To Pat,

Who asked me oh so nicely to write this.

Push and Pull

.

"Fuck, it's not here..."

"It has to be, keep looking," he instructs from the next aisle over. The pair had broken into the file room at Rand Kaldor Zane in hopes of finding a buried document to help Harvey win a case. Their plan had been well thought out, Louis would distract the partners by calling a meeting with them and Donna would flirt their way past the front desk and into the file room.

She was hesitant when Louis suggested she help Harvey retrieve the documents, but in the end, she did what she knew was best for the firm. The pair had only started to mend the fences Paula had torn down and had only recently begun talking about things that didn't regard work. After everything that happened after she kissed Harvey in her office, she wasn't sure they would ever go back to any type of normal, so she figured helping him out couldn't hurt.

Getting past the front desk had been a piece of cake, with her low cut dress and a quick-witted line about how charming Kaldor's secretary, Mason, was, he let her breeze right by and didn't stop to question why Harvey had followed along. Men, they were all the same, she smirked to herself as she continued to rummage through a box of files.

Harvey had been battling Eric Kaldor for what felt like the better part of the past month and with each passing day, she watched as he grew impatient and frustrated, desperate to find anything that would bury the man. She watched between the vacancy in the shelf as he tore through box after box, looking for the document in question. Harvey was convinced that Kaldor was hiding a critical piece of evidence, and having worked for Harvey long enough, she knew his instinct was likely right.

She rounds the shelving and joins him beside the copier, pulling file folder after file folder out of the cream coloured box, scanning each page for the missing piece of their puzzle.

"Are you even looking at those?" he questions as he watches her move a large stack to the side.

"Yes, some of us just know how to work quicker than others," she smirks, returning the files in her hand to the box and placing it back in it's home on the shelf, seemingly untouched.

"Right, I forgot this isn't the first time you've broken into a file room," he grins, the crinkles that form at the corners of his eyes making her heart pound faster than she would ever care to admit.

She told herself she hadn't been admiring him earlier, but his rolled sleeves and the tie that hung loosely around his neck as he scrounged through box after box was a look that was working for him, and for her. She curses herself for thinking he looked good; they were there on a mission, and he didn't feel anything when he kissed her, he'd told her in so many words.

"Low blow," she playfully nudges into his side as they continued to work, side-by-side.

A smile settles over her face as they continue to work in tandem, the silence settling between them comforting rather than unsettling. This was the first time they'd toyed with flirty banter since screaming at each other in the firm's lobby and she had to admit, it felt nice. It felt like maybe they were getting back to be them, the them that existed before kisses and therapists made things messy. The them that were just friends, or at least that pretended to be.

"I'm not the one who broke into a file room before," he says and is met with a pointed glare as she peers around the file room they were standing in, "this is my first time."

"Lucky for you, one of us has some experience with breaking and entering."

He shakes his head, grateful they'd moved to a place where they could joke about Donna's past felonies. He doubts she would have been making these jokes a few years back, the fear in her eyes that night in his office still imprinted in the back of his mind, but she'd been through a lot since then. They'd been through a lot since then.

After choosing Donna over Paula, things between them had been awkward. Words were often left unsaid and he wasn't sure where they stood. When Louis suggest Donna help him out on his quest, he was hesitant and surprised she'd agreed but being with her now, joking around with her and knowing he was the reason for the smile lingering across her face, he's grateful she agreed to help. Only a mere month ago he thought he'd lost her for good, and now here they were, literal partners in crime.

"Harvey!" she calls, snapping him out of his own thoughts, "I found it!"

He steps behind her and reaches over her shoulder, grabbing a hold of the edge of the document she was holding, the piece of paper they'd been looking for.

"This is exactly what we needed, I could kiss-"

He's about to say you when a key begins to jingle in the lock behind them. Her heart begins to pound when she realizes where his sentence is going, despite knowing he was using a common catchphrase, the thought of his lips on hers makes her blush. Both of their heads jerk in the direction of the locked file room door and she watches as panic floods his eyes.

"Grab my waist!" she instructs, hopping up onto the table next to the copier and running her fingers through her own hair, making it appear a tangled mess.

"What?" he stares at her wide-eyed and confused, the door latch popping open with a loud "click."

