Chapter 4

Over the next week, Cornelius and Franny introduced Laurie to different members of the family. The first thing Neil did was to take his parents and Laurie out to lunch. Laurie and Lucille hit it off right away. Both loved baking, and both enjoyed curling up on a chilly day with a warm latte. Lucille joked about the fact that Bud and Neil refused to let her have caffeinated drinks, so she'd have to either drink decaf, or sneak the caffeine in when no one was looking.

“I'm not an addict,” Lucille complained.

“Anymore,” Cornelius said under his breath.

“Yup,” Bud commented, “those were some scary days.”

“What days were those?” Laurie asked.

“The days of caffeine withdrawal,” Bud said with a shudder. “She went over a week without sleep once!”

Lucille waved them off. “Oh, there were no side effects until after the patches came off.”

Cornelius raised an eyebrow at her. “What does 'Barium cobalt Einstein Kool-Aid' mean, then? Because those are the words I distinctly remember you shouting as I walked into the gym the day I met you.”

“Well...I suppose I got a little drowsy. But you exaggerate what happened in the days afterward.”

“Months,” Bud corrected.

Neil shook his head. “You reminded me of the squirrel from Over the Hedge.”

Laurie laughed. “As long as she's no worse off. Tell you what, Lucille, sometime you and I will have to break away for a girl's day out and go get a coffee.”

“Ah...” Neil started. But Lucille cut him off.

“Oh, stop fussing over me, both of you. Even if I was an addict, I'm not any more. And Cornelius, you shouldn't be worried about me. It's my job to worry about you.” For added emphasis, Lucille reached over and patted her son on the cheek.

Neil gave Bud a worried look. The elder Robinson shrugged. “There's not a whole lot we can do.”

Franny took Lucille's side. “Nothing's happened with the caffeine patches since Wilbur was three. I think they'll be fine.”

“The girls are ganging up on us, Dad,” Neil half-whispered to Bud.

“We ladies stick together,” Laurie stated.

The men gave up trying to persuade Lucille and went back to their lunch. From there the conversation changed to Laurie's moving in with the Robinsons. The women chattered about getting a couple rooms fixed up; one for Laurie, and the other for Fern, the little girl the Robinsons had yet to meet.

“Now, we have to give her time to adjust,” said Franny, always the voice of reason. “So when we meet her, we have to be careful not to overwhelm her. Give her a night in her old room at your place, Laurie. Then we can bring her to our house and let her spend the day there.”

“That would work out wonderfully,” Laurie said. “She's been acting rather surly and independent lately, but what can you expect from a little girl who's just lost her mother?”

Cornelius watched her face fall. He decided to ask a daring question. “What was Anna like?”

Laurie glanced up at him. “Well, she looked a lot like you, actually. I mean, her hair didn't stick up like yours, but it was straight and blond. I have no idea how both my children ended up with straight hair. Mine was curly until I was about twelve...”

Laurie spent the next half hour talking about Anna and Fern. By the time they left, Neil and Franny were sure Fern belonged with them. But that wasn't to say Neil didn't have his doubts.

That evening, Neil discussed the situation with Franny alone in their room.

“She's not gonna trust me,” Neil said. “And I don't blame her. If her father was abusive, what right do I have to expect her to trust me?”

Franny gave an exasperated sigh. “You're doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Automatically assuming you're going to be rejected. You've got to stop that.”

Neil rolled his eyes. “Whether or not I've been rejected in the past is not going to change the simple fact that Fern has no reason to trust me. She's been rejected too, remember?”

“And thus you two have something in common. If anyone will be quick to accept her, it'll be you. She needs a father figure in her life to teach her how to trust again. Otherwise she's just going to take the same path your mother and sister took.”

Neil sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. “It's just...I've seen the affect abuse has on kids, and I just don't know how to help them. At the orphanage, I was the kid no one wanted because of my interests and talents. But there were others who came to the orphanage to escape abusive homes. They were always so bitter, and like me, no one wanted them. Yet I didn't know how to reach out to them because I'd never seen what they had seen. Mildred seemed to know how to get them to open up to her, but I couldn't relate to them.”

