Fantasy Lover

She would never again let him go.

"By the way…"

Julian pulled back from Grace's lips with a groan as he quickly covered the two of them with a sheet.

Grace clutched the sheet to her chin.

"Athena," he asked testily, "are you going to keep interrupting us?"

Athena didn't look a bit sheepish as she approached the bed. She held a large gold box in her hands. "Well, I forgot something."

"What?" they asked in aggravated unison.

Before Athena could answer, Aphrodite appeared. "I've got it," she said to Athena before taking the box out of her hands.

Athena vanished.

Moving to stand by the bed, Aphrodite set the box next to Julian, then opened it. "If you're going to stay, there are a few things you'll need. A birth certificate, passport, green card…"

Aphrodite looked at it with a frown. "No, wait, you won't need that." She looked to Grace. "Will he?"

"No, ma'am."

Aphrodite smiled as it evaporated. "There's also a driver's license, but if you'll take some motherly advice, I'd let Grace do all the driving. No offense, but you stink at it." Aphrodite sighed. "It's a pity we didn't have a god for that, too. But, oh well." She closed the box and handed it to him. "Here, you can go through it later."

As Aphrodite moved away, Julian reached out and took her hand. "Thank you, Mother, for everything."

Tears welled in her eyes as she patted her son's hand on her arm. "I am so sorry I didn't know about your children in time to save them as well. You've no idea how much I regret that I found out only after Thanatos had them."

Julian squeezed her gently.

"If you need anything at all, you'll call?" she asked.

"I'll call even if I don't."

Aphrodite lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it. She looked back and forth between them. "I want six grandchildren. Minimum."

"Hey," Grace said as she pulled a college degree out of the box. "You've given him a Ph.D. in ancient history? From Harvard?"

Aphrodite nodded. "There's also one in there for languages and classical studies." She looked at Julian. "I wasn't sure what you might want to do, so I'll let you pick."

"Can we really use these?" Grace asked.

"Absolutely. If you dig a little deeper, you'll find his certified transcripts."

Grace did. Looking them over, she gaped. "No fair, they're all A's."

"Of course," Aphrodite said indignantly. "My son would never do second-rate work."

Aphrodite smiled. "I didn't bother with a marriage certificate. I figured the two of you would want to take care of that one on your own. And as soon as Julian decides on a last name, it'll appear on all the documents inside the box."

Aphrodite dug to the bottom of the documents and pulled out a small bankbook. "By the way, I converted the money you had in Macedonia into modern currency."

Grace opened the book and gasped. "Holy green guacamole! You're filthy rich!"

He laughed. "I told you, I conquered well."

Aphrodite held her hand out. The book that had contained Julian appeared in her arms. "I also thought you might want to find some safe place to put this."

Julian gaped as she handed it to him. "You're giving me custody of Priapus?"

Aphrodite shrugged. "He killed you. I can't very well let him get away without some form of punishment. He'll get out eventually. If he's a good boy."

Grace almost felt sorry for poor Priapus.

Almost.

Aphrodite leaned forward and kissed Julian on the cheek. "I always loved you. I just didn't know how to show it"

Julian nodded. "I guess it's what happens when your mother is a goddess. You can't very well expect birthday parties and home-cooked meals."

"True, but I gave you a lot of other gifts that your girlfriend seems to treasure."

"Speaking of," Grace said as a thought struck her. "Can we curb the one that draws other women like a magnet?"

Aphrodite gave her a droll stare. "Child, look at the man. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want him in her bed? I'd have to blind them all, or make him fat and bald."

"Never mind. I'll just learn to cope."

"Thought so." Aphrodite vanished.

Julian wrapped his arm around Grace's shoulders and pulled her back against him. "Are you sore?"

"No, why?"

"Because I intend to spend the rest of the day making love to you."

She nipped his chin with her teeth. "Ooo, I like the sound of that."

He kissed her.

"Oh, wait," he said, pulling back.

Grace frowned as he got out of bed, grabbed the book, then tossed it out into the hallway and shut the door.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Julian sauntered back to bed with that slow, loose-limbed walk that made her breathless and hot. He crawled up on the bed like a sleek, naked beast and ran a hot, lustful stare all over her body. "He can hear everything we say. And I personally don't want him in here when I do this."

She gasped as he flipped her on her side.

"Or this," he said, sliding his hand between her thighs and teasing her mercilessly with his touch.

He curled himself against her spine.

"And most of all, I don't want him to hear this."

He buried his lips against her neck as he moved his hand down her i

Grace moaned in pleasure.

"I waited two thousand years for you, Grace Alexander," he whispered in her ear. "And you were worth every second of it."

Epilogue

Julian opened the door to the hospital room. With his mother and Selena in tow, he stepped quietly into the room, not wanting to disturb Grace if she was resting.

Fear gripped him as he saw her lying on the bed. She looked so pale and weak that it terrified him. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

She was his strength. His heart. His soul. Everything in his life that was good.

The thought of losing her was more than he could bear.

Grace opened her eyes and smiled at them. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hey, girl!" Selena said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm exhausted, but feeling pretty good."

Julian leaned over and kissed her. "Do you need anything?"

"I have everything I could ever need," Grace said, her face glowing.

He smiled.

"So, where are my grandchildren?" his mother demanded.

"They took them to be weighed," Grace said.

As if on cue, the nurses wheeled the cradles in. They checked Grace's bracelet against the babies', then made a quiet exit.

Julian left Grace's side only long enough to gently pick up his son. Joy spread through him as he cradled the tiny infant in his arms. Grace had given him so much more than he had ever expected to have. And much more than he deserved.

"This is Niklos James Alexander," he said, handing the baby to his mother. He picked up his daughter next. "And this is Vanessa A

His mother's lips trembled as she looked at her granddaughter. "You named her after me?"

"We both wanted to," Grace said.

Tears fell down her face as Aphrodite looked back and forth between the children. "Oh, the gifts I have for you two."

"Mom!" Julian said sharply, interrupting her. "Please, no gifts. Just give them your love."

Aphrodite sniffed back her tears and laughed. "Very well. But if you change your mind, let me know."

Grace watched Julian as he brushed his hand over Niklos's bald head. She wouldn't have thought it possible, but at the moment she loved him even more than she had before.

Every day they had been together had been a blessing.

"Oh, hey," Selena said as she took Vanessa from Aphrodite. "I went by the bookstore yesterday and Priapus was gone. There was a full moon a few days ago. Anyone want to bet he's making wild monkey love with someone right now?"