Perry was laying on his pet bed in the kitchen, listening for the opening of the front door that would signal the return of his boys from school. Apparently the robot Carl had set up had worked wonderfully this morning. The boys hadn't suspected a thing, and the robot was now safely in Perry's lair, waiting for the next time the monotreme needed a decoy.

Linda was standing at the stove, softly humming the song that had once made her a star. She was cooking something that smelled delicious. Perry thought it was a bit early for her to be preparing dinner. He wondered if he had forgotten some sort of special occasion. He was terrible with dates. As a platypus, he cared more about the gradual changes of the seasons than the numeric values that humans had arbitrarily created. The only holiday date he could ever remember was December 25. He usually only realized it was his Neme-Versary when he saw the annual announcement Heinz always placed in the Danville Tribune's classifieds.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening reached him.

"Hi Mom! We're home from school!" Phineas called to his mother as he entered the kitchen.

"Hello, boys. How was your day?"

"It was fun! At recess, Ferb and I built a Bungee-Jumping-Tether-Ball Court, but it disappeared before we could show it to the new Recess Monitor, Mr. Campbell. It was really cool! Isabella was a natural."

"That sounds like fun, sweetie." Linda replied. She was busy basting the dish, and didn't really have her mind on what the redhead was saying.

Phineas then turned his attention to his favorite monotreme. "Oh there you are, Perry! Did you miss us, boy?" Phineas and Ferb both reached down to pat Perry's head. Perry chattered appreciatively.

"Have either of you boys seen Candace?" Linda asked. Phineas stood, but Ferb continued to pet Perry.

"No, not since this morning. Why? Should Ferb and I go find her?"

"No, I'll give her a call. She's probably with Stacey. I just figured she would want to come with us."

"Where are we going?"

"You remember Charlene Doofenshmirtz, right? Well, Charlene Helms, now. We went to her wedding last weekend?" Perry felt Ferb's body stiffen at the mention of Vanessa's last name, thankfully distracting the boy from noticing that the platypus had tensed at the name as well. Ferb looked up at his mother.

"Yeah!" Phineas replied with gusto.

"Well her ex-husband, Vanessa's father, had a heart attack last night. Charlene called and asked if I would take Vanessa some food at the hospital. Hospital cafeterias often leave something to be desired."

Oh good grief. Vanessa had mentioned that a family friend would be bringing food. Perry should have suspected something like this. Well, there was no chance of Perry getting any rest now. He would have to rethink his plans. He couldn't just sit in his pet bed all evening worrying about his secret identity.

"Is she doing alright?" Ferb asked.

"Oh, he'll be fine." Linda had misheard the boy's question. "He's a bit young to be having heart attacks. We probably won't see him, though. We'll just stop by to visit Vanessa, check up on things, and leave the food."

Now that he was no longer being petted, Perry couldn't stand just sitting in his pet bed listening to his family talk about his nemesis. He slowly stood and waddled over to his food and water dishes. When your cover required that you be known as an animal that "doesn't do much," the stress relieving opportunities in front of your host family were extremely limited. Hopefully eating would help to calm his nerves.

The door slammed again. "Mom! Mooooom!"

"In here, Candace."

The teenage girl ran into the room and skidded to a halt. "Mom, I know it's a school night. But Jeremy's band is going to do a set in his garage later and I was wondering if I could-"

"Actually, honey, I'm thinking you should come with me. We're going to go visit Vanessa Doofenshmirtz in the hospital."

"... Hospital. Oh my gosh, Vanessa wasn't in class today! Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine. Her father had a heart attack."

"'Fine?' Mom, I can't imagine being 'fine' if my Dad had a heart attack."

"I was just letting you know that she wasn't the one who was sick, Candace. There's no need to get wound up. Oh, and you should bring her any notes or homework assignments she missed in your Algebra class today."

"Oh yeah, that will really lift her spirits."

"Hey Mom, with Vanessa's Mom on her honeymoon, who was with Vanessa all day while her Dad was sick? She wasn't alone, was she?"

"I asked her that when I talked to her twenty minutes ago." Linda replied. She must have called Vanessa moments after Perry left the hospital. "Her family is a bit strange, so none of her relatives came. But she wasn't alone. She was with her Dad's... well, she seemed a bit reluctant to tell me about his connection to her family, actually. She really didn't want to talk about it. I think she was embarrassed for me to know any of the details."

"Really? I wonder why." Phineas pondered.

