A car pulled into the Tannens' driveway.
The group hid under the bushes outside.
"Who's that?" Rose squinted with the garage light in her eyes. The figure walked inside and was met by the yelling of an ancient woman.
"Biff." Christine whispered. Not a moment later a body came right up behind them. Christine whipped around pulling it to ground.
"Chris!" screeched the voice muffled under Christine's hand.
"Sshh!" Christine hissed. "…Hey Shirl. How was your trip?"
Shirley Houlihan moved her friend's hand. "Better than being smashed into a sidewalk."
"Sorry."
"Jesus, Chris." Gary shook his head. "Hey Shirley."
"I was being alert. I react."
"What the hell are you guys doing sneaking around here anyway?" asked Shirley.
"Biff Tannen raided Doc Brown's garage today. He stole something we're getting it back."
"Stole what?"
"Umm…Jack? Rose? …Oh, this is Jack Taft and Rose McCoy. They're new in town. This my friend Shirley."
"Hi," said Jack and Rose, "it's a book…but it's REALLY important." Jack finished.
"And you plan on masquerading in there and getting it back?"
"Oh no, we have a plan." Gary assured her.
"We do?" asked the others.
Joey laughed.
"Pipe down, Stoner." Gary snapped.
"I'm just gonna go check out the car." Jack got up toward the garage.
"You can't just waltz in there!" Ricky pleaded.
"Listen, Fab—" Jack cut himself off. "…This is what we came here for. I'm going in." Jack crept off toward the garage. He'd been in much worse before. Biff Tannen didn't scare him in the least.
Okay, he was in. He snuck around looking for anything. He searched through the car, even picked the trunk open. No book. Nothing.
Jack crawled through the open doorway in the back of the garage and peered into every window of the back of the house. In the very last window he came to he saw Biff. He looked much like his younger brother. Same build, same air of meat-headedness.
He quickly ducked under the window again, peering in every few seconds. After about two minutes Biff pulled out a book. Jack only saw one word on the cover…* Baseball.*
The word itself had never looked so beautiful. But now how was he going to steal it back? Or get back to his friends without getting caught.
***
"He's been in there a while." said Gary.
"Baines, go back there and check on Jack." Christine volunteered Joey.
"No!"
"Be a man, Jailbird." Ricky hit him on the shoulder.
"Fine, fine! Be that way. I'll go, but if I get caught…" Joey leered at the others.
"*If?*" Christine asked a little too loud.
Someone came up suddenly from around the house and put his hand on Christine's shoulder.
"WAH!" she screeched. Everyone one else followed her.
It was Jack.
"Sorry." he shrugged. "Umm…the book's in there…Biff's got it."
"Well, step one's complete I guess." Gary shrugged.
"Well, how badly do you need this book anyway?" Christine raised an eyebrow. Something about this was beginning to look fishy. All this for one lousy book? And even though she liked them something was definitely up with this Jack and Rose pair.
*Oh, your existence only depends on it.* Jack thought at his granddaughter's bitter comment.
"Uh, guys I'd like to get out of here before someone comes out." Gary warned, already moving down the block. The others followed.
The door from the Tannen place swung open. It was the old woman. She saw nothing as usual and went back inside. Unfortunately, Butch pulled into the driveway seconds later.
"HEY!" he called to the group. He could just see them disappearing off. He must have heard them before.
"I'll handle this." Christine started back toward the Tannen's.
"You don't *need* to go." Ricky grabbed her arm.
"I can have that horny Neanderthal wrapped around my little finger. I'll get him off our tails."
"You won't *do* anything, will you?" Ricky still held a grip on her arm. "'Cause if he makes a move I'll kill him."
"If he makes a move I'll kick his ass." Chris corrected. She kissed him on the mouth and walked toward Butch.
"Ew." Joey commented.
"Oh grow up." said Lizzy.
