Theorizing that one could time-travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top-secret project known as Quantum Leap.  Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Dr. Beckett prematurely stepped into the Project Accelerator…and vanished.

He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own.  Fortunately, contact with his own time was maintained through brainwave transmissions with Al, the Project Observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Dr. Beckett can see and hear.

As evil ones do their best to stop Dr. Beckett’s journey, his children, Dr. Samantha Josephine Fulton and Stephen Beckett, continuously strive to retrieve their time-lost father and bring him home permanently.  Despite returning home several times over the last decade, Dr. Beckett has remained lost in the time stream…his final fate no longer certain.

Trapped in the past and driven by an unknown force, Dr. Beckett struggles to accept his destiny as he continues to find himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong with the hopes that his next leap…will be the final leap home.

PROLOGUE

Some leaps began easily and some with a bang.  This one was of the latter type.  As Sam’s senses began to obtain the data of his current place in time, he felt himself being body slammed, the air being suddenly exhaled as he hit the ground.  He figured he was in the middle of a fight and brought his martial arts skills to the fore immediately.  Quickly rolling and jumping to his feet, he allowed his eyes to see where he was. 

He was in a gymnasium on a padded surface.  There were several other people around, all men.  They were sporting short haircuts and were wearing sweats.  The tops had the arms removed, and NAVY was emblazoned across the chest.  As he looked around, he realized he was in a sparring match. 

The man in front of him was circling around warily looking for an opening.  Sam also watched to find his own opportunity.  He was about to strike, when he felt another person attack him from the back, again grabbing him and body slamming him to the ground.

"What's the matter, Calavicci, you think the enemy is only going to be in front of you?"

Sam, hearing the name, was sure he'd leapt into Al again.  At least until he heard one of the men in the crowd.  "See, I told you a woman couldn't handle being a SEAL."

Calavicci?  Woman?  SEAL? Sam questioned in shock.  Looking around at the men surrounding him, he sighed, "Oh, boy."

PART ONE

July 16, 1987

Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado

San Diego , CA

One of the men in the crowd put his hand out to Sam but spoke to the man who had voiced his opinion about the compatibility of women and SEALs.  “Mike, you weren’t so hot the first time you took on a no rules sparring.  I think Julianna handled herself pretty well, considering she didn’t know it was coming.”

Sam started to reach out his hand to the man offering his assistance.  He heard the name of one of Al's daughter's and was trying to place her within his Swiss cheesed mind when he felt a strong personality pushing its way into his consciousness "I can get up myself, Chad."  Sam’s hand suddenly fell away and he found himself pushing up from the ground on his own.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Little Miss Women's Lib," he growled under his breath. Even as Sam started to get up, Mike used a boot to force him back down, using his weight to hold the leaper to the ground.

Suddenly, Sam had a very clear memory of whom he'd leapt into.  He looked heavenward. ‘Why me?’ he thought.  He wasn't a bit surprised to find that his host had not fully vacated the premises.  It just wouldn't be Julianna if she had.

"So, ‘Cadet’ Calavicci," Mike taunted. "What are you going to do now?"

Sam tried to assert himself but it was Julianna who huffed at the man doing his best to hold her down on the floor. "I'm gonna kick your ass," she answered before grabbing his ankle and twisting it hard enough for Mike to lose his footing, sending him to the ground.

Immediately, she stood over the man, confidence in her stance. "By the way... 'Cadet'... it's Lieutenant Sherman-Calavicci. Don't forget it. I earned my way here.”

The other men in the group were gathered round, watching to see how this interaction would go.  From the back of the room, a loud voice called out "Jacobs and Calavicci...are you two at it again?"  A tall dark haired man quickly joined the group.  Sam noticed the other men react to his presence by pulling themselves to attention.

Sam felt his body straightening immediately, as Julianna, too, stood at attention, turning towards the instructor who was approaching them. "No, Sir! I was merely giving Lt. Jacobs a demonstration of my capabilities, Sir."

The new arrival looked over to the man whom Sam now knew as Chad .  He watched as Chad nodded.  “That's correct, Sir.  Julianna was involved in a no rules sparring and Mike was testing her.”

Captain Patrick Lamborn looked over the two officers and mentally shook his head. Ever since Julianna Sherman-Calavicci had been admitted into BUD/S training, she and Jacobs had been at each other. However, nothing serious had ever come from it. He saw no reason to let it affect things now.

"Very good."  He paused, looking around at the men, and only woman, under his command.  "I'm glad you are all here.  Our platoon is going to be undertaking an exercise to help hone our skills in hostage situations."

"Hostage situations, Sir?" Julianna asked with interest.

“Yes,” he acknowledged, turning his gaze to Julianna and back to the rest of the platoon. “Since one of the missions we may be sent on is hostage rescue, our platoon will be broken down as follows: two hostages, eight captors broken down as four to a hostage, and two groups of four as rescue teams.”

Julianna straightened noticeably. "I'm ready for anything, Sir."

Sam was aware that as Julianna focused on various individuals, he suddenly knew their names.  It was a bit disconcerting, but at the same time, it was almost as good as having nametags provided.  As she looked around the room, Sam suddenly ‘knew’ the eighteen men around him and how she felt about each of them.  Mike Jacobs was the only one she actively loathed.

"Good.  Because you will be one of the hostages.  Dave will be the other hostage."  Sam watched as a fair skinned redhead nodded in agreement.

"But, Sir..." Julianna started.  Sam was trying to assert himself but Julianna’s personality was still too strong.

Captain Lamborn continued to describe the roles of the platoon members.  “ Chad and Kurt, you will head the two captive teams and Rick and Bob, you are to head the two rescue teams.  Figure out a way to make up your teams with the remaining platoon members.”  Captain Lamborn then turned and gave Julianna a direct look.  "Yes, Lt. Calavicci?"

Julianna straightened again at the look. "I request to be part of one of the rescue teams."

“No, Lt. Calavicci.  This time you will be a hostage." The Captain’s stance indicated this decision was not open for negotiations.

Julianna knew better than to argue the matter. It didn't matter that she felt it was a waste of her talents to be forced to remain helpless. "Aye, Sir," she acknowledged, though it was hard to keep her disappointment at bay.  The feeling was almost overwhelming to Sam.

The Captain nodded. "You all are to have this decided by 1500 hours today. Each team will be required to attend a briefing prior to the mission. The hostages will not receive a briefing or any prior warning to keep it as realistic as possible. They will not provide resistance when captured. Any questions?"

There seemed no one willing to ask a single thing, allowing the Captain to send the trainees back to their sparring practice. Julianna excused herself to get a drink of water. Finding the waiting cooler, she poured out a couple of paper cup fulls, swallowing them quickly.

"I'm never going to be able to prove that I can do this!" she complained to herself.

Sam pushed his way into her consciousness. "Perhaps you're not meant to for this exercise. That may be why I'm here."

"Bullshit!" Julianna exclaimed at the voice she suddenly seemed to hear in her head. "I can do anything those guys can! Just because I'm a woman, they think I'm weak, that I can't cut it. I didn't push the envelope this far, even receiving a special induction from Congress itself to get into SEAL training, to have those jerks hold me back!"

"Whoa!" Al exclaimed as he came in, seeing the explosive reaction coming from his best friend in his daughter's aura. "What's going on here?"

Sam sighed and continued pushing, trying to speak with Al.  "There has to be a reason I leapt into your daughter, Al. My mission likely has something to do with this exercise.” He tried to address Julianna directly as she seemed to hear his thoughts. “Believe me; I don't question your abilities. But sometimes, you do come on too strong."

"It's not a mission! It's a training exercise! SHEESH!”  Suddenly Julianna realized that she truly did have a voice in her head and felt that something was trying to gain control of her body.  Having been brought up in the Catholic Church, she was aware of the concept of possession. A fearful visage took hold of her face as she questioned, “What the hell is happening here? 

Pushing up again, Julianna’s aura took on a calm yet intense look as Sam addressed his hologram friend. “Al, you need to get your daughter under control. I won’t be able to complete whatever I’m here to do if she doesn’t allow me to. Please go back to the Waiting Room and see what you can do.

"Umm..." Al started, concerned by the changing image of his daughter as she spoke in two different conversations - one with him, the other with Sam. But it was his eldest daughters fearful statement of, "Oh, God! I'm possessed!," her immediate recitation of "Hail, Mary" over and over, and the look of absolute terror in her face that convinced him to move.  Quickly.

Al took a quick look around at his surroundings and made a speedy decision. It wouldn't be good for Julianna if a SEAL instructor came around the corner and saw her freaking out and claiming to be possessed. "I'm on it, Sam," he assured before quickly punching in the exit sequence and vanishing into the future.

Sam decided for the time being he'd better pull back...at least until Al returned. He sighed mentally. It was his body and his mind and he was allowing Julianna to take over both of them for now. Talk about who was possessing who!

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, NM

Al entered the control room and immediately headed towards the Waiting Room. He wasn't sure what he'd find since Julianna was definitely taking over Sam in this leap. He entered the room and wasn't surprised to find her pacing yet looking as if her mind was elsewhere. ‘Yeah, and I know just where it is,” he exclaimed softly under his breath.  He walked over to her and softly called to her. "Julianna, baby? Daddy would like to talk with you now."

Julianna paced the Waiting Room, her eyes reflecting her confusion. Al watched those eyes dance around the room, looking for something... anything... to tell her she wasn't possessed or losing her mind. It was so hard to do with the voice talking in her head. She had to be very careful. If the Captain saw her acting in any way suspiciously, she'd be sent to the infirmary and she really didn't want to be forced to quit.

Al was concerned when she didn't respond at first. He made his voice a bit harder, like he would when the girls needed to clean their rooms.  "Julianna. Daddy really needs to talk to you now." He hoped he would be able to get through to her. If not, then Sam might not be able to complete his most recent mission, which Ziggy had not yet computed.

Raising her hand to her mouth, she bit her index finger. This wasn't like any case of demonic possession she had ever heard of. She remembered that movie with Linda Blair. Geez, that scared the bejeezies out of her! She usually couldn't get through Bambi without crying. “The Exorcist?” Forget it! She just didn't like movies that were that creepy. The only reason she’d even seen the “Exorcist” was because her friend wanted to see it but was too scared to see it alone.

Even as she thought of that particular movie, however, a single voice called to her, first gently then a little more firmly. It wasn't until it sounded like an order that she suddenly turned her head and saw her father standing there, looking at her with a frown. A quick look around told her that she wasn't where she was supposed to be.

"Dad?" she questioned as the sides of her mouth turned southward. "Where am I?" She frowned again, looking at him a little more closely. "Why did you highlight your hair with gray?"

Al noticed the clarity in her eyes. "I didn’t, honey. But that’s not important right now. First of all, I want you to know you're safe. Nothing is going to hurt you. Do you believe me?"  He’d reached out, taking her hand as he spoke.

