Title : Have you ever…?

Summery : In the time between the tour of the house and dinner, Wilbur has a conversation with Lewis.

Rating : G

Disclaimer : Meet the Robinsons and all associated characters belong to Pixar Co. and The Walt Disney Production Co. I own nothing.

Note: You will have had to see the movie to understand the fluffiness behind this scene.

Note2 (circa 2011) : Finally, after four years, fixed the fact that Lewis' name was spelled wrong. I'm pretty amazing. Also fixed the centering that a reviewer claimed annoyed them. I listen. :)

Clank.

Clink.

Clank.

"OW!"

Clink.

Clank.

CLUNK!

"CRAP!"

"Are you okay?" Wilbur inquired from his position of lazily leaning against the wall. He made no move to help or actually see if he was okay, but enquired out of courtesy.

Lewis moved himself from underneath the time machine, a thoroughly aggravated look sporting his face, which was covered in grease and other things that Wilbur didn't bother to put a name to.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Lewis fumed, clearly quite frustrated, "I can't get this thing to work, I don't know how to fix it! They don't have these in the past, so how am I supposed to know how to fix it?"

Wilbur shrugged, before using his foot to push Lewis back underneath the time machine.

"You're the scientist-slash-inventor. You should be able to fix anything." He wheedled annoyingly, examining his nails. There was a soft grunt from under the machine, followed by annoyed mutters.

"I'm not deaf, you know. I can hear you." Wilbur reminded, leaning down to look under the time machine so that Lewis could hear him better.

"Yes, well, I might be an inventor, but I'm not a miracle worker!" Was snapped back in return, accompanied by Lewis' hand throwing down the wrench with a clatter. Wilbur winced at the noise, before going silent once again.

Clink.

Clank.

Clink.

"So… uh… Lewis…" Wilbur interrupted the sounds, awkwardly clearing his throat as though he wasn't sure what to say, "Uhh… how's life?"

Lewis had the decency to roll out from under the time machine to give him a strange look, before rolling back beneath its shiny surface to continue working. Wilbur looked a little uncomfortable, before continuing.

"Seriously, dude. I want to get to know you. You know… your hopes… your dreams? Favorite color, favorite baseball team?" He felt himself fidgeting, unsure of what Lewis was going to say in response to that statement.

There was silence from under the time machine, devoid of any clinking and clanking, for a short moment.

"My hopes and dreams? Favorite baseball team?" Lewis' soft voice wafted out from below, "Why would you want to know that?"

Wilbur shrugged, despite the fact that Lewis couldn't see it, and he heard a sigh emanate the other boy.

"My name is Lewis – I don't have a last name. My favorite color is blue and I don't like sports very much. As for my hopes and dreams…" There was a small, hesitant pause, before Lewis' voice was heard more softly stating, "…To have a family."

Wilbur's eyes took on a sad glaze as he stared at the time machine's bumper, toeing the cement of the garage floor as he tried to word his next question right.

"How come you haven't been adopted yet?"

Again the clinking and clanking stopped.

"They all think that my inventions are weird… that I'm weird." Again there was a pregnant pause, "And I don't blame them. Nobody would want to have a loser inventor whose inventions don't even work as a son. I've stopped doing interviews for parents at the orphanage, nobody wants me."

There was definite depression and self-pity in Lewis' voice, Wilbur noticed instantly. He also knew that if Lewis stopped taking interviews, there would be a slight chance that he would never be adopted by Grandpa Bud, and then he would cease to exist!

"Don't think like that…" Wilbur tried to encourage, failing miserably, "You'll get adopted…"

"What do you care?" Was the snapped response from under the time machine, a response that thoroughly shut Wilbur up.

Clink.

Clank.

Clank.

Clank.

"Darn…"

Clank.

Clink.

Clank.

Wilbur was at a loss. Even though this had been a complete mistake, and a way huge problem, this was the chance of a lifetime!

"So…" Wilbur started, his mind racing. Think, Wilbur, think! "Did you ever think about… you know… children?"

For the second time in their conversations, Lewis rolled himself from underneath the time machine, a thoroughly weirded-out look plastered across his pale features, his large blue eyes gazing at Wilbur as though he had nine heads.

"No…" He answered, one of his eyebrows practically reaching his hairline, "What kind of a question is that?"

Wilbur's eyes darted anywhere but Lewis' face, unsure how to answer that statement as he avoided the curious gaze of the other boy.

"Um…you know… if you were going to have a kid or something… would you want it to be a boy or a girl?"

Lewis' eyes traveled up slightly, as though he was thinking about it.

"A boy, I guess." He concluded, still giving Wilbur an odd stare, "But I don't want children."

Wilbur froze, before sputtering slightly, unsure what to say. He stumbled and stuttered over several small words, before managing out a simple,

"B-b-but… WHY…!"

Lewis had backed off slightly at Wilbur's strange reaction to his statement, before readying himself to go back under the time machine.

"I've got to BE a son before I can have one." He answered honestly, "Because if I never have parents, how will I ever know what I'm doing?"

Wilbur supposed he saw the logic in that, but it did not make it any less disturbing to hear through his point of view. Doesn't want to have kids!

