How am I an author?? Who let this happen?

me??? posting my mcfly july scene before 11:45 at night??? in this economy??? anyway i actually managed to get my shit together and wrote this during the day instead of scrambling to get it together at the last possible second. fun fact: this is pulled from the only part of this au i wrote down before the challenge started.

Marty wasn't sure how long he'd been awake by this point. Doc called me to the mall at 1:15...who knows what time it was when I landed in 1955, but the sun wasn't up yet, so...early. I guess I got knocked out for a few hors when Grandpa hit me with his car? Does that count?

Either way, it had been way too long- at least 24 hours- and it felt like he'd lived through a week in one day. God, he'd seen his mom- he'd seen his parents when they were his age. His mom was so different and his dad wasn't- he hadn't changed at all and was still having the same stupid interaction with Biff. Whether it was over homework or spreadsheets, his dad had never been able to stand up to the bully. And then, he'd almost gotten hit by a car and Marty, like an idiot, had shoved him out of the way and now his parents had never met and he was probably going to fade out of existence if he didn't manage to fix it.

Luckily, Doc- Doc, who was 30 years younger but still Doc, still alive- had picked up on his exhaustion and directed him to one of the many guest rooms. Then, for whatever reason, he'd sent Lizzy to get him some fresh sheets and towels.

That was another thing he was putting on the list of things to freak out about later- Elizabeth Brown was here, and alive, and neither of them knew what was going to happen to her. Geez... Doc looked so young and he looked so happy! Marty hadn't realized that there'd always been something weighing his friend down until he'd seen him without it.

Lizzy followed him into the room and dumped the sheets onto the bed. "I assume you can figure things out from here?"

He nodded, expecting her to leave- she'd been doing a lot of that- but she paused by the doorway.

"So...you and Dad are friends in the future?"

"Yeah, we've known each other for...a few years," he admitted, not sure how much he should give away. Doc had repeatedly insisted that he shouldn't tell them anything about the future. It seemed like Lizzy didn't have the same idea.

"But you don't know me?"

"I- of course I do," he lied. "Why-"

"You didn't recognize me." Lizzy crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "It took you a while, anyway. You recognized Dad instantly, but it was like you didn't realize I'd be here. So where am I in the future?"

Marty shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "W- uh, I don't really know? Doc- he, uh, doesn't really talk about you much." It was the truth but also turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

"What? Why? Did we have, I don't know, some kind of fight? Where am I? Do I leave Hill Valley?" Marty drew back to escape the onslaught of questions. "What happens to me in the future?!"

"No!" Doc burst through the door, shoving himself in between Lizzy and the bed. "Absolutely not! Lizzy, you cannot know too much about your own future- it could disrupt the entire space-time continuum! We know far too much already; we can't risk-"

"Dad, he doesn't know me at all! Apparently, you don't even talk about me! If something- something terrible happens between the two of us, maybe we can prevent it!" She squeezed her hands between his own, staring up at him pleadingly. "Do you want to risk that?"

From his spot on the bed, Marty watched the argument, his eyes ping-ponging from Doc to Lizzy. C'mon Doc, be the voice of reason here...don't make me say it...

Doc's eyes softened. "Alright," he conceded, "but just this one thing! I don't want him telling you...lottery numbers, or upcoming presidential elections, alright?"

"Yes, of course. So- Marty?" She turned to him expectantly. "What happens?"

Marty shifted again, a knot forming in his throat. How the hell am I supposed to tell a 12-year-old that she...no, wait, maybe this is a good thing. I can warn them! "So, uh, I don't know exactly what happened, but, um, in about a week you...go missing."

Stunned into silence, Lizzy just blinked at him.

"They looked for months- I mean, they looked everywhere- but you were- they never found you."

Looking about as shaken as his daughter, Doc wrapped an arm around her. "How did- what happened? When?"

"Are you sure I should-"

"Marty."

If Marty shifted uncomfortably one more time, he was going to fall off the bed. "There's, a, uh, a dance on Saturday. My mom likes to talk about it 'cause that was the day she and Dad fell in love. She told me that you were there, but you left early and...no one knows what happened after that."

"The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance," Lizzy said finally. "I was...I thought about going." She leaned into Doc a little more. "Well. I guess I won't, now."

boy, i sure do like 1885, don't i? don't worry, we won't be visiting this period again for... *checks notes* uh, 2 more days. probably.

Lizzy came in from baseball practice as she always did- letting the back door swing shut, tossing her hat and ball onto the table, and heading straight to the water purifier to refresh herself. Clara watched her with a warm smile that...may have been tinged with some anxiety. Please let her take this well.

