AUTHOR'S NOTE: This takes place after the Milo Murphy's Law episode "The Phineas and Ferb Effect," in which the Doofenshmirtz, Inc. skyscraper collapses.

When Candace opens the door and sees Vanessa, she screams and sweeps her into an anaconda-strength hug.

"I was so worried about you and I saw on the news about your dad's building and they said there weren't any casualties but what are the odds of an entire skyscraper being empty and yeah you texted me you were fine but then you weren't at school today and I was so worried!"

Vanessa scans the room over Candace's shoulder. Lacie, Stacy, and Jenny had arrived before her, and Ferb and Phineas had come running in from the backyard after Candace screamed, and they all look concerned.

Candace releases Vanessa so abruptly that the older girl sways where she stands. "Sorry, I forgot we don't hug."

"Kind of a special case," says Vanessa. "I don't mind." She feels a little overwhelmed with everyone staring at her. It's been a long couple of days. "I really didn't feel up to going to school today. Sorry for worrying everybody."

Stacy makes a scoffing sound. "You don't need to apologize for major trauma."

Vanessa sits down, and immediately finds herself being handed a glass of water. "Thanks, Ferb. Yeah, thankfully nobody was actually in the building. Pest control came in the day before for structural fumigation of the whole place, and we were supposed to stay out until Saturday."

"What are the odds the building would be scheduled for structural fumigation on Wednesday?" Lacie ponders. "Especially since I've never seen so much as a gnat in there."

"Well, my dad had been working on an Exterminator...Inator, and it kind of backfired. Every pest in the Tri-State Area had moved in."

"Did you lose all of your stuff?" asks Candace. "You can borrow anything of mine that you want. I know we're the same size."

"One plus of splitting time between my dad's place and my mom's is that I didn't lose everything I own, so my part of the insurance hassles are nothing compared to what they are for my dad and his tenants. They're going to be sifting through rubble for the next few weeks, looking for anything they can salvage. I'll head over there when I leave tomorrow to see if there's anything I can do, but Dad made me promise not to give tonight up." She feels tears stinging her eyes at how close they all came to losing a lot more than they did.

"Ferb and I can help," Phineas offers. "We have some experience with metal detectors, and I bet we can combine them with x-ray equipment! We'll start plans right away, and get the gang together after dinner so we have everything ready to go tomorrow."

Vanessa wants to protest that she doesn't have any business asking grade school kids to involve themselves in dangerous excavations, but Ferb is patting her arm comfortingly, and Phineas is already racing upstairs, and she's not in a position to turn down assistance. "You guys be careful, okay?" she says to Ferb, in the confidence he'll relay the message to the rest of the group. "All that's in that pile is just stuff; I don't want anybody getting hurt over it."

He nods, pats her arm once more, and follows his brother.

"So is your dad still going to be teaching?" Jenny asks.

Vanessa shakes her head. "He's taking administrative leave for the foreseeable future."

"Is he moving in with you and your mom?" asks Candace.

"My mom offered, but apparently he's crashing on somebody's couch."

There's an awkward silence.

"Do you guys mind if we don't talk about this anymore? I'd kind of rather just have the sleepover you planned, Candace—chick movies and braiding hair and stuff that doesn't require too much mental energy. I could use the break."

They spend the next few hours eating junk food, watching a movie, and doing a dramatic reading of The Princess Sensibilities. Vanessa excuses herself in the middle of a round of "Who Would You Rather Date?" to get ready for bed, assuming there will be some amount of sleep coming eventually. She's still too keyed up to think that it will be anytime soon.

After she brushes her teeth, she opens the bathroom door and nearly shrieks, because a yellow-clad boy is waiting just outside. She looks towards the floor.

"Footie pajamas?" says Vanessa. "Man of action by day, cuddly kid by night, huh, Ferb?"

He goes red from the tips of his ears all the way down his neck, and she immediately feels a wave of guilt. From massive experience with her father, she knows what it's like to feel you're not being treated with the dignity you deserve.

"Hey, it's cool," she says. "You need to be comfy to sleep well." She waves an arm to indicate her nightshirt, which stops a few inches above her knees. "I'm regretting my life choices. I left my warm pajamas at my dad's on Wednesday, and I didn't buy any new ones yet. Maybe I will end up borrowing some clothes from Candace."

His eyes don't leave hers, which she finds endearingly gentlemanly, even if he is just a kid. "I can get you an extra blanket."

"I accept your gracious offer," she replies, and waits as he pads down the hall to the linen closet and returns with two blankets.

"I wasn't sure if you'd prefer fleece or wool," he explains, handing both over.

"Isn't wool made from fleece?"

"True, but I believe when speaking of fabrics, 'fleece' refers to synthetic materials, as opposed to organic fibers."

"Always learning something new from you." Shifting the blankets to one arm, she reaches out with the other and ruffles his hair. "Good night." She puts a hand on Candace's doorknob, then turns back, afraid she's offended him again. "Sorry, I shouldn't have messed up your hair."

His answering look is steady and earnest. "I'm just glad you're...it would have been awful if..."

"Yeah, I know. Me, too." She ruffles his hair once more, because she's still here and they're both glad of it, then leans down to kiss him on the cheek. "Sleep well, Ferb. Thanks."

Vanessa yawns as she re-enters Candace's room, and hugs the blankets to her chest. Maybe she's tired enough to need them already, after all.