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Prologue
Friday, February 3rd, 1984
6:55 PM
Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel—DC

A first date is always disconcerting, especially to one as exceptional as the man standing before the mirror. Even at the age of thirty, Doctor Samuel Beckett could count the number of dates that he’d had in his life on one hand, and that was discounting the fingers that held the comb so tentatively before his reflection.

Lifting up an arm, he sniffed to make sure that his nervousness hadn’t seeped through onto his freshly laundered clothing. Satisfied that it hadn’t, he lowered his arm and breathed in deeply, too deeply in fact, for his head began to swim over with dizziness. He had been nervous enough the whole day, embarking on a new project and meeting new faces was all too overwhelming. He had no trouble remembering faces or names though; his photographic memory took care of that task. It was the fact that he hated talking to strangers. He had never been good at explaining things.  He always seemed to talk above everyone else's head; he could never seem to simplify this thoughts so that others could understand, and he doubted that he ever would.

'Keep your cool Sam,' he muttered to himself as he inspected the knife-edged crease down the front of his black tuxedo pants. 'I know you hate meeting people, especially someone you don’t know -- especially a woman,' he sighed deeply at the prospect and almost unraveled the immaculately fastened bow tie that topped the elegant decoration down the front of his newly acquired silk shirt.

Second thoughts began to race through his mind.  Making a mental note of all the reasons why he should back out, and then to be fair, he made a cross-reference as to why he shouldn’t. He couldn’t win, either way turned out to be fifty-fifty.

He slipped on the long tailed jacket, with the satin lapels and a last inspection before the mirror decided it for him. "Knock her dead kid." He chuckled as he scooped up his keys and white gloves from the dresser but hesitated after opening the door. Turning back to the table at the side of his bed, he picked up a small corsage and breathing in its perfume; he left the room closing the door quietly behind him.

In the hotel lobby he handed his keys to the desk clerk. "Right on time as usual Doctor Beckett, your limousine is waiting outside for your departure."

"Thank you," Sam smiled nervously and took a few steps backwards before turning round and heading for the revolving doors.

Outside a sleek back limousine waited and upon seeing Doctor Beckett the chauffeur alighted from the driver’s side and quickly made his way around the rear of the vehicle, opening the rear door for the physicist as he approached.

"Good evening Doctor Beckett," he touched at the peak of his cap.

"Good evening Simmons," Sam returned the gesture.

"A beautiful evening for the occasion Doctor?" Simmons noted as Sam stepped into the spacious interior.

"Yes, indeed it is," Sam said confidently but inside he felt like a quivering mess. He didn't relish these inaugural occasions, when meeting anyone for the first time. He felt awkward and self-conscious, not knowing what to say or do. It was that initial meeting, the crowds and the speech he had to give in front of the sea of those unknown and his date for the evening was none other than the Colonel Radford’s stepdaughter, Miss Donna Elesee.

Sam's biggest fear was making a fool of himself and already he had drilled it into his head that this, Miss Elesee was going to do just that. In his mind, without even meeting her, she had become either a prudish spinster or an ostentatious man-eater. Neither of which he favored and the way in which her father -- her step-father had baited him, decoyed him unwittingly into accepting to escort her, impassioned him further. He tried to reason with himself, 'it isn’t as if it is a date as such,' but Doctor Beckett was nervous enough for ‘every man’ on the planet taking this, their first steps into the ‘dating game.’

Sam watched as the trusty Simmons took the unfamiliar roads to Miss Elesee’s and Colonel Radford's home.  He memorized every turn, every street name and every building just in case he should need them again.  It was a kind of game to him, one that he’d played many times before and now he was playing it again. It took his mind from what lay before him.

The limousine pulled up astutely before a distinctively large ranch house, impeccably white painted wooden walls. The threshold was adorned with an open terrace, over which festooned climbing vegetation of all descriptions; roses, gardenias and clematis all enclosed within a delicate white picketed fence. It looked a picture.

Sam didn’t quite know the procedure of protocol on such an occasion as this. Was he supposed to go to the door and announce his arrival? Again, he began to feel uncomfortable at having to do this.  He’d never done it before and was feeling quite overwhelmed by it all.

As he fumbled with the door and getting it all wrong, Simmons tapped on the window. Sam looked up to him and smiled wryly through the glass.

"You can wait here Doctor whilst I conduct the young lady." Simmons touched at the peak of his cap as he backed away, bending down to open the small gate and strode up the pathway towards the house. The door opened as he approached and he stepped aside as he waited.

Sam stretched his neck and strained his eyes but he couldn’t see into the darkened interior of the doorway but he dreaded every anxious moment of the waiting. Then he saw the swish of an evening gown across one corner of the opening. His heart leapt into his mouth on seeing the apparition, and try as he might he couldn’t swallow hard enough to quell the lump that had formed in his throat.

Sam could not believe the shapely form that appeared out of the dimness, nor could he embrace the elegance of her movements as she appeared to glide along the footpath towards him. Yes, he had noticed her before, at the project, but only briefly.  At that point, she had been too busy and they had not been formerly introduced. 'What was it the Colonel had told me? ' Sam thought as something clicked in his mind. 'His stepdaughter had been in Utah gathering samples of some rare tree bark. Then why could I have seen her at the project? It boggles the mind!' But his train of thought took on a back stance as an astute voice broke into his concentration.

"Good evening Doctor Beckett, I’ve heard so much about you," the young woman said as she slid into the seat next to him.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come forth. He tried subtlety to clear his throat but in his nervous state it seemed more like a growl.

"S–s–a–ame h–h–hear," Sam stuttered uncontrollably, sucking in a lung full of air and blowing it out again from pursed lips, in an effort to calm himself. "C–call m–e–e S–Sam," he continued to stammer. 'God, she must think me a right Neanderthal.'

"Okay, Sam," she giggled, patting a delicate hand, unfettered on his knee.

Sam froze. 'Ooooooh Boy!' his mind raced.

Friday, February 3rd, 1984
7:45 PM
Banqueting Suite, Washington Convention Center in Washington DC

Doctor Beckett made a note of his surroundings, the Banqueting Suite that had been hired for this special occasion was more grand than he could ever have imagined. Circular tables dotted the expanse of the room and each table seated six guests. Sam also noted that most were couples, three of each to a table and he was amused at their arrangement: boy, girl; boy, girl. His own table was of no exception. Opposite him sat a most foreboding woman dressed in a gray evening gown; one would say the color to be a steel gray, almost pewter like and a matching set of pearls adorning her aging neck. Black, almost black but not quite but the color did empathize her skin tones. Her name, Sam learnt from the man sitting next to her was Jennie.

Aubrey, the woman called him, most likely her husband and probably of many years standing according to their restrained conversation. From his pretentious uniform and the gold braiding around the shoulder told Sam that he was an officer of the Navy. Sam not being too learned in many aspects of the military except for the Navy SEAL's, a regiment to which his brother Tom, had pertained with until his death in '70. Sights of any such uniform brought back those unpleasant memories, ones he'd sooner forget. His brother dying like that and never having the chance to say 'goodbye'. It was all becoming a little too much for the physicist and he had to swallow hard to keep his emotions in check.

To Sam's right Patty sat, a most reticent young lady with a head of hair that could set the world alight. So vibrant was its color; it made her green eyes shine like the glitziest of all emeralds. The green of her gown was pale in comparison; though the emerald pendant about her long, alabaster throat, coordinated with perfection. She spoke quietly and calmly to everyone seated around the table but those perfect eyes strayed lovingly and frequently to the man on her right. They weren't married though, there was no sign of a wedding ring and it surprised Sam to notice that there was no engagement ring either. The secret glances between the pair had him thinking that it wouldn't be long before wedding bells started ringing. Sam smiled to himself at the thought of the 'first' wedding of this new project and then he wondered to himself if there had been any other weddings and maybe this one might not be the first.

Sam's attention was then drawn to Jim McKay. Sam remembered meeting with him last week in the glass room. The look in Jim's eyes was that of total devotion and they rested only on Patty.  Jim was even oblivious to the beauty sitting on Sam's left. Sam wasn't even surprised at the age difference, Jim was either in his late 40s or early 50s and Patty probably in her early to mid 30s. What matter did age make?  Jim only had eyes for Patty and her alone. Sam looked away from the pair suddenly when Jim met his gaze and he coughed nervously into his hand, giving Jim a wry smile.

Now that this senate sub-committee meeting was over maybe he could get down to some real work. That strange blue object in the glass room had certainly piqued his interest. The thought of working with Bobby again elevated his fascination even higher, that was if his intrigue could get any higher than it already was.

Next, Sam turned to his escort for the evening. He was more than pleased. A thought crossed his mind -- a conversation not so long ago with an old friend. 'Bobby was right; the boy scout in me is definitely skulking into the background.' A smile curved his lips and he tried to hide it behind a strategically placed hand. She was not at all how he had spent a whole week imagining her, not austere at all, not even ostentatious, quite the opposite in fact. He had been dreading this evening all that time and now he found that he was relishing it. Donna was more, oh so much more. As he breathed in her perfume, Sam didn't even notice that one of the members of the senate sub-committee had approached the central stand and had started addressing the captive audience. In all sincerely, he hadn't even noticed that there was a central stand, he had been so lost in his amour.

'I cannot believe my luck. The woman sitting next to me is not only beautiful but she's intelligent too. It has been a long time since I have been able to converse with someone on my level and just not having to figure out a simpler explanation for every sentence that I utter is a marvel in itself. She's witty too, coming up with comments that even I wouldn't have thought of. I am really enjoying her company, even though it keeps being interrupted as everyone around applauses rigorously at the end of someone's speech.' Sam jerked his head up to the central auditorium, his heart had started racing. 'Speeches! I thought all of that was done with hours ago! I haven't been taking note of who has been saying what!'

In utter anguish Sam turned to Jim and asked, "What's happening? I think I've missed something!"

