Upper West Side, 2023

The smell of waffles and warm maple syrup wafts through the air and wakes him up. The morning sunlight playing hide and seek through the curtains telling him it's still quite early. But he knows better and swiftly gets out of bed. After brushing his teeth and washing his face Harvey heads downstairs for the kitchen, where he knows he'll find them.

As usual, they have music playing, but this time it comes from the Echo that they have in the kitchen. They'd made it a habit to listen to music as they prepare the recipe from scratch and make the delicious waffles. The recipe being one that Nana had passed on to Donna the minute she learned they would start a family of their own. The older Lady had claimed that it was one of those treasured things to do with your little ones as you spend some quality time together as a family.

Soon after their wedding and with the imminent arrival of their first child, they'd moved to an elegant but modern brownstone in the Upper West Side. Both had made it a priority to live in an area that happened to have a good school district, and also one that offered the security and comfort that they both wanted and needed. Donna, being awesome as always, had added her signature touch to every corner of their wonderful home. The place decorated and furnished with an eclectic vibe, the perfect mix of elegant and coziness that made them all feel truly at home.

As he rounds the corner and walks into the kitchen, Lily is the first one to see him.

"Daddy!" she happily giggles as she stops moving the spoon in the mix and grants him a full smile, her nose has a dash of flour but other than that is flawlessly dressed in her cute pajamas. She is Donna through and through. From the hazel eyes to the silky red hair to the cute nose and cheeks. But it's her Specter mouth and smile that greets him and he feels his heart beat faster. How could he love someone so much in such a small amount of time? From the minute Lily Elizabeth Specter Paulsen had been born, his heart belonged to a second female. Donna being his first...

"Hey Sweetie! What are you making there?" He asks as he wraps his arms around her back and snuggles his face in her neck.

"Daddy...stop...it tickles...you know that!" the young child says in glee, loving the attention her father gives her.

"But I thought I was your tickle monster?" he says putting a sad face for show.

The three-year old continues to giggle but seems to quietly reconsider. "Ok, ok… you can still be my tickle monster, Daddy"

He looks up at Donna who is busy taking out the waffles that are ready and plating them. Sensing that he is looking at her, she turns around and smiles sweetly at him. He can feel his heart beat at double speed as it fills with love once again, and walks the short distance to her side. Leaning towards her, he kisses her cheek as she touches his hair with her left hand. He's always had that unruly hair that tends to stick up no matter what. She lets her hand slide and touch his cheek in that intimate way he loves and her eyes soften as they met his brown ones. His hand comes up to trap hers, then brings it close to his lips for a kiss.

"How are you doing Mrs. Specter?" his early baritone sounds sexy and gravelly. Sensing her weakness for him, he takes advantage of their closeness, and steals another kiss from her lips.

"Better today", she responds as his hands slide down to her hips and draws her closer to him.

"No morning sickness?" he asks, as serious and worried expression on his face.

She shakes her head no and their eyes meet again.

"I love you," he whispers, his right hand coming up to sweep a tendril of red hair that had escaped her messy bun, and gently places it behind her ear. He loves this Donna: soft, dreamy, and sexy in the early morning. Never in a million years would he'd thought this would be his future. A future with this amazing woman whom he loves and cherishes, and who stands by his side as they raise their wonderful family. The smart and savvy woman who holds him and the Firm together through crest and trough, sweeping them back from the undertow time and time again.

His daughter humming to the sound of an upbeat pop song breaks him from his reverie and he lets Donna go so she can resume the waffle making process.

"Don't stir too much, Lily or we're not getting fluffy waffles", Donna reminds her young daughter who smiles adoringly at her and said, "but Mommy, I don't have to follow those rules..."

Donna raises an eyebrow and asks her smart and sassy daughter, "why not, Lily-bear?"

"Because my name is on the wall...that means that I don't have to follow rules," she says with a cockiness Donna finds so incredibly familiar.

"And, who told you that?"

"Daddy did!" comes the quick response and the young redhead points a tiny finger at Harvey.

