Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or the character Professor Pepperwinkle from the Adventures of Superman.
A/N: Hey Everyone! I thought it was about time to bring you guys up to speed by having Jimmy explain what happened. ;)
This chapter is relatively shorter than the others but I think I cut it off at a good point... the main point to this chapter was Jimmy's explanation. I'll try to post Chapter 4 sometime next week. :)
Okay, enough with my rambling... here's the next installment of Everything...
Previously in Everything...
"We went to the professor and Smallville and I went into one of his machines. Something must've happened and we were sent back in time," Lois tried to explain, "I have absolutely no idea how we're talking to you right now, but I'd prefer to not look a gift horse in the mouth."
"Jimmy, see if you can go to the professor and find out everything you can about that machine so we can get home," Kent instructed.
"You got it, CK, I'm…," Jimmy replied, but then they were met with the sound of a dial tone.
"Must've got disconnected," Chloe stated the obvious.
"You think?," Lois asked sarcastically and put her phone back in her pocket.
"Maybe I can help explain," Jimmy said coming up behind them.
Now in Everything...
Chapter 3
"Jimmy? How? What?," Lois stuttered.
"Wow… Hey CK, Lois is at a loss for words. You should mark this down in the history books," Jimmy teased and made himself comfortable on Clark's couch.
"I am too, Jimmy. How'd you get here?," Kent asked.
"Long story," Jimmy replied and gave one of his genuine Jimmy Olsen grins.
"We're not going anywhere," Clark stated. Jimmy's eyes widened at the younger Clark and said, "This is so cool! Two Clarks!"
"Yeah, it's a real phenomenon… now start explaining, Olsen," Lois ordered.
"So is it weird to see another you?," Jimmy asked Clark curiously, "I think I'd freak out if I saw someone who looked exactly like me."
"Jim-my," Clark started to get annoyed, "Please explain before Lois kills you and I'm short a best friend."
"Okay okay… I was just teasing," Jimmy raised his hands, forfeiting.
"Start explaining, Jimbo," Lois said and plopped herself next to her cousin-in-law. Kent sat next to her, Chloe was sitting in Clark's desk chair, and Clark was sitting on an over-turned crate next to his telescope and Jimmy.
Everyone was focused on Jimmy as he began to explain what happened, "Well, it started after we got disconnected. I still don't know how we were able to talk especially with how the satellites and stuff work…"
"Jimmy!," Lois yelled, growing more and more annoyed by the second.
"Okay!," Jimmy said with an uneasy laugh, "Fine, how I got here started after we got disconnected from the universe's most impossible phone call. Happy?" Lois gave him a no-nonsense, 'Start explaining, Olsen' look, so he conceded.
"You got it, CK, I'm…," Jimmy started and then all he heard was static, "on it." He started to jog to the Professor's apartment, luckily it wasn't that far away from the hospital. He must've been in better shape than he thought, since he was able to jog. There was no way he was going to need that pain medication.
"This is it," Jimmy said to himself when he read the apartment number on the door and knocked.
The professor answered the door cautiously, "Hello?"
"Hi, uh I'm looking for a Professor Pepperwinkle?," Jimmy asked, it would be a sure way to get into his apartment.
"You found him…," the professor said more confidently and opened the door wider. He beckoned Jimmy in and he abided, "What can I do for a young man like yourself?"
"I was wondering if you could help me find my friends," Jimmy started, "They were here a few hours ago… Lois Lane and Clark Kent from the Daily Planet?"
"Oh yes! I don't know where they went," Professor Pepperwinkle answered, "I don't think they were very eager to write my story."
"Well, I was led to believe that you somehow sent them back to the year 2001," Jimmy explained apprehensively. He didn't know what the little professor would do.
The old man furrowed his brows for a second and then started laughing, "Oh my goodness! So that's what happened to them! I feel so silly."
"What? What happened?," Jimmy asked, excited that he was able to help.
"I was trying to warm up my machine, but I guess being investigative reporters they must've went into the machine and were transported by mistake," he started to explain, "I started working on this baby in 2000."
"But they said they were in 2001," Jimmy emphasized.
"Yeah… that's when I was successful at sending an apple through time," the professor smiled happily, almost reminiscently.
"An apple?," Jimmy asked incredulously.
"I sent an apple from 2001 when the machine first started working to today. In retrospect, it probably would've been simpler to send it a few hours into the future, but I wanted to be really sure. Once I was certain, I called up the newspaper and Ms. Mercer sent over your friends," the little man explained.
"How can we get them back?," Jimmy asked and then realization dawned on him, "Or do I have to… go get them?"
