Sam awoke in the middle of the night, his head was ponding and he was still pretty cold, he sat up and went in search of another blanket. As Sam quietly proweled sickbay looking for where the doctor kept all his spare blankets, the sound of the imaging chamber door opening alerted him to Al's presence.

Al: "Hey Sam, how ya doing?"

Sam: "I'm freezing, how are you?"

Al: "Not too bad, though it's been a kick in the butt these last few weeks hasen't it?"

Sam: "Yeah I guess."

Sam finally found what he was searching for, and with the hologram trailing behind, he returned to the bed.

Sam: "Anything new going on?"

Al: "No not much, tho Senetor Weitzman is breathing down our necks again, guess he must be up for re-election. We got our approval for the upgrades to Ziggy. Other than that, same old stuff."

Sam Was about to say more when he heard the doors to sickbay open, through the flimsy cloth that surrounded his bed he could just make out that the person wasn't Dr. Phlox. If he wasn't mistaken, judging by the body size and shape, it could be T'Pol. His assumption was proven correct seconds later when from the other side of the curtain, T'Pols voice whispered to him.

T'Pol: "Captain, are you awake?"

Sam quickly glance at Al, who had a big grin on his face.

Sam: "Yes Sub-commander, what can I do for you?"

T'Pol pulled back the curtain and came to stand by the bed, walking unknowingly through Al as she did so.

Al: "Hey, careful there."

Sam didn't say anything, he had figured out enough about T'Pol to figure she would catch anything he said.

T'Pol: "Captain, I was hopeing you had a few minutes to discuss something."

Sam: "Sure T'Pol, I'm not going anywhere, what'd you want to talk about?"

T'Pol: "This is rather difficult for me so I ask you to be patient with me while I gather my thoughts appropriately."

Sam merely nodded, more than a little confused.

T'Pol: "In recent weeks you and I have been spending more and more time together. I have come to find myself growing accustomed to your presence. When you were taken away by the Klingons, no… when you have been taken away all the other times, I have felt a great sense of loss. At those other times I merely thought it was due to the stress of the situation. I have come to now realize that it was much more than that."

Sam sat up more on the bed, he folowed T'Pol as she began to pace, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Al was having kittens standing in the corner.

Al: "Well isn't that a kick in the butt, she's telling you she likes you."

T'Pol: "I have come to value the friendship we have together and I trust you with my life. I hope that you feel the same way about our friendship and trust me as well."

Sam: "I trust you T'Pol, you know that. I believe our friendship will always last, no matter what."

T'Pol: "It is pleasing to hear you say as much. I wish to also tell you, that, I wish to know if it would be possible, for you and I, to perhaps, explore what may happen if that friendship, were to be extended?"

Sam: "How do you mean, extended?"

T'Pol sighed, she sat down on the stool near the bed and looked at him. She was having a hard time saying what she needed to say. She was unaccustomed to this.

T'Pol: "I wish to know if we could become t'hy'la."

Sam: "Sorry? T'hy'la?"

T'Pol: "In your language it means friend…lifelong companion…lover…"

Sam saw that T'Pol's face was taking on a more greenish colouring, and she was averting her eyes. Sam suddenly realized she was blushing.

Sam looked at her and in his innocent way realized she was asking to begin a relationship with him, or rather specifically with Archer. He quickly looked over at Al who had miraculously stayed quiet through most of it.

Al: "Say yes Sam. This is what you're here for remember?"

Sam: "T'Pol, are you saying that you want to try and see if we could begin a relationship?"

T'Pol: "In a way yes, do you not have feelings for me that are more than just friendship? Or have my assumptions been in error?"

Sam: "No, I do feel more than friendship for you, I just wasn't expection you to come right out and say we should begin dating."

T'Pol: "Dating?"

Sam: "Uh what men and women do on Earth. When they're in a relationship, or just trying to start one."

T'pol: "I see, then that is what I am asking. I wish to date you."

Sam smiled. He had never had a woman as beautiful as T'Pol ask to date him before.

Sam: "I would like to date you to T'Pol."

T'Pol stood and sam saw her face was a blank mask of non-emotion again, but there was something in her eyes, a kind of twinkle. He smiled.

T'Pol: "Very well then Captain…."

Sam: "Jonathan, if we're going to be dating, you can call me Jonathan."

T'Pol: "As you wish, Jonathan. But not when we are on duty. I must be going, I have to meditate and I wished to discuss this with you before I did so. Have a good night, Jonathan."

Sam: "You to T'Pol, see you tomorrow."

T'Pol nodded and turned and left. Sam could have just been seeing things but he was sure she was walking more, confidently.

After a few moments of quiet, Sam looked at Al.

Sam: "Ok….I'm still here, what's going on Al?"

