Jorge…was a wreck. That was probably the best way to describe the man. It had been days since he had spoken to Chase and; with the boy’s blessing, he struggled to find the perfect way to actually perform this task. He was going to ask Gemma Taylor, a woman he had been dating for well over a year-and-a-half now to marry him. He had to somehow make the night special but, honestly, the detective was a little unsure of what would constitute perfect. Would it be something memorable? Something important to just her? Just him? Maybe it was some elusive combination of all of that.

In the end, Jorge did actually find a combination of things that both reminded him of Gemma and their relationship. He had pulled strings and managed to get a day off that would coincide with his girlfriend’s days off and, after convincing her that Chase would be fine for the evening with his friends (thankfully Chase already had an idea of what would be going on), Jorge managed to get a date alone with this absolutely beautiful woman that meant so much to him.

So…the day was set, the time was set, the evening was going to be a surprise. All he told Gemma was that he was whisking her away for a much needed date night and for her to dress nice (not that she didn’t dress nice all the time and all! Sigh, he really needed to stop being so nervous!). He sighed and shook his head. He really needed to hold himself together. It was a hard thing to do though.

The detective had thought and thought about whether or not this was the right decision. After all, Gemma Taylor was a beautiful, loving woman, but she had done the marriage thing before, even had two kids with the man before they were divorced; what made him think that she would want to go through such a thing again with a new man? What if she had secretly hoped that he never asked her? After all, it is not like he was doing this out of hints she dropped or pressure or anything. To be honest, she had never once broached the subject to him.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe this was not what she wanted…

“Ugh, stop it, Jorge. Just…stop it,” the man grumbled as he ran his hand over his beard and mustache. He was not going to psyche himself out of this tonight. Though he secretly prayed that Gemma would say yes, he was prepared for the obvious alternative to the answer.

Pacing back and forth in the foyer of the mansion, Jorge Cervantes looked rather dashing in his black suit with black shirt underneath and equally dark slacks. He didn’t go completely formal by adding a tie or making it a tux or something (he was sure that probably would have tipped her off) but he still managed to pull off the look by appearing pretty well put together.

But that was not all the man wore. Deep in his breast pocket, he felt it press hard against his chest, the tiny, black felt box that he had been carrying nearly every day now. The box containing the ring that he would present to Gemma felt heavier than it should, but the detective didn’t fiddle with it. Obviously the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to that particular pocket.

Wow, he really needed to calm down. He pulled up his sleeve to check his watch. There was still plenty of time but he glanced at the stairs anyway. He never could wait to see her walk down those steps in her elegant manner…

Date night. A much needed date night. Gemma had been counting the days and the hours to get to this point. And it was not a figure of speech, she actually had been counting, up until three hours ago when her day off was suddenly... another day on. One did not really get days off when she was living in her workplace. She was just about to get a shower when one of the kids managed to turn the kitchen upside down, and now, three hours later, it still smelled like smoke all over the place. She spent the rest of the time in the Infirmary trying to make DocProf heal the brat instead of causing more harm to him, and then she took a shower, got dressed and ready in under five minutes, checked back to the Infirmary, found the kid knocked out, decided not to argue with Doc, and announced that she was leaving and they will have to fend for themselves for the rest of the night.

Two minutes later she appeared in the front lobby, feeling like she had just run a marathon.

"Oh good, cavalry is here" she smiled at Jorge, glancing over his shoulder to check in the mirror if she looked as exhausted as she felt. "Let's run before they catch up to us."

Jorge was patient, but he really could not stop his pacing. His mind wanted to fall back to think that maybe he was wrong that he shouldn’t go through with this. Not at all because he didn’t love Gemma deeply, but more out of fear that he really did not know how she was going to react. Was she going to be happy? Would she be terrified? Again and again he had the argument with himself about this evening to the point that he almost felt like he was on a merry-go-round! Deep down he knew he shouldn’t over think it but…it was just too hard not to.

He sighed as he glanced at his watch. Nope, still on time, she was not late in the least. Maybe Jorge was not as patient as he originally thought he was, though. For whatever reason he really just wanted to get this evening started before he actually did entertain thoughts of backing ou—

Movement occurred out of the corner of his eye. And he turned, with a smile, to see Gemma Taylor crossing the lobby of the mansion in order to meet him. As usual…she looked absolutely stunning. It was in that second, the moment he looked at that face, those eyes, that he remembered everything that they had ever gone through since they first started dating.

He loved this woman, and he wanted to marry her. There would be no backing out of this evening and he would take her answer, whatever it may be…

>> "Oh good, cavalry is here…Let's run before they catch up to us."

