Salaam everyone. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I wasnt feeling well enough to edit that closely. :/ Stay awesome!

Rana stood over the sink washing the endless mountain of dishes. The guys had come over for dinner, and earlier in the day Jenna had started to vomit, and cough and sneeze. Rana had given her vitamin C and a pitcher of water, and instructed her to just rest, not really able to do anything else for a virus, so she didn’t want her sister to have to worry about cleaning up. For some reason, Jenna refused to use the cleaning ladies and did everything herself.

She had just put the last of the dishes in the dish washer, and was drying her hands, when Rami walked into the room. They both froze, staring at each other. They hadn’t really talked since the day he had gotten shot. The day where they had both practically confessed their feelings for one another. She hadn’t been because Rana was not the type to shy away from confrontation, but Rami had been avoiding her most faithfully.

“I was just getting the ice cream for dessert.” He said a bit awkwardly, as he moved towards the freezer, and she nodded.

“Do you want me to get you bowls and spoons?”

“If it’s not too much trouble. I’ll wash them myself, don’t worry.” He hurried to add, and he watched as she began to put a pile of silverware on a tray.

“How is your arm feeling?” she asked as she counted out twelve bowls, and he shrugged.

“It’s better Alhamdulillah. I don’t feel so rotten anymore, and I’m able to lift things now.”

“Good Alhamdulilah.” She said and as she extended out the tray, he took it from her, and a silence fell over them for a few seconds before he started walking towards the doorway.

“JazakillahuKhairan Rana.”

“Since when are we so formal with each other?” she called after him, and he came to a halt.

“What do you mean?” he asked not turning to look at her, and she leaned against the counter, staring at the back of his head until he turned around, avoiding her gaze.

“You know before you would have insulted me somehow, then I would have made fun of you, and we would have no trouble saying what we were thinking. We’ve been doing it all our lives. Now all of a sudden it’s like we have to walk on glass. It’s like we can’t be who we are.”

He turned his eyes up to hers.

“What are you saying?”

“Things have changed between us Rami, and you can’t deny it. The only thing we have to think of now,” she shrugged her shoulders, “is are we going to do something about it?”

He shifted uncomfortably.

“Like get married?”

“Well that would generally be the idea Rami.”

“So I’m the one who has to make the first move?”

She raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“That’s usually how it goes. Unless you don’t want to be the man in the relationship.” She teased.

“Don’t mock me, you know I’m not good at this stuff Rana.” He scowled, and it fell quiet around them before she crossed her arms over her chest.

“So are we getting married or not?”

He laughed and shook his head.

“Is that you proposing?”

“Oh no you’re going to propose.” She warned, and he laughed again.

“Fine. What do I do?” he took a step forward. “What kind of proposal does Rana Sulayman want?”

She smiled, and took a few steps until she passed him, before pausing in the doorway.

“You have to figure that out on your own.”

*** “How are you feeling darling?” Hudayfah asked poking his head into their room, and Jenna responded with a coughing fit, waving him away as he came closer to her.

“No, go away, you’re going to get sick.” She said stuffily, and he laughed, sitting on the bed next to her.

“A few germs won’t scare me away.” He said kissing her head. “Can I get you anything?”

She shook her head, and blew her nose in a tissue.

“Okay let’s put it this way. I don’t want you to see me like this. I look horrible.” She complained, and he laughed again pushing her hair back.

“You could never look anything but stunning to me.”

She rolled her eyes, but was struck with another coughing fit, and he rubbed a hand over her back until she stopped, and leaned back against the pillow exhausted.

“My everything hurts.” She whined, and he laughed, pulling the blanket up over her.

“Get some sleep, it will make you feel better. InshaAllah Rana is right and it is only a twenty four hour bug. I’ll come check on you in a while, the guys are still here.”

“How is Omar?” she asked a bit sleepily, and he sighed.

“We have him locked in the guest bedroom near the laundry room. InshaAllah he will be safe.” He bent over to make sure she was tucked in before kissing her head again. “Sweet dreams darling.” He said softly before leaving the room, and closing the door behind him.

