Chapter 3
Monday , November 18th, 1985
Hill Valley
5: 21 P. M.
Marty smiled as he watched Doc tightening some nuts with the wrench. His friend was humming to himself, perfectly content. "I love Mystie, and she loves me. We're as happy as two can be. . . . Marty, could you please hand me that rag over there? This thing is leaking oil."
Marty passed over the rag. "So, what's the latest on the Mystie front?" he inquired, lying on his stomach next to Doc.
"Wonderful, as usual. She's becoming my second best friend. We can sit for hours and talk about absolutely nothing. On a scale of one to ten, she rates an eleven." He patted Marty on the back absently. "Thank you so much for helping us get together."
"No problem, Doc." Marty remained silent for a moment. "I've never seen you so happy," he added, in a different voice.
"She's my first truly successful relationship. Of course I'm going to be happy." Doc wiped away the oil, then realized what tone of voice Marty had said that sentence in. He looked at his friend, concerned. "Marty, you're not jealous, are you?"
"No!" Marty protested, then relented. "Well, it's just that you two are really in love, and you spend all the time you can with her. And when you're not with her, you're talking about her. Jennifer's gotten chummy with Mystie too. I barely see either of you anymore."
Doc understood. "You feel like you've been replaced, don't you?" Marty nodded, looking slightly ashamed. "Marty, nothing could replace you. You were there for me through thick and thin. I owe you a large debt of gratitude for giving me those pushes on Halloween. Heck, I owe you my life." He dropped the rag and picked up the wrench again. "Tell you what. I'm free both Saturday and Sunday. Pick one and we'll have a day out together, just the two of us."
"Doing what?"
"I don't know. Whatever we like. I promise I won't let anything get in the way."
Marty smiled, feeling a lot better. "Saturday's good for me." He idly played with a screwdriver lying nearby. "I didn't ignore you when I met Jennifer, did I?" he asked suddenly.
"A little, but I didn't mind. I liked seeing you so much in love."
Marty frowned again, remembering the other half of his gripe. "What about Jennifer and Mystie, Doc? It's great that they're friends and all, but I feel like I'm being pushed aside."
"Try talking it out. I get the feeling Jennifer isn't aware that you're feeling rejected. It helped by telling me you felt that way, right?"
"Yeah. We've got a date tonight; maybe I'll bring it up then."
"I've got a date too," Doc grinned. Oil spurted out of the machine, but Doc automatically plugged it with the rag. "Mysteria's coming over to watch Godzilla Vs. Mothra on the television."
"Ooh, home date," Marty said, his eyes twinkling. "I wonder what you can do on one of those?"
"Now, now, my only motive is to snuggle. I was raised with good manners, you know."
"Only teasing you, Doc. I hope you have a great time."
"Thanks, I hope you do too." Doc removed the rag and immediately got oil all over his shirt. "Damn! Damn damn!"
Monday , November 18th
7: 45 P. M.
The doorbell rang just as Doc finished popping the popcorn. He quickly poured the bag into a bowl and answered the door. Mystie stood there, dressed causally. "Hi there," she said with a brilliant smile. "I hope I'm not late."
"No, the movie doesn't start for approximately another -- nine minutes and 52 seconds." He gave her a kiss, savoring that electric tingle that raced up his spine. "Come on in, I made popcorn."
She did, hands held behind her. "Emmett, I just read about a play that's opening in the theater downtown. It starts Saturday night, and I was hoping we could attend."
"I would love to, but not on Saturday," Doc told her. "I already made a previous engagement with Marty. We're having what you might call a boy's night out."
"Oh." Mystie looked a little disappointed. "Couldn't we all go together?"
"I promised him it would be just us." Doc had a brainstorm. "But going to that play all together isn't a bad idea. It might help clear the air."
"Heh?"
"Marty's been feeling a little neglected. If we can all talk it out together, I bet everyone would end up happier. We can do that when we go to the play. I can't make it Saturday, but I'll see what Marty and Jennifer think about Sunday."
