Dear Rachel Newstead,

I understand totally your initial reaction to "I'll Stop the World" and the character of Amelia Brown. It would be all too easy to fall into the trap of writing a typical Mary-Sue story and forgetting all about plot, character developement, etc... But I felt I owed these wonderful characters more than that, and I'm glad you recognize my efforts to steer as far away from Mary-Sue territory as possible.

Granted, there is a slight hint of a love story in my fic as I'm sure you've noticed. I assure you, however, that I hold the characters of Marty and Amelia in high regard and would not allow them to engage in activity contrary to their nature. Their relationship has been an organic developement of their situation, which (their situation) is still the PRIMARY focus of my story.

Thank you for your review and please enjoy reading!

Yours Truly
M.R.

Good story. I liked it. I also liked the fact that I inspired it.

To be brutally honest, when I started reading your other story, in which the character of Amelia Brown is prominently featured, I groaned inwardly, thinking "Oh, no! Another blatant Mary Sue!" But the more I've read of that story--and particularly after reading this one--the more intriguing the notion of Doc having a daughter (during the events of the movies, that is) became. And to your credit, you've managed to add an original character without her venturing into Mary Sue territory.

It does raise some interesting questions. For one thing, since Doc is, in the canon BTTF universe, considered the town crackpot (and I imagine he is in your version as well) having a daughter would have caused him no end of problems with nosy locals and social services bureaucrats, who were probably upset he's raising her in that old garage of his, or who objected simply to a man they view as crazy and dangerous having an impressionable child around him. His struggles to keep custody of her, in fact, might make a fascinating future story.

I imagine adding a daughter into the mix would change the nature of Doc and Marty's friendship somewhat. Doc and Marty became friends mainly because Doc was lonely and had no one else--at least until Clara came along. I imagine they'd still be friends, but not quite as close.

I also wonder if he'd still get involved with Clara, as I'm sure he'd feel she'd be reluctant to get involved with a man who already has a child.

This is a great story. I can imagine how Doc must be feeling about the whole thing.

If you're interested, I have a fic called Cosmic Baby - where Doc and Clara meet their future daughter, just about a week before she's due to be born.

I can imagine that what your Doc's going through must be very confusing. Even in my fics, where Marty Jr goes back to the 1980s, Marty and Jenn are already well-established as a couple.

I wonder if Amelia bears any resemblance to Maggie.

Well, keep up the good work! :)