A few hours later, Jenna woke up in a sweat, sneezing her head off. She reached for the tissue box, groaning as she realized it was empty.

“Hudayfaaaaaaaah!” she called hoarsely and weakly, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hear her. She called him a few more times before trying Rana, and after ten minutes when no one came, she hoisted herself out of bed, wrapped her robe around herself, threw on her scarf, and made her way to the laundry room where there were other tissue boxes.

She stumbled down the hall, she hadn’t been able to find the light switch and was making her way in the dark, before she went into the laundry room, grabbed two boxes, and began to make her way back to her bedroom. She came to a halt though as she saw a figure coming down the hallway. At first she thought it was Hudayfah coming to check on her, but as he continued towards her, she realized he was too short to be her husband, and she began to panic.

What if it was the traitor!?

What if they knew where Omar was?!

Was she in danger?!

She went back into the laundry room, looking for a place to hide, her heart pounding like crazy. Eventually she squeezed herself behind the washer, and crouched down, trying not to freak out as she heard footsteps approaching. The light in the laundry room was briefly turned on before whoever it was turned it off, and soon she tiptoed out of her spot, peering over the doorframe. She stifled a gasp as she realized the man was inspecting the door that Omar was hidden behind, and part of her wondered if she should surprise him, take him off guard and give Omar time to hide. But the other part of her was terrified and she knew Hudayfah would kill her if she did something like that. It was still too dark to make out who he was, all she could tell was that it was a man.

She watched in fascination as he pulled on gloves and began to brush the door handle with some kind of powder, spreading some on the doorframe as well. He worked quickly and Jenna couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing. After he had spread the powder, he took out what looked like an ink pad filled with putty, and pressed it hard against the door handle. She wondered if Omar was asleep or in the shower and couldn’t hear the man, of if he was just being extra cautious. She leaned forward a little bit, trying to get a glimpse of who he was, when she heard someone coming up the steps and as she heard Hudayfah calling her name, she backed up from the doorframe as the man turned in her direction.

“Jen? Jenna darling where are you!?” Hudayfah called urgently, and she heard as the man began to put away his supplies. She peered around the corner again, and the closer Hudayfah’s steps got, the faster the man gathered up his things, until he had put everything away in a bag, and as he dashed past her towards the back stairwell, she put a hand to her mouth, stifling a gasp, and fell backwards.

It was Jafar.

Jenna looked up as Hudayfah turned on the laundry room light, and he rose an eyebrow as he spotted her on the floor.

“Um hi.” She said, and he reached out a hand to pull her up.

“What are you doing in here? And down there?” he asked, pulling a piece of lint off of her scarf, and she shook her head.

“I um came to look for a new box of tissues and uh, fell. Listen Hudayfah are all the men downstairs?” she asked, and he eyed her suspiciously.

“Yeah. Why do you ask?”

Tell him.

She stared at him for a couple of moments before shaking her head.

“Um just asking.”

He watched her for a few seconds as if he didn’t believe her, but when she just returned his look wide eyed, he shrugged, and took her hand.

“Come let’s get you into bed. Why didn’t you call me on your cell phone if you needed something?” he asked as they walked back towards their room.

“Oh.” She said feeling stupid. “It didn’t occur to me.”

“Well I don’t want you moving from this bed unless absolutely necessary.” He said, holding back the blanket, and waiting for her to get back into the bed. Once she had, he tucked it around her, and sat on the edge.

“Yes sir!” she exclaimed, and he rolled his eyes.

“Look who is a being a smarty pants! I hope you get better soon. My company is launching an updated version of The Palm Reader next week, and they are having a small party, and I want to show you off.”

“That sounds like so much fun!” she exclaimed. “You never did tell me the name of your company.”

He flushed slightly.

“HudCo.” He mumbled, and she laughed. “You know it was mostly Rami’s idea.” He said quickly.

“I like it.” She said with a laugh.

“Well Rami really didn’t do all that much work.” He added quickly, and she smiled in amusement.

“You know, why did I have to hear about what you do from Rana?!” she asked, and he shrugged.

“I don’t like to brag.”

