[AN] I apologize for the delay, but this Chapter was strangely hard to write. Though I am happy with the Harvey/Louis part.

And again, thank you for your kind reviews.

„So… are we ever going to talk about this?"

Harvey spun around from where he was standing at the window, overlooking Manhattan in the fading light of the day. Donna strode into his office, closing the door behind her, determination on her face.

He suppressed a sigh. They had managed not to talk about it for a few days now. Mainly because he had been a stonewalling asshole, pretending to be too busy.

"Harvey?"

She looked tired. Worn out.

"What do you want to talk about?" Harvey asked, turning around fully, hands in his pockets.

Now it was Donna's turn to sigh and she closed her eyes briefly in disbelief. "Really? Is this how it's going to be? You just pretend like you don't care about any of this?"

Harvey met her eyes level with his. She was as tall as he was with her high heels and he actually preferred it that way. Eye to eye like equals. Because that's what they were. Sure, he might be her boss and bring in the big figures, but without people like Donna he wouldn't be as successful as he was. Wouldn't be as daring and completely sure of his own abilities.

He felt like snorting. People like Donna. There were no people, there was just her. He wouldn't be the lawyer he was if it wasn't for Donna. Period. Maybe even the man he was. Devoted, but constantly on his guard. Detached but yet twistedly committed to one woman, from whom he would not be parted.

And he knew he was being an ass on purpose. "Are you still thinking about moving to London?"

Donna evaded his gaze, pursing her lips. Harvey was on her in a second.

"He's a lying, manipulating son of a bitch, who screwed us all over. And he's back at the London office where he can rot in hell for all I care."

"Harvey-"

"No." He cut her off and stepped closer to her, meeting her in the middle of the room until he crowded her space. "And after everything that happened between us-"

"Oh please." This time it was Donna who interrupted him, taking a step back and crossing her arms in front of her. "After everything that happened between us, we're still in the same place we were ten years ago. Only that now I'm pregnant with a child whose father lives in London."

"But your life is here!"

Donna gave him a look that made him fell uneasy. A look of pity. "And what life is that?" She took a deep breath and continued more softly. "Harvey. When you asked me to come with you to this firm, I was in love with you. Did you know that?"

He stared back at her, his silence acting as his admission of guilt. He turned his head from her once more and struggled to find composure. This was it, he realized. This was the moment where the choice between the two of them was taken away from him.

"I put it behind me and basically put my life on hold to help you achieve your goals and be a better man. But now, I'm pregnant. And this is my chance in life."

Harvey felt the unease tighten his insides. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"That I was in love with you? What, and make a fool out of myself? You were sitting there with those puppy dog eyes of yours and practically begged me to come with you. Telling me that you'd rather work with me than be with me. What was I supposed to do? We'd always worked great together. Anything else didn't matter in that moment."

He stared back at her, miserable and heartbroken. He wanted to argue with her. He wanted to plead that yes, yes it did. Because he had been in love with her too.

"Truth is, I'm terrified, Harvey. And instead of doubting me and every decision I make, it would be great if you'd support me instead."

"I can't." He said with finality, albeit unable to ignore the tears gathering in her eyes. "Not if it means you'll go to London."

The silence that followed was a torture that Harvey had not experienced before.

She lifted her head and squared her shoulders. "I don't know what to do." she admitted, and then pretended that she possessed the same natural, God-given ability to be calm and brave in the most difficult of circumstances that he had. "I just know that I don't want to screw this up. I want this child to be happy and healthy and have the world for the taking."

"Why haven't you told Rachel, yet?"

It was such an abrupt change of topic that Donna needed a second to clear her head. "How do you know I haven't?"

He just gave her a look. "Because Mike hasn't been in here gushing about it."

Donna just shrugged. "It hasn't felt right, yet."

"Being pregnant is nothing to be ashamed about." Harvey said softly.

Her eyes met his instantly. "I know." But how could she tell Rachel if she didn't even know what was going to happen.

Harvey nodded his head. "This is your choice. And we both have to live with it. So you better make sure it's the right one."

::

::

Harvey sat in his recliner, whiskey tumbler in his hand. He was glad his office was far enough from the main conference room that he didn't have to hear the cheery chatter and the music playing at Donna's going away party.

