Prompt #2 by raffertysink: "Harvey has already reconciled with his mom and it will be the first time that he will get to spend the holidays with his family in Boston. But he and Donna have also recently gotten together and have been keeping it a secret from everyone to just want to live in their own bubble. Not wanting to be away from each other during this season, how will they face this "problem"? P.S. would really appreciate lots of secretly dating moments."
"God, I can't believe it's almost Christmas already," Donna practically purrs, half-high from sleep and the coziness of waking up in Harvey's warm embrace on this winter morning.
"I know, the year went by so fast. I hate that I'm gonna be away from you, though," he replies softly, laying a gentle kiss on her shoulder.
Although they've only been together for a few weeks, Harvey's already finding it incredibly difficult to be without Donna, even more so than before. They hadn't really planned for this to happen and it all went down very quickly; one night in his office Donna came asking whether she should fight to put her personal assistant device on the market or take a proposed settlement and, all of a sudden, they were talking about wanting more and finding out what that meant and suddenly her lips were on his and he found he didn't mind that at all. On the contrary: when she kissed him, it felt like he had been wanting more all along, too.
The following days were a blur of making up for lost time, spending their nights tangled up in each other and battling sleep, and their days at the firm, fighting to keep things afloat now that Jessica had been disbarred. It was a lot to take in, a lot to process and figure out, despite it being a good thing. Harvey doesn't have the best track record with relationships, his latest real attempt having been Scottie, which they both knew hadn't exactly been successful. And, again, they hadn't exactly talked this through before going all in, hadn't even really thought it through. They just jumped.
But, as with the rest of their history, everything just clicked: it's like they both fell into place together, like pieces of a perfect puzzle, meant to be together, to complete each other. The transition had been surprisingly smooth, workplace habits (that had never really been only workplace habits) translated easily into domestic habits, their long-learned shared language adjusting just as easily to their private lives as it had to the office. Of course, there had been squabbles here and there - they were still them, after all - but it had all been going far better than Harvey could ever have dreamed.
So well, in fact, that now that they have to spend some days apart over Christmas, Harvey is feeling borderline separation anxiety. He accepted his mother's invitation to spend Christmas with his family in Boston, the first time since he was a kid, and that alone is enough to make him nervous. It only gets made worse by the fact that, because of that, Donna agreed to go visit her parents and her sister in
Connecticut. He doesn't want to be away from Donna, nor does he want to be alone with his family, feeling like the odd one out since Marcus had been spending his Christmases with Lily and Bobby this whole time, but he doesn't want to say no either, since he feels - and Donna has expressly mentioned - that finally making proper peace with his mom will be important for his new relationship. So he's in a pickle, unsure of what to do.
"I know, but it will go by really fast," she coos, turning in his arms to face him through her sleep-addled eyes.
"Not fast enough," he scowls, already feeling anxious again at the thought. It took them so long to get here that now it feels like a simple four days apart could unravel them all over again, and that is the last thing he wants.
Not for the first time, he considers the absurd possibility of asking her to come along. It's absurd because they've only been together less than a month, because Donna meeting his whole family like this would be way too intense, because he's not sure he wants Lily to have access to this part of his life yet, since he himself is still figuring it out. They haven't told anyone about this yet, not even Mike and Rachel, because they want time to navigate this on their own terms, without anyone's interference. Harvey and Donna have been subjected to so much scrutiny over the years, so many unsolicited opinions and wrong takes, even from people who genuinely cared and meant well, that now that they've taken this huge step, they don't want anyone getting in the middle of it. So obviously Lily is the last person he needs knowing of this, not when they've only recently gotten back on speaking terms.
But the idea of being apart still bothers him to no end.
Donna snickers. "I'm sure you'll have fun once you get there."
"Don't be so sure. I don't even know if I'll make it through the whole drive, to be honest," he runs a hand through his hair, expelling a nervous breath. "I wish I could have you with me through this."
"I know," she cocks her head sympathetically, "But you'll be alright."
"I mean, technically...," Harvey blurts out before he can think better of it.
"Technically, what?"
"Never mind," he deflates, once again dissuaded of the idea.
"Come on, tell me," Donna prods. Harvey tries to protest, but she insists, throwing him one of her signature firm looks.