A chuckle fell from his lips as he gently leaned over to give her a hug. The pair of them had been so busy that they most definitely needed this date night. A quick kiss and he still embraced her as he leaned back, arching a brow little suspiciously (thought still grinning).

“Catch up to us, huh? Why, Ms. Taylor, you wouldn’t happen to be on the run from the law, would you?” he grinned as he turned, still keep his hand on the small of her back. Gently he steered her towards the front door of the mansion. “Come on, Gem, your getaway car is waiting for you outside.”

>>“Catch up to us, huh? Why, Ms. Taylor, you wouldn’t happen to be on the run from the law, would you?”

"I am running away with the law" she chuckled, poking him on the chest before he steered her outside through the front door. She was already breathing more freely as she held on to Jorge's arm and walked away from the Mansion and towards their night out.

"So, how many cops do you have patrolling around us so no one can mess up the dinner?" she grinned, getting into his car. They have had those dates before, and even though they have not been attacked for quite a while now, that did not mean they would always get lucky. She knew Jorge always felt guilty when something messed up their date, and it was mostly because if him that she hoped it would not happen again.

>> "I am running away with the law"

The detective chuckled heartily as he nodded and continued to lead her away. He was more than willing to be Gemma’s knight in shining armor tonight. She had a tough job and what made it worse was that she lived in her workplace so she was almost always on call. That is what made her statement for them to get the hell out of here have all that much more weight to it. More than likely she had just barely managed to get away from some incident that required her guidance counselor duties.

With that in mind they definitely needed to get out of here as quickly as possible. He smirked as he held the door open for her to exit and step out into the cool night air.

>> "So, how many cops do you have patrolling around us so no one can mess up the dinner?"

At that comment he had to laugh out loud. They definitely had their fair share of dates that went south because of duties that they both had to uphold. He was a cop and she needed to keep an eye on her students and help any young mutants she came across; it was needless to say that their lives were pretty much wrapped up in their jobs. But, they always managed to find time for one another.

God, he hoped that tonight was not going to be an example of one of those crazy evenings. He really, really did…

“At least the whole precinct,” he said with a chuckle. “As well as snipers on the roof of the restaurant.”

He smirked and shook his head as he led the lovely woman back to his Chevy Impala (freshly washed and cleaned out) as it sat, waiting for them outside the gates of the mansion. He tilted his head as he opened the gate for her and watched her momentarily. When she caught him watch, he just grinned from ear to ear.

“You look particularly lovely tonight, you know that?” he smirked as he leaned over and kissed her softly.

>>“At least the whole precinct. As well as snipers on the roof of the restaurant.”

"Let's hope it's enough" she smiled as they walked to the car. She really did hope the ddate would go just fine. They both needed that. She also had to keep telling herself that Chase would be fine on his own for a night. There was a whole schoolful of mutants keeping an eye on him...

>>“You look particularly lovely tonight, you know that?”

"Wh... oh." she blushed, smiling back at him as she got in the car "And you look very handsome."

Going out with a man like Jorge had a lot of perks.

Once the car pulled out of the driveway and away from the Mansion, Gemma felt herself relax. They were on their way and damned if she was going to let anything or anyone stop them.
She knew the answer to the question but she was going to ask anyway.

"So, where are we going?..."

>> "Wh... oh…And you look very handsome.”

He smirked and nodded his thanks for her compliment. Inside he felt his pride swell just a little. At least he managed to look decent for this night. He had feared that he was going to come off, looking way too tired or exhausted because of the way work had been these last few days. His days really had been crazy with his case loads but despite all of it, he still managed to pull this night off.

And people said that they didn’t believe in miracles. He chuckled inward as he moved around the car and thanked whatever higher force was out that that helped him to plan this evening. He only hoped, as they were saying earlier, that everything would work out with any type of madness.

Thugs, monsters, mutants, those were the last things that he really wanted to deal with tonight.

He slipped into his car, revved the engine and pulled away from the mansion, leaving it as only tiny dots of light in the background. There was a small sigh of relief ([i[which apparently was mutual[/i]) as the pair of them drove away from the school. It was a great place to be, with many awesome people, but they definitely needed to get away, even if it was only for this one night.

They shared a smile and Jorge turned his attention back to the road ahead of him.

>> "So, where are we going?..."

“Going? Hmm…I don’t know. I thought you had this planned out?” he grinned a little devilishly. Because, seriously, after nearly two years of dating, when had the man ever revealed the secrets of their destinations when it was a serious date night? But, he smiled as he nodded to the lovely woman. “I have some things planned for tonight,” he beamed innocently. “All you need to do is relax…and trust me.”

>>“Going? Hmm…I don’t know. I thought you had this planned out? I have some things planned for tonight. All you need to do is relax…and trust me.”

