Chapter 10

Thanksgiving week was one of great activity in the O'Connell Realm. It started for us following services on Sunday the 23nd. We had just returned home when Mom had a question.

"When will you be ready to move into your own house?" she asked Leila and me. "It's not that we don't enjoy having you here, but young couples need more privacy than you have here."

"House! What house?" Leila replied, confused.

"Why the house that has been set aside for Thomas for the last eight or nine years," Mom told her.

"You have a house?" she asked, turning to look at me.

"Ah ... yes, sort of!" I replied.

"Sort of? Do you have a house or not?"

"Well, I've never actually lived there."

"You have had a house for nine years and never actually lived there? Who is living there then?"

"No one."

"It's an empty house?"

"Not exactly. No one lives there, but it has furniture, appliances, and everything. The heat is on in the winter, and there is a preservation spell on the house to keep it and everything in it from deteriorating," I informed her. I would need to remember to turn the heat on soon.

"And you have been paying the mortgage and the utility bills for ... for nine years?"

"There is no mortgage. It's an O'Connell house. It was built and paid for by the Clan just as all of the other houses here have been," I told her.

"Don't you know how expensive houses are in New England? And you have a free house here and haven't lived in it!?" Leila asked in exasperation.

"Yes, I am very aware of how expensive houses are up there. However, it has only been me up until now, and I didn't think it worthwhile to maintain an entire house just for myself," I told her.

"Yes, you may be right there," she agreed after a little consideration.

"When can I see it?" was her next question.

"We'll all go over there after lunch, Dear. It isn't far, but the house may need a little cleaning since it has been closed up for so long," Mom told her.

Following a fine lunch prepared by Mom and Leila, we went to have a look at my house. I needed to check on it anyway to turn on the heat for the winter. I canceled the preservation spell on the house as we neared it.

"Is this your house?" Leila asked excitedly, as we approached it. It was similar in appearance to the houses that my other Relatives had. The grass still needed cutting, and the leaves required raking up yet, but other than that it was in as new condition, thanks to the preservation spell on it.

"Yes, this is it."

"It's a huge house! It would cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars in Massachusetts!!" Leila exclaimed, before we were even inside. On seeing the interior of the house, its many rooms and furnishing, she was even more ecstatic.

"This is a fantastic house! Why haven't you been living here?" she wanted to know.

"I felt it was too much for one person,"I reminded her. "Also, I didn't require all of this space, and I didn't have anyone to share it with – until now that is!" I told her, and Leila came into my arms for a long kiss.

"This house will require considerable cleaning before you can move into it," my Mom stated while we hugged and kissed. "There won't be a lot of time for that during the next week, but we can start on that during the following week," she assured us.

"What are we doing this week?" Leila asked somewhat confused.

"There will be a lot of cooking and baking done this week, my Dear. Thursday is Thanksgiving after all, and it is an important holiday for the O'Connells. Each family will receive its quota of food to be prepared tomorrow, and we will all be quite busy. You will need to help as will Thomas. The banquet will be held Thursday afternoon in the enlarged hall. The entire Clan in this Reality will be there. There may even be visitors from the Other Realities who attend," Mom informed her. Leila looked stunned on hearing this.

"Thanksgiving wasn't celebrated very lavishly by my Parents and their friends. They would go out to a restaurant in the evening or sometimes even on the day before, as the restaurants were quite crowded then," she told us.

"There has always been a large Clan dinner for Thanksgiving, even when Margie, Katie, and Mark visited his relatives," Mom told her.

"If it's that important, we'll have to put off working on the house until later," Leila agreed.

My Mother was, of course, correct. We received the list and quantity of food that we were to prepare on Monday. It was similar to what we had prepared for previous Thanksgiving dinners. The system had been worked out in our Great Grandmother's time and expanded as necessary over the intervening years. It had also been adjusted so that each family worked on what they did best, at least as far as possible. Additionally there were extra pies and Christmas cookies made by each family for their own use. We were all quite busy that week.

Thursday arrived soon enough. Mom and Dad transferred our portion of the food to the new kitchen at the auditorium a short time before we left the house. We all transferred to the new expanded auditorium for the festivities at around 2:00 PM. Leila was shocked by the size of the auditorium and the number of people already there when we arrived.

There was already music playing, and people were dancing, chatting, and drinking. There were several kilderkins of O'Connell's Ale set up already and one had been tapped. (A kilderkin contains 18 British Imperial gallons or 20.6 U.S. Gallons)

Leila and I went to dance for a time upon arriving while my Parents spent time talking to our close Relatives. Leila felt so wonderful in my arms, and we danced for some time before my Father signaled us to return. We needed to face all of my Relatives. It turned out that all of them were delighted to see that I had found a mate at last. Leila had already met a number of my female Relatives and now met their Husbands and the remainder of my Relatives.