"It is a bit sad, really. A teenage girl in this enlightened day and age, ashamed to admit that her Dad has a boyfriend."

"Krgregrekrkrgregrkr!"

"Hey Ferb, something's wrong with Perry!"

Something was indeed wrong with Perry. Linda's bold and completely inaccurate assessment of the situation had startled the monotreme, and he was choking on a piece of shrimp. He could correct the issue himself, but that would require standing up and revealing his identity. He would have to trust his boys.

He was very, very fortunate to have boys that he could rely on so completely in moments like this. Immediately Ferb pulled Perry into the position for a modified platypus-appropriate version of the Heimlich Maneuver while Phineas calmly spoke to his pet in a reassuring voice.

After three pumps, Ferb managed to dislodge the abnormally large shrimp. It landed on the floor near the water dish. Perry was panting and coughing. It took great concentration to keep his eyes unfocused while he worked to regain his breath.

Ferb gently hugged the monotreme to his chest as Phineas used both hands to softly caress the sides of Perry's face. "You need to be more careful, boy. You can't fit too much in your beak at once!"

"Did you boys learn that at the pet care seminar you attended last winter?"

"No, no we didn't. That was actually a technique Ferb developed and perfected last summer in anticipation of just such an occasion."

"Oh, you boys." Linda smiled. She handed Candace, whose eyes were wide and mouth was hanging open, the large carrying container full of food before grabbing her purse and digging for her keys. "We should get going, kids. We want to deliver this food and be home in time for our own dinner so that you three can do your homework and get to bed on time."

"Be careful, Perry!" Phineas told the monotreme as Ferb sat Perry back in his bed. They left the room, but Perry remained in his undercover state until he heard the front door close.

Maybe he was tired from having such an emotional day, but at the moment he was nearly overcome with affection for his boys. He loved them so much. He wished they could know how deeply he cared about them, or that he could thank them in a more meaningful way.

He didn't know if there was a god, but he so desperately hoped his identity would remain a secret tonight that he would bow down before Candace's Mysterious Force if it would ensure that his boys and his nemesis never discovered their connection.

Perry couldn't stay home alone in this state. He needed something to occupy his mind. Now that the family was gone, he had many more options. Perry decided he would bump his visit to the DEI Building up. He would go there now, gather materials, deliver them to the hospital as soon as his family left, and return home around the same time as his family. Hopefully Plan B would not fail.

He found a lair entrance under the rug and slid down the long slide to reach his base. He was about to hop into the vehicle with the most storage space when he remembered something that might be useful. This would be the perfect time to utilize one of the more obscure implements Carl had given him. He began digging through the metallic case where he knew he had left it.

There it was! The small, hand held GPS tracker that could show the location of all the Flynn-Fletcher vehicles. Perry could use this to determine when the family left the hospital, allowing the monotreme to time his delivery accordingly. He turned the device on to check that it worked and discovered that his family was...

...still in the driveway? But why?

Perry went to his giant monitor. After changing a few settings, he was able to view the driveway from his screen. There were visuals, but no audio. His family was still outside. Linda was talking to Vivian Garcia-Shapiro, and it appeared that Isabella and a few of the Fireside Girls were climbing into the car with Perry's children. Buford and Baljeet were sitting together in front of the front door.

Perry didn't need audio to realize what was going on outside. Phineas and Ferb must have still been worried about Perry nearly choking, and asked a passing Buford and Baljeet to keep an eye on him. Perry ordered his robotic doppelganger to go back upstairs. He didn't need the pair hanging up more missing posters.

It also seemed as though the Fireside Girls would be accompanying his family to the hospital. Perry had no idea why they would want to go visit someone they barely knew on a school night, but he decided to view it as a good sign. Vanessa was less likely to open up about her father's platypus nemesis if she was surrounded by strangers.

Once his family finally left the premises, Perry headed for the DEI Building. The route was very familiar, and it wasn't long before the odd purple skyscraper loomed on the horizon. Perry couldn't help but sing the ridiculously jaunty jingle in his head as he landed the vehicle and used his key to gain entry.

Standing at the threshold, Perry took the list out of his hat and gave it a thorough read. Most of the items written were very doable. He knew his way around the house and expected he could find most anything, no matter how obscure or random.

