A Starman / Quantum Leap / Touched By an Angel

Crossover story by:

Yvette Jessen

© 2000 and not intended to infringe on any previously or currently held copyrights.

Dr. Sam Beckett had leaped again, and because of this, his memories resembled something like Swiss cheese. He should have been used to it, because he endured it each time he leaped.

This time, however, it felt different because all he could see when he leaped was a large open area of what appeared to be a stage in a large auditorium. There were about thirty pairs of eyes looking at him as though they expected him to do something. He looked around sheepishly, but finally glanced down at his clothes and noticed that he was dressed casually in jeans and 'Aerosmith' concert T-shirt.

Glancing up, he realized that he was not only on a stage in front of the other thirty people, but he was wearing a makeshift cape over his shoulders and holding a large lantern in his hand. It was obvious that he was the star attraction at the moment and he was not sure what he should say or do.

"The line, Tom, the line," one girl muttered from her place in the front row, and Sam realized that he had leaped into the lead character for what appeared to be a production of a play set back in the late 18th century. It looked as though he had leaped into someone named Tom and was supposed to be acting, and the lines, which he was supposed to deliver at that moment, were just not coming.

"Oh boy," he muttered under his breath.

"Cut!" a voice boomed through the auditorium.

Sam lowered the lantern and looked out at the people assembled. He was completely at a loss as to what to say.

"Tom, since when is 'Oh boy' a part of Paul Revere's last ride?" the heavy-set black woman approached where he stood on the stage, her voice a little bit sarcastic, but after a second passed, it melted away and she smiled gently at him from her place in the orchestra pit, which was situated directly in front of the stage.

"Sorry Ma'am," he said blushing slightly.

"It's OK, I know you've had a lot on your mind lately," she said, her voice lowering considerably. "All right, everyone, that's a wrap for today," she said as Sam placed the lantern on the stage, removed the cape from his shoulders, folded it, and placed it on a table where the other costumes and props were. By the time that was done, the woman's gaze had left him and had rested on another young man, who was sitting on the floor off to the side of the stage.

The young man was crouched over a large piece of plywood, holding a paintbrush, and working diligently on what appeared to be a piece of scenery. "Scott, did you ask your father about doing the publicity shots for the play?"

"I'll ask him tonight, Tess. I'm almost certain that it will be OK with him. Sorry I haven't mentioned anything about it to him, but I've been really busy studying for my Astronomy class, we just had a test this morning, and I guess asking him about it kinda slipped my mind," Scott Hayden offered an answer as he began putting the final touches on the piece of wood.

"That's OK, Honey, I know academics come first," she said smiling gently at him. She walked over and began to inspect the scenery that he had been working on. "Beautiful job, Scott, I had no idea that you were an artist, this is impressive work."

"I guess I got it from my mom," Scott said softly as he thought about his mother.

He hadn't seen her since he was three years old, but he found that whenever he did think about her, he became somewhat melancholy. She was so beautiful, and talented, but he could only recall those descriptions from the words of his father and sometimes this disconnected situation with his mom angered him. It wasn't easy being the son of an extra-terrestrial, not that his father was to blame for his problems, but this didn't change the fact that he had been feeling sad about his mom not being with him since graduating from high school earlier that year. It was only within the last two months that he had started the fall semester at the community college in the town of Nanton, Colorado.

As he finished with this particular piece of scenery, he stood up, inspected his work closely as he tried to block his mind from the unhappy thoughts he suddenly felt whenever he contemplated the distance between him and his mother.

The scenery looked good, and on top of that, this job had proven to be a lot of fun for him. Working with the play was interesting, and though initially, he had been reluctant about doing it; it gave him a great opportunity to not only spend his afternoons doing something fun, but it also was a great way to stay low profile. Working with Tess was also a lot of fun, and he found that there was something very warm and familiar about this particular woman, which made him feel at ease whenever he would talk to her. In a way, her warmth and enthusiasm for life reminded him a lot of his father.

"You won't forget will you? I don't mean to push the issue down your throat, but I have been really worried about that," she said and turned to leave Scott to continue his work.

"I'm sure it's not a problem, Tess, and I'm almost positive that my dad will be glad to help you out," Scott said as he dusted his jeans off. He glanced over and could see his friend Tom standing off to the side with a lackluster look on his face.

There was no question in Scott's mind except that the other boy looked completely flustered. He'd known Tom since the beginning of the semester, and one thing was definitely certain and that was that anyone who knew Tom Farrow, knew that he was hardly the type of person who would get flustered and forget lines in the middle of a rehearsal. Specifically, a week before the play was to open.

Boy, he looks like he's from another planet today, Scott thought to himself as he approached where the other boy was standing. "Tom, you look really out of it, are you OK?" he finally asked.

"Uh-yeah, sure Scott, I'm fine," Sam uttered trying to remember the names of the people as their names were said. He realized that ever since his leaping started that this was important to prevent him from blowing his cover.

Internally, however, he was screaming for Al to come and tell him about who he was, when he was, where he was, and why he was there. Sighing deeply, he followed Scott outside, and once there, he looked around the campus and reached the conclusion that due to the way the students were dressed, he must be either the late 80's or early 90's.

"I thought you were great up there," Scott said enthusiastically.

"Not really," Sam offered, "I got a little distracted near the end of the scene."

"Well yeah, so you did, but considering everything that's happened during the last few weeks, it's completely understandable. Besides, before you blanked out, you were great, but heck, you really haven't been yourself since last weekend. I don't understand why you don't just quit or something. I guess you're much stronger than me because I would have just dropped out of everything if I were in a similar situation."

"You're right, I haven't been myself, but I can't quit, there's too much riding on the play," Sam offered all the while wondering what had happened last weekend and feeling a bit flustered that Al was not yet there to enlighten him.

"Yeah, OK, but Tess said just last week that you could drop out, and Billy could take the role for you. Why don't you just let him do it? I mean you really do need some time, Tom, especially since I know how close you and Becky used to be," Scott said softly.

"I guess I need to think about it, Scott," Sam said lamely still waiting for Al to suddenly appear and enlighten him about all of this, not just to tell him who this Becky was.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he could hear the door to the imaging chamber open and Al appeared, a large cigar in one hand, and a small computer hand link, about the size of a portable telephone, in the other. "Well, it's about time," Sam muttered to himself, and Scott turned around and looked at him a little questionably.

"Did you say something?" He asked looking at Sam somewhat confused, but the question he wanted to ask suddenly died on his lips when he saw that a strange looking man wearing a brightly colored suit and smoking a cigar had joined them. The outfit was complete with a silver shirt, orange sneakers, rainbow pants, multi-colored tie, and Scott couldn't get over how each article of clothing on the man failed to match the other.

He looked like he belonged on a billboard for 'Fizzy Cola', or 'Sunshine Candies', Scott thought and rubbed his eyes not sure he should believe that a man would just appear out of nowhere or if he was simply suffering from strange hallucinations from having painted the scenery too long.

When the man in the funny suit did begin to speak to his friend, Scott's eyes widened. He could hear him, but couldn't comprehend how it was possible that someone could just appear from out of nowhere, but then again, being the son of an extra-terrestrial, he could sense things that most normal people couldn't. Instead of saying anything to Tom, he decided to just listen attentively and see what was going on.

"I'd have gotten here sooner, Sam, but I had some problems with my third wife. She's been hounding the lawyers again for more alimony," Al said as he began to frantically press the buttons on the hand held computer link. "Let's see, according to Ziggy, it's 1992, your name is Tom Farrow, you're a sophomore at Nanton College, majoring in Theater, with a minor in..." Al's voice trailed and he whacked the hand-link with the side of his hand, "German." He wrinkled his nose as he continued to speak. "It seems as though you're here to make sure Tom doesn't end up getting tossed head first into a loony bin."

Scott looked over at his friend, not sure what to make of what he was hearing, but from what he understood, his friend, Tom, wasn't even there, but someone he didn't know, named Sam had somehow taken Tom's place.

Where was Tom, he asked himself. He glanced briefly over towards the man standing about two paces from 'Tom'. He was still smoking the cigar, but from the way he was speaking, Scott was probably not supposed to be able to see or hear him at all. Maybe if he listened, he would be able to find out what had happened to his friend. He innocently watched, knowing that the last thing he wanted to do, was to tell 'Tom' that he was able to sense that the two of them were no longer alone.

Sam refrained from speaking, and simply nodded his head waiting for Al to continue telling him what he needed to know. When Al didn't, Sam glanced over and noticed that Scott was looking at him rather strangely, as though he knew more than he was letting on.

When Scott noticed that his 'friend' was now looking at him strangely, he sighed deeply trying to distract Sam from his somewhat bizarre behavior. When that didn't work, he spoke again. "Listen, Tom, I gotta get home, my dad's waiting and I still have to ask him about taking the publicity pictures for the play. Can we meet tomorrow?" He asked not wanting to let on that he knew that the person he was speaking to wasn't Tom at all, but instead someone named Sam.

Like his father's natural curiosity, he was determined to discover who this Sam really was and what he was doing pretending to be someone he was not. "You're obviously preoccupied with something," he continued, "but you know where we live, and my Dad and I are always around to talk to if you need us. I think you know that."

"Yeah, Scott, thanks," Sam said as Scott walked towards a row of apartment buildings and disappeared around a corner.

Sam was left alone, and he looked over at Al, "what am I doing here, Al?"

"Ziggy says there's a 87.6% chance that you're here to keep Tom from getting committed, but it also looks like you're here to keep his friend Scott from disappearing and being sent into some sort of secret government lab along with his daddy."

"What?"

"Man I hate telling you this, because I know how you are about stuff like this, but Ziggy says that Tom will accidentally discover that this friend of Tom's is half space cadet, and unwittingly turns him and his alien father over to the government," Al whacked the side of the computer link once again, and once it made some strange beeps, he continued. "There's a 65.7% chance that you're here to make sure that your friend and his father don't suddenly disappear."

"What about Tom, Al? What's his story?"

"Tom Farrow's sister was just killed in a car accident last weekend and his emotional state is not up to snuff, Sam," Al said.

"Becky," Sam said softly. "That's what Scott said her name was."

Al punched a few buttons on the hand link that he carried and when it failed to cooperate, he whacked it a few times and then when it beeped, he nodded, "yeah, she had been walking home when a car hit and killed her. The driver had been drinking."

"How's Tom doing?" Sam asked.

"Not too hot, he's back in the 'waiting room', a complete and total basket case. He's convinced that I'm an angel of death or something and that he died," Al said twirling a finger around his temple.

"He's not crazy, Al, he just lost his sister," Sam objected.

