Disclaimer: Phineas and Ferb and all characters associated with Phineas and Ferb are the intellectual property of Dan Povenmire, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh and Disney.

The story, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased) or events is intended or should be inferred. Please review this story to let me know what can be improved or revised. Thank you.

Perry

Months.

That's how long Princess and I had been trying to conceive a child.

We had known that it would likely take this long. She was told how much damage the poison had done to her a day after her leg surgery.

She had been distraught when told that it was likely that she might never be able to have kids, despite taking the antidote. I took her to a private beach to try and help her recover from that news and the surgery. It worked, and she was finally able to unwind some.

Our time there was well spent. We did nothing but be together. It was there that I got to know the Princess that was able to relax and not have any worries. Those were three of the best weeks of my life.

As we spent time together, I learned more about her.

Her parents were O.W.C.A. agents from a division in California. They'd been ordered to investigate an unknown organization that was related to the disappearance of numerous female animals. A few days into their investigation, they, along with their daughter, went missing. A DNA test confirmed that Princess is the daughter of those two agents.

Princess had been in training when she was younger. That's why she has fur pockets and responded so easily to my orders. During the months since Mother's arrest, Princess has, to my objection, completed her training. However, she thankfully wasn't approved for field work. She told me she didn't really want to do it anyways.

Also, her name isn't Diana. Diana was the name that Mother gave her. Turns out her birth name actually is Princess. I've been calling her by her real name before I even knew it was her name. It made me smile when I learned that. She hadn't even remembered that Princess was her real name. She had thought it was just a nickname.

That's one less thing that she has to carry from her past. Using her real name is another way in which she's trying to move on.

But it was hardly that easy. She along with the other survivors were put into therapy. Some of them were in worse shape than others, with Princess being one of the worst. I think the last few hours of her time in Mother's Mansion seriously contributed to that. You don't go through what she went through without developing trauma.

Mother was thrown in prison. Multiple charges of animal abuse put her there. California's three strikes laws ensured that her nineteen plus charges of it would keep her in jail for life. Turns out there had been no other motivation outside of money. It infuriates me. She had seen Princess and the others as nothing but property. She made them suffer for the most ridiculous of reasons.

I had also been put into therapy, though not for the same reasons that the survivors were, obviously. Princess had insisted that I do so. I know why, it was obvious. She wanted me to finally forgive myself for hurting her. She insists that I didn't hurt her, but a part of me doesn't believe her. You don't get put in that kind of position without feeling violated.

But with Princess's help, I was able to cope. I didn't forgive myself for what I did, but I was able to somewhat move on. It was around that time, a few weeks after my vacation ended, that we started trying to have a kid.

I knew that it wasn't going to work that early; there was still way too much damage. But she was insistent. She wanted one as soon as she possibly could. She and I tried literally almost every day. And I wasn't going to protest, because it was admittedly a lot of fun.

But it eventually became stressful. It'd been seven months since we started trying and Princess was starting to get seriously worried that it was never going to work. Despite frequent visits to the O.W.C.A. doctors and their insistence that she was recovering nicely, she was still frantic over it. It's understandable; the only reason she stayed at Mother's Mansion was because she wants kids, and if she's not able to have them, then her efforts were for naught.

But then it happened.

It actually happened.

The doctors were shocked. They'd been projecting that if she was going to be able to conceive, it wouldn't be possible for another six months. They weren't sure how we'd managed it, but that didn't matter to us.

I will never forget that moment. I can't even describe how wonderful it felt. The knowledge that I was going to be a father and that I've given my mate what she wanted most was… well, like I said, I can't describe it. It was that wonderful.

The pure joy that Princess felt when we learned made me truly happy. She was so grateful to me. I think that's what I loved most about that moment. I gave her what she wanted. She hadn't gone through all of that for nothing. She finally had her reward.

I had tried to get her to move in with me, but she insisted on staying at the O.W.C.A.. She said that, considering Phineas and Ferb's inventions, my home might not be the safest place to raise a kid. I can't completely disagree with her, but I am still a little disappointed. Her not living with me means I have to choose between seeing my mate or my owners more often.

In the end, despite how guilty I felt about it, I chose my owners. I've known them for much longer and being around them is when I'm most content.

But now, about five weeks after we first found out that Princess was pregnant, I get a call. She'd laid the egg nine days ago, meaning that if I'm getting a call from her, it can only mean one thing.

Since Phineas and Ferb are at school, slipping into my lair is easy. I answer my phone and hurry to the closest entrance.

"Princess?" I say into the microphone.

"Perry, it's hatching!"

"I'm already on my way!"

And indeed I am. I've already thrown myself into a shoot, heading to my lair. That's where Princess has been staying since she laid the egg. We wanted it to be possible for me to get there as quickly as possible while also being somewhat secluded.

Moments pass before I plop out of the shoot and into my chair. I quickly look over to the corner where we'd set up her bed. And there she is, along with Pinky and Callie. They look up and wave me over, grins covering their faces.

I quickly rush over. There it is. The egg is trembling slightly, with Princess curled up around it. I lay down on the other side of the egg and smile at her.

"I'm terrified…" she mutters.

"What?" I ask, a little surprised.

"I've been wanting this for as long as I can remember, and now that it's actually happening…"

I nuzzle her bill with my own. She gives me a sheepish smile. "You'll be fine."

Callie lays down next to Princess and gives her a reassuring smile. To my surprise, Callie had actually grown to like Princess over the past few months. I can tell Callie hasn't completely gotten over me, but she understands. I'm grateful that she hasn't taken it out on Princess. If anything, she's been more than helpful. She's a great friend.

"There's a crack!" Pinky suddenly exclaims.

All of our focuses are on the egg now. He's right! There's a small crack forming across the top.

"Come on, fella…" I whisper.

The egg breaks. And out clambers a baby platypus. I suck in my breath at the sight.

"He's beautiful…" Princess breathes. She gently nuzzles the newly hatched animal closer to her. He gives a small squeak at his mother's touch. She slowly moves him closer to her midsection and with seconds he begins nursing.

"Congratulations, you two…" Callie whispers. She has a wide grin on her face as she gazes at the small animal.

"Congrats, amigo," Pinky says, patting me on the shoulder. I smile up at him.

I turn to Princess. "What should we name him?"

She beams down at our son. "Patton. It means 'from the warrior.'"

I grin at her before directing my gaze to our son. I reach out and gently stroke the top of his head. "Patton…"

Princess takes a deep breath. "'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.'" Our eyes lock. "I love you, Perry. Thank you."

I feel myself blushing. I gave her what she wanted most. She finally has a family she can truly call her own. It makes me happy to know that she's happy.

Still… I can't help but feel like something in my life is missing. There's still a void. But I don't have to focus on that right now. Right now, I just want to focus on my mate and son.

"I love you, too, Princess…"

I wrap my tail over Princess and huddle up closer to her, keeping Patton right in between us. This moment right here… this moment is something else. This moment is like nothing I've ever experienced before.

This moment is where I think I want to be for the rest of my life.