GOTHIC LEAP By Philippa Chapman Author's preamble: This is a crossover story between QL and American Gothic. Viewers of the latter will know how menacing it could be. I hope to capture that same spirit, whilst hanging on to QL themes. So this may well turn out unsuitable for younger readers. Please be sensible and don't read on if you're at all of a nervous disposition. You could say this is another look at The B**giem*n, guessing at what Sherrif Lucas Buck probably is. But this time Sam has to deal with it/him on a much more personal level..... ************************************ PART 1/3 'You say, all you need is time. I reach for time, but it just leaves no choice....' Adrian Snell, singer/songwriter: 'Reach Me.' Sam floated gently in the place between the leaps. It was warm, silent and peaceful. His body, his soul rocked gently surrounded by blue and white nothingness. He felt something touch his hand. The touch was gentle, reassuring. Sam opened his eyes. A face looked down at him. "This time's going to be hard, Sam. I know who you're going to face. Watch the boy, Sam....and watch Miss Coombs, too. Be strong until the morning. I'll be there, watching you." Sam thought the voice sounded feminine; tinged with a Southern drawl....but it was so dreamlike here that he couldn't be sure of anything. He felt the Leap surging through his body and reality rushed up to greet him. He was standing with his back propped up against a car. A few golden and red leaves scurried along the road in front of him. Fall, then....but it was still rather warm for October or November. Sam smelt the air. "I'm in the South somewhere....there's a difference in the breeze. it's humid, too." He pulled himself off the car and looked down at himself,"I'm in the law-enforcement business again. No problem with that." Sam bent down to take a look at himself in the overtaking mirror. Brown hair, hazel eyes....a pleasant enough masculine face. It would do just fine. Sam straightened up and looked across the road. 'FULTON COUNTY SHERRIF'S OFFICE' read the sign on the low building in similar khaki brown shades to his uniform. "Looks like I landed outside my headquarters. I'd better go in and see if I can glean any more information before Al turns up." Sam walked across the street and through the door. Another brown-haired man stood up as he came in, but said nothing. [He's a loser. Ben Healy was and always will be a loser.] "You're a loser, Ben." The words were out of his mouth before he knew it. The other man dropped his gaze and sat down, defeated. Sam walked through to the back of the office on autopilot, shocked and disturbed. He looked again in another mirror on the wall of the inner office. [Sorry to surprise you, Sam. I've been meaning to meet you for some time.] "What the *hell*?" Al appeared beside Sam's elbow. He looked tired, harrassed and he was still doing up his multi-colored tie. Sam looked at the outfit: a symphony in emerald green this time and a waistcoat in what looked suspiciously like gold lurex. "No need to swear, Sam. I got here as quickly as I could. The man you Leaped into is unconscious." [Of course. I'm here with you, Sam.] Sam turned to Al with fear in his eyes. "I've got the Leapee talking to me in my head, Al. Somehow he stayed here." [It was nothing. I have good reasons for letting you share my life for a while.] Al punched his Handlink while Sam tried to control his reactions. "According to this, you're Sherrif Lucas Buck, age uncertain...but he's been Sherrif for at least twenty years." Sam looked back in the mirror. "Well, he either started very young, or he ages well." [Very close, Doctor Beckett. Your familiar is spot on with the name, though.] "Good grief, he can hear or see you, Al." Al looked up at Sam, his brow furrowing with concern. [Right on both counts. Give my regards to Ziggy while you're at it. I would be interested in having her help here in Trinity....not that I really *need* it most of the time.] Sam gasped with shock and sat down on the floor. Al hunkered down beside him, his face full of concern. "This isn't going to be easy for either of you, but I'm going to do my best to get you out of this mess somehow." [How gallant. How selfless. I'm sorry, Sam; I want to play house with you for a while.] Sam blanched and swallowed, hard. "Ohh, boy," he whispered hoarsely,"Ohhh, boyyy." Fear started to color Al's face, then anger. "If you screw Sam up, buddy, I will personally take you apart with my bare hands." Lucas' reply spilled out of Sam's mouth. "[You can't touch *me* and that body you've got back at the project is rather necessary to Sam getting home.]" Al's eyes blazed. "You're .another evil Leaper, aren't you?" "[You have no idea, Albert Calavicci. Check the date.]" Al fixed Sam with a stare that held both concern and deep mistrust as he punched the Handlink. "It's 1996...October....Ohmygod....the 31st!" Fear came back into Al's eyes, then they narrowed,"We dealt with *you* before....I think. Wasn't once enough?" "[But this is Trinity....this is *my* town. I'm strong here...]" then Sam's face showed him struggling to regain control of his own will and vocal chords,"Get out of my head....for God's sake, stop this." [As someone once said, it ain't over till it's over.] Sam began to recite thr Lord's prayer,[Oh, very well, you can have your pathetic body back for a while, but I *will* be back, I promise.] Sam looked at Al as Lucas' presence retreated. His face was white and strained. Beads of perspiration dotted his brow as he sucked air slowly into his lungs. He didn't know what to say. "It's okay, Sam. I'll stay right here.....whatever it takes until *he* goes away or you leap." Al's face showed he was scared despite his brave words. "He's gone...or let go...at least for a while. Is he.....I mean, I know only too well what I *think* he is....he certainly retreated at the Lord's prayer." "No idea, Sam. If only I was wearing my cross...." "I have a sneaking suspicion he might not be affected by it. I'll cope, Al. But if I start behaving out of character....or doing things that are positively evil...." Sam gave Al a significant look. "Yeah, I know. I'll do my best to stop you, Sam. I can pray, too." Sam regarded Al carefully, knowing how much that would cost his friend. Sam pulled himself slowly to his feet and went and sat behind the desk. "Okay....have I got anything else apart from *him* to deal with?" Al bent over the Handlink as the door opened and a woman slowly walked in, through Al. He looked up, the traveled back round the front for a better view. He whistled appreciatively. "Wow! This is Ms Selena Coombs, the local school teacher...good grief, if they'd had school teachers looking like her when I was a kid...and she and you know who are lovers....brace yourself, Sam." Selena undulated slowly across the office, oblivious to Al who was drooling helplessly right next to her. Selena parked herself decoratively on the desk and put her feet up, revealing a good deal of her legs. She leant over the desk seductively towards Sam, who was swallowing nervously. "I just thought I'd give you a little down payment on tonight, sugar." Selena's voice was a slow drawl of temptation. Al groaned softly. "Ohhh, that voice.... she could seduce a guy reciting Latin....vidi, vici, vene...." Sam cleared his throat. "I think it's vene, vidi, vici," he muttered, just so Al could hear. Al's grin widened as Selena stroked Sam's face. "I know *exactly* what I said.....and if her kisses are anything like the rest, you'd better hold onto your hat, kid." Selena caught hold of Sam's tie and reeled him in, helpless, like a mouse hypnotised by a cat. She kissed him slowly and thoroughly. Sam tried to be passive, but caved in after a few seconds and kissed her back. "We're going to play apple bobbing later, aren't we, honey?" she whispered against Sam's open lips. "Ohh, my...." Al murmured,"I never thought Halloween could be sexy until now." Sam was on the point of moving in for a second helping of Selena's kisses when his brain caught up with whose lover she was. He broke away firmly, but with some lingering reluctance. "That's enough until tonight, Selena. I am on duty, you know." Selena stood up slowly and gracefuly, smoothing her skirt over her thighs as she did so. Al drank in every move she made. "You sure know how to keep a girl waiting, Lucas. It wasn't