Threatening Separation

Never before have the streets seem to condense with every single step he took, becoming ever more cluttered with annoyingly slow paced pedestrians. On an ordinary day, this sidewalk would be indifferent, just a simple path for someone to follow. However, this was no ordinary day – rather, it was a time of complete desperation, guilt, and horrible tragedy.

The red-headed boy raced down the street, a red tint flushed his face, marking him with the face of absolute horror. He held little regard for his own safety. He would end up running past incoming traffic, in some cases only a few inches would separate him from harm. The boy, now in his late teens, even resorted to forcing his way through pockets of tourists in the middle of town. His mind was elsewhere. Just minutes ago, a call from Isabella's mother had scared an unsuspecting Phineas. It confused him. He knew that the occasion for the call was unusual. Why would she directly call him? There were plenty of other people who could be reached, why him? Then, he heard the news.

Isabella was in critical condition at nearby Danville University Hospital.

There was little said about what exactly happened, all he knew was she was involved in a serious car accident. Yet, the details didn't matter. The most important thought racing through Phineas's mind was that he could actually lose her. He could lose his best friend, the most important person in his life, his unwavering love. To him, this could not happen. Acting as if he had any ability to change the reality that was set in motion, he reassured a bawling Vivian, hung up, and ran towards the hospital.

Perhaps the most tragic part of this ordeal was that the two of them had just completed their first semester at Tri-State State. The two achieved high academic marks. Their love continuously reached new heights. It had only been a few months, but their relationship seemed as if nothing could break it. Both Phineas and Isabella held fond memories of the nights they would spend studying, cuddled up, and accidentally falling asleep in each other's embrace. They could never forget the occasional nights where "studying" really just meant a date with textbooks laid out in front of them. Of course, they had their fights and disagreements, but it was nothing in comparison to the love they so evidently held for each other. The idea that both of them could be separated at the infancy of their relationship was overwhelming and incredibly tragic.

At the time Phineas reached the doorsteps of the hospital, a cold shiver ran down his spine, leaving him almost paralyzed. He forcefully closed his eyes. His mind raced once again.

How much time would he have with her? Was she already gone? Was he too late?

He opened his eyes and saw himself sitting in a church pew alongside his entire family. The Garcia-Shapiro family sat right in front of them. Everyone was in tears. Everyone was wearing black. So was he. He gazed down at his lap and noticed a speech that he had prepared, it was his eulogy to his girlfriend. He could not believe his eyes – in no way was he actually at Isabella's funeral, it had to be made up. Yet, he couldn't seem to snap out of what he was seeing. It felt so real and there was no escaping it. Perhaps, it was actually his reality.

His hands trembled as he looked at the eulogy. It recounted all of the wonderful memories they had built, the dates, all the small moments they shared as a couple, and even the romance that so often lead to their own heated moments. Phineas could feel his throat twisting itself into knots, his eyes growing ever so warmer, and his head starting to pound. He was ready to lose his composure, his sanity, everything. Why not? In his mind, he had no reason to keep himself together.

Suddenly, the casket that held Isabella came in, being carried in the arms of four men. Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro lost all sense of composure at that sight. She fell to the ground, her eyes growing swollen and red from all the crying. She cursed the drunk driver responsible for the fatal accident and begged for her deity to take her instead, as a sacrifice for Isabella's well-being. Phineas, which at this point desperately tried to suppress his tears, kept his eyes locked onto the coffin as it slowly made its way to through the aisle. Phineas struggled to do anything, yet he knew that he wished to say something. He wanted to see Isabella in person, feel her hands, and look at her straight in the eyes. Unfortunately, he had to find solace in this outcome. His mind struggled to find the right words. Phineas wanted their reality to be exclusively theirs one more time.

Finally, as the coffin reached the end of the aisle, he whispered, "Darling, don't ever give up on me. Just wait for me a little bit longer... I'll be there with you soon. I promise…" he swallowed the knot in his throat. "I love you." He fell to the ground, a broken man, unwilling to continue forward without her. Phineas's eyes closed, never wanting to open them again.

"Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. She's very fragile, but she's stable enough to take visitors," a disembodied echo ruminated through the procession.

Reopening his eyes, Phineas's struggled to regain his composure. Somehow he had managed to walk through the hospital, reaching the receptionist. He had managed to ask about Isabella, even if he was completely immersed in the nightmare that had just played out.

"Where… where is she?" Phineas said, still struggling to regain himself.

"May I please know your relationship to her?"

"I'm her boyfriend."

"Hmph," the receptionist paused, "I'm sure she'd be glad to see someone like you. It will do her well. She's in room 327, third floor. Please be careful and let us know if there are any complications."

"Thank you. Thank so very much…" Phineas was beyond excited, Isabella waited for him. But yet, he was also afraid to see how fragile his Isabella was. He hoped she was well enough to speak, retain the personality he loved, and to share one another's emotions.