"You've not missed anything Sam," Jim announced to a distressed quantum physicist, "the speakers are just recapping and summarizing their speeches from this afternoon. Nothing new for you Sam."

Sam sighed and sat back into his chair in relief, everyone around the table silent, listening intently to the current speaker, who incidentally Doctor Beckett saw was none other than Tina. Donna at his side was very astute in her concentration.  She had been unable to attend the conference earlier; her flight had only landed a few hours before Sam's allotted time for picking her up. This thought bringing up a recurring one, the thought of how he could possibly have seen Donna at the project. He could still picture her standing there, clipboard in hand and twizzling a pen between her teeth and the expression on her face was the same as it was now, a look of intense concentration.

There was no way that he was going to disturb her focus, not with a stupid question but it niggled at him to the point of distraction. Distracted, yes, that was until… he heard his name mentioned and then sheer panic struck at every nerve ending when he realized that he was to be the next speaker.

"That's you Sam!" Donna announced with a smile.

'My notes! I didn't bring my notes!' was the first thing that raced through the physicist's mind. 'I didn't think I'd be needing them again.' Sam knew that he had all of the words and details of his research firmly imprinted on the page in his memory, but as he pulled out that page from the repository of his brain, the page was a blank sheet.

"Y-yes, I-I suppose it is," Sam said with a nervous twitch of his cheek. "P-please excuse me, please."

Embarrassment and dread ensued as he rose furtively from his chair and he slowly approached the stand. All the time his mind trying to search out what exactly he had said previously but to no avail. As he stood before the podium he glanced around at the sea of faces, with each face he recognized he recalled their name immediately, then, why couldn't he recollect his own words, written in his own hand, from his own research? This was the first time his photographic memory had failed him and for the life in him he couldn't understand why.

Captain Calavicci saw that his newly acquired friend was in trouble. Sam had risked his neck for him and now it was his turn to return the favor. 'One good turn deserves another,' Al thought as he arose from his chair.

Sam couldn't believe it, his worst nightmare was being played out before him and it was all of his own making. The Neanderthal he didn’t want to be was being portrayed in front of his peers, colleagues, friends and their families. He dug deep to find words, any words that would bring forth the inadequacies of his recall. He felt humiliated and angry but most of all he felt stupid. Even his own name was evading him now and as he looked towards Donna he could see her concerned expression and Sam read it as failure. He had failed her, his colleagues, but what had hurt him the most, he had failed himself.

"Never mind Sam," Al's voice called out from the swaying ocean. "If they didn't get it the first time, there's no way they're gonna understand the shortened version."

Al's words had the audience in an uproar and the laughter that echoed throughout the hall made Sam even more uncomfortable.

"Why should we want to sit and listen to it all again?" the Captain said as he strode up to the podium and to Sam's side. "Wasn't it bad enough the first time? Come on deny it, I defy anyone who can say that they didn't nod off this afternoon, no matter how briefly… hmm…" He looked around with a smug grin at the tittering audience. "Come on… one of you must be brave enough to admit to staying awake." Al paused again as the tittering grew louder. "What no takers heh? Then let's stop all of this hullabaloo and make this the party it should be."

Sam covered the microphone with a hand. "Are you outta you mind? You cant speak to these people like this," he glanced speculatively towards Al, "erm… Al? You've not been drinking again have you?" Sam asked him clandestinely, not wanting anyone to overhear his words.

"Take a hike kid!" Al said to Sam as he took his arm and started leading him down to his table. "Take the chance while you can and get the hell outta here. Remember this… take every opportunity as if it's gonna be your last, cos ya never know pal, one time it may be the last."

"That's kinda what I've been thinking… why do you think I'm here? This is the biggest chance I've ever had and you're not gonna ruin it for me are you? I see great possibilities for you Al and I know that you're not about to throw them all way just for the sake of drowning yourself in a bottle."

"'Course I won't," Al said as they approached Sam's table and then quickly added with a cheesy grin. "How on earth did you manage that? Donna.   I mean, I've been trying for months to ask her out and she gives me the brush off every time."

Sam replied with a wry smile of his own, he didn't know if he should tell just how he happened to be with Miss Elesee.

"Every man in the complex I think has asked her out at one time or another and she refused them all, point blank. So how come you managed it Sam?" Al gave Sam a sideways glance of curiosity.

"What about Tina, I thought she was your girl?" Sam asked trying to avoid the subject, he was still trying to figure out a way, any possible way of talking Donna out of her current resignation. They had talked in regard to just about everything concerning the project but the opportunity of him broaching the subject hadn't raised its head -- it hadn't even twitched an eyelid.

"Yeah, she is now but not at first. Damn it, I thought I was losing my touch when even Tina kept turning me down." Al laughed, taking a Havana cigar from his inside pocket and proceeded to light it.

Sam's nose wrinkled as the smoke filtered to his nostrils. "What do you mean, losing your touch?"

Music started as the announcer and a couple of porters cleared the stand from the center of the room. Almost immediately people headed for the cleared floor; taking the opportunity for a little rhythmic exercise to settle the proportionate meals they'd already started to digest.

Al laughed heartily. "That just it, if ya don't know I'm not tellin' ya. You don't know me yet, but you soon will.  I've got a ...well... a kind of... reputation."

"I know that Al, you drink too much," Sam said with no amusement in his tone.

"And it's nothin' to do with the booze, from now on, that stuff is a no-no." Al waived his cigared hand from side to side. "'Cept of course... for special occasions."

"And just how many special occasions are you planning on having?" Sam asked seriously and with an air of curiosity.

"Like tonight, or do you mean really special occasions?" Al asked, shrugging his shoulders. "'Cos I ain't touched a drop tonight, not a bit has passed my lips," he drew in from his cigar and inhaled deeply, the tip of it sending spirals of smoke into Sam's direction.

Again, the physicist's nose twitched and he coughed as the smoke stung at all three of his senses.

"Sorry Sam, does the smoke bother you?" Al asked apologetically.

"Frankly, yes it does. You do know it isn't good for don't you Al?" Sam pointed towards the cigar held in Al's hand. "And that smell, I don't know how you can stand it."

"Hang on there pal, I've given up the booze for ya and now you want me to give up these?" the Captain rolled the cigar between his thumb and forefinger. "Next, you'll be asking me to give up sex too no doubt.  The booze is one thing but carnal pleasures is another and besides it's none of your business."

"Al, I'm not asking you to give everything up. It's just that it's that darned tobacco product that killed my dad and—and I'm just concerned…" Sam looked down gravely at his shoes and began to fidget. "I don't wanna lose anyone else to the same fate, including myself."

Al saw the sadness in the scientist's eyes and he thought that the best thing he could do was make light of a bad situation. "Hey, they couldn't kill me off in 'Nam. Do you think that a measly smoke now and again is gonna finish me off, heh? But I promise, cross my heart that you'll never again have to inhale my secondhand smoke when you're around and I mean that Sam." He took a step back and stubbed out the cigar in the nearest ashtray. "See I always mean what I say," Al said as he returned the stubbed out cigar to his inside pocket, he was determined to finish it off later.

"You were in Vietnam?" Sam asked, astonished.

'Oh no!' Al thought, 'I've broached that subject again and just about—when I think I've gotten over it too. Damn my big mouth!' "Yeah…" Al said sadly and his brow creased with contempt at himself. He immediately looked away from Sam's prying gaze.

"Touchy subject, heh?" Sam asked knowingly. "Same here… my brother… I lost him over there. Did you lose someone too?"

"Nah -- yeah -- no, I mean yes. Sure I lost friends but during those six years I lost something more…" Al broke off on silence, the morose clearly visible in his face.

"It's okay Al… if you don't want to talk about it, it's fine with me. I understand how painful it must be, believe me I know," Sam said with sincere sympathy.

"Yea sure pal, now if ya don't mind…" Al turned his head towards his table, "I think Tina's missing me."

"No problem, I'll catch you later…perhaps." Sam watched as a somber Captain Calavicci returned to his table and then shook his head slightly in wonder when Al's mood completely changed as he sat down. Sam didn't know what Al had said but the guests around that table roared in laughter at his words.

"Sam? Are you all right?" Donna asked, her big brown eyes showing concern. "You looked a little lost out there."

Nervously, Sam sat down in his chair. "Nerves I guess, I wasn't expecting to stand up in front of everyone twice in one day. Once is bad enough and I had let my guard down. This is the bit I hate about my profession -- explaining things -- I'm no good at that."

"I can sympathize with you there," Donna said, her eyes shifting from Sam to a pair of fidgeting hands as they fumbled with a napkin. "I get that way too sometimes -- it just a matter of confidence, sometimes you have it and then sometimes it's gone; and no matter how hard you try to get it back it seems to get worse."

"Is that how you're feeling now Donna, lacking in confidence?" Sam placed a well intentioned hand on hers just to stop her fidgeting, this was enough for him but she tensed at his touch.

Her eyes hesitantly looked to Sam's face again and all she could see was the sincerity in his eyes, the slight curve of his lips. She knew he meant well but his question was prying into her innermost thoughts, her private feelings. She didn't like it when people did that; she wanted to keep her feelings private. How could she explain what raced through her mind at times? She didn't understand them herself.

Somehow, this man (whom she had barely known for more than a couple of hours) she trusted. He seemed to calm her, she couldn't quite put her finger on it but there was something about him. Different. He was very unlike the men she had met before and that included her one time fiancé, Roger Jenkins. She had just ended a relationship last month because of her reasonings.

Tony was a fellow scientist though not currently working at Starbright.  She ended it in Utah, just a few weeks after they had gotten out there to acquire samples of different kinds of rare tree bark. Their experiments had gone well, obtaining several serums from the samples—but then he started getting close—too close and she was confused again. Every time she felt this way she felt the need to jump ship, bail out, run away—instead of facing it. She couldn't face it. How could she? She felt insecure enough as it was without the added burden of caring for someone.

