A.N: I just wanna thank all who have read and are reading, because seriously, I had lost the life to do this fic when my comp was taken away from me and starting into something that you've forgotten about isn't easy haha. So all your kind words and reviews really kept my going. You too Tess, I love ya sis.

There is an epilogue after this, but tha fic is now over. I hope you liked reading it and will read my next fic even though it's not a Colt fic haha. I hope you'll like it just the same. Adios I love you all. Nell.

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Chapter Eighteen

The ice cream was delicious, regardless what Rocky had thought of the size of the place, the ice cream was perfect. Creamy and rich, with the best flavor imaginable. Rocky got coffee, he always gets coffee ice cream. The chit chat was friendly, especially from John and Rocky decided he liked him. Even though, he technically is the enemy, he surely couldn't hold it against the boy. After all, the kidnapping had nothing to do with him or his sister. It was a more adult problem.

The girls questioned him about his life for Annalisse's sake, because they knew their friend was too shy to ask a lot of questions herself. But Rocky, being the gentleman that he is, tried to include her by speaking to her or asking about her, since she didn't seem to want to talk about herself as the other girls did.

Colt seemed like he was enjoying his ice cream as well, but his thoughts were else where. He wondered if Rocky truly could find out something- anything that would get him home with his real family.

"What's your favorite color?" Libby asked.

"Easy, green." Replies Rocky.

Fumiko tapped a finger to her chin. "Do you have a girlfriend? And if not, what is your dating habits?"

"Fumi!" The girls scolded.

"Uum, I'm currently single and I date just fine. I never end relationships I think that's the woman's call, but I'm always happy in love." He answered honestly.

Colt had to laugh at that; he never would answer a question such as that. It was too ridiculous and besides, he relationships were his own business.

"Something funny, bro?" Anna pinched Colt's leg under the table.

"No, nothing at all, sis." He pinched her back.

"Ooow!" She raised her hand to swing at him, but John reached out to stop her.

"That's enough you two, let's not fight in front of the new guy." He looked to Rocky shaking his head. "You ever have to go through this sort of thing?"

"Ha, all the time with cousins, but I usually get along really well with my family."

"You're lucky," he leaned over to whisper to him. "I live in a house with two- now three other siblings and they're always at each others throats in or rooms, it's a madhouse."

Rocky laughed at that, he could imagine. And he did have soooo many fights with his brothers not to mention he had a hard time breaking them up. Colt could be stubborn, but Tum had developed this bad habit of actually being worse.

"Come on Sam, I'll trade ya." John laughed. "I'll bet your brother is an angel."

"Ahaha, Michael is no angel." Rocky shook his head. "If anything, he's pure evil that sleeps."

"Hey you two, no whispering." Chides Piper, her bracelets shaking as she waved a hand to get their attention.

"Sorry, Pied'." John humored her.

"I said don't call me that John, you know it upsets me."

"I think it's cute." Rocky took another bite from his ice cream, which caused him to miss the girls eyes welling up with love. "Why does he call you Pide?" He looked up into the girls eyes and she blushed looking down.

"Ahaha," she fumbled with her napkin. "Well, John says that all the boys at school follow me around, like the Pied Piper."

"I'd follow you around." Rocky flirted openly. How could he not, she was a beautiful girl, but still he didn't plan to follow through. He never usually did, flirting wasn't his thing so it never lasted long.

Blushing deeper, the girl muttered in Spanish, "gracias." As she tended to speak her native tongue whenever she was embarrassed.

"De nada." Replied Rocky.

Annalisse glared. They had never understood a word Piper said when she spoke even the simplest of the language but, Rocky seemed like he could go all day with her. She had to get them apart. "Uh, what time is it?"

Colt looked at the clock. "Shit, Jamie is gonna have a fit if we don't get home in time." Looking at his brother, Rocky. "Are you coming over?"

"Uuuhh?"

Anna grabbed her coat and stood. "Please say you will, it'll be great you'll see."

Standing, Rocky shrugged. "Who could refuse an invite like that?"

The girl smiled a smile that looked kinda like Colt's and he cocked his head a moment to really look at her. It was in the nose and the eyes, even their teeth seemed similar. Annalisse was a female, Colt.

"Anna?"

"Yes?"

