you obviously still love Derek or why would you kiss him?"
"shut the hell up and leave my office" Donna boils in rage.
"You just didn't want me to be happy. You never cared about Harvey, you destroyed my life. I never found someone like him again. You didn't deserve Harvey you self-absorbed bitch! Otherwise you deserve each other pretty well. That asshole knew how much I loved him and he threw me out. First he flirted with me for weeks and secretly sent me signals and then when he realized that you noticed, he took it all back and made me out to be the bad one. What was done to him should have been done years ago" she says, sounding so hateful." And made her way towards the exit.
"You did it" she says quietly in realization slowly turning to face her.
"I did what?"
"You kidnapped Amelia. You did that to Harvey and you called me to enjoy my suffering.
"I have no idea what you're talking about"
"Oh my god! You goddamn monster" Donna approaches her in rage and pushes her against the door with full force so all the people around there look at them in shock.
"Let go of me you crazy one!" Scottie yells
"why?" Donna yells at her and Scottie smiles gleefully at her
"she's a teenager, she did nothing wrong!" Donna yells at her. And then Scottie can't hide it anymore.
"because you deserve it." She whispers gleefully
"Let go of me or I'll sue you for bodily harm" she warns aloud
"You think I care?!"
Scottie didn't really want to drop the bombshell so quickly and is goddamn mad at herself and also at Donna but she knew there's no chance to deny it. She hates her but she knows Donna's smart and she could never convince her she's innocent.
"Donna" Rachels calls out and approaches her
"let go of her"
"No, she did it!" she tells her in anger "she kidnapped Amelia, she just admitted"
Rachel is taken aback by the news.
"Let go of me right away! You're more insane than I thought you were." She shouts and tries to get off Donna's grips.
"We need to call the police"
"Henry" Donna calls one of the employers "Please hold her tight till the police arrive" and he does as told. Almost everyone in that firm loves Donna and they of course trust her, so no one tries to take Scottie's side.
A few minutes later the police arrive. Donna tells them what happened and they take Scottie with them to ask more questions at the station.
… … …
"Are you in pain?" Amelia asks when he sees Harvey is struggling to get off of bed "Mom said your rib is broken"
"No, it's okay. I just need to be careful with my moves" he tells her reassuringly looking at her. He takes a seat at the table on a chair and starts to eat the bagel Amelia bought for him a few minutes ago.
"D'you care to tell me why you have a bruise on your face?"
"It's nothing"
"Amelia?"
"He hit me. After the shot I yelled at him to call an ambulance and hit him and then he hit back"
"I'm so sorry" he whispers
"seriously dad, I'm alright. Non of this was your fault"
"I asked you for the walk"
"And I made you ask me. If I hadn't done this they wouldn't have had a chance to beat you up that badly"
"what? Amelia" he shakes his head "This is not you fault."
"If it's anybody's fault, then it's mine."
"That's not true! And just for the record: I would say yes to it all over again" she tells him firmly "I waited for so long for you to talk to me again. If they hadn't done it that day it'd be the next day. It was planned daddy, they had prepared everything. I just wish I would've been alone, so they hadn't hit you"
"It wasn't your fault either. Like you said, they prepared it. They did that because of me. You went through all of that because of me"
"Mom said the same thing about herself. Look, I don't blame non of you. Those guys are some psychopaths and I want you to stop blaming yourself, please" she pleads.
He smiles at her "if you stop blaming yourself, too"
"Deal"
"Then deal" he agrees.
Harvey takes a deep breath "The concussion… it was their fault, wasn't it?"
"Yes" she admits "but it was worthy" she smiles
"why's that?" he asks curiously and she tells him the story.
… … …
"Harvey!" Donna shouts when she enters his room and he and Amelia flinch
"Donna what happened?"
"It was Scottie… she's one of the kidnappers" she tells him out of breath.
"what?" Harvey gets up a little too quickly and groans in pain.
"Dad!"
"It's alright" he closes his eyes shut, putting a hand on his rib and sitting down slowly again.
"How do you know that?"