"Damn. I was sort of hoping your friends would be my friends too." She settled herself on the couch. "I hope you and Marty have a good time, and that we can get this all sorted out later."
"I hope so too." Doc salted and buttered the popcorn and brought it into the "living room". As he sat down, he noticed Mystie seemed a little nervous. "Are you all right? You seem a little tense."
Mystie smile at him. "I'm fine, honey."
Doc decided not to press the subject. She's probably just a little disappointed with hearing about Marty and all. Instead, he slid his arm around her and changed the channel.
Godzilla Vs. Mothra was one of Doc's favorites to make fun of, and it appeared to be the same way with Mystie. They had a fabulous time ripping into it, making fun of the special effects and laughing at the ridiculous plot-line. "There should be a show about this for people like us," Doc chuckled as the commercials started.
"About making fun of bad movies? I dunno if anyone besides us would watch it." Mystie wrinkled her nose at a commercial about SPAM. "Thieves, the whole lot of them."
Doc nodded absently, reaching for another handful of popcorn. His hand paused half-way to the bowl. "Mystie, don't you want any popcorn?"
Mystie shook her head, nuzzling his neck. "You're yummy enough."
Doc grinned and passed on the popcorn in favor of Mystie's lips. They made out until the movie came back on, although Mystie went right back to nuzzling his neck when it did. In fact, she nipped him, causing him to start slightly. "Careful there. Don't remove a piece of my flesh from my neck," he joked.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
At the next break, Mystie turned her head so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "You have such nice eyes."
"So do you," Doc said, looking deeply into them. For some reason, her ice-blue eyes seemed more fascinating than usual. He felt like he could look into them for the rest of his life.
Mystie's hands slid up to his shoulders, lightly massaging them. "Relax, Emmett. It looks like you've had a tough day. Relax."
His shoulders were just starting to let go when Doc heard a very strange sound. It was a very steady "thump, thump, thump." Distracted, he broke their steady gaze. "Where's that noise coming from?"
"Maybe from the TV," Mystie suggested, pointing out that the movie was back on. She sounded upset. Doc kicked himself for getting distracted and ruining their special moment. The minute the next break started, he looked back into Mystie's eyes. She looked startled for a second, then smiled and began massaging his shoulders again. "Now, just relax. Let your shoulders slump. Be calm, Emmett. Relax everything you can."
Doc obeyed, keeping his gaze fully fixed on hers. That odd thumping noise started up again, but he ignored it. Slowly, all extraneous thoughts slipped out of his brain. He felt a gently push against his shoulders and lay down, his head resting on the sofa's back corner. For a moment, he wondered dimly how he had come to feel so relaxed and sleepy. Then his mind went totally blank.
Mystie kissed Doc, very pleased with herself. It hadn't taken long at all to entrance her boyfriend. With any luck, she could wake him before the movie came back on. "That's it, Emmett. You're nice and relaxed. You're going to feel a slight pinch in a second, but after that you're going to feel very, very good. Just stay relaxed."
With that, she turned his head to the side, exposing his neck. The carotid artery throbbed there, filled with the hot, salty liquid that kept her boyfriend alive. She felt a sudden pang of guilt for doing this. Normally she subsisted on the blood of animals, but tonight she had felt a bit peckish. Now, though, she wasn't sure if she could go through with it.
She looked back at Doc's face. It was perfectly blank, reflecting the state of the mind within. She felt another pang of guilt as she remembered how his face usually looked -- vibrant, full of life and ideas. But she was getting hungrier by the minute, and it would do no good to deny it. "Emmett, forgive me," she whispered, her fangs extending. With a soft sigh, she plunged them into his neck.
