A/N: Soooo...this is the third time uploading this chapter. I'm not entirely sure what happened the first two times I uploaded, but something weird happened where it added a bunch on nonsense before each paragraph.

Anywho, just as a slight warning (do I really need to warn you?) this chapter does contain some hanky panky, so consider yourself warned. ;)

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing!

Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Try, Try Again

July 2024

Franny paced in her bathroom, nervously glancing every so often at the sink. She paused, looking down at the item placed precariously on the edge, tempted for a moment to pick it up before the two minutes were up. She sighed, bringing her fingers close to her mouth, trying very hard not to bite her nails. This was nerve-wracking; after she and Cornelius had decided to try to have another baby, they had tried mercilessly to conceive again, going so far as to even skip meals. Of course, that had everyone turning their heads, so they tried to be less conspicuous about when and where they would do it.

She had been so scared when she went back to Dr. Shelton and told her she wanted to try again. The older woman had smiled and given her an examination, determining whether or not Franny's body was ready for such a task. She had run some tests, asked her questions, then seemingly out of nowhere she had frowned and left the room. The words that had come out of the doctor's mouth when she came back into the room still haunted her every thought: "Mrs. Robinson, I don't know how to say this, but," Dr. Shelton had started, her face shadowed with concern, "Franny, it's a miracle you even got pregnant in the first place. Your body most likely can't handle another pregnancy. But if by some miracle you are able to conceive again, well," she had trailed off.

Franny couldn't describe how much it hurt to hear she may never have a child. The pain seemed to swallow her, drowning out the older woman's words. Tears welled in Franny's eyes as she closed them, covering her face with her hands. How was she going to tell Cornelius? The thought of her husband finding out she was infertile made her heart wrench.

"I'm so sorry, Franny," Dr. Shelton had said, placing a hand on her the brunette's slouched shoulder before leaving the room. She had cried for what seemed like an eternity before she took one last shuddering breath and wiped her eyes dry. At that moment she decided she wasn't going to tell her husband. No, she was not going to have him think she was broken (even though he had sworn up and down he didn't think so) and she was going to have another baby if it was the last thing she did.

The timer on Franny's phone went off, signaling the end of the two minutes. She gasped as it interrupted her thoughts, pulling her back into her dark reality. With a shaky hand and closed eyes, she reached down to pick up the pregnancy test. She opened her eyes to look and felt her stomach drop. Negative. The singular line seemingly laughed at her as she tried her hardest not to break down. Again. She drew in a breath and bent down to open the cabinet under the sink. She pulled out a little grocery store bag and tossed in the test, it clacking against the twenty-something other negative tests. She looked at them for a second too long before quickly tying the bag closed and hiding it behind hair products.

Franny was a fighter, always had been and always would be, but the thought of telling her husband that she couldn't seem to get pregnant again made her feel like she was losing the fight. She knew he was out in the bedroom, probably reading or taking a nap, considering he had taken a rare day off of work, and couldn't seem to bring herself to open the door and face him. She wrung her hands as she looked at the white door, contemplating, but ultimately deciding she would act as if nothing was wrong. She took a deep breath and turned the knob, running smack into her husband on her way out.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry," the blond said, trying not to laugh. He looked at her face, noting the tightness around her mouth as her eyes tried to say she was fine. His smile fell. "Franny?"

"I'm okay, honey. Are you ready for dinner?" she asked, walking past him. Before she could get very far a hand in hers stopped her from going anywhere. She turned and looked up at him.

He sighed, not sure what to say. He knew Franny was struggling with trying to conceive and that it was bothering her, but he didn't want to let on that he knew, opting to just kiss her to keep her distracted. She exhaled, her eyes fluttering shut at the contact as he deepened the kiss. He started to walk them over to the bed, and for a split second Franny almost went along with it, but she knew if they skipped dinner again, they would be full-on interrogated during Family Night.

