Jorge was beyond pissed off, as was evident by his mad driving through the streets. His black Chevy Impala tore through the streets of New York, narrowly making the lights and passing through intersections. Luck was on his side as no police seemed to be around to catch him so early in the morning, but, even if they had been, it wasn’t as if he was going to let them stop him. Instead the detective would have just been so focused on returning to his home that he could scarcely allow anything to prevent him from doing so. He had to know, he had to make sure that Gemma was okay.

It had been over twenty-four hours since the incident in that goddamn warehouse. He had gone there to investigate an anonymous call and it turned out to be an ambush. But it wasn’t by some rival gang or someone with a price on his head, it turned out to be something altogether more confusing. He still couldn’t accurately remember what it was he saw there once he had been split apart, but he knew everything that had led up to it. He felt the malevolence wafting off that mercenary in waves and Jorge knew he met every word of his threat to his family.

But the face. God he had a hard time believing that. Right before Jorge blacked out he had tried to bumrush the bastard, shifting into his most powerful form in order to do so -- and the guy tore him apart like he was a piece of wet paper. The pain had shot into every fiber of Jorge’s being, to be forcefully dispersed like that, he had never felt it before; nor would he want to feel it again. That was why he couldn’t trust what he thought he saw. The face was seen by hundreds of drifting particles and it didn’t make sense that he saw his own face smirking down at him.

It didn’t make sense.

What did, however, was the very real threat that he had laid at Jorge’s feet. He threatened to hurt not only himself, but Gemma, Chase, and Marisol, the only people he truly cared about. He did his best to reform but found the event had strained him far more than he was anticipating. Still, every second was agony until, finally, he lashed together all his molecules and managed to snap them into place like puzzle pieces. Waking up on the floor of the warehouse, exhausted, Jorge found his clothes and weakly made his way back up top and towards his car. He knew he needed to get to Gemma.

Calling her was out of the question as, during the scuffle, his phone had been damaged. Now the man was snarling to himself, honking the horn, and weaving in and out of traffic as he made a beeline directly for Xavier’s Mansion. There would be time to process the report for this later; for now, he had to be sure his family was safe.

When he finally saw the sprawling greens and the building in the distance, he could feel his body begin to tense up. He was almost fearful of what he would find. But, drawing closer, he didn’t didn’t see emergency vehicles, nor did he see any signs of an attack. For the most part it looked like the same mansion he saw every day he drove home. He hoped and prayed that was a good sign, right up to the point when he pulled up to the front gate.

Without removing the keys from the ignition, Jorge climbed out of his car, ignored the security guard and marched directly for the front doors. Pushing them open he momentarily felt a wave of lightheadedness. He had been liquid for twenty-four hours and he could feel the strain on his body again. Water began to drip from his fingertips but the man pushed on, keeping himself pieced together as he stumbled in, leaning onto a piece of furniture for support.

”Gemma!!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. Everything looked okay, nothing look damaged, but he wouldn’t relax until he saw her. ”GEMMA!” he shouted again, doubling over and leaning on a pedestal. More water dripped but the man held himself together, saying that he wouldn’t let go until he saw her -- not until then.

Sometimes, things seemed to run smoothly for days. Students were okay, paperwork was in order, and wedding preparations were underway. And then, from one moment to the next, everything decided to spiral out of control: A copy of Gemma's son showed up out of nowhere, she found out that there was a SUPER agent with her face and name running around in the other dimension... and Jorge went missing.

It was not unusual for Jorge to be away on the job. But he usually checked in. And after losing him to the ocean for years, Gemma got worried every time he didn't, and this time, it had been 24 hours. She didn't sleep (keeping an eye on the kid in the basement and the other one in his bedroom was part of that too), and the more she stared into the darkness, the worse things were beginning to look.

She was pacing in her office, unable to focus on anything at all, when he hear the front door open down the hallway.

>>”GEMMA!”

Jorge!

Gemma burst out of her office and hurried to the front lobby. He would have known that voice anywhere, but the tinge of panic... something was wrong. She saw water dripping from Jorge, and she ran to him as fast as she could, catching him around the waist.

