In many ways, my mind was more at rest then than it had been for a long time. Latnok was no longer threatening my family and even Cassidy seemed eager to make peace with me. Although I didn't understand why they had employed such drastic measures to recruit me, it seemed that all Latnok wanted me to do was help Grace Kingsley recover.

But then there was Jessi. We had been through so much together and I had just recently discovered that my feelings for her went far beyond friendly affection. After things had just started going so well, why would she suddenly withdraw herself from me and become so distant? Was it something I did?

Kyle sat at the table of a nice restaurant with a plate of noodles in front of him. The room was heavily air-conditioned and waiters were running back and forth carrying trays of steak and salad. The entire Trager family sat around the table with him, that is, everyone but Jessi.

"It's so nice to be able to go out as a family and enjoy a good meal, especially after all we've been through recently," remarked Stephen. "I just wish that Jessi had agreed to come along with us."

Nicole eyed Kyle uneasily, remembering what he and Jessi had told her about the problems with Latnok not being over and wondering if that had anything to do with her absence.

"Jessi's been under a lot of stress these past few weeks," she said. "It's understandable that she might need some time to herself."

"Time to herself?" asked Josh. "Then why did I see her hanging out with Kyle and Declan at the Rack?"

"I was just talking with her." Kyle tried to explain.

"Then… why did I see her give you a goodbye kiss? That was kind of weird."

"What?" asked Nicole.

Kyle winced at Josh. "Nicole doesn't like it when Jessi and I do stuff like that."

"Then I know something else she definitely won't like." Lori had said it quietly to herself, but everyone still heard.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nicole asked Kyle.

"What's going on?" Stephen asked confusedly.

Kyle gave Nicole a guilty look. "Can we talk about this later?"

"I'll see to it that we will," Nicole said sternly.

I could tell that the tension at the table was not just over my relationship with Jessi. Since the night I destroyed the formula, I had been distant with Lori and Josh and in return, they didn't make an effort to keep my secrets from Nicole and Stephen. And even though only Nicole knew it for sure, everyone sensed that I was still hiding something. But they were no longer in danger. It was time to tell them the truth.

"I have something to tell all of you."

The entire table went quiet, as though a confession from Kyle had been long expected. Kyle glanced back and forth at the members of his family before he began. He kept his voice down, just to make sure that they wouldn't be overheard.

"I've still been going to Latnok. They need my help with one more thing."

Stephen was shocked. "Why? I thought you decided that what they were doing was wrong."

"There's a woman there named Grace Kingsley—Cassidy's mother. She's in a coma and she needs my help."

"They think you can heal her?" asked Lori.

"That's what they're hoping. But there's more." Kyle paused. "I've learned that Grace Kingsley is also my biological mother."

"Hold on a second." Josh seemed confused. "How could you have a mother? I thought you were a copy of Adam Baylin."

"Not exactly," explained Kyle. "I may have been created from Adam's DNA, but an egg still needs to be fertilized in order to…"

"Ok, I get it, she's your mom," Josh quickly interrupted. "I have to deal with enough awkwardness on a daily basis as it is. I don't need to add to it by getting the sex talk from you."

"So wait," said Nicole. "You said Grace Kingsley was Cassidy's mother. Does that mean…?"

"Yes. Genetically, Cassidy and I are half-brothers."

As the whole family went quiet again, Kyle looked at each of them. "Don't think that this changes the way I feel about each of you. I don't care what my DNA says. You are my real family."

"I should have seen the resemblance between the two of you," Nicole was trying not to cry. "This whole time, he was right in front of us."

"Nicole, Cassidy has done terrible things. I'm helping him with Grace Kingsley, and after that, I promise I'll never see him again."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I'd have no reason to want anything else. I have everyone I need right here."

Nicole smiled and held Kyle's hand. "I was just so worried about you. I couldn't imagine what kind of danger you might be in and I just wanted it all to be done."

Kyle smiled. "I'm just helping a sick woman get better. And once that's done, that will be the end of it."

Stephen was still confused. "So what does all of this have to do with Jessi? Why has she been acting so odd lately?"

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "I wish I knew."

"Well, does she know about everything you just told us?"

"I tell Jessi everything, and she's helped me this whole time." Kyle paused. "I don't know what's been bothering her, but I need to find out."

Although I had told my family the truth, there were some things I left out. I hadn't told them about my confrontation with Cassidy and how close I had come to becoming a murderer. Jessi was the only one I could talk to about such things, but it seemed that now, she couldn't talk to me about anything. I had to find out why.

Adam was there waiting for Jessi when she burst through the doors of the old factory. It was getting dark outside, but the last of the sunlight still glared through the main window.

