Suits

9x11

"The Boys Are Back In Town"

A Season 9 Story

Written by darveyscactus and CatsBalletHarveySpecter

He pins his second cuff link into place before peering into the mirror hanging over the sink and adjusting his tie. Satisfied with his look, he grins at his own reflection before returning to the bedroom where he finds her, dressed in a navy low cut dress, hair curled, nude pumps on.

"You look beautiful," he grins, hands settling on her waist before he pulls her in for a lingering kiss.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she smirks, instinctively reaching to adjust his tie.

He smiles as her hand grazes over his chest, the familiarity of their morning routine never failing to brighten up his day. From the DA's office, to the firm where he made a name for himself, to the West coast, she was always there, fixing his tie and reminding him why this life was worth living.

There was a time in his life where he doubted he would ever have this. And now here he was, starting a new life in a new city with the woman he loved. The woman he'd spent over a decade loving.

"Ready?" He asks, trailing her from their bedroom towards the kitchen of their newly renovated penthouse apartment. It was smaller than his apartment in Manhattan, but it felt like home. The kitchen was complete with mahogany cabinets and a granite countertop and was set across from the open concept living room that was furnished with a plush cream coloured sofa and a gas fireplace.

He crosses the kitchen towards the hallway and settles near the small end table they'd brought from Donna's apartment, glancing over at where Donna was slipping into her coat.

"This is going to be a good thing Harvey," she replies, answering his unasked question.

"I know, it's just…"

"It's different."

"It's no Manhattan, that's for sure. Did you know that it rained so much here when you agreed to this?" He asks.

"Of course you did, you're Donna," he answers his own question when she smirks and rolls her eyes.

"We should get going. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day. Might make the wrong impression with the new boss."

"Let's get one thing straight right now, he's my partner, not my boss."

"Right," she teases, moving to fetch her purse.

"Let's get this over with," he moans.

"Don't sound so excited," she replies mockingly.

"I'm excited, I'm just, adjusting."

"It's going to take some time."

"You know what might help?" He cocks his eyebrow as he steps towards her, trapping her body between his and the front door.

"I have a pretty good idea," she smirks, "but that would make us late."

"Worth it," he says, leaning in to steal a kiss.

"For you, maybe. But one of us wants to make a good impression on her first day."

"Fine. But when we come home, you and I are breaking in that new bedroom set Mrs. Paulsen-Specter."

"Wow, using my full name, so formal."

"What? Can't I use my wife's full name freely?"

She responds by placing her palm on his chest and leaning up to kiss him, before stepping back and snaking her left hand in his.

He smiles as he feels her wedding ring brush against his own fingers, giving her palm a gentle squeeze before they set out to start their new adventure.

"Shall we?" He asks, locking the door behind them.

"Let's go and show Seattle what New York City's best closer can do," Donna grins, looping her arm through Harvey's as they enter the elevator. As the doors begin to close, she leans in to steal a kiss, her palm settling on his chest as she smiles against his lips. This was it, their new beginning. Her and her Harvey against the world.

See the money wanna stay

For your meal

Get another piece of pie

For your wife

Everybody wanna know

How it feel

Everybody wanna see

What it's like

I'll even eat a bean pie

I don't mind

Me and Missy is so early busy busy makin' money

Alright

All step back, I'm 'bout to dance

The greenback boogie

"Excuse me old man? The men's health clinic is down on four," Mike calls as he struts into his own office and finds Harvey at his desk.

"And here I thought you'd matured," Harvey snickers.

"Guess it's true what they say, you can give the man a fancy title and a nice suit but you can't take away his lame jokes."

"Is that any way to talk to your new boss?" Mike asks.

"Partner," Harvey clarifies.

"Right," Mike laughs, dropping his book bag onto his chair and emptying the contents onto his desk.

"Where's the Mrs. this morning?" he adds.

"She and Rachel went for coffee, something about catching up before work, which doesn't really make sense to me considering they went out a few days ago but what do I know."

"Welcome to the club, buddy."

"What club?"

"The one where you know it's better to agree with your wife than ask a million questions about why she's doing something."

"I knew better than to ask Donna those questions long before she became my wife."

"Right, because it took you a million years to make her your wife."

"Are you ever going to stop making those remarks?"

"And stop reminding you of what an idiot you were? Doubtful."

"Remind me why I thought working together again would be a good thing?"

"You can just admit you missed me you know," Mike smirks.

"But then I would be lying."

"Admit it, Harvey, you've missed this," he gestures between the two of them.

"I'm looking forward to working together Mike."

"I'll take it. Anyways, I've arranged for Janet to show you to your new office. I have a meeting with Damian Wentworth this afternoon and I thought maybe you'd like to join me? See how we do things around here?"

"Two o'clock, I'll meet you in the lobby," he adds before gesturing towards the older blonde that Harvey assumes must be Mike's secretary standing in the office door.

