And here's where the whole "Phineas and Ferb" aspect of the story comes in.

Chapter 4

The Playdate

"What are you guys doing here?!" Madeline shouted once Marcus was inside the house.

"Terribly sorry, Madeline." Devon apologized. "We didn't mean to cause you all this trouble. We were just tired of living in that cave full-time so we thought…"

"'We'? Who's 'we'?" Cornwall snorted. "This was all his idea! I told him how dumb it was! But did he listen to me? No! Of course not! He never does! It's almost like he can't hear me!"

"Oh, if only!" Devon retorted. "Anyway, I didn't hear you come up with any better ideas!"

"Oh, you want a better idea? Here's one: go soak your head!"

"Well, I never!"

"This is no time for arguing!" Madeline intervened. "We've gotta hide you two before my mom comes outside! C'mon!"

The eight-year-old started to push the purple beast to a shed in the backyard.

"Oh my!"

"Hey, watch the scales, kid!"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Porter was doing some dusting around the living room while talking with Mrs. Ramirez on the phone.

"I'm telling you Elena, ever since we watched that film with knights, Marcus hasn't stopped talking about dragons. It's the only thing on his mind now. He even started telling Madeline all these ridiculous stories about how a dragon is going to show up one day and eat her. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he started to believe that dragons really do exist. But thankfully, I don't think we've hit that point yet."

"MOM!" Marcus ran in and tugged on his mother's skirt. "C'mon! You've gotta come out to the backyard! I just saw a dragon!"

Mrs. Porter sighed. "Perhaps I spoke too soon."

"It's outside right now! Hurry up or you'll miss it!"

"Marcus, I'm on the phone. I don't have time for this little game you're playing."

"It's not a game! There really is a dragon! Follow me and I'll show you! C'mon! Please, please, please?"

Mrs. Porter rolled her eyes but finally gave in. "Listen, Elena, I'll call you back. Marcus is having an episode of sorts and I-"

"C'mon, let's go!" Marcus pulled Mrs. Porter by the arm, making her drop her phone.

"Marcus!"

Devon and Cornwall had squeezed themselves through the shed door.

"I say, I didn't know humans had caves of their own."

"Oh great! We left one cave only to end up in another! Brilliant plan!"

Madeline noticed their big tail sticking out, so she slammed the door on it.

"OW!"

"This way! This way!"

Madeline heard Marcus from the back doorway, prompting her to turn around and smile innocently.

"See, Mom? It's right there! I told you there was a dragon!"

Mrs. Porter wasn't amused. "Oh, that's very funny, Marcus. But your sister is not a dragon."

Marcus looked over at Madeline, shocked to find that Devon and Cornwall were gone.

"What?! No! I know Madeline isn't a dragon!"

"Oh, I see. You're just pretending she's one, right?"

"No! There really was a dragon! It was big and purple and it had two heads!"

Devon and Cornwall watched the scene from the shed window.

"Hm. Sounds a lot like the dragon in those stories you tell all the time." Mrs. Porter snarked.

"I mean, I guess it does. But I'm telling you, it's real! Madeline saw it, too! Right, Madeline?"

Madeline looked at the shed and then back at her mom.

"Um…yeah. I see it now, actually. In fact, it's right in front of you, Mom. Say hello, Mr. Two-Headed Dragon." she paused, waiting for a response. "He says he's happy to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, she's so clever!" Devon whispered to Cornwall.

Mrs. Porter chuckled. "Ah, I see what's going on. You kids and your imaginary friends."

"What?! No! It's not imaginary!" Marcus insisted. "I saw it with my own eyes! I swear! You have to believe me!"

"Okay, Marcus, I think we've all had enough of your fairy tales today. Now go upstairs and get changed. We're leaving in a few minutes."

"But Moooommmm!" Marcus whined as he followed his mother back in the house. "The dragon was here! Honest! Come back!"

Madeline heaved a sigh of relief and signaled to Devon and Cornwall it was okay to come out.

"Boy, that was close." Cornwall said.

"It sure was." Madeline agreed. "Now, I'll ask again…why did you two follow me home?! If my mom finds out, I'll be in so much trouble! You need to go home right now!"

"But Madeline, we don't have anywhere to go." Devon explained. "The other dragons banned us from Dragon Country, the cave on the beach doesn't provide us with basic living conditions, and you're the only one from this realm we know. We didn't have a choice."