That was exactly the answer she had been expecting. Sitting back, she closed her eyes.

"Fair enough." she smiled. Men needed the illsion that they were in charge of everything. Especially men like Jorge. There were not many of them to begin with.

"So, how has the guy time with Chase been going?" she asked, glancing over at him "He is always really excited to see you. I'm just glad he has someone to look up to. He needs people who care about him..."

Especially with everything that happened lately. She was truly happy that Jorge was a father figure in Chase's life, even if she did not want to use that word. Men tended to get scared of it.

>> "Fair enough."

Triumphant! Gemma knew better than to expect any other answer than the one that he had given her. Jorge prided himself in working hard to try to plan the perfect evenings and to surprise Gemma with them whenever it was time for them to go out. So far any nights he planned proved to be wild successes. Therefore, he really had high hopes that this evening would turn out the same way. It better, after all, this was probably doing to be the date to end all dates considering how it ended.

The lights of the city loomed high around them as he drove through the streets, aiming for their first destination, dinner. Jorge had found a particularly romantic spot that would work just wonders for setting up the rest of the evening. He hoped it would be a place that Gemma enjoyed as well.

>> "So, how has the guy time with Chase been going? He is always really excited to see you. I'm just glad he has someone to look up to. He needs people who care about him..."

He smirked as he nodded, looking quite happy actually.

“Been going well,” he admitted. “He’s a good kid and…we’ve really gotten to know each other.” He chuckled a little as he remembered one of their last meetings, when Chase brought his comic book with him, the one that he could have sworn had Jorge inside as one of the main characters named Christopher. “He’s, heh, kind of got it in his head that I’m some superhero from one of his comic books.”

Though it was a little funny to be confused for a comic character Jorge was not going to just shoot the kid down with his assumptions, which was probably why he never fought the issue all that hard. Jorge was just a cop and he reiterated that to Chase time and again. But he never got mad for the parallels that Chase constantly brought up between himself and that comic character. So long as the boy did not run around with complete delusions in his head, he was fine.

“But…he’s good. You’ve done wonders for him,” Jorge complimented his girlfriend. “He seems far different then how he was when I first met him.”

Jorge mused on this as he turned the corner to a row of buildings. One of which was a restaurant with the name “Bouley’s Restaurant” scrawled on a sign on its exterior. It was actually a pretty nice looking place and he always heard such rave reviews about it.

“Stop number one,” he beamed. Just in time too, his nerves were making him hungry…

>>“Been going well. He’s a good kid and…we’ve really gotten to know each other. He’s, heh, kind of got it in his head that I’m some superhero from one of his comic books. But…he’s good. You’ve done wonders for him. He seems far different then how he was when I first met him.”

Gemma smiled warmly at that. That was very good to hear. Not only because her child and her boyfriend were getting along, but also because Jorge was right, Chase did seem different. More like a normal kid. And that was more than she could hope for.

"Superhero huh" she chuckled "I'll need to keep an eye on you. Maybe he is right, and you are just busy because you are fighting crime in your free time."

One could never know with mutant waterbending cops.
She smiled as they pulled up in front of the restaurant, and waited for Jorge to open the door. He liked doing that.

>>“Stop number one,”

"Sounds good to me" she smiled, getting out of the car "I am starving."

He knew that. They had been dating long enough for him to know she would not be satisfied with expensive places that only give you a spoonful of everything. A decend meal was what both of them deserved, as working adults. And this place looked nice.

Gemma seemed satisfied that both he and Chase were getting along just fine. He was thankful for that since even though he and Gemma were dating before Chase came into her life, the boy was vitally important to her. Anyone with eyes could see that, whenever the two of them were together, there was a connection there, like a link that had bound mother and son one few people would every truly be able to experience. It was as if the two of them had known each other their whole lives; for Gemma and Chase, it was a natural fit.

That why Jorge was glad that indeed he and Chase got along. If they hadn’t, well, he didn’t know how this situation would have worked out. He was just glad that the boy liked him enough to trust him with being in his life; and vice versa.

>> "Superhero huh…I'll need to keep an eye on you. Maybe he is right, and you are just busy because you are fighting crime in your free time.”

He snorted a little at the comment. Great, now he had Gemma on him about that too. A laugh fell from his lips as he shook his head. It was a funny thought, him running around in spandex or a cape or something cheesy like that. He was an X-Man after all; god he hoped that he was not going to have to wear spandex for them. A shudder ran through his mind at the thought.

“If that’s the case I should check your closet for any super hero costumes too,” he said with a wink. After all, she was busy most of the time as well so logic dictated that the same conditions applied to her being a hero.

>> "Sounds good to me…I am starving."

“That makes two of us!” he said with a nod.

