Always Right

By: Danae

SEQUEL: Takes place after the events of the movie. Cornelius(Lewis)/Franny

Part One

And Lewis, for the future; I'm always right. Even if I'm wrong…I'm right. Okay?

It was a lovely day for announcements or, at least, the Principal thought so. There were always your run-of-the mill student government meetings and new cafeteria menus, but today he actually had something exciting to announce!

The Spring Formal.

With a huge grin on his face the school official turned on his intercom and proceeded to divulge the good news to the seventh and eighth graders. He was completely unaware that his proclamation would be the catalyst for a very interesting event indeed.

5 minutes later

Honestly, what had he done wrong now? The boy glared at his companion rubbing fiercely at his abused forearm. That pinch would leave at mark! "Ouch! I didn't even do anything Franny!"

The short, black-haired, pig-tailed girl blinked her big innocent eyes and frowned. "You said I must go to the spring formal with you." She reiterated accusingly. "Cornelius Robinson, how dare you tell me what to do!"

Things where turning from bad to worse…and the rather tall, spiky haired kid facing the furious little girl knew it all too well. "Franny, c'mon Franny, you know I didn't mean it that way." He pleaded adopting an earnest expression. "I meant … it's –it's just…uh…imperative that you come to the dance with me. I'm just concerned for your safety. Be reasonable!"

Franny sniffed.

Cornelius gave her a winning smile.

"No."

"Franny!" The boy ran an exasperated hand over his blond spikes and moaned. "But-but why ever not!"

The twelve year old girl narrowed her eyes at her friend. She looked extremely tempted to show him just how many karate moves she knew to protect herself. Instead she said, "Two words, Cornelius. Your sister."

"What? What are you talking about? I don't even have a sister!" The young boy groaned and reminded himself that the annoying, skinny little thing before him would one day become the love of his life and the mother to his children. "Franny-"

"Exactly!" Franny enthused triumphantly. "You do not have a sister Cornelius. I am not your sister and, as a matter of fact, I already have two brothers making my life impossible! Therefore, I highly resent that you've been trying to watch over me like a mother hen ever since I grew boobs."

Cornelius' jaw slackened. So sue him! What man in his right frame of mind would want other fourteen year old boys like himself ogling his future bride! "Fraaaaany! Don't talk-"

"Oh! Don't you dare tell me what I can and cannot say!" The young girl made two fists with her hands and stared hard at the floor to keep her anger in check. Composing herself, Franny bit her lower lip and lifted her eyes slowly to once more meet those of her friend hopefully. "Give me a good reason Cornelius. Give me one good reason why I should go with you and I will. Be honest. Why do you really want me to go with you to the dance?"

A brief picture of a tall, slender woman with a crimson bow flashed through Cornelius' mind but he pushed it back firmly. This was Franny and he liked her and one day he would marry her but…but for now she was young and he was young and they were both best friends. She was just being stubborn and wanted to rush things and if inventing had taught him one thing it was that patience was a virtue! "Look Franny, I just don't want you to be hurt if no one asks you to the dance." Where did that come from?! Cornelius was positive he hadn't meant to say that! "I mean you could just come over and I would even help you teach Frankie a new song and –"

"Shut up Cornelius." Franny thinned her lips before letting out a rather enviable thrill, "Stevie!"

Across the playground a black haired, blue eyed boy with a bat on his hand looked up. He waved at Franny and motioned the pitcher to stop his pitch. "Hey Franny!" He started running toward the pair and called behind his back, "Be right back Goob!"

Michael Yagoobian scratched behind his ear and watched with dread as blue-eyed Stevie smiled charmingly at his best friend's favorite pain in the neck. He often wondered when Lewis would cut the crap that was his "overprotective brother" ruse and get down and dirty with Franny.

After all, how hard could hand holding be?

By the time Goob had decided he ought to go and offer Lewis some moral support, Stevie had wandered off into another part of the playground with Franny in tow.

"Tough luck, Lewis."

Cornelius glared at his best friend. "You know I want everyone to call me Cornelius, Goob."

