before reading this, preferably, you have already watched 8x16.

"XI.- enough"

What do you do when you reach the point of no return? When your mistakes start taking control over your life consuming every single drop of happiness, are you supposed to cry or fight?

If you are the one to blame, you can't hug yourself. If you are the one who hurt the love of your life, you can't kill yourself.

Donna Paulsen was repentant.

The first fight.

After she pronounced those words, Harvey left her standing alone by the side of Louis' door while he ran away to his penthouse. At that moment, she didn't break, the managing partner joined her a few seconds later to offer her the guest room, she thanked the gesture though she didn't take it believing that at that moment she wasn't deserving of any way of kindness. She didn't cry herself to sleep, for some reason she wasn't feeling anything, she was broken, but not defeated.

In the morning the redhead decided to go to work, acting like he didn't know already to make things easier for her and probably him. There was hope, the fact that she was able to eat a whole sandwich without throwing up was a great signal, and she even found a dress that didn't suffocate her breasts. At the moment, Prada was her best friend.

Now here she was in her office waiting for the moment when the world blows in her face, in her full of makeup to hide the redness and puffiness face. She looked pretty good for a woman who was facing the possibility of being a single mom.

No, he wouldn't do that.

Harvey Specter was an honorable man, he would take responsibility, although, Donna didn't know if he would take her.

Speaking of the devil -he wasn't wearing Prada too- he was walking through the hallways. The COO stood from her desk to go to him, she knew they wouldn't discuss what happened last night at work, but for the look on his face, he needed her. "Not now Donna." Of course, he'd think she wanted to talk about that, but who talks the future of a relationship and a pregnancy in the hallways of a law firm?

She snorted, "I know; how did it go with Hardman?" so many times they had done this same type of power walk to his office but this one, in particular, it'd be the one she'd never forget; the tension and how apart they seemed it was something so unfamiliar, so not them.

"It didn't."

Fuck.

Fixing their relationship it's going to be thousands of times harder with him in a bad mood, "What does that mean?" Donna noticed he was avoiding to look at her by walking faster and speaking louder than necessary. He was hurting her, and he damn knew it.

"It means he's just not just suing us, he's trying to get a guilty verdict…" he took a necessary pause preparing her for the boom that was about to come, "…so he can come after my license".

The COO hurried her steps, and her whole body went into full panic mode, "What? No, he can't do that."

I cannot be responsible for that.

They entered Harvey's office, "He can, Donna, because I broke privilege, and he knows it," he can't still look at her in the face, let alone the eyes, let alone turned so at least he isn't giving her his back.

Don't. You. Dare.

"You didn't break privilege, I'm the one who told Thomas." The lawyer set himself behind his desk before stop avoiding her, she caught how he directed his gaze towards her middle section and then to her eyes. Nice detail, however, not enough for her.

He changed his whole posture to appear bravery sending a message that of course, she'd understand, "I told Alex, and that's how they think Thomas knows."

Something is brewing and about to begin.

"You're not taking the blame for this," Harvey commanded.

"And you are?"

The lawyer took a big breath, "Louis and I are handling this."

Hell no.

Donna crossed her arms in front of her, this time it wasn't out of her new maternal instincts, right now she needed the feeling of authority, "You didn't answer my question."

"Because I don't have to, whatever you want to do, it's going to make it worse." She would never admit out loud, but she felt offended with his comment, "We told them it was a clerical error, if I let you do something which is never going to happen, you'd be proving we did what they're accusing us of." He was moving his hand in his characteristic angry gestures though he wasn't upset, he was concerned.

"Harvey, I'm responsible for this," she lowered her arms getting rid of the defensive side of her, "I wanna help," she was aware of how he'd probably respond, everyone who dare to say they knew NYC best closer would be ready for he to counterattack her comment, however, this was just a warning. She didn't need his permission to fix her fuck ups.

