Hi everybody! Welcome to "A Robinson Storybook!" So here is how I imagine this will work. I will list my usual disclaimer, but if the story is in reference to another story, I will write another note on which story to read. The good news is, you do not have to read any of my stories to enjoy this one. This story is pretty much a bunch of one-shots put into one. I might even move the one-shots you see in my stories and move them here. I'm still deciding on that one. So with that said, here we go!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," I only own Diana, Berethor, Wesley, and Karena.
STORY #1: Meeting the Robinsons
STORIES OF REFERENCE: Her Heart's Calling (Ch. 15 and 18); Disaster (Ch. 6); Hope (Ch. 18); Diana's High School Story (Ch. 11)
NARRATOR: Diana
DECEMBER 22, 2064 - PACIFIC BAY, CALIFORNIA, USA
I heard a knock on my door as I finished packing. I closed my suitcase and walked over to the door and opened it, revealing my copper-brown-haired boyfriend of seven months.
"Berethor, hey!"
"Hey, Diana," he replied, giving me a tight hug, and I hugged him back. "Are you all packed?"
"Yes," I answered, turning around to grab my suitcase and heading back to the door. "What about you?"
"Yes, I'm all set," Berethor answered, patting the handle of his suitcase. "Where are we going again?"
"Todayland," I answered, locking my dorm room and walking to the elevator with him. "It's my dad's hometown."
"Why aren't we heading to your hometown?"
"Because I want my whole family to know you," I explained. "My great-uncles Art and Gaston, my grandparents Cornelius and Franny, my cousin-twice-removed Laszlo and his twin sister Tallulah, who is also my godmother, and my godfather Carl. And then my parents Wilbur and Karena and my brother Wesley live in Connecticut."
"How big is your family, exactly?" Berethor asked nervously as we walked out of the elevator and outside the dormitory.
"It was much bigger when I was born, trust me," I answered as we made our way across the Pacific Bay University campus to the monorail. "Is everything all right? Are you nervous?"
"I'm nervous, yes, but mostly about meeting your dad."
I turned to look at my boyfriend and stared into his noble blue eyes.
"Wilbur Robinson does not bite!" I said quickly, pointing my finger in the air before putting it back down. "Sorry, too cocky. Anyway, he may sound tough, but his heart is one of the most compassionate ones. He'll like you. He really liked my boyfriend in high school, and you remind me a lot of him. Just give him a chance."
I put my head down as the monorail approached. I felt Berethor take my hand, and he led me into the car before it took off.
"Diana, are you alright?" Berethor asked with concern in his voice.
"I'm sorry. It's just that… any time I mention my high school boyfriend, all of these memories come back. I'm trying to forget about them, but it's not easy. Heck, I don't even know what to call him because we never broke up."
"I understand," he replied, and I felt him wrap his right arm around my back and pull me closer to him.
"When I first met him, Berethor, I felt like I'd known him all my life," I explained. "He asked me to homecoming a month later, and we became official after Valentine's Day. We had dated for three years before he died, but he asked for my hand in marriage my junior year."
"Wow! That's a little early for marriage, isn't it?"
"That's what I thought when I turned him down," I answered. "He didn't ask my dad for his blessing anyway. Even after he moved to Berkeley for school, we still kept in touch and he came back to Westport to take me out on dates and attend dances with me."
I paused, feeling tears forming in my eyes.
"This is why I was feeling hesitant in going out with you at first. And this is why I am hesitant with… kissing you."
Yes, it was true. I have had feelings for Berethor Wheaton since the day he found me at the courthouse, but I was still mourning for my first love, so I had shrugged away any thoughts of my being attracted to him. I had not told Berethor of my first love until after he admitted his feelings for me. I was hesitant on going out with him until I told him how I felt, but I said yes when he asked me to dinner just before I flew back to Westport for summer vacation. Our first date last May had gone well, and we had decided to make our relationship official when we returned to school a few months later.
The only physical thing we had done all this time was hugging each other when we met up and when we said goodbye. Berethor had tried to kiss me once, but I politely told him no, and he was understanding about it.
"Hey, Diana, it's okay," Berethor assured me, and I looked up at him to see a kind smile on his face. "Come here."
He pulled me even closer to him, and I found my head on his chest with his head resting on mine. I smiled as I heard his heartbeat, and my smile grew bigger when I felt him kissing the top of my head.
"I understand," I heard him say. "It must have been hard for you grieving after all of that."
"It was hard," I replied, speaking into his chest. "But I had a fantastic support system back home. I still do."
