CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Well that took much longer to update than it should have, considering I know exactly how the rest of this is going to go. Darned summer, making me actually want to spend time outside (I am somewhat sunburned at the moment but I love it). I still want a mermaid tail.

AmyNChan: DON'T CRY OMG NO

TripleAAA1183: Yes, there were two men, but I figured everyone would assume the other guy died before the aliens were defeated. And you inspired me to make it more violent; originally it was just going to be Ferb kicking the man to the streets, with Perry's help.

Brainless Genius: Omg well I'm glad you're having such a reaction to this story; it's nice to know that I can evoke that kind of emotion from my readers.

LizzieFlynn200: Well I'm glad you're still willing to read!

I don't own Phineas and Ferb. This chapter will be fairly long, and then there's an epilogue. Wow. I can't believe this is almost over.

GENERAL POV

Candace couldn't figure out why Ferb had been avoiding her all day. He had come back in the previous night and immediately gone to sleep without saying a word to her. Perry and Pinky refused to tell her what was going on, believing that Ferb should be the one to tell her what he was feeling.

Though the girl was frustrated, she diligently went back to cleaning out the houses in the suburban areas. She and Vanessa had organized teams to clean up various parts of town and straighten things up. Groups of doctors, nurses, and a few morticians had gone out early in the morning, per Monty's instruction, and cleaned the rest of the dead bodies from the street using whatever vehicles they could find that were drivable. The corpses were now all taken care of, and a few of the morticians were working on either fixing them up or cremating them if the body was too unrecognizable.

All of the bodies had been searched for identification so that they could know who was who, and while several of them could not be identified in any way, the majority would be claimed. Monty had sent off a video message to the president asking for some kind of aid, and the agents were now letting in soldiers, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics from all over the country to join in with the cleanup and search for any more missing people.

Candace sighed and leaned over, gingerly picking a shotgun up off of the ground and checking to see if it was loaded. The barrel was empty and the teen tossed it into the wheelbarrow that she and Stacy were using to gather up guns, knives, and the works.

The two girls continued down the street silently, Stacy pushing the wheelbarrow along as carefully as she possibly could. Across the street, Dr. Doofenshmirtz and one of the nurses were doing the same thing.

Each block had four people cleaning up the yards of every home. The downtown area, including all the shops, had been taken over by store owners, sales clerks, and chefs. Once Dr. D had gotten the electricity back on, several people had been sent out to shut off anything that could cause a fire, chefs had gone to restaurants to clean up the kitchens and start pushing out food for everyone to eat, store owners had begun to clean up stores and hand out produce, and a couple of men and women who worked with the city dump had helped to cart out the rotten food.

Candace smiled thinly, leaning down to pluck a bloodied knife from the dirt and wiping the crimson from the handle and blade with a rag. Everyone had pulled together so quickly, and no one seemed to mind taking orders from her and Monty. She supposed that maybe none of them wanted to be in charge, but she was mostly stunned that the visiting officers had also followed their orders to the letter.

"Candace? That was the last house."

She glanced over at Stacy and then turned to look down the block they had just finished, seeing that, for the most part, the lawns were clean and presentable. The sidewalks were less so, most of the surface covered in dried blood, vomit, and certain things Candace didn't want to think about, but based on how the clouds looked, it would start to rain soon enough.

"Okay….okay. Let's head back to City Hall and give these to the agents," she decided, raising her voice so that Dr. D and the woman with him could hear her. "And then when everyone comes back from yard duty….we'll send people to their homes to see what the houses look inside."

Heinz and the woman crossed the street, pushing the wheelbarrow carefully between them, and the woman tilted her head. "Perhaps we should send an agent with each family or person to their house. Just in case."

Candace nodded weakly and the foursome headed back to the town center, leaving the weaponry with Agent O and Agent H (an ostrich and a hippo, who had ventured out of the zoo with a couple of zookeepers, much to Candace's surprise). A couple of dog and cat agents stood at their sides, in order to help when hands (or paws) were needed, and Candace smiled at them before moving on.

"Stacy, have you seen Ferb anywhere?"

The girl sighed and shook her head. "Candace, you've asked me that every time we get back here. Whatever happened last night, he'll tell you when he wants to."

Candace sank to the ground and put her head in her hands, feeling Stacy sink to the ground next to her. "I'm worried about him. I don't…I want him to feel like he can tell me if something is wrong."

