Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 14:46:30 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Circles of Fate - Part 20 Message-ID: Quantum Leap "Circles of Fate" Part 20 "Donna, what brings you here?" Al asked as he entered the complex. "I came to see Sam," Donna told him. "I see. I had a feeling you wouldn't be able to stay away from here." "So I noticed. Thank you." "Going to the Control Room?" Al asked. "Is that where Sam is?" "Usually. I'll escort you." He led her to the limited access elevator. As he did so, he noticed Alex Hathorn approaching him. It seemed as if Alex was getting weaker everyday, thanks to his having AIDS. The poor man now needed a cane just to walk. Al was beginning to wonder it it would have been better to have just let Alex commit suicide six years ago. He shoved the thought out of his mind. Of course not. Alex seemed very confused about something as he approached the couple. "Alex, what's wrong?" Al questioned. "Do you know why Level Eight, Section 6 has been sealed off? Dr. Anders and I can't get to my lab." Al frowned, continuing towards the elevator with Alex and Donna following. "That's strange," he commented as all three entered the elevator. "Have you asked Ziggy?" Alex huffed. "She says Sam had it sealed off but she wouldn't give an explanation." "Sam?" Donna questioned. "Why? Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I'm on my way to his lab to find out." Al had a peculiar look on his face. "Your lab is 8G, right?" Alex nodded. "Yeah." Al lowered his eyes with a frown. That feeling had once again returned. But this time, he couldn't ignore it. "Al, what's wrong?" Donna questioned, noticing Al's expression. "Why don't we ask Sam that question?" Al suggested as the doors to the elevator opened on the tenth level. *************************** "You're right!" Sammy Jo exclaimed as she looked at Sam's papers. "Oh, Sam! This is fabulous! We'll have to work on it a little more but it looks like it will work! You've perfected the retrieval program!" Sam smiled at her. Her face sparkled with excitement. The expression on her face was so familiar to him, especially with the tinge of white in her hair. She reminded him so much of himself that... The smile on Sam's face slowly faded as a vague memory came to Sam. He remembered being in a bed with a woman who looked a lot like Sammy Jo. Sammy Jo and Genine, who had remained in the lab the entire time, looked at Sam with concern. "Are you okay, Dr. Beckett?" Sammy Jo asked. Sam gave her a gentle smile. "You called me Sam earlier." Sammy Jo shrugged slightly. "Slip of the tongue." Sam laughed slightly. "It's okay. In fact, I like it very much. And to answer you question, I'm fine." Sammy Jo nodded with a smile. "Well, then, Sam, do you mind if I take these papers up to my lab? I'd like to look them over a little more closely." Sam nodded. "Sure." Sammy Jo gathered the papers. "Thanks," she told him. "I'll let you know if I find something in these." She started towards the door. Sam nodded with a smile as she left. Once she was gone, the smile faded once again. Genine looked at him carefully. It didn't take much to know exactly what he was thinking. "You remember, don't you?" she said more than asked. "Why didn't I remember when I came home?" he whispered. Genine shrugged. "I don't know." Sam exhaled. "But she's my daughter." Genine thought for a moment. "That may be way you didn't remember." Sam looked at her in confusion. Genine gave him a firm look. "Can you imaging the way she would react to learning that wouldn't even exist if you hadn't leaped into her mother's fiance?" "She doesn't know?" Sam questioned. Genine shook her head. "Why else would she call you 'Dr. Beckett'? Only Ziggy, Al, and I know. And you now. You probably didn't remember for her sake and your own." Sam lowered his head, thinking about her words. "Sam," a voice said from behind. Sam jumped, startled by the sound. He quickly turned around and smiled. "Al!" he said happily. "Donna, what are you doing here?" he asked, remembering what he had said the first time. But this time was different. Alex was with them. "Alex?" he questioned. "There are a few things we need to get straight with you," Al told him. "Donna and Alex didn't come down here for nothing, you know. And neither did I." The handlink in Genine's hand squealed loudly. "oh, no,' she moaned, looking at the handlink. "This isn't good." "What's wrong?" Sam asked both Al and Genine. "I think you know," Al told him. "The odds of your retrieval have dropped even further!" Genine told him. "They're down to twenty-three percent and they're still dropping!" "Why'd you seal off Section 6?" Al asked. "The electrical problem," Sam told him. "I'm going to send in technicians to check it out." "Janet's already done that," Al told him. "There's nothing wrong with the electrical system in Lab 8G." Sam sighed. "Does that really matter now? I've got the best news!" Genine looked worried. "Sam, be careful. You don't want to get them upset." "What news?" Donna asked. "What has kept you away? Jim's beginning to wonder where you are." Sam's smile widened. "Sammy Jo and I have been discussing it and we think it will work." Genine sighed. "Sam, don't go into this. Not now." "You think what will work?" Al questioned. He could tell that Sam was avoiding the main issue. "The retrieval program," Sam answered Al. Donna closed her eyes. "I knew it!" she screamed. "I knew that was what this was all about!" Genine was frowning. "Sam, what the hell are you doing?" Sam sighed. He went over to Donna and took her shoulders. "Donna," he said softly. "I'm not going to leap unless I'm certain the retrieval program works." "That's what you said the first time! And you broke your promise!" She shrugged off Sam's hands angrily. "And I was in Washington so I didn't even get the chance to say good-bye!" Sam frowned. Her words were hitting closer to home than she realized. "Donna," he said gently. "Only this time, when you leap, you'll not only be leaving me but you'll be leaving Jim as well!" She started towards the door angrily. Sam stopped her quickly but gently. "Donna," he said softly. He held her hand lovingly. "You know I won't leap unless I'm positive I can be retrieved." Donna shook her head, tears in her eyes. "You'll leap," she whispered assuredly. "And I won't be able to stop you." She pulled away her hand. "Good-bye, Sam." She started towards the door. "Donna," Sam called out, following her. "I love you." There was deep sorrow in his eyes. A moment later, there was a muffled rumble and the room shook slightly. "What was that?" Alex asked as Donna stopped in her tracks. Genine was checking the handlink. "That was the explosion," she told Sam. "Since you sealed off Section 6, the explosion didn't spread to Section 5 like it did the first time. That's the good news." She sighed. "The bad news is the odds of your retrieval are only eight percent now." Al looked at Sam with knowing eyes. He approached him slowly. A moment later, Sam felt Al's fist connect with his jaw. ---------------------------------------- Well? What do you think? Part 21 coming soon. Katherine