Categories > Original > Drama > Building a Family (Meet the Robinsons)
Author's Note: Meet the Robinsons, and all characters are copyright Disney, and created by William Joyce. I am making no money from this work of fiction, and present it freely for other's enjoyment. For more background on this story, please read my Author Page. The proposal scene taken with permission from “Happy Franniversary” by RockDiva. Thanks for letting me fit it in here! This chapter happens in 2014 and Character ages are (not counting flashbacks): Lewis(19), Franny(17), Gaston(20), Bud(55), Lucille(49), Art(22). Enjoy the story!
“Building a Family”
Chapter 3 – Franny Robinson
Lewis was frustrated. Stacks of proposals piled on the desk in front of him and not a single one of them looked like they had promise yet. After all the interviews and all the work to put everything together, it was barely a month and one of his new employees had already put in a letter of resignation. And to top everything off for today, not one but TWO explosions in one of the labs. It would take weeks to recover the work, not to mention rebuild the lab equipment. He sat back, and took off his glasses, rubbing his forehead, and trying not to let his frustration turn into anger. Genetics wasn't his best work, which is why he had hired some of the inventors now on his payroll. Did he have to be the only genius in the world right now?
He turned his chair around and looked out his window. The building was purchased, so it still didn't have the look and style he really wanted, but one step at a time, and keep looking forward. The view wasn't as magnificent as at his home laboratory, but it was of the better parts of town, so it wasn't too bad. Five stories, and packed with most of the best equipment, and staffed by some of the top minds available. For now, it would do.
The intercom on his desk beeped. “Mr. Robinson? Dr. Zweifong of Laboratory Two here to see you. Should I send him in, Sir?”
“Please wait twenty seconds, and then I'll be happy to receive him.” Lewis ran his hands through his thick hair, closed his eyes, and whispered to himself, almost as a mantra.
“I can do this. Everything will be fine because we are always moving forward. Everything will be ready on time. There are no failures, just different ways of success.”
He sighed, breathed deeply a few times, then put his glasses back on, already feeling better. As he turned his chair back around to face the door to his office, it opened, and a small, Asian-looking man entered, with dark black hair, and sporting a full length lab coat, “Robinson Industries” and it's logo emblazoned on the front. Lewis smiled.
“Thank you for seeing me Sir. We've had a breakthrough. Would you like to come down and see?”
He stood up immediately, his smile getting even wider. “Lets go.”
They took an elevator down to the lab, and rushed in through the doors. Several lab workers clustered around an aquarium looked up as they entered, and made room as Lewis beelined for the aquarium.
“Is the effect permanent? Are there any ill effects in the subject?” Lewis started rapid-firing questions.
“DNA has been stable for two hours, and has resisted further RNA modifications. Free radicals are at an all time low. Subject is perfectly healthy.”
“Level two tests?”
“IQ apparently average, Turing tests pass, subject is interactive, and apparently emotionally stable. Full memory recall prior to the tests is also evident.”
“How long do the modifications take to make?”
“Approximately an hour, sir, with minimum recovery time needed by the subject.”
“Perfect. The virus, any cross-species contamination? Any other dangers?”
“No sir. Virus is perfectly safe, will live less than five minutes outside a host body, will not violently reproduce, or spread by any known means, and when it is finished, dies off in less than an hour.”
Lewis visibly relaxed as he stared into the aquarium. Without looking up, he pulled a remote control out of his pocket, pointed it at a secure cabinet near the entrance to the lab, and pressed a button. The cabinet turned out to have a refrigerator, stocked with a number of bottles of champagne, and a rack of glasses right above it.
“Thank you. Thank you very much, all. You have no idea what this means to me. You should celebrate, if you want to. And anything any of you desire, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. You've literally saved my life.”
The subject in the aquarium, after having looked like he was watching a tennis match trying to keep track of the game of twenty questions he had just witnessed made a sound like he was clearing his throat. “Hey mister. Spare a fly or two? If there's a party, I wanna join in.”
Lewis looked flabbergasted, then giggled, and soon was holding onto the side of the aquarium as he broke down into peals of laughter.
“Whaddid I say?”
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Franny was frustrated. She had graduated high school yesterday, but still didn't feel like she was going places. She hadn't decided on college yet, although given the family she was staying with, it was probably a given. But what to study? Over the last six months, she seemed to have really lost her enthusiasm. Cornelius was great to her, and she loved every minute she could spend with him, but she wasn't entirely sure how things were going. It was great to have Gaston in the same house, and happily working away, but he would lock himself in his own lab too. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were exciting people, but it just wasn't the same being with kids her own age. She felt like she was spinning in circles.
Her frogs weren't getting much better. She worked with them every chance she got, but they had their limits. They were now croaking along to a large selection of her songs, and she could even direct them somewhat, but they still sounded horrible. They wouldn't work with any instruments yet. No matter what she tried, she got the same results, again and again. She could tell the talent for music was there, but expressing it seemed just out of their reach. At least Frankie kept them in line, and organized them somewhat. A real leader, that one.
She was running out of ideas. It felt like she was backing her head against a brick wall over and over again. She kept a smile on her face whenever she was around others, but wasn't sure if they saw how fake it was most of the time. How long could she keep that up too?
Was Cornelius home from work yet?
