A/N:Lots of intricate ties in this one. It's also the prelude to a new, separate story. Thanks as always to all readers and reviewers, especially the faithful regulars!


§ § § -- October 15, 2004

"Ach,herregud, I don't believe it!" Christian exclaimed unexpectedly from his computer in the library. "I never thought it would happen, but it did!"

"What did?" asked Leslie, poking her head around the doorway. "Can you hurry, my love? The babies need baths."

"Oh, I'll be right there—but wait till you hear this," Christian said. "Anna-Laura e-mailed me and told me that Gregory Nordeman flew all the way out to Lilla Jordsö just to take her to dinner and propose to her. And what's even more astounding, she accepted!"

Leslie shook her head hard once and came fully into the room, half running, to get a look at the message he was eyeing. It was in jordiska, but she recognized enough of the words to see that Christian was right. "What is it she says about Fantasy Island?" she asked, seeing the name farther down in the text.

"Oh." Christian turned and read aloud, translating as he went. "She says, 'I am still a little stunned that I told Gregory yes, but he's actually grown mellow as he and I have gotten to know each other. But I wasn't going to let him dictate the entire procedure, and I told him I would marry him only if he agreed to have the wedding on Fantasy Island, as you and Leslie did. We'll have enough press generated by the event, and I want us to have a quiet wedding and maybe a short honeymoon if we're lucky.' It seems not everyone in the family will be coming. Gerhard and Liselotta will have to stay behind because of Gerhard's job, and Margareta is out of the country already on a charity trip. But Roald and Rudolf will be coming along with Anna-Laura, and so are Carl Johan, Amalia and even Gabriella."

"Oh boy," Leslie said. "We'll have to tell Father—he'll want to make sure the best possible accommodations are set aside for them."

"Not so fast, my Rose," Christian said, chuckling and rising from the chair. "Carl Johan says he and Amalia want to stay with us."

Leslie grinned slyly. "In that case, we can draft them to help us with the triplets as long as they're taking up space in our house." Christian let out a loud laugh and followed her to the triplets' room to get the babies for bathing.

§ § § -- October 30, 2004

Despite the mad wedding preparations and the presence of a queen on the island, business went on as usual; and this Saturday, the last weekend before Anna-Laura and Gregory Nordeman were to be married, was no exception. Roarke introduced a young man whose fantasy had always been to compete in the Olympics; then he smiled at the sight of two young women stepping out of the plane's hatch. "Excellent," he said, "they were able to come after all. Miss Emily Campbell, the light-blonde woman, and a close friend of hers, Louisa Karlsen." Emily Campbell was a little taller than Louisa Karlsen, only partly because Emily was wearing heels; she looked much prettier as well. Her pale hair was cut in gently waving layers and framed her somewhat long face in a way that flattered it perfectly. She wore a stylish dress and carried a matching purse. Louisa Karlsen, on the other hand, had hair of some dark-blonde hue, pulled severely back from her own round face and confined to a bun atop her head; she wore a plain white blouse and a navy-blue skirt with heavy-looking penny loafers. "They both come from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and each of the ladies has an individual fantasy."

"Two for the price of one?" Leslie said jokingly. "Do they tie in with each other?"

"Not at all," Roarke said. "Miss Campbell learned very recently that she is not her parents' biological child. She was raised in Scotland, and when she was seven her mother died. Her father claimed to be unable to take care of her, so she was sent to relatives of his in the Shetland Islands, where she grew up. However, events came to pass that brought the truth to light, and now she wishes to know who she truly is." He paused for a moment before adding, "The answer will undoubtedly shock more than one person."

"Wow," mumbled Leslie. "And the other?"

"Louisa Karlsen is the youngest sister of actress Toni Karlsen," Roarke explained. "She was born in Los Angeles, but in her teens her mother and stepfather moved to their native Minnesota, where she completed her compulsory schooling. She is a very bright young lady; she was valedictorian of her high-school class, and was one of the top ten graduates of her college class. However, in Miss Karlsen's words, she has 'no social life', and she feels as though her sisters have all outshone her. She feels overlooked, lost in the shuffle, and would like to find some way in which to distinguish herself."

"Well, now, there's a challenge for us," Leslie said. "I think I might talk to her a little bit. I remember meeting Toni Karlsen years ago, when Errico had his enormous gala to announce his engagement to Michiko. I can see the resemblance between them."

