Author's Note: I forgot to mention last chapter that I had watched, "Summer Belongs To You," on Friday evening. I really, really loved it. :D Isabella and Phineas held hands too many times to count, and the hug on the beach was too cute to handle. And I must admit I squealed way too much when Ferb and Vanessa were talking on the Eiffel Tower. I'm just going to have to include them in future chapters. Because they're way too adorable. Anyway, I'm boring you. I went about this chapter a little differently. Hopefully it works out all right. Cheers.


Chapter Twelve: L is for LOPSIDED

Lopsided: not the same on one side as on the other


Isabella had known Phineas since grade school. She was his friend and confidant for several years; a shoulder to cry on and an ear willing to listen. She acted as a faithful companion in times of trouble, and a friend constantly inclined to ensure the young man's happiness.

They made a formidable pair long into adulthood, the bond they had created as children seeping into their veins, fueling the couple with a longtime understanding. Cooperation came easily and the subsequent attraction to one another bloomed into knowledge of one another's drive. Their hopes, their dreams, their aspirations. Everything that made their partner thrive on this world, everything that made them operate in the way they had come to know.

This pure… comprehension came easily to Phineas. Isabella was like water-tangible, simple. She could be like vapor; cool, careful, comforting. She could be like ice; callous, crisp, critical. She had two sides, as most things do. She was easy to manipulate, but she was stubborn. She had strong beliefs, but she was flexible. She could be brash, but she could also be very, very gentle. She had trust and treachery, love and lust, compassion and cruelty. A perfect positive trait to match a perfect negative, a conductor to move one extreme to another. She was like a scale, or a perfectly set balance. She was simply… even.

Phineas… Phineas was not.

There had always been something off with the young man. He was never precise, never completely understandable. The scale was slightly crooked, but not drawn to one side any more than the other. His mind was in a constant state of indecision and vast uncertainty. The scale rocked like a pendulum, never favoring one severity or its counterpart.

Isabella was uniform. She had the perfect sense of symmetry.

Phineas was unstable. He had a corrupted feel of correspondence. He was hardly equal. He was… he was a walking contradiction.

Isabella may be water, but Phineas was fire. Flames danced wildly, but never perfectly. His mind had no order, no identifiable pattern. Even he wasn't quite in control of his indistinguishable nature. Fire wasn't easy to control.

Water was undeniably as much a solid as it was a liquid, as much pure as it was polluted. Fire never had any exact characteristics. Neither did Phineas. He was much like fire in many ways. He was bright, intense. But these traits came with no direct opposition. There was nothing to even out the spectrum. Nothing to control his sometimes dangerous mindset, his often self-destructive nature. No mental capability to supply assistance to the dreadfully fickle.

Well… not within himself.

However, every fire must eventually fizzle out. Every flame must be extinguished, and every ash must be blown away. But sometimes the fire needs some help. Sometimes the fire needs a push in the right direction. Sometimes the fire needs… a little water.


Step One: The man was completely illogical, but he had a method…


"Care to tell me what you're doing?" Isabella asked curiously, hands on hips.

Phineas looked up at her with a genuine smile, the toothy grin reserved only for those truly dear to his heart. He wiped his face, inadvertently spreading dust and grime across his chiseled features.

"Well," he began, crouching down a little further to point under the device directly. "I made some modifications. It's going to work again, I promise you."

Isabella looked skeptical, but impulsively leaned down as well, eyes searching for the source of Phineas' fascination. "How?" she questioned. "Just last week you were telling me they discontinued the fuel needed to make this thing operate. No way you'll get it to be the same as it once was. It was totally trashed. Nothing is entirely reversible, Phin."

Phineas chuckled, shaking his head. "It'll work," he assured. "I found a substitute fuel. It should suffice."

"Whatever you say, Phineas," Isabella relented, her voice betraying her words.

"Oh, yeah?" Phineas challenged. "Lucky for you, I'm just about finished. This baby will purr," he replied confidently, running a used rag over the shiny metal just one last time.

Isabella nodded slowly, watching as Phineas excitedly reached for the on switch, taking in a deep breath. He looked to Isabella expectantly.

"Moment of truth," the couple chorused, a smile erupting on Phineas' lips. With one final breath, Phineas flipped the switch.

