No one's POV
The Flynn Fletcher house was one of usual love and constant movement. Neighbours were more or less treated like family, always invited in for either a cup of coffee or some snacks. It was the perfect example of hospitality and warmth, the very best Maple Drive had ever seen. It was because of this sense of care and support that many gathered here over the course of the days following the break-in.
Many would come over to watch the investigation from the comfort of the home, others simply to stop in and be as nice as possible during the week of despair. Linda and Lawrence Flynn-Fletcher, for their part, had no problem with the steady flow of people coming through the door that felt like walking into another, more peaceful city. What concerned them was the state their sons were in, particularly Phineas. He spent his days with Ferb and sat under the tree in the backyard, scribbling furiously on paper, only to be dissatisfied with the outcome and tear the design into pieces as though just looking at it made him sick to his stomach. The only good part to this was they now had over two extra large garbage bags full of confetti, should they ever need it. Ferb, on the other hand, wasn't always home; he spent half of his time with his brother, the other half with Gretchen. Phineas didn't seem upset by this fact, claiming Gretchen needed time with her boyfriend.
Candace, now twenty two years old and in her fifth year of university, tried to find any way possible to help the search party, often getting as many as her friends as possible to lend a hand. Jeremy was by her side much of the time, something the eldest Flynn child counted a blessing. When Jeremy wasn't with her, he was either working or trying to pull Phineas and Ferb away from their home, attempting to cheer up the two stepbrothers to no avail.
On the fifth night with no lead on Isabella's whereabouts, the household was in utter silence as they all slept. Linda and Lawrence were off in their own worlds, trying hard not to think of their own children getting kidnapped, while Candace had long since moved out and shared an apartment with Stacy on the other side of town. Her room had been turned into a guest room, where Vivian Garcia-Shapiro lay awake in bed, her eyes trailing the picture of her and her missing daughter, the week before the accident. The Jewish Mexican was in utter depression, rushing straight to her home after being away on business during the incident. She had collapsed into her best friend's arms, sobs racking her body and continuing well after Linda made sure she had a hot cup of coffee and a place to stay. She stared at the picture and smoothed her fingers over it, tears spilling down her cheeks like a small trickle into a creek.
"Pronto a casa, mi estrella brillante," she whispered, kissing the picture and tucking it under her pillow, "come home soon, my shining star."
Down the hall, two boys slept fretfully, one in silence, simply turning his head and throwing off his covers, suddenly hotter than normal, while the other shivered and pulled the blankets closer to him, whispering his best friend's name as he began to shake uncontrollably. The movement of the bed did not go unnoticed by the pet platypus, who was wide awake and staring at both teenage boys in concern. Perry always loved his host family, knowing they were truly part of him and not just some kind of cover up. He had been investigating the disappearance of the Jewish Mexican girl since the very beginning when he waddled into the guest room after the rest of the family to find Phineas shaking in his brother's arms and the blood on the wall and floor. Isabella was more family than any of the stepbrothers other friends, and since she would one day marry Phineas – yes, even a platypus could see that – he felt it was his duty to save her, even if he had been assigned the task of foiling Dr. Doofenshmirtz. He waddled out the window, sliding down the drain pipe in a firefighter stance. He landed on his back two paws, pulling out a brown Fedora hat from behind him. He ran towards the magnificent maple tree in the backyard, pushing slightly on a particular piece of bark, revealing a state of the art chrome slide. He looked down for one second, long enough to determine if the slide was going to stop him like it had done once before. Jumping on his belly, he slid down the man made transportation device like a penguin sliding into the Arctic Ocean.
The slide turned into a glass chute that ran horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. While the laws of physics and gravity were against the idea that one could not slide in a perfect horizontal line, they laws of reality were also against Perry being a full time secret agent that fought a man who looked like a pharmacist. With that debate fresh in his mind, Perry, or Agent P, continued his descent at an increasingly rapid pace.
Normally, the adjacent tubes were occupied by other agents with different enemies, but at such an ungodly hour for most humans, the only other tube was filled by Agent O, an owl who fought the one nocturnal bad guy the OWCA ever encountered. Perry and Agent O had crossed paths few times, so Agent P tipped his hat and used his signature noise to greet the acquaintance. The barn owl hooted in response, his feathers flapping to move his hat ever so slightly. A wall abruptly cut the exchange, Perry hitting a sharp curve to the right, then another plunge straight down. The platypus could never quite shake off the feeling of disorientation every time he took this way to his lair, and it left his irises at slightly odder angles than usual.
