Chapter 2

When Dr. Doof woke up his nemesis was gone. Almost instantly he felt a sort of regret go through him and he placed a hand on his stomach where Perry the Platypus had been sleeping. The shirt wasn't warm. He must have left a little while ago.

Memories of last night's events came back to him and he felt that familiar emotion that was mixed with shock and sympathy learning that Perry the Platypus was scared of something as trivial as thunder and lightning. Dr. Doof made a note to himself to make sure that none of his future inators or inventions to show off to Perry the Platypus would include flashing lights and the sound of thunder.

What am I thinking? He's my nemesis! I shouldn't be worrying about his comfort! I should be using my knowledge of his weakness for my own good to keep him in a trap of some sort!

But when Dr. Doofenshmirtz thought of even trying this he instantly felt horrible and guilty. How could he do that to Perry? The image of his small trembling and crying body flashed in his mind and he flinched to himself. He sat up and placed his head in his hands, feeling almost sick to his stomach. It felt like he was sick and his heart hammered in confusion. He wanted to take over the tri state area but he would never allow himself to hurt Perry so hard like that. It's not like Perry had ever done anything like that to him.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz got up from the couch and in a state of organization folded the blanket he and his nemesis had shared last night. He left it on one end of it and slouched over to the kitchen, rubbing the back of his neck, bags hanging below his eyes.

He clicked the button that started the coffe maker and froze where he stood.

There on the counter next to the stove was an open box of steaming muffins, scones and cinnamon rolls. Then next to those was an unopened box of almond brittle. There was a post-it note on the almond brittle box reading:

Thank you

-P

Doof's eyes widened and he felt his heart break in half. Perry the Platypus. Had he . . . ? He had.

He placed his hand over his forehead. All of the steaming breakfast foods were all of the ones he liked, and he evan got him some almond brittle, his absolutely favorite food in the whole universe. He knew him so well, making Dr. Doof realize how little he knew about his nemesis.

Well it's not like he gives life back stories to me when I'm showing him my newest inators. Doof reached in to the open box and pulled out a small poppy seed muffin. He blew on it gently and took a tentative bite in to it, his thoughts distant and as confused and mixed as his emotions.

~back at Phineas and Ferb's house~

Phineas sat up, the first thing he seeing was Perry. "Oh, there you are Perry," he said tiredly. He reached forward and brushed his fingers along his pet's fur, who opened his eyes at his owner's touch. Perry gave his signature chatter and Phineas copied it, Ferb as well after his step-brother's.

"Come on Ferb. You up? Let's go get breakfast. Be quiet though. Don't wake up Candace."

Ferb nodded and the brothers left the room to go back down to the kitchen. Perry watched them leave and heard a couple beeps from his wristwatch. He looked down at it and brought up the image of Major Monogram on the screen. "Agent P," he said. "We didn't get any response from your mission yesterday. Are you all right?"

Perry chattered at him again. Major Monogram said, "Of course there was that huge thunderstorm last night and we did lose power so don't worry about it Agent P. We don't have a mission for you yet so keep up your undercover as an average pet platypus."

The screen on the watch turned to static and Perry hid it again from underneath his fur. "Perry! Perry come on where are you? We're going on a walk boy. Come on let's go." Phineas appeared in the doorway and walked over, picking him up. "We're going shopping today to get some things for our new project. We're making a big clubhouse for the neighborhood kids. And we can't leave you here alone so you're coming with us." Phineas took him down the stairs and put the leash on his collar. "You'll like today Perry. It rained last night so there's a lot of puddles today. Hey! Ferb and I can make u an aquarium today when we make the clubhouse! It'll be great!"

Perry tried to hold back his smirk as he splashed in the puddles, chattering happily at his owners. By the time they got to the store the platypus was drenched as well as his owners. Phineas lifted Perry up and put him in the baby seat of the cart and they began to walk through the huge store that was the Everything Store. It had . . .everything.

