Poppy

I'm Poppy.

"Harvey," she announced as she walked into his office an hour later, " We need to talk."
"Sure," he mumbled as he kept reading a case file.
"Now," She sat ramrod straight on his couch.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
"What? What happened?" He stood with a look of fierce protectiveness.
"Have you seen little Harvey's secretary?" She arched that brow.
He rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Can we not call him that? God, Donna!" He turned around to look at the city.
" I'm not the one who hired him, Batman," she smiled coyly.
"No. I haven't seen his secretary. I don't really care as long as he shows up and we win," he put his hands on his hips. The "Super Harvey" stance she'd called it.
"Well," she eyed him warily," I think you will care when you find out that it's Hope."
"WHAT THE FU-"
Donna stilled him with a hand.
"Before you activate Louis Mode. I need you to count to ten. No. She isn't a lawyer, Harvey. No. She isn't going to make name partner. No. She isn't what we always assumed she was. Harvey, you have to see her. I can't explain it..." Donna's voice quivered, and Harvey breathed out.
She was getting emotional, which meant it wasn't just firm related, it was family related. He'd put a pin in his plans of reeming Lucas out.
"Where are they?" He sighed in resignation.
"He left about an fifteen minutes ago to see Louis so..." Donna rolled her eyes.
"Where's Pop?"
"That's the thing. She's...at my old desk," She smiled in an awkwardly proud way, the way she had at Poppy's first piano recital.
Harvey wasn't sure how he felt about anyone sitting at that desk, to be honest. It was hallowed ground. How Catholics viewed the vatican. How Hindus viewed temple. How Jews saw Jerusalem. That was how Harvey looked at Donna's desk. He wanted to just keep the space permanently off limits. A shrine to their history...
"She's just down the hall," Donna whispered as she vanished again.

Harvey waited quietly just around the corner in front of Gretchen's desk. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for but the sudden, "Why didn't you tell me?!" urged him into motion. He peeked. Poppy sat typing with a smile on her face, as Lucas stood hands in pockets with a look of annoyance.
"You knew Louis was going to do this didn't you?"
"Lucas, if I told you everything I know, you'd have a nervous breakdown. I have to feed you in small doses," she tilted her head and arched her brow.
"You could have warned me, Poppy," Lucas gritted out, "I hate being blind sided. You know that!"
Harvey stood at attention. Since when was anyone else allowed to call her Poppy?!
Hope stood to her full 5' 8" plus four of heel. She was wearing an olive green that reminded him of... No way.
Her long red hair perfectly straigtened.
"What I know, Lucas, is that you wanted to play with the big boys. You wanted a taste from the golden cup. You wanted to touch the sceptre. I helped you make that happen. So if you want to get mad at me, go ahead. What happened today needed to happen."
She walked slowly around to stand in front of him.
"You faced Louis. You see how he works now, what he lacks in backbone, he makes up for in preparation. The element of surprise is his forte, and if you think that my father is going to be easier than Louis, then you aren't as smart as I thought you were."
Lucas sighed in frustration.
"So what do I do?" He tilted his head and spoke in a low tone.
Harvey's spidey senses tingled. Donna was right.
"I'll tell you what you're going to do," She stepped closer to straighten his tie, "You're going to decide right now, what kind of man you're going to be. Are you going to clam up and hide, or are you going to make a case for yourself, and whip out that valedictorian lawyer brain?"
Who even was his daughter? How had he missed the blatant signs? He had been so busy trying to make her into another Mike, when she clearly...
"How do you do that?" Lucas asked shaking his head.
"I'm Poppy. You'll learn."
Yeah, she deserved the desk, Harvey smiled to himself as he walked away.