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Prologue

Monday, December 30, 1985
09:00:00 MST
Star Bright Project Complex, New Mexico

"Sam, hurry up already, would ya?"

Doctor Samuel Beckett zipped up his pants and tucked in his shirt. "Just a minute, Al!" After nearly two years of working together, Sam and Al had become close friends, despite the huge differences in personality between the two men. Two years... he could hardly believe it. Things had progressed so quickly in pretty near all aspects of Sam's life that he hadn't really stopped to think about all of the days that had flown by.

He had barely seen his family between working almost around the clock and spending time with Donna in his off-hours. Indiana was by no means close by, but Sam was beginning to think it might be nice to visit more often in the coming year, especially with his sister Katie and her husband Jim moving to Hawaii.

There was one more thing Sam needed to pack before he left. He turned around to go obtain it from the drawer in his night-stand, but instead found himself nose to nose with Captain Albert Calavicci of the United States Navy and jumped nervously at the surprise appearance. "Do you have to sneak up on me like that?" demanded Sam, a little rattled. 

Al had reached the limits of his patience and basically ignored his friend’s question. "We’re not meeting royalty here, Sam. Just get dressed and let’s go! The plane won't wait for us!"

"All right, all right, I'm ready," Sam said, turning his back to Al to close the clasps on the suitcase full of clothing. When he faced Al again, expecting him to make the first step out of the room, Sam asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"After you," Al jeered, motioning his arms to indicate to Sam to take the lead. "I'm going to make sure there aren't anymore delays, and the best way to do that is to watch your every move and push you from behind."

Sam smirked at his friend's ribbing. "Very funny," returned the quantum physicist sarcastically, and then picked up his suitcase from the bed and walked out of his quarters. Closing the door and locking it after Al exited, the two walked side-by-side down the corridor to the elevator with their bags in tow.

"I’ve never spent New Year’s Eve in New York before. What’s it like?" innocent Sam Beckett asked.

Al shrugged his shoulders and pressed the "up" button for the elevator. "I wouldn't know – this is my first New Year's in the Big Apple, too. It’s pretty much the same world-over anyway: everyone gets liquored up, some fireworks go off, and then you wake up the next morning with a killer hangover but a beautiful woman in your bed to make it all worth while."

Doctor Beckett laughed aloud at Al’s "live-life philosophy" response as the elevator reached level five and the door opened before them. "I sure hope you’re talking about Tina!"

Captain Calavicci nodded and the two men entered. "Nothing but the best for me, pal!" he replied and pressed the button for the main floor. The elevator doors closed and the lift began to move upward to the surface.

Happy New Year
Part 1

Monday, December 30, 1985
09:08:44 MST
Star Bright Project Complex, New Mexico

Al and Sam hurried over to the shuttle van. "I’m sorry," Sam apologized immediately after opening the door. Already in the van were Donna Eleese, Sebastian "Bobby" LoNigro, Tina Martinez-O’Farrell, and Dana Baranger-LoNigro.

"No problem, Sammy," Bobby replied with a smile while the other two men loaded their luggage into the rear of the van. "It’s too bad we couldn't just take one of the Cessnas right from the airstrip here. I’m sure Al wouldn't mind flying us up to New York City."

The Navy captain chuckled at the suggestion. "I was a fighter pilot, not a civilian air taxi," he replied with levity.

Bobby nodded with a smile. "I suppose you’re right... Captain," he replied, emphasizing the title that Al held.

"Are we ready to go?" asked the young officer sitting in the driver’s seat.

Everybody buckled up their seatbelts. The vehicle had three rows of seats in the back, enough to sit three people each, plus another single seat beside the driver. Bobby and Dana were in the front bench-like seat, Al and Tina in the middle one, and Sam and Donna in the back. Craning her head to check for everyone's go-ahead, Dana told the driver, "I’d say so. Let’s go!"

The van started up with a roar and the driver put the vehicle into gear, leaving the complex perimeter without any trouble. "What took you two so long anyway?" Tina queried for all to hear, placing a hand on Al’s thigh and dancing her fingers lightly on his slacks.

"We woulda been out here on time if Mr. Lazy Bones back there hadn't taken so long packing," Al told her with humor in his voice and making sure that Sam heard.

"Hey, I – I just had a couple of last-minute things to pack," stammered Sam in self-defense.

Donna laid her head on Sam's shoulder. "Just relax now, Sam. We're going on a four-day vacation, so just try to forget about everything in New Mexico."

Sam nodded, although it would be hard to simply push everything out of his mind considering the five people he was vacationing with all happened to be co-workers. "I know, honey, I'll try," he answered. They had all promised that this would be strictly a pleasure trip. There would be no talk of theories, workplace gossip, or future plans for the Project.

He wondered if the others were thinking the same things as him... how hard it would be to have conversations about things like the scenery and the weather without bringing up something like a new hypothesis. It felt like all they had been doing since they joined Star Bright was working in the labs and taking a few hours to sleep in their quarters at the complex. Bobby and Dana had a house in Socorro, which was just a drive down Highway 380 to Interstate 25, but seemed to only spend the odd weekend there. All of them at the Project were truly married to their work, but then again, that was why the government employed them for such an important project.

The van continued speeding down the highway, everyone quietly looking out their window. Sam found himself dozing off, his head jerking up a few times before giving into sleep, relaxing against the glass. Donna leaned against her love, feeling more comfortable with him than she had anybody else in a long time. Before long, the driver was the only one awake in the shuttle, the six passengers catching up on some much needed sleep.

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Monday, December 30, 1985
10:37:17 MST
Las Cruces International Airport, Las Cruces, New Mexico

The sound of jet plane engines wakened the six weary ones in the military van as they neared the entrance of Las Cruces International Airport.

"Owwww, my neck," Al grumbled, stroking his sore muscles with his hand. 

Tina rubbed her eyes and said with a pout, "Oh, my poor Al." Softly, she removed his hand from his neck before applying her two hands to massage him.

Pulling up to the drop-off point at the terminal, each of them removed their seatbelts before the sliding door was opened for them by two of the airport personnel. As they filed out of the van, the same two men who opened the door removed their luggage from the back entrance and placed the bags on the sidewalk. Bobby gave them both a tip and simply thanked the driver: tipping a military officer seemed uncanny to him.

The six of them stood by their luggage whilst getting their bearings. "Which terminal are we supposed to leave from?" Donna asked.

Dana pulled two tickets out of her purse. "Terminal 1," she answered, replacing the tickets. "I guess we'd better get a move on. The plane is scheduled to leave in an hour and a half." Everyone concurred and picked up their suitcases.  

Thankfully it wasn't a long walk to their destination. The ticket desk was close by inside, however the line for the baggage and security check was extremely long. Lots of people seemed to be flying out of New Mexico today and they were checking everyone thoroughly. Finally, after getting through with no problems, they boarded the plane and got settled in their seats.

"Hey, this first class ain’t so bad, is it?" Al commented to Sam as they sat down. "It sure is nice getting a flight on the government's tab."

"I'll say," Sam responded, making a show of enjoying the ample leg-room and comfortable seat. "I guess you could call this a well-deserved vacation."

Nobody could disagree with that statement, and even if they wanted to, they had no chance as the captain came on the public announcement system. He explained the process for an emergency landing and all of the other standard procedures. They were then instructed by a stewardess on how to use the oxygen masks and life jackets, and where the emergency exits were.

The no-smoking light and seatbelt light both lit up in preparation for take-off. The flight attendants strapped themselves into their seats and the airplane began taxiing to the runway, the engines roaring as it rolled along. Minutes later, as the jet began to accelerate down the runway, Tina grabbed Al’s arm. "I’m no good at flying, Al!" she whined, hugging his arm tighter. Even having flown to Europe and Asia in her younger days, airplanes still scared her.

"Don’t worry, my sweet. The worst part is taking off and landing. Besides, it’s only a few bumps even then. You’ll be fine," he soothed, trying to calm her down. Tina relaxed a little but never let go of Al as the Boeing 747 jet climbed into the air.

Part 2

Monday, December 30, 1985
12:47:02 MST
Somewhere over New Mexico, bound for New York

After having been in the air for nearly a half-hour, the six were being served their lunch, consisting of a choice between a chicken and pasta dish or a plate of rice with a fillet of trout. Bobby was the only one to get the chicken out of the Star Bright group.

"What’s the matter, Bob? You just like to be different?" Al asked with a friendly grin as their plates were placed in front of them. Al and Tina were sitting in the seats across the aisle from Dana and Bobby, and Donna and Sam were in front of the LoNigros, the women seated at the windows in all three cases.

Bobby chuckled. "No, it’s not that. I’m allergic to seafood and certain fish, and trout happens to be one that triggers my allergy. It’s a shame: it looks pretty good!" the professor responded, eyeing Dana’s plate.

"Don’t even think about it, mister! You know how bad you get even just taking a deep breath around this. I don’t need you going into convulsions, especially at 30,000 feet in the air," Dana warned with seriousness in her tone and facial expression.

He chuckled again, finding his wife’s concerns charming. "You worry about me too much, dear. You know I wouldn’t risk myself like that, no matter how tempting the food may be."

Sam, who had been listening to the conversation, recalled one time when they had been at a fast-food restaurant and his order got switched with Bobby’s. Turning around in his chair to face his long-time friend, Sam said grimly, "You should listen to Dana. I certainly don’t want to go through another Bubba’s Boston Burgers incident."

"From what I heard, I don’t think any of us want to experience that situation. It was bad enough when I came back to Boston to find out my husband was hospitalized," Dana added. Al and Tina looked between the two men, silently demanding the story behind the incident.

"Bobby and I went into this burger joint in Boston back in July of ’77, I think it was, not too long before he headed for Europe. Anyway, I ordered their fish burger and he got a hamburger, but they switched the burgers when they gave the food to us. Since they were both in the same kind of wrapper, neither of us noticed either. Bobby here was so hungry, he just unwrapped what he thought was beef and without looking took a huge bite, and got a mouthful of fish instead," Sam explained, his expression melancholy as he thought about what could have happened those eight years ago.

Tina looked horrified, covering her mouth with a hand when she gasped. "What did you do?" she requested, leaning in closer. Al was listening intently with eyes widened, also curious about how the rest of the story went.

"Well, first thing I did was notice that Bobby had this terrified look on his face, and when I looked down at my unwrapped burger, I noticed that I had the beef. He started making a choking sound and fell out of his chair, and I yelled for someone to call 911. Luckily, being a doctor, I knew what to do to stabilize him until the paramedics arrived." Sam’s expression still had an air of gloom about it.

Bobby noticed the look on his friend’s face. "Lighten up a little, Sam. Thanks to you, I’m still here today."

"We almost lost you, Bobby. If the ambulance had been a couple minutes later or the cashier hadn’t called 911 right away..." retorted the Quantum Physicist, his sentence trailing off.

Professor LoNigro wouldn’t have anymore of this depression and his tone became humorless. "Look, Sam, it could have been the end of me, but it wasn’t. It was in God’s hands, and thankfully He put you at my side to save me. I’d rather spend a few days at the hospital and go on to live the rest of my life than take a permanent vacation with the Big Guy Upstairs."

