A Quantum Leap Fan Fiction Story, A Leap In Anger, by Rob Morris,
Rob4654@WebTv.Net, featuring characters owned and created by Belisarius
Productions and Marvel Comics

Epilogue-  Who Can Change The Course                          Of Mighty
Rivers?          

            
August 8, 2004- Pushy, insistent, and utterly incomprehensibly briliant
at 9 years old, Abigail Fuller the 2nd had full run of the government's
secret time management project, Quantum Leap. It's aim was to attempt to
keep track of the project's second successful leaper, and to make sure
that no other time projects ever emerged. Arguments about genies and
bottles aside, the uncertain technology was simply too dangerous for
anyone to gain. If it weren't for the sake of the 2nd leaper, the
project would have been scrapped, ironically, for being too successful.
A CIA file had literally tens of thousands of stories that spoke of
"times when people could do no wrong"- due to the confirmed and
speculated presence of Quantum Leapers. There was certain power even
bureaucrats didn't want, and this was it. Part of the reason for
Abigail's total access to the project was that she secretly handled all
bureaucratic questions by E-Tranz.  The bean-counters and paper-pushers
were kept happy without knowing the age of their contact. The other
reason, announced at Auntie Phenom's Faboo Millenium Party 3 years back,
was that she was the Project Head's Granddaughter. It had taken Sam and
Sammy a while to deal with this fact, but Abby had brought her mother
around by pointing out that, as secret Dads go, Princess Leia had it a
lot worse. Sometimes her youngish Grampa could be a pain, though, being
so wrapped up in his work that it was hard to wrap him around her
finger. But she got to spend the summer here instead of at Aunt Katie's,
so it was still possible. And if Grampa, failed her, Grandma would have
to do. Abby Fuller the 1st was long gone, but Donna Eleise-Beckett made
a great spoiler for a little girl. In fact, Donna would give Abby just
about anything if only she wouldn't call the young woman; "Gram?!" She
continued to look around, then saw her working at the titanium console
Al had given her as a gag gift "In case Sam and Dave decide to go at it
again". She loved her Grampa, but Abby always had more fun with Al-his
family was just so BIG! It was Al who had persuaded Sam to let Abby take
care of the "n'zels" as Al liked to call them and all their inquiries.
Once, they had to coax a sexually abused little girl out of her shell to
complete one of David's leaps. Then, it was Abby, not Grampa or Al, who
took the handlink and pretended to be the girl's imaginary friend
til' she identified her abuser. It was a taste of the excitement,
danger, joy and sadness that both Sam and David had had to endure. Abby
loved it-after all, it was in her genes. Still, she had to live in the
here and now, and in the here and now, Donna was ignoring her. Abby
walked up and screamed right in Donna's ear: "GRAM!"
Donna started, rubbed her ear, scowled, then scooped Abby up and started
to tickle her unmercifully, and the little girl loved it. She loved
playing with her "Gram" almost as much as she liked taking care of
Albert David Beckett, her two year-old uncle by Donna. "I asked you not
to call me that, " Donna told her little visitor. "But you ARE my
Grandma!" , protested Abby, "I love you". "Abby-Babble, I don't mind
BEING your Grandma, so long as you don't call me that. I'm kind of young
to be.."   Abby sunk her little head into Donna's chest "But that just
means you'll be around a long time. I like that." Dr. Eleise had to
concede, the kid knew how to play dirty pool. She wondered what
cigar-smoking friend had taught her how to manipulate her Grandparents
so well. To her 9-year-old mind, having won the argument, Abby changed
the subject. "Is he coming to his Birthday Party?" She meant Sam, of
course, this being his 51st birthday. Donna hesitated. "Grampa and Al
are working on something, honey, along with your Mom. It's really
important." That was an understatement. "Can I talk to Ziggy?", Abby
asked, testing a theory she had. Donna walked right in to the tiny
terror's trap. "Ziggy's tied up right now, kiddo. Same big thing."
Closing the trap, the 9-year-old said "Well, then. I'm going to talk to
the person in the waiting room. That's always fun!."  Slammed shut.
"The-the-person in the waiting room is sick, Abby. We don't want to risk
cross-infection from future to past".  "I got you, Gram! I already
checked out the waiting room, and the only one there is Mintie. Mmh!"
Donna had to laugh at that name. The first sign of Abigail's brilliance
had been a conversation that she overheard between Tina and Verbeena
about Gooshie's breath. No halitosis cure had ever had an effect on him,
but  Abby literally came up with something from her chemistry set that
did the trick. It's patent was the project' s major source of income.
>From then on, Abby said, Gooshie was Mintie, and, he, a good deal more
sensitive about the breath jokes then he ever let on, gladly took the
name to please his young helper. Stifling the laugh, Donna said "What
did Mintie tell You?"   "He didn't tell me anything, but he didn't need
to, either." Abby now actually seemed upset "Gram, where in time is he?
Where is Doctor Banner?" Having no answer, Donna said "7PM. Birthday 51.
