This, finally, is the last chapter of Meeting the Others. Again, thanks so much for reading and enjoying (I hope!) and be sure to keep your eyes out for the sequel after Tangled comes out! I loved reading all your wonderful feedback and hope to get more to help improve my writing. Man, its only two months short of a year since I wrote the first chapter. To those who have kept with me all this time for my longest fic yet, extra-thanks and e-cookies!

Finally, I apologize again for my sporadic updating. I hope y'all don't want to kill me.

Arc 1: Saving the Others

Episode 6 (sorry for the numbering mix up last time :p)

Naveen's hair fluttered in the wind as the ship cut through the chilled night air, sea mist hanging around him. He didn't know what time it was; probably one o'clock, maybe later. He couldn't believe everything that had happened in just one day. Still, the adventure wasn't over just yet. And he feared that this mission may just be their most difficult, and their most dangerous.

Eric sailed the ship with incredible skill. He pulled ropes, spun the wheel and shouted orders like he was born to be out at sea. Naveen didn't think he had it in him, but he was quite impressed. He himself had stepped on board, took one look at the jungle of ropes and sails, and surrendered all of that junk to those who could actually handle it.

Stars peppered the black sky above him, and dark water sloshed and swished against the wooden ship. The Prince of Maldonia had been out at sea at night before, but never on an old fashioned sailing ship. It was an entirely new experience; rustic, raw.

"Where are Aurora and Snow White?" Ariel asked suddenly from across the ship. Naveen sighed, not catching her eyes.

"We were forced to leave them. They were probably captured."

Mulan's jaw dropped. "What?"

Tiana stood beside her, shaking her head. "Look, we haven't seen any more ships, so I think we can hope that they're okay—"

"Tiana." Naveen interrupted, his face serious and stern, "They are two unarmed girls in woods surrounded by guards. There is no way they escaped."

"Excuse me," she snapped, "aren't you supposed to be the optimistic one? The fun one?"

The words cut him like a knife. Naveen gripped the rail of the ship, his head dropping. He felt Tiana's soft hands gently touch his arm, the connection sending tingles through his skin, just like they always did.

"I…" he sighed, rubbing his broad hand over his face, "I've been trying to act more like you."

"Me?" Tiana's face scrunched up in confusion. Naveen thought it was absolutely adorable. "Why me?"

"Because our friends are in danger, everyone's fighting to save us, and I feel useless. Look at Eric, he's sailing us home! Look at Aladdin, he got us our key back! They have skills, Tiana. I'm just a…well, spoiled little rich boy."

He knew Tiana frowned guiltily at the repeat of her own words. She gripped his arm tighter, as if trying to hold him together.

"You communicated with the carpet. You got us to the prison. Heck, you drove the car to get us away from the soldiers. Honey, we wouldn't be here without you!"

Naveen smiled, just a little. "We still haven't found Snow and Aurora…"

"Naveen," Tiana sighed, rolling her eyes slightly, "It's my job to worry about things. It's your job to hold me and tell me it'll all work out. Let's keep it that way, hm?"

Naveen chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. "Yes. Of course."

Tiana stared up at the sky, tiny lights reflecting in her eyes. "There are Ray and Evangeline." She pointed towards the brightest stars in the distance, their shine putting the others to shame. "We're going right in their direction. I guess they really are leading us home."

"Hopefully they will lead us to our missing friends."

"Yes, hopefully they will."

The moments on board ticked by slowly. The Prince and Phillip paced along the deck, their heads low. Naveen reached down to take Tiana's hand, just to make sure she was still there.

Then, a shout rang through the silence.

"We 'ave the princesses!" a grisly voice called. The Prince and Phillip's eyes lit up, their mouth opening to shout something. Mulan and Aladdin quickly covered them, shaking their heads quickly. Naveen peeked over the rail of the ship.

Underneath them, two sailors held what were clearly a disheveled Aurora and Snow by their arms. A gasp escaped Naveen's lips. The stature of the men made the girls they held look like tiny dolls, their face sneering and arms holding muscles that dwarfed even Shang's.

"Call out!" Phillip hissed though Aladdin's hand. "Get them!"

"No." Tiana joined Naveen in looking over towards the men. "The only reason they're telling us this is that they think we're the soldiers with the fake princesses. We need to keep it that way!"

"Ya! Of course!" Adam bellowed, imitating the accent of the sailors, "Bring dem up at once!"

Tiana threw the rope down. At once, the men began to climb up, the two girls in tow. Without a sound, the Disney Princesses and Princes hid, waiting for them to surface.

The sailors landed on the wood with a thump.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" one roared when he saw the empty deck.

