Author's Note: New chapter, and even of reasonable length. Doc meets his girl (yeah, Susan is the same as from I Didn't Invent Any Time Machine, except for the fact that she grew up in the normal world here). Please read and review, and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the movies, or else this wouldn't be 'fan' fiction.

5: Chapter Four

Wednesday, December 31st, 1986

Hill Valley, California

11: 42 P. M.

New Year's Party's are just great, aren't they?

Sixty-six-year-old doctor Emmett Lathrop Brown, once called 'Doc' by his former friend Martin Seamus McFly, sighed as he looked around in the room. Almost the entire town of Hill Valley – Doc estimated around 95 percent – had gathered here to celebrate the fact it soon would be 1987, and there was an astonishing amount of people. Still, no one had talked to him, except for George and Lorraine McFly, who had been the ones to invite him here in the first place.

Doc sighed, as he thought of the McFly's son, Marty. Ever since their short talk at Marty's birthday, which was approximately six months and twenty-two days ago now, they hadn't met again. Almost no one would believe the inventor when he'd tell that Marty, however the teenager was now so bitter towards him, had once been his closest (and only) friend. Ever since that October date in 1975, they'd shared interests together, played music together (guitar and saxophone), and Marty had helped him out with experiments. Sometimes, though, they'd just talked, and Doc had enjoyed their friendship. Marty was about the only friend he'd ever had, which meant, according to the logical math 1-1=0, that he currently didn't have any friends. At all.

The scientist sighed, as he took a drink from the bar, then realized that someone had come to sit next to him. He didn't care to take a look, and instead just stared at the clock, hoping the person, male or female, would go bother someone else, soon – he wasn't in the mood for this right now. It was just 16 minutes and 43 seconds to go until midnight, now. He sighed, as he realized that he'd usually would have been home, just listening to the clocks ticking away, together with Marty, his friend…

Five minutes passed slowly, one after each other. As Doc stared to the ground next to him, he could estimate that of the original distance between the bar stools, it was shortened by at least a half, maybe even two/thirds. The inventor got a little confused, then angry. If the person hadn't ordered anything, he/she was here for him. Couldn't they just accept that he wanted to be left alone? He rose up his head, facing the person. All right, whoever you are, I…

The words that would've voiced those thoughts died in his throat as he saw who the person was. It wasn't a man – it was a woman. A pretty one, too. Doc's mouth fell open in surprise as he looked at the person, therefore not registering that the woman opposite him was reacting the exact same way at him. The inventor looked at the beautiful face. Nice, soft-looking blonde hair, with almost enchanting deep brown eyes, and a nice facial pattern. "Great Scott" he whispered, softly.

The woman smiled. "Hi" she said. "I'm Susan Mary Clayton. Who are you?"

"Emmett Lathrop Brown" Doc whispered, surprised by the easy way she hung around him – he was Hill Valley's local crackpot scientist, after all. "Have you been staring at me for the past five minutes?"

The woman – Susan, it was, Doc reminded himself, such a lovely name – blushed. "I suppose I have" she said. "You're a nice person." She then frowned. "Wait a second – that name. I've hard it before." She thought a moment, as Doc winced. "Aren't you the local scientist? The one many people think of as, well, you know, not entirely having his brains on the right place?"

"That's the one" Doc admitted, figuring he might as well get this over with. "But, I promise you, I'm nowhere as nutty as they say." Inside, he wondered why he was doing this, after all. Susan wouldn't listen to him, and leave. Well, it's been nice to interact with someone, even if it was for just a few seconds…

To his surprise, Susan smiled – which was a rather beautiful sight, actually. "Oh, I know. I've had those people bug me about my fascination with digging in the earth, so I know perfectly well what 'they' are like, and I fully sympathise."

"Thanks" Doc said, astonished. "Why are you into digging into the earth, miss Clayton?" He paused. "And besides, does Clayton mean that you're related to the person who fell into Clayton Ravine?" He blushed a little. "Sorry if I ask too many questions at once…"

"It's okay, honestly" Susan said. "Call me Susan, by the way – or Suzy, which is my nickname. Suzy Clayton – yes, great-great-granddaughter of Maria Clayton, Clara Clayton's younger sister. And you're right to wonder about my digging obsession. I guess I just have a fascination for exploring the inside of the planet. Ever since I read Jules Verne's book, 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth…'

"You've read Jules Verne?" Doc asked, with amazement.

"I adore Jules Verne" Susan said, dreamily.

"So do I!" Doc exclaimed, enthusiastically. "Twenty Thousand Miles Under The Sea, my absolute favourite. The first time when I read that when I was a little boy I wanted to meet Captain Nemo!"

Susan laughed. "That's kind of cute, Emmett. Really. To be honest, I've wanted to meet some characters from Journey To The Centre Of The Earth as well. However, they don't really exist. That's too bad, you know? Well, if they would exist, we probably wouldn't have the book."

"Yeah" Doc nodded. "That's the whole thinking multi-world thing. I actually studied that, once. Fascinating to think that, what's fictional for us, may be real in other worlds. Maybe we are, in fact, not real, either. Maybe we're just fictional characters in a movie or a television show…"

Susan laughed again. "That would be weird!" she exclaimed. Then, she looked at the clock. "Well, it's almost time – just nine minutes to go. How about we stay sit here, order a drink, and wait for 12:00 AM to arrive?"

"As long as it's not alcoholic" Doc said, grinning. "I can't take that. I've got a natural sickness in me that makes me get sick immediately after I drink it. Actually, it takes a rather short time for me to heal, but I immediately fall unconscious, and don't naturally wake up until six hours later."

"Interesting" Susan said.

"Rather annoying, as a matter of fact" Doc said. "Well, I don't drink alcohol anyway… whenever I drink it, before I pass out, it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth… but still, it is rather annoying if it's the only drink that is around."

"Let's not think about alcohol now" Susan said. "Let's think about the party." She smiled at him, a wonderful smile, and ordered two glasses of apple juice. Doc just stared at her. Tonight was a night he'd never forget.

Thursday, January 1st, 1987

2: 57 A. M.

Doc smiled broadly, as he stared after Susan's car pulling out the driveway, and driving off. He simply couldn't believe, how it could be that Susan actually seemed to really love him. It simply wasn't a case of friendliness, or feeling sorry. It was love, just like Marty hadn't just felt sorry for Doc, but had actually liked him to be around as a friend.

The inventor sighed, as he walked up to the DeLorean, which was, having gotten rid of all the time travel things, just a normal car. He got in, and immediately noticed Einstein had fallen asleep. The dog now woke up, and pointed his front paw at the clock, which said the time was 2:58, a bit accusingly.

"Sorry, Einie" he said, smiling. "I know – I told you I'd be back at 12:30. Even George and Lorraine have already left. But there was this beautiful woman there, and, well, I was talking to her, and the time flew by." He grinned. "You should see her some time. She's really nice. Her name is Susan."

The dog just barked, as the inventor drove the DeLorean home, thinking of the woman he'd just met. And like he'd thought when they had first met, this sure was going to be a night to never forget. A night which spanned two years, but also brought together two people. He was happy to have a friend again, and with his agreement to meet Susan for a date, his first in ages, on Friday the second at 8:00 PM.

Happily humming a tune, he reached JFK Drive. But unlike when he left, a smiling was now lighting up his face. Susan sure was a great woman, even though she was nearly forty years younger. Their date Friday was going to be great. He finally had happiness in his life again, now.