I got to thinking about what we know, or at least thought we knew, about John as spoilers for his connection to Tony started come out, and one quote stuck with me.  One about him and Lawrence being related but not brothers, which got be thinking of other ways they could be related. 

(AN: I concocted an off-camera relationship for him and Lawrence since we've never really been informed about it on screen)

Blood Relatives

John fiddled with a picture on the mantle of the Alimain home in Alimaina, his unease palpable as he heard footsteps on the marble floor coming towards him.  "And you thought having me for a brother was bad?" a voice asked, causing John to turn and face the man he had called brother for years now.

"I take it that's a rhetorical question?" he asked, causing the other man to roll his eyes as he threw his coat carelessly over the arm of a nearby couch and walked towards the mini bar.

"You could have at least called me yourself, you know.  I really don't know why you let me find out the details of your life from tabloids," Lawrence groused as he poured himself a drink and then pulled out a beer for John.

"Better than hearing in a bedroom," John countered as he crossed the room and took the proffered beverage.

"You are never going to let me live that down are you?"

John only shrugged as he took a swig from the bottle and looked over it at the man whom he had built a long distance relationship with over the years.  "So how bad's the suit I'm going to get hit with?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lawrence asked as he headed towards the couch and loosened his tie slightly, deciding against sitting on formality with a man who had never given much thought to it, especially since the man in question was clad in a polo shirt and khakis and not a suit.

"Just that I would assume you're looking into charges of fraud against me."

"Why?"

"Seems the thing to do since I gained my position in this company because it appeared I was Forrest Alimain.  Apparently I'm not so. . ." John shrugged as he moved to sit on the arm of a couch.

"First, last I heard you hadn't heard one way or another for sure that you weren't.  Two. . . did you know at the time that you weren't?" Lawrence asked leaning forward in his seat.

"You know damn way that I didn't."

"Then why would I do anything? I'm the one who was first convinced that you were.  Hell, I still don't know how two sets of DNA testing can be wrong, although we are talking about Salem University Hospital.  Wouldn't be the first time. . ."

"This isn't funny."

"Who's joking?" Lawrence asked.  "John, I don't know what you want me to do.  I mean, yeah, I could sue you but what good would that do me? Huh? You've earned a good portion of what you have.  Between the two of us we've managed to nearly double income of this company since Father died. . ."

"You're father.  We don't know. . ."

"Would you stop that? I mean, do you know for sure that she's your mother?"

"I don't know anything for sure," John admitted as he looked at his 'brother' directly for the first time.  "You know that. Know that I've never regained any of my memories.  I still live with Roman's in my head.  Hell, half the time I don't know what's a memory and what's there from him.  From what someone else told me.  All I have of me is from when Doc found me, and half of that lifetime is as Roman!"  John admitted angrily as he slammed down his beer on a nearby end table.

"How is the good doctor's search into her own past going?" Lawrence asked, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

"What's with that tone?"

"What tone?"

"You know what tone. Why are you taking it on that subject? And why bring it up?"

"Perhaps because I think it is quite ironic that you can support her search into her past so entirely, but she has repeatedly begged you to stop from searching out the secrets of your own.  How many times have you stopped me from telling you things because she was afraid it would trigger a memory? How many leads did you not follow up on? I know for a fact that you have kept tabs on Danielle Stevens, even helped her to turn her life around, yet you have never let her tell you more about your time together.  About your life as John Stevens.  Oh, and let's not forget how you neglected your late wife to a footnote in your life."

"You're not getting on that again!"

"What can I say? I happened to have liked Isabella.  She at least never drove the competition literally out of their minds."

"Are you sure you're not out of yours?"

"I it that that's a rhetorical question?" Lawrence asked on a slight laugh.  "And I will kindly drop the subject.  After all, if she can win over my very wise nephew she must have some virtues.  How is Brady by the way? He still wrapped up in the Lane girl?"

"He and Chloe only just starting seeing each other."

"Perhaps, but from what I heard it was a long time coming. Has any progress been made in the donor search?"

"Unfortunately not.  Although I hear you and Nicholas had yourselves tested.  It's appreciated."

"Brady asked."

"How's Nicholas?"

"Doing well.  I spoke to him over the holidays.  He spent them with Carly this year.  I understand Francois and Eve were there as well."

"So it's over this time?" John asked.

"Apparently so," Lawrence sighed.  "I understand she's seeing someone, and this time I don't believe I'll take her back.  I'm tired of playing the games. Besides, I'm getting too old to in any case."