"Jorge! What happened? Are you okay?"

Jorge could feel it. He could feel himself unwinding like some comical mummy trying to stay stitched up together with bandages. He could feel those seams splitting apart, the water pouring from his form. Rest and peace was what he needed, just to recharge, but he couldn’t afford to let himself recharge, not yet, not until he knew that Gemma was safe. Poseidon, whoever he was, had threatened absolutely everyone he cared about and until he knew they were safe, he was going to be an old guard dog set to protect them. Though, of course, one would argue on his ability to protect them when he could hardly keep himself together, but those were just semantics.

Feeling like a character in a Tennessee Williams play, Jorge shouted for his fiance, leaning against a pedestal and trying to keep himself pieced together. Thankfully it was quiet enough in the mansion that his voice carried far and wide. He heard the sound of the door bursting open before he even saw her -- she was safe...she had to be.

Rushed feet moved down the stairs and Jorge tilted his head up to see the familiar, worried face of Gemma Taylor as she rushed down to meet him. This was no figment of the imagination as he heard every foot fall, and felt the weight of her body as she suddenly moved in, wrapping her arms around his waist to help him up. Not only was she keeping him from toppling over, but her adapted field worked wonders when he was like this.

He felt everything just snap into place, like a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle set all popping perfectly into place in a single breath of a moment. His eyes widened, the water stopped dripping, and all that was left was sheer exhaustion -- tinged with relief.

>>"Jorge! What happened? Are you okay?"

His arms wrapped around her. Wordlessly he buried his face into her hair, catching the scent of the shampoo that she regularly used and the familiar sensation of her skin against his. She tried to ask him what was wrong but he could scarcely spare the time to answer as he squeezed her close before leaning back, his hands touching her face, almost as if he wanted to make sure she was real.

Finally, when he felt focused enough, he tried to answer. ”I’m...not…” he admitted. ”Something is going on, Gemma. I...went out to answer an anonymous tip and something...just handed me my ass,” Given Jorge’s years as a cop and the fine skill he possessed with his abilities, that hardly seemed true. But the look on his face proved he was not lying. ”Gemma, are you okay? Have you see anyone around here that shouldn’t be? Is Chase alright? Have you heard from Marisol?”

Gemma could feel Jorge relax as he wrapped his arms around her in a somewhat desperate hug. She hugged him back. She knew that if he was losing control of his powers, her field was likely to help; but there was also fear in his voice, and that made her worry more than anything. She hugged him back, keeping him upright and making sure he felt safe.

>>”I’m...not… Something is going on, Gemma. I...went out to answer an anonymous tip and something...just handed me my ass,”

"Are you hurt?" Gemma pulled back a little and was already checking him over for bullet wounds or broken parts. It was not easy to injure Jorge, given his powers, but it was not impossible either.

>>”Gemma, are you okay? Have you see anyone around here that shouldn’t be? Is Chase alright? Have you heard from Marisol?”

Chase?... Gemma looked up. Right. She had things to tell Jorge, about Chase, and Seven, and about the other Gemma. Did he know? Did someone go after him to get to the boy that just escaped from SUPER?...

"We need to talk" she said, walking Jorge towards their room. They needed to figure out what was going on. After a few steps, she realized she had not answered his questions "Everyone is okay. For now, anyway. There have been some surprises though..."

She walked Jorge to their room, where they could talk in peace, and he could lie down if he wanted "What happened to you? Do you need to see DocProf?"

Jorge’s thoughts were jumbled. He had been so panicked about getting home and making sure that Gemma and everyone was okay that he could hardly sound coherent. Gemma was asking him what had happened and the best he could answer with were a few enigmatic statements and further questions -- hardly helpful. Still, Gemma was used to this kind of thing dealing with the students that she did, she was a paragon of patience. But, obviously, something that the detective had said had struck a chord with her -- he had been ambushed and her first inclination was the make sure he was okay.

>>"Are you hurt?"

Jorge gulped and confirmed with a nod. ”I’m...okay...for now.” He would get more into that in a second, but for now he needed to talk to her and somewhere private was probably best.

