The door slid shut with a snap, muffling the noise of a humming vacuum and other telltale signs of cleaning. Chase looked up at Detective Jorge with muted uncertainty, shifting his weight beneath the straps of his backpack.

He and Gemma had come over, just to hang out, and had arrived to an uncharacteristic untidiness in the detective’s apartment. Gemma had bluntly inquired as to why it was in such a state, Jorge had said something to the persuasion that work had been keeping him busy. Chase hadn’t been paying much attention, he was giving Lizzie her much desired attention. Suddenly, Gemma was calling to Chase and ushering him towards the door, alongside Jorge.

“Go bond,” Gemma had instructed, “I need to clean.”

And thus, the door was closed, leaving the two guys staring blankly at the spot where Gemma had once stood.

“Um…” Chase trailed. Well, since Gemma wasn’t nearby, Chase could begin with looking human. Chase removed his cap as his tendrils quickly churned and settled into his human guise—the blond-haired, teal-eyed disguise that he normally wore. Once the shift was complete, Chase replaced his hat.

“Wh-what just happened?” Chase mumbled, looking towards Jorge with a hesitant half-smile. And how long was it going to be happening? What were they going to do? This was way out of Chase’s comfort zone.

Now, Jorge was not like your typical man. He knew how to clean, he knew how to keep his living space tidy and neat. But lately he just didn’t have the time to do so. Things at the precinct had been hectic as much as Jorge wanted to keep everything nice and neat at home, it was simply far too easier to just flop down on the couch and nap. Unfortunately that never lasted long because he was always called in to another case or some emergency down at the precinct.

Today though, today was going to be a day off. With only a couple of errands to run, his plan was to clean up his apartment once he had gotten home for the evening. But then Gemma beat him to the punch.

Once glance at his apartment, which had steadily been on the decline, and Gemma made the decision, she was going to clean. Before he knew it, both he and Chase were ushered out of the apartment and where left standing in the hall as his door was closed and locked behind him. He had the key, but that would not do him much good if Gemma had managed to slide on the chain, which he was fairly certain that she did.

>> “Go bond…I need to clean.”

Jorge blinked at the command. Nervously he reached back and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward about leaving Gemma behind to clean his place. After all, that was not her job and that was his home. But…he knew better than to argue with her.

>> “Um… Wh-what just happened?”[/color]

A sigh and Jorge smirked a little nervously as he glanced down to Chase.

“Um…I…think we were locked out of the apartment,” he said with a nod.

He knew that this was more than just a need to clean. Gemma wanted both Jorge and Chase to bond. The kid’s birthday party was fun and every subsequent meeting after that went swimmingly, but Chase and Jorge were never alone together. Gemma had brought this up before, that they needed alone time so that they could get to know each other better and bond. It seemed that now his loving girlfriend, and Chase’s sweet mother, had found the perfect opportunity for them to actually attempt some form of connection. Unfortunately…Jorge really had no idea what to do.

He smirked a little as he glanced at Chase.

“I…guess we can go and do stuff?” he asked. “You…want to help me run some errands? Then, I guess we can pick up some lunch?”

He really did not know what to do. He liked the boy, he really did, but he simply was not sure how Chase really felt about him. Sure he had gotten him a birthday gift, and they watched TV, and shared various other activities with each other but they were always under the Gemma’s watchful eye. Never had they really been alone. What if Chase was only fronting for Gemma’s sake? The detective guessed that today would be the day to find out.

A smile, and he nodded to Chase, waiting for his response. Today…was certainly going to be an adventure…

>> “Um…I…think we were locked out of the apartment.”

Chase nodded. It would seem so. His eyes were wide with uncertainty. Why would Mama do such a thing to him? It was that Chase hated Detective Jorge, in fact, quite the contrary—he liked him. After all, Detective Jorge had gotten Chase the baseball cap for his birthday, and let him the party at his house... Detective Jorge was really quite cool. But he was also not very familiar. He was a big guy, in proportion to Chase, kind-of intimidating and gruff. So they were both at something of a loss.

>> “I…guess we can go and do stuff? You…want to help me run some errands? Then, I guess we can pick up some lunch?”

