Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and great patience. Full-time work is a trap, don't buy into it. This is the last chapter and I'm glad I could get it finished in time for next week. Enjoy!

Chapter Four: Apologies and Amends

Marcus answered the door with his phone still pressed to his ear, his eyes glassy with sleep deprivation.

"Harvey. It's –"

"Six o'clock, I know."

Marcus hung up the phone, shoving it into the pocket of his sweatpants.

"If you know that then what the hell are you doing here?" he grumbled.

"Would you believe me if I told you I came to apologise?"

His brother stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You never apologise for anything."

"Not true. I apologised for hitting on Sarah before I realised she was your girlfriend at the time."

"That's not helping your argument."

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Will you just come outside?"

Marcus grudgingly joined him out on the front porch, taking great care to close the front door quietly. Both brothers sat down at the top of the stairs, elbows resting heavily on their knees.

"So you drove back all this way to apologise, huh?"

"Actually I spent the night at a hotel about ten minutes from here."

"And the apology just keeps getting flimsier…" Marcus said with an easy smile.

"I don't really want to make this into some big scene, so how about I just say I'm sorry for being such a dick and we leave it at that?"

Marcus furrowed his brow, pretending to mull it over.

"Apology accepted big brother." Harvey smirked at the term of endearment. "You're still a dick, though."

Harvey sighed. "Yeah, I know."

As much as he loathed apologising, Harvey knew that he had far more to apologise for than just making an ass out of himself yesterday.

He turned to his brother. "I know you didn't choose sides."

Marcus stared back, bewildered.

"You've been punishing me for years because you thought I took her side," he said quietly.

The guilt Harvey felt was palpable; his brother suddenly seemed so impossibly young.

"I know how much Dad meant to you," Marcus paused briefly before he continued, "But it killed Mom that she didn't see you."

Harvey didn't have reassuring words for his brother. He couldn't say, "I still loved her anyway" or "I missed her" or even, "I'm sorry I shut her out for so long". His mother's betrayal had been a part of him almost as long as she had. The two were inextricably linked in his mind. They probably always would be.

So Harvey said the next best thing, "I kept her painting."

"The duck one?"

"The very same."

Marcus looked surprised. "I thought you hated that painting."

Harvey shook his head. "It's been hanging in my office since I got promoted to Senior Associate."

He decided to omit the fact that he was still trying to get it back after the Elliot Stemple fiasco. Even so, it had been one of the most precious things he owned. If he was sorry for anything, he was sorry it was gone.

"That would have made her happy," Marcus said with a wistful smile.

"I should let you get back inside."

They both stood. "Thanks…thanks for coming back, Harvey."

"I owed it to you," he admitted. I owed it to Mom too, he realised. "Say goodbye to the girls for me."

"I will."

"Hey, out of curiosity, just how mad was Sarah?" he asked.

Marcus chuckled. "Actually, she defended you."

Harvey smirked. "Funny, Donna defended you too."

Marcus' smile slipped from his face. "Is she the reason you came?"

"Not this time," Harvey assured him.

The two shared a quick hug, saying their goodbyes.

"I'll see you at Thanksgiving," he promised as he stepped off the porch.

"You will. And bring Donna."

Harvey glanced back at his brother curiously.

"That gives you a month to pull your head out of your ass."

"Go back inside, Marcus."

Marcus laughed at him, waving.

By the time Harvey got back to the hotel room Donna was already awake and dressed in her clothes from the day before. He found her sitting upright in his bed, knees hitched up to her chest, a newspaper balanced precariously on her lap.

He knocked lightly on the open door frame, announcing his presence. Donna looked up at him almost shyly. He held up a cardboard tray filled with two tall lattes and a paper bag with two muffins.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Thirsty."

He grinned, setting down the paper bag on the bedside table and extending the coffee tray to her. She reached for the cup that had Donna scrawled across it, letting her newspaper fall from her lap.

She cradled the cup with both hands, inhaling deeply before she took a long sip, moaning appreciatively.

"You make that look like a religious experience."

"At seven o'clock in the morning it is."

Harvey brought his own cup to his lips as he sat down on the bed by her feet.

"How did the apology go?"

