Disclaimer: Phineas and Ferb and all characters associated with Phineas and Ferb are the intellectual property of Dan Povenmire, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Disney.

The story, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased) or events is intended or should be inferred. Please review this story to let me know what can be improved or revised. Thank you.


Perry

We went to at least twenty shops today. I got a few souvenirs to show that I'd been in L.A.. I also grabbed some Love Händel merchandise to try and prove to Pinky that I had actually gone to the concert. We'd gone to the post office and mailed everything to O.W.C.A. headquarters.

I'd taken Diana to at least five different clothes shops. She'd gotten more and more excited with each one we visited. She was getting much more comfortable with it. By the time we were done, she had five more outfits, one from each store. She refused to get more. She probably felt bad for using my money, despite me trying to assure her that it was fine.

But now it's five in the evening, and we're at the restaurant we'd gone to for lunch yesterday. I order something completely different from what I had eaten before, but Diana doesn't change. I watch her as she greedily eats up the live grubs, clearly very happy with her meal.

"Enjoying yourself?" I ask, amused.

"Oh, I love this," she answers with a mouthful of food. She swallows with a grin on her face. "You're treating me like a queen, Perry. I don't get it, what did I do to deserve all of this?"

"You agreed to keep me from being lonely," I smile with a shrug. "And if you ask me, you look more like a princess," I add with a wink.

Her smile instantly vanishes and she stares down at her plate, her eyes full of sadness. I furrow my brow.

"What's wrong?"

"That's what my parents used to call me…" she mutters. "Princess…"

To say that I'm shocked by what she just told me wouldn't quite cut it. This is the first truly personal thing that she's told me. I decide to push further.

"What happened?" I ask, keeping my voice just above a whisper.

"They died when I was just over a year old. I don't remember much about them. Just their smiles, really. I don't even remember their voices…"

I suck in my breath and let out a somewhat shaky sigh.

"I never knew my parents…" I start slowly, earning a look of shock from Diana. "I was raised by the O.W.C.A.. Yes, I'm openly saying it, I know they wouldn't want me to, but I don't care. The only life I've known is the O.W.C.A.. The only family I've known are what the organization calls my host family. But they're more than that, ya know? They're my family. I couldn't live without them."

Diana smiles at me and reaches for my paw, taking ahold of it. "I think I understand. I know we haven't known each other long, but in a way, I kinda think of you as family."

I smile and squeeze her paw, forgetting about my goals in that moment. It doesn't last long, but for now I feel like I don't have to focus on anything but Diana.

But like I said, it doesn't last long. She removes her paw, looking embarrassed.

"It's almost hard to believe that they died only two years ago…" she mutters, causing me to suddenly pay more attention.

As interested as I am in knowing how her parents died, I'm still left shocked. Diana's only three years old? She acts older. Granted, two years old is considered adult for platypuses, but that's not the point. She's been depressed since I first met her.

If her parents were taken from her at such a young age, I can understand why she's so down. But I know that there's something else there. I reach forward and grab her paw, squeezing it reassuringly. She looks up at me in surprise.

"Hey," I say quietly. "I don't know what happened, but I'm here for you, okay?"

She smiles sadly at me and puts her other paw on mine. I know that I'm playing with her emotions, but I don't care. They're my emotions, too.

"How long will you be in L.A.?" she whispers.

"I head out tomorrow morning, but I'm coming back in a week and staying for a few more weeks."

"You… you wouldn't mind if I spent it with you, would you?"

I raise my brow slightly, a grin plastered on my face. "I'd really like that," I answer. "I want to spend more time with you, too, Diana."

"Call me Princess," she says. "I like it more."

I give her a sad smile and nod.


Diana doesn't let go of my arm the whole way back to the hotel. She's still insistent on not going home. Whatever is there must be horrible.

We quickly find ourselves in the hotel room and Diana goes to take a shower. I take out the device I'd gotten from the drawer this morning and look at it. Sure enough, I was right.

Diana has a cell phone, despite not having any money. My device has paired itself to it. I realize that she must've been hiding it in her fur in a place I wasn't able to see much. Either that, or she also has surgically installed fur pockets as well.

And if that's the case…

I swallow as I realize something. She's either an O.W.C.A. agent or had been associated with it at one point. I then remember her parents and why she's so unwilling to let me help her. She doesn't trust the O.W.C.A., and possibly for a good reason.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Is what I'm doing going to push her away from me? Probably, but what else can I do? Whatever she's tangled up in, it's slowly killing her. She's depressed; or, if not that, defeated. I don't want that for her. She's too young for this, whatever it is, to be her life.

I put the device in the drawer and lock it. I then go and knock on the restroom door.

"Hey, Princess, I'll be back in a few minutes!" I call through the door.

"Okay!" she responds.

Making certain I have my wallet and card key on me, I leave the room and quickly head for the lobby. Upon getting there, I spot the manager. I approach her and chatter to get her attention. I salute when she looks down at me.

She rolls her eyes at me. "No need for formalities, Agent P. You're on vacation."

