The Magic Carpet Ride

By Carolyn Carey

Set sometime between the Star Trek Voyager episodes "Night" and "Dark Frontier".

Disclaimer:
As usual I don't own anything and I'm just borrowing stuff from Paramount & a couple of songwriters. This story is loosely based on the song "The Magic Carpet Ride" which was used during the launch of the Phoenix in "Star Trek: First Contact". To make things slightly clearer for the reader I have added the lyrics below.

I like to dream
right between the sound machine.
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night,
any place that it goes is right,
goes far, flies near,
it soars away from here

Well, you don't know what we can find
why don't you come with me, little girl,
on a magic carpet ride.
You don't know what we can see.
Why don't you tell your dreams to me,
fantasy will set you free.

Close your eyes girl, look inside girl,
let the sound take you away.

Last night I held Aladdin's lamp
and so I wished that I could stay
Before the thing could answer me,
well, someone quick took the lamp away.
I looked around
a lousy camel's all I found...

Song above by John Kay and Rushton Moreve
...I wonder what they were on when they wrote this...;o)

It had been terrible day for Kathryn Janeway, captain of the isolated Federation Starship Voyager. They had entered a rather desolate part of the Delta Quadrant. There wasn't much to explore here. It wasn't as bad as the void they had encountered several months earlier, but the crew was getting bored, and Kathryn dreaded having nothing else to do than nursing her guilt complex. She still blamed herself for getting Voyager stranded in the Delta Quadrant...

To make matters worse, long-range sensors had detected a Borg Cube about one hundred and twenty light-years ahead -- dead on their course. Sensors had established that the Borg Cube was drifting. It was probably deserted. Now there was an opportunity that didn't offer itself very often! Janeway was hoping to find some relevant technology that she could salvage... a transwarp coil or two. Even a single transwarp coil could take twenty years off their journey.

Chakotay, of course, disagreed with her on that point. He'd rather alter course and go around the damn thing.

"Better safe than assimilated. It's too risky, Kathryn," he'd said.

They had had another argument. It seemed that every time they encountered the Borg, the rift between captain and first officer grew wider. Then they'd spend months trying to make amends only to see the rift widen to a chasm in another encounter with the Borg before they'd had half a chance to fix things. Of course, she was the captain. She would have the final word in all matters. But that didn't help her sleep any better. She needed Chakotay as a friend. But she felt him slip further and further away from her with each confrontation. They used to spend time in the holodeck together -- for a game of velocity or some other diversion, -- but that had stopped when they had taken Seven onboard. Chakotay never even 'accidentally' met her in the mess hall anymore. The fact was, he was avoiding her.

At night, when she should be catching up on much needed sleep she found herself wallowing in misery. She had no one to turn to. She missed him as a confidant, as a friend. She missed the hugs he used to give her when she was feeling particularly low, the reassuring smiles, even the teasing... And from time to time she'd cry herself silently to sleep.

To top things up, Neelix had reported that their food reserves were getting rather low. If they didn't find an M-Class planet within the next two or three weeks, they would have to go on emergency rations. Not exactly the sort of news that would boost crew morale, not to mention her own state of mind.

She had sat at the desk in her ready room, her head in her hands. How long? She wasn't sure. Finally she rose, having decided that she was in definite need of some R and R. But just as she had wanted to engage in some much needed escapism on the holodeck, B'Elanna informed her that the emitters were down. It was nothing serious, though. Engineering had simply decided to temporarily reroute the power from the holodeck emitters to the warp core. They were 'experimenting'...attempting to increase the efficiency of the warp engines. Not that she had anything against finding means to shorten their long journey, but no one had even thought to ask her permission...

Under ordinary circumstances she would have reprimanded her chief engineer for such a breach of protocol, but as it was she really didn't have the energy for another confrontation, especially not with a half-Klingon. Instead she set off for her quarters.

"Deck 2, officers quarters," the computer announced as the turbo lift finally arrived at its destination. Janeway strode through the corridors, nodding a little sterner than usual at passing crewmembers, but not engaging in conversation. She just wanted to get away from it all, put on some music and relax in a hot tub, maybe read a book and indulge in a bowl of coffee ice-cream...

Finally the doors closed behind her, and she went straight for the bathroom.

"Computer, play random music selection Janeway Epsilon 2."

