PROLOGUE

Four perfectly manicured fingernails strummed against the table then paused only a moment before they struck the table once again.  The sound was the only sound in the room, and the constant strum-pause-strum almost had a rhythm to it.

Her thoughts were centered, focused and on task, her mind re-running what had occurred in the previous day in her mind’s eye.  Her eyes were closed as she ran through all the scenarios they were faced with and as her anger began to mount, her eyes suddenly came open.

Her blue eyes scanned the report before her and her left hand tucked some of her long auburn hair behind her ear.  Her hand came to rest over her mouth and she suddenly stopped strumming.  Her right hand clenched into a fist before she grabbed the report and ripped in into several pieces in frustration.  Both hands now rested on the table clenched into fists.

She quickly stood up, her anger evident in her whole frame.  She pounded her right fist against the table with everything she had.  Even as she hit it again, she felt the instant pain of a possible broken finger.  “You may have bought some time, but you haven’t seen the last of us, Dr. Beckett.  I can promise you that.” 

There are certain things that I’m used to when it comes to leaping.  The first is that uncertain feeling of whom I’ve leapt into and then the next is the situation that I’m faced with.  That unbalanced feeling has kept me on my toes, but this time... my toes weren’t exactly helping me much.

His finger was poised in the air pointing away from him, as if he had been talking sternly to someone, and what happened next totally took him by surprise.  He hadn’t even seen it coming since he had been blinking from the leap in.

However, the impact of what slapped against his face made him jump, a little startled, his head jerking back from the impact.  He heard the clatter of something tin hitting the floor then he opened his mouth and he brought his hands up to wipe at the mess that was now on his face.  He scooped the sticky substance away from his eyes. Shaking his hands to rid them of the goo, he slowly opened his eyes to look down at his hands to see a white creamy substance on them.  Raising his hands up to his mouth, he tasted it - lemon meringue.  For some strange reason his mind whirled as he thought of saying, ‘Helloo,’ loudly in an English accent.  Putting the thought aside he looked up to see a group of teenage girls who sat at a table - their mouths opened in shock and trying to hide their laughter. 

 “Ohhh boy,” he said softly as he closed his eyes.
  

PART ONE
 

“Oh, Mr. Ware, I’m so sorry,” said one of the teens who also was wearing some meringue on her right cheek.  “I ... I meant to hit Michelle for doing it to me.  Oh gees ... uh, er, just think, you’ll have smooth skin after you wipe it off.”

Sam blinked at them as he glanced around the room.  The group of teenage girls were in a dining room, dressed in only their pajamas.  He took a deep breath and licked at his lips tasting the meringue that was now dripping down his face.  He nodded slightly at her statement as he brought his hands up to wipe at the goo on his cheeks.

“You know, Mr. Ware, if you only had on an old ladies wig, you could be Mrs. Doubtfire,” said one of the other teens with a grin.  The others murmured in agreement as they nodded.

Sam glanced at each of the girls around the dining table.  Raising one eyebrow slightly, he turned his palms up before curling his fingers back to gaze upon his fingernails.  Keeping a straight face, he quickly flung his hands out splattering each of them with some of the meringue, causing them to squeal out and their giggles to compound. 

“Daaad!”  One of the teens moaned as she placed her head on the table. 

Sam looked down at his ‘new’ daughter.  “Come here,” he said softly keeping his own humor at the situation under wraps.

He watched as the tall auburn-haired young woman stood up and stepped toward him, her expression one of mixed emotions.  Sam knew just from the look that she was embarrassed at her friends, upset that she might be in trouble with him, and not wanting to be placed on the spot with her friends around.  By the silence that permeated the room, the teens must have known that the situation had just hit a low or so they thought.  When she was within a foot or two of him, he sighed as he looked down into her green eyes.

“Dad, I...”

Sam didn’t let her finish whatever she was about to say. His hands quickly caught her by the shoulders and pulled her into his embrace.  He made sure that he rubbed his face against hers and he felt her start to giggle as she realized what he was doing.  When he was satisfied that she was doused with meringue as well, he stepped back to look at her.  Her cheeks were coated with the sticky stuff.  Smiling down at her, he took his finger and wiped at the meringue on his forehead then placed it on the tip of her nose.  “There.  I wanted to make sure that I’m not the only one in the house that has smooth skin.”

“Daaad,” she moaned softly at him as she smiled up at him.

“Anyone else?” he asked as he turned to look at the other girls who were now giggling at their girlfriend.  When there weren’t any takers, he shook his head.  “You ladies don’t know what you’re missing.”

Sam turned away from the giggling group and walked down the hallway toward the other end of the house.  Finding a bathroom, he looked at his reflection and shook his head.  Finding a washrag in the cabinet behind him, he wet it and began to wipe at the mess when the Imaging Chamber door opened.  Stepping through the door, Rear-Admiral Albert Calavicci was dressed in a purple long-sleeved shirt, a yellow and pink polka-dotted tie, and silver pants.  Sam took a double take as he looked at the outfit once more.  “Let me guess, there was a yard sale at the local circus?”

Al ignored the comment as he examined is friend.  “What happened to you, Sam?  You look like someone pied you.”

“That’s exactly what happened, Al.  Lemon meringue.  Tastes pretty good too.”  Sam leaned over the sink and splashed his face several times and then reached for the soap. 

Al grinned as he bounced on the balls of his feet.  “You know, Sam, Beth says that meringue is great for the complexion.”

“So I’ve heard,” Sam said but his words were muffled from the hand-towel he was using to dry his face off.  Tossing the hand-towel down on the counter, he looked at his reflection in the mirror.  Who stared back at him was a man in his mid-thirties, maybe early forties, with brown hair and blue eyes.  Sam smiled at the reflection before turning to Al.  “So, what’s going on, Al?  Who am I and what am I here to do?”

Al looked surprised at his pal.  “Why I’m shocked!  Usually by this time you’ve got some information.”  Seeing Sam’s expectant expression, Al shook his head.  “Nothing?  Really?”

Sam’s mouth twitched with a grin.  “Al, I was just hit in the face with a meringue pie and I’m dressed in a robe here.  See?  No pockets to carry ID in.  All I know at the moment is that I... I mean, he has a teenage daughter,” he said as he tipped his head toward the mirror.

Al scratched his head and tipped his head slightly to the side as he made a face.  “Okay.” Shaking his head dismissively, he raised the handlink to access Ziggy for information.  “Let’s see here,” he began.  “It’s Friday, September 24, 1999.  You’ve leaped into Logan Ware, age 47, an English teacher at Big Spring High School.  You’re married and father to,” Al frowned at how Ziggy was giving him the information.  “to Nicole, age 23; David, age 20; Dana, age 16; Nathaniel, age 14; Jessica, age 9; and Rebecca, age 4.” 

“Al, that’s six kids!”  Sam exclaimed in disbelief.  “He has six kids?” he questioned as he glanced back at Logan’s reflection in the mirror.

“And, there will be a set of twins on the way, too.  That will make it eight.  Boy, Sam, this couple is like jackrabbits.  They need to quit multiplying.  Gees.  You know, I know what causes that problem to re-occur over and over again.” Al was absolutely astonished at Ziggy’s information almost as much as Sam was.

“Yeah, well, I know what causes that problem too, and I’m not going to go anywhere near that area of ... um, er,” Sam faltered as he saw Al’s grin.  “Conversation.”

“Well, I don’t blame you there, Sam. Uhm, oh,” Al said as he heard the bleep of the handlink in his hand and read more of the information Ziggy had acquired.  “Your wife’s name is Monique, and she is a doctor at the Medical Surgical Clinic in Big Spring.”  Al grinned.  “You know, I think that she might know how to cure that problem as well.”

Sam grinned at Al’s comment.  “Okay, so, what am I here to do?” he asked preparing himself for the worse case scenario.

“Actually, Sam, we don’t have anything as to why you are here in Big Spring, Texas in 1999.  It could be any mixture of things with as many kids as this family has.  Zig’s still working on scenarios.  I’ll let you know as soon as she comes up with something, okay, pal?”

Sam sighed as he turned back toward Logan’s reflection.  “You know, one of these days, I don’t know how, but I’m going to fix that little problem.”  Lowering his gaze, he looked at the sink that still had some of the meringue in it.  Turning on the faucet, he began to splash water on the sides of the sink but soon heard his holographic friend begin to sputter and gasp and finally call his name.  “What?” Sam asked as he glanced over at Al to see his Observer’s mouth open, his eyes blinking at something in the bathroom doorway.  Turning, Sam caught his reaction from mimicking Al’s.  What he saw completely awed him.

Leaning on the doorframe, was a very tall, very attractive, and very wet woman.  Her hair was dripping water down her body, her eyes were sparkling with laughter, and a warm playful smile was on her face.  The only thing that kept her decent was a rather large blue towel that was wrapped around her torso.  She licked her lips as she eyed him standing in his robe. “Hey sexy!  Are you coming to bed soon?”

