A few days passed since the slightly traumatic night for Phineas. Things were slowly returning to how they used to be for the Flynn-Fletchers now that Phineas had stood his ground and finally got the answers he was longing for. Ferb was now talking to him again and his parents weren't quite so tense, in fact Lawrence was no longer working 14 hours a day. It seemed they were all slowly reverting back to their normal routine.
But there was the emptiness they all felt and didn't dare talk about.
Things weren't the same without Candace. Sure, she didn't live at the house anymore, anyway. But knowing that she was never going to come back to visit or even call any of them was what was hurting the most. At this point Phineas would've accepted any sort of contact. A voicemail, a one-worded text, anything. He just wanted his sister back, or at the very least he wanted to know if she was okay.
There wasn't anything any of them could do. Candace wasn't answering any calls or responding to texts (except for Ferb's, but even then she was brief with her words). No one had any knowledge of her whereabouts, she was gone for good. It hurt to admit it, but there was nothing they could do right now.
Phineas barely paid attention to the dimming sunlight outside, slowly fading into evening darkness. He was sitting in the living room chair, his eyes fixated on the glass door that led to the backyard. But he wasn't focused on the outside, his thoughts were too distracting for him to notice anything around him. Even when Perry had hopped up in his lap, his hand instinctively pet the platypus' fur without his knowledge.
Even though he was glad the rest of his family was getting better, it just wasn't the same without Candace. It was ironic to Phineas how when she left for college years ago, that was when he and Ferb grew closer to her. They always enjoyed her visits and would sometimes drive up to stay with her for weekends. He remembered the late nights they spent getting ice cream from fast food places, playing video games, watching silly movies, taking stupid selfies together, etc. He never knew he would lose those moments one day, all thanks to a man that hadn't been in their lives for over 17 years.
Phineas finally snapped himself back into reality when he inhaled the unmistakable aroma of pizza. He assumed his mother must've ordered it a while ago and it just now arrived. As much as he loved pizza, he was in no mood to eat. He sighed and rubbed his platypus' head, "Oh Perry, what should I do?"
Perry opened his eyes to look up at the teen.
"Ferb says Candace will come back, but I'm starting to believe it less and less." He went on, fighting the urge to cry. "I don't know what to do anymore..."
Unbeknownst to him, Perry actually frowned, feeling sympathetic with the poor boy. He, too, missed Candace and wished she would return soon. But even as a retired secret agent, he couldn't move heaven and earth just to find her. He had to be here to care for the family.
Perry chattered quietly and nuzzled up against him, hoping to give any sort of comfort. Phineas held him closer, letting a couple tears fall, since he just couldn't hold them back any longer.
"Boys! Dinner!" Linda called from the other room.
Phineas took a deep breath while wiping his cheeks with his sleeve. The last thing he wanted was for them to see that he was crying again. They all were trying so hard to move past this drama, and seeing him cry because of Candace wasn't going to help. He set Perry down on the floor and stood up, walking lazily into the kitchen, accompanied by Ferb and their father.
After they all got their slices of pizza, they sat down in their respected seats at the table, eating in complete silence. This wasn't unusual, even now. But for Phineas, it was beginning to get tiresome. He missed the family conversations they used to have when he was younger, talking about their days and giving each other advice on how to handle situations.
His eyes averted over to Lawrence, who was reading a newspaper while eating. It didn't occur to Phineas how this whole situation must've affected him as much as it did the rest of them. He was a great stepfather, he had no reason to feel like he wasn't. Phineas and Candace loved him, that was why they referred to him as their dad.
Phineas now felt the need to apologize, even though it was kind of late. "Uh, hey Dad?" He spoke up, being the first person to say a word at the dinner table.
Lawrence lifted his head to face him, "Yes, son?"
The redhead played with the collar of his shirt as he frowned, "I just— well..are you mad? At me and Candace?"
The British man's eyes went wide, surprised by a question like that. "No, of course not. Why would I be mad at you two?"