She broke away, looking up at Cornelius with a small smile. "Come on, we can't miss dinner again." She giggled as he pouted, grabbing his hand and leading the way downstairs.

...

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and still there was no baby Robinson. Franny was beginning to beat herself up whenever she was alone, telling herself she would never be a mother, that Cornelius didn't really want to be with her, that he only wanted a baby, which she couldn't even give him. She tried not to let the guilt show in front of her family, knowing if she even frowned once, someone would catch on and bombard her with questions about if she was okay, if she was feeling well, etc.

But what bothered Franny most of all was Cornelius; never once did he say a thing about her not being pregnant. He never once tried to make her feel guilty for not giving him an heir to his ever-growing fortune. No, instead all he did was love her. He had gotten in the habit of bringing her flowers every so often, like he had when they were dating, just to see her smile. He didn't seem to care that she was fighting an inner battle, never once bringing it up. Quite frankly she was sick of it. She hated how happy he was, always smiling and ready to sweep her off her feet every chance her got. The envy grew inside her, making her retread to her music room whenever she could, always stopping to look at the name on the plaque before going in. Sometimes she would disappear for hours, the whole family not hearing from her all day, distracting herself by keeping busy (which truth be told was really paying off for the frogs-they were getting better every day). Only Cornelius knew about her special room, but he never intruded, at least not without her permission, so he kept his distance. He knew better than to force her to talk about her feelings; she would talk when she was ready.

The growing distance between them only seemed to make Franny hostile towards her husband, snapping at him for seemingly unimportant things. One morning Franny had gotten out of bed to use the bathroom and Cornelius, not knowing she was in there, had walked in on her to brush his teeth, something he had done hundreds of times with no complaints. Only that morning, instead of the usual "Good morning, honey" he was greeted with "Cornelius, you get out of here right now!" He had been so started by her and her harsh words that he immediately retreated into the bedroom, the door he just came through slamming behind him.

...

February 2024

"Franny," Cornelius asked, leaning over the table his wife was sitting at in their bedroom. She stared at his hand, annoyance bubbling inside her. "What are you doing this Saturday?" She looked up at him, curiosity piqued; he was a very busy man and almost never asked her out anymore, but his crooked smile made her feel like he was asking her out on their first date. She couldn't help but give a small grin back.

"I don't believe I have any plans. Why do you ask?" she said, sliding the bookmark in and closing the book.

"If that's the case, then Mrs. Robinson, would you like to go out with me?"

"Why, Mr. Robinson, I thought you'd never ask," she said, giggling.

...

"I had a really nice time," Franny said shyly as Cornelius parked the car in the garage. He turned the car off, it floating for a moment before lowering itself to the ground. The dim light of the garage shone on Franny's face softly, her skin glowing.

Cornelius smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. She felt her heart flutter, all thoughts about babies and frustration and infertility far from her mind as he said, "So did I." She couldn't tell, but at that moment, it felt like time stood still as he leaned in, his lips hovering over hers, neither one wanting the moment to end.

The date had been perfect, first with dinner at their favorite restaurant, then with a flight over the lake as they stargazed through the skylight in the roof of the car. It felt like their first date all over again, both of them feeling butterflies flutter around in their stomachs as he prepared to kiss her. Oh, yes. It felt exactly like the first time.

Cornelius exhaled slightly before reaching his hand up and running his fingers through Franny's hair, gently guiding her lips to his. His heart felt like it would burst any moment from joy, it thudding in his chest as he kissed his wife passionately, Franny eagerly accepting each and every touch.

He moved his hand down to her neck, brushing the skin with his hand. Franny shivered and pulled away from the kiss, tilting her head to the side as Cornelius leaned forward and started sprinkling kisses on her exposed neck.

"Mmm, honey," she moaned softly.

He looked her directly in the eye, his face serious. "Franny, I just want you to know how much I love you and that I would never even think about leaving you. You hear me? I love you so much," he said, pressing his lips on hers again.