She was waiting for me in my office. She blamed me for destroying her life and for taking you away from her and then I realized. She first tried to deny it but then said I had no proof and when I asked her why, she just said 'because you deserve it'
"Did you call the police?"
"Yes, but we have no proof"
"I'll kill her" he says furious.
"who is Scottie?" Amelia asks cluelessly
"She used to be my best friend when Harvey and I met. She was traveling the world but she came back and fell in love with Harvey. She tried to make him sleep with her and he told me. I ended our friendship and told her I never wanted to see her again. And I didn't… till today."
"And she's still mad? After all those years? because of a man?"
Harvey lifts his head to the left and raises an eyebrow, looking at her with a playfully warning 'what did you just say?' gaze.
"Uhm- uh I didn't mean it like that" she explains stuttering
"Yeah I hope so" he smiles at her and speaks his head, focusing on Donna again.
"How did you know it was her?"
"I don't know it was earthling. Her behavior, her words, her hate against us and she knew about Derek's fatherhood"
"A lot of people know that"
"She wasn't here. How should she know that? And she knew about what happened to you and about… the kiss"
Harvey nods "Goldman slut" his voice full of anger and hate "she'll pay for it" he promises.
The next day the police let Donna know that there's no proof Scottie was involved in the kidnapping and that they had to let her go. The Specters and also Mike and Rachel are furious about it but they know there's nothing they can do right now but accept it.
Two days later
They haven't heard anything form Scottie anymore. She didn't call, she didn't show up and there was no complaint against Donna. Donna and Harvey told the police everything now and there a little upset about the hidden news 'cause They could have tried to traced the calls, but it's too late now. All they can do is hoping that they're do it again.
Harvey can go home today. So he asked Mike to pick him up and drop him at the hotel. Mike helps him with the bag and puts the clothes further down in the wardrobe so that Harvey can take them out easily.
"Don't you wanna stay at our's? We have enough place"
"No, thank you. I need some space to think about a few things"
"Harvey… she is sorry, she loves you"
"yeah I wish I could believe her"
"You remember when Rachel kissed Logan. It was
"Mike that-"
"No, let me finish.
It was you who told me to go back home because what we have is real and hard to come by and that I should forgive her to keep it"
"That's different"
"No, it's not. She kissed her ex, just like Donna. But d'you know what was worse about Rachel? We weren't together for that long and she did it. You and Donna are married for years. Did she ever give you a reason to doubt her love towards you before?"
"She didn't. But they have a daughter and-"
"A daughter who loves you most in the world and who wants you to be with Donna. Look, I don't wanna force you to do anything you don't want to but I also don't want you to give up on something you might regret later"
Mike gets up and grabs his jacket to leave.
"Mike?"
"yeah?"
"How did you get over it?"
"I took my time. I asked her what I wanted to know, I yelled at her, I let my anger out. You haven't even talked to her or let her explain. Maybe you should start there.
And then it was you telling me I should go home, it was Donna and of course Rachel. At some point she asked me to decide whether I love her more than I hate what she did. Maybe you should ask that yourself, too"
Harvey nods "Thank you, Mike"
"Talk to her, Harvey" he says and then leaves the hotel room.
… … …
Half an hour later Amelia appears at the hotel.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
"I'm staying here"
"uhm not that you're bothering me but may I ask why?"
"Because I don't want you to be alone" she says seriously
"Amelia, I'm fine. It's just a broken rib"
"It's not that"
"come in first"
"what is it, honey?"
"What if they try to kill you again?" she asks scared and Harvey gulps not knowing what to say. He knew she was scared but he didn't know it was that bad.
"They won't honey. I'll be fine, they got what they wanted"
"Money is not everything, dad. They hate you" she starts crying "what if they appear here… there's no one to help you" she sniffs her nose.
"come here" he pulls her in a hug
"You don't have to be scared. Nothing will happen" but he knows it's not really comforting her.
"Did you book a room?" he asks with a smile.
"No, I brought my sleeping mat with me" Harvey chuckles. It proofs him even more how much she loves him. Not that he didn't believe her before after they made up but it just feels great.
