Ok, so maybe it wasn't the wisest choice for me to run into Ferb's arms at the airport in front of everyone. In truth I don't know why I did it, but I did. That's how Ferb and I ended up in the back of a limo together driving to my childhood street. Clara had been furious, though she wouldn't admit it, the evidence was clearly displayed across her face as she pushed Ferb and I into the limo then sat next to me. Silently we rode, a million questions blossoming in my own mind. 'Why is he here? What is the media going to do with the pictures? When is Clara going to say something?' Were just a few of the many thoughts making their way through my mind.

'Why is he here? What is the media going to do with the pictures? When is Clara going to say something?' Were just a few of the many thoughts churning through my mind.

The limo stopped suddenly and I glanced out the window besides me. There stood the old yellow house I had spent so many hours at. Just the sight of it made me smile as I thought of roller coasters and lemonade stands.

"Thank you both for the ride home." Ferb was closing the limo door and stepping back. In the spot he had occupied sat a white lily, it was beautiful. Why hadn't I realized he was holding it before?

He hadn't waited for a reply, but rather had just closed the door and started walking towards the door of his childhood home.

"Where to now Ms. Garcia?" The driver asked me, his brown eyes watching me in the mirror.

Clara looked at me expectantly. I know what she wanted. She wanted me to tell him to take us to the hotel, make it look like Ferb is just a friend whom I was giving a lift home. I couldn't do that though. No, I was already so close to a house I never thought I'd see again.

"Take us to the hotel." Clara's voice was firm, stating clearly that I shouldn't object her.

"No, let me out first."

"What? Isabella, don't you think we should go back to the hotel before you make any house calls?" I knew what she was really saying. 'If you go in there you'll just confirm the rumors that are already flying. If you go in, I can't help you.' She was looking out for me, trying to help me keep a clean slate. She was doing it with authority, but in a way that the driver would never guess at.

"I'll meet you back at the hotel." Before she could object I grabbed the lily and stepped away from the limo and onto the side walk. I watched until the limo was around the corner and lost from my view, then I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was one fifty-two in the afternoon and the sun was bright. That meant my mom would, most likely, be working in her garden. I slowly breathed in, welcoming the beautiful scent of summer. Somehow L.A. summers just didn't feel the same. I placed my phone in my bag and carefully walked across the street towards the pink house directly across from me.

Everything looked the same as it had when I was little. The white fence, the flowers leading up to the door, I can even see the white frilly curtains in the window that once belonged to me. The window that looked directly into the backyard of the house I had just left.

As I approached the house I could distantly hear the humming that indicated my mother was in the backyard. I slowly approached the white gate a few paces from my house and listened. I recognized the tune, an old song she sang to me after my father had died. It spoke of a better day and sun rises. I rested my head against the gate letting the memories of that year wash over me.

FLASH BACK

We had just moved into the pink house, I was only six, but I remember waking up early one morning. Something felt wrong, mommy wasn't singing and daddy wasn't snoring. I lay back in my little pink bed waiting for the sound to come back. I was sure I just wasn't hearing right, that is until I heard my mother crying. I pushed the little fluffy white blankets aside and tiptoed across the room until my hand was on the handle to my big door. As I pulled the door open my body was filled with a feeling of what I would one day know as dread.

I walked across the wood floor until I stood in front of my parents' door. My little feet made only a whisper of what my father's would have, yet somehow she heard me. The opening of the door didn't frighten me, no, what had frightened me were the tears rolling down my mother's face.

"Did I wake you Isa?" She tried her best at a smile, but it wasn't my mommy's smile. It didn't make her eyes sparkle and it was only full of sadness.

"Are you alright mommy?" I tilted my head at her. I had never seen her cry before, it's not something mommies were supposed to do.

"Isa, I need to tell you something." She picked me up and walked us to the bed. My father's side was made, it was as though no one had slept in it. She sat me down on the edge of the bed then sat next to me.

"What is it Mommy? Where's Daddy?" She tried to calm her breathing, but what she did only seemed to make it worse.

"Isabella, Daddy was hurt on his way home last night. He was, he was killed." I hadn't understood what that meant at the time. What was killed? Was it bad? Why did this make her cry?

"What does that mean Mommy?"

"It means it's just going to be us from now on. Daddy's been called away for important business."

"Will we be able to see him?"

"Not any time soon Isa, but maybe one day.

END FLASH BACK

I could feel my body shake as I held my tears back. I hadn't heard that melody since I was twelve and had nightmares. I wrapped my arms around myself and rested my head against the gate. My breath became ragged as I tried to hold the tears back.

"Isabella?" I jumped as I heard the deep British voice so close behind me.

"Hi Ferb." I said, as I turned and gave him a watery smile. He was even closer than I thought, only a few steps separating us.

"Why are you crying?" He asked as he stepped closer to me, almost completely closing the space. I felt something stir deep inside me as he stepped closer, though I really don't know how to describe it.

"I didn't really mean to. It really just kinda happened." He let out a low laugh,

"No one ever means to cry. It's just something we do." He stepped closer still, now we were just inches apart. I could feel my heart began to race as my eyes made the climb to reach his.

"If that's true, why did you ask?" I said as my eyes locked into his.

"Because, it would have been rude for me to see you crying and not try to help you."

"Is that the only reason you asked?" Our voices were quite, though whether it was not to alert my mother we were just on the other side of the fence or some other reason I don't know.

"No, I also came over to make you feel better." He placed his rough hands on my bare shoulders tenderly, rubbing circles with his thumbs.

"How do you plan on doing that?" I asked, my voice barely reaching a whisper.

"By making you laugh."

(I'm so sorry for the long update time! I wrote this chapter about a million different ways but none seemed to work. SO here it is. I hope you enjoyed it, and I would again like to thank Sabrina06 for editing this [I don't want to give you guys the first copy, do I?] Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want more, or if you have an idea you'd like me to conside I'd love to see some review!

With love

-Ibbson.0