A/N: Please don't kill me.

This chapter ends on a good note, I swear. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Meet the Robinsons, thank you very much.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9: The "D" Word

Late 2020

Franny had fallen into a horrible depression; everyone noticed, but no one dared say anything. Whenever she would finally come out of her room in the afternoon, she would go to the kitchen, eat about one bite of food, then hole herself up in the nursery, staring vacantly at the little green frogs on the wall. Cornelius had seen it firsthand, unlike the rest of the family who just thought she was a little down. At night, right before he would drift off to sleep, he would hear the faint sound of her crying from the other side of the bed. He continued trying to ask her what was wrong, but she never responded. He realized eventually that she was crying in her sleep but was mostly too exhausted to wake her up from her bad dream.

Then in the mornings, before he would leave for work, he would wake up to her peaceful face and try to kiss her, but she would turn her head, making him miss, instead kissing her cheek. When he came home from work he would, very rarely, find her passing through the living room and would try to greet her, but she would immediately avert her gaze and quicken her pace, as though she were embarrassed that she had been spotted by him.

The family had noticed her absence more and more as the weeks went on, no one wanting to say anything, afraid that either she or Cornelius would go off on them for being so insensitive. Then there were the children; Lazlo was old enough to know better than to ask why Franny was always crying, but Tallulah on the other hand…

The little girl was so curious about everything, Franny's sudden change in behavior not going unnoticed by her. On a rare occasion when Franny had decided to join the family for dinner, Tallulah pulled out a small object from her pocket and held it up for her older cousin to see. "Hey, Franny, look what I found," she said waving the object.

Franny looked up, her fork pausing halfway to her mouth, which was now in a small "o."

Cornelius felt his breath hitch as the table went silent. "Tallulah, where did you get that?" he said, his voice tight.

"I found it on the floor in the hallway," she said a bit too defensively. "Why don't you ever talk about Matilda anymore?" she said, laying the ultrasound photo on the table. Art quickly grabbed the picture and handed it to his sister. Franny's face turned down in a noticeable frown; she practically ripped it out of her brother's hand and stood up. Her chair tipped over, thudding loudly in the large space as she ran out of the room.

"Franny, wait," Cornelius called after her.

"What did I say?" Tallulah asked in shock.

"Tallulah," Cornelius bit out, making the little girl shrink in her chair. "Why did you have that? You should've given it back to one of us."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Never mind," he said, getting up and running after his wife.

Fritz looked disapprovingly at his daughter. "We need to have a little talk after dinner."

"Should we go talk to her?" Gaston asked his brother worriedly.

Art shook his head. "No. This is something she and Cornelius need to work through together."

Cornelius ran after Franny, half expecting her to bolt toward the nursery, but was surprised when she shoved open the back door and sprinted to the little dirt patch on the hill. Instead of calling after her, afraid he would scare her off, he followed her as closely as possible, observing her from afar.

She stood there, looking down where the box was buried, her hands in fist. Why hadn't she been more careful with that picture? If someone had thrown it away or it had gotten lost, she would never be able to forgive herself. Franny looked down at the picture longingly, tracing a finger along the white lines. Cornelius watched as she fell to her knees and cried.

A few months passed, and Franny found herself becoming increasingly more restless as the days went on; the one thing she never really thought she would have had been ripped from her grasp far too soon, and it broke her. For the first few weeks she had been in a trance, never truly seeing anything or feeling anything but pain. The only thing she did seem to pick up on was Cornelius; he would come home, try to kiss her, then head up to the lab without another word. Her heart broke more and more as the time passed, her mind wandering to a dark place whenever their eyes met. She could see it in his eyes-the disappointment and sorrow, and she always ended up averting her gaze before he could speak up.

She thought he was distancing himself, ready to move on, but she wasn't. Franny knew Cornelius wasn't really the type to dwell on anything too long-after all his motto was "Keep Moving Forward"-but on the other hand, he never had a family of his own. Sure, he was adopted, but there was always that nagging thought in the back of his mind that told him he wanted his own flesh and blood to love and care for. The distance that was forming between them was tangible, and everyone had noticed.

Tallulah, as much as they loved the spunky little girl, loved to interrogate them, asking them why they hadn't spoken all night at dinner or why they sat on opposite sides of the living room on movie nights. They all would look at her, reprimanding the thoughtless comments, then glance at Franny and Cornelius. Most nights they would fake a smile and say exactly one sentence to each other, then go back to their original task. Then there were the particularly difficult nights when they couldn't even connect gazes, and one of them would find it too hard to come up with any explanation, then just leave.

