(no subject)
Village People Twilight Zone
Part 2:
"What are you doing here?"
"I don't know. I can go." Kris started to turn around in the hallway.
"No!" Adam reached out and grasped his shoulder. More softly, he added, "I didn't mean that. I was just surprised. I didn't expect…."
"Can I come in?"
After a moment, Adam nodded and moved to let him in.
"I'm sorry." Kris was looking down at the floor, at his scuffed brown cowboy boots on the pale pink carpet. "I knew, and I should have said something before, but…," he looked up at Adam, boldly into his eyes, "I didn't want to. I don't know her, right now I don't want to know her. I want to know you. I think I'm supposed to know you."
*~*~*~*~*
"Sarah! Oh my god, Sarah, you won't believe it! It's going to happen! It's all going to… Ohhhh, sorry," Allison squeaked, startled. Kris jumped to the other side of the couch, trying hard to look anywhere but at the girl staring at him from across the room. Adam ran his hand through his hair, wiped at the red lipstick smeared around his lips, and did up two buttons on his frilly green blouse.
"I should go." Kris jumped up from the couch, grabbed his jean jacket, and stepped towards the door. He turned back to Allison and added, "I just came here to talk to… Sarah, Allison." He glanced at Adam, connecting with his eyes, and repeated, "I just came here to talk," before closing the door behind him.
Adam stood, adjusted his long black skirt, and told Allison that he would be in his room. "Oh no you don't! I have news! Big news!" She positively beamed with excitement, gripping Adam's forearms and bouncing up and down. "It's all going to happen! Soon! I'm going to make it, Sarah!"
"How? With Gokey? What stories has he told you, Allison? What promises did he make? I'm worried about you-"
Allison pulled her hands off of Adam's arms, gritted her teeth, and pointed to the empty spot on the couch. "Worry about yourself!" Adam tried to follow her, but she slammed the apartment door in his face.
"You need to sit down, Adam."
Adam spun around, surprised to see Ryan standing in the living room when it was Anoop's voice that he had heard.
"We have some information," Anoop continued.
"About Allison," Ryan added. Adam was frozen in place for a moment, then finally took a breath and sat down on the couch, hands clutching a cushion to his stomach, listening, as Anoop spoke.
"We don't have any concrete information, Adam. Let me begin there. We haven't been able to confirm anything of her whereabouts or her activity beyond this month, in fact. Even with the Admiral's involvement. But Ziggy has scoured all available sources for the time, everything throughout Texas, Wisconsin, and everywhere in between. Something finally came up. It's just speculation and conjecture, but it's the best we have to go on right now. Dr. Beckett has completed missions on less than this, and Ziggy gives this hypothesis an eighty-nine percent accuracy score, which is-"
"Goddamnit, just tell me what the fuck happens to her!"
"We, well, Ziggy, found a news item." Anoop was mumbling, wringing his hands. "Lieutenant Commander?"
"I'm just going to come out with it, Adam. Approximately five months from now, a young Hispanic woman, estimated age between sixteen and twenty years old, was found dead. A Jane Doe. The case went cold after a few months and her identity was never determined. She had been murdered, beaten black and blue and stabbed six times through the chest and stomach." Ryan continued on, attempting to steady his voice, staring straight ahead to avoid looking at Adam. "It was clear through the autopsy that she had been repeatedly beaten and raped for months." Adam's breathing was now audible across the room. "She was also four months pregnant."
"And?" Adam was standing, fists at his sides, chest heaving, nostrils flared. "There's more! Tell me!"
Anoop took a deep breath. "Her body was found in a lane, between a dumpster and a warehouse, two blocks from Danny Gokey's cabaret."
Adam's fist smashed into the drywall.
*~*~*~*~*
"What am I supposed to do with a kid? Fuuu…."
"How did you get a kid?" Anoop asked, startled by the blond toddler holding onto the edge of the coffee table with one hand, and a bottle of apple juice with the other.
"He's Megan's, remember? Riley?"
"Ohhh, right. Ryder. Her son by the chief petty officer that was killed in action in Libya," Anoop smirked.
"More likely some married cattle rancher with a few good bottles of whiskey from acr-"
"Anyway!"
"Anyway…," Adam followed Anoop's gaze to Ryder, who was plopped on the carpet, watching apple juice drip onto the coffee table. "Where the fuuuu…udge is Allison?" Adam hissed.
"We don't know, Adam. The Lieutenant Commander and I have been projecting into every location we know she frequents, and we haven't seen her anywhere. The records have no information about her whereabouts. The good news is that Mr. Gokey is currently putting a load of darks into the dryer at a laundromat near his motel, so we know that Allison isn't with him."
"Thank fuck! Damn, I mean, thank fudge."
"But why do you have the child here?"
Adam rushed to scoop him up before he stuck a ballpoint pen in his mouth, and answered, "Apparently Allison always babysits on Sunday nights so Megan can go to church. Go figure. So I said I'd watch him until she gets back, and she better get back [he covered Ryder's ears, and mouthed] fucking soon."
Before Adam could yell at Anoop to start checking the whole town over again, Allison crept in the door.
"There you are! Holy shit girl, I was so fucking worried!" He pulled Allison into a hug, squeezing the air out of her, and passed Ryder into her arms. "Dammit, where the hell have you been? I thought you were-" but he couldn't bare to let the word "dead" come out of his mouth.
"Geez, Sarah, relax. I wasn't really anywhere, just shootin' the shit with a few friends before… just hanging out, clearing my head, you know?"
"I was worried you'd done something stupid, like go off with that Gokey guy." Adam could barely contain the disgust in his voice when he said Gokey's name.
"Adam, careful. You can't let on that you suspect anything specific. You're supposed to be Sarah Conner, remember? Just, persuade her, but don't scare her."
