Chapter 5

Aladdin and Jasmine left Hazel's room and went out into the hallway to wait. Neither of them spoke. Though they didn't want to argue, they could see no other way to release their anger. Jasmine, being the angrier of the two, was the first to break their awkward silence. Holding back tears, she asked the question that had been burning inside her for what seemed like forever.

"How could you not come and see Hazel for two weeks!"

Aladdin rolled his eyes. He knew what he had done was wrong, and couldn't think of a way to defend himself, but at the same time he was not in the mood for a lecture, and hated the way Jasmine seemed to be talking at him, not to him.

Aladdin's passive behavior only angered Jasmine more. Since she couldn't get a straight answer, she continued.

"Look, I know that shutting you out after Hazel was born was wrong, and I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry at me, but don't take it out on her!"

"I'm not!" Aladdin retorted. He couldn't think of anything else to say, and deep down, though he would never admit it, he knew that Jasmine was telling the truth.

"Yes you are, and you're abandoning her when she needs you the most."

Before either of them could discuss this further, Genie came out of Hazel's room. Their anxiety and worry overruled their anger, if only for a moment.

"Well, she finally got to sleep," Genie began. "With all the medicine in her, probably won't wake up until tomorrow. You two should get some sleep."

Neither of them was tired, especially with all the tension that had been built between them. Sleeping was pretty much impossible, even though they knew there was nothing more they could do.

"I'm going for a walk," Jasmine said abruptly. "I need some fresh air."

Aladdin watched as Jasmine hurried past him and out the door. He had wanted to go back to the hovel to get his things – he would probably end up spending the night. But he didn't want Jasmine to feel like he was following her or looking for another excuse to argue. After about half an hour, he went out, stealthily making his way towards his old home. Once inside, he quickly grabbed his suitcase. With no closet, he had kept everything there anyway. He would've just left then, but the view of the city below was too tempting, so he decided to stay for a while. Since it was late, the city didn't have its usual hustle and bustle, and instead was quiet and calm. As he stared down at the city, he saw a young couple walking down the street hand in hand. They were both teenagers, about the same age that Aladdin and Jasmine were when they first met. Seeing them reminded Aladdin so much of his relationship with Jasmine – at least the way it used to be. The boy seemed to melt into the girl's eyes, as if there was no one in the world he'd rather be with. And despite everything they had been through, Aladdin realized he still felt that way about Jasmine.

Jasmine wandered through the streets listlessly, breathing in the cool night air. She had been waking for about an hour, and leaned against a large building to catch her breath. The fresh air had helped her clear her head, though she still hadn't really solved anything. She sighed, glad to be alone, to be able to think. But just moments after she thought this, she could see two people walking in the distance. At first she could only see a silhouette, but as they got closer, she could see it was a young couple, the same couple Aladdin had seen. They must have been about sixteen years old. Jasmine could still remember that age, and being in love, as if it were yesterday, and it still seemed like a dream. The girl had a faraway look on her face, as if the boy and her were in another world – a whole new world. Jasmine could still remember that feeling, and realized that if she could remember why she fell in love with Aladdin in the first place, maybe her marriage was worth saving. She didn't know what she would say, or how she would say it, but she knew she had to talk to Aladdin, and immediately headed for his hovel.

Aladdin had watched the young couple until they were out of sight. Seeing them had brought back so many memories, and he could feel the guilt setting in. How could he have forgotten so quickly what it was like to be that couple, to be so much in love? He had to talk to Jasmine, to apologize for everything. She couldn't have gone far from the palace. He hurried to the door to head downstairs to the bottom floor, but when he opened the door, there was Jasmine, and she appeared to be on her way to see him. Surprised to see each other, they stood in the small doorway locked in an awkward silence. Both tried a few times to speak, but the words seemed caught in their throats. Aladdin knew he had to say something, anything to help make amends for what he had done, but somehow, he just couldn't find the right words to say it. So he took Jasmine's hands in his and said the only thing he could think of.

"I'm sorry."

For most people those two words could not remotely cover all they had been through, but for Jasmine it was more than enough. The time for discussion would come later. All that mattered now was that they were together again. Instinctively, each knew what the other was feeling, and there was really nothing else to be said. So Aladdin leaned in and the two shared a gentle kiss, the first in what seemed like forever. When they finally parted, Aladdin lead Jasmine down the stairs and out of the hovel whispering, " Let's go home."

As they headed back to the palace, Aladdin and Jasmine felt, for the first time, that they were in this together. That they could face whatever came because they had each other. They didn't feel like they were alone anymore. For the first time in a month, they were a team again.

A/N: Hope everyone liked the new chapter, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to put it up. Don't forget to review and let me know what you think.