The Temporary Master

by Sara K M

After finding a Temporary Master at the end of "I Still Dream of Jeannie", both Jeannie and Mr. Simpson find it harder than they thought to adjust to the new circumstances. Fortuanetly, all is well in the end for the Nelsons.

The Temporary Master

Pr Previously on I Still Dream of Jeannie: Colonel Anthony (Tony) Nelson has been in space for over three months on a secret mission. This was a problem for his son, Anthony (Tony) Jr., who has been chosen to give a speech in Austin about the meaning of America. He wanted his father to be able to hear his speech. Tony Jr. asked his mother (who is a djinni) to blink his father down for the speech. This was a problem, as she didn't know where in space he was. To solve this dilemma Jeannie, attempted to get the information from General Wescott but was unsuccessful.

Compounding the problem, Jeannie received a visit from the Great Djinn's top assistant, who told her that her master has been in space for too long. He gave her fourteen days to find a "temporary master", or she must return to Baghdad permanently. Jeannie began trying to find a temporary master, who must be single. However, her mischievous sister, Jeannie II, didn't want her to find one, and proceeded to come between her and her perspective masters. Later, Jeannie II decided that a better way of preventing Jeannie from finding a temporary master is to kidnap her son. In this way she would spend all of her time worrying and looking for her son instead of looking for a temporary master.

Jeannie asked her son's guidance councilor, Mr. Simpson for assistance. He agreed that Tony Jr. is a wonderful young man and agreed to help. After a run – in with thieves and General Wescott, Jeannie and Mr. Simpson finally found Tony Jr. They returned home, only to find that the time to find a temporary master has run out.

Tony Jr. asked why his mother didn't ask Mr. Simpson to be her temporary master. Jeannie was under the impression that Mr. Simpson was married to someone called "Hilda." Her son corrected her, saying "Hilda is his pet turtle!" Mr. Simspon returned, saying he forgot his keys.

And Now:

Jeannie, in her pink harem outfit, begged Mr. Simpson to agree to be her temporary master. Mr. Simpson was confused about what she was talking about, as well as what she was wearing, as she had always worn street clothes in front of him before. Meanwhile, he was wearing an everyday-looking suit. Mr. Simpson was a middle-aged man, graying and going bald, who wore glasses.

Jeannie, attempting to convince him of the benefits of being a master, blinked up a shower of money, falling all over Mr. Simpson. Then she asked him again if he would be her temporary master.

Mr. Simpson was still unsure what was going on. However Jeannie did not have time to go into details! She only had one minute left!

Tony Jr. did not want his mother to have to leave permanently, so he grabbed his guidance councilor by the shoulders. "Mr. Simpson I am begging you. Just say the words!" Tony Jr. looked at him straight in the eyes, pleading for him to understand how important this was. Mr. Simpson obviously still didn't understand what all of this meant. Still, it was obviously important enough for a seventeen year-old boy to beg to his guidance councilor. Just as the clock struck midnight, signifying the end of the fourteen days, he agreed. "Okay, I'll be your master!"

Jeannie and Tony Jr. both sighed in relief. Everything was okay! Jeannie jumped up and down, as was her nature when she was happy. Her son just grinned from ear to ear. Then they both kissed this nice man, who had agreed to save them, on the cheek.

Mr. Simpson, however, nice as he was, was still incredibly confused. "Okay, now will someone please tell me what's going on! I mean, why do you need a master? And what are you wearing?" He wrinkled his forehead, still trying to understand.

Jeannie sighed. She supposed she would have to explain the nature of this relationship. Honestly, why did humans have to make things so complicated? It would be so much easier if everyone just believed in djinn. "Here, Mr. Simpson, come in and sit on the couch." He was led into a very nice-looking living room. There were black-and-white curtains, a black coffee table, a white coach with colored pillows thrown on it, a cream-colored carpet, and several plants scattered around the room. "You see, I am a djinni," she began.

"Huh?" Mr. Simpson still didn't get it. "I know your name's Jeannie, what does that have to do with anything?"

"No Mr. Simpson, I do not mean my name is Jeannie. I mean, it is, but that is not the point. I mean I am a djinni."

"Mom has magic powers, Mr. Simpson. That's what happened with those guys back at NASA." Tony Jr. attempted to explain.

"You're a what?" Mr. Simpson was beginning to rap his head around what they were saying. "But….I…mean…how….?" he stuttered.

"Oh, I was born this way. You may have anything you wish, as long as you are my temporary master. Is that not wonderful?"

"Huh? Magic powers?"

"Yeah, like those guys back a NASA." Tony Jr. repeated. "Or…do something else, Mom."

Jeannie nodded. She blinked so the coach changed colors, from white, to green, black, to pink, and back to white again. "Would you like a drink Mr. Simpson? It looks as if we will be up for a while. Perhaps a cup of coffee?" She blinked and a cup of coffee appeared in his hands.

Mr. Simpson was so startled that he dropped cup and it fell in his lap. "Yaaaahhhh!" he screamed as the hot coffee landed on him.

"Oh well, that is easily fixed," Jeannie replied cheerfully. She blinked, and he was wearing a clean, coffee-free shirt. She blinked again and another cup of coffee appeared, this time on the table.

"Okay, I get you're a djinni. But why do you need a temporary master?"

"Well", Jeannie replied sadly. "My real master has been up in space for more than three months. I was told that the Djinn Law required be to have a temporary master until he got back or I would have to return to Old Baghad. For good."

Mr. Simpson paused for a few minutes, absorbing that information. He took a sip of coffee. Then another sip. And another. "So…your real master...is…" his voice trailed off as he realized a famous real-honest-to-goodness astronaut had a djinni.

"My husband. Colonel Anthony Nelson."

Mr. Simpson shook his head again. "So you're a djinni. Like in Tales of the Arabian Nights?"

Jeannie nodded, glad he seemed to have found something to identify with the djinn world. If she remembered correctly, her master identified her with Tales of the Arabian Nights when he found her as well. Still…remembering some of the things the djinn did to their masters in that book, she paused. "But please, realize I am not a mean djinni like the ones in that book! I do not wish to torture you! I will grant you any wish!"

Mr. Simpson nodded again, still trying to understand exactly what was going on. She really could grant any wish? One thing was clear, however. "So, you'd have to leave here if I hadn't agreed to be your master?"

Jeannie nodded seriously. "That is the law of the Djinn. I had to find a temporary master by midnight tonight."

"Well, I'm glad I can help you avoid that, anyway. Your son shouldn't have to be separated from both his parents when he is not even eighteen yet." Mr. Simpson didn't understand much about this, but as a guidance councilor, he did know that.

"That is what I thought," Jeannie smiled, glad that Mr. Simpson understood the importance of this now. "And I would not be able to come back."

"Well, that is unacceptable. A young man needs to have his parents to teach him, guide him, and praise him. You still have that speech to give in Austin, right Tony?"

"That's right Mr. Simpson," Tony smiled and then sighed a little. He was happy his mother had finally found a temporary master, but he was still disappointed his father wouldn't be able to hear his speech like he had wanted.

The three continued to talk for another hour before finally going to bed. Jeannie wondered if she should send Mr. Simpson home when he fell asleep on the coach. In the end, she simply placed a blanket over him and went upstairs. Mr. Simpson. Officially, she was his djinni now, but she did not think she would ever call him "master." That name was reserved for one person as far as she was concerned. Over the years, that name had become more than just a title to her. After they got married, her master had insisted she call him by his first name. In public, she agreed. In private, however, he would always be her Master. It was a special name that only she used. Since she only used in private, it was even more special.

Jeannie smiled at all this as she smoked into her bottle. I Still Dream of Jeannie: Colonel Anthony (Tony) Nelson has been in space for over three months on a secret mission. This was a problem for his son, Anthony (Tony) Jr., who has been chosen to give a speech in Austin about the meaning of America. He wanted his father to be able to hear his speech. Tony Jr. asked his mo

Jeannie woke up the next morning a little later than usual. It was understandable, she supposed, given all that had happened the night before. Still, she really needed to hurry or her son and Mr. Simpson would be late! Quickly she blinked into her harem outfit. Then Jeannie smoked out and headed to Anthony's room. Was her son up?

"Anthony! You still have to go to school today!" she called out.

Tony Jr. wandered out the door in his pajamas. He stretched his arms saying, "Sorry, Mom. Last night was a pretty big night."

Jeannie nodded in understanding. Then she blinked and he was dressed for school.

Tony Jr. looked down at his outfit and shrugged. "Oh, thanks Mom." They went downstairs and came face-to-face with Mr. Simpson. "Oh, hi," he said.

