Author's Note: If you are a real Back to the Future fanatic then you've probably wondered what the characters were like as kids; especially Doc. Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis never elaborated on Doc's past much in the final movies which caused me to wonder. I wrote this according to the draft script idea that Doc got interested in science by sticking his finger in an electric socket. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Attention fan fiction reader! The original one-of-kind Back to the Future Animated Series does not belong to Radioactive Nerd in any form, circumstance, matter, or sandwich.
Hill Valley, California
July 23, 1992
1:05 PM
"I'm bored," Verne said to his older brother and lay upside down in his chair. Lately, Hill Valley had been experiencing summer rainstorms which prevented boys and girls from going out side and playing. Today's particular storm had knocked out the electricity in the Brown household which meant no TV. Or video games.
"As am I brother," Jules said and watched a flash of lightning streak the sky outside. "We could light one of mother's candles and read some interesting novels." Verne was about to say that Jules' suggestion sounded boring when a sudden loud sound came from upstairs. Both boys looked up and heard the same sound again… and again.
"What's that?" Verne asked and headed to the stairs. "Come on Jules." The two headed up the stairs and examined all the rooms for the noise. The sound seemed like it was coming from the attic but only Verne was a little anxious about traveling up there.
"Come Verne, you wanted to see what the noise was," Jules said as he pulled down the ladder for the attic entrance. "Or are you frightened of this section of our house?"
"Nothing' scares me!" Verne exclaimed as he chased his older brother up the attic stairs.
The attic was a lot less crowded than it had been the previous times Jules and Verne had been there. All of the old boxes and furniture that had occupied the attic were now gone and few things remained. The space was still dusty and stuffy from the summer heat which caused Jules to sneeze a couple of times. Wiping his nose, Jules looked up and saw what was actually causing the noise.
A lone window pane was opening and shutting over and over again in the strong wind. Verne, a little disappointed that it hadn't been anything interesting, shut the window and latched it tight. Jules was already heading down the ladder and Verne was about to go down too when he spotted an old wooden trunk in the attic.
"Hey Jules get back up here!" Verne called down the attic ladder and went over to the trunk. "I think I found something!"
Jules headed back up the ladder and hurried over to where his younger brother was. A streak of lightning lit up the sky for only a moment and the boys saw the trunk clearly. It was old-looking and looked like it had gone through two wars. There wasn't even a padlock on the trunk, just a piece of rusted wire entwined as a substitute lock. Both boys were overpowered with curiosity and Verne dashed downstairs to get that batteries powered lantern.
"I wonder what is inside," Jules said as Verne untwined the rusted wire and popped open the trunk. They both peered in and saw a bunch of old stuff filling the trunk. Some of the stuff was toys, sketches, and little random things that were dusty and ancient-looking.
"Wow look at all this! It looks like everything came from a million years ago!" Verne exclaimed as he picked up a metal hand-made toy car. He rolled it a little on the attic floor and watched it go all the way across the attic.
"I wouldn't say a million years," Jules corrected as he picked up a small thimble and brought it to eye level. "I would say all these items date back to… oh, 1931."
"How do you know?" Verne asked.
"Someone inscribed the year on this thimble," Jules said and picked up a sketch from inside the trunk. Drawn on the yellowed piece of paper was a backpack with wings on it. Jules looked at the picture and wondered who was the person that drew it and wrote down all those notes and equations.
"JULES, VERNE, WHERE ARE YOU TWO!" Doc called from downstairs and Verne yelled that they were in the attic. Doc's head emerged from the attic entrance as the scientist crawled up into the space. He brushed some dust off of his lab coat and walked over to where his two sons were.
"Father we found some fascinating objects in a dilapidated trunk," Jules said as he handed the drawing and thimble to his father. Doc took the objects and observed them. Immediately a smile formed on his face as he recognized them.
"My portable airplane blueprint!" Doc said as he looked at the drawing and then turned his gaze upon the rusty thimble. "My mother's favorite thimble!"
"Pop this stuff is yours?" Verne asked.
"Affirmative Verny," Doc said as he rummaged through the pile of old stuff. "All these things belonged to me when I was… well around your age. I managed to save it from that hectic yard sale."
