Previously on Quantum Leap

Sam leapt into Lucas Winters, a foster care person who was involved with the Family Violence Protection Team in Austin. He was trying to save Dawn Bowen from a life on the streets. Having done so, by keeping her with Lucas during your youth, Sam still hasn’t leaped yet. Why?
 

PROLOGUE

January 1, 1979

Somewhere near the British Isle

If one had been walking down the corridor, the sealed doors that were on either side of the wall would not have hinted what was inside the doors, except for the small numbers at the top of the door. It was in one of the doors that screams could be heard. Screams of release - screams of pain, torture and pure hatred.

The sounds echoed down the hallway letting passerby's know that there was some existence of pain in the project.

"Get this thing out of me - do you comprehend that you ignoramus! I can't push anymore and if you think you're going to tell me to push again, you ass, I'll make sure that you have a boot print on your forehead before you leave!" Her panted words turned into a groan then into a long agonizing drawn-out moan as another contraction heightened inside her abdomen.

The doctor stopped to grab her hair and yanked her head back sharply to get her attention, as if the labor pains she had weren't enough to do so. "Listen to me. You either push or you can keep that child in your womb. Your choice. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" His voice told her that he would do exactly as he threatened. "Now, push hard," he ordered firmly.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. Bearing down and pushing, she said through her teeth, "I'll get you back for this, you pompous ass." However, knowing that her body couldn't take much more of the torture that it was enduring, she pushed with everything that she had, yelling out as she did so. "I NEVER want to see this thing - EVER!"

The doctor eased the child from the woman's womb, ordering her to push one last time to get the shoulders out. The moment the child was free, he wrapped it and carefully and methodically removed it from the umbilical cord. "Do you want to know whether it's a boy or a girl?" He asked bluntly.

Lying back on the bed, drenched in her own sweat, she curled her lip at the man standing between her legs. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her head to the side. "I don't give a damn what it is as long as it's not near me."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at her words, not really surprised by them. "As you wish," he replied, handing the child over to the closest nurse. He turned and looked at another nurse. "Tend to her," he ordered bluntly before following the nurse that had the crying child in her hands.
 

PART ONE

Twenty years later

March 15, 2001

The complex was quiet as the woman wheeled herself through the hallways, a look of determination on her face that bore no argument and caused people to stand to the side to allow her to pass. She was called to the Control Center for her report, and she was certain that the situation would not be to her employer’s liking.

Entering the room, she paused in the center and bowed her head respectfully towards the nearly empty space before her. "Reporting as ordered, Lothos," she said somberly.

Lothos had watched her approach, following her from the moment he had spoke her name aloud in the complex. She had once moved with the lithe grace of a cat, but now bound in a wheelchair, her determination seemed to have tripled and her ego ballooned to match. Her green eyes missed nothing and revealed nothing of her thoughts to anyone. But from the expression in her eyes, though veiled, he saw her feelings; she wasn’t expecting to be called before him so soon. 

When she entered the Control Center, Lothos remained silent, observing the respectful presentation of herself. But when she lifted her chin and looked directly ahead, he saw the sweat beads across her upper lip; the only sign of nerves in her. He knew that she wasn’t going to enjoy this – they both knew it.

"Report," he said coolly. 

She took a deep breath and exhaled slightly. He wasn’t going to like what she had to say; not one damn bit. But she set her jaw and spat out the words. "No progress in finding Dr. Beckett, Lothos. We’re about to try other avenues but it seems that his brainwaves are untraceable… at the moment."

The door of Central Control opened and in walked a young woman in her early twenties. Her long auburn hair was swept back away from her face and her dark eyes, lined by only a trace of green around the iris, glanced around the room to find the other woman positioned in the center of the room. She nodded to the woman out of respect, then moved toward the computer system lining the walls. Once at the console, she lightly bowed her head yet again to the computer. "Lothos," she addressed humbly before sitting down at the station that was meant for her, and her only.

The discussion of the report continued without any acknowledgement to the newest member in the room. "Unacceptable," Lothos snapped. "If I can find a flea at the bottom of the Marinas Trench, then surely there is someone…" he paused, letting the implication of his words hit home, "who can trace the very specific brainwaves over the course of time! Now, unless you want your brain used for location practice, Zoë, I suggest you get back there and do whatever it takes and find Beckett. Get out!"

Zoë approached the large computer in front of her, her eyes narrowed angrily. "That's precisely what I was doing before you interrupted me to report in person. Beckett’s brainwaves often merge with his host, making it impossible to exactly pinpoint his location." She frowned slightly. "If you gave me more to work with, it would help in this search. I've been cracking heads longer than anyone here, and get results. You know that." Knowing that her comment was rash, Zoë knew that she would probably regret them; but she also knew that she was not going to let Lothos get the better of her.

The young woman sitting at the monitor listened to the conversation between the woman and machine and kept her expression bland. Knowing that Zoë was a hothead and that Lothos was one who didn’t expect any kind of impertinence from anyone, especially one that had been here for so long. She glanced over at the woman in the wheelchair and listened to the way that she was talking to Lothos. Understanding that Zoë had had more interactions with Lothos than she would ever have, the young woman’s envy showed through her eyes for a brief moment. The times that she has been able to speak her mind, she had to ask permission first. Zoë was pushing it as she stood up to Lothos, even if she was once his lover. ‘You’re going to regret that one day, Zoë. One day, it’s going to cost you your life.’

"I didn’t summon you here for excuses, Zoë," Lothos spoke icily. "I’ve been observing the ‘head-cracking’. I’ve seen three-minute eggs cracked more efficiently. Now, get out and find Beckett!"

Tala turned her head away from Zoë trying to hide the small grin growing on her face. His words tickled her; especially since she knew that Zoë was asking for it for awhile now.

After a long moment, the fiery red-head bowed her head. "As you wish, Lothos." With an unvoiced grumble, she left the Control Center. Even as she wheeled herself away, she thought, ‘How Lothos expects results with so little to work with, I will never know.’