"Isn't it a bit uncomfortable? You've hardly slept yourself the last few days. You do realize that I'm worried about you too, right?.
"Unlike me, you have no reason. I'm fine"
"I see I have no chance to convince you otherwise"
"well recognized, dad" she teases
"Okay" he agrees "but on one condition. The bed is pretty big. I can't really move that much so I'll take only the one side anyway… and you take the other one. I would suggest to take the uncomfortable sleeping mat but" he points at his rib "I think I would regret it tomorrow at the latest.
"deal" she agrees. It's been a while since she used the same bed at her father but she for sure won't leave him alone and she doesn't want him to worry about her so she accepts it.
Later when they're lying on the bed in their pyjamas and watching a random movie Amelia starts speaking again.
"You gave up so much money for me" she looks at him "I don't even deserve that"
"You deserve everything. I would've given up everything I have to get you back. Money is not everything cupcake and it's sure nothing compared to you."
"I didn't know we have 50 millions."
"We didn't have it. Mike and Rachel gave us the rest"
"what? They did that for me?" she asks surprised. She knows they love her and she loves them but that's huge even though she'd do everything for them, too.
"Yeah. They love you"
"I love them, too.
You all saved my life" "You saved mine first. Without you I wouldn't be here. You risked your life by placing the cell phone next to me"
"Actually" she corrects him "I risked yours. They said they'd kill you if I try something" Harvey smiles at that
"Thank you… You have no idea how proud I am at you. You're so brave"
"You have no idea how much this means to me" she tells him touched.
"But don't do it ever again" he asks her "I don't want you to risk your life for me… never again. Promise me"
"Let just hope I won't have to"
"Amelia please"
"Dad, I can't promise you that, I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking when I saw you like that on the ground. I can promise you to be careful but I can't promise you to let you on your own and walk away. You can't expect that from me. Or would you ever promise me to do the same the other way around?"
Harvey doesn't push her because he could never do that either.
"I get it"
"Good. Now let's switch to baseball. This movie is soo corny" She grimaces in disgust. She actually likes to watch that but only sometimes and only with her mother who loves that kind of movie.
Two days later
"Harvey?" Donna says surprised when she opens the door of the apartment.
"Do you have a moment?"
"Yes" she nods and moves to the side to let him in.
"Do you need anything?"
"No, I'm just here to pick up some new clothes" he tells her and makes his way to the bedroom. After picking them up he comes back and stops in front of Donna.
"I'm gonna ask you a question and I want you to take your time and to answer honestly because if I find out you lied i'll be over for good"
"okay"
"Do you have any feelings for him?"
"No!" she shoots out
"I said you should-"
"I don't need time to think about that. I like him, yes but only as a friend. He's Amelia's biological father and we can't ban him form our life. She likes him and he loves her"
"and you" Harvey shoots back
"but I don't love him"
"then why did you kiss him?" he asks hurting
'I- I really don't know…"
"the other night you said you could explain"
"I know" she closes her eyes remembering it
"I thought I could but it's be one of those stupid excuses everyone has"
"try it"
"She takes a deep breath "I- we were watching those photos while we were waiting for Amelia to come. I hadn't eaten anything in a while and was starving. He poured us some vine and I knew I shouldn't drink it on an empty stomach, but I did anyway. At some point I started to feel tired and got confused but I didn't want to cancel it because it was his birthday and I knew how much it meant to Amelia. The wine kicked in a lot, which is very unusual for me, you know that. But an empty stomach and wine probably don't go as well for me as they used to.
Then he said how sad he is about missing all of that and he regrets that he left me. He sound so vulnerable and then I don't know… he bend for and I told him to stop it but he asked me to give us another chance and then he kissed me" she looks at him with teary eyes.
"and you kissed back" he adds quietly.
"yes" she whispers "I was so emotional and I felt so sorry for him, I-" she breaths in
"Did you enjoy it?"
Donna looks at him shocked about the question, not knowing what to say.
"of course you did, you kissed him back" he says and turns to leave but Donna grabs him by his arm.
