”Daddy!” Sam was sleeping again, unfortunately it wasn’t the sleep he wanted or needed. Lately he had been sleeping less and less now that he was drinking less something that made his girlfriend very happy however it was starting to affect his dreams. His dreams had a tendency to turn more into nightmares the less he drank.

The blame for his nightmares was a result of him being under the influence of a telepath he used know and work with back when he was mercenary, Amanda; the telepath, had a long standing grudge with Sam for turning his back on everything they were raised to do which was being mercenaries. While Sam was no longer under her control the remnants of several illusionary lifetimes still floated around in the back of his mind. The good and the bad were a result of Amanda’s control, if she had full control of Sam’s body, he got happy memories and if he was fighting her control nightmarish memories ensued.

Like this one, Daddy!” screamed his daughter as the flames danced up the side of the house to where she resided in her bedroom window. Sam struggled with his face in the mud as he tried to wriggle free from the dead men who held him making him watch as the last child of his was being burned alive.

Sam jumped upright in an empty bed. He turned to look for Juliette and then once he realized she wasn’t around he grabbed the nearest thing he could chug. The whiskey bottle must have slipped past Juliette when she left or she might have left it from the way Sam was kicking in his sleep. Did he scare her off? The answers didn’t come from the bottle but the amber liquid helped. The burn in his throat told him he was awake and alone. Hanging his head between his knees he took a breath fighting some back some tears. He was home now, that home wasn’t real.

A few moments passed and Sam hefted the bottle into the air and took another big swig. Another breath and Sam willed himself out of bed. Putting a shirt on and then opening the door he watched as his dog and Cat ran out of the room. No doubt to go outside, which was fine by him, the anger he felt at the moment willed him down to the danger room where he could punch bite and kick the hard light constructs till his knuckles were black and blue.

Freedom. In all honesty, there were times where Jorge felt like freedom was going to forever elude him. It wasn’t a surprise considering what the man had gone through. He spent the three of the last four years of his life drifting as millions of particles out in the ocean and only barely managed to pull himself back together. The last year or so he had been stuck in a hospital, trying to get his life back together (literally). Those first days were hard and if it weren’t for Gemma by his side, the man very easily could have reverted back to being nothing more than a puddle of water on the ground, waiting to be mopped up. It was a his greatest fear, returning to that state, but Gemma’s assistance, his doctors and nurses, and his own fortitude had managed to allow the man to push back and free himself from that fear.

Now it was time to face a whole new set of them. Jorge was out of the hospital, discharged and free to go back to his life. He would be contacting the police department soon enough, but there was still some things he wanted to handle first – namely informing his other family that he was alive and well.

It may have seemed stupid. When Gemma came to his side, he told her to keep his return a secret. He didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up because, if he failed and managed to keep himself together, then it would be like witnessing him vanish all over again. He didn’t want people to weep again for him. Thankfully it seemed that Gemma agreed and her visits were written off as personal matters and nothing more. He was going to have to do so much more than just thank her after all this. He wondered what kind of gift you give someone for keeping the secret that you are still alive after four years?

Maybe Hallmark has a card of a plushie to the effect.

Climbing out of his taxi, Jorge passed a few dollars to the man behind the wheel and sighed as he stood at the front gates. He was dressed with some clothing that Gemma had managed to salvage after his apartment and everything was lost to him. He was dressed in regular jeans and a loose, long-sleeved top that was deep gray with triangular shapes of green around the shoulders. His sleeves rolled up, Jorge swept his leather jacket over his shoulder and picked up his meager bag of belongings that he had waiting by his side in the hospital room, including photos of his family, of him and Gemma and Chase, and a few odds and ends that were brought to help perk him back up.

Sadly he couldn’t waste any more time looking over everything and instead marched towards the large, expansive mansion. For some reason it looked bigger to him now. Maybe extensions were made or maybe he just really hadn’t been here in that long, but it still looked both imposing and welcoming at the same time. It was always a contradiction to him, but he could still appreciate what it did for mutant kind. As he drew closer to the large front doors, the man took a deep, steadying breath and adjusted his jacket which had started to slip over the shoulder.

Pulling the doors open, Jorge peeked instead and was immediately struck by the familiar lavishness. It was nice to see that this place hadn’t changed at all. Stepping inside, he let the door close behind him and stood in the foyer, smirking a little as he just let his eyes drift around the room. It seemed so quiet right now but he knew it was early. Students and staff were probably still asleep. Running his hand over his black and silver beard, Jorge turned to head towards one of the halls when he spotted someone walking around the corner, a bottle of what was clearly alcohol in his hand. It didn’t take long for Jorge to recognize him.