"Look," Adam continued, more softly, "I was just worried cause you left and didn't say where you were going, and you've been talking about him a lot lately, and you know I have a bad feeling about him." He guided her to sit down on the couch, Ryder bouncing in her lap, and sat beside her. "I've been around this scene for a long time now, and I know how to read men pretty well. I don't like the story my gut gets from him."
"Sarah, please don't worry. I mean, thanks for caring, you know? But I've been taking care of myself for a long time, too. Not as long as you, or Megan, I know that. But I can handle myself."
Adam stood, pacing from the living room to the kitchen and back again, several times.
"Girl, I think you just need to get out. Why don't you go see Mike? It looked like you were about to let him get to second base," she laughed. Adam opened his mouth to protest, but she interrupted. "Tiffany's an airhead. If she can't see that her man has eyes for someone else, tough shit for her. You've got a few days before she gets back to town. Work your magic."
"No, I can't go-"
"Go, have fun, get drunk and get laid. It's been long enough. You keep telling the boys no, but why don't you take some for yourself. I'm just gonna be here with Ryder, and I know how much you hate babies."
"I don't hate babies!" Adam looked at Anoop, and mouthed, "Do I?"
"Well, maybe it's changing diapers you hate," she laughed. "Anyway, go out, relax, have a good time. I'll see you when you get back, and we can talk then if you want."
"You won't go anywhere?"
"Nope. I'll stay here all night. We'll make pancakes in the morning. Promise."
Adam stood and thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll go out. But just for a little while, not all night. I want to talk about all this when I get back." He went into his bedroom to change into some tight jeans, knee-high boots, and a fierce red leather jacket. He wasn't convinced, and he wasn't going to let it go. But, for now, Allison was safe. He called, "And pancakes would be awesome!" as he pulled the door closed behind him.
*~*~*~*~*
"Fucking hell, old piece of shit bucket of fucking bolts!" Adam smacked his hands down on the steering wheel when Cinnamon's VW Rabbit stalled along the side of the road. The car was only four years old, although it was something of a lemon, but to Adam's 2010 subconscious, it was old as fuck.
"Anoop! Goddammit, Anoop! You fucker! Where the hell are you?" he shouted, slamming the car door.
"Stop yelling, Adam! Someone'll come by and think Miss Conner's lost her mind!"
"Oh, there you are! Thank god! The car broke down, and I'm stuck!"
"I see that. Well, open the hood and see… or we could call a tow truck? Hmm, maybe there's a garage in town? Or someone driving by will stop…." Anoop and Adam looked around and saw a whole lot of darkened shop windows, empty sidewalks, and unused parking meters along the street.
"Why is it so dead around here?"
Anoop pressed a few times on his computer, and replied, "It's 6:34 on a Sunday night in a small town in Texas in 1986. Everyone is either at church, or they're having family dinners after afternoon services, or they're at a bar hiding out from the teetotallers. The stores were closed all day today. Just the bars are open, the ones outside of town."
Adam was leaning against the side of the car, arms crossed, jacket wrapped tightly around his body. It was a dark November evening with a cold bite in the air. "What am I supposed to do? Walk back to the apartment? Find a bar? I need to see Kris, and I need to get back to Allison. Fuck, I don't have time for this!"
"There's a pay phone at the end of the street, in front of the beauty parlour. Hang on! I'll project into Kris' apartment and let him know you're here. Don't go anywhere!"
"Where would I go?" he called, but Anoop was already gone.
*~*~*~*~*
"You look cold."
"I am cold," Adam answered, honestly. "But, I'll survive. Look, pull over here. I just need a minute to clear my head, okay?"
Kris nodded sympathetically and pulled the pick-up over to the side of the country road. They had passed the strip club a half mile back, both of them wincing with the bad feelings the place now gave them. Adam had spent the ten minute drive filling Kris in on everything he had learned about Allison, and on everything he had said to try to convince her to stay away from Gokey, and his brain was spinning.
"Adam, she's going to be alright. She's safe at home now, and we won't let her go anywhere with that creep. I promise you that. That she'll be safe. We'll keep her safe." He reached across the bench seat of the truck and took one of Adam's hands. Looking him in the eyes, Kris promised again.
"Yes. We'll keep her safe. We have to. That's why the Universe sent us here, right? Because we can do it."
"And then we'll leap out of here and back to our own lives…." Kris looked down, the realization coming to him. "Or maybe into other peoples' lives again. Oh God, Adam. What if we don't ever get home?"
"What if we lose each other?" Adam muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." But Kris had heard him, and he feared the same thing.
Adam pulled on Kris' hand, wrapping his arm around Adam's back while he moved closer. They just held on to each other for a moment, before Adam's fingers trailed up the back of Kris' plaid shirt and over his shoulders. With both hands, Adam cupped Kris' cheeks and leaned in. He licked at Kris' lips, opening them with his tongue. With their eyes closed, their bodies pressed together, Adam pulled away slightly from Kris' lips and mumbled, "We can't lose each other."
*~*~*~*~*
"It was no problem, Megan. Ryder is always fun to babysit! Plus it gives me an excuse to eat lots of pudding!" Allison laughed. She handed Ryder over to his mother's waiting arms, apologizing for the butterscotch stains down the front of his t-shirt. "I love Ryder! And I love you, too, Megan! You're an super friend, you know. I mean it! I'll always remember you for it. You're a good person, Megan. And don't let anyone think any different about you."
"Thanks, honey. But, what are you-"
"Aww, nuthin'. I'm just bein' a goof," she laughed. "Don't take me serious."
"Okay, if you're sure," Megan questioned.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm just gonna hit the hay early, work some stuff out in my head. I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?"
After closing the apartment door, Allison bee-lined for her bedroom, opening the closet and pulling out a large black suitcase.
*~*~*~*~*
"Oh God, Adam. Ohhh, yes, God." Kris' words were barely more than breaths escaping from his lips unconsciously, as Adam's hands were roaming his body, snaking along his skin, beneath his clothes. Adam's lips and tongue were sucking and licking along his stubbled jawline, milky collarbones, shoulder where his jacket and shirt were pulled down. His fingers were pressed to Kris' throat, thumbs nudging his face up to meet Adam's own.
"Wait!" Kris sat up in his seat, one hand splayed across the steamed-up driver's side window, the other pushing Adam's head down, away from view.
"Huh? Oh…." A car had passed by the truck, driving slowly along the country road. Adam looked up into Kris' eyes, questioning.
"It's not you, it's Mike. And Sarah. We can't ruin them while we're here. You know?" Adam sat up, adjusting his jacket and black Michael Jackson t-shirt, sliding over along the bench towards the passenger door. "No, don't do that."
"You're right, though. We have to think about Mike, and Sarah. And Katy," Adam answered, looking away. "Fuck, why do we have to be stuck in this bullshit-"
"Science experiment? Right?" He poked Adam in the arm, and smiled.
"Yeah. Right. Maybe you should just take me home." The radio DJ was doing a news update, before introducing the next song. Kris reached over to the dial to turn it off, but Adam stopped him.
"This song goes back a few years," came the deep voice, "but it's still just as good. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, with We've Got Tonite." (Footnote #4)
"I know this song," Adam told him, as the opening chords began.
I know it's late, I know you're weary
I know your plans don't include me
Still, here we are, both of us lonely
Longing for shelter from all that we see
Why should we worry, no one will care
Look at the stars so far away
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
We've got tonight babe
Why don't you stay?
"The Universe?" Adam whispered.
"Seems so."
"I don't want to think, Kris." Adam's voice was soft, as he wiped at the condensation on the passenger window. Staring out into the darkness, he repeated, "I don't want to think."
"Neither do I. I do want to take you home, though." Adam turned and looked at him briefly, before turning away; his eyes closing, his chest tightening. "To my home. I mean, to Mike's home." Adam turned back to him, eyes wide open, biting his lip before reaching out to take Kris' hand again.
"Yes. Please."
*~*~*~*~*
It was after midnight when Adam stepped through the apartment door. He was exhausted, his lips were red and swollen, and his hair was still wet from their shower. He crept along the hallway to Allison's room, slowly opening the door to check in on her. Squinting in the darkness, he couldn't tell if she was in bed. Turning on the light, he saw that her bed was covered in stray pieces of clothing, her dresser drawers were left open and empty, and her closet was empty except for a few hangers with summer clothes. Panicking, Adam ran out into the living room, then the kitchen, flipping on lights as he called Allison's name. A sheet of plain white typewriter paper was folded in half on the kitchen table. It was a note, in Allison's big loopy handwriting. She was gone. She was gone with Gokey.
Before Adam could curse or pick up the phone or smash the wall again, he saw flashes of light, felt like his body was being pulled inside out, and opened his eyes to the stunned face of Anoop.
But it wasn't Anoop, the hologram. It was Lieutenant Desai, in person, staring at him in the laboratory of Project Quantum Leap.
*~*~*~*~*
"I don't see why you can't tell me. I don't-"
"Adam, I've told you a dozen times. We can't release the personal information of any of the participants from the project. Ours might be an unusual experiment, but we are still under the jurisdiction of the United States government, and I am an officer of the U.S. Navy. I could be court-marshalled just for giving you a phone number."
"I've tried everything, Anoop. I've called every Allen in the Arkansas phone books. I just keep getting told there's no one by that name. It's like he didn't even exist."
Anoop sighed, so close to saying something. He bit his lip, glad he was having this conversation over the telephone instead of in person. Demanding-Adam in person was a very hard thing to handle.
"I know it's only been three days since we got out, and I really only knew him for that long back then, but it feels like I lost my left arm or some shit. Sometimes I wonder if he really was real. Maybe I just dreamt him up. Or maybe that experiment changed something, and he doesn't exist anymore. Like, maybe I did something that changed his life and he doesn't exist anymore."
Anoop couldn't bear the desperation and blame any longer. "Adam, listen to me, please. Listen quietly, and carefully. I'm only going to say this once, and that's more than I should. We have spoken with Kris, and told him of your extreme desire to contact him. We offered to provide him with your information, if you gave consent." Anoop took a deep breath, then let it out like a band-aid. "He declined."
*~*~*~*~*
It had been nearly three months since Adam returned to his own life, back to Los Angeles circa 2010. Every day he thought about Kris. Every day he longed for him, dreamt of him, hurt over him. He felt like Kris was there, in his shadow, watching him, waiting for him. He felt like he was losing his mind. And then, one day, he decided. He woke up, looked at himself in the mirror, and just decided that he was letting this go. It was over, back in the past, and he was never going to live that again.
The twenty-five thousand dollars were nearly gone. Back rent, two maxed-out credit cards, agent fees, and six parking tickets will do that. Adam was sitting on his jacket on the sand at Venice Beach, enjoying the last venti latte he was probably going to have for awhile, when bright red sat down beside him.
It turned out to be a woman, in her early forties, with thick, vibrantly dyed red hair flying about freely in the breeze. She was staring at him, leaning in close to get a good look.
"Is your name Adam?" the raspy voice asked.
"Yes," he answered, tentatively.
"I knew it! I was walking by with my dog and thought for sure it was you. My husband (she pointed to a scowling, middle-aged man with a dark receding hairline and a puffy black vest holding the leash of a golden retriever) told me to leave you alone, but I had to come over. You don't mind, do you?"
Adam slowly shook his head. He shook his head, and squinted his eyes at the woman.