Perry knew he could find everything Vanessa had requested. The biggest item on her list was the "Emergency Evacuation" pack her father had always made her keep in case of, well, an emergency evacuation. It was a purple bag under her bed filled with clothes, under clothes, feminine products, other assorted toiletries, a bit of cash, and a few other things the teen might need if forced to leave in a hurry. Perry was glad he wouldn't have to search for any of those objects individually, and he was sure the young woman felt the same way. Vanessa had also requested her laptop bag, her MP3 player, her cell phone charger, her contact solution, a copy of Mary Shelley's A Modern Prometheus, her cosmetics case, a few magazines, and the journal under the pillow. All simple, basic, logical requests that an average human staying away from home unexpectedly might want or miss.

Heinz's list was trickier. Mentally, Perry immediately vetoed the man's requests for food, a ray gun, an apparently revamped handheld Accelerate-Inator, and a mix tape CD of various Drusselsteinian goat-herding ballads. Even minus those items, the list was long and sporadic.

He would still need to find the grind guard, the hypoallergenic pillow, the night gown, the purple robe and panda slippers, Heinz's "Emergency Evacuation" bag that was probably half empty and scattered about, some boxers (Perry would leave the platyprint in the drawer), his reading glasses, his lucky lab coat (Perry wondered how to tell them apart), his wallet, his insurance information and proof of US citizenship, a puzzle featuring a basket of kittens, a sketch pad, volumes 8-17 from his collection of family photo albums, his DEI snow globe, Love Handel's Greatest Hits!, an old high school year book that was kept in a box labelled "VHS Tapes" in the pantry, a thesaurus, a few books on tape translated into evil, and the new hard back collector's edition of Inside an Evil Mind: The Dr. Wexler Story.

Perry checked the GPS. His family was about four city blocks from the hospital.

Vanessa's room was Perry's first destination. He expected her area would be organized, and he was right. He found the purple bag under the bed and sat it near the door. Her cosmetics case was on the vanity. Perry took it upon himself to grab the nearby hairbrush and place it inside the case. She hadn't requested it, but it seemed like a possible oversight. He then hopped on the desk. He put her MP3 and cell phone charger in the laptop bag before placing the laptop and (unrequested, but probably wanted) headphones inside. The book (which, after a bit of a searching, Perry wished Vanessa had just called Frankenstein) and magazines were on her end table, and the journal was indeed under the pillow. He found her contact solution in the adjacent bathroom, where he decided to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste, just in case those items weren't duplicated in the pack and Vanessa had forgotten.

After five minutes, he had gathered all of Vanessa's things. Objective One complete. The monotreme checked the GPS again. The car was now parked in the Visitor's Lot.

Perry entered Heinz's bedroom next. The underside of the man's bed was filled with random machine parts, various forgotten articles of clothing, and crumpled bits of paper. Perry eventually found the emergency pack. Just as he suspected, the bag was open and almost empty. Heinz had used the materials inside in place of making trips to the market or doing loads of laundry, and the pack was nearly useless. Oh well, it would make a good carrying case for all the items Perry now needed to find.

Necessities first. Perry knew Heinz kept his insurance information, legal documents, and proof of US citizenship in an asbestos safe in the basement (he was paranoid about being wrongly deported back to his homeland), but Perry could gather the other important things before looking for the more nonsensical requests.

Perry had to grab Vanessa's old stepping stool that Heinz left out for his use to reach the underwear and sock drawers on Heinz's dresser. The thought of reaching in there triggered the monotreme's germophobia. Heinz had better be grateful. Perry grimaced as he gingerly grabbed a few newer looking pairs up by the elastic waistband and tossed them into Heinz's bag.

The night gown, slippers, and robe were on the floor by the night stand, and the pillow was easy to find. Perry didn't know which lab coat Heinz considered lucky, so he grabbed the seventh one from the left. The glasses, grind guard, wallet, Wexler biography, and snow globe were on the nightstand.

In the bathroom, Perry was forced to improvise what Heinz needed. After finding the obvious needs, Perry grabbed Heinz's vitamins and a few other bottles of pills it looked as though Heinz used regularly, making a mental note to have a doctor determine if they were compatible with heart medication. He was surprised to find the thesaurus on top of the hamper.

Perry stopped by the pantry before going into the living room. The kitten puzzle was on and end table; the Love Handel CD, books on tape, and photo albums were on a shelf. Perry peaked inside and saw that most of the pictures were of Vanessa.

