Chapter 12

September 6, 1885

Catherine yawned and stretched as she climbed out of the nineteenth-century hotel bed. She felt a strange sense of anticipation, which she wondered about for a full minute before realising the cause. Only one more day, and she would be safely back home, provided everything worked as it should.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by an irregular muffled banging from the other side of the room. "Uh Bess, what are you trying to do?" she asked with a puzzled look.

Bess stopped bouncing around the room and explained. "I'm just practicing my defence moves - just in case."

"You can't fool me. You want to fight Thorn."

"Maybe. It would be an interesting challenge, fighting one of my ancestors."

"It's stupid, that's what it is. What's the point in thinking about it anyway? You promised you wouldn't go anywhere near him."

"He certainly never promised to leave me alone today. I might run into him."

"The whole thing is crazy. You're great-grandfather wants revenge on you for getting your great-great-grandfather in jail. Why would you want to fight him?"

"It would be interesting to get to know my ancestors, and you don't really know a person 'til you've fought them."

"Rubbish. You're just bored and homesick, that's what you are. If you keep up this irresponsible behaviour, you'll be 'joining your ancestors' for sure," Catherine predicted darkly.

"Hey, I'm the one who stopped Buford from shooting Doc. Who do you think you are, my mother?"

"No, I'm your friend, and I don't want to see you get hurt. Let's go find Doc."

"After breakfast. I search for love-struck eccentric genius inventors after breakfast."

"Naturally."

The two girls walked back out of the blacksmith shop. "He could have at least left a note," Bess complained."

"Hey, he'll show up soon enough. Then I can tell him how crazy you've been."

"Give me a break, agreeing was the only logical thing to do."

"Let's just quit arguing and enjoy our last day in town," Catherine recommended.

"Great idea. Hey, there's some girls I saw at the festival, heading this way," Bess observed with a dose of excitement flavouring her voice.

A group of three girls of varying ages walked up to the time travellers. "Hello, aren't you 'Calamity Bess'?" the youngest girl, about fourteen years old, asked gravely.

"Yeah, that's me," Bess replied. "Why?"

"I heard something about you and Thorn Tannen," the girl explained timidly, her red hair quivering slightly.

"She means the fight," a slightly older girl filled in. "My sister, Nancy, never explains anything properly. I'm Rosie. It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you really going to fight him?"

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too Rosie and Nancy. I really think I, well... that is to say..."

"I think you should," Nancy interrupted. "It's so dashingly unladylike. Mind you, if I ever thought of such a thing, my mother would..."

Rosie interrupted further. "Really Nancy, you don't gave the slightest idea of what you're talking about. The point is, Thorn is a person who needs to be taught a lesson, and you have a chance to do so, Bess. I know you can do it, you look strong and brave enough."

"I... thanks. I guess you must be right. He does need to be taught a lesson."

Catherine nearly interjected, aghast at her friend's statement, but the eldest of the three girls, a teen about the same age as the travellers sporting silky, long, dark brown hair (among other things), managed to get in first.

"You are all entirely wrong. Thorn is a great deal more than a mere troublemaker. He takes after his father too much. If you mess with him in the slightest, he will always return for revenge, no matter what you do to him. You can't teach a Tannen. If you get involved, you will merely make him worse. As for the fight, the very idea of a girl, or even a boy his own age or a small amount older, is totally out of the question. He would tear you to shreds and leave you for his 'friends' to finish off. He wouldn't play fair either, despite any conditions you might have placed on him. No, Tannens do not know the meaning of fair."

Bess struggled not to take those descriptions seriously. She knew she was better than that. Or was she? She would prove she was better than her relatives. But how? "Well, I'm sure there must be some nice Tannens," she finally answered in a moderate voice.

"Bess," Catherine warned her.

"Oh, this is my good friend Catherine," Bess introduced, partly to change the subject.

"I'm Constance, and I say you should stay completely away from Thorn."

