MASQUERADE

Candace went to the Summer Cotillion... wouldn't that lead us to believe that there is a Summer Cotillion every year? That thought led to this.

They are about 16/17-ish, the cotillion theme is Masquerade (different theme every year), Phineas is unable to go (not that Isabella asked him anyway), the girls convince her to go anyway, and Isabella meets a charming, mysterious stranger. Tada!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Phineas and Ferb

Isabella shifted in her seat. "I don't know, guys. Maybe I shouldn't even go…"

Adyson huffed. "Come on, Isabella! Even without a date it will still be lots of fun!"

"Yeah!" Holly exclaimed, her eyes shining. "It's a masquerade. Doesn't that sound so cool?"

The youngest of them all (aka, Katie), whose room the former Fireside girls had taken over to get ready for said dance as a group, sat next to Isabella with Ginger sitting on the other side of the depressed girl. "Izzy," the Japanese-American said, "Whether you stay home or go to the summer cotillion, you're still going to feel down. At least there you'd have a little fun with us."

Isabella sighed and twiddled her thumbs. "There's also the chance that you'll find someone there," Katie put in. Isabella's eyes shot up to hers and she about started arguing, but the blonde cut her off. "I'm not saying that you'll find someone to totally replace Phineas, but maybe you can find someone who could take your mind off of him for at least one night."

Adyson came over and flopped on the bed behind the trio. "This is going to sound really harsh, but I'm going to be honest. Isabella, you need to get over him." Nearly every jaw in the room dropped and Isabella swung around to gape at her. "He isn't the guy in your fantasies—and he never will be the guy in your fantasies. Even if he does start looking for a girlfriend, which I don't think will happen for a while considering he is still as flighty as he was when we were 10, he will never measure up to what you have made him out to be."

Isabella scowled. "Oh, and why not?" she asked sharply, her tone telling Adyson to tread carefully.

"Because you've turned him into this unachievable thing!" the brunette exclaimed, sitting up to look her in the eyes. "You look at him like he's a hero from one of those romance novels your mom reads." Katie stifled a giggle—those novels were silly. Adyson wasn't finished though. "But he's never going to whisk you away off into the sunset, or take you to his castle in the clouds, or propose to you while on top of a rainbow! The guys have done some amazing things, but some things are even impossible for them."

Isabella had grown pale at some of the things Adyson has mentioned. She didn't want to believe the things she said—wanted to refuse that they had any truth at all—but her heart ached… It ached because they were true. In the past six-plus years, she'd had fantasy after fantasy about Phineas…but it wasn't actually Phineas…

She felt her cheeks flush. Adyson was right—her fantasy Phineas was like the heroes in those books her mom read and the girls' snuck looks at during sleepovers.

But she had stuck with the image for so long—she wasn't ready to let go. "No, you're wrong," she said, trying to sound forceful but it still came out quivering.

Adyson huffed and opened her mouth again, but Gretchen, the most levelheaded of the group, cut her off and knelt in front of Isabella. "Iz, forget what she said for tonight. Come with us to the cotillion and tomorrow you can take the time to think."

Isabella reluctantly agreed and started getting ready with the girls. She tried, she really did, but Adyson's words were still in the back of her head. She was preoccupied enough that it was while she was tying her hair up into an elegant knot at the back of her head that she suddenly realized she didn't have a mask.

What was the point of going to a Masquerade without a mask? Maybe this is my chance to stay home, she thought hopefully. Before she could say anything, Katie pushed Adyson towards her. The brunette was holding a small box and was glaring at the tiny blonde, but went closer to Isabella.

"While we were shopping for dresses a while ago, I saw this in a window." Adyson pushed the box towards her and Isabella hesitantly opened it. Inside, almost the exact same shade of pale pink as her dress, was a beautiful lace mask. Adyson sat next to her on one of the folding chairs they brought up. "I'm sorry for saying all of that," she murmured quietly.

Isabella blinked up at her in surprise. She felt the backs of her eyes sting with unshed tears, but refused to let them fall. She reached over and grabbed Adyson in a hug. "Thank you," she said—whether it was for the mask or the apology didn't matter.

Adyson smiled at her and picked up the mask. Stepping up behind Isabella, she lowered the mask over her eyes and tied it at the back of her head. She tucked the bow into the bun of hair and nodded. "Awesome," she said with a grin before walking away to don her own dress and mask.