Franny sat down beside him. “So what, you figured 'Why bother?'”

“No!” Neil said defensively. “I...was afraid that I'd make the situation worse, I guess.”

“Afraid of being rejected by the rejects.”

Neil gave her a sideways glance. “Why does this keep coming back to rejection?”

“Because you still deal with it on a daily basis. I've watched you, Neil. I've known you for thirty years. Don't tell me you've 'gotten over it.' You haven't. You even feed off of it sometimes.”

“I do not!”

“You do too! You hole yourself up in the garage or your lab for hours after a hard day at work, and you're reclusive for a week after one of your projects goes south. Sure, you 'keep moving forward,' but often times it's only to avoid a repeat of whatever it was you were rejected for in the first place. You justify yourself with your inventions. You've got to stop giving into rejection.”

“I've been trying, if that helps at all.”

“You've been very trying at times,” Franny said under her breath.

Neil scoffed. “Thanks.”

“Love is putting yourself out there where you know you can get hurt,” Franny continued. “And love is all Fern's looking for. And yes, she is going to test your resolve. She may try to hurt you, just to see if your love is as unconditional as you say. She expects you to reject her. Don't give in.”

Neil remained silent for a moment. “You're right,” he finally admitted.

Franny smiled. “Aren't I always?”

Neil sighed. “Well, we've got five days 'till Fern arrives. We best get ready for her.”

Franny put a hand on his. “You'll be a good uncle. So stop worrying.”

“I'll try. I might need your help.”

Franny leaned over and kissed him. “By your side, for better or worse.”

R-e-v-o-l-u-t-i-o-n-a-r-y-L-o-v-e

Cornelius, Franny, Wilbur, Laurie, Bud, and Lucille stood waiting at the gate of the airport for Fern to arrive. As passengers filed in, Laurie pointed out a little girl with straight blond hair and waved her over. The two embraced before Laurie introduced her to the others.

“Fern, this is your uncle Cornelius and his family. That's Franny, his wife, and this is Wilbur, your cousin.”

Fern didn't even glance at Neil or Franny. She immediately noticed Wilbur, though. She clutched the stuffed pig and the book she was holding tighter.

Wilbur attempted a smile. “Hi, Fern. So, we're cousins, huh? I hope you're not too disappointed. Although it's hard to be disappointed when you find out you're related to Wilbur Robinson.”

Franny and Neil rolled their eyes.

Fern spoke. She kept her voice low, so Wilbur had to strain to hear her. “Piggies are my favorite animal,” she said.

Wilbur nodded. “Cool.”

“And Charlotte's Web is my favorite book. It has a piggy in it named Wilbur, and he's friends with the spider, and with a girl named Fern, like me.”

Wilbur smiled. “Sweet. I didn't know that.”

“But that still doesn't mean I have to like you,” Fern stated flatly.

Wilbur stepped back. “O-o-okay, then. Whatever.”

“Fern,” Laurie scolded. “Don't be so rude.”

Bud and Lucille introduced themselves. Fern looked at Bud curiously.

“Why are your clothes on backwards?”

“Oh, my clothes aren't on backwards,” Bud said. “My head is! See?” He turned around to show her the smiley face that was ever present on the back of his head.

Fern giggled. Bud gave her a broad smile. “You're the first person to laugh at that joke since I met Lucille. I like you.”

“Hey, I laughed,” Neil protested.

“Hmm, maybe you did. I don't remember. Anywho, we'd best get this little lady's luggage and get her settled. Let's go pick it up.”

“I have it all,” Fern said, pointing to the small suitcase that had been her carry-on.

The Robinsons glanced at one another.

Laurie put a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. “She has a lot of her stuff at my place. Come along, dear. Let's get you home. Tomorrow we're going over to your uncle's house to meet the rest of his family.”

Franny gave Cornelius a concerned look. “I had no idea she had so little.”

“Hey, she's tough,” Neil reassured her. “I wouldn't worry too much.”

