Sin City of Love, part one

The cold fusion reactor would have to wait once again. Not only was he without Ferb's help to complete it due to Ferb having come down with a nasty cold, but an urgent text message from his mother had motivated Phineas to drop what he was doing and go see what she needed. After having been allowed to throw two massive parties that summer so far, he felt he owed it to her to be there when she needed him. He quickly entered the kitchen and found his mother waiting patiently at the kitchen table for him with a medium-sized, nondescript cardboard box in front of her.

"I got here as quickly as I could mom," he said as he came to a stop next to the table. "Whadya need?"

"Thanks for coming, sweetie," Linda said, smiling as she stood from the table. "I hate to impose on you like this, but something has come up and I need someone I can rely on."

"I'll do my best at it mom. Uh, at whatever it is."

"I just got off the phone with a rather important customer of ours through the antique shop. He's given us a lot of business in the past and had asked your father and I to keep an eye out for some particularly rare things for him. We recently found one of them and the customer couldn't be happier. There's just one problem. He's paying a lot for this item, but he's had bad experiences in the past with standard shipping methods. He's asked us to deliver the item in person, which wouldn't be such a big deal except that he doesn't live in Danville. He doesn't even live in the Tri-State Area for that matter."

"Where does he live?"

"Las Vegas, Nevada."

"Whoa."

Linda nodded to her son as she folded her arms. "'Whoa' indeed. He's actually the owner of one of the resorts on the Las Vegas strip and he wants the item delivered to him there to be added to his collection that's on display. That's the problem. Your father needs to be around to mind the store. I have to stay here because Ferb's sick and Candace needs me around for her wedding preparations. I hate to ask this of you, Phineas; especially with your birthday being the day after tomorrow. But I really don't have any other option. I need you to make the delivery."

"Sure thing! I should be able to handle something like this, even if I'll be going solo."

"Thank you so much, honey. It'll be a same-day trip, so you'll leave tomorrow morning and be back tomorrow night late. I just wish there was someone who could go with you. Las Vegas has changed a lot over the years, but it's still not the sort of place I'm happy with sending my teenage son alone."

"Hmm…well, what if I took Isabella with me?"

Linda stopped herself from having a kneejerk reaction to the idea of sending both her son and his girlfriend to Las Vegas of all places and instead considered the suggestion for a moment. Of Phineas' various friends, she had indeed proven to be the most trustworthy and reliable. Her mother, Vivian, was also a longtime friend of hers who Linda trusted implicitly. And it was only for the day, so there wouldn't be any concern for overnight lodging.

"Call and check with her," Linda told her son after thinking it over. "I'll go talk to Vivian now and see what she thinks."

Phineas produced his phone from his pocket as his mother briefly left the house to talk to her friend across the street. Just a couple of rings later, Isabella picked up.

"Hey Phineas," she said cheerily. "Whatcha doin'?"

"The question really should be what'll we be doing," he told her slyly. "You're free tomorrow, right?"

Despite the fact that the flight from Danville to Las Vegas wasn't all that long, Phineas once again exhibited his uncanny ability to fall asleep on a plane almost as soon as it took off. It was only by Isabella's insistent poking of his ribs that he woke up in time to see their arrival at McCarran International Airport. As the plane descended, portions of the famous Las Vegas strip were immediately visible. Most noteworthy was the giant, black pyramid that was the Luxor resort.

"Is that actually a hotel," Isabella asked, her eyes fixed on the black pyramid below.

"Man, I kind of wish we had more time available," Phineas said, simply entranced by what little he could already see of the strip. "So many structural marvels here…it's like looking inside my own imagination!"

"All the more reason for us to stay on task here. We don't want to miss our flight home. It's your birthday tomorrow, after all."

"Oh I know. Still, I definitely want to come back here sometime when I can walk and look around."

"Preferably not in the middle of summer. You do know it's going to be a hundred degrees in the shade, right?"

Phineas shrugged at her. "Eh, it's dry heat. It won't be all that bad."

"So how far do we have to go?"

"Not all that far, I don't think," Phineas said, producing a scrap of paper with their destination written on it. "The buyer's resort is fairly close to the end of the strip that's closest to the airport. Supposedly there's going to be transportation waiting for us once we're out of the terminal."

Isabella sighed in relief. "That's good. I was worried we'd need to catch a cab or something."