"Pop what were you like as a kid?" Verne couldn't help but ask. Both he and Jules expected their father to go into a lengthy talk about his childhood and see his eyes brighten with nostalgia but he didn't. Doc's eyes seemed to darken slightly and he opened his mouth once as if to say something but then just closed it.
"Father is something the matter?" Jules asked and Doc shook his head and headed out of the attic.
"Wait pop you didn't answer my question!" Verne said.
"Sorry Verny but I do not wish to elaborate on that part of my life," Doc said and then disappeared down the attic stairs. Jules and Verne sat in silence for awhile among the trunk's contents.
"It is a shame that father did not want to give us the details of his childhood," Jules finally said.
"Yeah it was definitely a bummer," Verne sighed but then he got a sudden idea. Jules saw his little brother's eyes widen and a sly smile form on his face.
"Verne what are you thinking?" Jules asked slowly. Jules had seen that expression on Verne's face every time the boy came up with an idea that usually got them into trouble.
"I have a rad idea," Verne began and then lowered his voice. "If dad won't tell us what he was like as a kid, we can just find out for ourselves. We can borrow the DeLorean and go back to when dad was… I don't know eleven and follow him around to see what he did and what he looked like and stuff. What do ya say Jules?"
Jules sat there in deep thought for a second contemplating the advantages and disadvantages of Verne's plan. It would be risky to see their father as a child and possibly dangerous towards the space time continuum. Then again, they could be incognito and remain careful observers…
"Well… I guess I'm on board for the plan," Jules said and Verne smiled. The two headed down the attic ladder and rushed out of the house and to the lab. They slowed down near the entrance and peeked inside.
Doc was at his workbench with a welding mask on over his face. He was trying to fix an invention that had blown up earlier but it seemed like a waste of time. Their father seemed pretty distracted and the boys decided that now was the perfect time to sneak past. They tip toed as quietly as humanly possible past their busy father and made it to where the DeLorean was parked in the lab. Jules climbed in the driver's seat and Verne climbed in the passenger seat and they drove out of the lab quickly. They rocketed off the ramp Doc had built outside and disappeared into the past.
"Huh!" Doc gasped when he heard the sonic booms. He didn't see anything and everything was quiet now. "Emmett you've got to get some rest, you're hearing things!" Doc said to himself as he shut off the blowtorch and left the lab to go take a nap.
Hill Valley, California
April 1, 1931
6:15 AM
Jules and Verne appeared in the early sky of Hill Valley and landed a little clumsily onto the ground.
"Nice driving Jules," Verne said sarcastically as he got out of the car.
"Well I'm only eleven Verne I haven't been taught the proper way to drive yet," Jules said and pocketed the keys to the DeLorean. He looked around and saw a newspaper blowing in the wind and picked it up. Jules read the headline and saw that they had arrived in the correct intended year.
"Okay Verne," Jules began as he pulled his portable laptop out of the DeLorean. He began typing away to find out what he needed to know. "According to this webpage, father lived with his parents at the family mansion. A mansion…zowie! Furthermore, the mansion is located on Riverside Drive which, in our time, is John F. Kennedy Drive."
"Neato! Let's get going," Verne said and they started walking to the Brown mansion. The mansion wasn't too far away and soon enough; the boys were standing in front of it.
"Wow," Verne said as he and his brother looked up at their father's old home. "Grandma and Grandpa must have been the richest people in Hill Valley to live here!"
"It is beautiful," Jules agreed. "I wonder why we are not currently living in it."
Morning dew was on the green spring grass as the two boys ran up the front yard to peek in the only window with light coming from it. Inside the Brown Mansion, Mr. and Mrs. Brown (Jules and Verne's grandparents) are enjoying breakfast. Mr. Brown was a tall and lean man of around his 30's. He was busying himself reading a stack of papers and paused to push his glasses back on his nose. Mrs. Brown was at least two years younger than her husband and had a very pretty face. Her blond hair was half tied up in a bun and the other half hung on her shoulders. The boys watched her and saw that her eyes were the same as their father's.
"Grandma's really pretty," Verne said and Jules nodded.