The only thing left that wasn't in the basement was the sketchbook. Approaching Heinz's desk, Perry was disappointed to see that Heinz had at least four different books. The man hadn't given any was nothing for Perry to do but take a brief look inside each volume.

Perry opened the first and found that it contained original songs and choreography notes. It was so elaborate and detailed! Perry recognized the songs from the early pages- Heinz had performed them all. There were scribblings on each page about the number of dancers Heinz would need and the type of trap that would most optimize Perry's appreciation of the number. Lyrics were crossed out and rewritten, and Heinz often made remarks like "This is the A above High C!" and "Find a way to get Love Handel!" Doodles and a few more elaborate drawings were prominent on each page.

There was even an entry from their first Neme-Versary when Heinz had written him a theme song! Perry remembered that day well. The words had been a bit silly and slightly awkward, but even the taciturn monotreme couldn't deny that the "Doo Bee Doo Bee Doo Bah" riff was catchy. Careful not to spoil himself by peaking at later pages, Perry decided to take this book to the scientist and placed it in the bag.

The second booklet contained nothing but blank blueprint pages. Perry decided it was best to leave it on the desk.

The third book was a hodgepodge of all Heinz's scheming needs. It was here that Heinz merged the mechanical blueprints with an appropriate monologue, musical number or tragic back story. There were sketches of traps, information on any vehicles Heinz might need, and notes on whether Norm's presence would be required. Pages upon pages were devoted to brainstorming. Perry decided that, though Heinz shouldn't do any actual building or put any plans into action, there was no reason he couldn't write and draw about future ideas. He placed the book in the bag.

As soon as Perry opened the fourth book he felt guilty. This was a private place that Heinz had obviously never intended for Perry to see. But somehow, Perry couldn't just shut the book. Stunned, he turned through the pages to look at Heinz's sketches.

Heinz had taken the time to draw a picture of every disguise or costume Perry had ever worn. There he was in the little bear costume in the woods, right by an image of him in his Carl shirt. There was the plumber belt, and the Groucho Marx glasses, and the Dr. Wexler disguise, and the goatee and beanie hat from Steam Noir. There was a drawing of him smiling as he exercised with a sweat band on his fedora. A picture of him sitting in the passenger seat, wearing lederhosen and six seat belts. A sketch of him in a light blue ball gown. Correction: multiple sketches of him in a light blue ball gown.

The only disguise missing was the outfit Heinz had thought was "fabulous." But Heinz had never learned that was really him, had he?

There were also drawings of unconventional situations. Perry strapped to a giant fire cracker. Perry trapped under a pilgrim hat and a chef hat. Perry shackled to a movie theater seat, one hand loose so that he could grab popcorn. Perry fighting off the malicious tentacle plants. The Devolition-Inator. Pruny the Dehydrapus. Perry's billboards with fake mustaches. Perry playing with an invisible cup. Perry as a bottom, and Perry as a top. Perry commanding his little arms and tails in battle. Perry asking for agave syrup at the platypus tea party, and Perry rolling about on the floor with Heinz shortly thereafter. Perry glaring up at Heinz that day with the Head-Over-Heels-Inator. Perry sitting at the table on the school night when the monotreme had stayed late to help Heinz with Vanessa. Perry crying on The Dr. Feelbetter Show before reaching for his fedora.

The platypus shut the book. This was Heinz's private sketch pad, and Perry had no business skimming it's pages. He returned the book. He was ashamed for looking so long, and he didn't want Heinz to know he had invaded his privacy.

Perry glanced at the calender to check Vanessa's birthday before going to the basement. The numerical combination was indeed 6-15-96, and the password was "Doofalicious." Perry grabbed the needed documents and returned to the Pent House.

Looking at his GPS, Perry was surprised to see the car was still in the hospital parking lot. They had been visiting over an hour now. Perry hoped all was well.

Perry knew he should leave for the hospital and bide his time on the roof, but something was nagging at him. He had a morbid desire to go into the lab and see the place where Heinz had nearly died. He checked the GPS one last time before making his way into the familiar laboratory.

It was immediately apparent where it had happened. The high chair was still lying on the floor near a tool cabinet, and a socket wrench was lying next to it. The sight was chilling, However, it wasn't the most disturbing image in the lab. Not by a long shot.

The lab was filled with white candles on podiums draped with black velvet. Pictures of Heinz were scattered about, and vases of flowers covered most of the floor.

Norm. Norm had refused to believe Heinz was alive without proof. Perry had sent Norm away before proof could be provided. No one had thought to contact Norm. Norm had been alone mourning his dead father all day. Norm.

