Disclaimer: One day, I'ma be sooo rich I'll buy Back to the Future!!
R&R=LOVE!!
*author's note*
Thanks for the great reviews you guys gave chapter 1! I really appreciate them, they make my day!!
2015—The Courthouse Mall, Bella Rosa Restaurant
October 21st, 5:00pm
Downtown Hill Valley was buzzing with late afternoon activity. People were everywhere, going in and out of shops, talking and milling about on the sidewalks, loitering on corners. Grounded hover-cars zoomed across the blacktop making almost no noise at all, and above a cluster of shops a giant holographic projection was rattling off advertisements and current events. Marty and Amelia stood in awe, staring openmouthed as a Toyota commercial materialized out of thin air. A loud echoing voice boomed above them and announced that "For just $9,000,000 a month" the new 2016 Toyota Matrix could be theirs. The changes weren't limited to hover-cars and holographs, however. In the thirty years they had skipped, downtown Hill Valley had undergone quite the facelift. The old Texaco gas station was now being operated completely by robots, Essex adult movie theatre had been converted into a Holomax Virtual Reality Theatre, and the old aerobics gym had been turned into a restaurant called The Café 80's. And standing at the center of all the bustling activity was the Hill Valley Courthouse, or rather, the new and improved Hill Valley Courthouse Mall. 75 subterranean shops and restaurants all located under a manmade lake picturesquely situated in front of the courthouse steps.
"This is bitchin'" Marty said, leaning over the water. The bottom of the lake was made of glass and they could see the shoppers below scurrying about. "I wonder how they keep the glass from breaking."
"I don't know," Amelia said distractedly, standing on her tiptoes and straining her neck, "steel reinforcement probably—Hey, do you see Jennifer anywhere?"
Marty straightened up and looked around the crowded square. He saw plenty of women, old, young, skinny, fat, but none of them looked like they could be an older version of Jennifer.
"Nope," he said, frowning. He looked at his watch, "we still have about a half an hour. Calm down, Aims…why are you so worked up?"
"I don't know," Amelia said, sitting down on one of the big rocks surrounding the lake. "I…I just don't want anything terrible to happen."
"All we gotta do is steal a piece of paper, right?" Marty sat down next to her, "How hard can that be? Our future will be fine."
Amelia looked at him. Emmett had said the words, she had read them in the newspaper, but the fact that they were destined to be married hadn't hit her until Marty had said "our" future. They had just started dating and suddenly marriage and children and real life were being thrust in their faces. Amelia felt overwhelmed by the whole thing, overwhelmed and a little scared. Marty would be her first and apparently last boyfriend. The thought was uncomfortably limiting. Not that she thought Marty couldn't make her happy, that wasn't the case at all. They were just so young, too young to be worrying about mortgage payments and diapers. Amelia didn't want to think of her youth as something as fleeting as it was turning out to be.
Marty turned away after the words "our future" had accidentally escaped his lips. He concentrated hard on the holographic projector, embarrassed to look at her. They were in such an awkward position and Marty slightly resented Emmett for putting them there. Why couldn't Emmett figure out how to stop Jennifer all by himself? Why did he have to drag them into this mess, tell them how they end up in thirty years, and create an aurora of discomfort so thick Marty could cut it with a knife? They had just started dating; marriage was the furthest thing from his mind! (The closest was a dark movie theatre where no one could see them) All he wanted to do was have fun and get to know Amelia better, but the knowledge of them as future husband and wife dumped a lot of fun killing expectations on his shoulders. At least, Marty felt it did.
"Do you want to go walk around the mall while we're waiting?" Amelia asked timidly, interrupting his thoughts.
"What? Yeah, sounds great."
They hopped off the rock and silently headed for the tunnel leading beneath the lake, both still preoccupied with their own thoughts. Marty took her hand halfway down the steps but didn't look at her. Amelia felt how mechanical the motion was and knew he was thinking along the same lines she was. It didn't necessarily make her feel any better, but it was nice to know her thoughts weren't grossly irrational.