He definitely knew Gemma’s tastes by now. Restaurants may be fancy and all the rave, but it meant nothing if they served you a portion the size of a couple of rice kernels. That was simply now how people like Gemma and Jorge rolled. If they were going to eat, it was going to be good food with regular portions. Thankfully, this place seemed to fit all those criteria.

Once out of his car, the detective smiled as he moved his way around to her side and opened the door for her. Elegantly he offered his arm to aide her in stepping out and then lead her inside…

Gemma ignored the comment about the superhero costumes; she would have had answers to it, but this was definitely not the time. She chuckled at the idea of being a superhero. Moms were not superheroes. They did not have time for the theatrics. Too much work.

She allowed him to help her out of the car and escort her into the restaurant. It was nice.

"This is already worth it" she noted with a nod as they were led to their table "I can't tell you how long I have been waiting for a night out..."

Hmm…she didn’t retort in any way concerning the superhero costume. Maybe he was going to have to sneak into her closet and double check if she has any hidden alter-egos that he needed to know about. After all, shouldn’t he have at least a small right to know that? She knows about him being an X-Man so it was only proper that he know if she were running along the rooftops fighting crime.

The whole thought of ludicrous but it was still funny to imagine. He would have to make sure about teasing her for her lack of response later.

He offered his arm and, graciously, she took it and allowed him to lead her into the restaurant. The interior was actually quite homey. It looked like old, but not in any way pretentious. The best part, despite the deep red walls and the crisp linen and the cheerful looking staff…was the smell of the food that wafted out from the kitchen. Already he wanted to salivate; he had not eaten anything since his lunch which was far earlier than he would have liked.

>> "This is already worth it…I can't tell you how long I have been waiting for a night out..."

He grinned, like a fool and nodded with a tired smile, “Trust me, I think we both have been waiting for this for a while.” He sighed as he pressed his forehead against her own and kissed her softly.

Ahem

Jorge blinked and looked up to see the host smiling warmly at the two of them. The young man, dressed in a white shirt, black vest, tie, and black slacks, gave them a quick nod. His smile was genuine as he peered inquiringly between the two.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Jorge chuckled. “Cervantes, for two.”

That…was not awkward at all.

The host grinned as he scratched the reservation off of his list and grabbed a pair of menus. “Welcome to Bouley’s! Let me show you to your seats. I hope you will have an enjoyable time.”

>> “Trust me, I think we both have been waiting for this for a while.”

Gemma chuckled and nodded, returning the kiss, and only when the waiter cleared his throat did she realize she had been making out with her boyfriend in a restaurant, like a teenager. she blushed deeply and followed them to their table. She only laughed when the waiter left.

"I think I spend too much time with teenagers. It's rubbing off on me" she observed, glancing at Jorge over the menu, still blushing. She did not mind it one bit, not with Jorge around. "That, or I'm just finally being a teenager. Took we a long time to start growing up..."

Half true, and half not. Gemma was very serious as a teen, and grew up fast with the life she was living; she was born with her over-active maternal instincts and a great deal of common sense, and most of the silly stuff teens do tended to happen somebody else and not here. But now that she was all grown up, divorced and with two grown-up kids of her own, she could finally allow herself to just... be in love.

Jorge hid his smirk as both he and Gemma were led away by the host. It was definitely a little funny, caught in an awkward kiss by the waiter until the man actually felt uncomfortable enough to clear his throat in a most obvious manner. But the detective simply could not help himself. It seemed like eons since his last real day with Gemma. Despite that, though, there was indeed a time and place for such things and it was probably a little rude to be making out in the front of the restaurant.

So, he would contain such actions until an appropriate setting. Hand on the small of Gemma’s back, she shared another chuckle with her until they were led to their table. Once seated, he smirked as he started to life, still thinking about that kiss.

Apparently the humor was not lost on Gemma either…

>> "I think I spend too much time with teenagers. It's rubbing off on me…That, or I'm just finally being a teenager. Took we a long time to start growing up..."

He shook his head as he laughed, watching her face through the flickering candle lights that separated the two of them.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with recapturing youth,” he smiled as he turned his eyes back to his own menu. “It’s actually pretty fun. I'm only glad I get to share it with you.”

The detective smiled happily, face illuminated by the glow of candle light. All it showed was honesty and truth in his words.

He definitely knew what it was like to grow up too fast. His youth died when he was 15 years old and since then he spent his time focused on either controlling his powers or preparing for his career of wanting to help people. But, this feeling he had whenever he was around Gemma…it was pretty addicting. To capture some of that boldness that teenagers always seemed to display, it made for truly fun experiences.

Needless to say, Jorge enjoyed the fact that he could share such experiences with Gemma and hoped that they would continue after this night…