"What are you doing here, Casey?" Derek asked, not moving from his position against the door, despite the siren call of the breakfast she was plating up – apparently for both of them.

Casey shrugged, and reached to turn off the radio.

"Mom was worried you weren't eating properly. I said I would come and badger you for a bit."
He snorted. "Nice try, McDonald. Except I had a message from Nora yesterday and she mentioned that she hasn't spoken to you in a while. They've changed the home phone number again."

"Oh."

"Yes. Oh. So come on, spill. What are you doing here?"
Casey was walking towards the breakfast bar now, carrying two plates. Derek could see placemats, tomato ketchup and cutlery already waiting, as well as a mug of his favourite coffee, and a glass of juice. She sat down on one of the bar stools.

"It's getting cold, Derek."
"I'm waiting for an answer." He pushed.

"I can read newspapers as well as anyone else, Derek." She said softly. Their eyes met and then Derek sighed.

"Normal people would call and leave an answer phone message, Casey. Not break into my home and cook me freaking breakfast."

"It's getting cold. Eat it before I bin it."
Derek's stomach betrayed him and his legs joined in. He found himself walking to the stool opposite Casey.

"I didn't break in. I called Simon. He let me in."

Derek made a mental note to have words with his chief of security who had always had a soft spot for Casey. He had explained when he first hired the guy that Casey had stalkerish tendencies and was under no circumstances to be allowed into Derek's home without supervision.

Stalkerish tendencies – and a way with bacon to die for.

.

"So…" Casey started cutting into her egg. "Bigamy…huh?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Derek speared some sausage.

"No of course not. It's just that of all the things I thought she would pull…"

"Casey. Knock it off. I'm not in the mood." He waved the sausage at her.

She was silent for a few minutes.

"If it's any consolation, I can see why she married you. Husband number one was a weed: greasy hair and bad skin."
"Casey." Derek started. Then he frowned. "They've released pictures of him?"

His step-sister nodded. "You know what the internet is like. Although I suspect he probably released them himself. After all, he is the one married to one of the top models in the country."
Derek said nothing and she realised she had probably overstepped the mark.

"Sorry. That was less than tactful."

"The truth though." There was a beat and then they grinned at each other.
"How did you find out?" She asked, looking at him over her cup of tea.

Derek shrugged. "My lawyer's good. He was going over our wills and the pre-nup, came across a strange bequest in one of Chloe's old wills and asked her about it. He tells me he didn't like the way she froze when he brought it up, so he did a bit of digging."
"I'm sorry Derek." She sounded it.
"Why? You weren't the one who committed the act." Derek could feel his sense of humour coming back.

Casey pushed her food around her plate. "Maybe it's a good thing." She suggested.

Derek stared at her.

"How can me finding out that my wife is actually not my wife be a good thing?"

"Well maybe now she can file for a divorce from the dweeb and you can marry her again."

"Casey. She fucking lied to me for two years! You expect me to forgive that? You're as insane as she is." That figures.

"No. I just…at least it was just the two of you. At least, there weren't any kids."

Her words were quiet, remembering the conversation she had had with Derek two years ago when he told her that he was getting married. She remembered the emptiness in his eyes when he told her that Chloe didn't want children and the telltale sign that he was lying when he said that was okay with him. Casey had not really understood why Derek had married Chloe and when she had stated earlier that maybe it was for the best, she had lied about why she thought that.

Casey was convinced Derek had married for the wrong reasons, although she wasn't sure what the reasons were.

.

They finished eating, and she started to clear.

"What are you doing today?" Casey asked as she started to run hot water into the sink.

"I do have a dishwasher you know." He said, irritated.

She waved away his complaint. "I'll ruin your frying pan if I stick that in the dishwasher. And answer my question."

"I'm doing nothing today. The management have given me three days off as compassionate leave, and everywhere I go I get chased by paps." He frowned suddenly. "Did you come in through the front entrance?"

"I came in through the only entrance I know anything about." She replied haughtily.

"Fuck!"

"What?"

"I don't suppose any guys with long lenses were hanging around outside." He spoke as if to a child. Casey refused to rise to the provocation.

She shrugged. "Oh them! It's okay. I wore a scarf over my head and kept my head down."

Derek hissed. "Great!"

"What?"

In answer to her question, Derek reached over and flicked the kitchen television on to CNN. Derek's face was once again filling the screen, a ticker across the bottom of the screen stating Derek and Chloe were "married" two years ago but that his spokesman had confirmed that Derek was taking legal action against his "wife" to reclaim all monies and assets gifted to her on their connection on the grounds of bigamy. The commentary was all about Derek's retreat from public gaze - and the attractive mystery woman who had been seen entering his mansion.

"Whoops!" Casey said, but she looked amused.

"Whoops indeed. I hope you like being chased around town by photographers because as soon as you leave here, they'll pounce."

"It's okay." Casey stated. "I brought spare clothes. I'll just stay here for a day or two."
"Over my fucking dead body."

