Hello again everyone! Hope you all had a happy thanksgiving. I didn't do much except eat turkey and watch TV but it was still pretty good. Trying to stall on more homework. xD So here's another chapter for you guys. I was with one of my friends last weekend and we watched the three Aladdin movies and this is a song from the second one so it got me thinking how it would be with Chad and Taylor.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the song, or HSM.

You know, some people dream of traveling the world and doing what they love. All they think about doing is going out to see the world. They never even think about what they're leaving behind. Trust me, I should know. I've been traveling my entire life. I thought it was what I loved and that I'd be doing it forever. But you know what they say - the grass isn't always greener. And dudes, the grass sure isn't greener where I come from.

I parachuted down into the Taj Mahal

I rollerbladded all along the Great Wall

I even made the famous leaning tower fall

It started when I was about ten. My dad got this job that had him traveling all over the world. So my mom and I got to move around with him. I don't even remember what he did anymore. I think it had something to do with being in the army or something. But it didn't just have us traveling all the U.S. We've been to places like Europe and Asia. We went to different countries like China, Spain, Paris, and Hollywood. Alright, all that traveling didn't make me any better at geography. Even now I can't tell the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific one.

But all those places I've been to, they're supposed to bring home great memories. While my dad went traveling and when I wasn't in school my mom and I would spend time seeing the sights. We took a ton of pictures and sent them to family. Boy there's some crazy stories about us. We went skydiving right near the Taj Mahal. We traveled all along the Great Wall of China and ended up getting lost so far from out home. We even made a joke about when we accidentally ran into the Leaning Tower and that's why it's leaning over now. See those are the times that are supposed to be fun and that you remember forever. But when you've lived it your whole life there's just no fun in it anymore. It gets boring. Unfortunately for me, I didn't realize it until I was much older.

But who was with me through it all?

Nobody!

See when I was younger there was this girl I practically grew up with. We've been next door neighbors since we were three. Taylor moved into New Mexico that year and our parents got along great. We all really made them feel at home. The first time that Taylor and I actually met we argued over who could get the last cookie my parents brought over for the housewarming party. She got it of course and I put up a fit. But somewhere along that line we got along so well. She was the smartest person I ever met. When we got homework in first grade she always came over to help me. We got together on Thanksgiving and during the holidays and celebrated together.

But she couldn't come when my family left. I was really young then and wanted to believe that we could stay friends through it all. She was my first friend, and I didn't wanna leave her behind. So I always made sure to talk to her. It worked out fine at first and we'd talk once a week about how we were doing. Once in a while we were even able to see each other. My mom would fly me back to New Mexico during the summer to see her and we'd get together during winter break from school.

Then it got harder. We had more homework and we went separate ways. In high school there was barely time to talk at all. We almost forgot each other existed. We had our own lives now, nothing special. I didn't even stop to think that even though I had my family with me wherever I went, I didn't have the one person that mattered more. I saw her once before starting college. We barely even talked. And then I found out that she was seeing someone. And I don't know why, but it really hurt. It hurt big time. So I just left without saying anything else to her.

The Moscow Circus hired me to fly trapeze

On Mount Olympus won a race with Hercules

It's easy when you're chased by killer bees

Who said "gesundheit" when I sneezed

I had ended up deciding that I wanted to travel. It's already been such a big part of my life, so why not keep it up when high school was done? I stayed in one school for the first semester and then transferred to another country right after that. Wherever I went I was sure to be doing what I loved, and that was basketball. I did that wherever I went and it didn't seem to make a difference. Everyone thought I was a good player and had a future in it. I didn't even end up finishing college - I just went right on one of the international circuits. I was able to travel everywhere to play the game. I was doing what I always wanted to do, the one thing I always thought I was best at. You'd think that'd make a guy happy. But here's a funny fact - it didn't.

It's one thing when you're successful and have your teammates or family to celebrate with. But I never saw eye to eye with my team. They didn't even like me. Thought I was too cocky or something. I don't know, I never really paid attention. And my folks always had their own jobs to do so they couldn't always come celebrate with me. I didn't even have one friend to party with when we won a tough game. So when you're some big successful dude but you don't have anyone by your side...well, it kinda makes the whole victory feel pointless. Like, empty. It made me think about how great things used to be. Even if I was moving all around when I was younger at least I still had one important person by my side.

And that person was Taylor.