Mr. Simpson, who was also obviously just getting up, looked from Tony Jr. to Jeannie. His eyes got wide as he noticed she was wearing her harem outfit. "I thought it was a dream! This is so overwhelming!" Mr. Simpson shook his head in amazement. How was he going to get used to this? He actually had a djinni under his command?

Jeannie smiled, trying to comfort the poor man the best she could. She had forgotten how much trouble humans had accepting her. Thinking back she remembered her master believed she had been a hallucination when he first returned to Cocoa Beach. Even Roger, who was only too happy to accept the benefits of djinn, had fainted twice when he found out she was a djinni. "It is okay, Mr. Simpson. Allow me to get you some clothes for school today." She blinked and he was dressed for school as well.

Mr. Simpson shook his head again. "Thanks…I think."

Jeannie looked at the clock. It was 8:10 in the morning. School started at 8:15. They did not have a lot of time, but she had always been a firm believer in the importance of eating breakfast. What should she do? She could "pop" breakfast into Mr. Simpson's office, but that still did not allow Anthony anything to eat! Smiling, she conjured up two apples in each of their hands. "Eat quickly!"

Tony Jr. grinned and began chomping away.

Mr. Simpson examined the apple thoroughly. Could it really be a real apple? It just appeared out of nowhere! Still, the coffee she had given him last night had appeared out of nowhere as well, and that was definitely hot enough to be real! He began munching as well.

When they were finished Jeannie quick blinked them to school, so they would be on time.

As the day progressed, Jeannie wondered what would happen after school. Did Mr. Simpson plan on coming home with Anthony? Or was he planning on going to his house? She really needed to know where his house was, Jeannie thought to herself. How was she supposed to serve him if she did not know where he was going to be? Did he wish her to clean his house as well? What about dinner?

Jeannie sighed. She was not any further in deciding what do about this than she had been an hour ago. Perhaps she should simply blink into his office and ask Mr. Simpson where he planned on going after school. A good djinni needed to keep track of her master, even if he was a temporary master, she thought with satisfaction.

Jeannie quickly changed into street clothes, a pink blouse and tan skirt. Then she blinked right into Mr. Simpson's office.

Mr. Simpson fell out of his chair when he saw her appear. "You…You…You… You came out of nowhere!"

Jeannie nodded calmly and waited for him to come to terms with this. It really was taking Mr. Simpson a long time to get used to her magic.

Mr. Simpson finally calmed down from seeing Jeannie appear out of thin air. Then he thought of something else. "What if you had come in when someone else was in here? Do you have any idea how difficult that would be to explain? I mean…couldn't you not do that in public?"

Jeannie nodded in understanding. She had heard this before, of course. How many times had her real Master reminded her of just that? "Jeannie, don't come to NASA. I could never explain you…Jeannie, what would happen if Dr. Bellows had come in?...Jeannie, do you know how much trouble I could be in if someone caught you using magic at NASA?"

"Sorry, you are right." She hung her head in shame. "I used to cause my Master problems at NASA all the time by not thinking before I blinked. I guess I am doing the same for you."

Mr. Simpson nodded. She was trying, it appeared. He also reminded himself of the reason why he had agreed to do this: to help her son, a wonderful young man who should not have to lose his mother permanently.

Trying to redeem herself, Jeannie remembered the reason why she had popped in here in the first place. "Do you want to come to our house after school again? Or did you want to go back to your house? I was thinking I could clean your house for you, if you would like. And what did you want for dinner?"

Mr. Simpson was still extremely overwhelmed. He was kind of thinking a quiet night with Hilda would be nice. Still, a clean house sounded nice, too. And Tony was such a nice kid. "Sure. I'll take you to my house. You can clean it if that would be okay."

Jeannie nodded, glad that they seemed to be getting along better. "It would be a pleasure, Mr. Simpson."

Mr. Simpson shook his head. "Didn't I tell you to call me Bob? Well, let's get Tony and be on our way." With that, he picked up the loudspeaker in his office and pressed the "on" button.

"Will Tony Nelson please report to the guidance office?"

A few minutes later, Tony Jr. appeared in the doorway. "Hello, Tony. Your mother and I thought maybe the three of us could go to my house tonight. She said she could clean it for me and everything. I could help you with your homework if you're having any trouble."

Tony Jr. nodded. "That's fine, I guess."

"And why don't we use the car this time," Mr. Simpson added hopefully.

Tony Jr. chuckled and they all nodded and began to walk out the office door. Suddenly Jeannie stopped short. "I do wish I could grant your wish Mr. Simpson," Jeannie began nervously. "But I am afraid since I blinked you to the school I will have to at least blink you back to our home first. Your car is still there, after all."

Mr. Simpson stopped and grinned sheepishly. "Yes, I suppose you're right." .

In the end they blinked back to the Nelson home and quickly got into Mr. Simpson's car. They arrived at Mr. Simpson's home about five minutes later. It was a modest little place, perfect for one man to live comfortably. It had a nice spacious living room decorated in forest green. It had a small kitchen, big enough for a stove, refrigerator, cupboards, a table, and not much else.

"This looks like a nice home, Mr. Simpson," Jeannie told him pleasantly. She went into the kitchen and began inspecting his cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer to find something for dinner. "Is there anything special you wished for dinner?"

"No…not really," Mr. Simpson shrugged. He still wasn't used to this.

Jeannie made roast chicken with dumplings for supper. Over the years she had gotten more comfortable with cooking. Instead of simply blinking a complete meal, she blinked to make sure it would not burn while using the stove.

After dinner, she cleaned Mr. Simpson's house thoroughly, from vacuuming, to mopping, to dusting. He tried to concentrate on the newspaper and not on the vacuum cleaner, which appeared to be cleaning his carpets without any assistance from anyone. The duster, as well, appeared to be dusting by itself. He shook his head. Did Tony need any help with his homework?

The next night, the three of them decided to spend the evening at the Nelson house. Tony Jr., however, had gone to a friend's house for the afternoon. He promised he would be back in time for dinner. In the meantime, Jeannie had decided to discuss wishes with Mr. Simpson. "Have you thought about what to wish for yet? Remember, I am only your djinni temporarily. It would be terrible if you were to not receive a wish because you waited too long to ask." Being in her own home, she had decided to wear her djinni clothing. They were, after all, what a proper djinni should wear when serving, even if he was only her temporary master.

Just as Jeannie finished that sentence, someone came in the front door. For a second, Jeannie worried someone was going to see her in djinni clothing. She was about to blink into street clothes, when she noticed it was only Roger Healey.

Meanwhile, Mr. Simpson began to panic. There was stranger in the house who was about to see Jeannie dressed so strangely. "Would you…um…change your clothes, please?" he asked, hoping to be discrete.
Just as Mr. Simpson said that, Roger walked through the door and burst out laughing. "Actually I've seen Jeannie in that outfit more times than I could count. Don't worry about it."

Apparently, Mr. Simpson hadn't been discrete enough. But he was still very confused about the other man. Who was he? Why had he seen Jeannie in the strange outfit before? How much did he know?

At Mr. Simpson's bewildered and panicked face Jeannie burst out laughing as well. Maybe it was not the most polite thing to do, but still…the very idea that she should have to hide her djinni clothes (or anything djinni-related) from Roger was just too much. "I am sorry Mr. Simpson, but if you want to hide the fact that I am a djiini from Roger, you are over twenty-five years too late. He has already seen me come out of the bottle, after all."

Mr. Simpson looked from Jeannie to Roger, still bewildered but no longer panicked. "I see."

Roger smiled at Jeannie. "So, I take it you finally got yourself a temporary master?"

Jeannie jumped up from the coach and grinned from ear to ear. "Yes! And just in time, too. Oh, I should make proper introductions, should I not?" Jeannie bounced as she said this. She was so happy to have found a temporary master! "Mr. Simpson, this is Colonel Roger Healey, a very close friend of mine, as well as my Master's ex-partner in the astronaut corps. Roger, this is Mr. Simpson, Anthony's guidance councilor who has agreed to be my temporary master."

Both men shook hands. Then Roger shook his head at Mr. Simpson. "You have all the luck, you know that? You get to have your own djinni, even if it is temporary! I've wanted my own djinni ever since I've known her. And when I finally get the chance, I have to be married already! Jeannie says she has to have a single master!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. "Ah! What a time to be tied to someone else!"

Mr. Simpson, still quite bewildered at all of this, shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I'm lucky, but honestly, it's a little overwhelming. I'm still trying to come to terms with this. "What do I want? What do I need? Why do I want it? Will it still be here the next day? Will any of this be here the next day? I just don't know."

Roger shook his head again and sat down. These masters never knew a good thing when they saw it. Always over-thinking everything! His philosophy had always been to just enjoy the benefits while you could. If something could disappear tomorrow wasn't that more reason to enjoy it today? If you decided you wanted something else instead, ask for something else! Jeannie could grant any wish! He looked over at Jeannie again. "Seriously, why do you end up with masters that over-think everything? Someone needs to teach them to enjoy life a little more."