“Sure,” Chase agreed, managing a mild smile of his own, “Mama and I run errands all the time.”

Running errands with Jorge could be too different from when Chase went with Gemma. And anything was better than sitting outside of the door like lost little children. The blonde child adjusted his cap, exchanging the nod with Detective Jorge.

A day with Gemma’s boyfriend… things couldn’t be too terrible. After all, Chase’s Mama liked Jorge, so he had to be okay. No, he was okay—things would be fine. Chase swallowed his anxiety and wedged his hands into his pockets. Things would be A-OK.

Jorge sighed as he looked over at Chase. He had a feeling that this was going to be a rather interesting day. It was not that he did not want to spend time with the boy, Chase was a good kid. It was simply that Jorge had never really been this close to a kid in a long time. Not in a spatial sense, obviously not. But in an emotional sense. Jorge had never had kids of his own and, right now, Chase was probably considered the closest he had every gotten to actually having a son. Not that he had asked Gemma to marry him or anything, but if he did, that would make Chase his son. Assuming Gemma said yes…

Okay…his train of thoughts did a complete sidetrack and he shook himself back to reality as he turned his attentions back to Chase.

>> “Sure…Mama and I run errands all the time.”[/color]

Jorge nodded with approval. “Okay! Then…I think…we have a plan.” he said with a grin.

Patting his pocket to make sure that he had his keys, his wallet, and whatever else he needed. Once that was confirmed he led the way to the staircase that lead down to the ground floor of his building. Though he wished that there was an easier way for them to actually just jump into conversation, Jorge just didn’t know how to go about it. He knew that Chase was thriving with Gemma, he had friends at school, and that he was a good kid. But…how to turn any of that into conversations that would last the day.

The last thing he wanted was for there to be an everlasting silence between the two of them. The least he could was try, right?

Once they stepped out into the daylight, Jorge spied his black, ’67 Chevy Impala and skirted Chase towards it. Silently he unlocked the door for Chase before he moved around the car to slip in through the driver’s side. As he did, he glanced over to make sure that Chase was buckled in, the door was locked, and then he turned his attention back to himself. The same safety precautions taken, he glanced over at Chase with a smile.

“So,” he started as he turned the ignition on his car. “Um…how’s school going for you?”

>> “Okay! Then…I think…we have a plan.”

Chase nodded. He waited as Jorge checked his pockets, and once he was certain that he had what he needed, Chase followed closely behind Jorge as they ventured out of the apartment building. Chase lagged behind, as always, eyes sweeping around as the detective led him onward. He'd then look towards Jorge, realize that he was getting too far ahead, and Chase would jog to catch up, before resuming his looking around.

They ventured towards Jorge's car-- a sleek black thing with black leather seats, and Jorge unlocked the door for Chase. Chase sank into the back seat, buckling himself in

>> “So, Um…how’s school going for you?”

The car rumbled to life beneath them as Jorge started it, and Chase ducked his head towards his sleeves before shifting his attention towards Jorge.

"It's good," Chase trailed, his gears turning slowly in his head. Why did adults always start with school? There was so much to say about it, and yet there was nothing to be said at all. It was an easy conversation topic for one to start, but not necessarily an easy one to answer, when it came to a child who was an introvert, "I mean, there are some... uh... kids there my age. Mutant kids. So that's nice. And I'm learning a lot."

That what grown-ups always wanted to know-- did you have friends, and were you learning anything? God forbid your education be useless. Chase mulled over his answers, picking at the cuffs of his sweaters' sleeves. When the nine-year-old ruled that his answers were acceptable, he asked the detective, "How is work? Mama says you're a detective."

Chases' eyes glittered with intrigue. He knew Jorge was a cop, and cops were really cool.

Jorge still could not believe that he had fallen back to that old, clichéd standby of “how was school”? What, was this a sitcom or something? But really, what else was he supposed to say. Really, he had never spent any significant time with the boy, and that was his fault. Though he got along with the kid around Gemma he never actively tried to spent time with him alone. Maybe the reason was simply that he did not feel like intruding on this boy’s new life. After all, after everything that he had gone through, Chase deserved time to get used to his new mother and his new life, without have to worry about someone like him.