After Zoë left the room, Tala turned her attention back to the computer and looked at the readings that were flashing before her. Seeing something very interesting in them, she leaned in a bit to look at it. "Lothos, were we ever able to find her?" She didn’t have to mention the name. It seemed that ever since the good Dr. Beckett had gotten hold of Alia that her name was like spit to Lothos – not useful in any way.

"Why do you ask?" Lothos inquired. It hadn’t been the first time that Tala had tiptoed around that name; she knew how it affected him. He scrutinized her closely. The grin she’d hidden from Zoë was not lost on Lothos, even though it wasn't evident now. "Do you observe something?"

Tala’s eyes narrowed at the readings and she pulled her body closer to the screen as her eyes searched the flashes without blinking. "She had a signature in the layout of the leaping process. If I remember correctly, you gave her a sequence… and the readings I see here are almost exact to her readings. Not quite… but almost. Oh… and by the way, sir, I know that you saw the grin. I apologize for any disrespectfulness. You tickled me." Tala said lightly as she continued to look at the readings for the woman’s signature.

Though a part of Lothos wanted to acknowledge Tala’s comment about tickling her, he knew that he could not. He would not risk the secret that he had been keeping for so long for the sake of a moment of shared laughter.

He began to scrutinize the sound readings that Tala had been watching and listening to so intently. He felt a moment of pride in her work. The near identical molecular signature of Alia was, indeed, present in the sound. While Tala continued to focus on pinpointing the signature, Lothos addressed Zoë through her implants. "Get back in here," he ordered sharply.

Halfway to the lab, Zoë heard Lothos’ voice pierce through her head, making her jerk to a stop.

"It’s possible that Tala has located Alia."

"Alia," Zoë whispered with a low growl. As her hands squeezed into fists in her lap, she thought, ‘There is nothing more that I would want than to have my hands around her neck, choking the life from her and watching her face slowly turn blue.’ Zoë immediately wheeled around and started back toward the Control Center. "I’m on my way." Even as she started back down the hallway, she wasn’t surprised when Thames fell in beside her.

"Zoë, baby, what’s going on? Why the hurry?" He asked as he glanced down at her body seductively.

"Save the endearments for later, Thames," Zoë growled, not looking at him. "You want a chance to get Alia? Looks like we might have it."

"Alia." The name rolled out of his mouth a little too seductively. He had always thought of her as a mouth-watering morsel, and he couldn’t help but sigh at the thought of her. "Yeah… I want a chance," Thames said, then smirked at Zoë before they got to the door of the Control Center.

Zoë glared at him and at his tone. "I’d ask first, if I were you. And I’d get in line. Lothos gets her first, then me. After that… who knows?" She opened the door and entered forcefully, announcing her presence in the room. Thames followed behind her – the nervous pup that he was – and placed his hands in his pockets awaiting orders from Lothos.

With an eyebrow raised, Zoë went right up behind Tala and looked over her shoulder. "Well?" She said acidly.

Staring into the readings, Tala licked her lips unconsciously. Feeling the space around her crowding and hearing Zoë’s voice over her shoulder broke her intense concentration. ‘Dammit all to bloody hell!’ Tala though to herself. "Dammit Zoë, I can’t work when you hang over my shoulder. You know that. And if I lose this reading, you will be the one to blame," Tala said bluntly as she continued to focus on the readings. She knew that if she looked away, it would be gone and it would take her longer to find it yet again. It was luck that she had caught it the first time.

Zoë maneuvered back but it was quite clear that she was not pleased with the young woman’s tone of voice. Zoë knew that whatever she was looking at was important, but she promised herself that she was not going to let this young imp give her lip. "What is it that you have found, Tala? Or are you wasting both Lothos’ and my precious time?" Zoë firmly asked with a glare.

Despite the seriousness of the moment, Lothos enjoyed a private joke watching the two of them in a head-butting encounter. ‘If you only knew, Zoë,’ he thought, amused at the unlikely moment. As he watched Tala’s eyes narrow, he knew the claws were about to come out, fully in line with her parentage.

"I think that you have it a little backwards, don’t you think, Zoë?" Tala sneered lowly. "In case you haven’t noticed in the last few years, I don’t waste Lothos’ time. I …"

"Personalities aren’t to be in this room. Settle it now." Lothos barked. Neither moved for a moment. "Settle it, or I will," he warned both of them.

Not taking her eyes off the screen, Tala said, "I apologize for my impertinence, Zoë, Lothos."

Zoë exhaled loudly, her eyelids lowered. "Apology accepted…for the time being. Now… what have you found?"

Irritated at her response, Tala gritted her teeth together. "Well, while you have been trying to find Dr. Beckett, I have found a signature that is similar to Alia’s. At least it’s something…" Tala let the sentence fade off giving off the impression that Zoë wasn’t doing her job correctly.

Zoë glowered at the impertinent girl, but held herself. She wanted to take the little bitch to the correctional facilities; instead, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Just continue your report, Tala," Zoë warned firmly.

The sigh Tala expressed could be heard throughout the room. "Well, as I have been trying to tell you, I have found Alia’s signature in the pattern. But, it’s not all quite here. We almost have her… not quite… but almost." ‘Which is better that what you have ever done,’ she thought.

" 'Almost'," Zoë repeated snidely.

"Listen, Zoë, if you can do any better with the programming, then I’ll gladly give you the leeway and let you find her." Tala said as she stepped to the side, her eyes steeled to the screen.

"Tala!" Lothos spoke sharply. "You will show Chief Programmer the respect she has earned and deserves." Seeing the satisfied look on Zoë’s face, he addressed Zoë. "You, Zoë, will not deliberately antagonize Tala. Is that clear?" He waited for both to respond, yet they hesitated. "IS THAT CLEAR?" He demanded.

"Yes, Lothos." Tala said quietly. "I understand. My apologies."

