(Part V)

A Family

"Maddie, be careful with those honey, Daddy won't be happy if you scratch them!" Donna pleaded to her four year old as she pulled out one of the records from the shelves in her father's office, "Trust me, Miles Davis and I know all about it." she mumbled to herself as she scampered over to snatch up her daughter, short arms lovingly wrapping around the redhead's neck as little polished red fingernails played with her mother's auburn layers.

"Did I hear my name?" Harvey beamed, swooping into his office wearing a type of grin he had only acquired since becoming a father.

"Daddy!" Madeline squealed as she wriggled out of her mother's arms with utter delight, dashing over to him, her strawberry gold ringlets bouncing off her shoulders as Harvey bent down to catch her up in his arms.

"Hey there sweetie!" he grinned as he buried a loving kiss onto her forehead, admiring the few light freckles that lay horizontally scattered across her ivory cheeks and nose. His daughter responded by lightly placing her minuscule hands on either side of his jaw and giving him a peck on the lips.

"Mommy said I can't play with your things.." she mumbled, looking for sympathy like any Daddy's girl would.

"I said you have to be careful!" Donna defended with a giggle, shaking her head knowing Harvey would only take his daughter's side anyway.

"Well Mommy isn't much fun today is she?" he joked, pulling his head back with a mock frown for his child's sake, before he looked to his wife with a smirk as she rolled her eyes and seated herself on the couch, sighing with exhaustion.

"Hmm, well you wouldn't be much fun either if you were up with Little Miss Rise and Shine over here since 5 a.m, mister." she hummed nodding towards their daughter as she relaxed into the black leather and put her legs up on the glass coffee table.

Harvey laughed to himself as he gave Madeline another tight squeeze before letting her down to run back over to his colourful collection of albums. Donna watched, smiling at him as he observed their daughter resuming her intense record studies, "Oh, but whenever I did that you almost had a heart attack?" she called out to him in a teasing manner.

Harvey looked at her with an innocent glare as he made his way to his desk, "But you don't have tiny little hands that can't even remove the record from it's cover." he stated in defense, "And I always let you touch my stuff and you know it."

"True." Donna admitted, "Even after I scratched your Miles Davis. Oh my god, you really do love me." she gasped in mock shock, holding her hand to her heart as if it just suddenly dawned on her.

Harvey pulled his smirking eyes away from hers to land them on his desk, eager to start his next conversation, "Well hello there mister, and what has got you so quiet today?"

"Shh Daddy! I'm working." his son's tiny faux frown flashed up at him as his little frame sat in his father's huge leather desk chair.

Donna let out a chuckle from the other side of the room, still lying back relaxing with her eyes closed, "That's my boy." she whispered, knowing Harvey would hear it.

Harvey frowned at her antics and sighed with a defeated smile as he bent down beside the chair to be level with his son, "And what are you working on exactly?"

"Uhm.." Harvey could see the lawyer wheels trying to turn inside the four year old's brain as he dropped his father's pen against the paper he was scribbling on, trying his best to remember one of the grown up words he had heard some of the adults say at the office before, "a suh..peen..iss."

Donna's eyes shot open as she tried her best to contain her hysterics at their son's adorable, yet hilariously incorrect, attempt at the word, "You can handle that one."

Harvey chuckled lightly, "It's 'subpoena', James."

"Suh-peena." nodded the boy as he knitted his brows and picked up the pen again.

Harvey beamed at the light-ashy haired child that had all of his looks and almost too much of his mother's bossiness and smarts. He lay his hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair with a proud grin, "You're gonna be New York's next best closer aren't you, buddy?"

James whipped his small arms up to his hair to swat his father away as he tried his best to stay professional, but giggled anyway, "Daddy stop please, I'm at work!"

Harvey brought his palms flat up to his shoulder's submissively, "Okay okay, come see me when you're on your lunch break then.."

Donna angled her head towards her husband and followed him with her eyes as he made his way over to her, bending over about to give her a kiss before she reluctantly pushed him away with a lightly scornful glare, "Harvey! We're at the office.."

"And? You're my wife. The mother of my kids. I don't think people would care to judge as much as you once thought they would, Donna." He defended as he straightened back up and jumped over her outstretched legs to sit himself beside her on the sofa as she grinned.

Madeline ran over shortly after, with a record case that was wider than her body wrapped under her arms, "Daddy! Play this one? Please?" she raised her voice in excitement.

"Maddie honey, not too loud remember?" Harvey nodded towards the pram in front of him.

The little redhead turned to match where her doting father's eyes had landed, "Oops I forgot she was sleeping.. sorry." she whispered, placing her fingers on her lips after she lay the record on his lap.

Harvey smirked, pulling his attention away from his youngest daughter who was finally in a deep sleep after being awake since 5 in the morning, cozily blanketed up in her stroller. He picked up the record album and laughed, turning his head toward Donna on his left, "She's got my good taste in music, I'll give her that."