"Yeah, good thing too," Al interjected, trying to lighten the mood again. Tina was on the brink of tears just seeing the way Sam and Bobby were talking about the incident and he didn’t want to see her cry over a years-old story, no matter how touching. "Who else would we have to convince the stiffs in charge that we deserve this all-expenses-paid vacation?"  That got everyone laughing enough to push the somber mood out of the ambiance. "How’s about we get some of this food in our stomachs before it gets cold?" the captain continued. "And where’s the stewardess with our wine?"

Tina glanced over at Al with a worried demeanor. "Not too much, now, ya hear me, hon’?" she said, more concerned about how her boyfriend might react to the ample amount of liquor that was sure to be around tomorrow night as well.

"Now, Tina, you know me better than that. A little drink here and there never hurt anybody," he contested, slightly annoyed with Tina’s mention. It brought back too many memories about his days at Star Bright before Sam arrived and helped him get over the alcoholism. Al already had too much on his mind and Tina’s badgering could only make things worse if she continued.

The red-headed woman nodded her head in agreement. "I know, Al. I just don’t wantcha over-doin’ it on this vacation. I want a nice, enjoyable time with you and the others..." she replied, and then lowered her voice to add, "but more importantly, you."

The flight attendant came with two bottles of wine, asking each passenger if they wanted white or red. "I’ll have a glass the Médoc," the captain answered when asked, and Tina requested some of the Cabernet. After she poured wine into Al’s and then Tina’s glass, accidentally knocking the captain’s napkin to the ground in the process, Al heard Tina whisper something to the stewardess when he was bent forward to pick up his serviette. Noticing the strange expression the stewardess gave Tina and the even stranger one she gave him before turning around to serve Dana and Bobby, Al looked over at Tina, who was trying her best to look innocent as she cut a piece from her fish.

He continued staring at her evenly, knowing that she would break eventually. "What?" she asked unsteadily, swallowing the small amount of rice that was in her mouth. "Why’re you lookin’ at me like that?"

"Did you say something to her?" Al demanded, slightly narrowing his eyes. By the way Tina reacted, he knew that something was up and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. Albert Calavicci did not let things go on around behind his back, especially when it was his woman who was involved in the goings-on.

Shaking her head, the technician answered hesitantly, "Oh, I just asked her, like, the year of the wine." She avoided from looking him in the eye, poking at the grilled trout with her fork, and put a piece in her mouth, trying to get out of the situation by having her mouth full: at least then she wouldn’t have to answer any questions she didn’t want to.

The Navy captain narrowed his eyes further, still focused on Tina’s face. "Really? Why couldn’t you have asked that out loud? Why were you whispering it to her behind my back? Literally?" He had his suspicions that his lover was being overly protective about his drinking. In two years since Sam came on board at the Project, the only drinks he had ever had were during a formal dinner or in celebration, and never had it been more than two glasses of anything.

"Because... I..." Doctor Martinez-O’Farrell started with a fumble, but could not finish her sentence before Al moved his gaze away from her and toward his food. She looked over at Bobby and Dana who were talking amongst themselves as they ate, thankfully not noticing the situation across the aisle from them.

"You don’t trust me," said Al quietly, angrily. He could feel his temper rising. "You told her not to give me anymore wine, didn’t you? I haven’t been drunk in two years and just want a glass of wine with my dinner on vacation, and you don’t trust me to take care of myself."

Tina said nothing, pushing the food around on her plate. When she continued to be silent, Al decided that was the end of the conversation and began eating. They could talk about it later, in private. This was not something he could let slide but he also did not want the conversation spilling over to the other passengers.

Meanwhile, Sam, thoroughly lost in his own thoughts, was quietly eating his food, slowly sipping at his wine once in a while. Donna was doing the same, continuously making obscure glances at her partner. Finally, she asked in a near whisper, "Are you all right, Sam?"

The scientist let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. "Yeah, I’m fine. I just keep thinking about how close we were to losing Bobby. I... I can’t help but think that if I’d been closer to my family after I left for college, maybe I coulda helped Dad and Katie, or even Tom. I was there for Bob, after all."

Donna frowned sympathetically. "Oh, Sam," she sighed, rubbing his shoulder with her hand. "There’s nothing you can do to change the past. You were out making a life for yourself. You didn’t know that your dad was going to have that heart attack. Even if you were home, you couldn’t have stopped it from happening." Donna knew that Sam still carried the devastation with him when he had found out that John Beckett’s funeral had come and gone by the time he was informed about his father’s death.

"And as for Katie," she continued, "she did finally get away from Chuck. I know you wish she’d never met him in the first place, but she has Jim now, and when they move to Hawaii next year, I’m sure they’ll continue to be very happy together." Donna did not want to get into how Sam couldn’t have prevented his brother from going to Viet Nam. She knew the pain of losing a family member in that war as well, having been told about her father’s death in combat. Hoping that was enough to convince her boyfriend to have a good time, Doctor Eleese broke a small, comforting smile.

Sam simply nodded his head. "I guess you’re right, Donna," he replied, but then got a far-off look in his eyes. "I just wish there was some way to save them from having to go through all that pain."

"And prevent your own pain, too, right?" she added as she attempted to keep eye contact, trying to bring him back to the conversation. "I know you love your family so much that you want to protect them from any harm, but every person must endure hardships from time to time. Without the downtimes, we wouldn’t know when the good times are good." She hated the cliché, but it was apt. "We just have to make the best of our time here on Earth and try to do everything we want before it’s our time to go."

Meeting his sweetheart’s eyes, Sam managed a smile in agreement. "You’re too right," he said, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Although I can’t ever forget the past, I guess I should look forward to the future."

With another smile of her own, Donna patted Sam’s hand and gave it a squeeze. "That’s right, Doctor Beckett. Now I suggest you eat your dinner, drink your wine, and enjoy the in-flight movie with the woman who loves you most."

"I think I can fulfill that suggestion, Doctor Eleese," Sam responded, breaking a waning grin. Although the thoughts of his father, his sister, and his brother continued to plague him in addition to Bobby’s near-death experience, he tried to push them aside as he finished the fish and rice while washing it down with the refreshing glass of wine.

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Once the two stewardesses had cleared away the empty dinner plates, one of them came around with more wine. Tina had excused herself to use the bathroom while the dishes had been collected and asked Al to get her another glass of the white wine. This time it was the other flight attendant serving.

"More Médoc, sir?" she asked Al with the fakest smile one could have without actually having dentures. He thought about it for a second, and in a flash of rebellion, "Yes, please," was his reply. "And more Cabernet for the lady here." Hell, if Tina could have two glasses, why not him?

"Certainly, sir." She filled both glasses nearly to the brim, gave Al one last flash of her teeth, and twisted around to serve Bobby and Dana. Figuring Tina would be applying cosmetics during her absence, he began taking a couple of small sips of the fermented grape nectar.

The flight attendant moved onward, and Bobby looked across the aisle and grinned at Captain Calavicci and leaned toward him. "Good wine, huh?"

Nodding in agreement, he responded to the professor, "For sure. I should fly first class more often."

LoNigro smiled wider. "Well, if we get our way, we just might, my friend. But no more of that: we all agreed to leave our work behind us, didn’t we?"

"That we did," Al said. Bobby moved his thumb and forefinger across his lips, miming a zipper, and winked at Al before moving back to rest in his seat and slowly enjoy his wine.

There was a rattling sound coming down the corridor, and looking back, Al saw the teacart on its way toward him, driven by the stewardess that Tina had told not to give him anymore wine. Figuring the attendant wouldn’t care less, he decided not to rush the wine experience in order to hide it from her.

"Coffee or tea, sir? Ma’am?" he heard her asking the passengers behind him as she made her way to the front of the cabin. He was nearly half-finished the wine now, enjoying the flavor of it more than the intoxicating effects. "God, I need a cigar," he muttered to himself, wishing he had brought some in his carry-on. He felt that the enjoyment would be heightened by a nice Havana or a Chilvello.

"Would you like coffee or tea, sir?" asked the stewardess when she came upon Al. She glanced at his glass of wine, frowned slightly, but made no comment.

Looking up at her, he responded, "Sure, gimme some coffee with cream and two sugars." As he figured, the flight attendant knew that she had no obligation to follow Tina’s request. "And for you, ma’am?" she asked.

"Huh?" the captain said, confused about whom she was addressing.

"Oh, shuah, I’ll have some straight tea, please," Tina answered, her breathy voice immediately recognizable.

"Shit!" Al screamed inside his head and glanced at his only half-drunk glass of red wine. Luckily, Tina was still behind the stewardess and couldn’t see Al or his wineglass... yet. As quickly as he could gulp it down while the attendant was busy pouring the caffeinated beverages, Captain Calavicci drank the liquid carefully as to not cough or sputter. It would give him a bit of a rush, but maybe the coffee would help battle that.

The attendant reached in front of Al to place the cup of tea on Tina’s tray. She then pulled ahead to let Tina back in her seat, and moved the cart back before placing Al’s coffee on his tray. Then, she directed her, "Coffee or tea, sir? Ma’am?" to Bobby and Dana.

As the technician with curly hair and freshly-applied make-up sat down, she gave Al a wan smile, and said after quickly looking at his empty glass of wine, "I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, sweetie. I shoulda known better than ta try ta watch over ya anytime ya get near some booze."

'Oh, great,' he thought to himself. Not only was she apologizing too late, but the quickly-downed wine was beginning to affect him somewhat. "Don’t worry about it, darling." He used to be able to pound down five beers and not feel a thing, but his resistance has obviously dropped significantly. He was by no means drunk, but there was a slight buzz.

The stewardess with the teacart had moved on to Donna and Sam now. Bobby looked down at his half-finished glass of wine and then over at Al and Tina. In a friendly tone, he said, "Well, you certainly were thirsty, eh, Al? I must admit, this wine is pretty good, but you gotta savor it, you know?"

"Uhhh, yeah, you’re probably right," Al answered lowly. His cheeks began to flush slightly and it was not from the wine.

"What’s he talkin’ about? You didn’t have another glass of wine, did you?" Tina queried, already knowing the answer from the look of sudden embarrassment on LoNigro’s face. "Oooooo, Albert Calavicci, how could you?!"

Sebastian LoNigro bit his lower lip and turned back to Dana, hoping to avoid being pulled any further into the argument that was certain to ensue.

"Well, you were babying me, and I guess I just wanted to do things my way, all right? I wasn’t planning on having any more, so could we just drop the subject?" Al was feeling guilty of his actions, but still felt justified in one way. "Hell, I shouldn’t be ashamed of what I did!" he added mentally.

Tina shook her head, a few tears appearing at the corner of her eyes. "I wasn’t doing it for me, I was doing it for you. I was just trying to help you because I love you," she declared at a slower pace, wiping at her eyes with a serviette.

Al was about to open his mouth when the loudspeaker system announced the start of their in-flight movie. "We will now be showing ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’. Please tune your headphone dial to channel two for the audio track. We hope that you enjoy the movie and we thank you for flying with Oceanic today."

The lights in the cabin dimmed and a screen at the front lit up, the sound of the MGM lion roaring in everyone’s headphones. Al turned down his volume knob and turned to Tina. "Look, I am capable of taking care of myself and making my own decisions. If I want a second glass of wine and know that I can keep myself in control, then I think I should be able to do that. Don’t you?"

The technician’s lower lip began to tremble, and she quickly pressed her lips together to prevent any noise from escaping. "I don’t want to talk to you anymore, Al," she managed to say before putting on her headphones and turning up the volume.

