Please don't hate me for taking so long! I got so wrapped up with starting a new job, moving halfway across the country, finishing up my Harry Potter series, dealing with various other story ideas that popped into my head, finishing up at that new job, moving back across the country to start another one, applying to grad school, finishing up that second job, moving again... wow, has it really been two years since I finished Another Little White Lie? Crap, I'm so sorry! I hope you all are still interested.
I've really been struggling with how to write this story; I've had ideas floating around in my head since I finished Another Little White Lie, but I kept hitting brick walls, and losing my inspiration.
As a side note: do any of you watch Honest Trailers or Cinema Sins on Youtube? If you do, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that I've basically been writing every chapter with the guys who do those voiceovers in the back of my head. Imagine trying to write an outline and having that voice tell me how stupid it is to have this happen, because there's no way X character could actually do that. Or imagining the way they'd rip apart some sequence I write, because there's a much simpler way to do it, but I can't have Y happen, because the plot doesn't call for it yet. Yeah, if you don't watch, I'd recommend checking it out. They take popular movies and rip them apart with all the sins. The Star Trek ones are pretty hilarious.
And a note about relationships, just to give you a heads up. This is Jim/Carol. I know a lot of people didn't like her in the last movie, but I really felt like they didn't do much to flesh out her character. So I'm hoping to make her somewhat likable, and I hope it doesn't deter you from reading.
So, this story is completed (well, nearly - I'm on what I'm pretty sure is the last chapter now), and will update weekly, every Saturday.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, no matter how much I wish otherwise.
If someone had asked Jim Kirk ten years ago how he thought he would be living his life, Jim probably would have replied that he didn't plan on surviving past his twenty fifth birthday.
It wasn't necessarily that he wanted to die, that was just the way his life was going. After everything he had been through, even by the age of fifteen, it just made sense that he would drive himself into an early grave.
Frank. Tarsus. Winona. It all just swirled around unpleasantly in his mind. Sometimes it threatened to overwhelm him, but he always managed to force it back. It scared him to think about what might happen if one day, he couldn't lock it up anymore.
Even if Jim had come up with some sort of future, he probably would have pictured himself working at an auto shop, or in a bar.
He would never, in a million years, have imagined himself overcoming his hatred for the organization that had killed his father and in another way, taken his mother away from him as well. He would never have imagined himself actually joining them.
But here he was, twenty-six years old, Captain of a starship.
And not just any starship, but the flagship. The Enterprise.
Captain. The title just rolled off his tongue. It made him smile a little each time he heard it.
When he looked back on the early years, he couldn't believe he was the same person. Was he really that angry, scared child who wasn't strong enough to stop his stepfather from pounding his ass into the ground every night? Was he really the empty shell of a kid who was forced to grow up before his time, because some psychotic, insane tyrant had decided to murder half a colony in order to let the other half live?
Jim had to admit, if it weren't for Chris, he probably would have never found a reason to push those personas aside.
Christopher Pike was the reason he had joined Starfleet. Chris was the reason he had forced himself to put down roots and actually let other people in. It had started with him, and then his girlfriend, Shay.
From there, he had slowly expanded his circle to include Pavel, and Sulu. Bones and Uhura followed soon after, as had Spock and Scotty.
But when he traced back the moment he realized that even if he didn't have a blood-family, he still had a family, it all came back to Chris. The older man had been a Lieutenant Commander, the first time he had met him, on that hellhole of a planet, but he had quickly moved up the ranks. He was an Admiral now, and doing a hell of a job, Jim thought.
He kept in touch frequently during the Enterprise's travels, offering an ear, or a reprimand, depending on the situation. There wasn't much more he could do than that, considering he wasn't actually the Enterprise's commanding officer. He was too new in the ranks of Admirals to be offered that honor, and that was before getting into the fact that he had a personal relationship with the ship's Captain, and therefore, couldn't be impartial, according to many of the other Admirals.
Jim had to smirk to himself as he thought about the many official and unofficial reproaches Chris had given him over the last year. While it was true that he tended to toe the line a little (or a lot), his methods had shown a certain level of effect. The Enterprise had a record number of successful missions thus far, and their injury rate was pretty low.
And now, the Enterprise was back, docked at Earth for an extended shore leave, to allow for upgrades.
