AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you guys for reading "Diana's Trials" and "Her Heart's Calling" yesterday! Now, this story only takes place five years after the movie, so while the town name has changed, I imagine Lewis/Cornelius is still in Canada. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons."

STORY #7: Prom

STORIES OF REFERENCE: Pride and Justice (Ch. 6)

NARRATOR: Cornelius/Lewis

MAY 5, 2012 – TODAYLAND, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA

"You are looking handsome, young man!"

I smiled at my mom's compliment as she finished brushing my spiky blonde hair. I was wearing a black suit with a red bow tie and a red rose in the pocket.

"Franny is going to love going to the prom with you," Mom said proudly. "How are you feeling?"

"Excited, but nervous," I answered. "This is our first date, and I want to do this correctly."

"I'm sure it will all be fine, Lewis," Mom assured me, lowering herself down to my level and smiling at me in the mirror. "You two have been friends for five years. Just be natural and be honest. Knowing Franny, she's a smart girl. She'll guide you to a successful first date, especially since it's prom."

"How's he doing?" Dad shouted from another room with excitement in his voice.

"Come see for yourself!" Mom shouted back. "We're both very happy."

I watched my dad, who was wearing his clothes on backwards as normal, run into the room, and he let out a whistle.

"We are so proud of you, taking the next step with Franny," Dad said happily. "We saw it coming."

"Do you have any advice for me, Dad?" I asked.

"Keep moving forward!"

"I know, Dad, but this is a date. Our first date. How did you handle things with Mom when you two first went out?"

"Always keep your mind on your girl," Dad suggested. "Ask her how she's doing. Ask her what her favorite meal is and order that. Ask her what her favorite song is and dance to it. Girls love it when all of the attention is one them."

"I'm so nervous I'm going to mess everything up," I explained with worry. "What if Franny doesn't see this as a date and just wants to stay friends?"

"Franny has always admired you since you two met at the science fair," Mom assured me. "And I've seen the way she looks at you. She likes you. I'm sure everything will be just fine as long as you don't overthink everything. Girls are always worried that they are not pretty enough while boys will always think that they aren't doing enough for their girlfriends."

"Well, I wouldn't call Franny my girlfriend," I replied, laughing sheepishly. "This is only our first date after all."

"Maybe after tonight, if things go well, then you'll have the opportunity to discuss putting a label on it," Dad told me. "Like change, things take time. Think of your first date as an experiment. After the date, discuss how it went and ask each other how you can improve for the next experiment."

"I never thought of it that way," I said in awe, giving my parents a smile. "I'm ready to go to the prom with my best friend!"

"Thatta boy!" Dad exclaimed happily. "Oh! I forgot the camera!"

We heard the doorbell ring, and Mom and I walked out of my room to answer it.

"I got it!"

We stopped in our tracks to watch Carl, my first invention since the memory scanner, walk over to the door and opened it to reveal Franny.

"Hello, Carl!" Franny greeted him happily as she walked in the house.

"Hello, Franny, please come in."

Franny walked past Carl and walked straight for me. She had her long black hair in two braids with a red bow at the bottom of each braid. I saw that she wore some black eyeliner and red lipstick, and she wore an off-the-shoulder red dress.

"Lewis, you look handsome," Franny told me with a big smile on her face.

"You're so… so…"

I paused, trying to come up with a word to describe her.

"You're so beautiful, Franny."

"You were actually speechless," Franny replied. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Where are you going?" Carl asked us.

"We're going to prom, Carl," I explained.

"It's the biggest high school dance in the whole year and we get to look our best," Franny chimed in. "Lewis, you're actually wearing a suit!"

"I wanted to look my best for you, Franny."

"I love it! Shall we go?"

"Before you go, I want to get pictures of you two," Dad suggested, and we nodded eagerly.

We took pictures inside the house and outside the house on the front lawn. After that, my mom rushed back into the house and gave me a big basket and a big jug.

"Lewis, what is all of this?" Franny asked in awe.

"I have a surprise for you," I answered.

I led her to my red car, and I opened the passenger door for her to get in. After she thanked me, I closed her door, and I got in the driver's seat. We took off for the park where we would spend time together for an hour after school. When we got there, I got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side, and helped Franny out of the car. Then, I got the jug and picnic basket out of the back seat, and Franny helped me get the picnic all set up.

"I wanted to spend time with just you, so my mom helped me set this up."

"Lewis, this is amazing!" Franny replied with a big smile as I gave her a plate with a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and raw vegetables.

In the middle, I placed a bag of potato chips and Jell-O as well as various dipping sauces for the chips. As we ate, we kept gazing at the lake with the sun's reflection showing in the water.

"So, Franny, do you like watching sunsets?" I asked.

"I love watching sunsets. But I love the sunrise more than the sunset. I've always dreamed of marrying someone who would watch the sunrise and sunset with me. You start the day with the love of your life, and you also end the day with that same person. And then, when the stars are in the sky, we dance to jazz music."

