The Halloweenerie By Atheniandream

Chapter 2.

Notes: Many Thanks for the encouragement. It's taken ages to get through this. Bring on Spring Suits!

Donna.

When she wakes in the morning, slowly but surely there are three sensations waiting to greet her:

And even pounding in her head,

The thick fume of her own alcohol laden morning breath,

And the feeling of relaxed muscle beneath her fingers.

All three are met with calming approval and for a brief moment she revels in the comfort of being gently molded to another very warm body.

But, with a damned, almost hellish timing, a fourth and fifth sensation start to define themselves. She stiffens completely as her eyes open and begin to tackle a focus,

On the distinct hairline and hair colour of her Boss,

And his even more signature cologne. Hugo Boss. Typical.

He must have felt her fingers twitch but not move as he breathes out heavily, his hand loosely covering hers.

She starts to sweat, feeling a slightly feverish wave that only occurs in those completely hungover, flu-infested or immersed in pre-pubescent teen years. Typical. Her mind reels at the few options of releasing her hand without him noticing or waking up suddenly.

Considering the particular holiday, cutting off her hand seems like the only sensible option at this point...

A loud knock at the door eliminates the odds, Harvey's head leaving the pillow and dropping her hand simultaneously. She stills behind him.

"Lovebirds?" Her sister's voice rings out from the hallway, her husband's muffled annoyances following soon after. "We're getting breakfast at Toni's. You coming, or are you…?" The words are drowned out by something Joe says and the reacting sound of a protest on the other side of the door. "Fifteen minutes Sis," Abby finally calls, before the padding of children's feet and descending steps disappear downstairs.

She feels a cold exhale pass her lips.

Harvey shifts immediately, turning over to face her and frowns slightly at the streaming daylight that passes his eyes. She watches with mirth as he composes himself enough to wince at her in his rather ruffled state. "And you accused me of spooning…" He says playfully, if not a tad shyly as he waits for the comment to linger.

"No spoons were involved." She argues, sitting up in the bed as her baggy tshirt hangs loosely around her frame.

"Says the groper." He replies, arching his eyebrow at her.

She tries to block out the notion of ruffled hair and a tired smile on the man in front of her, settling on an eye roll to disarm him.

"Shut up. We better...hustle." She says, the realisation beginning to dawn on her that he'd be coming with. If she were honest with herself, she'd rather leave him in bed, or better than that, have him get up and join her family and leave her to sleep the morning away….

He senses the ambiguousness immediately. "Hey, I don't have to," He says. "I can't drive yet, I'm still over the limit, but... I can sleep here for a bit?" He offers through a stifled yawn.

She feels the guilt creep into her own features, covering it immediately with a roughness. "Oh no, Mister. If I have to be dragged out of bed this early in the morning, then you're coming with me."

"Spoilsport." He says, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to stand. She notices him wince again at the fineness of age showing in his bones and lingers a little too long at the way the muscles in his back ripple as he stands.

"I can't promise my sister won't be throwing open ended innuendos over the breakfast table, but they do a great english style fry up at the diner."

"Greasy food sounds...about right…and we do have a thing for...diners, after all." He says. He pauses, just for a moment, as if he realises what he's said rather than because of the skeptical look in her eye. "Are you sure?" He asks, facing her.

"Harvey, we're adults. We can handle my little sister's…inappropriate assumptions." She says, spying his unease.

She wonders why her words don't convince either of them.

Maybe because she's half naked in front of a man who probably remembers vividly what the other half looks like…

It is a fair point.

"Oh so you're coming, huh? Morning Harvey." Abby says, as they both appear in the hallway. Harvey frowns at her like he's already sussed her out in less than fifteen hours.

"Yes. Breakfast is imminent, at this point." Donna chimes in, glancing in the mirror at her slightly fluffy hair and 'hangover' make up.

"Yeah, I heard you two come to bed rather… late." She plays, looking at the two of them with relish.

Donna grabs her sister's arm in a flash, punching it a little harder than is playfully allowed between adult siblings. "Oh, my little Sister. Isn't she ghastly?" Donna asks bluntly, the tension seeping out over a laugh as she pinches Abby's cheek, who wrestles her hands away.

"She's uh….certainly a handful. Must be a Paulsen thing." Harvey agrees, smiling slightly.

"Come on we better get going." Abby says, shrugging off her sister to open the front door.

"Are the kids…?" Donna asks, looking around.

"Mom's out in the yard with them. I guess it's just the four of us." Abby says, looking around the doorframe pointedly.

The pit of Donna's stomach sinks as she realises the odds..

