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Marie huffed, helping her uncle move pieces of the portal back into place. “Okay, that should do it. Let's just hope the backup program I made works,” she breathed before taking off towards the control room.
She sat on her chair and clicked away at the Keys pressing enter as the system rebooted.
“Marie what if this thing blows? What if there's one of those glitches?” Stan stressed.
“We’ve just got to hope,” Marie said as she put the countdown clock on.
Two agonising hours passed as the portal was ready again.
“Right, hopefully this means Dad can get back sooner rather than later, ready?” she smiled to stan as they chanted Pines Pines Pines activating it watching it swirl and open like it did the first time.
Gravity started behaving weirdly as the ground shuddered. The pair felt the raw power from the portal scrape at their skin as it hailed one last breath a figure stepped out as it collapsed from gravity going back to normal.
“IT WORKED!” Marie cheered as she dragged Stan out from the control room as he managed to grab a bat in case it wasn't Ford.
Stan pulled Marie behind him as the figure approached. “Stay where you are, how do we know you're Ford?” Stan demanded reading the bat.
The figure reached up as Marie peeked out from behind Stan. They watched the scarf and goggles come off revealing a much older man than the one that got shot through the portal not two hours ago.
“Stanley put the bat down,” Ford said, taking some steps towards him as he held his bat higher.
“Fine, you want proof.” Ford reached into the reassesses of his inner pockets, taking out two photos, one of them of him and Marie as boys and another one of them when she won the science fair only a month ago. They were all beat up and loved.
Stan lowered the bat as Marie came out from behind him, being able to take the man that claims to be his father now. She observed his features glancing back at stan to make comparisons.
“Marie my dear I know I look different but I promise it’s me,” Ford pleaded as he watched his little girl fall to her knees bursting into tears. Ford felt stricken with guilt as he kneeled beside her, taking her hands gently. She gradually lifted her head looking at him. A mix of feelings swelled inside her. The clean-shaven man in front of her was her father. She could feel that primal instinct for sure. The shock to her system lay with him looking 20 or 30 years older and the knee snaps to prove it.
“You’re so young, how?” he smiled, running a hand through her hair.
“How did you age so quickly? You were there for 2 hours?” Stan questioned him astonished.
“2 hours? I’ve been in there roughly 30 years” Ford said as Marie started to shake realising it just wasn't a side effect of the portal him looking that way he had aged in proper time (or at least what was for him).
“B-but that doesn't make any sense” she blubbered “You're supposed to look like Uncle Stanley but more put together”
Ford sighed, whipping his little Marie’s tears away with his thumb. “We can figure it out together…I’d forgotten how young you were when I got sucked into that thing, at least I get to watch you grow into an amazing woman again” he smiled but it soon faded when Marie scrambled to her feet behind Stan burying her face into his back.
“It shouldn't be the second time,” she shouted, definitely not bearing to look out from Stan's back.
“Marie calm down my dear, let's just take a few breaths ok and we can talk about this,” Ford said softly, getting back to his feet.
“NO, just leave me alone!” she exclaimed at him before taking off into the lab
“Marie!” The stans called after her.
But it fell on deaf ears as Marie was already on her way up the elevator. She soon ducked out of the lab door grabbing her helmet as she hopped onto her bike taking off into the woods wanting to put as much distance from the man she called father and herself as possible.
-*-
“MARIE!” Ford called out into the house racing to her room hoping to find her in her hidey hole.
Stan called Ford from outside as he scurried to where Stan’s voice was. “She took her bike, she could be gaining miles as we speak,” Stan said, pulling at his mullet.
“Plaidypus’ that's where she always went when she was upset, let's start there,” Ford said leading the charge.
“Where she always goes Ford” Stan corrected him as Ford closed the door behind him.
As the brothers hurried along each of them took glances at each other taking note of things of what were and what was to come. The stans soon slowed to a walk getting deeper into the woods.
“It’s surreal being back in these woods after so long” Ford mentions breaking the silence between them.
“I don't get it, Stanford, you were in that thing for 2 hours and then clearly show that 30 years have passed”
“Maybe it's how it works, time goes quicker or even doesn't exist in the multi-universe but I still aged somehow” Ford suggested. “I will do the calculations later main priority is finding Marie”
They soldered on stan getting to see the true extent of what was in the journals. Ford got him to crouch down as they peeked over some bushes seeing the Plaidypus taking turns nuzzling Marie as she cuddled Wumpus, the biggest one there.
“Aww I wish I had a camera” Ford smiled at the scene as he patted his pockets.
“Focus Ford just memorise the adorable scene” Stan nudged him knocking him off balance and sending him rolling down into the glen.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?” Marie huffed sitting up with a baby plaidypus on her head mirroring her arms crossing.
“We were just making sure you weren't eaten pumpkin,” Stan said as he slid more gracefully into the glen as Ford dusted himself off.
“Uncle Stanley, I've been treading these woods since I could walk, I know what's out here”
“You weren’t thinking straight kid,” Stan said, coming over and sitting in front of her as the Plaidypus’ came over and sniffed him. Marie exhaled as her supposed dad sat next to Stan.
“And it's getting cold, can’t have you sniffling and coughing while I tell you stories” Ford offered as he offered her his red turtleneck. She took it not meeting his gaze, putting it on going into sweater town.
Ford frowned, coming closer to his daughter, and putting a loving arm around her. She peeked out from sweater town, it still pained the 15-year-old to see her father this way but she was getting better at it.
“I know this is a lot to take in my darling, it is for me and stan look at him, I don't know if he's about to explode from cuteness or a mind blow” he gestured to stan so was being swarmed by plaidypus’
“I-It’s just not the same… Dad,” she said crestfallen.
“I know darling, but I assure you I am still dear old dad, enthuses on the old just a few more aches and pains” Ford cracked his back. “But I’ve got so much more to teach you to know and we can use that knowledge to help things get more advanced in society and get our names in history”
“It does sound enticing, and it would get the school board off our backs, but what about explaining the whole age thing? The last time people saw you, you were midway through your 30s. Now you're pushing 63! How are we to explain that a-and how long do you have until…” she trailed off.
“Marie, calm down. It's okay. Let's take it one day at a time, okay? There's no need to think about that sort of stuff right now. Let's get back to the lab and fix some dinner. After all the time I could do with your cooking,” Ford said as she popped her head out, looking up at him.
His eyes were a little cold but she could still find kindness in them, she must admit he had aged quite gracefully, he would have all the school mums after him.
She's just got to live in this reality now, what would her mum think when she gets back from that business trip? Come to that hurdle when they cross it.
“Come on let's get back before it gets dark” Ford smiled down at his daughter giving her a head kiss and getting up before helping her up.
They dragged Stan out from the pile of Plaidypus and made their way back to the lab with two arms around Marie as Stan towed her bike. Not knowing what the future held but were happy that they were facing it together.