Chapter Text
“Al… I'm not…” The brunet man stumbled into the hologram and passing right through him.
“Sam?” His cigar wielding hologram partner ran over to look at him.
“I'm not feelin’ so hot.” The brunette fell over and groaned loudly.
“Sam! Sam! Someone get a medic in here!” Al yelled to the people in the imaging chamber, who were imaginary to Sam.
“It… It won't help. You're a hologram remember, A-Al?” Sam groaned from his spot on the floor, head pounding more than a drum.
“Dammit Sam!”
“Sorry, Al.” Sam softly laughed as he felt his body preparing himself to leap. He was cloaked in a blue light, and then he was gone.
“Sam! Dammit. Ziggy find him!”
Sam Beckett sat up in his bed, panting and sweating. That dream had plagued him for years, ever since he had gotten so sick during a leap he almost died. Everytime he woke up he was hoping to be back with Al, but all he ended up being was still in New Orleans. He was happy here, he had a family, friends, a good job, and a home. A body that was his in the past was once his again, but he wasn't living a life that was his own, he wasn't Sam Beckett. He was Dwayne Cassius Pride. He was being hidden by the government and living a life that wasn't fully his just so no one knew time travel had been discovered and invented.
He padded down the stairs into the kitchen like a tired bear just waking up from hibernation. “Pride? What's got you up?” The female’s voice caught his ears and he looked up from his single cup of coffee.
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up to see Merri, his partner and trusted friend. “What?” He tiredly croaked, sniffling a little.
Merri crossed her arms, looking at the man. “You need to be in bed. You're sick.”
“No. I need to find Al.” Sam grumbled, walking past Merri when she grabbed his arm.
“Dwayne.”
“Merri.”
She rolled his eyes and looked at him. “I'll do it for you. What's his name?”
“No. It's classified. Eyes Only.” Sam sniffled, glaring at Merri and coughing. “I gotta find Al.”
Merri stepped in front of Pride, pursing her lips together. “Pride, get some rest. I promise I'll help you later.” She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and sighed. “You've got a fever. Come on, go. Before I make Sonja bring you her vegan chicken soup.” He nodded and attempted to grab the coffee cup before his hand was slapped away from it. “I'm grabbing you tea. Go to bed.”
“Fine. What are you, Ziggy?” He mumbled below his breath, stalking back up to his room and collapsing on the bed. He sleepily closed his eyes, listening to the soft sounds of the city in the background. It didn't sound anything like Elk Ridge, he missed his hometown dearly but hadn't been there since his leap into Willie in ‘92.
“Dwayne? I brought you some tea.” He could hear Merri’s soft footsteps, ones that almost reminded him of Donna. He missed Donna so much these days, Linda would never have been able to make up for it, even with Laurel, who he loved so much. “Sit up, lazybones. You need to take the flu medicine now.”
He sat up a little and made a face at the pink liquid medicine. “Really?”
“It was the only one in the cabinet. LaSalle must've left it here last time he was sick.” Merri replied, handing him the tiny plastic medicine shot glass. “Take it and you get tea.”
“Okay. Fine.” Sam took the medicine into his hands and swallowed it all, almost gagging on it. He looked up and handed her the empty cup, smirking. “Give it.” She gave him the mug and he sipped at it happily. “Thank you.”
Merri sighed and looked at him. “Go back to sleep.”
“No. You told me you'll help me later. Get me my laptop.” Sam ordered, watching her. He held out his hands, shuffling so his legs were under the blanket.
“No.” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and looking at Sam.
“That is helping me.” Sam replied, reaching out his hands. “Come on, you promised.”
Merri huffed and growled. “Fine.” She handed him the laptop reluctantly and rolled her eyes. “Want more help?” She asked, looking at him with a soft sort of smile.
He patted the bed next to him. “Since you've taken to playing nurse, sure.”
Sam watched as Merri sat on the bed and made herself comfortable. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and sighed. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did, Merri.” The doctor smiled, running a hand through her hair.
“Whenever you're sick, you always want to find these people we've never heard of. Why?”
Sam considered her question for a moment, letting out a sigh. “They're old friends and well, I would explain more but it's really Top Secret level stuff you don't have access to.”
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Dwayne?”
“Mhm.” Sam sniffled, typing away at the laptop.
“Love you.”
“Love you too, Merri.” He replied, holding her close. He hated that he only knew her as Dwayne Pride and not who he really was, Sam Beckett. It always sounded wrong to him, but he had gotten used to it. Maybe one day he would tell her, but for now, he was Pride and always would be.
Before he knew it, Merri was asleep and he was still looking for his fellow Project Quantum Leap co-workers. He ran a hand through her hair, hoping to find something, anything, and that was when he did.
“Merri, wake up.” He gently urged her. “Merri.”
He shook the sleeping woman a little and watched as her eyes fluttered open. “What?”
“I found something.” He smiled widely, kissing her forehead. “I need-” his words were broken by a cough. “I need to talk to someone.”
“You're still sick. Want me to grab the phone?” Merri asked, pressing her hand to his forehead. “King, your fever hasn't gone down.”
“Well no shit, I'm a medical doctor I know these things.” Sam accidentally slipped out, then sneezing.
“Bless you. What did you say?” It was as if Merri forgot what he said after he sneezed.
Sam quickly recovered and realized she didn't notice what he said. “Nothing. Grab me my phone?”