I relax my posture. Oh, did I mention before that this hotel is managed by the O.W.C.A.? Well, it is, which is why I'm able to get a room here. Pretty simple, right?

"Well, Kristen told me about your request, and while it's unorthodox, I can grant it, since you have the room reserved in a week again anyways. Of course, you'll be charged for the extra nights, if that's alright."

I wave my hand dismissively. Of course it's fine. The condos on the beach are much more expensive anyways.

"Although, I've noticed that you aren't the only one spending the night in there," she says, suddenly very serious. I shrug again. "Why didn't you tell me that you're keeping someone else in your room?"

I blink at her, then sign my answer at her. She stares at me blankly, clearly not understanding. I sigh. Does no one know sign language?

She hands me a piece of paper and a pen. I quickly write down that I'd paid for two people, myself and Agent Pinky, but he hadn't been able to make it. I'd been going to ask for a refund, but then my guest started staying, so I hadn't bothered.

She raises an eyebrow at this. "Is that a fact?" I nod, and she sighs. "I'll have to check my records, but if that's the case, then fine."

I quickly add that the next few days are going to be just me. The manager sighs at me.

"Very well, Agent P. I'll see to everything for you. Good night."

I salute her before walking off to the elevator. As I'm on the elevator, it occurs to me that Diana might want to know where I went to. I begin to search my head for an idea before I come up with a simple reason: I wanted to go outside for just a bit. Of course, this is just if she asks.

I open the door to my room and walk in. Diana's sitting on her bed, television on. I look over to see that it's a rerun of I Hate You, I Love You. I smile slightly, wondering if I got her hooked on it.

"I don't get what you see in this show," she says, as if reading my mind. "It's kinda boring."

"Boring?!" I exclaim. "It's hardly that! The excitement is the mood swings! Are they meant to be or do they actually hate each other and are just in denial? It's riveting! I personally believe they love each other."

She giggles at me. "If you say so."

I remove my clothing and hop up onto my bed, crossing my arms behind my head. I stare at the television and quickly find myself absorbed in the soap opera. I don't even notice when Diana climbs up next to me.

At least, I don't until I feel her arms around my chest. I look down at her in surprise.

"Sorry," she says, shyly. "You don't mind if I do this, do you? Nothing more?"

I give a small sigh and shake my head. "No, I don't mind."

Several minutes pass with neither of us moving. The room is silent aside from our breathing and the show. Despite myself, I'm lost in the moment. I'm not focusing on the show anymore. All of my attention is on Diana and her quiet, peaceful breathing.

"P-Perry…" Diana whispers. Her voice is trembling. "This is— this is strange, considering how long we've known each… but…" Her voice trails off. She has my attention. "I love you, Perry…"

My brow raises quickly and I look down at her in alarm. I hadn't expected that. Yes, I know she has feelings for me, but are they really that strong? And for that matter, is she thinking clearly? We've known each other barely more than a day, how could she possibly feel that much towards me so quickly? My mind races for a response, but I keep drawing blanks.

She looks up at me, a hopeful yet worried glint in her eyes. I sigh as I maintain eye contact. I don't know what I feel. I know I care for her; I know that. If I didn't, I wouldn't be giving up my vacation time to try and help her, whether she wants it or not. But do I love her the way she's just confessed to me?

Honestly, I don't know. I don't know what romantic love feels like; I've never experienced it. I start doing thought experiments to try and figure it out. What would life without Diana be like?

Like it was before.

Would it be, though? You've met her, and you genuinely like her. You want to spend time with her. You enjoy it.

And? What's that matter? You're trying to figure out more about what she does.

You've agreed to spend three more weeks with her already, despite not even really knowing her.

Even more time to figure out what she's hiding! Besides, she's been lying to you!

You know she's lying to you about something, and you don't care! You love being around her!

Maybe, but you don't love her.

Yes you do!

I stop at that. Is that really my thought? Am I thinking straight? Is that what I truly feel?

Yes, yes it is. Tell her.

Screw not getting emotionally attached.

I let out a small breath smile at her. "I love you, too, Princess."

She sighs a breath of relief and grins. She embraces me tighter, burying her head in my chest. I feel the heat in my face rising as she nuzzles against me. I slowly wrap one of my arms around her shoulder and rest my head on top of hers. She hums at me when I do this, rubbing her head on my chest.

Her breathing is the calmest I've heard from her. It hadn't even been this calm when she was sleeping last night. It makes me a little happy, knowing I'm making her feel safe.

I soon realize that she's fallen asleep. I look down at her, still clinging onto me. I sigh sadly. I hope that what I'm doing is the right thing. I don't want to push her away. I want her to feel safe, and being with me is clearly the safest she's felt in a long time.

I carefully reach over to grab the remote and turn the television off. I set it down and turn off the lamp. I carefully adjust us so that we're laying down. As I do all of this, Diana's still clinging to me in her sleep.

I fully lay down and look at her in the dim light. It now hits me just how beautiful she is. She's been so stressed that it's detracted from it. But now, now that she's relaxed, I can really see what she really looks like. She is truly beautiful. I lean over and gently lick the top of her head.

"Good night, Princess."