"As you wish, Lothos." Zoë replied just after Tala. She looked at Tala with newfound interest. "How soon will we have a lock on her?"

Tala’s eyes never left the monitor. She watched interestedly and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the reading. "No," She said softly. "No… no….no," Tala repeated over and over again. "Dammit all to hell! It’s gone!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, IT’S GONE?" Lothos voice thundered throughout the room. Tala shrank at his words.

Zoë grabbed Tala’s arm and forced her to her feet and to look at her when she didn’t immediately respond to Lothos’ question. "Lothos asked you a question, Tala. I suggest that you answer it immediately." The glare that Zoë gave her was filled with edgy excitement at the prospect of punishing her for her failure.

Slowly, Tala turned her head up toward the ceiling, which in essence were Lothos' eyes. "I didn’t lose the reading. It was here, and now… now it’s gone." She glanced at Zoë knowingly. "I… I failed you, Lothos. Please have mercy."

"That is apparent." Lothos stated coldly. He watched Tala steel herself for the worst, but both women gasped at his next statement. "In the future, make sure that you put a marker on the reading. That way if the reading disappears, for whatever reason, the moment or person can be re-located quickly." He metallic voice was empty of emotion. Both of them were staring at the ceiling as if aliens were coming through the light fixture. "Understood?"

Tala swallowed hard, blinked, and nodded her head to Lothos.

"Please explain," Zoë said bluntly as only she was allowed to. "She loses Alia completely and you let her off with a warning? Whereas I, who have been faithful to you from the beginning of this project, and am still searching for Beckett with diligence, get raked over the coals?" The anger was seething just below the surface and Zoë was letting some of it show.

"Considering that you have been with my project from the beginning," Lothos responded sharply. "You are more experienced than Tala and shouldn’t have to be reprimanded for such a minor incidence as this… Zoë." Lothos observed her more closely. "As for your diligence, it must be slipping a bit. Your diligence usually reaps results faster than this. How long have you been searching for Beckett now? Two years, isn’t it?" Lothos let his words hit with the sting of small hail stones. "Tala doesn’t have your experiences, and therefore is deserving of a second chance." Lothos shifted angles on Zoë’s face. "And by my count, Zoë, you’ve had quite a number of second chances." Lothos said coldly. He gave her a moment.

‘You’re far to lenient on her,’ Zoë thought to herself as she bowed her head slightly. "Yes, Lothos. It understand." She looked at Tala firmly. For some reason, the woman suddenly reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t quite place her finger on whom. Suddenly, she made a decision. "Since you are giving Tala a second chance, why not have her work under me? I’m sure that together we can find either Beckett or Alia."

Tala looked to Zoë, knowing instinctively that working with the hot-blooded woman would irritate the hell out of her. She looked up to Lothos and searched the ceiling wondering what his response would be.

A moment passed as Lothos considered. "I agree," he announced suddenly. "But with the provisions that all 'claws' will be kept retracted, and that you will both behave in a civil manner with one another. If you don’t like that alternative," he hinted coolly, "there are other less enjoyable alternatives."

"Yes, Lothos. I understand. I’m sure that I will learn some very interesting information from Zoë." Tala said honestly. She knew that she would learn an awful lot from a woman who had been here since Lothos was built, but wasn't sure she wanted to get that close to the vengeful woman. "Thank you for the opportunity, Lothos."

Zoë nodded her head slightly to both Lothos and Tala’s words. "I’m sure that you will," she said with a slight smile. She took a deep breath and waited to hear Lothos’ further instructions.

"Very well," Lothos said with finality in his voice. "You’re dismissed. And find both Beckett and Alia. I have special plans for her when she is ultimately returned."

"Follow me, Tala." Zoë ordered firmly as she turned and exited the Control Center.

Tala followed as ordered with a cough. She didn’t like this one bit.

Lothos watched with amusement as they left, their half smiles barely hiding the mistrust of the other. This is going to be interesting watching mother and daughter work together to find their nemesis. That was the one secret that Lothos had never let Zoë in on; Tala was her daughter – their daughter. His laughter filled the Control Center as he watched them. He couldn’t wait to see what they could find working as a team.

Tala coughed again as she fell into step with Zoë and glanced at the wheelchair bound woman. "So, how do you propose to find the good doctor?"

Zoë replied without even looking at the young woman. "When he leaped into that female prisoner, we had a chance to get a layout of his brainwaves. We’ve been using that layout to map every where he’s been and, when possible, attempt to get a firm lock on his position. However, he tends to mind-merge with his hosts, making it more difficult to locate and maintain a trace. And the longer he's in the host, the more merging occurs."

"You know it’s going to be difficult. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m very good at tracing the pattern once I’ve seen it. May I look at it later?" Tala asked as politely as possible.
 
 

PART TWO

March 30, 1988

Austin, Texas

Sam looked at Al, his face void of any expression. His mouth slowly opened then closed as he went to the couch. "I don’t understand why I haven’t leaped yet, Al. We changed history. I should have leaped by now." He sat down and shook his head. He was getting a headache.

Al wrestled with the handlink, frowning as he tried to get information from the small device. "Come on, Ziggy! Why the hell hasn’t he leaped yet?" He growled and lowered the handlink at what he read. "She hasn’t any idea." He punched the handlink before sighing. He started to pace, thinking hard about the situation.

"Well, that doesn’t help me any now, does it?" Sam stated as he flung up his arms in frustration before he lay down on the couch.

"Hey, it’s not my fault Ziggy goofed. We’re just going to have to try to figure out what it is that you still have to do here." He looked around the room, still frowning.

"I understand that, Al. Either I didn’t do the right thing, or someone wants me to stay here," Sam pointed up toward the ceiling. "Maybe I’m just supposed to stay here."