"How was practice?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't betray her.

"Good!" The teenager grinned at her crookedly, one side of her mouth stretching higher than the other. It had taken so long before Lizzy had felt comfortable enough around her to smile genuinely... "Most of the kids are getting better at remembering the rules, and I think Mitchell has some real potential."

"Well, I certainly appreciate you giving them something constructive to do during recess, and..." she hesitated before putting a hand on Lizzy's shoulder. "I'm glad you've found something to make 1885 feel more like home."

She could tell immediately that she'd gone too far. Lizzy side-eyed her and asked, "What's going on?"

In a stroke of impeccable timing, Emmett strode through the doors of the stable. "Good afternoon, my dears," he smiled, dropping a kiss on his daughter's head and continuing forward to stand by Clara. "How is everything?"

"Clara's being weird," Lizzy replied, rolling her eyes.

Emmett frowned at her, clearly confused, and she shot him a meaningful look. She could tell the moment he understood because his face drained of color. "Oh. Oh, that's- you were-"

"Look, will you guys just tell me what's going on?" The teen glared at them, her hands on her hips. "I- whatever it is, I-I just want to know. I can take it."

"Right. I know that. You're...well, the thing is, we- er, Clara and I- that is, Clara-"

"I'm pregnant," she cut him off, hoping to get it over with. "We only found out a few days ago, and we thought you should know."

Usually, Lizzy was as easy to read as her father- the pair kept their hearts on their sleeves, which was incredibly endearing. This made it all the more unnerving when one of them managed to close themselves off.

"Oh," was all she said. "Um. Congratulations."

Clara exchanged a worried glance with her husband. "Are you...alright with this?" she asked. "I know this is a lot to-"

"I'm fine. I was, y'know. Kind of expecting this." Swallowing, she broke eye contact with the pair. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna go on a walk."

As soon as the door closed, Emmett let out a long sigh. "Well, that went- not well, exactly, but better than I expected."

"She's clearly not happy about it," Clara replied, wringing her hands. "She's your daughter. What do you propose we do?"

"...give her some space. It could just be that she needs time to process. If she isn't back by dinner, we can go looking for her." Her husband stared out the door, his mind whirring so quickly she could almost hear it. "I just hope..."

Unsurprisingly, Lizzy had not returned by dinner time. What was more concerning was that she wasn't in any of her usual haunts, and no one in town had seen her all day.

"I'm going to take Archimedes and ride out to the McFly farm," Emmett informed her, throwing a saddle over the horse's back. "You- I'm not sure where you should look, I don't-"

"I've got some ideas." She placed a steadying hand on his arm. "Emmett. She's going to be fine. Think about everything she's already survived."

"Yes. I-I hope you're right."

As he galloped away, Clara swung herself into the saddle. Perhaps her idea was a bit far-fetched, but if she were feeling emotionally conflicted, she might return to the scene that was the source of it all.

Great minds think alike, she thought vaguely as Lizzy's hunched form came into view on the edge of Eastwood Ravine. She wasn't exactly being sneaky, so she was relieved but not surprised when the teen rose to great her. "Elizabeth, we've been looking all over for you. Your father is worried sick!"

"Sorry," she replied, her voice muffled by the hug Clara had swept her into. "I didn't mean to- I wasn't trying to hide. I just lost track of time."

"I understand." Something in her (something maternal?) told her to stay put. "Do you want to talk about it? Or, well, with your father? I know you don't-"

"Yes, actually. I'd..." Biting her lip, the girl turned back to face the ravine. Apropos of absolutely nothing, she asked, "Dad told you I'm adopted, right?"

Clara just stared at her for a few moments before her brain finally kicked in again. "Yes, he did. He also told me that you didn't know."

"He doesn't know that I know, because he never told me. I assume he was going to tell me soon, especially since..." she waved her hand haphazardly in Clara's general direction. "I figured it out on my own when I was 10. Dad cannot keep a secret for the life of him."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I guess I was waiting for him to bring it up." Scowling, Lizzy plopped down on the grass. "I don't know what he's waiting for. After everything that's happened, does he think I can't handle it? I'm not a little kid anymore!" With a huff, she grabbed a nearby stone and threw it into the gorge. It tumbled off the rocks and hit the ground with a crack that echoed through the ravine and back towards them.

"He knows that," Clara said decisively, sitting down next to her. "But it's like you said: You two have been through a lot lately. I imagine he just didn't want to overwhelm you."