"It's good to have you back, Harvey. Now get your fat tie out of my face and get to work."

Janet introduces herself to Harvey and leads him down the corridor, past a slew of glass walled offices occupied by young professionals in semi-casual business attire. He does his best to smile at them as they walk past, but the looks he receives in exchange tell him fitting in here was going to be harder than he initially thought. The offices were located in a ten story building that overlooked the bay and had a casual vibe that he wasn't used to experiencing in an office setting. It wasn't like he stood out wearing his suit and tie, but the vibe he got was much more relaxed than what he was used to.

He continues to follow Janet down the hall, smiles politely at the blonde lady sitting behind the reception desk at the elevators and makes a note to tell Donna how much he hated how bright and happy everything seemed at Zane Ross. People shouldn't be so chipper while they worked, it was odd.

"This here is the kitchen. Coffee is in the second cabinet and be sure to replace the filter before making a fresh pot. On Fridays we have doughnuts brought in but other than that there usually isn't more than a handful of granola bars so you should pack your own snacks."

"Right," he replies skeptically, glancing around the small kitchen space. He smiles when his eyes fall upon the unopened box of bran bars, knowing Louis would have been the first to claim them as his own. He chuckles to himself, thinking back on the time Louis lost his mind because Mike ate his last bran bar and spent the afternoon lecturing the associates on the importance of understanding personal property. He takes a moment before following Janet back up the hall; this was a new beginning, it was a good thing.

"This floor has the partner's offices and a few paralegals. Down on five we have the associates and accounting and on four we have IT, don't bother them if you don't need to."

"Your offices will be down the hall across from Mr. Ross' office, and I had most of your stuff put into place by your new secretary, Benjamin."

Harvey stifles a laugh, thinking back to the Benjamin they'd left in Manhattan and how funny it would have been to have him as a secretary. He bets Donna would have gotten a real kick out of it, she always enjoyed flirting with the young IT guy, even if he was always slightly jealous. It's not lost on him that Janet used the term offices and he smiles to himself. Everything else may have changed, but she was always a constant in his life and that was no different this time around. Her desk would be a few feet from his, and he could proudly watch his wife conquer the Seattle law scene.

"Any questions?" she asks as she comes to a halt outside of the large glass walled office that was labelled with a temporary sign that read,

Harvey Specter. Partner.

He'd blown through so many titles in the past few years. Name Partner. Managing Partner. Senior Partner.

Now, he was just a partner. Plain and simple.

And for the first time in his life, he was excited to embark on a journey with no excess responsibilities, no disgruntled employees or law suits threatening to take his job. He was Harvey Specter, a partner. And he was here to do the one thing he'd always loved; practice law.

"Nope, I think I've got it."

"Then I'll leave you to it. It was nice to meet you Mr. Specter."

"You as well," he offers her a smile before strolling into his brand new office.

It was smaller than his former office, the large glass desk placed in the center taking up the majority of the space but he still had enough space for a small leather sofa and a coffee table where he noticed there was a bottle of Macallan and a note.

He wanders over to it and picks up the note, grinning to himself as he places it on his desk and plops himself in the leather seat behind a computer screen.

It's good to have you back, Batman. - Mike

He looks around at the items that had already been unpacked and spread on his desk. A few of the fine tip pens he was keen on, a photo of him with Jessica, Louis, and Donna from a firm event almost a decade prior. He never noticed it before, or at least he pretended not to notice but Donna looked radiant in that photo. With her green dress and her hair pulled back, she was breathtaking. His eyes settle on a new photo sitting next to it in an identical black frame and his smile widens. A photo of them dancing on their wedding night. The night he finally smartened up and made her his.

She was stunning, her hands wrapped around his neck, her smile wide, eyes sealed shut while he twirled her around and held her in his arms. She was his everything and this photo was a perfect reminder of why. She made even his worst days better, she made him laugh, and most of all, she made him want to be a better man.

Staring between the two photos, he supposes a part of him had always known how important she was to him, how much he loved her. Once she'd infiltrated his soul, he knew there was no going back. The love he felt for her was unparalleled, unmatched and all consuming. He craved her touch, yearned for her kiss and dreamt about the way she felt firmly pressed against his chest as they slept. His mind, body, and spirit came alive when she was near. She was his compass, his life line and his everything and now, by some magnificent twist of faith, she was his wife.

Rounding his desk, he saunters over to the window and peers out over the city. Seattle. If you would have asked Harvey a year ago where he saw himself in the future, getting married and moving out West to work as a partner at a minor law firm wouldn't have been what he answered. Everything had changed. And for as much as he feared the change, he was excited to embrace it.

He glances at the duck painting hanging over his desk before he leaves his office in search of his wife, certain she had something to do with his new office decorations.

Everything may have been changing, but he was grateful that some things never changed.