Half an hour had passed and the boys were looking distractedly around searching for the last thing they needed when Perry picked up a voice, making his head turn away to search for the one who had spoken. His heart fluttered in his chest and he met eyes with his nemesis, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, who had turned to look in his direction conveniently at the exact same time.

A smile instantly lighted up Doofenshmirtz's face and Perry froze. Oh no. Did he recognize him? He never usually did but . . . no if he recognized it was him then he wouldn't be smiling he would be looking angry right now so . . .

Doof ran over to the boys. "Hey is that your platypus?"

"Yes, yes he is," Phineas said, a smile on his voice.

"Oh he's so cute!" Doof exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. Perry nearly died in relief realizing that he didn't recognize him. He never did anyway. One night wouldn't change that. Doof was a doof sometimes, and for Perry's sake, he hoped that it would stay that way. "You know I know a platypus nemesis! He's Perry the Platypus!"

"Cool! Our platypus is named Perry too!" Phineas smiled. "Want to hold him?"

"Oh could I? Yeah sure I would love that!" Doof had that ridiculous smile on his face again.

Phineas reached up and pulled Perry down, handing him over to Dr. Doof. As the small twelve year old did he felt his mind nag at him, telling him that he should know this man, but . . . he couldn't put his finger on it.

Doof held Perry and smiled at him. "Oh he's so cute! I love platypus's they're the perfect pet don't you think?"

"Yeah Ferb and I couldn't ask for any pet better than our Perry."

Doof's hand brushed the collar on Perry's neck and he clicked it open, showing Perry when he was a baby platypus and a picture of Phineas on the left and Ferb on the right. "That's a very clever platyus tag," Doof said. "It's really cute too!"

"You like it? We made it ourselves," Phineas smiled.

"That's amazing you boys have quite the imagination I guess," Doof said, closing the platypus tag and giving Perry back to the boys. "Well it was nice meeting you boys thank you. Bye!" Doof waved and ran back over to his own cart where his daughter Vanessa stood waiting for him, calling him a childish baby who needed to grow up.

"He was nice," Phineas commented, looking over to Ferb, who gave a thumbs up of approval. "But I feel like we should know him. He looked familiar."

Phineas's words were like a dagger in Perry's heart. The boys had learned of his secret at one point when they traveled to another demension earlier that summer. But then when they're adventure was over they had to have their memories erased, and they had chose Perry over that one day.

Perry allowed himself to be placed back in the cart and he went through the rest of that day in a blur.

~the next day~

"Aha! Perry the Platypus! How surprising of you to come here. And by surprising I mean, not surprising!" Two large pieces of bread came in and squished Perry the platypus down.

"Haha Perry the Platypus you look like a sandwich! Hahaha! Now, listen, and tremble in fear at my new machine, the Hotinator!"

Yeah blah blah blah whatever Einstein. Let's just get this over with, Perry thought as he began looking around for ways to help him escape. Ever since he and Doof had become enemies they had a very casual nemesis relationship. They weren't as hard-core and as serious as the other villains and secret agents. Doof was the one that made that possible. He always made these situations way to easy to get out of to defeat him. But sometimes they were actually hard to get out of and he had to pull on the 'normal platypus' stunt to get out of this trap. He was always kind of embarrassed and amused whenever he pulled that, and a little guilty. Doof could be so gullable at times. Perry remembered when he had got stuck in a pickle. Now he was in a sandwich. Too bad it wasn't made of real bread. . .

Perry scratched his fingers against the bread keeping him trapped. Okay then. It was real bread. Maybe Doof really was an idiot.

Doof was still in the middle of his backstory. Perry knew now that he could escape if he wanted to but he wasn't going to do that and hurt Doofenshmirtz's feelings. He'd wait until the right moment when Doof was just about to turn on his new machine. He would feel less horrible if he did it that way.

