”Of course I get a machine. Uh, sorry about that DocProf. This is Detective Jorge Cervantes, Um I don’t know if you remember me. Gemma Taylor brought me to you a couple weeks back to have my jaw healed from a nasty fight. I know you’re busy, obviously because I got your voice mail, ha ha. Uh, anyways, I got some nasty bruises on my neck and I was wondering maybe you could squeeze me in for a healing at your earliest convince. I do apologize for the last minute notice of this. Just one thing, if you run into Gemma…can you not tell her about this? Last thing she needs to hear about is how I was nearly strangled. Please call me back at…”

That was the message Jorge Cervantes left for the Mansion’s resident healer last night. After he had dropped Andrew off at the mansion, Jorge had returned home and found that the pain on his neck was a little worse. He knew he was going to be sore, but he did not thing that the thug had strangled him that hard. Then again he was close to passing out and then death so of course it must have been that hard, otherwise he would not feel this pain. As a result the detective spent a sleepless night trying to get comfortable in bed, only to find that most every position caused him a little pain. On top of that he had a hell of a time just swallow the asprin he had to take.

In the bright daylight of the morning, the detective shuffled over to his bathroom and winced as he pulled down the collar of his shirt to check the marks. The attempted strangulation was even more evident. His neck had several finger marks from where the man had tried to choke the life out of him. The fiery red bruises glared back at him and he had to sigh. He could pass if off as a hickey…

“What am I? Fourteen?” he said with a irritated sigh at himself. “They’ll prolly think a octopus tried to neck me…”

With that, Jorge started his morning ritual. Brushing of teeth, a warm shower to try and forget last night. It was hard because even the water hurt his throat but still he forced himself through. He was slowly getting used to the soreness. After his shower he patted his neck dry and proceeded to dress himself in black sweat pants and another green t-shirt that said AC/DC across the chest. He yawned, winced and shook his head as he wandered out into his living room. Lizzie was dancing happily as she waited for him near her food bowl. He smirked as he wandered over and gently patted her on the head.

“How you doing sweetie?” he croaked as he scratched behind her ear and get her her morning dry food and cold hard boiled egg.

He then turned to set a tea kettle on the stove. He sat back against his counter and ran through the things he would have to do today. He needed to get to the precinct and see what he could do for Andrew. The kid had not called him, he anticipated that. Andrew needed to handle this on his own for now if he was going to get through it. For now, Jorge would help him by doing the best he could with the case. He wouldn’t let his life get ruined.

Then a cold shudder ran up his spine as he glanced over to his door. Even Lizzie looked up from her breakfast and eyed the door suspiciously. It felt like some terrifying force of nature was going to suddenly appear at his doorway…

”Of course I get a machine. Uh, sorry about that DocProf. This is Detective Jorge Cervantes, Um I don’t know if you remember me. Gemma Taylor brought me to you a couple weeks back to have my jaw healed from a nasty fight. I know you’re busy, obviously because I got your voice mail, ha ha. Uh, anyways, I got some nasty bruises on my neck and I was wondering maybe you could squeeze me in for a healing at your earliest convince. I do apologize for the last minute notice of this. Just one thing, if you run into Gemma…can you not tell her about this? Last thing she needs to hear about is how I was nearly strangled. Please call me back at…”

Gemma was at the Infirmary, cleaning the scratched elbows of one of the kids who accidentally got into a fight. She'd learned she didn't need to bother DocProf with things like that - he was swamped enough already, and the scratches didn't really need healing anyway.
Also, DocProf was out, the door to his office half open, the answering machine picking up the call from a certain police detective... who was in trouble. Big. Trouble.
Cue thunder int he distance.

The next morning, Gemma was standing outside Jorge's apartment with a look on her face that would have made mythical monsters cower in fear.
'Do not tell Gemma'?! I'll show you 'do not tell Gemma'. Bloody idiot.

