this was a very interesting story! it kept my attention and the ongoing mystery of sancho sanchez was very intriguing! the chance encounters with sam's past life were exciting, and araceli was a good character. my favorite thing though is all of the details! it makes a story twice as good to me when every detail is researched the way you did with this, so bravo! it's fantastic!
one thing about the ending that i found confusing is why al wasn't there the moment sam was in danger the way he had been throughout the rest of the story (he managed to appear whenever something bad was going to happen) so that little inconsistency was perplexing to me. other than that, it's great!
i hope you'll write more quantum leap stories! :)

The start would have been dramatic even without the intriguing possibilities presented by the idea of WHEN Sam had just leapt in, but as it was that twist elevated an intriguing story to a great one; nice job.
The circumstances that Sam found himself in were dramatic without being totally implausible, pitting him against some dangerous foes that fully explore the advantages of not being bound by televised standards- I can’t imagine the show getting away with that implied self-cannibalism, after all-, to say nothing of your brilliant handling of the moment when Sam meets himself and has to bluff his way through the one kind of conversation you can NEVER prepare for (His brief encounter with his father during that leap into the bank robbers from his home town is one thing, but what do you do when you’re meeting YOU?).
I was a bit ambiguous about Sanchez- I initially thought that he was an agent of some higher power, and thought that it seemed a bit off to have such taking action in such a manner, considering how the series was always more about one man making a difference in the right place at the right time-, but it sorted out a couple of the more crucial problems, and at least he was still more of a catalyst rather than an active agent before you revealed his final fate.
Besides, with such a satisfactory conclusion- to say nothing of the sheer amount of historical research you put into describing the location Sam Leaped to this time around-, such a comparatively minor detail doesn’t really matter that much in the grand scheme of things, particularly not with the hints you left about what’s coming up…
Keep up the great work!

I've not read a ql prose story before, save the opening chapter of carny knowledge. This was great! Only the swearing detracted from it feeling like quantum leap. Nice twist, though it seemed slightly obvious to me a couple of chapters before the end. Thanks!

Good stuff, well written. Always loved Sam and Al and I agree with you about that ending, but still I don;t think PQL could not exist, it would be too much of a parodox and my mind boggles at the idea, though they did made the ending unnervingly ambiguous and frankly who knows, really, but I don;t really like the idea, especially given the whole friendship theme, which is really one of the best in film history. I feed on these fics and I thank you for writing this one, it's clearly well researched and in character.

You're quite welcome, Rhov! I did enjoy it, very much.

Excellent twist. Did not see it coming, but makes all the puzzle pieces fall into place nicely (and gives the reader hope that, thanks to Sancho, Sam could make it home).

Great ending! Kudos to you for seeing the story through to the end!

I have enjoyed this very much. Having lived in New Mexico since 1973, I too love the colors of the desert and have traveled the route Sam was traveling many times. I hope you do finish it so I can find out who Sancho is lol

I'm rather floored by the amount of research, passion and love you've put into this story, and I can't wait to read the final two chapters - I can heartily sympathise with you re-brick walls and writer's block, so good on you that you managed to do this one :o) This chapter may be a little short, but it doesn't feel rushed, don't worry; I loved Sam' and Araceli's parting - very knight/western-like, kiss the girl and ride into the sunset :D

I really love the characterisation, too, both the OCs and the canon characters. Seeing things from the "other" (Project) side is great, and since I always regretted not seeing more in the series I like a lot what you're doing here.

In a nutshell, great writing, keep it up :o]

Well, it doesn't read as though you rushed through it. Liked Araceli's future. :)

Feel better!

Hey, what's wrong with McDonald's?

Sam sure does seem to be running into a number of interesting characters, huh?

Glad you're continuing the story. :)

Hmmm...possibly the kid who listened to Sam's lecture, then figured out how to leap without all the technological accutrements? Possibly why he looks so beat up and ragged. OR...maybe it's Sam from a future Leap, come back to warn his earlier self? I'll be staying tuned. And Happy Birthday to you (Friday)!

Nice.

Pretty fitting quote, since QL was about Sam's journey.

Lol, you'd think that Gooshie or Sam would've known better than to program things into Ziggy that they'd regret later on. Guess they'll just have to keep him happy now. :)

'To dream the impossible dream...To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause!'

Indeed, may Sam someday find his way home.

A fitting tone, and length, for such a busy week.

I'm interested to see where this goes from here. Nice work. I'm wondering if Sancho and Doctor Sanchez are the same person, and Leapers like Sam? Just perhaps separated by a couple decades. I will be watching for the next update.

Oh, wow! Sam being dead there for a bit? He does keep pushing his luck, doesn't he?

Enjoyed the update.

Oh, car chase on a motorcycle, with an injured Sam. You have to wonder what he did to piss off time, fate, god or whatever. Lol.

Enjoyed the update.