always like that, though, was it, sugar? There was a time when you used to lock the door and take me in your arms....." She touched the desk again. Sam's eyes widened as he understood and Al's eyes flashed eagerly. "Oh, Saaaam....if I was in your place...." Selena strolled out of the office and closed the door. "You're forgetting whose lover she is, Al. Would you *really* make love with a woman who might have been with a devil?" Pain sliced through Sam's head and he collapsed on the floor, close to fainting. Al bent over him in concern. "What is it, Sam? Is *he* back?" Sam couldn't speak. He curled up in a foetal position, his head a raging torment of white-hot agony that kept him just this side of unconsciousness. [You will not use that word again, Sam. My name is Lucas. Do you understand?] The pain evaporated as rapidly as it had arrived. Sam's face was grey with strain, but he managed to pull himself slowly upright. "Yes, he's back, Al. He told me not to use *that word* again." "Which...? Oh, I see," Al's eyes narrowed angrily,"A bit too close to the truth, eh? You *nozzle*." Sam gasped as Al collapsed just like he did. He bent over Al with a mixture of deep concern and anger. "Let him go, dammit! He's just trying to protect me...." Al sat up slowly, his face deathly pale. He spoke past gritted teeth. "Sorry, buster. I've known worse pain than that......pain that went on for days. I've already been to Hell.....you won't get me *that* way." Sam knew exactly what Al was referring to. Al's face relaxed as the pain evidently went away. "Are you okay?" It was a dumb thing to ask, but Sam was shocked that Lucas had somehow been able to affect Al. "Yeah, I'm okay now, Sam," Al looked at Sam with tender concern,"Imagine that, trapped in one of those cages with guys being forced to play Russian roulette...." Sam moved as close to Al as he could. "I saw the movies, Al. I can guess what it was like.....I saw it too, remember? I was there for a little while." "Yeah, I know...." Al got up slowly,"Still wish I had my cross...or some holy water or something." "I have a feeling I'm not going to be able to get *near* anything like that, Al." Sam ran his hand through his hair as Al consulted his Handlink. "Apparently, your next task is to pick a young boy called Caleb Temple up from school. The lad was orphaned recently and Lucas has been acting as a kind of father figure to him.....and I definitely *don't* like the sound of that. Caleb has a cousin called Gail Emory who moved here some time ago to keep an eye on him and.....my goodness, the lucky son-of-a- bitch; Lucas has been playing house with *her* too." [A strange title, but I don't mind. Both ladies have their.....attractions. You've seen Selena already. Miss Emory on the other hand...so upright, so righteous, so keen for justice and so *hot* underneath.] "Stop it, Lucas, please." Sam spat the words out. "Boasting of his prowess, is he?" Sam nodded. "Yeah, something like that...but not like you, Al. I don't want you to think I'd put you in the same category as *him*." "I'm older than he is. I've enjoyed the company of far more women, I bet...and they *always* enjoyed mine." [A man after my own heart. And actually, I've known hundreds.] Sam bristled angrily. "Al may well have made love with hundreds of women for all I know, but there's genuine respect and appreciation when he talks about them....your tone of voice is different; it's as if you couldn't care less." "Aw, Sam. I didn't think you'd noticed." [Why should I *care*? You pick a peach, you consume it and throw away the stone.....they all came to me willingly, you know. It's power....such a potent aphrodisiac.] Sam blinked with shock. "My goodness, Lucas is a regular Don Juan....I wonder who his Mephistopheles was." [Actually, I didn't have one of those.....but the analogy is close enough. All the power and women I want and need, right here in Trinity.] Sam walked out to the patrol car and got inside. Al gave him directions to the school, which Sam followed. Lucas seemed to have retreated again. Neither Sam nor Al noticed the large black crows sitting on each telegraph pole, watching them intently as they drove by. Meanwhile, in Fulton County Hospital, Doctor Billy Peel sat slumped with his head in his hands in the Laboratory. Since Selena had gone crawling back to Lucas, his life had become hollow. He'd worked through the pain of rejection and betrayal; indeed he'd made himself go through it for his own sake as well as for the patients under his care. Now all that was left was the space where his heart used to be. "Your heart's still there, Billy. I'm watching you, too," Merlyn drifted unseen through the laboratory and stood behind Doctor Peel,"It wasn't love. You know that now....she was bound to Lucas years ago. I'm doing what I can and so is Sam Beckett. If we hold on, there may be some redemption in the morning." Merlyn gently blew at the pages of a medical journal near Doctor Peel. The journal opened on an artical on his specialist subject, tropical diseases. He picked up the journal and began to read, first almost automatically, then with growing interest. Merlyn watched as he devoured the article, then went back to the beginning to see who had written it. Merlyn heard him read out the name. "Doctor Laura Maclean.....based in M'zola. That's only a few hundred miles away from where I was working. I wonder if she's cracked the bilhartsia problem....." Billy began to make notes eagerly. Merlyn smiled and vanished. Meanwhile, Sam pulled up outside the school. Ms Coombs slinked out of the front door and held it open for the children. "I don't care if she's Lucas' lover, that woman is sheer temptation." "Al, we're here to pick up the kid, remember?" A young boy of around 11 or 12 came over to the car. He had dark brown hair and eyes and black eyebrows set in what looked like a permanent frown. "You come to pick me up, Sherrif?" "Yes, that's right. Are you going trick-or-treating tonight?" "I might." Sam tried again. "Well, have you got a costume, son?" The eyebrows lowered completely. "I am *not* your son!" Sam nearly choked and Al consulted his Handlink. "Er....well, we've got nothing on that, Sam. His mother died in suspicious circumstances after he was born.....he had an elder sister, Merlyn, but she died too...their father killed her." [He's my son, alright. A chip off the old block.] Sam covered himself by concentrating on driving the car. Leaves piled up around the wheels of the car, then were sucked away into patterns on the tarmac. If Sam or Al had looked at the patterns closely, they might have recognised certain arcane symbols of power, including pyramids, pentagrams and the all-seeing eye..... By the time Sam had pulled up outside the boarding house where Caleb lived, he was feeling tired. Lucas' presence in his mind felt heavy; it was as much as he could do to concentrate on one thing at a time. Sam and Al followed Caleb into the boarding house. A striking African American woman met them. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Sam. "I don't think you ought to be here, Sherrif." Sam's vocal chords responded without his conscious control again. "[And what are you going to do about it?]" "I have my ways....Now get out of here, please." "[You're not even going to offer me a coffee?]" "You delivered the boy safely, for which I am grateful. I have to cook extra for Ms Emory. She only just got out of the Hospital, Sherrif." Al consulted his handlink while watching Sam. "Sam, please....you're starting to act out of character. Try not to let him have control..." Sam turned to Al with a supreme effort, the muscles and sinews in his neck straining under the tension. "I'm trying, Al." He spat the words out before his head was wrenched savagely back. "You stop your tricks in my house, Sherrif." "It says here that Gail Emory just had a miscarriage....it was Lucas' baby." "[It was my son she was carrying. I think that gives me a right to see her.]" The landlady lifted her broom up defensively. "No-one sees Ms Emory until I say so." Caleb turned and began kicking Sam's shins. "You said I was your son! Why did you have to get Gail pregnant too?" Sam felt and saw his left arm snake out and pick Caleb up by his shirt collar at the back of his neck and hold him up, kicking and screaming at arms' length. "[I wasn't sure you'd want to follow in my