Paula, Donna, and Harvey

Paula quickly walked up to Harvey as he came into the apartment. She stood a little on tiptoes to reach his lips as he quite a bit taller than she although she was not short. She had taken off her heels and was padding around his apartment wondering what to make them for dinner. Harvey's kiss was quick and almost non-existent as if his mind was drifting somewhere else.

"Harvey, everything go all right today in court? Oh by the way, I saw Jessica was here. I didn't know your former managing partner had a key to your apartment."

Harvey shook his head to bring his mind out of the cobwebs or more like out from the kiss that Donna had laid on him when he walked into her office to tell her about Jessica.

"She doesn't but the doorman and security know her and always let her in to my place. What did she say to you?"

Paula padded back around and removed Harvey's suit jacket from his shoulders and placed it over the chair at the kitchen bar. Then she went around to the other side and stirred a pot of what looked like beef stew.

"Nothing much. I was right, though, she is a hell of a woman. No wonder you consider her an important person in your life."

"Paula, we need to..."

"It's Shepherd's Pie when it's finished, Harvey. No need to be afraid just an old traditional British dish," Paula said proudly. She loved cooking and wanted to show Harvey some of her favorite dishes as he had showed her some of his. In the last two months, Paula could not have been happier with Harvey. She felt he was feeling the same. Although today he was off his game. Changing his tie three times within ten minutes said a lot about what he was feeling and thinking about this morning. Despite what he said regarding Louis, she instinctively knew it was because of that man coming after Donna.

Harvey decided to shelve the talk with Paula until later. Besides she looked so happy to be cooking him a meal, he did not have the heart to tell her what he had to tell her.

After Donna escaped her office leaving Harvey standing there stunned, she hoped, she quickly went to the roof to think about what she did. The cool air up top would help pinpoint why she was determined to not only tell Harvey what she wanted him to know but show him. Action was always the only way to get him to fight back. Heaven knows words never worked. Last time words including those three words that every woman wants to hear from a man she's in love with only drove them apart because she expected him to explain the "how".

Since reconciling with his mom, Donna thought Harvey had changed and become more calm less driven. His drive to be the best lawyer in the city had not diminished, but he was more calm and able to deal with things with a little more thought and less antagonistically. It helped having Mike become a "real" lawyer. Harvey no longer had to worry about their secret coming out in the wash. It had been there and their penitence paid by Jessica taking the bullet as any mother hen would for her chickens.

Donna stayed on the roof until Louis found her. He was thoughtful enough to bring her coat with him. She looked over and saw him. He could visibly see her relief that it was he and not someone else.

"I thought you may need this," Louis said assisting her as she put her arms in the sleeves and gathered it over her shoulders.

"Thank you, Louis. That was thoughtful," Donna said and then turned back gazing at the artificially lit skyline.

"Did you talk to Harvey?" Louis asked.

"Not really. He came to tell me something and then we got distracted and I left suddenly," Donna said. She then shook her head.

"By the way, how did you know I would be up here?"

"You found me when I was lost in thought about Sheila, so I figured with what happened in court with Harvey I would find you up here. Besides good friends think alike," Louis said joining her in gazing at the skyline.

"It is beautiful up here," Donna said. "The perfect place to lose oneself for a little while until you realize you have to go back to your life downstairs."

"I thought Harvey had taken care of Malick?" Louis said.

"Yes, he did." Donna said very quietly.

Donna shook the cobwebs out of her head again and turned to actually face Louis.

"What was it you needed to tell me?"

"Jessica is being disbarred by Malick for taking the bullet for speaking up about knowing Mike was a fraud. Jessica flew in and talked to Harvey and convinced him that her name be taken off the door."

"Oh my...," Donna said and bowed her head holding her forehead in her hand. Her head came up and she said almost inaudibly. "That's the news he wanted to give me."

"What was that, Donna?" Louis asked.

"Nothing. So what did you and Harvey decide to do?"

"Well, we briefly discussed her buyout but we can't take a full vote unless all the partners are present and that includes you, Ms. COO."

Donna gave a little laugh and a brittle smile to Louis. "Of course. Harvey wasn't able to tell me because we didn't have much time to talk, so he didn't tell me about Jessica and the ramifications behind her being disbarred in New York."

"Oh, I guess we'll have to meet tomorrow sometime. Say, aren't you cold yet?"

"No, not since you brought me my coat. However, if you are cold, go ahead and go down. I'll be fine. I promise."

Louis came and held her arm.

"Just like you told me when I was thinking about Sheila, I'm not going to leave you alone until you let me know what's going on or at least tell me you're not going to jump."

Donna smiled at the memory of the other day when she found Louis standing up in despair over Sheila marrying another man. She had just had a shock that Mark her former boyfriend had told her he was married while they were having a romantic lunch. Apparently, it seemed Sheila had given Louis the same indecent proposition that Mark had given her. Donna wanted to avenge her feelings for Harvey and almost became the other woman willingly. Donna found her last shred of self esteem and had not gone through with it. However, Louis, did; and it made him feel terribly guilty. Hence he sought refuge on the roof.

Similarly, now, Donna found herself in the same position as Louis except it was not at Harvey's invitation and at least it had not gotten so far as sex. Donna knew the minute her lips touched his. Nothing had changed. She was still in love with him and wanted him so badly to be hers. She hoped Harvey could figure out what he wanted. Donna really thought, perhaps, she had felt a response in him. Before she had let go, he leaned into her. Before he had realized it was her kissing him, she could swear he had responded. However, now, he was in a position that she never wanted to put him in.

Donna kept telling herself she kissed him because she "had to know". However, did she need to know her true feelings or his? Time would only tell. She hoped he would not hate her now for putting him in that position. She had endured the callous side of Harvey Specter the last time their feelings had surfaced and his words not defined enough for her to respond properly. He had dropped "You know I love you, Donna" last time twisting her stomach in knots for ten or more hours the next day. It was not exactly that she had said, "I love you, Harvey, and I want you; so tell me now."

Maybe she had been ambiguous to him waiting for him to make the move that would catapult them together or drive them apart for good. It was she then letting him make a move or not. All she knew was that she could not go on like that. Especially since it looked like he may be permanently with Paula. She wanted one last chance to hopefully either make him realize he loves her like that or to tell her once and for all that he had moved on and so should she.

Donna took Louis' hand as she began to walk toward the door which led back to reality.

"Come on, Louis. We have to be ready to help Harvey in the morning."

"You mean help ourselves."

"Perhaps that is what I meant," Donna said quietly continually thinking of her desparate feelings.