"Uh-hmm," she murmured quietly in response to his question and her eyes fell to her hands again. Sam's hand was still atop of her own and she felt him squeeze, gently. She didn't attempt to pull her hands away; strangely, she felt somewhat secure with his hand there.

"Sorry!" Sam said sharply when he saw her expression and he withdrew his hand. "I didn't mean to…"

Donna felt alarmed at his sudden disconnection. "No! No! Doctor Beckett, it's not…"

"Sam!" he broke in correcting her and pointing an astute finger in her direction. "I thought we'd skipped with the formalities."

"Sorry Sam," she apologized and she removed her hands along with the napkin and placed them on her knee.

Sam's brow creased at the lost opportunity that he'd been setting up, he'd started to get her to open up and now he'd blown it. He would have to think of another way to subtly bring up the topic again and he didn't feel confident at his abilities of subtlety either. Idle chitchat wasn't his forte and so he decided that his only recourse was to just come out with it.

"Donna?" Sam paused long enough for her to look up at him and to give him enough time to choose the right words. "Can you tell me why it is that you're leaving the project?"

"Because I don't fit. I feel as though I don't belong here anymore," she said serenely.

"Is that why you keep moving on, because you can't get a sense of belonging? Your father, erm… your stepfather…" Sam corrected himself, "…tells me that you've worked on numerous projects and from what I've learned over the past week, you've not completed any one of those assignments."

"So! You've been checking up on me, have you Doctor Beckett?"

"Donna please… I only wanted to find out a little about the person I was meeting tonight. It's probably just me… b-but I-I don't like going into anything blind, it's most likely the researcher in me, I guess. I really didn't mean to pry and insult your integrity but…"

"And you've gotten my stepfather involved in this too. Just like him to interfere."

"No! Donna, no! It's not like that at all, it sounds to me like you have a problem with commitment… Donna, I just wanna help."

"Well go, help away all you want, only find some other stooge and use your psychological mumbo jumbo on them instead. I liked you Doctor Beckett, I really did and I was looking forward to working this next week with you, but you've blown it Doctor… in fact I don't even think I'll be returning to New Mexico to work out my notice." Donna stood determinedly, pushing her chair backwards with her legs.

The physicist caught hold of her wrist as Donna started to spin around to leave the table. "So that's it," he spat out as she turned to face him. "You're just gonna run away again like you've done every other time. I took you for being more than that Donna. I'm usually a good judge of character but I guess I've been wrong about you."

Donna started to pull away from him and when Sam wouldn't release his grip she stood defiantly. "Let go of me Doctor… I-I won't be treated this way!"

"Then how do you want to be treated? Like this?" What Doctor Beckett was about to do next was against all of his normal instincts but he wasn't his normal self where Donna was concerned. He felt strangely attracted to her.

With one swift and single movement he pulled her intimately towards him clasping his other arm about her delicate waist and at the same time pressing his lips to hers. She didn't struggle nor did she object, the fact was, she didn't do anything. She was too shocked.

The music changed to a slow waltz and he felt a strange compulsion to flow with the rhythm but he repressed the impulse, fearing that this would be just too much for her to handle night now. As their lips parted he looked into her eyes, beautiful brown eyes that just stared. She was immobile and speechless for a few seconds before she regained her composure and Sam was taken completely unaware as a hand struck him across his left cheek.

The unmerciful sound of the slap and Sam's subsequent howl of shock were drowned out when… just in time; as Al saw it… his table bawled out in shrieks of laughter. 'Nothing like good timing, and a good joke to distract the obvious,' Al thought as he watched Sam's hand nurse his bruised ego and then at a departing tempestuous Donna. He shrugged it off, knowing that she was running true to form, but from the look on Sam's face, he wasn't so sure that Sam was so -- well informed. He made his excuses at his table, which incidentally was the only table with an unaccustomed seating arrangement; apart from the Captain, the rest were women.

Al made his way over to a bemused Sam just as Donna disappeared through the doorway. "Just as I figured, running away again." Al gestured towards the closing door then placed a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder. "Don't be too alarmed pal, she does this at least twice a day."

"I've really blown it Al," Sam sighed despondently, then looked gravely at Al. "I didn't tell ya but I brought her here under Colonel Radford's suggestion. He wants me to change her mind about her leaving the project."

"Figures," Al said with an air of indifference as he sucked at the end of his little finger. "It'd be easier to make time go backwards," he added as a joke to lighten Sam's mood. But Sam wasn't in the frame of mind for jokes, he was worried at what the Colonel would say and even more concerned as to what Donna would do, given the way she'd stormed off.

"You don't think she'll so something… stupid, do you Al? I mean she was really incensed when she learnt that I was in cohorts with her fa -- stepfather." Sam returned his gaze towards the door, hoping to see her walking back through. "I think I should go after her."

"You'll do no such thing… let her stew in her own juices. She'll soon come around… you'll see," Al said following Sam's gaze.

"I'm not so sure Al, you didn't see the look on her face -- she looked fit to burst into tears."

"She was that upset, huh? Look Sam, it's not the first time and I doubt it'll be the last but if it makes ya feel better, go after her, but I'll warn ya… she won't let you get close. I mean she's been with the project a year now and no-one's managed it so far."

"Thanks for the warning, but I've gotta help her somehow. She's so bright and she knows her stuff, it'd be a shame if she threw it all away on a whim."

"Regular boy scout ain't ya, Sam?" the Captain stated more than asked as he looked Sam over and then added for good measure, "First me and then a distressed damsel. A regular knight in shining armor."

"Well… erm…" Sam's embarrassment was clearly noticeable in his face and body language, he didn't know where to look nor what to do with his hands so he stuffed them into his pockets as he continued. "No, not really, but if I don't do something the Colonel isn't going to be too pleased." He sat down as he pointed towards the Colonel's table, hoping that the Colonel hadn't seen the drama that Al had witnessed, along with so many others, some were still glancing in his direction and whispering. 'Why would he see?' Sam thought as he glanced over. 'His table is right on the other side of the room. There's no way he could have seen, could he?'

"Well, you won't get anything done by sitting on ya butt," Al said, his hands even more articulate in their gestures. "What the hell are you waitin' for? Get after her…" he continued with a quick jolt of his thumb over his shoulder.

Sam briskly rose to his feet and started to trace Donna's steps, looking back only once.

"Go for it kid!" this time, both of Al's hands gesticulated for him to go for it. "Get the hell outta here and do what ya have to do."

The physicist followed through and almost running left the banqueting hall, the door swinging closed behind him. "Best of luck there Sam, I'm sure you're gonna need it," the Captain whispered to himself before he returned to his table and to Tina.

Almost at once he was jesting again, cracking jokes and before long the encircled table was in fits of laughter as if Al had never left.

Sam found himself on a balcony, overlooking Mount Vernon. The view was absolutely breathtaking but he didn't have time for sightseeing. As he looked around he noticed an encased stairwell and he headed for it, as he leaned over the parapet and looked down into what seemed to him, a chasm, he felt dizzy.

Again he was up in that loft and swinging on a rope—he could still feel the rope as it began to slip through his fingers.

He stood up abruptly, stiffening his shoulders and averted his eyes to look straight ahead. Ever since the age of nine and that day on the farm he'd been afraid of heights. He never understood why at that very moment it should happen. He'd done it before, swinging from trees and out from the loft but that time was different, when he'd looked down the blades from the harvester grew menacingly up towards him and the ground seemed to suddenly fall away thousands of feet. All that he could see was the angry spikes and the image of him falling onto the jagged edges. He was so relieved when Tom had pulled him back through the opening. He vowed then that he would always remember that feeling of dread; he'd never felt it since… until now.

Sam shook himself out of his imagery and took a step back from the guardrail. 'This isn't the same Sam, there isn't anything that can possibly hurt you here,' he told himself but still he hesitated before taking a firm grip on the handrail and stepping forwards again to take another look. Two floors down he saw the swish of the familiar gown. As Donna made her way to the lobby, so he too rashly chased after her. He turned right then straight into a 180 degree left turn and down the four flights of stairs to the lower ground level, skidding in his haste at every corner.

There he saw Donna standing at the information desk. Again, he hesitated but this time to catch his breath, wondering all the time how he could possibly influence her into staying. He didn't want to think of his first assignment as a failure, he wasn't used to failing at anything and he had never thought himself as a defeatist, until now.

'Stop it Sam!' he chided himself. 'Stop thinking of her as an assignment! She may have been up until a couple of hours ago but you've met her now, you can't still be thinking of her that way. You may have an obligation towards her father but you like her, don't you?' he asked himself. 'Yes, of course you do you fool!' he answered himself. 'Then how come your brain is so stuffed with cotton and why are you so damned tongue-tied?'

Sam found himself creeping up behind Donna. He didn't want her seeing him and running off again and as he moved in closer he caught the tail end of a conversation. "…are you sure they haven't anything sooner?" she asked the desk clerk.

"Sorry ma'am," the clerk replied. "It's always the same around this time of night, usually if someone wants a private hire vehicle around this time they've been pre booked," he added with a grin.

"Doesn't help me though does it? I wasn't expecting to be leaving so early," Donna said irritably and she closed her purse with a snap.

She didn't return the clerk's smile, she instead diverted her eyes downward as she turned. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the close proximity of a pair of highly polished black patent shoes, less than a foot away from her own feet. Her eyes traced slowly and upwards, first noticing the knife-edged crease in the legs of the black tuxedo pants. Then her senses reeled when she recognized the familiar after shave, it lingered on her hand and she remembered how she had procured it. Donna felt her cheeks as they began to flush and in her embarrassment she tried to back away but the information kiosk was in the way.

As she began to sidestep Sam followed, blocking her path as he leaned a hand onto the leather topped desk. "Will you please stop and listen to me for just one minute?" he asked plainly.

Donna avoided looking up, feeling too embarrassed to meet his gaze head on. "I thought you'd already said your peace," she said clearly, looking anywhere so as not to look at him. She began to feel uneasy.  He was beginning to crowd her.

