I do not own any of these characters besides Winnie and PJ. Both kids are 10 years of age.
The sun beamed above the suburban landscape of Danville. Normally, the Flynns and the Fletchers would be out in their front lawns hanging with their kids, which consisted of PJ, child of Phineas and Isabella Flynn, and Winnie, daughter of Ferb and Vanessa Fletcher. It was their ritual for every other free day they had from work.
However, as the outside of the Fletcher house seemed to be full of sunshine and happiness, the inside was rather gloomy. All six family members were inside the Fletcher kitchen, looking rather devastated. Ferb sat at the table with his head down, trying to hold back the tears as his wife was rubbing his shoulders trying to comfort him the best he could. Phineas sat on the other side, practically letting the tears stream down his face as Isabella knelt to his level to wipe the tears off.
Both Winnie and PJ sat between their parents. PJ's gaze was down as he couldn't bear the sight of his father looking so...broken. Winnie moved her emerald hair away from her eyes as she reached for her father's hand, which got Ferb to lift his head and look at his daughter with the most depressing face Winnie had ever seen on a person. A tear streamed down her face as Ferb went to wipe it off with his thumb.
What's going on? These don't look like the Flynns, and those don't look like the Fletchers. Well, the answer is plain and simple. Lawrence Fletcher, Ferb's real father and the only man that was more of a father to Phineas than Phineas' actual dad, tragically passed away in his sleep the previous night, which devastated everyone.
Phineas finally broke the silence. "It's...like a...bad dream." He spoke softly, nearly choking on his tears.
"I know," Isabella said, planting a kiss on her husband's cheek, "but at least your father died peacefully."
Ferb rolled his eyes and stood up, pacing around the kitchen. "He was asleep in the same room as me. I...I could have done something. I could have been there for him."
Vanessa immediately went got up and pulled her husband in for a hug. "There was nothing you could do, hon. It just happened." She spoke.
PJ folded her arms. "I'm gonna miss him." He said, tears streaming down his face.
Winnie sniffled. "Me too."
Ferb pulled away from his wife's embrace and darted upstairs. Winnie wore a look of disbelief. "Why won't dad let us help him?"
Vanessa sighed. "He's just too upset, sweetie." She said, rubbing her daughter's shoulder.
Later that night, the Flynns were at their place getting ready for the night, as tomorrow they would have to get started with funeral arrangements. PJ and his father were upstairs in their rooms as Isabella was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
PJ tried to ignore the ache in his chest as he continued to scroll through his phone. He and Winnie adored their Grandpa Lawrence. He was perhaps more of a best friend to them than the two were to each other. Lawrence and Linda lived on the opposite side from where they lived, and the two cousins were willing to take two bus rides just to spend the day with them, especially Lawrence. They would spend hours either playing ball outside, eating crumpets while drinking tea, as well as booking trips to visit London. They loved their grandfather to the core, but now...he's gone.
But PJ knew he had to be strong. Seeing his father so broken and devastated was bad enough already, so obviously Phineas doesn't need to hear his son crying as well.
Speaking of which, as Pj exited his room to go check out what his mother was fixing up downstairs, he stopped by his parents' bedroom when he overheard what appeared to be sniffing and sobbing.
PJ cracked open the door to the master bedroom, tilting his head to see his father sitting upon his bed, weeping softly to himself.
PJ raised his eyebrow. "Dad?"
Phineas looked over and saw his dark-haired son standing by the doorway. "Oh PJ, son, you scared me."
PJ's expression softened as he entered the room and sat on the opposite side of the king-sized bed. He folded his legs and spoke. "Dad, do you need to talk?'
Phineas sniffled. "No..."
"Yes, you do," PJ projected. "Please dad, just talk to me."
Phineas sighed and sat upon his bed. PJ walked over by his dad's side and took his hand, pleading with him with his eyes.
"Dad, please talk to me." He spoke softly.
Phineas' gaze fell as he took a deep breath before speaking up. "It's about your grandfather..."
PJ nodded as he figured this was the case with his dad. He wrapped his arms around his father's neck and pulled him in for a hug in his best attempt to comfort him. "It's ok, dad. I'm here for you."
Phineas sniffled. "It's just...he was perhaps my only dad. Son, you have no idea what it was like having your real father never pay any attention to you. Your Grandpa Lawrence was the only man I ever looked up to as my father. He treated with just as much love and compassion as he did with his actual son, and now...he's gone."
PJ pulled from the hug and felt his gaze coming down, but his father lifted his chin. PJ spoke. "You're right, dad. I have no idea what it's like to never know your real father...because I have you."
Phineas raised his eyebrow as PJ continued, tears forming in his eyes. "I really loved Grandpa, and I didn't want to look sad because I wanted to be strong for you, Uncle Ferb, and Aunt Candace."
