Setting the DVD on the desk next to the tray, Gabriel bent down to offer Garfield a hand up. "I said, while I can't presume to take the place of your biological father, if you'd like to call me 'father' for however long both of us are here, I'd be honored to accept the title," he repeated, though he quickly added, "though if you don't want to, you needn't feel obligated to." The shocked reaction, he felt, didn't speak well for the chances of Garfield accepting, but he wanted to make sure the offer was clearly understood, at least.