Chapter 2: What Light Through Yonder Window Leaps? March 23rd, 1997
Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator - and vanished. More than two decades later, Ben Fuller steps into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanishes. He awakes to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that are not his own and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Ben can see and hear. And so Ben Fuller finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time, that the next leap, will be the leap home.
Ben's vision faded in from the void. He looked around and saw bright lights, and squinted. He looked to his left and saw a girl standing next to him.
"I said, O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet." the girl said. "Romeo?"
"O boy..." Ben said, as he stared at her blankly.
"Cut!" a voice shouted. The lights went off and Ben saw a man holding a clipboard walk up to him.
"James! What's the matter? You had the lines memorized two minutes ago!" the man shouted. "Everyone take five!"
"James, are you okay?" the girl asked.
"Uh, yeah. I need to sit down." Ben replied and walked to the auditorium seats below the stage.
"So, can I get a kiss before we do the big kissing scene?" the girl asked.
"Uh... Maybe not right now." Ben stammered. He didn't know who this girl was, and couldn't kiss her without figuring that out.
"Not this again. No fraternizing during rehearsal, because the theater is more important than your girlfriend. I thought if I was the lead you'd at least let a little fraternizing..." the girl mocked.
"Kalie!" a person shouted from the stage.
"Be right back." Kalie said, walking away from Ben.
"Oh, the theater! How I love it!" Al said, walking through the seats behind Ben.
"Al!" Ben whispered.
"Yeah. Listen, we might want to find a place to talk privately." Al said.
"Good idea." Ben said.
Ben walked out of the auditorium and into a bathroom. He looked in the mirror and studied his face. He saw a teenage boy, probably only a year younger than Ben was. He had blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Ben noticed for the first time that he was wearing a costume. Specifically a Shakespearean costume.
"So, where am I?" Ben asked.
"Well... You're in a school bathroom right now." Al replied.
"I mean what year!" Ben said.
"I know, trying to lighten the mood. It's March 23rd, 1997. You are James Tucker, and you are a senior at Woodrow Wilson High School in... Albany, New York." Al said.
"What do I have to change?" Ben asked.
"Well, in the original history, in about a week, the first performance of Romeo and Juliet goes on, and James is discovered by a talent scout from Julliard." Al replied. "And he ends up with an illustrious career as a stage actor, eventually crossing into television and film."
"Then why am I here?" Ben asked. "Sounds like this guy has it made!"
"Not quite. On the night of the show, James has a fight with Kalie Archer, his girlfriend, and she leaves, leading her understudy to perform." Al said. "After she leaves, she's in a car accident, and she doesn't make it."
"What?" Ben asked, remembering the girl he was with on stage. "So I have to stop her from dying?"
"Yeah. And see if you can squeeze that talent scout in as well, Ziggy says that there's a 95.6% chance that you can save Kalie and get the Julliard scholarship." Al said. "They're both equally important."
"But mainly focus on Kalie?" Ben asked.
"Yeah, mostly her. History can probably handle the loss of the Julliard thing." Al said. "Anyway, I have to get going. Meeting with Beth for lunch."
"Have fun." Ben said.
"Oh, I will." Al said, as he stepped through his door.
"How am I going to memorize an entire play?" Ben asked himself, head in his hands.
The director walked back on stage and tapped the microphone.
"Okay, back to work everyone!" the director shouted.
Ben pulled on his backpack and walked out of the auditorium. Kalie ran up to him and grabbed him.
"Aren't you giving me a ride home?" Kalie asked.
"Right, sorry. I've just got so much on my mind, with the show and everything." Ben said.
"Good. Let's go, you know my mom hates it when I'm late." Kalie said.
"Right." Ben said, holding the door for Kalie as they walked out of the school building.
Kalie stood outside a car and Ben started to fish through his pockets for the keys. He pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the car doors. Kalie got in the passenger seat and sat down. Ben started to drive, and turned down a street.
"Why did you turn here?" Kalie asked.