"Are you guys twins?" He points to her and his brother.

"Yup. Scary huh?" She looked a Colt, "a face this pretty shouldn't be on a boy." She gave him a playful shove and Colt pushed her back.

"I'll bet I came out first, so you stole my face."

"Who do you take after?"

"Our father, it's scary what my brother is gonna look like when he's older. Haaair, here and there." She continued to tease him.

"Tch. I'll aaaalways be good looking." They headed toward the door, shoving each other the whole way.

"See what I mean?" John commented.

Rocky frowned a bit seeing the light in his eyes. John seemed to really like having Colt around, Annalisse too. But still, they shouldn't have tried to claim him, they could have visited he was sure Colt wouldn't mind. And unlike the McRae's, his family wouldn't try to cut off contact with them.

"We're home!" Colt announced. He had to admit with Rocky here, and the promise of going home under his belt, he could feel like his old self again.

"Hey kids," Ben replied, hidden in the living room.

The four of them turned the corner at the door and saw Ben McRae standing on a chair from the kitchen table, fixing a light bulb. Rocky had to agree, Colt and Anna took after the father, and since John was more fair skinned with lighter hair, he must take after the mother.

Anna went directly up the stairs to her room to drop her things off. John headed for the kitchen to get something to snack on, never mind that he just had ice cream, he thought he had room for something more. Colt and Rocky walked into the living room with Mr. McRae and sat on the couch.

"Need any help?" Offered his son.

"Nnnope. I got it." He gave it one last twist, then hopped down from the ladder. "Who's your friend?"

"This is-... Anna's friend. Not mine." Colt said bluntly. He had to keep his cover.

"Oh," Ben seemed to lower his tone. "A boy huh?"

"Samuel McDonald. I'm just visiting."

"From Vermont." Colt threw out.

"Yeah, Vermont." Rocky swallowed. He didn't like the dangerous look the man was giving him.

"Weeell, enjoy your stay, by all means." He walked over to Rocky, to shake his hand. "But you don't enjoy it too much son, you understand?"

"Yes sir."

Colt snickered at that, the parents usually look at a guy like Rocky and start picking out China patterns, it was nice to see him on the other end of the stick, the one he usually got as the trouble making bad seed in their daughters life.

"Well sir, I'm not gonna be here long enough to enjoy myself too much." He smiled politely.

"Dad, where's Mom?" Anna asked when she reappeared downstairs.

"She went to get Jeremy, where are your glasses?"

"I left them on my dresser, I needed a drink so I came to get one." She looked at Rocky with a smile.

He smiled back.

"So yeah, I'm just gonna go and do that." She pointed in the direction of the kitchen and nearly bumped into a wall turning.

"Wait, what did you want your mother for?" Ben asked his daughter, getting a little suspicious.

"I wanted to ask if Sam could stay for dinner."

"Oh sure," Ben looked at Rocky. "I'd like to know a little more about this guy myself."

Rocky looked like an innocent lost dog about to trust the wrong hand. "Uuuh, I'll answer anything you wanna know sir."

"Good boy, and if I like what I hear we'll see what happens with my little Anna, eh?" He pats Rocky's shoulder heavily.

"Like I said, I won't be here for very long so..." He was being lead into the kitchen. Looking over his shoulder he threw a pleading look at his brother, who just shrugged with a teasing smile.

Mouthing, Colt said. "Enjoy." And received a mean glare from his brother. It sure is cool having someone here that's on my team. Opening his book bag, he removed his books and things for homework.

When Jamie returned she talked for a moment about how her day went to her son Jefferson, but her words froze when she saw Rocky. He was kind and courteous to her, even though his heart carried a little venom toward the woman. She loved him right away, she called him sweet, saying 'of course he can stay for dinner'. He even helped her to set the table. When the family got going with conversation, it was light and pleasant. They talked about school and what classes Rocky was taking, who he was seeing on his vacation.

He said a close cousin. They talked about Vermont, which he had to make up some things on the spot and it wasn't easy with a mischievous brother throwing his two cents in every five seconds to make you seem like a false idiot. But Rocky handled the pressure rather well.

Anna was infatuated with him, nearly hanging on his every word. And once dinner was over, Rocky helped her put the dishes into the sink. While the family left, giving Anna and her new friend some privacy.

