Shepard had wondered why Kaiden said nothing about the curved scar on her stomach. She wasn't sure if he had figured it was just another one of her many, many battle scars; or if he simply had no idea what kind of scar it was. Had hadn't been brought up around many adult women, had he? But he wasn't a stupid man. What was he thinking? Was he even thinking about it?

She had never been nervous about someone notcing that particular scar before. Then again, she never worried about how somone she'd slept with percieved her before. But this... Everything would change. Kaiden would hate her – not that she wouldn't deserve it.

Unbenknownst to Kaiden and Garrus, this suicidal misson of theirs wasn't the reason she was fidgeting with her hands. They certainly noticed her agitation, and that made them both a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't like the fearless, warrior-like Lana Shepard to wring her wrists before something stupid and dangerous, especially when it was something so important.

She had big plans for when they made it out of this. If they made it out of this. And despite what he would think of her, she wanted Kaiden to at least know about it. No one except the Yoni's knew the truth, and if she was going to die, then she wanted to die in a shuttle full of clear air.

"What's going on?"

She jolted out of her dazed state, as Kaiden's sudden, concerned voice punctured through the thick cloud of worry that she had lost her head in.

Kaiden looked at her with all the more nervousness. More unlike Shepard to be so easily startled.

It would have been easy to lie at that moment. To say that she was in the depths of thought, trying to figure out the best strategy.

"Oh. I... I was just -"

Lana caught herself before the lie, but only just as Garrus spoke up.

"Save it. What's wrong with you, Shepard? This is unlike you", the brusk, dual-toned voice said, furthering her from the path of dishonesty.

She leaned forward and took a breath in.

"Kaiden, do you remember the scar on my stomach from last night?", Shepard asked, avoiding eye contact as she held her hands below her chin.

Kaiden quickly glanced from Shepard to Garrus.

"Uh... Yeah. Are you- Are you sure this is the time or place to talk about...?", he asked her hesitantly.

"Yeah, I can just...", Garrus trailed off.

"What? Jump out of the shuttle into a ball of fire? No. Look, I trust you both more than anyone else in the galaxy. I'm planning on doing something very important if... when we make it out of this, and I figure that if I don't make it, that I want at least someone to know about this. Now, do you remember the scar on my stomach?", Lana interrupted.

Kaiden sat silently, confusion passing through his face and diluting into a straight face, pursed lips making Shepard's stomach drop just a little more with anxiety about what his reaction would be.

"Yeah", Kaiden said hesitantly.

"How do you think I got it?"

"I don't know, I guess... I guess I figured you'd gotten it from some kind of surgery?"

Shepard chuckled a little, nervously.

"You're not wrong", she answered.

"Look, when I was a kid, I didn't have anything or anyone. I ran around with a gang; I stole for my meals, and there are a lot of things I did that I'm not proud of. There are things that I let happen that I'm not proud of. Heh, I wasn't always the model soldier you see today."

Another deep breath.

"When I was 17, I wound up in a bad situation. A common street thug like me, with no family to speak of, and no one to guide me on what I should have done at the time. Kaiden... I have a 14 year old son. I gave him up the second he was born, I knew that I couldn't give him a good life; not then. I don't know much of anything about him, beyond his name is Daniel Yoni, and he and his... His family, live on Earth, somewhere in New York. I want to find him. I owe him an explanation for the life he's leading."

Kaiden took a minute to let it set in. Shepard wasn't really the type of woman he'd expected to be... Well, a mother. Or the kind of woman that would carry an unwanted child to term, considering her reputation for making the hard calls. So why did she do it?

He'd think about it later, when he was less dazed.

"Okay", Kaiden said with uncertainty leaking out of his voice, instinctively reaching for Shepard's hand.

She could feel how uncomfortable he was; yet the fact that he still wanted to be around her tamed the nervous energy in her stomach. She turned her gaze to Garrus, expecting... Something besides uncomfortable shifting and awkward silence. And she wasn't disappointed.

"I'm in. If you need me, I'll go with you guys. I wanna see how this kid's shaped up to be - if he isn't in jail, that is", Garrus added.

Shepard shifted in her seat, crossing her arms with a smirk before looking back towards Kaiden.

Kaiden felt his chest go cold as he realized that this wasn't simply a death-bed confession; it was an invitation. He just wasn't exactly sure what the invitation was to. But - he figured - if he was willing to follow her and Garrus into near-certain death, then he was damn sure willing to follow them to New York for a few days.

Provided they survived.