Candace's Christmas Carol
"Muuuuuuuummmmmm!" yelled Candace, as Phineas and Ferb were enjoying the Christmas Eve winter showcase they had built in the backyard. The boys went all out, adding an ice skating rink that hosted hockey Z9 games, ice ballet in zero gravity and, for the big finale, a snowball war. As per usual, an unexpected occurrence meant the whole thing was swept away before Linda Flynn-Fletcher came home with the turkey. When Linda got inside and was unceremoniously dragged to the back yard to find nothing yet again, she was not surprised.
"Alright, Candace, what was it this time?" Linda asked, sarcastically.
"It was right there, ice rink, hockey, and the snowballs" Candace complained.
"Don't worry, Mum, our snowballs didn't hit any windows" Phineas assured his mother. Linda looked around.
"I can see that, thanks for being careful, boys. But I don't see any ice rinks. You kids must be freezing, why don't you come inside for some apple crumble?" Linda offered. Phineas, Ferb, Buford, Isabella and Baljeet all accepted her kindness, while Candace was left pouting at yet another failed bust attempt.
"You want some crumble, Candace? It's good" Phineas also offered Candace, while eating his own bowl.
"No, thanks. I'll be in my room" Candace declined, and went upstairs. Once she was in her room, Candace lay on her bed, dreading yet another holiday season where the boys remain unbusted. She thought to herself, why must she fail over and over again, trying to make her mother see what sneaky brats her brothers were? All she wanted was one victory, yet dear Santa Claus would not even give her that. She would do anything to bust her brothers, anything. Just then, a call came from her cell phone. It was Stacy.
"Hi, Candace. I really enjoyed the rink your brothers set up, they really outdid themselves this year. A bunch of us are having a midnight Christmas party later tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come?" Stacy inquired. Candace could not believe this. Not only was her best friend complicit in Phineas and Ferb's antics, but she didn't even make an effort to help Candace bust the boys, or give evidence to finally vindicate her.
"No, thanks. That little rink you enjoyed so much should not have even been there! It was just another one of Phineas and Ferb's lame inventions. It'll be there next year and the year after that until I go away to college and they won't be my problem anymore, not that Mum will ever see any of it, anyway!" Candace ranted.
"Another failed bust attempt?" Stacy guessed.
"What did you expect, that I would offer them milk and cookies for a job well done?" Candace asked rhetorically, and sarcastically.
"Maybe if you joined in, you would've had a lot more fun" Stacy suggested.
"And play their stupid little games? Not my thing. Why can't the boys just be normal little brothers that don't build crazy inventions day in and day out? You'd think he'd learned from his experience with Bill, that their inventions are dangerous and evil" Candace further ranted.
"Err…I remember that Phineas and Ferb's inventions helped save us that day" Stacy interjected, starting to get impatient with Candace's ravings.
"But it was also Phineas that helped Bill build that portal in the first place" Candace countered. Stacy thought this was enough.
"You know what, Candace. I can take this any other time of the year, but this is the season of good will, something you seem to lack, and playing the Bill card is just low, even for you. Phineas was already scarred enough from all that, he doesn't need you rubbing it in his face, and neither do I! I've put up with your busting obsession more than I should have, but now you've finally crossed the line! Goodbye, Candace!" Stacy concluded forcefully, and hung up. Unbeknownst to Candace, Phineas had come up to her room with a bowl of crumble, and heard everything through the door.
"You know, Candace" Phineas stated from behind the door. "I invent things to take my mind off Bill, so as to not let him get to me. That was the advice given to me by the therapist I've been seeing since the end of the Cipher War, with Mum. Yes, Candace, she knows everything. She and I have an agreement, as long as nothing gets broken and everything's gone before sundown, she doesn't mind. You'd know this if you took an interest in my wellbeing, rather than focusing on yourself all the time. Now that you've reminded me of Bill, that's three months of therapy wasted. Thank you very much" Phineas said in a tone Candace was not used to hearing from him, then she heard a door open and close, and it was evident Phineas had gone to his room.
Now Candace felt awful. She had no idea Phineas was seeing a therapist for his Bill problems. She largely assumed, because of Phineas' happy attitude, that he was over it. It was evident now that the wounds he left behind ran deeper than she realised, and if this arrangement Phineas described was true, then all Candace was doing was banging her head needlessly against a brick wall. Was she really that selfish? Before she had time to ponder this thought, another call came to her cell. It was Jeremy.
"Hey, Candace. Stacy texted me, she's worried about you and asked me to see if you were OK" Jeremy consoled.
"Not now, Jeremy" Candace responded.
"Don't tell me, your brothers again? Wouldn't it hurt to give them a break? It is Christmas after all" Jeremy said.
