Chapter 2 --- August 30, 1991 --- Having leaped into his own brother, Sam Beckett and his younger self entered the run down farm house their family had grown up in during the mid-20th Century. "Feels like it was just yesterday. Remember that time we saw those fighter jets whiz by?" "How could I forget?" "It's easy for you, Sam!" the all too familiar voice of Al spoke. "Al, thank heavens!" Sam was so excited to see his friend again, he tried to hug him only to pass through his body. "You never cease to amuse me!" "Tom, were you saying something?" the younger Sam spoke from upstairs. "Uhh, no. I was- I was just thinking. I'm gonna go out for some fresh air." "Okay. Hey while you're outside, try and look for that old basketball hoop ring! I bet Tommy would love to try it out!" With that Sam and Al headed outside. "So what's going on?" "Well we aren't sure yet. My only guess is you're simply here in 1991 as a favor of God, time or fate, or whatever to see the outcome of everything you've managed to accomplish. It's pretty ironic though, you leaping into your own brother long after saving him." "We never did look into what his future held in store, did we?" "Well, I did. See upon his honorable discharge, he married a California born girl by the name of Sally... ahh- Simmons! They have a 12 year-old son named Thomas Beckett Jr., which makes you an Uncle Sam!" Al explained with amusement. Sam was astonished by the thought of being an uncle. "That's incredible! And the year is ... is 1991? I don't remember ever being in the '90s." "Right, but you have been here before. It's just that you've only visited the mid '80s and early '90s once or twice, so they're the most difficult for you to remember. In fact, me and the Project are merely 10 years from where you stand, give or take an hour because of Time-Zones. So it's highly possible you'll be coming home after this one." "Well lets just keep our fingers crossed on that one! Hey, that other me wasn't able to see you. What was that all about?" "Oh yeah, that's because we had to configure the neural hologram images. You see there are two of you in the same place, and my younger self will be here in a couple hours as well. Now, I'm starting to see how Marty and Doc must've felt! Chrissy loves those movies so much, we'll watch it every Halloween!" "Chrissy?" "Yeah, my youngest daughter. She's just about 21 allready. Boy, how time flies!" "Yeah! A... I didn't know that. I-I mean I don't even recall you having any children." A knowing smile came across Al's face. "I know Sam, and thank you. I know what you did, and I am grateful. Even though to me Beth and I were never seperated since the war was over, I could tell it was your doing" "But if you weren't in the Imaging Chamber when I found Beth, how could ..?" "Ziggy knew what you had done after her sensors picked up Beth's presence at the Project so he told me. Beth is the nurse there, so it was obvious what had happened." "She is? Wait, wasn't Ziggy a she?" "No, you forget that Ziggy was programmed with different personalities! Right now he's got the ego of Jim Carrey in him. Makes me wanna crack up every time he says 'all righty then'!" "Who?" "Uh, this guy who made a few comedy movies around the time we started Project Quantum Leap. One was Ace Ventura, and oh my God was it funny!!" "Oh, so I take it this actor's ego was transferred into Ziggy's circuitry then?" "Yep. Uh, I want to talk with your brother in the Waiting Room but odds are you'll be seeing me in a couple of hours anyway." As Al left, Sam's other self approached him. "You okay Tom?" "Y-yeah!" "Looked like you were talking to yourself. Don't worry though, I do it all the time!" "I know." A half an hour later they arrived at a house overlooking the neighborhood. A young boy played frisbee with his dog as the car pulled into the driveway. "Mom, Grandma, Aunt Donna, Aunt Katie! They're home!" Sam and 'Tom' approached the house as the four women the boy had called ran out to the yard. The older Sam could not believe his eyes as he witnessed his other self hug his wife and mother. Donna was there as well. The memory of returning home once in 1999 came to mind... as well as how it happened. "Thanks, Al!" Sam the leaper said quietly. --- August 30, 2001--- "That's strange!" Tom said, as he stared at the reflection of his brother's in the mirror. "Well it isn't all that weird. Sam's been traveling through time since the year 1995, and he only came home once in 1999. Unfortunatly, I wasn't around to greet him because I was stuck in 1945 when he leaped back. It's a long story" Al explained. "So he takes on other peoples' identities and changes things?" "In a nutshell, yes. He puts right what went wrong in the original history. I'm the only person capable of seeing what he changes, which enables me to remember how things were as well as how they happen in the altered history. But sometimes he might change something I don't even see, so I don't even know it." "There's a brother to be proud of! Only... only doesn't it occur to him that he's simply correcting mistakes that people made in the first place? I mean he might be there in my place to simply correct something I may've done wrong back there in 1991." "Well it's not usually the mistakes people make he corrects, it's the outcome of events that the leapees were unaware of, he tries to correct. But yes, there are times he has to prevent the damage caused by whoever he replaces. Like that time he leaped into that serial killer, boy that was a close call!" "What do you suppose he's there to change?" "I'm not exactly sure, just yet. I know it doesn't have anything to do with your family, since abruptly nothing bad has happened in the last ten years. I wish I could remember though, I was there for Pete's sakes! Well listen, I'm gonna go check on Sam so you hang tight." "Okay. Hey Admiral," Al stopped short to hear Tom say "give Sam my love, and tell him that I'm proud." "No problem!"