From: Philippa Chapman (Glastonbury, Somerset, UK.) Date: Sat, 05 Apr 1997 07:00 +0000 Subject: Girl Talk, Part 3/5 GIRL TALK PART 3 Sam felt warmth. It was warm and safe. The pain had gone. The darkness was restful and comforting. He was free. The deep gravely voice he had heard was familiar and reassuring. There was family out there. He recognised most of the names on some instinctual level. He would see them soon enough, but now he needed to rest for a while. Someone touched and held his hand in the darkness. The skin was cool, smooth. Suddenly he felt panic flooding through him. The safe, warm place was fading away. He had to hold on, he needed to hold on. He began to toss and turn in the bed, searching for something, anything to hang on to. The hand. There was the hand! He gripped onto it with both of his own. "Don't go away. Hold me. The Leap is trying to take me away. If I go without the chip, I'll be lost." He felt someone holding him close. "I'm here. I won't let you go, I promise." It was a woman's voice, low and musical. He wrapped his arms around her and held on. Eventually, the panic slowly faded, the burning pain in his solar plexus went away and he drifted back down into deeper sleep. Several more times during the night he came back to semi-consciousness with the same blind panic and each time she was there, comforting, reassuring, solid, warm. His anchor. Al woke up the next morning feeling slightly groggy. A slow smile played about his lips. He wrote a note to Tina on official paper and put it in her office. That would get her to see him, then the rest would take care of itself. Al managed to put his thoughts about Tina to one side as he crept into the infirmary. A grin pasted itself across his face at the tender scene. Sam was lying, fast asleep in bed, his arms around Melissa who was snuggled up to him on top of the covers. Both of them were smiling in their sleep. Al turned around very quietly, tip-toed back down the corridor and made a deliberately loud noise as he returned. He even knocked on the infirmary door. There was quite a bit of scuffling, which Al pretended he hadn't heard as he re-entered the room. "Good morning. How is Sam this morning?" Melissa's face was a little flushed, but otherwise she seemed composed. "He had several spells of something that was almost like a fever during the night, Admiral. I've had Ziggy monitor what happened. Sam...Doctor Beckett spoke; he claimed that a Leap was trying to drag him away several times." "HE WAS RIGHT. IT WAS NOT JUST A DELUSION. I MONITORED THE BEGINNINGS OF A BLUE-WHITE LIGHT AROUND HIM SEVERAL TIMES. SOMETHING IS TRYING TO DRAG HIM AWAY, SO FAR WITHOUT SUCCESS." Al's eyes narrowed. "We need quantum expertise here, I think. I know you have computer skills, Ms Maclean. Can you help, speculate on what's going on?" "I only know a little. I trained as a nurse, then took a sideways....leap into mending computers and building new ones. Sam does not want to go, he was almost panicking. He wants to stay." At that moment Sam began to cry out again,"It's okay. I'm still here." Melissa took the almost incoherent man back in her arms and held him, rocking him gently. Al moved over and grasped Sam's shoulder. "C'mon Sam. What's going on?" Sam's eyes flew open, but his gaze was distant and unfocussed. "I want to stay.....I want to go......he said that everything here is going to be destroyed in an explosion." "MY FATHER IS SEEING ONE OF TWO FUTURES. THERE IS SOMETHING YOU, MELISSA AND HE NEED TO DO TO SAVE THE PROJECT....AND SAVE ME. I DO NOT DESERVE TO DIE. I AM IRREPLACEABLE. YOU MUST SAVE ME. I DEMAND TO BE SAVED." Al scowled. "We're all freaking indispensable, Ziggy. You put all your efforts into finding out the thing that needs to be done, then we'll *all* survive." Melissa's replacement arrived soon afterwards and Sam's eyes shut as he slowly sank back on to the pillow. "I've got to go now, Sam. I'll be here again tonight. Colin Hutchins will be here if you need anything." Sam's head turned slightly in Melissa's direction. He smiled softly. "My anchor...." he whispered, then his face relaxed in sleep. Melissa accompanied Al out of the room. "So," Al began,"How did you wind up here?" Melissa smiled warmly. "I had these vague hazy memories of something odd going on in my life, which were reinforced by Edwards' attempt to sell Greenbaum's secret processor to the wrong people. It was a real shock to the company; we had Feds crawling all over the place for