Disclaimer: This is sad... after every single one of my stories ever on this site, I've thought of a good fifty ways to say these things aren't mine...

A/N: Oh my God I'm a looser. lol! As if writing Mash, Simon & Simon, and a bunch of other assorted fanfictions wasn't enough, I decide to write some Quantum Leap. Gezz... Ok, so I was downloading and watching a bunch of epesoids (I used to totally love this show back in the day, and have recently become more and more into it!), and I watched the last epesoid. It totally made me sad. The last line of Dr. Sam Beckett never returning home got to me. Then, as I was sitting here writing a totally different story, it occured to me why he may have never returned home. If Al did stay married to Beth, and had his kids and all of that, he wouldn't have met Sam. And then there wouldn't have been the Project Quantum Leap. Ok, so that was just my theory. And in this story I play around with that theory and what would happen if maybe Sam had the chance to change history... one more time. Read and review! ThAnKs!

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The Choice

Sam opened his eyes with a gasp. Quickly, though, he regained himself as he found himself simply standing alone in the middle of a large field. Sam was used to this by now. How many times had it been that he'd leaped? Hundreds? Possibly thousands? And how many of them had been since Al stopped showing up?

Even more it seemed.

"Maybe this will be the one," Sam mused looking around at the yellow, canola filled field, and spotting a truck not too far away.

For what seemed like forever Sam had been hoping and praying that he'd have a leap where he was killed. At first the thought seemed morbid, and Sam recoiled at it. But soon, after endless mind numbing leaps, he began to dread the inevitable next leap. Death seemed like a luxury. His last memory of Al was all that stopped Sam from doing the job himself.

Al.

Al had been Sam's only friend, but his best friend none the less. It seemed like ages ago when he'd leap into that bar with the bartender named Al that seemed to know everything. Albert Calavicci had promised him that he'd get him out of there and disappeared through the portal. Sam never saw him again. With the familiar tingle he'd leap into Beth's room, securing the knowledge that perhaps Sam did have the ability to guide where he was going. He spoke to Beth about Al; promising her that he was still alive, and not to give up hope. The picture of his best friend on the end table was the last thing that Sam remembered seeing before leaping again.

Since then Sam had leap from time to time, each time hoping, praying, that Al would appear to help him along his quest. But he never did. That wasn't the only thing that changed, Sam quickly realized, as he noticed that with every glance in a mirror, he only saw himself. No longer did he take the place of another soul. No longer did he have wrong to put right. Even though his mind remained swiss cheesed as he leaped, the knowledge of Project Quantum Leap remained secure in his head. And a frightening thought occurred to the Scientist. If he had helped Al by causing Beth to wait and believe that he was still alive, then perhaps Al remained married to Beth. And if that had happened, Sam would have never met Al, and Project Quantum Leap would never have occurred.

Sam could never go back because there was no back to go to. No Ziggy, no Gushie, no Tina.

No Al.

Sam was like a broken record, skipping in time with no place to call his own. So like a timer waiting to go off, Sam would wait for the next time he was forced to leap. Sometimes it would take a couple of hours, sometimes days and even weeks.

"Why here though," Sam mumbled to himself, "Of all places, why land me in the middle of a field."

Slowly he walked up to the truck, scanning to look for the owner of it. The truck looked old, giving Sam the impression that it was the late sixties, maybe early seventies. This thought was just passing through Sam's head when he heard someone call from a small distance away.

"Dirk! Hey Dirk!"

Quickly Sam looked around to see if someone was standing near him. No one was, and the person now walked directly up to him.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" he eyed Sam suspiciously, "I'm telling you; all this fresh air. Your lungs can't handle it buddy."

"Y-Yeah," Sam stuttered.

"So did you find any?" the man asked expectantly.

"Any…?" Sam's heart raced inside of him as he tried to keep his cool.

The man shook his head and took out a small wallet inside his breast pocket. With a flip of the hand, the leather flap opened and Sam caught a glance of an official looking police badge with the man's picture beside it and the name of 'Gregory Parks' printed neatly.

"I'm the cop," Greg jokingly spoke slowly, "You're the lawyer. Any bells going off?"

"Yeah," Sam laughed, "I was just uhh-- joking around."

"Sure," Greg rolled his eyes, "So did you spot any?"

"No, no," Sam shook his head, "It's clear here."