"Just because it's Christmas does not mean they get a free pass. They have been making my life miserable with their shenanigans" Candace replied.
"No, Candace, you've been making your own life miserable with this obsession of yours. Do you know how much I envy you for having little siblings like them? Suzie doesn't talk to anyone besides me and my parents, and has few friends to hang out with. I'd give anything to have brothers like yours, they make life interesting, but I guess you're too closed-minded to see that. Phineas needs you more than ever, given recent events, but all you focus on is getting your way, as usual. I don't know if I can be with someone like that. I think Stacy has a point about you. Call me when you're ready to be the big sister" Jeremy concluded, sadly, and hung up.
Candace could not see how this could get any worse. She faces losing her best friend, her brother and her boyfriend in one night, all because of her busting obsession. Were all her efforts really for nought? Just then, a knock came from her door.
"Candace! Phineas told me what he heard you say. This busting of yours has gone on long enough! It is true what Phineas told you, that I do, in fact, know of his inventions and what they bring not only to our neighbourhood, but all of Danville. When you're ready to act your age, you can come down" Linda scolded. All Candace wanted to do was sleep, she was in no mood to make nice right now. It's not like she could change who she was, that would go against everything she stood for, as a person. Candace found it hard to sleep that night, but she managed it, somehow, and ended up having the weirdest dream.
"Candace, you there. I want to show you something" said a voice close to her. It was Stacy.
"Stacy, not now. I'm having a family crisis" Candace rebutted.
"I'm not Stacy. I merely took her form so we can communicate. I am in fact the Ghost of Christmas Past, and I am here to show you what it was like before" the ghost countered, and Candace was thrown into one of her memories. It was a previous Christmas, four years ago. A younger Candace, Phineas and Ferb were building models together. Nothing extravagant, just recreations of vehicles and ships from their favourite movies. Candace found herself tearing up looking at this vision.
"You remember this as the first time your brothers ever built something, and you helped them with it. You were smiling too. Whatever happened to that Candace?" the ghost wondered.
"She grew up. This was when Phineas and Ferb first got into building, and they never stopped. Their inventions got bigger and bigger as the years went on. I feared for their safety, so I tried to stop them, the only way I knew how" Candace answered
"Ah, yes, the busting attempts. But you never knew, did you?" the ghost replied, and showed Candace more of the vision. The ghost showed Candace that, even with the sheer enormity of the inventions, that Phineas and Ferb always took appropriate safety measures, and ditched any potentially lethal dangers.
"I never knew" Candace mused to herself.
"That was because you saw only what was in front of you, and not what lay beneath" clarified the ghost, and then she disappeared. Candace started wondering if she would have had any fun if she had talked to her brothers more about their inventions. Before she had time to contemplate this, another apparition appeared before her.
"Hello, Candace. I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, here to show you unseen images of recent events" the ghost introduced. This ghost took the form of Jeremy. This time, they were in what looked like a councillor's office, and Linda was in a seat, while Phineas lay on the couch, usually designated for patients.
"This is Phineas' therapy session, isn't it?" Candace inquired.
"Yes, the war against Bill Cipher took its toll on him. Seeing friends and family turned to stone, having to fight to save the world, not to mention wandering around his hometown, which had been almost completely decimated in the fighting. It almost destroyed him" the ghost explained.
"Hello, Phineas, good to see you again. How have you been since our last session?" asked the therapist.
"I've been having fewer nightmares, Dr. White. But I still don't feel like building things like I used to" Phineas answered.
"Look at his face" the ghost instructed. Candace did so, and she saw a look of despair. If Candace didn't know any better, she would say that Phineas looked lost. "Inventing is part of who he is. Without it, he doesn't know what to do with his life".
"But Phineas can be anything he wants to be, he doesn't need to invent crazy contraptions to give his life meaning" Candace reasoned.
"He did try" the ghost clarified, and showed Candace a vision of Phineas trying new activities, from writing short stories, to art therapy recommended by Dr. White. But Phineas still had that sad look on his face. "Nothing gave him greater joy than creating something with his brother that everyone could enjoy".
"But Phineas got back to inventing, eventually" Candace observed.
"Yes, but only after weeks of therapy, and some encouragement from his mother" the ghost added.
"That must've been so hard for him. Why didn't he tell me?" Candace asked.
"He feared you would not understand his passion, having seen you trying to bring him down" the ghost answered. Candace understood this. "There is something else I want to show you" the ghost added, and a vision of Jeremy and Stacy appeared.
"I don't know, Jeremy. Are we wasting our time with Candace? It's obvious she'll never give us a second thought when it comes to busting her brothers" Stacy said, with a sorrowful expression.
