Note: Do not own characters etc.

And thank you very much TowaNeko for your encouragement. I usually write only for my amusement so when I get these sort of things I feel a tickle where my heart used to be.


Chapter 2:

Wilbur wakes to the sun glaring into his eyes and the sound of machinery. He pushes the blanket away and looks at the blond, busy soldering over another invention on his desk.

"Lewis, what are you doing?" He groans and looks at the clock. "It is 8 in the morning. Go back to sleep."

"Oh…huh?" Lewis snaps out of his daze. "Wilbur…you're awake! 8 o'clock already? I've been up since dawn 'cause I had a great idea for a new integrated circuit. Wouldn't this make a great birthday present for mom?"

"Lewis…please…this is cruel and unusual punishment…just another hour." He buries his face under a pillow.

"Can't. Cousin Lazlo and Tallulah will be coming over in about half an hour." He looks over the circuit board one more time before stashing it inside a drawer.

Wilbur slowly stands up and drags himself slowly down the stairs. "I'm going to go and get a shower then."

He yawns and disappears from sight.

"I should be going down as well." Lewis looks at the blankets on the floor and sighs. "He could've at least put his stuff away."

As he takes the blanket in his hands, he feels something underneath them. "What's this?"

A photograph lay underneath the sheets. It is a slightly crumpled picture of Wilbur smiling, holding a large fish in the air. And there he is. The older Cornelius was holding onto the fishing pole, his other arm resting tightly on his son's shoulder. Lewis only sees the pride etched in his older self's face.

"Hey Wilbur! I think you forgot something!" No answer. "Oh well."

He places the picture in his pocket before descending down the stairs himself.


"Cornelius!" All he saw was a fiery, orange ball rush up to meet him in a hug. "Tell Lazlo to stop painting a mess in my room!"

"Cornelius it wasn't a mess! It was 'Starry Night'. Tell her to pipe down and stop being so dramatic"

"Hey guys. How old are you now? Nine? Ten? I thought you would have been grown up enough to at least not get on each other's nerves," Lewis explains only to be countered, "But He/She started it!"

"Okay…" He looks at the door to see Wilbur looking bemused. "Tallulah? Do you think that what your brother did was pretty?"

"Uh…yeah, now that I think about it…"

"Good, then it shouldn't be a problem right! Just think of it as a birthday gift from your brother…especially just for you." He turns to the other boy wearing goggles. "And Lazlo, don't you think you should've asked your sister if you could paint her room. I mean how would you feel if she just redecorated your room without your permission."

"I would get really angry…" He scratches the floor with his shoes.

"Okay guys. Now you two understand each other, shake hands and say you're sorry."

"Do we have to?" They ask in unison. Lewis slowly crosses his arms and gives them a menacing look.

"Alright! We're sorry! We're sorry!"

"Okay, that's good. Now run along and get ready. We're gonna go out and get ice cream."

"Yay! Cornelius, you're the best, we really love you!" They jump in the air and run out to get ready. Lewis sighs and smiles at Wilbur. "Well…that was easy."

Wilbur looks at the 13 year old boy and sees the man that he will one day become. Through all of that, Wilbur begins to remember a memory he'd thought long forgotten.


Flashback:

"Dad!" Young Wilbur crashed into the laboratory and with his face wet with tears.

"Dad…I…hic!"

He began to hiccup and couldn't finish his sentence.

"Calm down Wilbur!" He embraced the child into his arms and patted his head until he caught his breath. "Now, slowly, tell me what happened."

"They…they called me swirly head!" And the boy began a new bout of sobbing.

"Who's they?"

"The other kids at school!"

"Now why would they call you that?"

"Because hic…because…hic…because of this stupid thing!" He pointed to the spike of hair he had inherited from his mother. "Can't you invent something dad? Hic…something to get this off. I hate it!"

He watched his dad smile. The warmest smile he had ever seen. "Oh, you don't like it? But your mom and I picked that just for you."

Wilbur had always liked his father's voice. That deep resounding sound that seemed to comfort him. "You…you did?"