W-h-e-n-L-o-v-e-T-a-k-e-s-Y-o-u-I-n

The next day Laurie and Fern arrived relatively early at the Robinson house. Fern was in a bad mood. She'd been told the game plan the night before, and she wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of living with these strange people. Why couldn't it just be her and Grandma Laurie? And what in the world did “adopted” mean, anyway? How could this man who claimed to be her uncle call her grandma “Mother,” when he already had a mom of his own? You can't have two moms! Fern continued her mental rant as Laurie ushered her toward the front door.

As they approached the porch, a man popped up out of the enormous pot to the left.

“Hey, ring my doorbell!”

In response, an identical man popped up out of the pot on the right. “No, ring MY doorbell. His doorbell's defective.”

Laurie and Fern gave them curious looks. “Why don't I just knock,” Laurie suggested, and turned to do so.

“Aw, no!” one twin cried.

“Not fair!” the other pouted.

Fern giggled and stuck out her tongue at both of them.

The door opened to reveal a huge octopus. Laurie gasped, and Fern screamed. Before either could respond further, a familiar voice drifted around the sea creature.

“Those must be out guests,” Grandpa Bud said. “I'll show them in, Lefty.”

Lefty grunted in response and moved aside, opening the door wider as he went. Bud slipped around him and greeted the newcomers warmly.

“Welcome to the Robinson house! Come in! Can't have ya sittin' out here all day, can we? Just give Lefty your bags and...”

“We left 'em in the car,” Fern said. “We ain't gonna get 'em yet.”

“Alrighty,” said Bud. “Well, let me introduce you to the rest of the family. You've already met our butler, Lefty. The twins there are Spike and Dimitri.”

Bud pointed to each twin as he said their names. Fern glanced at Lefty again.

“He almost gave us a heart attack, didn't he, Grandma?”

Laurie nodded. “He certainly startled us.”

Bud smiled. “Oh, Lefty's just a big softie, aren't ya, big fella?”

Lefty grunted, and his usually purple hue turned a deep red. An octopus is capable of changing its skin color to match its mood, and when Lefty turned red, it was because he was either mad or embarrassed. To hide the fact that he was blushing, Lefty held one tentacle up to his eye.

“Well,” said Bud, “let's go find Cornelius and get you two settled.” He led Laurie and Fern out of the foyer and into the main part of the house.

As they toured the house, searching for Cornelius, they encountered each of the other family members save Wilbur, who was at school. Fern was thrilled by Aunt Billie's train. Uncle Art was a little intimidating, and Fern declined his offer to let her ride in his ship while he delivered pizza. Laurie was relieved she didn't have to step in herself. At one point Laurie had to clap a hand over Fern's mouth, as the little girl was about to comment that Uncle Joe was really fat. Fern decided right away that she didn't like Tallulah and Laszlo (they fought too much), but she thought Fritz and Petunia were the funniest people she'd met so far. Gaston, she decided, was just plain crazy. But when he told her about the food fights the family often had, Fern figured she could at least stay for dinner.

One of the last places they stopped was the concert hall, where Bud knew he was most likely to find Franny. And of course she was there, conducting her amphibian orchestra.

“Frogs!” Fern exclaimed, much the same way Lewis had when the twelve-year-old boy that would become Cornelius had visited from the past.

“Genetically enhanced frogs,” Franny specified.

Laurie and Fern listened excitedly as the frogs finished their song. When the song was over, Fern wanted to know every frog's name. She wasn't surprised to hear that most of them had names beginning with f, such as Ferdinand, Freddy, Floyd, Francis, and the lead singer, Frankie.

“Franny, we're looking for Cornelius,” Bud said. “You haven't seen him around, have you?”

“Last I checked, he was in his lab, up in the solarium,” Franny said. “He was in the middle of one of those complicated equations. I can show Laurie and Fern to their rooms.”

“Works for me,” Bud replied. “I'll just pop upstairs and try to pull Cornelius away from his whiteboard.”

Bud turned to head down the hall, while Franny took charge of Fern and Laurie. “Neil gets caught up in his work a lot,” Franny explained.

“What can you expect from a genius?” Laurie said.

Franny guided them to their rooms, which were right next to each other. The Robinsons had consulted Laurie on how to prepare Fern's room, and she opened the door to discover a world of pink, purple, and piggies. She was certainly impressed, but the knowledge that she wouldn't be staying in her old room anymore kept her from rejoicing. She picked up one of the stuffed pigs that sat on the bed.