"Fine by me," Al murmured and put on his own headphones as well before throwing his head back into his seat and closing his eyes in frustration.

Part 3

Monday, December 30, 1985
20:24:57 EST
John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York

During the movie, Al had fallen into a sleep ridden with dreams about his fight with Tina, and didn’t waken until the airplane began its descent into New York. Everybody else had managed to stay awake, figuring that they would need to save their sleep for tonight to adjust to the two hours of time difference. While the other two couples had spent their time talking or watching the movie, Tina simmered in her misery, knowing that even if Al had been awake, there wouldn’t have been words between them anyway.

The landing was a little bumpy as the snow blew around the plane, and despite her fears, Tina managed to keep quiet. She was not about to grab onto Al for comfort, feeling it would probably make things worse. The taxiing time seemed to stretch on as the plane was slowed down by the snow, but all passengers disembarked on schedule.

After making it through the baggage claim and customs with no trouble, the six of them stood at the exit as they stared out the doors at the foreboding snow. "I’m not so used to this weather," Tina commented rather flatly. "I hope everyone brought their Winter gear."

"But of course," Dana responded. "I may be used to the New Mexican desert now, but I certainly haven’t forgotten my New England roots." The six of them opened their baggage and got out the heavy coats, gloves, scarves, and hats they had brought with them. After they were all prepared, the troupe headed out into the blustery snow and flagged down three separate taxis.

Tina approached Donna as the first two taxis pulled over to the curb. "Donna, mind if I ride with you instead? Sam and Al can take another cab together."

A little surprised, not having heard the argument on the plane nor having noticed the distance that she and Al had kept since they departed from the jet, Donna Eleese blinked a couple of times, but quickly answered affirmatively. "We can take the first one here, I suppose. That all right with you two?" she asked, turning to the LoNigros.

"Yeah, sure. Like I said, I’m back in my element," Dana said with a smile, despite knowing that Al and Tina were on bad terms at the moment, as some snow spiraled around them. Trying to keep away from that topic, she added, "I can’t believe how much I’ve missed the snow."

"I sure haven’t," Bobby piped up, his tone tinged with humor. "I remember now why I wanted to get out of Massachusetts so badly." The three women laughed lightly at the comment, and then Donna thanked them before telling the cab driver which luggage to put in the trunk.

"Looks like I’m riding with you, Sam," Al said as he approached the second cab with his luggage. "Too bad we can’t switch rooms for the night, too."

"Trouble in paradise?" questioned Doctor Beckett.

"You might say that." The driver of the second taxi got out and opened his trunk, allowing the two men to load their bags into it, and also killing the conversation for the time being. The two men got into the back seat and when asked where they were headed, Sam told him, "We’re going to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. After our third taxi gets in behind us, we’ll head out."

A mere few seconds later, the cab for Bobby and Dana arrived at the curb, the headlights shining into the one in which Sam and Al were sitting through the back window. Tina and Donna’s taxi began to drive away, and Al said, "All right, follow them. We’re all headed to the same hotel."

The cabbie uttered some kind of confirmatory response and did as he was requested. Luckily, the airport kept its roadways pretty clear, and once they were on the expressway, the volume of traffic seemed to do a lot of clearing of snow on its own. The three taxis managed to stick together as they traveled down the highway.

"So, why am I riding with you instead of Donna?" asked Sam, finally breaking the silence that had stretched on since leaving the terminal. It was obvious that there was some kind of relationship problem, but Sam had not heard nor seen anything during the flight.

"I guess you didn’t hear us on the plane, huh? And Bobby didn’t say anything to ya? Well, Tina got upset that I had a second glass of wine. That’s it," Al answered, not one to enjoy going into intimate details about his love life when it was on a downswing.

Sam shook his head. "No, I didn’t know anything about it." There was more silence as Al looked out his window. "You know she’s just worried about you, Al. I’m sure she didn’t want to start a fight with you."

"No, I’m sure she didn’t want to, but she did. Nobody has to ‘worry’ about me, all right?" the captain retorted, starting to get angry again. "Now let’s drop it before I have to end up taking a taxi by myself."

Doctor Beckett had rarely seen his friend this angry and knew when to keep his distance. The rest of the trip to the hotel was quiet as they both stared out the window at the blowing snow and the surroundings. He just hoped that Tina and Donna were getting along better.

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"He can make me so mad sometimes, Donna!" Tina complained as their taxi drove down the expressway toward Manhattan. "Usually it’s just stupid little things and we both get over it quickly. I like to think we’re both pretty laid-back people. But this... I don’t think I could stay with him if he got back to drinking."

Donna, used to helping Tina through Al’s alcoholism before he made his pact with Sam, nodded her head. She had heard this all before, and although Tina had left Al from time to time, they always managed to get back together.

"Maybe you’re over-reacting a little bit, Tina," Donna suggested. "Al only had two glasses of wine, no more than anybody else. In fact, I myself had three during the flight, and so did Bobby and Dana."

Tina pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Yeah, but you guys aren’t recovering alcoholics. I don’t care if he drinks the least out of, like, six people, that still means he can get plastered."

Despite how she sounded most of the time, Donna knew that Tina had a good head on her shoulders. Tina Martinez-O’Farrell was a brilliant computer architect and pulse communication technician, and beyond that she really did have some common sense. "That’s true, but we have to have some faith in Al as well. I’m pretty confident that he’s keeping clean as much for himself as he is for you and the rest of us," Donna replied. "I know you meant well, but he saw your concern as nagging."

"Me? ‘Nag’? Donna, I don’t nag," Tina said, saying the word "nag" as if it was profane. "I was simply, ya know, watchin’ out for the man I’ve been dating for almost three years now." She sighed, half out of exasperation about the situation and half out of happiness of keeping an enjoyable relationship for that long.

Doctor Eleese figured that Tina wouldn’t be able to see it completely from Al’s perspective. "Yes, I know," she said. Anything more would be repeating what she already told Tina and decided maybe to let the woman get her frustrations out instead of receiving advice.

For the rest of the trip to the hotel, Donna lent her ear to Tina as she released her aggravation that had been building up since she and Al had stopped talking on the airplane. Every story has two sides, and Donna hoped that Sam was willing to share the opinions of the opposing party.

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After what seemed like an eternity for Sam, Al, and Donna in their respective taxis, they reached the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. The snow was falling gently with the occasional gust of wind blowing the white flakes into spinning, twirling paths. Three bellboys, one for each taxi, awaited the arrival of the guests from New Mexico. Once the cab drivers popped their trunks open, one bellhop approached a taxi each, removed the bags, and took them to the luggage cart.

The six Star Bright members were quick to get into the lobby while their luggage was pushed along behind them. "Since you two took the last cab, why don’t you check in first?" Donna suggested to the LoNigros as the troupe made their way toward the reception desk.

"Thanks, Donna. I guess it doesn’t matter, but I’ll take you up on the offer," Dana answered with a grin. The six of them continued their way to the check-in and the bellboys parked the luggage carts across the lobby near the elevators.

"Name please?" the clerk asked after Bobby and Dana approached the desk. Tina was standing behind them lost in her thoughts, followed by Sam and Donna, which left Al to bring up the rear.

"LoNigro," the professor replied and then added, "We’re part of the government’s V.I.P. reservation."

Looking through his files, he nodded in approval. "Ah, yes, we have twenty-five rooms booked. Which state are you from, sir?" Bobby told him that they were the New Mexico guests. "Right, we have two rooms for New Mexico: one for LoNigro and one for Beckett."

Walking around Tina, Sam joined the LoNigros at the desk, concern about the mention of only two rooms. "I’m Beckett," he answered. "But there should be one more there for Calavicci, part of the same reservation."

Frowning, the clerk searched through his papers, checking the names for all reservations by the United States government. "I’m sorry, sir, I don’t see anything here for a Calavicci. Are you sure that reservation is part of your group?"

"Yes, I’m positive," Doctor Beckett answered, growing worried. "There aren’t any reservations at all? Look for Martinez-O’Farrell too."

"Just a moment, sir." The clerk checked everything he had in front of him, and when he didn’t find it, he tried once more. Furrowing his brow, he looked to Sam and said, "I apologize, but there are no reservations for the name Calavicci or Martinez-O’Farrell at our hotel."

"Well, are there any free rooms?" Dana asked, not knowing how Al could take this news. When he was upset like this, it could either not visibly affect him or he could erupt with anger. She was hoping that they could at least take one of the regular rooms.

The clerk shook his head. "I’m afraid we are completely booked until January 2^nd. We could set up temporary beds in one of your reserved rooms if that is acceptable."

"You mean ‘cots’?" Bobby said with a tinge of sarcasm. "We didn’t come here to sleep on cots. I’m pretty sure the government didn’t forget to reserve this room." Before the clerk, who was starting to get nervous, could reply, Sam thanked him for checking anyway and went back to Al. "Uh, Al, I have some bad news. It looks like the hotel doesn’t have a room reserved for you and there aren’t any free. They can set up some cots in the other two rooms, though."

The Navy captain simply nodded at the news. Everybody but Tina, who was still lost in her thoughts, had turned around to see his reaction, and he was not going to give them some kind of show, slightly disgusted with how they all were gawking at him. It was a simple mistake that could happen to anybody. He heard the clerk start talking to Bobby again, and Sam and Donna approached when he asked to speak to the Beckett reservation.

Turning around the other way himself and beginning to walk, Al glanced at the luggage carts. The bellhops had disappeared and the lobby was empty, and after playing it cool in front of the others at such a enraging turn of events, his temper was beginning to rise. Not wanting to make anymore enemies from friends today, the captain decided that his own luggage would be the best to take out his anger. "Ahhh!" he screamed and gave a swift, powerful kick to his suitcase. It fell off the rack, knocking off Tina’s and Donna’s baggage too.

"Al!" called out Sam, but it was too late to stop him. Al moved over to where his bag had fallen and continued kicking and stomping it until two of the bellboys returned and tried to restrain him. Sam was just about step in to prevent any further ruckus, but like any military man, Captain Calavicci did not like being restricted while he was on a mission. Breaking free of the detention of the two bellhops, he gave one of them a left hook, and was about to do the other one the same favor before Sam stopped his fist by hooking his own elbow around Al’s. The bellboy stared in amazement and swallowed hard, surprised that he didn’t meet the same fate as his colleague.

"Al, stop it!" yelled the Quantum Physicist, his steely gaze meeting the fiery one of the captain. The rest of the group were on their way over, including the registration clerk, who immediately went to the injured bellhop’s side. "Andy, go call the police," the clerk said to the untouched bellboy. "Are you all right, Marvin?"

"Yeah, just a little sore," he replied, glaring at Al and rubbing his jaw as he sat up straight. Marvin the bellhop had never encountered a customer this disgruntled before nor had he endured a physical assault at this workplace.

Bobby put up his hand and stepped into Andy’s path, the three women standing beside him, amazed at what had just transpired. "Wait, can’t we settle this without involving the cops? Our friend here has just had a bad flight. I know that’s no excuse for him to take it out on your employees," he said, briefly glancing at Al, who was still in arm-lock with Sam, "but I’m sure we can work something out between us."

"Mr. O’Malley?" Andy questioned his supervisor, looking like he was ready to jump on the telephone with or without permission. He could easily walk around the professor and call the police.

