It is amazing how a wicked smile can make the most adorable kid appear as an unholy demon. Such an effect can also be heightened by a few choice words as Eden was about to find out.

"Mozenrath," the djinn scowled distastefully.

"Oh, you recognized me, Eden," Dhandi or rather the sorcerer inside her replied, oozing amusement. "How long has it been? I heard the lovebirds finally got hitched. Had I known, I would have gotten them something. Flatware? A cake? Basket full of asps?"

Eden suddenly grabbed the child's shoulders forcefully.

"Cut the small talk," she growled. "What have you done to her?"

"So the little mouse is your master," Mozenrath chuckled softly, pulling the hands off her shoulders. "Dhandi's perfectly fine, just a little bit more…magical."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" The djinn's raven hair became a blazing flame.

"A little bit hot under the collar, aren't we? Now, how about we go somewhere…less conspicuous, say your place?"

Eden's hair extinguished itself into its normal appearance. However, the disapproving frown upon her face was still plastered on there. She grabs the girl's shoulder and, in a poof of green smoke, the pair disappeared from the alley.

----

"Okay, got the message!" Genie hollered as he burst into the hovel. "How is she? Out with it!"

"Sugar lips," Eden said calmly, sitting across from "Mozenrath" on the cushions, "she's right here." She pointed to the child who was smiling with perverse amusement. The blue djinn snarled as he stared down the girl, or rather, the sorcerer who cohabited within her.

"You thought you could get away with it, that we wouldn't get wise to your plan, BUT YOU, SIR, ARE MISTAKEN!"

"Mozenrath" crossed her arms, a smug look upon her face. "Really? Care to explain?"

Genie smirked as he pulled out a blackboard out of thin air. He morphed into a college professor's outfit, complete with forest green slacks and a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches.

"You," he pointed to a frowning stick figure with a turban, "having failed to posses Al's body, decided to hijack Dhandi's body (pointed to a short stick figure with scribbled hair), knowing that she is the master of Eden." He then pointed to a realistic chalk drawing of his beloved. "Thus, in gaining a new body, you also would possess the powers of a very powerful genie that would aid in your plans for total world conquest!" He pointed to a picture of stick figure standing triumphantly atop a globe with clouds and lightning bolts drawn around it.

"Mozenrath" held her fingers to her chin, contemplatively. "Not bad, but I have something more practical in mind."

"Oh, I bet now you're gonna tell it to us, so we can thwart it like we did the last time. You know, I'm shocked that you would repeat yourself so shamefully. You got to hire a writer. Now, I recommend Wendy Lee-"

"Oh, shut up!" Mozenrath shouted, only to be smacked on the head by Eden. The child looked at the djinn, smirking. "Really, hitting your own master? You're lucky she's doesn't know what's going right now. The effect of meditation, really."

"I don't want to do it," Eden said, anguished, "but, just because you are in her body, I will not tolerate disrespect coming from her mouth."

"You've really gotten that 'concerned mother' attitude down perfectly," Mozenrath smiled, amused. "Must be from hanging around her. She's so helpless. You should have seen been there when she had that dream last night. It was marvelous."

Eden appeared to be on the verge of crying. Don't cry, she thought to herself. Don't give him the satisfaction.

"But I'm rambling. You wanted to hear my plan, didn't you? Good, because it involves you."

"AHA!" Genie pointed his fleshy finger at Mozenrath. "So it is world domination! Well, we won't do it."

"Simps," "Mozenrath frowned, "It's not about world conquest. It's about rebirth."

Genie looked at the child, mouth gaping.

"Rebirth?" Eden asked.

"Yes, I want a body." The genies gawked at the girl for a long while, before Mozenrath leered. "Not HER! Honestly, name one other sorcerer who would willing spend the rest of his days as a little girl, especially one so homely! Little wonder she got mistaken as a boy."

Eden held up her fist threateningly. Mozenrath rolled her eyes.

"If you would be sooooo gracious to let me explain."

The green djinn lowered her fist down.

"As you all know, I didn't have much time left time before the gauntlet would suck my life energy out entirely. Since I failed to possess a body as you have so reminded me, I had to find another way of prolonging my life. So, upon research, I discovered instructions to create an artificial body, a golem that could be made into flesh and thus plant my soul into permanently."

Eden glared intently all the while as the Dhandi imposter spoke.

"But here's the rub."

"Rub-a-dub-dub," Genie smirked, receiving a glare from Mozenrath.

"Not only it would take a fairly long time, it could be done only by, get this, one with pure intentions."

"Drives a stake through the heart of your plan, eh?" Genie drawled.

"No," Mozenrath replied, "it just meant I couldn't do it myself nor could I get an ally to do it. I also couldn't force an enemy to do it. So I settled for an innocent."

"An innocent?" Eden repeated. "Does that mean-"

"I was picking someone at random? Yes, though it was Xerxes who did the picking. I was hoping he would have gotten a boy, a body I could fall back on in case the whole thing failed."

"So, not just Dhandi would have been at risk," Eden had a worried look on her face. "Babkak or Wahid…"

"So, anyway, once I had transplanted my soul into the child's body," Mozenrath continued, "I would teach him or, this case, her the ritual along with magicks that would aid them. Any questions?"