Their conversation was cut off by their stewardess announcing to the plane that they were preparing to land. Phineas and Isabella straightened themselves up and, not long after, the plane landed safely at the airport and was soon at its arrival gate. Isabella grabbed the backpack she'd brought and Phineas retrieved the box he was meant to deliver. Together they de-boarded the plane and made their way out of the terminal. Sure enough, as they descended the escalator to the baggage claim area, they saw a number of people standing with signs bearing last names on them. One was a man just a bit taller than Phineas in a black suit, white shirt, black tie and dark sunglasses with a sign that read "Flynn" on it. The two disregarded baggage claim, not having any luggage to pick up, and walked straight up to the man.

"Phineas Flynn," the man asked as they stopped in front of him.

"Yup, that's me," Phineas said. "Nice to meet you, uh…"

"Name's Ollie. Mr. Davis sent me to pick you up. And the little lady is…"

"Isabella Garcia-Shapiro," Isabella said politely. "I came along to help assist in the delivery."

Ollie looked at the two somewhat suspiciously. "Aren't you two a bit young to be visiting Las Vegas?"

Phineas grinned at him and nodded. "Yes. Yes we are. At least we would be for purposes of gambling or any of those kind of activities. We're really just here to make the delivery. Our flight home leaves late this afternoon."

Ollie had to laugh. Phineas' wit and pluck were admirable. "Fair enough. C'mon, let's get you guys to the resort. Mr. Davis is anxious to receive his purchase."

Phineas and Isabella followed quickly behind Ollie as he led them past baggage claim, out of the terminal, and over to a long, black, stretch limousine parked outside. He opened the passenger door and beckoned to them to enter.

"You've got to be kidding me," Isabella said in disbelief. "We get to ride in a limo?"

"Mr. Davis doesn't want any chances taken with this delivery," Ollie told her. "Plus, he said to consider you guys as honored guests."

"This thing must be a pretty big deal to him," Phineas said, holding up the box and looking at it curiously. "Whatever it is."

"Buddy, you have no idea," Ollie said, shaking his head.

The inside of the limousine was like nothing Phineas or Isabella had ever ridden in before. In addition to having a tremendous amount of room to stretch out in, there was a decently sized flat-panel TV, an ice bucket with several different kinds of bottles of soda, one of the best sound systems Phineas had ever seen in a car and the ceiling inside had multiple different lighting effects playing across it.

"I've made, driven, and ridden in rockets, all-terrain vehicles, monster trucks, and a ton of other vehicles," Phineas said as he reveled in the luxury, "but this just flat out blows all of that away."

"Don't take this wrong, Phineas, but yes; yes it does," Isabella added as she practically melted into the incredibly comfortable seat.

Ollie grinned to himself as he idly listened to his two teenage passengers ogle the city as he casually drove them back to the resort. They were a cute enough pair, presumably a couple he figured. He'd seen enough during his time in Las Vegas to know a couple when he saw one, and they weren't the youngest pair in love he'd ever seen come through the city. At least they seemed to have a better handle on their relationship than most kids their age.

It wasn't long before the limo pulled up to the main entrance of the resort and Ollie was ushering Phineas and Isabella out of the car and into the hotel. Phineas wanted to further revel at the incredible interior of the hotel, but forced himself to stay focused on the task at hand. With the package firmly in his hands, he followed Ollie through the hotel with Isabella right by his side. They went through several doors intended for employee use only, up two different elevators, and finally through a massive set of double doors that led into an incredibly posh office. Inside was a man who stood a full head taller than Phineas with a nearly full head of grey hair and an impeccable three-piece suit. He turned and smiled broadly upon seeing them enter.

"You must be Phineas Flynn," the man said as he walked up to Phineas. He nodded approvingly as he looked him over. "Linda's always spoken highly of you. I'm Moe Davis."

Phineas tucked the box under his left arm and shook the man's hand with his right. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

"And this lovely young lady must be your girlfriend, am I right? Ms. Garcia-Shapiro, I believe?"

"How did you know my name," Isabella asked, surprised by the man's knowledge of her.

"Linda also speaks highly of you, my dear. I've been acquainted with her for several years now, as she and Lawrence have found many things for my various collections. Speaking of which, I take it you have their latest find with you?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Davis," Phineas said, quickly placing the package down carefully on a nearby table. Mr. Davis grabbed a letter opener from his desk and proceeded to cut the tape sealing the box. He opened it up and took a moment to behold his prize before lifting it out with incredible care. It was a plate of some sort, which he turned to show the two teens.

"The incredibly rare Elvis Presley commemorative collector's plate that was accidentally released with the wrong lyrics printed on it," he said reverently. Sure enough, the plate read "Ain't Nothin' But A Hot Dog" across the top. Phineas and Isabella traded looks of skepticism about the actual value of such an item, but simply shrugged at each other as Mr. Davis placed the plate on his desk before returning to them.