His head tilted, he waited until he caught the other’s gaze and gave him a nod. ”Sam…” he greeted. ”Good to see you.”

Sam didn’t get there in time. Sam was stuck in the hallway now when someone called his name. It wasn’t too late, he could just pretend he didn’t hear the voice and run off to the danger room. The bottle in hand felt heavy, tempted to lighten it’s load he shifted towards the door and put a smile on. He was still pretending that everything was alright, that he was sleeping or he was fine and he wasn’t having difficulty knowing what is real life or an illusion.

The man at the door who greeted him was an illusion. Sam stopped himself form laughing running over and picking the man in a bear hug. It was Jorge, Jorge however Sam knew was dead. Sam’s face looked skeptical and the cyclopean drunk took another step forward towards the man he knew wasn’t real.

Sam shifted uneasily for a moment and asked, ”Jorge?” Sam asked not sure what he was seeing. He was dead, but he was here. Sam was dead but he was here. His children and wife were dead but… Sam hoisted the bottle and took a big swig and then looked back to Jorge as the burn hit his throat. He felt it but Jorge was still here….

The alcohol wasn’t doing his job and Sam started to doubt what was happening. Was he in a dream again? Was he under control again? No, he wouldn’t let that happen again he couldn’t. It was hard enough coming back after the first time the next time would kill him. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. Looking for a second to see if one of his ice clones appeared he was upset when they didn’t show. Where his powers now being affected as well? They were supposed to stop him from losing control again.

It seemed he still had his mind though so Sam dropped the bottle and formed a knife out of ice. The ice golems weren’t coming. He had to act fast. Pain reminded him where he was. The knife entered his leg and a sharp pain ensued. Where was he, was this a dream or reality. The pain kept coming while the knife was pushed further in. Sam winced and gasped out in pain glad to see he was indeed in the real life.

Wincing and looking up to Jorge he was for a second upset he was still there. Then it hit him. Jorge was alive. ”How long have you been alive?” Sam said through gritted teeth now more upset that Jorge didn’t tell him sooner.

It was still a bit surreal to be standing in the Xavier’s Sister School and looking over an old friend of his. Sam was the leader off the X-Man, a young man whom Jorge had worked with before. He was strong, powerful, but it was clear that the man battled with his own demons on a near daily basis. Gemma would always comment about the man’s drinking and his childish behavior but Jorge knew that there was a good man deep inside him. He knew that in the end, Cold Steel would always be there for the mutants house under Xavier’s roof and that he’d always put himself at risk to save others. He was admirable, in that manner.

However, this seemed almost like a skeleton the man he once knew. A few years older, the man still wore his signature eyepatch (as well as the signature musk of alcohol that hung in the air). As much as he respected the man, he did have to agree with Gemma that the man took to the bottle more often that he really should have.

After a second of staring at him, Jorge arched his brow when the man repeated his name. it seemed almost as if he didn’t fully believe that the man was actually here. He stared at him as if he were little more than a phantasm or some specter from the past. The detective took a step towards the man, watching the confusion as it slipped across Sam’s face. Before he knew it, he watched as the man formed a blade of ice into his hand, gave Jorge another hard look, and then proceeded to jab it into his leg.

Jorge began to rush towards him, dropping his bag with his few belongings so that he could get to the man before him. ”Sam! Stop that, now.” Jorge demanded as he approached; had Sam finally lost it?

No. As it turned out, whatever Sam thought, he had done it as a test of sorts to ensure that Jorge was actually standing there in front of him. The detective paused mid-stride, tilting his head as the man breathed heavily and looked him directly in the eye. The inevitable question passed from his lips as he asked how long Jorge had been alive. So much for “Hi, how are ya!?”; but was the detective really all that surprised? He had technically been dead the last four years.

Sucking in a breath, Jorge relaxed his posture and took a few careful steps towards his old friend. The last thing that he wanted to do was the startle the man further. His hands up to show that he was no harm, and that he was in face real, Jorge took a careful moment to recollect his thoughts and tell Sam what had happened.

