I know it's been a while – I meant to update this weeks ago, but shit got in the way. However, this chapter is twice as long as the last one so hopefully that makes up for the delay.
Can't wait to hear what you think!
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
Traveling down the hallway, he's uneasy in a way that's unfamiliar. He knows it's ridiculous – he doesn't actually believe it, and yet, he still finds himself making his way to the file room in search of her, just needing to put his mind at ease.
Stepping through the doorway, he pulls it closed it behind him, and weaves through the rows of shelves, following the sound of shuffling papers until he finds her elbow deep in a box searching for that goddamn missing memo.
He momentarily gets distracted, taking a moment to admire her slightly disheveled hair and the dip in her neckline that's exposing some cleavage before he finally clears his throat. "I just heard an interesting rumor," he announces, doing his best to remain casual. He's still second guessing his decision to come down here, but it's too late to back out now.
"Hm?" She says, barely paying attention as she remains focused on her search.
He waits a beat, wondering if she'll look up at him. Instead, she just keeps digging, so he has no choice but to reveal the reason for his visit. "I heard that you were blowing my associate in here, this morning," he conveys, leaning against the shelves and peering down at her.
And well, that certainly gets her attention, finally causing her to lift her chin and meet his eyes. "Wow, news sure travels fast around this place," she quips, deciding to have a little fun with him.
His expression only falters momentarily before he narrows his eyes in a silent challenge. "Oh yeah?" He replies.
Letting out a laugh, she playfully rolls her eyes. "C'mon. You don't really think I hooked up with Mike," she argues. Marking her place in the file box, she gets up and takes a few steps towards him, reaching out and straightening his tie. "A pretend lawyer who can't grow facial hair and rides a bike to work – you think I'd be into that?" She questions, her gaze lighting up in amusement as she toys with him.
"No, of course not," he defends, finally letting a smile grace his lips as his hands find her waist.
"Yet, you came all the way down here to ask me about it?" She replies, with a hint of a challenge. "I didn't even know you knew where the file room was," she comments as she playfully pokes his side.
"I asked for directions," he quips, feeling so much lighter now that he's dealt with all that nonsense. He knew the rumor wasn't true, but he feels better now that he heard it from her.
"Ah," she says with a smile.
"How many more boxes do you have left?" He wonders, looking over her shoulder at the mess she's made as a result of her pursuit.
"Just a few more," she replies.
"Alright, well I'll let you get back to it," he tells her, although he keeps his hands exactly where they are, still resting on her waist.
"Okay," she replies, encouraging him. Yet, they both remain rooted in the same spot for an extra few seconds, enjoying the closeness.
"Come find me when you're done okay?" He eventually requests. "I have that meeting in the conference room, but it'll probably be over by six," he informs her.
"I know," she retorts.
A smile graces his lips in reply before he decides to sneak a kiss. They almost never do this at the office – it's been a few months since Norma saw them and ratted them out to Jessica, but they were a bit scarred by the experience and have kept their distance ever since.
Still, the door is closed and he's really missed her today. He keeps looking up at her desk, only to find it empty.
It's why he can't help himself – letting his lips linger a few extra seconds before ultimately pulling away.
"Bye Harvey," she says with a chuckle as soon as they part.
His smile widening, he leans in for one more chaste kiss before turning and walking out the door, leaving her to finish her search.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
She's two and a half glasses into a bottle of wine, wallowing on the couch, when she hears that familiar knock. It's a sound she hasn't heard in several months – not since she gave him a key. She's not sure how she should feel about the fact that he isn't using it tonight.
Pulling herself up off the couch, she makes her way to the front door, summoning enough courage to deal with the visitor.
As expected, she opens the door to find him standing there, tail between his legs.
Before he even has the chance to speak, she holds her hand up. "Harvey, I'm not in the mood," she snaps.
"Donna, c'mon. We need to talk about this," he implores, the desperation written all over his face.
"Oh, now you want to talk about it?" She asks, incredulously. "You didn't seem to have much to say earlier," she points out.
"Donna…" he implores, the anguish clear in his voice.
"I don't feel like talking about it, Harvey," she barks. "I got fired," she emphasizes, trying to hold back the tears that are threatening to slid down her cheeks. "All I want to do is sit on my couch and drown my sorrows in a gallon of wine," she huffs before turning her back towards him and making her way back to the living room. Lifting her glass to her lips, she finishes off her third glass of wine as he follows her into the room.
