Hi everyone.. For all of you that followed/ reviewed Goodbye Getaway, thank you so much! Loved the support and I know I said in the intro of that fic that I'd work on 180 days.. and I really shouldn't say that kind of stuff, cause look what happened. Another different fic. This one is Halloween inspired and should be posted all before Halloween :) So here's the first part, hope you'll like it and would love to read your thoughts. x

A NIGHT OF MISCHIEF

Chapter 1 – The Golden Envelope

[October 24th 2016]

Her right hand moves over her skirt, straightening a slight crinkle in her otherwise tiptop appearance. Placing one four-inch heel in front of the other, her head held high and the two cups of coffee in her left hand she walks out of the elevator and onto the fiftieth floor.

Her outfit is always on point, but the past week and a half she has been careful to make sure it's top notch. It is a facade, to hide the mess she is on the inside. It has been a week and a half, but she is still a mess. A bundle of mixed feeling and butterflies in her stomach, it has been over a week.

Well twelve years, five months, two weeks and three days to be exact. If she was keeping score, which she is not. However, in all those days, she can count the amount of times she touched him. Really touched him, on one hand.

That is if you keep out the one night she was wrapped up in his arms. Her holding him close, but he held her closer. Besides that, it has been four times since they moved to the firm. She held his wrist for a second, when she was giving him his missed messages. She was toying with him, because of Zoe. She fixed his hair once, for Scottie of all people. She fixed his broken lip, after he punched Stephen.

And now she held his hand. She held his hand after he reached for hers. He grabbed her hand. It has been over a week and she is still a mess.

She calls herself ridiculous, it was just holding hands. People hold hands all the time, she sees it on TV and she sees it on the street. She just never pictured herself doing exactly that with him. She might have dreamt about that once, but that dream had been replaced by the reality of long work hours and professional distance between them a long time ago.

She also knows that that professional distance is nothing, a term. A lie. He is the closest person she has ever been too and she knows she is exactly that for him. That even though they kept telling themselves that it was just work, they grew closer than they could ever become with anyone else.

She would support him, follow him every step of the way and he would protect her. Choose her, keep her safe, but it was always in a way related to work. That is a lie too and she knows it, it has never been just about work. In all the years he became her best friend, her constant, her almost lover and even after everything, they are stronger than before.

She wonders if that is because of her rule or if that is just a coincidence. If it was her spoken rule or the unspoken one. The one they broke barely a handful of times and should be so insignificant, but it isn't. They never touched, they never really touched and now they did. She stood beside him and he grabbed her hand, holding her close.

She looks to the right then, spotting his office. The window, the very location they stood only a week ago. Both of them there, holding onto the other in silence. The words already spoken between them anyway. Keeping silent because words are exactly what ruined them, or lack thereof. As he couldn't meet her in that one conversation she so desperately needed.

He's far from perfect, but he's the only one who has this effect on her. The only one that can turn the perpetually witty Donna Paulsen back into the emotional love struck teenager she once used to be. And as much as she hates to admit it, he's also part of the reason why she broke up with the perfect guy. On paper, that is, because deep down he just wasn't him. He wasn't Harvey.

It's different this time, because he's different too. He didn't pretend it didn't happen, but that doesn't mean he talks about it or brings it up, but does he talk more. In a way, lets her in. Even more than she ever hoped was possible and this was just about nonsense. Things they used to talk about when they were in the DA's office, but had soon made place for business talk. Movies, dreams, the weather.

She chuckles to herself, briefly shaking her head as her gaze drifts to him. He's already there. Pushing the glass door to his office open with her hip, she steps inside. The two cups of coffee still in her hand, he looks up to her then. A small smile painted on his lips he greets her. It's just her name, but it's the tone he uses that makes her swallow.

"Your coffee," she smiles handing him his cup and he nods whispering a thanks in return as he takes it from her hand. "Pumpkin Spice Latte," she adds as she sees a small frown appear on his face at the first sip. He swallows then, placing it down, his gaze briefly flickering to the calendar on his desk. October 24th

"Ooh no," he sighs, "it's the last week of October," he mumbles and she smirks agreeing to his statement. It's the only week she's allowed to bring him this flavour of coffee, it's another deal they made somewhere in the past decade. "So," he looks back at her then, "what are this year's Halloween plans?"

