After grabbing his camera, Josh headed for the docks to see if his master plan would or would not be ruined. Once he got to the docks, he approached Kerr Smith who was standing several yards from the dock. "You took the wrong box, man. I meant the box by the BATHROOM sink, not the one by the kitchen sink."
"Oh. Sorry about that," Kerr said, realizing his mistake. "Hey, I forgot to tell you that I wrapped the box to make it look more authentic. What was in the box I put in the boat anyway?"
"Remember that joke I played on Rachael a few days ago?"
"Yeah," Kerr replied. "I wanted to be there for that one but I missed it. Katie told me about it. She said it was one of your funniest jokes ever."
"That's the same box I used then," Josh told him.
"Maybe Rachael won't realize it's the same thing until she opens it," Kerr said.
"We can only hope. I'm sure she'll be surprised again, but not nearly as much this time," Joshua said.
"Hey, look! They are just about to finish filming the boat scene," Kerr observed. "By the way, where have you been since everybody else got back from lunch?"
"On the phone," Josh answered. "My little sister needed help with her homework and she always turns to her big brother for help."
Kerr asked, "You're her hero, huh?"
"I am everyone's hero," Josh joked. "She looks up to me. She's very proud of her 'Pacey'. Anyway, thanks for wrapping the box. I wish I had thought of that.
"Sure, no problem," Kerr said. "What's Rachael doing now?"
Rachael Leigh Cook had a smile on her face as she returned from lunch. She absolutely loved the poem she had thought James had sent her. Funny thing, Rachael thought, that there was no mention of their date for that night in the letter. Kerr had handed the letter to her that morning, and Rachael's anticipation had grown since then.
Before going to the docks, Rachael had put the letter in her car, but had kept the poem in her back pocket. Once she got to the docks, she only half-listened to the director's instructions and boarded the boat. Quickly checking under the seat, she saw a dark towel partly covering a gift wrapped box. Rachael placed the towel back and could not help but smile in anticipation of what might be inside.
The director shot all the footage he needed and it did not take too long to film at all. The crew then docked the boat where it belonged with Rachael still seated in it.
"That's okay," she said when one of the crew offered to help her get out of the boat. "I think I'll stay here for a while."
Rachael waited until everyone was several yards away. She double-checked to make sure no one was nearby, then she started to unwrap the gift box, never realizing she was in immediate and critical danger.
"Al!"
"I am here, Sam," Al said as he appeared next to Sam in James' truck. "I had trouble with the hand-link, as usual. The back-up needed some quick repairs and the one I was using died on me. Even new batteries couldn't save it."
"I figured out why I haven't leaped yet," Sam informed his project's observer.
"Let me guess," Al said, already knowing the reason. "James was supposed to have Saturday off, but Rachael and everyone else are still on the set."
Sam asked, "How did you figure that out?"
"James told me," Al replied. "I mentioned to him that it was Saturday morning and he figured the rest out for me."
"Good. I had noticed it in that script I was holding when I leaped in on Wednesday night. It was actually a script for a future episode. It mentions that Rachael's character was rowing a boat for the last scene of Dawson's movie, so..."
"So it didn't take your genius mind to figure out that one plus one equals two," Al replied.
"Right," Sam said. "Let's hope this traffic lightens up so I can make it to the studio in time. Can you believe this? I've seen no real sign of traffic in Wilmington until now."
Al asked, "Do you want me to see how Rachael's doing?"
"Definitely," Sam answered Al. "Have Gooshie center you on Rachael. I'm almost at the studio now. I would feel better if you checked on her before I got there."
Al wasted no time complying with Sam's request and called out, "Gooshie! Center me on Rachael!"
the docks
hand-link >>
Al appeared next to Rachael, sitting next to her in the boat. He had a distinct feeling that Rachael was suddenly in the gravest danger. A practical joke, Al realized! Rachael was now standing in the boat and whatever was in the box would send her overboard!
Al stood up and shouted, "No! Don't open that box! If only you could hear me," Al shouted. "Hey, don't open..."
Too late.
The box opened. The fake mouse sprang out just as it had before when Josh played the same trick on her days ago. Although it did not surprise her as much as the first time, it did startle her enough for her to lose her footing in the boat and she fell overboard sideways, hit her head on the last board of the dock, and was knocked out as she fell into the water.
Al helplessly watched it all unfold before him. "No!! Gooshie! Center me on Sam!"