A/N: It took me a day or two to finish up this chapter. I had to re-revise it a couple times. I know very little about science, so part of this chapter I just winged it (winged it? wung it?). Since it did take me a bit, I'll try to get chapter 7 up soon, considering I already have it written up. I just have to edit it.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed re-writing it. lol

Disclaimer: Seriously, I don't own Meet the Robinsons

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: One of those Days

June 2020

Franny Robinson jolted awake, the nightmare slowly fading. She gasped for air, holding onto her chest as if to steady her heartrate. She sat up in bed for a moment, calming herself, then laid back. The young brunette rolled over, reaching a hand out to pull her husband close, only to find an empty space.

"Cornelius?" she said, her voice gravelly from sleep. There was no reply. "Honey?" she said, this time panic rising in her throat. She hastily clicked on a lamp and looked at his side of the bed; the covers were wrinkled and tossed to the side, indicating he most likely hadn't been able to sleep and made his escape a few hours prior. She sighed, realizing the sun was barely sticking out over the horizon. "What am I going to do with him?"

Franny tossed the covers off herself and dragged herself out of bed, knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. It seemed like all she was having lately was nightmares, and not the "monsters in your closet" nightmares, either. No, these dreams were far too vivid and realistic, but once she woke up she could never remember what they were about. Usually when she awoke from a night terror, Cornelius would immediately sense something was wrong, waking from his own peaceful sleep. He would pull her close, wiping away her tears as she drifted back to sleep. Now it seemed like he was never around to comfort her anymore and it was beginning to bother her.

Of course, Franny knew Cornelius was a very busy man-that happens when you're as successful as he, especially at such a young age-and she knew better than to ask him to come back to bed some nights. But on nights like this, she greatly yearned for her husband's affection.

Franny checked the time-5:46 A.M. She rubbed sleep out of her eyes as she pulled on a red dress with white pinstripes, slid on her heels, and made her way downstairs.

As soon as she hit the bottom step, she instantly regretted it.

"Franny! Franny! Look at my new dress I got yesterday!" young Tallulah said, tugging on her cousin's dress.

"Pff. That's nothing. Look at my painting," Lazlo said, holding up a remarkably well-done picture. Ah, the wonderful sound of siblings competing for attention. Franny knew that sound all too well.

Franny forced a smile. "They both look great. Why are you awake?"

"Mom and dad are taking us to the zoo today. They told us to get up early."

Fritz came down the stairs grunting while Petunia belittled him with each step. He yawned, seemingly ignoring her.

"Oh, well that sounds exciting. You kids have fun, okay. I'm going to go look for Cornelius."

"He already left for work, dear," Lucille's soft voice said interrupting her thoughts. Franny turned to face her mother-in-law, seeing Art sipping something out of a mug behind her.

"What are you doing up this early? I thought it was your day off," Franny said addressing her brother.

Art shook his head. "I couldn't sleep with all the noise." Franny smiled at him knowingly. She loved her cousins, but they were always bickering from the moment they woke up.

Franny looked back at Lucille. "He's already left? He doesn't usually leave until six."

Her mother-in-law nodded. "I saw him on his way out this morning. He left about an hour ago. Said he had a very important project at work he needed to work on." Lucille smiled, seeing the disappointed shadow on the young brunette's face. She put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, dear. Would you like some breakfast? I'm making pancakes."

Franny crossed her arms and half smiled. "Pancakes sound lovely."

"I told you, Dr. Ekhardt, these blueprints are incorrect. I would know because I designed them," Cornelius said, spreading out a design for his newest invention; the flying car, he believed, would his greatest invention yet, but so far none of his young employees or interns seemed to be able to share his vision.

Dr. Ekhardt, a balding heavier set man in his mid-fifties, stood a few feet away from the blonde inventor's desk, knowing if he stepped into the crossfire he would get burned. "Cornelius, we've looked over these designs a dozen times. The thrust would simply not be enough force to get this thing off the ground. It would have to weight about a ton less than what your design shows."

Cornelius scowled at the older man. "Did you just come up here to tell me I'm wrong?" He looked back at the paper, frowning. "No, no, no. The math is all wrong. Who did you have look draw this up?"