"I heard you sing at The Grant last week. You were fucking amazing, dude! No shit, but I was actually gonna look you up. The guitar player in my band told me about you, and gave us tickets to go see for ourselves. Rick (she pointed to the man brushing sand off his grey track pants) and I just opened a club, mostly local talent with some rock 'n roll spirit, you know? We've got a house band, and I sing, but we're looking for a regular singer. Someone special that'll draw in the crowds. Man, you could totally do that."
She took the look of confusion on Adam's face to mean that she was talking too fast or something, which she had a habit of doing (so said Rick). "Lemme start over," she laughed, sticking out her right hand. "My name is Allison. Nice to meet you!"
*~*~*~*~*
When Adam had leaped back into 2010, they searched every record available for information on Allison. All they could find was the same news story on the murdered Hispanic woman in Milwaukee, and a dead end. No pun intended. No pun at all.
After a month had passed from Adam's return, an intern was filing all of the random papers that had been printed out during the investigation. It wasn't until then that a possibility came about. In the original timeline, a stripper named Cocoa, who worked for cash, slipped on a spilled drink and crashed her head into a table. She died in the ambulance on route to the hospital, and all records indicating her actual identity were sealed, as she was only seventeen. This accident happened in the strip club in Texas, where Cocoa worked. She hadn't left town with Danny Gokey the night before, as her roommate stayed home and wouldn't let her go. She worked the next night, and ended up dead.
The ensign filed the papers, completed her internship, and began a new assignment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. It wasn't until Adam frantically called Anoop that the file was opened.
*~*~*~*~*
"Adam, this is my guitar player, Kris." Allison had the arm of a cute, young guy with cropped brown hair, a scruffy jaw, and a plaid shirt that actually fit. She pulled him forward and presented him to Adam.
Kris stuck out his hand to shake Adam's, biting his lip, worry all over his face.
"I feel like we've met before," Adam said, in a monotone voice.
"Weird how that happens sometimes! Anyway, Kris can play guitar for your audition." She turned and made a perturbed face at Rick, who had insisted on an audition for every performer, no exceptions. "He knows, like, every song, I swear! I'll give you some time to work it out. I gotta go talk drink specials with the bartender."
"Adam-"
"So you do remember me? I wasn't sure. Then again, I wasn't sure if you even existed or if I imagined you. Or if I did something that changed you or made you not exist anymore. Certainly no one in Arkansas has ever heard of you-"
"Adam, please! Let me explain."
Adam sat down on the piano bench, arms crossed against his chest.
"I had to be sure, and it had to be right. Adam, you did change me. You did make the old me not exist anymore. That whole bullshit science experiment. When I leaped back, I went straight home and cleared everything up. I told Katy, and she wasn't surprised at all. I told my parents, and they weren't surprised, either. As for everyone else I know back home, they either agreed to cover for me… or disowned me."
Adam winced, and finally looked up into his face.
"But I had to be me. I came back to LA, and I had to be me."
"You didn't forget me?"
"Of course not!"
"But you didn't-"
"It had to be right."
"What?"
"This time, when we met, it had to be right," Kris clarified. He took one of Adam's hands, holding onto his fingers, entwining them with his own. "I didn't know when Fate was gonna give up on us, and I had to make sure it worked this time."
"You crazy little fucker, you put me through hell!" Adam pulled Kris close to him, holding him against his chest, breathing in the familiar. Finally, Adam pulled back his head and looked down at Kris. "We have a lot to talk about," he said, softly. Kris nodded. "But right now, I have to audition for a woman I saved by not saving her, and her miserable husband!" he laughed.
"Aww, he's not really miserable. Well, not around Allison. Or their kids. Maybe around everyone else!" he laughed.
Adam quickly turned his head to look for Allison. Seeing her still made him shiver.
"Hey, what are you singing?"
"I don't know. Maybe something by Queen? Or, The Beatles. Maybe, Yesterday?
"I think I could handle that," Kris laughed. "Hey, how about Bob Seger?"
Adam laughed. "Maybe. But, if me and the Universe have anything to do with it, we'll have a lot more than just tonight." Kris' bright smile was all the answer he needed.
Footnote #1: Mike Sarver's pick-up truck: tn_423x423_86682520.jpg
Footnote #2: Adam's stripping songs: 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vppbdf-qtGU 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMFMf9cN64U (lyrics below)
Footnote #3: Cinnamon's car: 23083910012_large.jpg
Footnote #4: Song playing in the truck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqHhW2sKMJA
La Grange - ZZ Top
Rumour spreadin' a-'round in that Texas town
'bout that shack outside La Grange
and you know what I'm talkin' about.
Just let me know if you wanna go
to that home out on the range.
They gotta lotta nice girls ah.
Have mercy.
A haw, haw, haw, haw, a haw.
A haw, haw, haw.
Well, I hear it's fine if you got the time
and the ten to get yourself in.
A hmm, hmm.
And I hear it's tight most ev'ry night,
but now I might be mistaken.
hmm, hmm, hmm.
Ah have mercy.
Keep Your Hands to Yourself - Georgia Satellites
I got a little change in my pocket going jingle lingle ling
want to call you on the telephone baby I give you a ring
but each time we talk I get the same old thing
always no huggin no kissin until I get a wedding ring
my honey my baby don't put my love upon no shelf
she said don't give no lines and keep your hands to yourself
Cruel baby baby baby why you want to treat me this way
you know I'm still your lover boy I still feel the same way
that's when she told me a story 'bout free milk and a cow
and she said no huggin no kissin until I get a wedding vow
my honey my baby don't put my love upon no shelf
she said don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself
You see I wanted her real bad and I was about to give in
that's when she started talkin' true love started talkin' about sin
I said honey I'll live with you for the rest of my life
she said no huggin no kissin until you make me your wife
my honey my baby don't put my love on no shelf
she said don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself.
