A/N: This little one-shot takes place when the gang is about in their freshman/sophmore year, depending on how old you want them to be. Also, the credit for the inspiration for this fic goes to sunsetofdoom, for writing a lovely piece of drabbles of Ferb/Isabella called One At a Time (I got this idea from number 33). I highly recommend it.

Halloween Fears

Halloween that year had been their best yet. They had all, quietly and subconsciously, decided that this would probably be their last year of Trick-or-Treating, and they wanted to make the best of it.

Phineas was, once again, a mad scientist. He had wanted to go out with an old favorite, much to the surprise of his friends, who were used to the loud and out-there Phineas Flynn. Baljeet had gone for the "gangster" look (having borrowed some oversized cloths from Burford's house) while Buford had decided to wear a simple name tag, becoming "Hello my name is Jim" for the evening.

Isabella was a fairy, of course. Although she had long outgrown her "princess and unicorn" stage, she still enjoyed anything and everything pink and girly. Ferb, after much debate with himself, had decided to become a knight. His brother had told him that he "looked macho in armor" so he decided to roll with it. But when Isabella had jokingly called him her "knight in shining armor" he was mortified and had instantly regretted the choice.

Now, lying in the grass of the Flynn-Fletcher backyard, looking up at the stars, he had changed his mind.

It was a surprisingly clear night, with the grass surprisingly not wet. The teens had decided, for old times' sake, to go to the old backyard (the location of all their crazy summer adventures) before heading inside to weigh their haul.

Upon reflection, no one really remembered how the conversation had started. But, after several minues of aimless chatting, they had all started confessing their fears.

"Perfection," groaned Baljeet, his voice now slightly deeper than it was when he was ten. "I am never quite there. But I am always afraid that one day I will fail miserably and that everyone will think me a fool."

There was silence as the gang digested this new, but not surprising, bit of information. Finally, Buford burst out, "My dad left when I was just a little kid, before I became a bully. I never really got over it; I'm still so, er, scared that one of these days everyone will just up and leave and there'll be nobody left but me."

"I have this complete and absolute phobia of needles," blurted Phineas. "Every time one comes near me, even if I'm not getting shots or anything, my hands get clammy and I start sweating, and I always feel like I have to run."

Isabella sighed heavily. "I'm afraid of meeting the wrong guy and getting into a bad relationship like my mom. I just…want to be happy, you know?"

There was silence in the backyard then, broken only by the faintest sound of a cricket hidden somewhere in the grass.

"What about you Ferb?" asked Baljeet suddenly, breaking the uneasy silence. "What are you afraid of?"

There was another long pause while the teens waited for their silent British friend. Ferb sighed, long and heavy, before answering in a ragged and tired voice, "Not being able to protect the ones that I love."

He felt someone gently grab his hand in the dark, then, and he knew it was Isabella.

And suddenly, being her knight in shining armor didn't seem like such an embarrassing thing.