A Most Graceful Life Ch. 08

"Sorry to interrupt," laughed Shelly, as she stopped by Stephen and Grace still giggling from Uncle Rob's latest fart. "Grace, do you mind if I get a chance to dance with my cousin?"

"Not at all!" grinned Grace. "Just bring him back in one piece!"

Stephen followed his cousin out to the floor, taking care not to step on any part of her dress. The song playing was upbeat and allowed the two of them to settle into a good rhythm.

"Still have two left feet, I see," noted Shelly, looking down between them.

"Well, somethings never change," chuckled Stephen.

"Some things do though," remarked Shelly, nodding off in Grace's direction, who was politely talking with Aunt Linda.

"Yes, she's a big change," said Stephen, smiling at all the memories they had created since they'd met.

"She's really nice," replied Shelly. "And I really appreciate that you two came in to talk with me before the ceremony." She then laughed, "I don't know what was going through my head then!"

"I'm sure it happens to everyone, Shells. Nothing to beat yourself up about."

"You know, it's funny. I asked Jack if he had any nerves about it at all. He looked me square in the eye and said 'Never had any single doubts about marrying you, my love.' That just made my heart melt."

"He's a really good fit for you. Knew that from the day I met him," said Stephen.

"And Grace? Is she a really good fit for you?"

"The best fit," answered Stephen, immediately. "I couldn't be happier with how our relationship has gone."

"Maybe you'll be the next one walking down the aisle," grinned Shelly.

Stephen turned to look over at Grace, who was now talking with Jack. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress, and her perfectly formed smile still made Stephen's heart seize up like it did the day she emerged from the portal. So far, every part of being with Grace had been better than he had ever imagined. He didn't doubt that they would eventually marry. And who knows? Maybe have their own crop of kids. Stephen just hoped they looked more like Grace than they would like him.

"I didn't mean to freak you out," said Shelly suddenly, when Stephen hadn't responded. "Just some good-natured teasing, I promise."

"Oh, sorry, Shells. I was just... thinking, that's all. I don't think your predication it too off base," he grinned shyly.

"Well, that is something I'd very much look forward to," she added, as their song continued on. The rest of their conversation was made up of light banter, more memories of their childhoods, allowing Stephen to slightly drift off, and picture what a future would look like with Grace. That is, until the song ended and they were gently interrupted.

"Say Stephen," started Jack, lightly rubbing Shelly's back. "You don't mind if I get a few more dances in with my beautiful bride here, do you?"

"Not at all," laughed Stephen, stepping aside to let them dance together.

"I appreciate it," grinned Jack. "But I'm not letting you go away empty handed." He nodded off in a direction just behind Stephen. He turned, and found himself looking into that familiar set of bright blue eyes.

"Care for a dance?" Grace smiled, mischievously.

"As long as you don't mind me occasionally stepping on your feet," chuckled Stephen.

"I think I can manage," winked Grace.

Jack had picked the right time to intervene, as the next series of songs were of the slow and romantic variety. Grace nuzzled in close, wrapping her arms around Stephen's neck, allowing them an intimate space to dance, as well as talk together. They were joined by just about the rest of the couples at the venue, including the newlyweds, dancing not a few feet away. Even Stephen's grandparents were on the floor as well, the old couple dancing together as they had for years.

"That's going to be us someday," Grace whispered, following his line of sight.

"Will we be so tiny, though?" Stephen chuckled.

She laughed as well, "Probably. We'll start off tall like the newlyweds and shrink a few inches each decade." Grace pointed to the much taller Jack and Shelly, who were dancing near his grandparents. The two of them wore large smiles, never taking their eyes off of one another.

"They look so happy together," noted Stephen, casting his eyes in their direction.

"Well, thanks to you, they always will be," purred Grace, leaning in to kiss his neck.

"They probably would have been happy on their own, without my interference though, I think."

Grace pulled back and looked up at him, "Probably. But the fact that you care enough to guarantee it makes a big difference." She looked around, watching all the couples dancing away. "I love weddings!" She repeated once more.

"Isn't this your first wedding though?" Stephen chuckled.

Grace nodded, "First, and hopefully not the last." She gave him an expectant look, mischief blazing in her eyes.

