Part 2 : Linda's Verdict
Author's Note : And here's the continuation and end of this little story. Served with a side of feels, and an abundance of fluff. Hope you're cozy, cause you're about to get cozier !
Those who knew Phineas Flynn knew that he was, first and foremost, the most optimistic person you'd ever meet. He never backed down from a project if it meant having fun or helping someone, and a frown on his face was as rare as a sight of the legendary Klimpaloon. To sum it up, Phineas breathed hope, and redistributed it as much as he could around him.
As such, it was especially hard for his friends and brother to see him on pins and needles like that, pacing around the room without focus. All they could do was to watch him do so, but after five minutes, it became quite unnerving.
"Alright, would you stop that already ?! It's bad enough when Nerdy over here gets all angsty and stressed, but seeing you do it rings wrong on every level !" berated Buford, not able to contain himself anymore.
Phineas immediately stopped, but didn't brighten up one bit. "Sorry, but I can't help it. I can't stop thinking about what happened back there."
"Well, she was going to see one of your inventions sooner or later. It's already amazing she didn't catch on it sooner." said Isabella, to which Phineas shook his head.
"That's not the problem. It's how she reacted to it. She looked so... upset." said Phineas with his eyes downcasted. "I mean, we were just having fun, doing something with our summer. What made her so mad about what we were doing ?"
"Llama hair..." suddenly uttered Candace, lifting her head from Jenny's lap. She was still wobbling, and her derping eyes still looked away from anyone.
Phineas arched an eyebrow to his big sister. "Uh, what ?"
"Tennis meat... Fluffy piano, with sauce... Narwhal dance... Me, Kevin, president..." blubbered Candace, pointing her finger randomly at walls. Her focus was still trying to glue itself together, and all she was managing to do was to confuse her brothers.
Phineas looked at Ferb, who only shrugged, then back at Candace, hopelessly puzzled. "Sis, I'm not getting a word you're saying."
"Don't worry, I can get the words out of her." said Jenny with a smile. "My teachings made me able to communicate with all living beings, I comprehend all the vibes resonating on our dear planet."
Without much option, the others let Jenny do her job. For a good minute, she listened intently to the rants of her orange-haired friend. To an extern listener, none of it made any sense, but the nature defender wasn't any listener. When it seemed the dazed Candace was done, Jenny gave out her translation.
"Well, that wasn't an easy job, I got at least three different renderings. But seeing as you are no juggling seals, and leg warmers are still six heels under, I can safely say that what she meant was that even if you do play it safe, you give an impression of reckless danger with your inventions." explained Jenny, to which Candace shook her head wobbly, trying to nod.
"Danger ? But it's supposed to be fun. We stay safe, we have protections all the time. I mean, we aren't perfect, but nobody ever got badly hurt. We all know that." said Phineas.
"Well, that's the thing, not everyone knows that. And by that, I mean your mom." intervened Stacy, trying to resolve the conflict. "Your projects are all in good fun, like that one time with the Mini-Golf course. But as fun as those may be, they are also incredibly big and hazardeous-looking. I mean, some of them did lead to the cold and dark vacuum of space, and your first setup this summer did end with you crashing meteore-style on your backyard tree."
Phineas blushed bashfully at hearing this. Even though it never stopped him from continuing to have fun, he had to admit there had been a few hiccups that could have led to some ugly conclusions. He remembered quite right his fall from his Haunted House taking off to the air for some mysterious reason. If it hadn't been for Isabella's quick thinking...
Seeing the boy like that, the Japanese-American girl's features softened. "Look, you're good kids, everyone knows that, even your mom. But you've never let anything stop you from creating your fun and adventures, and while it is a great quality, it also means you two don't think of consequences. And for someone who's never experienced your inventions and can see the consequences that can come from them, that can be terrifying, especially if you two matter to them. That's the key element that you've never read out in your schemes and blueprints, and that's why you two got 'busted' like that." finished Stacy, feeling her throat to be a little dry after having poured all her wisdom out on the two kids.
"Duck Sofa !" hollered Candace, giving out a shaky 'You got it girl !' at her friend, before crashing down on Jenny's lap, who resumed patting her forehead gently to appease her.
