017. Brown


"Von Braun Consulting, how may I help you?"

Sarah watched her husband's face as whoever it was on the other end of the line spoke and obviously not about financial concerns.

With a sigh, Emil finally hung up the phone after a minute or so.

"Another one?" Sarah asked, frowning and then shook her head. "It's unbelievable how foolish people can be!"

"Vell, ve can't really blame them," Emil replied, giving her a small smile and coming to sit beside her on the couch. "Zere is a var going on."

Sarah pressed her lips together, maybe that was true, but her Emil had nothing to do with any of that. He had come to California almost eight years ago, and despite his accent, which she found utterly charming, he was as American as anyone.

But obviously, the people of Hill Valley didn't think so, ever since news had arrived of the German army's use of chlorine gas on British troops...It was indeed the most horrible of news, still how could anyone blame Emil?

But they did, right at that moment there was a clanging noise from outside, a sign that it had happened again.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Sarah got to her feet and looked out one of the windows. It was exactly as she thought, someone had knocked down their garbage cans again.

"I guess I better go out there," she sighed, rolling up her sleeves, if she didn’t clean it up they'd probably be infested by rats.

"No, no, dear," Emil got up and put a hand on her arm. "I shall do it, it's very cold out there after all."

Sarah gave a small smile, trust Emil to be a gentleman about such things.

She was cleaning up some of Emil's files, which he had left on the coffee table when she heard it.

It was the sound of an explosion and cruel laughter and shouts of something she couldn't quite make out, followed by the most hideous of smells…

She thought for a second that Bob Jones had crashed his manure truck, but then he recognised one of the voices.

"Emil!"

She ran to the front door and threw it open getting a face full of...whatever it was. She started coughing uncontrollably, almost doubled over.

She squinted her stinging eyes trying to see out into the street. "Emil, where are you?! Are you all right?"

"Go back to Deutschland, Fritz! Or next time you won't be so lucky!"

Finally Sarah saw a shape staggering up the steps, it was Emil, who almost knocked her down as he struggled to get inside, shutting the heavy oak door behind him.

"Emil, what happened?" Sarah gasped, grasping her husband's arms to steady herself.

"I vas picking up...the garbage can," Emil managed in between coughs. "Vhen out of novhere...those men arrived...in a car...they threw something at me...some sort of chemical..."

Sarah finally got her breath back, only to let it out in a huff of indignation. "What?! How dare they! That’s it, I'm calling the police!" Whirling on her heel she headed towards the phone.

"No, no, my dear," Emil put a hand on her shoulder. "There is no point...ze police might even agree vith them."

Sarah’s shoulders slumped, she had to agree...never had she been embarrassed about living in Hill Valley, but right now...

"Perhaps, zere is something ve can do..." Emil spoke slowly. "Perhaps it is silly and insulting to people’s intelligence -"

"What intelligence?" Sarah shook her head.

"Now dear..." Emil gave her a small smile, then continued. "I know my parents' vould never be able to forgive me for this, but I don't think I haff a choice."

Sarah frowned, feeling worried. What on Earth is he talking about? She feared he was going to do something drastic...

Emil straightened his shoulders. "Yes...I think I vill need to change my name..."

"Your name?" Sarah blinked. "What do you mean? You can't go into hiding, Emil! This is your home now!"

"Nothing like zat," Emil assured her. "It may not do any good vith my accent, but perhaps it vill be easy for you."

"Emil, what are you talking about," Sarah asked him directly, sometimes her husband's train of thought was so hard to follow.

"Von Braun is such a German name, I haff alvays been proud of it...but it is not doing us any good. So...I think ve should change it to Brown."

Sarah furrowed her brows. "Brown?" It sounded so…ordinary, so...not Emil.

"I don’t know if it vill vork, after all, ve vould be the same people...but...perhaps, vell, perhaps the people here vould no longer see us as quite so German zen."

Sarah pressed her lips together, she imagined it would!

And so, they became the Browns of Hill Valley.


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