The music of Gustav Mahler filled the room...

The bath had been most enjoyable. The fragrance Chakotay had brought back from the Naavriki, a small civilization on an equally tiny M-Class planet they had passed about a month ago, was lovely. The music was a little predictable, though. She had programmed the selection herself when she first boarded Voyager 5 years ago and knew it too well. Maybe she should simply ask the computer to play a random selection... She had just donned her peach robe and was towel drying her hair on the way to her bedroom, when the music suddenly changed. She hadn't ordered the computer to change the selection yet. And she certainly hadn't programmed the piece that was playing now. What the hell was going on?

It wasn't Mahler, it wasn't Tchaikovsky.... It was very exotic...She'd heard it somewhere before, but she just couldn't place it anywhere...

(Btw, Q just whispered in my ear that it was "Scheherazade".)

Kathryn stopped dead when she entered her bedroom. Things there had changed a little since the last time she'd been there...

The room was covered in transparent, pastel colored fabrics, which seemed to drift in the breeze... Breeze??? This was a starship, for heaven's sake... Were the environmental controls malfunctioning?

The ground beneath her bare feet was covered in thick Persian carpets and luxurious floor cushions, and countless candles cast their warm shine throughout the room. At the viewport above her bed stood a small vial over a candle, burning some kind of aromatic oil. The scent was dizzying.

Warily she approached the bed. She couldn't actually see the bed itself, only the light, silken fabrics that were covering it from ceiling to floor, like old fashioned net curtains but softer. Carefully she moved a layer of the fabric aside...

"Ahhh," she jumped as she saw the silhouette of a figure. Who the hell was that on her bed? And where the hell was her combadge when she needed it?

The 'breeze' suddenly grew stronger, pushing the curtains aside, layer by layer -- like peeling an onion -- bit by bit revealing her bed. Kathryn's heart thumped. She strained her eyes. The silhouette of the figure became more pronounced. Someone was sitting there in the lotus position ...and wearing a turban... A man? Yes, it was definitely a man. He was playing a flute of some kind and the sounds were blending perfectly with the exotic classical music that emanated from the computer. Before the man stood a basket... Something was emerging from it. Was that a snake? This was crazy... Then the final layers of fabric were pushed aside by the 'breeze' and all music stopped. An eerie silence engulfed the room.

Kathryn's heart momentarily stood still, then sank.

"Q," she sighed exasperatedly.

Of course, who else? The situation was outrageous.

He honored her presence with an impertinent smirk.

"Hello Kathy! It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

She had heard those words from him before, and only hoped they were meant in a different context this time.

"I guess there's no point in calling security..." she said as she remembered the last time he had appeared in her quarters. What exactly had his words been again?
"I've taken the proverbial phone off the hook..."

"What do you want this time, Q?"

Janeway steeled herself. Q was never good news. She had already encountered him twice since Voyager had been thrown into the Delta Quadrant, and if she didn't watch it, she'd become more of an authority on the Continuum than Jean-Luc Picard.

"I?"

Q pointed an index finger at his chest, looking for all the world as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

"Now, why would little old omnipotent me possibly want anything from you puny mere mortals? Can't I just stop by every now and then for a little friendly tête-à-tête?"

Janeway took in a little more detail now that she'd had the chance to observe Q. Wound in a high pile around Q's head was a white turban, held in place by the most enormous red gemstone she had ever laid eyes on. And he wasn't actually sitting on her bed, but on a large rug that covered her mattress... No, not covered it, it hovered over it. The entire scenario was absurd!

Janeway put her hands on her hips and said,

"Q, I've had a really bad day. I'm not in the mood for one of your little pranks! Now, get out!"

Q stood up and walked a few steps toward the captain.

"But Kathy, that's exactly why I'm here! I've come to add a little glee to your gloomy, primitive bi-pedal existence."

She glared at him incredulously.

"What?"

"I know, generosity has always been my weakness. I, Q, in my immortal selflessness, have entered this rusty old barge you call a starship in order to attend to my pitiful Kathy. What with the Borg lurking around the corner, and Chuckles sulking, -- I really don't know what you see in tattoo man, Kathy... Anyway, I digress... and starvation looming over you, and the holodecks offline..."