"What?" Asks Rocky, blushing that the girl continues to throw long sided glances his way.

She shrugs. "I was just thinking that I can understand why Tasha acts the way she does around Jefferson. You kinda make me feel like being a little goofy myself." She blushed at that. It was in her blood to be blunt at all times.

Rocky laughed. "That's nice to know."

"I just... find it kind of hard to believe you're single." She looked down at her feet.

Rocky turned so that his back was against the counter and he leaned his weight onto it. "I don't think so, I've never really been lucky in love except once."

"What happened?"

Rocky shrugged. "I wanted to make her happy, and... I don't know, I guess her happiness was with someone else, so we broke up. No big deal."

"Oh."

They were silent for several minutes. Rocky thought he was getting no where with his investigation, so he had to push it along. "You have a great looking family. You all seem to take individually from one of your parents. I'm more like my Dad, too."

"Than your father must be really handsome."

"He is. I think so."

"...Would you like to... join me on the patio?"

"Yeah, I'd like to."

Annalisse smiled to herself, leading the way out the back door.

Jamie peeked through the curtains when she heard the back door close. "Isn't that sweet." She held a hand to her fluttering heart.

John joined his mother by the window, peeked out then moved away from it. "Yeah Mom, now we've got solid proof that your only daughter isn't a lesbian." He pats her shoulder playfully.

"Thank Heavens for that," she rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "I was really beginning to think so too. You can only use that 'I'm not interested in boys until school is over' excuse for so long, you know." She moves away from the window, taking a seat by Jefferson.

Colt glanced to the side to make sure his books weren't about to slide from the seat. Giving them a quick little tug in his direction, satisfied, he got back into his work.

"This is new, what's gotten you so studious?" He mother asks.

Colt shrugged. "I just thought it would be a nice change for me to actually- do something progressive in life."

"Oh." Patting her sons shoulder, she stands. "Just don't study too hard, or you'll end up like your sister."

John laughed at that. Colt didn't get it.

Outside. Annalisse sits on the swing then pats the seat for Rocky to sit as well. Hesitant, Rocky sits down by the girl but he looks up at the sky.

"Nice night huh?" Asks Anna.

"Yeah, you can see a lot of stars here."

Looking up, Anna nods. "I guess..."

"Something wrong?" Rocky looks down at the girl and she turns her eyes away from the blue green iris's.

"I just... have this secret, that I'm dying to tell to someone but," Rocky's ears perked up. "I can't... it would ruin everything for my Mom and maybe my Dad too."

"You can tell me anything, ha," he gave her a playful shove. "Who am I gonna tell, I'll be gone in two days."

"True but," she quieted.

"Annalisse... sometimes the best thing in life is to be as honest as you can." He sighed when he saw that his words made no leeway. "You can't carry secrets around with you all the time, it'll hurt you in the end, I know."

"What secrets do you have?"

Rocky frowned. It was obvious he was gonna have to give something up to get something that might be helpful in return. Annalisse might know if he were lying so he decided to go with the truth. "I... I was kidnapped when I was younger."

"Oh my God, are you ok? I mean, were you hurt too much?"

"No, I was fine... But I never told anyone that I was really scared." He swallowed. "I... never got over that whole thing, it made me... not trust a lot of people who showed any type of interest in me." This time, Rocky turned his eyes to her. "Even you, I've been guarded, and you're such a nice person."

"Oh no, it's okay... if I'd of known I was making you uncomfortable I never would have... come on so strong."

"You didn't, believe me. You were just fine." Rocky looks back up at the sky. "I'm just kinda not looking for love lately."

"Neither was I, until I met you."

They both smiled at each other kindly.

Alright already, tell me what this secret is... I just know it has something to do with Colt. I'm sure of it. Rocky studied Anna's face, she seemed to be doing the same to him.

And without meaning to, the two of them leaned toward each other to kiss when-...

"Woo hoo! Anna!"

"Kiss him good sis!" John chimed in.

He and Colt were howling with laughter. Anna glared at them both, but waved it off. Now her cheeks were hot. "Geez, I can take the heat from John but... I wish Jefferson would just go back to where he came from."

"What for?"

