With careful, meticulous intricacy, Jasmine was working late in the sewing room at DeVille Fashions putting the final touches on Esmeralda's costume for tomorrow's celebration. Once again Cruella had paired her with Aurora and once again Jasmine found herself working alone on a project that was assigned to two people. They had met briefly this morning to get Esmeralda fitted for her costume but after that Jasmine was flying solo on the project. She'd been at it all day with barely any breaks and she had no idea where Aurora was. This time she was determined to tell Cruella exactly who finished the project and that Aurora was no help at all.

The hour grew late and Jasmine had no idea what time it was. Her eyes were dry from the concentration on the small embellishments. Her back ached from leaning over a sewing machine a majority of the day. And her mouth was dry. She realized she hadn't refilled her water bottle in a couple of hours and she needed the hydration to make the last of the final touches. Stretching, she got up from her chair and headed toward the break room.

As she passed the large presentation room en route she heard two people arguing.

"Aurora, darling, time is running out!"

Cruella's distinct voice was unmistakable in the quiet offices after closing.

Jasmine was struck by the utterance. She didn't know there was anyone else in the building, much less Cruella and Aurora of all people. Suspecting the two of them were in cahoots about something, she hid behind a post in the shadowy hallway and listened.

"I know, Ms. DeVille. I know. But he's so secretive! It's hard to get many details out of him."

"Then unbutton your blouse a little lower, darling! He's just a man!"

"Believe me! I'm trying!"

"Tomorrow is the arrival and I want those spots, Aurora! I must have those spots! I die for those spots! I live for those spots! Those are the future of DeVille Fashions, darling. And don't you want to be a part of the future of DeVille Fashions?"

"Yes, mam."

"Then seduce the man until he cracks! Do it and do it now!"

Cruella shouted in tones that shook the whole building.

"Tonight. I promise."

"Good. Jasper and Horace will be waiting near the docks when we have the details finalized. Now do get out of my office, darling."

Aurora didn't respond and Jasmine heard a swish of the door and saw Aurora run down the hallway in a rush for the elevator.

'Spots? Docks? Seducing him? What is going on?' Jasmine thought as she saw Cruella leave the presentation room in her signature off white furs heading toward her office.

Jasmine leaned against the wall, clutching her water bottle to her chest. She wanted badly to be a fashion designer and she knew that working in Cruella's program was her best bet at making it credibly but now she was unsure. Based on Cruella's behavior in the recent weeks and what she just witnessed, Jasmine knew that Aurora was helping Cruella in some way that was not exactly proper.

'Think. Think, Jasmine. What do you know?' she asked herself trying to put the pieces together.

Cruella is on a spots kick. Cruella is a fan of fur. Aurora is impressionable. Aurora has been seen with Sinbad. Sinbad runs the docks. Will and Jack are arriving tomorrow at the docks with a transport of wild big cats from Africa including leopards with spots.

"Cruella wants Aurora to take the leopards and she's using Sinbad to get them," Jasmine whispered to herself out loud.

But how could she prove it?

Then she remembered the recommendation of both Angelica and Meg. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She wanted to do well in this designer program but she didn't want to deal with an unethical and criminal designer who would manipulate someone like Aurora to be as conniving and calculating and cruel as she was. She weighed her options and she continued her way to the break room to refill her water bottle.

She wanted badly be be a fashion designer and knew that an internship program with Cruella DeVille would boost credibility to her resume. While she liked the challenging design opportunities, the challenges of sucking up for the sake of winning were a different story. As she walked back to the sewing room to finish up, she had made her decision. She would act on her friends' recommendation. A love struck ex boyfriend was easier to handle than a crazy woman designer. When she got back to her sewing station she took out her phone and sent the text.

"I need to see you. Meet me in Pumbaa Park."

Ding.

Her text had reached it's recipient who was having a beer at Pridelands with Aladdin. They were in the middle of discussing the last minute meeting they'd have to attend at the crack of dawn tomorrow, when he looked at his phone.

"Well this is interesting. I think hell has frozen over," Flynn said reading the text.

"Why do you say that?"

"Jasmine wants to see me."

Aladdin took a swig of his beer.

"Jasmine, your ex girlfriend, Jasmine? Wants to see you?"

"What like that's so hard to believe?"