She nodded, lifting herself up so he would have better access to the rest of her. He smiled into her lips as his hands found their way to her thighs. He gently pulled her over to his side so she could straddle his hips as he moved the seat so that it sat back. She giggled, her hands working on removing his sweater vest. "Right here?" she asked, looking at the garage door to make sure no one had opened it.

"I can't wait another minute," he said, already lifting her dress over her hips. His fingers brushed her inner thigh, making her moan, "me, either." Their hands worked quickly to undress each other, occasionally having an article get stuck somewhere, to which they would both laugh and continue.

Cornelius looked up at his beautiful wife, her exposed body glowing in the light, as she sunk ever so slowly down onto him. His hands gripped her legs, his mouth opened slightly. He moaned as she came all the way down, their hips finally making contact. He felt his breath quicken as she sat there for a moment, looking down at him. "Franny?" he whispered.

She smiled and leaned down, connecting their lips once more. When she pulled away, she said, "I love you, sweetheart," before beginning to lift herself up and coming back down.

Cornelius let out a series of breathy moans, his hands helping to lift Franny up and pull her back down again. Her legs were crying from exhaustion, but she ignored the pain, trying every time she came back down to get closer to her husband. She didn't care about anything at that moment, only about the love she and Cornelius were making, their sounds floating around inside the car with them. She leaned her head back, her mouth opening to let out a long moan. Cornelius couldn't help staring at her, the skin on her chest glistening in the low light. He pulled her forward a bit and put his lips around one of her nipples, suckling lightly, effectively making her gasp.

He could feel himself getting to that familiar edge as Franny continued to ride him, her nails digging into his shoulders as she bounced up and down more frantically. Cornelius groaned. "Franny, I'm so close," he whispered in her ear.

"Me…too," she gasped out, feeling him wrap his arms tightly around her waist. He helped her lift up and down until finally he felt her tighten around him. She moaned his name, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself as she trembled in his arms. He kissed the side of her head as he continued to thrust into her, grateful when she started moving her hips again. With one final thrust he cried out Franny's name, greedily kissing her lips as he came back down to earth.

They both sat there panting for what seemed like an eternity, neither one wanting to break the silence. Unfortunately, the world was still spinning around them and they knew one of them would have to say something.

Cornelius smiled up at his wife, running a hand through her thick black locks that had somehow come undone. "We should probably head inside. Don't want the family worrying," he said softly.

Franny nodded, touching her forehead to his. "Okay, but I'm not cleaning this up," she said as she lifted herself off him, quickly sliding her panties back on so she didn't make a mess. Cornelius groaned sarcastically before chuckling. "Let's go inside," she said, already dressed before Cornelius had even put his pants back on.

...

"Sweetheart?" Cornelius said quietly, gazing down at his wife who was smiling contently into his chest. He smiled as his hand trailed down her back leaving goosebumps in its wake. He loved that little quirk about his wife.

She looked up at him. "What is it, honey?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I know," he said, his face now serious.

Franny tilted her head. "Know what?" she asked, a wave of fear coursing through her.

He met her gaze. "I, uh, found the pregnancy tests. Honey, why didn't you tell me? We could've handled it together-"

Franny pushed away suddenly, tears brimming in her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you. You didn't need to know that I'm infertile," she choked out, quickly getting up and running into the bathroom, slamming the door as Cornelius said "Franny, wait!"

He felt his heart drop. Infertile? It couldn't be… Cornelius sighed, dropping his head into his hands, the familiar feeling of frustration starting to eat at him again. He knew Wilbur was supposed to be born this year, next year at the very latest. It was getting down to the wire and he was getting anxious, but of course he couldn't tell Franny because she was dealing with her own problems. He groaned, rubbing his face. "Please just talk to me," he said to himself.

Franny pulled the bag out from under the sink, now almost completely full. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at the failed tests, her heart breaking more and more as she recounted every time she took one and discovered she still hadn't conceived. She knew it would never happen, yet she still hoped against all hope that she could have just one more chance at being a mother.