Momentarily she forgot her anger as her mind spun trying to comprehend this omnipotent immortal before her. Mouth gaping she breathed,

"How did you know... ?"

Q raised his eyebrows in a most sarcastic gesture.

"What part of omniscient don't you understand, Madam Captain?"

Her fury immediately returned.

"Enough! Get off my ship, Q!"

Q chuckled.

"Or what, Kathy? You'll have me thrown in the brig?"

He laughed wickedly as he stepped closer.

"Q, I'm really not in the mood tonight. Now, get rid of this harem scenario, or whatever it is. Then get off my ship. I'm tired."

Q shook his head in a perfect imitation of feeling unappreciated.

"Oh, I don't know. I come to add a little cheer, a little excitement to your life, and all you do is complain. Where's your sense of adventure?"

With a snap of his finger the pastel fabrics and the rugs, bar the one on her bed, disappeared.

"There. Satisfied," he sulked.

Kathryn looked him straight in the eyes, chin up and hands on her hips.

"No! You forgot something!"

She motioned to the rug that still hovered a few centimeters above her mattress, then continued,

"And you are still here!"

Q's expression grew more serious as he held her by both shoulders.

"Kathy, you seriously need to get away from here. Your face has been as sour as Vulcan pickle of late. It's enough to scare the Borg away. A girl needs to get out once in awhile, you know! And you, Kathryn Janeway, weren't born to be a hermit. I'm at your service, Madam Captain. I'm going to fulfill your wildest dreams. I can show you things far beyond your primitive human comprehension. All you need to do is tell me what you want. Share your dreams with me! Fess up, isn't it even slightly tempting? Kathy, I've come to take you for a ride!"

Blushing violently Janeway tried to withdraw herself from his grasp.

"What?"

Q took a few steps back and regarded her curiously.

"Why, Madam Captain, what a revelation! You have a one-track-mind! How tantalizingly erotic! But I wasn't talking about sex... Of course, if you insist, I won't object..."

She gave him the death glare.

"Alright, be a bore, see if I care... but you don't know what you're missing... Foreplay with a Q can last for decades, you know," he chuckled.

Q scratched his chin in thought. A few seconds later he exclaimed,

"Oh, goodie, I've just had a brilliant idea... of course all my ideas are brilliant. It's a gift that comes with being a Q. But first of all you need to look the part..."

He snipped his fingers once again, and suddenly she was wearing a sari-like outfit made from the most incredible sky blue she had ever seen. Her chest and legs were covered in crepe fabric, while her mid section was left exposed, covered only by a transparent piece of fabric. Her arms, neck and ears were embellished with the most extravagant jewelry. She looked by all means as if she had just stepped straight out of 'Arabian Nights'.

Q couldn't resist. He had to whistle...

"Hmm, that certainly suits you a lot better than it did Jean-Luc... very becoming, if you don't mind my saying so. You know, Kathy, those Starfleet tailors do you no justice. Now that you're out here, thousands of light-years away from your stuffy Starfleet admirals, don't you think you should ditch their fashion débâcles for something more 'comme il faut?' Hasn't anyone ever told you that red just isn't your color, dear? Personally, I see you more in baby-blue..."

"Q," she growled from the back of her throat.

Q stared at her,

"Ohhhh, do that again Kathy, that's soooo sensual... I've always had a soft-spot for you, Madam Captain!"

Before she could respond he snapped his fingers...

Kathryn found herself sitting in the lotus position in front of Q on the one remaining rug on her bed. Thankfully the basket, and more importantly the snake, had disappeared.

"Let the journey begin," Q announced.

The carpet lifted off the bed and flew straight through the usually solid viewport into space.

To Kathryn's surprise the vacuum of space wasn't cold at all. It felt more like a warm summer's night, and she could breathe! But then again, this was Q... Was there anything he couldn't do?

"Where are you taking me? Another trip to the Continuum?"

Her anger was beginning to disperse as the scientist and explorer in her woke up. The carpet whooshed past small planetoids and moons, through nebulae and eventually dodged the asteroids in a nearby belt.

"Q, where are you taking me," she insisted.

"Wherever you want to go, Kathy", he whispered into her ear. Why did she have the feeling that he was still trying to seduce her? A shudder of excitement went down her spine. She didn't like to admit it, but she was immensely flattered that an omnipotent being had a crush on her...

