Three Saturday Mornings at Harvey's Apartment

by Jain

"Mimosa?" Harvey asked, far too loudly for the early morning...and for the faint buzz of a headache that signalled that Jessica had overdone the red wine last night.

She blinked her eyes open to find Harvey standing over her with a pair of glasses in his hands. "Water and aspirin would be more welcome," she said dryly.

He gestured towards the bedside table, careful of the full glass, and she looked over to see the requested items. "You can wait a minute more for them, can't you?" he asked. "One last celebration."

"Fine," she said, lazy and contented enough to be persuaded. Besides, she did love the taste of mimosas. She accepted the drink.

"To the newly-minted Pearson, Hardman, & Specter," Harvey said, raising his own glass. Jessica clinked their glasses together.

"Congratulations, Harvey," she said after they'd both sipped.

"Thank you," he said. "Under different circumstances I'd now take this opportunity to express my gratitude for helping me reach this milestone in my career, but given that you voted against me..."

"I recused myself," Jessica said breezily and took another sip of her mimosa. "There's a difference."

"Either way, it was unwarranted."

"I think you mean 'ethical,' and you were voted managing partner anyway," she pointed out.

"And if I hadn't been?"

"If you hadn't been, you'd probably have handed in your resignation and found work in an almost equally prestigious law firm, and it would have taken us six months to end up in bed together rather than six hours. And I wouldn't have placed myself in the position of voting in a managing partner when I had a strong interest in no longer being his superior. ...I'm speaking professionally, of course. On a personal level I'll always be your superior."

Rather than respond to the jab in kind, Harvey tilted his head to look at her quizzically. "Really."

Jessica set her empty glass on the table and downed an aspirin and a healthy sip of water. "Did you somehow forget what we did last night?"

"No, but I'd just assumed that we were both feeling a little exuberant--and tipsy. I hadn't realized that you'd thought about sleeping with me before."

Which explained why Harvey was so offended at her recusing herself and also put an interesting spin on Harvey's decision to have sex with her even after his misinterpretation. Dogged loyalty, opportunism, or some uniquely Harvey-esque amalgamation of the two; one day she might ask which had prompted him, but for now Jessica just smiled and answered, "On occasion."

"So...morning sex is on the table?"

"Provided that you feed me first, preferably something rich and greasy."

"The restaurant down the block delivers. Scrambled eggs and bacon for two?"

"Add an order of hash browns, and we're a go."

---

Mike's eyes widened when Jessica opened the door, but he recovered quickly. "Ms. Pearson, hi. I'm looking for Harvey. Obviously, since I'm at his apartment. Could you tell him I'm here?"

"What do you need him for?" Jessica asked, glancing at Mike's briefcase surreptitiously.

"Um, it's just this Petrenko case he's been working on. I found something for him."

"Harvey's been sending the firm's files to Coleridge & Littrell?"

"No!" Mike said. "No, definitely not. I'm not working as a paralegal anymore. I quit three months ago. I'm doing consulting now."

"Ah," Jessica said and stopped contemplating Harvey's imminent castration. "In that case, come in. Harvey's stepped out for a minute. He should be back soon."

Mike checked his wristwatch, a small frown crinkling his forehead. "He said to meet him here at eight, and it's five after now. Is everything okay? Are you sure I shouldn't come back later?"

"It was only a minor emergency," Jessica said wryly. "He ran out of coffee."

"Oh. I'm familiar with that particular emergency."

Jessica gave him the outwardly polite and inwardly smug nod of a woman who drank coffee solely for the taste. She stepped to one side, and Mike hesitated only a moment more before entering the apartment. "I can't offer you coffee, obviously, but there's tea if you'd like it, or orange juice."

"I'm good, thanks." Mike was beginning to get an increasingly hunted expression on his face, as though he believed that each passing minute was bringing them closer to the time when she reopened the topic of his hasty and uncongenial departure from Pearson Hardman. (It wasn't; Jessica didn't believe in repeating herself unnecessarily. But the effect was still satisfying.)

She lingered a bit longer to watch Mike squirm, then smiled at him. "You know where the kitchen is if you change your mind. I'll be seeing you, Mike."

"Yeah. Yes," Mike said. "I'll see you." She felt his gaze follow her as she returned to Harvey's bedroom. If Harvey was going to schedule meetings with Mike during their usual breakfast hour, then Jessica was going to take the opportunity to get another thirty minutes' sleep.

---

The scent of blueberry muffins greeted Jessica when she woke. So did the sight of Harvey, still curled asleep in the bed, and she put on her nightgown and robe before going to investigate.

"Harvey's apartment didn't have a live-in cook when I went to bed," she said upon entering the kitchen.

"Gah!" Mike commented intelligently, whirling around, knife in hand, to stare at her. His eyes were red and wet, which was the more remarkable since he hadn't yet started chopping the onions for the Denver omelette he was apparently making.

"Harvey gave you a key?" she asked less acerbically.

"For emergencies. Which this...isn't. I should go."

Jessica had barely known Mike before his deception had been revealed and hadn't liked him much afterwards--though the continuing lack of legal and financial repercussions for the firm mitigated that feeling slightly--but if Harvey had adopted him, then that had to mean something to her.

"Pass me the green peppers and another knife," she said. "I'll help."