Author's Note: This is my first BTTF fanfic. I have several stories in another fandom on this site (and a big Sorry to any of my followers who were expecting one of those), but I have been reading many BTTF fics lately and it got me feeling nostalgic and creative. I currently have the DVDs of the trilogy on the table next to me, and I recently dug out my old movie tie-in paperbacks.

This is mostly just a written description of a few scenes from Back to the Future Part II, with a little filler thrown in.

Please read and review!

-ck

Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future, Marty McFly, Doctor Emmett L. Brown, Jennifer Parker, or Einstein the dog. I am writing for fun and feedback, not for profit.

JUST A SWINGIN'

by IntialLuv

Saturday, October 26th, 1985

9:09 PM

Hill Valley, California

Doc had set the DeLorean's time circuits so they'd arrive in present-day Hill Valley at nine p.m., and even though the arrival was instantaneous, it still took several minutes to fly the car to Jennifer's street and land near her house. Luckily there was no traffic, so no one could see the time machine for what it was. Doc drove the modified sports car directly to the Parkers' house with little direction from Marty, and the younger man wondered on that for a moment. From his best recollections (even as scattered as they were), Doc had been to Jennifer's place just once before, and that was over a year ago. . . Marty had ridden his skateboard to Doc's, planning to head to Jennifer's after, when a sudden rainstorm had threatened the teen's plans. It had been early in Marty and Jennifer's relationship, when every date and phone call and kiss was glory, and any time apart was a tragedy. When Doc had seen the dejected puppy-dog look on Marty's face as the young man had stared out the garage window at the downpour, he'd quickly offered to run the teen over to his girlfriend's house in his van.

Well, not too quickly. First Emmett had compared Marty to Einstein. "You look as low as Einie gets, when he wants to go out and it's raining," the scientist had said, his voice tinged with amusement.

"Yeah, but Einstein's not in love," Marty had responded dramatically.

Pulling himself out of the memory, Marty snorted lightly. Of course Doc would remember where Jennifer lived. The guy was a genius, after all. And Hill Valley wasn't exactly a bustling metropolis.

As Doc pulled the DeLorean into the Parkers' driveway, Marty was glad to see that all was quiet and dark in the house, as he had hoped and somewhat expected. He knew it wasn't even ten p.m. and it was a weekend, but Jennifer's parents weren't exactly night owls. The fact that her parents weren't up worrying about their daughter also reassured Marty – evidently they trusted their teenaged daughter on an evident day-long jaunt with her teenaged boyfriend, a jaunt which was to be followed by an unsupervised night at the lake.

Well, we were supposed to go to the lake.

Marty lifted the passenger gull-wing door before the time machine even came to a stop, but Emmett was out of the car only a second later, and he dashed up toward the darkened house. The older man took note of the convenient porch swing, then turned back to his friend. "Let's put her in the swing," he said, rushing to help Marty ease Jennifer out of the car. "Then I'll take you home, and you can come back in your truck to wake her." The two men lifted the young woman, carrying her up the walk. Einstein padded softly behind them, as if understanding the need for quiet; the loudest sound he made was the jingling of the tags on his collar. Also straining to make as little noise as possible, the scientist kept his voice at a half-whisper as he continued. "When she awakens here at her own house and it's dark, you should be able to convince her it was all a dream."

Even as Marty was following directions and helping to place Jennifer on the swing, he protested. "Wait a minute. Are just going to leave her here on the porch?" Marty took the pillow Doc handed him and added it to one already behind his girlfriend's head, taking care to arrange her in a comfortable position.

"The disorientation will help convince her it was all a dream," Emmett reiterated, looking so much like he believed his words that Marty was almost convinced. But still. . . "Well, how long do you think she's gonna be out?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure," Emmett admitted. "She received quite a shock. It could be a few minutes; most probably a couple of hours." He patted Marty's shoulder, a gesture that was part consoling and part reminder to hurry. "You better bring some smelling salts back with you."

"Hey, you're the doc, Doc," Marty answered reflexively.

"All right, let's go Einie." Doc patted Einstein, and both man and dog headed down the steps toward the car. Marty backed down the porch at a much slower rate, still uneasily watching his sleeping girlfriend. Emmett turned back, saw his reluctant friend, and called to him. "Don't worry, she'll be fine!"

Finally turning away from Jennifer to follow the scientist, Marty's eye caught the darkened living room window as he passed, and the iron bars covering the outside of the fixture. His brow furrowed slightly, and he gestured briefly at the window. "I don't remember bars being on these windows," he said. But Doc, already down to the DeLorean and waiting impatiently, didn't seem to hear the soft words.

Marty joined Emmett at the time machine, sitting in the passenger seat and pulling down the door. He reached over to absentmindedly pat Einstein's head as Doc backed the DeLorean out of Jennifer's driveway, aiming it in the direction of Marty's house. "I'll get you home, then I'm heading to my lab," Emmett said.

Home? "Yeah. . ." Marty murmured.

Bars. Lake. Truck.

Doc had known about his truck. He'd mentioned it just moments before. But did he know of it because Marty had commented on it this morning? Or had he known about it . . . longer?

His parents, happy and healthy.

Dave in a damn suit!

"Doc, wait! Stop!"

Emmett immediately brought the car to a stop. "What? What's wrong?" He peered out the windshield, wondering if some kind of animal had run by that he had almost struck. "What is it, Marty?"

"I . . . things are different. I mean, this morning – it was this morning, right?" Marty shrugged. Whatever – whenever. "When I got up this morning, before you showed up, my house and my family were different. Better?" the teen frowned; it sure seemed so, but the jury was still out on that. "Different," he repeated.

Emmett had started the car moving again, but he was driving slower, and occasionally gazing at his young friend. "Different how?"

"I don't – " Marty sighed in exasperation. "I don't remember my parents playing tennis. And Linda and Dave were having some fancy kind of breakfast, and Dave was in a suit! On a Saturday!" Marty threw his hands up for emphasis. "And he usually only goes into the office on Saturdays during tax time in spring – "

Where did that come from?

Doc nodded, glancing at Marty. "I thought you told me he was working a half-day today, to finish up his post-tax paperwork from the October extensions."

No, he's working the evening shift at Burger King. And on the heels of that thought, No, a half-day at Struck and Lutz Tax Group.

"Yeah, I guess I did tell you that," Marty mumbled to himself, pushing the contradictory thoughts aside. Anyway, Doc was pulling into his driveway. The young man decided maybe it was better to hold off on the conversation until he'd gotten some sleep. It was late, he'd time-traveled three times in half a day, and he was exhausted and sore and probably not thinking straight. He levered up his car door, stepping out into the night.

"If you need me I'll be back at my lab, dismantling this thing!" Doc said as a goodbye. And as Marty affirmed his understanding and slammed his car door down, he thought that would be as good a time as any to restart the conversation. He would again bring up the subject of his altered present when he went to Doc's lab. He'd help the man dismantle the time machine, and they'd talk, like they normally did when Marty visited. Typically, the teen would help the scientist build or repair or test his inventions, and during the work, the two would have meaningful conversations about everything from Einstein's theory on general relativity to the lack of nutrition in high school hot lunches.

Marty walked backwards up his driveway, watching the DeLorean as Doc backed it up into the street and then turned it to head out of Lyon Estates. He was relieved that he hadn't brought up the fact that somehow, Jennifer had looked different to him when he had returned from 1955. He could imagine the look Emmett would have given him, the narrowed eyes and pursed lips. Because why would Jennifer look different? It was really quite silly. She'd probably just changed her hair style or color. Girls did that all the time, right? He didn't exactly remember Jennifer falling into that superficial trap before, although several of her girlfriends had. So she'd probably been due. That had to be it.

Right?

Running his hand through his hair, he headed for the gate entrance that led to the side of the house, and to his bedroom window. He had to sneak inside and search the first aid supplies for some smelling salts. Then he'd grab his truck from the garage and head back to Jennifer's.

He just hoped nothing else unexpected happened before that.

END