”Technically…I’ve been alive the whole time,” he said with a slight jest. However, he wasn’t banking on a barrel of laughs from the other man – he would receive that in spades. Clearing his throat, he pressed on. ”I’m sorry. I was in deep cover. I got discovered and…I was shot,” slowly he lowered his hand, his index finger pointing to his abdomen. There was no scar but at times it felt like there was still one underneath the surface. ”I was on a boat. I fell into the ocean and…I would have died anyway…” Jorge gulped. ”I had to do it, Sam. I shifted into water to heal the wound but…I drifted apart.” He had closed the gap significantly between the two of them, hands still up. ”Three years, Sam. Three years I was little more than particles drifting across the ocean. And…last year I…somehow managed to pull myself together. Ended up on the beach outside town. I couldn’t maintain it, though, so the doctor’s and Gemma kept me in the hospital for the last year so I could recuperate.”

That was going to be the salt in the wound. Gemma knew. Someone other than Sam knew that Jorge had been alive this whole time and hadn’t told him. But that was a consequence that Jorge knew he would eventually have to deal with. So, steeling himself up, he looked the man in the eye as he finished his explanation.

”I told her not to say anything,” he said, referring to Gemma and her knowledge of his return for over a year. ”I didn’t know if I’d be able to hold myself together again. So I told her not to say anything, in case I couldn’t.” He shrugged. ”I didn’t want to be mourned twice.”

He was real. They were talking and he had a knife jammed in his leg. Sam let go of the small blade of ice and reached down for the bottle. He looked crazy now but it was better than him actually losing control of his body. Sam stood upright then looked away from Jorge as he explained what had happened. The ice fell apart and where he stabbed himself some ice from the knife formed a patch preventing large amounts of blood from flowing out.

Sam needed to go see DocProf but he could wait, seeing and hearing Jorge was more important at the moment. ”I understand.” the ice-mancer said as he lifted the bottle and took a little swig. He then gave a small smirk and took a few steps closer to his old teammate and offered up the bottle. It might not have been what the water-mancer was expecting but a lot had happened in the past few years, to both of them it seemed.

”I faked my death last year.” Sam stated then shrugged. ”I was dead. Shin brought me back with someone, I made them keep it quite too. ” another step closer and Sam grabbed the grizzled man and gave him a bear hug lifting him off the ground. It wasn’t often Sam felt like his old self before everything happened over the past few years but seeing Jorge reminded him of a time before his life fell apart, before he fell apart.

Nostalgia was something Sam never felt before. It was odd but he welcomed it. ”You missed a lot bud.” Sam released Jorge and took a step back no longer feeling the crippling amount of sadness and rage.

Taking a step back Sam smirked to the guy, ”So, you walk on water, and come back from the dead. You up for turning some water into wine?” Sam said laughing awkwardly at his own joke.

In all honesty, Jorge had no idea how this was going to go. He really had yet to tell anyone about his return, not even his own family. His fears were valid – if he couldn’t put himself together and keep it that way, the last thing he wanted was for people to mourn him again. Having already lived through it once, the man didn’t want to cause any more suffering. Maybe he wasn’t really thinking that through, but in the end, it was the decision that he made and he was going to have to live with it. One of those ramifications he was dealing with right now.

Standing off to the side, Jorge winced as he watched the ice dissolve against Sam’s skin before forming a temporary patch over the wound that he had just inflicted upon himself. While that wasn’t the response he was exactly expecting, it wasn’t one that he put out of the realm of possibility for the man either. He knew Sam pretty well and he was a gruff, masculine individual who had come from a hard life. To inflict pain on himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming was certainly within his ability.

Jorge did his best to explain everything that happened. It was a little unbelievable, he admitted. The man had been lost to the ocean for years; that alone should have been his tomb. But it would seem that Jorge Cervantes was just a man with a will to survive. Though it took longer than anyone should be subjected to such a fate, the detective managed to piece himself together until he ended up on the beach, luckily, in New York. But that was not the end to his pain, the journey to recovery was even more difficult than the man could have ever imagined and, because of that, he pulled away from everyone. Now that he was back and confident in his abilities again (mostly) the man wanted to reconnect with those whom he deceived – and prepared himself for the consequences.

Jorge stood back and didn’t approach Sam further. After his explanation, he just let his words sit in the air between them, allowing Sam to process them however he saw fit. To his credit, Jorge had to admit that he was surprised by the man’s admission that he understood. Apparently he too had been declared dead and was brought by another, only to be sworn to secrecy; seems that the two of them had something in common. The thought of that actually made the watermancer smirk and loosen up, however this only afford the other a chance to close the gap between them and pull him into a tight hug.