But, now was the perfect time to work through all of that. Knowing that, he figured that it was probably best if he tried to think of more things to say than simply “how was school?” Hopefully, before the day was out, and all this became awkward, he could think of something.

>> "It's good, I mean, there are some... uh... kids there my age. Mutant kids. So that's nice. And I'm learning a lot."[/color]

Jorge nodded as he drove into the streets of New York and started his day of errands with the young mutant in tow. It actually warmed his heart to know that Chase was thriving so well with Gemma and at the mansion. He had figured that if there was any place that could help the young boy with both his education and to feel accepted, it was Xavier’s. The boy deserved that much of a chance.

“That’s good, I’m glad to hear that,” Jorge said with a nod as he kept his eyes on the road. “Xavier’s will help you get a great education and all the kids there are super nice.”

He sighed. He really was not doing well with this, was he? But he pushed on.

>> "How is work? Mama says you're a detective."[/color]

Jorge blinked. Of course the kid had managed to deflect the question back to him. Though the topic was not on Chase, Jorge was glad for another topic for them to actually discuss. Chase had a vague knowledge that Jorge was a police detective, but it was obvious that he didn’t know any of the details. The detective didn’t mine chatting about that for a bit…

“Oh, work is work,” he said with a little grin. “Been a bit busy, lately, but, we’re doing all we can to catch the bad guys.” As he said this, he glanced at Chase, smirked and returned his eyes to the road. “Um, did you mother tell you exactly what I do as a police detective?”

He wondered if Chase knew that he worked in the mutant division. He also wondered if Gemma had ever revealed to the boy that he himself was a mutant as well…

>> “That’s good, I’m glad to hear that. Xavier’s will help you get a great education and all the kids there are super nice.”

Chase nodded his head in affirmation. Yes, the kids there were super nice. He liked it a lot. And Chase was learning well enough, even though the classes for the elementary school children were structured differently because there were so few of them. The silence didn’t bother Chase as much as it bothered Jorge, for Chase had never been a conversationalist, but luckily the returned question worked well enough.

>> “Oh, work is work. Been a bit busy, lately, but, we’re doing all we can to catch the bad guys. Um, did you mother tell you exactly what I do as a police detective?”

Chase shook his head wordlessly, before adding in a, “No, she hasn’t.”

But his tone asked for Jorge to tell him more. The color in his eyes churned with intrigue as he waited and listened.

Jorge did not like awkward silences, especially since he felt that this was a time for him and the boy to try to get to know each other better. But he definitely did not want to for the kid into talking to him if he didn’t want to. Thankfully, though, when he asked his question, there seemed to definitely be a twinge of intrigue in Chase’s eyes. The boy wanted to know. At least that was a topic that the detective knew he could discuss AND it would help cement their relationship a bit. After all, they were supposed to be getting to know one another, correct?

>> “No, she hasn’t.”

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. Gemma was more than likely just focusing on getting Chase used to his new life to really go into too much detail about himself. After all, all the boy really needed to know was that he was a cop and that he could be trusted. Gemma must have trusted him to explain more when the time came.

Jorge definitely felt that the time was right.

“Well,” the detective said as he pulled to a stop at a red light. “Check this out.”

Once he stopped, he pulled out his wallet, flipped it open, and handed it over for Chase to see. The gold shield was much like any other police badge. But it was not a fake, toy badge. It gleamed with shiny, polished metal and had a weight about it that few citizens really expected the badge to have. But underneath the badge, in his wallet, was his police ID that had to letters “M.R.C.” on it. He smirked slightly as Chase inspected the badge and ID and turned his eyes back to the green light that had just shifted.

“I work for a special division of the police department,” Jorge explained. “The M.R.C.—Mutant Related Crimes.” He eyed the road as he drove. “What that means is that I work with a lot of mutants, everyday. Sometimes they’re the bad guys and I have to arrest them, but a lot of times, they are the victims so I help them. Either way, when there is an issue involving mutants, they call me.”

