reviewer notes:

clarafan: J and V don't cause all the trouble themselves…

staticrhubarb: interesting name. I kinda like it. I hope this is soon enough. (I've been away for a few days)

Anakin McFly: yep, you should have paid more attention in chemistry. Dudette is a cool word. And there is a teensy bit of resemblance to Kristen's story, but not more than that. Kristen is cool too.

fireinu: so do I!

Chapter 2

4:11 pm
Friday, May 12, 1894
Hill Valley, California

"Jules! Verne! Come inside and finish your homework" Clara Brown called from inside her kitchen.

The sound of the toolshed door being opened and then closed was heard, followed by the appearance of both boys through the back door.

"However did you get so dirty" Clara asked, shocked at the amount of dirt spread over her sons.

"Well, we were kinda..." Jules began.

"Tell me, Jules."

Before he could say anything more, a frantic barking emanated from somewhere in the back yard.

"Einstein" Clara called as she ran out the back door. "Where are you boy" She scanned the yard for any sign of the dog.

She gasped as her eyes found a deep pit, with Einstein struggling at the bottom. "Calm down Einstein. We'll get you out."

"What in the name of Isaac H. Newton is..."

"Emmett, Einstein fell into a hole, and can't get out" Clara called to her husband who had just appeared.

Emmett ran up to the hole. "Just stay still Einstein, and I'll pull you out." The scientist slowly reached down and scooped up his faithful pet. The moment his paws touched the ground, Einie tore round to the front of the house. "Einstein, come back at once" his master called.

Clara shook her head. "That dog isn't coming near this hole any time soon" she declared.

"What I want to know is why he dug it in the first place" Emmett responded, sounding annoyed.

"Emmett dear, I think you are asking the wrong question."

"You know where the right place is"

Clara simply waved a finger at her sons, who had watched the rescue, but were now trying to edge back inside unnoticed.

"Jules, Verne, how did you get so dirty" their father asked. Then he made the vital connection. "Ha! It looks like you've been a little over-zealous with the gardening. Whatever have you been up to?"

"It's a fossil dig," Verne finally admitted.

"A dinosaur fossil dig," Jules elaborated.

"In the front yard?" asked Clara, incredulous.

"It's the easiest place to dig," Jules rationalised.

"I think," Emmett judged, "that the two of you can fill the hole back in, then do your homework, and then have dinner when you are finished."

"But Dad, if we fill the hole in…" Jules protested.

"No dinner 'til we finish? But…" Verne protested at the same moment.

"No excuses: just fill in the hole and do your homework. Call if you need any advice." The inventor-turned-blacksmith gave a quick wave to his wife and returned to his workroom to finish mending a broken wagon axle.

Clara prodded the boys towards the toolshed. "Really Jules, you should know better than to dig deep holes in the yard, especially without asking."

"But Mom, we need to find a dinosaur skeleton," Jules protested again.

"You can talk about that later. Now fill in that hole," Clara commanded, a little sternly, but partly amused at the same time.

Jules sighed and picked out a shovel. Verne grabbed a small one, but put it down as soon as his mother had left. He looked around furtively and snuck a piece of candy out of his pocket and into his mouth.

"What's that for?" Jules demanded.

"In case we get dinner late," Verne answered matter-of-factly.

Jules shrugged. "The best way to avoid a late dinner is to fill in the hole as quickly as possible."

Verne nodded, grabbed his shovel, and ran past Jules. Jules rolled his eyes as his brother nearly fell into the hole in his haste to begin.

6:07 pm

"Tell me about this fossil dig idea," Emmett suggested to his sons, after swallowing a mouthful of potato.

"We were reading some of your science books," began Jules.

"And looking at the pictures," Verne added.

"So I thought we should see if we could find some fossils ourselves, to check whether the books were correct or not."

"And Jules made us dig that huge hole, and you made us fill it in again, and I'm tired of it all," Verne summed up as he munched on some beans.

Their father grinned. "Very admirable intentions, but next time, try somewhere other than the garden. And remember, digging can be dangerous business anywhere."

Jules nodded seriously. "I hope Einie is not hurt."

"He's fine, though a little frightened. There was no permanent damage done, providing that the grass grows back."

"Can we try digging somewhere else, please?" Jules asked, attempting to avoid sounding over-eager.

Verne groaned, not sounding eager at all.

Emmett laughed. "Perhaps you mean, 'Can I try digging somewhere else'."

Verne sniggered, and ducked Jules' elbow.

"Jules, if you brother doesn't want to help, that's his choice. You can't make him help you," Clara advised.

Jules looked glum. "Digging is too boring for one person." Then he straightened up in his chair. "But that will not stop me. Finding a dinosaur skeleton is something I must do, whether Verne helps me or not. Actually, he was mostly getting in the way…" He stopped to duck Verne's elbow.

"Perhaps you can settle for something else," Emmett suggested.

Jules shook his head. "Nothing can make up for a dinosaur skeleton," he said firmly.

"Don't be too sure, Jules. You don't know what you're turning down."

"Whatever it is, it can't be anywhere as good as finding a fossil dinosaur."

"Not even seeing a real live one?"

"But there aren't any!" Jules automatically protested.

His father smiled. "You can't prove that there aren't any living dinosaurs, but if there are any, I don't expect to find them any time soon. No, if you want to see a live dinosaur, you need to think fourth dimensionally."

A light bulb blinked on, somewhere in Jules' head. "Do you really mean that, Dad? Can we? May we? How soon?"

"How soon what?" asked Verne.

"Dad is suggesting we go back in time to see live dinosaurs," Jules explained gently.

"Cool!"

"And dangerous," added Clara, who hadn't said much for a few minutes. "We need to be extremely careful on this trip."

"As we always should be," her husband agreed. "If you boys promise not to dig up the countryside in search of bones – at least for a few years – then I don't see why we can't leave tomorrow night."

Jules saw the catch. "But Dad, the time machine can only take us to 9999 BC, right?"

Emmett nodded. "Precisely. That is why we can't go tonight, apart from the fact that it is almost your bedtime. With a few adjustments, we can go back as far as we could possibly need to. In fact, I need only expand the year display, and I should already have the necessary components. But remember, this could be a dangerous trip, so you must always do what your mother and I say, and stick close by at all times." He paused to think for a moment. "Actually… we might avoid landing altogether, and simply fly around to see whatever we can from the air. The thought of landing the time-train close to a dinosaur makes me feel too uncomfortable for polite words. In any case, we must be ready – for anything."

Jules nodded. "I understand. I'll behave."

Verne bounced in his chair. "I'll do anything to see dinosaurs."

"In that case, you can check the horses before you go to bed," Clara suggested with a motherly smile.

Verne stifled a groan and obediently left for the barn.