Chapter 2

Friday, November 1st, 1985

Hill Valley

6: 59 P. M.

"Doc?"

"Yes, Marty?"

"You're driving me insane."

Doc stopped pacing. "I'm sorry, Marty. I'm so nervous; I had to engage myself in activity. I've never created any sort of attraction at first sight before. Both of my other relationships started slow. I'm simply not used to being attracted to someone so fast."

"It's romance! When a girl is right for you, it just hits you, like lightning."

"Marty, what an analogy to use with me!" Doc laughed briefly, then sat down next to his friend, fiddling with his black coat. "Give me some tips, Marty," he begged. "You know more about women than I do."

"Doc, you're acting just like George of 1955."

"Actually, I think I'm worse. At least he had the courage to peek into women's bedrooms, like you told me. You have to understand, Marty, I have a bad track record with humanity in general. Being a scientist, I'm more accustomed to rationality, not emotional responses."

"You wouldn't think that, looking at you working on a project." Doc frowned at him. "Okay, okay, I'll share my knowledge. First, you gotta calm down! A jittery guy turns girls off. I've never been on a date where I had fun and I was nervous too. Second, say something nice about her as soon as you can. Girls like a compliment early in the date. And third, stop worrying you're gonna turn her off! You're supposed to have fun on a date! Come on, say that for me."

"I'm supposed to have fun on a date."

"Okay, try saying it without hyperventilating."

Doc managed through sheer will to slow his breathing rate. "I'm supposed. . .to have fun. . .on a date," he wheezed.

"Maybe you better think about breathing first," Marty said, looking concerned. Doc did that, taking a few deep breaths. "Man, Doc, you put the 'sick' in 'lovesick.'"

"I'm sorry," Doc apologized again. "Whenever I think of the date, I get heart palpitations, dizziness, and this pleasant lightheaded feeling. Something inside me wants to be close to her as often as possible. She's abruptly become the center of my universe."

"It's called love, Doc. Get used to it. From what I saw last night, she likes you too."

"You think so?" Doc's face lit up. "I hope so. The notion of a vision like her liking me. . . ." He felt his head. "Damn it! Will my hair never lay flat?!"

Marty shook his head, trying not to laugh. He had never seen Doc so panicked before, and it was oddly amusing. He patted his best friend's back in what he hoped was a friendly way. "Just remember, Doc, I'm gonna be there for you."

"I'll try. Thank you so much for agreeing to be here for me."

"No problem." The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Marty said immediately. "You stay there and remember what I told you, 'George.'" Doc glared at him as he went to the door. Both Mysteria and Jennifer were standing there, looking stunning. "Hey. Jen, you look absolutely terrific."

"Thank you. You look great yourself." They kissed. "Mysteria and I hitched a ride together." She lowered her voice. "She seems really excited about the date. She couldn't stop talking about Doc."

Mysteria blushed. "I haven't been on a date in a while, so you'll have to excuse me if I act a little oddly, Martin."

"You can call me Marty. I'm sure everything's gonna be cool," Marty assured her. "Hey, Doc! Our dates are here!"

Doc shyly made an appearance. Mysteria looked more gorgeous tonight than she had the night before. "That's -- you look very -- nice," he blurted, trying to smile.

"Thank you," Mysteria said, smiling. "You look nice too."

Doc remembered his manners. "Is there anything I can offer you before we go?"

"No, thank you." She glanced around Doc's messy haven. Doc kicked himself for not tidying up. "You certainly must be busy." She eyed a broken pinball machine in the corner.

"This is actually more of a lab than a home," Doc offered lamely, needing to apologize for the mess. "My experiments have a way of claiming the house."

Mysteria waved it off. "You should see my place. Looks like a tornado hit it." She proffered her arm. "Shall we?"

Doc nervously took it, hoping she didn't notice he was sweating. "I believe we shall."

"All right. Jenny and me will take my truck and meet you guys there." He gave Doc a thumbs up, then left with Jennifer, whispering the events of the afternoon to her.

Doc led Mysteria into the garage, trying to remain cool and confident. Mystie squealed as she saw the DeLorean. "Wow! That is amazing! What are you trying to do, build a flying car?"