Phineas cupped his son's cheeks. "You don't have to be strong." He said empathetically. There was still a hole in Phineas' heart. Lawrence used to always take care of the red-haired man, now he comes back to Danville for the first time in years and Phineas didn't get a chance to pay him back for all he has done for him.
After a moment of silence, PJ spoke. "Dad?"
"Yes, son?"
PJ sniffled. "Is it...ok to cry?"
Phineas took in a breath as he felt tears coming down his cheeks. He then nodded and choked out one word. "Sure."
The father-son duo embraced each other as they quietly cried on each other's shoulders. PJ held on to his dad as tightly as possible as Phineas' rubbed his son's back up and down. This was all they needed.
"Winnie! Winnie, where are you?"
Ferb began searching the entire house for his daughter. A few years ago, Isabella urged her niece to join the Fireside girls troop, and today the chief called saying that Winnie was marked absent. This was bizarre since Winnie had never missed a meeting a day in her life, and she loved being part of her troop, consisting of her best pals from school and her own neighborhood.
"Winifred Doof Fletcher, come out here this instant!"
Ferb searched through his daughter's bedroom, the bathroom, the living room, and finally the kitchen. He almost felt like giving up but when he was by the back door, he could hear the faint sound of crying from the backyard.
Ferb's expressions softened as he cracked open the back door leading to the backyard and he saw his daughter sitting on the bench on their porch, burying her head in her hands and crying softly.
Ferb slowly approached his daughter. "Winnie?"
Winnie's head shot up and she desperately wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Oh, hey dad, what's up?" She asked with some light in her tone, trying to convince her father that she is alright.
Ferb sighed kneeled to Winnie's level, he put his hands on both of her shoulders and looked at her dead in the eye. "Come on, crumpet, what's really going on?"
Winnie shook her head. "I can't tell you."
Ferb raised his eyebrow. "Can't tell me? Why not? Sweetie, we tell each other everything."
Winnie held her tears as she finally confessed. "Grandpa was supposed to come to the last day of school last week, to celebrate PJ and I finishing the fourth grade. But...you know?" Her gaze fell, but her dad lifted her chin so that she was still looking at him.
"What's wrong, hon?" Ferb pleaded.
Tears began to flow down Winnie's cheeks, and she did not attempt to wipe them off. "It's just not fair." She whined, choking on her words. "Everyone got to bring their favorite relative to the last day of school, but PJ and I...we were alone. Without Grandpa, we felt so alone."
Winnie could hold it in anymore, she broke down and cried in her dad's arms. Ferb held her and began rubbing her back to console her. "It's ok, honey." He assured. "Everything will be alright."
"No, everything won't! Grandpa was me and PJ's only best friend, and now he's gone!"
"Shh.." Ferb attempted to soothe his daughter and after a minute, Winnie finally stopped sobbing and released from the embrace, wiping her face, she wore a sympathetic look once she realized she stained her father's plain white T-shirt, but then Ferb spoke. "I know how you feel...and I know how my you and your cousin miss your grandfather, because we all miss him too, especially me. He was my only blood parent." Ferb's tone then started to light up. "But you still got me."I could
Winnie's blue eyes lit up as her father stood and took her hands. "You got your mother. You got you Uncle Phineas, Aunt Isabella, Aunt Candace, Uncle Jeremy, and you still got...PJ."
Winnie smiled at that comment. She then figured it would strike her even hard if she would lose her best friend. In fact, she wouldn't even want to live if she lost PJ.
"Winnie, we're still a family," Ferb continued, "and now it's really about time we stick together. Winnie, we go back a long time. 10 years. The best ten years of my life. Now you get out there and live your best life, and make my father proud."
Winnie sniffled and nodded. Ferb knew that his daughter still needed to let out some sorrow. So he offered her a shoulder to cry on. The father-daughter duo embraced each other as Winnie cried out the last bit of vain she had for her grandfather.
The next day, PJ called up Winnie and asked if they could hang out at his grandmother's cafe. Once they made it to Nosh Ole, Vivian already had their usual order ready for them and the two cousins ate and drank silently at the table.
Once they finished their lunch, they both decided to spend the rest of the day building a fort in PJ's backyard. Once they completed the shed, Winnie faced her cousin, and immediately flashbacks of all the fond memories with him and their grandfather began to flood her mind. Winnie then out of nowhere wrapped her arms around her cousin. PJ looked confused but Winnie then spoke up.
"Peej, I just wanted to let you know that...you may be annoying at times, and you can get on my deepest nerves, but I honestly do not care. I am just too upset right now and I just want to let you know that I never wanna lose you. You are my best friend and I could never ask for a better cousin. I lost grandpa but I could never even want to imagine my life without you. If something happens to us, just remember that I love you so much." Winnie sniffled and wiped her tears. "You have no idea how much I do."
PJ felt tears streaming down his face as he returned the hug, holding on to his cousin as if his life depended on it. "I love you, too," he said softly. They sobbed on each other's shoulder until PJ's mother called them in for dinner.
Thanks for reading.
