A/N: Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I updated this story, but I'm finally back with a new update! But before we get to that, I'd like to give a huge thank you/shout-out to those that reviewed last chapter!

annabellex2

winterschild11

Chey21

germanfanfictioner

Riku child of Dawn

Again, thank you all so much for reviewing last chapter!

This chapter has been delayed enough so I hope you all enjoy!

Secrets and Brotherly Love

I cautiously made my way into the kitchen, watching as Kelly went into the refrigerator to get Shane and I some water. I got a good look at her when she turned around, and that one look was all it took to confirm my suspicions.

"Oh, hey." Kelly said softly when she noticed me.

"Hey." I said gently as I walked over to her.

"Here you go. I was just getting ready to bring it out to you." She said before handing me one of bottles.

"Thanks." I said, trying to figure out the best way to go about this. "Look, I know that this is... probably a bit of a shock to you. But you should know that you're always going to be important to Shane." I said, knowing that she was probably worried about being replaced by our biological mother.

She was getting ready to respond when Shane suddenly cut in.

"He's right, you know?" He said. I turned around to find him standing in the doorway with a small smile on his face. "Brooke might be my biological mother, but in a way, you're my mother too. I mean, you practically raised me as your own." He added as he walked over.

"You say that now, but things could change." Kelly said in response, but Shane shook his head.

"I'm not saying that things won't change. But one thing that I'm positive won't change, is that you'll always be an important part of my life." He said softly and I couldn't help but smile when I watched him pull her in for a hug.

"There's... something I need to tell you. Both of you." She said hesitantly as they broke the hug.

I looked over at Shane, wondering if he might have an idea of where this was going, but I could tell from the look of confusion and worry on his face that he had no idea what was going on.

"What is it?" Shane finally asked after a few seconds.

"I... I already knew about James." She said so quietly that I almost didn't hear her. But I might as well have heard every word loud and clear as my body stiffened slightly.

I looked over at Shane again, hoping that I would be able to read his face again, but this time his face was blank and void of any emotion.

"What do you mean you knew about James?" He asked in an eerily calm voice.

I knew in my gut that this wasn't going to end well, and by the way Kelly was nervously glancing over at me, I had a feeling that she felt the same way.

"Well, I didn't know about James exactly... but when I adopted you, the woman told me a little bit about the man that brought you in." She started hesitantly. "I'm assuming he was your father, but he said he wasn't ready for two kids at the time. So I just assumed…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Shane asked softly, cutting her off in the process. "I've told you countless times about how I wanted a brother or a sister, and you mean to tell me that this whole time you knew I had one?" He asked, both hurt and anger laced in his voice.

"Shane, I-" Kelly started, but stopped as Shane stood up and started heading for the door.

"Shane." I called out, but he ignored me as he kept walking. I let out a sigh when I heard the front door close, knowing that he had no intentions of coming back in here any time soon, before turning towards Kelly, who looked… broken. "It's going to be okay." I assured her, feeling slightly awkward as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. But I knew she needed some comfort right now.

"I don't think I've ever seen him so upset. Not with me anyway…" She said softly.

"He'll get over it." I said. "He's just hurt and angry right now. Just give him a little time to cool off and things will be back to normal."

"I guess you're right." She said, but I could tell that my words did little to comfort her. "Just… please promise me that you'll look after him? I know that needs some time to process everything and I'm sure he'll want to spend some time with you and his birth mother so…"

"I promise I'll look after him. He'll be back before you know it." I said, giving her a reassuring smile before I went to stand up. "I should probably get going. I'm sure he's waiting for me outside." I said, getting ready to start heading when she suddenly stopped me.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"For what it's worth, I'm really glad that you're here and that Shane finally got to meet his brother. He really has wanted one for as long as I can remember. I just couldn't handle two kids, and I wasn't sure how to explain to Shane that he had a brother or sister out there without getting his hopes up." She explained.

"It's okay. I get it. When I first found out I had a brother, I drove myself crazy thinking about it. I know that you just didn't want that for Shane. You didn't want to get his hopes up just for him to be disappointed in the end. I can't exactly be mad at you for that." I said, finding myself caught off guard when she brought me in for another hug.

I didn't hesitate to return the hug this time, knowing that she needed it right now.

Xxx

"Shane?" I said, looking over to find him looking out the window as I drove.

The whole car ride had been eerily silent so far. But unlike the awkward silence of our earlier car ride, this one was just filled with tension.

"Look, I-"

"Don't." He said softly, not bothering to look over at me.

"I just…" I started, before deciding to change tactics. "I just want you to know that if you need to talk, I'm here." I said, watching as his expression softened slightly.

"I'm fine." He said, only to continue a minute later. "Okay, I'm not fine. I just… I guess I'm just not sure how to feel right now. I mean, a part of me understands why she did it. But I still can't help but feel a little betrayed."

"I get that." I said, knowing that I would probably feel the same way if I was in his position. "But you can't push her away. I know that you're hurt and angry, but you can't let mess up your relationship with Kelly."

"I won't." Shane said immediately, which made me feel a little better about the situation. "I just need a little time."

I nodded my head before realizing that he still wasn't looking over at me, so instead I said, "That's probably best."

We drove in silence for a while longer before I saw him look at me out the corner of my eye.

"I'm really glad that I got to meet you. Kelly wasn't lying when she said that I've always wanted a brother or a sister." He said, a sad smile forming on his face. "It just sucks that it took this long for us to meet. It feels like we've missed out on so much of each others lives."

"I know what you mean." I said softly as we pulled up to a red light. "But let's not think about that. We have each other now, and I think that we should just make the most of that. Deal?" I asked, smiling as his sad smile turned into one of happiness.

"Deal." He said before leaning over and pulling me into a hug, which I immediately returned, feeling a bit or warmth in my chest.

I had literally just met Shane, but I could already feel the connection there. And I couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen in the near future. There were no leads as to what my dad was up to, and I was positive that he had something up his sleeve.

But I couldn't think about that now. I wasn't going to let that ruin my moment with Shane.

"So," I said as I broke away from the hug. "Are you ready to meet our birth mother?"

Done! I was originally going to have Sane meet Brooke in this chapter, but decided to focus on Shane, James and Kelly a little more instead. But next chapter will have Shane meeting Brooke and the guys!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter as well as your thoughts on Kelly's decision and of course, James and Shane! :)

I've already started writing the next chapter so hopefully it'll be up this weekend sometime.

Until then!

-Epically Obsessed