The dark skinned woman knocked. She knew he'd be at home; it was too early for work yet. Gemma folded her arms and waited, staring down the door.
He'd better open it.

That shudder ran up Jorge’s spine again as he stood still and watched the door. He looked down and noted that Lizzie was staring at him with that look that simply said “You’re A Dead Man” before she bolted off to hide somewhere. He never could find her hiding places when she got scared. A good lightning and thunder storm and Lizzie disappeared off the face of the earth. That seems to be exactly what the situation was. A storm had gathered outside his door.

Jorge tip-toed up to the door and simply muttered to himself. “Please…don’t let it be who I think it is.”

Upon arriving at his door, Jorge peeked out through the peep hole and immediately saw that familiar, though now angry face. A string of silently muttered explicatives flew from his mouth as he turned away from the door. He sighed and wanted to hit himself for being so worried. He was a cop who has been beaten up, shot at, stabbed and had all sorts of mutant abilities thrown at him and yet he was worried about what this woman would do. Suck it up! he thought to himself, but the voice was so meek that he ignored it.

I need a….disguise… he thought as he quickly dashed into his kitchen and snagged a baby blue dishrag. He tied it quickly around his neck and checked his reflection in a metal coffee mug he owned. He shook his head as he whispered, “I look like Fred from Scooby Doo.”

Unable to kill any more time, he went with the look and returned to the doorway. He peered out through the glass again…yup she was still there and she still looked mad. Did she find out about what happened? Did Andrew tell her? He would not have been surprised if he did, the kid needed to talk to someone. He had hoped though that Andrew would have told him ahead of time.

Finally, Jorge responded to the knocking. “Hi Gemma!” he said cheerfully as he unlocked and slowly pulled open the door. He grinned his Jorge-grin and leaned against the doorway with a smile. “Heeeeeeeeey Gemma. Good morning. What a surprise to see you here…at my apartment…first thing in the morning…” he smiled and tried to ignore the blue rag wrapped around his neck.

You’re so dead Jorge… he muttered to himself.

>>“Hi Gemma! Heeeeeeeeey Gemma. Good morning. What a surprise to see you here…at my apartment…first thing in the morning…”

"You have no idea." Gemma said with a charming smile. Placing one palm against his chest, she pushed him inside before kicking the door shut; anyone who might have happened to see the scene would have bet Jorge was in for an awesome morning.
And boy, would they be wrong about that.

"So, what have you been up to, since we last met?" she asked in a nice chatty voice as she backed him against the wall in the hallway, fingers untying the knot on the blue piece of rag that had been screaming 'I want to hide my neck'. "Anything you want to tell me about?"

Gemma refused to enjoy the situation. She had been pissed, last night; since then, she manaed to calm down a bit, feel grateful that at least Jorge was still alive, then get pissed again on her way here, thinking about the message and how he didn't want her to know.
She wasnot enjoying this. Not one bit.

>> "So, what have you been up to, since we last met? … Anything you want to tell me about?"

“Oh, nothing much,” he said with a smile. “Little bit of work, this and that.”

Okay so at first things did not seem so bad. Gemma had walked in, a knock out as always, with that coy smile and that gentle touch of her hand against his chest. He felt himself being pushed back until he was cornered against the wall. Unfortunately men in such a predictament don’t always catch on quickly that they are in danger. So instead of fleeing at first, Jorge simply went with it, smiled into Gemma eyes and placed his hands on her waist as she pressed close. He did not know what prompted this early morning appearance at his apartment, but he wasn’t going to question it.

Then…he felt those fingers toying with the knot on the dishrag / scarf around his neck. He was in imminent danger of being discovered so as subtle as he could he slipped out under her arms and tried to make space between them. He checked the make sure the scarf was still there before he back away.

“Oh, you know, it’s a little cold in here,” he muttered and pointed at the rag. “Don’t want to catch cold you know.” He continued to try and make space between himself and Gemma.