"What's that look for?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, batting her eyelashes playfully.

"I have a feeling I'm missing something," he chuckled.

"Not if I have my way about it," Grace whispered sensually into his ear.

"You know, when I was dancing with Shelly, she asked me if we were going to be the next ones to walk down the aisle," said Stephen, rubbing his hand up and down Grace's back.

She pulled back and looked at him seriously, "What did you say?" There was almost a look of fear present in her luminescent blue eyes as she awaited his response.

Stephen smiled, "I told her I thought her predication was largely correct."

Grace hopped up and down once, and then hugged him tighter, "Really? You really mean that, Stephen?"

"It's so crazy to think that," he chuckled. "We've only known each other a little more than a week. But in all honesty, Grace," he paused, while looking deeply into her eyes, "I can't imagine a future that doesn't have you in it."

"Oh, Stephen," Grace whimpered, "Does this mean I really get to be your wife some day?"

"If that's what you want. Is it, Grace?"

"Absolutely. Nothing would make me happier," she smiled with teary eyes.

"I never thought I'd get to say that to someone as perfect as you, Grace."

"And I never thought I'd get a master as wonderful as you," she whispered right back.

Stephen flinched slightly, at the reminder of the actual relationship between them. That of master and genie. He had let himself drift off slightly, wanting to think of their relationship as more normal than it actually was, and reality came to bite him back.

"Stephen? Something wrong?" Grace asked, her brow perturbed.

"Just sometimes I forget that you are really a genie is all," answered Stephen a bit too honestly.

"Does that bother you?"

"Only the part about being your master, and feeling like you're my slave."

Grace laughed slightly, "Oh, Stephen, you have to get over that. At this point, it's practically a technicality."

He gave her a confused look. "A technicality?"

"Yes, my silly Master," her eyes twinkled. "Because we love each other. This isn't a typical master/genie relationship. We love each other like true partners, and that's why it shouldn't matter!"

Stephen nodded while Grace continued to explain why it didn't matter, and why he shouldn't care. Yet, he couldn't shake that feeling, the feeling of wonder at whether Grace truly loved him, or whether the magic compelled her to. What if the magic were to be taken away? Would Grace, the person, love him still? Or was it only Grace, the genie, who loved him?

"I know you have doubts," said Grace, giving him a demure smile while her hand rested against his chest. "But you need to learn to trust your future wife more."

Stephen snapped back into the present and laughed, "Future wife, eh?"

Grace nodded, "Mhmm! And as the future Mrs. Stephen Willow, you need to listen to what I'm saying," she ended, poking him in the ribs playfully.

Stephen grinned in response, "You really want me to be your husband?"

"As much as I want to be the mother of your children," Grace agreed.

Children! Now that was a thought that Stephen had often dwelled on. In quiet moments, he had often wondered about fatherhood, and what it meant to be a dad, especially after his own had so casually abandoned him. Yet for the majority of his life, he had thought that fatherhood was so well into the future, and the first step would be finding someone to settle down with, and to build a life. But as he looked into Grace's eyes, he had no doubt that he had finally found that person, someone whom he could truly spend forever with.

"I know we've only lightly touched on that subject," interrupted Grace, bringing him back from his thoughts. "But you do want to have children with me, don't you?"

Stephen nodded, "Definitely, Grace. I want to have children with you, and only with you."

She beamed with a smile, and leaned in to kiss him passionately. "I love you with my entire heart, Stephen Willow."

"You say that now," teased Stephen, before pulling her close. "But tell me what you really think after knowing me longer than ten days!"

They continued to dance for a couple more slow songs, before finally retreating back to their table and joining the rest of the guests in drunken merriment. Thankful that they had only a short walk to their hotel room, Stephen let himself indulge in the booze, finding a more boisterous and playful version of himself on the other end. It was late into the night when the last guests, as well as the newlyweds, made their way out of the venue to their respective rooms. Grace, a few notches past tipsy herself, helped a thoroughly drunken Stephen back to their room.

"What an amazing night!" Stephen half yelled, half slurred, as they finally made it back to room 507. He turned and fell back first into their bed as Grace locked the door behind him.

"I may be a little buzzed," he hiccuped, looking over at Grace.

"A little buzzed?" She laughed, while kicking off her heels. "You're pretty trashed!"