Ferb's face gained a little sadness, which again meant a lot for the British boy. Phineas was of course the one to show the emotion for the both of them, looking quite dejected and down in the dumps as he mulled Stacy's words over and over in his head. The kid friends also looked a bit shameful themselves, having participated in those projects as well.
"I... I guess we never saw it that way. We just wanted to take advantage of every bit of Summer Freedom we had and still have." admitted Phineas gloomily. "We never meant to upset anyone, neither Candace or Mom, but we did. And here we are now." But then, a chilling thought passed through Phineas' mind that made him start to panic. "What if she gets really upset ? What if she... what if she says we can't do it anymore ?! There are still so many Summer days left, what if they are all wasted away because we're grounded ?! What if we never get to invent anything anymore, and fun dies altogether ?!"
At this point, Isabella couldn't take it anymore, as she jumped off the couch to shake her hysteric crush. "Phineas, pull yourself together ! You're not sounding like your hunky self- I mean, like yourself !" said the Fireside girl leader, with a light blush at the end.
"She's right ! If anything, you're sounding like me when I'm stressed out ! And at the dawn of a huge test I might add !" concurred Baljeet, feeling very uneasy seeing his optimistic friend like that.
Phineas tried to get some control over his quickening breathing, but it's only when Ferb put a reassuring hand on his shoulder that the boy began to calm down. Ferb said nothing, but the shoulder pat he was giving his brother was saying enough to Phineas.
"Thanks Ferb. You always know what to say." said Phineas gratefully, to which Ferb replied with a light smile and a thumbs up. "Thanks everyone. I guess all we can do now is wait for Mom and Dad to come back."
"Actually, I've got a question." quipped Buford. "I wanted to know, since I didn't sign that paper back there, does that mean we can call that battle a draw ?" Everyone gave a huge deadpan frown at the bully, who immediately raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm stressed too alright ?! Awnsers to my personal problems help me relax !"
Twenty minutes had passed. The kids were trying to pass the time by chatting of random things, namely some of their exploits this Summer, while the teenagers had been busy getting Candace back on her feet, which had been a pretty successful task, the white-and-red clad teenager now being able to talk and focus again.
She still trembled a bit though, and for some reason, she couldn't seem to gush about her victory like everybody, including herself, expected her to do. It looked like her mind had troubles fully grasping the concept of herself finally winning.
But at long last, Linda and her husband finally came back in the living room. Linda herself looked a bit exhausted, but definitely calmer than she was before. As for Lawrence, he wore the most neutral expression he could manage. Upon seeing the two, the room fell in silence, which was broken by Linda's sighing while she rubbed her temples.
"Alright, I've talked with your father and made some calls to the companies who've been selling you parts and materials. Though they can be sure they'll get a bit more than a phone call from me." said Linda, sourly grumbling the last part. "Now, before I reach a final decision, I need to be clear on certain points, especially about security. Phineas ?"
Phineas jolted up on his seat, and quickly awnsered. "Well, we've been securing this point since our first adventure on the Rollercoaster. We wear hard hats on our construction site, with another helmet designed as the top of our heads."
Phineas demonstrated by removing his, quickly followed by each of the children. "It's ergonomic and comfy, they've already begun to sell those across the country. But anyways, we also have our First, Second, and Third Aid Kits with us all the time, as well as the private number of one of the top doctors of Danville. Ferb and him golfed once."
Ferb made his usual thumbs up, and Linda smiled a bit. "Thank you boys, that's all I needed to know." said the mother gratefully. "I know what I have to do now. But most importantly, I know what I must do first."
She turned to her daughter, and gave her a small smile. "Candace sweetie, would you come here please ?"
In a slightly rattled way, Candace managed to get on her feet and to approach her mom. Her big blue eyes were reflected in her mother's, who looked a bit pained. Linda took her daughter's hands, gave them a gentle squeeze, and proceeded in her speech.
"Honey, words barely can describe how sorry I am right now. Through this whole summer, I did something a mother should never have to do to her little girl. By doubting your word and rolling my eyes at your calls, I hurt you." said Linda with great guilt in her voice.
Candace gaped a bit at her mother's excuses, but then smiled. "Mom, it's... alright. I mean, if I was in your spot, I wouldn't have believed me either." said Candace with a small chuckle, prompting Linda to relax a bit, but still looking ashamed.
