Alright, so yesterday while my mother and I were at our local Christian bookstore picking up a few books for me for my 16th birthday this Thursday, we bought the new Steven Curtis Chapman CD, This Moment. On the CD is a song called "Cinderella," and it's about a dad watching his daughter grow from a carefree little girl to a teenager about to go to prom, to a woman about to be married, and I thought, "That is the perfect song for Krys and Wilbur!" I'd already given Krys and Cornelius a song with my last oneshot, so I figured it was only fair she and her father get one. :)
So this little oneshot was born.
I'd like to dedicate this story to my dad, Ryan Bates. He's always been there for me, and he's been my role model since before I can remember. Thank you, Daddy. :) (And even though you hate it when I speak Spanish, te quiero, mi papa!)
Disclaimer: I do not own Meet the Robinsons; all original movie characters are copyright Disney Animation Studios. "Cinderella" copyright Steven Curtis Chapman. Krys is mine, though!
Cinderella
By doodlegirll
...oOo...
She spins and she sways to whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders
...oOo...
Thirty five year old Wilbur Robinson sighed as he fell backwards into the soft couch in the Robinson living room. It had been a long hard day at the TCTF, and Wilbur was exhausted. He had spent the day training his newest agents in the dodging course, and his body ached from the many Chargeballs he had been hit with. He was emotionally drained from the stress, as well as physically strained as well. He knew he had to get these agents trained, and out there in their fields before too much longer so he could get the next batch ready.
Krys, his six year old daughter, stood in the middle of the living room, his old radio perched on the table, playing songs from their local radio station. She seemed to know every one that came on, and if there was one she didn't know the lyrics to, she would simply make them up. And while she sang along, she would get up and dance. She twirled and swayed in circles like all the fairy tale princesses did with their Prince Charmings in all the movies she had ever seen.
Wilbur smiled in amusement and gave a contented sigh as he closed his eyes.
...oOo...
It's been a long day
And there's still work to do
She's pulling at me saying
Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh please, Daddy, please!
...oOo...
Wilbur was brought from his doze by Krys pulling at his hand. He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him, her green eyes full of wonder behind her little purple glasses.
"Daddy!" She said. "I need you!"
Wilbur yawned and pulled her into his lap.
"What do you need help with, Krys?" He asked.
"Daddy, there's a ball at the castle!" Krys said. "And I got an invitation!" She waved a small piece of red construction paper in the air. It was crumpled, and the words sprawled across it were written in blue crayon in his daughter's handwriting. Wilbur smiled and took the paper from his daughter's small fist and read it.
Dear Miss Krystal Robinson,
You're invited to the ball of the century!
Please attend at Cinderella's Castle on August 21st, 2059!
Signed,
The Royal Family
Wilbur smiled again. His daughter might only be in the first grade, but she had the spelling of a ninth grader.
"That's great, Krys!" He said. "Are you excited?"
Krys nodded. "Yeah!" She said. "And I need to practice my dancing. Daddy, will you help me?"
Wilbur sighed. "I'm a little tired, Krys. It's been a long day. Can it wait until tomorrow?"
Krys shook her head and hopped down from her father's lap, tugging at his hand again impatiently. "Please, Daddy! Please!"
Wilbur sighed again and smiled.
"Oh, alright." He said, getting up from the couch. Krys let out a delighted squeal and put her feet on her father's, their Converse hightops matching. She put her little hands in his big ones, and the two began to dance.
...oOo...
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song
Cause all too soon, the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
...oOo...
After about ten minutes and three songs later, Krys climbed down off of her father's feet and grinned up at him.
"Thanks, Daddy!" She said. "I'm going to be the best dancer there!"
Wilbur laughed and ruffled his daughter's raven hair.
"Yes you will." He said.
They both turned to the sound of soft laughter. Wilbur's wife and Krys's mother, Cassie, stood at the edge of the living room, a smile on her face.
"Mommy!" Krys said, running towards her mother, who bent down and scooped the little girl up. "Guess what, Mommy? I've been invited to the ball at the castle, and Daddy's been helping me with my dancing!"
"Has he now?" Cassie asked, smiling, looking at her husband, who had come over to join the two. "And since when can your daddy dance?"