Roger didn't mean that comment in a bad way. However, Jeannie immediately became very defensive. "I think my master knows how to enjoy life! It just so happens that "enjoying life" to him means flying in space and spending time with his family! Things he can have without my magic!"

Mr. Simpson looked at both of them, incredibly confused. These were two people that had obviously known each other, as well as Colonel Nelson, for a long time. He felt out of the loop. Besides, he had thought they were talking about his wishes?

Roger, meanwhile, backed away from Jeannie carefully. Was she getting angry? As much as Jeannie had been one of his best friends for a long time, he was a little afraid of her when she was angry. After all, Jeannie had turned him into a poodle, sent him to the South Pole, the bottom of the sea, and the top of the Empire State building when she had been angry before. What was she going to do to him this time?

"Hey, Jeannie, you know I didn't mean anything by it, really. Tony's always been one of my best friends. I respect his decisions about your powers, honestly. And I'll also respect anything your new master decides about your powers," he added as he looked back at Mr. Simpson. "Actually, all kidding aside, I owe you a lot of thanks. I'd hate for Jeannie to have to go back to Old Baghdad permanently, Tony Jr. to lose his mother, and my best friend to lose his wife." When Roger finished, he was speaking seriously.

Jeannie had quickly overcome any anger she had felt toward Roger. In fact, when he finished his speech, she was smiling from ear to ear. Her friend Roger, who was almost never serious, was genuinely happy she could stay home. She leaned over and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Roger."

Mr. Simpson then smiled back at both of them. "I'm still overwhelmed and quite confused by some of the things going on, but I'm glad to help. I'm glad she can stay home as well, especially for her son's sake. He's such a fine young man who doesn't deserve to lose his mother."

"I am glad you were able to help as well, Mr. Simpson," Jeannie agreed again. "My son and my Master do not deserve to lose me."
Mr. Simpson smiled then chuckled. "I thought I told you to call me Bob?" he asked hoping to relieve some of the tension in the room.

Roger laughed as well and then shook his head. "Honestly, I wouldn't count on it. Do you have any idea how long it took Jeannie to call me Roger?"

Mr. Simpson shrugged. "No. How long?"

Roger thought back for a few minutes. "Well, I think it was about the time I was promoted from Major to Colonel…so…at least nine years from when I met her to the time I heard her call me Roger on a regular basis. She's just very formal."

Jeannie looked at both of them. "Is that a problem, Mr. Simpson?"

"I guess not." Mr. Simpson was still trying to get used to all of this.
"Well, it is almost time for dinner. Would you like to stay, Roger?" Jeannie asked cheerfully.

Roger nodded eagerly. "Why do you think I came by in the first place? Making sure you found a master was only the excuse. The real reason was that Tanya is busy tonight, and I wanted to avoid my own cooking."

Jeannie smiled and nodded. "So what would you like to eat?"

Mr. Simpson shrugged. "What do you have available?"

"I will check."

Jeannie returned and gave them a choice of roast beef, grilled salmon, or baked lamb. After consulting Tony Jr., who had just returned from his friends' house, they all decided on the lamb.

An hour later, while they were dishing out the food, Roger asked casually, "So Tony Jr., what do you think of your Mom's new master?"

Tony answered casually, "Well, I already knew him as guidance councilor, and he was pretty cool. He seems okay as a master, too."
Mr. Simpson smiled at Tony Jr., glad that he seemed to approve of him.
Jeannie, however, bristled. This was the third time Roger had referred to Mr. Simpson as her master. Technically, he was her temporary master. Still, as far she was concerned, there was only one man who would EVER be her Master. "Roger," she began, "I realize Mr. Simpson is my temporary master. But "Master" is a lot more than a title to me, and it belongs to only one person. Can you understand that?"
************************************************************************

A few days later, Jeannie, Tony Jr., and Mr. Simpson were spending the evening his house again. Mr. Simpson was still trying to understand these new circumstances. To add to it, their friend Roger was encouraging him to wish for yachts, two or three mansions, and his own diamond mine. Roger seemed to be the kind of person who believed in enjoying life, and all the material things to go with it, while he could, and not worry about what would happen later. It was actually a nice philosophy.

However, Mr. Simpson knew he could not totally abandon all of his worries. To do so would be to turn his back on his responsibilities. After all what would happen if he got in trouble with the law for some reason? He could lose his job, then what would happen to his students? Even if he didn't lose his job, he still had many young men and women who looked up to him. He had to set a good example for students just like Tony, with his wishes. Mr. Simpson shook his head again, overwhelmed. He reminded himself again that he was doing this so Tony wouldn't have to lose his mother.

As the evening progressed, Mr. Simpson tried to ignore the vacuum and the duster again, and watch Hilda instead. It was so comforting to watch her sometimes. Hilda had no worries. All she needed to do was swim around, eat, eat, and lye on the rocks that were in her tank. Sometimes he wished she were human so he could talk to her.

Jeannie and Tony Jr. had decided to return to their home to sleep. After all, Tony Jr. had his own room at their house, and Jeannie had her bottle. Just before they left Jeannie heard Mr. Simpson mutter, "I wish Hilda were human." Jeannie smiled and blinked. That was a wish she could easily grant for Mr. Simpson!

The next morning Mr. Simpson got up and found a strange woman in his house, about in her early twenties. Jeannie must have forgotten to lock the door when she left last night? He'd have to talk to her about locking the door at night. Was this woman mentally ill? Or a thief?

To Mr. Simpson's amazement, the woman suddenly grabbed several leaves of his spider plant and stuffed them in her mouth. From then on, he decided the woman was probably not right in the head. At least that meant he shouldn't have to worry about her stealing anything. Still, he should call a mental health facility. She obviously needed help.

After finishing munching on the leaves, the woman grinned at him. "Hi Bob, where's the water? You know how much I like to go swimming!" With that, she took off, apparently searching for a pool.

No, actually, he didn't know that, Mr. Simpson thought to himself, in a daze. Why did this woman act like he knew her so well? And who was she? Too bad he didn't have pool. For her sake that is. Personally, he'd rather not have to worry about this mentally ill woman in a pool. Who knows what kind of trouble she could get into?

He really did need to contact a mental health facility. But while he had been standing there, several minutes had gone by and the woman was already in the next room. He still needed to ask her name, or at least, what she called herself.

As he walked by, however Mr. Simpson spotted Hilda's tank. He paused to take a closer look. Where was she? She wasn't on the rocks, or swimming, either. Examining the tank closely, he realized Hilda wasn't in the tank at all. Hilda was missing! His faithful companion! Mr. Simpson searched the living room frantically for a few minutes, hoping to locate her. Then he remembered he still had a strange young woman in his house who may cause trouble and needed his help. He really needed to find and help her, as much as he was still worried about Hilda. Besides, there was always the possibility that the woman had taken Hilda.

He went into the next room and found the woman, still searching for a pool, apparently. "How come you don't have a place to swim around here, Bob?" she asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Well, because…I…just don't," he replied carefully. He hoped he wouldn't get her angry. Some of these crazy people were dangerous when they were angry. "If you don't mind my asking, what is your name, anyway? And you haven't seen a turtle around here, have you?"

"Why would you have another turtle in your house?" she asked him. She sounded slightly hurt when she said this, like she was being replaced or something. Boy the mental health facility was really going to have a job treating this woman! "And you know my name; you're the one who named me Hilda, after all." She slowly made her way to another plant and began munching on the leaves again.

Mr. Simpson shook his head as he reached for the phone. So she called herself Hilda? Okay…Suddenly he stopped short. Hilda, his pet turtle was missing this morning. There was a strange young woman in his house who was eating plants and trying to find a place to swim. Hilda had always loved swimming in her tank, and she ate a lot of plants. Could Jeannie have actually turned his pet turtle into a human?

"Hilda, why don't you soak in the bathtub while I make a phone call? Mr. Simpson suggested, guiding her to the bathroom. He sighed, thinking about how strange his life had actually become. Was he really contemplating that Jeannie, one of his student's mothers, had just turned his pet turtle into a human being? After getting Hilda all set in the tub, he quickly found the Nelson's phone number.

"Hello?" Jeannie voice greeted him cheerfully.

"Jeannie, this is Mr. Simpson," he replied.

"Oh, Hello! I am making a sauce for tonight's dinner by hand! Is that not wonderful?" she asked him excitedly as she cut up some onions.

"Yes…that's…nice…" he replied nervously. "But…did you…change Hilda into a human last night?" Mr. Simpson was afraid of the answer to that question.

Jeannie, however, was quite pleased with her accomplishment and answered quickly, "Oh yes! Are you not pleased?"