"Indeed," Roarke said, "but as you surely know, appearances are too often deceiving." With that, he turned to the native girl who paused nearby with a tray, lifted the champagne flute from it and toasted the new arrivals as he had always done. "My dear guests! I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island!"

Leslie watched while Emily Campbell cheerfully raised her drink and drank a healthy draft from it. Louisa Karlsen peered dubiously into her glass, took an experimental sip and screwed up her face in revulsion, making Emily Campbell burst into laughter. Leslie grinned as well, amused; the little vignette told her a great deal about the two friends. Emily Campbell clearly had high expectations and great optimism for her fantasy, but Louisa Karlsen was harder to read. Leslie looked forward to hearing their stories.

‡ ‡ ‡

When Emily and Louisa arrived at the main house, Leslie was in the middle of changing Susanna's diaper while Tobias and Karina made a few attempts to inch across the Persian carpet. At nearly five months old, the triplets were all beginning to show signs of wanting to explore more of their world, and while they couldn't actually crawl yet, they did roll over, and did it often. Leslie thought Tobias might be about to sprout a first tooth, but at the moment it hadn't appeared. All three were fairly gregarious, which made them an instant hit with guests and vacationers who saw them.

Emily Campbell and Louisa Karlsen were no exception. "Och, look, what adorable bairns!" Emily exclaimed delightedly in a charming Scottish burr. "Hello, wee honeypots!"

Leslie giggled as Emily squatted down to tickle Tobias under the chin. "There's a new one. That's Tobias—look out, I think he might be teething, because he keeps grabbing fingers and gnawing on them."

Louisa Karlsen was smiling too, but she remained standing, gazing down at Tobias and Karina, both of whom stared wide-eyed up at her. "They're sweet," she offered, lifting one hand and waggling her fingers at Karina. Karina broke into a huge smile and laughed aloud, eliciting a look of startled delight from Louisa. "I think she likes me!"

"I'd say so," Leslie agreed, grinning and securing Susanna's diaper. "Father'll be back in a minute or so, he had a quick errand to run. Don't let him chew on you, Miss Campbell." Tobias had grabbed Emily's thumb and was mouthing it energetically.

"Och, call me Emily, will ye? Or better than that, just Emmy. I always hated my name." Emmy's grin stretched from ear to ear as she gazed at Tobias chowing down on her thumb. "Seems he likes the taste o'me."

Louisa giggled softly and drifted over to watch Leslie pulling Susanna's sleeper back on. "How old are they? They're two girls and a boy, right?"

"Yep. They'll be five months old on Tuesday. Tobias has your friend captive there; this is Susanna, and Karina's sitting there watching you. Susanna and Karina are actually identical twins, so we have to be careful not to dress them alike for Christian's sake."

"Oh yeah…Prince Christian, your husband," Louisa said, looking alarmed. "Gosh, and I forgot to curtsy. I'm not even sure I know how."

"Don't bother," Leslie said, flapping a dismissive hand. "The only place we 'go royal' is Lilla Jordsö. Here on Fantasy Island, we're just regular folks—makes life easier for us and the people we deal with every day. Okay, Susanna, sweetie, you're all set! See the lady there looking at you? Smile for her?" She perched Susanna on her lap facing out and gently tickled the baby's tummy; Susanna squirmed a bit but otherwise just sat and stared at Louisa.

Roarke came in then and chuckled at the tableau before him. "I see the triplets have made more new friends," he remarked warmly, coming into the study and detouring long enough to pick up Karina when she squealed happily at him. He gently shook her hand and talked to her a little in Spanish before bringing her back behind the desk with him.

Emmy looked over at Leslie. "Can I pick him up, Your Highness?"

"Please, just call me Leslie, or even Mrs. Enstad," Leslie said, visibly cringing at the honorific. She caught her father's amused gaze and said, "Honestly, I'll never get used to that. Christian laughs at me every time I react."

Roarke chuckled and sat down with Karina in his lap; the baby immediately reached for the pen that lay on his desk, and he moved it out of her range, handing her a rattle that lay nearby instead. "They seem very lively this morning."

"They are," Leslie sighed and turned to Emmy. "Sure, pick him up and bring him on over. He'll chew on your thumb as long as you let him." She brought Susanna with her and pulled the computer chair behind Roarke's desk so she could sit with Susanna in her lap; Emmy toted Tobias over and settled into a chair. Tobias barely seemed to notice, trying to push her thumb farther into his mouth. Louisa giggled at the sight, taking the other chair.

"Well," Roarke said, "perhaps you ladies would like to tell me more about your fantasies. Miss Campbell, you seem especially eager for yours."