Lizzy let her head hang back. "I'm happy for you two. I really am. I don't think you two are trying to replace me; I know that won't happen. It's just..." her face did something complicated. "I'm not his, not biologically, and this baby-"

"Elizabeth, look at me. You are his daughter. It does not matter how it happened; whether you're biologically related or not." Grasping for the right words, Clara frowned and dug her nails into the ground. "There is no way he would ever stop caring about you. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." The girl let out a long, rattling sigh, still on the verge of tears. "Are emotions always going to be this complicated?"

"Yes," she admitted bluntly. "That's just part of life. But you don't have to do it alone."

technically i think this is a continuation of. like. day 14? and also day 21?? anyway they're on a train and i am so tired (as per usual lets be honest)

Ever since a boy in a life preserver had nearly broken down their door claiming to be from the future, Lizzy's life had devolved into a series of rapid-paced, continuous, unending shenanigans. What this meant was that her capacity for capital-N Nonsense was probably higher than the average person.

However, even she had her limit.

Resisting the urge to look down (or, better yet, get back on the horse), she stared straight ahead at Dad and threatened through gritted teeth, "If I die, I'm coming back to haunt you." Then, bracing her feet against Galileo's side, she dropped the reins and leapt forward blindly-

"I've got you! I've got you."

Lizzy helped her father up and let out a shaky breath. "Never ask me to do that again."

Wincing sympathetically, he admitted, "We've still got to get to the front of the train."

Jumping train carriages, as it turned out, was something that became easier with practice. Not exactly a skill she'd planned on cultivating, but it probably couldn't hurt.

They'd fashioned bandanas from the remains of their 2015 clothing. In the event that something went wrong, might protect their identities. For now, though, they were just annoying and hard to breathe through.

"Reach!" Dad barked, pointing his revolver straight at the conductor's head.

I guess Clara decided not to come after all, she thought vaguely, as she watched the rest of the holdup- sorry, science experiment- play out. I thought I'd feel more relieved.

Wait. Did I even tell her where to find us?

As the engine chugged towards the DeLorean, Lizzy leaned out and scanned the passengers filing out of the cars. I don't see Clara anywhere. Does that mean she didn't get on the train? Where is she?

Should I say something?

That was the million-dollar question. For a few minutes, she didn't even have the chance- the plan required speed and efficiency, especially since the train engineers would probably be reporting them to the sheriff. We've only got one shot at this. If I say something; if I tell him what happened- what if he turns back? What if we can't go to 1985? Lizzy bit her lip and let her dad's explanation of the Presto Logs wash over her. He seems fine- like he's already over her. Would- would it even matter?

"Ready to roll!" Marty cried, climbing into the DeLorean. Realistically, only one person needed to be in the train to throw the logs in, and Dad had point-blank refused to let her go with him. "Lizzy, I'm going to have to climb out onto the DeLorean while the train is going anywhere from 40-80 miles per hour! It'll only be riskier if there's two of us." So she'd begrudgingly relented and now sat in the passenger seat, bracing herself for impact. She may have decided to leave. Maybe I just didn't see her. If I just stay quiet, everything will be...

I have to say something. I can't- I'm the only one who knows! I can't just stay silent!

"Are the time circuits on?" Dad yelled through the walkie-talkie.

I should've said something earlier before we started. Swearing inwardly, she glanced out the window. I'll grab the walkie-talkie and-

Oh my God. That's- holy crap, that's Clara! On a horse! She- Lizzy pressed her face to the glass. I can't believe it. She actually came, and now she's chasing down the train??

"I'm throwing in the Presto Logs!"

"WAIT!" She lunged for the walkie-talkie, but it was too late.

"Lizzy, what the hell is going on? What's-"

"It's Clara! She's-" The train was undeniably picking up speed. "She's outside, on a horse! I- I told her we had to go, and that- that Dad still, y'know, loved her." Her face was uncomfortably warm, but she pressed on. "I thought I got through to her, but then I had to get back to town for the duel, but she's here and Dad doesn't know!"

Marty's face drained of color. "DOC-"

"Marty! The new gauge on the dashboard will tell us the boiler temperature! It's color-coded to indicate when each log will fire!"

"Yeah, but Doc-"

"Green, yellow, and red! Each detonation will be accompanied by a sudden burst of acceleration!"

"Doc, listen-!"

"Hopefully we'll reach 88 miles per hour before the needle hits much past 2000!"

"Doc-wait, what happens after it hits 2000?"

"The whole boiler explodes!"