"Ah no," Mr. Simpson replied, trying to remain calm. "Would you change Hilda back, please?" He reminded himself that he was doing this for Tony's sake. No young man should have to lose his mother, even if it did create problems for him, such as this one.

Jeannie replied, confused, "But I thought you wanted…Well, of course I can change her back." She blinked, still cutting up her onions. Honestly, could not masters be clearer about what they wanted?

Several hours later, Jeannie had finished making her sauce and was in the process of cleaning the Nelson living room by blink and by hand. Tony Jr. came home from school with a concerned look on his face. "Mom, have you heard from Mr. Simpson today?"

Jeannie thought for a minute. "As a matter of fact, I received a call from him this morning. He wanted me to correct a wish for him that he seemed to think was a problem."

"Well, he wasn't in school, and it's not like him to just not show up. I'm a little worried about him," Tony Jr. sighed. He'd hate for something to happen to Mr. Simpson, especially since he was his Mom's temporary master.

Jeannie became concerned as well. As good djinni, she needed to make sure nothing happened to Mr. Simpson. "Why do we not go to his house, Anthony? Maybe we can find out what happened to him there." With that, Jeannie blinked the two of them to Mr. Simpson's home.

They looked around the home and saw no sign of Mr. Simpson. They both became even more concerned. However, Jeannie did find a turtle crawling around his living room. Jeannie was just about to put Hilda back in her tank, when Tony Jr. called out, "Mom this is weird! There's a strange woman in the bathtub, and she says her name is Hilda!"

Jeannie paused. Did she not change Hilda back into a turtle this morning? Yet Anthony said there was a woman named Hilda in Mr. Simpson's house? She thought back to that morning. She had been cutting onions when she blinked. Could she not have missed and changed Mr. Simpson into a turtle instead? Jeannie blinked again at the turtle she was holding, and Mr. Simpson appeared next to her.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with," Mr. Simpson sighed in relief. "That was definitely one of the most bizarre days of my life." ." He paused for a few minutes as today's events really hit him. "So…I…really….spent the…day…as a turtle." His eyes widened. "This is too strange." He shook his head and then looked at Jeannie, sternly. "Why did you change ME into a turtle, anyway? I thought I told you to turn Hilda BACK into a turtle?"

Jeannie looked at the floor. Another mistake again. Why was it she could not seem to do anything right for Mr. Simpson so far? You would think after years of practice with her real Master, she would have become better as a djinni. "Well," she replied sighing. "I tried to change Hilda back, but I was cutting onions at the time and I guess they made my blink mess up…you know because they make your eyes tear up."

Mr. Simpson nodded, still a little angry at her for today's events. "Well, next time you blink, remember to stop cutting onions, first, please?"

Jeannie nodded in agreement. That was probably good advice. She was sure her Master would agree with it as well.

Mr. Simpson suddenly remembered Hilda. She was still in the bathtub. He hurried down the hall, returned, and quickly returned Hilda to her tank. Then Mr. Simpson looked thoughtfully at her as she swam in her tank, about the size of an average fish tank. "You know, one thing I really do wish I had is a great big tank for Hilda. This one's nice, but I think sometimes she gets tired of swimming and climbing all over the same places."

Jeannie grinned from ear to ear. Was she really going to have the chance to make Mr. Simpson happy? She blinked, and a huge tank for Hilda appeared, as big as a large kitchen table. There were many more rocks for her to crawl over and climb on, and several new places to swim.

Mr. Simpson grinned. "I think Hilda will be happy with this tank for a long time."

Then he, Tony Jr. and Jeannie all went to the Nelson house for beef with homemade onion sauce.

As Jeannie laid in her bottle that night, she was glad she had been able to fix the problem for Mr. Simpson. However, she was feeling nostalgic and her mind was on another time with her real Master, very similar to the events that happened today. It was before Anthony had been born, and before she had even convinced her Master to marry her. Her Master had been working with a chimpanzee for NASA, and she had heard him say he wished the chimpanzee was human. Happy to help as always, she turned the chimpanzee into a human. Only her Master was not happy with the result and asked her to change the chimpanzee back. Unfortunately, Jeannie ended up turning her Master into a chimpanzee instead.

She sighed. At the time, she had caused a lot of trouble and Jeannie had been ashamed that she had turned her handsome, brilliant Master into a chimp. Yet, looking back, all she remembered was fond memories of fun times with her Master. She missed him.

That Friday evening Jeannie, Mr. Simpson, and Tony Jr. were preparing for their trip to Austin, so Tony Jr. could deliver his speech. They had agreed they would drive down the night before. After all, the event began at 8:00 AM, and as a participant, Tony Jr. had to be there at 7:00AM. Since it took about three hours to reach Austin from Houston, they would have had to leave at 4:00AM Saturday morning. They all agreed that was simply too early. Obviously, Jeannie could have simply blinked them there. However, Mr. Simpson was still uneasy with all the magic that Jeannie and Tony Jr. were used to. Therefore, blinking that long a distance was not something he could agree to.

In that case, they all agreed to pack an overnight bag and stay at a simple motel for a night. At first Mr. Simpson had been worried because he had only been able to reserve one room. The other rooms in the motel were already booked. Wouldn't it be awkward to share a room with a married woman, he thought? Maybe they should find another motel? Or maybe Tony and Jeannie should just go alone?

Jeannie did not like either of these options. The motel they had found was affordable and a perfect location to the Austin Civic center, where the speech contest was held. And after all the support Mr. Simpson had given Anthony, she thought he deserved to go to Austin as well, especially since Anthony's father was unable to attend. Besides, as his djinni, should she not stay near him incase he needed something?

Jeannie told Mr. Simpson she had the perfect solution. All she had to do was bring her bottle with her.

Mr. Simpson had been confused by this solution at first. "What do mean you can sleep in the bottle?" He looked at the bottle carefully. It was a very nice-looking bottle, one that a person would probably pass down from generation to generation. But, the idea that she could sleep in there was a bit much. "No," Mr. Simpson insisted, shaking his head, "That doesn't make any sense. Let's come up with a different solution to this problem."

Jeannie shook her head in amazement at Mr. Simpson. He was a very nice man, and she was incredibly grateful to him for agreeing to be her temporary master, but honestly, when was he going to accept her magic for what it was? He had already seen her blink up coffee, apples and blink herself into his office. Not to mention his recent adventures as a turtle. Now he did not believe that she could sleep in her bottle? She had lived in it for two thousand years! And for five years after that, she slept in it every night, until her Master agreed to marry her. As it was, she had been sleeping in it for four months, anyway, since her Master had left. Sleeping on their bed without him had just been too painful.

Jeannie placed the bottle on the mantle on the fireplace. "Let me show you how easy it is." With that, she blinked and turned into pink smoke. Mr. Simpson stared in shook as the smoke disappeared into the bottle. Then, a few moments later, pink smoke appeared again, only this time coming out of the bottle. When she finished, Jeannie smiled at him. "You see how easy it is? Now, is that not the best solution?"

Mr. Simpson nodded blankly, still trying to absorb the shook of yet another aspect of Jeannie's magic. "Sure, as long as your comfortable in there, I guess it's fine." He shrugged and continued packing. All three of them had finished packing at the end of the hour. Jeannie had blinked all of her things into miniature and put them in her bottle, so they would not have as many things to worry about. And then they were on their way.

Saturday morning, they woke up at 8:00AM. Then they quickly dressed and ate a fast breakfast. Mr. Simpson still couldn't get over the fact that Jeannie had spent the night in a bottle. Not to mention the fact that he had seen her turn herself into smoke in order to get in and out of the bottle. All this magic was just too strange sometimes. But at least today, he'd be able to support Tony while he gave his speech. Tony was such a nice young man. Once again Mr. Simpson reminded himself he was putting up with all of this magic for Tony's sake. The young man shouldn't have to lose his mother.

Jeannie, Mr. Simpson, and Tony Jr. arrived at the civic center at 9:00AM, just as they were supposed to. The title of the essay contest, "What America Means to You" was written in big letters over the stage. Tony Jr. took a deep breath and headed over to check in. He really wished his father could have come to this. Not only was it an honor to be chosen for the state finals, but he had written about the space program as a way to honor his father. Still, he was glad his mother could be there, and it was nice Mr. Simpson could come and support him as well.

The administrator smiled at him. "Name please?" she asked

"Anthony Nelson, Jr," he replied, knowing he would have to give his full name in this case.

The woman smiled as she found his name on her list. "Yes, of course. Finalist from Clear Lake High. You'll be up in about three hours. Remember, the speech must be no longer than three minutes."

