Chapter Twelve: Reunited At Last

Doc Brown was looking over charts and books and every bit of information he could get his hands on, all to figure out a way to find wherever Lisa could be. He knew her home planet was Alnilam, the middle star in Orion's belt, but he had no way of knowing if she was there, now, or how to contact her, or how to get there.

Sighing, he leaned over and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. The last dream he'd had was hovering in his mind, haunting him. He had been a spectator of his own murder. It was like an alternate version of what happened at Lone Pine Mall in October of 1985, when he had tested the time machine for the first time. He remembered very clearly how it really happened: he'd put on a bulletproof vest, aware of the incident because of a letter Lisa and Marty had left him in 1955, warning him of the danger.

The dream was weighing heavily on his mind. It frightened him, for some reason. Although, it wasn't as if he, himself, were feeling the fear…more like the feelings were coming from far away. He was simply uneasy.

Doc straightened and glanced at the pair of photographs on the work table, his eyes locking on Lisa's image. "I'll find you," he vowed. "Come Hell or high water, Lisa, I will find you."

His eyes fell on one of the many clocks he had situated about the lab. It was 1:19PM. He'd been working nonstop for seven hours without a break. Even his breakfast that morning had been a rushed one, as he was eager to get to work.

Doc decided to take a break and have lunch. He sealed the lab from outside intruders that may want to take the time machine and headed back to the house.

Clara was fixing sandwiches in the kitchen when he entered. "Any luck?" she asked after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Her husband sat down at the table, head in hands, nursing an oncoming headache. Most likely, he was hungry. He sighed. "Not in the sense of the word," he said. "I don't even know what I'm looking for. All the information I've gathered states that Alnilam, the middle star in Orion's belt, is just that: a star. A blue B0Ia super-giant star, 30 times the diameter of our sun, to be exact. There's no record whatsoever of a planet orbiting that star."

Clara set a sandwich and a cup of coffee in front of Doc, who ate it halfheartedly. "Well, we are talking about someone beyond normal science, are we not?" she asked.

Mouth full, Doc could only nod.

"Perhaps…Alnilam as she knows it, as her home, is hidden from scientific instruments. We are dealing with something mystical here, after all."

Doc tapped his chin, thinking, taking a sip of coffee. "Perhaps you're right." He put down his cup and sighed. "I just don't know what else to do, Clara. I feel like I'm cut off from her forever."

Sympathetically, Clara rubbed his shoulders. "You'll find a way, Emmett. You always do."

Nodding, Doc stood. "You're right." He finished his lunch in a hurry and kissed his wife. "I better get back to work and see if I can dig something else up."

"Good luck, Emmett."

Doc headed purposefully back to the lab, but his pace got slower as he got nearer, until he finally stopped halfway there. He really felt like he'd hit the proverbial brick wall with this. "I just don't know what to do," he said miserably.

"You can start by coming over here and giving me a hug."

The inventor was so startled he nearly jumped a foot into the air. Clutching his heart, trying to make it slow down, he looked around for the source of the very familiar voice.

Nothing.

He groaned. "Now I'm beginning to hear her voice when there's no one there."

"You sure about that?"

Jumping again, he whirled around, frowning. "Lisa? Really, I don't have the stamina for this."

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around quickly, there she was! She was wearing blue jeans, a t-shirt with a picture of a rearing unicorn on it, her red jacket was tied around her waist, and her wings were glowing with the warmth of the sun.

She was smiling. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Now, how about that hug?"

Doc didn't hesitate. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding her tight. He stroked her long brown hair, a tear or two slipping silently down his cheeks.

"God, I've missed you," he whispered.

Lisa pulled away, quite reluctantly. "You did? You have?" She sounded astonished.

"Yes. Why?"

Her wings flushed pink with embarrassment. "Leaving wasn't my choice, actually…I was taken out of time against my will, but I probably would've left, anyway…"

Doc blinked. "Why?"

Lisa hedged, then said, "I…thought…you wouldn't need me around anymore now that you had a family." She averted her gaze, looking down. Her wings flicked briefly to dark blue. "I was…" She sighed. "I was jealous. I felt replaced."

Doc stared at her, quite taken aback. He took her gently by the shoulders and used one hand to slowly tilt her chin to look right into her eyes. "Lisa," he said, speaking softly and clearly, "Clara and the boys could never replace you. There's a place in my heart that only you can fill, and it's been a hole since you left."

She put one hand on his. "I know that now. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." She hugged him again, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Smiling, he patted her head tenderly, combing his fingers affectionately through her hair. "I forgive you, Lisa." He held her for a few more moments, all the time he spent missing her evaporating like a puddle on a summer day, then finally let her go. "How long are you here for?"

Lisa grinned. "For as long as I need to be."

"Great!" He put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing a little. "Now, I just have to ask you one thing above everything else."

"What's that?"

"Is there any way to contact you when you're on Alnilam?"

Lisa laughed. "Sure. Here's what you do…"

The End