This is an idea I toyed with and put aside several months ago. Consider it a REALLY alternate timeline. Special thanks to Amanda for suggesting the title. I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think!
* * *
Sam took a deep breath as he pulled his black jeep to a stop in front of South Glen South High School. He rubbed his bleary eyes and shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his brain. Last night had been an unmitigated disaster. Lara had complained and nagged nonstop from the second he'd met her flight at O'Hare. As usual, she had criticized his clothes, his friends and his job. She had even gone so far as to belittle him in front of Josie.
Josie. Sam sighed heavily not wanting to allow himself the dangerous comparison but unable to resist. Josie Geller was everything that Lara was not. As much as he did not want to admit it, Sam felt an innate connection to her - and had since her very first day in his classroom. 'Don't think about her like that, Sam,' a little voice inside his head warned. 'She's seventeen and she's your student.'
Sam groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had been overwhelmed with concern for Josie when he realized that she was under the influence of something during her spunky dance performance. So overwhelmed, in fact, that after dropping Lara off at his apartment, he'd gone back to the club to look for her, to no avail. Later he'd looked up her number from his class list and called, relieved to find her home safe and sound.
At least things with Lara were finally finished. She had calmly informed him this morning that he was beyond help and was no longer worth her effort. He knew she'd expected him to plead for another chance, but he had merely nodded mutely in agreement and offered to call her a cab.
Sam sighed again and pushed open his car door. It was going to be a very long day. As he stepped from the car he watched as Josie pulled up in her antiquated Vega. He smiled despite himself and raised a hand in greeting...
* * *
Josie was smiling as she pulled into a parking spot across the street from South Glen South. 'I really did it!' she thought to herself. 'I'm so in!' She grinned happily as she remembered the somewhat fuzzy details of the night before. She'd been broken-hearted when she saw Sam with his beautiful, perfect girlfriend, but at some point during the night she'd started to feel happier than she ever had in her life. Aside from that, the details were blurry, but she seemed to remember Sam calling her at home to make sure she was okay. She smiled softly.
Sam. 'Don't go there, Josie,' she told herself. 'He has a girlfriend and he thinks your seventeen. And don't forget, you're lying to him.' Josie sighed deeply, hoping that maybe when all of this was over they could somehow at least be friends.
Josie glanced down at her dress. She was a little uneasy about wearing the same outfit that she had worn last night, but she hadn't had a choice. She looked at her watch, gasping as she realized how late it was and stepped from the car.
A thousand thoughts were whirring around her brain as she moved to cross the street. Lost in her musing, Josie didn't see the bike until it was too late. She crumpled to the road, hitting her head on the pavement. Josie heard Sam's voice calling her name as darkness enveloped her and she felt herself falling�
* * *
Sam watched in horror as the bicycle impacted Josie's body, sending her flying head first onto the hard surface of the street. He was at her side in an instant, careful not to move her as he gently felt for a pulse. "Josie," he said softly as he stroked her face. "Josie, wake up!" He knelt beside her, his hands gently caressing her face, knowing he needed to do something more. He looked up, tears in his eyes, as he felt a soft touch on his shoulder.
Aldys Wells stood beside him, quickly punching 911 into her cell phone. Sam sighed with relief as Aldys gave them the details. "What can I do to help?" she asked. She had been angry with Josie for standing her up last night, but now all she felt was fear for her friend. "Will she be all right?"
Sam glanced up at her sadly. "I don't know. She's unconscious..."
"You stay and wait for the ambulance. I'll run into the office and tell them what happened. Mr. Coulson...would it be okay if I went with her to the hospital?" Aldys asked with concern.
"I...I think that would be fine. Just let them know, okay?"
Aldys nodded and ran off into the building, leaving Sam kneeling in the street beside an unconscious Josie, pleading with her to wake up...
* * *
Her head was pounding. Josie's eyes fluttered open and connected with the most amazing pair of green eyes. She blinked, trying to focus. The beautiful eyes, filled with concern, were set in an arrestingly handsome male face. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't seem to remember any details.
He smiled gently at her and ran a cool, soothing hand over her forehead. "Hello, miss," he said. "I'm relieved to see you back among the living."
"Where�where am I?" she asked.
"South Glen. You've had a bit of an accident I'm afraid. You've got quite a welt on your head."
"That would explain why it's pounding�"
As her senses slowly return, Josie looked more closely at the man. He was wearing a crisp, white shirt open at the neck and black trousers with suspenders. His feet were bare. She glanced around the dimly lit room. "This doesn't look like the school," she said. She gave him a puzzled look.
"At present you're in my private apartments. I carried you in here after the horse plowed you down."
"Excuse me?" Josie asked, clearly puzzled. "I thought you said I was at South Glen."
"You are. South Glen Academy for Young Women. Forgive me for not introducing myself�I'm Sam Coulson, the headmaster."
"Huh? I think that bump on my head's done more damage than you thought," she murmured quietly.
