Gemma listened to the story with a smile on her face; it was truly fascinating, hearing how a fifteen-year-old parted the ocean. She was a bit surprised she didn't hear about it back then; then again, it was a long time ago. Maybe she did. Maybe she just didn't care.
But now, from her currenf point of view, it might as well had been a miracle.

"Just because something has an explanation, it doesn't mean it's not a miracle." she chuckled, looking at him. She wondered how it felt for him to be close to her for a long time; missing something that had been part of him for so long.

>>“So, what about you, Gemma? When did your ability develop?”

She sipped some water before she started her own story.

"I don't really know. I have been working with kids for a long time; teacher, coach, guidance counselor, all kinds of things. You know, some kids are just more trouble than others; and then there are mutants. I... had a habit of taking them in when they just discovered their powers, and sometimes, there were accidents, when they couldn't control them. And after a while, I startedto notice their abilities stopped working when they came too close..." she paused ".... I don't think I've always had this ability, but I couldn't tell when it started. And I spent years thinking I was a mutant, before I found out I'm not." she smirked "And I still don't think it makes any difference, really."

>> "Just because something has an explanation, it doesn't mean it's not a miracle."

She really was something. The thought bounced around in his head as he listened to that sagely advice and he knew right then and there that there was indeed something special inside of her. She had this ability to find so much good, to know exactly what to say. For so long Jorge disliked those fanatics who believed he was God’s child, or blessed by Moses, but this woman made it sound better than any of their theories. And he was thankful to be sitting across the table from her.

>> "And I still don't think it makes any difference, really."

Jorge was silent as he listened to this. He knew where she was coming from. Even though he had abilities, it still did not mean that he had all the answers. It’s easy to think that just because you have a power that no one else possesses that you can make a whole world of difference. Truth is though, sometimes abilities are can end up as more of a curse. But as he looked at Gemma, he reached over the table and very gently touched her hand.

“You know, I’ve learned something, in all my years as a police officer,” he said as he locked eyes with her. “I’ve seen a lot of things, good and bad, powerful and weak. But the one thing that I can attest to, is that it is never power, or talent that makes the difference in the world,” he smiled as a small twinkle appeared in his eye, “It’s the person behind them.”

He gave her hand a small squeeze as he slowly, and reluctantly retracted his hand from hers and once more returned to the boundaries of his side of the table. What he said was absolutely true. Out of everything he had seen in his line of work, he knew for a fact that people made the differences, not the abilities. Because powers are just tools, it is the person who uses them who decides if it is for good or bad.

“Trust me, Gemma. Even before I joined the MRC, I saw a lot of runaways, teens, outright children who turned a bad path because someone was not there to guide them. You seem to genuinely care and that itself makes a difference. I know for a fact that half the tragedies I’ve seen could have been avoided if they had someone to care for them, the way it seems like you do,” he said as with a firmness in his voice that allowed there to be no question. “You do good work and I respect that.”

>>“You know, I’ve learned something, in all my years as a police officer. I’ve seen a lot of things, good and bad, powerful and weak. But the one thing that I can attest to, is that it is never power, or talent that makes the difference in the world. It’s the person behind them.”

Gemma smiled back at him as he held her hand, and she let him speak. Now wasn't that just sweet. He was speaking the truth, and he was speaking from his heart, she could tell that much. It was nice to hear someone speak like that.

>>"I know for a fact that half the tragedies I’ve seen could have been avoided if they had someone to care for them, the way it seems like you do. You do good work and I respect that.”

Gemma chuckled softly, he pulled his hand back although she didn't really mind the contact. Wow, that was some speech.

"Thank you" she smiled "That is always good to hear. Actually..." she added with a small smirk "I meant, it doesn't make any difference if I am mutant or adapted human. Essentially it's the same thing, having powers others don't possess. But. I am glad you said those things. Thank you, Jorge."

He was such a gentleman. How did he manage to stay single so long?...