Faster than Naveen could even hope of moving, Shang and Aladdin leaped into the air, ramming strait into the screaming sailors. Shang swung his leg, hitting his opponent square in the mouth and taking the time to pin him to the ground. Aladdin did the same, squishing the man against the floor with his bare foot. The sailors threw back their arms, but their skilled holders dodged their blows. Shang gripped the man's neck, his captive gasping in surprise and fear. The soldier didn't strangle him, though, only held him at a painful angle, his foot pressing into the man's stomach. Aladdin similarly held his man, foot pressing into his face and sitting right down on his back.

"Technique," Shang grinned triumphantly, drawing his sword and holding it at his opponent's neck, "defeats strength any day."

The girls, free from their captives, raced strait towards their husband's arms, each giving a cry of joy.

"W—Wait…royals?" one of the sailors stammered, "Ya'r—are the fake ones that…"

"Wrong, bucko." Tiana smirked, leaning against the mast. "We're the real ones. Ya'll are workin' for the fake ones."

"Ya'r lyin'!"

"No, my friend, she is not." Eric slid down from to their level of the deck. "It's true!"

"BULL!" he barked, struggling against Shang's grip.

"Look, all we need to know is where the people y'all are workin' for are." Tiana snapped. "We need to save our kingdoms."

"They's at Cinderella's Castle, da lasses," the man under Aladdin groaned. "Da lads are at Beast's, of course."

"My name is Adam."

"Like I care, ya prissy."

Adam growled, his hands curling into fists. "Throw him under the deck. We have work to do."

The sun was just peeking over the horizon by the time Cinderella's castle was visible. They left the sailors trapped in the cabin, ready to release them as soon as they reclaimed their kingdoms.

The castle toward above them, windows sparkling in the faint sunlight. Naveen noticed a glistening tear form in Cinderella's eye; the tear of a very homesick young woman.

"We'll get back it soon." he whispered to her. A tiny smile hinted on her lips.

"What's the plan?" Jasmine asked Mulan and Shang.

"We're vastly outnumbered." The soldier girl responded, "They have all of the castle guards under their command."

"So," Shang continued, "This needs to be a stealth mission."

"Then, when we're inside, we make sure they are cut off from any way of alerting the guards, get them out, take their place, call off the search for us, and pretend this whole thing never happened."

"Are you sure that will work?" John Smith questioned, his face twisted into a look of doubt.

"I'm sorry John, do you have a better plan?" Shang shot a glare at his rival.

"No…" Smith admitted, "But—"

"Then don't talk!"

Mulan sighed, patting Shang's shoulder. "We need to get moving. We're running out of time. Which of us is athletic enough to lead?"

"Definitely you, Shang, Aladdin, Pocahontas and John Smith." Naveen stated.

"Aladdin is a thief. He's a master in keeping quiet. He should lead." she decided. Shang agreed. "Pocahontas and I will follow. Shang and John are more muscle, so they should come in after us."

"Thank goodness we have you to plan all this military stuff. I'd be totally lost." Tiana said, bewildered. The others nodded.

Mulan smiled. "Always here to help."

Aladdin leapt through the air, grabbing handhold after handhold to climb until he reached the thin windowsill. He heaved himself up, all without making a single sound. The thief slipped into a window, Mulan and Pocahontas silently following.

Thump! Bump! BAM! Aladdin stuck his smiling head out the window. "It's clear!" He threw down a tattered rope.

The Princes and Princesses worked up the rope. Some struggled, Snow White barely able to climb up the first knot. She finally slipped, tumbling to the ground with a small cry. Tiana flipped her head around, barely able to muffle her own cry at seeing her collapsed in pain,

"Just go in without me," she told them, her voice weak, "I can't fight, anyway."

Tiana gasped. "But what if—"

"Go. I'll be fine."

For a second time, Tiana left her almost-little sister to fend for herself. Naveen could see her scolding herself in her eyes as she regretfully continued to climb the rope.

They stepped into the castle, sliding along the hallways. Guards stalked about, the large group barely able to escape their stares. Aladdin kept ahead, using his keen eye to search for anyone with a sword. Then, finally, they found the room. The pearly white doors were almost bittersweetly familiar.

Giggles sounded from inside. Mulan clenched her fists.

"I can't believe they have taken our places so easily." she mumbled, her voice dark and angered.

Shang gave her a small smirk. "We'll have to fix that, then!" With a grin on her face, Mulan exploded through the door, the others not far behind her.

The fake princess' screams shot through as the room was engulfed in chaos. Mulan leapt in to take on her own double, Shang behind her. She threw a passionate punch, but the fake simply flipped out of the way, shoving her foot right on Mulan's stomach. The soldier gripped her abdomen in pain, but Shang took her hand, guiding her onto her feet. Fire burning in her eyes, she dodged her double's next blow and, jumping into the air, kicked her square in the jaw before landing and pinning her down.

