Fic: Leaving On A Jet Plane Part 2 Title: Leaving On A Jet Plane, Part 2
Authors: sevs_lil_secret and unbroken_halo
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Company belong to JK Rowling. No copyright infringement is meant.
Summary: It’s 1960, Damon and Grant have been married for five years and new orders for the big Marine send the whole family into chaos.
Warnings: Cross Dressing, Leatherneck Lingo, Jealousy, Beginnings of a kink for Damon.
AN:This piece is the first of several that will show the life Damon and Grant had while they lived in Japan and Grant lived as Gracie. It was a huge change taking time for both to adjust to the amended roles in their relationship and society.
Leaving On A Jet Plane</b>
In town and at Bower's Department store, Gracie was looking through a rack of dresses in a style one of the salesladies had pointed out to her, commenting that they would look simply darling on the Indian's small frame, when a man in workman's coveralls passed by her. On his way back out of the store he'd noticed the small woman had moved herself away from the Marine and older woman he'd thought she was with. A grin was on his face as he walked past her and took a moment to admire her from behind before he reached out and pinched her bottom.
Gracie's eyes widened and she squeaked as she whirled around only to find a workman grinning at her. "Did you just pinch me?" she demanded, clearly at a loss for what to do.
Carl leered at her and leaned in to press the issue. "You've got a nice ass sweetie. How about you and me get out of here and find somewhere to get acquainted better?" he smirked and reached out to touch her smooth cheek.
Damon heard a squeak and looked over towards Gracie. He sneered and walked over then reached out and grabbed the man's wrist before he could touch Gracie's face. He glared at the creep and squeezed, hard, on the bony arm. "Excuse me, sir. I know you just didn't touch my wife, now did you?" He growled softly and pulled Gracie behind him. "You will apologize now, won't you?" he looked over his shoulder at Gracie. "Are you alright, Grace?"
The workman shook his head. "No offence meant, I didn't know she was spoken for. I'll just be on my way, there ain't no need for trouble," he said quickly and then offered an insincere smile to Grace. "My apologies ma'am, but if I were your man, I'd be keeping you tucked in close." With a nod of his head, the workman turned and left quickly.
Grace looked at Damon with wide eyes, a shocked expression on her face. "I didn't know he was there and he pinched my behind," she said and put a hand over her mouth. "Damon, I'm so sorry."
Damon glared again at the man's retreating back. "I'll be right back." He stepped away from Gracie and went after the other man.
Marion stepped up quickly and grabbed her son's arm. "Damon, where do you think you are going?" she asked as she stood in front of him, blocking his way. She was not about to have her boy brawling in the street like a common hooligan, the Wolffes were better than that.
Damon looked down at his mother. "That thing touched my Gracie." He growled. He looked back at Gracie and then to his mother again.
Marion had an iron grip on her son's arm. "Do you want to be brought up on charges? Do you want to ruin your career with this? If not, then you'd best settle yourself and just keep Gracie closer to you," she said in a voice of steel. Glancing to Gracie, she motioned her over. "Hold your man's arm and don't let him go. You can't be wandering around alone now. You are pretty and you will draw the wrong sorts of attention."
She turned her son's arm loose and looked at them both. "We need to finish up and then have some dinner, I'm famished. Gracie, do you have everything you want?"
"Yes ma'am," the little Indian replied and went to the register with her husband in tow to get the refund from the other items and pay for the new ones. Hopefully the amounts would be even.
Damon took a deep breath and turned back to focus on the cashier as she rang in the returns and then checked out the new purchases. He was startled to see the amount and looked to Gracie. "Twenty-five dollars, huh Grace?" He smiled at her and pulled out his bankbook to make up the difference. "One more stop before we get to dinner, mom, alright."
The Marine was going to put the largest rock he could afford on Gracie's finger so there would be no more doubts.
Once again on Damon's arm as they left the department store, Gracie looked up at Damon. "I used what I earned from gardening to pay for most of it. I didn't want to waste your savings," she said as Damon put the bags in the trunk of the car. By her calculations this had cost Damon thirty-seven dollars all told... maybe that wasn't too bad. Mother Wolffe had insisted on buying a wardrobe for an entire year in the tropical climate.