"Still, even if those stories were hard to swallow, I should have put more faith in what you said. I hope you can forgive me for what I've put you through. You are my daughter, I should be trusting you. And from now on, I'm gonna do just that." finished Linda with a tender grin.
"Wow. I-I've been waiting to hear that for so long. Thanks mom." said Candace, embracing her mother in a warm hug.
Linda gladly returned the display of affection. But after a few seconds, she began to feel a warm liquid dripping along her shoulder. She was confused at first, but the realization soon settled in. "Candace dear, are you... crying ?"
"Maybe..." hiccuped Candace, her face already covered in tears and snot.
Linda felt her heart getting heavy, but only hugged her daughter even more affectionately. "Just let it all out, honey. Take your time." she whispered tenderly.
For the next two minutes, Candace quietly cried her heart out in front of her family, friends, and friends of the family, who all watched with expressions that ranged from sympathy for the redheaded teen, to being on the verge of tears themself, which Buford would deny till the end of times. Nobody dared to interrupt the moment, leaving only choked sobs and soothing whispers to fill the silence of the room.
On that moment, through her tears, Candace could feel her stress and worries melting away. She was no longer cursed, and her mother trusted her at last. Her busting self could finally rest in peace, because at that instant, she too felt at peace.
She was free...
Finally, Candace pulled out of the embrace, and rubbed her eyes to get the tears away. Seeing this, Linda grabbed a nearby hanky, and wiped the tears and snot off the face of her daughter, who didn't even pull away because she would be 'embarrassing her in front of her friends'.
"There, feeling better ?" asked Linda, to which Candace nodded. "Good, now go back on the couch please." she said, patting her head one last time.
Candace obliged, and went back to her spot between grinning Stacy and Jenny, still feeling butterflies in her heart, whose smile was mirrored by her mother.
Linda's apparent relief ceased however, knowing she had more to say. "Phineas, Ferb, please rise from your seats and come here." ordered Linda sternly.
The two boys shyly obliged, both looking quite down. Yes, the BOTH of them. This sight alone was very unusual for all in the room, seeing the Ever-bright Phineas and the Wise impassive Ferb looking so gloomy and shameful.
"Well, that's one thing off my bucket list. Ain't making me any happier seeing it though." said Buford with a rare concerned frown. The other two kids didn't awnser, as Baljeet was too busy comforting Isabella, who was taking the sight of her melancholic crush pretty bad herself.
"Boys, I've talked with your father, went over the facts, and I've reached a conclusion. What you did during this Summer didn't have any mischievous intent, and I trust you enough to say that you simply wanted to have fun in a way that can profit many kids in town, and often more. Plus, in a way, you did ask for my permission, even if I didn't believe you." said Linda in a slightly warm tone, before turning strict.
"But, if you were smart enough to build all of this, I'm sure you could have at least reached the conclusion that it would take more than tales to show me what you were truly doing, kinda behind my back. Don't you two still have blueprints laying around somewhere, hmm ?"
"Yes, yes we do." mumbled Phineas, looking more pathetic with each reproach thrown at him.
"Which means that you could also have backed the stories of your sister, which you never did, leaving her as a fool before my eyes. You are two splendid persons and loving brothers, I know that, and it's precisely why I'm shocked that you didn't even see what you were doing to her, even if it was unintentional. And even though you said your security measures were top notch, a simple mistake could have gotten any of you severely hurt."
Candace watched with laser focus the rant taking place before her. It almost looked like something out one of her treasured dreams. It often followed with Jeremy arriving with a black tuxedo and a little white box. So... why instead of the unbridled joy she was expecting to feel, was she only feeling worry, as though she was dreading their brothers finally getting the comuppance she had ranted about so many times in the past ?
Linda felt that she needed to end this, as she was experiencing great strain at keeping such a tough mask. "I'm sorry boys, but as well-thought your ideas and ideals were, there must be a punishement." said the mother, marking a brief pause that had everyone's breath held back. "Phineas and Ferb, you are grounded for three weeks. No friends, no games, no internet, and most important, no invention on your free time."