The descent finally done, Perry landed on his cushioned red chair, swiveling around until he faced the ninety inch flat screen with white borders. He clicked on the green button in front of him, and a white line came on inside the screen, expanding until he saw the full image of Major Monogram.
"Um… Agent P?" The man on the TV yawned, his white moustache twitching at the sides. Even with the camera zoomed into his face, his shoulders weren't cut off quite enough as Agent P noted, with some amusement, the white pajamas with Bango-Rus pasted all around his arms, shoulders, and no doubt rest of his body. "You realize that it's four AM, don't you?"
The semi aquatic mammal nodded his head in response, a soft noise coming from the back of his throat. It sounded like a dying motor, something he had used to communicate with over the years since being put into the care of Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher. He pulled his hat off his head, extracting two photos: One of Isabella Garcia-Shapiro the week before her disappearance, an exact copy of the one Phineas had put into the Picture This Ray, and one of the now ruined guest room, with blood and words everywhere. He showed them to Major Monogram, who frowned at them and then at Perry.
"Yes, we know that she's missing, Agent P, and we have Agent M working on the case right now. Why are you showing me these again?" Perry narrowed his eyes and growled, his face showing that of annoyance. Agent M was the worst animal secret agent they had. No matter how many times they tried, he would rather attack a banana than his nemesis. Perry produced one more photo, throwing it on the desk next to the other two pictures.
"You think Doofenshmirtz is behind this?" Perry's boss exclaimed, incredulous. "He has to be one of the gentlest evil scientists we've ever had, besides to you." Perry grabbed a pen and scribbled on an eye patch with a goatee and scar going over the patch. He turned the lab coat black and added gloves, then threw it at the screen, watching it float down face right, like a letting go from its tree and falling gracefully towards the ground. Major Monogram stared at his employee, shocked at what he was suggesting. Agent P's eyes bore straight through the white haired man's, his face more sure than anything he had determined before.
"Agent P… If the second dimension Dr. Doofenshmirtz is behind the assault and kidnapping of the Garcia-Shapiro girl, you are going to have to handle this." Perry smiled, a justifying glint of excitement at taking down that man lighting up his eyes. Then, something popped up in his mind, and he voiced yet another growl, one a little more nervous than the rest. The only reason he had defeated the second dimension Dr. D last time was because of…
"Agent P…" Major Monogram hesitated, and then sighed. "You will need help with this mission, with the means of transportation you're going to have to use. If we have any hope of bringing that girl back alive, we're going to have to pull the reverse switch on the Amnesia-inator on your owners. The two boys, I mean." Perry stared at the screen, eyes wide, until his brain finally processed what this meant and he grinned, the happiest moment of his life occurring right in those seconds. He saluted his boss and ran out of the spotless white lair.
Phineas' POV
I woke up the next day to find that it was ten in the morning. I blinked at my alarm, expecting it to be an optical illusion and watch as it would magically turn back three hours. Of course, no such phenomenon occurred, and I groaned, pulling my pillow over my face. That's when I noticed, with one eye peeking out of my pillow, Ferb's bed was freshly made. I threw off the covers, and ran to the window. I pushed the window frame up, and looked outside, to see all the Fireside Girls, Baljeet, Django, Buford, and Ferb in a loud and heated debate over something I couldn't hear. I decided to meet them in the backyard, hoping to get in on the topic and voice my opinion.
I ran down the stairs and out the back door, about to break the close huddle they had formed when I heard something that glued me to the ground, ears prickling at the sound of my name.
"…Look guys," Django said, "we have to team up and get Phineas out here. With all of our brains put together, we'll figure something out!"
"And then what?" Ginger snapped, her voice a hiss. "If I have to watch Phineas break down mentally one more time, I am going to feel defeated. How is defeated going to help us with Isabella?"
"I agree with Ginger," Adyson said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I can't stand to see Phineas look this broken. It's like watching a car crash, slow agonizing, and painful." Milly noticed me, and her face went pale.
