Disclaimer: I still don't own BTTF...

Author's Note: Three chapters in one go this time. The current chapter details Marty's complex plan to restore the timeline to its original course. Which, as any BTTF viewer with knowledge of the events transpiring on November 12th 1955 will know, is not easy... This chapter also features a fan favorite - the Wallet Guy!

Chapter Twenty-Five

November 12, 1955
09:20 PM PST
Hill Valley, California

"Excuse me! Sorry, I need to get past!"

Michael Lester looked up at Marty as he walked up to Biff. "You!" he exclaimed. "The guy who stole Biff's wallet! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Uh, nothing" Marty replied, embarrassed. "I'm just returning it, that's all." He frowned. "Say, aren't you George's friend? Why are you standing up for Biff anyway?"

Now it was Lester's turn to be embarrassed. "You shouldn't steal from him" he insisted. "I know Biff is bad, but stealing is wrong. It is just wrong. And besides, trying to oppose Biff is just too dangerous. If we all just cooperate with him, he might cut us some slack. I think he might cut us some slack." He frowned. "But I suppose you wouldn't know about that, since you had no hesitations to attack Biff on Tuesday."

Marty nodded, uninterested. "Yeah, right" he muttered. "Biff? Biff?" He slapped the bully's face.

Biff groaned. "Ugh…" he muttered. "Where am I?"

That wasn't much in terms of coming around, but it was enough for Marty. He began to take off. However, it didn't take long for Biff to regain his senses enough to see and recognize him. "KLEIN!" he shouted. "What the… you… I'll get you!"

Marty gulped, and set off, running in the direction of the gym, where he could see his younger self watching the scene inside intensely – 1955 Marty was just saying goodbye to his parents. Presumably he had skipped out on playing Johnny Be Goode due to time constraints – too bad, but at least that might get his '50s self back on track. Marty didn't really want to run past his younger self, but he knew that with Biff on his tail, there was no other option. He rushed past and hid behind a pillar.

1985 Marty looked up and frowned – however, his surprise wouldn't last long. A few seconds later, Biff emerged, and to Marty's intense relief, he immediately noticed 1985 Marty. "Hey!" he called out. "You think you can get away with this, huh? That this stupid disguise would get by me?"

"Biff" 1985 Marty muttered. "Listen, I don't have time…"

"You don't have time?" Biff taunted. "What are you, chicken?"

Both Marty's felt the blood pressure in their veins rise. 1985 Marty turned around. "Nobody," he hissed angrily, "calls me chic-"

The instant before 1985 Marty could finish his sentence, 1955 Marty exited in a rush, slamming the door against Biff's face. 1985 Marty let out a short yelp and quickly ducked into the shadows, but fortunately, 1955 Marty was far too distracted to notice either of his older selves. He ran off, and Marty looked after him for a moment before turning back to his second self, who was looking at the unconscious Biff smugly. Marty couldn't blame him – about time Biff got what he deserved for calling him… them… a chicken.

Marty then frowned. Wait a second – what was he thinking! He couldn't just let his younger self get away – that had been the whole purpose! The sequence had been recreated, but with Biff and 1985 Marty at opposite sides of the door – and now Biff was out for the count and his younger self still had the almanac. Marty cursed, somewhat childishly stamping on the ground in frustration.

He looked at the stairs leading up to the roof, knowing he wouldn't have much time. 1985 Marty was climbing up and his Doc could be there any time now – although it might take a little bit longer due to the different circumstances. Either way, though, his younger self would have to be stopped now. And there was only one thing he could think of to do that.

Pulling all his courage together, Marty walked up the stairs towards the roof of the gym. If this plan of his backfired even to the slightest degree, the universe could explode around him. And yet, there was no other way. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he made his way to the top of the stairs.

1985 Marty was turned away from him, staring into the sky, holding onto the walkie-talkie with one hand and clutching the almanac in the other. Marty realized that not only should he take the almanac, he should also ensure that his younger self would regard the events he experienced as nothing more than a dream. The chance that would happen was minimal, but Marty desperately hoped that luck would be with him this one time. He took a deep breath, and after a long, hesitant pause, he called out: "Hey, Marty!"

1985 Marty turned around, surprised – a surprise that turned into horror when he saw who had called him. His face paled within an instant and his jaw dropped, along with the almanac and his walkie-talkie. "You… I…" he stammered.

"Surprised to see me?" Marty replied, trying to appear as if he was on top of the situation. In reality, though, he was cursing inside. Come on, 1985 Marty – faint already! I'm your future self, for crying out loud!

However, 1985 Marty, though clearly shocked, refused to faint. He nodded faintly. "Yeah!" the younger teen exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here? You should be heading for the square by now!"

Marty suddenly understood. His other self thought that he was 1955 Marty, and was thus surprised, but not as surprised as he would have been if he had known the truth. "I'm not the guy you think I am" he informed his counterpart.

1985 Marty laughed nervously. "You're not?" he replied. "Because you certainly do look like me."

"Oh, I am you all right" Marty said, smiling briefly at the oddness of this conversation. "It's just that I'm not the you you're holding me for. I'm your future self."

1985 Marty gawked. "My… my future self?" he whispered. "But Doc's planning to destroy the time machine!"

Marty did his best to create an evil grin. "Only he won't do it. Things will happen beyond your wildest nightmares." He started walking towards 1985 Marty, who retreated as he was too terrified to stand. "Doc will die again. You will travel through time again. You'll see horrible things, witness horrible dystopia's… your life will become a living hell, Marty." He knew he was exaggerating extremely, but it had to be done.

1985 Marty stumbled further and further backwards. "Impossible" he whispered. "I… I couldn't… you can't be…Gah!"

Marty's eyes went wide as he saw 1985 Marty had stumbled against the end of the roof and was now desperately trying to avoid falling off. To his horror, he realized that no matter if his younger self survived the fall, 1985 Marty crashing off the roof would instantly dissolve Clara and Doc's kids because he'd end up at least hurt, and there was no way Doc was going to get in a situation to be struck by lightning in those circumstances. He had to act now.

The seventeen-year-old did the only thing he could possibly do – he surged forwards. 1985 Marty barely noticed him as he lost his balance and fell backwards… only for Marty to catch him just in time.

1985 Marty might have felt a sense of relief from not falling off, but it all faded when he stared into the face of his counterpart, who was just mere inches away and holding him tightly by his shoulders. His eyes shut and 1985 Marty went limp in his other self's arms. Marty nearly dropped him, but managed to hold on.

The time traveler breathed a sigh of relief. At last, his goal had been accomplished. He dragged his unconscious younger self back onto the roof (with some difficulty – he supposed he really should lose some more weight in case something like this happened again) and put him down next to a smokestack – this way, it would seem like his other self had tripped. Doc – that was, 1985 Doc – would be less suspicious then. As he did so, Marty made sure to hold onto the leather jacket when possible – holding onto his other self's shoulders was just too creepy.

After making sure his younger self was all right, Marty put the walkie-talkie next to him and grabbed the almanac. He then looked up in the sky and gasped. Sure enough, from a distance, he could see the DeLorean approaching.

The teen quickly ran off the stairs and towards the place Biff was still unconscious. He threw the almanac towards him and retreated into the shadows quickly as the touch of the almanac on his lap woke up his adversary. Biff groaned, blinked, and looked around him.

As Marty was watching Biff come to, he could hear the sound of an engine on the roof of the gym. He smiled. Great. That had to be the DeLorean landing. Now, they would hopefully be in time to see Biff get off. He saw Biff stumble to his feet, stare at the almanac for a few seconds, before shrugging and walking over to his car. As he did so, Marty did the most he could to hear the sounds from the roof.

"Doc! What… why… what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing unconscious on the roof! And I told you to buy inconspicuous clothes!"

"I know, I know, but…" There was a brief pause, in which Marty presumed his younger self got up, and then a gasp. "Doc! The book is gone!"

"Great Scott! What happened?"

"I-I don't know! All I can remember is… is…"

"What?"

"It couldn't have been!"

"What? Tell me, Marty! It is vitally important that we get that book back!"

Just then, the conversation was cut short, as Biff started up the car engine. Marty heard a confused stumble on the rooftop and stepped out of the shadows for a moment, watching 1985 Doc and 1985 Marty, who were in turn watching Tannen. "Did Biff take it again?" 1985 Doc asked.

"I don't know!" 1985 Marty exclaimed. "I…Doc! Why don't we just check the newspapers?"

"The newspapers?"

"Yeah! They can show us whether the wrong future is still intact, and so if Biff has got the almanac!"

1985 Doc shook his head. "That won't be enough, Marty" he muttered. "You know time ripples move slowly. Even if someone else had the almanac, as long as the book doesn't end up destroyed, it would probably not alter the newspapers right away. We would have to allow a few minutes to pass, at the very least – minutes we don't want to waste." He sighed. "Where did you last see the almanac?"

1985 Marty winced. Marty could see the indecision on him – tell his friend about the encounter with what could have been his older self, and he might be thought of as crazy. Not telling him anything about it, on the other hand, might also not be a good solution. "Uh…" he muttered. "I still had it on me when I ran onto the roof. But Biff tried to steal it from me before that."

"Then someone must have deliberately come after you and knocked you out, and that someone would most likely have been Biff" 1985 Doc speculated. "After all, he is the only one in this era who knows the almanac is valuable. All right Marty, without any further clues, I suppose following Biff might be our best bet. Get in!"

1985 Marty nodded, and Marty watched them running back to the DeLorean. A few moments later, he heard the DeLorean's engine and saw the time machine fly off through the sky.

The teen sighed. He had done what he could to improve his younger self's timing. Now, the self-preservation effect of the universe would have to give him a hand, or history would be seriously messed up. He shook his head and walked off from the gym as he activated his walkie-talkie, and hoped there would still be a Doc Brown in existence to answer his call.