A/N- Final chapter, everyone.

PippinDuck- Thank you! I suppose I had it echo the scene from Mirror Image because that's what I imagined he was doing after the Project lost contact with him. And I'm glad you liked the scene with Zoey!

Korean Pearl- Oh, okay. Thanks! This chapter should answer most of your questions, including how time has and hasn't changed, and who remembers what. The last few quotes are from the show, which is probably why you are confused. See, right after Alia Leaped out of Connie, Sam also Leaped. He went back two days in Jimmy's life, and nothing had changed. Alia hadn't ruined the family's life. According to Ziggy, she'd never been there in the first place. The entire confrontation never took place. That last chapter explains why it didn't take place- Sam stopped her from meeting Zoey. Hopefully this chapter will clear it up… if it doesn't, e-mail me and I'll try to explain.

Derganged Lunatic- Well, okay… at least it was self-explanatory then. As for your question, "I wonder who Zoey got for the Evil Leaper, then…" That's a really good question- one that will probably never be answered. I have some ideas about it, but I don't think I can mold them into another fic, so we'll probably never find out. Thanks for asking, though!

TesubCalle- Well, that wasn't the end of the story- this chapter is. After this, there probably won't be anymore. I have only vague ideas about what happens after this chapter… too vague to put into a fanfic. But I'm glad you enjoyed this one!

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Epilogue

Something has changed within me

Something is not the same.

I'm through with playing by

The rules of someone else's game.

Too late for second guessing,

Too late to go back to sleep.

It's time to trust my instincts,

Close my eyes, and Leap…

-Defying Gravity from Wicked.

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I can't believe I'm doing this. Again. It got me into the most horrible hell imaginable in another timeline, and yet I have the feeling that it won't. Not this time. Not to this Alia.

I remember, now. I remember everything. Ever since that month long vacation in Hawaii, when the dreams grew too vivid to block out, ever since then I have remembered.

Everyone at the Project was shocked. How could two timelines exist simultaneously? Even though time had been changed, and I was on the Project staff, Sam still Leaped in Jimmy a second time, and met my other self. Both timelines touched. And now they've merged. It violates the laws of physics, they say. But didn't God create physics?

I remember the horror and pain of five years, alone, with only Zoey to count on. I remember the torture, the murder, the anguish, and the salvation. But I also remember another story.

A story in which I found somewhere I belonged, and something I loved to do. A story in which I made many friends for one of the first times in my life, and I no longer had to rely on just Renee for help or reassurance. I could turn to Verbeena, or Donna, or, most of the time, to Sammy Jo.

Sammy. She's been there for me the entire time, especially after the Project laid off several staff members, and Renee had to leave. She was there for me when the paperwork was overwhelming, when the food was terrible, when I got tired of working every single day. She was there for me when I regained my memories.

And she's here with me now.

The door is locked, and over-ridden by Sammy's passcode. Sammy is standing at the Control panel, making last minute checks on the system. As for me, I'm dressed in white and standing in a reflective chamber.

Ziggy isn't attempting to over-ride what we're trying to do. In fact, she agrees with the entire plan. Of course, she'd agree to almost anything by now to get her 'father' back. She's felt nearly useless since Sam disappeared, and it's an insult to her ego to have nothing truly important to do.

Ziggy was the one who authorized the neural chips to be ordered. Using special equipment, neural tissues from the both of us have been taken, and a copy of our brainwaves has also been made. Ziggy has analyzed them and added them to her 'library'.

Sammy and I are linked.

I can hear the chamber firing up, and Sammy's voice saying, "Stand-by to fire…"

I'm no longer afraid. Sam saved my life, once upon a timeline ago. I'm not just going to sit by while he's lost in time. I'm going to try and find him… and maybe do some good in the process.

Besides, I know now that whatever happens, even if I lose contact with the Project forever, I won't be alone. And that's the best feeling in the entire world.

"Fire!"

I close my eyes, and Leap…

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A/N- Well, we're done. That's 23 chapters folks, my longest fanfic yet, and (in my opinion) the best I've done yet. I have a lot of thank-you's to hand out now, so bear with me…

I'd like to take the time now to thank all the people whose movies, books, and songs I've borrowed from for the beginning quotes… Avril Lavigne, Evanescence, Casting Crowns, Sarah Mclachan, Alfred Bester, Jane Louise Curry, John Darnton, the movies Back to the Future and Mulan, and the musical Wicked. And let's not forget Melanie Rawn, author of the wonderful Knights of the Morningstar, the first novel that ever included Alia's perspective (and my first exposure to the world of Quantum Leap- after reading that book, I wanted to see the show. Thanks Melanie!) And of course many thanks to Don Belisario and Belisarius Productions, without which there would have been no Quantum Leap. Credit must also go to the wonderful actors who brought the world of Quantum Leap alive for us- Renee Coleman (Alia), Carolyn Seymour (Zoey), Scott Bakula (Sam Beckett), Dean Stockwell (Al Calavicci), and Hinton Battle (Thames).

Final thanks goes to the reviewers, PippinDuck, Korean Pearl, TesubCalle, and Deranged Lunatic: For being faithful reviewers, and for putting this story on your favorites list, and for critiquing me when necessary… I know I've said it a million times, but… Thanks!

Finally, I'd like to address the issue of a sequel, which I suppose might come up- I highly doubt there will be one. I'd rather leave it up to you, the readers, to decide if Alia ever finds Sam, if they return home, and so on. See you later!

"Your future hasn't been written yet! No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one, both of you!" – From the film Back to the Future