Be there, Silly!" She mock-bonked the little one on the head. As she
left, Abby asked," Gram, should I say a prayer for David?"  Ready to
check on her extended family's efforts to locate the ex-Hulk turned
Leaper, Donna Eleise merely said "Honey, that sounds like a really good
idea."

                 "Well, then, he must have leaped through as himself. I
did it, when I came back. It's the only explanation."  Al listened to
Sam's words, but he wasn't buying-not entirely. "That nearly killed you
Sam. It was a month before you were up and around, three months before
you could get Ziggy's tracking program back up, and six before we could
even attempt to retrieve David-and each time..."  Sam frowned, "We had
to send him back, I know Al. He started dying, just like I did. And
Time, or whatever drives all this, wouldn't accept me or you-or anyone
else." When Sam said 'anyone else', Al knew what he was talking about.
"Sorry for the umpteenth time, Sam. How was I to know Abby was gonna
pull that on me? It's my girls-they taught her how to get away with
ANYthing. Heh-a 6-year old leaper. The implications are staggering!"
Al's amusement wasn't shared by Abby's grandfather, but he let it go,
and got back to the search for the timelost David Banner. "I should have
upgraded the tracking program, dammit, Al! We've become entirely too
dependent on the leapee as an aid to David's whereabouts. What if this
had happened to me? What then?"  Al said, without a hint of hesitation,
"We would have found you, Sam. End of what if. We would have found you."
Sam seemed to calm a bit, at that. "I know you would have, Al. But the
entire reason for David going and me staying was that, presumably, being
Quantum Leap's creator, I should be able to better help the leaper. That
scenario hasn't emerged." Al waved his hands in a dismissive gesture.
"Like hell, it hasn't happened, Sam. Your experience as Leaper and mine
as guide has speeded things up for Banner on so many occasions, it seems
like we're in and out faster. Almost as though,well.." Al grew silent,
but Sam had the same thought, and completed it.  "Almost as though David
is somehow a better leaper than I ever was. It's all right, Al. I have
no ego on the subject." Al took out his cigar. "Right, Sam, no Ego on
the subject. And before Beth, I was a one-woman single guy, without any
roving eyes." The sarcasm was fairly overflowing, and Sam was glad it
wasn't acid. "All right, so I do wonder about it. I do ask why my old
friend does a better job of staying on target than I ever did. I
sometimes feel jealous, and then resent myself for it. I think of all
the people he's helped, and I feel stupid and petty."  Al wouldn't allow
Sam's self-pity to go unchecked. "Somebody else is better-possibly
better-than you at something you put your life into, and you wonder why
you're jealous! Worse, you wonder why he has an easier path! Simple,
Sam! I'm ashamed of you for not thinking of it yourself."  Sam sat down,
and bid Al do the same. Al sat with the chair turned around, as always.
Then he began,"One-He has us. Don't you dare discount that. Experience
helps. A lot. Two-He spent over a decade keeping his secret. He knows
how to fit in so well it seems like he belongs there, like he's always
been there. Leaping into a person already in that situation only
enhances what I called his instant friend power. It has the same effect
on people here at the project. Sometimes we forget your time away, and I
apologize for that. But David Banner did us all such a big favor by
letting you come back, our gratitude overwhelms us. If we take you for
granted, its only because Banner's favor made things right again here at
the project-and you are its heart. Never forget that. Lastly, the
unknown force wanted him-and somehow, I think it wanted him for
something only he could do. Not you, not me-eh, maybe Abby, someday, but
not now." Sam smiled but shook his head, "That'll be the Day!" Sam knew
Abby had it in her to be a leaper, in fact was the direct descendant of
a successful leap. But thinking of sending his little heart into
eternity made him repeat, "That'll be the day, Al. Oh-did you get the
tickets?" Al pulled out his wallet, and flashed those selfsame tickets.
"All ours, Sammy. Buddy Holly and All the Original Crickets, with a
special appearance by Governor Valens-Presidential campaign allowing."
Sam and Al  sang together "If you knew-Peggy Sue-then you'd know why I
feel blue-bout' Peggy-my Peggy Sue. Peggy Sue-Peggy
Sue-Pretty-pretty-pretty-pretty Peggy Sue".  Although David Banner was
still on their minds, they laughed their first laugh in days. A
combination of David's stubbornness and Al's piloting skills had made
this concert possible. "I kept telling him to leap, Sam, but no go. All
I saw was that snow and that Iowa cornfield. But David stuck it through.
A bad touchdown, and some frostbite, and we still lost the Big
Bopper...but I remember the first time I heard the   Valens/Holly duet
'And the Snow All Around'. I still get goosebumps."  That David had been
a force in musical history as well only redoubled the resolve in Sam and
Al's hearts to find him. But for now, "Ziggy's workin' teratime on this
one, Sam. So let's you and I abscond to a big old, surprise-type
birthday party before some angry female-types drag us in by our- "Al!"
"Heh! Still a bit of a prude, Sam! Good to know some things don't
change."  Putting aside for 5 hours their quest for their missing
friend, Sam and Al went to fill up on cake, cold cuts, and
companionship. David Banner was still a presence, though, one nobody
wanted to shake-or could, if they tried. In the background, Don Mclean's
classic "American Pie" spoke wistfully of "The Day the Music Joyed".


