I truly have no idea how it's been over a year since I posted the last chapter. I knew it had been a while, but when I saw that I last posted in January 2024, I was floored.
I really wanted to add in a chapter between the last one and the next one I had written, but I'd been stuck on it for so long. Then, as it often does, inspiration struck at the most random time, and I've finally finished the chapter to a point where I'm somewhat happy with it.
So, anyway, I'm so sorry for the crazy long delay, and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.
««« ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ »»»
"What are we gonna do?" Donna wants to know, her voice still laced with disbelief as she processes Harvey's news. The idea of Jessica no longer running the firm is unsettling enough, but the thought of Hardman taking her place? It feels like a nightmare she can't wake up from.
"I don't know," Harvey exhales, collapsing onto the couch beside her. The weight of the situation is etched into every line on his face, his usual confidence replaced by something unfamiliar – defeat. Donna can't remember the last time she saw him like this, and the sight only tightens the knot in her stomach. He's always been the man who could fix anything, but the look in his eyes now is something different, something she doesn't recognize. It's as if he doesn't believe he can fix this, and that realization might be even more disturbing than the situation itself.
"Do you think…" he hesitates, interrupting her thoughts as his hand finds her knee, searching for strength to finish the sentence. "Do you think we should leave the firm?" His gaze lifts to hers, waiting for her reaction like it holds all the answers he can't find himself.
"You're giving up?" Donna asks, her brows lifting in surprise.
"I don't want to," he counters, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "But it feels like Jessica is. And working under Hardman? How am I supposed to do that? You know how he is, Donna – he's going to make our lives miserable. Hell, he might even fire me," he muses darkly, rubbing at his temples as though he can physically will away the headache that's forming.
Donna doesn't respond immediately, but he doesn't need words to know her mind is working overtime, racing through possibilities he hasn't even considered yet.
"What do you think?" he finally asks, tilting his chin, silently urging her to meet his gaze.
"Harvey," she sighs, her palm landing gently on his back. "It's not up to me."
The look he gives her then is incredulous, as if she should know better. "That's not true. You have as much of a say in this as I do," he insists. But when she remains silent, he presses on. "Look, I know the last time I considered leaving, I didn't consult you first – and that was a mistake. I don't want to make that mistake again." He leans forward, his voice earnest. "You and me? We're partners. This affects you too, and I really want to know what you think."
A small, appreciative smile tugs at her lips. "Where would we go?" she asks, her tone softer now.
"Well…" He rubs his jaw, considering. "I could put some feelers out, probably get a few offers in the next week or so. Or… we could set out on our own? Start our own firm?" The idea takes shape as he speaks. "I know I could get most of my clients to come with me, and we could use my partnership buyout to get us started," he continues, working it all out in his head as he speaks.
Donna nods, absorbing his words, weighing the risks against the possibilities.
"So?" he prods, anxious to hear her thoughts.
She exhales, thinking it through. "I think we should give it a little time," she decides. "If you want to explore options, I don't think there's any harm in that. But if you're serious about starting a firm, we need to be smart. There's a lot to set up – forming a corporation, getting an EIN number, opening bank accounts, and securing office space let alone getting furniture and decorating the space. We'd also have to build a website, get all of the tech set up on the back end, hire support staff, lease equipment… it's not something we can do on a whim."
Harvey nods, knowing she's right. "But you'd come with me?" he asks, needing to hear it.
Reaching out, she cups his jaw, her touch grounding him. "Harvey, you know I'd follow you anywhere."
Relief washes over him, and for the first time that night, he smiles. Leaning in, he presses a quick, grateful kiss to her lips. His world may be shifting beneath his feet, but as long as she's by his side, he knows he can get through anything.
««« ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ »»»
Checking her phone for the umpteenth time that evening, she lets out a heavy sigh after scrolling through her notifications and not finding the one she's hoping for.
It's been a hellish few days – Hardman winning the managing partner vote, Harvey losing his corner office, having to second chair for Louis, and all of the associates being banned from working his cases. Then, of course, there's everything going on with Mike and him reeling over the loss of his grandmother.
With the way Hardman and Louis have been getting off on making Harvey miserable, she doesn't think he's going to last much longer. She saw the look on his face as he packed up his office, and it broke her heart. It's why she insisted he duck out early and leave the packing to her. He resisted initially, but she eventually convinced him that he should go check on Mike – that she was worried about him and it would make her feel better if he went and checked on his protégé.
She knew framing it as if he was doing her a favor was the only way she'd get him out of her hair. She just couldn't bear to see that sad defeated look on his face any longer. So, with a gentle squeeze of her hand and a grateful look on his face, he said his goodbyes and headed to Brooklyn.