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Lewis hadn't made it home just yet. He was in the nearby mall, at one of the jewelry stores, standing in front of a case, entranced by the ring that was the centerpiece of the collection there. It was perfect. Platinum filigree band with a single large diamond, the cut of the stone seeming to create a cloud of sparkles above the ring, in an almost magical way. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry he had ever seen.
The salesperson was clearing his throat, trying to get his attention as Lewis stared at the ring. It's perfect. I can't think of a better way to tell her how I feel about her. Besides kissing her of course. He thought back to the first time they had kissed. It had been four years ago.
Flashback
It was their first “real” date. Franny had asked him to join her at one of the more popular soda shops in town, and he really was nervous. He loved talking about inventions, or science, or her frogs. But sometimes other topics he just got tongue-tied on. There weren't that many people in the shop, and they were in a secluded booth. They had just gotten a large banana split, and hadn't really started eating it yet.
“Cornelius,” she said, after taking her first bite of ice cream coated with chocolate topping. “What do you think about us, going out, as in boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Lewis froze, and his eyes slowly turned to look at her. Ice cream plopped out of the spoon that had almost been to his mouth, right into his lap. “Um.. er.. Well. I hadn't thought about it that way yet. But I guess we spend as much time with each other as some couples we've seen. And.. uhh. I like you. Errr. I like you a lot.” He blushed as he took a napkin, and was fruitlessly trying to clean his blue shorts.
He felt her hand touch his chin, then lift his head up, towards her. He froze as her deep eyes captured him, and she came closer. The next thing he knew, their lips were softly touching, and her hand had slid around to the back of his neck. He felt her breath, and noticed the sweet smell of a perfume of some kind. He had never really known she wore perfume, but it was very evident now. All too soon, she had let go, and backed off, a soft smile on her face.
“It's settled then. You're my boyfriend, I am your girlfriend, and we are going steady. Want some more ice cream?”
“Sir? Sir? Can I help you, Sir?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry about that. Yes. I want to buy this ring.”
The salesperson opened his mouth as though he was going to object, then his eyes glanced up to Lewis' unique hair, and his mouth snapped shut. “How would you like to make your payments, Mr Robinson?”
Lewis was imagining the look on Franny's face when he would finally get to give it to her. Most of the plans were in motion. It wasn't going to be easy, but nothing worth doing ever was.
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Franny was lounging, watching the TV, when the couch lurched as Gaston threw himself onto the end of it. “Hey there, little sis. What's shaking?”
She glanced over to her brother, a look of irritation crossing her face, “Nothing. You?”
Gaston sighed and shook his head. “Now, that's not the Franny I remember. You've been down in the dumps a lot lately. What's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”
She set down the remote, and turned to her brother. “Nothing seems to be going well for me lately. I really don't know what's wrong. a lot of little things, I guess.”
“Mr. Hotshot not paying you enough attention? Want me to talk to him?”
“NO! I mean yes, we're spending time together, and no, I don't want you to talk to him. It doesn't have to do with Cornelius. Just let me be, and I'll work this out.”
“Now, now, now. This wouldn't be the Robinson household if I just 'let you be'. If you have a project, I'd love to help you work on it, are maybe you could help me in my lab!” He smiled and bounced up and down slightly in the couch.
Her eyes softened as a smile almost seemed to cross her face, and then it passed. “No thanks. I'll just watch some TV for a bit.” She picked up the remote again, and turned back to the TV.
“Franny?”
She looked up, and this time a smile really did reach her face. “Cornelius!” In just a few bounds she was a across the room, and hugging him, as he tried to not get bowled over.
“Hello to you to. I was wondering if you might like to go for a drive? I have something I want you to see.”
Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. “Um, sure. Let me get dressed a little, first.”
Lewis smiled at her. “Sure. I'll wait for you here.”
Franny left, and Lewis turned to Gaston. Once he was certain she was all the way to her room, he opened his mouth.
“I told Mom and Dad already. I plan to ask her today.”
Gaston's entire face lit up. “That's great! I knew it was only a matter of time before you became my little brother-in-law.”
Lewis visibly relaxed, and then smiled. “Wish me luck. I know she's been a little unhappy lately, but between this, and a few other presents I have for her, I think she'll pull through.”
Gaston laughed, and winked at Lewis.
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Lewis had stopped the car on a small gravel area by the side of a country road a few miles outside of town. Franny looked around at the spot, and shrugged. It was late evening, and sky was already getting dark. Lewis motioned for Franny to get out of the car. “Come on. It's not far.”
They walked hand in hand down a forest trail, both looking at the scenery around them. The scent of the forest surrounded them, and the sounds of the nighttime critters got louder as they walked. They could hear the sound of rushing water ahead of them
Franny gasped as they stepped out into a wooden bridge. The stars had just started to appear, as the deep purple of the sunset was fading into the blackness of night. The full moon was above them, lighting up the river with a twinkling glow. It was the perfect night, and the perfect setting. She felt all of the tension she had been feeling lately drain away. This wonderful young man that was leading them to the middle of the bridge knew exactly what she needed. She signed contentedly as her drew her close, and they looked together upon this simplistic scene that yet showed the wonder of nature.
“Isn’t the moon beautiful?” she sighed.