“Oh Sam!  You lucky dog!” Al finally found his tongue and had obviously put it back in his head.  “If I wasn’t a married man, I’d - oh boy!”

Sam raised his hand to silence his friend.  “I, well, I still have a little bit of work to do, don’t I?” Sam questioned her trying to keep his eyes where they were supposed to be.  It was a hard task to accomplish but he was doing it.  He swallowed hard as she started in the bathroom toward him.

“Those silly papers can wait until tomorrow to be graded, can’t they?” she asked as she caught his hand in the air and gently placed a kiss on each finger before she lightly sucked on the end of his index finger with a suggestive look on her face.

Al moaned as he watched her.  “This is sooo not fair.  You really have the wrong man... wait, what am I saying?  I’m a married man!” Al said exasperatedly as he held up his hands then let them drop to his sides.

Sam had a hard time keeping his wits about him when she even stepped closer and pressed her body against his, her arms wrapping around him as one of her hands dipped down and laid claim to one of his cheeks.  She turned her head slightly toward his ear and whispered, “Make love to me again, baby.”

Sam swallowed hard and barely got the word out. “Again?”

Al’s eyes widened at the thought.  “You mean they all ready – gees, they aren’t honeymooners but with her body, I can understand why Logan would want to over and over and over.”  Al walked toward the couple as he let his eyes roam freely over the woman’s curvy form, then glanced up at Sam and saw the look of desperation on his face.

“Please?” she asked softly as she lightly kissed a tender spot right below his ear.

“Ahh ... er ...” Sam began but a movement caught his eye and he looked up to see a young man standing in the hallway looking at them. 

“Gee, why don’t you get a room?” he asked hotly before walking away.

Monique rolled her eyes as she leaned back in Sam’s embrace.  “David,” she called out.  “That’s quite enough.”  She shook her head then peered back into Sam’s face, before asking, “You did talk to him about borrowing the car tomorrow night, right?”

Sam cast a sideways glance to Al for some information.  Al tore his eyes from Monique and looked at the handlink then shrugged.  Sam nodded at her words hoping that Logan had talked to his son.  “Yes, I did.  He wasn’t very happy when I told him no.”  He was really hoping that he had answered her question correctly.

Wrapping her arms casually around Sam’s neck, Monique thought a moment as she bit her bottom lip.

“Oh, I wish she wouldn’t do that,” Al whimpered.  “It’s hard enough as it is.”

Sam choked and coughed quickly turning his head to the side as he covered his mouth at Al’s comment.  Clearing his throat, he looked back at Monique’s now worried face.  “I’m fine.  What’s on your mind?  Are you re-considering what you told me to tell him?”  Sam knew that he was really pushing it to the letter on this leap already with second-guessing the situation, but then again, he knew that he wasn’t going to get anywhere unless he did something.

Monique frowned.  “Yeah, I think so.  Go ahead and let him take the car.  He needs to be with his friends.  I mean, he did well in college this past year and well, even if he’s going to sit out a semester, he should at least get to see his friends.  We can’t baby him any more.  He is twenty even if I still see him as my baby.”

“Ahh, gees, this isn’t any better, Sam.  The puppy dog look only makes her sexier.”  Al clamped his hand over his eyes and turned his back on his friend. 

Sam slightly shook his head at Al’s actions.  “Of course, you’re right, as always,” he found himself saying.  Leaning forward, he gently kissed her lips.  But the moment that his lips touched hers, he couldn’t help but kiss her a bit more boldly and more than a little passionately as he held her closer to him. 

When it got quiet, Al turned around to look at the couple in the room and his mouth dropped open and the handlink fell from his hand.  The moment the handlink hit the floor the squeal alone should have broken Sam’s concentration, but he didn’t even jump at the sound.  “Sorry, Ziggy,” Al apologized then turned his attention back to Sam.  “Sam?”  Waving his hand at his friend, he stepped back away from the couple and crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

A few moments later, Monique stepped back from him her face flushed from the passion in the kiss.  She took a shaky breath as she looked at him for a moment.  “You’ll talk to him again?”  Seeing his nod, she smiled at him and turned to head out the door.  Even as she got to the doorway, she turned back to look at him.  “I’ll check on the slumber party once more then go to bed.  If ... if you change your mind on grading those papers, you know where I’ll be, sweetie.  I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Sam said as he blinked at the strong emotions that Logan felt for the woman standing in the doorway.  She smiled at him then left.  Sam blew out his breath and leaned against the counter top and shook his head to clear his thoughts.  “What a woman.”

“You’re telling me,” Al commented as he came back over to Sam.  “As soon as we find something out, I’ll be back.  I need to go find Beth.”

Sam grinned.  “Okay, Al.”  He watched as Al called up the Imaging Chamber door and walked through to his own time.  Before the door closed, Sam called out, “Have fun!”

Al grinned at Sam before he hit the button to close the door.  “As always!”

Sam shook his head at his partner then headed out of the bathroom.  Looking both ways down the hallway, he followed the sounds of the very loud music being played in one room where the door was shut.  Knocking on the door, he heard someone inside the room scramble for the radio, heard the volume being turned down, then, “Come in.”

Sam opened the door and saw the brown haired young man from earlier sitting on the bed.  “What do you want now, dad?”  David asked as he tossed the small plastic baseball toward his closet door where the hoop was set up.  He missed.  Scowling, he looked over at Sam.  “Did you come to gloat over having the car?”

“Well, if you’re going to act that way about it, then never mind.  I guess you don’t want the car tomorrow night after all,” Sam said as he turned around to head out the door.

“Wait!”  David called out as he scrambled off the bed and met Sam at the door.  “You’re going to let me have the car tomorrow night?”

Sam reached out and tousled the young man’s hair good-naturedly.  “Your mother and I have talked and we decided that you could have the car tomorrow night.”  He saw David’s face brighten.  “But,” he interjected as he raised his finger at his son.  “I know how twenty year olds are and I don’t want any alcohol in that car, or any other paraphernalia. Understood?”

David grinned.  “Of course, dad.  You know that I’m not into that stuff.  Thanks, dad.” 

Sam nodded.  “Okay.  Well, I have some work to do then I’m going to go to bed.  If you’re going to stay out late tomorrow night, I suggest that you get some sleep tonight.  However, I do want the car back at this house by one AM.”  That got David nodding.  “All right, then.  Night, son.”

David called out a goodnight as Sam walked away.  He thought that he had done just the right thing but when he walked a few steps down the hallway, a very upset young lady stepped out of her room.  “I don’t believe it.  It’s not fair daddy!  It’s just not fair.”

“What’s not fair?” Sam asked blinking at her.  She was tall as the other daughter had been, but she had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was just as gorgeous. 

“David is twenty.  I wasn’t able to do that when I was twenty!  David got to sit out a semester in college!  I didn’t get to do that either.  What is the deal?  I mean, gosh, talk about gender stereo-typing.  Just because I’m a girl, I can’t do those things, but because he’s a guy, he can?  It’s not fair.  One o’clock?  I was supposed to be back by midnight!” 

Sam racked his brain for a moment to remember her name.  She was the oldest in the family.  “Nicole,” he managed to get out before she threw her arms up in the air and let them flop back down to her sides. 

“I know what you’re going to say,” she said rather emphatically.  “I’m the first born.  Not only was I a daughter but I was the one that you had to experiment with.  So, you’re being more lenient on the others.  Well, here’s an information bulletin for you dad,” she stated as she put her hands on her hips.  “I’m twenty-three years old, about to finish college and if I don’t get some fair deals around here really quick, I’m leaving this household and going out on my own!”

Sam blinked at her words.  He sighed then shook his head.  “Now listen, Nicole,” he began again but she rushed back into her room and slammed the door.  Sam hung his head and put his hand over his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose.  He was starting to get a headache.  Turning to face the now closed door of Logan’s oldest daughter, he laid his hand on the doorknob before raising the same hand and knocking.  Ladies needed their privacy, but this attitude was something that he was sure that Logan didn’t approve of her actions. He could hear a muttering from behind the closed door.  Raising his hand again, he knocked once more before he finally got an invitation inside. 

Moving into the room, he sat down on her bed beside her.  Her head was down and she didn’t even acknowledge him.  Putting his arm around her he gave her a sideways hug.  He wasn’t sure exactly how to handle this, but he was willing to give it a shot.  “I know that what you just heard me telling your brother wasn’t fair.  You didn’t get to do the things that he’s doing.  I understand that feeling, all to well.”  Sam said as a vision of his brother, Tom drifted into view as he heard the swish of the basketball as it went through the hoop from another jump-shot.  “My mom and dad did it to me too,” he said as he saw her look up at him.

“Grandma and grandpa?  They did things that were unfair?  I don’t believe you.  They said that they always made sure that things were fair between you and Aunt Emma, Aunt Stacey, and Uncle Martin.”  She moved her hair back behind her ear as she turned her whole body to where she could face him. 

Sam nodded.  With three siblings there was no way that fairness was in that group.  He remembered how it was with two siblings.  “And, exactly where am I located in that list?” he asked her hoping that he was the oldest.

She tsked as she frowned.  “You’re the oldest, dad.”

“That’s right,” he answered.  “Now listen, I know how it’s like to be experimented on, and I know that it wasn’t fair that your aunts and uncle got to do things that I didn’t get to do.  But, I can tell you one thing though - we, and I do mean you and I, got to do them first.  And believe it or not, your brothers and sisters look up to you, Nicole.  They see what you do and want to do it so badly that they’d bend over backwards to do it.  Remember when Dana wanted to go to the prom with you?” he questioned her and saw the faint smile appear on her face.  He didn’t even realize how Logan’s memory had slipped into play.  “She wanted to go so badly.  And look, she’s still biting at the bit to go.  But this time, she’s worried about what to do, how to look and who to go with.  And this would be the best opportunity for you to help her.”  He watched as her head slowly bowed before him.  He tipped her head back up to him.  “Honey, I can’t promise that things will always be fair around here, especially when there’s six of you, but if it does come up again, and it bothers you, you might want to talk to us about it instead of ranting and raving and slamming your door.”  Sam paused for a moment as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes.  “Alright, Nickie?” he asked not sure exactly why he used the nickname on her.
       Nicole smiled at the nickname that she hadn’t heard in a few years.  “Okay, daddy. I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that.”  She hugged him tightly.  “Forgive me?”

“Absolutely.  All ready forgotten,” he said as he kissed her forehead.  “Now, finish up on that paper that you’re writing on ... get to the end of your sentence or paragraph or whatever and go to bed.  You still have the weekend to work on it before you have to take it to school with you Monday.”

“Tuesday, daddy.  I don’t have classes on Monday,” she reminded him as she reached across her bed to grab the paper that was laying on her comforter. 

Sam nodded.  “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” he said with a grin then glanced down at the title on the paper.  It read: “Time Travel: Probable or Improbable”.  Grinning, he tapped the paper in her hand and looked at her quizzically.  “What do you think?  Is it probable or improbable?” 

Nicole bit at her lower lip as she thought of what he had asked her.  She reminded Sam of Monique only a few moments ago.  She looked up at him as he walked to her door.  When he paused in the doorway, she smiled at him.  “You know dad, I think that I agree with this one scientist.  He says it’s probable, and I like his theory.”

Sam grinned back at her.  “Oh really?” he asked wondering exactly who she was talking about.  “Who?”

“His name is Dr. Sam Beckett.  He was the scientist that won the Nobel Prize and was on Time Magazine’s cover and was named the next Einstein of this century.  He says that it would be probable based on a String Theory,” she said excitedly as she hopped off the bed.  She quickly pulled a string that she had in her notebook and walked up to him with it. 

Sam was shocked.  She was telling him about his own String Theory.  He smiled at her as she approached him.  “A string theory, huh?” he asked trying to sound skeptical.  He wasn’t quite sure that he pulled it off though.

“Yeah.  See, this is what he says.  Pretend that this string is your life. One end represents your birth, the other represents your death.”  As she talked, Sam could see the excitement in her eyes and it took everything that he had not to interrupt her and finish his own theory.  “What he says is that if you tie the ends together, then your life becomes a loop.  Then he says to put the string in your hand and wad it up.”  She showed him as she was talking to him.  “So, all the days of your life touch each other out of sequence.  Then you could ... uhm ... what did he call it ... he said, that then you could uh ... oh yeah, leap from one point to another back and forth in your own lifetime and be able to watch but not interact with history.”

Sam put his hand over his mouth and nodded at her words rather studiously trying to hide the grin that wanted to spread across his face.  “And you think that this Dr. What’s-his-name has a good theory there?”

“His name is Dr. Beckett, daddy.”  Nicole took a deep breath and blew it out as she look at the wad of string now in her hand.  “You know, dad, his theory is good, but it has gaps in it.  I mean, sure you could travel back and forth in your lifetime, see people that you may have missed and you weren’t able to say goodbye to them.  Then in your own way, you could say goodbye to them.  Okay, I understand that.  But what if I wanted to see your lifetime? Or grandpa’s lifetime?  I wouldn’t be able to see Elvis in his prime or JFK as president or see what the 50's were actually like.  Just my own lifetime.  I’d see war.  I’d see politics.  I’d see AIDS start all over again and run rampant through America.   I’d see different factions coming together and hurting people all over again. Racism. Riots.”  She sighed then shook her head.  “I know that there were good things that happened too.  Don’t get me wrong there.  But, I don’t know, dad.  If I traveled in Time ...” she stopped herself and shook her head.

Intrigued by what she had said about his own theory, he urged her to continue on, “No.  Go on.  What were you going to say?”

Nicole smiled at her father.  “Well, I was just thinking that if I was able to travel in Time, I’d want to interact with the people.  Help them.  Change things to where not everyone gets hurt.  You know, tell grandpa that he doesn’t need to smoke anymore.  That type of thing.  Right the wrongs and help people.”  She sighed as another thought came to her.  “But if I did help people, it’d change their future, changing other people’s future, and then others.  It’d make the world a better place.  Wouldn’t it?” 

Sam couldn’t help but smile at her.  Instead of answering her question, he said, “Maybe this Dr. Beckett, was it?  Maybe you should talk to you and get some insight from you.  I know you’ve inspired me.”  Sam said honestly.  Giving her a kiss on the forehead once more, he shooed her back in her room and to bed.  “G’night, Nicole.”

“Night, daddy.” 

Sam blinked then rubbed his face with his hand. She had made some valid points.  It was something to think about now.  Was he the proverbial rain drop that started the ripples flowing out to reach others?   It was a question to think about.  Sam was pondering on that as he walked down the hallway looking for the office that he was sure Logan had.  But before he could even find it, something came running out of another side room and attached itself to his leg.  Looking down he saw that it was the four year old - Rebecca.  “Rebecca, what are you doing out of bed?” he asked as he looked down into her face that was growing scared by the minute.

“Where’s my daddy?”  She questioned him as her face screwed up to start to cry.

“Oh, ah,” Sam began as he quickly picked her up and carried her back into her room.  “It’s okay, Rebecca.  Let me tell you what’s going on, okay?  It’s a secret.  Can you keep a secret?” he questioned her for a moment as he set her back on her bed as she bobbed her head up and down.  “My name’s Sam, and, I’m ...” he hated to lie but it was a lie that he and Al had told another little girl before.  “I’m an angel.  You’re daddy had to go away for a trip and he asked me to stay and keep you company while he was gone.  You and I are going to pretend that I’m your daddy, okay?”

Rebecca pondered that for a moment before she smiled up at him.  “Okay.” 

“Now, let’s say your prayers and get to sleep.”  Sam tucked her back into her bed.

Snuggling down, Rebecca folded her hands before her face and closed her eyes and began her prayer.  “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray dear Lord my soul to take.  God bless mommy, daddy, Nicole, David, Dana, Nat, Jessie and me.  A... oh, I almost forgot.  God bless angel Sam.  Thank you for sending him here.  Amen.”  Opening her eyes she smiled brightly at him.  “Night, Sam.”

Sam couldn’t help but smile back at the little girl lying on the bed.  Shaking his head he leaned down and gave her a kiss on her forehead.  “Goodnight, Rebecca.  Sleep tight.”

 Sam stood up and walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.  Leaning against the door he watched as a younger looking version of Logan ran through the hallway chased by an even younger looking Monique.  ‘Must be Nathaniel and Jessica,’ he thought to himself and found himself calling out to them, “No running in my house!”  They quickly came to a halt, apologized, then quickly started walking briskly  -  one after the other.  Shaking his head he started once again down the long hallway and wondered just how Logan was able to cope with six kids under foot. 
 

PART TWO

Melbourne, Australia
      March 14, 2002

Growling at the situation that she was in, the tall woman picked up the torn report and flung the papers into the air and watched as they scattered around the room, then settled on the floor.  Her anger had finally hit a height that was encompassing her.  As she watched the last paper land on the floor, she turned quickly and ran her right hand into the steel wall and cried out when she felt the bones in her hand crack and break under the pressure put on them. 

Keeping her hand in a fist, she turned away from the steel column that lined the room and went toward the door.  When she opened the door, she found Drake standing in the doorway, his hand raised as if he was about to knock.  “What do you want, Drake?” she hissed at him.

Drake swallowed a bit nervously under her gaze.  “Ms. Tala, I came to tell you that Trinity’s body has been taken away and is being prepared for burial.  Do you wish to be there for the ceremony?” he asked promptly holding her gaze.

Tala blinked at him then ran her teeth over her top and bottom lip.  “Do you honestly think for a moment that I want to be near the body of the woman who screwed up everything?” she asked hotly almost through clenched teeth.  “Get out of my face, Drake!”

