Disclaimer: No own. Kami likes her head. She would prefer to keep it. She wouldn't be able to if she didn't give credit.

A/N: I'm really sorry about the last chapter. I had it typed and ready before the halfway point of November. The day I tried to post it, the stupid documents manager thingy wouldn't post it. I forgot about it. I remembered the day after Thanksgiving.

Which reminds me. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

I have this idea that might work. At the end of Differences, I might post a list of songs to listen to if you ever want to reread the story. A different song for each chapter, set the mood, you know?

Chapter 30

Ransom

(Sorrah)

My head was going to explode.

It wasn't the most ladylike thing to state, but I had to say it because it was only true. The information poured into one ear but refused to go out the other, and it was clogging the part of my brain used for judgment.

"God is most great. God is most great.
God is most great. God is most great.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)!
Come to success!
God is most great. God is most great.
There is no god except God."

The call for prayer outside sounded again, insistently worming its way under the closed door of Jasmine's bedroom. I squirmed guiltily, and finally relented, pulling out my prayer mat and shifting to face Makkah.

Jasmine and Aladdin pulled out much finer rugs than mine and also knelt toward Makkah. Genie and Haillie sighed and waited for us to finish impatiently.

The prayer finished, the humans sat in a circle with the genies hovering around. The tense air filled my ears. I wiggled a finger, annoyed, inside my earlobe, actually expecting to find some kind of barrier to meet my fingertip.

Jasmine sighed, ran a hand through her hair, frowned, and snagged a single strand of white just behind her ear. She flung it away, looking somewhere between scared, disgusted, and impatient.

Aladdin put a hand on her shoulder.

She swiped it away.

"We can't figure out who's in line for the throne. My mother is outside being held captive by her own son. And she's not even my mother anymore. Jafar's got Haillie captive. We're still not married. And in the midst of it all, Genie ate the last chocolate chip cookie," sobbed Jasmine, hugging Aladdin tightly.

Jala, Jafar, me, and Genie turned away. Haillie giggled madly.

The pink genie glared at her sister. I shrugged. They were always bickering. Jala was younger, but she had more authority. Haillie was older and had more power. It was bound to cause some problems.

I crept silently away from the crowd on the floor and picked up the warm tea kettle resting peacefully in the corner of the room. The hot porcelain burned the icy-cold palms of my hands so that I nearly dropped it. Instead, I clamped it firmly and let it burn my hands until they smoked.

Jafar seemed much older than he did the last time I had seen him. His features sagged. "Four million riyal…" he kept repeating under his breath.

It was sad, how we sat and worried ourselves out like old women. I smiled wanly to myself. How I wished that I had wings, so that I could fly out of this situation!

"When there is nothing else to be thankful for, be thankful that you are alive," I murmured to myself, and served the tea.

…………………………………….

The sunset colors of Agrabah in the night sky exploded across their black background like rogue fireworks. I sat, trying very hard not to cry, on the wide windowsill of a corridor one floor below Jasmine's rooms.

After much debate, we knew that we could not give Raakin the four million riyal that he demanded. It was as fair price as we could get for our Sultana, especially since we didn't have a definite heir right now, but it was just too much. On the other hand, we could not refuse Raakin the offer, because even though she was his mother, he would not hesitate to kill the Sultana and then start a rebel war afterwards.

The solution? Ready the troops and steal back the Sultana. No deal.

Jafar, who had a million unfair reasons why women should not participate in a kidnap-and-go situation, and picked Aladdin and Genie to go with him, along with Razoul. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was only leaving us behind because of Jala, but held my tongue.

Now, as the light ebbed away over the horizon, I bit my fingernails and worried until my heart must have had caterpillar holes in it.

The large, grand caravan of Raakin and his followers glinted eerily against the humble dirt path stretching up to the front gates of the palace. The camels snorted while lapping water greedily from the palace well that was outside of the gates.

The time to snatch back our ruler was going to have to be now, under the safe blanket of night. There was no other choice.

Vaguely, I was aware of four small dots, three black and one blue, moving stealthily but steadily across the palace grounds. Vaguely, I was also aware that these dots must be Jafar and Aladdin and Genie and Razoul.

My head shut down unpleasant thoughts about what would happen if this went completely wrong, while my heart felt like it was about to rip apart.

A/N: I wouldn't say it's a filler, it was pretty necessary, but it's not a right chapter either…