Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future.

Author's Note: This story of young Emmett Brown applies to all universes and timelines.

August 24, 1937
10:00 PM PDT

Emmett Brown smiled to himself, as he was reading over the report that he wrote on Benjamin Franklin - who Emmett has always admired. It was real hard to believe that one simple test was what lead to the discovery of electricity. He thought of just how dangerous the test was, as the great scientist could've actually been struck dead.

He thought of how far the world has really developed within in past fifty years. If not for Black Tuesday, technology might've advanced even more by now. Fortunately for him, his father was never fond of banks. Many others were not so lucky, however.

Emmett realized that he had a lot to be thankful for. He had two very supportive and loving parents, as well as loving relatives. In fact, he was close to two of his cousins: Leanne Sawyer and Karen Smith. The three of them have always been best friends.

He thought of how his mother, Sarah, had grown up in Hill Valley. Emmett wondered if he was destined to stay in this twin. His father, Hershel, hadn't been in town for quite as long. He and his siblings didn't move to the United States until 1908. His name used to be Herschel Von Braun - but, during the war, he changed it to just Hershel Brown.

Emmett did know some German, but it really wasn't too often that he spoke it. After all, there was still some anti-German sentiment in the region. The thought just made him feel sad, as he had some pride in his heritage. He really disliked generalizations.

As his Uncle Oliver had died two years ago, not leaving any children, Emmett realized that it was up to him to carry on the family name. However, it sure wasn't like he had a real family name to carry on - and there were enough Browns in the country.

He wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school, but he usually didn't mind. Granted, he was often picked on - but he definitely did appeciate his cousins, who never really minded that he was not a conformist. There were other children from his school, that he considered to be casual friends. Therefore, it wasn't like Emmett was all alone.

For the most part, he enjoyed going to school - and he was very good in almost of all his classes. The one class he really dreaded the most, though, was PE. Mr. Strickland taught that class, and he actually seemed to have a particular dislike for Emmett.

Emmett just sighed, as he couldn't really blame Strickland for not liking him. One time, when he was seven years old, Strickland babysat him. He just had this idea to create some shampoo, and he simply thought to put his creation in the shampoo container.

When Strickland took a bath, he used the container - and it caused a lot of his hair to fall out. Strickland never really forgave Emmett for that incident, and he made rather sure that the whole town knew about it. Since then, he wished that he could prevent the incident from ever happening. The rumours had since caused him some problems.

Emmett really had some mixed feelings about Hill Valley. On one hand, most people in the town were polite. On the other hand, though, there were also some judgemental people - and these were the people who tended to make life hard for poor Emmett.

He slowly walked over to his desk - and he lifted up his absolute favourite Jules Verne book, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He had just received that book on his eleventh birthday, and it was the book that sure made him decide to devote his life to science.

He had quite a hard time understanding why there weren't more people interested in science. It was science that helped to advance the world. It was science that helped to improve life. He sure knew that there was always something new to discover, and something new to be invented. He had a rather strong desire to make a difference.

Of course, Emmett realized that art was just as important as science. In fact, he sure had a tough time envisioning a world without literature or music. His mother was quite a talented guitarist, and she was often invited to play at parties around Hill Valley.

When Emmett was six years old, he really wished to take piano lessons. For Emmett's seventh birthday, his father had purchased a grand piano - which Doc sure loved. He couldn't play anything too complex, but he could play simple melodies very flawlessly.

Emmett reached for his saxophone, as he quite admired the beauty. Whenever he felt stressed out, he found that playing the saxophone would help to calm his nerves. Two years ago, he ran into Alice McFly - who used to babysit him and his cousins. He simply was captivated, as he listened to her daughter play the saxophone quite beautifully.

He thought about how he had a lot of difficulty finding a girlfriend. He really dreamed of being able to serenade a girl with the saxophone. He also wanted to have a family of his own. Doc just loved children, and he certainly wished to have some of his own.

It actually seemed ironic to think of how, even though he was the smartest kid in his school, he usually tended to relate better to smaller children. It was maybe because of how small children tended to be less judgemental of people who were different.

Emmett thought of how his cousins, other than Leanne and Karen, were so small. He loved all of his cousins, and found them to be real adorable. There were times, when Emmett himself missed being a child. One thing he just appeciated about his parents, was how they never pressured him to grow up. They allowed Emmett to be a child.

As he glanced over at the clock, he realized that he should soon go to bed. However, he didn't exactly feel like going to bed. He just thought of how tomorrow would be his birthday. He was going to be seventeen years old. Emmett was almost a grown man.

His parents planned to throw a party for him, and their relatives would all be there. It was something that he looked very forward to. He really planned some games for the small children, and he looked forward to playing with them. It would be a lot of fun.

Emmett thought of how school would be starting in just a few weeks. He remembered being in first grade, and how his teacher had suggested that he really might be ready for fifth grade. Emmett's parents decided against that, though - and Emmett was real thankful for his parents' decision. It might've made his social life become even worse.

He reached under his bed, as he grabbed for the photo album that his parents made for him. It contained the special moments of his life, up until his sixth birthday. As he had a rather vivid memory of his childhood, he began to feel a sense of nostalgia.

Emmett smiled, as he glanced at the picture where he sat on his mother's lap. He had to admit that he sure missed the days of his youth. Of course, he was way too big to sit on his mother's lap. It was incredibly scary to think that he was no longer a child.

He wished that the photos were in colour. In fact, he wished that there was a way to film the special moments of his life. Granted, he knew that even film would never be able to fully capture the special moments of his life. He felt rather sad, as he knew that he would never be able to re-live the moments. His eyes just filled up with tears.

He thought of if time travel could ever be possible. He had always enjoyed The Time Machine by HG Wells. He doubted it - but, even if time travel was a possibility, there was still no way he'd be able to re-live his youth. Those days were, sadly, no more.

Emmett swallowed, as he realized that there was no use in dwelling on the past. Even though he couldn't deny that growing up was a scary process, it was a fact of life. He had plans to attend Hill Valley University - and he really hoped to receive a doctorate.

He could remember the day that he really decided to tell his parents about wanting to become a scientist. He was rather uncertain of how his father would respond. He just felt very scared of disappointing his father, who was a physician. He still remembered how pleased he felt, as his parents assured him that they would always support him.

The idea of attending university was actually a little scary for Emmett. He figured that university would be a lot different from high school. He would probably end up moving into a dormitory, where he'd likely have a roommate. Would they actually get along?

Emmett had to admit that he felt leary about sharing his personal space with someone else. It could partially be due to the fact that he just grew up as an only child. He also was never overly sociable. He was never the kind of person who liked large crowds.

Emmett gently closed the photo album, and he slowly ran his fingers along the letters of his name - which was etched onto the cover. He simply hoped to, one day, have a chance to show the photo album to his own children. In fact, he had quite a desire to pass the tradition down to his children. He dreamed of naming his future son Jules.

After putting the album back under the bed, Emmett changed into his pajamas. It was sure best to maintain a positive attitude. He thought of what his father always said to him. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. That certainly was true.

Emmett quickly crawled into bed, and switched off his lamp. He figured that he would think positive thoughts. He realized that, even if he never was find himself a woman, he would always have something to invent. His passion could never be taken away.

As Emmett closed his eyes, he thought of what the future would hold. He thought of how the next fifty years would change. Most importantly, though, he simply planned to make the next year of his life be a rather joyful one. He would gladly welcome the next year of his life, with open arms. He smiled contentedly, as he slowly fell asleep.