It's Gonna Take A Little Time... A Little Time To Think Things Over...

Chapter 20: Time Paradox

EXER
"D-Dad?!" I couldn't believe my eyes. It was definitely my dad, but he was older. A lot older. His hair was black, but streaks of gray were visible and he had a mustache. Huge bags were under his eyes and he was crying with joy.

"Exer, is that really you?! How do you not look any older?!" He hugged me tight. David looked at Dad, then me. "O-okay, what the h-hell is going o-on?!" David asked, teeth chattering, but I was just confused as he was. Then it hit me. Time travel. My powers must have made a wormhole in-between space and time, and we got sucked into it. So it was fair enough to assume the others did too.

"David! Oh son, you're alright!" Dad turned and hugged David tight. Day's eyes teared up and he squeezed Dad back. "Where have you been Exer, you've been missing over thirty years!" I froze as his words registered in my suddenly blank mind.

"D-Dad... what year is it..?" I stutter, afraid of his answer. He looked worried. "Twenty-twenty three." It was as if the world stopped spinning. "W-what..? No, it can't be... Oh gnarly!" Exer put his hands over his face, breath quickening. How were they going to get back to the past?! Or the present, or whatever?!

Dad glanced at me, and then smiled. "Come on son, let's go home." Suddenly, before we could get up, a pumpkin haired girl practically flew in. "Oh David!" She cried and flung her arms around her brother. "Brenda?!" He exclaimed. "You.... You're old!" Brenda looked confused. She was around thirty and she was very pretty. Like a model.

With another ding, someone else came in the door. Jet black hair pinned into a short ponytail, bright emerald bangs, and a pale complexion. It was Ken. He looked shocked. He put his arm around Brenda. "Bumblebee, it's your brother! And Exer! They're alive?!" Ken's voice had gotten a little deeper.

"Ey! Hands off my sister!" David protectively stood up, blanket falling off him, but he was wearing shorts, so he quickly sat back down again, he was cold and didn't want the people with the phone boxes recording him. Brenda looked at David sadly, and held out her hand.

On her ring finger, was a beautiful diamond ring. "David, we got married.... You've been gone for decades..." Brenda said softly. "WHAT?!" David looked at Brenda, then Exer, then Dad, and then Ken, who he flipped off. Ken cleared his throat awkwardly and looking away, he casually and quickly flipped David the middle finger back.

David gave a gasp of irritation and stood up again. "Now you listen here bud-" Exer stood up and grabbed David's shoulder. "Look! Look! David!" He pointed out the window to two guys, who kissed around people, and no one jeered at them. (Great method Ex, distract your boyfriend from beating up his sister's husband by fellow boys in love.)

"What?! Wait that's okay now?" David asked, whipping his head around to look at Dad. He nodded with a smile. David went pink and grinned happily.

TIMESKIP TO EXER'S HOUSE

David was staring in awe at the huge plasma television on the wall. "Look! I don't need to get up to change the channel, it has a remote!" Exer glanced around. "Where's Lucy?" Mr. Campell hesitated. "Son, she's... She's in a better place." I felt my eyes tear up and I started warbling incoherently.

"Son, she's not dead!" He laughed. "She's at the cat daycare!" I smiled, but then glared. "You didn't have to word it so badly old man." I grumped. Dad chuckled. "I'm so glad you are back. Now, tell me what happened. Was it magic related?"

"I think so. I sent the others somewhere in time, and Day and I ended up here. I guess we appeared here the day we went missing, judging how Day and I look. The question is though, how did Brenda and Ken get here, maybe it's a preset thing?"

I was wearing my clothes from my room, and I lent some to the amazed David, who was staring at the TV. Then David saw a video. "David Bowie's dead!" He wailed. I quickly wrapped my arms around him, patting his back comfortingly. "We all die someday, and when we get back to the past, he will be alive again." I soothingly murmured to David, who wiped his eyes and smiled.

Dad looked at me, then David, then me again. Then, stroking his mustache, he announced proudly; "My gaydar is going off." I looked at him. "Your what?" I was very confused. Dad sighed. "You two are into each other." The moment the words let his lips, I froze, face red and David went pink. Dad's eyes twinkled merrily as he chuckled.

"Now children, let's get you back to the past." Dad declared, and then he pulled out some really scientific looking shit. "I have been preparing for if we ever found you, and I knew it had to with the magic. I built these contraptions, and maybe, I can send you back. The question is however, how far back?"

I thought for a second. "If we go before we get teleported into time, there might be a bad reaction to us seeing ourselves, like in Back To The Future. So maybe we go after we disappear, then we can find the others."

Dad nodded, and pressed a button. The machine lit up and whirred. He reached out and put my and David's hand on it. "You can do it son. I love you two. I'll see you in the past... Three... Two... One!"

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