I do hope you're doing well.

It's been months and months of hard work and reconfiguring according to any regular calendar. Even according to their messed-up flow of time (where days repeat endlessly and weeks crawl along), it's been a good long while. But then, what Doc's been planning is not something you want to mess up.

Especially not when you know what happened the last time.

Yup, Doc is attempting time travel again. This time, of course, he has a potent ally in the form of Dee. After all, she's a living time machine -- one that's able to help direct him both in getting her time travel-worthy and in figuring out a way to travel through time safely. (Apparently she's got a bit of an internal time sense -- she says their world feels a bit like molasses when she's in DeLorean form.) Of course, the stakes have also been raised this time around. Now he knows that trying to time travel in this dimension means a risk of being thrown into another world entirely. That's how they got Dee. And if this goes wrong, she could be stranded -- temporarily or permanently -- in another world.

Which is exactly why he's going with her.

He takes a deep breath and heads out onto the street. Time to make history -- or pray they end up in a world where their PINpoints work.

Finding a new house had proved to be -- somewhat more difficult than first expected. First off, there were discussions on where in the city they should move. The suburbs? In the city proper? In the end, they finally decided to stay at least somewhat near downtown -- even if one of their group could turn into a car, and another fly, there was no point in making supply runs longer than they needed to be.

And then there were discussions on the sort of house they were going to get. Marty, Doc, and Dee were all in favor of some place with a garage. Marty and Victor wanted a music room (Victor in particular wanted to find some place with a piano already on the premises). Dee wanted a room of her own that she could decorate however she wanted (Marty joked about her hanging hubcaps on the wall). Doc wanted a large kitchen where he could recreate his old breakfast maker. Alice weighed in with the suggestion that there should be a spare bedroom for guests and not for music or tinkering (Victor seconded it, as they knew he would). And everyone agreed that there should be at least three bathrooms.

And then, there was trying to find a house that met all of these specifications. At first, they were fairly optimistic that one would be found. Chicago was a big city, after all -- there had to be the perfect house for them somewhere in there. Right?

After week two, Doc was starting to think they had it pretty good where they were and what the hell was he thinking trying to leave.

Eventually, though, the perfect place was located. Six bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a garage, a big kitchen, and a spare room that seemed perfect for making music. Everyone agreed that it was damn near perfect. (They also agreed that it was good thing they didn't have to pay for it.) Their things were moved in with relative ease, and all was well. Except for one detail.

The place didn't have a piano.

Fortunately, "borrowing" a truck to transport the one from their old apartments was quite easy. (Getting it into and out of the truck, not so much, but still. . . .)

(OOC: Follows on from this thread of Marty's, where Clark mentioned that maybe the gang should get a house, and Marty found himself liking the idea.)

"You think we should move?"

"Yeah," Marty said, nodding. "Clark brought it up last time I saw him -- you wouldn't believe some of the shit he's gone through lately, by the way -- and I think he's got a good point. The complex is okay, but. . .I dunno, Doc, the apartments feel kinda impersonal. And small. Very small. With a house, we'd -- we'd feel more like a family, I guess."

Doc frowned thoughtfully. He'd be the first to agree that the apartments were rather small -- especially since he was sharing his with Dee. And he understood that Marty probably missed the comfort and security of being in a house. Hell, he kind of missed it too. And sometimes the complex seemed rather lonely, with all those empty apartments around. A house at least would be a little more lively. "You really think it's a good idea?"

Marty nodded again. "Dee could have her own room, and we could all have special places for our hobbies -- music room for me and Victor, playroom for Dee, big garage and lab for you and Dee. . . . I know we'd be giving up everybody having their own bathroom--" Doc couldn't help a laugh at that "-- but I really do think it's something we should try."

Doc thought about it for a minute more. Then he smiled and nodded. "All right then. I guess this Christmas, we're finding ourselves a new home."

(backdated to shortly after Marty's Nexus Trip)

Farley:

Thank you very much for your gift. I'm sure it'll come in handy -- you never know when you'll have to blend in. (Marty couldn't resist trying it on, incidentally -- that was a strange moment.)

