Author Notes

I was compelled to write this after watching the episode Scenic Route. I would have loved to have seen the conversation between Samantha and her father so this is my take on how it went.

Disclaimer:- I don't any of the Suits characters. I wish I did but they belong to Aaron Korsch and USA Network

The answers she seeks

Samantha glanced back at the car as Harvey gave her an encouraging smile from the driver seat of the green mustang. She walked up the path that lead to the little house in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. She barely noticed the well kept garden or the freshly painted house in front of her. She felt her heart beating loudly in her ears and she was shaking as she walked up the path.

"This is now or never," she thought as she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She fidgeted with her hands as she waited for the door to be answered. An older man of about 60 with grey hair came to the door.

"Are you Jeff Gardener?" She asked feeling that her voice wasn't hers.

The man squinted his eyes as the young blonde woman standing in front of him seemed very familiar to him but couldn't quite place her.

"Yeah," he replied.

"My name is Samantha Wheeler...I'm your daughter." she said . She hadn't intended for it to come out that way but she hadn't really given much thought to what she was going to say.

Jeff opened his mouth in surprise at her. "I...I don't understand ," he finally said.

"My mother was Bernice Wheeler, " replied Sam noticing the look of his confusion on his face.

"Bernice?" he questioned . "Long time since I thought about Bernice."

Samantha remained silent as Jeff glanced out to green mustang and then back at her. "I'm not sure what one does in this situation," he said giving her a smile. "But come in."

"I'm sorry to be laying all this out on you and for turning up unannounced," Samantha said stepping inside the house.

"That's quite all right Samantha. I was just doing some gardening out back. Have you come far?" Jeff asked leading her into a bright airy kitchen.

"New York City," she replied standing in the middle of the room not sure what to do.

"You drove from New York in that Mustang? That must have been some road trip," chuckled Jeff.

"You better believe it. Harvey wanted to take the scenic route and we got a flat tyre. Triple A took about 3 hours to come because he forgot to call them, " Samantha said with a roll of her eyes.

"Harvey? Is that your..?

" Friend, colleague, sparring partner, " she said with a smile.

"Would you like a coffee? Please take a seat. " Jeff said guiding her to the kitchen table.

"Yes please," she said glancing around the kitchen. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you. Sarah, my wife, loved to decorate it. She made it our home until she passed away last year," Jeff gave Samantha a sad smile as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Samantha said noticing the sadness on his face.

Jeff sat at the kitchen table beside her. "I expect you came looking for answers."

She nodded her head. "I did."

"Samantha, this has come has a surprise to me, " he said placing his cup on the table.

She pushed her lips together as she turned to look at him. "You didn't know? "

"Bernice and I dated for a summer after high school before we both went to college. It was a very brief relationship. We had a lot of fun but it wasn't serious. She accepted a place in Stanford University and moved out of the state. I went to University of Pennsylvania and met my wife there," explained Jeff.

"Did you ever hear from her again?

Jeff glanced at her. "We didn't keep in touch."

She lowered her head. "Oh."

Jeff was silent for a moment as he debated to himself how to tell her the next piece of news. "Samantha, I heard the grapevine that she passed away two years later."

She took a deep breath when she heard this. "She's..she's dead?"

"That's what I heard. Samantha, I don't know what I would have done if I had known Bernice was pregnant...but I would have liked to have known. "

Her head shot up as she stared at him. "You would?"

He nodded his head as he took her hand. "Yes. I would have supported her."

Her eyes welled with tears as she squeezed his hand. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. All my life... I thought my parents abandoned me. I was brought up in foster care homes..."

" I'm sorry to hear that Samantha. " He leaned back in his chair and regarded her with fresh eyes. "You look like her."

"I do?" She asked wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. "What was she like?"

He chuckled as he nodded his head. " She was beautiful, like you. She was smart, at times as she was so strong willed, took bullshit from no one. She was determined to forge her own way in life. "

\\/

Harvey sat in the car outside. He took the opportunity to catch up on some work emails and scheduled in some depositions for the next week. He fiddled with the radio until he got the latest sports results. The Pittsburgh Pirates beat their old rivals the Philadelphia Phillies in a tense playoff the night before. He grinned to himself as he tapped his hand on the steering wheel. He glanced at his watch and looked back up the house and wondered how it was going inside for Samantha. He felt the vibration of his cellphone in his pocket and pulled it out and smiled when he saw that it was Donna calling.

"Hey stranger," he answered.

"Hey yourself," replied Donna as she stared out the window of her office. "I tried to call again last night but your phone was switched off."