Since it was likely they would be here for a month or more, Jim had ordered everyone off the ship, to go home, or wherever they wanted. He didn't think it was necessary to maintain a full crew rotation on board, since there would be people there all day anyway, working on upgrades. There would be a skeleton crew in place, but only for the most needed areas – namely, Engineering and Navigations, the two departments scheduled for the most upgrades. He himself would have stuck around, but he had already made a few promises to his friends. He did make sure to order Scotty to take a break every now and then, before Sulu dragged him off to the waiting shuttle.
The two were headed to South Africa to catch some waves. Jim had made a promise to go on a surfing trip with his friend years ago, and this was their first opportunity to do so. Sulu wouldn't take no for an answer, and Jim knew it was partly McCoy's doing – the doctor wanted Jim to actually take a break from time to time. It wasn't that Jim necessarily disagreed, but the Enterprise was his ship, and he wanted to make sure she was ready for their next adventure.
Still, though, Jim had to admit that the beaches of South Africa made for a pretty sight.
He and Sulu had been there for a few days, and beyond eating, sleeping, and surfing, they hadn't done much else. It was nice to just be able to relax, without having to think about work.
He and the command crew had made plans to meet up back in San Francisco at the beginning of the next week, giving them all a week to themselves.
McCoy had taken Joanna, now a bubbly six year old, to visit his mother in Georgia. Uhura and Spock had left together, and though they hadn't told Jim where they were headed, Jim was nothing if not thorough. He had found their names on a shuttle manifest headed to the same town where he knew Uhura had grown up. It seemed that Nyota had finally worked up the courage to introduce her boyfriend to her family.
Pavel was headed back to Russia to visit his parents, though Jim had made plans to meet the younger man for the latter part of the week. He hadn't been to Russia since Pavel's graduation from University, years ago. And even that had been just a quick trip. His last real visit had been the first time he had met Pavel, when Jim was fourteen.
So after four days of surfing, Jim said goodbye to the sunny beaches, and hopped a shuttle, promising to see Sulu again at the end of the week.
Sulu had thought about coming along, since he had never been to Russia before, but he only had a week, and who knew when he would get a chance to go surfing in Africa again? San Francisco really couldn't compare to this.
XXX
Jim stepped off the shuttle in St. Petersburg and shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight. He had made plans to meet with Pavel in the city later in the day, which meant he had a few hours to kill.
Pretty perfect, because he knew exactly how he was going to spend his afternoon.
His feet took him along a familiar path, though it had been years since he had walked these streets – his eidetic memory meant that he remembered exactly where his destination lay.
The quaint little café was just as charming as the last time he had been here. There were a few people seated at the tables, eating lunch, but as it was a weekday, there weren't too many customers.
Jim looked around, and saw Sarah busy serving an older couple towards the back of the café. She looked just as warm and friendly as she had when he was fourteen.
The middle-aged woman glanced towards the door, and noticed him standing there. "Welcome," she smiled, greeting him in Russian. "You can take a seat anywhere you like, and I'll be with you in just a moment."
Jim nodded silently, and headed towards an empty table.
It was only a few minutes later when Sarah headed towards him. She gave him a smile. "Good morning, dear. Do you know what you'd like, or should I give you a few minutes?"
Jim bit his lip, standing up hesitantly. "I actually came here to see you and your husband," he admitted.
Sarah frowned, studying him intently. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn't place what it was. "Do I know you?" she finally asked, confused.
Jim smiled softly. "Not well," he replied. "We met about twelve years ago. You let me work for you in return for a meal, and then you gave me a ride to Syuyre."
Sarah's eyes widened, as she remembered the teenaged boy they had helped, so long ago. She had always wondered what had happened to him. "Jim," she whispered, one hand flying to her mouth to cover her gasp of surprise.
Jim shrugged sheepishly. "I'm sorry it took me so long to visit," he said.
Sarah beamed as she grasped him in a tight hug. "Oh, don't worry about that," she chastised him. "I'm sure you've been busy. Captain Kirk."
Jim spluttered as she pulled away, smiling proudly. "How did you…" he finally managed to get the words out.
Sarah shook her head. "You don't realize how famous you are, do you? Even here in Russia, we watched the newsvids. You became quite a household name when you defeated the Narada last year. I had no idea that you were the same boy we helped all those years ago, though! Even now, I thought you looked familiar, but it took me a minute to place you. But we saw your picture all over the news last year!"
