Quantum Leap fic: Just One Touch (1/1)
Mar. 20th, 2012 05:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
agt_spookyWhy am I not surprised that with the way I’ve gotten back into Quantum Leap it was only a matter of time before I wrote my first fic? :-)
I truly did write this just for myself, since I know I don’t have a ton of QL fans on my flist, but I wanted to post it anyway. I really disliked the way the series ended, so this is my way of giving myself (and Sam and Al) some closure.
Title: Just One Touch
Author: ![[info]](../../img/userinfo.gif?v=90.2){kind=small}
agt_spooky
Word Count: 2,350
Characters: Sam Beckett, Al Calavicci
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Spoilers: General for series
Disclaimer: I don't own them, more's the pity. Just borrowing!
Summary: Takes place immediately after the events of the series finale, Mirror Image. Sam and Al finally get a chance to tell each other how much their friendship means to one another.
Author's Notes: Comments and feedback always appreciated!
Just One Touch
By AgtSpooky
March 20, 2012
“…Al’s alive…and he’s coming home…”
Then with one last look at Beth Calavicci's beautiful face - her eyes filled with tears, her expression full of hope for the first time in years - Dr. Sam Beckett leaped.
Surrounded by blue-white light, tumbling, twisting, out of control somewhere in time and space. The same disconnected feeling each and every time. The same phrase each and every time – Let me go home…let me go home…let me go home…
With a sudden lurch, Sam felt his consciousness drop, then slam to a stop, his stomach plummeting as if he were on a roller coaster, and he took a moment to steady himself before slowly opening his eyes. And immediately he felt his heart sink as he realized he was not home, not inside the waiting room ten stories underground at Project Quantum Leap.
With a heavy sigh Sam took in the sights around him. He was standing by himself in the doorway of a small shop on what appeared to be the main street of whatever town he was in. The sun was high and bright overhead, the air dry. Sam took a close look at the people walking along the sidewalk, the cars parked alongside the curb, trying to get a feel for the time period he had arrived in. Everything looked fairly modern to him. His best guess was sometime in the late 1990’s.
He stepped down from the doorway and out onto the sidewalk, blinking in the bright sunlight. He took a closer look at his surroundings as an intense feeling of déjà vu overtook him.
I know this place.
Sam turned to his left, taking a step, and immediately ran into what he thought was a person. Startled, he took a step back and opened his mouth to apologize, only to snap his jaw shut at what he saw. It was no person, but…an alien? Tall and thin with grey skin and spidery arms and legs, a large head with enormous black eyes and…a baseball hat?
Sam blinked, confused at the sight before him. Where the hell was he? He moved closer to the alien, reading the words on the baseball hat – UFO Landing Zone Gift Shop. And there it was again, the feeling of déjà vu.
Determined to figure out where he was, Sam stepped around the statue and past the front window of the shop. Curious as to whether he could see the reflection of the person he Leaped into, he paused for a moment and looked into the glass. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
The reflection he saw was his own.
And through his swiss-cheese memory came a flash – himself, sitting at a bar, looking at his own reflection in the mirror. The bartender, telling him things, knowing things about Sam’s life, his leaping in time, giving him a chance to help his best friend, to put right something he should have done a long time ago.
“Beth!” Sam gasped. Oh God, did it work? Al…where was Al? Sam looked around frantically for his Observer, but he was nowhere to be found.
Catching sight of himself in the glass again, Sam wondered if this is how it would be from now on, Leaping with his own image. Like he did with Beth. Or was this perhaps another chance to put right something that was personal to him? But what? As far as he knew, he saved Al’s marriage to Beth, and he had saved his brother from being killed in Vietnam. His father, perhaps? Could he save him, too?
Sam looked around him again. No, this wasn’t Elk Ridge, Indiana. Based on the heat and architecture of the buildings around him, he was somewhere in the Southwest. Somewhere familiar. Spying a newspaper machine at the corner, Sam jogged down and pulled one out, eyes immediately going to the date at the top: June 15, 1999.