Stacy wrapped a tender arm around her friend's shoulders, glancing up and giving a thin smile. "He knows that, Candace, I'm sure he does. But listen, everyone is super busy right now, trying to put the city back together. You just need a little pick me up or something. You've been working almost non-stop."

Candace ran a tired hand through her cropped hair and chewed on her lip. "Stacy, I'm exhausted," she admitted. "But I can't stop, not when there is so much to do. Besides, what kind of pick me up am I getting in a basically post-apocalyptic city?"

Stacy removed her arm from Candace's shoulders and in seconds the red head was swooped into the air, tight arms wrapping around her. She nearly screamed until she caught sight of the blonde hair out of the corner of her eyes. "Jeremy?" she yelped.

The teen set her on the ground and smiled gently at her, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Candace grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "When did you guys get here?" she asked in excitement.

"About half an hour ago," Coltrane said, coming up behind Jeremy. "We would have been here sooner, but none of the agents would let us in until Jeremy mentioned Perry's name."

Stacy shrieked and tackled her boyfriend to the ground, smothering him in kisses and hugs while Coltrane laughed. Jeremy chuckled and turned back to Candace, his face bright. "Seems like you and your brothers have everything sorted out."

Candace's smile collapsed so fast that it made her face sting, and Jeremy frowned slowly. "Candace? What's wrong?"

"Stacy didn't tell you?" she asked softly, tilting her head.

Said Japanese teenager got up from the ground and looked over at Candace with a sad smile. "I didn't think that was something they should learn over video chat," she admitted.

Candace looked back at Jeremy and gulped. "Phineas….Phineas didn't make it," she whispered, her voice wobbling.

"Oh….oh Candace, I am so sorry."

He wrapped her tightly in a hug. "Your dad went to find Ferb, inside," he murmured into her ear. "Tell us what to do and we'll do it."

Candace pulled back from her boyfriend and glanced around the yard, which was covered with little kids, several elderly people, and the people who she had assigned to watch the children. "I…most of the immediate cleanup is done. We're waiting for everyone to come back before we do anything else."

"So what can we do?" Coltrane asked, glancing back over his shoulder and gesturing for Mandy to come over.

Candace studied the two boys and smiled thinly. "I think everyone could use some time to relax. There's uh…there are guitars and stuff in the dining hall on stage. You guys want to engage the kids or something, take their minds off of this?"

Both boys grinned. "You know us too well," Jeremy said, kissing her cheek and running off. Mandy looked at Candace curiously. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"First of all, how's Thaddeus?" Candace asked anxiously.

Mandy grinned. "Absolutely fine. He's got some scarring, and is in some pain, but he's okay. I think he and Milly are inside with the rest of the Fireside Girls and Isabella."

Candace nodded. "Good. Listen, there's a toy store down the road. No one has taken charge of it yet, since it's not the most important thing, but if you and Stacy could take a couple of healthy, uninjured children down there and have them clean up the store and then bring back some board games or something for everyone to play, that'd be great."

The two girls nodded and ran off towards the younger children, leaving Candace to stand alone on the sidewalk as it started raining. She headed quickly for the entrance to City Hall, helping to hold open the doors as people streamed inside out of the rain. Some of the kids stayed outside to play, and Candace watched them with a sad smile on her face.

"Looks like they're having fun, huh?" said a gentle voice at her left.

Candace glanced sideways and nodded to Nick as he leaned up against the wall, the baby Phineas had saved still cradled in his arms. "He really doesn't like anyone else, does he?" Candace asked with a small chuckle.

Nick rolled his eyes and shifted, letting the infant wrap a tiny fist around his thumb. "Nope. Little booger."

Candace smiled a little more brightly and held her arms out, allowing Nick to deposit the child into her grasp. He gurgled a little and made grasping motions towards Nicholas, but settled down when Candace began rocking him. His eyes were a deep shade of blue and his black hair had been washed and combed back so that it was out of his eyes. He reached out and latched onto Candace's finger and began sucking earnestly. Candace grinned and looked back up at Nick, who was watching them with a smile.

"Looks like he likes you. Did you think about what I said? You know, about being the one to name him?"

Candace nodded slowly. "Yeah…I did. It's a really big deal so I mean….yeah. But I do have a name in mind, if you're willing to hear it."

Nick crossed his ankles over each other and leaned against the brick behind him, glancing out at the kids splashing around in the rain. "Of course."

Candace smiled, making a face at the baby. "I'm really partial to Vincent."