The waiter arrived with their food, and some wine. It was time to discover what they ordered.

>> "I meant, it doesn't make any difference if I am mutant or adapted human. Essentially it's the same thing, having powers others don't possess. But. I am glad you said those things. Thank you, Jorge.”

Jorge had to sigh as he thought back on this. Of course that was what she meant. Though, as usual, he had good intentions, his tongue slipped him up. Yet, even though he could feel that flush of crimson that wanted to appear on his cheek, he managed to suppress it just enough to calm himself when he heard her say “Thank you.” At least he hoped that would not mean she would cross of points for not listening closely. Wait…was she keeping a score card? Do women do that? He shook the thoughts away when he saw the waiter return to their table and carried a tray laden down with covered dishes. He had faith that the good waiter would see them through this language barrier and here was going to be the results of that.

The waiter smiled as he set out his stand and placed the tray on top of it. “Hello, aren’t you a great looking couple?” The young man grinned with his practiced speech that he must deliver to every pair who comes in to have dinner. “Here we go… confit de canard …” he set one tray down, “and… Coq Au Vin .” He then set up their two glasses and poured for each of them a small amount of wine and placed it on a basin of ice on their table for them to enjoy as they please. “Please, enjoy your meal and the live music. The floor shall be open for dancing shortly.”

Jorge watched as the waiter disappeared, silently he cursed the man for mentioning dancing, after all, he moved like a grizzly bear with four left feet. But then again, as he turned back to Gemma he had to smile a little inward. It might not be too bad with her. And besides, it could have turned out much worse. Instead of dancing in a small French Bistro, they could’ve gone to a dance club or a rave and the most recent dance move he could still remember was the Macarena, and he sure as hell was not going to be doing that.

A rave? Really Jorge…? he admonished himself briefly with a chuckle before he turned back to her and waved her to her dish encouraging.

“If I jump, you jump right?” he sighed as he placed his napkin neatly across his neat and issued a small prayer of thanks. Then, with a fork full, he took a bite, chewed for a few seconds before he nodded and wiped his lips with the clean white linen of his napkin. “Wow, that is actually very good. How is yours?”

Jorge sighed a bit in content as he partook of this meal with Gemma. He was having a particularly good time as they ate, cracked small jokes and continued their conversation in-between bites of food, and he was happy that he did have the chance to go out and just have a fun time with someone. Around them they glanced about and saw the lights dim just a little more and a on the stage, the songstress with the guitar had taken her place in front of the microphone again. Slowly she started to sing as couples began to get up and slow dance to her voice. That just completed the atmosphere of the restaurant as this cop and counseler shared a meal and continued to simply talk, delving to an endless well of things to say.

"Aren't we a great looking couple?" Gemma murmured, mimicking the waiter after he left. How did people come to say things out of the blue? Did it ever come out right? Blah.

>>“If I jump, you jump right? Wow, that is actually very good. How is yours?”

"It's good" Gemma nodded after she tasted the food she got "The French can cook. Who would have thought." she added with a small smirk.

The food was more than good; it was an excellent meal, and Gemma was glad this didn't turn out to be some wkward date where you try to decide to eat the food or hurt your partner's feelings. The food was great, the conversation was fun, the setting was nice. And there was live music.

"Well" she concluded once the meal was over and she was sipping some more wine, smiling at Jorge over thetable "This is more fun than I remember."

>> "Well…This is more fun than I remember."

“I know,” he said with a smile. “I can’t remember the last time I did something even remotely as fun as this. Guess my sister was right, I do need to get out more.” he laughed a little as he finished his meal as well.

He drank only a little wine, a sip with his meals here and there. It was definitely good and it mixed the food greatly, opening up the flavors to new levels. The bistro he used to attend back in Miami was not as fancy as this, which was why he could not recall any of the meals on the menu. But despite that mini panic of unfamiliarity, he was happy to have received such great help from the waiter. He had eaten until he was satisfied, not overly full stomached, thankfully, and now just grinned as he shared a simple time with a beautiful woman.