Damon held the back door open for her and she slid in gracefully as Mother Wolffe situated herself in the front seat. She had no idea where they were off to now, Damon had said one more stop, but she had nothing left to return.
"Gracie..." He looked up in the rear-view mirror and caught her eyes. "It's my job to take care of you, Pet and that was your money to spend on you. My savings is for us to use when needed." Damon drove the short distance to the Zales jewellery store and parked. He got out and opened the door for his mother then turned and did the same for Grant holding his arm out to her. "This though, I don't want you to hold back on. You will pick out a nice ring to wear with your band." He led them into the store and was immediately approached by the sales clerk.
Damon held up a hand. "It's close to our fifth year anniversary and I would like a nice ring for her. A half carat or better, please." He picked up Gracie's hand and studied it for a moment. "A pear cut I should think with a D colour."
He glanced at the clerk. "You do guarantee the colour and clarity of your stones? We'll need the certificate as well."
The clerk nodded and moved around the counter then unlocked the cabinet and pulled out a tray with loose stones. "Would Madam like to choose a stone?" He set a jeweller’s loop on the counter.
Gracie looked at the tray of stones and then back to Damon. She was lost, having no idea at all about things like this. Where she grew up, no one saw diamonds. She raised her hand to her mouth, not sure of what she should do. "I don't know Damon... you pick," she said nervously as the jeweller looked at her with an amused look on his face.
Damon smirked and picked up the tweezers and the loop. He settled it in his eye and plucked up a fairly large sized tear shaped diamond. He raised it to the light and watched it sparkle then moved it closer to the loop. He hummed and set it back down then chose another along the same lines however it was as close to flawless as he had ever seen. He nodded and showed Gracie the diamond. "Here this one's near perfect quality and got all four C's, what do you think?"
Gracie looked in awe at the stone and replied. "It looks big... and expensive," she breathed, not wanting to get too close to something like that. "It's beautiful."
Damon chuckled and passed the diamond to the jeweller. "This one please. It's not treated, is it?"
The clerk shook his head. "No sir and we have a disclosure for you if you wish it as well. In what would you like this stone mounted? We have White Gold, Blackhills Gold and Gold. Would you like to see a sample?" He removed the loose stones and set another tray on the counter.
Damon nodded and turned to Gracie again. "Would you like it to match your band? You can pick out the mounting and setting you like."
Gracie tugged Damon down so she could whisper in his ear. "Damon, I don't know anything about this, please don't make me pick and look like a fool." She turned him loose and gave the jeweller a pained look, wishing the floor could open and swallow her whole.
Marion made her way over after seeing Grace's discomfort and put her two cents in to help out. "Why don't you think a setting in the same gold as your wedding band would be precious?" Gracie nodded and took a deep breath before pointing at a style with a stone similar to the one Damon had picked out.
"Is that alright?" she asked softly.
Damon nodded. "Do you like that one?" He leaned close. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot, Pet. I just want you to have something nice." He kissed the side of her face and straightened back up.
He turned to the clerk. "I need it within the next two weeks please. We are shipping out soon."
The clerk nodded and placed the stone and ring in a small tray. He replaced his display tray and the moved over to the register. He added up the pricing and punched some numbers in the machine. "Twelve hundred fifty dollars, Sir. That includes the disclosure and certificate as well. The ring should be ready by next Friday."
Damon nodded and pulled out his bankbook.
Gracie's eyes got huge when she heard the total and she turned to Damon to stop him when Marion took her by the arm and led her to one side. "That's too much," Gracie whispered frantically, she couldn't let her husband spend his savings on that, for all she knew it was every penny he had. "I don't need something like that."
Marion shushed her and spoke quietly. "Honey, it's tradition to spend two months salary on a diamond. Anything less and he would be cheating you, making it seem like you weren't worth it, do you understand me? Now smile pretty and hold on to his arm like a good girl should." She squeezed Gracie's hands. "It's a beautiful ring, dear and I am certain it more than makes up for what we all went through just a few short years ago." She nodded to Gracie and smiled. "That's what the man's there for, honey. We put up with their shit and we get sparkles to show for it."
