Song used: Little Brothers, from the Season 1 episode Phineas and Ferb Get Busted. Lyrics changed to fit the story.
Perry woke with a start. He had heard something. But what?
Making sure Phineas was asleep, he stood on two legs, donning his fedora and tip-toeing over to hide behind a beam. If Doofenshmirtz had found them…
But it wasn't Doofenshmirtz. It was someone else. A man and a pregnant woman walked through the door, softly closing it behind them.
He dropped to all fours immediately, listening.
"Joseph, I don't think this is a good idea. Maybe we should try to find another one."
"But Mary, it's Christmas Eve. All the inns are full and there's not another one for miles. Besides, you're pregnant. You need to rest. That baby could come at any time. Remember what the angel said."
Angel? Perry slowly skittered forward, only to have a piece of hay snap under his paws. He froze.
"What was that?" The man held up a lantern and a soft circle of light fell on him.
"Oh! It's a platypus!" Mary got down on her knees, clicking her tongue at him. "Come here boy, come here. We're not going to hurt you."
He started to inch forward, only to start when the woman gasped, clutching her stomach.
"Mary!"
"Joseph, it's time. The baby's coming."
He whirled around and scampered back to the pile of hay. Something was happening. He didn't know what it was, but it was something big.
Phineas woke to a weight on his chest. He smiled. "Hey Perry." The platypus stared at him with wide eyes. "What's wrong? Did something scare you? Did you have another bad dream?" He went to pet him, only to have Perry jump off him, running around in circles.
"Whoa whoa!" He grabbed Perry around the middle. "Hey, calm down. What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Phineas started to lift his pet up, only to have the platypus jump from his arms.
He landed squarely on all fours, looking over his shoulder at the boy.
"You want me to follow you?" Perry chattered, walking a little ways ahead. When Phineas started to follow him, he allowed himself to be picked up.
Phineas cuddled him to his chest. "Silly boy," he whispered. He began walking toward the front of the stable. "What's wrong boy? Why are you acting like this?" He stopped and stared, blinking.
There, resting against a pile of hay was a man and a woman. Next to them was a feeding trough.
"Uhh…"
"Hello there," the man greeted. "I'm Joseph and this is my wife Mary."
"Hello." She smiled kindly at him. "What's your name?"
"Phineas."
"That's a lovely name."
He smiled. "Thanks."
"And what about your friend here?" Joseph asked, pointing to the platypus. "We saw him earlier."
"You saw Perry?" Phineas asked. He looked down at his pet. "So that's why you were running around! You knew they were here!"
"I'm afraid we may have scared him. You see, my wife and I came in here to find shelter. We saw your pet and were trying to coax him over, but then Mary went into labor. We didn't mean to frighten him."
"Oh." Phineas blinked. "Uh…what's labor?"
Mary looked at him. "How old are you?"
"Ten."
She smiled. "Labor means I had a baby."
"Ohhh…" His face brightened. "Neat. But…where is he?"
"Right here." The woman put a hand on the feeding trough. "Would you like to see him?"
"Yes Ma'am!"
She smiled. "It's alright. Go ahead."
Phineas hugged Perry to him, slowly stepping over to the feeding trough and peering into it. "Look at that boy," he whispered. Lying in the trough was a baby boy. He kicked his feet, staring wide-eyed at the new comers.
Perry looked into the trough in wonder. Something was different about this baby. He made no noise, didn't cry or fuss. Just stared at them, cooing and gurgling.
Things were brighter around the child. Warmer. Happier. There almost seemed to be a circle of light around the baby's head. It was too faint to tell.
Perry sighed, feeling a love, a warmth, a peace he had never known before, even when being held by Phineas. He struggled against the boy's hold. He had to get closer to this baby.
"Perry? Wha—Perry, hold still!" Phineas clutched his pet around the waist in an attempt to get a better hold. "Perry, no!"
The woman laughed. "It's alright Phineas. You can let him go. He'll be fine with him, I promise."
He let Perry go, allowing him to slip into the feeding trough. He watched in amazement as Perry gently nudged the baby, chattering softly. The baby put his arm around the platypus and snuggled with him.
"Wow."
Joseph chuckled softly. "I think they like each other."
"Yeah." Phineas smiled. "So, what's his name?"
"Jesus."
"Jesus?" The boy blinked. "Uhh…no offense, but that's a funny name for a baby."
Joseph smiled. "It's a special name. We were told to give it to him."
"By who?"
"So many questions." Mary smiled kindly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's a long story Phineas. Just know that this baby is very important, very special and loves you very much."
"Me? But he doesn't even know me."
"He knows you Phineas; better than you know yourself. And he loves everybody equally."
"Gosh." He stared at the ground. "A baby that should important should be given a gift." His eyes fell to something in the corner. "What are those?"
"Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. They're special perfumes and oils. Three kings brought them to us. You were still sleeping I think. They're very important gifts."
"I want to give him a gift too." His face fell. "But I have nothing to give."
Joseph knelt down next to him. "Everyone has something to give Phineas. No matter how small."
"But I—wait!" He snapped his fingers. "I know what I can give him!" He walked over to the feeding trough, staring down at the now sleeping baby and platypus. "Well Jesus, this isn't much, but I hope you like it." He started to sing. "Little baby, your toes and feet and hands are cold. But it is warm here. And you are special I am told. Even though you're very small, you will grow to be quite tall. Little baby, you are loved and you are special, so I'm told."
Even when you're very old
I will remember…
"Little baby, you are loved and you are special, so I'm told."
Perry opened an eye and chattered, gently climbing over the baby and hopping into Phineas' arms.
"Hey Pal." He closed his eyes, stroking Perry's back. When he opened them, he got a surprise. "Hey! Jesus is smiling at me!"
Joseph smiled, a tear in his eye. "Yes, yes he is."