"Okay, okay," Sam said holding his hands up in submission but at the same time making sure that the gap between him and the desk wasn't wide enough for her to slip through. He didn't relish the thought of chasing after her again. "If you don't return to New Mexico how on earth do you plan on bringing me up to date with those experiments you've been working on?"

For the briefest of seconds Donna's eyes met Sam's but she abruptly averted them again. "You don't need my experiments for the work that you've been contracted for Doctor Beckett."

"And how would you know that, Miss Elesee, if I don't get the chance to see them for myself?" the physicist stated the obvious -- the obvious to him but apparently not so obvious to the young woman.

"You can always read my notes Doctor," she stated as she began to sidestep in the other direction.

"But what if I need a more detailed explanation?" he placed a hand gently on each of her shoulders and with a lowered empathic tone to his voice he added, "Look Donna… the least you can do is give me that week and if…"

Donna looked resolutely at Sam's cunningly placed hands, convinced she was finishing Sam's sentence for him, she supplemented. "…and if I don't give you that week?"

"…and if…" Sam repeated and then corrected her presumption, "…by the end of that week I can convince you that you're really needed, will you stay on?"

"You haven't answered my question Doctor, what if I won't give you a week?"

"I was promised two weeks to work with you and when I arrive, I find that you're away. Any other scientist would have taken that as an insult -- having to delay everything because another was holding them back -- but not me, Miss Elesee. It's good for you that I'm very easy going and take things as they come. A promise is a promise and I don't think you'll want to ruin a reputation by breaking your word…"

"I can assure you Doctor that I knew nothing of this arrangement nor of promises given." For the first time since their misunderstanding in the banqueting suite, Donna looked deep into Sam's eyes, her own squinting a little as she searched for a hidden catch, some kind of sign in the physicist's face that would tell her that she would be making a fool of herself if she should stay. "A week you say Doctor?"

"Just a week, that's all I'm asking," Sam said and with a nervous twitch of his cheek he managed a mutual smile.

"Okay Sam, it's a trade, you can have your week," she said stretching out a hand to secure the deal.

Sam's heart leapt at her words and it raced even faster because she had used his first name without being prompted. Enthusiastically, he took her hand and shook it vigorously. "Sorry," he muttered as he released his grasp only to draw her close into an embrace. "You're not gonna regret this and that's a promise from me," he said stepping back before kissing her sweetly on the cheek. "Not one little bit."

Donna laughed at his exuberance. As he held out an arm for her to take, she felt comfortable for the first time in ages. She slipped her arm through his.  She couldn't believe the imperviousness of this man she'd just met but she liked it. His sheer determination and ability to sway her thoughts but what she admired most was his delectable smile.

In the now darkened interior, the banqueting suite took on another visage. It now assumed the guise of a ballroom and the Captain couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Sam return with Donna and especially the way they entered—arm in arm as if they'd known each other for months.

"What is it honey?" Tina asked as she saw the gaping mouth of Albert Calavicci.

"I just don't believe it…" Al said, closing his mouth with a snap, then turning his head towards Tina but keeping his eyes firmly on the approaching couple. "Tell me, am I seeing things or is that our Miss Elesee dangling from Sam's arm?"

"What makes you ask that Al, after all… didn't they arrive together? They did, didn't they?" Tina asked as if she wasn't quite so sure.

"Yeah, they did but you know Donna as well as I do -- you know that she doesn't like getting close to anyone, but she sure looks like she's getting pretty close now," Al stated as he observed Sam escort Donna back to their table. "If she gets any closer they'll be wearin' the same clothes."  His mind started to imagine strange things, very bizarre things.

Sam in a dress for one, and he couldn't suppress a hearty chuckle; it seemed more likely to him that Donna would be wearing the man's suit on account of what he'd learnt of Doctor Beckett so far, he really wasn't the type to cross-dress. Yes, he could see it now, Donna in a top hat and tails, no trousers however, but her long legs adorning fishnet tights. 'Yeah,' he sighed to himself, 'and high heels, now that would be a sight to bring out of my imagination.'

"What is it now Al?" Tina asked with a questioning stare at his amusement.

"Ah, nothin' Tina," he answered sheepishly, "just keep reminding me that now and again I have to keep my mind outta the gutter."

"Honey… now why should I wanna go and do that for? Al, I love you just the way you are," Tina said as she cuddled up even closer. "You know I love you that way, especially when we're alone," she giggled as she slowly ran a tantalizing finger from his knee up and over his thigh.

"Later lover," Al squirmed, not really wanting to wait but Sam had really gotten his curiosity roused, even more roused than an early night with Tina.

Al watched Sam leave the table and as he headed for the bar the Captain knew that his curiosity couldn't be restrained any longer. "This won't take long pet," he said as he stood up. "But I've just gotta find out how he's managed it." He started walking in the direction of the bar but turned suddenly back to face Tina. "Would you like another drink yet hon?"

"Please, another vodka Martini," she replied and as Al nodded at her request she too found that her interest had been piqued at how Sam could have turned Donna about.

The music changed from a slow tempo, to a more upbeat and modern rhythm and most of the older couples dancing returned to their seats. Younger guests replaced them on the dance floor and Tina couldn't help swooning a little in her chair as the voice of Nik Kershaw crooned out from the multitudinous speakers concealed within the false ceiling.

As the music started Al turned to see Tina idly and dreamily leaning back into her seat. He listened to the lyrics as he approached the lively bar: "I got it bad… you don't know how bad I got it." 'You got that right pal,' he thought and he continued to listen: "It's getting harder… just keeping life and soul together. I'm sick of fighting… even though I know I should." 'You're hitting the nail right on the head there buddy.'  He could see Sam over at the other end of the bar but it was near enough an impossibility to reach him through the crowd.

Al started adding his own lyrics as he jangled the change in his pocket and tapped his fingers to the tune. "Wouldn't it be good to be on that side, if only for a bit… Don't wanna be here no more… I wanna be over there now." The crowd shifted and he weaseled his way into the gap, getting closer to the bar and nearer to Sam, and to knowing how Sam had accomplished where many had failed.

Sam, on spotting Al and seeing that he was closer to being served than Al would be in a very long time, attracted his attention by pointing down towards the bar. "Drinks!" he yelled out across the din and the music.

Al nodded, his head bobbing just enough for Sam to see the endorsement.

"What will it be?" Sam held up a hand as if holding a tankard, "Beer?"

"Lite beer," Al replied, mouthing the words more than sounding them.

Then Sam pointed back to Al's table, and tipping a hand towards his mouth, "And Tina, what's she drinking?"

"Vodka Martini," Al shouted but his words were drowned out with an assortment of hysterics, laughter and shrieks. He made several attempts and mouthing out the words but he was jostled about as several six foot plus'ers shoved their way to the bar.

In the end Al raised his hands and shook them together and then waving one hand in dismissal of his last gesture, then he held out one hand as if holding a container and made a mixing movement with the other.

Sam was a little baffled by Al's interpretation, even as a kid he was never good at charades, his younger sister Katie was the best at guessing games. He remembered her once telling him that he looked at everything far too logically & systematically and not for what things really were, simple. 'Simplisticalisation,' is what she'd called it, one of her words, 'if it's too easy, you always have to make it more complicated.' She was right of course; he could never make do with the simpler things.

Al repeated the three gestures; 'shaken,' Sam recognized the first, 'not shaken?' he thought as Al repeated the second and then he reiterated the mixing motion with an added grin. 'Mixed… not shaken but mixed, stir -- stirred? …not shaken but stirred.' Now he had it! "Martini?" Sam mouthed.

Al replied with a thumbs up and then folded his arms across his chest; he bobbed up and down jerkily swaying his head from side to side, with a silly expression on his face.

'What the…what now? What on earth goes with Martini?' Sam now asked himself. Sam shook his head at his inadequate supposition.

"Vodka," Al mouthed and recommenced his jig.

"Vod—ka!" Sam followed Al's lip movements. "You mean to say that all that was just for… never mind you can't hear me anyway." He turned to face the bar and was surprised to see that the barman had decided that it was now his turn to be served. "A vodka Martini, a white wine spritzer and two lite beers please," he instructed the barman and soon the beverages were placed on a receptacle before him.

Cash changed hands and as Sam placed the change into his pocket an obliging Captain stood beside him.

"What was that absurd dance all about Al?" Sam asked as he collected up the receptacle holding the glasses.

Al grinned widely at his circumvention of the physicist showing no signs of forbearance. "Oh you mean my little jig? Shame you didn't get that Sam, I thought that was really good. Russian, ya know…" he said as he folded his arms again.

"What has Russia got to do with…? Al you—you're captious!" Sam said slightly annoyed.

"I'm captious! What about you? How on earth did you conquer the invincible Donna?"

"Well, erm, I-I didn't," Sam said embarrassed, not really knowing how or what he'd accomplished. All he'd gained was a week and he'd already had that until he had botched it all up with this blundering.

"What do you mean you didn't? From what I could see she was putty in your hands."

"All I got back was a week and that was already mine. I have seven days to convince her to stay on at the project and somehow in that time I have to persuade her that she's invaluable. I don't know if I can do it Al."

"What do you mean ya can't do it?" Al questioned as he took two drinks from the tray. "Didn't ya mother ever tell ya that there's no such word as can't?" he asked to Sam flippantly.

Immediately Sam wished that he'd kept his mouth shut about his feelings. How could he explain exactly the way he was feeling to someone he didn't know, and about someone he didn't know either. Al probably knew more about her than he did and so he pondered on how he could approach Al with questions. What did he know of her?

"I know what you mean though," Al said seeing the grim expression on Sam's face. "She can be so difficult at times. Not that I've worked with her, of course, but I do know what others have said about her and the main being, that it's frustrating."

