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“Calvin?”
“Yeah Lorraine?”
Shit.
There were certain things that came with being a time traveler. You get extremely good at recognizing or at least memorizing your surroundings, for one. You get better at lying and coming up with entire backstories on the fly, too. Also your grade in history will shoot up, which is a great time to utilize skill number two when your parents start asking how that happened. One skill Marty McFly was still waiting on though was situational awareness apparently, because it didn’t even cross his mind that it was currently 1986, not 1955, before he answered to the fake name he’d used on his first adventure through time. A split second decision that he’d no doubt get chewed out for by his friend in time. That is, after he got far, far away from his family who were all currently seated at the table, staring at him like he suddenly grew a second head.
The more he thought about it, the more he might prefer the second head to whatever conversation he was about to be involved in.
“So it really was you…” Marty wasn’t quite sure what aspect of this he hated the most. It could’ve been the look of mixed awe and shock on his dad’s face, the “I told you so” glint in Linda’s eye, or the face Dave was pulling that made it look like he just lost a bet. What it probably was, though, was a mix of his own regret and the pure, unmatched horror in his mother’s expression as she realized just what that meant. Yeah, it was probably those two things.
“I told you he looked too much like Calvin Klein for it to be a coincidence.” Sorry, his siblings were saying what now?
“Well I’m sorry that ‘Mom had an affair’ sounded more logical than ‘our brother time traveled.’ You were starting to sound like Dad.” God, he wished it was just an affair. Then he wouldn’t even be in this situation.
“Hey, I never said ‘time travel!’ I just bet against you.” They were betting? Since when?!
Desperately looking for some kind of mercy, Marty turned his attention to his parents. Instead of finding the soft looks he’d come to associate with this new timeline’s version of his parents he instead found something arguably worse. His father, ever the science fiction writer and nerd, seemed nothing short of fascinated. His eyes burned holes into his youngest son, comparing how he looked now to his memories of ‘Calvin Klein’ if Marty had to take a guess. No doubt a part of him also was thinking over the logistics of how he managed to time travel in the first place. Marty just had to hope that he didn’t connect the dots between ‘time travel’ and ‘crazy inventor/son’s best friend Emmett Brown.’ Sensing that he’d get nothing beyond curiosity from his father, Marty turned to his mother. Lorraine, for a lack of better words, looked about three seconds away from throwing up and passing out right there on the spot. Which, considering the choice memories that were currently flicking their way through Marty’s head, he could entirely understand. Hell, in many ways he shared the same sentiment as he stood on the stairs, absolutely silent while his family processed his accidental admission. It had already taken him far too long to be able to look his mother in the eye again after his impromptu trips to the 50s. Being reminded of that week was not something he wanted, and clearly neither did his mother. Not that he could blame her. If he found out the girl he was infatuated with thirty years ago was actually his daughter from the future, he’d probably want to die right then and there too.
“So, Marty…?” Despite everything, despite his standing up to Biff and growing a spine at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance right before Marty’s eyes, it appeared that George McFly would never fully lose his awkwardness. Go figure, Marty had seen first hand after all how it was practically a genetic trait in the McFly bloodline. For as much trouble as he knew it caused, he hoped he never lost his mild hotheadedness.
“Earth to Marty! Or should I say Calvin Klein?” Oh how he wished he could shut Linda up, but any words he had died on his tongue. Was this the universe punishing him for going with such a stupid fake name? Sure, he didn’t technically choose this one, his mom did that for him, but still. Was this the universe looking back at the historical accounts of Clint Eastwood, Sonny Crockett, and Michael Corleone and deciding to punish him by having his siblings rub the accidental lasting effects of his trip to the 50s in his face? He wouldn’t deny that he deserves it, but wow was it straightforward.
He had a lot of questions, especially ones involving how they came to the decision to test their theory, but he was not about to stick around. Not for his mother to find her words, nor for his siblings to realize that he was the guy they grew up hearing stories about. The shockwave would hit them soon and he was not about to be knocked back as well. His eyes flicked across his family, the range of emotions that stared back at him burning the image into his mind. He wouldn’t be forgetting that any time soon, not unless the timeline finally decided to punish him for all the breaking of it he’s done. Maybe he did get his father’s writing abilities, seeing as how he’s practically played editor to the timeline at this point.
