Chapter 6

May 18, 1942

Monday 10:49 am

Oswald got up to his feet only to freeze as before them Pete's chest shown green. "Thinner?" Oswald guessed, turning to look at Mickey.

"Ya, it was only enough to daze him for a bit." Mickey explained, turning to look at Oswald only to lose his balance and fall into Oswald's arms.

"Whoa, you ok?" Oswald asked, leading him over to the wall to help him slide down to the floor.

"Thinner baths aren't all that much fun." Mickey admitted. He looked around, just now getting time to take in his surroundings only to asked, "When are we?"

"1942." Oswald explained. He turned to see Ortensia and Gus now peeking into the hallway and waved them over. As soon as they were within earshot Oswald asked, "Gus, do you know where we could get pure paint?"

"Pure paint?" Gus echoed, making sure he heard the rabbit right. He shook his head before admitting, "Sorry, I only just started working here."

"I'll see if Walt knows." Ortensia offered. "We might have to get back to our own time to find some though." She rushed back the way she'd come, hoping to find the man amongst the humans that had gathered due to the noise.

"How you feeling?" Oswald asked, kneeling next to his brother as before him the mouse's paint shifted all around his body.

"Sick." Mickey admitted. "But I'm better off than Minnie. Professor Doublex is taking care of her."

"Sorry Mickey, pure paint's hard to get right now." Walt's voice said as the man walked over to the three with Ortensia behind him. He dropped down to one knee and took in the sad sight of his youngest son.

"Walt." Mickey gasped in surprise of seeing the man. His eyes teared up, forcing him to blink only for the tears to run down his cheeks, smudging his cheeks a bit.

"We need to get him back to 2015." Oswald said, worried about the mouse. "Can you get up?"

Mickey shook his head, "Not easily." He admitted.

"Gus, can you go see if Horace can help with a stretcher?" Walt asked the gremlin. "I think I saw him just down the hall."

"Right away, Walt." Gus saluted before flying away.

"My car's right at the door." Mickey's voice said, getting the four to see 1942's Mickey standing a few feet away. "If it helps."

"Yes, it does." Ortensia smiled at the mouse.

"What is this about Mickey needin-" The horse cut himself off as he took in the sight before him, skidding to a stop not too far behind 1942's Mickey. "Two Mickey's?"

"Here's the stretcher." Gus said, flying from just behind Horace. He laid the toon stretcher down next to 2015's Mickey and floated back.

"Thanks Gus." Walt smiled, standing up.

"Horace, help me lift him onto it." Oswald ordered, careful about his brother's shoulders as he lifted him up with Horace lifting Mickey's feet. They laid him on the stretcher and with Walt's help carried him out to Mickey's car.

As Walt was helping 2015's Mickey into the back seat, he glanced over at his own time's son before smiling at the Mickey in front of him. "I'm glad you've finally found your brother." Walt admitted, his voice low enough the mouse tying the unconscious Pete to the truck wouldn't hear.

"Me too. I'm glad to call him family." Mickey admitted, smiling back. "Gosh, I miss you."

"It's weird to think I'm dead in your time." Walt snickered. "I'm only 41."

"So, I'm 86." Mickey reminded. "I'd like to think I'm set in stone, but no human or cartoon can say I'll be around for my hundredth."

"Maybe I should start thinking more about the next generation, huh?" Walt asked. He noticed Oswald was sitting next to the mouse in the back seat before glancing up to see Mickey ready in the driver seat with Ortensia next to him. "Get on going home. Make that hundredth birthday."

"I love you." Mickey mumbled as he watched the man he called father stand straight, his hand on the door.

Walt froze for a moment before saying back, "I love you, too." The man closed the door, leaving them to 1942's Mickey's driving.

As Mickey's red car left the Disney lot, Oswald looked over at his brother to see him biting his lower lip.

"Oswald, does that time machine of yours actually work?" 1942's Mickey called back as he sped through the roads.

"It should, I fixed what had to be what blew me up." Oswald admitted.

"In other words, you haven't tested it, have you?" Ortensia asked, leaning to look back at her husband as he shrugged his shoulders.

"What, I only finished it this morning before we had to make it to the studio." Oswald defended. "We'll send Pete through it first and hope it doesn't blow."

"And if it does?" 2015's Mickey asked. "I know I can't last too long like this."

"Then start praying it doesn't blow." Oswald retorted.

"You're lucky your-" Mickey cut himself off as he realized what he was about to say.

"Family?" 1942's Mickey guessed from the driver's seat. He glanced in the review mirror and knew from their faces he was right. "I don't know how, and I'm not going to ask."

"How'd you guess?" Oswald asked, worried for the time line.

"Minnie actually figured it out." Mickey admitted. "While you were telling that story to my nephews."

"Ya, speaking about them." Oswald turned to look at the mouse next to him. "How come I've only met them now?"

"Talk to Amelia, she's mad at me for some reason." Mickey shrugged only to cringe as the car hit a pot hole.

"We're almost there." Ortensia offered, realizing the neighborhood was starting to look familiar as Mickey was doing what he could to avoid the worst pats of the road.

"You know what, I hate Pete now." Mickey gasped out, holding his side.

"I don't remember Pete ever being this bad, what happened to him?" 1942's Mickey asked, worried for his future.