A Double breakfast date with her sister, her sister's husband and her Boss. Fabulous.

She'd forgotten how great Toni's was. She used to go there as a teenager, often evading the house for the weekend and taking a minute by herself to get away from the crazy that would eventually become her life. She supposed that this had been what started her love of diners and the fifties; a time that back when you were a kid seemed to have an elegant veneer to it, a decadence that escaped it's very poignant history.

The four of them are shown to a booth in the corner as Abby and Joe squabble over the waitress's choice of where to seat them. Donna looks towards Harvey as he shuffles up the bench next to her, her face taking on an automatic reproach that he quietly challenges amidst his usual poker face. She can't help it, they're circling around something that they shouldn't be and for the first time he isn't helping. If anything he's playing on it, It's unlike him, so young and reckless of him to be like this.

"Stop it." She mutters to him under her breath.

"What?" He asks.

She turns away, picking up a menu.

"Don't tell me, you're going to get the usual?" Her sister asks her, nudging her husband in the process.

Talk about an inside joke…

"No I'm thinking something...different." She replies pointedly as she glances at Harvey, who merely smirks. "You?"

"Uh...coffee." Harvey says, ruffling the back of his hair. "A big one…"

"I second that…" She agrees, feeling her head throb.

"How much did you two drink?" Abby asks, eyeing them both.

"Enough…" She strains for an answer, the tenderness of her head making stronger objections, as her own reply starts to ring in her ear. She watches as Abby silently presses further. "Put it this way. I'm going to be sending Dad some Scotch for an early Christmas present."

"Uhh.. I don't know how you drink that stuff. It's vile. Don't you think it's vile, honey?" She asks Joe.

"Yeah, it's not my favourite. Vile is perhaps a little strong a' word..." Joe drolls.

"Actually...Harvey got me into drinking it," Donna says. She notices Harvey frowning at her to her left.

"Really? That's the first time you ever had Scotch? Cameron's?" Harvey asks, turning to her.

"Well it was ten years ago, Harvey…" She smirks. They were reckless in those days. And yes, she remembers.

"Ten years ago?" Her sister chimes in.

"This was way, way back, when I worked for him at the D.A.'s office." Donna interjects animatedly.

"I'd just gotten a promotion," Harvey adds. "And I thought that we might-"

"He hit on me." Donna interrupts. Long story very short.

"From what I remember you didn't need much… hitting?" Harvey elbows her, looking towards her sister to reaffirm his point.

"Figures." Abby agrees. "In Highschool, she was certainly the-" Donna interrupts her, glaring.

"If we're remembering correctly Harvey, I told you that I didn't date men I worked with. And so…. Scotch is pretty much the end of that." She frowns, glancing down at her menu. "I'd like to order now." She says, her words clipped and blunt for all to hear.

Her sister catches on in a heartbeat, sitting back to glance at her own menu. She doesn't dare look at Harvey.

"So...what does your girlfriend think of you coming here, Harvey?" Abby asks. Her tone is less invasive and more interested.

"Ah...Scottie's known Donna nearly as long as I have. I've known Scottie since College so… she's...fine with it." Harvey says. Donna notices the pokerface, and how well it's worn on him. She's silently thankful that he isn't his usual rude self.

"Wow. She must be some woman. I'm not sure how I'd feel if Joe came to spend a holiday with another woman."

"Abby…." Donna warns.

"No, I was just...saying.." She explains, her hands gesturing at a pace.

"You're shrewd. Like your sister." Harvey replies, smiling slightly.

"Think it runs in the family. Like being a pain in the ass." Donna adds, a nervous laugh as she looks around for the missing waitress.

The table's attention is caught as Harvey tries to pull his phone out of his khaki pants, struggling somewhat as the ring escapes into the air.

"Specter," He says into the receiver as he takes a glance at Donna, who briefly nods.

She knows instantly that the call is work, especially when he makes his silent excuses and shuffles along the bench to the door.

Her sister looks blankly at her. "Work." Donna replies, shrugging.

The missing young woman arrives at their table, popping a hip and taking out her pen and pad.

"Hi, I'm Anna, your server for today. Can I take your order, or do you need more time?" She asks, glancing briefly at a pacing Harvey.

"Uh. No...um… he'll have a… do you do bagels?" Donna asks.

"Of course." The young woman replies.

"Can I get two egg and bacon bagels, both with cheese, to go, along with a tall double shot latte? And then...we would like to eat in…"

"No problem," The waitress says with a smile, jotting down on her pad as she walks towards the server window, just as Harvey makes his way back into the diner, frowning.

