Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

William Connors stood on his front porch with a blank expression on his face and watched as his second soon-to-be ex-wife loaded their two children into her car. Christine gave him one last glare as she walked around to the driver's side door, then quickly got in and drove away. He frowned. She was going to her parents' place, she'd said. Don't even bother trying to come after us.

When he thought of their rocky three-year marriage, he couldn't believe she'd had the audacity to do this to him. If anyone had a right to be unhappy, it was him. He'd given up life as a roadie for her, taken her last name, and gotten a pretty good position at her father's studio as a technician. What had all that gotten him? A nagging wife who made unreasonable demands on his free time, and then wasn't as attentive as a good wife should be. He liked playing music with the guys in the garage in the evenings and on the weekends; what was the harm in that? And if there were women who appreciated a good looking guitarist like him at the random gigs they played around the area, who could blame them? It certainly wasn't his fault. It's not like she didn't know he got that kind of attention before they were married.

And then she had the added nerve to say he was constantly comparing her to his first wife and finding her lacking. That was absolute nonsense. Christine was no pop star, and the less William thought of his "other" wife, the better. At the very least, wife number one had simply set him free instead of making plans to tear apart the life he'd built for himself. Christine promised to let everyone know what kind of man he was, that he'd turned out to be. Especially their kids.

William straightened himself to his full height. Let Christine bring on her worst. He'd bounce back; what kind of lasting damage could she do, anyway? He was an attractive, charismatic man. He had valuable skills that were sure to be in demand - he knew he'd be looking for another job soon enough - and a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He'd be fine.

With one last look down the street where his family had disappeared, he ran a hand through his shoulder-length pale blond hair and turned around to go back inside.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Three years later, William knew how bad Christine's worst truly was. She'd been awarded the house and car in the settlement, as well as half of his pension and 401K. He hadn't counted on how popular his ex-wife had been; everyone he knew took her side, no matter how many times he'd tried to tell them the truth. His band had even broken up over the whole mess. The only plus to the situation had been he hadn't been forced to pay alimony. He was paying child support, however, and that on top of the money he was paying for his first two children was straining the coffers, even with the good salary the latest sound technician gig he'd picked up paid him.

Apparently at least half of that burden was no longer going to be an issue if what the letter William received from Christine's lawyer said was true. He was being asked to give up his parental rights to his youngest children. She was citing abandonment, considering he hadn't even made an attempt to see Kendra and Elliott since she'd left him. Great. Like he could have seen them. She never would have allowed it. And she'd told him not to bother trying to come after them. Now he was paying the price for it.

Whatever. If that's what she wanted, to break the last connection between them, so be it. She could raise the brats on her own and see what that got her. He'd move on to the next deserving woman who would be honored to get his attention, and he'd be just fine.

He ignored the ache in his heart his signature on the TPR papers caused two months later.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Over the next couple of years, William found himself spending more and more of his free time spying on Kendra and Elliott's activities. He timed his lunch hour to allow him to watch them play on the playground at daycare. He sat unobtrusively in the park near their house and watched them play there once Christine had returned from work. He discovered that Thursday was their family night to eat out, and discretely followed them to the restaurant of the week. With every smile and giggle, his heart broke a little more, though he shoved the feeling aside and let it fester in the dark recesses of his mind.

He couldn't avoid the large crack that happened when he read that Christine was going to marry the boyfriend he'd noticed spending more and more time with her and the kids. He'd burned the newspaper announcement in the sink, then smashed the smoke alarm that had gone off in response. She was even taking his name! How could she? But that was nothing compared to what he found when he searched through the legal announcements hoping to see the new couple's divorce or annulment. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that this new husband of hers was adopting the children. They would no longer be Kendra and Elliott Connors. They would no longer be his in any way whatsoever.

The realization made him so numb he never felt his mind snap.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace Flynn smiled as she hung up the pile of clothes she'd gotten for her sixteenth birthday the day before. It had been another great day, although she didn't think anything would beat what she'd gotten from her brothers last year. What could top having your face carved into a national monument? It didn't matter that there had been a freak lava flow that had wiped out any trace of it; she'd seen it and loved it. And then there was the fact that Jeremy had thought to give her a gift as well…

This year Phineas and Ferb had performed a song they'd written about her - they said they'd been inspired by the song she'd written for their mother the year before - at a neighborhood-wide concert they put together. It had been the culmination of a multi-media presentation highlighting her best qualities. They'd even been nice enough to use some pretty good shots of her.

The red-haired teenager laughed to herself. Her birthday celebration had been yet another project in the boys' mission to make every day count during the summer, just like they'd done the summer before. She'd tried so hard to bust them for all their shenanigans, never succeeding - and even helping with a few of them. They'd done it again during the Christmas break. She knew she never would have gotten away with doing the kinds of things they did. It was her jealousy over that fact that had been one of the main motivations for her busting attempts.

As much as the boys had returned to their seize-the-day ways once school was done for the year, Candace hadn't returned to her obsessive habit of trying to bust them. She'd missed their first project while on a hike with Jeremy, Stacy, and Coltrane, getting back just in time to see some kind of building towering over the house. She'd had a momentary urge to call her mother, but then Jeremy had gently taken her hand, making her look at him in surprise. And when he'd kissed her, any thought of her brothers and calling her mom had disappeared like fog in the sun. It helped that the building disappeared just after her mom got home and before she would have seen it. Since then, she just hadn't been able to get up the motivation to continue the crusade more than a handful of times. Their antics still annoyed her to some extent, her jealousy and concern still there, but not enough to truly get her going unless it was over-the-top dangerous.

Once she was finished with her clothes, she checked her clock. She had a full schedule that day. She was supposed to meet Stacy at the Googolplex Mall's food court for lunch and some shopping, spend an hour or so with Jeremy at Danville Park until supper, and then, after eating, go for one last practice drive with her mother before her driver's test the next day. She took a brief look out the window and saw some kind of large device being constructed in the backyard - she'd have been more surprised if she hadn't - then turned away with a controlled sigh and headed out. It was just about time to get her own day started, major irritations aside.

Candace had locked up her bike in the rack outside the main entrance to the mall and gone inside before she realized she was fifteen minutes early; she'd forgotten her alarm clock was set that much ahead because she had such a hard time getting up in the morning. She sighed. After all this time, she figured she'd remember that little fact, but no… Oh, well, she'd just grab a soda, find a good people-watching seat, and wait. It wouldn't be that long.

The redhead was sipping on her root beer, letting her eyes wander around the crowd, when someone standing next to her table attracted her attention. She slowly turned her head to the right, hoping it was Stacy but having a feeling it wasn't. And when she saw the tall, lean blond man at least twenty, twenty-five years older than her smiling down on her, she knew her instincts had been right. "Um, hi," she said slowly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Candace Flynn, right?" he asked in a rough baritone, his smile growing slightly.

"Yes?" Candace answered, stretching out the word, glad she was in a busy public place. Something seemed kind of familiar about this man, but she was still pretty creeped out. How did he know her name?

"You have grown into such a beautiful young lady," he commented, then laughed at her raised eyebrows. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you don't immediately know me." He paused and gazed at her for a long, silent moment. The hair on the back the girl's neck started to rise. "It's Daddy, sweetheart. I'm back, and I'm going to make up for every minute I was gone."

Candace's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying, then took a closer look at him. Suddenly she could see her own rounder cheeks, fuller lips, and rounder eyes in his face, and fuzzy memories from just over eleven years ago came into focus. She somehow knew he wasn't lying, and the knowledge had her emotions immediately in turmoil. "You can't be him," she whispered, using denial to buy the time she needed to sort herself out.

His smiled faltered and his eyes narrowed slightly before he took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Your name is Candace Gertrude Flynn. You just had your sixteenth birthday yesterday. Your mother's name is Linda Flynn, and her parents' names are Clyde and Betty Jo Flynn. I took your mother's name when we got married. You were born with a strawberry-shaped mark to the left of your lower spine that the doctor said would probably fade away as you got older." He stood up a little straighter and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you need anything else?"

Candace was tempted to demand dates and places, anything to keep him talking while she continued to struggle to think. Unfortunately, every word he said just confirmed the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Yes, this was her birth father standing in front of her, why she couldn't say. And her confusion made her angry, which made everything suddenly clear. Her eyes widened again. How dare he? How dare he take off eleven years ago - after not even being around that much in the first place from what she could remember - and then just prance back into her life and expect her to jump for joy and into his arms over the fact?

"No, no, I don't," she said in a low voice, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously as she rose to her feet. If anyone who knew her had seen the change in expression, they would have known the impending explosion was coming from a mile away. "What I really don't understand, though, is why you bothered at all!" Her volume rose as she spoke to end on a shout that had people snapping their heads in her direction. Noticing, Candace moderated the rest of her rant at the now-stunned man. "I will have you know that you broke my heart when you left eleven years ago. It took Mom a long time to convince me that it wasn't my fault. So don't think you can traipse back into my life and play at being 'Daddy' again. I won't be hurt like that again. And even more important, I already have a dad, a real dad. Lawrence Fletcher has been there for me when you couldn't be bothered, accepted me from the very beginning, and couldn't love me any more if he tried. So no matter what happened to guilt trip you into remembering little ol' me, you can just forget it! I don't want you to come anywhere near me ever again, and stay away from the rest of my family, too. All you'd do is hurt them, and I won't have it. Go crawl back into your hole and leave me alone!" Her last demand was once again a shout, but this time she didn't care.

"You… you can't mean that," the blond man whispered, the color leaching from his face, his hands shaking at his sides where his arms had fallen at Candace's first exclamation. "You can't."

"I can and I do! Go away!" She pointed at the exit with dramatic flourish. A little voice in the back of her head said it was probably a bit overdone, but it still served its purpose.

He stared at her for a long moment, staring into her eyes as if looking for the truth behind the glare. He finally seemed to realize she meant what she'd said, and when she repeated her gesture, his shoulders slumped and he began to move in the direction she was pointing. "I never meant to hurt you," he said over his shoulder, pausing for a moment. He continued out of the mall when she didn't respond.

Once he was gone, Candace stared after him in a fury for a long moment, then collapsed into her chair and let her face fall into her hands. Never in a million years did she think that William Flynn would come back into her life after all these years. And that he did it thinking he could just go back to being a doting daddy… She groaned. That hurt more than she would have imagined. He'd obviously never considered that walking away the way he did would hurt her. Her feelings had never even entered his mind. And he definitely hadn't thought about how his reappearance would disrupt the rest of her life. All she knew now was that he had better listen to her and stay away - and that she wasn't saying a thing about this little visit to her mom. It would just hurt her and open up old wounds, and Candace would do anything to keep that from happening. She brought her head up. At least she didn't have to worry about him bothering Phineas. He'd been long gone before her little brother was born, and probably didn't even know he existed. Which was more than fine with her.

"Hey, Candace! Sorry I'm late!" Stacy Hirano flopped into the chair across from Candace, making the redhead jump in surprise. "My mom stopped for gas before dropping me off." Stacy paused. "You look upset. Are your brothers building another annoying project in the backyard?" The Asian girl grinned.

"That's just a given," Candace replied lightly, immediately deciding to not say anything to anyone, even her best friend - or her boyfriend later. No one needed to worry. The dejection on her birth father's face at her rejection should have him slinking back to wherever he came from. "I don't even know what it is," she continued with a roll of her eyes, "but it was pretty big when I looked out the window. They just better not break anything."

Stacy laughed, and the two of them went on with their day. If it took a little more effort on Candace's part to keep it light, only she knew, and by the time she met Jeremy in the park she'd managed to push everything to the back of her mind. She refused to let the man who'd walked away from her hurt her anymore. She had a great family and a great life. Nothing he could do would change that. She wouldn't let him.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

A week later, the Flynn-Fletcher family was sitting around the table eating breakfast.

"So, what are you all planning to do today?" Linda asked her children as they ate their eggs and bacon.

"Stacy finally talked me into going to Little Duffer's," Candace said with a wry twist to her mouth. She still remembered how that new miniature golf course had come to be in her backyard before somehow flying over to land on top of the old rundown one.

"You'll love it," Phineas told her with a smile. "Stacy did."

"But be warned that she is a master of miniature golf," Ferb cautioned.

Linda and Lawrence laughed. "I remember the video you had saved on your phone of her performance," Linda said to Candace. "She was just a hole-in-one machine that day."

Candace grimaced and sighed. "Yeah, she was. Seduced by the coolness," she finished in a low mutter.

Lawrence leaned forward. "And what are you boys doing with your day?" he asked.

"Baljeet invited everyone to the pool for a picnic and swim party," Phineas answered. "It's going to be a blast!"

"When is that?" Linda asked.

"Well, the picnic's at lunch, so we were going to walk down a little before then," Phineas explained. "We figured we'd watch some TV before then."

Linda smiled at him. "That should be fine. You'll be home for dinner, then?"

Both boys nodded. "Definitely," Phineas said. "We wouldn't miss your cooking for the world."

"Oh, that's so nice." She turned to her husband. "And what about you, dear? I'll be over at Vivian's helping her go through some old clothes she found in the attic the other day. She was wondering if we could sell some of them at the antique store."

"It should be interesting to see what she's managed to unearth," Lawrence commented with a small smile. "As for my plans, I was considering beginning another painting. I haven't done one in some time."

"It's good to know you're all going to have fun," Linda declared, finishing up her meal. She stood and took her plate to the dishwasher. "I'm going to go take care of a few things before I go across the street." She smiled and headed upstairs.

Lawrence also stood up and took care of his dishes. "I need to decide where my muse will take me today," he told the children. "You'll be all right?"

The three kids nodded. "We'll be just fine," Phineas said.

"I'm just waiting for Stacy to call so we can get going," Candace added.

"Then I'll see you all for supper." The older man went upstairs.

"Do you want to watch TV with us until you have to go?" Phineas asked Candace as he and Ferb moved to put their dishes in the dishwasher.

Candace glanced at her cell phone then sighed. "Why not? What were you planning on watching?"

Both boys shrugged. "Don't know yet. We were thinking of channel surfing until something caught our eye," Phineas said.

The teenager sighed again. "Good enough." She rose to her feet and put away her plate and silverware while her brothers went into the living room and turned on the television.

Candace ended up spending about forty-five minutes watching a documentary about platypuses ironically enough, considering the family pet lying on the arm of the couch. Perry even seemed interested in the program for the most part. Well, as much as Perry seemed interested in anything, anyway. When Stacy called, it was with a bit of reluctance that she left; she'd actually been enjoying the quiet time with Phineas and Ferb. But they wished her a good time with a smile and a wave (the words only said by Phineas, as usual, but the gestures were from both boys), and she impulsively wished them the same in return. The widening of their smiles was more than worth it.

It turned out that her brothers had designed a very impressive miniature golf course, Candace admitted to herself when she and Stacy finished their game. And Ferb had been right about how good her best friend was at it. Stacy had left her in the dust, but it had been all in fun. The two girls picked up the pictures that were offered of them in their disco outfits and started the walk home.

"I think I looked better the first time," Stacy mused as she examined her picture.

"Oh, you looked as good this time, just different," Candace reassured her.

The Asian girl gave the redhead a wicked grin. "And now you understand how I could be seduced by the coolness."

Candace frowned. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"Is there some reason I shouldn't make you say it?"

"I'm sure I could think of something if you gave me some time."

Stacy's expression became smug. "I knew it. You were seduced by the coolness, too."

Candace blinked at her. "I was not."

"You were, too." She pointed at the redhead's picture, specifically at the wide smile to be seen there. "That is the expression of someone fully immersed in the coolness, and enjoying themselves hugely."

"Okay, fine," Candace said reluctantly when she realized there was no denying it. "I had fun."

"You had a blast," Stacy corrected. "You know it."

Candace rolled her eyes. "I had a lot of fun. You don't have to beat the point into the ground." She gave a wry half-grin. "But I'm not telling Phineas or Ferb that."

The two of them laughed and continued on their way.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

By the time Candace got home, she could hear her mother in the kitchen making supper as she talked to her father. She found them there, Linda at the stove and Lawrence leaning against the peninsula drinking coffee from his favorite mug. The teenager couldn't help but smile at the familiar sight.

"Oh, hi, Candace," Linda greeted her a moment later. "Did you and Stacy have fun at Little Duffer's?"

"Actually we did," Candace said, then paused and looked around. "Um, are Phineas and Ferb here?" She looked around with a touch of paranoia. She hadn't wanted to admit that to them quite yet.

"No, they're not, and that's starting to make me worried," Linda said with a small frown. "Since they said they'd be here for dinner I'd expect them to be home by now."

"Oh, darling, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Lawrence reassured his wife. "The boys probably lost track of time with their friends, that's all." His voice was gentle, but there was something in his eyes that belied the statement. He knew as well as the girls did that Phineas and Ferb were very rarely late and were quite reliable for their age.

Linda shook her head and turned over the pork chops she was frying. "If they're not back by the time I'm finished, I'll give Vivian a call and see if Isabella knows what happened to them. I'm sure there's a logical explanation."

Candace bit her lower lip for a second. She felt the same concern her parents did, with a little something extra she couldn't quite put her finger on. "I'm going to go sit on the steps outside," she said softly. "Maybe I'll be able to see them coming down the street."

Lawrence smiled at her. "That would be wonderful. I'll come get you when your mother's finished with supper."

Candace gave him a smile and headed out the front door, seating herself on the edge of the concrete landing. She sighed and rested her elbows on her knees, then dropped her chin into her hands. "I do not have a good feeling about this," she muttered to herself, her gaze directed down the street toward the neighborhood pool. A chattering sound to her left had her looking down toward her feet. "Oh, there you are, Perry," she said to the platypus standing there. She shifted her cheek to her right hand and reached down with the left to pet him. "At least you made it home." She looked back down the sidewalk and missed the flash of surprise in the animal's eyes.