Julianna frowned at him, a worried look now replacing the confusion in her eyes. "Dad..." She hesitated and then looked at the room she was in. It didn't look like any room that she had ever seen before. It had an almost antiseptic look to it. Maybe it was... Oh, heaven forbid it was so! "Dad... have I... gone crazy?"

Al's heart broke as he felt his daughter questioning her sanity. It was one thing to experience this with other leapees, but this was his child. "No, baby. You're not crazy.”  He smiled his most comforting smile at her, the one that had always chased away the scary monsters from his daughters’ nightmares when they were small.  She seemed to take comfort in seeing it.  He continued cautiously, “But you know Sam? Christa's godfather?"

Julianna scowled at the question. "What does this have anything to do with Sam Beckett?"  Julianna knew her father would explain things logically and truthfully to her but would take her down the path of his choosing.

Al raked his hand through his hair.  This was a hard one.  On the one hand, the Julianna of his time was a part of the project.  But would she be if she learned too early what he and Sam had created?  He decided to go with the truth, but as little as he could get away with.  "Um...well...this is a little hard to explain. You've heard Sam and I talking about an idea for a new project once the project we're on ends?"

He could tell that she was thinking. Jules' eyes went from worry to panic in only a few moments. "I don't... remember. What's the matter with me? Is..." She swallowed tightly. "Dad... is that why I'm here? Because my head isn't working right?"

Al put an arm around his daughter’s shaking shoulders.  “Calm down, honey. I told you, you're not crazy." ‘But this project is sometimes,’ thought Al, rubbing her back. "That's a normal part of the project I hoped you remembered. Sam and I got funding. We've been working on this project for several years now. Maybe you better sit down for the rest of the story."

At her father's suggestion, her first instinct was to protest, to affirm that she could handle anything. She wasn't sure if she was speaking with Al Calavicci the father or Al Calavicci the Admiral. Either one deserved respect and obedience. She chose to sit down. "What's the rest of the story?"

"All right. As I said, Sam and I got funding for a project he developed that would allow him to travel in time. That part of the project was incredibly successful. But then God or Fate or Time or something else decided to use Sam to fix things that sort of took the wrong turn. Now he leaps into people and places to help them and they leap into the future where we are.” He stopped for a moment and looked her in the eyes, “You know that Sam would never do anything to hurt anyone he was trying to help, right?”

Julianna crossed her arms and looked at Al as if he had just grown a second head. "Dad... come on. Time travel?"

"Well, I didn't believe it when Sam first told me about it. But then I read his equations. Sam did it, Julianna. He figured out how to travel in time. That's why my hair is a different color. You're in the future now."

Julianna gave a scared little laugh, the kind that told her father that she was having a hard time accepting the concepts he was telling her. "The future," she repeated. She gestured towards the room around her and started shaking her head.  There was no question as to her opinion of what she’d been told. "Dad... if this is the future. I don't want it. And I don't need any help in my own time."

Al rolled his eyes to the ceiling in a silent prayer, ‘You think you could help me out here?’  He then turned to Julianna, "We don't choose where Sam goes, Julianna. It's His..." Al pointed to the ceiling as his eyes traveled upwards again, "...choice. Sam just takes care of what needs to be done. That wasn't part of the project plan, but…well; things just went a little ca-ca during that first leap."

She sighed in frustration. "So I'm in the future and he's in the past, God's taken over, and things are a little ca-ca.” She got up and started pacing again. “Great. Perfect. Pinch me so I can wake up. I think Jacobs pushed a little too much air out of my lungs this time and I've passed out."

Al sighed and gave her a small smile. "I wish it were that easy, baby. Unfortunately, you're just going to have to trust me. This is for the best. You've got to stop trying to handle yourself in the past. Sam is there now and the only way he's going to leap out is if you let him do his job. Have I ever lied to you, honey?"

Julianna stopped pacing and didn't answer for a long moment. Finally she responded to the question, "Yes." Seeing the startled look on her father's face, she immediately regretted her words. Turning, she leaned against the opposite wall.

Al went over to her and touched her shoulder. "Honey..."

Julianna didn't know why she thought of this after so many years but it just came into her head. It was literally decades ago! She'd forgiven him! She knew he couldn't help it if... "You promised that you'd be home for my seventh birthday and you weren't." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Daddy... I really didn’t mean..."

They sat down together again. He took her in his arms. Rocking slightly he spoke softly and calmly, "Julianna, if there had been any way I could have been there physically, you know I would have. Unfortunately, the only way I could be there was in my mind. But I was there, sweetheart. In my mind and heart, I was there."

Jules sighed as her father held her. "I know, Dad. I know. I don't even know why I brought it up."

"Maybe because this is a pretty crazy situation to find yourself in and you’re trying to figure out a way to make sense of it.”

She looked up at him seeing the fact that he loved her speaking through his eyes. 

“It’s okay, Julianna,” Al continued. “I'm not upset. I just need for you to trust me that what I'm asking you to do is for the best. You need to understand that Sam isn't going to mess up your life. He's there to make things better. And before you ask me whose idea of better, remember, He's the one leaping Sam." Al pointed heavenward again.

She was silent for a moment, thinking about what her father was asking of her. It was a lot, that was for certain. First, she had to accept that this whole cockamamie story he just gave her was the truth, not that she thought her father would lie to her. Then, he wanted her to let her fate be decided by, of all people, Sam Beckett! While she respected and admired Sam, he didn’t strike her as someone that should be handling anyone else’s life, especially hers.

She shook her head. "Dad, I can't just let my life be determined by someone else. I never have and I never will. And you're asking me to do just that! I can take care of myself. I don't need protection."

Al took her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I'm not asking you to do anything. This is happening because He wants it to happen. Sam has been doing this a long time now, Julianna, and his record is pretty incredible."

"It's just..." she started. She swallowed tightly. "You always told me God helps those who help themselves. I..." She sighed again. A moment later, she frowned and jumped up again, her body animatedly gesturing. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she suddenly demanded to seemingly no one. "Are you trying to get me dishonorably discharged?!"

Al realized that Julianna must be magnafluxing with Sam again.  "What's happening, Julianna? I can help Sam but you've got to tell me what he's doing that's a problem."

"He's beating the crap out of Jacobs!" Julianna complained. "The guy's a prick and a half but I'm not stupid enough to get myself kicked out of the Navy for him! Bad enough he thinks I can't handle BUD/S!"

Al jumped up and keyed the request for Dom to fire up the Imaging Chamber on the handlink. No use having Julianna hear things she didn’t need to know yet. "Ok, Julianna. Please keep out of it. I mean it.  Let me go and settle things down with Sam. You need to trust me and just let it happen." Al rushed out of the Waiting Room running toward the Control Room and running up the ramp.  As he reached the door, he turned suddenly and yelled to Dom, "Tell Verbena to prepare to sedate the leapee in the Waiting Room on my order.” Almost to himself he added, “Oh, God...I hope it isn't necessary."

Dom looked at him with surprise. "Sedate the leapee?  She’s your daughter!" he asked. Getting a look from Al that he understood by its very intensity, he nodded. "I'll inform her right away."

PART TWO

July 16, 1987

Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado

San Diego , CA

When Al entered the world his friend now inhabited, he found Sam using his marital arts skills on a tall six-foot dark haired man.  There was no one else around them at the moment but Al feared that was about to change quickly. He checked around the corner and found that Captain Lamborn was indeed approaching and would be coming around that same corner in less than a minute.

"Sam! Drop your defenses!" Al ordered loudly.

“What did you say?” Sam questioned with confusion. He couldn’t have heard Al correctly.

“I said I want you out of BUD/S!” Mike Jacobs answered vehemently, thinking the question was for him. “Women don’t belong here, especially not those who got in because of their daddy!”

Al gave Jacobs a glare but quickly decided that that was an issue to address later. Right now, his daughter’s career was on the line. "Do it!" he ordered the confused leaper. "Trust me!"

Sam immediately followed Al's orders, getting a punch in the eye for it from Mike Jacobs. Captain Lamborn had just arrived and watched wide-eyed as the man pushed his fist into Lt. Calavicci's face.

"Lt. Jacobs! Just what in the hell do you think you are doing?" the Captain demanded harshly.

Jacob’s face blanched and he immediately stood at attention. "I was trying to help her to get into the role of hostage and she suddenly started to attack me. I thought the hostages weren’t supposed to resist. Sir."

"And just how exactly were you helping her get into the role, Jacobs?" Lamborn demanded, bending down to check out the dazed woman and not liking the attitude that was coming from the male Lieutenant.

"Well, Sir, I was prodding her along,” Jacobs explained casually. “From the stories I heard my father tell of working with prisoners returning from Vietnam that would have been typical captor behavior. I just want to make the experience accurate. I certainly didn't expect her to attack me, especially since the hostages aren't supposed to resist when the exercise starts."

Lamborn turned towards Sam who was shaking the punch off.  Sam noted the questioning look in his CO’s eyes. "Lt. Calavicci, did you request that Lt. Jacobs help you with getting into the role of a hostage?"

"No, Sir, I did not,” Sam answered, lightly touching his eye and grimacing a bit from the pain. “It was my understanding that before the exercise started, the groups acting in their roles, except the hostages, would require a briefing. Since those briefings have not yet been announced, I believed the exercise had not yet started and thus, resistance was certainly warranted."

Lamborn thought seriously about the answer, looking between Julianna Calavicci and Mike Jacobs, judging not only their words but also the expression on their faces. He helped the person he saw as Julianna to her feet and was not surprised to see that she immediately stood at attention. It didn't take long to make a decision. "I will not have discord between my officers. Is that clearly understood?" Not giving either a chance to answer, he pressed on, focusing on Jacobs. "Jacobs, from what Calavicci just said, it sounds more like you were harassing her than helping her.”

"That was not my intention, Sir,” Jacobs said, sounding falsely sincere. “I felt that since Lt. Calavicci had expressed a desire to be a rescuer rather than a hostage, this indicated that she might not be ready for the role. I felt doing this would help her get into the role and be successful. Since she seldom asks for help, even when it would be in her best interest, I decided to do so anyway."

"You forced your help on her," Lamborn concluded. "That, Lieutenant, when not during exercises, IS harassment. Furthermore, I did not witness her attacking you but I did witness you punching a fellow officer.” He turned to Sam. "Calavicci, I don't have to see you attacking to know that you hit a fellow officer as well. Jacobs has evidence on his face already. Both of you..." he said bluntly, emphasizing his words. "...are restricted to barracks until exercises tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"  With that the CO continued on his way.  He had decided that he needed to see if the two of them could handle being in truly conflicting roles and still work together.  Well, this exercise would provide just the opportunity.

Before Captain Lamborn left, both of the officers noted their assent to his orders with a strong, “Yes, Sir.” Sam watched as Mike Jacobs took off. He wasn’t sure where he was supposed to go. 

