A/N: I'm so sorry about the long delay caused by frequent migraines.

Part 12

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So many doubts swirled through John's head; all of them concerning what he could provide as a viable future for Donna, since she had previously chosen someone successful like his cousin Ricky to love and adore. And now there was this home relocation problem that threatened to throw everything into chaos. If he didn't say something now, he might balls it up for them forever, when it had felt so right being with her in oh so many ways. His heart pounded anxiously in his chest as his brain fought to find the right words to express his feelings in that moment. "I really don't want to lose you from my life, Donna. And…" He ground out, "It's no good."

"No good?!" she whimpered in fear. Was he dumping her after all?

John fisted his hands as he sat there, trying to control his emotions; wanting to passionately kiss her whilst also wanting to lash out in blind fury. 'Calm yourself down,' he kept telling himself "I can't just leave it like this," he attempted to explain. "Ricky knew you felt something for him. Did he know all along?"

"Yes, but…"

It was too painful an admission, so he cut her off. "And he favoured this Daisy girl over you?"

"He did," she confirmed with a nod, wondering what he was leading up to.

Get it in context, the logical side of him insisted. "What did he say exactly when you stopped working for him?"

"He erm… he said…" Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of the painful memory. "He said he had all the employees he wanted and I was 'superfluous' to his needs; that I'd long stopped being an asset."

Appalled that Ricky was such a git and she should still find her dismissal so upsetting, he forged on with his last question, "Then why did he ask you to work for him again?"

"I dunno," she admitted with a sniff, and made use of her tissues again. "He told me he needed my particular skills for his new project and gave me the impression that Daisy was as useless as I thought she was."

Realisation suddenly hit John, and everything was crystal clear in his mind. Ricky seeking Donna out now was no coincidence; instead it was a worked oracle. "He wants you to run the farm! That is it!" he cried, bringing his hands up to grab handfuls of hair on his head in agitation. His expression was thunderous. "I am sorry, Donna, but this needs to be done."

"What does? Tell me, John!" she begged, but he was already halfway out of the car and striding angrily back into the restaurant.

As soon as John had left them alone, Verity had taken her chance and rounded on Roderick in anger. "How could you?" she hissed in disbelief.

"What, Aunt Verity? I didn't say anything," he smoothly replied as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Do not take us for idiots," Sydney warned him. "You may be taking over the family farm but it does not give you any rights to insult all and sundry; especially where John and his girlfriend are concerned!"

"I merely spoke the truth," Roderick defended himself and dismissively returned his gaze to the menu in front of him.

A familiar hand suddenly slapped the menu down onto the table, obstructing his view of it.

"No, Ricky; you acted like a spoilt brat who had had his favourite toy taken away," an irate Verity informed him, ignoring his resultant cry of protest. "I may not have seen much of Donna but she is a lovely girl and she makes our John very happy. If you jeopardise that I shall tan your hide!"

"I am a little old for such treatment," Roderick retorted, despite being affected by her words.

"I don't care how old you are!" Verity fumed. "You will always be the same little boy to me who came and played in my kitchen with the washing up bowl and soapy water."

A blush appeared on Roderick's cheeks at the memory. Nothing would ever make him reveal that being at his beloved aunt's home was a much treasured memory of his childhood. "I grew up long ago," he murmured.

"Then prove it!" she bitterly challenged him. "Act like a proper grownup for once and, pardon my French, stop being such an arse towards the people you actually like."

"Who said…?" he started to ask in denial, but he was interrupted.

"It's plain as the nose on your face that you like if not love that poor girl," Verity insisted. "You were getting back at Donna for some reason, and it wasn't pleasant to sit here and watch it happen. So stop it, I say! Stop it now!"

"But I…" Roderick was at a loss for words to continue to defend himself from his aunt's words.

Did he love Donna? Surely not, part of him scoffed. He didn't do full romantic love. Never had done. Even his current liaison with Daisy was merely for evening entertainment, with the odd moment of having her as a trophy girlfriend; and he could have had Donna in his bed at the click of his fingers if he had so desired. Except he hadn't done that, but had kept her at a distance, working her to the bone as she tried to endlessly please him; always looking at him with those deep blue amber-ringed eyes of hers, and smiling that reassuring smile she tended to flash in his direction that made things seem so right.

There was no doubt in his mind that he admired her skills in an office; he wouldn't have offered her a PA job as a major part of his latest project if he hadn't thought she was perfectly capable of doing a brilliant job of it. Many people had remarked on what a treasure she was in the office, and he had keenly missed her after she had left. In a moment of weakness he had allowed Daisy's jealousy to sway his decision towards letting Donna go when he really shouldn't have done. Consequent events had shown that she had been the company asset he had denied she was, and he longed for her to return forthwith.