"Donna," He starts,

"It'll be five minutes." She replies automatically, that devilish slant in her eye as she waits for him to piece the information together.

"How am I not surprised?" He says, restricting a smile as he goes to sit back down. "The Benton Case," He explains, shaking his head.

"Figures. Did Mike cry?" She asks.

"Like a baby boy. It was actually Jessica, who called,"

"Really?" She asks, something odd and strangely dangerous about Jessica being the one to call. Not Mike. Not Scottie...

"Yeah." He says. She watches his mouth straighten into a stiff line.

"So, you won't be staying for breakfast? That's a shame." Abby replies, the first hint of genuine seriousness since they'd arrived yesterday.

"Abs, sincerity is very suspicious on you," Joe replies, putting his arm around her to give her a quick squeeze.

"Well, I am serious." Abby protests, a disappointed frown on her face as she glances up at her husband who merely chuckles lovingly.

"Sure you are." Harvey chimes in, smirking. The Waitress arrives with almost perfect timing. "Okay, two egg and bacon bagels, with cheese, and a double shot latte." She replies, holding up the brown bag.

"Good choice," Harvey admonishes, as he takes the brown bag and coffee cup, smiling at the waitress. He turns to Donna then, an acute expression on his face. "I still can't drive...you take the car?" He says. It's not an offer.

She's speechless, exposed in front of her sister and brother in-law as he looks at her with that resolute kindness.

"Okay." She says. "Then in that case…" She says, fishing through her bag for her wallet, her fingers pulling out a card, and then a pen, as she turns the business card over to write on the back of it. "Here," She says handing it to him with a flick of her wrist. "The address of the house, and a cab number. Say my name...he'll give you a good deal." She says, dropping the pen back into her bag.

He frowns slightly, before putting it into his back pocket. "Don't go over 70,"

"I know how to drive Harvey." She says bluntly, looking at her sister for a brief moment.

"Just…be careful." He says quietly.

"Awww...you worried about me?" She plays, a cat-like grin forming.

"About the Car. It's a one of a kind." He merely replies. She's aware of the double meaning.

"Then we'll have a fabulous time together." She says with an over-confident smile. He just rolls his eyes. Another smile returned her way.

"It was nice to meet you guys," He says to Abby and Joe, shaking Joe's hand briefly.

"Likewise. You'll have to make another appearance at some point," Abby offers, looking to Joe who appears his nonchalant self, merely smiling coolly as he sits back in his seat.

"Yeah...maybe." He replies wistfully, glancing at Donna one last time before leaving.

The silence is palpable as they watch him leave. Donna can almost feel the tension of a question building as Harvey disappears around the corner.

Abby whips back around to Donna, anticipation on her face.

"What the HELL is going on with you two?" She asks.

She merely raises an eyebrow at her nosy sister.

When she looks back, it was the best call, saying nothing. Her sister would have spread rumours like wildfire, all the way to New York City before he'd even stepped foot on the sidewalk…

When she arrives back at the family home, it's quiet, no doubt her parents have taken the kids out, giving Joe and Abby the morning off. They're good like that, helping out and enjoying it. She wonders if she'll ever get the chance to have kids and leave them with her parents for the day. It's a fleeting thought, she thinks as she enters her old bedroom. His things are gone, but the bed is the same as they'd left it, the sheets ruffled in the wake of them, round indents still present on each side, but somehow seeming closer than she'd remembered them being. She spies the car keys on the dresser, and a fifty to replace the money for the food she paid for earlier. She smiles to herself at his exaggerated generosity. It beguiles her sometimes, how she revolves around this man, this high flyer who was once just a hopeful employee tackling the rungs on the ladder. It's strange, how she's really just...stayed; remained the same, always solid, structured, but never more than she ever was and yet he...he, seems to be changing with the tide, every minute of every day, he's growing,

and she isn't.

They are beautiful and tragic. She wishes she was the former and not the latter.

"Ray," He nods to his driver, sliding into the car as the evening winter blacks out the skyline with purpose.

"Nice to have you back, Harvey. Good Halloween?" Ray asks, peering at him through the rearview mirror.

"A little too short." Harvey answers. The truth in his own words hit harder in the cold air.

"I'll say." Ray replies, looking out onto the busy traffic.

In all honesty, he was glad to have the day finished. He'd arrived back at the firm to chaos and deadlines and a foray of problems to solve. And Mike had handled himself well, all things considered. And being as he was, the kid never once asked a lingering question about him and Donna. He was good like that; knew when not to push the situation that was them.

But it didn't stop him thinking about it. About relationships. About...love.

Now, Harvey Specter doesn't think about love. Hell, he seldom lingers on the notion of it long enough to understand it.