"please stop" she turns him back to face him
'yeah maybe for a second otherwise I can't explain why I kissed him back but… it was just out of the situation… I loved him a lot once and for a second it felt like back then but I was wrong. I realized even more that you're the only one I love and the only one I wanna be kissed by. I would've never married you if I had had still feelings for him. I love you Harvey, you and no one else. And I swear that ever since he's back I never thought to go back to him not for a second"
Harvey nods "I need time" he says in a soft voice "I believe you that you love me but I… every time I passed your office before this whole thing happened, it reminded me at what you did and it hurt every goddamn time. I just don't know hot to get over it. to forget what I saw"
"Take as much time as you need but please… don't give up on us" she says with teary eyes.
"See you, Donna"
… … …
"Scottie? what are you doing here? I thought you were outa city" the man says surprised
"I was but I missed you" she smiles and kisses him
"Yeah I missed you, too" he kisses her back
"Don't you think it's too dangerous being here?"
"No! why? I mean yeah telling her it was me, wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done but she has no proof and if you were carefully then they will never have evidence"
"of course I was, what d'you think?" he asks kissing her neck.
"God, I missed you so much!" he tells her
"I know" she says and starts to undress him…
"Wow! that was amazing"
"yeah" he confirms and laughs. Then he turns on the side to face her
"we are rich"
"yes" she laughs "I don't believe it. It worked out"
"Even better than we thought it would"
"when are we going to leave and never look back?"
"As soon as I have a good reason. I can't just leave it'd be too obvious. I need a good reason. Is there anything I don't know that helps me to make her take that bastards side and act like I'm hurt so I can just leave?"
"You're a monster… Don't you think it'd hurt her if her father leaves and never call again?"
"Don't you think I don't give a shit about her feelings?"
"We'll then… Why don't you lock him in a small room and see what happens?"
"you're such a sneaky…"
"sshhh. Don't dare it… Soo are you sad she didn't sleep with you? I mean you planned it"
"You serious? Sure, I would've loved to see the reaction of this bastard of a suit wearer to that Donna and I naked in her office since it was him to find us and not that brat like I planned it. But I think I should've used much more of that pills. On the other side I'm grateful to him. I would've had to force myself not to throw up after sleeping with her. I mean I almost did it only after kissing her"
"I hate her but I think a lot of men find her pretty attractive and that brat is the reason everything was even more fun than we expected"
"First of all I don't care how many men find her attractive, I don't. She was with him the last 17 years only the thought of it makes me wanting to throw up and second that brat is a slut, just like her mother. Even though she thinks I'm her father, she cares more about that bastard than me. Sometimes I wish Diego had shot him the other day instead of missing with intent."
"Hey, you're bad guys but not murderers"
"yeah, yeah you're right."
"How did you managed to kidnap her without them even notice it's you?"
"It was pretty easy, Diego talked while I was quiet the whole time. I only hit him, that's why I was there anyway"
"You never told me what he did that you hate him that much. Don't you think it's time to trust me now?"
He looks at her and smiles
"Yes, you're right. It's time" he nods…
… … …
"Derek, what do you want?" Donna asks as he enters her office.
"Are you moving?"
"Yes, I am changing that office"
"why, I thought you love it that much?"
"It's just an office, Derek. Why are you here?"
"I'm meeting Amelia and wanted to see how you're doing till she arrives"
"Amelia's back and she's alright, so I'm pretty fine"
"Derek hey" the teenager greets him "Shell we go?"
"yeah" he smiles at her "uhm Donna d'you wanna join us? We're going for a bit and then to a musical."
"No, I'm not interested"
"I don't think that's a good idea" Amelia says at the same time.
"Alright, then let's go"
Few days later
It's almost a week since Harvey is back in his hotel room, at some point he convinced his daughter that he needed some time for himself and promised her to text her from time to time so she knows he's alright. Today is his first day back at the firm. He's feeling okay and doesn't want to stay there anymore. He misses his job and he wants at least to work a few hours a day.
"Harvey" Donna says unexpectedly to see him there "what are you doing here?"
