Oh dearie me... I think I made a shipping couple by accident... haha oh noes! I guess we'll have to see where that goes... But (luckily for me), Quasi's still heart broken over Esmeralda so there will definently be time between what happened last chapter and anymore shipping-inducing-incedents (then again... who knows... I don't seem to have much control over these characters apparantly... :P)

In other news sorry for the long period between updates, my excuse? I was under alot of pressure from school (like, alot! Band placement for next year even got dragged into this and I'm sorry, there are reasons I need to stay where I am so yeah...). The only reason this chapter's getting posted when it is is because one night after finishing homework I was so angry and stressed I needed a stress releaser for like five minutes and this was it.

writes4u: Maybe we'll see them (later on though) :)

irisgoddess: Shedea has given me an idea as to what it was (look at that, I'm talking like she's real... ((happless Disney moment: She's real if you believe Alitote! She's real if you believe!))) I have her original name (before she forgot) and I know about what family she did have. Atleast some of them. :) So there's a treat for everyone reading this: I know her name and her family :) I hope I'll be able to worm it into the story somehow.

Miss-Understood: I do too, I know Jasmine atleast has suffered enough... although... maybe I can milk this conflict a little longer (as I was writing this a plot bunny was born. :) mwahhahahahhaha!)

MysteryGirl7Freak: I love Robert Carlyle-I mean Rumpelstiltskin :) Everything he says as Rumpelstiltskin is just plain awesome. :) (David: Are you insane?! Rumpel: Yes. I. Am. *starts beating on Hook*)

Merlin's... remains had been carried to the tower where Archemedes and Abu stood guard over them, Archemedes guarding them more aggresively than needed on account of Archemedes being Merlin's pet and companion.

The remains lay on Merlin's bed, Archimedes and Abu each sitting on a post on the headboard. Genie sat on the window ledge, sighing and wondering what was next.

Sir Ector, having gotten over the shock of the intruder, had faced the new shock of there being a Genie! He had at first claimed devil's magic and when they could not calm him Genie had erased his memories. He'd erased Kay's as well, knowing that the saying "Like Father, Like Son" was usually right half the time.

And these two were very alike in many ways. Both loud, both rather pompous, and both liked to scowl at things they didn't like, and their castle seemed full of things they didn't like these days. Their new scullery maids were actually apart of the group who trapped a witch in their dungeon and her mortal slave (Jasmine had visibly reacted to Aladdin being called Shedea's "Mortal Slave" so badly Esmerelda and Adam had to hold her back so Sir Ector didn't notice).

Genie lazily cast a glance across the view outside his window. It was empty of all human life, just nature stretched out before him. Genie had to wonder, if he just poofed to where Agrabah should be, would he find it there? Or would there even be anything there to see? Would he run into some sort of barrier or would a black darkness meet him? It was almost worth checking out but his responsibility to his best friend and the Princess stilled his fingers.

Thinking about the Princess, Genie worried about her. He hadn't seen her since they'd locked Aladdin down in the dungeon two days ago. Genie hadn't left the tower much true, no use being spotted by someone poofing around, but when there were obvious times he should have seen her, she wasn't there. And besides, shouldn't she be visiting him in these kinds of situations?

Genie sighed, looking back into the tower, which was far more interesting, what was he to do about Agrabah's Desert Flower?

"Dinner time!" Esmeralda announced to the three, maybe four, inhabitants of the dungeons.

Jasmine looked up wearily from her post outside Aladdin's door, emptyiness inside hungry eyes. She took her food without a word and slipped Aladdin's through the door. Neither bothered to check if he took it, he would when he thought no one was looking. A silent and empty protest against his captors or a blatant refusal to show any sort of interaction with anyone outside the door.

If Jasmine had to guess, it would be the second one, as all her begging and pleading, and even crying, had not drawn a sound from his cell. And he refused to come to the doors window where she could atleast see him.

Esmeralda pushed a bowl inside Shedea's cell, watching as a large hand grabbed it angrily and there was a slurping sound.

"Quasi that's for her!" Esmeralda growled angrily.

"She doesn't want it!"

"She still needs to eat!"

"She doesn't need to!"

"Quasi!"

"Go away!"

The typical argument was becoming the two's only form of communication, something that tore Esmeralda apart. She hated to see someone she'd felt so close to suddenelly turned against her, hate and anger bearing down on her like flames.

