Chapter 6

Friday October 24th, 1986

Hill Valley

8:21 P. M.

Doc knocked back another glass of blood wine at the bar. "To my first drinking problem," he mock-toasted belatedly. "Times like these I wish I could actually drink."

Joey looked at him strangely, as he passed a drink to another customer. "You say that after only two days of girl trouble?"

"With Josie versus Mystie, yes." He studied his glass with a sigh. Josie was now openly flirting with him whenever she was around, making coy eyes and wearing revealing clothing. Her incessant attention was even interrupting their vital planning meetings. Mystie was retaliating by never letting Doc out of her sight. She showered him with public affection -- kissing, hugging, love biting, the works. It was starting to get embarrassing.

James was no help. He took every opportunity to rub salt into the wound. He made plenty of insulting comments about "older men," and had taken a fancy to dropping drinks on Doc. At the same time, he seemed far too shy to approach Josephine about a date. Doc was this close to climbing up the walls.

A silky arm slid around his shoulders. "Hi there, handsome," a breathy voice purred into his ear.

"Miss Grey," Doc sighed, turning to face Josephine. "You are uncomfortably close."

"You're just too easy to get close too." Josie grinned, her face an inch from his. "I love those eyes of yours."

"Must you examine them for every vein?"

She backed off a little. "I can't help myself. Everything about you oozes sexiness. Mystie's a damn lucky woman. I'd like to be a damn lucky woman."

"Well, you're not," Doc said gruffly. "Maybe in some other space-time continuum, you would have been, but in this one, you're not. Please go."

Josie frowned. "You don't have to be rude."

"Yes I do. You're not getting the message. Now, I need to find my fiancé." He pulled Josie's arm off his shoulder and got up to get his love. But as he looked into the crowd, a cold chill swept him.

Mystie wasn't there.

Josie traced a fingernail down his spine. "She's out. Like I said, she's damn lucky. Can't I be damn lucky too, even for just a minute?"

"I AM ENGAGED," Doc told her in his firmest voice, backing away from her. Damn it, Mystie, where are you? Come back, fast!

"Aww, all I want is one kiss," Josie said, moving in. "Just one. What's so wrong with that?"

"I don't love you. I love Mystie. I don't understand why you can't wrap your mind around that." He felt the wall bump into him. "Look, haven't you seen James?"

"Of course, he's always here."

"Because you are always here. He thinks you're cute. In fact, you have a lot in common, you both insist on torturing me. He's just too afraid to approach you. Go over there and bother him for a while, he would love it."

"I'm not interested in him. I've only got eyes for you." Then, before Doc could stop her, she had his arms pinned to his side and her lips locked on his.

For a moment, Doc was too stunned to react. Then he felt a sudden surge of anger and humiliation. He broke Josie's grip and shoved her roughly away -- so roughly she landed on the floor. "Leave me alone," he snarled down at her. "Or so help me God, I'll call the police on you."

"Call the police?" Josephine said, her eyes wide. "For what? It's not against the law to kiss someone!"

"It is when the person doesn't want to be kissed! It's called harassment! Stay away from me! I'm sick of seeing your face! In fact, why don't you just leave?! You haven't been helping us at all!"

"Don't you talk to her like that!" James yelled, getting up from his chair.

"Don't talk to me! You're too much of a coward to tell someone you love her! Instead you resort to making my life miserable!"

"It's all about you, isn't it? You don't even deserve Josephine! You're a freak who sits in his garage all day and invents useless shit! You don't give a damn about how they might affect people! Or how youmight affect people!"

"James!" Josephine gasped in horror. "He's not like that!"

"How do you know, sweetie? How long have you been around him?" James glared at him. "I don't even know how you attract women. Probably another one of your sick experiments."

It was too much for Doc. "SHUT THE HELL UP! I'm sick of all of this! No matter what I do for anyone, I'm always seen as the crackpot inventor that everyone loves to screw with! You know what? SCREW YOU ALL! I hope the soulless vampires slaughter the lot of you!"

Seething, Doc shoved his way out the door, leaving a group of stunned clubbers. He took off and headed for the clock tower, not caring who saw him. Jerks, all of them. Just damned jerks. Nobody can just leave me alone. He landed on the ledge and folded up, looking from the ground just like another gargoyle. I wish I were one of these statues. Then I wouldn't have to care about anyone ever again.

He didn't know how long it was, but eventually he heard a car pull up in the square. He groaned softly. What now? Is it a bevy of young girls ready and willing to declare their undying love for me?

It was Marty, actually. He looked up at Doc for a moment, then went inside. Doc heard him jogging up the stairs to the top of the tower. A few minutes, he opened the trapdoor.

"Hey, Doc?"