She dropped to her knees and cried.

...

Early March 2024

"Alright, boys, take ten," Franny said, tossing her baton to the side somewhere. She rubbed her temples; the amphibians had finally picked up playing instruments and were actually sounding really good, but at the moment she couldn't appreciate the progress or concentrate on rehearsal in general. Ever since breakfast that morning, she had felt slightly nauseous, quickly blaming it on the sausages.

"You got it, boss," Frankie said as he and the rest of the frogs hopped down and headed out the door. Franny sighed as she looked at the place Donnie used to stand on the risers. She felt her heart clench as she was reminded that he was no longer with them, having succumbed to the side effects of the genetic enhancement made on him. She hadn't meant to kill him, but when he died she blamed herself. A tear threatened to break free, but she quickly rubbed it away.

She sighed and sat down at a table, her mind wandering to Cornelius. She felt guilty for having rejected his goodbye kiss when he left for work that morning, but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. Ever since he had admitted to finding the pregnancy tests she had this horrible guilty feeling weighing her down, but she couldn't and wouldn't admit she was being childish. If she was being honest, she was waiting for Cornelius to apologize for going through her things. She bit her thumb, eyes glazing over as the frogs came back into the room.

"Hey, boss, we're back," Fabian said as he approached his spot on the stands.

"Wonderful, let's get back to work," Franny said, pushing her thoughts into the back of her mind.

...

About a week later

Franny woke up to an empty bed, her arm outstretched as though she were reaching for her husband in her sleep. She sighed. He still hadn't apologized, but she knew he felt bad because every time he would try to talk to her about something he would give her that look that said "Is this a safe subject?" She turned over and sat up, her head spinning slightly at the motion. Franny moaned, bile rising up in her throat. She threw a hand over her mouth and made a mad dash for the bathroom, stunned as she bent over the toilet and vomited.

She took a few breaths to steady herself, not completely awake yet and feeling very disoriented. The brunette sat back on her heels and closed her eyes, trying to tell her brain she wasn't about to get sick again. It didn't work.

...

Franny went into the bathroom after dinner as Cornelius headed to the lab, just like she had gotten so used to doing. Before that night in the garage she had almost given up on having a baby, knowing it would be fruitless to hope that maybe the next time it would work. She had stopped trying back in December, never really telling her husband she was giving up. But something in her told her to take another test. Her mind had replied with, "Are you kidding? You know I'm not pregnant." Still, her heart said otherwise. Ever since that morning when she had gotten sick, something in her told her that maybe just maybe this was it.

She tried hard not to let her hopes get too high as she sat on the toilet and peed on the stick. She told her heart to stop beating so fast, that it might fly out of her chest if she didn't calm down. She tried to tell herself to not be disappointed when the test read negative. And she tried her very hardest not to let the tears roll down her cheeks as she waited impatiently for the timer to go off.

Timidly, after what had seemed like a lifetime, Franny picked up the test and brought it close to her face. She gasped.

"Oh, my God," Franny whispered to herself, her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were already welling up. "Oh, my God," she repeated. She held up the little white stick so she could see the double lines a bit clearer, not quite believing it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her hair in a perfect bun, the dress she wore too bright in the lights, her face a clear mix of confusion, happiness, and fear. Confused because she had told herself for so long this would never happen, yet here it was, taking place right now. Happiness because everything she had wanted for the past three years was finally becoming a reality. And fear because of Cornelius. Oh, God, how was she going to tell him? He would be so angry-or would he? She shook her head, deciding at that moment she wasn't going to tell him or anyone else for that matter; it may sound selfish, but she couldn't bring herself to share this secret that was entirely hers for the time being. She wanted to relish this feeling of accomplishment. She was pregnant and she was over the moon.

She placed a hand over her abdomen and smiled, tears falling freely onto her dress. "I love you already, my little miracle."