Lizzy's eyes were glued to the window. Clara had managed to keep pace with the train and grabbed on to one of the bars. Come on, come on-

BANG! The train leapt forward, pulling Clara out of the saddle. Lizzy screamed. "Marty, get him to listen to you!"

"Doc, we-" Marty's words were drowned out by the DeLorean plowing through a sign that said TRACK ENDING SOON.

"I can't hear you, Marty! I'm coming aboard!"

"Dammit!" Lizzy popped one of the gull-wing doors open to get a better view. Clara was on the train- thank God- but Dad still didn't see her. "Marty, can't you-"

"He put the walkie-talkie in his coat pocket! Even if he heard me, I don't wanna make him fall!"

"So what do we do?!"

"I don't know!" Marty grabbed the gauge and swore. "Both of them better hold on to something, 'cause the yellow log's about to blow!"

She wasn't sure who she was more scared for- Dad or Clara, and wasn't that strange? Since when did she care about Clara? Well, it's not like she ever wanted the woman to die, and that's what would happen if her dad didn't pay attention to them!!!

Dad inched his way along the train and Clara- wow this woman is actually really impressive- managed to haul herself into the train cabin, but he still didn't notice!

Fuck it. Lizzy snatched the walkie-talkie out of Marty's hands and screamed, "Dad, TURN AROUND! LOOK!"

Baffled, he turned to face the cabin just as Clara pulled on the train's whistle. "CLARA?!"

"FINALLY!" Nearly collapsing in her seat, she yelled, "Dad, we just passed the windmill! Whatever you're gonna do, do it quick!"

"She'll have to come with us! I'll go back for her!"

Huh. That...is actually a really good compromise. Why didn't we think of- never mind. Breathless, she leaned out of the DeLorean as far as she could, watching as Clara climbed out of the train cabin.

"60 MILES AN HOUR, DOC!"

She couldn't hear anything, she could barely even see, but it didn't seem like they were making much progress. Come on, Clara, come on...if you get my Dad killed...

"70!!"

The pair inched closer and closer, but it wasn't fast enough, they wouldn't have time to get to the car before-

"DOC, THE RED LOG'S ABOUT TO BLOW!"

Blow it did, and with it went the entire train boiler and any trace of hope Lizzy still had for this goddamned plan. Once the DeLorean stopped jostling them around like peas in a pod, she pulled herself halfway out the door and felt her blood freeze.

No no no no no no no

She stopped. A calm, laser-focused terror was guiding her actions. I cannot lose him. "Marty, give me the hoverboard."

"The what?"

"The hover-" He shoved it into her hands before she could finish repeating herself. "I have to go get them. Get back to 1985 safe, okay?"

"Wh- Lizzy, no, you can't just-"

"I can." Slipping the hoverboard under her feet, she lowered herself out of the car so that she was facing the train. "Good luck."

"You too," Marty whispered, voice breaking.

Her hands were white-knuckled, clutching the door of the DeLorean. I cannot lose him. The hoverboard will hold me. Let. Go.

She let go.

No matter how hard she tried later, Lizzy couldn't remember much of the next few minutes other than a blur of sound and color. She remembered colliding with someone and clutching onto someone else, she remembered toppling to the ground while going much too fast, and she remembered the aftermath: staggering to her feet and watching as the train careened over the side of the ravine.

"Lizzy- Lizzy, Great Scott, are you alright?" Dad was there- that was good. "That was a nasty fall, you-"

"Emmett, she's bleeding!" Clara was somehow behind her (when had that happened?) and was examining the back of her head. "She must have hit her head- oh-"

The world was tilting sideways and turning several different shades of grey. How inconsiderate.

so. i may have been very tired yesterday and had 0 ideas for the prompt, so day 23 was skipped. As a bonus, have an extra-long scene! I've been excited about this one.

Lizzy picked at the skin around her nails as her father refueled the Mr. Fusion and frantically tried to usher Marty into the DeLorean. They hadn't anticipated someone else being outside with him, and she wasn't sure how Dad was going to get rid of her-

"Just bring her along, this concerns her, too!"

I'm sorry, what?

As Marty and Jennifer (?) squeezed into the backseat of the DeLorean (which really, truly was not designed to fit this many people), Lizzy glared pointedly at Dad, waiting for him to notice.

It took a while.

In fact, it took so long that probably-Jennifer noticed her first. "Marty, what's going on? Who is she?"

That got Dad's attention. "This is- er-" He stumbled over his words as Lizzy gave him a dirty look.

"I'm Lizzy," she broke in, turning to shake the older girl's hand. "Elizabeth Brown."