Shocked gasps quickly replaced the silence in the living room, as all but Lawrence gaped at Linda's final decision. Baljeet and Buford had their eyes and mouths wide open with stupefaction, as Stacy and Jenny were covering theirs with their hands, aghast. Isabella was actually tearing up, and Candace looked like as if Jeremy had just told her that they should see other people. Ferb himself tried really hard to retain a straight face, but it was proving to be a really hard task.
However, none was more stumped than Phineas himself. His mind raced what he just heard over and over, trying to grasp its consequences. "Th-Three weeks ?.." squeaked Phineas, already seeing all his plans flying away to next Summer, which in turn would cause the hindrance of more plans to have the most Summer fun possible. Poor Phineas was shaking at this point, the mere thought of Summer days being wasted, cooped inside doing nothing, felt like something was dying inside of him. Waves of unrelented sadness were hitting the boy over and over, a feeling he hadn't felt since a certain dog had disappeared almost six years ago...
"That's not fair !" cried out Isabella in despair. "I'm sorry Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, but you can't do that to them, it's just too harsh !"
"Let's not forget the fact that those two'll never be able to stand doing nothing in Summer, it ain't natural !" said Buford, also coming to the brothers' defense.
"Or scientifically sane ! I should know, they barely restrained themselves for one day when we went up Danville Mountain !" added a distressed Baljeet.
"Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, I'm sorry but I'm with them ! After all the moments of fun they gave to people across Danville and beyond, this is downright cruel !" said Stacy.
"I haven't been with them that much, but for the little time I was there, I can assure that they don't deserve such a fate. There has to be another way !" concurred Jenny.
Candace was the last one to find her voice. "Mom, I can't say that's not what I desired when I wanted to bust them. But now that I've done it, I realize that their inventions have done so much good around them, and I knew that even before, I was just too stubborn to admit it. These guys are right, you can't take Summer away from them, it's just NOT fair. And trust me, I know unfair." said Candace, who then dropped on her knees. "I don't want to beg, but I'll do it Mom ! Don't you dare think I won't beg ! Reconsider your choice, please please please please pleaaaaase !"
Chaos was reigning among the assembly, between the pleads of many and the whimpers of Phineas that Ferb was trying to get back under control, to little avail.
All of that ceased when Lawrence of all people gave out a sharp whistle with his fingers in his mouth, which managed to get everyone's attention once again. "Now everyone, perhaps you'd feel better if you let her finish." said the British Man with a smile as he turned to her relieved wife.
"Thank you honey. As I should have clarified, you two boys are grounded for three weeks... as soon as School starts again." finished Linda.
"WHAT ?!" exclaimed the teens and the kids.
Upon hearing this, Phineas immediately snapped out of his trance. He and Ferb then looked expectantly at their mother. "School ?" resonated the two in unison.
"Precisely. What you'll make there is none of my concern, as long as you work hard. But you're forbidden any invention in our backyard, as soon as Summer Vacation is over." summarized Linda.
"Wait, so does that mean... what I think it means ?" said Isabella, feeling hope returning to her.
Linda elevated her lips into a smile, and nodded. "You boys are free to continue building your inventions and having fun, under certain conditions of course."
But before she could explain those conditions, she felt two forms quickly hugging her, one of them quite litteraly crashing into her and nuzzling her stomach.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you !" quickly said Phineas, with slight tears of joy rolling down his cheeks. Ferb said nothing, but tightened his grateful embrace.
"Now honey, there will be some rules to respect from now on." warned Linda, still smiling. "I want you two to give me a complete rundown of what you do each day, which includes showing me photos and/or blueprints of your projects. Also, I want the security measures to be properly supervised by a responsible adult, which will usualy mean me, your father, or your sister."
Candace felt a new rush of joy when her mother included her as a responsible adult. 'She trusts me...' thought the teen.
"As long as you respect those rules, you're allowed to keep building your projects." concluded Linda.
"Yes, we promise ! We promise on everything we ever made ! Thanks mom, you're the best !" thanked Phineas with a huge grin. Ferb gave a thumbs up and a grin as well.
Every bit of seriousness melted off Linda's face, as she bent to warmly hug her sons as well. "Boys, I want to say that even though I am surprised, I'm also very proud of you two. A portal to Mars ? Now that's something a mother cannot say often about her sons' accomplishements. From now on, you'll have my support, and I hope I'll be able to see more of those amazing things you two can make."