She had said she was not going to steal away at the dead of night, as if she had anything to hide. And she had been true to her word. Nobody but him knew she was pregnant. Ashamed or not, she hadn't wanted anyone at the office to know.

He felt sick to the stomach as he took another sip if his whiskey. Hurt and humiliated and upset that control of the decision had been taken from him. The juvenile urge to hurt Donna for hurting him grew in his chest, and his bitterness over the whole screwed up situation pushed an aching smile to his lips. He would not go to her party and Donna didn't expect him to. It's not as if they had talked much in the last three weeks.

"Harvey."

He looked up to see one his least favorite people standing in his doorway.

"Leave me alone, Louis." Harvey slurred.

"Oh my God, are you drunk?" Louis stepped further into the office and walked over to him.

"I said leave me alone." And his tone didn't leave much room for interpretation.

"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you at the party?"

Harvey looked around his office. He didn't want to talk to Louis. He didn't want to talk to anyone. But on the other hand, it was Louis. He was Donna's friend and there was a time Harvey thought he could trust him.

"Donna is leaving me." He said bitterly, rolling to glass around in his hands.

"Oh, gee, seriously?" Louis mocked him. "And here I was wondering what the going away party was for."

Harvey tilted his head and just gave him a silent look. Yeah. Talking to Louis had been a mistake.

"What did you do?" Louis asked instead. "What the hell did you do to drive her away for good?"

Harvey's eyes turned even colder and he had to restrain himself from throwing his glass at the other man.

"I didn't do shit. She's leaving me! It was her choice!" He shot back.

Louis just shook his head disbelievingly." You're so full of shit, Harvey. Donna loves you. She would never leave you on her own accord."

Harvey laughed. "Spare me, Louis."

Louis just huffed at Harvey's disbelief. He got himself a tumbler of whiskey and leaned against, the back of the armchair, facing Harvey. "Do you know what Donna's true calling would have been?" He swirled the amber liquid around in his glass.

Harvey just sighed, already tired of this conversation.

Of this day.

Of his life as it was right now.

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." Louis quoted.

Harvey just looked at him confusedly.

"An actress." Louis elaborated. "Donna is one of the best actresses I've ever had the luck to meet."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He didn't want to, but Harvey was intrigued.

"Oh please. Maybe you were too busy plotting to take over the firm but I've seen that Donna put on a farce for everyone since her very first day here. Her whole persona is one big act. Sure, she is strong an witty and fierce and smart, but she builds on it, trying to hide her one big secret. It's all a giant show just to hide the fact that she is in love with you." Louis huffed. "And you are just too blind to see it. Too busy reading and playing people to see what a beautiful woman is right in front of you."

Harvey looked at him. Really looked at him. All he could see was pity.

"That's not true." He had known. Deep down, he thought he had always known.

"Yes it is." Louis said, not knowing what Harvey was talking about. "And if you just stopped focusing on yourself so much, you'd see it. Donna'd do everything for you, she put her whole life on hold to work for you and help you achieve whatever petty thing you set your mind to." He said disgustedly. "I don't know what she sees in you." He continues with less ire. "And you sure as hell don't deserve that gorgeous and perfect woman. But she loves you beyond any doubt."

"No." Harvey shook his head as his vision blurred. His eyes burned. She wouldn't do everything for him. She wouldn't stay.

Louis could see the struggle in Harvey. His gaze was fixed on his lap, his hand clenched around the whiskey tumbler, the other one gripping the arm rest.

"What happened?" Louis asked gently.

Harvey looked at him and Louis was surprised to see the tears gathering in his eyes.

"She's pregnant." He said with raw pain that made Louis speechless. Harvey just looked at him with a 'so there' expression.

"Is it…" Louis cleared his throat. "Stephen?"

Harvey nodded and downed the last of his drink, setting the tumbler aside. He got up on unsteady feet.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Louis asked.

Harvey just shot him a look. "There's nothing for me to do." He said with resignation. "She made her choice."

"And what? You chose to do nothing about it?"

Harvey shot him a dark look. "Are you trying to make me punch you? Because I will."

Louis just rolled his eyes. "Yes. And when you're done throwing such an epic tantrum about it, maybe you can think of something to keep Donna here."