Drake stepped back from her and she moved past him but he wasn’t about to be deterred from talking to her.  He knew that she was in charge now, with Zoe and Lothos gone. “I don’t understand, ma’am,” he gave her the same respect that he had given to Lothos.  She was just too much like her father.  “How is it that Trinity screwed up?”

Tala stopped in her tracks for a moment causing him to stop a few steps ahead of her.  Turning her eyes to him and said, “If your incompetent mind can recall, we had only enough power and reserves to do one last transfer.  The technicians that were called in months ago were able to save only a small portion of what Lothos had accomplished.  We moved it here.  The reserves are gone.  The chance that Trinity had to kill Dr. Beckett was the last chance that we will have for some time.”  Tala saw the look in his face as his eyebrow shot up quizzically.  “That’s right, Drake. Now we have to find the funding and get the data that we require from Dr. Beckett’s precious project so that we can accomplish what Lothos had set out to do.”

Drake slightly frowned as he let that sink in.  “And that would be...?” he questioned her letting his question drop as her eyes narrowed to slits. 

“Drake, you are too much like Thames.  He didn’t know when to shut his trap either,” Tala said as she raked her eyes over him.  “Don’t worry about Lothos’ plans.  I know them.  I will accomplish them and will do it without integrating a person and a computer together.”  Tala crossed her arms as she took a slow deep thoughtful breath.  “Once I know how they made their precious ‘Ziggy’ then I’ll have just about everything that I want.”  A devilish smile that reminded Drake of Zoe appeared on Tala’s face.  “Just about.”

Drake frowned at her statement.  “How are you going to find out how they built their computer?  You can’t knock on their door and ask them to tell you.” The minute the words came out of his mouth he regretted it. 

Tala couldn’t help the anger that flowed through her once again. ‘This man -  this imbecile doesn’t use a brain,’ she thought heatedly.  ‘I don’t think that he even has one.’  Even though she knew that she had broken at least a few bones in her right hand, she reared back and popped him a good one and yelled out in pain from the punch.  Seeing him down on the floor, she sneered at him. "You know, Drake, you're an idiot. I always knew that you were an idiot. Why did I even enlist you into this project to begin with?" Stepping over him, she saw him raise his hand up to his eye to touch it gingerly.   "And to answer your idiotic question, no, I don't expect them to just tell me what I want to know. I'll get the answers that I want come hell or high water - even if that means finding just the right one and torturing it out of them," she told him plainly.

Drake didn’t say a word as Tala left him.  He wasn’t going to risk her anger a second time.  Instead, he got up off the floor and left to return to his station.

A woman who came out of her office saw the interaction between Drake and Tala and said softly, “It’s not his fault.  We were never ready to begin with.” 

“Like you are someone who needs to be telling me that, Siren.  I know that we weren't ready.  Don't you think that I know that?  But it was father's wish ...  and I did what he asked of me.  Now that it's gone ... that he's gone ... I'm in charge now.  I call the shots.  Understand?"" Tala asked her as she got up into her face.  Tala saw her slouch back a few steps from her.  It was the one thing that Siren found out damn quick about Tala;  Siren couldn't beat Tala.  But even seeing her sister cower in front of her, it only irritated Tala more.  "Dammit, Siren, you may be my twin, but that's all that joins the two of us together.  You are as far from what father wanted than anything else.  Look at you.  Stand up straight."

Siren frowned at her for a moment before doing as she demanded.  “You're right. I am totally different from you. And you know what? I'm glad I am. Because that is what father wanted ... for us to be our own persons.  And I hate to tell you this but Nathaniel Lothoman was insane ..." Her words were interrupted when Tala slapped her hard enough for Siren to feel that her sister’s hand was broken.  The curse of pain only confirmed her suspicions.  “I suggest that you get that looked at by Dr. Hugen right away,” she told her softly then started for her quarters.  Siren really didn’t know why she was here other than for the fact that Dr. Hugen had asked her to stay.  ‘I guess he likes the company,’ she thought as she rounded the corner.

As Siren walked away, Tala looked down finally at her hand to see that it was turning a nice shade of purple. "Just peachy,” she said to herself as she looked back to where her sister was disappearing around the corner.  "Our father, dear sister, was not insane," Tala told her even though she was not there to hear her words. "He was egocentric, and selfish ... and possibly an idiot for hooking himself up to that computer, but he wasn't insane." She grinned as she walked to the elevator and pushed the button to go to Dr. Hugen's office. "Far from insane. Our father is more like me."

Making it to the third floor of the project, she walked out of the elevator and went directly into the medical unit where Dr. Hugen worked.  Finding him talking with one of the nurses on staff, she walked up to him.  "Dr. Hugen," she called out to him. "There's a problem.”

Dr. Hugen turned his head at the sound of Tala’s voice, which was clearly different from her sister’s softer voice, and it only took a moment to ascertain what the problem was just from glancing at the sight of her hand - purple and swollen.  “So I see,” he told her.  “Sit on the examination table. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Moving to the examination table, Tala sat down and took a deep breath as she looked at her hand. She knew that she must have broken it in a couple of places the way that it was swelling, but that's the least of her worries at the moment. Her brain was going ninety- to-nothing as far as the project was concerned. ‘Who's going to fund us. Who could I go to?’ But even as she thought of who, it already hit her. She knew. Nodding her head, she straightened up when Dr. Hugen finally came over to her. Raising an eyebrow at him, she saw the questioning look that he gave her.   "You know how my anger is, Dr. Hugen. I can't help it if I need to swing at something to get that anger out."

"That's what the boxing bag in the work-out room is for," he told her plainly.  “You keep this up, you aren’t going to have hands to hit things with.”  Very gently, he took her hand ignoring her wince as he examined it carefully.  “You have at least one break and one crack.  I’ll have it x-rayed and then we’ll put a cast on it.  Looks like you’ve aggravated it also, which is why it’s already a swollen mess.” 

Hearing his words, she smiled sarcastically and replied under her breath, "Beautiful.  Just beautiful." 

“So, who’d you slug?”

Tala answered him truthfully and rather bluntly.  "A table, a steel column, Drake’s eye then gave Siren a well deserved slap in the face for an insult."  Seeing his shocked expression about whom she had hit, especially Siren, she told him, "Don't worry, Dr. Hugen.  It was an open handed slap.  It won't mar her like you did me so long ago."  She told him as she motioned to the scar on her cheek.  The scar was from a stray whiplash from a correction she had a year ago.  Dr. Hugen had let one of his residents work on her and they did a sloppy job.  Upon inspection of how they had done, he had removed the bandage to find the lash red and infected.  He had to go back in and redo the work over again, causing the scar to mar her under her cheekbone. 

Knowing that Dr. Hugen had a soft spot in his heart for Siren, Tala thoroughly enjoyed telling him that she had hit her.  The big question was why he was so enamored by her.  Why?  She was not sure, but she made it a point that one of these days she’d find out and when she did, that would be the end of the soft spot once and for all.   She saw the slight raise of his eyebrow at her words but he quickly looked back down at her hand.  "Let's just get on with it shall we?  I have work to do.”

“You may have work to do but it will have to wait until tomorrow,” he told her firmly as he looked back up into her face.  “The X-ray and the cast are going to take a few hours of your time and then you are spending the rest of the day in your quarters resting.”  When she started to protest, he stopped her.  “Would you rather spend the night here where I can keep an eye on you?  You know I’ll do it in a heartbeat if you don’t’ follow my instructions to the letter.”

Tala  swallowed as she looked up at him and sighed.  She knew that he'd do exactly as he said.  "Fine.  I'll rest.  I don't see why though.  It's just a hand.  I have another one."  But even as he gave her that stern look again, she told him.  "I know there was a reason that father kept you around ..." Seeing the quizzical look on his face she went on with a grin. “But I forget why."  When he didn’t grin back, she licked at her lips.  "I'm sorry Dr. Hugen.  I'll be good ... for now."

The stern look didn’t disappear.  It was Tala’s attitude and sheer anger that only enforced his belief that, of the two sisters, Siren would be the one remembered - the one who would be great. Tala was far too much like her parents for her own good. “Well, your father is gone, Tala. That means that I am no longer here because of him. I'm here because someone has to keep you in one piece." He gestured to the side room.  "Have Olivia help you into a gown."

Tala gave him a grin and stifled a laugh. "Okay, I'll give you that one, Dr. Hugen." Getting up from the bed, she stood up and started toward the other side of the room then came back up to him and leaned in close to his ear. "I know that I really don't need a gown for a broken hand. You just want me see me that cute little thing, don't you?" Seeing him roll of his eyes made her laugh and walk away only to look back at him to size him up. 'I'd like to see him in a hospital gown,' she thought to herself.