"Oh- uh, I'm Jennifer Parker." Knew it! Jennifer shook her hand awkwardly, seeming very taken aback. "Wait- Brown?"

Lizzy leaned back in her seat and raised an eyebrow at Dad, who thankfully caught it this time. If he's going to make spontaneous additions to the plan, he can deal with the fallout.

"Yes, well- this is- she's- er, she's my daughter. Anyway, there's no time for this, we've got to go."

Smooth, Dad.

Marty cut his girlfriend off, which was rude but probably necessary. "Hey, Doc, you'd better back up- we're not gonna have enough road to get to 88!"

"Roads?"

Lizzy had to bite down on a laugh as her father grinned cheekily at her before flipping his visor down.

"Where we're going, we don't need roads."

They'd only flown the car a few times, so she didn't really blame herself when her stomach dropped as they took flight. Dad gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before stepping on the gas.

With a BANG, they arrived in 2015- only for the three passengers to scream and get flung halfway across the car as Dad swerved violently and abruptly to avoid another vehicle.

"What the hell was that?"

"Taxi cab," Dad replied, flicking the wipers on.

"What d'you mean a taxi cab? I thought we were flying?"

"Yes, but by 2015, so it everyone else," Lizzy explained. "And you were in the wrong lane, so technically-"

"Yes, yes, alright, but considering how precise I have to be to end up on the road at all-"

"Alright, Doc, what's going on?" Marty cut them off. "Where are we? When- did you say 2015?"

"Considering this is still just a time machine, Marty, it's probably pretty safe to assume we're still in Hill Valley," Lizzy snarked good-naturedly.

Marty leaned forward and shoved her, and she turned to retaliate with a squawk.

"None of that," Dad sighed. "I'm glad to see the two of you getting along, but I need to concentrate. Lizzy is correct- we're descending towards Hill Valley at 4:29 p.m., on Wednesday, October 21st, 2015."

"Marty, what's going on? How can we be in 2015? Did she say a time machine?"

"Uhh...Jennifer, um..." Marty spread his hands and shrugged. "Yeah, she- that's really the best explanation. We're in a time machine."

Wide-eyed, Jennifer stared out the window. "God, so- you weren't kidding! Marty, we can actually see our future!"

As the teenager rambled on about all the things she wanted to see, Lizzy nudged Dad's shoulder. Once he looked over, she jerked her head in Jennifer's direction, eyebrows raised. What are you going to do about that?

Surreptitiously, he raised a small gadget and shook it slightly, keeping his eyes on the road.

The sleep inducer? What does he- "You can't just knock her out!" she hissed, trying to keep their conversation under wraps.

"You know she can't be here, it's too dangerous. If I didn't need Marty for our plan-"

"Then what in the name of Rosalind Franklin did you bring her along for in the first place?"

"I had to do something! She saw the time machine; I couldn't just leave her there. This way, she'll think it was all a dream."

Before he'd even finished, Lizzy was shaking her head. "No, no, no, no. You- what are you going to do with her in the meantime? Leave her on the side of the road?!" She glanced over her shoulder at the teens- luckily, Jennifer was still absorbed in what she thought the future would be like, and Marty was still absorbed in his girlfriend.

"Well, what do you propose we do with her?"

Massaging the bridge of her nose, Lizzy sighed. The plan hasn't even begun, and I already have a headache. "Alright. You don't really need me for the plan, right? So you handle Marty; tell him what to do and all that. Meanwhile, I'll distract Jennifer and keep her from seeing anything too revealing."

Dad drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "I suppose it'll have to do- what about her clothes?"

"I'll take her shopping!" she realized with a snap of her fingers. "That'll-"

"Everything okay?" Marty poked his head into the front seat, making them both jump.

"All is well," Dad laughed nervously. "Here's our exit."

As they turned off the freeway, he leaned close to her and muttered, "Just be careful. I don't want you two ending up on the Atrocity Channel or bumping into your future selves or who knows what else."

"We'll be fine, Dad. How much trouble could we get into?"

*1 Hour Later*

"I! Am going! To put this in the trash!" Emmett seized the almanac and was heading towards a LitterBug when his visor began to beep. There was only one person who could be calling him, and she wouldn't do so if it weren't important. "Lizzy? What's going on?"

His daughter appeared as a hologram in front of him, seemingly running in place. "Dad, we've got a problem."

Emmett leaned against the DeLorean, forehead resting on his palm. "What now? Please tell me you didn't run into-"

"Not ourselves, but someone else! I looked away for 2 minutes and some lady named Tiff came out of nowhere and thought Jen was her future self."