Little did Franny know, however, that Cornelius was trying-trying so hard to connect with her, to make love with her, to something. The sorrow that she had fallen into was making her distance herself, not noticing when her husband would smile at her from across the room or try to kiss her goodnight. In fact, whenever he did try to get close to her, he never saw bitterness, only sadness. It was like she was trying to push him away, but he couldn't understand. He loved his wife far too much to let something like this tear them apart, especially not after everything they had been through together.

Franny had fallen hopelessly in love with Cornelius right around thirteen, her girlish crush turning into something so much more. No one believed she was in love, considering she was barely a teenager, but she knew what she was feeling. They started dating when Cornelius turned eighteen, taking her out on the most romantic dates he could imagine, buying her flowers on Tuesdays because he thought about her on his way home from either work or teaching a class. After only a couple of months of dating Franny knew she wanted to marry this man, but he had other plans. Cornelius knew that Franny had bigger dreams than to just get married and settle down, so he made a deal with her: he would marry her, but only after she graduated college. At first Franny had resented the idea, but after careful consideration, she agreed, knowing Cornelius only wanted the best for her. She finished grad school at twenty three, just a few months prior to her fiancé's birthday, and the entire family pitched in to plan the most elaborate, perfect wedding Franny could imagine.

The thought came to Franny occasionally, thanking her lucky stars that she had someone so completely committed to making her happy that she often wondered what she did to deserve him. Memories like this would hit her so hard sometimes that she often forgot what she was doing. Lately, though, the recollections would crush her, thinking back to the past few months as Cornelius would come home and bolt for the lab. She didn't know why he had been up there so much as of late, but she knew deep in her gut that something had changed.

Early February 2021

Cornelius slaved away, from the moment he got home to the moment he passed out on the couch in the lab to make Franny's frogs sing. His heart was a shattered mess from the distance Franny was creating between them, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let this ruin his marriage-other than his parents, she was the only person he had ever loved so much in his entire life, which was why he tried so hard to make her dreams come true. Sometimes he would come home and find pages of notes on his desk, theories and experiments written down in neat script, laying out the process for him. Cornelius didn't tell Franny (not that she'd listen) that he had been working on her project, nor did he intend to. Their one-year anniversary was coming up very soon and he wanted to make it exceedingly special for the love of his life.

Cornelius poured everything he had into making his wife happy, and before he knew it, after adding the final touches, he knew he had achieved the impossible. The frogs went from croaking along with the music, to humming, to singing "La" to the melodies, to, at long last, singing full compositions.

After figuring out the most effective method of manipulating DNA, Cornelius tested on Donnie, a small frog he knew that Franny had been working with, not wanting to ruin Frankie's potential should the experiments go horribly wrong. Once the procedure was implemented, he did the same to Frankie, who now stood before him on his hind legs.

"Hey, boss, when are we gonna make our debut?" the amphibian said.

Cornelius couldn't help but smile at how far his communication skills had come along. "Soon, I promise. You guys need more practice before the world sees you."

"I know, but we haven't even learned any songs yet," Donnie's small voice came from behind the head of the group. "Well, I mean, we know one…"

Cornelius shook his head. "I promise, when you're ready I'll show you off. For now," he said, clicking a button on the wall, "practice as much as you can." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really know all that much about music, so you're just going to have to play it by ear."

Frankie shot him a thumbs up. "You got it, boss."

The blond inventor smiled, hanging up his lab coat and heading downstairs. He stepped quietly into his bedroom, noticing Franny lying on the bed with her back facing him. She appeared to be asleep, so he tiptoed over to the bed and climbed in, careful not to jostle her. He gazed at her still form; her chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm, her hair wrapped neatly in a ballet style bun, her dress wrinkled under her body weight. He frowned, wondering how tired she must've been to fall asleep in her clothes, considering it was only about 8:30. Early for the both of them.

He sighed, gently lifting her to pull her dress off, replacing it with a silk nightgown. He reached down and pulled her shoes off her small feet, laying them on the floor silently. When he looked at her, his breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful this way, free of worry and pain, her face that of an angel's. He smiled to himself, leaning down and kissing her soft lips before wrapping his arm around her small frame and drifting into an exhaustion-induced slumber.