The older man looked Cornelius up and down. "Robert Berkman, like you instructed Mr. Robinson."

Cornelius growled in frustration. "I hired him for his exceptional credentials and he can't even get the math correct on a diagram I designed? He has one job, which is to draw up blueprints," he said, throwing his hands up into the air. "Where's the original design?"

Dr. Ekhardt took a hesitant step back. "I believe it got shredded." Cornelius' face turned red. "Cornelius, are you okay?"

Cornelius ran his hand through his hair, exhaling through his nose. It was like the universe was conspiring against him to make him go insane. "Just peachy. Why do you ask?"

"Well, for one thing I've never heard you speak poorly of anyone, intern or otherwise. For another, your face is beat red. Is something wrong, other than this design?"

Cornelius balled his hands into fists and shoved them into his pockets. "No. Maybe. I don't know," he said, flopping down into his desk chair. "I may own this company, but I still have deadlines, and the prototype hasn't even been started yet."

Dr. Ekhardt nodded. "Of course, sir." He paused. "Trouble with the wife?" he asked knowingly, the face on Cornelius' the same he made when his wife constantly nagged him.

Cornelius shot him daggers. "Why would you even assume that I'm having marital problems? Franny and I have never been happier."

The older man's face paled as he stood there, unable to move. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. You just…seemed upset is all. You know how women can be," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I don't know. My wife has nothing to do with my frustration." Cornelius was getting angry; how dare someone even suggest the notion that his wife would make him unhappy? He had never been happier in his life since he married the woman of his dreams.

"Point taken," Dr. Ekhardt said, his voice slightly shaking. "I guess I'll be going then."

He turned to go, but Cornelius stopped him. "Yes. And take this damn blueprint back to Berkman and make tell him I said to correct this mess," he said, crumpling the paper and tossing it to Ekhardt. The older man caught in and bolted out the door.

Cornelius sat fuming; why no one seemed to be doing there job correctly today was beyond him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then peeked over his round glasses to look at the frame on his desk. He hummed as he picked it up, his thumb moving over the image of him and Franny on their wedding day. He smiled, remembering just how soft her lips had been under his as they had their first kiss as husband and wife, the image now permanently captured in the picture frame.

A soft smile played on Cornelius' lips as he set the photograph back down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, hitting the holo-call button. It rang three times before she finally answered, her face projected above the small black phone.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, a huge grin on her face. "How's work?"

He sighed. "It's work." Cornelius noticed the white coat she was wearing. "What are you up to?"

"I just happened to be in the lab today and I think I might've just had a breakthrough," she said eagerly.

"Should you be in the lab? You're pregnant," he said, concerned.

"I haven't touched a single chemical all day," she chuckled, holding up her hand in an honorary fashion. "Anyway, did you need something? You don't usually call me from work."

Cornelius looked sheepish. "No, not really. It's just-it's been a rough day and I needed a pick-me-up."

"Oh, so I'm the pick-me-up?" she smirked.

He shrugged. "Maybe." She stared at him, leaning against one hand, waiting for him to continue. "It just seems like nothing today wants to cooperate with me. First the car almost broke down on me this morning, then Berkman screws up my blueprints…maybe I should just go home. See if it gets better tomorrow." She waited for him to continue. He tapped his finger on the desk, mentally deciding on it. "Yeah. I'm coming home. I'll be there soon."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Okay, honey. I love you," she said, blowing him a kiss.

He pretended to catch it and replied, "I love you more." He disconnected the call.

Cornelius pushed a button on his desk and said into a microphone, "Attention, Robinson Industries. This is Cornelius Robinson. I'm leaving for the day, so just remember: Keep Moving Forward!" He took his hand off the button, grabbed his briefcase and left.

Cornelius walked up to the front door and was just about to open it when a rather young-looking man popped out from a potted plant, causing Cornelius to jump about a foot in the air.

"Hey, you should ring my doorbell," the one on the right said.

"No, ring this one," an identical man said from the other potted plant across the way.

Cornelius did a double take; where did they come from? They weren't there before he left for work. Suddenly a memory from the very depths of his brain reminded him that their names were Spike and Dimitri. He mentally slapped himself; how could he forget about them?

