November 12, 1885
9:45 PM PST

Emmett Lloyd Brown smiled, as he and Clara Catherine Clayton were actually nearing downtown. He caught sight of the clock, which sure had yet to be installed inside the courthouse. However, it had been running for almost two months. He simply thought of how that clock would become a major legacy of Hill Valley. It was very fascinating.

"You really like looking at that clock, don't you?" Clara asked, softly. "I think it's a little sad, thinking of how... lightning will strike the clock. It actually feels so good to know, though - that the clock will be remembered with fondness. I guess that would be a..."

"The clock is only part of it," Emmett replied, softly. "Although, of course, it sure has a lot of significance for me - as well as Marty, I'm sure. After all, we both did just end up living through that day twice - and Marty wasn't even born, yet! It's just a rather..."

"Oh, yeah, you told me about that," Clara replied, in a near whisper. "You did mention just how tough it was, avoiding your other selves. I was quite thinking of how strange it really might be... if one of our children actually came from the future. Now, you said that Marty's parents never knew about the time machine? I just can imagine that it..."

"It would definitely make Lorraine feel very uneasy, to say the least," replied Emmett. "After all, when you simply consider how she ended up falling in... At least, if our children were to come back, we... Well, we already know about time travel - and..."

"I'm quite glad that you decided to start working on that train," commented Clara. "I'm sure that Marty rather miss you. With the time train, though... Well, he wouldn't have to wait long at all. Man, this time travel stuff can get very... very confusing for me."

"I can understand that," Doc replied, gently. "You're really doing a good job, though - with thinking fourth-dimensionally. I'm glad that you really convinced to to build a new time machine. Goodness, I really hope Marty is fine! I hope I didn't send him back at a bad time. I would feel so responsible, if it turned out that Marty ended up getting..."

"You should stop fretting about that, Emmett," Clara suggested. "You could go back in time, and save him - if... You told me about how he saved your life, a couple times. At least, it wouldn't be a lost cause. Well, I'm so glad that you invented a time machine."

Emmett swallowed, as he thought of what he hadn't yet told Clara. He never told her about how, in the original timeline, she actually ended up falling into the ravine. After all, there simply was no easy to tell her - and it would, without a doubt, disturb her.

The other thing he never told her about - was how he had already saved Marty's life, once. It was when he and Marty were in the version of 1985 where Biff Tannen quite became rich and corrupt. In one timeline, Biff shot Marty - and then simply decided to threw him off the roof of casino hotel. Fortunately, he managed to change all that.

"Are you feeling all right, Emmett?" Clara asked, softly. "Perhaps, we should head into the saloon. I could simply go for some raspberry cordial, and you could... Well, maybe you could go for some sarsaparilla. It might rather help calm your nerves, a little bit."

"In a little while, Clara," whispered Emmett. "First, I wish to salute the clock tower. It's a little strange to think of how, seventy years from today, lightning will strike the clock tower. In fact, that moment will be simply a few minutes away. It's almost that time."

"It's a good thing I don't mind the dark," replied Clara. "It is a clear evening, and I just love how the stars are shining. Well, I'm so glad that you and I went to that festival. I think it's a... It sure feels so strange, thinking of how much I rather know about the... future. It's scary to think that we have two major world wars coming up, and it's a..."

"Let's just not think about it, right now," suggested Emmett. Upon realizing something else, he added, "This was also the day that I left Marty in 1955. In fact, it's now 9:54 PM. This was precisely the time that lightning hit the time machine, causing me to..."

"I'm certain that it was a little frightening for him," Clara commented. "Well, it's sure a good thing that Western Union did follow through on giving him that letter. I'm almost a little sorry that I won't ever get to visit that day. However, I suppose it would..."

"Well, it would be a little too risky," pointed out Emmett. "The first time around, Marty was busy trying to make his parents fall in love. Then, the second time around, Marty had to get a sports almanac back from Biff. Who, if you can recall, is the man who will be Bufurd's descendant. Unfortunately, the Tannens don't seem to get any better."

"I really can't say I'm too surprised about that," Clara replied, grimacing. "What about young Tiff, though? She is being raised by her mother, thankfully - even if her mother is a bit too much of a Buford apologist. I wonder if he's fathered any other children."

