January 1, 1885
9:45 AM PST

Dr. Emmett Brown sighed, just as he stepped into downtown Hill Valley. He blinked, as he could hardly believe what he saw. He sure thought of how it was a good thing that he had some era-appropriate currency on hand. He then looked down, and he figured that he wouldn't be too out of place. He had to try to stay as reserved as possible.

He suddenly blinked, as he could hardly believe what he rather saw. Stepping outside of a carriage was a man who bore a stunning resemblance to Marty McFly . However, his hair was more of a reddish-brown colour - and he had a beard and a mustache.

Next to him was a woman who really looked a little like Lorraine Baines. Could these be the maternal ancestors of his teenage friend? Even in 1955, he actually felt as if there was family resemblance between Marty and his mother. He swallowed, nervously.

"Howdy there, mister!" greeted the man who looked like Marty. "I rather don't believe I've made your acquaintance, before. Might you be new in town?" Dr. Brown nodded, as it was somewhat true. "In that event, I feel as if it's our real duty to make you feel welcome. Me name's Seamus McFly - and this is me wife, Maggie. How do you do?"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you," Dr. Brown replied, nervously. He thought of how his friend's middle name was Seamus. He also noticed that Marty's ancestor had an Irish accent. "I'm feeling hungry, so I was hoping that... By the way, I'm Emmett Brown."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brown," replied Seamus, as he shook the scientist's hand. "I really do know a good restaurant, nearby. In fact, Mags and I were headed over there. Why don't you join us? It'd simply be a pleasure to have your company."

"Yes, I suppose I could do that," Dr. Brown replied, with a small smile. He then began to wonder why he had given his real name to Marty's ancestors. It also quite felt odd to really be referred to as "Mr. Brown" - but then he realized that he, along with the space-time continuum, might be better off that way. "I mean, I'd really love to."

"They serve some real delicious food," commented Seamus, approvingly. "You should try out their ham and green peppers omlette. Mags and I do like to go there, at least once a month. Of course, with her being pregnant - she's been more than a little..."

"Sure a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brown," Maggie added, as she sounded somewhat uneasy. "If our baby is a boy, we do plan to name him William Sean. If it's a girl, then we shall name her Linda Roisin. Our first child will be the first McFly born in America."

"Sean and Roisin were me parents," Seamus added, as tears filled his eyes. "I sure do miss them. They died, though - only a few months before we left Ireland. Me younger brother, Martin, had decided to join us. Sadly, we also lost him - back in 1880. He was killed in a saloon, where he was stabbed with a bowie knife. May God rest his soul."

"Wait a minute!" gasped Dr. Brown, as he could hardly believe what he heard. He felt stunned by what he heard. "Your brother was named Martin?" Seamus nodded, as he added, "If you simply don't mind me asking... Well, how did he end up getting killed?"

"He simply didn't want people to think him a coward," Seamus replied, sadly. "As such, he used to let men provoke him into fighting. I mean, no matter how often Mags and I would talk to him - he would never listen. Never considered the future, poor Martin."

"That's so sad!" gasped Dr. Brown, as he also felt like crying. It seemed as if Seamus's late brother really had a little more in common with the scientist's teenage friend, than just a name. "In fact, he does somewhat remind me of... someone that I know." After a brief pause, he added, "How old was he, when he lost his life? He must've been..."

"He was just a mere seventeen," Seamus replied, as he was almost crying. "He had so much to live for, and he also had Juniper. She sure was a very sweet woman. Martin's death had devastated her so much - she had taken her own life, not long afterward."

"Poor Juniper," murmured Dr. Brown, as he realized how similar the name sounded to "Jennifer" - his young friend's girlfriend. He began to wondered how she might react, if anything was to happen to Marty. "Well, it sounds as if you went through a lot."

"It was a real huge shock," Seamus replied, shaking his head. "Juniper seemed to be a very outgoing and spirited young woman, and we had never figured that she would... I guess she quite loved Martin, and she rather couldn't fathom that she'd ever be able to love another man. I do remember how distraught her younger sister, Clara was..."

"That really is a sad story, indeed," Dr. Brown replied, sorrowfully. He felt like crying, himself - and he felt even more concerned about his young friend, who was stranded thirty years prior to his proper time. "Well, I guess we should get something to eat."