Nick gave her a sideways look. "Would that happen to have been your brother's middle name?" he asked gently.

She glanced up at him with a sheepish smile and haunted eyes that made Nick melt. "Yeah…."

He chuckled and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Vincent….I like it. We can call him Vinnie or Vince for short. Does your family want to keep him?"

Candace chuckled and put the newly named Vincent back into Nick's arms. "Thanks, but I think he likes you better Nick. Maybe you should consider keeping him."

Nicholas looked startled at the idea, but smiled warmly and stroked Vincent's hair from his forehead. "Yeah….maybe. Thank you, Candace. I'm going to take him in for his evening meal. Good luck with all of this."

He stepped inside, leaving Candace to the smell of rain and the sound of children's laughter.

Several hours later, as nightfall started once more and the rain clouds parted to let the moon shine through, everyone who still had a home had gone to it, leaving only about two dozen people at City Hall to still bunk in the main room. Most of them were younger kids who had lost their parents, which made it difficult to help them settle down. Pretty soon, however, Dr. D, Vivian, and Lawrence were all quietly reading to various children, putting them to sleep with hushed tones.

Candace left them to it and went looking for Ferb or Isabella, stepping outside onto the front porch of City Hall. She didn't quite expect to find the president of the United States standing there, his hand raised in a fist to knock and his body flanked by several animal agents.

The girls jaw dropped nearly to the pavement and she began stammering wildly, trying to figure out what to say to him. The man gave her a small chuckle and put his hand down, a warm twinkle in his eyes. "Are you the one in charge?" he asked softly.

Candace swallowed and tugged on her shirt hem, finally managing to nod. "Ah….yes…yes I…suppose I am."

He gestured towards the doorway. "May I come in? I would like to speak with you, and whomever is in charge of these agents."

Candace nodded quickly and led him inside to Roger's office. "I uh….stay here, I'll go find Monty."

The president smiled and settled down onto the couch as Candace shut the door and pressed a hand to her forehead in shock. "Holy shit," she muttered.

Taking a deep breath, Candace darted from room to room, looking anxiously for Monty and finally finding him in the kitchen, along with Perry, gathering up some midnight snacks just in case the kids became hungry. They both looked up at her in surprise as she came stumbling into the brightly lit room, her face a mask of total disbelief.

"Candace?" Monty asked quickly, setting down the juice boxes in his hands. "Candace what is it?"

Candace swallowed and gestured out the door, shaking her head in disbelief. "Roger's office….the….the president."

Perry looked at her in confusion. "The president of what?"

Candace just stared at him for a second before answering. "Of…of the country."

The trio basically sprinted to Roger's office, taking a moment to breathe before stepping in, Monty and Perry flanking Candace protectively. The president glanced up from the magazine he had been aimlessly flipping through and smiled, standing and tossing the paper back onto the end table.

"Hello," he said formally, stepping forwards to shake Monty and Candace's hand. "I'm sorry I didn't properly ask for names; it seemed to me that you all might be in a bit of a hurry."

Monty shook his head. "No problem, sir. I'm Monty Monogram and this is Candace Flynn. I'm the new head of the OWCA, and she is basically running everything else."

The president tilted his head in acknowledgement of Perry. "And this must be the famous Agent P that your father told me so much about," he said, directing his words at Monty.

Perry saluted the man and Monty weakly gestured at the chairs. "Why don't we all take a seat?" he suggested.

They did so quietly, Candace and Monty sitting next to one another on one couch, Perry standing at attention next to them, and the president sitting on the couch opposite them with the rest of the animal agents standing at various places around the room.

"Sir, we're shocked that you're here," Monty started, clasping his hands earnestly in front of him. "What…exactly are you doing here?"

The president smiled sadly. "News of what has happened here reached Washington relatively quickly. Any town that goes missing for a week becomes of great concern to us, especially when there are such influential people living in the city. We've been trying to get into the town all week, and when the barrier was finally taken down, however that happened, I personally had to come down here for anyone to let government people in."

The animal agents shrugged sheepishly and Monty held up a hand. "That's my fault. I specifically told them not to let anyone in unless they were medical or emergency service personnel that had a badge or some kind of identification to prove it. I didn't want anyone trying to take over the city when Candace is doing such a good job."

Candace looked at Monty in slight surprise, a smile twitching on her lips. The president chuckled and shifted in his seat. "Well yes, this is understandable. I'm not staying long, as my being here is not safe for you or for me. But I have come to offer assistance. During the time of Danville's disappearance, the rest of the countrypitched in to raise money for everyone here. I'm not entirely certain of what really happened, but I do know that many people died."

