From: "M. Cogburn" Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 22:20:08 -0600 Subject: Portraits Of The Past, Part 1 Chapter One March 25, 1996 He searched the heavens above him and asked quietly, why me? Of course he had had to make decisions several times during past leaps, but he had never made one so quickly. He faintly recalled leaping into a radio announcer and making a decision to barricade themselves inside the station to play rock-n-roll music. That decision was definitely different than the one he was now faced with. He could have understood a decision of life or death but this? A question of taking a dare? He shook his head and looked at the doors that could lead to a small catastrophe. He quickly looked away as he contemplated what he needed to do. Where was Al when he needed him? A door opened. He heard the snickers from behind him. He could tell that their laughter was mean. He had heard it before when his peers had laughed at him and called him a nerd. He looked toward the steps expecting the worst. A tall young lady wearing blue jeans and a light blue T-shirt was juggling with ten library books as she came in the door. She had long blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail, a pleasant face and she wore glasses. As she reached the top of the stairs, the books in her arms faltered and more than half tumbled down the steps before her. The snickers turned into all out laughter. Sam grimaced at their meanness. He remembered how mean teenagers could really be. He recalled the pressures, the stress, and the raging hormones. Someone gave him a push from behind to remind him of his duty for his girlfriend. Instead, Sam's heart filled with empathy for the young lady on the steps and he went to her aid. "Jason!?" The brunette questioned hotly as she dropped her arms to her side. Sam ignored her. As he climbed the steps, he picked up the books reading the authors. Emily Dickinson. Ralph Waldo Emerson. A variety of people he had once read. He continued to pick up the books as he went up the steps toward her. He heard a loud swoosh from behind him. "Hello, Sammy-boy." It was Al. He was in a dapper dark green suit with a lighter green shirt, a festive red tie and a fedora to match. No one could hear Al and no one could see him either. As Al looked around the school foyer, a young man turned and walked through him. "Hey, watch where you're going." He grumbled. Albert Calavicci was a real person, although the physical Al stood in a laboratory in the middle of New Mexico just a few years in the future. Al is, an observer, a hologram, tuned directly to Sam's mesons and neurons. Sam, of course, also belonged in the laboratory, in charge of the project -- Quantum Leap. A project, no, rather an experiment that had gone a little ca-ca. Instead of just observing the past, Sam Beckett had leapt out of his body and into another's body and vise versa. Sam half-glanced to see Al and closed his eyes wondering why an ex-Rear Admiral of the United States Navy would like such brightly colored, yet ornate looking outfits. Al had once said that his taste in clothes was a part of his warped sense of humor that the military had never quite managed to rid him of. In fact, that warped sense of humor is what had formed the friendship between Al Calavicci and Sam Beckett -- that, of course, along with the stubbornness that would rival a jackass. Sam sighed knowing that Al was going to give him a hard time for what he was contemplating. Sam looked back down at the books that he clutched. One book caught his attention. The author: William Shakespeare. His mind raced as one quotation came to mind. "He reads much; he is a great observer and he looks quite through the deeds of men." The young woman closed her eyes trying to remember which play he was quoting from. She opened them surprised. "Julius Caesar. You've got a good memory." She coyly looked at him. "Thanks for helping me, Jason." She smiled genuinely but the reddening of her cheeks reminded him of his younger years when girls had come up to him. She looked about the foyer and saw the group standing by the office window watching them and became nervous. He ran his hand through his host's hair to try to act nonchalant. "No problem. Heavy reading stuff, isn't it?" He held out the books he had picked up glancing at the titles once more. "Sam?" Al prodded since he didn't get a response from Sam yet. He waved the brightly colored handlink, the mechanical handlink to the parallel hybrid computer -- Ziggy -- in the air to catch his friend's attention. Failing, he quit moving his arms. "Well, I do enjoy reading." For a moment, she openly stared at his features. His physique had always captivated her. His blue-green eyes sparkled in the light that came in through the door. His straight nose wrinkled slightly as his full mouth turned into a grin. She wondered what it would feel like if Jason would draw her into his muscular arms and hold her close as he had held her not so long ago. She quickly looked away not able to look in his eyes with the thought that he could read her mind. Sam stood there for a moment thinking of what he needed to do as he grinned at her. Did Jason want an open relationship? That's what Jess said, right? Would Jason take this dare? How would he know? He didn't know Jason and he sure couldn't ask Al at the present moment. He looked up and sighed. I hope you know what you're doing. "Sam, what's going on in that swiss-cheesed brain of yours?" Ever since the first leap, Sam's photographic memory had been full of holes and Al had dubbed it swiss-cheesed. Sam could only remember bits and pieces of his past. Al could fill these holes in, but that was against the project's rules. Al crept up the stairs with his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed as he watched Sam closely. "Here, let me help you." Sam held out his hands to take some of the excess from her. "O . . .okay." The young lady was now tremendously nervous. The boy that stood just inches away was the most gorgeous boy in the school; the high school quarterback and he was talking to her -- helping her in public view. The books in her hand tipped over as she tried to hand them over. They fell on the floor with a thud. 'Oh God, Maggie, get with it,' she told herself as she bent down to pick up the books once more. More laughter exploded from the group. Sam joined her this time as he knelt down on one knee and grimaced at their meanness yet again. He wondered why they were being so inconsiderate. His gaze drifted over her profile intently wondering if he should or shouldn't do this in front of the whole school. He picked up two books and leaned to pick up a third when his hand changed course. His finger caught under her chin and he slowly brought her face up so he could look into her eyes. Her eyes were beautiful. They were blue-green with amber weaved ever so slightly through them. "Sam? What are you doing, Sam?" Al asked incredulously leaving his mouth gaped open. Sam slightly smiled. He wasn't sure why, but he felt as if he knew her almost intimately. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face; caressed her cheek with his thumb, then brought their faces together. His lips brushed hers delicately then he leaned in for a deeper kiss. The kiss lasted longer than he meant it to. He knew in the back of his mind that it was wrong yet something urged him on. He didn't understand the yearnings he was having when it was supposed to be just a simple kiss. Margaret was bewildered at what was happening to her. He was . . . was kissing her. Kissing her? Could this really be happening? She thought amazingly. She had longed for this moment for some time. The moment she would tell him how she felt about him since she'd seen him three months ago at the therapy sessions. "Sam, you're a little long in the tooth, don't you think?" Al noticed as entire groups of teenagers stopped to observe the interaction between Sam and the young lady. Maggie felt a sharp tingling that went through her body as the kiss deepened. As the kiss ended, she opened her eyes and blinked not cognizant of what was actually happening. Her heart was in her throat and it pumped rapidly. She looked at Jason and swallowed hard. She closed her eyes and softly shook her head. She felt giddy yet invigorated. "Sam? Are you going to ignore me? I don't need this from you. I can get this from Ziggy and Tina." Al said in a raspy voice as he watched the interaction between them, only to turn to look at the people passing by. Al began to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet, wondering when his friend was going to acknowledge him. Maggie blinked her eyes and looked around quickly. The several groups that had formed began to break away and speak among themselves. She surveyed the group where Jessica stood. The brunette was glaring at her maliciously but suddenly a grin began and it turned into a giggle. Maggie's chin began to quiver as her emotions came into play. She quickly understood. It was a hoax. It was another practical joke. "Oh God." She quickly grabbed the books Sam had in his hands and snagged the remaining books at her feet. She stood but Sam lightly grabbed her arm. "Hey . . ." He began. Maggie fleetingly glanced at his hand then back to his blue eyes. "Please, Jason. Don't. I'm humiliated enough as it is." Sam reluctantly let go of her arm as he saw a stray tear cascade down her cheek. He didn't know what to say, so he sighed as he let go. Maggie wiped her cheek with the back of her hand then preceded to walk down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom step to look once more at Jessica. The brunette started toward her but stopped halfway. "So, how does it feel to be the victim of a dare?" Maggie's eyes gradually left Jessica and they traveled to the floor. Tears that were below the surface suddenly sprang forward. Maggie belatedly turned and hastily walked past the groups that had formed to go to the library. "What a shame." Al replied. "You're old enough to be her father." Sam glared at Al as he started down the stairs. For someone who invariably dated younger women, he shouldn't be talking. "Why am I here?" "Why should I tell you? You ignored me." "Al." Sam groaned. Al pivoted with a smirk. With handlink in hand, he read the small data output screen. It was blank. He sighed then smacked the handlink only for it to squawk. "It's Monday, March 25, 1996." "1996?" Sam asked in awe. This is the farthest point I've leapt to, -- he thought. His mind raced. Somewhere in New Mexico, in the middle of the desert, Dr. Samuel Beckett was in a cavern building the parallel-hybrid computer that would be sending him back into the past. He wondered what would happen if he called himself to stop making the ego-bound computer; that it would make him a part of the past -- not an observer as once believed. 'Would I believe what I would hear,' he thought. "Yeah. Is there an echo in here? 1996. You're in Swaldon, Texas. Your name is Jason Hughes You're a senior in high school. You're the football quarterback and soon you'll be crowned prom king. Ziggy says that there is a fifty-six percent chance that you're here to take Jessica Laurel to the prom." Al's gaze switched and he looked at the group. "That's her, down there -- the brunette." "We've met and I doubt it. We just broke up -- I think. She said to commit or dare to kiss the next girl that came in the school." Sam stopped at the end of the stairs as he glanced back up at the doors. "Oh . . . and that's what . . ." Al's sentence wandered off as he nodded understanding. "Well, what am I here to do then?" Al's attention had drifted. He was sizing up Jessica. "What I wouldn't give to . . ." He said as he brought his hands up to chest height. "Al." Sam scorned quietly. "What am I here to do?" He asked through gritted teeth knowing that if people saw him talking to thin air they would look at him strangely as they had in past leaps. "Ziggy is still working on it." He fiddled with the handlink and hit its side a couple of times. It squawked loudly then displayed some more data on the tiny screen. Al's face paled when he saw the data. "Oh no." "What?" Sam leaned over Al's shoulder to peek at the information displayed, but the screen was too small. "The girl you kissed . . ." "Yes, what about her?" Sam scanned the crowded hall toward the library. He could barely see her at the counter as she placed her books in the book drop. "Her name is Margaret Ellen Dawson. She dies April fifth. That's next Friday, Sam." "Oh no." Sam replied with his mouth opened in awe. "How?" "No data. There's a ninety-four percent chance that you're here to save her life." Sam's gaze connected with Margaret's. He could see the pain in them. "No data?" Al nodded. She turned and dropped her gaze. Sam's face fell and he gradually returned to the group. He looked at Jessica squarely. Jessica moved seductively toward him and stopped just inches away. "Hurts, doesn't it?" She calmly questioned as she ran her finger down his chest. Sam's eyebrow popped up. He wondered why she would say something like that? He looked at her repugnantly then back toward the library to where Margaret had been. "You didn't have to tell her." He stopped Jessica's hand from roaming his chest and stepped away. "That was really coarse, Jess." He shook his head slowly. He focused back on the library. Margaret had vanished. He then pivoted and walked away from the group wondering what would happen to cause Margaret to die.