Egos and Jewels

Aladdin, Jasmine, the Sultan, Genie, Rasoul and the others all went into a spare room. This room was and exact mirror image of Jasmine's old room (she and Aladdin have their own room in the back of the Palace), only it was on the tower over the other side of the Palace, as the Palace was designed to look symmetrical.

It was here that they decided to place the boy- true, he looked a little odd in the bed, being so tiny, but if he was going to grow rapidly into a teenage boy overnight, it was for the best.

Genie zapped here and there, at first going for the '80s teen boy's room theme, but changing to a deep, velvety black/purple/navy theme trimmed with gold when Iago's disgusted squawks threatened to wake up the babies.

Jasmine pulled the velvet blanket up to the baby's shoulders. As the boy lay, not knowing he was being looked upon by a fairly large group, Aladdin and Jasmine looked at each other. "Did you name him?" Aladdin whispered.

"No- I wanted to wait for you. But... I do have a name." Jasmine muttered, embarrassed.

"Oh good." Aladdin said. "I thought the baby would be a girl, so I didn't think of any boy names. What is it?"

Jasmine paused. "Ali." She said finally. Aladdin smiled at her, and nodded.

"Or should we say: Aladdin." Iago muttered. Abu: the only one who heard him, whacked him away irritably.

They all stepped back as the moon rose enough to bathe little Ali's figure in light. He rapidly grew before their eyes, until the teenage boy was sleeping in the bed, his young frowning slightly as he pondered in his dreams.

"H-he's a deep thinker." Jasmine gasped quietly, sobbing silently. Aladdin wrapped his free arm around her.

"Shh..." He whispered. He slowly steered her out of the room, and they tiptoed to Jasmine's old room. Genie kept the theme, and stepped back as the put the baby into the bed. She glared at them, and raised her arms, demanding to be lifted out of bed.

"No, no." Aladdin murmured, gently pushing her hands down to her sides. The girl glared at him and began to peer through Mozenrath's ruby at them all again.

"What should we name her?" Jasmine asked. "I thought the baby would be a boy, so I didn't think of any girl names."

Aladdin paused. "What about... Ruby?" He asked quietly.

Jasmine smiled. "Rubith- Ruby for short." She said. "That was the name of an early Agrabanian Princess."

Aladdin nodded and smiled, which faded as a small breeze blew open the curtains, causing moonlight to light up Rubith, who slowly lay down under the blankets as she grew. Aladdin gently pushed the sobbing Jasmine into the corridor.

"Jazz- it's okay, they're fine!" Aladdin said, hugging her.

"But Aladdin- they've missed the first years of their lives! What's going to happen to them? Can they speak?" Jasmine cried.

"Yes..." Mozenrath muttered. Everyone looked at him, and he shifted guiltily. "I wasn't sure what you'd tell them about the past, so they have fifteen years worth of memories of living in the Palace. They frequently visit the marketplace though. But all they know about your past is that Aladdin was once a street-rat and Jasmine was always a princess."

"Oh." Was all Aladdin could say.

"Touching." Said Rasoul, taking a sudden swipe at Mozenrath and seizing his shoulder, and then grabbing his throat. Mozenrath responded by burning Rasoul's hands and ducking away.

"I'm not in the mood for being arrested, so I'm gonna go now." Mozenrath said, lighting up the gauntlet. "Who else here is wanted? Ah yes." Mozenrath sent a stream of magic that looped around himself, Cassim, Xerxes and Iago. "Be Aladdin, good luck with the escorts! And the alter-egos and jewels." With a flash, they vanished.

"You prevented them from escaping!" Rasoul bellowed at Aladdin, luckily not realizing that "Escorts" was a joke Mozenrath once made about the... challenged palace guards.

"I didn't do anything!" Aladdin hissed. "Shut up! You might wake up Rubith or Ali."

Rasoul growled and stormed away, muttering about the new "Street Rat clone". Aladdin made to go after him furiously, but Jasmine grabbed his arm.

"Maybe we'd all better get to bed." Jasmine said in a soothing voice, looking at Rasoul's retreating figure. "It's been a long day." Aladdin sighed, and agreed.


The next morning, Jasmine lay awake, worrying. She'd only known her children for a few hours. How long it would take before she could love Rubith and Ali as if she'd known them for as long as they themselves believed she did? She lay there worrying, suddenly concious of her reflection in the mirror. She had an expression on her face that greatly resembled Ali's concerned face while he slept.

Jasmine gave a start as something red sailed into the room.