The pair held their breaths. It took a moment, but within a few seconds of Phineas' movement, the device began to hum, several small lights coming to life and illuminating the small area around their location.

Phineas whooped in victory, clapping his hands once before pumping his fist in the air joyously. Isabella's jaw dropped in disbelief. There was no way the device would ever run again, and yet there it was, purring just as Phineas had promised it would.

Phineas grinned up at Isabella, chuckling as he whispered, more to himself than to the young woman, "Nothing is irreversible."

Water begins to seep into the flames as the fire is challenged, and with a dare to occupy the dangers of restlessness, the wild flames begin to weaken, blue fire fading to a gentle orange glow…


Step Two: The man was cocky, but there were moments when self-doubt flickered in his eyes…


Isabella walked away from the buzzing party, escaping the deafening noise and suffocating bustle. Slipping out onto the balcony, she sighed in relief to have finally located Phineas.

His back was to her, but she could tell he was upset. He was leaning against the railing, his arms crossed underneath the weight of his body. His feet were crossed at the ankles, supporting his angled position.

Isabella took a single step forward, a click of a heel enough to make Phineas twitch his head gently to his right. He didn't glance over his shoulder completely, but enough to identify Isabella.

"Hey," he greeted, feigning a smile as he looked to her.

"What's on your mind?" Isabella asked, walking the full distance to Phineas' side, placing a feather light touch to the young man's forearm.

Phineas quirked an eyebrow, exchanging glances from Isabella's concerned eyes to the night sky above. "What makes you think there's something on my mind?"

Isabella almost smiles. "You're way too concerned about your posture to slump like this," she teased. "Normally you stand with your hands in your pockets. But you aren't," she explained. Her logic was surprisingly sound.

"Do I?" he asked almost embarrassedly.

Isabella allowed a grin to form. "Don't worry," Isabella assured. "Ferb does it, too. It must be a fortitude thing."

Phineas chuckled softly. "You calling me arrogant?" he teased.

"Hardly," Isabella corrected, shoving Phineas' shoulder playfully. "But seriously," she stated honestly, "What's wrong?"

Phineas sighed, leaning further into his arms. His chin disappeared into his elbows, his voice muffled by the fabric of his jacket. He was mumbling dejectedly, but he spoke nonetheless.

"Those people in there," he began. "They're expecting so much from me. I don't… I don't know if I can give them everything they want."

"You're apprehensive?" Isabella asked, incredulous. Her nose wrinkled in unwelcome surprise.

Phineas would have laughed, should the situation provide. It didn't. "Everyone gets nervous," he reminded the woman.

"Even you," Isabella consented. "But why now? You've done amazing things in your short time, Phineas. What's changed?"

"Everything!" Phineas choked almost painfully, the stress now evident in his face. His eyes were darker than normal, and his mouth was tight with uncertainty. "Everything," he repeated, more calmly this time.

Isabella didn't speak, but she stroked his arm affectionately, urging him to continue. Silently granting him permission to be everything he needed to be, everything he wanted to be.

"Speak your mind," Isabella pleaded.

"I'm not used to this. Everything I've always done… I've done because I wanted to. Because it was fun, and because it felt right. But now," he paused. "But now there's pressure. There's expectations that need to be met and hopes I have to reach. I don't know if I can do that. Not like this. Not when I'm… not when I'm feeling… like this…"

Phineas felt as miserable as his appearance allowed. He looked just about ready to burst into tears. Pushed just about far enough to break, fall to his knees and just sob. It was a pity, Isabella thought, that he was so conflicted.

Isabella thought through her words carefully before she spoke them, choosing carefully what she said to Phineas in his time of ambiguity.

"Why doesn't this feel right?" Isabella asked softly.

Phineas shook his head, letting out a few shuddering breaths. "Everyone wants me to be exactly what they want me to be," Phineas tried, his words confusing even him. "It's not me anymore. Not when I can't… control myself."

"Who's stopping you?"

"What?"

"Who's stopping you?" Isabella repeated, smiling appreciatively. "You're under a lot of pressure, I get that. But that can't hold you back. Nothing can hold you back. Like I told you a long time ago," Isabella grinned. "You're Phineas Flynn."

Phineas took in Isabella's words, allowing her meaning to seep deep into his thoughts.