"Home...." she said hoarsely.

Q cleared his voice.

"I was just getting to that. Anyplace but home, Kathy."

She turned around, the disappointment clearly written into her features.

"Then take me back to Voyager!"

Q sighed.

"Oh Kathy, don't be such a party pooper! How about I take you to the Borg, make you their queen for the rest of the night..."

She shot him a warning glare.

"So you don't like the Borg... I must admit I'm not all that fond of them myself. Perfection! Pish tosh!! Their complexion certainly has a long way to go... And their social skills.... Now, the queen is quite a dish, but compared to you, well, she simply doesn't measure up. She lacks your style, your humanity, your warmth, your 'joie de vivre'...

"Q, cut it out," Janeway clipped.

"Oh well, how about the Delorian Caves of Gold? Oh, no, I've got something better. Have you ever seen a supernova from the inside? There's nothing quite like it..."

"Q, I'd prefer to get back to Voyager in one piece..."

"You didn't think I was going to allow your genes to be splattered all over the sector, did you? Why, Madam Captain...you think me thus low? I'm shocked!!!"

Kathryn sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.

Q ignored her.

"Well, I guess I'll have to stick to my original plan... I know just the place, Kathy. You'll love it! It's about twenty thousand light-years away from here..."

Q snipped his fingers again, and in a flash they had moved from one part of the galaxy to another. The carpet hovered near a small M-Class planet. Q handed Kathryn an old-fashioned monocular, the kind that was used at sea during the early seafaring centuries. For such an antiquated instrument it was incredibly accurate, as she was about to find out. Glancing through it she could make out individual people on the planet. They belonged to a pre-warp state civilization. Under normal circumstances Kathryn Janeway wouldn't have given this planet a second glance, because the Prime Directive distinctly forbade any interference in the business of pre-warp civilizations, but this was different. They weren't exactly arriving in a starship...The climate was obviously hot, because all she could see was one big desert with a few villages scattered about a couple of waterholes...

Kathryn held her breath as Q began to stir the carpet towards the planet's atmosphere. "This is my gift for you, Kathy...," he whispered in to her ear.

It was simply amazing. She could feel the heat as they entered the atmosphere. Under normal circumstances she would simply have burned up, but somehow Q's powers protected her. Instead she cold feel the most incredible sensations as they entered the various layers of the planet's atmosphere. The change of colors before her was amazing. It was a uniquely exhilarating experience. A mixture of excitement, wonder and fear coursed through her body, accelerating her breathing and causing her skin to prickle all over her body. Her eyes shone brightly, widening more and more with awe. She had never felt so... alive!

Then it was over.

They landed in some hills, and Janeway noticed a village that was nearby. Q snapped the magic carpet out of existence, and they made their way on foot towards the village. The air smelled sweetly of Jasmine...

It was obviously market day. Stalls selling local Tupperware, fabrics and other knickknacks were everywhere. The place was a cacophony of merchandisers announcing their best deals, and customers, ready to bargain.

On a sign a ball was announced for that very night. Kathryn hadn't danced in a long time... It would be nice to attend a ball without everyone looking up to her as a superior officer...

They stopped at a market stall that was selling oil lamps. Somehow she had a feeling that Q had planned this trip very carefully. Their clothes, though extravagant, blended in with the local fashion, and anyway... Magic carpets? Oil-lamps? Exotic locations? Was this place for real, or was it something Q had created for her? She just couldn't stop thinking 'Arabian Nights'...

The man who owned the stall with the oil lamps advertised them as wish granters. Each lamp contained one wish only. If you rubbed the lamp and made a wish, it would come true...

All she could think about was getting Voyager back to Earth...

"Q, I want to buy one of those oil-lamps," she announced.

Q took her by the side and glanced at her solemnly.

"Kathy, a little bird tells me that you want to use that lamp to get Voyager back to Earth. I told you, I can't grant you that wish."

Janeway clutched the lamp protectively.

"I'm not asking you, I'll ask the lamp."

"Alright, go ahead, but be warned. Nothing good can come out of such a wish!"

"Q, quit talking in riddles. Why can't I wish us back?"

"Your path has already been laid out before you. If you accelerate Voyager's journey through magic, you'll alter the timeline. I can't tell you more than that..."