"Still doesn't make it any easier."

"To quote you: that's a fact," Lawrence replied straight faced, earning a slight laugh from John.  "So tell me what you do know."

"Just that Tony's mother left the remains of a letter that said I was his brother.  It was burnt.  The ISA labs are trying to recover as much of the burnt portion as possible, but I doubt much will be recoverable.  In the meantime we're waiting on the DNA tests to tell me if I'm related to him or not.  Lexie also was tested, so we'll know whether or not I'm a DiMera in a few days. . ."

"There's still a possibility. . ."

"Listen, Larry A, don't start OK? Chances are I'm not Leopold Alimain's son."

"That doesn't mean that you're not Philomena's."

"You're joking, right?"

"Not entirely.  You said the note said you were brothers, but DNA evidence proved we were related, so there's that chance.  Our mother wasn't the most faithful woman in the world, even if father did insist on turning a blind eye.  I suppose that's where I got it from. . ."

"That's supposed to make it easier for me to accept that DiMera's my father?!?!" John asked loudly.

"No. . ." a voice said from the doorway, causing the two men to turn their attention to it, and the woman standing there.  "No. . . he can't be doing this.  Destroying things even from the grave," she said as she stared at them.  "How much. . . How much do you know?" she asked John as the men shared a questioning look.

"How much should he know?" Lawrence asked as he crossed his arms and glared at her, knowing if anyone knew the truth it would be her.

"Yeah, Auntie Viv, how about filling me in here?" John asked.

Vivian inhaled as she looked at the ceiling, "then you don't know it all.  Thank G-d for that," she said softly.

"Just what more should we know?" Lawrence challenged, causing her to look at him, as she went to say something he quickly cut her off: "And don't try to backtrack out of this we both know you too well to allow you to."

"Start talking," John added as he moved next to his 'brother' to face a united front.

"First, let me say that I never. . . I never intended to keep you in the dark.  I always thought you'd find the truth somehow.  That you'd come to me because of it.  Then when I realized that Marleana wouldn't allow you to search that far. . . I convinced myself it was for the best.  You didn't need to know more then you did.  You hated Stefano for what he had done to you.  And for so much of that time we thought he was dead, and then when he wasn't. . . I just couldn't allow him to have more power over any of us.  Plus I had promised Leopold that I would never tell the truth."

"That what? That I wasn't his?"

"Oh, you were in every way that counted. You see John, you are Forrest Alimain."

"So mother had an affair with Stefano?" Lawrence questioned, feeling slightly ill at the thought.

"No," Vivian answered simply as she crossed the room and sank wearily to a seat across from her two 'nephews,' "Stefano was one man that Philomena turned down.  In fact she chose your father over him.  I supposed that's why. . ." she stopped and shook her head trying to find the words.

"That's why what?" John asked as he sat on the arm of a chair.

"That's why he courted me.  Of course it was quite a few years later.  Philomena and Leopold had already had Lawrence by then, and I didn't know him as Stefano.  Rather he was Rudulpho.  He was everything a young woman could have dreamt of.  And believe it or not I was young and inexperienced then.  Too young and inexperienced to truly understand at the time.  I allowed myself to get in over my head with him.  Gave him my heart only to find out. . ." she shook her head.

"What does this have to do with me?" John asked.  "About my relationship to him? Did you know my mother? Did he use you to get to Philomena?"

"Somehow I think it's something else entirely," Lawrence deduced, his voice tinged with a touch of shock.

"And you, my dear are correct.  Oh, my poor John, can't you see where I'm going with this?" she asked then laughed slightly, "No, of course not.  Because you can't even fathom what I'm about to tell you.  I can only imagine what you'll think of me--- of us all--- when you know the truth of your heritage."

John frowned at her words.  There was the building of suspicion in his mind, but it couldn't be true--- could it?

Vivian slowly rose and moved to the mantle and picked up a picture of her and Leopold.  "I was truly in love with him, but he was just using me.  I found out when I walked in on him and Daphne one night.  She had been a good friend, or so I thought.  I ran away, but I knew I couldn't out run his grasp entirely.  I was helped by two young men to escape from him for a while. They ferried me away, although neither of them remember it.  One was a young Irishmen, the other a friend of his--- a Greek fisherman. . ."

"Victor and Shawn?"