"Please, Marty, just go away."

"Sorry, Doc, but I can't. Your emotions are really raging out of control. You're making me snippy." He carefully crawled out onto the ledge. "I don't think I've ever felt you this mad. Not even when you staked Henry."

Doc sighed. "I feel like, even among other vampires, I'm an outcast. I hate it."

"But you're not an outcast. Nobody rejected you. Everybody seems to like you."

"Yeah," Doc laughed bitterly. "One liked me too much. Given half a chance, I bet she'd try to force me into bed. I bet she's more like her hated sister than she thinks."

"Josie trouble again?"

"And how. She actually tried to kiss me. She forced herself on me, even after I told her, in no uncertain terms, I did not want to be with her. I wish she'd just go away and leave us alone. Any help she might give us isn't worth this torment. Hell, she's made herself a hindrance with it."

"What did you do?"

"Shoved her to the ground, yelled at her, James yelled at me, I yelled at everyone, and I left," Doc said, giving Marty a more comprehensive view with his memories.

Marty shook his head. "Holy shit. I know she was a pushy jerk, but don't you think you overreacted?"

"I -- well -- I --" Doc put his head in his hands. "Great Scott, I screwed up royally, didn't I? It's the stress. Biff and Josephine and James and my upcoming wedding -- it's all too much. I didn't mean to do that." He sighed deeply. "I suppose I should go back and give my apologies, but I'm worried about what Josephine might do."

"I'll come with, then. As back-up."

"Thanks, Marty. You're a real friend." He clapped his buddy on the shoulder. "But you'd better get down from here, before somebody sees us and thinks I'm preparing to jump."

Marty shivered. "Yeah, or before I fall. Don't you ever get nervous, sitting up here?"

"Well -- sometimes. When I start thinking about that time in 1955. But since, as a vampire, I'm almost invulnerable, it doesn't bother me as much anymore." He followed Marty through the trapdoor and back downstairs. "I didn't alter your emotional patterns too much, did I?"

"Nah. Once I snapped at Dad over something that really didn't bother me, I figured out it was you."

As they neared the nightclub, Doc suddenly heard a loud screech of fury. "Great Scott!"

"What now?"

"I don't know, but I think there's a fight back at the club!" Doc listened hard as the yelling became clearer. "Oh no. . . ."

Marty didn't even have to ask. "Mystie."

"Yup."

The scene at the club was utter chaos. Mystie and Josie were clawing at each other, yelling insults that would make the most seasoned seaman blush. Louis and Matt were trying to separate them without being killed in the process. Most everybody else was giving them their space, although a few drunken men at the bar were egging them on. Doc and Marty forced their way in. "Mystie!" Doc yelled. "Myst, stop!"

"What's the matter? Don't like your women fighting?" James marched up to Doc, eyes cold as ice. "Maybe if you were satisfied with only one woman, you wouldn't have these problems!" With that, he smacked Doc full across the face.

Doc's mind locked up. He couldn't believe this. He just couldn't believe it. He, of all people, was having woman trouble. He had two women fighting over him, and a disgruntled wanna-be boyfriend mad at him. Great Scott. It's to laugh. I swear, it's to laugh.

He glanced over at Marty, who looked like he was about to knock James's block off. "You jerk! Why don't you try to help those guys stop the fight if you love Josephine so much?!"

"Why doesn't he, if he loves Mysteria so much?" James sniped back.

"I just got in the door, but now that you mention it. . . ." Doc jogged over to the girls. "Break it up, break it up! We don't need a brawl in here!" he said firmly, stepping between the two.

The girls would not be distracted, however. They shoved Doc violently out of the way, returning to trying to rip each other's throats out. Doc did a perfect somersault over a nearby table. "Doc, you okay?" Matt asked, worried.

"Yeah, I am," Doc assured him.

Marty tried to step up to the plate. "Girls, come on! You just knocked over the guy you're fighting over! Doesn't that say you're taking things too far?"

"Shut up, mortal!" Josephine yelled at him, while simultaneously clawing at Mystie's face. "You have no idea about the complexities of love!"

"I've got a great girlfriend who's gonna become my wife one day!" Marty yelled back, a little annoyed. "Of course I know about love!"

"Hah! Mortals live too briefly to know much about it!"

"Keep out of this!" Mystie agreed. "This isn't your fight!"

"He's my best friend! Hell, he's like a father to me!"

"You still don't understand how I feel!" Josie said, slamming her elbow into Mystie's gut. "Do you know how long it took me to find a man like him?"

"It took me a long time too!" Mystie snarled, retaliating with a foot to the back. "I had him first! He belongs to me!"

"I don't belong to ANYONE!" Doc roared, getting to his feet. "You girls are acting crazy! I thought you were better than this, Mysteria!"