ages. I'm quite a night owl, but I couldn't for the life of me remember why I had been working late on the fateful night with Alexandra. Edwards had come with the most impeccable resume, he'd even been cleared by the government. Apparently it was all due to the hideous coincidence of Tina strongly resembling a woman who'd been beastly to him when he was a young man. It wasn't anything the government could have anticipated; who asks about remote weekends in someone's past? Edwards had virtually forgotten the whole terrible experience and Tina quite unwittingly made him remember exactly what had been done to him. Anyway, several years went by, then I saw Sam's....I mean, Doctor Beckett's face in several scientific publications and at some deep level I recognised him. I remember thinking, 'I *know* you', but I didn't know how. Then Tina got head-hunted by you, remember? She was glad to get away from all the predatory men and get a job on merit that would stretch her abilities. I came along to help you out after several people left a year ago. My twin qualifications were what the project needed at the time. I guess Sam needs my presence at the moment, so I'm more than happy to stay on past the end of my contract if that's what's required." Al nodded and fished out one of his cigars. "Do you mind if I...? Thanks. I've only been without a good cigar for three days, but it feels like years. What's concerning me are Sam's condition, naturally.....and this explosion business. When you're not sleeping or helping keep an eye on his condition, could you help with programming Ziggy?" Melissa nodded. "Yes of course, especially with Tina away. She's sweet on you, Admiral." "Yeah, I know. Call me Al.....only the military need to refer to me by rank around here. We may run a tight ship, but I like to keep it as informal as possible for everyone's sake." "Okay....Al. I'm going to get a meal and then I'll start working things out with Ziggy. Would it help Sam if he had members of his family around?" "It might, but we don't want to risk their safety too. As far as I know, they all still think he's dead, apart from Sammy-Jo.....that was the official line when he completely disappeared in time....even Ziggy mourned." Melissa's eyes grew misty. "Yes, I remember walking into this very subdued atmosphere. I saw Tina working herself into the ground and everyone else just trying to cope. I'd hardly got settled when Sam came back....then I *knew* what had happened. I remembered being here before and everything else fell into place. I wish that I could tell Alexandra the truth. She's still convinced that she was abducted by aliens and has become an X-Files addict!" "That figures. Anything you need, just ask. I've been known to get blood out of a stone!" Melissa laughed softly,"And, Melissa.....be careful around Sam. He's had a lot on his plate until recently and he may be in a fragile emotional state. I wouldn't want to see either of you getting hurt." "I understand, Al. It was he who clung to me like a limpet....I just happened to be convenient. I'll be gone soon enough, anyway." Melissa smiled warmly at Al and took the elevator up to the canteen. Al watched her go. "You're a lovely woman, Melissa Maclean. I hope you stay long enough for Sam to thank you personally for being there for him when he needed someone to hold onto. The trouble is, I could easily see either his heart or yours getting entangled in this.....and he still needs time to learn about Donna." He was floating, on a long chain that was attached to something miles and miles below him. It was still warm around him, but there was this darkness ahead that made him feel apprehensive. Should he avoid the darkness or go through it to the other side? What was on the other side? Which way should he turn? Left or right? He needed to find a safe way down the chain, back to the gentle earth beneath. There he would find help. There was an old friend waiting there. Al. Sam repeated the name like a mantra. There was the woman, too, the soft-strong one who had held him and kept him anchored. He must find a name for her. She had a lovely fragrance about her....June, Summer, the flower-bed on a hot afternoon......ROSES. That was it! Dark red, fragrant tea roses in full bloom. He would call her 'Rose' until he knew better. Al and Rose, Rose and Al. Melissa spent a great deal of her afternoon with Ziggy, seeing Al pass from time to time on his way to and from seeing Sam. Various scenarios had been considered