AN: Once again, I'm so overwhelmed by all the responses I've been getting for this story. It's with a heavy heart that I say this is the last chapter. There will, however, be an epilogue that will come after this one, so stay tuned for that. Thanks again to every person who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. Your support means the world and I hope you enjoy. -ali

…

Harvey's eyes flutter open, painstakingly fighting against the first signs of dawn that filtered into the room. When he manages to focus his vision, the first thing he sees is red. His lips twitch at the unmistakable tangled manes that covered part of the pillow they shared, and he soon realizes that the warmth that radiates from her bare form- still pressed against him- is what nudged him out of his dreams. The fact that they had seeped into reality hits him in full and the heaviness of exhaustion that weighed him down was replaced by a lightness in his chest. It's then that he catches a faraway look in her already wide-awake eyes, her hand playing with the silver pendant on her neck.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He whispers, pressing a kiss to a set of freckles on her shoulder blade.

Her lips curl at his morning voice, and she tilts her head to face him in the morning light, "'morning."

He meets her in a gentle kiss, his grin pressing against hers with a sigh of content. "You okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You looked a bit preoccupied," he murmurs, fingers lightly tracing the goosebumps on her arm.

"Just thinking," she sighs, kissing his chest before turning back toward her earlier position.

"About us?"

Donna grins, a low laugh escaping her, "Presumptuous, but as a matter of fact, yes."

Harvey hums in response, watching as her fingers trace over the numbers engraved on the pendant, moving the silver on the chain in an almost subconscious manner. "Should I be worried?"

"No," Donna reassures almost immediately, her hand covering his own. She feels a touch of guilt then, not having meant to set his mind wandering to that place of fear and doubt so early the morning after their second first time. "I was just…" she turns to face him again, "Are you going to tell your family?"

His forehead knits at her words, "Tell my family what?"

"That we… well, that we weren't an 'us' before, but now we are."

Oh.

He tries to settle his heart, because while he knows he shouldn't scratch beneath the surface of her words, all he can focus on is her 'but now we are'. Harvey pulls her closer toward him, gently guiding her until she faced him in full. "We were always an us, Donna."

Her eyes flutter with a gentle wave of euphoria, lips twitching out of her own volition because who knew Harvey Specter could be such a sap. "I know that," she whispers, lightly raking her nails over his toned chest, "But you know what I mean."

Harvey chuckles, leaning to press a kiss to her forehead just because he could. "Well, then to answer your question… I don't know, I don't think so."

"Why not?" She muses, and she knows she wasn't bothered by it either way, but for some reason the notion of it kept taking her out of a deep slumber, and she couldn't put the thought to rest.

Harvey shrugs, "Because like I told you, I was never pretending. The only pretense I was under was my own," when she gives him a quizzical look he elaborates, "I was kidding myself thinking that what we were doing, what we were saying, was all for show. I'm not above admitting I was in denial, Donna, but that doesn't mean I wasn't feeling anything, I just pretended not to by pretending to, which wasn't even really pretending…" his voice trails off as his own words start to baffle him, throwing him off course.

"Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah, a bit."

They share a light chuckle, and Harvey tries to shake off the residual sleep off his mind. "My point is… I don't think we should admit to anything, because we're… together now. There's nothing else to admit other than I was damn idiot for taking this long to realize."

"You weren't an idiot," Donna's quick to defend, "I mean, you can be an idiot sometimes," she smirks at his pointed look, "but you weren't the only one playing the denial game, Harvey."

"So, I guess we're just both to blame for taking too damn long," he playfully reasons.

"I think it's just safe to say our mutual stubbornness and fear definitely played a role… but we're here now."

"Yeah, we are," he whispers, eyes gleaming with that effervescent joy that has yet to fizzle, and he doubts it ever would. He captures her lips in the next second, sighing into the way she molds against him like a puzzle piece.

"And speaking of… here… and now…" Donna hums between kisses, finding herself unable to part from his magnet pull, "I still have to give you my present."

"I thought I already unwrapped my gift," Harvey gloats with a self-satisfied smirk.

She rolls her eyes, untangling herself from his hold, "Consider this a bonus, then."

He sits up as soon as her legs swing over the bed, eyes hungry as they follow her naked form- gleaming in an afterglow that's illuminated further by the light that peeked through the curtains. She picks up his discarded sweater off the floor, placing it over herself before she digs through her suitcase to find a pair of underwear and sweatpants.

"I didn't know gift-giving required full coverage."

Donna snorts out a laugh at his pout and she resists the urge to walk over and kiss it off, "I'm cold."

