CHAPTER THREE – DON'T LET YOUR PAST STEAL YOUR FUTURE

Laura stood in front of the mirror putting a swipe of mascara on her lashes. Her sleeping husband rolled over in the background. Marty pulled back the covers and walked across the room in his purple Calvin Klein's. He slipped his arms around his wife and attacked her neck with his lips.

"Are you sure you have to leave so soon?" Marty crooned in her ear.

"First day of school McFly, need to be early."

"Where do you find the energy from?"

"Lots of coffee my love," Laura said turning to kiss her husband.

The scene pans back across the room where their dining room table is covered with small mechanical parts. Blue prints laid over them haphazardly. Furniture was stacked in the corner and parked against the wall opposite the kitchen, where the TV and sofa once were sat Laura's Delorean, two large funnel like apparatus attached to the back end.

"Can I borrow the truck? It's supposed to rain today."

"As long as you are back by 6, I have that gig tonight over at Buzzard Billy's."

"Life was easier when we had two cars," Laura sighed.

"Life was easier before time travel, but there you have it."

"Without time travel I would not have been born."

"Then I take it all back," Marty smiled grabbed Laura roughly to his chest.

"Marty I need to get to work."

"Fifteen minutes."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he growled in her ear.

"When I get home we will talk about it, I'll see you later!"

Laura grabbed her bag and skipped out the door. Marty heard his truck start in the driveway, and walked casually back to bed. He looked around the cramped space. The Delorean was taking up a lot of room, but even with a car cover he knew it wasn't safe outside. He stretched his hands over his head and thought again about Doc. What would he think about all of this? Would he be happy or think these two kids were insane?

Marty slept until early afternoon. He working nights and Laura days still did not give them a lot of time together, still he was usually up when she left, and she would always wake to him coming home for a few hours, even though he was trying to be quiet. Somehow the two of them made it work.

When Marty woke he pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a Diet Pepsi from the fridge. He checked his watch, he had a few hours. He sat down at the table and started twisting wires and checking blue prints. The box was large and sliver, the face plate facing Marty, his hands working furiously. While he didn't understand the entire science behind Doc's invention, that was always Laura's forte, to him wiring the electrics were no different than when he was out with the Pinheads and a piece of equipment broke, he could repair anything electrical. Laura had hinted he would exceed in college but again the application deadline came and passed. Mr. Strictland was even encouraging but Marty just couldn't get his head wrapped around it. How could college compare to time travel and being a rock star?

Marty took the last sip off of his can and sat it down with a light clang. He ran his hands through his soft brown hair and ruffled it up at the back with a yawn. He took the box over to the wall and twisted against two wires coming off of a cord from a power strip. He checked to make sure everything was off before connection. He stood back, hands over his eyes and flipped the switch.

A brief spark shot outwards followed by the time circuits glowing to life with the current date and time.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Marty shouted.

Suddenly a larger spark shot out, Marty dropped to the floor, and the machine shut down and began to smoke.

"No, no! God fucking damn it!" Marty screamed kicking the leg of the table.

Laura turned the door handle in time to see the end of the tantrum. She smirked a little and set her bag softly on the floor.

"Something wrong?"

"Fucking thing shorted out, I got it working, it displayed local time and the date, then ... ah fuck!" he swore again kicking a nearby chair.

"Hey, it's ok ... wait, wait! Did you say it displayed local time and the date before it shorted?"

"Yeah," Marty sighed.

"You are sure?" Laura asked rushing to him and shaking his shoulders.

"Yeah but the insides are fried, it's probably ruined now."

"Marty this is fantastic!" Laura exclaimed jumping around the room and clapping her hands.

"It's fantastic that I broke it?"

"No, I mean you didn't break it, we can fix that, it worked, it really worked!"

"Laur?"

"Getting it to turn on is good yes, but getting the dates to sync, Marty that means the components inside are working. It means they are capable of connecting to the flux capacitor. Marty once we fix the insides and get them mounted to the Delorean, Marty we can travel again."

"We can find Doc?"

"Marty, we can go anywhere."

"Are you sure about this Laur? Like really sure?"

"I need to run some figures, I will do that while you are at your gig, but I think we are about there."

"You aren't coming?"

"Tonight? Marty it's Monday."

"I miss you, I miss staring out in the crowd and finding your face."

"We are so close Marty."

"Can't we take one night off just for us, what's the hurry? When we have this thing done," he gestured with his hand to the pile on the table, "we will have all the time in the world. Right now I miss my wife."

"I agree I haven't been out in awhile. Does this place have wine?" Laura smirked.

"That's my girl," Marty said putting his arm around her shoulders.