When Marty McFly Meets Alex Keaton

[bttf4444]

Author's Note: This story takes place in the Family Ties Universe where Andy was born to Steven and Elyse Keaton in 1985.

Prologue

May 25, 1990
3:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Alexander Patrick Keaton was in the living room, playing Nintendo with his kid brother, Andrew, who was six years old. Little Andy had taken a real liking to Alex, and he wanted to be just like his big brother.

"So, Alex," asked Andy, sweetly, "today is the big release date of Back to the Future Part Three? You look just like Marty McFly."

"I know," Alex said, smiling. "You know, if I could travel through time, I would love to visit the Old West. It's one of my favourite eras to study about."

"So what is like to live in the Old West?" Andy asked, with curiosity. "I suppose they didn't have TV or video games back then."

"Oh, they certainly didn't," Alex said, laughing. "You didn't have all the modern conveniences back then, that we tend to take for granted today. As much as I would love to visit the Old West, I can imagine I would have a tough time adjusting to living there. Electricity was still in its infancy - and the major electrical invention of the time was the telegraph, which pretty much predates the telephone. They did have telephones back in 1885, but they were somewhat rare.'

'So was life much harder back then?' asked Andy.

'Well, it depends on how you look at it,' Alex said, quietly. 'It was definitely much harder to do the typical everyday tasks of house cleaning. Not only that, but just about everyone back then owned at least one horse - so you would have to clean up after your horse routinely.'

"Oh, I would love to ride a horse someday!" gushed Andy, his face lighting up.

"Well, back then, horses were the standard form of transportation," explained Alex. "They didn't have cars yet, so they would ride carriages pulled by horses. So people didn't exactly ride horses for fun back then. Riding horses was the norm."

"So how did they keep themselves warm during the winter?" asked Andy.

Just then, the telephone rang. Alex went up to answer the phone.

"Hello," Alex said, into the receiver. "Keaton residence, this is Alex."

"Oh, hello, Alex," gushed a feminine sounding voice. "I was hoping you would be home!"

"Aw, it's so nice of you to call, Ellen," Alex said, huskily. "Say, would you like to come with Andy and I to the movie theatre tonight? We were going to catch Back to the Future Part Three! I love how this movie is going to take place in the Old West."

"Oh, I'd be happy to come along, Alex," replied Ellen. "Yeah, I really love Michael J Fox. I think he looks just like you!"

"Oh, you do, eh?" Alex asked, smiling. "Listen, Ellen, how about I pick you in about fifteen minutes - and we can eat at Ponderosa before we catch the movie?"

"That sounds great, Alex," replied Ellen. "I'm so happy we can be together again. You are such a sweet person, even if you are a bit outspoken about politics. But that's okay, though. It's good to have an opinion of your own, instead of going along with what everyone else thinks. That's what I love about you, Alex. You are uniquely you."

"Thank you, Ellen," Alex replied, beaming with pride. "I was just playing Nintendo with my kid brother. I'll have to get him to clean up, and then we'll be right over."

"See you later, Alex my love," Ellen said, as she hung up.

Alex smiled, as he hung up the phone. He had actually met Marty McFly in person, a few times - and they got along great. He was a bit tempted to tell Ellen about his experience with meeting Marty, but he had promised Marty to keep it a secret. Besides, Ellen might not even believe him - and she might think him crazy.

The last time Alex had corresponded with Marty, he discovered that Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan - the actors who played Alex P Keaton and Ellen Reed on a show called Family Ties in the Back to the Future world - were now married, and they had a son named Sam Michael Fox. Alex wondered if he and Ellen should name their first son, Sam, too. Come to think of it - it would work great for a girl, too.

In this world, Tracy Pollan was an actress who was not very well-known. Instead, in this world, Michael J Fox ended up marrying a young actress who played his girlfriend in Jamie Takes Charge, whose name was Melody Powers. They also had a son named Sam Michael Fox. The sitcom was a spin off from Leo and Me, where Jamie Romano was older and he moved to California. There, he took care of some small children. The sitcom had been considerably more successful than its predecessor.

"Hey, Andy," Alex called out, cheerfully. "Let's wash up now, shall we? How would you like to go to Ponderosa for dinner?"

"That would be awesome, Alex," replied Andy. "Can I have the half-pound sirloin steak dinner - with a baked potato with butter and sour cream?"

"Wow! You sure have a hearty appetite, don't you?" Alex teased, as he tickled his kid brother on the sides. Andy collapsed on the ground, laughing. "You're going to grow up to be a big boy, Andy!"

"Yeah, one day I'll be as big as you, Alex," Andy said, smiling.

"Yes, you will," Alex said, chuckling a little. At five feet four inches tall, Alex didn't consider himself to be big at all. He was not one to get all worked up over his small stature, though.

After Alex carried Andy into the bathroom, he said, "Okay, Andy, wash up your hands and face. Use lots of soap. Scrub up good. You're doing a good job. Atta boy!"

"All done, Alex," Andy said, smiling at his big brother.

"Good job!" replied Alex. "Now lets go have some dinner, shall we?"

oooooooooo

After Alex went to pick up Ellen and drove over to Ponderosa, they all ordered the half pound sirloin dinner. Alex saw to it that his little brother ate some vegetables. They then sat down at a booth. Alex and Andy sat on one side, while Ellen sat on the other side.

"Your little brother is so well behaved," Ellen said, admiringly. "I have a cousin who's about the same age as him, and he can be such a brat. He'll scream and pitch a tantrum whenever he doesn't get his way."

"Yeah, Andy is a good little boy," cooled Alex. Then, turning to his Andy, he added, "Aren't you, Andy? Oh, yes, you're a good little boy. Tell Ellen what you want to be when you grow up."

"I want to be the President of the United States," Andy said, with pride.

"That's quite ambitious of you," Ellen said, smiling.

"Thank you," Andy said, smiling. Then, turning to Alex, he asked, "What does ambitious mean?"

"It means you have a strong desire for success," Alex said, smiling back at his brother.

"I would like some ice cream, now," Andy insisted.

"Well, finish up your salad first," said Alex, "then we'll see about getting some ice cream."

"Yes, Alex," replied Andy, turning back to his salad without an argument.

"Yeah, Alex, I think you'll make a great father," Ellen said, smiling. "Just think, one day we'll get married and have kids of our own."

"I can hardly wait, Ellen," Alex said, huskily.

[bttf4444]

Chapter One

July 24, 1986
3:30 PM PDT
BTTF Universe

Eighteen-year-old Marty McFly was inside of Dr. Emmett Brown's garage, as Doc (which was Marty's affectionate nickname for his elder friend) was showing a new invention he had built for his time machine.

"This is the destination locator," Doc was telling Marty. "From now on, when we travel through time, we don't have to be limited to travelling within Hill Valley. We can now set the location of any place on earth we would like to visit, and the time machine will take us to our destination location on our designation."

"Whoa, that's awesome, Doc," Marty said, impressed. "So you mean, if we wanted to go back to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ, we could? Some Biblical experts say that he was most likely really born sometime in spring of the year 4 BC. Furthermore, there really is no year zero."

"Well, we would have to set up the time machine to take at back to the BC years, before we can do that," explained Doc. "Also, it wouldn't be wise to mess up with major events like that. You know how travelling through time always carries its risks, right?"

"That's true," replied Marty. "God is much greater than us, though, right? There is no way He would allow for us to disrupt with a major event like that. That's also why I think it's impossible to create a time paradox. God would not allow us mere humans to disrupt something as important as the space-time continuum."

"That's very profound, Marty," replied Doc. "Still, God does expect us to be responsible people, and to not abuse the gifts that He has provided us with."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Doc," Marty said, smiling a little. "So, are we going to use Einie as our guinea pig, again. I mean, we want to make sure that this works properly, right? I mean, we don't want to travel through time - and somehow end up in limbo. That would be very disastrous."

"Yeah, I suppose we could go over to Hill Valley Park," explained Doc, "and do our test there. It's a pretty big park. We would have to see to it, though, that the DeLorean doesn't hit into any trees. This is one thing we'll have to be very careful of."

"So, how does the destination locator work, anyway?" asked Marty.

"Well, this destination panel is created from computer parts that I have picked up in the year 2030," explained Doc. "I took the trip after I dropped you home four days ago, when we saw to it that your 48 year old self from 2016 survives the terrible disease that he acquired from the Caribbean cruise. I was happy to discover that you are still alive and healthy in the year 2030."

"Oh, I'm so relieved to hear that, Doc," Marty said, smiling.

"Anyway," Doc continued, "on this panel, you search for locations of where you would like to travel to. Then you keep zooming up on various locations, until you have pinpointed the exact location of where you would like to land. Now, I have synchronized the destination panel with the time panel that tells you where you're going. That way, the destination panel displays the world's geography that is current to the time we plan to travel to."

"Whoa, Doc, this is heavy," breathed Marty. "So how did you manage all that? Either the computer technology of 2030 is highly advanced, or else you really are a genius."

"Well, not to brag or anything," Doc said, blushing a little, "but I would say that it's probably a little bit of both. I was able to fine tune the computer technology that was available in 2030 to correlate with the time panels - which I have also replaced with 2030 computer technology. Now, of course, I cannot imagine that the geography of Hill Valley Park would change that drastically within a couple of hours."

"So what's on the agenda, Doc?" asked Marty. "So we take Einie with us in the DeLorean, we pick a location in the park to do our experiment. We send Einie in the DeLorean to the other side of the park in an hour, and you figure it should take us an hour to walk over there. Say, did you bring any hoverboards back with you? I think it would be a lot easier on our feet to hoverboard."

"As a matter of fact, yeah, I did bring back a couple of hoverboards," explained Doc. "I figured it should be those of the Mattel variety, as they don't make so much noise or cause any pollution. We'll have to make sure we don't let anyone see us on the hoverboards. So, anyway, if my calculations are correct, we'll start over here..." Doc zoomed up the location on the destination panel to show Marty. "and, precisely an hour later, Einie and the time machine will reappear on this side of the park." Doc zoomed up to that location to show Marty, then he locked that location in place."

"Well, you're the doc, Doc," Marty said, grinning.

oooooooooo

"Well, it's almost about time," Doc said, glancing at his watch. "In precisely 45 seconds, Einstein will be showing up here in the time machine, so watch out!"

Not long afterwards, Marty heard the three familiar sonic booms, as the DeLorean had formed in midair. Doc had used his remote control to decelerate the DeLorean and gently land it onto the ground.

Doc then started jumping around, excitedly, as he shouted, "It worked! It actually worked! We actually took time travel onto the next level!"

"Yeah, Doc, this is so exciting," Marty replied, smiling. "this is so awesome!"

Doc then walked over to the DeLorean, as he opened up the door, and said, "Ha, ha, ha, Einstein! You little devil!" He then unbuckled Einstein, as the dog began to lick Doc's hand.

"So, Doc, what's next?" asked Marty, grinning.

"Well, I guess I should start heading home, now," Doc said, smiling. "I should check up on Clara and the boys - and Clara is probably cooking dinner, now. Do you need me to drive you home?"