But, Mike - of all people - had changed that. Even he had struggled the realisation of such a thing.

But he realises it all now, that the kid pushed the envelope in his mind the moment that he'd stormed into his apartment asking how to keep it all out. At the time, he'd admitted to being completely unequipped, stunted almost and unable to deal with love, let alone even coach the kid on it.

Love was not his forte.

But it had pushed something, moved something in the back of his head, and when Scottie had returned into his life and was staring up at him through thick lashes and waves of hair he just…

Jumped. A little.

At the time it seemed like the logical thing to do, to give her what she wanted for once.

And he did want her in his life. He did care. He didn't want her to look up at him with that same disappointment anymore, and more than that… he just... wanted someone to be with for an immeasurable amount of time.

He'd never refused getting older, and still didn't. Maybe that was why the need to settle down was starting to matter all the more; when you'd been handed everything you ever wanted and you'd moved past the fast lane lifestyle you just… wanted to be with someone.

The right someone.

And on that note...the lingering doubt that he had fallen short with that part of his life was making itself heard all the more.

He arrived outside his building, opening the door with a goodbye to his driver.

He knew then, that this was it.

Another hard step to take.

And this one, would not be as easy.

When he opens the door to his apartment, overnight bag in hand, he spies her watching him, hawk eyed, from the sofa.

Legs crossed.

Eyes narrowed.

Two glasses of wine on the table.

"Hey." He says

"Hey." She replies, the indignation present in her voice as she cocks her head to the side, her defined jet black looking curls falling against her cheek.

He places his bag a stool at the breakfast bar before facing her.

"I'm sorry I had to cancel dinner. The Benson case,"

"I heard. How was it?" She asks, somewhat restrained.

"A little neater than it was before I left. Mike's going to handle the rest tonight." He sighs.

She nods, picking up her glass of wine to watch it swirl, slowly. "How was...Halloween?" She asks, every intention in her voice as her eyes glare at his.

"Good." He says. He knows what she's doing. She has all the right and he's going to let her win. Somehow this time it's different, no need to point out or accuse as some sort of foreplay. He doesn't want to give her ammo, nor hurt her. Just...let her win what's playing on her mind. It's a new position for him to be this selfless.

"Just...good?" She asks, clipped, noticing the sagging air around his answer.

"Kids. Candy. That's about it." He shrugs.

"That's all you're going to say?" She asks, frowning. "Harvey...if you can't tell me everything then this is-"

"You're right. And I'm sorry." He interrupts. "It's just...not," He can feel himself teetering on the edge of the finality in his own words. In the finality of a defining moment.

"Not what?" She asks, a flash in her eyes.

"It's not going to work, Scottie." He says heavily.

He watches the fury sharpen in her features as she straightens, the tension holding her in her seat. "Did you sleep with her?" She asks, almost accuses.

"No." He answers, shaking his head.

"Did you kiss her?" She asks, harder this time.

"No," He answers again.

When he hears the sound of his own voice, he's not surprised that she questions him. First with a look.

"No?" She asks, an eyebrow raising when he doesn't reaffirm as such.

But he owes her the truth. He sighs, shuffling his feet for a firmer connection with the ground beneath him.

"No, but I… I wanted to." He admits, carefully.

It still hits her like a freight train.

He knows the words are harsh, but he's tired of the elephant in the room. He suspects she identifies with that, at least.

"You…" She says, exasperated as she stands up. "I can't… you're an asshole." She says, gasping for words.

"Scottie. I'm being honest. I do love you, but… this isn't going to work."

He never thought in a million years that he'd be saying these words to her. A flash of their first meeting makes a fleeting passage into concious mind.

"Are you in love with her?" She asks, oddly calm but no less observant. He watches her hands ball into fists.

"I...I don't know." He says. It's the truth. He can't be sure of anything except the nagging feeling in his gut.

She sneers at his vague understanding of self.

"I knew it. I knew it year ago and yet… I never asked you." Her words trail, squinting as if to find some better truth in all this.

"I never thought about it until a year ago." He replies.

"What happened a year ago, Harvey?" She asks, her eyes flashing once more, and brighter.

"She got fired." He says, simply.

She frowns, as if it's not enough of a reason. Maybe it's not but it's all he has to offer.

"That's it?" She fires at him, still not understanding.

"Yeah."

"I asked her if she was in love with you." She says, the words bitter in her mouth. "She said no."

"She said the same thing to me." He adds.

"Maybe she doesn't love you." She says, the words hard and meaningful.

"It still doesn't change this...not working, Scottie. I lov-" He starts. She interrupts, raising a hand.