He watches as she scribbles a few things down on a notepad, the sun streaming into her office igniting her already flaming red locks. He loves that they'd been at work for no more than a few hours and she was already hard at work. He knocks three times on the glass door before stepping into her office and taking a seat opposite her at the large marble desk beneath the window, her office layout mirroring his own.

He smiles when he spots an identical framed photo from their wedding night on her desk and offers her a soft "hey."

"How's your morning going?" she asks.

"Oh you know, just trying to find my footing, getting used to how things run around here."

"I think this is going to be a good fit for us," she says.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling I have," she replies, dropping her Bic pen and giving him her undivided attention.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your morning, I just wanted to see if you have time in your busy schedule to grab lunch?"

"I would love too."

"See you at 12?"

"I'll meet you in your office. I'd love to see it."

"Like you weren't the one who hung that painting up for me," he playfully rolls his eyes at her.

"I wanted you to feel at home."

"You're here, I am home."

"Oh god, I've married a sap."

"You've turned me into one."

"I don't know about that, I think you've always been a secret romantic."

"I refuse to answer that on the grounds I don't want to."

"Such a lawyer. Lunch? 12? You can meet me here? Seeing as I've already seen your office."

"See you then. And I like the new office," he beams before leaning over her desk to place a gentle kiss on her cheek and seeing himself out of her office.

Like Harvey's, Donna's office was smaller than the one she'd left behind in Manhattan, but it had the same bright and airy feel, thanks to the large windows overlooking the bay. Her desk sat in the center and there was a bookcase, a small couch, and a coffee table off to one side. On her last day at the firm in New York, Donna had packed up a few items that had been on her desk for as long as she could remember and made sure they made the trip to Seattle. Her 'let's kill all the lawyers' plaque and blue ceramic bird now sat on a corner of her desk next to a photo of her and Harvey dancing on their wedding night. They were both smiling a mile wide and she was mid-twirl, her hand clasped in his and raised above her head. Next to that was a photo of Lucy Litt, taken a few days after she was born. It's only been a couple hours, but every time she looked at that corner of her desk, she found herself smiling, the items a perfect blend of old and new.

A sudden blaring from her cell phone demands her attention but as she reaches for it and reads the Louis Litt across the screen, her features soften and she answers with a smile.

"Louis," she beams, "how are you? How's Lucy?"

"Donna, you wouldn't believe it but my little nugget is a Broadway fan!" he replies back without so much as a 'hello'.

"She's a month old Louis..."

"And she knows her Wicked from her West Side Story!"

"Is this why you called? To brag that your month old daughter is a fan of Glinda the Good Witch?"

"Actually I just wanted to see how the first day was going, see if you two had smartened up and were ready to come crawling back to us yet?"

"Louis!" She scolds and she can hear him mutter to himself on the other end.

"I know! I know! We talked about this and I'm not supposed to ask. And we both know, Lucy has great taste she would never be a Glinda fan, she's an Elphaba fan through and through."

"Louis…"

"Right, how are you Donna?" he finally asks and she can't help but smirk. It had only been a month but she missed him and just how Louis he could be at times.

"I can't complain. Things here are… different," she chooses her word carefully, "But I think we're really going to like it. We miss you guys though. How's everything over -?" She's cut off mid-sentence by someone who sounds like Katrina on the other end of the line.

"Sorry to interrupt Louis I just wanted to let you know that the pen company got back to us, they have the ones that you like, but they said it's going to cost an extra $300 for the blue ink," Katrina says as she absentmindedly struts into Louis' office, failing to realize he's on the phone. He places one hand over the receiver but not close enough that Donna can't hear the conversation unfolding on the other end.

"How much!? What is it made of, gold?! Does it come with a personal scribe that's going to write for me?" He snaps, holding the phone away from his ear.

"Sorry about that Donna, this company is trying to ROB US!" he exclaims and this time it's her turn to hold the phone away from her ear.

"Was that Katrina?" she asks, ignoring his impending pen crisis.

"It was."

"How's she doing?"

"Honestly, she's really stepped up to the plate. You were right about promoting her to name partner."

"When am I not right?" she chuckles, relaxing into her seat.

"How's Harvey doing?" Louis asks.

"He's Harvey. Change has always been hard for him but he seems happy here."

"And you sound happy," Louis points out and she realizes, she truly is. For the first time in years she wasn't worried about crazy cases, someone losing a license, or whether or not she would end up with the man she loved. Instead, she was peering out of the window of her brand new office, while the man she loved sat a few feet away, and she was happy.

"I am Louis, I really am."

"No one deserves it more than you two. But I mean it, you better get back here and visit really soon, Lucy misses you."

"Just Lucy?"

"You know it's not the same without you two here."

"We miss you too, Louis. Let's talk soon okay? Maybe we can plan a trip down to the city and give Lucy some time with her uncle Harvey while we go and see whatever show you want to see."