Five minutes later, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro ran over from across the street, her brows furrowed together in apparent concern. "Hey, Candace. Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh, hi, Isabella. I'm just out here waiting for Phineas and Ferb to get home. What happened at Baljeet's party?"

"You mean they're not here?" the younger girl asked in surprise. "We all thought something had come up at home when they didn't show up at the pool."

"What?" Candace barked, sitting up completely straight. "They weren't at the pool?"

"No, they never came. That's why I came over when I saw you sitting out here. I thought you could tell me what happened." Fear tinged the black-haired girl's voice and widened her eyes.

Candace jumped to her feet. "Come on, we have to tell my mom and dad!" She rushed back into the house, Isabella and Perry right on her heels. "Mom, Mom! Phineas and Ferb never made it to the pool party!" she cried as she ran into the kitchen.

Linda jerked her head to the side at the shout, pulling the frying pan off the hot burner as she did so. "What do you mean?"

"It's true, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher," Isabella confirmed. "Phineas and Ferb never came to the party. We all figured something had come up here. You really don't know where they are?"

"No," Linda whispered.

"Now, now, darling, there's still no reason to think something's happened to them," Lawrence said in a calming tone that shook slightly.

The red-headed woman took a deep breath and released it. "You're right, Lawrence. The fact that they're not here doesn't have to automatically mean that something bad happened." She glanced at the clock. "They're not even late, really. I started dinner early."

Isabella and Candace shared a look. "But where could they be?" the younger girl asked.

Lawrence looked at her. "You're sure they didn't come up with one of their little plans today? I know they called up to me that they were leaving for the pool, but still…"

"Not that I know of," Isabella answered. "And they wouldn't want to let Baljeet down like that. He'd been planning his party for a couple of weeks in celebration of finishing his summer science camp."

"She's right," Candace reluctantly confirmed. "The party's all Phineas could talk about for the last couple of days. He and Ferb were really looking forward to it. I even told him to quit bringing it up so much."

"I remember that," Linda said, then sighed. "This is totally out of character for them, but I'm not sure there's anything we can do until they've been gone for at least twenty-four hours. Were all the rest of their friends at the party?"

Isabella nodded. "Baljeet, Buford, Django, the other Fireside Girls… Even Irving was there, and he wasn't even invited."

Linda sighed again. "Then I don't think it'll do any good to call their houses. I guess all we can do is wait."

"I don't understand what could have happened," Lawrence mused. "Today was a day like any other. Nothing's happened recently that would make it different."

Candace froze where she stood, her eyes widening in horror. Something had happened recently. She just never thought it would lead to anything like this. "Um, Mom…" she began, not knowing how she was going to say what needed to be said.

Linda looked at her, her eyes narrowing at the tentative tone. "What is it, Candace? Is there something you haven't told us?"

"Well, yes, but not like you're thinking," the teenager said quickly. She took a deep breath. "Last week, the day after my birthday, I was at the mall to meet Stacy for lunch. I got there early, so I was sitting at a table doing some people watching."

"You forgot your alarm clock is set fifteen minutes ahead again, didn't you?" Linda asked, her smile smaller than it normally would have been due to her confusion about where her daughter was taking the conversation.

Candace waved the question off. "Yeah, but that's not the point. While I was sitting there, my father came up to me and told me he was back and wanted to make up for all the time he's been gone. After eleven years, he actually came back!" Her jumble of emotions over the whole situation made her snippier than she wanted to be, but she just couldn't help it.

All the color drained out of Linda's face while Lawrence straightened to his full height as his jaw dropped. "Bill? Bill came back?" the shaking woman whispered, a hand coming up to her mouth.

Candace mentally cringed. She'd known the knowledge would hurt her mother. "So he told me. Then I told him to just go away and leave me alone, to leave all of us alone. He couldn't just show up out of nowhere after eleven years and just expect me to be jumping for joy over it."

"Of course not," Linda whispered. Then she shook herself. "But that doesn't mean he has anything to do with Phineas and Ferb being missing. He was always self-absorbed, yes, but not crazy enough to… to… kidnap children. What would be the point?"

"I don't know," Candace admitted. "But he seemed kind of angry for a minute when I denied his claim of being my father at first. And then he was really disappointed and hurt when I told him to go away. He never mentioned Phineas, so I didn't think he even knew about him, but maybe…" She shrugged helplessly as her sentence trailed off, realizing how far-fetched what she was saying was.

But that's not what Linda was thinking. "No, he knew about Phineas. I told him I was pregnant before the divorce was final, and let him know when the baby was born so he'd understand why his child support payments increased when they did. But it's weird that he's taking such an interest in either one of you to be honest. As soon as I told him to leave he never even asked about you, much less about visitation, not even once." Her brows furrowed. "It never stopped him from sending the payments, but it's always bothered me."

Lawrence stepped closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "I know, darling." She smiled up at him.

"Child support payments?" Candace asked, momentarily distracted from the matter at hand. "He sends child support payments? For both of us?"

"Where do you think your personal accounts come from?" Linda told her. "We don't make enough money to fund those and pay for everything else around here."

"Oh." Candace blinked. She really hadn't thought about it before, but she was always grateful for the money that allowed her to keep up with the latest fashions and assured that she could go to any college she wanted. "Does Phineas know?"

Linda shrugged. "I doubt it. He's never asked where the money in his account comes from either."

Isabella cleared her throat politely. "Um, what happened to your first husband after you got divorced, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher? If you don't mind me asking," she added quickly.

"I heard he got married soon after I did," Linda replied. "Aside from that I really haven't heard much of anything about him, except that he's working as a sound engineer for a record company." She looked at Lawrence. "Maybe we should do a little digging," she suggested.

"Perhaps we should leave that to the police," he retorted. "I think we should call them now instead of waiting."

"I think you're right," Linda agreed, heading for the phone in the living room. "Bill's reappearance has me spooked, and if he has anything to do with Phineas and Ferb being missing…" The dark tone and expression she used finished her statement for her, and it didn't bode well for her ex-husband.

Isabella brightened a bit once the older woman had left the room. "Have any of you called Phineas' cell phone? Or Ferb's? Maybe we can get a hold of them that way."

Candace and Lawrence shared a look, and it was only through a sheer act of will that neither of them smacked their foreheads with the palms of their hands. Candace had her own cell phone out in a flash. "Of course we didn't think of it," she muttered as she hit the speed dial for her brother's number. "It's a simple solution."

The three people in the kitchen straightened when they heard the distant echo of a phone ringing from upstairs on both attempts. They all sighed, realizing that once again the boys had forgotten their phones on their nightstands. "That figures," Candace groused, ending the second call before it was sent to voicemail.

"It was a good thought, though, Isabella," Lawrence told the deflated girl. "They don't always forget."

"No, no, they don't," she agreed half-heartedly. "I wish I would have thought of calling the house when we first thought of how odd it was that they hadn't arrived." She dropped her gaze to the carpet and clasped her hands together over her stomach guiltily.

Candace was feeling her own measure of the gut-twisting emotion. "And I wish I would have said something about… him… coming to see me at the mall right after it happened. I just didn't want to hurt Mom."

Lawrence sighed. "Oh, girls, neither one of you is to blame here. I don't see how doing either of those things would have stopped this from happening, presuming it is Linda's ex-husband who's responsible. You can't let yourselves become overwhelmed by guilt; you won't be able to help find the boys that way." He put an arm around Candace's shoulders and laid a gentle hand on Isabella's.

Candace merely let her head fall on Lawrence's shoulder while Isabella looked up at him gratefully. "It's so nice of you to say that, Mr. Fletcher, especially with Ferb being missing as well as Phineas," the younger girl said.

"Phineas is as much my son as Ferb is," Lawrence declared. He gave Candace's shoulders a squeeze. "And Candace is just as much my daughter. Whoever said blood is thicker than water didn't understand how love really works."

"They're sending over a detective to take statements," Linda said as she reentered the kitchen. "Isabella, I'll call your mom and let her know what's going on. I think they're going to want a statement from you as well."

The black-haired girl nodded her agreement. "Of course, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher. Anything I can do to help."

Linda gave her a grateful smile. "And as soon as I do that, we should eat. We need to keep our strength up." She once again walked out of the room.

The detective arrived a short time after the four of them finished eating what they could, and he chose to interview the girls first. He listened carefully and took detailed notes, asking carefully-worded questions when he needed more information and thanking them when he had everything he needed from them. Then he suggested they might want to let him talk to Linda and Lawrence alone.

"I should be going home," Isabella said. "It's getting late and I don't want my mom to worry."

"Go with her," Linda whispered as she quickly pulled Candace aside. "At least watch her until she gets inside her house." Candace nodded and escorted their guest out.

The two girls stepped outside and Candace closed the door behind them. Then they both took a deep breath and released it slowly. Isabella glanced at the older girl. "I'm kind of scared," she admitted softly.

Candace gave her a small, shaky smile. "You're not the only one."

"You're not mad at me, are you? For not checking sooner when I knew they were late?"

"No way," the redhead reassured her. "You thought they had a good reason for not showing up when they said they'd be there, knowing it would take something like that for them to miss that party. Besides, even if you had called, it wouldn't have changed anything, not really. The police might have been called in sooner, but the boys would still be missing."

Isabella smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Candace. That means a lot."

Candace's smile faltered. "And I… I hope… I mean, I guess I'm hoping that you aren't mad at me, either. For not saying anything about my birth father showing up at the mall last week, I mean." She shrugged. "It's hard for me not to be mad at myself."

Isabella shook her head. "I'm not mad at you, Candace. You didn't have any reason to think he'd do anything like this, and you knew saying something would just hurt your family. And that's on top of thinking you'd handled it when you told him to leave you alone." She reached out and laid a hand on the other girl's upper arm. "I don't think it would have made a difference, really. Just knowing he was around wouldn't have made anyone think he was going to take Phineas and Ferb."

The two girls shared a long look, then hugged each other tight.

"Wait a minute," Candace said as they drew apart, suddenly straightening to her full height. "I just thought of something. What if Mitch got away from Meap and decided to get revenge? What if that's what's going on here?"

"Oh my gosh!" Isabella gasped, her eyes widening dramatically. "I never thought of that. Do you think we should tell them?" She pointed at the closed front door.

Candace shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied immediately. "I almost called Mom to tell her after you three got taken to Mitch's ship, but when I ran it by Meap I realized just how crazy I sounded. We wouldn't sound any more sane now."

Isabella reluctantly nodded. "I guess you're right. All we can do, then, is watch out for each other in case Mitch comes back for us. If he wants revenge, he's going to want it against all four of us."

"Just what I need," Candace muttered with a roll of her eyes. "I still think my birth father doing something stupid is a better explanation, though. But you're right. We should keep an eye on each other just in case."

"Then I'll stop over tomorrow and see how everyone's doing and if you've heard anything new. I'll see you then. Bye!" She gave Candace a little smile and jogged off across the street to her house.

Candace watched her go and waited until she saw the younger girl close the door behind herself, then went back inside. She just knew this was not going to be a good night.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

When Phineas Flynn's eyes fluttered open, he found himself lying on a small bed and staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. His head was pounding, and his vision was a bit fuzzy. And he could still smell something that was sickly sweet…

"Phineas?" a voice asked when the young redhead brought a hand up to rub his forehead. "Are you all right?"

"Ferb?" Phineas asked, suddenly recognizing his brother's voice. He turned his head in the direction the sound had come from and saw the other boy sitting on the edge of a bed staring at him with deep concern. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Ferb replied, relaxing slightly. "The last thing I remember we were walking to the pool."

Phineas dropped his arm back to his side. "Yeah, that's the last thing I remember, too." Suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh, no, Baljeet's party! We must have totally missed it! Man, he's gonna be so disappointed that we didn't make it." He cringed and laid a hand on his stomach. "Wow, I really don't feel so good. What about you, Ferb?" The other boy shrugged and folded his arms over his own stomach. "Then you should lay back down."

Ferb did so, his short green hair splaying out on the pillow. "Mother and Father are going to miss us for supper," he commented.

Phineas cringed again, this time for a totally different reason. "You're right; we promised we'd be home for that. They're going to be really worried." He frowned and checked his pockets. "Did you remember your cell phone? I left mine at home." Ferb merely lifted his hands and spread them out for a moment. "Yeah, we really gotta work on doing a better job of keeping them with us. Any guesses as to where we are or why we were brought here?"

Ferb just shook his head and sighed.

"And I have to wonder who brought us here." Phineas narrowed his eyes slightly as he noticed something. "Hey, Ferb, there's something on your face on either side of your mouth. What is it?"

Ferb brought a hand up and lightly touched the skin to the right of his mouth, shrugged, and pointed at his brother.

Phineas blinked and touched the corner of his own mouth. "I have a mark, too? I wonder what caused it. I mean, we washed up after breakfast and we never had lunch." He sighed. "It's kind of hard to think with this headache, and for some reason there's a lingering smell in my nose that's almost sickeningly sweet. You have that going on with you, too?"

"It's starting to sound like the effects of chloroform," Ferb said as he nodded.

"What do you…" Phineas broke off his sentence with a gasp. "I think I remember something about a cloth over my face, and this smell being on it." His gaze refocused on the intense one Ferb was aiming in his direction. "Something really bad is going on here, Ferb. I think we might be in a little bit of trouble."

Chapter Text

The two boys spent an hour lying on the beds, looking around at the small, windowless room they had awakened in. The beds were in each of the two far corners from the single door, with maybe the width of a bed between them and between the ends of the beds and the wall with the door. It was lit by a single, simple fixture in the center of the ceiling, and there was nothing decorative on the grey concrete block walls that they could see from their positions. There was nothing either of them could see that could be used to break out, even if they'd been feeling all right. As it was, with nothing to see or do, and not a lot to talk about, they eventually drifted back to sleep.

The boys woke up at seven the next morning when the sound of a door closing reached them. They were surprised to see an older blond man standing at the foot of Phineas' bed holding a tray loaded with food. He spared Ferb the briefest of glances then smiled at the shorter redhead. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead," he said gently.

Phineas blinked and shot a look at Ferb as he sat up and pushed himself back to sit against the back wall. "Um, yeah," he said slowly, not recognizing the man in the least.

"I brought you some breakfast," the man told him, setting the tray down on the end of the bed. There was a plate with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon, another smaller plate with two pieces of buttered toast, and two glasses, one of milk and the other of orange juice.

"Uh, thanks?" Phineas couldn't help but share another look with his brother.

"I'm sure you've got quite an appetite, so if that's not enough let me know. I don't mind whipping up some more food." The man sighed when Phineas didn't say anything. "I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't recognize me; I'm sure your mother never mentioned me to you, much less showed you pictures. And I know I have a lot of time to make up for, something I have every intention of doing." He paused when Phineas' eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm your father, Phineas, William Flynn, and I'm finally back to have the relationship with you we should have had all along."

Phineas swallowed and shared yet another silent look with Ferb, whose expression had turned somewhat wary. He licked his lips as he returned his gaze to William. "All right," he said noncommittally.

William nodded and smiled. "I'll let you eat breakfast before it gets cold, and we'll go somewhere for a nice long talk when you're finished." He turned around and left, and the sound of the door locking echoed through the room soon after.

Phineas crawled forward and looked at the tray, then over at Ferb. "This just got really weird."

"Do you believe he's telling the truth?" Ferb asked him.

"Well, it would explain why he brought us here, and I think a few facial features look like ones Candace and I have. I guess we can find out more when we talk to him later."

Ferb shook his head. "I don't think I'll be going with you when he comes back," he commented.

Phineas just looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? Don't you want to come with us?"

"That's not the problem. I don't believe that man wishes to speak with me, only you. When he came in, he looked at me once then dismissed me. And none of his statements were aimed in my direction." Ferb raised his eyebrows and waited for his brother to understand.

"I don't know about that," Phineas protested. "Why would he take both of us and then ignore you?"

"We do spend a lot of time together," Ferb replied. "Perhaps he found no opportune moment to take you when you were alone."

Phineas nodded in concession of the point. "Well, I could see that. But still…"

Ferb pointed at the tray of food. "There's only enough food there for one person."

The redhead looked for himself. "No way, there's definitely enough there for both of us. Just look at those piles of eggs, bacon, and hash browns. And there are two pieces of toast."

"And only one glass each of milk and orange juice," Ferb added simply.

Phineas looked again, and his shoulders slumped. "And only one fork and spoon." He sighed. "I was hoping it wasn't that bad, that he wouldn't do that. Of course, the fact that he kidnapped us and locked us in a windowless room doesn't exactly suggest the best kind of person to begin with." He met his brother's gaze. "He couldn't have always been like this. Mom never would have married him and stayed with him for as long as she must have if he was really a bad person. Something must have happened to him to make him like this. Maybe I can find out when I talk to him." Ferb nodded his agreement with the statements. "Once we have an idea of why he's doing this, we should be able to figure out a way out of here. Everybody's got to be worried sick by now." He smiled. "But for now, let's eat. If we're still hungry, I'll ask for more. You won't have to worry about getting enough while we're stuck here."

Ferb gave his brother a grateful smile, then joined him on his bed. The two ate, hoping they'd end up with more answers than they'd started the day with when the time came for Phineas to talk with their captor.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry the platypus lay curled up on Candace's bed next to the sleeping girl as the sun rose the morning after the boys had disappeared. He'd listened carefully as the rest of the family and Isabella had given their statements to the detective the night before and just knew Linda's ex-husband was the source of the problem. He really hoped he could take care of Doofenshmirtz's evil plan quickly that day so he could do something to help with the search afterward. He had to do something; he loved the boys too much not to. Maybe there was even a way the O.W.C.A. could help…

Before he could take that thought any further, Candace started moaning as she rolled back and forth in the bed. Apparently she was in the midst of a nightmare. Perry couldn't blame her; he'd had one of his own earlier that night but had managed to get back to sleep. But he didn't want to see the girl suffer. He might not have been as close to her as he was to the boys, but she was still part of his family.

