Casey sat down in the chair next to Chloe and waited for her foe to speak.

"He never talked about you." The blonde woman began. "Not really." She looked up to find Casey's blue eyes expressionless.

"The rest of your family talked about you all the time, you were always in the room, but Derek…he didn't hide he had a step-sister but he never mentioned you." She laughed humourlessly. "I thought it was because he didn't care. I even said as much to Martha."

"And what did Marti say?" Casey leaned back in the chair. She trusted Derek but she also knew that whatever Chloe was going to say during this conversation would affect her deeply.

"Martha – Marti said that sometimes we talk least about the things that hurt the most."

Casey said nothing, already aware of the wisdom behind her youngest sister's eyes; wisdom that others often mistook for mild insanity.

"I guess I chose to believe what it suited me to believe." Chloe continued. "He never corrected me when I spoke disparagingly of you."

This wasn't news to Casey. Derek had talked to her about how he had dealt with being in love with one woman and married to another. He had already told her, in whispered conversations while he stroked gentle fingers against bare skin that he hadn't "lived" while he was with Chloe. He had told her he had retreated into himself.

"Apart from the vase." Chloe noted. "He intervened about the vase."

Her language was changing. As she spoke to Casey, Chloe sounded more…educated than Casey had given her credit for.

"Tell me about life with Derek." His former wife asked. "What was it like growing up with him?"

Casey hesitated, wondering how she could do this, normal conversation with Derek's ex, but on reflection she decided Chloe needed to know everything: to know that she had squandered her only chance.

"My father left my mother by mutual consent when I was just fourteen." Casey began. "It took a while for my mom to get used to the idea of being a single parent, but eventually she did. For a few months afterwards, we had a simple, organised life as three females together. We were more sisters than mother and daughters. It was nice. Then Mom met George and when they decided to get married everything changed. Dad's financial assistance decreased and it wasn't feasible for us to go to our previous school, which upset me more than anything else. Then they announced that we were moving to London and not only would I lose my school, but all my friends, and my home."

"You must have been bitter?" Chloe asked. Casey nodded.

"Very. I was fifteen too. Not a good age to be uprooted. And then they finally told me that we would be moving into George's home with his children…and I lost it."

"Had you met Derek before?" Chloe sounded really interested, as though Casey was telling someone else's story and this had nothing to do with the man that metaphorically stood between them.

Casey shook her head.

The door opened and the receptionist came in.

"Sorry to disturb you both, I heard voices. Would you like some hot chocolate? I've asked the night cook to make me some."

"That would be great, thanks!" Chloe answered for both of them. Casey hid her surprise at the genuine tone of gratitude to Chloe's voice. The receptionist didn't.

"Where was I?" Casey asked when the hot chocolate was steaming in front of them, along with a plate of freshly baked chocolate cookies despite the nocturnal hour.

"Meeting Derek."

Casey smiled wryly and launched into the tale of how she had met her step-brother, and the early years of their relationship.

"So let me get this straight…you two hated each other." Chloe sounded surprised.

"With a passion." Casey admitted. "But at the same time, we understood each other. And I think that was part of the problem. I understood him and he understood me. We couldn't hide the way we normally did. Every emotion, every motivation was obvious to the other even when it wasn't to other people." She sighed. "We had "moments" where we were honest, but largely, we were enemies." She smiled at Chloe. "I have no idea how our friends and family put up with us."

"What changed?"
"Honestly I don't really know. Gradually, the emphasis changed. We fought, but it became important to us that the only people we fought with was each other. Derek reacted whenever someone else tried to mess with me. I in return became defensive of him."

"And then you went to college…"

"Yes…then we went to college." Casey took a deep breath. "At college, we wiped the slate clean. Derek wasn't living up to an expectation, and I wasn't trying to expunge my own rep. We could be ourselves." She laughed. "Of course, we still fought, because we were each other's link to our past…but, where I expected him to ditch me and move on, instead he invited me, wordlessly, into his group. His friends became my friends even while we weren't. We coasted along in denial of our reluctant friendship."
"And then?"

"And then…Derek got scouted and he left." Casey looked away remembering the early months of Derek's absence. "It should have been the end of it, we should have slipped into a kind of fraternal relationship…but we didn't. Instead he sent me tickets to visit him, put me up on his sofa…and I went to him when he asked. And suddenly we realised we needed each other and nothing would ever change that."

"You were in love?"
"Not really…not yet. But we were unwittingly close. I became the best friend. I watched the women come and go, pandered to his silly requests and pulled him out of the toilet before every game. I was the one he took on vacation, the one he called in the middle of the night."
"I'd have killed for that…" Chloe admitted. Casey sighed.

"It wasn't all sweetness and light. Neither of us treated the other particularly well at times, but I guess we were already committed to each other."

They were quiet for a moment.

"When…?" Chloe asked. She couldn't form the words, but Casey knew what she was asking. When did you fall in love?

Casey sipped at her hot chocolate. "After many years. We'd been growing closer – although I can only say that now. He moved house and was closer to me, and though he never said the words I understood that it was a deliberate move back to me."

"You let him?"

"Oh yeah. I wouldn't have left it any other way."

Chloe nibbled on a cookie and it was, Casey thought, the first time she had ever seen the woman eat something.

"You slept together?" Chloe asked next. For a moment, Casey considered not answering Chloe because she was worried about her publicising that fact. But the Chloe in front of her now wasn't the confident woman Casey had seen every day for the last few weeks.

"Once. A last ditch attempt to just get each other out of our system…it didn't work."
"When?"
Casey swallowed knowing the answer wasn't going to be easy for Chloe to hear. "About six months before he married you."