June 15…June 15…why do I know that date? Shaking his head, cursing his shoddy memory, Sam glanced at the name of the paper: the Roswell Daily Record.
And in an instant it all came flooding back to him.
June 15th – it was Al Calavicci’s birthday. His mind was suddenly filled with memories of he and Al working for years out in the New Mexico desert, at Stallion’s Gate, building Project Quantum Leap. And every year on Al’s birthday they would drive into Roswell, the closest town, and laugh at the tourists and the rubber aliens, wondering what people would think about an actual time travel experiment happening only 50 miles away. They’d get take-out and non-alcoholic beer (Al’s sobriety still an accomplishment to be proud of) from Al’s favorite Mexican restaurant and head to Bottomless Lakes State Park. They’d spend the day relaxing, eating, staying until the sunset painted the sky in brilliant shades of orange and yellow and pink.
And then Sam would pull out the Twinkie. It was a joke that became a tradition between the two of them. The first year at the Project, on Al’s birthday, Sam realized he had no birthday cake for his friend. The closest he could find was a Twinkie in the vending machine. So he stuck a candle in it and presented it with a flourish. After Al finished laughing, he made a wish, blew out the candle and then broke the Twinkie in half. And every year after, for the next four years, until Sam stepped into the Accelerator, the two friends shared a Twinkie on Al’s birthday.
Sam swallowed deeply as the memories faded. It was no coincidence he was here, on this date. It couldn’t be. Hadn’t the bartender insinuated that Sam himself was truly in charge of his own Leaps? Had he subconsciously brought himself here?
Sam shook his head. It didn’t matter how he got here. What mattered was he was being given the opportunity to see and talk to his best friend as himself for the first time in five years. To see Al not as a hologram, but as a real person.
He needed to get out to Bottomless Lakes State Park.
~~~~~
The entire way down the path to “their spot” on the shore of the lake, Sam’s heart was in his throat. Would Al be there or was it foolish to think his friend would have continued on with his birthday tradition without Sam there? Coming to the last bend in the path before the lake, Sam slowed to a stop and took a long, steadying breath. Then placing one foot in front of the other, he walked around the tree to see the lake and the sand…and his best friend.
Al sat with his back to the path, on a fallen log, dressed in a bright red blazer and white slacks, gazing out over the shimmering water…a Twinkie with a candle in it sitting beside him.
Tears sprung to Sam’s eyes at the sight, and for a moment he was rooted to the spot. Then he was running, laughing, calling out Al’s name.
Startled, Admiral Al Calavicci jumped up from the log and turned around, squinting at the figure running toward him. Sam saw the moment recognition took hold. Al’s eyes went wide and he stuttered back a step in shock, nearly falling over a piece of driftwood.
Then before Al could even say a word, Sam was in front of him, reaching out, after five long years finally, finally able to touch his friend.
He wrapped his arms around Al, clutching at the shorter man, nearly knocking him over, resting his forehead on Al’s shoulder, feeling the other man’s arms come around his back, holding on just as tightly. The tears came then, falling unchecked from Sam’s eyes, wetting the bright red fabric of Al’s jacket.
“Sam…Sam, my God…how?” he heard Al whisper, voice thick with emotion. “How did you get home?”
Sam raised his head, looking down into Al’s eyes, as bright and wet as his own. “I’m…” Sam swallowed, shaking his head “I’m not home, Al.”
Al’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. I can see you. YOU. And touch you.”
Sam pulled back, reluctant to lose contact with his friend, and wiped at his eyes, watched as Al did the same. “It’s kind of a long story.”
Al chuckled. “Nothing with you has ever been simple, kid.” He sat back down on the log, gestured for Sam to do the same. “I’m all ears.”
Sam took a breath, reached out and lay a hand on Al’s shoulder. “God, Al…” he whispered.
Al smiled and reached up to briefly cover Sam’s hand with his own. “I know, kid.”