Her arms still around him, Gemma helped Jorge to get to his feet. He tried not to lean too heavily on her. She was a tall and solid woman but Jorge was just as tall and just as solidly built. The last thing he needed was for the two of them to topple over so he maintained his stance and just walked to the best of his ability.

>>"We need to talk...Everyone is okay. For now, anyway. There have been some surprises though..."

He turned to her, surprised. It seemed that more had been happening while he was away. Dammit, what was going on with the world? He could only guess that it had something to do with that damned portal in the middle of the city, but even without it, this was New York City, shit happened. He would wait to inquire further until they were in some kind of privacy. If his incident with Poseidon had proved anything, it was that nothing could be trusted.

Weakly he made his way into the room and was deposited down onto the bed. He winced, feeling his body ache as he sank into the mattress. He wanted to drop off to sleep right there, regain his strength, but he couldn’t, not until he both informed and learned what had been going on. His touch never left his fiance as she moved around to sit next to him, concern obvious on her features. God, how he managed to keep her around all these years, he would never know.

>>"What happened to you? Do you need to see DocProf?"

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to gather everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours. Being dispersed like that had jumbled up his thoughts but if he focused he could get the whole sequence of events pieced back together. As much as he didn’t want to upset the woman, he wasn’t the type to keep her in the dark “for her own good’. He had seen what that has done to families in the past and he wasn’t going to do it to them.

A deep breath and he went into it. ”The other night I got a call just as I was getting ready to leave the precinct. An anonymous tip about some supposed anti-mutant safehouse in the industrial district. I went to just check in and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But as I was checking the building out, I...came across...someone.” He looked down to his hands. ”He was waiting for me.” He paused. ”Gemma...he could move water...just like me...but…” he closed his eyes. ”...he was stronger. So much stronger.” He lifted his gaze to her finally. ”He dispersed me...ripped me apart into droplets all across the room. That’s why I was gone...I was...trying to pull myself together.”

God it was a horrible feeling. It immediately reminded him of the time he was drifting in the ocean all those years ago. It was maddening, terrifying, and monstrous all at the same time. Even now, after so many years, he could hardly recall what it was like, or at least that was how it used to be. The last twenty-four hours had been a stark reminder of time of his life, a time he simply didn’t want to remember. But he pushed past that discomfort and looked to Gemma.

”He threatened you, Chase, and Marisol,” he said. ”He knew everything about us. But...not only did he have my powers, Gemma…” He struggled whether or not he should say this part, but he couldn’t justify keeping her in the dark. ”...he had my face.”

They made it to the room. Gemma closed the door, and helped Jorge to the bed, where he sat heavily. She still had half a mind to go straight for DocProf, but she did not want to leave Jorge alone, outside her aura. As long as he was near, at least her powers kept him from falling apart. She sat next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. He looked shaken.

>>”The other night I got a call just as I was getting ready to leave the precinct. An anonymous tip about some supposed anti-mutant safehouse in the industrial district. I went to just check in and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But as I was checking the building out, I...came across...someone. He was waiting for me.”

An ambush. He had run into a trap. It was bad, and ever worse for a cop; everyone's worst nightmare, for the bad guys to be one step ahead like that. Gemma frowned. She sensed that there was much more to the story. If he had gotten home from an ambush relatively unhurt, he would not have been so upset.

>>”Gemma...he could move water...just like me...but… ...he was stronger. So much stronger. He dispersed me...ripped me apart into droplets all across the room. That’s why I was gone...I was...trying to pull myself together.”

Gemma felt her stomach sink, and she reached out her other hand to hold Jorge's. It was a nightmare... the idea that he would disperse again into water, away from her, without anyone knowing where he was. To be faced with an opponent that could do that to him... A realization was beginning to dawn on Gemma, and it was horrible.

>>”He threatened you, Chase, and Marisol. He knew everything about us. But...not only did he have my powers, Gemma… ...he had my face.”

It was horrible, and right. Gemma squeezed Jorge's hand, holding on while her thoughts raced a mile a minute.