Josie stared intently at her rescuer, her eyes searching his. She couldn't shake the feeling that somehow she knew him and his name - Sam Coulson - brought her a strange sense of comfort. She pressed her fingers to her temples, gently massaging them as she fought to remember. Brief glimpses of her life flashed before her eyes - a cozy apartment...the Sun Times...Anita and Gus...Rigfort slamming his cane on the table at a staff meeting...giving her an undercover assignment. She remembered dressing in a white outfit that Anita had chosen and heading off to South Glen South High School...beyond that there was nothing.
"I assure you, miss, you're safe and sound," Sam said reassuringly. He hoped he sounded more convincing than he felt, because he was deeply troubled by haunted look in her beautiful blue eyes.
Josie once again glanced around the room, suddenly noticing that candles and oil lamps provided the illumination. She shivered. "Could you�could you tell me exactly�when? I mean�what is the date today?"
"October 1st�1871."
"Oh, God! This can't be happening to me�it can't be�" Tears streamed down Josie's cheeks as she faced the truth. She, Josie Geller, had traveled through time.
Sam looked at the young woman with concern. She seemed confused and agitated. He moved to sit beside her, holding her hand gently in an attempt to reassure her. With his other hand he took a linen handkerchief from his pocket and dried her tears. "Shhhh," he murmured, "shhh...you've had a terrible shock. You'll be all right."
Josie sat up fully, meeting his gentle green eyes as she shook her head. "I don't think that's possible," she said sadly as she rocked back and forth.
Sam's heart went out to her. Unable to resist, he gathered her in his arms and held her tightly, his hands soothingly caressing her back. He sighed unconsciously, amazed at how perfectly she seemed to fit there.
His hands traveled over the silky, clingy fabric of her dress. She was certainly dressed oddly, her skirt ending shockingly above her knees. He found himself becoming more curious about her by the moment.
Josie relaxed as Sam's strong arms held her comfortingly. It felt so right to be there, even though everything else about the situation was so wrong. "Could you tell me what happened, please?" she asked softly.
Sam smiled gently down at her. "On one condition."
"What's that?" Josie asked.
"Your name? I can't very well keep calling you miss, can I?" he teased.
Josie rolled her eyes and smiled slightly. "I suppose not. I'm Josie...Geller."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Geller," Sam said sincerely. "Even under the circumstances."
"So...um...what exactly did happen?" Josie asked again.
"I was sitting at my desk, writing a letter when I heard a ruckus in the street. I went out to see what was happening and found you lying in the street. A carriage was speeding away. I assume he hit you but didn't want to face the responsibility. I carried you in here. How did you happen to be out alone so late? It's not safe for a young woman you know."
Josie sighed. She still didn't understand what cosmic event had landed her here, but since Sam was literally the only person she knew, she figured it was probably safer to keep the truth about where - and more precisely when - she was from to herself. She shrugged her shoulders. "I...don't remember," she lied. She immediately felt guilty for lying to this man who had been so considerate of her.
Sam nodded. "You took a pretty bad fall. I'm not surprised your memory is clouded." He regarded her in silence for a minute, wondering just what he was going to do with her. It was too late to send her to his sister Abby's. "I...uh...I know it's...unseemly...but...uh," Sam blushed at the uncomfortable situation, "um...you'll have to stay here tonight."
Josie smiled, thinking how strangely different things were in this century. "Thank you, Sam," she said softly. "I...I've read a little bit about head injuries...and...I know it's asking a lot...but...you need to wake me up every few hours to be sure I'm all right."
"Are you a nurse, then?" he asked, "Or even a doctor?"
Josie shook her head. "No. I just read a lot. Actually, I'm a re...writer," she substituted. A female reporter in 1871 was probably unheard of.
"Er...I should let you get more comfortable. Follow me," he invited as he rose from the sofa.
Josie followed him up the narrow staircase and waited while he lit a lamp in what was obviously his bedroom.
"I'm sorry," he said handing her a voluminous white cotton nightshirt. "This is all I can offer you." He took a thick woolen dressing gown from the hook on the door. "I'll go make us some tea while you change."
"Um..." Josie paused, trying to remember the correct form of address for the time period. "Mr. Coulson?"
"Yes, Miss Geller," Sam replied turning back to face her.
"I...uh...need to use the..." Josie blushed hotly.
Sam smiled gently, his skin also tinged with a blush. "There's an outhouse. Or the chamber pot." He grinned crookedly. "It's cold out tonight. I'd go with the chamber pot."
"Oh...okay," Josie murmured as Sam shut the door softly behind him. She groaned softly at her predicament, yearning for the simple twentieth-century comfort of indoor plumbing.
A short time later, Josie, swathed from head-to-toe in Sam's nightshirt and dressing gown found her way back to the parlor.
Sam was seated on the sofa, sipping his tea. He looked up and smiled as Josie entered the room and sat beside him.
"So tell me about your school," she asked with genuine interest.
Sam sighed heavily. "South Glen South is a boarding school for young women. In addition to running the school, I also teach English literature. At least for the moment." Sam hung his head, deep worry lines creasing his forehead.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Josie questioned.