"I'm back at the firm not as long as usual but for a few hours a day"
"Uhm… I'm really happy to hear that but are you really that far? They hurt you pretty bad" she asks in concern
"I am, I just have to be careful with my movements"
"okay but please be careful"
"I will" he smiles at her. She's missing that smile so much. Every time she sees she forgets everything around her.
"Then have a great first day" she tells him lovely
"Thank you"
… … …
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Derek asks when he meets Amelia in front of Specter Ross Zane. "is that for me?"
"Uhm no, I'm sorry. It's dad's first day back and I wanted to give him a little treat. He looks at her for a few seconds
"Dad?"
"Uhm" Amelia tears the look from him and looks on the ground. Then she looks back at him "yes, dad. I am sorry Derek, I tried it really. It's just he is my dad. I can't change that and actually I don't want to."
"What about me?" he asks in a hurtful voice trying to make her feel bad.
"I care about you and I still want to get to know you better. But his is my dad and I would ask you to accept this"
"yeah sure" he says and enters the building
"Derek please…"
"It's alright Amelia. You made your point clear" he tells her and walks towards his workplace.
So she takes a deep breathe and somehow is relieved he knows. Then she goes at Harvey's office.
"Hey, happy first day" she tells him handing him the bag
"what's this?"
"present?" she says, looking at him with an 'isn't it obvious' look on her face.
It's a photo frame with two photos from her and Harvey on her last birthday and the other one on their daddy-daughter-day last year.
"That beautiful, thank you" he says touched and gets up
"It's not all"
"Yeah I saw there's burgers too. I hope with no onions. She smiles first of all of course with no onions and second of all that's not what I meant. So he looks again in the bag and finds an envelope. He takes the card out of it.
Daddy-daughter-day?
Yes
No
Maybe
Each option has a small box next to it to tick. He looks at Amelia and fight the tears 'cause he's touched by the gesture. He's never been that touchy-feely but lately it's different. So he grabs a pen in front of him and ticks the 'yes' box, then he gives it to her.
"Then let's make some more actual photos"
"That has to wait a little longer I guess"
"Yeah it doesn't matter but now I have it officially" she lifts her hand in which she's holding the card.
Later on the evening Harvey is about to go to Mike's office when he passes Donna's and stops in front of it. It's almost completely empty only the rest and chair is still there. For a second he's scared that she left and thinks that she's given up. He goes over to Mike.
"Harvey, what are you still doing here? I thought you left hours ago? wasn't that the deal?"
"Yeah, it was just a lot of work"
"You need rest"
"I know, I noticed it myself it was too much today" he admits "uhm, d'you happen to know why Donna's office is empty?"
"she's moving, didn't she tell you?"
"No" he shakes his head "why? She loves this office"
"she said if that office is the reason why you can't forgive her, then she will gladly do without it."
"D'you know which is the new one?"
"yeah, three doors further"
Next evening
"Hey" Derek greets her when he enters Donna's office
"Derek what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to look after you"
"You don't have to, I'm fine"
"really?" he asks closing their distance
"Donna… you feel it too, we belong together" he says and gets closer to her
"You're wrong, Derek"
Just in the moment Harvey walks by an stops in his tracks. "I love you, Donna. I always have and I always will" he says and bends forward to kiss her but she pulls back.
"Derek please" she shakes her head "yeah, I loved you once but it's a long time ago. I told you before the kiss was a mistake. I love Harvey and I won't hurt him any longer by spending time with you. I know you're Amelia's father and we'll figure out a way all together but I'm not gonna spend time with you alone anymore. So please leave me alone. He's the love of my life and I won't risk it to loose him completely"
"He made clear it's over"
"Maybe yeah… but I won't give up on us as long as he hadn't told me that. I love him and I'll do everything it takes to win his trust back" she says firmly. "So either you accept that or you better leave the firm. You can always see Amelia but we don't have to do anything together"
Derek nods "You like me, why d'you allow it to him to tell you with whom to spend time?" he whispers
"I never said I wouldn't like you but I love him and as hard as it sounds, it's not hard for me to decide between the two of you"
"Alright. I won't bother you anymore." He bends and places a kiss on her check "good night, Donna" he looks at her.