Isabella spoke before Phineas had completely processed. "Besides," she whispered, hugging Phineas' arm close to her body. "You once told me… you can do anything…"

Isabella awaited Phineas' response. She was not disappointed.

Phineas' face brightened considerably, his first true smile of the evening overtaking his features.

"If you believe you can," he finished confidently.

The flames are smaller now. They begin to subside, but coals remain. The fire fights, but moisture does not relent…


Step Three: The man attracted everyone to him, but kept all of them an arm's length away…


"Talk to me," Isabella requests, reaching to wipe tears away from the young man's eyes. A tanned hand intercepts hers, knocking her fingers away. Phineas refuses the woman's touch, opting to instead wipe his own tears away furiously with his knuckles.

Phineas is being withdrawn, childish and stubborn. But he grieves difficultly, and Isabella maintains her patience. Isabella cries, too, but she finds she is more sad for the man before her than herself.

"Please," Isabella is practically begging now, "Please talk to me. Let me know you're okay."

Phineas only turns his head away, and Isabella chokes on a sob. She uses soft fingers to take Phineas' chin, forcibly turning his head in her direction. He will not meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Isabella weeps, "I'm so sorry… Please… Please, just tell me what you need. Tell me what you need."

Phineas opens his mouth and surprises himself with the frail sound of his own voice. It's broken and he hates it. He almost doesn't recognize it as his.

"I need," he manages slowly. "I… can we… can we just be quiet? Just for now? Please?"

Isabella nods, accepting. Phineas wasn't like her. He didn't need to let his feelings be known. He didn't need to express his fears and his regrets, and he didn't want to identify his remorse. It was far different than Isabella's own needs, but she accepted nonetheless. Phineas needed her now.

So, taking her place, she leaned against Phineas' side. It didn't take long for him to wrap his arm about her shoulder. And they cried. The heat of the summer evening began to seep in, but neither noticed. It wasn't important.

Right now, all that mattered was the other, and holding their opposite as only they could. Sobs racked deep within both of them, their bodies heaving violently as tears escaped and gasps erupted unexpectedly. Breath was ragged and the situation was hardly comfortable, what with Phineas ignoring the elephant in the room and Isabella reluctantly doing the same. But she did not question Phineas' wishes. She only held him. She did only what he desired, only what it would take to comfort him.

And so the water overruled the fire, the flames dissipating, the ash remaining blown far away with a strong gust of wind…


Isabella was water: uniform. She had the perfect sense of symmetry.

Phineas was fire: unstable. He had a corrupted feel of correspondence.

Apart, the pair were opposites. Together, they created two halves of one whole. And when they were together… Phineas? He was even.


Author's Note: Whoa. Like, seriously? Whoa. I am extremely proud of this. This has to be the most… powerful… piece I've ever written. I'm epically amazed I was able to produce writing like this. I'm almost tearful. I've given a whole new light to the meaning of, "They complete each other." Bahaha. But anyway, unimportant. About the three steps. I know they're all really vague and you don't really know what Phineas is working on in the first one, it's never explained what Phineas is expected to do in the second one, and the disaster that occurred in the third one is never explored, but I realize this. I did that on purpose, to keep to the point at hand and avoid getting into useless detail that didn't matter. You can decide all three of these things for yourself. I can say, that while writing the first step, I was thinking of a vacuum cleaner. Just saying. Haha. I mean, come on. These stories take place when they're twenty-three years old. That's thirteen years in the future. 2023. A vacuum cleaner will be pretty primitive by then, I'm sure. ;) Anyway… I really love this chapter. It makes me get the warm fuzzies. I like how it explores how the couple reacts to one another's personalities, and how Isabella is able to make Phineas the kind of person he wants to be. Also! In the second one, I based Isabella's speech after her little rant from the TV special, "Summer Belongs To You!" Cheers to anyone who noticed. :D Two thousand words, baby. Hell yes. Oh, and as an afterthought, did anyone expect this chapter to be about Phineas' smile? ;) Well, you're close, but no cigar. It was originally going to be, but I morphed it into this at the last minute. Ahaha. Reviews are appreciated, although not expected. I will update inconsistently, but the story will be finished within the month, I'm certain. Look out for new chapters.


Coming Up Next: M is for MINDLESS