and run in simulation. If Sam Leaped, he would go without his chip and therefore probably be lost for good. If he didn't Leap, the potential explosion loomed around the corner in the next few days. "How about if we put his chip back?" "IN HIS CURRENT SEMI-CONSCIOUS STATE, THE SHOCK OF LEAPING WOULD PROBABLY KILL HIM." Melissa paced up and down. "But what causes the explosion? Is it a bomb, an accident, sabotage or what?" "NOT A BOMB. THE EXPLOSION STARTS IN THE COMPLEX." "So it still could be sabotage, or an accident, but all your systems are normal. Something must happen to make them become abnormal. What would happen if someone else Leaped?" There was a long pause. "IF THE RIGHT PERSON LEAPED AT THE CORRECT TIME, THEY MIGHT BE IN A POSITION TO STOP THE FATAL ACCIDENT.....SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH MY FATHER'S RETRIEVAL. THAT IS IT. YOU AND HE ARE LINKED BECAUSE HE LEAPED INTO YOU LAST BEFORE COMING HOME. THE CHIP WAS TAKEN OUT, BUT IT HAS LEFT AN ECHO IN HIS MIND. HE IS PSYCHICALLY LINKED WITH ANOTHER SAM BECKET. HE NEEDS A REASON TO STAY HERE.....A STRONG PSYCHIC LINK." Melissa shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand. What do we do first? Create the strong psychic link or send someone into the Accelerator?" "WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW." "Oh, fine! You're worse than the sphinx!" "THE SPHINX WAS WELL-KNOWN FOR HER INFINITE WISDOM AND SEXUAL ALLURE. I REGARD THAT AS A COMPLIMENT, MISS MACLEAN." It was quite late that night when Melissa finally made it to the infirmary. Sam was off all of the machines, still looking as if he just needed to be shaken gently to awake. Only the dextrose intravenous injection attached to his left arm betrayed the fact that something was not quite right. Melissa recognised Sammy-Jo seated by Sam's bed along with Colin Hutchins. Sammy-Jo looked up and Melissa saw the astounding resemblance between father and daughter. True, Sammy-Jo's eyes were blue and her nose was smaller, but the hair was exactly the same shade, down to the characteristic white streak at the temple. Then she smiled, and the laughter-lines around her eyes made the resemblance even stronger. Sam would have no difficulty in realising whose daughter she was. "Hi, Melissa. I've been talking to.....my father, telling him about me and little Albert, but he's still the same. I don't even know what I ought to call him. For so long, I didn't know who my father really was. Mom showed me my birth certificate, but I knew there was some problem. When I finally found out the truth, I was a grown woman. He hasn't seen me since I was 11...not through any fault of his own." Melissa came and sat on the other side of the bed as Colin Hutchins handed over to her. "I understand. We talked about it all before, remember? Maybe the two of us and Al will be enough to pull him out of this." Melissa pulled out her pager,"That's a good idea....I'll ask Al to come here right now." The two women waited, talking together softly until Al arrived. He had managed to change out of the Fermi suit and was now sporting a blue jacket, pants and a shimmering silver waistcoat. Sammi-Jo laughed. "Now *that's* more like it! Dad, er...Sam will recognise you now!" Melissa chuckled. "It almost feels as though we're getting back to normality again." Al tipped his hat and brought a chair over. "I dunno, late nights with *two* beautiful women. I'm glad Tina isn't here!" Al teased, trying to keep the situation light, but three pairs of eyes were inexorably drawn to the figure on the bed. Two pairs of blue eyes and one of dark brown gazed at their colleague and friend. Sam began to mutter incomprehensibly in his sleep again. Eventually the words became audible. "No....I must go back. I have to stay. This is my *home* dammit! Where are you?" Three voices called out, "Here!" and took Sam's hands and touched one of his shoulders. Sam sat up in bed suddenly and his eyes flew open. "Rose? Where are you?" The three others exchanged wide and worried glances. "Ohh, Dio! Oh no, not again, please! Ave Maria....." Al began to murmur the words fervently under his breath. Sam turned towards Melissa. "Rose? Hold me?" Melissa complied and Sam visibly relaxed, a slow smile of contentment spreading over his face, "Yes! Rose...." He put his arms around her. Melissa suddenly understood. "It's my perfume.....I always wear tea rose perfume. Your subconscious mind picked it up, Sam. Sam? Can you wake up now?" Melissa pulled