From: Philippa Chapman (Glastonbury, Somerset, UK.) Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1996 12:00 -0500 OCTARINE LEAP (Part 2) Footnotes are referenced in the text by the characters +, #, @ and % in that order for each "page" like this.+ The footnotes themselves are enclosed between complete rows of dashes like this: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ + This is an example footnote to explain that text that should be bolded is enclosed in asterisks like *this* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A sigh, a groan, then a sudden short sharp blast of hurricane wind. The air was filled with noise and loosened pages of books, Sam felt himself blown backwards off his feet and came skidding gracefully to a stop against a bookshelf. Another warm body nudged gently into his a second later. The breath which had been temporarily knocked out of his body was gulped back in gratefully. "Al? No, it's Cesario. Are you okay....?" Sam's voice trailed away into stunned silence. There, on his knees, wearing Cesario's clothes, was a lovely woman with shoulder-length brown hair. Now Sam may be slow to catch the obvious sometimes, but when he does, it doesn't take him long to figure out the consequences. In less time than it takes to write, he had realised that this *was* Cesario without that beard, the reason why it had felt so nice being with her and he had come to conclusions about her mystery inamorata. Where Sam's head leads, his heart almost invariably follows. Little things she had said and done, her body language, her expressive eyes all suddenly took on new meaning. By the time her eyelids fluttered open, he was already half-way gone. All he really needed to know was her real name. He unconsciously gave her his irresistable slow, shy smile. "Well, hello. Are you okay?" Cesario blushed deeply, but tried to cover her confusion. "Yes....um....yes, I'm fine. You?" "What's your *real* name?" Her eyebrows came together in silent puzzlement. Sam decided to clear her confusion as quickly as possible. He bent down and gently touched her lips with his. Understanding flooded her mind instantly. "It's Viola. My name's Viola," she murmured against his mouth. Sam's lips moved in for a full kiss. Now there are kisses and there are KISSES and there are *KISSES*. Sam's fall heavily into the last category. Viola didn't need any help understanding that her hopes had been answered and that she was thoroughly appreciated as a woman. At the same time, Al was coming around, very real and ecstatically solid in the cradle of Sharon's arms, his head resting on her ample curves. He smiled a cat's smile of pure delight. "I think I've died and gone to heaven. Do you mind if I call you Brunhilde?" Sharon was obviously not familiar with the cultural reference. Her face grew troubled. "Are you trying to say that you don't find me attractive any more?" "Sharon, gorgeous....you are the closest to perfection I've seen in a long, long time." Al turned and bestowed a gentle kiss on each of her curves, then pulled himself up towards her face. He cupped her face tenderly in his hands and bridged the distance between his eager mouth and hers.+ There was companianable silence in the Library for some time, broken only by the soft, discreet padding of the Librarian's paws as he returned to Simmie. Sam eventually managed to pull himself away from the heady intoxication of Viola's kisses. He stroked her face tenderly. "I ought to go and see if Al's arrived here safely, Viola." Unspoken endearments danced in his green eyes. Viola saw them and understood. She pulled herself reluctantly off Sam's lap. "Yes, of course. I'd like to shake his hand myself." Sam grinned. "Al's got a bear hug coming from me that's going to beat world records!" Sam helped Viola stand up and he put his arm around her shoulders as they went to see what had happened. There, on the opposite side of the main aisle of the Library, was the object of their search. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ + It should be stated at this point for reasons of fairness and equality, that Al falls into the same category as Sam when it comes to kissing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Al was right in the middle of a deep and passionate kiss with Sharon. His left hand still cupped her face, but his right was hidden from sight. Some sixth sense told him that he was being watched. He pulled away reluctantly, then his eyes saw Sam. He rose quickly, but not before Sam had seen him whisk his right hand out from under Sharon's armour. Sam's mouth dimpled in amusement. There was a pregnant pause, covered slightly by Sharon sitting up and re-adjusting her breast-plate. The two friends took a step closer to each other, hesitant and slightly uncertain. Sam was remembering all the things he'd said in the heat of the moment that had hurt Al. Al was remembering the way he'd teased Sam with exaggerated tales of his love-life. They were both reckoning that they deserved a good knock-out punch to the chin. The genuine and deep affection they held for