He sighs in defeat. "I just... I just mean that, technically, I could have you with me through this." "What do you mean?" she asks, sounding a bit cautious and genuinely unsure.
"I mean... What if you came with me?"
The words come out hesitant and shy, like a schoolboy's, and Harvey doesn't remember the last time he was this anxious about talking to a woman.
"I-," Donna blinks her wide, surprised eyes at him, "I mean, I would support you if that's what you wanted, of course, but... are you sure you're ready for that?"
He deflates again, recognizing the truth in her words. "Yeah, you're probably right."
They fall into a static, disappointed silence, Donna watching him carefully for his next move while Harvey fights to keep his almost childish frustration at bay. Until an idea comes to him.
"Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless we don't tell them we're dating."
Donna's jaw drops a little, completely taken aback by what she just heard. "What do you mean, we don't tell them we're dating?"
"I mean, you could come with me and I'll just tell them you had no plans for Christmas and I invited you along. Marcus already loves you anyway and Lily probably won't mind it either. That way I could have you there for moral support without having to make a big deal about it," Harvey explains in a rush, trying to give the idea some structure, and it's not until the words come out that he realizes how they sound.
Immediately he shuts his eyes, chastising himself before Donna can do so. "Sorry, that came out wrong," he rubs his forehead and sighs heavily, re-centering himself before opening his eyes again. "What I mean is, I really, really want to spend this Christmas with you, and I also really, really don't want to be alone with my family the whole time. This would be a way to fix both problems at once."
His voice is soft, and Donna knows he doesn't mean anything perverse by it, but the idea still makes her somewhat uneasy. "Except I would be your dirty little secret," she completes his thought with the part he clearly doesn't want to say out loud.
"No," he replies instantly, reassuringly, "Not my secret, and definitely not dirty. Maybe we just... don't volunteer the information. We use that cover story, but we don't say anything one way or another, and we just let them assume. And if any of them outright asks me about it, I'll be completely honest. What do you think?"
Donna isn't sure that makes it that much better. But she also knows how big of a deal this is for Harvey, after so many years being estranged from his family. And she can't be a hypocrite either: if Harvey were to go with her to Connecticut, she definitely wouldn't want to introduce him to her sister and open the
door to her endless prying and inappropriateness. So it's not like she doesn't understand where he's coming from.
Plus, as much as she's been trying to reassure him ever since they started discussing this, the truth is she doesn't want to be apart from him any more than he does, much less in favor of seeing her sister and being subjected to all her sob stories about her latest divorce.
"No lying?" she asks carefully.
"No lying," he replies decisively.
"But we would be omitting," she falters.
"...Yeah, I guess we would," he sighs again. "I'm sorry. I don't know if I can offer much more than that right now. All I can say is that I really want you there with me, for more reasons than one." He gives her an honest look, the most honest he can muster, and waits patiently for her response.
He's being so honest and vulnerable with her right now and it's such a far cry from the hard-shelled Harvey she was used to for so many years. He really has grown so much, and it makes pride and love bloom in her chest, lying in bed with this impossible man. And, right then and there, she decides to honor his progress and give him some leeway.
With a deep breath, Donna nods timidly. "Okay."
"Okay?" Harvey perks up.
"Okay," she smiles. "Under one condition."
"Name it."
"If, at any point, I feel like we're crossing some kind of line, I'm pulling the plug on the cover story, regardless of whether you agree with me or not," she tells him firmly, though not unkindly, hoping he will respect her boundaries on this.
To his benefit, it only takes him half a beat. "Okay."
"Then okay. I guess we're going to Boston," she states finally, and she can barely get the words out fully before Harvey is engulfing her in a bear hug and drowning her in kisses.
It's far from what they would call a foolproof plan, but the idea of being together over Christmas is worth the risk.
.
.
Harvey is nervous, really, really nervous.
Seeing his mother would already be nerve-wracking on any regular day, after so many years of resentment and with them only recently having made peace, but it's much worse on Christmas, and even more anxiety-inducing now that he has a big secret to hide (or omit, as he'd promised Donna). But having Donna with him helps with the anxiety and makes him feel like everything is going to be okay, as usual, so he's happy to have some extra trouble hiding their new relationship from his family for the added benefit of her support and guidance. Besides, it's just two days, surely they can keep things under wraps for such a short time, right?
"Ready?" Donna squeezes his hand over the gear.
