George smiled, "But he truly has done a lot of good out there...He, you, and the others...I just have to warn you that after bringing all this together, I'm not mad anymore since all of you clean up the messes after yourselves out there, but there's still people who wouldn't like any of you, especially that J.J Jameson guy...You couldn't believe the outbursts my people had when they read his newspapers, proclaiming that Spiderman and the rest of the Squad are heroes, trying to do good for this city, inspiring people to pay it forward.".
"Yeah... don't really know what his deal is. I mean, after that whole Rhino thing, you'd think that maybe he'd get the message or something.", Gwen sighed. "Well, fear sells, that's all I can think of with a reason.", George said with a nod.
Gwen nodded, "That sounds about right...W-would you like to have dinner with us, Dad?", and George smiled, "I'd be honored. You're very lucky that I'm off for the night.".
"I'm sorry that I wasn't home much since summer started...", Gwen replied with a deep sigh, rubbing her arm with her hand. She, Jean, and Jasmine practically lived in the warehouse with Peter having to head home almost every late night after pleasure sessions or patrol time, not wanting to worry his folks.
"It's okay... I... I must admit, I was a bit worried if you were wanting to put some distance between us... like I did something wrong.", George admitted as Gwen knew exactly what he was meaning.
"Dad... listen to me, I'm not Helen, okay?", Gwen was referring back to her... if things had worked out, mother. "Look, I know you feel bad that things didn't work out between you two; but that was years ago. You're not the same person you were then; you've taken the mantel of being a father and done so well with it... better than most!".
George chuckled warmly, "Thank you, Gwen, you truly are wise beyond your years...", before blinking in thought, "Hold on, I understand that it's a whole conversation for another day between you and the others, but what about Jasmine?".
Gwen sighed deeply, "It's a hard, long story...I'd have to ask her permission to tell it to you when you and I cook in the kitchen...", and George blinked, "I don't want to impose on her if it's hard on you...".
"I know, but I love her, and I love you, and if you are going to be involved in all my life, it means everything.", Gwen smiled sadly, and George nodded, "Okay, lead me the way to the kitchen...".
Gwen smiled, and took her father out of the exercise area, and led him to the kitchen, and nodded, "Meat is in the freezer. I'm thinking lamb chops.", and George nodded, "Alright then.", before Gwen left the kitchen, heading over to the dining table where Jasmine is double-checking her homework.
"All done, Jazz?", Gwen kissed her on the cheek, and Jasmine smiled, "Yeah, just double-checking, that's all. Everything good with your dad?".
Gwen replied, "Yeah, and he knows our alter-egos and all...He's gonna be staying for dinner...and he asked that question about you...I told him that it'd be years before I and Jean would be mothers, deciding to go through Peter or adopt, and since I told him that you're our lover and such, he was curious to know why you couldn't go along in having children...So, can I tell him about it, or not? Not the truth, but the essential true story you told May and Ben...".
"Gwen... you probably could tell him the actual truth. He knows about all of us, why should we hide my... curse... my issues?", Jasmine asked as Gwen shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know... I feel like the princess cursed to be a cat from another time and space might be a bit too much for him.".
"Coming from the girl from outer space that somehow is practically all but human?", Jasmine smirked as she raised an eyebrow.
Gwen chuckled warmly, "Touche. Alright, I'll tell him...Do you want me to call Peter, and he can mentally call Jean, and come home?".
Jasmine sighed, "I appreciate that, but I'll call Peter via Jean's phone myself, okay? You gotta help your dad in the kitchen.", and Gwen kissed her on the lips lovingly, "You truly are our princess...brave and selfless...Dad won't think the worst of you, I promise.".
Jasmine gave her a small, loving smile, "I know. Go on, Gwen, I'm okay.", and Gwen nodded, squeezing her shoulder tenderly before heading back to the kitchen.
"So?", George asked as Gwen nodded. "She's alright with me telling you this... it's... it's a lot more complicated than being an alien, a mutant or a result of a freak accident involving an experiment, that's for sure.", Gwen said.
"Look, whatever it is; there's probably nothing that you can say that would make me hate you or her... I'm not Jean's father... by the way, any news there?", George replied, asking, and Gwen shook her head.
"Nothing really. They still haven't talked since before Christmas... and her mother took a while, but finally she's 'getting some space' from him, maybe will give him the time to think and come around.", Gwen closed her eyes and still held on hope that things could be reconciled.
"I hope so too. The problem is... a lot of folks are fairly set in their ways... and sadly bigotry is practically harder to break than a damn drug addiction from my experience.", George sighed.
Gwen sighed deeply, "Bigotry was also in Jasmine's old world as well. For starters, do you remember Princess?", knowing that she showed him pictures of Princess when she visited Peter over the past few years, gushing about her playful and smart nature.