footsteps. I gave myself a little insurance policy.]" Sam felt a strange thrill of power running through his body as he continued to hold Caleb up effortlessly. The feeling was seductive; he felt capable of anything. [YES! That's it, Samuel Beckett. Feel what it's like to have real power. Think of all the good you could do here in Trinity with power like that.] Sam looked at Caleb. He could see *inside* the boy's body. His medical mind scanned every organ, blood vessel and nerve from the toes in Caleb's feet to the tip of his head, pausing only briefly on the way to prevent appendicitis, tonsilitis and several childhood diseases from ever affecting the boy. He slowly lowered Caleb to the floor, knowing that he'd done his best to keep him alive and well for the forseeable future. Sam didn't question how he could do these things, his eyes had already moved to the landlady. She tried to resist, but Sam held her helpless with just a look of his eyes. There was more wear and tear to deal with, including the potential for brittle bone syndrome and uterine cancer, but all melted away even as he detected them. The lanlady sank to the floor, fanning herself as Sam raced up the stairs towards Gail Emory. Al followed, trying to get through to Sam, but he was deaf to everything but the adrenalin-like rush of power and doing good running through his body. Gail was in her room asleep in bed. Sam bent over her gently. "She's *beautiful*." Gail's dark brown hair spilled over the pillow, her face pale in the semi-darkness. Sam's eyes searched through her body, mending the last of the after-effects of her miscarriage, then up to her mind. Gail was lost and troubled, disturbed by her helpless attraction to Lucas. "My goodness, she loved him, Al." Al shrugged. "Well, it takes all sorts. I guess Lucas could have any woman he wanted." "Yes, but *love*, Al?" Gail's eyes flickered open and Sam gazed into their dark brown depths. She flinched a tiny bit, then smiled. "You made me better, Lucas.....now please go away. I need to sleep." Sam drew away and went out into the dark corridoor with Al. Suddenly, to his surprise, Sam could see inside Al. "Al, I can see inside *you*....but that's not possible is it? I mean, you're not really here..." Al backed away nervously. "You may well have the power to heal people, even me; but I don't like where it's coming from. I'm not sure if I want to be grateful to you- know-who." "Don't be silly, Al," Sam smiled warmly,"I can finally do something for you....for that potential stomach ulcer and your lungs....no more tar, Al. They're as clear as a newborn baby's now. And as for the scarring on your body....it's gone," Al tried to back away, but Sam had all the hypnotic power of Lucas at his disposal and Al couldn't move,"Your liver's back to normal and now the scars in your mind...." "You stay out of my mind, Sam. You may be my best friend but there are some places I'd rather you didn't...." Al was cut short as Sam closed in eagerly. Sam was beginning his 'treatment' when Merlyn drifted slowly through the wall and Al almost yelled. Sam's attention was immediately diverted to Merlyn. "That's enough, Sam. You're doing more harm than good." "Who or what in holy hell are you?" Merlyn smiled beautifully at Al. "I'm Merlyn, Caleb's sister. I'm watching over him, just like you're watching over Sam." Al's eyes narrowed speculatively. "But you're *dead*! You can't be a hologram!" Merlyn laughed softly. "Not exactly, no; but there's no need to be afraid. I can't and won't hurt you." Sam recovered himself. "Why can't I heal Al? He's helped me and saved my life more than once. I owe him a lot....it seems only fair that I should reward him." "Yes, Sam; but not this way. The power you're using to heal people is having repercussions. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, Sam. It's started raining already. Look out of the window, Sam. Those illnesses and afflictions had to go somewhere and now they're outside, in Trinity." "Do I know you? You seem incredibly familiar." Merlyn smiled. "Be strong until the morning, Sam." He looked intently into Merlyn's huge dark brown eyes and remembered. "So there *is* a heaven..." She shook her head. "Not heaven, exactly. A place from which you and I and the other Leapers can return." Sam stretched out his hand experimentally, but it went straight through Merlyn and her white dress. "You're not a Leaper...are you?" "No, Sam; but there are other Leapers. You are not alone. Look out of the window, Sam." Sam drew aside the net curtain and crouched down to look. It certainly was raining....indeed it was virtually hailing. Hard white hailstones bounced off the sidewalk and the tarmac of the road amongst the raindrops. As Sam watched, the ratio of hailstones increased dramatically until the street outside was deluged in hail, which grew larger and larger. "I don't think the kids are going trick-or-treating in *that*," Al commented. The hail clattered down tirelessly and unceasingly. Then the wind got up and huge drifts were blown along the street, almost like snow flurries. Random patterns evolved and displayed themselved momentarily on the tarmac. "That looks like a fern...no, it's a DNA double helix....now it's trying to look like a Mandlebrot set....or the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral." Merlyn looked at Sam significantly as the patterns began to resemble more religious symbols. Al goggled as he recognised some from his Catholic background and his time married to Ruthie. "Sam, this is really spooky...I saw a Menora a minute ago, then the Star of David, then the cross of the Knights Templar....what the hell is happening here?" Merlyn crossed over to stand closer to Al, who hovered uncertainly between trying to be gallant and moving away. "Hell is part of what it is, Al. The forces of light and darkness are using this time and place as one of their battlegrounds. Keep watching." "*Are* you a ghost?" Merlyn smiled warmly and reached out a slender hand and *touched* Al, who jumped as though he'd been stung by a wasp. "How in the name of....how did you *do* that?" "I'm outside time, just like you, Al. It's lonely, having no-one to hold, isn't it?" Al looked at Merlyn, still very warily. "You're young enough to be my gran....my daughter. Anyway, I've gotta keep my eyes on Sam and that *nozzle* he's doing time-share with." "[Speaking of whom...]" Sam's head was whirled away from the window and he looked at Merlyn as Lucas spoke through him,"[I should have guessed that you'd turn up sooner or later]" Fire came from Sam's eyes and hit Merlyn in her midriff. The force of the blast carried her across the room and plastered her against the wall. "You keep your hands off her!" Al shouted at Lucas/Sam. "[I see you've overcome your aversion to dead people.]" "Just let her go, dammit!" As Merlyn slowly slumped down to the floor, she raised her right hand and Sam went down, pushed or dragged across the carpet by unseen forces until he reached the top of the stairs. He groaned softly and sat up, holding his head. "Lucas has gone....I think. Thank-you, Merlyn. I went a bit crazy there for a while, didn't I?" Al looked at Sam, then Merlyn. "You're not kidding! What happens now?" Al's hands were shaking slightly as Sam went back to the window. "By all that's holy....what on Earth is going on out there?" Al and Merlyn made their way over, but now Al kept Sam between himself and Merlyn, just in case. The hailstones had been formed into huge random piles in the street, which undulated softly in the growing gloom. All three pairs of eyes were drawn to the nearest pile, which seemed to be throbbing and emitting a dull, regular glow of faint white light. Al clutched his Handlink like a talisman. One of the largest hailstones at the top began to crack apart with agonising slowness. "As long as it isn't the 'Alien' in there, I don't mind." "Shush, Al. Whatever it is, I don't think we can stop it." Both Sam and Al spoke without taking their eyes off the scene. The hailstone continued to crack and split, then suddenly fell apart. The three onlookers gasped reflexively, then bent closer to the glass. From out of the hollow in the middle of the hailstone came a green tentacle, which waved blindly in the night, then crawled out slowly down the pile and into the drain. "Ugh, green worms! Well, it could have been worse, I