"I'm afraid that the only way you can get them back is for you to physically retrieve them," Pepperwinkle said and opened the metallic door of the machine.
"I think you should give me some instructions on how to operate it," Jimmy said before getting in.
"Excellent point, son," he laughed and started to work through the papers on his desk. A couple papers fell on the floor and Jimmy graciously offered to pick them up.
"Uh, there's a piece of paper lodged in between the leg of the desk and the machine," Jimmy observed and carefully jiggled it out after handing the professor the other papers that fell.
"Oh! That's the paper I was looking for. I wrote the date I sent the apple and the instructions on there," Pepperwinkle exclaimed.
Jimmy looked at it and snatched it back from the professor, he muttered an apology and said, "That's Lois' handwriting… I'd recognize it anywhere. But this paper is starting to turn yellow from age."
"Ah-ha! Proof that your friends really did get sent back in time," the white-haired man exclaimed happily.
"Well the instructions on how to operate the machine are on that little piece of paper, son. There's a control panel inside the machine connected to the outside," the professor smiled.
"This goes way beyond any meteor-freak weirdness," Jimmy said to himself, flipping the paper over multiple times from the Professor's handwriting to Lois'.
"Be careful, son," Pepperwinkle said and gestured for him to get into the machine once again.
"I will," Jimmy assured him, stuffing the paper into his back pocket, and looked up and around in the machine in awe.
"One more thing… the me of the past doesn't know this machine truly works. You and your friends need to find some way to use the machine without the other me knowing. If you don't you could cause a paradox," the professor warned.
"Yeah, I know what that is, it's one of those things that can destroy the universe. We'll figure something out… Thanks, professor," Jimmy smiled and before he could close the door, he added, "Oh please make sure I end up in the same time."
"Of course, son! I may be absent-minded but I'm not stupid," Pepperwinkle laughed and closed the door on an apprehensive looking Jimmy. "Boy, the mind is a funny thing… especially mine," the professor mused to himself and thankfully did the same thing as he did before with Lois and Clark and after the red light on top of the machine stopped flashing, Jimmy was back in the past.
"Then I got out of this time's Professor's apartment as fast as I could and caught a bus to Smallville," Jimmy finished explaining.
"So all we need to do is figure out a way to work the machine without the professor knowing?," Lois asked, eager to get home.
"Yeah, but I wouldn't suggest doing it tonight. That machine has had enough of a wear and tear on it today," Jimmy suggested. Once again Jimmy looked confused.
"What is it, Jimmy?," Kent asked, concerned.
"Nothing… I'm just still wondering how in the world we were able to talk to each other from different times," Jimmy wouldn't let it go, "Different time zones I understand, but not different years."
"How about we just drop that, Jimmy? Maybe there was some kind of malfunction in the satellites for a few minutes and we caught it at that time. It's happened to me before," Kent offered. Jimmy slowly nodded his head and figured it was a good enough explanation.
"I guess we haven't even reached the epitome of weirdness yet, huh?," Chloe asked.
"Not by a long shot," Kent replied.
"Hey guys… dinner's ready," Jonathan called up the stairs.
"We got an extra guest, Dad," Clark said, looking over the banister at his dad below. Everybody came trotting down the stairs, Jimmy being the last one following Lois.
"Hi," Jonathan said, looking confused at the new face.
"Mr. Kent?," Jimmy asked. Having not met Clark until after Jonathan died, Jimmy wasn't sure if who he was looking at was Clark's late father or not. After Jonathan nodded, still looking dumbfounded at yet another unfamiliar face, Jimmy introduced himself, "Jimmy Olsen, sir. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Jonathan replied taking Jimmy's hand.
"He's their ticket home," Chloe started to explain, "Can we talk about this over the dinner table? I'm getting hungry."
"Yeah, but uh we only made enough for six people," Jonathan said apologetically at Jimmy.
"That's okay, Dad. I'll share some of my food with Jimmy," Kent offered.
"Thanks, CK… after all that hospital food, I could use a good home-cooked meal," Jimmy replied putting his hand on his stomach and patted Kent on his shoulder.
"This night just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Jonathan muttered to himself and followed everyone into the house.
TBC
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! You gotta love Jimmy, right? :D
Like I said before in the beginning author's note, I'll try and post Chapter 4 sometime next week. :) I've only got about 2 and a half more weeks left of my summer class (just to keep you guys up to speed).
I'm working on Invisible whenever I get a spare chance. It's already on page 10. :)
Please, Please, Please comment, you guys! I really love them all! :D
Clois Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :D