A/N: I don't own Rob Thomas' song 'Little Wonders', but if you haven't heard it, look it up NOW!
OoOoOoOoO
Franny looked at her watch impatiently. The concert was almost over, and Cornelius and Wilbur had both dissapeared about 20 minutes ago to use the 'facilities'. Apparently.
"Fran, we're all set to go. Where are the boys?" Lucille asked.
"Absolutely no idea."
"Well they had better hurry up or get caught in the crowds, hadn't they?"
Franny sighed. Cornelius was probably wrenching Wilbur away from those girls he had been talking about, so she looked around her for anything they could have missed. The band onstage was walking off to loud applause, and she only half-listened as the announcer yelled:
"How did you like that, Todayland!! You'll certainly be hearing the 'Pain Season' again, that's for sure! Last but not least on our program is a most unexpected couple, but I'm sure you all know them...Cornelius and Wilbur Robinson!"
Franny's head shot up like a bullet. She must have heard him wrong. Seeing her relatives' similar reactions to the announcement, she joined them in leaning over the box seat railing to squint at the stage. Slapping her forehead, she turned to the wall-size holo-screen that projected images of the platform. She gasped audibly and swayed on the spot when her husband and son both indeed stepped out to the crowd's murmuring. They can't even play guitar! Franny thought frantically. What are they doing?!
OoOoOoOoO
What am I doing? Cornelius thought as he slowly walked over to the suspended microphones in the middle of the stage. He glanced over his shoulder for support, but Wilbur looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he clutched his guitar. Cornelius felt like he should say something to the whispering masses. His hand unconsciously wandered up to where his glasses would be, as if to clean them, until he caught himself.
"Uh, hi. Um...I'm pretty sure no one here knows we have any musical talent, but I guess we had to do something while stuck in that lab. This song I wrote is for my wife, Franny...in uh recognition of recent events." The people in the crowd with more than a handful of brain cells realised that he was talking about Grace. Cornelius glanced up in the direction of the box he knew his wife was, and smiled sadly.
Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he nodded to a stagehand off the side of the stage. Soft music began to filter in throughout the stadium, and Cornelius watched Wilbur stare at the crowds, missing his intro. Cornelius made a few gestures to the stagehand, and the music stopped. The muttering grew louder. Cornelius put his hand softly on Wilbur's shoulder, and he jumped just slightly as if he forgot where he was. Looking up into his dad's concerned blue eyes, Wilbur took a deep breath.
"Sorry."
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah, I think."
"Then lets do this." Cornelius straightened up, and Wilbur nodded firmly at the stagehand again. The slow and steady beat of the music came through again, this time accompanied with the strong tones of Wilbur's guitar. Cornelius watched his son proudly, and counted the bars until he came in. Well...here goes...he thought, and took a steady breath.
Let it go,Let it roll right off your shoulder,
Don't you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
In the end
You will only just remember how it feels.
Our lives are made
In these small hours,
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours
Still remain.
OoOoOoOoO
Franny looked on through her fingers, tears sliding down her face as she hiccuped with every passing sentence of her song. Lucille and Billie hugged her tight, with Gaston's hand on her shoulder as the whole Robinson clan stared, astounded, at the two men onstage. Wilbur looked so comfortable in playing the song that he hadn't made a single mistake (that they could tell), and Cornelius sang and strummed along like a natural. They weren't the only ones gawking, however, the whole stadium became quiet as they just drank in the smooth words of the song.
Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine,
Till you feel it all around you
And I don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to,
We'll get by
It's the heart that really matters in the end.
Our lives are made
In these small hours,
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours
Still remain
All of my regret
Will wash away somehow,
But I cannot forget
the way I feel right now.
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists and turns of fate,
Yeah, these twisted turns of fate!
Time falls away
Yeah, but these small hours,
These small hours
Still remain.
Franny couldn't take it anymore. Standing up, she rushed out of the box with tears streaming down her face.
OoOoOoOoO
Cornelius closed his eyes as the last words of the song reverberated from his throat, and Wilbur ceased his movements.
Silence.
OoOoOoOoO
Reviews, my lovelies? Not done yet!