Date: Sat, 30 Aug 1997 16:07:38 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Memories - Part 2 Message-ID: Quantum Leap Memories by Katherine R. Freymuth Copyright 1997 Part 2 She opened her eyes slowly, feeling very well-rested. She looked about slowly, taking in her surroundings. She didn't know where she was. The room was a beautiful shade of baby blue. She liked the color; it was very calming. *Which is probably what they want*, she thought. She sat up quickly at the thought. *Who are they?* She looked down at the object on which she was seated and gasped slightly. The face she saw reflected in the table's surface was definitely not her own. Bright green eyes peered at her from a beautiful, gentle face topped with brown hair with a bit of white at the forehead. The man she saw looked very trustworthy and she felt what she already knew - she was safe here. No one would hurt her. There was a sliding sound and a low hum coming from her right. She turned her head to see a door opening upward, like something out of a science fiction movie. When the door had finished opening, a beautiful black woman wearing a navy dress entered the room. The door closed behind her immediately. "Hello, Madeline," the woman said in a friendly manner. "My name's Verbina. You'll be seeing quite a lot of me in the next few days." Madeline frowned in confusion. "You know my name. How?" Verbina didn't let her surprise show. Madeline's question wasn't the customary first question the guests usually asked, the question being "where am I." "We did some research on you when you arrived," Verbina told her. Madeline nodded with understanding. "Of course. That only makes makes sense." This time, Verbina didn't hide her surprise. "Madeline, do you know where you are?" Madeline shook her head. "Not really. But I do know I'm supposed to be here right now. It's important." Verbina walked up to her slowly. "Why is it important?" Madeline thought for a moment. "Because he's here and he needs my help so he can help others." Verbina looked at her carefully. "Who's here? How do you need to help him?" Madeline shook her head. "I don't know. I'll know when I see him." She looked at Verbina and saw the concern and confusion in her face. "Don't worry, Dr. Beeks. Everyone is a little psychic, even you." Verbina looked at her in astonishment. How did she know my last name? *"Al, I'm hungry."* Al closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He just wanted to end this leap as soon as possible. The longer this leap was, the more likely it was that Sam would start to probe. And Al didn't want Sam to probe. *"Momma! Come back! I'll be good!"* Al looked at the back of his hand at the small jagged scar that no one could see unless they looked at the hand very carefully. No one knew he had the scar except Al and he couldn't remember how he got it. "Al, are you okay?" a concerned voice asked. For a moment, Al heard Sam's voice asking the question just as he had expected him to in the Imaging Chamber just before Michael came into the kitchen. Al opened his eyes and looked at the speaker. Damn, he thought. Now I've done something worse than cause Sam to worry about me. I've caused Verbina Beeks to worry about me. He gave the Project's psychiatrist a little smile. "Fine," he told her. Verbina frowned. "You don't look fine," she told him. Al walked down the ramp of the Imaging Chamber and headed for the Control Room's main console. He gently placed the handlink on the surface of the console. "It's just... He paused. "There's a little girl in there who was just hit by her drunk father. I'm a little upset by it." He turned and looked at Verbina. Verbina looked at him studiously. "There's more to it than that," she finally said firmly. Al lowered his eyelids. "No, Beeks. There isn't," he said just as firmly. He turned and looked at Gushie, the Project's head programmer. "I'll be in my office. Let me know if Ziggy has anymore on the leap." He looked at Verbina again. "How's our guest?" Verbina paused. She still didn't believe Al's story for his unusual behavior nor did she know exactly how to describe what happened in the Waiting Room. "She's a very unusual person," she finally said. "She says she had dreamed of her being here several times before - premonition dreams." She hesitated. "And I think that it might have really happened. Al looked at her with curiosity. "What makes you believe that?" Verbina paused. "She knew my last name an d that I'm a psychiatrist. I hadn't told her." Al's eyes widened. "She's psychic?" Verbina smiled slightly. "She says that everyone's a little psychic." Al got a peculiar look on his face - a look that told Verbina that something was bothering him. "What's wrong?" she asked. Al shook his head. "Nothing." He started towards the Control Room door. "I have some reports to finish." He exited the Control Room. Verbina frowned a bit before following him out of the Control Room and into the elevator. Al exhaled, seeing her enter the elevator as the door closed. He really didn't want to be psycho-analyzed. "Al," Verbina said firmly. "Talk to me. I know there's a lot more going on than you are willing to admit. You've had that look in your eyes before. What's wrong?" "Nothing," Al lied. "It's John, isn't it?" Verbina asked. "He reminds you of Trudy." Surprise crossed Al's face. Verbina wasn't sure whether it was because she had hit the mark or was way off of it. Either way, she would know soon. Al paused. "Okay. Yeah. Knowing about him does remind me of my sister. But I didn't even see the kid, 'Bina. I only saw Linda." "Who reminds you of yourself," Verbina concluded. Al frowned at Verbina's comment. "Why would Linda remind me of myself?" "Because of the way she protects John, the same way you protected Trudy." The elevator door opened behind Verbina. Al stepped passed her. He marched towards his office. Verbina followed quickly, causing the heels of her shoes to clack loudly on the hallway's linoleum floor. "Al," Verbina called out, urging him, as such, to stop. Al finally did stop, but only when he was in front of his office door. "Yes?" he asked with an innocent tone in his voice. Verbina instantly saw through the false innocence. "Al, you can't keep this bottled up inside you. Eventually, you have to tell someone." Verbina paused, looking at him carefully. "There's more to this than just Linda and John, isn't there? Al, I'm your friend. Tell me. Please." Al looked at Verbina