Once that was finished but before dinner started, I took her to meet the founders of our Clan, Margie and Katie O'Connell, and Mark Kent. They were seated at the far end of the hall and had been talking with various members of the Clan for some time.

"Come meet the originators of our Clan!" I told her, and while leading her toward the end of the hall, I explained who they were again.

"Mary Kathleen and Mary Margaret O'Connell (Katie and Margie) were born in September of 1834. Their Husband, Mark Kent O'Connell was born in 1992," I reminded her.

"But that would make them over two hundred and sixty years old!" she exclaimed. "How can that be?"

"They were under a curse and remained sixteen years old for over one hundred and seventy years. They only started aging again after Mark had removed the last of the curse," I told her.

"Even so, wouldn't they be over a hundred years old now?" she asked as we approached the founders of our Clan. Leila was again startled when she saw them sitting there.

"How can they look so young?" she demanded.

"They have used a spell to keep them looking young," I explained.

"But your ... Great Grandfather, Mark Kent, looks just like the pictures of him on the dust covers of his books!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, the copies that you read were probably the reprints of his books and had his picture from later in his life on them," I told her, as we neared where they were sitting.

"Well, Thomas! Hello," Grandmother Katie said, as we approached them. "We had heard that you had found a young lady. Is this she?" she finished.

"Grandmother Katie, Grandmother Margie, Grandfather Mark, may I present Leila. I met her in Boston a few weeks ago, and she has consented to become my Wife," I told them proudly.

"Welcome to Clan O'Connell, Leila," Grandmother Margie said before adding, "My, you certainly have a fine strong Talent."

"Thank you, Grandmother O'Connell. I have been constantly amazed by how nice all of you have been to me since I arrived here. Unfortunately, my own Relatives and their friends are not as pleasant," Leila told them with a little sniffle. I held her close to reassure her.

"Are you attending college, young lady? Since you met Thomas in Boston where he teaches, we thought you might be," Grandfather Mark asked in concern.

"She will be starting at UGA in January, Grandfather," I explained. "She will be in the History Program."

"Ah! Excellent. Another Historian in the Clan. We have several already. I'm one myself," he told her.

"Yes, I know, Grandfather O'Connell. I've read all of your books, and they are very insightful," Leila told him excitedly.

"Come to our house after you are settled, and we'll have a chat about history and writing. This isn't really the place or the time for that," he told her with a smile.

"I don't... ," Leila started before a smile appeared on her face. "It seems that I do know where your house is," she finished.

"They are signaling for everyone to take their seats for the dinner," Margie broke in following that. "We should all get seated." Everyone moved to the table or tables where their immediate family was seated.

"Did you feel the strength of her Talent?" Katie asked Margie mentally, as they moved to their seats at the head table.

"Yes! She is stronger than Airmid and Almha are, and also Savannah and Shannon," Margie answered.

"She is at least as strong as their Daughters are though, and as strong as Nora and Nola are together," Katie added as the three of them reached their seats.

Leila and I had rejoined my Parents for the dinner. Following the blessing, everyone dug into the sumptuous feast. The eating, the drinking, and the conversation continued for quite some time. Later there was dancing, especially Irish jigs and reels, and more drinking. My Parents, Leila, and I left the party at about eight that evening. We were all stuffed and a bit drunk on the good ale. Leila had learned some of the jigs and reels.

Friday was cleanup day after curing our hangovers. There were also some leftovers, so there wasn't a lot of cooking at our house that day. The cleaning of my house started on Saturday the twenty-ninth, and we were ready to move in before school started again on Wednesday, the third of December. By the time that I returned home that evening, Leila had moved all of our things from my Parents' house to my house. There was food in the pantry and dinner on the table when I arrived.

Exams were finished and school was out at BU by the seventeenth of December. Leila had already spent several afternoons with Grandfather Mark at his house. Christmas wasn't quite as busy as Thanksgiving had been, but there was still a lot of cooking and baking at my Parents' house, especially Christmas cookies. Leila and I set up the Christmas tree there and help decorate the house. We would have a tree at our house next year or when we had children.

On Tuesday, the twenty-third of December, I had taken Leila to buy an engagement ring set. One of my O'Connell Aunts had gone to Savannah with us. She was very well known at the store that we visited as a hard bargainer. With her help, I purchased a wide, engraved gold ring set with a half-carat diamond in its center. The previous night, I had asked Leila to marry me once again, and she had said yes. Christmas was indeed very merry this year.