Jasmine was immediately attacked by her double. She danced from side to side, frantically dodging the snaps of the whip. Aladdin dove in, wrapping the leather rope around his hand and yanking the woman to the ground, finishing by tying her up with her own weapon.

Cinderella quickly overtook her fake when the girl tripped over the poofy blue dress she wore. Cindy sighed contently, brushing off her filthy short rags.

And so the battles raged on, Tiana and Naveen fighting alongside their friends until each one of the fakes was conquered.

"Now to dispove of—"

"GUARDS!" shrieked the Cinderella double, held down by Charming, "HEEEEELP!"

Countless footsteps thundered through the halls. The meeting room was dead silent, the fake Cinderella giving a smug smile. Tension hung in the air like a heavy fog.

The guards roared as they burst through the door, ready to kill anyone who threatened their princesses. Mulan half-heartedly took a fighting stance, but everyone knew that even she couldn't fight off all of them. Cinderella, thinking fast, raised her voice above the crowd.

"STOP!" she shouted, "Why did you come here? I did not call you!"

"Yes, I did! I'm the real Cinderella!" her double cried, "Get them!"

"No, she lies!" Pocahontas stepped forward, "She's an imposter!"

"NO!" Fake Pocahontas shrieked, clawing at Poca's legs, "We're the real ones!"

The guard's mouths hung open, staring at them in shock and confusion. The commander scratched his head, glancing from princess to princess. "Uh…" he said bemusedly, "W-which one do we listen to?"

"US!" everyone shouted together.

Then, as if by the hand of fate, a very familiar girl walked behind the commotion.

"SARAH!" Cinderella shouted, pointing at her.

Sarah looked up attentively, her jaw dropping at the sight she saw.

"Two weeks ago," Cinderella breathed, "you accidently let Lucifer out, did you not?"

"Yes, 'm." Sarah nodded.

"And I…"

"Fought him off—"

"With a table leg. Did I not?"

"You did indeed, madame."

"Now I believe," Cinderella mirrored her double's former smug grin right back at her, "If she truly was the real Cinderella, she could tell me who cleaned up that night, couldn't she?"

"Ummm…the…mice?" the double's eyes filled with fear, wide and trembling as they stared up at the true princess.

"No," a soldier cocked his head quizzically, "you did. And we thought you were amazing for doing it."

"Yes!" Tiana reached forward, holding up Cinderella's arm, "Because this is the real Cinderella! If that was the real Cinderella, she would know that bit of information! That is a fake! And her," she pointed at each of the doubles, "And her and her, and…well, I think you get the point. Now, SEIZE THEM!"

The guards picked up the fakes, tying up their hands despite their best fighting efforts.

"NO!" Ariel screamed, kicking a wriggling in her captor's grip, "I can't go to jail! I have a daughter!"

"You'll be much better where you're going." the true Ariel told her with a pleasant smile. Her double replied with only a glare.

"Please, have mercy!" fake Cinderella sobbed, "I know I don't deserve it, but—"

"We'll give you all the mercy we see fit." Pocahontas shut the door when they were all dragged out.

The princesses and princes stood in silence for a moment, breathing heavily. Then:

"YEEES!"

Their cheers echoed through the castle, everyone dancing in celebration. Snow White joined them only minutes later, she and Tiana engulfed in a tearful embrace. Cinderella was held high into the air, the hero of this journey.

Suddenly, a warm hand touched Naveen shoulder.

"Honey, let's go home." Tiana smiled sweetly, "I have a restaurant that needs takin' care of."

Naveen stood on the balcony of Tiana's Palace, overlooking the sparking New Orleans night. The air was brisk, but not quite cold, as would be expected in Louisiana. He twirled a cool glass of champagne in his hand, thanking the universe that he was back in his own, comfortable home.

The guards had immediately set to work on fixing the damage then sent half of their troops to tell the kingdoms of the story, the other half to find and capture the prince doubles. He was quite impressed with their efficiency.

Tiana strolled up beside him, wrapped in a soft shawl. She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing deeply.

"This is so much better than running around those God-forsaken woods."

"You think so?" Naveen chucked, "because I was thinking of camping for our next vacation…"

"Naveen, don't even joke about that."

Naveen laughed again, pressing his lips to her temple. "No, I think I want to stay here for a while anyway."

"You got that right." Tiana grinned, "I don't need any more traveling for quite some time."

"What did they do with the fakes?"

"We're not sure yet. We think they may just have been frustrated with their condition in life; apparently, they were created for the purpose of being cheap imitations of us. We're trying to find a good home for them. Perhaps…perhaps not even in this universe."

"If not here, then…where?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, for the mean time," Naveen took her arm, leading her down the stairs of the restaurant, "What do you say we get some much needed sleep in a nice, warm and comfortable bed?"

"You read my mind."

The End

Tune in after Tangled comes out to read the sequel!