Gracie nodded and returned to her place by Damon's side, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm and listening as the he and jeweller went over details, holding out her hand to have her finger measured when asked. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. "Thank you Damon, I'll wear it proudly and treasure it always."
Damon smiled down at Gracie. "You're welcome, my Own. Now let's get some dinner."
********
That evening after going home, Marion began to drill Damon in how to support Gracie in her endeavour to pass strictly as a woman. She stood in front of Damon and pointed out the areas on Grant's body that had to be checked; his groin, his chest, and just how he was presenting himself. She promised him that in time it would all become second nature to them both.
John sat in his chair and just watched. He'd known Grant looked good as Gracie, but Merlin, if he'd not known beforehand, he'd have never guessed the poised young woman in front of him was Grant.
"Damon, boy, that's a fine looking filly there," he said as he looked Gracie up and down.
Damon stared at his father, incredulously. "He's not a horse, Da." He kissed Gracie's cheek, shook his head and waited for her to go back up stairs to change outfits again so he could try his hand alone at spotting anything out of place.
John looked at his son. "Who's not a horse?" he asked softly.
Damon rolled his eyes. "She's not a mare." He snarled. "Better?" He sank down on the couch and then grinned at his father. "So how is your dinner, Da?"
John rolled his eyes and looked down at his plate with a bologna and cheese sandwich and pickles and snorted. "You know, you could have brought me some dinner back. It wouldn't have killed you," he muttered as he picked up the sandwich and took a bite. "I'm going to call you on it every time I hear he, him, or anything male come out of your mouth in regards to Grant. You've got to be damned careful boy, one slip of the tongue and you've both had it." He stabbed at the air with a pickle.
Gracie came back downstairs in a pair of culottes, a peasant blouse, and a simple pair of sandals and stood in front of Damon, waiting nervously. He'd intentionally not smoothed himself down to see if Damon caught the little imperfection.
"It might have, you didn't have to eat with two women chattering about the clothes they had purchased and make up and just what a gentleman I was." Damon grinned and looked over Gracie then tilted his head to the side. He pointed to Gracie's crotch. "There, Pet it's not quite smooth. Not much of one but noticeable." He grinned wolfishly. "And I'm really looking too."
Gracie blushed a deep crimson and hurried back upstairs to give it another go. Marion pointed at the way she was moving. "Make sure Gracie stays graceful and not stomping around like an elephant," she instructed as she waited for Grace to come back down, in heels this time.
Hesitantly, Gracie came down the stairs, balancing on coltish legs in three inch high heels and a simple skirt and blouse. "I feel like I'm going to fall. Damon, I need you!" she yelped as her ankle turned and she started to tumble.
Damon was up and across the room, catching Gracie just before she fell down the last few stairs. He scooped her up and lifted the turned ankle in question, hissing at the bruise already starting to form. "That's it, no more tonight." He shook the heels from her feet and hung them off the end of his fingers as he sat her down on the couch. "Let me get some ice. These things are dangerous; they're going in the trash." He planted a kiss on top of Gracie's head and turned to go to the kitchen. "Is there anything I can get you from the kitchen, Pet?"
Grace wrapped one arm around Damon's broad shoulders and tucked her head under his chin. Safe in his strong arms, she smiled as he took the offensive heels and then set her down on the sofa. "Don't throw them away, they cost too much. I just have to practice more with them," she exclaimed and tried to get them from his grasp. When he held them out of her reach she just shook her head and smiled. "May I have a Dr. Pepper please?"
John watched the interaction with amusement and passed his glass to Gracie. "Here girl, have a sip while he's fetching yours and while he's at it, he can bring me another," he said with a chuckle.
Damon looked at Gracie and then back to the heels. "Practice? These things will not be the death of my wife. Hell no. I'll throw them out the damned car window while we are driving down the road if I want." He quirked an eyebrow at his father. "That's what your wife is for."