We attended midnight service with my Parents and other Relatives in the Glen. The service was lit by Magic powered lanterns from the Reality of Continuous Magic. A number of our female Relatives sang Christmas carols, and we all sang the hymns at the service. The next day my Aunt and Uncle were there for Christmas dinner. Christmas has always been a more private holiday than Thanksgiving in our Clan and Family.

New Year's Eve and New Year's, a week later, is a much more boisterous and public occasion in addition to being more conducive to hangovers. It was also spent in the auditorium with many of our Relatives, some food, and a lot of O'Connell's ale. There was much use of the hangover spell the next day.

I returned to my job at Boston University and the start of the new semester on the twelfth of January 2099, and Leila started as a freshman at the University of Georgia's Athens campus that same day. My Relatives had arranged her admittance some weeks before, and I had paid her tuition.

There had been a few problems with students in the Magic program at BU with the start of the new semester. Most concerned students who were in the wrong classes, or who hadn't registered in the classes that they needed. Most of these problems were handled by my efficient staff; however both Leila and I were quite busy for a few weeks.

Valentine's Day was on a Saturday this year. That morning, after making love and having sex upon awakening, Leila told me that one of my Mage Cousins had informed her on Friday that she was over a week pregnant. I was very surprised by this news, but it seems that Leila had been expecting it. Since it was a three day weekend because of President's Day being on Monday, we just relaxed at home after informing my Parents and Relatives of the good news. My Mother and Aunt were worried about Leila being in school while pregnant, but Leila hadn't been.

Spring Break for both of us began after classes on Friday, the thirteenth of March. On Monday the sixteenth, we obtained a marriage license in Statesboro, and we were married by Brian and Etain in the Otherworld on the evening of the seventeenth, Saint Patrick's Day. My Parents and a few other Relatives were there to see us be married. There had been a grand party going on all that day, and it became even livelier that evening after we were married. Leila, of course, couldn't drink because of the baby that she was carrying. We left the party early to enjoy our first night as Husband and Wife. We had no more than gotten in bed naked, and I had cast the privacy and noise suppression spells when Leila had a surprise for me.

"I want you to do my bum tonight," she told me when we came up for air. I was surprised by this, not having mentioned it to her previously.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, a number of your ... now our ... female Relatives have been telling me how good it feels, at least when you are used to it," she answered, but didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Have you ever done anal before?" I asked.

"Only some practice. They have been using their fingers to stretch my bum, and I have had a butt plug in there for several days. It didn't seem all that bad," she told me quietly, but was a bit choked up when she finished.

"Did they talk to you about lubricants?"

"Yes! They even gave me some to bring with me," she told me and handed me the lube.

"Are you sure that you are ready for this?"

"I think so, but please go slow."

"Yes, I will go slow, if you are ready to try it. If it is too painful, tell me and we'll stop," I assured her.

"They said the best way was to start in the doggie position," she told me, as we both eased out of bed, and Leila bent over with her chest on the mattress and her cute little bum in the air. I moved up behind her, lubed her up, and eventually worked three fingers into her one at a time. By the time I had my second finger in her, Leila was pushing back, moaning, and breathing hard. While I had done anal a couple of times, I was surprised by the quickness and the strength of her reaction.

"Hurry, put it in," she pleaded shortly after I added my third finger. I lubed my cock and added more lube to her bum before stepping up behind her. With a little pressure, I slipped into her butt.

"Yes ... oh yes!" she moaned. "Deeper," she pleaded following that, and I worked my cock all the way into her. There would be no long and slow in this position tonight, as Leila immediately began pushing back on my in strokes. She wiggled her cute little butt and encouraged me verbally.

"Deeper and harder!" she pleaded, and I did my best, but knew that I wouldn't last that long at this pace. I wasn't alone, and soon we both went over the top with strong orgasms. I collapsed on top of Leila after filling her with baby-batter, but soon rolled off of her as her butt pushed my now flaccid cock out of her. Leila just lay there and moaned and cried for many minutes, and I began to worry about her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she eventually mumbled. "I never had such a strong orgasm before. Your Cousins were definitely correct," she finished.

"Shall we get back in bed?" I asked. She tried to move, but I needed to help her up into bed and covered her with a blanket. She cuddled up against me when I joined her. We slept very well for the remainder of that night.

In the morning, Leila was a bit sore, and I used a minor Medical Spell to take care of her problem. Leila, I, and the sheet on the bed all needed the use of a cleaning spell this morning to clean us up from our fun last night before we went to bathe at the spring fed heated pool on the other side of the village. Leila really enjoyed the heated water of the pool although she had been somewhat hesitant about getting naked in public before getting in. There were few people at the pool this morning, and her embarrassment didn't last long.

