Hi Again! This is a quick update. An end is somewhere in sight. Thanks for taking this journey with me. It seems all my stories start at as one thing and then they take on a life of their own. Hope you enjoy! R&R - Carebearmaxi.

Donna Meets Lily -

Chapter 25

Stubborn on Both Sides

"Donna! You decided to come after all!"

"Yes, Fernando, I did. I decided you were right. There's no reason for me to stay cooped up when there is life going on out here. So where's the happy couple?" Donna asked. She was dressed in her casual but dressy black pants suit. Her hair was sleeked back from her head and its beautiful redness cascaded down her back. Her blouse was low cut in the front and wrapped like a sarong. She decided to go braless except for the expensive little pasties that gave her some invisible support.

After Lily left and Donna came out of hiding, she quickly noted the address of Fernando's invitation and did some research what to get a couple celebrating their ten year wedding anniversary. Donna was puzzled as the traditional ten year anniversary gift was tin. She searched online for a couple of hours and then she found a perfect little gift at a store down the street from her. She quickly slipped into her car and fighting an unusual rainstorm drove to the store.

Now, standing in her three inch Jimmy Choos with dramatic eye makeup and a plunging neckline and holding the little gift, she realized she was living up to her new reputation as the theater "diva".

"Let's get you a drink first, and then I will introduce you to my brother and sister-in-law," Fernando said. He was a handsome man that Donna noted. He was around Donna's age with kind blue eyes and a head of thick black hair. His suit was impeccable. Well, he was a professional Donna reasoned. The suit and only the suit reminded her of Harvey and how great he looked dressed as he strode proudly about the office on any given day. Momentarily saddened at missing him, her face fell which Fernando immediately noticed.

"Donna?"

"Yes, Fernando," Donna said her wide smile back in place.

"You need to keep smiling. This is a Fiesta. Celebrating a happy marriage. Come. I will introduce you to my family," Fernando said taking her hand in his.

After a crazy few minutes of being introduced to his nephews, his cousin Estefan (the one who put her and Rebecca in a cab), the happy couple and finally his abuelita (grandmother), Donna released the death grip on her gift and placed it on the table which was piled high with other gifts and instead was handed a cup of punch. It was orange color and tasted of some type of liquor with a grapefruit twist. She could not remember the name of it but she was told that it contained Sambuca which could be intoxicating if you did not take it easy.

Donna was accompanied by Fernando all night. She was only left on her own twice and that was when she went to the bathroom and then when she sneaked outside to get a breath of fresh air. The happy couple lived in a spacious house which overlooked the Pacific, but there were so many guests and their children that Donna felt suffocated. She walked out onto the wrap around balcony. Donna could see Fernando's brother and his wife as they unwrapped gifts and were toasted. Eduardo and Ana loved the little tin sculpture of "The Lovers" for which Donna had researched and bought at the little out-of-the-ordinary gift shop.

Donna turned around to face the ocean. It was now sunset and the horizon was bathed in fire the color of Donna's vibrant hair. The sea breeze was soothing and comforting in its warmth. As soon as the sun was completely set, the party was carried to the beach where a bonfire was swiftly engulfing a good portion of the beach. She thought then she might leave and return home to get ready for tomorrow.

As she looked down at the happy people dancing and frolicking on the beach knowing she faced an early rehearsal tomorrow, Donna became unusually depressed. Lily's visit hit home so deeply. Donna could only hope that Harvey missed her as much as she missed him. However, before she returned to her little apartment tonight, she would have a little fun and mingle with the kind people she had met earlier and who had treated her like she had known them for years. Perhaps she would succumb to Fernando's flirting and flirt back. She had been lonely for Harvey's company. Long before they started sleeping together on a regular basis, Harvey and she had much in common and could talk well into the night sometimes.

She removed her high heels on the way down to the beach where the fire roared and the ocean brushed up swiftly to the sand.

Harvey, in the meantime, waited in New York for his mother to call him back. He had no idea where she was; but he had a sneaky suspicion she was in California trying to coerce Donna into coming back to him, so he could apologize for his stupid screw up and marry her.

Harvey had a headache. The headaches though not as severe as previous to his operation still hurt and had attacked him more often since Donna's departure. Harvey looked at his phone and decided to call his mother for the ninth time and it went straight to voicemail, of course. He tried Bobby's phone but he had no answer there either.

As he sat in his office staring at his computer screen, Missy slinked her way in and interrupted his thoughts of Donna and his mother and why the hell he had proposed to Donna in the first place.

"Harvey?"

"Yes, Missy," Harvey asked without looking up at her.

"I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I..." Missy said and sat down on a chair in front of Harvey's desk.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Missy. I apologize to you. I didn't hire you for you to comfort me like that. You are an excellent secretary and I very much appreciate that work you do for me."

"Let me apologize, Harvey. I came in here with the intention of trying to get your mind off Donna. I had no right to do that. I just did not want to see you so sad because I know how happy she made you."

Harvey smiled and laughed a quick smirk. " I didn't realize that I was that transparent. I didn't used to be. Donna used to be the only one who could read me."

After an awkward thoughtful pause, Harvey agreed. "Yes, Donna did make me happy. She always did. Thanks, Missy. You can go home now. It's after 8:00."

Missy rose and smoothed down her floral Jenny Packham dress and smiling left Harvey to his own devices.

His phone rang at last.