“Yeah. It's downstairs. I'll go get it.” Merri got out of the bed and made her way downstairs.
“Now what does Bishop have to do with this? God I miss Ziggy for helping me with this kind of stuff.” Sam said, looking at the laptop’s screen. Bishop hadn't been read in until recently, but it hadn't made sense to him why. The project had been closed years ago, several people associated with the project had died for all he knew.
Merri returned with the cell phone and left so he could make the calls in private. He dialed in a number and pressed the call button, taking a deep breath as he did.
“Hello? Is this Admiral Calvicci’s office?” Sam asked, chewing his lip.
“This is the Admiral’s office. What can I do for you?” The person on the other side of the call replied.
“I'd like to speak to the Admiral. Tell him Doctor Beckett needs to talk to him.” He replied, dropping the slight accent he had developed while he lived in New Orleans.
“Please hold.” The woman replied.
“Oh boy…” Sam to listened to silence as he waited for Al, nervousness filling his stomach.
“Hello?” Al’s voice was more tired than usual, but it still sounded all the same.
“Al! It's me, Sam.” Sam excitedly replied, almost bouncing out of bed. “Oh god, I've missed the sound of your voice.”
“Sam?” His best friend’s voice picked up in a lighter tone. “Sam, you're alive? You sound like yourself, Sam!”
Both the men were almost on the verge of tears. “Oh, Al, God I missed you, buddy.”
“Yeah me too. Thanks for makin’ me think you were dead for so long.” Al replied with a teasing tone.
Sam laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, but the government seems to think I needed to go into hiding for a while.”
“Well it would've been nice if you called sooner, Sammy-boy.” Al replied, just happy to hear his old friend’s voice.
“Al, don't call me that.” Sam rolled his eyes and sighed. He had always hated Al’s nicknames for him.
“Alright. How about Doctor Beckett?”
“No one’s called me that in so long.” The last time he had been called that was when he and Al had switched places during a leap. He didn’t know how long it had been since then.
“What do they call you now?”
“Special Agent Dwayne Pride, King’s my nickname.” He explained with a smile and a sniffle. “I’m the king of New Orleans, Al.”
“FBI?”
“No, NCIS.”
“You're one of those nozzles?”
“Al.” Sam groaned.
“I'm kidding. They're better than the FBI.”
“I chose ‘em cause I wanted to be reminded of you when I went to work. You’re Navy. I was hoping we’d meet some day.” Sam smiled, knowing it was finally paying off. “Plus, I have access to all Navy records, for the most part.”
“So where are you Sam?”
“New Orleans.”
“You must have some babes with ya, huh?” Al laughed, something similar to when he used to leap and Al’s actions toward the women around where he leaped.
“You could say that.” Sam smiled, remembering his budding relationship with Merri. “Hey is Donna okay? I couldn't find her anywhere in these records.”
“Sam… Donna died.” Al’s voice was somber, knowing how much his friend had loved his wife and how much it had hurt to not know Donna during the project.
“What?”
“Car crash… not long after we closed the project.”
“No…” Sam’s voice trailed off, feeling tears welling up in his eyes at the thought of his wife’s death.
“Sam, she died loving you. That's all you need to know, right?”
“Yeah. I just… I have an ex-wife, a daughter, and a new girl in my life and now I find out my real wife is dead? Oh boy…”
“Sam, why don't you fly up here for a weekend? I can introduce you to the new recruit we were gonna use to find you.”
“You're serious? You were gonna leap another person?”
“Well, I explained myself to the president and he thought we couldn't have an American hero out where we couldn't get him.”
“You're… You're kidding!”
“No I am not. When have I ever lied to you?”
“Bishop, her name’s Ellie Bishop right?”
“You know her? You looked through the file?” Al’s voice was a little confused, how did Sam know who the new leaper was?
“Of course I did, it's my project.” Sam replied, pressing his lips together. “And yeah, I know her. She's one of my friend's students, uh, agents.”
“She's kinda like you.”
“I know. I've met her.”
“Well, make the trip up, we’ll teach you about Project Quantum Leap two point oh.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Maybe you should bring a New Orleans girl with you.”
“Al.”
“Sam. Bring your girl with you, come on.” Al urged, happy that Sam was doing good on his own.
“No, Al. She doesn't know about Sam.”
“You're Sam!”
“Not anymore, remember? Look, maybe next time, but for now this is between us and Bishop. Okay?”
“And Gushie and Beeks and Ziggy and Tina and Dr. Fuller.”
“And them.”
“This weekend?”
“Yeah. I'll come see you this weekend. Where are you at?” He didn’t care how far away it was, he wanted to see his friend.
“Norfolk.”
“Norfolk Shipyard?”
“Yeah well, things've changed. We might transfer the project later, but for now we're in Norfolk. We’ve managed to condense everything to be somewhat more portable.”
“Alright. I'm coming to see you Al.”
“I'll see you then, Sam.” Al laughed, excited to see Sam again for the first time in years. “I'm gonna give you a big ol’ hug.”
“I'm looking forward to it, Al.” He hung up the phone and set it down on the table. Sam leaped out of bed and ran downstairs to the office in nothing but his boxer shorts and an old t-shirt. He didn’t care that LaSalle and Percy were in the office too, he just wanted to see Al again. “Brody! I need a flight for one to Norfolk for this weekend!” Then he heard Percy’s giggle and sighed. “Oh boy…”