I would tell you when this chapter takes place in regard to the show, but if you read the first paragraph, it'll become obvious ;)
…
As Perry descended in the elevator to his lair, he had time to reflect. This was the first truly peaceful moment he had had since early this morning. The day had seemed like it had gone on forever. So much had happened: going through the portal, meeting the boys' other-dimension selves, getting captured twice, nearly dying several times, falling nearly into lava, going clockwise round dimensions, battling an army of Normbots.
Revealing his secret identity to the two people he loved most.
Phineas's reaction had broken Perry's heart. Not that he had been expecting any other reaction. Phineas had been understandably hurt, confused, and angry. Ferb, though. The other boy barely ever talked, but Perry had almost literally felt the waves of disappointment and pain radiating from Ferb. That had almost destroyed him.
Yet, he had had to remain strong and vigilant through his own pain. The knowledge that now he had blown his own cover, he would never see the boys ever again. He had had to endure so much anger from Phineas, with the knowledge that if he had just decided to use his proper translator that morning, he would have been able to explain that he was not using them, he really did love them, and why exactly he had kept his identity a secret from them.
But he was glad, in the end. Phineas and Ferb had stepped up to save the city. Not only that, but they had forgiven him enough to try and save him. And he had shared an adventure with them. Even if that was going to be the last time he would ever have a day like that, he was glad it had happened once. He had been able to be himself with Phineas and Ferb for a day, and he was happy.
Candace and Doofenshmirtz had exceeded his expectations. Candace had been understandably confused and scared at first, but in the "doom" chamber, she had helped them escape. Doofenshmirtz had started the day on the wrong side and come to the right, even if that was only because his counterpart had doomed him. He had even saved Phineas, Ferb, and Perry's lives from his other-dimension self. If it weren't for him, they would have been crushed by the giant other-dimension Doofenshmirtz robot.
The doom-chamber…Perry knew he was going to have nightmares about that for a while. Not just because he himself almost died, but because he nearly lost four people he cared about: Phineas, Ferb, Candace, and Doofenshmirtz. The scariest moment in his entire life was when Phineas had told him to let go, and Perry hadn't been sure whether he would rather let go or show Phineas that he didn't trust him. That had been so scary for Perry, but Phineas was very smart, loyal, and the most trustworthy person possibly in the world, so Perry had trusted him. And that had saved all of their lives.
Perry got to the bottom of the elevator and walked across the floor to the computer. After checking he was alone, he took out the camera from his fedora and went through the photos he had taken. If nothing else, they would serve as a reminder for Perry of the amazing adventure that he had shared with the boys.
And maybe one day, he would be able to show them the photos and get their memories back.
…
I love writing passive chapters like this :)