"Yeah, yeah, OK, but when he finds out that some of his friends are aliens from space, he's gonna be one step closer to the edge." He punched some keys on the pad and groaned, "oh boy, Ziggy says that the chances of Tom getting committed has just shot up two points, now it's at 89.7%. When he finds out his friend is half alien, not only does he go into a mental hospital..." Al hit the computer again with the side of his hand before he was able to continue, "he escapes two years later, disappears, and joins up with one of those UFO cults and ends up killing himself because he'd been brainwashed into believing that a UFO is gonna come rescue him along with a bunch of loony toonies in 1998."

"Is this because he finds out something about his friend?" Sam asked.

"Could be, do you know the name of Daddy Space Cadet yet?" Al asked after a few seconds passed.

Sam shook his head as Al continued to whack the side of the computer with his hand. "Uh, no I don't, but I'm sure you can find out through Ziggy."

"I'll check on that, do you have anymore ideas?" Al asked as the imaging chamber door suddenly appeared.

"Have Ziggy run a background check on anyone she turns up that has been chased by the government for the last 10 years for secret or unexplained reasons, and let me know what you find out," Sam said.

"Okey Dokey," Al said and disappeared.

* * *

Not far away from where Al and Sam had spoken stood Tess. She was at that moment, invisible to anyone who might be in the area, and as an angel, she had the ability to make herself appear and disappear at will, but right now, she stood watching the exchange with interest.

She sighed deeply as the conversation between Sam and Al ended and once Al disappeared through a bright white doorway, and she was standing alone, her friend and assistant, a younger angel named Monica, appeared. Monica was a taller woman with long auburn hair and sympathetic looking eyes. She smiled weakly at Tess, "this is certainly not an easy assignment, is it Tess?"

"No, Miss Wings, but are they ever easy?" Tess asked, her expression unchanging. "Ever since the Father sent us to this town, I've been watching Tom Farrow thinking that his sister's death was the reason that we were supposed to have come here, but now this situation has suddenly gotten more confusing since Sam Beckett has leaped into Tom and has been pretending to be the boy. Tom is in the future trying to cope with his memory loss and Sam has leaped into this situation because God believes that he is here to help three people."

"Leaped?" Monica looked at Tess somewhat confused. "I don't understand this concept, Tess."

"You haven't done your homework on this one it seems, Angel Girl, but Dr. Samuel Beckett has been leaping around through his own lifetime for the last five years into various individuals. He leaped into Tom this afternoon during the rehearsal for 'Paul Revere's Last Ride', and completely fuddled up the entire rehearsal. I had to end it early, because Sam couldn't remember the lines for the role of the person he is pretending to be."

"And who's the boy who was with him?" Monica asked.

"Scott Hayden, you mean?" Tess asked and once Monica nodded, she looked over in the direction where she had seen Scott walking in. "Well, it's like Sam's interestingly dressed friend said, he's here to prevent Scott and his father, Paul, from disappearing."

"Then are we here for Tom, or Scott?" Monica asked.

"Neither, we're here mostly to help Sam," Tess answered. "It's kind of hard to explain, but when we help Sam, we'll not only be helping him leap home, but we'll also be indirectly helping him help Tom, Paul, and Scott."

"How do you figure?"

"I don't figure anything, Miss Wings, but God does. He knows what has to be done," Tess answered.

"OK, and what should I do?" Monica asked and it was obvious that the younger of the two angels was confused by this particular situation. She looked at Tess as she tried to grasp exactly what her mission in all this really was supposed to be.

"You're to start working at the Farrow home as a housekeeper, but you will not say anything to Sam about what your mission really is. You can tell him whatever you want, even the truth about who you are or that you know who he is, but you will not tell him that he's the reason you're here. Understand?"

"OK, Tess, I understand," Monica said as both angels disappeared.

* * *

With Al gone, Sam was left alone and walked slowly down the street in the direction of the address, which was listed, on the driver's license in Tom's wallet. As he walked closer towards the house where Tom's parents appeared to live, he reached inside his pocket, pulled out a silver key, and opened the door.

"I'm home," he called out once he came into the house, but when no one answered, he sighed deeply, but this was done mostly out of relief of not having to face anyone at this particular moment.

As he made his way through the empty house, he tried to make note of the decorations and photographs that were hanging on the walls. This would probably be the only chance he would have to get to know Tom Farrow a little better. After having spent 20 minutes getting acquainted with the house, and successfully finding Tom's bedroom, he returned to the living room and sat down quietly on the sofa.

Looking around, he quickly became aware of the things around him, and he could feel how tired he really was. He pulled his tennis shoes off, laid down on the sofa, and within moments, he had fallen into an uncomfortable sleep. Twenty minutes later, he woke up suddenly, and could see a woman walking through the living room, and sitting across from him on one of the plush chairs.

He sat up and looked at her skeptically. He didn't recognize her from any of the photographs he had seen during his inspection of the house and he wondered who she really was. Her long auburn red hair was tied back with a pink ribbon, her eyes regarding him and for some reason, he felt instantly at ease with her, and he offered her a weak smile.

"Hi, Sam," she said cheerfully once he was back in a sitting position.

Hearing his real name coming from the pretty young woman caused his eyes to widen, and almost instinctively, he wanted to find a mirror and see if she could really see him as he was, and not the rugged face of Tom Farrow. "I'm sorry, Miss," he finally managed to say. "My name's Tom Farrow, I live here."

"No, you're not Tom Farrow, you're Samuel Beckett," she said softly. "You're here to help Tom and his friend, Scott Hayden."

"How did you know that?" Sam asked.

"I'm an angel, Sam, and I was sent here to help Tom, Scott Hayden, and his father, Paul Forrester. My name is Monica."

"Then you really do know that I've been leaping through time trying to help people?" Sam asked.

"Yes, we've been watching you," Monica said gently, but did not elaborate on it, for fear that it would wreck the assignment that Tess had entrusted her with.

"Is Scott Hayden really half alien?" Sam asked.

"I can't tell you, but I will tell you that if you pay attention to Scott, you will figure out exactly who he really is," she said softly.

At that moment, Al appeared, and upon seeing Sam with a pretty auburn headed woman, he whistled loudly. "Well hello, pretty lady," he cooed, not expecting an answer.

"Hello, Al," Monica said sweetly.

"You can see me?" the cigar Al had been smoking fell from his mouth as he looked at the woman in wide-eyed astonishment. After a few seconds, he spoke, his loud voice breaking the stillness of the room, "Gooshie, are there anymore leapers I should know about?"

He received no answer, but after a few seconds, he looked at Sam, the initial shock still in his eyes, but he managed to pick up his cigar, blow the dust off it, and take a long draw on it.

"She's an angel, Al," was all Sam said.

"Right, Sam, and I'm an alien from space," Al answered sarcastically.

"Sam's right, Al, I am an angel," Monica said softly.

Al was left looking at the two of them somewhat bewildered, but after a few moments, Sam's voice brought him back to the reason he was there.

"Did you find out anything?" Sam asked as though finding out the truth about Monica's identity was no longer of any significance.

Al looked over at Sam somewhat confused, but finally he shrugged his shoulders, angel or no angel, they had work to do, and Sam knew it. "OK, here's the deal, Ziggy says that there's a 90.8% chance that you're not only here to protect Tom's friends, but also to keep him out of the cracker factory and away from the UFO cult."

Monica looked at Al, somewhat horrified, "UFO cult?"

"Listen your angelness, you probably have better information about that stuff than we do," Al said somewhat impatiently as he pointed skyward, "but down here all we got is Ziggy, a somewhat impatient A1 computer, and that's what she said. The numbers keep rising, and I'd hate to tell you this Sam, but we've got a live one here this time around and Tom is gonna find out that his friend is an alien half-breed and it's gonna send him over the top." Al whacked the side of the computer with his hand for emphasis.

Monica looked at Al, "what does your computer friend suggest we do?"

"Keep Scott and his daddy out of the cooler, I guess," Al said. "Either that, or keep Tommy Boy out of the Betty Ford Clinic."

"Or both," Sam and Monica mumbled simultaneously.

* * *

Scott Hayden came into the apartment. "Dad?" he called out half expecting his father to not even be home. When he heard his father's voice emerge from the kitchen, he sighed with relief and followed the sounds into the small room.

Paul was sitting at the table, negatives scattered all over, and when Scott entered the room, he looked up and smiled. "Hi, how was your day?"

"Weird, if you want to know the truth," Scott said softly.

"How was the rehearsal?" Paul asked.

"I guess that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You remember Tom Farrow, right?"

"Yes, he's your friend who's playing Paul Revere in the play, right?"

"Yeah, at least the Tom Farrow I know, but the guy that was there today wasn't Tom. I don't understand how, but the guy I talked to was named Sam, and he was accompanied by some weird-o in a psychedelic suit."

"Excuse me?" Paul asked.

"Listen, I was watching the rehearsal today, as well as working on the scenery," Scott began. "When Tom and I arrived this afternoon, everything was fine. He was kinda freaking out because he's still grieving Becky, and I imagine feeling some major guilt about it as well. But, during the rehearsal, I noticed some weird bluish white light and glanced up only briefly. When the light vanished, I started working on the scenery again. I guess at first, I thought maybe you were sending me a message, but then when the light faded, Tom, or Sam or whoever he is, suddenly flubbed the lines big time bringing the entire rehearsal to a screeching halt."

"Then what happened?" Paul asked.

"Tess sent everyone home, but she did ask me about whether or not you would be able to take the publicity pictures for the play. I told her I'd ask, and I would have done it sooner, but I had been thinking about nothing but this Astronomy test for the last three weeks."

"How did that go?" Paul asked.

"It went fine, thanks to you for the help you gave me in studying for it," Scott said. "Anyway, will you do the photos?"

"Yes, you can tell Tess that I'll do them, but I don't want credit for it, OK?" Paul replied

Scott nodded and smiled, "I know, we're still staying low profile."

"I have to go by the college tomorrow as part of my assignment for the paper, so I'll meet with Tess then," Paul said.

"What's your assignment?"

"I don't really know exactly, I think one of the department heads is about to retire, and they want a couple of pictures for a people around town thing," Paul said. "I also heard that the paper is going to be hosting a sort of benefit against drunk driving, and once I get that photo shoot done at the college and then take some pictures at the benefit, I'll have the rest of the day off."

"Yeah, that's right, there are no classes tomorrow because of what happened with Becky," Scott said. "Which gets me back to Tom, what should I do about him?"

Paul sighed deeply, "I don't know, maybe tomorrow, Tom will be himself again."

"I can only hope," Scott said softly as he opened the cabinet and began searching for something to eat.

* * *

Sam opened his eyes the following morning to hear Tom's mother calling him into the kitchen, and he crawled slowly off the bed and rubbed his eyes. Seconds passed, and he approached the mirror and looked into it. He could see the soft green eyes as well as the freckles that covered the bridge of his nose. Sighing deeply, he glanced over at the calendar, which was hanging on the closet door. As he looked at it, the imaging chamber opened and Al suddenly appeared.