suppose..." Sam could tell that Al was barely covering his fear with a veneer of joking. As they continued to watch in horrid fascination, more of the worms hatched out all over the street and disappeared. The second they were all gone, the hailstones melted away like frost in Springtime under bright sunlight. "I've got to go now, but I'll be back, Sam. Keep an eye on Caleb for me." Merlyn vanished through the window. As hard as they both looked, neither Sam nor Al could see her anywhere in the street. "I really don't know how I'm going to write *this* leap up for the Senate committee." Sam grinned inspite of the knot in his stomach. "Yes, you'd better watch it, or Verbeena will have you thrown in a padded cell." "As long as I get a cute nurse to give me bed baths every day, I reckon I could cope with that!" Sam shook his head, even as he felt himself laughing. "You just keep hanging on in there, Al. Halloween's not over yet...." "Yeah, I know...don't I know it. It's barely suppertime...traditionally this should all end around midnight when we go through to All Saint's Day. I hope we can make it till then." "So do I, Al. So do I." Sam slowly picked himself up and walked back downstairs. Caleb and the rest of the household were eating supper as if nothing had happened. "I'm keeping the boy here, Sherrif." It was the landlady, her tone fierce and defiant. "Er...you do that. I don't think anyone should go out tonight; there's been reports of adverse weather about." It didn't help Al much that he was trying to light a cigar to calm his nerves at this point. "Adverse weather, indeed! Ha! That's a good one, Sam!" he spluttered. Sam was going to get into Lucas' patrol car when he got outside, but one look at the two streets near the house showed that this was not a good plan. "That wind must have been stronger than I thought...." he began, as he surveyed the trees uprooted across the road,"Funny....I don't remember *hearing* the sound of falling trees." "I didn't either, Sam. We're going to have to walk it to Lucas' house." "Is that wise?" Sam hesitated, uncertain. "That's where Ziggy says you've got to be next." "I don't like the sound of that, Al. I mean, his house...he'll probably be able to *get* me there." "Yes, I'm ahead of you on that one. It's this way, Sam. I'm right here." "I wish you *were* right here, then you could at least knock me out if I tried anything really nasty," Sam turned to where Al was pointing anyway and set his jaw into a determined lock,"Well, if he wants a fight, a fight is what he's going to get." The two men walked together towards the nemesis that awaited them. Above them, the slate-gray and black clouds boiled and raced in the evening sky. PART 2/3 Underneath the streets of Trinity, the hundreds of green worm-like creatures began to swim purposefully towards one another. They sensed each other, met, coalesced into one giant form, then undulated slowly up the sewers towards the house of Lucas Buck. "Three hundred and five; this is it, Sam. It's got his name-plate on the right of the door." Sam looked at the imposing brass name-plate, then at the front door. He dug a likely looking bunch of keys from his pocket and opened the door, then the inner glass door. The hallway was a symphony in polished wood, with an imposing staircase going up on the right-hand wall. Just inside the hall were two large palms in pots, then several doors on the left. Sam tried the handle of the nearest one after shutting the front door behind him. Inside this door was a dark study, all leather upholstery and heavy wooden furniture. Sam could smell both, overlayed with recent polish. "Well, he certainly looks after his things. Some of these pieces could be antique...." [They've been handed down, you might say.] "Al, he's back...." [And this is where the real fun starts, Doctor Beckett.] Sam found himself standing in front of the liquor cabinet and pouring himself several fingers of scotch. [Only the best whisky. This is Laphroiag, all the way from Scotland. A connoisseur's delight.] Sam wasn't normally all that keen on spirits, but he sipped it, then downed the lot with relish. [You're sharing all my appetites, Sam. My pleasure is yours....for now.] Al crossed the room warily, watching Sam intently. "Sam, I don't mean to bother you, but there's the strangest noise coming from the kitchen....." Sam let Al lead him to the kitchen. A strange gurgling noise was coming up from the sink. Sam and Al eyed it with suspicion. Sam reached under the sink and found the sink plunger without a second's thought, then placed it over the plug hole. Several things happened in the next few split seconds. The noise increased to a scream, Sam was thrown back from the sink and a huge green tentacle thrust out of the plug-hole and caught Sam around his waist, then his neck. He didn't even have time to snatch a breath before he was fighting for his very life and Al couldn't do a thing to help him. Sam wrestled, punched, even kicked and bit the unmentionable thing attacking him, but his air supply was being slowly squeezed out of him. With a lunge of desperation, he found the handle of one of the kitchen drawers behind him and reached inside for something that might do as a weapon, even as his vision began to be dotted with black and blue spots due to lack of oxygen. He came up with a carving fork, which wouldn't have been his first choice, but he used it anyway and the tentacle loosened it's grip very slightly for a fraction of a second, giving Sam a much-needed chance to snatch a breath. "That's it, Sam! Give that...that *thing* a taste of it's own medicine!" Sam used the temporary respite to try the drawer again, this time striking gold with a square bladed butcher's knife. As he executed the first blow, thick foul-smelling yellow liquid spurted out of the tentacle. Al jumped backwards automatically, even though the stuff couldn't hit him. After only a few blows, Sam was almost covered from head to foot in the thick, viscous liquid. Finally the huge tentacle- worm dropped to the floor, oozing slowly out of the plug-hole and collapsing with various flopping noises into a stinking pile on the floor. Sam stood, arms held stiffly at his sides, panting heavily. He dropped the knife onto the draining board. "Ohhh, God! I'm surprised that I haven't got broken ribs after that. Al, could you direct me to the bathroom? I most definitely need a wash." "Is it....is that whatever it is....*dead*?" Sam kicked his adversary cautiously, then a second time with more power. "Yes...if it was ever truly alive. Look! It's melting, disintegrating...." Even as they watched the green flesh bubbled and popped noisily, ripping slowly apart to reveal pink flesh and more yellow ooze, which frothed and boiled, spilling over the rest towards the floor. In the split second before it hit the floor, the creature's blood disappeared, along with the rest of what was left behind. In a matter of seconds, all that was left was the kitchen floor, looking for all the world as if nothing untoward had happened. Sam sniffed the air. "Well, it's either that thing or me, but there's still an awful smell around here - like burnt rotting meat." Al covered his mouth with his hand by reflex, then motioned Sam to follow him out of the kitchen. They were going up the stairs when Al stopped and pointed upwards. "What do you make of *that*?" Sam looked to the landing at the top of the stairs where there was a huge multi-colored eye-shaped stained glass window in shades of blue, red, green and purple. "It's quite striking, isn't it?" Al's eyes narrowed nervously. "I don't like it. It's spooky. You could imagine witches coming through that, especially tonight..." "Al, I don't like this any more than you, but right now I really need to wash. If anything nasty turns up, I'll have the shower head as a weapon." "The only witch I know who was susceptible to water was that one in 'The Wizard of Oz' - and Tina's mother, but then I always had my doubts about her..." Al found the bathroom quickly even as Sam was giving him an old- fashioned look. Sam quickly stripped off his clothes, which were now beginning to go stiff as the jaundiced blood started to set. Sam found a pail and put them into soak and then washed himself thoroughly under the shower, while Al kept watch for anything suspiscious. Sam wrapped himself in a towel and headed