Lizzie came trotting out the second she heard Gemma’s voice and happily found her way over to the woman. The bulldog panted in joy as she sat and Gemma’s feet and gently pawed her leg. Jorge could swear that the dog was trying to beg for forgiveness on behalf of Jorge. He sighed as he looked between Lizzie and Gemma and finally conceded. She would find out anyways.

He carefully undid the rag and exposed his neck for her with a wince. The dark red bruises were clearly shown now, those of fingers that had clamped around a human throat for far too long.

“I...was going to tell you.”

>>“Oh, nothing much. Little bit of work, this and that.”

"Uh-huh" Gemma nodded, working on the knot. It was a good knot - either Jorge had been prancing around all day wearing a carefully tied dishrag, or he was good at tying knots quickly and well. "I've been busy too. Seems like I spend half of my days at the Infirmary with the kids."

Jorge escaped, backing away from her, and still trying to keep up the game about the impromptu scarf.

>>“Oh, you know, it’s a little cold in here. Don’t want to catch cold you know.”

Lizzie appeared, and Gemma leaned down to scratch her behind the ears; she was starting to like the dog, even though she was apparently trying to distract her from Jorge.

>>“I...was going to tell you.”

Gemma looked up and winced as she saw the bruises. She expected they were bad, since Jorge asked for healing - she knw pretty well he didn't do that if he injuries were not that serious. Walking closer, she tilted his chin gently to look at his neck.

"No you were not." she muttered, frowning at what she saw "But you will now. What happened? Another mutant?"

>> "No you were not…But you will now. What happened? Another mutant?"

She could be very direct, which was one of the qualities that Jorge really did appreciate and like about Gemma. She did not take any guff from anyone, most of all injured police detectives whom she was currently dating. At first he wanted to defend himself that he had planned to tell her when the time was right, but there really was no point to it. The last thing he needed to do was dig the hole deeper for himself. He was already skating a pretty thin line here so the needed to keep the badness down to a minimum.

He simply nodded that he would tell her and wandered over to sit on the couch. He waited until she sat next to him before he got into the story. Lizzie, seeing the situation as hopeless for Jorge, merely trotted back over to her food bowl to continue the breakfast she had been interrupted in having earlier.

“No, it wasn’t another mutant. I was out with a friend last night. I’m training him at the All-American Star Boxing gym. When we were done, we went to go get some food, but we got cornered,” he explained. “Group of four tried to mug us. They forced us into an alley, we managed to get away, fought of couple of them off, then…as we were making out escape,” he sighed as he shook his head. He still hated thinking that he put Andrew in this situation. “One of them pulled out a gun and chased us into another alley. I told my friend to hide, he did and I tried to take care of the muggers myself. I did okay until the guy with the gun got the drop on me. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, I had knocked the gun from his hand, and…he then tried to strangle me.”

There was more but he was reluctant to say at first. It was obvious that Andrew had told her nothing and he did not want to bring Gemma’s gaze on the kid. But then again, she was the school counselor and Andrew was definitely going to need help. After all…the kid killed someone. You don’t bottle up those emotions and deal with them later. You simply can’t do that.

Finally he looked up at Gemma again.

“I tried Gemma. I tried to fight him off but…he had too good of a grip. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t see…then I heard his gun go off.” he shook his head at the thought. “The man was killed…by one of the kids that go to your school…in order to save my life.”

>>“The man was killed…by one of the kids that go to your school…in order to save my life.”

Gemma listened to the story quietly, giving her full attetion to it. She knew all too well he would have kept it a secret, and she could see why; it was starting to look more and more as if he got into trouble every time he stepped out of his apartment. People trying to kill him was his status quo.
It wasn't, however, the status quo of her students, and she was pretty darn determined not to let it happen.

"You should have told me sooner." she said finally, after long minutes of silence "I need to know about things like this to do my job, Jorge. Who is the kid?"

Because right now, somewhere in the Mansion, therewas a kid who'd killed a man last night. That was something she needed to deal with, as soon as possible.