"Given your last altercation with her, yeah, it is."

"Clearly, Al, she's tired of Clopin's games and is ready for a real man again."

Aladdin rolled his eyes.

"You're delusional."

"Read the text!"

He showed his phone to Aladdin who raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Huh. For once you actually speak the truth."

"But of course."

"So that means you're peacing out?"

Flynn took his last sip of beer and nodded.

"Yep. But I'll see you bright and early at Shipman's warehouse on the river."

They paid their tab with Thomas at the bar and made their exit. Flynn went right and Aladdin went left hoping to pop into Tiana's for some late night pie. As soon as he opened the door he came face to face again with Angelica who was at the counter, clearly having had the same idea.

"Aladdin," she said barely audibly as she took the to-go bag from Elizabeth.

He smiled unsure of what to say. He still hadn't been able to talk to her.

"I was going to take this home, but if you're not busy, care to share a slice of pie with me?"

She was glad she had run into him again for the second time this week. She now understood Meg's torment post-break up with Hercules. Work was unbearable, especially when she had to take pictures of happy couples on happy occasions. She spent most of her evenings alone on the couch watching reruns of old sitcoms. Tonight, Clopin was God knows where doing God knows what and she wasn't speaking to Esmeralda, so she found herself alone on a Friday night and went out for some comfort food. And she had another opportunity to make things right.

"Thanks, but, uh. I have to go."

He was about to turn around and leave when she grabbed his arm. Her Latin temper returned from the dead. She was not going to be ignored anymore.

"No! Don't walk away from me!" she shouted in the nearly empty diner causing looks from most of the patrons.

Not wanting to cause even more of a disturbance, he shrugged his shoulders and agreed to sit down with her. She motioned for him to take a seat in an empty booth and he complied, unsure of where this could go.

"It's blueberry. Did you want some?" she asked as she took the pie out of the to-go bag.

He suddenly had lost his late night craving. He shook his head.

"Well, I'm starving."

She tore the plastic utensils from the plastic wrapping and dug in.

"You know, I think I've been really patient with you, considering you won't even let me explain."

She took a bite.

"I've called you and sent you numerous texts every day but you won't even let me get the chance to tell you that I didn't do what you think I did."

Aladdin swallowed, nervously.

"And what do I think you did?" he asked lowly, so no one could hear.

"You think I ratted you out," she responded after swallowing a mouthful of delicious blueberry pie.

"But I didn't. I couldn't. I care too much about you and you wouldn't even let me tell you that."

She began gesturing with her fork and Aladdin thanked God it wasn't a metal fork because he knew she would definitely cause some damage given how angry she seemed to be getting.

"You didn't?

"No. I didn't. And I thought you would at least let me explain that. Given me the benefit of the doubt enough. Aladdin, I care about you and I would never intentionally endanger you like that."

He looked at the table gathering his thoughts.

"Look, I really appreciate the fact that you didn't go through with that. I really do. And I care a lot about you, too. And I'm sorry that I didn't give you the chance to explain. That wasn't right."

"Thank you," she responded with pride as she took another bite of pie.

"But," he continued.

"But?"

"But that's not the whole reason why I've been avoiding you and frankly this entire conversation."

She swallowed.

"What do you mean?"
"Look, Ang, I like you a lot. And honestly, I'd be lying to myself if I said I didn't miss you. But if I mean to you what you say I mean to you, then why did it send you so over the edge when you found out about Jack and Esmeralda?"

She dropped her plastic fork on the table.

"Are you kidding me? Aladdin, they were seeing each other behind my back. It started before you and I even happened. She's my sister and he's the only man that I've ever loved. They betrayed me."

He sighed.

"I'm not giving them excuses by any means but when I saw the fire in those beautiful hazel eyes of yours when you talked about getting back at Jack it kinda hurt, not gonna lie. And even to hear you say the words now, it hurts."

"Did you...did you think...do you think...you've been avoiding me because you think I still have feelings for Jack?"

Aladdin nodded.

She reached across the table and took his hands in hers.

"Aladdin, I told you I was over him. I was enjoying our time together. I care about you."

He pulled away.

"I know. And I care about you, too. And I should've brought this up earlier but I was kinda hoping I was wrong."

"You are, Aladdin! I don't love Jack anymore. And he's in the past. I only want to be with you."