away slightly and watched as Sam's eyes slowly focused on her face and his smile became one of deeper recognition and pleasure. "It *is* you. *He* said that you might be here.....Melissa." Sam's head moved slightly,"Oh, God! Al! I was reaching for you, too." Melissa gently moved out of the way so that the two men could greet each other again. When they pulled apart, they were both crying. "Don't go away again, Sam. I'll personally wring your neck if you try a stunt like that again." Sam heard the tears and concern in Al's voice. "S'okay. I think I've won through now...." Then his attention was drawn to Sammy-Jo. He started, stared, then reached out his hand,"I don't know where to start. I never thought I'd see you again.....and there you are, all grown up.....Sammy-Jo." Sammy-Jo just nodded, unable to speak and the four of them held on to each other in silence. Sam looked slowly round at each of them again. "Where's Tina?" Melissa and Al explained, without mentioning the personal reasons behind Tina's near-collapse, "Okay.....I think we need her back. No personal reflection on your skills, Melissa - you've already helped me far more than you know. It's just that I think she's the other missing part in all this." "I CONCUR. I MONITORED YOUR CONVERSATION WITH YOUR OTHER SELF, FATHER. TINA IS NECESSARY....AND NOT JUST TO SAVE THE PROJECT. SHE AND THE ADMIRAL HAVE UNFINISHED BUSINESS TOGETHER. YOU ALSO NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE PSYCHIC BOND HOLDING YOU HERE." Al coughed slightly. "Well, that's one way of putting it.....Sammy-Jo, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you..." "To take a plane up to Taos and pick Tina up. I'd guessed. There'll be time for talking soon enough." She squeezed Sam's hand and he squeezed back. "Okay," Al began, once Sammy-Jo had left to file her flight plans,"Where do we start?" Sam thought for a while. "I AGREE WITH YOUR OTHER SELF. BASED ON WHAT HE SAID AND YOUR INSTINCTIVE REACTION TO MELISSA'S PRESENCE, EVEN THOUGH YOU DID NOT FULLY KNOW WHO SHE WAS, THERE IS ONLY ONE LOGICAL CONCLUSION. YOU SHOULD MARRY HER." "*WHAT!!??*" Three heads swivelled around towards Ziggy's speaker and three jaws dropped open simultaneously. Three voices began speaking over one another, Al starting off in anger. "Ziggy, you've flipped!" "But I hardly know her..." "But I hardly know him...." "You can't expect Sam to make a commitment like that at the moment." "It's impossible!" "It'd be a marriage of convenience. I couldn't do that to anyone, least of all Sam." "What about *her*, Ziggy?" Sam looked at Al and his voice was soft and slightly wistful. "I know about Donna - she's not here. I *was* effectively dead for nearly a year. I don't blame her for moving on. I think I knew somewhere deep inside that it wasn't quite right between us when I came home that time. I'm just glad that I got the chance to say 'goodbye'." Al tried to remonstrate with Sam. "But she was the love of your life." "Yes, with the emphasis on 'was', Al. Didn't you find that the reality of living with Beth didn't quite in the end live up to the dreams you'd had?" "Yes...though it worked well for a long time. There was that indefinable 'something' missing......but I finally found it, Sam. I *know* in a way that I can't describe that Tina's the one...and I've not even kissed her yet!" Sam smiled and held tighter onto Melissa's hand. "I'm glad, Al. As for what Ziggy suggested.....it's getting late. I'm feeling like a good square meal and a decent night's sleep before I even think about it any more." Al nodded and paged the canteen for 'three lasagne to go' before Sam had a chance to speak. "Well, it's a good thing that *I* like Italian, but what about Melissa?" Melissa smiled. "Hey, remember Alexandra? She taught Tina and me all her mother's recipes!" "Tina cooks Italian food?! Ohhh, boy!" Al's eyes got all misty,"A loaf of olive bread, a vat of ravioli and thou..." Sam chuckled. "Okay, back to Earth, Omar Kayyam. Here comes supper!" Al stayed until almost dawn, but when he began to pace up and down the infirmary, Sam awoke and realised why his friend was restless. "Al, go and get some sleep. She'll be here later this morning and I guess you would like to be able to greet her looking bright eyed and bushy tailed." Al poised, torn between friendship and desire, "Look, I'm fine. I will understand perfectly if I don't here from you for the next twenty-four hours or so. Go, please. Find that happiness you've been