Everyone smiled at the sweetness of the scene before them. Some could even feel tears coming up, something that Buford would once again deny upon his very soul. After a minute or two, mother and sons broke the hug, still beaming. The boys then walked to their sister.
"Hey sis, me and Ferb wanted to say thank you. If you hadn't insisted on busting us all this time, Mom would have never seen what we could do, and her not believing us was a bit of a letdown." said Phineas, his smile turning apologetic. "And sorry too. We didn't want to hurt you like we did, nor did we want to bother you all the time. We'll try to avoid messing more things up for you."
Candace felt her heart tighten. Were they really thinking they were the ones that messed up ? But Candace then looked determined, and knelt to look at her two little brothers straight in the eye.
"Look, even though I got into some crazy shenenigans because of you two, when I think about it, most of them could have gone way better if I hadn't tried to bust you two so hard." admitted Candace, rubbing the back of her long neck. "Also, I see that I've been a little... okay, a LOT unfair with you two. I've yelled and pushed you away so many times. I guess I was... jealous of what you guys could do at such a young age. It made me think that all I could ever do is pale in comparaison of your wonderous feats."
"Why ? You're awesome ! You're one of the bravest and coolest people we know ! Besides, it's always more fun when you decide to join in, even if it's just to bust us." said Phineas, supported by Ferb's nod.
Candace felt her eyes moistering again, but kept going. "Yeah, but I guess I was too prideful to try getting on board with your games and fun. Heck, there were some things I wished I had participated in."
"We can just rebuild some of them next Summer."
"That would be great. And since my busting days are finally over, I'll try to keep a more open mind from now on. You two are the most creative and extraordinary people I know, and you shouldn't let something like your grumpy old sis hindering you back. Because that grumpy lump is proud to be your big sister." concluded Candace, wrapping them in a tight sibling hug. She did not care one bit about the 'awws' emmited by the others.
"We'd be honoured to have you participate, Candace." truthfully said Phineas as the embrace stopped.
"The more the merrier." said Ferb. The green-haired boy was quite talkative today, wasn't he ?
"We get to keep having fun this Summer !" cheered Baljeet, joined by Buford and Isabella. The trio celebrated with the inventive duo, while Candace went back with her own friends, who looked both proud of her, and pleased to know that Busting Candace was no more.
Linda sighed in relief, knowing her job here was done. She felt her husband putting his hand on her shoulder, and pulling her closer to him. "Well, quite the happy end I'll say." said Lawrence, rubbing his wife's shoulder affectionaly.
Linda smiled, and put his head on his own shoulder. "You really think I was right to let them continue like so ?"
"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine. Those boys are smart and resourceful, and well surrounded I might add. You did marvellous darling." assured Lawrence.
"And so did you." said Linda, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Phew, what a day this has been. Right now, I just want to plop myself in front of a good movie, and call it a day."
Phineas caught her mother's words, and grinned. "Actually, Ferb thought of something like that. Our 3D Landscape Projector also has a DVD function, that allows you to see the movie as though it was happening right before your eyes, arranging the scenes beyond what you can see on the screen for maximum enjoyment, surround speakers included." offered Phineas.
Lawrence turned to his wife, and gave her a suggestive smile. "Well, what do you say darling ? Shall we walk into that world again ? The one that started more than a beautiful friendship ?"
Linda couldn't help herself but chuckle at her hubby's suggestion. That movie certainly made something happen, about fifteen years ago. She thought for a moment that perhaps that was enough machinery for one day. But that thought got quickly replaced by a simple other one. "Oh, what the heck ? Casablanca it is, boys."
"Oooh, that movie is so good. Such a talker, that Rick Blaine." said Isabella dreamily, allowing her mind to wander off her Phineas for an instant.
"Don't forget Ilsa Lund. Boy, what a woman." added Buford. The bully quickly realized his mistake, and his vision shuffled around the room. "Uh, I mean, 'Casa' ? What's that ? Sounds Italian."
Baljeet raised an eyebrow to his frenemy. "Buford, are you implicating what I think you are implicating ?" said the Indian Boy, his lips curling upwards.
"Keep diggin' brain boy, and I swear even Dinner Bell won't get you out of that wedgie." growled Buford, giving him a very menacing look, that got an immediate effect on Baljeet.
