§ § § -- May 10, 1997: Fantasy Island

"Aw, come on, cousin-in-law, don't be such a downer," Camille coaxed, poking Brian in the arm. Drew Rainsford had decided to hit the casino after their fishing trip; Brian, not a gambler, had instead gone for a walk along the waterfront near the marina and had happened upon his wife's cousin, out for a walk with her son David and his infant brother Craig, a little more than two months old. She had invited him to have lunch with her, Jimmy and the boys at the hotel, and he had reluctantly agreed, figuring it was as good a way as any to get his mind off Lauren.

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Come on, Camille, let him be," he said. "I don't blame him for mooning over Lauren. If it were you, I'd be doing it too."

"Well…" Camille had to smile at that. "Seeing as you put it that way, then…" She sat back. "But cripes, Brian, you're gonna waste your whole weekend, after Mr. Roarke gave you the time off because of Lauren's fantasy."

"What's the difference?" Brian said dispiritedly. "It's no good without Lauren around. I have no clue what to do with myself. I might as well be working."

Camille and Jimmy looked at each other. Then Camille's eyes grew wide for a moment and she leaned across the table. "Hey, Brian, maybe if you asked Mr. Roarke, he might let you see Lauren for a little bit. Either he or Leslie almost always goes in to check up on a fantasy at least once during the weekend. If you go ask, whichever one does the checking might let you go with them."

Brian stared at her. "Are you for real? Have they ever done that before?"

Camille started to answer, then hesitated. "I don't actually know, now that I think about it. Leslie never mentioned it. But hey, it couldn't hurt to ask, right?"

"Wouldn't that be kind of like altering a fantasy?" Jimmy asked.

"How could it?" Camille wanted to know. "It's not like he'd be going in to join Lauren and her friend or anything. He'd be just visiting, like Mr. Roarke or Leslie. When they left, he'd leave with them."

"I don't think I could do that," Brian said. "Don't get me wrong, you guys, because it's tempting as hell. But if I went in, I doubt I could come back till Lauren did."

"Well, Mr. Roarke wouldn't allow that," Camille said with certainty. "Okay, maybe it was a crummy idea after all. I was just trying to help. You know, this is what happens when you get involved with a Star Trek freak, I'll tell you that right now. You take a back seat to the thing whenever it comes on, or whenever there's a convention, or one of the movies comes out. Does my cousin still have her three bookcases full of every Trek book ever written and the tapes of all the movies and stuff?"

"Yeah, she keeps them in the spare bedroom," Brian admitted, and Camille grinned and rolled her eyes. "Up till now I didn't care that she was so obsessed. In fact I thought it was kind of cute. Now I'm not so sure about that."

"After she gets back from this one, she might be happy to stick with just the books and the other things," Jimmy remarked humorously. "Look, let me put it this way, Brian. Do you think Mr. Roarke's competent?"

Brian stared at him. "I should hope so."

Jimmy and Camille looked at each other again, and in so doing Jimmy noticed someone approaching. It turned out to be Leslie, and he stood up. "Nice to see you."

"Hi, Jimmy, Camille. How's it going, David? Getting along with your brother?" Leslie teased David, now almost seven.

"Yeah, he's not so bad, I guess. At least he was a boy, instead of a dumb girl like my mom wanted," David said.

"Oh, geez," Camille muttered and rolled her eyes again. "My son, the misogynist. So what brings you out here, Leslie?"

"Just making rounds," Leslie said. "Hi, Brian…how're you doing?"

"Not so great," Brian said. "I've still got the willies about Lauren."

"Aha," said Leslie and pulled a chair over from another table to sit down. "So you still think something terrible's going to happen to her, huh?"

Brian reddened a bit. "Maybe not that so much, but…" He shrugged under Leslie's good-humored gaze. "Well, okay, yeah."

"I just asked him if he thinks Mr. Roarke's competent," Jimmy said.

"I do!" Brian protested. "He granted my mother's fantasy eighteen years ago and my sister's almost three years ago, and now he's granting my wife's. But there's a difference here. My mother's and sister's fantasies weren't dangerous."

Leslie stared at him. "What do you think is dangerous about Lauren's fantasy as opposed to your mother's and sister's?"

"For one thing, she's traveling in time, and for another, she has to deal with people who have phasers. She could get stuck in the future if some glitch comes up, or worse, some trigger-happy Klingon could vaporize her."

"Your mother's fantasy took not only her but your whole family back in time," Leslie reminded him. "And then your sister had to deal with her abusive ex-husband, who could have killed her if he'd felt like it. Now what were you saying about their nice safe fantasies?"

Brian glowered at her, making Jimmy and Camille burst out laughing. "Oh, for cripe's sake, knock it off, you two. All right, all right…I get the point, Leslie. But that's not gonna stop me worrying about Lauren."

Leslie raised her eyebrows at him and propped her chin onto her fist. "Gosh, Brian, I just can't believe how much faith you're demonstrating in me and Father, not to mention Lauren." Camille broke into fresh laughter, and Jimmy grinned broadly. Brian threw his hands into the air.