Jorge still remembered the first day he had ever met Chase. He was there, working, and it was the perfect example of him being there to help a mutant. Chase was the victim of his parents, victim to a broken system. And Jorge was there to make sure that the kid, a mutant, had a fair chance at life. To make sure that he didn’t go back to his cruel parents. But Jorge didn’t bring that up.

“You know, I actually have some business there by the end of the day,” Jorge said with a warm smile. “Would you like to see where I work?”

They rolled to a stop at a red light, and Jorge passed Chase his wallet, flipping it open. Chase took the wallet up lightly, in a sleeve-covered hand, met by a weight uncommon for most wallets. Chase gave an appreciative, “Whoa,” tapping on it. Real metal. He could even see his own reflection in it, Chase noted, tilting the badge back-and-forth so that his reflection rippled over it.

Chase flipped the badge back carefully, and there lay an image of Jorge, that simply proclaimed that he worked for the “M.R.C. Division” of the New York Police Department.

“Cool,” Chase breathed, returning to the shiny badge.

>> “I work for a special division of the police department. The M.R.C.—Mutant Related Crimes. What that means is that I work with a lot of mutants, everyday. Sometimes they’re the bad guys and I have to arrest them, but a lot of times, they are the victims so I help them. Either way, when there is an issue involving mutants, they call me.”

Chase listened with wide-eyed disbelief, a small smile upon his lips.

“That’s so cool!” Chase gasped, “You must meet so many cool mutants! You’re like… Christian Walker, from Powers!”

Yes, Chase was likening his mother’s boyfriend to the main character from his favorite comic book. As he came to realize this, the young shapeshifter quickly clammed-up, his face both going pale and flushing at the same time. He dropped his gaze back down towards his hands, before letting it slide towards the passenger-side window.

>> “You know, I actually have some business there by the end of the day. Would you like to see where I work?”

“Yes please,” Chase said with a quick, excited nod. It would be nice to visit a police station, just to go there, rather than getting toted there after running away. Maybe he could get a sticker like those police officers always seemed to have? That’d be so cool. And he could stick it on his jacket and pretend to be a cop…

Jorge smirked as he glanced out of the corner of his eye. Chase seemed to actually be a little impressed that Jorge was a cop that worked with mutants. The boy seemed to drink up every single word he said with an excitement that the detective really was never sure that the boy possessed. Most of the time whenever he spoke or was left alone with Chase, the boy was rather subdued and seemed a little unsure of how to react around him; unless of course he was with Lizzie. Chase just loved his little bulldog and the presence of the boy had really breathed life into his old puppy.

But that was off point. Jorge explained his job and Chase seemed to definitely be impressed, to the point that a glance at him made it seem like the boy was watching an intense action movie.

>> “That’s so cool! You must meet so many cool mutants! You’re like… Christian Walker, from Powers!” [/color]

Jorge smirked a little and tilted his head. Christian Walker? Powers? He was afraid to say that he had not met or heard of either of those. Maybe it was from a TV show or a video game? Jorge was known for not always being up with the lingo or pop culture of the youth. But, he had let it go, for the moment, since Chase suddenly looked a little shy at what he said. Jorge hoped the boy was not going to suddenly clam up all of a sudden…

>> “Yes please,”[/color]

He nodded. So the boy was going to see his job place. He was fine with that. Maybe he could get him some of those deputizing stickers that the officers usually pass out students whenever they do school fairs. He was cure that Cynthia had some around somewhere.

Turning down the road to a shopping center, Jorge slowly pulled up to a stop. The dry cleaners was here where he had dropped off his suits for work to be cleaned. As he pulled into a parking space, he sighed as he turned off the ignition and unbuckled his belt.

As he began to get out, he could stop his curiosity.

“Chase, if you don’t mind me asking,” he said, “What was that…you know…name you compared me too? Christian…something? What’s that from?” he asked with a friendly smile.

The car rolled into a parking space directly in front of a dry cleaners, through with a few carousels of clothes in bags could be seen rotating about lazily. The clothes seemed to tilt around the corners, floating by before ascending into the ceilings to God-knew-where. Chase unbuckled himself, popping open the door and wriggling out of the car before closing the door behind him

>> “Chase, if you don’t mind me asking. What was that…you know…name you compared me too? Christian…something? What’s that from?”