I smiled at her answer.

"What about you?" Franny asked. "Have you ever dreamed of getting married?"

"Maybe someday," I answered. "But I'm a lot to handle. I stay up all night working on my inventions, and when I'm home, I work on my inventions. I want to make the world a better place to live by brining my ideas to life."

"Hey, if you made a robot, you can make anything. I trust you."

We paused and continued eating while staring at the lake. Well, Franny continued to look at the lake. But I could not take my eyes off of her; she was so beautiful.

"So, Lewis, how do you imagine the future will look like?"

"I imagine my future looking like everything I have dreamed about!" I explained with bliss. "Flying cars, monorails, moving sidewalks… buildings that only take five seconds to make."

"Five seconds? How would that work?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm determined to find out! There's also a bubble transport where people travel in bubbles to work or school instead of walking. And then there will be travel tubes inside everyone's houses!"

"That all sounds amazing," Franny replied.

"If there was something I could invent just for you, what would it be?"

"Well, I've always wanted a room just to teach my frogs music," Franny explained. "Teaching them at home doesn't cut it."

"How come?"

"My parents look at me weirdly every time I tell Frankie to sing a certain note. But, I want my frogs to branch out their interests, to learn different instruments. Not just teaching them how to sing. You know what I mean?"

"Well, there are many different instruments a frog can learn," I replied. "With their webbed feet, I'll bet you they can learn stringed instruments."

"And the clarinet, the trumpet, trombone—"

"Drums, bass guitar, piano—"

"The saxophone, the flute, the French horn, all of them! And I'd want them to perform in front of my family, and who knows? Once people are accepting of frogs being entertainers, we could perform in the town square!"

"We don't have a town square, Franny," I replied with a smirk.

"Hey, you're not the only one with an imagination."

"Franny, I want to do my best to make this city the best city to live in. And hey, I'll be happy to help you with your dream."

"Lewis, if you help me make my dreams come true, then I will stay here with you."

"Franny, I will do everything I can to help you. I mean that. I'll just have to study frog DNA."

"I can give you all of my research papers," Franny offered. "I saved them all in case someone was serious in helping me."

"Well, I am serious. I'll do anything for you, Franny."

"Francesca."

"I'm sorry?"

"My real name is Francesca. Francesca Maria Framagucci."

"It suits you," I replied with a smile.

"So, what's your middle name, Cornelius?"

"I don't have one."

"Wait, really?" Franny asked with surprise in her voice.

"My real mom left me at the orphanage, remember? Actually, Mildred was the one who named me Lewis."

"Your mom never named you?"

"I think she wanted to but could not come up with a name. There was no note when she brought me there. Just little Lewis in a cardboard box, swaddled in a blue blanket."

I paused, letting out a chuckle.

"Mildred gave me the name 'Lewis' because of my hair. She said it was very scientific and she believed I could be the next Albert Einstein."

"You are the smartest kid in school."

"Franny, I have my doctorate's already."

"Wait, how?" Franny asked with shock in her voice. "You're only sixteen! And you just got your bachelor's degree two years ago!"

"Three years ago. I'm seventeen, remember? Completing my dissertation on physics was easier said than done. It was no breeze."

"So I'm talking to Doctor Robinson?"

"That's right," I answered with a proud smile.

"When was this?"

"Just now, actually. Graduation day this morning."

"You have been a quirky, but smart man, Lewis," Franny replied with a smirk. "Or should I call you Cornelius since you're now a doctor?"

I laughed.

"Whatever you want, Franny. If you want to call me Lewis, go for it. I'm okay with you calling me Cornelius, too. My parents call me Cornelius because I feel smart."

"When do you not feel smart?"

"Well, I haven't felt smart while I lived in the orphanage because my inventions kept failing."

"Well, look where you are now! An adopted kid who is a doctor who has made at least two successful inventions so far! And he's working everyday to make the world a better place!"

"You seem to have a lot of faith in me."

"Lewis, I know you. I've known you for five years, and now we're in this through thick and thin. I know you'll make the world a better place to live. Lucille and Bud must have really inspired you to have come this far."

"Actually, it's my future son who has inspired me."

"Your future son?" Franny asked with a giggle.

An instinct told me I could trust her in telling her about the boy who used a time machine to help me learn to keep moving forward.

"Yes, he came to me in a dream and told me to never give up because a Robinson always keeps moving forward. He's… my muse."

"Can I meet him one day?" Franny asked.

"Of course, you can."

We looked over to the lake and noticed the sky was purple.

"We better get going," I suggested. "Can you help me pack the picnic basket?"

Franny nodded as she started to help me gather all of the dishes together and then neatly tied the plaid blanket and put it in the basket. We walked to my car and put the basket in the back seat. Then, I opened the passenger seat so that Franny could get in.

"Oh, wait! I just remembered something!"

I opened the backseat again and retrieved a small present that I bought for Franny. After I got it, I got in the driver's seat and handed her the gift.

"What is this?" Franny asked.

"Open it."

I watched Franny open the gift to reveal a red rose corsage.

"Lewis, this is beautiful!"

"Let me put it on," I offered.

Franny gave me the corsage and I slipped it on her right wrist.

"Thank you so much."

"Now we can go to prom," I replied, turning on the engine and driving off.

Franny and I were fashionably late, but it was worth the time we spent alone together. I watched as some of Franny's friends greeted her and I immediately sat down at our table.

"Don't you want to dance?" Franny asked.

"I'll watch you for right now," I answered with a smile. "You go have fun with your friends."

"Lewis, this is prom and you are my date. We're supposed to be spending this time together. Besides, my friends would love to meet you."

I rolled my eyes and gave her a smirk as I followed her onto the dance floor.

"Franny, I don't know how to dance!" I yelled over the music.

"Just follow my lead!"

I tried to imitate Franny as much as possible, but my dance moves were not top-notch.

"Franny, I think I'll just sit this one out," I shouted over the music. "I'm not cut out for this!"

I sat down for some time, watching Franny and her friends dance, and I felt guilty. This was our first date, and I felt like a failure already.

"Think Lewis, what would Wilbur do?" I asked myself.

I remembered that my future son was getting fond of a girl when we last saw each other five years ago, but they hadn't done anything to signify a first date. Then I remembered what my dad told me: focus on her.

I got up and walked to the DJ.

"Is there anyway you can play some jazz music?" I asked him. "Maybe some smooth jazz, or a jazz song to waltz to?"

The DJ nodded, and I walked back onto the dance floor where I saw Franny still dancing with her friends. I tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Lewis! Are you enjoying yourself?"

"May I have this dance?" I asked, and she blushed.

"Lewis, are you sure? You said yourself you weren't cut out for this."

"Keep moving forward, Franny," I replied. "I'm willing to try again. But let's make it easy, okay?"

"Lewis, it's not a slow song—"

She gasped when a jazz song started playing in the background.

"Glenn Miller? I love this song! How did you know?"

"I just requested for him to play a jazz song to waltz to," I explained with a smile. "So, what do you say?"

"I'd love to."

"You may have to help me," I told her.

"The waltz is the easiest dance to learn," Franny explained. "So you're going to hold my right hand with your left and then stretch it out. Then, you're going to put your right hand on my waist while I put my left hand on your shoulder."

I did as she told me, and she beamed.

"So far so good! Now, you're going to bring your right foot forward while I bring my left one back for three counts. We'll go to your left for three counts, back for three counts, and then right for three counts."

"I don't play music, Franny."

"Just follow my lead."

I gazed at the smile on Franny's face before I looked down at our feet. I watched Franny step back, and I stepped forward. She stepped her right foot out, so I stepped my left foot out with her. Then I stepped back while she stepped forward, and I stepped to the right while she stepped to her left.

"That's it!" Franny exclaimed happily. "You're a natural."

We continued to waltz until I got the hang of it.

"Now, let's just sway in time with the music," Franny suggested.

"How do we do that?" I asked.

"Just move your body slowly," Franny answered.

I felt ourselves dance closer to each other, and I felt her arms wrap around my neck. I nervously wrapped my arms around her waist, and I stared down at her brown eyes. I immediately felt comfortable and danced with her, listening to the mixture of all the instruments: the trumpets, the trombones, the clarinets, the horns.

"So, is Glenn Miller your favorite musician?" I asked.

"One of them," Franny answered as we continued dancing. "I love listening to all the jazz greats, like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman."

"Have you taken dance classes when you were younger?"

"Oh, lots! I've been in ballet, ballroom, tap dancing, et cetera."

"You know your stuff."

"Just like you know yours," Franny replied. "Thank you for opening up to dancing."

"Thank you for spending tonight with me. How do you think our first date is going?"

"I think I'm ready to make it official with you. It is everything I dreamed our first date would be."

"So your ideal first date wasn't dinner and a movie?"

"Movies aren't really my thing," Franny explained. "I'd rather read and use my imagination. This is so much better: dinner and dancing. How do you feel?"

"Well, now that I am free from school, I'm ready to take the next step with you. With you at my side, I know I'll do great things."

"You have been doing great things your whole life," Franny assured me with a smile. "And you've always had someone with you: Mildred, Goob, Mr. Willerstein, your parents—"

"And now you," I finished, staring into her brown eyes again.

I watched her stare into my blue eyes, and we pulled in to touch each other's lips. Her lips tasted sweet like strawberries, and we pulled apart after a few moments.

"I can't wait to see where this takes us," Franny said with a smile.

"You know what? Me neither."

We continued to dance as the song slowly transitioned to the next, and we enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the night, neither of us wanting the night to end.