He redirected his gaze towards the window, it was too much, he wanted her to be his side with this, but there's one of the million reasons why he loves her that always comes to bite him in the ass, she's stubborn. "I'm sorry, Donna but I can't-"

"I get it," and she did, it not like she'd be facing jail for breaking privilege –also, he wouldn't take that risk- nevertheless, they were bigger things at stake, a tiny bigger thing that was making everything more complicated. The redhead was very frustrated with the feeling of being useless, and it was just getting started. "If I really wanted to help, I never would've told Thomas in the first place, but Harvey-"

"I was gonna say the genie's out of the bottle, and we can put it back in."

"Are we still talking about work?" She took a step closer to him, she was showing him they weren't talking about the law anymore by overstepping their untold very blurry limits.

"I don't know, Donna, I do know that you have to let Louis and I do what we have to do, to get us out of this." In fewer words, she just had to have faith in him, it didn't seem complicated, and it wasn't so why she was scared? "And about last night? I need time."

Great, you have less than eight months.

The redhead thought carefully her next words, literally calculating every single letter, "For what?" she didn't want to misunderstand another situation opting that knowing his intentions must help her to get everything right.

Harvey nervously started, "I don't want to be mad at you about it, the situation, I need to-" He was stumbling more than he ever did in all the time she has known him.

Let me help you.

"Stop being mad at me before talking about wanting to have a family with me." She wasn't offended or hurt, he deserved that time, and at the moment it was all that she could give him.

"Donna-"

"It's okay, Harvey, just don't push me away this time."

Just let me stay by your side.

"That'd be enough." He politely kicked her out of his office, he had to get prepared for a special meeting/offer with Daniel Hardman. Meanwhile, Donna thought that making herself miserable submerged in work would keep her distracted from her best friends; nausea, anxiety, and heartbreak.

"Louis, this is only the second time you've ever come to my home," said a surprised Thomas Kessler after opening his home door to his lawyer.

The managing partner entered the apartment with his whole body screaming 'I'm here for businesses, "First time I was here, I told you that I got you out of a jam. This time I'm asking you to get me out of one." Harvey had no idea he was doing this, but what more did they have to lose? Well…

"If you're talking about Simon Lowe suing your firm, I heard." Nice gesture not saying Donna told you, Louis thought. "I'm sorry."

The lawyer took a step forward, "He's not just suing the firm, Thomas." He was adding more drama to his words with a slow walk side to side without taking his eyes off the CEO. "His lawyer's using the suit to come after my partner's license." He stopped his small performance to have a really deep look into the other man's eyes.

He didn't like what he was seeing.

"You mean Harvey Specter," Thomas replied bitterly.

"Yes, I do." When you're a lawyer there's a thing they don't teach you at school, how to read people. Thomas Kessler's a coloring book in Louis' eyes. "So as your first lawyer and your friend, I'm asking you to help me."

"Help you how?" The CEO wanted to emphasize he was only helping him, he had nothing against the other lawyer, but you know, testosterone.

"Simon's lawyer is trying to prove Harvey broke privilege. The only people they can go after are Harvey, Alex, Donna-" Louis didn't like the interruption just when he was getting to the most important part, himself.

"And me."

The managing partner changed his posture to appear taller feeling the raising hostility, "That's right, and Daniel Hardman hasn't subpoenaed you yet, but it's a matter of time."

"You want me to do what? Leave town? Or worse yet…?" Thomas placed his hands in his pockets to keep it casual and add an informal sign to his words, he wouldn't let a captain's boat sink, however, he wouldn't risk his own.

"No, no, no, no, Thomas-"

Fuck keeping it casual, the CEO mentally said, "No, I don't believe this, Louis. The guy helped Simon Lowe try to screw me over, and you want me to cover for him!" He wasn't calm and collected anymore, angriness was palpable in his words. He was an honorable man, not a lawyer that covers the guy who's keeping him from dating an amazing woman.