"So, come back to bed," he reasons, eyebrows wiggling comically which elicit a chuckle from her.

"You're shameless, you know that?" She reaches down to grab hold of his boxers, throwing it in his direction and laughing when it hits him square in the face. "Put those on, I can't give you my present and have you on full display, it'll kill the mood."

"Killing the mood by putting on clothes, there's a twist," he grumbles as he stands, sliding the material up.

"You know, the sooner you quit your grumpy old man act, the sooner we can get back to bed," she points out, placing her hands on his lower back when he walks to stand in front of her.

"No…" Harvey drawls out with a sigh, "by that time we'll be forced to go downstairs and exchange gifts with the rest of the looney Specter clan."

"Your family's sweet," she chuckles.

"They may be, but they've already interrupted too many moments between us this weekend," he reminds her, running his hands over her covered arms.

"So clingy," Donna chides, leaning up to peck his lips, "You'll have me all to yourself when we go home, Specter, chin up," she reaches behind him to smack his ass, grinning at the way his mouth drops.

Donna moves to walk away, but his hand is reaching out, taking hold of her wrist to reel her back into his arms, "You look good in my sweater, you know?" He husks against her, his breath making her hair stand on end on every inch of her body. She finds herself biting her lip at the way the electric current of his hold lights her skin on fire.

"You know you're just stalling the inevitable, right?" She quips back just as quietly. He finally lets her go with relenting sigh, watching as she opens the door to the walk-in closet that sat opposite the bed.

Harvey frowns as she disappears through it, "My present was hidden here the whole time?"

"Harvey, get that cute little butt in here, I'm not walking out with it," she calls out to him instead. He shakes his head at her words, amusement starting to mix in with the confusion and intrigue that was stirring up inside. He moves his feet then, taking the few steps to meet her inside the closet.

"Why the hell do you need me to-" He stops dead in his tracks as soon as his eyes land on the object, leaning against the wall just to the right of where Donna stood. He feels his throat closing, the sharp sensation soon being rivaled by the stinging that meets his eyes. "Is that-"

Donna nods, her voice low when she speaks, "It is."

Harvey swallows thickly, the colors he tries to register distorting through his ever-growing clouded vision. "How did you-"

She takes a small step toward him, feeling her own emotions rising to the surface at his mere reaction. "Took me a while to track it down, I actually started to look for it sometime after Stemple took it. Turns out he sold it, so it was a little more difficult to find, even for your girlfriend," she finishes quietly, kissing his bare shoulder.

She feels his hand blindly finding hers, and her fingers are immediately lacing through his, watching his eyes glistening under the low light, "Donna…" She waits until his gaze meets her own and it takes everything in her in that moment to not let her own tears fall.

"I know your mom gave you the one you have now, but… I don't know, I couldn't not try to get the original back. I know how much it means to you."

He turns to fully face her and before she could register what's happening, his lips are slanting over her own, arms encapsulating her in a tight hold that has her leaning up to meet him. Donna groans into the kiss, still finding herself growing light-headed at his mere touch. Her hands find their way to his chest, crawling up to rest just under his jaw, holding him in place as he deepens their kiss.

"You mean everything," Harvey breathes once he parts from her, his forehead landing on her own. His jaw clenches in a futile attempt to keep his emotions in check, the notion of what she did for him hitting him in continuous waves.

Donna smiles, the warmth and happiness radiating in her chest rising up far enough to reach her lips, "So, you like your present?"

A full watery chuckle escapes him, "You can say that," he says quietly, studying her eyes in the small space, "How the hell did you even track it down?"

"I'm Donna," she tells him simply, a half shrug accompanying her words.

"Amazing, is what you are," he leans down to kiss nose, laughing when she scrunches it up. "Seriously, how did you track it down? And then get it here? And hide it in the closet without me knowing?"

Donna shakes her head, smoothing out her hands over his bare chest, "A magician never reveals her secrets," she tells him with an overdramatic flair. When he gives her a pointed look she rolls her eyes, "It's a long story, but I got it back a few weeks ago, I was just waiting to give it to you for Christmas. Then, when you invited me a long for this little shindig…" she trails her index finger down his abs, watching the muscles rippling under her touch, "I called your brother and had it shipped here. He had it in his room all this time, I only moved it to the closet last night when we were in the middle of the presents frenzy."

"I- I don't know what to say," her boyfriend chokes out, awe written all over his face.

"You don't have to say anything, Harvey," she reassures with a smile, cupping his cheeks, "I'm just glad I was able to bring it back to you."