Part 2:
"What are you doing here?"
"I don't know. I can go." Kris started to turn around in the hallway.
"No!" Adam reached out and grasped his shoulder. More softly, he added, "I didn't mean that. I was just surprised. I didn't expect…."
"Can I come in?"
After a moment, Adam nodded and moved to let him in.
"I'm sorry." Kris was looking down at the floor, at his scuffed brown cowboy boots on the pale pink carpet. "I knew, and I should have said something before, but…," he looked up at Adam, boldly into his eyes, "I didn't want to. I don't know her, right now I don't want to know her. I want to know you. I think I'm supposed to know you."
*~*~*~*~*
"Sarah! Oh my god, Sarah, you won't believe it! It's going to happen! It's all going to… Ohhhh, sorry," Allison squeaked, startled. Kris jumped to the other side of the couch, trying hard to look anywhere but at the girl staring at him from across the room. Adam ran his hand through his hair, wiped at the red lipstick smeared around his lips, and did up two buttons on his frilly green blouse.
"I should go." Kris jumped up from the couch, grabbed his jean jacket, and stepped towards the door. He turned back to Allison and added, "I just came here to talk to… Sarah, Allison." He glanced at Adam, connecting with his eyes, and repeated, "I just came here to talk," before closing the door behind him.
Adam stood, adjusted his long black skirt, and told Allison that he would be in his room. "Oh no you don't! I have news! Big news!" She positively beamed with excitement, gripping Adam's forearms and bouncing up and down. "It's all going to happen! Soon! I'm going to make it, Sarah!"
"How? With Gokey? What stories has he told you, Allison? What promises did he make? I'm worried about you-"
Allison pulled her hands off of Adam's arms, gritted her teeth, and pointed to the empty spot on the couch. "Worry about yourself!" Adam tried to follow her, but she slammed the apartment door in his face.
"You need to sit down, Adam."
Adam spun around, surprised to see Ryan standing in the living room when it was Anoop's voice that he had heard.
"We have some information," Anoop continued.
"About Allison," Ryan added. Adam was frozen in place for a moment, then finally took a breath and sat down on the couch, hands clutching a cushion to his stomach, listening, as Anoop spoke.
"We don't have any concrete information, Adam. Let me begin there. We haven't been able to confirm anything of her whereabouts or her activity beyond this month, in fact. Even with the Admiral's involvement. But Ziggy has scoured all available sources for the time, everything throughout Texas, Wisconsin, and everywhere in between. Something finally came up. It's just speculation and conjecture, but it's the best we have to go on right now. Dr. Beckett has completed missions on less than this, and Ziggy gives this hypothesis an eighty-nine percent accuracy score, which is-"
"Goddamnit, just tell me what the fuck happens to her!"
"We, well, Ziggy, found a news item." Anoop was mumbling, wringing his hands. "Lieutenant Commander?"
"I'm just going to come out with it, Adam. Approximately five months from now, a young Hispanic woman, estimated age between sixteen and twenty years old, was found dead. A Jane Doe. The case went cold after a few months and her identity was never determined. She had been murdered, beaten black and blue and stabbed six times through the chest and stomach." Ryan continued on, attempting to steady his voice, staring straight ahead to avoid looking at Adam. "It was clear through the autopsy that she had been repeatedly beaten and raped for months." Adam's breathing was now audible across the room. "She was also four months pregnant."
"And?" Adam was standing, fists at his sides, chest heaving, nostrils flared. "There's more! Tell me!"
Anoop took a deep breath. "Her body was found in a lane, between a dumpster and a warehouse, two blocks from Danny Gokey's cabaret."
Adam's fist smashed into the drywall.
*~*~*~*~*
"What am I supposed to do with a kid? Fuuu…."
"How did you get a kid?" Anoop asked, startled by the blond toddler holding onto the edge of the coffee table with one hand, and a bottle of apple juice with the other.
"He's Megan's, remember? Riley?"
"Ohhh, right. Ryder. Her son by the chief petty officer that was killed in action in Libya," Anoop smirked.
"More likely some married cattle rancher with a few good bottles of whiskey from acr-"
"Anyway!"
"Anyway…," Adam followed Anoop's gaze to Ryder, who was plopped on the carpet, watching apple juice drip onto the coffee table. "Where the fuuuu…udge is Allison?" Adam hissed.
"We don't know, Adam. The Lieutenant Commander and I have been projecting into every location we know she frequents, and we haven't seen her anywhere. The records have no information about her whereabouts. The good news is that Mr. Gokey is currently putting a load of darks into the dryer at a laundromat near his motel, so we know that Allison isn't with him."
"Thank fuck! Damn, I mean, thank fudge."
"But why do you have the child here?"
Adam rushed to scoop him up before he stuck a ballpoint pen in his mouth, and answered, "Apparently Allison always babysits on Sunday nights so Megan can go to church. Go figure. So I said I'd watch him until she gets back, and she better get back [he covered Ryder's ears, and mouthed] fucking soon."
Before Adam could yell at Anoop to start checking the whole town over again, Allison crept in the door.
"There you are! Holy shit girl, I was so fucking worried!" He pulled Allison into a hug, squeezing the air out of her, and passed Ryder into her arms. "Dammit, where the hell have you been? I thought you were-" but he couldn't bare to let the word "dead" come out of his mouth.
"Geez, Sarah, relax. I wasn't really anywhere, just shootin' the shit with a few friends before… just hanging out, clearing my head, you know?"
"I was worried you'd done something stupid, like go off with that Gokey guy." Adam could barely contain the disgust in his voice when he said Gokey's name.
"Adam, careful. You can't let on that you suspect anything specific. You're supposed to be Sarah Conner, remember? Just, persuade her, but don't scare her."