"Oh aye, Mr. Roarke, that I am," Emmy said, nodding vigorously. She seemed to have forgotten that Tobias was doing his utmost to gum her hand into submission. "Ma old auntie turned ma life upside doon recently. Y'see, Mr. Roarke, ma mum died when I was but a bairn, only seven years old. I still remember her a wee bit. She was verra protective o' me, barely let me out o' her sight long enough ta play wi' ma friends. Always seemed guilty over somethin', I recall noo. When she died, ma father decided he didn't want me aroon' an' shipped me away ta his grandmum and her two unmarried sisters in the Shetlands. An' that's where I grew up, y'see, never knowin' a thin' was wrong. But ma great-auntie died only two weeks ago, an' I got word from ma grandmum that Auntie wanted ta see me afore she went. Sae I made the trip back from Minneapolis—I work there, y'see. An' that's when Auntie told me the family secret. I wasna even a Campbell, and ma mum an' dad weren't ma mum an' dad after all."

"I see," Roarke said, frowning slightly. Karina had dropped the rattle and was playing with the silver chain around his right wrist, but he didn't seem to notice. "Did she tell you anything more than that? Did she know how her sister's son…acquired you, for lack of a better word?"

"She wasna sure," Emmy said, looking pensive for the first time. She peered down at Tobias and gently rubbed his stomach. "She said ma mum was never able ta have bairns, an' it was her greatest wish ta be a mum. When ma father heard that, she said, he went away somewhere for about three months, an' he came back wi' me."

Roarke and Leslie looked at each other. "How old were you at the time, do you know, Miss Campbell?" Roarke asked.

Emmy considered it. "They dinna know exactly, said I was aboot a year old, but had no clear idea of ma actual birthdate. Grandmum was born aboot the same time o' year, sae we decided ma birthday would be the same as hers, an' we've always celebrated it that way."

Leslie mused, "It sounds to me like a black-market adoption."

"Indeed," Roarke agreed. "Was it ever formalized?"

"Auntie said no, I wasna legally Mum an' Dad's bairn," Emmy said. "She told me I must find ma real parents, an' told me the best place ta do that was here."

Leslie grinned. "You have a reputation, Father."

"So it would appear," Roarke remarked dryly. He noticed Karina, chuckled slightly and freed his silver chain from her hands, turning her over to Leslie. Then he studied Emmy Campbell for a few seconds before asking, "What is your birthdate as you know it, Miss Campbell?"

"They tell me the eighteenth o' December, nineteen seventy-seven, Mr. Roarke," said Emmy. "Grandmum's birthday was th' eighteenth, anyway."

Roarke considered that. "So you are nearly twenty-seven, then?" Emmy nodded, and he settled back in his chair. "It's extremely difficult to trace black-market adoptions. Those markets are often supplied by women who wish to have nothing to do with their babies, and usually are poor and in desperate need of money. Such women are not above selling their children. Are you aware, Miss Campbell, of any disputes over money in your family? Perhaps the man who claimed to be your father took a large sum of money with him at the time he departed the country."

"Nothin' like that, as I recall," Emmy mumbled, her eyes and voice faraway. She squinted and frowned, obviously dredging her memory. "When I was a wee one, they'd fight sometimes. Ma dad would say he'd got me just for her an' she should be grateful. Ma mum would say it wasna right ta take another woman's bairn away…"

"She's told me this story before," Louisa Karlsen spoke up then, shyly. "I think she was kidnapped. I mean, that's what it sounds like to me."

Leslie, reminded of the recent episode with the Komainens, shook off the thoughts and looked at Roarke. "It's a possibility at least," she ventured.

"Yes," Roarke mused. "Miss Campbell, did your great-aunt know anything about your father's journey—especially his destination?"

Emmy shrugged helplessly. "She said the story he told was that he was travelin' ta London on business. When he came back he had me wi' him."

"Then we will research British kidnappings during the late 1970s," Roarke said, "and if we find anything we will notify you. However, I would also ask for one other thing. There is a DNA lab on the island. If we can get a sample, it may assist in identifying you."

"I'd be glad ta do it, Mr. Roarke," Emmy said. "Ennathin' ta find out who I really am. The not knowin' keeps me awake nights noo, an' it hurts."

Roarke smiled sympathetically and said, "I understand. We have a driver out front who will take you to the hospital—the DNA lab is located near there. After that, you may avail yourself of any of our amenities, and try to relax and enjoy yourself."