"I'm not asking you to cover for him, I'm asking you to protect her!" Louis screamed to the other man taking him with the guard down for such a comment. "Listen, I know you value honesty, so I'm gonna be honest with you. Simon was a bigger client and Harvey should've sided with him, but he tried to protect you anyway, and then Donna found out and also tried to help you by telling you." He was speaking fast and loud, he wasn't controlling his own words, speaking before thinking it was a terrible idea in this case.

"I'm-"

"Shut up, you're not sorry. You don't have any idea of what did you screwed for them, I listened to them fight in my house because of you. I had to see a woman that I cared about screaming to the love of her life she was expecting a baby and then see the man walk away because he couldn't get happy with how angry he was at her because of you." His tone was more dramatic this time around, using Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain as his inspirations for this speech.

"Donna's pregnant?" Shit, Louis thought.

"Yes," his best friend is going to kill him, "And she needs you to cover for him if you don't do it all it's gonna do is take down a good man, a future father, remember Simon did that for money, and I think we both know how pretty an ex-prosecutor in court looks like." And the Oscar goes to...

Louis Marlowe Litt.

Thomas took a second to think about possibilities, "I'm sorry, Louis. If this Daniel Hardman subpoenas me, I won't perjure myself, I'm sure whatever Harvey might get into, you guys would be more than capable of-"

"Unbelievable." He didn't want to hear more shitty excuses. He left the apartment leaving the man who wouldn't protect a friend, alone.

"So? How did it go with Daniel?" Donna never thought that she'd completely ignore his request for a time, waiting for him to return from work sited in one of his dining chairs, but today she was able to keep food in her stomach, it was supposed to be a good day instead it was a nightmare of all sorts. She needed him so much with and without crazy hormones, and for her sanity, she needed to know his feelings towards their someone.

"It didn't" It was the second time that day he told her that. Harvey wasn't very pleased with her surprise visit, his brain was still trying to process the news at the same time it was trying to save his reputation. It was too much and too little.

The redhead noticed his hostility right away, choosing to ignore it for the moment. "What do you mean, it didn't?"

Weird.

He didn't want to talk with her, but she was here to do what he'd do if their tables were turned.

"He already backdated an excuse and not only that, he found out I went to Tanner behind Simon's back." He gave her a very forced response.

"Wait, you did what?" The only time she didn't have faith in him turned out to be the time he gave it all for her.

Well done, Donna.

Harvey rolled his eyes, "I told you, I was trying to fix Thomas' deal without telling him." He was starting to get caught up in the moment, ignoring other kinds of feelings that weren't related to pain. He didn't want to hurt her –no matter how mad he could be-, however, it was his way of dealing with things. The lawyer style; presenting a case with facts, papers, a couple of witnesses, and a reckless mouth. "It'd had worked if you haven't told him first."

"Harvey-"

"No, whatever you have to say about it, I don't want to hear it." He hated having too harsh on her, especially now. His whole body was begging him to go, forget everything and everyone, hug her and celebrate the news like they were supposed to although something was stopping him. "Why did you do it?"

Yes, he just said he didn't want to hear her explanations, but he also realized the something when his gaze was finally capable to focus on her and not his apparently very interesting window. Looking at her, embracing herself in her middle section, remembered him they weren't alone.

Harvey would never blame Donna for the fiasco of the baby announcement, he was blaming himself, his impulses were so strong to the point he got mad at her for telling him. He would never be able to repair that mistake, but he was going to make up for it with putting his pride aside for the first time, he would do that and more for the woman who was holding their world in her hands.

i know it's kind of evil finishing like that hahahaha.

just wanted to say that i created a twitter account called lovelyrafferty, there you can ask me whatever you want or talk, idk, i'm just trying to be more social in this community.

songs: prologue:chim cher-ee from mary poppins, it's quiet uptown from hamilton (about damn time for a hamilton's song) and never enough from the greatest showman (again, not from broadway, however, the song's way too awesome to not include it)

-MaJo