Chapter 12

One Year Later. . . .

July 15th

The Royal Palace

7:29 A.M.

"Marty. Marty, time to get up."

Marty vaguely heard a voice trying to pull him away from his dreams. He pushed his head deeper into the pillow, trying to drown it out. "Unghhh. . . ."

"Marty, come on. You can't be late today. Up and at 'em."

"No," Marty mumbled. He wasn't ready to get up yet. His bed was nice and soft, and he'd been running around like crazy these past few days. He deserved some rest.

"Marty! You have to get up!"

"Go 'way." Marty clutched at his pillow. "I'm tired."

There was a frustrated sigh from the voice. "Okay, I gave you your chance. . . ."

There was a flash of orange light – then, suddenly, gravity reversed itself. Marty yelped as he fell out of bed. Blinking and looking around, he saw Doc standing beside him, looking smug. He groaned and rubbed his head. "What were they thinking when they gave you a wand?"

"If I remember correctly, you were quite enthused with the prospect of me becoming your fairy godfather," Doc retorted.

"That was before I knew you were evil," Marty muttered, looking up at his bed, now stuck to the ceiling.

"I gave you plenty of chances to get up on your own. And you gave me specific instructions not to let you oversleep today, remember?"

"What? What's so special about-"

Marty's brain chose that moment to click back into gear. "Holy shit! The wedding!"

He scrambled to his feet, suddenly wide awake. "Oh, jeez, Jennifer would have killed me if I was late today! What time is it?" he demanded of a very amused-looking Doc. "And wipe that smirk off your face."

"It's only 7:30 A.M.," Doc assured him. "Plenty of time for you to get ready. I think Clara's getting your bath prepared now."

"Okay, good." Marty grabbed his robe and headed for the bathroom. "You mind getting my bed together?" Glancing at it, he added, "And, uh, back on the floor?"

"I don't know," Doc said with a mischievous smile. "I think it looks nice up there."

"Doc!"

"All right, all right." Doc brought the bed back down to earth with a bump. Marty shook his head and left to get cleaned up.

Clara was indeed in the bathroom, waiting for him by the tub. "I take it Emmett had to resort to drastic measures to get you up?" she greeted him.

Marty blushed. "Well, come on, you know I'm not a morning person," he defended himself.

"True, but it is your wedding day."

"Tell that to a soft pillow and a warm blanket." Marty shook his head. "Thanks for getting my bath ready."

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to it – I want to make sure there's no rain clouds moving in, then Jennifer insisted I help her with her dress."

Marty grinned. "I can't wait to finally see it. She's been bragging about it for ages. Though, really, as long as she showed up, I wouldn't care if she was wearing a burlap sack."

"You may not care, but she definitely does," Clara said. "I'll see you in a little while."

"Right. Have fun with the other girls." Marty gave her a parting wave, then disrobed and slipped into the bath. "Ahhh. . . ."

After a relaxing soak, he hopped out and hit a switch on the wall. A set of hot air blowers in the wall turned on, drying him within a couple of minutes. "Great invention, Doc," Marty said to himself, switching the system off and grabbing his robe.

He returned to his room to see Doc and George chatting together as Doc's orange magic cleaned up the room. George was already dressed in his white-jacketed tuxedo. "Hey, guys," Marty said. "Looking good, George."

George grinned. "Thanks. I just hope I don't spill anything on it," he said, picking at the jacket.

"Clara's a wonder at getting out stains," Doc told him. "I wouldn't worry."

"You gonna get dressed soon, Doc?" Marty asked, noting his friend's casual attire.

"Suppose I should," Doc said, also looking at his clothing. He flicked his wand, transforming it into an outfit much like he'd worn to the ball. "How's this?"

"Great."

"You ever do anything normally anymore?" George asked with a grin.

"Not if I can help it," Doc grinned back.

"Mind giving me a hand then?" Marty asked.

"Not at all." Doc pointed the wand at Marty and gave it a wave. A suit in blue and red appeared underneath the bathrobe. "What do you think?"

"Looks good to me," George said approvingly.

"Me too," Marty said, taking off the robe. "Though maybe we oughta get a third opinion. Just to be safe."

"I'll get Lorraine." George went over to the door and stuck his head out. "Lorry! Can you come here for a minute?"

Lorraine appeared, decked out in her favorite pink dress. "Hi George," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "What do you need?"

"A woman's opinion on the suit," George explained, motioning to Marty.

Lorraine looked it over and smiled. "Oh, that looks really good on you, Marty." She frowned momentarily, thoughtful. "Though maybe the vest could be a lighter red."

"Done," Doc said, making the change. "See, I do have fashion sense," he added playfully.

"For everyone but yourself," Lorraine retorted. Then she noticed something else. "Oh, hey, you forgot the shoes."

Marty grinned and went over to his closet. "No he didn't." He pulled out a familiar pair of white high-tops. "Like I'd get married in anything but these."

Lorraine giggled. "Good point."