Casting a final glance at Jasmine, Esmeralda turned to go. She was sending someone else to collect the dinner plates when the time came.

"Are you sure you don't need food?" Quasimodo asked for the thirtieth time.

Shedea gave an annoyed hiss and nodded, "I think I know my own bodies anatomy well enough Quasimodo, I've never been hungry. Probably never will be."

"But-"

"No 'but's Quasi, just eat up okay?"

"Fine."

Shedea sat back against her prison, ideas on how to get out swirling around her mind but not coming of any real use. All would involve using her magic or her own twisted powers to escape, and both were negated by her prison. She would have to wait for the Genie to willingly release her or something much darker and more powerful to destroy the bubble.

Quasimodo sat against the cell wall, fingering a set of shackles innocently while making them quietly creak as he did so. Shedea watched him out of pure boredom for a few moments before sighing loudly.

"What is it about this cell that brings you back here? It's to dark to read, to cramped to do much else, and far to magic-barred to be of much use to me." She said. Quasimodo looked up at her, smiling shyly.

"I like being here to keep you company."

"Why?" Shedea couldn't help but ask, accidentally making the quesiton more abrupt than she meant it to be.

Quasimodo hesitantly shrugged and looked up at her, "You're a good friend, and I'd rather be in here with you then out there with... them."

"But if you're in here with me then... I can't know what they're planning." Shedea said, taking sudden interest in the space beneath her hand, watching her fingers rub the area in slow circles, "What if they plan to avenge Merlin? I need to be ready."

Quasimodo looked dissapointed in seemingly having failed his friend, but quickly nodded, "Should I go and look around?"

"Do more than look Quasi, listen." Shedea said quickly, watching the man like a hawk until he slowly slipped from the cell, like a baby fawn taking it's first steps: slow and half hearted yet full of curioustity at what they were doing.

The moment the door closed behind him Shedea sighed and began to make colored smoke dance in wisps off her fingertips, the smoke taking the shapes of a white horse's outline, a crude red rose, and many more as she played with the smoke, all familiar images, yet she had no idea how.

Sometimes magic was for just staving off boredom in her opinion.

Adam fingered the wood of the table absently as everyone around him chattered endlessly over the dinner. He'd lost his apitite it seemed, ever since he'd found out Belle was... lost. It was all he could do to bring a few bites of bread to his lips this afternoon, and now the mere thought of food or sleep sickened him. He had to get back out there... he had to find Belle. She was out there... waiting for him. He could just feel it! She had to still be alive... he wouldn't rest until he'd found her.

Charming watched Adam carve pictures into the wood with his finger, only half listening as Phoebus talked and talked. He was saying what everyone was thinking, and he was begining to repeat himself.

"What are we going to do about Shedea now that Merlin's dead?"

"Maybe you know another wizard Charming?" Esmeralda asked, snapping Charming to full attention.

"Umm... well, I'd have to think... Maybe..." He flustered.

"Maybe he's not dead." Wart offered uselessly as he placed a plate of food on the table. The boy looked miserable. It was obvious to Charming he hadn't slept, and his hair and clothes were a mess. Like he'd struggled to wrench himself from bed this morning despite having no desire to sleep.

Genie, disguised as a human, looked at Wart sympathetically, "Kid, she drained his li-egh!" Cogsworth elbowed him in the stomach before he could finish, but the message had been delivered.

"Well maybe he's not dead!" Wart argued, "Maybe there's a chance! He's a bloody wizard!"

"Wart! That's enough!" Sir Ector thundered, "Go help the scullery maid finish the cleaning and that's three demerits!"

"Hey now," Charming said, "That's not fair to the kid. He's just upset. There's no reason-"

"He's my charge and I'll parent how I like Sir. I may have agreed to let you stay here but that agreement can be broken!" I'm surprised I haven't done so already! I mean, you brought a witch into my home for goodness sake! And you let her little golem trapse around the castle like he owns the place!"

"Quasimodo doesn't trapse!" Esmeralda snapped.

"Guys!" Adam cried, drawing everyones attention, "Can we focus on the problem here? We have an all-powerfull monster in the dungeon and we need to get rid of it without harming the girl it's possessing."

"So it is a demon." Sir Kay said through a mouthfull of mutton.

"In a manner of speaking I guess." Phoebus agreed, "Adam, how?"

"Well, I happen to think along the lines of Esmeralda. Charming do you know of another wizard who could help us? Or a witch. I'm not picky."