Sam nodded, smiling in return, and let his hand fall back down to the log. “Al, I met someone on my last Leap. Someone who knew about me, and you, and what I’ve been doing, traveling through time.”
Al’s brow furrowed once again. “Who was this guy? Where were you?”
“I don’t…I don’t know.” Sam answered. “He told me, or rather he implied, that it’s not God, Fate, Time or Whatever that’s been Leaping me around. But that it’s been me, all along.”
“You? But…how?” Al asked, confused.
Sam shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I even believe him. Because if it’s true…why haven’t I come home?” he asked, anguish in his voice.
Al was silent a moment, trying to take everything in. “I think…if what this guy said is true, it’s because you’re the world’s biggest Boy Scout, just like I’ve told you before. You’re a good person, Sam Beckett. You’ve always hated to see people in pain, or in trouble and you’d do anything to help.” Al pointed at himself. “Just look at me. I was an angry drunk, self-destructing and taking my career at Starbright with me. If it hadn’t been for you, seeing something in me worth saving, I’d have lost everything, including Beth.”
Sam sucked in a breath. “Beth?”
Al nodded. “Why she didn’t divorce me back then I’ll never know. If not for you I wouldn’t have her, or my beautiful daughters.”
Sam felt tears prick his eyes once again and he looked heavenward. It worked…oh God, it worked…Beth listened to me. Thank you, thank you for letting me give him the only thing he ever wanted…
Al squeezed his arm. “Sam? You okay?”
Sam smiled, blinked rapidly. “Yeah, yeah. I’m more than okay.”
Al looked at him curiously for a moment before continuing. “If you really are controlling your Leaps, Sam, it’s because you feel that your work isn’t done yet.”
Sam sighed, his voice weary. “I’m tired, Al. I’m so tired.”
It was Al’s turn to lay a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I know you are, kid. But I’m right here with you until the end. Until you do come home for good.”
Sam’s smile was grateful. “You have always been there for me, haven’t you? And I think that’s why I’m here. Since I left wherever that place was, I’ve been getting the chance to do some…personal things. That person, whoever he was, also implied that my Leaps are going to get harder. I think he wanted me to have the chance to take one last break, to give us a chance to just…talk.”
“We never seem to get that opportunity, do we?” Al replied. “It’s always one crisis after another, isn’t it?”
Sam nodded in agreement. “I don’t know how much time I have here, Al. I want you to know how much your friendship means to me. Without you, I don’t know how I would’ve made it through the last five years. You’ve been my rock. You’ve saved my life more times than I can count.” Sam felt his throat closing up with emotion and he swallowed deeply. “And I never had the chance to just reach out and touch you. To shake your hand, to slap you on the shoulder…to give you a simple hug.” Sam’s voice broke on his last word and he reached out, placing both of his hands on Al’s shoulders.
Al’s voice was gruff. “God, Sam…it’s been just as hard on me, too. So many times I wanted to help you. To watch you getting the crap kicked out of you or trapped in that insane asylum or in the electric chair, yelling my name and there was nothing I could do. All I wanted was to reach out and give you my hand, pull you up, and I couldn’t.”
Al paused, took a breath. “Let’s not forget you saved MY life, too. I would have died in 1945 if it wasn’t for you. You sacrificed what may have been your only chance to be home for good to go back and save me. I will never forget that, Sam.”
“You’re my best friend, Al. I couldn’t let you die,” Sam said simply.
Al shook his head with a smile. “Boy Scout.”
Sam shrugged and ducked his head, giving Al’s shoulders a squeeze before dropping his arms down. He started to speak, but felt the familiar tingle start deep inside his body and he stood quickly. No, not yet. Let me have more time with him.
Al stood as well. “Sam? What’s wrong?”
“I have to go, I’m sorry. Promise me something, Al,” he begged of his friend, voice thick with unshed tears. “Promise me you won’t give up on me.”
Al stepped forward and pulled his best friend into one final embrace. “Never, Sam. We’ll get you home. I swear to God we’ll get you home.”