Al answered the look on Sam’s face. “Sam, you have your quarters at the same place as Mike Jacobs. Remember when you were here as me? You’ll have a room like that again.”

Sam looked at Al with confusion. Al wasn’t sure if it was a result of the Swiss cheese mind or the direct hit that Sam had taken. His eye was certainly showing signs of becoming a beaut of a shiner. “You remember when you leapt into Bingo?” 

Sam suddenly nodded. “Yeah. I remember. Those are the same kind of quarters?” At Al’s agreement, Sam followed the direction that Mike had taken. As they walked, Sam asked, “How did it go with Julianna? Things got better and then, in the middle of the fight, she came back. I probably would have been able to subdue Jacobs if she hadn't interfered."

Al sighed. "Well, she's a stubborn lady, you know. I thought I had her agreeing to leave things alone when this whole thing with Jacobs back there exploded. She never was one to take anything lying down." On the one hand, Al knew how difficult this made things for his friend. On the other, it just reinforced the pride he had in his daughter.

Sam stopped suddenly and turned to the hologram beside him.  "Neither do you, Al."

Al shrugged slightly, grinning. "Well, now you know where she gets it."

Sam's gave Al a half-grin and started walking again. "Must have led to some interesting arguments when she was growing up, being so much alike." Sam reached the barracks and paused a moment at the door, looking at the hallway with the exact same type door at each room. "So, do you know which room is mine?

Al pulled out a cigar from his jacket pocket, unwrapped it, cut off the tip and lit it. "Last door on the right. The Navy pretty much made sure that she was in an area where she could feel secure, which didn't help when it came to Jacobs, I can tell you. As I recall, she had trouble with that nozzle all through her training. It took her three years just to get in and he wasn't exactly keen on having a woman in BUD/S."

Sam headed down to his room.  “BUD/S?” he questioned with a frown.

“Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL training,” Al clarified. “All SEAL trainees have to go through it. Julianna has recently finished Hell Week. Most men aren’t even able to complete it without going DOR.” Again, there was a frown from Sam. “Drop On Request. Voluntarily quitting the program. The Navy doesn’t call it quitting because signing up for BUD/S is completely voluntary. If you drop, you can always sign on again as long as you’re qualified. And dropping doesn’t affect your record.”

Sam checked his pockets as he arrived at Julianna’s quarters, finding the key to the door. Opening it, he found a rather Spartan apartment.  He knew that military quarters were often devoid of excess personal items but this looked almost pristine. He walked over to the bookshelf and found some family photos and a few books that looked well read.  Sam realized these were similar to the style of book that Al had often given him as a gift: printed on quality paper and leather bound.  It brought him a feeling of sadness as he brushed his hand over the book backs.  He turned his attention to the pictures.  "Hey, Al, I remember when you and Beth had this picture of your family taken. You gave me and...” Suddenly, his eyes seemed a bit lost and a deeper sadness took hold of him.  "Al? I feel like there's someone I should be remembering. Is there a reason for me to feel that way?"

Al hesitated. He knew that Donna had made him promise her that he wouldn't ever tell Sam about the leaper’s family back at the project. But it was hard to lie to his best friend over and over, watching him struggle with the memory that seldom came to the surface. "Sam, forgetting people is all part of Quantum Leaping. You know that. I'm sure you'll remember some day."

Sam gave Al a sad lopsided grin that showed his resignation and sighed. "It's just... I know you're just following the rules. But sometimes I wish I'd never written some of them. They were based on a totally different view of what I thought I’d be experiencing." He closed his eyes for a second, pursing his lips together as if he were pulling from an inner strength to go on.  Once his eyes opened, he continued looking at the pictures. “Who is this woman with Julianna? I know it's not Beth."  Suddenly, he smiled. "This is Lisa Sherman, isn't it?"

Al nodded with a smile. "Jules' mother," he told him. "Lisa and I were scared to death when Julianna told us that she wanted to become a SEAL. I tried to convince her that she'd be better off going into combat flight school but she was so determined to break the misconceptions about women in ground combat."

Sam nodded. "Hmmm. From what Tom told me about the SEALs, I would imagine it would have been hard on any woman." Almost as soon as the words came out of Sam's lips, his facial expression and body posture changed. With an intense look at her father, the leapee again took the fore, stating adamantly, "And you expect me to let someone like this take on my life? He doesn’t even respect my accomplishments, Dad! You’ve got to get this situation back to normal. He's going to ruin my career!"

Al sighed in frustration. Sam was definitely right on one thing. This leap wasn't going to be easy with his daughter coming in and taking over without notice. "He is not going to ruin your career! Now would you please stop interfering? Or would you prefer I make it an order?"

Julianna crossed her arms. She was taking a stand. Why couldn’t her father understand her side of this?  "This isn't something you can order me about. Would you take this happening to you?"

Al rolled his eyes. Of course, he wouldn't. He remembered the time that Sam had leaped into his younger self, the leap that would eventually lead to him and Lisa conceiving the woman in front of him who had the same stubborn streak as himself. He remembered Bingo wasn't that fond of being out of control of his life at the time. "What I would do is irrelevant," he told her bluntly. "Damn it, Julianna. We're trying to help you here!"

She started pacing. "I told you. I don't need anyone's help. Especially from some brainiac who doesn't know the first thing about what I have to go through. I mean, Sam's nice and I like him as a family friend and all. But, come on, Dad. You're military. You KNOW what I mean!

"Jules..." Al started, trying not to let his temper get the best of him. ‘Geez, it's just like when she was seventeen!’

Sam himself had finally had enough. He pushed himself to the surface. "Julianna, I'm about fed up with your attitude. I've been a woman countless times. I've been in the military. I've had to deal with more dangerous situations than you can imagine. You need to back off and let me get on with this. Trust me; I don't want to be here any longer than necessary!"

Sam’s arms crossed and the look on his face screamed Julianna. "Well, then why don't you just leave and let me do my job, which is training to be the best damned SEAL I can possibly be!" Jules told him bluntly, her Calavicci stubbornness clear on her expression.

Sam came back with eyes blazing. "If I could leave...I would. But I can't." He looked heavenward. "Why! Of all the persons in the world throughout my lifetime, why did I have to leap into HER!”

"You too?" Julianna countered to his plea to the heavens. "Bad enough that I have to put up with chauvinistic bull from these guys, but do I have to put up with it from my father's best friend as well?" She growled loudly in frustration. "Heavenly Mother!"

Al noted the changing facial expressions, the changes in infections in speech, the changes in whom he could see mirrored in his friend’s eyes. Seeing what seemed to be Sam violently arguing with himself was probably the strangest things Al had ever seen. When it looked as if it were going to go on indefinitely, he knew he had to put a lid on the issue fast. "ENOUGH!" he shouted in what Jules had always called his "Admiral voice".

The silence that filled the room showed just how often Al used that voice with either Sam or his eldest daughter. "Julianna... you WILL stand down. Don't make me have you sedated."

"You wouldn’t dare!" she protested, Sam’s eyes narrowing. When Al didn't say a word, just looking at her with those eyes that still make her squirm uncomfortably, even at the age of twenty-six, she swallowed. "He doesn't have the right!" she tried, knowing from the glare coming from her father’s face that this would be a failed attempt.

Sam thought about saying something but figured this was between Julianna and her father. He knew that Al would figure out a way to make this a successful leap. He had to let Al take the lead. He’d been with Al through thick and thin and knew that now was a time to keep silence.

"Stand down," Al repeated, his tone firm but steady, showing that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Julianna was clearly upset, wearing an expression that, when on Sam's face, almost made Al laugh. He held back the urge efficiently.

"Yes, Sir," she finally conceded. "But only if he doesn't make another stupid mistake!"

Sam wasn’t going to take that. "I haven’t made any...." Sam started to protest.

Cutting him off, Julianna stated, "I call getting into a fight with Jacobs one hell of a mistake!"

"It wasn't a mistake. He was harassing you. It’s not a mistake to try to rectify that!" Sam didn't get angry often, but anger was definitely in his voice now.

"Julianna Contessa Francesca Sherman-Calavicci!" Al shouted at her, silencing her again. 

"Fine!" Jules shouted back. With a wave of her hand, she let herself be pushed back with Sam's ego, forcing herself to remain in the Waiting Room.

After Julianna's personality receded, Sam looked over to Al, an incredulous look plastered on his face.  "You did that to ALL of your daughters?"

"No," Al protested, still upset from the minor argument with Julianna. "Jules and Christa were the easier ones to handle."

"I don't mean that. I mean those names! Geez, Al! When Christa was baptized and I became her godfather, I couldn't believe how long her name was. Hearing Julianna's full name just brought that memory back."

"Hey, I didn't name her! That was Lisa's doing!" He paused before admitting, "Okay, so we changed the birth certificate after Lisa and I had her baptized. But it was Lisa's idea to name her Julianna Contessa Sherman-Calavicci. I just added the Francesca part." Al chuckled. “And Sam, you think Julianna's name is bad now, wait until she gets married!"

Sam shook his head. "I’ll take your word for it. Now, you want to tell me what I have to do here so I can get out as soon as possible? I think of all the leaps I've ever done, this is the first leapee that wants to actively do me harm."

"Ah, come on, Sam. Julianna isn't THAT bad," Al protested. "She's just... actively protective of her self-determination." Seeing the glare from Sam, he decided to bring up the handlink. Better to just answer Sam's question than to get into an argument over his daughter's healthily strong personality. "Okay, it's July 16, 1987, and you are in San Diego , California , and you obviously know who you've leaped into."

"Yeah, Al. I know.  It would be a little hard to miss and, believe me, I'm not happy about it.”  He paused. "So why the hell am I here? It's certainly not to help her win a beauty pageant or to get on some design team.”

Al’s head snapped up from looking at the handlink.  "Hey! Julianna is a beautiful woman, inside and out!" he protested. “And she's extremely intelligent so don't go knocking her down simply because you don't like that she's stubborn!"

Sam looked at Al as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing from his friend. "That's not what I meant and you know it." Sam began pacing again.

Al knew that Sam paced when upset or thinking or both. He had a feeling that, in this case, it was both.

"I mean, I know I did those things in other leaps when I’ve found myself in a woman’s aura,” Sam continued. “But something else has to be behind this leap." He looked to over to Al. "Julianna is incredibly focused and quite capable of handling most things herself. If it was something that simple, I wouldn't have leapt into her. I know she isn't pregnant and hasn't been raped, thank God!"

Al hesitated. "Well... not yet," he muttered under his breath.  Sam had turned away and had resumed pacing.

Not sure he had heard Al correctly, Sam asked, a bit of trepidation in his voice, “What did you say?”

“Nothing, Sam. You’re right. Julianna is not pregnant nor has she been raped and neither of those things occurs during this leap.”