"Yes.  It's one of the reasons that Stefano hates the Bradys so much, and why they can honestly say that they don't know why.  It took me forever to realize that he was the man who helped me run.  Took me to a friend to help me get passage somewhere else.  I suppose Victor's involvement wasn't as well known. . ." Vivian shook her head.  "Anyway, I managed to make it home. Leopold took me in. Philomena laughed at my stupidity as she put it.  She made my time here horrible.  Only I had the last laugh in a way. 

You see I had gone to tell Stefano something that night. 

I was pregnant with his child. . . Philomena was pregnant at the same time.  Although I was further along than she we went into labor the same night.  Her child died.  Mine didn't, but your father. . . he came up with a plan," she said looking at Lawrence before turning her attention to John.  "You were so small; it was easy to pass you off as being premature.  The doctor, an old family friend, changed the documents.  Switched you with Philomena's child.  As far as the world was concerned my son died that night.  And I allowed it.  I could never allow Stefano to know the truth.  I swore to Leopold that I would never tell anyone the truth.  That you boys would never know it.  It was too dangerous.  We knew it.  I knew it, by then I had lost my naïveté.  Knew what Stefano was about.  Had faced his anger.  Knew he would try to steal you away from me.  And by G-d if I couldn't raise you, he sure as hell wasn't going to!" Vivian continued as she wiped at tears, her voice strong as she continued.  "We thought we were safe and then you almost drowned.  That happened after Stefano had shown up looking for the devil only knows what! And I honestly thought. . ."

"Thought what?" Lawrence asked.

"That Forrest--- John--- was dead.  Your father never told me that they faked it.  Until you brought up the possibility in Salem it never occurred to me."

"It that you took me under your wing when mother died? To replace the son you lost?"

Vivian shrugged:  "There was always a hole in my heart."

"Then how could you do that to Carly? Make her believe that her son was dead?" John demanded.

"Because she was his."

"What?!?!?" Lawrence demanded.

"Did you think you were her first? That she didn't know exactly who 'James' was?" Vivian asked as she looked at Lawrence.  "The Von Luchners where longtime friends of DiMera's.  She had been one of his toys.  I wouldn't let her get to you and get away with it.  I made sure she was out of your life before she made you one of his pawns.  And at first I kept Nicholas as one of mine own, but I grew to love him.  To see him as all Stefano took from me and threatened to keep from me.  Do you think I wanted to be the 'Auntie Mame' in your lives? That I planned to be a woman who never settled down? There was a time I wanted more than money and power.  When I wanted to find a man and have a life with him.  Have a child or two.  Stefano made sure I never could.  He told me if I ever did he'd take it away from me.  Steal the child away from me as I had done his.  I suppose he did," she sighed as she looked sadly at John.  "I suppose Leopold thought he was doing what was best when he shipped you off to New York.  It sounded like he tried to keep tabs on you, but in the end the bastard still won.  Perhaps he found out the truth, or maybe--- more likely--- he thought you were Philomena's and Leopold's and wanted you to pay for her choosing someone else.  We'll never know."

"But why. . .why didn't you?" John asked angrily.  "Didn't you think I might want to know that I had a mother? Not that you can be called that. . ."

"Don't you dare pass judgment on me? I did what I thought was best.  Tell me, John, what would it have changed had you known? Would you have called me mother? Had the same sort of feelings for me as you hold for Caroline Brady? Would you have gone to Stefano and allowed him to be a father to you? Would you have treated Tony and Lexie differently in the last few months? Years? Or would you have been blinded by hatred?  Would you have let it have colored the way you dealt with your wife's last few months, allowed it to consume your attention and keep it from the people who needed it? You think about that," she finished stiffly.

John balanced at her words as if he had been hit:  "I suppose we'll never know now will we."

"I suppose not," Vivian agreed as she inhaled and clapped her hands.  "Well, you have your answers now.  Know the truth, or at least as much of it as I do.  I'll just be on my way."

"You're just walking away?" Lawrence asked surprised.  "You tell us all this and then. . ." he shook his head, unable to find other words.

"Everything that needed to be said has been.  The rest is up to the two of you.  You know how to reach me if you need to," Vivian answered as she stiffened her spin and started to walk out, her steps quickening as she came upon the two men, only to stop once past and in the doorway:  "I really never intended for any of this to happen," she said softly.  "And, in my own way, I do love you both," she added before hurrying out.

And for some reason, the two men believed her, even as they tried to come to terms with all she had told them.