”Whoa! Okay…” he felt himself both crushed and lifted by the younger man as he hugged him tight. ”…we’re hugging now.” Pathetically he patted Sam’s shoulder with his pinned arms until he was finally let down. A deep breath and he had to shoot the man a kindly smirk. ”Missed you too, pal.”

It was true. Jorge had missed all of this. He missed his life, he missed Gemma, he missed being a part of a team, whether it was the X-Men or the N.Y.P.D., he missed making a difference. Though the road to getting back to feeling comfortable in his own skin was a hard one, it was a journey that was well worth it if it brought him back through these doors. But, he had to admit, despite how much of a drinker he knew Sam to be, the man did seem to be over doing it just a tad. He was tempted to take the bottle, gently of course, from him, but refrained until he knew what was going on with him.

Jorge snorted and rolled his eyes at his ex-teammate’s comment. ”I’m good but I’m not Jesus, Sam.” He clarified. He then nodded to the bottle in his friends hand. ”Trying a liquid breakfast these days?”

”Yeah we’re hugging.” Sam said now grinning. He took another sip of whiskey then shrugged. ”I feel like you should tell Gemma she has been telling me I need to have more feelings.” Sam pointed to himself then Jorge, ”We just had a moment.” he tried to mock Gemma’s voice a little, ”A breakthrough.”

Sam shifted his weight off of his iced over leg then he raised an eyebrow to the water mancer who once battled mother natured alongside the ice-mancer they took on a volcano. Not a lot of people can say they did that and now that he was back people would believe him now.

When the bottle was pointed out Sam felt it’s weight and he lightened its load a little with a swig then shrugged again his smile and general disposition grew a little cloudy. ”Yup.” Sam responded with as he folded his arms, ”Surprised Gemma didn’t mention that. She has been on my case more lately.” Sam looked around then over his shoulder to make sure she or anyone else was around. ”So has my girlfriend…. And Doc.” Sam looked down to his leg then decided that he’d hold off before going to see the healer. He didn’t want a lecture.

”You missed a lot.” Sam repeated. He was glad Jorge was back but his lone eye started to wonder looking for an excuse to leave. Sadly there was now. Sam didn’t want a pity party or to make Jorge worry. The guy was back from the dead. ”Imagine laying in that hospital bed has gotten you a little rusty.” Sam said taking another swig of his bottle. ”You up for hitting something? I was just about to go down to the Danger Room.” Sam raised a hand up, ”Unless your age is starting to catch up with you.” Sam taunted his friend with a smirk. He was better with actions than he was with words.

Jorge had never been one to judge the vices of another, unless they were illegal. However that clearly wasn’t the case right now. Sam was an adult, he always had been, and while Jorge didn’t like to see an old friend of his drinking first thing in the morning, he wasn’t his father (heh). Still, Jorge did have concern for the younger man and would do his best to make sure that he knew that and would hopefully be able to steer him away from such destructive practices. Sadly it didn’t seem all that likely considering Sam’s comment about his fiancée.

The detective tilted his head and just eyed the man, smirking a little as he started to do his little impression of her. The voice was wrong (clearly) but the gist of what he was saying was pretty on-par with what Gemma would normally say to others. When she was concerned, Mama Bear took over and she did whatever was necessary to get through to them. It worked wonders on the kids, of course, which was what made her such a great counselor for these kids, but adults were a harder nut to crack; especially when they had a head as thick as Sam Johnson’s. Still, there was no shame in Jorge taking a stab at it.

At the admission that he had a girlfriend, Jorge snorted. ”Seriously? Found someone who can tolerate you for more than a day? I take it that’s her superpower?” It was a friendly jab, nothing more, but it was a good jumping off point. ”It’s sound advice, you know. I don’t mean sitting around a campfire, singing Kumbaya, but talking helps from time to time.”

If Jorge knew Sam at all, that was probably where this portion of the conversation was going to end. Sam was the typical guy, much like Jorge, who didn’t like to get too in-touch with the softer side of things. It was understandable but it wasn’t feasible either; however, Jorge had faith that the man would get there at his own time.

