The MacDonald/Venturi family dinner was going fairly smoothly. Marti had only flung three string beans at Lizzie's head instead of her usual five or six, and the only teasing she had received from her older stepbrother, Derek, was asking if her obsession with health food was part of the South Bitch diet. If someone passing by had glanced through the window, they would have seen a more or less average looking family of seven eating dinner together. They were a family, now; the distance that creates itself when non-blood related people live together had shriveled away to nothing. Derek had resumed his old habit of walking around in his boxers, and if Casey wanted to sing in the shower, she wasn't worried a Venturi would hear her anymore. The other day, Lizzie had even conned her stepfather out of ten bucks. They were as comfortable with each other as people could get, where the line between "stepfamily" and "biological family" became so fuzzy it couldn't even be pointed at.

After a heated conversation between Edwin and Lizzie about which sport was harder to play (hockey or soccer), George Venturi glanced up from his meal and cleared his throat.

"Well, kids, I have some news." He smiled, but Casey could see how strained and forced it was. She glanced at her mother, to see if she was well informed of this news, which she looked like she was. Instead of looking at her husband, she was avoiding eye contact and forcing potatoes down her throat. Casey raised her eyebrows. This didn't seem like happy news at all- no newborn babies or additions to the house or family vacations. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes, everything's fine," George said in his I'm-trying-so-hard-to-be-cheerful voice he used in conferences with Derek's teachers. "But we're going to have a visitor stay here. I'm not sure how long she'll be here, and she's coming on Monday." Monday! Today was Friday, for heaven's sake. Who was coming for such an unknown period of time in only three short days? "I know not everyone will be thrilled with this situation, but Abby's down on her luck, and –"

Derek shoved away from the table, hard. His plate shook; his glass of milk teetered so much that Casey whipped out a hand to steady it. "Fuck," he proclaimed, as he stood up angrily. Casey knew damn well who Abby was. Why the hell was she coming to stay here? She was George's ex-wife. Derek, Edwin, and Marti's mother.

"Derek, watch your language," Nora said quietly, still looking at her plate.

"Why is she coming here? I thought we never had to see her again. You promised, Dad. You did." Casey had never heard Derek's voice so accusing and pissed off and miserable all at the same time. She felt something on her side, and noticed that a frightened looking Marti was cuddling up to her. She put an arm around her and snuggled her close. It wasn't until then that she saw Edwin had left the table and gone to his room. He had a different kind of anger, one he didn't want seen.

But Casey was confused, above all else. She had never known why George had permanent custody over the kids. She knew it had been a messy divorce complete with family court trials, but that was about all she knew. She'd never heard Derek mention his mom. She'd never even seen a picture of Abby Venturi. Why hadn't she noticed this until now?

"Derek, listen. It's not going to be for very long - "

"Forget it, Dad. I'm staying at Sam's. You can let me know when she leaves." Derek turned to leave, and angrily stormed towards the front door.

"Derek," George called after him, his voice strained and pitiful. "She's your mother."

Derek turned, for only a split second. He caught eye contact with his dad, his eyes shooting and pissed off- calling his bluff. He gave a slight "Ugh" noise at the back of his throat before stalking out the door, slamming it shut behind him. The air in the dining room was now thick with anger and confusion. Casey shot a worried glance toward her mother, who had started calmly clearing the table but still avoided eye contact.

"I want Mommy to come," Marti whimpered to Casey. "I miss her."

"I know," Casey whispered to Marti, pulling her onto her lap. George sighed, stood up, and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek before going to Edwin's room.

"Mom?" Lizzie immediately burst. She was on the verge of tears, practically. She didn't exactly know why she was about to cry, but it was as if she had seen a huge storm off in the distance. She could feel the thunder, but the worst was yet to come. "Why is George's ex-wife coming here? And why does Derek hate her so much?"

Nora sighed and turned towards her daughters. She looked as if she had aged about 10 years in the past 10 minutes. She had bags under her eyes and looked close to tears herself. She was clutching a plate as if she were three years old, and it was her security blanket. Seeing her mom in such a state sent shivers up and down Casey's spine.

"Abby is, as George said, down on her luck. She was just evicted, and needs a place to sleep while she goes apartment hunting." Nora turned back to the dishes, and a wobbly voice came next. "And that's Derek's story to tell."