"Hi Sam," he said, his voice almost hushed, and Sam was left wondering why it was that Al was whispering.

Sam nodded, "anything new?"

"Not really, but there's something I need to tell you, Tom is supposed to give a speech today at some benefit about drunk driving," Al said.

"OK, what else? Did the percentages go up again?" he asked, trying to keep his voice hushed.

"No, worse, you're going to have the distinct pleasure of meeting George Fox today," Al said matter-of-factly.

"Who's that?" Sam asked as he pulled a shirt off the hanger and put it on.

"He's an FSA agent and he's been chasing Tom's friend and his daddy for the last 18 years," Al said. "You're gonna find out even more about that at breakfast."

"Why, did Ziggy say if something will happen today?" Sam asked, keeping his voice soft.

"Tom!" he could hear the young man's name through the house and realized that Tom's mother was obviously getting impatient with him.

"I'm coming," Sam called out, and turned back to face Al, "find out where I have to go today to give this speech."

Al nodded and disappeared through the door of the imaging chamber and left Sam alone in the room. Once he was dressed, he grabbed the wallet off the dresser, and left the room.

"I've been calling you for the last ten minutes," said the dark-headed woman once Sam came into the kitchen. "You know you have to give the speech for the anti-drunk driving campaign this afternoon, or did you forget?"

"No, Mom, I didn't forget," Sam answered. "I just wanted to go over the speech one more time before I leave."

"It's going to be OK, Tom, you'll see," she answered. "Oh yes, I wanted to let you know that your father has decided to cut his meeting with the Pentagon officials short and will be flying back from DC this afternoon. From what I've heard, one of the agents from the FSA will also be with him."

"Why is that, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"You know your father was working on some sort of secret thing with the FSA when Becky died, but strangely, last night, he was talking to one of the agents and mentioned something about your friend, Scott Hayden. Anyway, the agent suddenly freaked out, and when your father called me last night after you had gone to bed, he told me that he'd be flying back home today, and this agent would be with him. I don't know anything else about it, but your father said that he would be here in town during the next few days looking into some sort of case," Mrs. Farrow said.

"Did Dad say anything about why this agent is coming?" Sam asked.

"You know he cannot, his work is top secret," she answered. "Your father did mention that the agent will probably want to speak to you about Scott as well."

Sam nodded numbly, he knew exactly what that was going to be about.

* * *

Scott arrived at the theater building early that morning. He had been talking to his dad for much of the evening, and he would have stayed home and slept in had he not promised Tess that he would come in and do some more work on the scenery.

Now, he was hurrying because he didn't want to be late. He was tired, but he walked into the building, and smiled when he saw Tess standing up on the stage. The heavyset woman was folding some of the costumes, but turned around as he came up the aisle. "Good morning, Tess."

"Scott, honey, you're here, just like you promised," Tess said enthusiastically. "Did you talk to your daddy about taking the pictures for the play?"

"Yeah, he said he would and that he'd be free this afternoon after he finishes taking photos for the college as well as the benefit downtown. He told me to tell you that he doesn't want any credit for them, though," Scott said.

"Why's that, it's just a small production?" She asked.

"I know, but that's what he said last night," Scott answered skirting the issue.

"It's OK, we won't put his name on the program then," she said, "but what about you? Should we put your name in it for all this wonderful scenery you've worked so hard on?"

"Just put my first name in," he said. It seemed OK to him to have his first name printed, as there are tons of guys around with the name Scott.

"You and your daddy like to stay low profile, huh?" She asked smiling broadly at him. "I didn't know that the two of you were a bit on the shy side."

"I guess so," he mumbled and walked over to the piece that he was working on the day before. Instead of continuing the conversation, which was heading into an uncomfortable direction, he looked down at the piece of plywood he had spent the previous afternoon working on. "This one's almost done, but I think I need to do a few more touch ups on it before we attach it to the others."

"It looks wonderful," she said enthusiastically. "Your knowledge of Astronomy is astounding. The stars on it look like they are correctly placed as though they came out of a textbook."

"Yeah, well, it is my major," he said scoffing it off. "Besides, there might be an expert in the audience," he grinned somewhat sheepishly thinking about his father.

Tess smiled as though she knew what he had meant, but instead, glanced to the door, which would lead outside. She could see some movement there and knew that Monica had arrived and was coming up the aisle.

Once she joined them, she looked down at the piece of scenery that Scott had been working with. "Wow!" She said enthusiastically. "That looks fantastic."

Scott looked up and smiled at her, "thanks."

"Scott, this is my friend, Monica, she's from out of town and is visiting me for the week," Tess said.

"Nice to meet you," he extended his hand towards the younger woman and shook hands with her. Upon making contact with the young woman, a strange sensation enveloped Scott.

"Likewise," she said shaking his hand, and once that was done, she climbed up onto the stage.

Dismissing the strange feelings, the young man diverted his attention back onto the scenery. "I don't know, Tess, I still think something's missing here," he finally said shaking his head.

"Like what?" Tess asked. "Real horses?"

"No I'm being serious," Scott said, smiling slightly as he recognized Tess' sarcasm.

"You're your own worst critic, baby," she said patting Scott's shoulder. "But, I think it looks great, and you shouldn't be so critical about your work, you've got talent."

Sighing deeply, he nodded, "OK, you're probably right, but I feel kinda weird about this piece."

"I like it," Monica said softly. "The way you did the stars makes it look almost real."

Scott could tell that he had been out voted, so he stood up, pick up the piece of plywood and dragged it over to the other pieces and began the task of attaching it to the other pieces. Once he finished, he could see that the scenery was nearly finished, and that the scenery would be done by opening night. Sighing deeply, he turned back to face the two women, when his eyes met those of Tess, he shrugged his shoulders.

"You look a little worried, Scott, what's wrong?" Tess asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "Something weird is going on, and I not sure I know how to deal with it."

"You're worried about Tom, aren't you?" Tess asked.

"Yeah, you noticed what happened yesterday during the rehearsal, he wasn't himself. It was like the Tom Farrow that I know just disappeared, and left someone else in his place. I mean Tom doesn't usually flub up lines like that, even when he's upset, he just muddles on through, but yesterday, he completely lost it," Scott said.

Monica looked at Tess and the expression that was in her face was almost asking if they should let Scott know about what really had happened. It was obvious to both of the angels that Scott wasn't like anyone else that had been in that room, he had seen something happen, and from the looks of it, he wanted or needed to talk to someone else about it.

Tess looked at Scott, her eyes intent, and she spoke, her voice only a fraction softer. "You saw what happened yesterday, didn't you?"

"Well, yeah, how could I not? I have a funny feeling that you aren't just referring to Tom's flubbing up the lines, but that you saw something weird, too," Scott said.

"Who do you see when you look at Tom?" Tess asked.

"A guy who's about my age, my height, with blondish brown hair, and green eyes," Scott answered.

"We don't see the individual you describe, Scott, we see someone older, with darker hair," Monica said.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, still unsure if he wanted to tell them that he had heard a second strangely dressed man named Al, calling his friend "Sam".

"Go with your feelings, Scott," Tess said before Scott could even begin to speak about what he had seen after leaving the theater the previous afternoon. "You're not hearing Tom, Scott, you're seeing Tom, but you're hearing someone else, namely an incredibly brilliant scientist named Sam Beckett."

"How did you know that?" Scott asked.

"We're angels," Monica said simply.

"Angels?" he asked, to which he received only a confirming nod from both of them. The thought never crossed his mind to ask why it was that an angel was posing as a drama teacher at a community college in Colorado, but instead he looked at Tess unsure what exactly he should say. Finally the words came out, but his voice cracked, either in awe, or simply because he had never talked to an angel before. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help you, Scott," Tess said gently.

"But, how?" he asked looking down at the wooden stage.

"What is it you want most in the world?" Tess answered the question with one of her own.

Scott's eyes widened slightly and he spoke, his voice cracking. "I guess to see my mother again."

Monica looked at Tess, and then at the emotional young man that stood before her.

"We're here because there's someone here who can help you find her," Tess said and offered her hand to him. He took it as she continued to speak. "I know you and your father have had a very rough time since he returned here, but we want to help, the only catch to that is, you have to help us, help Sam, and you can't tell him anything about it." She smiled at him, her eyes closing slightly, "do you promise?"

"OK, I promise, Tess," Scott said softly, "Sam is somehow inside of Tom, right?"

"Yes and he knows that we're here, but he's also starting to figure out who you and your father are," Monica began, "and he thinks we're here to help Tom, but we're actually here to help him."

Tess nodded, "You see, Samuel Beckett has spent the last five years of his life leaping from one person to another trying to help them. His greatest wish now is to leap back home to his own time."

"Which is?"

"1999," Tess answered.

"And you're going to help him somehow?"

Monica nodded, "we're going to try."

"It must be very strange for him to pretend to be someone he's not," Scott said.

"I don't know, maybe that's something you should be asking your dad," Tess said smiling.

Scott laughed, "Yeah, maybe you're right."

* * *

Sam entered the large auditorium and looked around at all the people who were seated and waiting for the speeches to begin. In the front of the room stood a portrait of a young woman who he guessed was Tom's little sister, Becky. Around the portrait stood vases filled with violets and lilies.

Near the back of the room where he was standing, there stood a small scrapbook. It had all the things about Becky that people would want to know. What kind of movies she had enjoyed, where she liked to go, and that she enjoyed eating cheeseburgers with onion rings for lunch.

He continued to read as he recognized that Becky's favorite color was blue and that she loved to watch anything about Science. Her dream job was to have been a Veterinarian, so she could have helped to save the lives of endangered animals. She was interested in music, art, and her favorite group was Simply Red and that her favorite activity on rainy Sunday afternoons was to sit in front of the television with a large bowl of popcorn and watch the soccer matches.

"She was pretty amazing, wasn't she?" a voice interrupted his observations and he turned around to see Paul Forrester standing next to him.

Sam nodded and turned to face the man who had spoken to him. "Yeah, she was."

"Scott told me about yesterday's rehearsal, and I was meaning to come by and see your parents, but I never got the chance to. I guess my work kept me away. I'm sorry about what happened to Becky, Tom," Paul said. "I know you and her were very close."

"It's OK," Sam stammered, which, once the words were out, he realized that in this particular instance, it was OK for him to show that he was somewhat insecure. The boy had lost his sister, and from the looks of the pictures that had been sat up in the home of Tom Farrow; brother and sister had been not just siblings, but best friends.

Paul glanced around, "it looks like a number of people came to hear you speak, Tom."

"Yeah," came Sam's reply. As Paul started to walk away from where he was standing, still looking down at the small scrapbook, he spoke again, his voice carrying through the hall, "Paul?"

"Yes?" came the answer and Paul walked back over to him.

"Would you tell Scott that I'm sorry I seemed so out of it yesterday?" Sam offered. "I had a lot on my mind."

