1985. Hill Valley, California. 10:05pm.

"Wooohooo!" Emmett 'Doc' Brown shouted as he ran, flailing his arms, through the trail of fire left by the DeLorean.

Just then, a van screeched across the parking lot, the side door slid open as it quickly approached.

Doc watched the van, he knew it was coming and what was about to happen next, but a strange swooshing grinding noise not far behind him distracted his attention. He turned his head and stared in bewilderment as a blue box with a flashing white light on top slowly materialized.

A gun shot rang out.

Doc turned and glared at the shooter crouched in the van. He clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground, his arms and legs sprawled out on either side of him.

"No!" Marty shouted and sprinted out of the TARDIS. As he ran to Doc, he watched the van speed away.

Jack jogged up beside Marty with his own pistol drawn, but there was nothing he could do, the van was already a long way away. "Is he…?" He asked Marty.

Marty mumbled something about how he wished Doc had listened and read his letter, and how he wished that he could have appeared just one minute sooner. He looked up at Jack. "Take me back."

"What?"

"Take me back to ten minutes ago," Marty said as he climbed to his feet.

"Oh." Jack grimaced as he looked at the hurt expression of the young time traveler. "I can't."

"Wha-what do you mean you can't?" Marty narrowed his eyes. Now he was even angrier.

"Well there are rules about not crossing your own timeline. If we went back even ten minutes, eventually another set of us would appear and…" He paused and sighed. "If the Doctor were here, he would be able to explain it. I'm sorry."

Marty was about to yell at Jack, but he stopped short when he heard a moan. He crouched down. "Doc?"

"I…read your letter, Marty," Doc said as he opened his eyes and rubbed his head.

"Doc! Oh Doc, you're alive!" Marty was so happy and relieved, he hugged the crazy inventor. "How…?"

Doc pulled open his shirt and revealed the bullet-proof vest underneath. He grinned and climbed to his feet. "It worked, Marty!" He grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "The time machine really worked! Oh," he spun on his heel, "time travel is possible and we did it!" He looked around with a perplexed look, completely ignoring a smirking Jack. "Where is the DeLorean, Marty?"

"Oh. Yeah. About that." He ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled nervously. "I kinda got into an accident."

"An accident?!" Doc stared at Marty with his bugged out in shock at what he was hearing.

"Well, I was heading back from 1955 when I sort of…crashed into that." He pointed to the TARDIS parked behind Jack.

"Don't worry, I have insurance," Jack said with amusement. He held out his hand to Doc. "Captain Jack Harkness."

Doc was speechless as he stared at the TARDIS with his mouth agape as he remembered watching the box materialize out of the thin air. He focused on Jack and shook his hand. "Doctor Emmett Brown," he said. "Marty," he released Jack's hand and looked at Marty, "where is the DeLorean?"

"It's in here," Jack said and headed back to the TARDIS all the while thinking that the Doctor should be here doing this, but nooooo, he had to ditch him with his mess to clean up. Jack opened the doors and strode inside leaving both doors wide open.

Doc and Marty waited outside, but the curious Emmett took a step closer and peered inside. "Great Scott," he whispered when he saw the golden interior that was too impossible to be there.

Then the DeLorean appeared in the doorway…hovering on its side. Slowly, it glided out the doors and when it was clear of the police box, Jack walked around to a black plate affixed to the underside of the car.

He pushed a button on the plate and the car slowly tilted over and lowered until it was on all four wheels once again. "Hover plates," Jack said with a wink at Doc. "Never travel through space and time without em." He pushed another button and the plates fell off the car.

"Hover plates?" Doc cupped his chin in thought. "That gives me an idea for a future improvement."

"You'll have to get your own," Jack said as he gathered up the plates and chucked them back into the TARDIS. "These belong to the Doctor."

"Wait. How did the DeLorean fit in that phone booth?" Doc asked as he curiously peeked around Jack at the police box.

"Come on, Doc," Marty said and walked up to the TARDIS. "You've got to see this!"

Doc followed Marty into the time ship. "Great Scott!" He exclaimed as he stood in the doorway and took in the impossible room. Suddenly, he dashed out and around the police box. He stuck his head back in, wide eyed, his white hair standing on end. "Great Scott!" He said again and staggered inside gawking at the large interior. "It's bigger on the inside!"

Jack, standing at the front of the car, shook his head with a chuckle. "What is it with doctor's and tag lines?"

"Wha-what is this…thing?" Doc asked as he slowly approached the central console in wonder. "A spaceship?"

"Yes, and she's called the TARDIS," Jack said following behind the inventor. "She's also a time machine."

"Time machine?" Doc whispered as he stared up at the glass column.

"Yep." Jack leaned against the console and crossed his arms all the while thinking that the Doctor would be loving this right now. He figured he would rub it later.

"And you built this incredible machine?"

"Oh no. She was grown as I understand it and she isn't my ship. She belongs to my friend, the Doctor. I'm flying her right now since he's it and she," he jabbed a thumb at the console, "can track a signal anywhere in time and space. Pretty handy for our game."

Doc stared at Jack with raised eyebrows as he processed the information and the meaning of it all. He glanced at Marty with a confused look.

"Their playing Tag through time and space," Marty said with a wide grin. "Isn't that neat?!"

"Uh huh." Doc nodded but the look on his face was still disbelief. He finally invents time travel for research purposes only to find out that these guys use it for something as trivial as a children's game. "So, where is this friend of yours?"

"Good question." Jack turned to the monitor and flipped a switch. "Let's see…the Doctor is…" he crunched his eyebrows, "right outside?" He looked out the doors and the roar of the DeLorean's engines resounded through the console room.

Doc, Marty and Jack raced outside just in time to see the Doctor wave at them with a cheeky grin from driver side window and speed off across the parking lot vanishing at the end of a fiery trail.

After a quiet moment, Marty finally turned to Jack. "Did…the Doctor just steal my car?"

.

.

To be continued!