O’Malley, the clerk, seemed to consider Bobby’s words, grinding his teeth back and forth. "I don’t think that’s possible, sir," he said to Bobby, also taking a quick glance at Al. "The rest of you may stay here at our hotel by all means, but this, ahem, ‘gentleman’, will have to vacate the premises, whether it be in a taxi or a police cruiser."

"I’d say that’s acceptable," interjected Sam, ashamed of his friend’s actions. "C’mon Al, let’s get you a room somewhere else." He released the elbow hold on his friend and expected him to co-operate, putting his hand on Al’s shoulder.

"Get your hands offa me, Beckett," the captain spat, pulling himself away. "I can get by on my own. That’s the story of my life." Before anybody else could say anything more, he grabbed his assaulted bag and charged off toward the exit. Nobody said anything as he left, returning to the bitter Winter weather.

Part 4

Monday, December 30, 1985
21:17:39 EST
Outside of Crowne Plaza Hotel, Manhattan, New York City, New York

Shoving one hand into his pockets while the other carried his suitcase, Al Calavicci took off down the sidewalk at a fast pace, just wanting to get as far away from the hotel as he could. It was bad enough that he had the fight with Tina and then ended up slugging one of the bellboys, but he had likely also alienated the rest of his friends who had come to New York to celebrate the end of 1985.

All of this probably would have been avoided if he had just left that envelope sealed until he returned to the Star Bright complex. It was difficult to ignore it when their travel destination was so close to the sender of the letter. "You just had to torture yourself all over again, didn’t you, Calavicci?" he mumbled to himself as the wind picked up.

Just over thirty-two years ago, he was in the county not too far from New York City, Christmas present in hand to give to his sister Trudy. For three months he saved up enough money to buy her a necklace as a gift. He hadn’t been able to see her in a couple of years, and he was then old enough to become her legal guardian. Al had never believe that his sister belonged in an institution, but after their father died, there was no choice: the orphanage Al was at would not accept her and his mother had disappeared completely after running away with the encyclopedia salesman.

Ever since that day when they said Trudy had died of pneumonia and was cremated, Al was determined to find out the truth. The Calavicci family had never been very big, and losing his parents and only sister left Al with very few relatives to even help him in his quest for knowledge. At that time in 1953 he had accepted the news of Trudy’s death, but as the years went on, the burning question inside of him as to how she really died continued to eat at him. A sixteen-year-old girl couldn’t have died of pneumonia. Aside from her Down’s Syndrome, she was a healthy person.

Al had spent most of the past year getting in contact with the hospital she had been at, trying to get the records for Gertrude Calavicci. He kept it a secret from everybody, even Tina. This was something he had to do alone. Despite the efforts of the hospital staff, they could not find anything. Around November, Al had given up completely on the hospital and decided that when he and the others took their year-end vacation to New York, he would make some calls personally to the state’s health department, archive office, or whoever might have that information.

On December 29, a letter arrived at the complex by way of the post-office box in Stallion’s Springs. It was from the institution. At first, the captain had been hesitant to open it, figuring after the way they had pretty much abandoned the search for information that there wouldn’t be anything new in here.

Despite his better judgment, Al opened the letter while Tina was out having dinner with a group of other women working at the Project. The words all stuck in his head, branded in his memory as badly as when he first found out about Trudy’s death.

We regret to inform you that we were unable to find any further information on your sister, Gertrude Calavicci, while she was a patient here from January 2, 1948 until December 19, 1953. You know as much as we do about her time here as all patient records at that time were destroyed five years after the patient left our care.

Luckily, we did find a logbook that had been taken home by one of the nurses. The only information we can give to you concretely is that Gertrude succumbed to pneumonia and passed away a couple of weeks later after attempts to treat her failed.

Andrea Childborn, R.N.

It brought back all of his memories of that time when he grieved for weeks on end about the untimely loss of his sister. Al felt that this year he was getting so close to finally discovering information on what really happened, feeling optimistic about the records still being somewhere in New York. However, this last letter dashed his dreams into a million pieces after learning that patients’ records were wiped out after five years in those days.

Why hadn’t he pursued it more back then? Why didn’t he contact the police or the state? These questions and more of regret and remorse had started plaguing his waking thoughts and his dreams ever since he put down the letter after reading it a dozen times over, a little more than twenty-four hours ago.

Continuing down the snowy sidewalk, unsure of where he was going, Al Calavicci felt tears beginning to trickle from the corners of his eyes as the frustration continued building inside of him. He was mourning for Trudy all over again and starting to crave something to help him forget his troubles. Seeing a bar across the street, he checked for traffic and headed toward the inviting tavern.

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In the meantime, the five remaining Star Bright employees gathered up their luggage, apologized for Al a thousand times over, and settled into their rooms. A cot was ordered for Sam and Donna’s room to allow Tina a place to sleep.

"Whoa, I’ll take back my snarky comment from before," Bobby said as the five of them stood in Sam and Donna’s room while a maid brought in the "cot". "He was right when he said temporary bed, huh?"

The maid wheeled in a single-sized, comfortable-looking foldable mattress on wheels, and Tina’s mood seemed to lighten just slightly. "I guess so," she said in response to the professor’s observation.

"Well, we’d better get back to our room. Flying always takes all the energy right out of me," Dana announced. "Good night, everyone." Everyone bade her and Bobby good night as they left to return to their room next door.

Tina was visibly shaken by the events that had transpired earlier in the evening. She was setting up her bed when the sobbing began. Sam was left alone with her while Donna had gone down the hallway with a bucket to get some ice from the ice machine. When he heard the soft sobbing, he approached Tina from behind and place his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, need someone to talk to?" he asked softly, concerned about her as much as he was about Al. Despite the fight they had, Sam knew that they still cared a lot for each other, and the way Captain Calavicci had acted was a surprise to all of them.

After a sniffle, the technician nodded her head, turning around to face Sam. "I just don’t understand how he’d get so upset over somethin’ as, like, basic as a missing hotel reservation," said Tina. "We had a fight on the plane as ya probably know, but he’s never acted like that after a fight. I’m just so worried about him, like, what he might do when he’s so angry. I shoulda gone after him!"

"I know, but I think he just needs to blow off some steam. Al seems to be able to calm down best when he’s alone with his thoughts. But I don’t think we need to worry about him too much. He’s gotta be the most street-smart person I know," the scientist said in response, trying to be as comforting as possible.

"Yeah, I know, but still..." Tina replied, her bottom lip trembling uncontrollably. "Oh, Sam, I love him! I need him here now!" Bawling, she threw herself into Sam’s arms and grabbed onto his shirt as she placed her head on his chest.

Rubbing her back with his free hand, he tried to calm her by shushing her softly. Donna returned with the ice and frowned at the scene that greeted her. Sam grimaced and shrugged his shoulders, getting an understanding nod from the other scientist. Tina pulled away after hearing Donna set down the ice bucket on the dining table.

"Excuse me, I need to use the washroom," Tina mumbled with the intention to fix her now-running mascara. Sam nodded and let her go and then joined Donna at the other end of the hotel room.

"I’ve gotta go find Al," Sam said plainly. "I don’t think any of us are going to be able to sleep peacefully until we know that he’s safe and has a warm bed to sleep in."

Doctor Eleese wanted to protest, not wanting her boyfriend to end up lost in Manhattan and then have two of the six people missing. "I know you want to find Al, Sam, but you don’t know where he went. It’s a million-to-one chance that you’ll find him. We don’t even know what direction he went in or specifically where he would go." Donna spoke with reason and logic, and Sam admired that, however sometimes rationality had to be ignored.

"But Donna, he’s alone, and despite the fact that he likes that when he’s angry, I think he needs a friend by his side." By the look in her eyes, Sam knew Donna wasn’t going to let him go out.

"If you go out there, you could get lost, or worse. This is Manhattan, Sam, not downtown Socorro. There are so many hotels that Al could check in at. And I’ll bet that in the morning we’ll find him in the lobby, waiting to meet up with us again," Donna stated, hoping that Sam would listen to her. She was worried about Al of course, but she didn’t want to have to worry about Sam as well.

Doctor Beckett, admitting that she was probably right, frowned again. "All right, but if he’s not here in the morning, I’m calling the hotels to see where he ended up."

Donna made a small chuckle, but regretted it when she realized that Sam wasn’t joking. "I’m sorry, Sam. I think you might be worrying too much, though. If he’s not here in the morning and it makes you feel better to call around, that’s fine, but I’m certain he won’t miss the dinner tomorrow night. He won’t abandon us."

Nodding his head, Sam was about to respond when he heard the door to the bathroom open and Tina came back out. "Hey, guys, mind if I head to bed now?" she asked, getting a start out of Sam from the green facial-cream mask she was wearing.

"Sure, that sounds like a plan," Donna agreed. She took her turn in the bathroom, changing into night clothes, while Sam and Tina set up the portable bed. After Donna was finished, Sam took his change of clothes into the washroom as well. He hadn’t brought pajamas with him, figuring he and Donna would be alone in their room and his boxers would suffice, so he put on a tee-shirt and a pair of swimming trunks that he brought with him.

When he returned to the bedroom area, Tina was already in bed with a sleeping mask over her eyes and earplugs in her ears, and Donna was just getting underneath the covers of the queen-sized bed. She saw Sam in his swimming shorts and giggled. "This isn’t a waterbed, Sam," she quipped.

"Ha ha ha, very funny, Donna!" he chortled sarcastically, getting into the bed with her. "How’s this for a laugh?" said Sam as he tickled her ribs.

"Sam, stop it, Tina’s in here!" she giggled and quickly became calm as Sam ceased his tickling. "Let’s just go to sleep, huh?"

Pouting with levity, Sam agreed and settled into the bed with Donna, all three in the room quickly falling to sleep, despite their worry for Al, after such a tiring trip.

Part 5

Monday, December 30, 1985
22:51:25 EST
A lounge in Manhattan, New York City, New York

Jazz always had a way of soothing the soul in Al Calavicci’s eyes. He was enjoying his fourth pint of beer at a table by himself, tapping his hand along with the slow beat. Though Al had been in the confines of the jazz lounge for nearly one and a half hours, few people had come or gone. The cold weather must have been keeping them all from leaving the bar as well as their hotel rooms.

Al, on the other hand, had been forced to find refuge. He was sure one of the hotels in the area would have an empty room, so figuring he could wind down a little first and not end up drinking the entire mini-bar, Al continued to relax as the melody of a saxophone played on his ears.

For a brief moment, the Navy captain closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of the brew mixed with the relaxing jazz music. Upon re-opening them, Al was surprised to find a stunning woman in a sparkling red dress standing at his table. "Can I help you, miss?" he questioned in a slightly husky tone.

The brunette smiled and sat down beside him before Al could offer the spot or protest. "Actually, I was looking for a seat. It seems this place is full on such a cold night," she replied, a slight New England accent on her words. A waiter came over to the table when he saw her sit down and asked what she would like to drink. "I’ll have a Cosmopolitan, please."

Turning back to the surprised Al, the woman asked flirtatiously, "So what brings you to the Big Apple, handsome?"

A sly grin crossed Al’s lips. "I’m here on vacation, actually. I guess you could tell from my luggage, huh?" When she nodded knowingly, the captain continued. "Just here to celebrate New Year’s. How about you?"