"Donna" Harvey calls in a low voice and she lifts her head in shock
"Harvey" she says and immediately tries to explain the situation. The distance between her and Derek is still close "Harvey, I- it's not like it looks like. We- I-"
"I know" he cuts her off.
"How long are you standing there?" she asks
"long enough" he says and approaches her
"I love you, too" he says and kisses her tenderly.
A smilie appears on her face "does that mean-?"
"yeah… let's go home" he smiles at her and takes her hand to lead her out.
Derek who watched the whole scene is furious inside. He knows he lost, he didn't got completely what he wanted tearing them apart.
… … …
Donna and Harvey are sitting on their couch and kissing.
"It's so good to have you back home" she says with teary eyes while she hugs him tight.
"I'm happy too" he says in a low voice and kisses her tenderly. Donna slowly pulls away from him and looks him in the eyes "I'm so sorry" she says sadly "Hurting you is the last thing I wanted to do"
He nods slightly "I know" he kisses her forehead
"You can really forgive me?" he nods
"maybe I'll need a bit more time to get over it completely but we'll be fine. I love you and I don't wanna lose you either. I mean a few days ago I didn't know if I'd ever be able to but… Amelia talked to me… and Mike annoyed me" he chuckles "and even Bertha tried to convince me that you're sorry"
"nurse Bertha?" Donna laughs and he confirms
"She's great"
"she really is"
"Then… I heard what you told him and then I was convinced that you really don't have feelings for him"
"You really thought I'd love him?"
"I don't see… I didn't see another reason why you would kiss him"
"I- uhm listen…"
"No you don't have to explain it" he tells her "I don't wanna talk about him" he kisses her.
"I missed you so much" she whispers "I missed you, too" he says stroking her hair.
"Eewww take a room" Amelia says as she enters the living room – secretly jumping up and down inside that her parents made it. –
"What? You never saw people kissing before?" Harvey asks sarcastically
"Not people your age" she shoots out and both Donna and Harvey glare at her.
"Okaaay, I take it back, you're in perfect age" she says smiling.
"Good girl" Harvey says and turns to Donna to kiss her again.
"Okaaay that s enough" Amelia laughs and goes sitting between them.
"I'm really glad you made it again" she says and kisses them on their cheek who return the kiss.
"so are we" Harvey tells her
"So you're good again?"
"yes, we are" Donna confirms
"good" she says and gets up
"where you're going?" Harvey asks
"Uhm, I have work to do and I see you're busy, too aaand… I don't wanna see it" she says and walks away with a big smile on her face.
"People our age?" Harvey asks Donna confused who laughs and kisses him again without an answer.
… … …
Donna wakes up and immediately a smile builds up on her face when he sees Harvey lying next to her. She can't believe how happy she is that he forgave her. She tries her best but can't hold herself back not to touch him. She tenderly strokes his cheek and hopes not to wake him up but fails.
"Morning" he says smiling but still sleepy
"Morning" she leans for to kiss him
"How did you sleep?" she asks
"Like a baby" he says and and carefully stretches out his arm so that she lies on it. Donna lifts her arm and they knock their fingers while he uses the other arm to put it around her stomach.
"I missed this so much" she looks up at him
"me too" he kisses her on her head.
"Can we please just lay here like this forever?" he chuckles "I'd love to but we have a hell of a lot to do"
"what about today?"
"Okay suggestion. We get up do our work as fast as we can and then we come back asap?"
"yeah, that's a possibility…"
"but…?" he smiles
"but we could call it a sick day and throw it all over to Mike and Rachel"
"Agreed" he laughs and starts kissing her
"great"
"I love you" they say at the same time.
Later when they're on the dining room Harvey looks at her.
"You didn't have to move. I know how much you love that office"
"Not nearly as much as I love you" she tells him lovely
"But you-"
She shakes her head "It's just an office Harvey. I don't want you to remember that everytime you enter it. And to be honest I don't want to be there knowing how much I hurt you in it"
"okay" he accepts it. He reaches for her hand and She gets up and goes over to him sitting on his lap.