Except, now, she's at home, curled on the couch and waiting for him. She hasn't heard a thing from him in ages – not since he sent her a quick text letting her know that Mike was okay, but that they were going to hang out for a bit. The text put a smile on her face – knowing how much they both needed to get their minds off everything going on.
Now, hours later, she's still waiting for him.
It's inching towards midnight and she's halfway through typing up a text asking whether or not she should wait up for him when she hears some clumsy noises in her hallway. Tossing her blanket aside, she moves to the door, peeking through the peephole.
Harvey is grinning on the other side, looking entirely too pleased with himself. The sight makes her giggle despite herself as she unlocks the door.
"Hi," he greets her, his lopsided smile giving him away immediately.
"Hi," she replies, shaking her head as she ushers him inside. "Really, Harvey? He's grieving his grandmother, and you got him high?" she chides.
"Hey, he was already high when I got there," Harvey defends, kicking off his shoes. "I just joined in."
Donna just shakes her head again, looking all kinds of amused at his state – his tie is askew, his collar rumpled, and his normally sharp gaze is hazy. Harvey Specter, undone.
"How's Mike doing?" she asks, steering him toward the bedroom.
"As good as can be expected," he shrugs. "I think I cheered him up a bit."
"Oh yeah? And how exactly did you do that?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow, as she encourages him to take a seat on the edge of her bed.
His expression shifts, mischief flickering in his eyes. "Well… don't get mad…"
Tilting her head, she starts to scrutinize his expression, trying to figure out what he possibly could've done that would make her upset. The thing is though, she trusts Harvey – so, she decides to tease him a little instead.
"Don't tell me he's the reason you look so disheveled," she ribs.
Confusion swipes over him as he glances down at himself. Clearly, it takes his drug-addled brain a moment to get the joke, but when he does his gaze returns to her and he rolls his eyes with a scoff for dramatic effect.
Donna chuckles at his reaction, but then gets impatient and redirects her focus. "Okay, what did you do?" She wants to know, her hand on her hip like she means business.
Harvey winces, preparing himself for her response. "I may or may not have told Mike about the can opener," he confesses.
Her jaw drops. "What?! But that's our thing!"
"I know, I know," he acknowledges, taking her hand, the apology written all over his face. "But he's been bugging me for years, and I thought… I thought he needed something to take his mind off everything."
She sighs, unable to truly be mad. "Well, I hope you swore him to secrecy," she says, undoing his tie.
"Of course," he assures her, fingers playing idly with the string of her pajama pants.
"Good," she mutters, loosening his collar. "So, what else did you do?"
He hesitates.
"Harvey," she prompts, immediately suspicious.
"Well… we might have gone to the firm to piss in Louis's office…"
««« ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ »»»
The tension in the air is suffocating. Donna has been pacing Harvey's tiny office for God knows how long, absent mindedly picking at her fingernails as she tries – and fails – to calm the storm inside her.
The partner's meeting has been dragging on much longer than she expected, and she's not sure what to make of it. Still, the longer it goes on, the worse the pit in her stomach grows.
She glances at the clock again. Almost nine.
It's been hours since Harvey walked into that boardroom, and all she can think about is the look he gave her right before he walked out of his office. It was far from the usual cocky, self-assured smirk that she's always rolling her eyes at, or the playful glint in his eyes that she secretly can't get enough of. This time, when they're eyes met right before he walked out of his eyes – all she saw was doubt.
And that's what scares her the most.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway yanks her from her spiraling thoughts, and before she can fully process what's happening, Harvey is standing in the doorway.
The look on his face – she knows it well – it's that cocky, self-assured smile she was so desperate to see when he walked out the door an hour or so ago and seeing it now forces a rush of relief through her body.
Donna's arms fall to her sides, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as he leans against the doorframe like he has all the time in the world.
"Well?" she demands, her voice tight with impatience. She's sure it's good news by the tilt of his lips, but that doesn't stop her from needing to hear him say it.
Harvey exhales, rubbing a hand over his jaw like he's debating how to milk this moment for all it's worth. Then he takes a step forward, his voice low, deliberate.
"It's done – he's out," he says, as simple as that.
For a second, Donna forgets how to breathe.
It's like the words don't fully register at first, like her brain refuses to believe that this nightmare is actually over. She searches his face for any indication that this is some kind of cruel joke, but all she finds is the same Harvey she's always known—the one who pulls off the impossible, even when the odds are stacked against him.
And just like that, the floodgates open.
"Oh my God," she breathes, and before she knows it, she's closing the distance between them, throwing her arms around his neck. Harvey catches her easily, his hands settling on her waist as he lets out a small oof at the impact.