The blue platypus moved onto Candace's chest and started to chatter. It took a couple of tries, but suddenly the teenager gasped as her eyes flew open. Perry waited to be dumped on the floor - she usually tended to grab him and take him to where the boys were, holding him at arm's length until she had deposited him with them, but would make quicker work of him when she knew they weren't available. So he was surprised when she sat up and took him into her arms, burying her face in his fur.

"Oh, Perry," she sobbed, the words muffled. "I'm so scared!"

Perry chattered again, wishing not for the first time that he could use human speech. He gave her neck a little rub with the top of his head and hoped she'd find it as comforting as he found her embrace.

"How could he do this? Why would he do this?" she asked with another squeeze. "I just wish I knew what he wanted with them." She took a deep breath and released it, getting her crying under control and turning her face so her cheek was lying against Perry's soft fur. "Maybe I should have talked to him more, asked him some more questions," she mused a touch mournfully.

Perry knew that wouldn't have changed anything, but as the only person in the family who had known this William Flynn was back in town it was natural Candace would be feeling her share of guilt. No matter how frustrated they made her, she loved her brothers very much. That Perry had never doubted.

Candace sighed. "I guess it really wouldn't have made a difference, but I'd feel like I had more to offer right now," she refuted herself. She sat up and held Perry at arm's length. "Thanks, Perry," she told him with a tiny smile. "I needed that."

He chattered again, and was pleased to see that she seemed to understand it was his way of telling her it had been no problem whatsoever. He'd stick with her as long as he could this morning, keep her company. Seeing how much Candace was hurting made him even angrier - and that much more determined to see this kidnapper brought to justice after the boys were returned home unharmed. The man didn't want to know what would happen if the boys were actually harmed…

It wasn't long before Candace had taken care of her usual morning ritual and scooped up Perry to head downstairs. They found Linda sitting alone at the kitchen table, staring into space as she drank her coffee. There was a sorrow in her eyes that she masked as soon as she realized she had company.

"Oh, good morning, Candace," she greeted her daughter. "Did you sleep at all?"

"A little," Candace admitted. "But it wasn't the most restful night I've ever had."

Linda smiled at her. "I think I'd be more surprised if it had." She rose to her feet. "Go ahead and sit down, sweetheart. I'll make you something to eat."

Candace grimaced as she gently placed Perry on the floor. "I'm not sure I can eat anything."

The older woman went into the refrigerator and pulled out the carton of orange juice. "You have to try, dear," she said as she went to the cupboard for a glass. "It won't do the boys any good if you get sick." She filled the glass and brought it over to the table, then started preparing breakfast.

Perry stuck close to Candace's feet as she sighed and sipped at the juice. Things just weren't the same without Phineas and Ferb around. He missed them terribly, and he knew it was worse for the rest of the family.

Lawrence came down just before Linda finished making the meal. Perry was happy to see him give Candace then Linda a warm hug, his wife getting an extra kiss on her forehead. "Are you going to call your parents today then?" the man asked as he stepped back to allow Linda to get everything put together to take to the table.

"I'll call them in a little while," Linda said once she sat down with the other two. "They like to get up a little later when they don't have anyone staying with them."

"Are you going to call Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher?" Candace asked.

"I will after we've finished eating," Lawrence confirmed with a nod.

As they continued their meal, Perry was satisfied that they were pulling together well, and so felt comfortable enough to sneak off for his scheduled meeting with Major Monogram. With one last fond look at his family, he was off.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace somehow managed to finish her breakfast, grateful her mother had insisted she eat when she realized her stomach had settled down once it was full. The two ladies chatted as they cleaned up, Lawrence having gone upstairs to his craft room in the attic to call his parents, giving each other unspoken comfort. She made one last check of the table to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything and noticed something. "Hey, where's Perry?" she asked.

Linda looked up from wiping down the stovetop. "I have no idea. I guess the boys not being here affected him more than we realized, since he usually doesn't disappear until later in the day." She smiled. "I think he'll be okay. Why don't you help me with the laundry? I have a load in the dryer I forgot to bring in last night."

"Sure, Mom," the teenager agreed.

Once they'd folded the clothes from the dryer and Linda had started sorting the remaining laundry for another load, Candace took the basket inside to put everything away. She had to fight back tears when she put the boys' things in their room, and made a promise to herself that she'd let it all out later when she knew there wouldn't be as much of a chance of being overheard. She wasn't going to hurt either of her parents more than they already were.

The last thing the teenage girl had to take care of was a small pile of old towels her dad used in his crafts room. She silently slipped up the stairs to the attic, then paused just outside the door when she heard Lawrence's voice on the other side.

"I know, Mum, I'm trying. I just have to keep it together for Linda and Candace. Of course, they're devastated."

Candace blinked. Like he wasn't? She knew how much it was hurting him that his son was missing - both sons.

"I suppose I can take some comfort that they're together. The boys are quite a team."

He had that right. Phineas and Ferb just completed each other in a way that was almost spooky. In fact, there were times when Candace felt like an outsider around them. She knew they loved her, but still…

"Yes, Linda's first husband, Candace and Phineas' father. We don't know what he wants with them, just that he spoke with Candace the day after her birthday." She heard him sigh. "She must have been so shocked to see him, to know that her father finally wanted to reach out and connect with her after so long. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a small part of her that wishes for that connection. I can't blame her."

Tears welled up in Candace's eyes at the dejected tone the man used to talk about her. What was he talking about? Why would he think she would want… Realization set in suddenly. She hadn't told her parents exactly what she'd told William Flynn, just that she'd told him to go away. She had to fix this, make him understand…

"You really don't have to. I just wanted you to know…" Candace found herself almost holding her breath as she waited for him to finish his sentence. What were her grandparents saying? "Oh, all right then, if you insist. Call me when you have all the details and I'll meet you. I love you, too. Goodbye." She heard him hang up the phone and sigh loudly.

Her heart went out to the man behind the door. That was the man she considered her father, no matter that there wasn't a biological connection. Not even after William Flynn showed up out of the blue did that change in the slightest.

"Hey, Dad?" Candace said tentatively as she opened the door and poked her head in. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Oh, Candace!" Lawrence said, startled, as he brought his head up sharply from where it had been resting on the arms he had crossed on his desk. "No, no, of course you're not interrupting. I just finished speaking with my mother." He managed a small smile. "Apparently she and my father are determined to fly over to be here now that they know what's going on with the boys."

"Good. I'm glad they're coming," Candace said, meaning it wholeheartedly. She brought the towels she was carrying over to the desk and set them down. "But there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

Lawrence reached out and gently took her hand. "Anything," he said simply.

Candace smiled. "There's something I forgot to tell you about what I said to Mom's first husband." She was determined to not call William Flynn her father ever again, not even with the biological qualifier.

"You don't have to tell me everything," Lawrence said quickly, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I do have to tell you this. I want to make sure you understand." Candace returned the squeeze. "I told him that I already have a dad, someone who accepted me from the beginning, who was there for me when it counted, and who loved me like I was his own." Her eyes teared up again as she spoke, especially when she saw that Lawrence had been flabbergasted into silence. "You're my dad. The only connection I have with William Flynn is biological, and I wish I didn't have that. It never crossed my mind to want anything from him; I have everything I could ever want from a dad right here." She sprang forward and wrapped her arms around Lawrence's neck, satisfied when she felt him tightly return the embrace. "I love you, Dad. I always will."

"Oh, sweetheart," Lawrence murmured next to her ear, his voice shaky. "I love you, too, so very much. But I never would have blamed you for wanting something from him."

Candace gave a little laugh. "And that's exactly why I don't need anything from him."

The sound of a throat being cleared had them pulling apart and looking toward the open doorway. Linda stood there smiling at them. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

Lawrence returned the expression then reached over and gave Candace's hand another squeeze. "Everything is just fine," he said decisively. "And my parents are coming on the first flight they can catch apparently. They're going to call and let me know the details so I can pick them up at the airport."

Linda nodded. "I called my parents while you were talking to yours, and they told me they were jumping in the car as soon as they got off the phone with me. So they should be here in a couple of hours."

"Looks like we're going to have a full house," Lawrence commented. "I'll get this room ready if you'll take care of the guest room."

"I'll do it," Candace offered, wanting to do something to distract her from her returning dark thoughts.

"No, I'll do it," Linda said. "You should go downstairs and talk with Isabella. She got here just as I finished my phone call and asked about you." She smiled. "She's waiting in the living room."

Candace blinked. "Oh. All right. I guess I'll be downstairs then." Her parents gave her approving smiles and she left to join her guest.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Major Monogram's image loomed large on the monitor in Perry's secret lair when the platypus entered from his usual elevator wearing his fedora and made his way over to his padded chair. "Ah, good morning, Agent P," the major greeted him. "Doofenshmirtz appears to be up to his old tricks. We've received reports that he's been buying all sorts of used computers from garage sales all over the city and doing research on virtual realties and computer programming . He's also rented Tron and the three Matrix movies." The white-haired man rolled his eyes. "I don't know why they couldn't have just made the first movie and left it at that. The two sequels just totally confused the issue."

"I don't know, sir," Carl, the intern, said from off-camera. "I thought it was a thought-provoking commentary on modern society and the trend toward…"

"Quiet, Carl," Monogram interrupted him, scowling. He looked back toward Perry and cleared his throat. "Anyway, to make things worse, once again everything Doofenshmirtz has checked out is days overdue. Get out there, find out what he's up to, and put a stop to it."

Perry saluted, then hesitated. He wanted to see what the organization could do to help find Phineas and Ferb, but wondered if he should ask now or after he'd taken care of Doctor Doofenshmirtz's latest evil scheme.

"Agent P?" Monogram asked, confused by the unusual hesitation. "Is there something wrong?"

The question made Perry's mind up for him. He pulled out a picture of the boys and held it out.

"Your owners?" The major was even more confused. "Did something happen to them?" His eyes widened in surprise when Perry nodded, and he looked to his left. "Carl, see what you can find out about recent activity relating to Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher."

"I'm already on it, sir."

Monogram returned his attention to his top agent. "Don't worry, Agent P. We'll have answers for you as soon as possible. Now go stop Doofenshmirtz."

This time Perry saluted and hurried off.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

It didn't take long for Perry to make his way to the top of the Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated building, where the evil scientist tended to launch his plans. He crashed through a window to find Doofenshmirtz standing in the midst of a massive array of computers of all shapes and sizes. Some of them were pretty old as well. What in the world did he think he was doing this time?

Perry leapt forward and landed in a fighting stance, then inwardly cringed when he felt a small panel sink beneath one of his feet and heard a soft click to go with it. When he found himself inside a platypus-sized glass jar topped by a lid with holes poked in it, he gave a sigh and glared at the now-gleefully smiling doctor.

"So, you've discovered my collector jar trap, Perry the Platypus!" Doofenshmirtz gloated. "I got the idea from my old neighbor Kenny. He used to collect fireflies in jars just like that. They always died, though, because he forgot to make holes in the lid, but you'll notice I didn't forget."

Perry just gave him a half-lidded look.

"Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering what I could be doing with all these computers that I picked up from garage sales all over the city." The brown-haired man gestured grandly to the devices that filled the space behind him. "I got the idea from a T-shirt I saw that talked about being my world and you're just living in it. I thought, what a wonderful idea, creating my own world for everyone else to live in! I could make all the rules, and everyone would have to obey them!"

Unseen by the raving doctor, Perry rolled his eyes. Typical. But there wasn't a long and involved tragic backstory to listen to, that was a plus.

"But how would I make this new world, you may ask yourself," Doofenshmirtz continued. "I asked myself the same question. And then it came to me: virtual reality. I would create a computer-generated world and suck everyone into it, where they would have to start playing by my rules! And so…" He walked over to a huge covered lump on the other side of the room that Perry hadn't noticed before. "Witness the Welcome-To-My-World-Inator!" With a triumphant, evil cackle, the man yanked the tarp away with an overly-dramatic flourish to reveal a giant laser that the wires from all the computers led to.

Doofenshmirtz smiled even wider when he saw Perry narrow his eyes in concern. "Yes, Perry the Platypus, tremble in fear. For when I activate this laser, it will form a giant dome around the entire Tri-State Area, and everyone inside will find themselves living in a world of my creation!" He laughed evilly.

A few seconds later his laughter trailed off, and a sheepish look transformed his features. "Although I haven't really finished creating that world yet," he said with a slightly embarrassed shrug as he walked back over to one of the computer consoles. "There are still some bugs I'm trying to work out, and the program's not entirely stable quite yet. But I'm working on it, and it won't be long before I'm ready to go, I'm sure. You just wait." He started to hit keys on the keyboard. "Now where was I…" he murmured, squinting as he scanned the page of computer language that was on his monitor.

Perry sighed. This figured. At least he had some time to figure out how to get out of this trap…

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace and Isabella greeted each other with a hug when the older girl came downstairs. "How is everyone?" the black-haired girl asked once they both sat down on the couch.

Candace shrugged. "We're doing all right, all things considered. I'm not sure everything has set in yet, though, and the longer this goes on, the worse it's going to be."

"Yeah," Isabella agreed sadly. "It feels weird to come over here and not ask Phineas 'whatcha doin'?' like I usually do."

"Yeah."

Both girls sighed.

"Well, I called Baljeet and Buford and told them what was going on," Isabella said after a moment of silence. "I have a feeling they're both going to end up coming over to make sure you guys are okay."

"Oh, wow, I totally forgot!" Candace exclaimed, eyes widening. "I was supposed to go over to Jeremy's with Stacy and Jenny to watch his band rehearse this afternoon!"

"You could still go," the other girl told her. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind."

Candace shook her head. "No way. Even if they'd know where I was I know they'd worry, and that's the last thing I want." She pulled out her cell phone. "I'll just call Jeremy and tell him I can't make it. Once I explain why I know he'll understand." She hit a number on speed dial and waited for her boyfriend to pick up.

It didn't take long. "Hey, Candace," Jeremy's voice greeted her. "What's up? You know, I'm really looking forward to you getting to see the band rehearse. It's been a while."

"Yeah, about that," Candace drew out. The excitement in his voice was going to make this harder than she'd thought it would be. "I… I'm afraid I can't make it today."

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked, worry thick in his tone.

Candace sighed. "My brothers are missing," she explained simply. "And since they're gone I figured I should stay home. You know, keep my parents' stress level down by making sure they know where I am at least. You know what I mean?"

"Sure, I understand," Jeremy said softly. "I don't blame you for wanting to stay home. In fact, why don't I come over and keep you company? You need someone there to support you, too, and I've always liked your brothers."

"But what about your rehearsal?"

"We already had to cut it back an hour because Dustin has a cousin's wedding to go to. I'm sure he won't mind rescheduling. And Coltrane will understand. Don't forget, he's your friend, too."

Candace smiled. She had the best boyfriend ever. "Well, okay. As long as you're sure. It'll be nice to have you here."

"Then I'll see you after I make a couple of phone calls. Bye, Candace."

"Bye." She ended the call and flopped back in her seat with a dreamy sigh. They were so going to get married.

Isabella watched her and couldn't help but smile. "I take it Jeremy's coming over," she said.

Candace sat up abruptly and blinked, startled. "Oh! Yeah, he said he'd cancel his rehearsal and come over to support me." She relaxed again and let her previous smile return. "He's the greatest."

Isabella's smile turned wistful. "Yeah, he sounds pretty great."

"Don't worry, Isabella," Candace said sympathetically. "Phineas will come around one of these days."

"I know. Sometimes it's just hard to be patient." The younger girl shook herself and forced a brighter smile. "But I can wait."

Candace gave her brief hug, then opened up her phone again. "I'm going to call Stacy and Jenny, too, to let them know about the change of plans. Then maybe we should go sit outside, especially with all the people that might come over."

"Sounds good to me." Isabella sat back to wait.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

It was nearly halfway through the morning before William came to get Phineas, the boy having requested a second full serving of food that he and Ferb lingered over for as long as they could. But the talk couldn't be put off forever, and Phineas and Ferb shared an intense look before the redhead preceded the older man out of the room. Both boys gave a quiet sigh when the door was locked again once it closed.

William proceeded to guide Phineas through the room just outside of the one the boy shared with his brother - the man's bedroom, apparently - and to the right down a hallway to a large open space lit by a number of bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. There were also a few small windows made of frosted glass blocks in the wall across from their entrance. In the center of the room was a table and two chairs, driving home Ferb's assertion that this talk had only been meant for the two people currently in the space. Phineas' shoulders dropped a bit. He liked to think the best of people for as long as possible - just look at Buford - and was always disappointed if they fell short.

The two of them sat across from each other, William watching Phineas, and Phineas staring at the top of the table. The boy had no idea what to say; he didn't want to bring up the wrong thing and make the man angry. He and Ferb needed whatever information they could get out of this man that claimed to be Phineas' biological father, and that meant he had to be willing to talk. So Phineas was going to play it by ear, be reactionary instead of taking the lead. Of course, that was only going to be effective if the man would actually say something instead of just stare at him…

"So, Phineas," William finally began just as the redhead thought he was going to have to take his chances and start the conversation himself. "Do you have any questions for me? I mean, I'm sure you do; your mother can't have said much about me, and it must have been strange not having a real father around all this time. So you go ahead and ask anything you want, and I'll do my best to answer."

Phineas brought his head up sharply when he heard William say he hadn't had a real father around, a flash of anger zipping through him. Lawrence Fletcher was the only father he'd ever known, and he was the best dad a kid could ask for. Phineas knew he was loved, and that was all he really needed. It was certainly more than this man could claim to have given him over the years.