“Marty, son.” His father’s voice was soft. So, so soft. He hadn’t heard it so soft since the Lone Pine Mall was called Twin Pines. But then he went and changed that. “Say…something. Please.”
Marty did not, in fact, say something. Marty McFly instead turned on a dime and bolted out the front door so fast he might as well have ripped the door straight off the hinges.
He didn’t stop running once he made it to the street. Hell he barely even registered his family yelling after him. All he knew was that he needed to get far. He needed to be as far from his family in the current moment and maybe forever because living with his mother knowing she knows now that she tried to hit on her own son sounds like a fate worse than death to him. He took the least convenient way possible, cutting through backyards and over fences and through town, making sure that were his family trying to follow him in a vehicle it would be as hard as possible. It’d be even better if he would lose them entirely, which he had to guess he did by the lack of a car engine or yelling he could hear following him. Then again, he couldn’t hear much at all beyond his own breathing and his heart in his ears. None of it mattered, though. He had one goal, one place to get, one location that mattered. A place to hide. A place he’d be safe from the witch-hunt his family would start.
Doc’s.
Now, admittedly, he didn’t think convenience through when he started running. Had he done so, he might’ve gone to the garage to hide instead. The garage was in town, close, yet had a security system and plenty of places to hide. The Brown Family Farm was a good bit outside town and, aside from the house and barn, was mostly flat land. Nevertheless, it was the farm he ended up at, out of breath and practically collapsing against the door. It was Clara who’s face he saw first Clara who heard his simple yet desperate plea.
“Hide me.”
Within seconds he was ushered inside, the door clicking shut behind them. With every step he took Marty felt his hearing clear, the world coming just a bit more into focus than it had been. His chest still heaved as his body tried to get enough oxygen in to make up for the marathon he just ran, but the tenseness in his muscles faded. He was free; free from the prying eyes of his family and the suffocating walls of the dining room. He was safe, hidden behind the walls of the Brown residence and gosh was it nice.
Any semblance of peace that there might have still been was wholly and entirely thrown out the window as Doc came rounding the corner, both Jules and Verne at his heels in an attempt to see what all the commotion was about. Within seconds Verne had raced over to Marty with enough force to almost topple the boy, Jules following suit, if a little gentler, directly after. No part of Marty could find it in himself to complain, being far more content to meet his unofficial younger brothers in the hug than to deal with the current situation. Alas, he couldn’t get away too easily. The moment Jules and Verne were let go he was met with the concerned expression of his best friend. That alone was enough to send him flying back into his plea.
“Doc, listen, I didn’t- I don’t know- I need to hide.” The words tumbled out of his mouth at a mile per second, consonants tripping over each other and vowels being lost to the speed of his words. “I don’t care where, how, when- I need to hide. My family, they’re gonna come looking for me, and I cannot be anywhere near them when they do. I didn’t really wanna crash here but you’re the only one who’s really understand- I mean, there’s Jennifer, but she only knows the basic - gosh, I haven’t even told her about the 1800s - and I just- okay, so maybe I kinda panicked because I left without saying a word and-“
“Marty!” Two firm hands on his shoulders snapped Marty out of his ramble, his eyes meeting Doc’s as the man watched to see if Marty was truly listening. Deeming that he was, he continued. “What happened?”
Marty sighed, his heart sinking to his shoes as he desperately tried to find the words. How does one admit that the one thing, the singular thing he had been so desperately trying not to let happen, happened? There just weren’t enough words, none of the right ones he needed. He settled for simplicity
“They know.”
“Know? Who knows? What do they-“
“My family, Doc. They know.”
It took a second, but slowly Doc’s confusion and concern melted into understanding. It was moments like these that Marty was convinced he couldn’t be more grateful for his and Doc’s friendship; their silent understanding of each other when words failed. His friend nodded, giving Marty’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as he turned the situation over in his mind.
“Well then.” The statement was short, nothing overly dramatic or telling of whatever emotions the scientist was feeling. “I suppose there’s only one thing left to do.”
“So you’ll help me hide?” So maybe the question was spat out a little fast and with a little too much desperation, could you really blame Marty? The last thing he wanted currently was to face his family and if that meant hiding in a whole separate decade he was willing to make that sacrifice. Maybe he could leave Jennifer a letter or something just to warn her.