It quickly was apparent that the man did not want to talk any further. His posture, the way he looked away, the vague comment about Jorge having missed a lot but with no follow up information. Maybe he was subconsciously leaving breadcrumbs for Jorge to follow and inquire after things. After all, if Jorge brought it up (whether now or later) it technically wouldn’t be Sam trying to access his feelings – he would just be answering questions. But that was reserved for a later time as Sam switched gears and invited the detective down to the Danger Room for some practice time. How could he refuse?

The detective smirked. His powers were a little unpredictable at the moment as his fine control over them was still lacking in some areas – but practice makes perfect, no? With a nod in his head, Jorge set his bag of meager belongings onto a nearby table and gestured for Sam to lead the way.

”Maestro…” he said, indicating that he was waiting for Sam to lead him. Once they got moving, Jorge stuffed his hands into his leather jacket and followed after. ”So…tell me about this girlfriend of yours. You guys happy? You treat her right?”

As soon as he said it Sam had his answer. With a bow and a cue, Sam led the way with a small nod of his head and a heft of his bottle. Another swig and the heavily sedate mutant turned his head slightly to answer Jorge who probably doubted Juliette’s existence.

”Yeah,” the icemancer responded with a matter-of-fact tone indicating the old timer had no idea what. Juliette was real, his wife wasn’t. the stairs appeared and Sam leaned on the railing and slid down it. He landed on his feet and the pain of the knife wound reminded Sam it was still there. Grunting slightly, more ice surrounded his wound under his clothing.

Looking back to the waterman ”Imagine so. She’s been dating me for a few months at least.” the icemancer said recounting the first time he had asked the firefly out. ”She knows a bit about me. Not spooked off yet, but that could also mean she is trying to get close enough to kill me.” Sam mused as he sipped his bottle. It defiantly wasn’t the first time he had thought that and the last two times they happened.

”Jules is great.” the doors to the Danger Room swooshed open as he swaggered through them. ”She’s a nurse. Does work in the mansion and helps out on the team. You’ll meet her eventually.” Sam looked from Jorge to the God Room in the center of the large silver dome. Sam looked back to Jorge after a second and felt he had to add ”I like to think I treat all women right, catch more bees with honey.”

”What about you?” Sam cracked his neck then took a swig of his bottle before he set it down on the Danger Room’s metallic looking floor, ”Gemma can obviously put up with a lot given her job but the whole being dead thing?” Sam smirked, ”Most girls don’t stick around for it.” Sam slipped out of his shoes and dropped to them to the floor next to the bottle. Cracking his knuckles and putting his hands up in a good guard and faced Jorge.

Though there wasn’t a lot about Sam that Jorge knew, he did know that he respected the man. Anyone who can lead a team the way he does, who can fight with the demons in his head and keep swinging was alright by him. However it did concern him how much the man drank. He wanted to say something but there was little he could say that would be taken to heart right now. He would just have to hope to keep the man from killing himself. That was why he would accompany him on a trip to the Danger Room, all the better to keep him safe.

Making light conversation on the way down, Jorge had to take a little jab at the fact that Sam was actively dating someone as opposed to just having a one-night stand or keeping himself locked away in his bedroom the whole time. The man commented simple enough at the idea that he was dating, but followed that up with a little more information upon his companion, Jorge listened intently as the two of them descended down into the bellow of the mansion, where the more high tech and dangerous areas were situated.

As they walked, Sam did confess that his girlfriend was sticking out through the worst sides of him but in the end could have just been plotting to kill him this whole time. Jorge snorted at the comment as he followed. ”That’s how you keep the romance alive, suspect the other of murderous intent.”

At they approached the heavy metal doors, they slid open at Sam’s presence and allowed them access. Many a time Jorge had been down here, hoping to get some of the students to control their abilities, offering his assistance wherever it was needed, even training as part of the X—Men themselves. It was a good to be a part of, something that Jorge would always cherish. Was it still the life for him, though? That he still wasn’t sure of, especially after everything that went down in the last few years.

Shaken from his thoughts by Sam, the other referred to his girlfriend by name, stating that “Jules” was great. She was a nurse and has helped out on the team too. That was good to know as Sam clearly needed someone who could watch him on all fronts, both outside of the mansion and in its deepest sectors. Maybe she was a full-fledged X-Man too? If that were the case then he was certain that he would eventually meet her as well.

”She sounds great,” the detective commented as he set his jacket down on the ground and took several big steps away from it. As he did so, he rolled his shoulders, loosening his tight muscles in preparation for what was to come.

