~Heaven Was Needing a Hero~
A Phineas and Ferb fanfiction
Written by Urhairsmellsnice
A tribute to the three men that died in the Theatre Massacre
Covering their girlfriends' bodies with their own.
Those three men died that night
but they live forever in our hearts and memories.
Rest in Peace

I lay on the cold linoleum in a ball, much as I had when Ferb had been covering me on the floor of the theatre. Linda's wails reached my ears, penetrating my very soul. I was the reason her baby was no longer alive. I might as well have shot him myself. My sobs and reflections were interrupted by the sound of the emergency room door sliding open. Buford's here, I thought to myself with slight, selfish relief.

Unfortunately, Buford got there about five minutes too late.

Instead of hearing the sound of Buford's steal toed boots echoing on the floor, coming towards me, I heard the trampling of several people coming into the room. Great noise coming with them. I looked up and a fake blond woman in a red pencil skirt "helped" me off the floor. My eyes were trained on her skirt, the same color as Ferb's blood staining my purse. It should have been my blood.

"Janice McCallum, Danville news," The woman said as I realized a camera was trained on my face, I tried to escape, but there were so many news reporters in the room, I couldn't. "What is your name, Miss?"

"Uh... Adyson Sweetwater," I mumbled, still searching for a way out.

"Adyson, were you there at the massacre?" She asked in that annoying news reporter voice.

I grimaced at the word massacre and fought back tears, "Yes"

"Is it true that the only reason you remained uninjured is because your boyfriend shielded your body with his own?"

I choked back another sob, "Yes…"

"And what condition is the young Ferb Fletcher in now?" She asked.

I smiled bitterly and looked at the ground, "He told me, he was fine. I believe him."

"So the reports that he died on scene are untrue?" It was as if she was trying to make me break, I had to get away, and there was just so much noise. A reporter held Linda's hand as she tearfully told of her son, the look on her face said that someone had revealed that Ferb had died for me, she would hate me, she had a right, but her son was ever more a hero.

"No they're not untrue," I choked again "Look, please, I don't want to answer any questions."

"So would you consider Ferb Fletcher a Hero?" She asked

"He's my hero," I answered automatically, tears finally spilling over my eyes, I wiped them hopelessly. I saw Isabella and her mother recounting the events of the night. The chaos, the way the boys had saved us. For her it was a story of the ages, two boys becoming heroes, making a great sacrifice, honor bound and amazing in their own respects. For me it was a morbid tale, of how I went out with a boy that deserved far better than me, was protected by a boy that was way better than me, and was given life by a boy that deserved to live far more than me, and in return I only gave him a kiss. Our first kiss. "Please, no more questions," I begged.

"What were his last words to you?" Janice asked despite my pleas. I hated the woman.

"After… After he was… shot I kissed him and told him it would be alright and he took my hand and told me it already was… and then he… he…"

"Died?" She finished for me, "That's quite the romantic story."

I gulped, "Please stop asking questions" I briefly wondered why I kept answering her even though I wished with all my being that she would stop answering.

"Do you blame yourself for Ferb's death?" She persisted.

"I- uh…" If her goal had been to make me crack she had finally succeeded, the silent tears that had been running down my face became full blown sobs and I buried my face in my hands.

"Hey!" I heard a voice call out from the door. Buford. He shoved through the sea of people and put his arms protectively around me, I sobbed into his chest, "She said no more questions," He growled.

"Who is this?" Janice asked, directing the question at me.

I was too racked by sobs to answer, my body quivering every time I took a shaky breath. Each shaky breath a breath that should have belonged to Ferb. "I'm Buford Van Stomm, and I'll kick your ass if you keep bothering Addie."

"Adyson, have you been cheating on Ferb with this person?"

She took my silence as a yes, "Do you feel guilty that you betrayed the boy who loved you enough to die for you?"

"Adyson, come on," Said Buford pulling me away from the newswoman.

"Would you die for Adyson, Buford? Her other boyfriend did." Janice persisted

"I'm not her boyfriend," Buford growled, "And I would, any day."

"Adyson, did you ever dream of being such a femme fatal? How does it feel to wickedly lead these boys on and make them fall so hard they're willing to die for you even if you care nothing for them?"

I started to turn around, my tears subsided a moment by what she said, I shook my head at her, "I loved—Love Ferb. I'd give anything to go back and die instead of him," I told her coldly, so many feelings bubbling up inside me I couldn't possibly express them in my voice, instead reverting to a monotone. A monotone like Ferb used to use in front of people.

Janice rolled her eyes and looked towards a sound guy, "Look how artfully she weaves these lies! Do you want to be her boyfriend Buford? Are you glad that Ferb died so you can now have the girl of both your dreams?"

Buford had been gently guiding me out of the room, pushing cameramen out of the way, but he released me and whirled around, balling his fists. "Ferb was about the best friend a guy could have and Adyson was his girlfriend and my friend. That means I have to protect her for him. Stop twisting things around and making her look bad and feel worse. She can't change what happened and she would have never done anything to hurt Ferb so why don't you all just fuck off and LEAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE ALONE TO MOURN THEIR SON AND FRIEND!" Everyone in the room had stopped talking and turned to gape at his outburst. I'd seen Buford mad before, but never this livid. Buford put a hand on my shoulder blade and guided me out of the waiting room to the dark area outside. This time everyone made way for him except one male reporter that tried to stop us to ask more questions. Buford promptly punched him in the face.