"Old habits die hard." His friend responded easily, "Such as being enormously inconsiderate, for example. When are you going to stop pestering Franny under the excuse the whole world is bent on taking advantage of her and just-"

"I don't like Franny that way!" In his anger, Cornelius quickly smothered the guilty feeling in his gut that told him that Goob was more than right in his observations. He had been known for being less than considerate…with very unpleasant consequences…especially to his best friend although Goob barely knew the half of it.

"…I never said you did, but thank you. Your outburst proves my point exactly."

"It proves nothing!" Cornelius crossed his arms and glared defiantly. "I don't. Not right now. I just want to keep her safe for the futu…well; my point is that I want to keep her safe."

Goob sighed. "Whatever Robinson, suit yourself…but why not just tell Franny you want her along for her company? Maybe then she'll say yes?"

Cornelius snorted. "It doesn't matter. Franny can go to the dance with Stevie if she wants to. She'll have to say yes to me eventually."

With those cryptic parting words, Goob watched Cornelius stalk his way back to the main office on his way to the adjacent high school where he taught introductory science. For a young genius who would be graduating college in less than a month, the younger boy thought his friend was acting extremely stupid.

Days later, Franny was escorted to the Spring formal by a smug-looking Stevie Reynolds. Back at the Robinson house, Goob looked on worriedly as his best friend shrugged away the news and continued working on his latest Car-1 model unconcernedly.

3 years later

"Hello Mr. Robinson! Is Cornelius back from the World Summit yet?"

The aging man did not bother facing his son's friend and continued to prune a bush complacently. As far as he was concerned, he'd drawn his customary smiling face at the back of his head that morning and he knew by experience Franny would accept its welcoming curve without batting an eyelash. "Hello yourself honey! And, yes he is…came in with Goob about a quarter of an hour ago."

Franny quickly dropped a thank you kiss on the balding head and hurried inside the huge house. Within minutes she had climbed the stairs leading to Cornelius' inventing room and squealed a hearty hello before attacking her unsuspecting friend from behind. "Oh! But I've missed you!" Franny exclaimed wrapping her arms across his back making Cornelius jump and drop the blueprints he had been carrying in his arms. "Why didn't Goob or you call me to tell me you were back?"

"Franny!" Cornelius whirled around and promptly swept the slim girl into his arms spinning her around. "You scared the bejeasus out of me!"

In the corner of the room Goob smothered a grin and shook his head at the couple. He really wished the two would get their act together…he frowned…and soon if the shiny new class ring on Franny's thumb was any indication. "Good to see you Franny. Oh and Lewis I need to be going, the parents want me to babysit squirt tonight."

"Michael Yagoobian-Johnson you treat your little brother nicely tonight!" Franny mocked scolded from within the circle of Cornelius' arms. "I love that little rascal!"

Cornelius grinned. "Say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson for me Goob. It's awfully nice of them to have let you come with me on the trip."

Goob waved goodbye and assured Franny that he would be extra nice to Little Danny fondly. He then proceeded to walk out the room but not before glancing at the young woman's hand wearily. "Behave you two!"

A short while later the two friends could be seen sprawled on the floor of the make-shift lab toying with some magnets Cornelius was using for his latest experiment. "…and then I told the Summit leader, 'Well sir, can you tell me anything more energy efficient and nonpolluting than using detergent as a means of transportation?' so, of course he couldn't and the Minister himself asked me to present my blueprints within the next three years!"

"Oh Cornelius! That's wonderful!" Franny smiled excitedly and raised a slender hand to stroke her best friend's cheek. "I knew you could do it!"

It was then that Cornelius finally spotted the infamous ring. "Uh…Franny? Is that a class ring?"

She blushed. "Yes."

"But you're not graduating yet." He reached out and grabbed her hand firmly not allowing her to pull it back. "This is Steven Malone's class ring."

Franny didn't answer because she didn't have to. Cornelius hadn't asked a question; he'd issued a statement.

"What does it mean? You having this on your finger Franny…what does it mean?"