And Perry did just that, giving Doof a good smack in the face with his tail, knocking him to the ground. Then he destroyed the machine and flew away with his jetpack, smiling when he heard that familiar voice scream out, "Curse you Perry the Platypus!"

But instead of going back home, when he was far enough, Perry turned around and flew back to the D.E.I. He landed the jetback closeby and took the elevator up getting on to Doof's floor and sneaking in. He hid behind a potted plant. He was watching Doof for secret agent purposes. He had to do a quick little surveilance of his nemesis. It was only for a little bit.

"Perry the Platypus?"

Perry froze and lifted his gaze to look up at Doof who was staring down at him with huge eyes. "What are you doing here? You already defeated me why have you come back? Did you forget something?"

Perry shook his head and Doof continued to stare at him for another moment before shrugging, "Well since you've already defeated me there's no need to sneak in the way you did you can just come in. You don't even have to knock either no one else ever does. Would you like something to eat? Are you thirsty?"

He shrugged and followed Doof in to the house, feeling a twinge of relief knowing he didn't have to always act like an agent around his nemesis. Normally if his nemesis had been anyone else they would have captured him and trapped him on the spot. They had high tech security so that not even a fly could come in. All Doofenshmirtz had was a wooden door and a lock.

Doof served water to Perry and started talking. "You know I saw this platypus in the store yesterday with his two owners and I wondered if you knew him. His name was Perry also isn't that cool? Do you have any friends Perry the Platypus?"

Perry shrugged, instantly thinking of his owners and Doof. The other agents were okay but they weren't exactly friends, just comrads in arms. Pinky was an acquaintance of sorts and Perry didn't even want to get started on Peter the Panda. Just the thought of that ridiculous . . .

"Perry the Platypus? Perry the Platypus did you hear me?"

The platypus lifted his head and shook his head slightly at the evil scientist, an apology in his eyes. Doof narrowed his eyes for a moment, almost looking amused. Then he smiled, "It's okay. I was asking you if you had any friends."

Again, Perry shrugged.

"What you don't have any friends?" Perry shook his head slightly. He decided he couldn't really count Phineas and Ferb as friends. They were more than friends. They were family, the someones he lived to protect. He couldn't bear the thought of losing them. He wished every day that he could tell them who he was, but he couldn't, or he'd get sent away to another family, and he liked this one too much.

"Is it because you're a secret agent?" Doof asked. Perry shrugged weakly, not looking at his nemesis. "Then why don't you just leave the secret agency?"

This question made Perry pause. He had never thought about that. Why didn't he? Well, you can't just leave the agency. I suppose you could but, could it be done? He wouldn't have to worry about telling the boys because he wouldn't be a secret agent anymore but then . . . He looked up at Doof.

If he quit his job he wouldn't get to see Doof anymore, not as Perry the Platypus who was a secret agent, but just a normal average platypus named Perry. But Doof wouldn't make the distinction that they were one and the same. It was something that in times like these irked the small platypus.

Perry looked up at Doof, waiting to see if the telepathic answer would reach him. Apparently telepathy didn't work if it involved Doof because he was clueless as to why he did not just quit the agency. Perry sighed and finished his water, sitting with his legs hanging over the couch and looking dejectedly at the ground. He didn't even notice when Doof got up and came to sit on the couch next to Perry. Then very hesitantly, Doof put his arm around Perry, pulling him towards him and holding him close. "It's okay Perry the Platypus. I don't really have many friends either. I don't really talk to my ex-wife much and my daughter isn't really in touch with me. I guess we're both alone in this world."

The secret agent felt a smirk touch his beak and he allowed his shoulders to sink in relaxation and he leaned in to Doof calmly, who gently rubbed his thumb along Perry's shoulder. Then as he was brushing it against the platypus's neck, he felt something smooth like plastic. What could that be? His thumb reached over and stroked against it. It felt like, a collar. Why would Perry the Platypus have a collar?

Was he a, pet?