Phineas answered his cell phone after the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Gnakakakakaka!"

Phineas switched the phone to his other ear. "Sorry, say that again? I wasn't holding it against the ear with the translator."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the bathroom at city hall." Phineas said. "We just protected Agent W from getting stepped on. Someone taped him to the floor. He's safe now."

"Phin… listen… do not…"

A knock sounded on the door.

"Hold on. Someone needs to use the bathroom-"

"DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR."

"What?" Phineas stopped. "Why not?"

"The killer's there."

"He is? How do you know?"

"He left me a threat in a copy of the Fall of the Fallen that was delivered to my room. He's onto you."

"What?! He was in your room?"

"Of course not. He wouldn't be able to get past the security. Only agents and their family members are allowed inside the hospital. Friends need special permission. The book was most likely left outside addressed to me."

The knock sounded again.

"Don't open the door, Phin. Is there another way out?"

"Yeah…" Phineas said nervously. "There's a back window…"

"Good. Climb out. Keep me on the phone."

"Perry, I'm scared…"

"It's okay, Phin. Just keep me on the phone. Get home. I'll send someone out to watch for you. Isabella's dog, Pinky, okay? He'll take you inside. You'll be safe. I'm texting him now from my cell. Where's Ferb?"

"He… he… I don't know. I think he's still in City Hall. The main part."

"Okay. I'll text him and tell him to go home as well."

"Perry…"

"It's okay. Get out. Keep me on the phone."

Phineas wrenched open the window and climbed through, landing on the street. He started to run.

"You out?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna be there in about three minutes."

"Okay. Pinky says he's waiting outside your house. He'll make sure you get in safely. He won't leave until both of you are home with your parents."

"What if it was really a person who needed to use the bathroom?"

"There are a million bathrooms in the world, Phineas. But there's only one you."

"That's very deep."

"Yes, yes it is. Maybe you can make it your senior quote when you graduate high school."

Phineas laughed a little.

"Gosh… you'll be in high school one day. And graduate from it. And go to college… aww, I don't want you to grow up."

"I won't, Perry. Remember? We made a pact to never grow up. I'm here…"

Pinky the Chihuahua was standing outside the screen door. He stood on two legs and waved Phineas over.

"Ferb just texted me back." Perry said. "He'll be there soon. Get inside. And once you two are home and safe, I want both of you out of this, do you understand? It's too dangerous. The agency will send someone else after the killer."

Pinky sat and watched as Phineas knocked on the screen door. After a moment, Linda appeared and unlocked the door.

"Okay. I'm home." Phineas said. "Thanks."

"I'm gonna station someone outside. You two. Out of this. Understand?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Tell Pinky to text me when Ferb gets home. And you text me, too, for clarification. That was too close for comfort. Stay safe."

"Bye." Phineas hung up and closed the screen door.

"Where's your brother?" Linda asked.

"He'll be here in a sec." Phineas said.

Perry hung up the hospital phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll come back tomorrow." Carrie said. She and Devon headed for the door. "With more flowers."

"And more chocolates." Said Peter, following them.

"…What chocolates?" Perry asked. "Peter, did you eat…"

The door closed. Perry collapsed against the pillows, exhausted from his panic.

His phone buzzed. It took all of his strength to lift it up enough to see the notification.

TEXT FROM: PINKY GARCIA-SHAPIRO: frb is ok. home. agent b kpn wtch outsd.

TEXT FROM: PHINEAS FLYNN: ferb got home

Perry put his arm back down and closed his eyes.

That had been too close.

Phineas was having a hard time sleeping.

Not just because someone had wanted to kill him. That was creepy enough to keep him up in the first place. But he also felt too alone to sleep.

Ferb was there, and Lowe was there, but Perry wasn't.

Perry wasn't snoring down in his pet bed, or purring next to Phineas, or kicking Ferb in his sleep.

Somehow Lowe had sensed Phineas's loneliness and curled up at the foot of his bed. Phineas appreciated the gesture, but it wasn't the same. Lowe was much lighter and bonier than Perry, so it felt more like having a wheezing skeleton for company instead of a fuzzy warm pet.

"Perry, why'd you have to go and get yourself poisoned?" Phineas whispered to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Lowe opened his eyes. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing." Phineas said.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I guess. Sorry I woke you up."

"It's fine." Lowe yawned. "I know it feels scary. But right now, Perry is in the safest place he can be. He has doctors looking after him. You can rest easy tonight. He'll be fine."