But he held his temper in check. He had a feeling he should tread lightly with this guy, and considering William didn't acknowledge Lawrence and his place in Phineas' life, it was probably safe to say bringing up his happy home - minus William Flynn - wouldn't be wise either. A quick thought flashed through his mind. If Lawrence wasn't going to be acknowledged, the man probably didn't realize Ferb was Phineas' step-brother. Maybe he shouldn't bring up that fact…

"Um, well, I guess I could start with how you met Mom," Phineas said finally. He was actually kind of curious about it. He'd double check and get Mom's side of it later, of course.

William smiled, his gaze turning a bit distant. "Oh, your mother," he said with a chuckle. "Such a beautiful woman. I was a roadie on her comeback tour in the summer of '92; it didn't take long to fall head over heels for her. Luckily for me she started to return my feelings. We spent all of our free time together, and then, while we were in Nevada during the last part of the tour, we decided what the heck and got married at one of those twenty-four hour chapels in Las Vegas. A whirlwind romance." He shook his head. "What a couple of crazy kids."

Phineas realized the guy must have been talking about the Lindana reunion tour, but he didn't want any other details about it. Those should come from his mother herself. "Wow, sounds like it," he commented weakly. It seemed like the thing to say.

William nodded, still lost a bit in the memories. "Definitely. And then, a couple of months after the tour ended, Linda found out she was pregnant. We couldn't have been happier." He sighed.

"Um, if you were so happy, why did you break up?" It just didn't make any sense.

"We didn't stay that happy, unfortunately," William replied, his mood darkening. "I was a professional roadie; your mother wasn't happy with all the time I spent on the road working with different tours. And then she got suspicious when people told her about the people I was spending time with while I was away, and started demanding I come home more often. How was I supposed to do that and still earn money for the family? And the people I spent time with didn't effect how I felt about her." He gave a little growl that made Phineas sit back in his chair, worried. "But she just couldn't leave it alone."

Phineas jumped when William suddenly sprang to his feet, sending his chair flying backward with a loud clatter. He thought about saying something to calm the older man down, but had no idea what that something would be. So he just bit his lower lip and decided to ride it out.

It would be interesting to get Mom's side of it all, though.

"Why in the hell couldn't she just leave it alone!" William raved. "We had it all!" He started to pace, and Phineas began to wonder if the man knew he was still there. "And then she shoved me out the door, believed all the things everyone had told her. And then a couple of months later tells me she's pregnant again!" William ran a shaky hand through his pale blond hair as he continued to move back and forth. "But she didn't do anything more than ask for money for the kids. Looking back, that was pretty reasonable, really. Not like Christine. No, not like Christine. That one had to had to have everything. After making me stop touring, she takes my job, my house, my car, my retirement, my band… She went after my reputation and smashed it to pieces. But was that the worst? No… She didn't just want money for the kids, no, that would be too easy. She cut me off completely, legally, embarrassing me in front of the whole world. Then she lets another man come in and take my place! They took his name… I didn't even share that any more…" His breathing was heavy and his pace frenetic. "They were mine, and then they weren't."

Phineas' eyes had widened steadily through the man's rant, every word granting him a little more clarity to what was going on here. He was guessing William had married again after Mom divorced him, and that he'd had at least two other kids. But now he was divorced again, and he wasn't seeing the children. His second wife had married again as well, and her new husband had stepped in where William hadn't.

Well, that was awfully familiar.

But maybe there was something more to this second time around than just what had happened with Phineas and his family. Whatever it was apparently had William on the edge, a scary edge, one that had Phineas happy he'd chosen not to bring up Lawrence or Ferb. The man had told him that he meant to create a relationship with him, but he'd been kidnapped to make it happen. This wasn't just weird, it was dangerous, and the redheaded boy thought it was even more dangerous to Ferb than himself. If William figured out who the green-haired boy really was…

Phineas shuddered at the thought. He'd have to do everything in his power to get Ferb out of there, or at least buy him some time so he could get out himself. Then he could find help and lead the cavalry back in time to save the day. He knew he could count on Ferb. But now he had to get back to his brother and talk over what had been learned. Phineas concentrated hard so he could remember as many exact details as possible; he knew from all of his and Ferb's projects that it was the little details that could make all the difference.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Clyde and Betty Jo Flynn arrived at their daughter's home just before lunch and were warmly greeted by their son-in-law. Betty Jo moved to immediately take Linda into a tight embrace while Clyde shook Lawrence's hand, clasping the taller man's upper arm comfortingly.

"Oh, honey," Betty Jo murmured into Linda's ear. "Everything will be all right, you'll see. And we'll stay until it is."

"Thanks, Mom," Linda said with a small smile and watery gaze as the two women broke apart.

"So where's Candace?" Clyde asked, quickly stepping over to take hold of his oldest child.

Lawrence gestured toward the backyard just before Betty Jo came over and engulfed him in a hug of his own. "She's sitting with a group of the neighborhood children under the tree in the yard. They all came over to make sure we were doing all right." He returned the hug heartily. He'd always liked his in-laws.

Clyde nodded as he gave Linda one last squeeze and stepped back. "Those kids of yours have a lot of good friends, good kids, each and every one of them. That's why we enjoy having them come up to the cabin."

"So have the police been able to tell you anything more about Bill and what he's been up to?" Betty Jo asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," Linda answered a bit sadly. "They agreed he was their prime suspect, especially since he came back so suddenly, but said it might take some time before they knew anything for sure."

"I'm sure they're also doing a bit of checking on us, as well," Lawrence added. "At least, that's how they do it on those modern detective shows." He shrugged.

Linda gave him a frown. "You're not helping, dear."

Lawrence blinked. "Right. Of course. Sorry about that."

Linda sighed, then came over and hugged him. "No, I'm sorry. You were right; that's what the police need to do to cover all the bases. I just wish they didn't so they could focus on whoever really did this. I want my boys back."

"So do I, darling. So do I."

"Lawrence, my good man," Clyde said once the younger couple had a moment to compose themselves, "why don't we leave these two lovely ladies alone for a little while to have some girl talk? I'm sure if they hear anything they'll call us down, and you can fill me in on any new projects you've got going on."

Lawrence blinked again, not having expected the suggestion. "Of course." He turned to his wife. "Will that be all right, darling?"

She smiled at him and his obvious concern for her. "That'll be just fine. I could use a little time alone with my mother. We'll make some lunch and call you down when it's ready, how about that?"

Lawrence smiled in return. "That will be lovely." He then let himself be led upstairs by Clyde.

"How are you really doing?" Betty Jo asked once the men had disappeared up the stairs.

"I'm a nervous wreck, to be honest," Linda said in a tired voice. "I don't want to believe that Bill would be capable of this, but nothing else makes any sense."

Betty Jo scowled. "That man never treated you or Candace the way you deserved," she said with an old anger.

Linda gave her mother a small smile. "You never liked him, Mom. I always knew that."

"I never really knew him," the older woman corrected. "And he seemed determined to keep you all to himself, at least when he was around. Then, when you finally decided enough was enough and sent him packing, he stomped away like a spoiled brat. Now what exactly was I supposed to like about him?"

"Oh, Mom, when I look back I see things just like that, I promise. But at the time…" Linda shrugged helplessly.

"You were young and in love," Betty Jo finished with a sigh, shaking her head. "I understand. I always did. I just didn't like it."

Linda gave a short chuckle and wandered over to the sliding door in the living room that led out to the backyard. She let her gaze focus on the large group of children sitting under the tree, her eyes watering a bit at the lack of the two boys that normally sat in the middle of them. "I try not to imagine the horrible things that could be happening to my boys," she murmured. "I remind myself that Bill tried to reconnect with Candace, not hurt her. And then I try to stop the thoughts that flash through my mind of him being angry with her and taking her to do terrible things in revenge for rejecting him. Above all, I do my best to hide all these negative thoughts from Candace and Lawrence, because I know they have enough to deal with on their own." She sighed.

Betty Jo joined her at the door. "I'm willing to bet good money that Candace and Lawrence are thinking the same kinds of things, sweetheart. If you shared yours - edited, of course - you may find that they'd share theirs with you, and you'd all feel better, at least a little. I mean, I must admit I was thinking some pretty dark thoughts on the ride down here, and so was your father. He'll never admit it to you, but he was." She sighed as she continued to watch her daughter's profile. "Have you gotten a hold of your sister?" she asked after a brief moment of silence.

Linda shook her head. "Tiana and Bob are off visiting a remote scientific outpost in Alaska where a friend of hers works. She'll get my message to call me when she gets back to Anchorage." Her eyes shifted to the side to look at her mother. "This isn't something to share in a message, and I don't even want to try to hint at it or how important it is. The last time I did that they were in Africa, and I got a frantic phone call at three in the morning asking me if the hot dog vendor who had killed Lawrence had been caught yet, and if there was any chance she could get back in time for the funeral. It took me forty-five minutes to calm her down and assure her that Lawrence was fine."

"Oh, that girl!" Betty Jo said with a chuckle. "She was always the calmer of the two of you, but when she does get going, it's a sight to behold!"

"I have to admit, I do wish I could have seen her face when she realized the mistake," Linda admitted, fighting back a smirk.

"Now Candace is like you," Betty Jo continued. "Impulsive and excitable, quick to explode but just as quick to forgive, and with a heart of gold."

Linda nodded. "I do my best to forget that fact when she comes to me with yet another wild story of what the boys are up to." Her brows furrowed as she frowned slightly. "Actually, she's only done that a handful of times this summer, unlike last year. I guess she's growing up." She refocused on said girl outside as Candace sat under the large tree next to Jeremy with his arm around her shoulders.

Betty Jo followed her daughter's gaze. "It had to happen eventually, although she's not there quite yet. You'll still have your little girl for a while yet." She smiled. "It's good to see her friends are here as well as the boys' friends."

"I always got the impression that Candace's friends were fond of the boys." Linda sighed. "But it amazes me how many people this whole thing has affected. I mean, look at them out there, sitting together to support Candace and each other. And every one of them made sure to tell Lawrence and me that they were sorry and we should let them know if there was anything they could do for us."

"Like your father said, they're good kids." Betty Jo's eyes shifted over when the backyard gate opened and a group of five girls skipped through. "Are those the Fireside Girls?"

Linda looked for herself and nodded. "Apparently. Isabella must have cancelled a meeting."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Or they're like the others and are here to support your family." She pointed toward the new group, who were all waving at the two ladies with small, sympathetic smiles. "Oh, they're getting so tall!"

Linda silently agreed, waving back at the girls with a small smile of her own that faded once they joined the other children under the tree. "My boys should be out there," she whispered after a long moment, her voice cracking.

Betty Jo just looked at her then pulled her into a tight embrace. She fought back tears of her own as Linda finally gave into her grief and sobbed into the supportive shoulder, then gently led the grieving mother away from the doors and toward the couch. This had become a waiting game, and those were always the hardest. But she would be there for her family, and if she had a chance, William Flynn would feel the full wrath of her displeasure.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry did his best to control the volume of his slightly labored breathing as he stretched his arms above his head and twisted the lid of the jar he was trapped in loose. Fortunately for him, the robot arm that had tightened it in the first place hadn't screwed it to its limit, and so the reversal of the action - at least at the rate it was being done - wasn't causing any undue noise. Well, not enough to distract Doofenshmirtz from his programming.

The other positive factor in Perry's favor was that the evil scientist talked to himself as he worked, with the occasional aside to his nemesis thrown in for good measure. This kept the secret agent up to speed as to the scheme's progress. Doofenshmirtz was close, but it was still iffy, and the program was quite fragile. This on top of the fact that over half of the computers being used to power this thing were at least a decade out of date - Perry thought he even saw a Commodore 64 somewhere - gave the platypus an idea of how to stop everything in its tracks. He just had to get out.

And there it was. Perry smiled a little cockily and prepared himself to push the lid off and jump out of the jar in one smooth motion; he only had one chance at this. After a mental three-count, he jumped up, his momentum shoving the lid aside as he caught the edge of the jar and tipped it over. A quick agile somersault had him rolling to his feet as the metal lid clattered on the floor.

Doofenshmirtz spun around in shock. "Perry the Platypus! How did you get out of my trap?" He scowled darkly. "No matter! I'll just…" His threat was cut off by Perry's acrobatic flip over to one of the banks of older computers, the animal landing behind the machines where the wires twisted around each other. "What… what are you doing?" The man's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "No! No, don't pull out those wires! Everything will crash!"

So of course Perry did just that.

"No!" Doofenshmirtz wailed. "My virtual reality! The program is falling apart!"

The platypus found himself forced to quickly jump back as sparks began to fly, traveling up and down not just the wires he'd pulled, but the other connections as well. It all seemed to be building up to something quite improbably dramatic. Perry took that as his cue to leave. It was more than apparent that this scheme had been effectively foiled - and that as usual there was an explosion imminent.

"Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" Doofenshmirtz cried as Perry jumped out of the window he'd made his original entrance through.

Perry released his parachute just as the top of the building blew up in a glorious fireball, floating to earth amidst a shower of glass and metal shards.

Chapter Text

The kids in the backyard were unusually quiet, merely sitting in a group silently supporting each other, and especially Candace. Things just weren't the same without Phineas and Ferb and their big ideas, even the teenagers could feel it. Now no one knew just what to say; words seemed inadequate.

What few attempts at conversation had happened once the rest of the Fireside Girls had arrived died quickly when Candace had broken down into soft sobs into Jeremy's shoulder, the teenage boy immediately wrapping both arms around her comfortingly. The redhead had seen her grandmother lead her crying mother away from the glass door, and it turned out to be the last straw for her as well. Isabella had hesitantly placed a gentle hand on the older girl's arm, her own eyes watery. Everyone else had politely let her cry, knowing how much she had to have been holding in since the family had figured out what was going on with Phineas and Ferb.

"Man, I find out who did this and it'll be like he'd never been born," Buford snarled in a low, threatening tone, his eyes narrowing darkly as he punched a fist into an open palm. Baljeet instinctually scooted away a few inches.

Everyone looked at Candace in shock when she gave a weak laugh. "Well, that would kind of defeat the purpose," she said a bit cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Buford asked with a belligerent thrust of his lower jaw. He hated being laughed at.

"The man we think did this is… um… my mom's first husband." Candace sighed at the surprised looks from most of the group - she hadn't told anyone but Stacy and Jeremy when they'd first arrived that morning, and of course Isabella already knew - that were still lacking in understanding. She didn't want to admit to the connection to the man; she figured they'd all get it considering they knew that the Flynn-Fletchers were a blended family. "You know," she continued, drawing her words out, "Phineas and my…" She sighed again. "Oh, how do I put this politely?"

Stacy rolled her eyes and saved her the trouble. "Sperm donor?" she offered. She straightened in the circle of Coltrane's arms when everyone looked at her with a gasp of horror. "Oh, come on! That's what he is, right? I mean, Candace, you always said Mr. Fletcher was more your real dad than the guy that ran out on you. Why give this guy the honor of the title, even if it only is biologically?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the group a little defiantly.

Jenny blinked and turned her gaze to Candace. "Whoa, Candace, your dad came back? After all this time?"

"You mean you have not been in contact with him since your parents divorced?" Baljeet asked. He seemed almost scandalized by the idea.

"No. No, I haven't," Candace answered with another sigh. She proceeded to tell everyone a Reader's Digest version of the story through the night before. She figured it would be easier than answering a ton of questions.

"That's just spooky," Adyson said once the older girl finished. The other Fireside Girls nodded their agreement with the sentiment.

Coltrane gave Stacy a comforting squeeze when he felt her shudder at the conclusion of the recap. "Are you supposed to hear anything from the police today?" he asked Candace.

The redhead gave a small shrug. "I think so, at least if they find out anything. But they didn't make any promises." She sighed. "We're just stuck waiting."

Everyone else sighed at the statement of fact, and a solemn silence fell over the backyard.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Vanessa Doofenshmirtz sat in the front passenger seat of her mother's car staring out the window and watching as the buildings of Danville went by. She hated not having a car of her own! Well, she quickly amended mentally, her father had come through with that one on her birthday a little over a month ago, but she'd let Johnny and some other friends take it to fix it up. Apparently something major had been wrong with it since she didn't have it back yet. Johnny kept reassuring her it was being taken care of and not to worry; she could only hope he wasn't in over his head.

For now, though, she was stuck going shopping with her mom when her friends weren't available. It wasn't too bad, not really. She and her mom had a pretty good relationship; disagreements about her dad's evil nature aside, the woman was always there for her. Besides, her mom had offered to buy her a couple of new outfits for her senior pictures that were scheduled for a couple of weeks before school started, and what teenage girl was going to turn that down?

"Are you serious?" Charlene Doofenshmirtz blurted into her phone as she drove. She'd gotten the call just as they'd left the mall parking lot; Vanessa guessed it was one of her friends. "That is horrible! Maybe I should stop by, make sure everything's okay and see if she needs anything." The older woman listened to the response and smiled. "I'll be sure to tell her you said so. I'll talk to you soon. Bye." She snapped her phone closed and placed it in the cupholder in the console between the seats. "We have to make a little stop on the way home. There's someone I want to check in on."

"Oh, come on, Mom," Vanessa complained, turning to look at her mother. "Can't you just drop me off at home first?"

Charlene sighed. "Linda's house is on the way. It won't hurt you to come with me."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, knowing there was no way out of this unexpected side trip. "So what's so important it can't wait until I'm not with you?"

"My friend Linda - you remember her from my cooking class last summer? - well, her sons are missing. From what I've been told they've been kidnapped. I want to make sure she and the rest of her family are doing all right." She gave the brunette girl a significant look. "That's what friends do."

