Disclaimer: These people aint mine, but I wish they were!
Sam stood there watching as Al listened to the message that he had left.
"God, I hope this works Al. I really miss you." Sam prayed to
himself. "What was the original again Ziggy?" Sam really didn't want
to know, but he knew that he had to do something, because Al was not
there and he missed his best friend.
"Admiral Calavicci never gave up on you, Dr. Beckett. He
stayed at the Project until everyone had left except him. After a year
and 36 days, Admiral Calavicci died of a massive coronary attack, but
I believe it was from what humans call and 'broken heart.'"
"Oh Al." Sam sighed as his friend stood up. The Admiral froze,
as if listening to something, then continued. Sam followed him to his
car and watched as Al glanced up in the sky and drove away.
"Did it work, Ziggy?" Sam asked, afraid of the answer.
"In a way, it helped Dr. Beckett. But Admiral Calavicci still
dies, only it is 2 years and 157 days instead. I miss him very much,
Dr. Beckett." The computer told him, reluctantly.
"Yeah, me too. When he gets home, center me on him, OK?" Sam
asked. He was not going to give up. What he had told Al was true, and
he did return just as he promised. Only, it was too late. Donna had
already left him, he couldn't find Sammie Jo anywhere, and when he
tried to find Al, he found that his best friend had died only 7 months
before Sam arrived back home. He sat down in the Imaging Chamber to
wait, now. He managed to get the government to reinstate the Project,
and Sam fixed the Accelerator. Now, he could do what was originally
intended: observe and only observe. He no longer leapt into people's
lives, he only watched. It took several months before he could bring
himself to see Al. He thought that he could at least see his friend
one more time, therefore making himself feel better at least.
Ten minutes after he saw Al leave, he found himself in a large
room decorated in pastel colors. There were two young girls watching
TV and another two, older, looking a at a magazine with dresses in it.
The door opened and entered Al Calavicci with a slight grin on his face.
Upon seeing him, the girls all looked up and grinned right back
at him. He went over and kissed each on top of the heads.
"Where is your mother?" He asked, looking at them all with
pride.
"Oh, she went shopping for... something." One of the girls said,
with a giggle. It was after a long look and several minutes before it
hit Al: his birthday was tomorrow.
"Is there any way that I can get one of you to tell me what she
is out to get, by chance?" He said, smiling, and turning on his
infamous charm.
"NOT a chance, Dad. Sorry, but we are sworn to secrecy, and Mom
has already threatened us." Another of the girls replied.
"Nuts." Was the only reply he gave them before heading back to
his room to change. He decided on comfortable jeans and a bright
yellow shirt. He liked to be comfortable while at home.
When Beth finally got home, she made him stay in their room
while she hid his present. Al jokingly acted like he was mad that she
didn't give him the present right then, but he decided that he would
have a present that night while she was there. And that he did.
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Sam watched from the corner and laughed. Al hadn't changed.
At first, Sam couldn't remember who these girls were. It dawned
on him that he had changed history and Al had four daughters now.
Even months after returning to the future, er, present... whatever, he
still had a bit of a memory problem sometimes. He watched as Al tried
to convince the girls to tell him his present, to no avail, all night.
Even into dinner with Beth there, Al tried to coax, bribe, and
threaten, but obviously Beth had beaten him to the threaten part with
a better threat. Eventually Al gave up and the house went dark. Sam
slipped out of the Chamber and went to his own room and slept, fitfully.
The next day brought nothing with it until that night. Instead
of the huge party that Sam expected Al to have, like he remembered,
the family stayed at home and had a quiet little party of their own.
Al smiled brightly as he opened a T-shirt that said, "Ain't I a kick in
the butt." That won the girls a non-serious look of evil. He also got
a tie, a new watch, a golden lighter that had the Navy seal on it, and
a CD of Al's favorite music. Beth got Al a picture of the whole
family in a beautiful frame of cherry wood with intricate small
engravings on it. Sam peered over Al's shoulder to look at the
picture and said with a sigh,
"Oh Al, I wish I could have seen this before. You and the
girls and Beth." Al froze as if something were about to pounce on him.
He stood up abruptly and the girls and Beth jumped back, astonished.
"What's wrong, Al? Don't you like the picture?" Beth said,
worry in her voice.