"That's what I promised Catherine. Se thinks the same way you do," Bess replied.

"Aww, that's terribly unexciting," Nancy argued, stamping her foot on the floor for emphasis.

"It's safe," Catherine said plainly. And remember we're leaving town tomorrow morning."

"You can't just run off and leave Thorn to cause whatever trouble he wants. You must fight him or everyone will remember you as the girl who didn't take the opportunity to teach Thorn a lesson. And I know you can do it, from the way you dealt with his father."

"That means nothing," Rosie disagreed. "If you fight him, you'll be remembered as someone who was beaten senseless for being stupid enough to fight him."

"Well in that case… I had better be going. See you around girls, it was a pleasure to talk with you," Bess said as she turned away. She added quietly, "At least I think it was."

"Hey, where are you going?" Catherine wondered loudly. She turned to follow her friend, and saw the reason for her abrupt departure. 'Doc' was a short distance away, sniffing a flower in his jacket.

Bess reached him. "Morning Doc, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing. Just out enjoying the morning air. It's really lovely here in the morning, don't you thing?"

Catherine though that was all very well, but not very useful. "Yeah, it's lovely Doc. Listen, we really need to load the DeLorean, and get ready to leave, okay?" She noticed something and interrupted herself. "Hey, look at that, the tombstone over there."

Emmett looked around, seeing an extremely familiar tombstone. "Who has that photograph? Let me see it again."

Bess handed over the photo and Doc walked over to the tombstone. "My name… it's vanished."

"Of course it has, I stopped Buford from killing you, with that plate, remember? Great, isn't it?"

"But only my name is erased. The tombstone and the date still remain. We know that this photograph represents what will happen if the events of today continue to run their course into tomorrow."

Bess gulped nervously.

"Do you have something to say Bess?" Emmett asked.

"Well, it's like this…" She explained the situation with Thorn very briefly.

"But you don't actually intend to do it?" he asked when she was done.

"Of course not, we're leaving at eight. I wouldn't have the opportunity, whether I wanted to or not."

"But do you want to?"

Bess was stumped. "I really don't know. I might as well be prepared, just in case."

"She's been practicing self-defence moves this morning," Catherine explained as the group started walking through town again.

"I might just happen to run into him before we leave, so…"

"So, it may be your name that's supposed to end up on that tombstone," Emmett concluded.

Bess shrugged. "It's my turn, both of you have had a go. But no matter what happens, I'm going back to the future tomorrow with you and Catherine, and in one piece."

"This has something to do with your family, right?

"My family?"

"Face it, many of your relatives are not the most pleasant people on earth. You don't want to be branded as being like them by just allow their activities to go on unchecked. You want to prove that you are a good, trustworthy person."

"What's wrong with that? It's a good motive."

"Yes, but you can't prove your innocence by fighting the guilty. That sort of behaviour won't get you anywhere. And besides, no one in this time period knows who you are, so it's pointless. The only people who would know about it is us."

Catherine thought about someone else. "Don't forget Marty."

"I'll try not to forget my best friend, don't worry. But Bess, you know we all accept you, don't you?"

"Of course I know that," Bess answered quickly.

"Then what is there to prove?" Emmett asked, not really asking the question, but merely stating it. "Unless you want to prove something to yourself."

Bess looked down.

Emmett nodded. "I guessed so. But you don't need to prove anything to yourself. If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything (although not necessarily on your own), and all a senseless fight can do is hurt you. Fighting in this situation will not do you any good."

"What about Thorn? It might do you some good."

"Do you really think so?"

"Well, I guess not. He might feel sorry for himself for a while, but that's about all."

"Well, there you have it."

"But I still feel like fighting him. Even though I know it won't help, and I know how it would end up. But since we're leaving tomorrow, I'll try to just concentrate on that."

Catherine advised, "Don't let it bother you. You don't want to work yourself up over something inconsequential. Seeing as this is a century in our past, we shouldn't be too worried about it."