"Save it. You don't love me enough, Harvey." She says, swallowing his words.

"Scottie. I'm...sorry." He agrees. It's one of those bad truths.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry ever met you. I'm sorry that I came back, that I pushed for me to move in. Clearly, I was stupid...so stupid to think you could ever..." She reins the outburst in, sighing heavily in defeat.

The Gigue is up.

"I don't want to lose you." He says, the meaning hard and true.

"And I...don't want to see you...for a while. Or her." She says, stalking into the bedroom. He follows, magnetised.

"Scottie, I didn't betray you." He says, watching her pull out an overnight bag.

"Yes you did. You do every day. In here," She points to her heart. It would seem saccharin if it wasn't such a damning truth. "I've let it go and let it go. Even she let it go. But you..you just can't...let go of her, can you? No wonder she doesn't ever have a relationship, she's implicitly tied to you."

"This is about us, Scottie… not her."

"No. If she didn't exist there wouldn't be a problem between us. You put her between us since the moment I came back, Harvey. Maybe she's always been there." She says, pointing at him with a hand full of clothing, the anger building in her all the more.

"She's a part of my life. She always will be. You've always known that." He says, measured, trying to cut through her building anger.

"Because you factor her into it, Harvey!" She says, finally the breach of her own resolve. "You're a son of a bitch."

"Scottie." He says, watching her fumble for her things.

"Scottie." He repeats, watching her frantic hands pick through draws.

When she turns to face him, her eyes are brimming. It tugs at his heart.

"I'm done. I'm stupid and I am done." She says, her voice breaking.

"I never meant to hurt you."

"You know what…" She says, a dry laugh escaping her. "I actually believe that. Goodbye Harvey." Is her last reply, an almost whisper.

He doesn't follow her, hearing the door slam in the with a thud in the distance.

In truth, she'd would be too easily pliable if he did and then he'd have to do it all over again which would only hurt her further…

He doesn't want to hurt her anymore.

For Donna, Saturday had fallen on her suddenly with a thud. The invisible impulse to leave was mounting and making her fingers itch with a purpose.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer? You usually stay the whole weekend?" Said her mother, helping her with her bags.

"I know Mom...but if I don't get back there now, we could have a backlash of work over the weekend that will ruin the week. Harvey could need my help."

"Is he worth it?" She suddenly asks. It knocks her for six. She'd forgotten how her mother could do that to her. Blind her with intuition. That was usually her forte.

"He's a good boss." She replies evenly. Ever the actress.

"You know what I mean, honey."

"Don't I just," She smirks. Her mother is definitely the person that she gets the supposed omniscience from. She kisses her cheek. "Love you, Mom."

"Say hi to Harvey for me." She replies.

Donna shakes her head, closing the boot of the car, the weight of the heavy key in her hand as she opens the door to get in. She turns the key, the ignition starting as the car starts to purr, looking out at her Mom as she begins to reverse off of the drive. The car is smooth and controlled, as she turns on the cd player, John Containe ringing out of the dash.

And the whole journey home, she feels nothing but Harvey all around her.

When she walks into the office four hours later, her hair immaculate and clad in Diane von Furstenberg - a laced panelled charcoal and grey dress, very angular and sharp for a saturday - she's not surprised to find him placing a few files on her desk with care.

"It's like you knew I was coming back," She says examining him. He'd taken time to dress this morning, his slate coloured suit impeccable, his silvery blue tie poker straight.

He's hiding something. Something big.

"Shouldn't you have the weekend off?" He frowns, straightening from the desk.

"I heard my Boss had this big case to win and might need my expertise." She says, grinning.

"Regardless. You don't need to be here." He says, a strange tenderness in his eyes.

"Well, this new dress needed a walk around the park so I figured, a penny earned is a penny-"

"Donna? Aren't you supposed to be Halloweening?" Mike asks, appearing at her side.

"Yes. I did. I graced the holiday with my presence and now I'm needed elsewhere. You're both welcome by the way." She rolls her eyes.

Every the subtle gentleman.

"Mike?" Harvey suddenly asks, turning to him.

"Yes?" He asks, his eyes widening.

"Is Rachel off today?" He asks his associate.

"Yes?" Mike frowns, suspicion painting his face.

"Is she… busy?" Harvey asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Haha," Mike replies, a stiff, overly sarcastic laugh falling out. "...for you she may be."

Harvey suddenly turns to her. She knows immediately that he has something up his sleeve.

"Donna," he says expectantly.

"What?" She asks, the vowels of suspicion stretching.

