Double Identity

By Novelwriter

Quantum Leap/Enterprise crossover: All Quantum Leap characters belong to Don Bellasario. Enterprise doesn't belong to me either. Gene Roddenberry bases it on Star Trek.

Project Quantum Leap: Stallion's Gate, NM

Admiral Al Calavicci was in his office. Sam's last leap was not an easy one and he was just glad that it was over now. Al was hoping that he could get some sleep.

"Admiral, the visitor is here." Ziggy said

"Thank You Ziggy. I will go down there in one minute." Al said

Al walked down to the Waiting Room. He had no idea who Sam leaped into now. He saw "Sam" sitting up.

"Good, you are awake. My name is Admiral Al Calavicci. Can you tell me what your name is?"

"Jon-Jonathan Archer. I think I am a Captain of some sort if only I could remember."

"What do you prefer I call you-Jon, Jonathan or do you want me to call you Captain Archer?" asked Al

"Captain Archer is fine." Said the other man

Al didn't really care but because he was a retired Admiral he thought he should ask. Al was staring at the man for a minute. He noticed the uncanny resemblance to Sam. If there was anyone that could be mistaken for Dr. Beckett it was this man-Jonathan Archer.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Archer

"You have an identical appearance to Dr. Beckett. If I didn't know any better I would say I was talking to him. Trust me on that one. I have been friends with him for so long there are certain things I just know."Al said

"I don't believe you!" said the other man

"Look in a mirror if you don't believe me." Al said

Archer then turned and looked in the mirror. He saw something he didn't expect-HIMSELF! Only it wasn't himself. He wasn't in Starfleet regulated uniform. He looked at Al for some sort of clarification on the subject. Al just nodded affirmatively at him. Archer knew he wasn't on the Enterprise after all he did not see his trusty Beagle Porthos nearby and that unnerved him just a little bit. He tried to put things in perspective but he was not sure that he could do that.

"We need you help."Al said in a desperate tone

"Why me?" Archer asked Al although he had a pretty good idea why he was being asked for his help. Archer thought for a moment and said, "Does it have anything to do with the fact your friend is 150 years into the future?"

"You're the only one who has knowledge of the future that can help get Dr. Beckett back from the future and to his own time where he belongs."Al said

Al left the visitor in the Waiting Room to ponder this thought. He wanted to give the other man some time to think about his decision. Although, Al had to admit that he was secretly hoping this Captain would help him so the could get Sam back even though Al was still not sure that would work in retrieving Dr. Beckett. Sam had told Al that the retrieval program was updated but Al didn't believe him one bit and now Al was asking a perfect stranger for help.

The next day Al walked in to check on his visitor. Al had to admit the fact that the other man was relatively calm considering the circumstances made him a little uneasy. He didn't know if it was the fact that this person could be mistook for Sam and he knew he was going to have to ask Verbeena Beeks about this. He figured that she might be able to help his situation because she was a Physchologist or Psychiatrist he wasn't sure and he was not to get in an argument right about now concerning the subtle differences between the two. Al figured that he couldn't very well ask Ziggy for information on this man either because this man was way too far into the future for them to do anything or could they?

"Hello Captain Archer. How are you doing today?" Al asked the other man

"I am doing better today since I did get a pretty good night's sleep. I just can't seem to figure out why I was able to sleep well…I am guessing it has something to do with this place that I can't know much about for security reasons. I hope it is not too much longer before I am able to go back to the Enterprise."

Al looked at this man again-he tried not to stare but it was hard because even now Al almost had to do a double-take because he never thought that there was someone out there that looked exactly like Sam. Al was just shaking his head because he couldn't believe even now what he was seeing. He decided that some of the other staff members from the Project could come in here but he was going to be very selective with whom could come in here and what reason would be an acceptable one. At this point in time he didn't want under ANY circumstances Donna to show up in here because he knew it would be too hard for her and he was just trying to spare her some of the awkwardness and not to mention all the pain that she had felt. Al had to admit that he cared deeply for Donna and he didn't want to see her get hurt. After all, it was her Sam that put Al and Beth back together again and now Al was trying to repay the favor.

Al decided that he would go back to his office for now. This leap was bothering him and he needed some time to think by himself. Just then there was a knock on the door…

"Hello Al" Donna said to Al

"Oh, hi their Donna-I almost didn't see you standing there. I am sorry. I guess I have been having a rough day and I need a little time alone to myself to think and do a little reflecting-but not too much because I still have to think of a way to get Sam home-where he belongs."

"What is going on Al?" Donna asked suspiciously

"I can't tell you that because then I would have to kill you." Al said joking but then continued "In all seriousness Donna I was made not to tell you what is going on concerning this particular leap because Ziggy thought it might upset you too much. I know that you can handle most anything and if I do get in a bind I will ask for your help but for now I am going to have to ask you to stay out of this. It is for your own protection."