"Yeah. Do you want to hear the story?" Wilbur nodded, unable to speak.

"When you were born, your mom and I just looked at you and wished that you would grow up to be a sweet boy." Cornelius stroked the tuft of hair. "And what do you know, it came true…you became a sweet boy. Our little ice cream baby."

"Daaaad," the child sighed through his tears. "I'm not a baby anymore."

"No you're not…but you'll always be my son. And my favorite one at that!" He picked the boy up.

"That's because I'm your only son."

"Are you? Just a minor oversight." His father laughed deeply, and to Wilbur, it seemed that everything became right with the world once again.

"Don't cry now, okay?" Cornelius wiped the tears from the boy's face. "You want me to tell you another secret?"

"Uh-huh."

"Whenever you're sad, I get sad too."

"Really daddy?"

"Yeah, really." And Wilbur proceeded to wrap his arms around his father's neck.

"Please, don't be sad daddy. See! I'm not sad anymore." Cornelius could only utter a small chuckle as the boy sniffed.

"You know what would make us feel better?" He asked, a hint of mischief in his voice.

"What?" Wlbur also whispered excitedly.

"A little ice cream."

"Won't mom get mad?"

"Not if she doesn't know." He put his son down and took his hand. "Come on. I know this great place by the park."

Wilbur could still remember it now. The way his father's hand had felt so large and warm…and so protective.


"Hey Wilbur! Snap out of it!"

"Huh? What? Oh…sorry, Lewis!" Wilbur takes the ice cream cone proffered to him. "Oh…you didn't have to get me anything."

The four Robinsons sit in the park, enjoying the sun and the cool morning breeze. Two of them, specifically Tallulah and Lazlo, sit a little off by themselves, an argument already in the works.

"No problem. Just think of it as a treat from father to son." Pain lances through Wilbur's chest, and it shows on his face. "Is something the matter?"

"Hahaha! That's an excellent question?" He licks the top off in one go. "Are you sure…I mean, I can give you some money. But i gotta warn you. You won't be able to use it for another thirty years or so."

He begins to rummage in his pocket, when Lewis notices his eyes widening.

"Oh no…" Wilbur states in a whisper. He looks between his legs. To the left and right. "Lewis, I need to go back to the house."

"But we just got here!"

"I'm sorry but I gotta go. Just a little emergency. I'll see ya later." Before he goes, Lewis catches his arm.

"Wilbur. There's something you haven't been telling me. I expect you to tell me. And you will tell me soon." He takes a few bills and hands them over. "Here's some money for the cab ride home. I wasn't expecting you to run all the way home now, was I?"

"…Thank you, Lewis."


The lab was now in shambles. Drawers were emptied, and their contents continue to pile up haphazardly on the floor.

Wilbur throws the pillows and blankets open. He kneels on the floor on all fours to look in the nooks and crannies under machines too heavy to lift. He rummages the garbage cans, sifting through mounds of discarded blue prints.

"Oh, God. Did I lose it?" The thought finally sinks in. "No! I couldn't have. I would never lose it! Think Wil Robinson! Think! Where else could it be?"

"Ahem…" His thoughts are broken by that familiar cough. His father's way of gaining his attention.

"Are you looking for this…by any chance?" Lewis waves the photo in the air.

"Please, Lewis. Give that back to me."

"Not unless you promise that you will tell me why you are here."

"I promise, so please, just hand it over." He grabs the photo and clutches it to his chest.

Lewis takes a seat by his desk, crossing both his arms and his legs. "I'm waiting."

Wilbur doesn't take his eyes off the photo. With his finger, he traces an imaginary line between his father and himself.

"You always were a smart kid, Lewis," he sighs. "So I might as well tell you."

Wilbur sits on the bed looking at the blond boy in front of him. "I didn't know the reason why...or the full story behind it all. To tell you the truth, everything's been a daze for me for the last week. But one thing is certain...my father…you, Lewis…you died."

Lewis hangs his head and sighs, "...I thought you were going to say that."