Donna beamed back at him as she glanced at the cover he was holding up. His father's favourite record album. She remembered how that had also become theirs now as they had danced to it many times, mostly during late nights in the office, "Her Grandfather's good taste, you mean?" she corrected light-heartedly.

Harvey nodded in agreement, "Alright little miss, lets get this party started!" he chirped as he gathered her up in his arms once again.

"It better be the quietest party on the planet because I just got that little one to sleep thirty minutes ago!" Donna warned lightly, after returning to her head back, eyes closed, position.

"It's okay Mommy, Mia loves jazz music.." Madeline chimed in, adorably snickering as the mischievous glint in her eye mirrored her father's.

"Oh, well in that case sweetie." Donna chuckled to herself.

With his daughter in his left arm, he used his right to operate the record player. Madeline's eyes lit up as she watched this amazing device bring the music to life. When a song was playing at an acceptable noise level for a sleeping baby, Harvey took excited the little girl's left hand in his right and swayed around with her as her right hand gripped the nape of his neck. Donna peaked open her eyes then and felt her heartbeat quicken. She had never gotten used to seeing the love of her life as a father. It amazed her every single day at just how much he was made to be a Dad.

After a giggle-filled dance, Harvey let his dizzy daughter back down on the floor, watching as she ran over to her brother, the frills of her skirt bobbing along with her. Both parents watched them enthusiastically play 'Specter Litt' at their father's desk.

"Literally the only thing that makes them twins is their birthday." Donna mused, grinning towards Harvey as he seated himself beside her again, his hand resting on her white jeans as the jazz continued to play in the background.

"It's like looking at a mini us." he added proudly.

Madeline was seating herself on one of the desk chairs opposite James, reaching out over the marble desk, much to her brother's annoyance, to grab the phone before she brought it up to her ear and channeled her mother's acting ability, "Don-nah Possen Spectur, Cee-Oh-Oh spee-king?"

"Still think she's a Daddy's girl?" Harvey's teased playfully.

Donna looked back to their kids with the utmost pride, placing her right hand over his on her lap, their fingers quickly interlocking, "I knew bringing her to work with me that one evening would pay off."

Harvey eyed his kids again then, "The way she delivers that line, I can't tell if she's gonna be an actress, or an actual COO?"

Donna pressed her lips together into a sweet smile, before raising her index finger between the small space between her and Harvey, "I also brought her to my old cubicle earlier while Mike and Rach watched the other two, she practically kicked some assistant out of it! With her charm, of course." she informed her husband.

"Bet you encouraged it."

"I didn't not encourage it." Harvey sent her a challenging glare, "What? That cubicle will always be mine." she retorted in defense.

Harvey smirked back, watching again as his two little angels played offices, messing up his neat desk in the process, not even caring that they were doing so.

"Which one of us do you think this little one will take after?" Harvey mumbled affectionately as he nodded towards the three month old snoozing peacefully in her pram.

"Well," Donna began with an extended brow as she prepared him for a teasing, "seeing as she cries every time I leave the room, I'd say she's definitely gonna take after her father!"

Harvey shook his head in mock annoyance as he stroked her thigh with his thumb, "Very funny, Donna."

The witty redhead replied with a pleased grin. He leaned in to give her a peck when she brought her right index finger to his lips, looking out through the glass walls behind them. He frowned with a tut, "You're on maternity leave, so technically we're not even working together right now."

"I may have broken my rule for you, but I still have my principles, Harvey." she toyed, stroking his jaw with her red polished fingernails.

His eyes narrowed on her as his grin enlarged, "Oh yeah? I don't remember seeing your 'principles' around anywhere that first night you kissed me in your office?"

Donna was lost for a comeback for just a second before quipping back, "And aren't you so incredibly lucky that they went missing that night, mister?"

"I am." he nodded swinging his left arm onto the back of the sofa behind her, playing with her strands of honey hair, "What do you say you lose them again so you can kiss me goodbye before I've to go to my next meeting?"

Donna shook her head, partly at herself for hating how much he owned her. And she him. She knew she couldn't resist those charm-filled eyes of his, but she loved making him work for it nonetheless. She curled her lips into a seductive smile as her eyes targeted his lips, telling him he could lean in for a kiss, which he did right on cue.

They heard twin giggles echoing from across the room moments later, "Mommy and Daddy up a tree, k-i-s-s…", both siblings trailed off.

"i-n-g!" Donna finished for them as they struggled to remember what they were spelling.

"Kissing is gross!" James remarked as he scrunched up his nose and shared a high-pitched cackle with his sister.

"If only they knew how they were made.." Harvey muttered under his breath.

"I know, I'm pretty sure they have some whipped cream in their genes.." Donna added humorously, sending the couple into a secretive laughter over their own commentary as their oblivious kids continued playing.