"What apology?"

Donna cocked her head sideways. Harvey matched her expression playfully.

"I told him I was sorry for being a dick yesterday."

He watched her shoulders drop, the disappointment evident on her face.

"And I told him that I know he wasn't dishonouring our Dad by defending our mother."

She raised her eyebrows. "You said that?"

"Well, not in so many words. But the message was clear."

"Wow," she breathed.

"It's not a big deal, Donna," he downplayed.

"I beg to differ."

"It's still weird talking about her. Even weirder now…"

Donna nodded in understanding, "Now that she's gone?"

"Yeah."

Harvey reached for the paper bag on the bedside table. He pulled out the white chocolate blueberry muffin and handed it to Donna. She eyed it sceptically.

"Don't worry, there's fruit in it. I don't need to hear your chunky monkey, chocolate and banana diatribe again."

She smiled fondly at him as she set her coffee and muffin down. "Did you ever think you'd make up with her?"

Although she didn't verbalise the "before she died", he could hear the sentiment loud and clear.

Harvey hadn't given much thought to his mother dying. Maybe once or twice, right after his dad passed, in the privacy of his condo, when he was drunk, pissed off and feeling sorry for himself. He hadn't even taken a full personal day, just the afternoon, but he remembered wanting to be far, far away from Donna, wanting to revel in his misery for a few hours before she tried to piece him back together.

He had almost called his mother that afternoon, wanting to deliver the news before Marcus could, almost wanting to spite her for it. He died still loving you, even after the hell you put him through, he had wanted to say. But even at his worst, Harvey knew he could never be that cruel.

They never did have that argument though. Now they never would. She died while he was still mad at her. She died before she could apologise for it all. She died before he could accept her apology. She died and Harvey was practically a stranger at her funeral.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "I would have liked the option."

Donna smiled sadly at him. She understood the need for closure, hell, it was why their relationship had been in a bizarre state of limbo ever since the first time they slept together.

"I'm sorry, Harvey." She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together as if it were something she did every day. "I don't know if I've said that yet.

Harvey squeezed her hand. "Thanks for coming with me yesterday."

"It was no big deal," she answered with a shrug.

"I beg to differ," he said, regurgitating her words. "Marcus was right to call you."

Donna smiled bashfully. "Well, duh."

She put her hands back on the tops of her knees, carefully avoiding his eyes.

"We should get going if we want to be back at the office by midday."

"Actually, there's something I need to do. Something I need to make up for."

"Wow, cryptic."

"Will you come with me?"

"You drove us to Connecticut, remember. I'm kinda stuck with you."

He stayed quiet, letting her know that he was serious; he wouldn't drag her along against her will.

"Of course I'll come, Harvey."

Harvey nodded, rising off the bed. He extended his hand to Donna, lifting her from her sitting position.

"But you get to be the one to call Louis and tell him we're taking a consecutive personal day."

He smiled gleefully. "You say that like it's a punishment."

Harvey pulled up to their destination, watching Donna closely as the realisation dawned on her face. She turned to him, eyes shining.

"We're here to see your Dad."

He nodded.

"But today it isn't –"

He shook his head.

Her eyes fell down to her lap. "You're never brought me here before."

His eyes never wavered from her. "I've never brought anyone here before."

She looked up sharply, the admission hanging heavily between them.

Harvey escorted her out of the car and down the familiar, well-worn path of the cemetery. He clutched a bottle of Macallan in one hand, while the other rested comfortably on the small of Donna's back.

When they reached Gordon's grave Harvey handed the bottle to Donna. He extracted the three shot glasses that were crammed into the pockets of his jacket. He placed one on his father's headstone, gave one to Donna in exchange for the bottle and kept a firm grip on the third.

As he poured a shot for Donna she said, "This is why we stopped?"

"It's tradition."

Harvey poured a shot for his father and finally one for himself.

"Dad…I'm sorry I didn't stay last time." He glanced at Donna, knowing she had a question poised on her lips. "I figured bringing Donna would make up for it," he said with a smile.

Harvey held up his glass to toast his father. Donna did the same. After a few seconds they both threw their heads back, drinking to his memory.