Tony Jr. nodded and went to sit next the other contestants. He carefully reached into his pocket and pulled out his scoring guide. Mr. Simpson had given it to him when Baytown High had decided he would go to the state finals. These were the things he would be judged on:

Speech

With in time limit 15%

Diction 10%

Emotion: 10%

Eye contact 10%

Written Essay:

Content 20 %

Flow 20 %

Spelling and Grammar 10 %

Pronunciation 5%

At the end of the speech, each contestant would give their speech to the judges so the written essay could be considered. Unfortunately, because written essays took a lot longer to properly asses, it would be several weeks before anyone knew who actually won the contest.

Soon, the speeches began. Some students addressed of the flag. Other students spoke of veterans. One student addressed the national parks. Most spoke very well. A few did go over the time limit. None seemed to have a problem with eye contact. Of course, there was one girl who seemed to like eye contact too much. She flipped her hair and batted her eyes at the judges, obviously a bit of a ham. He wondered if she would get points off for that. Still, all in all, there were some very good speeches given that morning. He was in for some tough competition.

Suddenly he heard his name called. As he walked to the stage, he took a deep breath. He really would like to win. Not so much because winning was important in itself, but because if he won, he'd be eligible for nationals. His father would be home in time to hear that speech, right? Besides, since he'd written this to honor his father in many ways, he'd like to honor Dad by winning as well.

"America has a flag of stars and strips and red, white and blue. But when I think of America, I think of different kind of stars. Stars that light up the night sky." Tony Jr. began. He looked out into the audience and saw his mother and Mr. Simpson watching him. He was glad they were here, at least. "…So I say the American space program means possibility. Because if Americans can visit planets and stars someday, what is we can't do?" As he finished, everyone began to clap. He only wished he could hear his father's hands clapping as well.

The rest of the day continued with many other speeches. Some were very good. Some were okay. A few went over the time limit, so he knew they probably wouldn't win. Still, he really didn't know if he had any chance of winning or not. The only odd thing about the entire experience was that everyone seemed to think Mr. Simpson was his father.

In a way, that made sense to Tony Jr. After all, the tickets Mr. Simpson gave him were supposed to be used by his parents. Most everyone here was with his or her parents. Still, the idea of Mr. Simpson being his father was just too weird. He was nice enough, but he was just the guidance councilor! Besides, honestly, didn't they realize who his father was? His last name was Nelson and he was speaking about the space program! His father's picture had been well advertised over the years. After all he had been a moonwalker. And with the most recent mission, his picture had been all over the news again, as his father was one of the oldest astronauts still on active duty.

Anyway, it didn't really matter, he supposed, that people seemed to think Mr. Simpson was his father. He, Mr. Simpson, or Mom would correct them quickly enough. He was going to have to watch his mother, though. She looked like she was becoming angry at the idea that anyone other than Colonel Anthony Nelson could be her husband. He'd have to make sure she didn't start blinking people into snakes, or something.

When Tony Jr. returned to school on Monday, he found some people were looking at him strangely. He discretely checked himself over, assuming his shirt was on backwards, his fly was open, or he had something on his face. When he could see nothing wrong, he wondered why they were staring at him. Maybe it had something to do with the speech contest last weekend. Did he not do as well as he had thought? Did he have any chance at winning?

As he stood in line for lunch, he suddenly heard a conversation with his name in it. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, but sometimes it was hard to stop when a person heard their name in a conversation. "…So Tony doesn't even know?" someone asked. "…don't think he does…" another person replied. "…buddy-buddy with the guidance councilor!" yet another person commented, laughing. Tony Jr. sighed as he put a ham and cheese sandwich on his plate. So apparently they were making fun of him for being friendly with Mr. Simpson. He supposed that was to be expected. A lot of high school kids thought those that were friendly with teachers and other administrators were losers. Still that didn't explain why so many people were looking at him strangely today. After all, he had been friendly with Mr. Simpson before last weekend. He shrugged his shoulders, deciding to forget about it, and went to sit with his girlfriend, Becky.

Becky, however, seemed to have something on her mind as well. She hadn't kissed him at all since he sat down. She chewed on her sandwich without even looking at him. Then she starred off into space when she wasn't eating. Tony Jr. hoped he hadn't done anything to upset her. "Hey," he said, forcing her to look at him. "What's the matter? Have I done anything to upset you?"

Becky shook her head and sighed. "No, Tony, of course it's not anything you did", she quickly assured him. Then she took a bite of her sandwich, as if she wanted to avoid saying more.

Tony Jr. took a bite of his sandwich as well, thinking. He was glad Becky wasn't upset with him, but she was obviously upset. Should he press her for details or not? Was it any of his business? Or did she need someone to talk to even though she wouldn't admit it? Finally, he took a deep breath. "It looks like you might need someone to talk to, Beck" he began gently. Is it something you can talk to me about? I'd be happy to listen."

Becky took a drink and then sighed. "No, Tony, you won't be happy to hear this. But I probably should tell you anyway. "There's a rumor going around that your Mom is having an affair with Mr. Simpson."

Tony's mouth dropped open in shock. It was a good thing he hadn't taken a bite or a drink recently, because whatever had been in his mouth would've landed all over his girlfriend.

"And I know that's ridiculous because your Mom's crazy about your Dad, and Mr. Simpson's a nice man that you respect. And I hate that they're saying this because I know it'll make you upset," Becky finished, grumbling.

Tony Jr.'s mouth had finally closed again as he considered what Becky had said. She was right, the idea of kids saying his mother was having an affair with Mr. Simpson did make him upset. After all, he knew as well as anyone that Mom would never cheat on Dad. Besides, it was quite mean to say something like that about Mr. Simpson, who was only trying to help him and his mom by being her temporary master. Still, at least now he knew why people were looking at him so strangely today.

That afternoon, Mr. Simpson was called into the principal's office. "I'm sorry to have to bring this up, Mr. Simpson," the principal, Mr. Wilson, began. "But you know how important it is to be a good role model for our young people."

Mr. Simpson nodded. He did know that. That was one of the reasons he had been resisting the urge to ask Jeannie for a mansion or a yacht

"There's a rumor going around that you've been…" Mr. Wilson paused as he seemed to be trying to come up with the best way to say this. "…inappropriately involved with one of the student's mother's."

Mr. Simpson's eyes widened as he immediately knew who Mr. Wilson was referring to. Actually, that also answered the question of why so many students seemed to be looking at him strangely today. Still how was he supposed to explain his relationship with Jeannie in a way his boss would understand?

"Now, ordinarily I wouldn't care so much about rumors. You and I both know some of these students will start talking without much evidence at all. But this gets a little more complicated because we're talking about an astronaut's wife. So I had to look into it a little today. And I found out you went to Austin with Mrs. Nelson and her son

last weekend and only reserved one motel room. Can you explain that to me?"

Inwardly, Mr. Simpson sighed. He had been worried when he had found out they could only reserve one motel room, because he didn't think it would be appropriate. Still, Jeannie had assured him that she was perfectly content sleeping in her bottle and hadn't wanted to change motels. But it hadn't occurred to him how it might look to others who found out they only had one room. He couldn't very well tell Mr. Wilson that Mrs. Nelson had spent the night in her bottle! Mr. Simpson had enough trouble believing it himself, and he had watched her smoke in and out.

Mr. Simpson took a deep breath and replied, "It's not what it looks like, sir. Trust me on that. As for an explanation, I'll have one tomorrow, I promise." He hoped he would have an explanation, anyway. He'd have to talk to Jeannie and Tony tonight. They knew more about magic than he did. Maybe they'd have a solution.

Mr. Wilson shook his head at Mr. Simpson. "I'll trust you on this for now, only because you have such an outstanding reputation prior to this. But I have to tell you, the fact that you can't tell me your explanation right now doesn't look good. You better have a really good reason for that too, or I'll be forced to let you go." With that, Mr. Wilson showed him the door.

Mr. Simpson sighed as he left his boss's office, and for the millionth time since getting involved with this situation, he reminded himself that Tony did not deserve to lose his mother. For his sake, Mr. Simpson had to continue being Jeannie's temporary master, even if it did cause him to lose his job.

Meanwhile, Roger was in the NASA cafeteria line when he overheard a conversation. "No, really, Jack! I know Mrs. Nelson's been hanging around another man for the past couple of weeks. I've seen her with him. Sometimes she even goes to his house! Cindy says she saw them together, too In fact, she even saw them kissing!."

One of the newer astronauts, "Jack" replied, "I don't care Megan. It's not our business."

Roger paused as he picked up his sandwich. He hoped Jeannie's relationship with Mr. Simpson wouldn't get her into trouble. Then he shrugged and picked up a drink. It didn't sound as if it were too much of a problem right now.

But as he was passing through the hall, he heard another conversation. "I think I heard Mrs. Nelson went away together with that new man of hers. Guess she's getting board with her husband being away for so long."