"Well, I don’t see what for," Al said plainly, walking over to the window to watch Dawn playing in front of the house. "Oh, look at that, she’s playing hopscotch. That's one happy girl thanks to you. She is adjusting better than expected with the loss of her parents and all. She's quite a girl."

"That may be the case here, Al, but I’m still here, and it’s obvious that I’m going to be here until it’s time to go." Sam said as he laid his arm over his eyes.

Al didn’t seem to be listening to Sam as he contentedly watched Dawn play. She was so like his girls at that age. But before Sam even finished his sentence, Al was running through the wall. "NO!!!" yelled in panic.

Sam jumped at Al’s shout and launched to his feet. "What? What is it?" He ran over to the window and looked out front. "Oh God…no!" Sam whispered hoarsely as he bolted out the front door toward the downed little girl.

Al knelt beside the still form, breathing with barely controlled fear and fury as he watched the car speed away. "That bastard! She was on the sidewalk!" He tried to touch her cheek. "No…no, don’t do this…"

A moment later, Sam was beside them. As he knelt there the puddle of blood rapidly grew on the sidewalk around Dawn. Sam quickly took off his shirt and wrapped it around the little girl's head. He then looked up at Al. "Stay with her, Al. I have to…"

"Go!" Al told him firmly before Sam even finished the sentence. His eyes never left the frail little girl as he held back his emotions.

Dawn’s eyes slowly opened. She lightly smiled as she looked up at Al. "Are… are you my angel?" She asked, her voice raspy.

Al forced a smile as he grasped the handlink tightly to his chest. He nodded to her. "Do me a favor, will you honey? Try to stay awake for me." He reached down and stroked her hair. "Can you do that for me, honey?"

Dawn looked up at him, her face etched in pain. "I… I don’t know." Her eyes slowly closed. "It hurts." Tears slowly rolled down her face.

"I know, honey." Al said softly. "But you have to stay awake for me, okay?" He saw the tears that slowly started down her cheeks. "It’s going to be okay, Dawn. We’ll make sure that the hurt will go away and you’ll be just fine." He couldn’t help but look at her wondering why this had to happen. ‘Come on, Sam. Where are you?’

A moment later, Sam reappeared, his face flushed, his mind totally set on saving Dawn at all costs. "The ambulance is on its way, Al. Dawn? Dawn, honey, can you hear me?" Sam’s voice had a calm urgency in it as he assessed her injuries. From the looks of it, her right leg, her left lower arm, and her wrist were broken, and there were obvious contusions to her head. He wasn’t sure about her back, however, and he wasn’t going to move her and risk aggravating her injuries. He knew for sure by the blood that was accumulating on the ground that she had a serious head injury. He knew that she was going to have a transfusion to replace the blood draining from her.

"Yes?" Dawn said softly, her eyes focused on Al. She reached out to him, her hand passing through his as it fell to the ground and she went unconscious. 

Al gasped. "Sam… do something!" His voice caught as his emotions overtook him for this little girl.

"There’s not much that I can do here, Al. I don’t have the proper equipment." Sam said as he softly tapped her on her cheek. "Dawn, sweetie, you need to wake up, honey. Come on… wake up for me."

As Sam continued to lightly tap her pale cheeks, the ambulance turned the corner. "Thank God," Al said as they quickly pulled to the curb beside them.

Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Hospital

"Doctor Jenson, we have a call coming in. The team just reported that they are bringing in a five year old little girl who was in an auto accident. She is suffering from several breaks, possible back injury, and head trauma."

"Alright, people, let’s get…" A sudden electrical surge passed through his body and Doctor Jenson blinked to rid himself of the red tinge that overwhelmed his vision. After a moment, he looked around slowly from left to right, his eyes soaking in the environment.

"Doctor, are you okay?" The nurse asked.

He looked at the nametag on her white uniform and smiled at her. "Doin’ just great, Ms. Munghem."

Nurse Munghem looked at him oddly then turned away, walking toward the emergency room where their latest patient was heading. She stopped and looked back at him for a moment. "Doctor, I was told that the patient has type AB blood. According to the EMT’s, she was bleeding pretty badly. Shall I…?"

"Oh… no…I’ll do that myself if you don’t mind. You go ahead and prepare the room. I’ll be right there."

Before he could move off, a clunk-zoom sounded to the left of him and through a door came a redheaded woman, labored from propelling herself in a wheelchair. "Thames, did you do it? Did you hit her?"

"Oh, baby, you should have seen that little thing fly!" Thames said with a gleam in his eyes. "I can’t believe that we were able to focus the leaps as well as we have. Leaping into that dude in that Jag was great! Getting rid of this little thing before she can do any more damage is like a sporting event!"

"Don’t be so cocky yet, dear." She said as her breathing slowly made it harder to talk. "Things aren’t over here yet." She wheezed and took out the small tube that was attached to the wheelchair. Placing the mouthpiece to her face, she breathed in the oxygen that she so desperately needed. The process of actually going into the Image Chamber caused her whole system to mess up. "Remember, you still need to get rid of her. One way or another, she has to go." The oxygen helped for a moment, letting her get the rest of her speech out. "Lucas Winters, or rather Dr. Beckett, doesn’t deserve to keep this little girl with him and save her from the hell that she is supposed to go through. If you remember, this little sweet thing is the reason that a few of Lothos greatest personnel came to the project. Because of her death, originally, they were so distraught that they turned their energies to the destructive."

"Ahhh…. I see, Zoë, baby. I’ll make sure to do what needs to be done." He winked at her seductively. "Tell me, sweetie, exactly where do they keep the blood bank in this wonderful institution?"

Zoë gave him the directions to the blood bank and rolled herself down the corridor into the Emergency Room preparing herself to see the little thing suffer. She wanted to make sure that Thames didn’t screw things up as he normally did.

A moment later, Thames came back into the Emergency Room and quickly set up the bags. He grinned to himself. ‘One way or another, she’ll die,’ he thought to himself. "Perfect." Nurse Munghem threw the false doctor an odd look at the comment.