Jim didn't know how to respond, so he just shrugged again.
Sarah sighed fondly. "Just wait here a moment, I'll go fetch Anton."
Jim nodded, and Sarah disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing a minute later with her husband in tow.
Anton was not a very expressive person, but he did offer up a handshake for the younger man. Sarah implored him to whip something up for them to eat, before sitting down next to Jim.
Anton obediently went back to the kitchen; he reappeared five minutes later with a tray full of brunch foods, and the trio spent a while catching up. Jim shared some of his travels with the older couple, entertaining them with a watered down version of a few of their more interesting missions. They got a kick out of hearing about some of the strange situations the Enterprise had been in.
It was midafternoon when Jim's comm. chimed. He answered it with an apologetic shrug to Sarah, who had been interrupted by the beeping.
It was Pavel, letting Jim know that he had arrived, and asking where to meet him. Jim gave him the address for the café, and then put his comm. away.
He looked back at his companions, smiling. "That was Pavel, one of my friends. He works on the Enterprise with me."
Sarah smiled. "He is coming here?"
Jim nodded. "He's visiting his parents in Syuyre. We made plans to meet in St. Petersburg."
Anton furrowed his brow. "This is the same boy you were looking for the last time you were here, yes?"
Jim smiled softly, remembering the excitable kid he had first met after Pavel had been separated from his mother. "Yes, it is."
They didn't have time to speak any further, as the door opened once more, and Pavel walked in. He looked around the nearly empty café briefly, before making his way to Jim's table. He smiled brightly as Jim stood up and gave him a quick hug.
"Hey kid, how're the parents?" he asked softly. Pavel's smile tightened minutely, but he nodded an assurance to the man he thought of as an older brother.
Jim winced sympathetically, knowing that things were a bit strained between Pavel and his parents, and had been ever since they had acquiesced and allowed their son to enroll in Starfleet Academy. They hadn't wanted him to risk his life like that, probably an after effect of losing their only daughter on Tarsus. The situation had deteriorated even more after the Narada incident. It made small talk just a little awkward, but Pavel was trying. He didn't want to lose his parents out of stubbornness, and god forbid if something did happen, to him or them, he didn't want their last words to be spoken out of anger.
Understanding the situation, Jim didn't push, and just turned back to the couple still seated at the table. "Sarah, Anton, this is Pavel Chekov, my chief Navigations Officer. Pavel, this is Sarah and Anton. They're the ones who gave me a ride to Syuyre, the first time I met you."
Pavel grinned and shook each of their hands. "Thank you for doing that," he said eagerly. "Because of you I gained an older brother and a great friend, so thank you for making that happen."
Jim pushed down the blush that threatened to appear, and just slung an arm across Pavel's shoulders.
Sarah smiled fondly at the pair. "It was no trouble at all," she assured the younger man. "We were happy to help."
Anton nodded in agreement. "It was our pleasure." He gestured to the table. "Would you care to join us? Jim was telling us about some of your adventures in space." A sly smile crept onto his face. "I am uncertain how much is true. Perhaps a second opinion would come in handy?"
Jim spluttered protests. "I have been nothing but truthful," he objected.
Sarah just patted his cheek fondly. "Of course you have, dear," she placated. Jim relaxed minutely, but then let out a huff of annoyance a moment later, when Sarah turned to Pavel. "But a second opinion couldn't hurt."
Pavel laughed along with Sarah and Anton, at the look of mock-outrage on Jim's face.
Sighing in defeat, Jim just collapsed back into his seat, muttering about mutiny. The others all took a seat as well, and Pavel began describing an incident early on in their journey, one that Jim had really been hoping would not be mentioned – self-preservation, after all, always won out.
The rest of the afternoon and early evening disappeared in a whirlwind of stories and laughter. Anton and Sarah took turns disappearing to deal with the few customers that came in, but it had been a slow day, so there weren't too many.