Sam shook his head as looked over towards her; she seemed content enough at the moment, chatting with Jennie and Patty. But who could tell what was going on in that pretty but insecure head of hers and he hoped that somehow he could build up her self-confidence. 'Whom am I kidding? Mr. 'self' confident himself speaking here!' he reminded himself. "She's gotten it into her head that she's not worthy, that what she's doing isn't contributing to the project. What is it with her Al?  Why is she so doubtful of her abilities?"

"You got me there pal but one thing I do know and that is, not to be -- ahmm -- not to be too overly nice towards her, she needs a firm hand." Al sipped from his glass and looked up at Sam through his brow, waiting for a reaction, but the physicist was still gazing over at Donna, with a kinda love struck veil in his eyes. "A will of steel and a gut of iron, preferably rustproof cos she'll have it turning somersaults before ya know it," he added the last bit as more of a warning to himself than to Sam as he glanced towards Tina.

Tina waved a hand as she saw Al looking her way, cooing as she waved even more fervently.

"Erm Sam, I think I'm needed," Al said as he jabbed at Sam's arm with an elbow.

"Uh! Oh!" Doctor Beckett grumbled as he was drawn from his contemplations. "Sorry Al, I'm keeping you from…"

"It's not that Sam," Al cut in. "I just wanna get back to Tina before the ice melts—if ya get my drift?" he said with a wicked twinkle in his eye as he winked and again jabbed at Sam's arm.

Sam innocently looked down at the glass in Al's left hand and commented, "Yeah it is melting a bit… you'd think that in a new building they'd have better air-conditioning."

Al's brow creased in confusion that his whimsical wisecrack should fly over the physicist's head. Wasn't he supposed to be the brainiest person on earth at the moment? Could it be true then that the more intelligent the person the less humoristic they become? Al decided to let it pass this one time; maybe his friend was more distracted with Donna than he cared to admit.

"Yeah Sam, you think they would," Al said absently as he looked over at Donna. "Isn't that your old friend and professor from M.I.T., Doctor LoNigro?" he asked as he saw Bobby approaching her.

"Yes it is," Sam confirmed as he watched his old friend sit in his seat next to Donna.

"Pity they had to cut the number of attendee's for the conference earlier, I was really looking forward to LoNigro's readings on that sphere of his," Al said with a composed expression.

"I agree. Dallas would have been more convenient but with that law suit hanging over the heads of the RSNA, I doubt it would have worked," Sam said remembering back to the catastrophic events at the 1980 Scientific Assembly in Dallas.

Al chewed at his top lip, aching to chew instead at the cigar concealed in his pocket. "Yup, first time in decades Dallas saw snow and to top it all off the bus driver's chose that week to strike."

The physicist laughed, "I remember that one morning later on in the week, we were all gathered in the foyer waiting for the transport to take us from the hotel to the Conference Center. The replacement drivers didn't know their way around, we circled about the city for ages and we ended up at Fort Worth almost 30 miles away. I remember feeling absolutely devastated when I thought I'd miss Moore's lecture on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, but thankfully we arrived just in the nick of time."

"I remember that, though it was circulated as a rumor," Al laughed in countenance. "So it's true then and you were there too Sam, I never saw you there?"

"Nor I you, but maybe we did," Sam said thoughtfully, "probably just the fact that neither of us knew of each others existence back then."

"Hmm. Darned shame that McCormick Place in Chicago was all booked, least then we wouldn't have gotten the numbers cut. I suppose we'll just have to wait until LoNigro's papers are out now," the Captain suggested emphatically.

"We might not be waiting as long as you think," Sam said ruminatingly. "That's the first thing on the agenda for tomorrow morning."

"It's Saturday tomorrow Sam!" Al said astutely. "You mean to tell me that you're gonna be working on a Saturday?"

"Sure am," Sam confessed with a smile. "Probably Sunday too. That's my plan Al, I'm not gonna give Donna a minute's peace 'til I get her on side, that way I figure she'll admit to her indispensability."

Al's eyes narrowed at Sam's suggestion. "Does Donna know about this?"

"No, not yet Al and that's what I'm counting on. I'm gonna page her first thing and ask for her assistance… I'm gonna get her so involved that she's gonna forget that she ever tendered her resignation. I hope…" Sam sighed, trusting to his instincts.

Al grinned. "You cunning devil Sam and you said that I was the wily one."

"But first I have to get her to like me. Get closer to her, get her to open up a bit more, to trust me." Sam remained despondent, even with Al's cheery grin he couldn't see a way of changing such a dogmatic mind. How can you make someone like or trust you when all they want to do is escape at every opportune moment?

"Believe me Sam, from that grand entrance you made earlier, if you two had gotten any closer you'd be…" Al cut himself off with a snigger as he refocused his imaginings.

"What is it Al? What's so funny?" Sam said as wry curve touched at his lips.

"Believe me you really don't wanna know what I'm thinking." Al turned when he felt an arm slip through his.

"Honey, I was getting kinda lonely sitting all on my lonesome. Why don't we take these drinks and…" Tina moved in closer and whispered into Al's ear, "…and slip away quietly?" She took the glasses from his grasp and winked slowly as she took a small sip from her glass. "I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind if we left a little early."

"No -- no not at all… Tina," Sam said slightly embarrassed at Tina's suggestion. "You two go ahead with your plans… I-I have other business -- erm -- Donna to attend -- erm -- sort out -- you know what I mean, right Al?"

Al chuckled at Sam's disconcertion. "Well a man's gotta do what a man's hasta do. But don't be doin' anything that I wouldn't," he advised as Tina started dragging him away. "Just remember Sam, no early morning calls for me, some of us need a little R&R on weekends."

Doctor Beckett watched as they walked away. Al slid a hand around Tina's waist and then watched as he slithered it downward, giving her curves a slight squeeze and Tina jumped giving out a little squeal of delight as she jostled her hip into Al playfully.

Sam turned and headed for his table where Donna was still talking with Bobby. As he placed the glasses on the table, Doctor LoNigro started getting up to leave.

"Sorry Donna, but I need to have a quick word with Bobby for a moment," Sam said taking Doctor LoNigro by the arm just as he stood upright. "I hope you don't mind me stealing him a way? I promise I won't keep you waiting too much longer."

"No, of course not Doc -- Sam. The doctor was just leaving anyway," Donna said as she reached for her glass. She didn't mind being alone, Patty was on the dance floor with Jim and she didn't know where Jennie had shot off to, somewhere with her husband no doubt.

Sam led LoNigro away by the elbow a safe enough distance so that Donna couldn't overhear their conversation. "I only need a minute of your time, sir."

"What's all this about Sam?" Bobby asked, confused at all of the secrecy.

"Well," Sam laughed uneasily. "You know that Colonel Radford asked me to persuade his dau -- stepdaughter into staying?"

"Yep, you told me of that last week," Bobby reminded him.

Doctor Beckett smiled nervously again. "Erm… well… it's not going too smoothly and I'll need a little help from you."

"You?" Bobby's mouth dropped in surprise. "You mean you haven't charmed our lovely Donna? I thought that if anyone could, it would be you Sam."

"You do have her pager number, don't you?" Sam asked.

"Yes I do, right here in my diary," Bobby patted his breast pocket. "But what on earth for? Sam… what are you planning?"

Sam spent the next few minutes explaining each aspect as to how and what he had in store for Donna, adding more details as he thought of them. Between them they contrived the tactics further and when Bobby left to rejoin his wife Sam felt even more confident that the plot would succeed.

Phase one was about to be implemented and as he stood by Donna's side, he graciously took hold of her hand. "Dance?" he asked unwaveringly.

Donna shook her head. "I don't think so Sam, I don't…"

Sam wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer and as he swept her to her feet she tried to protest.

"Everyone's watching," he said unruffled at her objections. He began to take Al's words to heart and not let her get her own way. He wasn't about to let her get the better of things nor was he going to make it so easy for her. He just hoped he had the nerve to carry them through.

"So what if everyone's watching, I don't care to dance with you or with anyone for that matter," she announced outright as she stood her ground at the edge of the dance floor.

With one quick tug Sam pulled her a few steps towards him. "Do you really want to display a second scene in front of your colleagues? There are some things in life that you have to endure and for the moment I'm afraid that you'll have to put up with me."

The music wasn't slow or romantic and Donna was thankful for that but she felt overly exhibited, as if Doctor Beckett was showing off a prize he'd won in a raffle. She really didn't feel like dancing; her heart wasn't in it tonight. She felt tired from her journey and disillusioned with the results of her research, she had expected a better outcome from all of those assiduous hours spent in the laboratory and the strain had taken its toll. Her eyes ached from the many hours of staring through the microscope, searching through the various alluvia for that illusory cell and all for what? Nothing.

If Doctor Beckett wanted to dance then, he'd have to dance alone or better yet find another partner to drag around the dance floor. Curses on both of you Bradley and Rodger: my stepfather for interfering and Rodger for ruining a perfectly good friendship. 'Why do people feel the need to intrude when I don't need their interference? Why can't they just leave me alone to get on with things in my own way?'

Sam saw the stubborn abstinence in Donna's face but nevertheless he started to dance without her cooperation; it was difficult dancing a Samba when lacking a partner and so he took her hands, replicating the motions without any assistance from her.

"Problems?" a voice inquired from behind him.

Sam turned and saw Jim and Patty homing in on them. 'Darn it!' Sam thought discerningly and then replied, "No problems, Donna doesn't know the Samba so I'm just showing her the moves."

Donna's eyes flashed a hypocritical glare at Sam. "Why did you tell them that? They'll think I'm stupid!"

"Your choice Donna, either you dance or you don't. It doesn't matter to me if you want to look stupid," Sam said with a stern quip but inside he was detesting doing this to her. It wasn't in his nature to be so insulting and he wasn't so sure that Al's suggestion was working as well as Al and Bobby thought that it might.

The mood of the music changed tempo again; he heard Donna sigh with satisfaction just before she started to pull away.