At Sam’s visible relief, Al sighed.  It wouldn’t help Sam to know what Julianna’s future held. He wouldn’t be able to do anything about it and that would just upset Sam more.

Reassured, the time traveling physicist resumed pacing. He continued with his thoughts. "She doesn't fit any of the scenarios where I've leapt into a woman. So, just tell me what I need to do."

Al didn't focus on the unwanted memories of the ordeal his daughter had endured while MIA. Instead, he took a deep breath and answered Sam's demand. "Let's just say that little bit of harassment that Michael Jacobs decided Julianna needed a little while ago wasn't the first and it certainly wasn't the last."

Sam’s concern returned full force. "What? Jacobs hurts Julianna?"

Al nodded. "Jacobs doesn't like the idea of a woman being in ground combat. He doesn't think Julianna is suitable to be a SEAL and he pretty much let his opinion be known without going over the line. That is, until the hostage exercise tomorrow."

Al saw the distress in Sam's eyes and body language as he asked, "What does he do tomorrow, Al?"

Al's eyelids lowered at the memory. "He beats her during the exercise, so much so that she was placed in the infirmary for a couple of days before she was allowed to continue with her training."

Sam's eyes started blazing. "That's not going to happen, Al. I won't let the son of a bitch do it."

"Actually, Ziggy's suggesting that you let it happen. The more dirt you get on this guy, the easier it will be to complete what Ziggy gives 98.9% odds is your mission. She says that you are to make sure that Michael Jacobs not only doesn't become a SEAL but is also discharged from the military and sent to do hard time for assault."

Sam turned to Al hearing what he had to do. "They didn't kick him out in the original history? Why the hell not?"

Al’s eyelids lowered with disgust. "His daddy had connections with the Navy and Jacob's buddies backed him up all the way. They basically said that Julianna's injuries were accidental and, because his father had hired one hell of a defense attorney, the charges were dropped before there was even an inquiry."

Sam’s shoulder’s sagged. Al knew that the leaps when Sam had to take a passive role were the toughest on him. He wasn’t surprised at the resignation in Sam’s voice as he answered, "Okay, Al. Whatever it takes, you know I'll do it." He pursed his lips together and took a sigh. "Can't say I'm looking forward to it though."  He didn't say anything for a moment and then asked, "You sure I can't resist? I can't protect myself?"

Al nodded somberly, hating what he knew he was asking Sam to do. "That's right." When Sam just shook his head in disbelief, Al continued. "Julianna resisted in the original history, Sam. That was how she was beaten badly. If you resist these bastards, history is just going to repeat itself. They'll use her resistance as part of their defense, claiming that she wouldn't have been hurt at all if she hadn't resisted them."

Sam nodded, accepting his fate. "All right, Al. If you're sure. I...I guess if this is going to happen in the morning, I should try to get some rest. I have the feeling I won’t be resting much after he attacks me." Sam lay down on Julianna’s bed, turning his back towards Al.

Al watched as he saw the tenseness in Sam’s body as he lay upon the bed. He knew that Sam would indeed take on this trial, just as he did every one that he’d been presented with over the past twelve years. He sighed, revolted by what his friend had to endure but knowing that neither of them had a choice. "Yeah. Try to get some rest, Sam. I'll check on you in a few hours." Opening the Imaging Chamber door, he waited only a moment to make sure that Sam was going to be okay for the night before disappearing through the white light of the exit.

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, NM

Al found himself tossing and turning in bed. The idea of Sam allowing himself to be beaten yet again had left him lying beside Beth, staring at the ceiling. He thought back to previous leaps when Sam had taken this course, Howie Lockwood especially coming to mind.  The thought of that man’s death brought a tear to his eye. Howie was the closest Al and Beth and ever gotten to having a son other than Sam himself. When Sam had leaped into him that second time, he had to allow himself to be beaten by a sadistic general. Howie’s death, though honorable, was just a means to an end, to ensure that Howie’s work would continue in the Sudan .

Both Al and Beth knew that Sam would again have to endure the burden of passivity as a means to an end. It was what had to be done to kick Michael Jacobs, a person who should have never even been accepted into any of the United States armed services, out of the Navy for good. That knowledge didn’t make the situation any easier.

Beth had tried to comfort Al, rubbing his back and telling him it was for the best, that Sam would be doing this even if it wasn’t Julianna needing his help. 

"It doesn't help," Al said somberly, shaking his head. "This whole thing is..." He stopped, thought a moment and then started again. "I... I can't help feeling torn. You know? She's my daughter. I love her. I just... neither of them deserves this."

Beth held Al close, attempting to share his pain and hence take some of the sting away. Shared sadness was often more manageable.  "Sam chooses to help people. You know that. Why is this any different just because he’s helping Julianna? He's been in difficult situations before."

Al shook his head. "He wouldn't be in this situation if... if he hadn't leapt into me as Bingo." He shook his head. "Gawd, what am I thinking? I wouldn't give Julianna up for the world!"

"And Sam wouldn't want you to, honey."  Beth knew that for certain.  She knew better than anyone how much Sam Beckett cared for Al’s happiness.

Al closed his eyes. "I should be there, not him."

Beth hugged him to her. "You know that Sam can handle this, Al. You've taken enough beatings to last a lifetime. Sam will get through this one."

Al stood up abruptly and began pacing animatedly. "I don't like this whole idea of him not defending himself! That is the most asinine thing Ziggy has ever come up with!"

Beth sighed. She looked towards her husband, knowing how hard this leap was turning out for him. "And you know that if Sam's gut was telling him to do otherwise, he'd listen to it. He's gone against Ziggy's projections before. You need to trust that Sam's going to do what's right, baby."

"I know," Al said with resignation dripping in his voice. "I just... I've just got this feeling that things aren't going to be that easy. Not that letting a punk nozzle beat the crap out of you is easy."

Beth reached out her arm and beckoned with her hand, "Al. Come back to bed. Your worrying isn't going to help Sam and you're going to need your sleep to help him in the morning. Let it go for now." 

Al looked at her, pain pouring from his soul. "I can't just shut off the worry switch, Beth. You know that." He sighed, looking at his wife face and not wanting to cause her anymore hurt. He sat back on the bed.

"I know it's hard, sweetie, but you're going to have to. Sam's going to need your strength tomorrow." She laid her head against his back, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

Al nodded slowly but didn't lie down. "You go ahead and get your sleep. Don’t worry about me."

Beth shook her head, gently pulling Al towards her and forcing him to lie down beside her. "I’m not lying down without you beside me.”  When Al looked at her, she repeated, “I'm not." She pulled him close to her, petting his hair as she did so. "Now... close your eyes." Al protested for only a moment but then cooperated as Beth started to gently hum. Before Al even realized it, he was asleep.

PART THREE

July 16, 1987

Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado

San Diego , CA

The sun shone brightly in through a space where the shades didn't quite cover the edge of the window. Sam opened his eyes and rubbed at them. The night before had led to little sleep. Although he would have preferred to stay in bed, he knew what his immediate future held. He had no intention of allowing the original history to stand, even if changing it meant he’d have to face something he’d rather avoid.

Pulling himself up, he went to wash his face. He figured he should change out of the T-shirt and sweats he'd put on the night before to sleep. He’d just put on his uniform top when suddenly, he heard the door behind him break open and four of the men who had been in the sparring group the day before were entering his room: Kurt Tarkin, Tim Jones, Harry Parker, and Mike Jacobs. Even though he’d known from Al that Jacobs would be a part of this group, it still angered him to think they’d allowed him on this particular team knowing that Julianna and he didn’t get along.

He had hoped that Al would have been able to give him some warning, but it looked as if this was the real deal. He allowed himself to be taken, tied up, blindfolded, and pulled to a waiting jeep. Jacobs seemed to take great pleasure in pulling the ropes tight and whispering menacingly in his ear that he was “going to teach her that being a SEAL wasn’t the right choice for little girls.”

Sam decided that putting himself mentally outside of what was happening would be helpful. He couldn’t do what every cell in his body was screaming at him to do, which was react to the man’s provocation. He started thinking about the wavelengths of the bands in the emission spectra for various elements.  “Mercury, 6580, 6025, Triple band around 5560…”

About ten minutes after the abduction, Sam had run through Sodium, Helium, and Hydrogen as well before running through a significant set of prime numbers. Sam felt the jeep stop and he was pulled roughly out of the vehicle. Before he could get his footing, he was dragged into a room which smelled of electronic equipment. He recognized the scent of ozone and heard the hum of electricity.

The sound of the Imaging Chamber door opening entered his consciousness. At least he knew he wasn’t without a friend. It gave him some comfort, even though he knew Al couldn’t do anything but lend him emotional support. Right now, it was enough. They walked him further into the room and pushed him down to sit down next to a load-bearing pillar in the room. The linoleum floor felt cool to the touch. He felt them tie him to the pillar. He asked to have the blindfold removed. Kurt, the head of the team, started to acquiesce but Mike complained that this needed to be realistic. They left the blindfold in place and then walked off. The sound of them speaking in the next room reached Sam’s ears but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Al looked down at Sam. It physically hurt him to see his buddy tied up and unable to do anything. “You doing all right, Sam?”

The sound of Al’s voice brought a small smile to Sam. It helped a little to know that Al was going to be with him through what was to come. “I’ve been better,” he admitted. “They’re really making this as realistic as possible.” He said it quietly, not wanting the other’s to hear him and think that Julianna had lost it.

Al shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t help their training if it isn’t following what could happen.”

Al saw Sam’s lips grimace for a moment before he answered, “I know.   It’s just that it’s difficult knowing what’s going to happen in a little while.”

“Hang in there, Sam. I’m going to go and see what they’re saying.” Al had Dom center him on the group in the other room.

Kurt was speaking. “The rescue teams will be searching for the hostages as soon as our ‘government’ announces that we have them. That will be happening within the next four hours. Tim, you take first watch of the hostage. Harry and Mike, I need you to set up some traps for the rescue team. I want to win this exercise.”

Mike asked, “Why don’t you let me watch the hostage?”

Kurt looked annoyed. “Because I need you to set up the traps. I promise you’ll get your time to watch her.”

Mike nodded. “You’re in charge.”

The group broke and Tim went into the room with Sam. Al bent down beside his friend. “It’s okay for a while Sam. Tim is watching you. Don’t talk right now though. He’s listening. You don’t want to give them anything they can use to discredit Julianna. Talking to herself might be looked upon negatively.”

Sam barely nodded, giving Al the acknowledgement that he had understood the hologram. At least he could relax a bit. Knowing that Mike was away from him for now was a help. Sam’s lack of sleep was catching up to him. He allowed himself to drift.