"Then we don't have to talk about it," he concedes. "But I'd at least like to be here for you," he tells her, his eyes all but pleading with her.
"I think I'd rather be alone right now," she retorts, already reaching for the bottle of wine to refill her glass as she refuses to meet his gaze.
"Donna, please," he says, practically begging.
"Harvey," she exhales, shaking her head. "I'll call you later, okay?" She ultimately decides, hoping it's enough to get him out the door.
Blowing out a defeated breath, he concedes with a nod of his head. As much as he wants to argue, he can see she's clearly not going to give in. "Tonight?" He questions.
"Probably tomorrow," she tells him, obviously just placating him.
"That doesn't sound convincing," he frowns.
"Well… I don't know what you want me to say," she shrugs. The look of defeat on her face is so alien to him and the sight is like a punch to the gut.
"I want you to let me apologize!" He exclaims, looking all kinds of distraught.
"Harvey…"
"Donna, I just… I had no idea what to say before," he tries to explain. "I'm sorry, I should've… I should've done something," he declares. "I know I fucked up and I feel terrible."
"I'm really not in the mood for this," she repeats, avoiding his gaze. "I'll call you tomorrow, I promise," she adds, hoping it'll be good enough.
Letting out a sigh, he nods his head. He really doesn't want to go, but he can see that staying isn't going to get them anywhere. "Okay," he reluctantly agrees as he scratches at the back of his neck.
"Thank you," she says before he responds with another nod of his head.
She closes the door before he can even turn to walk away.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
He tosses and turns for hours, unable to fall asleep and completely plagued with thoughts of her – that haunting expression on her face as the elevator doors closed running on repeat in his mind.
It's nearing midnight when the three glasses of scotch he consumed finally knock him out.
It feels like barely any time has passed at all when he's pulled awake by his phone vibrating on his nightstand. Blindly reaching for it, it takes a moment for his eyes to adjust enough where he can actually make out the message and as soon as he does, his heart dares to hope.
You awake?
He reads it twice just to make sure before he types out a response. Yeah, you okay?
Staring at those little dots, he impatiently waits for her reply.
I know it's late but can you come over?
He's out of bed before he can even type out the quick response: 'Of course,' and then following it up with a 'I'll be there in 10'.
He throws on a pair of jeans and a hoodie over his t-shirt and is out the door in seconds. It's after 2AM but it's still New York City so it only takes a minute or so to get a cab and he's standing in front of her apartment door by 2:15AM.
He hesitates, wondering if he should knock or use his key, but ultimately, he lets himself in, figuring she was probably in bed. When he slips inside, all of the lights are off and he has to use his phone as a flashlight. Slipping off his shoes, he makes his way down the hallway and enters her bedroom, finding her underneath the covers, sleeping on his side of the bed. The sight makes his stomach twist in knots, the feelings of guilt coming back in full force.
When she doesn't acknowledge him, he assumes she's asleep and wonders if he should just go home and let her rest. Except, the absolute last thing he wants to do is leave. She asked him to come over and he doesn't want her to wake up in a few hours thinking that he never showed. Plus, after all this time together, he just really hates sleeping without her.
Kneeling beside her bed, he gently runs his fingers through her hair, watching as her eyelids flutter. "Hey," he whispers as her eyes adjust to the darkness. He can tell she's been crying with her slightly puffy face and the red-tint on her nose, and he hates that he wasn't there to comfort her – that he's at least part of the reason for her tears. All he wants to do now is pull her into his arms, but he's unsure if he should.
"Hi," she replies, softly, before she shuffles out of his spot and lifts the sheets, inviting him in.
The relief hits him in spades as he stands up and discards his hoodie and jeans before slipping underneath the covers. He still isn't sure whether she wants him touching her so he keeps a small distance between them, letting her call the shots. He's just about to apologize when she speaks up instead. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before," she says, the sound of her voice completely breaking his heart.
"Donna…" he says, finally taking the risk to pull her close. "I deserved it… I deserved even worse," he tells her. "I'm so sorry – I'm sorry I couldn't fix it. I'm sorry I couldn't find the right thing to say. I'm sorry I didn't get in that elevator with you," he continues while gently rubbing her back.
Donna lets out a quiet sigh, taking a moment to mull over her response. "I knew you were angry, but… it just… it hurt that you'd risk your job for a kid you barely know and yet… for me…," she drifts off, unable to finish the sentence.