When it got to be near dinnertime, Anton brought out several platters filled with traditional Russian food. Pavel spent nearly as much time complimenting Sarah and Anton as he did eating; the food was amazing, the best he had ever had, and he wanted them to know. Sarah and Anton were, when he thought about it, the kind of people he wished his parents could be. Even after just one afternoon, he was certain of that. Perhaps it was their warm and friendly attitude, or the way they were eager to hear stories of his and Jim's adventures. His own parents hadn't wanted to hear about any of it, and he couldn't even mention his Captain without his father growing cold and angry. Pavel knew it was because his papa blamed Jim for dragging him to danger among the stars, but that knowledge didn't make it hurt any less.
After they had finished eating, Jim waved off Sarah's insistence that he not worry about paying, and pulled out a credit chip. He shook his head sternly. "Sarah, the last time I was here, I didn't have two credits to my name. Now that I can afford it, I will pay. Don't try to persuade me, you won't win."
Sarah sighed in exasperation, but didn't protest any more, and led Jim to the register, so that she could process the payment.
Pavel watched them go; Anton watched Pavel with a knowing look, which the Navigations Officer noticed when he turned back to finish off the last of his meal. He looked at the older man in confusion. "What is it?" he asked curiously.
Anton shook his head fondly. "It brings me joy to see that Jim has such people in his life who care for him the way you clearly do."
Pavel blushed and ducked his head. "We're friends."
Anton nodded slightly. "Yes. I remember Jim when he first showed up here. Black eye and hunched figure clearly hiding other injuries. He was a quiet boy, polite but definitely hiding something. He has grown up well, with good people surrounding him."
Pavel's blush deepened, but he didn't reply, as Jim and Sarah returned.
The Navigations Officer stood back and watched while Sarah embraced Jim, thanking him for visiting, and making him promise to be safe in his travels. He agreed, embarrassed, and then moved over to say goodbye to Anton, while Sarah headed for Pavel.
The teenager was surprised when she gave him a tight hug with no reservations. "It was so lovely to meet you, dear," she smiled, pulling back and peering up at his shocked expression. "You all take care of each other up there."
Pavel nodded quickly. "We will," he promised.
Sarah nodded firmly, and then gave Jim one last hug, before the two Starfleet officers left the café.
Outside, Jim rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "They're good people," he tried to explain.
Pavel shook his head, cutting the older man off. "I'm glad I got to meet them, they were very nice."
Jim sighed in agreement, and led Pavel over to the hotel he had made a reservation at. Once in the room, he took a seat on one bed, while Pavel hesitantly sat on the other.
Jim pursed his lips as he observed the younger man intently, noting the subtle signs of stress lining the teenager's face. He had a sneaking suspicion that the visit to the parents hadn't gone very well. "Do you want to stay in the area for the rest of the week?" he asked softly, not wanting to push, but happy to leave if Pavel didn't want to stick around.
Pavel took a deep breath and then let it out, before he shook his head sadly. "Not really," he admitted.
Jim knew that Pavel didn't want to talk about it, so he just nodded. "If we wake up early, we can catch a shuttle back to South Africa. Sulu's still there, and you have been wanting to try surfing again, right?"
Pavel gave Jim a bright smile that was only slightly forced as he nodded eagerly. "That sounds like fun."
Jim nodded again. "All right. Get some sleep then, we'll have to wake up in a few hours."
Pavel obediently lay down, while Jim dimmed the lights and the room descended into darkness.
XXX
Sulu was happy to see Jim and Pavel, and didn't ask about the change of plans. He knew that things were strained between Pavel and his parents, and didn't want to pry. The rest of the week passed peacefully, with Pavel putting the skills Jim and Hikaru had taught him to use, with only partial success. He had only really surfed a couple of times, and nothing more than tiny waves – even then, he could only stay up half the time. South Africa was just a little advanced for him, but he did enjoy spending the time with his friends.
The trio returned to San Francisco at the end of the week, giving each other farewells with promises to meet up the next day, before they disappeared to their respective homes. Each one had an apartment on campus, in the officers housing, even though they didn't spend too much time there.
That evening, Jim headed towards a nearby bar, intending to meet Bones for a drink. The doctor had returned earlier that day as well, and Jim wanted to hear about the trip. He knew that Bones' mother still lived in the same house he had grown up in – the same town where he had met Jocelyn, and the same town where Jocelyn still lived, with her new husband. He hoped everything had gone well, and there hadn't been any issues.