“What? No.” Well that was not what he wanted to hear. “We’ve got to talk to them. Explain everything.”
That was really not what he wanted to hear.
“No.”
“Marty, it’s better than them being left to their own thoughts. Clarifying everything is the best option for everyone.” Damn you, Doc. Damn you and your logic.
“Oh, I’m sorry for not jumping at the chance to look my mother in the eye and tell her that she tried to get into her own son’s pants!”
“I understand it’s not ideal but we have to tell them the truth of what happened!”
“Not ideal?! Doc, would you be able to look your ma in the eyes and tell her what I’ll have to??”
“Wha- that’s beside the point, Marty!”
“See?! That’s why I need to hide! Not forever, maybe, but just- I can’t face them right now, Doc!”
“Now or future, Marty, the conversation isn’t going to go any differ-“
The shrill ringing of the phone stopped both friends in their tracks, the two of them watching in silence as Jules walked over and picked up the receiver. The air in the room seemed to still as he listened to the voice on the other side. Soon, he looked up to his father and held out the phone.
“It’s for you.”
Emmett nodded, moving to take the receiver. Almost immediately a voice from the other end of the line began speaking.
“Yes, that’s me,” he replied to the voice, “I would imagine you haven’t suddenly forgotten my number with how often we’ve met to discuss the science of your books, George.”
Marty’s heart sunk.
“Have I seen Marty?” The boy in question tensed, eyes wide as he frantically tried to signal to Doc to answer negatively. The man squinted lightly at him as he shook his head, hand cutting across his neck fast enough to generate a small breeze.
“Yes. He’s standing right in front of me doing some sort of weird dance.”
Damnit Doc!
Any feeling of safety Marty had felt at the Brown residence vanished in an instant and already he was looking for an exit. Doc’s continued conversation with his father didn’t matter, his family was on the way and he needed to be elsewhere when they showed up. He turned, much like he did back at the McFly household, and prepared to bolt only to find Clara blocking his path, her arms crossed and an amused smile on her lips. Turning back offered no freedom either, as Jules and Verne latched onto his legs to plant him in place. He was trapped, unable to move or escape. His eyes flicked to Doc as he heard the receiver be put down.
“Of all the times I’ve been held against my will, I never imagined it’d be this level of betrayal.”
“Oh please, Marty. The Clint Eastwood bit won’t work on me.”
“Eh, worth a shot,” Marty sighed, surveying the members of the Brown family who all seemed mighty determined to keep him there until his parents arrived. “So what now? You guys just gonna hold me in place until my folks get here?”
“That’s the plan!” Verne piped up, grinning.
“Your arms are gonna get tired, you know,” Marty mused, “What are you gonna do then?”
“Then Dad will hold you in place,” Jules stated, “Wouldn’t be hard. You’re already small compared to him, Martin, which is unfortunate considering how you’re probably done growing.”
If Marty had to guess by the, what could only be described as, cackling that he heard across the room, he would assume that he had to be pulling quite the face at that comment. In that moment he decided he wouldn’t be speaking again until it was absolutely necessary. It didn’t matter what anyone said, he wouldn’t be speaking. At least the conversation it brought came with a sense of normalcy. He appreciated that.
Then the doorbell rang.
Marty, unlike every member of the Brown family, did not turn around. Not when the bell rang, not when Clara went and opened the door, and most certainly not when he heard four pairs of feet shuffle in after the usual pleasantries were exchanged. His eyes remained trained on the ground, lips firmly pressed together.
“Marty…” He hated hearing his dad’s voice so soft. It reminded him of a time when his family was in shambles. It reminded him of a home he could never return to. No matter how much it might’ve sucked, he still missed it sometimes. It was still home.
“Hey Dad.” The worlds felt heavy on his tongue. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like any of this. He wanted to leave but Lord knows that wasn’t an option.
“So,” Doc’s voice was a relief to Marty’s ears, although the tone of his words only sharpened the edge the teen was on, “I’ve been told that you all…know.”
“Yes, we- wait a minute.” Marty could just picture the way his father’s expression shifted from what was probably concern to confusion. “How do you know?”