That day, Leila took her exam for Third Level from Master Brian. She had been ready for several weeks, but had been busy in school and didn't want to take the necessary time off. We remained in the Otherworld for two weeks after our Marriage for a honeymoon. We lounged around and took it easy, enjoying the food and the ale. Leila did some studying for her Master's test and I studied some of the more archaic books in their Library. When we returned to the O'Connell Realm it was Wednesday, the eighteenth of March. We enjoyed the remainder of Spring Break at home and returned to our schools on the following Monday.

It was during these few days before returning to school that my Mother had all of us out working on her garden. Leila had never had a garden and had no idea what was required. Mom took her under her wing and showed her what to do and how to plant the seeds. She promised to show her later how to care for the growing plants, and how to water and fertilize them. I had done most of the work loosening up the soil in her relatively small garden with a rototiller. Mom promised that next year Leila could have her own garden at our house.

By the first of May, my tenure at Boston University was drawing to a close. Alisha was ready to take her Senior Master exam and those finishing their Master's program were also ready for their tests. I would be taking them to Kesh Corran on Tuesday, the twelfth of May, for their tests, which I had made the arrangements for back in March while on my honeymoon in the Otherworld. Graduation would follow on Friday, the fifteenth of May.

During the time since the return from Spring Break there had been a lot of apprehension and nervousness in my other PhD candidates. It all came to a head on Monday, the fourth of May. The name of the newly hired Head of the Department of Magic had been announced on Friday. He was coming from a school in California, and my students were worried about how his approach to Magic and teaching it would affect them.

"Must you leave, Professor O'Connell?" Merriam, my most recent student, asked in a worried voice.

"Yes, I am afraid so," I told her and the others. "I will be in charge of the PhD program at UGA for the next several years and will be working with my Relatives. It will be a much friendlier atmosphere for me than here at BU," I told her.

"We will miss you greatly," Henry said in a sad voice. "You were the only one here with a sense of humor."

"Do we really need to miss him?" Ryan asked after a short pause.

"What do you mean?" both Henry and Merriam asked.

"Is it possible that we could transfer to the University of Georgia to complete our PhDs?" Ryan asked.

"They have a much larger PhD program there," I pointed out to them.

"Yes, but you will be the one running and teaching it, right? And you know where we are in our studies. The question is could we be admitted as transfer students?" Ryan finished.

"I will check with my Relatives there and see what can be done," I told them. A call to my Relatives the next day was very profitable. I explained the situation and asked what was possible. Their answer was surprising.

"Yes, that's just what we needed to convince those in charge here that we needed someone with experience to run the PhD program while we get our feet on the ground. Have them each send us an application along with their transcripts and a copy of their Master's certification, and we'll see about getting them admitted. They will also need to come down here to be interviewed," Kennith told me. Later that day I informed my students of the results of the call. They were all pleased.

On the afternoon of Monday, the eleventh of May, I transferred all of my students taking exams from those in the Otherworld to the O'Connell Realm after school. There were five students taking their Master's exam and Alisha who was taking her Senior Master's exam. They would be staying at my house for a short time.

Everyone went to their separate beds early that evening following a good meal. We were all up by 1:00 AM on the morning of the twelfth, and I transferred all of us to Kesh Corran at 2:00 AM our time after a filling breakfast. My students were the first to arrive there at 7:00 AM local time and started their exams as soon as the Masters and Senior Masters emerged from the Otherworld. I remained with Alisha for her test as an observer. She did very well and received her certification as a Senior Master and her ring that afternoon. My other students also all passed their tests.

"Those trained by the O'Connells are always well prepared for their examinations. I could wish that those taught by others were as well prepared," Brian told me before we prepared to return to Boston.

We were all back at BU by nine in the morning their time. Alisha and I continued with finals for our other students that day, while those who had qualified as Masters showed off their certificates and told the others how difficult the tests had been.

Alisha and those completing their Master's Program graduated on Friday the fifteenth. I had a long talk with Alisha on Thursday after our final class. She had a new job already and would be busy, but I told her that I would always be available if she needed anything or had any problems. I made sure that she knew how to contact me.

Following the graduation ceremony on Friday and saying goodbye to my students, I stopped by the Dean's office. I had already moved all of my personal items home and only went to inform her that I was leaving. She was in her office alone when I arrived.

"Your replacement hasn't even arrived yet. He is hung up in California at his former university. You did a good job here for the short time that you were the Head of the Magic Department," she told me.

"I believe that most of the credit for that has more to do with the excellent staff there than me," I told her in all modesty. We shook hands, which was unexpected, before I turned in my instructor's ID and left for Georgia and the O'Connell Realm.