"Look, sometimes, a woman's got to fight for her man!" Mysteria snapped at him. "You certainly weren't capable of getting her off your case."

"Who says he wanted to?" James implied nastily.

"I know Emmett better than that, James."

Josie disentangled herself from Mystie and grabbed Doc's collar. "All I want is to know that you could love me. If she wasn't in the picture."

Doc stared at her. "Maybe if I'd been committed," he said darkly. "Only a fellow nutcase could ever understand you, Josephine Grey."

Josie jerked backwards, obviously hurt by his statement. Her eyes began to tear up. Doc coldly turned from her to Mysteria, still on the ground. "Incidentally, both Lucy and Jane were pretty god-damn possessive of me too -- until they learned they had to actually love me." Marty whistled in shock.

"Emmett, I -- I love you," Mysteria whispered, eyes wide, completely stunned. "I was just so angry at her for never leaving you alone." She turned on Josie with fiery eyes. "Why don't you just leave so we don't have to bother with you anymore?!"

Josie made no reply. She fled from the club, crying. James shot the pair a nasty look and followed her.

Doc sat down at a table and put his head in his hands. "Where are those soulless vampires? I need to hurt something."

Mysteria timidly got up and approached him. "Emmett, I'm sorry. When I heard she kissed you, I flew into a rage. I never doubted your fidelity to me; I was sick and tired of her making the moves on you. I really do love you." She began to sniffle. "You mean the world to me."

Doc sighed and looked up. "I know," he said, sounding tired. "I'm sorry for bringing up those two. It's just been a hard couple of days, and we still have Biff's army to deal with. Thank God the humans believed my broadcast on that." He took her hand and squeezed it. "Forgive me, please. I can't quite get a handle on my emotions right now."

"I forgive you. I'm acting the same way." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "You forgive me?"

"Yeah. I think that we need to spend less time worrying about Josephine and more time worrying about Biff."

"Let's put that to the test, Doc; they're coming back," Jennifer reported, watching the door.

James returned with Josephine, glowering at Doc. "You apologize to her RIGHT NOW," he demanded. "That was a nasty thing you said, especially after you getting so mad at anyone else suggesting the same thing."

"What else could I do?! She doesn't take no for an answer! And you certainly didn't help matters!" Doc yelled back. "If you're so smitten with her, why didn't you try to get her off my back? Instead of constantly complaining about me? You know damn well I didn't want her attention! Any normal person would have seen that as an opportunity!"

James backed away, eyes wide. "I -- I'm sorry," he squeaked. "I was -- trying to be subtle about it."

"That didn't work," Doc said acidly. He turned to Josephine. "I can't say I'm totally sorry for my actions. Granted, pushing you to the ground was probably a bit much. Nevertheless, you don't seem to get that I don't, and I will not ever, love you. Mystie is my girl, and nothing will change that. If you can't get over that, you're welcome to leave."

Mysteria glared at her. "You knew he's mine, Josephine. I told you how much I love and cherish him. You've been married a few times -- I've never been. I know he's handsome and smart and generally wonderful--" Doc blushed "-- why do you think I fell in love with him? Shape up or ship out!"

Josie didn't say anything for a little while. Then she whispered, "I'm sorry. I am a jerk, aren't I? I've never been in love like this before. I was willing to do anything to make you mine." She sighed deeply. "I'll stick around because I want to help with the soulless vampire problem, but after that, I'm leaving for good. I don't trust myself around you."

Mysteria frowned a little, feeling sorry for Josephine despite herself. "Well, thanks for admitting you were in the wrong, anyway. Just make sure you cut out all the flirting and shit. I don't trust you around him either."

"Go home and get yourself together," Doc said, a bit more kindly. "James, why don't you take her home? And I'll do my best to avoid you, don't worry."

"Same here. But one thing. Don't say anything about asylums again. My sister loved to dump me in mental hospitals." Doc, surprised, nodded. Josie turned and left, shoulders slumped. James followed her out, glancing back at Doc nervously. Doc frowned at Mystie. "Am I really that intimidating?"

"Yes. You were pretty intimidating as an angry human, but as an angry vampire -- well, it's no wonder you're famous as a vampire killer."

Doc nodded, then sighed and leaned against the table. "All of this is happening much too fast. I know Josephine for barely three days, and she throws herself at me. And she does it two days before Biff's attack!" He looked around. "Is there someplace where I can raise my vocal output to a primal level for a few minutes and not disturb the other patrons?"

Mystie gave him a hug. "My poor baby," she cooed, nuzzling his cheek. "It has been a rough number of days. This took me by surprise too."

"It'll be over soon," Marty said.

"God damn it, I hope so."