You won't believe how many times I had to retype this. Apparently my computer thinks it's real funny to lose the wifi signal right as I press save... Ah, live and learn.

So, heh heh, interesting news about the show, huh? Can't say I'm particularly happy about it, but in light of said news I'm posting this now - approximately a month before... You know. (For those of you who don't know, ignorance is bliss, my friends.) Just remember that whatever happens in this chapter, it's for the sake of the show. You'll know what I mean when you read it.

Review Responses!

Dreadwing216: Thanks so much, I really enjoyed writing it! More fics should be coming, I can't say when, but they're on their way.

Guest: I am touched. If you do happen to be an elephant on its way to Mars, you've done a stellar job convincing me otherwise. Maybe you can get yourself an account sometime - perhaps you can still go by Guest and just mess everyone up. It's definitely been real, though. May we cross paths again.

...I just realized something. I have hit a hundred reviews! A hundred! So now I want to specifically thank Guest, Galaxina-the-Seedrian, Phineas A, Dreadwing216, Jet Engine, Marissa Flynn, and EpicThoth3's for their support through the story. This wouldn't have been possible without you, and you all rule.

I'm just going to say this now: Prepare to have your mind blown. There will be plot holes, yes, but I have explanations for those! They might not be good explanations, but they'll do.

Carpe Diem!

Epilogue

June 3
One year later

"So, Ferb, what do you want to do today?"

That was the question that Phineas had committed himself to answering differently each day, even after losing all of the traits that made him perfect. Getting used to their new lives had been hectic, but a year gave everyone plenty of time to cope and change according to their new roles.

Phineas had officially dropped the title of Perfeneas by now, and Isabella, Candace, and Gretchen had done the same with theirs. If someone had called out their previous names, they would not even turn.

"What about Perry? What does he want to do?"

Of the seven, Agent Perry the Platypus was Perfeneas's only caretaker that remained affiliated with the O.W.C.A. Incredibly, Phineas never discovered his pet's status as a secret agent, or even the existence of the agency he worked for. Phineas leaned over and sniffed his pet, justifying the animal's laziness with the statement, "Well, he's a platypus. They don't do much.

"I, for one, am starting to get bored," he continued with a hint of annoyance, one of the new emotions he had discovered the summer before. "...And boredom is something up with which I will not put. The first thing they're gonna ask us when we get back to school is, 'What did we do over the summer?' I mean, no school for three months. Our lives should be a rollercoaster!"

An argument stating that their lives already bore resemblance to such a ride would not be disproved easily. Phineas's point, therefore, was that the two should continue making every day count and having fun. Perfeneas never built for his own enjoyment, but luckily, he was replaced by the optimistic Phineas Flynn - who invented not only for the benefit of others, but also for the thrill of creating something and the joy he got from using it. After some more words were spoken and the first whimsical gag of the summer had came and went, the boy threw his arms up and announced: "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"

This was allowed to hang in the air for only a moment before Candace appeared in the driveway. She called after her mother, who was leaving for the store, with only one intent: she had to be sure she was in charge. Though Linda denied the necessity of this title falling unto anyone, Candace wanted authority over Phineas and Ferb too much not to earn it. The redheaded teenager was a clear demonstration of the ideology that some things never change; she had always wanted to reach her brother's level of perfection. Even though he and Isabella no longer possessed it, she would take every chance she would get to prove that she was as good - even better if she could manage it - as her brother.

"Hey, where's Perry?"

The last of the secret OWCA agents fitted his new-and-improved fedora around the top of his head after waddling around to the side of the house. He discreetly slipped into a chute which took him down via transportation tube to his lair.

"Good morning, Agent P."

Monogram greeted the platypus with the respect of a professional and the familiarity of a friend. Though some rough patches had been hit throughout the course of the past year, the two had forgave and forgot, setting aside their differences for the sake of their positions; remarkably, both had remained dedicated to the O.W.C.A., after the Major discovered Perry's true role in the prevention of the war. This was when he had learned just how much the agency depended on the monotreme. The O.W.C.A.'s branch of child workers disbanded entirely, but paid animal labor continued as normal.

Ferb was the only one of these agents to actually resign. He was called in for interrogation after Perry was, and while his intentions were blatantly against agency policies, his help in preventing the conflict - like Perry's - was just enough to secure his position there. However, he chose to leave OWCA to stay with his new brother and sister; Monogram respected this decision enough to grant him the right to keep his fedora (which the boy could not stand to discard, seeing as it was so fashionable).

Further questioning revealed to the major who exactly this new family of his was. While Monogram was technically responsible for reporting this information to the government, Ferb's uncanny persuasive skills led him to keep the secret under one condition: Those in the family who did not know of his employment in the agency were not ever allowed to know. This applied to Perry as well; of the Flynn-Fletcher's, only his retired coworker was aware that the platypus was, in fact, a secret agent.

Since then, Ferb had become even less talkative. And he would not have had it any other way.