for the bedroom. Al helped him locate underwear and a pair of dark blue pants, then looked out of the window. "Sam, things are going really screwy around here...come and see." Sam put the towel around his bare shoulders and went over to the window. "It's like the effects of heat-haze.....there are several patches of disturbance, like mirages." Six distinct patches, ranging from around five feet tall to eight feet tall, were making strange disturbance in the evening air. None of the objects or beings causing these disturbances could be seen, but they all gave off the impression of being in control of what they were doing. "Do you remember the film 'Predator'?" Sam nodded quietly. He remembered only too well. It was one of the few movies he'd seen just before he Leaped that had actually given him nightmares. [And if you have nightmares, then you need a knight to defeat them.] "Oh, very funny, Lucas. What can I do against those.....entities?" [Anything you like. They are your playthings.] "Lucas says that I can defeat those 'entities' out there." "Then I should step on it, Sam....before they become solid like that thing in the kitchen." Sam flung off the towel and ran back down the stairs with Al hot on his heels. He flung open the front door and stood silhouetted against the light in the hall. A bolt of lightning shot downwards from the sky at the same instant. "Talk about dramatic surroundings," Sam murmured,"We'll be getting the Munsters coming to call next." [What do you think *those* things are, Sam? But these are *real*, not some cheap Hollywood imitation.] Sam took a deep breath and went around the house to the street where the entities waited, flexing slowly against the darkness of the night. Sam took a fighting stance automatically, poised on the balls of his feet just in case he had to engage them directly or make a run for cover. He raised his right hand in front of him somwewhat uncertainly. A bolt of blue fire streamed out of Sam's hand and hit the nearest disturbance. It stretched, warped, screamed like scraping metal, then vanished. Sam got the vaguest impression of claws imprinted in his mind before his hand moved onto the next one. He could feel the power surging through him, more potent than adrenalin and testosterone mixed together. His solar plexus and his gut thrummed with something like electricity, as the power increased. It was incredibly seductive and pleasurable, to be in control of such elemental force. Slowly but surely, he dispatched each of the semi-realized mirages, but the last and biggest one was already becoming real and solid by the time he reached it. Sam could see definite indications of dark hair bristling, glowing yellow eyes and huge jaws as the creature actually moved from it's spot towards him. The eyes moved intelligently between Sam and Al. They watched, dumbfounded as the creature sniffed in Al's direction, obviously confused when it couldn't pick up his scent. Then it charged in a blur of incredible speed towards Al, it's jaws open wide. Sam stepped in it's path instinctively, felt the teeth beginning to pierce his right arm, then the creature disappeared in a blinding white flash. Sam fell backwards through Al with the momentum, then slowly sat up, examining his arm. There wasn't a mark on it. "Well, Lucas, honey. You sure have an unusual way of welcoming me to your home." Sam looked up into the face of Selena Coombs. He stood up and went to open the door as she reached the house. The light inside the house illuminated her perfectly. She was wearing a red woolen dress that covered her from shoulder to mid-calf, but it clung to her curves in such a way as to make her look almost naked. Sam swallowed hard. "I'll....I'll just put a shirt on..." Selena smiled slowly. She put her hand on Sam's chest, stopping him dead with her touch. "Don't bother, sugar. It'll only get wet when we go bobbing for apples." Her hand moved slowly upward and round the back of Sam's neck. Sam gave in to temptation and pulled Selena into his arms and kissed her hungrily. "Wow! I am *definitely* going to try this with Tina when I get back home. Sam, are you going to go through with the apple bobbing or are you planning on skipping it and going for the main event? Just so I know if I should make myself scarce, you understand. Unless you *want* me to stay and watch?" This last remark had the effect of temporarily bringing Sam back to his senses. He pulled away from Selena somewhat reluctantly. He smiled at her. "Let's go apple bobbing, then." Selena made a small protesting noise, but followed Sam through to the kitchen. Sam distracted himself by sorting out the bowl and the apples, plus a couple of drinks. Selena took a taste of hers. "Ohhh, Southern Comfort, Lucas! You know what that does to me..." [I certainly do, Sam. But tonight, the pleasure is going to be all yours...] Sam almost choked on his own drink of beer. Lucas' voice echoed back in Sam's mind. [Don't be such a prude. You'll both enjoy yourselves.] Sam set his jaw and put the full bowl and the apples on the table. He placed the apples in the water as Selena sat down at the opposite side of the table. She slowly picked up an apple in her mouth, then held it in her hands to take the first proper bite. Al groaned with pleasure. "Oh, boy! She even eats like an adult movie. I bet she's watched that naughty eating scene in 'Tom Jones' *hundreds* of times." Sam gave Al a dirty look. "Well, it certainly seems that you did," he commented between gritted teeth as he picked up his first apple in his mouth. "Oh, come on, Sam. Don't tell me you've *never* used food as part of seduction?" Sam tried to look impassive. "I'd just rather not be reminded of it right now. How far are we off midnight?" Al grinned at Sam attempting to cover his embarrassment. "I knew you had hidden secrets," he muttered,"Okay, Sam. We've got two hours to go. Enough time to...*enjoy* Selena's company." Sam ignored Al as he finished his apple and went for the next one. Selena pulled up her second apple with rather less finnesse this time and water trickled off the apple and inside her dress down her cleavage. Sam tried to pretend he hadn't noticed, but having Al drooling at his elbow was making things slightly difficult. Selena went for the jugular quite deliberately the next time, deliberately splashing the water at Sam. He splashed back, then wished he hadn't. The dress might as well have become transparent. "I'm going upstairs to dry off, Lucas." Selena's hips swung slowly as she left the room. Al grinned at Sam. "Do you want me to leave yet?" "Don't you *dare* leave. It's your presence that is actually helping me. Lucas actually *wants* me to, is expecting me to....you know....while he rides piggy-back inside my mind." Al's face became like thunder. "Now *that's* obscene. There's no way I'd ever let another man.....and I might even balk at Miss Hot Hips there if I had *that* sort of offer. He's still inside your head, isn't he?" Sam nodded, slowly, "That's worse than voyeurism...I've done my share of that, especially in the last few years, but to actually be inside someone else's head. Role play is one thing. This is definitely in the area of twisted and warped. I'm right beside you, Sam. Though goodness knows how we're going to cool down the human volcano we've got upstairs." Sam grinned. "Cold shower?" Al grinned back. "Never worked for me, Sam.....in fact made the problem worse, if anything." [You are going to refuse my gift?] "Yes, I am. Selena is off-limits...no matter how tempting." "Atta-boy, Sam! You tell that *nozzle*..." Pain sliced through Sam for a second time, but worse than before. This time, the white-hot agony stretched from the tip of his head to the soles of his feet and everywhere inbetween. He went rigid as a board on the floor, with waves of excruciating pain pulsing through him every second. He couldn't breathe or even blink. Al crouched beside Sam, in helpless concern. Sam felt the blackness of unconsciousness reach up to swallow him and he fell eagerly towards it for relief. He was within seconds of achieving it when the pain was ripped away for a scant second, giving him space to breathe, then it returned in full ferocity. Lucas kept him like this, wracked in agony, until the second Selena walked back through the kitchen door. "Lucas, honey...I thought you were coming to dry me