I knooooow Thomas exists, I AM getting there lol we're only a few days into the "wedding", hold ya horses!


The wheels crunched loudly against the gravel as the car skidded to a stop in the hotel parking lot. Donna could hardly contain her giggling as Harvey quickly got out of the car. She snorted and her shoulders shook as she bent down to retrieve her bag from the floor. When she straightened up, he already had her door open. She could see Harvey glancing anxiously towards the hotel. For a big guy, it was funny to see him so panicked. They were ridiculously late getting back from Boston and they were supposed to be meeting his family in the bar twenty minutes ago. Harvey's meeting had been successful but had overrun by two hours and not only that, the traffic accident on the freeway had held them up even further.

"We were nowhere near Boston or the office this afternoon. Okay?" said Harvey as Donna got out of the car.

She nodded and he closed the door over behind her. The lights flashed as he locked the car behind them. As he took hold of Donna's hand, he noticed she was laughing. He shook his head and smiled as they began to walk briskly to the hotel. The early evening sun shone brightly in the sky above them.

"It's not funny you know. I'm going to get my ass kicked for being late." His thick fingers pushed his sunglasses up his nose as they walked through the heavy glass double doors. The lobby was empty. Harvey let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I was expecting to get lynched when we got here."

Donna laughed as they made their way to the staircase. The worried voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Harvey, where on earth have you been?"

"Shit!" he mumbled as he grimaced and turned to face his mother who was standing directly in front of them. Donna stifled her laughter and tried to keep a straight face. For some reason this whole situation was extremely hilarious to her. Maybe it was down to the five glasses of champagne she had drunk this afternoon. Rick from California insisted on sealing the deal with a couple of bottles of the finest Dom Perignon. It would have been extremely rude not to join in his little celebration.

"I tried calling you earlier but I couldn't get through." said Lily.

"My battery died on me." lied Harvey as he took off his sunglasses and threaded the leg over the neck of his polo shirt. "We got stuck in a traffic accident on the way back here. That's why we're so late."

"Where did you go?"

"Just for a drive." shrugged Harvey. His feet shifted against the plush carpet. "Donna has never been in this neck of the woods before. I offered to show her the sights."

Lily nodded surprisingly satisfied with his answer. "Well, you need to hurry up and get a move on. Aunt Jane has invited us all over for the wedding rehearsal dinner."

"What? You've got to be joking!" scowled Harvey. His hand smoothed over the sides of his neat hair.

"Unfortunately not. She called us this morning. You were already gone by that time." Lily smiled sympathetically. She reached over and patted her son's arm. "But you don't have to go if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

Harvey sighed heavily as he rubbed at his forehead. God knows it was the last place he wanted to be, at a fucking wedding rehearsal dinner. Why the hell were they invited anyway? They weren't in the wedding party. They were just the poor souls who had to sit and suffer through the whole thing. It was an absolute farce as far as he was concerned and just another excuse for Andrea to be the centre of attention of course. Christ, that bitch was full of herself. Trust her to turn this thing into a damn five day extravaganza. Anyone would think she was something special instead of a whore who couldn't keep her legs shut.

"Secretly I think Aunt Jane wants to torture us by making us spend yet another meal with bitch-face." said Lynn as she emerged from the hotel bar. She smiled widely at Harvey and Donna. Her hand rested against her rounded stomach. "I don't intend to suffer alone, you know. The pair of you have to come tonight if only to wind her up and rub your relationship in her ugly face."

"Lynn." warned Lily.

"What?" she smirked widely. "I'm only saying."

Donna smiled and shrugged her shoulders as she turned to Harvey. "I'm quite happy to go if you are."

His frown creased his brow as her gorgeous wide eyes sparkled at him brightly. Donna was probably just being polite by agreeing to go. God knows how she actually felt about enduring another night with Andrea. He couldn't help but worry about her. This went above and beyond just accompanying him to a wedding. He'd probably have to pay her double to ease the pain. Not that the money had anything to do with it. He just hated the position this put her in. All night long, she'd have to endure Andrea's dirty looks and any catty comments she cared to throw her way. And while Donna took it in her stride, he knew it had to hurt. But he was determined to protect her from it. If the vindictive bitch even breathed in Donna's direction, he was going to come down on her like a tonne of bricks. He was sick and tired of Andrea's little fucking mind games.

"What do you say little brother? Come on. You have to go." pleaded Lynn. "I mean, you don't want to give Andrea the satisfaction of not turning up, do you?"