"Yeah," Greg nodded his head, "It's clear back in the East field too. If your client is growing any grass, it's not in this acre," Sam feebly nodded and Greg eyed him a moment before speaking, "Listen Dirk, you don't look so good. Why don't you go home and rest for the night. The case isn't up for another week, so just enjoy yourself; maybe catch a flick with that girl you were talking about."

"Yeah, yeah, I think I will," Sam nodded, "Do you umm--" Sam looked around, "Have your vehicle?"

Greg laughed, "You're something else today there Dirk. Go have a drink," he walked off down the field where he'd come from, "And make it a double!"

His legs felt like rubber as Sam stumbled over to the truck which presumably belonged to him. Not surprisingly he found keys in his pocket, and with a tug, Sam opened up the door and got in. His hand shaking, Sam pulled down the visor and looked into the mirror. The image was not that of himself but that of a hansom, young, light brown haired man.

"Oh boy," Sam breathed.

…

Everything seemed eerily familiar as Sam drove his truck through a small town, though he couldn't quiet grasp what it was. The date, according the newspaper that was sitting in his truck, was April 16th, 1969, and Sam still couldn't believe that he had actually become someone. By the sounds of it a young lawyer that was on a case with something to do with drugs. That was the least of Sam's worries, he found, as he realized that he had no idea where he was going.

"A phone book," Sam realized as he pulled over at a long pier, "I'll look in there."

A small business card inside the glove box of Sam's truck told him that his name was Dirk Simon, and that his office building was 21A- 4379 Justice Street. But a nice comfy bed was where Sam really wanted to be. When he was leaping in as himself, he had no home. No bed to sleep in.

"Simon," Sam muttered flipping through the pages, "Simon…"

He let out a large sigh as he saw half a dozen Simon's in the book; three of them with the initial 'D' in front of them.

"Dirk," Sam spun around to see a lady walk up to him, "Dirk, Sweetie what are you doing? I though you were out in the field with Greg today."

"Yeah, I am," Sam said, then quickly corrected himself, "I mean I was. But we decided to leave early."

There was a long pause before the lady burst out in a chuckle, "What kind of son are you that doesn't even hug his own mother when he sees her?"

"Oh," Sam smiled, and leaned in awkwardly for a hug, "Hi err-- Mom."

"Next thing you know, you'll be calling me Gloria Simon," she laughed.

"Sorry Mom," Sam forced a smile, "I was just a little distracted I guess."

"Oh!" suddenly Gloria grabbed Sam's arm, "You'll never guess who I ran into today at the Yacht Club."

"Who?" Sam question; not expecting to recognize the name, but thoroughly prepared to act as if he did.

"That nice young lady from the other week," Gloria smiled, "Beth Calavicci."

Sam stood, eyes wide; body frozen. Suddenly he realized why everything seemed so familiar. This was the place where he'd first met Beth. Where Al had first tried to convince him that he was there to make sure that Beth didn't remarry. The place where Sam later came back and told her that he was, in fact, alive and coming back. Sam was the lawyer that Beth originally married.

"Oh no," Sam muttered under his breath.

"Is there something wrong Dear?" Gloria questioned.

"No," Sam's voice came out much more squeaky and high than he expected.

Gloria laughed, "Oh don't be nervous Son. I know you haven't seen her for a while…"

"Sixteen days," Sam filled.

"Yes well come on," Gloria took him by the arm, "Lets go have a little visit. She was particularly upset this weekend when three casualties were found and brought back. Thankfully none were her husband, but she could really use a shoulder to cry on right now."

"Alright," Sam agreed and followed the person who played as his mother across the piers and to the a large, exclusive Yacht Club.

His eyes scanned the numerous people, and Sam found himself spotting the beautiful young Beth before she spotted him.

"Beth," Gloria called just as they walked up to her table, "Beth, look who I found."

Beth, her face bearing the signs of recent tears, glanced up, "Oh," she smiled, "Hi Dirk."

"Hi," Sam breathed, "How are you Beth?"

"Good," she spoke, "It's great to see you."

Without realizing it, Sam found himself bending down and giving a soft kiss to Beth's cheek, "It's great to see you again too."

"Sam!" a sudden shriek caused Sam to jump and look behind him.

At first he saw nothing but numerous people walking back and forth. He was just about to turn his attention back to Gloria and Beth when the cry came again.

"Sammy!"

This time Sam spotted him.

Al.

To Be Continued...

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A/N: Wow, so there was my first ever chapter of my first ever Quantum Leap fanfiction! I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know what you think; I'm open for anything! You've read, now review! ThAnKs!