Candace flinched and looked down at the floor and Monty wrapped a friendly arm around her torso to let her know that she wasn't alone. The president smiled and reached into his pocket. "Anyway, here is all of the money that was raised during the week. We hope for it to contribute to rebuilding this town and helping everyone in it get back on their feet financially, and military personnel are standing by to be of assistance."

Candace took the check gingerly from the man's fingers and gasped upon reading the amount. "S-sir….sir, we can't accept this much money," she protested, her eye welling up upon seeing the massive number on the check, well over the amount of money she ever thought she would see.

The president waved a hand and stood up. Monty and Candace did as well, Candace still trying to refuse the amount. "Take it. This town and the people in it are going to be affected by this for quite some time, and you could all use as much as possible. You're doing a wonderful job here, Candace. I'll tell my men to defer to you with questions and to make sure they follow your orders."

"Thank you, sir," Monty said sincerely, saluting the man as he left the room.

The agent turned to Candace with a grin on his face. "This is great! We can get started rebuilding this city. And Candace, all of us have been discussing this….we want you to take over as mayor either temporarily or permanently."

Candace stared at Monty in shock. "What do you mean, we?" she asked.

Monty ticked the names off on his fingers. "Me, Vanessa, Dr. D, your dad, Ferb, Stacy, Perry, Pinky, Carl, Carla….everyone in our main group. Even if you only do it until the town is on its feet again, we want you to be in charge. You're doing a really good job so far, and you definitely have the heart for it."

Candace took a deep breath. "I'll think about it, Monty. But…can you tell me where Ferb is? If you know, I mean. Or Isabella?"

Monty smiled tenderly. "Isabella was in the main hall last I saw. I don't know where Ferb is, though."

Candace nodded, already moving from the room. "Thanks, Monty!"

Isabella kicked her feet aimlessly against the stage, listening with shut eyes to the soft sounds of Jeremy and Coltrane strumming their borrowed guitars. She and her mom could have gone home, but so many things had happened on that street that for now, she didn't want to be too far from Ferb and Candace.

Soft footsteps approached from her left and Isabella opened her eyes, though it didn't change what she couldn't see. She tilted her head in that direction and scrunched her nose up a little, thinking. "Candace?" she guessed.

There was a soft chuckle and then the feeling of a body settling down next to her and brushing against her shoulder. "You're getting good at that," Candace said quietly, bumping her gently. "Why aren't you and your mom at home?"

Isabella shrugged slowly, pulling her knees to her chin and settling her head down on top of them. "There really isn't a home anymore Candace. Not a solid one. After this week, my home is where you and Ferb are. Without him, without you, well….I wouldn't even be here."

She swallowed the lump in her throat and leaned heavily against Candace as the teen pulled her into a tight hug. "I know what you mean," Candace whispered, resting her chin on top of Isabella's head. "How you holding up?"

Isabella snorted, shutting her eyes again. "I should be asking you that. Are you okay, Candace?"

There was a long pause, in which the only sound that floated through the air were the quiet thrums of 'Our Do Nothing Day' from Jeremy and Coltrane, and then Candace shook her head slowly. "No. I'm not okay. Phineas and Mom are gone and Ferb….Ferb might as well be. I talked to Dad earlier, and he said that Ferb had only been able to tell him about…about Phineas. I don't know where Ferb is, and if I lose him too….I couldn't live with myself."

Isabella nodded. "I know, Candace. I haven't seen Ferb all day….figuratively speaking."

"Why'd you throw the glasses?" Candace asked suddenly. "I can't imagine you enjoy being blind."

Isabella smiled thinly and snuggled up to Candace's side. "No…no I don't. But I was so tired of seeing the despair and defeat on everyone's faces. I was so sick of seeing all of this hurt and anger and fear. I can still hear it…I can even kind of feel it. But I can't see it, and that helps me to not feel so terrible."

"I'm sorry," Candace murmured, pressing a sisterly kiss to Isabella's scalp. "I should've been more helpful."

Isabella shook her head and ran her fingers down Candace's arm to find her hand and clutch it. "No, it's okay. You have enough on your plate. I didn't lose anyone in my family; I'm lucky. You've been holding yourself together so hard, Candace. You and Ferb both. You need each other right now more than anything. He's probably on the roof, if you want to find him."

