Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future.

October 26, 1985
11:30 AM PDT

Martin Seamus McFly felt quite nervous - as he was at Francesca's Italian Diner with his girlfriend, Jennifer Jane Parker. While, overall, he rather felt happy with his new life - he still felt very dazed and confused by the changes. Would he ever really feel as if he fit in with his new family, or would he forever feel just like a body-snatcher?

"Are you feeling okay, Marty?" Jennifer asked, softly. "I certainly can't help but notice that you're a little, uh, distracted." Marty swallowed, as he felt quite uncertain of how to reply. Suddenly, Jennifer gasped, "Emily! What are you doing here? I wasn't..."

"Emily," muttered Marty, as a tall brunette approached the table. She had thick brown curls and brown eyes, and she had an olive skin complexion. She simply did not look all too familiar to Marty. "So, Emily, who are you? I mean, where do I know you from?"

With that, both Jennifer and Emily looked baffled "Marty!" gasped Jennifer. "You can't really tell me that you don't recognize your best friend. It's Emily Brown! Y'know, she's the daughter of Dr. Emmett Brown. The two of you are really like brother and sister."

"Uh, yeah," Marty muttered, as he mulled over what his girlfriend told him. "Right, of course! Look, I'm sorry! I guess I really had a... I sure had a... a horrible nightmare. I'm sorry if I'm not... not in the right frame of mind. I'm still feeling a bit... on edge."

"That must have been some terrible dream, Marty," Jennifer replied, sympathetically. She turned to Emily, as she added, "He's been like this, all morning. He even acted as if he quite hadn't seen me in a week." She paused, before adding, "You can join us, if you'd like. We haven't ordered, yet. Would all-you-can-eat stuffed shells be fine?"

"Sure, stuffed shells would be great," agreed Emily. "Well, Dad did tell me that Marty would be feeling a... He told me that the two of you would probably be here, and he suggested that I track you down. Actually, he left me a note. I sure hope he's fine."

"Thank you for the concern, girls," Marty replied, softly. Suddenly, he did have some vague memory of Emily. Perhaps, his memories of the new timeline really were slowly starting to come to him. "I sure think I'll be fine, in just a little while. Anyway, I rarely am ever not in the mood for stuffed shells. So, what, did your dad want you..."

"He really wanted me to check up on you," Emily replied, softly. Marty could tell that she wanted to say more, but could not - probably because Jennifer was there. "I've got a feeling he was just concerned about you - but, for now, he is quite... busy."

"I just hope he'll be in the frame of mind for us to go to the lake, tonight," commented Jennifer, concerned. "We've sure been planning that for two weeks, and I'd just hate for him to be so ill. It's possible that he might still be upset over his band's rejection."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Emily replied, sympathetically. Marty's heart skipped a beat - as, in all honesty, the dance audition rejection really was about the furthest thing from his mind. He realized that the event, in actuality, happened yesterday. In fact, it felt surreal. "I do remember just how excited he was about it, and how it..."

"Yeah, he was quite discouraged about it," Jennifer replied, softly. "I was hoping that our little pep talk really would help, though." She then stood up, as she added, "Look, Em, why don't you and Marty talk - as I head to the wash room? I hope you could..."

"That should be no problem, Jenn," Emily assured. Marty really felt astonished by how much his girlfriend trusted his best friend. Then, again, he remembered that Emily was also Jennifer's best friend. "Listen, Marty. I know what happened, and I think that..."

"The time machine?" Marty asked, in a barely audible voice. Emily nodded, as he then added, "Little by little, I'm starting to remember you. Listen, I sure am sorry if my not recognizing you had simply made you... I'm unsure of how much you know, but I was gone for a little over a week. My new memories are just starting to return, and I..."

"I guess I quite should have expected it," Emily replied, softly. "I've known about the time machine for a couple weeks, actually - and I was really given explicit instructions to not tell you about it. I quite was expecting for you to remember me, right away."

"Well, I suppose that is real understandable," Marty replied, nervously. "Let's see if I can remember correctly. You have two brothers, Jules and Verne. They were born in 1978 and 1980, respectively - and your mother's name is Pamela Hoffman Brown."

"Yes, you actually remember!" Emily exclaimed, excitedly. Then, in a softer voice, he added, "Dad met Mom at the wedding reception of your parents. As Dad really has a tendency to feel quite nervous in large crowds, he nearly ended up not going. I'm so glad he did go. Otherwise, he never would've met Mom - and I never would've..."