"But you offered to get Voyager back to Earth once before. Why then and not now?"

"That was before you had a Borg onboard. That's all I can tell you. Aren't their any other things you want to wish for? How about a decent cook? Or has your delicate palate acquired a taste for leola root stew in my absence? How about a bigger bathtub? Endless supplies of fresh coffee? Personally I don't know how you can drink that stuff... A pet? You've always been fond of dogs, Kathy..."

She suddenly looked Q right in the eyes, but she wasn't really looking at him. It was more like she was looking right through him.

It was strange enough to get Q worried.

"Kathy?"

"I think I know what I'm going to wish for. And I don't think it will do any harm to the timeline..."

Kathryn purchased the oil lamp and continued her stroll over the market.

The sun was beginning to set. The captain and Q had had an enjoyable meal in one of the village's restaurants. She only hoped it wasn't time to get back home yet. It was hard to admit this to Q, but she was actually enjoying herself more than she had in a very long time. Of course, she wasn't about to inflate his already gigantic ego...

"Q, when do we have to get back to Voyager?"

Q snapped his fingers and an old grandfather clock appeared right next to them. According the clock it was 21:00 hours.

"Cinderella will have to return to her rags -- Kathy, are you sure I can't change your mind about wearing that awful uniform? Oh well... at the stroke of midnight," Q announced melodramatically.

"Don't I get to go to a ball?" Janeway inquired.

"Good idea! Now, why hadn't I thought of that? I believe the natives are giving a ball in the village center. Care to join me, Madam Captain?"

Q offered Janeway his arm and she hooked in.

"I'd love to join you, Q, but can we forget about the "Captain" tonight?"

"That was the general idea, Kathy," Q said, grinning at the woman at his side.

The ball was held outside in the market square. It was a colorful affair, with several other attractions going on beside it. Their were of course plenty of dancing couples, but also a number of magicians, rope tricksters, fire eaters, sword-swallowers, men walking over hot coals, men on beds of nails and many more.

"Arabian Nights...," Kathryn whispered to herself.

"What did you say, my dear," Q asked, studying her carefully.

"Nothing, Q. It's just that this reminds me of a certain region of Earth as it was many centuries ago..."

"Oh, damn... I was hoping you didn't know about that... Oh well, I might as well fess up. I created this place from memories. You see, I used to spend a lot of time in Arabia or whatever you call it now. You people change the names of your countries more often that your socks... Anyway, I spent one thousand and one nights talking to some girl called Scheherazade... You remind me a lot of her, Kathy."

Janeway shot him a doubtful glance.

"You mean to tell me, Q, that you were the sultan in 'Arabian Nights?' Please tell me that you're joking!"

"Kathy, as much as I hate to admit this, but I've always had a certain fascination with you puny humans... Wait here for me. I'll be back in a tick," Q said, and went towards the orchestra. He seemed to be talking with the conductor of the orchestra. Then he returned.

"Would you grant me the pleasure of this dance, Kathy?"

He bowed comically and proffered his arm. She hooked under, still trying to comprehend what Q had told her about himself and Scheherazade... Had he been responsible for the deaths of all her predecessors? Scheherazade had been one of many slave girls who had tried to charm the sultan. All her predecessors had failed. The Sultan had had his evil way with them for one night, and the next morning they had been executed. Only Scheherazade had awakened mercy in him, and later love...

Q led Janeway into the center of the dancing couples. The music stopped and then the orchestra played the same music that Q had made the computer play in her quarters.

Now she remembered what the piece was called. She had to hand it to Q; he had created a perfect scenario. The opening chords of 'Scheherazade' by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov floated through the air.

And so they danced. Q was a very good dancer, but then again, he was omnipotent, and she should have expected no less from him. Nevertheless she was surprised by his skills. She manage to wheedle out of him that he had condemned some of those slave girls to their deaths, but according to Q they had deserved it, whatever that meant. A shudder went down her spine. She would have to make an effort in future not to get into Q's bad books...

While they were dancing Q revealed a few more anecdotes. She found out that he had introduced humanity to the element of fire. The Greek referred to him as Prometheus...

He had also been responsible for the creation of the atom bomb.
"I like big bangs..." he tried to justify himself.

He'd also sabotaged Earth's first space station 'Mir.'

