"So where is Sam now?" asks Beth.

"In the future." said Al.

"In the future? What do you mean, the future?" asks Beth again.

"He has leaped beyond his lifetime, he is now somewhere in the future as himself." says Al.

"That's incredible." says Beth. "Have you kept in touch with him?"

"No." sighs Al. "It's impossible to do that. The Imaging Chamber can't recreate images that have not happened yet, and Ziggy has absolutely no clue as to why Sam has leaped so far off. For the past few years, the Project has done nothing but waste time."

"So he's alone." says Beth.

"Yes, honey." says Al.

"It must be terrible." says Beth, looking at Al's picture of him and Sam taken before Sam made his first leap. "Being alone under such circumstances."

"He can handle it. I know him." says Sam.

"That's good." says Beth. "He can be without an observer from now on."

Al begins to remember all the leaps Sam and he have been thru together, from flying the X-21 to helping him know what happens next. They were a great duo. Sam could not have done it without Al.

"He's alone." says Al.

"What?" asks Beth.

Al turns to his wife. "We had a good life, right?"

"Yes." says beth.

"The kids are already off to college, I am retiring next year, right?" says Al.

"Where are you going with this?" says Beth.

"I think I can help him." says Al, looking at the picture.

"How?" says Beth.

Al gets up, and looks at Beth.

"I'm leaping after him." says Al.

"Are you crazy!?! You will never return!" yells Beth.

"The Bartender will help." says Al.

"What!?!" says Beth. "Are you insane?"

"Yes." says Al. He gets dressed and goes to his wife. "I love you." says Al, and they both kiss.

Al runs out the door into his experimental car and races down to New Mexico.

Beth hurries to her car, and follows him.

After a few minutes, Al arrives to the Project.

Al power walks past Gooshie, who's sitting down reading a newspaper.

"Gooshie, turn on the Accelerator." says Al.

"Ok." says Gooshie, still reading his newspaper, but a few seconds later he realizes what he just heard. "Wait, what?"

Gooshie runs after Al.

Al is now turning on the Quantum Leap Accelerator, making a bunch of high powered noises, bells, and whistles.

"What are you doing Al?" says Gooshie.

"Going after Sam." says Al.

"Are you insane? We don't know where he is!" says Gooshie. "And you know once you leap, you will never return!"

Al turns around and faces Gooshie.

"Gooshie, the last words I ever said to Sam were "Don't worry, I'll figure it out. I will find a way to help you. I promise!". I am not going to abandon him." says Al.

"Do you even know where or when you will end up!?!" says Gooshie.

"The day Sam was born." says Al.

"There's no way to know that, Al!" warns Gooshie.

"Ziggy, start it up!" yells Al.

The Accelerator turns on, Al is engulfed by steam, and vanishes.

"And here's the windup, and the pitch!"

Everybody in the bar watching the TV set roars!

"Can you believe this? The trade Kinner, and now half the team is hitting home runs!" says Ghee.

"Nobody on the Pirates will break as many window canes as the Raph Kinner ever did!" says Ziggy.

"Panes, not canes! It's window panes!" says Ghee.

"That's what I said" says Ziggy.

Blue neon light explodes next to Ziggy, and Al appears on the chair right next to him. Nobody on the bar noticed.

"Didn't Ziggy say canes?" says Ghee to Al.

"Ugh, um, I don't remember what she said." says Al. He's swiss-cheesed.

"She?" blurts Mutta, sitting right next to Al.

"Ziggy." responds Al.

"You must be a friend of Sam!" says Ziggy. "Sam knows a Ziggy who's a woman, an ugly woman!"

"He must have seen you in your dress at the celebration." says Ghee.

"You cross-dress?" says Al, surprised, but still dizzy from the leap.

"Cross-dress?" says Ziggy.

"Dress like the opposite sex." says Al.

"My aunt Anna does that." says Ghee.

"Dresses like a man?" says Al.

"No, like a woman!" says Ghee.

Everybody in the bar laughs.

The Bartender comes up to Al. "What would it be?" he asks.

Al's head still hurts. "Information." he says, trying to get over his quezyness.

The Bartender shoves a punchboard in front of him. "Twenty five cents a punch. Hit the jackpot, and I'll answer your question!" he says.

"I got to gamble to get info from God?" says Al.

"Who said I was God?" says The Bartender.

"Sam did. He said you were God or Fate or Time." says Al.

The Bartender laughs. "Well, why not an alien while you're at it?"

"Oh my God. We never considered that!" says a stunned Al. "It makes sense!"

The Bartender laughs. "The only alien here is you, Al."

"Where's Sam." says Al.

"Working." says The Bartender.

"The future?" says Al.

"Yep." says The Bartender.

"Without me." says Al.

"That seems to be the case." says The Bartender.

"He needs me." says Al.

"That is why you came." says The Bartender.

"Yes!" says Al.

"The past was just a prologue. Where Sam has gone, there is great danger." says The Bartender.

"You need to take me there." says Al.

"You will no longer enjoy the safety of a hologram." says The Bartender. "You will be a Leaper, like Sam, with all it's inherent risks."

"I want to join him." says Al.

"That's all it takes." says The Bartender.

Al is engulfed in electricity, and leaps.

He finds himself looking at a mirror, and seeing a blonde bombshell as his reflection.

He turns around, and finds he is in a space station bar!

"Boy, I have traveled all around the Earth and the Moon, and you have the biggest set of cassabas I have ever targeted!" says Ghee, or someone that looks like him, wearing a space uniform.

"Oh boy." says Al.

To be continued......