Another castle servant poked his head around the door. "Master Martin, your aunt and uncle have arrived. Shall I show them up?"

"Oh, yeah! Please!" Marty pulled on his shoes as the boy disappeared. "Jesus, I haven't seen Uncle Dave and Aunt Linda in forever!"

"It hasn't been that long," Doc said. "Only about six months from their last visit."

"What with all the wedding planning, it feels like years." He chuckled. "Dave is gonna be over the moon about me being the next king now."

Sure enough, Dave was grinning from ear to ear as he entered the room. "Damn, and I thought it was fantastic when Seamus became the Marquis of Hill Valley! Talk about moving up in the world, eh Marty?"

"It's a lot nicer than where I was about a year ago," Marty agreed.

Linda hugged him. "We're sorry again about leaving you with those jackasses. I seriously thought you really had run away to get away from them."

"I was tempted to, a couple of times," Marty admitted. Then he looked around and grinned. "But all in all, I'm glad I stuck it out."

"Yeah, really!" Dave noticed Doc and George and held out a hand. "Hey, you two. How are things going?"

"Fine," George said. "We're really looking forward to the wedding."

"Same here."

"Marty's been telling us about your exploits, Doc. Are you really trying to invent new spells?" Linda asked, eyeing the scientist's wand.

"Yeah. We'd show you where all the fires were, but he's pretty good at cleaning up after himself," Marty deadpanned.

"Don't make me put your bed back on the ceiling, kid."

Dave chuckled. "Well then, you and Clara doing anything special for this? You know, besides standing up in the wedding party."

"We're pretty much staying behind the scenes here," Doc said. "Keeping flowers fresh, the sun shining – things like that."

"And fixing this shoe of mine," Marty added, holding up his foot. "You wouldn't believe Biff had gotten to it, would you?"

"Not at all. Oh, hey, speaking of the bastard, when we got here, I saw him in the stables," Dave commented, turning back to his nephew. "What was he doing there? I thought they were in the dungeons for life after their father got himself beheaded."

"Eh, Robert decided they could work off part of their sentence," Marty said with a shrug. "Better than just having them sit in a cell while we feed them, I guess."

"Oh." Dave smirked. "Ever go down there and order them around for a change?"

"Every so often," Marty admitted, grinning evilly.

Doc checked his pocket watch. "It's just after eight o'clock – the rest of the guests will be arriving soon."

"Better go down and start saying hello 50 million times," Marty nodded.

"I ought to get back to Jennifer myself," Lorraine said. "She'll need help with her makeup." She gave George another kiss. "I'll see you downstairs later."

"See ya," George said, watching her leave wistfully. "Boy, I can't wait until we get married in a couple of months."

"Trust me, George, with everything you have to do, the time will just fly by. Come on, everybody, we can talk on the way," Marty said, heading for the door himself. "What have you guys been up to during all this?"

The rest of the morning passed by in a flurry of activity. Marty greeted what felt like an innumerable number of guests, helped make a final check on the menu, and supervised setting up the reception in the ballroom. There was so much to do, he wondered for a moment if they'd ever actually get to the wedding.

But, eventually, noon arrived, and with it the ceremony. Everyone headed outside to the garden with the castle fountain. The guests took their seats while Marty took his place at the arch with the pastor. Doc and George stood next to him, while Clara and Lorraine stood on the other side. Looking around, Marty swallowed, trying to calm the sudden influx of butterflies in his stomach. Well, this is it. Married life. Sheesh, I hope I'm ready. . . .

The band started up the wedding march. Everyone turned to look as Robert and Jennifer appeared at the end of the aisle. Marty's breath caught in his throat. Jennifer looked like an angel, her long white dress shimmering in the sunlight and her veil fluttering out behind her. The butterflies vanished. Oh yeah. I'm ready.

He smiled widely as she made her way up to him. "You look gorgeous," he said quietly, taking her hands once she reached the altar.

"Thanks. You look really handsome yourself." Jennifer squeezed his hands lightly. "Oh, Marty, I'm so glad I found you."

"Same here, Jennifer. Same here."

The ceremony was short and sweet – not that Marty heard much of it, too busy looking into his bride's eyes. He just barely remembered to say "I do." Finally, the pastor announced, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Marty was only too happy to do that. The guests enthusiastically cheered the couple as they kissed. Robert stood up proudly. "My subjects, may I present your new King and Queen – Martin and Jennifer McFly!"

There was another, even louder cheer. Marty blushed slightly and waved. "Thanks, everybody. Now, who's up for a party?"

The reception was the most elaborate affair any of them had ever seen. There was a full orchestra, tables piled high with practically ever dish the royal chefs could make, and a wedding cake so tall Marty wasn't sure how they had managed to ice it. He and Jennifer spent most of their time passing between the guests' tables, thanking them for coming and accepting a few last-minute wedding gifts. "Whew! I think your dad went a little overboard," Marty admitted, as they collapsed at the head table for a rest before the dances started.