"I love him," she hurried that out. "Don't get me wrong, but... he just seems so unhappy here. Not to mention he's making Mom miserable. Dad likes him just fine- of course."

"Of course why? Because he's a boy?"

"No, because he's his son."

Rocky shrugged, shaking his head. "Obviously."

"No... you don't understand." Anna fidgeted on her seat.

"Well, help me to understand. Please."

She was withdrawn, but gradually, he could tell that Anna as dropping her guard.

"Colt isn't really my twin brother."

Rocky's eyes went wide. "...What?"

"You have to promise not to tell anyone, though, okay?" Anna grabbed his arm. "Not your Mom or Dad or- your cousin."

"I won't."

Looking around nervously, Annalisse stood and walked a distance away. Rocky followed her.

"Okay... here's the thing." She looked a little ill from what she was about to say, Rocky already was forming an idea of what happened and he was liking the odds of Colt coming home more and more. "My Dad... had a really bad fight with my mother. They fought like they've never fought before."

"How do you know that?"

"Dad told me."

Rocky nods.

"Well, Dad stormed out and when he did, he had an affair with some fried woman."

"Fried woman?"

"Yeah, a scatter brain... not all there." Rocky nodded. "Her name is... Sabrina Douglas, I think. So, he sleeps with this woman, and comes home. He and Mom make up and that's the end of that."

"But that isn't all there is, is there?"

"No, there's more." Anna glanced back over by the house, no one was peeking at them, so she went on. "Mom found out she was pregnant with twins, me and my brother Jefferson. Dad was so happy to know this, and they were like two puppies in love. Dad loves kids... but John said that Dad told him that Mom was having complications during the pregnancy, Jefferson and I were almost preemies but we fought it out. Then when it was time to give birth, well... Jeff didn't make it when in the nursery."

"...I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it wasn't you fault."

"But how did your father get Jefferson, then?"

"The woman, Sabrina, his one night stand was pregnant as well. She was actually in the very hospital Mom and Dad were in the room right across the hall. She had her child, and when Dad knew how devastated Mom was going to be for losing a kid, he... took Sabrina's baby and passed him off as Jefferson."

"He switched babies!" Rocky couldn't believe what he was hearing, so Colt does belong to their family at least, half way. And that was all he needed to go on. Mr. McRae would have to fess up to his actions in court, that he stole a baby from the nursery and passed him off as his own.

"The woman was a head case, she didn't know that her kid was alive... at least we thought so. I grew up thinking that Jefferson, him, the boy in my house right now was my real twin brother."

"You look so much a like."

"Yeah, we both have Dad's jeans... But when Dad set me aside and told me the truth, I cried. I was too young then to really understand what he had meant by affairs and children and..." She tears up a bit. "But then, I grew to love my brother, since I never knew my real brother I just stuck with Jefferson. Then one day, Sabrina shows up out of nowhere and takes him. We haven't seen him since, until now." Fishing in her pocket she pulls out a picture. "Look at this,"

Rocky takes the picture. "Sabrina," he mumbles.

"Yup." She takes the picture back. "She was there the whole time, I never saw this picture before, until Mom was showing them to us before Jeff came back in our lives... I got mad all over again, first at Dad for never telling Mom and then at Jeff because he had to come back to our lives."

"Wow... That's heavy."

"I knew that was Sabrina because of the court cases, we watched them on TV."

Again, Rocky nods.

"You... won't tell will you. I can tough it out, if Mom is happy but, I really don't think she is... I can stop this whole thing, but Dad will get upset and they might divorce, it's all too much and it makes me angry. Angry at myself for keeping it secret this long, angry at Jeff for not knowing... I'm mad at the world."

Rocky put his arms around her for comfort. "I'm sorry, but... I promise you... this will all be better if you tell the truth."

"It won't."

"It will! You'll see... and then... who knows, everyone can have their lives back together."

Anna wiped her tears and smiled. "I think maybe it is time that the truth got out... thank you Samuel Douglas."

"Wha-... you knew?"

"The whole time... I... kinda saw your car key tag when you brought me home." Nudging the boy, she adds. "I still think your pretty cute, even if you're a liar."

Rocky blushed. Anna only smiled and walked back toward her house. "I trust you'll... use this to bring your brother back to where he really wants to be?"

"I will, and thank you."

"No problem."