one another won. They met in the middle of the aisle and hugged the breath out of each other. Al recovered his customary poise first. "Hell, Sam, it was worth all the years being insubstantial to come here. And for more than one reason, if you get my drift." "I'd noticed," Sam said drily,"You'd better not keep the lady waiting. For some strange reason, she finds you attractive," Al's face showed the conflict between his desires and his friendship,"Go on, Al. We've hugged once and if I get home like they say, we'll hug again. Anyway, we've got three more days before we try again. We're bound to bump into each other for the odd discussion. What does Ziggy suggest?" Al searched for his handlink. It wasn't there. Even after a thorough search of the area, it couldn't be found. Just when they were about to give up, the Imaging Chamber door opened and Gushi appeared. "Doctor Beckett, Admiral Calavicci..." his image fritzed in and out like bad television reception. Viola and Sharon watched open-mouthed with surprise. Gushi continued, inbetween the static,"Your handlink appeared in the Imaging Chamber without you. Ziggy confirms that you have somehow leaped without her assistance into Doctor Beckett's location. She and Rincewind are working together; Rincewind is talking magic, demons and elves while Ziggy translates him into scientific language. It's quite some dialogue! In the meantime, your best advice would be to attempt to make yourself comfortable for the next three days." Gushi disappeared surrounded by the white light and a flash of sparks. "Al, are you going to have any difficulty following Gushi's advice?" "Don't you start! Of course not!" Al pressed Sharon's hand to his lips, then turned back to Sam,"And I can see you've finally realised that trainee wizard is a woman - pleased to make your acquaintance ma'am." "It's Viola. I'm glad to see Sam has a true friend." "You betcha. Just you be nice to him, you hear?" Viola blushed quietly and said nothing. Sam and Al offered their ladies an arm each and they all walked out of the Library together. Sam turned to Al in the corridoor outside. He started to look slightly awkward, as he always did when approaching delicate subjects. "Er, look, if you and Sharon need somewhere quiet.....I don't know this place well enough to help you." Viola gently tugged his arm. "Actually there are *dozens* of empty rooms up near yours, I mean Rincewind's. A large contingent of wizards have gone away with most of the students on a visit to the Wyrmberg mountain to study it's magical ambience. I stayed here to help Simmie by sneaking her into the University. Rincewind's gone off travel for a bit; he's seen most of the Disc once anyway. They won't be back for *weeks* yet. There's plenty of food and we can always investigate the local ale I recommended earlier today." Al's eyes glinted with renewed fervour. "Just show me the way, Viola," Al couldn't resist the impulse to break into song. It may not have been strictly in tune, but it was heartfelt,"'Give me the University, give me the girl and leave the rest to me!'" Sam slowly shook his head,"Al you're incorrigable!" "Yeah, and currently feeling insatiable, so quit the yapping and let's get outta here!" Viola quietly led the way back up to Rincewind's room and showed Al and Sharon the possibilities. They quickly settled on a suite of rooms at the end of the corridoor and disappeared inside. "I just hope the Arch-Chancellor never finds out what's happened in his rooms. I don't think his old heart could stand the strain!" Sam quietly turned Viola to face him and took her into his arms. "You," he stated, in between kisses,"are an absolute angel. How I could have mistaken you for anything but a beautiful woman is beyond me. Can you ever forgive me?" "Well, I was using simple magic to disguise myself. I just didn't have full control over the voice." Sam smiled gently. "I had noticed. I think *something* in my subconscious must have realised, otherwise I'd not have felt so.....comfortable with you. The fact that you can see me as I am has affected me on a deep level.....a very deep level." Sam quietly opened the door to Rincewind's room and gently led Viola inside.+ # # # # # Morning light hit the roof of the Unseen University. To be precise, late morning light of the third day. Sharon slept contentedly, her brown, blonde and red hair streaming loose across the pillows. Al also slept soundly with a broad grin over his face on *his* new pillows.# In Rincewind's room, Sam and Viola were mostly awake. Sam was tenderly exploring Viola's face with his lips, while her hands re-aquainted themselves with the interesting texture of his upper body.