"I don't care if she's athletic or about her little feminist manifesto. The fact is he's BIGGER than her. He could snap her head off if he wanted to." Ricky shook his head and followed Christine.
"It may be by only two minutes, but I'm her older brother and it's my job to watch her rebellious, hippie-wannabe behind and protect her." Gary marched off with him.
"I can kick anybody's ass." Shirley followed.
"I took out that weird Adolf kid when I was living in Paris. I think I'll go too." Jack decided.
"I broke somebody's nose the other night." Rose raised her hand.
"When did break anybody's nose?" Jack asked.
"I'll tell you later…Joey stay here and watch Lizzy." ordered Rose.
"No problem." Joey saluted.
"Hey!" Lizzy wanted to go too…or at least not be babysat by Joey.
***
Three blocks later the eight of them were still shouting "Run run!"
"Jesus," Gary panted, looking at Rose, "…you *broke his nose!*"
"What the hell was *that*?!" Shirley squeaked.
"You were all talking about 'ass kicking'! That's what I did!" Rose defended. *'Ass kicking…that sounds so funny.*
"Yeah, but nobody's actually done it before!" said Ricky. "We didn't actually expect to get him. We would try, but…"
"I know you're new here, but *no one*, especially not a girl, talks back to Butch Tannen or punches him in the nose." said Gary.
*No girl ditches Cal Hockley either * thought Rose.
"So how do you feel now?" Christine asked, thoroughly impressed.
Rose turned to Jack and smiled. "Groovy."
***
Later that night after all the excitement everybody went home. Gary Dawson tossed his keys on coffee table and knocked over a picture. He paused making sure he didn't wake his parents. The only thing he did hear was Christine moving around in the bathroom louder than humanly possible. If they woke up it would be her fault.
He picked up the picture and looked it over. It was of his grandparents' wedding. He hadn't seen it in years. His mom must have been moving things around.
Gary turned on the lamp to see it better. He stared at it for a while, trying to make sense of it.
No. It couldn't be. It was impossible. Shear coincidence. But who else could they be?
The group hid under the bushes outside.
"Who's that?" Rose squinted with the garage light in her eyes. The figure walked inside and was met by the yelling of an ancient woman.
"Biff." Christine whispered. Not a moment later a body came right up behind them. Christine whipped around pulling it to ground.
"Chris!" screeched the voice muffled under Christine's hand.
"Sshh!" Christine hissed. "…Hey Shirl. How was your trip?"
Shirley Houlihan moved her friend's hand. "Better than being smashed into a sidewalk."
"Sorry."
"Jesus, Chris." Gary shook his head. "Hey Shirley."
"I was being alert. I react."
"What the hell are you guys doing sneaking around here anyway?" asked Shirley.
"Biff Tannen raided Doc Brown's garage today. He stole something we're getting it back."
"Stole what?"
"Umm…Jack? Rose? …Oh, this is Jack Taft and Rose McCoy. They're new in town. This my friend Shirley."
"Hi," said Jack and Rose, "it's a book…but it's REALLY important." Jack finished.
"And you plan on masquerading in there and getting it back?"
"Oh no, we have a plan." Gary assured her.
"We do?" asked the others.
Joey laughed.
"Pipe down, Stoner." Gary snapped.
"I'm just gonna go check out the car." Jack got up toward the garage.
"You can't just waltz in there!" Ricky pleaded.
"Listen, Fab—" Jack cut himself off. "…This is what we came here for. I'm going in." Jack crept off toward the garage. He'd been in much worse before. Biff Tannen didn't scare him in the least.
Okay, he was in. He snuck around looking for anything. He searched through the car, even picked the trunk open. No book. Nothing.
Jack crawled through the open doorway in the back of the garage and peered into every window of the back of the house. In the very last window he came to he saw Biff. He looked much like his younger brother. Same build, same air of meat-headedness.