"As I'll ever be," he replies with a sigh, having been shaken out of his reverie. He turns to her and taker in her face, flushed from the colder temperatures out here in Boston, and her bright eyes. "Thanks for doing this with me," he tells her earnestly, "Especially since you had to skip Christmas with your family to do it."
She smiles tenderly at him. "I'm just glad I can be here for you. Besides, it's not like I was dying to spend days on end listening to my parents baby my sister." Her petty eye roll elicits a grin from Harvey.
"I don't know what I would do without you," he tells her and leans in for a short, yet sweet kiss. "Flounder and fail spectacularly," she finishes for him, though her smile is earnest.
They get out of the car and grab their duffel bags from the trunk. After some debate, Harvey had decided to break the news to his family about Donna's presence by sending Marcus a quick text last night saying Donna's Christmas plans had fallen through and he'd invited her to spend it with the Specters; that way Lily would have time to prepare in advance, but it wouldn't leave them too much room for questions. He's sure the questions will come at some point, but he'll do anything he can to delay them for as long as possible.
Once they've gotten everything, they head up the short pathway and Harvey rings the bell, making sure Donna and he aren't standing too close together and already missing the feel of her skin against his.
"Hey, guys!" it's Marcus who opens the door, probably to ease the tension right away. "Donna, glad you could make it," he tells her warmly and pulls her into an embrace. Even though his brother doesn't know he's essentially hugging his sister-in-law, it warms Harvey's heart to see how well they get along together and how openly Marcus welcomes Donna into their family, even under false pretenses. It seems to get to Donna too, because he sees her friendly smile turn a bit more emotional as she replies "Thanks for having me."
He greets Harvey once he's done and ushers them inside, helping Donna with her bags. Lily is waiting for them in the living room, visibly nervous, and Harvey's own nerves flare up. Donna, ever omniscient, seems to sense his shift and places a secret, comforting hand on his back, giving him a discreet caress
as if to say 'I'm here', which he appreciates immensely. With a deep breath, he steps forward and presents himself. "Hey, mom."
Lily, visibly emotional, follows his cue. "Hi, Harvey. Welcome home." Her voice is heavy with the tears welling up in her eyes, and Donna feels her own tearing up at the scene of Harvey and his mother hugging in front of her. She's wanted this for him for so long, has hoped for years that he would be able to reconcile with the only family he has left and would be able to heal the inner child that felt abandoned and neglected, that it feels magical to be witnessing this now, and Donna feels grateful that she came along and got to experience this moment.
"Mom, this is Donna, my friend from work," Harvey introduces the two after their hug and Lily steps forward towards Donna. The use of the word "friend" stings a little, especially after their history, but Donna doesn't let it phase her too much, instead stepping forward as well and offering her hand to Lily, who promptly dismisses it and pulls Donna into a hug as well.
"I've been waiting a long time to meet you," the woman tells her, surprising Donna a little. "You know who I am?"
"Of course," Lily chuckles once they pull away, "I've heard many stories about you from Marcus."
Donna feels her cheeks redden a little and looks to Harvey, who seems a little timid as well. "Damn Marcus always running his big mouth," he grumbles, shaking his head.
"Hey, what was I supposed to do? She spent years hounding me for news from you, I had to give her something," Marcus shrugs and Donna chuckles, not actually bothered by the whole thing.
"I just wanted to know who your friends were, Harvey," Lily waves off his apparent discomfort, "And now I get to meet one of them." She smiles fondly at Donna and Donna can't help but return the gesture, feeling her heart warm up even more.
"Come on, let's get you settled in," the woman clasps her hands and leads them upstairs. The first obstacle soon presents itself: they were, for obvious reasons, put in separate bedrooms, as his family thinks they're strictly friends. Harvey already starts thinking about how he will convince Donna to sneak into his bedroom later tonight when everyone is sleeping, while Lily shows them around the house and explains where everything is.
They get time to get acquainted with their quarters and organize their things, and half an hour later the whole family meets downstairs to prep lunch. Marcus announces the kids and Katie should be arriving soon, after a visit to her parents, and he and Harvey get tasked with setting the table while Donna gets recruited by Lily to help with the cooking.
"So, how long have you and Harvey known each other?" Lily asks as she cuts some onions. "Oh, uhm, about thirteen years now," Donna replies, getting busy with the chives Lily handed her.