@ "Darling Viola, you know that a good part of me doesn't want to leave. But the chances are I will leap today and leave you with a confused wizard who will probably have some beautiful short-term memories." Viola smiled at Sam. "Don't you worry about Rincewind. I'll re-disguise myself. Once I've been made a full wizard, they can't take it back. I'll be only the second woman to make it through the system. And we both knew before this happened how long we had together. I'm going to make a special study of inter-dimensional magic. If my powers can reach you, I'll be doing everything I can to help you get home." Sam chuckled in spite of himself. "You know, we thought it was God, or Time or Fate or even just me directing the leaps. It'll take Ziggy *weeks* to recover from the idea of a very beautiful and passionate female wizard in another dimension. I don't know how we're going to get *that* past the Senate Committee." "Who is Ziggy, anyway? That red-haired man in the long white coat I saw in the Library?" Sam shook his head and explained to Viola in terms she could understand. Soon, far too soon, it was time to make the way to the Library. The Librarian and Simmie were waiting for them. Al arrived with Sharon just a little while later. They were both perfectly groomed, but Sam, who knew Al better than anybody present could see the slightly languid and contented look in his friend's eyes. Those eyes lit up with warmth when they alighted on Sam. The two men drew apart for a few private words. They held each other's arms in an instinctive and firm clasp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ + You can all quietly fill in the next days in your heads. This is a Universal Certificate production. # Come on, you know Al. Just think for a bit and put two and two together. @ This is the Discworld, folks, and it is full of magic. Using words like 'chest' and 'hair' in the same sentence could probably make the paper explode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Sam, this has got to be the most risky thing we've ever done. If it doesn't work out, I want you to know that I don't regret *anything*. These past three days.....they've got to be way up in the top ten best of my life." Sam could feel the underlying concern in Al's voice and measured his own words carefully. "Well, actually Al....me too." Al's grin threatened to split his face. "Why, you sly old.....I should've known. You've got that look in your eyes and your ears are going pink even as I speak." "That's enough, Al. We need to get ready and then say goodbye to our ladies." They broke apart to consult with the Librarian via Simmie. "Oook, ook ooook, ook." "We've spent a lot of the last three days consulting textbooks on inter- dimensional phenomena. If we can time what we do here to coincide with an effort by *your* people, there's a good chance that we will succeed. Ah, here's your other friend now." Sam, Al and Gushi had a hurried conference through the static interference. Once he'd satisfied himself with the details, Sam turned back to the Librarian and Simmie. "We would be ready to try in five minutes. Is that alright with you?" "Ooook!" The Librarian nodded enthusiastically, then quickly turned around and swung back down the aisle, his hand paws swinging from either side, rather like a human using narrower parallel bars. Simmie deftly followed in his wake. Al gathered Sharon into his arms. "Don't you go pining away when I've gone, darling. I shall always, *always* remember you, but this isn't my home..." He claimed her lips in a kiss that would have set water alight. Sam held Viola close silently for quite a while before letting his lips do the talking. He knew that Viola had heard all he needed to say behind the closed door of Rincewind's room. Some innate instinct helped them both break free when there was about thirty seconds to go. Sam and Al went with some regret to where the Librarian was now waiting with a circle of spell-books open. They stepped gingerly into the space in the middle. Viola, as the nearest thing to a genuine wizard they had, came closer to pronounce the spells.+ There was barely time for a last blown kiss before the blue-white aura of the attempted retrieval combined with the rainbow of freed spells enveloped them. Viola and Sharon left the now rather emptier Library with their arms around each other's shoulders. Not much was said between them; Sharon went back half-heartedly to her sword practice in the University quad and Viola spent quite a lot of time burning the midnight oil with Simmie and the Librarian. The day of the wizards' return came and Viola was waiting rather unexpectedly nervously in the quad when Sharon arrived. "I think I've solved our....problem." "Yes, you do have a secretive look on your face. What *have* you been doing?" "I can't say; wizard's vows. We'll find out soon, one way or the other." The mighty doors of the University swung open with an even mightier creak. ArchChancellor Cutangle strode across the grass and gave the disguised Viola a formal embrace. "Hail, Cesario. I proclaim you wizard. Your mighty act of conjuration has been accepted on the evidence of two noble witnesses and all our eyes." He pulled a beautiful blue pointy hat out of his voluminous pocket and placed it on Viola's head. Viola let her magical disguise slip away. All the wizards and students gasped, and some fainted with shock. The ArchChancellor blinked a few times. He had, after all, inaugurated the last female