"I wouldn't be too surprised, if he did," scoffed Emmett. "That Buford always was too much of a womanizer. I'm very certain that he has a lot of illegitimate children. I can't see that too many of them would take on the 'Tannen' surname, though. I'm not..."

"Well, I don't think behaviour is really that hereditary," pointed out Clara. "I just hope that most of them would... While it is true that some people rather appear to be more naturally evil than others, I think a person's upbringing would also simply have a lot to do with how they turn out. At any rate, we should think more pleasant thoughts."

"I agree," Emmett replied, softly. Just then, the clock began to chime. Emmett smiled, just as he realized that the time was almost there. "In four minutes, it will be precisely the seventy year reverse anniversary of when lightning struck... will strike... that..."

"I'm so happy we don't have a lightning storm," whispered Clara. "So, did you say that there are some people who are... wishing to fix that clock? Or replace it? I would quite hate to see it get replaced, but I certainly would not mind seeing it get fixed. I just..."

"As of 1985," Emmett began to say. "Actually, as of 2015 - having taken a trip to the future - the clock sure hasn't been replaced or fixed. There's this group of people, who call themselves The Hill Valley Preservation Society, that simply do take donations in order to keep the clock tower preserved as it is. They have been quite successful."

"You mean, will be quite successful," Clara replied, smiling. "Then again, with time travel being an actual concept to us, I do believe we should make up some new verbal tenses. As a schoolteacher, I tend to be a bit overly sensitive about grammar usage."

"I think it would just make things more complex," suggested Emmett, "and, thus, more confusing. I really see what you mean, though - and I quite remember how Marty had some problems with thinking fourth-dimensionally. I think time travel can be very..."

"I wasn't even familiar with the concept of time travel," explained Clara, "before I met you. You mentioned, though, about time travel becoming... Well, you quite said there will be more fictional works that include time travel as a concept. What do you think of those... types of works? Are they generally accurate depictions of time travel, or..."

"Generally, no," Emmett replied, softly. "I usually do not let it hinder my enjoyment of the works, though - unless there's a lot of internal inconsistency, which can bug me. I understand that, to the general populace, time travel is merely a fictional concept..."

"I do understand why you wouldn't want everyone knowing about time travel," replied Clara. "You told me about that real horrific world that Biff created - so, as such, if time travel were to fall into the wrong hands... It'd be a major disaster, to say the least."

"Right, exactly," Emmett replied, grimacing. "In fact, I felt so sorry for my counterpart - as well as that of Marty's. My counterpart has been committed to a... what would, in this era, be called an 'insane asylum'. I can't imagine what life for him was like, as... At least, Marty was sent to a boarding school - which really sounds far preferable to..."

"You most certainly don't strike me as insane, Emmett," Clara replied, softly. "Not that I'm against people who suffer from madness, since they can't help it - but... Well, you do function quite fine - even if some of your mannerisms might be a little... eccentric."

"In the future," Emmett explained, softly, "we refer to 'madness' as a 'mental illness' - and I do agree that these people can't quite help their... their condition. With medical advances, we have more efficient ways to treat the condition - which is wonderful."

"It is," Clara agreed, nodding. As she glanced up, she added, "Only one more minute to go, until... You said that 10:04 PM was the fateful time?" Emmett simply smiled, as he turned toward the clock. He then saw the long hand advance one minute. "I quite feel as if... I'm so glad you suggested doing this with me, Emmett. This is incredible!"

"It is," whispered Emmett, as he kept his eyes focused on the clock. "I reckon that the casual onlooker would consider us to be rather... odd. However, there sure aren't too many people who can... Well, here's to another seventy years of life for that clock!"

"It really is a bittersweet experience," whispered Clara. "Well, why don't we head into the saloon - and grab a couple glasses of sarsaparilla? It sure would be a good way to celebrate the occasion, and... I understand how meaningful the moment is to you."

Emmett smiled, as the couple stepped into the saloon. While he did miss Marty, he felt as if he might as well make the most out of his secondary life. He looked quite forward to the day that he and Clara would tie the knot. Indeed, he sure had a lot to really be thankful for - and he quite realized that this was one of the happiest years of his life.