14AmyChan: okay, a lot of people asked for this one, at least three! Vivian's reaction to Isabella and Daniel, so here it is. *^_^*

Daniel: also, the matter of where I stay during the months where Vivian and I had not gotten back together is discussed briefly at the end for the benefit of Axis22.

Isabella: 14AmyChan doesn't own any of the Cannon!PnF characters, but she owns Daniel. Enjoy.

Vivian was bustling about her house, doing busywork, attempting to wake up. She hesitated outside of Isabella's room—which had been untouched since the young girl had left it last—and wondered where her daughter could be. She had told her remaining friends that she was fine and had moved on more than once, but part of her wondered for how long she could keep up the façade.

There would be times where she saw her little girl running around the house, and she had caught herself telling the small hallucination to be careful. She would often hear the excited tales of what her daughter had done with Phineas and Ferb on any given day, and she would find herself nodding as she listened to those empty whispers on the wind. And then reality would crash in on her. Her little Isabella would never come back home to her.

The fact had repeatedly broken the woman's heart, and no amount of time was to heal that.

An abrupt knocking at the door jarred the woman out of her thoughts. Vivian sighed as she made her way to the door. Perhaps a guest would be just the thing she needed to distract herself from the oncoming recollections of her baby girl.

"Oh, Linda, what a surprise! How are you?" the Mexican Jewish woman said with hints of a true smile. It was the friends who had not forgotten about her that helped her make it through on some days.

"Hi, Vivian. Listen, I've got—" Linda was cut off Vivian pulling her inside her house, chatting about making something warm to drink, despite it being summer. The elder Flynn-Fletcher allowed herself to be dragged into the kitchen, knowing full well that her friend might want to release some of her energy before having news of this kind broken on her.

"And I saw Phineas a few days ago, he does look a little pale. He needs to get some sunshine, after all, that's—" Vivian's voice began to shake, and Linda knew where the conversation was headed. Rather than deter the woman from thoughts about her daughter, she remained quiet, silently prodding her friend to continue.

The distressed woman stopped for a moment, if only to collect her thoughts. Talking about Linda's red-headed son was one of the best ways that Vivian remembered her daughter, but it was also one of the most painful, if only for the reason that the boy had changed so much. He was so much different from the boy that her little girl had so obviously fallen for. He rarely came outside that Vivian saw, she almost never saw him smile. It was as if someone had stolen away his sunshine.

"He… he needs to get back into the sun more often…" Vivian continued, though not as energetically as before. She busied her hands preparing and serving coffee without speaking for a while. Her mind began to teem with thoughts about her daughter, and tears threatened to spill over into their drinks. Vivian, however, forced herself not to cry about her age-old and open wounds while she poured the coffee. Only when she brought the cups to the table and sat down was the silence broken.

"Vivian, I'm going to ask you something difficult," Linda said slowly, somehow knowing that her friend had already breeched the topic in her mind. "What do you think Isabella is doing right now?"

The reaction could not have been more instant, nor as rapid. The woman seemed to stop breathing and her eyes widened considerably. Then she looked guiltily at her coffee cup, watching as she swirled the contents around the mug very, very carefully. She took a deep breath, then shook her head.

"Why do you want to know that now, Linda?" Vivian questioned, just barely holding onto whatever dignity she could in front of her friend. The woman did not respond, but instead sipped her drink. Vivian bit her lip in a futile attempt to keep herself under control. Alas, it did not work.

"My daughter is dead, and I will never see her again. Mi hijita is gone, and I did not get to see her go into junior high, did not see her off to her first day of high school, class photos, days spent for just the two of us, did not go to a Fireside Girl seniority banquet to watch her graduate from her beloved troop, and that's not all that was taken. I will never get to see her to prom, I will never help her with any more issues caused by heartache, I will never see mi hija hermosa walk down the aisle," Vivian's tears flowed freely, the hurt from all the years stolen from her finally cascading out of her mouth in a rush. The pain was so raw, Linda herself did not mind that she was shedding tears for her friend. Vivian's next few sentences came in gasps. "I will never get to speak with my daughter again, because she was taken from me. Right now, she is dead, and I cannot do anything to bring her back!"