So now I'm home

Home again with you

It was probably a little too late, but about two years after the whole basketball career I ended up quitting and going back to the states. The first place I thoguht of to go was New Mexico where we lived. I didn't know where else to start. And sure, it seemed kinda pointless since I didn't even know if she was there or not...but it was the only lead I had. Much to my surprise, her mom was still living in the same house. She was the nice welcoming lady I remembered who always let me in to play with Taylor when we were little. I had learned so much about all their lives that day. And as awkward as it was to talk to a friend or a friend's mother - neither of which I'd talked to myself in practically ten years - it just felt good to be home.

We had kept our conversation small and simple. Mrs. McKessie told me about how things went since the last she saw me herself. She was still working a little but it was only a matter of time before she was retired. Said something about planning on selling her house and that she had more than enough money saved up in her pocket and in the bank to support herself and Taylor if necessary. I also found out that her husband had died after a fight with cancer. I apologized for not being around, of course. We made a few jokes about how overprotective Mr. McKessie could be around those he cared about. We even said that if I was going to be anything more than friends with Taylor he was gonna drop this father/son type outlook he had on me and treat me like a criminal mastermind.

So then I ended up taking a bold step - asking about Taylor. Her mom seemed a bit shocked but then again, not so shocked. It was almost like she knew I was gonna ask, just not as late as I did. She told me a little about Taylor's life, but felt like if I was gonna talk to anyone about Taylor it'd have to be Taylor herself. I casually asked what Mrs. McKessie could tell me about her. She responded by asking when the last time was I saw Taylor, as her memory was a touch foggy. I admitted to seeing Taylor with a guy and that they were dating. Mrs. McKessie clearly remembered him, saying how she never liked that guy and was glad Taylor broke it off with him. She then looked at me suspiciously, seeing I let out a sigh of relief. I tried covering up for it, but with little luck. Something told me she knew exactly what I was thinking.

So finally it was time for her to ask me what was on my mind: what I was doing back home.

You chase the clouds away

Whenever I am blue

(You're always blue)

"I guess I just feel like I'm missing something." I confessed. "But I don't know what."

"You have been traveling all your life. Maybe you're contemplating on whether or not to settle down." she offered as she poured me a fresh cup of a tea. Mrs. McKessie always had such a logical mind - that's where Taylor got it from.

"I was so convinced that this is what I wanted to do. But what good is seeing the world if I've got no one to see it with?" I asked.

"That's a question only you can answer." she pointed out. And then, as if she was probing my mind, she brought up the topic of her again. "Taylor has been doing her share of traveling as well. Not as extensively as yours perhaps, but I think she's been given a good idea what you've gone through."

I raised an eyebrow, "Has she?"

Mrs. McKessie nodded, "Sophomore year she decided to study abroad in Italy. She wanted to see what the other countries were like so every summer after that, including in graduate school, she traveled to some place new. It was quite an adjustment for her to go through."

"What happened?" I inquired.

She took a sip of her tea before continuing, "Well somewhere along the way she was feeling a little homesick. Traveling and seeing new places may have been exciting, and maybe she did have a few classmates by her side, but like you said there was something missing. She came home and stayed here for a while before looking for a place of her own to settle down in. I think she's living in a small town in California now."

"Can you tell me where?" I asked.

"I'll give you directions on how to get there." she offered. "Take my advice on one thing. People always say that friends come and go but family's forever. That's not going to be entirely true. Who are you going to turn to when you don't have a family or when you're not near them? Friendship is a very important thing, son. And I'm afraid it's something that you've terribly been lacking. So please, don't keep going on like this. You've had one true friend who's never stopped thinking about you and now you have a chance to get her back. So please, don't take friendship for granted."

I just wished that I had been able to find out sooner than that.

And the pyramids I highly recommend

There is nothing in the world quite like a friend

I had just landed in California after a long plane ride and was on my way to find Taylor. I had so many things to tell her. I followed the directions her mom printed out from MapQuest and was half way there via taxi cab. But then I got a call from my mom saying my dad suffered a heart attack. They were in Egypt at the time so I had to take the cab back to the airport and fly out to Cairo. Taylor would have to wait.

Luckily the attack my dad suffered was only minor. He was done with his current job and switched to working as a traveling businessman of sorts, despite the fact that after that my mom insisted he retire or work from a real home. But my dad never believed in that; he wanted to work until the day he died and he didn't think working from a house on a phone or computer was good enough. So we kept on traveling. As much as I didn't wanna stick around, I had to for my parents' sake. We made our way to Morocco but spent little time there so traveled across seas towards Spain. The entire time I had stayed in contact with Taylor's mom informing her on how everything was going. I told her that I was gonna have to postpone my visit and luckily she understood. I told her to keep my plan of seeing Taylor a secret so it could be a surprise. But after I said that, I regretted it. I began thinking that despite what Mrs. McKessie said, there was no chance that Taylor would remember me. I started to come to the conclusion that maybe I wasn't the type of guy to just have friends, that I was only meant to be a loner and do my own thing.