"You met your doppelganger" she said finally "From the other side of the rift. They are... other versions of us. Mirror just told me yesterday. They met theirs. And mine." she paused for a moment, trying to pace the information she had, to make sure Jorge could follow "The other Gemma, on the other side, is a SUPER agent. Was... he an agent too?"

Jorge was still having a difficult time trying to grasp everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. The fight with Poseidon had been unexpected and the power he felt wafting off the criminal was something that he hadn’t felt in a long time. In all fairness, how was he was supposed to combat that? He had been thrown so completely off guard by all of his threats that he pretty much allowed the water maniputer to get the drop on him. Now he was he was trying to come to terms with just how firmly he had lost that battle.

But the thing that still confused him was the the face. That malevolent and yet familiar face. Jorge had had nightmares like that before, behind chased by a shadowy individual, only to turn around and see his own face. He never thought it was something that he would face in real life, but there it was. He had hoped it was a hallucination, but even as he tried to convince himself of that, he knew that it wasn’t true.

He felt a squeeze of his hand and turned his eyes to Gemma -- she knew something.

>>"You met your doppelganger...From the other side of the rift. They are... other versions of us. Mirror just told me yesterday. They met theirs. And mine."

He felt his mouth instantly dry up. Jorge had heard the reports, of familiar looking people coming from the other side of the rift but he had never thought it was something that was going to happen to him, much less anyone in his family. It seemed more like a stunt for television than anything else. But as he sat there, listening, knowing that others had already met or reported on their dopplegangers, he knew that it was true -- and that made everything all the more terrifying.

There was a double of him running around in New York; and not just any double, a f**king psychoapth...

>>"The other Gemma, on the other side, is a SUPER agent. Was... he an agent too?"

SUPER was a vaguely familiar name that was being tossed around the precinct. They were apparently some government organization that were manning things on their side of the rift. Rumor was that they were a task force, similar to the MRC but on a much larger, federally funded scale. They dealt with mutants but the finer details were not made apparently to the lowly police unit.

Still, the idea of another Gemma working for SUPER was interesting. He could almost see that happening given the authority that he witnessed his fiance being able to direct. But that was not what his double felt like. He didn’t feel like a controlled government agent, more like a rogue wave that was steadily gaining strength and getting ready to turn into a city-drowning tsunami. He shook his head.

”No. He...didn’t feel government. This was a personal attack.” More snippets were coming back. ”Gemma…” he said carefully because the implication of someone with his powers, running around with the mindset he was thinking of, was almost too terrible to conceive. ”I think he was a mutant supremacist.” he watched her closely. ”He set this up to warn me to stay out of his way. To not get between him and ‘his people’.” He shook his head. ”I think we’re dealing with something like the Order again.”

In the past 36 hours, Gemma kept wondering just how closely doppelgangers' lives paralleled each other. The other Gemma was a government agent, and not the good kind, based on what Seven was saying. Seven, on the other hand, seemed similar to Chase... but with a much worse life story. And now, Jorge. Who attacked his own counterpart, knowingly. How could anyone tell what their other life would look like?...

>>”No. He...didn’t feel government. This was a personal attack.”

Gemma sighed. What made it personal? Was the other Jorge afraid of the competition? Was he afraid his copy could take away what he had? How did he even know where to find Jorge?...

>>”Gemma… I think he was a mutant supremacist. He set this up to warn me to stay out of his way. To not get between him and ‘his people’... I think we’re dealing with something like the Order again.”

Gemma sighed again, leaning against Jorge's shoulder. Things were definitely looking bleak with the other dimension wide open.

"That... and worse. SUPER is a government agency... they capture and tag mutants, and kidnap the most useful ones. Mirror was here earlier, he and their... doppelganger broke a kid out of a SUPER facility. Jorge..." she took a deep breath "... it's Chase. Except, they called him Delta Seven. The kid doesn't even have his own name..."

Jorge couldn’t get it out of his head. the idea that there was a version of him running around New York City that could be so...maniacal. Jorge often had those thoughts, in the middle of the night, wondering what would have happened to him if his life had gone another way. Reporters and eyewitnesses were everywhere, talking about the other world, about how they had met alternate versions of themselves, some of them good stories, others not so much, but never anything as crazy as what Jorge was hearing right now. What was up with that other world? Was it just made of depression?