"Oh, oh, teacher!" Genie waved his hand obnoxiously. "You said it would involve us."

"Oh, yes." Mozenrath held her fingers to her chin pensively. "Have you ever heard of Persephone's Dawn?"

Genie followed suit until a light bulb popped above his head. Pulling the light switch, he made the bulb vanish and pulled out a massive book from his pocket. The cover reading Encyclopedia of Obscure Rarities, Genie flipped through it, until he got to "P".

"Hmmm, let see," he scanned the columns of type, "pairaka…Pasiphae's chastity belt…Peirene…no. Ah, Persephone's Dawn. 'A breed of narcissus, treasured by the Goddess of Spring herself, it has the power of reanimation and even the conversion of mud into flesh.' Wow. So you want us to go shopping for some daffodils? No problem, we'll just get some."

"Uh, baby?" Eden interjected, pointing to the rest of the entry. "'The narcissus can only be found in the Gardens of Hades and if taken out of the Underworld for extended periods, it will fade within hours, rendering its properties useless'."

Examining the paragraph, Genie shut the book, dust flying. "So, no pressure?"

"You didn't answer our question, Mozy," Eden asserted towards Mozenrath. The child smirked.

"You're right," "she" said. "Well, I'll need somebody to protect little Dhandi for me. After all, it would be poor judgment on your part, Eden, to let a little girl wander around the Underworld by herself, let alone the Gardens of Hades."

"Well, what if Dhandi doesn't want to do it?" Eden asked, glaring at the child. "You said it wouldn't work if she-"

"But she does," Mozenrath replied, smiling maliciously. "You see, I'm very persuasive."

"We'll see how persuasive you are when she finds out that she's being tricked. Tell her to wake up."

"I will, but in her best interest, I wouldn't tell if I were you."

Eden glared at Mozenrath, fear and anger in her expression. "You wouldn't. It wouldn't do you any good." Genie grabbed the shoulders of his love, as if holding her back.

"Oh, but I would and there is more than one way for a spirit as myself to continue on. She is a good body, but she is also expendable. If you tell her or even that street rat and his other annoying sidekicks, I will kill her."

Eden breathed short and heavy as the imposter of her mistress turned her focus away from the djinn and towards the orange dress. She dug her face into her blue beau's chest, him stroking her hair.

"She'll wonder what's going on and she will find out anyway," Genie spoke up. "What will we be able to tell her?"

"Mozenrath" looked up from the dress. "All right, just refer to me as…Amir."

Eden nodded, glaring defiantly.

Mozenrath smiled. "When she is ready, you will take her to The Citadel. I suggest that from now until the moment I am separate from this carcass, don't get cute with me."

She sat down upon the cushions and closed her eyes. Eyes reopen as Dhandi stretched and looked around, curious.

"Amir, how did we get-" she asked seemingly herself, until her eyes met Eden's. "Eden! You're back!"

Joyous, Dhandi leapt from her seat and hugged Eden around her waist. "Oh, I'm sorry I ran off. Did you bring me back here?"

Eden managed a smile, despite what had occurred whilst this child was entranced in meditation. "Yes. I sure did. You gave me a scare when Babkak-"

"Oh, Babkak," Dhandi interrupted, "I need to apologize. I was mean to him this morning."

"Don't worry. We'll probably see him again today. Look who's here." Eden pointed to Genie and Dhandi giggled with delight at sight of the Blue Genie of the Lamp, running towards him.

"Hey, Dhanders!" He lifted the girl up like an uncle to his favorite niece. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"You too. Did Aladdin and Jasmine get me and Eden's gift?"

"Oh, the necklace? Yeah, they loved it. Where did you find the shells?"

"Over by the pier, all over the place," Dhandi stretched her hands out.

"Hey, baby," Eden asked, the girl turning towards her, "what did you do while I was gone? I hope you weren't lonely."

"No," Dhandi replied, "I wasn't lonely. I had Amir."

"Amir?"

"Yeah, he's kinda a ghost, but he's really smart and he's teaching me magic. He wanted to meet you, but he's stuck in my head so-"

"Actually," Eden interrupted, "I did meet…him."

Dhandi's eyes brightened. "You did? How- When did he- Was he nice to you?"

Eden bit her lower lip. Allah, how she hated lying to her girl. However, it was to keep her safe.

Safe from him.

"He told me that you were gonna help him," she said. "He also talked about going to that place you were yesterday."

Dhandi frowned slightly, remembering it. "Could you go with me? I don't want to be there without you."

"I'll go wherever you go, sweetie," Eden took Dhandi into her arms, "but only when you feel you're ready."

"I'll go too!" Genie interjected, transforming into a knight in shining armor. "For thine ladies, I willst risk life and limb!"

Dhandi beamed. "Thank you."

A/N: So, what did you think of it? Secrets have been revealed and the plot thickens. Will get to the next chapter soon, if homework and work-work don't get in the way too much.

For all Jewish readers and fellow fanfic writers- Happy Hanukah!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters as they are Disney's. And the word "pairaka" is author Wendy Lee's whom I have nothing but respect for.