He brings both of her hands to his lips, his eyes trained on her as he kisses them, "I love you so much."

Donna mentally curses the tears that spring to her eyes at his admission. It didn't matter how many times she heard him speak those three little words, they still ignited her heart like a wildfire. "I love you too," she sighs before bringing his face down for another kiss. She let their lips linger for a short while only, knowing if they continued their dance, they'd completely miss Christmas morning with his family. "So… you got any idea where you'll be putting up this baby?"

Harvey grins, his mind already venturing off on its own, providing him with images of his mother's painting being placed over a mantle in a home he currently didn't own- in a home he only envisioned sharing with her. "Well," he clears his throat, tampering down the temptation to voice his thoughts, "I guess it'll do in my apartment… for now, seeing as I have the other in my office."

Donna nods in response, her head tilting at the semi-faraway look in his eyes. Her lips quirk up at his pensive look, seamlessly being able to read his mind, "For now, huh?"

"Yeah," he whispers, his own set of pearly whites showing, "for now. Maybe you can help me put it up?"

"Hmm, I think that's feasible," her lips land on the corner of his mouth, kissing the dimple off his Cheshire Cat grin.

"Uncle Harvey, aunt Donna, Santa came!"

The pair inside turn their heads to the door of their room, watching on in amusement as Hailey's voice echoes through, followed by a set of small yet loud knocks.

"You think if we stay completely still she'll go away?" Harvey whispers, only half joking his suggestion.

"Dad won't let us open any presents until everyone is downstairs," comes Jack's own impatient grumble.

Donna rolls her eyes, "Come on, you horny tiger, we're being summoned." She grabs hold of his hand to lead him out of the closet, a giggle escaping her when he winds his arms around her, nuzzling his five o'clock shadow on her neck as he follows her out.

"Hey, we've got over a decade's worth of making up to do," he murmurs into her skin, the vibrations sending a chill down her spine, "Don't blame me if I just want to stay indoors all day, making love to my beautiful girlfriend."

Donna chuckles against him, hoping it would mask the shiver she feels reverberating through her, "Making love huh?" She turns in his arms to send him a quirked eyebrow.

"What else would you call it?"

"Hmm, frolicking sounds a bit too raunchy, doesn't it?"

Harvey shakes his head, landing another kiss to her cheek before he reluctantly parts from her. He turns to the door then, raising his voice just loud enough against the continued knocks, "Hey guys, we'll be right down, and tell your father I said he's set a pretty dumb rule to wait for everyone."

He feels Donna lightly smacking his chest at the same time he hears twin giggles right outside the door, the sound carrying them down the hallway. "What the hell was that for?"

Donna purses her lips, trying to render in the smile that threatens to spill, "Shameless."

Harvey raises his arms, watching in amusement as she rummages through his own suitcase, "You know that's mine, right?"

She raises a challenging eyebrow at him, throwing a pair of pants and sweater his way, "Gear up, Specter. As much as I like my current view, I'm not willing to share with anyone else."

A smirk pulls at his lips, and he resists yet another urge to pin her to the nearest surface. Instead, he lets her venture off into the bathroom, his eyes trained on her until she disappears into the smaller space. He heaves out a sigh then, starting to dress himself for the day ahead. And as he finishes smoothing out the clothes she had picked out for him, his gaze navigating to the closet where his mother's painting sat, he wonders how the hell he thought they could ever go back to how they were.

…

"You sure you got everything?"

"Yes, mom," Harvey chuckles, closing the trunk of his car before walking over to his mother and Donna, half amused at her less-than-subtle attempt to stall his departure. After having Christmas brunch, they had bid their goodbyes to the rest of the family, Marcus having been summoned by his kids to help them build one of their new toys. Harvey had teased him, coughing out a "whipped" before his little brother countered with a "just wait until it's your turn", effectively shutting up the older Specter.

"You know, it's such a shame that you two can't stay for the remainder of the day, it is still Christmas," Lily gives a forlorn sigh, hugging her trench coat closer to herself.

"We've got an early workday tomorrow, mom," he reminds her softly, a wave of unexpected guilt washing over him then for not having taken an extra day off.

"You work too much, you should take more time off to spend with your family," the older woman lightly scolds.

"That's what I keep telling him," Donna sighs dramatically, giving Harvey a side glare that was diluted by her quirked lips, "but I'll try to twist his arm a bit, convince him to come up here again for New Years," she adds with a gentle shoulder bump.

Lily's face lights up, "Oh, that would be wonderful!"