"Spike, Dimitri," Cornelius said, reaching for the doorknob again. "I live here. I don't ring doorbells."

Both men instantly quit their bickering and stared at him. "Hey, we didn't tell you our names."

He smirked at them. "I know everything," he said, closing the door behind him. "I'm home," he called, hanging his coat up on a rack.

"Hey, son," Bud said, coming out of the kitchen. "You're home early today."

Cornelius shrugged. "I couldn't concentrate. Where's Franny? Still up in the lab?"

"Oh, yeah. She's been in there all day. Hasn't even come down for lunch."

"Thanks, dad," Cornelius said over his shoulder, already ascending the stairs.

"Franny?" he called out, opening the door to the lab. He climbed up the stairs and spotted her at a table slouched over a notepad. The young inventor tiptoed over to his wife, leaning over her shoulder and kissing her cheek. "You know," he said, laughing when she jumped a foot in the air. "You look incredibly sexy in a lab coat."

Franny turned around and lightly slapped him on his chest. "Cornelius," she groaned. "You know better than to sneak up on a black belt."

"Yeah, but it's still funny," he said, pulling her in for a kiss. When he pulled away he said, "You said you had a breakthrough? Let's hear it," he said excitedly, ready to put the day's stresses on the back burner.

Franny's heart fluttered at the way Cornelius looked at her when she talked about her frogs. He had never once called her crazy, only that she was right, which was why she fell in love with him in the first place. She nodded eagerly, walking over to a table and pulling a frog out of a large tank, her heels clicking the entire way. Cornelius cocked his head; he could tell her feet were slightly swollen, yet she refused to wear sensible shoes. He smiled. Stubborn woman.

"I was thinking earlier about how bodybuilders often use steroids to increase their muscle mass. Well, then I thought, what if I injected a tiny portion directly into their vocal sacs. I've been looking at diagrams all week of frog anatomy, so I would know where to inject, and, well…have a listen." She held up the frog the way a child would present a new toy, eyes wide and cheeks red from grinning.

Cornelius looked at her intently as she spoke, listening closely to every word. He nodded his head, intrigued with the idea of using external hormones to increase the function of the frogs' vocal cords.

"Go on, Donnie, sing for me," Franny coaxed the frog, stroking its back. It croaked. "Hmm, maybe if I turned on some music he'll respond," she said, putting a song on the jukebox that sat in the corner. A tune began playing softly for a minute or so, the frog seeming to croak along to the music. Then suddenly came a long "La" from its mouth. Franny and Cornelius gasped simultaneously and looked at each other. "It worked!" Franny shouted excitedly.

"This is fantastic, Franny," Cornelius said. "When did you think of that?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I've actually been contemplating using hormones since you suggested modifying their DNA structure. I figured a more natural enhancement would work effectively," she said.

"I always knew you were right about this," Cornelius said, pride written on his face.

"Of course I'm right," Franny teased placing the frog gently back into the tank. "I'm always right." Cornelius snickered. "I think with a few more doses they'll be singing in no time."

Cornelius nodded. "We'll see how it goes. If it doesn't work, we can always try something else." Franny nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said, his face falling slightly. At least Franny had had a productive day.

Sensing his change in mood, she took his hand in hers and looked up at him. "What is it, honey? You've been drawing into yourself lately. Where is your mind?"

He met her gaze, the warm expression projected upon him making him feel guilty. She was the only one who could see right through him, even when his mother couldn't (and she was an extremely perceptive woman). "I don't know. I wish I knew. It's just," he said, about to tell her that something about her pregnancy didn't feel right to him, but thought better of it and instead continued with, "everything at work is weighing heavily on my mind. Berkman completely messed up my blueprints for the flying car design, even though I told him specifically to copy down my exact equations." He sighed. "I think he might be trying to sabotage me. Now I have to do it all over again."

"Berkman? You mean that snobby little intern that just graduated from grad school?"

"Yes, that's the one. He thinks he knows everything," he grumbled.

Franny smiled, putting a hand on Cornelius' cheek. "Don't think about him. You're home now. Everything will work out, I promise," she said, pulling him down and touching her lips to his.

He very briefly deepened the kiss, then pressed their foreheads together. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"More than you will ever know," she said, bringing their lips together once more.