"Worrywart," Jimmy said and punched him in the arm.

"Well put," Leslie said, grinning herself then. "Okay, so you're going to worry, but you don't have to be obsessive about it. We're going to do a routine check on hers and Kylie's fantasy a little later on anyway, and if you absolutely can't sleep till you find out how your wife's doing, then I can call you at your house afterward and give you a progress report. Just try not to lose your grip on sanity while you're waiting, okay?"

At last Brian cracked a reluctant grin. "All right, I guess I can manage that. I don't mean to be so overprotective, but I love Lauren like hell, and I don't want anything going so wrong here that she's in really serious danger, y'know?"

Leslie nodded. "I understand completely. This is going to sound like the corniest thing you ever heard, but love sometimes means you have to stand back and let 'em do their thing and get it out of their system."

"Guess so," Brian said with a resigned sigh. "Thanks, Leslie."

"Anytime." Leslie got up and grinned at them. "See you around, guys."

"She's a good egg," Jimmy commented. "Say, Brian, we're planning on hitting the luau tonight. You want to get Lauren's friend's husband and come with us?"

"Why not," Brian agreed. "Then I can corner Roarke and find out what happened when he looked in on Lauren." Camille groaned, and Jimmy chuckled, shaking his head.

§ § § -- sometime in 2297

The dirty sunlight slanted low over the city, outlining buildings in burnt-orange light and illuminating countless particles of smoggy filth in the air. Lauren, disgusted, yanked the curtains across the window and mentally cursed herself, at least for the fifteenth time, for having walked into this rapidly-souring fantasy. It had been more than three hours since Inriya had left to speak to Arzi. Lauren was getting hungry, but she was too anxious and annoyed with herself to devote much thought to food.

Then the door opened and Kylie walked in. "Hey, nice room you got here. Mind if I have a seat in that posh-looking chair over there?"

Lauren whipped around and sagged with relief. "They let you out! Did someone bring you up here? Did they tell you what happened?"

Kylie grinned. "Some green-haired slab of muscles came down and told me I was being released, due to the great generosity of the Supreme Ruler. Wouldn't've expected Arzi to have such a complete change of heart. You know anything about it?"

"Inriya must have convinced her," Lauren said. "Sit down and let me tell you a story." She spent the next fifteen minutes regaling Kylie with Inriya's revelations about Arzi, and when she finished Kylie began to nod.

"So. We're dealing with Romulans, Arzi's taking after her old slaver, and Inriya feels obligated to her on account of swapping blood oaths." Kylie thought about it for a few minutes before focusing on Lauren. "This Mei'hna whatever-her-name-is…you say she can see both sides of the issue?"

"Much to the chagrin of her aide," Lauren said, nodding. "It strikes me that Mei'hna's heart isn't really in this. I checked a map on that computer over there, and this system's hundreds of light-years from Romulan space. Do they want it that badly?"

"That's what I call overextending yourself," Kylie observed, mulling this over. "The only thing I can think of is that they need another agricultural planet, and they haven't got any suitable ones in their own space. Trouble with that is, there's a small population on Clanim II that has to feed a huge population on Clanim I. It's not as if they'd be taking over a major Federation food source. The Clanimids can just barely feed themselves, as far as I can make out." She looked up. "My feeling here is, the Romulans are after this place just to spite the Federation."

Lauren laughed. "That's some pretty ambitious spite. I don't know exactly how friendly Mei'hna is, or I'd ask her what the real story is. She mentioned studying other cultures. Romulans are notorious for their xenophobia, and it's hard to believe we've come across one who turns out to be a big exception."

"Quit checking the proverbial gift horse's teeth," Kylie suggested in a very friendly tone. "If we can make a case for the Federation stepping in here, then we might not have too much trouble getting the Romulans to back down. Anyway, you said one of the guys has the hots for Inriya."

"Probably artificially-induced hots," Lauren said, "thanks to her pheromones. But I can't see that that'd have any effect on the negotiations. I've started to think that Mei'hna has ulterior motives—something entirely different from her stated purpose."

"Think we could have a chat with her and find out?" asked Kylie.

"With her security guards and that aide?" Lauren retorted. "The aide in particular bugs me. She doesn't trust anyone, and I think that includes Mei'hna." She shrugged and began to pace the floor. "What it boils down to is, who can do what for the Clanimids? We already have a medteam working on the disease problem, and it's up to us to handle the riot part and the food embargo. We have a definite presence here. What're the Romulans doing to help the Clanimids? That's the trick question."

"So do we ask it immediately, or let the Romulans talk themselves hoarse first and then move in for the kill?" inquired Kylie, settling herself comfortably in her chair.

"If we ask it right away, our fantasy might end," Lauren said.

Kylie sat up and stared at her. "Is that good or bad?"

"I hate to say this, but I really have no idea," Lauren admitted, sighing. "Kind of a moot point at the moment anyway, since it's up to Arzi to reconvene the negotiations, and she seems to be happy letting us cool our collective heels for the rest of the day. I just hope she at least has the decency to feed us."

