Actions

Work Header

Sleight of Hand

Chapter 18: Off the Board

Chapter Text

Jessica stood on the rooftop gazing out at the skyline. She always liked coming up here even before her name was on the wall. Seeing the greatness of Manhattan laid out before her was like a promise of the greatness she could achieve. It seemed fitting that this should be the place that she said goodbye to the firm that she loved and the dreams she dreamed.

It was no easy feat for an African-American woman to climb the ladder even in this day and age. There were always roadblocks and prejudices. Despite so many advancements the upper echelons of law was still an old boys club. An African-American woman did not become managing partner of a major Manhattan law firm by some struck of luck. Jessica had kicked down so many doors and endured so much bullshit to get to where she was. Now it had all been ripped from her because of Daniel Hardman. She regretted ever casting her lot in with his.

She heard a door open and close behind her. Jessica didn’t turn around, she didn’t need to. Harvey knew that this place was her refuge from the storm. It was where she came to collect herself. She would need to be clearheaded to forge a new path because this one had ended abruptly. Jessica would almost be proud of the way he so thoroughly defeated her if her life wasn’t lying in shambles at the moment.

Harvey walked over to Jessica and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He rocked back on his heels staring out at the city. It was a completely new world and he hoped that he wasn’t leading his firm toward catastrophe. He had been thinking about what to say to her. There was a lot on his mind. There was so much that needed saying but it hardly seemed the time or place.

“I thought that I might find you up here. Your belongings have been sanitized of all Pearson Hardman material. You can take them when you leave. I made sure your tea set was packed safely. Everything was handled with care.”

“What about Daniel?”

He cleared his throat. “I had the FBI on hand to arrest him before he ever left the building. During our research we found out that he had a place in Argentina. I couldn’t risk him fleeing the country. We need him behind bars so that we can recoup at least some of the funds he stole from the firm and our clients. His accounts have already been frozen.”

Jessica’s gaze never left the skyline even as she felt tears prick her eyes. “Did you come up here to gloat or to tell me that it is time to go? Are you going to have security escort me from the building?”

“No, I don’t think there is any need for security to walk you out. Honestly, I’m not sure why I am here. I feel like I owe you some sort of explanation but I know you are smart enough to figure out the why this happened. You once told me to come in the night because that’s when they’re sleeping. I thought that was dishonest and disloyal. I didn’t understand the lesson you were trying to teaching me that day. I understand it now.”

“What lesson do you think I was trying to teach you that day?” asked Jessica.

Harvey said, “You were teaching me that I couldn’t trust anyone…even you.”

Jessica swallowed thickly and turned to look at Harvey. She saw the hurt in his eyes and it shocked her. She expected to see smug satisfaction or fury.

Jessica said, “Everything you are is because of things I have done for you. I got you here, Harvey! Never fix your mouth to say that you can’t trust me. I made you a senior partner even though it should have been Louis. I allowed a fraud to practice law at my firm because you threatened to leave and I couldn’t imagine losing you. I have always had your best interest at heart!”

“Until now…”

Jessica shook her head and her shoulder slumped. “What was I supposed to do? We stood to lose everything if we lost that lawsuit. I’m not just talking about you and me. The firm would have been on the ropes as well, Harvey. You can be mad at me for my choices but Donna is the one that destroyed that memo. If she hadn’t done that we could have fought Daniel and Tanner. Without the memo we didn’t have a leg to stand on.”

Harvey said, “I understood why Donna had to be fired. What I couldn’t get behind was sending her to prison. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen even before I found out she was pregnant. I love her, Jessica. I told you that I loved her and you doubled down. You told me that not only would she be prosecuted but also I was expected to testify against her and if I didn’t you would come after of us with the full power of Pearson Hardman. Those aren’t the words of someone that has my best interest in heart.”

“Daniel is the one that was pushing for prosecution. The mock trial tipped him to the true nature of your relationship with Donna. He didn’t just want to take away your license…he wanted to take everything from you. I couldn’t stop him so all I could do was play defense. When you have an infected limb, you cut it off to save the rest of the body. I was trying to save you. I could have cut you loose but I didn’t. I never intended to really go after you and Donna. I just wanted you to take away your choices. I didn’t want you to blame yourself for whatever happened to Donna. I was willing to be the scapegoat. I was willing to take your anger and your rage instead of it being focused in on yourself. I have seen you hate yourself and I have seen how it nearly destroyed you. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I was just in damage control mode.”

Harvey said, “That’s the part you don’t get. Donna isn’t expendable to me. I paid her salary out of my own pocket because even then the thought of losing her was unfathomable.”

