Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale own Back to the Future, not me.

~November 13th, 1955~

Marty Seamus McFly was unceremoniously awoken by his feet slamming into the ground, as the hoverboard slid away, ears filled with the cries of children on the television about the series "Howdy Doody". He gasped in surprise, jerking up, eyes wide. He spotted Doctor Emmett Brown to his left though, causing him to relax a margin. As the sleep cleared from his head, he realized that he was muttering to himself, as he witnessed him turning off the TV. He frowned at the behavior, whispering his name. "Doc?"

He heard his friend's voice, mumbling intently, as though he was recording himself. Marty supposed he was, considering the number of times he had caught him during an experiment, recording his findings. "Date: Sunday, November 13th, 1955, 7:01 AM. Last night's travel experiment was apparently a complete success. Lightning struck the clock tower at precisely 10:04 PM, sending the necessary 1.21 gigawatts into the time vehicle, which vanished in a brilliant flash of light leaving a pair of fire trails behind."

The brunet shifted, rousing himself up from the reclining seat, as the elder man babbled on. "I, therefore assume that Marty and time vehicle were transported forward through time, into the year 1985. After that..."

Doc trailed off for a moment, as Marty stretched his arms and standing up. He headed over to the fireplace, studying the pages of the letter from 1885, attempting to decide if they were still drenched from the rain storm or not. "...after that, I can't recall what happened. In fact, I don't even remember how I got home."

He removed the now dry pages of the letter from 1885, barely listening to the words being mumbled any longer. "Perhaps, the gigawatt discharge, coupled with the temporal displacement field generated by the time vehicle, caused a disruption of my own brain waves, resulting in a condition of momentary amnesia."

He rubbed his eyes and made his way over to the eccentric scientist, sheets in hand. "Indeed, I now recall that moments after the time vehicle disappeared, into the future, I saw a vision of Marty saying he had come back from the future."

"Hey, Doc?" He asked, glancing down at the letter in his hands, frowning at the content.

"Undoubtedly, this was some sort of residual image..." He trailed, sounding dazed.

"Doc?" He attempted once more, causing his friend to turn to him in confusion. Marty startled as Doc released a horrendous screech of horror at the sight of him. He staggered back, continuing his scream, and accidentally tripped over the floating hoverboard. Marty winced, as he landed on the keys of the piano, and caught the board, as it was flung into the air. A chord rang deeply throughout the room, Doc trembling wildly, staring in dismay at him. The 17-year-old advanced immediately forward to his startled best friend, tossing his board to the left, the machine floated on it's own. "Doc, calm down okay? Just calm down. It's me. It's Marty."

"No, it can't be you! I sent you back to the future!" Doc cried out in protest, chord still echoing around them.

He waved his hand at him. "That's right, Doc. That's right, but I came back, again. I came back from the future. Don't you remember last night? You fainted! I brought you home!"

"This can't be happening! You can't be here!" He continued to shriek, shoving past Marty. He began to sprint from the room, his hair a state of disarray, as he shook his head. Marty briefly thought of the scientist of 1985, always having his hair completely in chaos. "It doesn't make sense for you to be here! I refuse to even believe that you are here!"

He slammed the kitchen door shut in his face, leaving Marty alone in the living room. He yelled at the door, hoping to have the elder man understand the situation. "Doc, I am here, and it does make sense. Look, I came back to 1955, again, with you, the you from 1985, because we had to get a book from Biff! So, once I got the book back, you, that is the you from 1985, were in the DeLorean, and it got struck by lightning, and you got sent back to 1885!"

The brunet ran his hand through his hair, frustrated about the entire situation. Doc, on the other hand, sounded surprised, voice slightly muffled through the closed door separating them. "1885?!"

The door was flung open in an instant, his eyes wide with skepticism and voice quite hoarse. "That's a very interesting story, future boy, but there's one little thing that doesn't make sense! If the me of the future is now in the past, how could you possibly know about it?"

"You sent me a letter." He flung it into the man's face, his face morphing into one of surprise.

Doc read the letter aloud, using a magnifying glass to view the familiar handwriting. "Dear Marty, if my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning."

He made his way over to Marty, who was toying around with his Brain-Wave Analyzer. "First, let me assure you that I'm alive and well. I've been living happily these past eight months in the year 1885. The lightning bolt, that hit the Delorean, caused a gigawatt overload, which scrambled the time circuits, activated the Flux Capacitor, and sent me back to 1885. The overload shorted out the time circuits and destroyed the flying circuits. Unfortunately, the car will never fly again."

Marty stared at him, before removing the helmet from his head. "It actually flew?"

The teen swiped his head through his hair, before explaining. "Yeah, we had a hover conversion done in the early 21st century."

"Incredible!" He exclaimed, before continuing on. "I set myself up as a blacksmith, as a front, while I attempted to repair the damage to the time circuits. Unfortunately, this proved impossible, because suitable replacement parts will not be invented until 1947."

He moved on to the next page. "However, I've gotten quite adept at shoeing horse and fixing wagons."

Doc grinned wildly at Marty. "1885! Amazing! I actually end up a blacksmith in the Old West."

