"So build a career out of doing the impossible but you can't seem to comprehend the simple use of a condom?"

The moment the door opened, James knew he was in trouble. Hannah Shepard had been told earlier about Shepard's condition through messages, she had told her daughter to bring James and that she would give her a piece of her mind later on the colony she'd settled in, Mindoir.

Shepard made him go shopping with her for a suit, as he hadn't had any formal wear since high school. Vega decided to go with a nice gray tux and a red tie, which he had to have Shepard help him with due to his large, ungraceful fingers.

The commander rolled her eyes at her mother as Hannah's gaze traveled over to him. Not sure of what to do, he stilled in parade rest, hands behind his back. The admiral smirked and gave him a look of approval before turning to go back inside.

"At least he's handsome," Hannah muttered a little too loudly and chuckled. James blushed as the commander cried out, "Mother!"

Shepard scowled and yanked James inside, who stumbled over his feet trying to keep up. Hannah guided them to the tiny dinner table, where an elaborate feast had been made and had James salivating. It had been forever since he had homemade food that wasn't created with Alliance rations and he was ravenous for the taste.

Vega helped seat Shepard, causing her to roll her eyes (he always did that, couldn't get enough of that reaction), and sat himself down before folding his hands in prayer. He was met with silence. Opening his eyes, Vega found that the Shepards had already started eating and were staring at him curiously.

They stayed like that for a while, eyes darting back and forth, before Shepard spoke up. "You're... Christian?"

Vega nodded. Hannah smiled warmly and put down her fork. "I'm so sorry, lieutenant! I just assumed-"

"It's fine," James assured her. "I shouldn't have imposed."

"Nonsense!" the admiral cried. "We'll pray with you, won't we, honey?"

Shepard sat in her chair stiffly, staring at him. "I said," Hannah repeated with a firm voice. "We'll pray with you."

Whatever had overcome her, the commander snapped out of it abruptly and answered her mother with a, "Yeah, yeah, sure."

They held hands across the small table and Hannah began the prayer.

"Dear Lord, we are gathered here today after a long and bloody war, thankful for your guidance through it all. I want to thank you for the food on this table and for the people with me tonight. We ask you to bless the newest members of our family and place by your side my husband Daniel and my son John. Amen."

When James' eyes opened, the first thing he saw was Shepard's deathly pale face. Her hand had been placed over her stomach, as if she were hungry. He and Hannah had begun to dig into the food when Shepard excused herself to the bathroom.

Without thinking, James jumped to his feet at the slam of a door and followed it down to the source. He found himself at the end of a hallway filled with pictures, trying to open a locked door.

"Shepard?" he called, rattling the handle. "Commander, are you alright?"

"Go away!" came the reply. He could vaguely hear the sound of sobbing coming from inside. Out of options, Vega stepped back and ran into the door with his shoulder, breaking the lock.

James stumbled into the room, surrounded by a cornucopia of paintings. They were all done by hand, filling up every part of all the walls except the one before him. The paintings were of planets and ships and relays and aliens, all the things a spacer would've seen growing up. Shepard herself lay on her stomach, sitting on a queen-sized bed with sheets charting the Earth's constellations against the back wall, stifling her sobs against a pillow.

Hannah had snuck up behind him and pushed him forward lightly, a smile at her lips. "Go to her," she whispered in his ear. "Jane needs all the support she can get right now."

Jane. Her name was Jane. This is something he'd never known.

The lieutenant did as Hannah said and sat on the edge of the bed. The admiral closed the door lightly behind her, footsteps fading as she went about her own business.

"Lola."

Shepard let out a sob.

"I'm going to speak to you now, Lola, and I want you to listen. Are you going to listen?"

She nodded.

"Good. I'm going to tell you about mi hermano. Mi hermano... dios, how do I describe that man? He was absolutely loco, like a male version of you. Well, John- that's his name- John fell in love with this beautiful asari maiden. And she loved him too, but her mother... let's just say she was one crazy bitch. Hated John, hated humans in general. Not uncommon, but y'know.

"So, that loco bastard and his lover decide to elope and move to Earth, where her mother would never think to look. Got married and lived with mi abuela, all that good stuff. Then, well, then she got pregnant. Neither of them knew what the hell to do about it, as excited as they were, so abuela suggests they go see the mother and try to get her advice.

"For once in his life, John takes the advice given to him. They go to Thessia and meet up with her mother. When she sees him, she's on him in a flash, ready to kill him. His wife cries out and she looks towards her... and she just picks John up, walks over to her daughter, and starts crying in joy. All she ever wanted was to make her daughter happy and have grandchildren, and she got her wish."

James sighed, hanging his head. "I dunno where I'm going with this anymore. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm like John, in a way. Kick me out, keep me here, do whatever you want; I will always be here for you and the baby. No matter what."

The commander made no noise nor movement. James turned around to find she had been lulled asleep. He smiled wearily and began to sing to her the same song he had before.