Message-ID: <371015A3.3F893E62@netzero.net> Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 23:23:15 -0400 From: Ann Marie Tajuddin Ann Marie K. Tajuddin Sink or Swim 9 ------ "Sink or Swim" Part IX September, 1986 Gulf of Alaska, AK Trying to forget about it didn't work and, as Kate tossed fretfully on the seat, she eventually came to a decision she was sure she'd regret, she just wasn't aware of how much. Checking to make sure Allen was still asleep, and not having the heart to wake him, she went back to the window and eyed her clip board. She could still see it - it was still there. Surely if it had lasted this long, it would last that much longer, wouldn't it? She wasn't aware of the hologram that popped in behind her as she contemplated the best way to go about bringing the information inside, where she knew she couldn't lose it. "Oh, hi, sweetie," Al greeted her cheerfully, a huge weight off his shoulders with the reconciliation of Karen with her father. "You're looking better." She took a deep breath, bit her lip, and glanced behind her back towards her stateroom again. The door was still shut. "Everything okay?" he asked her, even though he knew he would get no reply. "Sam?" he called, glancing around the cabin. What was unusual was that he got no reply from his partner, either. He blinked out and reappeared in the wheelhouse to see Elliot with a walkman on, staring at the screens, humming to himself. Al rolled his eyes and returned to his previous location. "Sam?" He started to walk towards the stateroom when he heard Kate groan audibly. "I shoulda just brought the data in when I was done outside. Serves me right for being lazy," she muttered to herself. Al froze, then retraced his steps back to her side, looking over her shoulder. The wind caught the end of one of the sheets and it bent upwards precariously, catching his eye. "Okay, that does it," she stated firmly and started pulling on her jacket. "Sam!" Al cried, afraid to take his eyes off of her in case something else happened. "Sam, where the hell are you?" She took a deep breath, closed her eyes to fight back the nausea and prepare herself for the blast of cold air and wind, and opened the door. Al wasted no more time. "Gooshie, center me on Sam, _now_!" He immediately found himself next to the leaper, who was lying on the mattress, snoring softly. "Wake up, Sam! Wake up!" he yelled anxiously. "What?" Sam mumbled, nestling deeper under the blanket he had over him. "Dammit, Sam, get off your bed! Kate just went outside!" Al was growing frantic. If he could have slapped the younger man to wake him up, he would have. As it turned out, it wasn't necessary. Sam practically jumped up, panic shining in his eyes. "Oh, shoot, I feel asleep!" "No shinola," Al retorted. "Hurry it up - she's out on deck. Don't fiddle with jackets and boots, Sam, just get out there." Sam was pulling on the boots anyhow. "If I don't, I'll be sliding all over the deck and I won't do either one of us any good," he responded. "Go out there with her, Al, I'll be right out." "I'm gone," Al responded and punched out. The water was crashing around them in angry whitecaps, pounding against the hull and over the rail. Kate's approach to the problem was sound: she was gripping the ladder directly outside the door. The table wasn't that far away from her, but there was a small space between the reel and the table where there wouldn't be anything to hold onto. From there it was several paces to the rail, but the deck was tilting to extremes now and it was all empty space. Even the few tubs that normally lined the rail had been stacked and put away earlier. "Just stay there," Al ordered her. "Sam'll get your stupid clipboard for you - just stay there." She didn't listen. When the boat tilted away so the port rail was high in the air, she made her first move and grabbed onto the reel with an unsteady grip. There wasn't a lot to hold onto to begin with and it was slick and she hadn't put on her gloves. When it began to tilt back, Al watched with an overwhelming helplessness as she lost her hold and slid towards the ocean. He cried her name and heard the sound echoed as Sam charged out onto the deck, through Al, and tackled her. They fell hard against the wooden floor and rolled together, hitting the wall simultaneously. Al's heart started beating again. "God, Sam, you could have gotten yourself killed," Al scolded, nearing their position. Sam remained in a prone position, but reached up to grab the rail to keep from sliding the opposite direction. "Crawl," he advised. Sam nodded tightly and pulled Kate onto her stomach. She was gasping, soaked from the water drenching them over the side, her face pale as she registered what had just happened. "You okay?" Sam yelled over the noise. She just nodded, her eyes wide. "This is what we're going to do: crawl back towards the cabin with this wall keeping you on board, then time it so you can get into the doorway." "Get her data, Sam. It's on the table," Al instructed. Sam remained at his position until she was safely inside, then he made his way slowly to the table, reached up to get her clipboard, and followed her in by the same method. He shut the door hurriedly behind them, panting hard. "Are you all