>> "You should have told me sooner...I need to know about things like this to do my job, Jorge. Who is the kid?"

I know Gemma, and I apologize for that. It would have been the corniest thing to say, but it would be the right thing. In a way she really did need to know these things. After all the wellbeing, socially and mentally, depended a lot on the information she was privy too. She could not well be expected to do her job successfully when students were running around shooting people behind her back and she had no knowledge of it. They needed her help. He told her on their first date that so many people go down dark roads because they don’t have the right hand there guiding them. Gemma was a good person and could steer anyone on the right path.

“I know, and I’m sorry. I really don’t want to seem like I was purposely keeping things from you. Especially when it comes to those kids.” The detective was truly apologetic as he stared intently at the coffee table in front of him. “It’s no excuse but it was a long night, and I spent a greater part of it trying to keep him from getting his name dragged through the dirt.”

Jorge stood up then as he began to pace the room. The night had been sleepless from pain as well as worry for what he was going to do to protect the kid. He ran through every scenario in his head, what could or could not happen. He did not want to see Andrew go to jail just for saving his life. He was too nice to deserve a fate like that. Is this what survivor’s guilt was like? Jorge shook the thought as he stood still and finally turned back to face Gemma.

“His name is Andrew Leroy. He’s a college student that stays at the mansion.” Jorge responded as he began to gnaw on his thumbnail. Old, bad habit. “I’m doing what I can to slow the incident, bury it in paperwork at the precinct. I even called in a favor or two from the guys, but at most, it’s going to just slow down the process. He was lucky they let us leave the scene that night. But I figured he didn’t need that kind of pressure that comes from being thrown in jail for saving a life.” It was out and stress was evident on Jorge’s face. The normally hardened cop, but still usually with a grin on his face, was a little deep in thought. Especially because to him, a life depended on it. “He can claim self-defense, but the problem is that the man wasn’t coming after him, he was attacking me. Andrew shot him from behind. I really don’t know how this is going to go.”

Jorge found himself wandering back over to his kitchen. Lizzie looked up curiously as he walked by and headed straight for his stove. His tea kettle had started to whistle and Jorge gently took it off the stove top and simply set it aside. He really wasn't even thirsty for tea. It was just one last thing he had tried to do to keep his mind off of what was going to come with Andrew. All his motions were robotic, with little feeling behind them. His mind had finally stopped whirling and instead all that was left was an impassible feeling of dread. Had he ruined this kid’s life?

Arms across his chest, Jorge nodded to Gemma as he leaned back against his counter. “You better go talk to him. He’s going to need your help through this.”

>>“I know, and I’m sorry. I really don’t want to seem like I was purposely keeping things from you. Especially when it comes to those kids. It’s no excuse but it was a long night, and I spent a greater part of it trying to keep him from getting his name dragged through the dirt.”

She could understand that. Whatever happened, and she was sure it was much worse than what he told her, it was very serious, and she could see how the future of that Andrew kid depended on it. She'd never met him in person, but she'd seen his file, as she'd seen most files in the Mansion. Also, the thought of Jorge being nearly killed made her feel even worse, and she had to admit she didn't mind one bit that the man was stopped before he could finish it.

Yes, it was going to take a lot of work and everything within their power to get Andrew through this.

>>“You better go talk to him. He’s going to need your help through this.”

Gemma followed him to the kitchen; he seemed exhausted, beaten up, and stressed out. The usual stuff.

"We'll figure it out" she promised with a nod, then walked over to him to pull him into a hug, careful not to make his neck hurt more than it already way. She knew he needed it as much as Andrew needed her help. "I'm glad you are alive, though." she murmured against his shoulder.

>> "We'll figure it out…” >> “I'm glad you are alive, though."