"My contract stipulates that I must be married. It's not proper for a single man to be in my position. I was engaged...until about two weeks ago."
"Oh," Josie said sympathetically. "I'm sorry."
"My fianc�e, Lara Patton, was a New York debutante. I'm not sure why she ever agreed to marry me in the first place. But she was suitable and I could keep my job..."
"You were going to marry someone because they were suitable?" Josie asked incredulously. "What about love?" she asked softly.
Sam shook his head sadly. "I didn't have time to wait for love to find me. I planned to make the best of it...but two weeks ago Lara married someone with more money and better connections than a lowly schoolteacher. And now I'm stuck."
Josie shook her head in amazement. "I think you're lucky, actually. You were getting married for the wrong reasons."
"And what, pray tell, would you have me do, Miss Geller? My job means everything to me."
"I don't know," she said honestly. "But let's think about it. I'm sure between the two of us we can think of something."
Sam grinned crookedly at Josie. "You're an amazing woman, Miss Geller."
"I...thanks," Josie said. "Um...under the circumstances, could you call me Josie?"
"Josie," Sam said softly. "I like it, it suits you. It's pretty and straightforward like you."
Josie shivered as he said her name. Again she was struck by the sense that she knew him somehow. She blushed as she realized he had just said he thought she was pretty. "Thank you, Mr. Coulson."
Sam smiled gently. "Sam. Call me Sam."
"Okay, Sam."
"We might as well stay down here, since you say I have to wake you up every so often," he suggested. In truth, Sam was uncomfortable with the thought of seeing Josie in bed. The parlor seemed much safer.
Josie smiled and curled her bare feet beneath her on the sofa. "That makes sense to me, Sam."
"Tell me about yourself, Josie," Sam said earnestly.
Josie took a deep breath. "I'm twenty-five years old. I grew up here in Chicago. Your basic run-of-the-mill childhood, I suppose. I have one brother, Rob, who's a nutcase..." Tears stung Josie's eyes as she realized suddenly how completely alone she was.
Sensing her pain, Sam immediately drew her into the warmth of his arms again. "Are they still here in Chicago, then?" he asked gently.
Josie sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I don't have anyone here...now," she said sadly.
"You have me," Sam whispered. He tilted her face up, locking his eyes with hers. "I'm your friend, Josie. I won't let anything happen to you..."
* * *
"Josie, please," Sam pleaded as the ambulance sped to the hospital. "It's Sam. Please wake up, please!" he said his voice filled with anguish.
He sighed audibly as the ambulance backed to the doors of the emergency room. "Hang in there, Josie," he begged softly as they wheeled her into an examination room.
He started to follow, but a nurse stepped in front of him. "We need you to fill out some paperwork. Are you family?"
"No. Just...I'm...God...I'm her teacher...and...and her friend."
"What's your friend's name?" the nurse asked compassionately.
"Josie. Josie Geller."
"Can you contact her family?"
"I...don't know how," Sam murmured.
"Maybe there's some information in there?" she suggested, indicating Josie's large black book bag that Sam was clutching tightly to his chest.
"Oh, right," he muttered absently.
"I'll check back in a minute, okay?" she said gently.
Sam nodded and pulled open the zipper.
"Mr. Coulson?" Aldys said quietly. "How is she?"
"Still unconscious. Umm...Aldys...could you?" He handed her Josie's bag. "I feel strange rummaging through there."
Aldys smiled softly at Sam. She knew that he and Josie had become friends, so she wasn't surprised by his concern for her friend. "Sure, no problem." She delved into the bag and pulled out Josie's wallet. She flipped through it, frowning at what she'd found. Tentatively, she pulled the two items out and stared at them. "Um...Mr. Coulson?"
"Did you find something, Aldys?"
"You could say that." She handed what she'd found to Sam.
Sam gaped in shock at what he held in his hand. Josie Geller's driver's license, indicating that her birthday was October 6, 1973 and a Chicago Sun-Times ID badge bearing her name and the title, copy editor. "What the hell!?" he muttered under his breath.
Sam stood up, pacing back and forth, his mind racing as he processed the information. Josie - his Josie - was not a seventeen-year-old student. Josie was twenty-five. Josie worked for a newspaper. He felt a stab of pain that she had deceived him, then a glimmer of hope. Josie Geller was twenty- five! His heart was pounding as he stared down the corridor toward the exam room where they had taken her.
The shock of the past hour's events was overpowering. Suddenly, the untouchable woman of his dreams was no longer out-of-bounds. Yet she lay unconscious and unresponsive in the emergency room. Sam's head suddenly felt very heavy. He was hit by a wave of nausea and heard a rushing sound in his ears as if he'd just been passed by a freight train. Sam took a step down the corridor...his need to be near her overwhelming him...until he felt himself enveloped in blackness and his body crumpled to the floor.
Aldys watched, stunned, as Mr. Coulson slumped to the floor in a dead faint.
* * *