Agent P saluted dutifully to his superior. By now, both man and monotreme had already resolved any problems between them and had actually formed a peculiar kind of friendship. Monogram even had a theme song commissioned for Perry.

Originally, the platypus's goal was to protect Perfeneas, even if it was his own father who had been the threat. Once Doofenshmirtz discovered that he could not use the boy for evil, and lost his -Inator-building crew, he chose to continue evil himself, making his own machines funded by the money Charlene was fined for keeping her fifteen-year-old secret from him - but with far less success. It then became Perry's official goal to stop him from using these machines for evil. However, he always considered protecting his family tens of times more important than dealing with the blubbering evil scientist who was now his nemesis.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus."

That was the Drusselstinian man's typical opening, usually followed by a form of illogical and confusing word play. While his contraptions themselves were all lackluster, the scientist had one strength: creativity in trap design. Although they only served their purpose for so long, Perry had to give him credit for that.

It sometimes felt weird, fighting one of his owner's father in the building he had once called home. And to think! A year ago, he had been napping in a pet bed placed in the far corner. He could still see little platypus hairs in the carpet underneath that area. Apparently, Doofenshmirtz did not vacuum often.

Within the past year, Perry had learned a thing or two about the man's habits as far as his profession in evil went. Once trapped, the agent would listen to a long and often irrelevant monologue, after which a sudden boost of cleverness would allow him to escape and thwart the man's scheme.

The poor scientist could not get a break. He would try his best, but after living with Perfeneas for so long, his son's morals were starting to rub off on him. He was not evil; he could not even think of one reason why he wanted to reverse the Earth's rotation.

Unfortunately, the human field agents of OWCA were all relieved of their duties to the organization. A professional hypnotist was hired to convince each of the children that their experiences there were nothing more than a dream, which they would all lose to their subconsciousness one day anyway. Except one, that is: Vanessa Doofenshmirtz. She was reassigned from watching over Cansummace to keeping a steady eye on their evil father. While Perry thwarted, Vanessa spied. She would often try to expose his antics to a person of authority, typically her mother, but eventually she discovered there was an easier way to go about this mission, and she stuck with it. Sarcastic teenage daughter who just wants to live her own life? She could definitely pull that off.

Doofenshmirtz loved her dearly, though. What happened the summer before had absolutely crushed him, with his own perfect son refusing to be his family and no one ever seeing him or Cansummace again. He had not even had the chance to ask Perfeneas's forgiveness before what happened had happened, and he returned home under what he assumed was no watch. So when he found Vanessa at his apartment later that day, he embraced her tightly and even shed a few choice tears in sorrow for all he had done to her and her siblings. He invited her in and pampered her the whole day, supplying ice cream and a Kleptocracy partner when she wanted it. He was not going to mess up this time; Vanessa was his undeserved second chance at having a healthy parent-to-child relationship.

That was why when, later that summer, the mechanical man he had designed began insisting he was the doctor's son, Doofenshmirtz blatantly refused to treat him as such. Perfeneas was his only son.

With a scream of, "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" The man rolled away on a ball of tin foil. Perry returned home.

The maple tree in Phineas' and Ferb's backyard was in flames; a rollercoaster car had landed in it. No one was worried, though. By the next day, the fire would be out and the tree would be fine.

Miscellaneous children rained down from the tree after Candace and Linda headed inside. Cheers of "Way too cool," and "That was awesome!" filled the air in praise of the contraption that had deposited the kids there.

One jive of praise stood out above the rest as Isabella herself flew gracefully down from her perch. "That was great, Phineas," she lauded, staring dreamily at the boy who had so changed her life. She was one of the only ones who knew for absolute certain that her affection for him was mutual.

To a Danvillian, see, obliviousness is as commonplace as the inexplicable triangle patterns found on the ground, grass, and walls all over the area. Phineas and Isabella could never be the missing experiments, most residents reasoned; they were not a couple, nor were they perfect. (Nor were they dead, as many had used to excuse the similarities as mere coincidence.) And it was to stay that way for as long as possible.

Isabella left the yard, smiling softly to herself, still a bit dizzy from her experience on the coaster.

"So what should we do tomorrow?" Phineas wondered aloud, searching his exhausted brain for one of its Big Ideas. "There's a world of possibilities. Maybe we should make a list."

Shortly thereafter, the tree above them explosively gave up its attempts to hold the rollercoaster cars. Candace could be heard complaining from inside, a command from their mother to give it a rest shortly following.

It was a long year. Characters were formed, friends were made, backstories were invented, and secrets were kept. Graciela-turned-Gretchen studied vigorously about the language and culture of her new home, becoming quite the sesquipedalian. For unknown reasons she never really mentioned what had happened between her and Irving (and those who knew completely understood why), but it was not so much a secret as a topic shyly dismissed when brought up.

What became of Irving? After losing his position at the O.W.C.A., he had a surplus of hidden spy cameras for which he needed to find some use. So, in his unending awe of the once-perfect children, he created from the ground up what could be seen as a documentary, of sorts, of their new lives. Even Perry and Doofenshmirtz's daily battles were recorded. On occasion he would even get the group together to perform stories he himself had written and directed, often taking place in another area of the globe or time period. He used his knowledge of their past as practical blackmail if they ever decided they did not want to cooperate, but everyone - barring Doofenshmirtz - was usually happy to comply on such occasions. He even gave himself occasional cameos and a proper introduction, as if he was a new character inserted into his friends' lives.

The story of how was long and involved a waffle and three rubber band bracelets, but after Misters Povenmire and Marsh were relieved of their job to control the testing simulation, Irving had gotten a hold of their prowess in animation. (They had been training the past fifteen years to master their skills in the field so as to create a sufficient test, and now had nothing professional to do with their time.) Calling the series comedy gold, Povenmire and Marsh happily broadcast it over a certain children's entertainment channel or two for all who were interested in watching it.

"But before that," Ferb started, in response to his brother's idea, "Didn't you say you wanted to speak with Isabella?"

"Oh, that's right!" Phineas remembered, "Thanks for reminding me, Ferb."

The redhead stood up, said farewell in the form of a fist-bump, then turned and ran across the street.

There was a knock at Isabella's bedroom door. "Yes?" She invited, turning toward the noise.

"May I come in?" Came the request in Phineas's unmistakable nasally voice.

"That's what 'yes' means."

"Oh, sorry. Didn't hear you." Phineas chuckled, poking his head through the door, then coming deeper into the room. "Listen, I-I wanted to talk to you about something..."

Isabella sighed, reasonably sure she knew what the problem was. "What's the matter?" She inquired politely.

Phineas stepped up to face her fully, holding her left shoulder gently with his right hand and tucking a strand of raven and blue hair behind her ear with the other. She fidgeted slightly so as not to be prodded with his gigantic nose. "Isabella... I know you're perfect and all, but we have to be careful."

"I know, Phineas, I'm trying. I'm trying to keep it a secret, but-" she jabbed him playfully. "You make it so hard!"

She pushed herself onto her bed and leaned back so she was facing her ceiling. "I know we can do it, but..." She did not finish.

"I understand. Hey." He joined her on her bed, shifting to his side to see her better. "I love this new life now that you're in it. It might be hard, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Isabella smiled warmly. "I love it too," she started, "But the problem is, everyone else is this close to figuring out why. And I can't go right from oogling over you to not caring at all. That would be even more suspicious."

Phineas giggled at her diction. "'Oogling'? Someone, write that down." She, too, turned onto her side to face him properly. "Still, we're in a difficult situation here. I-I don't really know what to do. I'm really flattered about all this, but it's really dangerous to go on like we have. Is there any way we could..."

Isabella frowned in concern, noting the soreness of his left ear from his constant rubbing it out of nervousness about their relationship. She looked away shyly, then sat back up on the bed; he followed suit. "It's the first day of summer vacation," she observed, "People will pay more attention to us now that we're out of school. They're going to want me to be obsessed with you..."

"Can you?"

She looked at him strangely. "Can you do me a really big favor?" He asked, "I'd hate to drag you down to my level and all, but - can you be - obsessed with me? I mean, it would make all this easier on both of us. I'll play oblivious until you're ready. You won't have to worry about letting our secret go, and I won't have to act so strange about it all the time. Deal?"

He thrust a jovial hand out to her, and she hesitated. "You really think we can do this?"

"Of course, Isealia! I-I mean..." He looked away, embarrassed.

There was a comfortable silence. "That's alright, Perfeneas," the girl chuckled, "It sounds nice when you say it."

Phineas beamed. "Then, do we have a deal, or not?"

Isabella accepted his hand. The silly boy, he did not know the full extent to which he really was oblivious; after all this time, he did not even know she had lost her perfection! It astounded her, but against her better judgement, she had decided to let him figure out the truth on his own. Out of fear of rejection if he ever did, mostly.

"Phineas?" Isabella started, curious. "D-Do you wish you were..."

"Out with it."

"...Still - perfect?" She choked. "Don't get me wrong, I love this life; it was just so much easier. You know?"

"Well, yeah, but... If I was still... Perfect..." He scratched behind his head with one arm. The two had developed awkward feelings for the word in record time. "...Then I'd never have met you. I like it much better this way."

"I guess you're right. You do keep life exciting."

"Well, I ought to. There's just so much to do, so many days to seize every summer of every year!"

Isabella loved it when he got like this, and could not agree more. "How about I come over every day?" She asked, "So we can do that together. You and Ferb sure look like you have fun over there."

Long, gentle fingers played with the girl's bow. "Isabella, that sounds..."

He exhaled and looked her straight in the eyes, which seemed to glow that brilliant blue.

Phineas smiled. "That sounds perfect."