Three hours later, the cast was set and Dr. Hugen sent Tala out of the infirmary.  He was glad that she had decided to cooperate with his procedures.  He really didn’t like the idea of having her overnight in the makeshift infirmary they’d set up.  Knowing that she had sized him up earlier alone was enough to irritate him as it had irritated him when Zoe did it to him before she died.  She was way too much like her mother.

PART THREE

Big Spring, Texas
      Saturday 
      September 25, 1999

Sam had finally found Logan’s office and had finished grading the papers that had been sitting in the middle of the desk in a neat stack.  It hadn’t been hard to grade them since Logan was very organized in his work.  When he went to bed, he made sure that he was as far away from the sleeping vixen lying in the bed with him.  However, when he woke, there she was in his arms.

Slowly, he slipped away from her sleeping form and let out a slow breath as he went to the master bathroom to wash up.  After a hot shower and a shave, he wrapped the towel around him and went back out into the bedroom.  Monique had stretched out on the bed in her sleep and moaned lowly.  Sam quickly looked away from her as he thought of joining her in the bed once again, and went to the closet.  Getting out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he quickly got dressed and quietly exited the room.

Walking back down the hallway that housed their bedrooms, he could smell the wonderful aroma of hot black coffee.  He walked into the dining room to see Nicole and David were already up.  Glancing down at his watch, he blinked as he reached up with his other hand to scratch the back of his head.  7:30 AM.  “You guys are up early, aren’t you?”

“What about you dad?  You always sleep in on Saturday.  At least until nine o’clock,” David said as he raised the spoon of cereal up to his mouth. 

Sam yawned tiredly again.  “I guess my body didn’t need it today,” he said as he turned his upper body to stretch his back muscles.  Straightening, he walked into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of the hot brew and turned around to look at Logan’s kids as they stared at him with shocked expressions on their faces.  “What?”

“Dad, are you feeling okay?”  David finally asked after he glanced at his sister who matched his concern.

“I feel fine.  Why are you looking at me like that?” he finally had to ask.

“Because you never drink coffee,” Nicole said unpretentiously.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”  Both of the kids frowned at him then directed their attention back to their original conversation before he came in as well as their breakfast. 

Sam stood in the doorway drinking the hot java when the Imaging Chamber door opened in the middle of the Dining Room table.  His Observer looked rather somber as compared to the outfit that he wore yesterday.  He was dressed in a dark blue long-sleeved shirt that had images of the moon and stars splattered across it with a pair of black pants.   He watched as Al excused himself from the kids and stepped toward his friend.  Raising the cup toward him in a silent salute, he took a drink, then turned to go into the living room where they could be alone for a few moments.

“Hi, Sam.  How’s it going with the Brady Bunch?”  Al asked as he looked back at the oldest two sitting at the table. 

Sam frowned at his question.  “Who?”  When Al just shook his head, Sam began to updated Al on last night’s activities.  He sighed as he sat down on the couch.  “I don’t know how he does it, Al.  I honestly don’t.”

“Well, I don’t either.  But, I hope that you can handle this bunch, Sam.  Ziggy has given a couple of scenarios as to why you’re here.”  He watched as Sam took another sip of his coffee.  He wasn’t really thrilled to tell Sam what Ziggy had told him.  It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to tell anyone.  “Ziggy says that you’re here to do a couple of things.  She says...”

Unbeknownst to Al and Sam, Rebecca Ware stuck her head into the living room and giggled making both Observer and leaper turn to look at her.  “You’re still here?” she asked as she came into the room.  Seeing Sam nod, she walked over to him and hopped up into his lap.  “Who’s he?” Rebecca asked as she looked up at Al. 

Al knelt down in front of Rebecca.  “I’m Angel Al,” he said as he quickly looked at Sam who shrugged.  “I’m here to talk to Sam.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca.”

“You know my name?” she asked amazed.

“Of course I do,” Al said with a grin.  “Listen, honey, I really need to talk to Angel Sam right now.  Can you get your brother, David, to get you some cereal?”  Seeing her bob her head up and down, Al smiled at her.  “Thank you, sweetie.”  They watched as she rounded the corner and they waited to hear her ask her brother to get her some ceerie, as she called it.  Al turned back to Sam as he stood back up.  “Okay.  Where was I?”

“You were about to tell me what I am here to do.  You said several things?” Sam asked as he reminded Al. 

“Oh yeah.”  Al pulled up the handlink once again and pulled up the data that Ziggy had told him already.  “Well, unfortunately, tragedy strikes this happy family.”  That got Sam’s attention and he sat up a little straighter to listen.  “In approximately three hours Rebecca is playing outside when her ball escapes her.  She runs out to get it and she gets hit by a car.  That for sure can’t happen, Sam.  In the original history, she survives, but she’s not ever the same.  The doctors couldn’t determine what happened but either she won’t, or can’t, talk.”

“Oh no,” Sam said as he listened to Al. 

“That’s not all, Sam.  Nathaniel is out playing with his friends on his bicycle when he tries to do one of those bicycle jumps from a ramp.  He misjudges the landing.  When his back wheel hits a hole in the road, he’s tossed from his bike.  He wasn’t wearing any protective gear.  Not only does he sustain a broken wrist and a broken ankle from the fall as well as cuts and scrapes, he ends up in the intensive care unit because of the severe damage to his cerebral cortex.  He’s in a coma at the moment.”  Al paused as he shook his head. 

“Al ...” Sam began.

“Wait.  There’s more.”  Sam’s eyes widened at that.  “Tonight, Dana goes out with her friends to help relieve some of the tension that builds up from what happened with her brother and sister during the day.  While she’s out with them she decides to drown her sorrow with alcohol.  Knowing that she’s drunk, she walks home.  At eleven o’clock she walks out into the intersection a couple of blocks away from here.  A car runs the red light and hits her.   She dies Sam.  Her head hit the pavement with enough force that it broke her neck and killed her instantly.”

“Did they find out who hit her?”

“Yeah, they did.”  Al’s face was really somber.   Seeing Sam’s questioning gaze, Al answered the question in his friend’s eyes.  “Her brother, David.”

Sam blinked at Al, his face in utter shock.  “Oh my God,” Sam said as he put his coffee cup down on the coffee table in front of him.  Placing elbows on his knees, he placed his head in his hands.  “Al, that’s unbelievable.   Okay, so - when and where does Nathaniel get hurt, Al?” 

“That’s the thing, Sam.  It’s about the same time that Rebecca gets hit by the car and it happens in the park a few blocks from here.” 

“How am I supposed to be in two places at once?”

“I don’t know, Sam.”

“Where’s Monique when all of this happens?” Sam asked quietly.

A shadow began into the living room before her form entered dressed in a robe.  “You’re up early,” Monique said with a smile.  “Did I hear you call my name?”  She walked over to him, sat down on his lap and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

Sam smiled at her.  “Yes, I did.  I was just wondering where you were.”  He glanced up at Al for an answer to his earlier question.

Al’s eyes swept over her form and he had to shake his head and look away from Sam.  “She had to go to the hospital.”  Almost as if on cue, the phone rang.

Monique smiled at her husband and wrapped her arms around his neck before she planted another kiss on him.   “I’m going to be here all day.  I took a personal day today so that the family could be together today.”  Sam smiled at her warmly as his arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her to him.  Wiggling slightly in his grasp, she leaned against him and kissed him once again.  “God, I love you.”

“Mom?” Nicole asked as she stuck her head into the living room.  “Oh,” she said with a smile as they pulled slightly apart from each other so that they could both look over at her.  “Sorry to interrupt you, but it’s the hospital.  They said that they know that you took a personal day today, but they’re short staffed and need you to come in.  They’re still on the phone too.  They want to talk to you.”

“Who wants to talk to me?” Monique said a bit put out that they had disturbed her plans for the day.

“Doctor Monroe.” 

“Dammit,” she said as she put her hands on her hips.  “I’m sorry, baby.  I have to go in.  He’s my supervisor.  I promise I’ll make it up to you, okay?”  Leaning down, she sweetly kissed his lips once more before she left the room to catch the phone.

Sam once again shook his head to gather his wits about him.  “Man, she can...” 

“Yep, I know,” Al said with a nod.  “Beth does the same thing to me too.” 

Sam grinned.  “Okay, so, I have about two and a half hours until this happens right?” he asked as he stood up and grabbed his coffee cup from the table. 

“That’s right, Sam. I’ve got a meeting to make, but I’ll be back to help out.  Alright?” 

“Alright, Al.  Thanks.”  Sam watched as his friend vanished in a block of white light.
 

PART FOUR

Melbourne, Australia
      March 15, 2002
      11:45 AM
 

Tala hung up the phone with a grin on her face.  She had barely put it down before a knock sounded at the open doorway.  Looking up at the door, she found a very handsome face standing outside the door.  She saw him glance back and forth in the hallway before his eyes landed on hers.  “What can I do for you, Mr. O’Connell?” she asked with a seductive tone in her voice.

“Ms. Tala, do you have a minute?” he asked as he took a step toward the office.

Tala twirled her chair sideways and stood up to come around her desk.  Leaning against it, she glanced at him from head to toe.  He was dressed in a black long sleeved shirt, pants, and even black shoes.  She took an appreciative breath then tossed her hair over her shoulder with her left hand.   “I have several.  Come in, Devon, and shut the door behind you.” Tala grinned at him before she crossed her ankles. 

Devon did as she asked then took a few steps toward her.  He let his eyes roam over her body as well before he addressed her.  “You seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

“Yes, well, I just got a phone call that I have been waiting for awhile now.”  She saw the questioning look in his eyes.  “I got the funding that we need to get up and going.”  She smiled brightly before she stood to her full height and slowly made her way over to him and slid her cast up his shirt and let it rest against his chest, while her left hand wrapped around his neck.   She glanced up into his blue eyes and smiled at him.  “Unlimited funding, baby, we have unlimited funding.”

Devon smiled at her and lightly placed his hand over hers feeling the excitement in her body from her news.  “That’s terrific honey,” he said softly, his voice tinted with desire.  He brought his hand up and lightly stroked her cheek.  “You know,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her, holding her tightly against him, “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”   He lightly dipped his head down and lightly kissed her slightly parted lips.  His kiss deepened, and he felt her respond in kind.  Without wasting time, Devon swiped at the few things that were lying on her desk and laid her back on the desk as he kissed and loved the woman before him.  Within a few moments, both were so wrapped up in desire for the other, that neither realized how the door slightly opened. 

As slowly as it opened, it shut.  Siren stood outside, leaning against the wall and let her eyes scan the floor below her.  Finally, she closed her eyes.  “Dammit, we got the funding.”  Not wanting to hear the low clamor that was beginning to seep out into the hall, she walked hastily away from Tala’s office.  Hearing a sound from behind her, she quickly turned her head.  Not seeing anyone, she whipped her head back around in time to bump into someone coming out of the elevator.  The papers in their hands went flying.  “Oh, I’m ... I’m sorry, I ...”

“... didn’t see me, huh?” a smooth tenor voice questioned back to her.  The humor in his voice was apparent.  “And I thought that a six foot two, brown haired, blue eyed man was hard to miss,” he said as he knelt down to begin gathering some of the papers.

“Well, normally, yes,” Siren said as she joined him on the floor.  She had to get down on both knees for a moment to reach over and grab a few of the papers that had decided to land a few inches away from her grasp.  Gathering the papers that she had, she quickly turned toward the gentleman and they bumped heads.  Siren closed her eyes tightly to keep from slightly cursing from the collision.  Keeping her eyes closed, she handed the papers over toward him then heard him chuckle softly.  “Normally, I’m not ...” she began as she opened her eyes to actually look up at him, “... clumsy.”

He grinned at her.  “Normally, I’m not on the floor picking my logistic algorithms with a very attractive woman.”  He couldn’t help but smile when he saw her cheeks redden from the compliment.  He shifted the papers to his left hand then held out his right hand.  “Trevor Conroy, nice to bump into you, Miss ...” he fished for her name.

Siren smiled at him as she extended out her hand to him.  “Siren.  Siren Lothoman.”  With a slight chuckle, she said, “Pleasure is all mine.  Did ... did you say logistic algorithms?”

Upon hearing her name and the question, he straightened up and immediately his good-natured side almost vanished.  “Yes ma’am.  Ms. Lothoman, I was to report to your office with the Logistics report.  Sorry, ma’am.  I didn’t mean to bump into you, ma’am.”

Siren rolled her eyes then closed them once again.   Scratching her head, she took in a deep breath then said, “Mr. Conroy, are you new to this complex?”

He nodded curtly with a, “Yes ma’am.”

“Good,” she grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him a bit closer to her to where they were only a few inches apart.  His shocked blinking gaze met hers.  “From this moment on, if you don’t act down to earth like you were a moment ago when I  bumped into you, then we are going to be off on the wrong foot.  I deal directly with the Logistics Sector and I will not, I repeat, not have someone acting like some hard-nosed military fanatic in my office or in my presence,” she said as she peered directly into his blue eyes.  “Is that clear?”

“Yes ma’am,” he said softly as his eyes flickered back and forth between her eyes and her mouth.

Siren’s eyes squinted up into his for a moment as she tilted her head slightly to the side at his response.  “What was that?” she asked softly as her eyes flicked to his mouth before her gaze connected with his again.

Trevor’s eyes twinkled and his mouth twitched with a grin.  “I said, ‘yes ma’am.’”

Siren grinned at him.  “No more ma’am’s.  My name is Siren, Trevor.  You may call me by my name.”

Trevor couldn’t help but smile at her as he looked at her lips once more.  Before she could let go of his shirt or step back from him, he closed the gap between them and kissed her.  It was meant to be a peck, but the moment that his lips met hers, he wanted more.  Slowly, their bodies met over the pile of papers.  Several moments later, they stepped back away from each other.  Both were out of breath and for a long moment it was silent.  Slowly, they both bent down to pick up the report once again.  They had finished gathering it up when they both reached for the same sheet of paper.  Seeing each other’s hands, they slowly looked up at each other.  Both of them glanced at the other’s lips but it was Siren that finally spoke.

“Perhaps we could look over your report in my office,” she suggested.

Trevor noticed that neither of them had let go of the paper.  Nodding to her words, he said, “Okay.”  Both of them slowly stood and Siren finally let go of the paper.

Turning, Siren quickly walked back to her office with Trevor following behind her.  Opening the door, she stepped inside and motioned for him to come inside. Even before he was fully inside the door, she snatched the papers in his hand and sent them flying about her office.  Even as they began to settle around them, Trevor pulled her into his embrace and kissed her heatedly.  A moment later, his foot caught the edge of the door and knocked it shut.
 

PART FIVE 

Big Spring, Texas
      September 25, 1999
      9:58 AM 

After listening to Al tell me the catastrophe that was about to fall on the Ware family, I was wracking my brain to try and find out what I could do to stop all of it from happening.  It was just too much to happen to one family.  But maybe ... just maybe I could manipulate the kids into something that might be more convenient to help me straighten out this leap.  How hard could that be?

The next few hours were uneventful for Sam other than picking up the house and getting some breakfast for the rest of the family that had slept in until nine o’clock.  After getting Nathaniel and Jessica to clean up the kitchen and the dining room, he barely managed to corral the children into the living room. 

“Okay,” he began as he clapped his hands together.  “This is what I was thinking.  I was thinking we could play some games, watch some TV together – you know – make it a family day today.”  All of the older children groaned and Rebecca just beamed up at Sam. 

“That sounds like fun!” Rebecca squealed out with a giggle.  “Can we watch Thumberleena?”

Sam smiled down at her.  “Well, we would need to watch something everyone would enjoy, Becca.” She didn’t much care for that idea by the face she gave him.  Sam glanced around at the others in the room.  They looked mortified at spending time with their siblings, and the way that they looked at each other it was enough to make Sam bite his bottom lip to keep from smiling.

“Daaad,” Dana moaned lightly.  “I still have friends over, remember?  Slumber party?  I can’t have family time while they’re here.”  She glanced at her brothers and sisters embarrassed.  “Oh dad, come on ...”

“All right, you have an excuse.  I forgot about the slumber party.”  He watched as she happily left the living room.  “But the rest of you don’t have a reason to leave, do you?”

Nathaniel looked at him in disbelief.  “Dad, I told the guys that I would go ride with them today.  I promised that I would be there, and you told me yesterday that I could go.  Remember?”

Even as he opened his mouth to respond to Nathaniel, Jessica piped up.  “And mom said that I could go over to Theresa’s house today.  Her mom is coming to get me in about ten minutes.”

“And I have that paper to work on, Dad,” Nicole got in quickly as she crossed her arms.  “You always said school came first.”

“Suck up book worm,” David said as he glanced her way.

“Bite me, you out of school neanderthal.”

“Yeah?  Where?  Point the spot and I’ll be more than glad to ...”

“Hey!  That’s enough!”  Sam finally got in.  He sighed heavily as he looked at Logan’s family.  “You know, I was just trying to spend some time with my family.  Go ahead.  Do what you want, but before you leave the house ... any of you, I want to talk to you personally and in private.  Understood?” he asked as he pointed a finger to all of them.

They nodded then dispersed leaving Rebecca standing in the room by herself.  “What is it, Becca?” he finally asked her with a slight grin.

She swayed slightly.  “Can we still watch Thumberleena?”

“Sure,” he grinned as she scrambled across the living room to get onto the couch as she sang.

“Thumberleena, she’s a tiny littler squirt, Thumberleena, tiny angel in a skirt...” 

“Well, it was worth a try, Sam.  Should have told you that it wouldn’t have worked,” Al said as he walked in through the living room wall in front of Rebecca. 

“Wow!” she said in awe, her eyes as big as saucers.