Slept like a baby in Bombay on a bed of nails

Moroccans loved my daring dance of seven veils

Why single handedly I even saved the whales

No one was there to hear my tales!

My parents and I were about to leave Spain when my dad suffered another heart attack. Unfortunately he didn't recover from that one. My mom and I became short on money, and all we had left that were useful were my dad's frequent flier miles. With my mom not having found a steady job since we started traveling, she'd gone so many years without working. So I had to take whatever jobs I could find to keep us going. I told her that somehow I wanted to get back to the states, and she agreed. I think she was ready to go back to the place that we called home as well.

After my dad's funeral I prepared to call Mrs. McKessie and tell her what was going on, but I only got her voicemail. I can't even count how many messages I left for her. What I didn't learn until much later was that she had been taking the bus to visit a family member out of town and on the way back the bus became involved in an accident. I wouldn't have even been able to make it back in time for the funeral. It was not a very good year.

In Aculpolco joined a Mariachi band

I rode the ragin' rapids down the Rio Grande

Flew in an air balloon, but when I tried to land

Nobody laughed or lent a hand

When my mom and I finally made it back home almost two years later...I can't even tell you how long it's been since I saw Taylor last. It had been a total roller coaster. Mom wanted to head back to New Mexico but I wound up convincing her to go to California. After all, it wasn't that far from New Mexico and we'd be staying on the same coast. i had even kept the mapquest directions to get to Taylor's, hoping it'd come in handy. What are the odds that my mom and I found some good deals on houses in that exact same area. Folks around the place didn't seem friendliest, though. My mom and I still had some valuables from when we traveled, so that probably had the neighbors jealous. Or at least under the impression that we had a lot of money. The family across the street was really nice, though. At least the mother and son were. The dad...well, he was a regular Oscar the Grouch. She siad that if my mom and I ever needed anything we could ask. I ended up babysitting the kid to earn a few extra bucks while trying to find another job. Nice kid. His name was Albert. Real good head on his shoulders. Something about him reminded me so much of Taylor. When I brought that name up, his whole face lit. Albert said that's the name of the nice lady who always babysat him. But there was no way that could be the same Taylor I'd been trying to see again all this time.

I decided to find out more about this Taylor anyway, and see if there was a connection somehow. Al said that the Taylor that always watched him was real smart and helped him with his homework. Apparently she lived right next door to me, and was out of town for the week. He said I'd really like her. And if it was my Taylor, I knew I would.

Without you, the Amazon's just a trickle

So I waited until the end of the week to see when she'd come back. My mom would find me staring out one of the windows most of the time. I think by now she knew who I was looking for. To be honest, I'm surprised she didn't figure it out sooner.

Funny that the time I did see Taylor again was the last time I expected to see her. Mom went out with some other ladies to play Bingo at the community center. I spent the morning sleeping in, and then after breakfast went in for a nice how shower. By the time I had gotten out and put on a towel there was a knock on the door. I just figured it was going to be the mailman with a package or something, but much to my surprise, right there from out of the blue, was her.

She looked as good as ever. She had this amazing figure and her hair had grown back down past her shoulders, the length it used to be when we were little kids. Her eyes were this really bright and shining brown and her caramel skin just glistened under the California sunlight. Even when we were younger she was shorter than me, and she still was now but not by as much. And ehr style had certainly changed. She went from this cute little girl wearing Hello Kitty shirts and sweater vests to a beautiful young woman who had knee length skirts and a matching shirt with a snappy looking tie. I could tell right away that it was her. I know she was hesitant towards me at first, because when my hair was wet it didn't look half as bushy as it really was. So naturally she knew my by my curly afro.

"Chad?"

I was completely captivated by her voice, forgetting that I was standing in the doorway in nothing but a damp towel.

"Hey Taylor."

Without you, the Sahara's not so hot

She didn't waste any time wrapping her arms around my and hugging her close. I tell you, it was the best feeling in the world. I wrapped my arms around her in an instant and I could smell a nice orangey smell coming from her hair. It had to have been shampoo or something. Did she even remember I liked oranges?

"I can't believe you're actually here." she said as we slowly broke apart. "Where have you...? What's been going...?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. I hadn't even realized that my towel fell onto the ground. "It's a long story. I'll tell you about it over coffee. I mean, you know if you like coffee. We could go to Dunkin Donuts for a drink and some food like we used to on the weekends."

I was totally blabbing but she just giggled. Taylor didn't seem to have a care at all. "I'd love to. Get coffee, I mean."