He knew what it meant but she told him anyway. "It means that I agreed to be his girlfriend Cornelius." She waited for him to say something…to say anything but when he didn't she went on cautiously, "He likes me and he takes me out on dates. When I'm lonely and you're off cavalcading around the world for your conferences he talks to me and also unlike you he never forgets to call…especially on my birthday."

Her birthday? But wasn't that until next month?! Cornelius glanced at the old tattered calendar pinned to his wall and realized it was already "the next month."

"It's okay," She assured him quickly, "I knew how much this presentation meant to you so I didn't mind. And that's okay because…because we're friends and friends understand things like that."

"Franny…I like you." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them and Cornelius wished they'd slipped out three years sooner before Stevie got close enough to place a class ring on his Franny's finger. "I really like you."

The calm acquiescence in her voice surprised even herself. "I know you do." She said gently, "I'm glad you finally figured it out too."

Cornelius sighed with relief. It was a little earlier than planned but the road to building his family had begun. He grinned and scooted closer to Franny. "I'm going to kiss you now, okay?"

The young man leaned forward and was about to place his lips over her mouth gently when a trembling hand pushed on his chest. "No, you're not." Franny said firmly. "I'm Stevie's girlfriend Cornelius. It wouldn't be right!"

"What?!" Cornelius' gaped openly and ran a hand over his head nervously. "But I just told you that I liked you!"

"Well you're always telling me things!" She burst out bitterly, "Just two months you told me I had to stop hanging around Stevie so much and I did… only you left soon after and I spent two very lonely weeks, let me tell you, before I realized I didn't have to listen to you! Why should I? You never listen to me! You're always assuming and demanding things like…like the Spring formal!"

"That was three years ago Franny!" Cornelius protested, "I didn't-"

"I basically told you I wanted to hear you say you liked me and wanted me to go with you! And what did you do?! You forced me to go out with Stevie!"

"I did no such thing!" He exclaimed indignantly, "I-"

"Show me!"

Cornelius got to his feet and pulled at his spiky yellow hair. "Show you what woman? You're making no sense!"

"You make me feel like you know I belong to you…but I don't know that! Show me that I do! Show me that I'm more valuable to you than all of your inventions! Show me you prefer me to scraps of metal and-and magnets!"

Stunned Cornelius stopped his pacing and faced the young girl once more. "And how do you propose I do that Franny?"

"Choose me Cornelius. Tell me, I want to hear you say it… tell me you'd stop inventing for me; tell me you'd never leave my side again. No more conferences, no more forgetting my birthday…that you'd stop everything for me. Tell me you choose me over your experiments!"

The young man closed his eyes. Urgently he recalled the events that had transpired not so long ago…he pictured an older Franny, her brothers, his parents…the uncles and cousins and Carl…and last of all he pictured Wilbur. He imagined what he would look like as a baby tucked protectively in his mother's arms…Franny.

Franny would be his.

She would be his but not like this.

He'd seen the future, he was the father of the future, and Franny's plea was wrong. She was so wrong! He couldn't choose her over his inventions. His inventions where necessary for the future and as long as he made the future possible he would have Franny…and his family and his son.

"I love you Franny…" Cornelius said with more confidence than he felt. "…but I can't. I can't choose only you. My work is too important. I'll have you both, I'll-"

"You'll not have me." Franny got calmly to her feet and began walking towards the door. "Stop talking as if I already belonged to you. I don't…I won't. Not while you choose your love for inventing over me. I won't be second fiddle to anyone just like Frankie will not be backup for any of my other frogs. Good bye Cornelius."

Cornelius watched her walk away with agony. On the one hand he wanted nothing more than to run after her, sweep her in his arms and promise himself to her body, heart and soul. On the other…she was wrong! Making him choose like that it was- she should never have done so!

No, Cornelius thought resolutely grounding himself to the room with a firm stance, I did the right thing. She's wrong and she'll be back … Franny will come back.

He sat down and began taking notes for his new project.

She has to.

To be continued…

Did you like it?! Did you not?! This is the very first rough draft…I'm aware there are tons of spelling mistakes. Oh well. Point is…should I finish it?!