Then a boy around Jules' age entered the kitchen after coming down the stairs. The boy had blonde hair like Mrs. Brown and was dressed in bright green pajamas. He slumped his posture and shuffled over to the adults. Immediately Jules and Verne recognized the boy as their father.
"Whoa pop as a kid!" Verne exclaimed and then lowered his voice. "He looks a lot like us."
"Verne I think you mean we look a lot like him," Jules corrected and Verne rolled his eyes. The two boys then turned their attention back to their future father.
"Mother and father," Young Doc began. "I presume I am ill and can not attend school today."
Mrs. Brown quickly went over to her pre-adolescent son and felt his forehead and cheeks. Young Doc closed his eyes and seemed to wish to god that he actually had a fever and he faked a cough. His mother took her hand off of his left cheek and checked his glands. Nothing out of the ordinary but her natural motherly worry overpowered her.
"Emmett I think you probably should remain home," Mrs. Brown said as her son took a seat at the kitchen table. The cook set down a plate in front of him of bacon and eggs but the future father didn't bother to begin eating.
"Sarah I think you have forgotten the date today," Mr. Brown stated and handed the currentest newspaper to his wife. She took the paper and skimmed it quickly until she found the printed date. Today was April 1st, otherwise known as "April Fool's Day" and both her and her husband knew that their son absolutely dreaded this day.
"Oh dear I did forget," Mrs. Brown said and put down the newspaper. She turned to her only son and gave him a stern look. "Emmett Lathrop Brown did you tell a lie to get out of attending your studies today?"
"I'm afraid I did mother and I apologize," Young Doc said as he looked down half regretting that his fib didn't work and half regretting lying to his mother. "But please do not force me to attend school today! All of the other students poke fun at me more than usual on this day and I don't know how much torment I can take from them-"
"Emmett you are going to school," Mr. Brown said flatly. Jules and Verne were fascinated with this whole scene that they didn't notice when their future father happened to gaze out the window and catch a glimpse of them. Quickly, the two boys ducked down under the window. Young Doc just shook his head and assured himself that he had just imagined two boy faces at the window.
Jules and Verne decided to wait for their future father to get ready for the day and then they would proceed to follow him to school. Jules was a little shaken up that Young Doc had seen them (even though it was for just a second) and kept talking about how they could have disrupted the time stream or (godforebid) created a paradox. Verne agreed that that would be bad but told his brother to quit being a worrywart.
The front door to the mansion opened and Young Doc stepped out with a brown leather backpack slung over his shoulder. He was wearing a frown on his face as he trudged away from the front door and down the walkway. His parents waved goodbye to Young Doc but the eleven-year-old boy ignored them.
"Hey Jules! Dad's on the move!" Verne informed and the two stood up and followed their father. They kept a good distance from him and were sure to hide themselves behind bushes and trees to be extra cautious. Finally their father arrived at Hill Valley High School, which surprised Jules and Verne. Shouldn't their father be in the sixth grade at the Elementary School?
"I estimate that it would do no harm to the space-time continuum if we go in there," Jules whispered to his brother. "As long as neither of us attracts any additional attention to ourselves."
A crowd of teenagers dressed in the 30's hippest clothes herded into the building and Jules and Verne managed to blend in with them. Verne had never been in Hill Valley High School before but Jules had and he noticed that the hallways were painted a darker color. Students opened their lockers and said hello to their friends before class started. Verne scanned the crowd with his eyes until he saw his father at an old locker.
Young Doc fiddled with the lock and opened the locker door, only for a teenage boy to slam it close. Young Doc turned around and grimaced. A tall fifteen year old boy was dressed clean and crisp and didn't look like the stereotypical bully but bullies come in all shapes and sizes. The teenage boy was scowling at Young Doc and Young Doc scowled back.
"Hello Jim," Young Doc said in a flat voice. "How are you this morning."
"Hello freak," Jim said. "Did you finish my assignment?"
"No I refuse to do your work," Doc said in a stern voice. "It is cheating and I am not a cheater."