Sam had turned the question back on him, though. He wanted to know about Gemma and how she was handling everything that happened to him. Jorge had to smirk a little, not in a cocky or sad way, but just in a genuinely pleased manner. This whole ordeal was not without its drawbacks to his situation, but he was thankful everyday to have a woman like Gemma at his side. He mirrored Sam, slipping into a fighting position, arms up in a classic boxer pose, but Jorge was in no way predictable.

”She’s been a trooper,” Jorge said. ”Admittedly it was a surprise when she found out I was alive. One of the first faces I saw when I woke up in the hospital.” His fists tightened. ”Honestly, if it wasn’t for her and her ability to cancel out mine,” he shrugged. ”I dunno if I would have managed to pull myself together.”

Jorge stared down the combat instructor. Though Sam had some fo the drink him him, he shouldn’t be taken lightly either. That, and his ability over ice, made Jorge all the more wary to combat him. Of course, the detective was not without his own tricks. He would start slow and easy, just to test the waters.

A punch was thrown out, a jab followed in quick succession with two more from the same fist but lastly was followed by a low hook from his other fist, carrying with it a fraction of the sizeable strength that Jorge possessed. It was time to see where the two of them were at this point.

The punch came and Sam stepped to the side and redirected it as the older man threw a string of jabs topped with a hook. The jabs didn’t make that good of contact due to Sam leaning back enough to weaken the quick strikes but the hook he wasn’t so lucky. While he was used to moving with an injury the wound in his leg prevented him from stepping to the side fast enough to dodge the finally blow. It scrapped off of his ribs and with a low sounding thud Sam winched and then slapped his own hand into Jorge’s arm pushing the strike away after it had already made contact.

Sam smirked and threw a low kick followed by a back kick aimed at the water-mancer’s chest. Sam then turned and threw a flurry of punches at Jorge’s ribs and face. Not really carrying how many made contact the icemancer was relieved he was actually getting hit. It was a little dark Sam knew but it seemed lately other than drinking and the few fleeting moments with Juliette, a fight was one of the few things Sam knew was real. The pain from his knuckles or the bruises that were going to form on his chest from the strikes were just a reminder that he was indeed awake.

”I’m sure you would have gotten it together with or without her, old timers like yourself can make it through anything.” Sam said as he ducked then threw an uppercut. ”So does that mean you are going to take her away from the mansion?” Sam teased knowing that many of the kids would miss her but it would be one less person to avoid in the hallways.

Though Jorge has engaged in physical therapy and done regular exercise to keep his body strong after he was sure he wouldn’t have melted into nothing more than a puddle, combat training was something that the detective had not managed to keep up with. There was the random individual training that he partook in, such as shadowboxing, but it was a poor excuse for actually training one-on-one. Still, despite his apparent lack in keeping up with such a regiment, Jorge was not going to be a push over by any sense of the word.

He begun the attack, jabbing in succession towards Sam. Of course the man was experienced enough to step back, moving himself just out of Jorge’s reach but the jabs were quickly followed by Jorge coming in close for a firm, brick-like hook to the ribs. Jorge was actually surprised that punch managed to land and caused the other man to stumble. However it would only be a momentary victory as the combat instructor lashed out.

Again, Jorge was no pushover. Anyone else may have feel victim to the barrage of attacks but the detect be was quick, side-stepping and blocking the majority of the kicks. Sadly his hand was firmly pushed into his chest as he grunt, pushed back by the man strong back kick. Jorge barely recovered in time to block and weave around the rest of the onslaught, still he managed, that is until one punch managed to sneak through and catch him on the jaw.

Jorge stumbled back but immediately caught his footing, smirking as the pain throbbed in his cheek. Sam mentioned that he would have been fine without Gemma, he had faith that an old-timer like him would have eventually gotten the handle of it.

”Maybe,” Jorge agreed. ”But there was no reason to go through something like that alone. That’s what partners are for.”

He closed the gap between them, probably quicker than Sam would have guessed as Jorge threw his knee forward, seeking to bring it home into Sam’s gut. But should that be deflected or dodged, Jorge was quick to recover by swiping with a hard elbow aimed at the man’s blind side.

It was here where the question of his intentions with Gemma came to mind. Was he going to steal her away? Take her from the place that she called home and all the kids that she worked with. The man scoffed.

