Chapter VI

They decide to tell Jessica.

Actually, the first thing they decide is to not tell anybody about anything at the moment. Their romantic relationship is way too young and early to want to flaunt that in an office that will sooner or later gossip about them anyway.

They are prepared for the rumors that the only reason she's gotten her job is because she's sleeping with her boss.

She's prepared to ignore them, because she knows how she's ended up where she is career wise. She knows they are mostly just jealous that she's undoubtedly better than all of them combined.

He's prepared to protect her honor and call out all the false information being spread. He knows she can handle whatever they throw at her, but he doesn't want her to need to.

It takes her three whole days to finally make him promise not to beat up anyone talking shit about her. She doesn't mind him defending her in general, but him resorting to actual violence is probably only making things worse. And it would probably also not help them in their mission to make people see they might be together now, but they haven't been when she'd gotten hired. And especially, that they can separate the work and the personal at least enough for there to be no conflict of interest at any time.

She's his secretary, it's the thing she's best at, the only thing she's ever really done in her career. And she's known for a long time that the only form of promotion she will probably ever get is transferring to the desk of someone more famous and established than where she is now. It's the reason she's approached Harvey in the first place.

And she's fine with that. So, as stupid as that might sound, she can afford to have a relationship with the boss who will never be questioned about his motives to promote her over someone else.

Especially since she promised herself that should any promotion ever be in the cards for her, she would make damn sure that everyone knew she had fucking earned it all on her own.

Then there is, of course, the pregnancy, that they would like to keep under wraps for as long as humanly possible. It's not like either of them is ashamed of their situation and under different circumstances, they would be all too happy flaunting the news all over the office.

But it would just help fuel those rumors. Everyone with a basic sense of math can deduce without any problem that the conception date must have been before they both came to work at Gordon Schmidt Van Dyke. Makes it hard to convince anyone that their actual relationship isn't even a whole week old.

Then, there is the fact that they themselves do not yet know how to handle the pregnancy. She meant it when she told him she is willing to put off any decision for a while longer to figure out if they might grow enough to be able to raise a child together. Without regrets and resentment towards each other or even worse, the little one.

They are both career driven. They have both never thought about having children, no matter with whom. At least not at the moment. So raising one together as the result of a night where they just didn't think about any consequences is not so easy to imagine.

It's the strangest sensation, too. They are both more or less happy about the idea of a baby that shares both their DNA and they are both excited for the next couple of months and the impending birth. There is no question at all that neither of them could have lived with the short lived thought of an abortion.

But all that doesn't change the fact that they can't see themselves being actual parents yet.

So they decide to keep both those personal developments between them for a while longer.

But they do decide to tell Jessica rather soon.

#

From the moment she met him it hasn't been easy resisting his charms. She made it look that way to not give him false hope that she would ever cave to his advances. And she had every intention of never doing that. Until she did.

Knowing what she could have but consciously rejected didn't make it any better. As much as she tried to honor her own rule of putting their one night out of their minds, just as much did she appreciate that she knows what he looks like under his expertly tailored suits. Keeping her hands to herself had been a real challenge.

Now, it's almost impossible. Because now, technically, she is allowed to freely touch him whenever she wants. And the fact that the only place she can't do exactly that is the place they are spending most of their time in is driving her insane.

He seems to be having the same problem, she realizes pretty soon. He used to call for her if he needed anything important right this moment, letting her come to him with everything else when she thought it was the right time to bring it to him. While she is still making those same trips to his office, she finds him in front of her desk way more than she ever had before. All the requests he usually had for her over the intercom he was doing in person now.

She's not complaining, lingering in his office just a touch too long when she steps into it.

The real problem is that he touches her. She loves it and she wants him to touch her all the time. Preferably at her place or his condo, when there are way less people around and they are wearing way less clothing. Because this is the direction her thoughts go when he takes the required folders from her hand and brushes his fingertips over her skin.

#

They make it two weeks before he's working late and she has no intention of sitting home alone waiting if he makes it to her place or not. So she stays. Heels abandoned next to her, feet propped on his desk, him opposite her in almost the same position, she helps him go over his files and notes. She might not be a lawyer but she's spent enough time around them that she has no problem immersing herself in the pages before her.

Even though the building is almost empty at this time of night, they are not completely alone in the office. They keep that in mind long enough to not be caught being too cuddly by the few people still working or packing up to leave right outside his office. After the hallway, cubicles and immediate offices are all cleared out, they relocate their work over to the small couch.

It's more intimate and while they make good progress on the actual work, they steal way more little kisses than they ever dared to before. Jessica and Daniel are definitely still in the building and they were likely not the only ones, but they are located on the other end of the floor. The motion sensor lights out in the hallway should alert them if anyone came close enough to see them.

About half an hour of work and one make out session after they settled on the sofa, she puts the file in her hand down and stretches her tired muscles. She looks over, seeing him being just as beat as her.

She stands up and he curiously watches her as she heads over to his bar and pours a glass of whiskey. She checks briefly that the hallway is just as dark as when she got up and then settles right against his side. Head leaning on his shoulder she passes the glass into his free hand.

"I can't drink, but you look like you need this" It's the first time they ever stayed late at the office, whether here or at the DA's, without sharing a glass of one of his expensive whiskeys.

"You sure?" She answers him simply with a nod he feels against his shoulder. She doesn't mind not having a drink of her own, because she is still here with him, sharing in the tradition even if she isn't sharing a drink with him.

"You should go home" He states after a while of comfortable silence between them. He knows he has a lot of work still in front of him. The last thing he wants is for her to sacrifice a night of sleep just to keep him company while he does it. They haven't slept all that much the last two weeks as it is.

She is about to tell him no when there's another voice interrupting the silence. "You know, I think this is not a bad idea. For the both of you"

She's leaning against the arms rest as far away from him at almost lightning speed. The way she's been practically in his lap just moments before makes it incredibly hard denying what's going on, but she still thinks she at least needs to try.

"Jessica" He finds his words first. "What are you doing here?" If the woman hadn't just caught him red handed cuddling with his secretary she would never have heard anything different in his voice.

"I came to send you home" Jessica fixes him with a look before directing the same one onto Donna. "Didn't know I had to pay both of you overtime tonight"

It's quite clear where Jessica is going with this and, even though it's admitting to things they can't really deny, Harvey is quick to point out that Donna had been a great help. And that they did a good amount of actual work.

"So I did hire your girlfriend back then?" With some imagination, there is an amused smile trying to make its way onto Jessica's lips. It's gone just as fast as they both think they saw it. This can't be so easy, they think.

"Not at the time" Harvey says. His mentor isn't reciting the part where it states workplace relationships are prohibited. So he decides to go for casual, hoping that part doesn't exist.

"We've only started seeing each other about two weeks ago" Donna chimes in, confidence back in place. "And, for the record, we were going to tell you" A look that clearly says she isn't believed is sent in her direction. "Soon"

"Alright, you two, go home. First thing tomorrow, my office" They can't read her expression, but they like to believe it's not as bad as it could be. "I need some time processing how to handle this"

"Then maybe we should tell you about our other news now, too"