Donna frowned at Al. She knew him for a pretty long time and figured he was just watching out for her even if she did disagree with the reason. Donna trusted Al's judgement and figured there must be a pretty good reason why he would not let her in the Waiting Room even though she might not like it. She did not want to get him mad right now so she figured that he would call her if he need her but as of now he didn't need anything from her because he didn't know where to start

Al decided that he would try to get more information from their visitor even though he did not know if it was possible. Al was having a terrible time trying to lock onto Sam because of his situation and he did not even know if he could lock on. He hoped he could. All Al knew was that he wanted to get Sam out of there if he could as soon as possible but he wasn't even sure he could do that. He knew there were a lot of things about this particular leap that did not make much sense anyway so he decided that he would just try to ignore it anyway for now.

Al had to admit that he was getting tired and so he decided to pick up his conversation with Captain Archer tomorrow. He hoped that his friend could hold out another day but he was not sure. If he could check in on Sam he would do it first thing in the morning after he talked with the Captain. He figured that would have to do for now. This leap had been getting weirder by the minute and Al was not sure what could be done to remedy the situation.

"Ziggy?"Al asked the computer

"Yes, Admiral." Ziggy responded

"Do you have any current information than can help us to get Sam back?"

"No, Admiral."

If Ziggy could sigh, she would have. As it was the computer had a HUGE ego problem. And if Sam ever got back Al was going to make Sam take out that ego! Al did not know how far her records went but he figured it was longer than a human's lifetime.

"Ziggy, is it possible for us to bring the visitor into the other parts of the project?" Al asked

Al wouldn't normally consider such a notion and he had to admit that he might be grasping at straws but he was just about at the point to try anything in order to get Sam back. He had to admit he had other thoughts in his mind for a similar situation. It was a good thing Captain Archer and Dr. Sam Beckett looked identical. It might make his plan a little easier. He shook his head. He couldn't believe he was even considering this but he knew that desperate times called for desperate measures. He also knew that if this wasn't of the utmost importance then he wouldn't even want to do it. He felt like he had not much of a choice now.

If there was one thing Al learned from being around Ziggy it was that it was no use to argue with a smart mouthed computer. If his friend ever got back he might have to ask him about that too. Al was starting to take mental notes of things that were bothering him about Ziggy that he could chew Sam out for. Al had to admit that there were times that he had to wish that Sam was not such a perfectionist as well as stubborn.

Al knew that Ziggy was not going to like his idea but at this moment he really didn't care. Like everyone else he just wanted his friend back and preferably in one piece from al that leaping. Al had been working like a mad man on some theories that he thought might work in the efforts to get Sam back. He had been chewing on a cigar and the room that was his office reeked of the smell.

Donna was in her office. Al and Ziggy had instructed her to stay put and to NOT go into the Waiting Room under ANY circumstances. She hated being kept in the dark and she had to admit the suspense was killing her. Donna was looking at a photo on her desk that was of Sam and her when they were together. Oh how I long for those happy days again with MY SAM. Crying over the emptiness she felt from not having her husband in her life made her almost have a sick feeling in her stomach. Donna wondered if this feeling would ever end. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door that she had to admit startled her for a moment. A woman's head poked in to Donna's office. Donna knew that person-it was her friend Beth. Al's Beth.

"Hi Beth. Come on in." Donna said

"Am interrupting something?" Beth asked

"Not unless you consider that computer ordering me to stay put in here something."

"Oh, I didn't realize Ziggy was making you stay in here…"

"I have to do my job for the project."

"Would you like me to do it temporarily until this is over?"

"I couldn't ask you to do that. Besides wouldn't he get mad?"

"He might but if this is going to help you with your sanity then it is worth it. I think you might want to talk with Verbeena about how you have been feeling. It might make you feel better."

"Thanks, Beth"

"Anytime Donna"

Al had no idea what he was going to do. He certainly did not have any idea of how he was going to tell his friend about the visitor in the wating room that could even pass for Sam. This made Al perplexed as he tried to think out workable solutions in his mind. He knew he would have to ask Ziggy but he feared what she might say. He had to admit this leap was giving him the creeps because he knew that he had to do something to get Sam back where he belonged. Al wondered what the project would do if for some unknown reason they could never get Sam back to his own time.

Meanwhile on the Enterprise…"What? Where am I? The body was lying down on a bed that resembled a cot of some sort. The figure had no idea where he was. He saw a dog lying on its bed. The dog didn't even notice Sam. Sam looked around the room to see if he could get a good idea of where he was but he had no idea. He went over to a mirror and saw something that startled him…Himself only it wasn't himself. He looked in his closet and found some sort of space uniform. "Oh boy! I am in space." Sam said.

Sam looked around but he did not see anything that looked familiar to him. The most odd part was that since Sam leaped into this individual the dog did not seem to bother him. It was as if he still thought his master was here with him. Sam guessed that had something to do with the fact the person he leaped into and he looked identical and so for all intensive purposes he was the dog's owner.

