A/N – I saw the episode "When Worlds Collide" the other day and was inspired to dig some ideas back out of the old Mental Attic. If you know my stuff, you know how I Ship, so it's no spoiler to say that my take on Ferb and Isabella is strictly platonic.

With that, I wave my Ferbnessa Battle Flag and make the disclaimer that all characters belong to Povenmire & Marsh.

When Hands Collide

Isabella couldn't sleep.

She had no idea what time it was, but she had been tossing and turning in her sleeping bag for what felt like a good half-hour already. She couldn't stop brooding over her latest failure to seize a special moment with Phineas. The majestic planet of whalemingos had been descending into their spring, the spring dreamed up by the brilliant, amazing, red-headed boy she adored. Standing near him, Isabella had reached out for his hand – and the next thing she knew, Ferb was patting her and saying, "Don't worry. It will be all right." Well, there it went. Her latest attempt spoiled, the fleeting moment of Oh, Phineas! rapture gone. Again.

Now she turned once more onto her side and squirmed into the most comfortable position she could find. She was facing Phineas's sleeping bag and could make out the back of his head and a tuft of his hair. Isabella watched with fascination the rise and fall of his breathing. Was she ever going to have a chance with him? Her mind filled with visions of a high school prom spent sitting alone by the punch bowl while Phineas engineered some display involving cold fusion fireworks and choreographed disco balls instead of dancing with her. Surely she would manage to get through to him before that happened.

Isabella's eyes were half-closed and she was still mulling over the wonders and frustrations of being in love with Phineas Flynn when she heard a short grunt and a snort and a dark shape rose up on the far side of his sleeping bag. Ferb's square-nosed profile was obvious even in the dim starlight, and he rubbed the back of his neck a few times before he untangled himself from his own bed roll and walked away from it. Isabella propped herself on one elbow and watched him pace for a bit, then he stopped and looked up at the stars for a minute before he wandered over and sat down under the tree. Isabella raised herself. Obviously, she wasn't going back to sleep any time soon. And Ferb always had been a good listener.

He looked up as she approached him and as soon as she was close enough he said, in a low voice, "Did I wake you?"

Isabella shook her head and sat down in the grass beside him. "I couldn't sleep."

Ferb just blinked and his eyes shifted back to the grass, falling into that odd, unfocused look he got sometimes.

This prompted Isabella to ask, with a little hesitation, "Do you mind some company?"

Ferb snapped back to attention and said instantly, "Not at all. Actually," he went on, "I owe you an apology."

Yes. Yes, you do. The reaction flashed through Isabella's mind like a bolt of lightning, but she didn't express it.

"You were reaching for Phineas earlier," said Ferb, in that matter of fact tone of his. "And I got in the way. I'm sorry."

Isabella drew up her knees and folded her arms over them as she gave in to reality. "That's all right. It's not as if it would have done any good, anyway. Ferb, how am I ever going to get through to him?"

"What makes you think you haven't?" He turned toward her, shifting onto one hip and propping himself up with an arm.

"Are you kidding? It's hard enough to ever get any time alone with him, and when I do, he's not even paying attention, he's thinking about everything else but me. It's like he just doesn't get it at all." She was reminded of the experience from earlier in the summer that encapsulated all of her frustrations with Phineas. "It's like Paris all over again."

Ferb got a funny look at the mention of Paris, and she almost thought she saw a reflection of her own pain on his face in the instant before he looked away from her. Sitting forward, he crossed his legs in front of him and folded his hands together, still and quiet for several seconds before he said, "Just kiss him."

Isabella's eyes went wide. "I couldn't do that!"

"Are you certain?" Ferb's gaze was still focused somewhere in the grass, but there was a weird little tug at the edge of his mouth as he said this. He cast a curious, sidelong glance at her as he asked, "Have you ever – dreamed that you kissed him?"

Where had that come from? "I don't think that's any of your business," she huffed.

He kept his eyes on her as if he wanted to say something more on the subject, but at last he went back to staring at the grass. In a low voice that he seemed to fight to keep steady, he said, "You know, sometimes… when you love someone…" a pause and a breath, "you have to meet them halfway."