"Sowry," said Stephen, sitting up, while being interrupted by another hiccup.

"What am I supposed to do with you now? We had plans for tonight," she said, walking towards him. In the middle of her walk, her dress disappeared, leaving behind white lace lingerie. Stephen moaned at the sight of her.

"I might need your magic to help me here," he said, looking down at his pants. His member was half limp, a side effect of all the alcohol.

"Wish away!"

"Grace, I wish my equipment was sober enough to make love to you like you deserve," he croaked.

"Done!"

Stephen felt the steel burst into his erection, tenting his slacks fully. Grace noticed immediately, and helped the still drunken man out of his dress clothes. After she finished, she laid down carefully in bed, giving him the come hither gesture with her finger.

Stephen wasted little time, wanting to be fully connected with her, and show her the depth of his passion after such an amazing night. Such a special night when they had admitted their desires to marry and have a family together. Children, forever, the whole nine yards. And here they were about to make a physical expression of the love that bound them so tightly. A physical love that had the ability to create children, giving Stephen's buzzed brain an idea.

"Grace?" He asked, as she slowly stroked his erection, lining him up with her entrance.

"Yes, my love?"

"You remember you told me 'fore, that you couldn't get preknent unless I wissed it so?" Stephen asked, slurring his words.

Grace nodded, and then moaned while he pressed himself deep inside of her.

"Well," he started, moaning at the incredibly wet feel of her pussy, "Can you make that go 'way? Let nature take it's course?"

Grace looked at him with tears forming in her eyes. "Are you sure, baby?" She pressed her hips back against his, joining them together as one being.

When Stephen nodded, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. "It's done!"

Together, the young couple made quiet, gentle, passionate love while holding each other tightly together. A perfect expression of the love that gripped them, entrancing themselves with one other, their bodies moving in gentle harmony. Finally, when they orgasmed, the latent magical barrier that prevented access to Grace's womb was fully and totally removed. As they laid there together recovering, and drifting off into a blissful sleep, love, and life, had a new meaning.

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The clock on the wall was ticking too loudly. The house, austere in its furnishings, just seemed to bounce the ticking of the clock off of every wall, picking up noise after every bounce before it exploded in his ear drums.

Warden Hanif looked up at the clock and scowled. Almost five minutes until his progress report was due back to Grand Master Abbas. He picked up the burner cell phone he had purchased in that back alley technology store, complete with the second hand sim card. He stared at the number to reach his liege, and the head of his order.

Of course, Abbas would want to know his findings, his whereabouts, and his plan, and would no doubt scrutinize every part of it. Yet, since the first conversation two weeks prior, a lot had changed. Hanif was confident he had located the general area of the magical disturbances and was narrowing down to a single hot spot. Every time the magic pulsed, his senses became hyper aware, pulling him closer to the dastardly djinn, and ending its miserable presence.

Hanif gazed out the back porch, feeling the sunshine against his clothing. The sun here was less intense than the one from back home, enabling him to spend long periods out in its presence. He gazed down at the poor excuse for clothing that surrounded him. It had been necessary to escape from his own robes as part of their order, to prevent detection, and which was the primary reason why he needed to now assimilate into American culture. The ironic t-shirt, as well as the faded blue jeans, allowed him to do just that, even if it filled him with disgust to wear the ultimate symbols of Americanism.

Yet here he was, deep in the heart of the American continent, trying to fit in to make his task easier. It hadn't been an easy run so far, but every time a magical surge of activity alerted his senses, he felt one step closer to being back home. Of returning to the order.

Hanif gazed down, and saw that his watch now blazed at one o'clock in the afternoon. Knowing that it would be nine o'clock back home, he picked up the cell phone and dialed the number to Grand Master Abbas.

The Grand Master answered in two rings. "Speak."

"Grand Master, it is brother Hanif."

"What is the status of your mission?" Abbas wasted no time for pleasantries.

"I'm making progress, Grand Master," Hanif began. "I have followed the pull of magical activity across the Atlantic, taking flight from London almost a week ago. After landing in New York City, the pull was still very weak. I followed, westward, stopping in major cities along the way and waiting for the pull. This djinn is performing magic several times a day, not making it hard to find the trail."