Sam turned to see Al and shook his head.  “You know, I should have known myself.  But, I just had to try, it would have solved everything.”

 “Angel Al.  Angel Al?”  She asked him excitedly as she motioned him over to the couch.

Al went over to Rebecca and pulled at his pants as he knelt down in front of her.  “Yes, Becca, what is it, honey?”

“Angel Al,” she repeated very softly as she cast a glance at Sam, “What’s Jesus like?”

Al looked over at Sam who grinned and looked away from them.  He went to the video cart that the family had and began searching for the Thumbelina tape that she wanted to watch as he waited for Al to respond.

Al scratched the back of his head for a moment then finally said, “That’s really a hard question to answer, honey,” he said in a warm voice.  Finally, he attempted to answer. “Have you ever seen a beautiful rainbow?” 

Rebecca smiled brightly.  “Yes, it was big and went all over the sky.”

“That’s right,” Al said softly.  “And Jesus, he’s brighter and even more beautiful than that rainbow.”

Rebecca took in a deep breath.  “Really?  You promise, Al?”

Al nodded with a smile.  “Absolutely.”

Rebecca smiled at him, then turned her attention to the television as she saw Sam put in the video.  “Thank you, Sam.” 

“Your welcome.  Listen, Becca, if you decide to go outside, you tell me first, okay?”  He saw her bob her head up and down.  “Alright, so, anything, Al?  Any change?”

Al fished the handlink out of his pocket and pulled up the data.  “Well, yeah, there’s a change.  Rebecca doesn’t get hit any longer.  She was outside playing and since you have her mesmerized by the television with Thumbelina here,  she doesn’t get hit by the car.  So, that’s one down.  Three to go, Sam.”

Sam nodded slightly.  “At least it’s something, Al.”

Al nodded at Sam’s response.  “Yep, so how are you going to stop Nathaniel?” Al asked as he patted his coat pocket looking for his cigar.  Finding it, he stuck it in his mouth while he poked his hand in his pocket to get his lighter.

“You know, those things are really bad.  They make your lungs all blank and icky,” Rebecca said as looked over at the two ‘angels’ standing in the room with her.  “I’ve seen pictures.  Mommy’s showed me.  It’s really, really icky.”

Al pulled the cigar from his mouth and he looked down at it.  Glancing back over at Rebecca, he saw that she was looking up at him disapprovingly.  The look itself was enough to make him pocket the cigar once again in his coat.  If she had a lolly-pop and was sitting in a gigantic rocking chair, Al could have sworn it was one of the exact looks that Lilly Tomlin made in her comic routine so long ago.  “Is that right?” 

Rebecca swayed her feet back and forth before her.  “That’s how I see it.”

Even at her statement, Al frowned and did a double take as she pressed her lips together in a grin then turned back to the television to watch the show once again.  Slowly, Al turned to look at Sam. 

“Out of the mouth of babes,” Sam said with a knowing look then turned to walk back into the dining room.  He started down the hallway toward Nathaniel’s room with Al following behind him muttering. 

“You never told me how you were going to do this with Nathaniel.”

“Tell me something, Al, in the original history, did Logan ever tell Nat to wear protective gear in the first place?” he questioned as he stopped outside of the door.

Al pulled up the handlink and looked at the data that ran across the screen.  “No data.”

Sam nodded.  “Okay, let’s just make sure that he does.”  Knocking on the door, Sam heard Logan’s youngest son invite him in.  Smiling, he entered the room to see his son putting on his shoes.  “About to go?”

“Yup.  I promised them that I’d be there in about ten minutes, so I’ve got to book it,” Nathaniel said as he finished tying one shoe then crossed his leg over the other to put the other shoe on. 

“Well, before you go, son, I want to talk to you about something.”  Sam saw how Nathaniel’s whole body language changed after he tied his other shoe.  He leaned back on the bed as if expecting a lecture that he had heard some time ago.  “You know what I’m going to say - don’t you?”

“Dad, I look dorky with that stuff on.  I’ll be fine.  Come on,” he said flippantly.  “I don’t want to look like an idiot.”

Sam glanced up at Al who just shrugged.  “Well, how about we try something else then.  How about I go ahead and make you lie down behind the car and I just run over you a couple of times and then I know where you are to take you to the emergency room.”

“Daaad,” Nathaniel moaned. 

Sam stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of Nathaniel for a moment before he spied the stack of cards on Nat’s desk.  “Tell you what, Nat.  I’ll do something with you that my father once tried on me.  And, it’s a fair deal.”  Sam picked up the cards and shuffled them lightly before he tapped his finger on the deck.  “You win, you don’t wear them.  But if I win, you do.  Deal?” 

“Sam, what do you think you’re doing?  You can’t risk his life on some card game,” Al said pointedly.

“Deal,” Nat grinned liking the sound of this.  “So, what do we do?” he asked as he stood up to meet his dad in the center of the room.

Sam grinned as he nodded.  “I thought that you might like that.  Okay, now, Nat, what I want you to do is draw one card.  Don’t look at it and don’t peek at it.  Understand?”  Seeing him nod, Sam fanned out the cards in front of him and watched as Nat picked out the card and placed it in his palm face down.  Sam then drew one from the deck then placed the card down.  “This is called Indian High Low.  What we are going to do, is flip our card out facing the other and put it on our foreheads so that the other person gets to see the card.  You have to guess if your card is higher or lower than mine, and vise versa.  Whoever is right, wins.  Easy enough.  Just remember our deal, Nathaniel.”

“Oh, that’s clever, Sam.  Really clever,” Al said with a grin. 

Nathaniel grinned.  “Alright, but what are aces high or low?”

“Low,” Sam replied plainly then glanced at Al.  He knew he had an ace in the hole on this one.  On the count of three, both flipped up the cards onto their foreheads.  “Since this is something that you want, you go first.”

Nathaniel glanced at the seven of clubs on Sam’s forehead and made a face.  “I don’t like this game, dad.  It sounded easy at first.  It’s not that easy.”

“Life never is, Nat.  Pick,” Sam said as he looked at the nine of diamonds on Nat’s forehead and smiled at the card.  Glancing over at Al once again, he sighed.  “Choose Nat.”

Nathaniel was quiet for a moment, then said, “Uhm, my card is lower.”

“Oh Sam, you have it made.  He guessed wrong.  You have a seven of clubs.  He had the nine of diamonds.  You did it, Sam,” Al said as he hopped up on the balls of his feet.

“Okay.  Then I’m going to say, my card is lower than yours.”  Lowering the cards at the same time, each looked at the cards the other had.  “A deal is a deal, Nat.  Either you wear them, or you don’t go at all.”

Nathaniel grumbled as he pulled out the protective gear from his closet.  “I’ll wear it, but I won’t like it.” 

“I didn’t say you had to like it,” Sam said as he tousled Nat’s hair.  “Just wear it.”

“Yes, sir.”  Nathaniel smiled up at him as he put on the knee pads, elbow pads then popped the helmet on his head.  “See at lunch, dad,” with that he walked out of the room and disappeared down the hall. 

“Well?”  Sam asked as he looked at Al who already had the handlink up checking on Nathaniel’s status.  “Well, he still has the crash, but since he has on the protective gear, he only gets a sprained ankle and a sprained wrist.  It’s amazing how those things help.  That’s two for two, Sam.”

“Wait, Al,” Sam said as he pulled his hand up to stop his friend from going on.  “I thought that you said that Dana goes out tonight to drown her sorrow from what happened to her sister and brother, right?  If they aren’t hurt, then she shouldn’t do that, right?”  Sam questioned hopefully.

Al questioned Ziggy.  “Ziggy made an error.  She says now that there is a 75% chance that Dana will still drink tonight.”  He saw the look in Sam’s eye.  “Well, Sam, she is a teenager and teens have more pressure put on them to drink.  Maybe she folded under the pressure instead of her sorrows.  It’s sad to say it, but it happens.  It happened to Victoria.”  He shook his head back and forth.  “Ooh, she was one sick puppy that night, but she never did it again, at least not to my knowledge.”

“And David?” Sam questioned.  “He still hits her with the car?”

After confirming with Ziggy, he nodded his head.  “Sorry, Sam.  Ziggy says that there is still a 89% chance that David will hit his sister tonight after he’s been drinking himself.”

“Great.  This is just great.”

PART SIX

Melbourne, Australia
      March 15, 2002
      2:34 PM 

Tala was still enwrapped in Devon’s arms as they lay on the couch in her office.  Her fingers ran through the curly hair on his chest and she smiled as she thought of their love-making.  “You know, Devon, you never told me why you showed up at my office this morning.”  Raising her head off of his chest, she looked up at him, her eyes gazing into his.

Devon raised his hand to lightly caress her cheek.  “Well, I’d hate to give you more good news on top of what you told me this morning, but...” he felt her tense up in excitement to what he had to say.  “But,” he started again with a grin, “... those addresses that you wanted to have?”