“Christian Walker?” Chase reiterated, tilting his head to the side, “Oh, he’s from Powers!-“ Chase had enough know-for-where to realize that not everyone would know what Powers was, so Chase elaborated to the best of his ability, “It’s a, um, comic book. And there are mutants all over the place, they call them powers… and there’s two people, Christian and Deena, they’re cops who investigate cases that involve powers. Kinda like you do.”

That was perhaps the longest phrase that Chase had ever uttered to Jorge before, and his gaze swiveled towards Jorge contemplatively. Chase followed Jorge into the store, wrapped in a momentary spell of silent pensive, before observing, “You kind-of look like him. Christian. That’s kinda funny.”

Chase smiled at that. He had to see if Jorge had a partner, like Deena! That would be amazing.

>> “Christian Walker? Oh, he’s from Powers!-It’s a, um, comic book. And there are mutants all over the place, they call them powers… and there’s two people, Christian and Deena, they’re cops who investigate cases that involve powers. Kinda like you do.”[/color]

Jorge had to tilt his head a little as he listened to what Chase was saying. This comic book…it actually sounded pretty interesting. Of course he grew up with the normal types of comics, superheroes, monsters, cowboys, etc., but this actually sounded kind of fun. He had noticed a few times when Chase came over that he had his nose buried in a comic book, but he had never really questioned the boy what it was. Simply he didn’t want to intrude on the kid’s personal space.

Chase seemed fine talking about it now, though. It actually made him chuckle a little to hear the passion with which the boy spoke of the comic. Maybe he could get Chase to actually show it to him sometime so he could see what it was like. A cop running around, investigating crimes involving “Powers”; he had to grin because it really did sound so much like his everyday job.

As he climbed out of the car, Jorge slipped his wallet back into his back pocket and made his way around to where Chase was waiting for him. He tilted his as he approached the boy and found him just kind of eyeing him. Then he smirked.

“What?” Jorge asked with a chuckle.

>> “You kind-of look like him. Christian. That’s kinda funny.”[/color]

Jorge smirked.

“Really? Well, maybe that means I too am secretly a superhero,” he said with a deep laugh. Reaching down he patted Chase on the shoulder as he led him to the dry cleaners. “Come on, let’s get the boring stuff over with so we can have some lunch, huh?”

>> “Really? Well, maybe that means I too am secretly a superhero. Come on, let’s get the boring stuff over with so we can have some lunch, huh?”

While Jorge had answered the child jokingly, the look in Chases’ eyes showed that the nine-year-old was seriously considering the possibility of that. A superhero, like the X-Men? Was Jorge a mutant? What were his powers? He wasn’t like Gemma, didn’t cancel powers. Or maybe he was just normal and happened to work with mutants.

Chase contemplated this all throughout the errand-running, in amidst the casual conversation. Gemma had never said anything about Jorge being mutant or being human, so Chase hesitated to ask. The two of them visited a handful of usual haunts for errand-running… a couple of grocery stores, namely, and a hardware store before finally venturing over to a sandwich shop for lunch. Chase was mellowing-out around Jorge (which the human guise certainly helped with), and conversation was coming a little easier to him, though he was still kind-of quiet.

“We get to go to the police department next, right?” Chase chirped, rocking on his heels as the two of them stood in-line for sandwiches, and waited to be helped. It wasn't that Chase was sick of errand-running, but... he was sick of errand-running, and really excited about going to a police department.

The day was long but really it did not feel as boring or irritating as it normally did when he was alone. Having Chase around had helped to elevate some of the boredom and even gave him a chance to chit chat a little with the boy. Apparently the kid’s knowledge of comics was a rather extensive one and once he got onto the topic, he was a chatterbox. It was actually really cool that the boy was opening up a little more to him and it made the detective feel like he did something right for once. After all, he really wanted this relationship to work since he cared about both Gemma and Chase so much.

At least there would not be any bad blood between the two of them.

