DISC: I DO NOT own any characters from Aladdin. They belong to Disney.
"A Long Overdue Friendship"
Chapter 2
Iago awoke sometime later to find Jasmine sitting by his side. She was absently stroking his feathers while staring out of the window. He was calmed by her gentle touch, but he still felt horrible. And not just physically. He stayed quiet for a few minutes. He didn't want to disturb her.
"Hey, you're awake," her gentle eyes found his barely opened ones and he could see a smile spreading across her face. "Do you feel any better?"
"Not really," Iago admitted. If anyone else had asked him, he would have said yes. But Jasmine had proven herself over the years to be a person he didn't have to lie to because of fear of consequences.
"Does anything hurt?" Jasmine inquired.
Iago thought for a minute. His stomach felt a little weird, but apart from a splitting headache, nothing else was bothering him.
"My head," he admitted.
"That's understandable. You just need more rest."
To keep his mind off his problems, Iago asked a question of his own.
"Were you here the whole time?"
"Mostly," Jasmine answered.
Iago was stunned. He knew what mostly meant, so he didn't ask. Even a princess had to eat and take care of personal business when it became necessary. He was touched that she hadn't left him otherwise.
"Nobody's ever done that for me," he breathed.
"I wanted to," Jasmine said. "Besides, I recall you doing the same thing for me." She frowned at the memory. She wasn't upset by what Iago had done for her. She was more upset by why he had to do it.
"Jasmine?" Iago attempted to flutter up to her shoulder, but was stopped by a sudden wave of dizziness.
"I'm okay," Jasmine assured him. "Just rest for me," she lovingly ordered.
Iago found it easy to obey her since he knew she cared about him. Settling back down in her lap, he tried to get comfortable yet again. It wasn't so easy this time around. As he felt Jasmine adjust herself, the dizziness increased. Shutting his eyes, he wished it would go away.
"Iago, what's wrong?" Jasmine glanced down at him, her eyes full of concern.
In an effort to regain some of his old sarcasm, he replied, "Would you quit it with the shifting and moving?"
Jasmine saw right through his attempt.
"Are you feeling sick?"
"I can't get anything past you, can I?" Iago retorted.
Jasmine sighed. She knew even though she and Iago had a strong bond now, he still pulled away at times. She also knew it wasn't her fault or his own for that matter. Seeing Genie's lamp on her nightstand, she remembered Aladdin had left it with her for the night just in case she needed help. She reached over and rubbed it quickly but gently.
Genie appeared in a nightcap and pj's with dinosaurs on them. The dinosaurs were playing some sort of game with sticks and balls.
"Hey, Jas, what's with the early wakeup call? Are you okay?" Genie had turned back to his normal self at this point, ready and willing to help his friends.
"I'm fine, Genie," Jasmine assured him, "but Iago needs something to settle his stomach."
"Tummy soother, coming right up!" Genie snapped his fingers and some type of crackers appeared in his hands.
"No, no way! I'm not eating those things again!" Iago shouted. He made it to Jasmine's shoulder and tried to hide in her hair.
"Genie, I don't think they're the best solution," Jasmine whispered while trying to calm Iago down before he made himself throw up.
"They're called soda crackers," Genie explained. "Remember, I gave them to you when you got food poisoning last month. They worked wonders for you."
"I know. But crackers are kind of a trigger for Iago. Don't you have something else?"
Genie thought for a minute before making the crackers disappear. He snapped his fingers again. This time, he produced something in a cup. He handed it to Jasmine.
"What is it?" She asked.
"It's called Ginger ale. It'll do the trick for our feathered friend," he replied.
Jasmine nodded. She turned her attention to Iago who was still taking refuge in her raven locks.
"Iago, come on. This is different. It's a drink." Getting an idea, Jasmine took a tentative sip herself. She was surprised how good it tasted. "it's really good. I just tried it. It'll help you."
Hesitantly, Iago lifted his face from out of Jasmine's signature Arabian rap and fluttered down into her lap once again. He took a few cautious steps towards the cup and sniffed.
"Did you really try it?" he asked his friend.
"Yup," Jasmine replied. "Genie can vouch for me."
"Jas tested it all right. And she's fine."
Iago nodded. He took another step before it got to be too much.
Jasmine saw and helped him the rest of the way.
"Thanks," he muttered.
Jasmine held the cup while Iago took a small sip. He took another one before settling back down in the princess's lap.
"How do you feel now?" Jasmine asked.
"Exhausted," Iago said truthfully.
Jasmine ruffled his feathers sympathetically.