Isabella didn't pay any attention. She was amazed at how different she looked with a mask on. Her eyes seemed to glow, having so much focus on them. She stood and spun around in front of the full length mirror and felt like she could fly she was so light. Honestly, all she needed was a crown and she could have been a princess.

Maybe tonight could be fun…

Yeah, right… Isabella thought while taking a sip from her punch. Fun… It wasn't fun sitting here all alone while her friends went off with their dates to dance. Even though, after they had learned Phineas was going to be away (and therefore unable to go to the cotillion even if Isabella had gathered enough courage to ask him), they all called their respective dates and told them they would meet them at the Convention Center. That way the girls could all go together and Isabella wouldn't feel so left out.

It worked all the way up to the doors. At first it was only one who went off with her date, then another, then another, until finally only Gretchen was left with Isabella. When the boy who was Gretchen's date came over (Isabella thought it was Django, but wasn't positive—although the intricate painted designs on his mask sure put credence to it being him), Isabella nearly had to push Gretchen towards the dance floor before she left. She had done so, laughing at the ridiculousness of her friends, but it faded shortly after.

How pathetic, she berated herself. Sixteen, no date, no boyfriend…not even a first kiss! Just sitting here, in a fancy dress and a gorgeous mask—Adyson really picked out a perfect one—feeling sorry for herself. What a great way to spend the evening.

She was reaching for her glass of juice when a hand appeared in front of her. She looked up at the blond boy that she really didn't recognize (the only blond guy she could think of was Irving, and this guy had a much better physique than Irving). "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

He spoke with a soft accent. It sounded similar to the American accent that most US residents spoke with, but there was that slight difference—more proper, smoother…maybe Canadian?

"Well, um, actually—" she cut her rejection off. What was she doing? She had just been feeling all depressed because she didn't have a date. Why shouldn't she dance with this stranger? Maybe Katie had a point earlier; ("maybe you can find someone who could take your mind off of him for at least one night.")…

She was wearing a mask… So why not be someone else for tonight—someone who wasn't in love with a boy who wouldn't (probably ever) realize her feelings for him.

"You know, I would love to," she said with a smile. It was a little forced, but she actually felt a little excitement from not knowing who she was dancing with. Even so, she still studied his face—or what she could see of it—trying to figure out who he was.

Dark blue eyes sparkled as the spun around the dance floor. "Are you wondering who I am?" he asked in his smooth voice.

Isabella felt her cheeks flush and she couldn't stop the smile. "A little bit. I'm trying to see if I can figure it out…"

He smiled too. "Well, if you can't figure it out tonight, maybe someday I will tell you."

She nodded in agreement, then a thought struck her. "Wait, do you know who I am?"

The boy blinked, startled at the question, then his eyes softened a bit. "I have a pretty good idea," was all he said, his voice soft like his eyes.

She didn't have a response for that, which he seemed to notice because he pushed her out into a spin before bringing her back. They danced in silence for a moment as she continued to study him. His blond hair was styled in an old-fashioned-like way—combed back, but not slicked with gel. And his blue eyes were deep and mesmerizing. The mask, a dark mask that made his eyes seem larger than they really were, covered more than half of his face, from mid-forehead to his cheekbones.

Not being able to see the shape of his nose put a damper on figuring out his identity. Practically everyone in Danville had a specific shaped nose. Her nose pointed up into a sharp point, Ginger's was rounded like a button, Baljeet's was, well, very Indian—she had met other people from India who didn't have a nose like his, but his was very…stereotypical—and then Phineas and Ferb's noses needed no explanation.

The point was that you could almost figure out who people were (and who they were related to) by the shape of their noses. With his mask the way it was, this blond stranger was practically unidentifiable.

"You know," Isabella said, breaking the comfortable silence. "I don't think I'm going to be able to figure out who you are."

He chuckled. Then he looked directly into her eyes and she felt her brain go fuzzy. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

She felt her cheeks flush once again. "No," she murmured. She smiled slightly. "Not a bad thing."

He grinned back at her; then his face became solemn. "If I may ask, why were you sulking over there?" he asked with a nod towards the table where she had been sitting.

She stiffened. Should she tell him? "I, um…I was hoping to see a friend here…" she said slowly. "But, I found out a couple of days ago that he was going to be out of town today."

The blond boy was silent for a moment, but then she felt his hand tense on her back, pulling her closer to him. "That's too bad that you're friend isn't here," he said before smirking. "But at least that means I get you to myself tonight."

Isabella blinked in surprise but she couldn't help laughing. "What? But, don't you have a date or something?"