"Look," Adam continued, more softly, "I was just worried cause you left and didn't say where you were going, and you've been talking about him a lot lately, and you know I have a bad feeling about him." He guided her to sit down on the couch, Ryder bouncing in her lap, and sat beside her. "I've been around this scene for a long time now, and I know how to read men pretty well. I don't like the story my gut gets from him."
"Sarah, please don't worry. I mean, thanks for caring, you know? But I've been taking care of myself for a long time, too. Not as long as you, or Megan, I know that. But I can handle myself."
Adam stood, pacing from the living room to the kitchen and back again, several times.
"Girl, I think you just need to get out. Why don't you go see Mike? It looked like you were about to let him get to second base," she laughed. Adam opened his mouth to protest, but she interrupted. "Tiffany's an airhead. If she can't see that her man has eyes for someone else, tough shit for her. You've got a few days before she gets back to town. Work your magic."
"No, I can't go-"
"Go, have fun, get drunk and get laid. It's been long enough. You keep telling the boys no, but why don't you take some for yourself. I'm just gonna be here with Ryder, and I know how much you hate babies."
"I don't hate babies!" Adam looked at Anoop, and mouthed, "Do I?"
"Well, maybe it's changing diapers you hate," she laughed. "Anyway, go out, relax, have a good time. I'll see you when you get back, and we can talk then if you want."
"You won't go anywhere?"
"Nope. I'll stay here all night. We'll make pancakes in the morning. Promise."
Adam stood and thought for a moment. "Okay, I'll go out. But just for a little while, not all night. I want to talk about all this when I get back." He went into his bedroom to change into some tight jeans, knee-high boots, and a fierce red leather jacket. He wasn't convinced, and he wasn't going to let it go. But, for now, Allison was safe. He called, "And pancakes would be awesome!" as he pulled the door closed behind him.
*~*~*~*~*
"Fucking hell, old piece of shit bucket of fucking bolts!" Adam smacked his hands down on the steering wheel when Cinnamon's VW Rabbit stalled along the side of the road. The car was only four years old, although it was something of a lemon, but to Adam's 2010 subconscious, it was old as fuck.
"Anoop! Goddammit, Anoop! You fucker! Where the hell are you?" he shouted, slamming the car door.
"Stop yelling, Adam! Someone'll come by and think Miss Conner's lost her mind!"
"Oh, there you are! Thank god! The car broke down, and I'm stuck!"
"I see that. Well, open the hood and see… or we could call a tow truck? Hmm, maybe there's a garage in town? Or someone driving by will stop…." Anoop and Adam looked around and saw a whole lot of darkened shop windows, empty sidewalks, and unused parking meters along the street.
"Why is it so dead around here?"
Anoop pressed a few times on his computer, and replied, "It's 6:34 on a Sunday night in a small town in Texas in 1986. Everyone is either at church, or they're having family dinners after afternoon services, or they're at a bar hiding out from the teetotallers. The stores were closed all day today. Just the bars are open, the ones outside of town."
Adam was leaning against the side of the car, arms crossed, jacket wrapped tightly around his body. It was a dark November evening with a cold bite in the air. "What am I supposed to do? Walk back to the apartment? Find a bar? I need to see Kris, and I need to get back to Allison. Fuck, I don't have time for this!"
"There's a pay phone at the end of the street, in front of the beauty parlour. Hang on! I'll project into Kris' apartment and let him know you're here. Don't go anywhere!"
"Where would I go?" he called, but Anoop was already gone.
*~*~*~*~*
"You look cold."
"I am cold," Adam answered, honestly. "But, I'll survive. Look, pull over here. I just need a minute to clear my head, okay?"
Kris nodded sympathetically and pulled the pick-up over to the side of the country road. They had passed the strip club a half mile back, both of them wincing with the bad feelings the place now gave them. Adam had spent the ten minute drive filling Kris in on everything he had learned about Allison, and on everything he had said to try to convince her to stay away from Gokey, and his brain was spinning.
"Adam, she's going to be alright. She's safe at home now, and we won't let her go anywhere with that creep. I promise you that. That she'll be safe. We'll keep her safe." He reached across the bench seat of the truck and took one of Adam's hands. Looking him in the eyes, Kris promised again.
"Yes. We'll keep her safe. We have to. That's why the Universe sent us here, right? Because we can do it."
"And then we'll leap out of here and back to our own lives…." Kris looked down, the realization coming to him. "Or maybe into other peoples' lives again. Oh God, Adam. What if we don't ever get home?"
"What if we lose each other?" Adam muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing." But Kris had heard him, and he feared the same thing.
Adam pulled on Kris' hand, wrapping his arm around Adam's back while he moved closer. They just held on to each other for a moment, before Adam's fingers trailed up the back of Kris' plaid shirt and over his shoulders. With both hands, Adam cupped Kris' cheeks and leaned in. He licked at Kris' lips, opening them with his tongue. With their eyes closed, their bodies pressed together, Adam pulled away slightly from Kris' lips and mumbled, "We can't lose each other."
*~*~*~*~*
"It was no problem, Megan. Ryder is always fun to babysit! Plus it gives me an excuse to eat lots of pudding!" Allison laughed. She handed Ryder over to his mother's waiting arms, apologizing for the butterscotch stains down the front of his t-shirt. "I love Ryder! And I love you, too, Megan! You're an super friend, you know. I mean it! I'll always remember you for it. You're a good person, Megan. And don't let anyone think any different about you."
"Thanks, honey. But, what are you-"
"Aww, nuthin'. I'm just bein' a goof," she laughed. "Don't take me serious."
"Okay, if you're sure," Megan questioned.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm just gonna hit the hay early, work some stuff out in my head. I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?"
After closing the apartment door, Allison bee-lined for her bedroom, opening the closet and pulling out a large black suitcase.