"Great." I replied with a wide smile. I saw her expression fall and I wondered what was wrong. She saw my questioning look and pointed down. I followed her gaze and saw my towel on the floor. My face turned so red when I struggled to put it back on. And boy was it uncomfortable. I think some ants crawled around on it while it was on the ground, because my thighs were itching for the rest of that day! How embarrassing. And even more embarrassing - it was in front of Taylor.

Without you, the Niagara Falls is just a leaky faucet

We spent the entire day catching up in my kitchen. We were just laughing about the crazy things we did when we were younger and how stupid we were. Not that she ever was stupid, of course. But just sitting at the table and laughing with Taylor, it was the most I've felt at home in years. I felt more complete this way.

"So what finally made you come back?" she asked after a while.

I looked at my mug and shook my head. "You're not gonna believe me if I told you. It's such a long story."

She gave me this warm and inviting look, "Chad I haven't seen or spoken to you once since that time you visited when we were in high school. I've got nothing but time for you to hear everything."

So I ended up telling her the whole story. I told her everything I went through since I left. Taylor didn't even once interrupt me. Once in a while when I said something funny she'd tell a brief story about how that reminded her of something, but as soon as she told me to continue that's just what I did. I met her gaze a few times, but from what I got a response she just sat there and nodded. But I know the look she was giving me; she was listening to my every word. By the time I finished, she was in such disbelief.

"So this entire time you were just trying to find me?" she asked softly.

I gave a nod, feeling kind of idiotic about it. when she said it like that...I don't know, it just made me feel like I went through all of that for nothing.

"All I had ever known, since I can remember, are two things. You, and traveling." I admitted. "So because I've spent almost all my life traveling with my parents I convinced myself that it's what I was meant to do and it's what I wanted. But I could never once stop feeling like something was missing. Sure, I had a lot of great hits, but they didn't mean anything because I didn't have anyone important to share them with. And then I thought, I had friends in elementary school in New Mexico that came and went all the time. But you were always there. And it really made me wish that you were traveling with me right then and there. There was nothing to look forward to without someone to see everything with. The Taj Mahal always had these couples looking for true love there. The Eifel Tower had tons of large groups of families and friends taking pictures of it and being in pictures with it. Heck, even the world's largest sub sandwich had Peter Griffins and Homer Simpsons drooling over it together. But I didn't have anyone like that. It was just me, myself, and I."

And the QEII is just some yacht

I brought myself to lock eyes with her and she had more of a concerned look then anything else.

"And it took you all this time to find just little old me?"

I nodded. "I just wanted my friend back." I confessed.

Now that I'm home,

Home again, it's clear

Taylor actually got out of the chair across from me. She went to sit in my lap and looked right into my eyes.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

I didn't have much of a choice but to meet her gaze. "I guess I just never thought you'd remember me."

"Of course I would. You're the first friend I ever made. It took me so long to get used to not seeing you in school or right next door." she replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "But you were always so happy when I called."

"Because I never got to see you. Hardly ever. I just wanted to hear your voice. And it meant even more when we saw each other for the holidays those few times." Taylor replied.

"But that guy.... When I came back in high school briefly you were in this great relationship." I reminded her.

"He was the most popular guy in school. I liked him because all the other girls did. And for some reason, he chose me as a girlfriend over everyone else." she explained. "I don't even know what I saw in him. Sure, there were times when he made me happy. But that was only when he got me these really nice things. They didn't even mean anything. He wasn't even a nice guy. And that time you came home and I was with him, he had surprised me with tickets to an ice show, oen i'd been dying to see for years. It had me so overjoyed. And because of that, I barely got to see you. And that was my last chance to tell you in person how much I missed you. And how much I wanted you back so we could actually go to school together again. For college."

All I ever wanted

Seems to be right here

I shook my head in disbelief. All this time I thought she had forgotten about me, she'd thought about nothing but me. It was just like how I was with her.

"After I quit my first job I went back briefly. I saw your mom...she told me that you wanted to travel, too. So you were." I said.

"Yes and no." she answered. "I thought that you had fallen in love with traveling. So I wanted to see what you saw in it. I told my mom I had loved it as well. But after a few years, I said that I was getting homesick. But that was sort of a lie."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She took a deep breath. "What I mean is.... I guess a small part of me was sort of hoping to find you if I studied abroad. I knew it seemed against my favor, but I really wanted to believe I could find you. So when I gave up and realize there was no chance, I went home. And I came out here to California. But one thing that's true, it makes no sense to see the world if you're going alone."