"Yeah... the cat that Peter found and brought home, right?", George replied, and Gwen nodded. "So, what about her? She died not too long ago, didn't she?", he asked.
"Well... yes and no, Dad.", Gwen took a deep breath. "The truth is... Princess is Jasmine... and always was.". There was a pause. "Jasmine is from another world entirely... somewhere across time and space, like a different dimension... where she was a Princess in a land called Agrabah, similar to the desert kingdoms of Arabia many centuries ago.".
George blinked not once, not twice, but thrice, and exhaled, "But she's human. Isn't she?", and Gwen nodded, "She's human now, and no, she didn't come here on a ship...She was exiled by force...by a tyrant whose name is Jafar...".
"You better start from the beginning, Gwen...That usually helps...", George advised, and Gwen exhaled, "Okay...Well, for starters, Agrabah had many laws including the law that a princess had to marry a prince. Jasmine didn't like it very much...She was raised very protectively by her father since her mother passed away when she was a young child of 7 or 8 years old, from internal damage of childbirth. Jasmine said that the entire labor and birth of her took 7 hours, after suffering two other miscarriage/stillbirths in earlier years...She was born late in life, the miracle of her father and the apple of her mother.".
"And like you said, centuries ago, I guess that makes sense with the high infant mortality there.", George said. "Exactly. Anyway, she spent most of her days fairly cooped up in the palace, not really knowing much of the outside world until she was almost a young woman.", Gwen explained.
George nodded, "She rebelled, huh?", and Gwen chuckled, "Totally. It started when she was 13, almost 14, where her father said that she should start seeing suitors as she should be married by her 16th birthday. She liked the attention at first for a few times before realizing that the suitors only wanted her for her beauty, her prestige to royalty, her sexual appeal as she grew up, looking at her as a prize or a trophy, or at best, an opportunity to become sultan. She used her assets to boost the suitors' ego before she blows them off, to set her pet tiger on them if they are getting too personal into her private bubble, and even a couple of times using pranks as well.".
"Sounds like quite the headache if I was in her father's position.", George said as Gwen chuckled. "Yeah... I guess you should consider yourself lucky with me then.", Gwen teased as George rolled his eyes. "Of course... that all changed when a certain young man appeared in her life.".
George blinked, "Oh?", and Gwen nodded, "His name was Aladdin...Now, after the latest suitor, and a minor fight with her father, she had enough, and so she ran away from home during the late night, early morning. She was only three days from turning 16, and she just wanted to be free from it all.".
"I'm starting to see why you said that she didn't know much about the outside world.", George replied, and Gwen chuckled before sighing lightly, "And in an almost unfortunate way, yes. Having ran away, she didn't know that she had to pay, and she didn't have money as she didn't think that far...".
George blinked, "Oh, dear, she was deemed a thief, wasn't she?", and Gwen nodded, "Yes, but she thought she was helping. You see, there was a hungry young child, and being the compassionate, kind person she is, she took an apple from the fruit stand in the marketplace, giving it to the child, and the stall owner saw it happen.".
"I take it that the shopkeeper didn't recognize her?", George asked as she nodded. "I'm not sure what would've happened if he knew who she was... maybe he'd voice a complain to the palace to cover the costs or something... but he thought she was merely some random thief... and nearly went Sharia Law on her and was about to chop her hand off for thievery!", Gwen explained.
George widened his eyes, "Bloody hell!", and Gwen nodded, "I know, right? Luckily, she was saved just in time, by no one other than Aladdin. Jasmine picked up his hints to play along, being a brilliant actress, and she, Aladdin, along with Aladdin's pet monkey, Abu, got away in time. Of course, she didn't know his name, and never got to ask for his name for after some frolicking, some conversation, and a near first kiss for her and him, Aladdin ended up into trouble, and to his 'presumed' death, for the first time, causing Jasmine to think that it was her fault...when it was Jafar's fault in the first place...".
"The tyrant.", George replied, and Gwen nodded, "Yes, but he wasn't a tyrant in the first place. You see, he was the sultan's most trusted advisor and the Grand Vizier, who is practically the second-in-command of Agrabah, and unknown to most people, he was a sorcerer as well.".
"Plotting to take over though, am I right?", George asked as Gwen nodded, "Yep... unfortunately no one really realized that until it was obviously too late.". Gwen looked down as she almost wanted to cry at just how sad Jasmine's life had become thanks to that monster, for a time at least; and the scars he still leaves to this very day.
George rubbed her shoulder, "You don't have to explain further if you don't want to.", and Gwen looked up, sniffled, and smiled, "No, I want to. Anyway, Jasmine thought it was her fault as Jafar said that he thought Aladdin kidnapped her, and he told her that the sentence was laid out for him which is death by beheading. Jasmine was stricken with grief and shock as it was literally her first human friend/crush who understood her.".
