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"Marty, it was a dream, wasn't it?"
He remained silent. Jennifer had asked that same question seven times since he'd awakened her with a kiss on the front porch swing. How in the heck was he
supposed to explain it to her when, theoretically he couldn't explain it himself?
"Marty?"
"Ah, look why don't you get some sleep and I'll call you tomorrow?"
"But-."
He pulled her toward him in a kiss and brushed the hair from her face. "You've had a long day and I need to get home. My father-."
Her eyes widened. "He's all right, isn't he?"
"Well, I should go home and check just to be sure."
"Marty, what's wrong?"
"It's fine!" his voice rose one octave too many and he forced himself to remain calm. "I mean, he's fine! I just… You know how parents are... always freaking out
if you don't check in and let them know where you are at all times. Or when…" The last word was spoken under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Ah, nothing. Look, I'll call you tomorrow, or maybe even later tonight. I swear it."
"Promise?"
"Of course." He took her hand and led her to the front door. "Get some sleep. I love you."
"I love you too."
He waited until she had unlocked the door and then turned to leave.
"Marty!"
At the sound of her voice he turned around. "Yeah?"
"I-just be careful, okay?"
"Of course!"
It was with some relief that he left her and made his way back to the Hill Valley Estates. What a nightmare he'd been through. Not only had he successfully
avoided his other self at the Enchantment Under The Sea dance, but he'd also managed to return the alternate 1985 into the real one. … or so he hoped.
The thought got his adrenaline pumping and he pushed his skateboard even faster, wishing that he'd stolen a Hoverboard instead of that damn Sports Almanac.
If it weren't for that book, everything would have been okay.
Damn…
Within seconds he reached his front driveway and flipped the skateboard so that it landed in his hand. The sight of his house should have calmed him but all he
could think about was the terrible thing that had occurred in that alternate 1985.
He ran into the house and slammed the door; the brightly updated décor no longer a surprise. His mother popped her head into the kitchen and smiled.
"Marty, you're home early. Did you have fun with Jennifer?"
"No."
Her eyebrows rose. "Oh…"
"I mean, yes, of course we had fun, Mom. I'm just…"
As expected she walked over to him and felt his forehead. "You're really warm, Marty. I hope you're not coming down with something. Maybe I should make you
some soup or-."
"No-." The word was abrupt and her smile disappeared.
"Well, all right. I just thought-."
"I'm sorry. I'm fine. Really. It's probably from rushing around. You see, I had to… Hey, where's Dad?"
"Oh, your father had some sort of meeting with his publisher. They want him to write three more books! Isn't that wonderful?"
"Yeah, wonderful. Ah, look I'm going to be in my room for a while. Could you… tell him that I need to see him right away?"
"Is anything wrong? Anything I can help with?"
"Ah, no… I don't think you can help with this."
He looked his mother up and down, grateful that her body was back to normal and that there was much less of it, particularly on top. He shook his head trying
to get that horrible image out of his mind. If only the Doc could invent something to erase certain images from people's minds, like the one of his mother when
she was married to Biff in the alternate 1985.
Biff… Oh God…
He closed his eyes and touched his forehead. "I really need to go lie down."
"Wait a minute. Take this." His mother poured a glass of water and handed him two aspirin. "And get some sleep, all right?"
He kissed her cheek. "Thanks Mom. Sleep. Yeah, that's just what I need. But if I do happen to fall asleep tell Dad that I need to see him immediately."
"Marty, you're scaring me. Is something wrong?"
"You might say that but only Dad can take care of it."
"Oh, well then…"
Sensing her disappointment, he hugged her tightly. "I love you Mom."
The hug he received in return was so needed and he felt like a little boy again. "I love you too, Marty. Now get some rest and I'll have your father come right
away when he gets home."
Marty went to his bedroom and took off his shoes, climbing onto the bed. After taking the aspirin, he was asleep within minutes. Time travel really took a lot
out of a guy.