*~*~*~*~*
"Oh God, Adam. Ohhh, yes, God." Kris' words were barely more than breaths escaping from his lips unconsciously, as Adam's hands were roaming his body, snaking along his skin, beneath his clothes. Adam's lips and tongue were sucking and licking along his stubbled jawline, milky collarbones, shoulder where his jacket and shirt were pulled down. His fingers were pressed to Kris' throat, thumbs nudging his face up to meet Adam's own.
"Wait!" Kris sat up in his seat, one hand splayed across the steamed-up driver's side window, the other pushing Adam's head down, away from view.
"Huh? Oh…." A car had passed by the truck, driving slowly along the country road. Adam looked up into Kris' eyes, questioning.
"It's not you, it's Mike. And Sarah. We can't ruin them while we're here. You know?" Adam sat up, adjusting his jacket and black Michael Jackson t-shirt, sliding over along the bench towards the passenger door. "No, don't do that."
"You're right, though. We have to think about Mike, and Sarah. And Katy," Adam answered, looking away. "Fuck, why do we have to be stuck in this bullshit-"
"Science experiment? Right?" He poked Adam in the arm, and smiled.
"Yeah. Right. Maybe you should just take me home." The radio DJ was doing a news update, before introducing the next song. Kris reached over to the dial to turn it off, but Adam stopped him.
"This song goes back a few years," came the deep voice, "but it's still just as good. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, with We've Got Tonite." (Footnote #4)
"I know this song," Adam told him, as the opening chords began.
I know it's late, I know you're weary
I know your plans don't include me
Still, here we are, both of us lonely
Longing for shelter from all that we see
Why should we worry, no one will care
Look at the stars so far away
We've got tonight, who needs tomorrow?
We've got tonight babe
Why don't you stay?
"The Universe?" Adam whispered.
"Seems so."
"I don't want to think, Kris." Adam's voice was soft, as he wiped at the condensation on the passenger window. Staring out into the darkness, he repeated, "I don't want to think."
"Neither do I. I do want to take you home, though." Adam turned and looked at him briefly, before turning away; his eyes closing, his chest tightening. "To my home. I mean, to Mike's home." Adam turned back to him, eyes wide open, biting his lip before reaching out to take Kris' hand again.
"Yes. Please."
*~*~*~*~*
It was after midnight when Adam stepped through the apartment door. He was exhausted, his lips were red and swollen, and his hair was still wet from their shower. He crept along the hallway to Allison's room, slowly opening the door to check in on her. Squinting in the darkness, he couldn't tell if she was in bed. Turning on the light, he saw that her bed was covered in stray pieces of clothing, her dresser drawers were left open and empty, and her closet was empty except for a few hangers with summer clothes. Panicking, Adam ran out into the living room, then the kitchen, flipping on lights as he called Allison's name. A sheet of plain white typewriter paper was folded in half on the kitchen table. It was a note, in Allison's big loopy handwriting. She was gone. She was gone with Gokey.
Before Adam could curse or pick up the phone or smash the wall again, he saw flashes of light, felt like his body was being pulled inside out, and opened his eyes to the stunned face of Anoop.
But it wasn't Anoop, the hologram. It was Lieutenant Desai, in person, staring at him in the laboratory of Project Quantum Leap.
*~*~*~*~*
"I don't see why you can't tell me. I don't-"
"Adam, I've told you a dozen times. We can't release the personal information of any of the participants from the project. Ours might be an unusual experiment, but we are still under the jurisdiction of the United States government, and I am an officer of the U.S. Navy. I could be court-marshalled just for giving you a phone number."
"I've tried everything, Anoop. I've called every Allen in the Arkansas phone books. I just keep getting told there's no one by that name. It's like he didn't even exist."
Anoop sighed, so close to saying something. He bit his lip, glad he was having this conversation over the telephone instead of in person. Demanding-Adam in person was a very hard thing to handle.
"I know it's only been three days since we got out, and I really only knew him for that long back then, but it feels like I lost my left arm or some shit. Sometimes I wonder if he really was real. Maybe I just dreamt him up. Or maybe that experiment changed something, and he doesn't exist anymore. Like, maybe I did something that changed his life and he doesn't exist anymore."
Anoop couldn't bear the desperation and blame any longer. "Adam, listen to me, please. Listen quietly, and carefully. I'm only going to say this once, and that's more than I should. We have spoken with Kris, and told him of your extreme desire to contact him. We offered to provide him with your information, if you gave consent." Anoop took a deep breath, then let it out like a band-aid. "He declined."
*~*~*~*~*
It had been nearly three months since Adam returned to his own life, back to Los Angeles circa 2010. Every day he thought about Kris. Every day he longed for him, dreamt of him, hurt over him. He felt like Kris was there, in his shadow, watching him, waiting for him. He felt like he was losing his mind. And then, one day, he decided. He woke up, looked at himself in the mirror, and just decided that he was letting this go. It was over, back in the past, and he was never going to live that again.
The twenty-five thousand dollars were nearly gone. Back rent, two maxed-out credit cards, agent fees, and six parking tickets will do that. Adam was sitting on his jacket on the sand at Venice Beach, enjoying the last venti latte he was probably going to have for awhile, when bright red sat down beside him.
It turned out to be a woman, in her early forties, with thick, vibrantly dyed red hair flying about freely in the breeze. She was staring at him, leaning in close to get a good look.
"Is your name Adam?" the raspy voice asked.
"Yes," he answered, tentatively.
"I knew it! I was walking by with my dog and thought for sure it was you. My husband (she pointed to a scowling, middle-aged man with a dark receding hairline and a puffy black vest holding the leash of a golden retriever) told me to leave you alone, but I had to come over. You don't mind, do you?"
Adam slowly shook his head. He shook his head, and squinted his eyes at the woman.
