From: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse) Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: The Three Doctors, Part 11 Date: 23 Jan 1993 17:09:57 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA) Lines: 110 Message-ID: <1jru55INNqmf@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> Reply-To: eah4@po.CWRU.Edu (Elizabeth A. Hlabse) NNTP-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu Through a haze of emotion, Al heard the grinding of the TARDIS. The sound didn't register ast first, but a sudden movement byt he Doctor made him look up. Right in front of him, in the exact same spot where he had last seen it, the TARDIS was materializing. The light on the top flashed for a few more seconds and then the door opened. Sam stuck his head out the door tentatively. "Al?" he said quietly. Al stared at his friend, mouth open in astonishment. For about ten seconds they just stared at each other, then Al exploded. "Get out here, Samuel Beckett! RIGHT NOW!!!" Sam quickly complied. He knew that Al had been scared and the only way for him to get over that was to yell. Besides, Sam had scared himself and he really felt that a good Calavicci dressing down would make him feel better. Al started by calling him "Idiot!" and went on from there. Peri and the Doctor watched the two friends, one scolding at the highest volume he could manage, the other with a whipped puppy dog look on his face, quietly accepting teh scold, and smiled. This proved more than anything that the two men shared a friendship that knew no bounds. When Al paused to take a breath, the Doctor managed to interrupt the tirade. "Sam, how did you manage to get the TARDIS back here?" HE knew he had shown Sam many things, but how to set coordinates was not one of them. "I met you and you set them," Sam ansewred. "Oh, I almsot forgot." Sam wheeled out of the room back tothe Accelerator Chamber. After poking around in the open panel for a minute, he pulled out one of the components he found there, probably the exact same one that was now installed in the TARDIS. "Here," he handed it to the Doctor. "You'll need this. Please don't lose it or I'll never get back and you'll be stranded here." The Doctor gave Sam an odd look and then realized what Sam was saying. "You met me, wherever, and whenever, it was that you ended up?" "Yes, you and a young girl named Ace," Sam answered. "Nice kid and she seems tather fond of you." "Enough, Sam," the Doctor said before Sam could go any further. "I really don't want to know my own future." "I understand." Sam smiled when he saw Al enter the chamber with Peri. He was motioning behind him and he saw tha AL must have ordered a work crew. "What are they doing here, Al?" "Taking this thing apart," Al answered gruffly. "I've had enough of time travel, and so have you. And i"m making sure that you stay in one place." He turned to the Doctor. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, Doctor, and I really like haveing Peri around, but when are you leaving? It seems that the TARDIS is workng and I don't want Sam going off on any more unscheduled trips." "I was thinking the same thing, Admiral. Peri, how long will it take you to put all your new cloths in the TARDIS?" he asked, turing to his young companion. "No time at all, Doctor," she answered. "I made sure it was all packed when Al and I left fVegas. I'll need maybe a half hour." "That soon enough for you, Admiral?" The Doctor knew the component that had been installed wouldn't last long and he remembered the planet where he had to go to get the correct type of sand to blow a new vacuum tube. It wasn't a very hospitable place, but if he wanted to continue his travels, he wouldhave to make a stop at Androzani Minor. "Yes, thank you, Doctor," Al sighed with relief. "Come on, Sam, let these men do their work and we can say good-by." Sam and the Doctor were already doing that as they left the Accelerator Chamber. Al went with Peri to his car and helped her carry her new possessions into her room in the TARDIS. Soon, they, along with the Doctor, Verbena, Derek, Gooshie and many other members of the Project, were gathered inthe Control Room, saying good-bye and thankyou to the time traveller who had heled to get their own time traveller back. There were tears on the part of Peri and Verbena as they said farewell. Peri gave Al a rather enthusiasitc good-bye kiss, much to his delight, but when she turned and did the same to Sam, a frown crossed the Admiral's face, until he saw the blush creeping up the younger man's cheeks. He laughed and waved as the Docotr and Peri entered the TARDIS. Everyone stood back and watched the TARDIS dematerialize. They stood silently looking at the place where the TARDIS had been and then slowly went back to the many things that would wrap up Project Quantum Leap and began thinking of new projects that they could work on. Finally, only Al and Sam were left in the lab. "You know, Al, I don't know why, but I think the Doctor may be headed into trouble," Sam said softly, remebering the look the Doctor had on his face back in World War Two England. AL turned to the man next to him, a question on his face as he lit up a cigar. "When I met him when I accidently took off in the TARDIS, he looked ... well, I don't know, but something was wrong." Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, kid," Al said, blowing out a puff of smoke. "COme on, we have a lot of work to do and you're not done with your debriefing or with your therapy. I want you out of that chair by the end of the month and Jason says I'm being generous giving you that much time." And then Sam and Al left the Control Room.. Neither would ever find out the price the Doctor ended up paying for bringing Sam Beckett back to his own time. THE END -- Beth Hlabse eah4@po.CWRU.Edu Assistant Sysop The Science Fiction and Fantasy Sig (GO SCIFI) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If all the beasts were gone man would die from a great lonliness of the spirit.