“Not as beautiful as you,” Cornelius’s eyes proved that he wasn’t just saying it. “I’m not very good with words,” he began to fumble just a bit. “It’s just that there’s so much I want to say to you.”
“And I would wait forever to hear you say it all,” Franny helped him along.
“Franny, I love you more than anything else. I think I loved you the minute you looked at me and asked if I thought you were crazy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“You do?” she asked, holding her breath as she grew light headed.
“Life without you would be emptier than any life in any orphanage,” Cornelius answered. Franny knew that, for Cornelius, to say such a thing meant that he really did love her.
“Cornelius, do you mean…”
“Will you marry me?” he kneeled, holding out a quite dazzling diamond ring.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Franny didn’t have to think twice. “I want more than anything to be your wife, Cornelius Robinson.” Before she had time to blink, Cornelius had stood to his feet and enwrapped her in his arms for the most magnificent kiss that they had ever shared.
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When they got back to the house, Lewis helped Franny out of the car. They shared another kiss, and walked towards the front door, hand in hand. Franny thought back along the stages of their relationship, as it had progressed to this wonderfully perfect night. It had begun, of course, with her crush on him the moment he had told her he thought she was right. It had been slow at first, and had stayed a crush for the most part. She still remembered the first time she admitted to herself that she loved this young man. It had been two years ago.
Flashback
It was early afternoon, and Franny and Cornelius were on the couch watching TV. They had a bowl of popcorn, and more of it was flying everywhere rather than being eaten. An old scifi movie that neither of them recognized was on, and it was horrible. Each time Cornelius would fill in some line, or make a crack about the sincere lack of special effects, she would pelt him with a handful of popcorn, and of course he would retaliate.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were out of the house. She believed they were working on part of the business that would eventually be run by Cornelius. It was hard for him to handle certain aspects of it, due to his age. Even though he had long since graduated college, and his inventions were starting to change the world, the law did not see him as an adult just yet. Uncle Joe usually stayed back in his own room, so they were pretty much alone.
“Oooh, here we go, Engage Musical Saw. The paper-maché ant is about to attack again!” Franny groaned at Cornelius, and dived on him with another handful of popcorn. This time, pelting him wasn't enough. He deserved worse. “Ooh, hey! Oh no, uh, hehe,” Cornelius started to giggle and fend her off as she found a few ticklish spots. He started ticking back, and she was giggling uncontrollably. They rolled around, fell off the couch, and the popcorn bowl went flying. After a few minutes of violent tickling, they were both breathing heavy, and Franny was pinned underneath Cornelius. He looked her in the eyes.
“I love you, Franny.” Cornelius leaned forward and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, but Franny was getting hot, and feeling claustrophobic. Her mind started to panic unreasonably, and she began to struggle. She wanted this, but not right now, it was too soon!
Cornelius' eyes flew open as he quickly rolled off her. “Franny, oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.” His hands covered his face. Franny reached towards Cornelius as she started to get up.
“Oh, no, Cornelius, it's OK. I just panicked a little bit.” He looked up from his hands, and his eyes went very serious.
“Franny, I want you to know that I will never, ever do anything to hurt you, or try to make you do anything you don't want. It was wrong of me to hold you down. like that. Please forgive me?”
“You're already forgiven. Lets clean up a bit, and maybe we can find a better movie to watch?
“Sure.”
She knew right then that this was the one. Cornelius Robinson was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her live with. It was the simple things, but to her, it was most profound for some reason.
Franny realized that they had made it to the front door. Cornelius looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and squeezed her hand. Both of them felt the engagement ring on her finger through that squeeze. It was a signal to both of them that their lives were about to change. They opened the front door to find the entire family waiting for them in the main hall. Even her parents were over, and they had called Art.
They were greeted with a resounding cheer.
“Woohoo, way to go!”
“It's about time little sister!”
“Great job, son! Both of you make us so proud!”
“That's our little girl!”
“Three cheers for Cornelius and Franny!”. “Hip-hip” “HOOORAY” “Hip-Hip!” “HOOORAY!!” “HIP-HIP” “HOOORAAAY!!!!”
The whole family rushed forward and hugged both of them, showering them with kisses. Franny felt her hand tugged away, and passed from person to person, as they all gasped, and commented on how gorgeous the ring was.
It was all a whirlwind of action to Franny that she was having a hard time following. She loved every second of it, though.
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The preparations over the last month had been nonstop. Everyone kept coming over to congratulate the two of them. Flowers were being delivered. Fitting after fitting of dresses, tuxedos, and formal wear were completed. The day had finally arrived. The big event was to be held out in the backyard of Robinson home. Catering services had virtually transformed several rooms of the house, and were ready to handle the reception. Although the family itself wasn't large, everyone that was considered important wanted to be invited to Cornelius Robinson's wedding.
Even the media had gotten involved as headlines declared “CORNELIUS ROBINSON GETS HITCHED”. It was the talk of the country. The who's who list of who ended up being invited and the bets flying across the internet were staggering.
There were several hours to go, and Franny was about ready to begin her final dressing procedure. She was in her music room, her frogs gathered around her, and Frankie held in her hands.
“I'm so happy this is finally here. This is going to be so great. I'm glad I can spend a few minutes talking to you. Even if you don't talk back, I'm sure you understand. I wish you all could be there, but there's going to be so many people, and if you got away, I don't want any of you to be hurt.”