Harvey shook his head and smiled at her. "Stop trying to manipulate me, Lynn."

"Then just say you'll come."

"Only if it will shut you up." he teased.

"I promise not to say another word." she replied pretending to zip her mouth.

Lily smiled at her son. "The meal starts at eight so it should give you plenty of time to change. Your father and I are leaving now. We'll see you there honey." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Adam and I will wait for you in the bar." said Lynn as she followed on behind her mother.

Harvey sighed as he turned and climbed the staircase. He smiled at the elderly couple who passed by them and his hand searched for Donna's as they walked along the corridor. The sound of a child screaming came from behind one of the doors. He knew exactly how the kid felt. He had looked forward to having a relaxing night tonight before having to suffer through the wedding tomorrow. No such luck and his hangover still continued to linger. His head was thumping. He needed some aspirin. Harvey stood aside as Donna slid the key card into the lock.

"Why didn't we just stay in Boston this afternoon?" he frowned as he entered the hotel room throwing his keys and sunglasses down on the bed. "I'm really not in the mood for this." His big hand rubbed at the back of his thick neck.

"It's awkward for you, huh?"

Harvey shook his head and turned to face her. The sunlight streamed through the open window and her hair was flecked with orange as she smiled at him. "It's not that. I'm just getting sick of the whole damn thing. The sooner the wedding is over tomorrow the better."

Harvey wandered across to the night stand. He picked up the small tub of aspirin he had left there this morning. His hand twisted off the cap.

"If Andrea says anything to you tonight, just tell me okay? I'll soon tell her to back off." He shook a couple of pills into the palm of his hand.

"It's okay. I can fight my own battles, Harvey."

He popped the pills in his mouth and placed the bottle down. Picking up the water, he frowned as he took a drink. The clear liquid was warm. His concerned brown eyes looked at Donna. "You shouldn't have to, Donna. That's not why you're here."

"No but I can handle her."

"I'm pretty sure you can." smiled Harvey. "But there's no reason why you should have to put up with her crap."

Donna sighed as she sat down on the bed. Her feet were burning. The mattress shifted underneath her weight as she kicked off her heels. "Maybe not but honestly, what did you expect? Andrea hates me, Harvey. She's jealous of us and she can't stand the fact you've moved on. And let's face it, that's the reason you brought me here, wasn't it? You wanted to prove to her and the rest of your family that you were over her."

"Well yeah but….."

"But nothing." she interrupted. "Taking her crap is just part of the job you paid me to do."

Harvey's body tensed with annoyance and he shook his head slowly. He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. For some reason Donna's words had totally pissed him off. "Well excuse me for forgetting this was a business transaction. Maybe I actually cared about you and the fact that Andrea might say something that would upset you."

"Harvey….."

"Forget it." he snapped. "I'm going to take a shower."

He turned to leave but Donna stood up and grabbed his arm.

"No, Harvey. I'm not leaving it like this." she said.

Donna's jaw was clenched determinedly as her eyes scanned his face. God, he was mad at her and he had every reason to be. Her words had sounded harsh and cold as she repeated them in her head although she never meant them that way. She was just being honest. Harvey didn't need to worry about her. Andrea was never going to be her friend even if she had no longer loved Harvey. But still, there had been no need to throw that concern back in his face. She reached up, curling her hand around Harvey's cheek. His brown eyes were dark and smouldered with his anger. She licked her lips and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry. I never meant that to come out the way that it did."

He shrugged and pressed his lips in a tight smile. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." she stressed. "Harvey, I care about you. You know that and you should know that this stopped being business for me the moment I got here. It's just….." She paused for a second as she bit down on her lip. Her bare feet shifted in the pale carpet. She looked into his incredible eyes and tried to find the words that would make him understand. "It's just hard remembering the real reason why I'm here in the first place. I mean, I know we're not the couple we're pretending to be yet it's so easy for me to forget that when I'm with you. This feels so right for me. I have to keep telling myself that it isn't real. Does that make sense?"

Harvey nodded his head. The expression in his eyes was softer and gentle towards her. She smiled at him tenderly.

"Plus reminding myself this is meant to be business is the only way I can try and keep my feelings for you in check. Do you know I have to constantly convince myself that I haven't actually fallen head over heels in love with you?"

Harvey swallowed thickly. His brow furrowed slightly. "Donna…"

"Shhh!" she hushed placing her manicured finger over his lips. "You don't need to say anything. I know we're taking things slow and I'm perfectly fine with that. I just wanted to be honest with you."

