Disclaimer: I don't own BTTF. Nothing more, nothing less to say here.

Author's Note: Wrote this story originally on 08/31/2007. Waited a long time, though. Which is only fitting, since that's how this story's called.

Waiting For Lightning

What if '85 Doc would still remember the happenings from after Marty went back to the Future? A short AU fanfic as his memories were reverted when Doc travelled back to 1985 in the beginning of Part II, according to my theory.

Saturday
November 12th 1955
09:47 PM

"Yes!" seventeen-year-old Marty McFly yelled. He had a good reason for it, because his biggest enemy, Biff Tannen, had crashed in a manure truck. Biff had got a sport book from the future from his older self which with he had become rich and powerful, and married to Marty's mom. After a long chase Marty had finally got the book back. Now he had to made sure 1985A, as they called it, would never exist.

"Doc" Emmett L. Brown, the inventor of the time machine, was floating above him, while Marty was hanging on a rope of flags which was connected to the DeLorean. He wasn't really as happy as Marty was because he remembered this night. Thirty years ago, because of the time travel actually today, Marty had came back from the future, from 1985, and told him he was, after they got the book back, struck by lightning and send back to 1885. Doc knew this could be happening any moment now.

He checked the time circuits. The Destination Time read JAN 01 1885 12:00 AM. Doc had made sure the destination was planned, because if he never would went back to 1885 a paradox could occur. And that was absolutely out of question because a paradox would unravel the entire space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe. To Doc's relief, the destroy could also only be in their own galaxy. Which was worse enough, though.

The DeLorean floated over to the Lyon Estates signs and went slowly to the ground so Marty could step of the hoverboard. After Marty did so, he took the hoverboard in his hand and the walkie-talkie out of his pocket and yelled in it. "Doc, is everything all right, over!"

Doc thought a few moments about how to answer; he felt very miserable because of the coming lightning! But Marty couldn't be knowing about that, so he yelled: "10-4, Marty, but it's very miserable flying weather." He sighed. "I'm going to have to turn and make a landing from this direction. I'll have to circle around and make a long approach from the south." That was true, but it wasn't that Doc didn't want to be struck, he wanted to! "Have you got the book?"

Doc looked down and saw how Marty took it out of his pocket. "In my hands Doc, I got it in my hands!" he yelled in the walkie-talkie.

Doc knew he had to be strict about this. No info about the future was ever allowed to come back to 1985, so this could only mean one thing: "Burn it!"

"Check!" Marty answered. Doc saw how he ran over to a box and stayed there for a thirty seconds. Then, excitedly, he ran up to the street with a newspaper in his hand. "Doc, Doc, the newspaper changed!" he yelled in the walkie-talkie. "Now my father's alive! That means everything's back to normal, right?"

Doc heard Marty's words and picked out the newspaper he had. It was Hill Valley Telegraph, May 23rd 1983. He saw glad how the headline changed from 'EMMETT BROWN COMMITTED – Local Crackpot Inventor Declared Legally Insane' to 'EMMETT BROWN COMMENDED – Local Inventor Receives Civic Award'. He was so happy that Hell Valley was finally in the past, and now… "Mission accomplished" he whispered, with some pride.

"That means Jennifer's okay and Einie's okay, right?" Marty said, not entirely certain if their mission had indeed gone well. Doc decided to reassure him. "That's right, Marty!" he exclaimed, with the greatest joy of all time, letting the nervousness about spending time in the Old West slide for a moment. Biff's reality was over. "It's the ripple effect! The future is back, now let's go home!" Although that won't happen for at least another eight months for me…

Marty responded almost immediately. "Right Doc," he replied, "let's get our asses back to the future…"

At that precise moment, a huge bolt of lightning came down right next to Doc. The inventor watched in disbelief, as the lightning actually hit a tree, causing a branch to fall off onto the road. Doc felt very frightened. What if that lightning bolt had been supposed to hit him, and now didn't? He couldn't just try to go to 1885 himself, and there destroy the time circuits control microchip, trapping him. Not only would that confuse poor Marty, it might also cause much danger for the space-time continuum.

"Doc," Marty called out from down below, "Doc, are you okay?" The kid was obviously in much worry about the inventor's health, and Doc started to feel sorry for him. Why did my original self have to be such an idiot, to let himself get struck? Now I am right out here in this storm, waiting for lightning to strike me and to leave both of us without a time machine for a while…

He had to respond, however, to assure his friend. Only he didn't know what to say. "That was a close one Marty," he finally settled on, trying to concentrate on flying the DeLorean around through the heavy weather, "I almost bought the farm!" It wasn't exactly the best thing to say, but at least it was something.

Marty was obviously concerned for him, since his next words were: "Doc, be careful, you don't want to get struck by lightning!"

At that moment, the lightning hit the roof of the time machine. Doc's heart tripled it's beating rate, and he felt himself lose control over the machine as the electricity surrounded it completely. With a sigh of relief, he watched the speedometer increase. 40…50…60…70…80… he held himself to the steering wheel as the vehicle hit 88 miles per hour and temporal displacement kicked in. Goodbye, Marty, Doc mentally told his friend. See you next September. Then, worried, he mentally added: That is, if my younger self did a good job of repairing the DeLorean…

Then, with a bright flash of light, the time machine ripped it's way through the time barrier back to the Old West, and vanished from 1955, as if it never had been there in the first place.

The wait for lightning was finally over.