“Fern, look at your room!” Laurie said excitedly. “Isn't it pretty?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Fern mumbled.

“It's so much bigger than your old room.”

“Too big.”

“And so much more...purple.”

“Too purple.”

Laurie looked at her granddaughter in surprise. “Oh, there's no such thing as 'too purple.'”

“Yeah there is.”

“You would have loved it if we could have made your old room look like this.”

Fern stomped a foot. “Why can't we? Why do I have to have a new room for it to be purple? I want my old room back!”

“Fern, please,” Laurie scolded. “You know better than to behave like that in front of our hosts.”

“Mommy never made me stay in someone else's house when she wasn't there. And we always shared a room.”

Franny decided to step in. “Fern, I know this must be a hard time for you. But we set this place up because we wanted to show you how much we care about you.”

Fern stuck out her lower lip. “You don't even know me.”

“Maybe not very well,” said Franny. “But we've already seen that you're a very special little girl, and we're so excited to find out you're part of our family. So we just want to help take care of you. You'll have a place to come after school, even when your grandma has to run errands or something in town. And there's so much to do around here; so much we all want to share with you because you are a member of our family.”

“You're not my family!” Fern cried. “My family's my mom and Grandma. And you're not them! I don't wanna live here!” With that she pushed past both women and ran out of the room.

“I am so sorry,” Laurie began.

“No, that's okay,” Franny said, her heart going out to the little girl. “She's just reacting the way any child would in her situation. We can hope she heals quickly, but we all knew we needed to be ready for this.”

Laurie was tearing up now. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

Franny nodded. “Let's get you settled in your room. Then we can introduce Nicky to Buster.”

Fern, meanwhile, was running down the hall with nowhere in particular to go. She wasn't watching where she was going and ended up smacking into her newly-discovered uncle. She landed hard on her butt.

“Whoa, I'm sorry!” Cornelius apologized, extending a hand to help her up. Fern took it reluctantly, pulling her hand away again the moment she was on her feet. Neil noticed she was crying.

“Is everything OK?”

“No,” Fern replied. “I don't like it here. I'm gonna run away.”

Neil knelt down. “I'm sorry to hear that, 'cause we like you. A lot. In fact, we love you. Franny's brothers won't get married, so I've never had any nieces or nephews until I met you. And I'm really excited to have a niece now. So...I hope you're OK with having a geeky inventor for an uncle.”

“Don't want an uncle,” Fern muttered. “I'm gonna walk all the way back to California.”

“But we'd miss you. Especially your grandma.”

“Well...” Fern pondered the situation.

“Your grandma loved your mom, too,” Neil continued. “And she needs you now. You need each other. And we want you here. So if your grandma gives us a chance, can you give us a chance too?”

Fern wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded. “But do I hafta call everyone uncle and aunt?”

Neil smiled. “Of course not. Not even me.”

“Fine,” said Fern. “But I'm only staying for Grandma.”

“Fair enough.” Neil stood up and placed a gentle hand on Fern's shoulder, intending to steer her back toward her room. But Fern jerked away at his touch.

“Don't touch me!” she hissed.

Neil took a step back, surprised at her outburst. He bit his lip, remembering Lauire's story of Fern's father. “Okay, I'm sorry. I won't touch you.”

Fern held her head up, triumphant. “Mommy told me never to trust strangers, especially men.” She turned on her heel and stomped off.

Neil stood staring after her for a moment. The insult had made its mark. Franny was right; he still dealt with rejection. I'm not a stranger, he thought. I'm not like your father. I love you. Like a father should love a child.

AN:It occurred to me recently that I subconsciously named Lauire after the gal who voiced Lucille. How 'bout that. Anyway, the seemingly random subtitles are my attempt to find a page break that will translate from my computer to the fanfiction document archive. They're song titles, and I've got a few more in mind. The songs, of course, will pertain somehow to the story.

I've never dealt directly with a child who's been abused. So I hope I'm capturing Fern's feelings and temper correctly. I'm open for ideas that will help keep Fern true to life, but still open to the zany love the Robinsons have to give.