"Okay." he nodded simply. He glanced away awkwardly not sure what else to say. He cared for Donna. Hell, he cared for her a lot but he wasn't sure he loved her - at least not quite yet and not like that.

"But maybe if you kissed me right now, I could hide how totally embarrassed I feel now I've bared my soul to you." she joked, her cheeks flushed with heat and the champagne currently coursing through her veins.

Harvey burst into laughter grateful for the break in the tension. His uneasiness disappeared as he looked into her eyes. "I don't know. You look kind of cute all flustered like that."

"Just shut up and kiss me, Harvey."

He chuckled as the tips of their noses rubbed together. Donna's hand moved to his hair as his mouth brushed over hers. It lingered for a moment before he teased her bottom lip sucking on it gently. Her eyes fluttered shut. Harvey's mouth captured hers once again and he began to kiss her slowly. Her legs felt like jelly underneath her. His lips were so soft and warm. His hands slid onto her hips and he pulled her closer to him. Harvey's tongue had entered her mouth, tasting her when the shrill ring of the phone interrupted them.

"Three guesses who that will be." smiled Harvey as he scratched his beard and walked to the nightstand. Donna smiled as she licked her wet prickly lips and watched him.

"Lynn, for the love of God, I'm remembering it's eight o'clock."

There was silence at the other end of the phone. Harvey's nose wrinkled in confusion as his thick fingers unfastened a button on his navy polo shirt.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Hey. Is this Room 233?" asked a hesitant voice.

"Yeah. Were you looking for someone?" Harvey looked at Donna. Her eyebrows were raised at him quizzically. He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out the hem of his shirt from his jeans.

"Yes, I was. Donna Paulsen. I'm a friend."

Harvey's lips upturned in a small smile as he realised it was the girl called Rachel. Donna had told him she knew about their arrangement. She'd also confessed that she'd given them the number and details of their hotel. Apparently Rachel had been worried about her coming here and who could blame her really. It was only a couple of weeks ago that he had actually met Donna. She hadn't really known anything about him. Hell, they had practically been strangers to one another. But funnily enough he had never really thought of Donna that way. He had felt a connection between them from the start. A connection that was growing stronger every single moment he spent with her.

"Is she there?"

Harvey's smile spread wider as he glanced over at Donna. She was taking out an earring and looking at him curiously. "Actually, no."

"Oh." Rachel paused for a second. "Well, is she coming back? I really need to talk to her."

"Sorry but I'm afraid that's not possible." Harvey winked at Donna. "Unless of course you can summon her from the cold wet ground I buried her in this morning."

A snort of amusement came from the end of the line as Donna shook her head in laughter.

"So you must be the serial killer."

"The one and only." he replied as Donna walked over to stand next to him. Her manicured fingers undone a button from his shirt as she smiled at him.

"Well it's nice to finally talk to you. I've heard a lot about you."

"All good things I hope."

"So far you pass the best friend test."

"I'm very glad to hear it. I'll just pass you to Donna." Harvey smiled as he handed her the receiver. She placed it to her ear as she watched him walk to the bathroom.

"Hey you. How's things?" she asked her friend as she turned to the wall twirling the cord around her finger.

"Better now I've talked to you. I was worried when I couldn't get through on your cell this afternoon."

"I switched it off." she hushed.

"It's probably just as well. Thomas has been trying to call you."

"I know." hissed Donna as she quickly glanced over her shoulder searching for Harvey. She heard him whistling in the bathroom. She prayed he stayed in there for now. The last thing she needed was for him to walk in on the middle of this conversation. "He called me earlier. I don't know why."

"To talk to you I guess."

"Have you talked to him?" she asked, feeling slightly panicked as she heard the sound of water running. Thomas thought she was with Rachel. The last thing she needed was him getting suspicious and questioning her whereabouts. She didn't want him to find out anything until she got home.

"No. Mike talked to him when he called here. Fortunately he didn't try my cell."

Donna let out a sigh of relief as she raked her fingers through her hair. She felt a slight stab of guilt at having to put her friend through this predicament. God knows she had enough on her hands with her teething baby.

"But he might and that's why you should call him before he has a chance to."

Donna's eyes were wide. "Rachel, I can't. You know I can't."

"You're going to have to unless you want him to find out the truth."

Donna swallowed hard.

"I can only cover for you for so long before he realises I'm fobbing him off."