"Did you say something?" Al said, a bit louder than he meant.
"What? Three of the girls said in unison. Al just peered at
them, and then slowly looked around. Standing there, before his eyes,
was Sam Beckett. Al gasped an, "Oh my God" and just stared. Sam
staredright back, equally amazed.
"Can you see me, Al?" Sam finally spoke. Al just stared a few
more seconds then nodded his head.
"Al! What is wrong? Al? Al???" Beth was practically screaming
at Al, looking around and trying to figure out if her husband had just
lost it. Al finally turned and looked at her, slightly pale.
"Sam is here, Beth. Can't you see him? He is right there! Sam,
she can't see you." Al, too, was practically screaming. The girls
inadvertently moved away from their father and were watching from almost
the other side of the room.
"You can see me!!! Oh my God, Al, I didn't think you could.
How is this happening?" Sam said, overjoyed, but confused. At that
point the men both went to each other and tried to hug. They went right
through each other.
"Al, I'm a hologram. I finally did get back, like I told you,
and now I am out just observing, like we had originally planned." Sam
said quickly, before it became uncomfortablein the room, due to lack of
touch.
"Beth, Sam is here, but you cant see him. He did return home,
just like he said he would. I told you he was right." Turning back to
Sam, Al said,
"But why are you here? Am I not there with you?" he
asked, worry in his voice. Sam explained, slowly and quietly, tears
forming slightly in his eyes.
"And that is why I am here. I wanted to see you again, but I
never knew you would see me. I guess since we are still linked you can
see me." Sam wrapped up. Al had just sat there, in disbelief.
"But you never gave up on me, Al. I thank you for that." Sam
felt the Imaging Chamber go dark and he cried out, "AL! NO! Where did
you go?Al! I am still here! Come back! Al! No…." Sam realized that he
couldn't stay in there forever, and he had used up so much energy that
the Chamber had gone blank. He slowly slipped out of the room and
walked down the ramp and back into his present.
Sam was on the verge of tears when he heard,
"No, I never gave up. Not on you Sam. Never. And you didn't
give up on me, either. What a great birthday present."
Sam looked up and standing in front of him was Admiral Albert Calavicci.
" I would never give up on you."
Sam stood there watching as Al listened to the message that he had left.
"God, I hope this works Al. I really miss you." Sam prayed to
himself. "What was the original again Ziggy?" Sam really didn't want
to know, but he knew that he had to do something, because Al was not
there and he missed his best friend.
"Admiral Calavicci never gave up on you, Dr. Beckett. He
stayed at the Project until everyone had left except him. After a year
and 36 days, Admiral Calavicci died of a massive coronary attack, but
I believe it was from what humans call and 'broken heart.'"
"Oh Al." Sam sighed as his friend stood up. The Admiral froze,
as if listening to something, then continued. Sam followed him to his
car and watched as Al glanced up in the sky and drove away.
"Did it work, Ziggy?" Sam asked, afraid of the answer.
"In a way, it helped Dr. Beckett. But Admiral Calavicci still
dies, only it is 2 years and 157 days instead. I miss him very much,
Dr. Beckett." The computer told him, reluctantly.
"Yeah, me too. When he gets home, center me on him, OK?" Sam
asked. He was not going to give up. What he had told Al was true, and
he did return just as he promised. Only, it was too late. Donna had
already left him, he couldn't find Sammie Jo anywhere, and when he
tried to find Al, he found that his best friend had died only 7 months
before Sam arrived back home. He sat down in the Imaging Chamber to
wait, now. He managed to get the government to reinstate the Project,
and Sam fixed the Accelerator. Now, he could do what was originally
intended: observe and only observe. He no longer leapt into people's
lives, he only watched. It took several months before he could bring
himself to see Al. He thought that he could at least see his friend
one more time, therefore making himself feel better at least.
Ten minutes after he saw Al leave, he found himself in a large
room decorated in pastel colors. There were two young girls watching
TV and another two, older, looking a at a magazine with dresses in it.
The door opened and entered Al Calavicci with a slight grin on his face.
Upon seeing him, the girls all looked up and grinned right back
at him. He went over and kissed each on top of the heads.
"Where is your mother?" He asked, looking at them all with
pride.
"Oh, she went shopping for... something." One of the girls said,
with a giggle. It was after a long look and several minutes before it
hit Al: his birthday was tomorrow.