"That's good advice," Emmett agreed. "Just do what you gotta do, and I'll to what I gotta do." He walked off, leaving the girls to wonder what exactly he meant.

"Clink! Clink!" The hammer drove the metal spike into the wood, locking down the loose rail. The scientist-turned-blacksmith wiped his brow, and the pair of girls looked on through the evening gloom.

Emmett laid down the hammer. "There, that should get you safely home."

"You mean get us safely home," Catherine corrected.

Emmett shook his head. "No, I've decided to stay here, stay now. I'm not going with you tomorrow."

"What? You don't belong here. How can you stay?" Bess protested.

"And we need you to handle getting the train to push the DeLorean. There's no way Catherine and I could do it without you Doc."

"Don't worry, I still intend to do my part, I'm just not coming with you."

"But... why?" both girls questioned, in unison.

"To tell the truth, I'm in love with Clara."

"C'mon Doc, you don't belong here. No one was really intended to live anywhere but their own time. I managed to manage for a while, but it isn't the sort of place I'd live in for the rest of my life. It isn't the twentieth century," Catherine argued.

"Correct, but I have had a fascination with the old west for my entire life, before I decided to devote my life to science. I'm certain I could exist here, now, quite happily."

"But what if you get shot tomorrow. This tombstone could still be yours," Bess said, waving the photograph around.

"That photograph doesn't mean anything, other that as a reminder to be mindful of how our present actions affect our future destiny. The picture has already changed several times, meaning the future is not set in stone, so to speak. No one should know too much about their own future, nor should they let a thing like this affect their decisions too greatly. I still have to follow my heart.

"But Doc, you said you devoted your life to science. Tell me, what can you do for science in this time period? Not a lot. So what does your mind tell you to do?" Catherine questioned pointedly

Emmett gave a heavy sigh. "You've got me there. You're both right, I'm wrong." He reached for a lever, gave it a steady jerk, and watched as the DeLorean gracefully rolled onto the track on its new set of appropriate wheels.

"Wow, that worked great," Bess said approvingly.

Catherine nodded. "Perfect."

"I've at least gotta tell her goodbye," Emmett said with a hint of sadness.

Bess shook her head. "C'mon, Doc, think about it for a moment- whatever are you gonna say to her, 'I gotta go back to the future?' I mean, there's no way she's not gonna understand, Doc. I've gone to the future and the past with you, and I don't understand it myself. I bet Catherine doesn't really understand it either."

"Nope, not really."

"See, Clara wouldn't have a clue what you were talking about. Doc. Listen. Maybe we could... I dunno, maybe we could just take Clara with us."

Catherine started to laugh at her friend's idea, but Emmett quieted her.

"Take her to the future? As you just pointed out, I'm a scientist, so I must be scientific about this. My purpose in inventing time travel was the discovery of more about humanity, its future and past. It was never meant for my own personal gain, so I must resist altering the continuum to suit myself."

"Uh Doc, what about that bullet-proof vest?" Bess asked with a smile.

Emmett shook his shaggy mane of hair. "That was a matter of life or death. This is not. No, I must proceed as planned, and as soon as we return to 1985 we'll destroy this infernal machine. Travelling through time has become much too painful." Emmett walked off, having said enough on that subject. The girls stared after him.

September 7, 1885

The next morning dawned, like any other Hill Valley morning in September. Catherine stretched and rubber her eyes, feeling a little sore after sleeping on the ground all night. She was startled by a burst of laughter.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

Bess grinned wickedly. "Oh nothing, you just rubbed dirt all over your face, that's all."

Catherine groaned. "Do we have some water?"

"Some, but that's for drinking. Maybe there's a stream nearby. Just ask the... Doc?"

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked with worry in her voice.

"He's gone!"

"Gone? As in, he's left?"

"What do you expect it to mean?" Bess retorted, a little frustrated. "He must have gone to say goodbye to Clara after all. Figures."