Sam raised his head, hazel eyes bright. “Thank y—“
And then he was gone in a brilliant flash of blue-white light, leaving Admiral Al Calavicci standing alone in the gathering sunset. He stood there as the sky turned pink and orange before turning and picking up the makeshift birthday cake with the single candle. He lit it with a flick of his lighter, paused and looked toward the sky with the millions of sparkling stars. Somewhere, out there, was his best friend. Tired and alone.
Al looked down at the candle’s flame, closed his eyes…and made a wish.
THE END
Hit Counter
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-20 04:53 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 12:57 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-20 07:04 pm (UTC)Came back now, finally, to read. Oh so bittersweet! I forgot how much I enjoyed this show. Loved how you let them see each other for real. You know what I mean!
Oh how I miss Al and those outfits he used to wear and the crazy crap that would be going on 'back home' versus the events in Sam's leap.
Lovely little fic, thanks for sharing.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 12:57 am (UTC)Ha-ha! Was pretty obvious, wasn’t it? :-)
Thank you SO much for your wonderful feedback. I didn’t think anyone would even read it so I really appreciate it. *g* I think it’s funny it’s a “new” fandom for me 20 years later. But I think I appreciate Sam and Al’s relationship more now than I did then.
Oh I loved Al’s outfits! Dean must have had a blast going to set each day, seeing what wardrobe had for him. Ha!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-20 11:37 pm (UTC)Since you started talking about QL a few weeks ago, I'm fully getting back into this fandom too. I bought the DVDs (79 euros for the 5 seasons. Not bad at all I think) and I'm watching the original version at the moment. And I read fics too. Even slash ones. I mean, I still don't see it at all in the show but I like thoses fics anyway. Some of them are pretty good.
Thanks again for reminding me how much I loved this show.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 12:57 am (UTC)I, too, was crushed by the series ending. I understand Bellisario was angry at getting canceled, but to do that to the fans was just wrong. I cried all over again when I watched Mirror Image last week. So I wanted to write something that eased my pain a little bit. Glad it did for you, too. :-)
I love it that you’re getting back into QL, too! We’re going to start a QL revival! LOL!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-29 08:37 pm (UTC)Hell, why not a crossover between QL and SPN ? That could be quite interesting I think. And there are many times when Sam and Dean could have used a little help from Sam Beckett.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-02 10:58 pm (UTC)Can I tell you that you’ve started a plot bunny in my head with your idea of a QL/SPN crossover fic? What a freaking brilliant idea! I’ve been thinking about it all weekend, waiting for an idea to take hold. If I do end up writing one you’re getting full credit for it!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-07 08:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-09 10:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-17 05:15 pm (UTC)Ok, not subliminal at all but just a thought that came to me when I read your comment.
Maybe you could do something like the trilogy episode ? You know, Sam would leap into several persons (number depending on how much you're inspired :) ) in Sam and Dean's lives starting in their childhood for example and then going forward...
And, personally, I'd love to see Sam leap into Dean (and this comes from me, a Jared/Sam girl!) just because I think the scenes between Al and Dean in the waiting room could be pretty interesting considering the very strong personality they both have. And I can imagine Dean would not take it that well that his brother's safety has to depend on some stranger.
And, more generally speaking, just imagine Al's reaction (and Sam's too) when he'll discover all the supernatural things actually exist !
Ok, I'll stop now. I know your imagination will come up with much more interesting and original thoughts than mine. That's what makes the difference between you being a writer and me being a reader :)
I just saw the videos from ComicCon you posted ! That's great, I'm going to download them immediately. I love the fact that Scott and Dean and still good friends. I hope it will be like that for Jared and Jensen too. That in 20 years they'll still be close friends. And still appear in conventions too.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-02 11:29 pm (UTC)So here’s my idea for the crossover. At first I wanted Sam to leap into either Sam or Dean, but then I changed my mind. Because I didn’t want Sam “speaking” for either of the boys, you know?