Jim didn't say anything he just turned around and motioned for his friends to come over here. Four teenage boys of different ages showed up with wicked smiles on their faces. Young Doc seemed to be hiding a panic, he knew what would happen next.
"You know that you don't belong here freak," Jim began as his friends stepped forward menacingly. Young Doc didn't plead for mercy or run away but he did get a little frustrated with Jim's choice of addressing him.
"My name is Emmett not Freak," Doc said but Jim just pushed him to the ground.
Jules and Verne had been watching the confrontation the whole time. They were shocked at how people had treated their father! Verne got really angry when Jim pushed his father to the ground and Jules had to stop his brother from charging up to the guy and punching him.
Young Doc started to pull himself up from the ground as the bell rang. Other students (most of which were watching Jim harras "the school freak") scurried off to class. Jim and his crew started to go but only one of them stayed and kicked Young Doc in the stomach before the future father could get to his feet. The teenager laughed and then ran to catch up with Jim. Young Doc got to his feet, trying to catch his breath before limping over to arithmetic class.
Jules and Verne were absolutely shocked.
Hill Valley, California
April 1, 1931
1:56 PM
It became a little more difficult for the boys to follow their father around the high school. One time a teacher almost spotted them and another time Young Doc actually got suspicious that someone was following him and whipped around. Jules and Verne however had hiden quite well that time and their father didn't see them.
Seeing that the school day was almost over, Jules and Verne exited the school and observed their father through a classroom window. Young Doc was in History class trying to listen to the teacher's dissertation and take notes. But that was difficult when everyone in the class threw balled up paper at him every time the teacher turned his back.
"How come other kids treat dad like that?" Verne asked as he watched another array of paper balls hit his father. Young Doc seemed to be concentrating all of his mind on the teacher's words rather than the paper balls.
"I do not know Verne but it is very unfair," Jules said.
At exactly 2:00 the school bell rang and the students cheered. Jules and Verne left their position at the window and decided to wait in front of the school for their father. A stream of teenagers exited the building but Young Doc was the last one to come out. He was dragging his backpack with one hand and the other hand was covering his eye. Jules and Verne looked at each other and then finally went over to them.
"Jules I thought you didn't want him to see us?" Verne said as he followed his older brother.
"I know what I said Verne! But I think it's okay now," Jules answered. Young Doc was walking at a steady pace away from the high school and the boys caught up with him. Feeling that someone was behind him, young Doc hurridly turned around and snapped at them to go away.
"Please just leave me alone!" Young Doc snapped at them. He had had enough torment and physical abuse from the student body today.
"We won't hurt you," Jules assured his future father and looked him over. Young Doc was only an inch shorter than him, probably anticipating a growth spurt. He didn't look much different from earlier but Young Doc did have a fresh new back eye. "What happened to your eye?"
"A ninth grade student punched me when I was in the halls," Young Doc said, surprised that the boy wasn't hurting him.
"Why do people treat you like that?" Verne asked, a hint of anger in his tone.
"Because I'm different," Doc spat and seemed upset with himself. He started to continue his walk and Jules and Verne kept up the pace. "I guess my peers don't find that likeable."
Jules and Verne walked along with their father, whom was quite confused as to why these boys were interested in him. Young Doc hadn't had friends since… well birth! Not one of his fellow kids was ever nice to him and he was always getting critized and teased. Doc was thinking about all this and suddenly he felt a rise of hope in his heart. Maybe these boys could be potential friends. It would be wonderful to have friends to do activities with and maybe Jim and his crew wouldn't pick on him so much.
"I know I don't know you two too much," Doc began as he stopped and looked at Jules and Verne. "But would you two consider coming with me home to mingle."
"You mean hang out?" Verne asked and Young Doc looked at him curiosly.
"No I don't want any of us to hang anywhere," Young Doc said. "My mother says hanging on things is dangerous."
"So fath- Emmett what inventions are you working on?" Jules said, glad to think of something that would change the subject. Young Doc looked at him strangely.
"Invent? I am not an inventor," Young Doc said. "Don't get me incorrect, science is just fine but it doesn't really catch my attention."
Jules and Verne's mouths practically hung open.
