Jorge was searching her eyes, to make sure that everything was okay. Maybe he really should not have called her out like that but he thought it was romantic and sweet. Maybe she was embarrassed? That was obviously the last thing he wanted to do tonight, but as he stood back and waited for her to response, he smirked wide as she stood up, wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. It was such a sweet gesture that Jorge allowed himself to relax a bit more.

He was thankful, again, that he did not mess things up. But he was tired of saying that to himself! His nerves were working over time because the pieces were all falling into place. That ring, the one in the box inside of his pocket, it was feeling so very, very heavy now.

>> "It was great. I mean, not bad at all…Thank you Jorge."

"I'm glad you liked it. Honestly, I thought I was going to mess up," he smirked.

He grinned liken a fool as he kissed her back in response. There was just something about this woman that brought out all the romance in him. Maybe it was from years of watching classic movies, reading classic books and such that brought it about, but Gemma was the one that actually forced him to tap into it. And that was a gift that he could never thank her enough for.

"Come on, let's enjoy the rest of the show," he whispered, not wanting to talk over the soft spoken poet on stage. "I promise I won't make you blush again."

A kiss on her cheek again and Jorge returned her to the bench where they could both just lean back and listen to the rest of the poetry and music as it swirled about them. The proposal was next but he’d give her a bit to relax, at least until the League’s show was over so that the two of them could find a calm place again.

>>"I'm glad you liked it. Honestly, I thought I was going to mess up. Come on, let's enjoy the rest of the show. I promise I won't make you blush again."

She nodded and sat back on the bench, leaning against his shoulder. They listened to the poet, but although the poem was truly well done, Gemma found her mind wandering. The date was going well, more than well in fact, and she hoped it will last as long as it can. The song truly touched her, more than she let him know right now. She couldn't believe he was worried about messing it up. In her mind there was no way he could have messed that up.

She was quiet for the rest of the show; there was music and poetry and some singing. This was not awkward silence or the silence of being exhausted; it was a content, comfortable silence, enjoying the moment without talking about.

She show was about to end, but Gemma found herself wishing the evening would not end with it so soon.

The show went on in silence, both Jorge and Gemma basking in the warm glow of paper lanterns over head and the words and lyrics of presenters who stepped onto the stage. They weaved a tapestry of romance among everyone there and Jorge definitely fell victim to it. His song to Gemma, the look on her face when he was done, it was all going off swimmingly and the detective could not be more pleased with that. He wanted the perfect for this woman, so that he could steel himself up and get the nerve to ask her what he had been wanting to ask her all evening.

Nerves still wracked throughout his body but it was not something that was going to stop him or cause him to change his mind. He was going through with this, he just needed the best and most private moment. He was never one for flashy, public proposals. In his mind, they should be something private, a moment in time that those people can share with each other the rest of their lives.

So as the night wound on, he waited, distracting himself with the comfortable silence and feeling this woman rest so comfortably against him. It felt so absolutely natural that Jorge really could not have imagined anyone else in her position.

To the hopeless romantic of a detective, it felt like fate.

Jerry had come onto the stage again, after the last presenter, and bid everyone had a lovely night. It was sad to see this come to an end, but it was bound to happen. In that moment though, he felt his heart race. He knew that time was quickly approaching. With that in mind, he smiled as he leaned over and kissed Gemma’s cheek.

“Love?” he asked, making sure that she was still awake. “They’re gathering their stuff. Come on, let’s go for a walk, the garden smells nice tonight…”

His hand rested on his coat pocket for a moment. The box was still there…now to just get her alone…

>>“Love? They’re gathering their stuff. Come on, let’s go for a walk, the garden smells nice tonight…”

She was not really asleep, she was just... relaxed. She looked up when Jorge kissed her on the cheek and smiled, eyes bright in the light of the lanterns. Nodding she stood, holding his hand, and waved to Jerry and the people leaving the park, chatting happily about the event. Everyone looked cheerful, just like the colors of the lanterns.

"A walk sounds good" she agreed, once again taking Jorge's arm. The gardens smelled wonderful in the warm summer night and the park was surprisingly quiet for New York City.

"We need to do this more often" she noted as they walked along "And I will need to bring Chase here at some point. I am sure he would love the gardens."

>> "A walk sounds good"

He smiled and nodded as he gently took her hand and stood with her. People were still milling around but a wave and smile to them and Jorge led Gemma out of the space. The people there were extremely nice and happy, all in love or embracing the notion of romance in the evening. It really was rather infectious and, as sad as it was to leave all of it behind and call that part of their evening over, Jorge was ready for the next and final phase.

One looked at Gemma and she seemed to be utterly happy and content with the evening thus far. Hopefully his proposal would not ruin it.

>> "We need to do this more often…And I will need to bring Chase here at some point. I am sure he would love the gardens."