On the next day they go back to the firm and their friend are impatiently waiting to them in their offices.
"Did we miss anything?" Harvey asks as if he had no clue why Mike was waiting for him in his office.
"No nothing, everything's like usual. You realize what time it is?"
"In case you forgot. I am the managing partner. I come whenever I want to"
"Did I miss anything?" Mike asks sarcastically and Harvey can't force back a smile any longer.
"Amelia told you"
"She texted me yesterday evening. I'm glad you're back to being Donna and Harvey" Mike says happily
"Thank you. I'm glad I got it, too. You were right, I just had to ask myself whether I love her more than hate what she did. An on top of that I heard her telling him that she only loves me and that she's never gonna back to him. That's when I knew for sure I want to be back with her"
"Son of a bitch" Mike says seriously "Goddamn who the hell hired him?"
"I gues it was me" Harvey says "I'm the managing partner"
Mike shakes his head and teases "I think it's time I take it over. You really suck at hiring people"
"Yeah I know. I should've learned form it after I hired you" he shoots back at him.
"I am the best that could've happened to you"
"yeah sure, keep thinking that fake lawyer"
"I just did it once" he protests "and just in case you forgot, those grandchildren got their peach cake just because of me"
Harvey laughs at this. He shakes his head and goes over to his desk.
He finds a piece of letter on his desk
Meet me at the fileroom at 12:00p.m.
A.
So he assumes it's Amelia and follows the request.
"Well, as much as I'd love to go ahead with our whatever it is, my daughter is waiting for me in the file room"
"file room?" Mike asks confused.
Harvey shrugs with his shoulders and leaves s office.
… … …
"Harvey, I'm glad you could make it" Derek says with a smug grin as he enters the room.
"What the hell do you want?" He asks angrily
"I'm sorry. Are you disappointed? Well I guess Amelia isn't coming. And to answer your question? I don't want much just to talk a little" he says and closes the door behind him, staying in front of it. Harvey swallows, he knows Derek knows about his claustrophobia and that he's not gonna get out of it that fast.
"What?" he smiles at Harvey "Are you getting nervous? It's a normal room, Harvey"
"Derek... open the door" he tells him and walks towards the exit, but Derek stops him.
"You're not going anywhere, you self-absorbed arsehole"
"Let me the fuck out of here" he says as his breathing quickens and sweat slowly but surely forms on his forehead.
"You... Son of a b- bitch" Harvey starts gasping but Derek only laughs.
"Yeah I really am, right? but you know?" he gets closer to him so they're faces are only a few inches away "This is exactly what you deserve" he pushes him hard so Harvey falls to the ground. He groans since he falls on the side trying to support himself and immediately grabs his broken rib.
"I need to get out of here" he says with his eyes closed.
"Well, unfortunately I don't care" he says "I wish you a lot of fun" then he turns around, walks out of the room and locks the door, letting the key on it.
Harvey can hardly breathe. He feels like he's been transported back to the moment when he got stuck alone in a lift as a child and nobody heard him for a long time. Since then, he can't stand being trapped. He can get into lifts normally, he's got that under control now, but as soon as he realizes he can't get out, his heart starts racing and he starts sweating and finds it hard to breathe regularly.
He tries to distract himself, to think about something else – anything - but it's useless.
At the same time Mike happens to see Amelia, who wants to check on Harvey. She just can't stop worrying and has the urge to check on him every now and then to see if he's okay.
"Amelia hey"
"Uncle Mike hey" she greets and embraces him.
"Uhm I wanted to thank you" she starts
"for what?"
"Dad told me you gave him the money to pay the kidnappers. I'll never forget you did that for me"
"You don't have to thank me for that, honey. I'm glad we could do somehting"
"Thank you anyway"
"You're welcome" he smiles stroking her cheek "and dad?"
"Yes, dad" she confirms smiling "He is my dad, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he sure is"
"speaking of Harvey, didn't you want to meet him in the fileroom?"