"Uh, no, Doc, I'll be fine," Marty replied, as he embraced his elder friend. "I think I'll spend some time here in the park. It's a lovely day out, and I could certainly use the fresh air."

"Well, then," replied Doc, as he squeezed Marty back, "you take good care of yourself. I guess I'll see you later."

Marty smiled, as he watched Doc step into the DeLorean with Einstein. He then watched Doc drive out of the park.

oooooooooo

A few hours later, Marty had decided to check out the Roanoke Island. His best friend, Zach Nelson, had been a bit fascinated with that location - and Marty had been a little curious himself. He decided to set the time destination to 15 minutes ahead, and he decided to take his little jaunt through time.

With the addition of the destination locator, the possibilities were endless. He could go see his favourite band, Huey Lewis and The News, anywhere in the world and at any time. Of course, he would also need a ticket to attend the show - but that was a minor issue in comparison.

After Marty had accelerated the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour, he had broken the time barrier. He had also seen a little ripple outside of the windshield, but he thought nothing of it. He figured it was just a side affect of travelling to a different spacial destination as well as a different time.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Two

July 24, 1986
7:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

As soon as Marty had landed the DeLorean into a forest of some sort, he looked around. So, this is Roanoke Island? Marty thought to himself. He then sprayed insect repellent all over him, so that the mosquitos would not be biting him. He then walked a few miles, until he reached civilization. As he walked another mile into town, he began to figure that something was not right. This town seemed real familiar to him, but he couldn't think of why.

"Hey, Alex!" called another teenage boy, as he was running up to Marty. "Alex Keaton! It's so nice to see you! Are you out enjoying the nice weather?"

"I certainly am," replied Marty, as he managed a little smile. Great Scott! Marty thought, to himself. This boy thinks I'm Alex Keaton from Family Ties. Did I somehow land into the Family Ties world? Can that be possible? Unless the guy was joking around, because I resemble the character so much. But then, wouldn't he think I'm Michael J Fox, the actor who plays him? Something screwy is going on here.

"Are you okay, Alex?" the boy asked, gently. "You seem to be a bit in a daze."

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," replied Marty. "I just have a lot on my mind, I guess."

"You still upset over Ellen Reed breaking up with you?" the boy asked, as he placed a comforting hand on Marty's shoulder. "It's okay to cry, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but I don't feel like crying," Marty said, a bit dazed. "It has nothing to do with Ellen. I have other stuff on my mind."

"Well, all right, then," said the boy, as he reached out to hug Marty. Marty decided to hug back. "I'm just a little concerned for you. You can always talk to me, you know."

"Well, thanks," replied Marty. "I should get going, though."

After walking around a bit more, he then stumbled across the Keaton household. The site of seeing Steven and Elyse Keaton outside together sent Marty into a state of shock, causing him to pass out.

oooooooooo

When Marty woke up a few hours, he felt a bit disoriented.

"Mom? Mom, is that you?" Marty asked, still half-asleep. "I feel so sick and hungry!"

"There, there, now. Just relax," Elyse told Marty, placing a damp rag on Marty's forehead. "You've been asleep for almost three hours now."

"I had a horrible nightmare," groaned Marty. "It was terrible. I dreamed I was in a sitcom."

"Well, you're safe and sound, now," Elyse said, soothingly. "Here in the good ol' Keaton household."

"Keaton household! Argh!" exclaimed Marty, jerking straight up. Marty was fully awake, now. He sat up in bed, and he saw a familiar looking woman next to him. "Well, you're my... you're my... my... Who are you?"

"My name's Keaton," Elyse told Marty. "Elyse Keaton."

"Elyse Keaton?" gasped Marty, confused. "Uh, no, you can't be. It's not possible." After Marty had stared hard at the woman, he realized she did look like Meredith Baxter-Birney, the actress who played Elyse Keaton on the Family Ties sitcom.

"Just relax now, honey," Elyse told Marty, as she tenderly laid her hand on his forehead. "You've got a big bruise on your head."

"So, who are you - if I may ask?" asked Steven. "I must say, you bear such a striking resemblance to our son, Alex."

"My name is Marty," replied Marty. "I'm Marty McFly."

Suddenly, the whole Keaton family burst out laughing.

"Sweetie," Elyse said, soothingly, "you're surely not Marty McFly - because that is a movie character. Now, what's your name?"

"Martin Seamus McFly," Marty said, firmly. "I gotta get outta here!"

Marty started to get out of his bed, but Steven held Marty down, firmly.

"Maybe this dear boy is Michael J Fox," Elyse said, smiling.

"Well, Michael J Fox is an overrated actor!" sneered Mallory. "He needs to go back to Canada, and stop pretending to be an American!"

"Shut up, you ho!" shouted Marty. "I am not Michael J Fox, but I do have a lot of respect for him. He worked hard for his place in this country. Now just shut the hell up! What the hell do you have against Canadians, anyway? They are normal everyday people - just like us. Many of my favourite bands and musicians are from Canada!"

"Yeah, Mallory, stop picking on Michael J Fox," Jennifer pleaded, near tears. "I think he's a great actor, and he's so darn cute."

"Oh, what's the matter?" sneered Mallory. "Are you ashamed to be an American, you Canadian apologist?"

"No, I'm not ashamed to be an American!" exploded Marty. "Are you ashamed to be a human being? No, in fact, I'm pretty damn proud to be an American. I'm also very damn proud to have the Canadians as our neighbours! I am, however, deeply ashamed to have bigots like you within our nation's borders. It's people like you that contribute to the 'arrogant American' stereotype. I, for one, am one American citizen who desires nothing less than to have global peace and harmony!"

"Oh, spare me that 'peace and harmony' lecture," Mallory groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Mallory, you read the Bible, right?" Marty asked. "What about all that stuff about loving our neighbours as ourselves, and treating other people the same way you would like to like to be treated? Doesn't any of that stuff mean anything to you?"

"Argh, you son of a bitch!" seethed Mallory.

"Mallory Keaton!" Steven said, sharply. "You go to your bedroom right now. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"Fine, Dad," mumbled Mallory, as she stalked off to her bedroom.

"Listen, honey," Elyse said, softly. "I would like to apologize for our daughter's behaviour. I will have a long talk with her about it. I mean, she is my daughter - and I will always love her - but I do get deeply ashamed of her attitude at times."

"Thanks, Mrs. Keaton," Marty said, softly.

Elyse then smiled and asked, "Are you sure you're not Michael J Fox?"

"Nope! Not when I last checked," Marty said, laughing. "I flattered that you think I'm him, though. He is one of my favourite actors, and not just because he looks like me, either. I think he has a great personality and a good sense of humour."

"I often get compared to Michael J Fox, too," Alex said, softly. "I can't say that I'm a big fan, though - simply because I'm not a big fan of comedies. I may be a strong Republican, but I do not agree with my sister's attitude. I agree with you that the Canadians are our friends, and I'm also proud to have them as our neighbours."

"Thank you, Alex," Marty said, softly - as he reached out to shake Alex's hand.

"So what is your name?" Elyse asked, smiling. "I guess you're a Back to the Future fan, too - but I know you can't be Marty McFly. In fact, I don't think McFly is even a real last name."

Oh, gee, thought Marty. I guess I really am stuck in the Family Ties world - and, apparently, I'm a character in a movie called Back to the Future.

"Are you okay, honey?" Elyse asked, softly. "You look a little distressed."

"I guess I'll be fine, uh, Mrs. Keaton," replied Marty. "My name is really Marty McCoy. My friends call me McFly, though - because I look like Marty from the, uh, movie."

"Marty McCoy," Elyse whispered. "That's a nice name. So, would you like to watch Back to the Future?"

"Yes, Mom, I would love to!" exclaimed Jennifer.

"Yeah, sure, that would be nice," replied Marty. He couldn't get his mind around the fact that, in this world, his life was a movie. He knew he had to watch the movie that was based around his life.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Three

July 24, 1986
10:10 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

As Marty looked at the cover of the Back to the Future video, he nearly fainted. He saw that the pictures on the cover looked so real, just that they were so professional looking. What had shocked Marty most of all, though, was when he saw the name of the actor who played him. The actor was none other than Michael J Fox! He then saw that Doc was played by Christopher Lloyd. He knew that Doc loved watching Taxi, which Christopher Lloyd acted in. Other than the differences in hair colour, they did look very much alike.

"Want to watch the movie, now?" asked Jennifer, smiling.

"I guess I'll watch with you guys," Alex added, smiling.

"Ugh, you guys are a bunch of losers," groaned Mallory, as she rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Mallory!" snapped Alex. "You know what? You're just being a poseur Republican! I can't believe how intolerant you've become lately. Why don't you just go to your room - and leave the rest of us alone, okay?"

"Fine, whatever," sighed Mallory, as she stalked off to her room.

"Sometimes I really don't like Mallory," Jennifer complained to Marty.

"Well, I don't believe in hating anybody," Alex said, softly. "In fact, I can't even say that I dislike anyone. I will always love Mallory - but I'm just real disappointed in the latest phase she's going through. I'm pretty sure it's just a phase, though. She had a crush on a guy from Canada earlier this summer - and when he rejected her, she unfortunately decided to take her anger out on all Canadians."

"Well, that's just not right," Marty said, sighing sadly. "You cannot blame an entire country for the actions of one person, you know. That's so smallminded and ignorant."

"It is," Alex agreed, nodding, "but I can't be too angry with her, though. Mostly I feel so sad for her, that she's carrying all this bitterness inside herself. I mean, it can't be healthy for her."

"Let's watch Back to the Future, now," Jennifer interjected, smiling at Marty and Alex.

oooooooooo

When the movie was over, Alex turned to Marty and asked, "Should we go into my room for awhile?"

"Sure, I guess," replied Marty. "You really are a nice person, Alex. It's so nice meeting you."

"So, Marty, what kind of music do you listen to?" Alex asked, as Marty had followed him into his bedroom.

"I know we're going to disagree here," Marty said, quietly. "I listen to rock and roll - and I like some pop."

"Oh, I see," replied Alex, as he sat on his bed. "Well, I don't really like rock music. I listen mostly to the type of music that existed before rock music."

"Yeah, well, no offence," said Marty, "but I really don't like too much that came out before rock. I guess I just find it to be rather boring."

"Boring?" Alex asked, incredulously. "Please tell me, Marty, why does the older types of music bore you?"

"Uh, well, because the older music doesn't have a beat," replied Marty. "I guess I like my music to have a beat. I like listening to music that motivates me and makes me feel happy."

"So is that all music is to you?" Alex asked, shaking his head. "A mood enhancer?"

"Look, Alex," Marty said, "I really do not feel like arguing right now. I think we should simply just agree to disagree on the topic of musical tastes. After all, the important thing is that we both listen to what we enjoy, right?"

"Well, to me, music is more than just something I enjoy," Alex protested, "but, okay, I guess you're right. Most of my friends are like you, anyway. I just wish there were more people who appreciated the fine art and culture of music. So, where do you stand politically? Are you a Republican or a Democrat?"