"I heard you sing at The Grant last week. You were fucking amazing, dude! No shit, but I was actually gonna look you up. The guitar player in my band told me about you, and gave us tickets to go see for ourselves. Rick (she pointed to the man brushing sand off his grey track pants) and I just opened a club, mostly local talent with some rock 'n roll spirit, you know? We've got a house band, and I sing, but we're looking for a regular singer. Someone special that'll draw in the crowds. Man, you could totally do that."
She took the look of confusion on Adam's face to mean that she was talking too fast or something, which she had a habit of doing (so said Rick). "Lemme start over," she laughed, sticking out her right hand. "My name is Allison. Nice to meet you!"
*~*~*~*~*
When Adam had leaped back into 2010, they searched every record available for information on Allison. All they could find was the same news story on the murdered Hispanic woman in Milwaukee, and a dead end. No pun intended. No pun at all.
After a month had passed from Adam's return, an intern was filing all of the random papers that had been printed out during the investigation. It wasn't until then that a possibility came about. In the original timeline, a stripper named Cocoa, who worked for cash, slipped on a spilled drink and crashed her head into a table. She died in the ambulance on route to the hospital, and all records indicating her actual identity were sealed, as she was only seventeen. This accident happened in the strip club in Texas, where Cocoa worked. She hadn't left town with Danny Gokey the night before, as her roommate stayed home and wouldn't let her go. She worked the next night, and ended up dead.
The ensign filed the papers, completed her internship, and began a new assignment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. It wasn't until Adam frantically called Anoop that the file was opened.
*~*~*~*~*
"Adam, this is my guitar player, Kris." Allison had the arm of a cute, young guy with cropped brown hair, a scruffy jaw, and a plaid shirt that actually fit. She pulled him forward and presented him to Adam.
Kris stuck out his hand to shake Adam's, biting his lip, worry all over his face.
"I feel like we've met before," Adam said, in a monotone voice.
"Weird how that happens sometimes! Anyway, Kris can play guitar for your audition." She turned and made a perturbed face at Rick, who had insisted on an audition for every performer, no exceptions. "He knows, like, every song, I swear! I'll give you some time to work it out. I gotta go talk drink specials with the bartender."
"Adam-"
"So you do remember me? I wasn't sure. Then again, I wasn't sure if you even existed or if I imagined you. Or if I did something that changed you or made you not exist anymore. Certainly no one in Arkansas has ever heard of you-"
"Adam, please! Let me explain."
Adam sat down on the piano bench, arms crossed against his chest.
"I had to be sure, and it had to be right. Adam, you did change me. You did make the old me not exist anymore. That whole bullshit science experiment. When I leaped back, I went straight home and cleared everything up. I told Katy, and she wasn't surprised at all. I told my parents, and they weren't surprised, either. As for everyone else I know back home, they either agreed to cover for me… or disowned me."
Adam winced, and finally looked up into his face.
"But I had to be me. I came back to LA, and I had to be me."
"You didn't forget me?"
"Of course not!"
"But you didn't-"
"It had to be right."
"What?"
"This time, when we met, it had to be right," Kris clarified. He took one of Adam's hands, holding onto his fingers, entwining them with his own. "I didn't know when Fate was gonna give up on us, and I had to make sure it worked this time."
"You crazy little fucker, you put me through hell!" Adam pulled Kris close to him, holding him against his chest, breathing in the familiar. Finally, Adam pulled back his head and looked down at Kris. "We have a lot to talk about," he said, softly. Kris nodded. "But right now, I have to audition for a woman I saved by not saving her, and her miserable husband!" he laughed.
"Aww, he's not really miserable. Well, not around Allison. Or their kids. Maybe around everyone else!" he laughed.
Adam quickly turned his head to look for Allison. Seeing her still made him shiver.
"Hey, what are you singing?"
"I don't know. Maybe something by Queen? Or, The Beatles. Maybe, Yesterday?
"I think I could handle that," Kris laughed. "Hey, how about Bob Seger?"
Adam laughed. "Maybe. But, if me and the Universe have anything to do with it, we'll have a lot more than just tonight." Kris' bright smile was all the answer he needed.
Footnote #1: Mike Sarver's pick-up truck: tn_423x423_86682520.jpg
Footnote #2: Adam's stripping songs: 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vppbdf-qtGU 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMFMf9cN64U (lyrics below)
Footnote #3: Cinnamon's car: 23083910012_large.jpg
Footnote #4: Song playing in the truck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqHhW2sKMJA
La Grange - ZZ Top
Rumour spreadin' a-'round in that Texas town
'bout that shack outside La Grange
and you know what I'm talkin' about.
Just let me know if you wanna go
to that home out on the range.
They gotta lotta nice girls ah.
Have mercy.
A haw, haw, haw, haw, a haw.
A haw, haw, haw.
Well, I hear it's fine if you got the time
and the ten to get yourself in.
A hmm, hmm.
And I hear it's tight most ev'ry night,
but now I might be mistaken.
hmm, hmm, hmm.
Ah have mercy.
Keep Your Hands to Yourself - Georgia Satellites
I got a little change in my pocket going jingle lingle ling
want to call you on the telephone baby I give you a ring
but each time we talk I get the same old thing
always no huggin no kissin until I get a wedding ring
my honey my baby don't put my love upon no shelf
she said don't give no lines and keep your hands to yourself
Cruel baby baby baby why you want to treat me this way
you know I'm still your lover boy I still feel the same way
that's when she told me a story 'bout free milk and a cow
and she said no huggin no kissin until I get a wedding vow
my honey my baby don't put my love upon no shelf
she said don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself
You see I wanted her real bad and I was about to give in
that's when she started talkin' true love started talkin' about sin
I said honey I'll live with you for the rest of my life
she said no huggin no kissin until you make me your wife
my honey my baby don't put my love on no shelf
she said don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself.