7:00 AM EST
Family Ties Universe
Alex stretched his arms, as he opened his eyes and realized he was lying on his bed. He was stunned to discover he had fallen asleep in his clothes, which was not typical for him. He glanced at the digital alarm clock that was resting on his dresser, and he saw that it was 7:00. He could not even remember going to bed the night before. He just awoke from what seemed to be too real to have been a dream.
He then discovered a wrapped package on his dresser, which was under the colourful stone that he found last night. Thinking about that stone brought back memories of what had happened when he was admiring the stone. Somehow, the stone formed a portal that had warped him into a world where colourful people and muppets resided.
Alex then lifted up the package from under the stone, and he carefully opened up the package. Inside the package, he found a tuxedo - along with some pictures that had been taken at the Greenwood family's home, shortly before he had returned home.
"Hey, Alex, did you sleep in your clothes last night?" teased Jennifer, as she ran into the bedroom. "Mom is making some breakfast. I'm feeling so hungry right now."
"Oh, good morning, Jennifer," gushed Alex, as he threw his arms around his sister. "I really do love you! Listen, Jen, I'll be in the living room soon. I just have to take care of a few things first. By the way, a very merry Christmas to you, my darling sister!"
"Thank you, Alex," Jennifer said, sweetly. "I love you, too! I can hardly wait for you to open up my present. You really should see what I bought for you."
"That sounds lovely, Jen," gushed Alex. "I bought you a really nice present, too."
As soon as Jennifer left the room - Alex realized, with dread, that he never even got around to wrapping up his presents. He was so grateful that the family didn't open up presents until the afternoon, as that would give him some time to do some wrapping. He decided that he should maybe check up on his other sister, Mallory.
Alex was a little nervous, as he walked up to his sister's bedroom. What if, for some reason, his sister decided to be angry with him again? He really didn't feel like could really stand being yelled at on an early Christmas morning. He softly knocked on his sister's bedroom door, hoping his sister wouldn't be in a grouchy mood.
"Who is it?" called out Mallory, in a surprisingly cheerful voice.
"It's me, Alex," Alex haid, gently. "I would wondering if I could come in and talk?"
"Oh, sure, come right in," Mallory said, as she opened the door. "Listen, if it's about wrestling - well, I was thinking about it. Perhaps you're right, and it's better for me to find a different activity. I'm sorry I yelled at you last night."
"Oh, that's all right, Mallory," Alex said, gently, as he sat on the bed. "I was thinking about this, too - and I guess I'm maybe down on you too often. I should offer you an apology, too. I really love you a lot, and I just want you to have a good life. I know I often give you a real hard time about Nick - but if the two of you are happy together, then that's fine with me. I don't really dislike him, but I guess we just sort of have a personality conflict. Still, if you're happy with him..."
"You know, Alex," Mallory said, smiling, "I had the strangest dream last night - and you were in it!"
"What did you dream about?" Alex asked, enthusiastically - even though he already knew what the answer would be.
"Oh, it was a real wonderful dream!" gushed Mallory. "I was in this world that had all kinds of colourful people in it. This wonderful family let us spend the Christmas week with them. It seems like it was more than just a dream, however. After all, you were there - and so was someone else who looked like you. I believe his name was Marty McFly. His sister, Linda, was also there. We spent the week bonding together."
Just then, Jennifer ran into the room, and she asked, "Do you mean Marty and Linda McFly from Back to the Future? I thought you really didn't care for that movie. After all, you're always talking about how Michael J Fox is so overrated, and all that other stuff. Why don't you admit it, Mallory? You have a guilty pleasure for that movie!"
"Jennifer, what are you doing..." Mallory started to ask, somewhat sharply. She then softened her voice and threw her arms around her sister. "Never mind, Jennifer. I'm sorry I almost yelled at you. You're a wonderful sister, and I really love you a lot."
"I love you, too, Mallory," Jennifer cooed. "Mom's cooking breakfast for us. You don't want to miss our traditional Christmas breakfast, do you? So hurry up, you two!"
Alex and Mallory watched, as Jennifer left the room. Mallory then looked over at her dresser, and she noticed a wrapped package under the colourful stone. She reached for the package, and she began to open it up. Mallory's eyes then went really wide.
"Hey, this was not a dream at all, was it?" Mallory asked, stunned. "We really were in that world, weren't we? Don't even try to deny it, Alex - or else I will have to tickle it right out of you. So just tell me, Alex - we really did spend a week there, didn't we?"
"You're right, Mallory!" Alex admitted, as he burst out laughing. "You're right! It was real! We really were there! We cannot tell anybody else about this, though - got it?"
"Oh, are you kidding, Alex?" Mallory asked, laughing. "You really believe I would tell all my friends about this? Get outta town! They wouldn't believe me. They would just laugh at me and tell me that I'm crazy! I promise, Alex - I won't tell anyone else."
"Good," Alex said, smiling. "This could just be our secret. I really love you, Mallory."
"I love you, too, Alex," replied Mallory. "Listen, Jennifer was saying something about how Marty and Linda McFly are in Back to the Future. Is that true, Alex?"
"Uh, yeah, it's true," Alex replied, knowing he had to tell the truth. "Still, it could just be a coincidence that they looked the same and had the same name."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Mallory said, smiling. "After all, Back to the Future is a fictional movie. Although, I suppose it could be possible for fictional worlds to exist in a different dimension. It seems a little far-fetched, though. Well, maybe I should give Back to the Future a chance - and I should stop resenting Michael J Fox so much."
"Good for you!" Alex gushed, as he threw his arms Mallory and gave her a hug.
oooooooooo
"Oh, isn't this wonderful?" gushed Steven Keaton, as he glanced around the table. "I mean, how often do we all get to eat breakfast together like this? Even little Andy is at the table with us. Now, Alex, don't feed him too much of that coffee cake. It's nice that you love our baby so much, but he still needs to eat baby food."
"Yes, Dad," replied Alex. "I must say, this is really nice. I hate to get so sentimental - but I sometimes get sad thinking about how I am already 21 years old. Sometimes I really do miss being a kid." Then, turning to Jennifer, he smiled and said, "Make sure you enjoy your youth while you still have it, Jennifer. You're really lucky right now."
"I will, Alex," Jennifer said, smiling back. "You know, I can remember how I used to resent Andy, back when he was first born. In a way, though, it will be really nice to have a younger brother. By the time I turn eighteen, he will be five years old."
"Please, Jennifer," Elyse said, softly, "one day at a time. Let's not be in such a hurry to rush things. I fully intend to savour every milestone of Andy's growth. Also, Alex and Mallory, even though you both are adults now - you'll always be my children."
Mallory then turned to Alex, smiled, and said, "Today, Alex, why don't we pretend to be kids again? After all, Christmas is the one time of year that should bring out the child in all of us. So no watching economic shows today, got it?"
"Sounds like a deal," Alex said, smiling. "I intend to savour every moment of today. I can hardly wait to see all of our relatives. Christmas is such a wonderful time of year to spend with the family, after all."
"It's nice to see all of you getting along," Elyse said, smiling. "We are a family made up of six different individuals, but we have ties to bind us all. We have family ties!"
Alex smiled, as he glanced around the table. His mother's words were so true.