He barely heard the knock on the door and the squeak of the hinges as the door slowly opened. Footsteps approached. Marty opened his eyes, momentarily
forgetting were (or when) he was. The room was dark and the shadow grew larger.
"Marty?"
"AH!" he shouted, nearly jumping out of his skin.
The light came on, brightening the room. "Hey, sorry buddy. I didn't expect you to be asleep, but your mother said you needed to talk to me right away. Sorry I
wasn't home before. My editor certainly likes to talk and you know how people are when they just go on and on and on…"
He stared at his father, but the words trailed away. Slowly it all came back to him. The grave site with the headstone that read George McFly March 15, 1973
and the newspaper headline that read George McFly Murdered.
The alternate 1985 memory brought tears to Marty's face and he tried desperately to will them away. But the longer he stared at his dad, the more his chest
began to hurt.
His dad's expression changed. And a gentle hand went to his arm. The bed shifted as his dad sat down beside him and felt his forehead. "Marty, are you all
right? Your mother said you didn't look well, but maybe we should get you to the hospital."
"No!" Marty shouted, in the same abrupt tone that he'd used with his mom. "I-I mean.. I'm fine. Or I will be… I-."
But something happened then. Something that Marty hadn't counted on. A sob escaped and his father's face blurred.
"What is it?"
"Dad…" He threw his arms around his dad and held him as tightly as possible, sobbing into his dad's white shirt and purple tie. In turn, his father held him close,
stroking his back the way he'd done when Marty had been a little boy, awakened by a nightmare.
"Marty, what's wrong?"
His mind was telling him to calm down that things were all right and that he was much too old to be crying like a baby. But he couldn't seem to make himself
stop.
"I'm going to get your mother."
"No!" Marty yelled when his father tried to pull away. "I-I mean… don't leave, okay? Not yet."
"What's gotten into you? A fight with Jennifer? Someone at school bothering you? Because I'd be more than happy to go up there and give that Mr. Strickland a
piece of my mind! He might have called me a slacker but he has no right to call my son a slacker too!"
Marty smiled at that. He drew back and brushed the tears from his eyes. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just-."
"It's Biff, isn't it?"
For a minute Marty was dumbfounded. "How did you know?"
"That Biff… I thought I set him straight before but he's messed with our family for the last time! No one disrupts my family's life and gets away with it! I'm
gonna-."
"Wait, Dad… It's not Biff… Well, not anymore."
"Then what is it?"
"It was just a bad dream… about you."
"Me? Well, I'm sorry about that, Son. That must have been terrible. Want to talk about it?"
He couldn't possibly explain…. There was no way to make his parents believe that the Biff of 2015 had gone back in time to create an alternate 1985 and destroy
his father in the process, even if he made it sound like a dream.
"No, it's okay. I just… wanted to make sure that you're okay."
His father hugged him again. "I'm fine, Marty. I'm not going anywhere. Well, except to sleep. I'm beat. But tomorrow's Saturday so what do you say we go over
to the malt shop for a couple of sodas?"
"You mean Café 80's or Lou's Café?"
"Café what?"
"Um, never mind."
"Wait, did you say Lou's Café?"
"I-."
"How did you know about that place? It hasn't been there for years."
"I-I think Mom probably mentioned it a time or two."
His dad smiled. "That's your mom, always bringing up the good old days. Well, if it's all right with you, I'm going to let you get some sleep, okay, Pal?"
"Sure, Dad. I think I'll just do some reading for a while." He picked up the thick book that lay on his nightstand and opened it.
"Marty, you don't have to read that, you know. I mean, just because I'm your dad…"
Marty smiled. "I want to."
His dad ruffled his hair and then kissed his head. "Goodnight, son."
"Goodnight, Dad. I love you."
When his dad closed the door, Marty settled back against the pillows and made himself comfortable. He smiled at the cover. Against a blue background, a boy
and a girl sat facing each other; a yellow space man behind them with his arms spread wide. The title read A Match Made in Space by George McFly.
He opened the book and read the dedication page:
To my son Marty, who taught me that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.
~Fin~