"I can't tell you how much this particular item means to me," he told them, smiling brilliantly at them. "If there's ever anything I can do for you here in Las Vegas, please let me know."

"We appreciate it, Mr. Davis," Phineas told him politely, "but I doubt we'll be able to take you up on that for some time. We're not here for very much longer, after all. My birthday is tomorrow and our fight home leaves at six 'o clock."

"Then some other time when you're visiting the city. Trust me, my boy, I never forget those who do me favors or services like the one you've done for me."

"If you say so, sir. If it's all right, I think we'll go get some lunch and walk around for a while before it's time to head back to the airport."'

"By all means. Shall I have Ollie drive you around?"

"No, that's okay. We'll walk."

"As you wish. Thank you both again for humoring my request regarding this delivery. You've made this old man quite happy."

Phineas and Isabella shook hands with Mr. Davis one more time and then followed Ollie back out of the office and to the hotel. With the delivery a complete success, they were now left to their own devices for the next few hours. The idea was nothing short of a dream come true to Phineas.

Isabella couldn't have wiped the smile off of her face if she'd absolutely had to; her joy was all-encompassing. She'd had lunch alone with Phineas at the buffet at Mandalay Bay, they'd hit the huge M&M's store and she'd bought an array of the famous candy in colors she'd never seen it in before, and now they were walking along the strip side by side. She looked over and saw Phineas taking in all the sights. There had been a time when she would've lamented the lack of attention he was currently giving her, but she could tell he was simply on cloud nine as he looked at all the structural marvels that flanked the famous stretch of road.

"That place seriously does look like New York City," he said, looking at the New York, New York resort. "What I wouldn't have given to see it while it was being built."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself so much, Phineas," she told him.

"This goes way being enjoyment," he said, looking back over at her. "It's like they collected up all the things Ferb and I have built over the years and made a whole city out of them! It's just…words really don't suffice."

Isabella smiled again and left the moment at that, content that Phineas was having a great time.

"What about you," he asked, turning his attention fully to her. "Are you having fun here?"

"How could I not be," she replied. "I'm alone in this crazy, fantastic city with my boyfriend. How could this get much better?"

Phineas quickly jumped in front of her, a quirky smile on his face. "I can think of one way, mademoiselle."

Isabella giggled a bit. "Why the sudden French?"

"What else would I speak while we're at…"

Phineas stepped aside and gestured to the resort that was now just in front of them. Isabella gasped as she saw its majesty before her: the grandiose hotel, the hot air balloon, but most specifically the replica of the Eiffel Tower.

"…Paris." She said in wonderment. "Oh Phineas…"

"Now let's see," he said as he thought for a moment. "How did it go? Ah yes, I think I remember now. Though you'll have to pardon me if I give this one my own little spin."

Isabella was completely mystified by what Phineas was up to right until he pulled her into the resort and, with a dramatic flourish, broke into his rendition of an all-too familiar song.

"We could share a cold sundae at a fake Parisian café," he sung, gesturing to a nearby ice cream shop.

He then quickly snatched a rose from a walking flower vendor and held it out towards Isabella as they neared one of the feet of the Eiffel Tower replica that was actually inside the resort.

"Take a break and smell this flower underneath the Eiffel Tower…"

Isabella smiled and took the rose from him, sniffing it briefly as he took her hand again and pulled her closer to him.

"I'm so glad you shared this day with me…there's no one with whom I'd rather be in the City of Love. In the City of Love."

Isabella felt like she could melt right then and there, but Phineas had more yet to sing. He led her through the resort even more as his song continued.

"Come with me now if you please, as we stroll on through these trees," he sang as they passed several small trees that lined their path.

Phineas quickly took her into a store, snatched a hat from a rack, and expertly tossed it so it landed perfectly atop her head.

"By the way I've meant to say, you're really cute in a beret." He smiled brilliantly at her after the line, to which she blushed heavily.

They left the store, and the beret, behind as they continued through the resort yet more.

"It's just a shame that on this great day, we can't stroll on down the Champs-Élysées in the City of Love," he sang, looking at her apologetically. Isabella wanted to say something at this point, but knew the song wasn't quite over yet and held her tongue. They stopped beneath the Eiffel Tower once again as Phineas took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

"I know what you longed to hear from me on that day," he sang, squeezing her hands a little. "And now I'm here to tell you…ma chérie, je t'aime…in the City of Love. In the City of Love. in the City of…Love."

With the song finally finished, Isabella quickly and tightly embraced Phineas, trying to hide the happy tears rolling down her face from him. Phineas put his arms around her as well and simply enjoyed being close to his girlfriend both physically and emotionally.

