AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story and the next story, which will be up tomorrow, go together. I really enjoy writing about Wilbur's adventures in fatherhood, so I'm happy to be getting another shot at this. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," the only character in this story I do not own is Wilbur.

STORY #10: Blessings

STORIES OF REFERENCE: None

NARRATOR: Berethor

APRIL 23, 2066 – PACIFIC BAY, CALIFORNIA, USA

I got out of my last class for the weekend and walked my way out of the building. When I got outside, I found my black-haired girlfriend waiting for me on the stairs.

"Berethor, hey!" Diana greeted me, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged her back, and then I pulled her in for a kiss.

"Hey, Diana. How are you?" I asked with a smile, gazing into her brown eyes.

"I'm so happy to be out of school for the weekend," Diana answered enthusiastically, taking my hand and leading me on our daily walk. "How about you?"

"I'm nervous."

"Nervous? What about?"

I pondered for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer that question.

"I can't say yet. But I promise it'll be worth the wait."

"You're no fun," Diana replied teasingly. "Can you at least give me a clue on what this surprise is you have for me?"

"Sorry, Diana. Not yet."

"Well, at least we can spend the weekend together at your parents' house."

"If you want to spend the weekend with my parents and sister, go for it. I've already made plans for this weekend."

"Wait, what?"

Diana stopped in her tracks and got in front of me, looking up into my blue eyes.

"What kind of plans do you have with your family?"

"Diana, it's just me with plans," I answered, caressing her right cheek. "My parents don't have plans. I'm sure they'd love to have you over for the weekend."

"Berethor, are you sure?" Diana asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not sure I'd be comfortable sleeping in your house."

"Diana, I won't be home, but I can't say where I'm going. It's a surprise. But hey, I can bring you over to my parents and you all can have a fantastic weekend together."

"Well, I'd much rather spend my weekend with you, but I love your family." Diana paused, putting a bold smile on her face. "All right. I'll do it, just for you."

"You're the best, Diana," I replied, pulling her into a kiss, and she kissed me back. "Now, go to your dorm and get a weekend bag ready."

I escorted Diana to her dormitory, and after ten minutes, she came back outside with a backpack. We walked to the parking lot and got in my maroon-colored flying car, and we took off toward my parents' house in White Peaks.

"Hi Mom!" I yelled happily when Diana and I walked through the front door. "Hi Dad!"

"Berethor! You're home!"

We saw my sister Amelia excitedly running down the stairs, and she gave me a tight hug.

"Oh, hi Diana!" Amelia greeted her. "Welcome back!"

"Thank you, Amelia," Diana replied with a smile.

"Hi there, kids," my dad greeted us as he escorted my mom down the stairs.

"Diana, it is so lovely to see you again," my mom told her, pulling her into a hug.

"Berethor said I can spend the weekend here?" Diana asked. "That is if it's okay."

"Berethor, what are you planning?" Dad asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's nothing like that," I explained with a confident smile. "Actually, I'm going somewhere for the weekend. I told Diana that if she wanted to, she could spend the weekend here with you guys while I'm away. That way she won't be lonely."

"We'd love to have her here," Mom answered with a smile. "Come on in the kitchen, Diana. I made some homemade lemon squares."

"Ooh, they sound delicious!" Diana replied enthusiastically as she followed my mom and sister into the kitchen.

"So, where are you going this weekend?" Dad asked.

"I'll explain in the car," I answered. "I need a ride to the airport."

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA

I got off the plane and did not hesitate to take out my phone and dial Diana's father.

"Wilbur here."

"Hey, Wilbur. It's Berethor."

"Well hey there! What's up?"

"Are you in New York right now?"

"Berethor, it's one o'clock in the morning. I'm home in Westport. Why do you ask?"

"No wonder it's so dark outside," I replied with a flat expression. "I'm kind of stuck at the airport and need a ride to either your place or the Cranes' house."

"Wait, what? You picked one heck of a time to fly here! Is Diana with you?"

"No, Wilbur. It's just me."

"Oh my goodness! I'm on my way!"