"Just go with it," she practically whispers before tugging him forward by the tie and fusing her lips with his. He doesn't have time to think, his instincts kicking in, his hands sliding through her hair as he steps towards her and moans into the kiss. There is nothing gentle about the way she kisses him, the soft moan that escapes the back of his throat after a gentle tug on his lower lip all permission she needs to deepen the kiss further, her heels finding the back of his thighs and pulling him closer to her center as she wraps herself around him, her hands working to free him of his tie.

Her hands settle on the back of his head and work their way through his hair. His palms travel to her lap and down her thighs as he moves from kissing her swollen lips to her neck, trailing wet kisses towards her collar bone.

He doesn't have time to think, so he reacts. He reacts to the fire ignited beneath his skin with each touch, to the way she urges him closer and kisses him harder. Every nerve ending in his body is alive with feeling, a feeling that he's only ever experienced twice in his life, that night in her office and the other time. She made him feel alive in ways no woman ever had, likely ever could. Her touch set his skin ablaze and with each touch, each feverish kiss, he craved more.

Donna Paulsen was his fucking kryptonite.

She broke him while healing him. She perplexed him and fascinated him and with each lingering glance, he fell a little more in love with her. He'd known for a while, how he felt about her, only he'd never been able to vocalize it but now, holding her against his chest, nipping on her freckled skin, he was certain he would need to find a way to, because he never wanted to forget the way her touch made him feel.

Her palms lingered over his shoulders and she falters. He'd always been in shape, but she often forgot that beneath his suit he was fit. Her voice catches in her throat when he begins to trail kisses along her neck and for a moment the charade is forgotten and she's tossing her head back, reveling in the way he's making her feel with each swipe of his tongue against her bare skin.

It all happens fast, but for each of them an eternity passes before the door swings open and they jolt apart, caught. He almost doesn't hear the voice that cuts through the tension in the room, to preoccupied with pleasuring the redhead wrapped around him.

"Oh my go-" a blonde with a short bob calls when she spots Harvey and Donna; Donna a mess, wrapped around her former boss, who's tie was somewhere beneath him, his lips painted the same shade of crimson red that she once wore.

"We're so sorry!" Donna calls as Harvey steps back a bit, straightening himself up but not stepping away from her or releasing his hold on her. Both turn to look at where the blonde is standing, staring with an open jaw but rather than parting, Harvey intertwines his left hand with hers, his right settling on her thigh.

"This is a place of business for god's sake," the woman scoffs before walking off and leaving the pair to themselves.

Harvey didn't recognize the women, and lucky for them, she didn't appear to recognize them either. He stares at the now-closed door, shocked and only turns his attention back to Donna when she starts giggling.

"What?" he asks, cocking his eyebrow.

"I just can't believe that worked," she muses and he joins in with the chuckling as a sigh of relief washes over him. They'd been seconds from being caught and potentially charged and they somehow managed to weasel their way out of it.

When the laughter subsides, Donna realizes Harvey is still standing between her legs, their hands still intertwined and she blushes.

He follows her gaze to their interlocked fingers and reluctantly releases her hand, stepping back and helping her down from the table. He immediately misses her touch and busies himself looking for his discarded tie.

"I guess we put on a believable show," he replies to the unanswered question from minutes before.

"I guess so," she replies, not daring to let her eyes meet his, in fear that she'll be transported back to the way it felt to kiss him, the way his body pressed against hers made her feel whole.

"We should…" he shrugs, gesturing towards the door with a defeated sigh.

"Right yeah, before someone else comes looking," she agrees, tucking the document they came for into her bag and following him out of the file room.

"Donna I-" he stutters before someone walks by the room and he realizes they don't have time to have this conversation, not here.

Louis meets them at the car and climbs into the front seat next to Ray, who had been waiting to take them back to the firm. They slide into the back seat silently, each trapped in their own spiral of questioning thoughts. She knows they were pretending, but if they were pretending why did her stomach flutter each time his hand neared hers on the leather seat between them. He draws in a deep breath as he adjusts his seat belt, reminding himself that she didn't feel anything. Trying to convince himself that he didn't feel anything. But he knew better, he felt everything when she kissed him that night, and he held his everything when she was in his arms in that file room.

"Did you guys get it?" Louis calls over his shoulder, peering back at his colleagues.

"We did," Harvey answers with a forced smile, the back of his hand nearing Donna's, her outstretched palm daring him to take her hand. He swears he hears her breath hitch when his thumb ghosts over the back of her hand but he chickens out and drops his hand next to hers on the seat.

"I knew you would, you've always made a great team," Louis smiles, satisfied with his pairing.