I paused as we let go of each other, discovering we were now at the airport. We took each other's hand as we made our way into the airport and through security.
"His name was Caleb," I told him, finally revealing the name of my high school boyfriend. "He would have liked you."
"He sounds like a great guy," Berethor replied.
"Did you have a first love?" I asked as we sat down at the gate.
"No, I didn't."
"Wait, really?" I asked with surprise. "I'm your first love?"
"Yes, you are. There was a girl in high school named Genevieve. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. We were good friends, and she asked me to escort her to prom. I did, and we did have a good time."
"So, what happened?" I asked with curiosity.
"I simply explained to her that I didn't like her in that way," Berethor explained, giving me a smile. "And she was understanding. When it comes to marriage, I want to keep my heart open for the right woman to come along."
"And what vision did you have of this woman?" I asked, returning the smile.
"Well, I didn't have a good vision of what she looked like," Berethor replied with laughter. "But her personality was clear: full of compassion and kindness, not afraid to be herself, and she would find many ways to surprise me."
"Well, since I'm the only woman you've dated… is your vision still the same?"
Berethor just stared at me and gave me a smile as I looked into his blue eyes.
"Very much. Because I see this vision in front of me every day. Diana, you're smart, kind, loyal, firm, and beautiful. And yes, you do surprise me in many ways."
"Which one was your favorite?"
"You sang your feelings to me," Berethor answered. "I had never heard you sing before, but with how you sang to me, it felt right."
"Plane leaving for Todayland, now boarding."
"That's us," I told him, and we got up to get in the plane.
TODAYLAND, NORTH MONTANA, USA
Berethor and I made it safely to Todayland after a two-hour flight. We had spent the entire two hours with our heads resting on each other. When we landed, we got off the plane into the gate, and then we went down to the luggage claim to grab our luggage. After that, we were greeted by Carl and my grandparents. My grandma had tears in her eyes when we hugged, and I had let out some tears as well, as I hadn't seen them since last summer.
"It's so good to see you, Diana!" Grandma Franny said happily after releasing our hug. She turned her head toward my boyfriend. "And you must be Berethor."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a smile, initially holding his hand out for her to shake, but my grandma pulled him into a hug, and he hugged her back.
"It's very nice to meet you," Grandma told him happily.
"Diana's told us a lot about you," Grandpa Cornelius chimed in, shaking Berethor's hand. "Welcome to Todayland."
"Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to be here. Diana's told me a lot of you guys as well."
"Shall we go to the Billie Express?" I heard Carl ask, and all of us except for Berethor eagerly nodded.
"Diana, your godfather is a robot," Berethor whispered nervously in my ear.
"He may be a robot, but he is most certainly human," I replied with a wink as we walked to the train.
"Hiya, Diana!" Carl exclaimed happily, and we shared a hug.
"Carl, this is my boyfriend, Berethor. Berethor Wheaton, this is my godfather Carl."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Berethor," Carl said, shaking my boyfriend's hand. "Berethor… how did your parents come up with that name?"
"Both my parents were big fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy," Berethor explained as we boarded the train. "So they agreed to name their firstborn after a character from the franchise. I was almost named Faramir, but my dad didn't like it. My mom did not like naming me Boromir because he was killed in the movie. Berethor sounded like a strong and noble name to them, so that is what they decided on."
"From what Diana has told us, your name definitely suits you," Grandma replied with a smile on her face.
"So, how did Diana get her name?" Berethor asked.
"You will have to ask her parents," Grandpa replied.
"Speaking of which, are they here?" I asked as Carl went to the engineering car.
"Yes, they're back at the house," Grandma answered as the train started to take off.
The view of the city came to life as we drove though it. I watched Berethor's reactions throughout the trip, and he was amazed.
"This city is incredible!" he exclaimed in awe.
"Grandpa Cornelius did it all," I told him, and he turned to my grandpa with surprise.
"You're the Cornelius Robinson?" Berethor asked. "That explains so much!"
"All of those sleepless nights were worth it," Grandpa replied with a smile.
"No, I mean why Diana is so optimistic. She clearly got it from you!"
"Actually, Diana got that from her parents. They are more optimistic than I am."
We eventually reached the house and the train pulled into the living room. The first person to greet us was my brown-haired brother.
"Diana! Hey!" Wesley Robinson exclaimed as we both hugged each other.
"Hey, Wes! Wow, your voice got deeper."
"My voice finally cracked last summer," Wesley explained. "You missed a lot."
"Westport High stayed the same?"
"You betcha!" Wesley replied, and then paused to look at Berethor. "Let me guess: you're the guy Diana keeps talking about?"