"Pretty heavy, huh?" He replied, visibly not as enthusiastic as his companion.

Doc continued on, oblivious to the fact that Marty seemed to be down. With a pang in his heart, the brunet realized the 1985 Doc would of picked up on this, the moment it had occurred, but 1955 Doc hadn't know him as long as the other had. "I have buried the DeLorean in the abandoned Delgado Mine, adjacent to the old Boot Hill Cemetery, as shown on the enclosed map. Hopefully, it should remain undisturbed and preserved, until you uncover it in 1955. Inside, you will find repair instructions."

"My 1955 counterpart-that's me-should have no problem repairing it, so that yiu can drive it back to the future. Once you have returned back to 1985, destroy the time machine," His eyes widened at this. "Destroy it?"

"Yeah, well, it's a long story, Doc."

"Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to come back to get me. I am perfectly happy living in the fresh air and wide-open spaces. And I fear unnecessary time travel only risks further disruption of the space-time continuum. And please take care of Einstein for me."

Doc frowned. "Einstein?"

"He's your dog, Doc. Einstein is what you call your dog in 1985."

He scoffs, shaking his head, before finishing off the letter. "I know you will give him a good home. Remember to walk him twice a day and that he only likes canned dog food. These are my wishes. Please respect them and follow them. And so Marty, I now say farewell, and wish you Godspeed."

Marty swallowed thickly, before standing next to Doc, reading the last words to himself, as the elder man read them aloud. "You've been a good, kind, and loyal friend to me, and you made a real difference in my life. I will always treasure our relationship and think on you with fond memories, warm feelings, and a special place in my heart. Your friend in time, Doc Emmett L. Brown. September 1st, 1885."

Marty sighed wearily, running his hand through his hair. Doc felt his heart throb at the contents of the letter, before leaning over to the brunet, voice hoarse with emotion. "I never knew I could write anything so touching..."

"I know, I know, Doc, it's beautiful."

Copernicus whined fretfully, causing Doc's attention to be shifted to the animal. His voice came out soothing, hoping to calm the nerves of the dog. "It's all right, Copernicus. Everything is going to be fine."

Marty couldn't help the feelings welling up inside his heart any longer. "I'm sorry, Doc! It's all my fault you're stuck back there. I never should of let Biff get to me!"

Doc immediately protested at his guilt. "There are plenty of worse places to be than the Old West. I could of ended up in the Dark Ages. They probably would of burned me at thee stake, at a heretic or something."

Marty shrugged, appearing unconvinced, before Emmett pointed at the map in his hands. "Let's look at the map. Alright, according to this, the time vehicle is sealed off in a side tunnel. We may have to blast."

~BTTF~

As Doc exploded the mine entrance in the silent cemetery, planks of rotted wood, gravel, and thick swells of dust erupt into the air, falling on the grounds below. Marty and Emmett cringed at the noise and debris flung into the air. "Woah! I think you woke up the dead with the blast!"

Doc grinned deliriously, thrusting a camera into the brunet's hands. "Take this camera. I want to document everything!"

They began to trudge into the mine, mindful of the debris by the entrance, following along the railroad tracks leading inside. Copernicus led the way into the darkness, the trio's head lamps bringing light into the darkened tunnel. As Doc spoke, his voice echoed around the enclosed space, as the pair shined the flashlight around for any sign of the DeLorean. "This reminds me of the time I attempted to reach the center of Earth. I'd been reading my favorite author, Jules Verne. I spent weeks preparing that expedition, but I didn't get this far. Of course, I was only twelve at the time...You know, it was the writing of Jules Verne that had a profound effect on my life. It was when I was eleven, that I first read 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'. It was then, that I realized, that I must devote my life to science."

Marty bobbed his head up and down at the new knowledge he had acquired of from his friend. He wasn't surprised that Doc was into those type of science-fiction stories. He would recall the nights he had spent watching those sort of movies with the elder man throughout the years of their friendship. He was distracted from his thoughts, as he noticed a blocked off entrance of wooden planks to left. He knocked upon it, when discovering a pair of familiar initials were written out on them. "Doc, check it out. Look at this."

Doc gasped as he shined his light over them. "My initials! Just like 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'! That must mean that the time machine is right through this wall."

Marty snapped a picture, beginning to become enthusiastic at the knowledge that they were going to recuse his Doc. The scientist removed the wooden planks with a crowbar, while Marty dug away at the rocks with a pick axe. They were both startled, as rocks and planks tumbled away, revealing a hidden cave behind what they had discovered. They shined their flashlights inside, revealing the DeLorean to be in there. Marty's face drained of blood, as Doc cried out. "Great Scott!"

The DeLorean was buried beneath piles of fallen rock, tumbled from above, due to the explosion they had done by the entrance. The areas of the vehicle visible appeared to be crushed beyond repair. It seemed Doctor Emmett Brown had his wished granted, that the time machine be destroyed. After a moment of silence, Marty scrambled into the cave, pick ax forgotten, dropping to his knees before the accident. His hand reached out, scrapping across the debris, in hopes of recovering the beloved time machine, shaking his head in horror. "No, no, no! This can't be happening! It's can't, no!"