As they wheeled Dawn into the Emergency Room, Thames stood to the side, his eyebrow arched in interest. The nurses had prepped him, and now he stood primed and ready – his gloved hands in the air, his palms to him. He stepped up to her with a gleam in his eye.

Sam rushed in by Dawn’s side, looking up briefly to the doctor on call. Returning his attention to Dawn, his face somber, he stated, "I’d like to stay here."

Thames looked to the man standing before him with a whirl of emotions. He wanted to jump him, but he didn’t want to blow his cover. He took a deep breath to calm the itching that stirred inside of him, and was careful to avoid physical contact that would reveal his true identity.

Zoë watched with interest and yearning as Thames and Sam exchanged courtesies. She could see the urge in Thames’ eyes to throttle the good doctor where he stood. However, there was a kind of satisfaction that Thames knew the man in front of him was Beckett, but Beckett had no idea that his worst enemies there in the same room. "This is so delicious. For Beckett to watch as she dies. It’s just too perfect!" Zoë's eyes also shone in perverse pleasure.

Al had followed Sam in the room, concern etched deeply on his face for the little girl on the gurney. The sight of the small form was breaking his heart with every passing second. She seemed so much like his daughter Victoria Jayne that it tore him apart inside.

Even as the nurses took over the situation, Thames motioned Sam toward the end of the bed, away form the commotion around Dawn. "I’m sorry. But we need the room in here to do the best we can for this little girl. We’ll let you know." Thames nodded to the nurse to show Sam the door with a wave of his hand, then turned his back on him. Before turning his attention to Dawn, he glanced over his shoulder briefly and saw Sam standing at the door, ignoring the nurse. "Please, sir, go." Thames said trying his best to be the doctor that he was supposed to be.

Sam looked down at the floor and turned at the nurse's guidance. He stepped out into the hallway saying a silent prayer, then stood at the door watching through the glass. He gave Al a pleading look.

Al acknowledged Sam's silent plea, then turned to watch the doctor, not knowing that he was looking into the eyes of the enemy. Immediately, something bothered him about the way this guy was acting.

Meanwhile, Zoë smiled at her colleague’s acting abilities. "Good. Now, let’s get rid of this brat."

"My pleasure." Thames said softly as he stepped up to the gurney in the room. He grinned a tight grin and arched his eyebrow again.

Al raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, your pleasure?" Al asked with suspicion as he frowned at the doctor. He didn’t like the smile that appeared on his face. Al's eyes narrowed.

Thames looked down at the young thing in front of him. With his hands still up in the air, he glanced down at her. "Hmm, very interesting… where shall we start?" He asked a nurse as he lightly bumped her in the hip with his own in a seductive manner.

"Come on Thames!" Zoë growled at the leaper in annoyance. "Get on with it!" She coughed roughly and took a couple of breaths from her oxygen mask. "Beckett’s becoming suspicious."

Zoë was right. Al's expression as the hologram had studied the doctor had not been lost on Sam. Along with the gut feeling that he should never have left Dawn's side, Sam's instincts were starting to sing. Loudly.

"Alright." Thames said as he listened to Zoë in the background. He looked at the tools available to him and he picked up the scalpel. He swallowed tightly.

Seeing the way the doctor’s acting – almost like he’s enjoying seducing the nurse more than paying attention to Dawn, drove Al’s intuition as well. He didn’t move, his eyes fixed on the doctor and the cavalier way he picked up the scalpel. He immediately yanked the handlink from his pocket. "Ziggy, get me the rundown on this doctor guy." The Observer leaned closer to the nametag. "Dr. Greg Talbot."

The nurse looked at him with a slight frown. "Shall I start the IV, doctor?" She suggested.

"You mean you haven’t already done so? What are you waiting for? Don’t you know your job here?" He asked roughly. Thames swallowed hard before turning a quick glance to Zoë. "You need to go ahead and get that transfusion going as well. We don’t want to lose her, now do we?"

Sam glanced toward the flurry of activity of another incoming emergency patient, then back into Dawn's room.

"Of course not, doctor," the nurse replied as she then quickly set up the IV, then moved to set up and start the transfusion. She cross checked the tubing and the blood label, and Dawn's chart, then attached the tubing to the already inserted IV needle. She checked the flow gauge, and began to release the bag contents.

Thames watched the blood as it trickled down the IV. He grinned at the way it kept going, everyone thinking that it was going to keep her alive. Boy were they wrong!

The hand link in Al’s hand started to go wild with sounds, causing Al to quickly raise it. "What the hell do you mean, the chances of her survival are dropping?! What?! She’s still going to have AIDS? How!?"

"No!" Sam shouted as he saw Al's panicked face. He shoved his way in to the room darted to the gurney. With a wild swing of his fist, he sent the IV tree and tainted blood flying across the room. 

The nurse screamed in reaction to Sam’s actions and tried pushing him out of the way. "What do you think you’re doing? Get out of this operating room, immediately! Security!"

"Wait! Sam! Ziggy's saying there's another leaper!" Al quickly looked up and locked his eyes on the suspicious Doctor at the same time Sam skirted around the nurse. "Him, Sam! It's him!"

From somewhere in his mind, Sam pulled out a name – a name that came so quickly he didn’t try to stop it. "Thames!" He spit out the name and moved toward him like a runaway train. He wasn’t sure what he would do to the man when he had him in his grasp, but he was quite sure that he wasn’t going to let this man place another finger on that little girl.

Zoë’s eyes widened at the sound of Thames' name. "How’d he know?" She shrieked aloud, looking up toward the ceiling. "He hasn’t even touched him yet!"

Thames quickly moved away from Sam’s charge, placing anything and everything between them as he pulled a needle from his jacket pocket. The syringe was full of blood. He snaked toward Dawn and jabbed the needle into her thigh. "One more step Beckett, and she’s a goner for sure," he growled with a wolfish grin.