"How does your stomach feel?" she clarified.
"A little better," he admitted.
"I'm glad," Jasmine smiled down at Iago. She smiled at Genie next. "Genie, you did it! Thank you."
"Aw, no thanks needed, princess woman. You're all family to me Now I gotta get back to my game of croquet." With that, he left a bottle of Ginger ale on her nightstand and went back into the lamp.
"What's-" Jasmine started to ask, but stopped when she realize he was gone. Turning her attention to Iago, she smoothed his feathers, gave him a small kiss on the top of his head and settled down for bed herself. It had definitely been a long day. And as she fell asleep, something told her the next one would be just as long. Before she totally drifted off, she wished Iago sweet dreams.
"Wake me up if you need me," Jasmine told him.
"Will do, princess," Iago mumbled, already half asleep himself.
Smiling over at Rajah, who was laying at the end of her bed, Jasmine got as comfortable with as little movement as possible.
"Good night, Rajah. I love you." She heard happy purring in response. It was enough to help her drift off into dreamland…
*****
Jasmine bolted upright in bed somewhere early in the morning. She was shaking and she could feel tears streaming down her face. Wiping them away only to have more fall, she tried to calm down. The nightmare had been so vivid, she felt like she was bad there again. One glance around the room told her she was safe. The sound of Iago's voice broke her from her efforts to calm herself.
"Jasmine?"
Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Jasmine glanced down to see Iago beside her.
"Iago, I'm sorry. Did you fall when I sat up?"
"It doesn't matter," Iago dismissed. "Do you want me to get Al?"
"No, that's okay. I'll be all right. Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah," Iago said, even though it was only half true.
Jasmine nodded. She had a feeling Iago had just told her a half truth, but she was still so shaken, she didn't bother dragging it out of him right now. Glancing out of the window, Jasmine could see the sun starting to rise. Sighing to herself, she rose from her bed, got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. Iago fluttered onto her right shoulder as always. As she felt him do so, she had to remind herself it was Iago and force her body not to tense. Entering the dining hall, she sat down in her usual spot. The smell of her favorite breakfast didn't help her feel better. Not even Genie's antics could bring about a smile as they usually did. As she felt someone place their hand on her left shoulder, she jerked away.
"Jas, it's okay," Aladdin assured her, "it's me. Are you okay?"
"I'm just a little tired," Jasmine said.
"Did Iago keep you up?" Aladdin asked.
"No," Jasmine replied truthfully. "He only woke up once and I was already awake. He's feeling a little better. I just had some trouble sleeping."
"Why?" Aladdin inquired.
"I'll tell you, but can we go back to the garden?" she requested. "Please?"
"Sure," Aladdin agreed. He turned to Genie, Abu and Iago. "You guys stay here."
"No, it's okay. Iago can come," Jasmine consented. "That way if I can't tell you the whole thing, he can fill in the blanks."
"Okay," Aladdin looked really confused now. Nevertheless, he followed Jasmine to the garden. Once there, they sat where they had the previous day. This time, it was Jasmine who had a far off look in her eyes. She reached out a hand and Aladdin gave her what she needed without a second thought.
"Just remember Princess, I'm here to make the story more exciting if you can't finish it," Iago said in an attempt to get his friend to smile.
Jasmine managed a tiny one for him. She knew he would stick to the facts with this one, but his effort at humor warmed her heart. After taking a deep breath, she locked eyes with Aladdin before starting her story.
"Well as you know, Jafar wanted me out of the way. Like Iago said, I was a threat to him. I knew what he was up to even if I didn't know all the details. One night after everyone else had gone to sleep, I opened the door to let Rajah out for a few minutes like I always did. I went to bed after that. I knew Rajah could get back in on his own. I woke up later and saw someone in my doorway. Thinking it was just a servant checking on me, I tried to go back to sleep. But when the person didn't leave after a minute, I started becoming suspicious. I sat up, trying to see who was standing there. When I recognized who it was, I tried to be brave. I made sure I had something to defend myself with before facing Jafar head on."
****
Jasmine glared at the intruder standing in her doorway. She knew who it was. The only question was, why was he there?
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Your father asked me to check on you, dear princess," Jafar said smoothly.
"I'm fine," Jasmine practically spat.
Jafar smiled unpleasantly as he advanced towards her.
Jasmine was faster. She sprang off the bed and pulled a rod from her curtains down. Swinging it around, she managed to catch the man off guard.
"Now there's no need for all that," Jafar said in a falsely calm voice.
"I order you to leave," Jasmine declared. Her voice shook slightly, but her glare was strong.