‡ ‡ ‡

Arzi did in fact have the decency to feed not only the ambassadorial parties, but the medical team as well. The appearance of Christine and T'Rala for a lavish dinner visibly surprised the Romulans, who began to mutter frenetically amongst one another in their own language. "I see we're already one up on the Rihannsu," Kylie noted to Lauren.

"That answers one of my questions," Lauren agreed. "Let's see if Arzi decides to take advantage of having everyone here at one time."

As it happened, Arzi waited till the meal was well under way before clearing her throat from her elevated chair at the head of the table and pinning T'Rala with an imperious glare. T'Rala returned her gaze, completely composed. "So, my Vulcan acquaintance from long ago…I have it on shaky authority that Ambassador Garrison was resurrected from death by phaser due to the great generosity of the Vulcans, who administered fal-tor-pan. It's a well-known adage that Vulcans cannot lie. So tell me, T'Rala, is it true?"

Lauren and Kylie both sat absolutely still; Inriya looked away with embarrassment. T'Rala regarded Arzi curiously, glanced at Lauren and Kylie, then turned her attention back to the self-styled ruler and said serenely, "Yes, it is the truth."

The adrenaline rushed out of Lauren's and Kylie's bodies and they both sat sipping from their cups, trying to hide their relieved shaking. Arzi looked very surprised to have the story corroborated by T'Rala and sat there in silence for a few minutes. The Romulans had been watching the entire time, faces impassive; Christine looked a bit confused but didn't say anything. The security men just shrugged at each other.

Then Aniol tr'Teisianh abruptly shot to his feet. "Impossible! Only Vulcans may undergo fal-tor-pan—the phrase translates as 'refusion'. Humans have no katra! How can it be that a Terran lost what passed for his or her mind and had it restored by a purely Vulcan ritual? Supreme Ruler, surely you do not believe this swill!"

Mei'hna scowled and barked out something very sharp in Rihannsu, but tr'Teisianh had done his damage. Arzi stared at him, then eyed T'Rala doubtfully. Finally she said, "But we have a Vulcan's word on it. Vulcans cannot lie!"

"So they say," tr'Teisianh retorted scornfully. "I submit that, when it suits them, they lie as well as any other Federation member. Admit it, Vulcan, you just told a falsehood!"

T'Rala regarded him as Lauren and Kylie might a squashed insect on the floor. "What knowledge do you have of Vulcan rituals?" she asked.

Mei'hna laughed suddenly. "An excellent question. I thought I was the only member of this party who had studied non-Rihannsu cultures. Do enlighten us, Aniol, as to where you suddenly acquired your information. I would be most intrigued to know."

Tr'Teisianh turned then to Annedae t'Llihhirran, whose face went dark green with anger. "I am not the only member of this party questioning these claims. Surely you have a protest of your own, 'Nedae, haven't you?" T'Llihhirran flushed more vividly than ever. It was clearly a pet name he'd called her; Lauren watched with interest, remembering that even Mei'hna had used the full form of her aide's name in familiar address earlier.

"You overplay your hand," t'Llihhirran spat at him.

At this, de Hermosa stood up and glared at his counterpart across the table. "What the hell are you trying to do here, sabotage the negotiations? What are you Romulans even doing here in the first place, this far from your home space? Maybe you should try to come up with a good excuse for that, instead of distracting everyone by calling a Vulcan's integrity into question!"

"You dare challenge me?" shouted tr'Teisianh, and both men drew phasers. At that Arzi rocketed onto her feet and let out a scream that bounced off the walls and seemed meant to punch holes in eardrums. It had the desired effect; everyone went still and gaped at her, as if afraid she'd do it again.

"Enough of this!" Arzi screeched, her face a dangerously intense magenta. "Is there no dignity in these proceedings? Leave my hall at once, all of you!"

The resulting silence was fraught with hostility as assorted members of both sides glared at one another. On the way up the stairs to their rooms, however, Kylie grumbled half seriously, "Couldn't you have waited till the end of supper before you decided to invoke the Supreme Wrath?"

Mei'hna turned unexpectedly back on the top step and said with wry humor, "Perhaps security guards don't find it necessary to eat to survive." They both grinned ruefully at each other, and Lauren smiled weakly. She hadn't eaten much before the shouting began, and her stomach was protesting the abrupt cutoff of sustenance.

After that both parties were left alone for the rest of the night; Lauren and Kylie tried to see the stars through the permanent smog in an unsuccessful effort to distract themselves from their grumbling stomachs. When they were unable to make out any local constellations, they speculated briefly on the chances of Inriya sneaking some food up to them before putting a halt to that when their stomachs started thundering in response. Kylie finally threw her hands in the air. "What's the use? Might as well try to get some sleep. It's not like I'm gonna starve to death, no matter what my gut thinks."

"Me either," Lauren agreed with a crooked grin. "Besides, my brain hurts. Maybe in the morning, things'll look better."

"Maybe we can have breakfast separately from the hotheads," said Kylie, and Lauren nodded wistful concurrence. They wished each other good night, each taking one of the beds in the enormous room.