Guess what day it is? Mundane Monday (I'm trying to make that a new phrase. Sort of like Hump Day, but it's only working as well as the hawk-mo)! It's also the one-year anniversary of me finishing this story, 'Dad?' I consider this to be my most popular story, with an average of almost ten reviews for chapter at the time of update. And to celebrate this anniversary, I have come out with that brand new chapter everyone seemed to want when I finished this thing a year ago. This new chapter takes place exactly one year in the future (and that was no coincidence).
Oh, and even though a whole year has passed, nothing has changed regarding my ownership of Phineas and Ferb.
Oh, the clouds are parting
And a new day's starting
See the sun a-risin'
On the white horizon
It's the hottest season
Gotta carpe diem
'Cause that's what you do
When summer comes to you!
Phineas pointed over to his sister Isabella, who gleefully kept the upbeat rhythm going into the next verse.
Oh, the sun is shining
There's a silver lining
On a glorious day
That's gonna go my way
I'm gonna seize the moment
I'm the last component
Of the project crew
When summer comes to you!
Between verses, Ferb would play a short, catchy, uplifting tune on his trumpet. Isabella pointed back to Phineas, who proudly sang the next stanza.
Oh, the sky is lighter
And my mood is brighter
There's a lightbulb glowing
And some ideas growing
Works of innovation
All my grand creations
Will make their debut
When summer comes to you!
Ferb played his instrumental again, and the song whisked back over to Isabella, who was now just alternating verses with her brother.
Oh, the dawn is breaking
And the world's waking
Don't just stand there frozen
Because you've been chosen
There's a celebration
Sweeping 'cross the nation
'Cause you'll love the view
When summer comes to you!
The happy tune returned to Phineas again, who in twelve years had never once frowned. Too much work, he complained.
Oh, the winds are blowing
And I'm getting going
Gonna call my friends
From all the world's ends
And in the awesome weather
We'll all work together
Building something new
When summer comes to you!
Isabella returned Phineas's third stanza with a third of her own. The cheerful girl—and a proud half-sister of the redhead—was having the time of her life watching a beautiful summer sunrise with him.
Oh, the days are longer
And our spirit's stronger
'Cause we pushed perfection
In the right direction
And since we're believing
We can keep achieving
'Cause you're never through
When summer comes to you!
Finally, the two returned to the first stanza, singing it together in perfect harmony.
Oh, the clouds are parting
And a new day's starting
See the sun a-risin'
On the white horizon
It's the hottest season
Gotta carpe diem
'Cause that's what you do
When summer comes to you!
Ferb played the tune stronger than usual this time, as the happy siblings gleefully sang the last two lines loud enough to wake up the Tri-State Area.
Yes, you know it's true
Summer's coming to you!
It had taken a year, but the adjustment from great friends to great siblings was finally complete, and the new, awkward family tree had been accepted by all involved parties.
"And to think," sighed Isabella. "This time a year ago, I was trying to date you."
Phineas smiled, recalling those memories. "Ah, good times!"
"What?" Isabella cried. "Those were terrible times! We agreed, remember?"
"Actually, all I remember is agreeing that those were terrible times to be in love," explained Phineas. Then, taking the opportunity to jest, he added, "Ohh, since love was your life back then, those were terrible times."
Isabella looked at Phineas, eyes narrowed, as if to say, Really? You're going there?
Phineas, who spoke fluent silence, heard her deadpan gaze loud and clear, but wisely chose not to respond.
Instead, the children looked to the east, where the sun was rising. For a moment, the three watched the sunrise together in blissful silence, completely at peace.
And life was good.
Actually, the Discovery—that is what they decided to call that fateful moment—did not end up being very negative, if at all bad. Having known Isabella for years, Phineas, Ferb, and Candace were already treating her like a sister (well, Ferb and Candace had been treating her more like a sister-in-law, but that is irrelevant now), so in the end, they just felt a little bit closer to each other. Nothing more than a simple bonding experience.
Okay, a lot more than a simple bonding experience, but nobody thought twice of it. Only their lifestyles had been altered, and even that had not changed much.
Phineas sighed in contentment, his eyes closed and his face smiling. "Remember when I found out?" he asked Isabella. "About your crush?"
Isabella laughed. "That was, without a doubt, the most embarrassing moment of my life."
Then she, too, sighed, knowing a flashback was unavoidable.
"Cue ripple dissolve."
"We are the Fireside, gathered today by the fire's side, humbly asking the great Miss Fiersied to watch and protect us until we, the Fireside, next gather together by the fire's side."
With their pledge recited, Troop 46231 shook hands firmly, and broke apart.
"Great meeting, girls!" said Isabella. "Same time, next week!"
"Always is," mumbled Gretchen, opening the door and exiting the lodge. Phineas, however, stopped her in her tracks.
"Hey, Gretchen," the boy greeted cheerfully. Then, he looked past her, towards Isabella. "Hey, sis!" he called. "So how was the meeting?"
The reaction was immediate. "Eeee!" everyone squealed, looking at Isabella. "He's using a pet name for you!"
To the Fireside Girls, that could only mean one thing. "Why didn't you tell us you two are dating?" asked Ginger.
Isabella's eyes widened. "We're not—"
She was cut off by Adyson. "What's your pet name for him?"
Before Isabella could even open her mouth again, Katie was swarming her. "When did you two get together?"
"How did he find out?" Holly demanded.