I heard Wilbur hang up the phone, and I went down the escalator to grab my luggage. I decided to take a look around the airport, and I was very fascinated with all the different aspects of history, most particularly on immigration in the 1910s. I explored for an hour until I heard my phone ringing again.

"Hey, Wilbur. Are you here?"

"Yes, I'm parked outside. Blue flying car."

"Got it. Thanks, Wilbur."

I hung up the phone and realized it was two o'clock in the morning here; it was only eleven o'clock in Pacific Bay. I let out a yawn, feeling bad that I had to drag my future father-in-law out to New York this late. I made my way to the exit, and I found the only car in the pick-up area: Wilbur's car. Wilbur opened up the hood, and I jumped in the car after putting my luggage in the back.

"Thanks for picking me up, Wilbur," I told him.

"You're welcome," Wilbur replied with surprise and fatigue in his voice. "What are you doing here? And at two in the morning?"

"I'll explain tomorrow—I mean, later. I really need to go to sleep."

"You're more than welcome to sleep in the car until we get to the house," Wilbur said with a smile on his face. "I'd rather not wake up Russell and Amy. You can take Diana's room."

"Thank you, Wilbur. I'm sorry for dragging you out here—"

"No, no, it's alright. Wesley and I had a fight a few hours ago, and I couldn't sleep. Thank you for the distraction."

"What did you two fight about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Berethor, it's two in the morning. I'd rather talk about it later."

I woke up six hours later to knocking on the door, and I slowly started to stir myself up.

"Who is it?" I asked sleepily.

"It's Wesley. Who is this?"

"Wesley, it's me: Berethor," I yelled, and I heard the door open to reveal Diana's brown-haired brother.

"Berethor? What are you doing here? And where's Diana?"

"I'm here to see your dad," I explained. "Diana's back in Pacific Bay, spending the weekend with my family."

"So why are you here and not with her?" Wesley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wesley, I'm here to talk to your dad about something."

"Oh, wait a minute." Wesley paused, putting a big grin on his face. "You're going to ask Dad for his blessing, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" I asked with surprise.

"Why else would you be here by yourself?" Wesley asked, still carrying the grin. "Well, come on and get dressed! Mom's cooking breakfast."

I watched Wesley leave the room, and I took a look around my girlfriend's room. There were shelves that were lined up with trophies Diana had earned throughout her childhood. On her desk were two pictures: one picture was of her and her late boyfriend Caleb at one of their high school proms, and they looked very happy in the photo. The other photo was of the two of us on a hammock that was set up somewhere on the Pacific Bay University campus.

I remembered that day well. We had just celebrated surviving our first day back on campus when she started her junior year and I my senior year. Neither one of us had to go to work, and we decided to be comfortable with each other. When we were successfully able to get on the hammock without one of us falling off, Diana had taken out her phone, and I assisted her in taking a selfie. I was resting my head on hers when she took the photo, and we had shared small, content smiles on our faces.

I smiled at the memory shared in the photo before I explored the room a little more. Diana's room was a light blue with photographs of her family and friends on all four walls. While Diana did make friends in Pacific Bay, all of the photographs on her wall were of her friends she had made at Westport High School. I had met her best friend Emma on my last trip to Westport, and we had hit it off right away.

I heard knocking on the door, and I went to answer it.

"Hi, Wilbur. I hope you slept well."

"Well, it wasn't the best sleep in the world, but I spoke to Wesley while waiting for you."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just exploring Diana's room."

"No worries! Wesley and I resolved what we fought about."

"What did you fight about, anyway?" I asked with curiosity.

"Oh, Wesley was out late partying with friends and came home later than curfew. I think he has spent too much time with Diana while she was here. Anyway, go ahead and get changed, Berethor. Breakfast is ready."

I got changed into a red polo shirt and black jeans before heading downstairs to greet the Robinson family for breakfast. I sat down at Diana's place and found chocolate chip pancakes on the placemat.

"I have to say: I'm very surprised to see you here, Berethor," Karena said as she took her seat.

"I'm sorry if I called you guys at the last minute, but I wanted it to be a surprise," I explained as we started to eat.

"Is Diana safe in Pacific Bay?" Karena asked.

"She's with my family."

"Oh good. So what brings you here?"