"I get that," Vanessa said a touch defensively. Just because she hadn't gone over to her friend Renee's house when she'd been sick over spring break…

"I'm just making sure. Call it a mom thing."

Vanessa rolled her eyes again. Mom things tended to be really annoying, and this one was no exception. "How long are we going to be there?"

Charlene shrugged. "Not too long; I don't want to intrude. I just want Linda to know that she has friends that will be there for her if she needs them."

The teenager didn't bother to reply, turning her head back to look out the passenger side window. Her mom had more than made her point; she obviously hadn't gotten over her disappointment about what happened during spring break. But this wasn't going to be one of those visits that lasted all afternoon, so she'd live with it. It was a terrible thing if those kids had really been kidnapped. She couldn't begrudge the sympathetic stop.

When the car came to a halt, Vanessa was sure she recognized the house from somewhere. She thought she'd actually been there before, but she couldn't quite remember when. So she didn't make a protest when her mom asked her to come along. Maybe she'd figure out what she was forgetting.

Vanessa stood silently behind her mother as the woman knocked on the door. "Charlene!" the redhead who opened the door said with surprise when she saw her guests. "What are you doing here?"

"Helen called me and told me what happened yesterday," Charlene explained. "I'm so sorry."

"I see," the woman said a bit sadly. She opened the door wider and gestured for the other two to come inside. "Why don't you come in?" She managed to give them a smile, but Vanessa could see how much effort was behind it. "And thank you for your concern."

"We're friends, Linda," Charlene said as the door was shut behind them. "I wanted to make sure you knew I was here for you. I can only imagine how I'd feel if it was Vanessa who'd gone missing." She stepped forward and took Linda into a tight hug that was returned full measure.

Linda finally moved back with a sniff and glanced at the quiet teenage girl standing respectfully to the side. "I take it this is your daughter." She smiled and offered her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

Vanessa shook the offered appendage. "A pleasure to meet you, too," she replied politely.

"Yes, this is my one and only," Charlene said as she and her daughter followed Linda further into the house. They found themselves in the living room where an older woman sat on the couch. "I still can't believe she's going to be a senior in high school in the fall."

"I understand completely. Candace is going to be a junior." Linda shook her head then gestured toward the older lady who rose at their arrival. "Charlene, Vanessa, this is my mother Betty Jo. Mom, this is my friend Charlene and her daughter Vanessa."

"Good to meet you," Betty Jo said with a smile. "I'm glad you stopped by."

Charlene shrugged. "So am I."

As the ladies continued their conversation, Vanessa let her gaze wander around the room. She noted the sliding glass doors that led outside and the group of people sitting around a large tree in the back yard. There were a bunch of interesting antiques and pieces from other countries on display. And the pictures showed a happy family, complete with a pet platypus. The girl couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she was reminded of her father's nemesis.

Those chuckles were cut off sharply when she took a closer look at a framed photograph of three kids she guessed were Linda and her husband's children. She recognized them all; the redheaded boy was Phineas, the energetic leader of that group of kids she'd hitched a ride with from Tokyo to Paris the summer before, and the girl was Candace, with whom she'd accidentally swapped clothes thanks to the dry cleaners and whom she'd hung out with while the kids got a giant ball of rubber bands in the middle of the Himalayas. And hadn't she thrown a killer party here at one point? But it was the green-haired boy that had totally captured her attention. That was Ferb, the boy who'd helped her get the Pizzazium Infinionite for her dad at the Super Duper Mega Store. Ferb, who had listened so well to her complaints about her father when they were at the Eifel Tower, and even gave her some pretty good advice about the situation. She was relatively sure he had a bit of a crush on her, but that was all right. He wasn't creepy about it or anything. He was really a pretty cool kid, if a quiet one.

Suddenly, the idea of her mom's friend's kids being kidnapped came home to her, really meant something beyond a remote sense of sympathy. She liked Ferb and his brother. She didn't want him - either one of them, really - to be missing or hurt.

"Were the boys kidnapped?" Vanessa blurted during the next lull in the conversation.

"Vanessa!" Charlene exclaimed, shocked.

Linda gestured her friend to silence as she looked at the teenager. Something about the look told Vanessa that the sorrowful mother knew why she'd asked. "Yes," she said simply. "The boys were most likely kidnapped. Phineas and Ferb aren't the type of kids to run away."

Well, that confirmed that, although she hadn't needed the verification. It was Ferb. Vanessa nodded. "I'm so sorry. I… I met Ferb a few times. Phineas, too. He, um, they, helped me out a few times. He's a sweet kid." She had no idea why she needed to say that, but the words just came tumbling out.

Linda smiled. "I'm glad you think so. We think he's sweet, too."

"I hope he and his brother are returned soon."

"Thank you," Linda said sincerely. "That means a lot."

Linda's husband and father came downstairs just then, and the adults took over the conversation once again. As they talked, Vanessa tried to think of something she could do to help, but nothing occurred to her. She was supposed to spend the weekend with her father…

A sudden thought came to mind, bringing up a question for him. The self-proclaimed evil scientist better not have had anything to do with this kidnapping, or his daughter was going to show him just how much the whole idea upset her. And he would not enjoy that show in the slightest.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Vivian Garcia-Shapiro came over soon after Charlene and Vanessa left, immediately taking Linda and then Lawrence into a hearty embrace and offering rambling yet sincere condolences and support. As the afternoon went on, even more of Linda's friends stopped by to offer their own commiseration and encouragement. The redheaded woman was overwhelmed by all the good will, never realizing until that day just how large her circle of friendship was. It was a wonderful feeling. She just couldn't help but wish it hadn't been necessary.

After supper that evening, in which Vivian and Isabella had been invited to join the Flynn-Fletcher family, a detective arrived at the house with some news.

"Well, based on the information you gave me about your ex-husband, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, we were able to put together a history and track his more recent activities," Detective Walters said once he'd been introduced to the new people at the house and reassured that it was all right to speak about the case in front of them. "You were correct that William Flynn married again around the same time as you and Mr. Fletcher. His second wife was a Christine Connors, and he took her name. They divorced three years later after having two children. Three years after that, Christine Connors had his parental rights terminated, citing abandonment. William Connors has been working at the same record company in Los Angeles as a sound technician since his second divorce, and about two months ago went on a four-month leave of absence."

"Leave of absence?" Linda asked. "That's odd. His child support checks have arrived on time and for the full amount. I never would have guessed he wasn't currently working."

Walters nodded. "I looked into that when I noticed you hadn't said anything about him missing any payments. Apparently he paid the Child Support office a large lump sum, anticipating the need. The agency would just send out the appropriate amounts each month, of course."

Lawrence cleared his throat to get the detective's attention. "Why on Earth would he take a four-month leave of absence? That seems like an awfully long time to be absent from work."

"That's just what I was thinking," Walters said with a small smile, "so I contacted the record company. They say this is the first time he's ever taken time off, that he hasn't even missed time for a sick day. Apparently he told them he was working on a concept for a first album for a band he's in, and needed some time to focus on it. He even asked if one of the producers would be willing to take a listen when he got back." The brown-haired man shook his head, his expression skeptical. "His employment record is squeaky clean, at least at this company."

"You don't have to tell me about his time as a roadie," Linda said darkly. "I know all I need to know about that employment record."

"I'm sure you do," Walters said sympathetically, his tone saying louder than words that he'd done the research and knew what she was talking about. "Anyway, I did some hunting around Danville and discovered that a William Connors checked into a local hotel on the eighth of this month, and checked out on the thirteenth. There hasn't been any activity on his credit cards or bank accounts since then, and the only large transaction I could find in the last six months was in the amount that was sent to the Child Support Agency."

Candace drew herself up to her full height where she stood next to the sofa on the side furthest from the detective. "Are you saying he couldn't have done this? That he's not that one who took Phineas and Ferb?" Her face was a jumble of emotions, revealing what was going on inside her heart at that moment. Her grandfather, who stood next to her, silently placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Walters shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying. Actually, the lack of activity was suspicious to me. So I gave a buddy of mine that works on the LAPD a call and had him check out Connors' residence, see if he was home and would answer a few questions. Turns out he's not at home, and there's a stack of mail in his mailbox to prove it. My buddy asked the neighbors if Connors had been seen, and they said he hadn't, and that it was odd that they hadn't seen him. What's even stranger is that his car is there in the driveway. I have a feeling he's still in Danville, and he tried to cover up that fact. I just don't have any solid evidence yet to back me up."

"So you're saying he could have done this," Betty Jo said more as a statement than a question, wanting to be clear.

"I can't be sure," Walters said firmly. "I need more information. That's where the evidence seems to be leading me, but I don't want to blind myself to any other possibilities. The main goal here is to bring the boys home as soon as possible, and I have every intention of doing that."

"And we thank you for that," Lawrence said sincerely.

Walters gave the man a grateful smile and nod. Then he took a deep breath and continued. "So, have there been any calls regarding a ransom of any kind?" he asked matter-of-factly, returning to the business at hand.

Linda shook her head. "No, nothing. The only calls we've had were from friends and Lawrence's parents telling us when their flight would be getting in."

Walters' eyebrows rose. "Flight?"

"My parents are flying in from London," Lawrence explained. "I'll be picking them up from the airport in a couple of hours."

"I see," Walters murmured, making a note in his open notebook. "I do have one question for you, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher. What can you tell me about William Connors' parents?"

"Bill's parents?" Linda echoed, surprised. "Um, let's see." She paused and thought about it for a moment. "Well, Bill was adopted. Eugene and Gertrude Newman were his adoptive parents. I have no idea about his birth parents." She blew out a loud breath. "They lived in a small town in Nebraska, near Omaha. We visited them once, just before Candace was born. They seemed like nice enough people, if a little distant, but that could have been Bill's attitude more than anything. He always seemed to have a grudge against them, something about not being good enough since he wasn't theirs biologically." She frowned. "He always sounded like a little kid when he'd say that."

Walters nodded, taking notes. "Do you think they resented his attitude?"

Linda shook her head. "No resentment, not on their part. I think they were disappointed that he felt like he did. Gertrude told me about having tried so long to have a baby before they adopted Bill, that they had been so happy when they brought him home. There was another miscarriage a few years after the adoption, too, so it hurt even more that Bill was so… mean toward them." The redheaded woman gave a short laugh. "I haven't thought about that visit in over a decade. I'm surprised I remember so much about it."

"Wait a minute," Candace said slowly, her brow creased in thought. "Does that mean that my middle name is after… his mom?"

"Bill's mom? Well, yes, actually. I liked her. I thought it was a nice way to honor her, maybe inspire Bill to reconnect with his parents. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way."

"What about Phineas' middle name? It's Vincent, not Eugene or Clyde. Who is he named after?"

Linda gave her daughter an impatient look. "This is not the time, Candace."

Candace scowled. "Mom…"

Linda rolled her eyes. "I liked the name, all right? I always liked Vincent Price's movies when I was growing up, so when I had to come up with a middle name to go along with Phineas that's what popped into my head. Are you satisfied now? Can we go back to trying to figure out what happened to your brothers?"

Candace gasped as her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh my gosh!" she cried. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean… I'm… I'm sorry!" She spun around and ran up the stairs.

"Candace!" Linda called after the teenage girl, jumping to her feet, her husband right beside her. She turned a horrified gaze to Lawrence. "I didn't mean to be so hard on her, I really didn't."

"I know, darling," Lawrence said comfortingly, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "I'll go up and speak with her."

"I'll go," Isabella offered quickly. "You can stay and finish answering the detective's questions, and when you're done, I'll get out of your way." She rose to her feet from her place on the floor next to the chair her mother sat in and headed for the stairs. "I'll let her know you won't be long." She disappeared up the steps.

Linda covered her face with her hands. "I don't want her to think she's any less important to me at a time like this," her muffled voice said from behind her fingers. "I don't want to hurt her."

Lawrence drew her into a comforting embrace. "Of course you don't, darling," he murmured into her hair. "Right now you're under an incredible amount of stress, and so is she. It all came out wrong this time on both sides, that's all." He looked over at the respectfully silent detective. "Do you have any more questions, Detective Walters?" he asked.

Walters smiled. "Only a couple, and then I'll let you go for the evening. Is that all right, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher?"

"Of course," Linda said quickly, turning slightly in her husband's arms as she dropped her hands to his chest with a quick swipe of her eyes and a sniff. "Ask whatever you need to."

"Thank you," the detective replied and returned to the matter at hand as gently as he could. He knew both parents' minds were on the girl upstairs. He only hoped everything could be smoothed over quickly once he was gone.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace lay on her bed, curled on her side facing away from the door. Isabella had tried to make her feel better, hurrying up after her and telling her that no one was mad at her before being called away once the detective had left. The younger girl had done her best to give comfort; the effort was appreciated but unnecessary. The teenager knew she'd been out of line, and felt that she didn't deserve the reprieve quite yet. How could she accept comfort when she'd acted so selfishly at a time when her concern should have been with her brothers' safety?

She really wished she knew what had driven her to ask about Phineas' middle name. What did it matter, anyway? Just because she had a connection with her birth father's family and he didn't… She shook her head fiercely, her teeth gritted together tightly. There she went again, being selfish and self-centered.

"Candace?" a soft voice called from the doorway.

Mom. Candace should have known that her mother would come to her eventually.

"I'm sorry," the girl repeated, not turning over to face her guest. "I can't believe I said that. I can't believe that I asked those questions when I should have been more worried about Phineas and Ferb."

"Oh, Candace," Linda said as she sat down on the edge of her daughter's bed, reaching out to smooth back some of the long hair of a couple of shades lighter than her own. "We all react to stress in different ways, that's all. You'd just gotten a whole lot of information about your birth father that makes him look all the more guilty of kidnapping your brothers. It's all incredibly overwhelming."

"That doesn't excuse my stupid questions," Candace said with self-disgust. How could her mom forgive her so quickly for this?

Linda was quiet for a time, just continuing to stroke Candace's hair. "I should have told you a long time ago what I knew about your father and his family," she said finally. "I was so afraid to speak badly of him because he'd hurt me so much during our marriage. This was your father, not just my ex-husband. And he'd hurt you badly as well. I can still feel your tears as you cried onto my shoulder at night…" Her voice trailed off, and Candace tensed as she realized the woman was fighting back tears of her own at the old memory. "I never understood how he could walk away from you like that, how he could walk away and not look back. Even when I told him about being pregnant with Phineas, all he said was to let him know when the baby was born so he'd know when his child support would be going up. He didn't even question if the baby was his, like I was expecting. And after a time, you got over the hurt, and Lawrence came into our lives. Phineas was so young; he never had a reason to ask about his father because there was someone there to take that place in his life."

Candace rolled onto her back so she could look her mother in the eye. She noted that both of them were holding back tears. "And I didn't worry about my daddy anymore because I had a new one, a better one. One I knew loved me and wouldn't go away. Oh, Mom, I don't blame you for not saying anything. You made sure Phineas and I knew how our family was put together; we just never asked questions because we liked our family the way it was. Who knew your first husband would come back and do something like this?"

Linda smiled down at her. "I hope you were listening to what you just said, young lady. Because that also means that you shouldn't feel guilty for trying to spare our feelings by not telling us about Bill's little visit with you at the mall last week."

"You are one sneaky lady," Candace said with a mock frown. She only held the expression for a couple of moments before letting it fade back into a sad one with a sigh. "But none of this excuses what I said tonight. I shouldn't have been so worried about something so stupid when my brothers are in trouble."

"Candace, I think you just latched onto something small because you were feeling so overwhelmed by everything else," Linda said sympathetically. "If anyone said something wrong down there tonight, it's me. I'm fully aware that you're very worried about your brothers, and the way I snapped at you was inexcusable."

"But, Mom…"

"No, Candace, I mean it. I'm the one who…"

"I think the both of you should just forgive each other and be done with it," a new voice said from the doorway. Candace and Linda turned to see Lawrence standing there smiling at them. "You both said some things you regret and you're sorry. You're both also under a lot of stress right now. It's understandable that some things are going to slip out at an inopportune and inappropriate time every now and again. I'm sure by the time this is over, I'll have said my share, and I hope you'll be able to forgive me. For now, however, you need to let this go. Forgive each other, and, more importantly, forgive yourselves, for the boys' sake." He gave them a loving look that implored them to take his advice then glanced at his watch. "Now, I'm afraid, I have to be going. I should be able to get to the airport just in time to meet my parents' flight. We should be back in an hour, hour and a half."

Linda rose and moved over to her husband, giving him a warm embrace and loving kiss on the lips. "Be careful, dear," she told him.

Candace quickly followed her mother's example, her kiss landing on his cheek. "Tell Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher I can't wait to see them."

Lawrence gave them another smile. "I'll do that. Now I'm off." He gave each of his girls one last hug and headed out.

Candace looked at her mom for a long moment, then quickly moved to hug her. "I love you, Mom," she said into the older woman's shoulder.

"I love you, too, Candace," Linda said into the girl's hair.

When the two broke away from the embrace, they gave each other a little smile, then headed down to the first floor to wait with Linda's parents for Lawrence and his parents to return.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Phineas and Ferb sat alone in their bedroom after supper that night, Phineas having once again gotten a double helping to make sure both he and his brother had enough to satisfy them. He'd done the same thing at lunch, being taken out again after the midday meal for some more "bonding" conversation. The redhead expected to be taken out again after dinner, but had been wished a good night when the second tray had been retrieved.

"You know, Ferb," Phineas said once he was sure they weren't going to be interrupted, "I think there's something seriously wrong with this guy."

Ferb gave his brother a somewhat surprised look. He knew just how much it took for Phineas to give up his slightly rose-colored-glasses view of the people around him, so for this William Flynn to have elicited this response meant something huge had happened during the day. He just wished they'd had time to talk during lunch so he could have taken the afternoon to consider whatever information Phineas had managed to uncover, but the older man had seemed quite impatient to get back to talking with the boy.