"Well... Maybe... But it would be a fairy."

"A fairy?" The room asked, making Charming shrink under the amused dry looks.

"A fairy of great power. She transforms things into other things and she's all about good so she'd definently help us with destroying the witch downstairs. She was in a story my mother would read to me. It was one of her favorites."

"Does this fairy have a name?" Lumiere smirked, taking another bite of breakfast.

"The Blue Fairy."

Quasimodo nearly broke the door as he hurried into Shedea's cell. Jasmine jumped as the door banged open and closed, and for the first time in hours she lifted herself from her place on the floor. Carefully she pressed her head near the window to listen.

"They're going for a Blue Fairy." Quasimodo reported.

"Blue Fairy?" Shedea said, and Jasmine could easily imagine a smile crawling along her new face, "That's exactly what I need! Quasimodo, wait upstairs for when I give the signal and then come running down here."

"What's the signal?"

"Oh, it'll be obvious. Now go!" Quasimodo ran for the door so fast Jasmine barely got out the way in time, the wood grazing her nose as she pulled back. Quasimodo was in such a rush he didn't notice Jasmine as she fell to the floor and didn't hear her cry out in surprise.

The moment the door ahead slammed shut, Jasmine stood and dusted herself off, reaching forward to close Shedea's cell door.

"Wait." Came the order from outside.

"What?" Jasmine hissed poisonously.

"Well, don't you want to talk?" Shedea asked innocently.

"Not even for a minute." Jasmine said, going to slam the door.

"You're very sad you know."

"What?" Why was she even talking to her? Contact with this... virus is what got her into this mess. What got Aladdin into this mess...

"You're just sad. Surrounded by all these single men and all you can think about is my boy toy." Shedea said smugly.

"Your little boy toy was my fiancee!" Jasmine cried outraged, "You never had a right to him in the first place."

"You mope around the others, you bring them down! You're the reason they can't get over their own loss."

"Which you created!"

"Jasmine Jasmine Jasmine... Tragedies happen all the time. It's just how we deal with them that defines us. I see you defined as helpless and pathetic. A boy you had a meaningless crush on is gone. Moved on in his life. And you can't get over that." Shedea said, enjoying the hurt and pain that was reflected in the Princess' eyes.

"He didn't move on. You enchanted his mind!" Jasmine cried, "You're a monster and the moment you're destroyed we're both going to forget ever having anything to do with you!"

"Which is a shame for him." Shedea shrugged, "We had a great time. If you know what I mean."

Jasmine scoffed in disgust and shut the door, slamming it as hard as she could.

"You know," Shedea's voice seemed to float through the door, "There's a way we could all be happy."

"Shutup!" Jasmine ordered.

"I don't mind sharing."

"What?" The statement had so confused Jasmine she couldn't help but ask.

"You know how I work Jasmine. How I live in the same world as you."

"You take over a body." Jasmine whispered quietly.

"With me, Aladdin can carress you're skin again, kiss you like he always did."

"But it's not me he's kissing! It's-"

"Both of us."

Jasmine growled in anger and kicked Shedea's door, holding her head in her hands as the tears started to build up.

From Aladdin's cell she heard him moving around, probably pounding his fists on the wall seperating him from Shedea.

Maleficent was like that child caught sitting in front of the Television far to long. Her yellow eyes were rimmed red and bloodshot, her green skin was taking on a pale hue, and she had obviously not moved an inch for many hours.

She merely stared at her staff's orb, concentrating as she watched the scene's unfold before her. Absorbed and intrigued she couldn't look away as she ran thought and plan after thought and plan through her head.

This... Being was defying absolutely everything Maleficent knew about magic and power and life itself. It trapsed around in other's skins through the barriers of the world like an unholy demon and weilded abilities akin to Chernabog. It was the hole in every plan and yet the trump card for every holder.

And it didn't even realise it, it just chose to wallow away in a locked dungeon at the mercy of do-gooding fools! And dote on one of Satan's ill gotten and ugly spawn as he sat there weeping over love that was never his.

It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Almost too perfect really. It was as if the Golden Goose had just been placed before her and was ready for the taking.

Maleficent remembered with a pang of humiliation the last time something so perfect had slipped through her fingers. With a resolve, she vowed it would never happen again as she finally stood and crossed the small stone platform to discend the stairs and exit the dismal throne room.

There was work to be done.