"Not so fast young lady," Sam squirmed inside as he kept a tight grip on Donna's hand.

"Surely you don't expect me to dance to this?" she asked nonplused as Doctor Beckett drew her to him again.

"You weren't so eager to dance with the up-tempo beat and so I thought we might stick around and try the slower ones now," Sam said with a broad grin but he wasn't smiling internally, his heart felt heavy and desolate.

Again, Donna stood as firm as the Liberty Bell, letting Sam do all of the work. He placed a hand around her back and felt her tender flesh beneath his touch and as he swayed gently to the music he could feel his heart beating profoundly within his chest. He wasn't familiar with the current song and was relieved when it ended, it must have been new one in because he hadn't heard it before. He felt Donna tense as another started and as he listened to the intro he whispered, "Perfect," into Donna's ear.

The intro was a long one, giving Sam the chance to retrieve the words and also gave him the time to compose himself enough to carry this through. He whispered the words as they were sung and at the same time caressed her shoulders delicately…

"Who's gonna tell you when… It's too late
Who's gonna tell you things… Aren't so great
You can't go on… Thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home… tonight"

He brushed his lips against her cheek and he felt her start to relax.

"Who's gonna pick you up… When you fall
Who's gonna hang it up… When you call
Who's gonna pay attention… To your dreams
Who's gonna plug their ears… When you scream
You can't go on… Thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home… tonight"

She started getting caught up with the mood of the music and as she began to sway with him to the melody she could feel Sam's arm tighten about her waist. It wasn't bad, indeed it felt good and for the first time in a very long time she felt as if she belonged.

"Who's gonna hold you down… When you shake
Who's gonna come around… When you break
You can't go on… Thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home… tonight"

She couldn't help it, she just had to do it and as she laid her head on his chest she couldn't stop her hand from traveling to the inside of his jacket and to his back. Sam responded by hugging her closer, taking care to reciprocate only in response to her.

"Oh you know you can't go on… Thinking nothing's wrong
Who's gonna drive you home tonight"

"I will," Sam whispered, "tonight and every night… and for as long as you'll let me."

Sam was more than a little taken aback when Donna instigated the kiss herself and as she cupped his face in her hands he tilted his head down in acceptance. Her eyes closed and their bodies continued to sway together even after the music had stopped.

Donna lowered her head as the kiss ended. "Erm… I'm sorry Doc -- Sam," she said apologetically as she tugged nervously at his shirt beneath his jacket.

"No need to be," he said as he lifted her chin with a finger.

She looked up into his eyes. "I know. It's just that… I-I feel… I feel as if… as if I -- I've just come home."

"You did, this afternoon remember?" he said as his thumb brushed her cheek tenderly.

"No, not that way Sam. It's as if I've been blind, deaf and dumb all of these years and now I can see again, hear again and I think I owe it all to you. And Sam I think I owe you an apology too."

"Apology accepted but there was no…" she stopped Sam's words by placing a finger to his lips.

A rattling disturbed them and as Sam turned to see what was the cause, he noticed that he and Donna were the only two remaining on the dance floor. The clatter was the sound of the shutters being closed over the bar.

"Time to go I think," Sam said with disappointment as he steered Donna towards their table. The two other couples: Jim and Patty, Aubrey and Jennie had already collected their belongings; now all that remained was Donna's purse and shawl. Sam sipped from the glass that he'd placed there earlier. "Warm!" he said suppressing a gag with a grimace.

"I suppose I'll be going back alone with Simmons to Bradley's house," Donna affirmed as she wrapped the shawl about her shoulders.

"What makes you think that?" Sam asked with consternation.

"Well, you'll be wanting your sleep after all the trouble I've put you to and everyone's gone up already."

"No, I'm not staying here, my hotel was booked nearly a year ago and there wasn't time to rearranged the bookings. I'm staying at the Hyatt Regency, way up on Capitol Hill," Sam explained. "I have to travel past your home to get there."

Donna sighed and muttered almost silently, "Home."

"What's wrong?" Sam asked as he handed Donna her purse.

"It's supposed to be home but it isn't, I've never felt comfortable there in fact -- I've never felt comfortable anywhere since…" she broke off into silence.

"Since when, Donna?" Sam asked naturally.

Donna looked nervously towards Sam, his questions were making her feel uncomfortable again but she was so happy only a few minutes ago and the change that had crept upon her so suddenly, and she couldn't understand why. She didn't want to talk about it but she now knew of Sam's persistence and he wouldn't let it drop until he'd somehow prized it out of her.

"Since daddy died in Vietnam," she said, telling only half-truths but Sam wasn't to know the whole story, she'd never told anyone. Only one person knew why she felt as she did and that one person wasn't about to tell anyone, now or ever.

Saturday, February 4th, 1984
00:55 AM
Outside Colonel B. Radford's Home—DC

Sam waited while Simmons escorted Donna to the front door, he'd wanted to escort Donna himself but according to the look that Simmons shot at him, he thought it best not to contravene protocol. He wiped away the condensation from the window that had accumulated with the winter's night air and he gave Donna a little wave as she turned with a smile to look back at Sam and then she disappeared as the door closed on her.

From the light in the upstairs window Sam came to the conclusion that Colonel Radford was home before his stepdaughter and he hoped that he didn't hear them arrive. At this late hour he didn't welcome a confrontation from the Colonel, his mind was racing as it was without the added burden of the third degree from Radford.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Simmons finally turned the key in the ignition and pressed his foot down on the accelerator. Finally he could sit back and relax, it had been a long and laborious night and one he hoped he wouldn't have to repeat for a long time.

When, eventually, his head touched the pillow his thoughts were full of Donna. No matter how much he tried he couldn't erase the image of her from his mind. Bobby was right, she indeed was a beauty, it was a shame that she should still be so disturbed by her father's death. 'Maybe one day,' Sam thought as his eyes started to flicker closed, 'when my dream comes true, maybe I will be able to travel back in time to observe what really happened to Donna and her father and then I'll be able to explain it to her. One day Sam, one day.'

Saturday, February 4th, 1984
6:30 AM
Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel—DC

Sam awoke early the next morning and with the new day his remembrance of his conversation with Bobby LoNigro was still fresh in his mind. At six-thirty, it was still too early for breakfast, another hour to go before room service would be knocking at his door. He'd ordered it the previous day and he was now glad that he did, it would save him time, rather than going down to the restaurant. Time was on his side this morning though, in a half hour's time Bobby would be either phoning or paging Donna and arranging for her to meet in the hotel lobby at eight-thirty. Two hours to go, that would give him time to shower, eat breakfast and nearly be ready for that knock on the door.

In twenty-six minutes, the second phase of his plan would be rolling into action. 'Oh what a tangled web we weave Doctor LoNigro, whatever next?' Sam thought as the seconds ticked away slowly. Pulling back the bedcovers he slipped out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes before heading for the bathroom. He was thinking about shaving first. 'Bad move,' he thought, 'a cleanly shaven face will indicate that I'm going somewhere,' and he didn't want to seem too ready when Donna and Bobby showed up unexpectedly.

Sam lost track of time as the refreshing water washed away at the mental exertions of the night before and as his mind ran through today's events in the minutest detail. He was just about to step out of the shower when he heard the first knock at the door.

After drying off his face and hair he wrapped the towel around his midriff before racing to the door. To his relief, it was only room service with his breakfast but he couldn't help wondering as to how fast the time had past by. As the door closed, Sam turned and looked at the clock, it read 7:32. He couldn't believe that it had taken him almost an hour to shower.

He quickly finished drying himself off and then slipped into his bathrobe, as he sat down on the bed he pulled the trolley towards him and at the same time switched on the TV via the remote control he'd found on the night stand.

The first channel was a news station, ironically depicting the traffic jams caused by the overflow from the Washington Convention Center. Sam had noticed the extra trailers outside the previous morning, exhibitors unable to obtain floor space in the undersized center had surrounded it, causing traffic jams at peak times. He watched as he absently picked at his breakfast, picking off small pieces of croissant and dipping them into the small dish of syrup.

He switched channels several times before he had finished eating and then he took a particular interest of the object in his hand. He snapped open the battery compartment removing the batteries and used the opening as leverage as he prized the two halves apart. He was more interested in the circuitry than anything else and he lay the pieces gently on the trolley whilst he opened his old and battered briefcase. Inside was a crucial piece of equipment, one that he always carried with him and as precious to him as the job it was designed for. But Sam didn't employ it for its designated use, his application was for a much more delicate kind of scrutiny. As he slid the component from its velvet pouch and into the palm of his hand he remembered the giver of the precious gift, his sister Katie.

He recalled her words as if she'd said them yesterday. "I know it isn't exactly the microscope that you wanted but it's the best I could do with the pittance of an allowance I get and it took me almost a year to save up for it." He could still see the look of both dread and hope in her eyes, dread because she was afraid he wouldn't like her present and hope, just in case he did. As he unwrapped the small package he could tell she was nervous and her tenseness made him fumble even more with the wrappings. She squealed with glee when she saw the look of excitement on her brother's face as a cylindrical, slightly cone shaped, black object plopped into his hand. "It's a diamond cutter's eyeglass!" she'd announced with as much enthusiasm as Sam felt inspired.

Little did she know now, how useful and treasured her gift had become and as he twisted its silky smoothness between thumb and forefinger,  he placed it to his eye. "I wonder?" he asked himself as he closely examined the maze of tiny circuits. He didn't have any misgivings as to how everything performed, even the minute letterings and numberings made sense to him.

He was totally immersed in the subdivision of the elements and in tracing each copper trail that he almost didn't hear the knock at the door. It took a second and a third knock before it finally registered; he had been completely lost in his concentration. He hastily scribbled down a few notes before he made his way to open the door, he had forgotten entirely about his impending visitors and now he felt agitated at their arrival.

"Donna -- Bobby?" he said surprised, and he was.