For a while, the only sound the kitchen heard was the mournful sobs of a mother and the silent tears of her friend. For a few moments, all was still in this remembrance of loss.

"Vivian…" Linda said tentatively, hoping that she had done her part right, and that Vivian would have released the pain and hurt she had built up over the years. Though she could not have released it all in the span of fifteen minutes, Linda hoped it would be enough so the woman would not cry or scream or faint when the surprise hit her.

"I… I'm sorry, I just…" Vivian shook her head, hoping that her friend would simply let her be for now. Regrettably, that did not happen.

"Vivian, there's someone I want you to see," Linda said firmly. She stood up and walked out of the kitchen, leaving a confused woman behind. Vivian looked at her coffee cup again, then decided to drink a little sip before her friend would come back.

A series of small anxious whispers floated over into the kitchen, immediately perking Vivian's ears. So soft, one could barely hear it, even if one were to strain their ears, which she did. One of the voices was Linda's, soft and reassuring. The other's was familiar, yet different. An old voice that had been weathered and changed through the course of time. But of course, it couldn't be…

…Could it?

Before the woman could process what she was doing, she had set down her coffee and was nearing the entrance of the kitchen. Just a wall separating Vivian and her guests. The thought, however, scared her. Who had Linda brought into her home? It would not be anyone dangerous, that much was certain. Besides, Vivian had to know who was in her home. Because if she did not, she would see her daughter among the halls and hear her faint whispers again.

Vivian wiped her previous tears from her eyes and rounded the corner quickly, with a tentative smile on her face, her eyes shut for fear of knowing who exactly stood on the other side of the plaster.

"Linda, who is you guest?" Vivian asked quickly, refusing to open her eyes. However, a prolonged silence caused a tension the woman could not stand, so she slowly allowed light into her vision. Standing before her were Linda and her guest. The guest, however, was too similar to be comfortable.

The young child had grown into a beautiful young adult, keeping her hair its beautiful natural black. She wore clothes that bore tidings of warmer weather, but were modest. She appeared unharmed, yet timid, almost apprehensive. Her blue eyes were filled with worry, worry only her mother would truly understand.

Vivian reached out for her, but stopped herself short. Is this what she had fallen to, hallucinating about her daughter had she grown up? Had her baby girl had the chance to grow? Yet, the young woman standing before her seemed so real. Alas, so did the other hallucinations. And were she to reach into thin air, she would probably be carted to an asylum. She was about to pull her hand back when it was grabbed softly by the girl in front of her.

Her hand felt soft and warm in Vivian's. It had been well-cared for, and seemed most definitely alive and real. Vivian looked over at Linda for something, anything, to tell her that this was truly real. If it were not, the tears streaming down her face would have only given way to clear hysterics. And then, finally, Linda gave a nod of approval.

"Mom?" Isabella asked, pulling the woman's attention back to her daughter. Her face broke into the first large, genuine smile it had seen in years, and she immediately scooped her daughter into her arms.

"Mi hija! You've gotten so big, you are as tall as I am! Where have you been, I have been worried sick! Who took you, did they hurt you, what—?"

"Mamma!" Isabella cried, holding her mother closely, a smile on her face. This was the woman she remembered. The one who had been there for her through thick and thin, the one who had always instilled her with the confidence she needed, and the one who had always loved her. This was her mother, and she was so happy to be back with her.

"Isa, I can't believe…" Vivian was stopped by her own sentence. Could she believe it? Her daughter, returning home after all these years? Vivian stroked the girl's hair, remembering how she had done that so often when she was a little girl. Vivian held her close, unwilling to part with her anytime soon, or ever, for that matter. Her baby girl had come home to her, and the fact itself brought more joy than she could remember having.

