A/N - I promised myself that I wouldn't let anymore Tallulah and Carl interaction happen but then last night when I was writing this, me and Robin (doodlegirll) started talking about all of the Tallulah and Carl interactions in the movie and I couldn't stop it from creeping into this chapter! I'm so sorry to those who think I'm completely nuts :P I hope I was able to keep my fingers in check at least a little bit. Other than that, hope it's enjoyable. Only 3 more chapters to go. Happy Christmas Eve Day!

Chapter 9

Wilbur made his way to the lower level of his bedroom. He headed toward his door, but stopped when he suddenly noticed that Carl was hiding behind one of his bean bags. "Carl, what are you doing?"

"Shh!" Carl hushed sharply.

"Don't shush me! Why are you hiding in my room?"

"Dancing ladies," Carl answered with a whisper.

"Dancing ladies?" Wilbur had no clue what his mechanical friend was talking about.

"Yes, now keep it down or they'll hear you. There are nine ladies dancing around out there and they all want me to dance with them!"

"And that's bad? Come on, Carl. What happened to your dream of being a ladies robot or making the teapot whistle? Or does this have to do with you know who?" Wilbur asked, wiggling his eyebrows a little.

"I don't know any who's," Carl answered sarcastically. "And this has to do with the fact that there are NINE different ladies and EACH of them wants me to dance with them and I'm only ONE robot!"

"Okay, okay, don't short circuit. Just tell them to take a number," Wilbur suggested flippantly.

"Boy, I can't wait until you start dating," Carl said in an annoyed manner. "You don't just tell women to take a number. And besides, I don't dance anyway so why would I…ahh!" The door opened and the nine ladies came dancing in one by one, all dancing ballet. "No ladies, please!" Carl cried as they surrounded him, pulling him this way and that between them.

"You didn't say they were dancing ballet," Wilbur said, not helping matters.

"Tell them to stop!" Carl extended his neck above the ladies and said to Wilbur.

"And why would they listen to me?" Wilbur asked.

"Well, do something!"

"I'll go find dad. In the meantime, no dancing in my room!" Wilbur commanded and left in a hurry.

------------

"Slow down, Wilbur," Cornelius said with a slight laugh, trying to understand what his son was saying.

"I said, Carl is being forced to dance ballet with nine different ladies at once…and what's worse, to no music!" Wilbur exclaimed.

"This I have to see," Cornelius laughed again.

"Yeah, me too!" Laszlo, who was also in the lab, said and they followed Wilbur out.

Sure enough, Carl was in the foyer as all of the nine ladies danced around, dragging him this way and that as they did. "Do you ever stop?" he tried to ask but they just didn't respond to anything it seemed.

"Carl, what's going on?" Franny, Billie and Tallulah asked as they passed by together.

"They won't stop dancing!" Carl answered frantically.

"You mean that you got nine ladies a dancing for your gift?" Billie asked in confusion.

"Apparently," Carl was pushed out of the midst of the dancers and straight into Tallulah and Franny. Tallulah helped him steady himself. "Thanks. I don't understand why I got nine dancing ladies. I never even asked for one."

"Carl…" Wilbur corrected.

"Okay, I might have asked for one, but I never meant something like this."

"Just tell them to stop," Franny suggested.

"They don't listen," Carl replied quickly. "They just keep dancing and pulling me back…" Carl was cut short as two of the ladies pulled him back into the dance, although he attempted to hold on to anything he could for dear life, but it didn't work. "Okay, I guess I'm dancing again."

"Poor Carl," Billie said with pity evident in her voice.

"Not if it's what he asked for. In that case, he got what he deserves," Tallulah responded coldly.

"None of us have asked for any of these gifts. Someone was probably just trying to help Carl in the female department and went a little overboard," Franny said in Carl's defense.

"I'll say," Tallulah said, crossing her arms as she did.

"I say vwe help him somehow. No man or robot can handle that many vwomen at one time," Billie insisted.

"But how do we do that?" Tallulah asked.

"I know," Franny said, an idea coming to her. She pushed her way into the group of dancers and began dancing alongside them, much to Cornelius' amusement, as he had already guessed her plan. Before long, she had pushed the ladies aside and had taken to dancing with Carl instead, trying to guide him to safety. However, it didn't last long because he was soon stolen away from his new dance partner and in the arms of one of the other ladies again.

This time, Billie and Tallulah took to the notion and joined the cause. The three women competed with the dancers for Carl as a partner and attempted to share him back and forth between them until the ladies would give up. Unfortunately, this didn't work so they then began forming a human chain in hopes to get him out that way, but again the dancing ladies wouldn't hear of it. Everything they tried failed, all while some of the rest of the family looked on.

"Okay, this is getting absolutely ridiculous!" Tallulah finally exclaimed. "Listen, ladies, give it a break! Go find nine lords leaping somewhere."

"And if they come tomorrow, there'll be ten for you to fight over," Wilbur joked.

Suddenly the ladies stopped dancing and looked at one another eagerly, whispering amongst themselves. "You can still dance," Cornelius interjected. "Just don't force Carl to anymore."

The ladies sighed in unison and nodded. "Yes! Freedom! Thank you everyone!" Carl moved as far away from the dancers as he could.

"Sooo…" Wilbur asked wryly, "what has this gift taught you?"

"I'm not really sure, but I can tell you this, from now on I'm just fine with not making the teapot whistle," Carl answered and everyone laughed.

"That's the spirit, Carl," Wilbur cheered. "Who needs girls anyways?"

"I'd like to hear that again in a year from now," Carl said sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm a lone free ranger," Wilbur said, pointing to himself with his thumb quite smugly. "Nothing but my way or the highway for me."

"Is that so?" Carl asked as he and Cornelius and Franny exchanged a glance between them. Cornelius and Franny nodded and Carl pushed Wilbur into the midst of where the ladies had begun dancing again.

"No! I don't want to dance!" Wilbur yelled. "Help!"