in a world of iron (to make a world of gold) – Quantum Leap (pre-series), Sam and Al

[thecrazyalaskan]

Title: in a world of iron (to make a world of gold)
Author: fireweed15
Fandom / Setting: Quantum Leap (Classic), pre-series
Characters / Pairings: Sam Beckett, Al Calavicci
Word Count: 916
Bonus Music: Medley form Man of La Mancha – Scott Bakula
Warnings / Notes: Written for Round XIII of the HC Bingo: Substance Abuse

*surprise bitches, I bet you'd thought you'd seen the last of me dot gif*

SO HOW ABOUT THAT QL SEQUEL? The new QL is wonderful in so many ways, and that includes reigniting my love of the og series. Oh Universe, why did you steal Dean Stockwell from us? So have this fanfic!

As we learned in the episode "Play Ball," (Season IV Episode 2), Sam and Al met during the Starbright Project—specifically during the latter drunkenly beating the shit out of a vending machine. The standing headcanon I adopted from @nikanaiko on Tumblr is… well basically this set up.

Title comes from, of course, then novel on which Man of La Mancha is based, Don Quixote

• • •

It wasn't the first time Al Calavicci had woken up somewhere he didn't remember bedding down, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

He woke up with great reluctance, a pounding in his skull and an empty stretch of most of the night in his memory. He sat up slowly—he'd crashed not in a bedroom, but on a couch in a living room that was not his own—and scrubbed his hands through his hair, mentally cursing the sunlight streaming through the windows.

After a moment, he picks up on the ​​sound of music coming from another room, and a voice—male—monologuing. "…to become a knight-errant and sally forth into the world to right all wrongs. No longer shall he be plain Alonso Quijana… but a dauntless knight known as Don Quixote de La Mancha!"

It was like a siren call, and… well, who was Al Calavicci but a humble sailor? He stood, wobbly, before picking his way across the living room and passing through the doorway into the room from which the music and voice had come.

He found himself standing in a kitchen—warm, bright and inviting. He winced against the lights, the pounding in his head redoubling as he took in the scene. A man, younger than himself with wavy brown hair and clad in jeans and a T-shirt from MIT, was standing at the stove transferring a pancake from a frying pan to a plate. He was singing along with the tape deck on the counter, but stopped when he heard Al stumble into the kitchen.

For a moment, the pair simply looked at each other. Despite the alcohol lingering in his bloodstream and the accompanying brainfog, Al's thoughts were working double- and triple-time—boyfriend? Husband? No, this was definitely a bachelor's apartment—what the hell happened last night? "…Hey," he greeted warily.

"Hey," the other man greeted brightly. "Good morning."

The silence resettled, like a thick, wet blanket and just as suffocating. His host turned to the counter and held out a knife, fork, and plate of pancakes, eggs and bacon. "I, uh… I made breakfast."

Al accepted the plate and sat down at the island between them. "Thanks," he mumbled. He took a few bites of food, still processing the situation in which he'd found himself. "Last night, we… nothing—"

"Hmm?" The other man looked up from the silverware drawer. An expression of understanding passed over his features, then he shook his head as he closed the drawer. "Oh—oh no, you were entirely too drunk and hit the couch as soon as we got in."

Al let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Okay good…"

They ate in silence before the other man spoke. "You were pretty angry, too, now that I think about it…"

…Oh. Ohhhh. Oh now last night was starting to come back. Al felt color rushing to his cheeks as he stared more at the plate than anything else. "Stupid vending machine ate my dime…" he mumbled.

It was a bad lie to his own ears, and he braced himself to be called out on it. His host took a long sip of coffee before setting the mug down. "Yeah, they'll do that sometimes."

Al blinked slowly, stunned in such a way that he almost missed the rest of what was said. "Hope you don't mind, but I, uh…I did some digging on you."

"What are you, a cop?" Al asked wryly.

"No, no—" The other man chuckled lightly. "I'm just a kid from Indiana." A brief pause, a sort of conversational reset. "So… Rear Admiral Albert Calavicci."

"Al," he corrected.

"Al. Nice to meet you, I'm Sam—Sam Beckett." They shook hands over the island. "I just got brought onto Starbright."

"Hey."

If Sam seemed put off by Al's brusque demeanor (his default setting as he sobered up), he didn't show it, and carried on talking as easily as if they'd been friends for the last ten years. "So… your record is really something. Navy pilot, Apollo VIII—"

"I was there, you don't need to tell me the whole thing," Al grumbled.

Sam blinked once then kept rolling with his line of thought. "Right—so…" A second, slight pause. "I also noticed they want to boot you off Starbright."

There it was. "Shit…" A tiny, forever sober part of Al's brain (the part that was a fucking asshole) reminded him of the last dressing down he'd received from his higher ups, and he scrubbed his hands over his face. "Yeah. This—this is the nail in that coffin."

"Well, not necessarily," Sam said bracingly. "I just got brought on to head Starbright."

"Point being?" Al said, waving his fork slightly.

Sam tapped his finger on the Formica for a moment. "Do you mind if I say something really weird?" he asked.

Nothing in the world could be weirder than this, but—"Shoot."

"I dunno what it is," Sam began, setting his silverware aside, "God or Fate or… whatever—but I see good in you. I want to keep you on the project."

 

It sounded entirely too good to be true, and Al was instantly suspicious of it. "What's in it for you?"

"I have a…" Sam gestured vaguely as he searched for the words. "Kind of a passion project of my own I want to pitch once Starbright is over. I want you on it—and I'd really like it if you were sober."

… Well, it was better than the alternative, and he did make a damn fine breakfast. "What's the project?"

Comments

[mxcatmoon]

I really enjoyed this! Nice little scene from their first meeting.

[peaceinthedarkness]

Ahh. Loved the show and the relationship between Sam and Al made it special. Nice glimpse into their beginning. I can certainly picture it happening this way!

[thecrazyalaskan]

Thank you so much! I've always wondered how this scene would play out, so bringing it to life was fun. (:

[thecrazyalaskan]

Agreed 100%! Sam and Al and their relationship made that show so enjoyable (and that was why I was worried about the sequel, but I was and continue to be pleasantly surprised).