August 8, 1943- Whenever I Quantum Leap, I feel the displacement of the
other, whoever they are. Sometimes, I just sense them. Other times, if
they are particularly good or particularly evil, I feel that, too. In
this case I felt nothing. DId this person die? Or, I was forced to
admit, was there no one else? I was outside a tavern, a nice, if
worn-down Bar and Grill, somewhere in what looked like a mining town.
Entering, I recieved a shock. The face in the Mirror. It was not a
woman's face, a disfigured face, or any ethnicity not my own. The person
looked familiar, and yet-I hadn't seen it in five years-by one measure
of counting time. The face in that mirror, there could be no doubt was
my own face-the well kept 61-year-old face of Doctor David Bruce Banner.
Even more remarkable, the "swiss cheese" Al's term-that was my memory
was clearing up rapidly. I suddenly remembered everything and everyone.
Having been a fan of John Lennon's music since I stopped a demented
autograph seeker from taking his life in late 1980, I just started
"There are faces I remember..." Suddenly, a voice completed, "Some are
dead, and some are living, in my life, I've loved them all." I turned to
see my backup was the innkeeper/bartender. "You like the Beatles?", I
asked, hoping for a clue to my time location. "My name's Al, and yes, I
always have. What's your name, stranger?" I went to lie, but the
bartender was so very friendly, so casually nice, I couldn't. "David
Bruce Banner. Although I haven't always used that. " Why was I telling
this man all this? Why did I trust him? Why did I feel like I had come
home? What this new Al rattled off next put me even more off my balance.
"Brewster, Banyan, Beckett, Brill, Bunman, Bauman, Mcginty, O'Reilly,
Mahoney, O'Malley, Mcallen, Malone. Sorry. I just loved that old song.
You know, about the Irish immigrant who returns to his home and family.
His mother lists all the neighbors names rapid-fire."  But, "Al, some of
those names were ones I used at one time";I raised my voice slightly;"
How could you know?" The barkeep looked casually, and said, "Don't Hulk
out on me, David. I like my tavern intact, thank you very much." I could
tell he was joking by his jovial face, but I still protested, "I don't
become the Hulk anymore, I'm cured, I have been for five-How do you know
about me? About the Hulk?" Washing a glass, Al merely said "Oh, word
gets around, David. You know." No, I didn't know. I was taken aback in a
way I hadn't been since first seeing a picture of the Hulk and knowing
it was me. "You look flushed, David. Howzabout a tall, frosty Coke,
along with a grilled ham and cheese-no,no-It's on the house. Take about
15 minutes. Walk around, take my little place in. I think you'll become
intrigued. The food and drink sounded very good, but "I think its a
little late for me to become intrigued, Al." The big man seemed to
respond to any humor very well, like he had invented it. Perhaps he had.
Wandering his place, I thought I saw the aforementioned faces I
remembered. It was always out of the corner of my eye, though, never
straight up. One woman I did see was a dead ringer for Donna
Eleise-Beckett, talking to thin air in a very familiar way. "No, Beth, I
do NOT want to know what they say about a man's shoe size. With comments
like that, why Al waited for you to return is a mystery to..." She
stopped, looked at me. "David Banner-Marks? But Elena and you died in
the fire associated with She-Thing back in..Beth, stop sizing him
up!NOW!" Both this Donna and her invisible libidinous friend just
vanished in a familiar wave of blue light I sometimes saw in mirrors as
I leaped. I heard voices outside the tavern. It was Al and Sam! I heard
Al say "Gonna get you out of here, Sam! I promise!", then he vanished,
through the doorway. Sam remained behind. I ran to him, "Sam, over here!
Oh, God, it's been so strange! I am glad to see you!" I noted him
staring at me much the way the other Donna had. Shaking his head, he
said, "David Banner, you, too? What is this? Is everyone I ever knew
here? Al, what is this place?" I hadn't noticed Al#2 was with us.
"David, your food is ready. Sam, let's talk."  As I went in, I noticed
Al shaking Sam's hand. He was no hologram! Before Sam vanished, I heard
Al say, "God Bless, Sam." I knew somehow that there was a lull in mining
activity in the town, due to an accident, just as I knew those other
people I saw WERE Sam, Al, and Donna-just not the ones I knew. As I ate
the best Coke and Grilled Cheese with ham combo I had ever had, I also
knew something else-It was August 8, 1943, my date of birth.The Beatles
Al claimed to love were toddlers in WW2  Britian. Finishing my meal, I
said out loud, "August 8, 1943 isn't the date. It's a doorway, an access
point to-" Al was back behind the counter. "My tavern".  He became
slightly more serious. "David, usually I  go through some formalities
with my guests. But in your case, I'm going to make an exception. Here
are some-sorry-incomplete answers. But you'll get some mileage out of
them, I promise you that."  I had been awaiting these answers for some
time, ever since my failure to stop Princess Diana's car accident, so I
listened in rapt  attention.