A/N: Here it is, like promised. I know last chapter ended on kind of an odd note, but I promise it'll all make sense soon. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Meet the Robinsons

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Thank you. :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Gender Reveal

Mid-July 2020

Cornelius tried his very hardest from that day on to go to spend more time with his wife; he had realized that whenever he was away from her for too long his ideas became elementary and he couldn't concentrate on his work. He had fired Robert Berkman on the grounds of plagiarism several days ago, finding out he had tried to change a thing or two on the flying car design and attempted to slap his name on it. The kid had even had the gall to try to sell it to another inventions company. Fortunately for Cornelius, Robinson Industries was contracted with that same corporation, and had immediately let him go as soon as he was reported.

Cornelius had been furious when he found out; he had always been a kind and loyal superior, leading aspiring inventors into the future through his head work and desire to improve the world. Finding out an employee would betray him was like finding out his wife had cheated. It was a crushing blow, causing him to lose more sleep than normal. But he could never rest, the disloyalty now resting on his conscience replacing concern over Franny's pregnancy.

He vowed to be by Franny's side whenever he could be and swore up and down to her he would seriously try to stop staying up so late. Of course, there were nights when he would be drifting off to sleep, but would jolt awake, his mind restlessly calculating the impossible when it wasn't thinking about Berkman. Then there were nights like tonight, when every drop of sweat, every chest pain, and every fake smile was worth it.

Cornelius stroked his hand up and down Franny's bare back, smiling at the way goosebumps raised on her skin after each motion. She lay contentedly on her side, looking up at him. He couldn't resist leaning down and kissing her nose, making her giggle.

"I've been thinking," Franny said, her voice gravelly after making love for the third time in a row (who knew pregnant women were so insatiable?).

"Oh?" Cornelius asked, entwining their hands together.

"Mhm. I've been thinking about names."

"Really? I'm surprised you haven't had one picked out since you were in high school," he chuckled. "We don't even know the sex yet."

She nodded. "I know, but I chose a name for both. Just in case."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"So, Thomas if it's a boy and Matilda if it's a girl," she said, playing with the ring on his hand.

Cornelius hummed. "I like them," he said, tapping her nose. "May I suggest one?"

"Of course, honey. It's your baby, too," Franny said laughing.

"What about Wilbur," he said, tossing the name into the mix.

Franny tilted her head. "Wilbur?" The name felt funny on her tongue, yet oddly familiar.

Cornelius shrugged. "It's a good strong name. Wilbur Robinson. It just sounds so…established," he laughed.

Franny thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I do like it. Hm. Wilbur," she said, rubbing her hand over her belly. Cornelius put his hand over hers, gazing in awe at her tummy; she was a very thin woman, but she hadn't really started to show until recently, truly solidifying the fact that she was pregnant. He shimmied down and placed a kiss on her belly.

"And just for the record, if it is a girl, I love the name Matilda," he said, looking up at her. In his heart he felt he knew it was a boy, but like his future self had said, nothing is set in stone. Still that feeling of uncertainty hung over his head.

"I can't wait until tomorrow," she said excitedly. "I have a feeling it's a boy, but I wouldn't at all be upset if we were having a little princess."

"Okay, Franny. Go ahead and lift up your shirt for me," Dr. Shelton said, turning on the ultrasound machine.

Hands trembling slightly, she did as the doctor told her, her small baby bump looking very large in the cramped room. Of course, the entire Robinson family had come in for this appointment, not able to hide their curiosity over who was going to be joining the Robinson clan. They had decided to tag along the minute Franny had made the appointment.

Their guesses were split down the middle, the females in the house obviously rooting for a baby girl and the men hoping for a mini Cornelius. The inventor had heard them already taking bets when they were taken from the waiting room.

Cornelius looked at his wife, her eyes happy but her body tense. If her were being honest, he was probably more nervous than she was. This whole pregnancy had had him on edge for the past three months, but he was excited. After all he had always wanted a family of his own, and if it was a big family, well, the bigger the better, he thought. He squeezed her hand and she glanced at him before looking back at Dr. Shelton.