"I would really love that Donna."

"It was great to hear from you Louis."

"You too. Give Harvey my best, would you?"

"I will." And with that she ends the call and places her phone back down on her desk.

"I hope I'm not interrupting?" a voice asks, and Donna looks up at the noise to see a petite blonde woman standing in the doorframe.

"Of course not," Donna says, gesturing for her to enter.

"I'm Monica," the woman says as she crosses the office, hand outstretched to greet Donna.

Donna stands and returns her enthusiastic smile, but she can't yet tell if Monica is genuine or overcompensating for something.

"I'm -,"

"Donna," Monica says before Donna has a chance to finish, "I know, we've all heard so much about you," she adds, eyes widening as she spoke.

"Oh, well," Donna starts, not quite sure what to make of Monica's comment.

"I'm the firm's receptionist," she continues, taking a seat across from Donna, "but Rachel asked me to fill in as your secretary until you can hire one," she says, "so, here's briefs on all the cases we're working on," she says as she places a small stack of folders on Donna's desk, "some information on upcoming cases, and a bit on everyone who works here," she finishes, adding more folders to the pile.

"Well, thanks Monica," Donna says, probably a bit too enthusiastically, "I'm sure all this will bring me up to speed in no time."

"You have nothing on your calendar for today, but there's a welcome breakfast for the new associates tomorrow morning you should come to," she adds as she stands to leave.

"Harvey and I will be there, then," Donna says, thinking it a good idea for them both to get to know the people they'll be working with.

"Oh right," she catches Monica mumbling under her breath, "anyways, we've never had a COO before, so I'm excited to see what you do here, Mrs. Specter," she says, flashing Donna another wide smile.

"It's actually -," Donna starts to correct her, but realizes her efforts are futile as she watches Monica flit down the hallway, blonde curls bouncing along behind her.

Not quite sure what to make of her conversation with Monica, Donna dives headfirst into the stack of files she'd left behind. She spends a couple of hours pouring over the materials and before she knows it, it's just before 12 and she's pulled from her thoughts as Harvey knocks softly on her door.

"You still have time for lunch?" he asked, wandering into her office and perching himself on the arm of one of the chairs across from her.

"I always have time for you," she replies with a smile, catching his gaze and closing the folder infront of her.

"Who's the sap now?" he teases, but Donna just laughs and shakes her head slightly as she reaches for her bag under her desk.

"So lunch," she says, rounding her desk and taking a step towards Harvey, "Rachel told me about the cutest little French place right around the corner that has these great -"

"Before we go," he says, interrupting her but smiling at the way she excitedly chattered about their lunch plans, "I have something for you."

"Really? What?" she asks, clearly taken surprised by his comment.

"Just a little something for your new office," he replies, smiling as he takes a small package from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and places it in her outstretched hand.

Donna removes the wrapping quickly and her smile widens as she removes the lid of the gift box and sees what's inside. He'd framed two of her old business cards from the firm in New York - one from the days of Pearson Hardman when she was Harvey's secretary, and a more recent one where her title read 'Chief Operating Officer'.

"Harvey," she says, looking up at him for an explanation.

"I wanted you to have a reminder of how far you've come," he explains, "and I want you to know how proud I am of you," he says.

"Thank you," she says, a genuine smile spreads across her face as she stretches to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her smile widens as she places the small frames on her desk - she'd always known that Harvey was an incredibly thoughtful person, even back when it was buried deep down. Now though, after months of being on the receiving end of such gestures, there was something about the genuine way he performed such gestures that left her breathless. She'd once said he was a terrible gift giver; she'd never been happier to be proven wrong.

"Alright Mr. Specter," she says, linking her arm through the crook of his elbow, "I think it's time you make good on your offer to take the city's best COO out to lunch."

After returning from lunch with Donna, Harvey finds a note from Rachel on his desk asking him to meet her in her office before his afternoon meeting.

Tucking a notebook under his arm, he heads down the hallway and stops just outside of the office labelled, Rachel Zane - Partner. He smiles to himself before knocking, remembering the first time Rachel crossed his radar as a paralegal. She'd come such a long way since back then and he was proud to watch her grow into the accomplished young woman she now was.

Rachel calls him in with a soft smile and he peers around her office, almost identical to Donna's, with the exception of a handful of photos of her and Mike. His eyes are drawn to the photo of the four of them at Mike's wedding and she follows his gaze.

"That was a good day."

"It was," he agrees, taking a seat across from her.

"You'd never know you two weren't together there," she smirks.

"I'd like to think that was for good reason," he says.

"I've never seen her so happy," Rachel says, "she couldn't stop talking about how excited she is about being here when we got coffee this morning."

"That smile makes being here worth it."

"I'm so happy for you Harvey. For both of you."

"Thanks. You, um, wanted to see me?" He adds.

