Author's Note: The night before returning from the Old West, Marty despairs his own mortality.

September 6, 1885
8:30 PM PST

Marty sighed, as he stared into the campfire. He just wished that he could have some marshmallows. He was so tired of being stuck in this era. He vowed that, once he and Doc returned to 1985, he wouldn't do any more time travelling. It simply wasn't all too fun. Quite desperately, he hoped for Doc's plan to work. He just felt very homesick.

"How are you feeling, Marty," Doc asked, very gently. As Marty looked up, he added, "I notice that you've been so quiet. I suppose the past few weeks haven't really been that, uh, all that easy for you. Why don't you, uh, just tell me what's on your mind?"

"I simply want to go home," whimpered Marty, as tears filled his eyes. "I miss Jennifer, and I miss my family. I really don't like being here, Doc." As his lips began to quiver, he added, "I'm scared, Doc. I mean, what if Buford does end up killing me. I just feel..."

"I'm sorry, Marty," murmured Doc, as he drew the teen close to him. "I hope, though, that you'll consider what we've discussed. I really do care about you, Marty. For over ten years, we've been very close. From my end, it's actually been over thirty years. I would hate for anything bad to happen to you. I want you to have a good future."

"I quite miss Jennifer, Doc," Marty commented, sobbing. "Oh, Doc, why did we have to leave her there? Why couldn't she have come with us? What would've really been the harm, Doc? What if someone was to find her, and... and rape her... or kill her?"

"She'll be fine, Marty," Doc replied, softly. "We got the almanac back from Biff. Don't you remember? The timeline has returned to normal. It'll really have changed around her. After we go back to 1985, your girlfriend will be completely safe and sound."

"How can we be sure about that, Doc?" Marty insisted, tearfully. "Also, I just miss my family. Oh, Doc, did you have to drag me off to 2015? You could've just told me what happened, and I would've quite had thirty years to stop that. I could've told Marty Jr to stay away from the cafe, or something like that. I just barely had a chance, Doc!"

"I'm sorry, Marty," murmured Doc. "I just didn't think everything through. I admit that I simply got a little, uh, too ahead of myself. It maybe would've been better for me to just tell you, sort of like what you tried to do for me... back when you were in 1955."

"Oh, Doc, I'm so scared," Marty sobbed, as he quickly threw his arms around his older friend. "What exactly happens to me, Doc? Biff says that I took my life, and flushed it down the toilet. Please, Doc, what happens to me? I really do need to know what..."

"I'm not going to tell you what exactly happened," Doc replied, softly. "If you were to avert one accident... Well, there's still the possibility that you could end up in another accident. Perhaps, the accident might turn out to be even worse. Now, Marty, I want you to have a good future. Still, we simply can't rely on the time machine to just..."

Marty just wept, as he wasn't quite certain of what to say. It sounded like his scientist friend really meant well. Still, he simply couldn't understand why Doc couldn't be a little more straight-forward. For one, he certainly wanted to have a more confident son.

"I don't want to hurt you, Marty," explained Doc. "I sure can remember the day that I first met you. Well, the day that we offically first met - back in 1975. I rather felt for you. You were so small... and so vulnerable. It's hard to believe how the time..."

Marty did, in fact, remember that day. From what he remembered, in both timelines, he met Doc the same way. He was being bullied by Cliff Tannen and his gang. At the time, the boys sure seemed to be huge. Marty's older brother, Dave, was a common target of them - especially in the original timeline, when he just took after his father.

As Marty thought of the last few weeks, he just couldn't stop crying. While he had to admit that he was happy to have a more successful family, he really couldn't help but wonder if it was even worth it. He never again wanted to take a trip through time.

"You're really upset, aren't you?" Doc asked, softly. "Well, after we get back to 1985, I plan to destroy the machine. I'm almost quite starting to regret the day that I hit my head. Where did the vision come from, anyway. It's caused nothing but trouble."

"I'm sorry, Doc," Marty replied, weeping. "Anyway, as frustrating as it was, it's really done a little good. I just miss my family. It'd quite be a lie, though, to say that I don't appreciate having a more successful family. Everyone is much happier. I do wish that I've had more time, though, to really enjoy that life. Was that too much to ask for?"

"No, I guess not," Doc replied, softly. "I was very careless, Marty, and I apologize. I also realized that I should've used the almanac to power the Mr. Fusion. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that. It actually would've made things easier, and Biff never..."

Marty was weeping too hard to answer. He certainly didn't wish to be too hard on his friend. He understood that Doc only had the best of intentions. It was just wrong for him to purchase the almanac, as well. Looking back, it was a foolish decision to make.

"The past eight months were very enjoyable," added Doc. "I'm certainly not going to deny that. It was like being able to live out a dream. I sure never counted on having to deal with the likes of Mad Dog Tannen. I guess I shouldn't've been that surprised, though. If you hadn't come back, Marty, I would've been shot. It's just very scary."

The mention of being shot made Marty shudder, as he thought of the next day. Until the night that the Libyan terrorists went after Doc, his life was never endangered. It seemed as if it was on numerous occasions, since then, that his life was threatened.

"When you saved my life," Doc continued, "I really felt that you were very brave. You should've been quite proud of yourself, Marty. It was entirely unnecessary, however, to tell Buford that you'd fight him. Nobody in this town cares about what he thinks."

"Seamus rather made me realize that," Marty replied, as he swallowed a sob. "He told me about what happened to his brother. His brother even had the same name as me, and he seemed to have the same problem. He ended up being stabbed, Doc. I do not want for that to also happen to me. I used to not even consider my... my mortality."

"Your ancestor's a real good man," Doc pointed out, softly. "When I first met Seamus, he was so polite. His wife was actually a little harder to warm up to, but they both are good people. You should be proud of your ancestry. Seamus really had good advice."

"Well, I guess you're right," Marty replied, as he wiped his eyes. "I mean, I knew that I had an ancestor named Martin - and I knew that I was really named after him. I just never thought much of my ancestry. It hadn't interested me all that much, before."

"In that case," Doc replied, sighing, "I suppose some good has really come out of time travelling. After all, you do quite have a better family. As for me, I got to spend eight months in my favourite historical era. However, I simply believe that the time machine needs to be destroyed. We certainly don't want to have another repeat of 1985-A."

"I swear, Doc," Marty commented, swallowing, "after I get home, I'm simply going to spend a pretty long time getting myself adjusted to... Well, my memories of the new timeline are actually becoming almost as strong as... as the original. Still, I really..."

"I understand what you're saying, Marty," Doc replied, softly. "In all honesty, I simply feel as though I'm ready to... Well, as much as I do enjoy this era, I must admit that I really am starting to miss the modern life. After all, the technically is more advanced."

"I miss my rock and roll," Marty replied, as tears filled his eyes. "I just miss being able to turn on the radio, and hear some music that I can really get down to. In a strange sort of way, I'm really starting to miss school. I never thought that I'd say it, but this era is really starting to... What if our plan doesn't work, Doc, and we're stuck here?"

"Hey, do you remember what your father and I have always taught you?" Doc asked, softly. "In the original timeline, I suppose it was actually just me. If you put your mind to it, Marty, you can accomplish anything. You can't be so quick to get discouraged."

"I guess you're right, Doc," Marty replied, swallowing. "I'm usually not like this. I try to be confident. The last few weeks, though... I barely had much of a chance to recover from my original stay in 1955. I just miss being in 1985, and all the things that I love."

"Just try to cheer up, Marty," suggested Doc, as he rubbed Marty's shoulders. "If you would like me to, I could make us some lemonade. It'll sure be a refreshing drink. Don't fret, okay? Just try to think of happy thoughts. I promise you that, after we return to 1985, I won't drag you on any more time travel trips. I'll let you enjoy the present."

"All right, Doc," Marty replied, as he managed a small smile. "You're a real good friend, and I understand that you really just want the best for me. I will hold you to that promise, though. Anyway, I'm getting pretty thirsty. Lemonade sounds fine with me."

"Well, in that case," Doc replied, as he stood up, "you wait right here. I'll be back. It really is a great evening, and we could gaze at the stars. The one thing that I enjoy about this time period, is that pollution isn't a big problem. I shouldn't be gone long."

Marty smiled, as Doc stood up. He still was feeling apprehensive about tomorrow. Still, he figured that it was best to maintain an optimistic attitude. If anything, the past few weeks have made him into a rather stronger person. He thought of his namesake, and he vowed to not let the same fate befall him. He wished to have a real fulfilling future.