"Hey," he says, cupping her jaw to redirect her attention. "You know I'd risk everything for you – it's not even a question," he assures her. And then – "But, if I left, I'd never be able to fix this," he points out. "And I want to fix it…. I will fix it," he declares. "And if I can't – well, then I'll tell Jessica that I'm not coming back until you do," he promises.
The surprise is evident in her eyes and it takes her several seconds to figure out what she wants to say. As much as the gesture means to her, she couldn't live with herself if she got in the way of his career. "Harvey, I don't want you to lose your job because of my mistake," she tells him while absent-mindedly running her palm down his chest.
"Don't worry," he assures her with a shake of his head. "I'll fix this," he promises. "I'll talk to Jessica and we'll work something out… you might need to stay away from the firm for a few weeks while things cool off, but Jessica needs me and I need you," he tells her. "It'll all be okay," he guarantees.
A silence falls over them as she responds with nothing more than a simple nod of her head. Harvey lets several seconds go by as he searches her eyes and absent mindedly toys with her hair, trying to figure out what she's thinking.
"You believe me?" He inquires, just needing to know.
"Yes," she confirms.
And she does. Since the beginning, she has always had complete faith in him, and she knows that he will do everything he can to figure this out.
Still, she can't help but feel guilty that he even has to. She's never needed him to fix a mistake for her and the feeling is not one she ever wants to relive.
"I'm just… I'm sorry I got us into this mess," she apologizes, biting her lip to keep the tears at bay. She's already cried more than enough tonight.
Nodding his head in understanding, he quietly tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "Why didn't you just come to me?" He asks. It's something that's really been bothering him ever since he found out – the fact that she kept it from him, and he just needs to know why.
"I… I was trying to protect you," she explains. "Give you plausible deniability."
"Donna… we don't keep things from each other, you know that," he insists.
"I know, I'm sorry," she sighs. "I hate that I let you down," she tells him, apologetically.
"Hey, you could never let me down, okay?" He promises. "No matter what," he adds.
With a bob of her head, she immediately snuggles closer to him, wrapping her arm around his waist and resting against his chest. "Thank you," she whispers.
Responding with a smile, Harvey kisses the top of her head and holds her tighter, finally feeling like he might actually be able to get some sleep tonight.
"I'm really glad you're here," she tells him.
"Me too."
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
"Harvey, she needs to testify," Jessica insists, becoming increasingly frustrated. After arguing on the subject for the last ten minutes, the two of them are nowhere near a resolution.
"No way – she's pleading the fifth," he argues. "I got Joe Fiorello to take her case and she met with him last week… she's pleading the fifth," he reiterates, unwilling to change his mind.
"Fiorello? Seriously?" Jessica probes. "And let me guess – you paid the retainer?" she assumes, crossing her arms over her chest as she awaits his response.
"It's a fifteen thousand dollar retainer… of course I did," he tells her.
"Jesus Harvey… how's that gonna look?" Jessica spits back. "When they find out you paid for her attorney and then she gets on the stand and takes the fifth… if they aren't already sure you told her to destroy that memo, they will be now," she huffs.
"I don't give a shit what everybody thinks. I'm not putting her at risk," he stresses.
"She is the one who destroyed evidence!" Jessica retorts, feeling the need the point it out.
But, almost instantly, she's met with a rather stern glare from Harvey. "She made a mistake. One mistake in eight years… she was just trying to protect me… and the firm," he emphasizes. "And now I'm gonna protect her," he insists, leaving no room for conversation.
"And what happens when you lose your license because of all this?" She challenges.
"That's not going to happen," he dismisses.
"And if it does?" She argues.
"We have to figure out another way," he urges, swiftly ignoring the question.
"Harvey, this is the only way!" She appeals, pleading with him to see reason.
"Look, if she is willing to destroy evidence for me, you don't think a jury would believe she'd be willing to lie for me?" He argues. "Donna testifying is not going to get me out of this," he tells her.
"Maybe… but her not testifying will only make everything that much worse!" She exclaims.
"Jessica, I'm not changing my mind," he stresses, done with the conversation. "We'll have to find another way," he adds, before turning to walk out the door.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
"So… how was work?" Donna asks, later that night, as the two of them sit on the couch, each nursing a glass of scotch.
"Shitty," he sighs, pulling her legs up into his lap and running his palm along her calf.
"What's going on?" She inquires while she gently scratches at the back of his neck.
