Candace awoke to the usual annoying sounds of her brothers' latest schemes. She growled and hit her head against the bed frame, a noise not unlike wood hitting wood echoing through her room and out the open window. Rubbing her hand over her face in exasperation, she wondered how and why God had given her two such amazing yet so impulsive brothers.
It wasn't that she didn't love her brothers; in fact, she was more attached to them than she was to her Ducky Momo collection. She just felt that every serendipitous contraption and hair brained invention was both dangerous and completely irrational. Even at the age of eleven, her brothers hadn't learned when to quit, and they continued to pull stunts like this nearly every single day. They hit the climax of annoying during summer break, but they didn't stop, ever. Neither during spring break nor winter, and it was even rumoured they had the permission at school…
Candace sat bolt upright in her bed, eyes wide with shock. Christmas break… No. They couldn't possibly be pulling a stunt like when they were ten again! She fell out of bed in a frantic heap and whipped her tiger lily hair out of her face, a look of pure horror in her features. The date was December 24th. She groaned, clenching and unclenching her fists as though she were strangling something. Yep; they were going to pull a stunt like the last time again.
She picked herself off the ground and surveyed the battlefield in her own backyard. A tree fit for New York's town square was being pulled into their backyards, ornaments bigger than her head scattered carelessly on the snowy floor, giving the appearance of candy atop icing sugar. The oak tree itself had been turned into a hot chocolate stand with Milly and Holly manning the front. Ice sculptures had been strewn around in one corner, a smaller yet functional model of the rollercoaster Phineas and Ferb had built a year prior standing tall and proud with a blue ribbon tacked on. Django was grinning at it with confidence, and Irving was off to the side, defeated and staring at his sculpture; an overly muscular version of Phineas and Ferb ruling the world, Candace beneath the soles of their feet.
The house itself was encased in shimmery gift wrapping, a boy atop the small balcony roof that lay above Candace's window. She reached to grab it down and bust her brother, but a sudden thought caused her to drop her outstretched arm and slowly shut the window. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her mind for once seeing a different angle than the busting one.
When had been the last time her mom had brought them out to Christmas Eve Mass? Or any mass, for that matter? Had Phineas, not to mention Ferb, even heard the infancy narrative as it was supposed to be told? They hadn't gone to mass since her biological dad had died, and it was something she realized she should've fought for. She sat on her white feathered blanket and sprawled out across the bed and, for the first time, Candace felt regretful for something she had done to her brothers.
The radio in the background began a new song, and the red head slowly opened one eye. It was a song she had known for years, and Candace managed to learn the lyrics as easily as her brothers knew which nuts went with which bolts. Much like Phineas and Ferb, Candace's mind began to work on overdrive, and within moments she had rushed downstairs, a plan formulated by the time she had hit the last staircase.
"Phineas, Ferb!" The boys in question turned their attention towards the overly decorated house, and the younger of the two received a snowball to the face, his triangular nose coated in melting snow. Ferb threw his own wet projectile, snagging the laughing Buford in his open mouth. Isabella called a quick time out, and told the boys they had better get going to their respective houses to get ready for the annual Flynn-Fletcher Christmas Eve party. Just as the last Fireside Girl had slipped through the gates, Candace threw open the sliding glass door, clad in her winter boots and coat, a woollen hat and knit sweaters covering her hair and hands.
Phineas began to bite his lip nervously with anticipation; he hoped his sister would like what they had done with the backyard, especially since he had worked so hard to make it better than the last year's. What worried him was the very possible idea that his sister would begin yelling at them and calling for their mom, not once listening to the explanation the boys had. What she did was so unexpected that even Ferb's eyes widened in shock.
"Guys, walk with me. There's something I want to show you." Neither boy protested, simply exchanging confused glances before following their older sister. They walked off of the Flynn-Fletcher property and out the street, becoming more and more complex as their sister led them farther away from their home. Candace's steps were purposeful, yet she kept quiet, so conversation was cut and her siblings stumbled after her in the snow.
Ten minutes later, the trio had arrived outside the Danville Googleplex Mall, yet Candace made no effort to escape the biting cold. Instead, she pointed towards a man at the entrance, and the boys stared at him in confusion. He was in his mid-seventies, with thin greying hair and as many wrinkles as the Himalayan mountains. He was leaning against a cane, and his clothes looked as though they had gone out of fashion in the 80's. Nonetheless, he smiled at those coming in and out, and wished them all a merry Christmas whether they answered him or not.
The old man shook a bright sliver bell in his hand, a see through spherical piggy bank held up by red pipes. The words The Salvation Army were printed atop the drop box on a simple slab of metal, and money made ringing noises each time someone dropped another coin into the ever growing collection of American currency.
Ferb looked at his sister, understanding what she was trying to convey. He gave her the thumbs up, and she smiled down at him and ruffled his hair lovingly. Phineas, however, didn't quite understand. He knew his sister loved shopping and giving to the poor, but he couldn't quite see the point in distracting them from their daily invention when it could've waited until later.
The two 13 year olds felt their sister slip something into their hands and pull away, her small actions scrambling their brains in confusion. The boys looked down at their clenched fists and slowly unraveled their fingers. Each boy held two dollars in change, yet Candace walked away from them, depositing her own bill into the drop box. For a couple minutes, her and the attendant at the drop box conversed, their faces bright and their mouths moving as though they had known each other for years. When their sister returned, Phineas finally found the courage to ask his sister a simple yet powerful question.
"Candace, what's going on?" he inquired, his voice thick with perplexity. "I understand that you want us to give him money, and I get that it's a good deed. I want to do it, I just... Why all of a sudden?" The young woman smiled, bending down as though they were five years old. Candace looked so grown up here, like a teacher kindly helping a boy understand, that he found himself under her spell; trapped like he were ensnared in her words.
"Phineas Flynn, you and Ferb are the two most selfless people I know. You always try to make the best of life for your friends and everyone else. You know how to make people around you smile by thinking big, but have you ever once thought that something small could mean the world to someone?" Ferb's eyes glinted with realization, and he smiled up at her, yet Phineas didn't quite understand.
"But everyone loves our inventions, Candace!" He cried, seeing the big picture yet not quite comprehending. "We do it so all our friends can have a good time!" His sister chuckled and put her hand gently on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.
"I know, and everyone loves your inventions. What I'm trying to say is, you and your friends have always been well off, but there are others who could use your help. Something as insignificant to you and I as this," here she paused, poking the money in his hands, "can make such a big difference in other's lives. If none of us helped each other out, what would this world be like? Had Jesus not sacrificed himself on the cross, how would we be treated? Compassion, Phineas; compassion and love." With that still in her two brothers' heads, she pushed them towards the old man and watched in wonder. At eleven, they were still learning how to act and what to do. They're IQs may have skyrocketed between the ages of six and seven, but as they had no real religious background.
Ferb plunked his money in, and there was something about the way the man looked at him that made Phineas wonder whether or not the man knew exactly how to interact with the green haired Brit. His suspicions were confirmed as the attendant simply tipped his hat to the boy and gave him a toothy yellow grin. Ferb, for his part, gave the man two thumbs up and turned on his heel, his small smile muffled by his pine tree scarf.
Phineas walked up towards the spherical piggy bank slowly, a sudden rush of intimidation washing over him. The man smiled pleasantly and watched in amusement as the eleven year old quickly dropped the donation in the box and turned to go.
"Thank you, Phineas."
The boy in question looked back quickly, startled at how the man knew his name. Candace must have told him, he thought as he smiled shyly.
"Merry Christmas to you too, sir."
On the way home, Candace quietly asked how the two had felt after they had given the money to charity. Ferb Fletcher, ever a man of action, simply smiled widely, as though he had just received the Nobel Prize.
"And you, Phineas?" The red head had been silent up until that point, but finally he looked up at his sister, nothing but seriousness in his features, something Candace had never seen from him.
"Candace, I've always done my best to include everyone in anything Ferb and I do. I've worked for countless days on inventions and contraptions that would make every experience as beautiful and gratifying to anyone around them." There was a pregnant pause before the Flynn boy kept going on. "But it had never occurred to me that, big as my projects may be, I should try and work it for the greater good. Giving that money, it meant something; something my inventions never could quite touch. Had I known that something so simple as donating two bucks to a charity would make my heart feel so light, I would've started years ago." Candace laughed and wrapped her arms around both her brothers, squeezing them tight.
"That's my boys."
The Flynn-Fletcher party continued on as usual, a flurry of people coming in and out of the beautiful house on Maple Drive. The Christmas tree sparkled with beautifully assorted lights and varying ornaments from past excursions. Mistletoe hung in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, and the snow pattered lightly against the windows in beautiful harmony of the Christmas music. Adults mingled amongst themselves, the kids slamming the door shut as they ran inside after finishing their snowball fight. Phineas went to the kitchen for a glass of punch, and as he turned, he nearly spilled his drink all over Isabella.
"Hey Phineas," she giggled, her bright, playful eyes boring into her own. "Wat'cha doin'?" Phineas raised his glass in reply before downing it in one swift chug. Isabella smiled and shoved him playfully as he laid the cup to rest on the counter. For the next couple minutes, the two conversed easily, and at a particularly enthusiastic response, the Jewish Mexican rolled her eyes. She froze, looking up to the ceiling.
The two had somehow managed to walk underneath the doorway with the mistletoe, and both of their faces instantly reddened. Phineas found himself stammering, but he saw Candace and Ferb giving him the thumbs up out of the corner of his eye.
Have you ever thought that something small could mean the world to someone?
Phineas looked back at his neighbour; she was frantically tugging out the knots in her hair, and in doing so she had inadvertently shown her crush why she was so excited every time he talked about love. He grinned, and grabbed her on the shoulders, feeling them freeze beneath his touch. In one fluid motion, he dipped down and kissed her passionately, a feeling neither of them would forget. When they pulled away, Phineas rested his forehead against Isabella's.
"Merry Christmas Izzy."
"Merry Christmas Phin."
OMG THIS IS COMPLETELY MY FAULT; I SCREWED UP THE ENTRY TIME FOR THE CONTEST, SO… yeah. Completely my fault, I'm a scatterbrain. Hopefully Myron Greenleaf will forgive me, but if not, I am truly sorry anyways.
All I Feel is You is also finally resuming, so keep your eyes peeled! Merry Christmas everyone! :D And also, I want you all to know that you have been the best readers a girl could ask for. Seriously, I don't know how you manage it, but everytime I read a review or a story or even just a message, my face lights up. I love you all :hearts:
An especially Merry Christmas to my two best friends on this site, Batmarcus and Jaida857. You guys have just been so amazing and supportive, and I feel as though I couldn't have gotten luckier with the two of you. Merry Christmas, I love you both :more hearts:
Sistergrimm97
P.S. I got inspiration for this from Taylor Swift's Christmas Must Be Something More.