Mid-February 2021

"That'll be $9.50," a young red-headed woman said, touching the screen on her register. Cornelius smiled, swiping his hand over the scanner. A blue light scanned his hand and beeped, signifying the transaction was complete. He felt a swell of pride as he looked at the machine, a Robinson original. "Here you go," she said, smiling and handing him his receipt.

"Thank you very much," he said, grinning down at her, making the girl blush and giggle softly. He picked up the bouquet of red roses, Franny's favorite, and made his way to his car. On the drive home, all he could think about was how desperately he wanted to spend time with his beloved wife, but whenever he tried she always pushed him away. Well, not today. No, today he was going to spoil her rotten with all the love and affection he was planning on showering her with.

He pulled in the driveway, quickly grabbing the flowers and walking up toward the front door. "No, I will not ring your doorbell," he said as he pushed open the front door. Dimitri's mouth closed before a word came out and sank back into his pot.

"Hey there, son," Bud said from the couch. "You're home early." He eyed the roses and smiled. "Oh, I wonder who those are for," he said, winking.

Cornelius chuckled and shook his head. "Have you seen Franny?"

"She's up in her room." His face fell a bit. "Said she wanted to be left alone."

Cornelius felt his smile falter. "She says that every day." He turned to go up the stairs. "Not today," he muttered.

"Franny?" Cornelius said opening his bedroom door. He had the biggest grin on his face and he wasn't going to let Franny's harsh words hurt him today. Instead he was going to try to make her smile again. How he missed that smile…

He looked at the bed, where Franny usually was when he came home lately, but she wasn't there. "Franny?" he tried again, hearing a soft sigh coming from the other side of the room. There she sat on the couch staring at the black TV screen. "There you are, honey," he said, bending down and kissing the top of her head. She didn't even try to avoid him, she just sat there unmoving. "How was your day?"

She didn't say anything right away, just breathed in and out steadily. She seemed to be mentally steeling herself for something, showing no emotion on her young features.

"Honey?"

"I want a divorce," she whispered softly, those four words shattering the silence. The roses fell to the ground behind Cornelius, thudding quietly.

"What?" he stammered.

"I said," she said, looking up at him, "I want a d-divorce," she choked out.

Cornelius felt his soul fly out of his body at her words. A divorce? The word hit him in a way nothing ever had. He thought they had been doing better-he tried showing her affection whenever she would let him, but he didn't think she was thinking about splitting up. His chest tightened as she looked away, a tear spilling over her cheek. He reached out to wipe it away, but stopped, not knowing what to do or say. He swallowed, not able to do much more than stare at her as she pulled her knees up to her chest. As if reading his mind, she angrily thumbed the stray tear away.

"Franny-"

"No, Cornelius. I'm sorry, but…this isn't working." She sounded like she was forcing herself to sound tough, but he could hear the uncertain undertones of her words.

Cornelius furrowed his brow and sat on the other end of the couch, eyeing her as she tried to calm herself.

She took a deep breath. "Cornelius," she began, her words softer now. "I love you and I know that we've been struggling. I just don't know what to do." She sniffled. "You know I'm right."

Cornelius reached out and touched her arm, but she yanked it away. "Why do you keep doing that? How can you still want me?" she said, the last word coming out as a sob. His eyes widened.

"Franny, what are you talking about?"

"How can you still want me," she said, covering her face and full-on weeping now, "when I can't even give you children?"

Franny's emotional words and unguarded demeanor made Cornelius' heart fracture as every choked sob escaped her lips. He couldn't think of what to say, so he just wrapped his warm arm around her, rocking her softly. She tried to pull away, but he held steady, not letting her run away this time.

"Oh, Franny," he whispered, a droplet running down his cheek and into her hair. She kept weeping for what seemed like an eternity; once the dam broke, it didn't want to stop.

"How can you still want me?" she said again, this time not bothering holding back her pain. "I'm broken," she said, finally letting herself be held and turning her head into Cornelius' chest.

The blond froze. How could she think so little about herself? Broken? She was anything but…

"Franny, you are not broken-"

"…can't even give you children. I'm such a failure." She fisted his shirt, effectively wrinkling it.

"In this house we celebrate failure." He stroked the back of her head.

"I'm the one thing you can't fix, and you know I'm right," she said, her voice straining.

He pulled back, holding Franny at arm's length, never letting go over her. Her forced her to look in his eyes as he spoke. "Now listen to me," he said, his words shaky. "No, Franny. This time you're not right. You are not broken, nor are you a failure. I don't care if we never have children. I didn't marry you just to make babies." He swiped a tear from her cheek. "I married you because of your compassion, hunger for achieving the impossible, and mostly because I've never loved anything or anyone more in my entire life. I could invent a million and one things and be admired by everyone on earth, be the richest man alive…but none of it would be worth it without you by my side."