"I would, but we have some unfinished business to attend to," Jafar answered.
"What are you talking about?" Jasmine blinked in sincere confusion.
"Don't play dumb with me. It won't do you any good. I know you heard me telling Iago the plan the other day," Jafar spoke while he continued to advance closer.
"What plan?" Jasmine asked, praying to buy herself more time.
Jafar was silent as he approached her. As he reached out to touch her face, Jasmine slapped his hand away.
"You just made a terrible mistake, princess," Jafar hissed.
In an effort to get away, Jasmine backed up towards the entrance to her balcony. She could hear Rajah growling on the other side of the door. She was almost there when she felt a strong hand grab her right arm. She tried to pull away, but Jafar was much stronger than she was. She tried not to cry out as she felt his other hand slap her across the face.
"I'll show you what happens to people who try to foil my plans," Jafar hissed in her ear.
Just then, Rajah burst through the other entrance and charged straight for Jafar.
As though he were flicking away a fly, Jafar warded the tiger off with his staff.
"Rajah!" Jasmine cried. She didn't have much time to worry about her beloved companion. All of a sudden, she felt a pain in her abdomen.
Jasmine did her best to fight him off of her, but it was no use. All she could do was pray he would finish quickly. Fifteen minutes later that felt like fifteen years to Jasmine, Jafar stood up and headed for the door. As he exited, he turned back to face her battered and shivering body on the bed.
"Oh, by the way, tell anyone about this and you'll be sorry." With that, he was gone. Once Jasmine was sure she was alone, she let the tears of pain and anger fall. She was angry at herself for allowing Jafar to do something like that to her. She was also angry at the guards for not protecting her. As the tears continued to stream down her face, she wished more than ever that her mother was still alive. If only she was, then maybe Jasmine wouldn't feel so alone now. A few minutes later, Jasmine heard fluttering wings nearby. She soon felt someone land beside her.
"Jasmine?" Iago asked.
Jasmine just whimpered in pain without acknowledging her friend's presence. While she was mostly sure Iago had nothing to do with what had just happened to her, she had a feeling he had known about it. As another whimper escaped her lips, she tried to curl up into a ball in an effort to protect herself. As she did so, she realized she would never feel safe in her home again..
*****Present**
Jasmine could feel herself shaking. She could also feel Aladdin's strong, protective arms around her. She leaned into him, letting the tears fall.
"Jasmine, I…I had no idea," Aladdin said, not sure what else to say except, "I'm so sorry. You know it wasn't your fault, right?"
Jasmine nodded as more tears came. She suddenly started struggling to get out of Aladdin's embrace.
"Jasmine, it's okay, you're safe," Aladdin assured her.
"Kid, let her go," Iago advised, "trust me."
Aladdin looked puzzled, but did so reluctantly.
The minute Jasmine was free she got up unsteadily and made her way back into the palace. She didn't get very far before it got to be too much. Collapsing to her knees, she suddenly felt her stomach twist painfully. A second before she lost the contents on the floor, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Jasmine, it's okay, you're gonna be okay. Let's get you back to bed," Aladdin made sure it was okay to lift her before gathering his love into his arms and carrying her back to her room. He would have had Carpet take them, but he didn't think Jasmine's stomach could handle the short flight. Laying her upon the bed, he dumped the water out of the basin and set it back on the nightstand. Climbing into bed beside her, he took Jasmine into his arms and comforted her through touch and words until she was half asleep.
Just then, Genie entered the room.
"What's up with Jas?" he frowned in concern.
"She's just having a hard time," Aladdin explained. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Anything, Al," Genie said sincerely.
"Can you keep Abu busy for the afternoon?"
"Sure. But what about Iago?"
"Jasmine needs him here," Aladdin said.
"Okay. Tell Jas I hope she feels better," Genie floated out of the room.
"I will," Aladdin promised. He knew Jasmine would appreciate Genie's kind words. Sighing to himself, he kissed Jasmine on the cheek while keeping a protective arm around her.
"Is she okay?" Iago asked. He flew in a minute later.
"I don't know," Aladdin sighed. Gazing up at the parrot, he asked, "Was she like this after it happened?"
"Yeah. She couldn't eat for a week. She was pretty scared too. I did what I could when Jafar was busy, but I couldn't stay with her 24/7."
"I understand," Aladdin said.
"I would have if I could have," Iago admitted. He wasn't sure where that had come from. Flying over to Jasmine, he landed behind her right shoulder. He wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure what to do. But he promised himself he would help Jasmine heal from her past, just like she was helping him do, no matter what it took.