Al realized that Sam’s tenseness had reduced. He watched as his friends head bent towards his chest. Al decided to go back to the project to continue to monitor. He knew Ziggy would be checking Sam’s vital signs and she would know if there was a change in his situation. He whispered to Sam to let him know where he was going.  A groggy “Okay” fell softly from Sam’s lips. Al gave a final look of concern before keying in the sequence. The white door opened, allowing Al to reenter the project.

For the next few hours, Sam drifted in and out of consciousness. He was actually somewhat relaxed when he was brought back to full awareness by a whispering in his ear.

“It’s just you and me now, bitch. You think that women are equal to men and I’m going to show you just how wrong you are.” Mike’s voice held absolute malice and Sam was under no illusions as to his intentions.

At the sound of the man’s voice, Sam stomach tightened and he felt flushed. "Mike, you don't need to do anything rash..." Sam was still hoping he could change the direction of this leap and still prevent Julianna from being beaten badly. If he could just reach Mike...

"Rash?" Mike interrupted, clearly not amused by the statement. "Rash is what you did when you pushed your way into BUD/S. Women have never been allowed to be SEALs. You know why? Because they are the weaker sex."

Sam heard the sound of the Imaging Chamber door open again. He knew that Al was with him again, probably due to the rise in his vital signs that he felt when Mike had addressed him. "Mike, women are different; they aren't weaker. Our strengths compliment; they don't replace. You're looking at this as either/or...not as and."

Mike decided that he'd had enough of hearing the feminist crap that this invader into the male world was spewing. Raising his hand, he slapped the bitch hard across her face.

"Hey! Don't you hit her, you bastard!" Al shouted. Knowing that it had to happen - and that it was Sam that Mike hit, not Julianna - didn't stop his parental instincts from reacting to the sight of it.

Sam took the slap, wincing, but refusing to cry out.  "Make you feel good, Mike?  Is that how men show their strength?"

Mike wasn't deterred by the words. He grabbed Sam's hair roughly, slamming his head against the pillar behind him. "Dad always said bitches needed to be shown their place. And bitches don't belong in SEAL units." Balling his fist, he punched Sam hard several times before letting go of his hair.

The blindfold had come off during Mike’s initial volley.  Sam looked up at Mike, the shiner from the day before blackening his eye. Blood was seeping from the cut the punches had opened on his mouth. "Why are you so afraid, Mike? You think I'm going to make you look bad?"

"Sam..." Al said warningly. "Are you deliberately trying to get yourself killed? Or perhaps the synapses in your brain aren't firing in order. Why are you provoking him?!"

"I'm just trying to get through. Maybe stop this before it goes too far," Sam said, referring the words to Al, but having them misunderstood by Mike.

"It's already gone too far! No way in hell am I going to let some stupid whore mess with my Navy!" Mike shouted at him, his veins popping out along his face. He kicked who appeared to him was Julianna hard several times in the stomach.

Sam winced, not able to even block the blows since he was tied against the pillar. He tried once more, whispering, "You don't have to do this, Mike. Women aren't your enemy. I love the Navy as much as you."

“SHUT UP! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Mike screamed at Sam. Deciding that he needed to shut Julianna up himself, he balled up his fist again and, grabbing Sam's hair again, starting punching the being he believed to be a woman repeatedly in the face.

Without warning, Sam felt Julianna attempting to take control. "Get out of here, Julianna! I know what I'm doing!" Sam cried before the countenance in the aura changed. Suddenly, the captive began to fight back using feet to gain leverage and knock Mike back across the room.

"Get the hell off of me, you prick!" she screamed at Mike. 

"What the hell?!" Mike exclaimed, clearly stunned that his victim had suddenly started fighting back.

"Jules, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Al demanded.

She turned to her father. "What do you mean? I'm defending myself! If he's going to just let me get the crap beaten out of me, I've got to do something!" Al knew she was referring to Sam.

Al yelled at his daughter, not wanting to have to face a repeat of the nightmare he, Beth, and Lisa has lived through before. "Damn it! That's what you did in the original history and Jacobs nearly killed you! Sam knows what he's doing!" Al told her bluntly as Mike started towards her again.

Julianna was watching Mike warily, trying to figure out how she could get free. "What do you mean original history? I'm not going to let the asshole beat me and not give it back to him!"

"You've completely lost your mind, bitch!" Mike told her, kicking her solidly in the stomach again.

"DOM!" Al shouted to the ceiling. "Get Beeks in the Waiting Room! NOW!" Reacting to sounds that only he could hear, he answered, "Don't argue with me, Beeks! Sedate her!"

Julianna was still putting up a fight. Using her feet, she solidly connected with Mike's head, knocking him backwards. For a moment, it looked to Al as if Julianna had retreated and Sam had come back to the aura. Then Al noticed something that bothered him more than almost anything he'd seen on this leap. Sam's eyes were unfocused and his body was way too relaxed for the situation he was facing. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed, realizing that the intense magnafluxing that had been going on between Sam and Julianna was also causing Sam to physically react to the sedative that Julianna had just been given. “I didn’t expect this!”

"That does it, bitch!" Mike told Sam with conviction. "Now you're really going to get it!" Grabbing his rifle by the barrel, he brought it back as if it were a baseball bat and swung for Sam's head.

At that moment, Tim and Harry entered the room. Seeing Mike swinging at Julianna's head with a rifle, Tim rushed over, catching it in mid-swing down. "What the Hell are you doing?"

Mike roughly yanked the rifle back into his own possession. "None of your damned business!"

Tim’s voice was hot as he answered, "We're a team. This is my business. I don't think Captain Lamborn would see this as treating a hostage within Geneva Convention rules. It's a fucking exercise, Jacobs!"

It was as if venom was spewing from Mike. "Like hell it is! You going to let a damned bitch be your commanding officer?"

Tim placed himself between Mike and Julianna. "You're not touching her again." He pulled out his radio and contacted Kurt telling him he needed to get back to their operations base immediately.

Within moments, Kurt arrived. "What the hell is going on here? We’re in the middle of an exercise. We don't have time for anything else!” He looked over to Julianna and found her limp, unresponsive, and obviously beaten. "What happened to her?"

Mike growled in frustration before taking several steps away and turning. He pointed vehemently towards his victim. "This isn't over, Calavicci!"

"Like hell it isn't," Al commented, glaring at the man. "You can just kiss your military career goodbye." Raising the handlink, he looked at the statistics for the leap. The moment he did, his exuberance shifted. "Oh, God, no! Sam! Sam, you changed history! Now, Mike kills Jules!" He looked over to his friend and saw no response. "Damn it, Sam! Wake up!"

Tim glared at Mike. "I found that asshole beating the crap out of her!"

Al could see Sam's eyes trying to open but the leaper was unable to fight off the effects of the drugs. After a few seconds, he fell back into the stupor he'd been in since the sedation had been ordered.

Kurt suddenly realized the magnitude of what he was seeing. Like the other men, he wasn’t thrilled when Calavicci had arrived for training but the Navy had shown their support for her involvement and Kurt figured they must have a reason, even if he didn’t agree with it. Mike though had gone too far. "Mike, this is a simple exercise. Why the hell would you beat her? Geezus, the way she's acting, she probably has a concussion!"

"Or worse!" Tim exclaimed. "Geezus, Mike! Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Sam! Wake up!" Al ordered desperately. As Sam continued to remain unresponsive, Al started pacing. "This isn't happening!" he moaned.

Kurt made a decision. "We've got to stop the exercise. Harry, you stay here with Mike and Julianna. Tim, you go and get the MP's. I'll go and talk to Captain Lamborn." He looked over to Julianna as he turned to leave to get the Captain. "Untie her now. And Harry, keep a close eye on Mike."

Harry nodded and went to untie Julianna as Tim and Kurt left the small building. Carefully guiding Julianna's unconscious form, he checked for a pulse and was grateful to feel a strong heartbeat. "Damn, Mike. You really could have killed her."

Mike paced for a minute. "Harry, you know I'm right about women in the SEALs. We've got to do something about this."

"Yeah, but... beating her up like that," Harry started. "Well, don't you think you went a little far?"

Mike shook his head. "The bitch isn't hurt. I didn't do anything that would have caused this. She's mostly acting."

"She's a hell of an actress, then," Harry commented before standing up and looking down at her. "Sure looks a mess."

"Probably just has the wind knocked out of her. You know women can't take what we need to take as SEALs. This just proves it."

Harry nodded slightly, still unsure but knowing one thing: he didn't want any woman commanding a SEAL team. It just brought on complications. "So, what are we going to do about this? When Lamborn finds out what you've done, there's gonna be hell to pay."

"We're not going to let Lamborn know about it,” Mike answered with a tone that indicated he was planning something.

Harry huffed. "Don't know how you’re gonna do that. Kurt'll be here in a few minutes with Lamborn in tow."

"Then we need to get her somewhere else. Keep this from getting out. Keep her from saying anything.” ‘That was it,’ Mike thought.  A plan was coming together, but he needed time.

Harry frowned at him. "How are we going to do that? The minute she sees Lamborn, she's gonna tell him all about it."

Mike needed Harry’s assistance. He’d convince him of the next part later. “Help me take her over to Building 593. That’s a maintenance building. We can lock her in a closet until we can get her to see reason. She's always talking big, about being a SEAL. We'll see how far her loyalty really goes."

Harry nodded slightly. "Right. Okay. Sounds good."

Al listened to the whole conversation with a glare. "You're spineless," he rebuked Harry before turning towards Mike. "And you deserve to be shot!"

The two men reached down and brought Sam up by his arms, dragging him along. Being unconscious, he didn’t put up any fight at all. Al followed the trio as they moved to a building a block and 1/2 away from their previous location. He was dismayed when the two men shoved Sam into a small walk-in closet, holding cleaning supplies.

Mike looked satisfied. "There... that will hold her until we can get things smoothed over."

"You think she has enough air in there?" Harry questioned, still feeling uneasy about the whole situation.

Mike looked at Harry with distain. "There's enough air, although she'll be smelling disinfectant for a month. Come on...let's go. We'll tell them she ran off."

Al followed along with the two men, wanting to hear their plan. From what he could tell, Sam wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.

Harry nodded slightly. "How are you going to smooth things over with the Captain about how you beat her up?" he asked as they started back towards the 'base' in a run.

Mike was still in his planning mode. "I'll let him know she was resisting. How the hell do you think I got these bruises on my face? The bitch kicked me."

"You're kidding right?" Harry shook his head. "Can't she obey orders? She wasn't supposed to fight back."

"My point exactly. You just back me up, Harry, and everything will be all right."

“Damned nozzles!” Al re-centered himself on Sam. The closet was dark, the only light coming from under the door. “Dom! Tell Beeks she needs to give something to Julianna to reverse this. The magnafluxing must have caused the sedative to affect Sam as much as Julianna.”

Dom’s voice was cautious. “Verbena’s not going to like that, Al.”

“I don’t give a damn if she likes it or not.” He looked down at the handlink. Julianna was still predicted with high odds to die. Seeing Sam unconscious he added, “Sam needs to be able to function.”

