"NO! Archie!" I shouted as I left the elevator. Ruthie jumped at the noise. "Hold my calls indefinitely!" I barked at her as I went into my office and tried to slam the door shut. It bounced off Archie's palm.

"Just what is your fucking problem?" Archie said following me into the room and succeeding in slamming the door closed behind him.

"I can't do it. I can't see Derek."
"You're going to have to. Why aren't you talking anyway?" He dropped into the chair opposite mine, while I sat down and stuck my head between my knees. I was close to passing out.

Archie waited and waited. After a while he realised I was seriously upset and not just over-reacting. Then he was on his knees beside my chair.

That was a bizarre sight. A fifty-something man in an expensive charcoal grey chalk-stripe - kneeling.

"Casey?" He said softly.

"We dated, briefly. It ended very badly. He left and I haven't spok…seen him since. That was fifteen years ago." I corrected myself mid-sentence knowing that I had in fact spoken to him this weekend.

Archie looked confused. "I thought you said he was your step-brother."

"You can still date when you are step-siblings, idiot. That's why it ended badly. It's split our family up. We never go to the same family gatherings."

"Shit!"

"Yeah. Shit."

Archie rolled back onto his heels and was thoughtful. Then he looked at me with surprise. "Fuck me! You dated Derek Venturi!" He seemed pleased for some reason.

"She did what?!" Ruthie had appeared at the door, her mouth was gaping at me. "The Derek Venturi? How the hell do you know him?"

I sighed. "Ruthie. He's Ed's brother. How many Venturis do you think there are on this continent?" She was a good secretary, a great friend, but not blessed with a large brain capacity.

"And you dated him?" I nodded.

"What was the sex like?"

I stared at her.

She shrugged. "Oh come on. It's a valid question."

"But one I'm not going to answer."

Archie stood up.

"Look Case. I'll talk to Derek's agent and see what she says about it all. It maybe he'll insist on another editor. If so I'll do it. I'm probably the only other person Dad trusts. But, if he says he's okay with you doing the editing, you are going to have to go through with it. Family feud or no family feud."

I nodded. But I was happier. There was no way that Derek would want to go through the intense interviews and face-to-face meetings that would be necessary if I had to edit his book.

I used to call Derek Venturi the 'Bane of my existence.' Half an hour later I realised why.

Archie came back into my office.

"I spoke to Venturi's agent. She was surprised to hear that there might be a …ahem…conflict with you editing the book. But she went away and spoke to Derek. When she came back she insisted on me writing down his response ad verbatim so that I could repeat it to you. You wanna hear?" his tone said I probably didn't.

I blew out a breath and motioned for him to continue.

He quoted: "A professional is required to put the needs of his client ahead of his own interests. If your firm and its staff cannot maintain professional standards I will be looking elsewhere."

Archie looked up at me pointedly.

"Give me her freaking phone number." I replied in a resigned tone.

"What are you going to say?"

"I'll think of something." I muttered.

"Casey?" Archie pushed.

"I'll do it. But I'm not going to be responsible for any subsequent shit and fan incidents."

Archie relaxed. He was already smiling as he walked towards the door.

"Do you know, I don't think I have ever heard you swear before in my life? And your mouth today has been almost as bad as mine."
I didn't look up as I dialled the number. "That's what Derek Venturi does to me." I replied.

"Cathy Metcalfe please." I said to the person who answered the phone.

"One moment. Who should I say is calling?"

"Casey McDonald, I'm from Etheridge Publishing."

"Putting you through."

There was a pause.

"Miss McDonald?"

"Hello. I'm just calling to introduce myself. I'll be the editor handling Mr Venturi's book."

"Oh. Of course."

"I was wondering if you could pass on a message to him for me?"
"Sure."

"Tell him – would you mind writing this down exactly as I say it? Tell him, the staff at Etheridge Publishing is professional to a fault and more than happy to provide assistance with his autobiography, however, if he has needs may we suggest he attends to them himself. Oh and I'll be in touch to arrange our first figh – meeting." I said sweetly.

Yeah Derek…go fuck yourself!

Shit! I need a swear box.

An hour later:

"Hi Ed." I said quietly, staring at the park scene in front of me. Edwin sat down next to me.

"I came as soon as I could. What's up?"

I couldn't speak for a moment, but he waited.

"There are only two other times in my life when I have felt this scared. The first time was when Mom sat me down and told me Dad was leaving. The second time was…when I realised that Derek was going to walk away from me completely."

