The second part is Mike's weekend. This is dedicated to Hollowgirl17, who was so excited about this part. I hope it is what you wanted
This was really fun to write. I used to volunteer at soup kitchens before I started working so much, but it was always a wonderful feeling to help people. I hope that I am expressing that properly
I cannot apologize enough for the long waitand I want to thank everyone for being so patient. This fandom has the best people in it. Thank you all for that. Now that I have my computer back, I should be updating regularly again.
Sunday morning wasn't as rushed as Saturday was. Mike adored Saturday, moving and cooking, shopping and visiting with all the people that needed his help in some way, and catching up on all the chores of his own that were pushed back during the week. Saturday's were about Mike, always rushed from the moment he woke up until he passed out after finishing. Sunday, that was the day for everyone else.
It started with an early morning visit to his gram, Mike bringing her cookies and treats and the two of them playing gin and discussing the fudge Mike was planning on making for Donna. Mike's gram, enjoyed hearing about Donna and Harvey, saying how much Harvey sounded like someone she knew in high school and how Donna sounded a lot like her. Mike never rushed his time with his gram. He, more than most, knew how precious time was, and how quickly everything could be ripped away. That was why, Mike visited her on Sunday, so that nothing, not even Harvey, could interrupt the time that he shared with her.
For her part, she always asked him questions, about work, his friends, the people that still stop by asking for 'Gram' and all the new people that Mike has adopted for his own. She adored hearing about Leila and Chris, and always knew exactly which stands at the market Mike visited based on how whatever treat he made her tasted.
It always felt like the easy part of Sunday flew by, no matter how early Mike made it to the nursing home. It was one of the few things, Louis withstanding, that Mike disliked about his job, the limited amount of time he was able to spend with his Gram. He loved her for never mentioning it, but it didn't ease his regret.
The second part of Sunday started at eight thirty. That was what time the soup kitchen opened for breakfast and ran until just after two. Everyone that came there to eat at that time called it 'breakfast lunch'. The people that ran the kitchen were usually there because it was the easiest way to perform community service. Mike always went the extra mile, and spent a large amount of time making extra food so that everyone that came were able to eat. It was one of the few times that he actually paid money for those death trap cabs that were so abundant in New York. Mike didn't really like cabs, they were expensive and the drivers were usually mean, but it was much easier to transport boxes of breakfast foods in a cab than in a bike.
The soup kitchen was extra packed today, Mike noticed that it always busier the closer it got to the end of the month. There were more families, children that were simply happy to eat while their parents looked away or ashamed that they needed the help. Mike always made a point to insure that those parents got a bit extra. He knew exactly how it worked. Those parents were the ones that went without so that their children could always eat. No one ever called Mike on his generosity, because really, none of them cared. They were there and did what they had to do and left as soon as they had their little papers signed by the woman in charge.
Caroline, was probably the only other person there that did the work for the people. She ran the entire kitchen, getting what she could from the state's money and running donation drives through local churches for the rest. Mike was her favorite person in the entire area. He was the only one that honestly cared about the people that came to the kitchen to eat. He never looked down on them, like all of her other workers, he talked to them, joked, asked questions, and went out if his way to make Caroline's life easier by bringing extra food. In her mind, the man could do no wrong, and the robust woman kept a motherly eye on him.
Mike was always extra busy during the six hours he donated to the soup kitchen, and as such, never noticed what would be a very familiar head of flaming hair that was mixed into the crowd. Donna stood just to the side of the crowd, watching Mike carefully. He seemed very different here than he did at the office, more relaxed and confident. There was none of the tension that surrounded everything Mike tried to do, instead there was an easiness that Donna usually associated with Harvey. An overly relaxed feeling had replaced it, born from knowing exactly what you are doing. It was the first time that she really saw a glimpse of what Harvey saw in Mike during that interview. She liked Mike, it was hard not to like him, but she had never really seen the confidence that was needed to be a truly great lawyer.
She was quietly considering this, along with the other things she had learned from Christina in her recent trips to the cafe when the larger woman announced to the rapidly diminishing crowd that the kitchen was out of food until they opened again for dinner at seven. She watched as the people slowly left and the workers gathered around the woman waving slips of paper and grumbling.
"I'm not signing anything until you finish your work!" The commanding tone and gesture surprised Donna, but had it's desired effect, as the five men went back to work.
"Relax, Caroline, you know I would have gotten it done." Mike's soft laugh and teasing tone made Donna smile.
"Don't I know it, but if they want their little papers signed they can do their own work." Caroline brushed her curly black hair out of her face to glare at the small group before shooting Mike a smile. "You do more than enough work around here."
"Not really." Mike's answer was casual enough to make Donna frown. "There's always more I could do..."
