Hello, everybody! Alaric's back! Whoo! I had to start this, I couldn't wait :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Alaric.

Chapter 1: Abis Mal

It had been two months since Jafar had been sent away in the lamp. Al and I spent most of our time adjusting to being in a palace. For a few weeks it was awkward for all of us, royals included. Without the wrath of Jafar around things were a little easier, though.

Jasmine and Al spent a lot of time together and were often seen holding hands down the hall. That meant I was left alone. Rajah, Abu, and Carpet tried to keep me company and I appreciated it, but what I really wanted to have was a friend. I wanted a friend who could talk back to me and with whom I could actually tell things to and have a conversation with. I never had a real friend before. I mean I had Al, but he was more on the brotherly side.

Abu, Carpet and Rajah were my friends of course but it wasn't the same. Jasmine was becoming like a sister to me and I spent a lot of time with her too, letting her get to know the real me and not 'Farid' that we had faked. She and the Sultan both had been appalled at my life story which embarrassed me greatly. They made a fuss about it for days.

We decided to keep our hovel in case we wanted needed to get away from the stuffy building and I was slightly glad for that. It was somewhere to be when he and Jaz were together. It was also the place for thinking. I was often in there after having nightmares which were becoming more frequent. They were about him. Even though he wasn't here he still haunted my sleep. I often dreamt of drowning, being suffocated and then getting the life squeezed out of me by a large laughing Jafar-cobra. Not a nice dream to have. I always woke up gulping air as if it was really gone.

I was really lonely lately and desperately wished that Genie would come back. In truth I was really afraid that he wouldn't come back at all. I know he had promised but promises aren't always kept. I knew that better than anyone. I was afraid of being hurt again, while I haven't been blaming myself for anything lately that didn't discourage the doubt that welled in my mind every time he never came through the door. The every night nightmares weren't helping either.

I was currently lying on my side looking out the window. It was between early morning and late at night. I let out a sigh and got up, knowing I wasn't going back to sleep. Sweat covered my brow and I went to the balcony to let the cool air hit my face.

"Rick, what are you doing up?" Al asked coming to stand next to me. I frowned as I noticed he was wearing his old street rat clothes and had a sack with him. Abu chattered at me from Al's shoulder.

"Where are you going?" I asked ignoring his question. He winced.

"Nowhere."

"Then why are you wearing your old clothes and why do you have that sack?"

"I…you didn't answer my question." He said quickly. "You had another nightmare didn't you?" he asked touching my sweaty brow. I pulled out from under him and frowned.

"You're going on another raid." I accused and he grinned apologetically. "And without me!" He rolled his eyes.

"Rick you know why I don't take you. It's too dangerous." I frowned. I could help if he'd let me.

"But, Al!" I protested and he shook his head.

"No, absolutely not." He said and he whistled quietly for Carpet. I then got a sly thought, a way to go with Al and not have to close my eyes again.

"Well, I guess I'll have to inform Jaz where you've gone when she wakes up…" His eyes went wide before narrowing.

"Fine." He said and with a grin I ran back in to get my stuff. I opened my closet and grabbed my street rat clothes. Since we lived in the palace, our normal garb was discarded for more formal attire. Al and I, however, kept our street rat clothes hidden in case we needed them. Slipping on my street rat clothes I grabbed my dagger that Al had given me and grabbed a bag from the corner. I went out to meet him on the balcony. He rolled his eyes but extended a hand out to me and helped onto Carpet.

"Alright Carpet let's go!" Al murmured and the rug took off. I've always enjoyed flying on Carpet. Carpet and I went flying around every day. It was great, but it also reminded me of how much I missed Genie. Ever since he had left I had been feeling really lonely. As I was thinking of Genie, Abu jumped into my lap and curled into a ball. I grinned at him and began to pet him.

"Rick." Al said getting my attention. "This wasn't some scheme to get out of sleeping was it?"

"No, of course not." I lied through my teeth and Al sighed.

"These nightmares of yours are getting worse aren't they?"

"Um, well-" I tried to think of something to say.

"Alaric." Al warned and I sighed irritably.

"Yes." I muttered begrudgingly, my eyes on Carpet.

"Look, I know the nightmares are bad, but you can't stop sleeping because of them." he lifted my chin and made me look at him. "If you can't get to sleep tell me. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, okay? I don't want you losing sleep anymore."

"Yeah, okay." I said and he let go and turned back around. I sighed internally. Al had been losing sleep too because of me. So, I wasn't about to tell him I couldn't sleep. We flew across the desert the moonlight casting a shadow along the sand.

"Where are we going?" I asked and he looked at me with a grin.

"You know that thief I've been trying to catch?"

"The short, fat, balding guy?"

"Yeah," Al said with a laugh. "Abis Mal. Well, I found out where his hideout is."

"That's great!" I said and he grinned at me again. Abis Mal and many others had been thieving the city for years and recently Al had become like a lawman. He stole from the thieves and gave the gold to the poor who needed it more than they did. I looked around as we flew trying to see where we were going. Something on the horizon caught my attention.

"Look, Al." I said and we soon came to some mountains and a large crevice surrounded by high cliffs. A few broken statues and large things of marble lay around most of them covered with sand.

"Who'd want to live in a place like that?" I asked and Al chuckled.

"Abis Mal I suppose." Two large heavy wooden doors were in the middle of the rock face. We watched as two men went inside the open doors.

"Come on Carpet." Al urged and we moved faster, slipping into the door as it shut. It was pitch black at first until our eyes finally adjusted. Al muttered something to Carpet and he flew higher up. We landed on the window looking down at the thieves. They finally stopped and went about tying their horses and unloading their sacks of gold. Abu's eyes bugged out as Carpet took us down behind some large rocks. He made a flying leap and I caught him.