Frankie ribbited at her.
“Well, it's time for me to get going. You all take care. I'll be back tomorrow to work with you some more.”
Franny carefully set Frankie down, and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Frankie stood up and looked at the other frogs. “Well, whaddya doing just standing there, ya goons? This is the most important gig in our lives, and our boss is counting on it, even if she don't know yet. Get dressed! Instruments'll be on our custom stage. You'se guys know the drill, hop to it!”
The frogs scattered as they dug mini-tuxedo's out of hiding from under their boxes in the music room. They got dressed quickly, and assembled as the door opened again.
Gaston peeked in and saw the frogs. “Good you're ready. Thanks so much you guys. My sister deserves all of this, and I'm glad you played along.” He set a large box on the floor. “Get in and I'll get you to where you need to be.”
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There was an hour to go, and Cornelius was pacing. There was no doubt that he was nervous, but there was so much that could go wrong. He thought he had covered every angle, but he still wanted to make this a day to be remembered forever. A large gazebo was set up, decked out with flowers where he and Franny would exchange their vows. A single organ was set up, with a musician playing some soft music to pass the time until everything got in motion. Cornelius figured half the guests had arrived already, and the lawn was full of people milling around. Hundreds of chairs were set up, with a large aisle down the middle. He saw old schoolmates, scientists, and even a few politicians. He greeted everyone politely, but barely remembered his conversations. He had more important things on his mind.
Cornelius happened to be looking over at the second stage, surrounded by a curtain, when he saw his brother, decked out in his tuxedo, rush over to that stage with a large box. Cornelius sighed with relief. He looked away, as to try and not attract attention, and wandered over to another group of people, confident that his plans were in motion.
Gaston set the box in place, and whispered to the frogs, “Remember, synchronize with the organist, and then your show is on. We'll open the curtains at the right time.” He moved away quickly, then started to head to the musician. He wiped sweat off his brow, and tried to look nonchalant, even greeting a few people, and putting a smile on his face.
When he reached the organist, he waited until the current piece was done, and leaned over his shoulder, whispering, “Remember, as soon as you start playing, we've got another band that's going to join in, then replace you. No offense, but it's very important to let em play, and fade out. It's a wedding gift for the bride.”
The organist shrugged, “You got it mac. I got no problem doing what I'm told.” He flipped his page, and started in on another light classical piece to keep the growing crowd entertained.
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The hairdresser backed away, looking critically,as the rest of the people helping Franny get ready also backed off and eyeballed her. “And, we're spent! You look incredible, dear. Nothing else we can do.”
Franny slowly stood up, and gazed at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was done high, with gold ribbons weaving through it, making the diamond tiara she wore look like it was glowing with an angel's halo. The gorgeous white wedding gown swept back, glittering with diamonds all over it. A seven tiered necklace of diamonds glittered at her neckline, pouring down into her heaving bosom. Her brown eyes sparkled, and she looked more perfect than she had ever seen herself before. She gathered up her bouquet of flowers (my god it was heavy), and stepped out of the dressing room.
Wilbur gasped as his daughter stepped out of the room, looking like a goddess of some sort. Tears started at his eyes as he realized the beauty of his only daughter, and that he was losing her, even if he knew it was best for her.
“Oh Daddy, this is the best day of my life.”
“It's almost time, my little pumpkin. Lets get into position.”
They waited at the double doors leading outside. Everyone surely was already seated, and everything was in place. All they were waiting for was the sign for the music to change.
They heard the change, and began to step forward in unison. The doors opened before them, and the huge audience turned as one, as they stately marched down the aisle, into the sunlight. Pictures flashed, and everyone shuffled to get a good look as the traditional wedding theme washed over her. Franny thought nothing could make this day more perfect.
When a second organ joined in, starting on the second verse of the song, it almost went unnoticed. Then the trumpets keyed in. The French horns also started, and pretty soon the wedding march was being performed by a full orchestra, big band style.
The curtains dropped around the stage that most people had barely noticed. When Franny glanced over and saw what was playing, she stopped. Her father followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped. The crowd nearly gasped out as one.
The full frog band was playing, all dressed in smart little matching tuxedos, with Frankie standing in front of the several tiers of the stage, conducting them. It was still the traditional wedding march, with a full orchestral beat behind it. Everyone was flabbergasted.
Franny's eyes turned back to see her husband to be, standing in front of the gazebo, smiling at her. He nodded once, and tears started to almost pour down her cheeks. She tugged once on her father's arm, as he started to come out of his shock, and joined in step with her. More than anything right now, she wanted to be with the man she loved. Every time she thought he couldn't surprise her any more, he managed yet another miracle.
Wilbur turned to his daughter and smiled, “You have to be the luckiest woman on the planet. Only that man up there can do the things he does, and have the style to surprise the bride at her own wedding. Lets get you married.”
Franny could only nod, as tears continued unabated down her cheeks.
As she reached the front, the music came to a conclusion, and she turned to look at her wonderful frogs again before taking the last few steps. Frankie bowed to her, as he swept his conductor's wand.
