"Thanks Mara," Grace smiled as I put her luggage and backpack down in a corner.

I smiled back, "It's no problem at all. Like compared to helping Amber move, this is..."

My grin faded as I sighed. "I guess you probably left a lot of stuff behind, huh?"

It was the last Wednesday in August, Grace got possession of her new apartment yesterday. Today I was helping her move in, and I was going to spend the day with her while she waited for her new furniture to be delivered.

I hadn't really thought about it till that moment, but she didn't actually have much stuff. When she showed up on our doorstep two weeks earlier, she basically only had what she could fit in her car. She probably had to pack in a hurry, and it all happened at once so she didn't have time to plan and prepare.

She had a suitcase full of clothes, another suitcase packed with jewelry and make-up and keepsakes, a backpack full of books, and her camera gear which was spread across her camera bag and a couple shopping bags. She also had a box of things she'd bought since joining us, like her new laptop and phone charger and stuff like that, plus a bag full of other things she had to replace after she left home.

It literally took the two of us only two trips up from the car to carry in all her worldly possessions, and it was all in a slightly sad little pile in a corner of the otherwise empty living-room.

I was positive there was no way the fashionable blonde would fit all her clothes in a single suitcase, let alone all her shoes and jackets and outer wear and whatever.

Grace suppressed a sigh as she nodded, "Yeah. Mostly clothes and books, but there were a few important things I didn't have the chance to grab."

"Damn," I frowned. "Any chance that stuff's still there? Like could you maybe go back and get it at some point?"

She shrugged, "According to Felicity it's still there. She said mom and dad are hoping - or maybe expecting - I'll come crawling back to them. They think I'll apologize and beg forgiveness and all that bullshit."

I thought for a few seconds then asked, "Maybe we could sneak over and get it when they're not around? Secret DLP spy mission or something, like Sunday morning when your folks are at church or whatever?"

Grace looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned "Why do I picture you humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme music the whole entire time?"

I grinned, but before I could respond she added with a shrug "Anyways it's only stuff, most of it can be replaced. I think I'm happier not going back there at all. Not yet anyways."

"Ok Grace," I responded as I gave her a quick hug. "I get it."

After I let go of her I looked around and asked, "So what's next?"

She gestured towards a couple folding chairs she brought over yesterday afternoon when she got the keys to the place, "Nothing much to do now but a long boring wait. The furniture delivery window is four hours long, and that's assuming they're even on time. So we're basically here at least till two in the afternoon waiting for them."

"And I appreciate the company but you don't have to stay," she added. "There's literally nothing to do here but stare at empty walls or mess with stuff on our phones."

"I'll stay," I stated. "Bored together's way better than bored alone."

She gave me a grateful smile, "Thanks Mara. And please let Lily know how much I appreciate everything she's done for me?"

"I'll pass it on," I replied. That would have to wait though, because Lily wasn't in a talkative mood today.

As soon as I woke up this morning I knew my demon mom was feeling off again. And as usual she refused to talk about it. Same excuses as before, it was nothing or it didn't concern me. So I let it go for now, but I was determined to have a long conversation with my demon mom about that stuff sometime soon.

Me and Grace unfolded the chairs and set them up sort of against one wall. The sliding door and the balcony was to our left, the empty living-room and door to the kitchenette in front of us, and all her other stuff in a little pile to the right.

The apartment was unfurnished, so she was basically starting from scratch. It came with a stove and fridge and that was it. Grace needed to get everything else.

The past two weeks she'd been one of the busiest people I ever knew. First off she signed a contract and become part-succubus, then a week later she got a blast of demonic energy to make her succubus nature permanent. She also spent a day getting tips and pointers from Melissa and Susan, and she'd been out twice doing her Lily work.

On top of all that she had to rebuild her life, like with a new bank account, new phone, she had to get a new laptop and get all that stuff set up. Then she had to find an apartment and sign a lease and get a moving date. And when that was done she had to go out and shop for all the furniture and everything else she'd need to actually be able to live on her own.

Just thinking about all the stuff she'd done and organized and whatever in fourteen days left my head spinning, but Grace managed it. Me and my girlfriends helped wherever we could, like we all wanted to be sure she was ok and everything. There wasn't much for them to do here today though, which is why it was just me. The delivery guys would handle all the heavy lifting and stuff, so having a bunch of friends standing around would just get in the way.

Grace pulled out her phone and checked her email to make sure the delivery guys were still on time, while I slid open the door and stepped out onto the balcony. The view was ok too, her place was on the ninth floor and faced north. You couldn't see the college from here, it was due east and was obscured by the rest of the apartment building.

There was a good view of the mall though, and I was positive if you had binoculars or something we might even be able to spot Sue's house from there. Maybe not though, there might be trees or other buildings in the way.

"This would be an awesome place to jump off and land if I had wings," I commented as I looked down. We were about thirty meters or so up off the ground, and I could imagine how fun it'd be to leap off and soar out over the road and stuff.

"I'll take your word for that," Grace replied. "The delivery is still on schedule, so that's good news at least."

"Cool," I said as I went back inside and sat next to her on the other folding chair.