"We have, haven't we?" Harvey wonders aloud, making the move and slipping his fingers between hers. He's unsure at first, watching from the corner of his eye with tensed shoulders until she squeezes his hand and he relaxes into his seat.

Louis begins to ramble on about trial strategies as Ray makes his way through the city streets, and Harvey scoots a little closer to Donna, turning and offering her a shy smile.

She smiles back and moves their joined hands to her lap, and he turns to face her in question. They're communicating without words again, only this time he's uncertain, and he's afraid. She peers across the backseat at him with hooded eyes, and he dares to slip his hand from hers and place it on her thigh, testing the waters. Her reaction is as he hoped and he traces small circles on her bare leg, just before the hem of her dress as they continue their journey.

He knows they're playing with fire, he knows they shouldn't toy with the line that had once been so clearly drawn in the sand. But the line was now faded and he was no longer afraid of crossing it. He needed to touch her, to keep her close to him.

Louis asks them a question every now and again, breaking them out of the bubble they found themselves in, stealing glances of each other while pretending to be interested in the city passing them by, Harvey's palm daring to move closer to the hem of Donna's dress, Donna's lust-filled gazes daring him to venture further. It's simple and subtle but it's everything, and Harvey is so focused on staying calm he hardly notices they've arrived at the firm.

Ray rounds the car and lets Donna out, and the three of them make their way through the lobby in silence. The elevator ride is eerie and when Louis steps in, in front of them, he's tempted to take her hand again but he doesn't risk it. He knows they're going to have to talk about what all of this means, but right now, all he can think about is the way she tasted, the way he needed her.

He's not even sure she wants this, but something about the way she's standing a little closer to him than usual, the way her hand is daring to brush against his makes him think maybe she lied, that maybe she felt it too.

Louis excuses himself the minute they step out of the elevator and Donna and Harvey walk towards their side by side offices in silence. She's a few steps ahead of him, her mind processing things a mile a minute, wondering what this could possibly mean for them when he suddenly takes her hand and pulls her backward, propelling her into the nearby file room.

"Harvey, what the-" she begins to protest before he silences her with a kiss as he backs her into the door.

"What was that for?" she asks when he breaks the kiss, breathless.

"You lied."

"What?"

"You lied," he states again, his body pressed firmly against hers, his hands resting on either side of her head.

"You're going to need to be more specific…"

"What happened back there, did you feel something?"

"That wasn't real…" she mumbles, trying her best to maintain the facade but her walls were crumbling with each breath that tickled her ear.

"Wasn't it?"

"I don't know what you want me to say here Harvey…" she breathes, her chest rising to met his with each staggered breath, her eyes swimming in a sea of brown.

He kisses her again, catching her off guard for the second time since returning to the firm. His hands fall to her cheeks as he kisses her harder, trying his best to tell her everything his words always failed to.

"I want you to tell me what that made you feel," he replies, resting his forehead against her own.

She responds by leaning up on her toes and kissing him, her back hitting the door with a thud. He reaches behind her and locks the door and she pulls back with a seductive smirk.

"Presumptuous," she winks, her hands settling on her shoulders.

"I was hoping we could finish what we started," he cocks his eyebrow, "because that was real for me Donna. I lied when I told you I didn't feel anything before… I felt… I felt everything."

"I lied too…"

"What does this mean?" he asks, not wanting to ruin their moment but also not willing to risk losing her, not again.

"That was finish what we started," she replies, her lips meeting his as he scooped her up and carried her back towards the shelving unit lining the file room.

His lips never leave hers as he carries her further into the dimly lit room, only stopping to place her down on a desk near the fax machine. They find themselves mirroring their actions from earlier that afternoon, only this time, Harvey had an abundance of unanswered questions he just couldn't seem to let go.

She frees him of his tie for the second time that day and begins working on his buttons as he gently nibbles on her ear, his name rolling off her tongue. He pauses between kisses, unable to help himself, "Donna-"

"Ya?" She whimpers as he bunches her dress at the waist, his hand slowly crawling up her thigh.

"What are we?" He asks, his hand stopping just shy of the edge of her dress.

"You want to talk now?" She glares back at him, an unamused look on her face.

"There are so many other things I'd rather be doing but I think we should—"

She silences him with a kiss, breaking it to escape his grasp and hop down off the table.

She rounds him and moved to lean against one of the shelves, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Harvey Specter, wants to talk about his feelings? I never thought I'd see the day," she teases.

