THE next thing they did was to go to the library to do some research on the year 1885. After a while they came across a picture of Clara. "She looks just like Mary Steenburgen." said Marty. Doc looked at it and said "Incredible." Jennifer read what happened. "'In 1885'..." she read, "'Clara Clayton came to Hill Valley to open a school there.'" Doc, Marty and the two boys listened intently. "'But when she arrive,'" Jennifer went on to read, "'no one offered to pick her up so she rented a wagon to take her to her new home. On her way, a snake spooked the horses and they dragged the wagon with her in it to Shoanash Ravine where she fell in. Because of the tragedy, Shoanash Ravine was renamed Clayton ravine in memory of her.'" She closed the book reading History of Hill Valley. 1850-1950. As she sat back Doc said "Somehow, someway, you were involved in me going back to 1885 and rescuing Clara from falling in that ravine." "What do you mean, Doc?" asked Marty. Doc turned to Marty saying "Marty, I never told you this. But, back in 1955, after I sent you back to the future, you appeared again saying that you came back." Marty was startled at this. "Doc." he said, "I never came back to 1955." "Apparently you did." said Doc, "You said you came back from the future with me because you had to go get a book from Biff. And when you got the book back, the me from 1985 was in the DeLorean when it was struck by lightening and sent me and the car back to 1885. It didn't make any sense but last night when Jennifer told me about the letter I was supposed to write to you in 1885, I began to believe her story about her plight. And there's something else." "And that is..." said Marty. "Not here." said Doc, "Back to my flat." After putting away the books that they were going through, they left the library for Doc's house.

After returning home, Doc produced a VCR tape and loaded it onto a VCR machine connected to a TV. "Last night when I went back in time," said Doc, "I video taped what you did. This is what happened." He turned it on. And on the screen was Jennifer's mother standing outside the old record store. Then, there was a shot of Jennifer leaving followed by her father. Then her mother drummed up an angry conversation with her fiance. "What is she saying to Dad?" asked Jennifer. Doc rewound the tape and turned up the volume. On the screen, her mother was demanding "Who's the girl?" "What do you mean?" asked her then future father. "I saw you talking to her." said her future mother, "My God, she even wore the same outfit I'm wearing." "Prudence." he said, "I've never seen her before in my life." "Ha." she said, "The engagement's off." Then, on the screen, Jennifer watched her mother take off her engagement ring and hop onto a bus. Doc turned off the VCR and turned to Jennifer saying "That's how you erased your own existance." "My God." said Jennifer. "And without you." said Doc, "You don't become a distraction for me and Marty when we go to the year 2015, you don't get us stuck there long enough for Old Biff to steal the time machine and go back in time with the Almanac, we don't go tracking him down, I don't have the the chance to get struck by lightening in 1955, and I don't rescue Clara. That's why she's fading away from the photograph. The oldest boy will follow, then the youngest. And if you don't go back to 1966 to repair the damage, you'll be next." "Sounds heavy, Doc." said Marty. "Weight has nothing to do with it." said Doc. He turned to Jennifer saying "You and the boys survived the change in history by going back in time. But it won't last long." Jennifer began to feel a chill of fear in her blood vessels. Meanwhile, Marty pondered what Doc said. "Just like what almost happened to me." he said. "Precisely." said Doc. "Doctor Brown." asked Jennifer, "How long will it be before I disappear from existance?" "It depends." said Doc, "After Marty interfered with his parents first meeting, he lasted a week before he started to erase from existance. Fortunately, his father kissed his mother before he disappeared altogether. But, that was over thirty years ago. The incident you caused took place twenty years ago. So you might vanish sooner." Jennifer frowned. She looked at Jules and Verne and noticed that they now had worried looks on their faces. Then, Marty spoked up. "Doc." he said, "You said that there was something else for me to know." "Yes." said Doc, "Do you remember the first time we met?" "Yeah." said Marty, "I was fifteen you showed up at my house and hired me to sweep out your garage. You payed me 50 bucks a week, gave me free beer...and gave me total access to your record collection." Turning to Jennifer he said, "He's got this great old record collection." "That was before you went back in time." said Doc. "Yeah." said Marty, "To 1955." "Marty." said Doc, "Would you believe me if I told you that I first met you in 1938?" "1938? exclaimed Marty. "That's right." said Doc, "And that you knew about the jars of poison that I had." "Doc." said Marty, "I didn't know about the jars of poison until last night." "Somehow you did." said Doc, "In fact, I still even remember reading the 'Last Time Departed' on the time circuits back in 1938." He stared blankly at Marty saying, "It read November 16, 1985." "November 16, 1985?" exclaimed Mary, "Doc, you haven't allowed me in that time machine since I tried to take that Almanac back to 1985 with me." "I know, I know." said Doc, "And it didn't make sense to me until Jennifer showed up. And another thing." He turned to a desk and opened it. From it he produced a blue piece of paper. Jennifer recognized it. It was the flyer that had the copy of the 1955 newspaper story about the clock tower being struck by lightening. "Do you recognize this?" asked Doc. "It's the flyer I showed you when you said that the only way I could get home was a bolt of lightening."said Marty. "Precisely." said Doc. "For the next thirty years when I started to design the flux capacitor. But as the time of my completion and your departure to the past approached. Something confused me." "Like what?" asked Marty. "Like, why haven't you gotten a girlfriend yet." said Doc, "Now I know the answer." He looked at Jennifer, then back at Marty. "Doc." asked Marty, "What do you mean?" "This." said Doc as he turned the flyer over to show him the back. On it was the inscription "I love you!" with the phone number "555-4823". "Doc." said Marty, "I don't remember that." "Then," said Doc, "the you I saw that night was a you from an alternate reality. For you have said that you had a girl in 1985. Yet you still don't have one. It only means, that in 1955, I was in a reality where what Jennifer did in 1966 hasn't happened yet." "That sounds heavy." said Marty. "Heavy, heavy." said Doc, "Whatever she did, she must go back and undo it before it's too late." Then, Jennifer looked into her purse and produced the CUSCO note she brought from the future. "Speaking of realities." she said, "Doctor Brown, in my reality, I brought a note back from the future that since then erased. But now it's back." Doc took the note from Jennifer and looked at it. Then he turned to Marty saying "Marty, take the two boys outside and stay with them. I want to talk to Jennifer alone." "But why?" asked Marty. "Just do it." insisted Doc. Marty, not wanting to get on the wrong side of his friend, said "You're the doc, Doc." Marty took the two boys outside. Once they had the room to themselves Jennifer asked Doc "Doctor Brown, what is it?" "This." said Doc showing Jennifer the note. "What about it?" asked Jennifer. "Marty must not know about this." said Doc. "Why?" asked Jennifer. "If Marty finds out about this," said Doc, "it would jeopardized his existance as much as you have jeopardized yours." He put his hands on Jennifer's shoulders saying "Whatever he finds out, he'll find out in the natural course of time." Jennifer looked at Doc saying "Whatever you say, Doctor Brown." "Good." said Doc. Produced a map of Hill Valley saying "This is the plan for you to go back and restore your reality." He point to the area of the town square. "The first 'you' landed in an alleyway between the Texaco station and the record store." he said, "You're going to land a few yards behind moments before the other 'you' showed up. That way, you would be unobserved by your other self. Once your other self gets out of the first DeLorean, follow her but stay low as to remain out of sight of the first pair of boys. As I observe, 'your' DeLorean has also been equipped with a sleep inducing alpha-rythm generator. Once you two are out of sight of the boys, sleep induce her. She'll be out long enough for her father to go in and out of the store and that other 'you' would never run into him and break up their engagement. Once those two are gone. Revive her and get back to the time machine before she sees you. Hopefully, your other self will think that she blacked out and just go into the store to buy the album for Marty. And you will return to your own reality." "Doctor Brown." said Jennifer, "What if I don't succeed." "You must succeed." said Doc, "Jennifer, in your reality, has Marty been doing much time travelling other than to the year 1885 and 1938?" "Yes, Doctor Brown." said Jennifer, "In December, you had him spend six months serving the Navy in 1941." "That explains why the Marty of your reality has tonsilitis right now instead of six months from now." said Doc. "Right." said Jennifer, "And then the other time he went with you to 1966 because I got a little obsessed with the idea of time travelling and wanting to meet my parents on their honeymoon." "What about me?" asked Doc, "What I learned about myself in your reality, I spent some time in the 19th century. I know I have a wife and two boys. But, how long had I spent time back there?" "About ten years." said Jennifer. "So," said Doc, "in your reality, the 'me' there is ten years older than me." "And the 'Marty' in my reality is at least six months older than the 'Marty' here." "Exactly!" said Doc, "Which means me and Marty can't go back there with you to help you. If we do, we'll return to a 1986 where there would be two of us there." "I understand." said Jennifer. She picked up the CUSCO note and deposited it into her purse. As she did, she picked up the picture of Doc and his family. Looking at it, she saw something frightening. "Doctor Brown." she said, "You'd better look at this." Doc went over and did. "Great Scott." said Doc, "That means you don't have much time to stay here. You and the boys must go back soon before it's too late." On the picture. Clara had now completely disappeared. That meant. Jules was next.