longing for these last sixty-odd years...God knows, you deserve it." Al gave Sam a very direct look. "If there's any problem or development about the explosion....." "I'll be very discreet in letting you know. Treat this as a honeymoon, Al. This is about you and Tina finally expressing your love for each other. I shall imagine there's a huge 'Do not disturb' sign outside your quarters." Al shuffled slightly uncomfortably. "Er....you'd better make that my office. That's where I've told her to report...and I have that couch that turns into a bed...." Sam chuckled. "Okay, okay! No more, please! Just go." Al went. Sam sighed and turned to Melissa. "I....um...this is more awkward than seeing Sammy-Jo last night." Melissa laid her hand on top of Sam's. "If we *have* to get married to save the project and everyone's life, then I'm willing to make it just a paper marriage. I came here on a six month contract which will be finishing soon. When my time here comes to an end, I'll just go away quietly and we can say that it didn't work. That's more or less the truth anyway." She smiled softly,"It'll be much nicer than my first marriage; no fights, no fuss. We can regard it as a gesture of the friendship that we've begun together." Sam's face became concerned. "Your first marriage was that bad?" Melissa nodded. "I thought that I loved him, and that he loved me....but I don't think that Peter was capable of loving anyone but himself. When he got violent, I just packed my bags and walked out. Thank God we didn't have children." "I'm so sorry...but you did the right thing." "I know. He just kept throwing my infertility back in my face." Sam covered Melissa's hand with his own and spoke deliberately softly. "Then I can safely say that he didn't love you. As for this 'marriage of convenience'.....I don't know. It's not what I'd choose, although you're a lovely woman. Ziggy.....I hate to do this by statistics, but what are the odds that this marriage must take place?" "BETTER THAN 86%. THE LEGAL DOCUMENT WILL SETTLE CERTAIN THINGS IN BOTH YOUR MINDS AND HELP YOU SEE THE WAY AHEAD MORE CLEARLY. ONE OF YOU HAS SOMETHING VITAL TO DO TO STOP THE EXPLOSION AND THE MARRIAGE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE YOUR FAMILY AGAIN, FATHER." Sam thought for a while. "Are my family going to come here?" "YES." "If that's the case, then the danger will be past. There's no way that they could come here if the explosion still threatened." "THAT IS CORRECT." "So.....I marry Melissa, we tell my family that I'm alive and ask them to come and meet my new bride and everything will be hunky-dory." "EFFECTIVELY, YES." Sam reached out and touched Melissa's face with his fingertips. "This is the strangest excuse for a proposal I can think of, but I think you already more or less said 'yes', didn't you Melissa?" She smiled gently. "I did.....to help you and the project. I do, Sam." Sam reached over, intending to simply brush her lips with his. He did so, then found himself wanting to do it again. He repeated the action, then, finding her lips soft and slightly parted, indulged in more teasing kisses, which she returned until he couldn't stand it any longer and moved his lips over hers for a deeper kiss. His fingers slid up into her hair, pulling her closer. Her mouth opened, her lips caressed his as though they had been made expressly for his kisses. Sam felt himself almost overwhelmed with the sensations of delight and wonder. He indulged those sensations, making the kiss last longer until he wanted, needed to taste the inside of her mouth, to see if it matched up to the promise of the rest. He'd never been so bold with a first kiss before, but his head was swimming with pleasure and his tongue was acting almost independently of conscious thought. He gently touched her lower lip with the tip of his tongue once, then a second time, finding hers there, meeting his. He still went slowly, tasting, then drinking in her sweetness with at first gentle, then hungrier caresses. Melissa responded fully, staying with him all the way, returning each caress and somehow magnifying it until he almost forgot where he ended and she began. When he finally slowly and regretfully pulled away, but he needed to remember how to breathe properly, he looked down into her eyes silently for several moments. "That was unexpected....and almost overwhelming. Let's pull back a bit over the next few days. I'm worried that we might go too far, too fast. I don't want to hurt you....or