He turned and made his way to the kitchen and returned with the requested drinks and ice for Gracie's foot. "Well I think I can say I've got 'spot the willie' down what's next?"
Gracie spat the mouthful of soft drink she'd just taken all over John as Damon made the 'spot the willie' remark. "I can't believe you said that," she laughed as she took the tea towel Mother Wolffe handed her and laughed harder as she smacked the back of her son's head.
Marion sat down, shaking her head as she watched Damon tenderly tend to Gracie's ankle. "Damon, have you noticed anything in Gracie's behaviour that might make someone question her?"
"Why not, it's true. I was trying to have a bit of fun." Damon rubbed the back of his head. "No, not that I can think of. Why have you noticed something?" He bent forward and kissed the delicate ankle then sat on the coffee table with Gracie's feet in his lap. He rubbed the uninjured foot gently, massaging the instep and the top of the small foot.
Marion shook her head. "No, actually Gracie has the same poise and grace as before, I don't think you'll have any problems at all."
John pulled a small box from his pocket and gave it to Damon. "It's an amulet for Gracie to wear... for you know...," he began and made a motion like he was feeling up a woman's breast. "It's designed to be 'on' while its worn and the effects will stop once its taken off." The big man's face was red and he was having trouble saying the next bit. "Grace can take it off when you two.... oh hell just take the damn thing." He sat back and gulped his drink.
"Thanks mom." Damon looked from the amulet to his father's red face. He began to chuckle. "You know Da, if you can't say it, then you shouldn't be doing it." His chuckles turned into full out laughter as he held onto the box.
"Shut up before I drag you out behind the woodshed. There's ladies present and you don't talk like that in front of them," John growled and looked pointedly at Marion and then Gracie.
"Yes sir." Damon muttered. "We all know I wasn't conceived by Immaculate Conception, though." He sighed and took the amulet out of the box. He admired the craftsmanship and nodded. "Thank you Da. It's very nice." He leaned forward to place the heart shaped amulet around Gracie's neck and his eyes widened as her blouse tented a bit in the front. "Sweet Merlin." He whispered softly.
Gracie looked down and gasped, immediately bringing up an arm to cover herself since she'd not bothered putting on a camisole. Marion saw the embarrassment and tapped Damon on his shoulder. "Why don't you take Grace upstairs, it's late and I'm sure all the shopping wore her out," she said knowingly and smiled when Gracie nodded enthusiastically.
*************
Damon packed his bag silently while Gracie sat on the bed watching him. He folded a tee shirt as he began to explain to her the procedure for the next few days. “Da will take you to the airport on Saturday; he’ll be going to California with you to see how you are doing. The flight is long, Gracie baby. Your first stop is in San Francisco from there you get to go to Honolulu, Hawaii.”
He folded down the top of his sea bag and fastened the hooks and eyes then attached a pad lock to the rings. He sat down next to Gracie and smiled at her as he took her hand. “You’ll have an overnight stay in paradise; the hotel is already booked. The next morning you will get on another flight and cross into International waters headed for Taipei, Taiwan. You’ll have another layover there and then the last leg of the flight later that evening to Okinawa, Japan. I’ll be waiting at the airport for you at Customs.”
Gracie nodded and as Damon spoke, looked at the sheet of paper held in her hand that also had the instructions detailed out. “I’m to take the hotel bus back and forth to the airport and the money to pay for the hotel is in the marked envelope,” she said and looked up into the blue eyes of her husband. “Your dad is going as far as California, right?”
She was excited and scared to death as she faced this adventure. For someone that had never been on an airplane before, this was baptism by fire. She was determined not to let her Marine down and to do this by herself. She smiled and patted Damon’s cheek. “So, should I toss a swimsuit in my bag for Hawaii?”
Damon shook his head and hoped his Injun was going to be alright. “Yes, Da is going with you to San Francisco and he’ll continue the rest of the way if you need him to.” He was almost tempted to ask his father to follow her anyway just to keep an eye on her so that no one bothered her. He chuckled lightly at the little joke. “Darling if you want to swim in the dark, in the ocean with the sharks you go right ahead.”