He looked thoughtful. "No, I don't have a date." He looked down at her. "Would you like to be my date for the cotillion tonight?" he asked formally.

She laughed again and nodded. "Sure, I will be your date tonight, Mr. Stranger," she said with only a little bit of sarcasm.

His smile faded. "Do you need to know my identity to be my date?"

Isabella studied him closely for a moment then shook her head. "No, I don't need to know…" She didn't have to say she did want to know, that was pretty clear in her tone. "Maybe tonight we can both be someone else," she decided instead. It didn't matter too much anyway—it wasn't like she was going to go home with him.

He simply nodded in agreement and spun her again. He was a really good dancer. With each spin she felt freer. When he held her close, he danced so lightly that she felt like they could start floating off the floor any minute. They laughed and danced and sat when they got tired before going back out there when they'd caught their breath.

This is how a date should be, Isabella thought to herself, feeling a little disappointed when the DJ accounted that there were only a few more songs before the cotillion was over until next year. The blond boy must have been disappointed too, because as the next song played he pulled her even closer to him, nearly pressing her chest to his.

"Last few songs," he said softly into her ear. "Better make them count."

She couldn't think of anything to say, so just nodded. They continued to gaze at each other until the last notes from the final song vibrated through the hall. He brought a hand up to her cheek and Isabella, realizing what was to come, flushed brightly. She didn't pull away—she refused to. He could see the acceptance in her eyes and leaned closer.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips to hers. There was something thrilling about kissing someone she didn't know. Neither deepened the kiss, they simply stood there slowly moving their lips against each others. As the voices around them became louder, the music now ended, they pulled apart.

Isabella felt she could have happily drowned in his eyes if given the chance. He smiled softly at her and brushed his hand against her cheek. "Goodnight, Isabella," he whispered, leaning forwards once more only for a kiss on the cheek before he disappeared in to the crowd.

Her heart hammered against her chest and she felt light-headed. Then his words caught up to her and her eyes widened. He knew her name! He had known who she was the whole time! Isabella scanned the crowd, looking for him, but he was gone.

Not long after, the former Fireside Girls swarmed her. "Who was that?!" they asked almost in unison.

All she could reply with was "I don't know."

"You don't know who he was? How is that possible?"

"He didn't even give you a name?"

"Was he at least a gentleman?"

"What was kissing him like?"

"So, was I right?"

The other girls looked at Katie, so she elaborated. "Was I right that you'd find someone to take your mind off of Phineas?"

Isabella blinked. Phineas… She actually hadn't thought about him since that first dance with Mr. Stranger. She opened and closed her mouth trying to find any kind of response, but none came.

"Come on," Ginger said excitedly. "Sleep over at Katie's and you can tell us all about your mystery man."

The girls pulled her out the door, none noticing Katie looking back and winking at someone.

Unseen, the blond boy winked back. Then he reached up and unclipped his mask. The action caused his blond hair to flicker before settling on a new shade—a deep green. The dark blue eyes stayed the same as he watched—with his vision now unobstructed by a mask—her walk home with her friends, laughing and swaying in happiness.

Someday, he promised. Someday he'd tell her.

"Hey Ferb! Where have you been?" a voice belted out next to him. He turned to see Buford, Baljeet, and Django looking at him curiously.

"Yeah, we didn't see you anywhere," the artist said.

"I was around," Ferb answered, speaking in his original English accent for the first time that night.

All three boys' eyes widened in shock and Ferb mentally smacked himself. He was still affected from opening up and actually talking to Isabella all night instead of acting normally and not speaking much. Instead of waiting for them to recover and ask questions, he simply shrugged and walked away with a wave.

Ferb's mask held technology (that he developed, of course) that caused a kind of hologram or something over his hair, causing it to look blond instead of green. Also, he wasn't speaking to her with an English accent, in case you didn't catch that. He adopted an American one, but without having time to perfect it, it still came out smooth and proper. Also, he talked a LOT to her while dancing. All of these, coupled with not being able to see his nose-shape, made it so that Isabella had no clue who he was.

And yes, Katie knew it was Ferb. Who knows, she could have helped him plot was was just able to tell it was him. She's weird like that.

[PS: me calling the Fireside Girls 'former' just means they all grew out of the program. Nothing more.]

If any of you Ferbella-fans wants to do an omake for this (where Isabella figures out that is was Ferb at the dance, or the girls realize Katie knows, or anything else), go for it. I'll even post them in a second chapter here for everyone to enjoy.

Also, I would really love to see some fanart for this story...hinthint.

Please review!