"I understand," Paul said and rested his hand on the young man's shoulder. When he looked into the eyes of his son's friend, he suddenly felt an odd energy and saw someone else's face rather than that of Tom Farrow. Strangely, he remembered the conversation with his son the night before, as well as contemplating how this particular person had just addressed him. Even after countless numbers of times in telling Tom to call him 'Paul', the young man had continued calling him 'Mr. Forrester'. Scott had told him about the strange behavior that Tom was exhibiting, and now everything had suddenly become clear to Paul. Scott's concerns for his friend had been completely valid.

Obviously, Scott had been right, the man standing next to him was not Tom, but rather someone else whom Scott had said went by the name: Sam. Rather than deny or confirm the fact that Tom was not there, he opted to say nothing in reply and returned his attention to his observations.

As he turned around, he could see a bright white doorway suddenly appear behind this man who had taken Tom's place. Seconds later, the same strangely dressed man who fit the description that Scott had described, was emerging from the light carrying a small computer hand-link and smoking a cigar.

Paul remained standing in the shadows as the man in the suit began to speak to Sam, his words barely above a whisper, and Paul was unable to hear.

"Don't say anything, Sam, but I think you should know that I did some background checks, and Ziggy said that George Fox is supposed to show up here with Tom's father this afternoon, and you have to get Paul and Scott out of here so they don't get caught."

Sam nodded, and rather than listening to Al's advice, he turned to look down at Becky's scrapbook. "How?"

Before Al could answer, the same young woman he had seen in the auditorium right after leaping into Tom, was now standing next to him, put her small hand on his shoulder, and spoke, "Tom, who are you talking to?"

"Her name is Tiffany," Al offered. "I'd suggest you tell her you're talking to Becky!"

"I'm talking to Becky," he whispered taking Al's lead.

"Oh, uh OK, my mom saw you from our seats near the front, and it looks like they're getting ready to start the presentation, and I was wondering if you wanted us to save you a seat?" she asked.

"No, it's OK, I have to sit on the stage," he began, "I'll be back in a few minutes," he quickly excused himself.

Once he started to walk away and towards the doors leading outside, he turned around briefly and saw that the room was filling up fast.

"Don't forget that you have to give your speech," she called out to him as he left. Al followed him towards the lobby of the building.

"How can I forget that?" he muttered softly under his breath as he walked away. He waited for Al to speak, and this time he wasn't going to take another chance with speaking up, especially when the sanity of the young man was at stake.

"Listen, Sam, you've gotta get Paul out of here right now," Al said. "George Fox is going to walk through that door in fifteen seconds, and if Paul is here, all hell's gonna break loose."

Sam nodded, but when he turned around, he could see that Paul was no longer standing next to the table where he had previously been. Instead, he was now walking towards the doors, which would lead inside the auditorium. "Oh boy," he muttered under his breath, "what am I going to do now?" He turned and saw that Scott was now coming inside the large room. Monica was walking with him and Tess followed behind them.

"Sam, you've gotta do something now, if they stay any longer, Ziggy says there's a 85.4% chance that both will disappear and for good," Al said as he frantically began pressing the buttons on the hand-link he carried.

He nodded and practically broke into a run to reach Monica as the seconds slowly passed. Al ambled up behind him.

"Monica, we've gotta get Scott out of here," he whispered, "George Fox is on his way," Sam said once he had reached where she was.

"OK, Tom," Monica said, purposely using his assumed name. "Is Paul here?"

"Yeah, I talked to him for about a minute, but I don't really know where he is now," Sam answered.

Monica rested her hand on Scott's arm as Al began to shout out frantically, "three seconds, Sam," As he saw the outer door opening, his voice became more frantic. "Somebody better get Scott out of here, and right now!"

"I'll take him backstage and outside," Tess said and turned to Monica, "Go get Paul, use whatever excuse you want, just get him out of here," she said and Monica ran off to do as Tess had asked. "Come on Scott, let's get you outside to the alley that runs behind the building. You'll be safe out there."

Scott nodded numbly, and followed Tess through the curtain and outside through the back of the auditorium.

"OK." Sam said, trying desperately to calm himself down, his eyes never leaving the door.

Monica ran over to Paul and grabbed his arm. He turned around and looked at her as soon as she touched his arm. "Paul, I've got to get out of here, Fox is going to be here any second now and you're in mortal danger."

Paul looked at her, the surprise evident in his eyes, not just that she knew who he was, but that she had said the name of the man who wished to harm him and his son. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I promise I will explain everything to you later, but right now, George Fox is going to be arriving here and you're in danger. Please trust me, and come with me, I won't betray you," she said softly. "Your son is a friend of ours."

"Ours?" he said as the door opened to the auditorium and he could see George Fox entering the large auditorium. He looked at Monica, his eyes wide with fear, and he backed away from where she was standing.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, "stay quiet, and keep your head down," she whispered, "I'll get you out of here."

Once he felt her hand holding tightly to his own, he nodded and allowed her to lead him towards the stage, and behind the curtains. He glanced back for only a moment and could see that Fox and the man who accompanied him had sat down near the front of the room. Once Paul and Monica disappeared behind the thick brown curtain, Fox looked up and could see the folds of the curtain moving slightly, but his attention returned to Clifton Farrow, Tom's father.

Al sighed with relief once he saw that Paul and Scott were no longer inside the auditorium. He continued to watch George Fox for some moments, and then pressed a few buttons on the hand-link and disappeared.

* * *

Paul and Monica were coming outside through the back door when he saw Scott standing there waiting with another woman. "What happened?" he finally managed to ask his father when he saw him.

"I don't really know. I was standing inside the auditorium and then suddenly she came up behind me and she said that Fox was here and that I had to get out of the building," Paul looked at Monica. "You helped get us out of there, and though I don't even know who you are, I'm grateful to you."

"Everyone needs a little help now and then, Paul," Monica said and shrugged her shoulders. "But, this isn't the place to talk, you two should get home. It'll be safer for both of you there at least until after Sam speaks with Mr. Fox."

"How do you and Sam know so much about us?" Paul asked.

"I'm an angel, Paul," Monica answered. "Sam is a Quantum Physicist from the year 1999, and has been leaping around through time helping people, but he seems to have some sort of way to find out information about the people he helps. He's here for Tom, you, and Scott. But, now is not the time for these explanations, we have to get out of the area."

"My car is out front, it's a brown beat-up Ford," Paul said.

"Give me the key, and wait here. Once all the people are inside, I'll drive back here and pick you up," she said.

"I guess we're taking off, huh Dad?" Scott asked.

"No baby, you two can't leave yet," Tess said breaking her own silence.

"But, Tess, Fox is here, and if he catches us, we'll be locked up in a lab for the rest of our lives," Scott objected, the fear evident in his voice.

"I know, but from what Al has said, Sam will direct him away from here. I wouldn't worry, because once Sam talks to Fox, the safest place for both of you will actually be here, in this town," she said.

Paul looked at Tess, "you're an angel too, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said and turned to Monica, who was still standing and listening. "So, what are you waiting for, Miss Wings, early spring? I thought you were going to get their car."

Monica blushed slightly and walked away quickly to pick up Paul and Scott's car.

Once she had retrieved it from the parking lot, she drove back to the alley where they were waiting, picked them up, and drove back to Paul and Scott's apartment.

* * *

Sam was still waiting in the auditorium when Al appeared. "They got out, Sam," he announced. "I talked to Monica and she said that it looks as though things are OK for Paul and Scott."

Sam nodded as Al continued, "OK, the good news is, now there's only a 5.6% chance of Tom ever finding out who Paul and Scott really are, which is important because now he won't run off and join some loony UFO cult. The bad news is, that there's still a 87.5% chance of him getting thrown into the cracker factory which means, you're not gonna leap out of this story until we find out how to keep that from happening. Finally, there's only a 7.8% chance of Paul and Scott getting caught in Nanton by Fox and his goons, so that part's done."

Sam sighed deeply, as he heard the voice of the mayor of Nanton begin his speech. From his vintage point on the stage, he could see Tom's father sitting next to a man who appeared to be the FSA agent that was chasing Paul and Scott. "But, what about Tom's sanity? I don't even know where to start on that," he mumbled under his breath.

"Ziggy hasn't said anything about that, but from what I understand, after you talk to Fox, you'll have succeeded in what you were supposed to do, at least as far as being Tom is concerned," Al said.

Sam sighed deeply, that hardly helped, because he knew that at this point in time, he had no answers as to how to help Tom Farrow at all. It also seemed that of all the people involved in this story, that Tom, himself, was the one who needed help the most.

"Uh, Sam, you'd better pay attention, they're about to introduce you," Al said, and disappeared.

Great, he thought to himself once his friend had disappeared. He reached inside the pocket of his jacket and found Tom's notes for the speech he would have to give. Luckily his handwriting isn't so hard to read, he thought to himself as he heard Tom's name being called by the Mayor, and the crowd politely applauded.

He came from behind the curtain and approached the podium. Once he shook the hand of the Mayor, he stood at the podium, unfolded the notes and began to speak.

"My name is Tommy Joseph Farrow, I'm 21 years old, and my sister Rebecca was killed two weeks ago by a drunk driver. The devastation her death has brought to my family cannot be compared to anything in the world. As you can see from her picture to my right, Rebecca encompassed all that was beautiful and unconditional in the world. Her love was of animals and her unselfish act of protecting a stray dog from getting hit by a car is one such example of her humanity. Unfortunately, it was that simple act of kindness which resulted in her death." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Many siblings do not always get along, but if you were ask either of our parents, you will hear the consistent answer: 'Becky and Tom were inseparable'."

He sighed as he continued, "The man who killed her had been driving over 60 miles an hour through a residential neighborhood which had a strict speed limit of 35. His blood alcohol content was well over 1%, meaning, he was in no condition to get behind the wheel of a car. He had been a repeat offender of driving under the influence of controlled substances, and he walked away with barely a scratch. Why he was even permitted to drive in the first place is well beyond any of my family's comprehension, and now he has been charged with Involuntary Manslaughter."

He paused and looked out to the sea of eyes, swallowed and began to speak again. "This benefit has been designed by the citizens of Nanton to help families like mine who have lost relatives because of the carelessness of those individuals who think after five or six beers that they are capable of getting behind the wheel and driving a car, all the while seriously lacking their senses about them."

He turned the page over and continued Tom's emotional and well thought out speech. "The fact is, when you're driving down the street in any given city at any given time, you will most likely pass a cross which has been placed on the street as a reminder of one life that was needlessly lost in the hands of someone who had tied one too many on during any given evening. Those crosses have been placed there by organizations such as the one hosting this memorial benefit for my sister, Rebecca Elizabeth Farrow."

"If you don't believe that this kind of loss leaves its scars, imagine coming to the dinner table at Thanksgiving or Christmas, and seeing that vacant chair where your loved one should have been sitting," he concluded and looked out at the people once again.