On top of the kid’s great attitude, he really was a trooper to put up with the plethora of boring errands that he needed to run today. They were dull to say the least: dry cleaners to pick up his suits, grocery store for supplies, bread and bagel shop for some snacks for his co-workers that Cynthia had called and BEGGED him to pick up since she forgot, and a hardware store to get some things he needed for the apartment. And through all of it, Chase didn’t complain once.

He definitely deserved a good lunch for it, which is why he took him to the best little deli secret in town, Front Stage Door Deli. Few people knew of it, but it was a gem of the city. Most of the police force knew that if lunch were going to be bought for the office, they needed to go here. Great sandwiches, excellent portions, and every sort of drink that one could imagine. The place was a heaven send. Thankfully there was not a huge line by the time both he and Chase arrived. As a matter of fact, as the seconds ticked by, they found themselves nearing the front counter closer and closer.

Jorge yawned, as he read the menu, but glanced down to see the excitement in Chase’s eyes.

>> “We get to go to the police department next, right?”[/color]

He smirked and nodded.

“Yup. I can show you around a little bit,” he said with a chuckle. “But first, I’m starving and I’m assuming you are as well.” he then nodded to the large menu that was situated on the wall behind the counter. “So, pick whatever you want, champ. You can’t go wrong with anything here. See, that roast beef sandwich they have is amazing…and their vegetarian sandwiches actually are too bad eith—“

“Next!” a voice bellowed.

Jorge perked up and nodded to the man behind the corner and nodded to Chase. As he walked up to the counter, with Chase at his side, the detective was met with a large, happy grin from the man there, who looked absolutely more than pleased to see Jorge. The two laughed and exchanged quickly introductions.

“Haha! Cervantes! Nice to see you again. Picking up for the precinct again?”

“Nah, just out with my young friend here. Going to grab some lunch,” Jorge said as he patted Chase’s shoulder. “Chase, this is Mr. Gregor Tifka, owner of the best delicatessen in town. Gregor, this is Chase. My girlfriend’s son.”

Tifka, a large, hairy man but with a brilliant smile and a happy aura just chuckled and nodded to Chase. “Nice to meet you boy! You look like a good kid. How about a soda on the house? What you two having?”

Jorge smirked as he nodded. “Roast beef sandwich on Italian herb,” Jorge answered in reference to himself and then nodded to Chase. “Get whatever you like, Chase,” he said warmly.

Chase smiled excitedly as Jorge confirmed Chase’s assumption. They were going to the station next! Yes. He was nearly consumed by the hum of anticipation when Jorge dragged the nine-year-old’s eager mind back down with the mention of lunch.

>> “But first, I’m starving and I’m assuming you are as well. So, pick whatever you want, champ. You can’t go wrong with anything here. See, that roast beef sandwich they have is amazing…and their vegetarian sandwiches actually are too bad eith—”

A booming voice interrupted Jorge, and Chase tensed at the sound. Chase stared silently at the bear of the man, edging noticeably closer to the detective. Chase couldn’t latch onto him like he could latch onto Gemma. If Chase clung to Jorge for too long, he’d start shifting involuntarily. But that didn’t mean that the child couldn’t edge behind the human-shield, so that he could safely survey the enormous man behind the counter. The two men discussed, and Chase watched quietly with round, teal eyes. He was drawn back into the conversation when Jorge patted his shoulder, and Chase let his gaze swivel back towards the detective.

>> “Chase, this is Mr. Gregor Tifka, owner of the best delicatessen in town. Gregor, this is Chase. My girlfriend’s son.”

“Hi,” Chase greeted shyly, gaze flickering to the tall man uncertainly before dipping towards the counter. Chase couldn’t see over the counter, from his vantage point, so dropping his gaze slightly wouldn’t be too unnatural. He could get away with it.

>> “Nice to meet you boy! You look like a good kid. How about a soda on the house? What you two having?”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Chase replied dutifully, before looking towards Jorge again. He didn’t know what it meant to get a soda “on the house”. Was that okay? That sounded messy, like something that he wasn’t allowed to do.

“May I please have the vegetarian?” Chase articulated, “Except… kid-sized? Please?”

The sandwiches were heftily sized things. Chase wouldn’t be able to handle the next size up from the child’s size.