A/N: Disclaimer- I don't own Phineas and Ferb
Only One Explanation
It was the first day of summer vacation and Phineas, Ferb, Isabella and the rest of the Flynn-Fletcher Family were spending the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Flynn's cabin. Buford and Baljeet were already at the first bully-nerd convention of the summer.
As soon as the car came to a stop Phineas, Ferb and Isabella jumped out and started unloading the trunk. However, before they could touch anything Candace interrupted them.
"If you even think about ruining my vacation I will bust you. Jeremy is hiking somewhere in these woods and I don't want you to ruin any chance I have of running into him."
"Don't worry Candace, we're not planning anything big. We're just going to set up our tent," Phineas replied.
"That's it? That's all you're planning?" Candace asked incredulously. "In that case just keep on working. But don't plan anything else because I will bust you." With that Candace walked away.
Phineas turned to his brother. "Ferb, did you pack the tent?" he asked.
Ferb nodded as he pulled a small cube out of the trunk.
"Wow, mad packing skills," Phineas noted. "Did you get the one with the hot tub and the waterslide?"
Once again Ferb nodded.
"Perfect," Phineas said as a huge smile spread across his face. "Ferb, why don't you go find the hose to fill up the hot tub while me and Isabella set up the tent."
Ferb blinked and walked away.
Phineas and Isabella turned to the small cube Ferb had given to Phineas and started to unfold it.
Suddenly a flash of light shot across the sky and the ground shook from the loud noise it created.
"What was that noise?" Candace yelled, sticking her head out of a second story window.
"That wasn't us," Phineas yelled back. "It was thunder and lightning from that storm that's rolling in over the mountains." As if to help prove his point another bolt of lightning struck, shaking the ground again with another loud rumble.
"Well keep it down," Candace yelled before pulling her head in and slamming the window shut.
Just then, the clouds broke open and let out the moisture they were holding. The kids quickly ran for the shelter of the cabin, but were unable to make it without getting drenched. The three of them stood on the porch, soaking wet, watching the storm. Both Phineas and Ferb enjoyed watching storms but Phineas could tell that Isabella didn't. Although she was barely moving Phineas could tell that Isabella jumped every time lightning struck. Was it possible that the leader of the Fireside Girls, who everyone thought was fearless, was scared of a thunderstorm?
Suddenly, Phineas felt the need to protect Isabella, although why he felt the need to protect her completely escaped him. He brushed off the strange thoughts and suggested, "Why don't we go inside and change into some dry clothes. We can set our sleeping bags up in the living room and camp out there tonight."
Five minutes later Phineas, Ferb and Isabella sat in the living room, patiently waiting for the storm to pass. Phineas and Ferb sat at the window looking out at the storm, their minds whirling as it inspired new inventions the boys could build this summer. Ferb was trying to think of a way to harness the electricity created by the lightning and store it for long term use. Phineas was trying to think of a way to control the weather so they could go back to their campout. He also wanted to be able to control the storm in order to help calm Isabella's fears. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her sitting on the floor clearly trying to distract herself from the storm. She was attempting to carry on a conversation as usual but with each lightning strike her jumps became more pronounced. Phineas decided that he had to do something to help her. Just as he stood up to go comfort her, a bolt of lightning struck the power lines and the house was plunged into darkness. Isabella screamed and Phineas was immediately at her side. He sat down next to her and instinctively pulled her into a hug.
"Isabella," Phineas whispered in her ear. "Everything's fine. The storm just knocked the power out, I'm sure it will be back on any minute."
Suddenly, the room was flooded with light, not from the electrical lights above them, but from the glowing fireplace in front of them. They could see the outline of Grandpa Flynn as he crouched in front of the fireplace, building up the fire until it illuminated the entire room.
Phineas realized he was still holding Isabella and hurriedly let go before anyone could notice. As he moved he felt a pang in his chest, almost as if he regretted having to let her go. He brushed it off adding it to the list of things to think about later, as the rest of the family wandered into the living room.