He chuckled and nodded as he thought about Chase running around the gardens. The assumption was actually a fair one, this definitely seemed like a place that Chase would enjoy. It was quiet, the scenery was peaceful and beautiful, for some reason the notion of Chase being here just fit.

“Maybe we can both bring him one day,” he said with smile. “You know, for an outing, lunch maybe?”

The idle talk was good. It soothed his nerves a little as he strolled through the garden, passing a variety of exotic and sweet smell flowers. The fragrance made him turn to Gemma, watching her as they walked under the moonlight. He could feel it rising in his chest, the nerve that slowly began to steel itself up. As continued on, the sounds of rushing water could be heard and he looked up to see that they were passing a rather elegant looking fountain.

The sound of the water, the smell of it in the air, it was all rather calming. Leaning against the railing that surrounded the found, Jorge sighed as he cast a glance to Gemma. When he finally caught her eye, he smiled.

“Uhh…Gemma,” he started to say. Nervously he scratched the back of his head. “I…need to…talk to you…”

>>“Maybe we can both bring him one day. You know, for an outing, lunch maybe?”

"That sounds good" she smiled, imagining Chase running around. A family picnic for three people who became one family. Kind of. It was certainly the closest thing she had to a family on this coast of the continent.
That reminded her of her own kids, Valerie and Laurent. Another visit was in order, soon. They needed to meet Chase, and Val needed to nag Jorge more, because that is what daughters do to their mother's boyfriends. She smirked at the thought.
Family indeed.

>>“Uhh…Gemma. I…need to…talk to you…”

Jorge broke the silence and she looked up at him, tilting her head curiously.

"Yes?" she asked, wondering what he had in mind. "What is it?"

>> "Yes? What is it?"

Jorge watched her eyes for a moment, lost in his own thoughts as he tried to figure out the perfect way to start what he wanted to say. He thought that maybe he should have written things down first, but that would have come off as just too rehearsed. No, he had made the vow that he was going to speak from the heart on this manner but what could he exactly say? So many thoughts jumbled around inside of his head that it was hard to just pick out one to go with. But, in the end, he knew that he was going to have to just trust his instincts. He loved this woman, that was all that mattered.

He lowered his gaze a little as he tried to find his voice. It was funny that after everything he had gone through in his life, all the countless situations he found himself in, that this would be the moment that he would lose his voice. He had no problem talking down terrified people or bantering with thugs, but this moment turned out to actually be the hardest for him to say anything.

Casually he cleared his throat as one of his hand slipped up and unbutton his coat. He wanted to make sure that he could slip his hand in and produce the box as soon as the moment came. With his coat open, he took a breath, one last look at the water fountain and fully turned to face her.

“Two years, we’ve been dating,” he said. It was funny. It was as if the second he opened his mouth to talk, suddenly all the fear flew out of him. A calmness washed over him as he looked at her smiling face. “And…they’ve been the happiest two years of my life. We’ve gone through a lot together, some of it good, others terrifying, but they are experiences that I would never change for the world.”

He spoke honestly and truly as he tried to keep from smiling like a fool the whole time. But just thinking back over their short history together and he couldn’t help himself. No other woman could have done half the things that they did together, kept a relationship alive over all the terrors that come from both hers and his respective jobs. It was scary to change that relationship but Jorge was more than willing to take that chance with her.

Why? Because she was worth it.

“And, well,” he started to say as he reached into his inside pocket. “I would like to make as many experiences with you and Chase and Valerie and Laurent in my life as possible.” Breath taken to steel himself up, Jorge pulled the black felt box from his coat and slowly moved down onto one knee. A gesture and the box opened to reveal the same diamond ring that he had shown to Chase before when he asked his permission. The ground was cold on his knee, but Jorge didn’t notice it as he looked up at Gemma’s expression, hoping for some clue as to how she felt so far. “Gemma Taylor, will you grant me the great honor of marrying me?”

>>“Two years, we’ve been dating. And…they’ve been the happiest two years of my life. We’ve gone through a lot together, some of it good, others terrifying, but they are experiences that I would never change for the world.”

Gemma listened quietly and intently, with equal parts anticipation and nervousness. When guys started "talks" like that, they would usually go one of two possible ways: they were either breaking up with you, or...

>>“And, well, I would like to make as many experiences with you and Chase and Valerie and Laurent in my life as possible.”

... or quite the opposite.
Gemma was quite stunned. Absolutely blindsided, as Jorge went down on one knee and produced... a ring. Gemma gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, watching him in disbelief.

>>“Gemma Taylor, will you grant me the great honor of marrying me?”

There it was.
Jorge just... asked her to marry him.