"Uh, guys?" She said nervously, but no one paid her any attention. I stared right into her eyes, silently asking what it was she didn't want me to hear.
"Face it," Katie said, her hands on her hips, "we need Phineas. He has to be the one to save Isabella."
"Guys…"
"And why is that?" Ferb inquired, his arms wrapped tightly around Gretchen's waist.
"Because Isabella's in love with Phineas, and vice versa! It'll help their relationship if he became her knight in shining armour!" My eyes tore away from Milly's, staring at Katie in shock.
"Guys!" the shy Fireside Girl screeched for the third time.
"Milly, can't it wait?" Adyson sighed in exasperation. All the others murmured their agreement, a majority agreement like that of a democracy.
"Not really!" She answered, her hand pointing straight at me. Everyone turned to look at me, and I was only vaguely aware of their dropped jaws. Isabella's in love with Phineas… Knight in shining armour… vice versa… I could feel Ferb's fingers wrap around my shoulder, giving me a slight shake. I looked up, straight into the face of a secret no one had bothered to tell me.
"How long?" I whispered, my voice as small as an insect's steps. The question was vague, but I knew that my stepbrother would understand. They would all understand. Ferb looked me straight in the eye, and then sighed.
"Since the two of you met." He said, his ears turning a slight pink at revealing his close friends' secret. "Longer than you and I have even known each other." I slowly began to realize my stupidity over the course of ten years, and just how oblivious I was even after all the hints were more like confessions of love.
"You had me at our grand children!"
"I think it's me! I'm interfering with the cute tracker! I shouldn't have come…"
"This isn't the same Phineas Flynn I fell in…to this situation with."
"Hey Phineas, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the girls invite dance with me?"
"I need another pencil."
Memory after memory that I had of Isabella became showed some impression of something more than 'just friends.' Isabella cutting out a train of hearts and my face out of fabric; Isabella looking quite pleased to be so close to me when I transported out of the garage; Isabella and her willingness to help me especially; Isabella blushing as we sung together on the romance cruise; Asking me to all the movies and dances; Isabella breaking her pencil in France…
In the city of love…
I blinked, song lyrics accompanied by the appropriate music filling my brain. I racked my head, trying to remember where it was that I heard that beautiful yet depressing song.
Take a moment to smell these flowers, underneath the Eiffel Tower!
The moment I heard the Eiffel Tower bit, I was pulled back four years ago, into the day we traveled the world on the Summer Solstice. Isabella and I were paired off together, looking for parts to fix the plane. I had thought that during our walk, Izzy was listening to a song on the radio or something, but I realized that it was her singing to me.
For four years, I had been thinking of nothing but Isabella. She had invaded my mind like inventions used to, and no matter what way I spun it, I had no excuse for missing those subtle hints. I had been so focused on making her happy, to see that perfect smile with the one dimple on her left cheek, that I hadn't stopped to ponder if she thought the same way as I did about our relationship. I hadn't even noticed the answer to that until now, when it was staring me right in the face in the cruelest way possible. Yes. She felt the same way as I did about our friendship, just for longer.
After the one day no one ever seemed to recall, I had begun to see Isabella differently than what I had before. It was as if I was being reintroduced to her, and in a sense, a new side of me. I listened closer to her words, hanging on each and every one of them. Her laugh was more than music to my ears; it sounded like the songs of angels, and her list of good qualities was easily twice the length of her beautiful hair. I couldn't seem to see any other girl other than her, even though more than a few classmates had tried a few advances. When I saw her with any other guy besides me, Ferb, Baljeet, Buford, or Django, I wanted to wrap my arms around her and pull her close, whispering into her that no one could have her but me. But I resisted. What I felt, it wasn't nearly as important to me as how she felt, and certainly nowhere near how much our friendship was to me. I was in love with the girl-next-door, a living Spiderman and Mary Jane cliché. And I was powerless. So I never said anything. And now, in the middle of everything that was going on, the girl of my dreams had mutual feelings, and she was somewhere getting tortured, beat, screaming and crying… I grabbed my hair and fell against the side of the house, my face going between my legs.