"Uh, taking the scenic route?" Ben replied, nervously smiling.
"Just go the regular way." Kalie said.
"And that would be...?" Ben asked.
"I am really not in the mood for jokes." Kalie replied.
"I'm having a brain-fart today. With the play and everything, my brain is taxed." Ben said.
"Go down Elm and I'll tell you when to stop." Kalie said.
"Thanks, Kalie." Ben said.
"Why so formal?" Kalie asked.
"No reason." Ben said.
Ben pulled up to her driveway and Kalie got out of the car. She walked around to the driver's side and poked her head in the window.
"What? No goodbye kiss?" Kalie asked.
"Oh, yeah." Ben replied as he leaned in to kiss her.
"See you tomorrow." Kalie said.
"Yep." Ben said as he pulled the car out and started driving. "Wait a minute... Where do I live?"
Later, Ben sat in James' room and looked through the script. He threw it down in frustration.
"What I wouldn't give for Dr. Beckett's eidetic memory..." Ben sighed as he put the script facedown on the table. "Let's start again. Ay me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast?"
He picked up the script again and read the next few lines, before placing the script down once again.
"...Not having... damn it!" Ben shouted.
"Well, it's no Man of La Mancha, but it's an okay play." Al said.
"There you are! Here to help me memorize my lines?" Ben asked.
"I can do that, but I'm mostly here to check in. How's Kalie?" Al replied.
"Still alive, and pissed at me for the time being. But I'm working on it." Ben said. "I can't memorize this in a week!"
"Just keep trying. Sam managed to memorize Man of La Mancha in half that time, and odds are that you can too." Al said. "And if not, I can just give you the lines on opening night and at rehearsals."
"Good. I'll need all the help I can get." Ben said. "Have the odds changed?"
"Nope. They've stayed steady, you can definitely do what you need to do here. A nice, easy leap."
"I hope you're right."
The next day, Ben walked to the auditorium after school and prepared himself for the rehearsal ahead of him, when the director walked up to him.
"Not going to flub your lines today, are you?" he asked.
"Uh..." Ben started.
"I'm just kidding. We all have off days. But I'd be on your game, I've got a friend from Julliard coming to scout out talent on opening night. Keep that under your hat, though. I don't want too many people to know." the director said.
"Got it." Ben said, motioning a zipper movement over his mouth.
"Great. We're starting in five minutes, get ready."
After rehearsal, Ben drove Kalie home and returned to James' house to study his lines. While he was studying, the phone in James' room rang. Ben picked it up.
"Hello?" Ben asked.
"Hey there, Romeo." Kalie replied.
"Oh, hey Kalie. What's up?"
"Well... I was just figuring that we could do something after rehearsal tomorrow. My mom is going to be working late, so we can hang out here at my place."
"That sounds good. Maybe while I'm there we can..."
"We can do what?"
"Go over our lines for the play!" Ben exclaimed excitedly.
"Ugh. I knew it. You care more about that stupid play than you do about me!"
"That's not true, I just want to make sure I've got everything down for opening night. We've worked too hard to blow it now!"
"Maybe you have..."
"I'm sorry. It's just..."
"The play is important and you have to be perfect. I know, you say that every time I confront you about this! I don't know why I thought today would be different. I'll talk to you later."
"Wait!" Ben shouted, but she had already hung up. "Simple leap, my ass..."
The next few days went by as a blur for Ben, between rehearsals, costume fittings and his constant attempts to please Kalie which always seemed to backfire. The night of the show came and Ben was very nervous as the backstage area bustled with movement. He shifted uncomfortably in his costume, which was a little bit too short on the pant legs due to the height difference between him and James. Kalie walked across the stage in her costume and Ben walked up to her.
"Hey! Are you excited?" he asked.
"Yeah..." Kalie replied.
"You know, the director said there's going to be a scout from Julliard in the audience. This could be a good night." Ben said.
"Good for you." Kalie said.
"And after tonight, you'll be the most important thing in my life." Ben said.
"See you on stage." Kalie said.