Gemma had been married before; she had been through the whole thing, but right now that felt like another time, another life, and definitely another person. She looked at him for a long moment, not the ring at all, but the expression of anticipation and nervousness on his face, mirroring her own. The whole thing was just overwhelming, and something she never thought she would feel in her life.

Taking a deep breath, she reached out to touch his hands holding the ring, and as she nodded, a bright smile lit up her face.

"Yes" she said, and that was the voice that she used when there was no arguing about the matter "Definitely yes."

Jorge waited with bated breath. He knew that he loved Gemma and that she loved him in return but he really did not know what her feelings would be on this matter. Maybe she wanted to keep things as they were? After all, she had been married before and it ended with divorce. Jorge couldn’t blame her if she had said no, but at the same time it would have been so unfortunate because his actions could have the potential of ruining their relationship. It would be one of those things that neither of them would ever be able to forget and would hang over their heads for eons after.

He didn’t want things ruined with Gemma. But it was a question that he just had to ask and, hoped, that she had a positive answer for.

Kneeling though, looking up at her sweet face, for a millisecond he could not read her expression as he presented her with the ring. And in that millisecond he had absolute doubt; she was going to say no. But, after she removed her hands from her shocked lips, they stretched into a wide and luminescent smile that made Jorge’s heart begin to soar. The twinkle in her eyes, her hands reaching down to touch his, and Jorge already felt like he had his answer.

But the words coming from her own lips were far sweeter…

>> "Yes…Definitely yes."

He laughed a little at the tone of her voice. It was that voice of no arguing. Jorge knew right then and there that he was in for it that there would be no backing out (not that he wanted to). The nerves washing out of his body, the detective beamed brightly as he held her very carefully removed the ring from its box and slid it onto her slender finger.

That done, he held her hand as he stood up, watching her eyes and unable to stop from smiling. She had literally just made him the happiest man right now…

Still chuckling, the man grinned as he wrapped his arms around Gemma’s waist and pulled her close. His forehead touching her’s, he sighed in relief, smile wide. Leaning forward he kissed her softly, tenderly, almost like the first time that they had ever kissed. In a way, maybe it was. This was the first kiss to a new aspect of their lives. When he finally pulled his lips away from hers, he found himself far more relaxed than he had been the whole evening.

“Had me worried for a second there,” he smirked. “Glad you said yes, otherwise my Plan B was that I would serenade you again.”

Before she finished looking at him with wonder, the ring was on her finger and Jorge was kissing her. She melted into the kiss, pulling him closer and not caring one bit who saw them in the park. She just got engaged, every argument was invalid.

>>“Had me worried for a second there. Glad you said yes, otherwise my Plan B was that I would serenade you again.”

"Oh, in that case, lucky I am so easily swayed." she smiled, resting her forehead against his. She stayed like that for a long time; there will be talk later (and other celebratory activities), but right now she just wanted to give their thoughts a moment to catch up.

"So..." she said finally, pulling back to look up at him "We... are getting married." she glanced around; the park was quiet and empty. "... and nothing has attacked us yet. I'd say that is a good sign. Hm?"

The kiss was the perfect way to absolutely seal the evening. Jorge sighed as he felt her pressing against him, his arms wrapping around her to hold her close. He was kissing his fiancée! His FIANCEE! Never had Jorge every thought that he would reach such a stage in his life where he would be getting engaged to someone. This was a completely twist of fate but it was a good one because Jorge could not be more pleased with it. He loved Gemma greatly and he was only all too excited to be sharing the rest of his life with her in it.

Foreheads touching, he smirked, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this woman had just agreed to marry him. This woman who was not only his best friend, but a woman he loved and respected above all else. He was truly most happy in this moment.

>> "Oh, in that case, lucky I am so easily swayed."

He laughed as heartily, all the tension gone from his body left him a lot more lighthearted. He really did not know what her response was going to be but he was more than happy that it was “yes”. Though more than likely he would have attempted to serenade her again…

Gemma looked giggly as she her thoughts began to truly form into what had happened this evening, at least that is what Jorge guessed. He was pretty much thinking the same thing, trying to wrap his head around this true life changer that he had just gone through. He was going to be a married man, with a family of his own! It was a huge step, but it was a step that, deep down, Jorge knew that he was ready to make.

>> "So...We... are getting married…and nothing has attacked us yet. I'd say that is a good sign. Hm?"

He grinned as he nodded.

“I think it’s a damn good sign,” he beamed as he leaned over and began to kiss her again. While he did so, he glanced out of the corner of his eye to the area around the fountain and waved his arm in a “cancel” gesture. Immediately several S.W.A.T. team members popped up from out of hiding, gave him their thumbs up and waves before they all moved out, their job now officially over for the evening. Jorge figured that there was no harm in being cautious. A grin appeared on his face if Gemma caught that, and he wrapped his arms tight around her and lifted her up, kissing her softly. This was the beginning of something fantastic…