She let out an over-acted gasp. "Me too, actually! I just flew in from Baltimore. Where are you from?" the beauty continued, fiddling with one of her emerald-colored earrings, her equally-green eyes dancing with delight. Unfortunately, it reminded Al of how Tina would play with her own earrings when nervous.

"Well, heh, lots of places, actually," he jested, realizing that he didn’t have a hometown in the traditional sense. "I flew in from New Mexico tonight." Before the conversation could continue, the waiter came with the woman’s drink and placed it in front of her. Al reached for his wallet to pay, but she refused, pulling a ten-dollar bill out of her purse. "Keep the change, honey," she told the young man, who thanked her with full appreciation.

"How rude of me, I didn’t even ask your name." Offering the captain her hand, she introduced herself. "I’m Vikki Windsor."

"Al Calavicci," he said, taking her hand and shaking it gently. "Pleasure to meet you, Vikki."

"That makes two of us," Vikki replied with a bright smile as their hands released each other. Picking up her drink, she turned her body slightly toward Al. "How about a toast to two strangers passing the time together?"

Grinning, Captain Calavicci picked up his beer schooner and nodded his head. "I’ll drink to that," he replied, and they clinked their glasses together, both taking a long sip afterward. Setting their drinks back down on the table, Al decided he might as well enjoy the company of the beautiful and bold stranger. "So what kind of work are you in, Vikki? And how could a woman as gorgeous as you be spending a vacation alone?"

Vikki laughed softly at the compliment, taking it with ease. "I’m in advertising, actually. My company sent me here as a reward for my division’s record year in profits. Everyone else decided to head for somewhere warmer like Florida or California, so that’s why I’m alone here in New York. I figured among the millions of people here I’d find somebody to spend the time off with," answered Vikki, adding a enticing smile as she finished speaking. With a slight nod of her head toward Al, she continued. "Now, how about you, Al? I’m surprised myself that a good-looking man such as yourself is sitting here with his luggage. Did the wife kick you outta the hotel room?"

Chuckling in response, Al vehemently shook his head. "No, no, I’m not married," he quickly stated, intentionally not mentioning his five divorces. "I just found out that my room that had been booked ended up not getting booked, so I guess when I leave here I’ve gotta find an empty room somewhere."

"You know, my room at the Broadway Plaza has two queen-sized beds. My company is paying for it, so if you need a place to stay..." offered the brunette, making her intentions obvious to the Navy captain.

After a lightning-quick flash of the thought of rejecting the offer, Calavicci grinned broadly and said, "That would be much appreciated, ma’am."

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Tuesday, December 31, 1985 - New Year’s Eve
06:44:53 EST
The LoNigros’ room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Manhattan

"Is it morning already?" Sebastian LoNigro groaned wearily when he heard his wife moving around beside him, squeezing his eyes tighter as if to reject reality.

"Early in the morning, yes," came the sharp reply as Dana got out of the bed. "Just go back to sleep, Bobby. I’m going to go for a walk around the hotel or something."

Despite his desire to continue sleeping, the professor knew better than to let his wife wander off all of a sudden. "Is something wrong, Dana?" he asked as he turned over and opened his eyes.

Shaking her head, the lawyer continued on her way over to the bathroom. "Nothing that you need to worry about, dear. It was just a... bad dream." Dana shuddered slightly as she thought back on the dream.

Bobby sat up in the bed, creasing his brow in compassion. "You sure you don’t want to talk about it? It wasn’t one of the bad dreams, was it?"

Dana nodded her head silently. For about a dozen years, she had been dreaming that she was being been killed by her former employer, Nick Kochifos, in various ways. First, a drive-by shooting at her home, another by slow, painful torture in a warehouse, and they went on like that, all different but resulting in Nick’s sneering face with a evil grin before he ended Dana’s life in some horrific way. Quickly, she closed her eyes in an attempt to fight back the tears.

Getting out of bed, Bobby took his wife into his arms, stroking her back gently. "Shhh, it’s all right, it’s just a dream," he soothed, not even going to venture as to how she died this time. "I’m here with you, and always will be."

Taking in a deep breath, Dana lightly hinted at her husband to release her, and he did so. "I know, but it’s hard to thing of it as being ‘just a dream’ after having them in so many variations over the past twelve years. But I’ll be okay, Bobby. I just need a walk to go clear my head."

"All right, but don’t be too long. As long as I’m up, I might as well take a shower and wait for the others to wake up so we can go have breakfast." Nodding at Bobby’s plan, Dana donned a heavy hotel robe and exited the room. She was very glad that her husband didn’t persist and ask about the dream, because this time, he had died along with her.

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Sam couldn’t wait any longer. Gently, he leaned over toward Donna and quietly asked, "Donna? Are you awake?"

Donna Eleese heard the whispering in her ear and fluttered her eyes open. "I am now," she whispered back. "What is it, Sam?"

"It’s almost seven o’clock. I don’t think Al came back last night," Sam continued to say into his girlfriend’s ear. "I’m worried about him... and Tina, too."

After stretching, Donna pushed herself into a sitting position, noticing that Sam was already doing the same. Looking over at Tina in the portable bed, she had a frown on her face even during sleep. "I’ll bet she’s worried sick about him," said Donna.

Sam nodded. "I heard the shower next door, so I guess Bobby and Dana are up. I think I’m going to have one myself, and then we should all go for breakfast before making some calls to the other hotels around here."

Grimacing, Donna patted Sam’s knee with her hand. "You’re worrying too much about this, Sam. Al will come back to us when he’s good and ready, and Tina’s strong enough to wait it out, no matter how much she complains. Why don’t we just try to enjoy ourselves despite Al’s absence?"

He didn’t like the idea, but the scientist silently agreed to Donna’s proposal. "That might be the best thing. I guess Al was getting annoyed with everyone ‘looking out’ for him, and trying to find him might irritate him even more. For Tina’s sake I’d like to talk to him, but maybe I’m meddling too much, huh?"

With a sideways smile, Donna nodded. "There’s hope for you yet, Sam Beckett," she joked and moved to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Now go put those swim trunks to use!"

Quietly getting out of the bed, Sam shook a finger at Donna good-humouredly and headed off to the bathroom. Breathing a heavy sigh, Doctor Eleese settled herself back into the bed, with the intention to think about the situation with Al, but ended up dozing for a good twenty minutes when the smell of steam and shampoo came wafting from the open washroom door. "I’ll go see if Bobby and Dana want to go have breakfast downstairs," Sam said softly as he headed to the door. Donna nodded, and once Sam had left, got out of bed herself.

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"Come in!" Bobby called out when there was a knock at the door to his room. He wasn’t surprised to find Sam standing on the other side. "Well, good morning, Doctor Beckett," he greeted light-heartedly.

"Good morning, Professor LoNigro," replied Sam with as much of a grin as he could muster. "Where’s Dana?"

Bobby’s expression made a dramatic change. "She had another one of her nightmares... you know, the ones that she dies in." Nodding in understanding, having talked about the phenomenon before with his good friend, Sam didn’t pry any farther into the situation. Instead, he tried to lighten the mood by discussing breakfast. "How about going to the hotel restaurant? We get a free breakfast every morning and I hear it’s supposed to be pretty good here. That’s what Gooshie told me, anyway."

The professor, trying to hide his worry about Dana, put on a false smile. "Sure, sounds like a plan to me. Shall we all meet up at eight o’clock?"

"All right, eight o’clock it is. I’ll go let Donna and Tina know. Hopefully Al will be back before then." Sam couldn’t hide his disdain about what had happened last night and quickly turned around to leave. He was about to put his hand on the knob when the telephone rang. Without another word between them, Sam opened the door as Bobby picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bobby, it’s Al," came the voice on the other end of the line. "Tina’s not in your room, is she?"

"Sam, it’s Al!" Bobby whispered with his hand over the receiver, stopping the young scientist in his tracks, and he moved over to join his friend by the phone. "Good morning, Captain. No, Tina spent the night in Sam and Donna’s room. Where are you?"

There was a pause on the line before the professor got a response. "I managed to find a hotel room on my own. Listen, I’ll join the rest of ya tonight at the dinner, all right? I just need some time away from everything, if you know what I mean."

"Sure, that’s understandable, Al," answered Bobby, giving Sam a worried look. "We’ll see you tonight then."

"Yep, see ya then."

"Wait, Al, what hotel are you staying at? Where can we reach you?"

It sounded like Al was about to answer, but then LoNigro thought he heard another voice in the background. "Listen, I gotta go. See ya at the dinner." The line went dead.

After hanging up the phone, Bobby turned to Sam, who was focusing all of his attention on the explanation he was certainly demanding to hear. "He found a hotel room, he’s fine," the professor reported, not wanting to mention the other voice he might have heard. He had already done enough damage by mentioning Al’s second glass of wine during the trip here. "He just wants some time alone, Sam. Said he’d meet up with us tonight at the dinner."

Doctor Beckett looked like he had just put down a load of bricks after carrying it across the New Mexican desert. "That’ll be a relief to Tina," he stated. "Did he say where he is?"

Bobby shook his head. "Nope, he had to go. Like I said, we’ll see him tonight at the convention dinner. Now, you go make sure those two ladies are prepared for breakfast, because I’m going to be ready to eat at eight, I’ll tell you that much."

Laughing, Sam did as he was told and moved to open the door again. As he opened the door, he found Dana on the other side. "Good morning," he greeted the lawyer, allowing her to enter the room first.

"Good morning, Sam," she replied wryly and moved into the room, going straight for the bathroom. With a wan smile, the scientist left his friend behind to deal with Dana, and returned to his room. The first thing he had to do was tell Tina about the telephone call.

"Ah!" cried Sam in surprise as he opened his room’s door, finding the green-faced Tina on the other side, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"I heard the phone ring in Bobby’s room. Was it Al? Tell me where he is!" she demanded, looking quite amusing to Sam, but he couldn’t dare laugh at the sight of this computer technician with her red hair up in curlers, face covered in facial cream, and her pink baby-doll pajamas outlining her marvelous figure.

Closing the door behind him, Sam took in a quick breath. "He’s fine, Tina. He got a hotel room and is going to meet up with us tonight at the dinner. No need to worry about him now."

Breathing a sigh of deep relief, Tina exclaimed, "Thank God he’s all right. I musta worried about him, like, all night long!"

"Yeah, I’m glad he called, too. Just give him some time alone, I’m sure things’ll be fine this evening," Sam added. "But in the meantime, we’re meeting Dana and Bobby for breakfast at eight o’clock, so you think you can be ready by then?"

Doctor Martinez-O’Farrell nodded her head with vigor. "Shuah, as soon as Donna gets out I can be done in a half-hour."

"Good, good," Sam responded with an encouraging smile. On queue, Donna emerged from the washroom. "Well, speak o’ the devil."

"Huh?" questioned Donna, who was now fully dressed and ready for the day. Tina hustled into the bathroom and closed the door, a grin on her face after hearing that Al was all right. She would have been happier if he had actually come to the hotel in person, even waiting outside since they would likely deny him access, but Tina could understand that he could use some time alone.

Sam couldn’t hide his happiness either, grinning as he explained to Donna what had just happened. "Al called. He got a hotel room last night and he’ll come join us tonight at the dinner. Seems to have made Tina quite happy. Oh, and breakfast at eight downstairs."

