And so their campaign begins!

Disclaimer: I can't even be bothered to put a disclaimer any more...

We did the only thing we could think of: ignore his very existence. Cathy figured that, if we acted like we couldn't see or hear him, he'd clear off.

And so, when Mom told us she'd invited Petebog back into our (their) home, we responded in much the same was I had upon arrival.

"Who?"

"Cathy, Beck, please don't act up."

We're not children! "We're not acting up." Cathy replied innocently.

"We genuinely don't know who he is." I added.

"Is this about him questioning you yesterday?"

"Questioning me? Who the hell is this guy?"

"Beck..." she tailed off, seemingly lost for words.

"I'm telling you, Mom, we've never heard of this Pete guy in our lives." Cathy tried her hardest not to smile as she said it.

"So, Cathy," Petebog said, "What's it like having your sister around again?" She blanked him and carried on eating.

"Cathy?" No reply. "Beck, could you get Cathy for me?" I refused to acknowledge that he'd said anything. "Louise, dear, are they alright?"

"They're playing some sort of game where they're pretending you don't exist."

"Mom, who are you talking to?"

"Cathy, you know perfectly well who I'm talking to."

"Oh, right. Pete!" Cathy nodded indulgently, then looked at me and grinned.

"You should probably talk to someone." I suggest with mock-sincerity.

"Beck, I do not need to talk to anyone."

"Because I think we still have Dr Freedman's phone number somewhere-"

"Just stop it, alright?" Cathy and I shut up and carried on eating.

"Why are they doing this, exactly?" The Invisible Man asked.

"It's beyond me."

"Yesterday I got the distinct impression Beck doesn't like me. And I suppose it must be hard on Cathy, what with everything that's happened." Whilst this was taking place, Cathy and I kept shooting glances at each other as though we honestly thought Mom was having a conversation with thin air.

"Well, the divorce was always going to have an effect on them, wasn't it?" She directs the question at us.

"Nope. I'm fine." I shrug, feigning confusion.

"It's weird, but I guess I'm alright now?" Cathy said this with a slight inflection at the end of the sentence, as though it was another question. We were determined not to drop the act for a moment.

"And you did put a lot of pressure on Beck yesterday, you have to admit. People will always assume that about John and Pierce now, you know, so she's always going to be asked that question. By bringing it up now you must have hit a nerve."

"I was just worried for her, that's all." I resisted the urge to yell 'You don't have to be worried for me! I'm fine!'.

"I'm sorry." I ignored him. With me, there are some people who just don't get second chances. Petebog is one of them. Cathy does the same.

Again, suggestions are totally welcome!