"I'm here to ask Wilbur a question. Do you guys have plans?"

"It's Saturday," Wilbur answered. "We're all off from school and our jobs. You picked a good weekend to come here. Are you here just to spend time with us?"

"Yes and no. I really do have a question to ask you, but I want to do it privately."

"If it is what I think it is, I want to be in the room with you," Wesley chimed in.

"Wesley, if Berethor wants to only see me, then I should be the only one with him," Wilbur explained with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, Dad!" Wesley whined. "I'm Diana's sister. I want in on it too."

"Wilbur, he knows why I'm really here," I explained. "I'm okay with this."

"Are you sure?" Wilbur asked, and I nodded in response. "Well, let's finish our breakfast first, and then we'll talk."

"Well hold on, if you're letting Wesley be a part of the conversation, I might as well join in," Karena chimed in. "We're the Robinsons. No matter what, we support each other. And besides, I don't want to be the only one in the house who doesn't know why Berethor's really here."

"Karr, I don't know why he's really here either," Wilbur told her with a flat expression. "He most certainly surprised me when he called at one in the morning."

"I keep forgetting that it's a five-hour flight from Pacific Bay to New York and that New York is three hours ahead of Pacific Bay," I explained, shaking my head. "I swear I have bad timing with these things."

"It's alright," Wesley replied with a smirk. "We all hate time zones. When Diana and I visited Pacific Bay for the first time, we were up at five in the morning because we'd usually wake up at eight during summer vacation. We had to wait for an hour before we could eat breakfast."

"You've been to Pacific Bay?" I asked with surprise in my voice.

"We went as a family to tour the university with Diana," Wilbur explained. "Russell and Amy were with us as well since they were planning to vacation there anyway. I did Diana's senior photos while we toured Pacific Bay and Boston."

"You took those pictures?" I asked in awe. "I'm impressed."

"Diana told me you're also into photography."

"I took photos of my sister for her senior session," I explained before taking out my phone and uploading my Facebook. "Here."

I handed the phone to Wilbur, who had a look of awe on his face as he scrolled through my photos.

"You really brought your sister's personality to life," Wilbur complimented me. "These are awesome."

"Can I see?" Karena asked, and Wilbur slid my phone across the table to her before she looked at the photos. "Wow! We have another competition in the family: who takes the best photos?"

"That is an excellent question," Wilbur answered, and we all laughed.

"I saw that one coming," Karena replied, trying to hold in her laughter.

We finished our breakfast after Karena returned my phone to me, and then we gathered in the living room. Karena and Wesley sat down on the couch while Wilbur and I were standing.

"So, what do you need, Berethor?" Wilbur asked.

"The reason why I am here this weekend is…"

I paused, feeling nervous, but I took some deep breaths like Diana told me.

"Wilbur, I want to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."

I heard Karena and Wesley gasp with delight.

"Well, I'm listening," Wilbur replied with a smile on his face.

"I love Diana, Wilbur, and I want to be the best husband I can be to her. I want her to feel loved every day, and I want to be with her through her good days and her bad days."

I tried to think of what else to say, and then I thought of a passage I read when I first thought of marrying my girlfriend.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

I paused again, thinking of my future with Diana.

"Wilbur, I kept my heart open, waiting for the right woman to come along, but I had standards. I always asked myself, who would be the woman who would become the mother of my kids? I met Diana, and I've gotten to know her the last two years. I'm in love with her, Wilbur, and I know that she'll be a fantastic mother to my kids someday. She's the one my heart has been calling for."

"Berethor, Karena and I were worried about Diana since her high school boyfriend died," Wilbur explained. "And I will admit, I was skeptical of you at first. I am so happy you proved me wrong. Diana had told me and her mom a lot about you, and you are everything she said you are."

"We're both happy that you were there for Diana when she needed you," Karena chimed in. "And we're both happy that you gave her time to heal from her grief. But, do you know how she feels right now?"

"She told me that she wants to marry me someday when her heart is ready," I answered. "The more I've known her, the happier she has become. I'm ready to pop the question, and I know in my heart she is ready to start a new chapter."

"Diana has been happier since she's met you," Wesley replied. "I've noticed that all the times she's come back to Westport. She was uncomfortable at first because the first time she came back, it had been one year since Caleb died. But once she started talking about you, she lit up like she used to in high school. I've liked you from the moment we met because you remembered her favorite things: an iced caramel macchiato with hazelnut syrup, chicken alfredo, the color red, country music, snow, the mountains. I'd love to be your brother-in-law."

"What do you think, Karr?" Wilbur asked, still with a smile on his face.

"I love that you quoted 1 Corinthians, Berethor," Karena answered. "I remember a tip my mother gave me when I asked her what being in love was like, and she told me to read that section. But if I were to ever meet someone, I would insert his name in the chapter instead of the word 'love.' Every time you said the word 'love,' I inserted your name in the chapter, and Berethor, you have been all of those things to Diana and our family. I know you asked Wilbur for permission, but you most certainly have my permission to marry our daughter."

"I, too, have thought of the passage you quoted," Wilbur explained. "That was how I knew Karena was the one I wanted to marry. She is the most selfless person I had ever met in my life, and she does not get angered easily, unlike Diana and me. You've proven to me, time and time again, that you really do care for our daughter and have respected her timing and boundaries. She even told me recently that if she were to choose between you and Caleb, she would choose you."

I opened my mouth in awe.

"With that said, yes, Berethor, you have my blessing to ask Diana to marry you," Wilbur finished, his smile turning into a big grin. "And I just want to say, thank you so much for asking me before you asked her… unless you asked her already?"

"Nope. She doesn't even know I'm here."

"Your secret is safe with us," Karena assured me with a wink. "Welcome to the family, Berethor."

We all gathered for a group hug.

"I have a tip for you," Wesley chimed as the hug dissolved.

"What is that, Wesley?" I asked with a grin.

"Caleb asked Diana to marry him without Dad's permission."

"That would explain things," I replied, and Wilbur nodded.

"Diana explained that Caleb just took off when they got to prom and was gone for one hour," Wesley explained. "She received a card saying, 'take a walk with me,' and then she followed a path of candles from the balcony down to the grass where Caleb was already down on one knee. She refused his proposal—"

"Because she didn't want to go through her senior year of high school worrying about marriage," I finished, remembering the story Diana told me.

"So, yeah, I would not recommend proposing to her that way," Wesley finished explaining his tip.

"Thanks, Wesley," I replied with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't be doing that. That is way too romantic for my taste. But, I will welcome any tips you have for me."

"I proposed to Karena on a place called Sunset Mountain," Wilbur explained. "I showed her the spot, which has a fantastic view of Todayland, and the sun was setting just before it snowed."

"Diana has mentioned she has always wanted to hike to the Hollywood sign to see the view of Los Angeles," I said, cupping my chin in my right hand. "But it's illegal."

"What about Ivywood?" Karena asked. "Let me check."

I watched as Karena took out her phone and studied it for a few minutes.

"According to the Ivywood Hills website, it is not illegal to hike to the sign," Karena revealed with a big smile on her face.

"I think I know how I'm going to propose to her," I said with a grin. "Thank you for your help."

"Do you have a ring?" Wilbur asked, and I felt myself go pale.

"Oops."

"Hey, you're here until tomorrow! Let's go buy a ring!"

With Wilbur's help, we were able to find a diamond ring that I knew Diana would like, and then I ate dinner with the family.

The next morning, Wilbur, Karena, and Wesley were driving me to LaGuardia Airport to drop me off so I could catch the plane to get home. I hugged Karena good-bye and shook hands with Wilbur and Wesley before I took off for home.

PACIFIC BAY, CALIFORNIA, USA

I arrived at Pacific Bay Airport and was immediately greeted by my mom, who hugged me.

"How was the trip?" Mom asked me, and I gave her a smile.

"Well, I have Wilbur's blessing," I answered with both excitement and humility in my voice.

"Oh, Berethor, that's wonderful! I know you've been talking about this for a few months now. So, how are you going to ask her?"

"I do have a plan," I answered. "But I'll explain on the way."

I followed my mom out of the airport and to her car, where I explained how I was finally going to ask Diana to be my wife.