Ben walked to his designated place and looked around.
"Al, I need you..." Ben said as his entrance onto the stage grew ever closer.
The Imaging Chamber door opened and Ben smiled as he saw Al walk out with a Romeo and Juliet script.
"Sorry I'm late, did it start yet?" Al asked.
"Not yet." Ben replied.
"Have you made any progress with Kalie?" Al asked. "Ziggy still says she dies."
"How is that possible? She's here, we haven't fought, she should be fine!" Ben replied.
"Just keep on your toes, the deciding factor might be something that happens right before the show starts." Al said.
"Got it." Ben said.
"We would as willingly give cure as know." the actor playing Montague said and Ben walked out onstage for his part.
Ben stood on stage as he performed his part, with Al's help and walked off stage when he was finished, waiting in the wings to watch Kalie's part. He waited for Kalie's entrance, but instead saw her understudy walk out instead.
"What happened to Kalie?" Al asked.
"I don't know..." Ben replied and turned to the stage manager. "Where's Kalie?"
"She said she wasn't feeling good and went home." they said.
"What? When?" Ben asked.
"About five minutes ago." they replied.
"Damn it!" Ben shouted as he punched the wall.
"Al! Center yourself in on Kalie and tell me where she is. I'll go looking for her." Ben said.
"Got it." Al said, hitting buttons on the handlink until his disappeared.
"But you have to go on in the next scene!" the stage manager shouted.
"Have the understudy do it!" Ben shouted as he started to run towards the back door of the auditorium. Al reappeared and pointed towards the door.
"She just got in the car, we still have time! Go!" he shouted as Ben sprinted outside and saw Kalie's car starting up.
Ben ran up to the car and started tapping on the window. Kalie rolled the window down.
"What do you want?"
"Why did you bail on the play?"
"I never really wanted to do it. I did it because I wanted to share something with you. Every time there's a play, I just get tossed to the wayside while you act."
Ben searched his mind for something he thought that James would have said if he was there.
"I... I didn't realize that. You know it's my dream to be an actor."
"Yeah, but I was hoping I fit into your dreams somehow..."
"You do! Of course you do! When... if I get famous, I want to do it with you by my side!"
"Really?"
"Yes. I didn't mean to make you feel left out when I'm acting."
"It's okay. I just... I felt like you liked acting more than me."
"Let's get out of here."
"But what about the play?"
"There will be other plays. You're more important to me right now."
"Oh, James!" Kalie said as she opened the passenger side door and let Ben climb inside the car. She grabbed him and passionately kissed him as Al looked on, grinning.
"I knew it was only a matter of time before you got the girl." Al laughed.
"Wow..." Ben said as the kiss ended.
"We should get back inside, we have a play to finish." Kalie said.
Ben and Kalie stepped out of the car and Kalie ran back into the school. Ben turned to Al, who was looking at the handlink.
"How does everything turn out?" Ben asked.
"Kalie survives the night, and... both her and James get Julliard scholarships, will you look at that, they get to go together." Al replied.
"Al... does the kissing happen a lot during quantum leaping?" Ben asked.
"Well that depends on if you've got the same choir boy mentality that Sam had." Al replied.
"I guess we'll see about that..." Ben said as his vision faded and he returned to the void.
Ben felt his vision fade back in from the void. He looked around the room, noticing the walls were painted in a faded pink color. He looked down and saw he was wearing a white button down shirt with a red vest and a plaid skirt.
"A kilt? Did I leap into Scotland?" Ben asked as he looked into the mirror, and jumped back.
He stared at the image in the mirror, which was the image of a very confused teenage girl. Her brown eyes stared back at Ben with the look of the confusion that Ben felt at that moment. She had long brown hair that she touched with her slender hands as Ben grasped at the air beside his head.
"Becca!" a voice shouted as another teenage girl popped her head into the room, which caused Ben to jump back again. "Are you ready yet, we'll be late for school!"
"Oh... girl." Ben sighed.
To Be Continued...