Doc resisted the impulse to laugh. "I've used that car for a lot of things. It's my experiment car. Flying capabilities was one of the experiments, though."

"You should patent that if it flies," Mysteria told him. "God, I bet that's what Jules Verne might have--"

"You like Jules Verne?" Doc interrupted, amazed.

"I love Jules Verne! Around the World in 80 Days is my favorite. I always thought that would be the ultimate challenge and adventure. I made a map of my own trip based on his when I read it."

"So did I! My personal favorite has always been 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. When I read that as a boy, I wanted to meet Captain Nemo!"

"You did realize he was slightly insane?"

"I wanted to thank him for introducing me to all the wonders and mysteries of science. The minute I read that book, I knew I had to further man's knowledge of all things scientific." He chuckled. Now that they had found a common interest, talking to her was far easier. "I once attempted a journey to the center of the earth, too, but didn't get very far."

"Aww, why not?" asked Mystie as they got into the van.

"I was 12 at the time."

"No excuse," Mystie teased. "I'd expect a great explorer like you to have reached it." Then she slid closer to him. "Of course, if you had, I might not be sitting here with you right now. And that wouldn't be right."

Doc smiled. "Of course it wouldn't."

Friday, November 1st

7: 34 P. M.

They entered the restaurant laughing over a joke Mystie had told. Marty and Jennifer were waiting for them at the table. "How's it going?" Marty whispered as Doc slid in next to him. "You look like you loosed up once we left."

"It's going swimmingly," Doc whispered back. "Still, I'm glad to have you by my side. I'm terrified that, somehow, I'm going to ruin everything."

"You're doing good, Doc. Just keep it up."

"Getting advice on our date?"

Doc blushed. "I'm sorry. I haven't participated in this sort of social function in some amount of time."

"Neither have I, so just relax." She patted his arm, sending shivers up his spine. "Emmett told me you play in a band, Marty."

"Yeah, the Pinheads. But I jam with Doc sometimes too. He's a great saxophone player."

"I'd like to hear that sometime. Emmett had a lot of praise for your guitar-playing."

Marty's face flushed slightly. Although he heard it all the time from Doc in person, it was still nice to know. "Thanks."

The topic drifted from Marty's band to music in general, then to history. Mysteria turned out to know quite a lot about the past three centuries, much to Doc's amusement. They were stunning each other with various facts when the waiter arrived. "May I take your orders?"

Everyone quickly looked at the menu. "A well-done steak for me, with mashed potatoes and coleslaw."

"I'll have the broiled spring chicken," Jennifer decided. "With a salad."

"The salmon with the honey glaze for me," Doc said, handing over his menu.

Mysteria smiled. "Czarina, and make sure it's served hot."

The waiter looked a little put off. "Madam, by tradition, czarina is served cold."

Mystie gave him an odd look. "I've had it before, always served warm. If it's cold, it has a tendency to get goopy. Please serve it hot."

"Very good, madam." The waiter collected the menus and marched off.

"Goopy?" Marty repeated, confused.

"Czarina, I believe, is a Russian soup made from the blood of ducks," Doc clarified.

Jennifer tried to hide her disgust. "No offense, Mysteria, but I can't believe you're eating blood."

"It's an acquired taste," Mystie shrugged. "I can't stand it served cold. It loses all of it's flavor that way."

Doc thought of something funny. "I wonder if a vampire would like czarina?"

"I'm having it, aren't I?" Mysteria laughed, although it looked like she had blanched for a moment.

"Yeah, but the Count went for the salmon," Jennifer said, playing along.

"Maybe the Count prefers his blood fresh from a victim." Doc started a little as a foot made its way up his leg. Mysteria gave him a seductive look, gently rubbing his leg. Hesitantly, Doc gave her leg a gentle poke, then rubbed her leg too. From that point on, Doc was only half in the conversation. His mind was focused on the game of "footsie" he was playing. Mystie playfully slid off her shoe and tickled his leg with her toes. Doc giggled and poked her again. Soon their legs were tangled into knots under the table, sharing space easily and happily.

Then it happened.

The waiter had arrived with the food and was just serving the czarina when Doc accidentally gave Mystie too hard a poke. She jerked back just enough to bump the waiter. Startled, he managed to drop the soup. It splattered everywhere, ruining Mysteria's blue dress. "Oh, no!"