"And does Harvey get any say in this?" He playfully retorts. Both women let out twin laughs, shaking their heads.

"Face it son, I can already tell it doesn't take much hand twisting for you to give into whatever this one wants."

"Hmm, it goes both ways," Donna shares a quick look with Harvey, knowing her words also lead his mind to a week in the past, when she had reluctantly, but inevitably agreed to accompany him on the weekend's trip.

"Oh, just wait until you two have a child, that little one will be wrapped around your little fingers," Lily gushes, clasping her hands together at the thought alone.

"Okay, seriously, what's with this family and all the kid fever?" He mumbles, finding himself shifting on the spot, avoiding eye contact with the redhead next to him.

Lily chuckles, "You're the only one left with no kids, Harvey. But I'm sure all of that will change in due time," she winks at Donna who was now gaping at the older woman, still not used to her bluntness, "but not too much time," she adds for good measure.

"Okay, I think it's time we go," Harvey announces in the next second, already feeling his cheeks turning a crimson shade that had nothing to do with the cold air around them.

"Is he always this evasive?" Lily turns to Donna, giving her a hug goodbye.

"Only when he doesn't want to talk about something that makes him uncomfortable," Donna replies with raised eyebrows, making the older woman laugh.

"You continue to keep him on his toes, then."

"I will," Donna confirms softly, her smile letting Lily know she knew her words held more weight to them.

"As for you," Lily turns to Harvey, waiting until Donna took a step back to continue, "don't wait too long."

Harvey furrows his brow, accepting the hug she gives him, "To ask her to marry you," she whispers into his ear. Harvey merely swallows back, the words caught in his throat, "I love you, Harvey."

"I love you too, mom," and with a gentle smile, he's leaning to give her a final hug, kissing her cheek before pulling back. He turns to Donna then, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before opening the door for her. He walks over to the driver's side, waving to his mother one final time before stepping behind the wheel.

"So…" Donna starts once Harvey puts the car in drive, merging into the street, "what did she tell you?"

"Hmm?"

"Your mom, she told you something before we left," Donna presses gently, watching as his brows knit before relaxing, his confusion turning into something akin to light panic.

"Oh, that," Harvey grips the steering wheel tighter, "She was just uh, she was just telling me how she can't wait for us to come up for New Year's," he sends her a tight-lipped smile.

"Uh huh," she chews on her bottom lip, eyes narrowing in amusement at the way he tries to hide his squirming, "You know I know you're lying, right?"

Harvey sighs, "Donna,"

"What?" She prods innocently.

"I think you… know what she told me," he murmurs, sending her the quickest of glances before focusing on the road again.

Her head bows in the next second, feeling her own cheeks warming, "I have a guess."

"So, right now, you're just trying to make me more uncomfortable than I already am?"

She chuckles lightly, "A little, yeah."

Harvey shakes his head, his own lips turning, "One day into this relationship and you're already being mean."

"According to you, we were already in a relationship," she quips back.

"A romantic one, I mean."

The comeback she had to go dies on the tip of her tongue, his words returning the swarm of butterflies to reside in her stomach. They share a shy smile then, both still overcome with the new status of their relationship, an almost foreign giddiness making every cell in their bodies burst with unsaturated joy.

"She's right, you know," Donna speaks after a few moments of silence, her voice low.

"About what?"

She reaches for the hand he let slide off the wheel, his fingers automatically lacing with her hold, "Don't wait too long." His eyes remain on the road, the ever-slight twitch of his lips and the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers being the only indication that he heard.

…

"Donna, can you come in here for a second?" His voice echoes through the intercom, watching through the glass as she struts into his office.

"You rang?" She drawls out, crimson tinted lips widening as she stands before him, her hands folded in front of her emerald dress.

"Where did you put the files for the Greyson case?"

Donna frowns, mentally chastising herself for thinking he'd called her in for another reason. Still, she masks the disappointment with genuine confusion, "I thought I placed those on your desk. In fact, I know I placed them on the top right corner of your desk, beside your morning coffee."

She walks over to him, brows furrowed as she surveys the surface of his work area. Harvey swivels around in his chair, watching as she flips over every other paper in front of him, "Well, it's not here," he huffs.

"I swear I put it here," she mutters, her form leaning over his desk, giving him a perfect view of her near plunging neckline. "You sure you didn't take it and put it somewhere else?" When he doesn't answer her, she glances over to him, lips pursing when she sees where his eyes were directed to, "You know you could just take a polaroid picture, ogle them on your own time."