Franny was shaking as Cornelius took her hand, and her father moved off to the side. She remembered picking the vows with him, but for the life of her, could barely remember actually saying them, or the other prayers and parts of the ceremony she had even practiced before. Her gaze flew between her husband to be, and her lifelong work realized. Soon, it was over, and she was kissing the man she loved as everyone applauded.
They broke their kiss, and Cornelius held both her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “Welcome to the Robinson's, my love.”
“Building a Family”
Chapter 3 – Franny Robinson
Lewis was frustrated. Stacks of proposals piled on the desk in front of him and not a single one of them looked like they had promise yet. After all the interviews and all the work to put everything together, it was barely a month and one of his new employees had already put in a letter of resignation. And to top everything off for today, not one but TWO explosions in one of the labs. It would take weeks to recover the work, not to mention rebuild the lab equipment. He sat back, and took off his glasses, rubbing his forehead, and trying not to let his frustration turn into anger. Genetics wasn't his best work, which is why he had hired some of the inventors now on his payroll. Did he have to be the only genius in the world right now?
He turned his chair around and looked out his window. The building was purchased, so it still didn't have the look and style he really wanted, but one step at a time, and keep looking forward. The view wasn't as magnificent as at his home laboratory, but it was of the better parts of town, so it wasn't too bad. Five stories, and packed with most of the best equipment, and staffed by some of the top minds available. For now, it would do.
The intercom on his desk beeped. “Mr. Robinson? Dr. Zweifong of Laboratory Two here to see you. Should I send him in, Sir?”
“Please wait twenty seconds, and then I'll be happy to receive him.” Lewis ran his hands through his thick hair, closed his eyes, and whispered to himself, almost as a mantra.
“I can do this. Everything will be fine because we are always moving forward. Everything will be ready on time. There are no failures, just different ways of success.”
He sighed, breathed deeply a few times, then put his glasses back on, already feeling better. As he turned his chair back around to face the door to his office, it opened, and a small, Asian-looking man entered, with dark black hair, and sporting a full length lab coat, “Robinson Industries” and it's logo emblazoned on the front. Lewis smiled.
“Thank you for seeing me Sir. We've had a breakthrough. Would you like to come down and see?”
He stood up immediately, his smile getting even wider. “Lets go.”
They took an elevator down to the lab, and rushed in through the doors. Several lab workers clustered around an aquarium looked up as they entered, and made room as Lewis beelined for the aquarium.
“Is the effect permanent? Are there any ill effects in the subject?” Lewis started rapid-firing questions.
“DNA has been stable for two hours, and has resisted further RNA modifications. Free radicals are at an all time low. Subject is perfectly healthy.”
“Level two tests?”
“IQ apparently average, Turing tests pass, subject is interactive, and apparently emotionally stable. Full memory recall prior to the tests is also evident.”
“How long do the modifications take to make?”
“Approximately an hour, sir, with minimum recovery time needed by the subject.”
“Perfect. The virus, any cross-species contamination? Any other dangers?”
“No sir. Virus is perfectly safe, will live less than five minutes outside a host body, will not violently reproduce, or spread by any known means, and when it is finished, dies off in less than an hour.”
Lewis visibly relaxed as he stared into the aquarium. Without looking up, he pulled a remote control out of his pocket, pointed it at a secure cabinet near the entrance to the lab, and pressed a button. The cabinet turned out to have a refrigerator, stocked with a number of bottles of champagne, and a rack of glasses right above it.
“Thank you. Thank you very much, all. You have no idea what this means to me. You should celebrate, if you want to. And anything any of you desire, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. You've literally saved my life.”
The subject in the aquarium, after having looked like he was watching a tennis match trying to keep track of the game of twenty questions he had just witnessed made a sound like he was clearing his throat. “Hey mister. Spare a fly or two? If there's a party, I wanna join in.”
Lewis looked flabbergasted, then giggled, and soon was holding onto the side of the aquarium as he broke down into peals of laughter.
“Whaddid I say?”
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Franny was frustrated. She had graduated high school yesterday, but still didn't feel like she was going places. She hadn't decided on college yet, although given the family she was staying with, it was probably a given. But what to study? Over the last six months, she seemed to have really lost her enthusiasm. Cornelius was great to her, and she loved every minute she could spend with him, but she wasn't entirely sure how things were going. It was great to have Gaston in the same house, and happily working away, but he would lock himself in his own lab too. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were exciting people, but it just wasn't the same being with kids her own age. She felt like she was spinning in circles.
Her frogs weren't getting much better. She worked with them every chance she got, but they had their limits. They were now croaking along to a large selection of her songs, and she could even direct them somewhat, but they still sounded horrible. They wouldn't work with any instruments yet. No matter what she tried, she got the same results, again and again. She could tell the talent for music was there, but expressing it seemed just out of their reach. At least Frankie kept them in line, and organized them somewhat. A real leader, that one.
She was running out of ideas. It felt like she was backing her head against a brick wall over and over again. She kept a smile on her face whenever she was around others, but wasn't sure if they saw how fake it was most of the time. How long could she keep that up too?
Was Cornelius home from work yet?
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Lewis hadn't made it home just yet. He was in the nearby mall, at one of the jewelry stores, standing in front of a case, entranced by the ring that was the centerpiece of the collection there. It was perfect. Platinum filigree band with a single large diamond, the cut of the stone seeming to create a cloud of sparkles above the ring, in an almost magical way. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry he had ever seen.
