Lizzie one Gemma over. He secretly smirked but continued to look down at the dog with disappointment. She was obviously far too clever to keep people angry at her for long. She always found a way to make people forgive her, as well as to give her treats. Lizzie could be far more conniving then he ever gave her credit for.

Smirking he shook his head as she lay there, letting Gemma have her well with her belly.

“You’re not off to hook with me, young lady.” he said sternly. “Consider yourself on probation.”

He went back to preparing their tea. It was going to be a much needed diversion. Lane was still sleeping soundly and he hoped it would last that way, at least until they could get some rest in between the pair of them. He had only started watching the young girl and already he was tiring out. In a way that thought made him sad. The detective had wanted to one day be a father…but could he? Were his age and job finally catching up to him?

The thought made him pause before Gemma interrupted his train of thought with her giggle and smile…

>> "Welcome to the world of parenting"

Jorge snorted. “Do I get a mouse-earred hat to go with this wonderful trip?” he said with a wink as he stopped the microwave before it beeped.


>> "If we are lucky she sleeps for an hour or two."

Nodding, Jorge pulled down the ceramic kettle and poured the hot water into a pair of mugs, each which had a tea bag already nestled inside. Once he was done pouring the water, he picked one of them up and offered it gratefully to his girlfriend.

“Well, here’s to hoping that luck is on our side today.” He squeezed about a spoonful of honey into the tea and offered Gemma various other ingredients to add if she so chose to. He too sighed as he leaned against the counter, watching as Lane slept peacefully in the living room. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d suck this bad at watching a little child.”

>>“Do I get a mouse-earred hat to go with this wonderful trip?”

"Only if you want one" she giggled. Now there was an image...

>>“Well, here’s to hoping that luck is on our side today... Wow, I didn’t think I’d suck this bad at watching a little child.”

Gemma smiled and put some honey into her tea.

"You don't suck" she told him, leaning against his shoulder "You really don't. Parents are never perfect anyway, according to kids... we are barely okay at best."

That was her experience. You do the best you can, and you leave the rest up to nature and pure luck.

"It takes some getting used to" she added, musing as she glanced towards Lane "But you would have figured it out on your own, eventually."

>> "You don't suck…You really don't. Parents are never perfect anyway, according to kids... we are barely okay at best."

The detective had to smirk. He knew that Gemma spoke the truth. Even though his parents sacrificed a lot for him when his powers first developed, he too had instances where it felt like they did things wrong. That did not mean that they were bad parents though, not at all. It simply meant that he was a teenager at the time and that his parents just didn’t “understand” him.

Being a cop it is an argument that he heard many times. Before he was in vice, there were times when he was called on cases in which he had escorted social services to unfit homes, even just prank calls about kids wanting to blame their parents for being misunderstanding. Needless to say, parents were always the cause for a kid’s messed up life, even if they had done absolutely nothing to warrant it. But such was the way of the world.

He watched Lane continue to sleep as he took a sip of his tea.

>> "It takes some getting used to…But you would have figured it out on your own, eventually."

He nodded. Would he have? Would he have really been able to figure it out? Maybe so. The detective could be far more resourceful than he usually considered himself to be. He was sure that given time he probably would have had a better handle on the Lane situation than the one that Gemma walked into.

But he paused as he glanced to his girlfriend and had to hide a small smirk. He kind of liked seeing her with a kid…

“Thanks,” he said appreciatively. “I’ll take your word on that. After all, you’re the experienced parent here between the two of us.”

>>“Thanks. I’ll take your word on that. After all, you’re the experienced parent here between the two of us.”

Gemma grinned. She was an experienced parent. But at the same time, she was also experienced with parents. They came in all shapes and sizes, and on all the levels of being prepared, from totally unsuitable all the way to... well, kinda okay. Dealing with them was as much work as dealing with their kids. The ones they wanted, or didn't want, and stuff like that that usually made a mess for the counselor to clean up.

Sipping her drink, she checked on Lane. Still asleep, Lizzie lying down next to her. Dogs apparently liked sleeping babies. Gemma smiled, and went back to her place, leaning against the counter.

"Jorge?" she asked with a playful smile on her lips "Do you want kids?"

He smirked at Gemma as she wandered off to go check on Lane as well as the now “caring” Lizzie. He could only shake his head. That Lizzie, she certainly knew how to play to the crowd when she wanted to.

Leaning back a bit, he took another sip of his tea and winced briefly at the hotness of it. He blew air on it, hoping it would cool and looked up as Gemma began to make her way back. She seemed pleased that Lane was still sleeping soundly. He could only count their lucky blessings that Gemma had been right about Lane crying herself to sleep. Seemed like a rather harsh way to get it done, but it was done nonetheless.