“Well,” Please please please just tell them that he told you first on accident, “I’d imagine I’d know, considering I’m the one who sent him back to 1985 in the Time Machine I built.”
Oh. Or just tell them flat out. No better way than just ripping the bandaid off, huh Doc?
“You…you built…” Marty wasn’t sure what could be shocking his science fiction loving father more: the fact that time travel was real, or the fact that the man he’d been coming to to discuss the logistics of his books with for the past months had been the one who invented it.
“Yes, I did. Twice actually. But I’d appreciate it if that stayed between all of us. It’s…dangerous technology.” Oh, he could feel the eyes on him.
“So then why-“
“It was my fault.” The phrase was spat out, half choked and half shouted. It sounded weird, but he was not about to let Doc take the blame for him being in 1955. “Being in ‘55 that is. That was an accident after…some stuff happened. Then from there things…well, you guys remember that week.”
There was a hum of agreement from the three adults who had been there. Marty sighed, eyes still trained on the floor as he pulled away from Jules and Verne to at least sort of face his family.
“I can explain…sorta. I’ll do my best so let’s just go and-“ A warm pressure settled on his right shoulder, pulling Marty’s eyes up from the ground. He found a hand, a familiar one at that.
“I told you we’d explain it, didn’t I?” Doc’s voice was warm, a comfort in the tense air of the room. But his offer didn’t seem fair. Not to him, at least.
“But- no, Doc, that’s- I can handle it. I’m the one who accidentally fell into the 50s.”
“And I’m the one who built the Time Machine in the first place, Marty.”
“Yeah. Out of a Delorean.” The memory of his first reaction to said machine drew a small chuckle from Marty. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that this was unfair. He turned to Clara, looking for any sign that he could continue to argue to leave. All he found was an encouraging smile. Damn her kindness and her understanding of this situation.
“Indeed. Boys?” Jules and Verne looked up. “Head upstairs for a bit, would you? This conversation might take a little while.”
For as much as they looked like they wanted to argue for their ability to stay, the two young boys ran upstairs moments later. That left the McFlys, Doc, and Clara to shuffle into the home’s sitting room. Silence hung heavy as the group scattered throughout the room, no one wanting to be the one to break the tension. Marty could feel at least two pairs of eyes on him, although he refused to look up to see who they might’ve been. His guess was his siblings but it could’ve very well been either of his parents. It didn’t matter, he wasn’t looking. Not even as he begrudgingly broke the silence.
“So…” and there’s that heredity, trademark McFly Awkwardness, “where do we start?”
“How, maybe? J-just in general?” Go figure his dad wanted to know how he time traveled. Although his quick add on made Marty think his siblings glared at him until he swerved the topic away from the scientific side of things. If Marty saw Doc deflate a little, he didn’t say anything. His father would ask him later, no doubt.
“How. Right.” For as simple as it was, Marty was finding himself at an extreme loss of words. How did he explain this? “Well, uh, in October last year I got called out to the Twi- Lone Pine Mall to help Doc with an experiment. When I got there I was finally let in on what he’d been hiding from me. That thing was a Time Machine…built into a Delorean.”
“Is the fact that I used a Delorean still that baffling to you, Marty?”
“Look, I know you explained it, Doc, but I still don’t get why a Delorean of all cars. And don’t say you couldn’t have done it with any other because you did the same thing with a train.” Doc had no response to that. “Anyway, we tested it. Einstein became the first being to travel through time by one minute to the future. Everything went good. Until…well, all you need to know is that something happened which ended up with me accidentally hitting 88 miles per hour in the Delorean and ending up in 1955 knocking down one of Peabody’s pine trees.”
There was more to the story. There was so much more but he couldn’t mention it without exposing Doc’s involvement with the Libyan Terrorist Group and he wasn’t about to do that.
“I didn’t believe where- well, when I was at first so I, admittedly, was pretty careless. I ran into Dad, then Biff, pushed Dad out of the way of the car he was supposed to be hit by, got hit instead and…uh…um…well…”
Any confidence he had in his explanation vanished in an instance. They knew what came next, everyone in his family knew what came next. They all grew up hearing the story of how their mother’s heart just went out to the poor, strange boy that her father had hit with his car. That story was a lot less annoying now. Instead it was just…unfortunate.