"Took you long enough," she teases against his shoulder, her voice muffled by his suit.
"You try getting rid of a cockroach like Hardman," he murmurs, his breath warm against her hair, as he inhales her intoxicating scent.
She pulls back just enough to look at him, her hands still gripping his shoulders. "Tell me everything," she demands, and he smirks because of course she wants every detail – and he truly can't wait to tell her.
««« ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ »»»
The moment his front door closes behind them, Harvey and Donna exchange a look – one of disbelief, relief, and something dangerously close to giddiness. It's over. Hardman is gone. After weeks of plotting, scheming, and watching their backs, the firm is theirs again.
"Holy shit," Donna exhales, pressing her back against the door as if she needs something solid to keep her grounded. "We actually did it."
Harvey grins, stepping into her space with a self-satisfied smirk. "Was there ever any doubt?"
Donna scoffs, tilting her head. "Not for a moment," she lies, biting her lip. As much faith as she has always had in him, there were certainly more than a few moments where she worried this was beyond even Harvey Specter.
He sees right through the lie, placing a hand over his chest in mock offense. "You really didn't think I'd pull it off?"
"I'm pretty sure you didn't think you'd pull it off," she shoots back, arms crossed, giving him the look – the one that tells him she knows him better than he knows himself.
"I never doubted it for a second," he argues.
She narrows her eyes, pushing off the wall to poke a finger into his chest. "Well, lucky for you, I was there to whisper in your ear the entire time, reminding you that you're Harvey Goddamn Specter, you're the best closer in the city, and you can do anything. Plus, I made sure you're lucky suit was pressed and ready to go," she adds with a triumphant grin.
Harvey lifts a brow. "Are you asking for credit?"
Donna flashes a devious smile. "I'm saying you'd be lost without me."
Donna's smile turns devious. "I'm saying you'd be lost without me."
His smirk fades into something else – something quieter, more sincere. He reaches out, brushing his thumb against the inside of her wrist, tracing the skin there like he's memorizing the feel of her. "I'd never be stupid enough to argue that."
For a moment, they just stand there, the air between them charged with something that's always been there, simmering beneath the surface. Then Harvey tugs her closer, his lips finding hers in a kiss that's unhurried, deep, and completely intoxicating. She melts into it, her fingers slipping into his hair, and for the first time in weeks, the weight pressing down on them disappears.
When they finally pull apart, Donna lets out a breathless laugh and kicks off her heels. "God, these shoes were not meant for thirty straight minutes of pacing in your office – my feet have never hated me more."
Harvey chuckles, glancing toward his bar. "Sounds like a situation that calls for a drink."
Donna perks up, already heading toward the drink cart. "I couldn't agree more."
He joins her, pouring them both a stiff drink. She perches on the arm of his couch, watching as he hands her a glass. They clink them together before downing the drinks in one smooth motion. The burn is immediate, but it tastes like victory.
Harvey exhales, rolling his shoulders back. "You know, for the first time in weeks, I don't feel like I have a knife aimed at my back."
Donna tilts her head. "You know what that means?"
"That I can finally sleep?"
"That we can finally celebrate properly." She wiggles her brows and saunters toward his record player, flipping through vinyls before selecting one. "Mood music."
A jazzy tune spills from the speakers, something smooth but playful. She turns back to him, lips curled in amusement. "Dance with me."
Harvey laughs. "Really?"
"Yes," she nods, stepping closer. "C'mon, Harvey. We just staged a coup, saved the firm, and wiped that smug look off Hardman's face. If that's not worth a little victory dance, I don't know what is."
He shakes his head, amused, but doesn't resist when she takes his hand, guiding him effortlessly into a slow, easy sway. He spins her once, then pulls her back in, their laughter bubbling between them.
They dance through one song, then another, until the music fades into background noise and it's just them, standing still, wrapped up in each other. Donna rests her head against his shoulder, and Harvey presses a kiss into her hair, lingering there for a beat too long.
"This is nice," she muses, momentarily closing her eyes, and enjoying the feel of his strong arms wrapped around her and the warmth of his body heat.
"It is," he agrees, pressing another kiss to the top of her head as his fingers flow through her hair.
She smiles against his chest. "We should overthrow people more often."
Harvey laughs, tightening his arms around her. "Let's take a few weeks off first."
And just like that, for the first time in what feels like forever, everything is exactly as it should be.
««« ǁ WITH A TWIST ǁ »»»
I have the next chapter already written so I promise I will definitely not let another year go by in between posts. Reading everyone's reviews is my biggest motivation, so please let me know what you think!
Also, I posted a new chapter to Quarantine so please check that out and leave a review!