Franny sat there, gazing at the man in front of her. How stupid she had been the last few months; she should've known that he would still love her no matter what, but she had been so broken inside to even notice. She mentally berated herself for ever doubting his love for her and for every time he tried to kiss her or touch her, only to have her turn away; he had tried to fix things for so long, but she wouldn't let him.

His eyes bore right into her soul, every warm embrace suddenly seeming like a long-forgotten memory. Cornelius smiled tearfully at her, making her melt in front of him. Without any warning, she wrapped herself around him, their lips meeting in a desperate kiss.

They turned their heads every which way, trying to deepen the kiss, but Cornelius pulled back before it could go any further. Franny pouted, confused as he gazed lovingly up at her. "I don't ever want to hear the "D" word again, okay?" he whispered. Franny nodded, pulling his head back to meet her halfway.

Cornelius wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to straddle his lap. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, making her gasp. "God, I've missed you," he whispered, his breath caressing her skin, making her shiver. His hands moved from her waist to her thighs, lightly brushing the smooth skin under her dress. Franny traced her fingers down Cornelius' chest, working on unbuttoning his shirt.

"Franny, wait," Cornelius said breathlessly. Franny pouted, her fingers stopping on the third button down.

"Can it wait?" she said, her voice raspy.

He chuckled. "No." He patted her leg, asking her to stand up. He stood and grabbed her hand. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

Cornelius led her up the stairs, his hands covering her eyes. She frowned into his palm as she stumbled up the steps. His face hurt from smiling, knowing his gift would absolutely delight her.

"Sweetheart, why can't I see it?"

"Be patient," he laughed. When they reached the top step, he guided her toward the far side of the room. "Cover your ears for a second, and keep your eyes closed," he said as she did what he requested. He walked over to the little table and leaned down. "Okay, guys. I know you're not necessarily ready for a world tour or anything, but do you think you could play me one song?"

"I don't know, boss," Donnie said, eyeing the small grand piano. "Like you said, we aren't ready."

Cornelius' face turned serious. "Look guys, I've been working so hard with you guys to surprise Franny. I know it's a little soon, but I really need you guys to try."

"You got it, boss," Frankie said, frowning at the other frogs. "For the lady." The others nodded reluctantly.

"Cornelius?" Franny asked, her eyes and ears still closed.

He walked over and led her to the table, gently pulling her hands down. "Keep your eyes closed." She nodded. "Okay, I know our anniversary isn't for a few weeks, but I have a surprise for you." Her face lit up as he lifted his hand and gave the frogs a thumbs up, never looking away from his wife.

Suddenly the large domed lab was filled with the sound of instruments, which truthfully wasn't the most appealing sound considering they had almost no practice. Immediately Franny's eyes opened, and her face went from a light frown to completely overwhelmed with joy in less than a second. She gasped, covering her mouth as she gazed upon her frogs, who were actually standing before her, doing what she had tried so desperately for so long to do.

"Oh, Cornelius!" Franny exclaimed, standing on her toes and hugging his neck. "How did you-"

"It was all you," the blond smiled down at her. Franny's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your notes," he said, picking up a notebook from the corner of the desk. Her eyes widened as he continued. "I read over them quite a bit. Franny, you were right about the hormones. It just took a bit more poking and prodding before it finally worked, but it was all your idea. I did nothing but execute. You," he said, pecking her lips, "are brilliant."

Franny felt herself completely melt into a puddle in front of her husband. He held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" She cocked her head, listening to the music filling the air.

The music vamped for a few bars before Frankie finally opening his mouth and started singing:

"Let me tell you about a girl I know. She is my baby and she lives next door. Every morning before the sun come up, she brings my coffee in my favorite cup," the newly mutated amphibian croaked, his voice still a little shaky as he tried to sing along with the music.

Franny looked up at Cornelius, his face in a mischievous smirk. "Our song," she whispered, her lips gently pulling up at the corners.

He took her hand and pulled her a bit further into the middle of the room as the frogs continued to sing, spinning her in an intricate dance. Franny gasped as Cornelius led her around in circles, his feet never once faltering.

"Where did you learn to dance?" she asked, her own feet trying to keep up with the fast tempo.

He said nothing, only guiding her around the room, their faces aglow for the first time in months. "Hallelujah I just love her so," he sang along softly.