Donna smiled as well at the news. "Now don’t you ever go and do something like that on me, Sam," she warned, still smiling. She turned to put away her night clothes, and Sam didn’t answer what she said, but inside his mind, he was thinking that nothing could ever make him leave her side.

Part 6

Tuesday, December 31, 1985 - New Year’s Eve
19:49:32 EST
Donna and Sam’s room at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Manhattan

After a day of sight-seeing, as much as one could in the blustery snow, and visiting a few department stores at the insistence of Tina, the group of five returned to their two rooms at the Crowne Plaza. The dinner was at eight thirty and was a fifteen-minute taxi ride from the hotel. It was going on eight o’clock now, everybody waiting on Tina to finish up. The men had been told to go first since they would take the least amount of time to get ready.

Sam, Donna, Bobby, and Dana were sitting around the dining table in Donna and Sam’s room, chatting about the day’s events and their New Year’s resolutions. When Tina finally exited at eight o’clock sharp, the four stood up and began straightening their clothing. Sam and Bobby both put on their suit coats as the women grabbed their jackets. It was a black-tie affair, so everybody was dressed extremely well.

Everybody began filing out of the room, excitedly talking about what a wonderful evening they were expecting before them. Sam brought up the rear, and before heading out of the bedroom, he patted the inside pocket of his sports jacket. When the scientist felt the small item that he expected to be in there, he smiled, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him.

The group walked down the hallway toward the elevator, heading four stories down to the ground floor. Bobby approached the front desk to ask Mr. O’Malley to telephone a cab for them. "Good evening, sir, your limousine should be here any minute," O’Malley told the professor before he could even open his mouth.

"Limousine?" was all Bobby could say, stunned at this surprise.

"Certainly, part of your reservation here at the hotel includes a limousine to and from your dinner tonight," the clerk explained with a smile. "I’m sure it’ll be much more enjoyable than a taxi."

"Yeah, you could say that. Thanks!" Bobby replied and headed back to tell the others of the news. A pleasant surprise to all, they continued walking toward the main entrance to await the arrival of the limousine. They didn’t have a long time to wait, and when re-introduced to the cold weather, were quick to enter the sleek, black vehicle.

The five of them sat down in the comfortable leather seats and put on their seatbelts. "I still can’t believe the government arranged something like this for us," Bobby stated as they began pulling away from the hotel. "Everybody’s going to be pretty jealous when we get back to Star Bright and tell ’em about this!"

"Definitely, they’ll be sorry they didn’t come with us. Gooshie headed for Arizona, Verbena went out to Oregon, Max to Florida, Ash headed for Texas... Seems like everyone else went to see their family since a lot of them worked through Christmas," Dana added.

"But then again, we couldn’t all come to New York. There’s no way we’d keep quiet about work if the whole ‘gang’ were here," said Donna with a smile. "I guess we were also lucky enough to visit our families at Thanksgiving this year in lieu of Christmas."

They continued to talk, except for the quiet Tina continuously thinking about Al, about what their co-workers had done instead of joining the New York trip as the limousine continued on to the convention center.

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Pulling up to the main entrance of Gallant Convention Center, a valet came to open the door for the five occupants of the limousine. Again, the quick blast of cold air sped up their pace toward the convention center's entrance, despite their jackets and scarves. Once they entered the building, an usher led them to the room that had been reserved for the event.

Upon entering, they were surprised to find a ballroom with round tables surrounding the outside and a stage filling the opposite wall. The dance floor was empty at the moment, but plenty of people were walking around and talking, with gentle piano music filtering through the hall. Above them, from about eight feet up the walls, a large glass half-cylinder was fixed as the ceiling, allowing a grand view of the sky.

"For a scientific government dinner, this certainly is fancy," Donna stated, looking around.

"This way, please," the usher said, and took them to their table. Removing their Winter coats and other outdoor clothing, the five of them looked around to see any familiar faces.

Tina spotted somebody she knew and excused herself, heading to a neighboring table and tapping another formally-dressed woman on the shoulder. The rest of them stood by the table, still glancing around.

"There surely must be some of our former colleagues here," said Bobby. "In fact, I know of at least three people who are supposed to be here tonight as well."

Dana rolled her eyes at her husband’s worrying. "Come on, Bob, they’re either here talking to someone else or haven’t shown up yet. We have all night to reacquaint ourselves with old friends."

"You’ve got that right, Dana," a male voice said from behind her and Bobby, startling them both. "Good to see you both again!"

"Oh, Craig, you nearly scared me into the next life!" answered the lawyer, slapping the middle-aged-looking man on the shoulder before giving him a quick hug. Craig and Bobby then shook hands and grinned widely.

Bringing Craig over to Sam and Donna, Bobby said, "Doctor Craig MacMadden, I’d like to you to meet Doctor Sam Beckett and Doctor Donna Eleese, both colleagues of mine at the Star Bright Project."

"Nice to meet you both," said Craig with a smile as he shook both of their hands in turn. "I’ve heard a lot about you before, Doctor Beckett. It’s nice to finally have the pleasure of meeting you."

Sam seemed a little taken aback at that revelation. "You have?"

"Sure, Sam, you think I couldn’t help telling people about my prize pupil?" said Bobby, some pride about Sam shining through. "Doctor MacMadden and I worked together at the physics department. He left two years before you came to MIT, but we’ve kept in touch over the years. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other."

Craig nodded. "Yeah, Sam Beckett, the one who grew up in Elk Ridge with Bobby’s nephew, Sibby. Small world, huh?"

Doctor Beckett certainly found this all astonishing. "Heck, is there anything I need to tell this guy about myself, Bobby?" he joked, getting a chuckle out of the group. "I guess I’ll have to be the one asking the questions. What brings you here, Doctor MacMadden?"

"Please, call me Craig. I’m working at Project Einstein, and just as your Star Bright Project is top secret, I’m afraid I can’t discuss any details about what we’re doing. What I can tell you, though, is that I won’t be there for much longer." Professor LoNigro raised his eyebrows at that mention but didn’t interrupt. Doctor MacMadden noticed and grinned at his friend’s reaction. "The project is nearly finished and I’ll soon be heading up to Canada in March to work for a high-tech company called Rune Edge Industries. They want me to be their head electrophysicist as they expand into the computers market, and it’ll be warmer than Alaska!"

Bobby was the first to respond. "Moving to the private sector, huh? Well, I wish you all the luck in the world, old friend." They shook hands and Craig excused himself, saying he had a few more people to talk to, but would come back later for a more lengthy talk.

"Nice meeting you, Craig," Sam said, shaking Craig’s hand.

Craig nodded. "Same to you, Sam. If you’re half the quantum physicist Bob made you out to be, I’m expecting to hear big things from you in the future. Talk to you all later tonight!"

"Wow, I haven’t seen him in ages. He sure took a liking to you, Sam," Dana stated with a grin. "I’m sure he would have fit in quite well at Star Bright, but he’s obviously got some commitments to fulfill."

Everybody else in the expansive hall seemed to be finding their seats and Donna noticed Tina trotting back to the table. Checking her watch, she saw it was nearing eight thirty. "Well, dinner should be starting soon. I hope Al arrives soon," Doctor Eleese said to Sam.

"Me too," he answered, taking his seat beside Donna.

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Tuesday, December 31, 1985 - New Year’s Eve
20:27:11 EST
Outside of Gallant Convention Centre, New York City, New York

Meanwhile, outside of the convention center, Captain Calavicci was departing from a taxicab. Helping his companion out of the vehicle, she shivered at the cold. "Jeez, I didn’t think the Winter could get any worse than Baltimore!" Viktoria Windsor stated.

"Don’t worry, babe, it’ll be plenty warm inside," Al returned, holding her close as they made their way toward the glass doors at the entrance. An usher approached them as they walked into the lobby. Al handed over his ticket and he and Vikki were quickly led to the ballroom. "Dinner is about to start, so please make yourselves seated," the usher said as he took them around to their table.

"Al, you’re finally here!" Tina exclaimed at the sight of her boyfriend, thinking the woman behind him was just some stranger. She got up from her seat and gave him a tight hug. Vikki was not impressed.

Gently, Al released himself from Tina’s grasp. "Yeah, I’m here, and I brought someone with me," he answered, standing slightly to the side to introduce Vikki. "This is Vikki Windsor. Vikki, this is Tina."

Sticking out her hand, Vikki said with a polite smile, "It’s nice to meet you, Miss Martinez-O’Farrell." The response she got was not what she was expecting as Tina turned to the captain.

"Who is she, Al?" the computer architect demanded, fire in her eyes.

"She’s a friend," Al returned simply, not wanting to bring up how close they had gotten in under a day.

"Oh, so it was her room where you stayed last night, was it? You were cheating on me, Al Calavicci?!" Tina exclaimed in a whispered tone, definitely not wanting to draw attention from any other tables. The other four from Star Bright were talking amongst themselves, trying not to pry into the discussion going on behind their backs.

Al shook his head. "As I recall, Tina, you specifically said you never wanted to talk to me again. Vikki, on the other hand, enjoys my company." He cared for Tina, but she had really been getting on his nerves the past couple of weeks, and the incident on the airplane coupled with the hotel problem had pushed him over the edge, realizing that he needed a different kind of vacation: one away from his girlfriend.

Tina’s lips began to tremble and wordlessly left in the direction of the bathroom. Al sat in his assigned spot and Vikki took the vacant one beside him. They were separated from the rest of the people at the table, the empty seat on Al’s left belonging to Tina, then followed by Donna, Sam, Bobby, and Dana, another empty seat, and then Vikki.

"Al, how could you do that to Tina?" demanded Donna. "I thought you just had a fight on the airplane."

Captain Calavicci shrugged. "She may have thought so, but it was more than that to me, Donna. It showed me that Tina and I aren’t meant to be together. We fight way too much. She didn’t even try to go with me last night."

Sam, not wanting to see an argument break out between his best friend and his girlfriend, quickly interjected. "So, who is the lovely woman by your side, Al?" he asked with forced joviality. Vikki had started looking uncomfortable during Al’s response.

"This," said the captain, "is Vikki Windsor. She works for an advertising firm in Baltimore. Vikki, these are my co-workers: Donna Eleese, Sam Beckett, and Bobby LoNigro and his wife Dana LoNigro."

Smiling with a small wave, Vikki greeted, "It’s a pleasure meeting you all." The four of them nodded and smiled, returning the statement. Dana decided that keeping a conversation would help forget about the missing Tina. "So, where in Baltimore are you from? I lived there many years ago."

Vikki gave an answer, but it was drowned out by the sudden oncoming of a band playing. The stage at the front of the ballroom had erupted in a jazzy rendition of "I’ve Got the World on a String" and two men and a woman approached the podium. One of the men, and older man with a graying beard, began to speak, welcoming everybody from all over the country. Everybody in the hall was listening to the words and Al was surprised to feel a tap on his shoulder. It was Tina.

"Al, we need to talk," she whispered, not looking like she would take no for an answer. He waved her to her seat and Tina reluctantly sat down. Al wasn’t about to get up and walk away.

"What is it?" he whispered back as they moved their seats closer, trying to not disturb anybody else. "If this is about you and me, I think we’re going to have to have some time apart. For tonight, I think you should try to forget about me and enjoy yourself. No point in ruining the whole night." The captain was speaking for her as much as he was for himself. Tina seemed upset at his words, but was containing her emotions.

