Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 22:20:43 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Mirror - part 4 Message-ID: Quantum Leap Mirror of Deception by Katherine Freymuth and Gary Marsh Copyright 1998 Part 4 Another leap came and gone- another leap in a series of leaps spanning five years. Another leap to raise his blood pressure, to cause him to worry to the point of having a lack of sleep. Another leap to cause him to yearn the touch of a certain woman once the leap was done successfully. It had only been a week but he was missing her already. However, he wasn't sure which "her" he was missing: Tina or Cathy. Tina was incredible but Cathy... Cathy was different. She made him feel as if the world revolved around him, not her. She also made him feel as if she were the center of the universe. Either way, whether it was Tina or Cathy or some other willing woman, he desperately wanted to be with someone tonight. "Al," someone broke into his thoughts. Al looked up to see Verbina standing at the other end of his desk. He frowned slightly. He didn't remember seeing her come in. She looked at Al with deep concern. "Are you all right? I knocked three times but you didn't answer." Al exhaled slowly as he leaned back in his desk chair. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I guess I have a lot on my mind." "Want to talk about it?" Verbina asked as she sat down in a chair across from Al. Al didn't answer for a moment. "Not really." "Is it about Tina and Mark?" Al exhaled in annoyance. No matter what he said, Verbina was going to try to get him to talk, even if he didn't want to talk. "Yes," he answered. "No," he corrected. He exhaled again and shook his head. "I don't know." "Why don't you?" Verbina asked. Al shook his head slightly but didn't answer. It was Verbina's turn to exhale. "Al, you've been acting strangely since Tina and Mark became engaged. I can understand that you're probably upset about it." She paused. "But I think it's something more." Al shrugged slightly but, once again, said nothing. Verbina looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're not going to tell me anything, are you?" "Did you expect me to?" Al asked. Verbina shook her head. "Not really. But I hope you reconsider, Al. You're under a lot of stress right now and I'm worried that your keeping your problems to yourself will be harmful to you, both physically and mentally." She slowly stood up and looked at him with kind sympathy. "At least think about it and let yourself relax a little. And talk to Tina and Mark. Come to an understanding with them. They really are very worried about you." "I can tell," Al muttered sarcastically. He exhaled at Verbina's rebuking glare. "I'll try," he told her. Verbina relaxed a bit. "I suppose that's good enough for now." She started towards the door but stopped a moment. "One more suggestion. Go home, Al. You look beat." Al raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the advice. I will." Verbina smiled. "Don't mention it," she replied before she left the office. Al leaned back in his chair and stared at a crack between the ceiling and the wall. The office suddenly seemed so sterile, which, Al had to admit, it was. He needed to get away for a while, maybe go to Las Vegas for a weekend and meet new girls. He knew from experience that Las Vegas was a sure way to get over a broken relationship. When he finally decided to go home, he opened his house's front door to hear a rattle in the kitchen. He frowned with suspicion as he quietly closed the door and moved quietly to a nearby in-table. Opening the drawer, he took out a pistol before heading towards the kitchen, taking the safety off of the pistol as he moved. "Don't move," he said in a dangerously low voice as he around the pistol at the back of the intruder in the kitchen. "Now, if I did that, Al, your dinner would burn. That is, unless you finish cooking it." Al lowered the pistol and frowned in annoyance. "How the hell did you get in here?" Cathy turned around and smiled at him. "Can't a girl make dinner for a handsome gentleman?" *Not when it's breaking and entering*, Al thought but didn't speak. He wasn't sure why he didn't tell her that but, for some reason, he couldn't. All he could do was look at her. She walked slowly up to him. She took his right wrist and gently removed the pistol from is hand. Putting the safety back on the pistol, she placed it on a nearby counter-top before kissing Al passionately. Pulling slowly away from him, she smiled gently. "Hungry?" she questioned. Al exhaled. *That's one word for how I'm feeling!* He mentally shook his head. *Don't do this, Al. You don't really know her. You've been with her only one night and in a moment of weakness. This isn't like you, not learning about her. A one-night stand is understandable but this... this... Gawd, her hair smells good!* Cathy had intertwined her fingers behind Al's back and was kissing him seductively on the neck. Al returned the kisses for a while before he gently removed Cathy's grip on him and pulled away. "Dinner's burning," he told her quietly, stepping away with a breath. Cathy smiled with amusement at Al's discomfort as she went to tend the burning food. Al, in the meantime, retrieved his pistol and left the kitchen to put it away. He needed a moment away from Cathy. He needed to think. What DID he know about Cathy? She has a name (obviously). She's from Dublin. She studies American history and has an IQ a notch above his. She's a physical therapist but used to be a secretary. *She breaks and enters houses and makes her victims dinner*, he thought wryly. *Where did she learn to break a sophisticated lock like mine? Certainly not from years of being a physical therapist.* As these thoughts went through his head, Cathy came up from behind him and put her arms around his waist. "Dinner's ready," she told him softly. "Or should we skip dinner and go straight for dessert." With that, she started to slowly nibble at Al's nape. Al quickly turned around and took a step away from her. Cathy's face frowned slightly. "What's the matter? You didn't mind that before." Al took a breath. "Why are you here, Cathy?" he asked firmly. "The truth this time. You didn't break into my house to make me dinner." Cathy laughed. Al frowned. "What's so funny?" Cathy smiled at him while she took a key out of her trouser's pocket. "You gave it to me. Remember?" Al's frown didn't fade. He didn't remember giving her a house key. On the other hand, he was pretty drunk that night. *Maybe I did give her one.* Cathy approached him slowly. "Come, Al," she beckoned, extending her hand. "Let's have dinner. Okay?" She gave him a wry smile. "I won't bite, you know. That is, unless you want me to." Al hesitated for a moment. He slowly accepted her hand and followed her back into the kitchen.