Once he stepped away from the podium, a still silence settled over the auditorium and he could feel the tears brimming under his eyes. "Way to go, Sam, because of this speech, Ziggy says there's 92.4% chance that the citizens of Nanton get behind the Farrow family in pushing the state to make the laws regarding drunk driving stronger and that offenders serve much harsher jail time and are fined more for putting others at risk. Not only that, but the families of victims get some sort of restitution rather than seeing repeat offenders go free."

Sam wiped the tears away as the Mayor came over and hugged him. "That was a very good speech, Tom, we're all very proud of you."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Sam offered.

Once the Mayor turned back towards the crowd, he spoke, "I would like to thank the Farrow family for allowing us to display Rebecca's picture for this benefit. If you are interested in getting involved in the local chapter of 'Families Against Driving Drunk', please sign your name at the guest directory located near the exits, and I thank you for coming."

Sam watched as the people stood up, walked around the room, and began to mingle with one another, as Tom's father and the second man approached where he was now standing near the edge of the stage. Once the two men climbed the stairs, which were situation along one side of the stage, and came over to him, Tom's father spoke. "You did me and your mother proud, Son," Clifton Farrow wiped a stray tear from his eyes and continued. "Becky would have been proud of you."

"Thanks Dad," he said.

"Tom, this is Special Agent George Fox, he's from the FSA. Mr. Fox, my son, Tom," he made the introductions.

"I was impressed with your speech," Fox said, but rather than elaborate on the benefit, he simply cut to the chase. "I was wondering if there was a place where we could talk. I understand that you attend classes at Nanton Community College with Scott Hayden."

Al appeared at this moment, and Sam could see him waving his hands at Sam trying to get his attention. When Sam finally looked at him, he shook his head.

Sam, of course, knew that Al was afraid he would say something that might implicate Paul, Scott, and possibly Tom Farrow, but he also knew that he had been involved in this leaping thing for a long time, so he was not as worried. "Yes, Sir, at least I did before about three days ago."

"What do you mean? Your father said that Scott was painting the scenery for 'The Last Ride of Paul Revere', the play you're starring in?"

Al began pressing the buttons on the hand link, and after a few seconds, he supplied Sam with a passable location. "Tell him that Scott and Paul had gone out to Los Angeles so Paul could land a job with the 'Herald'."

"Yeah, he was, but then Scott told me right before they left that his dad had gotten a job out in LA with one of the papers there," Sam offered.

"Are you sure, Tom?" Farrow asked. "Your mother said that you had told her they were still here."

"That was last week," Al said still pressing the buttons on the hand-link and took a draw on his cigar.

"I told her that last week, Dad, since then, the subject of Scott or his dad hasn't come up," Sam said and looked at Fox. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you, Mr. Fox, but I think you understand why it is that right now, I'm not able to assist you in this matter."

"Yes, Tom, I understand," Fox answered. "Thank you for the information. Mr. Farrow, can you drive me to the airport?"

"Sure, Mr. Fox, I'll be glad to," he said and turned around to face Sam, "Oh, and Tom, I wanted to tell you, I'll be leaving to go back to DC tonight. General Buckley, called the house and I'm needed out there again. I promise I'll be back in time for the play," he smiled weakly.

"I'm glad you were here for the speech, Dad," he said.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. You did your family proud, Son," Farrow said as he walked away and followed Fox towards the doors that would lead outside. At that moment, Sam leaped.

* * *

When Sam opened his eyes again, he was standing in the living room of a run down apartment. He looked around and immediately recognized Paul Forrester, Tess, and Monica. When he looked in the mirror on the other side of the room, he could see Scott Hayden's somewhat surprised face staring back at him. Al had said that his job wasn't finished here yet, but he had no idea that he was now supposed to help Tom Farrow through Scott.

Paul was looking at him strangely by this time, and Sam could only offer him a weak smile. It was obvious to everyone in the room what had just happened, and Paul's concern was now centered on his son; who, he knew, was no longer among them. "Where's my son?" he finally asked, his throat dry.

Sam sighed deeply and looked at Paul. "You really can see me?"

"Yes, I can Sam, but please, tell me where my son is," Paul said softly.

"He's safe, I assure you, right now, he's in the waiting room, back at 'Project Quantum Leap'," he said and looked at the two angels who were standing in the living room. "I don't understand what just happened. Two seconds ago, I was in the auditorium and had told Fox that Paul and Scott were in LA, and now I'm here. I'm still in Nanton, and it's still 1992, right?"

"Yes," Tess answered.

"You're now Scott Hayden," Monica said softly.

"Where's Al?" he asked, his voice bordering on desperation.

As if on cue, the hologram appeared and looked around the room. "Sam, your name is now..."

"Scott Hayden, yeah, yeah, that much I know, but what am I doing here?" Sam asked, his voice strained and impatient.

"According to Ziggy, you're here to keep Tom Farrow from not only getting locked up, but also to prevent him from committing suicide," Al said pressing the buttons on the hand-link. "There's a 87.9% chance that he's going to be sent to a hospital for the mentally ill within the next week, but that is if he doesn't decide to end it all now."

"But why?" Sam asked. "His speech went over well, and people seemed to support it."

"True, but I'd guess the pressure after the speech was delivered is what suddenly became too much for him to bare," Monica suggested.

"Yes," Tess agreed. "Keep in mind, Sam, you gave that speech, not Tom. All he has to go on now is..."

"A Swiss cheese memory," Sam finished. "But, why Scott?"

"Probably because Scott and Tom were such good friends," Paul offered. "I heard somewhere that a friendship is sometimes stronger and more encouraging than that which a relative is able to provide."

Al nodded, "Ziggy says that through Scott, you've got a better chance of helping Tom than you would if you had stayed in Tom."

"So what are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"You're going to stay out of sight until Fox and Tom's dad leave town," Tess answered. "Tomorrow we'll rehearse for the play, and you'll be able to start working with Tom then. Oh, by the way, how good are you at painting scenery?"

"Probably better than I am at acting," Sam offered.

"Well then, that should be an improvement," Tess said and nudged him with her elbow.

"What does she mean by that, Sam?" Al asked.

"Don't ask," he muttered under his breath. "Please, don't ask!"

* * *

That evening, Paul and Sam were still being kept in seclusion by a hologram and two angels. When Monica and Tess finally left, Sam sat down on the sofa, and looked at Paul. "So, you're really not from around here. I mean, you're an..."

"I'm a visitor to your world, Sam," Paul supplied the words Sam seemed to be looking for.

"I've waited my entire life to meet someone like you," Sam said. "Al told me that I came close to meeting someone a while back, but all the leaping leaves those memories vague, almost as though I dreamed them and they didn't really happen."

"And my son, where is he? You said that he was in the 'waiting room', but what is that place?" Paul asked. "And why is it that Scott is not capable of making things right with Tom?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to clarify, but at the project, there's a room, and Scott is there until I leap out of him," Sam said.

"And you have no way of controlling where you leap?" Paul asked.

"No, if it were up to me, I would leap back home, and put all this leaping business behind me," he said honestly.

Paul smiled sympathetically. "I wish I had the power to help you get home, but I don't think that's even possible, since I don't even know how your theories work."

"It's OK, Paul," Sam offered, but opted to change the subject completely. "So, what about you? How did you end up becoming a photographer?"

"Well, it's a bit difficult to explain, actually. Forrester had died in a helicopter crash, I found him, and now everyone believes I'm him. Most people are afraid when they find out I am not of this world, and the truth is, sometimes, I have a difficult time when it comes to dealing with Forrester's reputation. From what I've heard, he was not a very nice person."

"So I've heard. Although Al's a nice guy, sometimes he seems almost to fit this particular personality type," Sam said sarcastically and laughed. "Seriously though, I'm not afraid of you, the honest truth is, I am somewhat overwhelmed by everything that has happened these last few days."

Paul blushed slightly. "I wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I kinda sensed that," Sam began. "I was kind of wondering, if I were to ask you some questions, would you answer them?"

"If I can," Paul said, "but there are some things I cannot tell you, they are answers to things your people will have to discover in time."

"I understand," Sam replied. "The truth is, I don't want to miss the chance, and the way this leaping works, I may not get another one before I leap out."

"I'll answer what I can, then," Paul said simply as he waited for Sam to begin asking his questions.

"What did you do before you returned to Earth?"

"I was a map maker of the stars," Paul answered.

"Sort of like an Astrophysicist?" Sam asked.

"No, more like a cartographer, a person who makes maps," Paul said. "I would locate new stars in an ever expanding galaxy, chart them, and then pass them onto the Astrophysicists of my world, and they would go and determine what is inside them, how old they are, and anything else that deals with the physical aspects of them."

"What's the name of the planet you're from?" Sam asked.

"On this world, they call it Algieba," Paul answered.

"Is there life on other worlds, besides on your own, I mean?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Paul answered, "but, it would be hard for me to tell you to what extent."

"I don't know if I would believe it if you did," Sam offered as Al appeared.

Paul looked up. "How's my son, Al?"

"He's fine, Paul, he's been reading some of Sam's astronomy textbooks in the waiting room," he answered. "Have our angel friends said anything about what we will do, or are we kinda stuck here until tomorrow?"

"It looks like we're stuck," Paul offered.

"How does it look for Tom?" Sam asked.

"Still the same, and Ziggy says that you've got your work cut out for you," Al said.

"Why is it ever any different?" Sam moaned.

"Maybe because you're good at what you do, Sam," Paul answered as there came a knock at the door.

Paul looked at Al, "Who would be out there?" he asked, his voice somewhat nervous.

"Don't panic, Paul, it's only Tom, he's come to see Scott," Al said and disappeared.

"Then go answer the door, Sam, I mean, Scott," Paul said.

Sam went to open the door as Al disappeared. Once he opened the door, he could see the haggard face of the young man on the other side. "Hey Tom!" he called out in a fashion that reminded Paul immediately of his son and he was left to think that Sam's acting abilities were really much better than he probably imagined.

"Hi, Scott," Tom said. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, sure," Sam backed away from the doorway so the other boy could enter the apartment.

Once Tom was in the apartment, he closed the door and they sat down on the sofa. Paul excused himself and went down the hall and into the bedroom leaving the two friends alone.

"The reason I came by is because I'm thinking about dropping out of the play, Scott, and I was wondering if you could tell Tess for me at tomorrow's rehearsal," Tom said once he had made himself comfortable on the sofa.

"Why?" Sam asked. "You're the best Paul Revere we've got. Besides, I can't go to Tess and tell her that you're quitting. For one thing, you should at least talk to her about it yourself, I mean she doesn't bite or anything. Another thing you have to consider is that everyone will probably be bummed out if you chicken out and send someone else to take care of your dirty work."