The salesperson was clearing his throat, trying to get his attention as Lewis stared at the ring. It's perfect. I can't think of a better way to tell her how I feel about her. Besides kissing her of course. He thought back to the first time they had kissed. It had been four years ago.
Flashback
It was their first “real” date. Franny had asked him to join her at one of the more popular soda shops in town, and he really was nervous. He loved talking about inventions, or science, or her frogs. But sometimes other topics he just got tongue-tied on. There weren't that many people in the shop, and they were in a secluded booth. They had just gotten a large banana split, and hadn't really started eating it yet.
“Cornelius,” she said, after taking her first bite of ice cream coated with chocolate topping. “What do you think about us, going out, as in boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Lewis froze, and his eyes slowly turned to look at her. Ice cream plopped out of the spoon that had almost been to his mouth, right into his lap. “Um.. er.. Well. I hadn't thought about it that way yet. But I guess we spend as much time with each other as some couples we've seen. And.. uhh. I like you. Errr. I like you a lot.” He blushed as he took a napkin, and was fruitlessly trying to clean his blue shorts.
He felt her hand touch his chin, then lift his head up, towards her. He froze as her deep eyes captured him, and she came closer. The next thing he knew, their lips were softly touching, and her hand had slid around to the back of his neck. He felt her breath, and noticed the sweet smell of a perfume of some kind. He had never really known she wore perfume, but it was very evident now. All too soon, she had let go, and backed off, a soft smile on her face.
“It's settled then. You're my boyfriend, I am your girlfriend, and we are going steady. Want some more ice cream?”
“Sir? Sir? Can I help you, Sir?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry about that. Yes. I want to buy this ring.”
The salesperson opened his mouth as though he was going to object, then his eyes glanced up to Lewis' unique hair, and his mouth snapped shut. “How would you like to make your payments, Mr Robinson?”
Lewis was imagining the look on Franny's face when he would finally get to give it to her. Most of the plans were in motion. It wasn't going to be easy, but nothing worth doing ever was.
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Franny was lounging, watching the TV, when the couch lurched as Gaston threw himself onto the end of it. “Hey there, little sis. What's shaking?”
She glanced over to her brother, a look of irritation crossing her face, “Nothing. You?”
Gaston sighed and shook his head. “Now, that's not the Franny I remember. You've been down in the dumps a lot lately. What's wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”
She set down the remote, and turned to her brother. “Nothing seems to be going well for me lately. I really don't know what's wrong. a lot of little things, I guess.”
“Mr. Hotshot not paying you enough attention? Want me to talk to him?”
“NO! I mean yes, we're spending time together, and no, I don't want you to talk to him. It doesn't have to do with Cornelius. Just let me be, and I'll work this out.”
“Now, now, now. This wouldn't be the Robinson household if I just 'let you be'. If you have a project, I'd love to help you work on it, are maybe you could help me in my lab!” He smiled and bounced up and down slightly in the couch.
Her eyes softened as a smile almost seemed to cross her face, and then it passed. “No thanks. I'll just watch some TV for a bit.” She picked up the remote again, and turned back to the TV.
“Franny?”
She looked up, and this time a smile really did reach her face. “Cornelius!” In just a few bounds she was a across the room, and hugging him, as he tried to not get bowled over.
“Hello to you to. I was wondering if you might like to go for a drive? I have something I want you to see.”
Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. “Um, sure. Let me get dressed a little, first.”
Lewis smiled at her. “Sure. I'll wait for you here.”
Franny left, and Lewis turned to Gaston. Once he was certain she was all the way to her room, he opened his mouth.
“I told Mom and Dad already. I plan to ask her today.”
Gaston's entire face lit up. “That's great! I knew it was only a matter of time before you became my little brother-in-law.”
Lewis visibly relaxed, and then smiled. “Wish me luck. I know she's been a little unhappy lately, but between this, and a few other presents I have for her, I think she'll pull through.”
Gaston laughed, and winked at Lewis.
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Lewis had stopped the car on a small gravel area by the side of a country road a few miles outside of town. Franny looked around at the spot, and shrugged. It was late evening, and sky was already getting dark. Lewis motioned for Franny to get out of the car. “Come on. It's not far.”
They walked hand in hand down a forest trail, both looking at the scenery around them. The scent of the forest surrounded them, and the sounds of the nighttime critters got louder as they walked. They could hear the sound of rushing water ahead of them
Franny gasped as they stepped out into a wooden bridge. The stars had just started to appear, as the deep purple of the sunset was fading into the blackness of night. The full moon was above them, lighting up the river with a twinkling glow. It was the perfect night, and the perfect setting. She felt all of the tension she had been feeling lately drain away. This wonderful young man that was leading them to the middle of the bridge knew exactly what she needed. She signed contentedly as her drew her close, and they looked together upon this simplistic scene that yet showed the wonder of nature.
“Isn’t the moon beautiful?” she sighed.
“Not as beautiful as you,” Cornelius’s eyes proved that he wasn’t just saying it. “I’m not very good with words,” he began to fumble just a bit. “It’s just that there’s so much I want to say to you.”
“And I would wait forever to hear you say it all,” Franny helped him along.
“Franny, I love you more than anything else. I think I loved you the minute you looked at me and asked if I thought you were crazy. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“You do?” she asked, holding her breath as she grew light headed.