"I just wanted to prepare you before you join Mike this afternoon."

"I think I know how to handle myself in a client meeting with Mike. Do I have to remind you that I was his boss?"

"That's actually why I wanted to talk to you, Mike's a partner here, Harvey. He's the founding partner. He's not some kid associate anymore and you need to follow his lead today."

"Got it," he nods and the look in his eye reassures he that he understands and he's finally ready to play second fiddle to his former associate. He and Donna had already talked about the adjustments that would need to be made at the new firm, and he had come to terms with the fact he would have to take Mike's lead on occasion long before they even stepped off the plane.

A year ago, she couldn't imagine Harvey willingly taking the backseat to Mike in a meeting. Then again, a year ago, she never would have imagined he'd get his head out of his ass and make Donna his.

Rachel continues to tell Harvey about the client he was meeting with Mike, providing him details about both the company and the companies head so he would be prepared. Damian Wentworth was the CEO of The Green Room, an environmental non-profit company that worked to reduce the use of plastic by large commercial companies and replace with more sustainable choices. Damian was a middle aged man that was extremely passionate about the work his company did and she informed Harvey that upon first meeting he came off as an extreme environmentalist.

Harvey scoffs as Rachel fills him in on the case details for his meeting with Mike that afternoon and mutters to himself.

"Okay, what is it?" she asks.

"Nothing. It's just, I used to work on multi-million dollar deals and now I'm fighting against plastic."

"Harvey, this client is a big deal. He was the first one Mike and I signed when we opened the firm and we need this meeting to go well. Can you at least try and take what I'm saying seriously?"

"Fine. I'll try."

"And if you have any other questions you can always ask his secretary for an extra copy of the case files."

Before he can reply, Mike knocks on Rachel's office door, "You ready?"

"Yeah yeah, let's go save the turtles or something."

Harvey follows Mike down the hallway and into a corner conference room, early afternoon sunlight streaming into the two large windows.

"Mike," the man sitting at the table says as they enter the room, "good to see you," he says, rising to shake his hand.

"You too, Damian," he replies, "I'd like you to meet my new partner, Harvey. He joined us this week from New York."

"Good to meet you, Harvey," he says, extending his hand.

"You too," Harvey replied.

"So Damian," Mike starts once the three men have taken their seats, "what's happening?"

"Well," Damian starts, taking a breath and clasping his hands together on the table in front of him, "my company just signed this huge deal to supply reusable containers and compostable silverware for all the state government offices," he explains, grinning slightly at his accomplishment.

"I'm sorry," Harvey interrupts, "but how is that a bad thing?"

"If you'd let me finish," Damian quickly replies, casting a sideways glance at Mike.

"I'm sorry yes," Harvey says sheepishly, "go ahead."

"Because of the deal with the state, the city of Seattle pulled their contract with Pacific Plastics and signed with us. And now those goddamn plastic bastards are suing us for damages," he finishes with a huff, passing a folder across the table to Mike and Harvey.

"Well," Harvey says eventually, after looking over the materials in the folder for a few moments, "the good news here is that the grounds for their lawsuit are pretty weak," he explains as Damian lets out a sigh of relief.

"But the not so great news is your defense would also be pretty weak if this wound up in court," Mike countered.

"It's likely we can get this whole thing dismissed, though," Harvey assures, hoping to save face with his new client.

"Let the dream team do it's thing and I'll give you a call tomorrow," Mike tells Damian as they leave the room and walk Damian to the elevators.

"The dream team?" Harvey asks as the pair walk back to Mike's office to get started on Damian's case.

"Just trying out a new catchphrase," Mike replies with a shrug, "what? You don't like it? I thought working with me again was a dream come true."

Harvey doesn't say anything, just gives Mike an eye roll and a sideways glance, which he takes as an invitation to keep talking.

"Alright, we can try something different. Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, Bonnie and Clyde, Themla and Louise," he offers, raising his eyebrows and giving Harvey a pointed look.

"How about we stick with Butch and Sundance," Harvey replies, trying his best to sound unamused by the conversation.

"You do realize I'm Butch now, seeing as I'm your boss and all," Mike challenged, which made Harvey sigh heavily.

"Alright Butch," Harvey replied, tossing the case files across the coffee table towards Mike, "how do you suggest we get Damian out of his situation?"

As Donna is packing up to head home for the night, she spots Rachel lingering at his office door.

"Hey Rach, Harvey just texted and said he and Mike decided to grab drinks so I figured I would head home. Do you want a ride?"

"Actually, I came down here to see if maybe Harriet Specter had time for drinks with Michelle Ross tonight?"

Donna takes a moment to consider the offer, seeing as Harvey would be out late and she had no desire to unpack their remaining boxes, she accepts and soon she and Rachel find themselves seated at a bar, martinis in hand.