"I know, you're right, but I just don't think I can handle it," Tom said. "It's so soon after Becky, and I was so sure that I would be able to handle the speech without any problems."

"Listen, I know you probably aren't in the best of form right now with everything that's happened, but you've gotten this far with the play, why do you want to quit now?" Sam asked.

"I don't think I got what it takes to handle it is all," came the answer. "I'm thinking about dropping out of school now."

"I thought maybe it would be good for you to take a break, a semester or something, but to drop out? I mean, you've put so much time into it so far," Sam searched for the right words, but after a few moments of silence, he looked at the boy. "Have you at least told your parents?"

"No, my dad would kill me," Tom answered, "you know what kind of person he is, strict, authoritarian, I can't talk to him about this without being afraid that he would flip a gasket."

"What about your mom?" Sam asked.

"It's just the opposite with her. She's emotional, and knows that Becky is probably the reason behind my dropping out of everything," Tom said, and Sam could see the tears brimming under the eyes of the other boy.

"There's got to be something else that you can do about the situation, then maybe next semester go back, but the play..." his voice trailed. "That comes up in a week, Tom. There are tons of people counting on you to do it. At least, you should talk to Tess about it, so she can find someone else to take your place."

"I can't," Tom objected, "I'm too embarrassed about the entire thing, besides Billy will be able to take the role, he's the understudy."

Sam sighed deeply as Paul came out into the living room. "Hi Tom," he said gently.

"Hi Mr. Forrester," the boy answered in his usual formal fashion as Paul sat down next to Sam on the sofa.

"How is the play coming along?" Paul asked. "Scott's told me so much about it, and it really does sound like a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it opens."

"I'm not going to be involved with it anymore," Tom said softly, but it was obvious that the young man was completely miserable. "I'm quitting."

"I see," Paul said softly. "Why is that, you had told me only two weeks ago that you were really excited about it?"

"Yeah, but that was before Becky, and all this stuff that's going on. When I got home from the auditorium, my mom said that there were a number of newspaper reporters at the house wanting to talk to me, and then the new housekeeper told me that there were some 'Neighborhood Watch' people there who want me to give a speech for them. They said that the speech this afternoon was good, but I don't remember anything about it, not even giving it. Now they want me there, and I'm completely overwhelmed about it."

"I know that may not be easy for you, but it's probably easier than learning lines for the play. I mean, you are good enough to play the part of Paul Revere, you should be good enough to present your feelings in a speech," Paul said.

"It's not so easy, Dad," Sam said taking his role completely, but internally feeling wonderful about calling a being of Paul's intelligence and wisdom "Dad" even if both of them knew he wasn't really the son of an extra-terrestrial. "I mean, for Tom, it's easier to take on the role of someone he isn't in order to distance himself from the pain in the other, right?"

"Yeah," Tom said softly as he stood up to leave.

"Then why would you quit the play?" Paul asked.

The young man said nothing, he simply walked slowly towards the front door, opened it, stepped outside, and closed it behind him, leaving Paul and Sam inside.

"Now what?" Sam muttered as Al reappeared.

"Sam, it's getting pretty bad now, if we don't do something, Tom is now considering suicide. There's a 80.7% chance that tomorrow afternoon, the police will find him in the river on the edge of town, dead, and his body filled with pain medication," Al said.

"What does Ziggy suggest that we do?" Sam asked.

"Tess and Monica are downtown at the Hamburger Haven and I guess I should get over there and see what they have in mind," Al said. "I'll go and ask them if they can come here. That way if Fox is still on the prowl, then the two of you will be safe."

Sam nodded

Once Al was gone, Paul looked at Sam, fear evident in his eyes. "What are we going to do, Sam?" he asked after a few seconds.

"What can we do? Tess or Monica will probably come by later, but until then, we can't do anything about Tom's situation. I think it's worse since I had given that speech. If he had of done it, then it probably wouldn't have created such a big problem as we now have," Sam said.

"I wouldn't worry, Sam, when Tess and Monica get here, they will help make things better," Paul said softly, but internally, he wasn't completely confident about what they had the power to do.

"I wish I had your faith," Sam simply said.

"Why don't we continue with what we were talking about before Tom came?" Paul suggested. "Maybe it will take your mind off the problems."

"Maybe," Sam offered trying desperately to get his mind focused on what he and Paul had been discussing before Al and Tom had come in and disrupted them. He sighed deeply.

"Right now, neither of us can do anything for Tom, but Monica and Tess are going to be here and they're going to help us help him. Try not to worry about it now."

Sam finally nodded, he knew that Paul was right. "I still do have a couple of questions for you that I would like to ask, and I know I would kick myself for not asking about them before I leap out of your son."

"What are they?"

"Well, you look like me, or I should say like a human being, but I was wondering, since the original Paul Forrester is dead..." his voice trailed off, and Paul nodded affirming the statement. Swallowing hard, he continued, "so you simply exist in a copy of his body, right?"

"Yes," Paul answered.

"What I'm trying to ask is, since you're not the real Paul Forrester and in your natural form you don't look like a human being, what do you look like?"

Paul smiled, "there's an object in your pocket, Sam. A round object that looks like this," he pulled out the sphere. "Take it out and hold it in your hand."

Sam dug in his jeans pocket and pulled out Scott's sphere some seconds later. "You mean, you look like a ball bearing?"

Paul laughed and smiled, "no, but the sphere is from Algieba as well. Hold it in your hand where I can see it."

Sam did as he requested and Paul began to concentrate on the object in his hand. As the sphere began to radiate blue light, Sam's eyes widened, but as it began to surround him, the physicist smiled allowing himself to completely relax. Once Paul allowed the light to fade completely, Sam was left looking at him questionably.

"That was me, Sam," Paul said.

"You mean, you're just blue light?" Sam asked.

"Yes," Paul confirmed.

"So, you use this object to project your own energy?" Sam asked.

Paul nodded.

"What else do you use them for?" Sam asked.

"I guess the best way to describe them is sort of like a Swiss Army Knife. Scott and I both carry and use them, and we possess the ability to do a lot of things with them. I can use the sphere to show people how I look, like I just did with you, but that is the only thing, which Scott cannot do. He is still learning about what he is capable of doing, as well as his birthright, but at the same time, he must learn to accept the parts of him that are like me, but also those parts of him, which are human."

Sam marveled at the object he held. "You mean, your son's not like you? I thought you were both from the same place."

"Half of him is like me, Sam, but his mother is Jenny Hayden and she comes from Earth. She and I met the first time I visited your world and she was living alone in Wisconsin during this time. After three days together, she and I fell in love, and I gave her Scott. After I left, I thought that everything would be OK with her and my son. What happened after I left was a completely different story, the government started chasing her after Scott was born, and she was forced to give him up when he was very young. I came back when Scott was 14 and right after his foster parents had died in a car accident. He was alone and afraid and at first, he didn't want to accept me, until he received a cassette tape from his mother explaining everything. I must admit, at first, I was a little nervous about him, because I didn't know anything about being a father. At the same time, a friend of Forrester's had figured everything out, and she convinced me to stay."

He paused before he continued. "Since then, we've been on the road, searching for Jenny Hayden, hoping to one day become a family, but also trying to keep from getting caught by the FSA. We've managed to stay here in Nanton undetected for the last year or so, which has enabled Scott to graduate from High School, but now that Fox has shown up here again, it looks as though we're going to be leaving very soon."

"Where's Scott's mother?" Sam asked.

"We don't know. We found her about four years ago in Saguaro, Arizona, but now neither of us have any idea where she is living, and we both realized long ago that she could be going by an assumed name similar to what she had done when we met in Saguaro. Because of this, it has been difficult for us to find her," Paul concluded.

"I'm really sorry about that. Maybe I can ask Al if we can help you guys at least find out where she is. I mean it does help to have an A1 super computer as an informant," Sam suggested.

Paul smiled, gratitude in his eyes, "thank you, Sam, but I think you're here for Tom, not for us, and right now, his problems seem to be much more extreme than ours."

* * *

Tess and Monica were sitting in the Hamburger Haven restaurant at about this time. "I don't know how I let you talk me into coming to greasy spoons like this one, Angel Girl," Tess was saying.

"I thought it had some sort of personality to it," Monica replied looking down at her food, "but I've been wrong before."

"Yes well, Godzilla also had a personality, but that doesn't mean I want to invite him to dinner," Tess answered sarcastically as Al appeared from out of nowhere.

"What's going on Al?" Monica asked once he reached the table and she could plainly see his worried expression.

"Tom Farrow went by to see Paul and Sam this afternoon, and things don't look good," Al answered. "Is it possible for you to go by and see them when you're done here? We're all pretty stuck on this caper. I mean, Ziggy's not giving any solid stuff to go on, and I figured we'd all be better off if your boss were to give us some sort of help here."

"Well, usually he does, when people ask for it themselves," Tess said.

"Yeah, OK, but the deal is, I'm no Ph.D. in Religion, but I do know that that boy pretty much lost his faith in whatever higher power is out there when his sister died. I saw him in the waiting room, and he was a complete mess. He thought I was an angel and that he was dead. In reality, me being an angel is about as likely as Sam Beckett winning the Olympics in men's figure skating. Meaning, it's hardly a reputation I can live up to. But, Sam and I are really at a loss as to how to help the boy, and even Paul's not sure he could shed some light on things here," Al offered exasperated as Monica nodded and he continued to speak, "besides, isn't that why the man upstairs sent the two of you in the first place?"

Monica looked at Tess, who shook her head, after a few seconds, the older of the two angels stood up. "You're absolutely right, Al. Monica, go to Tom, he's at Nanton Park right now, I'll go see Paul and Sam."

"Anything else?" Monica asked.

"Yes, we have to hurry, Andrew's here," Tess said, "So you know what that means."

Monica nodded when she glanced over and saw the Angel of Death standing near the doorway of the restaurant, a sad expression in his green eyes. She knew this look, Andrew was not happy about this particular assignment and she knew that with his presence there, that someone could possibly die, and they both hoped that it wouldn't be Tom Farrow.

Monica followed Tess' lead, but as she was standing up to leave, she heard Al's voice as the two of them heard it over the typical sounds of a fast food restaurant.

He had glanced down at the burgers, which had been placed on the table in front of the two angels. "You know, I always thought you guys ate better up there in heaven than we do down here, but maybe I've just been kidding myself."

Tess laughed, "You see, Miss Wings, not even a hologram from 1999 would want to eat here."

Al chortled and took a draw on his cigar as he disappeared.

* * *

Monica came into the park some ten minutes later, her hair was blowing around her face from the gentle breeze that was blowing. In the distance, she could see Andrew following, at a safe distance. As she turned back around, she could see the young man sitting on a bench, his gaze staring straight ahead, and the shadows of the darkness concealing his eyes.

She approached hesitantly, "Tom?"

