10:00 PM PST
Land of Colour Universe
"I can hardly believe we have to leave in two hours," Marty said, with tears in his eyes. 'This has been a wonderful week. I hope we can come back in the future."
"Yeah, I'll really miss all of you," Alex agreed, as he blinked back tears. "Thanks so much for having us over here. It's a shame that all good things have to come to an end. You people have all been so wonderful. The kids have all been so adorable!"
"We'll be sad to see you folks go away, too," Victoria replied, sighing. 'The kids have all spoken positively of you. It looks like your sisters have really come to appreciate you, too. Look at it this way, you folks will be seeing your families again. Also, you'll be able to celebrate two Christmases this year. You'll be so lucky!'
"Now that you've put it that way," Marty said, with a smile. After glancing around the room to make sure that Linda and Mallory were out of earshot, he added, "If you do not mind, after we return home - it will be easier if our sisters could just remember this whole thing as a dream. Maybe they could remember it as a very vivid dream, but I really don't want Linda to find out about my friend's time machine."
"Well," Victoria replied, "I was going to have you all wake up in your beds at seven the next morning. Linda and Mallory will most likely remember this as more than just a dream, but you needn't worry. She doesn't need to find out about your secret. The two really are not related, anyway - although I knew you were a time traveller."
"Well, maybe Marty and I can just pretend we didn't share their dream," suggested Alex. "I dunno, I guess some of Marty is really rubbing off on me. He actually visited our universe a few months ago - but Mallory never found out that his true identity was Marty McFly. He is a fictional character from a movie in our universe - while I'm a fictional character from a sitcom in his universe. It's something I still have difficulty getting my head around - and I'm not sure how well Mallory would take to that."
"I understand what you're saying," Victoria said, nodding. "So not only are the two of you considered fictional characters in each other's universe - but so are your sisters, right? But your sisters never figured that out. So am I understanding you correctly?"
"That's correct,' replied Alex. "Fortunately, my sister isn't really a fan of Back to the Future - and, likewise, his sister isn't really a fan of Family Ties. They could still end up hearing our names, though - if you know what I mean. So I am concerned."
"Ah, I see," Victoria said, sighing. "Perhaps the experience will open up their minds a little. Even if your sisters end up discovering that they were visiting our universe with two fictional character - I'm sure they would realize, in the world of magic, anything is possible. They really won't be able to figure out that they themselves are fictional characters in another universe. So you folks really don't need to worry."
"Phew, that's a relief!" breathed Marty. "I mean, if Linda ever finds out about Back to the Future - then she'll end up discovering my secret about Doc's time machine."
"I'm sure I have a few secrets of my own," Alex added, nodding, "that Mallory might discover, if she ever found out about Family Ties. I'm glad our secrets will be safe."
"Well, why don't we all go in the living room now?" suggested Victoria. "Gee, I could imagine that the kids will be hyper the next day. They're all so excited about being able to stay up until midnight. They don't get to do that too often, you know."
"I remember being a little kid," Marty said, smiling. "Being allowed to stay up until midnight was a big deal to me. I wasn't allowed to stay up until midnight on New Years Eve, until I was eight years old. I can remember being six, and I really did resent the fact that Linda and Dave were allowed to stay up - but I had to be in bed by nine. You know, being the youngest child in your family can really suck."
"Being the oldest child really isn't always all that it's cracked up to be, either," Alex said, sighing. 'You are expected to be the responsible one - and if your younger brother or sister does something wrong, and you happen to be in the room, you often end up getting blamed too. I really resented that. Jennifer always did love being the youngest child, and I remember she was resentful of having a new little brother. I must say that there were times when I wish I wasn't the oldest."
"Well, Dave always seemed to like being the oldest," Marty replied. "He would always boss Linda and I around - and whenever Dave wasn't around to boss us around, then Linda would be bossing me around. There were times that I wished I had someone to boss around. People wonder why some kids are so anxious to grow up, and why they hate not being the oldest in a group. Of course, now that I am an adult, I realize how easy children have it. It is ironic how some things tend to work out."
"You know how the expression goes," Alex said, smiling. "The grass always appears to be greener on the other side. Well, Marty, it's been nice seeing you again. It'll be sad to see you go. We won't even be able to write, or talk on the telephone."
"Well, don't forget," Marty said, as he forced a smile. "I have the DeLorean. I could visit you whenever I want. Of course, there is the rather pesky bit of needing Doc's approval. He's concerned with making sure the space-time continuum stays intact."
"I'm sure your friend has a valid point," Alex said, quietly. Then, he began to cry a little bit, as he threw his arms around Marty. "Oh, Marty, I really will miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, Alex," replied Marty, as he also began to cry. "Sometimes it's so hard to say good bye. You really have been a great friend to me."
After about ten minutes, Marty and Alex both wiped their eyes and began to join the rest of the group in the living room. Marty figured he should savour his last moments here. He made it a point to focus on the positive - that he would again see his family and friends. He also missed Jennifer, come to think of it. It will be great to be home.
oooooooooo
Marty glanced at the clock on the wall, and he realized there was only five minutes left until minute. He, Alex, and their sisters, all went around to hug everyone. The children all seemed a bit sad that the four visitors would be leaving for home soon.
"All right, everyone!" called out Todd, as he grabbed his camera. "Let's go take some pictures. Why don't the four of you stand over there? Then, we'll take your picture!"
Marty and Alex then stood in front of the tree, and they wrapped an arm around each other. Their sisters kneeled in front of them, while the boys laid their other hands on their respective sister's shoulders. Everyone then smiled at the camera, while Todd took their picture. Marty was impressed, as the picture of them was developing.
"Now how about taking a picture of you folks with the kids," suggested Todd, smiling.
The four visiters then stood side-by-side, in order of age - then the children stood in front of the visitors, also in order of age. The visitors then rested their hands on the shoulders of the children, as all of them smiled at the camera. Marty then admired the beautiful picture, wishing he could bring the pictures home with him. He sighed.
"Now let's have a picture of our family!" called out Todd. Then, turning to Alex, he handed the camera to him and asked, "Why don't you take our picture?"
Marty, Linda, and Mallory all stood behind Alex, as Alex snapped the camera. Todd then turned up the television, as the countdown was just about to start.
"Five!" everyone called out. "Four! Three! Two! One!"
Everything then went black.