"Mom! Where are you? I have been trying to reach you."

"Harvey. What's wrong?"

"You are NOT in California, are you?" Harvey asked starting to fume.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I am, Harvey," Lily said.

"You know where Donna is, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. You would, too, if you weren't so damn stubborn and pick up the phone and call or text the woman. She loves you so much and I know she is sorry for leaving but I understand her reasons for leaving so much more now."

Harvey's mind immediately returned to all the infidelities that his mother perpetrated on his father whom Harvey epitomized as the best man in the world. Harvey, for just a minute, thought perhaps that's why his mom understood why Donna left. Maybe Donna had a guy in California now who understood her need for her own career or mark on society. Then he thought that Donna would never have accepted his marriage proposal had she had someone else. She, of all people, understood Harvey's fidelity issues.

"Harvey?" Lily asked. "Come out here."

"Mom, I told you I can't. I'm managing partner now. I don't have the freedom to just go off spontaneously."

"Harvey! Work will always be there. This is your life! Do you want to be with Donna?"

Harvey shook his head. "You know I do, ma. But..."

"You have people that can sub for you. I am sure they want nothing more for you than to be happy with Donna. Ask Louis or Mike."

"Louis! Good Lord, mom, letting Louis manage the firm while I'm gone might lead to disaster! Mike's a junior partner and Rachel is a newly minted lawyer. There's no one I can really trust. No, I can't."

"Harvey Reginald Specter! As your mother, I know I can no longer turn you over my knee and spank the hell out of you. However, also as your mother, I can coerce your sorry butt to get it out here and claim the woman you love for your own good!"

"Mom!" Harvey exclaimed and stood up as if she were in the room to see how frustrated and angry he was.

"What!"

"No, I am not giving her the satisfaction of chasing her down. If she wants me she can come the hell home. Now, that's enough. I appreciate what you have been doing. I really do, but I don't want Donna to come home because she was coerced. I didn't have the strength to protest last time because I was sick. I have the strength now. Although I want her to come home to me, I want her to come of her own volition."

"Yes, well, Harvey, you do realize you were in the wrong, don't you?"

"Maybe...but it's still her decision." Harvey's jaw was set and clenched.

"Harvey! You are the most stubborn man I ever met. Sometimes I cannot believe you're my son," Lily said trying to reason why he was being as stupid and thoughtless as he was being. She knew in her heart of hearts that he knew he was wrong and he was the one to go fight for his woman. However, Harvey would have to move. Lily could not do it for him.

"Sometimes, mom, I can't believe I'm your son either. Don't get me wrong, mom. I love you and I very much appreciate this but I really do not need you to fight my battles for me.

"I love you Harvey and I know Donna can make you very happy. I can tell you miss her. Missy almost took advantage of you."

"She did not!" Harvey noisily protested.

"Well, it sure looked like it to me. Look, if you really wanted to have sex with your secretary I know, Donna knows, everyone knows that you would have done that. It seems that was Missy's whole reason for coming in the office that day. However, you did not have sex with her because you still feel loyal to Donna. Also because you had placed that ring on her finger and she had said yes. Please do not throw that away. I did, but I was so lucky in finding Bobby."

Harvey walked over to the window across from his desk and looked at the night sky. The stars twinkled above the lights from the skyscrapers. Harvey felt lonely looking at them. Many a night he woke up with a start and looking out the skylight above his bed he inadvertently would reach out and feel the iciness of the empty side of the bed and long to feel someone's warm body lying next to him. Maybe that was why he had never wanted to have someone before because he never really had felt alone. He wanted and got most any woman he wanted. However, he only wanted them until dawn and then he wanted them gone. On those nights when Scottie would come to town he would always know that she would hang around until after breakfast and then be off back to England or Boston or wherever her travels took her.

"Ok, mom, I'll think about it," Harvey acquiesced. "Goodnight now."

"Well, I guess that's all I can hope for at this point. Good night, honey," Lily said hanging up her phone.

"Getting them together has been a little harder than you thought, hasn't it?" Bobby said from their hotel bed in California. One of the reasons they had ventured to California was not only to get Donna to come home, but Bobby also had some car deals with a long time contact. Bobby had retired from the everyday of his business, however, he still managed some deals for parts, supplies, and investments in cars to renovate and resell. His contact specialized in vintage cars. The only kind of cars worth renovating and reselling.

"Yes, it has. I know, though, they will be together. I just have to keep pushing." Lily said coming to sit on the bed next to her husband.

"It seems Donna is as stubborn as Harvey," Bobby said.

"Yes, however, in a different way. She does not want to fade into the background again. She does not want to be taken for granted. She wants to know that she is worth something all on her own besides supporting Harvey all these years and then agreeing to become his wife and, perhaps, mother of his children. She wants to be known for something besides being his companion, secretary, or supportive wife."

"You really do understand her, don't you?" Bobby said laying a comforting hand on his wife's arm.

"Yes, I do. That's why I pursued my Fine Arts Degree and became an art teacher. I threw away my marriage to Gordon and if I had just stood my ground and not done what I did Harvey and I may not have lost twenty years."

Bobby smiled and said, "Well, if you had not done what you did, we would never have found each other."

Lily kissed him and said, "If it had not been for you, I would have totally regretted what I did to Gordon."

P.S. Thanks to Aaron Korsh for inventing characters that are so well grounded that you can take them anywhere. - Carebearmaxi