"You do this every year?" Donna asked as they slowly made their way out of the cemetery.

"Every year."

"And last time you were here?"

"I saw my mother."

"Oh, Harvey."

"Now that I think about it, it's almost like she knew it would be her last opportunity. It sounds crazy when I say it out loud though."

"Not at all."

They strolled in silence, fingers grazing every few steps.

"It means a lot that you'd share this with me, Harvey."

He said nothing, reaching for her hand instead, the gesture becoming more natural by the day.

The drive back to the City was a quiet one; the roads mostly clear before rush hour started. Donna had slept for most of it, eyes fluttering open every fifteen minutes before they fell closed again.

Part of him wanted to wake her. They needed to talk. About last night, about the entire two days, about their entire relationship. Harvey was not oblivious to the irony that when he was finally ready to share his feelings with Donna that she apparently wasn't.

But she'd been patient with him all this time, for years, in fact. He could wait one damn car ride.

They pulled up outside her apartment building in the early hours of the afternoon. Harvey briefly considering going into the office before deciding he'd prefer to torture Louis just a little while longer.

Harvey placed a gentle hand on Donna's knee. "Donna, we're here, wake up."

"Wow that was fast," she said, still a little groggy.

"Well you slept through most of the drive."

"Oops."

They climbed out of the car, Harvey walking Donna to the steps of her building. They stood together awkwardly, neither quite sure what to say to each other, goodbye suddenly sounding so silly and insignificant. Thank you, even more so.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" Donna said.

When he didn't immediately respond she started to climb the stairs. Harvey reached for her on reflex, his fingers circling her wrist. She stopped, staring at him curiously.

Harvey tugged lightly on her hand, encouraging her back down the steps, bringing them eye-level again. One hand cupped her cheek delicately, the other finding a home on her hip. His lips brushed hers softly, seeking permission. He half-expected her to pull back in protest before he felt her hand slide through his hair. He responded with more urgency, his tongue sliding languidly against hers, his grip tightening at her waist, pressing her body closer.

They kissed like this for a few moments before they became conscious of the fact that they were still out in broad daylight.

Donna broke the kiss, the slightest blush on her cheeks when she pulled away from him. She smiled and ran her thumb across his bottom lip.

"Just so you know, I would have done that earlier," he confessed.

"Oh, really?"

"I didn't want to give you the wrong impression."

She frowned.

"I mean, I didn't want you thinking it was because of my mother."

Donna laughed. "You really don't do much for a girl's self-esteem, Harvey."

He sighed heavily. Jeez, he was suddenly really bad at this. "You know what I'm trying to say," he said impatiently.

She gave him a brief peck on the lips. "I do. I'm glad you waited."

"Thirteen whole years?"

"I'm going inside now."

Harvey held her hips, keeping her in place. "Donna, I don't ever want to be with anyone else."

"I don't either."

It was an effort to keep from grinning like an idiot. "Good. Then we agree."

"Looks that way."

Donna turned, glancing at her building then back at him. "Do you want to come up?"

"You're exhausted," he pointed out, even though he genuinely couldn't think of anything he'd ever wanted to do more.

"We'll just sleep."

"Donna, you and I both know that if I come up there will not be any sleep happening whatsoever."

She chewed thoughtfully on her lip. Harvey knew she'd barely slept in the last day and a half, had basically lived in her funeral dress for the past twenty-four hours. She was tired and emotionally drained.

"Donna, I'm not going to suddenly change my mind the minute I leave."

"You've done it before."

"This is different. We're different."

Harvey pulled her closer again, kissing her deeply.

When he pulled back he said, "Go upstairs, sleep for a few hours and I'll come over later and take you out to dinner. I'm going to be the gentleman here if it kills me."

She chuckled, stepping out of his embrace.

"Then I will see you in a few hours, Harvey."

When she reached the top step he said, "Don't you change your mind either."

Donna turned back to him and they shared a smile before she stepped inside.

Harvey decided to leave the car parked outside of her building and walk home, he'd be back in a matter of hours anyway, probably sooner.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing a familiar number.

"What time for thanksgiving?" he asked. There was a pause on the other end. "Yeah, we'll both be there."