BORN TOO LATE, back to the future

xxvii. still of the night

➳ 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕞𝕒𝕕 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕪 ( 𝕔𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 ) 𝕓𝕪 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕟 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥

PICKING HIMSELF up from the ground with Biff's laughter echoing through the parking lot, George threw one punch at the bully. The blow being enough to push him into the car and knock him out. Stopping from where she had been running Donna rubbed her eyes again to make sure she had seen that correctly. Seeing the lovestruck gaze in her friend's eye as he held out a hand to help Lorraine up was enough to convince her that the plan worked out. Just not in the way it was intended.

"Donna!" Looking back to see Marty rushing in with the crowd of people that were ogling the events that had taken place she beamed over to him in familiarity. The pair watched the couple passing through the lot in content to have him sigh in relief. More interested in knowing what he was thinking about now as, from what she gathered from his. . .other? version of himself having told her that this was what he needed to do in order to get back home.

Instead he took out a photo from the inside of his pocket silently, looking between the piece and her deep in thought. Taking her hand into his Marty pulled them out of the crowd back into the direction he had previously gone through. Seeing the photo had not returned to its original form meant that there was something else missing to this. But he needed to clear things before he left. Having waited so long to say anything at all out of being too scared over the outcome.

Donna watched him patiently, not knowing what she was to expect. "There's something about tonight that you need to know about. And it might sound ridiculous but I swear it's all true." He heaved a deep breath to build up his confidence. "I'm from the future."

Pretending to be surprised by this fact she widened her eyes, her tone almost coming off as sarcastic when speaking to him. "You can't be serious?"

"And I knew who you were already when we met." Completely shifting from being casual to gobsmacked she tried to laugh off the fact. Judging from the expression on his face it wasn't anything positive that came about his knowledge, which made her want to ignore it even more. "You know the river you always visit? A-And how you mentioned storms? You were supposed to—"

"Stop." Donna raised a hand to cast her eyes down, already barely having tackled one reveal just moments prior and now having this one. Such making her reflect on all the time they had spent together and second guessing if any of it was anything more than him being guilty of knowing something he shouldn't have. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I was just hoping to stop it from happening? That was it." Seeing her eyes welling up in tears caused him to be more lost on how to best respond. "I didn't know what to say? I didn't expect to get so close to you."

"You were only friends with me because you felt guilty for knowing something you shouldn't have. . . Gave me this whole experience out of remorse?"

Second-guessing their interactions led her to believe this was an ulterior motive he had that was only to help her. Marty had no other intentions beside that and though she was grateful— Donna felt as though their time must have been some burden on him. That if he didn't leave knowing she was alright he would be the one to have to deal with the knowledge of knowing he could've changed it. Added on to the already apparent stress he had to deal with George and Lorraine, she was just another mess he had no choice but to fix.

"Donna, I just wanted you to be safe."

"Then you should've told me sooner!" She raised her voice and waved a hand to him standing in front of him. "Should've listened when I said you were absolute trouble to deal with and look at you now. Ready to leave with, what, me having this debt I can never repay you?"