A few moments later, by the light of the handlink, he saw Sam starting to fight his way to consciousness. He noted the bruising starting to make itself known on the leaper’s body. He’d been beaten badly, but not as much as Julianna had suffered in the original history. Al thanked God for that concession at least. Now if he could just get rid of that pesky prediction that Julianna would die in the present scenario.

Al bent down, looking at his friend carefully. Seeing him move slightly, he breathed a brief sigh of relief. “Sam, how are you doing, buddy?”

Sam moaned. He opened his eyes and he took in a deep breath of air.  Sam’s eyes became wide. “Why am I in here, Al?”

Al looked around. “You mean in the closet? Mike and Harry put you here so they can try to fix things with the Captain. Sam, Ziggy’s predicting that you’re going to be killed sometime in the next hour.”

Sam shook his head as if trying to get something out of it. Running his hand through his hair nervously, he started pacing in the small room. “I gotta get out of here, Al.” He stumbled over to the steel door but there was no handle on Sam’s side. “How am I gonna get out of here, Al?” His eyes were becoming fearful and his voice sounded terrified.

Al voice held calm. “It’s okay, Sam, we’ll figure it out.” He looked over to the leaper and was concerned that Sam seemed to be getting more upset rather than less. “What’s the matter, Sam?”

Sam’s voice was shaky.  “Wh…When I was a…kid, I was supposed to play a few piano pieces for the fall program when I was in forth grade. I’d been pushed ahead, skipping several grades.” He stopped for a second, closing his eyes, trying to get control of his emotions. “I was only six years old. Some of the kids who’d been held back and should have been fifth graders got upset that I was getting so much attention.” Sam continued to rub his hand along the door, trying to figure out a way to open it. “After the practice the day of the program, they beat me up and locked me in the janitor’s closet at school. This just feels way to close to that.” As he told Al his story, he continued to get more agitated. He repeated his plea, “I’ve got to get out of here!”

Al watched as Sam tried to claw at the place the latch should be, not being able to get the door open. Sam reached back with his foot and tried to kick it open. When that didn’t work, he tried to use his shoulder to push the door open. It wasn’t budging. 

Al had many times seen Sam scared, had seen him angry, had seen him hurt, but he had seldom seen him irrationally frightened. “Sam, calm down.  We’ll get you out of this.”

Sam wasn’t buying it and, as his childhood memory took hold, he became increasingly upset. “I want out! I want out! Let me out! Let me out!”

Seeing Sam so irrational at the moment, Al knew that he couldn’t do anything on this end. His only hope was for some inside help. He needed to get to Julianna. “Hang on buddy. I’ll get you out of here.” He keyed in the code and went back to the project.

PART FOUR

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, NM

As soon as he entered his own time again, Al ran towards the Waiting Room. Rushing in, he found Julianna sitting on the table, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso.  Looking up at her father, she gave him a look of one betrayed. “You sedated me.”

Al nodded. “I warned you not to interfere.”

Still angry, she spit out, “But Jacobs would’ve killed me.”

“No, Julianna. You would have been beaten and required a few days in the infirmary, but you would have survived.” Seeing her sitting there, an accusation on her face was hard for Al to see. She was his little girl and he knew that in one way, her anger was justified. Still, he knew he’d do it again under the circumstances.

“You’d let that happen?” Her eyes looked at him, incredulous that her own father could watch that happen to her.

Al’s heart broke. She still didn’t understand. He had watched Julianna beaten; he saw Sam taking the fall, doing everything he could to save Julianna from her original history. “I didn’t want to, but it was the only way to change the original history. Sam had everything under control. He was going to take your beating and then get Jacobs thrown out of the Navy for assault. Before you got involved, things would have ended with you only getting a minor beating and Jacobs being thrown out. Now, it’s much worse.”

Julianna looked at her father, confusion on her face. “Worse?  Why?”

Al’s face took on a tortured look. “Your fighting back resulted in Mike going over the top. He’s locked Sam in a closet and, between the beating and the smells in the closet, Sam’s flashing back on a really bad situation from his childhood.”

Julianna, not realizing the magnitude of what Al was saying, fell into self-pity. “Great. And I have to stay back here now and let him freak out.”

Al looked at his daughter. He had to make her see. “No, you need to go help him. I can’t reach him. I need you to go back and take over again.”

She threw her hands in the air. “I thought you said I shouldn’t do that.” She got up and started pacing. “First you tell me that I need to just accept Sam’s help, That ‘Sam would take care of everything’ and I had to stand down. And THEN you sedated me!  Now you’re telling me he can’t do the job and I’ve got to save his ass?”

Al gritted his teeth. “Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you. The fact that you DIDN’T listen to me, didn’t follow my orders and caused me to have to take steps that shouldn’t have been necessary means that now Sam’s in a world of hurt and you’re the only one that can help him.” His voice had gotten steadily louder as he’d answered her question.

Julianna looked at her father and realized she’d seldom seen him this upset before. “Dad, calm down. You’ve said it before. Sam’s done this a lot of times and has a great track record.  I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it work.”

Al looked at the handlink. He could see that Sam’s vitals were off the chart. “That was then; this is now. Sam needs your help to get through this leap. Please Julianna, I know what I’m asking you but you need to do this. But you’re going to have to follow everything I tell you, even if you think the idea is stupid. Can you do that?”

She looked at him, head slightly tilted. “Why do you think you know what will happen?”

Al looked her straight in the eye. “I told you before. I’m in the future, Julianna. Everything has already happened. But while Sam is changing things, we can only figure the probabilities of the final outcome and we can track those changes here. For once, just follow someone else’s lead. Right now, Sam’s life depends on you doing that.” He failed to tell her that her own life was equally at risk if she couldn’t pull this off or that changes could occur quickly and without warning.

Julianna nodded, finally accepting that even if she thought this was the most bizarre situation she could imagine, she need to do what he said.  “Okay, Dad. I trust you.”

Al breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Now I’m going back to Sam. I’ll meet you on the other side.”

Al turned and left proud of his daughter for following his plan.  He knew it wasn’t easy for Julianna to back down and accept what was happening. He entered the Imaging Chamber a few moments later and went back into the strange leap this had become.

July 16, 1987

Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado

San Diego , CA

When Al got back to Sam, Julianna had taken over again. “What’s happening with Sam, Jules?”

Julianna answered, wide eyed and clearly upset. “He’s petrified.”

Al nodded. “I can imagine. Sam’s having flashbacks. You’ve got to help him see they aren’t real anymore.”

His daughter’s eyes looked at him, her confusion mixed with Sam’s fear on the leaper’s face. “How do I do that?”

“You saw how your stepmother dealt with my flashbacks when I first got back from ‘ Nam ?” Al had always hoped that his children would forget that part of their shared existence. Now he needed her to remember that horrid time in his life.

She nodded. “Yeah. She’d hold you and let you know it was in the past and they couldn’t hurt you now.”

“You need to do that with Sam, mentally. You’ve got to help him see he’s not six anymore and they can’t hurt him.” Al hoped this would work. It was the only way he could see to bring Sam’s sanity back to him. And if Sam couldn’t cope, then Al wondered if there was any hope of this being a successful leap.

She nodded. Becoming very still, she closed her eyes. “Sam.”

A very small and frightened voice seemed to enter her mind. “Yes?”

It was an odd sensation, letting her mind touch Sam’s and enveloping it the way she had hugged her little sister when she was frightened. “It’s okay. The time you’re afraid of is far away. Those memories can’t touch you.”

“But it hurts now.”

Feeling the pain that the beating was causing, Julianna could understand the trigger of the flashback. She could tell he was having trouble with the scent of the disinfectant. “Yes, it hurts but that will go away. And it’s just cleaning equipment. You can deal with this logically. You’re not six anymore.”

He listened to her soothing voice inside his head. He wanted to believe her, wanted to feel, if not totally safe, at least in some control. He reached for her strength and found it. She helped pull him back to consciousness. In that moment, she felt his mind merge with hers briefly before he found his way back.

Right before Julianna retreated back to the Waiting Room, she turned to her father and smiled. “I’ll trust him now, Dad. He can do this.”

Al watched as the visage changed yet again. “Sam?”

The physicist’s voice was still shaky. “Yeah?”

“Are you going to be all right?” Al wasn’t sure but he saw on Sam’s face evidence that his friend was experiencing one of his gut feelings.

Sam nodded. “I think so. But… Al, I think I have another mission here.”

“What?” Yeah. Definitely a gut feeling.

Sam looked Al directly in the eyes. “You need to talk to Julianna in your time. Find out how she really feels about being a SEAL.”

“Ah…ah, okay,” Al acknowledged with a slight frown of confusion. “But what about you?” Al knew that more times than not, Sam’s gut was accurate. Still he didn’t want a repeat of what he’d just experienced. He never wanted a repeat of that.

Sam walked away, rubbing the back of his neck as if steeling himself for his next activity. “I’m going to be okay, Al. I have a plan now.”

Yeah, Sam was getting steadier each moment, but still…“I don’t know…”

The man in the past turned around. “I do. Now go back and talk to Julianna.”

Al nodded slowly. “Okay, Sam. I’ll go talk to her now. I’ll be back soon.”

“I know,” replied Sam, nodding back with a smile. “And when you see Lieutenant Sherman-Calavicci, tell her ‘thank you’ from me.”

Project Quantum Leap

Stallion’s Gate, NM

Al Calavicci looked across the small room, watching Captain Julianna Sherman-Calavicci working diligently on a report. A swell of pride filled his fatherly heart as he thought about all that she had endured and had overcome. He honestly couldn’t think of a single person braver or more loyal. When Julianna focused on anything, she gave that one thing her entire attention, whether it was family or a goal. She had always been that way, as Al recalled. It’s what caused her to graduate at the top of her class in high school. It was also what had encouraged her to push towards becoming the first female SEAL.

But for all her determination, Al had always known that there was something bothering Julianna ever since she had graduated Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL training. Perhaps she had never been comfortable with being the only woman in an area that was reserved for men. But Al didn’t think that was the case. Jules had always had to contend with prejudice in one form or another and BUD/S was just another notch on her lipstick case.

No, what bothered wasn’t her actually training to be a SEAL. She’d smile and make like it was the best thing in the world that had ever happened to her but Al could tell that she hid something from the world. What that something was, he hadn’t bothered to ask. But, with Sam now in her life during that crucial time, he felt that he needed to know.

“Hi, baby,” Al greeted, causing Julianna to gasp slightly and raise her head from her work. “Sorry,” he told her, walking over to the desk. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” she assured him. She sighed at the papers in front of her. “There’s nothing like paperwork to get you to ignore your surroundings. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, yet.”