"Phin?" Ferb asked, concern mixing with anxiety. "Are you mad at us for not telling you? Because Isabella asked us not to…"
"Yeah, yeah I am mad at you guys," I said, looking at him hard, before sighing in resignation, "but I'm equally mad with myself. Had you guys told me in the last four years, I wouldn't have found out like this. If I had paid just a smidge more at her hints, I would've found out she felt the same way and be dating her already. This is absolute bull crap."
A pregnant pause fell upon the gang as they stared at me, jaws dropped down past what I thought was humanly possible. Baljeet was choking on his own words, his face turning a shade of purple before Buford punched him in the stomach, never taking his eyes off of me. Django actually fainted as far as I could see. Milly, Holly and Adyson were all crying, a group huddle ensuing as each girl stared at me and gave me the thumbs up. Ginger enthusiastically handed over a five dollar bill to Gretchen, saying something about "money well spent". The only two people who didn't look shocked in the last were Ferb and Katie, who smirked and mouthed "you're welcome!" My brother enveloped me in a hug, and I put my hands around him and squeezed.
"I'm glad you finally decided to tell them," he whispered in my ear, "and I'm honoured you told me as soon as you figured it out. We're going to find Isabella, Phineas. No matter how long it takes, OK?" I smiled faintly, my joy outshined by my ever growing despair. A growl next to me snapped me out of my thoughts. Ferb and I pulled apart, turning our heads to our pet platypus.
"Oh, there you are Perry." I smiled weakly, glancing at Ferb before the two of us cracked up. It was nice to know that through all this, some things never changed.
That is, until Perry stood up on his hind legs and put on a brown detective's hat.
OH THANK GOD INTERNET. And I am pretty happy considering I'm getting death threats in reviews telling me to either update or die. 0_o
So, I got up at 6 am yesterday to leave for my cabin, and from 7 until 2 I'd been nonstop writing. 5 hours just for you guys. OK, I realize this chapter is about 1,000 words longer than usual, and I apologize. I just couldn't bring myself to cut Phineas short, it was too romantic! :3
So, I was staring at my Gmail account just going through my emails, when 2 people story alerted, one person favourited it, and 3 people reviewed my story. Ho. Ly. Crap. I LOVE YOU GUYS. I started freaking out to my best friend via text, I was so ecstatic. :D No joke, I went on a five minute squealing spree to him just because of this. So, once again, I am going to thank you guys from the bottom of my freaking hearts to those of you who favourite'd/alerted me/my story!
Kayligh007, Princess Angel Rose, Princess Isabella Flynn, Linzerj, Ally2497, 2 headed dragonlover, JazzGirl123, sconroy28, Midnight's Falling Star, Alu In Chains, Cronic Blades, Mytho-G,aslan333, and last but not least, Icelinaoc !
I can't believe so many of you have taken the time to read this story. It means a lot, I'm not kidding, because honestly, I have people reviewing… well, you'll see. :)
Fringe Fanatic: Well, then feel very special, because you were the first one to review, and more than likely the first one to read it! Props to you, we both feel special now! xD I'm happy you stayed up till 4 am to read this, but I don't want you to get tired for the story! :O Don't worry, it'll be there in the morning! ;) Also, I got your Sisters Grimm Fanfic review, and I don't know whether to be flattered or creeped out by having a stalker! :P Thanks for reviewing each chapter so far!
MusicLover97 (): Haha, you're welcome! Thank you for reading and reviewing! :D
Haunting Black Roses: I love how your first words are DAMMIT. Very clear way to get your point across. ;) LOOL. Yeah I know Dr. D's a jerk wad… -.-' Thanks for the compliment!
Kayligh007: OK, I officially love how this is your favourite! :D :D :D I'm having a great time writing just for you guys! :)
Phantom-Stelo: . I GET IT NOW. LOL mah bad. :/
Princess Isabella Flynn: Again, thank you for your explanation! Second, I aappreciate how you notice my deeper thoughts in this story, it's nice to know you think through as you read, because as a writer, it goes a long way to hear that one of your readers actually goes into depth about it! Thank you, and you write gorgeous reviews! No joke! :) I hope you like this chapter!