He quickly ducked under the window again, peering in every few seconds. After about two minutes Biff pulled out a book. Jack only saw one word on the cover…* Baseball.*
The word itself had never looked so beautiful. But now how was he going to steal it back? Or get back to his friends without getting caught.
***
"He's been in there a while." said Gary.
"Baines, go back there and check on Jack." Christine volunteered Joey.
"No!"
"Be a man, Jailbird." Ricky hit him on the shoulder.
"Fine, fine! Be that way. I'll go, but if I get caught…" Joey leered at the others.
"*If?*" Christine asked a little too loud.
Someone came up suddenly from around the house and put his hand on Christine's shoulder.
"WAH!" she screeched. Everyone one else followed her.
It was Jack.
"Sorry." he shrugged. "Umm…the book's in there…Biff's got it."
"Well, step one's complete I guess." Gary shrugged.
"Well, how badly do you need this book anyway?" Christine raised an eyebrow. Something about this was beginning to look fishy. All this for one lousy book? And even though she liked them something was definitely up with this Jack and Rose pair.
*Oh, your existence only depends on it.* Jack thought at his granddaughter's bitter comment.
"Uh, guys I'd like to get out of here before someone comes out." Gary warned, already moving down the block. The others followed.
The door from the Tannen place swung open. It was the old woman. She saw nothing as usual and went back inside. Unfortunately, Butch pulled into the driveway seconds later.
"HEY!" he called to the group. He could just see them disappearing off. He must have heard them before.
"I'll handle this." Christine started back toward the Tannen's.
"You don't *need* to go." Ricky grabbed her arm.
"I can have that horny Neanderthal wrapped around my little finger. I'll get him off our tails."
"You won't *do* anything, will you?" Ricky still held a grip on her arm. "'Cause if he makes a move I'll kill him."
"If he makes a move I'll kick his ass." Chris corrected. She kissed him on the mouth and walked toward Butch.
"Ew." Joey commented.
"Oh grow up." said Lizzy.
"I don't care if she's athletic or about her little feminist manifesto. The fact is he's BIGGER than her. He could snap her head off if he wanted to." Ricky shook his head and followed Christine.
"It may be by only two minutes, but I'm her older brother and it's my job to watch her rebellious, hippie-wannabe behind and protect her." Gary marched off with him.
"I can kick anybody's ass." Shirley followed.
"I took out that weird Adolf kid when I was living in Paris. I think I'll go too." Jack decided.
"I broke somebody's nose the other night." Rose raised her hand.
"When did break anybody's nose?" Jack asked.
"I'll tell you later…Joey stay here and watch Lizzy." ordered Rose.
"No problem." Joey saluted.
"Hey!" Lizzy wanted to go too…or at least not be babysat by Joey.
***
Three blocks later the eight of them were still shouting "Run run!"
"Jesus," Gary panted, looking at Rose, "…you *broke his nose!*"
"What the hell was *that*?!" Shirley squeaked.
"You were all talking about 'ass kicking'! That's what I did!" Rose defended. *'Ass kicking…that sounds so funny.*
"Yeah, but nobody's actually done it before!" said Ricky. "We didn't actually expect to get him. We would try, but…"
"I know you're new here, but *no one*, especially not a girl, talks back to Butch Tannen or punches him in the nose." said Gary.
*No girl ditches Cal Hockley either * thought Rose.
"So how do you feel now?" Christine asked, thoroughly impressed.
Rose turned to Jack and smiled. "Groovy."
***
Later that night after all the excitement everybody went home. Gary Dawson tossed his keys on coffee table and knocked over a picture. He paused making sure he didn't wake his parents. The only thing he did hear was Christine moving around in the bathroom louder than humanly possible. If they woke up it would be her fault.
He picked up the picture and looked it over. It was of his grandparents' wedding. He hadn't seen it in years. His mom must have been moving things around.
Gary turned on the lamp to see it better. He stared at it for a while, trying to make sense of it.
No. It couldn't be. It was impossible. Shear coincidence. But who else could they be?