“Life without you would be emptier than any life in any orphanage,” Cornelius answered. Franny knew that, for Cornelius, to say such a thing meant that he really did love her.
“Cornelius, do you mean…”
“Will you marry me?” he kneeled, holding out a quite dazzling diamond ring.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Franny didn’t have to think twice. “I want more than anything to be your wife, Cornelius Robinson.” Before she had time to blink, Cornelius had stood to his feet and enwrapped her in his arms for the most magnificent kiss that they had ever shared.
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When they got back to the house, Lewis helped Franny out of the car. They shared another kiss, and walked towards the front door, hand in hand. Franny thought back along the stages of their relationship, as it had progressed to this wonderfully perfect night. It had begun, of course, with her crush on him the moment he had told her he thought she was right. It had been slow at first, and had stayed a crush for the most part. She still remembered the first time she admitted to herself that she loved this young man. It had been two years ago.
Flashback
It was early afternoon, and Franny and Cornelius were on the couch watching TV. They had a bowl of popcorn, and more of it was flying everywhere rather than being eaten. An old scifi movie that neither of them recognized was on, and it was horrible. Each time Cornelius would fill in some line, or make a crack about the sincere lack of special effects, she would pelt him with a handful of popcorn, and of course he would retaliate.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson were out of the house. She believed they were working on part of the business that would eventually be run by Cornelius. It was hard for him to handle certain aspects of it, due to his age. Even though he had long since graduated college, and his inventions were starting to change the world, the law did not see him as an adult just yet. Uncle Joe usually stayed back in his own room, so they were pretty much alone.
“Oooh, here we go, Engage Musical Saw. The paper-maché ant is about to attack again!” Franny groaned at Cornelius, and dived on him with another handful of popcorn. This time, pelting him wasn't enough. He deserved worse. “Ooh, hey! Oh no, uh, hehe,” Cornelius started to giggle and fend her off as she found a few ticklish spots. He started ticking back, and she was giggling uncontrollably. They rolled around, fell off the couch, and the popcorn bowl went flying. After a few minutes of violent tickling, they were both breathing heavy, and Franny was pinned underneath Cornelius. He looked her in the eyes.
“I love you, Franny.” Cornelius leaned forward and kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, but Franny was getting hot, and feeling claustrophobic. Her mind started to panic unreasonably, and she began to struggle. She wanted this, but not right now, it was too soon!
Cornelius' eyes flew open as he quickly rolled off her. “Franny, oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.” His hands covered his face. Franny reached towards Cornelius as she started to get up.
“Oh, no, Cornelius, it's OK. I just panicked a little bit.” He looked up from his hands, and his eyes went very serious.
“Franny, I want you to know that I will never, ever do anything to hurt you, or try to make you do anything you don't want. It was wrong of me to hold you down. like that. Please forgive me?”
“You're already forgiven. Lets clean up a bit, and maybe we can find a better movie to watch?
“Sure.”
She knew right then that this was the one. Cornelius Robinson was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her live with. It was the simple things, but to her, it was most profound for some reason.
Franny realized that they had made it to the front door. Cornelius looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and squeezed her hand. Both of them felt the engagement ring on her finger through that squeeze. It was a signal to both of them that their lives were about to change. They opened the front door to find the entire family waiting for them in the main hall. Even her parents were over, and they had called Art.
They were greeted with a resounding cheer.
“Woohoo, way to go!”
“It's about time little sister!”
“Great job, son! Both of you make us so proud!”
“That's our little girl!”
“Three cheers for Cornelius and Franny!”. “Hip-hip” “HOOORAY” “Hip-Hip!” “HOOORAY!!” “HIP-HIP” “HOOORAAAY!!!!”
The whole family rushed forward and hugged both of them, showering them with kisses. Franny felt her hand tugged away, and passed from person to person, as they all gasped, and commented on how gorgeous the ring was.
It was all a whirlwind of action to Franny that she was having a hard time following. She loved every second of it, though.
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The preparations over the last month had been nonstop. Everyone kept coming over to congratulate the two of them. Flowers were being delivered. Fitting after fitting of dresses, tuxedos, and formal wear were completed. The day had finally arrived. The big event was to be held out in the backyard of Robinson home. Catering services had virtually transformed several rooms of the house, and were ready to handle the reception. Although the family itself wasn't large, everyone that was considered important wanted to be invited to Cornelius Robinson's wedding.
Even the media had gotten involved as headlines declared “CORNELIUS ROBINSON GETS HITCHED”. It was the talk of the country. The who's who list of who ended up being invited and the bets flying across the internet were staggering.
There were several hours to go, and Franny was about ready to begin her final dressing procedure. She was in her music room, her frogs gathered around her, and Frankie held in her hands.
“I'm so happy this is finally here. This is going to be so great. I'm glad I can spend a few minutes talking to you. Even if you don't talk back, I'm sure you understand. I wish you all could be there, but there's going to be so many people, and if you got away, I don't want any of you to be hurt.”
Frankie ribbited at her.
“Well, it's time for me to get going. You all take care. I'll be back tomorrow to work with you some more.”
