Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future.

Heidi Hartford is devastated upon being told that her real father is Griff Tannen. This fic is dedicated to D.J. scales.

September 15, 2034
3:45 PM PST

Heidi Anne Hartford was basically your typical five-year-old girl. Most of the time, she really was whimsical, cheerful, and outgoing. She would often play with her dolls, and she loved watching cartoons and children's educational programs. She was quite fond of eating sweets, which her parents placed limits on. She also loved pizza and tacos.

Perhaps not so typical, she rather enjoyed listening to classic rock. Not rock from the early part of the 21st century - but, rather, from the latter part of the 20th century. Her favourite band was Led Zeppelin, which was now about roughly sixty years old.

However, she was not her usual cheerful self today. Belle Tannen, who really was a nasty girl from her class, had told her that her real father was Giff Tannen - and not Mike Hartford. Of course, Belle really could've been lying to her - as she wasn't very well-known for her honesty. Still, she couldn't help but feel disturbed by the idea.

"What's the matter, Heidi?" asked her older sister, Eileen. "It's not quite like you to be so quiet. I mean, you're usually quite talkative. Have you had a bad day at school? Is Belle still picking on you?" As Heidi nodded, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"One of these days," added Eileen's twin sister, Meg, "we'll sure teach Kiff and Belle a lesson that they won't ever forget. At least, Will and Stephanie really are nice. It's so strange how Kiff and Belle can be so different from their cousins. It's unbelievable!"

"Belle just told me that Dad isn't really my dad," Heidi said, as her eyes began to well up with tears. "She said Griff Tannen is my real dad. This means Belle and I would be sisters." She took in a deep breath, before adding, "Of course, she might've just lied to me - but what if she wasn't lying. I really don't want Griff Tannen to be my dad!"

"Aw, I wouldn't worry about it, Heidi," Meg said, as she put her arm around her little sister. "I'm pretty sure she really said that, only to make you upset. Of course, Griff Tannen isn't your dad. You're much too nice to be one of his kids. Just try to relax."

"We're just about home, now," Eileen added, as the hoverbus began to descend. "As we get in, you can talk to Mom and Dad about this. I guess this is rather disturbing to you. Even if Griff Tannen does happen to be your dad, though, we'll still love you."

After Heidi and her sisters stepped off the hoverbus, Heidi ran up to the house. Upon entering the house, she saw her mom in the kitchen. Even in this day and age of such instant cooking, her mom was rather fond of preparing food the old-fashioned way.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Marlene asked, as she turned to take a good look at her daughter. "I can see tears in your eyes. Have you have a bad day at school today? It was Belle, wasn't it?" As Heidi nodded, her mother added, "Her father always was real nasty. He used to always pick on me a lot. He's just a very bad influence on his kids."

"Mommy, I have a question to ask you," Heidi said, as she swallowed deeply. "Today, at school, Belle told me that Griff Tannen is my real dad. Is that true?" Marlene began to blush, which was a rather bad sign. "Please tell me, Mommy? Is Griff my real dad?"

Marlene really took in a deep breath, before she finally said, "All right, girls! Let's all of us sit down. I guess it's about quite time to have the talk." As Heidi and her sisters sat at the table - Marlene said, in a very quiet voice, "Heidi, Griff Tannen is your father."

Heidi was momentarily stunned, until she began to cry. This was just the worst day of her life. She didn't want that horrible man to be her dad. The man she had quite come to know as "Dad", Mike Hartford, was a lot nicer. Her world was starting to fall apart.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Marlene said, just as she placed her arms around Heidi. "I'm so sorry you had to find out like this. Your dad... I mean, the one you know as 'Dad'... and I were planning to tell you about this, as you got older. I guess we've been not very honest with you, but... well, this whole thing is really just as upsetting to me."

"What about Meg and I," asked Eileen. "Is Griff Tannen our dad, too? Heidi is still our sister, isn't she? Does this mean Belle is our sister, too - and Kiff is our brother? Does this mean you cheated on Daddy with Griff? How could you do this to us, Mommy?"

"I never wanted this to happen," Marlene protested, as she began to cry. "Griff had forced himself on me! I never wanted to do it with him! I really wished to forget that this whole thing ever happened. I sure couldn't just have an abortion, as I'm morally opposed to the idea. We didn't want Heidi to know about this, until she was older."