"Sam?" Doctor LoNigro looked at him curiously. "Are you okay? You look kinda vacant," he said, whilst Donna looked away in embarrassment at Sam's attire.

"Huh -- sorry," Sam said sheepishly as he pulled the robe more tightly around him. He had completely forgotten that he wasn't quite as ready as he had wished. "Sorry," he apologized again, "come in, come in. I-I sorta got myself sidetracked as usual."

Both doctors: Elesee and LoNigro entered the room and as Sam closed the door he indicated to the chairs. Donna sat in one and Bobby remained standing.

Bobby glared at him pensively. "Of course you weren't to know we were calling, I phoned Miss Elesee to meet me here. There's something I want to discuss with you and I thought you might want to consult with her before agreeing to anything," he finished with a discreet wink towards his collaborator.

"Ah… yes…" Sam said as he gathered his thoughts together. "Good thinking there Bobby, now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Doctor LoNigro started pacing the floor. "As you know Sam, you'll be replacing Doctor Elesee at the end of this week and I want you to learn as much as is possible in the little time you have left with her. However, due to her resignation, her security clearance has been downgraded…"

Sam looked towards Donna as she gasped, her reaction was exactly what Bobby had predicted: a total look of dismay.

"Now," LoNigro continued. "This is why I have interrupted your weekend doctor, I have an abject feeling that you're not going to be able to work with Doctor Elesee as much as you would have hoped." He turned towards Donna with a smile, he then returned his attention back to the physicist. "This is only a suggestion Sam, this is why I brought Miss Elesee along so that you can discuss it with her first. This is what the Oversight Committee has suggested: whilst Doctor Elesee is still in our employ and you are taking instruction from her it has been advised by the Committee that you also take a downgrading in security clearances. Now don't take it to heart, you can either agree or disagree to do this, it is totally up to you of course. But if you decided to keep your current status and thus have access to all departments of the project, it cannot be permitted that you have any contact whatsoever with Doctor Elesee, purely for security reasons."

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing from his old friend and former professor, this was not what they had discussed the previous evening. Had he been in contact with a higher authority since they had last spoken or was he still calling Donna's bluff? In this his latest remark, Bobby certainly wasn't giving any indication of bluffing, so what was he up to? He couldn't just ask him outright, that would be giving the game away and so he remained silent, hoping that what LoNigro was saying was indeed a sham.

LoNigro continued pacing, neither looking at Sam nor Donna. "But on the other hand if you do agree to downgrading, then you will be free to consult and be advised by the good doctor here," he turned abruptly to Donna and then back to Sam. "So… Sam, are you ready to give me an answer or do you need to discuss it first with Miss Elesee?"

Doctor Beckett was totally dumb struck. He looked at Donna and shrugged his shoulders and all she could offer in reply was a teensy shake of her head. He then turned to LoNigro who by now had stopped his pacing but he wasn't giving anything away, not even a twitch of an eye for him to go on.

"A-and after Miss Elesee leaves, what then?" Sam said nervously and with due cause.

"Then Doctor Beckett, full security clearance will be restored, restrictions will only apply whilst you and Miss Elesee are in contact with each other, if that's what you decide upon doctor."

"And what if I keep my current status and I do happen to have contact with Donna, Miss Elesee?"

"Then I'm afraid it will be cause for instant dismissal Doctor."

"Dismissal!" Sam blinked and swallowed hard. 'WHAT!!' he felt like screaming out but he tried in earnest to keep his cool even though he was enraged inside. 'Give me some kind of guidance here will you Bobby!' his eyes pleaded towards his friend. "Isn't that's a little harsh, a bit extreme?"

Throughout Donna remained silent, she didn't know what to say, whichever Sam chose he'd be losing out. If he accepted downgrading he wouldn't be able to work on what he loved most and if he didn't he wouldn't learn of all the valuable research she and Tony had done. 'This is all my fault, if I'd never resigned then Sam wouldn't be facing any choices.' She had to think about this but it would take time, time Sam could ill afford to lose but she couldn't make her mind up just like that. It had taken months for her to come up with the decision to resign in the first place.

"No I don't think so doctor, I'll leave you two to mull it over together," Doctor LoNigro stated as he headed for the door and then added as he began to open it. "And when you've both come to a decision, I will expect to be informed."

Sam chased after him as he was about to close the door and he pushed Bobby outside pulling the door closed behind him. "What the hell are you doing Bobby?" Sam said quietly but in a tone that was obviously oppressed. "What you said in there was that real or what?"

Doctor LoNigro laughed. "Was I good or was I good?"

Sam sighed serenely, "So you were kidding then?"

Bobby grinned from ear to ear, "All for the benefit of little Miss Elesee, Sam. Like you said she needs to be taught a thing or two, prudence for one."

"And the Oversight Committee, they haven't been in contact?" Sam looked at him slyly.

Bobby looked fit to burst. "On a Saturday? Are you kidding… no Sam, did you honestly think… Oh Sam, do you really think I would…?"

"Certainly sounded like it in there," the physicist jabbed a thumb towards the door.

LoNigro shook his head willfully. "I thought we discussed this last night!"

"Not like that we didn't," Sam voiced emphasizing his disapproval.

"And to think I've actually been up all night rehearsing that little speech. Awww, I'm hurt Sam, had you going though didn't I and did you see that look on her face? I bet you she's in there now, squirming."

"She wasn't the only one," Sam said, his brow creasing.

"So I take it you'll be taking the downgrading? After all, what's a week Sam, when you have a whole lifetime ahead of you?" Bobby placed a discerning hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I-I guess so," Sam said uncertainly with a nervous twitch of his cheek.

Saturday through to Monday went by with Doctor Beckett asking Donna the simplest of questions. The answers to which even a student in high school would know, of course he knew the answers but he wanted her to feel as if he needed her—and he did, but not exactly in the way he implied. The more he got to know her in those three days, the more he liked her and the deeper his feelings grew, and by the end of the forth day he was even more determined that she should stay.

He talked with his old friend Bobby LoNigro and his new friend Al Calavicci. He'd found out from Bobby that although Donna was once one of the privileged few to have access to the 'glass room,' she hadn't yet had the chance to view its resident, let alone study it. With her security clearance now reduced on Doctor LoNigro's suggestion, her privilege to the 'glass room' had been withdrawn and after a lengthy discussion they both agreed to let her access continue. Al was somewhat reluctant at first though, but Sam and Bobby soon talked him around. Doctor Beckett's clearance was never in doubt; unbeknown to Sam, Bobby had never instigated Doctor Beckett's declassification and to Sam, if Donna's was restored then so would his. Now all they had to do was to get the General's approval for Miss Elesee to remain with the team to research the effects and qualities of LoNigro's blue orb. In his own mind, he knew she was quite capable but would Collins agree? He certainly hoped so.

Two more days past and Sam was growing more and more anxious as the weekend approached. What was taking them so long to arrange such a small meeting? What was it with the military and the bureaucratic system? He was running out of ideas and none of them seemed to be working.

He was about to wind down for the evening when the phone rang. As he picked up the receiver he heard a voice on the other end.

"You've got it Sam!" He could hear Al's resonant tones even before placing the handset to his ear. "The meeting it's tomorrow at 0900 hours. You've gotta be outside the General's office promptly at 0855 otherwise they'll cancel it."

Sam could hardly believe it, call it a close shave or whatever you like. His heart had jumped so far into his mouth he felt as though his throat had been cut.

"Sam? Are you there Sam?" Al sounded concerned.

"Yeah -- yeah, I'm here Al," Sam breathed as he regained his composure. "I was just struck dumb there for a second."

"Well, just don't be late, I'm rooting for you pal. You can rest in pieces now, Sam." Al hung up the phone before he could say anything else and all he could do as he stood there was blink as he stared at the phone.

"Phew!" he breathed as he slumped into the couch, he felt as though he'd had the wind knocked out of his sails. At least he would rest easier in his bed tonight.

Starbright Project Complex, New Mexico
Friday, February 10th, 1984
12:10 PM

The meeting had been arranged for 0900 hours and already, Sam had waited for over three hours outside Collins' office suite for a decision to be reached on Donna's approval to rejoin the small team. General Thomas Collins, Captain Albert Calavicci, Commander Jonathan Bartlett, Colonel Jack Weitzman, Brigadier General Jim McKay, Doctor Sebastian LoNigro and even Agent Ross Adams plus a few others he hadn't even met, were all in attendance. Only Doctor Samuel John Beckett remained on the outside. He was considered too attached; having proposed the reinstatement of Doctor Donna Elesee for the two remaining days before her term of employment ended tomorrow at midnight, Friday the 10th. He hoped that Bobby wouldn't neglect to inform them of his reasons and to put forth the vital points as to why he had proposed Miss Elesee's return, even though she hadn't officially withdrawn her resignation.

He wanted to be in that room with them, to hear the discussions himself. He felt the need to be involved and his exclusion made him fidgety to the point of diversity. His mind began to wander; he was back in the hotel room, looking through the eyeglass at the intricate network of logical pathways, devising circuits, calculating algorithms and the limits of isogonic fractual convergences. Locking them away in his own special filing system until he needed to recall them at a later date. His brain hated to be idle, even when asleep he'd be processing some kind of calculus and it would be stored and be readily available when required.

He wasn't quite sure yet what exactly he needed these calculations for but he had a strange feeling that they were important and another unusual untold force instructed him that he also needed something more.

Sam glanced up just as the door to the suite of offices squeaked open and out sauntered a grinning Captain followed by an equally joyous quantum physicist. Adams was not so sprightly in his step nor was he smiling, in all sincerely he looked positively outraged and even though he tried to hide it, he failed miserably.

Even before Sam had time to stand, Al descended on him in a kaleidoscopic crescendo; thumbs raised. He didn't know where on earth Al could buy a shirt like that but it certainly suited his charismatic caricature. No wonder everyone liked him—drunk or sober, though he did prefer him when he wasn't laden with alcohol.