Emmy nodded. "Noo that, I can do. Och, Mrs. Enstad, I hate ta spoil the bairn's fun, but I'm afraid I need ma thumb back." They all laughed, and Leslie got up to put the girls on the floor before she lifted Tobias out of Emmy's lap. Roarke handed Emmy a tissue, and the young Scotswoman thanked him and Leslie, waved goodbye to the babies and left.

"I think these imps have had enough stimulation for a morning," Leslie said with a grin, patting Tobias' back in an attempt to stop his indignant wailing at losing his human chew toy. "Let me put them up for their naps, and then I'll be back down for the other half of the story. Here, sweetie, how about you chew on your own thumb, okay? I know, I know, that lady's thumb tasted pretty good, huh…and she was very nice to let you use it. Yes, there you go…good boy, Tobias…that thumb tastes just as good, doesn't it?" She headed up the stairs with her son, and Louisa Karlsen snickered softly, watching them go.

"Were the babies born here, Mr. Roarke?" she asked, peering shyly at him.

"Yes, they were," Roarke said, "amid a good bit of fanfare. They've created quite the sensation in their father's native country as well, and in fact they themselves were the targets of kidnappers only a few weeks ago. Fortunately, we caught the criminals and deported them back to their native country." Roarke had kept discreet track of what had happened after the Komainens had been banished from the island, per his own decree. Word had filtered back that the Lilla Jordsö authorities had turned over the punishment decisions to Finland, as their regular procedure would have been deportation anyway. The Finnish army had immediately handed Antti Komainen a dishonorable discharge; Liisa Komainen had been summarily fired from the Tampere hospital where she had worked, and both were standing trial. Niilo was being tested to see whether he was mentally capable of undergoing trial, though Roarke suspected the young man was likely to be committed, like his mother before him. All had been banned from Fantasy Island for life.

Leslie came back down and gathered up Susanna, while Roarke arose and lifted Karina, excusing himself to help Leslie put the girls down. They came down a few minutes later, and Leslie replaced the computer chair, taking the one Emmy Campbell had vacated, while Roarke resumed his place behind the desk. By then their guest was fidgeting. "Are you all right, Miss Karlsen?" Roarke asked.

The young woman's head shot up; her face turned red and she nodded. "I'm starting to think maybe I shouldn't be doing this," she mumbled. "Emmy's fantasy's a lot more important than mine is."

"Every fantasy is important to the person who has it," Roarke said gently, "and thus it is important to me as well. Why don't you tell us about yours, Miss Karlsen?"

"Well…I guess you know who I am, or at least you know who my sister is. Toni Karlsen, the Oscar-winning actress." These words came out with a slight sneer, and Leslie's eyes widened a little. As if in response, Louisa's face reddened again. "I guess I shouldn't've said it like that, exactly. I mean…I'm really proud of Toni. She was fourteen when I was born, and we're the farthest apart in age, but I'm closest to her out of all my sisters. And it was the biggest thrill in the world when she won the Oscar for her movieVisitations."

"It was a great movie," Leslie agreed, "and I think she's a very talented actress. I met her about thirteen years ago—she and I are the same age—and we had a nice chat. She even remembered to come back to the main house the next day, before she had to leave, and sign my autograph book. Your sister's a neat lady, Miss Karlsen."

"Please call me Louisa," the girl said, and Leslie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Toni's a wonderful sister, and don't get me wrong, I love her to death. But she's always so busy all the time, I don't get to really talk to her that much, and I see her even less often. And anyway, I don't really think she'd understand." Louisa shifted in her chair and said pleadingly, "See, I don't measure up to my sisters at all! There's no way I could ever match Toni's success, and my sister Jackie is founder and president of Toni's official fan club, so she has an exciting life too. She's always going with Toni to movie premieres and parties and stuff, so she can report everything in the fan-club newsletter. And then there's my sister Kristen. She's the chief meteorologist on the highest-rated morning TV news program in the Twin Cities. Every time people hear my name, they tell me they always watch Kristen Karlsen's forecast. She's only three years older than I am, but she already owns her own house and she can do what she wants…she has four dogs and six parakeets! She's single too, but she loves it that way. Says she gets to meet all the hottest guys and not worry about some jealous boyfriend chewing her out about it." Leslie laughed; Roarke smiled and once more settled back in his chair. "So they're all successful and glamorous…and me, I'm just the family mouse."

"What do you do for a living, Miss Karlsen?" Roarke asked.