"Well, actually, I'm neither," explained Marty. "I'm more of a political moderate. There are some troubles I have with both ends of the political spectrum. I'm really not one to like discussing politics, though. In my opinion, I think politics can be rather divisive. I'd rather everyone in the whole world just get along, and that we can all live in peace and harmony with one another."

"Well, I would also love to see peace and harmony in this world," insisted Alex. "It's just that I really disagree with the way that the Democrats would go about it. I don't understand why my sister is currently going through a phase where she hates Canadians. I believe that the Canadians are friends of ours, and I also agree that we are all human first. I think some people confuse patriotism with nationalism, though. I do not believe that Americans are superior to people from any other country. I do, however, believe that we should defend our country from attacks - and that is when patriotism can be important."

"What about American who choose to move to Canada, or any other country?" asked Marty. "Do you consider them to be traitors to this country, or do you think people have a right to live wherever they'd like?"

"I think people have a right to live wherever they'd like," replied Alex. "I do have a problem, though, with people who choose to leave the country simply because they don't like our government. If you just happen to be interested in another country's culture, that's one thing. However, people should not just leave the country, because they are discontented with the government. I mean, what if you are suddenly discontented with the government of the country you move to? Do you see what I mean?"

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Marty. "It's just that, overall, I see myself as a human being first - rather than an American. I'm not ashamed to be an American, or anything - but I just think that we are all human, first and foremost. After all, none of us really choose the country that we're born into. I would hope to be able to visit another country - and not have people assume that I'm arrogant or ignorant, just because I'm an American citizen."

"I understand you, Marty," Alex said softly. "Our family has travelled abroad a few times before - and I never felt that we were made to feel unwelcome or unwanted, just because we're American citizens. I'm sure most people in the world would not judge you by where you come from. Some people around the world may disagree with our country's policies, but they wouldn't hold it against us the average people. I am sometimes ashamed of my fellow Republicans who feel the need to bash Democratics. I think we can all get along, even if we may disagree on political views."

"Right, exactly," said Marty, nodding. "To be fair, there are also Democrats who feel the need to bash Republicans. I don't think that's right, either."

"You know, Marty," Alex said, laughing, "we may disagree on quite a few things - and, in many other ways, we are so much alike!"

"I hear ya, buddy!" Marty said, smiling. Then Marty leaned over to hug Alex. Alex had returned the hugs.

"You know," Alex said, warmly, "I'd almost think we're twins separated at birth."

"Uh, actually, Alex," stammered Marty. "There is something I would like to show you. Can you come with me?"

"Yeah, sure, I guess so," replied Alex, as he stood up.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Four

July 25, 1986
12:15 AM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Alex was very excited, as he followed Marty into the forest. He felt a little sad about Mallory's intolerant and hateful attitude, and he was also missing Ellen. He and Ellen had been so close, and now he felt so alone. He was also very fascinated with this Marty McCoy person. They did disagree on a few issues, but he already very fond of this boy who looked so much like him.

"We're almost there," Marty told Alex. "Just come with me'

As Alex followed Marty further into the forest, he saw a sight that really shocked him. "Wow! A DeLorean?" gasped Alex.

"Check inside," Marty urged, as he opened up the DeLorean door.

Alex then looked inside the car, and he saw the time circuits and the flux capacitor. "Wow! This is just like the car from Back to the Future - except that this thing also has a... destination locator?"

"There's something else I should show you," Marty said, as he pulled out his driver's licence.

As Alex had scrutinized the driver's licence of his new friend, he was mesmerized. He nearly fainted. "Martin McFly, eh?" Alex asked, stunned. "Wow, you really are Marty McFly?"

"Yes, believe it or not, I am," Marty replied. "I'm not sure how I landed here. Doc had just added the destination location to the car a little earlier today, and I was testing it out. I had decided to find out what happened to Roanoke Island - and, somehow I landed in this world. It's amazing to think someone had filmed a movie about my first time travel adventure in this world. It's even more amazing that my character was played by Michael J Fox."

"Well, I guess I can't really deny that this is happening," sighed Alex, "when the proof is right in front of me. Well, I did watch Back to the Future a few times - including tonight, of course - but I'm not really as much into the movie as Jennifer is. So you really are dating someone named Jennifer?"

"That's correct," replied Marty. "Uh, Alex, there's something else that I should tell you."

"Oh, what is it, Marty?" Alex asked, as he sat on the DeLorean.

"In the world that I came from," explained Marty, "you and your family are in a sitcom called Family Ties. Your character is also played by Michael J Fox."

"Good grief!" gasped Alex. "What could be so interesting about our family, that someone would do a sitcom on it?"

"The show Family Ties was created on the premise of two former hippie parents having a conservative son," Marty explained. "Initially, the focus was more on the parents - but then the show's focus eventually shifted over to you. Let's face it, you're a very popular character in our world - and President Ronald Reagan has cited you as a favourite TV character."

"Well, that at least flatters me!" Alex breathed. "It's nice to know that Ronald Reagan admires me in your world, even if I am just a fictional character there."

"By the way," Marty said, as he realized something, "how did Michael J Fox get his big break in this world? In our world, starring in Family Ties was his big break."

"It happened that Leo and Me, the Canadian sitcom that he acted on, had spawned a spin off series called Jamie Takes Charge," Alex explained. "It about how Jamie Romano moves to California and watches over some small children. The spin off is considerably more successful than its predecessor - even though I personally am not a big fan. Jennifer is, though."

"Ah, let me guess," said Marty, "Jamie Takes Charge currently airs on Thursday nights on NBC?"

"That is correct," replied Alex. "How did you guess?"

"I guessed that," explained Marty, "because that's when Family Ties airs in our world."

"Well, as I guess you might say," Alex replied, "this is heavy."

"Yeah," Marty said, laughing, "and Doc would say 'great Scott'. I did once end up a dystopian world from George Orwell's book, 1984. I guess this does makes you wonder if there are alternate realities for all of the worlds portrayed in movies, TV shows, and books."

"Well, maybe not all of them," Alex said, laughing. "I guess, if there is a Leo and Me/Jamie Takes Charge world, then both Back to the Future and Family Ties would exist in that world. Gee, I'm not used to pondering about stuff like this. I mean, this is more Jennifer's department. Should we tell Jennifer about this?"

"Uh, no," replied Marty, "I really would like for this to remain our secret. I mean, I hope to return to our world, soon - and we don't want to cause any disruptions to the space-time continuum in this world."

"Okay, Marty, I understand," Alex said, smiling.

Alex then reached out to embrace his new friend. Marty had returned the hug.

"I have to figure out how to get home," Marty continued. "I'm still not so sure how I handed here. Gee, I wish Doc was here to help me get back home. Oh, Alex, I am so scared."

"Well, Marty, please try not to fret," Alex said, gently, as placed his arm around Marty's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm sure my parents will be happy to let you stay with us, until we can help you get home."

"Thank you, Alex," Marty replied, with a grateful smile. "Well, it is getting pretty late, now. I suppose we should head home and hit the sack, now."

oooooooooo

"Well, Marty," Alex said to his friend, "I'm guessing that, since we look alike, we wear the same size clothes. I found some nice pajamas for you. The fabric is so nice and soft. I think you'll be comfy in these."

"Thank you, Alex," replied Marty, as he gently grabbed the pajamas from Alex's hands. He was amazed by how soft the fabric felt. He had a pair of pajamas similar to that at home.

"I guess I should go, now, so you can change," Alex said, smiling, as he left the room.

Marty then slipped onto his pajamas, as he basked in the comfort of the soft fabric. Marty then turned on the stereo, as he looked for a great rock station. He stopped at a station that was playing Working For The Weekend by Loverboy. He then turned out the light, as he flopped into his bed. It was too warm to crawl under the covers, and he already felt warm and comfortable in his pajamas. He then closed his eyes and enjoyed the music. He didn't usually sleep with the radio on, but he always had difficulty falling asleep whenever he was in a new place - even more so when he was in a different time period or a different dimension.

"Hey, Marty, it's Alex," called a voice on the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, go right ahead," Marty replied.

"Wow, you look all nice and comfy," Alex said, smiling. "Can I have one more hug from you?"

"Sure," replied Marty, as he stood up to hug Alex.

After Marty flopped back face down on his bed, Alex rubbed Marty's shoulders a bit. Alex then kissed Marty on the top of his head, before turning out the light and leaving the room.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Five

July 25, 1986
9:30 AM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Jennifer Keaton had walked into the guest room where Marty was sleeping. She saw that Marty was sleeping in just the perfect position to be tied up, as he was lying on his belly. She saw the bottoms of Marty's feet, and she found the sight of them to be tantalizing and irresistible. She slowly snapped Marty's wrists into some handcuffs. She then snapped the foot stock onto the bed - while she gently lifted up Marty's feet, and locked them into the stocks. She then waited patiently until Marty awoke, which was about a half hour later.

After Marty was starting to stir, Jennifer sat at the foot of the bed - as she mercilessly tickled the soles of Marty's feet, causing him to break out into helpless laughter. It was obvious that the soles of Marty's feet were every bit as unbearably ticklish as that of her brother, Alex. The sound of Marty's laughter was music to her ears. Jennifer was having so much fun making Marty squirm and laugh - as he was, without a doubt, suffering from the ticklish torment.

Marty freely gave into helpless laughter, as he had learned a long time ago that trying to will himself to not be ticklish was useless. He had just recently started to allow his girlfriend to tickle the soles of his feet on a routine basis, knowing that it gave his girlfriend pleasure to reduce him into a fit of helpless laughter. Even though his soles were most decidedly unbearably ticklish, and he figured they had to be a 13 on a scale of one to ten of ticklishness, he had to admit that he didn't completely hate having his soles tickled. In fact, he kind of loved it now, when it was done by Jennifer Parker. He couldn't really be angry with this Keaton namesake of his girlfriend, knowing that she also had sort of a crush on him.

After about a half an hour, Alex walked into the bedroom, and asked, "Jennifer Keaton! What are you doing? Are you torturing our guest?"

"No, Alex," Jennifer said, innocently, "I'm making him laugh. I love the way he laughs. He laughs the same way you do when I tickle your soles. It's music to my ears."

"Maybe he doesn't like having his soles tickled, though," Alex said, gently. "Most people with unbearably ticklish soles hate having them tickled - because they find the sensation to be too, well, unbearable. Tell you what, Jenn, if you stop tickling our guest - then I'll let you tickle my soles tonight, for as long as you'd like. How does that sound?"

"That sounds like a deal, Alex," Jennifer replied, smiling, as she reluctantly stopped tickling Marty, and freed him from the restraints.

As Marty was panting somewhat heavily on the bed, Alex went to sit next to him, and he said, "I'm sorry about my little sister torturing you like that, Marty. She doesn't mean any harm. She's very fond of tickling my soles, because she knows that they're unbearably ticklish, and she loves the sound of me laughing helplessly. I guess she figured that, since we look alike, your soles would be just as unbearably ticklish as mine. I guess she was right."

"Thanks, Alex," Marty said, smiling softly. "I'm not mad at her. I guess I could have used the workout, if you know what I mean. It certainly made me wide awake, at any rate."

"I must say you're a very good sport about it, Marty," Alex said, as he gently gave Marty a little squeeze. "Are you hungry? I am! Let's see what Mom and Dad are cooking for breakfast."

"That sounds lovely, Alex," Marty replied, smiling at who was virtually his interdimensional twin. "I am pretty hungry, now that you mention it."

oooooooooo

"Good morning, Alex! Good morning, Marty!" called out Mrs. Keaton, as Alex and Marty stepped into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mom," gushed Alex, as he threw his arms around his mother.

"Good morning, Mrs. Keaton," replied Marty.

"Can I have a hug from you, too, Marty?" Mrs. Keaton asked, jovially.

"As you can tell, we're a very huggable family," Alex whispered to Marty.

"Sure," replied Marty, as he threw his arms around Mrs. Keaton.

Mrs. Keaton hugged Marty tightly, then she kissed the top of Marty's head.

"How does bacon and pancakes sound to you guys?" asked Mrs. Keaton.

"I would love it!" gushed Marty.

"It sounds fine with me, too," added Alex.

"I'm pretty hungry myself," added Jennifer. Then, turning to Marty, Jennifer asked, "Can I have a hug, Marty?"

"Sure," replied Marty, as he gave Jennifer a big hug.

"Why don't you kids take a seat, now?" suggested Mrs. Keaton.

"What about Mallory?" asked Marty, concerned. "Are we going to wait for her, too?'

"Mallory doesn't wake up until noon," Alex explained. "She also hasn't been much of a breakfast eater, lately."

Just then, they heard a baby crying in the other room.

"I'll check up on him," said Alex, as he got up from the table. Then, turning to Marty, he added, "That's the youngest member of our family, Andrew. We call him Andy, for short."

Marty then followed Alex into the other room, where Alex picked up the baby, and began to soothe him.

"Shhhhh, shhhhh, it's okay," Alex said, softly, as he rocked the baby back and forth. After about five minutes, Andy stopped crying. Alex then sat down on a chair, as he bounced Andy up and down on his knee. "Now there's that lovely smile," cooed Alex. Then he turned the baby over to face Marty, and continued, "This is my friend, Marty. Can you say 'hi, Marty'? Huh?" Then turning to Marty, Alex asked, "Would you like to hold Andy for awhile?"

'Sure," replied Marty, as he lifted up Andy and bounced him a little bit. "How is Andy doing, huh? You a happy little boy, huh? Yes, you are! You're a happy, smiley, little boy. You're getting so big."

"Aw, I can tell he likes you already," Alex cooed. "He usually doesn't take so well to strangers, you know?"

"Maybe it's because I look like you," Marty said, smiling.

"Naa, I'm sure it's more then that," Alex replied, smiling back. "Listen, Marty, I should check to see if Andy needs his diaper changed. Why don't you wait at the table? I'll join you, shortly."

"Sure, Alex," Marty replied, as he headed back to the table. "He couldn't help but cringe a bit at the idea of changing a baby's diaper. He still remembered how his great-grandfather, William, had urinated on him back in 1885. He then realized that, sometime in the future, he would have to change the diapers of Marty Jr and Marlene. I suppose I'll learn to get used to it, Marty thought, to himself.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Six

July 25, 1986
12:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Marty and Alex were both relaxing outside, in lounge chairs, when Marty saw a familiar young boy walked over. That must be Skippy Handelman, Marty thought, to himself. From watching the sitcom, Marty knew that Skippy was a geeky sort of boy in a loveable kind of way.

Mallory had always been Marty's least favourite member of the Keaton family, and it always made him feel so angry that Mallory would coldly reject Skippy's affection. So he supposed he mustn't have been too surprised that he didn't get along very well with Mallory in the flesh. He was amazed by the irony of how he had always adored Jennifer Keaton - while Jennifer, in return, had adored him. Of course, it was pretty inevitable that he and Alex would become good friends, in spite of their few differences.

"Well, well, well, Alex," Skippy said, smirking. "You never told me you had a twin. Where did this fellow come from?"

"To make a long story short," said Marty, "let's just say that I'm visiting from California. My name is Marty, uh, McCoy. I'm Marty McCoy."

"He's a distant relative of ours," added Alex. "That's why he looks just like me."

"Pleased to meet you, Marty," said Skippy, as he stuck out his hand.

"I'm happy to meet you, too," Marty said, warmly, as he shook Skippy's hand. "I must say, Skippy is a pretty nice name."

"Well, it's not my real name," Skippy said, smiling. "My real name is Erwin, which I hate with a passion. My parents have called me Skippy since I was a baby, because of their love for peanut butter."

"Yeah, I'm quite fond of peanut butter, myself," Marty said, smiling.

"You know," explained Skippy, "I have a pen pal that I write to named Jiff. He and I write to each other at least once a week, we like to call ourselves the Peanut Butter Boys. I hope to, one day, get to meet Jiff in person. We have a lot in common."

"I don't really care for the name Jiff that much," Marty admitted. "I like Skippy better. I have too many bad associations with the name Jiff."

"Why?" Skippy asked, concerned. "You met a Jiff that you didn't really get along with?"

"Right, that's exactly why," Marty said, shuddering.

Marty remembered how, when he travelled back in time to 1925, Jiff Tannen was the high school bully of that era. Jiff Tannen was someone who would always bully Arthur McFly into doing Jiff's homework for him - not unlike what Biff Tannen did with George McFly in the following generation. He sorely wished that he could have helped Arthur gain courage to stand up for himself, as he had with George. He didn't dare, however, as he figured that doing so could have resulted in a time paradox that could have drastically altered his family, possibly for the worse.

"So, Marty, what are some of your interests?" asked Skippy. "What kind of music do you listen to?"

"I like rock and roll," replied Marty. "That's probably the one major area where Alex and I differ. I play the guitar, too. I'm in a rock band called The Pinheads. I hope our band gets discovered someday."

"The Pinheads?" Skippy asked, amazed. "Hey, that's just like the band Marty McFly from Back to the Future was in."

Oops! Marty thought, worriedly. He still couldn't get used to the fact that, in this world, his first time travel adventure was the subject of a movie called Back to the Future. The movie had ended with Doc pulling up to Marty's garage, insisting the Marty had to go "back to the future" with him - and to bring Jennifer along, as "this concerns her too". Then Marty had protested to Doc that they didn't "have enough roads to get up to 88" - to which Doc had responded by stating that "where we're going, we don't need roads" and he pulled down his futuristic glasses.

Back in Time by Huey Lewis and The News then started to play, as the phrase "To Be Continued..." had shown up on screen. He guessed that there was a sequel of some sort in the making, and that the sequel would somehow revolve around his trip to 2015, then 1985-A, then back to 1955. He wondered when the sequel would be released.

Another interesting fact he had noticed was that Huey Lewis's song Back In Time had slightly different lyrics in this world. Some of the lines in this world's version of the song included "is this the fifties", "please don't drive eighty-eight", "lighting never strikes twice", and even the blatantly obvious "get back, Marty" - all of which were absent in the version of the song he knew better. He had to get a copy of that version to bring back to his own world.

"Are you okay, Marty?" Skippy asked concerned. "Are you hungry? Do you like peanut butter and banana sandwiches?"

"Oh, I love peanut better and banana sandwiches!" gushed Marty. "My brother and sister, however, find them to be gross."

"Mallory finds them to be gross, too," Alex said, nodding. "Jennifer loves them, though, just like I do. Say, Marty, how well do you get along with your brother and sister?"

"Well, I'd say we get along most of the time," replied Marty, "and I do love them - and I know they love me, and each other. We do occasionally fight, though. It's hardly ever that bad, though. We'd all come through for each other, when the chips are down."

"I'd say it's much of the same in my family," replied Alex. "Unfortunately, Mallory and I have fought quite a bit lately. I will always love Mallory, but I sometimes think she doesn't like me very much. Maybe she does, deep down inside, though. She's not a bad person or anything. I think she's just deeply troubled."

"I wish Mallory loved me back in return," Skippy said, sighing. "I think that, underneath her tough exterior, is a sensitive girl who could stand to be cuddled."

"I would love to give her a big hug," Alex said, tearing up a bit. "Unfortunately, though, she tends to shy back from affection these days. I think it's sad. Some people call me a 'sissy', because I like hugs. I think they're the ones missing out, though."

"I totally concur," Marty agreed, nodding. "I do believe that a man should be strong - so he can stand up for himself, and protect the woman he loves. It doesn't mean he should act macho, though - or repress all tender emotions."

"Right, I agree," said Alex. "If anyone in our family acts macho, I would have to say it's Mallory. She tends to act like she's emotionally tough. Ironically enough, I'm the one that's always telling her that it's okay to cry - and that she shouldn't be afraid to express her emotions."

"It's the same way with Linda, incidentally enough," replied Marty.

"Linda? Your sister?" Skippy asked, amazed. "You sure seem to have a lot in common with Marty McFly from Back to the Future. Next, I guess you're going to tell me that your brother's name is Dave."

"Actually, no, Linda is my cousin," Marty said, covering. "My sister's name is Nancy, and she's five years old. Linda lives close enough, though, she almost is like my sister. My brother's name is Todd, and he's twelve."

"Oh, okay, I see," Skippy said, smiling. "Well, let's go make lunch, now. I'm hungry."

[bttf4444]

Chapter Seven

July 25, 1986
3:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

"So, Alex, what shall we do, now?" Marty asked his friend, as they were sitting in the living room together. "Do you want to play a game or something?"

"I'm not too sure," replied Alex. "I'm kinda bored right now. I don't really feel like doing anything, you know?"

"Okay, then, Alex," Jennifer said, as she spoke up, smiling mischievously, "let me tickle your feet now. You did promise me, you know. A bargain is a bargain, Alex."

"Yeah, I did," Alex said, sighing. "Okay, then, let's go. I'll be in my room."

Marty followed Alex into his bedroom, while Jennifer went to grab the equipment and tools that he would use to tickle Alex. Alex then lay face down on his bed, while Marty sat on a chair by Alex's bed. Jennifer then walked into the bedroom, and she first restrained Alex's wrists into a pair of handcuffs. She then locked Alex's feet into the stocks, and made sure that his feet were snug.

Smiling widely, Jennifer began to run her fingers up and down Alex's soles, causing him to burst into helpless laughter. Jennifer had really relished in the sound of Alex's laughter, as she mercilessly tickled the soles. Jennifer then took great pleasure in running her fingers into the arches, which she knew were especially ticklish - and she indulged in tickling them for about two minutes. She then ran her fingers up to the balls - and then she ran her fingers up and down the soles, as she saw to it that no square millimetre of his soles escaped the ticklish torment.

Alex was squirming, as he freely gave into helpless laughter, and tears were running down his cheeks. He was really suffering from the unbearable ticklish torment, to say the least - but it would be a lie to say that he didn't enjoy it at least a little bit.

He still remembered the first time Ellen Reed had bound him up and relentlessly tickled his soles. It was the result of a bet that the two of them had made. The condition was that, if Alex had lost the bet, he had to allow Ellen to tickle his soles for as long as she pleased - and Alex wasn't allowed to complain about how unbearable it was, or plead for her to stop. So he was subjected to two hours of non-stop ticklish torment at the ruthless hands of Ellen, while he laughed helplessly.

It has since became a favourite pastime between Alex and Ellen - which, eventually, Jennifer picked up on as well. At any rate, it was kind of a stress reliever, too - as the tickling sensation led to helpless laughter, which in turn would release endorphins into his system. It was also good for relieving depression.

After about two hours, Jennifer finally had enough. Jennifer then released Alex from the restraints, and she hugged him. "It's been so much fun, Alex," said Jennifer, coyly, "but I have to go meet up with some of my friends at the mall. Thanks so much, Alex."

"You're welcome, Jennifer," Alex said, as he hugged his sister back. "I guess I got a really good workout, as Marty had put it this morning. I guess laughter is good medicine, as they say."

"That's correct," replied Jennifer, grinning. "I guess I'll see you later. You too, Marty."

Jennifer then hugged Marty, too - before she left the room.

"So, Alex," Marty asked, as Alex sat up on his bed, "I gather you have the most ticklish feet in your family?"

"Yeah, I do," replied Alex, grinning. "Even more so than Mallory - and she has very ticklish feet, too. She hates being tickled, though. Jennifer did once tickle Mallory's feet - and Mallory was so mad at her, she didn't speak to Jennifer for a week."

"I guess she really hates it, then," Marty said, quietly. "I have the most ticklish feet in my family, too - even though my mom has very ticklish feet, too. I found out, not long ago, that Dad likes to tickle her feet on a routine basis. Hers aren't as ticklish as mine, though. I recently started letting Jennifer tickle my feet, too. I used to not allow even her to tickle me there. I know it gives her such pleasure to reduce me into a fit of helpless laughter."

"That seems to be the case with our Jennifer, too," Alex said, nodding, "as well as Ellen. Except, gee, I don't want to think about Ellen right now. I miss her so badly."

"I'm sorry, Alex," Marty said, softly, as he sympathetically put his arm around Alex.

"Well, why don't we head on over to the lake, now?" Alex suggested. "I could go for a nice swim right now. Do you like swimming?'

"I certainly do," replied Marty, smiling. "Swimming can be so fun. Let's change into our trunks and go, shall we?"

oooooooooo

"Here we are guys," called out Alex to Marty and Skippy, as they arrived at the lake. "Here we are!"

"All right!" called out Marty. "Race you guys over to the water."

Alex and Skippy then ran after Marty, and Skippy was the first to walk into the lake.

"Haha! I beat you both!" taunted Skippy.

Marty and Alex held hands, and they went into the lake together.

"I'll go back and get the inner tube," offered Skippy, as he went back to the car.

"Doesn't this water feel nice?" asked Alex. "This is much better than being in the pool. You don't get all that chlorine smell in your nose."

"Yeah, I hate that, too," agreed Marty. "It can be a pretty nasty feeling."

"Whee!" called out Skippy, as he ran back into the lake. "Let's step into the inner tube now, shall we?"

Marty and Alex stepped into the inner tube, leaning back on one side, and resting their feet on the other side. As Skippy tried to step in however, he accidentally flipped the inner tube over, throwing Marty and Alex into the lake.

"Whoops!" Skippy exclaimed, laughing. "Let's try this again. Alex and Marty, since you're both probably about the same weight, try leaning back in opposite ways."

"Okay, then," Marty and Alex replied, simultaneously, as they made another attempt to step into the inner tube.

Skippy then stepped into the inner tube, and he leaned across the legs of Marty and Alex. This time, everyone stayed afloat.

'Yay! We finally did it!" exclaimed Skippy. "Now we will have so much fun. So, Marty, how long are you staying?"

'I, uh..." stammered Marty.

"He's staying for a week," said Alex. "I must say, it's pretty nice having a twin. Do you ever wish you had a twin, Skippy?"

"Naa," Skippy said, smiling, "one of me is enough. I like being unique."

Marty and Alex then burst out laughing.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Eight

July 25, 1986
6:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

"Whee!" exclaimed Skippy. "We are having so much fun in the inner tube! I could stay in here for hours, you know?"

"Yeah, so could I," agreed Alex. "We are so relaxed. Sometimes I think it would be nice if we could live in the lake."

"I agree that this is nice and fun," replied Marty. "However, I'm pretty glad we don't live in the lake. Otherwise, this wouldn't seem as exciting. I mean, when you really think about it, part of the excitement about being in the lake - is that we're usually not in the lake. We spend most of our lives on land. If we spent most of our lives in the lake, then we would maybe find it exciting to be on land."

"Wow, Marty!" gasped Alex. "That is very profound! You're just like me in yet another way. We're both deep thinkers."

"Yeah, you know, Alex," Marty commented, "I really am going to miss you when I leave."

"Yeah, Marty, I'm going to miss you, too," Alex said, softly. "It's amazing that we're already becoming such great friends, eh?"

"Oh, yes, for sure!" replied Marty.

Marty could still hardly believe that he actually got to meet the family from his favourite TV show in the flesh. It wasn't too bad staying with the Keaton family, even if he didn't quite get along with Mallory. From watching the shows, he didn't exactly think that Mallory was a bad person - but she could be a bit insufferable at times.

ooooooooooo

When Marty and Skippy had arrived home with Alex a couple hours later, Alex groaned, "Oh, great, Nick is here! Why don't we head out to Taco Bell, instead? I'm in the mood for some tacos."

"Nick Moore is Mallory's boyfriend," Skippy explained to Marty. "He absolutely hates my guts. I think it's partially him that's responsible for turning Mallory against me. I think, deep down inside, Mallory doesn't really hate me."

"So you and Nick don't get along?" Marty asked Alex, even though he already knew the answer from watching the shows.

"No, not especially," replied Alex. "I wouldn't say that I exactly dislike him, but I think he is a bad influence on Mallory. Remember how I told you about that Canadian boy who turned Mallory down?"

"Oh, yeah, what about him?" Marty asked curiously.

"He and I have sort of become friends within the last month," Alex explained. "His name is Todd McGuire, by the way. He and his family just moved here from Alberta. Anyway, it turned out that Todd had turned Mallory down - because Nick threatened to beat him up, if he didn't stay away from Mallory."

"Oh, my God!" gasped Marty. "That is awful! So you think Nick is emotionally abusive to Mallory?"

"Yes, big time," whispered Alex, as tears came to his eyes. "Despite all the fights that we might have, I love Mallory with all of my heart - and I cannot stand to see her get hurt. Our parents and I have been trying to get her to see Nick for who is - but she will defend Nick, no matter what. I honestly think Nick is trying to take advantage of my sister. I feel so helpless. Mallory thinks I'm always putting down Nick, because I hate him - but that's not the case at all. It's like I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I cannot just stand by let my sister get hurt by him, but there's nothing I can do."

Alex then turned his head away, and he wept. Marty put his arm around Alex, in an attempt to soothe him.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Marty whispered, as he fought back his own tears. "I wish I knew what to suggest to you. I don't want to see Mallory get hurt, either."

Alex clung onto Marty tightly, as he wept on Marty's shoulder. Marty rubbed Alex's back, as tears stung his own eyes. After about ten minutes, Alex finally stopped crying.

"I'm sorry, Marty," Alex said, softly. "I didn't mean to let loose like this on you."

"Oh, no, that's okay, Alex," Marty said, softly. "I understand why this would upset you. It is a very tough situation to be in, indeed." Marty then grabbed a handkerchief, and he used it to wipe Alex's eyes. "Feel better, now, Alex?"

"Uh, yes, thank you," replied Alex, as he smiled a little bit. "So, Marty and Skippy, you still feel like eating at Taco Bell?"

"Taco Bell sounds awesome!" gushed Marty.

"Taco Bell is fine with me, too," added Skippy.

ooooooooooo

"Whoa, here he is!" exclaimed Alex, as he and his friends were eating their tacos. "Hey, Todd, come over here!"

"Oh, hello, Alex!" gushed Todd, as he walked over to the table. He then glanced between Alex and Marty, and he said, "Whoa, Alex! You never told me you had a twin!"

"Well, actually, I don't," Alex said, chuckling a little. "This is my cousin, Marty McCoy. We do look a lot alike, don't we? He's visiting us from California."

"Oh, yeah, I would like to move to California someday," Todd said, softly. "We just moved here from Calgary, Alberta - to live with some relatives."

"So what's it like, living in Canada?" Marty asked, softly. "I would love to visit Canada, someday. I heard it's a really nice country. Even though, I suppose I would have some difficulty adjusting to the winters. I know you guys don't all live in igloos and own dog sleds. I think anyone who believes that has to be pretty damn ignorant."

"Aw, I don't bother getting all worked up over people who think that," Todd said, laughing. "Life is too short to get so worked up over such small things, isn't it? I'd rather just educate people about our country, you know?"

"I guess you're right," replied Marty, smiling. "It's just that, what some the people in our country believe sometimes makes me feel ashamed to be an American. I resent that some people in our country perpetuate the 'arrogant and ignorant American' stereotype."

"Don't sweat it, okay?" Todd said, as he gently laid his hand on Marty's arm. "People are people. We are all the same where we come from. There are good people and bad people everywhere. I'm certain that most people in the world would regard you as an individual, and not judge you by where you come from."

"Todd is right, Marty," Alex added, softly. "When I've travelled abroad before, I have managed to make plenty of friends, and I have had lots of wonderful experiences."

"Where all have you travelled to Alex?" Todd asked.

"Oh, uh, we've travelled to England, France, Germany, and Spain," Alex replied. "We even went to Canada a couple of times, and it is a great country up there."

"I have some relatives who live in Canada," added Skippy. "My Uncle Bruce had married a Canadian about ten years ago - so they now live in Canada, and they have three children. They like it up there. We have visited them a few times."

"Yeah, Canadians and Americans are best friends and wonderful neighbours," Todd said, smiling.

"So, in other words," Marty added, smiling, "there is perfect peace and harmony between the Canadians and the Americans."

"Exactly!" Todd replied, smiling. "That sums it up beautifully, at least on an individual level - if you know what I mean."

"So, are all of you enjoying your tacos?" asked Alex.

"I most certainly am," replied Marty. "I could go for some more tacos myself. I have a pretty hearty appetite."

"So do I," Alex agreed, smiling. "I'll go up and order more tacos for us. You guys wait here, okay?"

"Oh, we will," Marty and Todd said, simultaneously.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Nine

July 26, 1986
3:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Marty and Alex were in the living room, playing Nintendo, when Nick walked into the living room and interrupted them.

"What did you do, Alex?" Nick asking, chuckling. "Did you find a way to clone yourself?"

"Shut up, you punk!" Alex snapped, as he stood up. "This is my friend, Marty McCoy. You leave my friend alone, you hear me?"

Nick then turned to Marty, and he said, "Well, Marty, it's so nice to meet you. You seem a bit cooler than your twin over here. Say, do you have a motorcycle?"

"Uh, no, I don't," replied Marty. "I think motorcycles a bit overrated, in my opinion. I think they're a bit too dangerous. I mean, I've heard of people getting seriously injured, or even killed, by them."