The young man looked up, but when he didn't recognize her, his gaze fell back onto the ground. After a few seconds, he could feel a slight gust of wind as she sat down next to him.

"I'm Monica, and I wanted you to know that I heard your speech this afternoon," she said softly.

"Funny thing, I don't remember anything about giving it," he replied, his voice completely void of emotion.

"Maybe you're not meant to," she said gently, pausing only to look out across the small lake. After a few thoughtful moments of silence, she spoke again, "it's not easy for you, is it?"

Tom shook his head refraining from speaking, instead he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small gold chain. He dangled the object in front of his eyes and she could see the small letter 'R' which hung from the necklace and was shimmering in the moonlight.

"Becky was a very special person to you, wasn't she?" she asked.

He nodded, "I gave her this last year for her birthday."

"Don't you sometimes believe that maybe she's in a better place now?" Monica asked.

"I guess so," he answered numbly.

"You believe in Heaven, don't you?" she asked gently.

Tom nodded, "yeah I guess I do, but sometimes I feel like God has completely abandoned me."

"Because of Becky's death?"

"Yeah, I mean if He cared, couldn't He have seen that she and I were best friends?" Tom mumbled.

"I think He does know, Tom," Monica said softly.

"I don't believe that," he argued, his voice strained with the emotions he'd been holding back. "You just don't understand, she was my best friend. She was more than just my sister, Monica, she was a part of me. She knew me better than I even knew myself, not to mention, she encouraged me to no end about acting, and I helped her collect cans for the environmental awareness group at her school. I mean we were a team, we worked together and we supported each other."

"What about your parents?" Monica asked gently.

"What about them? My dad's always gone, off doing his 'Top Secret work'. The only time I ever see him is when he can come back during breaks from his stupid job," Tom's voice emerged bitter.

"Have you told him how you feel?" she asked.

"How can I? I mean right after Becky died, he flew off to DC, and my mom and I were left alone to plan the funeral. It's like every time something important happens, he runs away," Tom said bitterly.

"Kind of like what you are doing with the play," Monica said gently. "You're doing precisely what you see him doing. I think you've learned from him, but the thing is, you can't just run away from your life, Tom. If you do, you'll be running from it for the rest of your life." She took a deep breath as she continued, "you resent your father for this, but yet you are willing to follow his example and do exactly the same thing. You see, you can't very well stop your father from running away from his life, but you can stop yourself from it."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I'm talking about the play you star in," Monica said. "You told Scott Hayden that you don't want to do the play anymore, but you have all these people counting on you. You could have taken a break from it two weeks ago and let Billy take your place. Tess even suggested this option to you, but you told her that you were OK, and that you could handle it. Now, the play opens in a week, and you're wanting to quit. Think about it, you are essentially doing just what your father did when he ran off to Washington and left you and your mother to plan the funeral."

"How come you know so much about me? I don't even know who you are," he said.

"What I know and who I am is not in question here, Tom," Monica said gently evading telling him the complete truth. She followed her gut feeling, which said that he wouldn't be able to grasp it right now. "I know you're having a difficult time dealing with your sister's death, and no one expects you to get over it immediately, but you should also realize that no one blames you for what happened to her. It was an accident Tom. A tragic accident that left a terrible impact on your family and this community. But, now, you should keep Becky in your memories as you go out and try to make a difference to others in your life. That is the way to keep her memory alive in your heart."

"I don't know if I can do that," he said softly. "I don't have her will and ambition."

"You can do it and you do have the will, Tom, you just have to start believing it," she said softly. "You are a human being, not Superman, you can only handle so much, don't give more to the community than what they are capable of giving back to you. It might help you when it comes time to start putting everything into perspective."

"So what you're saying is I shouldn't quit the play, but limit what I do in the other areas?" he asked.

"Well, it's just an idea," she said softly. "Everyone wants to see you heal yourself, they just seem to be reacting more or less emotionally about what is happened and they may not always realize the impact or the burden it puts on you or your family. But, in retrospect, they are trying to make things better for this community, thus maintaining Becky's memory in their own hearts."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," he said softly.

Monica stood up and stretched her arms above her head, "it really is a beautiful night, don't you think?"

"I didn't really think so much about the sky," he answered honestly, "but you did give me some things to think about."

"You will be able to see it when you're ready," she said softly as she walked away from where he was sitting. Al appeared some moments later, and fell in step beside her.

"You've prevented him from committing suicide," he said, "but the percentages are still high about his mental state."

Monica sighed, "These assignments are never easy," she muttered under her breath, but when she saw Andrew give her a 'thumbs up' sign, she knew that he was relieved about this turn of events.

"Well, it's like I tell Sam all the time, maybe that's why you get them, because you're good."

* * *

Tess arrived at Paul and Scott's apartment at about this time. Al was already inside when she knocked, perhaps that was the good side of being a hologram, he can come and go at will and didn't have to worry about being polite when it came to entering or leaving apartments. Paul opened the door some seconds after she had knocked.

"Hello, Tess," he greeted her and once she was inside, they all sat down to discuss the situation they were in.

"Monica spoke to Tom, and it looks like he's not going to kill himself, but Ziggy says there's still a chance that Sam has to help Tom somehow, but she doesn't yet know how," Al explained. "You know that Tom wants to drop out of the play, right?"

Tess nodded.

Paul looked at Tess. "The question is, is it a good idea for him to quit?"

Tess shook her head, "I'm not sure, Paul. I asked him what he wanted to do after his sister died, and he seemed persistent about doing the role. I didn't push the issue with him because it didn't seem to be a major deal at the time, but now it's kind of developed into one."

"But, should he quit, or try to go forward with doing the play?" Sam asked.

Al pressed some of the buttons on his hand link. "OK, Ziggy says that if he does the play, he will be OK, but if he quits, there's a 78.9% chance that he will be locked up."

"Why does he get locked up?" Sam asked. "I know you said that his mental state depends on it, but could you narrow it down a bit?"

Al nodded and began to press the buttons on the hand-link. When it refused to cooperate, he hit it with the side of his hand until it began to display the information he had requested. "Ziggy says that if Tom doesn't do the play, that he will drop out of school and go to work at the, oh yuck, Hamburger Haven. On the night that the play opens, he comes charging into the auditorium and begins... Oh brother this is nuts."

"What?" the others asked almost on cue.

"He begins reciting the lines as he comes down the aisle. He's flinging French fries around at the audience, and basically disrupts the play until the police show up. He's arrested and undergoes a psychiatric evaluation, which determines that he's bordering on nuts, and his family has no choice but to send him to a special hospital where he stays for the rest of his life. He never gets over his sister's death."

"All that for flinging fries?" Sam asked.

"Sorry, but I don't supply explanations, I only tell you what Ziggy has reported," Al replied. "Anyway, it looks like there's more riding on the play for Tom Farrow than anything else."

"But, how can we persuade him to do the play?" Paul asked.

"I don't know, maybe Monica had more luck when she talked to him than any of us are aware of," Al said, "but from the look of this, I've got my doubts."

"Do you think that Scott would have any ideas as to how to help Tom?" Sam asked. "Maybe he knows something about Tom that we're not aware of. Maybe something about the relationship he had with his sister."

Tess shook her head as there came another knock at the door. Since she was standing closest to the door, reached over, opened it, and Monica came inside.

"Any luck, Monica?" Sam asked.

The young angel shook her head, "I don't know if I have what it takes to get through to Tom," she said. "Maybe it's possible that Sam can get through to him through Scott. It looks like Tom has lost all his faith because the loss of his sister. It's very sad, Tess."

"So what now?" Al asked.

"Well, I guess we'll go on with the play, and see if we can bring Tom Farrow back to The Last Ride. If we can, then maybe we can help him find his faith, but also show him that there are people in this town that care about him," Tess said softly, "and that's what he needs to realize right now more than anything else. I have a plan, and Sam, it's gonna be you that will help us pull it off."

* * *

The following afternoon, Sam arrived at the auditorium where he would met with Tess. Paul had also come by to take the publicity photos for the play. No one was certain whether Tom would even come there to speak with Tess about his decision, but they were completely prepared for anything, because Monica was still working at the Farrow house.

Tess figured that if he returned home, Monica would intercept him and convince him that he owed the others involved with the play some sort of an explanation as to why he was quitting a week before opening night. Not only that, but most of Tom's friends were also at the rehearsal, but none of the cast or crew were fully aware as to what Tom was planning to do.

Tess stood in the orchestra pit, "OK, folks, I've got some news for you about Tom's situation. He's been contemplating leaving school because of the situation surrounding his sister."

"What about the play?" one of the other boys asked. "I mean; we need him, or we won't be able to go on."

"I don't know, Jamie, but what I do know is that he's hurting a lot, and needs the support of his friends. Whatever we do, we have to do it for him. Basically, that means, we will not apply any pressure about the play on him." She turned and looked at a dark headed boy who was standing off to one side, "Billy, have you been working on the lines for 'Paul Revere'?"

"Not so much, but I think I can pull it off," Billy answered.

Sam watched the events on stage, but after a few moments, some movement near one of the exits caught his attention and he nudged Paul, "we're on, Tom's here," he whispered.

"OK, I'll tell Tess, since I've gotta get started with the photos," he turned and walked towards the stage.

Tess had also seen the movement, and instead of approaching Tom, she leaned over and whispered to Billy. "Do you want to do the role, or would you rather help me try to convince Tom to do it?"

"I've been kinda helping Scott with the scenery, so I guess I'd rather finish the scenery than do the role. I also don't feel like I'm ready for it, Tess," the boy answered somewhat shyly.

"It's OK, Billy, then we're going to try to convince him. I just wanted to see if you would agree since you're the understudy for the role," Tess said, and started whispering in his ear.

As she did, Billy nodded and began to smile. "Do you think it'll work?"

"I hope so," she whispered, but she straightened up and called out to everyone. "OK, folks, we're gonna start it from the top. Billy will play 'Paul Revere' today."

As she spoke, Tom approached the stage where Paul and Sam were standing. "What's going on?"

"I had to tell Tess something," Sam said glancing back over to the stage to see what was about to happen. "You told me you were quitting, so she's put Billy into your role. Why don't you stick around and see how it goes?"

"Why should I?" Tom asked.

"Oh come on Tom, you can at least support the play even if you're not going to do it," Sam said sarcastically.

Tom nodded, "OK," he finally relented, but glanced around to see Paul standing nearby, he looked at his friend's father questionably.

"I'm here to take the photos for the show's program," Paul explained quickly as he diverted his attention back to the activities on stage.

"Oh," was all Tom said and his attention was diverted onto the stage, where he could see Billy standing somewhat nervously, a cloak around his shoulders and a lantern in his hand.

"OK, Billy, I want you to show us what you can do!" Tess called out.

The young man on the stage, held up the lantern and began to speak, "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I rode here, weak and weary. To shout to the world that the British were here, and to charge through the town from the side streets to the square."