“I’m your wife! I was scared you were into some shady business there for a while!” she exclaimed, and he laughed.

“Well I’m not. But get better soon, everyone is eager to meet you.”

“I have a question though.” She said, and he nodded.

“Okay.”

“If you live in Arizona, why are you having a launch here in New York?”

He smiled.

“We live in Arizona.” He squeezed her hand. “We actually have launches all over the United States, and usually I go to whatever launches happen in Arizona. I just happen to be here in New York, so I’m attending this launch party.”

She nodded.

“Sounds logical.”

He smiled, and put a hand over hers.

“I’ll be up in a few minutes to sleep, the boys will be leaving soon, they are just finishing this game of ping pong.”

Jenna smiled, and as she brushed a piece of hair from his forehead, he kissed her wrist.

“Who is it down to?”

“Well last I left them, Rami was the undefeated champion, even with his bad arm. But Jafar went to the bathroom and hadn’t had a chance to play yet, and he is the master of ping pong.”

Jenna frowned slightly.

“Jafar was in the bathroom?”

“Um yeah.” He looked at her weirdly, before putting a hand to her forehead.

“I think you need some more Tylenol, you’re kind of feverish.” He said standing up and as he got the bottle, she let out a long breath, wondering what was holding her back from telling him.

*** It took three days before Jenna was back to normal, and by then she was dying to get out of the house. After much begging and pleading, she convinced Hudayfah to let her and Rana go out shopping as long as they took one of the men with them. However Jenna’s excitement was brought down a few pegs when Hudayfah told them Jafar would be going. She couldn’t exactly tell him that she suspected his own cousin of being the traitor, but at the same time, she didn’t even want to tell him. She didn’t think that she should get involved in all of this. It was too much for her to handle, and she would just trust that Hudayfah would keep her safe.

“Jenna! Oh my God you have to buy these shoes!” Rana exclaimed shoving a pair of light blue pumps into her arms, and Jenna laughed. She had agreed to let her sister help her pick out her outfit for Hudayfah’s company party, and Rana was going kind of crazy.

“Rana, my dress is red!” she exclaimed, and Rana shrugged.

“So? They are pretty, and they are on sale.” She turned around, picking up the same shoe but in red. “Okay here! You can wear these with your dress!” she exclaimed, and Jenna took them.

“Aren’t they a little high?” she asked, and Rana waved a hand dismissively.

“Hud is tall, you should wear heels.”

“I’m not that much shorter than him.” She grumbled as she tried on the shoes, and Rana gasped.

“Oh my goodness! Those are perfect! Aren’t they perfect Jafar!?” Rana exclaimed to her cousin, and Jafar nodded slightly from where he was standing behind them, his arms folded behind him.

“They are very nice.” He replied in his quiet voice, and Jenna gave him a weak smile, which instead of returning, he turned away, looking out towards the store they were in.

As she slipped off the shoes and put them in their cart, she studied Jafar. He was medium height, broad shoulders, really skinny, black hair, and a thin beard. At first glance he looked nothing like Hudayfah, but once you looked closer, there were small similarities where you could tell they were related. As if he felt her gaze on him, he turned her way, and she quickly moved as if to look at another pair of shoes.

“Jenna! Jenna look at this cocktail ring! It’s perfect!” Rana exclaimed from the jewelry counter, and as she pushed the cart over towards her sister, she felt Jafar following her, and while she knew he was just doing his job, she still felt a tad bit uneasy about seeing him in front of Omar’s room last night. But for some reason, part of her was doubting that Jafar was the traitor. As creepy as he was, and he was creepy with the way he just watched her silently without saying anything, like he was now, he didn’t strike her as someone who would betray Hudayfah.

But then again she hadn’t watched a lot of spy movies without learning that sometimes the traitors aren’t who you usually think them to be.

And sometimes they are.

*** “Hud? I need to talk to you.” Rami said coming into Hudayfah’s office, and nervously wringing his hands. Hudayfah nodded, and motioned towards the seat across from his desk.

“Of course.” He waited until Rami had taken a seat before looking him over.

“What can I do for you?”

Rami nervously tapped his foot on the ground.

“How are things going?”