As his hands began to bleed, from the rugged terrain cutting his hands, the rock slide shifted, partly crumbling towards Marty. He felt arms enclosing around his frame, pulling him away, as the entire vehicle was buried beneath a landslide of foundation. "NO!"

"Marty! Marty, please calm yourself!" Doc cried into his ear, as he fought passionately against the elder man. He bucked fiercely against his friend, receiving pained groans in return. "M-Marty!"

"Please! Please, you can't leave me again, Doc, you can't!" He wailed, throat burning.

"Martin, I'm right here!"

"YOU'RE NOT MY DOC!" The brunet screamed, words echoing off the walls surrounding them.

His fighting streak left his body after the scream, leaving him wearily leaning into the elder man clinging to his frame. His voice came out hoarse and Marty felt guilt encase him as Doc spoke. "I know, Marty, I know..."

"...Doc...I-I didn't mea-" He attempted to apologize, realizing his mistake.

"No, no, you did. It's alright. You met your Doc in the 80's. I'm from the 50's. We're different people, I understand that, Marty." He sighed into the brunet's ear.

Marty sniffled, feeling his eyes welling in tears. "I-I'm never seeing him, again, am I?"

"I'm afraid it seems so for the moment..." Doc whispered into his ear, as he embraced his sobbing friend, Copernicus pacing in front of the rubble behind the pair.

~BTTF~

Marty stared unexpressively outside the truck window, cheek squished against the clear material. His breath was fogging up the inside, warm air meeting cold outside one. His frame shook from the frigid aroma, though he didn't seem to mind, distracting him from the pangs of agony in his heart. Doc sighed, observing the huddled form of the teenager, standing by the open door of the driver's seat. He whispered to the brunet, feeling concerned about his behavior. "I've almost finished loading the supplies."

"Ok." Marty muttered, voice barely heard.

"...Marty, everything is going to be alright, you know that, right?" Doc attempted to reassure him.

"Yeah."

Doc decided he shouldn't probe for more of an answer from him when he was in this state. He slammed the driver's side door shut, glancing once more at his friend on the passenger side, before continuing his loading. He finished stowing the rest of the TNT supplies into the trunk, before realizing his pet was missing from the area. He frowned, deciding to go search for Copernicus, calling out into the night. "Copernicus! Copernicus, where are you boy?!"

He heard barking in the distance, following it deeper into the ancient graveyard. He spotted the outline of of his pet through the fog surrounding him, hurriedly approaching the creature. Copernicus laid in front of a tombstone, whimpering fretfully as he neared. "There you are, boy."

Doc plucked up the dog, glancing briefly at the tombstone, before turning away. He froze, whirling back around, gasping as he read the inscription to himself aloud. "Here lies Emmett L. Brown, died September 7th, 1885. Shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars. Erected in eternal memory by his beloved Clara."

He chewed his lip fretfully, before frowning at the woman's name of his grave. He had never heard of Clara and wondered if Marty knew who she was. He supposed the teenager wouldn't considering the time period. He stared at it for a moment longer, before he rushed off, feeling unnerved by what he had witnessed. He headed back to the truck, a struggling Copernicus tucked underneath his arm. He flung open the vehicle's door, setting the animal in-between the pair, as he settled himself into the driver's seat. Doc started the ignition, truck roaring to life, flicking on the headlights. He didn't move though, hands shaking from either the bitter cold or the concern he had for his future self stuck in the past.. "Marty, I have to tell you what I saw in the cem-"

"I don't really want to talk right now, Doc. I just want to go wash this blood off my hands and go to bed." The brunet mumbled;

"...Of course, Martin." Doc responded dejectedly, feeling his heart throb by the rejection of his friend, the tombstone forgotten.

End Chapter 1

Happy Back to the Future day everyone! This story will obviously be an AU of the events in BTTF3 and will be set in the past. That doesn't mean we won't ever see the 1985 Doc though, but that will be for a later date. For now, I'll leave you with this thought: If the ravine was named after Clara Clayton in the beginning of the movie, then how does Doc's grave have her name on it, if she was supposed to dead, until our beloved time traveler's messed with her fate?

Preview:

"Calvin?!" George McFly exclaimed in shock, a familiar shade of lipstick smeared across his cheek.

"Surprise, I'm back!" Marty chuckled at his future father's face.

"George, did your parents return early?" Lorraine called from upstairs, bolting down the stairs, revealing her flushed face. She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, before launching herself at her future son, arms embracing him. "Calvin!"

Marty stumbled back a few steps, before embracing his mother back, smiling. "Hey, Lorraine."

"I thought you left! What're doing back?!" She cried, retracting from the embrace they had shared.

"Well, I'm gonna be living with my 'uncle' for awhile."

"Your uncle lives here?" George tilted his head to side, as though attempting to remember if he had mentioned him before or not. "Who is he?"

"Oh, Doctor Emmett Brown, you know th-"

"Doctor Emmett Brown?!" George cried in horror.