"So, Mommy, are you saying that you were raped?" Meg asked, shocked. "That sounds quite awful! No wonder you didn't want to tell us about it! What about Eileen and me? What does this mean? Are we also sisters to Kiff and Belle, if Heidi is?"

"All right, here's the deal," Marlene said, as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Heidi, Griff Tannen is your biological father. However, he isn't your dad. There is really a am important difference between the two. Mike Hartford is still your dad."

"Is my name still Heidi Anne Hartford?" Heidi asked, as she really was confused. "My name isn't really Heidi Anne Tannen? How can, uh, Daddy still be my dad - if he didn't, uh, get me started? So, Mommy, do I have three sisters and one brother?"

"Okay, well, think about Fluffy," Marlene said, referring to the family cat. "You know how we say that we're also Fluffy's Mom and Dad?" As Heidi nodded, she continued, "I'm obviously not Fluffy's biological mother, as people don't give birth to cats. Still, I am Fluffy's mom - because I do raise her, and I take care of her every need."

Almost as if on cue, Fluffy climbed up onto Heidi. As Heidi began stroking the cat, she slowly began to understand what her mother said. Even if Mike Hartford really wasn't responsible for the creation of Heidi, he still really cared about her as one of his own.

"Technically speaking," Marlene added, rather softly, "Eileen and Meg are really your half-sisters. Belle is also your half-sister - while Kiff is your half-brother. In the grand scheme of things, though, this isn't very important. With all thing considered, we are your family - not the Tannens. So Mike Hartford is still your dad - not Griff Tannen."

"That's right," added Mark, as he stepped into the kitchen. "I'm real sorry I missed the whole thing, but I was just on the phone doing some business." As he walked towards Heidi, he added, "I always was your dad, pumpkin - and I always will be your dad!"

"Daddy," Heidi squealed, as she gently set Fluffy on the ground. She threw her arms around the man who still was her dad, and then she exclaimed, "I just love you a lot, Daddy! It's true you might not be my biological father, but you are still my daddy!"

"That's the spirit," Mike replied, just as he lifted Heidi up by her hands and swung her around. Tuning to Eileen and Meg, he added, "Why don't you girls join us? Let's have a big family hug! Fluffy can join us, too, if she likes. She's a part of our family, too."

"Just let me go get the camera," Marlene called out, cheerfully. "We can have a good picture of all six of us... of our wonderful family" She then leaned over to kiss the top of Heidi's head, as she whispered, "Sweetie, you be sure to tell Belle Tannen she was absolutely wrong. There is huge difference between a biological father and a dad."

"I will, Mommy," Heidi replied, as she smiled warmly at her mother. While she had to admit that she was disappointed about Griff Tannen being her biological father, she could take great comfort in knowing that she was still part of the Hartford family.

"Hey, Mommy," Eileen asked, with eagerness in her voice, "can we have Uncle Marty and Aunt Harmony over for dinner tonight, and also Uncle Aaron and Aunt Melody? I want to spend time with Little Marty and Suzy. They're both rather fun to play with."

"I could certainly call them and ask," suggested Marlene. "I was planning to make stuffed shells for supper tonight, and I think I should be able to make enough for everyone. Then we can maybe even watch a movie quite later tonight. We could watch a great classic. How about High School USA or The Secret of My Success?"

"I love Michael J Fox!" gushed Eileen. "He was so adorable, back in the 1980s. Little Marty really wants to be an actor, when he gets bigger. I have quite a good feeling he'll really come look like Michael J Fox - just like Uncle Marty and Grandpa Marty!"

"All right, everyone," Marlene said, as she held onto the camera. She set it on a stool, and added, "In just about thirty seconds, the camera will snap a picture." She went to join the rest of the family, and added, "Smile, when you heard the birdie clucking!"

Marlene then stood to the side of her husband. Heidi stood between them - as Eileen stood to the right of her, and Meg to her left. Heidi held onto Fluffy, who purred real contentedly. When the bird on the camera let out a few clucks, Heidi just smiled. She felt much happier, as she realized tha he status in her family would never change.

As soon as the picture ejected from the camera, Heidi looked closely at the picture. In this age of hyper-advanced technology, wallet-sized photos could produced instantly. That picture would really come to serve as a reminder of how fortunate she was to be part of a loving family. She then felt a pang of sympathy for Kiff and Belle Tannen.