[Shifting the caress to his other hand, cleaning off her cheek, he blinks his eyes in thought.

Asking this is embarrassing, but the idea had been on his mind for a long time now... if it was a clean go of it, if they survived what the future has in store for them, now is as good a time as any?]

You ever think about havin' a family? I mean... [he almost wants to say 'real', but that isn't right, not when the family they do have is real as any other] back home when things were going all right, did you ever see havin' kids someday?

[It's his last secret, one he had never ever shared with anyone before. If it's going to be a clean slate, he would give her everything.]