"And he does this insane thing where, when we're watching TV, the volume has to be on an even number," Donna explains, midway through her second martini, "but the most annoying thing is that he never asks me to change it like a normal person would, he just silently reaches for the remote, changes it himself, and mumbles 'even number' under his breath," she finishes, shaking her head.

"Oh my god, Mike can't stand it when cabinets and drawers are left open, even the slightest bit. But sometimes when I'm cooking I leave them open on purpose because I'm not done yet, but every single time, he appears out of nowhere and closes them anyways and it's so infuriating," she says, breathing out a sigh.

"Men," Donna laughs, shaking her head slightly.

"I can't believe you two really did it," Rachel says after a moment of comfortable silence, "That we all ended up here somehow, the four of us."

"Who would've ever thought that Michelle Ross and Harriet Specter would get to meet Rachel Ross and Donna Specter."

"Not me, that's for sure. I'm so glad you two finally saw it, even if I'm still bitter you got married without me there."

"Saw what Rach?"

"What the rest have us have seen for years. The loyalty and the love that you two have for each other. Truthfully Donna, I've always admired it. When Mike and I went through the Logan thing and then all of the prison drama, wanting something like what you two had is what helped me through it."

"We weren't even together?"

"But you protected each other and would have done anything for each other. What you two had even back then is hard to come by."

"And about doing it without you, you know we wish you were there."

"I know. I can't believe I took that last minute case in London and I missed all the fun. Guess you guys will have to do it again for me."

"Ha, not in this lifetime."

"Okay," Donna continues with a breath, finishing off her drink and setting her hands on the table in front of her. "Enough about me," she pauses, locking eyes with Rachel.

"What?" she replies with a laugh.

"What's going on with you," Donna prys, "I feel like we've been talking about me nonstop since I got here,"

"Well, you are the one who just got married," Rachel sasses, but Donna doesn't bite, she just cocks her head to one side and purses her lips.

"Alright, alright," Rachel says, throwing her hands up in mock defeat. "I'm good," she says after a breath, "Mike and I are both really good, finally."

"What do you mean finally?"

"I mean, we feel really settled. We moved right after we got married, and then worked crazy hours for months getting the firm up and running and established. We finally feel like everything's fallen into place and we can just live and enjoy what we do," she explains with a smile.

"So," Donna starts, drawing out the o as a mischievous grin spreads across her face, "when are you and Mike going to make me an aunt again?"

"Oh my god, you sound like my mother," Rachel says as she rolls her eyes, "not for a while though," she admits, and Donna pouts in response.

"We've talked about it a lot, and we're going to wait a bit. We really like where we are right now - we have time to go out and do things and just enjoy one another's company and we know that as soon as we have a kid that kind of freedom will vanish."

"You better not enjoy one another's company too much or we might end up with a little accident," Donna jokes, which earns her an eyeroll and a playful swat to the forearm from Rachel.

"Alright your turn," Rachel says, "when are you and Harvey going to make me an aunt?"

"Well, as someone just pointed out, we just got married and moved to a new city, so," Donna sasses, "but honestly, it's something we've barely considered," she admits.

"But you've talked about it?"

"A little bit after Lucy was born, but so many things have happened so quickly, I think we need to settle down a bit before we're ready for any kind of serious conversation," she says, as Rachel nods in understanding.

"And who even knows," Donna adds with a laugh, "maybe I'm too old and dried up down there for it to even happen at all."

"You're Donna, you can do anything," Rachel jokes.

"Here's hoping that biology agrees with you."

It's a few days later and she's curled up on the couch with her nose in a book when she hears his keys in the door. She turns in the direction of the noise and sees him striding across the room towards her, smile on his face.

"You're home early," she says as he bends down to give her a quick kiss.

"Yeah, the meeting was quick," he explains, walking into the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of wine before offering one to her too.

"And it went well?" she asks, although she was already pretty sure it had, given the huge grin he was sporting.

"It did," he replied, passing her his phone and silently inviting her to pick something to order for dinner. 'Mike found Pacific Plastics a small, but lucrative deal with a public school in Texas and offered to negotiate it if they dropped the case against Damian," he explained.

"Those poor Texas turtles," Donna says, hanging her head slightly which makes Harvey roll his eyes.

She passes his phone back to him and studies his expression. "What?" he asks, looking up from his phone to find her staring at him.

"Nothing," she says dismissively, "it's just -," she pauses, searching for the right words, "your cases are usually so much more complicated, this one wrapped so quickly."

"It took us a bit to find a loophole in the state law that would give us grounds for a dismissal if Pacific Plastics didn't take the deal. But Mike knows both businesses well and knew how to make a deal that both sides would be alright with," he explains.

"You're proud of him."

"No, I'm proud of myself," Harvey quickly counters, "he wouldn't even be a lawyer if it wasn't for me."

"Hey Rach, I'm home," Mike calls as he walks through the foyer of their condo.