Jorge had simply been staring off into space before he finally noticed that she had joined him in the kitchen. His mind still felt a little tired and numb from the evening. Everything that had happened last night, the aches, the soreness, the weariness, it was all rushing against him. Being a cop meant compartmentalizing your emotions and releasing them at the proper time. But even the best of cops cannot keep it up for too long. And Jorge Cervantes was a damn good cop. He managed to make it this far without over thinking it but now, with Gemma here, the thought that he nearly died and that Andrew killed someone to save him, came at him at once.

Not like the man was not in danger before but ever since coming to New York, he has made many more connections. And all these only seemed to add to his will to live and caused regret when things got too dangerous.

It was not until he felt himself being pulled into a hug that he finally realized that Gemma was in front of him. She was gentle with him and he was thankful for that. The second he felt her arms slip around him and pulled him close, his body suddenly felt warm. Just the simplest act of tenderness from her and his body seemed eager for the closeness. It must have been something primal. That need to feel close to someone else, especially those that they truly care for, when in times of stress or trauma.

As his own arms wrapped around her, Jorge sighed. In that single breath his tension, his sadness, his stress all managed to decrease a little. Instead he simply allowed himself to remain calm, to pray and hope that everything would be okay and revel in the fact that he was indeed still alive. Then, so close to her, he heard her mutter.

>> “I'm glad you are alive, though."

The corner of his mouth turn up into a small smile as he heard her say these words into his shoulder. Very gently his hands ran up and down her back, thankful that she was here after all. The smell of the morning was still in her hair as he held her close. It smelled sweet and warm, like your favorite blanket during winter, the one that you bury your head in on cold days. He then very reluctantly pulled away. He smiled as he looked into her eyes, one hand reaching up to softly caress the features of her face.

“Me too,” he smiled and leaned in, placing as soft a kiss as he could on her cheek. “You know, during that whole time, what I regretted most? The idea that I might not see you again.” It was said so gently said that the words could have been uttered and never heard. Jorge did not check to see if she did hear him after all, and instead leaned in and pressed his lips softly against hers. He winced only slightly as he leaned in, but at that moment it didn’t bother him.

He knew this would not get out of trouble for trying to keep this information from her, but for now, it was okay. He did not care. He was only happy that she would be there to help Andrew.

>>“Me too. You know, during that whole time, what I regretted most? The idea that I might not see you again.”

Gemma sighed, and kissed him back, and rested her forehead against his.

"You get into a world of trouble, huh" she murmured, trying to get a grip on what was about to happen to Jorge, Andrew, and this whole mess, and trying to come up with at least one plan to avoid all that.

"It's gonna be okay." she said, as much to herself as to Jorge "We can deal with this together."

She held him for a few more minutes before she stepped back, ready to face the day.

"All right. Let's get you back to the Mansion for your healing session, Doc already knows you're coming." she smirked "And I'll go find Andrew and talk to him."

She walked back to the living room to pick up her things.

"And a friendly advice, Jorge: if you don't want me to find out about something, don't talk about it on Doc's answering machine. As I said, I spend quite a lot of time at the Infirmary." she gave him a look "Of course, there's no guarantee I won't find out about it anyway. I usually do."

>> "You get into a world of trouble, huh"

He nodded like a guilty child how had been caught with his hands in a cookie jar. It was a statement that he heard a lot of, whether it be from his parents about how dangerous his job was, or some blind date looking for the dangerous type to be around. But from Gemma it sounded a bit different. There was concern but it was mixed in something else he could not identify. Second thoughts? Acceptance? Humor? He decided not to delve too much into meaning simply kissed her once more on the corner of her lips.

“Comes with the territory, I’m afraid.” he muttered in reply. He let her go and watched as she started to head back into the living room.

>> "All right. Let's get you back to the Mansion for your healing session, Doc already knows you're coming and I'll go find Andrew and talk to him."

“Sounds like a good plan to me. Just, let me get some decent enough looking clothes on.” he replied as he watched her walk away.