She briefly shakes her head, taking in his comment. "Uhm.." She rocks back and forth on her heels, "I don't know actually."

He frowns now, his jaw clenching as he stares at her. Wondering if she's joking, but he can see she isn't. He also notices that her mood swifts for a second by the way she swallows. "Come on, Donna," he counters, trying to cheer her up a little. "It's Halloween. Your favourite holiday. You always ask for the day off in June and I know you were still working for Louis then so if he said no, it's no problem. But don't tell me you don't have plans."

She's taken aback for a second, confused maybe that he even remembers that, she bites her lip. Trying to formulate an answer. "I did," she whispers briefly looking down, "but uhm.. Me and my Halloween planning in June made those plans involve Mitchell and .. Well since I ended things with him," she pauses giving him a small smile. "I Uhm.. No, I don't have any plans."

"Do you need me to file those?" She points at his desk then, but he shakes his head. Whispering an apology to her, she just quickly raises her shoulders. A small sign, more for herself than for him than she really is okay with it. It was her decision and she knows it's the right one. "I.. Uhm.. Will type these up," she lifts another stack of papers from his desk, as she turns on her heel. Walking out of his office, he merely frowns as he watches her walk away, taking a mental note to search for that invitation he's sure he got the other day.

xxx

He waits for her to leave the firm that night, which in the past twelve years was a regular thing to do. Not the waiting itself, because he'd stay longer most of the time anyway. Yet this time, he's deliberately waiting for her to leave and it's an odd thing out in the past week. Especially after the fact that they just had dinner, like the week before. The empty boxes of Thai food on his coffee table a reminder of how things are different now.

Not different in the way he wants them to be yet, but different in a way that's heading in what he hopes to be the right direction. Different in a way that they're opening up to each other again, different in a way that they're going back to how things once used to be, but better. Different in a way that he can't and doesn't want to hide how she makes him feel anymore. Different in the way that he doesn't catch himself glancing at her every once in a while, but actually allows himself to do so. Different in a way that he recognises and accepts the happiness she brings him and could bring him. Even if it's just a conversation, a smile. Her presence, but mostly her touch. It's been over a week and sometimes he can still feel his hand tingle.

His gaze drifts back to his desk when she disappears from his peripheral vision. He searches the stack of papers on the left. The bills, files and invitations that are mostly still addressed to Jessica, but fall under his management now. Flickering through the papers a gold envelope catches his eye and he smiles then as he remembered the existence of the very envelope correctly. He checks the content, making sure it's indeed all there before he closes the envelope again.

Reaching for his pen he scribbles down her name on top of it. Gathering his jacket on the way out, the golden piece of paper between held between his fingertips, he steps inside her cubicle. Leaving it behind on her desk, he smiles walking away. Hoping, no already knowing she will love the gesture.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding he looks back over his shoulder to her cubicle and his office in the background. Only then really noticing how symbolic that very image might be. Her always a step ahead of him. Guiding him.

Maybe this time he was a step ahead of her.

[October 25th 2016]

She nods once, looking to the right to check her hair. She used to pay attention to the way she looked, but she never thought it would turn to this. Back to the sixteen year old that was checking her hair in every reflective object just in case she'd run into him. She is Donna Paulsen for goodness sake, but she can't help it.

She hums, trying to focus on Louis continuous mumbling in the background again. Looking to the right she gives him a smile then, completely missing how it wasn't just a statement he made, but a question. "Are you even listening?" Louis counters then and she frowns now as she looks at him. "Yeah of course," she whispers. It's another thing she hadn't factored in holding his hand would cause, but it happened. Lack of concentration.

As pathetic as it sounds, she can't stop thinking about that very event and the way he's changed since then. How they have changed. How she has changed. "So?" Louis counters and she frowns again, realising once more that unless she finds out what's happening between her and Harvey, the 'I'm Donna, I know' might permanently make place for 'I'm Donna, I'm a mess.'

"God," Louis sighs as he stares at his friend. "I don't know what's wrong at your side of the building. Is there a problem with the air conditioning or something, cause having enough fresh air on a day is really important, Donna," he counters. "So if there's something wrong just let me know and I'll have it fixed."