"Oh, what's the matter, Marty?" Nick asked, smirking. "Chicken?"

Marty then stared Nick straight in the eyes, as he said, "Nobody calls me..." Then, with a little grin, Marty finished, "... chicken."

"Then prove it," Nick smirked. "Come with me on a motorcycle ride."

"No, Marty, please don't," pleaded Alex, as he grabbed Marty's arm.

"You stay out of this, Alex," Nick snarled. "So, Marty, how about a ride? Come prove to me that you aren't a chicken."

"Marty doesn't have to prove anything to you, Nick!" snapped Alex. Then, turning to Marty, he pleaded, "Please, Marty, I don't want you to get hurt. I would feel so responsible for you, if you did."

Marty was silent for a moment. It's been about nine months ago that Marty last let someone goad him into doing something, by calling him a "chicken". There was something a little unnerving, though, about being called "chicken" by someone you regularly saw on TV and was a TV character to you. He then remembered the how the race with Douglas Needles had almost led Marty down the road to an unhappy future.

Marty took a deep breath, and he said, "No, Nick, I am not interested! Besides, why should I value your opinion of me anyway? You're nothing but a punk!"

"Aw, such a shame," Nick said, shaking his head and feigning disappointment. "I guess you're a loser then, just like Alex."

"Hey, Alex is not a loser!" Marty snapped. "He happens to be a very unique individual who is not afraid to be himself. He's not an insecure punk, like you!"

"So I guess you're a Ronald Reagan lover, too, eh?" smirked Nick.

"Well, I may disagree with some of his policies," Marty said, quietly, "but I don't really have anything against him. Look, just because I'm Alex's friend, it doesn't mean that I agree with him on everything. We can still agree to disagree on various issues and get along, you know? Anyway, we both believe in global peace and harmony."

"Alex for peace and harmony?" Nick snorted. "Haha, that's a very good one, Marty! Thanks for making me laugh. I certainly could have used a good chuckle."

"Come on, Marty," urged Alex, "let's get out of here. We don't need to stay here and put up with Nick's condescending attitude."

'Where shall we go?" asked Marty. "Should we stop by the lake again?"

"Yeah, sure," replied Alex, "it's a nice day to go swimming. Skippy can't join us this time, though. He has a dentist appointment to go to."

"Oh, that sounds like fun," Marty teased, laughing. "Well, I guess you and I can float on the inner tube together."

"Oh, yes, let's go!" Alex said, excitedly.

oooooooooo

"Okay, Marty, here we are," announced Alex, as the two of them arrived at the lake. "It is a nice day to go swimming, isn't it?"

"Oh, my, it certainly is," replied Marty. "Let's float on our backs for a little while, shall we? That is always relaxing."

"We don't we talk for a little while first?" suggested Alex. "I am a little concerned about you, Marty, you know?"

"Oh, in what way?" Marty asked a bit nervously.

"Well, I mean, your reaction, to when Nick asked if you were a chicken," Alex said, gently. "I was so worried you actually would join him on that motorcycle of his. Marty, he is a very reckless driver - and I swear that, one of these days, he's going to get himself hurt. I also fear he might hurt Mallory."

"Oh, yeah, I used to have a huge problem with losing my judgement whenever people called me a chicken," Marty said, blushing. "It almost cost me my future. I could have broken my hand by crashing into a Rolls Royce, when Douglas Needles challenged me to race him."

"Oh, really?" Alex asked, shocked. "That crash never happened, though?"

"Uh, fortunately, no," replied Marty. "You see, after I returned to 1985 from 1955, Doc had decided to take Jennifer and I over to 2015. I was supposed to pose as my son, Marty Jr - and I was supposed to stand up Griff Tannen and say no."

"Whoa, Griff Tannen?" Alex asked shocked. "Biff's grandson, I presume?"

"Right, exactly," Marty said, nodding. "Cliff and Miff Tannen are the bullies of my generation. Cliff is the same age as my older brother, Dave - while Miff is the same age as me. Cliff and his gang usually picked on Dave - but they did once pick on me, when I was six. That was how I met Doc."

"Whoa, that's awful!" gasped Alex. "I did kind of wonder how the two of you became friends. So does everyone in your town really regard him as a nutcase?"

"Unfortunately, quite a few people do," Marty said, shaking his head. "There are many others who don't, however. You see, he used to teach third graders - so many of his former students have spoken real positively about him. Once you get to meet him, it's pretty hard to not like him. It's a shame that many will believe everything that they hear and read."

"Right, I understand what you're saying," Alex said, nodding. "So does every generation of the Tannen bully have a name that ends in -iff?"

"Pretty much since Buford, yeah," Marty replied. "Actually, his daughter, Tiffany, wasn't a bully - but she was usually called Tiff. She decided to name her son Jiff, and Jiff ended up taking after his grandpa, Buford."

"Oh, so that's why you don't like the name Jiff?" asked Alex.

"Right, exactly," Marty replied. "Jiff ended up being the father of Biff - and Jiff got arrested not long after Biff was born. Jiff's wife, Emma, died a few years later - so Biff ended up growing up with his grandmother. At the point, Tiffany started going by her middle name, Gertrude - as she was so ashamed of her son."

"Wow!" breathed Alex, "So the Tannens have a history of bullying your family?"

"Pretty much, yeah," agreed Marty. "Tiffany never bullied William, though. Buford did have it in for my great-great-grandfather, Seamus, though."

"What was Seamus like?" asked Alex. "It's a pretty nice name, by the way."

"He was very mild-mannered and not one to give into fights," Marty explained. "He told me about how he also had a brother named Martin, who ended up being stabbed in the gut with a bowie knife - because he let everyone goad him into dangerous things."

"That sounds so sad," Alex said, shaking his head.

"Anyway, it was during then that I realized how I shouldn't lose my judgement every time someone calls me a name," explained Marty. "Also, a few months later, I ended up going back in time to prevent my namesake from meeting such a tragic death - so he's now lived a long and fulfilling life."

"Well, that sounds nice," Alex said, smiling.

"So, yeah, anyway," continued Marty, "I have decided to forfeit my duel with Buford, and I made it a point that I no longer cared if people thought me a coward. However, Buford then started threatening Doc's life - so then I tricked Buford into thinking he shot me dead. I had used a piece of a stove as a bulletproof vest."

"So just who was Buford, anyway?" asked Alex.

"He was a trigger-happy outlaw," Marty replied. "He had no qualms about shooting people who got in his way."

"Oh, wow, that isn't good," Alex remarked. "Both you and Doc were saved, though?"

"Yes, fortunately," Marty replied. "Doc then had to make the train go 88 miles per hour, so that the DeLorean could take us back to 1985."

"Oh, what happened to the DeLorean?" asked Alex.

"Okay, well, it'll be a pretty long explanation," said Marty. "I'll start with the trip that we took to 2015."

[bttf4444]

Chapter Ten

July 26, 1986
5:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Marty and Alex had decided that they should eat at McDonald's for dinner. Marty had ordered three fish sandwiches and super size fries. Alex had ordered a big mac and a large strawberry shake.

"Wow, Marty!" gasped Alex. "You've got a hearty appetite, eh? I don't even care for the fish sandwiches that much."

"So you don't like fish, Alex?" Marty gasped. "One of my favourite meals consist of beer-battered fish and chips."

"Oh, yeah, I love fish and chips," Alex said. "It's just that I think the fish sandwiches they serve at McDonald's taste rather funny. It's just my opinion, though. Even Hardee's serves better fish sandwiches."

"Yeah, I like Hardee's, too," Marty said, nodding. "I especially love their roast beef sandwiches. I love roast beef and horseradish sauce."

"So, anyway, Marty," Alex said, after he bit into his sandwich, "what all happened after Marty picked you up the next day? I hope they do, one day, film a sequel for the movie. I've always been curious to see what happened after you went to the future."

"So you do like the movie, then?" Marty asked, smiling.

"Well, I never said I didn't like it," Alex said, smiling back. "I just said that I'm not into it as much as my sister is. I actually do like Michael J Fox. I think he's a very sweet and charming man - and I think I do have quite a bit in common with him. I just don't like him in the same way as my sister does, if you know what mean. Also, I will occasionally watch Jamie Takes Charge. It's just that I do prefer watching Wall Street Week."

"Okay, I see," Marty said, smiling.

"I'm just worried that some people may think me vain," Alex continued, "if I admitted to liking Michael J Fox. People may think that I like him, simply because he looks like me. So, anyway, Marty, you and Jennifer went to the year 2015 with Doc?"

"Right, that's correct," replied Marty. "I was supposed to stand in my son's place at the Cafe '80s, and pose as my future son."

"Right, I remember you telling me that," Alex said, smiling. "So Biff's grandson, Griff, was trying to get your future son to commit a robbery?"

"That's right," replied Marty. "I was so amazed by how much my future son looked just like me - but ended up being, well, for a lack of better words, a wimp."

"You've always struck me as being a rather courageous and confident person," Alex said, smiling. "I guess your parents are a little older than mine, as my parents were high school sweethearts during the early '60s. I'd be scared if I ever ended up travelling back in time."

"Well, yeah, it was very scary," Marty insisted, "especially when I had a rough time trying to convince Doc that I really was from the future. Of course, the second time I saw my future son, it was when he himself came back to 1986 - with Doc's future granddaughter, Harmony."

"Okay, Marty, now I'm a little confused," Alex remarked. "Since when did Doc have kids? How is it possible for him to have a granddaughter the same age as your son in 2015."

"Oh, uh, well, I'm getting to that," Marty said, "You see, we were planning on just taking one trip to 2015, and then returning to 1985. However, I made kind of a foolish decision. I wound up picking up a sports almanac, that had the sports statistics from 1950 and 2000 - and I was planning on making a few bets from that book."

Alex then burst out, laughing. "I guess we really are alike," Alex gasped, through chuckles. "I would have done the exact same thing in your situation. People tell me that I'm obsessed with money - that I could actually say 'money' before I could say 'mommy'. So did Doc chew you out for that?"

"Yeah, he did," Marty said, "although I guess I can't really blame him. He insisted that he didn't invent the time machine for financial gain."

"Oh, he didn't?" Alex asked, smirking. "Then what is this he said about being able to see who wins the next 25 World Series, huh?"

"Yeah, you know," Marty said, nodding, "I wish I had thought to remind him of that. Too bad I didn't think of it. Well, anyway, Old Biff of 2015 had overheard Doc lecturing me about the almanac - so that's where the problem started."

"Let me guess," said Alex, "old Biff went back into the past to give the almanac to his younger self?"

"How did you guess that, Alex?" Marty asked, stunned.

"Okay, I'll be honest," Alex said, blushing a little. "That's what I would have done, if I was ever presented with the opportunity."

Marty couldn't help but laugh a little. "Anyway, when Doc and I had returned to 1985 with Jennifer, we had seen just how corrupt Biff was with a lot of money. He killed my father, married my mother, and I was sent to a boarding school. He also had Doc declared 'insane' and committed."

"That is awful!" gasped Alex. "I would hate to think I would have become as corrupt as Biff Tannen."