She sighed and looked at him with sad eyes. She would never admit it to anyone but Harvey was like her surrogate son. That was the only reason this hurt so much. She could have braved a takeover from anyone other than Harvey. She felt like their history owed her just a modicum of loyalty. “Are you going to use it?”

Harvey asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play stupid, Harvey. You don’t think I checked my safe? I know that you have it. Are you going to use it?”

He said, “I thought about it. I thought about it when I felt it wasn’t enough to just take your firm. I thought about it when I wanted to punish you for the agony you put Donna and me through these last few weeks. I thought about burning everything you love to the ground because that was the only possible way to make me whole after what happened, but then I realized I was being petty and punitive. I would be no better than Hardman. Turning you in wouldn’t be righting some wrong…Charles Cross deserved to go to prison. His wife, Billie, has kept LCF’s business dealings clean. I have no reason to try to ruin your life or hers. I’ve made a copy of the information but it will be returned to you. I’ll never use it as long as you never breathe a word about Mike’s situation.”

Jessica searched his eyes hoping to find honesty there. When she was satisfied that he was being truthful she nodded. “Mike didn’t really leave me room for much maneuvering. He resigned while I was still managing partner. Reporting him to the authorities is an admission on my own guilt, but I am guessing he knew that.”

He ran a tired hand through his hair. “He did but Hardman has been a lesson about giving your enemies time to stew. Daniel laid in wait until the time was right and he pounced on both of us. We never even saw it coming. I will not make that mistake a second time.”

Jessica knew that Harvey was right. They had underestimated Daniel and that had been a crucial mistake. She was paying for her mistake tenfold. She shook her head. “I am not your enemy, Harvey. No matter how hurt or angry I feel in this moment I still love you. I know that hurting Mike Ross would hurt you. I see so much of our relationship in what you are developing with him. My lips are sealed. Besides, I won’t have time to focus on you and your boy wonder. I’ve got to figure out where I go from here.”

Harvey felt a sense of relief wash over him. He wanted Mike to be able to go out in the world and make his own way. He deserved to have a life where he wasn’t living a lie.

He said, “California could be a new start for you. You would not be in direct competition with our firm and we wouldn’t try to enforce the non-compete clause. Hardman is going down for his financial crimes. The evidence against him is overwhelming. I am willing to offer you a non-disclosure agreement. Specter, Cohen, and Litt will not divulge anything that happened here. You can distance yourself from this debacle, Jessica. I still love you, too.”

Jessica sighed and hugged Harvey tight. She groaned softly feeling tears slipping down her cheeks. It was so undignified.

He whispered against her hair. “Some time in the future we will look back on this day and I just want to be able to live with what I have done.”

She pulled back and smiled sadly seeing that his eyes were glassy from tears. Jessica reached out and caressed his cheek. “You did what you had to do. I would expect nothing less from you, Harvey. I would have done the same thing in your position and I probably would have shown a lot less mercy.”

Harvey said, “It is a matter of me being the man I know I can be. Donna is pregnant…I have a son or daughter on the way. I want to be a man he or she can look up to and respect.”

“I really am happy for your family, Harvey. You’re going to be a good father.” She laughed softly, “How did the vote turn out?"

Harvey said, "We knew that we had enough votes to win. We were courting senior partners while everyone was snowed in. Louis and Julian came to the Hamptons before the storm moved in. The vote came down to forty in favor and ten against. We won the vote handily.  That type of support will go a long way in the days to come."

"I can’t believe that you and Louis finally decided to work together. I would have never predicted that in a million years.”

She dried her eyes and then used her compact to reapply her makeup.

He shrugged. “Louis is a better lawyer than he gives himself credit for. He’s always trying to live up to me but he’s better at certain things than I am. He’s a great counterpart. I know you’ve always said that and I see it now. There was never another option for the third name partner. I was just waiting on Hardman to make him a senior partner.”

“It is a good strategy. Louis will be a great help in the days to come. You’re going to be under siege.”

Harvey said, “I know. That’s why I have senior partners doing face to face meetings with our top clients right now.”

Jessica smiled. “You always were a smart boy. Well, there’s no sense in staying here any longer. It’s time to pick up the pieces and I’m sure you have to do the same.”

He nodded. “I’ve got a meeting in an hour. I’ll walk down with you. Your boxes are already waiting for you in your car downstairs.”

“Thank you. Before I leave…I’d like to see it.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Jessica and Harvey left the rooftop and got onto the elevator. He pressed the button for his floor and reached over to give her hand a squeeze. Jessica had been a part of his life for such a long time. He didn’t know what it would look like without her now.

When the elevator doors opened, they stepped out and turned to look at the bare wall. Jessica and Daniel’s names were but a distant memory as the crew worked to install the new sign.

She said, “The end of an era.”

Harvey said, “And the beginning of a new one.”