We were both quiet for a bit, then I commented "Being back here's almost nostalgic in a way? It was right about this time last year that me and Melissa moved into this same building. Different floor, but we had a two-bedroom unit with the same layout as this one."

She smiled, "So it's like coming home is it?"

"A little?" I shrugged. "After we broke Sue's house in December she moved in with us and the place was kind of crowded, so by the time the renovations were done on her place we were all pretty eager to get out of here. Me and Melissa had some good times here though. We were living in this building when we became girlfriends. And we were here when Susan joined the team too."

A moment later I added with a grin, "Actually we were here when Amber joined us as well. You're our only new recruit since we moved to Susan's place."

She didn't seem to know how to respond to that, and the two of us ended up in another awkward silence. We both checked our phones again, played some games or messed around on the internet or whatever.

Eventually she sighed, "I should have thought to bring some drinks and snacks. The fridge is sitting there empty. We're in the delivery window now, so I can't pop out and get anything."

"I'll go," I offered. "There's a grocery store in the mall across the street, I can pop over and grab whatever you want. There's a coffee shop in there too, I could grab you a coffee or something?"

She hesitated, like she didn't want to take advantage of me or whatever, but in the end she agreed. We made a little list on my phone, and she offered me her car keys but I didn't need them. It's not like I couldn't carry stuff, and it was only across the street.

That gave me something to do, though it meant Grace was bored and lonely for like thirty or forty minutes till I got back. She'd been busy too though, she actually unpacked a few things while she was waiting. Like clothes came out of her suitcase and into her closet, she also put her camera gear and stuff away in the second bedroom closet. And she got her toiletries and towels and stuff put away in the bathroom.

As we put away the food and stuff I told her, "I know it wasn't on the list but I also got this case of water for you. The tap water here tastes like ass."

"Thanks Mara," she suppressed a laugh at my description. "I'll keep that in mind."

We ended up having a bit to eat around lunch time, then it was back to waiting and killing time. The furniture guys finally showed up like ten minutes to two, right at the end of the delivery window. Then we went from boring waiting to semi-stressful watching and stuff. Even though neither of us were doing anything, Grace had to like oversee everything and tell the guys where stuff went and all that.

First there was a bedroom suite that went into the main bedroom. That included a queen sized bed, a dresser, and a bedside table. Then the second bedroom got a desk, a chair, a bookcase, and a sofa. The living-room filled up with a matching sofa and love-seat, and a coffee table and a small shelving unit. Finally there was a little table for meals. We put the two folding chairs next to that to complete the 'dining set'.

It didn't take the guys too long to actually move and assemble stuff, but getting things from the truck to the apartment took time with the elevator and everything.

Basically it was like two or three hours before it was all finished. The guys took all the plastic and cardboard packaging and stuff with them as they left, and when they were gone Grace's apartment actually looked like a place someone lived in.

Once we were alone she slumped onto her new sofa with a loud sigh, "Oh gosh this is so nice I almost want to call it a day right now..."

I sat down next to her, the new sofa was soft and comfy but also kind of stylish. All her furniture matched and while it didn't look too expensive it definitely looked like Grace's style.

"What's left to do?" I asked as I leaned back and relaxed next to her.

She closed her eyes and suppressed a groan, "More shopping. Plates, cutlery, glasses, cookware... Just general housewares stuff. Then there's small appliances like a microwave, coffee machine, TV... And I need to buy bedding before I can enjoy my new bed."

"Damn," I grimaced. "I'm already tired just thinking about it."

"Me too," she sighed. "Ok um... Priorities. Bedding and a coffee machine. And coffee mugs. We can get everything at the big-box plaza by the highway. Two stops...maybe three at most. Bedding, housewares and small appliances, and if we can't get a good TV there there's an electronics place in the same mall."

She added, "I need to get the TV today because the guy's coming tomorrow to hook it up and do my internet and everything."

I took a deep breath then sat up and nodded, "It's about five o'clock. We can probably get all that stuff in an hour right?"

Grace opened her eyes and looked at me, then said "You don't have to do this stuff. I appreciate you keeping me company all day long Mara, but I know this is boring as hell. I can drop you off at home then go buy my bedding and stuff on my own."

"Nope," I stated. "I don't mind, so unless you actually want me to leave I'm sticking around and keeping you company. And I can do the heavy lifting. I'm happy to stay the night too if you want the company."

"Thanks Mara," she pulled me into a tight hug for a few seconds.

Eventually we both got up, and the next two hours were spent picking out bedding and plates and pots and pans and all that fun stuff. My estimate of an hour was based on me or Melissa just grabbing whatever looked fine. I forgot that Grace had style and stuff, but I didn't mind. She was really good at that sort of thing.

By the time we got back to her place and carried everything up from the car to her apartment it was nearly eight o'clock. She got her bed made up while I set up the coffee machine and microwave in the kitchen, then the packaging went out in the recycling chute at the end of the hall.

"There is no way either of us are going to cook after all this," Grace stated. "Let's just order something in and call it a night."

I grinned, "Agreed!"

And in the time-honoured tradition of our people, Grace's successful move was celebrated with pizza and alcohol. Then we broke in her new bed in the manner appropriate to a part-succubus and half-sex-demon.

All in all it was a successful day and a satisfying night.

PurpleCatGirl

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