8. MEMORY

When Franny came into their bedroom that night, after a long day (for both of them), Cornelius stopped short upon seeing her. This wasn't uncommon for him, of course. Despite how long they've been married, she still often took his breath away.

But it was her outfit that seemed to catch him this time. And not just her dress, but her whole attire, even the way she wore her hair that particular evening.

"That dress," Cornelius found himself finally speaking. "Is that new, Fran?"

"Don't be ridiculous," She said, pulling out the ribbon that held her hair up. "I've had this forever."

"Well, it's stunning," He said, pulling his glasses off to clean them. "It reminds me of..." He found himself scanning through his memories. Then it hit him. "That's the dress you wore the day Wilbur brought me..." He trailed off, assuming that was enough information. It was an event neither of them liked to talk about too much.

Franny twirled the ribbon around her hand. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"You know, it's funny," Cornelius began again. "But whenever I think back to that day, the one thing that always sticks with me is the fact that I called you mom."

Franny raised an eyebrow. "No you didn't."

"I did," He laughed. "It was right after the dinosaur fight. I had a lot of other things to deal with after that, but I still remember coming back home after everything. I would lay in bed, waiting for sleep, and then that thought would just hit me: I called my future wife 'mom'."

Franny shook her head and laughed, settling into bed beside him.

"It was embarrassing," He insisted, though he was chuckling, too. "Surely you felt embarrassed about it when you realized who I was.

Franny took a moment to consider this. "Embarrassed, no. I just remember being terrified when I found out. Then angry. At Wilbur...at you."

Cornelius held up his hands, defensively. "Why were you angry at me?"

"Not younger you," Franny tried. "Older you, and the fact that you even made those time machines."

"Oh."

"I'm okay with them now," She soothed, running her hand up and down her husband's arm. Then added, quietly. "Just wish Wilbur wasn't."

Cornelius crossed his arms, a pout on his face.

"Niel..." She started. When he didn't respond, she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

He found himself blushing, despite himself.

"You know I love you," She insisted, kissing him between words.

"But not my inventions."

She shook her head, a small smile forming. "I love you," She began, her lips just inches from his. "Inventions and all."

9. MATURE

"Wilbur, thank goodness you're here!" Lewis grabbed the boy who just showed up, clear terror in his eyes.

"Whoa, easy, dude," Wilbur brushed the teen off. "What's the problem?"

"It's Franny," The younger boy said, turning away. "She broke up with me!"

"Mom did!?"

Lewis nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "She said things were going too fast. That she needed some space to think."

Wilbur had his share of girlfriends, so this was nothing new. "So?"

"So!?" Lewis exclaimed. "So, what if I blew it? What if we never get back together? You'll have never been born and-"

"Lewis, chill!" Wilbur yelled, grabbing his future father's wrist and forcing him into his swivel chair. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

The blonde waited a moment or two, just to be sure. "Yes."

"So everything's fine."

"But how can you-"

"Trust me," The raven-haired teen said. "I've had my share of girlfriend problems. Just give mo...Franny a few days. She'll come around." He patted Lewis on the back.

"Thanks," The blonde wiped his nose again and breathed out. He looked up. "How old are you now, anyway?"

"Almost 18," Wilbur replied, smugly, rubbing his knuckles against his chest.

"Huh," Lewis chuckled, considering for a moment how calm his future son was with his previous moment of hysteria. "Could it be you're actually...maturing?"

"You sound surprised."

"I just never thought I'd see the day."