How could this be!? In the future, science was practically flowing through Doc's veins and now he tells them that it doesn't interest him! If it weren't for this boy looking like Doc and having the same vocabulary then he wasn't at all recognizable.
Hill Valley, California
April 1, 1931
2:19 PM
Jazz music came out of the brand new phonograph in Young Doc's bedroom. Jules and his father were sitting on the floor nodding to the music and Verne was exploring the mansion a little.
"Wow you have a lot of rooms," Verne said as he came back into the bedroom. He sat down with his brother and father and listened to the music. Jules kind of liked it but Verne didn't. He probably didn't get the whole experience since the record player kept skipping and finally stopped in the middle of a saxophone solo.
"Mother and father must have purchased this at a second-hand store," Young Doc said as he walked up to the phonograph. "It did the same thing yesterday."
Young Doc looked the phonograph over, not really sure what to do. He patted the side of it with his hand and peered into it but nothing. He had absolutely no idea what to look for and he stared down in embarrassment. When he looked down, he saw a lone electric socket on the wall. Young Doc never really thought about those sockets all over the house and suddenly his curiosity got the better of him. Young Doc reached down to touch the socket with his index finger.
Verne looked up at his father and saw what he was going to do.
"DON'T!" Verne shouted and pulled his future father away from the socket. They both lost their balance and fell on each other.
"Unhand me boy," Young Doc said as he squirmed free of Verne's grasp. Of course, Young Doc didn't know squat about electricity and didn't realize that Verne had saved him from being electrocuted. The three boys heard footsteps coming up the stairs and the bedroom door opened.
"Is everything alright Emmett," Mrs.Brown asked. "I heard shouting and thumping."
"Everything is fine mother," Young Doc assured. "My friend was just roughhousing with me."
"You know your father and I don't approve of roughhousing," Mrs. Brown warned. "If you can't play quietly with your friends than I suggest they leave."
"But moth-" Young Doc began but his future sons interrupted them.
"That is alright Mrs. Brown," Jules said. "We were about to leave anyway."
"Yeah," Verne agreed and cast a look at Young Doc. "Our dad is probably worried about us."
Jules and Verne exited the Brown Mansion and walked back to where they had left the DeLorean. They both climbed into the car and shut their doors. As they launched into the sky, the two chatted about what they learned about their father's youth.
"No wonder pop didn't want to talk about his kidhood," Verne said as the DeLorean hit 50 miles an hour. "I can't believe how bad it was."
"I know," Jules said as they hit 75. "It wasn't anything like what I hypothesized."
The DeLorean hit 88 and blasted into the future.
Hill Valley, California
July 23, 1992
9:43 PM
Jules lowered the DeLorean onto the ground and parked it on the hill of their land. The farmhouse had most of its lights on and both boys were eager to go inside and hug their father. They raced to the farmhouse and tried to open the door but it was locked. That was strange. Hurridly Jules and Verne looked in the kitchen window to see:
A DIFFERENT FAMILY!
A Chinese family was sitting at the table eating an early dinner. The boys couldn't believe it! Where was their mother and father? Where was Einstein? Jules pulled his younger brother away from the window and went over to the mailbox.
"Michi?" Jules read off the mailbox. "Michi?! It should say Brown!"
"Where is everyone?" Verne asked and watched his brother run to the DeLorean. Jules pulled his laptop out of the car and started typing away like mad at it.
"Okay…Emmett Brown…Hill Valley, California…found him!" Jules exclaimed and Verne went over to the laptop. "Obviously father and mother don't live in that house anymore, which means we don't live here anymore. It says here that father lives on John F. Kennedy Drive next to the Burger King."
"This is nuts Jules," Verne said, shaking his head. The two then drove the DeLorean over to JFK Dr. in order to find their father. The boys were getting more and more worried every time they thought back to the other family in their house. Soon the two pulled up next to an old looking garage. Jules was the first to knock on the door.
"Hello there," a man said as he opened the door and saw the boys. Jules and Verne gaped at their not-so-father. This man was Doc but not the Doc they had known all their lives. He was the same age but his physical appearance was vastly different. This Doc looked like the stereotypical "old man" with twice the wrinkles and a fat gut. He also wore glasses in front of his squinty eyes and had a cane. His white hair was cut in a different style and the learning spark in his eyes was gone without a trace.