"Well… my temp assistant is nowhere near as pretty as you," he tells her, plastering a flirty grin on his face, as he carefully evades the question.
"That's not very nice," she jokes. "Cameron is… pretty," she quips.
Raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge, Harvey hmms in response before his expression turns serious. "I just… miss you," he admits, giving her knee a gentle squeeze.
"I miss you, too," she agrees. "After three weeks, not going to work really loses its appeal," she says with a sigh. "There's only so much daytime television you can watch, and so many workout classes you can take before you start to go out of your mind," she explains.
"You'll be back soon," he assures her. "We just have to wait until after the hearing," he reminds her.
"I know," she replies with a bob of her head.
"Speaking of which…" he begins, his tone uneasy.
"What?" She inquires, instantly on alert.
"Jessica might reach out to you," he informs her.
"Okay…" she replies, encouraging him to continue.
"She wants you to testify… she spent half the morning arguing with me about it," he explains. "I told her you're taking the fifth, but I have a feeling she's going to try and convince you otherwise."
"Oh," she responds.
One look in her eyes and he knows she's considering it. "Donna…" he warns.
"Harvey, this is my fault… and it's going to look really bad for you if I take the fifth," she reasons. "Maybe I should testify… I have a lot less to lose than you do," she points out.
"Donna, no," he declares, placing his scotch on the coffee table and giving her his full attention. "I'll be fine," he assures her. "You don't need to testify," he stresses.
"But –"
"Donna, the problem is that you actually did destroy evidence… that's a class E felony and if you testify to it, you'll get convicted… and everyone will think I told you to do it, anyway," he reasons. "You testifying is not going to help anything," he promises.
Blowing out a breath, she nods her head, realizing that he's right. "Okay," she agrees.
"It'll be fine," he assures her. "I promise."
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
The moment he sees her walk into the library and take the stand during their mock trial, he's confused – really confused.
Since she's just taking the fifth, he assumed she wasn't coming. As far as he knew, Rachel was supposed to be playing her part. Except, now, here she is, and he has no idea why.
But then, Louis starts questioning her and she hasn't taken the fifth once and he's utterly baffled by all of it.
"What the hell is this?" He whispers to Jessica, not even trying to hide his irritation.
"I guess she decided to help," Jessica says with a smile and a shrug.
"What the fuck did you do?" He snaps.
"Nothing," she replies.
Although, he doesn't believe it for a second and he's just about to tell her so, when Louis's voice pulls his attention back to the mock proceedings.
"Do you love Harvey Specter?" He questions her.
"What?" She asks, as Harvey's eyes fall on her. She looks completely stunned by the question, but she's undoubtedly avoiding his gaze.
"Do you love him?" Louis persists.
"Louis," Harvey growls, shooting a glare in his direction. Except, Louis doesn't so much as flinch from the sound of Harvey's voice.
"That has nothing to do with this," Donna interrupts, as a frown touches her features.
"It has everything to do with this," Louis maintains. And then, a beat later. "Why'd your last boyfriend break up with you?"
The question catches Harvey off guard as he has absolutely no idea what Mark would have to do with any of this.
"Because he thought I prioritized my work over our relationship," she tells him.
"Your work… he asked you to choose between him and Harvey, didn't he?" Louis continues.
"Yes," Donna confirms, taking Harvey by surprise. He had asked her once, why they broke up, and all she said was one of those cliché lines about growing apart or it not working. He had no idea that he'd been involved.
"Who'd you choose?" Louis presses.
"Harvey," she admits, clearly becoming increasingly uncomfortable with this line of questioning.
"Because you love him," Louis assumes.
"Louis…" Donna warns.
"Do you love him? Yes or no?" He continues to badger her as Donna continues to get flustered.
"Louis, that's enough," Harvey insists, getting annoyed.
"Answer the question," Louis urges, not even glancing in Harvey's direction. "You've worked with him for years. You're together all the time. You don't have a boyfriend because the one you had didn't want to share you with Harvey," he continues. "You love him, don't you?" He insists. "Answer me," he demands.
Harvey is just about to get up and strangle the junior partner, when…
"Fine! Yes! Okay? Yes. Are you happy?" Donna exclaims, suddenly completely fed up. And then, a beat later: "And yes, if he asked me to, I probably would destroy evidence for him. But I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he would never ask that of me… if I thought there was even a chance he would, I wouldn't feel the way I do about him," she explains.