"Naa, you're pretty level-headed and decent," Marty assured his friend. "Anyway, we had to return to November 12 of 1955 to retrieve the almanac from Biff. To make a long story short, as soon as I had grabbed the almanac from Biff, and burnt it - then I saw the newspapers we brought back with us change. Unfortunately, Doc was inside the DeLorean - and it got struck by lightening, sending him back to 1885."

"And that's where Buford and Seamus comes in?" asked Alex.

"Right," replied Marty. "When I had gone back to 1885, I was being chased by Indians and bear, and I hit my head. Seamus and Maggie had found me, and they brought me into the house. Seamus had taken an instant liking to me, but Maggie had treated me a little more coolly. She had the same attitude as Grandpa Sam, that I was a strange young man."

"Did Maggie ever warm up to you?" asked Alex.

"I think she did considerably," Marty said, nodding. "Maybe her treatment towards me had something to do with Seamus' own brother, Martin. We did look very much alike, after all."

"Oh, wow," breathed Alex, "so anyway, what did Doc do, when he travelled to 1885?"

"He set himself up as a blacksmith," Marty replied. "He initially didn't want me to come back to 1885 to get him - but, instead, return to 1985. He had hidden the DeLorean into the Del Gato mine, which was adjacent to the old Boot Hill Cemetery. That was where I discovered that Doc was shot by Buford Tannen."

"So why did Buford kill Doc, anyway?" asked Alex.

"He was shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars," explained Marty.

"Oh, wow!" gasped Alex. "I know 80 dollars was a lot of money back then. It's probably about the equivalent of 800 dollars today. The inflation has been really bad within the past hundred years."

"Just wait until you see how bad the inflation is in 2015!" replied Marty. "Although, come to think of it, your 2015 may be different from ours. If our world is a movie in your world, and they have a sequel planned - they might end up portraying our 2015 in the sequel. Because the movie is considered fictional, their predictions of 2015 would no doubt be different from what 2015 may actually be like in this world."

"That sure is a lot to take in," breathed Alex. "So, how long were you in 1885?"

"About a week," replied Marty. "A lot had happened in that week. Doc had saved Clara Clayton from falling into a ravine - which mean that what used to be known as Clayton Ravine in 1885 has now become Eastwood Ravine? Doc and Clara had immediately fallen in love."

"Oh, wow, that's heavy," breathed Alex. "You said that Doc has a granddaughter in 2015. Does Doc end up marrying Clara? Also, isn't Doc a little too old to have kids?"

"Yeah, Doc wanted to stay behind because of Clara," Marty explained. "I thought it would better for the space-time continuum for Doc and I to return to 1985 - and to take Clara with us, as Clara also technically no longer belonged in 1885."

"So is that what happened, then?" asked Alex.

"No, not quite," replied Marty. "Doc insisted that Clara belonged in 1885, since it was the present to her. Doc went to say good-bye to Clara, and when Doc tried to explain to her that he came back from 1985 in a time machine - Clara didn't believe him, and she slapped him. Doc was then brokenhearted - and he, unfortunately, drank a shot of whiskey, as it was about time to catch the train."

"I agree with you, Marty," Alex said, quietly. "He should have just taken Clara back with you guys."

"Right," Marty said, nodding. "Anyway, somewhere along the way, Clara realized that Doc had been telling the truth, and she decided to hunt him down. Because Clara got stuck on a train, I had to float the hoverboard to her and Doc - which was a 2015 variation of the skateboard. Unfortunately, Doc and Clara were not able to make it back to 1985 with us. So I returned alone. I was so distressed about it, and I cried for about an hour. I thought I would never see him again."

"You did, though, right?" asked Alex.

"Yeah," replied Marty. "He arrived on a steam train sometime later that day. He had spend eight years in the past converting a train into a time machine. He then returned with Clara and their two kids, Jules and Verne."

"Wow!" breathed Alex. "He must be a big Jules Verne fan, eh?"

"He is," replied Marty, "and so is Clara. Eventually, Doc had moved with his family back to 1985 - and they settled in pretty nicely. Sometime in the future, Jules will have a daughter named Harmony. Harmony has been best friends with my future son - and, when I last saw them, they seemed to be developing a somewhat more of a romance with each other. I have a feeling that Harmony will be my future daughter-in-law - and that it will tie the bond between Doc and I even more."

"Yeah, it must be very exciting," Alex said, nodding, "to know that your future descendants will form a bond some day."

"Oh, yes, there's no question about it," replied Marty.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Eleven

July 31, 1986
3:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Within the next five days, the Keatons have all become very fond of Marty. Even Mallory had warmed up to Marty, and she had apologized for her Canadian bashing statements - much to the delight of Marty and Alex alike. Mallory had bought a couple of cassettes for Marty. He was amazed by how much he had Mallory had the same musical tastes. He thought Mallory could be a bit flaky at times, though.

Alex's friends have all come to love Marty, too. Marty realized that one of the many things he and Alex had in common, was that they had a tendency to befriend the outcasts and misfits at school - and to stand up for them when being teased. If Alex had attended Hill Valley High School in 1955, he most likely would have befriended George McFly. Marty had to admit that he might not have befriend George to quite the same extent as he did, if he hadn't had to make George and Lorraine fall in love with each other. He still would have been nice to George, though.

As much as Marty himself had become quite fond of the Keaton family, though - he was starting to miss his friends and family at home. He and Alex were taking a look inside the DeLorean, to see if they could figure out where the time circuits had malfunctioned.

"Hey, Marty," called out Alex, "I found something. Wow! I have to say that all this computer technology must be highly advanced."

"What did you find, Alex?" asked Marty. "Anyway, yeah, Doc purchased all this stuff from the year 2030."

"Okay, well, look at this, Marty," Alex said, pointing to the destination locator. "This says that you were last in Hill Valley Park before you travelled here, right?"

Marty looked real closely at the screen, and he said, "Yeah, it is. I'm not sure how I got here, though - when I was trying to head over to Roanoke Island."

"Okay, well, look at this screen, Marty," said Alex. "It shows that you had input the destination location for Roanoke Island, but you had then cancelled the location."

"Cancel it?" Marty asked, confused. "I never cancelled it."

"You might have accidentally bumped a button or something," Alex suggested. "Here's something else I found. Look very closely at the bottom left of the screen."

Marty then looked to where Alex had pointed, and he saw that some small print have read "Dimension #EJ57".

"What the hell is this?" Marty muttered, softly.

"Apparently, it's the ID of the dimension you arrived here from," Alex suggested. "I found a backlog of destinations here. I guess Doc was testing this machine out, to see if it worked. This screen shows the location of Hill Valley Park when this car had departed at 4:17 PM on July 24 in Dimension #EJ57, and..." Alex pressed a button to make another screen come up, "... this screen shows the location of Hill Valley Park when this car had arrived at 5:17 PM on July 24 in Dimension #EJ57."

"Oh, okay," replied Marty. "That sounds about right."

"Now this screen shows where you were, when you last departed Hill Valley at 6:45 PM on July 24 in Dimension #EJ57," continued Alex, as he continued to flip through the backlog. "This screen shows that you landed in Chestnut Ridge Metro Park at 7:00 PM on July 24 in Dimension #AH48 - which, I guess, is this dimension."

"Okay, thanks for pointing this out, Alex," Marty said, gratefully. "I'm still confused about one thing, though. I'm still now sure how I could have landed here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed getting to meet you, your family, and your friends. It's just that I never dreamed that I would land in a sitcom. Well, a sitcom where our world is concerned."

"You might have pushed the Random button," Alex explained, gently. "This screen, though, gives you an option to disable the Random button. You might want to say 'yes' to that option. That way, you're not bouncing around from dimension to dimension. Before you go home, though, I think my family might want to say good bye to you. Oh, Marty, I really will miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," replied Marty, as he blinked back tears.

oooooooooo

"Will I ever see you again, Marty?" Jennifer asked, tearfully, as she hugged Marty.

"I'll be sure to come back and visit," Marty said, softly. "Don't worry."

Mallory then threw her arms around Marty, and wept. "Oh, Marty, I will really miss you! I'm sorry about the way I treated you, when you first arrived."

"Please don't sweat it, Mal," Marty said, as he forced a little smile. "You were just having a rough time. I understand."

"Thanks, Marty," whispered Mallory, as she wiped her eyes.

"I think Andy wants to say good bye to you, too," Alex said, holding up baby Andy. Then, to Andy, he cooed, "Can you say 'good bye, Marty'? I sure will miss him."

"Good bye, Andy," Marty said to Andy. "I hope you grow up to be a strong fine man."

"Oh, I'll see to it that he does," Alex said, smiling.

"Good bye, honey," said Mrs. Keaton, as she embraced. "I must say, it's been such a joy to have you in the house. We really will miss you. Well, have a safe trip back to California."

"Thanks, Mrs. Keaton," whispered Marty.

oooooooooo

A few hours later, Alex had decided to walk Marty back to the park. Marty felt that it would be nice if he could come back and see Alex again. He wasn't sure what Doc might about routine inter-dimensional travelling, though. Marty and Alex then looked at each other, as they were about to hug for one last. Alex then began to cry.

"Oh, Marty, I will really miss you," Alex sobbed. "You've been such a good friend to me. Please say that you'll return someday."

"I'll see if I can," Marty said, quietly, as he also began to cry. "Oh, Alex, sometimes it really hurts to say good-bye. I have become so fond of you. I, uh, I..."

Marty and Alex then embraced each other, as they wept on each other's shoulders. After about five minutes, both Marty and Alex wiped their eyes and said one last farewell.

"Have a safe trip, Marty," Alex whispered.

"I will, Alex," Marty whispered back. "Take care of yourself."

After inputting the time, location, and dimension, Marty then accelerated the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour, until he had broken the time barrier. He once again saw a little ripple outside of the windshield, and Marty figured he must have broken the dimensional barrier, as well.

[bttf4444]

Chapter Twelve

July 24, 1986
7:00 PM PDT
BTTF Universe

After Marty saw to it that he did arrive back in his own dimension, he drove the DeLorean back to Doc's lab. He figured that Doc wouldn't be too happy to learn that Marty had used the time machine without asking, but he knew he owed it to Doc to let him know about the inter-dimensional conduit. He then went up to the Brown's home, and he knocked on the door.

"Hello, Marty," greeted Clara, as she answered the door, "what brings you here?"

"Oh, hi, Clara," responded Marty, "I was hoping to be able to talk to Doc. Is he available right now?"

"Well, he's busy reading a story to Verne right now," explained Clara, "but I'll let him know you're here. We have some cinnamon rolls in the kitchen, in case you're hungry."

"Thanks, Clara," replied Marty, as he headed to the kitchen.

He poured himself a glass of apple juice and grabbed a cinnamon roll for himself. Then he went into the living room, and he turned the living room stereo to his favourite radio station, KKHV. The station was currently playing Heart and Soul by his favourite band, Huey Lewis and The News. He turned the volume up a bit. After the song was over, then You Don't Want Me Anymore by Steel Breeze started playing. Marty really loved that song, too. Then after the song was commercial breaks, and Doc walked into the living room.