Jim was halfway through his first beer when his comm. chimed, informing him that he had a message. Reading it through, Jim sighed. Apparently, Joanna had come down with a bug on the shuttle back to California, and McCoy couldn't make it to the bar that night.
Jim sent back a reply, telling his friend not to worry about it, and that he would come by and see Joanna tomorrow, before he put his comm. away and turned back to his drink, while simultaneously turning his attention to the bar around him. He was now faced with a solitary evening, something he hoped to rectify.
He was still observing the patrons when an attractive blond pushed herself through the crowd, coming to a stop at the bar. "Excuse me," she called out, looking at the bartender, who was currently at the other end of the bar.
Jim had to smile at her British accent, even as he admired her stunning figure.
The bartender did not appear to hear her, so she called out again, and then huffed in annoyance when the man didn't look up.
Jim let out a small chuckle, and the woman turned to face him. "Something amuse you?" she asked smartly, throwing him a glare.
Jim shook his head quickly. "Not at all," he assured her. "I was just going to ask if you wanted some help."
The woman raised an eyebrow, cocking one hip to the side as she leaned against the bar. "You think you can do better?" Jim shrugged, and the woman nodded curtly. "Fine. Sierra Nevada IPA."
Jim inclined his head, and turned towards the bartender, simultaneously holding up a credit chip.
And to the strange woman's gall, the bartender immediately came over and listened to Jim's order, pulling out the bottle of beer along with a frosted glass, setting them down in front of Jim. She protested slightly when Jim handed over his credit chip, paying for the drink.
"I can actually pay for myself," she huffed.
Jim gave her a trademark smirk. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a beautiful lady pay for her own drink?"
The woman gave him a calculating look. "You brought this on yourself," she warned, and then turned back to the bartender. "I'll take a single malt as well, top shelf. Neat."
Jim looked at her in appreciation. "A woman after my own heart," he admired. "I'll have the same," he ordered.
The bartender obediently gave them their requested drinks, and then moved away. The woman seemed nonplussed, as she sat down next to Jim. "Very well, then, you have my attention."
Jim gave her a light smirk. "Who said I was trying to do that?"
The woman studied him intently for a moment, trying to figure this man out. He was buying her drinks – expensive ones too, a top shelf scotch was not cheap – and she was positive he was flirting with her, but it didn't seem like he wanted to just get her into bed. If that were the case, he probably would have at least told her his name by now.
Deciding that if she wanted to steer the conversation forward, she would have to be assertive, she set her glass down and tucked a lock of her short blond hair behind her ear. "I'm Carol," she introduced herself.
Jim smiled, and reached out one hand for her to shake. "Jim," he replied.
Carol turned back to her drink. "So, Jim, what brings you out alone tonight?"
Jim shrugged, taking a sip of his scotch. "I was supposed to be meeting a friend, but his daughter is sick; hence, me alone."
Carol snorted. "Did you just use the word 'hence' in an actual sentence?"
Jim could only shrug again. "I guess. You got a problem with that?" he offered up a smile so that she knew he was joking.
Carol sighed exaggeratedly, shaking her head. "And just when I thought we could get along."
She was only able to hold onto the stoic expression for a few moments before she started laughing. After another moment, Jim joined in.
Once they both calmed down, they started to talk a little further, and Jim learned that Carol was a Science Officer in Starfleet. She had been stationed on a starbase for a while, before coming back to Earth with a request to be reassigned to a starship.
Carol found herself telling Jim all sorts of things about herself without even realizing it. It wasn't until she had described her experiences at the Academy, how she had completed her PhD and enrolled in the Academy less than a month later, how she had been assigned to a starbase, and why she wanted the change, that she realized that she knew next to nothing about Jim. He was very good at maneuvering the conversation around her, without sharing himself.
She set down her second beer – the first plus the scotch both long gone – and observed him intently. "Are you being deliberately coy, or do you honestly refuse to tell me anything about yourself?" she asked archly, catching Jim mid-swig.
Jim swallowed and set his bottle down, before sighing. "It's not you," he assured her. "I just tend not to share much."
Carol nodded, confused. "Well, you know all of this about me, it seems only fair that I learn about you."