"fileroom? Why the hell would I want to meet him there?"
"but he… goddamn it" Mike says and rushes towards the place and Amelia behind him.
"Harvey!" Mike says shocked when he sees him on the floor.
"Dad!" Amelia says aloud
"I need to get out of here" he tells them. He's sweating and his heart is racing, he barley notices they are there.
"come on buddy. It's over" Mike tells him softly and helps him up, leading him out of the room.
"Dad hey" Amelia takes his hands "Look at me" he tries but fails "Take your time" she tells him lovely "I'm here"
"I- He-"
She shushes him and starts singing 'Here comes the sun'
Harvey's mother always sang it to him when he was a child so Harvey kept doing it for his daughter. Every time she had a nightmare at night and climbed into bed with them, when she hurt herself or when she was sick or sad, he would sing it to her. Now she's returning the favor in hopes it'll help him just like it helped her.
In fact, his breathing stabilises and he gathers himself again.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes" he tells her, giving her a weak smile.
"I think I just need some fresh air"
"Okay, you want me to come with you?"
"That'd be great"
After a few minutes Amelia decides to ask
"who did that?"
Harvey looks at her, not knowing what to say. He doesn't want to tell her because he knows it'll hurt her and because he knows how much she's starting to care about him.
"I don't know" he says and unwillingly tears the look from her.
"Dad please. You can't even look me in the eye, that means you know it"
"Was it Derek?" Harvey keeps quiet
"so yes… I'm done with him" she says upset
"Amelia no. He- He's your father, just because we don't like each other it doesn't-"
"I don't give a shit who he is. It's not the first time he's hurting you, that's enough. And just for the record you are my father"
There's another silence for a few minutes between them.
"let's go in, iit's pretty cold here. You dint need to worry, I'm alright" he tells her softly, placing his palm on her back.
"You sure?" concern written all over her face
"Yes" he smiles
Later when she made sure Harvey's alright, she goes straight to Derek
"That's enough" she yells at him "I'm done with you. Just pack your things and get out of my life"
"Amelia! What- what has gotten into you?" he acts as if he wouldn't know what she's talking about
"Don't even dare to deny it!" she warns in rage "You locked him in that room and you hur this. So pack the hell your things and disappear"
"Did he tell you that?"
"No he didn't want to tell me because he cares about me. I made him telling me"
"He lied"
"what kind of person are you? How can you do that?"
"He deserved it" he blurts out "I had no chance from the beginning. You'll never care abut me, you didn't even say it once that you'd love me but you keep saying it about him all over again"
"I almost destroyed our relationship because of you" she protests
"and you're calling him 'dad' anyway"
"Because he is my dad" she yells madly.
"And I won't try to be it any longer" he says and leaves the IT-room.
… … …
Amelia was so busy trying to reassure Harvey that everything will be fine that she didn't notice his rib is hurt but Mike did. So he forced him to the hospital to check up. Luckily it was nothing serious, so there's no further injury. It was just the pain because it's not completelyhealed yet. He decided to keep it from Amelia but he tells Donna about the incident who's boiling in rage but couldn't find Derek.
When the couple arrives home they find Amelia with teary eyes on the couch.
"Honey, what happened?" Donna asks
"He left" she tells them
"Derek?" Amelia nods
"He says he'll never have a chance against dad and that I'll never see him as my father and that he also can't bear to see the two of you together."
'Son of a bitch' Harvey thinks but doesn't say it out loud. He actually thought he'd be happy to hear that but now when he sees how sad his daughter is, he's not happy. So he just sits next to her and takes her in his arms without saying a word.
"It's okay dad I told him to do that" she says and fights back the tears but nevertheless she leans on Harvey resting her head on his chest.
/ / /
Hey there,
I'm so sorry for the delay. I'm at the beginning of my master's thesis and then something else happened so I couldn't focus on this one. But don't everything is alright :)
I hope you liked this chapter and sorry for the mistakes. I tried my best but I don't have a beta and as some of you might know I am still working on my english.
Would love to know what you think if you have a moment to leave a review.
Have a nice week!