DISC: I DO NOT own any of the chars from Aladdin. They belong to Disney. I do however own the plot within this story.

A/N: This is my third Aladdin story. Please use good judgment when reading it.

"Do You Trust Me"

Chapter 1

Jasmine sighed contentedly as she felt Aladdin pull her closer. She loved summer nights like this one. The desert was calm and peaceful and it felt like she and Aladdin were the only two in the world.

The two had just come back from a trip to Getschastan that had turned into a foiling mission. The one they had to stop this time was Abis Mal, which wasn't unusual. The unusual thing about the mission was that Abis Mal had teamed up with someone else entirely. Herude hadn't been there this time, which surprised the young couple. What surprised them more than Herude's absence was the fact that Abis Mal had teamed up with. He had once joined forces with Mechanicals, but that partnership hadn't worked out really well. This time, the simple minded villain had teamed up with Mozenraph.

Needless to say, the mission had been long and Al and Jas could use some R%R time. And that's exactly what they were doing now.

Jasmine's smile spread from ear to ear as Aladdin's hand combed through her hair. It was styled in the traditional Arabian wrap, but she still enjoyed the close contact whenever he did this.

The smile faded momentarily as she remembered Mozenraph's last words to her before they had destroyed his newest plan.

"You won't get away with this, princess." He had said it so only Jasmine could hear him,. Despite this, Jasmine had wasted no time in relaying the words to Aladdin the minute they were flying back home on Carpet.

"Jasmine, don't' worry about it," Aladdin tried to comfort, "Mozenraph's all talk. He was just mad that we stopped him again. He'll forget all about it by tomorrow."

"Yeah," Iago chimed in, switching from Aladdin's shoulder to Jasmine's, "that's because he'll be thinking of another scheme to take over the seven deserts."

Aladdin ignored his friend's comment as did Jasmine.

"You didn't hear him," Jasmine insisted, "he sounded serious. And the way he looked at me when he said it…" her voice trailed off as a shiver went up her spine.

"He won't touch you," Aladdin vowlled, "I'll protect you."

"That's sweet," Jasmine said, managing a small smile for the love of her life, "but you can't protect me from everything."

"I know," Aladdin admitted, "but I can try." With that, he pulled Jasmine into his arms for a much needed hug. Planting a kiss on her head, he tried to assure her.

Jasmine couldn't help but gaze back at the land of the black sand with dread. She knew she should feel safe with Aladdin and she did, but a part of her was still haunted by Mozenraph's threat.

"Jas, what's wrong?" Aladdin asked, breaking his girlfriend out of her thoughts.

"I can't stop thinking about what happened earlier today," she admitted, "I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of Mozenraph."

"I won't let him hurt you," Aladdin promised her.

"If only it were that easy," Jasmine sighed while trying to relax once again.

********

Jasmine shot up in bed later that night, shaking. She gazed around the room and managed to calm down a little when she realized she was in her and Aladdin's bedroom. As she tried to stop shaking, she heard a famialir male voice address her from somewhere to her left.

"Jasmine, are you okay?"

"No," Jasmine said, her voice shaking as she answered her boyfriend's question.

"What happened?" Aladdin inquired, sitting up and moving closer to her. He reached out tentatively and wrapped a protective arm around her. He was relieved when she accepted his comfort and let him hold her.

"It felt so real!" She whimpered, burying her face against Aladdin's shoulder.

"Was it a nightmare?" Aladdin asked combing a hand through her hair.

Jasmine nodded as a soft sob escaped her lips.

"Jasmine…shh, it's okay, you're safe now. I have you, you're okay. Nobody can hurt you. Do you want to talk about it?"

Jasmine shook her head, clinging to Aladdin for all it was worth.

"Are you sure? It might help you feel better."

"Please, I can't!" She cried.

"Okay, it's okay. You don't have to. Why don't you try and get some more sleep."

"Can I stay here?" she asked.

"Of course," Aladdin replied, kissing the top of her head. He stayed awake for a little while longer after Jasmine fell back to sleep. He was really worried about her now. She hadn't had a nightmare since the Ethereal had come and that was months ago. Just thinking about how he had almost lost her caused Aladdin to tighten his grip a little bit. He assured Jasmine she was safe and who was holding her just in case she started from his movement.

"Hey Al," a male voice said a minute later, "what's keeping' you awake?"

Aladdin sighed as he turned to face his best friend next to Abu.

"It's Jasmine," he explained, "she had a nightmare and she's been really on edge ever since we got back from the land of the black sand."

Genie frowned.

"Did she tell you what it was about?"

"No," Aladdin replied, "she was too scared to talk about it. But she's always told me everything."

"Just give her time, Al," Genie patting his right shoulder, "Jas will take to you when she's ready."

"I hope you're right," Aladdin sighed again.

"Try and get some more sleep. Before you know it, Iago and Abu will wake everyone up with their morning ritual food fight."

"They better not," Aladdin said, while adjusting his hold on Jasmine, "Jasmine needs sleep."

"I'll head them off for ya," Genie offered.

"Thanks, Genie," Aladdin yawned as his eyes started to close. He thought he heard Genie say "No problem, buddy," but he wasn't sure…

"What about that one?" Aladdin asked gazing at a tray full of some kind of tart near Hamir's fruit stand.

"Huh?" Jasmine asked. She frowned apologetically when she realized Aladdin had asked her the same question twice.

"Are you okay?" Aladdin furrowed his eyebrows in concern as he gazed into his fiance's eyes.

"I know it sounds silly," Jasmine said, letting her eyes wander, "but I feel like we're being watched."

Scanning the area for himself, Aladdin shook his head.

"Jasmine, there's nobody around," he tried to assure her.

"Jasmine!"

Jasmine whirled around at the sound of a small voice calling her name. She grinned when she saw Yani and Dhandi running towards her and Aladdin.

"Aladdin!" Yani cried, throwing her arms around his waist when she reached him.

"Aw, hey, you two," Aladdin greeted, ruffling Yani's hair, "what's up?"

"We're bored," Dhandi stated, giving Jasmine a hug, which the princess returned.

Yani nodded vigorously.

"Can we hang out with you guys, please?" Dhandi asked batting her brown eyes at Aladdin.

Jasmine giggled when she saw the child's actions.

"Sure," Aladdin consented, "we were just about to have breakfast. Have you guys eaten yet?"

"I have," Dhandi volunteered.

Aladdin nodded. He knew Eden always made sure Dahndi had enough to eat and took great care to see that the meals were mostly healthy.

"Whahid stole my food," Yani admitted, her eyes downcast.

"I'll talk to him, " Aladdin assured her, "now how can we get that pretty smile to come back?" he pretended to think before reaching out and tickling the eight-year-old's ribs.

It didn't take long for Yani to start laughing, followed by Dhandi.

"Where's your brother, Yani?" Aladdin asked as they walked through the marketplace.

"He's doing work for Omar," Yani answered.

Nearing Ferouge's stand, Aladdin smiled at Yani.

"Do you see anything you like," Aladdin offered. He turned to Dhandi, "would you like a snack?"

"No thanks," Dhandi smiled, "I'm good."

"Okay," Aladdin said.

After Yani had chosen a papaya, strawberry tart, they continued their stroll through the marketplace.