A/N: Okay, this time I'm borrowing lots of characters (ha ha). Thanks to Spelling and Goldberg for their completely unwitting loan of Roarke, Tattoo and Julie; and a posthumous thanks to Gene Roddenberry for use of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Sulu. (I also made a reference in chapter 6 to a TOS- based novel, "Pawns and Symbols" by Majliss Larson, who uses the characters of Kang and Mara from the TOS episode "Day of the Dove.") I'm only a casual "Trek" fan but I've tried to make something halfway readable out of this, so be warned in case it's not up to the usual "Trek" standard. (smile)

§ § § - December 30, 1981

Leslie found herself drawn more and more into Roarke's mysterious world of fantasy-granting. By now Roarke had put her in charge of choosing which fantasies to grant each weekend, so that she found herself reading fantasy-request letters that covered every inch of the spectrum from the sublime to the ridiculous. Though she had spent nearly all her non-school time since her initial arrival on Fantasy Island watching Roarke go through stacks of letters every week, she had not been assigned to this little job till now because his criteria were fairly complicated. However, Roarke had told her, "Trust your instincts, Leslie. If you feel a fantasy should be granted, then by all means, act accordingly." Under his supervision, she was gradually gaining more confidence in her work for him.

Late one morning during Christmas vacation, Leslie and some of her friends gathered on the generous front porch of the main house and chatted. Eventually the topic turned from the reopening of school to the fact that Lauren's birthday was the first Saturday in February, and she was clearly reluctant to make a big deal out of it. "Maybe this one'll be quiet," Lauren remarked. "I'm not so hot on birthdays anymore."

"What're you, feeling old?" Maureen snorted playfully. "You're turning only 17—that's kind of young to be worrying about how old you are."

"Don't be such a killjoy," Myeko added. "Have a bash and celebrate the occasion! At least you won't have to be in school on your birthday this year."

The girls laughed. "That's true," Lauren admitted. "Maybe that's reason enough to throw a party. So what're you giving me for my birthday?"

"That's supposed to be a secret," Michiko chided with a grin.

At that moment Leslie knew exactly what she could do for Lauren, and grinned to herself. It would need Roarke's approval, but she was pretty sure she could get it. "What's with you, Leslie?" Myeko's voice broke into her reverie.

"Oh, nothing much," Leslie replied airily.

"Oh, horse hockey," Myeko scoffed. She was a cute, bouncy girl of Japanese descent, her straight jet-black hair styled in the Dorothy Hamill wedge cut, and had a very outgoing personality. "I can tell by that smile you're planning something. Don't tell me, you're going to turn Lauren into a toad for her birthday."

They all laughed again. "Not quite," Leslie said. "But if I say anything I might jinx my chances of being able to do this. If you have a party, Lauren, I promise you won't be sorry you did."

"Geez, what'd you do, buy me a car or something?" Lauren asked facetiously.

Leslie grinned. "No, this is even better. But look, if you do throw a party, you better make it on Friday afternoon. That way I can give you your present over the weekend, if it's possible right away."

Lauren nodded finally, clearly too intrigued to resist. "Okay, it's a deal. But this better be good."

When she broached her idea to Roarke, she felt as though the fate of the world hinged on his reply. "Mr. Roarke...I'd like to grant a fantasy for Lauren, for her birthday."

Roarke stared at her in amazement. "Indeed! What sort of fantasy do you propose to fulfill?"

Leslie blushed. "Well, of course, I mean, with your help. I just wanted to do something nice for her on her birthday. It's on February 6, and she's going to have a party the afternoon before, so I'd be able to explain it to her then. She's a big 'Star Trek' fan, Mr. Roarke, and I thought she'd enjoy becoming a part of the 'Trek' universe for a weekend."

"Ah, I see," Roarke replied, his dark eyes warming as he regarded her. "That's a very generous thought, Leslie. But you've been here long enough by now to know that every fantasy contains a certain element of danger. Did you think this through carefully before you came to me with your request, or was it merely a spur-of-the-moment idea?"

Leslie frowned a little, brought up short by this question. "Well," she said at some length, "I was thinking she could be a background character actually. You know...maybe as a, uh, botanist, or an assistant to Dr. McCoy, or something... "

Amusement crept into Roarke's expression. "But that might not be very exciting for her," he said.