A glance back to the dance floor, it seemed as if the singer was getting reading for another tune. He had to admit that it did look a little fun. So, after a few minutes of more conversation to let their food settle, Jorge looked back to Gemma and he smirked just a little.

“So, I don’t know if you’re up for this,” he said as he stood up and left his coat on the back of the chair. He adjusted his shirt as he came around to her side and offered his hand to her, “I’m not saying I’m the best dancer in the world. But I think it would be an incredible crime if I did not at least offer. After all, I am an officer and I must uphold the law,” he smiled as he said this. He knew he sounded corny but at the moment, he was just going with the mood.

>>“So, I don’t know if you’re up for this. I’m not saying I’m the best dancer in the world. But I think it would be an incredible crime if I did not at least offer. After all, I am an officer and I must uphold the law,”

Oh yes. There was a plan to all this, a screenplay she'd almost forgot. Boy was she out of practice. She hadn't been on a date since... forever. Not on a proper one anyway, and definitely not on any that was as nice as this. So, first, dinner, and then dancing, and then... other things.
Right now: dancing.

"Well, I can't really resist, can I" Gema grinned as she stood, taking his hand and following him to the dance floor. This was another thing she hadn't done in ages; to tell the complete truth, she was never properly taught how to dance. But a lady can't show that now, can she.

Rule number one: let the guy lead. Even if he's a terrible dance, let him keep his dignity.
Check.
Rule number two: Don't step on his feet.
Check.
Rule number three: Don't look down.
Check.
Rule number four: Enjoy.
Check.

And so the next step was made. He took her hand gently in his, squeezed it as she stood up and he led her off to the dance floor. The crowd as thinned a little after the first dance so there was enough room for Jorge and Gemma to find a nice spot that was not too close to anyone else. That way if their dancing were not up to par, it would at least they would be the only ones to know it.

Once on the dance floor, Jorge ran through his memories, trying to think back to all the times his sister used to make him dance with her when she would practice for plays or whatnot. The very basics were there, he just had to remember them. But, as he stood in front of Gemma, under the dim light of the polished dance floor, his eyes locked with her and all those memories began to float back. They had to otherwise he would look like a fool. He took a quick breath as he stood there, gently took her left hand, pressed in close, and placed his other hand on her hip, very respectably.

Please, I’m begging you stay in line just for tonight… He reasoned with himself and knew that the point of no return had come.

A small spotlight appeared on the stage and illuminated the singer, a young brunette woman who situated herself on a stool and readied her guitar. She smiled at everyone as she tapped her microphone to make sure she could be heard clearly. Then, once she saw that everyone on the dance floor was ready, she began to sing this song .

The tone was soft and quite frankly very beautiful and slow, something that Jorge could definitely do. If it were any faster, he knew he would be in trouble, but the song fit this romantic atmosphere. He held Gemma close, but not too tight and started to lead the dance, slow and gentle. He did not dare to look at his feet for fear of messing up and instead simply watched her eyes. The detective could not take his eyes off of her as they continued this slow dance, wrapped around the musical French words that floated around them.

“You are beautiful, you know that?” he whispered honestly as he swayed her gently, referring not only to her appearance, but their conversation as well. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me."

>>“You are beautiful, you know that? Thank you for agreeing to go out with me."

"Thank you. And you're welcome." Gemma smiled back, swaying with him to the music "Not like it was some serious effort that should be thanked." she chuckled at him.

It really wasn't. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the idea that she was dating again, and it was not at all horrible. They both had a lot of things, mutations and issues that usually scared people away; and still, they seemed to get along together just fine. Maybe it was the secret: understanding where the other came from.

"I am kind of our ot practice" she chuckled, meaning the dance, dating, relationships, whatever. She let it hang in the air as they continued to dance. It was a nice song, and a nice moment too.