"I know what you mean, and I'm getting sick of playing second fiddle to her obsession as well. She's not the girl I fell for anymore, she's become someone else" Jeremy mused.
"I'll make the call if you will" Stacy ventured, and Jeremy agreed.
"What is this?" Candace half-cried.
"They bonded over their mutual frustration with your obsession. Everyone has their breaking point, even your friends and loved ones" the ghost warned, and vanished. Candace was just about ready to wake up, when a third apparition appeared, this time taking the form of her mother.
"Candace, I am the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. I will now show you a vision of the future, should you choose to continue down your path" the ghost said, and a vision of the living room with Christmas decorations appeared, only, it looked different, somehow. The reason why became obvious. Three children that looked like mini Phineas' and Isabellas came down the staircase, with older Phineas and Isabella in tow.
"Just so you know, Phineas marrying Isabella does not surprise me in any way" Candace joked.
"No, their union was a given, no matter what timeline we're in" the ghost added. The scene played out like the vision of Christmas Past, except with Phineas and Isabella playing the role of parents. All involved were having a good time, when the front door opened. Ferb, his wife, and their two kids joined in the festivities.
"Ferb, Vanessa. Thanks for coming. You heard from Jeremy and Stacy?" inquired Phineas.
"Wait, what?" Candace remarked.
"They're on their way, just defrosting their car. It's freezing out there" Vanessa answered.
"Jeremy and Stacy?!" wondered Candace.
"Don't you remember the Ghost of Christmas Present telling you they bonded? Well, they're married now, with kids of their own" the ghost answered.
"But where am I?" Candace inquired.
"See for yourself" the ghost offered, and a vision of Candace in her apartment appeared. The apartment was nice, no doubt about that. Future Candace had nice furniture, a four-poster bed, everything.
"This doesn't look so bad" Candace said, but the ghost thought differently.
"You made a fortune prosecuting anyone who broke the law, even the richest of defendants. But your busting obsession led everyone you cared about to eventually disown you. Observe" the ghost lead on. Future Candace took a photo of her younger self, with her family, and sighed heavily.
"Oh, how I wish I could go back and make things right. I'm sorry, Phineas, Ferb, everyone" Future Candace cried herself to sleep, ever regretting her past.
"This is only a possible future, not what is set in stone. You can still change this outcome, but it's all on you" the ghost assured.
"I've seen enough. I know what I have to do now" Candace said, determined to avoid what she just saw.
"Then it is time for you to wake up" the ghost observed, and Candace woke up from her dream. It was early Christmas morning, but to Candace, nothing was more important. She made her way to Phineas' and Ferb's room, and let herself in.
"Candace, it's 2am, can't this wait" Phineas groaned, half asleep, but Candace was already on his bed, pulling him into a deep hug.
"I don't care. I was a selfish, obsessed brat, and I'm sorry. Please don't hate me, you're my brother, and I love you" Candace cried. Phineas hugged his sister back.
"Candace, I never feel hatred. I just wanted the sister I knew back" Phineas assured.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere" Candace finished, and they broke apart from their embrace. Linda had been woken by the commotion and saw everything, but decided not to interrupt, and went back to bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some phone calls to make" Candace added, and called Stacy and Jeremy with similar apologies.
On Christmas morning, everyone in the Flynn-Fletcher house awoke, their family bonds stronger than ever. Candace, Phineas and Ferb were opening their gifts with eagerness. Candace got some more Ducky Momo merchandise, Ferb got some woollen hats and scarves from his grandparents in England, and Phineas got some much- needed upgrades to his toolkit. Additionally, Phineas also got a box of chocolates from a secret admirer (three guesses who) and decided to share them with everyone.
"It's time for the Christmas Showcase, everybody" Phineas declared, and he led his family outside, where the rink from yesterday was displayed in full view for everyone to see.
"I thought this disappeared" Candace wondered.
"That was just the rehearsal rink, this is the real deal" Phineas clarified. To Candace's amazement, everyone they knew was here; the Garcia-Shapiros, the Van Stomms, the Tjinders, even Stacy's and Jeremy's families made it here.
"Wanna join in this time, Candace?" Phineas offered, and Candace happily accepted, her Christmas spirit restored.
Author's note: I've had this in my head since before I started writing these stories. With how much Candace resembled Ebenezer Scrooge throughout the course of the show, I'm surprised the actual Christmas specials didn't take this angle. Maybe it was to prevent anyone hating Candace too much, oh well. I was tempted to add a 'twenty-five years later' segment, but there was a certain set of kids I wanted to use, but don't have permission to, so if you're wondering why I didn't do that or name the kids in the future segment, there's your answer. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing. Dan and Swampy own Phineas and Ferb, Alex Hirsch owns Gravity Falls, and Disney owns both. Enjoy.