"Dad?" Jules and Verne asked at the same time.
"Dad?" Doc said and produced a wheezy laugh. "I'm afraid you are mistaken boys, I don't have any children. I don't even have a wife!"
"WHAT!" Verne shouted in disbelief.
"Keep your voice down kid," Doc said. "I haven't gone deaf…yet. Anywho, what do you two boys want?"
"To ask you something," Jules said, his face was a pale color. "Are you a scientist Doctor Brown?"
"Mr. Brown not Doctor Brown," Doc said. "And no I am not a scientist, all my teachers said I should have been, but I never got interested in it."
"Thank you fath-… Doc-…. Mr. Brown," Jules said and pulled Verne away from the garage. Doc stood there, leaning on his cane, wondering what that was all about. Giving up, he retreated back into his garage and turned up the radio to listen to jazz.
Jules pulled Verne by the arm all the way back to the DeLorean. They got inside and Jules put his face in his hands and shook his head. Verne watched him, knowing that his brother only did this when he was stressed about something.
"Verne," Jules began. "I think we may have disrupted the space-time continuem."
"Huh?" Verne asked.
"Our actions in the past created a different future," Jules explained. "I shouldn't of said it was okay to talk to our father… evidently one of us did something that caused father to become-"
"An old fart," Verne said and crossed his arms.
"Exactly," Jules said. "But that's not the worst part. You see if father never became a scientist then he never invented the time machines. If father never invented the time machines then he never wound up in 1885 and met mother. Father from this reality said that he didn't have any children so… you and I don't exist here."
Verne gulped.
"But we're alive now," Verne pointed out and Jules took out his laptop again to check something.
"Yes we are but according to my calculations both of us will erase from existence in exactly…six hours," Jules said and his face grew pale again. "Verne did you do anything?"
"Why are you blaming me?" Verne said a little disgusted.
"I'm not I'm just..," Jules made an exasperated sound and gripped the steering wheel of the DeLorean tighter. "I am trying to make sense of things Verne. We both remained incognito when following father until we actually talked to him. After that, I don't know what we…the electric socket!"
"What?" Verne asked, his brother was beginning to sound crazy.
"Brother you remember when we were listening to jazz with eleven-year-old father," Jules began, his eyes growing wide as he came to the answer. "The phonograph kept malfunctioning and young father went to examine it. The electrical socket gained his attention and he went to touch it and… YOU STOPPED HIM VERNE!"
"Well excuse me for saving pop from getting zapped!" Verne shouted back.
"Don't you understand!" Jules shouted. "Father was supposed to get electrocuted because that is what got him fascinated with science. Science is what gave father character and what gave him a reason to live but now… he's not the same."
"I'm sorry Jules," Verne said softly. "I didn't mean to mess up the space-time thingy."
"I know you didn't Verne," Jules said. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."
Verne got an idea.
"Hey Jules! I know what we can do," Verne began, now smiling. "Let's go back to 1931 and make dad get interested in science. You know, put history back on track."
"Brilliant Verne!" Jules said as he set the time circuits and speeded the DeLorean back to 88.
Hill Valley, California
April 1, 1931
2:29 PM
Jules and Verne came back two minutes after they technically left. They parked the DeLorean and ran back up to the mansion. Before the two knocked on the door, they talked about their plan for Operation Doc.
"Okay Verne, don't encourage father until I give the signal," Jules said.
"What's the signal?" Verne asked.
Jules clapped his hands twice.
"Got it," Verne said and knocked on the front door. The door opened to reveal their grandfather standing there in afternoon attire. He eyed the boys with suspicion, probably since his wife told him they roughhoused with Emmett.
"Good afternoon Mr. Brown," Jules said and shook the man's hand. "Is Emmett still home?"
"Yes he's upstairs," Mr. Brown answered and his gaze grew more suspicious. "I swear that I saw you two boys leave only a few minutes ago-"
"No you didn't," Verne said and then realized that he had to be polite. "I mean… you probably just imagined it sir."