Every girl was crowded around their leader, mercilessly barraging her with questions.
"Have you kissed yet?"
"Is he here to take you on a date?"
"Where are you going for dinner?"
"How long before he asks you to marry him?"
"Has he called you his girlfriend yet?"
All the while Phineas was watching from a safe distance at the unrelenting torments of the Fireside Girls, and laughing to himself as they interrogated her.
Finally, Isabella managed to get a word in edgewise.
"Girls!" she screamed. "Stop!"
Her friends stopped the verbal onslaught, and allowed Isabella to answer their many questions.
"First off, no," clarified Isabella. "Phineas and I are not dating. What on earth made you think that?"
"Didn't you tell them, Isabella?" Phineas asked, joining the conversation.
"I thought I did," Isabella replied. "Weren't you girls listening? Item four on today's agenda was 'An Update on Phineas.'"
Adyson shrugged. "Sorry. I guess we kind of accidentally-on-purpose developed a habit of zoning out whenever you talk about him."
Isabella gave her troop a deadpan stare. "I know what's first on next week's agenda," she said icily. "A lesson in listening."
"Well, if you're not dating, why is he calling you sis?" asked Milly. "And why have you two been kissing?"
"I never said anything about kissing!" cried Isabella. "When did I ever say anything about kissing? Look, Phineas and I are not dating!"
"Though everyone else seems to think so," Phineas observed. "Ferb, Baljeet, Buford, Jeremy, Stacey, and now all the Fireside Girls. Mind telling me why that is?"
"Isabella has had a lifelong crush on you," Gretchen replied automatically.
"Gretchen!" screamed Isabella, her face turning redder with every passing second.
"What?" asked Gretchen. "The deal was that as soon as you two get together we're allowed to tell him about Phineasland and everything."
"For the third time, we're not dating!" exclaimed Isabella, amazed at how ignorant her friends could be at times. "Phineas Flynn is my brother!"
The commotion in the room was brought to a screeching halt, as every pair of eyes focused on Isabella.
"That's what I was trying to tell you today," the chief explained, exasperated. "Earlier this week, we discovered that we had the same father, who died eleven years ago that day."
"Wait a minute here," said Phineas, who had caught wind of some very interesting information. "What's this I hear about Phineasland? And Isabella's supposedly lifelong crush on me?"
Isabella blushed red. Never in her life had she been more embarrassed than now, nor would she ever be in the many years to come.
"Is that enough flashback for you?" Phineas asked present-day Isabella.
Isabella looked at her brother, disgusted. "A bit too much flashback, if you ask me. I don't need to remember that story."
"There wasn't much left," protested Phineas. "When you finally convinced your troop to not tell me everything, I just went into your head and saw for myself."
"That didn't make my day any better, you know," said Isabella.
"I don't see what the big deal is about that," Phineas said. "We're brother and sister, right? Doesn't that mean we love each other anyways?"
"Not like that," Isabella pointed out.
"What's the difference?" asked Phineas.
"Would you like the whole list, or just a summary?" Isabella retorted.
"I love you, Isabella," Phineas said. "You're my sister. And even when we didn't know that, I loved you. You were my best friend."
"Exactly," huffed Isabella. "Best friends. That's all we ever were."
"Isabella, you're such a romantic," Phineas complained, exasperated. "If you think that love is passionate kissing and hugging and going on dates and getting married, then you're wrong. Love is as simple as being kind to someone. Having fun with them. Helping them, caring for them."
Isabella sighed. "You make it sound so easy."
"Isn't it?" the redhead questioned.
"You make it sound like everyone I ever met loves me."
"That's the way it should be," explained Phineas.
"But then what about Mr. Random?" asked Isabella. "Or Big Mitch? Or the cute pharmacist he kidnapped? Or even our father?"
"Think of it this way," restated Phineas. "The friend who loves you at your best, but turns away at your worst, is not a friend who loves you at all."
Isabella contemplated her brother's wisdom for a while. She reclined against the big tree, and watched as the sun rose in the east. In the silence, everyone was content, and everything was at peace.
"So what does that make my version of love?" Isabella finally asked.
"Who knows?" replied Phineas. "Not me, that's for sure."
After saying that, how could Isabella not laugh? Her cackling was unmistakeable as she fell over, consumed by the humor Phineas had unintentionally spoken.
"You really are oblivious!" Isabella cried.
At this, Phineas, too, noticed the joke he had accidentally cracked. Then he smiled. "I'm your sister."
Yippee! Now, let me try something crazy here, and respond to the many reviews which I cannot reply to via pm.
Guest [1]: I'm a Phinbella shipper too. But I go where my writing takes me, and this time it took me here.
Guest [2]: Oh, you hate them as sibs? You seem it have made it all the way to the end, so maybe not that much. Besides, I did warn you.
Anonymous: Here's your 'something else to go along with this.'
Brona: If you want more chapters, here you go. If you want more stories, I have seven others accessible from my profile, and the drama you love is guaranteed there.
fgrd: "i wnq?" Was that just a keyboard smack?
Danielle Rossouw: I thought the tragic idea was awesome, too. Otherwise I'd never have put pen to paper. Or finger to keyboard, I guess...
w o w: Did you now? So did I! Still, it you sound like you were blown away, and I must thank you for that compliment. I've never been complimented with the Lord's name before. I can only hope this chapter didn't let you down.
~Review! If you please.