And then Ed's arm was round my shoulder and I was sobbing into his chest. The crying lasted a while and as the sobs eased, he kissed my hair and produced a tissue from somewhere. I took it gratefully, frowning.

"That's ridiculously organised of you, Ed." I commented. He chuckled.

"Come on Case. I lived with you all those years. You think I don't know by now that when I get a panicked phone-call from you I need to bring tissues?"

I punched him gently in the arm and then straightened up.

"What happened?" He asked softly.

"We had a planning meeting this morning and they've assigned me my next biography."

"Oh?"

"It's Derek's autobiography."

Edwin said nothing. In front of us people walked and ran and laughed.

"Awkward." He said finally.

I laughed. "No shit Sherlock."

"Oh god! She's back on the Derek mouth!" he cried.

Both Archie and Edwin were right. I never swore. The only times curse words ever crossed my lips were in reaction to Derek. For the brief few weeks we had dated, even though the family knew nothing about our relationship, I had started to swear more – because he did. My family, unwittingly accurate for once, called it my Derek mouth.

"Does he know that you are his editor?" Ed asked.

I nodded. "I thought that when he knew he would back off and insist on someone else."

"But instead he found some way to force you to do it?" Edwin guessed.

"How did you know?"

"Because I know you, and I know my brother. If you say something's black, he'll be adamant it's white. You've always been like that – even before." He brushed a loose strand of hair from my face. "Will you be able to cope?"

"I'll have to. I haven't let him win before."

Ed hid a smile, badly. "It's always the challenge with you two isn't it?"

I smiled weakly. "I think it's chemical."

We both chuckled.

"I'm sorry Case. I've got to go. I cancelled a meeting to see you and I can't cancel anymore."
"That's okay."

"I guess I need to give my bro a call tonight." Ed said. "It sounds like he has some news for me. It will be weird, won't it? Reading about our family life in his words."

"I don't know which period of time the book covers. Maybe it will only be his professional career."

"Maybe." Ed said.

I leaned back on the bench. "Let's hope he doesn't talk about the time he took his step-sister's virginity."

Ed froze. As well he would. As far as the whole family knew, Derek and I had gone on a few dates, exchanged a few kisses. This was the first time I had ever told anyone that he and I had slept together."

"You lost your virginity to Derek?" he sat down again.

I nodded. "The night before we came home from university." I looked away. "It was a bloody miracle we lasted that long. He had stayed over every night for two weeks and we had come so close so many times." I shook my head in disbelief.

"But you finished it two days later." He sounded shocked.

"I had to Ed. What Mom said made sense…to me at least."

"I can understand you giving up someone you've held hands with, dated. But Casey, I never thought you would give up someone you gave that to so easily."

"It wasn't easy!" I shot back. "I cried for hours. Fuck it! I cried for months. Years. I still cry, Ed." I wiped my eyes with the tissue again. "No matter what your brother has told you. I loved him. I left him because I loved him."

Ed put a hand on my shoulder.

"Casey he hasn't said anything to me. He doesn't talk about it. It's an off-limits subject around him."

I huffed slightly. "That figures. Doesn't want reminding of his big mistake."

"Casey…" Edwin chided. Then he swore. "I really need to go. I'll call you tomorrow, okay and we'll arrange to have dinner."

I smiled ruefully. "Sure."

"I love you Casey." Ed said as he hugged me. He didn't often say that. I nearly bawled again.

"I love you too Ed. And thanks, for the support."

He shrugged. "You're my sister. I wish you were my sister-in-law…but hey!"

It wasn't till I got back to the office that I realised that his final sentence to me could be taken two ways.

"God you look like shite!" Archie greeted me as I made my way back into the office.

"Thanks." I said lamely. My eyes were probably red and my nose too, but actually, the journey back to the office had been spent thinking rather than crying.

"This is a big deal for you?" he asked.

I looked up at him with my bloodshot eyes. "Yeah."

"Sure you're up to it? We could get you signed off sick."
I appreciated the effort from him. He was my boss after all and here he was suggesting I played hooky.

I shook my head, firmly. "Oh no. That's not how Derek and I work. He's laid down the gauntlet now by insisting that I do this. Now I have to prove that I can do this. Otherwise he's won. And he is not winning." I had been thinking about this on the way back. My course was clear.

"Casey? Is that type of competition entirely healthy?"

I grinned. "Probably not. But it makes me feel good." I said realising it was true. "It's like being fifteen all over again!"