Prompt via CC: "an AU Post canon Darvey. Darvey heads to Boston and meet Lily and Marcus (his kids too)"

So I'm not really sure what happened here. Let's call it a writing exercise.

Thanks to everyone who looked it over and listened to me whine. The list is long. You know who you are.

"What if they don't like me?"

Harvey looked at her for so long he started to veer off the road. "What?"

"Harvey, look where you're going!" He startled and hastily corrected the wheel. A dark blue BMW swung around them in the left lane, blaring its horn as it passed well above even their dubiously legal speed.

"Masshole," he muttered before turning his attention back to Donna. "What do you mean 'what if they don't like you'? You've known Marcus for years, you've definitely sent the kids more presents with my name on them than I ever have, and you talked to my mother last week."

"Yeah, but that was before."

"Before? Donna, what's going on, this isn't like you. Should I pull over?"

"No, don't pull over. I don't know, I just feel like that was when I was just Donna the secretary it was different."

"Donna," he says, in that tone he uses when she's just said something ridiculous. "You were never 'just the secretary'."

"What I mean is I went from being no one important to part of the family and when it was fine to be Donna your friend-"

"Donna my wife might hit a little different?"

She scrunched her nose and looked out at the Massachusetts countryside to avoid catching Harvey's gaze. "Especially since we basically eloped."

Suddenly I-90 got very rough and horns blazed as cars whizzed passed, and Donna realized he was pulling over. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you my full attention." He put the car in park and hit the hazard lights before turning in his seat to face her. He took one of her hands in both of his and looked her in the eye. "Donna, you have been part of my family for years. They know that. They've always known that. Hell, Marcus has spent most of the past decade asking when I was going to bring you home to meet them."

"Really? You never told me that."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly the kind of thing I was going to announce." He rubbed a thumb over hers. "Look, I get being worried. You think I'm looking forward to meeting your parents after all of this? But who you are hasn't changed, Donna, just what I call you. And I'm proud to call you my wife. My feelings for you haven't changed, and neither have theirs. You're gonna get mobbed, big time," he grinned.

She laughed and wiped at the dampness in her eyes with her free hand. "How did you get so good at this comfort thing?"

He brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face and leaned across the console to kiss her. "I had a good teacher. Now, you ready?"

Donna took a deep breath and nodded firmly, feeling the nervousness recede and some semblance of her usual confidence return. "Let's go meet some in-laws."

[...]

It was midmorning when they arrived at Marcus's and Harvey could already see the kids at the window as soon as he turned off the ignition. "You ready for this?"

Donna grinned. "As I'll ever be."

Two children barreled out of the house and down the front steps- Hailey was three steps ahead of her brother and hit the car first. "I won!" she told him smartly, and turned to the driver's window. "Hi, Harvey! Did you bring us anything?"

Marcus had made it to the porch by then and leaned against the railing. "Kids, c'mon, let them at least get out of the car first."

Harvey took Donna's hand as the children retreated to the porch, and gave a squeeze. "Remember, they love you already."

They got out of the car and Harvey stood there and grinned as the kids bounced on the bottom step. "All right, bring it on." He braced himself and still staggered under the onslaught of two small bodies. He laughed as they each clung to a side, Hailey on the right and Jack on the left. Donna watched from the other side of the car, a smile growing on her face. She'd known Harvey for fifteen years, but she'd never seen this side of him. It made something twist inside of her, sweet and aching.

"Guys, this is Donna." He grinned at her. "She's your new aunt."

"Hi, Donna," they chorused.

"Don't be rude," Marcus called from the porch.

Hailey detached herself first and offered a hand to Donna, who took it solemnly. "Nice to meet you."

Jack was next, and after considering her a moment he, too, stuck out a hand. Before she could take it, though, he was hugging her and asking, "Did you bring us anything?"

She laughed. "Maybe. You'll have to wait and see."

They made their way to the house and Donna held out a hand to Marcus, who just looked at her with a startlingly familiar expression and pulled her in for a hug. "I always knew you were the one," he whispered as he released her, and she flushed.

He greeted his brother with a hug and a slap on the back. "Mom's inside, come on."

The kids ran ahead yelling for Grandma, and Marcus brought up the rear. Lily appeared at the kitchen door, wiping her hands on a towel before throwing it over her shoulder; Harvey squeezed her hand before hugging his mother and turned back to her.

"Mom, this is-"

"Donna, of course. It's so good to finally meet you in person." She was engulfed in another hug and this time could feel herself relaxing. "Thank you," Lily whispered as she released her.

"For what?"

"For taking care of him. Keeping him in line. Bringing him home."

[...]

It was late when they finally made it to the guest room. As soon as the door closed, he wrapped her in a hug. "So, you survived."

She hugged him back. "I did. Thank you for putting up with me."

"Please, after all these years?"

"True, I do have some comfort time banked."

"Like Scrooge McDuck."

She laughed.

He brushed a hand against her cheek. "I told you they'd love you."

"You did. I was being silly."

"No, you were being human. I hate to think what I'm going to be like facing your parents. I made things right with your dad then went and married you behind his back."

"I am my own person, you know."

Harvey shrugged. "It's a guy thing."

"Are you okay? This was a big day for you, too."

"You mean the first time I brought home a girl since high school and it's only after I married her?"

"A lot of firsts today," she murmured against his collarbone. "First trip after leaving the firm. First time introducing me to the family. First time home being someone's husband."

"Being your husband," he mumbled against her hair.

Donna drew back, face sober. "Are you telling me you've had another wife and I'm only just now finding out about it?"

"What? No! I just meant-"

She laughed. "Relax, I'm just messing with you."

She watched his eyes darken. "Maybe it's time I messed with you."

"Oh, no," she said primly, stepping out of his embrace. "Not with the kids next door. I don't want to scar them for life."

"Can't a man make out with his wife in peace?"

"If I thought you could keep it to making out, I'd let you." She poked his chest. "But we both know you can't. So let's just go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow we can take a quiet drive and you can show me the shore."

A grin crept across his face. "Donna Paulsen, are you suggesting we sneak off to have sex in the car?"

"I'm suggesting," she said with the hint of a smile, "that we get some sleep and see what tomorrow brings."