I hope you're doing well these days. I know I didn't contact you after that whole thing with Dee, but unfortunately such concerns were pushed out of my mind rather quickly. It's a long story, but Victor got possessed, and we had to deal with that and his girlfriend breaking up with him because she thought she was the cause. (Which she kind of was, in a very indirect way that she had no prior knowledge of, but. . .Great Scott, my life. . .) I do think you could have handled telling Dee about me a little more gently, but it's probably better that she knows, so. . .

Anyway, thank you again. Hopefully I'll see you around sometime.

Happy birthday, Metody! Hope you're well!

After meeting up with Clark in the Nexus, Doc's been getting things ready for him to come over and help him and Marty with the repairs on Dee's car form. He's been putting this off for far too long, thanks to some anxieties about what exactly Dee feels, and whether it's even right for him to do anything to her. Dee's assured him about fifty million times that she feels no pain, though, and she really wants to be fixed. And having Marty around now makes things rather easier than before. End result -- he's finally ready to get Dee back to full functioning condition -- or, at least, as close as they can get.

Finally, three days after Clark appeared, everything's set up. Tools and parts are in orderly piles in the parking lot, as are Dee, Marty, and Doc. "We all set, Doc?" Marty asks, looking around.

"I believe we are," Doc says, going over his mental checklist. "Dee? Anything missing that you can see?"

"Nope!" Dee bounces happily on her heels. This is gonna be fun! "Go ahead and call, Dad!"

"Okay!" Doc goes ahead and sends a text message to Clark's PINpoint: Clark -- it's me, Doc. We're all ready to get to work if you are. Let me know if you're in a position to come over.

It's that time of year, and Doc wants to spread the joy a little. He's got some gifts for friends of his (though how some of them get to their destinations is a little up in the air -- the Nexus provides, apparently):

For John (hart_on_sleeve), there's a pair of new faux-fur-lined boots. He's heard John's complaints about the cold, after all. There's also a littler pair for Alina.

For Metody (metody_green), there's a book on skeletons he found and figured the guy would like. Given his talents with bone, after all. . . .

For Clark (kalel_ofkrypton), there's an astronomy book. Doc was a little unsure what to get him, but then figured he might like looking up at the stars and seeing what else is out there.

For Farley (clanoftheswords), there's a multitool. Doc remembers the first time he got one, and he knows just how useful they are.

For Revan (curtainfalling), there's a dark purple cloak. Again, Doc was unsure what exactly to get, but he thinks she'll like this.

As for his other friends, Marty's getting a CD of the best of the 80s; Victor's getting a bell jar Doc's modified to have magnification properties (so he can get a REALLY good look at his butterflies), and Alice's getting a sharpening stone for her Vorpal Blade. And Dee's getting her first-ever stuffed animal, a plush doggy.

(And if you think you and Doc have interacted enough to have him exchange presents with you, go ahead and make something up. I'm just kind of bad at remembering everyone he interacts with. ^^;)

(After Dee's accidental trip to the Nexus and Doc's subsequent discovery of her, the two head back to the mini-Rift pocket and the Gauche. Doc gets Victor outside, introduces Dee as a new resident, and has Marty and Alice quickly PINpoint in. The following results:)

Dee: "Marty!"

Marty: "Whoa! Uh, hi kid."

Dee: "Hi." *all smiles* "Sorry, miss, I don't know your name."

Alice: "It's Alice. Nice to meet you." *curtsy*

Dee: "Nice to meet you too!"

Marty: "Er, Doc? Who is this?"

Victor: "Yes, you didn't properly explain before. Just that -- we have a new resident here?"

Doc: "Well, Marty, Victor, Alice -- this is Dee. She's -- well, she's my daughter-slash-time machine."
( Naturally, this requires a demonstration. . .Collapse )

(So yes, welcome to the family, Dee.)

Crossposted to dee_lorean81

Doc's excited. It's a very special day for him. Today, he is going to finally take a step toward realizing his lifelong dream. The car is fully wired, and everything checks out on the preliminary tests. The DeLorean is finally, FINALLY ready for time travel. Granted, Doc is still a little iffy about the time-dilation effect in place on the pocket of reality he now calls home, but he figures that he can at least try a short time trip, just to see if everything truly works. Just to achieve the dream.

Of course, a moment like this must be shared with one's closest friends. Doc promptly sends out a message over the PINpoint to Marty and Alice, asking them to come to his world, before going to the apartment next to his and knocking on Victor's door. "Hey Victor!"