Linda and Lawrence fumbled blindly down the dark stairs, running into the walls and each other as Candace ran past them. Ferb stayed at the window continuing to enjoy the storm while Phineas and Isabella moved closer to the fire. Although Phineas no longer had his arm around her they stayed close together. Isabella was still scared of the storm and Phineas still felt a strange need to protect her. He considered putting his arm around her again, but was worried about what his family would think. He knew his parents and grandparents would say something embarrassing that he could easily brush off. Ferb would remain silent but would give Phineas a significant look that only Phineas would understand. However, he was pretty sure that Candace would completely freak out. Being the hopeless romantic that she is her mind would immediately jump to the conclusion that Phineas had a crush on Isabella, and Phineas had no idea how to deal with Candace's response.
Just then, Grandma Flynn came into the room carrying a big pot and placed it on the fire, interrupting Phineas' thoughts. "The soup should be done in a half hour. Phineas, Ferb why don't you two go find some candles to help light the room while the rest of us work on making dinner," she said as she handed them a couple of flashlights.
Phineas and Ferb agreed and stood up to begin their search of the house. Before Phineas left the room he glanced back at Isabella and saw her jump as another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Phineas felt the urge to run back to her, but resisted when he heard his brother searching in the kitchen.
By the time Phineas and Ferb had found enough candles, dinner was ready. Phineas resumed his seat next to Isabella while Ferb lit the candles and set them around the room. The gang ate their soup in relative silence until someone knocked on the door.
"I wonder who that could be," Grandpa Flynn said as he made his way to the front door. The group remained silent as they listened to the mumbling coming from the door.
The silence ended when Grandpa Flynn led the mysterious visitor in the room and Candace yelled, "Jeremy! What are you doing here? I thought you were camping."
"I was," Jeremy replied. "But we got separated by the storm. Coltrane has the tent so I came in search of shelter."
"Well, you're more than welcome to stay here," Grandma Flynn said.
"You can use our room," Phineas added. "Me and Ferb and Isabella we're planning on camping out in the living room."
"Thanks guys," Jeremy said as he sat down next to Candace.
A couple hours later the group was still gathered around the fire, enjoying some sticky s'mores. As they devoured the chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers the conversation turned to Grandpa Flynn's favorite subject, scary stories. Grandpa Flynn was a master story teller and soon all of the children were shaking in fear. Ferb had moved closer to the light and warmth of the fire. Candace had scooted closer to Jeremy and had buried her head in his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her. Suddenly, Phineas was highly aware of how close Isabella was. Her knee was inches from his own and he found that if he moved ever so slightly their legs would touch and he would feel a tingling sensation from where her skin touched his. Isabella's close proximity also drew attention to the fact that she still jumped at every lightning strike. Phineas didn't understand why he was so concerned that Isabella was frightened by the storm, or why he felt the need to protect and comfort her. Phineas became so engrossed in trying to figure out his predicament that he didn't realize that Grandpa Flynn had finished his story until the adults stood up to go to bed.
"Don't stay up too late," Grandma Flynn said. "Even if it's still raining we have big plans for tomorrow."
As the adults filed out of the room Phineas, Ferb and Isabella started to lay out their sleeping bags and prepare for bed. Jeremy and Candace were still cuddling in front of the fire, conversing in low whispers. A while later they went off to their separate bedrooms, Jeremy giving Candace a tender kiss on the lips before turning in.
Ferb had set up his sleeping bag next to the fire and was already nestled deep in the folds of the fabric. Phineas was about to crawl into the sleeping bag he had laid out next to his brother when he turned to look at Isabella. He could tell by the way she was moving that she was still scared.
Wondering why such a small thing could scare one of the bravest people he knew Phineas asked, "What's wrong Isabella? You seem scared."