off..." Selena's words trailed off as she saw Sam stretched out on the floor. His face had gone through grey and white and was now a sickly yellow with shock. Selena bent over Sam. Al looked up blindly, then took in what she was wearing. "Ohhh, Sam. You'd better brace yourself, kid. She's in her underwear and it's black silk with stockings and garters and as for the bra....ohh, boy. Are you alright, Sam? Sorry, it's just that Selena just got about ten times more distracting. Has Lucas left you alone yet?" Sam sat up very slowly. "I can't see anything. I think the pain took away my sight....." Al tried to touch Sam instinctively, but failed. His hand passed straight through Sam's shoulder. "God, Sam; I'm sorry. I let my blasted hormones get in the way." Sam smiled wanly. [The pain didn't take away your sight, it was me.] "S'okay....." He took several steadying breaths, then Selena helped him to his feet and Sam found himself being seated on the kitchen chair, "It's bad enough just *feeling* some of her underwear, Al," he murmured as he felt Selena move away. "She's getting you a drink of water, Sam." Sam nodded as he felt Selena return and help him drink. Sam felt his color begin to return and the natural endorphins in his body finally kick in. The pain retreated to a ghastly memory as his heart-beat steadied to something approaching normal. He could hear more acutely with his ears and feel the sweat on the palms of his hands. "Lucas, honey, you've never been ill before. Was it the apples?" [Remember Adam and Eve?] Sam nodded to cover himself. He let Selena walk him to the front room where he collapsed gratefully on one of the leather couches. The smell of leather and wax seemed to be overpowering around him and he could hear the soft rustling noises Selena made as she moved. "Can you see *anything*, Sam?" Sam slowly shook his head. [You defy me and I have my ways of correcting you. It would be so much easier and nicer for you if you gave in. I could make tonight very special...] "It's Lucas," Sam whispered, "He's angry because I'm resisting Selena." The lady in question undulated out of the room, then turned at the door. "I'm just going to put a robe on, sugar, but I'll be back..." Sam closed his eyes and groaned as he lay back on the couch. "I'm cold...so cold. It's the shock, I guess. I shouldn't have gone outside in October half dressed either." Al's eyes were full of concern. [The coldness came from me, too.] "You just hang on in there. If Selena's got any sense, she'll realise you need warmth at a time like this...here she comes now. Yes, she's got a shirt and a couple of blankets plus she seems to be wearing one of your - I mean Lucas'- dressing-gowns." Sam let Selena help him into the shirt and under the blankets. His teeth started to chatter as he warmed up. "I must have got mild hypothermia..." Selena walked across the room. "I'm calling the doctor, Lucas. I've never seen you like this before." Sam heard the phone and Selena's husky voice relaying the details. Al sat on the floor next to Sam. "I'm right here, Sam. All you gotta do is whisper......Sam? Hey, Selena, get over here, he's not responding..." Selena drifted back right on cue and felt Sam's pulse. She smiled softly. "Yes, you need some sleep...the doctor'll be here soon, sugar." She smoothed back Sam's hair and Al watched intently. "If I only had you as my personal nurse, without Lucas in the picture....." his eyes glinted,"Okay, Calavicci, save the fantasies for when you get home. We got Sam to watch...though having Selena here is rather nice, to say the least...." Al's voice skidded to a stop as Selena sat down through him on the floor, "Ohh, *baby* if only you knew what you were doing to me..." His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, then he spent the next few minutes in silent admiration. The doorbell rang eventually and Selena stood up slowly while Al tried not to drool too hard. Selena returned with a tall dark-haired man. "....Yes, Billy, he just collapsed. It was either the cold or the apples. I've never seen Lucas sick before..." Al checked his Handlink. "Sam, you're in good hands here. This is Doctor William Peel, but everyone calls him 'Billy'. Oh, boy...he and Selena had a bit of a hot affair going for a while. No wonder he's looking at her so strangely. He's a good doctor, though - selfless, devoted, lonely - goodness, he could be you! I think I'm going to like this guy..." Sam's eyes fluttered open as the other doctor bent over him. "I hope this is genuine, Lucas, or I'm going to get very cross. I have a hospital full of patients to consider." Sam blinked as his eyes suddenly started to work again and he focussed on Billy's face, taking in the dark brown hair and eyes, the strong chin and the firm mouth. "Hey, you can see again!" Al's smile threatened to break his face in two. "I've got my sight back!" Sam repeated firmly, both for Billy's sake and Al's. Billy examined Sam carefully, yet warily, checking his eyes in particular. "Well, you certainly seem to have suffered from the cold, Lucas. Next time, wrap up warm. As for the attack in the kitchen....I have my theories, but it doesn't seem to have caused any permanent damage. You'll be pleased to hear that I shall be going away for a few days. A fellow doctor who specialises in tropical medicine is giving a lecture tour in the States and I am going to attend. That'll be one less thorn in your side," Billy turned to Selena,"Lucas will be fine, Selena. Just keep him warm." Billy's jaw tightened as he passed by Selena without another word. Selena saw Billy out, then returned to Sam. She perched herself on the edge of the couch and kissed him. Sam clenched his hands on the couch. "Shall I come and keep you warm?" she asked, seductively. Al whimpered. "How far is it off midnight?" Sam asked, more to Al than Selena. She got up and moved over to the clock on the mantlepiece, which was obscured by deep shadows in the darkened room. "It's eleven o'clock, Lucas. I hope you're not planning on disappearing around midnight like a ghost....you did invite me for the whole night, remember. I've given up trick-or-treating to be with you." She slowly slipped out of the robe and Sam got his first view of the underwear that Al had described earlier. "Ohhh, boy!" he whispered and closed his eyes, but that just made things worse. "Do you want to go upstairs, sugar?" Sam decided that it was risky, but it would buy him some more time. "Yes, Selena." "Can you make it all by yourself or do you need some help?" Sam blinked as he sat up rapidly. "I'm feeling much better....I'll make the stairs without help. You go on up and I'll be there in a minute...." He smiled persuasively at Selena. "Very well, but don't keep me waiting too long...." Selena undulated slowly out of the room and Sam let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding. Al shook his head. "I know *exactly* what you're fighting, but I'd've given in *hours* ago. Probably more than once, too." Sam put his head in his hands. "Al, I just need to get through the next hour. *He* may have retreated again, but I can feel the echo of his presence in my mind. You can bet he's just waiting for an opportune moment." [And this, Samuel Beckett, is that moment.] "Uh-oh. He's back, Al." [You know how good it felt, dealing with the little diversions outside. The thrill of power and invulnerability. You could have equalled Superman in those moments,] Sam felt himself rising to his feet. The surge of pure undiluted energy came back, but even stronger this time,[Doesn't that feel *good*, Sam?] Sam's legs carried him to the door and slowly to the bottom of the stairs. "SAM! Hey, don't go up there yet....you've got nearly an hour to go.." Sam clung to the pillar at the bottom of the stairs, caught between the seductive persuasiveness of Lucas and the power surging through his body and Al's presence at his left elbow. [My powers are at their strongest tonight, Sam. Let me show you a taste of how good it could be if you gave in...] Sam reeled drunkenly as he saw a graphic vision of himself inside his mind beginning to seduce Selena. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to concentrate on Al and the reasons why he shouldn't give in. He sank to the floor, still clutching the end bannister. "Sam, are you okay? Is he hurting you again?" "It's not exactly *hurting*, Al," Sam managed,"He's giving me a little preview of what to expect upstairs." Al's lips quirked in amusement despite themselves, then he got angry. "Now, that's not playing fair, Lucas...besides, it won't work on Sam. He's a regular boy scout; he doesn't go in for the simple pleasures of the...er..flesh." Sam gritted his teeth as the images continued and became more intimate. In spite of his resistance, desire blossomed inside him. "If you were inside my head, you might have a different point of view." The flames inside Sam grew stronger, more insistent. He groaned, caught between protest and pleasure. "That good, huh? Don't worry, Sam...start declining Greek verbs or something, translate everything into heiroglyphics or algebra...whatever works." "Heiroglyphics won't work, Al. It's a language of pictures, remember?" Al raised his eyebrows, then he smiled slightly. "Well, it can't be so bad if you can still crack jokes like that." Sam started to laugh, softly at first, then louder. The scenes inside his head vanished along with Lucas' immediate presence. Sam continued to laugh in sheer relief, then he opened his eyes and looked at Al who was completely non-plussed. This set Sam off again. "Ohh, boy, *you* must have had an interesting time when you first made love. I hope the poor lady could take a joke." Sam hiccuped with laughter. "No, Al," he managed, between bouts of chuckling,"It was the humor...it took the images away *and* Lucas. You just made it worse by not knowing what was going on...." Al grinned gently. "Oh, I see. Glad to be of assistance. I seem to remember that if you laugh at....at you-know-who, he flees from you." Sam caught his breath and stood up, looking up the stairs. "Yes, but what do I do about Selena?" Al thought for a moment. "Well, if you don't go up there, chances are she'll come looking for you, probably in her birthday suit." Sam took another deep breath and started up the stairs. "Lucas, is that you, honey?" "Who else is she expecting? Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster?" Sam chuckled again, but his laughter was cut short by the appearance of the window on the landing. Although it was cloudy outside, something like moonlight was shining through the window, casting patterns of color over the landing and bannister rail. Sam hesitated at the edge of the patch of color. "Are you reading anything unusual in *that*?" Al punched his handlink. "I really don't like this, Sam. The moon is obscured outside, so I have no idea what is causing that light....Ziggy can't detect it at all." "Well, there's only one way to find out...." Sam braced his shoulders and walked through the colored light to the other side, "Didn't feel anything, Al." Al's eyes narrowed. "Well, maybe not, but I'm taking the short-cut," He appeared beside Sam outside the bedroom door, "Now should be the easy bit. Resisting Selena. You've resisted women before, you can do it again. You've even got a valid reason this time." "That'll do, Al." Sam put his hand on the doorknob. "It just beats me how you could have turned most of them down." Sam decided to ignore this last remark and entered the room. Selena had left the curtains undrawn, but the bedside light was on, illuminating her pale form on the bed. Sam swallowed nervously and went over to the windows, making a good show of drawing them closed; anything to buy more time. He sat on the chair facing the bed and wondered what he was going to do next. Selena sat up in bed and smiled at him. "Come over here, honey," she invited, patting the bed next to her. "I...I..er, I'm not sure if I'm completely better yet." "Then I'll just rub your back." Al looked at Sam. "That sounds incredibly seductive to *me*." Sam hesitated, trying to buy more time. He was on the point of giving in out of sheer politeness to Selena when Merlyn drifted through the wall. "Don't, Sam. Hold on until midnight." Sam and Al both swivelled to face her. Merlyn approached Al. He started to back away, but hesitantly. "You and I need to join forces, Al. Hold my hand." Al looked at her, then Sam. "But you're....I mean *aren't* you a...a ghost?" He spat the word out as fast as he could when he got to it. Merlyn smiled but her eyes were sad. "I haven't touched anyone in such a long time, not even Caleb. He's asleep in his bed now, so I'm here, keeping an eye on Sam with you." Selena got out of bed and came towards Sam. "What is it, honey? You look like you'd seen a ghost." Sam turned towards her. "As a matter of fact, I have. It's Merlyn. She's standing right over *there*." "I remember teaching Merlyn. Such a tragic death, too, but it was something of a relief. The poor girl had been out of her mind for years," Selena wound her arms around Sam's neck "I can take your mind off her, sugar." Sam found himself in the middle of a passionate clinch before he knew what had happened. Al began to urge Sam to stop, but Sam seemed to be deaf to his entreaties. Merlyn put her hand on Al's shoulder. Sam managed to break free and man-handled Selena back to the bed. The eager look in her eyes was replaced by anger when he left her there and went back to Al and Merlyn. "Ohh, boy, that was *close*. What did you do....oh, my; you can touch each other." Merlyn's smile grew warm as she gently drew apart from Al. "Together we are strong, Sam. It's close to midnight, so my powers are strong too. In Europe they call this feast Allerseelen - All Soul's Eve." Sam understood what Merlyn meant. "I know, when the dead loved ones can visit their families or friends for one night in the year. It's a positive thing, not all this witches on broomsticks stuff we have over here..." Merlyn nodded. "It's the only night when I am able to touch Al. In a sense, we inhabit the same space because he is outside time too." Al looked at Merlyn warily. "It still scares me....touching dead people, no matter how beautiful they are." Merlyn looked at him. "What about people in your faith who have had tangible visions of the Virgin Mary or one of the other saints, even Jesus himself?" "You're a *saint*?!?" "If that helps you not to be afraid, Al....then you could call me a saint." PART 3/3 Al boggled at Merlyn's description of herself. He took a steadying breath. "Okay. I'll accept that for now. But what are we going to do about Selena...ohhh, boyy!" The last two words came out in something aproaching a squeak. Sam turned around, then wished he hadn't. Selena was standing at the foot of the bed, just beginning a slow strip-tease. She peeled off one stocking and threw it around Sam's neck, drawing him closer. "Now, Selena..." Sam warned, trying to resist. Selena stole a kiss, then started on the other stocking, which landed in Sam's hands. He dropped it as if it had been red-hot. Selena removed her garter and pulled Sam even closer with it. Sam picked her up and threw her on the bed. Selena smiled triumphantly, thinking that she had won. Sam stood, braced at the end of the bed, torn between the vision in front of him and his conscience. Selena started on her bra, slipping the straps off her shoulders. Sam's knees began to buckle. Merlyn turned to Al. She reminded him suddenly of someone he though he knew, but his mind refused to put in the connection. "Touch me again," Al reached out a trembling hand and took Merlyn's. Sam didn't stop this time. He was starting to follow Selena up the bed, "Kiss me, Al." Al turned to Merlyn, almost incredulous. "Is this another trick, like hers?" "Please, Al. If we don't stop him soon, he won't be able to stop and that's just what Lucas wants. *He's* the one that's seducing Sam, not Selena." Al looked back at the bed. Sam was poised over Selena's semi-nakedness. The need to touch her, to claim her, was almost irresistable. A tiny part of his mind held him back from the brink while the rest of his mind and body flamed with desire. Sam only kept his hands off Selena by staring on his own clothes first. "Sure looks like Selena to me." "Yes, I know, but when Sam finally succumbs, he'll find that he's got Lucas' likeness in his arms and he *won't* be able to stop....." Al's eyes opened wide. "Good God! After everything else that Lucas has done to him, it would destroy him." "It'll bend Sam completely to Lucas' will. You'll have an evil leaper on your hands with no foreseeable cure." Al's hands trembled as he drew closer to Merlyn. "Then I hope to God that