"His horse is gone, so you must be right. But he must have gone off last night: it's much too early to be visiting right now. So why isn't he back?"

"Must be in the shop. Maybe he stayed there rather than trying to sleep on the ground," Bess reasoned.

"We'd better go into town and see, in case he's slept in or something. It would never do to miss the train."

"And you'd better clean your face when you get half a chance."

"Okay, let's see how awake our horses are."

After a splendid morning gallop, the girls arrived at the empty blacksmith shop. They did not find a single indication that anyone had been there during the night.

"Er, guess again," Bess said lightly.

"The saloon? That's a likely place," Catherine quickly guessed.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Bess quipped as she ran back out into the street.

The girls burst into the saloon. Sure enough, the missing inventor was in sight, clutching a glass and talking in a rather detached manner.

"Doc! What are you doing?" Catherine demanded.

"I lost her, Catherine. There's nothing left for me here."

"Which is exactly why you need to come back with us," Bess answered logically.

"Where?"

"Back to the future!" both girls answered together.

Bess muttered to herself, "That's when, not where..."

Emmett slapped down his glass, and jumped to attention. "Right, let's get going."

"Yes, by all means, let's get out of here," Catherine agreed heartily.

"Out of now..." Bess muttered, but Catherine shushed her.

"Gentlemen, excuse me, but my friends and I have to catch a train."

The three men to whom he had been talking gave their replies.

"Here's to ya, blacksmith."

"And to the future!"

"Amen."

They raised their glasses to him.

"Amen," the scientist agreed to their toast. He raised his glass.

Catherine had a fleeting memory of Doc telling her how intolerant to alcohol he was, but before she had a chance to think or act any further, he took a sip of the whiskey and crashed onto the table.

Catherine shook him, and Bess tried calling his name, with no effect. Catherine shook her head in annoyance and frustration. "Chester, how many did he have?"

"Just one."

"Whoa, he sure can't hold his liquor. Give me a coffee... black."

"Joey, coffee!" Chester called to the back.

Bess glanced at the clock outside. "We've got fifteen minutes."

Catherine tried feeding Emmett the coffee, but to no avail. Very little coffee managed to get into his mouth, and it wouldn't have done any good if it had.

Chester looked on. "Girls, if you want to sober him up in a hurry, you'll need something a lot stronger than coffee."

"And you have something that will help?" Bess asked with great interest.

"We sure do," Chester answered with a smile. "Joey! Let's make a spot of wake-up juice."

The girls watched in wonder at the various ingredients the men mixed together. "You have done this before, right?" Catherine wondered.

"Sure we have, and in about ten minutes, he's gonna be as sober as a priest on Sunday."

Catherine checked the time. Ten minutes 'til eight. "Why do we have to cut these things so close?"

"Remember what I was saying about unknown variables?" Bess began.

"Don't start on that," her friend warned.

Fortunately, the conversation had to be stopped, since Chester arrived with the finished wake-up juice - and a funnel and a clothespin. He started explaining before the girls had a chance to question him.

"Here, stick this clothespin on his nose, and when he opens up his mouth, go ahead and pour it on down his throat. Oh, and stand back."

Catherine carefully did so. Nothing happened for a moment, but fortunately the concoction worked before Bess had time to comment.

Emmett leapt up into the air, his eyes popping open. "Wah! Hot! Hot!" he shrieked as he burst out of the room and into the nearest horse trough.

Bess reached him first and noticed that he had stopped moving. She helped the others lift him out of the water and got a good look at his face. "He's still out," she observed.

Chester and Joey began carrying him back inside. Chester explained, "Oh, that, that was just a reflex action. It's gonna take a few more minutes for the stuff to really clear up his head.

"Perfect," said Catherine in her sarcastic tone, as she surreptitiously washed her face in the trough.

"What did I say about..." Bess began again.

"Quit it! If you don't talk about things going wrong..."

"They will go wrong regardless."

"Must you be such a pessimist?"

"Hey, I'm not worrying. I'm just being realistic."