"And you brought burritos," she says excitedly, leaping down from the kitchen stool and taking the bag out of his hands.

"I still can't believe that it took a move to Seattle for you to eat burritos."

"I've always liked burritos," she clarifies as she pulls plates from the cabinet, "I just didn't care for your greasy, smelly, probably wouldn't pass health inspection Brooklyn burritos," she sasses.

"How did you meeting go?" she asks, pouring them each a glass of wine.

"It was great, they took the deal and those goddamn plastic bastards are no longer our problem," he boasts.

"And Harvey?"

"He was really helpful with the state law stuff," he says, "but he really followed my lead. I mean, he had his own ideas, but he deferred to me. Which," he paused," now that I think about it, is kind of surprising," he finishes, glancing over to Rachel.

"I may have said something to him before the case started," she admits sheepishly, and Mike gives her another look.

"But honestly, I think he would have done that had I spoken to him or not," she admits.

"Really?"'

"He trusts you, Mike," she says simply, "he wouldn't have taken this job if he didn't think you knew what you were doing."

"So the student really has become the master then," Mike says boastfully.

He finds himself sitting at the edge of their bed, doing up the final buttons on his shirt as he waits for her to finish getting ready for their night out with Mike and Rachel.

"What time are we supposed to be there?" he calls into the closet.

"Not for another half hour. You know, maybe you can fill the dishwasher while you wait?" she calls out to him.

"Um, yeah sure."

"But Harvey," she says, peeking out from behind the closet door so he can see her.

"Yes?"

"Please put the cups in the right way," she smirks before disappearing behind the door once again.

"There's a wrong way?" he asks, following her into the walk in closet.

"Yes," she answers, stepping into a simple, yet elegant, black dress that fell just below the knee and bunched at the waist.

"You see, when you put them in there upright they fill with water."

"They're supposed to fill with water," he replies with a cock of his eyebrow, his gaze fixed on where her bare back was exposed by the open zipper on her dress.

"Clean water," she corrects, crossing the room and turning so her exposed back is turned to him.

"Do you mind?"

He nods and reaches for the zipper, slowly tugging on it so that the freckles lining her back begin to disappear beneath the silky material. He knows it will only be a matter of hours before he sees them again, before he brushes his lips over them giving each of them the attention they deserve, but he's sad to see them being tucked away. Donna's freckles were something he'd always adored, but if married life had taught him anything, it was that her hidden freckles were the ones he loved the most.

His free hand hovers over her hip as he leans closer, slowly moving the zipper up as his lips hover above her ear.

"Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" he whispers, breath hot on her neck.

She hesitates for a moment before answering, his free hand having fallen to her waist, his front pressed firmly into her back.

"Yes," her voice falters and she's not sure he's convinced she means it.

He replies by placing a kiss just above her collarbone, his hands anchoring her against his body as she melts into his touch with a low sigh. He works a trail of kisses from the outerward most part of her collarbone towards her neck, where he decides to withdraw his lips and refocus his attention on nibbling on her earlobe; something he'd discovered drove her wild.

She reaches behind her head, hooking her fingers through his hair and encouraging him, allowing herself to get lost in his touch for a moment before reality comes slamming back into her.

"Harvey," she mumbles but he resumes kissing her.

"We need to stop or we'll never leave."

"Fine by me," he shrugs, stealing a brief kiss.

She gives in to his taste once again, whirling around to face him as he locks his lips with hers and a pleasantly surprised squeal escapes her throat at the sudden contact.

"Harv-" she mumbles between kisses, her palm falling on his chest as she breaks their kiss and pushes herself away.

"Fine, but we're finishing this conversation when we get home."

He groans as he reluctantly releases her waist and watches as she walks away to retrieve her bag, a small pout on his lips.

"I was hoping we could finish it in the shower later?" she sasses, "you know, after you rewash all the dirty cups from the dishwasher?" winking at him before strutting out of the closet, Harvey hot on her heels.

"Louis really thought it was Samantha?" Mike laughs, all eyes on Harvey as he tells the story of the time he replaced Louis' cat photos with stock photos of various dogs.

"To this day he's still upset with her about it," he laughs, squeezing Donna's hand that he held beneath the table.

Eventually the laughter subsided as the group continued to reminisce about the days the four of them ruled the Manhattan law scene. Mike and Harvey joke about the time Mike went to prison, for the first time since the event occurred and Donna and Rachel giggle about the nights they spent as Michelle Ross and Harriet Specter; something that Mike and Harvey can't believe they used to do.

The irony of their situation is not lost on Donna. She and Rachel sitting here across for their husbands, a Specter and a Ross, just like their former alter-egos, only now they were actually a Ross and a Specter.

They'd come so far since their time at Pearson Hardman.

Mike and Rachel fell in love. Mike had gone from a fraud to a legitimate lawyer, and Rachel had gone from a paralegal to one bad-ass lawyer.