The woman she was talking to nodded. "It was only a matter of time before she strayed. I mean Colonel Nelson is a nice guy, but he's going gray. She still looks like she's thirty! All the young men are always looking at her."

As they continued down the hall, Roger thought he heard "…going gray as well, though."

Roger pressed his lips together as he went back into his office. Was this becoming a problem?

As he stopped for coffee later, he heard a few of the younger guys talking. "Boy, Mrs. Nelson really gets around with her husband gone, huh? I heard she went to the grocery store with him last week twice and to dinner once. And last weekend someone saw her in Austin with him."

The other man shook his head. "Yeah, I feel sorry for Colonel Nelson, but honestly, don't you think he married a little out of his league? How old is she anyway? Twenty-five?"

Roger left without getting any coffee. This was getting out of hand. Admittedly it was just gossip, but still wasn't good. Tony's reputation might be affected if it kept up. An astronaut's wife who appeared to be "running around with someone else" did not look good for the astronaut. And Roger could only imagine how angry Jeannie could get if anyone suggested she was interested in anyone but Tony. He'd have to talk to her about this tonight.

As he was leaving, he heard two women arguing. "No Betty, I'll never believe Jeannie could be having an affair. She's crazy about her husband. When he's on the base she's always coming by to see him and kissing him all the time. Haven't you seen how happy they are?"

The other woman shook her head. "Stacey, yes I know what you mean, but he's been gone a long time. Maybe she just got tired of waiting. Or maybe the happy-couple bit was all an act? I'm telling you, they say she's practically living with this other guy."

Stacey countered, "No Betty, there has to be another explanation." Well, thought Roger, it was good to know that at least one of these women knew Jeannie well enough to know she wouldn't cheat on Tony. But it was definitely still a problem.

That afternoon, Jeannie was working on glazing a roast chicken when Tony Jr. walked into the Nelson home, looking upset. Jeannie wondered how she could her son up. She hated to see him upset. Two minutes later, Mr. Simpson came in as well, also looking upset. He took a deep breath and announced, "We've got a problem."

They all went into the living room to sit down, as it looked like this would be a huge discussion. Mr. Simpson took a deep breath and said, "It seems a lot of people are getting the wrong idea about this relationship at the high school." Tony Jr. nodded, having heard this also earlier in the day.

Jeannie looked confused. "What sort of idea would people have, Mr. Simpson?"

"Well,..." he replied slowly. "My boss called me into his office because he had found out we shared the same motel room last weekend. It looked like we had done something inappropriate."

Jeannie still did not understand. "But there was nothing inappropriate there! We went to support Anthony. And I slept in my bottle just like I said I would, did I not?"

Just then, Roger came through the door. Since he knew Jeannie better, he didn't try to ease into the problem. He just blurted it out. "Jeannie, the people at NASA seem to think you're having an affair with Mr. Simpson!"

Tony Jr. and Mr. Simpson nodded, and added, "That's what people are saying at the high school, too!"

Finally understanding the issue, Jeannie quickly switched from confused to angry. "They think I would take advantage of Mr. Simpson's generosity? They think Mr. Simpson would take advantage of me? They think I would cheat on my Master? That I would dishonor my Master in any way? Maybe I should turn them all into frogs!" Jeannie got ready to blink.

"Ah no, Jeannie,… I'm sure we can find a better solution than that. And remember no one else knows anything about why I'm here or why I'm being generous." Mr. Simpson replied. Sometimes he really thought he was in over his head with all of this magic.

"Jeannie, Tony wouldn't want you to use magic like that to the people at NASA; you know that," Roger reminded her, knowing that what Tony would want would go straight to Jeannie's heart.

Jeannie nodded, relenting to both of them. "So what do we do?"

Mr. Simpson shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I've been too busy getting used to all this magic to worry what our relationship would look like to others, particularly in the motel room this past weekend. Mr. Wilson said I needed to come up with an explanation by tomorrow or I'd be fired."

Jeannie sighed. What were they going to do? "How did Mr. Wilson know about the room, Mr. Simpson?"

"He checked the motel records when he heard the rumors today."

Jeannie nodded. Then suddenly her eyes lit up as she thought of an idea. "Would Mr. Wilson still be at the school, now?"

Mr. Simpson shrugged. "I wouldn't think so. Why?"

"I will go see. Give me a minute." With that, Jeannie popped herself into miniature in Mr. Wilson's office. After confirming that he was not there, she found the record Mr. Simpson was referring to. Then she quickly blinked it so their reservation was for two rooms instead of one. All Mr. Simpson would have to do is tell Mr. Wilson to check the records again. With no proof, Mr. Wilson would not have a reason to fire him. Jeannie knew that well enough from her Master's earlier misadventures with Dr. Bellows. After popping back into her living room, she explained what she had done. Mr. Simpson agreed that would probably save his job.

Now what to do about the people at NASA? Roger explained that people had talked about their recent trip to Austin as well as the fact that Jeannie often spent the evening in Mr. Simpson's house. They had also talked about things that were obviously not going on. The power of the rumor mill, of course, Roger suggested. "I wish I had thought about this problem, too. But I guess I wasn't around often enough to really pay enough attention. Anyway, I know what your relationship is with Tony and Mr. Simpson, so I guess I can't look at it from an outside perspective."

Jeannie thought for a minute. "I think I know how to solve the problem with spending time with Mr. Simpson." She blinked up a double version of her and Mr. Simpson. "Now I can still serve him as a djinni, but people will still see us alone in our own homes." With that, she blinked the double Mr. Simpson to his house, in case anyone was looking now.

Mr. Simpson's eyes widened as his double appeared and disappeared. He didn't think he'd ever get used to this.

Now as for the trip to Austin…" she paused for a minute. "Do they even know why we went?"

Roger shook his head. "No. Just that you went together."

"Maybe if I get together with some of the people at NASA tomorrow and talk about Anthony's speech at Austin? Then they'll know why we went." She blinked again and a sheet of paper appeared. "I can even bring this with me to show them we had separate rooms." She showed them the "fixed" reservation paper.

Roger nodded. "That should work. But remember not to turn anyone into frogs, okay? Or anything else?" Roger knew only too well how Jeannie reacted when she was angry. Confronting these people tomorrow would make her angry. Still, at least she wasn't angry at him this time.

Everyone nodded in relief, certain that they had solved this problem.

The next day, Mr. Simpson showed his boss, Mr. Wilson, the records which indicated he and Jeannie had had separate rooms after all. Mr. Wilson was quite confused, and little suspicious about the change. After all, why had Mr. Simpson asked for him to wait until the next day? Still, the records looked official, and with no proof of the affair, he couldn't fire a man who had been employed and served the school well for over twenty years

Jeannie also carried out her plan concerning the people at NASA and it seemed to work pretty well. Some die-hards who were desperate for new gossip still insisted Mrs. Nelson was having an affair, but most were beginning to ignore them. By the end of the week, they had moved onto other things.

That was a very good thing and not only for the safety of those spreading the rumors. Because, in the beginning of the next week, a very important person would return.

Colonel Anthony (Tony) Nelson climbed out of the space shuttle and smiled with satisfaction. That was one of the longest space missions he had ever participated in but it had gone very well. Of course, after over four months in deep space, he was really looking forward to going home.

"I think that was one of the most successful of your missions, Colonel", one of the men from mission control, Jack commented to him as he walked back to the office section of NASA.

Tony nodded in agreement. "It was definitely a good one. Still, nothing will ever be as good as The Stardust." He smiled secretively at that.

Jack looked puzzled for a minute. Then his eyes lit up, thinking he understood. "Oh, that was your first mission, right Colonel Nelson? I suppose every astronaut always has a soft spot for their first time in space."

Tony chuckled but didn't say anything. It was true, he did have a soft spot for his first time up. Still, the mission he was referring to he didn't actually go into space at all because his rocket misfired. He did, however find a priceless bottle on a deserted island that was worth everything.

He headed into the Space Center office building, looking around. It was later than he had thought it would be. Tony had hoped he could stop in and see Roger for a few minutes before going home. It would be so nice to see his best friend again. But he wouldn't be surprised if Roger had already left. Anyway, he had to stop in General Wescott's office for debriefing.

"Ah, there you are Colonel Nelson," General Wescott greeted him as he came through the door. "The mission was successful, I understand?"

Tony nodded, causally. "It went well, sir."

"I'll tell you I had really time keeping this mission a secret." General Wescott commented as he reached for one of his cigars. He hoped these were better than the last batch. For some reason, they had turned his face black. "We had some spies break in a few weeks ago for information. But the biggest problem I had was with your wife. She was in here all the time trying to get me to tell her. I tell ya Colonel Nelson, you've gota control her better."