Gracie laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. “Well maybe I can at least take a short walk on the beach, I’ve not seen the ocean before,” she said as she straightened out the shorts and top she was wearing, still getting used to her new body. “My grades came today and so did the reply from the dean’s office about my leave of absence.”
Damon raised an eyebrow. It was a little late in the game for the leave of absence since the younger man was leaving in three days for international territory. But he was excited about the grades. “Well, how did you do? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“I made the Dean’s list again. I didn’t think I would with the anthro class I had last semester. My leave was approved by the way,” she said with a satisfied smile on her face. “I should mail the letter with my grades to Mom and hope she chokes on it.”
Damon laughed. “You may if you wish. I am certain Magpie and David would like to hear from you as well as Mourning Dove.” He hugged the smaller man to him. “Thank you, Grant.” He whispered softly. He sat back and looked at his husband, smiling. “You’ll do just fine baby. I have faith that you can do this.”
Blushing, Grant looked back at him. “I’m excited and nervous. I can’t wait to see what Japan looks like Damon. And just think, we are going to have our own home,” he smiled happily. All the furniture that they were going to need had been crated up and put on a ship the week before. Grant was looking forward to setting up a home of their own.
Damon smiled. “Well Pet, we’ll be in Temporary housing until our furniture arrives and there is a base house ready for us. It will most likely be small a single bedroom duplex if I remember correctly so we’ll be sharing a building with another family.” He snorted, “But yes, Gracie our own place.”
“I’ve got plenty of books and things to keep me busy while I’m there, I remember what you said. Stay in the house unless you are with me,” she said as she pulled another list from her pocket. She glanced over it quickly. It was her list of rules to follow while there. “Will you be able to get me books from the library there?”
Damon nodded. “You may go to the library or the BX, Pet. The base is like a contained American city. Almost anything we could want will be behind those guarded fences. So there’s no real need to venture off American soil.” He eyed the little man. ”Keep your military id on you at all times, Pet. Go no where without it. It’s your driver’s license on base and your ticket into the facilities on base. You will be stopped and checked each time you leave the base or when you go shopping.”
Grant nodded and pointed at the manila envelope atop their dresser where Gracie’s id sat. “It will stay in my pocketbook Damon and I told you I’d not leave the house without you, like you asked, but do you think we might go off of the base sometimes?” he asked. He really wanted to see the countryside and the rest of the country he’d been reading about. It all sounded so mysterious.
Damon sighed. In reality he couldn’t keep Grant locked up in the house once they got there. The Officer’s wives that had been shipped over earlier had already contacted him wanting to know when his Gracie would be arriving. They had even offered to pick her up for him and take her on a tour of the base.
He had detoured them for now but once he was at work there was no telling what the hens would get up to when he was not there to protect his Injun. Those women were like his mother’s garden club and he knew that to actually snub them would be putting his career on the line. Gracie would have to fit in but he could buy her sometime to adjust hopefully.
“We’ll try, Pet. I am not certain what my work schedule will be but I want you to feel safe and comfortable before we go traipsing the foreign lands.”
Grant nodded, he understood, but still wanted to see the island. Marion had warned him about the Officer’s wives and the fact he would basically be fresh meat to all of their causes and committees. She’d taught him how to play bridge, mah jongg, canasta, whist, and several other genteel games when he’d first arrived from South Dakota, and they’d been brushing up on them over the past week in the evenings. She knew how Gracie’s afternoons would most likely be spent once the wives had sunk their lacquered talons into him.
“Will it really take a month to get our belongings there?” he asked as he looked at his own pile of luggage in the corner.
Damon nodded. “Anything not taken on the planes with us will take a while to get there. Thirty days I thing was what I was told… occasionally if something happens it might take longer but I think we will be alright.” He stood and then remembered one more thing. “You do have your wand packed in your carry on bag, correct? You know exactly where it’s at?”