Doc was horrified. I knew I was going to do something to ruin this date! "Mysteria, I am so sorry!" He tried to pat up some of the soup with his napkin. "I didn't mean to startle you like that. Sincerest apologies."

"Apologies, madam I will bring you a new bowl shortly." The waiter took the bowl and walked away, disdainfully brushing at his outfit.

Mysteria took Doc's hand. "It wasn't your fault, Emmett. Don't worry about it."

"I'm the one who set off that chain reaction of events. Of course I'm at fault."

"I don't want to spoil a perfectly magical evening with you worrying about a dress."

"Magical," Doc breathed, feeling that lightheaded sensation again, full-force.

"Yes." They were closer now, noses almost touching. Their eyes met. "Emmett, this has been a perfectly wonderful date. I -- I. . . ."

Without really being aware of what he was doing, Doc leaned in and kissed Mystie. Her lips tasted like chocolate. He pulled her closer, hoping to God this moment would never end.

Marty grinned at the scene. "Way to go, Doc."

Jennifer turned his head, eyes sparkling. "What say we take a page out of their book?" she suggested, pulling him close. Marty was only too happy to agree.

Doc pulled away from Mystie a second later, feeling both embarrassed and heavenly. "I hope I wasn't being too forward," he whispered.

"Not at all," Mystie said, looking shy. She leaned in again. Doc mentally threw his childhood lessons to the wind and was just about to kiss her again when the waiter returned. "Ahem. Your soup, madam."

The two couples separated quickly. Mysteria was blushing, while Doc's face suggested he was currently on Cloud Nine. Marty and Jennifer merely looked a little annoyed. "Thank you," Mystie whispered, accepting the replacement soup. The waiter just snorted a little and strode away, muttering about "improper displays." They started in on their food, Doc happily restarting the game of "footsie" with Mystie.

By the end of the meal, it was completely clear Doc and Mystie were smitten with each other. They couldn't get enough of holding each other's hands or staring into each other's eyes. They occasionally reacted to Marty or Jennifer's presence, but for the most part, they were lost in their own world.

Finally, it came time to leave. Marty and Doc split the extravagant bill. "Guess you didn't need me along after all."

"Nonsense. You were a great help. Besides, I doubt I could afford this on my own." Marty gave him a dirty look. Doc turned to Mysteria. "Thank you for a excellent evening," he added in a different voice.

"Thank you," Mystie insisted, getting up. "I'm glad it's not quite over yet. Could you drop me off at my house?"

"But of course." Doc shook Marty's hand. "I'll see you later, Marty."

"Bye Doc. We had a great time."

"Most definitely," Jennifer added. She and Marty left, arm in arm. "Oh, they are so cute together! They kinda remind me of us when we started dating. I feel something good's gonna happen with them, don't you?"

Marty glanced back. Doc was literally glowing with joy. Marty couldn't recall ever seeing his friend that happy. And Mysteria seemed completely bowled over by Doc. Her heart had been claimed by the scientist, and it didn't bother her one bit.

Marty looked back at Jennifer with a smile. "I have a feeling too."

Friday, November 1st

9: 13 P. M.

Doc dropped Mystie off at her apartment building. "Would you like me to escort you upstairs?"

Mysteria looked at her watch. "No need. I'm going to have to leave for work in a few, so I'll just be rushing right back out." She patted his hand. "If I didn't, though, you'd be the first one I'd invite up."

Doc sighed. "Well, I guess I'll see you again." His heartbeat became painful as he said that. Who knew how long it could be before they met again?

"Can you last 24 hours without me?" Her tone suggested she might not be able to last the day.

"It will be a trial, my love." Despite the fact it was only their first date, Doc felt it was okay to say that. He kissed her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow night then?"

"Yeah, same time. But what say we meet at that Burger King near your house instead? I didn't like that stuffy waiter at all."

"Neither did I. Well -- until tomorrow then."

"Good night, sweet Emmett." They kissed, then Mysteria ran into the building. Doc just sat there for a few moments. His soul felt like it was on fire. Being in love was wonderful -- especially when you were loved back. He was convinced he could take on the world, or at the very least, Biff Tannen. Humming to himself, he headed home, praying for the next day to fly by.