Jeffrey was glad that the days of studying were over. Bogg and Kris had not allowed him to let up on his studying one bit; the only other things he was allowed to do was eat and sleep. At one point, Bogg had caught him on the computer chatting with Morgan, and he'd thought for sure the older Voyager was going to have his hide. "Get off that thing, now, Jeffrey."
"One more minute, please, Bogg?"
"No, kid. Now."

Sorry, Bogg caught me, so I gotta run! Jeffrey typed.
It's okay, she responded. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Reluctantly, Jeffrey turned off the computer and went out of his room. He found his partner cooking something in the kitchen and it smelled wonderful.
"What're you making?" he asked.

"Corned beef hash. Want some?" Phineas asked as he stirred the mixture.

"Yeah! I'm starving!"

"Good. Go fix the table, it'll be ready in a jif." Phineas smiled.

Phineas watched his son eat the hash and took a forkful himself.
"You ready for tomorrow?"

Jeffrey sighed. "I think so. You guys pounded the facts in me so hard, I think I know it all by heart!"

Phineas chuckled. "Yeah, I know Kris and I worked you pretty hard. I just want you to pass, kid."

Jeffrey nodded. "Yeah, I know, so do I. I don't know what I'd do if I failed."

Phineas put a hand over Jeffrey's. "Don't think like that, kid. You did your best, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's all that matters. It'll come to ya, I promise."

Jeffrey smiled at the ex-pirate. They had come a long way, he and Phineas, since that first day. He remembered how harsh he'd been at first, then calming down to at least allowing him to help when needed.

"What's the matter, kid?" Phineas's voice brought him back to reality.

"Just remembering how it was when we first met,"

Phineas chuckled. "I wasn't the best partner back then, was I?"

Jeffrey shrugged. "Hey, you weren't used to kids, let alone having a partner. You've grown up since,"

"Thanks a lot, kid!" Phineas groaned.

While they ate, they talked some more, but not about the test.

As Jeffrey got ready for bed, the phone rang and he heard Bogg's voice.

"Hey, Kris, yeah, he's still awake. Wanna talk to him? Okay, let me get him."
Phineas knocked on Jeffrey's door. "Jeff, Kris is on the phone."

"Okay. I'll be there in a minute."

Kris's phone call was just assuring Jeffrey he'll do fine on the test and not to worry. Kris also said he'd meet him and Bogg by the classroom where Jeffrey was to take the test.
oOo The next morning, Jeffrey got up and got ready. He was surprised that he was up before Bogg, so he got breakfast started.

Phineas came up to him as he stirred the eggs in the frying pan. The bacon was sizzling nicely in another. "Well, good morning, kid. How're you feeling?"

"Okay. I'm not as nervous as I thought I'd be."

"You'll do fine, Jeffrey." He started to set the table.

"You keep saying that, but I won't believe it till it's over."

Phineas nodded. "It'll be over sooner than you think."

"I'll be glad when it is!"

oOo

Kris, Olivia and Morgan were waiting for them in front of the classroom.
"What is this? A party?" Jeffrey asked.

Morgan smiled. "It will be when you pass that exam!"

"Don't count your chickens till they've hatched, Morgan."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Jeff. You've studied hard; you're ready," Kris said.

Jeffrey sighed. Inwardly, he knew they were putting too much faith in him. There had been so much to learn in so little time, he just knew he wasn't going to pass.

Professor Garth opened the door. "Jeffrey, if you're ready," he said.

"Well, guess this is it." Jeffrey gulped.

Phineas hugged his son. "Break a leg, kid."

Jeffrey grinned back at him.

Phineas watched his young partner walk into the classroom and thought he knew what real, biological fathers must feel at times like this. So many different emotions were swelling up inside him at once, he couldn't have found a starting point to describe them if his life had depended on it: nervousness, pride, joy, anxiety...all of which Jeffrey must be feeling at the same time.

Jeffrey walked into the empty classroom and took a seat.

"So, Jeffrey, how are you feeling?" Garth asked with a smile.

"Nervous."

"Don't be. Take your time and think things through, as you've done in your classes. You have five hours to complete the test," Garth put the test on Jeffrey's desk and looked at the clock.

"All right, begin."

Phineas looked in the window of the door and watched as Jeffrey began to work. He paced back and forth and kept looking at the clock.

"Phineas, will you please stop? You're making me crazy!" Olivia complained.

"I'm making you crazy? It's this waiting that's making me crazy..Patience is not my best attribute here!"

Olivia went over to her friend and fellow Voyager. She'd never seen Phineas act this way as long as she'd known him. He'd changed since he'd had Jeffrey as a partner, every bit as much as she had changed since Morgan had entered her life. "Trust me, Phineas, I know all too well about your problems with patience," she smiled.

Phineas sighed. "What time is it?" he asked Kris.

"The test is almost over, Bogg. Jeffrey looks like he's ready to throw in the towel!" Morgan told him.

"Jeffrey never did like taking tests."

Phineas looked in the small window and saw Jeffrey handing Professor Garth the test paper. He sighed; now at least the hard part was over. But Jeff didn't come out immediately; a half hour passed, and still he did not emerge. Finally, however, Jeffrey walked out of the room, his head hanging. "Sorry it took so long, but the professor wanted to grade it so I wouldn't have to wait."

"So how did it go?" Phineas demanded.

Jeffrey looked up at him, then back at the floor. "I didn't make the top 10 percent of the class," he said quietly.

"What!? After all that hard work?" Then Phineas stopped short when he saw the look on his boy's face.

He was grinning wickedly now. "I made the top one percent!" he announced.

"Jeffrey Jones, I'm going to kill you for that!" Morgan cried.

"You'll have to wait in line, Morgan. I'll be at him first!" Phineas said.

"Hey, I said I passed!" Jeffrey protested, but it was no use. He saw the look on Bogg's face and knew he had to run.

"You get back here!" Phineas bellowed as he took after him.

Suddenly, there were five people running down the long hallway...