But I wanted it to be someone close to the boys. Remember Pastor Jim? He was an important part of their life and it’s a character everyone knows. So I decided on him.
I thought I’d set the story the summer before Sam went off to Stanford. John leaves the boys with Jim and goes off to do...something. Sam and Dean are barely speaking since Dean’s pissed Sam is leaving the family to go off to college.
Remember in “Heart” when Dean said they hadn’t seen a werewolf since they were younger? I thought I’d have them, and Jim, end up hunting one in the story. In the original history, before Sam leaped in, Sam was killed during the hunt. Of course that devastates Dean and then when John is killed by the YED a few years later that’s all he can handle. Starts drinking and getting reckless and is eventually killed himself during a hunt.
So Sam’s there to prevent all that by saving Sam and in turn saving Dean. He won’t be able to prevent Jim or John’s deaths, but the brothers will be together and get each other through all the tragedies they’re going to face. And Sam’s got a soft spot for brothers because of himself and Tom. So he’s also going to get Dean to be a little more accepting of Sam’s decision to go to college.
The supernatural aspect is going to be awesome to write with both Al and Sam. Remember the vampire QL episode?? Wait till they find out that monsters really do exist! LOL!
And that’s my idea! Kind of rough right now but I know where I want to go with it. Now I just need to sit down and write a true outline. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-03 05:41 pm (UTC)Wow your idea is BRILLIANT !!!! Just.... WOW !
Making Sam leap into Pastor Jim is an excellent idea : he's someone Sam and Dean would listen to. It's a great choice.
And yeah, Sam and Al discovering monsters actually exist is going to be absolutely priceless.
This story is going to be awesome to read. FOUR of my all-time favourite characters in the same fic. Add Methos to it and I'm in heaven :) But honestly, what the hell would Methos do in the middle of this ! LOL
You know, this will probably be the first QL/SPN crossover ever ! I mean, there are many crossovers with QL but mostly with shows that aired at the same time : Highlander for example (there are great ones with Methos in them)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-05 12:09 am (UTC)And you’re right - I’ve never seen an SPN/QL crossover before. Wow, I could be the first! But that’s the beauty of QL - the crossover potentials are limitless because of the format of the show.
Methos! I loved him! Hmm....well he IS an immortal. Perhaps he reinvented himself as a hunter. ;-)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-09 04:35 pm (UTC)I can't believe you loved Methos too, that's great ! It's amazing how many shows we have in common.
You're right, he could reinvent himself as a hunter. Anything is possible with him. And, after 5000 years, it would make sense that he would know about the existence of the supernatural creatures.
Wait a minute... Are you implying that you might add him in your story ?????
I was wondering, will your story be gen or slash ? Just curious.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-11 08:37 pm (UTC)Me, too. Because things were so much simpler back then. It was the two of them against the world, hunting monsters. Before angels and demons and the apocalypse that overshadowed their relationship.
I can't believe you loved Methos too, that's great ! It's amazing how many shows we have in common.
Yes, I loved Highlander! It was actually my husband who got me intersted in that. And I’ve found over my many years in fandom that if you’ve got one show in common, chances are really good that you actually have several. :-)
Wait a minute... Are you implying that you might add him in your story ?????
LOL! Probably not, but he could fit in pretty easily, couldn’t he? Perhaps I’ll at least give him a shout out. ;-)
I was wondering, will your story be gen or slash ? Just curious.
