Part 3-The Book Of David

           He had never had trouble fitting into the many places he
visited in the course of his search. Sometimes, the problem was, he had
fit in all too well. There were always the aforementioned violent folk,
but they were ususally self-defeating and avoidable, and in any event
only encountered on the odd jobs he had to take on his way to jobs in
his chosen profession. He would hit it off quickly, and labs with heavy
workloads would rarely question the extra help, or they would put those
questions aside, along with any calls to the authorities, till work was
done or he had to run. He had made his personality a virtual isotope, a
random element that was more like the established crew than the
established crew were like themselves. He would cover for anyone who
needed it, both to ingratiate himself and to gain those rare, precious
moments alone, those moments when security would be waved away and
admonitions about workaholism would mean he was one step closer to
rebirth. As much as the acceleration or restriction of cellular mitosis,
blending in was his job, and, he realized again, there were times he did
it not well enough. It was the secret. Never mentioned, rarely shared,
people on either side of the secret sensed the distance it created, and
could not help but resent it, particularly in light of his admittedly
glad-handing efforts to fit in. It was either that, or, like an isotope,
his existence was eventually noted and isolation began. He worked so
hard at fitting in so well, that someone would almost have to step back
and wonder what was wrong with this picture. His employers had done
this;so had Donald Blake. Once again, it was the secret. For all his
efforts, his actions were still directed by protection of the secret,
and that, in the end, had been such a tag on him, he might as well wave
a war-hammer like Blake's alter-ego. Matt Murdock and David's beloved
Chameleon knew how to out-and-out dissappear. He didn't, and, until that
wonderful day his running stopped, he never would. 
  
                    Here at Quantum Leap, though, everyone knew,
everyone understood and everyone appreciated his help without any
reservation at all. David wasn't sure he'd be so receptive if someone
wrecked his living room. If David still had his faith, he'd say that Sam
had created paradise here in the desert. Nothing had calmed him like his
talks with former student Verbeena Beeks, whom he kicked himself for not
remembering. Ziggy absolutely blew his mind, so much that he never once
broached the subject of a cure. His talks with Dr. Beeks, though, were
all about his efforts to find a cure, and her psychologist's mind was
just as interested in those blending in efforts as her physicist's mind
was in that end of it. Even before he told her, she knew that way of
life had built-in brick walls,  "So this time, you decided not to go
with the 'genius from nowhere' routine, am I right?" David was amazed at
her intuition, but was determined to challenge her. "Okay, Dr.Beeks,
let's say I decided not to become Dr. David Bunionpad this time. How did
I gain access to the lab? What was my deception?" Although it was about
how expert a liar he had become, David smiled. He was enjoying this.
Verbeena was stumped. She looked over to Tina, who was almost
eavesdropping, and gave a look that asked for help. Not getting that
help, she posited: "Well, a genius sticks out like a sore thumb. Those
"I don't know nothin' bout' nothin' " big lug types are the first people
security checks. So you were neither Einstein nor Curly Howard. Hmm..."
She gave Tina a "Now!" look, and this time Tina did try. "Oh, geez. I
wasn't listening to everything you guys said...I know what you didn't
do...Oh, God, I am stumped..." Verbeena wasn't buying it. At Sam's
urging, Tina had dropped her "bubbles" act years ago, upon realizing the
attracted but happily married Al Calavicci was not coming around. More
likely, taking care of her goddaughter, Al's youngest, for the weekend
had run her ragged. But Verbeena wanted to wipe David's smile away, and
she wasn't proud in taking help to do it. Tina tried dithering her way
out again, "Oh, I am so mentally challenged....Mentally challenged", she
said, nearly jumping, "You pretended to be someone with a perfectly
innocent lack of acumen, someone who they would dismiss entirely!"
David's smile actually grew broader as he shook Tina's hand. Her wit
with a disguise reminded him of the beautiful lady spy who had dragged
him off that broken runway, forced him to heal at great risk to herself,
initiating the change, and then left to reclaim her own life as he
reclaimed his. Thinking about the past made him even more anxious to
talk to Ziggy again-about a great many things. They left Verbeena Weeks
alone, not hearing her say: "Well, I was going to say unappreciated lab
assistant".