Donna laughs and turns to Harvey, "you DO realize you're creating a monster, right?"

"A tickle monster!" shouts the little girl as she throws herself at Harvey who catches her midair and begins to playfully tickle her as he mimics monster noises.

"Ok, you two… stop!", Donna says, amusement in her tone, as she takes out the last waffle and places it on a third plate, "who would like to decorate the waffles?"

Lily soon stops tickling her Dad back to shout a loud "me". Then she scurries down to the floor and rushes to the high back chair to begin the process of adding bananas and strawberries in smiley face fashion to each of the waffles.

Another upbeat song begins playing but this one has a slightly funky feel to it.

"So what are you guys listening to this morning?" he asks and feeling playful and ready to tease his girls, he starts dancing to the song. Lily looks up from her decorating duty and watches him move swiftly to the music. This elicits a quick response from the young girl, and she sighs as she tells her mom, "Oh no Mommy! Daddy's at it again..."

Donna fake-sighs and joins her daughter's playful banter, "what do you suggest we do, Lily? Should we call Grandma Lily and have her take him to the doctor?"

Lily puts a hand under her chin and narrows her eyes as she looks from Donna to Harvey, the latter which refuses to give up dancing.

"I think it's best if you join him Mommy… he needs someone to teach him how to dance!"

"So you're saying I can't dance?" he asks his daughter, faux incredulity in his voice, "then I'll show you how it's done Lily Elizabeth Specter!".

Donna watches as her husband begins doing his typical crazy dance moves, the 90's coming out in full bloom with every one of them: from waving to the reebok, to moonwalking to the robot...it is a dance fest of sorts.

Stealing a glance at her daughter, Donna can see the love and admiration this sweet little girl has for her Daddy. Her gaze lost in his movements and a hand covering her mouth as she giggles in zest.

"Want to see how Mommy can also make your Daddy move?" she asks her daughter and the young redhead nods.

"Ok, Specter… you ready?" Donna asks him as she joins him in the area in front of the kitchen island he's currently using as a dance floor.

"Bring it on, Paulsen!" he counters.

Lifting her hand and making a spinning motion, Donna joins in their daughter's laughter as she watches as Harvey begins to do his signature moonwalk with hover spins in tune with her finger motion. Harvey's eyes met Donna's then, and they both break into laughter.

Lily sits mesmerized as she watches both her Parents dance: Donna bops from one side to another in rhythmic fashion and Harvey moves swiftly to the music. Lily then catches in the thrill and while clapping her small hands, she gleefully laughs as she keeps cheering and shouting mommy and daddy in excitement.

"Come here, Lily-bear," Donna waves at the small redhead and the little girl quickly comes off the kitchen's high chair to join her parents.

Holding out his hands, Harvey grabs her smaller ones and she jumps-dances with her Dad. The soft strands of her hair moving to and fro while the sun light reflects the red and blonde in it. Just then, Harvey sweeps his daughter up and places her on his right hip, his arm protecting her at all times. Meanwhile, his left arm goes to wrap around Donna's waist, and he brings them together into a small hug as they continue to dance to the funky soulful beat.

He watches both redheads smile and joke around as they enjoy the impromptu dancing session. He smiles to himself as he thinks about how much he loves to see the smiles on their faces, hear their laughter and sense the love they share for one another.

This is where he belongs.

Where they belong.

This is where their hearts lie.

After all,

this is the home they have made...

A/N: As part of #Suitsmonth and this being Fun Week, I decided to write a quick -and hopefully funny- piece about the Specter-Paulsen household. I considered adding this to Read, Analyze, Fix but then again, this is an independent piece although it follows in that timeline. The song Harvey and Donna dance to when he does his crazy moves is Hard to get by LeoSoul (in case you'd like to know haha). Well, I can only hope you like this fluffy but fun piece, and let me know what you think (crossing fingers you DO like it).

P.S. If you're curious about who Nana is, I invite you to read RAF and hope you enjoy it as well.

XX- Bellesrad