"I am his only child," Jennifer said, fanning herself. "Humor him."

"I'm trying. There's just so many people! I don't even know half of them."

"You will," Jennifer said with a smirk. "Once they start complaining."

"Ah jeez. At least I got to see my relatives again." Marty grinned over at one table in particular. "And the guy who kind of started it all. Thank God I crashed into him, huh?"

"Definitely," Jennifer agreed, looking at the pair. She frowned thoughtfully. "Though I don't think that girl was his date when he attended."

"How do you know?"

"They were the ones who spoke up for Clara when she was thrown to the ground by Buford. I know they were attending with different people."

Marty grinned. "Yeah, well, maybe ours wasn't the only romance started at that ball. We ought to know true love can hit anywhere."

Jennifer smiled back. "That's true." She raised his glass in a quiet toast. "To Victor Van Dort and Alice Liddell."

Marty did the same. "Lots of luck, you guys."

"So, how is the happy couple?"

Doc and Clara approached them, grinning. "All worn out from all that walking?" Doc continued.

"Getting there," Marty said, sipping his punch. "Have you seen George and Lorraine? We kind of lost track of them after coming in."

"They're at the buffet," Clara reported, motioning toward the couple. "It's a wonder George doesn't weigh as much as a boulder, the way he eats."

"Perhaps he retained the metabolism of a mouse?" Doc pondered.

"I think it's just getting enough to eat for a change," Marty said. "I packed it away myself when we first got here."

"How are you two doing?" Jennifer asked.

"Just fine," Clara said. "We came by to give you our wedding gifts."

"I thought you already got us that 'toaster' thingamabob," Marty said, looking over at the table storing all the boxes.

"Apparently it's also tradition to give a magical gift as well," Doc said, pulling out his wand. He waved it over the couple's heads. "You shall always keep each other's love and devotion, and the devotion of your subjects. Your reign shall be one of the longest and most prosperous this land had ever seen."

Marty grinned. "Now that's a wedding present! Not that I didn't like the toaster, mind. . . ."

"Thanks a lot, Doc," Jennifer nodded.

Clara raised her own wand, then hesitated. "I know what I want to add to that, but – well – when you have children, would you like a boy or a girl first?"

Marty and Jennifer blushed, then looked at each other. "Kids? Wow," Marty murmured. "Wasn't thinking about that. . . .do you care what we have first?"

"Not really," Jennifer said. Looking back at Clara, she suggested with a small shrug, "Maybe twins?"

"As you wish," Clara said, smiling and flourishing her wand. "A boy and a girl – who won't cry a lot."

Marty and Jennifer laughed. "Thanks – especially for that last bit."

"Well, we know who's most likely to get babysitter duty," Doc smirked.

The familiar sounds of the band warming up caught their attention. "Guess it's dance time," Marty said, getting back up. "Hey, Jen, think I could get a turn playing with those guys? Been a while since I had a chance."

"We'll see," Jennifer grinned. "Come on, Doc, Clara, let's have some fun."

Three hours later, after countless dances, cake, and Marty indeed getting his chance to show off his guitar-playing skills, the reception ended. Marty and Jennifer exited the castle down the main staircase to catch their honeymoon carriage, while the guests stood by and cheered. Marty waved at everyone as they descended, grinning broadly. Today was the best day of his life. He was married to the girl of his dreams, assured of a prosperous rule, and –

And why did his foot feel cold?

Marty looked down at his suddenly-unclad foot, then behind him to see his shoe abandoned a few steps back. He went back and retrieved it admist the laughter of the guests. "Just figures this would happen," he muttered, rejoining a giggling Jennifer.

Doc, Clara, George, and Lorraine were waiting by the carriage for them. "Almost forgot something, huh?" George teased, opening the door.

"Oh, hush, mouse-boy," Marty said, getting in.

"No, I'm glad it happened," George said, following Jennifer inside. "It makes a great ending."

"Huh?"

"George is writing down everything that happened," Lorraine explained, settling herself into a seat. "As a fairy tale."

"Oh, that's interesting," Clara said, smiling at George.

"Get out of town, I didn't know you did anything creative," Marty said with a grin of his own.

"I like to write," George said with a slight blush. "Everybody I've shown it to so far likes it – except for one thing."

"What?" Doc asked, shutting the door after making sure everyone was in.

"Well – I dunno what it is, but they all have trouble believing this sort of thing could happen to a boy. I guess everybody expects fairy godmother stories to be about girls." George shrugged. "Sometimes, I still don't get humans."

"Neither do I, frankly," Marty said, shrugging back. "If you want to make me a girl and Jennifer a boy, it doesn't bother me."

"Me either," Jennifer nodded, snuggling up to Marty. "So long as everyone gets their happily ever after."

"Yeah," Marty agreed, kissing her.

George grinned. "Of course there's a happily ever after. Now, about the title –

How does Cinderella sound to you?"

The End