PinkFLashAttaCKNotLoggedIn (): Before I go into your review, I'd just like to say, nice name. Ahahaha, also, cliffhangers usually piss me off too, but it seems to keep you guys wanting more, so… I realize Phineas may or may not be a little OOC, but if he really loved Isabella, he'd be willing to do anything for her. As for the imagining Isabella being kidnapped… No, no it's not bad that you imagined that. :P
Master2344: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah I don't think Phineas rolls like that. But, being a gamer, I see your reasoning. :P
Linzerj: Yeah, I feel really bad about Izzy… but then again, I'm writing this story, so I could make it all better… Which would end the story before I got the chance to finish it. :/ As for chapter 3… Yes, yes he does. You're good! :D Holy crap, you just guessed my whole fourth chapter. 0_o Here, have a piece of cake! Geez, round of applause for you and your guessing! :D GOOD JOB!
DaughterOfKronosPandFFanatic: Ahaha, Thanks! Also, I don't mind when you review, it's nice just to see it sooner or later! :) Don't worry, my computer hates me every now and then too! :/
Sabrina(): Haha, thank you very much! But… I live in Canada. It's different spelling. I really appreciate the help though! If you see any other mistakes please point them out, I've been hoping someone would say something! I'm really glad you find me to be such a good writer and don't worry, I seem to respond to all of them! ;)
JayLopez: Awwwww, why are you frustrated? The story? Or life? NEED A HUG? :(
2 headed dragonlover: Ahaha, well I guess you and I see it differently? :P By the way, thanks. ;) LOL
JazzGirl123: IKR. I feel like, extremely bad that my mind is extremely screwed up, but unless I wrote this onto Fanfiction I might've died from self-annoyance. Your chapter 2 update, he did, and the switch from bad to good to bad again will be explained, provided I remember to. :P Your chapter 3 update, it is quite intense, and I'm sorry for taking so long to update. :/
xxglacia: YES THANK YOU SO MUCH. I will be putting it up as soon as I find time between reading and writing. :P It shouldn't be an honour, I'm actually not this experienced, but I respond because I feel you guys deserve an answer. It's really simple! :) It takes up time, but I owe it to you guys. :P I am currently at my cabin, and I got internet today when my dad called someone in to get it! I started thanking him for five minutes. LOL Phineas, is bordering on the edge between pissy and depressed, so I'm starting to worry about his mood swings… Thesaurus? Nah, amazing is a perfectly adequate word! :D Well, I hope this update was soon enough PLZ DON'T DIE. I'm sure that many of you would be just fine if my story wasn't up here, but I appreciate that you expressed your feelings of love. ;) LOL THANKS!
YamiYugi4ever: THIS REVIEW! –Standing ovation – I'm glad you enjoyed it! The call came out exactly the way I had planned, and I couldn't agree more, listening to that would send me over the edge. I'll be honest, I was a little scared to look at my inbox today. ;) Just because I thought if I did I might faint again from the amazingness of all your guys' reviews! :D I don't care how many reviews there are (well I do) but either way, I enjoy writing this, whether for two people, or twenty!
Ravenclaw Slytherin: OH THANK GOD IM GLAD YOU DIDN'T CRY, because that would just have made no sense and I would have felt extremely guilty for making you cry three times in a row. :O Thanks so much for the compliments, and I hope to hear from you again! :)
rjmb: No, I would NEVER kill anyone off in this story, at least I don't plan on it.. But I'm glad you don't take no because I don't either and will be updating whenever I can! Thank you! :D
aslan333: Ummm… I am both happy and mortified at your last sentence. Please, I'm begging you, don't kill me. I can't update if you bring me to "THE DEEPEST PARTS OF HELL SO DEEP THAT THE DEVIL HIMSELF WON'T GO!" LOL I'm glad you like it…? xD
Well, that's it for today! Again, thank you all for reviewing! I realize answering these makes the whole story seem very lengthy, but here's how I think: If you guys take the time to review to me, why shouldn't I take the time to answer you all AND put it into my story? I admit, this takes over an hour of extra writing, but it's like not fair and rude of me to not answer. And trust me on this, I love your guys' reviews. They're beautiful.
Also, I had to wait 24 hours before I got internet, so you guys better not murder me. Or else no story. ;P JK, I'll write even after I die! :P Anyways… thanks again, and until next chapter!
sistergrimm97