"It's nothing," she replied. "I just have a silly, irrational fear of thunderstorms." She sat down on the couch and looked over at Phineas. "When I was in kindergarten I was a munchkin in a production of the Wizard of Oz. All of the munchkins had to hide somewhere on stage during the part with the tornado. I was chosen to hide inside Dorothy's spinning house. While I was inside the spinning house I developed a very strong fear of tornadoes that has expanded to include all types of storms." Isabella looked down at her hands in embarrassment. "It's silly that a fake storm in a musical that I was in years ago still freaks me out but…"
"It's not silly," Phineas said as he sat down next to her. "Until my mom married Ferb's dad and I started sharing a room with Ferb I was terrified of the dark. I would sleep with a night light and would still end up sneaking into my mom's room because I was so scared. Sometimes I still get scared and have to turn my lamp on."
They fell silent as another loud rumble shook the house. Isabella stiffened at the terrifying sound. As Phineas sensed Isabella's fear he finally gave in to the urge to protect her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into another hug.
"Thanks Phineas," she mumbled into his shoulder. "You always know how to make things better."
"It's not a problem," Phineas replied.
Not wanting Phineas to leave Isabella said, "Do you think you could stay just a bit longer?"
"Of course," Phineas replied, grateful for an excuse to continue to comfort her.
Phineas pulled a blanket onto their laps as Isabella snuggled up next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his middle.
Phineas, at first, was surprised by Isabella's actions, but he quickly overcame it as he realized how much he enjoyed holding her.
They sat in silence, content with being in each other's arms. Phineas' thoughts turned to the events of the day. He thought of all those times he wanted to protect and comfort her today; when the storm started, when the power went out, and when he had to leave her to find the candles. He remembered his attempt at a plan to control the weather, based mainly on his desire to help her. He also recalled the regret he felt when he let go of her after Grandpa Flynn had started the fire. After that he had felt an unquenchable hunger to hold her again, and now that he was he never wanted to let go.
Suddenly, he remembered Jeremy and Candace right before they went to bed, how he had pulled her close and had given her a gentle kiss. Phineas pictured himself and Isabella in their shoes.
Phineas shook his head, clearing his mind of the image. He couldn't kiss Isabella, only people in love kissed, and he was not in love with her. They were just really good friends. Sure, he really enjoyed when Isabella came over to work on their daily projects and he was always disappointed when she had plans with the Fireside Girls and he didn't get to see her. But he felt that way with his other friends too, but not to the same extent. In fact, at times he was glad when Buford and Baljeet weren't around. Buford's bullying got annoying fast and Phineas hated how Baljeet always tried to steal Isabella's attention. It occurred to Phineas that he was actually jealous of the attention she gave Baljeet.
Phineas glanced over at Isabella and was suddenly struck with how beautiful she was. The light from the candles reflected off her raven black hair and her cheeks had a slight pink tint. Although her eyes were closed Phineas recalled the soft blue color of her gentle eyes.
Try as hard as he could, Phineas could think of only one explanation. The reason he felt the need to comfort and protect Isabella, the reason he felt so jealous, and the reason he found her so strikingly beautiful was simple, he was in love with her. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
He was suddenly very worried about how Isabella would react to his realization. Would she be grossed out and stop hanging out with him? He thought back on the events of the past year and it suddenly occurred to him that she could possibly feel the same way about him. Maybe the reason she was always so eager to participate in their daily activities was because she wanted to be close to him. Not to mention, Isabella had voluntarily turned to Phineas for comfort and had eagerly snuggled up next to him.
After giving it quite a lot of thought Phineas came to the conclusion that she liked him too. There was just too much evidence to think otherwise. The only question that remained was what he should do about it. Once again his mind returned to Candace and Jeremy earlier that night and the kiss they shared. Phineas felt that kissing Isabella was the proper thing to do, he just didn't know when. Should he kiss her now, before he lost his courage or should he wait for a more opportune time? Deciding that now would be the best time he took a deep breath to prepare himself. But when Phineas glanced down at Isabella he found that she had fallen asleep. Not wanting to wake her up he settled with giving her a light kiss on the temple. The real kiss would just have to wait until tomorrow. Phineas leaned his head against Isabella's and soon joined her in a peaceful sleep.
When Ferb woke up the next morning he was surprised to find Phineas and Isabella still wrapped in each other's arms, even though the storm had died down several hours ago.