But that wasn't love, couldn't be love. It was probably him reacting to seeing her again, and with his cousin John, of all people. What had made her choose him? If it had been any other woman, he would have willingly cheered for John's good fortune, because he certainly deserved to meet such a lovely woman; but this was Donna, and Donna didn't belong with John. Quiet, studious, and ultimately lonely John who lived only for the farm and pleasing his parents. Oh no! She belonged with…

Mentally berating himself, Roderick hastily shook off where that line of thought was leading. It would not do to think in such a way, and he was probably only being reactionary.

"What about us?" Sydney questioned him, breaking the spell and forcing his mind onto the current situation. "Have your plans got anything laid out for where we'll live?"

"Ah, John; good to see you're back!" Roderick later genially greeted the sight of his returning cousin. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of ordering the main course for us all…" But his words halted as John irately took hold of the lapels of his jacket and forcibly hauled him out of his seat. "John?! Surely we can talk about this in a civilised manner."

John merely bared his teeth, slammed Roderick up against the nearest wall, and punched him hard in the face. First with a right hook that caught his mouth and then with a left uppercut to the chin.

The third punch never landed because Sydney grabbed hold of John's arms from behind, pinning him from moving. "STOP!" he commanded.

Short sharp breaths came out of John as Roderick tentatively touched his aching lip and then the right side of his jaw; wincing with pain and feeling slightly sick at the sight of blood on his fingers.

It was only when John finished squirming did Sydney release his tight hold on his arms.

"You've split his lip!" Verity stated in shocked tones. "What's come over you, John?"

"I'll kick Ricky's head in if he tries any more of his tricks," John seethed. Pointing an irate finger at Roderick, he spat at him, "That was for how you treated Donna and then thinking you'd get her to run our farm."

By this part of the conversation Roderick had picked up a pristine white linen napkin from the table and was using it to dab at his wound as nonchalantly as possible. "I do not understand the problem. Donna is perfectly capable of dealing with all the paperwork running the farm involves; her skill set is very diverse."

"I'm sure it is; but I want you to repeat in front of John what you said about the farmhouse," Verity verbally prodded him.

With obvious reluctance, Roderick restated what he had previously told his aunt and uncle. "I said you can reside in the farmhouse until I have paid for a barn conversion for you all to live in. And I am sorry for making it sound as though I were insulting your girlfriend."

Sydney had fully released John by this point, so he adjusted his jacket sleeves. "Apology accepted," John equally reluctantly agreed.

"Now shake hands," Verity ordered them.

"Mum!"

"Aunt Verity!"

Their joint protest pleased Verity slightly. "I mean it," she testily declared. "Or do I have to make you kiss each other first too?"

Both of them responded, "No!"

"Okay then…" She glared at them expectantly, and waited for the required handshake.

There was a brief handshake as they eyed each other warily.

"Good! Can we please now get back to the point of this family business meal? Because I am starving," Verity demanded; and Sydney hurriedly agreed with her. "Oh, while I think of it; go and get Donna! The poor girl must be at her wits end."

~0~

As Donna had raced back into the hotel restaurant to follow in John's wake, back through the reception area, she found herself being called out to; much to her surprise.

"Donna! Is that you?" a well-known young blonde woman standing by the reception desk cried. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Funny how that sounded like an accusation. Oh no! This was all she needed right now. "Daisy! I wasn't expecting to see you up here. Roderick said you were staying down in London," Donna managed to reply. My, Daisy had certainly squeezed some money out of Roderick, judging by the expensive clothing she was wearing, her perfume, makeup and the carefully dyed and styled blonde hair.

"Oh, you know." Daisy tried to conspiratorially smile at her. "He happened to mention he was carrying out some job interviews, and that one of them was with you."

Smug revenge wanted to blossom out all over Donna's face. Daisy must have absolutely hated the thought of Roderick deliberately seeking her out. Ooh goodie! "Did he?" she wondered, aiming for nonchalance. "When was that?"

"This morning," Daisy innocently supplied, not knowing how much ammunition she had just handed over.

"Blimey! You must have left straight away," Donna commented; but was unsurprised that Daisy managed to ignore that remark.

Instead, Daisy swept her gaze around the reception area. "Have you seen where he is? I want this to be a nice little surprise for him. He must have missed me terribly."

"Depends how good a shot he is," Donna muttered under her breath. "He was in the main restaurant last time I saw him," she aimed to brightly respond instead.

But any thoughts of revenge were replaced by other ones entirely when John appeared purposefully striding towards them, and Daisy happily squealed, "Roddy, baby! Look who's here to cheer you up."

She then threw herself forward to hug a rather startled John. He immediately prised her unwanted tight grip on him off and inevitably asked, "Excuse me, but who are you?"

Daisy looked heartbroken. "Don't be mean. It's me." She then made another grab for him that he niftily sideswiped.

It was all Donna could do to hide her silent laughter. "You've got it all wrong. This is Roderick's cousin John, Daisy; there's Roderick," she pointed out as the man himself closely followed, looking none too pleased at the sight greeting him in reception.