He ground his teeth, relating everything that he could only assume to Gemma. He didn’t have any information on Poseidon, only that he looked like Jorge and had a mastery of his abilities that made the detective doubt his own skills. For the first time in a long time, Jorge feared he wasn’t up to the task of taking on an enemy; as much as he hated to admit it, his doppleganger had gotten into his head.

But it seemed that was not where the story would end. More had happened since he had been away than just Mirror confirming that they had an alternate self...

>>"That... and worse. SUPER is a government agency... they capture and tag mutants, and kidnap the most useful ones. Mirror was here earlier, he and their... doppelganger broke a kid out of a SUPER facility. Jorge... it's Chase. Except, they called him Delta Seven. The kid doesn't even have his own name..."

Jorge tilted his gaze down, listening as Gemma let him in on what had been going on. SUPER, the organization that the MRC had only heard whispers of seemed to be up to something far more sinister. They were capturing and tagging mutants, as if they were animals. The implications of that were maddening to the detective, especially with rumors circulation that they were looking to plant themselves here and offer their “services” to the governments of this world. It almost made him sick -- but not as much as what else he was told.

Gemma leaned in, hugging him close as she whispered that Mirror had broken one of those mutants out -- and it was Chase. Rather, it was an alternative version of Chase, a kid that didn’t have a name, only a handle by that of Delta Seven. Jorge gulped, turning back to face her. Two Chases...both with extremely difficult lives, but one in which he was never saved from the madness that he suffered. Jorge shook his head.

”My god…” he whispered. ”Whatever that place is…” he said softly. ”...it sounds like Hell.” A mutant supremacist Jorge, a evil mutant-tracking Gemma, and now a experimental Chase, where would he even begin? ”Is he safe? Chas--I mean...Delta Seven?” he asked. ”Does Chase know?”

They leaned against each other, as they usually did, both supporting the other and offering comfort at the same time. Knowing what Jorge had just been through, Gemma was really happy to have him home safe. There was a lot they needed to figure out, but they at least had the chance to do so.

>>"My god… Whatever that place is…...it sounds like Hell.”

"It does" Gemma sighed "And it sounds like the opposing side is not much better either."

The X-men on the other side, if anything, were caught between two extremes.

>>”Is he safe? Chas--I mean...Delta Seven? Does Chase know?”

"No, I haven't told him yet." Gemma shook her head "Seven needs time to... adjust. We had to disable his tracker so SUPER can't find him. He's a valuable asset, so I am sure they will be looking."

The more that Jorge was hearing about the other universe, the more that he was growing to dislike it. It truly seemed that it was a place where the worst of all possible outcomes had come to pass. The worst decisions were made, the darkest paths were taken, it was like one a story arc of one of those cheesy television, fantasy shows where the characters were granted a chance to see another universe and everything bad that could have happened, had. But this wasn’t a tv show, was it? No, it wasn’t even a comic book or some goddamn cheesy roleplaying game with a sadistic dungeon master (he needed to stop hanging out with Becca), this was reality and it was far more terrifying.

He sighed, feeling Gemma lean against him. Jorge did the same. If there was on constant that he was thankful for, it was the fact that he always had this woman at his side. She seemingly stuck with him over the years, even after he had vanished without a trace. Truly he was the luckiest man in the world and he never wanted her to feel like he was take advantage of her good graces. He loved her and, he was certain, they could take on anything that came across the pair of them.

But this? A new alternate universe? Where there was also a Jorge and Gemma but wildly different and on opposite sides running around? That would definitely be a challenge. He only hoped that they could remain strong until they could get a handle on what was going on.

Worst of all, however, was the news of another Chase. A Chase who had suffered every indignity and was being used as an asset by an evil, government run organization. The thought alone was monstrous, especially if this other Chase had the same powers as his son. He shook his head as he asked his fiance if their son had actually met this other boy yet.