"Krkrkrkrkrkr?"

"HELLO, PERRY THE PLATYPUS." Norm came out from behind a machine. He was being delicate with the vase in his arms, but stepping on the vases on the floor. "I SEE YOU'VE COME TO PAY YOUR RESPECTS AT DR. D'S SHRINE."

Perry shook his head, but Norm ignored him.

"DR. D WAS MY FATHER. HE DIDN'T HAVE AS MUCH TIME FOR ME AS HE DID FOR MY SISTER, BUT HE CREATED ME AND I'LL ALWAYS LOVE HIM."

"Krkrkrkrkr!"

"YOU DON'T NEED TO LIE TO SPARE MY FEELINGS, PERRY THE PLATYPUS. I'M ALREADY PASSED THE FOURTH STAGE OF GRIEF, AND MOVING ON TO ACCEPTANCE."

Perry had no way to prove to Norm that Heinz was alive. He would have to get the scientist to make a phone call, or take Norm to the hospital. But he couldn't take the robot on this trip, and he needed to get going. He patted Norm's metallic leg.

"ARE YOU LEAVING?" Perry nodded. "THE DAY DAD CREATED ME, HE TOLD ME THAT HE BUILT ME TO DESTROY YOU. BUT THAT WASN'T TRUE. HE WAS LYING TO HIMSELF AND ME. THE FIRST THING HE EVER TOLD ME WAS A LIE."

The monotreme wasn't sure where Norm was going with this.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY I NEVER MADE HIM PROUD. HE CREATED ME TO ASSIST HIM, AND HE RESENTS ME. YOU WERE CREATED TO DESTROY HIM, AND HE ADMIRES YOU. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?"

Perry didn't know what to say. He wondered what a certain little boy from Gimmelshtump would think if he could see the way his future self treated his robotic creation. Inventing Norm as a scapegoat for his insecurities and anger was perhaps the most evil thing Heinz had ever done.

"Krkrkrkrkr." Perry patted the robot's legs again.

"THANK YOU, PERRY. I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT YOU HAVE ME WORDS OF COMFORT IN MY TIME OF NEED."

Perry nodded before he left. The entire conversation had been disconcerting.

He checked the GPS before leaving. His family was still at the hospital. Why were they taking so long?

The family vehicle departed just as Perry covertly landed on the roof. He grabbed Heinz and Vanessa's things and hurried to Heinz's room. Vanessa was sitting in a chair in the hallway with a platypus balloon, lost in thought until she heard Perry approach.

"Oh, hey Perry. Dad's been asleep since you left. Are you staying long enough to eat?"

Perry shook his head as he handed the bags to the girl. She thanked him, and he pointed to the balloon.

"Oh, Monty brought that earlier. Before my Mom's friend came. Ferb and Candace's mom. Have I mentioned them before?"

Perry shrugged his shoulders.

"They're cool. Ferb is a smart kid. Gives great advice. We didn't really talk about anything important today."

Perry was glad to hear it. Now he needed to leave and get home before the Flynn-Fletchers.

"Wait! Can I ask you a question?"

Perry nodded.

"I overheard you and Dad talking this morning. You know, when In went out to call Mom. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I didn't want to interrupt. I heard Dad ask about your secret identity and I was wondering; what would happen if Dad built an -Inator or something and figured it out?"

Perry's insides were numb. He put his two fists side by side, extended his thumbs, and made a 'separation' gesture.

"They'd split you and Dad up, and he'd have a new nemesis?" Perry nodded again.

"Wow, that would be terrible. I don't know anything about where the Agents live, but I've always imagined you were in some sort of Platycave or something. In fact, as a kid I was afraid to go to the zoo because I was worried all the animals were Agents, staring at me from behind bars. Well, if I ever hear of Dad building a "Discover Secret Identity-Inator or something, I'll do my best to discourage him."

Perry nodded, and tipped his hat.

"Good bye, Perry the Platypus!"

As Perry flew home, his mind raced with possibilities. Did she know? Did she suspect? Vanessa had given a legitimate, plausible, innocent reason to be asking those questions. It could easily be a coincidence.

Perry hoped it was a coincidence.

Pulling into his lair, Perry decided not to report the possible infraction. He would keep this from Major Monogram as long as he had reasonable doubt.

Author's Note: To be expanded in Further Complications Redux: Another Story