The machine warmed up as the doctor smeared clear gel on Franny's tummy. She grabbed the probe and began massaging it on Franny's belly. "Are you excited," Dr. Shelton said offhandedly.

"Could you tell?" Franny giggled. Cornelius had started noticing she would giggle whenever she was nervous, a trait that made his heart beat faster.

"Wonderful," the older woman said, the black and white image twirling around on the screen, which read "Baby Robinson" on top in white letters. They had chosen the old fashion route, opting out of the three-dimensional ultrasound, wanting to keep the baby's looks a surprise. "Okay," she said, pausing over a large white lump, measuring it with the tool in her hand and saying, "this is the head." The Robinsons looked intently at the screen, never disconnecting their gaze. Dr. Shelton continued finding new little body parts, measuring them, and announcing what they were. Finally, she asked, "Would you like to know the sex?" She laughed when they both nodded eagerly. She chuckled. "Are we rooting for a boy or girl?"

"Boy," they said without hesitation.

"Interesting," Dr. Shelton said smirking. "I hope you two aren't disappointed." Franny tilted her head. The doctor smiled. "Congratulations. It's a girl."

Franny's face lit up. "Really? Oh, honey," she said, looking up at Cornelius. "A girl!" she exclaimed.

Cornelius' body went completely still. All he could do was stare at Dr. Shelton as his stomach dropped. "A girl?" he whispered.

In that moment, Cornelius no longer suspected something was wrong; this time he knew. A horrible feeling passed over him as he stared at the black and white image on the screen. He saw Franny out of the corner of his eye smiling up at him so proudly, the look of "Look what we've made together" plastered on her face. He felt his heart break into a million pieces, almost foreseeing the heartbreak that would ensue. Wilbur still existed in the future, that much was certain; he was the one thing that did seem to be set in stone. Surely the future would have changed since Franny was already pregnant, but the thirteen-year-old had confirmed his suspicions, stating he was still an only child.

He looked down at Franny, trying his best to force a smile, because he knew, deep down, this baby was never meant to be.

A chorus of "Well?" came as soon as they came out of the triage. Cornelius rolled his eyes. "You know, you didn't all need to come today," he mumbled.

"But we were curious," Tallulah said from her father's lap.

Franny was beaming. "It's a," she paused for dramatic effect. The room went silent, their eyes completely focused on the brunette, hanging on her every word. "Girl," she finally revealed, holding up the small ultrasound photograph.

"So, Franny," Bud said, taking a sip of his sparkling water. "Have you got a name picked out?"

Franny nodded. "Cornelius and I decided we like the name Matilda," she said, twirling her spaghetti onto her fork. A toy train raced around the table, stopping in front of her so she could grab the parmesan and pickles. "Carl, can I get some onions?" she said offhandedly, the glancing every few seconds over at her husband.

"You got it," Carl said, heading for the kitchen.

"She's so cute!" Tallulah said, holding the ultrasound photo away from her brother.

"I want to see," Lazlo said, reaching over her.

"Kids, please be careful with that," Franny said sternly.

"Sorry," they mumbled, sinking embarrassedly into their seats.

Lucille laughed at the kids' expressions before looking at Franny. "Oh, Matilda. What a lovely name," she commented, looking over at her son. He sat staring at his plate, spinning his fork mindlessly. "Cornelius?"

"Hmm?" he said, not looking up.

"You've barely touched your dinner. Is everything alright?"

He lifted his head and, now noticing everyone staring at him, faked a smile. He really wished people would stop asking him that. "I'm fine. Just tired is all. There's a lot of great things happening at work right now, big things," he lied.

"Okay, dear. Well, we're very excited for you and your upcoming work, but weren't you listening to our conversation at all?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Matilda. She'll fit in perfectly. Matilda Robinson," he rambled.