Grant rolled his eyes and sighed. Just because he’d misplaced his wand for a week last year didn’t mean he was scatterbrained. “It’s in my purse Damon,” he said and pulled the small clutch onto his lap, opening it up to show his husband the ten inch ash wand nestled in the bottom of the bag in it’s velvet sheath. “Do you know where yours is?”
Damon rolled his eyes at his husband. He reached down and flipped up a hidden pocket on his dungarees and pulled the fifteen inch rowan wand from its holster. He brandished it at grant for a moment before tucking it away again. “Alright, my Gracie… it’s time for me to go. Are you going with mom and da to see me off?”
Grant swallowed and nodded. “Let me put my shoes on and I’ll be ready,” he said softly. Even though he knew he’d see him again in a few days, he hated saying good bye. After slipping his sandals on and then following Damon down the stairs, he stepped into the kitchen for a moment, bringing back a box and handing it to the blond. “This is in case you get hungry.”
Damon grinned as he set his sea bag down and opened the box. Fresh baked cookies stared back at him and he leaned his face into the box and inhaled the chocolaty scent. He looked back at Grant and pulled him to him. “Thank you, My Own.” He said softly and captured Grant’s mouth gently.
John took the sea bag out and stowed it in the trunk of Marion’s car and then came back in, clearing his throat. “Damon, son, we need to go so you don’t miss your flight.” Marion wiped at her eyes and smiled at her son before she hugged him.
“Call us as soon as you get there, you hear me?” she said softly as she patted his cheek.
Damon snorted. “Are you staying here? Not going to see me take off?” He cupped his mother’s cheek and then turned to Gracie. “You are coming out to the airfield right?”
Marion nodded and moved to where John was standing, she had just not trusted that she’d be able to speak once they got to the base. Gracie took Damon’s hand and smiled. “Of course I’m going to see my husband off and then I’m going to come back and finish packing so I’m ready to leave as well.”
Damon nodded and ushered them out the door to the car. The drive to Camp Lejeune was mostly silent as John drove and Damon sat in the back seat with Grant holding the smaller man closely, whispering encouragement and loving words to him softly.
They walked out on to the airfield and saw the other wives and families gathered to see off their loved ones. Damon kissed Gracie one final time and then hugged his mother. He turned and looked at his father and held out a hand to the older man. “Thanks, Da.” He said softly.
John shook his boy’s hand and nodded. “I’ll make sure Gracie gets there safely son, you don’t worry. Call when you arrive, now get your ass on the plane before it leaves without you,” he said gruffly, not daring to give in and wipe at the tear in the corner of his eye.
As soon as the plane’s attendants shut the door and pulled the rolling staircase away from the airplane, John led his little family back to where the car was parked. He still had a few arrangements to make before he left with Gracie in a few days. He had faith the young Lakhota would come through this with flying colours and not need a chaperone for the entire trip.
******
The flight to San Francisco had been smooth sailing once they got into the air. John looked out the window as the skyline came into view then looked over at Gracie. Their trip so far had been uneventful and Gracie had followed Damon’s instructions to the letter. He didn’t think he would be needed to continue the trip past California.
He smiled and patted Gracie’s hand. “First leg of the trip is almost over, how are you doing?”
Gracie smiled at her father-in-law and looked out the window as well. She’d taken to air travel without problem and was enjoying herself. “I’m doing alright John, thank you for coming this far with me,” she said cheerfully. She knew John would be staying overnight in California and leaving for home in the morning. “I’m here at the airport for a few hours before my next flight; I think I’ll try to find something to eat if you want to go ahead to your room, sir.”
John nodded as the plane made it’s descent on to the tarmac. “Dinner sounds interesting. Shall I escort you out one last time, Ms. Gracie before you leave my company?” He looked at the young woman and gave her the smile his son had inherited.
Gracie smiled shyly as the plane came to a stop and the stewardess made her announcement. “Yes sir, I would like that if it would not be an inconvenience to you,” she said softly and her breath caught in her chest as she saw her husband’s smile on her father-in-law’s face. She couldn’t wait to be in Damon’s arms once again.