"Derek. You have nothing in your freezer, you're overdue a restock. Besides, hiding away in your home is not healthy. You need to get out and see people, show them that you can deal with this."
"And what if I can't deal with this?"
"You loved her that much?"
Derek didn't answer.

Casey, meanwhile, had nearly finished washing up the few breakfast items. She stacked them on the side and then made for the freezer to restack the tubs of ice cream and bags of fries which were the only sustenance left.

"Hmm…Spaghetti Bolognese, I think. A lasagne or two, casseroles, pies. Definitely got my work cut out for me. Good job I did a big shop. Close the door on your way out."

.

At lunch time, when his irritation at being invaded by the step-sister from hell receded in the face once again of hunger, he made his way to the kitchen. The house had been full of amazing smells all morning, and he wondered what fantastic offering she would produce for lunch.

"I've been busy Derek, but there's a sandwich in the fridge."

"Can't I have something hot?"
"No. I need the kitchen."

There was no moving her. So he made his way to the fridge.

Inside, was a large plate with a huge French baguette sandwich, filled with all his favourite sandwich fillings.

"There's potato chips on the side." Casey said over her shoulder as she mashed potatoes to top what looked like a very British, but incredibly tasty Shepherd's Pie.

Maybe having Casey around wasn't going to be so bad after all.

He remembered to switch his cell phone back on as he retreated to the den with his sandwich. It rang almost immediately.

"Who is she?"

"Good afternoon to you too, Tim." Derek replied, his humour restored by the sight of one of Casey's large sandwiches waiting for him.

"Who is she, damnit?" Derek's agent pushed.

"It's Casey."
"Your step-sister? I thought you and her weren't talking."

"Casey and I don't talk. We just fight. She decided it had been too long since we last had a good punch up."

"She's all over the media."
"I know. And it's going to get worse. She's decided to stay over night."

"Der-ek!"

"I know. Believe me. The trouble is, I know Casey and nothing I say will budge her."

Tim sighed. "We need to make a statement to the effect that she's your sister come to offer you support in these trying times. Get the pressure off before everyone thinks you're using the bigamy thing as a reason to get out of a divorce because you're seeing someone else."
"She's my step-sister, Tim, not my sister."

"Same difference."

"No it isn't."
"In the eyes of Joe Public it is."
Derek cringed. In that case, he sincerely hoped that the revelations were done and dusted, because he wasn't ready for Joe Public to know about Casey.

"Can't you tell them she's my masseuse or something?"

"And that's better?"

"I don't want Casey dragged into this."

"Derek. She's a relative. She has a legitimate reason to be there."
"Believe me Tim we don't want Casey dragged into this."

"Why not?"

Derek was quiet. He couldn't work out how to phrase the words, so he didn't.

Tim tried to fill in the blanks.

"Are there things we don't want to come out?" he asked, carefully.

Derek sighed. "It's not cut and dried." Was all he allowed himself.

"Do you and Casey have a history?"

More silence.

Tim shifted paper around on his desk. "Leave it with me. I'll think of something."

"Good. Because I'm just about to tuck into a seriously good sandwich and I don't want anything to impede my enjoyment of it."

"Sandwich?"

"Casey's one hell of a cook."

"Oh."

.

Derek thought maybe he should kill Tim. At least if he did it, he could guarantee it would be quick and painless. Casey might prolong the agony…at least she would if she saw the news bulletin.

Tim had released a statement to the effect that Casey was Derek's new cook.

Casey had called Derek into dinner. He could smell spaghetti Bolognese and garlic bread. He could almost taste it on the air of his dining room.

Just as he was about tuck into the feast laid before him, his cell phone rang. Casey frowned.

"Sorry." Derek said and answered it without looking to see who the caller was.

"Dee-Dee." A voice simpered. "Darling, we need to talk so badly."

"Like fuck we do Chloe."

Casey's eyes darted up.

The "wife".

"Dee-Dee. Please. It was a mistake. I got swept along in the moment. I just missed a teeny bit of paperwork out."

"The massive bit of paperwork that dissolved your marriage you mean?" Derek answered.

Casey sniggered into her dinner. Derek rolled his eyes at her.

"Dee. Baby…"

"Chloe. This is tired news. I haven't the energy. I'll pack up your stuff and send Simon to drop it off at your hotel. It's over. Okay?"
"No!"

"Yes, Chloe. It is. And the funny thing is, maybe this is for the better. I mean. At least we never had kids."

Casey choked on the glass of wine she had just started to sip. Derek grinned at her as he hung up.

"What?" He muttered innocently, as he grabbed some garlic bread.

"Nothing." Casey said, smiling into her glass.

AN: My broadband connection is playing up. I'm currently getting an internet connection for about an hour a day... I'm hoping this is going to resolve itself because until this week it was fantastic. However, don't hold your breath. (I've spent most of my "writing" time this past week trying to fix it - as I keep reminding everyone I have a degree in this stuff.) Paul (husband) has ordered a major upgrade but that won't be until July!

In other ways, you'll get an update when you get an update. Check my sezcpl fan page on facebook because I can update that using my blackberry.

Sarah X