The nurses jumped back, alarmed and confused at this turn of events. Sam stopped in his tracks. "Why are you doing this? What did she do to deserve this? She’s only five for God’s sake!"

"The killing of the innocent is the best way to bring out the evil in people don’t you think, Dr. Beckett?" Thames looked up at him with a gleam in his eye and grasped the syringe tighter.

"Sam," Al yelled at him. "Knock this pimple out! Don’t let him do this to Dawn!" He quickly glanced down at the handlink in his hand. "Sam! Do something!"

Sam read the determination in Thames' eyes, and knew it was now or never. Infecting that little girl was the evil man's assignment, and only Sam was in a position to stop him. As Sam took a step toward Thames, Thames instantly injected the tainted sample into her leg with a gleeful chuckle.

"No!" Both Sam and Al yelled together.

"Adios, Beckett." Thames replied with a, laughing, as a red hue developed him and whisked him away, leaving a very perplexed doctor in his place. 

Both Al and Sam stood over Dawn for only a moment before Sam was roughly removed from the room by burly security guards. The nurses jabbered at the poor, confused doctor, who was immediately lead from the room and replaced with another doctor. Feeling more at ease with Thames gone, Sam was able to allow the new doctor help Dawn out, a fleeting feeling of sorrow for the real Doctor Talbot passing over him. Two lives ruined. He sat outside of the Emergency Room with his head in his hands.

Al watched over Dawn in the Emergency Room then slowly walked through the door as the doctor finished up. "Sam, they just finished with Dawn." He looked down at the handlink in his hand, typing a question as he spoke to Sam, afraid of the answer.

A beep from the handlink made both look at it before their eyes met. Al shook his head closing his eyes as he did so. "Dammit," he said softly. "Sam, Dawn has the HIV virus. According to Ziggy, she’s still in the hospital. She doesn’t have long."

Sam tilted his head up to the ceiling as tears slowly gathered. "Then I didn’t change anything at all, did I Al? She dies of AIDS anyway. There’s nothing that I can do, is there?"

Al shook his head. "No, Sam, there’s nothing that you can do except give her a chance to do the things that she can, while she can."

Sam frowned. "Does she still run away?"

Al shifted his weight from his left foot to his right as he asked the question to Ziggy. Seeing the information, his shoulders dropped. "Yes, Sam. She still runs away."

Sam aggravatedly got up from his seat and paced back and forth in front of Al. "This doesn’t make sense, Al. Why did he," he pointed up to the ceiling, "send me here to change things when they didn’t change at all? Why?"

"Something are just out of your hands, Sam."

Sam stopped pacing and glared at Al. "Don’t you think that I know that?" Sam stepped up to the Observer until there was only about five inches separating the two of them. "I know that life isn’t simple, but I thought that I was sent to help! There is only so much that I can do. I know that. But…"

"But…" Al said when Sam stopped talking.

"But… I have to keep believing that I can change things." Sam backed away from Al knowing that he was violating his space. "I have to keep believing that there’s a way here that we haven’t looked at."

"I hope that you’re right, Sam. I really do."
 

PART THREE

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion's Gate, New Mexico

Al meandered back into the Control Center and leaned against Ziggy’s mainframe. He placed the handlink on its pad, his mind going over the events of the day. He just couldn’t understand why this one little five year old girl was so important to Lothos, and why he needed her to die. He had heard Thames while he watched Sam interact with him. Hearing him say that the killing of the innocent did something to people. He shook his head sadly.

"Admiral, are you all right?" A smooth, sexy voice floated around him.

Al glanced up as he tilted his head to the side to see Ziggy’s cloudy blue crystalline ball hanging from the ceiling. "I’m fine, Ziggy. I’m just thinking. Too many things on my mind at the moment."

"I understand, Admiral. Perhaps you should get some nutrition. I have noted that you haven’t eaten in at least six hours." Ziggy said in a motherly tone.

Her tone caused Al to grin. "I’ll get something in a little bit, Ziggy." He looked back up at the Imaging Chamber door. "Is our visitor up?" He asked as he looked down at his watch that read 12:34 AM.

"Yes, Admiral Calavicci."

"Thanks, Ziggy." Al walked to the Waiting Room and stopped at the door wondering why he was even bothering with talking with Lucas. He waited only a moment before the door opened before him.

Once inside of the room, he heard the zoom of the door closing behind him. He looked around the room and found Lucas sitting in one of the recliners in the room reading a novel. He slowly made his way over to him.

"Hi, Lucas. Up late?"

"Yup. Can’t seem to sleep right now. I’m worried about Dawn. Is she okay?" Lucas laid the book down in his lap and turned his attention to Al.

Al didn’t see any reason to lie to the man sitting before him. "She was in an accident today. She was hit by a car, but she’s okay right now. But…"

"But what?" Lucas quickly stood up letting the book slide to the floor. "I’ve seen the mirror, the man in it isn’t me. I’ve heard all of the BS that I can take from your doctors here. I know that I’m involved with something here that deals with Time. I know it. There are far too many things there that can’t be explained. So with that in mind, why don’t you just tell me what the hell is going on here, Al!" Lucas demanded.

Al nodded slightly. "I can’t tell you what this is." He motioned around the room. "However, for the most part, you have ascertained what is going on here without much question. Listen, Lucas, I need to tell you something here, and it may be a hard thing to comprehend at the moment, but I want you to be ready when you are back home. Alright?"

Lucas licked his lips and sat down in his chair. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Have you heard of the HIV virus or AIDS?"

Slowly Lucas nodded his head. "Yes. I know that it’s a disease given by a transfer of blood, dirty needles… that type of thing. It’s commonly associated with drugs and sexual relations with the same sex, right?" Lucas questioned as he scratched his head. "I know about it. Why?"

"Actually, the HIV virus and AIDS can be transferred more than the ways that you mentioned. Lucas, you need to know that Dawn has been infected with the HIV virus."