"Were you always this close or did it take a while?"
Donna thinks back to that first night at that bar, the easy banter, knowing eyes and secret smiles. They were bound together forever before they even really knew each other.
"No, we hit it off right away," she says, smiling to herself.
"That's good. I'm glad Harvey has good friends to go with him through life, especially since I myself couldn't be there for him for a big part of it," Lily comments, and the wistful tone to her voice makes Donna look over at her and give her a warm, if timid smile.
"I'm really glad you two made amends," Donna replies earnestly, "I think, deep down, he'd wanted that for a long time."
"So did I," Lily half-whispers, her eyes veritably glistening now, and she gives her a strange, knowing look that Donna doesn't fully understand, before reaching out, cleaning her hand and placing it on Donna's forearm. "Thank you."
"For what?"
The older woman doesn't reply, simply gives Donna's arm a squeeze and goes back to her onion cutting.
The boys soon finish setting everything up and the children and Katie arrive while the women are finishing the food. Donna had only met Hayley and Tom once before, when Marcus and Katie took a trip to the city, and it's almost hard to believe how much they've grown.
In the meantime, Bobby arrives, and it's safe to say that is the most delicate part of the day so far. Harvey truly makes an effort, and, though they're far from being familial with each other, Harvey still manages calmness and civility and, may Donna say, even some modicum of warmth towards the man. It makes her incredibly proud to see how much he's grown and worked on himself, and it only reinforces that she made the right decision kissing him that night in his office. Everyone watches the scene with cautious optimism and, after everything has gone smoothly, it's like everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief and the lunch activities can resume, with Donna making a mental note to congratulate Harvey properly later - in more ways than one.
Once the food is done and everyone is sat, they start eating, trading quick updates on each other's life. "So, Harvey, are you seeing anyone?" Marcus suddenly asks, without any preamble.
Harvey practically chokes on his bite of food, caught unaware as he figured the question would take a bit longer to come and would probably be posed in private. He panics for a second, not knowing how to toe the line between keeping up the ruse he and Donna agreed on and not breaking his promise to her about not lying. He steals a glance at Donna, silently begging her for help, and she gives him the subtlest of nods, as if to allow him to go ahead with the lie.
"Uhm, no, not right now," he answers and immediately takes another huge bite of lasagna, hoping it'll stave off any further questioning.
"Damn," Marcus shakes his head, "It's your first Christmas back in who knows how many years, I was hoping you would have brought someone for us to meet."
"Marcus," both Lily and Katie tut at the same time.
Harvey glares at his brother. "Well, I brought Donna, which is better than any girlfriend I could ever bring," he retorts, trying not to show too much of the protectiveness he feels seeping into his tone and making a mental note to punch his brother in the face later for being so distasteful towards Donna.
"Truer words have never been spoken," Marcus finally relents, smiling amicably at Donna and raising his beer glass in a toast. When Harvey looks at her, she seems more relieved about the clear coast that anything else, and he allows himself to relax, hoping it will remain that way for a little while.
.
.
After lunch they all gather in the living room, making small talk and gearing up for some rounds of charades. The kids wander off to play outside and the adults decide to go couples against couples; since Donna and Harvey are the only ones "left", they form a duo, much to everyone's eventual chagrin.
"Hey, c'mon, there's no way one of you isn't cheating," Marcus, always the sore loser, complains once Donna and Harvey hit their 20th point, much ahead of everyone else's 6s and 7s.
"I would never disrespect the sanctity of charades in that way," Donna counters-mock solemnly, an impish smile threatening to split her lips.
"It's not fair, that's only because you know each other so well," the man goes on sullenly.
"What are you talking about, you've been married to Katie for longer than we've known each other," Harvey rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, well, it's not my fault Marcus only ever watches action movies," Katie teases her husband, eliciting a grin from everyone while he grumbles on.
During a particularly difficult round where Harvey finally manages to guess "Barbie in the Nutcracker" right as the buzzer sounds, Donna is so overtaken by childish glee that she forgets herself, launching herself into his arms in a celebratory hug. Harvey seems equally lost in the moment because he catches her promptly, doing a "whoop!" and hugging her so tight he lifts her off the ground.
