Harvey didn't simply dislike therapy. No. He despised therapy. He found it utterly pointless, a complete waste of his time. However, as he stared at the male therapist across from him, he realized that he was stuck in therapy for the next 45 minutes whether he liked it or not.

Donna sat beside him on the large couch. A comfortable distance separated the space between them. The only sounds in the room were the monotonous ticking of the antique clock until the therapist spoke.

Dr. Lipschitz eyed them beneath wire frame glasses. "I have to admit, when Louis referred you to me, I had my reservations." Some of his words were tinged with an accent that was thick, but still understandable. "I don't usually like to take on clients who work together, but since you and Louis are okay with it, I've agreed to move forward."

Harvey pursed his lips. Louis had no right butting into his business, but Louis and Donna were now thick as thieves. Hoping for an easy out, he leaned forward and held out his hands. "We would completely understand if you didn't want to move forward. We can find someone else."

Donna narrowed her eyes. "No. We cannot," she told him, before looking at the older man. "Please excuse him. He's not big on therapy."

Dr. Lipshitz furrowed his brows while he flipped through his notepad. "Harvey, on your intake sheet you noted that you've been in therapy before."

Harvey had a bad feeling about where the doctor's line of questioning was headed. "A few years ago, yes."

"What were you being treated for?"

He could feel Donna's heated gaze on his, making it clear that staying silent wasn't an option.

"Panic attacks." Harvey rubbed his jaw. "I was having panic attacks."

"And did treatment help your panic attacks?"

"It did." It wasn't a total lie. But it wasn't really the truth, either. He glanced towards Donna and sighed at her arched brow. The fact that he wasn't going to be able to bullshit his way through the session sank down into his stomach like a heavy weight.

He bit his lip. "It helped for a year or two." His fingers, stuck to his knees, twitched with anxiousness. "But we're not here for me," he bristled. "So what does it matter?"

The doctor made a note on his notepad and then crossed his long legs. "What are you here for then?"

"I'm sure Louis already told you that," Harvey snapped.

Donna's hand drifted into the gap between them. Her soft, steady fingers brushed against his shaky ones, creating an instant balm for his stirring temper.

"Our daughters, Anna and Lizzie, have been seeing a therapist named Dr. Moore for a few weeks now," Donna said. "She recommended that we start couples counseling, separate from their sessions."

"I see," nodded the doctor. "And you're not a couple. Haven't been for sometime, is that correct?"

Donna's hand stayed on top of his. The comforting gesture was the only thing keeping him from bolting from the room. "Yes. It is." There was no indication in her tone that would give away her feelings on that matter.

"Okay, why don't we just start at the beginning then. Harvey, this is a safe space. I'm not here to judge." Dr. Lipshitz spoke in a soft, careful voice, but it didn't matter. Harvey instantly resented it. He didn't feel safe. He had lost all trust in the profession after Paula. He wasn't about to admit that though.

Donna moved her hand from his so that she could fiddle with the gold bracelet on her wrist. "Which beginning?" she wondered.

"Let's start with your divorce." The doctor's gaze ended up on Harvey. "Do you know why your marriage failed?"

Harvey instantly straightened in his seat. "Why are you looking at me?" he accused. His senses were alert, as defensiveness took over. "She's the one that left."

The doctor slid his glasses up his nose. "Why do you think she left?"

Harvey's ears went red. He felt suddenly raw and exposed.You were an awful husband. His mind screamed. You deserved to be left alone. He had to shake his head to get the damning thoughts away.

"I don't know." The lie fell from his lips before he could think about it.

If Dr. Lipschitz was disappointed in his response, he didn't show it. Instead, he turned towards Donna. "That's fine, Harvey. Donna, why don't you tell us why you left?"

Donna took her time answering. She kept her gaze on the older man sitting in the chair across from her. "At the time, I felt like I had no choice."

"Where did you go?"

"To my parents," she sighed, as if her words were a burden. "My dad was sick, so I stayed to help for about a week. I thought that we could talk things out, but once I came back…" her words trailed off along with her eyes.

"What happened then?" came the doctor's gentle prodding.

Harvey's palms began to sweat. He knew what she would say. He wanted to meet her eyes, silently tell her how sorry he was, but instead, shame took over and he kept them averted.

Donna cleared her throat and found the doctor's eyes again. "He wouldn't speak to me. It was worse than fighting. It was like I didn't exist."

"Harvey, do you know why you acted that way?"

Realizing that the doctor was speaking to him, he cleared his suddenly dry throat. He didn't know how he could get any words out, but he had to try. He had been silent for too long. "She lied." This time, he worked up the courage to look at Donna and her watery eyes instantly met his.

"You said you'd never leave," came his broken tone. It was like he was back in that moment, all those years ago. "But you lied."

Donna's eyes sparked with indignation. "I didn't lie, Harvey."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I don't know what you'd call it then."

"I did what I had to do to protect myself," she insisted.

"Breaking up a family isn't protecting yourself. It's just selfish."

Perhaps forgetting that they weren't alone in the room, she angled her body towards him. "You broke up our family!" she snapped. "I just had the balls to do something about it. You would have gone on like that forever."