Wilbur gave a nervous laugh, clearly remembering their wedding where he had knocked over the punch bowl while dancing and spilled it all over them both, staining both Cassie's dress and Wilbur's tux.
"Since today!" Krys said. "He just helped me!"
Cassie laughed again. "Well, if your done with your dancing lessons, it's time for you to go to bed."
"Aw!" Krys whined. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, you do." Cassie said. "All little dancers need their sleep!"
"But I'm nawt seey." Krys yawned.
"Oh yes you are." Cassie said. "Say goodnight to daddy."
"Alright." Krys said. Cassie handed the little girl over to her father. Krys hugged her father's neck.
"Goodnight, Daddy." She said. "Thanks for dancing with me."
Wilbur hugged his daughter close and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Goodnight, Cinderella." He said before handing her back to her mother. "Sleep tight."
Krys yawned again and nodded. "I will, Daddy." She said, and buried her head in Cassie's shoulder as she was carried from the room.
...oOo...
She says he's a nice guy
And I'd be impressed
She wants to know
If I'd approve of a dress
She says, Dad, the prom is just one week away,
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh please, Daddy, please!
...oOo...
"His name is Matt," Sixteen year old Krys said as she walked down the hall with her father toward her room, where the dress she had picked out for the prom was awaiting her father's approval. "He's a nice guy, Dad, I think you'll like him."
Wilbur let out a small "hm" as they continued on their journey, finally reaching their destination. "What grade is he in?"
"Tenth, like me, Dad, but without the college classes." Krys said as she walked towards her Dress Screen, where her dress was waiting for her. "He's sixteen, too, before you ask."
"What does he look like?" Wilbur went on with his game of Twenty Questions. This was his daughter's first date, and first prom, as well as her first crush. He hadn't heard of this "Matt" until just recently, when he had asked Krys to the prom.
"Well, he's about six foot tall. He's got blonde hair and grey eyes." Krys said. "He's a really nice guy, Dad. He's funny, a bit random at times, and laidback; I know you'll like him."
She walked behind her Dress Screen and appeared in a light blue, spaghetti strap dress with small teardrop pearls down the neck that went to her shins. Her old black Converse hightops didn't do it much justice, but to Wilbur, his daughter looked like an angel, and the dress was beautiful.
"Well?" Krys asked. "What do you think?"
"I like it." Wilbur said, grinning. "I like it a lot."
Krys smiled back. "Thanks, Dad." She said. "Hey, do you remember when I was six and I used to pretend that I had been invited to Cinderella's ball and you would dance with me on your feet?"
Wilbur nodded, nostalgia of ten years before coming back to him at once. "Of course." He said. "You used to pester me until I'd dance with you all the time, no matter how tired I was."
Krys laughed. "Well, Dad, the prom is only one week away." She smiled. "And I need to practice my dancing." She looked at her father. "Would you help me?"
"You're a little big to fit on my feet anymore," Wilbur said. "But sure. Come here, Cinderella."
Krys grinned as she took her father's hands in hers and the two began to dance.
...oOo...
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
Cause I know something the prince never knew
I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song
Cause all too soon
The clock will stick midnight
And she'll be gone
...oOo...
After about five minutes, and two dances later, Wilbur let go of his daughter's hands and stepped back, tears threatening to fall. Krys smiled up at him.
"Thanks, Dad." She said. She laughed a little. "I cannot believe I'm about to go to a dance in a dress." She shuddered. "Don't you dare tell the younger you. I'll never live it down."
Wilbur laughed at the mention of his daughter's time traveling. "I promise." He said. "We'll hide the holopics under the couch."
Krys smiled. "Thanks, Dad." She said again, hugging her father. "For everything."
"You're welcome, Cinderella." Wilbur said. He held her tightly for a moment. "You're welcome."
...oOo...
Well she came home today
With a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us
All they had planned
She says, Dad, the wedding's still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Please, Daddy, please!
...oOo...
She was getting married.
His only child was getting married.
To Wilbur, it didn't seem possible that his wonderful little girl who loved to dance on her father's feet had grown up to be a beautiful woman with a mind all her own. It just wasn't possible how fast the time had flown.
And yet, here she was, with a golden band on her left hand, and her eyes sparkling.
