Ferb kept to himself the rest of the day. Phineas pondered where he was, of course, but knew that it was best to give the boy his space whenever he needed it. Ever since Vanessa went off to college, he became more reclusive than ever, though the brothers still got along well enough. He was, in Phineas's mind, a lot like a stray cat; he stayed in one place for the most part, but if he wasn't seen for a few days at a time it wasn't any cause for worry. He always came back to where he was comfortable and happy, usually the tree in the backyard or their room. If Ferb didn't want company, he could always go over to see Isabella or Buford, even Baljeet, since he was home from college. And he always had Perry.

Phineas didn't care to admit it, but around this time each year he honestly feared for his brother's welfare. Even though the boy was nearly grown, he couldn't help but fear that his scarring memories would eventually bring him down. It was hard enough for him since he skipped a grade, being in with the older kids who treated the newcomer like some sort of science experiment, always trying to dissect and explain him. But after the Midsummer Night's Dream incident and being stuck with the unfortunate nickname of "Fairy Boy", he'd been having a lot of trouble. Indeed, Phin hoped that it wasn't the date that was keeping his brother away, but maybe his summer project or just something that caught his interest.

Perry chattered, waddling up towards his boy. "Oh, there you are Perry." He scratched the Platypus's head, sighing. "Man, I still can't figure out where the heck you go..."

The monotreme was about to purr when a loud burst of thunder exploded in the distance. In an instance, rain pulsated down with no warning. "Now that was weird...It was just perfectly sunny." He frowned, picking up his pet platypus and ambling indoors.

Somewhere on Tory Island...

A middle-aged couple wearing blood-red robes stood on the island, holding their hands out to embrace the rain. The man giggled madly. "The Nightmare Queen Awakens tonight, my love!" His green eyes were full of psychotic glee. "The Unseelie Heiress shall rule again! We Children will never again have to cater to those infantile mortals again!"

The woman pushed a lock of curly blond hair behind her head. "They disgust me, my love. So pink and fleshy and horribly stupid!" She frowned. "Why must we disguise ourselves as them? This island is uninhabited!"

The man smiled gently."This is only a precaution. Soon, we will be again worshiped as Gods the way it should be."

The ground on the island started cracking as the rain pounded and whipped harder.

Queen Mab was being set free.

[A/N: Tory Island, in Gargoyles Lore at least, is the place where Queen Mab (Oberon's Mother) was imprisoned in the center of the Earth. The faeries call themselves Children, short for Children of Oberon, not because they are his ACTUAL children, but because he is their leader. I'm sorry that there wasn't much action here, but I wanted to get some exposition done first. ^-^]