The room goes silent and realization comes rushing back in, leading him to awkwardly put her down while her cheeks grow crimson with embarrassment at the inopportune and exaggerated display of
affection between two so-called friends.
"Well, to absolutely no one's surprise, we win," Harvey gloats, clearly as a way to diffuse the tension, as his voice only carries a fraction of its usual cockiness, but it seems like enough for everyone else and chatter resumes with some good-natured ribbing between Marcus and Katie. While nobody is watching, Donna and Harvey exchange a knowing look, both relieved that nobody called them out on their slip-up. Apparently two days isn't that short after all.
For Christmas Eve dinner they have what Donna and Harvey learn to be the Specters' traditional Christmas Pasta, courtesy of Bobby, which incorporates a bit of what each person in the family likes. Although he would never admit it out loud, Harvey is touched when Bobby awkwardly points out that the olives in it are for him and have been added every year, ever since Bobby first joined the family officially, even though Marcus hates them and always has to pick them out.
"We just always wanted to be prepared, just in case," Lily adds, clearly as touched by the moment as Harvey, and he has to clear his throat before answering a gruff 'thank you'.
It's just a lot, to think his family had been waiting for him and making space for him all these years when he had never once seriously considered coming over for Christmas, at least not with Lily and Bobby. It just goes to show what he had already understood a few months ago: his mother may have made a mistake, but he was just as much to blame for them not having patched things up sooner than she was.
It's a sobering thought, but he's been trying to learn how not to let the heaviness hang over him; there's nothing he can do to have those years back, he can only move forward now. Needing a bit of support, he seeks out Donna's hand beneath the table, and finds it readily, as if she'd been waiting for that same move. She takes his hand lovingly and gives it a long squeeze, even as her face betrays nothing while she talks to Katie about whatever topic they've found in common. He focuses on the feel of her skin on his for a second, trying to soak up as much comfort from this little touch as he can, and takes a deep breath.
After that initial, more intense moment the dinner goes by in a flurry of excited chatter, laughter and the kids trying to guess what presents they'd be getting tomorrow. Donna engages in most conversations animatedly, while Harvey is content to just observe, easing himself back into a family routine after so long of being on his own.
Once all are sated and yawns start going around the room, everyone agrees it's time to say goodnight. Donna has just finished her skincare routine and is about to settle into Marcus' childhood bed when her phone pings.
H: I think everyone's already asleep, you can come over now.
She snickers to herself, shaking her head at this man's foolishness.
D: Harvey, this is your mother's home and she and Bobby are right next door, I'm not sneaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night.
H: Why not? Others have done it before.
D: ... You really think that's the way to sell this idea?
H: ... Fair, I take it back. But come on, we haven't spent a night apart in weeks. D: I know, I don't like it either, but sneaking around like that feels disrespectful, not to mention risky. H: We don't have to do anything, I just wanna sleep next to you.
D: As if I believe you wouldn't try to get your hands on me the second I stepped in there. H: Okay, fine, that was my plan but now I'm promising I won't.
D: Harvey...
H: Come on, Donna, they won't have any clue, they're probably dead to the world already. I can set up my alarm for a little earlier so you can get back to your room and that way no one will ever suspect anything.
D: ...
H: Come on, pleaseeee
D: Do you even have room for me in there? Marcus' bed is pretty tiny.
H: Mine's a double *wink*
She snorts.
D: Ugh, fine. Give me a minute.
Sighing at his childishness and the fact that she is almost certain this is a bad idea, Donna gets up, wraps herself in her silk robe and takes her glass of water and her phone and charger. Carefully and as quietly as possible, she opens the door, closing it again behind her, and walks the handful of steps that lead to Harvey's own childhood bedroom. He's waiting for her on the bed, evidently as eager as the children had been about their presents earlier, and Donna can't help a silent chuckle at his ridiculousness.
"If we get caught, I swear to God, Harvey," she half-whispers an attempt at a threat as she climbs into bed with him, and it's all she has time for before he's wrapping his hands around her waist and puling her in for a kiss. Despite her written protests, she complies easily, surrendering to the kiss to make up for all the hours of distance today.
Despite her initial discomfort at lying to his family, she's really glad she came along. They're all lovely and, though she might have originally envisioned getting to know them under different circumstances,
there's an upside to not having to put as much pressure on herself to please everyone as she would have if they'd known she and Harvey are together. She wants everyone to like her, of course, but it's just not as charged an atmosphere as she thinks it would have been otherwise.