wizard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ + If you think I'm giving you the words of a Discworld spell, you've got another think coming. I don't want any of you ending up like the Librarian. Or worse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Perhaps you had better reveal your true name?.....For the records, madam," Viola did so willingly. Cutangle continued,"Let the two noble gentlemen step foreward!" Viola turned to Sharon. "You'd better brace yourself. I've been doing some work on trans- temporal doppelgangers." Sharon didn't quite understand, but when she saw the two men coming towards them, she soon did. "By the Rim and the Hub! What have you done? They could'nt be more alike *them* than if they were twins!" The shorter, darker haired man was dressed in doublet and hose, with a ruff at his neck and a large brimmed hat on his head. He doffed it with a flourish. "Duke Alphonse of Diegoa at your service, ladies." Sharon blushed violently. The taller man stepped forward, took off his hat and laid it on his chest. He was similarly attired to his companion. "I am Marquis di Samrisino, also from that country. Are you, fair lady, not also from there?" Viola had removed her nice new wizard's hat and was fiddling with it nervously. "Yes, I am. I hope you will understand when I explain why I brought you both here through time." "I am more than compensated by the sight of your face, dear lady." Viola acknowledged the compliment, then turned to Sharon. "You see, there are interesting fringe benefits in being the friend of a wizard!" Meanwhile, for those of you who are thinking they'd been forgotten, Sam and Al leaped simultaneously. When Sam opened his eyes, he was lying in a bed. For a moment, disappointment rose within him, then he looked down and saw a fermi suit. His fermi suit. He rose slowly into a sitting position, hearing a beeper go off as he did so. A few moments later, the door flew open. Verbeena entered, closely followed by Al. In a moment he was clasping Sam's hand, then threatening to choke the breath out of him. Again. "Oh, God! Welcome home, kid. You've made it back to us for a while. And just wait until you see what you changed *this* time!" "Slowly, Admiral. We don't want to take things too fast." "Beena, you're no fun. Look, Sam, Sammy-Jo's okay....so are all the members of your family that are still with us. I'm sure you'll get to see them all soon enough. Tina and Gushi have gone off on their second honeymoon and I have a new personal assistant. Come in and meet Doctor Beckett, Shirley." Sam watched as the door opened a second time and a petite lady entered. Sam blinked, hard, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. The hair was short and curly, she wore glasses and a suit, but otherwise she could have passed for Sharon's sister. Al turned back to Sam, who felt his eyebrow rising in an unspoked query despite himself. Al understood, grinned wolfishly at Sam and replied,"Shirley and I only met, as far as I'm concerned, a couple of days ago. We're building a nice working relationship together. Anyway, I'm still recovering from the surprise myself. Then, of course, there's Victoria, the new site nurse. I bet she'll be in to check your pulse anytime...yes, here she comes." Sam's mind was still struggling with Al's information and his returning memories as Victoria entered the room. This time his mouth *did* drop open. Victoria calmly filled it with a thermometer. Sam stared at her, completely lost for words. There was the nurse's uniform and the brown hair was piled high on her head under her cap, but otherwise, he couldn't see any difference between her and Viola. She was taking his pulse now, his hands felt sweaty and he felt that if he breathed any harder she would read his mind and see the beautiful and erotic memories that were playing themselves behind his eyes. + ------------------------------------------------------------------------ + She was - in a sense. The Marquis was proving more than satisfactory. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Your pulse still seems a bit erratic..." thought Sam,"Perhaps it would be best if you stayed here under my care for a while? What do you think?; you *are* the senior doctor here now that you've safely returned." Sam swallowed hard and found his voice. He removed the thermometer and handed it back to Victoria. "I....I...*think* that might be a good plan. As far as I remember, I've never met you before, although...your face does seem rather familiar." Al almost choked himself trying not to laugh aloud. "No, we've never met until you safely returned yesterday, unconscious. I've been looking after you since then. I'm pleased to meet you properly, Doctor Beckett." Victoria held out her hand and Sam, on an impulse he couldn't quite control, raised it to his lips. When she blushed ever so slightly under her make-up, Sam knew things were going to develop just fine, given time and patience. "It's Sam. Please call me Sam." His mouth curved into it's best smile. "Okay." Her returning smile was almost radiant. , thought Sam,