In truth it did sound like a good plan. Andrew was going to need someone to talk to about what he had done, even though it was done to save someone else’s life. These kinds of events can be hard on a person. It’s never easy to take a life and that is something that haunts you all of your days. Andrew would have a tough road dealing with not only himself but with the courts, the kid would need an outlet. He did not know what Andrew’s life was like at the mansion, but if it was anything like what he had seen from the kid during their training sessions, he was just as shy and reserved. Andrew would tell no one and that simply could not be an option.

He did like the kid and he did not want to see him go down a dark road because of guilt. Gemma could help him with that. If anyone could, it was her.

"And a friendly advice, Jorge: if you don't want me to find out about something, don't talk about it on Doc's answering machine. As I said, I spend quite a lot of time at the Infirmary…Of course, there's no guarantee I won't find out about it anyway. I usually do."

He smirked a little as he nodded his head. “I have no doubt about that. I apologize, it is simply old habits.” he disappeared into his bedroom but still spoke as he grabbed a Miami University sweatshirt and switched into a pair of dark blue jeans. “Unfortunately after years of explaining your day to your family, and having to hear your sister recite prayer for you over the phone, you tend to keep things quiet.” He finally reappeared, looking causal. There was enough time for him to make it back here and change for work. “But it is a habit I will more than try to break.”

>>“I have no doubt about that. I apologize, it is simply old habits. Unfortunately after years of explaining your day to your family, and having to hear your sister recite prayer for you over the phone, you tend to keep things quiet. But it is a habit I will more than try to break.”

"It's all right" Gemma waved; he'd learned his lesson, and that was enough - and if he didn't, well, she still had her ways of finding out when he was injured. Hopefully, it would get harder for him to conceal it, with time. "I guess it's not something you can get used to."

He returned, dressed and ready to go. She looked at him; against his skin and the color of the shirt, the bruises looked even worse. She frowned, but didn't comment on them.

"So, your family didn't take it so well that you have a dangerous job?" she asked as they got ready to go "It's not easy to confess things like that to people who care for you. I know that." she added with a smile. Not telling hr family what kinds of trouble she got into with her mutant students... well, it happened, every once in a while.

>> "So, your family didn't take it so well that you have a dangerous job?...It's not easy to confess things like that to people who care for you. I know that."

“After the attention I garnered back in California?” he shook his head as he grabbed his keys off the hook and stood near the door to let Gemma out of the apartment. “No, they would rather I had become a teacher or a veterinarian.”

The thought jumped into his mind as he tried to imagine himself as either of those professions, or anything where he did not have to bust someone’s head. The truth was that Jorge loved being a cop. He liked the idea that he was, in his own little way, making a small difference in the world. After all, that is what the world needed, more good guys. At least he liked to count himself on the good guy list. Besides, he got to bust a person or two and get them off the streets. That was always a great stress reliever at the end of the day.

“Anyway, yeah, after the first few times I got hurt while on duty, I pretty much stopped telling them” he said as he opened the door for Gemma. Always the gentleman. “I guess I felt it was better that they did not know if it were something minor like a cutting or a grazing bullet wound.” He said it with an almost joking manner, but he did have those wounds. “Last time they saw me hurt on duty, I was in a hospital bed and despite my wishes that the stabbing was nothing, they wanted to notify.”

He shrugged as waited for Gemma to leave the apartment then followed her out. The way he said these things were like they were everyday occurrences that should not be given a second glance. The detective knew that possible harm could come to him, every time he stepped out those doors, and though he did not appear to frighten easily, it can be a scary job. But, again, he was a cop and he knew how to compartmentalize his feelings. The incident last night would have been no different. Yeah, a man almost choked him to death, but he would have gotten over it. What made it worse was Andrew. That was what was most predominant on his mind. The idea of how Andrew would handle this.

He smiled warmly as he followed Gemma into the hall and locked the door behind him. Hopefully she could get through to the kid and help him out. If there was one thing that Jorge was sure of, Andrew was going to need help.

“Thanks Gemma. For, you know, not freaking out too much.” he whispered. Now they had to see how Andrew was doing.