"Is there any way that I can get one of you to tell me what she
is out to get, by chance?" He said, smiling, and turning on his
infamous charm.
"NOT a chance, Dad. Sorry, but we are sworn to secrecy, and Mom
has already threatened us." Another of the girls replied.
"Nuts." Was the only reply he gave them before heading back to
his room to change. He decided on comfortable jeans and a bright
yellow shirt. He liked to be comfortable while at home.
When Beth finally got home, she made him stay in their room
while she hid his present. Al jokingly acted like he was mad that she
didn't give him the present right then, but he decided that he would
have a present that night while she was there. And that he did.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Sam watched from the corner and laughed. Al hadn't changed.
At first, Sam couldn't remember who these girls were. It dawned
on him that he had changed history and Al had four daughters now.
Even months after returning to the future, er, present... whatever, he
still had a bit of a memory problem sometimes. He watched as Al tried
to convince the girls to tell him his present, to no avail, all night.
Even into dinner with Beth there, Al tried to coax, bribe, and
threaten, but obviously Beth had beaten him to the threaten part with
a better threat. Eventually Al gave up and the house went dark. Sam
slipped out of the Chamber and went to his own room and slept, fitfully.
The next day brought nothing with it until that night. Instead
of the huge party that Sam expected Al to have, like he remembered,
the family stayed at home and had a quiet little party of their own.
Al smiled brightly as he opened a T-shirt that said, "Ain't I a kick in
the butt." That won the girls a non-serious look of evil. He also got
a tie, a new watch, a golden lighter that had the Navy seal on it, and
a CD of Al's favorite music. Beth got Al a picture of the whole
family in a beautiful frame of cherry wood with intricate small
engravings on it. Sam peered over Al's shoulder to look at the
picture and said with a sigh,
"Oh Al, I wish I could have seen this before. You and the
girls and Beth." Al froze as if something were about to pounce on him.
He stood up abruptly and the girls and Beth jumped back, astonished.
"What's wrong, Al? Don't you like the picture?" Beth said,
worry in her voice.
"Did you say something?" Al said, a bit louder than he meant.
"What? Three of the girls said in unison. Al just peered at
them, and then slowly looked around. Standing there, before his eyes,
was Sam Beckett. Al gasped an, "Oh my God" and just stared. Sam
staredright back, equally amazed.
"Can you see me, Al?" Sam finally spoke. Al just stared a few
more seconds then nodded his head.
"Al! What is wrong? Al? Al???" Beth was practically screaming
at Al, looking around and trying to figure out if her husband had just
lost it. Al finally turned and looked at her, slightly pale.
"Sam is here, Beth. Can't you see him? He is right there! Sam,
she can't see you." Al, too, was practically screaming. The girls
inadvertently moved away from their father and were watching from almost
the other side of the room.
"You can see me!!! Oh my God, Al, I didn't think you could.
How is this happening?" Sam said, overjoyed, but confused. At that
point the men both went to each other and tried to hug. They went right
through each other.
"Al, I'm a hologram. I finally did get back, like I told you,
and now I am out just observing, like we had originally planned." Sam
said quickly, before it became uncomfortablein the room, due to lack of
touch.
"Beth, Sam is here, but you cant see him. He did return home,
just like he said he would. I told you he was right." Turning back to
Sam, Al said,
"But why are you here? Am I not there with you?" he
asked, worry in his voice. Sam explained, slowly and quietly, tears
forming slightly in his eyes.
"And that is why I am here. I wanted to see you again, but I
never knew you would see me. I guess since we are still linked you can
see me." Sam wrapped up. Al had just sat there, in disbelief.
"But you never gave up on me, Al. I thank you for that." Sam
felt the Imaging Chamber go dark and he cried out, "AL! NO! Where did
you go?Al! I am still here! Come back! Al! No…." Sam realized that he
couldn't stay in there forever, and he had used up so much energy that
the Chamber had gone blank. He slowly slipped out of the room and
walked down the ramp and back into his present.
Sam was on the verge of tears when he heard,
"No, I never gave up. Not on you Sam. Never. And you didn't
give up on me, either. What a great birthday present."
Sam looked up and standing in front of him was Admiral Albert Calavicci.
" I would never give up on you."