Isabella frowned at this. "What is that supposed to mean?" She had been meeting Phineas more than halfway for as long as she had known him. She had been doing all the work here, days and months and years of Whatcha doin'? volunteering herself into all his plans… Would Phineas even remember that she existed if she stopped coming over?

"Sorry," murmured Ferb, rubbing the back of his neck again. "You mentioned Paris." Another deep sigh, and he finally said, "Isabella, you have nothing to worry about." He must have seen the skepticism on her face, because he added, "After all, your cuteness is a scientific fact."

Oh, gosh – Ferb? She felt her stomach instinctively knot. His expression was unreadable, but he was still facing her and all she could think was, Oh, no, this can't possibly be happening. Ferb can't possibly mean that he – likes me, not like that… She felt herself scooting away from him as she blurted, "Ferb, it's not that I don't like you, but…"

His face transformed into a definitely readable expression of shock and embarrassment as he scooted away as well and blurted in turn, "Oh, heavens, no, I didn't mean that!"

This reaction made her feel worse in a whole other way and she retorted with a bitter, "Thanks a lot."

He held up both hands in a calming gesture and waited for the tempest to subside before he rephrased his response. "Isabella, I truly hope you and Phineas end up together someday. I think he does have feelings for you, he just doesn't know what to do with them yet." Ferb blinked and smiled at her. "You're a lovely person, and a good friend. But, I have no intention of stealing you away from him."

Isabella relaxed at this, feeling a little foolish for her rash thoughts. Maybe she took him a little too much for granted sometimes, but the green-haired boy was a pretty good friend to her, too. "Thanks, Ferb."

Turning his face to the stars, he sighed that deep, ponderous sigh again and confessed, "Alas, my heart lies helpless in the hands of another."

Really? Ferb liked a girl? Well, of course he liked girls in the abstract sense; that had always been apparent. But the idea of Ferb harboring feelings for one particular girl came as a surprise to her. She couldn't imagine it was one of her friends – Ferb was generally well-liked among the Fireside Girls, but he had never shown signs of favoring one over the others. "Is it someone I know?"

"You've met." He blinked and blushed and offered an awkward half-smile before he hinted, "I think we were both let down by the City of Love."

Of course. Phineas had made some remark about it at the time, but Isabella had been too consumed by her own exasperation with him to care. The curvaceous teenage girl who had literally fallen into their company on the day they went around the world. "Vanessa?"

Another blink and a sigh confirmed this.

"Ferb…" Isabella didn't want to hurt him, she really didn't, but the truth was too obvious to be ignored. "Isn't she a little – old for you?"

"That won't always matter," was his prompt answer.

"But… she probably already has a boyfriend." She hoped her tone was gentle enough to soften the blow.

"Probably," Ferb nodded, with that calm that came from who knew where. Then he surprised her with a small chuckle before he added, "Frankly, I'd be more concerned if she didn't." When he noticed Isabella's confusion, he explained, "Because if she had a girlfriend, I really would be out of luck."

His dry humor made her chuckle a little, as well. This was already by far the longest conversation she could recall ever having with Ferb, and she was surprised when he went on.

"I'm certain she'll have several boyfriends before I'm old enough to have my chance. And I thorougly expect that I shall be crushed and jealous and made wretched more than once before then. But, whatever happens, I am resolved to be the Bigger Man."

"Oh, Ferb," Isabella felt sad for him and proud of him all at once. "That's so…"

"Ridiculous?"

"I was going to say romantic."

He looked over at her and his eyes shone in appreciation of the compliment. "Don't worry about Phineas," he assured her. "He'll catch up sooner or later. And trust me, you're the only girl on his radar."

It was true, Isabella considered. However oblivious to her affections he was, Phineas never had paid any more attention – not even as much attention, she had to admit, to any other girl. She reached out and put her hand into Ferb's, intentionally this time. "I hope things work out for you with Vanessa. Really."

He nodded his gratitude and murmured, "You know, you're the only one I've really opened up to about that. Except for Perry, of course."

Of course. The platypus was a perfect keeper of secrets. Isabella could do no less for her friend. "I won't spread it around."

Ferb nodded again, and gave her a lopsided little smile as he squeezed her hand and said, "Thanks, Sis."

Isabella returned the squeeze with a smile of her own. "No problem, Bro."

THE END