Al: "I'm not sure kid. Ziggy says that according to her calculations you should have leaped as soon as the two of you agreed to start a relationship."

Sam: "I think you better ask Ziggy to run her projections again. Cause something is definatley wrong."

Al punched a few buttons on the handlink and the door opened behind him, "Don't worry Sam, we'll get you outta here."

Sam watched Al practically leap through the door. He sighed and laid back down on the bed. Well atleast they got the major hurdle out of the way. Maybe all he had to do was tell her she looked nice and he'd leap. Sam yawned and figured he'd do it tomorrow. Soon he was asleep.

Mean while at Project Quantum Leap, things were a little more hectic.

Al: "What do you mean you won't run a new series of projections?"

Ziggy: "it is not my fault Admiral that Dr becjett has not leaped. I did the best I could with several limiting factors."

Donna: "Ziggy, what kind of limiting factors?"

Ziggy: "That no one had the foresight to program me with the eventuality that Dr Beckett may leap into the future…"

Al: "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Sam was only supposed to be able to leap within his own lifetime. And up until he leaped in Captain Archer here, he was doing that, well except for a couple of occasions."

Ziggy: "It is not stupid Admiral. Did no one think that 'leaping within his own lifetime' could also mean until the time he eventually dies? This will happen in the future. I was only programmed with events from Dr Beckett's birth to the present."

Donna: "Ziggy, if you felt it was an error in your programming, why didn't you mention it?"

Ziggy: "No one asked Dr Ellese. No one ever came up with the theory, besides Dr Beckett himself. And he only mentioned it once, before he leaped."

Donna looked at Al: "Did he ever say anything to you?"

Al: "Nope not a word. I guess we were all kind of at fault on this one. We all just figured he'd leap into the past, never forward."

Donna: "Ok Ziggy, we admit we made a mistake, now will you run new projections to see why Sam hasn't leaped?"

Ziggy: "I already have. I can calculate now with a 96 accuracy that Dr Beckett has leapt into Captain jonathan Archer in order to have him and the Vulcan T'pol form a relationship."

Al: "Look you nozzel, we already know that, Sam has gotten this T'Pol to admit she feels more for Arche rthan just friendship, and Sam said he felt more as well. Wich Archer had confirmed. The two of them agreed to begin dating, what more do you need?"

Ziggy: "Perhaps Admiral, they merely need to consumate the agreement."

Al: "They gotta have sex?"

Donna caught on to what Ziggy was saying: "No Al, not sex, but maybe something simpler."

Suddenly it dawned on Al, and he just smiled.

Sam was walking down the corridor on his way to breakfast. Phlox had just released him and told him to take it easy fot the next few days. He was still ulling over why he hadn't leaped when Al popped in beside him.

Al: "Kiss her."

Sam stopped dead in his tracks.

Sam: "What?"

Al: "We figured it out Sam, you gotta kiss her."

Sam: "Are you sure?"

Al: "Not fully but it's the best we could come up with."

Sam shook his head "I wouldn't even know how to do it right without scaring her off."

Al: "You know how kid, trust me, you've done it a million times before."

Sam sighed and continued on to the Mess hall, once ther he nodded and said hi to the crew that were there, then he went into Archers private dining room. He faltered momentarily when he saw T'Pol was already there.

Al: "Now's your chance."

Sam whispered "Not yet"

T'Pol: "Not yet what Captain?"

Sam: "Uh I hadn't expected to see you yet that's all. You look nice this morning."

T'pol watched him as he sat down "Thank you, as do you."

Sam and T'Pol ate their breakfasts, T'pol would fill sam in on ships business and all was fairly normal. Until Sam hit on how to proceed with Al's idea. He waited until the steward cleared the dishes and they were once again alone.

Sam: "T'pol, are you still sure you wish to have a relationship?"

T'Pol: "I meditated on it extensively last night after our discussion, and I am willing to 'make a go of it' as you humans say."

Sam smiled: "That's good, cause it allows me to do something I've been wanting to do for quite a while."

T'pol raised her eyebrow. "And what is that?"

Sam stood and made his way to her side of the table. He leaned down and looked in her eyes.

Sam: "Trust me."

Before T'pol could say she did, he placed his lips on hers. After a few moments she relaxed and allowed Sam to deepen the kiss, she reached up and placed her hands behind his nack. The two stayed locked in the kiss for a few minutes. Finally Sam pulled back enough to look into her eyes.

T'Pol: "Jonathan, that was…"

Sam: "Incredible…"

And he leaped.

Sam opened his eyes after the blue light had faded. He was surrounded by darkness he felt as if he was in a closet. He reached out to find a light switch and his fingers only went a few inches before painfully jamming against a hard barrier. Sam used a few minutes to discover he wasn't in a closet. He was in a coffin.

Sam: "Oh boy…."