"When it was actually Jafar's plan to sneak Aladdin out, head to the desert, to seek the Cave of Wonders, in disguise, of course...", Gwen further explained as Jasmine told her about Genie's recollection of Aladdin's story when he talked with Genie at the oasis, and further onwards.
"Cave of Wonders?", George asked in curiosity, and Gwen chuckled, "Turns out it's an enchanted treasure trove of many, many things you could ever see in your dreams, in the shape of a sand tiger. Aladdin was asked to go grab an old oil lamp, forbidden to touch any other thing. While in there, he met a magic carpet, which is a myth, a tale in Arabian culture, and chaos ensued as Abu, his pet monkey wouldn't resist taking a big old jewel, and the whole thing collapsed, with Aladdin and Abu nearly getting out, but was thrown back in the cave, surviving and discovered that the oil lamp was with them, thanks to Abu stealing it from Jafar's disguise in person, but turns out it wasn't a ordinary lamp.".
"What was it?", George asked as Gwen chuckled, "A genie's lamp. That's why Jafar wanted it so much. He thought that because the place collapsed, he was unable to get it and assumed Aladdin dead.".
George gaped, "A genie...Is it true about the three wishes?", and Gwen nodded, "Yep, but there are rules. 1: Genies can't kill anyone, and I mean, anyone of anything, like animals, humans, and such. 2: Genies can't make anyone fall in love. You know, love potions, changing minds, things like that. 3: Genies can't bring anyone back from the dead. Something about people not being the same, and well, also, it's not a pretty picture of doing it.".
"I can imagine.", George nodded. Gwen chuckled, and then continued, "So, basically, thanks to the Genie, Aladdin was able to get away from Jafar, and have the scum think he was dead. Of course, Aladdin had his own set of plans, in that he had become fairly smitten with Jasmine so... he wished himself to be a prince from a faraway land in an effort to try and win her hand since he was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to meet with her as the commoner that he was.".
George whistled, "That's...wow, that gotta be a culture shock for him...", and Gwen nodded, "Oh, yeah. He was trying to be someone else that he wasn't...He didn't expect that he could be the center of attention, in a way as he was used to being a commoner, a street rat, always surviving to live another day and all...".
"And what did Jasmine think of him?", George asked, and Gwen chuckled, "She was annoyed, upset, and just tired of it all when she saw him arrive in all his princely glory and in a parade of all things. Aladdin had called himself Prince Ali, and he was doing it all wrong as she hated him at first sight after hearing that he was only interested in winning her hand, showing off, and well, you see my point.".
"So, what exactly changed? I mean, I assume that things with her and him...", George asked. "Yes...", Gwen nodded. "Things changed for the better with them... Aladdin was the first man she truly loved...".
George exhaled, "Then Jafar happened.", and Gwen nodded, "Yeah. After a near-fiasco, Aladdin became more of himself again, taking Jasmine out on a ride upon Magic Carpet, all over the world, and Jasmine was the happiest she ever was, free and in love. They finally shared their first kiss, and after that, Jafar ordered for him to be killed, by being thrown over a cliff, chained and locked to a ball, into the ocean, but Aladdin had the genie's lamp in his turban which is a version of an Arabian royal hat in a way, and even being unconscious, almost dying, he technically wished for Genie to save him, so using up his second wish there.".
"So, one wish left.", George replied, and Gwen nodded, "Yep. And Aladdin essentially promised that he will set Genie free on the third wish, but things changed when he found out that he was to be sultan after stopping Jafar the first time by destroying Jafar's sorcerer staff which was used to control the Sultan for years and years, numbing him to be, well, naive like a child, and dumb to the point that he didn't notice that Jafar was ruling behind his back, using his Grand Vizier position. He was clever and strict before his wife died, and then Jafar came in, changing him slowly and then steadily to the point where Jasmine forgot that her father used to be a real sultan.".
"So, how exactly did Jafar end up...?", Gwen closed her eyes when she heard her father ask that. She really didn't want to repeat the day that essentially killed Jasmine the first time... alive but might as well be dead as she had lost everything.
"Jafar had Iago, his minion parrot, steal the genie's lamp from Aladdin's chambers after Aladdin and Genie had a fight.", Jean's voice was heard. Gwen opened her eyes, and both her and George looked over from their positions in preparing the lamb chops, to see Jean at the table island of the kitchen, sitting on one of the stools...
Gwen exhaled, "Jean...Is Jazz...?", and Jean smiled sadly, "Peter is taking her up to bed. She wanted a cuddle before having a catnap.".
Gwen nodded, and sighed, "C-could you...", and Jean nodded, "Of course, my bright star. George, sir, do you mind if I continue the story?".