Louisa hunched her shoulders. "I'm an executive secretary for an international charity based in New York City, with branches in ten major cities in the states and another twenty cities around Europe. And that's all."

"That's not exactly working as a cashier for minimum wage," Leslie remarked.

"No," Louisa said with a sigh, "but it's not glamorous. I never get to travel, and I don't make enough money to buy a house. I was renting an apartment in Minneapolis till I got my two cats, and then my landlord told me either the cats went or I did. I was so mad. I love animals and I really wanted to have cats, so I wouldn't come home to an empty house every night and have to sit around watching stupid reality shows just for some noise." She grinned sheepishly. "My cats are both Siamese, and you know Siamese—they sing."

"No wonder your landlord found out," Leslie said teasingly.

Louisa giggled shyly. "Yeah…well, anyway, I had to move back in with my mother and stepfather. They say my cats scream instead of sing. And I admit, Chocolate and Cinnamon seem to think they're the feline versions of Beverly Sills and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, but I like to think of it as having them talk to me." Roarke and Leslie laughed again, and Louisa seemed to relax slightly. "But see, that's my entire life. I don't do anything half as exciting as any of my sisters."

"Does your sister the weather forecaster ever invite you to any of the places she goes?" Leslie asked curiously.

"No, we have different friends, and a lot of hers are snobs. She did try to set me up with some guy at the TV station where she works, but we had practically nothing in common, and later Kristen told me I blew it because word got back to her that he thought I was boring and plain." She hung her head and interlaced her fingers in her lap. "He was right, but I don't know what to do about it." She looked up again, giving Leslie a stare that seemed to beg for understanding. "I'm a brain, to put it bluntly. Always was. I always got straight A's in every subject I took, and I had a 3.9 GPA in college too. But you know what happens to brainy kids? They have no social life. For some reason, high-school kids think stupid is cool, and college kids aren't a lot better. I never had a date till Kristen set me up with that guy—and I haven't had one since. I'm a washout. I didn't have any friends, male or female. I spent the summer after college graduation visiting Toni in Hawaii where she lives now, then I got my job, and that's where I met Emmy. She's the first and only friend I've ever had. Isn't that the pits?"

"My son-in-law tells me there is a saying in his homeland," Roarke observed, "which states that it is better to have one good friend than one hundred acquaintances."

Louisa considered that, then mumbled, "Well, I guess that makes sense…but it's kind of hard to see the truth in it when you've never really had any of either."

Roarke smiled and Leslie chuckled. "Well," Leslie said, "in that case, let's see if we can summarize. You're very intelligent, and it cost you the opportunity to have friends, so you feel underdeveloped socially. And you're hoping to do something that will make you feel as accomplished and glamorous as your older sisters."

"Yes, exactly!" Louisa said, brightening.

"What are your interests, Miss Karlsen?" Roarke asked.

That seemed to bring her up short; she looked at Roarke with perplexity. "Interests? You mean like what kind of music and movies I like, or TV shows, stuff like that?"

"No, not entertainment tastes, exactly. Are there certain fields that interest you? Do you have hobbies? Do you collect anything?" Roarke clarified.

"Oh, stuff like that," Louisa said, blinking. "Well, I like cats…and oh yeah, I absolutely love languages. It wasn't really necessary to the degree I got, but I took every foreign-language course my college offered. I was lucky actually. I went to a place that offered Swedish as well as the usual stuff like French and German and Spanish. I took all those, and I took Latin and Russian too. If it was a foreign language, I took the class."

Leslie uttered, "Wow. How fluent are you?"

"The Swedish and German stuck with me better than the other ones did," Louisa admitted. "Maybe that's because I'm Norwegian on my dad's side and part Swedish on my mother's. Swedish is closer to English than German is, so my Swedish is pretty decent. I try to practice it as much as I can. When I got my job, I thought my knowledge of languages might help, that maybe I could get to travel and see places, you know? But that never happened. I just go to work, do the same old boring drudge job, and go home again. And not only that…I suppose I could be a little less, well, dowdy."

"Well," Roarke said, "perhaps then we can help you. Leslie will take you into town and help you with whatever aspects of your appearance you wish to change; and then we might discuss the other part of your fantasy. Will that be satisfactory?"

"Sounds like a lot of fun, Mr. Roarke," Louisa said, peering shyly at him. "Thanks for not making fun of my fantasy."

Roarke smiled. "As I said, every fantasy is important to its bearer, and therefore to me. I'll put you in Leslie's capable hands now, and I wish you good luck."