"Damn! I knew something like this would happen. Then what?"

"I couldn't-" Lizzy ducked down behind something and began to whisper. "I couldn't interfere and Jen tried to get out of there, but Tiff offered her a ride home and- shoot- there wasn't really a good reason to say no."

"She could encounter-"

"A good reason that we could tell Tiff," she explained, exasperated. "I followed them, but they're getting into a hovercar and there's no way I can keep up with that."

He groaned. "Stay where you are. We'll pick you up and then head to Marty and Jennifer's house."

Tossing the almanac into a nearby bin, he ushered Marty (who'd heard the whole conversation) into the passenger seat. After tracking her location, he took to the skies. "We're on our way, but the freeway is jammed. With any luck, everyone else will be similarly delayed and Jennifer will run no risk of running into her future self which, need I remind you, was what I warned you might happen."

"Need I remind you that if you hadn't brought her along, none of this would have happened!"

am i terribly fond of this one? no. but it was all i could think of AND it inspired a lot of humorous ideas which you may find in the tags. And, as a plus, it is a continuation of Day 18!

All three of them jumped as one of the walls of the photo kiosk caved in.

"We should probably leave before the police arrive," Doc said, his voice tinged with regret. "Can you two stand?"

"Can we- Doc, you just got shot!"

Lizzy leapt back like she'd been burnt. "Great Scott, Dad, why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm fine," he insisted, waving them off. "I'll just be sore later, I've had worse."

Yeah, no. The teens helped him to his feet, each taking one arm. Doc huffed and insisted that he was fine, but neither paid any attention.

"Hold on-" he glanced around the parking lot- "where's the DeLorean?"

Marty and Lizzy shared a guilty look.

"We...sort of left it in the town square," he admitted. "It wouldn't start, and we were in a hurry."

Doc stared at them, aghast. "Why would- what if someone had taken it?"

"Well, if it won't start, that'd be quite the task," Lizzy pointed out. "Besides, even if someone figured out how the time circuits worked, he couldn't do anything with it since there's no plutonium."

"We need to gather that up," Doc muttered, staring at the mess around them. "Let's- Lizzy! Why didn't you tell me you were bleeding?"

"It's a minor abrasion," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I hit the asphalt too hard and skinned my knee."

"It could still get infected." Turning her around, he searched her for any injuries. "Let's load up the van, pick up the DeLorean, head back to the garage and get you patched up."

Crossing her arms, Lizzy stared at up at her father defiantly. "Nuh-uh. There's no way I'm receiving first-aid from someone who literally got shot and still won't seek medical attention. If you want to bandage my knee, you need to let me look at your bruises."

Watching the pair bicker, Marty felt a visceral sense of being a third wheel. Doc's got his daughter back- does he even need me anymore? He cringed at his own thoughts, but...ah, geez, is this how Lizzy felt all week?

Marty grabbed the case of plutonium (and wow that thing was heavy) and began lugging it towards the van, doggedly not listening in on their conversation.

"Alright," Doc conceded quietly. "Once we get back to the garage, we can pack each other up."

"The ga-" Lizzy cut herself off. "Dad. You were hiding from terrorists, yet you drove around in a van with your name on it?"

Marty had to stifle a snort. If Doc still wanted him around after this, he was pretty sure he would enjoy hanging out with Lizzy. Of course, the odds of that were pretty low- his mentor had barely even looked at him since he'd gotten back. I feel like a heel, but c'mon- I saved his life! She's his daughter, and they haven't seen each other in 30 years. Still-

"Marty?"

Nearly dropping the case, he spun around in alarm to see Doc with a concerned expression on his face. "Y-yeah?"

"Are you alright? I've been calling your name; you seemed a little...out of it."

"Oh- uh, yeah, 'course, just- just tired."

"Of course," Doc replied sympathetically. "We've all had one hell of a night. Would you rather I just drop you off at your house?"

Marty blinked, his mind going blank. I kinda assumed that was the plan? "No, not really," he blurted, before immediately backpedaling, "but if- I thought maybe you and Liz-"

"Don't worry about that," Lizzy broke in. "You two probably have- uh- stuff to talk about. I can...uh..."

Doc's head swiveled from Marty to Lizzy and back again. Something dawned in his eyes. "Alright. Both of you, get in the van," he directed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how I didn't notice this before, but there's a conversation we need to have, and I'd rather not do it in the Lone Pine Mall parking lot at 1 in the morning." Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, he began to gather the rest of his equipment.