"Mu-uuu-uuuuuuu-m!" Rubith sang, skipping around in a circle beside the bed. Jasmine sat upright, and stared at her pirouetting daughter. As it often happens when looking at a family member, Jasmine could see the resemblance to Aladdin in Rubith more than her own resemblance. Jasmine spotted that Rubith's nose was similar to Aladdin's, and that her hair was too; only longer, and less poofy- more jagged.

"Mum!" Rubith repeated. "Chef Abin doesn't want to start making breakfast 'til you're up, so can you get up? I'm hungry, thanks bye!" She said all on one breath, before rushing out the door, shoving the palm of her hand against Ali's face, who had just walked into the room.

"Ouch!" Ali said, as he fell over backwards, caught off guard. He glared at the retreating blur of Rubith. He stood up slowly and looked at Jasmine, who froze as eyes exactly like Aladdin's stared back at her. Ali frowned. "Mum- you okay?"

"Yes- Ali, I'm fine." Jasmine stammered.

"No you're not." Said Ali, running to her side. "Should I tell I tell Sultan you're ill?" Jasmine gave a start. He called his Grandfather Sultan? Formal.

"I am- just a little tired." Jasmine sighed.

"Let me help you." Ali said, and helped her stand up. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

Jasmine smiled with genuine warmth. "I'm fine. Tell Rubith I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay," Ali said. "I'm gonna take her to the marketplace later- she usually calms down after that. I just wish she wouldn't steal so much."

"Does she steal often?"

"Yeah. Thinks it's fun. And she never goes back and pays for it- I normally feel guilty, so I do it for her."

Jasmine stared at her son in amazement. He was so... mature. And Rubith was so immature! "All right." She choked out. "I'd better wake your father."

"Okay. Oh, and Ruby gave me this-" Ali said, holding out Mozenrath's ruby. "She promised she didn't steal it, but you can't be too careful with her."

"It's fine." Jasmine said, taking it. "I'll find out where it came from."

"Okay." Ali nodded and smiled in an embarrassed kind of way. "I need to stop saying 'okay'. Anyway- bye." And he walked out the room, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. As soon as he vanished, Jasmine swung around, horrified.

"Aladdin! Wake up!" She cried, shaking him.

"What -what? Are you okay, what's happened?" He sat up startled.

"I just spoke to Ali!" Jasmine gasped. Aladdin's eyes were unfocused, then suddenly cleared when he remembered the events of yesterday.

"Whoa." He muttered, shaking his head. "So it wasn't a dream..." He ran his hound down his cheek and stared at Jasmine. "What did Ali say?"

"He doesn't know a thing about yesterday. He talks about Rubith like... like a parent... like we haven't been there! It's like we aren't his parents!" jasmine's voice wavered.

"Hey- shh!" Aladdin wrapped his arms around her. "It's fine- they live here, we'll be seeing them everyday- let's just get to know them, and soon we'll love them as much as we should."

Jasmine sniffed and wiped her tears away. "Okay. You're right." She smiled weakly at her husband, and leant in...

"MUM!" Rubith's voice shrieked from downstairs, echoing around the marble palace. A second later, Ali burst in.

"Mum, Rubith is going nuts, maybe you'd better come down, she's hungry and- hey, what's wrong?" Ali said, quickly cutting off.

"Nothing." Jasmine mumbled. Ali took a step forward, but was then bowled to the floor when his sister burst in.

"Mum! I am going nuts with hunger, can you pleeaaase come down, Chef Abin won't feed me, he's still waiting for you to get up!... are you okay?" She asked, eyeing her parents.

"Yeah..." Aladdin said. "Aren't you going to apologize to your brother?" Rubith looked down, only just noticing her brother.

"Why are you on the floor?"

Ali turned his palms up to the ceiling quickly. "You're the one who- oh never mind. Didn't you hear what Dad said?"

"I'm sorry you are so clumsy." Rubith grinned. Ali glared at her. "What?" She said indignantly. "It isn't my fault you're so clumsy. Hope you're okay mum, come down soon, I'm hungry bye!" And she tore from the room, Ali close behind her.

Jasmine and Aladdin stared silently at the spot they were standing. Aladdin cleared his throat, but had nothing to say. Wordlessly, Jasmine held out the ruby.

"I'd better give it back to Mozenrath." Aladdin said. "Maybe I can talk to him about... is he seriously my brother? Wow. Yesterday was dramatic."

Jasmine smiled for the first time in all day.