"Damn right I would have." Harvey puffed out his chest. His brain fell back into old habits. His pride and ego took over all rational thought. "We had everything."

"No," Donna pointed her finger at him. "You had everything, Harvey."

Her words were like a bucket of ice water that quickly extinguished his raging temper. His chest heaved as he stared at her. He was both desperate to maintain eye contact and desperate to break it at the same time.

Dr. Lipschitz cleared his throat. With practiced ease, he got them back on track. "Who made the decision to initiate the divorce?"

Harvey let out a ragged breath. He finally broke eye contact with Donna so that he could tilt his head up to the ceiling. "Obviously it wasn't me."

"I didn't know how else to get your attention," Donna said, in a defeated tone. There was no trace of anger left across her features.

"Donna, I'm going to ask you something and I don't want you to think about it. I want you to answer with the first answer that pops into your head. Okay?" Dr. Lipschitz waited for her approval before adding, "Did you want to end your marriage?"

Harvey's stomach churned with anxiety at the idea of what her answer would be. He didn't have to wait long. She didn't flinch or hesitate. His eyes moved to hers once again, but this time, she wouldn't look at him.

"No." Tears sprang to her eyes and quickly overflowed down her cheeks. "I thought he'd fight for me." There was a box of tissues beside her. She grabbed a tissue from the box and wiped at her eyes before continuing. "I always worried that I wasn't enough for him. I was hoping that he'd prove me wrong…" she opened her mouth to continue, but then shook her head. Whatever thoughts were in her head were going to stay there.

Harvey's chest tightened. It wasn't in panic. No. It was heartbreak. He felt like his heart was shattering all over again. "Donna, you were always enough," he choked out. She finally looked at him, but the anguish he saw there didn't provide any relief. "You were…you are more than enough. It was me who wasn't. I never deserved you, so when you wanted to go, I let you. I thought I was helping you."

"By giving up?" Donna asked, with no judgment in her tone.

Tears invaded his own eyes. "By setting you free."

Donna blinked hard and took a deep breath. "I wasn't a prisoner, Harvey."

He didn't know what to say to that, but his eyes were glued to hers. Silence fell around them for several minutes and still their watery gazes didn't break.

In a voice that was almost a whisper, the doctor asked, "So you were both still in love with each other when your marriage ended?"

For once, their response was in perfect unison. "Yes."

Dr. Lipschitz clapped his hands together just as the buzzer announced that their time was up. "I think we made some excellent progress today."

The spell was broken. It was Harvey that looked away first. His hands were shaking and his legs felt weak as he stood up to button his jacket.

"Next week, I'd like to discuss your daughters."

Donna said something, but blood rushed to Harvey's ears, so he couldn't make it out. It was like his head was suddenly under water. He had to get out of there, fast, so he fled as quickly as his legs would take him.


When Donna exited the low rise office building, she was surprised to find Harvey waiting out front. She rubbed her chilly hands together before slipping them into the pockets of her peacoat.

"I figured you'd be half way back to work by now." Assuming that Harvey was long gone, she had taken her time leaving the doctor's office.

His hands were stuffed into his own coat pockets. The bitter December wind was harsh against his back, but he made no move to leave. He looked down at his shoes before shyly finding her gaze.

"Donna, I thought I was doing the right thing, by letting you go."

She couldn't keep the sigh from leaving her lips. She was emotionally worn out. She didn't have the energy to have such an intense conversation again. "Harvey…let's just…"

"No," he interrupted as he bridged the space between him. "I can't go back and change the past, but I sure as hell can change the present…and the future."

There was a determination in his features that she hadn't seen in years. Like he would set the world ablaze just to get his way. She knew that she could easily become a victim to the destruction, but the pull was too strong to look away.

"Why won't you go out with me?"

"I…I already told you why," she stuttered. True to his word, he had asked her out several times since Thanksgiving. She had barely managed to come up with enough reasons to deny him.

"No, you've just been feeding me bullshit."

"Harvey," she insisted.

"Tell me," he pleaded. "Tell me why you won't say yes."

In that moment, as his brown eyes stared into her soul, she knew that she was helpless to resist him. Maybe she always would be. "Because I'm scared!" Despite the cold, her hands flew from her pockets and into the air. The truth slipped from her easily. It went past his ears and then was carried away by the bitter wind. "I can't handle losing you again."

Harvey's gloved hands grabbed hers, trapping them against his own. "And I can't handle not giving us a chance. We owe it to each other and to our kids."

Donna chuckled as the last of her resistance crumbled. "You're not playing fair, using the kids."

His lips curled into a cocky grin. "I don't play fair. I play to win."

She didn't have to officially say yes to his date. The high of winning was already surrounding him like a bubble. "It better be the best damn date I've ever been on." He squeezed her hands before releasing them and motioning towards the black town car parked near the curb.

Harvey didn't stop smiling. "Don't you worry about that." He gently took her arm and pulled her towards the car. "Come on, I'll give you a ride back to the theater."

Donna sighed, but didn't argue. Letting him in was easier than fighting to keep her walls up.