However, the downside is that they were kept from each other all day, fighting to keep a respectable distance to disguise their relationship, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't as eager to be with him as he was to be with her - she's only better at ignoring it. True to his word, Harvey doesn't try anything, but they indulge in each other, taking their time to feel each other's skin and warmth and make up for all the hugs and kisses they missed out on.
She never would have pegged Harvey as the lovey-dovey type but that's pretty much what he is; never too sugary or using baby voice or the likes, but he loves physical contact, often seeking it more than her, and that's exactly how they spend their night, wrapped in each other's arms and falling asleep to each other's heartbeats until the crack of dawn.
.
.
Christmas Day has been the only time of the holiday in which Donna's heart has gotten a little tighter from not being with her family. For all her faults, her sister gave her a wonderful niece, and, though she isn't a little kid anymore, the gift exchange moment remains a very special one, as Donna was reminded by the same moment happening before her in the Specter household. Thankfully she has seen Marnie over Halloween, not long ago, but it is still a pity not to see her on one of the only opportunities she has throughout the year, what with the girl's constant travels between her mother's house in Florida and her father's, Donna's sister's second husband, place in Michigan.
Harvey must have noticed her far away, because, as he got up to get some water, he rested a hand on her shoulder that lasted just a tad too long to be considered mindless.
Letting go of her wistfulness, Donna turns her attention back to the scene in front of her of the Specters' annual tradition of having to guess their gift before being allowed to open it. Lily's gift from Katie had been expertly shaped like a star, somehow hiding a paintbrush kit inside, while Marcus' new running shoes had come from a ball-shaped wrapping.
Harvey, to his credit, had been surprisingly engaged (for his standards, at least) in figuring out a special shape for Tom's new Xbox game. In the end, he had taped two tennis balls on top of the box and called it a day, wrapping the whole thing up in a quasi antique film camera-like shape while Donna watched, amused, sipping wine and wearing his shirt.
She is once again struck by how much she loves seeing Harvey in this setting, thriving in being with his family, having fun with them and feeling like he belongs. It only makes her love for him stronger -
because yes, it is love, she already knows it, because they may have only been together officially for a few weeks but they know now that what they have has been brewing between them for years.
Once the Secret Santa is over, the family exchanges the remaining gifts. She and Harvey had agreed not to exchange any gifts here, because they wouldn't be able to get as personal as they really wanted to, especially now that they were together - plus, Donna was fairly certain Harvey wanted to get her skimpy lingerie to go with her actual gift, which obviously wouldn't go down very well in front of the kids.
So Donna just watches on, fondly taking in every reaction, until Lily walks up to her. "I wasn't sure what to get you, I've only ever heard the stories Marcus tells me, which you can imagine aren't very rich with details," the woman grins self-deprecatingly, "But I thought I couldn't go wrong with something from the heart."
She hands Donna a square package that opens to reveal a beatiful golden frame around burgundy fabric with an ornate D embroidered into it.
"I took up embroidery now that I'm an old woman, as my husband likes to call me," she rolls her eyes with a touch of fondness while Donna stares, dumbfounded, at her gift. The embroidery itself is gorgeous, very intricate and thoughtfully done, but the gesture itself is even more touching. To even get a gift at all, let alone something Lily made herself, is extremely special, especially considering Donna can't be as honest as she would like about why she is taking part in the family Christmas. It makes her feel seen, and welcomed, and she can't deny there's some tears in her eyes when she looks up to the older woman.
"Thank you, Lily, this is beautiful," she says, almost whispering, and Lily gives her a dazzling, if a little wobbly, smile in return before pulling her into a tender hug.
They stay in it for a while, cherishing each other's presence not only in this moment but also in Harvey's life, until he soon approaches them.
"What's going on here?" he asks, amused at the scene.
"Your mom made me the most beautiful gift," Donna laughs as the women finally let go of each other, and shows him the present.
"This is really beautiful, mom," he says, audibly a little emotional himself, before squeezing her shoulder.
"What about you, Harvey, what did you get Donna?" Marcus butts into the conversation. "Oh, I, uh, I got her a book," Harvey blurts out, caught off guard.