"After we got the tyre changed we booked into a motel. It was pretty late and I was beat, " he replied.

"How is it going now?"

"She's in with him right now. Has been for the last 45 minutes," Harvey replied glancing back at the house.

"Must be going well for her, " Donna smiled.

"I hope so," Harvey said. "Unless she has killed him!"

"No she hasn't Harvey," Donna giggled. "She is getting the answers she has sought all her life. And you are a good man for supporting her through this. "

"Thanks Donna," he smiled . "I missed you last night."

"I missed you too, " she replied as she sat down in her chair.

"What do you say we go away this weekend?" he asked. "I saw a lovely little country Inn on the way up here. "

"I'd love that Harvey. It will be good to get away from all the madness here! "

"I heard Louis was running around town pretending to be me," he smirked.

"Really? I did not know that," she grinned.

"Yes you did. You know everything!"

" Ok. I did know and I asked him to put a stop to it but it worked out for him in the end, " replied Donna.

"That's good. Hey, do you know who Harold Gunderson is? He said he worked at the firm for three years but I don't remember him."

"You don't remember Harold Gunderson? He was an associate when Mike was. You and Louis had to get him and Mike out of prison. Eric Woodall... "

Harvey widened his eyes as he suddenly remembered who Harold was. "Aahh him. He was a strange one. Didn't Louis give him a hard time? "

"Yes he did," replied Donna. "And here is something more stranger. He's coming back to work at the firm according to Katrina."

"Really? I might have some fun with that!" grinned Harvey. "What did dear darling Faye have to say about Louis hiring someone back?"

"Dear darling Faye has been keeping mainly to herself. Didn't even blink an eyelid when I told her you were taking two days personal leave. "

"Let's hope she stays keeping to herself," grumbled Harvey. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh you know. Being my usual awesome Donna self, " she said smiling.

"You are awesome!" he grinned still not believing that they were together after so long.

"You're awesome too," the red head replied. She looked at her watch and wondered if Alex had been able to find an expert forger. Time was running out and she really wanted to give her gift to him when he got home this evening. "What time will you be home at?"

"Home. That sounds good, " he smiled.

"It does," she agreed.

"It'll be pretty late I'd say. I better stay on the main route this time," he chuckled. "You don't have to wait up for me. "

"But I want to wait up for you, " she said in a whisper.

"Ok. Then I'll see you at home. Miss you. "

"See you at home, " replied Donna smiling to herself as she hung up from the call.

\\\/

"Your friend is very patient," Jeff said to Samantha as he looked out the window at the green mustang.

"He's become family to me. They all have at the firm," replied Samantha.

"The firm? What is it you do?" asked Jeff still not believing that he had a long lost daughter.

"I'm a lawyer. Corporate mainly," she replied . She noticed a small smile on his face. "What?"

"I'm a lawyer. Was a lawyer. I retired six months ago, " he answered taking out an old photo album and opening it to show her his degree.

"You're kidding? When I was a child it was all I wanted to be!" she exclaimed.

"Now you know where you get it from," replied Jeff taking her hand again and gave it a squeeze.

"I do." She looked around the small sitting room and noticed the photos on the wall. She walked over and gazed at them. She saw that many of them had two boys and a girl in them. She swallowed when she realized that this was his family. "Are they.. ? "

He nodded. "My kids. Lauren is 25, James is 27 and Peter is 29. They are your half brothers and sister. "

Her hand flew up to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes again.

"They are your family now, " Jeff said placing his hand on her arm. His eyes were beginning to fill up. "You don't have to be alone anymore. They'll be so surprised to hear that they have another sister."

"You're going to tell them?"

"Yes, " replied Jeff. "I know this is all overwhelming for both of us. I'm surprised I'm this calm about it."

"I'm surprised too," Samantha said smiling through her tears.

"Samantha I would like us to get to know each other better. Maybe you can came up again soon?"

"I'd like that, " she replied as he took her hand and pulled her into an embrace. She clung to him as she buried her head into his shoulder. They remained like that for several minutes before reluctantly pulling apart.

"I'm glad you found me Samantha," he said as they walked towards the door.

"I am too, " she replied. "Thank you."

"And thank you," he grinned. He reached over to pick up a paper pad from the telephone desk. "This is my number. Call me anytime."

"This is mine," she replied reaching into her large purse and pulling out her business card.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Jeff said. "Have a safe trip home."

She nodded as she left the house. He stood at the door and waved when she turned around to look at him.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she got into the car. Harvey looked at her expectantly as she took in another breath. She needed to process her thoughts before telling him she had found the answers that she had been seeking.

The End