"So you have located it then?"

"Not yet," Hanif trembled, knowing Abbas likely response. "But I'm very close. I believe now I'm in the same city as the djinn."

"You believe? Yet, you are not certain?" Abbas pressed, his voice showing a hint of displeasure.

"I just arrived in this city, Grand Master. The pull is so incredibly strong here that I believe I'm very close to locating its presence. I'm sure it won't be long until I find the djinn."

"It had better not be, Hanif. Every moment you delay and dither is another moment of freedom for that creature. Another moment wrecking the careful and delicate balance of the world. Do you understand?"

"Absolutely, my lord," replied Hanif, deferentially.

"How is the state of your finances?"

Hanif swallowed, "Very good, Grand Master. I have plenty and don't anticipate needing much more."

"Best news I've heard yet. Have you run into any troubles with other people, or the law?"

"Not at all. I've moved fairly undetected so far," said Hanif, with a note of pride in his voice.

"Keep it that way, Hanif. While our organization has certain... liberties, we would rather not have to rely on those if at all possible. Stay above the law, and make sure any actions you take are stealthy and correct."

"Of course, Grand Master. I will do exactly as you say," replied Hanif.

"Good. Don't call again until you have located the beast." The line went dead as Abbas disconnected the connection.

"Ya Ibn el Sharmouta," Hanif swore, throwing the floor on the wooden porch beneath him. He knew that Abbas would find his progress lacking, even though he had come such a long way since their parting over a week ago. Yet, would it kill the man to acknowledge his progress so far? After all, the surge of magic was so close, so very close now.

Hanif sighed, picking up the phone from its resting place on the porch. Setting it back down on the table beside him, he resumed his meditation. He had to be ready for the next burst of activity. When the magic was this close, every burst brought him one step closer to detecting the source. Hanif took a deep breath, and cleared his mind, waiting to find the next pulse. He knew soon he would overtake the djinn and finish his mission, for good.

-------------------

"So, wait just a minute," objected Grace, sitting upright on the couch. "Why is he blue? Why doesn't he look like a human?" She pointed to the screen.

Stephen laughed, "I have no idea. Maybe because it's a kid's movie? Nothing wrong with having a blue genie, I suppose?"

Grace huffed, before folding her arms underneath her perfect bust line. "Genies should look like people," she muttered.

Stephen tried to suppress his laugh, as the rolled their way through the Disney movieAladdin. It had been a full week since the wedding, and it was a Monday afternoon, which thankfully, gave them a bit of privacy, since Stephen's mother was working, and the twins were out with friends. Stephen had found the old movie while they were flipping channels, snuggled up on the couch, and put it on expecting some delightful color commentary from Grace, who didn't disappoint.

"Only three wishes? Well Aladdin really gets gypped," said Grace, after watching the first genie scene.

"Must be because he's not a companion genie," noted Stephen, while trying to keep a straight face.

"Or maybe, he's just being extra careful about Wardens," offered Grace, thoughtfully.

"Quite possibly," agreed Stephen with a slight chuckle.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Grace asked, casting a sideways flirty glance at her boyfriend.

"Who me? I wouldn't dream of it, love," said Stephen, casting his eyes upwards and hoping to look innocent.

Grace playfully slapped his arm before taking another pretzel and sticking it in her mouth. In front of them, on the coffee table, was an array of the usual movie snacks, including popcorn, pretzels, and candies, as well as some unusual movie snacks, including beef jerky and string cheese. All of it carefully conjured up by Grace to let them enjoy their movie watching experience.

"Princess Jasmine sure is cute," noted Grace, sporadically, during the movie.

"For an animated character?" Stephen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? She doesn't do it for you?" She asked in return, leaning up to look at him.

"I mean, I'm just into real people. Not cartoons," Stephen laughed.

"You laugh now, but wait until I create a fantasy involving a real, live Princess Jasmine. We'll see who's laughing then," Grace pushed out her tongue and then reclined back down.

Stephen took a moment to think that one over, wondering what kind of idea she had in mind. He had a vision, no doubt helped along greatly by his genie companion, of Grace sucking his cock while a real, human looking Jasmine rode his face. He filed that one away in his mind for safe keeping, intending to use it for the next fantasy period with Grace.