A/N: Updates will continue to be come later they have been coming in the past. I've been having to go to band camp and school will start soon for me, so I won't get to write as much as I used to. Also, after this fanfic and More Than Just Friendship are completed, I will be going back and revising both stories, so they're not as shitty. There's been tons of mistakes I've neglected to make, and things that were just really badly written and I'd rather not leave it that way. Please enjoy Chapter 14!

Some people say that not telling someone something is the same as lying. But I'd like to disagree. My father didn't remember walking in on me and my boyfriend that night, and he thought I was still dating Chelsea. And I hadn't told him any differently. But I didn't consider that lying, exactly. If he had somehow blocked the memory out of his mind, then that wasn't my fault. And how much of an idiot would I be to tell him the truth? It would be total suicide.

Sure, telling the truth is supposed to be all noble and crap, but was it really noble if it would only get myself beat up and have someone who I thought loved me, hate me? And it wasn't like I was ashamed of who I was. There was nothing to be ashamed about at all. Being gay was a trivial fact about myself. It was like how I had brown eyes. It was something I had no control over, something that really didn't matter. And I still couldn't figure out why it mattered so much to my father. But for whatever reason, he was homophobic and probably nothing I could ever do would change that.

So I wasn't lying. I was saving my ass.

Jude's moms invited me over to dinner on Friday night. I told my dad I was going to Chelsea's. He believed me, of course. Because why wouldn't he? I was his straight son, after all. My mother drove me. Unlike her husband, she hadn't blocked out the memory of that night. She remembered everything perfectly. I couldn't tell if she really felt okay about my lifestyle, but I knew it was something she could learn to accept. She agreed to keep it from my father, and I couldn't be more grateful. It was more than I could ever ask of her.

I might walk into the room, and she might look at me with a slight look of disdain, like she's replaying the memory of me and Jude over and over again in her mind, but she won't say anything. She will respect me. Because that's just the type of person she is. And even though I might hate the way she looks at me sometimes, like her, I can learn to deal with it.

And we had that 'talk'. She told me that I could do whatever I wanted with whoever I wanted, because it wasn't her business, just as long as I was being safe. Let me just say that being told by my mother that if I ever needed her to, she would buy me condoms, was by far the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me. Needless to say, the topic hadn't been approached since then.

My mom pulls up in front of the Adams-Foster house. I mumble a quiet "thanks" and I'm about to get out of the car, but she stops me, with my hand on the door handle.

"Connor..." My mother sighs.

I twist around in my seat and look at her. She looks older somehow, with her hand pressed to her forehead, eyes closed. rubbing her head like she's got a headache. The wrinkles in her forehead seemed to bring years upon her, and I half expected to see a few gray strands of hair mixed in with blonde. But even if she did have gray hair at some point, I wouldn't have been able to tell because she dyed her hair regularly.

"Mom, what is it?" I ask hesitantly.

"I know your father doesn't, ah, remember what we, uh, walked in on," she says awkwardly, "but I'd rather you not mention it to him, alright?"

"Of course not."

Like I would ever mention it to him.

She opens her eyes and stares at me, a forced smile on her face. "Thanks, Con. Have fun tonight."

"Yeah, yeah I will." I nod and open the car door.

The brief conversation wasn't really necessary, but I knew she just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. She had always wanted to look like she had the perfect, All American family. Granted, we were about the farthest thing away from that, but she was good at deceiving people. All I had to do was play along. And anyway, I was pretty good at deceiving people too.

Jude opens the door for me. He brings me in for a kiss, and I press myself tightly against him, my fingers running through his hair. He smiles against my lips but he's quick to pull back.

"C'mon, dinner's ready."

He takes my hand and leads me to the kitchen. The rest of the family is there, and they all greet me like I too, am part of the family. It's one of the greatest feelings I'd ever experienced.

Dinner is amazing. The food's good and everyone talks about their day and what's going on with them. They make jokes and laugh at each other. And I realize, this is a real family. My parents, of course, are my parents, and I'm their biological son, but we're not a real family at all. The Adams-Fosters though, is a real family. They might not all be related by blood, but they love each other unconditionally, accept each other no matter what, would do absolutely anything for each other, no questions asked, and that's what makes a real family.

And I wanted, more than anything, to have a real family.

A/N: Reviews are greatly appreciated, thanks :)