”Seeing as I’ve been dead for the past three or four years, my apartment and all my stuff sold, except for the things that Gemma managed to put into storage for me, I don’t think I have any place to steal her away to.” A firm kick followed another elbow as a smirk danced on his lips. ”Luckily my fiancée is willing to share her room here in the meantime. You do live in a mansion, after all. I think you can spare the space.”

Sam leaned forward a little when Jorge charged him waiting for his feet to leave the ground or to block a kick a knee wasn’t something the icemancer was expecting but a hand inbetween the knee and his gut softened the blow. Still hurt but the wind being knocked out of him versus a rib broken. He’d take trying to catch his breath any day.

Pushing all the air from his lungs his sixth sense picked up on an elbow coming towards his blind side. Sam leaned in towards Jorge and brought his head to the man’s chest making the elbow graze the intended target. Sam started to laugh and pushed himself from the water-man and then smirked, ”Fair I guess.” Sam leaned into his block as the kick came and hit his arm hard. Sam could have sidestepped but he couldn’t have gotten to where he wanted to go if he stepped back. All Sam had to do now was grab onto the leg and…

Sam ducked the last second and lost control of the situation and pushed himself away. A step forward proceeded shortly after as Sam jumped into the air trying to throw some more weight into his knee as he thrust forward towards Jorge’s chest. ”You’ll have to fill out some paperwork if you want to live in the same room.” Sam joked as he landed and threw a jab followed by a hook. ”Might be able to push the paperwork through if you spar like this everyday.” he smirked, ”Easier to just take her”

The man may have drunk like a fish but goddamn he always knew how to fight. Whenever the two of them had sparred, Jorge always found himself just barely keeping up (at least by his standards). Others would have said that the detective was shortchanging himself; after all, we are our own worst critics. But now, maybe it was his age, maybe it was the fact that he was liquid for the past few years, but Jorge found himself not feeling as on par as he used to. Oh he was still pretty up there but it was something that the detective, nonetheless, managed to notice.

Jorge almost landed a solid hit. His kick was firm but Sam proved to be stronger, more fearless. He didn’t sidestep or move around it as expected, but instead leaned into it. it would have left the detective open for a rather devastating attack but the man had managed to swipe with another elbow. It almost landed but instead struck nothing but air as Sam ducked and pushed himself away from the encounter. This momentarily knocked Jorge off balance but he righted himself just in time to catch Sam’s knee coming for him.

There was no time. Jorge did his best to catch Sam’s knee but it was solid. The cartilage and bone dug into his hand and shoved it deep against his chest. The man growled as he felt himself pushed backwards by momentum. His chest burned, his hand grew numb, and finally he just gave in. He felt himself start to topple so the detective did the only thing that he could do – he let go. For a second he balanced on one foot, looking as if he would fully fall over, but stopped himself by firmly planting his second foot at an awkward angle. Using this, Jorge side-stepped / spun out of Sam’s so that the ice-mancer would be forced to follow through into open air. While distracted with that, Jorge spinning until he faced Sam’s back, hopped, and threw a punch. Back of the head, shoulder, middle of the back, it didn’t matter, it was a gambit of a punch.

Whether or not it landed, Jorge took a step back, smirking at his sparring partner, putting his hands up again into a fighting position. ”Sam, I’m an N.Y.P.D. detective. I have seen paperwork the likes of which will make you go cross-eyed…um…cross-eye.” he snorted. ”Besides, I’m sure if you make it too difficult Gemma will want to have words with you. I doubt you can avoid her forever.”

If he wasn’t such a good guy Sam would be more worried about Jorge, the man was a model cop and was currently in a relationship with the school guidance couple. It was such a ‘good’ pairing Sam could only laugh if someone asked if he was afraid of Jorge. That didn’t mean he was stupid though. Sam felt then saw Jorge coming around from behind and swinging. The icemancer threw his shoulder into the punch opposed to anything else. Sure ice could have formed but this was some friendly sparring.

Sam wiped his nose with a finger and then got back into a fighting stance, ”You have any idea how good I am avoiding women I don’t want to see?” Sam asked laughing, ”Like” Sam snapped his fingers. ”that.”

”And you have any idea how many times the west boys bathroom exploded?” Sam shot back, ”I have so much paperwork it will make you…” Sam paused for a second not sure what he should say to combat his cross eye comment. ”Dehydrated?” he paused, ”Older?” Sam shrugged and then charged towards the water-mancer again this time charging in with a hook, a very telegraphed hook.