"No, Abu!" I hissed at him and he looked at me with a frown. "You'll get us caught."

"Rick's right, Abu." Al said to the monkey who pouted further. "Just stay here." We slunk closer to the thieves and then stopped to listen and watch. As the thieves unloaded their loot, they started to speak amongst themselves.

"This night has been most rewarding." One said and he grinned at the others.

"We have never stolen so much." Said another with equal smugness. I nudged Al as a furry brown paw reached into the man's pocket. Al groaned quietly beside me. Leave it Abu to start pick pocketing.

"We have gathered much loot tonight…no thanks to our leader." The first one spoke again and they all looked over at the short fat man. Abis Mal was in a short word…a moron. He maybe a thief and he may have avoided Al for a while but it wasn't because he outsmarted him. At the moment, the thief in question had his fat grubby hand in a vase, which of course was stuck. With a grunt he finally got it off and it flew into the wall behind him, smashing into pieces. The thieves all glared at him. He may be the leader but they didn't like him obviously.

"Well it only looked expensive." Abis stated as if that solved the problem. The others didn't seem pacified by it. He walked over to a chest and leaned over to examine it eagerly.

"Is this a haul or what? My surly band of desert skunks." Abis Mal grinned from ear to ear as he lifted a flower made entirely of sparkly gems. This only made the band frown more. They looked about ready to gut him. He stuck the flower into his tight waist band.

"Why is it you get the jeweled flower, Abis Mal?" One thief asked him with venom. The others gritted their teeth at him.

"Why this is my bonus for being your beloved leader!" he then started to point things out. "This, and that and that are my beloved leader bonus!" he pointed out the flower, a chest, and a sack of jewels, and then he grinned up at the thieves.

"And what is our reward?" One challenged and the others gripped their sword hilts with gritted teeth.

"Here you are. Good job boys very successful raid." He said absently, as he tossed them a small pitiful bag of coins. As the thieves fumed at the small man, a chest suddenly started to move on its own.

"Um, Al?" I murmured and he groaned. He started forward and I followed knowing what was coming.

"Ah!"

"The chest!"

"It moves!"

"What is holding it up?"

Thieves exclaimed as Abu made his way through them. Abis Mal swung around to see.

"Ah! Ghosts!" he screamed and I stuffed a fist into my mouth to stifle the sniggers. As we got closer one of the thieves lifted the chest. Abu continued to walk a moment before he realized that he had been caught. He looked up at the thieves and tipped his hat.

"You stupid monkey!" Abis Mal shouted and he leaned down and lifted Abu by the vest.

"Put him down Abis Mal!" Al shouted and we walked across the thieves heads. We jumped down and landed in front of Abis. I pulled Abu from his grip.

"Who are you?" He asked, as he squinted his eyes.

"My friends call me Al. but you can call me, Aladdin." my brother gave the thief his famous cocky grin.

"I'd rather you not call me at all." I stated eyeing the short man. Abis growled.

"Hurt them!" he shouted and the thieves started towards us. I groaned and Al suddenly thrust his hands out in front of me. I looked up from his interlaced hands and then nodded. Stepping into them with a foot, Al launched me over their heads. It was a good thing that being a street rat meant being extremely acrobatic, otherwise I wouldn't of landed on my feet behind them. Grinning, I ran over to the piles of treasure and started getting everything into sacks. Al joined me seconds later, while the goons were still fighting amongst themselves.

"Where'd they go?" the thieves asked over and over and they finally realized that we weren't there and they spotted us. Al nudged me and we took off. Al jumped over a low wall and of course being the shorter one I had to climb over it while Al pulled sacks of treasure off the horses' backs.

"Al, look out!" I shouted as a thief came up to him with a sword in the air.

"Hey!" Al shouted as he blocked it with a golden candlestick. He then tossed the sword into the air with the candlestick and I snickered as the sword sliced through Abis Mal's hat. As Al cut a rope and was slung up into the air, I felt something grip my vest.

"I got one!" the thief shouted lifting me off the ground. He turned me to face him. A wide nasty toothed grin was in my face and disgusted I lifted a leg back.

"No you don't!" I retorted and kicked him in the stomach. He let go and I took off running. By now Al was on Carpet.

"A flying carpet!" Abis shouted and he clutched at a thief nearest him. "He's got a flying carpet!" He shook the thief as if he wasn't sure that it was real. Wanting to get away from the thieves chasing me, I spotted a large rock and like I would a wall in the marketplace, I ran and jumped up running along it. Carpet got close to me and I made a leap onto him with a laugh. I looked around once safely on and I pointed out a sack of treasure we had left. Al nodded and we swooped down to get it. As Carpet started back up into the air, we managed to pick up a passenger. Abis Mal clung to the back of Carpet, glaring at us with his ugly mug. He reached for one of the sacks we had and Abu launched forward. He quickly plucked the jeweled flower from Abis' protruding waist band. Abis Mal spotted him with it.

"Hey, that's mine!" he said childishly and upon doing so let go of Carpet. For a moment he floated there, a wide-eyed expression on his face and then he was gone.

"Buh-bye Fatso!" I called out in laughter, as he fell towards the ground. Beside me Abu waved at the falling man before looking up at me with a grin. "Good job, Abu!" I praised him and he chattered at me embarrassedly.

"Next stop: Agrabah." Al told us with a grin and we headed towards the exit. "Get down!" Al said making us lie flat against Carpet as we squeezed through the doors they were trying to shut. Luckily we made it and met the sun as we did. Behind us the thieves had managed to shut the doors seconds too late.

So, hope you like it! Read and Review please!~~DisneyGrl92