>>"No, I haven't told him yet...Seven needs time to... adjust. We had to disable his tracker so SUPER can't find him. He's a valuable asset, so I am sure they will be looking."

”Trackers too…” he mused. ”I really don’t like where this SUPER is coming from, especially if they are trying to set up a base here.” He didn’t think much of the rumors when he first heard them, now it was a chilly, sobering thought. ”So…” he started. ”We have an evil version of me doing god knows what in New York...a seemingly morally corrupt government organization trying to plant themselves here...and an alternate version of our son trying to adjust to semi-normal life in the basement.”

He sighed. That seemed like an accurate run of events. It was terrifying, that much was for sure, but that was how the detective processed these things. It was like laying out a bunch of puzzle pieces on a table. It allowed him to work through the problems, one at a time, and organize them in the best possible way.

He shared a glance with Gemma. ”That about cover it?” he asked. ”If you tell me your pregnant I’m pretty sure I will just die right here.” Probably not the best time for jokes but, considering the last twenty-four hours, he could hardly be blamed.

They sat together, trying to work through the news of the day. As bad as everything sounded, Gemma allowed herself a moment to be grateful that Jorge was back. Rattled, but in one piece. So that they could figure things out together. She still remembered the days, weeks after he went missing; life went on, in a way, except all problems were suddenly all her own. Including the weight of grief and hope of losing him. Gemma shook her head, waving the memories away, and leaned against Jorge's side.

>>”Trackers too… I really don’t like where this SUPER is coming from, especially if they are trying to set up a base here.”

"I don't want them to. And from what the Mirrors told me, I'm not alone." Gemma sighed "Let's hope someone comes up with a plan... because I doubt the government is going to outright block them..."

>>”So… We have an evil version of me doing god knows what in New York...a seemingly morally corrupt government organization trying to plant themselves here...and an alternate version of our son trying to adjust to semi-normal life in the basement. That about cover it?... If you tell me your pregnant I’m pretty sure I will just die right here.”

Despite the bleak summary, Gemma laughed a little.

"Now, Jorge, we are dealing with alternate universes here, not miracles..." she chuckled, kissing his cheek "... but with that said... Seven might be staying for a while. He doesn't really trust me yet... apparently, he had bad experiences with the other me. But he also has nowhere else to go, or not family that we know of. And, since I have already learned to care for Chase once, I... I think it's worth a try." Jorge probably knew where she was going.

It was hard for Jorge to imagine the world that Gemma was presenting to him. The idea that doubles were running around New York, causing god knows what havoc, it was enough to drive the man mad. That was doubly so considering the experience that he just had. If there were evil versions of himself and others he knew loose in the city, not to mention an essentially anti-mutant government agency that was trying to take root. If there was one thing that this powder keg of a town didn’t need it was another attempt at a registration act or kind of government funded anti-mutant organization.

Gemma rested her head on his shoulder and Jorge sighed, wrapping his arm around her. He could feel the weight that she was bearing on her shoulders. A new Chase who had apparently suffered even more than their’s and an agent bearing her face in town. It was indeed a lot of try and lift up.

>>"I don't want them to. And from what the Mirrors told me, I'm not alone...Let's hope someone comes up with a plan... because I doubt the government is going to outright block them..."

Jorge nodded. He leaned over, kissing the top of her head as he gave her arm a gentle squeeze. ”I’ll talk to the X-Men today, see what we can do about this.” He started. ”I’ll also let them know about my doppleganger as well,” That will be a fun conversation. ”I don’t need them to be surprised if another me tries strolling through these doors.”

Despite all the fear, Jorge couldn’t help but offer a small joke to Gemma. The last thing he would expect her to be was pregnant but given the state of the universe, he wouldn’t have been surprised if that were his lucky. At least it made Gemma smile as he patted his shoulder.

>>"Now, Jorge, we are dealing with alternate universes here, not miracles…”

He snorted.

>>”...but with that said... Seven might be staying for a while. He doesn't really trust me yet... apparently, he had bad experiences with the other me. But he also has nowhere else to go, or not family that we know of. And, since I have already learned to care for Chase once, I... I think it's worth a try."