“So!” Best change the subject. “So, I went to Doc - 1955 Doc, not 1985 Doc, who had no clue who I was and needed a good amount of proof to believe any part of what I was saying - for help considering he was the only one who understood all of the science behind time travel at the time. So we planned out how to get me back, only we got a little sidetracked because of my running into Mom and Dad which kinda screwed up history and may or may not have started erasing me, Dave, and Linda from existence. I then, while Doc fixed the Delorean, spent the next week trying to get Mom interested in Dad, Dad to be less of a coward and stand up to Biff, and set the timeline back on track before I disappeared- which almost happened at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance, by the way, and, can I say, is not a fun experience. I do not recommend it.”
While they didn’t say anything, Marty could just feel the eyes from biological and chosen family alike watching him rub at his hand, a habit he found he picked up after almost being erased twice. Something about feeling his hand there and solid soothed his brain, he supposed.
“Ah but, after I helped Dad grow a spine I met up with Doc in the town square to try and send me back. We had once chance, things almost went disastrously bad on multiple occasions, Doc got electrocuted, but- but I made it back. Things were fixed- hell, they’re better than the were before, and I made it back. So…there. S’pose thats how I accidentally went back in time and somehow made it back without destroying the timestream.”
“Marty, I know you know that wouldn’t have destroyed the timestream.” Doc, ever the scientist, still managed to hold a fond tone towards his friend despite the awkwardness of the entire situation.
“Yeah, yeah- I know, Doc.” It was strange, when Marty thought about it, how easily he was able to relax and forget about how weird the conversation he was having must’ve sounded to his parents and siblings. Guess that’s what getting used to time travel does to you. “It just would’ve erased me, Dave, and Linda from existence and I would’ve faded on the spot. Either way, though, I wouldn’t call it a fun scenario.”
“I wouldn’t either, Marty,” a hand gently squeezed his shoulder, “and that’s why we do everything we can to not blow up the timestream.”
Everything they can. Yeah, that was for sure. From playing matchmaker, to jumping timelines, to playing timestream ping pong between 1931 and now, they really had done everything to keep the timeline stable. Were their - specifically Marty’s - mistakes often to blame for the instability? Maybe, but they fixed it so it didn’t matter, right? Right.
“True, although we have cut it close a few times.”
“I would not blame the brief disappearance of Hill Valley on either of us, Marty. Nor is that an example of destroying the timestream.”
“No, but we still had to fix it. And-“
“Hold on!” Marty wasn’t sure what scared him more: the sudden interruption or the fact that it was the first time he’s heard his mother’s voice since the start of this entire situation. “You’ve almost blown up the what now?”
“The Timestream. It’s what Marty and I have taken to calling the very fabric of time as we know it. It’s that which one has to manipulate and travel through in order to time travel.”
“It’s like a timeline but fancier. Uh…fourth dimensional or something like that.” If this entire discussion wasn’t so awkward, Marty might’ve actually laughed at the stars in his father’s eyes. Gosh, he was so going to ask Doc more questions later. Speaking of, Marty didn’t even have to look to know about the proud glint in Doc’s eyes. He might not understand even a fourth of the science behind time travel, but every new thing he learned seemed to send his friend into a state of pride that he could only describe as ‘fatherly.’
“And you’ve almost “blown it up?” Multiple times?” And there was his mom again. Voice shrill with concern, he would’ve winced at the sound had he not felt bad. He did hide this from her for over a year now, she had a right to be concerned and scared when her son suddenly revealed that he’s almost blown up the universe on multiple occasions.
“Well, yes, sorta.” Okay, McFly. Easy does it. “We’ve- well, I’ve cut it close a few times with running into my past self. Those times, paradoxes, would’ve possibly maybe kinda blown up the universe as we know it had they gone wrong. But they didn’t and I’ve gotten a lot better at avoiding my past - or future - self if the risk is there so it’s all good!”
The silence, for the few seconds it was there, was blissful. Then Linda decided to break it.
“Hold on, hold on.” While her intonation was calmer, Linda clearly was just as concerned and confused as their mother. “You’ve traveled through time multiple times? Not just the once?”
Oh. Oh shit. He did just outwardly say that. Go figure he’d forget that ‘knowing about time travel’ didn’t immediately mean ‘knows about all of his time travel.’ You think he’d have learned with Jennifer!