"I don't think she'd care," Leslie insisted. "I mean, if she just got to be part of the 'Trek' universe, I think she'd be thrilled to death. It would be a terrific adventure for her."

Roarke cleared his throat. "Lauren is underage," he told her, "and is not requesting this fantasy on her own behalf, so I suggest you speak to her parents and ask their permission for you to send their daughter off into something totally unknown."

"It's not totally unknown," Leslie protested. "She knows all the episodes backwards and forwards."

"You will ask permission, Leslie Susan," Roarke said firmly, in a voice that Leslie had learned brooked no argument whatsoever. "Surely you understand by this time that fantasies have a way of taking on lives of their own, and progressing in directions completely unimagined by their owners. You'll have no control over what happens to Lauren once you send her into that universe. After all, it will be real life while it's happening—not a script that she has probably memorized." Suddenly he smiled then, surprising her completely. "Trust me, child, she would never want that. It would be far too boring."

Leslie laughed. "Well, you've got me there. I guess you're right, Mr. Roarke. Okay, I'll check with Lauren's mom and dad. If they say it's okay, will you help me do it?"

"Very well," Roarke agreed finally. "As long as you have the McCormicks' permission, I will help you."

§ § §

Getting Lauren's parents' permission was a project in itself. Leslie had to wait for an evening when she knew Lauren would be out babysitting before she called Lauren's parents and explained what she wanted to do for her friend's birthday. At first the McCormicks were startled and skeptical, but when they realized that Roarke would be supervising the whole thing and that it was a gift Leslie wanted to give Lauren, they finally gave their consent. Roarke told Leslie it had to be written permission; he never granted any fantasy without some kind of written confirmation. For most fantasizers, this consisted of the request letters they wrote to Roarke. In this case, Roarke had a simple document drawn up, and Leslie took it over herself so the McCormicks could sign it.

With that detail taken care of, Roarke put Leslie onto doing research for the fantasy. Mostly this consisted of watching "Star Trek" reruns, which Leslie had never seen before. It didn't take her long to get to know the main characters in the TV series, and by the time school started again she felt acquainted enough with the program to talk with Lauren about it a bit.

That puzzled her other friends. Camille put it most bluntly: "Leslie, for crying out loud, what're you encouraging her for? Give my cousin the least little chance and she'll talk about 'Star Trek' till you want to go back in time and murder Gene Roddenberry before he ever thought the thing up."

"Oh, stop it, Camille," said Michiko, the most good-natured of all the girls and often the peacemaker. "I'm sure Lauren's thrilled someone's showing some interest in her favorite show. None of the rest of us ever wants to talk about it, so let her enjoy Leslie's curiosity."

"But why is she curious in the first place?" Maureen asked. "That's the real question here."

"Yeah, Leslie," Myeko said, "what's the deal?"

Leslie glanced at her friends, wishing she had Roarke's smooth ability to evade such probing questions. "I really can't talk about it," she finally said lamely, knowing they wouldn't buy it.

"Oh, pul-eeeeeeze," Camille groaned. "What is it, classified info or something? Give me a break!"

"Enough is enough," Michiko broke in, clearly seeing Leslie's discomfort. "Leave her alone. You know she helps Mr. Roarke with the fantasies sometimes—maybe that's what it's all about. Everyone on the island knows Mr. Roarke never talks about other people's private business. So stop trying to put Leslie on the spot, Camille, all right?" She frowned, an unusual thing for such a gentle girl. Leslie was grateful; Michiko had been the first girl in school to make friendly overtures, and Leslie had grown to think of Michiko as a dear friend. Michiko was the most even-tempered person she'd ever known, and it was difficult to get her angry; but Camille, with her unconsciously abrasive personality, succeeded in irking Michiko surprisingly often.

Camille snorted. "So you think Mr. Roarke's gonna grant somebody's 'Star Trek' fantasy, huh?" She rolled her eyes, wordlessly expressing her opinion of that idea.

If you only knew, Leslie thought. She sometimes wondered why she hung out with Camille. The other girl could be nice when she worked at it, but too often she didn't. Leslie wished it were somehow possible to speed up time so that Lauren's birthday would come sooner; it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her secret.