The room is silent, no one knowing what to do or say – everyone's eyes wide with shock, especially Harvey's.
Donna lets maybe three quick seconds go by before she darts up in her seat. "Are we done, here? Can I go?" She says, only waiting a beat for a reply before she steps down from the witness stand and makes her way out of the room.
Harvey can feel everyone's eyes on him, trying to figure out what the hell is going on and what he's going to do. He's in a complete state of shock and it takes him a moment to get it together, eventually getting up from the table and going after her.
"Donna," he says, calling out for her as he rounds the corner. Except, she's way ahead of him and not slowing down for a second. "Donna! C'mon, wait!" He yells, as she steps into the elevator.
Picking up the pace, he's closing the distance between them until suddenly, there he is again, watching the elevator doors close with her inside.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
"Hey," he says, as soon as she opens her front door to find him standing in her hallway, an uneasy expression on his face.
"Hi," she replies with a sigh, his presence already making her feel awkward.
"I called you at least ten times today," he declares. "Are you planning to ignore me forever?" He inquires.
"No, I just… I turned my phone off after the hearing," she explains; although, with the way she isn't meeting his eyes, he's not exactly sure whether it's the truth.
"Okay…. well, can I come in?" He asks, awkwardly, as she remains standing in the doorway.
"Yeah," she concedes, stepping to the side to allow him in. After waiting for him to walk by, she slowly closes the door, giving herself a moment before she'll have to face everything that happened this afternoon.
"Look, Donna… about earlier…" he begins, hoping they can just rip off the band-aid.
"Harvey, it's okay. We don't need to talk about it," she interrupts. "In fact, I would prefer we never discuss it again," she declares, before going in search of a glass of wine, just needing to put some distance between them.
"Donna, wait," he says, grabbing her wrist, as she walks by.
"Yeah?" She responds, turning towards him with a completely uninterested expression.
"Donna," he sighs, hating the way she's avoiding his gaze. But, even the sound of her name isn't getting her attention, so he quickly reaches out for her, running his palms up and down, from her shoulders to her elbows, as he takes a step forward. "About what you said…" he continues, trying to figure out how to broach the subject once again. "It… it surprised me," he admits.
"Harvey, seriously – it's fine. We can just forget about it," she promises, clearly becoming uncomfortable.
"You really just want to forget about it?" He presses, clearly not believing her. "Really?" He challenges. "Because, I think we should talk about this," he tells her.
"Harvey…" she warns, praying that he won't push the issue.
"Did you… did you not mean it?" He questions, an obvious hesitation in his voice.
It's enough to persuade her to meet his eyes, and when she does – well, she's not about to start lying now. "Of course I meant it," she confirms, attempting to sound infinitely more composed than she feels.
"Okay," he says with a smile and a bob of his head. "Then… I don't want to forget about it," he reveals.
"You… don't?" She responds, unsure what exactly he's saying.
"Donna…" he says, pulling her closer as his hands rest on her waist. "I… I love you, too," he says, a shy smile touching his lips.
The next several seconds are spent with her just openly gaping at him – so much so, that he can't stop the chuckle from falling from his lips. "Say something," he softly implores.
It's just enough to effectively shake her from her trance. "You… do?" She responds, just wanting to make sure. It's truly the last thing she expected to hear from him tonight. No, she was expecting him to completely freak out, maybe avoid her or pretend none of it ever happened. She was definitely not anticipating this.
"Yeah," he confirms, his smile widening. "I assumed you knew," he adds, his eyes twinkling with delight.
"Nope," she responds with a shake of her head. "I didn't know."
"Hmm… is someone losing her touch?" He teases as his fingers get tangled in her hair.
"Shut up," she retorts with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like I've ever seen you in love before… I had no frame of reference," she argues.
"Well… for future reference… it looks like this," he tells her, gesturing towards himself.
"Good to know," she replies, completely beaming at him.
"So… does this mean I can stay?" He asks, a slight tease to his tone.
"Yeah… you can stay," she responds with a small twitch of her lips.
"Good," he says with a smirk as he pulls her close. "Now… what do you want to do?" He asks, with a slight wiggle of his eyebrows.
Donna responds with a playful roll of her eyes, knowing exactly what he's aiming for. Although, it's not as if she wasn't thinking exactly the same thing. "Let's go," she agrees, taking his hand and leading him towards her bedroom.
««« ×ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ× »»»
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