Hearing the news, Lucas leaned back in the chair, his mouth slightly gaping open. "No… no. That can’t be right. Dawn doesn’t do drugs and she’s too young for the sex thing yet."

"She had to get a transfusion at the hospital, Lucas. The blood was tainted. She has been infected. She will develop full-blown AIDS in 1997. She will die sometime this year. I’m so very sorry." Al hated to even give out the information but he knew that he had to tell him. He had to let Lucas know, so that he could help her in some way.

Lucas sat there his eyes focused on the floor. "What can I do?" he asked quietly. "What can I do to help her?"

Al sighed as he kneeled down beside the chair. "All that I can suggest is that you love her, teach her how to be safe, and give her every opportunity to do what she wants to do. Let her live her life to the fullest but with the same limits all kids need."

Lucas nodded at Al’s words. "Thanks, Al."

Hearing the finalization to the conversation that they had been having in Lucas’s voice, Al stood and started toward the door. He stopped at the door and looked back at him. He called his name. When Lucas looked up, Al said, "I went to the hospital to see her. She told me something that I think that you need to know. She said that if she could do things over again, that she would want you for a father." Giving him a slight smile, Al turned and left a sniffling man behind.

'Some may believe that bad things bring out the worst in people,' Al thought, as the door shut behind him. 'But it also brings out the best.'

Somewhere in the British Isle

"WHAT?!" Lothos bellowed out. He couldn’t believe the report that he had just heard. The girl wasn’t dead? Just slowly decaying and that Dr. Beckett was the reason she wasn’t dead?

Thames, Zoë and Tala stood in the Control Center and cringed at the boom in his voice. Zoë brought her chin up. "When we work against him, Lothos, we are always pushed into alternative actions!" She pointed out. "At least the girl will die – it will just be more painful this way." 

Thames nodded at the comment. Tala stood silent just listening to the conversation. She knew better than to butt in when Lothos was as upset as he was. She licked her lips and grasped her hands behind her back to prevent herself from saying anything.

Zoë glanced over at the movement that Tala made, but quickly put her sites back onto Lothos. "It’ll take some time, but at least it’s going to be done, Lothos."

"My directives were to kill the girl," Lothos said flatly, his voice menacing in their ears. "My directives should always be followed or punishments will be given. I don’t want delays in my orders. Is that understood?"

The three of them nodded, knowing fully that the punishment that Lothos was talking about was enough to put them in the infirmary for a couple of days.

"Tala, I want you to continue to monitor the situation and let me know what happens with the girl." Lothos instructed her.

"Yes, Lothos." She quickly went to the computer panel and accessed the documentation that they needed to perceive any re-direction that may happen.
 
 

PART FOUR

Sam was finally allowed to see Dawn once he filled out paperwork and apologized to everyone in the ER for his outburst. He claimed that he was under stress from seeing the car run her down. 

After calming himself, he walked to her bed and looked down on her, his gaze soft and tender. He moved a strand of hair from her forehead and leaned down and softly kissed her cheek. Dawn stirred but didn’t wake from the light pressure on her cheek.

Slowly, Sam knelt down beside the bed, and grabbed her hand in his as he bowed his head lowly. He didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t know what measure to go to. So, he went with the only one that his mother and father had taught him: Prayer.

Silently, he prayed that Dawn would be healthy, happy and in God’s hands. Knowing that leaving the outcome up to God was the correct thing to do. He looked at Dawn once more and sighed. "I wish only the best for you, Dawn. Be the person that you are meant to be. Love your family and keep them near. Keep your faith in God even when he seems that he isn’t here. Hold on to your dreams." As tears slowly fell down his cheeks, Sam could feel the tingling sensation start to spread over his body. He picked up her hand and placed it on his cheek. "Be the princess that everyone will remember." With those words said, Dr. Sam Beckett leaped.

Project Quantum Leap

Upon leaving the Waiting Room, Al walked along the corridors, his conscious not letting him relax. He was entering the cafeteria when the handlink sounded in his breast pocket. "Yes, Ziggy?"

"Dr. Beckett has leaped, Admiral."

"Thank you, Ziggy." As he poured himself a mug of coffee, he reviewed the same argument that he and Sam had so many times before. Whether or not the mission was accomplished, God, Time, Fate or Whatever had moved Sam on according to a schedule that wasn't necessarily clear to the rest of them. He took a deep breath. "Ziggy, could you please tell me what has happened with Dawn?"

"What do you mean, Admiral?" Ziggy’s voice echoed slightly in the room.

"I want an update on Dawn Bowen." He said a little aggravatedly. Everyday, Ziggy seemed to get more personable and less a computer. "How is she doing? Where is she?"

There was a slight pause. "History has been changed, Admiral." That caught his attention and he looked up toward the ceiling. "In the original history, Dawn Bowen was to die of AIDS. She had a history of being in and out of jail and had several runaways on her record. Now that history has changed, she unfortunately still has AIDS, and is currently taking medication to try to get rid of a sinus infection."

Al’s eyes opened wide. "What are you telling me exactly, Ziggy?"

"Admiral, Dr. Beckett has changed history. Dawn is alive and living, and living with Lucas Winters. There are no records of her being in or out of jail or of running away. Actually, there are records of her giving lectures to school about her disease. It seems that Dawn Bowen has become an advocate for spreading around the correct facts about AIDS. She has become a hero for a number of people who were going astray. At present, she has an eight hundred number to her address so people can call her and talk about any type of problem whether it's related to AIDS or not. There’s even an article written about her, Admiral, entitled, ‘The Little Girl in Everybody’s Heart.’ "

Al smiled widely. ‘We did it, Sam,’ he thought to himself with a smile. ‘We did it.’

Somewhere in the British Isle

Tala looked at the screen dumbfounded. It couldn’t be. It had to be a mistake. "Lothos, you aren’t going to like this." She stated softly with a sigh.

"What?" He asked, his voice tainted with a menacing quality.