Sam wondered how long he could pull this off. After all, he had not heard from Al since this particular leap began. He hoped that everything was going well on Al's end and he also hoped that he would hear from his friend soon. Sam had no idea why he leaped into this person and he was not sure if Al was going to tell him. Sam knew better than that. In fact, he thought that there must be something-major going on at the project. If only he could remember the project. Thanks to his swiss-cheesed memory as Al put it Sam was having a hard time remembering the project. He often times wondered if he would remember it again. Sam wondered where Al was but he figured that his friend would show up when he is able to. Sam never suspected what had happened at the project so he had no idea what was going on there.

Porthos looked up at his owner. His sad Beagle eyes showing his owner that he needed affection. Sam picked up Porthos and the dog sniffed him suspiciously. Sam was not sure why the dog was acting like that but he wasn't sure it mattered. Sam hoped that the way he was acting wouldn't give too much away. The Beagle continued to wag its tail. The dog just continued to give Sam that sad puppy-dog face. This had been the same kind of face that Sam had been accused of giving Al on occasion.

Meanwhile…back at Project Quantum Leap the staff is working at a frantic pace to get Sam back. Al had been debating when he should go talk to the visitor again. He had been enjoying a cigar and he knew he should quit. At least if not for his own sanity and wellbeing he should do it for Beth. He had enough problems to worry about and to top it off Ziggy still had no idea what Sam was there to do. He hated these kinds of leaps. He didn't know the best way to tell his best friend that he leaped 150years into the future and the man that you leaped into looks identical to you. Al had to admit that was a lot to swallow. He had no idea how he could possibly tell Sam what was going on. Al wasn't even sure he could contact Sam but he knew that he had to try anyway.

Donna was still in her office sitting at her desk. She was starting to want out of the office but she feared that if she went in the direction of the Waiting room Ziggy would alert Al of the situation. She had to admit that she was starting to get a little hungry. She wondered what Ziggy would say if she asked to leave. She could get some food. Ziggy could maybe see right through that after all she was Sam's brainchild. She thought to herself what could Al and Ziggy possibly be trying to protect me from? Aw-what the heck…what is so bad in there anyway that I need protecting from. She thought to herself as she stormed out of her office and went in the direction of the Waiting Room. At this minute she didn't care if Al found out where she was going-she could ask Al but she had no idea if he would tell her. Just then-"Oh, I am sorry Al I didn't notice you there." Donna said

"Where were you going?" Al asked

"Al, can we have this conversation in your office?"

"Sure."

A few minutes later in Al's office…

"Do you mind telling me why you left your office Donna?"

"Al, I was hungry."

"Then why were you going in the direction of the Waiting Room?"

"Al, I am a big girl now and whatever secret you and Ziggy are trying to hide from me…I deserve to know the truth. I want to know the truth about what is going on here!"

"Donna, I think you should sit down."

"Just tell me!"

"Ok, you want the truth and here it is-Sam is 150 years into the future. As amazing is that to believe it is true. The man that has switched places with Sam is named Capt. Jonathan Archer of the NX-01 Enterprise. There is more than meets the eye here apparently Sam and Capt. Archer look identical."

"I don't believe you! Are you telling me that Capt. Archer and Sam could be mistaken for eachother? Take me to him. I want to see him!"

Al frowned at Donna. He knew that was not a good idea but he also knew that she needed to see this for herself. He had known Donna for a while and knew that she would not rest until Al took her into the Waiting Room. He knew that Ziggy and him were trying to protect her from getting hurt. He just wanted to know if she could handle what they were about to do. Al looked over at Donna who was wiping a tear from her eye. Al thought to himself so close but so far away…Just then Donna seemed to snap out of it.

"Let's go, Al"

"I am right beside you, Donna"

Al was shaking his head but he knew that this was not for him-it was for Donna. Both Al and Donna had not seen the Project Director in a long time. Al knew that he always had contact with Sam and maybe that was why his heart was breaking at this moment for Donna. All the what if's in their mind would soon be at least partially answered. If anything this particular walk to check on the visitor felt extremely long even though it really wasn't. They approach the door and stop for a moment before they enter. Al has his arm around Donna's waist and looks over at her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Al. You told me the truth but I want to see it with my own eyes."

"I will go first if that is ok with you."

"Fine."

When Al entered the waiting room he saw Captain Archer sitting up. Al knew that it had been a little while since he last saw him but he was trying to buy his time so that he could find out how to help Sam. The two men looked at each other before deciding. Al stopped talking and motioned Donna to come in. Donna walked in and stood next to Al. She looked at the man on the bed and then at Al. She was speechless by what she saw. It then occurred to her that Al was right when he talked to her earlier. So many things were going through her mind-like could the two men be related in some bizarre way? Tears were filling up in her eyes because she wanted Sam home but she also knew this man infront of her might be the closet thing to having Sam back but she also knew that it would not be fair to the people on the Enterprise.

Ziggy was so confused by the whole situation that the computer decided to not help Sam out on this particular leap. Al tried to calm the computer down but he knew it wasn't working because Ziggy refused to give Al some kind of information that he could go on. Just then, Al had what he thought was a brilliant idea for the time being…

"Captain Archer, I want you to play along with my idea because to Ziggy here you are Dr. Beckett. I know that may not make much sense now but believe me when I say it might help the oversized ego stop being so confused by this particular leap."