"Where is it?" his brother frowns.
"It's back in New York. I forgot it at home," Harvey rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, unable to come up with anything more elaborate.
"Way to go, asshole," Marcus rolls his eyes.
"It's a really beautiful Shakespeare antique," Donna jumps in, trying to salvage the situation, "One of his books of sonnets. I'd been looking for that edition for years." She and Harvey share a look, hoping Marcus will drop it.
"Yeah, well, seems like he still could have brought it along to give it to you on actual Christmas...," the man grumbles, but seems unwilling to push the subject further, to everyone's relief.
They all disperse a little to go put their presents away. While Donna is in her guest room, Harvey arrives, leaning on the doorway and giving it two soft knocks.
"Hey," she turns to him and smiles.
"Hey. That gift from my mom was really cool, huh? I had no idea...," he closes the door and walks into the room, hands in his pockets.
"It was so special," Donna looks down at it, a smile on her lips, "I can't wait to come back here under the right pretenses."
He smiles, "Yeah, me neither. It'll happen soon, I promise."
He takes a few more steps, stopping in front of her, seeming cautious. "Hey, you know how much I care about you, right?"
His tone and shy demeanor make her frown. "Of course I do, why are you asking me that?"
"I don't know," he shrugs, "I guess what Marcus said got me worried for a second. I swear I did get you a present, it's back home."
She snickers, "I know, Harvey. You don't have to worry about that, I'd known how much you care about me even if you hadn't bought me a present at all."
"Yeah?" he smiles boyishly, finally reaching out to place his hands on her waist.
"Hey, someone could see us," she places her hands on top of his, half-heartedly signalling for him to let go of her. "But yeah."
"Okay, good," he says, then leans down for a quick kiss that almost makes her squeal and lets go of her, putting a respectable distance between them again.
The rest of the day goes smoothly, with the whole family gathering again for lunch. Donna is already sad to be leaving the Specters in a few hours, but she's also looking forward to being alone with Harvey
again and celebrating Christmas in their own way.
It looks like the rest of their stay will go by uneventfully as Donna, Lily and Katie do the dishes while Bobby takes a nap. Harvey and Marcus are in the living room, assembly one of Hayley's new toys.
"So, are you seeing anyone?" Marcus asks out of nowhere.
"Uh, no," Harvey replies, studiously fixed on the roller skate on his lap and hoping the subject will go away.
"Still sleeping around like a freaking teenager, then?"
"I- No, I've been, uh, focusing on work."
"Goddammit, Harvey, you know you're not getting any younger, right?" the younger man sighs, slapping his own thigh in frustration.
Harvey blushes, though he keeps his head down to hide it. "Just lay off it, Marcus."
"No, man. You've been wasting all your good years at that goddamn firm with nothing but a big, empty condo to show for it, and for what?"
"I'm happy with my life, okay?" Harvey tries again, starting to get irritated with his brother despite his good intentions.
"Oh, yeah? Are you, really? How long is that gonna last? This kind of thing, finding someone to share your life with, doesn't just happen, Harvey, you have to open yourself up to it!" the man goes on, getting more agitated.
"I already have," Havey grits his teeth.
"Uh-huh, and where is she?"
"I mean it, Marcus, just let it go."
"You know what I think? I think the reason you've been so comfortable all these years hanging on to your bitterness for what Mom did is because you're too damn scared of turning that off and opening yourself up to getting hurt," his brother pushes on, clearly ignoring his warnings, and Harvey is starting to get properly annoyed, especially since the truth couldn't be further from what Marcus is saying - not anymore.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," he retorts, turning to the other man, his heart rate picking up.
"I don't? Then tell me why it is that you have that incredible woman by your side every single day and you've always been too fucking stupid to realize she's the one for you and you should do something
about it?" Marcus gestures towards the kitchen.
"What? You mean Donna?" Harvey asks dumbly, surprised by the turn of the conversation. His dad and brother had teased him about Donna several times before, but it had never been serious, so had no idea they actually thought about him being with her for real.
"Damn right I mean Donna!"
"I- Listen, Marcus-," Harvey starts, trying to think quickly about how to handle this, when his brother interrupts him.