Tala swallowed as she looked behind her to see Thames and Zoë slowly making their way over to her. "It seems that Dr. Beckett’s project exceeded his limits after he leaped out. When the family figure came back into the picture, he seemed to have remembered something from the leap itself. He told the little one that he was going to help her survive with her illness."

"What is the outcome, Tala?" Zoë asked, knowing that it was not going to be a good one for them.

"She is ill…and will die… but not how we wanted her to die." Tala said simply. "She became an advocate for the illness. Although she is suffering, she is using her suffering to help those around her. Thanks to Beckett, they won’t be broken into pieces. Point blank, we didn’t win this one."

An electrical charge shot through the room causing the three of them to duck, as a yell was produced. "Everyone out!" Lothos voice boomed. As they began to scurry out of the room, he ordered, "Tala… stay."

Tala lingered by the door mindful of Lothos’ frame of mind. She wasn’t about to set him off. "Yes, Lothos."

"We need to do away with Beckett. Somehow… someway, I want him gone. Since you are quite proficient at finding those scans, I want you involved. Go to every extreme you can." His voice was low and thunderous at the same time.

He paused for a moment as he watched Tala approach the inner circle of the room. The timbre of his voice lowered more, trying to gather himself together as he said, "There is something I must tell you, Tala. Something that I’ve kept a secret for far too long." Tala’s frown was indication enough of her confusion. "Back on January 1, 1979, a little girl was born – one with red hair and dark eyes. She was taken from a woman who didn’t want her and she was never told of her lineage – or of her place in this project."

As Tala’s mouth opened, her eyes glistened as she realized that Lothos was talking about her. "And what of this child? What is her place? Her lineage?" She asked her curiosity getting the better of her.

Lothos voice floated down to her ears. "This little girl – grew into a young woman who has proven herself loyal and of strong stature. This woman is my child."

A single tear dropped down Tala’s cheek as her eyes raised up to the large red crystalline ball. "Your child?" She stated. 'That means you were…are?..human?' She thought to herself. 

"Yes. My child." Wanting to leave Tala to her thoughts, he said, "You are dismissed."

As Tala walked toward the door, her mind filled with wonder. Lothos addressed her again. "Tala…" He waited until she turned back to him. "If anything should ever happen to me because of that man and his companions or that computer of his, I want you to destroy them and avenge me. Will you do that for me… my daughter?"

Tala looked up at Lothos, her long auburn hair falling over her left eye. "With pleasure, father. With pleasure."
 

EPILOGUE

Oak Ridge, Oklahoma

February 27, 1993

The branches slapped at his face, he brushed them out of his way and continued at a dead run through the trees. He jumped over fallen logs, stumbling but not losing his step. A cramp began building in his side and he pressed a hand against it. He would have to stop soon; he could not keep up this pace for much longer. Chest heaving with exertion, sweat stinging his eyes, he ran as if all the demons from hell were chasing him. A burst of blue-white light surrounded him and his steps faltered. Then suddenly his pace changed. His stride lengthened, but his step was not as sure and he tripped on a rock half hidden amongst the long grass. He tumbled head over heels coming to rest face down in the dirt.

Dr. Sam Beckett lifted his head and peered cautiously around him. That was a new experience, leaping into someone running. Sam picked himself up and brushed himself free of dirt. He winced as a gash on his hand began throbbing.

"Sam! You can’t stop, keep running!"

Sam spun around to see Al to the left of him motioning him onwards with his free hand.

"Al!" Sam gasped. "What’s going on?"

"There’s no time Sam! Just get going, this way." The observer positioned himself far enough ahead to guide Sam in the right direction. "Come on, kid, move it."

Sam began running again, this made no sense, what was he running from anyway? Until he could stop and get some answers, he had no choice but to do as Al said. The trees were becoming thicker so he deduced he was getting deeper into the underbrush. Sam loved to run, it was one way he had of reducing stress however this was not the sort of jogging he normally would do, this was all out running to escape something. He kept his eyes on the ground in front of him occasionally flicking them up for a look at Al who drifted a few inches above the ground. Obviously, he was repositioning himself constantly to keep ahead of him. The sweat ran down his forehead and stung his eyes, his lungs felt like they were going to burst. It seemed to Sam like he had been running for hours. All too soon, the flat out pace began to catch up with him and his headlong rush slowed. 

"Al, I can’t…I’ve got to stop." Sam gasped out each word, his blood beat in his ears and his limbs began to feel like rubber.

"Just a bit further Sam, there’s a place up ahead where you can rest for a bit." 

Al guided Sam through a small creek and up the bank on the other side. Sam climbed through a fence that had seen better days and headed across an unplowed field. Feeling decidedly shaky, Sam wiped his forehead against his sleeve and willed his breathing to slow; the ache in his lungs to ease. He was only moving at a slow trot now, all pretence at running gone along with most of his energy. His mouth felt as dry as he could ever remember. Up ahead Sam could see a ramshackle cluster of buildings. As they drew closer, the state of the structures told him they had been deserted for a long time. The wood was worn with old age; any paint that had adorned these buildings had been scoured off by the wind and rain a long time ago.

"Come on kid, in here." Al guided Sam to a small tumbledown shack on the edge of the collection. Sam pulled the door open and stumbled into the darkness within. He fell to his knees his muscles sick with exertion. Sam hung his head and tried to get his breathing under control. 

"You okay Sam?" Al’s voice sounded in the darkness. "Damn, I can’t see a thing, Ziggy, increase the holographic resolution." A soft glow radiated from Al and lit the inside of the building enabling Al to see Sam on his knees. 

The leaper slowly lifted his head. His words came haltingly each one spaced between a series of heaving breaths. "What…the hell…is…going on…here?"

"Sorry about that Sam, we couldn’t let you stop to tell you what was going on, had to get you some place safe."

"Why?" Sam glared up at his friend.

"Because you are on the run."