Krys and Matt had been the typical off-and-on couple all through high school. Krys, like her grandfather before her, had gone on to take college courses in technology while still a teenager, and had graduated at the age of seventeen. From there, she had progressed to the music school of her choice, where she had finally graduated at the age of twenty-one. Because of her busy life balancing college as well as her TCTF duties, and then running Robinson Industries after the sudden death of her grandfather at the age of nineteen, Krys and Matt both had found it a wise decision to go their separate ways. They had parted as friends.
And then Krys ran into him one day in town while on her way to Robinson Industries for the day. She and Matt had started seeing each other more often, since Matt worked as a computer technician close to Robinson Industries. It had grown from just friendship to admiration to love.
And now, here she was, announcing their plans for the wedding.
The wedding was scheduled for September 3rd, 2076. There were plans for Wilbur's younger self and Lewis to attend, which would prove to be special for Krys, seeing as they were all really close. And with Lewis there, Wilbur knew Krys was happy to know that her grandfather would be seeing her wedding, even if it was his younger self. It meant all the more to Krys. She and Matt would be honeymooning by taking Krys's time machine for a ride through their lives, and then they would be settling comfortably in the Robinson Mansion.
Krys smiled as she came up to her father in the living room. He was sitting in his favorite spot on the couch, his eyes focused blankly on the television in front of him.
"Dad?" She asked as she approached him. "Dad?"
"Hm, what?" Wilbur asked absentmindedly, his concentration on the TV broken.
"What are you doing?" Krys asked. "You've been in here ever since this morning."
"Oh, that." Wilbur said. "I'm just thinking is all."
Krys leapt over the top of the couch and plopped down next to her father. The twenty-three year old was hardly completely grown up.
"About what?" She asked.
"Oh, about…time." Wilbur said. "I've never really stopped to think about it before. Not until now." He raised his brown eyes to his daughter's green. "Not until I realized that my little girl who used to beg me to dance with her and took stolen time machines out for joy rides is getting married."
Krys smiled sadly. "I know it's hard to believe, Dad." She said. "Trust me; it's hard for me to imagine, too." She sighed nostalgically. "I mean, it seems like only yesterday I was six years old, and I had just decided to learn to invent, and Grandad had shown me how Carl worked. And then I was eight, and I started my TCTF training, and then I was fourteen, and I started my adventures with you and Lewis." She shook her head. "Time's a funny thing, Dad. For something so complex and unbendable, it sure goes by fast, doesn't it?"
Wilbur smirked lightly. "I couldn't have said it better." He said. "It's just hard for me to imagine you all grown up, with a life of your own, your own family…that's hard for me. I mean, to me, you'll always be that little baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket in the hospital in her mother's arms."
Krys hugged her dad. "Dad, I'll always be your little girl." She said. "Besides, it's not like I'm leaving! Matt and I are planning to live here, remember?"
Wilbur sighed. "Yeah, but…still. It seems…impossible."
Krys, not knowing what else to say, gently took her father's hand and tugged.
"Dad, the wedding's still six months away." She said. "You've got me till then. And," Her eyes glittered with the childlike joy they had always possessed. "I need to practice my dancing."
Wilbur's eyes filled with tears and he smiled and took his daughter into his arms. The two began to dance, and suddenly, it was like they were both in a time machine, going back to the time they danced in that very same living room, pretending Krys had been invited to the castle for a ball, with her little feet on his. They were taken back to Krys's first prom, where Wilbur taught her to dance on her own two feet. And now, here they were, practicing for their final dance before he had to set her free.
...oOo...
So I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
Cause all too soon…
...oOo...
Krys stepped away from her father's embrace, tears running down both of their faces.
"Thank you, Daddy." She said. "I love you."
Wilbur engulfed his daughter in yet another hug. This time, he refused to let go until he absolutely had to.
"I love you, too, Cinderella. I love you, too."
...oOo...
The clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone.
...oOo...
.:For Daddy:.
I'll admit, I never saw Krys as one of those to get married, but I decided to do it. :)
Oh, and has anyone else noticed that we can't modify our profiles? We can make changes, but when we press "save changes" it doesn't change a thing, and yet it still tells us that our profiles were "last modified on..."? Maybe it's just mine...
Review, please?
-Robin