Phineas gazed elsewhere, avoiding eye contact due to slight shame. "Because we wanted to know who our biological dad was."
Everyone seemed to stop breathing upon his mention of the 'mystery' man who unknowingly started all of this. While Linda and Lawrence kept their focus on Phineas, Ferb was pre-occupied on his phone, responding to a text he received from someone who was hard to reach these days.
After a few seconds of silence, Lawrence cleared his throat and set the newspaper aside. "Well, no. I'm not mad for that. I understand you two wanting to know the truth, you deserve to know." He said. "I mean, I would want to know if I was in your place."
"I— I just want to say I'm sorry, for all of this." Phineas sighed, "Just because I wanted to know who he was doesn't mean that I don't love you. I mean, you're more of a dad to me than he ever will be. You know that, right?"
Lawrence chuckled, reaching over to pat the teen's shoulder to assure him. "Oh, of course I know, son." He said. "And I love you, too."
Linda smiled at the two, relieved by the endearment between her husband and son. She knew she had nothing to worry about now. Cameron was a deadbeat dad, he meant nothing to Phineas. Lawrence was his real father, nothing would ever change that.
Ferb set his phone now and looked over at the back door, right as it's knob began to turn. Everyone turned their heads at the sound, wary of who could possibly be entering their house uninvited like this. Except for Ferb, he knew exactly who it was.
Their eyes widened as the orange-haired woman revealed herself, taking a cautious step inside. It felt like a century since they last saw her in person, and not just in old pictures they stared at when reminiscing better times. But here she was, almost a month later, standing in their kitchen with her head hung low.
"Candace?" Phineas whispered, his eyes already watering.
Linda, Ferb, and Lawrence stood up from their chairs, walking over to her while keeping a respectful distance in case she needed it. To be honest, she didn't look like herself. Her eyes were baggy, making it seem like she hadn't slept in days. Her face was pale and her figure seemed thinner than usual. Clearly these past few weeks had taken a toll on her.
Candace looked at each of them, already expecting their surprised, relieved expressions. She wasn't sure where to even begin on her apology, how could she ever expect them to forgive her after what she did? She abandoned her family when they needed her most.
"Um..I'd just like to point out that uh, technically I said I would walk out that door," She awkwardly pointed towards the front door in the family room, "and never come back. I— I said nothing about...about this door." She gestured back to the door she had walked through just now. "So uh..yeah."
Ignoring her statement all together, Linda just stared at her daughter in awe and relief. The weeks of being worried sick for her safety and well-being were finally over. Her baby was back home where she belonged.
Noticing her mother's face, Candace decided to give an actual apology now. Even if it was hard to admit to her wrongdoing. "Mom, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said, I just—"
"Shh, don't apologize right now." Linda said, gently holding her daughter's arm. "I'm just glad you're back, that's all that matters to me."
Candace gave her a quick smile of gratitude before her gaze averted over to her brother, who was still sitting at the table. If she thought explaining things to her parents was going to be hard, she could not imagine what it was going to be like for Phineas. He was the one who was affected the most by all of this, she didn't make it easier by neglecting him this whole time.
Right as she was about to speak to him, she saw him practically jump up from his seat and dart over to her at the speed of sound. "Candace!" He cried, tackling her in a firm embrace.
Even though she was taken aback by his sudden affection, Candace didn't hesitate to reciprocate and hold him securely in her arms, feeling herself beginning to cry. He buried his face against her shoulder, weeping softly whilst clinging onto her. "I missed you." He murmured vulnerably.
Candace choked back a sob and slowly rubbed his back, intending to keep him calm. "I missed you, too." She whispered. "It's okay, I'm here..."
Noticing the rest of the family's expressions, she could tell they were in need of a hug from her as well. But it was obvious Phineas wasn't going to let go of her anytime soon, so she gestured for them to just join in. The three broke down into tears and wrapped their arms around the siblings, all holding each other close and tight, never even thinking about being apart again.