Two or three people in the room began to twitter, and some of them actually began to laugh out loud.

"Billy where in the world did you come up with that?" Tess asked, her voice resonating through the auditorium.

"I don't know," the young man stammered, "I guess because I just finished reading 'The Raven' in English class."

Tom looked at Tess in disbelief and then back at Sam. "Scott, I don't want to sound negative, but that's the worst rendition of 'The British are coming' I've ever heard in my life."

"Well, give him a chance, maybe in all of this, he can make this boring play more interesting," Sam shrugged Tom's words off, and walked back over towards the stage, all the while trying to ignore the scowl that covered the other boy's face. Paul followed Sam's lead and began to take photos of Billy as he stood up on the stage.

"OK, Billy, let's get Edgar Allen Poe out of your head and concentrate on the play, OK?" Tess called out.

Billy nodded and held up his lantern once again, "Paul Revere lived on street in a city of Boston which is town for what it's worth, and it's all a part of the colonies, which is part of North America that sits upon a planet known as Earth! Now Paul Revere lives on this world with lots of different animals, that's out there spinning silently in space, and he told all the colonists that the British were coming and were making things completely a mess."

"Hey, I know that one," another boy shouted from his seat, "It's from the show Animaniacs, at least I think, because it sounds like a jumbled up version to the Outer-Space Song."

"Billy?" Tess looked sternly at the boy.

"Sorry Tess, this time I've been thinking about my Astronomy class, and my kid brother sometimes watches Animaniacs while I study."

Tom looked around the room in complete and total disbelief. Finally, he approached the stage, the old assertiveness returning to him, as he spoke. "Tess, if you run the play like this, it will be a complete and total disaster." He looked at Billy, and smiled sheepishly. "No offense, Billy, but I think I'd better stick around and do the part."

Billy nodded, "OK, Tom," he said and pulled the cloak off his shoulders, and handed it to the other boy. "I always knew that you were the best person for the role."

Tom looked at him, and when he saw Billy smiling impishly, he spoke again, "that was a joke, then? You weren't going to do the role at all, you just flubbed up the lines to convince me to do it myself."

Tess nodded, "Billy, Paul and Scott knew about it, Tom. The fact is, you're the only one who can do this role, but this was the only way we could show you that," she smiled at him. "We wanted you to know that you're very important to us, and that the people in this room really do care about you. We're all here for you, and no matter what happens, you should know that."

Tom nodded, "then Monica was right."

"There's something else that you should know, Tom," Tess said.

"What?"

"You'll find out after opening night, I promise," Tess said softly.

Al appeared some moments later. "What happened, Sam?"

"See what the future holds for Tom Farrow now, Al," he said with his voice hushed.

"It looks like he gets a degree in Theater, and moves to New York and gets a role starring on Broadway," Al answered. "He continues working for the anti drunk driving campaigns around the country, giving speeches, and getting sponsors through these organizations to petition the government for stricter laws on drunk driving. Finally, he sets up a scholarship program for kids who want to study Veterinary Medicine as a way of honoring his sister."

"That's great, Al, but why haven't I leaped yet?" Sam asked.

"Because you're not finished here yet. Ziggy says that since you had told Paul that you were going to find out about where Scott's mother is, she says that there's a 91.9% chance that you will have to find her before you leap."

"Yeah, that's right, can you ask Ziggy about where Jenny Hayden is?"

Al began to poke the buttons on the hand-link and smiled after a few moments passed. "You're not gonna believe it Sam, but she's gonna find you, and it's going to be at the opening of Paul Revere's Last Ride right here in Nanton next week."

"So, when Tess and Monica told Paul that they would have to stay here in town, there was a reason behind it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but you can't tell Paul, I want to see his face when the love of his life comes into the theater in a week. It'll blow his mind," Al answered.

"OK, so I guess that means that I'm here for another week, I hope it's gonna be a quiet one," Sam said. "After the last few days, I really do need a break."

* * *

A busy but uneventful week passed for both Tom and Sam. They had been to rehearsals every evening that week and opening night had finally arrived. Tess, Monica and Andrew sat in the front row, Paul and Sam were sitting off to one side of the auditorium, and Al was floating around scanning the crowd before the lights went down.

He knew that Scott's mother was supposed to be sitting in the third row, and after looking at old newspaper clippings about Jenny Hayden, he knew now what she looked like. Smiling, once he had found her, he couldn't help but admire this particular woman.

After he had her seat number in his mind, he could see that the lights had started to dim in the auditorium and he moved to the side of the room and watched as Tom Farrow came out onto the stage, his costume waving behind him as he was handed a microphone.

He cleared his throat, "the production of Paul Revere's Last Ride has been dedicated in loving memory of my sister, Rebecca Elizabeth Farrow." He handed the microphone back down to the people in the Orchestra pit, and stepped back behind the curtains.

The play began. Tom took on his role as though there was much deeper meaning to this play than making this another stepping-stone in his life. He put on the best performance he had ever done, and when the first act ended, and the people were cheering, Al appeared to Sam.

"Wow, that was so good I almost forgot to tell you why I'm here," he smiled weakly. "Tom's doing good, but I wanted to tell you while it's intermission that she's here," he whispered, "third row, fourth person. She's wearing a denim jacket and silver earrings. You can't miss her, Scott is a spitting image of her."

Sam nodded and looked at Paul, "I think I'm about to leap out of your son, Paul," was all he said. "It's been a pleasure meeting you. I hope even though I may forget you, that you won't forget me."

Paul shook his head and smiled, "I won't."

Sam stood up and walked past Paul, his head confidently held as he walked around the small group of people seated at the end of the row. Once he made his way to where Al had directed him, he could see the dark headed woman still sitting in her seat, her hands holding tightly to the program, which was resting in her lap. He approached where she was sitting, his eyes down and staring at the floor. After a few seconds passed, he realized that for Scott's sake, this had to be the right person.

"Mom?" he spoke, his throat dry and the woman looked up.

"Scott!?"

Sam nodded, but before he could say anything to her, he leaped. Scott returned and was now staring into the eyes of his mother. His fondest wish had come true. "Mom, it's you!" was all he was able to say before Jenny Hayden threw her arms around him and began weeping.

They stood standing in the middle of the auditorium holding tightly to each other, Scott's had no idea what to say, but all he knew was that his fondest wish had suddenly come true, and he didn't know who he should be thanking for giving them this moment.

When their embrace finally ended, Scott and Jenny joined Paul in the front of the auditorium, there tearful reunion interrupted when the play started once again and the second half proved to be better than the first. This time, Scott sat between his parents, his face positively glowing, and every so often he would glance over towards Tess, but all that he got from her was a loving smile.

Scott could, of course, remember nothing of his trip to the year of 1999. None of that mattered because Scott Hayden was once more himself, and was now with both his mother and father. Sam Beckett was now gone.

* * *

When the play ended about an hour later, Tom received a standing ovation. Tess and Monica began to speak to one another as soon as the curtain call was over and people began to empty out of the auditorium, "everything with Tom, Paul and Scott is OK now, right Tess?" Monica asked.

"Yes, and don't forget Jenny and Sam," Tess said softly as the two angels waved to Andrew who disappeared through one of the exits as Paul, Scott and Jenny approached.

"Tess, the play was wonderful," Paul said.

"I'm surprised you three actually saw the play, specifically after the second act," she smiled.

"Yeah, well it wasn't easy," Scott said, his arm draped around his mother's shoulder. "The last thing I remember was standing in the apartment with you guys and then I was standing here looking at my mom," he smiled weakly, "I guess if it's something worth remembering, I would have."

Paul looked at Tess, "where's Sam?"

Monica smiled and answered for Tess. "Sam finally made it back home."

"That's great," Scott began, and once he gave the two angels a hug, he turned around and with his arms around both his parents, he spoke again. "Who's Sam?"

Jenny shook her head, but Paul answered. "Just a friend, Scott."

"I remember vaguely, but I'm just glad that Tom's himself again," Scott said. "Wasn't he great up there?"

"That he was," Paul answered. As much as he had liked Sam, he was not about to add how relieved he was that Scott was himself again. And now with Jenny at his side, he couldn't get over the wonderful feeling that flowed through his being. "I must admit, the best act of all, is finally having the two of you together."

"Yeah, and we don't even have to make any curtain calls," Scott said laughing.

* * *

Sam opened his eyes after leaping, strange, for the first time since he started leaping, he could actually remember what had happened in Nanton. He had met an alien and two angels. He looked around the somewhat large white room where he was now standing and after a few moments, he glanced down at the clothing he wore. They were also white, and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

Had he made his final leap? Was he now home?

He didn't know because in this room, there was no mirror, but self-consciously, he reached up and touched his face. He walked towards the wall of the room, but after some moments passed he heard the door slide open, and his eyes met those of Al, his long time friend and guide.

"Al, I'm home, I finally made it home," Sam spoke, it was his voice and it felt like he had completely forgotten how it really sounded. "Tell me I'm in the waiting room at 'Project Quantum Leap'!" he said.

"OK, that's where you are, Sam," Al said softly. "Welcome home."

The two friends embraced, and after some moments of silence as they stood in the waiting room. Sam looked towards the door leading outside. "Thank you Tess, Thank you Monica," was all Sam said as he followed his friend outside.

"Amen!" was all Al said as he laid the hand-link down on the table, and he left the waiting room for what he hoped would be the last time.

* * *

Tess stood next to Monica near the orchestra pit at Nanton College after Paul, Scott, and Jenny had disappeared outside. It was still 1992, and Tess smiled as she looked around the practically empty house, "you know what, Miss Wings?"

"No, what?" Monica asked.

"I just love this job, don't you?"

"It's the best job in the universe, Tess!" was all she said and the two angels disappeared.

The room was now empty, except for a solitary figure that was left standing on the stage. Tom Farrow who was standing looking back at the scenery, the stage lights were now off, his parents waiting for him outside, and as he looked around the empty house, he smiled. "I know something happened," he spoke to the stillness. "Something gave me the courage to do this play."

"It was in you all the time, Tom," a voice was heard behind him and he turned around.

"Becky?" he asked.

"Tess and Monica came to help you, Tom, they were angels, and they came here to let you know that I'm happy. I wasn't alone when I got hit, there was someone besides God with me, his name was Andrew."

"Andrew?" Tom looked confused.

"It doesn't matter so much," Becky said softly. "What matters is what they wanted you to know, that God loves you and me, and He sent them to you to help you realize this. Tonight, I believe you will be wonderful," she said softly. "I'll be waiting for you among the stars in heaven, Tom, and I will see you when you get here," but before she disappeared, she spoke one last time. "I love you."

Before he could reply, she was gone. He untied the cape that was hanging from around his neck and walked towards the door that would lead outside. This time, he believed it, and he had his faith to sustain him.

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