Franny laughed. "And here I was so sure it was going to be a boy." She took a bite of her pasta.

Cornelius felt his heart wrench. He had been so certain, even though it hadn't made any sense, that this baby would be male. The thought struck him: everything will make sense soon. He frowned. Wilbur was right, it was a cryptic message. Note to self: go back in time and give myself a pep talk, he thought bitterly.

He shook his head and forced himself to eat.

"Honey?" Franny said softly, pulling back the sheets on her side of the bed.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Cornelius said, avoiding her gaze.

"Something is wrong," she stated.

"What? No there isn't," he said, climbing in bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Franny crossed her arms. "Yes, there is. You know I'm right."

He sighed, knowing better than to argue with her. "Honey, come here," he said, extending his arm. He saw her expression soften as she laid down in the crook of his arm. "I'm sorry," he said, kissing her temple.

He was worrying her. "Cornelius," she began, placing a hand on his chest. "Are you-are you not happy that we're having a girl?"

His throat became tight; he swallowed and looked her right in the eye. "Of course I'm happy. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Well, for one thing, you've hardly said a word since we found out. I thought you'd be ecstatic." A small smile played at her lips. "I can just see it now. Matilda is going to be such a daddy's girl."

Franny's grin was infectious; the image of holding his little girl, even for a brief moment, tugged at his heartstrings. He wondered if she would look like him or be another spitting image of Franny. Cornelius mindlessly began rubbing circles on her stomach. He grinned tightly, shoving any negative thoughts deep into the back of his mind. "I bet she'll look just like you."

She gazed lovingly at her husband, the sharp features of his face softening under her stare. "I don't know," she laughed, "I was hoping she would take after you, with those beautiful blue eyes of yours and your-well, maybe not your hair." She covered her mouth to hide her giggles as he frowned at her. "I think she'll definitely have the family cowlick."

"She wouldn't be a Robinson if she didn't," he smirked.

"Why isn't it working?" Franny grunted in frustration. She glowered at the frog as it continued to croak. She had given the amphibian several small doses of hormones within the week, believing it would strengthen the vocal cords, but Franny had been upset to discover that it was only effective the first time. She leaned on one hand on the table the frogs sat on top of, her other hand heavily stroking her belly. The brunette sat down in a nearby chair, kicking off her heels. "It's never going to work," she grumbled to herself.

"Franny?" she heard from the bottom of the stairs. She turned and saw a blond tuft of hair gradually coming closer until her husband's face came into view, tight and devoid of emotion.

"Hi, honey," she called, not bothering to smile.

He frowned. "Franny, is everything alright up here? You look angry."

She sighed in frustration. "It's not working, sweetheart. I thought the hormone treatment would work, but it seems like they've stopped responding to it." She relaxed as he began rubbing her shoulders.

"It's okay, honey. I told you we could always go with the restructuring of their DNA route."

"Did something happen at work?" she asked, hearing the tightness in his voice.

"I don't want to worry you," Cornelius said, his hands pausing the massage. Franny waited patiently for him to bite out, "Robert Berkman is threatening to sue. Says I fired him based on false accusations." He rolled his eyes. "Like he even has a case; he tried to plagiarize my work."

Franny sat still, her eyes focused on the wall in front of her as she listened intently to her husband's bitter words. "You don't think he even has a slight chance of winning?"

"Him? No, he's too arrogant to realize his firing was perfectly fair. I'm not worried," he said, his hands going back to work.

I am, Franny thought. It didn't matter if the kid's ego was too big for his own good, there was still a possibility her could win. It was a small possibility, but probable nonetheless. He could definitely afford the lawyer fees with all the money he had made from his one and only invention: the hologram capable cell phone (which, of course, Robinson Industries itself had distributed for him). She felt a tightening in her stomach, her hand instinctively resting on her lower abdomen.

"Don't worry, honey," Cornelius said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "I'll take care of it, I promise."