With that Jules and Verne went up the stairs as calmly as they could. Young Doc was still in his bedroom listening to music while turning the pages of a Jules Verne novel. The boys entered the room and startled Young Doc.
"I thought you two left," Young Doc said.
"Our um… father said we could stay over here a little longer," Jules lied and went over to the phonograph. Young Doc kept his eye on Jules until Verne distracted him with a joke. This was the first step in Operation Doc.
While Verne was distracting Young Doc, Jules was booby trapping the electric socket. Jules pulled out his handy-dandy swiss army knife (a device he purchased without his parents' consent) and pulled apart the socket. He put it together again but faultied the wiring so it would definetly electrocute someone. To be truthful, Jules felt guilty that he was playing this trick on his loving father but he knew that it had to be done.
"To get to the other side! Get it?" Verne said and laughed. Young Doc seemed puzzled about the joke. Wouldn't a farmer be watching the chicken to prevent it from being hit by a car?
Verne glanced over at Jules and saw his brother clap his hands twice. The signal.
"Hey Emmett," Verne began and faked a mischievous expression. "I dare you to touch that electric socket."
Young Doc looked over at the socket and seemed to think for a moment.
"I'm sorry but I don't take dares," Young Doc said. "My mother says gentlemen don't."
"Crud," Verne muttered under his breath. What were they going to do now? Verne looked at his brother for help but Jules seemed to be distracted by his hands. The two appendages were growing paler and seemed to grow transparent! Jules quickly shoved them into his pockets and shot Verne a glance that said: "Think of something and fast!"
"Okay so you don't take dares," Verne started off and changed his tone to a manipulating one. "But doesn't that socket make you curious? Those things are all over the house and you see your mom and dad plug things into them. What is inside that socket that powers the stuff plugged into it? Don't you want to know? Go ahead and see."
Verne's speech did it.
Young Doc's curiosity was ignited again and the boy walked over to the socket and knelt down. Slowly, Emmett produced his index finger, reached out with it, and put it into the socket. Immediately there was a flash and Young Doc's body seemed to grow rigid and then fell to the floor with a thud.
"Holy cow did we kill him!?" Verne shouted but then he saw his father bolt up into a sitting position. Young Doc turned his head this way and that and scrambled to his feet. When he faced the boys, his eyes were wild and the spark that Jules and Verne knew all too well was back in his eyes.
"Great… Scott! What happened to me? Hold on, don't answer that" Young Doc said in a fast voice and rushed over to his desk. He pulled a dusty never-been-used science encyclopedia from a shelf and hurried through the pages. Every few seconds he muttered "fascinating" or "Great scott, I didn't know that!". Jules and Verne smiled at each other and quietly left the room.
The two brothers hoped into the DeLorean and buckled up. Jules took his hands out of his pockets and stared at them long and hard. They were back to normal and the eleven-year-old sighed. This meant that things were back to normal and their mistake was corrected.
Hill Valley, California
July 23, 1992
1:45 PM
Jules and Verne returned home and parked the DeLorean in the front lawn. The first thing they did was dash over to the mailbox and read the name printed on it:
BROWN
"Thank godness," Jules sighed and hurried with Verne to the lab. The two peeked inside and saw their father, shoulder length white hair and lab coat over eccentric clothes, working on the invention like he had when they originally left.
"Father!" Jules shouted.
"Dad!" Verne shouted.
Doc turned around to have his two sons embrace him tightly. He was a little surprised because his boys usually didn't hug him like this but he smiled and ruffled both Jules and Verne's hair.
"What is with the physical embrace boys?" the scientist asked.
"We just… missed you," Verne said, careful to not reveal what they had been doing. "Pop I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Doc asked as his sons let go of him.
"Sorry for askin' you about what you were like as a kid," Verne said. Doc gave him a smile and kneeled down to the boy's height.
"There's no need to apologize Verny," Doc said. "My childhood wasn't really enjoyable and I didn't have any pleasant memmories to share with you and Jules. In fact the only good thing I can remember about my days as a child is when I befriended two boys that looked… an awful like you two." Doc finished and cast a suspicious glance at Jules and Verne.
END