"Well, hello, Marty," Doc greeted his young friend. "Do you like those cinnamon rolls? Clara made them all by herself."

"Yeah, Doc," replied Marty, "these are good. Say, can we talk in your lab?"

"Sure," replied Doc, "what did you want to talk about?"

"Okay, Doc, I have a confession to make," Marty said, taking a deep breath. "I used the time machine without asking. I wanted to check out Roanoke Island - and, somehow, I ended up in the Family Ties world."

"What did you say, Marty?" Doc asked, stunned. "What do you mean you landed in the Family Ties world?"

"I mean, I landed in the world where Alex, Mallory, and the rest of the Keaton family exist," Marty explained, "and NBC aired a sitcom called Jamie Takes Charge, starring Michael J Fox, in place of Family Ties. It was a spin off series from Leo and Me, where Jamie Romano moves to California and takes care of some small children."

"Great Scott!" gasped Doc. "Do you know what this means, Marty?"

"What?" asked Marty, stunned. "What does it mean?"

"This means that the DeLorean has become a trans-dimensional conduit in addition to a time machine," explained Doc. "Maybe the computer technology is even more intelligent than I am. My intention was not to create a portal between dimensions. It's so funny the way it worked out, though."

"This is heavy duty, Doc," breathed Marty. "This is great."

"It's funny, though," continued Doc, "to think that the Family Ties world really does exist in another dimension. I never would have expected to find out something like that."

"Well, remember when we found out that Orwell's 1984 world existed in another dimension?" suggested Marty. "I suppose we could deduct from that event that many other worlds also exists from things we see in movies and on TV, and read about in books. There's another thing I should mention, Doc."

"Oh, what's that, Marty?" asked Doc.

"My first trip to 1955 had been made into a movie in the Family Ties world," Marty explained. "The movie is called Back to the Future."

"Great Scott!" gasped Doc, as he nearly fainted. Marty reached out to steady him.

"Are you okay, Doc?" Marty asked, with concern.

"Yeah, Marty, I'm fine," replied Doc. "It's just that I'm stunned to find out that a major event in our lives has been made into a movie."

"Guess who plays you and I in the movie," Marty said, grinning.

"Uh, who?" asked Doc, with curiosity.

"Your character is played by Christopher Lloyd," explained Marty, "and mine is played by Michael J Fox."

"You're kidding!" gasped Doc.

"Actually, no, I'm not," replied Marty, in a serious tone. "I suppose it would be rather shocking to find out, though - as they are two of our favourite actors. I wonder if the Taxi world exists in another dimension, too."

"Well, Marty, this is certainly a lot to take in," breathed Doc. "So how did you and Alex get along?"

"We were very good friends!" gushed Marty. "We did disagree on politics and music, but we had so much other stuff in common. I really will miss him, you know?"

"Well, there is something that I'm a bit curious about," Doc said, slowly. "I wonder how your trip into the Family Ties world will affect what they show on the series in the next season."

"Goodness, Doc!" gasped Marty. "I didn't even think about that!"

Doc then became a bit stern, as he turned to Marty and said, "You see, this is why I do not want you to be using the DeLorean without consulting me first. Any type of fourth dimensional travel, be it time travel or alternate reality travel, can have nasty replications on the space-time continuum."

"Yeah, Doc, I understand," Marty said, sighing. "Well, I should probably get home now. I'm really starting to miss my family, now - as I haven't seen them in a week. It is kind of ironic that I'm the youngest kid in my family - while Alex was the oldest kid in his family. I think Alex and I are, in a sense, inter-dimensional counterparts."

"Anyway, Marty, I'll guess I'll see you again tomorrow, right?" Doc asked.

Doc and Marty then embraced. It felt so nice to be home, again. Marty then skateboarded and car-surfed home, with a huge smile on his face.

oooooooooo

"Wow! You spent a whole week with the Keaton family?" Jennifer Parker gasped, after Marty explained to her about his experience.

"Yeah, no joke," Marty replied, smiling a little. "I was amazed by how much your namesake in the Keaton family had a crush on me. She's a huge fan of Michael J Fox and Back to the Future. Not only are we the subject of a movie, but they also seem to have plans for a sequel. It will probably revolve around our trip to 2015, the whole mess with the almanac, and maybe also the trip to 1885."

"What about me?" asked Jennifer. "I gather I was just a minor character in the movie?"

"Pretty much, yeah," replied Marty. "What they showed at the beginning of the movie was our conversation after the auditions in the original timeline I came from. Then they also showed you at the end of the movie, where Doc came back to grab the two of us, and whisk us off to 2015."

"It is strange to think that I'm a movie character in the other world," Jennifer said, smiling. "Of course, I'm sure the Keaton family would be baffled to find out that their lives is a sitcom in our world."

"I did end up telling Alex about my true identity," Marty explained, "and he did promise to keep it a secret. I guess I didn't think about how this might affect the next season of Family Ties."

"So who played me in that world?" Jennifer asked, with curiosity.

"It was a young girl named Claudia Wells," explained Marty. "I do wonder what became of her in our world. I guess she just ended up never becoming a famous actress in our world."

"Well, at least not yet," Jennifer said, smiling. "Anyway, Marty, shall we go over to Francesca's Italian Diner?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," gushed Marty. "I love you, Jennifer."

"I love you, too, Marty," whispered Jennifer, as she leaned over to hug Doc.

[bttf4444]

Epilogue

May 26, 1990
1:00 PM PDT
Family Ties Universe

Alex and Ellen were having lunch at Guido's, as they were discussing the movie they saw yesterday.

"Say, wasn't that a great flick we saw, yesterday?" Alex asked, admiringly.

"Oh, for sure!" replied Ellen. "I thought it was really brave how Marty fought for the life of his best friend. I can tell that he was fiercely loyal to Doc."

"Yeah, it was very clever how he used a piece of a stove for a bullet proof vest," Alex said, admiringly. "I can imagine how hard it must have been for poor Marty to nearly lose his friend on a few occassion."

"I thought it was sad how Doc decided to spend the rest of his life in the Old West," Ellen remarked, "with his wife and children. How could he just abandon Marty like that? That just isn't right. I mean, Marty is his best friend."

"Now, Ellen," Alex asked, gently, "how do we know that Doc and his family decided to live out the rest of their lives in the Old West? I mean, they could have decided to return to 1985. Anyway, it would be safer for the space-time continuum for the family to have moved back to 1985 - since none of them, including Clara, really belonged in that time."

"I guess I haven't really thought about the space-time continuum," Ellen said, shrugging a little. "It just seemed like Doc only invented the time train to pick up Einstein and say good bye to Marty."

"They never actually said good bye, though, did they?" Alex asked. "Come on, let's give Doc more credit than that. You really think he would just abandon his friend like that? I'm sure he missed Marty very much, since he was stuck in the Old West for eight years."

"How do you know it was eight years that he was stuck in the Old West?" Ellen asked, confused. "He never said how long he was stuck back there."

"Oh, uh," stammered Alex, "I was just guessing. The point is, he was stuck in the Old West for quite a few years - so I'm sure he missed Marty terribly. I don't think he would have teased Marty by only seeing him for a few minutes, only to abandon him forever. I guess I'm just a firm believer in Doc and Marty forever."

"You talk about them like they're real people," Ellen said, laughing. "You do know that they're just fictional characters, right? I mean, Marty McFly doesn't really exist."

"Right, right, of course," stammered Alex. "I know that! I can tell fiction from reality. It's just that the movie was so good, I can't help but empathize with the characters. I mean, there's no telling what I would do if I was ever in the situation that Marty was in. He really went through a lot, you know?"

"I guess I see what you mean, Alex," Ellen said, smiling. "Anyway, we wouldn't really know - unless they, one day, release a Back to the Future Part Four. I don't think that will ever happen, though."

"Yeah, I guess what happens next can be left to the imagination," Alex said, smiling. He was so tempted to share his secret with Ellen, but he didn't dare. To the rest of his family, their visitor from two years ago was still known as Marty McCoy - and his sister, Jennifer, still had a crush on him.

Alex then thought fondly of his family. Mallory had really matured a lot, and she no longer had a mean streak as she had before - and she was actually civil towards Skippy Handleman. Granted, Skippy no longer had a crush on Mallory - as he was currently dating a girl named Violet Parsons. Skippy was also less socially awkward these days, and he had a job of doing comedy routines for children - which Andy loved.

Jennifer was about to graduate from high school, and she was selected to be the class valedictorian. She had plans to get a degree in psychology, not unlike the other Jennifer that Marty was dating.

As for Andy, he was growing up to be a fine young boy. He was very likeable, and all the kids in his class liked him. Alex was stunned to find out that the following season of Family Ties after Marty's visit had progressed Andy ahead by three years. Perhaps, there was an alternate reality where Andy had been born three years earlier. Of course, the idea of his family being the subject of a sitcom in another dimension was still a bit unsettling to Alex, but he didn't get all worked up over it.

"Are you okay, Alex?" Ellen asked, gently.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Ellen," replied Alex. "I guess I was just deep in thought. I thinking about how I might get along with Marty McFly, if he was a real person. We obviously have different tastes in music and clothing - but, other than that, we seem to have some other stuff in common. We might get along great."

"Well, I'm not sure what his political views are," Ellen said. "Still, people can disagree on politics and get along, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Alex said, smiling. "I know I do sometimes give the Democrats a hard time about their views - but it's all just in good fun. I mean, you can't take life too seriously, right?"

"You've got that right, Alex," Ellen replied, coyly. "You really like those stuffed shells, don't you? They're good, eh?"

"Oh, for sure," replied Alex. "I think I'm going to order some more. These can be so addictive, you know. I just love pasta. I don't like meat in it, though."

"Oh, going vegetarian, now?" Ellen asked, teasingly.

"Naa, I'm not a vegetarian," Alex said, smiling. "I like my serloin steak and my bacon cheeseburgers. I'm just not much for meat in my pasta."

"In that case, I agree with you," Ellen said, smiling. "You know, the only think Italian I don't care for is Italian sausage. I like Italian everything else, though."

"Say, I have an idea," said Alex. "How about let's plan a trip to Venice, Italy for our honeymoon? Does that sound nice and romantic?"

"That sounds like an awesome idea!" gushed Ellen. "I am so happy we're back together again. I really did miss you, you know?"

"Yeah, I missed you, too," Alex said, huskily. Then, he reached into his pocket to grab a small case. "Ellen, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes!" shrieked Ellen, excitedly. "I would love to spend the rest of my life with you!"

Alex then grabbed for Ellen's right hand, while he slipped the engagement ring onto her ring finger. The two of them embraced. Ellen wept with joy, while Alex himself was a bit teary-eyed. It was a very happy moment for both of them.

"I love you, Alex," Ellen whispered. "You are such a sweet man."

"Thank you, Ellen," replied Alex. "You are such a precious woman. I really care the world about you."

"This time," Ellen whispered, "we are not going to let anything tear us apart."

"You've got that right," Alex whispered back.

Alex and Ellen were smiling at each other, as they gazed into each other's eyes. Alex's heart was bursting with joy, as this was such a happy moment for him.