"Oh." Chloe was quiet and Casey knew that she had realised the implications. Derek's decision to marry Chloe was a rebound reaction to the loss of a soul-mate. As if to confirm her suspicions, Chloe took a deep breath and asked, "Why did he marry me?"
"You need to ask Derek that."

"He won't talk to me."

"Maybe try asking quietly and when the eyes of the world aren't on you both." A hardened tone came into Casey's voice because she couldn't forgive Chloe for the feeding frenzy of the press she had caused in recent months.

She expected Chloe to fight back, but she didn't.

Chloe nodded and Casey sat up straighter in the chair.

"Chloe. Despite his laid back attitude to life, Derek is fiercely loyal. He married you he would have stayed with you and I would have stayed away."

"…if I hadn't screwed things up?" Chloe finished for Casey.

"If you had been honest with him. He's a decent guy."

They sat quietly pondering each other's words.

"I know he's a decent guy. It wouldn't have been a marriage though." Chloe said eventually. "He was in love with you. He wouldn't have been mine. He was always yours."

Casey closed weary eyes. "And I've always been his."

Saturday evening seemed to come quickly in the chaos of preparations. Derek was obviously busy with hockey training because he managed to go more than four hours in a day without texting or emailing Casey…a fact she only realised when she didn't need to charge her phone quite so often. Breaking free of here was something she was longing to do.

Breaking free and then spending a month on a hot sunny island with her…

Yet again, a definition for Derek eluded her. If this kept up much longer she was going to start thinking of him with a capital "H" much the same way as Christians did when talking about…

Absolutely not! Casey might love Derek with an unearthly passion but she would not use the words Derek and god in the same sentence…WHOOPS!

Casey and the other contestants travelled to the concert hall in individual limousines. Only Luan accompanied her but she wasn't free to talk during the half hour journey. Instead, Paul's niece, in a plain black suit today, spent the entire journey on the phone to her boss reassuring him that everything would be okay. Casey admired Luan's optimism given the events of the past five weeks. But having said that, Chloe had been quiet since Casey's conversation with her the other night: quiet and strangely absent.

The show's producer gave each of the "stars" their own dressing room this time and Casey's was next to Chloe's. Through the paper thin walls, Casey could hear her former sister-in-law screeching at her assistants and the tinny yapping of a small lapdog. Chloe was evidently in a bad mood and taking it out on everyone around her.

So it came as something of a surprise when the aforementioned former relative appeared at her door.

…Appeared at her door, came in and closed it.

"Hey." Chloe started.

"Hey." Casey replied cautiously. She wasn't sure where this was going.

"Erm…I just wanted to say thank you." Chloe said, looking uncomfortable. "For the other night. For being honest with me and…" She paused. "Derek phoned me."

That wasn't a surprise. Casey nodded.

Chloe took a deep breath. "I know you asked him to. I really appreciate it, Casey. He met me earlier and we talked about things…things we needed to say to each other." She smiled sadly. "He apologised for not being honest with me, and I apologised for not being honest with him." Chloe sat down on a spare chair.

"You were right you know. He's a really nice guy and we might have made something of the marriage if I had told him the truth. I don't just mean about my original marriage…I mean about everything. I've tried very hard over the last few days to think of a time where I was totally honest with him…and I can't." Chloe bit her lip nervously.

"He fitted in with my life plan…you know: what I wanted to achieve. I wanted a successful career, lots of money, and an attractive, famous husband. I wanted people to envy me. Growing up…my family…they didn't have a lot and everyone knew it. I was so sick of the pity I saw in people's eyes when they looked at me." Bitterness clouded her statement and she looked up at Casey.

"The first time I saw envy in someone's eyes…wow! The feeling was just…powerful." Chloe broke off. "But what have I got to show for it? A mistake of a husband who would sell his soul for his next fix and can't stay sober enough to sign the fucking divorce papers, a reputation for biting people's heads off and keeping them as trophies…"

Casey sniggered and Chloe smiled at her.

"…and an ex-almost husband who was decent, kind – and in love with someone else. Even my family are sick of me."
"I doubt that, Chloe. Families rarely give up loving us, no matter what the mistakes we make. When did you last see them?"

"Over a year ago."

"A year! How can you leave it so long?"

Chloe sighed. "There were words spoken in haste and…frankly I'm embarrassed."

"Of them?"
"No! Of who I am. Of who I've become." She glanced ruefully at the wall. "You heard me just now…I don't know how to be any other way anymore."

Casey leaned forward and took her hand. "Maybe it's time to take a step back, regroup…work out what you want. You are successful, you have a successful career. I'm assuming you have money…?"

"Purlease!" Chloe snorted, and then collected herself. "Sorry." She said sheepishly. Casey grinned.

"Now what do you want to do with it?

"Do with it?"

Casey nodded. "Yeah. You want to blow it all on a big party, travel the world, donate it to charity? Take time off, travel the world for a charity? Chloe, you could even become a spokesperson for a cause."

Chloe was thoughtful. "You mean like Princess Di and landmines?"

Casey resisted the temptation to laugh. The comparison between Chloe and Princess Di was just… Instead, she nodded.

"Wow! You know…that appeals! Although it would have to be something without children. I don't like children."
"Really? Why not?"

"They don't like me."

"Chloe. Children love every one. Their love is unconditional. They will be the first to queue and give you a hug. And as for adults not liking you…The only person who doesn't like you who matters – is you."

There was silence for a moment and then Chloe stood up. "I can see why he loves you Casey." She admitted. Casey looked embarrassed.

Chloe continued. "I will think about what you've said." And then she laughed. "But, just so you know, you may have won the guy and you'd probably be able to negotiate world peace given half the chance. But tonight, as far as this competition goes…Your ass is mine!"

She grinned warmly at Casey who beamed back.

"Bring it, sister!"

AN: Okay…this overran. One more chapter and then the epilogue. *grin*