Tala’s eyes brightened and she took a deep breath, “Yes?  What of them?” she asked guarding her excitement of what he was about to say.

“It took a good deal of sweet talking, and hacking in and out of personal computers around and about in the Senate, but it’s yours, darling.  I found them.  We have them.”

“You’re not teasing me, are you, Devon?”  She didn’t want to believe him for fear of hurting the one man that she’d grown accustomed to.  “I’d ... I don’t know what I’d do if you were playing a joke on me.”

Devon smiled brightly at her.  “No, baby.  I’m not playing with you.  We have them.  The future is yours, Tala,” he said as he leaned up and kissed her soft lips.  “The future is yours.”

Tala smiled brightly at him then shook her head softly before she re-positioned herself over him, so that she could kiss him again.  “No, Devon, Time is mine.”

Big Spring, Texas
      Saturday
      September 25, 1999

10:42 PM

Sam had lectured both Dana and David about both drinking and driving before they had left at eight-thirty and said a prayer that it would work.  He had no idea if his little lecture had helped any or not.  As soon as Al showed up, then he’d know for sure.  However, the closer that it was getting to eleven-o’clock, the more nervous he was becoming.

When the Imaging Chamber door opened, Sam hopped up off the couch and approached the hologram. “Al?”

Al was startled when he looked up to see Sam standing before him.  He put his hand over his heart and sighed.  “Gees, Sam.  Don’t do that to me.”

“Come on, Al.   I need to know how they are.  I...” he watched as Al pulled up the handlink and requested the data that Sam was so frantic for.  “Oh, no...”

Sam quickly turned and walked over to the table and grabbed the car keys.  “Nicole!” he hollered.  He heard the footsteps in the hall then saw her walk into the dining room.  “Watch the others.  I’ll be back. Okay?”  He barely caught her nod before he turned and left the house. 

“Sam, what are you going to do?  You don’t have the car remember?  How are you going to get there?”  Al questioned him as he followed Sam out of the house.

“Dammit,” Sam growled.  “Okay, Al, you’re going to have to tell me where the accident occurs.  At what streets?”

Al looked down at the handlink and questioned it as well.  “Main and 15th Street.  That’s four blocks away, Sam,” Al said. 

“Which way?”  He looked at Al with a sense of trepidation before he glanced at his watch which now read: 10:46.  Seeing Al point east, Sam shot off down the street.

Al watched Sam as he ran.  With only a few punches of the handlink, he made sure that he was staying up with Sam as he ran down the street.  “Okay, Sam, now take a right here,” Al pointed out when he got to the end of the block. 

“Why weren’t... you here... earlier?” Sam half-asked, half-panted as he ran.

“I’m sorry, the meeting with Senator Carothers went over.  I ... I couldn’t help it Sam.  It was for the funding.  This part of the funding was for the retrieval program that Sammy Jo is working on.  So, I had to be there.”

Sam shot Al a glance as he heard the name Sammy Jo.  For some reason that name sounded familiar to him.  But he couldn’t talk to Al about that right now.  He just wanted to get to Dana before she stepped into that intersection.  As he came to the end of the second block he turned as he glanced at Al who told him to keep going straight for another block. He was beginning to get leg cramps from running and it was getting harder to breath. 

“Come on, Sam.  Only a block and a half and you’re there!” 

Sam brought his wrist up to look at the time and groaned as he saw that it was 10:55.  He wasn’t sure if he was going to make it or not, but he was damn sure going to try. He stopped at the end of the block panting heavily as he leaned against the stop sign for support.  “Which way, Al?”

“You’re doing good, Sam.  It’s just down here, one block.”  Al pointed to the left this time.

“Thanks, Al.  Go ... go be with ...  her.   When I ... get close ... tell me which side of the road.”  With that, Sam shot back down the road once more. 

Al did exactly what Sam said and relocated himself on to Dana.  “Dana, oh no honey...” he said as he saw her lean against a tree and get sick. 

“Never again,” she whispered to herself.  “I’ll never do this to myself again,” she mumbled as she straightened up and started back down the sidewalk; approaching the intersection.  She swayed back and forth from one side of the sidewalk to the other then paused once again as she looked down at the road before her.  She noticed how the road danced and she shook her head.  “Glad I decided to walk instead of drive,” she said as she leaned against the light-pole.  She pressed her head against the cool steel and sighed.  “Daddy, where are you?” she asked softly.

“He’s coming,” Al told her softly.  “He’s coming.”  Looking up he saw Sam running down the other side of the sidewalk.  “Sam!” he called out to him as he waved at him.  “Sam!  She’s on the other side!  The other side of the road!” 

Slowly, Dana picked herself up and blinked as the world took on a tilt-a-whirl effect.  “Oh boy, I think I’m going to be sick again.”

Sam heard Al’s hollering and continued to run down the sidewalk for a few more feet before he changed directions to cross the street across from Dana, just as she stepped into the road herself.  Sam saw the headlights of the car as it approached from the other side of the intersection.  “No!” he yelled as he saw the headlights beam flicker on Dana’s form.  “No!”  He pushed himself a little harder and just as the car began to cross the intersection, he raced toward Dana. 

Dana turned to see the car coming at her and shook her head as she brought her arms up, criss-crossed over her face, trying to fend off the car as it barreled down on her.

“SAM!”  Al yelled out seeing the reality of what might happen.  “NO! SAM!” 

Sam brought his arms up and dove for her.  Even as he pushed her just out of the way of the car’s hood, he felt the wind of the car whip around him, the tire coming only a few inches away from running over his foot.  He heard the squeal of the car brakes as it came to a sudden stop a couple of yards down the street. 

Sam glanced down at the young woman under him.  She was sobbing, and clinging to him for dear life.  “Oh daddy...” she said in between sobs.  “I’m sorry.”

Sam soothed the young woman’s hair with his palm.  “It’s okay, honey.  You’re okay, now.  I won’t let anything happen to you.”  He gave her a moment to calm herself as he held her, before he slowly pulled her to her feet and both of them started toward the car now stopped crookedly in the middle of the street.  “David?” he called out. 

A very teary-eyed twenty-year-old opened the car door and looked up into his father’s face.  “Dad?” 

Sam roughly pulled the young man out of the car and pushed him against the side of the car.  “What did I tell you, David?  You could have killed your sister.  Your own sister!”  Sam ranted at him for a moment causing Dana to begin to cry once again.  “Is that what you want?”

“No!” David yelled back with a sob as he glanced back at his sister as he realized that he had almost run her over.  “No, dad, I don’t.”

Before he said anything else to him, Sam grabbed the young man and pulled him into his embrace.  “I don’t either,” he said softly as he held him.  Slowly, Dana came up to the pair and hugged them as well. 

Big Spring, Texas
      September 26, 1999
      9:00 AM

Sam sat up in bed and sighed.   He was about to get out of bed when the door opened.  In marched all six of the children, with Nicole coming in last with a tray of food.  He frowned as he looked at them.  “What’s this?” he finally asked.

“It’s breakfast, dad,” David said softly. 

“We wanted to thank you in some way for everything that you did for us, yesterday,” Dana said softly with a smile as she quickly teared up.    “Especially David and myself.  We love you, daddy.”

Sam smiled at her.  “I love all of you, too,” he said as he glanced at each one of them.

Rebecca scrambled up onto the bed and laid her head on his shoulder.  “Thank you for letting me watch Thumberleena yesterday.”

“Yeah, thanks Dad.  If it weren’t for you, I might have broken something in that accident instead of just spraining my wrist and ankle,” Nathaniel interjected next.

At that moment, the Imaging Chamber door opened and Sam watched as Al walked in through the door wearing his dress whites.  He heard Rebecca inhale quickly in surprise, then glance over at him in awe as she raised her hand to point toward the man in white. 

“What is it, Rebecca?” Nicole asked her as she came to the side of the bed to look at her sister who seemed in awe at something at the end of the bed. 

“Don’t you see him?” Rebecca asked softly before she saw Al lift his index finger to his mouth.

“See who?”  Nicole asked. 

“Nuthin’,” Rebecca said softly as she watched Al come around the bed to talk to Sam.   The rest of the children in the room glanced around at each other then back to their youngest sister, who was staring off into nothing.

“Sam,” Al said plainly.  “You’re finished here.  Everyone...” Al picked up the handlink to confirm his words.  “Everyone is just fine now.  Healthy and happy.  So, get ready to leap, Sammy boy.”

Rebecca frowned.  “Leap?” she asked loudly. 

“Leap?” Nicole repeated as she looked oddly at her sister for a moment.

“Where are you going to leap to next, Sam?” Rebecca asked as she put her hand on his arm.

“Don’t know,” Sam grinned at Becca then looked up at Nicole who wore a shocked expression.  Even as he winked at her, he felt the tingling sensation spread through him.  His last words to Nicole were, “It’s probable.”  Then he leaped.