"Then why haven't you talked to your sister since this happened?"

"Because she..." Angelica was about to respond about betrayal and trust. And then she realized that part of what Aladdin was saying was right.

"Because I was so stubborn I didn't give her the chance."

He smiled for the first time since they sat down.

"You know you really are beautiful."

She blushed and looked down.

"And I want to just be able to pick up where we left off, but I want to be with you knowing that both of our pasts remain there."

She sighed. He was right. She had some issues to work through about Jack with her sister.

"I understand. I want that too."

At Pumbaa Park, Flynn strutted along the trail whistling as if he owned the world. He looked around seeing if he could see anyone. Sitting on a bench was Jasmine, looking at her phone intently. He smiled and headed right for her.

"You rang, babe."

She rolled her eyes.

"Flynn, please. Don't start."

"What? I'm not gloating. I just knew you'd grow to miss me, is all."

Jasmine sighed and patted the empty space next to her on the bench.

"Flynn, look, sit down. And I'll tell you want you need to know, okay?"

He complied.

"Look, I know that since we broke up things have been really awkward and everything but I need to know that I can count on you as a friend."

Her emphasis of the word friend threw him back a bit.

"A friend? You mean, you didn't ask me here to get back together?"

"No. I'm sorry if you thought that was why I wanted to meet, but no. I have a favor to ask of you."

"You text me out of the blue after months of no contact and you just expect me to do you a favor?"

She slapped her hands on her lap and stood up to walk away.

"Ugh. You're right. Angelica and Meg told me that you'd be the only one to help me out but you're right. This is just too weird. And it'll never work."

She began to walk off when Flynn grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, Jasmine. I didn't say no."

She sat back down and mustered up enough courage to ask him to help her out.

"What's up? How are my services needed?"

"Cruella DeVille and Aurora Rose are planning something and you're the only one with the skills to find out what it is."

His curiosity piqued.

"I'm listening."

"For a while now, Aurora and I have been paired up on various projects. But since the Charming campaign launch party, Aurora hasn't been doing her half of the work, getting all the credit for the project and having secret meetings with Cruella after hours."

"Go on."

"Earlier this week I heard Cruella tell Aurora that she had failed or something and that she needed spots. Tonight I heard a similar conversation only she was encouraging Aurora to 'seduce him 'til he cracks' and that two dudes named Jasper and Horace would be waiting at the docks for more details."

"Hmm. Who's Aurora supposed to seduce?"

"Well her flavor of this week is Sinbad – who runs the docks and would know when a certain ship is arriving."

Flynn's eyes grew wide.

"...with the big cats from Africa for Pride Rock. Wait, Jas, you said something about failure, right?"

She nodded.

"Aladdin's dad's firm was just hired as extra security at Pride Rock for the leopard and cheetah exhibits after it was discovered that someone had been tampering with the locks."

"What?! So maybe it was Aurora!"
"And now she's hoping to seduce Sinbad to get more details on the arrival of the Pearl? Sinbad wouldn't just give her or these two henchmen of Cruella's the animals. No matter how much she put out for him. And let me tell you, she's not even that good. I mean..."

"Do you think I'm someone else?"

"Right. Sorry. Okay. So she must have something else in mind that's a part of the plan."

"Which is where you and your innate ability at finding out secrets comes in."

"Why should I care if Aurora steals some big cats?"

"Flynn! That's wrong! They were brought here for education and conservation purposes and they're endangered animals. Why do you think my father keeps a private menagerie? I want to do well in this program but not if it means slaughtering innocent creatures!"

Her beautiful brown eyes grew wide with passion as she spoke so vehemently about why she was doing things. He'd known her long enough to know that this wasn't about besting Aurora. This was about something more than that to her and he admired her even more than he already did for doing so. Hoping it would put him back in her good graces, he decided to do it.

"Okay. Okay. I see how important this is to you. I'm in."

"Really?"

"I'll see what I can find out. It's going to be tough because Aurora is probably already in the midst of seduction and the Pearl docks within hours. This will be an all night gig for me."

"Then I'll buy the coffee and you can get started."

Flynn smiled. It wasn't exactly what he expected, but he was hoping it was going to be a new beginning for them. He was going to try and prove it to her.