Jim sighed and nodded. "You're probably right. Well then, shall we start at the beginning?" He didn't wait for a reply. "I completed the requirements to graduate high school at the age of seven. By the time I was twelve, I had completed two undergraduate degrees." Carol's jaw dropped, but Jim kept going. "I finished my Master's degree when I was twenty, due mostly to the fact that I spent most of those eight years traveling, both on and off planet. I did some consulting for Starfleet, after they caught wind of my thesis. My work, and in particular my thesis at MIT, was the launching point for the warp core that most constellation class starships are using now." Now Carol knew she was staring. Jim smirked, knowing what she was thinking. "I attended the Academy at twenty two, and graduated in three years last year with the rank of Captain. I now Captain Starfleet's flagship, the USS Enterprise."
Carol swallowed harshly. "Captain Kirk," she whispered.
Jim nodded, his expression part serious, part resigned. "I don't like to share all that with people, because it tends to change the way they look at me. We were having a good time, are you going to change now because I just happen to be a superior? Neither of us is on the clock, and if we were, we'd be breaking all kinds of regulations just by being in this bar."
Carol forced herself to close her mouth, before she shook her head firmly. "Not at all, Jim," she assured him. "I'm sorry, it was just a surprise." She looked down at her drink. "I actually know how you feel." Jim made a questioning noise, and Carol turned back to him. "My full name is Carol Wallace Marcus."
She waited a moment for the click, and wasn't disappointed when Jim shifted slightly in his seat. "As in Admiral Marcus?"
Carol nodded, wincing slightly. "My father. I tend to use only my mother's maiden name in my work, so that people won't give treat me differently. Most people wouldn't realize it just by looking at me, so it's pretty easy to stay under the radar."
Jim inclined his head, smiling warmly. "That makes sense."
Carol returned the smile. "So, Jim, are you going to treat me differently?"
Jim paused briefly, just long enough to worry her, before he grinned. "The only thing I'm going to treat you to is another drink."
He motioned for the bartender to bring them each another beer, and Carol laughed weakly. "You keep that up, Mr. Kirk, and I might think you're just aiming to get me drunk."
Jim shrugged. "Whatever works."
Carol shoved him lightly. "I'd be worried if I thought you meant that."
Jim chuckled, nodding in agreement. He would never get a woman drunk just to sleep with them. He liked to think that he didn't need to resort to plays like that.
With the ice officially broken, they both relaxed, and began to open up about other things. Carol shared some stories of her childhood, growing up in England with her mother, and her studies both in school and at the Academy, while Jim shared some stories of his exploits while traveling, and some of the more interesting adventures on the Enterprise. If Carol noticed that none of Jim's stories included his childhood, or his family, she said nothing.
Jim was in the middle of telling Carol about the time he had dropped in on the USS Yorktown and surprised Chris, and then managed to fix the ship so that they could actually leave the planet they had been docked at, when his comm. chimed. With an apologetic shrug, he answered the device. He would have let it go, but it was McCoy calling, and he made it a point to always answer the doctor's calls.
"Hey, Bones, what's up?" he asked. "How's Joanna?"
He could feel McCoy's frustration and worry on the other end. "She's tired and running a small fever. Nothing too bad," he assured, knowing that Jim was very protective of the girl he saw as a niece. "But her throat hurts, and she really wants some ice cream. I know you're probably busy, but would you mind bringing some over when you get a chance?"
Jim immediately replied, "Of course, Bones. I'll be there in half an hour."
He hung up, and looked at Carol apologetically. "I'm sorry, Carol, I have to take care of this."
Carol nodded understandingly. "This is the friend you mentioned was supposed to meet you?"
Jim nodded quickly, already standing up and downing the last of his beer. "His daughter's only six; she caught some sort of bug on the shuttle back here today."
Carol smiled. "Well, you shouldn't deny the young lady whatever she desires. Ice cream always makes everything better."
Jim returned the smile, glad that Carol understood. "It was really nice to meet you, Carol. Maybe we'll see each other around campus?"
Carol nodded, and reached out to take his comm., entering a few numbers quickly. "Here's my comm. number," she said, giving the device back. "Don't be a stranger."
Jim's smile widened, before he headed for the exit, intent on finding the closest corner market to pick up a pint of Rocky Road, Joanna's favorite.
So for a first chapter, there we go! That was totally not even halfway through my outline for chapter one, but things just got away from me. It's probably a little slow to start, but hopefully not too boring.
Please review and let me know what you think!