Jorge’s expression grew a bit more serious as he listened to Gemma. Much like with Chase, she was opening her arms and her life to another child, one who had a far rougher upbringing. Would Seven ever really trust her? And what about him? Seven had no idea who Jorge was either but he was still an authority figure, could he be trusted? Jorge sighed before he turned his attention to Gemma. A small smile broke his lips as he kissed her forehead tenderly.

”That’s how I’ll always know you’re the real you…” he said, reaching down to take her hand into his. ”You’d adopt every kid in the world if you could.” Silent for a moment, Jorge nodded before he spoke up. ”I think you should. If anyone can bring Seven a sense of normalcy...it’s you.” He then smirked. ”I always wanted the whole 2.5 kids thing.” A pause. ”And with Sam easily takes up the .5 in that equation.”

The existence of the new universe, and their doppelgangers in it, brought up a whole new set of problems. Suddenly, there was double the ground to cover, and double the number of things that could go wrong.

>>”I’ll talk to the X-Men today, see what we can do about this. I’ll also let them know about my doppleganger as well. I don’t need them to be surprised if another me tries strolling through these doors.”

"We'll need updated security measures" Gemma nodded with a sigh. They would need to invent ways to tell people apart from their doppelgangers.
Jorge seemed sure about at least one of them.

>>”That’s how I’ll always know you’re the real you… You’d adopt every kid in the world if you could.”

"Just the ones that need it." Gemma chuckled, leaning against him. He did not seem surprised by her tentative idea at all. He knew her all too well. And Seven needed a safe place to stay, and people he could trust. People who did not think of a kid as an asset.

>>”I think you should. If anyone can bring Seven a sense of normalcy...it’s you. I always wanted the whole 2.5 kids thing. And with Sam easily takes up the .5 in that equation.”

Gemma laughed and pressed a kiss to her fiance's cheek.

"We'll see how it goes, and hope for the best. And maybe you can look after Sam while I deal with the kids? We don't want another him showing up and bring double the trouble..." she chuckled, then turned a little more serious. "Thank you, Jorge. None of this would work without you."

>>"We'll need updated security measures"

Jorge nodded. That was the least that they could do. There was going to have to be a lot of explaining, a lot of guessing, and a lot of investigation in the meantime. They needed to know what they were dealing with, especially since now it seemed that not all their dopplegangers were on the up-and-up. Most seemed to have somewhat different lives, but essentially were the same people. Now it was looking like anything and everything was possible, including evil versions of himself and Gemma. Preparation was required.

When the topic of Seven came up, Jorge really wasn’t surprised that Gemma was thinking of keeping him around. After all, Gemma was never the type to just allow a kid to go without any semblance of love or parenting in their life. She seemingly made it her lifelong mission to ensure that no child was ever left behind. It was a sweet gesture and one that Jorge had grown to expect and admire from the woman who would be his wife. Also it was a sure fire way for him to know that he was actually talking to his Gemma, and not that government shell that seemed to have become of his his fiance’s doppelganger.

>>"Just the ones that need it."

He snorted. ”Love, in this day and age, that’s a lot.” He nodded, leaned over, and kissed her cheek. ”But I’d still support you.”

With Chase and Seven in their lives, who knows, maybe they were crafting their own little nuclear family. Of course it was a little different than most would expect, but who wanted to be normal anyways? Normal was never his style.

>>"We'll see how it goes, and hope for the best. And maybe you can look after Sam while I deal with the kids? We don't want another him showing up and bring double the trouble...Thank you, Jorge. None of this would work without you."

Jorge chuckled. Sam was a handful in his own right, to the point that he may as well be their oldest and most troubled. But, all kidding aside, of course Jorge would support Gemma and whatever she wanted to do with Seven. The kid didn’t seem to know what family was, or meant, so Jorge hoped that with her, himself, and Chase, maybe they could give him a real shot at a future.

He leaned his head against Gemma’s and sighed. She said that none of it would work without him, but that was doubtful. Softly he patted and squeezed her knee. ”You’re storng. You could make it work by yourself...” he explained, then smiled. ”...but I’m glad you don’t have to.”