Tony nodded. It didn't surprise him that Jeannie tried to get more information about his mission from the general. And knowing Jeannie, she was trying to get information so she could blink him down. After all, although he had told her this would be an extended mission, he wasn't able to tell her how long it would be. Jeannie had no idea he would be gone for a little over four months. But as much as he understood her perspective, he was going to have to talk to her again about the use of her powers.

They finished his debriefing a few minutes later. Tony decided to check out Roger's office before he left, just in case. As he had speculated, however, Roger had already left. He wasn't too, disappointed though. All this meant was he could go home sooner. He couldn't wait to see the look on Jeannie's face when he came through the door. Tony Jr. would be home for supper at least, tonight, too. He'd talk about school and his friends. Maybe they'd through a football around after dinner.

Tony made his way to his car which had been parked in the back of NASA. It was nice that they had been willing to let him park it here for the time he had been gone. This way he could go home himself instead of having to ask Roger, one of the other men, or calling Jeannie. That was one of the nice things about this secret mission. Despite the fact that he had to keep where he was going and when he was coming home a secret, was really looking forward to surprising Jeannie. She always loved surprises.

Fifteen minutes later, Tony slowly steered his car into his own driveway. Smiling, he came up the walk and opened the door. "Jeannie", he called as he through his hat on the rack. "I'm finally home!"

Jeannie came into the living room wearing a lavender blouse with gray slacks. "Hello, Anthony, how are you?"

The first thing that came to Tony's mind was how disappointed he was that she had called him, "Anthony." Although Jeannie often called him that in public, she rarely called them that when they were alone or in the company of only their son or Roger. Jeannie still preferred to call him Master in those cases. In all honesty, that's what Tony preferred as well. Not because he liked to show he had the power in their relationship or anything. Although he technically had the power to give Jeannie orders, he couldn't remember the last time he had used it. Actually, since Jeannie tended to use her powers however she wished, she really had more power than he did. No, Tony liked to her call him Master because it showed that's who she was, a djinni, and that was one reason why he loved her. Besides that, he knew Jeannie didn't call him master as title anymore. Since she only used it in private, it was really more of a pet name. A pet name he loved just as much as she did.

"Jeannie, are you mad at me for leaving so long?" he asked gently. That was a possibility. Sometimes she called him Anthony when they were alone if she was angry at him.

"Of course not, why would I be?" Jeannie replied, shrugging. "Do you want dinner soon?"

"Sure, as soon as Tony Jr. gets home…" His voice trailed off as Tony realized there was something really wrong here. Jeannie never called him Anthony when they were alone unless she was angry at him, and she showed no indications of being angry. But it wasn't just that. For someone who had been without a husband for over four months, Jeannie was acting very causal about his arrival. It was if he had just come home from the corner drug store, or something. That was not like his Jeannie at all. In all the years they'd been together, he'd been on several missions to space, and every time he came home, she'd practically attacked him with hugs and kisses. And those were all times when Jeannie had known when he was coming back. Since he'd decided to surprise her today, he'd expected a much more emotional reaction.

Tony sat down on the couch for a minute to think as Jeannie wandered back into the kitchen. Every time in the past that Jeannie had acted out of character, her sister was to blame in some way. Sometimes her sister was doubling for his Jeannie; other times she was under a spell. He wondered which one it was this time. If he had to guess, he would assume it was a spell. After all, if that was Jeannie's sister in disguise, it was unlikely she would be so indifferent to him.

"Jeannie," Tony called as he went into the kitchen after her. "Has your sister…ah visited recently?" He used the term loosely. Invaded would be a better term in his opinion, but despite all the trouble her sister always caused, Jeannie loved her sister dearly and wouldn't think of her appearance in their house negatively.

Jeannie paused for a second from blinking the roast into the oven. "No, I don't think so, why? Would you like me to invite her?"

"No, that's really okay," Tony replied quickly. As he turned around he noticed a note on the refrigerator which said, "Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday dinner, Mr. Simpson." What on earth… Jeannie had made no mention that they were going somewhere else for dinner tonight. And why were they eating with this man so often? If he didn't know better, considering Jeannie's causal response to him coming home and the regular dinners with this other man, he'd almost think she had something going on with this guy. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it? Jeannie wouldn't be interested in another man if her life depended on it. Still, maybe he should give this guy a call anyway.

Tony quickly found the number for this Simpson guy near the phone in the other room. Then he dialed the number.

"Bob Simpson," a cheerful man answered.

Tony paused for a second. The man sounded nice enough. But he still needed to talk to him. "Yes, I believe we should talk about my wife. This is Colonel Nelson."

With that, he heard the sound of a phone dropping to the floor. As he pondered that for about thirty seconds, Tony suddenly found himself in a completely different house. Within the next ten seconds he finally got the welcome home he had been waiting for.

Jeannie, in her pink harem outfit, launched herself at him and proceeded to cover his entire face with her kisses. "Master! Master! Master! I am so pleased you have returned!"

e

For a couple of minutes, Tony couldn't think of anything except how good it felt to be kissed by his Jeannie. He wrapped his arms around her as she continued to kiss her and reveled in having her in his arms as well. Tony sighed in pure bliss as he soaked it all up: Jeannie wearing her pink harem outfit, calling him Master, being covered in her kisses, and having his arms wrapped around her.

After another few minutes, however, Tony began to realize some odd things about this reunion. For example, why was Jeannie wearing her pink harem outfit in someone else's house? Furthermore, even though he loved being called "Master" in private, they had agreed for years Jeannie couldn't call him that with uniformed people around. Finally, as he looked at the other man standing in the background, he remembered the reason why he had called here in the first place. Why was Jeannie here tonight? And what was going on with the other Jeannie in their house?

Tony took a deep breath and gently pushed Jeannie away from his chest so he was holding her at arms length. Much as he hated to do so, he really needed answers. "Jeannie, what's going on? I mean, I'm happy to see you, but…what…who's he?" Tony pointed to Mr. Simpson.

As Jeannie paused for a second, trying to figure out how to answer his question, Mr. Simpson spoke up for the first time. "Well officially, I'm your son's guidance councilor. But for the past couple of weeks,…I've been trying to serve as your wife's temporary master, Colonel Nelson." Mr. Simpson's voice sounded nervous and slightly overwhelmed.

Jeannie nodded in confirmation. "Come, Master, We will tell you everything", she told him gently as she led him to the couch. Tony nodded, not sure how he felt about this information. Jeannie was obviously not having an affair with this man or anything. Not that he ever really thought she was in the first place. Still, why did she need a temporary master in the first place? He knew she would be lonely as she waited for him, but was that really a reason to find a new master, even temporarily? Didn't she understand the importance of keeping her identity a secret? Did she call this man Master as well?

Tony was still thinking about this, trying to decide whether to be grateful that Jeannie obviously still loved him or hurt and jealous that she had a new master while had he been gone.

"About a month ago, I was visited by Hadji''s assistants," Jeannie began. She grabbed Tony's hand and began rubbing it softly, obviously realizing this was upsetting him. "He told me that since you had not been earthbound for three months, I had to find

a temporary master or return to Baghdad…permanently."

Tony's eyes widened as he realized the implications of that. There was obviously more to this than he had thought. He calmed down considerably as he listened to the rest of Jeannie's story.

"I had a terrible time finding a temporary master, because he had to be single," she continued. "First I went to a singles bar, but the gentleman I met there was already married! How horrible of him! Then my sister found another gentleman for me, but he did not call back."

Tony nodded, as he thought of several different reasons why the man Jeannie's sister had found for her hadn't worked. Her sister had obviously used this circumstance to her advantage again. Why Jeannie couldn't see through that woman he would never know.

"Then I went to the singles bar again, and I thought I found a really nice man! But he wanted me to do things that were inappropriate for a married woman! Like I would consider doing that even to avoid going to Baghdad permanently!" she finished that sentence in a huff, and Tony smiled. That was definitely his Jeannie.

"Then Anthony disappeared, and I asked Mr. Simpson to find him," she gestured to the man sitting across from them. "By the time we found him, time had almost run out, but I was able to ask Mr. Simpson to be my temporary master."

Mr. Simpson smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know what was going on, but your son seemed to think it was pretty important, so I agreed." He shrugged. "These last couple of weeks, I still didn't understand what was going on, half the time. But I did it for the boy. He didn't deserve to lose his mother."

Tony nodded in sympathy to the other man. He remembered feeling that way when he first got Jeannie, too. But he was also incredibly grateful to him. This man had prevented Tony from losing his wife and Tony Jr. from losing his mother. He crossed the room and shook Mr. Simpson's hand. "I guess I have a lot to thank you for, then. You let Jeannie say where she belonged, even though I'm sure she drove you crazy sometimes. Here, in Houston."