I took a long look at her. I just took in everything about her. And even though I didn't mean to, I had completely blocked out everything that she was saying. All I could see was Taylor. With me. In my home. Together. And it felt right. I felt better than I had in a long time. I didn't feel like I was trying to find what I wanted to do, or struggling to just try and be happy. I felt like we were sitting on a big welcome mat that said 'home sweet home'. And she was the sweetest part of it. I don't entirely know what brought me to do what I did next. Maybe I was getting delusional. Maybe I was letting my fantasies get the better of me. Or maybe I had finally realized how much I'd fallen in love with her. I broke the gap between us and just kissed her.

I've traveled East and West

And now I'm back again!

I pulled away from her a few seconds later and all she could do was stare at me wide eyed with her mouth wide open. I just looked at her like that and I began wondering if I did the wrong thing. But much to my surprise, just as I was about to say something, she put her finger to my lips and just looked at me. We locked eyes and she just stared at me. It was like she was thinking about something, or getting her thoughts together. When she did, she kissed me. And it was the best feeling in the world. It brought this great relaxation to me that I had never been able to feel. I didn't just feel a heap of friendship surging through my body, but also an incredible amount of passion and love. When she pulled away from me we just looked into each others' eyes and put our foreheads against each other. I wrapped my arms around her waist and her arms were around my neck. We sat there in silence for some time until I opened my big mouth. And I say big mouth because even now I feel like it was this special moment that I had to go and ruin.

And there's nothing in the world quite like a friend

"So...did you really like traveling?" I wondered.

"A little." she admitted. "But it just didn't feel right. There was something missing. Or someone."

"I see." i nodded, just trying to figure out how to say what I wanted to say. I was just glad that I was only feeling scatterbrained and not a draft down under. I had been smart enough to put some clothes on before eating at the kitchen table with her. But you probably already figured that out.

"Well what is the point of traveling if you don't have someone to share it with." she shrugged her shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow, but I could tell that she could see through my all-knowing look.

"There's some place you wanna visit, isn't there?"

There's nothing in the world

"Well..." Taylor replied in such an innocent tone, "...I have always wanted to see Jamaica. Or maybe drive around in New Zealand."

I'd really hate to bring her hopes down now, but.... "I just settled in here with my mother. I think I should probably stay with her for some time."

Taylor nodded. "I understand."

Nothing in the whole wide world

"But..." I added in my own innocent tone. I could already see a smile growing on her face. "I just might be into doing a little more traveling if I had someone with me."

"Like a friend?" she guessed.

I nodded and shrugged my shoulders. "A friend.... A more than a friend..."

Taylor giggled. "You used to be that charming when we were ten, too."

"So is that a yes?" I assumed.

She smiled widely and nodded. "It's yes times a thousand."

I couldn't even explain how excited I was now. Maybe my whole life wouldn't revolve around traveling, but as long as I had one friend by my side I knew I'd enjoy every minute of it. Even if that friend could be my girlfriend one day. Too bad we can't just skip to that part.

There's nothing in the world quite like a friend

I gave her a kiss and she giggles. Probably something about it that tickled her.

"How about we celebrate with another cup of coffee?" i suggested.

"I'll go get a fresh pot." she offered. She smiled at me then got off my lap, taking our mugs over to the counter with her.

I sighed contently as I watched her walk. This was definitely how it was supposed to be. But still, there was just one little thing that was bothering me.

"Wait.... What do you mean, 'used to be that charming'?"

Nothing in the whole wide world!

Oh yeah, gotta love some humor in the ending. Just thought that'd make it kinda funny. XD I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It started out slow, but of course it picked up with the wonderful world of Chaylor! ^^ One of the next songs I plan to do is Love from Robin Hood, and I'm really hoping the idea I have for that fits the song. As for any other stories, I plan to put up a forum to hear what you guys have to say about future Disney/HSM crossovers. I'll tell you right now, I'm not doing a Princess story right off the bat because even when I asked some friends on here for opinions there was a huge debate over who should be who's prince and which girl would fit into which Princess story...yeah, that itself is a long story. But I promise, when I do start the forum I'll type up what my first idea is and look to see what you guys think. And as for my new story, I have the trailer uploaded and I will probably put it up next month before the semester ends so then that way it'll give me time over the winter vacation to type up a few chapters to go with it. It will be mostly Chaylor and Troypay (probably more Chaylor than Troypay, but I'm also trying to branch out with some couples in my stories) with minor Traylor (that feels so weird for me to type!) and even minor-er Chadpay (even weirder to type!). And I hope you have also enjoyed reading my little spats of craziness down here because I live to entertain.... And apparently gross out my mom with bad food combinations at the dinner table. o_0 Anyway all, keep in touch and hope to hear from you all soon!