“Mayyyyybe- but hey, at least I only ran into Mom and Dad once!” It took every ounce of Marty’s self control to not shoot Doc a look after an oh so conveniently timed cough following his rebuttal. Not a word, Doc. Not. A. Word.
“Still! Multiple times! Our baby brother has been traveling through time for- Marty, how long has it been?!”
“Not long. I’m not like, secretly ten years older than you think I am cause I decided to live in another decade on a whim. Almost had to, but by some miracle Doc’s always managed to get me back when I get stuck after maybe a week tops. I don’t really know how, considering the odds we had, but…he has.”
If his family held any doubt for Marty’s trust in Emmett Brown before, the look the two briefly shared dispelled it in an instant. It was a look that said a million words, and, while they missed the majority of them, the McFlys were sure they caught the most important ones. The parts of the look which held the deepest, most bottom of your soul thanks. The bits which recalled more adventures and stories than they were sure they’d ever get out of Marty. Finally, and most importantly, the unwavering trust and loyalty that they could only assume developed after jumping through time with a friend. If only they knew how far that loyalty went, how it drove two people to change history to save each other.
“Well,” Marty’s heart sank the moment he heard his mother’s voice. All at once the fear of being prohibited from seeing Doc because of the dangers that time travel posed returned, hitting him with the force of a freight train. The entire other reason that he hadn’t told his family about just what being Doctor Emmett Brown’s Assistant entailed, and he completely forgot and just threw it out there. Like a fool.
“Look, Ma, I know it sounds bad, dangerous - hell, it is, I won’t even deny that - but you’ve gotta understand that-“
“Marty,” her voice was calm, soft, gentle, “let me finish. Doctor Brown?”
“Yes?”
“For as…eventful as our discovery of this situation has been, thank you for taking care of our son. I recall him staying with you back in 1955, which makes a lot of sense now, so thank you. For keeping himself, getting him back to…uh…now, apparently on multiple occasions, and for keeping him from destroying the time…”
“Timestream.”
“Yes, that. Thank you for keeping him out of trouble and safe. George and I appreciate it a lot.”
“Of course, Lorraine.” If it wasn’t for the hand that reappeared on his shoulder, Marty might just have missed Doc’s words out of shock at his Mom’s. “I know he would’ve, and has, done the same for me.”
While Marty was sure that the squeeze he gave Doc’s hand was anything but missed by his family, they didn’t have to know just what it all meant. Specifically the old west duel he participated in to save the man. That would go with him to his grave if he could help if.
“So…uh…” While the peace was great, Marty could just feel the questions hanging in the air between the time travelers and his family. Best just to break the ice now. “Anything else you want to know?”
“Oh, there’s a whole lot of questions we have, Marty.” And there it was. At least his dad was blunt. “But, they can wait. Tonight has been…hectic, to say the least, and I think we could all use some sleep.”
Sleep. A luxury Marty would never take for granted again after his time travel adventures.
“Yeah, I’d say.” Marty laughed softly, turning to Emmett, “Sorry for dragging you into this…whole mess tonight.”
“Nonsense, Marty. Time travel is quite the odd thing. Took me 30 years to figure it out. I wouldn’t expect you to be able to answer every question on your own.” While eternally grateful for it, Marty would never understand how Doc was so understanding.
“If it makes you feel any better, Marty, you should’ve heard the amount of questions about time travel I asked Emmett back when I first found out,” Clara laughed softly, a warm sound, “I’m sure he’s used to it after those weeks.”
“When did you find out about all of this?” Marty wasn’t sure how his mom would take the knowledge of how long Clara has known, but hopefully she’d take her being married to the inventor of time travel into account when she turned on Marty for not telling them.
“Oh, about a week after I met him, I believe. Then again, he really had no choice but to explain after what I all saw. Quite the eventful week, that was, and that’s saying something considering…well, everything.”
“Say, when did you two meet? Sorry to pry, but I’ll admit I’ve been curious.”
“Oh it’s no worry, Mrs. McFly. I understand the curiosity. We met in ‘85.”
“1985? Really?”
“No, 1885!”
The silence was deafening.
“When?!”
Oh boy.