right?" Kate asked him, also trying to catch her breath. "Thank you so much," she continued before he could finish, clasping his arm. "You saved my life." He straightened, keeping his balance by holding onto the handle just inside the cabin. "Hey, I always take care of my observers." Al shook his head and grinned as Sam offered Kate a hug, then leaped. ~~~~~~ November, 1999 Stallions Gate, NM "Mission accomplished," Al announced, tossing the handlink triumphantly on the console. "No thanks to Sam - kid fell asleep." Verbena inclined her head slightly. "Congratulations. Now you may want to get topside. Karen's waiting to say good-bye." He raised his eyebrows. "She's leaving?" he asked, a bit surprised at the flash of disappointment that flooded him. The woman nodded. "She has family in the area and I told her you'd drop her off in town so they could come pick her up." Al went up to the front entrance to see her waiting for him. "Leaving me so soon, are you?" he asked gently. She looked up, startled. "Yeah. My father wants me to come home and I really want to get back, start fixing things between us." "That sounds like a smart move. C'mon, I'll drive you in." They got into Al's car and he pulled out of Project Quantum Leap and started the drive down the dusty excuse for a road that led to project grounds. They rode in silence for a while, the music Al kept in the car the only sounds filtering through the recycled air. "I want to ask you something," Karen said finally. He shifted his weight in his seat and gestured with his right hand. "Sure, sweetheart. What's on your mind?" She bit her lips together, then cleared her throat. "All those things you told me, they make sense, and I understand what you were trying to say. But... I still don't understand why you did it." His brow furrowed and he glanced at her for a second. "I don't follow you. Why I did what?" "I haven't seen you since I was a little kid, and I know it's not your fault, but I don't understand why you'd go to all this trouble for someone you barely know." He sighed. "First of all, I am sorry I haven't kept in better touch, and that _is_ my fault. I apologize. Secondly... Well, your father is a good friend of mine. Just because we don't talk a lot anymore doesn't mean I don't still consider him one. He came to me in distress because he needed help, and I was in a position to help him. How could I turn him down?" He looked at her again. "How could I turn you down just because I haven't seen you for a decade?" He thought of Sam Beckett, leaping around in time to help total strangers, and hardly ever complaining about it, just accepting that if there was a need he could fulfill, he would do it. How could he do any less for a friend's daughter? For his goddaughter? "Well you didn't have to. But I'm glad you did. Thank you." Her words were slow, but sincere and he felt a flush of warmth at her expression of gratitude. "And my father says to thank you as well. He says he's sorry he couldn't have been there for you when you needed him." She shrugged. "I don't know what he meant." Al locked his eyes on the road. "I do. He's talking about a hard time in my life, but that was years ago and I had someone else to help me. I hope your father turns out to be the good friend to you that this man is to me." "I hope so, too." She paused. "I hope I can be to him, too." *You will, Karen. You will.* They rode the rest of the way into Santa Fe without speaking, but it was a comfortable silence. Finally, they pulled up to where her ride was waiting. Al got out of the car and she followed suit. "You take care, hon," he ordered, hugging her tightly. She pulled free and kissed him on the cheek. "You, too. I'll be thinking about you." "Karen? You ready to go?" said a voice from behind. Al kissed her on the head and turned - and found himself face to face with Kate. She was older, dressed in a conservative blouse and slacks, a wedding ring on her left hand. Her hair, still long, was swept up into a twist with a few stray locks pulling loose and falling over her eyes. He stared, mouth agape. "Oh, sorry," she said, flushing slightly, then offered her hand and opened her mouth to introduce herself, but Al beat her to the punch. "Kate," he blurted without thinking, shaking her hand. She looked surprised. "Yes, have we met?" "This is my aunt," Karen said, looking confused as she alternated between gazing at them both. "Must be on your mother's side," Al said with a grin. Karen and Kate exchanged a curious glance and he suddenly realized he was still holding onto Kate's hand. The grin widened slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said honestly and kissed her hand. Her blush deepened. "Ladies," he proclaimed, "have a safe trip." He released Kate and winked at Karen, then got into his car and drove home. [I found out yesterday that, in 5 weeks, I'm going to be without internet access for 3 months at least. (I'm going away....) So, I'm going to try really hard to pump out these next 2 stories fast before I'm gone and maybe finish my work-in-progress and get that out, too. Next on the list is "Lost Causes" and has all the angst this story was lacking... And then some. Hope you enjoy! I'll start posting, oh, I'm aiming for Monday. -amkt]