"Fine. Fine, Al, as far as I’m concerned, we’re simply co-workers, if that’s what you want."

Nodding, Al replied, "That is what I want." He moved his chair back closer to Vikki and continued listening to the speech that was now being turned over to the woman who looked in her mid-forties.

"Let me start off by saying, Happy New Year’s Eve!" she exclaimed, getting a half-vocal, half-clapping response from the crowd, very little of it coming from the Star Bright table.

Part 7

Tuesday, December 31, 1985 - New Year’s Eve
23:21:19 EST
Grand Ballroom at Gallant Convention Center, New York City, New York

The speeches from the three government officials lasted about fifteen minutes, mostly praise for all of the knowledge that the people attending had supplied to their nation. Dinner was served promptly along with the choice of beverage. Tina noticed that Al ordered wine again, but had only one glass with his meal. She was happy that he was still keeping himself under control, but hated him to the bone for dropping her so easily after such a trivial fight on the airplane.

After the dinner dishes were cleared and dessert was served, two different people approached the podium. One introduced himself as representing the scientists and the other was a marine on behalf of the military officers. Everybody at the gala was involved with one of the government’s top-secret projects and were being rewarded for their hard work. The scientist said that because of the collective efforts of the people in the room and others who couldn’t make it tonight, the country was stronger than ever before and would be able to help many people within the nation and around the world.

People began getting up to walk around after the lengthy speeches and dinner, some heading to the restroom, some for the bar, and others to the dance floor as the band began to play some upbeat swing. After about an hour, most of the tables were vacant while the attendees spent their time dancing or chatting. The band varied between slow- and fast-tempo music, allowing people to take a break if they had come stag or if they preferred a romantic dance with their partner.

During one of the quicker songs, Al and Vikki returned to the table followed by Sam and Donna. Bobby, Dana, and Tina were nowhere to be seen. "Excuse me, I have to use the little boys’ room," Al quipped as he got up.

"Uh, yeah, me too," added Sam as he walked side-by-side with Al toward the washrooms. Once they were away from the table, the scientist decided it was time to tell his friend what was on his mind. "Al, I didn’t want to make a scene in front of Vikki, but what were you thinking bringing her here? You didn’t make anything official with Tina – as far as she was concerned, you two were still going out."

"Listen, Sam, this isn’t any of your business. I appreciate your concern," replied Al, a little sarcasm slipping into his tone, "but Tina and I can work this out. As for tonight, we’re apart, so she can do what she likes. And I’m here with Vikki tonight, just remember that."

Nodding and not wanting to upset Al again, Sam agreed. "All right, you’re right, Al. It’s your life. Just don’t go throwing away Tina for a fling with Vikki." The captain gave no response as they entered the men’s room.

After having done their business, the two men were at the sinks washing their hands. Sam grabbed a paper towel and dried his hands. "Listen, Al, can I tell you a secret?"

Al, noticing the odd expression on Sam’s face, nodded affirmatively. "Sure, Sam, what is it?" Despite the apprehension in the air, Al and Sam were still good friends. They were looking at each other in the mirror’s reflection. Captain Calavicci watched as Doctor Beckett reached into his suit coat and pulled out a small ring box.

"Sam... is that what I think it is?" asked Al in astonishment.

Swallowing hard, Sam nodded his head. "I’m going to ask Donna to marry me, tonight at midnight." He opened the box and Al observed the total opposite expression than he expected: Sam looked ready to hyperventilate.

"Sam? Sam, what’s wrong?"

"Al... this... this is the wrong box! Oh, damn it, this is all your fault!" he cried out, closing the box and throwing it into the sink. The Quantum Physicist put his face in his hands, rubbing as if to wipe away the grave mistake.

The captain blinked a couple of times and turned toward the scientist. "My fault? How is this my fault?!"

Pulling his hands down to his side, he took in a huge breath. "I’m sorry, Al, I guess I can’t blame you. I was about to grab the engagement ring from my night-stand yesterday morning when you came into my room. That’s why I was taking so long, I couldn’t decide whether or not to bring it with me. I guess I don’t have a choice now!"

Al felt horrible for the fate that had befallen his friend. "Aw, Sam, I’m sorry this had to happen... but if you left the ring in New Mexico, what’s that box there?" He picked up the ring box that Sam had tossed in the sink and opened it up, finding it empty. "You were carrying around an empty box?"

Sam nodded his head. "I had my sports jacket at the bottom of my luggage. I’ve had that empty box in there for the past few months so that if Donna saw it and happened to open it, she’d think I just forgot it in there or something. It’s for my cufflinks," he answered, pointing to the gold-colored cufflinks adorning his shirt. "I was going to put the ring in the pocket just when you came into my bedroom."

Clapping a hand down on Sam’s shoulder, Al met his gaze. "Listen, Sam, I know how much you and Donna love each other. You’re star-crossed souls as far as I can see, and I think she’s the kind of woman who would marry you if you offered her a diamond ring or an onion ring." Al was serious about every word, but Sam chuckled at his final statement.

"I think you’re right, Al... I just wanted everything to be perfect, you know? Donna means the world to me, maybe more. She deserves the perfect engagement proposal," replied Sam.

"You can still give her one, buddy. Just go out there and ask her to marry you. It’ll be the most wonderful moment in her life," advised the captain. "She isn’t a shallow person, Sam, you know that as much as I do. If you try to plan it out too much, you’ll end up ruining the moment. Believe me, I’ve done this five times already!"

With a broad smile, Sam saw the wisdom in Al’s words. "Thank you, Al, I think you just might be right." He reached out his hand in order to shake, and when Al gave him his own hand, Sam pulled him into a quick hug. "You’re a good friend."

"You too, pal, you too." The two of them exited the washroom and made their way back to the table. Bobby and Dana had returned, and so had Tina, who was now seated between Bobby and Craig.

"Ah, the sixth member of our party," Bobby called out when he saw Al. "This is Doctor Craig MacMadden." Craig stood up and he and Al neared each other. As they shook hands, Al introduced himself. "Captain Albert Calavicci, but you can call me Al."

Everybody took a seat and Craig turned back to Tina, who apparently had invited him to sit with them. Vikki had been speaking with Dana, and from what Al heard as he sat down, they were discussing Baltimore. Al just hoped that if anybody’s relationship was going to work out tonight, it would be Sam and Donna’s.

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Tuesday, December 31, 1985 - New Year’s Eve
23:55:00 EST
Grand Ballroom at Gallant Convention Center, New York City, New York

"Just five minutes to midnight!" the master of ceremonies announced over the microphone after a ten-minute break for the band. Everybody in the hall cheered and clapped, getting ready for the impending celebration. The band continued with the music, a slow dance, and near everyone was back on the dance floor.

The four Star Bright couples all danced close to each other, Craig having taken quite a liking to Tina, enjoying the soothing tunes from the band. The seconds couldn’t have passed by any slower for Sam Beckett who was anxiously waiting for midnight in order to state his intentions to move his relationship with Donna to the next level.

Vikki slowly guided Al away from the rest of the group, trying to surround them with strangers. "So, you’re a captain?" Vikki said to Al as they swayed back and forth, taking advantage of finally being alone. "Air Force, Navy, or Army?"

"Navy, ma’am," Al answered jokingly. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, Vikki. It just didn’t really come up."

Vikki shook her head in dismissal. "Don’t worry about it, Al. I was bound to find out eventually. I just thought that you and Tina had broken up, though. She didn’t seem to think so when we arrived."

"Listen, can we not talk about her? All I care about is that I’m here with a beautiful woman who seems to feel the same connection as I do," replied the captain, his brown eyes showing the feelings that he had already developed for the woman from Baltimore.

Blushing, Vikki nodded her head in agreement. "I really like you too, Al. I just wonder if we can have any kind of relationship once you go back to New Mexico and I’m back in Massachusetts. I don’t think there are any openings at our Albuquerque office."

That kind of caught Al off-guard, her considering moving just to be close to him. He could do the same, couldn’t he? There were plenty of military installations in her neck of the woods. "Well, how about this? We’ll enjoy the night and see how the next three days go." Vikki agreed and held Al a bit closer as the slow beat continued to guide their movements.

The band finished the song and once again the master of ceremonies came on over the speakers. "Ooooooone minute left in nineteen-eighty-five!" he exclaimed, getting cheers from the crowd. "The countdown will start in forty-five seconds!"

"Well, Sam, this is it," the Quantum Physicist mused silently as he and Donna broke apart to face the stage as did everyone else. The large clock on one side of the ballroom was getting closer and closer to midnight. Sucking in a breath, Sam turned to the woman he hoped one day would be his wife.

Taking Donna by the hand and turning toward her, Sam said quietly, "Donna, there’s something I have to say to you."

"Sure, Sam, what is it?" Donna replied, giving him her full attention. Doctor Beckett took both of her hands into his now and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Donna, I want to say first that since the day I’ve met you, I knew you were the woman for me. I love you more than I thought I could ever love somebody, and, well, I guess what I’m trying to say is..." Sam said, quite surprised that he was finally able to tell her these things, but was interrupted when the countdown began. All occupants were yelling out the numbers as the seconds counted toward midnight.

Donna ignored the noise around her and focused on Sam. "What are you trying to say, Sam?" she question, already knowing the answer in her heart, but not sure if the words would come from his mouth.

"Donna Eleese, will you marry me?" he asked finally, after a pause that seemed to stretch on for minutes. There, he had said it. His whole life was in her hands now.

"Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Part 8

Wednesday, January 1, 1986 - New Year’s Day
00:00:01 EST
Grand Ballroom at Gallant Convention Center, New York City, New York

The band began to play "Auld Lang Syne" and the crowd sang along as many couples embraced to kiss each other, bringing in the new year, 1986. Donna and Sam were still standing hand-in-hand, facing each other, Sam’s question still unanswered.

"Donna?" Sam persisted, hoping to get an answer sooner than later. His beloved swallowed as tears began to well up in her eyes. Fireworks were going off overhead, brilliantly lighting the darkened ballroom with various exploding colors, shining brilliant shades of blue, green, white, yellow, and red on the occupants of the splendorous dance hall.

"Yes, Sam, I will," she finally replied, almost breathlessly, and the two shared the most passionate kiss they had ever experienced together. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally broke their lips apart, unable to keep themselves from smiling. They put their foreheads together and laughed at the absolute joy that was filling them now.

Bobby and Dana were close at hand but were oblivious to what had just transpired. "Happy New Year!" they cried out as they hugged the other couple.

"Happy New Year!" about five other people replied, while Sam and Donna smiled with elation, not saying a word.

"Am I missing something here?" Bobby asked before Tina came stumbling over with Craig. Both of them had been getting to know each other over a few drinks and looked very happy. Tina called out, "Happy New York!" while Craig guffawed at her mistake, supporting her arm around his neck. "She’s a real gem, isn’t she?"

The group laughed and Donna and Sam met gazes again, Doctor Elesee's eyes still wet from the delight she was feeling. Bobby’s question was still unanswered, so he pressed on. "Hey, are you two hiding a secret or something? What gives?"

Donna sniffled and decided to come out with it plainly. "Sam and I are getting married!"

Everybody’s jaw dropped, Al and Vikki just within earshot as they joined the posse. Al grinned with relief that Sam had taken his advice and gone for it. Everybody else, however, had no idea that this was coming. Congratulations were extended once everyone had gotten over the shock, hugs and handshakes going around the group.