Candace squeezed Isabella's hand tightly and stood slowly, her knees cracking audibly. "I will. Thank you, Isabella."

She nodded as Candace darted off and leaned back on the stage, shutting her eyes again and tuning back in to the strums of the guitars. "No prob."

The late night wind buffered around Candace as she pushed open the door to the roof and scanned her surroundings slowly, finally spotting a lone form sitting at the edge of the roof right where Phineas had fallen. She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the roof top, sticking her hands in her jean pockets and crossing the roof silently until she came to a stop next to her brother.

She didn't sit, merely stood and stared up at the stars, tapping her thumbs quietly against her pockets. "Whatcha doing up here?" she asked finally, keeping her eyes on the sky.

He didn't answer for a long time, his hands pressed together in his lap and his eyes turned down. "Thinking."

Candace made a soft sound of interest in the back of her throat and glanced sideways at him. "Stars are really nice tonight," she murmured truthfully.

Ferb barely grunted, his eyes now shut and his shoulders shaking. Candace laughed softly, keeping her gaze up, and she caught sight of Ferb glancing up at her out of her peripheral vision. "Remember the time dad named a star after you guys? And I got stuck in a rocket ship and you and Phineas had to come save me from that dumb meteor shower? And then afterwards, you both told me that you believed in me and thought I was brave?"

Ferb nodded, twisting his hands around in his shirt tail. Candace settled down cross legged next to him and leaned forwards on her knees, still staring at the stars. "I think you're pretty brave now. Trying to get through all of this. I know Phineas was your first friend here. And I know you don't think that I ever really cared that much. But now….maybe we should try being better friends."

Ferb looked up at her, a tiny smile on his face and tears glimmering in his eyes. "That's really sappy Candace."

She chuckled and wrapped an arm around him, giving the boy a gentle noogie. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean it, though."

Ferb nodded thoughtfully and leaned against his sister, his eyes still on the ground. Just when Candace thought she was going to have to break the silence again, he spoke. "I….I killed someone yesterday."

Candace whipped around to stare at him in shock. "Another alien? I thought that machine-?"

"No. A person."

Candace's eyebrows shot up and she frowned slowly before it finally clicked. "Oh. Oh my god. That man that…?"

Ferb nodded quickly and swallowed so hard that Candace could see his Adam's apple bob. "Yeah. He….he was threatening you and I just...I got so mad….I didn't mean to but…"

His voice broke and Candace immediately pulled him against her, shushing him and whispering nonsense against his scalp to try and soothe him. "Hey. Hey, it's okay. It's okay. You don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to, this changes nothing about you and who you are, okay?"

He hiccupped and nodded against her and Candace rocked silently back and forth with him for a long time, tears brimming in her eyes as she stared up at the sky. "Remember…remember that time you guys made the kiddie rides? And mine went nuts and I almost got smashed at the bottom of a canyon? But you had those mad aiming skills and saved my butt with a quarter and a slingshot."

Ferb's hiccups slowed down and Candace continued rubbing his back. "Remember that time your map saved us from being stuck on that stupid island with an ox for the rest of our lives? What was even up with that, how did a singular ox get stuck on a deserted island?"

Ferb giggled softly and Candace smiled, slowing her movements and laying down on the rough surface of the roof. Ferb curled up next to his sister and stared up at the sky with her. "Remember that time you guys accidentally switched brains with aliens and I had to lead a square dancing band back home?"

Ferb outright laughed and tucked his arms behind his head, a smile on his lips. "Candace, do you remember that time Phineas and I got stuck inside of your body because you ate a grilled cheese sandwich we made for Pinky?"

Candace guffawed and shook her head. "By the way, that wasn't lactose free cheese."

They both giggled quietly and Candace slid her left arm behind her head, pointing up at a fairly bright star in the sky. "Remember the time Buford knew about this planet of whalemingos and you guys kept trying to convince him it wasn't real?"

Ferb laughed and the two went back and forth for several hours, telling stories about their friends that were no longer with them. They were eventually joined by Isabella, who pitched in by regaling them with tales about the Fireside Girls.

They laughed and talked and remembered until finally there was nothing left to say, and they fell asleep with smiles on their faces for the first time in a long time.

Whew, that was long. More than 4000 words and over 20 pages on Word. I was really on a role. Anyway, next chapter is the Epilogue. Oh my goooosssshhhhh it's almost over!

Reviews would be awesome, and will help y'all to get the last chapter faster.