"Go take Rachel to lunch. On me," He says plainly, whilst the nuance in his voice is directed at Mike through a cheeky sideways glance.

"Are you...firing me?" She asks, the fake alarm on her face.

"For the day." He replies, smirking. "Scram." He says, the words falling finally into a smile.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" She asks, gracefully cocking her hip.

"Mike and I have got everything covered here, Donna." He says. She examines him for a second, the overly confident swagger, his still immovable windsor knot.

"Fine. I'm not coming back." She warns, huffing. If he is kicking her out, then he's going to pay for it… literally.

"Good. I don't need a drunk Assistant in my office." He says, handing her his card. When she takes it, she feels a pull on his end, until she looks up to see a grin on his lips when he finally lets go.

She doesn't need to be told twice to take the day off.

But the reasons for linger in her mind until she meets Rachel. Something is up.

"So… how was… Halloween?" Rachel asks, a typically 'Rachel' laced innuendo on her lips as she shuffles in her seat.

"I don't know what you're referring to," Donna says coyly, taking a sip of her water. She's not about to divulge everything about her weekend. The city does have eyes and ears...

"Mike told me that Harvey told you to take the day off," Rachel fishes, smiling as her fingers mold her napkin to her lap.

"That's correct." Donna says. "And how very highschool of you."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say?" Her friend whines, pouting somewhat.

It's too fun for her to watch the young woman squirm at being out of the loop.

"There's nothing else to tell, Rachel. I went to Cortland. Candy and Costumes were had. Now I'm back."

"And Harvey's back too. But you came back a day later..? Interesting." Rachel presses further, coyly playing with her knife and fork setting.

"Jessica called. He had to work." Donna shrugs.

"Donna. You have my confidence." She says.

"Do I? What about Mike?" She asks, immediately regretting the harshness of her tone.

"Doesn't privilege extend to the four of us?" She asks.

She's right. But she's not ready.

"Not with this." She says.

"Okay. Fine. Be coy. Maybe then I won't tell you that Harvey broke up with Scottie last night and told Mike about it,"

Donna's face fell instantly, the sound of china in the background ringing through her ears. "What?"

"Told him this morning." She adds, smirking.

The young woman always knows when there's a tug on the line. The vixen.

"I knew something was up, but I just…" Donna muses, half to herself. She could feel it from the moment she'd walked through the door that morning. The Suit. The whimsical attitude. The Day off. He'd been up to something from the get go.

"I figured it was about you? Maybe it is..."

"Rachel." She warns. The day is starting to blanch into the unknown. She can almost feel the start of claminess on her hands. It's unbecoming.

"Donna. He broke up with her. After coming back from Cortland." Rachel says, the expectancy clear in her words. She hates to be the one to dash the young woman's hopes of a romantic comedy ending.

"They're not connected."

"Tell me what happened up there." Rachel asks. It's hard to keep the woman at bay when she's grinning expectantly grinning back at you to the point where you can spy her uvula.

"Nothing...we were…?"

"Did you sleep with him?" She asks.

Ah. The defining question.

"No." She says, the words solid.

"But you wanted to?" She asks.

"No." Again. Solid.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if any of the answers that you've given to questions about Harvey have been the whole truth..."

"I wouldn't lie to you, Rach." She says, frowning somewhat. She's not lying and yet the truth is...not an option, at this point.

"No. You keep things from me. From Mike, too. You both do." She clarifies, an odd seriousness sharpening her face all the more.

When she finally looks up, she's confronted with the steely-eyed look of her best friend, dark brown eyes boring into hers.

She lets out an exhaustible sigh.

"He told me that she'd moved in. And that he thought that he had made a mistake. I went to bed early. He knocked on my door, complaining of a bad back and we slept in the same bed. Nothing happened. Nothing will happen. Ever."

"Nothing happened? ...Why not?" She says, a ghost of a moment they'd shared almost a year ago to the day.

"Because - at the time, apparently - he was with Scottie. This never leaves the table, Rachel." She warns softly.

"Of course not." She reaffirms. In a flash her face lights up. "Did you… cuddle?" She asks, hopeful expression in need of a the right answer.

Either she's too tired of the long journey or the ten years before it, but there's something in her that finally needs to talk about it. Possibly her mother is the impetus. She's not sure anymore.

"I may have woken up a little closer to him that I...expected to be." She finally says, the scandal of the though on her face.

"You spooned him, didn't you?" Rachel accuses excitedly through a hushed tone, looking around the restaurant at the nameless faces occupying tables.

"Every. Last. Inch." She replies.

"What are you going to do? With work?" Rachel asks, grinning back at her.