They'd gone from strangers to friends and now here they sat a family.

And she and Harvey… they finally had everything.

Laughing over drinks with her hand secured firmly in her husbands beneath the table, she can't help but smile at how her life had turned out. It may not have followed the path she'd outlined for herself in her early twenties, but it turned out much better than she ever could have imagined.

"It's done, they signed it," Katrina says with a smile and a sigh of relief as she strolls into Louis' office.

"That's great," Louis replies, returning her smile and rising from his chair. "I think this calls for a celebration," he says, moving across his office to his bar cart.

"It was just a standard merger," Katrina dismisses.

"No, Katrina, it was your first merger as name partner," Louis replies sincerely, "and that's something to celebrate.

"Gretchen?" Louis calls, switching on his intercom, "Can you ask Samantha and Alex to come in here please?"

"I hear a celebration is in order," Samantha says a few minutes later when she strolls into Louis' office, Alex behind her.

"Pfizer and Purdue just signed a $28 billion merger, all thanks to Katrina," Louis says, practically beaming at the success of his protege turned partner.

"Here's to Katrina then," Alex says, accepting a glass of scotch from Louis' outstretched hand and raising it in a toast.

Holding his glass to his lips, Louis looks at his partners casually chatting and laughing with one another. It'd been a month full of change, with Faye finally getting the oust, Lucy being born, and Harvey and Donna leaving, but they'd really come together during the transition. Losing Harvey and Donna was a loss, and he still felt it sometimes when he passed their still empty offices, but he couldn't be prouder of the direction the firm was heading. He had the privilege of working alongside of the most tenacious, brave, and compassionate people he'd ever met and they were shaping up to be quite the team.

"You know," Louis says after a few minutes of reflection, "I think we're going to be alright."

"Oh so I win a huge settlement last week, but it takes Katrina negotiating a merger for you to realize we'll be okay without Harvey and Donna?" Alex teases, which makes Samantha laugh and Louis roll his eyes.

"No, what I'm saying is it's been a hectic month and yet, we've all done great work," he explains, "and it's the three of you that have really made that possible," he says.

"To us, then," Samantha says sincerely, raising her glass and returning Louis' smile.

Rachel's ringtone interrupts Mike mid-sentence and she excuses herself to answer the call, explaining it was one of the associates at the firm. Harvey excuses himself to the restroom while Rachel is still out on the phone, leaving Mike and Donna to themselves at the table.

"Well?" Mike cocks his head as he stares across the table at Donna.

"Well what?" she asks, pausing to take a long sip of her drink.

"How has the first week been?"

"It's no Manhattan that's for sure, but we missed you two. And I've never seen Harvey so excited after such a straightforward case. It reminded me of our days back in the DA's office, when he would get such a high after winning even the simplest case," she reminisces and Mike's gaze falls on her expanding smile.

"Having you two here, together, it's almost surreal," he says.

"Oh?"

"You know we've been rooting for you guys for a while, I guess it's just nice to see how well you guys work together, and I don't mean at the office. You know, when Rachel and I first considered moving out here, you two were one of the main reasons we considered staying in Manhattan. You guys are family Donna. Being here like this, grabbing dinner with the four of us…"

"It feels like coming home," she finishes for him.

"Exactly," he grins, leaning back against his seat as Rachel rejoined them.

"What'd I miss?" she asks.

"I was just about to tell Donna about how I thought she and Harvey were married when he first hired me," he smirks, the beginning of his story perfectly timed with Harvey's return to table.

"You what?" he asks, sliding into the seat beside Donna and immediately searching for her hand.

"Come on! You two have to admit that you acted like an old married couple!"

"If we acted like an old married couple back then, what does that make us now?"

"An ancient married couple?" Mike snickers and is met with a playful swat in the arm from Rachel.

"His jokes never get better do they?" Harvey asks Rachel who's doing her best to hold back a laugh.

"You missed this."

"You have no proof."

"Your wife told me that you enjoyed our case together," Mike fires back and Harvey looks to Donna who refuses to look him in the eye.

"God, this is going to be fun, the whole band back together again. Working to make the world a better place," Mike says.

"You sound like a cheesy greeting card," Harvey replies, the entire table no longer able to contain their laughter.

"Risking Harvey making another smart ass remark about me, I'd like to propose a toast," Mike says, raising his glass and waiting for the others to follow.

"To family and new beginnings," he says, clinking his glass against first Rachel's, followed by Donna's and then Harvey's.

"To family," they echo as Harvey gives Donna's free hand a gentle squeeze beneath the table where their fingers were still interlocked.

To family, he thinks to himself. And one hell of a new beginning.

Stay tuned for our next chapter:

9x12 - Power

Donna struggles to make a name for herself in her new position at the firm. Harvey assists his former associate Rachel on a case against a former client of his.