"Viv, there's someone else you need to see," Linda said gently after a few moments of tender reunion. The woman moved so she would be able to talk properly, yet kept both hands on Isabella's shoulders, ensuring that she would not vanish.

"Linda, I don't—" Vivian was cut off by the sight of someone else. A man from her past, the one who had loved her, cherished her, held her close and treated her like royalty. And then ran away. Left her to raise a child by herself, a child that was stolen from her. A child that had now been returned.

"Daniel…?" Vivian asked, amazed with herself for not stuttering. Though time had certainly taken its toll on the two lovebirds, she could not help but find some of the little things in his appearance that she had fallen in love with all those years ago. His hair, now slightly decorated with the occasional grey. His awkward smile, which hid a much more amazing person beneath. His eyes, that would twinkle in wonder one moment, then duck in shame or embarrassment the next.

He was the man she had fallen in love with, and he had come back with the child that reminded her so much of him.

"Hola, Vivian," Daniel said nervously, then shut his eyes, the same way he did all those years ago, when they had first met. He had said something that had ended up being offensive towards her. After realizing his mistake, he had done the same thing, awaiting punishment. The reason he had not run then, as she had later learned, was because she had been the most beautiful woman he had seen, and he had not wanted to run from her.

Vivian knew also that Daniel was using her name, so he either felt no romantic inclinations, or he had done something terribly wrong. The woman looked at the girl in her arms to the man who had loved her all those years ago. Slowly, the pieces fell into place.

"You… you took her…?" Vivian whispered, shocked and horrified. Clearly, it was not the same man whom she had fallen in love with. Yes, her Daniel had been easy to frighten, but he had never done anything low. He had always been a man to stick to his morals—one night exception. Vivian began to ease her daughter behind her back, away from the man.

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting the yelling. Anticipating the screaming and the guilt and the pain he had helped to cause. Expecting intensive interrogation, fueled by rage and hurt. One word, however, was one thing he did not quite expect, though by all accounts, he should have.

"Why?" the world tumbled past her lips, full and demanding. It was strong, yet at the same time pleading. Curious, yet heartbreaking. Daniel could not find it within himself to answer for his folly. Not to the woman whom he had loved so much. He had loved her, and then, he had hurt her. Twice, and now a third time, by simply coming back. Tears of pain and remorse, on both his and her behalf, flowed past his lidded eyes.

"Mamma," Isabella's voice came behind Vivian, and the woman turned to her daughter. Isabella was shocked to see tears flow down her mother's worried face, and more of the substance rolling down her father's tight and pain-contorted face. She reached up to her mother and her father.

"It's a long story, and you may not believe all of it, but I promise he will tell you. I'll help and so will Phineas and Ferb," Isabella tried to smile, but the entire atmosphere was so sorrowful, and it tugged the corners of her mouth down in a tentative frown.

"I am ready to listen, I believe I have a right to know what happened to my family," Vivian stated firmly, despite her tears. Daniel nodded his head and opened his eyes. He led the way to the sitting room where he, Vivian, and Isabella sat down and began to talk.

"It is a long story, and it began ten years after I selfishly ran away. I was approached by a man…" Daniel began as Linda slipped out of the front door. She wondered if the man were to stay at Vivian's house or in an apartment for a few days.

I'd say the apartment's a safe bet… Linda mused as she went back to her house to tell the others that the Garcia-Shapiro family was together and beginning to sort things out. And right now, what that family needed was to understand and bury the past with final closure before beginning on their new lives together.

14AmyChan: okay, I'm really glad I was able to get that to you guys~! *^_^*

Vivan: in this headcannon, Daniel would used to call me "Viv" whenever we were around each other. He only used my full first name when he was really scared.

14AmyChan: okay, the next bit will be answering a question fueled by a piece of art that I drew a while ago. However, until that comes up, R&R, peeps~! *^_^*