Phineas gave Ferb a small smile. He knew about his tendency to expect the best of people for as long as possible, so he wasn't surprised by the reaction. He then proceeded to tell the other boy about the morning's conversation, explaining what he'd figured out about William's past.

"I have to admit, he kind of freaked me out when he exploded like that," Phineas concluded. "And then he just rambled randomly for another hour before deciding it was time for lunch. I didn't want to set him off again so I stayed quiet, but I tried to listen to everything he was saying. I didn't understand any of it, though."

"At least you tried," Ferb told him. Actually, he was quite proud of his brother. Phineas usually did seem to know when to speak and when not to, and this time it probably kept him out of trouble.

"Yeah," Phineas replied, his gaze dropping down to his lap momentarily. "It's going to be hard to lead his conversations anywhere," he said once he met Ferb's eyes again. "I really don't know what's going to upset him, and I don't think I'll be able to get anything useful out of him if he acts like he did this morning after he lost his temper."

Ferb gave the redhead a worried look. "Did you feel threatened when he lost his composure?" he asked.

Phineas shook his head. "Not really. I don't even think he knew I was there except peripherally while he went off on his rant." He sighed. "To be honest, I'm more worried about you."

"Me?" Ferb parroted, totally surprised. "Why are you worried about me?"

"Well, look how upset he was about the guy his second wife married. If he found out you were my step-brother…" Phineas left it hanging, knowing the other boy would get his drift.

Ferb did, quickly. "He might react to me in the same violent manner. I see." The green-haired boy frowned. "It may be best if we find a way to escape as soon as possible."

Phineas nodded. "Definitely. But if we can't both go, you should head out alone. You can figure out where we are and bring back help."

Ferb's frown became a scowl. "I am not leaving you alone in the clutches of this madman," he declared decisively. "Either we both go, or we both stay."

"But Ferb, what if he finds out who you are?" The redhead's blue eyes were filled with concern.

"As long as you watch what you say - and I trust you will - there's not much danger of that," Ferb refuted.

"Well, you said yourself that he just dismissed you and focused all his attention on me. He might not even notice if you're gone."

"And what if he does? Do you really believe he'll merely shrug and take you off for another little chat?" Ferb shook his head. "No, I believe his temper would take hold at that point, and you would be the only one there to receive the brunt of it. I can't allow that. I worry about you as much as you worry about me."

Phineas chewed on his lower lip as he considered his brother's argument. He supposed it could turn out that way, but then again maybe not. William Flynn wasn't the most predictable man. He couldn't help but still believe that getting Ferb out of there - with or without him - was the smartest thing to do.

Ferb saw the battle going on behind his brother's gaze and knew the other boy hadn't given up trying to save him. He sighed softly. "Look," he said after a long moment, "why don't we try to come up with a solution that will get both of us out of here? If that doesn't appear to be possible, we can discuss one or the other of us going out alone."

Phineas brightened at that and nodded. "All right. First, I think we should nail down the schedule we'll be working with, see if what happened today is going to be standard. If I get more of a chance to wander around that big room, I might be able to find a way out or something that can help us find a way out from here. Like, maybe some tools or something like that." He pointed up at the grate-covered air vent close to the ceiling. "If we can figure out a way through there, that might be the way to go."

"We'll definitely need tools for that." Ferb squinted his eyes a bit and took a closer look. "I believe the screws have been painted over a couple of times, so that'll make things that much more difficult." He looked back at his companion. "But I also believe it can be done. The question is, can it be done quickly and quietly?"

"Well, a screwdriver is the first step," Phineas said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And if he really leaves us alone from after supper until breakfast, we'll have more than enough time, even if it takes a couple days to be sure we keep the noise down."

"I believe I can design a way to use the beds to our advantage for an escape," Ferb said thoughtfully. "We'll need some tools to work with, however."

Phineas grinned. "We'll come up with something."

Ferb smiled in return, then remembered something. "What did the two of you talk about after lunch? I don't believe you said."

"No. No, I didn't," Phineas admitted with a sigh, his smile fading ruefully. "He started out talking about trying to find some common ground, and how he was sure I just had to be into sports, being a boy and all. Then, before I could say anything, he rambled on about all the sports he'd been involved with in high school, and all the great plays he'd seen and taken part in…" He sighed again. "I had to work hard not to fall asleep; I have a feeling that would have set him off again." Ferb gave him a look that shared his agreement with that assessment. "His reminiscing gave me a better chance to look around the room, though, and I saw two curtained off areas on one of the walls, one in each corner. I don't know what's in them yet, but I'll do my best to find out as soon as I can."

"I know you will."

The two brothers shared a supportive look, then continued to talk for a while before going to sleep, armed with a plan of action for the next day.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry the platypus hung around the Flynn-Fletcher house longer than he had the morning before since it usually took Doofenshmirtz a day or two to bounce back from his more epic failures. He'd check in and find out for sure, of course, since he'd been surprised by the evil scientist a time or two in the past, but he had a feeling this wasn't going to be one of those times.

The secret agent had more important things to find out when he contacted Major Monogram. He'd been told most of the information about William Flynn - well, Connors legally, according to the police detective he'd managed to slip in and overhear the night before - that had been shared with the family when he'd checked in after the virtual reality plot had been foiled. The only thing that had been added was that an OWCA informant had thought he'd seen the man in Danville the day after he was supposed to have left. Perry hadn't known about Detective Walters' LAPD contact checking out Connors' home, however. That made their informant's sighting a lot more credible. Fortunately, the platypus had thought to use his watch to record the conversation, and had sent it in to Carl to be analyzed and added to the agency's file.

Like he had the morning before, the little blue platypus stuck close to Candace, the girl still showing signs of lingering guilt and the beginnings of a restlessness the monotreme recognized as he felt it himself: she wanted to do something, anything, to get the boys back. He worried a bit for her, as the teenager could be quite impulsive. That just inspired him to do more to help the police - without them realizing of course - get to the bottom of it all even more quickly.

That impulse grew by leaps and bounds when Isabella Garcia-Shapiro came over halfway through the morning. Here was another impulsive, headstrong girl who was very attached to Phineas and Ferb. If Candace settled on a course of action, the younger girl would most likely jump right in to help. He liked Isabella but… Perry sighed. The whole situation was getting more complicated the longer it went on.

As the two girls joined Linda and Lawrence and their parents in the living room, Perry decided it was about time to check in with his superiors. He just hoped Monogram and Carl could give him the information he needed to find the boys he loved before the girls he cared so much for did something drastic… and dangerous.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

"There has got to be something I can do to help find Phineas and Ferb!" Candace exploded once she and Isabella had gone into the backyard to let the adults talked unfettered. The redheaded teenager paced back and forth in front of the tree that Isabella leaned against. "I just can't take sitting around doing nothing!"

"I understand, Candace," Isabella said sympathetically. "I feel the same way. But we'd probably just get in the way of the police, and I know they wouldn't like that."

Candace waved off the argument. "Well, obviously we'd tell the police anything we found out, and back off if things got dangerous," she said dismissively. "Even if we just went to a few places and asked questions, it would make me feel better."

The younger girl nodded. "Yeah, me too."

The gate opening drew the girls' attention. Baljeet's head popped into sight a moment after, his expression questioning. "I hope I am not intruding," he said deferentially.

"Come on in, Baljeet," Candace said, pausing as she waved him in. "Isabella and I were just discussing what we could do to help find Phineas and Ferb."

"Are the police not searching any longer?" the Indian boy asked, surprised.

"Of course they are. We just want to do something to help. I can't stand just sitting around here doing nothing anymore." Candace began pacing once again.

Baljeet's surprise turned to horrified shock. "But will you not be breaking the law?"

Candace rolled her eyes, but Isabella responded first. "Anyone can ask people questions, Baljeet," she said matter-of-factly, flipping her long black hair back over her shoulder. "They don't have to answer if they don't want to. And if we hear something important, we can tell the police. They'll probably be glad for the help."

"Really?" Baljeet asked suspiciously.

"Of course!" Isabella replied with confidence.

Candace sighed and came to a halt when the boy seemed appeased by the sentiment. "You know, if Phineas and Ferb were here, they'd already have a plan on how to do this," she grumbled. "It never seems to take much to inspire them."

Isabella and Baljeet shook their heads. "No. No, it doesn't," the girl said. "Remember the F Games? All I had to mention was the biggest game ever, and Phineas was already coming up with something."

The older girl smiled at the memory. "That was actually kind of fun, especially when it fixed my bad hair day. I think the only time I couldn't spark anything with them was when they had their best lazy day ever - and believe me, I tried. I can't believe I couldn't think of anything to do that didn't involve busting them for one of their projects." She shook her head. "Talk about a low point."

"Why do you try to bust them so much?" Isabella asked. Baljeet perked up, just as curious about the answer.

"I…" Candace hesitated as she blushed. She'd never tried to explain that to anyone before. Stacy and Jenny always just accepted it as normal, and Jeremy never asked, although she'd seen the question in his eyes a few times. "It's kind of embarrassing, really. I mean, I don't do it very often any more, just when their project is especially dangerous looking."

"That does not truly answer the question, however," Baljeet said.

Candace stared at the ground, unable to look them in the eyes. They'd been around for a lot of her busting attempts and the rants that preceded them. There was no way to whitewash this, and a part of her didn't want to try. These two kids were two of her brothers' best friends, just as close and important to the boys as family. She felt a connection to them, and suddenly the words came easily.

"I was jealous," she finally said simply. "They were doing all these grandiose things, marvelous feats of imagination come to life… and getting away with it. Even if I could have come up with half of it, there's no way I would have. Heck, when I had the boys build that nest for the egg we thought Perry laid, Mom saw it and had me clean it up. She didn't even wait for an explanation. The boys told her all about why we'd put it together a little later, though, and she apologized for not being patient, but still." The redhead looked up with a rueful half-smile. "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with me being the oldest. And who would really expect their kids to do what Phineas and Ferb do?

"I'd love to have that spark, that ability to create so much something out of nothing, and so quickly. They really do amazing things. It's like when I had them make that fort to outdo Mrs. Weaver's nephews: I just knew anything Phineas and Ferb would put together would blow away anything those other boys could do, even though I know they did it just to make me happy." She couldn't keep her mouth from turning up in a satisfied smirk. "I have to admit I enjoyed it when those other boys' sister begrudgingly admitted I'd been right about that."

"So you do not hate them?" Baljeet asked.

Candace looked stunned at the suggestion. "Of course not!" she immediately protested. "They're my brothers! Jealous I may be, but when push comes to shove, I'll back them every time. And some of the times I lost it was because what they were doing was so dangerous. That's the only reason I call Mom any more, like I said before." She sighed. "I love them very much. And I want them back." A determined look transformed her features. "So," she said brusquely, "anyone have any ideas on what to do?"

The gate opened again, this time with Buford strolling through. He smirked at Baljeet. "I figured I'd find you here." He glanced at the girls. "So is there any news about the dinner bell?"

Candace filled him in. "Now we just need to figure out what we're going to do to help get them back," she said once she finished. "No more sitting around here moping and getting depressed."

"I'm thinking we should start looking for Mister Connors at the last place he was seen in Danville," Isabella said decisively. "Do we know the name of the hotel he was staying at?"

"What good's that gonna do?" Buford asked. "I'm willing to bet the cops have already been there and asked all the questions they needed. What more could we find out?"

Isabella frowned at the larger boy. "We could get lucky and run into someone they didn't interview, like a guest or employee that wasn't there when the detective came by. Besides, even if we only get the same information, at least then we'll have it. It's not like Detective Walters is going to share all his notes with us or anything."

Buford shrugged. "Fair enough, I suppose."

Candace lifted a hand to get their attention. "While that's all fine and dandy, what story are we going to give them for being there asking questions? I don't think they're going to buy idle curiosity or a burning desire to imitate Nancy Drew."

"Could we not simply tell them the truth?" Baljeet offered. "You are looking for your father, and the hotel is the last place he was seen."

"And then they'll tell me the police have already been there and I should just go home and wait for them to figure everything out," Candace retorted with a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, that'll work."

"I did not say to explain about Phineas and Ferb," the Indian boy protested. "In fact, you should not mention the police or the case at all. You should merely say that you are seeking your father, for you have not seen him in some time."

The other children looked at Baljeet with growing respect. "That is sneaky," Isabella said, smiling.

Buford nodded his agreement. "Didn't know you had it in ya, dweeb."

Candace's grin was wicked. "And if they try to give me the runaround, I can get all teary-eyed and talk about how he missed my sixteenth birthday. And I'm still not lying!" She gave the low, somewhat maniacal laugh she usually reserved for when she thought she was about to bust her brothers.

"You're going to need a picture," Isabella said.

"I'll download one from the internet, and then we can go over to the hotel." Candace's grin shifted into a satisfied smirk. "I think this is going to be fun. That jerk is going down!"

The others returned the expression, and they all went inside to put their plan into motion.

Chapter Text

Heinz Doofenshmirtz had happily greeted his daughter when she arrived to spend her usual weekend with him then left her to her own devices, as he knew she preferred. For whatever reason, Vanessa had then chosen not to escape into her room but to sit reading a magazine in the main room with him as he put his apartment back together after yesterday's failed evil plan to take over the Tri-State Area. It struck the brown-haired man as odd, but he wasn't about to question it. He was well aware his little girl was far too close to becoming a full-fledged adult, and so welcomed every chance he had to spend time with her.

A half hour later, the evil scientist could no longer ignore the odd sensation he was getting from the direction of his daughter. For the fifth time he looked at her and found her glaring at him. The first couple of times hadn't surprised him, since she professed to not approve of his schemes (he just knew he could convince her otherwise with time, though. Especially after what happened with the hair dryer in Paris the year before.) but she usually gave up glaring at him after a short time. Something else had to be going on.

"Vanessa," Heinz began slowly, putting down the cloth he'd been using to wipe down one of his rebuilt counters, "is there something wrong?"

"Why would there be something wrong?" Vanessa replied shortly, not even glancing up from the magazine she had returned her attention to.

"I don't know. That's why I was asking." Heinz frowned and considered the teenager. "Have I done something to make you angry at me again?"

That got her attention. Vanessa slowly lowered her magazine and aimed a sharp gaze his way. "I don't know, Dad. Have you?"

The evil scientist blinked at the cold tone. He couldn't think of anything he'd done recently to inspire such a reaction… "I don't think so. Would you tell me if I did?"

Vanessa merely stared at him for a long, silent moment then sighed, apparently reaching some kind of conclusion. "Dad, do you have an evil scheme in the works right now?" she asked, her tone resigned.

"Well, not exactly. I have a few ideas I was thinking of exploring, but…" Heinz's eyes widened. "Vanessa! Does this mean you're finally taking an interest in being evil with me?"

"No, Dad," Vanessa replied with a roll of her eyes. "I just wanted to know the kinds of things you had in mind. None of those schemes involve… kidnapping… anyone, do they?"

"Kidnapping? Why would I want to kidnap someone?" Heinz asked, truly confused. "I'd have to figure out how to trap them, put them somewhere out of the way, keep them fed and watered… way too much trouble. And after failing at that last year with Major Monogram…" He sighed and shook his head. "What made you think I might do that?"

Vanessa chewed on her lower lip as she hesitated. "Mom got a call about a friend of hers yesterday," she finally explained. "They think this friend's sons have been kidnapped. And, well, you always talk about how evil you are, and taking those two kids is evil, so…" Her words trailed off into a helpless shrug of her shoulders.

Heinz frowned. "Kids? Two kids? You thought I would kidnap children?"

"Well, I hoped not," Vanessa said quickly. "Really I did."

"I mean, I may be evil, but I'm not that evil." He shook his head. "No, I couldn't do something like that to children."

The brunette frowned at the firmness of his statement. "I have to admit I'm glad to hear that, but I have to know. Why?"

Heinz blinked. "Why couldn't I do that to children?" He sighed. "To be honest, it's because of you," he admitted softly.

"Me?" Vanessa blurted.

"Yes, you. Every time I hear about bad things happening to a child, I can't help but think that it could have happened to you. And that thought scares me to pieces. You're my precious little girl, and the last thing I would ever want is for you to be hurt." He shook his head again. "So for me to hurt a child would be like me hurting you, and I will never do that." He thought about it for a moment. "At least not on purpose."

"Aw, Dad, that's so sweet." Vanessa rose from the couch, and came over to wrap her father in a tight embrace.

Heinz immediately returned it. "I love you, Vanessa," he said simply before letting her go.

Vanessa stepped back and smiled. "I love you, too, Dad."

"Now are you sure I can't talk you into helping me with my next evil scheme?" he pleaded with a half-smile and a bright twinkle in his eyes. "I think you'd have a lot of fun."

"No, Dad," Vanessa refused with a little laugh. "But I'll tell you what. I'll help you finish cleaning up the place, and then maybe I'll let you be seen in public with me when you take me out to dinner. Will that do?"

"I can live with that," Heinz agreed. "So do you want to sweep or scrub?"

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Phineas gave a mental sigh as he was forced to listen to a tirade about the lack of loyalty William's friends showed him during his second divorce the second day the boy had been brought out of his room to talk with his biological father. He wasn't entirely sure what had brought this subject up, to be honest. It might have come from the question William had asked Phineas about the kinds of boys that were on the sports teams he just knew his son was involved with. The boy couldn't be sure, however, since he hadn't been given a chance to answer.

So far there had only been one change in the schedule William had established the day before. When the time for lunch had arrived, the man had revealed a small refrigerator and a camp stove and made the meal right then and there, diving into a monologue about how cooking may traditionally be women's work, but it made sense for a man to know how to do it from a simple survival standpoint. It was amazing how sexist William was proving himself to be. Phineas wondered if he'd always been that way, or if it was his experience with his failed relationships that created the attitude.