"Honestly...I don't want to think about it. I don't want anything to change." She says, stopping the thought from lingering longer than necessary.

"Really?" Rachel questions.

The expression is odd, as if it's not completely obvious how bad of an idea they're stepped on.

"Look, I love my job...and I love our relationship as it is. It's more important than any possibility there may be. You and Mike… you were lucky. We're in a different situation. There's more history with us."

"Aren't you curious to...test the merchandise?"

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. I don't need to take two sips to get a taste." She says, taking another sip of her water.

She watches the blood drain from the paralegal's face.

"Oh my god. You did lie. When? Donna. You promised. I can't believe it. Tell me everything."

"This is why I lied: It was...ten years ago."

"Really?"

"What can I say. He was young and I was stupid." She shrugs.

"And...never again?"

"It was part of my condition for joining the firm." She reasons. The best worst mistake she'd ever made...

"And it held up?"

"I'm stubborn...and oddly, Scottie fell back into the picture within a year, so."

It was then that she'd realised. The full circle element of their complicated past. Scottie and Harvey, Her and Harvey, Scottie and Harvey,

And back again. But was that the end of it all?

"But," Rachel starts, pausing.

"What?" Donna asks, unsure of the suspension in her friend's words.

"But..she's not in the picture anymore?" She says, the wistfulness in her expression. The hope. The Idea of such a thing.

Maybe Rachel was right,

This position was... a new one… he had made a choice this time.

And all at once, her hands start to sweat all the more.

He's been pacing for half an hour outside her building.

He should have called.

Honestly,

He didn't have the stones.

But now he's stuck,

Between a Limo,

And a doorway,

With Caller Entry.

He feels stupid, out of place on the sidewalk in a neighbourhood deemed questionable in it's later hours.

The pit of his stomach rises when he sees a little old lady amble out of the apartments, with a walker and a pink wooly hat. He jumps at the opportunity, opening the door for her.

The old lady looks up at him from her hunched form. "Thank you very much, young man." She says, until she spies him opening the door further. "Are you here to see someone?" She asks.

"Uh. Donna…? On the second floor?" He says, his cheeks pinching at her forthrightness.

The woman straightens in recollection, a smile forming on her lips. "Ah," She says, pointing a finger at him. "The redhead. She's a feisty one," The lady says.

"She sure is. May I?" He asks, gesturing down the hall.

"Good luck, young man." She says, a glint very much in her eye as she returns to her walker.

It's now or never.

On the best wishes of an elderly neighbour.

Her fingers tighten around the door the moment she opens it and sees his face.

It's the worst time to not look in the peephole. She feels the deja'vu of the moment creep in with a timed precision that she supposes only he can devise...

"Harvey." She states, the sound of her voice dropping as she takes him in. He's dressed casually again, without the suit armour and bravado. It makes her nervous and longing for razor sharp heels and angular workwear.

"I ended it." He says simply, his hands in his pockets and that look on his face.

"I figured." She replies, nodding. Although her response is forced confidence, It was bound to happen some time. Had Rachel not told her, the day before then it would have almost been a surprise.

"I ended it," He continues. "Because it wasn't working,"

"Okay…" She says slowly, measuredly.

"And...because...we are,"

"Harvey." She objects slightly, frowning.

"I can't ignore it anymore, Donna. Can you?" He asks, the full weight of his gaze forcing her resolve.

So, it's come to that. Right on the last tack of their perfect little arrangement.

"Harvey, just because you ended it, that doesn't mean that-"

"Really? You're going with that right now?"

All at once she finds the smirk on his face as adorable as she does annoying.

"Why does it have to be on your terms? With Stephen….you even said that you still weren't-"

"-that was different." He reasons, cutting her off.

"How so?" She fires the question, her hand pushing against the door frame.

"You were with him at the time. I don't cheat."

"And after I wasn't?"

"Donna it was...a lot was…going on. I needed time."

"With Scottie?" She states, an indignation in her voice that even she doesn't understand.

"Yeah. I...yes. And now...I'm ready." He says.

"So? I'm not ready."

"Do you really mean that?" He asks, taking a minute step forward that feels like a mile.

"Yes. I'm not ready to lose my job, Harvey." She says, her grip on the shield-like door hardening all the more.

"I-" He stutters; the action seems so strange on him.

"I mean it, Harvey." She warns.

"So...what now?" He asks. She can see the frustration start to build in him. He's not a patient man.

"I...I don't know. I guess...we take it all…"

"Slow?" He asks. She can tell instantly by his tone and his skeptical look just how much stock he has in that as an idea...not that that's what she meant.

"One day at a time." She clarifies.