Seamus nodded, as the trio stepped inside the restaurant. Marty's ancestors did seem to be very hospitable. Seamus was, at least. He was a little less certain about Maggie, however. She seemed to be more than a little nervous, and she had barely spoken.

Dr. Brown sighed, as he sat on one side of the booth - while Seamus and Maggie sat on the other side. Perhaps, there actually would be no huge harm in interacting with the people of this era. He sure had to be mindful to not overdo it, of course. He had no idea of how long fixing the time circuits would take. It might take several days.

At least, he ended up landing in his favourite historical era. There was no fear that he would be executed for witchcraft, since those days were long past. He simply decided that there was no harm in taking advantage of his situation, which was one positive.

"So, what brings you to Hill Valley?" Seamus asked, smiling. "I must say, I quite have a good feeling about the future of this town. There's sure been some talk about building a courthouse in this town, and attaching a clock tower to it. How does that sound?"

Dr. Brown smiled, just as he glanced in front of the Palace Saloon - which he suddenly began to realize was really the same building that would become Lou's Cafe, and then Lou's Aerobics Fitness Centre. Even further into the future, it would become the Cafe '80s. He sighed, as he realized that he was actually witnessing history in the making.

What was really more shocking, though - was the absence of the courthouse in front of the saloon. The clock tower that would become legendary simply did not yet exist. Indeed, this sure did not look much like the Hill Valley that he grew to know and love.

"I guess this just seemed like a nice place to stop," replied Dr. Brown, knowing that he couldn't exactly tell Marty's ancestors the truth. "Well, thanks for making me feel very welcome. I guess I made the right decision. I mean, you people are very hospitable."

"Well, we try to be," Seamus replied, softly. "You must excuse me wife for not talking very much. With her pregnancy, things have really been a little... We're very excited about starting our family, and we simply do wish to provide a very good life for them. We decided it was best that we found a place to settle, so that our children don't..."

Dr. Brown nodded, as he understood well what Marty's ancestor meant. He sure was lucky to have spent his life in the same town, and he often felt sorry for children who were dragged from one town to another. That had to be a hard life for one to have.

He smiled, as the trio stepped into Holt's Diner. He then felt confused by how Maggie bore a real strong resemblance to Marty's mother, if she and Seamus were supposed to be Marty's paternal ancestors. He tried to put the thought out of his mind.

He began to feel a little nervous, as the trio sat in a booth - with Seamus and Maggie sitting on the opposite side from him. He thought of how he was actually breaking his own rule about not interacting with anyone, and then he found himself worrying that he might be jeopardizing Marty's existence - which was the last thing he wish to do.

He took in a deep breath, as he tried not to worry. He figured that, if he was careful, he really would not create any significant changes to the timeline. He already decided that interaction with other people was a necessity, if he wished to survive in the era.

Still, he hadn't expected to run into Marty's ancestors - and he certainly didn't expect for them to be the first people to greet him. He then wondered how long he would be stuck in this era. He hoped that it wouldn't be for longer than a week, if even that.

"What are you thinking of, Mr. Brown?" Seamus asked, softly. "It looks like you've had a rather long trip. Well, might I recommend the fried chicken dinner? I could even pay, as our way of saying 'welcome'. Perhaps, you could even come to our farm. We'd love to have your company. We live two miles outside of Hill Valley, so it will take awhile."

"Thanks for your offer, Mr. McFly," Dr. Brown replied, smiling, "but I had other plans. It sure is nice to have met you, though - and the chicken dinner sounds real nice. We can get together, uh, some other time. Thank you very much for your hospitality."

With that, Seamus smiled - while Maggie nodded. For some reason, though - he could not seem to shake off the feeling that Maggie was a little more uncomfortable around him. Perhaps, he was being rather overly sensitive - but it still bothered him, a little.

As nice as the era was, he knew that he didn't belong here. Besides, he couldn't leave Marty stranded in 1955 - which would make his friend quite unhappy. Indeed, this just was a rather bittersweet experience. Still, he might as well actually make the most out of the experience. Even a scientist could use a little vacation, every now and then.