In the meantime, however, Phineas realized he and Ferb would have to re-think their take on breakfast if they were going to have to make up for Ferb missing lunch. He worked on the problem as William ranted on, hoping his lack of complete attention wouldn't be noticed. He had a feeling it wouldn't; more than likely the man would just go onto another topic like the rant had never happened. It was kind of creepy.

"But I'm sure you don't really know what I'm talking about," William said, suddenly cutting himself off and turning a slightly-overbright smile to Phineas, startling the boy. "Let me show you what I have set up for us, so we can hang out and really develop the kind of bond we should have had all this time." He jumped to his feet and went over to one of the curtained-off areas of the room they were in. "You're going to love this," he said eagerly before sweeping the navy blue fabric aside.

"Wow," Phineas murmured in response to the sight of a large metal shelving unit stuffed full of sports paraphernalia. There were balls of all kinds, hockey equipment, in-line roller skates, a skateboard, tennis rackets, lacrosse nets… The redhead was sure there were things he hadn't even heard of before tucked away amongst the rest, and he wouldn't even think of claiming to have registered everything he was seeing.

And it was exciting for more than one reason: there had to be something on one of those shelves that he and Ferb could use to break out of the place. He just had to get - or make - a chance to find it. Phineas still wondered what was behind the curtain in the other corner, but it wouldn't matter in the end if he found what he needed on the shelves he could see.

William dug out a pair of baseball gloves and a ball, then spun and tossed one of the leather mitts to Phineas. "We should have enough room in here to play a round of catch," he said, smiling eagerly. "It's just the kind of thing I know you must have been missing all this time."

Phineas fought back a sigh at yet another assumption that his life had to be boring and lacking in father/son moments since his mother's first husband had decided not to be involved in his life. He forced a smile. "Sure, catch would be fine," he said, then backed up while William moved the table and chairs out of the way.

"So, what team do you play for?" William asked as he tossed the ball, smiling a little wider when Phineas caught it easily. "I bet it's not hard to find sponsors around here."

"I don't really play in a league," Phineas replied, tossing the ball back. "I like the game, but it's not really what I want to do every day."

"Oh, well, I guess that's fair enough," William said, his smile faltering slightly, obviously thrown by the idea. "You do play sports, though, don't you?"

There was a strange, desperate note in the man's voice that tipped off Phineas that this was a more sensitive subject than he'd first thought. "Well, sure," the redhead said. He shrugged. "They can be lots of fun."

William stared at him for a long, silent moment, to the point that Phineas started to get a little nervous. Had he just set the man off with his honest answers? "I bet you just haven't found the one for you," he said finally, throwing the baseball back a bit harder than he had before.

"Um, well, I have played in an inter-school soccer league during second semester the last couple of years," Phineas offered, figuring it couldn't hurt to throw the man a bone. "All the elementary schools in the district had a team."

"Soccer!" William exclaimed, surprised. "I wasn't expecting that. But that's good, very good." He gave the boy a relieved smile. "I knew you just had to find the right sport."

"Sure," Phineas replied with a weak smile. He threw the baseball back in hopes that continuing the activity would end that particular conversation. There was no way that William Flynn would accept Phineas' way of enjoying his summer vacation, and who knew how that would turn out if the man discovered it.

An hour later, William finally put the ball and mitts aside with a smile and a sigh, Phineas' gambit having been successful. The man pulled a pair of water bottles out of the mini-fridge and gave one to the redheaded boy before taking a long swig from his own. "You've got a great arm," he complimented Phineas. "You should think about putting a little more time into baseball."

Phineas gave a half-smile and shrugged. "I've been enjoying what I've been doing, but I'll think about it."

William shrugged, his smile not fading. "Fair enough. How about showing me some of your soccer moves?" He went back to the shelving unit and carefully pulled out the appropriate ball, barely managing to keep everything on the shelf from falling to the floor.

Phineas caught the black and white spotted ball when it was tossed to him, then spared a moment to watch the man's face as he took a discrete deep breath. William's expression was eager and excited, obviously taking Phineas' participation as acceptance when in actuality it was self-preservation - and even more importantly, insuring the continuing safety of Ferb. He was also buying time until he could look around to find something he and his brother could use to get out of this place, getting as much information about the man who had kidnapped them as he could along the way.

The boy had his chance to start a search a little while later. He'd been showing off some of the tricks Ferb had taught him long ago when William declared he needed to take a bathroom break. "You can show me more when I get back," the man said. "Wait here."

Phineas waited a five-count once William was out of sight before moving to the shelves full of sporting equipment. Most of them were packed as he'd noted earlier, but upon closer inspection he saw a shelf of stacked comic books, as well as another one crammed with video games and an old gaming system. He couldn't help but wonder how he was supposed to use those; there wasn't a television in sight.

The redhead knew he couldn't take the chance of rooting around on the over-filled shelves; he wasn't sure how he'd explain the mess he was sure to make if he couldn't get it cleaned up before William returned. It was also unlikely that there would be tools amongst the chaos. While certainly typically masculine, William seemed a bit too paranoid to leave something that could obviously aid in an escape attempt just lying around.

"I still think there has to be something," Phineas muttered to himself as he glanced around. His gaze fell on the pink-curtained corner of the room. "Maybe there…"

He quickly moved over to the other side of the room and carefully drew back the light-colored fabric. The boy withdrew slightly in surprise at the sight of stuffed animals and baby dolls on the shelf directly in front of him. On the shelf below that were all kinds of makeup, cheap costume jewelry, brushes and combs, and more kinds of beauty products. The bottom shelf was crammed full of pre-teen and teen magazines like the ones Isabella and Candace regularly read. There were princess costumes in a variety of sizes hanging on the side of the unit. On the higher shelves he could make out board games and puzzles, as well as plastic musical instruments. There was even a CD player and a stack of CDs.

"That is a lot of pink," Phineas said quietly, blinking at the vision before him. He shook his head and started to look through the shelf of beauty products, figuring it was the most likely place to find something useful if what he could remember from Candace's dresser - as well as his and Ferb's spa from the summer before - was accurate.

Curiosity led him to a small, zippered, vinyl billfold. When he opened it, he found all the makings of a nail care kit. Phineas' eyes widened in excitement as he withdrew the metal nail file. A quick test proved it was as sharp at the point as he had hoped, and he slipped it into one of the pockets of his shorts. The boy then put the kit back where he'd found it, gently pulling the curtains into their original position before moving toward one of the windows in the hopes that William would never suspect what he'd done.

It was just in time. Phineas had only taken a couple of steps away from the feminine shelving unit when the blond man came back into the room whistling a song the boy didn't recognize. A glance out of the corner of his eye showed the man pausing to examine the open space before smiling once again and heading for the blue-curtained corner with a bounce in his step. Phineas couldn't hold back a small smile of his own at the realization that he'd gotten away with his actions. Not even the rest of the afternoon being filled with more sports talk and games of catch could dampen his sense of accomplishment.

He couldn't wait to share it with Ferb.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace walked out of the lobby of the Danville Inn with her shoulders drooping and her gaze somewhat downcast. In her hand was the picture of her mother's first husband, and behind her followed a quiet Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford. Once they were outside, the girls sat down on a bench just to the right of the main doors, the boys standing beside them.

"That was a waste of time," Candace grumbled, her sad expression switching to one of frustration. "We didn't learn anything the police didn't already know."

"We could not be sure that would be the case," Baljeet reminded her. "We needed to try."

"Baljeet's right, Candace," Isabella said soothingly, placing a gentle hand on the teenager's arm. "We had to come and ask the questions ourselves. It was the only way to be sure."

Behind them, the hotel doors opened and closed, and a middle-aged man walked out carrying a grey suitcase in one hand and a brown leather briefcase in the other. "Excuse me," he said after noticing the group of children. "Were you just inside asking about someone?"

The kids shared a quick look. "Um, yes, yes, we were," Candace said, doing her best to return her expression to one closer to what she'd been wearing inside. She held out the picture she still held. "This is my father. My parents got divorced over ten years ago, and he didn't stay in contact with me. But he was supposed to be coming back for my birthday last week and didn't make it. I'd heard he was going to be staying here and thought I'd come ask if anyone knew what happened to him." Candace bit her lower lip as she finished repeating the cover story they'd come up with earlier.

The man looked at the printed-out photo. "Hmm, he looks familiar." He considered it for a long moment then nodded. "Yeah, I do recognize him," he said, returning the picture to Candace. "When I got in from Detroit last Saturday, I stopped outside to go through my papers looking for my reservation confirmation that I'd printed out. That man was standing right about here talking with a Hispanic man. Apparently he was trying to convince the man to drive home in his car, saying he had some things to take care of yet and that he'd take a one-way flight when he was finished. The other man protested, saying it wasn't fair for the first man to have to spend the extra money; he'd find another way home." He pointed at the picture. "But he insisted, said he'd made the arrangements to meet in Danville then drive back together so it wasn't fair to leave the other man hanging when his plans changed. Then he gave the other man a wad of cash and instructions to just leave the car at his house, and that was that. The Hispanic man shrugged and drove off in the car, and the blond guy walked off with his duffle bag over his shoulder." He gestured to the east, presumably in the direction William had gone.

The kids shared another look, this one of complete surprise. "Have you talked to anyone else about this?" Isabella asked.

"No, I haven't," the man replied. "I spent most of this week caught up in business meetings and business dinners. I'm lucky I had chances to get back here to sleep. Why do you ask?"

"Um, we just heard there might be someone else looking for him, that's all," Isabella said quickly. She and the others smiled a bit nervously.

The man just smiled and shook his head. "Well, I came up to the counter to check out just as you kids were walking away, and the clerk mentioned how sad it was that you'd missed your dad. Since I was coming out here anyway to wait for my cab to the airport, I thought I'd see if I could help you out."

Candace gave the man a much more sincere smile and rose to her feet. "And you've been a huge help, thank you," she said, offering her hand to shake. "My name is Candace Flynn. You'll never know how much you sharing your story means to me."

"Mike Thompson," the man said, taking her up on her offer. "I'm glad I could be of some help." Just then a cab pulled up. "That's for me," Mike said. "Good luck on finding your father."

"Thank you," Candace said in return. "Have a safe trip home." She and the others watched the man get into the taxi and drive off.

"Man, that was some luck, running into that guy like that," Buford commented once the cab was out of sight.

Candace frowned. "Yeah, but how do we use the information?" she asked. "Really all we found out was that the jerk is still here in Danville, and we already figured that much out."

Baljeet raised a hand, index finger extended. "We guessed that William Connors was still in Danville, but we did not know for sure," he refuted. "Now we have evidence. When this is given to the police, they will be better able to focus their efforts on him instead of other, false leads."

Buford looked at his nerd with a skeptical expression. "And just how were you planning on telling the cops? Didn't we already agree that they wouldn't like us sticking our noses in their business?"

"I think we're going to have to deal with it on this one," Candace said reluctantly. "The police really need to know this, and there's no one else that can tell them. And if we just left them an anonymous tip they may not take it as seriously." She sighed. "I wish we'd thought of this before we started."

"It'll be okay, Candace," Isabella assured her, standing up. "The police will be more grateful than anything, and we really didn't do anything wrong. It's not like we'll get in trouble."

"Maybe not, but I know they're going to tell us to back off," Candace said. "Well, let's get this over with." She led the others back to the car she'd borrowed from her parents, claiming she had a few errands she needed to run. If only they knew the real errands she was running…

It turned out they'd all been right about the reaction of the police to their news. Candace had asked to talk to Detective Walters when they'd arrived, and the man had politely listened to their story. He'd been surprised when he realized they had actually brought him something relevant, then took notes and Mike Thompson's name. "But I can't have you running around looking into things like this," he'd said as the kids prepared to leave. "Aside from the fact that this is a police matter, it could be dangerous. I just don't want you to get hurt."

Candace smiled at him. "I understand, Detective. I just couldn't sit around anymore. But we won't get in your way now, I promise."

Detective Walters smiled back. "I can understand how you're feeling. But thank you for your promise. I guarantee we're doing everything we can to get your brothers back as soon as possible."

"I know, and I thank you for that. We'll just get going and leave you to it." Candace shook the man's extended hand then led the others back out to the car.

"I can't believe you told him you're backing down, after everything you said in the backyard," Buford griped from the back seat as Candace left the police station.

"But that's not what I said," Candace retorted, shooting him a smirk in the rearview mirror. "I just told him we wouldn't get in his way."

Isabella giggled in the front passenger seat. "Of course! Don't you get it, Buford? We're going to keep looking. We just won't interfere in the police investigation."

Baljeet's expression became one of comprehension. "I see. And it will be just like we discussed in the backyard."

Buford thought about it. "All right, I can see that," he finally admitted. "So what do we do now?"

"That's a good question," Candace admitted, her excitement over her clever wording fading a bit. "Yeah, we know he's still here, but we don't know where he went."

"Well, let's think about it for a minute," Isabella said after Candace pulled into the Flynn-Fletcher driveway and they all returned to the tree in the backyard. "We know he's still in Danville, but with how much trouble he went through to make sure his car would end up back at his house in Los Angeles it's not likely he'd just go to another hotel."

"Not using his real name at least," Candace added.

The two boys nodded. "And there's no way the guy's dragging Phineas and Ferb into a hotel without getting noticed," Buford said.

Those points being made, the quartet grew quiet for a moment as they shared thoughtful looks.

"Where is he staying?" Isabella finally asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, that's the question here, isn't it?" Candace replied with a touch of irritation.

"Of course," Isabella said calmly. "What we need to do is narrow down the kinds of places he could be staying."

"It must be a place where he would not be noticed bringing in two children either struggling or unconscious," Baljeet said, his eyes widening in realization as he spoke.

The others flinched at the implications. "Um, couldn't he just wait until really late at night to take them inside somewhere there might be people?" Candace asked, a bit subdued.

Isabella's frown returned. "Do you really think Phineas and Ferb could be kept quiet for twelve hours?"

Candace blinked. "No," she said simply.

"Yeah, Ferb's got that whole Vulcan nerve pinch thing going," Buford said, unconsciously rubbing his left shoulder. It had been over a year since the green-haired boy had pulled that maneuver on him, but he remembered it like it was yesterday.

"But what if they were hurt when they were taken?" Baljeet asked. He looked uncomfortable as he brought it up, but he knew it needed to be said. "Or possibly drugged?"

"Oh, I didn't want to hear that," Candace said with a pained expression.

Isabella's matching expression told of her identical thought. "They're valid questions, though," she said quietly.

Candace sighed and nodded. "I know. I just try really hard to keep from thinking about it."

"You know, even waiting until after dark doesn't mean he wouldn't run into somebody," Buford said when it looked like no one else was going to continue the brainstorming session.

"That's true," Isabella agreed, visibly shaking off the gloom as much as she could. "I think it makes the most sense that he'd take them somewhere out of the way, somewhere he wouldn't be checked on by nosy neighbors or landlords."

Baljeet looked at her. "Where would that be? Where could he go that would qualify?"

Candace chewed on her lower lip for a moment. "Well, there are some abandoned buildings in various places all over Danville," she said. "As long as he could get in and out without being noticed, one of them would be perfect."

Baljeet smiled. "That is a good point." His expression faltered. "But which one would he choose?"

"The best kind of place would be one in a neighborhood that doesn't have a lot of people or traffic," Isabella mused.

"There would have to be some traffic, or whatever kind of car he's driving would be as obvious as just walking down the street with two kids under his arms," Buford refuted.

"That is a good point as well," Baljeet said, nodding. He frowned. "I believe we would be better able to narrow down the neighborhood if we knew what his purpose in taking Phineas and Ferb was."

Candace sighed, her gaze dropping. "When he talked to me at the mall he seemed mainly interested in reconnecting with me. He said that daddy was back." She looked back up. "Maybe that's what he wants now."

The others frowned. "But he doesn't have any kind of connection to Ferb; why would he take him?" Isabella asked.

Buford rolled his eyes. "And since when can you find one of them without the other?" he asked snippily.

"Good point," Candace agreed, Isabella fervently nodding as well.

"Perhaps you should go over what the police detective has told you about your biological father," Baljeet suggested. "We may be able to find more clues in the information."

"Well, he got remarried around the same time Mom did," Candace said. "He had two more kids, but his second ex-wife terminated his parental rights a few years after their divorce."

Buford snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Too bad your mom didn't do the same thing."

Baljeet gasped, horrified. "Buford!"

"What?" the husky boy replied. "Like you guys weren't thinking the same thing."

"Anyway," Candace interrupted, refusing to go there, "where does that leave us?"

"What if Mister Connors decided to try to come back into your life after his parental rights were terminated?" Isabella offered. "What if that's what inspired him to reconnect, having no more chance to do that with his younger children?"

The other three looked at the black-haired girl, eyes wide. "That… that would make sense," Candace admitted.

Buford blinked, then let his expression turn into a scowl. "That's completely lame," he said darkly. "You can't have your new kids, so you decide the old kids you walked away from are suddenly good enough? What a jerk."

"Yeah, well, there was a reason Mom kicked him out," Candace choked out, suddenly teary-eyed.

"Oh, Candace," Isabella said sympathetically.

"Do you think that would be a good enough reason to take Phineas and Ferb?" Baljeet asked carefully after a moment. "And how would that allow him to reconnect? Most people do not respond positively to being kidnapped."

Candace shrugged as she wiped away the tears that she refused to let fall. "Maybe he's just delusional. I mean, he expected to just walk up to me and be my daddy again just because he was there."

Isabella's eyes widened as an idea occurred to her. "What if that's it?" she said breathlessly. "What if he took Phineas to make him accept him as his daddy?"