"Promise?" He smirks, his gaze finally meeting hers.

Donna turns to him, one hand leaning on the desk as the other rests on her hip, "You didn't lose those files, did you?"

"I- have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit."

"Donna… I really don't know where they are."

"Uh huh," she cocks an eyebrow at him, leaning forward in a flash, giving him an exclusive view of her cleavage as she lifts a pile of files from beneath his laptop, "Then what the hell are these?"

Harvey mock gapes at the files she takes out and throws on top of his desk, leaning back to send him a withering stare, "That… I have no idea how those got there."

"Take a guess."

"Elves?"

Donna snorts, "It's past Christmas, they're retired, and you're," she pokes his shoulder, "pathetic."

"I'm not-"

"Oh yes you are," she stands up straighter, "You called me in here, thinking you could get away with hiding those files just to get me to help you look, knowing full well I'd spent my time at your desk, time I should spend at my own desk because unlike you, I have actual shit to do."

Harvey grins, unfazed by her scolding, "You thought I had called you in here for something else, didn't you?" He rises from his chair, taking a step to reach her.

"What?" She doubles back.

"Just a while ago, when I called you in here, I saw the way your face dropped when I asked you about those files. You missed me too," he points to her with a tone too smug.

Her mouth drops at his accusation, "I- that's not true."

"You missed me," Harvey nods.

Donna narrows her eyes, "We've been back at work for five hours now, that's pathetic."

"I agree, but hey, we can be pathetic together," he smirks, placing his hands on her hips.

"Harvey…"

"No one's around right now," he whispers, looking behind her to the otherwise empty bullpen outside of his office, "they're out to lunch."

"Lunch, there's an idea, maybe we should go out for some," she quickly turns away from his hold, but not before being reeled back in.

"Back to my place?" He husks against her.

Donna chuckles, hoping the vibrations would hide the sudden chills that crawled up her spine, "Not happening."

"Remind me again why I thought going back to work the Monday after Christmas was a good idea?"

"Because," she reaches up to gently smooth away his frown lines, "You couldn't wait for the weekend to end, remember?"

"That was before I knew what this weekend would entail," he gruffs and she laughs at his gentle pout.

"Well, maybe next year we take a week off," she suggests, starting to slip out of his hold again before he tugs her back in, "Harvey…"

"Just a kiss," he murmurs, eyes glancing from her lips to her wide eyes.

"Harvey, we're at work," she hisses, turning around on a reflex, almost expecting someone to catch them, "I thought we agreed-"

"I know what we agreed," he sighs, remembering their conversation from the day before. They had come to an agreement to keep their relationship low-key, not necessarily hiding it, but definitely not flaunting it, especially not while they were at the firm. "And it's just one."

Donna scoffs, "Yeah, that's how it starts. First, it's one, then it's two, and before you know it, we're in the file room having a q- mmph!" His lips swallow the rest of her words, grinning against her. She freezes for a moment out of shock, before quickly melting into the kiss, a sigh leaving her as he tenderly nips at her lips.

"I hate you," she breathes out a chuckle once he pulls back.

"No, you don't," he grins.

"Oh, yeah? How can you be sure?"

He motions to her neck, "You're wearing it."

Her eyes drop, hand immediately reaching up to toy with the silver pendant, "Of course I am. My boyfriend gave it to me."

"Did he now?"

Donna nods, scrunching up her nose, "He's very clingy."

"I think he's trying to make up for lost time," he shrugs.

"Well, while I think it's sweet," she smooths out the invisible creases of his suit, "It's not necessary. We've got the rest of our lives for that."

"Promise?"

Donna grins, "I do," she leans over then, unable to resist pecking him on the lips, "Now, sit that pretty little butt of yours down," she slaps his ass, "You've got work to do."

She takes advantage of his dropped jaw to step back, giving him another smirk before walking toward the door.

"You think my butt is pretty?" Harvey calls out before she leaves.

"I think all of you is pretty," she bats her eyelashes at him, watching as he sits down with a shit-eating grin. She walks out of his office, adding an extra sway to her hips before she sits down at her cubicle. Once the stuttering of her heart calms down, she opens up a file document on her computer, intending to start on her work when her intercom buzzes.

"I think you're pretty too."

…

AN: Thank you so much again! I just can't stress that enough. Remember, I'll be adding an epilogue hopefully soon. Also, I don't want to promise anything, but I'm also thinking about posting one shots from the time that takes place between this last chapter and the epilogue. No promises, but it's a definite possibility. As always, would love to hear your thoughts xoxox