"Fine, just don't do it where I can hear."

"Why don't we just... go and help wake the Doc up?"

Catherine answered by doing just that. But he still failed to respond to face-slapping or name-calling.

"C'mon Doc, you gotta wake up now," Bess urged.

The unconscious inventor stirred slightly.

"Yes, that's more like it! Now wake up completely, and we can go home."

Catherine smiled. "It's good to see you're being positive."

"Hey, Bess!" called a voice from outside.

Bess rolled her eyes at the world in general. "You were saying?"

Catherine shook her head. "Never mind."

"Hey, I know you're in there," Thorn Tannen called. "It's eight o'clock."

"Sorry, I'm a little busy right now, so I'll have to forfeit."

"Four feet? It's six feet you're wanting, six feet under the ground."

"No, I mean you win without a fight. Congratulations."

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"Fair? You're the one who wins; how is that not fair?"

"I didn't come here to win, I came here to fight. Now quit wasting my time!"

Bess sighed. "Really, you're as stupid as a football bat?"

"A football bat? What kind of stupid thing is that?"

"Something as stupid as you are."

"Hey, who are you calling stupid, stupid?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Then hurry up and ask!"

"Who are you calling stupid, stupid?"

"Err... you!" Thorn finally figured.

Catherine turned away from Doc and whispered, "What on earth are you doing, Bess?"

"Stalling for time."

"Oh. Good. Keep it up for a moment longer, will you?"

"Sure thing," Bess answered with a grin. Then she raised her voice again. "So Thorn, what makes you think I'm stupid?"

"Because you keep wasting my time trying to get out of fighting."

"What's stupid about that?" Bess asked innocently.

"Look, I'm gonna count to ten, and if you aren't out here, I'm coming in."

Bess almost interrupted to ask him why he was bothering to stop and count, but fortunately she remembered 'never interrupt an enemy while he is making a mistake', a quote of Napoleon.

"One... two... three..."

"C'mon Doc, wake up," Catherine pleaded.

"... four... five..."

"Doc!"

"... six... seven..."

"Whoa!" Emmett finally roused himself.

"Are you okay Doc?" Catherine asked, concerned.

"I think so. Whoa, what a headache!" he answered, none too steadily.

"Eight..."

"Listen, we gotta get out of here!" Bess exclaimed. "Hey Chester, does this place have a..."

"You should remember full well the back door is in the back," Catherine interrupted. "Let's go!"

"Nine... ten!" Thorn ran to the saloon door and burst inside, finding the room empty. "Hey!"

"Y'know, it's odd that Thorn came alone," Catherine commented as the trio ran down the alleyway.

"I say it's suspicious," Bess said practically."

"Do you need to spoil everything?" Catherine complained.

"I merely..." She suddenly became aware of Thorn's three buddies standing at the alley entrance. "Split!" she yelled.

Catherine dodged to the tight, Bess to the left, and Emmett crashed straight into the tough trio. "Ooof!"

They grabbed him and dragged him back down the alleyway. The girls doubled back to try to stop them, but the boys reached the saloon door and ducked inside.

Bess grabbed the handle and charged into the door... literally.

"It's locked," Catherine observed as Bess rubbed her sore face.

Bess shot her friend a dirty look and started running back to the main entrance. She skidded to a stop, seeing Thorn standing square in the doorway.

"So, you've finally decided to come out? Trying to get out of our deal are you?"

"Uh..." Bess searched for some words.

Thorn gave a wicked grin. "You'd better fight me now, or your blacksmith friend, who caused a lot of my problems, won't be so healthy." He turned to his goons. "Won't he?"

Fox-Tail calmly fingered a dangerous-looking knife.

"Leave me, just save yourselves!" Emmett called.

"We're not leaving without you," Bess called back.

"Meaning?" Thorn asked intently.

"Meaning I'll fight you, in the street as we agreed."

"Fine by me," Thorn answered with gleaming eyes.