Her mouth drops a little now and for a second she wonders if making up certain conversations is part of her lack of concentration, but the look on his face is far too serious for that to be the case. "I'm sorry," she mumbles shaking her head. "But what are you talking about, Louis?" she asks unsure as both of them step out of the elevator on the fiftieth floor.

"You seem so..." he pauses searching for the word as he walks besides his former secretary. "So absent," he adds then looking at her. "Ever since Jessica left, it's as if… as if you're somewhere else with your mind," he comments then and Donna just swallows, nodding in understanding. "And I mean Jessica leaving hit me hard too and I started questioning a few things too, but it's not just you. Harvey too," he raises his shoulders then.

"Yesterday I had to ask him to sign this document three times before he finally responded, so.. " he pauses as they reach his office, his head crooked he looks at the redhead. "What?" she whispers stuttering. "Seriously Donna?" Louis counters, heavily sighing as he stares at Gretchen for a second. Donna laughs then, her hand tapping her friend's arm. "I'm just kidding Louis," Donna replies as she turns on her heels again walking away from him again. But she wasn't kidding at all, the 'what' she stuttered mere seconds ago a result of realisation hitting her that it wasn't just her that couldn't stop thinking about the handholding. That is, if that was what occupied Harvey's mind too.

Letting out a breath she turns around her cubicle. The golden envelope immediately gets her interest. Her purse landing on the desk to her right, she looks back at the object in front of her keyboard again. Her name scribbled down, unmistakably by him. Her lips curling up as she also realizes he had too much coffee yesterday, but she'll always be able to recognize her name.

Reaching for the envelope she looks to her left. Checking once more if he was already in the office, but she could have known that wasn't the case. Her thumb moving under the seal flap she flicks it open. Bringing out the two tickets inside, she smiles reading the occasion. A Night Of Mischief – Charity Masquerade Ball – Bourne Mansion, October 27th 2016

She looks up then, sensing his presence and this fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach grows stronger with every step he takes in her direction. Her hands quickly placing the envelope with the tickets back down as he places a cup on the edge of her cubicle. "Morning," he greets her. "One Franken Frappuccino," he adds sliding the cup towards her hand. She briefly looks down, a soft chuckle escaping her lips as she takes in the green beverage. She just isn't entirely sure it happened because he picked out a Halloween inspired drink for her or because of the layer of whipped cream on top.

"Thanks," she whispers reaching for the cup as she sees him take a sip from his own cup. "That better not be just a regular coffee," she mocks shaking her head as she sees him smirk, because it was. He only drinks these special flavoured brews when she makes him and she's already planning on making him pay for it.

Rocking back and forth on his feet for a moment, he places his own drink down. His hands leaning on the edge, he lets his gaze briefly slip down to her desk before he looks her back in the eye. "Donna," he pronounces her name in that tone he only used for her. "Harvey," she mimicked, not batting an eye when he's still looking at her. "I see you've found the tickets," he counters and her lips curl up a little when she realises he's not beating around the bush.

"I have," she counters, giving him the same courtesy of directness he was giving her. "Thank you," she adds then, her voice softening a bit at the end and when his eyebrows twitch at the notion, for a second she curses the fact that he knows her just as well as she knows him. "What's wrong?" he counters, "you do still like Halloween, don't you?"

She nods. "Of course," she answers, "but I.. " she pauses, her hand holding onto the tickets she inadvertently slides them off each other, another notion that doesn't go unnoticed to him. She looks back up at him then, the look in his eyes already giving away that he knows what she meant. "I mean," she starts before he can, "the firm… It's still a mess, it wouldn't be fair. I can't."

He shakes his head letting out a sigh. "You can," he counters with a smile. "Donna you've helped me and everyone else here numerous of times. Rachel with taking her mind off of Mike, Louis with his girlfriend and you helped me with… Well everything," he concludes giving her a serious look. "You deserve this," he points at the tickets in her hands as he steps back.

"And if you don't go to that ball yourself, I'll go and make you come with me," he adds, his hand tapping against the barrier between them as he started making his way to his office. The words may have been meant as a joke, a way to lighten the mood, but they were very much true. He'd given her the tickets in hope they could go together, he just wanted it to be her choice and not assume he would be the guest of her preference. He looks back up then, seeing her mouth slightly parted and he realizes his words came out harsher than he had meant them to be.

"That is, if you'd want to of course."