"Ha ha, very funny. I don't want to lose you Donna. I don't want you to think this is a mistake, because I couldn't live with myself if you thought this was just another meaningless fling."

"So, what do you want?" She asks, twirling a curl between her fingers, the flirtatious tone she reserved for him making him smile.

"You," he breathes before taking two large strides towards her and catching her face between his palms, the searing kiss he places on her lips leaving her light-headed.

"Donna, tell me you want this too. Because I can't lose you. I've had so many people leave lately and I can't lose you, I just… I won't lose you."

"Harvey-" she sighs, stepping away from him once again, her eyes scanning his for signs that he's ready to run, but she finds none. Instead, the eyes peering back at her are hopeful, they're lustful.

"What happens when you snap out of this lust-filled trance and remember that we work together, that everything will change… I… What happens when this haze wears off? Will you still want this?"

"I've wanted you for as long as I can remember," he says, his voice low.

"Then why now?"

"It was hard lying to you after you kissed me, but when you kissed me today, I just knew that I wouldn't be able to go another day without kissing you."

"What about-"

"Donna, you're out of excuses," he says, stepping towards her in an attempt to close the distance between them again, only she retreats, taking a step back.

"I'm scared," she whispers, tears springing to her eyes, as she let her final resolve wear away and she stood before him, heart totally unguarded.

"Me too," he replies, stepping in her direction again.

"What if it doesn't work out?"

"Who says it won't?"

"What about-?"

His lips find hers as he takes her in his arms only this time there is nothing rushed about his kiss. It's slow and purposeful and he takes his time appreciating every inch of her mouth.

He notices the change in her reaction the moment he pulls back and she pulls him back in by the collar, eager to kiss him again. He no longer sees fear in her eyes but rather passion, want, and desire. He raises her hands above her head as he backs her into one of the shelving units while slipping his tongue past hers. She elevates herself, her heels finding a place on the shelf opposite them as he hoists her up and bunches her dress at the waist, desperate to increase the friction between them.

She frees him of his belt and undoes his pants before returning her hand to his shoulder to help steady her. She moans into the kiss as he reaches down to push her panties aside and he wastes no time finding her already wet center.

She whimpers at the intrusion, breaking their kiss as she adjusts to his length. He watches her with hooded eyes, her slightly open jaw and eyes closed in anticipation of their next kiss enough to send him over the edge but he holds back, wanting to enjoy this, wanting her to enjoy this.

It's messy and not at all like the other time, but it feels right. He slowly rocks inside her as she rolls her hips, still wrapped around him, using the shelf to help support her as she moved.

He groans when she shifts her weight, tossing his head back before finding the sensitive spot above her clavicle he remembered from years back. She holds the shelving beside her as she lets him take the lead, rocking into her at a faster pace, raking the nails of her free hand down his back, encouraging him.

His pace begins to slow as his breathing becomes sporadic and she knows he must be getting close. Knowing he won't last much longer, he slips his hand between them and finds her bundle of nerves, using his thumb and index finger to bring her with him over the edge. He continues working with his thumb as she comes down from her high, only stopping when she's pulling him in for a delicate kiss. The sight of her coming undone around him is something he's certain he will never forget, the way she's softly repeating his name in his ear while clutching onto his shoulder, it's nearly too much.

He moves to kiss her one last time before placing her down and can't help himself from whispering, just soft enough that he hopes she doesn't hear.

He places her back down on the ground before he continues to kiss her, unable to get enough of her. She tasted of cinnamon and vanilla and Donna and he was certain he would never tire of it.

"So," she smiles, peering up at him beneath her lashes, his hair a mess, his shirt semi-unbutton, belt and tie long gone.

"Do you?" She coaxes, a hopeful grin replacing her timid smile.

"You heard that, huh?"

"I'm Donna," she explains.

"Then I think you know the answer."

"I want to hear you say it," she responds.

"I…" he stutters, "I love you."

Before she can tell him she loves him too, the door flies open and Louis walks in, whistling on his way to the copier. He spots them after a moment, standing sheepishly side by side, looking guilty.

"Haven't you too had enough of the file rooms today? What the hell could you possibly be doing?"

"You're right we were just leaving actually, good night Louis," Harvey called, taking Donna's hand and leading her towards the exit.

"Your tie," she points out, as he tries his best to re-button his shirt while she smoothed out her dress.

"I'll buy a new one, right now I have somewhere to be."

"Oh?" She cocks her head, unsure of what he meant.

"I'm taking you home."