A/N: I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated this!
Anyways, I've had this in my docs for a while and my friend's been through some hard stuff the last couple of weeks, so this one's for you Cami :).
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Post canon. Donna gets jealous when someone from the past crosses paths with Harvey.
...
Donna lets out a long sigh as she goes through a pile of documents that seem to multiplicate every time she looks at it. She loves several aspects of her job, most of them actually, but now that she's in charge of the associates too, she has to overview their work, and she totally hates it, but it's part of the job and the truth is that she wouldn't change it for anything. She loves working with those young lawyers, eager to make it to the top. It reminds her of Harvey's early years in Pearson Hardman, and the mere thought of her husband brings a smile to her face. Almost a year into their marriage and she's as smitten as she could be.
As if he were able to read her thoughts she gets a text from him.
H~ Heading into the courtroom. You available for a late lunch later?
She lets out a long breath, looks at the pile of documents and decides that as much as she'd love to have lunch with Harvey, she'd rather finish her work on time to make it home early and have dinner with him.
D~ I'd love to, but if I don't finish my paperwork I won't make it home early.
H~ Now, we wouldn't want that, Mrs. Specter. I'll just grab a quick lunch after court
She chuckles to herself and shakes her head slightly.
D~ That's Mrs. Paulsen Specter to you. Good luck in court
H~ Thanks beautiful
She puts her phone down with a grin plastered on her face. She should be used to Harvey calling her beautiful by now, he does all the time, but her heart has yet to become accustomed to it, because it inflates every time he does. And she secretly hopes the feeling will never go away.
….
Harvey walks down the hallway to the courtroom confidently as he usually does, suppressing the small grin he was just sporting while texting with his wife. That soft side of him is only for her to see. When in court he's a shark, no matter if he's fighting for the bad or the good guys as he is in this case.
"Oh my god, Harvey Specter, a woman calls behind him and when he turns around he finds a very familiar face that he hasn't seen in many years.
"Zoe" He says her name in clear shock but also glad to see her. He hesitates for a second, not sure how he should greet her after so long, but she makes that decision for him when she simply reaches for his arm and squeezes it lightly, affectionately.
"You look great" She says with a smile, obviously happy to see him.
"So do you" He says back, simply to return the compliment. He no longer has eyes for anyone but the woman he gets to call his for the rest of their lives. "What are you doing in Seattle?"
"I'm here as an external consultant for a friend" She explains and he nods.
"So, you don't live here?"
"No, no" She shakes her head "I live in San Francisco, but Matt's an old friend from law school and I flew over to help him. What are you doing in Seattle?"
"Moved nearly a year ago to work with Mike Ross, he runs a non-profit here"
"Harvey Specter working in the B leagues. Now that's something I never thought I'd live to see" She teases good naturedly and he chuckles.
"Needed a change of scenery. Listen, I'd love to catch up, but I should really get into that courtroom"
"Of course, me too" She says as she motions to the courtroom down the hall. "Are you available for lunch maybe?"
He hesitates for a second, but doesn't see a reason to decline. Donna is busy with work anyway and it's just lunch with an old colleague.
"Sure. I'll come find you after I finish those assholes"
"Bragging still strong as ever, I see"
"Hey, what did I once tell you?" He smirks and she nods. "It's not bragging if it's true" They say at the same time. They share a chuckle and each goes their separate way.
…
It's two hours later that Harvey and Zoe find themselves ordering at a restaurant he frequents whenever he has to go to the courthouse.
"So, how's Olivia?" Harvey asks, having kept a fond memory of the little girl.
"Entering her teen years. It's no fun, trust me"
"I'll take your word for it. My niece, Haley, is entering her teen years too, she's driving Marcus crazy" He smiles into his glass as he takes a sip of water.
"I don't doubt it" Zoe keeps her eyes glued to him, and she can swear there's something different about him. He looks as handsome as ever, there's no doubt in that but she can also see a lightness in him that wasn't there the last time she saw him, when he was fighting his way to put his name on the wall of what was back then 'Pearson Hardman' "So, how did you really end up here, Harvey? Last I heard of you, you were kicking ass in New York, with your name on the wall just like you always wanted".