Bobby joined him, slapping Al on the back. "I think you have your answer without either of us saying a word," he commended at he took Sam's hand.

"You did it pal!" Al enthused in agreement.

"All thanks to you two," Sam corrected.

"It was your call that secured it Sam," Bobby confessed.

"That snot nosed kid was corybantic, did ya see him Sam? Out voted eleven to one, he was. Ain't that a kick in the butt?" Al punched the air with a triumphant fist. "Our little Miss prissy's got her hands full with you around."

The three friends sauntered arm in arm along the corridor and towards the elevator to convey the news to an unsuspecting Donna.

A sense of De Ja Vue encompassed his senses as he opened the door to THE LAB. He froze statue-like in the doorway when he saw her standing beside, and almost leaning on a bench. She was wearing a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard, just as he had pictured her before. It was as if he was reliving a reoccurring dream. The same scene with an equally confluent backdrop, over and over again. This was something he couldn't explain to himself and he wasn't about to risk losing Donna by asking her but still he didn't like it, he disliked anything that he couldn't resolve.

"Bobby?" Sam asked LoNigro before they had completely entered the lab. "Tell me what you know of Doctor Elesee."

"Funny you should ask that Sam," Bobby said with an air of retrospect. "I was asked the exact same thing only three week's ago when she volunteered her resignation. Now let me see…"

"Well, I know she started here at the beginning if January last year," Al butted in. "Good place to start and work backwards. Depends though…" he laughed, "whether you like to start from the bottom up or from the top down… heh Bobby?" he added with a grin as he nudged LoNigro's arm.

Sam glanced politely at the nefarious Captain and with a thought in mind he asked, "If Donna has worked here over a year then how come she's never seen SID's energy orb?"

"Well to be perfectly honest Sam, she has seen it once but not here," LoNigro confessed. "Up until five month's ago the orb was housed in a secure area at the Space Harbor until the unique chamber in which it now dwells could be constructed. Donna saw it there where she learnt of some of its surprising characteristics, she then took it upon herself to research plant matter. What she learnt and discovered was that the sphere thrived best on a very rich rhenium-carbonic substrate and a specific polygenic organic matter, which can only be found in Utah. She's been in Utah for the past five months experimenting with different species of plant and tree life to regenerate this remarkable polygenic with her colleague, Anthony Marshall. He tendered his resignation a month before Doctor Elesee. Mutual indifferences, he called it."

"Polygenic?" Sam repeated, "I've never heard that terminology before."

"Something Doctor Elesee discovered and named, I think," Bobby deduced. "I'm not sure, I haven't read her paper yet. She was hoping to get a place at the Convention Friday but as you know the numbers were reduced. Something to do with the polychromatic qualities of the orb."

"All double Dutch to me," the Captain supplemented. "Give me a throttle, the roar of an engine and a hot woman any day."

Both quantum physicists glared at Al astutely. "If you can't be serious, then be quiet Al," LoNigro infused, he was getting tired of his constant Don Juan references.

"What about before? Where was Donna before she came here?" Sam asked wanting to get to the bottom of his recurrent illusion.

"Hmm…" LoNigro paused in thought. "I know she was at R.I.T. before she came here, now where before that…"

"I know! I know!" an enthused Al raised his hand like juvenile. "CalTech and I.I.T., but not necessarily in that order."

"CalTech AND I.I.T. Now that is interesting… do you know what years?"

"I think she graduated Lawrence College in '76… No, no! Cal-State University in '76, that's it. So, say two years at each…" Bobby vaguely recalled.

"Then she'd be at either CalTech or I.I.T. between '76 and '81. Ah! Now I know where I've seen her before, she was a student at I.I.T. whilst I was there. That's where I know her from, it wasn't De Ja Vue at all." Sam's mind was now at ease; he hadn't been imagining things. He'd known it all along but not knowing Donna's background he couldn't figure the time or place.

"You mean you knew Donna prior to here?" Al asked. "No wonder you two get along so well."

"No Al, I didn't know her at all, that's where I had my misgivings. I probably only saw her that once, but once seen, never forgotten."

"You can say that again," Al rebuked.

"She's not that bad Al, in fact she's quite pleasant when you get to know her," Sam said guardedly.

"Shouldn't that be an 'if' Sam? And a big 'if' at that," Al admonished.

"She doesn't deserve that Al!" Sam said reproachfully as his eyes darted in the direction of Donna.

"Stop bickering you two and let's get done what we came here to do!" Bobby scolded.

"Least I know where I stand with her, more than I can say for you pal," Al said, thinking he was getting in the last word.

"Al!" Sam scowled after a departing Al and then scuttled after him when he didn't respond.

The Captain stopped short as Donna saw them approaching. "Good news!" he said handing Donna her scanner key-card. "Your clearance status has been renewed, thanks to Sam."

"It has?" Doctor Elesee asked surprised, feeling her color rising. "Thanks Sam, I really didn't think they'd allow me to…"

"Don't thank me," Sam cut in modestly. "Doctor LoNigro did all of the talking… and Al of course," he added as an afterthought.

"Thank you as well Bobby." Donna stepped forward giving Doctor LoNigro a kiss on his cheek.

"Do I get one too?" Al said as he leaned in and puckered up.

Donna slapped him playfully on the shoulder and Al was surprised, this was the first time that she'd ever been civil to him albeit somewhat brutally, the least he'd expected was a sharp slap around the face. What on earth had Sam done to her? She seemed like a totally different person.

"Come on, there's no time to lose. There's only the rest of today and I want to learn all about these infusions you've been working on Donna," Sam said as he grabbed her hand and started leading her away.

"Hang on there pal! Does that mean you're just gonna leave us stranded here after all we've done for you two?" Al said despondently as he slapped a hand onto the countertop.

"You Al, yes but not Bobby, he's coming with us. He hasn't read Donna's paper yet and besides you haven't got clearance for where we're going." Sam smiled sarcastically.

"Ha! Ha!" Al pronounced emphatically. "Very funny!"

"What was it you said earlier Al? Ah yes… you did say you were too busy, all that paperwork to catch up on. Isn't that correct… Al?" Sam repeated his satire.

"He's right Al," Bobby interjected. "Donna's security documents need updating, don't they?" he winked discreetly toward Al.

"Anyone would think that you two run things around here. Well I'll tell ya, make hay while the sun shines 'cos it won't last come harvest time," Al shouted out after the three doctors and as Doctor LoNigro swiped his card through the scanner, Sam waved Al away.

The 'Glass Room' – Starbright Project Complex, New Mexico
Friday, February 10th, 1984
12:55 PM

This time on entry to the 'glass room' Sam used his own key card to access the wired container that housed the glowing neon sphere. As he opened the casing, the tentacles of energy seemed even more active than the last time he'd seen it. Could it be that its intensity increased with every day of its existence; it certainly seemed so.

Donna held her breath. "I'd forgotten how beautiful it was," she said as she let out her breath with a gasp. "It's truly remarkable."

"It's more than remarkable," Bobby professed. "It has properties way beyond our comprehension and there's more as Sam discovered. It has the power of healing."

"What do you mean?" she asked, turning to Doctor LoNigro but not taking her eyes from the lively orb.

"Show her Sam, it seems to respond more to you than anyone else." Bobby nodded to Sam for a repeat of the demonstration he'd performed a week earlier.

"You mean it's responsive? It can react?" she questioned open mouthed.

"Watch!" Sam announced as he took out a notebook from his pocket. He unfurled a staple from the center page and proceeded to impale the palm of his hand.

"Sam what are you doing!" Donna exclaimed as he dragged the sharpness of the metal through his flesh until a crimson globule crept along the creases in his palm. "That's enough Sam, it'll get infected!"

"Just watch!" Bobby echoed Sam.

Doctor Beckett slowly maneuvered his hand towards the electrical stream and before he was even close, the tentacles of blue turned white and with lightening speed they reached out engulfing the whole of Sam's hand.

It seemed different than before, millions upon millions of tiny electrical impulses traveled from his hand and up his arm, straight to his elbow, then stopped. The feelers of white light danced around his arm for about thirty seconds before retreating, retiring back into its case and then regaining their bright blue color.

Sam raised his arm; it felt as light as a feather. It still glowed and tingled slightly, and as the glow dispersed there was not a trace of the wound that he'd inflicted upon himself.

"It's gone!" Donna remarked looking from Sam's hand and to the now dimly lit orb. "This is absolutely amazing Sam, how did you find out?"

"Purely by accident. On my first day here I cut my finger and after handling that orb for just a couple of seconds it healed up in a matter of hours," Sam explained, holding out the finger he had cut accidentally. "I couldn't understand how it happened at first but then I got to thinking. There was only one solution, the only one thing that I'd done different and that was handle the sphere. And when I tried it a second time and held it there for a full minute, it was completely healed when I released it. Not a single mark, like now only this time it didn't take as long either."

Donna glanced at Sam's hand as he twisted it around and a flash of light from the corner of her eye caught her attention "L—look! Look Sam!" Donna shouted in awe. "Look at it! It -- it's glowing again and it -- it has grown!"

"Don't be silly, it can't have gro -- wn," Sam stammered as the last word left his mouth.

"But -- WOW -- It has!" Bobby looked from the sphere, to Sam and back to the sphere. Sam looked to Donna and Doctor LoNigro. And Donna did the same for Bobby and Sam. Then, the three of them gazed down at the once three-inch sphere. Which was now a six-inch sphere, the blue electrical charge reflected in each of their eyes.

It had doubled its size.

"Bobby," Donna said slowly. "Phone Captain Calavicci, ask him if it's too late to withdraw my resignation. I can't leave now. Not now—not with what I've just seen, this—this phenomenon taking place. Oh I hope it's not too late." Donna turned to Sam. "Please tell me that I haven't left it too long, please!"

Sam gazed upon Bobby just as Bobby gaped at Sam. Both held up a thumb and Sam breathed a silent, "YES!"

Written by Sue Johnson