"I hope so," he replied with laughter. "I'm Berethor."
"Wesley. I'm Diana's brother."
"Yes, Wesley is my very fashion-sensed perspective brother," I chimed in. "We annoyed each other to death, but he really is the best brother I can ask for."
"How did you ask Diana out?" Wesley asked my boyfriend, and I scowled at him.
"No, Diana, it's alright," Berethor said to me before answering Wesley. "Diana and I had known each other the entire school year, and we admitted having feelings for each other. She told me she was heading back to Westport for the summer. I had two choices: either wait until August to ask her out or ask her out now. I chose to ask her now. This was back in May."
"Berethor walks into the Starbucks I work in," I chimed in. "And he asks for two cups of my favorite coffee. It took me by surprise but knowing that Caleb would want me to move on and to open my heart again, I said yes."
"What's Diana's favorite drink?" Wesley asked him, and I raised an eyebrow at my brother.
"An iced caramel cloud macchiato with hazelnut syrup."
"I like this guy," Wesley told me with a smirk, and I chuckled.
"Wesley, where are Mom and Dad?"
"They're in the music room! Come on!"
We followed my brother to the music room, and I saw my father, donning his black cowlick, and my mom, her brown hair braided in the back, dancing in each other's arms to smooth jazz music that my grandma's frogs were playing.
"Mom, Dad, guess who's here?" Wesley announced, and both our parents turned to look on our direction.
"Diana!" they exclaimed at the same time.
I watched as they both ran over to hug me, and I hugged them back.
"It is so good to see you!" Mom said happily.
"I'm glad you made it safely," Dad told me with a smile on his face.
"Berethor, these are my parents, Karena and Wilbur Robinson," I introduced everyone. "Mom and Dad, this is my boyfriend of seven months, Berethor Wheaton."
"It's very nice to meet you, Berethor," Mom said with a smile, shaking his hand.
"Diana's told me so much about you two," Berethor replied with a smile on his face.
"I… wish I could say the same," Dad replied with hesitance, and I gave him a confused look. "Like why—"
"Dad, grill him another time," I interrupted, giving him a glare. "It's Christmas. We should be happy we're together."
"It's dinner time anyway," I heard Grandma say as she passed the music room, and we followed her to the dining room.
"What is for dinner?" Berethor asked as he took a seat between me and Tallulah.
"We're about to find out!" Carl announced as the little Carls emerged and delivered our food while saying, 'dinner is served!'
"Steak and potatoes!" Berethor exclaimed with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, hey, it's your favorite dinner!" I replied happily.
"What a coincidence!" Tallulah said, turning to him with a big smile on her face. "I'm Tallulah. I'm Diana's godmother. It's nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you, too," Berethor replied.
"I'm Laszlo," my godmother's twin brother introduced himself.
"I'm Art Framagucci," one of my great uncles across the table from us introduced himself. "And this is my brother Gaston."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Berethor said to everyone.
"So, Berethor, were you born in Pacific Bay?" Tallulah asked, still with a smile on her face.
"Yes. I was born and raised in the White Peaks district."
"My boss hailed from White Peaks," Dad replied. "Small world. My turn. Diana tells me that you study criminal justice."
"That's correct, sir."
"Wilbur, please," Dad corrected him. "I'm not an army general. Anyway, what do you plan to do with your degree?"
"I want to serve the city of Pacific Bay by being a police officer."
"Just a field officer?" Dad asked with curiosity as he took a bite of his steak.
"I've always liked to help people in need," Berethor explained. "Whether it's to help them seek justice to correct a wrong or to do something simple like play a game with them."
I smiled at my boyfriend's response, reminding me of his noble character.
"Are you an only child?" Laszlo asked.
"No, I have a sister named Amelia. She's a junior in high school. My parents have been married for 23 years."
"Hey, I'm in high school, too!" Wesley happily exclaimed. "But I'm a sophomore."
"What hobbies do you like?" Uncle Gaston asked.
"I love to ski and snowboard, and I also like to practice my photography skills," Berethor answered.
"You should see his photos," I told everyone. "They are so good!"
"Berethor, where do you see yourself in five years?" Mom asked, and he pondered for a few minutes before giving his answer.
"I'm a junior in college, so in five years I see myself still learning the ropes of what it means to be an officer of the law, and I see myself with a wife, sharing a house together."
"Is that wife Diana?" Wesley asked, and we both blushed.
"We haven't discussed that!" I exclaimed. "Next question, please."
"If you could move anywhere, where would you go?" Grandpa asked.
"Denver," Berethor answered with confidence. "I love the mountains."
"Do you believe in aliens?" Uncle Art asked.
"It's not a matter of belief, Art. Either they exist or they don't."
"How's the steak?" Grandma asked with a smile.
"I can't decide whose is better: yours or my mom's. But it's delicious." Berethor paused, taking a bite of his steak. "So, what all do you do?"
"Let's actually go back to the beginning," Grandpa proposed before continuing. "My birth mom put me in an orphanage because she was not able to care for me. I've loved inventing as long as I can remember, but many of my inventions failed while living at the orphanage. My science teacher was very encouraging, and he encouraged me to participate in the school science fair."
"That was where Cornelius and I first met," Grandma chimed in. "He had created a memory scanner so he could try to remember what his birth mom looked like, and it won first prize. My musically-inclined frogs came in second."
"Well, that would explain why I saw frogs playing music when Diana and I came in the music room," Berethor replied.
"After I won the science fair, Bud and Lucille Robinson adopted me," Grandpa continued. "They bought this house, which used to be an observatory. Bud was also a science teacher, but he liked to wear his clothes on backwards."
"He also kept losing his teeth after I was born," Dad chimed in.
"Lucille was working for InventCo and eventually Robinson Industries before she retired," Grandpa continued. "But she loved baking cookies and desserts in her spare time."
"And she loved to dance," Mom chimed in.
"Neil and I continued to know each other," Grandma continued. "And we got married in 2018. My two brothers joined the family two years later because they wanted to see me more often. They had lived in Chicago and were working in an Italian restaurant before they moved here."
"I worked at Robinson Industries," Uncle Gaston chimed in.
"While I delivered pizzas across the galaxy," Uncle Art said.
"The next two family members to move in were my Uncle Joe and Aunt Billie," Grandpa continued. "Joe had autism and diabetes, and they lost their home because of his condition. So we opened up our home to them. Aunt Billie was an engineer, and she had a big obsession with big toys and trains. She invented all of the trains you see in the house."
"So that's why the train is called the Billie Express!" Berethor exclaimed.
"That's right," Tallulah replied. "Lastly, me, Laszlo, and our dad moved into the house because our mom died of breast cancer."
"Our dad had invented a puppet in Mom's likeness," Laszlo explained. "He was a terrible ventriloquist."
"Laszlo paints and sells his work," Tallulah chimed back in. "And I own a dress shop. I have made all the clothes you see on me, Karena, and Diana."
"Wilbur came into the world shortly after Fritz's family moved in," Grandma explained.
"And I met Wilbur while he was on one of his time-travelling adventures," Mom chimed in. "I was on an adventure myself, and we just clicked."
"We got to know each other as I went through high school and she went through college," Dad explained. "And we married after five years. Diana and Wesley came along, and we moved to Connecticut. I work as both the historian and the team coordinator for the Temporal Investigation, Management, and Exploration agency in New York City. But you may be looking at the new chief for the TIME agency."
"Congratulations," Berethor replied.
"And I'm a music teacher at Westport Elementary and Westport High Schools," Mom chimed in.
"So, where is everyone else?" Berethor asked.
"Grandma Lucille, Grandpa Bud, Aunt Billie, and Uncle Fritz all died of natural causes," Dad answered. "Uncle Joe died from his diabetes."
"So, what does your family do, Berethor?" Mom asked.
"My dad's a pastor at a Presbyterian church," Berethor explained. "My mom is also a teacher, but she teaches both the English language and English literature. She teaches school in Jazz Town."
We continued to enjoy getting to know each other and finish our dinner in contentment. When we were done, we started to pile out of the dining room, and Berethor was behind me as we left the dining room.
"Oh, Diana, Berethor, look!" Mom said, and we both looked up just as we were about to leave.
"Is that… mistletoe?" Berethor asked, blushing.
I felt myself blushing as well, but I also felt panicked.
"Yes. T-that's m-mistletoe," I answered as I started to hyperventilate. "Excuse me!"
I ran out of the dining room, went to the kitchen counter to get a glass of water, and took the travel tube to the train room. I ran to Aunt Billie's old room where I was sleeping, and I drank my water as I tried to calm down.
I reflected on my first kiss with Caleb as I sat on the bed. I had kissed him when he had felt so down on himself because he thought everyone hated him. We had known each other for a little over five months at the time, and we expressed our feelings to each other, but we were not official. I had also appreciated him standing up for himself when he was accused of starting a food fight back in high school.