Mom, now that's just cheesy. Ew.
That's what Valerie would say. Yes.

>> "I am kind of out of practice"

“You seem to be doing just fine to me,” he said with a smile as he still held her close.

The song continued on and they danced to it. Jorge moved a bit lighter on his feet than he thought was possible for him but he did not dwell too much on that. He did not want to jinx himself, trip and end up knocking her down clean on her butt. Do not laugh, it happened once before when he was fourteen. That was all he would need ruin this night. Then again, Gemma seemed to be very lighthearted herself so she would probably just end up laughing with him. Though he would hate to have to see her sprawled out on the dance floor because of his uncouth dancing feet.

Slowly the music wound down and Jorge very gently, and reluctantly stopped. He moved his hand away from her hip and took a step back away from her with a smile on his face. He then raised her hand he still held and kissed it very gently on the back.

“Thank you for the dance. I was lucky. I was sure I would have tripped you up at least once,” his relief could be heard in his voice.

He then escorted her back to their table, pulled out her chair for her to sit, and then returned back to his own chair where he took sip of water. So far the night was going on very well. He did not want it to end, but luckily the night was still young. At least he hoped so for her. She told him that she was on call 24/7 for the mansion she worked at, so he did not want to keep her out too late…but then again, they really were just having a great time.

“ I haven’t danced like that since I was a teenager,” Jorge said with a little smirk.

The thought of that made him cringe just a little. He started to feel a little old when he said that. Normally this was not something to bother him because he kept himself so busy with work. But now would not be the time to go over this. Gemma was here with him and while he may be in his forties on paper, right now, with her, he felt so much younger.

>>"Thank you for the dance. I was lucky. I was sure I would have tripped you up at least once,”

She smiled as he kissed her hand; now he was getting dangerously close to the 'too good to be true' line, but he was still on the safe side.

"In that case" she chuckled "Thank you for not tripping me up. I appreciate it. To tell the truth" she added with a smirk as they walked back to the table "I was hoping I would manage in these heels without steppin on your feet. That would ahve hurt both of us."

So, they got through the dance without any accidents. Life couldn't possibly get any better.

>>“ I haven’t danced like that since I was a teenager,”

"Me neither" she chuckled before she kinda remembered her ex husband and their early years together "All right, maybe I did. But that was also a long time ago." she smiled "Single mothers don't usually work up a rich dating history. Well, not with kids like mine, anyway." she added. She really, really loved her kids. That didn't mean they were not complete brats from time to time.

>> "Single mothers don't usually work up a rich dating history. Well, not with kids like mine, anyway."

He had to chuckle as she spoke. It was funny to him because for someone who has not had that much dating time as she claims to have had, she really seemed to be doing great job tonight. She was not being probing or called him on any of the small mistakes he’d already done, as a matter of fact she was simply being probably one of the best dates he had had in such a long time.

“Police officers don’t get much a dating queue either,” he said as he took another thoughtful sip of his water.

As she mentioned her kids again, he had to smile. In all honestly the thought of himself having children had never really occurred to him. Not because he did not like kids or because he felt he was not ready, but simply because the thought had never occurred to him. After Nichole, his dating career had been very small and meager to the point that he never got that far into thinking that with a woman. Not that Jorge was some sort of playboy it was simply that things did not work out for one reason or another. And this continued on until he simply gave up. That is…until Lizzie ran up to Gemma and started to chew on her pant leg.

“You sound like you have some great times with your kids,” he said with a small laugh. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about them?”

>>“Police officers don’t get much a dating queue either,”

Gemma wondered why that was. She could think of a series of possible reasons, explanations and excuses, but none of them seemed serious enough to keep all women away from police officers. Well, not like all of them were single either. Still, when it came to occupations, dangerous ones usually tended to get women's attention.
Then again, no one ever explained either why single mothers were... well, single.