"You're right." she sighed as she rubbed her forehead wearily. Her eyes checked the bathroom again. Thankfully there was no sign of Harvey just yet. "I've got to attend this rehearsal dinner, party thing tonight. I'll try and call him before then."

"Good." said Rachel. "Make sure that you do. I mean imagine if he called you and someone else picked it up. Someone like Harvey."

"Don't Rachel." said Donna abruptly suddenly feeling anxious. Her stomach began to churn at the mere thought of that scenario. The very idea that Harvey would find out about Thomas killed her. Okay, she probably should have been honest with him from the start. She should have told Harvey the truth but what was the point in that? When she got back to Boston, she was ending things with Thomas. Things were definitely over between them. She didn't love him any more. How could she when she knew her heart lay with Harvey. She sat down heavily on the bed and saw Harvey emerge from the bathroom. He was shirtless and his unbuttoned jeans hung loosely around his hips. She could see the waistband of his boxer shorts. She swallowed thickly as she admired his chiselled chest. "Listen, I need to go and get ready. I'll call you later okay."

"Make sure that you do. I need to know that you've talked to Thomas."

"I will. I promise." Donna hung up and smiled at Harvey who was rummaging around in his bag.

"You didn't have to end the call on my account."

"I know but Rachel had to go anyway. The baby was crying."

"So she's happy you're alive and well?"

Donna smiled. "Something like that." She watched Harvey run the towel through his hair. He raked his fingers through it and it fell in soft waves across his shoulders.

"I'm just going to grab a quick shower. I won't be long."

Donna nodded. "Okay."

Harvey disappeared behind the bathroom door. Donna sighed and her eyes fell on her bag. She quickly grabbed her cell phone and the key card that still lay on the bed where Harvey had thrown it down. She knew she had to call Thomas now. It was her only chance before he took it upon himself to try and contact her through Rachel. Donna could still hear the water running as she quietly opened the bedroom door. It clicked shut behind her as she stood in the deserted corridor. The rough carpet tickled her bare feet. She quickly dialled the familiar number and her heart raced in her chest as it began to ring out.

"Come on Thomas. Answer your phone." she mumbled as she stared out the small square window at the end of the hall. She watched a car reverse into a parking space right next to Harvey's black Expedition.

"Hello?"

Donna swallowed hard as she heard the sound of his familiar voice. She felt a stab of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Thomas was a really sweet guy and he didn't deserve any of this. It was going to be so hard to tell him the truth when she got back. But she would. God knows it was the least he deserved from her. He had to know that none of this was about him. It was about her and her feelings for someone else; someone who had come along and stolen her heart so suddenly and so unexpectedly. "Hey Thomas." she said softly.

"Donna. Thank God! I thought you'd been kidnapped or something."

"Don't be silly." she replied wrapping her arm around herself. She let out a soft sigh. Her mind froze as she racked her brains for something to say to him. Conversation was usually so easy between them but her guilt weighed on her heavily. How could she talk to a man when she was too busy thinking about someone else? Even now her mind was on Harvey. It was pathetic really but it proved to her that Thomas was in her past. There was no future between them. There couldn't be.

"I tried to call you earlier but you never answered." said Thomas breaking the silence.

"Sorry about that. I'd left my phone in my room." she lied.

"It was just to tell you I got my exam results."

"You did? How did you get on?" she asked. She heard a door bang down the hallway. She jumped slightly as her anxiety got the better of her. Soft footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"I passed, Donna. I did it."

Donna beamed, genuinely pleased for him. Her eyes settled on a couple strolling in the grounds of the hotel. "That's fantastic, Thomas. I'm really proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"Nonsense. You did all the work."

"But you're the one that encouraged me, baby. I just wish you were here with me right now so we could celebrate."

"We can celebrate when I get back." she said, closing her eyes and hating herself for lying to him. But what else could she do? She wasn't doing this over the phone. She would tell him to his face. Whatever else she was right now, she wasn't a coward.

"I miss you so much."

Donna swallowed back the lump in her throat and bowed her head. "I miss you too." she said softly.

Her tears burned her eyes. She was such a fucking horrible person. How could she do this to him? She was honestly the biggest bitch in the world right now. Sniffing, Donna turned and leant back against the door. She lifted her head and that was when she saw her. Lynn was standing less than three feet away from her with an unfathomable expression on her face. Donna instantly felt her stomach drop as their eyes connected with one another. Panic began to grip her body as she wondered what the hell was she going to do now?