a moment before he opened his office door and stepped in. He quickly turned around and blocked the doorway to prevent the psychiatrist from following him into the office. "I need some time alone," he told Verbina firmly just before closing the door and locking it. Verbina exhaled with frustration. With a resigned shrug, she walked away from the door, hoping that Al would soon tell the truth about what was bothering him. Al closed his eyes and rubbed them with the tips of his fingers. He didn't remember much of that day nor did he want to remember. It was the past and, sometimes, it was best to leave the past behind - far far behind. But what little he did remember of that day haunted him now like that nightmare he had when he came home from Vietnam - the one that he could not get rid of, no matter how hard he tried. He remembered seeing his mother getting into a taxi cab while he called out to her, pleading for her not to leave. He remembered smashing his hand through the kitchen window, causing the glass to severely cut his hand and thus causing the small scar on the back of that hand - a scar too small to be easily noticed. He remembered his father taking him to the hospital but he couldn't remember why. Something in the back of his mind bothered him - something he couldn't put a finger on - something he wasn't sure he wanted to remember. Al exhaled slowly, leaning back in his desk chair. Verbina was right. There was a lot more bothering him than the odd resemblances between Al and Linda/John and Trudy. Al was frightened but he wasn't sure why. Flashes of dream-like images had been plaguing Al since the beginning of the leap but Al had no idea what they meant. His mind was so clouded with the images, he couldn't think straight. "You never think, you worthless child!" Al jumped slightly at the words, nearly causing himself to tumble onto the floor. He looked around quickly for the source of the words and found that he was alone. He exhaled in embarrassment when he realized the words had come from his own mind. Who had said that? he questioned. "To whom? I don't remember. Why can't I remember? He exhaled again. He didn't want to leave his office but something in his gut told him that he had to see the woman in the Waiting Room. The damned leap was starting to feel like something straight out of "The Twilight Zone" and something told him that Madeline Daniels had the answers. At least, he hoped she did. He rubbed his face lightly before looking at his watch. Two hours had passed while Al had sat at his desk, thinking about the leap and the past. He knew that Sam was probably finishing dinner with Madeline's family. Al decided that, after seeing Madeline, he would step into the Imaging Chamber to see how Sam was doing and hopefully, to give him more information. He stood with a breath, straightening the jacket of his lime green suit and making certain that his deep green dress shirt was properly tucked into his slack. He then let his office and made his way down to the Waiting Room. As he entered the Waiting Room, he looked at the woman who had traded places with his best friend. Thanks to a few modifications, Al was the only one on the project who could see Madeline Daniels as herself rather than as Sam Beckett, thus allowing Al to see the beautiful young woman sitting on the Waiting Room table and looking around with curiosity. She didn't seem in the least bit frightened by her surroundings, as many of the other guests had been, On the contrary, she seemed absolutely fascinated by them. Al waited a few seconds before speaking, observing Madeline carefully. "Hi," he finally said. Madeline jumped slightly at Al's voice. She turned around and looked at him. She smiled widely, trying hard not to laugh. Al smiled in response. "What is it?" She bowed her head with slight embarrassment. "I don't want to say anything that would offend you." Al's smiled widened. "If it has to do with my choice of clothing, nothing offends me. Trust me; I've heard them all." She giggled slightly. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I've just never seen a suit that matches my bathroom." Al laughed. "I'll remember that the next time I wear this." He paused. "Pleased to meet you, Madeline. My name's Al." Madeline smiled. She stood up from the Waiting Room table and walked over to Al. She gently extended her hand towards him. "Hello, Al," she said confidently. "I've been expecting you. Call me Maddie. All my friends do." Al looked at her with surprise as he shook her extended hand. "You were expecting me?" Madeline nodded slightly. "You need my help for something - something that requires me to be in this room. So, what can I do for you?" Al hesitated. This is getting weirder by the minute. He took a deep breath, sorting his thoughts. "Madeline," he started. "Maddie," she corrected. She smiled. "To my friends." Al raised his eyebrows. "Do you consider me a friend already? We've only just met." Maddie looked into Al's eyes intensely She shook her head slightly. "No, we've me before I can't place you but I do know you." She smiled slightly. "Do you believe in star-crossed friends - friends who will always be friends no matter how much time or distance comes between them?" Al blinked, trying not to show his surprise. It was almost as if Maddie had known about Sam and Al's close relationship and, more than that, understood it as well as Sam and Al did. It was eerie - and a bit scary. "Well," Al finally said, "if you're saying what I think you're saying then, yes, I do." Maddie nodded with a smile. "I think that's what we are - star-crossed friends." She lowered her head. "I must sound very silly to you." Al frowned. "Why?" She hesitated. "I don't know. My imagination sometimes gets the better of me." She looked into his eyes and paused. "I can still swear that I know you very well yet I know I've never seen you. At least, not the way you are now." Al looked at her with fascination. For some reason, though he wouldn't admit it, he felt the same way as Maddie. He took a breath, clearing his mind of the thought so that he could focus on why he came to the Waiting Room in the first place. "Maddie," he started. She looked at him with wide eyes. "Yes, Al?" she replied. She froze at her own words. She stared at Al in amazement. Al looked at her with concern as she came closer to him. She touched his cheek lightly. "Oh, my gawd!" she whispered in shock. "Al Calavicci, is it really you?"