"I can't explain," Fenton told him. "All I can tell you is that while I do love Joe, I'll never be able to love him as much as you. You're my flesh and blood, I really had no choice."

"Is he adopted?" Frank asked. "I don't remember him ever not being here," he added, not believing what his dad was saying.

"Joe's been a part of this family all his life," Fenton stated. "But he's not my son."

"Then whose son am I ?" Joe asked from the doorway, his usually tan face a sickly shade of white.

"Joe!" Frank shouted and raced over to him. He put a protective arm around Joe's shoulders . "He's lying," Frank told Joe. "He's just trying to justify his actions earlier."

Joe shrugged off Frank's arm. "That's why I don't look like you," Joe said to Fenton. "I don't even look like mom," he said sadly. "Who are my parents?" he demanded.

"We don't know," Laura had come up behind Joe. She flashed a look at Fenton, daring him to contradict her. "But it doesn't matter. You're our son."

"It matters to him," Joe said, jerking a thumb at Fenton. "He has made it abundantly clear I'm not his son."

"Joe, I..." Fenton started to speak, but Joe cut him off.

"Shut up," Joe ordered. "You let me believe you cared about me, but you don't. I thought, back there, you chose Frank because he's the oldest, his name naturally came first, but you really would have preferred it if I were the one who were killed. Why? What did I do? If you didn't want me then why take me? Why raise me?"

"Oh, Joseph," his mom said, crying. "We do love you. Very much. You can't doubt that."

"I have no doubts," Joe said coldly. "Not anymore," and with that he turned around and raced down the steps and out into the night.

"Joe!" Frank shouted, taking off after him. But Joe jumped into their van and took off, leaving Frank standing at the curb, crying.

Back inside, Laura walked over to Fenton. She stared him in the eyes. "I hope you're happy," she hissed angrily. "It wasn't his fault. He's your son in every way that matters but you still can't accept him. I thought you had moved past what happened," she added, starting to cry. "Now, because of your inability to adjust, our whole family may cease to exist. Telling Frank about Joe didn't get your son back, it cost you another."

Joe drove around aimlessly, not really caring where he went. He eventually stopped for fuel along the outskirts of town. After filling up, he headed for the house of his girlfriend, Vanessa Bender.

"Joe!" Vanessa said, giving him a long, hard hug when she opened the door and found him standing there. "Frank called. He's worried about you."

"Really?" Joe asked in self-pity.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling back and looking at him, worry evident in her brown eyes.

"Frank didn't tell you?" When she shook her head, he continued, "I'm adopted."

"Is that all?" she asked, breaking into a relieved smile. "I thought something was seriously wrong."

"What?" Joe asked the fair-haired beauty in front of him. He was confused by her reaction.

"Lots of kids are adopted," she said. "It doesn't mean you're loved any less."

"It does in my case," Joe stated bitterly, then told her about what had happened earlier that day.

Her eyes grew wide, and she pulled Joe close to her once again. "Oh, honey, there's got to be some mistake. I know your dad loves you."

"Yeah, he had me fooled too," Joe said.

"What are you going to do?" she asked him.

"I'm going to find my real parents," he told her.

"Why?" she asked. "Don't take this the wrong way," she added hastily. "But if they had wanted you, why would they put you up for adoption?"

"I don't know," Joe replied. "Maybe my dad died and mom was too sick to take care of me. Or maybe I'm an orphan. I just have to know."

"I think I understand," Vanessa said, sitting down and pulling Joe down beside her. "What about Frank?"

"What about him?" Joe asked. "He wasn't adopted."

"He's your brother," Vanessa told him sternly. "He never knew you were adopted."

"I know," Joe said, instantly contrite. "But now that he does know, will he still love me?" Joe asked, his blue eyes the saddest Vanessa had ever seen.

"How can you even think such a thing?" she asked softly, holding him until he cried himself to sleep.

When Joe awoke the next morning, he felt something heavy over his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Frank! "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Vanessa called me," Frank replied softly. "Little brother, it doesn't matter if you're my natural brother or my adopted brother. You'll always be my little brother. That's never going to change."

Joe smiled up at his brother. "So I guess we're on our way to California," Frank said, standing up.

"California?" Joe asked.

"Vanessa said you wanted to find your natural parents. I talked to mom. She won't help us. She thinks you should accept that she and...and Fenton," Frank still couldn't bring himself to say Dad after yesterday, "are your parents. But since he said you have been a part of the family all your life, I think you may have been adopted as soon as you were born."

"And I was born in California," Joe said, catching on. "Let's get our tickets and leave," he added.

"I got them last night after I talked to Vanessa," Frank said. "They're in the van. Our plane leaves in," he looked at his watch, "two hours."

"We'd better go and get changed and packed," Joe said.

"Our bags are in the car and I brought you some clothes to change into," Frank told Joe.

"Go shower and get ready," Vanessa told Joe. "I'll fix breakfast and then drop you two off at the airport. You can leave the van here."

"Thanks," Joe said and gave her a quick kiss, before taking the clothes Frank handed him and going upstairs to take his shower. After breakfast the boys went to the van to get their things. Joe got into the back to grab their suitcases and Frank went after the tickets.

"Joe, did you get the tickets all ready?" Frank asked from the front seat.

"No, why?" Joe asked.