Al chuckled slightly at her words. “Depends on if the paperwork is about something you enjoy.” He pulled a chair around the desk so that he could sit beside her. Then, much to her surprise, he turned her chair so that she was facing him. “Honey, are you happy? I mean… do you have any regrets about the decisions you’ve made in your life?”

“Don’t we all?” Jules asked as an answer, a confused look on her face. “Dad, what’s this all about?”

Al hesitated, not wanting to upset his daughter. “It’s about BUD/S.”

“BUD/S?” She looked at her father as if he had just said the world was flat. “Dad… that was twenty years ago. Why are you bringing that up now?”

“Sam’s leaped into you twenty years ago,” he told her plainly.

Jules leaned back in her chair, a resigned look on her face. “Well, that explains why my memories keep shifting around on me.” She exhaled softly. “What’s he there to do?”

“Well...” Al started. “Ziggy says that he’s there to make sure that nozzle Lieutenant Jacobs doesn’t become a SEAL. But Sam thinks he’s there for something more, something that relates personally to you.” Seeing Julianna’s incredulous look, he continued. “Jules, there’s a lot of magnafluxing going on between you two, so Sam’s pretty sure about this.” He reached forward and touched her hand. “Honey, I know you aren’t happy back there but the past version of you in the Waiting Room won’t tell me anything. You’re older and wiser than that young Lieutenant, Jules. You know what’s going on better than she does. I have to know… what’s going on in your head?”

Julianna turned her head from her father for a long moment, clearly trying to decide whether or not to confide in him, afraid that the answer might hurt him. Looking at him again, she remembered the one thing that he had told her time and again, that, no matter what, he would always be proud of her. She seriously doubted that he’d be proud of this. She certainly wasn’t. ‘All the more reason to confess it, and perhaps even correct it before it was too late,’ she thought.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly before she spoke. “When I graduated from Annapolis , Admiral Fairbanks came to me and offered me a chance to change the face of the Navy. He asked me how I felt about applying for BUD/S training. I thought he was joking. I mean, no woman had ever even applied to be a SEAL before, even if in 1985 it wasn’t technically impossible. But the Admiral assured me that I’d be a SEAL. All I had to do was get into proper shape. He said that… it was about time the Navy showed that women were just as capable as men in Special Ops.”

“And he was right,” Al commented with a smile. “You made it through.”

Julianna turned away from him again. “I made it into the program on my own but I didn’t make it through on my own. I was pushed through, despite not making the grade.” She pursed her lips, her face somber and blatantly full of shame. “I wanted to quit right after Hell Week. But I didn’t because I was told that I was helping the Navy by staying in, by showing how men and women are equal in the Navy’s eyes.” She huffed. “All I did was give dozens of women false hope of achieving something completely out of reach.” She shook her head. “I should have told Admiral Fairbanks where to stuff it. Or at the least, I should have followed my instincts and DOR’d. As it is, I have false credentials.” She paused, looking at her hands which lay on the desk. “I’m not a SEAL; I’m a fraud.”

Al looked at Julianna with deep sympathy. He never had even an inkling of an idea that Julianna hated being a SEAL but it did account for her hesitation in talking about her time in that field of expertise.  But he found it hard to believe that she really was a fraud. He didn’t believe that before she had made her confession and he certainly didn’t believe it now.

“You’re not a fraud, Julianna. Anyone who has gone through what you have gone through can’t be a fraud. What you didn’t earn in BUD/S, you earned in Iraq . You are a SEAL, in my book, no matter what anyone else says. But that isn’t the question of the moment. The question is… if you had the choice, would you do it again?”

Jules thought seriously about her father’s question before answering in her own unique way. “Men and women are equal in the Navy’s eyes but the Navy also acknowledges that women are better at certain things than men and men are better at certain things than women. And while I have no doubt that someday there will be another woman that will break the gender gap that currently exists in Special Ops, I don’t feel that I was the most qualified person to break that gap. I think that Admiral picked me because of my relation to you.” She looked at Al with deep affection. “Oh, Dad,” she smiled lovingly. “You know I love you so much but I never was seen as myself when I was a SEAL. I was always seen as the daughter of ex-astronaut Albert Calavicci. I was a publicity stunt, a piece of propaganda for the Navy. I never really started to feel in the least bit comfortable with myself until I went into Political Security. You asked if I would do it again. If it means being a publicity stunt for the Navy, the answer is no, I wouldn’t. I don’t regret what I learned from BUD/S and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But if my being a SEAL is only going to give other women a false sense of what the Navy is about, I want no part of it.”

Al looked into his daughter’s eyes and saw the truth of her words there. He knew that she had been thinking about this for a very long time and she was absolutely certain with her words. He had only one last question for her.

“If you weren’t a SEAL, what would you be?”

“I can’t imagine being anything other than a SEAL. But…” A genuine smile covered Julianna’s face. “I’d go into the diver’s training, for one. I figure with all the training I did in BUD/S, I should at least put it to good use. And then, I’d want to focus on being a pilot.” She looked at Al with affection. “You know, I’m a pretty good pilot. I was trained by an astronaut when I was a teenager.”

Al laughed gently at her words as he stood up, giving her a kiss on her forehead. “Okay, baby. We’ll take care of it on our end. All we have to do now is convince your younger self that this is the right thing for her to do.” He started for the door but was stopped by Julianna’s hand on his arm.

“Dad...” She licked her lips. “Would you double-check with Ziggy before you go and do this? I… I don’t want my mind changed or history altered if it means losing Jude and Tuyen. I’d go through all of it again to keep them.”

“Don’t worry, Jules,” her father assured her. “I would never dream of having history change to where my grandson and my future son-in-law weren’t an important part of our lives.’ He kissed her cheek lovingly. “I’ve got to go. I have a very stubborn daughter to talk to.”

Julianna smiled at his words. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

Al chuckled slightly and then headed out to the Waiting Room. Before entering it, he asked about how Sam was. Ziggy indicated a slightly elevated stress level, but nothing like what he’d experienced while in the grip of his childhood flashback. He then checked to see what effect Julianna’s quitting the BUD/S training would have on her family life. He was relieved to find that this would not change anything on that front. Al figured he still had a little time. Entering the Waiting Room, he found Julianna looking into the mirror table at Sam’s face.

Al walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right, Jules?” It seemed a little odd to be talking to his daughter shortly after he had just spoken to her future self.

“He’s been doing this a long time.” Her voice was hushed and there was a trace of sadness that he hadn’t heard in the younger Jules, neither in the original history or on this leap. It was a sound he’d heard too many times after her experience during the Gulf War in 1991.

Al agreed. “Yeah. I told you that before.”

She looked up at him. Al could see her compassion, her soul crying. “But I felt it this time. I felt the pain he feels knowing he can’t come home, and I felt the pride he feels knowing he’s helping the world become a better place. It’s sad.”

“Yes, it is,” Al told her somberly. “Sam Beckett is as much a hero as anyone in any military campaign, as anyone in any situation you can imagine. He gives everything he can to make things right.” Al paused, knowing that his daughter wasn’t going to want to hear what he had to say. “Sam thought there might be another reason for the leap other than Jacobs.”

She looked at him, curious. “What?”

“That you need to reconsider the SEALs.” There. He’d said it. Now he just had to wait for the fireworks, the same ones that he’d seen when he, Beth, and Lisa had tried to convince her not to go into BUD/S.

“No,” Julianna told him emphatically, shaking her head. “I’m not a quitter. I’ve been asked to show that men and woman really are equal in the Navy.”

Remembering what his older, wiser daughter had told him, he questioned, “Do you really believe that’s why you’re in training? I asked your current self what she would do. She said she felt like she was a publicity stunt, a piece of propaganda for the Navy. Is that how you feel?”

The Julianna in front of him in Sam’s aura looked down. “No. I’m fighting to make a difference for all of the woman who will come after me.”

“Julianna, I’m your father,” he told her, touching her elbow. “I can tell you’re lying to me.”

She looked up. He saw that she was still trying to convince herself to believe the lie. “I have to succeed, Daddy.”

Al realized it, then. She was doing this as much for him as for herself. She desperately wanted to gain her father’s approval. “Baby, I’m proud of you, no matter what you do. When I asked the you of my time what you’d be if you weren’t a SEAL, she said she’d go into the diver’s training. That she figured all the training you’ve done in BUD/S should be put it to good use. And then, she indicated a desire to focus on being a pilot.”

Julianna nodded. “You wouldn’t feel I was a quitter?”

“Hell, no. Damn it, Julianna, most men don’t go as far as you have. I want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. That’s the only reason we tried to talk you out of going into the SEALs; we thought you wouldn’t be accepted there.”

Julianna lowered her head. “And you were right. I should have listened to you,” she berated herself. “No one will ever accept me there. Not really.” She raised her head to look at her father. “But this is what I want. I want to serve my country.”

Al sighed gently, pulling his daughter close to him with one arm, comforting her with that gesture. “You can do anything you want, Julianna. And no matter what you do, I’ll always be proud of my oldest daughter. You don’t ever have to prove yourself to me.” Al knew he’d reached her. It was there in the way she held herself, and more importantly, it was in her eyes.

Julianna smiled at his words before hugging her father tightly. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, mia capitana,” Al murmured into her hair.

Julianna giggled slightly at the childhood endearment. “I’m not a captain yet,” she joked. “But I’m working on it.” She sniffed slightly as she pulled away, not wanting her emotions to get the best of her. “I think I know what I need to do when I get back to my life. I hope that’s soon.”

“It should be, honey. I know that Sam will succeed, now that you’ve helped him find his way again.” The handlink suddenly started going wild. “I’ve got to get back to Sam.”

She nodded and watched as her father, the only man that she cared respected her, ran out of the room.  She was concerned for him but felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her own shoulders. 

July 16, 1987

Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado

San Diego , CA

Sam heard them coming. He pulled himself back into the space he’d found in the back of the closet. The door opened and the area was flooded with light, or at least that’s how it seemed after being in the dark so long.

Mike entered first. “Where’d the bitch go? She has to be here.”

Harry shrugged, “Maybe someone already let her out.”

Mike turned. “They better not have. I’m going kill that bitch if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Kill her?” Harry’s eyes became wide. “I didn’t sign on for that, Mike. I mean, I agree she shouldn’t be a SEAL. No woman should. But kill her?”

“If she’s dead, she can’t say anything about what happened. We can make it look like an accident.”

“There is no ‘we.’ You’ve gone over the line, Mike! I’m not doing this! I’m getting Kurt.” He turned on his heel and started walking out of the closet.

Mike pulled out his pistol. “Turn around, Harry.”

Harry stopped in his tracks, not turning around. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What?”

Mike’s voice was firm, yet calm. “I said turn around.”

“No,” Harry told him plainly, taking a step towards the exit.