Once he reached the third floor, he went room by room, gazing at the numbers assigned to each dorm. He was approaching her. With each increasing number, he could feel his heart calling out to the girl. After all of the emotional torture he had endured, all he wanted was to see that his beloved had survived. He wanted his future to be certain – a future where Isabella was firmly engrained in his life. He wanted his nightmare to end and to finally put this scare to rest.

Room 327

The door was open. His knees felt as if it had just taken on every single paranoid thought and nerve the teen held. He didn't want to admit it, but his thoughts quickly rushed toward the worst. His mind expected to see a bedridden Isabella, covered in bandages from head to toe, immobile, a hollow shell of her former self. His heart would still want her, but a normality would never again be attainable. Everything would change. As Isabella came into view, instead of seeing what he pictured, he noticed a peaceful girl laying bed, her eyes closed, and her chest expanding and contracting in a rhythmic pattern. She seemed perfect. It was almost as if nothing had happened to her. Of course, she had cuts and bruises all throughout her body, but in Phineas's eyes she was as perfect as always.

He took a seat in a chair beside the resting girl. "You know, you really had me worried... I thought I had lost you." Phineas knew that she wasn't listening to him. She still hadn't woken up since the accident. It didn't matter. All he needed was to release all of the stress built up. He just needed to believe that she was listening.

"I ran like a madman." He paused, "I didn't know what to do. I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"I feared the worst. My mind kept telling me that you were gone. My heart ached at the idea that we would never again be able to love – to never hold our hands together, speak about our emotions, and picture our future together." A small tear ran down his cheek. "I don't ever want you to wait for me again. I'm here to love and stand beside you… not to go our separate ways."

He looked at her. His eyes yearned for hers, knowing that she wouldn't return the favor. He grabbed her hand and ensured that it wouldn't slip away from his. "That's a promise that I will never break."

With all his strength, he pulled himself up from the seat and overlooked her frail body. He leaned over, his lips stopping just short of her lips. He paused. A memory ran through his mind. It was the one where they had shared their first kiss together. He could vividly recall the green tint of the suburbs, the empty intersection, the racing of their hearts, and the pink car that had almost separated the couple before they could even express their love for each other. And not far behind were the exact emotions that ran through the two of them. The want, need, and solace they would find in each other's embrace were wholly present in Phineas's mind. He needed her. He wanted her. He loved her.

With Phineas's heart beating as if they were about to share their first kiss, he relented. He gave in to his passion and closed the gap between the two of them, gently pressing his lips on hers. Suddenly, all of the torture endured meant nothing. In reality, it had only produced an enormous necessity in Phineas's heart that could only be satiated by her love. The kiss meant more than ever before – though nothing would overcome their first kiss – and the act only became even more filling to the young boy.

Soon enough, he attempted to pull apart, but found himself being dragged down. It was Isabella. She had gained consciousness in the middle of it all. Now that she was awake, there was no way that she would let this moment go so quickly. Her arms wrapped around Phineas's neck and locked him in the awkward pose he had initiated in. She could feel Phineas's smile as he struggled to find a comfortable pose to continue. She couldn't help but chuckle over his increasingly restless movement.

"Don't think that you're getting away with this so easily," Isabella said, her lips detaching from his, her arms loosening her grip on the boy. A coy smile radiated from her face.

Phineas was relieved and overly giddy to have his Isabella back, "Oh don't you dare worry, I was fully set on continuing." He paused for a second, attempting to fix his posture, "Just next time, give me a little warning so that I'm not left with an aching back because of this."

"I won't make any promises."

Almost immediately, Phineas and Isabella's flirty relationship had blossomed once again, completely disregarding the horrific events of the day. The two of them were only glad to see each other again, this time without the threat of separation lingering over them. They were glad to have this moment once again. The two would never take each other's presence for granted. Isabella slowly and cautiously shuffled over in her bed, making enough room for Phineas.

"Please, lay down with me." Isabella gestured Phineas to do so.

A smile crept up Phineas's lips and he obediently complied. Carefully, his arms wrapped around Isabella's body as if his warmth and presence would be enough for Isabella's recovery. Even though to most people, it certainly wouldn't be enough, to Isabella, Phineas was all she needed. She would be okay.

A/N: Seven years ago.

Almost seven years ago since I became involved with this fandom. I was eleven years old then. It's been six years since I just vanished from this site. I didn't think I would be back, but I have recently rediscovered why I loved this show so much, especially the development between Phineas and Isabella. I'm happy to be back. While I don't plan to upload regularly, I do plan to remain in the fandom, providing content whenever I can. (College can be kind of time consuming, bear with me) Hopefully I can entice some old authors back to this fandom, just like old times – especially when the Milo Murphy and Phineas and Ferb crossover is around the corner.

Either way, any reviews would be highly appreciated. (Especially in my fluff section of this fic… it's been a while since I wrote stuff like this) And let me know what you think about the ending; I couldn't help but end with a sappy and cheesy scene. In fact, this was originally meant to end with Isabella's death, but I thought it might have been too much of a downer. Either way, let me know what you think. (I won't say that I'm that good at writing, but definitely better than my first works.)

Until then! Happy reviewing!