Something about that statement rubbed Marty the wrong way, but it wasn't until they drove past the sign that he realized what it was. "Wait- Lone Pine Mall? It- it's always been Twin Pine Mall, what's- why's it different?"

Doc looked over his shoulder, confused. "Marty, as far as I know, it's always been Lone Pine Mall. Is there anything you might have done in 1955 that could have changed that?"

He tried to remember, but the adrenaline that had kept him going all night was wearing off, leaving his brain foggy.

"Didn't this used to be the Peabody farm?" Lizzy piped up, staring out the window. "You said something about crashing into his barn when you first got here- uh, I mean, to 1955."

"Yeah, and when I tried to apologize, he shot at-" his eyes widened. "I ran over one of his pine trees when I was trying to escape! Is that- so I changed the present? Or the-" Baffled, he ran his hands through his hair. "Doc, why do I remember it differently than you? If I changed it- if it was always Lone Pine 'cause I killed one of them- why do I remember it as Twin Pines?"

Doc drove in silence for a few minutes. "I'm not sure, Marty. There's not exactly a textbook for this sort of thing. Give me some time and I'll come up with a few theories."

remember how I said Lizzy was the one who stopped Clara from getting on the train? well...

She'd been fooled. There was no way around it- she'd been duped and walked right into it, without a second thought.

When my mother told me I was a fool for leaving New Jersey, I'm don't think this is quite what she meant, Clara thought grimly, hoisting her satchel on her shoulder. She had no interest in tracking down the means to transport her trunk, so she was taking only what she could carry. This meant leaving most of her supplies for the next teacher, whoever that might be. The sooner I get out of Hill Valley, the better.

Fortunately, there was a train leaving shortly, so she only had a little while to wait. No need to kick up a fuss- she would leave quietly and uneventfully, with a simple letter left in the schoolhouse explaining that she'd been called home. Determined, she settled onto a bench at the train station to wait.

"Miss Clayton!"

You've only proven your parents right, Clara. You were too young and naive to go off on your own. Letting yourself get swept away by a pair of brown eyes and a shared interest in lunar geography...just like a child.

"Miss Clayton!"

She rose to her feet and began to pace in agitation. A man who didn't even have the decency to break your heart sincerely. Honestly, a time machine...was any of what he told me the truth? What about Elizabeth? Was he lying about her mother? How many women has he pulled this with? How could I-

"Miss- Clayton!"

A hand latched onto her wrist. Clara spun around and stepped back in surprise. This was, frankly, the last person she expected to see.

"E-Elizabeth! What-" Instinctively, a scowl formed on her face. She could think of several reasons the girl might be there, and she had the patience for none of them. "Did Emmett send you?" she asked icily.

Raising one finger, the teenager gasped for air. "Just- just give me a second-"

How far did she run? Clara frowned. She'd seen Elizabeth in action- she was quite athletic for a girl, which meant she'd either run quite a ways or gone at top speed.

Finally, Elizabeth regained her composure and straightened up. "My dad didn't send me. He doesn't know I'm here."

"So then have you just come to gloat?" She was being unfair and she knew it, but anything that had to do with- and this was his daughter-

"No, I haven't come to gloat," she huffed. "Who do you think I am? This- this was a mistake; I have better things to do than-" Turning on her heel, the girl began to walk away before visibly restraining herself. "Look. You and I don't get along. That's." She swallowed, hard. "Mostly my fault. I'm- it's not-"

Clara could have kicked herself. "I understand, Elizabeth. I'm sure it isn't easy seeing your father with another woman, but rest assured-"

"No, no, no, that's-" she huffed. "That's not what I meant. I don't like you-" well, that's promising- "but I really, really care about my dad. He is the most important person in my life, which is why I'm doing this." Taking a deep breath, she looked Clara dead in the eye. "My dad loves you."

Automatically, Clara scoffed. "Your father left me and made up some rigamarole about a time machine to try to- to-" What had been the point of that?? "To conceal it."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed angrily and Clara winced- that was probably too much information to dump on a 13-year-old who so clearly adored her father, whether the man deserved it or not.

"Really?" She snapped. "Because the way I see it, he explained that he had to leave and that he couldn't take you with him- which is true, by the way, we were supposed to leave when the train arrived- and when you asked why, he tried to explain and you-" Inhaling sharply, the girl closed her eyes and paused for a moment. "Whatever happened, Miss Clayton, I know that my dad is still in love with you."

"How?" Clara demanded, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. She wouldn't have come if she didn't have a very good reason.