"So, you thought you could just come live with me? Are you crazy?!"

"Course not." Cornwall answered. "He's just stupid."

"I am not stupid!"

"Yes you are! It was your impulsive thinking that got us here in the first place!"

"I am not!"

"Are so!"

"Would you stop with the bickering already?!" Madeline demanded and then took a breath to calm herself. "Look, you guys were really nice to me and I don't want you to have to live in a cave forever. But how are we supposed to make you living here work? You can't just keep hiding in the shed. My mom is bound to find out about you eventually, especially if Marcus decides to tattle again. And what's gonna happen if I'm not around to hide you? Like you said, you can't even fly!"

"That's just it, Madeline," Devon said. "The other dragons said we could move back to Dragon Country if we learned how to fly and breathe fire like a real dragon. We would only need to stay until we can get the hang of both. It shouldn't take more than a few days, a week at most."

"Yeah, right!" Cornwall scoffed. "We've been tryin' to get off the ground since we were 200 years old and it's never worked! What makes you think we'll do it in a week?"

"Well…perhaps Madeline could help us."

"Me?" Madeline was surprised. "How can I help you? I can't fly! I don't even have wings!"

"But you do seem to have a bright spirit. That's something we've never come across in our many centuries of living. Maybe that's what we've been missing this whole time: encouragement!"

"Well…I'll admit this, kid," Cornwall confessed. "For someone who hasn't even hit their double-digits, let alone triple, you sure can think fast on your feet. You know what? Maybe this talking wart is right. What do we got to lose anyway?"

"So, will you do it, Madeline? Please?"

Madeline stared at their pleading faces for a moment.

"Well…okay. I guess it's the least I can do since you did save me from Marcus and all. But no more than a week, okay?"

Devon clapped his and Cornwall's hands excitedly.

"Oh goodie! Flying lessons from a human! This should be fun!"

"Whatever." Cornwall shrugged.

That's when Madeline heard her mom calling.

"Madeline! Come inside! CJ's here!"

"Coming!" Madeline called back. "You guys stay put! I'll be right back!"

The young girl gathered up her unicorns and carried them into the house. Mrs. Porter had just answered the door, where Madeline's best friend, CJ, was standing with his mother and teenage sister, Tiffany.

"Elena, so nice to see you!"

"Oh, you too, mija!" Mrs. Ramirez hugged her.

"Hi, Mrs. Porter!" CJ greeted. "Thanks for letting me come over."

"Oh, of course. You know you're always welcome here, CJ. And you too, Tiffany. By the way, thanks for agreeing to watch the kids while I take Marcus to his basketball practice."

Tiffany giggled. "No problem, Mrs. P! I just love kids! I can't get enough of them!"

Marcus came downstairs in his basketball uniform. "Mom, can we go n-" he froze upon seeing Tiffany. "Oh…heh, heh…hi, Tiffany. You look nice. Um, not that you don't normally look that way. I mean, you're always pretty. Uh, pretty great, that is."

"Aww, aren't you just the cutest?" Tiffany patted Marcus's head, making him smile dopily.

"Blech!" Madeline and CJ gagged.

"Well, we'd better get going." Mrs. Porter pushed her enamored son out the door.

"And I'd better get going to my salsa class!" Mrs. Ramirez added.

"Oh. I didn't know you danced." Mrs. Porter replied.

"Oh, I don't. I'm looking to perfect my pico de gallo. Bye, niños! See you soon!"

Tiffany waved to her mom and then shut the door.

"Okay, you two! Who's ready for an afternoon of nonstop fun?" Tiffany held up a board game. "Why don't we start with a nice, relaxing game of Sugartopia?"

Just then, Tiffany heard her cell phone go off.

"Oh! One sec." she answered it. "Hello? OMG, Rachel! How are you? Uh-huh? What? No way! She did not! Tell me more! Uh-huh? You're kidding!"

Madeline and CJ watched as Tiffany laid out on the couch and continued to chat with her friend.

"That is so crazy! What else did she say? Uh-huh? Get out of town!"

CJ shrugged. "Well, looks like she'll be occupied for a while. So, got any new toys we can play with?"

"Well…" Madeline began. "Actually, yeah. Kind of…Um, listen. Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure, I guess. Why?"

Madeline took CJ by the hand. "Just follow me."

Sorry it's short.

I'm gonna start work on my crossover fic sometime next week. Like I said, expect it around Halloween.