"Aaaand, shutting up now."
"Well, we'd better call our parents to see if we can stay. I'm sure my mom will be okay with it though." chirped Isabella.
Candace herself had never seen the movie, only heard about it. And for once, she found herself actually curious about it. "Yeah, I guess I'll join in too. Girls ?"
"Our curfews are around 10 pm, so why not ? Black and white movies are so in these days too." said Stacy, to which Jenny nodded. "Oh, but first, may I be excused ? Now that the suspense has died down, I realize that I really have to go."
Candace rolled her eyes playfully at her friend, who was bouncing on the spot as though her feet were made of jello. "Go for it, Stace. Just don't take too long, or the snacks will be gone." Stacy did not need to be asked twice, and zoomed up the stairs.
"I hope she won't miss out the start of the movie. But hey, maybe she'll find Perry on her way back." said Phineas.
"The bathroom is where life can become clearer, and where you'll find what you may not even realize your were looking for." wisely recited Jenny.
"Oh great, now there's two of them !" frowned Buford, philosophy not being his strong point.
Stacy had decided to use her bathroom break to refresh her appearance. Right now, she was adding the final touch by putting her blue bow back on the top of her head, perfectly straight. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she grinned from ear to ear, thinking back about what just happened. Finally, she'd be able to have a conversation or a mall day with her BFF without any 'Gotta bust Phineas and Ferb' or 'I gotta tell Mom !' to get in the way.
Her train of thought was however stopped when she heard a whirring mechanism. Poking her head out of the bathroom, she catched a certain teal platypus sliding out of a rotating panel in the wall. The monotreme panicked for an instant when he saw someone looking at him, but relaxed when he realized that it wasn't anyone that could endanger his stay here.
"Oh, there you are Perry. Had a nice battle with Vanessa's father ? Well let me tell ya, your day cannot be any crazier than the one I just had." said Stacy.
Perry felt his curiosity rise up as he heard the young Japanese-American teen's words, and felt himself wondering if it had anything to do with his owners. But to stay on the safe side, he decided to make sure this future conversation wouldn't be heard of, especially by his colleagues and superiors at the agency.
As he entered the bathroom, Perry made a sign to Stacy to stay quiet for a moment. The girl understood perfectly, and silently nodded. Quickly, Perry triffled with his watch, and began to scramble the camera feed around this precise area for the last five minutes and next ten. Hopefully, Carl wouldn't take too much notice of it...
What Perry didn't know was that Carl didn't have one eye on the now snowing camera screens. The paid-but-not-really intern was busy with something else at the moment, something that was taking his attention off everything.
And that was rolling on the floor with laughter at the sight of his mustachioed superior's ridiculous outfit. The unamused Major was presently sporting a white fringed jacket, white sparkly pants, purple disco shoes, orange shades, and, cherry on top, an actual white afro !
"HAHAHAHA ! It's... It's too much ! This look would have been banned even during the eighties !" guffawed Carl, banging the floor with his fists.
"Oh, would you put a sock in it ? We got invited to a Saturday Night Fever reminscing, and my wife managed to find my old outfit. And I'll have you know that those shoes are actually quite comfy." grumbled Francis Monogram.
"No, please !" wheezed Carl, trying to get his laughter under control. "Don't talk. If you start quoting lyrics, I'm gonna lose it."
"*Sigh* Youngsters these days. I wanna go back, and do it all over." said the Major, causing Carl to roar with hilarity.
Perry, knowing that the coast was now clear, took a seat on the sink, and gestured Stacy to proceed.
"Okay, so you know Candace and her obession with busting Phineas and Ferb ?" said Stacy, to which Perry rolled his eyes with a light smirk. Anyone who had come in contact with the red-haired teen knew of her 'Busting' habits, and Perry had been in this house for quite a while now. His knowing smirk however, only made Stacy's grin larger. "Well today, the wildest of things happened. She actually pulled through !"
The teal platypus' beak fell open in surprise. The last time Perry had felt himself that shocked was when he had seen his neme-pal had turned into a platypus himself. The eldest Flynn-Fletcher child's habit had known more failures than Doofenshmirtz's evil schemes. I mean, the guy at least had one or two victories under his belt, although it hadn't brought him any closer to his ultimate 'evil' goal, and tended more on bonding with his daughter.