"She's not talking to me." Harvey said defiantly, his foggy mind registering that he sounded like a petulant child.

"Well, it looks like you're not talking to her either." Louis pointed out.

"Louis." Harvey said warningly.

"You can punch me, if you want to, although I really hope you don't. But the truth is still the same. Donna is right down the hall and you're here getting drunk and feeling sorry for yourself."

::

Rachel looked around the conference room that was bustling with people tonight.

"And that's how I stand on the debate of The Dark Knight versus The Dark Knight Rises." Mike said next to her, taking a sip from his beer.

Rachel looked back at him in confusion. "What?"

Mike just raised his eyebrows. "Oh now you listen to me. I was just checking, because I had the impression my company would bore you."

"Oh shut up." Rachel just said and smacked his chest.

"What are you doing anyway?" Mike asked.

"Where the hell is Harvey?" She asked instead, pinning him with her eyes.

"I, uh, I don't know." Mike floundered. "He hasn't exactly been easy to talk to the last few weeks."

"Well, he should be here." Rachel decided with finality. "Maybe he could put a stop to this whole fiasco."

"What are you talking about?"

Rachel just rolled her eyes, before grabbing a hold of his sleeve and dragging him with her into the corner of the room.

"What am I talking about?" She hissed, hoping no one could overhear them. "Donna going to London of course. You can't be that clueless, Mike."

"I'm not." He defended himself. "But I don't know what's going on. Harvey isn't exactly forthcoming with information."

"Oh please." Rachel huffed. "We both know this thing with Stephen was just some fun. She doesn't love him. And she sure doesn't care for him enough that it warrants her to move to freaking London."

Mike cleared his throat warningly as Donna suddenly stepped up to them.

"Hey guys, everything okay over here? I hope I'm interrupting something." She said cheerfully.

"Yes, everything's great. It's a great-"

Rachel shot Mike a look and interrupted him. "No. Everything's not okay. We need to talk."

Donna could just look after her, as Rachel strode away, clearly expecting her to follow. She looked at Mike, who tried his best to hide behind his bottle of beer. She huffed and followed her friend instead.

Donna caught up with Rachel in front of the partner's kitchen and they stepped inside together.

"What's going on, Rachel?" Donna asked neutrally.

"That's what I want to know. You've been evading me ever since I got the memo for your party. You didn't even tell me why you're leaving."

"I'm leaving to be closer to Stephen." Donna said. It sounded rehearsed, something she could tell everyone else here at the firm, but not one of her closest friends.

Rachel just shook her head, clearly disappointed. "What's Harvey got to say about that?" She asked, playing along for now.

"Harvey doesn't get a say. This has nothing to do with him." Donna squared her shoulders, lifting her chin defiantly.

"Donna." Rachel said softly, stepping up to her friend and taking her hands. "What is going on? I know Stephen can't be the reason you leave all of this… all of us behind."

This was it, Donna thought. Telling Rachel would make it all real. Because here was someone who was bound to get excited about a baby, who wanted to talk about it constantly. Harvey on the other hand had been safe. Harvey didn't gush and didn't want to know every tiny little detail. Telling Rachel would force Donna to pretend to be excited too.

Yes, she was happy about being pregnant. And yes, she truly thought a change was what she needed. It's not that she had never thought about having children, but Stephen Huntley had not been the man she dreamed of having them with. Now she was fully prepared to make the best of this. She just wasn't looking forward to it very much.

"Donna?" Rachel asked again.

"I'm pregnant."

Rachel just gaped at her. "The kind of pregnant where you have a baby?"

Donna just gave her a look, but it did make her smile. "Yes, Rachel."

"And it's Stephen's?"

Donna nodded, pressing her lips together.

"Wow." Rachel let go of Donna's hands and sat down in a chair. "You're pregnant… Are you and Stephen back together?"

Donna shook her head as she joined Rachel at the table. "No. But I want to do the right thing."

"What about everything here?" Rachel asked innocently.

The older woman just shrugged. "I don't know. But I have to try this. And it's not the way I ever imagined it and it's not ideal… and maybe it won't work out, but then I can look myself in the mirror and face my kid and honestly say that I gave it my best shot."