Then my mind went to my expectations of when I would have had my first kiss. Before Caleb came along, I had always imagined having my first kiss not in high school nor college, but at my wedding, where I would share my first kiss with the man I would call my husband. My parents had their first kiss the day after they met, which was way too soon for my taste. But Berethor came along after I moved to Pacific Bay for school, and we've known each other for over sixteen months while dating for seven of those months. But I never shared a kiss with him because I was terrified.
Is Berethor my future husband?
I heard a knock on the door as I finished my water.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Berethor."
I got up and let him in the room.
"Hey, come in," I told him.
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry for running out like that," I said.
"You don't have to apologize," Berethor replied with a smile. "We were both put on the spot, weren't we?"
"You're not wrong," I answered with a chuckle. "Be honest: did you want to kiss me?"
"Yes, I did. What about you? Did you want to kiss me?"
"Yes. Yes, I do want to kiss you. But I can't."
"Is it about Caleb?" Berethor asked as I paced around the room.
"My first kiss with Caleb happened when he was on the brink of expulsion," I explained. "He had lost so much faith in himself because of what was going on with the school. We hadn't even started dating yet. We had gone to homecoming together and we went out for coffee, but that was it."
"Caleb was a rebel, huh?" he asked as he sat on the bed.
"No! Caleb was the sweetest guy on the football team I had ever met!" I yelled as tears started to form in my eyes. "He was almost expelled because he stood up to a tyrannical principal! A principal who had stolen money using four different identities! We had dated for over three years when he was taken away from me. After that school year, he was a role model to all the students to be their most confident selves."
I paused, letting some of my tears fall and taking deep breaths before I continued. Berethor had a look of concern and shock on his face.
"Berethor, having someone fall in love with you is not something you take for granted, and that was a mistake I made with Caleb. I told myself everything was going to be okay as long as he was with me, and I with him. I… was never sure if I could open my heart up to love someone again after Caleb died. He even wrote me a letter in the case of his death, and he told me to promise myself to do that. Heck, he even wrote that he was already praying for the man I would call my husband. But three months later, when I moved to Pacific Bay, Berethor, you approached me on those courthouse steps to be sure I was okay. You helped me get a job. You made sure I had all the food I needed, and you made sure I had enough sleep to last the next day. You were my study buddy for finals week. Whenever I had a bad day, you brought me my favorite coffee."
"What are you afraid of, Diana?" Berethor asked with worry in his blue eyes, and I sat down next to him on the bed. I felt his right arm behind my back, and he pulled me onto his right shoulder.
"I am afraid that I am rushing into things with you like I did with Caleb. And that kissing you would be different than it would be kissing Caleb."
"It took us nine months to get to know each other, three months before we were both comfortable meeting my parents and sister, and then another four months before we met your family. Diana, my family loves you. They told me how wonderful you were when you had dinner with us."
"Really?" I asked, wiping away my tears.
"Really."
I looked up and saw a smile on Berethor's noble face, and I returned the smile.
"My family really likes you," I told him. "I can sense it."
"I know. In fact, before I came over here to see if you were okay, I talked to your dad, and he also explained the story of Caleb. I expressed my concern of impressing your dad, and… he told me he was happy I am in your life. He told me he likes me, and the feeling is mutual. I like and respect your father."
"Berethor, my dad actually said he likes you?" I asked with surprise.
"Yes, he did. He told me to go help you."
We stared at each other for a few long moments before we felt each other close the distance. But we didn't close it with a hug. I felt his lips touching mine, and I closed my eyes, kissing him back. We pulled apart, and we both gasped.
"That actually happened," I said out loud. "I can't believe it, I did it."
"How do you feel?" Berethor asked, and I gazed into his kind blue eyes.
"Like I'm in love with you," I answered blissfully. "I feel… comfortable and secure with you. I feel like I could be in your arms all day and all night."
I paused as we smiled fondly at each other.
"Berethor, kiss me again."
He laughed, and I watched as he caressed my left cheek while I ran my fingers through his medium-length copper-brown hair, and we pulled each other into another kiss that was even more tender and sweet. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and I felt him wrap his arms around my waist. We pulled our lips apart and put our foreheads together.
"This is the best Christmas present I have ever received," Berethor said, and I giggled.
"Berethor, it's not Christmas yet."
"It's Christmas to me. I just kissed the love of my life for the first time."
"Oh, Berethor. Merry Christmas."
We pulled into another kiss, and with each passing second, I fell more in love with him, and I realized I may have been in love with him this entire time.
"Merry Christmas, Diana," he replied in between kisses, and this Christmas turned out to be the best Christmas I ever had in my life.