He lets out a long sigh and places both hands on the table. And that's when Zoe finally spots the white gold band sitting on his ring finger. How did she not see it before?
"Life happened. I realized work is not the most important thing in life. Family, and those you love are" He twirls his ring, the tiny object that grounds him whenever he needs it.
"Let me guess" She softly says with a small smile "Donna Paulsen is the lucky girl" He looks up confused at the mention of his wife's name and she nods towards his left hand. He nods once and leans back into his chair.
"The way I see it, I'm the lucky guy" He jokes to lighten the mood. "Took me a while but I finally got my head out of my ass" Zoe clears her throat and takes a sip of her water, he can tell the way her shoulders slump at the news that he isn't available, and it hadn't crossed his mind until now that Zoe could have been looking to rekindle whatever was left between them.
"Well, I'm happy for you, Harvey. You look really happy"
"I am" He confirms just as the waitress brings their order. "What about you? Anyone special waiting for you back in San Francisco?"
"Not anymore" She solemnly answers "It's not easy to have a relationship when you're raising your orphan niece" There's no bitterness in her comment, and he knows how much Zoe loves Olivia, it's simply a statement, and he feels for her.
"I can only imagine" He says in an understanding tone "Their loss" He adds.
Her eyes linger on him a second too long before she looks away "Yeah" She weakly agrees. She takes a spoonful of her pasta and hums in approval "This is delicious" She comments, desperate to change the subject and they go back to trivial talk after that.
…
Donna puts the last report down and grins to herself. She's managed to finish so ahead of time that she even has time to surprise Harvey for lunch together after all.
She runs into Mike as she's making her way to the elevator.
"We won big" He tells her with a huge grin.
"Did you ever doubt we would? By now you should know that my husband never loses, Mike" She proudly retorts and he rolls his eyes.
"You guys are the cockiest couple I know" He teases. "You're gonna meet him for lunch?" He asks as he calls for the elevator.
"I sure am. I'm actually gonna surprise him"
"Harvey hates surprises" Mike points out with a little grin.
"He doesn't hate all surprises" She says back with a pointed look.
"I'd rather not know" He shivers "Are we still on for dinner on friday?"
"Of course we are. I'm not missing Rachel's lasagna for anything" She pretends to be offended at the mere suggestion and Mike laughs soundly.
"You and me both, Donna. Hey, I'm going the same way you are, want me to drive you?" He offers and she accepts. Mike has become an excellent driver after moving to Seattle. Traffic here is not as chaotic as in New York and even though the clinic is running smoothly, this isn't ZWWB. Having a driver for each partner is not an option here.
Ten minutes later, she waves Mike goodbye as he drives away and enters the restaurant, eagerly looking for her husband.
Her face falls a bit when she spots him and sees that he's not alone. He's animatedly talking with a woman whose face she can't see, but she can clearly see him, and the smile radiating from his beautiful face as he talks to whoever that is.
She considers turning around and walking away, knowing it's probably a client and not wanting to interrupt if a sudden business meeting came up at the last minute and he wasn't able to let her know about it. After all, she declined his invitation for lunch earlier this morning. She's left without the option of doing so though, when he spots her and his grin widens even more.
"Donna" He calls and waves for her to join them at the table. She starts walking towards them and when she gets closer and the woman across from him stands, she recognizes who her husband is having lunch with.
"Zoe Lawford" Donna says in surprise "It's been a while"
"It certainly has" Zoe replies with a tight smile.
There's never been bad blood between them, and aside from Scottie, Zoe is probably the only other woman that Harvey dated and Donna actually liked. She's also the woman with whom Harvey had wanted to have a relationship with back in the day and she's the one woman he wanted and didn't get to have. Donna would be lying if she said the thought doesn't bother her a bit.
Harvey must sense his wife's not exactly comfortable with the whole situation because he steps closer to her, puts an arm around her waist and kisses her temple in greeting, and the mere gesture causes Donna's body to inevitably relax a bit under his touch.
"I'm gonna ask them to bring another chair and set the table for you" He suggests as he looks around for their waiter. "You want the salmon?" He asks his wife who shakes her head.
