Jack looked through the datapads Shepard had provided her with. She tossed one aside with disgust. Teltin Facility was a hole in the ground and Aresh was dead. What did it matter now? It was all just useless bits of information that she'd rather not have.

She heard a noise and reached for her pistol, but relaxed when she saw that it was only Shepard. Jack mustered a smile. He was a hard-ass at times, but she knew now that he cared about her. He returned the smile briefly, but quickly became solemn.

"Good. You're sitting. I have news for you, and it's big." Shepard came closer. "I found out how you ended up at Teltin Facility."

Jack's face quickly turned stony. "I already know," she spat. Anger welled up inside her. "I was exposed to eezo and my parents got rid of me because they didn't give a shit."

"That's not true." Shepard's green eyes bored into her.

She considered rolling her eyes and turning away, usually a sure sign that any semblance of conversation had been killed off. But despite it all, even though she didn't want to admit it, Jack was willing to hold onto anything she could about a more carefree past, where her only memories might not have been those of torture and violence and killing.

"I'll bite, then." She gave a wry smile. "What's your version of the story?"

Shepard gave her a datapad. "I poked around a little," he explained. "Yes, you were exposed to eezo before you were born. Your parents went to a medical facility...which was affiliated with Cerberus."

Shock registered in Jack's eyes. She hadn't expected that. Her life had been ruined before it even began.

"When you were a baby, your parents brought you in for a checkup. It was very sudden...your heart stopped. Your body shut down very quickly. You were dead before they knew it...at least, that's what they told your mother."

Jack shook her head. "No."

Shepard seemed to realize he'd gone too far. "Do you want me to stop?"

She closed her eyes. "Just keep going. Get it over with."

"They took you to Teltin, and you know the rest of the story."

Jack was silent for a long while. She stared at the floor, avoiding Shepard's eyes.

"There's...more."

Reluctantly, Jack met Shepard's eyes again.

"I found your real name and used it to track down your parents," he said. "They're living on Elysium now. Jack..." Shepard touched her face. "I can understand if you don't want to see them. But I think it would help you to know-"

"No," Jack said flatly. "Thank you for telling me this. But you're wasting your time. I don't want to see them."

Shepard was silent for a long while, looking hurt. Finally, he nodded as if he understood.

"Okay." He left, his footsteps heavier than when he'd came. Jack watched him go, wondering how long he had scoured the galaxy for this information. She felt bad for letting him down like this. He really did...love her.

Great, now she felt like a pussy.

A/N: Sorry for those of you who were waiting for a V-Day special. I think I'll have it up by tomorrow (Singles Awareness Day, haha) but if not...then I apologize copiously. Well, this one-shot has been floating around my iPod for quite some time so I decide to post it on for your reading pleasure. :)