"Al, I gotta go use the ladies’ room," Vikki whispered into his ear and took off with a wink.

A waiter who had been close by approached the group, a platter of champagne glasses in his hand. "I heard the good news. Please be one of the first to accept these glasses of champagne. Happy New Year and congratulations on your engagement!"

Gratefully, they all took a glass and raised them in a toast. "Here’s to Sam and Donna, sure to be the best of husband and wife," Al proposed, glancing over at the now-lonely Tina. He didn’t notice Craig leave, and apparently neither had anyone else. "And, Happy New Year!"

"To Sam and Donna! Happy New Year!" the rest of them, except Sam and Donna to the first exclamation, cried in response as the six glasses clinked together. They all took a gratifying sip from the flutes and smiled at one another. "Now, this is what I call a celebration!" called out Bobby. "Congratulations again, you two. Doctor and Doctor Beckett, I guess it’ll be, huh?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I guess so, Bob!"

"Actually," Donna piped up, "I think I’ll keep my surname. Ever since I changed it when I was young, I’ve always envisioned myself going by it. I’m sorry, Sam, that’s never come up before." Roger had wanted her to change her name and was pretty insistent about it, one of the reasons she left him at the altar.

Nodding in understanding, Sam grinned at her. "That’s fine by me, honey. Just as long as we are wearing those wedding bands, you can call me Mud for all I care."

Overcome once again with emotion, Donna leaned toward Sam to exchange another kiss, and their lips locked in full pleasure. The surrounding group smiled as they looked on, happy for their co-workers to have found love with each other.

"Auld Lang Syne" finished playing and many people returned to their tables, everybody still reveling in the excitement of the new year. Donna Eleese was glad to sit down in her chair, as she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand. The emotions were overcoming her, and all she could do was smile as she and Sam held hands at the table.

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Wednesday, January 1, 1986 - New Year’s Day
01:30:09 EST
Grand Ballroom at Gallant Convention Center, New York City, New York

"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for attending this evening’s celebration," the master of ceremonies announced. "If we can ask you all to ensure that you have your belongings, we’re afraid that it’s time for us to close. Have a great 1986, everyone!"

Only half of the original population still remained in the hall, but that still left quite a number of people. The group of the six Star Bright visitors plus the two extra guests were still there at the closing announcement.

"Well, I’d better catch up with my group before they leave without me. It was very nice meeting you all," Craig said as they neared the front door. Pulling Tina aside, he whispered in her ear, "Call me," and hurried off, hustling as he made his way around groups of people in front of them heading out. Tina let out a giggle watching him head off. Her drinking hadn’t stopped all night and needed Bobby’s support to walk straight.

Outside, they strained to find the limousine. "Do you see it, Sam?" asked Donna. "He said he’d come back at one thirty, right?"

"Yeah, that’s what he said... but there are a few limos here. I’m sure he’ll find us eventually."

"Well, have a good night folks. Congrats again, you two!" Al called out as he and Vikki started off down the sidewalk. "We’ll talk to you tomorrow, all right?"

"Have a good night," Sam replied, managing as much of a smile as he could while he watched a close friend walk away with a woman other than Tina, hailing a taxi. Hadn’t he said the morning they left that Tina would be the one he wakes up with? "No, he said ‘a beautiful woman’ and ‘nothing but the best’, didn’t he?" Sam thought to himself. There wasn’t anything else he should do anyway, he figured. That was something between Tina and Al to figure out as he had tried to convince himself many times before.

Bobby raised his hand and waved it. "I’ve spotted him! He’s over there," he said, pointing in the direction of their limousine. Approaching the car, a valet rushed over and opened the door for them. All five of them climbed inside and were glad to sit again.

Traffic was pretty tight, especially since their hotel was so close to Times Square, where a huge amount of New Year’s celebrations were going on. It took double the time to get back to their hotel than it did leaving earlier in the evening. The trip back to the hotel rooms was interesting, mostly because Tina was in such a drunken state that she needed the help of Sam and Bobby to walk, and kept on giggling. They managed to get her into her bed and removed her shoes. "Are you going to be all right, Tina?" Dana asked, smiling at the inspirited woman despite the concern for the hangover she would certainly experience in the morning.

"Yeah, just fine, Dana, as long as Al’s at my side," she replied, closing her eyes as she snuggled into her pillow on the portable bed. The four remaining awake exchanged worried glances and went into the neighboring room to give Tina her needed sleep.

"Poor girl," Dana muttered once they had entered her hotel room. "I wonder why Al even brought that other woman tonight. He must have known it would crush Tina."

Bobby shook his head. "You know he’s done stuff like that before, cheating on Tina I mean, but that was back in his drinking days when he didn’t know better. Maybe he just wanted to shock her into realizing that she doesn’t need to baby him like she was on the plane."

"I just hope everything gets fixed between them. They’re going to have to sit beside each other on the flight back, after all," Donna added.

Not wanting to dwell on the business of their companions, Dana walked over to the mini-bar. "So, nightcap, anyone? This is a big night to celebrate, after all."

"Sure, Dana, that sounds like a great idea," Sam answered, taking Donna’s hand in his again. "What a great night that was. I couldn’t believe the expense the government went to, considering sometimes it’s hard enough to get funding for a stapler at the Project."

"Ha ha, too true, Sam. I suppose I’d trade my stapler for a big bash like that anytime, though," Bobby replied with a satisfied grin. Dana brought over four glasses filled with what looked like cola. "I know it isn’t champagne, but a rum-and-Coke should make a nice drink to wind-down with, right?"

They chuckled before clinking their glasses together and taking a few sips to quench their thirst. They talked for about another half-hour before deciding to call it a night. When Sam and Donna left, Bobby and Dana crawled into their bed pretty much right away. When the lights were out, though, and Bobby was fast asleep, Dana remained awake, afraid of the nightmares that might greet her should she journey into dreamland.

The newly-engaged couple returned to their room and went to bed, sharing one last kiss before falling asleep in each others’ arms.

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"You have to leave already?" questioned Vikki in a pouty tone.

"I’m afraid so, babe," Al answered as he packed up the last of his clothing. "The plane flies out at three o’clock, so I’ve gotta meet up with the others and make sure everything’s in order."

Vikki put her arms around his neck after he stood up from closing the suitcase. "Will we ever meet again? I feel like we’ve grown so close in these few days." Vikki’s expression was sad, but she kept in any tears. She was a strong woman and wasn’t about to cry for one man. There were plenty of fish in the sea, and she was a fine-looking piece of tackle.

Al gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I hope so. I’ve got your address and everything, so if I’m ever in the Baltimore area, I can give you a call. Shame I can’t do the same for you, but our location is top-secret, you know," he answered, repeating what he had told her before when they decided to exchange phone numbers. He had given her the post-office box in Stallion’s Springs nonetheless.

"All right, Captain," she said, lightening up a bit. "You were a good roommate, especially giving the maid a break so she’d only have to make one bed." A devilish look crossed her face, then she turned serious. "But don’t wait for me. We had some fun together, and if it could be more permanent, that would be great, but I’ve got my business life to take care of, as do you." Leaning in for one last kiss, Al gave her one that she wouldn’t forget, leaving her breathless.

"Take care of yourself, Vikki," Al said as he stood at the doorway.

"You too, Al," she replied and waved. Al nodded and closed the door, a smile adorning both of their lips. Walking down to the lobby, he asked the clerk to call a cab for him. This whole time he had meant to do some research into Trudy, but kept on putting it off. He needed these few hours to at least talk to somebody who might be able to help him out.

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Sam closed the clasps on his suitcase as he glanced around the hotel room. "We’re not forgetting anything?" he called out. Donna and Tina were scrounging around to make sure all was accounted for. Not having found anything, they walked out into the hallway and headed to the lobby. The LoNigros were already there, waiting by the exit doors. O’Malley thanked them for their stay and they hurried out to the waiting taxis.

Once again, three cabs were called, the third one going to Tina by herself. "Mind if I share this cab, ma’am?" came a gravely voice from behind her as she was about to step inside.

"Al! I... I don’t know. They way you an’ that other woman were acting, I thought you’d dropped me for good," Tina replied, starting to tremble slightly.

"Listen, Tina, we can talk about this on the way to the airport. Okay?" the captain suggested. Tina didn’t answer vocally, but smiled lightly as she got into the cab, followed by Al and his suitcase.

"First, let me apologize for bringing Vikki with me to the dinner. I thought things were through with us and figured I should move on. As the days went by, even though we got along well, I realized that I needed you to be with me, Tina," Al explained as they started down the street.

Tina was elated to hear that. "Oh, Al, I feel the same way. I felt so empty and lost without you bein’ around to share this vacation with me. You think we can kiss an’ make up?" She was not going to mention that she and Craig had enjoyed their time together so much that she had no need for the portable bed in Sam and Donna’s room for past two nights.

Though he was feeling guilty about his time with Vikki, he figured Tina would never know the difference. "Definitely, sweet cheeks," he answered, and they embraced. "Second, I’ve had a couple of personal, and I mean deep personal, problems, but I think I’ll be all right." Tina nodded in understanding but didn’t press him for what it was about. She knew how some things he had to keep private. Continuing, Al said, "As soon as we get back to the Project, I’ll take you to a nice Mexican restaurant in Las Cruces. Deal?"

"Deal," the technician replied, a giddy grin on her face.

Epilogue

A female voice announced over the speaker system that the flight for New Mexico was now boarding. The six Star Bright Project members picked up their carry-on luggage and approached the boarding tunnel. No problems arose with their passes and they got on the plane, settling nicely into the first-class seats once again.

"You know, maybe the government’s pampered us too much. They might want us to work extra hard starting Monday!" Bobby declared as he leaned back in his seat. Dana laughed and said, "Sebastian Robert LoNigro, you are too paranoid for your own good!"

Once again, they went through the standard motions of pre-flight and the plane began to taxi down to the snowy runway. Ten minutes later, the engines roared with a new ferocity and they began to slowly lift from the ground.

"Oh, Al!" Tina cringed and held onto his arm with all her might.

"Careful, Tina, you’ll cut off the circulation to my fingers!" the captain joked.

This time, Al and Tina were seated behind Sam and Donna, and the engaged couple laughed at the commotion behind them. It was nice to hear that they were making up after a troubled vacation.

"So, how does June 5^th sound, Sam?" Donna asked suddenly.

"June... 5^th?" he questioned, not knowing what she was talking about.

Smiling at her fiancé’s naïvety, she shook her head. "Yes, as in a wedding date?"

Doctor Beckett’s mouth dropped open when he realized the major mistake he has just made. "Oh, sorry, I should have known. June 5^th sounds fine," he replied with a nervous smile.

Doctor Eleese smiled wider and gave him a hug, as best she could while seated and climbing into the air. "It was my father’s birthday," she whispered, a tear slipping from her eye as she thought about the man she hadn’t seen since she was eight-years old and had died in Viet Nam.

Not knowing what to say, Sam simply continued to return the hug. Then, he told Donna to look out the window. "Look, there’s the Empire State Building. I can’t believe how clear the sky is today. What a wonderful view."

Donna stared through the round window and then quietly said, "Thank you, New York, for such a memorable vacation."

Written by Mike Bloxam