"But once you take me back to see my mom that will all be solved. I'll have a family… Then… then maybe I'll want to have a son." Lewis finished, already back under the time machine as he said this.

Wilbur felt himself relax slightly, despite the fact that guilt was overcoming him slowly but surely. He knew deep down he was never going to take Louis to see his mom. How could he? Then the whole course of time would be changed, and he would, once again, cease to exist.

Dang… it seemed like everywhere he looked; time travel was trying to find a way to off him.

Bummer.

Clink.

Clank.

Clink.

"If you… happened to have a son…" He ventured, not sure if he was going too far with this topic, "If you happened to have one… What do you think you'd want him to be like?"

"You're really weird, you know that?" Was all Lewis answered, before the clanking and clinking continued. Wilbur's eyebrows furrowed angrily.

"I'm serious!"

"So am I!"

"Grrr…" Wilbur growled, not liking he had just been called a name by somebody who meant so much to him. "It was just a question!"

He crossed his arms, sincerely in a bad mood now. Why had he been asking all those questions, anyhow? What, did he think that Lewis was going to say, "Yes, I always wanted a son. He would have black hair, and brown eyes. He would be born in November. His legs will be too long, he'll grow too tall for his age, and I would name him Wilbur."?

Yeah right. Even he knew that was far fetched.

But he was not expecting Lewis to say that he had never wanted children at all. That made him slightly uncomfortable. Was that why his father was always away, at work or on business trips? Is that why it was mom that always came to tuck him into bed at night? Is that why….

"- his mother's looks." Lewis' voice interrupted his mental berating, and he had to blink a few times to comprehend what had just been said. "Are you listening?"

Wilbur shook his head, despite the fact that once again, Lewis could not see him.

"I said, I would want him to have his mother's looks." Lewis repeated, with an air that wasn't quite like his usual one, "I wouldn't want to curse anybody else with this hair."

There was a small laugh from beneath the time machine, which surprisingly Wilbur joined in on. He waited to see if Lewis said anything else, anything worthwhile, before he gulped and tried his hand at another question, since Lewis seemed to be calming down a bit.

"If… if your son wasn't exactly like you…you know, into inventing and stuff… and maybe he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box… would you… ignore him? You know… because he wasn't like you?"

'Why are you asking him these questions?' His mind scolded him, 'This isn't your father. You should be asking your father these questions, not Lewis.'

His mind was right, however, Lewis was answering the question, and he couldn't help but listen with bated breath.

"Of course I wouldn't." He stated, no real emotion in what he was saying, as though it was a simple fact that he would never have to worry about, "Who wants their kid to be just like them? Where's the fun in that? Then you would never get to try new things or learn new hobbies. Plus, even if your kid isn't perfect, that's no reason to ignore them. I would never ignore my child…. I know all too well how it feels to be ignored."

Wilbur remained silent, letting those words run over and over in his head. His father would never ignore him… no… he would never, see, Lewis had said so! Lewis was his father… therefore…

'Stop it!' His mind scolded once again, 'That is NOT your father!'

'But it is…. He reasoned, 'It is my father. His opinions on that matter wouldn't change over time…"

He realized quickly that Lewis was talking once again, and seemed to be thinking quite hard about the question he had asked.

"No matter what my son decided to do… however weird or unnatural or strange or bizarre," There was a muttered 'if bizarre even exists in this strange place', but Wilbur chose to ignore it, "He can be whoever he wanted to be. I would be proud of him no matter what, and I would still love him no matter what."

Wilbur's heart swelled, and he had the sudden urge to hug Lewis right then and there. Good thing Lewis was under the time machine. Any insecurity he had been harboring about his father had flown out the window, thanks to Lewis' words.

"Okay, I think we're good. Let's try it." Lewis called, sliding himself back into the light and out from under the time machine. Wilbur leaned down and gave him a hand up from the ground, letting their hands stay clasped together a little longer than necessary as he locked eyes with the other boy's startling blue.

"You know…" Wilbur started, and Lewis made no move to pull or move away, just stood there staring blankly at him, "When my father first invented these machines, he decided to teach me how to work them… I crashed this one four times. But, he never gave up on me… and he never lost his temper. Just always said, 'Wilbur, let me fix this and then we'll try again. Keep moving forward.'"

Lewis made a strange face, starting to pull away, but Wilbur wanted to make sure he got his word in before he lost the other boy's attention.

"What I'm trying to say is…I think you'd be a great father, Lewis."

Lewis just shook his head, finally managing to unclasp his hand from Wilbur's.

"You're still weird. Now, can we try this thing?"

Wilbur nodded, looking at his watch carefully.

"Let's hurry. Only 15 minutes before my mother calls dinner."

"Okay… let's try!"

Together, the two of them pressed the engage button, only to find themselves engulfed in thick, black smoke in an instant.

"Something tells me it didn't work, dude." Wilbur said smartly, to which he could feel Lewis' glare on the back of his head. "I guess it's back to the drawing board, huh?"

"Fine!" Lewis snapped, "But this time, no talking!"

Read and review?