Sam heard Al enter the room. “Sam, where are you? Ziggy’s going crazy, there’s a 98.3% chance…”

Sam wanted to say something to Al but he had to keep silent. He continued to watch as Mike grabbed Harry and turned him around, shooting him in the stomach, point blank. Sam was shocked. He simply didn’t believe that Mike would shoot Harry in cold blood. Now angered, he jumped out from his hiding spot. He kicked Mike in the back, causing the man to lose the grip on his gun. It went flying as Mike headed towards the floor. Sam took advantage of the situation to put Mike in a hold he couldn’t get out of without breaking his neck. “You son of a bitch! What did you shoot Harry for?”

Mike’s eyes held pure unadulterated hatred. “You. I was going to use his gun to shoot you. Then it would have looked like you both shot each other. No witnesses.”

Hearing the shot fired, the rest of the team, who had been out looking for the supposedly “spooked” Calavicci, ran in. They saw Julianna with Mike down and Harry lying wounded. “Dammit, Calavicci, you’ve done it this time!”

Sam looked at them incredulous. “Me? Mike shot Harry... with that gun.” He nodded his head over to the pistol that had recently been in Jacob’s hand. “If you check, his fingerprints are the only ones you’ll find on the weapon. And if you check our hands, you’ll find I haven’t shot a weapon but Mike has. Right now, though, Harry needs a doctor.  Can someone take Mike here?”

The MP that Tim had brought back took Mike into custody as Sam went over to Harry. Tim went over to the phone and called the base hospital to request an ambulance. Checking the wound, Sam was gravely concerned. 

Harry slowly opened his eyes. “Who are you?”

Sam looked down at Harry, hearing his words. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, the leaper knew he could see him instead of Julianna.  Sam knew then that Harry wouldn’t make it. He did his best to make the man’s final moments, if not pain free, at least comfortable with the knowledge that he wasn’t alone. “Someone who cares. Just take it easy.”

Harry gulped once and blinked. His eyes drifted towards the name on Sam’s uniform. “Jules? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine,” Sam assured him as he continued to apply pressure to the bleeding wound. “I promise.”

Harry gave a weak smile. “I’m glad.” He opened his eyes wide and then relaxed, eyes fixed ahead. Sam knew he was gone.

He got up and headed to the corner of the room. Pounding his fist into the wall, he cried. “Dammit, I should have stopped this from happening! I just never saw it coming.”

Kurt walked over to him and put his arm around Sam’s shoulder. “No one would have, Jules. None of us knew this was in Mike. If seventeen guys couldn’t see it, what makes you think one woman could?”

Sam looked up to Al, a question in his eyes.  “Um, Sam, with all the changes happening, Ziggy had just seen that Harry would be shot. I tried to get here in time.” He hated seeing Sam like this, knowing the younger man was blaming himself the young lieutenant’s death. He looked down at the handlink. “But other than Harry’s death, everything works out. Michael Jacobs is serving a life sentence in Leavenworth for the murder of Harry Parker. ”

Kurt gave Jules a final hug and walked off.  Once he was gone, Sam turned to Al.  “Other than Harry’s death.” Sam's voice broke.  Tears started from his eyes and he roughly wiped them away.  Regaining his hold over his emotions, he stated hotly, "Serves that bastard Jacobs right! Why would he kill Harry?"

“It turns out that the person who got her to try to make the SEAL’s was Jacobs’s stepfather, Admiral William Fairbanks. Fairbanks ’ motives were good, wanting to show that women could be SEALs, but it was more of a publicity stunt to get more women to join the Navy. Mike disagreed with having women in the SEALs but his stepfather didn't listen to him. Mike’s biological father was also Navy, but was kicked out due to a harassment issue. I guess when Mike saw his plans going south, he just snapped."

Sam nodded. "What was Admiral Fairbanks thinking? Women might be capable of being a SEAL, but Julianna must have faced a heck of a challenge."

Al nodded. “ Fairbanks had Lamborn passing her to the next stage even if she hadn’t quite made it. Julianna decided that the only reason Fairbanks had her go into the SEALs was so that she could be a poster girl for the Navy. She…” he raised his eyebrows at what the handlink told him. “She basically told Fairbanks that she didn’t want in his little publicity stunt anymore and that she was going to make it through on her own. It was tough going, especially with the men reacting to a female being in BUD/S the way that Mike did, but she made it through… just barely. However, the whole incident convinced many members of Congress that it just wasn’t yet time for women to be part of ground combat forces and, in the mid-1990s, Congress passed an act prohibiting women from being involved in ground combat. They can still be combat pilots and divers, though. So, even though Julianna is a SEAL, she can’t perform in that function ever again. Not that she will be seeing any battle action in the near future.”

The outrage that Sam felt was evident on his face. "This whole thing wasn't very fair to Julianna. She shouldn't have had to face that."

"It actually works out pretty well for her, considering. She still trains in diving and then goes into combat flight training and becomes a decorated pilot. In December of 1990, she was part of a SEAL team that was ambushed during a secret operation in Iraq . The Iraqis captured her but the rest were able to escape. She was MIA for a little over a year before she was found and rescued by our forces during Operation Desert Storm. Because of her bravery during that mission, she received the Congressional Medal of Honor. After that, she petitioned to go into Political Security and became a bodyguard for a couple of high-end political figures.”

Sam gave a slight smile. "I'm glad she found a way to make a difference without compromising her principles. Is she happier now, Al? I mean...than before this leap?"

Al pondered his friend's words for a moment. "Her history barely changed due to these events other than her no longer being a currently active SEAL and not being the Navy’s poster child for the SEALs. Ironically, this incident with Mike helped her. She used the harassment she endured while in BUD/S as a means to cope with her capture in Iraq ." He paused for a moment. "As for her being happier… I think that Julianna had been having trouble finding her place in life ever since she came home from Iraq and these changes in her history have helped her to do just that. So... I suppose that could constitute as being happier. She's certainly more at ease with herself."

Nodding again, Sam answered, "Harry's death seems an awfully high price to pay. I just wish I'd known before... I might have been able to keep him from being killed." He paused and bitterly stated, "You know, it hurts so much when I can't save them.” 

“Sam, originally Harry was a captive in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. He was tortured to death,” he explained, a pained look in his eyes. “At least his dying now spares him from that.”

"Yeah... but he would have had four more years of life, Al. Was it worth it to die this way?

"He saved Julianna's life by standing up against Mike,” Al pointed out. “That certainly was a hell of a lot more meaningful than coming home in pieces in a box."

"I guess that's one way to look at it,” Sam murmured, a sad look in his eyes. “I still think I could have done something to keep it from happening this way."

"Maybe, but would you have rather he had been killed in Iraq ?" Al questioned somberly.

Sam didn't answer but his eyes told Al that he was still gravely upset.  The older man knew how hard his friend took it when he couldn't make it all right. 

A moment later, a blue glow engulfed the time traveler pulling him ever onwards to his next mission.

EPILOGUE

Hilldale, California

May 1985

The air felt heavier than normal as twenty-nine year old Jack Anderson looked through the glass that blocked the Hilldale Federal Credit Union from the hallway in which Jack now stood. While Jack hadn’t been a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team of the San Diego Police Department for long, this wasn’t his first assignment either. He knew the situation could get ugly quickly if there was one wrong move and he was determined to have this situation come out for the best, especially for the eight people who were sitting on the floor, handcuffed to each other in a circle.

In small towns such as Hilldale everyone knew everyone else.  That meant that, having been born and raised in this little town, Jack knew every single one of the hostages in there. Some he had even graduated high school with. Two of the hostages he was especially close to – Daniel Shanks and Samantha Tapping. They were brother and sister, Samantha having married shortly after graduating with Jack. If Jack had known that Daniel and Samantha were two of the hostages in the Federal Credit Union, he might have insisted that his superiors send someone else to Hilldale to negotiate the situation. But they sent him anyway and he took the job, thinking that his already knowing the layout of the building would help bring the situation under control.

He looked at the man pacing on the other side of the glass wall. They’d been at this for hours and Jack thought he was getting to the man. Hopefully, he could end this standoff before the top of the hour.

“Harry, I know you,” Jack told him. “You don’t really want to hurt all these people. You just want justice. Let them go and I promise I’ll do everything that I can to make sure you get that justice.”

Forty-seven year old Harry Macklin, a third generation Hilldale , California resident, continued pacing restlessly along the space dividing the frightened hostages on the floor and the one glass door that led into the credit union.  He didn’t have to look at the five women and three men huddled together to see their fear; he could smell it.  Somewhere on the fringes of his anger and frustration that had driven him into this situation, it occurred to him that the smell of the hostages’ fear reminded him of the stench of the cancer that had taken his beloved Sarah from him two weeks ago, leaving him alone; their only child, a son named for him, had died four years ago in a motorcycle accident. The painful, bitter memory of his wife’s death had been made even more bitter when the credit union with whom the Macklins had done their banking for over twenty years, and which held the mortgage on their home, had refused to work with him to catch up on the arrearages.  Being served with a lawsuit of foreclosure yesterday morning at six o’clock in the morning by one of deputies of the local sheriff’s office had been the proverbial last straw that had broken the camel’s back.

“Harry...”

The sound of Jack Anderson’s voice jerked Harry Macklin back to the moment and he stopped in front of the locked glass door and glared at the younger man.  “Justice?” he spat the word, gripping the nine millimeter Glock tighter.  “How? These bastards are taking my house!  They didn’t even have the decency to talk to me when I tried to get them to give me a little more time.”  His anger burned hotly as he flung bitterly at the negotiator, “My wife just died two weeks ago! Jake Harmon knew that…” Turning slightly, Harry aimed an accusing glare at the bank manager cowering beside one of the women then turned back to face Jack Anderson through the glass. “Hell, he was at the funeral!  But what did he do before my Sarah was even cold in the ground?  This!” Furiously, Harry snatched the crumpled lawsuit papers from inside his jacket and shook them. “And when I came in to see him yesterday about it, all Jake Harmon said was for me to get an attorney, that he couldn’t talk to me.”  Shoving the papers back into his jacket pocket, Harry stated darkly, “He’s listening now but that’s only ‘cause he’s scared shitless that I’m gonna blow his brains out.”

Jack listened to Harry carefully, looking at him with genuine sympathy. "I'm sorry, Harry. I remember Sarah. She was a good woman. But let me ask you something. Would Sarah want you to do this? Would she want you to risk innocent people's lives like this? Or would she rather you and me and Mr. Harmon to sit down and come to an agreement?" He tilted his head to try to get a look at Harry's face, wanting to gauge what was going on in his head. "I think she'd rather we talk this through in a calm and rational manner without any lives being in danger."

It seemed to Jack that he was getting through to Harry with his words. He just needed a little more of a nudge. Goodness knew that after five hours of talking to Harry, Jack was certainly ready for the end of this and he had a feeling that Harry was ready for the end of it too. The question was how it was going to end - with Harry giving himself up or with nine or more people dead?