"Because I have never seen my dad this upset in my entire life." It looked like it hurt her to admit it. "He's- he's heartbroken, Miss Clayton, and it's because of you. I genuinely don't think he's going to get over this, which is why I'm here."

The world shuddered to a halt and then began spinning far too quickly. "I- but-" she gaped. "But what was- why did he lie to me? If he truly loves me, why-?"

Elizabeth stared at her with a steadiness that made her seem much older than she was. "That's not something I can answer for you. Just- think about what I said and what you know about him. What do you think the answer is?" Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she waited for a few seconds before admitting, "I have to go. Just...think about what I said, alright?"

"I will," Clara promised faintly. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" she asked impatiently, turning back around.

"Thank you. I appreciate this more than you know."

The girl sighed. "I'm not doing it for you. I just want- I want my dad to be happy, and you..." She swallowed and seemed to shrink into herself. "You make him happier than anyone else. So."

"That's not true," Clara half-laughed. It wasn't funny, not really, but it was so ridiculous and at the same time made a terrible amount of sense. "Elizabeth, he spent half the time we were together talking about you and how important you were to him." It was Clara's turn to make deliberate eye contact. "Regardless of what happens between your father and I, it won't change how much he cares about you or how much you matter to him."

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open slightly. "Oh. Y-yeah, that's-" As she glanced around nervously, her eyes landed on the station clock and widened dramatically. "Great Scott! I'm- they- I have to go!"

we now return to our regularly scheduled angst. i am so fucking tired so just. have this i guess.

"Vaya con Dios!"

The DeLorean vanished with a final crackle of blue light. Emmett whooped with excitement, his heart thundering in his ears, but the adrenaline faded with the trails of fire. Morosely, he slid into the drivers seat of his car and surveyed the scattered items- his pistol, the camera, Marty's forgotten 'Walkman' (the boy had been very put out when he'd realized it had gotten soaked in the rain and no longer worked)...oh, and the letters.

With a sigh, he put the car into gear. 30 years. Great Scott, that's a long time. He had been so fixated on finding the DeLorean, repairing it, and getting Marty back to 1885 that he really hadn't had the time to let it sink in. (...maybe it had been partially intentional.) The moment he'd realized Lizzy was gone, Marty had come racing down the corner and-

He'd read her letter. That was the closest he'd come- perilously close- to breaking down, but then they'd found her other note and jumped straight into action.

What the hell had his older self been thinking? How could he have gotten mixed up in enough trouble to get shot when he had Lizzy to take care of?

It was a very odd sensation to be angry at yourself for something you hadn't even done yet, but Emmett had grown used to it. His older self seemed to be habitually, inexcusably reckless with the safety of those around him, including himself. He'd obviously done something to endanger himself, if Marty's frantic attempts to tell him about the future were any indication.

"Great Scott!" he cried, nearly slamming on the brakes. "The letter! I've got to- well, clearly, I've got to read it, but I've got to put it together first. Hopefully I haven't lost any of the...pieces..." A knot formed in his throat and he trailed off.

Right. There's no one there to respond. I suppose that's why I hired Marty. Except it would be 13 years before the kid was even born, and probably at least 10 more before they'd meet. 23 years...that's a hell of a long time to be alone.

And yet, he'd been alone for most of his life. That was how it had always been- no friends, no confidants, certainly no potential for romance or family; just Emmett with his experiments and a dog or two for company. He still had no idea what had possessed him to adopt Lizzy, but it had been the best decision he'd ever made- as well as the most life-changing. In only 10 years, she'd completely turned his life upside-down and, somehow, he couldn't even imagine what it was like without her.

But it seemed he would have to. 30 years- on his own- feverishly trying to finish the time machine before October 26th, 1985- unable to confide in anyone, even Marty-

Emmett had to pull over. There, on the side of the road, he unfolded Lizzy's letter and read it again and again and again.

𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐃𝐚𝐝. 𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟𝐟, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧. 𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲. 𝐎𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝟑𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟓. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 (𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨), 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭, 𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭- 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐀𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐡𝐞𝐲? 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲'𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫; 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐃𝐚𝐝. 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧

-𝐿𝒾𝓏𝓏𝓎

Emmett took a deep, shuddering breath and resumed the drive home. I will see her again. He repeated it like a mantra, letting it drive him forward and keep him upright and, frankly, sane. I will see her again. I will invent a time machine and change the course of the human race and I will have everything I ever wanted.

But for now, he had a broken Walkman, a sketch of a flux capacitor, and a letter from his daughter which he would read again

And again