"No, Harvey, at some point you have to grow the fuck up and realize that, if you don't act soon, someone is finally gonna see how amazing she is and you're gonna lose that chance forever-"
"I know that-"
"And, honestly? It would serve you right for being too chickenshit to do something-"
"I already did do something, Marcus, Donna and I are together!" Harvey finally explodes, and the silence that follows is deafening.
There's a seemingly infinite pause before his brother's jaw drops. "What?!"
Shit.
Harvey's brain runs through endless possibilities of what to do until he remembers his promise to Donna before this whole thing started. If it came down to it, he would tell the truth.
Taking a stabilizing breath, Harvey wills himself to calm down. "That's right. Donna and I are together."
"And you've been lying to us this whole time?!" Marcus, thankfully, calms down a little too, though his previous anger seems to be getting quickly replaced by shock.
"I just... wasn't ready to go there yet."
"So you brought her here using a decoy?"
"Hey, she agreed to it, okay?" Harvey defends himself, ticked off. "And she knows how much I care about her."
Marcus takes a second to process the information, then starts shaking his head. "You fucking idiot," he finally lets out, but he's laughing now and, well, Harvey can't really disagree with that statement, because he knows he has been nothing less than that for all the years that he did keep Donna away for fear of losing her.
Before he knows what is happening, Marcus pulls him into a bear hug, clapping him almost too strongly on the back, and then he's dragging him to the kitchen, drawing everyone's attention.
"Hey, guess what?" he loudly announces, "Harvey here has something he'd like to tell you guys." "Marcus," he complains, rolling his eyes, while the women look at them, seemingly cautious.
"Go on," his brother prods, and he figures he'd better get this over with before Marcus tells them himself.
"Well, I... Donna and I are together. She didn't actually have no company for Christmas, I just told you that because I wanted to bring her with me but I wasn't ready to tell everyone the truth."
The same shocked silence from earlier repeats itself, with Donna turning a deep shade of burgundy as her wide eyes find his. "Sorry", he mouths to her, trying to make his eyes convey how much he didn't want to be telling everyone in this way and hoping she'll let him explain everything later.
"Oh, my God!" Katie turns to Donna, the first one to break the silence.
"Harvey, this is wonderful!" Lily follows, turning to Donna as well and instantly pulling her into a hug. What follows is a huge flurry of motion, with everyone hugging each other, asking a million questions, and then everything repeats itself once the kids and then Bobby join them. Donna is overwhelmed, and they'll definitely talk about how this happened later, but they're all being really lovely and welcoming so, despite it being a lot, it's not a bad kind of "lot" at all. It feels like Harvey's family had been waiting for him to realize what was right in front of him for almost as long as she did.
Their stay gets extended for an extra hour as his family makes them tell them the story of how they got together, edited for PG purposes, of course, and then celebrate the fact again. Harvey is relieved to find that, despite Marcus' ribbing, no one seems upset that they weren't honest about it from the start. When they leave, it is with promises to come back soon so they can all get to know Donna better in this new light.
"So," Harvey starts awkwardly once they're making their way back to the city.
"So," Donna parrots, looking at him with a knowing smirk.
"That didn't exactly go as planned."
"I wouldn't say it did, no."
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he deflates, "Marcus was just giving me shit about not making a move on you and how I was gonna regret that forever and it just came out."
"I would have appreciated a heads up," she teases him, but she's not really mad after how everything went.
"Well, for what is worth, I would have, too."
She grins. "Don't worry. It's okay. It may not have been exactly how I would have wanted to tell them, but it's okay."
"Really?" he asks, audibly relieved as he reaches out a hand to her.
"Really," she smiles fondly and wraps her hands around his, caressing it.
They go the whole drive home talking about the trip, sharing anecdotes and impressions, how they felt being there. It was a big moment for both, but, in the end, the little lie they told did help to take some pressure off the whole thing, even if it was uncovered in the end.
Hours later, after they've reached Harvey's apartment and exchanged their own gifts (and made good use of Harvey's extra gift for Donna, which was really a gift for himself), they lay in bed, cozy in each other's arms.
"I hope it wasn't too bad," he says again, apologetically.
"Don't worry," she smiles a lays a peck on his neck, "It was nice to be with your family and get to know them better."
"Well, it's only fitting since you're my family now too. Always have been," he tells her softly, smiling down at her, and she pulls him in for a loving kiss.
"I love you, Harvey."
"I love you too."