Nora phoned Casey that night to apologise again, but her daughter waved away the apology saying it should be her that was apologising. She told her mom a little more about the crazed fan and the additional security they had put in place - and a bit about how she was coping with life in general.

Nora wanted to ask about Casey's broken heart, because she was so surprised that Casey had kept it a secret, but she didn't. Somehow she knew it was all still too raw.

"How is he really doing, Mom?" Casey asked when a pause came in the conversation. There was no need for Casey to speak the name. Nora knew.

She sighed. "He lets George meet with him, but he says he doesn't trust himself around the rest of the family. George doesn't push it because he thinks Derek is right. He's a mess Casey. I could cheerfully wring Chloe's neck."

Even as she said it, Nora knew that something didn't add up with that. She'd done a lot of thinking since seeing Casey this morning. Derek was grieving like someone who had lost the love of his life, yet remembering her step-son and his "wife" together she couldn't see how Chloe fell into that category at all. Which sort of begged the question why was Derek in such a state? The only thing he had really lost was his image. Nora knew that Derek could be shallow at times, but she didn't think he would throw everything away because someone made him look bad. What was Derek grieving over? His friendship with Casey? That actually seemed more likely than the loss of the blonde model who had looked down on her "in-laws" and who hadn't seemed to be anything more than a momentary distraction for her step-son.

"You know he'd be a lot better if he could talk to you." Nora prompted. "If he at least knew you still cared."

Casey sighed. "I didn't say I didn't care mom." Understatement of the year, McDonald! But…it's too late to try and pretend we're still friends."

"So you're just going to throw the friendship down the pan?" Nora sounded incredulous.

"Why is it my fault? Derek started this." Casey, on the other hand, sounded weary.

Nora shifted her position on the bed where she was lying. She had sent Robbie and George out bowling so that she could have uninterrupted phone time.

"Is this about Chloe? Because need I remind you, she isn't even on the scene now. You could at least have gone to see him when Chloe left."

Nora didn't know about Casey breaking into Derek's home to cook him breakfast or the day afterwards that Derek and Casey had spent together post-Chloe. As far as she was aware they hadn't seen each other since before the wedding. She had assumed that the comment he had made had been made over the phone. Neither of them had given her reason to believe otherwise.

"Chloe didn't leave Mom, Derek threw her out, remember? I don't understand why he is behaving the way he is. I did go to see him when all that imploded and believe me he was upset about it all, but he certainly wasn't grieving about it.

"You went to see him?"

"Yes. I spent a couple of days with him…which is when he said it."

After a pause during which time Nora processed her daughter's comments and she decided it didn't change her viewpoint she pushed again. "He said something that you misinterpreted. Come on Casey, that doesn't make it his fault either." Nora pointed out, wondering why it suddenly sounded like she was defending Derek.

"It's not just that, Mom. That was a momentary thing. There's more to it."

"You know I'd understand it more if you just told me what he said." Nora suggested. Casey ignored that because she couldn't tell her mother that her unhappiness stemmed from Derek's rejection of their relationship. "It's just…oh…I don't know. Derek and I…it's not healthy. It eats at both of us, we argue all the time." She exaggerated. It wasn't the arguing she worried about. It was the loss of the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her. She didn't want to spend time with him because she hated the coldness.

Of course, the coldness hadn't been obvious when she broke into his house, at least not until he made the "freak" comment.

Nora said nothing.

"I do care mom." Casey admitted finally. "I care a lot." Too much.

"Then call him."

"And say what?"

"Hi?"

Casey smiled to herself.

"I'll think about it."

The following day, against the advice of her husband, Nora went to see Derek. She decided to go to his house before breakfast hoping that she might catch him sober – or at least sober enough to understand a bit of honest talking.

She showed her ID to the guard at the bottom of the drive and followed the drive up the hill, pulling over to one side when she reached the main house. The outside of the house looked fine, the gardens, whilst snow-covered, well maintained, and she wondered if George was exaggerating when he described the mess his son was living in.

When he eventually answered the door, bleary-eyes and half-dressed, she realised her husband had been conservative in his statements.

Derek's hair was unwashed and his clothes were mis-matched and dishevelled. There was a stale smell hovering around him and his eyes were blood-shot.

"Nora?" He sounded surprised…and then shocked when she pushed her way into the house. Confused, Derek shut the door against the arctic wind and turned to face her.

"Is everything okay? You're here obscenely early."

"Are you alone?" Nora asked out of courtesy. She doubted any self-respecting girl, groupie or not, would have stepped over the doorstep for a guy looking like Derek right now.

Derek snorted. "My "wife's" not here if that's what you mean."

"Drop the snark, Derek. We both know this isn't about Chloe. The question is what is it about?"

He watched her carefully, wishing his head was clearer because he was in danger here.

"What can I say? Life's shit."

"Language, Venturi. You're not too old for me to tan your hide – and failing my ability to do that I'll just call in reinforcements. I'm sure Abby would love to know what you are up to."

"You've been with my dad too long, Nora." Derek answered. "Coffee?"

Nora grinned. "Nice try. But I'm not leaving here without some answers." She sniffed. "And I'm not sitting down to coffee without you taking a shower and changing those god-awful clothes."