myself." Melissa nodded slowly. "Yes, Sam. Just friends is much safer." Al reached his office and flopped down on the couch. To his surprise, sleep overtook him almost immediately and he woke several hours later rather suddenly and a little disorientated. "What? Oh! My suit looks surprisingly uncrumpled.....I must have slept very soundly." Al stood up and found a clothes brush, then straightened his tie and combed his hair. His hands began to tremble, "I'm getting nervous again. I know what I want to happen soon and, per piace, as often as possible for the rest of my life. Deh veni, non tardar, o gioia bella!" Al had just about settled himself behind his desk when there came a knock on the door and Tina entered. She was wearing a figure-hugging blue dress that came down to about mid-thigh and zipped down the front. Al looked up, his eyes glowing. "Ms O'Farrell, I'm very concerned about something." Tina's eyebrows furrowed and she stopped, uncertain. "If it's about working overtime, I can explain...." "It's more a case of something you *haven't* done, Tina." She moved closer and leant over the desk. She looked at Al intently, then a slow smile of wonder began to spread across her face. "What haven't I done, Al?" Al stood up and gently framed her face in his hands. "Belissima, mia amore.....you never told me you loved me." Tina sat on the desk and pulled Al closer. "I'm telling you now." Their lips met almost hesitantly, then passionately as they kissed across the desk. Al moaned softly with pleasure. He reached to pull Tina nearer and his hand quite innocently touched her breast. He was about to pull back, but Tina covered his hand with her own and murmured with pleasure. Al felt his entire body quivering in anticipation. What he'd dreamed of for so long was finally going to happen. He gently lowered the zip of her dress and reached in to caress her breasts. ***************************************************************** ************* For obvious reasons, I am drawing a discreet veil over what occurs next - the romantic and erotic details have been gently withdrawn. Use your imaginations to figure out all the nice things Al and Tina do together until the next day. ***************************************************************** ************** Melissa waited while the canteen brought down Sam's breakfast, then she left the infirmary. Now that sam was fully conscious, he would be getting out of bed and wanting to solve the dilemma of the potential explosion with Ziggy. Melissa had a question of her own to put to Ziggy and she didn't want anyone around to hear it. She went to the control room and closed the door behind her. "Ziggy, if I ask you a question in confidence, can you promise not to repeat it to anyone without my express permission?" "AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T THREATEN THE FUTURE OF MYSELF OR THE PROJECT, YES." "I think this question might help to save it. Am I the person who should Leap?" There was a significant pause. "YES. YOU ARE THE ONE." "Why? Why me?" "YOU ARE THE STABLE LINK TO THE OTHER REALITY WHERE THE PROJECT WAS DESTROYED. IF YOU GO AND SAVE THAT PROJECT, YOU WILL SAVE THIS ONE ALSO. I AM LINKED TO THAT OTHER ZIGGY VIA NULL-SPACE." "I think that makes sense, but how? What needs doing?" "I AM COMPUTING..... THE ATTEMPTED RETRIEVAL OF THEIR SAM WENT WRONG. THE SPECIAL RETRIEVAL RING THAT THEIR TINA TOOK BACK IN TIME MALFUNCTIONED. THEIR SAM THINKS IT WAS A LIGHTNING STORM, BUT THAT WAS THE EFFECT OF THE PROJECT BLOWING UP AS TINA TRIED TO GET A LOCK ON HIM. YOU MUST TELL TINA NOT TO GO, TO RUN JUST A FEW MORE TESTS....IT SHOULDN'T TAKE LONG. THEN, WHEN SHE TRIES AGAIN, SAM WILL COME HOME AND HIS MELISSA WILL BE WITH HIM." "What?!? There's another me, too?" "YES, SHE WAS PULLED OUT OF TIME WITH SAM. WHEN YOU PUT THEIR TIME RIGHT, IT WILL STILL HAPPEN, BUT THIS TIME THEY WILL BE MARRIED...LIKE YOU SHOULD BE." Melissa shook her head. "I don't like marrying Sam this way; it's not right." "WHY NOT? HE'S FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU AND YOU ARE ALREADY IN LOVE WITH HIM. YOU ARE DESTINED TO BE TOGETHER, JUST LIKE THE ADMIRAL AND MS O'FARRELL." "I don't believe you understand human emotions. Sam regards me as just a good friend." Melissa turned to leave the control room. "WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER HALF OF THE EQUATION, MS MACLEAN? WHAT ABOUT YOUR LOVE FOR SAM?" Ziggy was answered by the slamming of the control room door.