you're right and this works..." He held Merlyn's face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. A brilliant white light spilled out from Merlyn and Al. Sam looked up, dazed. The light caught his attention for a moment, just long enough for the leap to take him away. Al opened his eyes barely seconds later. "That was one of the simplest and nicest..... Good grief, where *are* we?" "It's the place between the leaps, Al." Al looked away from Merlyn towards the familiar voice. "Sam! How on Earth...?" He smiled broadly, "We got you out in time?" Sam nodded, slowly. He closed his eyes and swallowed. The false desire had vanished, leaving Sam feeling empty, yet also incredibly content. "It was a close-run thing, Al. Selena's kisses were so overwhelming that I couldn't think straight. Then I saw you and Merlyn glowing...the light was so pure..... It helped me find myself again." Al looked at Sam speculatively. "Has he....? I mean, are you *fully* yourself again?" Merlyn and Sam nodded. "Where did he go?" Merlyn smiled gently. "He's replaced Sam, with Selena. He'll get his reward...especially when he finds out that his disorientation means that she's going to have a baby. A daughter, too. He's not going to like that, but when the little girl comes along, we may see a chink in that impressive armour of his. And, strange as it may sound, Selena loves him, though she'd never say so. You did good work tonight, Sam." "But it's not midnight yet, is it?" Merlyn shook her head. "No, it isn't. It's not only the dead and Leapers who can reach this place, Sam." Merlyn began to sing in German and Sam recognised the tune. "'Allerseelen', by Richard Strauss....'Place on the table the last roses, the heather and the asters and let us whisper, love, together as we did in May..'" Sam trailed off when he saw another female figure walking towards them. A beautiful smile spread over his face. He began to run towards her. Al watched as Sam took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly. It was vastly different to the other kisses he'd seen between Sam and Selena. This was a meeting of twin souls. Every move they made spoke of deep abiding love. Al turned away, smiling and looked at Merlyn. "I don't know *how* you got Donna here, but thank-you. She's been waiting a long time for him." Merlyn smiled gently with wisdom beyond her apparent years. "Sam did it himself when he came here, although he doesn't realise it. He needed a little redemption, too. His love called her here to be with him," Merlyn continued speaking the lyrics of the song in English, "'Give me your hand and let me press it fondly. If anyone sees, I don't care what they say. Look at me with your sweet glances, as you did in May. All the graves tonight are filled with sweet perfume. On this appointed day, come to my heart which longs to hold you and we'll dream of May.'" Al stroked Merlyn's cheek. "If there wasn't such an age-gap and you weren't....um...dead, I could wish to take you back home and kiss you some more." Merlyn's smile was radiant. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me, Al. You have to go home now, though. Sam and Donna need some time alone. And you have someone waiting for you, too." Al indulged himself in a longer kiss, then he vanished. When Al opened his eyes, he was sitting on the Imaging Chamber floor and his clothes looked like they'd been worn for several days, not just one. He got to his feet slowly and opened the door. "I'm glad I don't go to Confession any more. I don't know *what* the priest would say if I told him exactly how I just conquered my fear of ghosts. If Merlyn's a saint, then I guess it's even worse....although I do seem to remember that Theresa of Avila had some pretty hot experiences and no-one batted an eyelid....then there's the Song of Songs to consider." Al started to smile. He put his handlink down on Ziggy's console. "Okay, Ziggy. How are things in Trinity now?" "LUCAS BUCK IS STILL SHERRIF, BUT SOME REDEMPTION HAS COME TO TRINITY THROUGH MY FATHER'S ACTIONS. HIS DAUGHTER IS NEARLY SIX YEARS OLD. DOCTOR BILLY PEEL MET HIS WIFE LAURA AT THE LECTURE TOUR. THEY FELL IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. THEY ARE BACK IN AFRICA, STILL TRYING TO COMBAT TROPICAL DISEASES. THEY HAVE TWO SETS OF TWINS AND ARE BLISSFULLY HAPPY. MY FATHER HAS NOT LEAPED YET." "Don't worry about Sam. He's with Doctor Eleese." "SO I SHOULD STOP THE MISSING PERSONS SEARCH ON HER WHEREABOUTS?" "Yes, absolutely. They're having a sort of second honeymoon...make that a third, after last time." "DO YOU THINK *HE* WILL TRY AGAIN?" "If he does, we'll be ready for him next time, won't we? I need a shower and some rest, Ziggy, so don't disturb me until Sam leaps again, okay?" Al went to his quarters on auto-pilot. He went straight to the shower and made it a hot one. He wrapped himself in a towel, picked up his suit and headed to the bedroom. "Dim light, please." He saw the lump of a female form in the unfamiliar double bed. he thought. His eye was caught by a painting by the wardrobe. It was by Georgia O'Keefe, or someone who copied her style. But this was a nude reclining woman, not a landscape. The gentle curves were only partially visible in the moonlight. Al turned even as the woman in the bed stirred. "Darling, I had an awful dream where I lost you again. I need you to hold me." Al froze. He hadn't expected to hear *that* voice ever again. He was trembling as he approached the bed. The lady switched on the light, then put her hand over her mouth in a gesture Al remembered only too well. She was older....a lot older, but the years had been kind to her. Al could hardly breathe. Now he knew who Merlyn had looked like. "ARE you a dream?" He reached out, touched and held her hand. Her dark eyes twinkled at him. "That's what you kept saying after you came back.....you could hardly believe I was really there. You couldn't refute it when we found out that the first night had made me pregnant with twins," she stopped and looked at him,"You want to relive that night again, don't you?" Al felt both sets of memories flooding his mind as he sat heavily on the bed. He began to move closer. "Just how many times have we relived that night?" "Quite a few, darling." Al traced her face with his hands, tears springing into his eyes. He began to kiss her, gently at first, then with increasing passion. "I have a feeling that this is going to be the best, my darling Beth." Al was right. It was. The very best. Sam and Donna, wrapped in each other's arms, lay close together. "I remember last time, Donna. I'm so sorry....." "It's okay. I told him not to tell you. You have a way of making up for everything when you take me in your arms. I *know* that you love me. And this time you resisted *her*." "You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I need to make love with." Donna's smile was beautiful. "We already did that, my darling. And so wonderfully, too." Sam smiled back. "*This* time, we're going to make love more than once. It's been such a long time, not holding you. I'm hoping for something like a honeymoon...." He stroked her face with his hands. Donna looked into his eyes with delight. "I remember how passionate you were the first time. I *love* you, Sam." "And I," he answered, between kisses,"Adore you. Please don't let me forget you again?" "Let's have that honeymoon first, then we'll see..." * * * * * * * * * * * * Afterword: I'm sorry, this is a mushy ending, but after all that horror, I reckoned Our Heroes deserved it. Unless, of course, Lucas is planning a rematch.... Can he 'get' to Sam in limbo? (Well, he seemed to be able to go with Merlyn to somewhere that looked like limbo to *me*, so you never know....) I reckon that as Lucas can cheat death, he's almost invincible; Indestructable, even. (Fellow Scott fans will detect the track my mind has gone on right away.....but I don't *think* I'm the one to follow it; it's not close enough to QL, for a start). Though it has attractions.... Please write and let me know what you think of my fiction, but don't flame me too severely, I'm still learning. Leapers do it in blue light! (To which I usually add; But not as often as we'd like!!) That sounds like an 'Al' comment to me! Copyright, yours truly; but please spread it around - I would like to see the bumper sticker/T shirt/pin badge one day! Bye for now!