"I didn't mean to ignore you that day, Isabella," he told her quietly. "But back then, and for a long time for that matter, I thought the best way to express feelings for people was to just do stuff for them and with them. Words didn't seem like they'd ever really suffice to express how I felt. Now, though…I know that there are some things that should be said, regardless of whether or not they have to be said."

"It's funny," Isabella said, picking her head up to look at him again. She wiped some tears from her eyes and then smiled at him. "Here you are pouring your heart out to me in song…and for once I'm the one who doesn't know what to say."

"You don't have to say a thing, Izzie. Your smile says it all. I'm glad I could give you a happy memory on this little trip."

Isabella just nodded and, after she took Phineas' arm again, the two headed out of Paris and back to the strip to continue a bit more sightseeing.

"What an amazing day," Isabella commented. "I don't think it could get any better at this point."

"Maybe, but tomorrow will be way more awesome," Phineas said confidently. "Though I'm probably a little biased there, considering it's my birthday and all."

"Yeah, maybe just a little."

"Still, you're right. This has been a great day. I really don't see how it could go bad at this point. You know, barring any unforeseen mishaps."

At the merest invocation of Murphy's Law, Phineas' phone buzzed in his pocket to alert him to a text message. He stopped to read it briefly and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Uh oh," he said.

Isabella felt her heart drop at his utterance. "It's never good when you say that. What's happened?"

"An unforeseen mishap," he told her, taking her by the hand again. "Let's get back to Mr. Davis' resort."

Isabella knew better than to insist on full disclosure when Phineas' voice had such a sense of urgency to it. The two took off running back along the strip headed for the resort and hopefully to make some sense out of what was going on.

Ollie was more than a little surprised to see Phineas and Isabella running up to him as he stood at the valet station outside the resort. He could also tell there was concern written on their faces and moved to meet them as they slowed down.

"Back so soon," he asked. "You guys still have some time before your flight, right? Why're you back here?"

"Yeah, what is going on Phineas," Isabella asked, now that they were back.

"I got a text message from our airline while we were out," Phineas said, producing his phone to show Ollie again. "Our flight's been canceled."

Ollie expressed some disbelief, but upon reading the message it proved to be authentic. "Dang. Well, that's an odd development, but nothing we can't handle. Let's get you two to the front desk and see if they can get you on another flight."

"Thanks, Ollie," Phineas replied. He and Isabella fell in behind Ollie as they headed back into the resort once again. Upon reaching the front desk, though, Ollie could tell something else was up. The lady there was frantically answering phone calls. She finally looked up at him after taking care of one last call.

"What's up, Ollie," she asked quickly. "Make it brief, I've got a situation here."

"What situation," Ollie asked.

The lady sighed in aggravation as she began explaining the problem. "Some weirdo pharmacist tried to run through security at McCarran and it's caused a huge mess there. Apparently some kind of a fight broke out and caused a real ruckus. There's even some report of a midget in a turquoise jumpsuit and fedora assisting in the capture of the wacko guy. Anyway, TSA has all but shut the place down. A few flights are still being allowed to land, but there's nothing taking off at all."

"But I've got to get these two kids home," Ollie said insistently.

"They're not the only ones being put out here, Ollie," the lady replied, now sounding irritated. "They're gonna have to figure something else out, because there are no flights leaving Las Vegas tonight."

Ollie growled a bit as he turned back to Phineas and Isabella, who looked positively terrified now.

"I'm sorry guys," he said apologetically, "but that's apparently how it is."

"You mean…" Isabella said nervously, "we're stuck here?"

"Afraid so," Ollie told her. "I'd suggest calling your folks to let them know, and then see if you can figure out what to do after that."

Isabella was about to suggest Phineas call his mother first, but as she turned she saw he was already on the phone and talking to her.

"We're both totally fine, mom," he told her confidently. "And I already have a plan for overnight here. We'll catch the first flight home we possibly can tomorrow. I'm sure they'll have everything straightened out by then. Yeah, we'll be careful. And mom…I'm sorry things turned out like this. I know it's not my fault, but still…tell everyone to enjoy the party anyway and we'll be there as soon as we can. Give my love to Candace and Ferb too. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you, mom."

Phineas closed his phone and looked up at Ollie resolutely.

"Ollie, I need to go talk to Mr. Davis again," he said. He then turned to look at Isabella, a small smile on his face. "I have a favor to cash in on."

Next Episode Preview: Phineas and Isabella make the most of being stranded in Las Vegas with some very generous help. When it comes time to call it a day, however, one last twist of fate presents the two with a true dilemma and a major test of their relationship.