"Until….you're ready?" He asks heavily.

"Until we both are. At the right time. At the same time."

She watches as he takes in the information, his hands pulling out of his pockets to hang limply.

"What if there's never a right time?" He asks, the lawyer in him peaking out.

It's a good point, she thinks to herself. They've not exactly been good...timing.

"Then...it never happens." She reasons, the fragility of each word changing his features minute by minute. It's time to start thinking practically about his proposal.

"Why won't you break it for me?" He asks suddenly, cutting her time to think.

She blinks at him through tired eyes. "What?" She asks.

"Your rule? You did it for him." He accuses, wincing against the remembrance of the man. To this day, she can see how it affects him just the same, a mark against their unspoken relationship.

"That was…haven't we already covered this? We both saw that blow up in my face, Harvey. I made a mistake."

"So make another one." He presses, the croon in his voice more than painting the air red, now has her suddenly ramrod straight, balanced on the threshold of her own front door.

"Harvey." She warns, abating the shiver up her spin when he takes another, more prominent step towards her, their breath close to mingling.

"Make another one. Donna." He presses.

"We're both getting old." She replies. It's a moot point.

"You're still as beautiful as you were ten years ago." He whispers.

"Oh my god, that is such a bad line…" She laughs, rolling her eyes at him. She nearly shuts the door in his face, there and then.

"It's the truth." He insists. "Look, I know I've never said it. I didn't think it was...appropriate. Considering the last time I said it, we were both-"

"Ah!" She objects, her left hand coming between them.

"Just...let me… come in." He croons. She doesn't miss his lean towards the double entendre...

"Come in where exactly?" She insinuates, her face sharpening for a moment until her tact changes. "Don't think because you had to let go of your fuck buddy, that you can come here and give me another job to do…"

"Don't act like you don't enjoy it. You're one of the most vivacious women in Manhattan. I should know." He says, the clear memory of such giving him a self satisfied smirk.

"Wow, you make me sound like a hooker," She says bluntly, rolling her eyes.

"No. You're sexually confident. And I'm...sexually confident. So let's just be…" His words linger, until he watches her quietly and stubbornly fold her arms. "Donna," He whines.

"Oh. Yes, Whining is changing my mind. You win!" She says, looking back at him.

The sarcasm isn't lost on him for a second...

"Donna. " He says, firmer this time.

"Harvey. I'm not...we're not. I'm not-"

She should have known that he'd try to kiss her.

It was so unlike him and yet something his younger self would have done in a heartbeat if he thought he could have gotten away with it.

She always thought she would slap him if he ever tried it. Maybe she didn't know herself as well as she thought she did.

The kiss is soft, and yet firm as he encourages her into the apartment, gently peeling her hand off of the door and into his own, as his foot kicks it shut behind him. His hand finds it's way into her cardigan, cupping her ribcage, as the other plays at the palm of her hand, drawing lazy patterns across in the middle of it as his lips continue to do the talking. It only dawns on her then, as the back of her legs bump against the sofa and his tongue gently encourages her mouth open that they're headed for a fall, she suddenly shocks, grabbing his shoulders as she feels them leaning back and him still pushing. He looks at her then, grinning as he pins her against the sofa, just teetering on the edge of them both falling. The look she gives him tells it all.

"Don't even think about it…" She warns.

"It'll be soft. If it's the same couch. It'll be very soft…" He says, grinning still.

"For you maybe, you'll have two breasts to cushion the blow." She remarks dryly. She watches as he tries to cover a smile with a thoughtfulness.

"Oh, I didn't think of that." He mumbles, looking at her.

"No?" She asks, disbelief on her face as she smiles softly, her hand brushing across his face.

He suddenly lifts her slightly, his hands cupping her ass as he pops her on the backrest of the sofa. "But now that you think about it.." He mumbles as his mouth finds the skin under her right clavicle.

"What happened to taking it slow?" She asks incredulously, watching him shrug off his jacket in the process, placing it next to her with one hand before giving her a look.

"We have a lot to catch up on," He says, slowly parting her legs to get a little closer. She lets out a strangled laugh when he looks at her like he's going to enjoy himself.

"I don't put out on the first date, you know." She points out, pulling at his belt loop to bring him closer, her lips greeting his hungrily.

"This isn't our first date. And we both know that's not true." He says, his hands slipping under her lacy camisole as he plants a kiss to her neck.

He's right. She's the impulsive one.

She learns a lot about them both in that one evening:

That he remembers everything about the first time, in detail,

That she loves being wrapped around him, still, after so much time has passed,

And that he still likes being the little spoon.

-x-