"You said you wanted to see me again?" he asked.

"I can't do this anymore!" she shouted as she walked up to him. "I can't keep things from him. I need to tell Kyle!"

"You know you can't do that."

"Why not? Because then Latnok would come after you? Well, then maybe that's a risk we should take."

Adam gave her a patient and understanding look. "You don't mean that, Jessi."

"Don't I? You don't understand what Kyle and I have. Before we even became friends, Kyle and I were able to share anything with each other. He told me his secrets even before he told his own family. Now you're asking me to give up the trust that we have for each other."

"Have you had to lie to him?"

"He knows I'm hiding something and he has no idea why I'm doing it. And honestly, I don't either."

Adam paused and then looked Jessi in the eye. "You and Kyle are more than friends now, aren't you?"

Jessi didn't respond, but Adam smiled in acknowledgment.

"I had thought he was still with Amanda," he said. "But I should have seen the signs. You have that sparkle in your eyes that Sarah had when we were first in love. And then you asked about Grace Kingsley."

"Grace Kingsley?"

"You asked whether or not I was romantically involved with her. Understandable, considering that she and I are Kyle's biological parents. Since you and Kyle are so much like your mother and me, you think that any failings I had with her might reflect on your current relationship with Kyle."

"But you and Sarah weren't together forever. What went wrong?"

"Sarah eventually completely lost control. She was volatile and unstable, but nowhere near the level that you were."

Jessi tilted her head, unsure if she was being insulted.

"It became too much for me to deal with," Adam continued. "I left her. But I can already tell you that Kyle is stronger, more patient, and more caring than I was. If he's stood by you to this point, he'll never turn his back on you."

"Are you sure?" Jessi wasn't convinced. "I've never had to keep something this important from him. He has no idea why I would lie to him after everything we've been through."

"Had I known that the two of you were involved this way, I would have approached the matter differently. Kyle already knows more than he should."

Jessi scowled at Adam, unhappy that this was his main concern. "Why do you care more about your own safety than you do Kyle's? You told me how dangerous Grace Kingsley could be. Don't you care that Kyle is still going right to her?"

"Jessi, you don't understand. I'm doing all of this for you and Kyle."

"How?"

"If everything goes as planned, if we do manage to remove Grace Kingsley's influence from Latnok, I can resume my previous position there. Once I do, I can make sure that they stay away from you and Kyle as long as you want them to. But I can't do that if I'm dead."

There was a long silence as Jessi considered what he said.

"Kyle always made it clear to me how much he wanted an ordinary life," she finally said, trying not to tear up. "I never really understood it until now. I just want him and me to be happy together, to be honest with each other, and not have to worry about all these people who want to hurt us and keep us apart."

"And you can have that life," insisted Adam. "But first we have to deal with this."

"So what's your plan? Remove her influence? How am I supposed to do that? I can't go anywhere near Latnok and I can't even talk to Kyle."

Adam paused. "Jessi, you realize that you could put an end to all of this if you wanted to."

Jessi looked up at Adam and nodded. "I could sneak into the Latnok headquarters undetected and find Grace Kingsley. Once I do, I could make a blood vessel burst in her head, killing her without a struggle. Her death would be attributed to her physical condition. Cassidy couldn't blame Kyle for it and Kyle wouldn't know the difference either. There would be nothing more he could do and he'd be free of his arrangement with Latnok."

"Sure seems simple, doesn't it? End her life and your problems end with her."

Jessi thought for a moment. "It's funny. Not long ago, Kyle was planning to do exactly what you said. I risked everything to stop him so that he wouldn't become a murderer. Now I'm considering doing the same thing so that he won't have to."

"You'd do it so that Kyle wouldn't have to get his hands dirty." Adam noticed Jessi's confused face. "It's an expression."

"Right. I knew that." Jessi paused. "I'd do anything for Kyle."

"But, you're not going to do this."

Jessi raised her eyebrows. "How could you tell?"

Adam smiled. "I've learned to pick up on certain things. Especially from Sarah." He paused. "May I ask why?"

"Why I won't kill her? I need an explanation for that?"

"It would protect Kyle and he would never have known about it. I would have considered it for longer than you did."

Jessi smirked. "Well, you're not as smart as I am." Then she paused. "Even if he never knew about it, Kyle still wouldn't want me to do it. He's taught me to be a better person, and I wouldn't be staying true to Kyle if I weren't staying true to myself."

Adam put his hand on Jessi's shoulder. "Kyle's lucky to have you too, I hope you know that. Don't worry, we'll find a better way."

"What did you have in mind?"

"You'll see. It will involve some more training on your part."