"No, he won't." Phineas pulled his pillow closer to his face. "Not until they cure him. He's so sick. All because some stupid guy hates the agency. And even if he does get better… something might happen again. He's always in danger. Just like I was today. He's always got someone after him. And it's not fair. I hate it when he goes to work. I'm always scared he's gonna get hurt or something. And sometimes he does. Things keep happening. I'm so… so scared for him…"

"Have you told him how you feel?" Lowe asked.

"I can't. He'd get mad. He doesn't want me to worry about him."

"I expect he wouldn't. He knows what it's like to worry about someone. But all the same, you'd probably feel better if you talked about it with him."

"He'll get mad…"

"He loves you. And he cares deeply about you. If you talk to him, not in an accusatory way, just in a way that lets him know how you feel… he will listen to you. He'll do what he can to help."

"I… I guess I could try." Phineas squeezed his pillow. "Thanks."

Lowe nodded and settled back down.

It took a little while, but Phineas finally managed to fall asleep.

"Pansy, get off the bed."

"But I want to make a pawprintie so he knows I am here."

"No, Pansy."

Perry opened his eyes. Two platypuses were standing by his bed, one with green eyes and a faint scar, one with hazel eyes.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Hello, magical egg platypus." Pansy said happily. "How are you doing? Did you throw up the bad mushroom?"

"W…what mushroom?" Perry asked, rubbing his eyes.

"She thinks you were poisoned by a mushroom." Percy said. "The real situation was too much for her to understand."

"Oh. I'm glad you guys are here…"

Percy put a hand on Perry's arm. "I'm glad you're all right. Have they figured out who did this?"

Perry shook his head.

"I can make you lavender leaf soup." Pansy said.

"That's her new thing." Percy said. "She takes a leaf from a flower and puts it in water."

Perry smiled. "Thanks, mom. I'm okay. How have you two been?"

"Been what?" Pansy asked.

"Been doing." Perry said.

"Been doing what? Eating marshmallows? Eating grass? Stepping on dirt?"

"We're fine." Percy said. "And your siblings are doing fine."

"Seriously? Better than me?" Perry laughed.

"Look, Percy." Pansy said, beginning to dig the carpet. "There is a lot of fuzzy to make a nest out of."

"I'd better take your mother home before she digs a hole in the carpet." Percy said. "It was nice seeing you again. I hope to see you when you're feeling better. Sorry it was such a short visit."

"That's all right." Perry smiled. "Thanks for coming."

After his parents left, the room felt strangely empty and lonely. Perry debated whether or not to fall asleep again.

Finally, he picked up the remote and switched on the television. At least the sound would give him some company.

A little ragdoll was on TV, holding a flower.

"Gee. What should I do with this flower?"

A clown walked over to her. "You could give it to a friend and show them you care! After all, sharing is caring!"

The ragdoll giggled. "You're right, Carlos the Caring Clown!"

Perry quickly changed the channel and tried to keep himself from throwing up.

"It's time for the EVIL VILLAIN SHOW! Today, we take you through some of the most dastardly villainous plots in evil history… and interview the villains you all despise and don't admire!"

Perry snickered. He wondered if Doofenshmirtz watched the show.

"Today, we will interview Dastardly Drago, the man who plotted some of the biggest heists in history. Born Drago Victor Zegmo to a family of four, Drago lived in a small townhouse on the outskirts of Danville with his parents, sister Zappy and brother Zippy."

"I do believe I was the favorite of the family." Drago said. Perry could tell he was inside the agency prison. He must have been interviewed recently. "See, mother gave me a dastardly name that didn't start with Z. So I'd be unique. Pretty dastardly of her. Oh, do you like my new catchphrase? I figure that since my name is Dastardly Drago, I'd need a dastardly catchphrase to capture my dastardly essence."

The scene changed to a bedroom. A short, average-looking man with brown hair and glasses was scowling at the camera.

"I don't get what mother liked about him… or why she didn't like me." Zippy said. "I could have had a name for myself. But no. She calls me Zippy. As soon as I get the paperwork through, I'm changing my name to something that's a play on words. That's ten times better than just sticking 'Dastardly' at the front."

Perry frowned. Zippy had a poster on his wall depicting a woman that looked very familiar.

Where had Perry seen her before?

Zippy was standing up on his bed. "Mother never liked me. She only liked Drago. The only times she liked me were the times I baked her rice puddings. YOU ONLY LIKED MY RICE PUDDINGS, MOTHER!"

"I think you're swell." Said a small girl with pigtails. "Even when you don't make rice puddings."

"Oh, shut up, Zappy!" Zippy snapped.

"There's a dysfunctional family if I ever saw one." Perry changed the channel again.