"Now I know where your daughter gets it from." He retorted.

"Hmm…Casey? Heard from her lately?"

Derek frowned. "No."

Nora smiled. "I have. I'll trade you information if you have a shower."

In the time it took him to shower and change, Nora had started to clear the kitchen. When he emerged smelling sweeter and looking a hundred times better he stood in the doorway and watched his step-mother pottering around Casey's domain with amusement, wondering why it was that both women immediately headed for the kitchen when it came to project "make-over Derek". Casey's words came to him and an image of her snuggled into his arms.

"Anyone with half a brain knows the only way to get through to you is through your stomach. I just thought you'd feel better if I fed you."

Sure enough, as soon as the kitchen looked presentable again, Nora was beating pancake batter and heating butter.

"You don't need to do that." Derek said, settling himself at the breakfast bar and taking a sip of the coffee she'd poured for him.

"No. But if I wave pancakes and syrup in front of you you'll give up more info…" Nora was honest. Derek grinned.

"Casey makes bacon…" He pointed out hopefully - smirking.

"Casey also, no doubt, does your shopping. There's no bacon in your fridge." Nora said, watching the pan.

Derek grimaced. "She used to." He took a deep breath. "She used to manage my on-line grocery account based on what she knew she'd made and what my housekeeper emailed her that I'd eaten. She doesn't anymore."
Nora nodded. "Where's your housekeeper?"
"I let her go. I didn't think it was fair on her to make her deal with all this."

"What did you expect, Derek? Casey to come round and do your cleaning?"
Derek shrugged. "No. But I thought if I let it go enough I might at least get a phone call from her bemoaning my poor hygiene."
Nora appreciated the honesty, but it didn't change anything.

"She won't call Derek. I don't know what you said to her, but she's badly hurt."

Derek closed his eyes and groaned. "I described our…friendship the way I thought the media would see it and she took it to mean that it was my own personal view."

"Oh." Nora busied herself flipping the pancakes onto the plate. "What word did you use?"
"Erm…" He couldn't answer.

"Derek. I know you're in love with my daughter, now tell me what you said."
Her step-son gaped…and answered her. "I said they would see us as "freaks". I didn't mean that was how I saw "us"."

Nora nodded.

"How is she, Nora?"

Nora placed the plate in front of him.

"She's surviving."

He pulled a face.

"But that's all. Derek, step-sisters don't usually cook all your meals, manage your home…or sever all ties with you when you use the wrong word to describe your relationship. How long?"

"What?"

"How long were you together?"

He looked down at the plate of pancakes which he couldn't eat. "One night." He answered truthfully.

That was not what Nora expected.

"One night!"

"One night or thirteen years…depending on how you look at it." He picked up a fork and pushed at the pancake. "We did nothing for thirteen years, and then…"

"Then you acted. Why did it end?"
"Casey was worried about the impact it would have on the family." Derek raised his eyes to look at her mother. "She left in the middle of the night."

Oh Casey! Thought Nora.

"Were we really such awful parents?" Nora asked. "That you thought we'd react badly."

"Come on Nora! Your daughter slept with your step-son. Tell me honestly that you'd have welcomed us with open arms!"

Nora looked at him for a long time. "If I'd have known that you'd both be going through this…yes. I would."

Derek blinked.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Derek was starving. Decent food had been placed in front of him with the minimum amount of effort. It smelled and looked fantastic. He started shovelling food in.

"Sometimes you look so like your father it frightens me." Nora said in amusement.

He grinned up at her, syrup dripping from his chin.

"You need to stop with the self-destruction Derek. It's hurting Casey. It places her in a difficult position. She believes she can't interfere and she's reduced to watching you throw everything away…including her."
"It's not as important to her." He said when his mouth was only half-full."
"Yeah…right." Nora rubbed at the space between her eyes. "Derek. She's hurting, and you being so reckless is making things worse. It isn't going to resolve things and it isn't going to make her come back. You need to grow a pair and behave like an adult. Maybe then she'll take you seriously."

"I want to talk to her…explain that I didn't mean it. But no one will give me her number."

"I have her number, but it won't do you any good."

"Oh?"
"She's going to be incommunicado for a while…five weeks I think."
"Why?" Derek frowned.

"She's agreed to take part in a reality TV show."
"Reality TV? Casey?" Derek was surprised. "You're kidding!"

"Nope. It's for charity…childhood cancer, I think."
"Oh. That makes sense." Derek knew about Clare's daughter. He was still in touch with their college friends the same way Casey was. "What sort of reality TV show?"

"Something with random celebs over five weeks, culminating in a telethon."

Derek went cold. "Stars and Hearts?" he asked.

Nora nodded. Derek groaned.

"What?" She asked.

"I don't sleep well…before you arrived I was on-line looking at…things."

"And?"
"There was a big publicity thing and a statement from Chloe's agency." He glanced up at his step-mother. "It said Chloe was delighted to announce that she was participating in "Stars with Hearts".

Nora stared at him. "That's not good."

"Nope. Casey and Chloe in that sort of environment – in front of the cameras…"

Casey's mother grimaced. "I'll tell George to clear his diary."