Once outside I took a deep breath and slid down the wall, sitting hugging my knees. "Thanks," I murmured to Buford as he sat cross-legged on the ground next to me, breathing heavily from his anger.

"I don't think anyone's thanked me for my temper before," He said, smiling, "Addie, are you ok?"

I looked over at him and couldn't tell a lie, "It should have been me,"

"Ferb wouldn't have forgiven himself if it had," He told me.

"He was just so much better, he deserved to live, it's not fair that he died and I didn't," I answered, hitting my knees.

Buford raised his eyebrows at me, "You make it sound as if you want to." I just looked ahead and didn't answer, he continued, "You know Ads, life's not fair. Take it from someone who knows."

"Yeah, and how would you know?" I asked bitterly, not expecting a response.

"I know you feel as if your life is the most unfair now, and that the world is against you, but there are other people, you can't forget them."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, still not looking at him. How could anyone but me know what unfair truly was?

He leaned forward and lifted up his shirt so I could see his side and back. I looked over to see what he was doing. The skin on his torso was light and he wasn't at all overweight like people thought, but those things weren't the ones I noticed; I was seeing how the tightly muscled flesh rippled with raised, elongated, scars. My eyes widened.

He touched the lightest one that ran along his side, "This was a beer bottle in 2001, it was the first one." He touched a purplish one, particularly nasty, "This one was a knife, last June" He let his shirt fall back to its normal resting place and tugged down his collar, revealing a single gleaming white scar across his chest, it was gruesome, yet strangely beautiful. I reached out and touched it, he shivered at the contact from my cold hands on his chest, "This was a shard from a mirror at two in the morning right before school got back in."

He let go of his collar and I dropped my hand, staring at him in shock, Buford had been gone the first few weeks of school, we had all assumed he was just skipping. I couldn't believe this was the reason. "I'm sor-." I started but he cut me off.

"I didn't show you these to get pity, I showed you to make you think," He said harshly, "life's not fair but you have to live a life anyway."

"I just wish he had a life to live," I sighed, "that I could've saved him."

"I know, but Ferb did what he thought was right," Buford told me, his tone softening a bit, he hugged me, "And your definitely worth saving."

I pulled back from the hug, "Thanks for coming, Buford"

"Anytime," He told me, as we watched all the news reported and photographers file out of the hospital looking sullen.

Isabella came outside soon after the reporters had left and sat on the other side of my, her eyes were blood shot and her face tear streaked but she gave a weak smile, I probably looked just as bad, "That was amazing, Buford" She said.

"Just standing up for my friends," He answered.

Isabella and Buford both wore jacket's, warding off the coolness of the spring early morning. I couldn't stop myself from shaking, not just from cold, but from anxiety as well. Buford shrugged off his hoodie and placed it around my shoulders, I smiled gratefully at him. I tapped my foot impatiently and finally stood up to pace. "I feel so helpless," I said in an agitated tone, "Like I need to do something, anything, it just makes me want to shout."

Isabella bit her lip, "I know exactly how you feel"

"Then shout," said Buford, "both of you." He stood up and offered his hand to Isabella, she got up as well.

With a smile she ran into the parking lot where it was just starting to rain she stopped and spread out her arms, looking into the air with a joyous expression "Ferb, you're a great guy! We're going to miss you!" She shouted to the sky, rain hitting her face.

It didn't take long for Buford to follow her example, running out into the rain, "I promise I'll take care of Adyson for you, Ferb! I know she meant the world to you!" He yelled, looking up as if he could see his friend in the stars.

I walked into the parking lot slowly, feeling the rain on my skin, when I reached my two friends I looked up, letting Buford's hood fall from my head. Suddenly with the cold rain hitting my face I felt Ferb all around me, comforting, safe, warm, I smiled and raised my arms above my head, twirling around, silent, hot tears streamed down my face mingling with the rain "I love you, Ferb!" I cried out to the sky, "I'm sorry I never told you before now!"

The three of us stood in silence letting the rain that Ferb loved so much hit us and feeling him all around us. Isabella began to sing the words to Ferb's favorite hymn in a soft, sweet soprano, "When peace like a river, attendeth my way, and sorrows like sea billows roll;"

Buford joined in, surprising me both with his knowledge of the church song and beautiful bass voice "Whatever my lot, though hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul"

I closed my eyes and remembered how Ferb loved to sing and added my alto to the harmony

"It is well, with my soul
it is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well
with my soul"

The note held for a while and when we stopped, we could just hear the sweet refrain reaching our ears in perfect harmony.

I smiled, knowing Ferb would have loved it.

No… I smiled because Ferb did love it.

A/N Another chapter, I tried to make the reporter woman infuriating and the end part heartwarming, I'm not entirely sure how I did, but poor Ferb. And about the whole scar thing with Buford… yeah figure that out yourself. In any case, I'm dreadfully late for tennis practice but I needed to update, sorry it's so short, I'll try and update again tomorow or the next day.