Alright, you guys, so here's my newest creation! It's a little oneshot for Nausicaa of the Spirit's contest, as announced over on the MTR forums under "Fanfiction story ideas and challenges," under "Another story contest." Check it out!

Anyway, after this, I promise, no more oneshots until after TYWAW is updated, then I have at least two I'm wanting to get out of my system before updating TYS, kay?

Anyway, please enjoy! This is the first time I've tried writing a MTR fic in both Wilbur's POV and present tense, so I hope I did alright! I wasn't too happy with the end, but, meh.

Don't forget to review, and check out NotS's contest!

My Mistake

By doodlegirll

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Alright, I'll admit, I shouldn't have lied to Lewis. I never should have brought him here in the first place, come to think of it, but I had to do something to restore is confidence in inventing! I had to find some way of getting him to go back to the science fair and fix his Memory Scanner, which was never supposed to go all a-wall like it did in the first place. I had to find some way to show him the meaning of keep moving forward, even if he hasn't thought up the phrase yet and won't for at least another year in his life, and bringing him to the future seemed like the only way to do it at the time.

I wasn't expecting Lewis to get the sudden notion that I could take him back to see his mom when I first pushed him off the roof of the orphanage (which I'm sure I'll live to regret doing later) into the time machine, but then again, what should I have expected? He is a genius, even at age twelve. I might do well in school and get good grades, but I'm no where near the genius level, and this little mishap has sure shown it.

"Lewis!" I call as I run up the hill in the direction Lewis ran not five minutes ago. No answer. "Let's just talk about this, Lewis; I know you're around here somewhere!" Still, Lewis doesn't answer me.

I run up the peak of the hill to a part of the topiary garden my Grandpa cares for in his spare time. I freeze at what I see.

In front of me are Lewis, and the Bowler Hat Guy. Bowler Hat Guy is in the green time machine he stole from the garage, his hand held out to Lewis.

"No." I whisper to myself. No, Lewis, don't do it! I want to scream. You're my dad; I won't be born! I add as an afterthought.

Lewis doesn't say anything, just scowls and glares at me in the rapidly diming twilight. He turns back to the Bowler Hat Guy and reaches out and takes his hand. My eyes widen as he climbs in the backseat and buckles up, and Bowler Hat Guy cackles and closes the hatch.

No! I think as I run towards them, trying to catch up with them. I watch as they fly off over the river, back towards the city. Before I know it, the green time machine disappears behind the skyscrapers.

"I have to get him back." I say to myself as I turn on my heel and run back down the hill. "The future and my existence depends on it."

I run back to where I last saw my family. Carl is busy scrubbing some of the paint from Laszlo's gun off the side of the house with one of the many attachments Dad equipped him with.

"Carl!" I call as I run up to him. "Carl, he's gone!"

"Who?" Carl asks as he looks down at me.

"Lewis!" I say, panting for air. "The Bowler Hat Guy just showed up in the green time machine and he flew off with him!"

Carl's eyes widen.

"Oh great!" He rants, hands on his head. "This is just great! First you leave the garage door unlocked, then the time machine gets stolen, then you steal the other time machine and go to the past, then you bring your dad here, then a T. rex tries to eat him, then he finds out you lied to him, and then he runs off, and now he's gone?!"

I nod. "And we have to get him back, Carl! The future and my existence depend on it!"

Carl scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest. "You should have thought of that before you lied to him about taking him back to see his mom." He says. "You should have known this would blow up in your face, little buddy! Your plans have a habit of doing that."

I sigh, aggravated. "Look, I know what I did was wrong, but that's not important right now! The important thing is that we get Lewis back from the Bowler Hat Guy!"

Carl shakes his head, but he knows he can't argue against that logic. If I don't exist, he doesn't exist, because Lewis will one day grow up to not only be my father, but also Carl's creator. He sighs.

"Fine, I'll help you." He says. "Which way did they go?"

"Towards the city." I tell him. "But that's all I know."

Carl's chest opens up, revealing a calculator of sorts. "I think I might be able to find him with the tracking devise Cornelius installed in me." He says. "It'll only take a minute."

Carl's eyes blare numbers for a minute, like some sort of crazy machine of Dad's gone wrong, and a role of paper comes out his mouth like a printer. Carl takes the paper and looks at it.

"Alright, I have his location." He says. "They're at…" His eyes go wide again.

"Where?" I ask, in a rush to get going. The sooner we get Lewis back here the better.

"They're at the old Sixth Street Orphanage." Carl declares.

"Are you sure?"

Carl nods. "This thing has never lied about the whereabouts of you, and if I was malfunctioning, I'd think I'd be the first to know." He looks at the paper again. "Oh, and your chances of not existing just went up a digit. That 99.999999 is now a 99.9999999."

"No time for that now, Carl." I say. "We've gotta go save Lewis!"

Carl nods and we both turn and run off towards the garage for my hoverboard, which will get us there faster.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing." Says Carl.

"Trust me." I say as I grab my hoverboard and helmet and hand Carl a helmet as well. "Wilbur Robinson never fails."

Carl arches an eyebrow and I roll my eyes.

"Alright, fine, except when I lie to my dad."

Carl looks a little more satisfied as we climb onto my hoverboard and rocket out the side door, flying towards the city. We both know we don't have much time, and that with each second that goes by with Lewis in the hands of Bowler Hat Guy, the closer the timesteam is to collapsing.

I sure hope I'm right and know what I'm doing. I think. I've got to set things right.