"It was really quite amusing watching those astronauts float helplessly in that space borne tin, trying to figure out why their can of baked beans was falling apart... They should have thanked me for destroying that heap of scrap metal! Their second space station was far more comfortable...although they were still floating around..."

According to Q he had helped humanity on numerous occasions to 'emerge from their primordial ooze', as he put it.

Soon their hushed conversation turned into comfortable silence, as they danced closely among the other couples. Kathryn was getting tired. After all it had been an exhausting day, and an exciting night. Closing her eyes she rested her head on Q's shoulder and allowed him to lead. At that moment in time she actually completely trusted him, Q, the merciless sultan of the 1001 Nights, the all powerful being she had called 'a rude, interfering, inconsiderate pest' during their last encounter, the scourge of the galaxy... If she didn't know better she would have changed her mind about him then and there. She couldn't have said how long they had stayed like this. She almost fell asleep in his arms while they were dancing. Eventually Q swept her up and carried her out of the crowd. Once they were out of view he snapped his fingers and they were back at their landing site in the hills. With another snap of his fingers Q made the carpet reappear out of thin air, and they made their way back to Voyager.

The next thing she knew, she was back in her quarters. Q snapped his fingers and a split-second later she was lying in her bed. He knelt next to her bed and asked,

"Did you have a good time tonight, Kathy?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it was extraordinary. Thank you, Q!"

He bent over her and kissed her gently on the lips. It was a very short and sweet kiss, and she would remember it for a long time to come.

"The pleasure was all mine, Madam Captain. Until we meet again!"

And with a snap of his fingers he was gone.

Kathryn Janeway woke up half an hour before her alarm was due to wake her. She felt refreshed. She hadn't slept this well in years. And she'd had the most incredible dream... Q had taken her for a ride on a magic carpet! Usually she dreamt about being assimilated by the Borg or having her crew mutiny against her -- cheerful things such as that. But she'd never had such a pleasant dream before. Whatever had caused her unconscious mind to come up with Q? Maybe it had been a reaction to all the stress she'd been under lately... But Q? Please!!! She hardly thought of him in recreational terms...

She got up, took a sonic shower and got dressed. Then she made her way to the mess hall for breakfast. She hadn't done that in a long time either. Most of the time she got up too late to have time for breakfast... But today she had plenty of time, and she was hungry. Even Neelix's strange concoctions couldn't spoil her appetite.

Half an hour later Kathryn strode into her ready room. As usual she made a beeline for the replicator. As hard as Neelix tried, there simply wasn't a substitute for coffee. She held the mug in both hands, closed her eyes and inhaled the aroma. Then, taking a long sip, she moved towards her desk and sat down. It wasn't until she had sat the mug down that she saw it. There it was right in front of her on the desk. The oil lamp.

It was just as well that she had set the mug down before discovering the lamp, because otherwise she would have spilled coffee all over herself. So it hadn't been a dream after all... It had all been real! The thought was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. She had danced with Q! Hell, he had kissed her. Last night had been the most beautiful gift anyone had ever given her. But how do you send a Q a thank you note?

Unconsciously she began to polish the golden oil lamp with the sleeve of her uniform. She sighed.

"I only wished Chakotay and I could be the friends again that we once were, and I wouldn't mind being a lonely Starfleet captain in the middle of a hostile quadrant with the Borg looming around every corner..."

The doorbell to her ready room sounded.

"Come in!"

She was more than a little surprised to see her first officer walk into the door with a peace rose in his hand.

"Peace, Kathryn?"

"Peace," she smiled hesitantly.

She took the rose in her hand and inhaled the sweet perfume.

"Chakotay, would you like to join me on the holodeck tonight? I've got a new program I want to try out..."

His dimples grew deeper as he returned her smile.

"I'd love to, Kathryn."

When her shift ended Kathryn was off the bridge like a shot. Very unusual behavior for the Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager...

Three hours later she met Chakotay in front of the doors to holodeck one.

"Glad you could make it, Commander. Computer, initiate program Janeway Gamma 1. Play symphonic suite Scheherazade, first movement...."

She turned towards Chakotay with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

" Ever ride on a magic carpet before, Chakotay?"

Um....The End...

Sorry, just had to get this out of my system.

c/o 01/26/2000 by Carolyn Carey