He paused for a minute, thinking about why Jeannie had said she needed a temporary master. "Because you had been gone for three months…" He shook his head. He felt like the world's biggest idiot. Had he really almost lost Jeannie for good just because he had wanted to fly another mission? And not just him, but their son had almost lost her as well? How could he have done that? Tony looked at Jeannie and shook his head sadly. "I almost lost you because I thought I needed to fly another mission! Sweetheart, it was fun, but it wasn't worth losing you. Nothing is worth losing you!" He slumped back on the couch, feeling extremely stupid and guilty.

Jeannie shook her head and turned his head to face her. "No Master, it is not your fault!" she exclaimed. "I did not know how long you would be gone, but you did say it would be an extended mission! And you knew nothing of this law! If I had remembered the law, I would have mentioned it to you before you left just in case! We could have taken precautions to prevent it! But I forgot all about it! So many Djinn laws that don't mean anything to me and I had to forget the one that counted this time! It's my fault I almost lost you and Anthony!" Jeannie had tears in her eyes as she finished that last statement.

Mr. Simpson stood in the background, feeling a little out of place as the couple had their conversation. Still, as councilor he felt he should say something. "It seems this was nothing but an extremely unfortunate accident. Although I suppose it's understandable that you both feel guilty, neither of you are to blame. Can we just leave it at that?" Mr. Simpson's tone was compassionate, as a mediator, but also a little nervous. This whole concept of djinn and magic still overwhelmed him and he wasn't quite sure what to do with this world.

Tony and Jeannie both sighed, still feeling bad, but understanding Mr. Simpson's message. They nodded. "Oh, Jeannie, I had meant to ask you as well, was there a double at our house this afternoon?"

"Oh, yes," she replied sheepishly. You see some people at the school, and Roger said some people at NASA as well, seemed to think we were having an affair. We solved the problem partly by blinking doubles of Mr. Simpson and I, so it would not look like we were spending too much time together. It appeared to work. Last Friday, my double went to the movies with Stacey, Betty, and Elizabeth. I understand one of Mr. Simpson's students came by to see his double as well."

Tony nodded. It sounded like they had defused a sticky situation.

Jeannie got up and smiled brightly at both men. "How about dinner? We could all eat together. Anthony should be here anytime now. I believe he went to a classmate's house to work on a project. He will be so pleased to see you, Master!"

Tony and Mr. Simpson nodded. That sounded like a good idea. Jeannie began preparing roast beef by blink and by hand, as usual. Just as Jeannie had predicted, Tony Jr. walked in the door a few minutes later, as he knew they were to have dinner there that night. "Hi, how's it going?" he began causally. Then he noticed the second man sitting on the couch. "Dad! Dad! Dad!" Tony Jr. exclaimed, his eyes getting wide. "Did you just get back today?"

Tony nodded, getting up to give his son a hug. "It's good to see you, kiddo."

Tony Jr. groaned a little. "It's good to see you, too, but I'm seventeen! I'm too old for 'kiddo.'"

Tony sighed. "I suppose you're right. So what's going on in school? Your Mom said you've got a project you were working on today?"

Tony Jr. nodded. "It's for biology. We have to create an amusement park for the human body."

"Gee, that sounds interesting," his father replied.

Tony Jr. shrugged. "It's not bad, but what I really want to talk to you about is that speech/essay contest," he commented, excitement growing as he finished his sentence.

"What about it?"

"Well, there was this speech/essay contest at school. It was called, 'What America Means to You.' I…ah wrote about the space program. And I won for our school, Dad!"

"That's great, son," Tony smiled, proud of his son's accomplishment.

"So, Mr. Simpson did the paperwork," Tony Jr. waved in appreciation at the other man. Mr. Simpson smiled at him. "And a couple of weeks ago, we were able to go to Austin for the state competition. It was great, but I really wish you were there, Dad." He commented, glumly. "I…kind of wrote that speech for you. Maybe I'll win the state competition and you can here me at nationals", he finished hopefully.

"I hope so too, son. I hope so, too." There was another important thing he missed while he had been in space for four months. As much as he enjoyed the mission, it wasn't worth it. He'd almost lost Jeannie, and he'd missed hearing his son's award winning speech which Tony Jr. had written to honor him, it seemed. He felt about two inches tall right now. Then suddenly Tony brightened. "Hey, I know it's not the same as hearing it at the competition, but how about you give your speech to the three of us, after dinner?"

Tony Jr.'s entire face lit up. "I'd love to, Dad!"

"Dinner is ready," Jeannie called cheerfully, from the kitchen. They all enjoyed the meal, and each other's company, immensely. Mr. Simpson mentioned how much he appreciated her cleaning his house and providing his turtle with a brand-new aquarium while she had been his djinni, despite the problems her presence had also caused. When they finished, Jeannie brought up something she had been thinking about the whole time she had been preparing dinner. "Mr. Simpson, do you have anywhere special to go for Thanksgiving?"

He thought for a few minutes, then replied, "No not this year."

"Well, I thought since we're all so thankful to you for what you've done, you could come have Thanksgiving with us."

The other two Nelsons nodded in agreement. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea," Tony commented. He chuckled a little. "That is, if you can stand another day of djinni magic."

Mr. Simpson paused for a minute, appearing to think this over. "I guess I can handle another day of it if it's not a steady diet anymore. I appreciate it."

After dinner, they all sat down to listen to Tony Jr.'s speech about the space program. Jeannie had quickly transported the paper to the Simpson house, as Tony Jr. had left it in their home. As Tony Jr. gave his speech, he watched his father eye's glow. That was the reaction he was hoping for. As much as he'd still like to go to nationals, what really mattered to him was that Dad had heard him speak about the space program.

That night, Tony, Jeannie and Tony Jr. were all back in the Nelson house for good. Tony and Jeannie walked into their bedroom, smiling. This was the way things were supposed to be. This was home. Still, even though Tony was happy to be finally home and incredibly grateful to Mr. Simpson, he had one more thing on his mind. How did he bring this up delicately, he wondered? He didn't want Jeannie to get too upset. She was a very sensitive person.

Jeannie had no idea that her Master had anything bothering him. She was interested in a more intimate reunion. So she led him to the bed and pulled them both down together. "It is nice to be back on the bed," Jeannie commented with a happy sigh. "I slept in my bottle while you were gone, did you know that? It did not feel right to sleep on the bed with you gone. This is right." As Jeannie finished her last sentence, she ran her hands up and down his chest.

Tony took a deep breath. As much as he would rather go on to more pleasurable activities, he needed to talk about this. "So, Jeannie, you said you had another master even though he was only temporary," he began carefully, as he sat up on the bed.

Jeannie nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"And you gave him wishes, just like you always did for me," he continued.

Jeannie nodded again. Was he jealous that she had to have a temporary master? She thought he understood she would never have agreed to it if it had not been necessary.

"So…does that mean you called him Master as well?" Tony hated this question, but he really needed to know. He braced himself for different possible answers. He reminded himself that she wouldn't have needed another master in the first place if he hadn't been gone for so long. She needed to do her duty as a djinni, after all.

Jeannie finally understood where his questions were leading and what was bothering him. She sat up and shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no Master, of course not! I always called him Mr. Simpson. Master is your name; you know that!" Jeannie looked slightly hurt that her Master could have possibly thought she would give such a special name to someone else.

Tony relaxed, feeling a little ridiculous that he considered it. They both new how important that name was, although he didn't think anyone else did. Their son, Roger, even Mr. Simpson, apparently, knew that Jeannie called him Master. But they never seemed to understand why. This was why he had waited until they were alone to ask her; it was a very sensitive question.

Still, he felt the need to explain why he had asked, especially since Jeannie seemed hurt he had considered it. "Well, being away from you for four months can start to get to you, I guess. Besides, I remember you called Roger "Master" when he stole your bottle that time."

Jeannie nodded, apparently deciding to forgive him for thinking such a thing. She smiled at him. "But Master, that was a long time ago. You had not even been my Master for a very long time, then. As much as I was interested in a deeper relationship with you even then, the term 'Master' was still a title. But it's been a lot more than that since we got married. I love you." With that, she leaned over and gave him a kiss.

Finally having all of his worries behind him, Tony kissed her back as he through her back on the bed. "I love you, too," he replied happily as he ran his fingers through her soft, silky hair. He leaned over and kissed her neck. "I love you, too," he repeated.

"Mmm, Master," Jeannie moaned as he kissed her.

"Oh, that sounds so good. Say it again." Tony pleaded, looking right into her eyes. Four months was along time not to hear her say his pet name, and now that he knew she didn't call Mr. Simpson that as well, it was twice as special.

Jeannie giggled and whispered, "Master" in his ear. Then they kissed again. Didn't they have an intimate reunion to get to?