"... really been born," Marty finished, softly. "Thanks for talking with me. I feel rather less confused, now that I understand the new... timeline. I hope that, by Monday, I'll be able to remember everything with ease. So, how are Mom and your brothers..."

"Mom brought the kids to the YMCA," Emily explained, "just shortly before I woke up. Now, I'm really not sure if Dad has any plans to tell my brothers about... I know Mom wanted to have a second child, much sooner - but she was having birth problems."

"That just can't be much fun," replied Marty. "On the other hand, though - you have the boys around to remind you to stay young at heart. Even if Jules will, sometimes, seem to be in just too much of a hurry to grow up. You have an interesting family. If anything, how you're related to the teacher who fell into Clayton Ravine is such..."

"Her name was Clara," Emily replied, softly. "My mom and I both look just like her. The thing is, even if it sure was a real long time ago... Well, sometimes, when I do think of how traumatic the event must've been... Well, I cry. I think it's so terrible how she..."

"That's terrible," Marty agreed - as he felt sudden shame for the various times that he wished for teachers he didn't like, or Mr. Strickland, to fall into a ravine. "I can imagine how bad it simply must feel, knowing of relatives who died quite terribly. Apparently, I was named after a relative who was stabbed in a saloon. Maybe I should look up..."

"I'm back!" Jennifer announced, as she returned to the table. "Say, I see we're talking about relatives. I am thinking of maybe doing a report on my ancestry. I actually have a great-grandmother for a namesake. Then, of course, I'm close to Aunt Marlene."

"So, how's Sarah doing?" asked Emily, eagerly. "I know that the two of you are double cousins - and her mother, Marlene, is real cool. I quite see the family resemblance. It's a shame, though, that her father died. There's no telling what I'd do, if my father..."

Marty's heart jumped, as he thought of the Libyan terrorists - and how, in the original timeline, they shot Doc dead. He rather wondered if Doc would ever explain that part to his own daughter. Indeed, he already had some nightmares about the event.

"Are you all ready to order?" a waitress asked, as she joined the table. "I am guessing that you would just like the all-you-can-eat stuffed shells and garlic bread." Marty and the girls nodded, as she continued, "You've got it, and I'm guessing three Pepsis."

"Yes, that's correct," Jennifer replied, as the waitress took off. Glancing at Marty, she added, "I think we should discuss something a little happier. Marty, I quite understand that your father's novel is now in bookstores. I always found it to be real cool, in fact, how your father came up with the name 'Darth Vader' - before George Lucas used it."

"It is quite a shame that he couldn't use it," Emily added. "Kosh Conad is a nice name, though - and he is not a villainous type, even if he threatened Jordan McCoy. I really love the idea of sci-fi romance. I also think Laura Bates is an interesting character."

"I'll have to read that book, a little later," commented Jennifer. "I'm looking so forward to reading the final copy. In fact, I bet I could really read that book in one setting. It'll have to wait until Sunday night, though. After all, tonight will be our special night."

"I sure hope you two enjoy yourselves," commented Emily. Marty could swear that he heard some envy in her voice. Even though he sure did find Emily to be pretty, he felt as if romance was not in the cards for them. He was best friends with Emily since five, which made them like siblings - and, besides, Emily was taller than him. "Have fun."

"Thanks, Emily," Marty replied, smiling. "I was thinking, before Marty and I go to the lake, we should spend some time with your family. I do feel a little better, now - and it's not as if there wouldn't be any other auditions. That judge really was a bit of..."

"... an asshole," Emily finished. "Even if he did look like Huey Lewis. Well, at any rate, here comes our food." As the waitress set the food on the table, she added, "I would not worry about the people like him think. He's sure just an old geezer, anyway. I bet he doesn't even like rock music! He probably likes the swing and big band stuff."

"Em's right, Marty," Jennifer agreed, nodding. "After all, look at your father. He just ignored all those naysayers who tried to discourage him, and just opted to follow his dreams of being an author. As a result, he has now become a published author."

Marty smiled, just as he mulled over what the girls told him. Truth to be told, he never really expected for his father to make such a turnaround. Still, noticing that had made him realize that there was hope for him. He also felt happy for his scientist friend, and how he now had a wife and children. Indeed, life certainly looked promising for Marty.