He smiled over at her Gemma as he finally attempted to take another sip of his tea…

>> "Jorge?" she asked with a playful smile on her lips "Do you want kids?"

Rule number one, never swallow piping hot tea too hard or too much at a time. Jorge really needed to learn to start following this fundamentals rules instead of living the devil-may-care lifestyle that he does now.

Feeling his throat burn, Jorge coughed a few times, trying not to look as foolish as he thought he did. He eyed Gemma with a smirk. She certainly had a way of taking his breath away.

Coughing once again he took a steady breath and sighed.

“Ahem, had to wait until I was in the middle of a sip, didn’t you?” he asked in an accusing, yet playful tone. He sighed as he continued to rub his throat a little and glanced at her off to the side. “Uh, I mean…I guess I never really sat down to think about it. It isn’t that far out of the realm of possibility, I think.” he shrugged. He knew that at one point when he was younger he did absolutely want kids…but he was 40 now. And he worked a dangerous job. How was that fair to any child (he glanced at Lane) he had, or any wife (a glance to Gemma) he may gain. It was hard to think about or anticipate, especially since Gemma, a woman whom he did dearly love, already had kids.

Now his brain hurt…

Jorge almost choked. Whoops. Gemma was torn between being compassionate and patting him on the back, and giggling quietly at the sight. She chose both. It worked.

>>“Ahem, had to wait until I was in the middle of a sip, didn’t you? Uh, I mean…I guess I never really sat down to think about it. It isn’t that far out of the realm of possibility, I think.”

She smiled. That was a very careful answer, but at least it was an answer.

"Sorry, I didn't want to make you choke to death" she smirked "I could just kind of tell that we were both thinking about it, so I thought I'd ask, and get it out of the way."

Not like she knew the answer herself. She didn't. If he had asked her the same question, she would have reacted the same way. Which is why she decided to ask first.

"I mean, it's not like I have expectations or anything." she added, sipping her tea carefully "I guess it's just Lane messing with my mother instincts."

She patted his back lovingly…but all the while laughing as well. Jorge knew that he had that coming but there was little he could do to rectify the situation. Instead he just grinned as a flush appeared on his cheeks. It was not so much the topic that embarrassed him but the way that he was currently handling it. What was to say that he couldn’t have his own kids? Sure he was horrible at watching Lane, but that didn’t mean that it would be the same with his own child. The main issue was…what was it that Gemma wanted? He loved her…he wanted to be with her…but would this be a deal breaker of sorts?

The thoughts rolled through his mind as he listened to her talk…

>> "Sorry, I didn't want to make you choke to death…I could just kind of tell that we were both thinking about it, so I thought I'd ask, and get it out of the way."

“Perceptive,” he said with a laugh. It was true, the question was on his mind these days. He was careful not to bring it up around Gemma though because of the last time the subject was broached. They had agreed to talk about it later. Well…he guessed that right now technically was later…

>> "I mean, it's not like I have expectations or anything…I guess it's just Lane messing with my mother instincts."

The detective smirked as he looked across the kitchen and into the living room where Lane slept soundly in on his sofa. He had to admit that there was a small big of longing within his own heart as he watched the kid sleep. But really…was that a step that they could take?

He glanced to Gemma and watched her closely and smirked…

“You know, there are a million and one reasons why someone like me shouldn’t have kids,” he said a little contemplatively. “My job, my age, etc., but…honestly, despite all that…I don’t think I’d be opposed to the idea…then again, that could just be Lane messing with my biological clock as well,” he chuckled. “Maybe she’s a mutant with a cuteness power or something.”

>>“You know, there are a million and one reasons why someone like me shouldn’t have kids... My job, my age, etc., but…honestly, despite all that…I don’t think I’d be opposed to the idea…then again, that could just be Lane messing with my biological clock as well. Maybe she’s a mutant with a cuteness power or something.”

"Nah, that wouldn't work on me" she grinned at him "It's just plain good old baby fat. Makes them impossible to de angry at." she chuckled "But I see what you mean.

Lane was really impossibly adorable. Especially when she was asleep like that. She thought about her own children. She would have to visit them soon. Or invite them for the holidays. She missed them a lot.

"Once they grow up, you can't keep them anymore" she smirked "That's a pity. I wouldn't be opposed to the idea either. But, you know. I did choose to spend my life working with children."

She leaned against his shoulder and smiled. Jorge made her feel comfortable. And safe. And at home. And all those warm fuzzy feelings that make you talk about family.