"He got tired of being good." Ortensia offered. "The studio's been trying to soften him up for a while now and he said he couldn't handle it anymore."

"Gosh…" 1942's Mickey admitted, surprised as he pulled into his drive way.

"Mickey, help me with Pete." Oswald said, quickly jumping out of the seat. He looked at 2015's Mickey and added, "Ortensia, help other Mickey."

"This would get really confusing if he stayed here longer." 1942's Mickey admitted as he walked to the trunk to help the rabbit un-tie Pete from the car. The two pulled the big lug off the car and drug him over to the makeshift time machine, shoving the cat into the cockpit and standing clear as Oswald stood at the control panel.

"Well, cross your fingers." Oswald said, flicking the switch only to be forced to look away as a white light blinded them. They looked back at the machine that lacked a Pete.

"That's good, right?" 1942's Mickey asked, looking at Oswald.

"As good as we're going to get." Oswald admitted. "Let's get Mick in this thing."

The two, with Ortensia's help, lifted 2015's Mickey and carefully carried him into the device.

"You good?" Oswald asked, worried for the mouse.

"Ya." Mickey nodded his head before closing his eyes, ready for any pain that might come.

Oswald sent the mouse off, glad the machine was still working perfectly. "Ok, love, your turn."

"Take care of yourself, Mickey." Ortensia smiled at her brother-in-law before looking at her husband as she sat down in the machine. "Ok, Oswald."

"I'll be right behind you." Oswald offered before sending her off. He looked back at the chair after the flash of light cleared up, glad to see it empty. He quickly leaned under the panel he'd been using, ripping out a wire.

"What are you doing?" Mickey asked, surprised the rabbit was destroying his only way back.

"Making sure this thing blows up after I leave. I don't wanna risk this thing falling into the hands of someone that would abuse it." Oswald admitted. He paused as he realized what that would mean and looked up at the mouse. "Do you think we should at least move it to the back yard."

Mickey quickly turned to the work bench and grabbed what he wanted, pointing a bug sprayer filled with water at the time machine. "No, I'm ready."

"Ok, can you flick the switch?" Oswald asked, sitting down in his creation.

"Ready?" Mickey warned, his hand laying on the toggle switch with his other at the ready with the bug sprayer.

Oswald nodded his head, knowing it was going to be a blast to get away from the past.

May 18, 2015

Monday 12:03 pm

"Oswald, Oswald!"

Oswald opened his eyes, vaguely remembering the time machine blowing up as he left the past. As his vision cleared he saw Ortensia above him, her arms around him as he finally gained full consciousness.

"Oh Oswald, you're ok." Ortensia mumbled through his fur as she held him close.

"How's Mick?" Oswald asked, worried about his brother.

"Professor Doublex has him now." Ortensia filled in.

"And Pete?"

"See for yourself." Ortensia helped her husband in a sitting position to look over at the far wall of the laboratory only to see Chief O'Hara and a couple of police officers handcuffing the weasels and Pete as the cat tried to defend himself. "The professor called O'Hara after Pete left. They've been waiting since this morning to arrest him."

"That's good." Oswald smiled. He turned back to her and asked, "And you?"

"What do you mean?" Ortensia asked, confused.

"Just always worrying about by my Ortensia." Oswald admitted, smiling at her as he cupped his hand around her cheek.

"Oh Oswald." Ortensia smiled as she shook her head. She got up to her feet and held out a hand to help him up as she said, "Come on, Mickey will wanna know you made it back safely."

Oswald stood up, only for a pain to appear in his side. "I wouldn't say safely." He mumbled, looking down at himself only to see 1942's Mickey's sweater now singed and ripped as well as the borrowed pants. "But one piece."

Ortensia put an arm around his waist, ready in case of anything as they made their way into the back room that the professor lived in, glad to see Mickey and Minnie looked a lot better then they'd feared.

"So how much damage did the time machine do to ya?" Oswald asked, knowing Mickey would have to think almost seventy years for something that just had happened to himself.

"Enough." Mickey shook his head in disgust. "How I forgot about you, I'll never know."

"At least you're still alive." Oswald smiled, slightly punching Mickey in the shoulder to prove his point. "We've got a few more things to take care of."

"Like what?" Mickey asked, surprised.

"Let Pete, for one." Oswald threw his thumb over his shoulder towards the doorway. "And our sister for another."

"I'll talk to Amelia as soon as I can." Mickey said. "I'm sure Morty and Ferdie remember you and your tales of Wasteland."

"Hey, it was good material for an adventure." Oswald shrugged. "And I'll keep you to your word."

The End

AN: A little tidbit about this story idea. I've been working on it for more or less a year. Originally though it was going to be focused around Goofy's niece going back in time while Pete had Mickey and Minnie kidnapped. The girl was going to end up falling in love with Horace only for Pete to go back in time and shoot up their date and force Oswald to come to the rescue but I couldn't figure out how to send them back.

OSWALD: You finally tell them all that at the end?

AN: Ya, what? I wasn't going to tell them all that at the beginning.

MICKEY: Hey, what'd I miss last week?

AN: Nothing. We're not going to keep the Oswald Adventures going. *looking around worried as Mickey eyed me*

OSWALD: Read and review!

MICKEY: Hey, what do you mea-