"I'm not staying. I was actually on my way to a meeting and decided to stop by and see if you were here" She's not a liar, she specially never lies to her husband, but having lunch with Harvey and his old flame doesn't sit right with her, and why the hell did he have to bring Zoe to the place where they usually have lunch whenever Harvey has to go to court?. She knows how obtuse he can be sometimes when it comes to these matters, but she honestly didn't think he could be this stupid. It upsets her and it angers her more than she'd like to admit.
"Oh" Harvey simply says as he looks between his wife and Zoe, both women look totally awkward and he can definitely tell. "Well, we are actually finished here and I should get back to the office anyway" Harvey calls the waiter again and asks for the check.
"Oh no, don't cut your lunch short on my account" Donna rushes to tell him and this time Zoe intervenes.
"Harvey's right, Donna. We're finished and I should get going too, I have a meeting in a few minutes" The waiter chooses that time to show up with the check and Zoe aims for her wallet and takes a few bills out.
"Nonsense" Harvey stops her "It's on me" He hands the waiter his credit card and Zoe smiles in appreciation.
"Well, it was great to see you both" She tells them as she slides her purse over her shoulder.
"You too" Donna replies and Harvey simply nods. Zoe walks out of the table, leaving the couple on their own.
"I'm assuming you're finished with all that paperwork?" He asks, trying to make conversation, aware that he could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
"I am, yeah"
"Who are you meeting with?"
"One of Rachel's clients" Is all the information she gives out, and he figures he should explain why he was with Zoe in the first place.
"Listen, she saw me at the courthouse and—"
"What was she doing there anyway?" She cuts him off before he can finish explaining it to her.
"She's living in San Francisco and she's here as a consultant for—"
"You know what? never mind, I don't care" She interrupts him again "I'm late for my meeting. I don't think I'll make it back to the office, so I'll see you at home"
"Donna" Harvey calls as she turns on her heels and starts walking.
"See you at home, Harvey" She curtly calls over her shoulder.
He sighs and is about to run after her when the waiter shows up with his credit card and the receipt. He steps onto the sidewalk a few seconds later but his wife is nowhere to be found.
….
Donna was never the jealous type before. She's dated several men, and most of them were really handsome and attracted the attention of the female population whenever they were out on dates, just like she always attracts men's looks wherever she goes. But with Harvey, it's different. It always is with him, and she thought long gone were the days when she had to feel jealousy over women lusting after him.
But there's something specific about Zoe that bothers her so much. She's used to Harvey calling women's attention, she notices the looks he gets whenever they are out and she normally revels in it, takes pride in the fact that he's only hers and he even has a ring on his finger that proves it to any woman that may be wondering if they could ever have a shot with him.
She hates the way she feels, wishes she could simply turn it off, admit how stupid it is and apologize to Harvey for snapping at him when she knows for a fact that nothing could ever happen with Zoe because Harvey only belongs to her. So she curses her inability to do so as she rings the bell on Rachel's door later that night.
Her best friend opens the door to find the redhead holding around six shopping bags and a bottle of red wine.
"Did you have a fight with Harvey?" She asks with concern and Donna shakes her head no.
"I went to surprise him over lunch and found him having said lunch with Zoe Lawford" Donna summarizes and Rachel's eyes widen while she quickly shakes her head in confusion and opens the door further to let her friend in.
"Does Harvey know you're here?" Rachel asks while Donna neatly places the shopping bags on Rachel's large hallway table and takes her coat off.
"No. I'm not sure he's even left the office, so he'll realize once he gets home that I'm not there"
"Well, Mike's on his way so Harvey's probably on his way home, too"
Seattle is nothing like New York, and unless there's a very pressing issue that needs to be attended to, they never leave the office after six.
"I'll just wait for him to call me then"
Rachel nods and heads towards the kitchen to get two glasses of wine while Donna gets the wine opener from the kitchen island and opens the bottle.
"So… Zoe" Rachel comments, encouraging Donna to talk.
"Yep. Zoe" The redhead confirms "She's here for work apparently. I didn't stay at the restaurant long enough for Harvey to tell me all the details he learned about her current life"
"Donna, you're not the jealous type" Her friend reminds her.
"I know that. I don't know what's gotten into me, I just…. I saw them together, laughing and having a great time and I…" She trails off "I know he married me" She firmly says as she absentmindedly rubs her wedding ring.
"That he did, and I've never seen him happier" Rachel reassures her.
"I also know that Rachel, like I know he'd never cheat on me. I hate to feel this way, it reminds me of…. Nevermind" She shakes the thought away but Rachel is not letting it go so easily.
"Of what?" She presses.
Donna looks up at her, a sad expression in her eyes that has Rachel smile softly at her and take her hand in hers for support.
"Not what but who. It reminds me of Paula when she was insecure about my friendship with Harvey and asked him to get rid of me"
Rachel scoffs softly and shakes her head "Donna, there's no point of comparison. Paula was very much right to feel that insecure because her back then boyfriend was actually in love with someone else. But that's not you, you are in fact who he was in love with, and he still is, very much so may I add. You can never compare yourself to that woman again" Rachel's obvious dislike for Paula finally takes a small smile from Donna. Her friend has always been very clear about her utter discontent on how Paula tried to get Harvey to fire Donna.
Before the redhead can reply they hear the jingle of keys on the front door and Rachel heads out of the kitchen to probably greet Mike.
"Is she here?" Donna stiffens at the sound of Harvey's voice, a few seconds later he appears on the kitchen's doorway dressed down in the same suit he was wearing this morning. He must have come straight here after realizing she wasn't home "Hey" Is all he says when he spots her.
"Hey" She says back.
"I went home and you weren't there" He's not pissed, his voice is soft and he almost sounds just like that time when he told her pretty much those same words, the night they put the ache of thirteen years behind them and decided they wanted to be together forever.
"I needed some girl time with Rachel"
"Is that why you didn't answer when I called?"
She frowns and shakes her head "No, I left my phone in my purse and I must have not heard it"
"What's going on, Donna?" He knows, or she thinks that he knows, but he's still giving her the chance to explain before making any assumptions.
"I told you. I needed to see Rachel"
Mike clears his throat behind Harvey and leans against the doorframe. "We're gonna run to the store, but you guys stay"
Harvey knows it's an excuse and their friends are giving them the space to talk in private "Thanks Mike" Harvey says without taking his eyes off his wife. "Are you gonna tell me the truth?" He asks Donna once it's just them.
"I just did" She stubbornly replies.
"Were you planning on coming home at all?"
"Of course I was. What kind of question is that?" Her tone is upset, she's offended by his question, but what is he supposed to think when the last time he saw her she said she'd see him at home and then she came straight here from work.
"Well, you tell me, Donna. You're upset and I don't even know why you're so pissed at me when I didn't do anything"
"I'm not pissed at you!" She raises her voice in frustration and he does the same.
"Yes, you are!. And I thought we didn't do this anymore. You should be able to come to me when something's bothering you instead of hiding at our friends' house"
"That's not what I'm doing, Harvey. I just…" He looks expectantly at her, waiting for the explanation he knows she knows he deserves. Her posture deflates a little and she wraps her arms around herself before looking up at him, as if trying to find the courage to speak her mind "I'm ashamed of myself, because I know how stupid it is, but I also can't help the way I feel" She says in a small voice and he lets out a long sigh. He hates seeing Donna like this, it's not like her at all.
"Donna, talk to me" He softly encourages as he takes a step closer to her.
"I didn't have a meeting this afternoon" She confesses and he nods.
"I know" She widens her eyes slightly, sometimes it still surprises her the way he now pays attention and he can tell when something's off or if she's keeping her feelings from him.
He gives her a tight lip small smile "I went to the restaurant to surprise you, and then I saw you with Zoe and it bothered me" She comes clean, and it's not because he's pushing her to, but because one of the reasons they work is that they don't keep things from each other.
"I could figure as much" He admits and takes yet another step towards her. She's now leaning forward against the kitchen island, keeping a barrier between them. "What I don't know is why you got so upset about it. Because I know you trust me" His eyes beg for the confirmation of that fact and he relaxes a bit when she immediately confirms it for him with a firm voice.
"Of course I trust you"
"Okay then. Why did it bother you?"
She looks into his eyes, finding the same love she always does whenever she looks at those beautiful chocolate orbs she fell in love with so many years ago.
"Because Zoe is the one that got away" She softly says.
Harvey frowns and his face now turns into one of utter confusion.
"The what?" He asks, suppressing the urge to chuckle, because that's not what he was expecting to hear and it's probably the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard coming out of his wife's mouth.
"You were in love with her, Harvey. And it's not like you guys were over because it didn't work out. Hell, I even encouraged you to fight for her back then"
"Wow, that's…" He trails off, trying to find the right words but instead he just blurts out what he's really thinking "The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard"
"Harvey!" She snaps in an upset tone.
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to undermine your feelings, but Donna, I was never in love with Zoe, which is why I never fought for her. She's not the one that got away, that was actually almost you. Thankfully I came to my senses right on time"
"Really?" She asks as a small smile tugs at the corner of her lips and it's all the encouragement he needs to close the final gap between them, round the kitchen island and circle his arms around her waist before pressing his forehead against hers. She breathes him in as she wraps her arms around his neck in return.
"Really" He confirms "When things started getting serious with Thomas, I thought that was it, that I had lost my chance. You're the only woman I've ever truly loved, Donna. I cared about Zoe, just like I cared about Scottie or Paula" Donna scrunches her nose at the mention of his former therapist's name and Harvey smiles at her "None of them could ever compare to you. That's why you're the one wearing my grandmother's ring"
"Why didn't you tell me you were having lunch with her?"
"Because you told me you were busy and I didn't think it was something important enough to tell you right away. I was gonna tell you later"
"I do trust you" She feels the need to reassure him.
"Good. Cause I don't want anyone but you, Donna. I never will"
"I'm sorry I overreacted" She whispers the apology and sniffs softly.
"Hey, it's okay" He cups the back of her head and presses his lips against her forehead. "You can't be perfect all the time" He murmurs the joke and it makes her chuckle.
"I pretty much am most of the time" She jokes back.
"Of course you are. My beautiful, smart, funny, sexy, nearly perfect wife" His hands travel a bit lower so he can grip her ass and pull her even closer as he dips his head down and kisses her deeply, it's one of those kisses that always leave her dizzy and wanting more. "I love you" He says when they break the kiss.
"I love you, too"
He laughs softly under his breath and she looks at him questioningly. "What?"
"Well, It's the first time since we got together that I actually get to see you jealous. It's usually me who gets upset when men fuss all over you"
She bites her lower lip as she hides a smile and shakes her head "You're enjoying it, aren't you?"
"A little bit. I mean I don't like seeing you upset but…. Yeah, jealous Donna Paulsen it's a sight to behold for sure"
"You're an idiot"
He nods as he presses his mouth against hers "Your idiot" He mumbles against her lips before moving his head to bury his face in her neck.
"Harvey" She calls his attention back to their conversation and he lifts his head to look at her "Just so you know, Thomas never stood a chance, you were never going to lose me. I've always been yours"
"Good to know. I can see why though, I'm definitely much of a better catch than furniture guy"
"Don't call him that, it's rude" She scolds, but he can see she's trying hard not to smile.
"Can we go home now?" He changes the subject. Talking about Kessler is the last goddamn thing he wants to do right now.
She reads his urgency and decides to play with him "Well, I don't know, I told Rachel I'd stay for dinner and—"
"Donna" He whines with the impatience of a petulant child "We're coming back for dinner on Friday. Doesn't make-up sex sound much better right now?"
"We didn't actually have a fight" He rolls his eyes at her technicality, even though she's actually right.
"Fine, regular sex then"
Shs pretends to think about it for a second or so and he sighs in annoyance. "Okay" She finally concedes "Let's go home. Should we leave them a note?"
"They'll figure it out" He offers her his hand and she gives him a little grin before taking it.
He leads her to the living room where they break contact only to take their coats. Harvey helps Donna into hers as he always does and takes her hand back in his, rubs his thumb against the back of it and presses a small kiss to her temple.
It is not like Donna to get jealous and even if he finds it a bit endearing, he never wants her to doubt for a second that he's where he always wanted to be, so he'll make sure to remind her any chance he gets.