"Nonsense," A dismissive wave accompanied the words. "You go along now, I'll clean those up for you and have them dropped off at your place."
"You're my favorite!" Mike called back in reply, ducking behind a counter to put something away.
"I used to be a goddess, what happened to that one?" Caroline chuckled, before smacking a wooden spoon down on the counter next to one of the workers.
"Oh, I met a real one and I don't want to offend her. Trust me, she'd know." Mike's smile was still in place when he reappeared, wiping his hands on a towel. He dropped a kiss on the older woman's cheek when he passed. "See you next week."
Donna took a step to the side, closer to a display window. She didn't really want Mike to see her, because then she wouldn't learn anything. Normally, Mike was fairly open but whatever this was, soup kitchens and basically being a hero to his whole neighborhood, according to Christina, he was very closed about. Donna didn't like not knowing everything she could about her puppy, well anyone really, but Harvey, Mike and she were close. The worked closely and that meant Donna had as much right to Mike's secrets as she did to Harvey's, whether they agreed or not.
Mike never noticed Donna lurking around behind him as he enjoyed the last part of his Sunday. He walked back to his apartment, enjoying the slightly cool weather of early September. Sunday night, like the rest of the day was devoted to others. That was when Mike went around passing out the food and supplies he had for the people in his care. Christina and Martha in his building were always first, then Karl down the street. Next, Mike walked nearly four blocks to deliver blankets and food to one of the homeless shelters, one that was woefully underfunded and that catered to the area surrounding Mike's building.
Donna followed Mike the entire time, noting how the strangest looking people would call out to him, making jokes or just to say thank you. Everyone has seen or heard the United Way commercials that say one person can make a difference. Rarely did anyone ever believe that just one person could change the lives of so many unfortunate people, but Donna was witnessing first hand that it was actually true. Suddenly, she saw Mike in a whole new light. All the caring that he gave to the clients, the same thing that Harvey regularly criticized him for, was helping a good number of people survive. It gave her puppy character in Donna's eyes, a bit of respect that very few people ever earned. It also helped explain why every time Harvey said something disparaging about Mike caring, that Mike's eyes darkened and he seemed to straighten slightly. He knew that caring for people wasn't a detriment to himself, because he did it nearly every day.
Donna was just considering calling out to Mike, to ask him why he did it, when the blond stopped suddenly, standing still on the sidewalk facing an alley. Donna paused as well, ducking into a doorway, waiting.
"I know you're there, so just come out already." Mike's voice was slightly hard, and it bothered Donna to hear him sound so much like Harvey. While it worked for the older man, it sounded so wrong coming out of the mouth of Donna's puppy. For a minute, Donna was convinced that Mike had realized that she was following him, until she peeked around the edge of the door and noticed that Mike wasn't even looking in her direction.
"Clever boy." The voice that answered sounded a lot like Louis', nasally but with more intimidation in it than Louis could even dream of having.
"Yeah, yeah. Spare me, what do you want now?" Mike apparently wasn't concerned with how the man sounded, which impressed Donna even more.
When he exited the alley, Donna blinked. She knew what a shady man looked like, she knew what the dangerous ones, the crazy ones, and the power hungry looked like. This man appeared to have a little bit of all of them rolled into one. He wasn't as tall as Mike, or as fair, but he wasn't dark like Harvey. He looked oddly normal except for the eyes, which were shifty, and flicked all over the area before settling on Mike in a glare.
"Now, you know what I want. I want you to stop stealing my business. It's starting to irritate me, Mr. Ross. I don't like being irritated." Harsh brown eyes stared into Mike's blue ones.
"I'm not doing anything to your business. I'm doing the same thing that I've done for years, and my gram did before that. It hasn't changed for over fifty years and I'm not going to stop now just because you can't continue to rip people off that need help, Blake." Mike sounded just as angry as Blake did, something Donna had only heard once, during the mock trial when Mike nearly made Rachel cry.
"You see, your gram, she's a harmless old lady, no one expects her not to do kind things. She never went to the lengths you are. You're taking all of my clients." Blake's voice rose slightly. "Stick to you're own building Ross, and leave the streets to me."
"That sounds like a threat, Blake." Donna couldn't understand how calm Mike was, she was only listening and she was a bit unnerved.
"Of course it isn't." Blake lied. "I would never threaten such a prominent lawyer, that would be foolish. It was simply, good business advice. I know how much you care about your people and it would be devastating if there was a problem that you couldn't fix for them. You should leave it to a professional." Blake tipped the brown, flat hat toward Mike, before casually walking away.
Donna stayed where she was, even after Mike left, giving up following him for now. Knowing that someone was bothering her puppy, especially for doing charity, pissed Donna off. She didn't like it when anyone she was in charge of was messed with, and that meant she had to go get the big guns.