Stacy immediately bounced back from Perry's shocked face. "Told ya it was crazy ! If I hadn't been there to see it, I wouldn't believe it either. But it's true, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher actually saw Phineas and Ferb's invention ! For a moment though, it was tense. Candace was in a deep haze, everyone was biting their fingernails, and you should have seen Phineas. I've never seen that guy so stressed out or melancholic before."
Perry grew tense upon hearing this. On his own Affection Pyramid, Phineas and Ferb shone right at the top. Hearing that even one of them could be in any sort of distress didn't sit well with the agent, as he produced a concerned chatter. The raven-haired teen was quick to confort him.
"Oh no, don't worry, everything got better at the end. Turns out that while the boys are grounded, it won't be until Summer Break is over, meaning that the boys can still build their stuff through what's left of vacation ! After that, it was cheers and hugs all around." smiled Stacy, earning a relieved sigh from the Platypus Agent. "But you know what's the best part about all that ? It means that Candace is finally taking a permanent break from her incessent busting ! I mean, running around was good to keep love handles away, but you can only take so much of those crazy rants, you know ?"
Perry gave a chuckling chatter, as if to say 'Tell me about it'. Plus, this all sounded like good news to Perry. If Candace was to cease failing to bust her brothers, perhaps it would quell her bouts of foul and snarky mood. And although Phineas and Ferb were his main concern, Perry felt quite happy for the girl, knowing how much it meant to her that her mother finally believed and trusted her.
"You know, now that I think about it, all of those wild events took place after that weird sound echoed from the sky." expressed Stacy in a thoughtful manner.
It didn't take long for O.W.C.A.'s top agent to connect the dots. It looked like Doof's machine really had worked, just not on the desired target...
Stacy immediately took note of Perry's widening eyes, and gave a knowing smirk at the monotreme. "Oooh, you know something, don't you mister ?" said the teen coyly. Perry only gave a small nervous smile in return. "You'd better run it down to me later at my house. I want all the juicy details. Right now though, we should join the others in the garden. We're gonna watch Casablanca, in real 3D !"
Perry gave her a thumbs up, and put away his fedora. Carefully, Stacy took the little Australian animal in her arms, and exited the bathroom, musing over Perry assuming 'pet mode'. Once you knew who the platypus really was, it was pretty funny to see him with such a mindless derpy face.
Stacy thus descended the stairs, and went to the garden, where she found everyone sitting on the wooden tiers, minus Ferb who was setting the last right parameters. She put the palmed animal back on the ground, giving him a little rub on the top of the head, which was greatly appreciated and thanked with a side wink. Perry then hurried off to his red-haired master, who was happy to see him, and dropped him onto his lap, stroking his fur affectionnaly.
Stacy herself went to seat next to Candace, who was now between her two best friends, with a rare peaceful and beaming expression set on her face. She eyed the others around her. Her smiling cuddling parents, the bully-nerd duo teasing eachother, and her red-haired brother, who now sat between Ferb and Isabella. Candace's grin gained an extra edge as she noticed how the little Mexican-Jewish girl took advantage of the happy moment to snuggle extra close to Phineas, with Ferb knowingly smiling at the two.
As the movie started, Candace reflected upon her life right now. Candace loved being right, it gave her confidence, strength, and morale.
Today though, the teen had been wrong about a lot of things. She had been wrong when she had thought she couldn't bust her brothers today. She had been wrong when she had thought she would take pleasure in seeing her brothers finally punished. She had been dead wrong when she had thought it would, at last, mean that her brothers would stop pestering her with what she had assumed were crazy and dangerous projects.
And never in her life had she felt so good about being wrong.
Author's Note : And voilà ! An adequate ending for this simple fic, and one that I had quite the fun to write too !
You know, there are actually very few pieces of Candace actually being allowed to win, and even fewer that doesn't end up in some kind of twisted up disaster. As so, I'm glad I got to give some peace to the Princess of Freakouts. What she'll do next is up to your imagination, but you can bet it'll be happier times for the redhead and her amazing brothers.
As such, this is Superdimentio77, telling you to keep seizing the day. Until next time...