"Daddy what's this doing in here?" James asked innocently as he pulled out his father's desk drawer further, eventually revealing what was inside as he held it up high, wrapped between his miniature fingers.

Both Donna and Harvey were at a loss for words, mouths agape and brows raised, before Donna propelled herself off of the couch, "On that note.." she began walking herself over to the desk wearing an awkward smile to retrieve the item from her son, "we're gonna go home now, come on kids, say goodbye to Daddy."

She watched them moan and groan as they had to stop playing and get down from their recently claimed desk, running over to give their father a loving hug. She placed the can opener back inside the drawer beside the box of thumbtacks, smiling to herself at all the memories it held. Remembering how she had given the cherished item back to him during their fall out all those years ago, as she tried desperately to move on. How it had been returned to the office from its temporary home at Harvey's old apartment almost immediately after they got together. And, how they must have done their sacred ritual hundreds of times by now in their almost twenty years together.

Donna snapped out of her train of thought to gaze at the sight on the couch before her. Two of their kids jumping up on their father's lap as they hugged and played, messing each other's hair, their daughter playfully pulling at Harvey's tie, "Madeline Lilian Specter, are you trying to choke me!?" Harvey scolded humorously between laughs as James tickled his ribs, "And James Gordon!? I thought us guys were supposed to stick together?"

A giant mix of poking, prodding and giggling was almost bringing tears to Donna's eyes. She had never really envisioned herself with a family this big. The twins had been a surprise, well one of them was at least. Both her and Harvey had gotten the most unexpected news at her 20 week scan, the doctor telling them that there was actually another baby housed snugly in her uterus, hiding behind her brother. And then to be blindsided again over four years later, when they weren't even trying for another baby. That didn't mean they weren't overjoyed at their latest little miracle though. And now Donna was able to watch them all in his office, the happy family she never dared imagine for herself beforehand, almost always believing she would never find the right person to share that kind of life with, only to realise one night that that person had been right under her nose for the last thirteen years.

She shook her head and made her way over to the stroller, blaming her post-baby hormones for her minor emotional episode, when really she knew they had nothing to do with it, "Alright kids, that's enough abusing your poor father for today," ordered their mother as she gently reversed the pram, trying not wake the baby, "..until he gets home later that is."

The twins jumped down off the couch, allowing Harvey to breath again as he stood up to meet his wife. Placing one hand on her waist, he looked down into the stroller and smirked boastfully, "She looks like me when she's sleeping." He used his free hand to gently caress his youngest child's rosy cheek as she dreamed peacefully, all but melting his heart.

A light orange glow stepped in between them then and they both looked down, "Mia looks like me and Mommy, Daddy." reaffirmed the young girl as she glared at her father with Donna's eyes and turned back to her mother, parroting the signature smirk she had learned from her. Donna rewarded her daughter with a not-so-subtle wink and a high-5.

"And isn't she very lucky about that, Madds?" he chuckled, lightly pinching her adorably freckled cheek as she smiled into the stroller, doting over her baby sister.

"Let's go Mommy, we need to feed her soon." Madeline reminded her.

"We." Donna echoed to Harvey as both of their hearts twinged at their daughter's protective nature.

Harvey closed the gap between him and Donna to plant another cheeky kiss on her lips, "We.. really have three kids." he whispered to her, as if the fact just suddenly hit him.

"We really do." she nodded, mirroring his bemusement.

"Can we go see Uncle Louis now Mommy?" James asked hopefully.

"Only if you promise to play with all his cat pictures, he'll love that." Harvey butt in mischiefly.

Donna frowned at him, before smiling when he just smirked back, "And his dictaphone!" she added, nodding at her two eldest.

The fun-sized duo gleefully began scampering out of Harvey's office, leaving Donna to pick up the pace behind them as she pushed the stroller out the door, "I'll see you at home, don't be too late, Mike and Rachel are bringing Edith over for a play date at around 6."

"When do I ever stay longer than necessary these days?" He defended following her to the door, before chancing another kiss, which she accepted, seeing as nobody was around.

"True, you're quite the home bird lately." she hummed in agreement.

"I'm a 'wherever my family is' bird actually." Harvey corrected with an all too pleased-with-himself smirk.

Donna smiled in response, forcefully holding herself back from commenting on his latest new-found talent; Dad jokes. "Alright Tweety, see you soon." she leaned in for one quick peck, taking advantage of the empty corridors, "Love you."

"I love you too." he beamed.

Harvey watched the four loves of his lives getting smaller and smaller as they made their way down the corridor, a mixture of tiny legs skipping and jumping and longer legs strutting effortlessly after them behind the wheels of the stroller.

A certain bird lasted less than an hour before he rearranged his afternoon meeting and flew home to nest for the day.

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FIN.