Franny carefully set Frankie down, and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Frankie stood up and looked at the other frogs. “Well, whaddya doing just standing there, ya goons? This is the most important gig in our lives, and our boss is counting on it, even if she don't know yet. Get dressed! Instruments'll be on our custom stage. You'se guys know the drill, hop to it!”
The frogs scattered as they dug mini-tuxedo's out of hiding from under their boxes in the music room. They got dressed quickly, and assembled as the door opened again.
Gaston peeked in and saw the frogs. “Good you're ready. Thanks so much you guys. My sister deserves all of this, and I'm glad you played along.” He set a large box on the floor. “Get in and I'll get you to where you need to be.”
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There was an hour to go, and Cornelius was pacing. There was no doubt that he was nervous, but there was so much that could go wrong. He thought he had covered every angle, but he still wanted to make this a day to be remembered forever. A large gazebo was set up, decked out with flowers where he and Franny would exchange their vows. A single organ was set up, with a musician playing some soft music to pass the time until everything got in motion. Cornelius figured half the guests had arrived already, and the lawn was full of people milling around. Hundreds of chairs were set up, with a large aisle down the middle. He saw old schoolmates, scientists, and even a few politicians. He greeted everyone politely, but barely remembered his conversations. He had more important things on his mind.
Cornelius happened to be looking over at the second stage, surrounded by a curtain, when he saw his brother, decked out in his tuxedo, rush over to that stage with a large box. Cornelius sighed with relief. He looked away, as to try and not attract attention, and wandered over to another group of people, confident that his plans were in motion.
Gaston set the box in place, and whispered to the frogs, “Remember, synchronize with the organist, and then your show is on. We'll open the curtains at the right time.” He moved away quickly, then started to head to the musician. He wiped sweat off his brow, and tried to look nonchalant, even greeting a few people, and putting a smile on his face.
When he reached the organist, he waited until the current piece was done, and leaned over his shoulder, whispering, “Remember, as soon as you start playing, we've got another band that's going to join in, then replace you. No offense, but it's very important to let em play, and fade out. It's a wedding gift for the bride.”
The organist shrugged, “You got it mac. I got no problem doing what I'm told.” He flipped his page, and started in on another light classical piece to keep the growing crowd entertained.
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The hairdresser backed away, looking critically,as the rest of the people helping Franny get ready also backed off and eyeballed her. “And, we're spent! You look incredible, dear. Nothing else we can do.”
Franny slowly stood up, and gazed at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was done high, with gold ribbons weaving through it, making the diamond tiara she wore look like it was glowing with an angel's halo. The gorgeous white wedding gown swept back, glittering with diamonds all over it. A seven tiered necklace of diamonds glittered at her neckline, pouring down into her heaving bosom. Her brown eyes sparkled, and she looked more perfect than she had ever seen herself before. She gathered up her bouquet of flowers (my god it was heavy), and stepped out of the dressing room.
Wilbur gasped as his daughter stepped out of the room, looking like a goddess of some sort. Tears started at his eyes as he realized the beauty of his only daughter, and that he was losing her, even if he knew it was best for her.
“Oh Daddy, this is the best day of my life.”
“It's almost time, my little pumpkin. Lets get into position.”
They waited at the double doors leading outside. Everyone surely was already seated, and everything was in place. All they were waiting for was the sign for the music to change.
They heard the change, and began to step forward in unison. The doors opened before them, and the huge audience turned as one, as they stately marched down the aisle, into the sunlight. Pictures flashed, and everyone shuffled to get a good look as the traditional wedding theme washed over her. Franny thought nothing could make this day more perfect.
When a second organ joined in, starting on the second verse of the song, it almost went unnoticed. Then the trumpets keyed in. The French horns also started, and pretty soon the wedding march was being performed by a full orchestra, big band style.
The curtains dropped around the stage that most people had barely noticed. When Franny glanced over and saw what was playing, she stopped. Her father followed her gaze, and his jaw dropped. The crowd nearly gasped out as one.
The full frog band was playing, all dressed in smart little matching tuxedos, with Frankie standing in front of the several tiers of the stage, conducting them. It was still the traditional wedding march, with a full orchestral beat behind it. Everyone was flabbergasted.
Franny's eyes turned back to see her husband to be, standing in front of the gazebo, smiling at her. He nodded once, and tears started to almost pour down her cheeks. She tugged once on her father's arm, as he started to come out of his shock, and joined in step with her. More than anything right now, she wanted to be with the man she loved. Every time she thought he couldn't surprise her any more, he managed yet another miracle.
Wilbur turned to his daughter and smiled, “You have to be the luckiest woman on the planet. Only that man up there can do the things he does, and have the style to surprise the bride at her own wedding. Lets get you married.”
Franny could only nod, as tears continued unabated down her cheeks.
As she reached the front, the music came to a conclusion, and she turned to look at her wonderful frogs again before taking the last few steps. Frankie bowed to her, as he swept his conductor's wand.
Franny was shaking as Cornelius took her hand, and her father moved off to the side. She remembered picking the vows with him, but for the life of her, could barely remember actually saying them, or the other prayers and parts of the ceremony she had even practiced before. Her gaze flew between her husband to be, and her lifelong work realized. Soon, it was over, and she was kissing the man she loved as everyone applauded.
They broke their kiss, and Cornelius held both her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. “Welcome to the Robinson's, my love.”
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