This will be gen. I didn’t want Sam to have to try and deal with the fact that Dean and Sam are brothers - and lovers. He’ll have enough to deal with coming to terms that supernatural creatures are real!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-14 08:05 pm (UTC)But then, a few days after the transplantation I asked if I could have a TV in my room at the hospital and one day I came across an episode of Highlander again. And this time there was Methos. And I immediately loved this character. And every episode I watched just confirmed my feeling that there was something really special about him somehow. Hell, even Peter Wingfield, the actor who played him, talks about him in a pretty particular way. As if he was a separate entity from him. And just the concept of living during 5000 years and living through many historical moments, it's just fascinating to me. In my opinion he was a strong enough character to create a spin-off about him. Just imagine the flashbacks potential :)
About your fic, yeah I would have been pretty surprised if you had answered yes to my question about including Methos :) But I just had to ask. LOL
I completely agree with you about making it a gen story. Poor Sam and Al, they will disturbed enough by discovering the supernatural actually exist (that will be really interesting to see how they'll handle that !) , no need to add incest to all this :)
And believe me, it's pretty weird coming from me because I almost exclusively read slash or het because I like when there is a little romance in a story. What can I say ? I'm a hopeless romantic. But this story won't need romance to be absolutely outstanding. And who knows ? Maybe you'll inspire other writers who'll write SPN/QL crossovers too ? Wouldn't that be fabulous ? :)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-05-16 12:37 am (UTC)Ha! I never even thought about him that way! Gosh, he was like the ultimate Mary Sue, wasn’t he? :-)
and one day I came across an episode of Highlander again. And this time there was Methos. And I immediately loved this character. And every episode I watched just confirmed my feeling that there was something really special about him somehow
Now how fortunate was that, that you just happened to see an ep with Methos in it? :-) But I’m with you - he was fascinating! Because he had lived so long he really had depth to his character, much moreso than Duncan.
In my opinion he was a strong enough character to create a spin-off about him. Just imagine the flashbacks potential :)
Oh man, that would’ve been awesome! Hey, it could’ve almost been like Quantum Leap, with Methos reliving his past in every episode. :-)
I completely agree with you about making it a gen story. Poor Sam and Al, they will disturbed enough by discovering the supernatural actually exist (that will be really interesting to see how they'll handle that !) , no need to add incest to all this :)
Yeah, I think “brotherly love” might make their heads explode! LOL!
And believe me, it's pretty weird coming from me because I almost exclusively read slash or het because I like when there is a little romance in a story. What can I say ? I'm a hopeless romantic.
Same here, though. I write very little gen, in any fandom. It’s always about the couples for me (slash or het), but sometimes a story just speaks to me that can stand on it’s own without romance.
And who knows ? Maybe you'll inspire other writers who'll write SPN/QL crossovers too ? Wouldn't that be fabulous ? :)
I would love that. Heck, I was stunned by how many QL fans I have on my flist to begin with. Perhaps I will inspire them!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-21 04:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 12:56 am (UTC)I’m hoping to continue on with further adventures of Sam and Al. *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-21 04:53 am (UTC)Thank you, sweetie, so, so much for this. I really needed that little bit of hope you gave us with this story.
*hugs you hard*
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 12:56 am (UTC)I, too, was crushed by the series ending. I understand Bellisario was angry at getting canceled, but to do that to the fans was just wrong. I cried all over again when I watched Mirror Image last week. So I wanted to write something that eased my pain a little bit. Glad it did for you, too. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 05:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-22 09:08 am (UTC)Well done - kudos to you.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-23 12:54 am (UTC)Just One Touch
Date: 2012-03-25 06:42 pm (UTC)Re: Just One Touch
Date: 2012-03-26 11:16 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-29 03:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-30 12:24 am (UTC)I, too, was disappointed with Sam and Al’s interaction in general in Mirror Image. They had like, what, two scenes together? (And I also never understood why Al was randomly wearing his Admiral’s uniform). Bellisario knew the series was ending, so why wasn’t that last scene with Sam and Al more meaningful? That’s partly what inspired my story here. I always wanted them to just talk, to let each of them tell the other what their friendship means, before heading right back into more Leaps. I’m very happy that you liked what I had them say to each other. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-01 03:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-02 10:45 pm (UTC)Nice Story
Date: 2012-04-25 01:43 am (UTC)I wrote a story after Mirror Image as well but it took a different turn. It's called "NEVER" and is at fanfiction.net under my penname, asearcher.
Thanks for the read!
asearcher
Re: Nice Story
Date: 2012-05-02 11:29 pm (UTC)Very well written, great job!