Mohinder had been doing a little work here, between freaking out and periods where he was just trying not to freak out. JC was a wealth of information. Kaylee even more so. Everyone seemed to like the young woman and even Mohinder found himself telling her things he might not tell anyone else without a little prodding.

"I don't think 'really close' is the proper term," Mohinder said, his voice dropping already into lecture mode. "I suppose 'mate' is better, but there are still errors there with the translation. The man you resemble is...was...from a telepathic race of extremely logical beings. They form intellectual bonds, eschewing all emotion when possible, though the bonding itself is extremely emotionally complex from what I gather. There may well be residual pieces of him inside of your not-quite friend, adding further complication. Jim was forced to leave his mate, which is why Jack brought him to Torchwood."

There, that was a mouthful.

Mohinder moved just a little closer to Gabriel. "It must have been a shock to him to see his other half in you and be reminded of his loss. Not a good reason to hit you, however. Perhaps he was trying to see the boundary of our relationship to...indulge in what he's missed..?"