>>“You sound like you have some great times with your kids. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about them?”

Gemma smiled that special smile mother have when they talk about their kids. She was not one of those who would go on an on and on about them endlessly, but she would definitely answer the question.

"Well, Laurent's 20, and Valerie's 19; they are both living in LA now. Laurent's in med school, and Valerie wants to be an engineer." she smirked "They are great kids. I... got divorced when they were teenagers, about five... six years ago" has it really been so long? she wondered "And now that they moved out..." she chuckled "I needed to find other kids to look after. I get bored easily."

>> "They are great kids. I... got divorced when they were teenagers, about five... six years ago"

Jorge frowned a little as she said this. He could see that it still must have been hard for her have gotten a divorce, especially after her children had reached such an age. He really could not have imagined what that must have been like for her to go through. His own parents had stayed together, but he remember growing up, Nichole’s parents had gotten divorced when she was still young. They had almost reconciled until the incident at the beach. That was enough to split them up. He learned that much before he was whisked away to Florida to spend the rest of life with a bit of guilt about it.

He smiled as he watched the expression on Gemma’s face though. She really must have been so proud of her children though. He could see it in her face and in the twinkle in her eyes. Jorge was not a parent so he could not even imagine the well of pride that she probably had in the deepest part of her body when it came to being around her two children. Still, to have them so far again, across the continent must have been very difficult.

“They sound very intelligent,” he said with a chuckle. “They must give you a run for your money, but then again…you do have the glare.” The topic of her glare would be a ripe for a quick teasing now and then but he would make sure not to overdo it.

Things were going well. He was happy that she felt comfortable enough to tell him such things about her life that, considering the fact that she said she had not dated in so long, she more than likely told few people. In a way it made him feel just slightly special. But as he listened to her speak, he could also see that she must have had questions about him. He had told her much already, but he knew there was probably something nagging at her in the back of her mind.

As silence came upon them again, he smirked and spoke, “There is something I want to thank you for. You see, usually by this time in the few dates I’ve been on, I get asked THE question,” he sighed a little in remembrance, chuckling to himself, before he turned back to Gemma. “Usually by now, as I’ve come to experience, a woman wonders…why is it that I am still single?” he smiled as he nodded. “And I’ve heard it all from proclamations of am I not straight? Or am I workaholic? Or am I just not who I appear to be while dating? So, thank you, though I’m sure you are curious.” he said with a smile and relaxed back into his seat. “But, I like you Gemma. I do. So, I’m an open book. So if you were to ask, I think I could answer you honestly.”

>>“They sound very intelligent. They must give you a run for your money, but then again…you do have the glare.”

"You don't say" she sair, arching an eyebrow at him; her expression was serious, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. So, she had the glare. She did. That was not part of her superhuman ability, but it was her most dangerous weapn none the less.
Gemma chuckled and sipped some wine.

>> “There is something I want to thank you for."

"Oh?" she smirked, tilting her head, waiting for Jorge to continue. Thank her for what? Sentences that started out like that usually ended up either really cheesy or quite weird.

>>"You see, usually by this time in the few dates I’ve been on, I get asked THE question. Usually by now, as I’ve come to experience, a woman wonders…why is it that I am still single? And I’ve heard it all from proclamations of am I not straight? Or am I workaholic? Or am I just not who I appear to be while dating? So, thank you, though I’m sure you are curious. But, I like you Gemma. I do. So, I’m an open book. So if you were to ask, I think I could answer you honestly.”

Wow, Gemma thought, I wonder if he's rehearsed that speech. It was quite a long one.
She smiled as she put down her glass, and rested her chin on her knuckles, looking at him.

"So, you are not like other people" she noted; that was why many women were suspicious about his character, history and preferences. It only made sense "Then again, nobody is." she added, still smiling "In my experience, asking directly doesn't usually get you anywhere. So, I thought I'd wait. But now that you mention it... Do you have something you want to tell me about why you are single?"