Hudayfah glanced at him suspiciously before looking back at his computer screen.

“I can’t tell honestly. We haven’t heard anything since Omar arrived and that worries me. I would have thought Jamaal would have gone crazy or something at Omar's escape. What if he is preparing something huge?”

Rami shrugged.

“You tighten security. Don’t let Jen leave unless its absolutely necessary or unless you have at least five men with her. Where is she now?”

“Um shopping with Rana and Jafar.” He said sheepishly, and Rami sighed.

“After this you’ll have to be more careful. Did you bring Muhsin from the hotel yet?”

Hudayfah shook his head.

“Not yet. I’ve been trying to push it off as much as possible, but I know I’m going to just have to get it over with.”

“How’s Omar doing?”

“I sat with him for a while this morning while Rana cleaned his cuts. He is doing okay. A bit bored, so I had a television and PlayStation four and some movies brought up.”

“Aw man he got a PlayStation four!?” Rami exclaimed, and Hudayfah glared at him.

“Shut up Rami.”

The two men were quiet for a few moments, Hudayfah focusing on his screen, and Rami’s tapping getting faster and faster until he leaned forward.

“I want to marry Rana.” He blurted out, and Hudayfah turned away from his screen, and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“Well, okay.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why?”

Rami blinked.

“Why? Did you just ask me why?”

Hud nodded.

“Yes.”

“What do you mean why!? Can’t you see the attraction between us?”

“The aliens on Mars can see the attraction between you two!” Hudayfah said with a laugh, “But that isn’t enough. I need to know that she will be well taken care of, that you care about her for her.”

“Well of course I do!”

“Give me some examples.”

“I like how tough she is. She can take care of herself. She doesn’t take anything from anyone, including me,” he said with a chuckle, “and she stands up for herself.”

Hudayfah nodded, a small smile on his lips.

“What else.”

“Well I like how devoted she is. Whether it’s to her work or to her family or friends. It’s hard to gain her trust and approval, but once you do, she sticks with you until the end.”

“Go on.”

Rami leaned back in his chair thoughtfully.

“I like how she tells it like it is. She isn’t fake. She is Rana, and if you have a problem with it, she doesn’t need you in her life. She is true to herself. I know what I’m getting with her.” He said, and they both laughed.

Hudayfah tapped a pen on his desk.

“Anything else?”

“She successful. She’s made a name for herself, and she saves lives every day.” He paused, his face full of emotion. “She saved mine.” He said softly, and Hudayfah smiled. “Do you know what else?”

“What?” Hudayfah asked.

“I like how she drives me crazy.” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “The way she yells at me to pray when I'm being lazy, how she reminds me to read my Quran daily. How she knows just what buttons to push. Sometimes she’s all I can think about. I dream about her, I look forward to seeing her every day. Even hearing her voice makes my heart start to go crazy, and it annoys me to think that if she has this much power over me now, she’s going to have me wrapped around her little finger when we are together.” He glanced at Hudayfah. “InshaAllah.”

Hudayfah’s smile became full blown, and he leaned back in his chair.

“I’ll talk to her, and see what she says. But you have my approval if she agrees.”

Rami grinned widely, before stepping around the desk to hug Hudayfah.

“So do I call you little brother now?” he asked, and Hudayfah laughed.

“Let’s hold off on that for a little bit.”

Rami sat back down, smiling so large, that you could practically see every single one of his teeth.

“You okay bro?” Hudayfah asked with a laugh, and Rami shook his head.

“I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy, and she hasn’t even said yes yet!”

Hudayfah smiled.

“I’m glad. InshaAllah you two will be happy.

Rami nodded, and raised his hands in the air as if he was making Duaa.

“Ameen ya Rabb!” he turned back towards Hudayfah. “How are things with you and Jen?”

“Good Alhamdulillah. They are doing really well actually. MashaAllah.” He said, but he frowned slightly.

“MashaAllah, but why are you frowning bro?”

Hudayfah gave a deep sigh.

“I think I love her Rami.”

“Have you told her that?”

Hudayfah shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“Why?”



“Because I know she doesn't feel the same.”