She felt him jump, panicked that he would snap from his trance, then relaxed as he sank back down. She sucked quickly, taking in as much blood as she could in as short a time as possible. Within minutes she was sated. Doc's eyes were now half-closed, but there was a contented smile on his face. Her guilt allayed a little, Mystie brought his face around to meet hers. "Sleep, Emmett. When you awake, you will have no memory of what just happened." Normally that was a given, but with someone as strong-willed as Doc, you could never be sure. "Sleep."
Doc's eyes closed and his head fell back to the side. A little blood dribbled from the twin wounds on his neck. Mysteria wiped it off with her finger and stuck it in her mouth. She wondered how many other men she had bitten in her 322 years of existence. Hundreds probably. Yet -- this one was different. Doc had a smile which could light up her night. Doc had an almost boundless energy that even she had a hard time keeping up with. Doc had those liquid chocolate eyes that could see into your soul. Mysteria realized abruptly that, without realizing it, she had fallen very much in love with Doc. Enough to want him by her side for all eternity.
This was quickly followed by the realization that the movie was coming back on. Quickly she gave Doc a shake. "Emmett. Emmett!"
Doc's eyelids fluttered. "Huh?" he mumbled thickly. "Whazzit?"
"The movie's back on, sleepyhead."
Doc blinked. "Great Scott, I fell asleep? Sincerest and deepest apologizes." I don't even remember falling asleep. It must have been very gradually. How embarrassing.
"Don't think anything of it. The movie's so bad, sometimes I want to drift off." They both laughed and resumed snuggling. Mystie glanced one last time at Doc's neck and the puncture wounds she had left there. I'm going to have to tell him sometime. But not tonight. Definitely not tonight.
Tuesday , November 19th, 1985
Hill Valley
4: 14 P. M.
Marty finished up "Johnny B. Goode" with Doc. "You're almost as good as the Starlighter's sax player. I wonder whatever happened to those guys?"
"They probably broke up in the 30 years you skipped," Doc said. "And only almost as good?" he added, faking hurt. Marty just grinned. "I admit I haven't been practicing like I should--"
"No excuses," Marty said, adapting the militant style of Strickland. "I will not tolerate slackers among my musicians. Shape up! Do you want to be a slacker for the rest of your life?"
Doc snickered. "Better a slacker than a drunken control freak," he retorted, making Marty laugh too. "That was a damn good impression of him. Do you practice it in your spare time?"
"If I'm really bored." Marty sat down on one of Doc's tables as the scientist bent down to put away his sax. As his hair fell out of the way, the teen spotted some funny-looking wounds on the side of his friend's neck. "Hey, Doc, you okay?"
Doc gave him an odd look. "Of course I am. Why?"
"Cause you've got this weird thing on the side of your neck. Looks almost like something bit ya."
Confused, Doc went over to a mirror and examined himself. "Hmm. How odd." He touched them gingerly. "They're not bleeding, and they don't look infected. . . . Maybe Mystie did it. She did give me a nip on the neck last night."
"That is one weird hickey, then," Marty commented. "Swear to God, Doc, looks like something bit ya."
"I know. Like those are -- fang marks." Doc shook his head. "I have no idea where they came from. I know they weren't there yesterday."
"Try thinking back through yesterday then. They had to come from somewhere."
Doc did, closing his eyes. "Well, you were around, and I'm pretty certain you didn't bite me." Marty held down a chuckle. "Then I played with Einy for a little while. Mysteria came over next, we watched Godzilla together, and then. . . ."
Doc's brow furrowed. Suddenly, in a voice completely devoid of emotion, he said, "I remember nothing."
Marty stepped back a little, startled. "Doc?" he asked uncertainly, a touch of fear in his voice.
Doc opened his eyes. "We chatted for a while, she went home, I went to bed," he concluded in his normal voice. He caught sight of Marty's look and immediately got worried. "Marty? What's wrong?"
"It -- nothing," Marty finally decided. "Nothing, Doc. I guess you did get it from Mystie."
Doc frowned at him, but then shrugged and let the subject drop. "Did you think of anything for us to do this Saturday?"