The stairs evened out to flat ground and the tunnel opened into a spacious shopping pavilion. The ceiling was roughly fifty or sixty feet high and capped with the glass bottom of the lake. They looked up and saw fish swimming close to the glass, bumping up against the clear surface in confusion before wiggling out of sight. The length of the pavilion stretched on for about a mile or so with the shop fronts lining the walls and the restaurants located down the center. Amelia immediately spotted Bella Rosa restaurant with its Tuscan design and loud, somewhat overbearing Italian themed music.
"How much time do we have left?" Amelia asked impatiently.
"Twenty minutes or so," Marty said, checking his watch again. Amelia sighed heavily.
They started to wander around, making sure to keep close to the restaurant. None of the shops near them were particularly interesting but they stopped and "window shopped" in front of every display they could in the hopes of killing time. Marty and Amelia were studying a vacuum cleaner kiosk when someone calling Marty's name made them jump.
"Hey, McFly!"
Marty tensed and turned around slowly. Two very familiar figures stood behind him, but what they were doing together Marty had no idea. Biff and Needles, even though they had an age gap of about forty years, both looked no more than eighteen. It was impossible. How could they be in the same time period…unless... Comprehension practically punched Marty in the stomach. He wasn't looking at Biff and Needles; he was looking at their descendants. Marty stared at them, dumfounded.
"Look at him, Nate," the Biff look-a-like said with a smirk, "he's so stupid he doesn't even know his own name!"
"I thought we told you never to come in here, McFly?" Nate Needles said. He was almost a carbon copy of his father. Except for his hair, he had Jennifer's hair color.
"Well…I…um…" Marty stuttered, too shocked to form sentences.
"Spit it out, McDweeb," Nate growled. "Or do Griff and I have to beat it outta you?" He balled his hands into fists and took a step forward.
Suddenly a voice came over the intercom system. The time is: 5:15pm. The time is: 5:15pm.
Nate froze and shot a glance in the direction of the entrance tunnel. Jennifer and Needles had appeared and were walking toward the restaurant. Marty watched Nate's inner struggle rage. On the one hand, he had a McFly who was blatantly disregarding his authority and needed to be taught a lesson via a good old fashioned beating. One the other, his parents had just entered the mall and being grounded was one of Nate's least favorite hobbies. Turning back to Marty, he glared for several seconds before allow his hands to relax.
"Tell you what, McFly," Nate sneered, getting up in Marty's face, "Griff and I are feeling generous today. If you and you're girlfriend are outta here by 5:45 we won't kill you. Sound good?"
Then he turned and marched off. Griff, who looked like someone had just canceled Christmas, slouched moodily after him.
"What the hell was that?" Amelia asked as soon as they were out of ear shot.
"I have no idea," Marty shook his head.
"Why did they want to beat you up?"
"I think they thought I was somebody else," Marty said, starting to move toward Bella Rosa.
"Who?"
"Well, we have a son don't we?" Marty said, recalling the USA Today article.
"Oh...yeah I guess we do." Amelia did remember seeing a boy in the photograph. His face, unlike the two girls', had been slightly out of focus but he had definitely been there.
They fell silent as they approached the restaurant, not wanting to give themselves away. The dining area was "open air", or "open pavilion" in this case, and they could see Jennifer and Needles sitting in a booth close to where the kitchen building was. Giving them a wide berth, Marty and Amelia crept through the throngs of dining guests and sunk into the booth directly behind them. Jennifer and Needles were already talking.
"—can't see how this is going to solve anything," Needles muttered.
"Of course you can't," Jennifer said bitterly. They heard papers rustling.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Doug, I'm not fighting with you right now, alright? He'll be here any minute," Jennifer's voice held a tense excitement.
"Who's fighting? I just don't get why he's still such a thorn in your side. It's been thirty years for Christ's sake."
There was a slam. Jennifer must have banged on the table.
"Damnit, Doug! If you're not going to help me than get the hell out of here!" Jennifer whispered harshly. She may as well have shouted.
"I'll help you," Needles voice softened with defeat. "You know I'd do anything for you, babe."
There was a moment of strained silence.
"Where's the waitress," Jennifer snapped, changing the subject. "I need some wine."
Amelia and Marty exchanged a look. Despite the fact that she was minutes away from ruining their future, they felt tremendously sorry for Jennifer. She had been their best friend, now look at her. In a marriage she clearly didn't want, consumed with anger, depressed…the guilt they felt was overwhelming. Even if they did manage to save their own future, what would become of Jennifer? Where would she end up?
Amelia slumped back in her seat. As she did, she caught a glimpse of something white peeking out from Jennifer's side of the booth. The insurance policy! Nudging Marty, she hunched over and prepared to make a grab at it. Her hand was inches away when Marty yanked her back. The next moment, a shockingly familiar figure strolled by and plopped himself in Jennifer's booth.
Marty wasn't sure how it felt to have a heart attack but he was certain the experience must be something like watching a forty-seven-year-old version of yourself walk into an Italian restaurant. When he first spotted himself strolling toward Jennifer's booth all the air escaped from his lungs. He forgot where he was and what he was doing. All he could see was his face, his much older face, striding confidently toward the back of the seating area. Then, in a fleeting moment of consciousness, he remembered Amelia and pulled her back to the safety of their booth.
"Was that…you?" Amelia whispered when they heard the soft whoosh of someone sitting down.
"Yeah," Marty breathed back. He tried to call his future face to mind but shock didn't permit it.
"They're talking again."
A low mumbled of voice had begun on the other side of the backrest. Marty and Amelia strained their ears to hear.
"—afternoon, Doug, Jennifer," Marty's voice came from the other side of the booth. It was strange to say the least.
"Good afternoon, Mr. McFly," Jennifer said with all the ice and formality she could muster.
"Afternoon," Needles added.
"Well, suppose we should get down to business. My wife and I have plans tonight so I'm afraid I can't stay very long."
"It will take two minutes I assure you. I have the papers right here, all you have to do is sign them." They heard Jennifer scoop up the papers and hand them across the table.
"Do you mind if I read them first?"
There was a tense silence.
"I thought you had to get home?" Jennifer said with a forced calm. She sounded like time-bomb that could go off at any moment.
"Well…I was hoping that you and Dou—Mr. Needles would let me take them to Amelia first before we agreed on anything."
"I assure you, Mr. McFly," Jennifer said tersely, "that we at Millennium Insurance take great pride in our paper work. There is absolutely nothing out of order."
"Oh I know, I just think Amelia will want to look at it that's all. I don't think that's too unreasonable."
"We—"
"Neither do I," Needles interjected, "take as much time as you need, Mr. McFly."
"Thank you. I'm sorry about this but I really have to go. I'll fax these to you as soon as I can." Marty pushed off the bench. "Goodbye, Jennifer."
"Good bye," the words were cold.
Future Marty strode past them again, the insurance papers grasped tightly in his hand. Marty and Amelia scrambled as quietly as they could out of the booth and hurried to follow him.
"Take as long as you want? If you weren't my husband I'd fire you!" They heard Jennifer snap as they half ran half walked out of Bella Rosa.
"Where the hell did you go?" Amelia asked as they rejoined the crowds of shoppers.
"Over there!" Marty exclaimed suddenly, pointing at his own retreating back.
Marty and Amelia began to make their way across the pavilion, keeping one eye on future Marty's back at all times. They were halfway to the tunnel when fate took a very nasty turn.
"Hey, McFly, I thought I told you to be outta here by 5:45? It's 5:46, princess, know what that means? Game over!"