The others looked horrified. "But Phineas has only known Lawrence Fletcher as his father, hasn't he?" Baljeet asked.

"Yeah," Candace whispered. "Mom's first husband left before she even knew she was pregnant with Phineas."

"Phineas wouldn't have any chance of recognizing him, would he?" Isabella asked.

"Why would that matter?" Buford asked. "If the guy wants Phineas to call him 'Daddy' he'd have to introduce himself. The real problem would be that he probably plans on holding onto those two until he's sure his plan's working, and who knows what he's willing to do to make it happen."

Candace started shaking and her eyes watered once again, this time with no resistance to overflowing. Isabella gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her gaze stricken. Baljeet squirmed uncomfortably, frowning as he wrung his hands. Buford just turned his head away from the others, his fists white-knuckle tight, his jaw clenching and unclenching as the significance of what he'd said sank in.

A long moment later, Isabella slowly lowered her hands to her lap and cleared her throat. "Um, do we know how that motivation would affect what kind of place Mister Connors would choose to hide Phineas and Ferb?" she asked quietly.

Candace hugged herself to try to control her reaction then took a deep breath and wiped her cheeks dry. "I don't know if it makes a difference," she whispered.

"It makes a difference," Isabella gently insisted. "You know it does."

"It cannot be a place with people nearby, yet it cannot be far from places where he can obtain supplies," Baljeet mused.

"What about the car he has to have?" Buford asked. "Unless he's hiding in the neighborhood, there's no way he could have gotten Phineas and Ferb to the hiding spot without one. He could be shacked up in some little hole in the ground a couple miles out of town."

The Indian boy shook his head. "He would have to leave them alone for too long to resupply himself," he refuted. "He would know there is a chance either Phineas or Ferb could escape."

Isabella frowned. "I wonder what he's planning to do with Ferb. He only knows Phineas." She looked at the others. "Do you think he'd use Ferb as a hostage to make Phineas accept him?"

"I don't think he's too happy with having to grab Phineas' stepbrother," Buford said, scowling. "Ferb'll just be a reminder that he's not a part of Phineas' life."

"How would he know Ferb is our stepbrother?" Candace said, her voice stronger. "There's no way he's been camped outside our house twenty-four/seven, or someone would have noticed. With the way the rest of you come over practically every day, he might guess that Ferb's just a close friend, Phineas' best friend."

"The last part is true," Isabella murmured with a small smile.

"I think he'll see Ferb as extra baggage he doesn't need, but unless those two give it away he won't figure out they're family," Candace concluded.

Baljeet's eyebrows rose. "But if he considers Ferb unnecessary, what will he do with him?"

Candace shrugged with a sigh. "I have no idea."

Buford crossed his arms over his chest again. "I bet he ends up a backup plan like Isabella said before. Holds him hostage if Phineas starts to make noises about not buying into the whole "daddy" thing."

"That makes sense," Isabella said. "But where will his hideout be?"

"All right, say we buy this guy hiding out in town instead of the country," Buford began, dropping his arms as he gave Baljeet a brief, narrow glare. "He needs to be close to stores, but he can't be where people walking by can see or hear anything. And it can't be someplace too easy to get out of, or the first time Phineas and Ferb have a few minutes they'll be out of there in no time flat."

"How about some place where not a lot of people walk by at all?" Isabella offered. "Like an old abandoned factory? There are a few different areas around Danville you can find those."

The four of them looked at one another. "That makes a lot of sense," Candace agreed. "But I don't think we can narrow it down any further than that."

Baljeet nodded. "I believe it is time we do more research. We need to discover where appropriate buildings can be found."

"And then we can search them one by one until we find them," Candace concluded, rising to her feet. "Come on. We'll go look it up on the computer." She then led the others into the house to do just that.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry the platypus remained behind the large tree in the Flynn-Fletcher backyard until he knew the kids were out of sight, then considered what he had just overheard. While he wasn't happy about the fact that they were searching for William Connors on their own - and putting themselves in some level of danger in the process - he had to admit they had thought things through quite well. Their conclusion about the kind of hideout Connors had to have set up for himself made a lot of sense; he'd pass along the information at his earliest opportunity. In the meantime, he'd do his own research in his lair, and if he found anything particularly promising he'd check it out. He just had to be sure to be back within a decent timeframe. The last thing he wanted to do was make the family worry about him on top of everything else.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

The next day, at a little yellow house a ways down the street from the Flynn-Fletcher household, Mrs. Rachel McNamara puttered around her front porch, sweeping the floor, wiping down the furniture, and watering the potted plants hanging from the rafters. She hummed a bright happy tune as she worked, a catchy little ditty that was one of her favorites. She was obviously enjoying herself, taking care of a few chores before allowing herself to sit and read that day's newspaper that was currently lying on the glass-topped table in the center of the porch.

Simon the squirrel sat on one of the branches of the large oak tree in Rachel's front yard watching the older woman and wondered when she would finally get to reading the newspaper. He knew she hadn't even glanced at the front page before putting it aside to enjoy later, and it was vitally important that she see that headline. Part of his O.W.C.A. assignment, since Agent S's (he hated that there were multiple agents with that letter; it got confusing from time to time) nemesis was still recovering from his last foiled plot, was to keep an eye out for any pertinent information about the disappearance of Agent P's owners. And Rachel had some.

Once Simon had been shown pictures of the boys and the man who was suspected of taking them, he knew he'd seen the man before. The day the boys had gone missing, Simon had gotten back from dealing with his nemesis just as the man from the picture circled around a car across the street and got into the driver's seat. And as he'd driven away he heard Rachel mutter something about hoping he'd been careful with those boys he'd been roughhousing with. It had meant nothing at the time, but now that this kidnapping had come to light…

Rachel had seen the man with the boys. Simon knew it. The house was about halfway between Agent P's house and the public pool where the boys had been heading that day. The time was right. It all added up. Now the squirrel just had to get Rachel to realize she had important information and give it to the police. They had to know about the car the man had used. The only question was how to do it.

As the squirrel was pondering a plan of action, a squad car rolled to a halt in front of the house. This wasn't very out of the ordinary; every now and again the police liked to monitor the suburban traffic and other activities. It kept the local neighborhoods relatively crime-free. Simon couldn't help but wish they'd done it three days earlier.

That was it. Simon just had to make Rachel look at the paper and notice the squad car, and the lady's ethics would most likely take it from there. She was a good woman; it was the reason he enjoyed staying in her oak tree and keeping her company while she watched the world go by from her porch. Well, that and she fed him the best nuts, seeds, and popcorn.

His mind made up, the little animal scurried up the porch stairs and onto the table that held his prize. He let his eyes get innocently wide then chattered, the way he always did when begging for a treat. Since she was just finishing up with the last of her chores, he didn't even have to feel guilty about interrupting her.

"Oh, Simon, you little imp," Rachel said, turning around and putting her watering can down. She smiled. "You must be pretty hungry if you're already on the porch. And you're in luck." She sat down on her glider and reached into the large bag sitting on the floor next to it. The sound of plastic crinkling preceded the emergence of an unopened bag of sunflower seeds.

Simon had to stop himself from giving in to his primal instincts and jumping at the bag as she opened it. Those were his favorites, and she knew it. He did move to the edge of the table, however, sitting just above the big bold letters of the Daily Danville.

With a laugh, Rachel reached out with a handful of seeds, but before she could spread them out in front of her little friend she caught sight of the paper. She gasped as the meaning of the headline hit home, then snatched at the Daily Danville with one hand while carelessly tossing the seeds on the table with the other. Simon eagerly dug into his treat, keeping a close eye on the woman as he did.

"Oh, those poor boys," Rachel murmured upon reading the article about Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher disappearing three days previous. The paper lowered into her lap and she glanced at the munching squirrel. "It's such a terrible thing when little boys go missing not far from their home. I've seen them go by on their bikes and scooters so many times, and they always smile and wave at me. Such good boys." She shook her head.

Simon slowed his eating down, inwardly frowning. Rachel hadn't made the connection between the kidnapping and what she'd seen yet, and he wasn't sure how to steer her thoughts in the right direction. He racked his brain trying to come up with another idea.

"You know, they were heading for the pool just down the street when they disappeared," Rachel continued thoughtfully, her gaze drifting up to the ceiling. Her brows furrowed. "Hold on a second." She brought up the newspaper and looked over the article again. "That was three days ago, when I was weeding and watering the back garden. Wasn't that beat-up old boat of a car parked across the street that day?" She considered it some more. "It was," she decided. "And that man with the long blond hair who was rough-housing with those boys…"

Rachel's words trailed off as horrified realization dawned on her. "He took them," she whispered. "I saw him doing something to them before he took them." Tears filled her pale green eyes. "I didn't know, Simon. I never saw the boys, just part of the man's back and two smaller bodies under his arms. I didn't see their hair or much of their outfits. And the way he was laughing made me think they were all just fooling around." She sniffed and rubbed at her nose. "I never would have gone back to my gardening if I'd thought it were anything else! And by the time I came out to put the hose back in the garage he was getting into the car to drive away…"

Simon hadn't been sure how much Rachel had seen of the man; he'd thought she'd see the picture of the main suspect in the paper and remember him with his car. Now he knew she'd been witness to the act itself… She wouldn't have let it happen if she'd realized what was going on. She wasn't that type of person. And it broke his heart to see her currently beating herself up over something she couldn't have helped misinterpreting.

But there was still one more thing Rachel needed to do. Hopefully it would help her feel a little bit better about herself.

Simon chattered at the teary-eyed woman and jumped over to the porch rail. Rachel's gaze followed the movement halfheartedly, still trying to be polite to her little friend by paying attention to his playful antics like she always did. The squirrel had been counting on that even as it warmed him inside that she thought so much of him. He positioned himself just right so that the parked police car would be his backdrop, then did a little circle and spin.

Rachel couldn't help but smile at the silly maneuver, then stilled as she realized what she could see beyond the animal. She quickly grabbed another handful of sunflower seeds and tossed them on the table, then rose to her feet and headed for the stairs. "I've got to go make this right, Simon. Those little boys need me to make this right." She hurried across her front lawn and over to the squad car.

Simon jumped back over to the table and began crunching away at his treat. As Rachel talked with the startled officers, a sense of satisfaction filled him. He'd done his part to help Agent P's owners get back home, and his friend make amends. It was a job well done.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Reginald Fletcher and his wife Winifred normally enjoyed visiting their older son and his family in Danville. It had been a joy to include the sweet and quirky Linda and her children in their lives, especially since Phineas and Ferb had become so close so quickly and Candace had seemed so lonely. All three kids were full of love and life; they were adored as though they were all connected by blood.

When Lawrence had called to tell them about Phineas and Ferb being missing, they'd been stunned. Who would do such a thing? Better yet, why? There was no consideration needed before offering to take the next flight over; they would be there for their family. And most of all they wanted to be there when the boys were returned home safe and sound.

Adrian and Lucy had been dismayed at the news as well, but had been unable to leave home on such short notice. They demanded to be kept in the loop, however. Their boys made sure to send along their well wishes, and Eliza promised to get a hold of Candace as soon as she was able. Reg was happy to see the whole family pulling together at this trying time.

The old Englishman sighed as he made his way downstairs from the guest room in the attic where he and Winnie had been put up for their stay. He'd wanted to show off one of his photo albums to Linda's parents and had forgotten it earlier that morning. Voices from Candace's room made him pause as he passed, though, stirring his curiosity about what she and that group of the boys' friends were doing that they needed to keep such a secret.

"I'm not sure that one fits our criteria," Isabella's voice said from behind the closed door.

"Why not?" Candace asked.

"That block is full of apartment buildings, most of them full. There'd be too many potential witnesses."

Reg blinked at that. Just what were those youngsters up to that they'd be worried about witnesses?

"What about the next one?" Buford asked.

"I've seen that one," Candace answered. "It's not just abandoned, it's about to fall down. If it hasn't been condemned, it should be."

They were talking about buildings then, and empty or abandoned ones by the sound of it. What were they up to?

"That one looks promising," Baljeet offered. "It is not too far from downtown in the old industrial district, so it is not heavily traveled. I do not believe there are many residences there, if any."

"He's right," Buford agreed. "There's a bunch of abandoned buildings around there, an empty self-storage building and an old vacuum cleaner factory for starters. I say add it to the list."

"Wasn't there something in the paper about that area being part of a reclamation project?" Isabella asked. "I thought they were going to turn a bunch of those old factories into apartment complexes and office buildings."

"I read those articles as well," Baljeet said. "I believe the city council has tabled the motion in favor of focusing on the new industrial park to the north of downtown."

"That's too bad," Buford commented. "I bet those buildings would make for some really cool apartments."

"Wait a minute," Candace said in a tone of sudden remembrance. "Weren't there a few buildings in that new industrial park that have been held up? I'm pretty sure I heard something about a dispute between the builders and the company that owns the factories."

There was a moment of silence. Reg didn't move, even more curious about where they were going with this.

"That could be just as good as the last one," Buford finally said. "Out of the way, but still close enough to get supplies without taking too long."

"And people would be hesitant to travel through there with the construction that is taking place," Baljeet added. "Not to mention the high level of noise during the day that could mask any sounds or calls for help they might make."

"Could we not talk so much about that?" Candace snapped, hurt in her tone. "It's one of our criteria, but you don't have to be so blunt about it. I really don't want to think about Phineas and Ferb yelling for help and nobody hearing them."

"Sorry, Candace," Baljeet said contritely.

Reg blinked in surprise. The kiddies were actively looking for Phineas and Ferb. They'd narrowed down their parameters and were working out where the boys were most likely being kept. Which probably meant they were planning on searching those places when they had their list finalized.

That could be a problem.

Aside from stepping on the toes of the police investigation, there was a level of danger they would be putting themselves in if they actually found the culprit. Even if it were Linda's first husband, it couldn't automatically be assumed he was working alone. Lawrence had mentioned that they'd been told the police were checking out all the leads and tips being called in to the station, some which suggested groups with less than savory reputations.

Reg wished he were twenty years younger. He'd walk right into that room and offer his assistance.

He sighed. For now, the kiddies weren't actually doing anything more than making a list. He knew the frustration and impatience they had to be feeling; he felt exactly the same way. And he also knew that they were all used to the grand plans and schemes the boys put together on a regular basis. Of course they would be proactive and jump in where others would hesitate and step aside.

After another moment of consideration, Reg continued on his way downstairs, determined to talk things over with the rest of the grandparents. They could work out what to do together.

"Where are Lawrence and Linda?" Reg asked once he'd rejoined his wife and the Flynns.

"They decided to go down to the antique shop while you were upstairs," Betty Jo explained. "They were having a hard time just sitting around here waiting for word, so we offered to keep an eye on Candace and the other kids while the two of them puttered around."

Clyde chuckled. "Not that that'll be difficult, what with all of them holed away in Candace's room doing who knows what."

Reg couldn't help but smile. "Actually, I have an answer for that question," he said, placing his photo album down on the coffee table.

Before any of the others could ask what he meant by that, the doorbell rang, and Winnie got up to answer it. "Why, hello there, dear," she said to the blond teenage boy standing there. "Jeremy, right? Candace's young man?"

Jeremy smiled and nodded. "That's right, Mrs. Fletcher. Jeremy Johnson. Is Candace here?"

"She's up in her bedroom with some of Phineas and Ferb's friends," Reg said. "Why don't you go on up and join them?"

"Thanks, Mister Fletcher," Jeremy replied as he stepped inside and Winnie closed the door behind him. He nodded to Linda's parents. "Hi, Mister and Mrs. Flynn," he greeted them from the foot of the stairs.

"Good to see you, Jeremy," Clyde said expansively.

Betty Jo gave him a grin and a wink. "You take good care of our girl now," she said a bit suggestively, then laughed when the boy blushed slightly. "I'm done now. You can go up."

Jeremy smiled back and shook his head. "You're something else, Mrs. Flynn. I'll see everyone later."

The older couples laughed once they heard the upstairs door open and close, then broke off when a brief knock preceded the front door opening once again, Stacy stepping inside. "Oh, hi!" the girl said, a bit surprised. "I just got off the phone with Candace and she told me to come on up to her room. That's okay, isn't it?"

"Of course, dear," Winnie answered. "We'll just be down here chatting."

"And I'll see about making some lunch for everyone in a little while," Betty Jo offered. "You can tell everyone that."

Stacy smiled. "You bet, Mrs. Flynn." She waved and headed up the stairs, the bedroom door again opening and closing, this time with more of a bang.

The echoes hadn't even faded before Reg's wife and the other couple had returned their full attention on him. "All right, you," Winnie began, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. "What did you manage to overhear up there?"

Reg smiled. She knew him far too well. "I wasn't intending to do any eavesdropping today, I swear. But since I've managed not to lose too much of my hearing over the years, I got a earful of plotting by the kiddies. They're trying to track down Phineas and Ferb."

"How?" Betty Jo asked.

"They made themselves a list of must-haves for the kind of building the boys are likely to be held in and are going through a number of abandoned buildings in Danville to see how many match up. I'm guessing once they finish they'll be going out there to do a bit of searching." Reg watched the others for their reactions.

"That could be dangerous," Clyde said a bit slowly as he considered it. "We don't know for sure who has them."

Betty Jo scoffed. "Oh, please. I'd bet my favorite pair of roller skates that idiot Bill is behind all this. And if I'm thinking that way, you know those kids are, too. Especially Candace considering her run-in with him the week before."

Clyde looked at his wife with a raised eyebrow. "That's just a feeling, Betty Jo. We don't know anything for certain." Betty Jo shot a glare back at him.

"It does make the most sense," Reg commented.

"I suppose you're right," Clyde conceded with a sigh, his eyes dropping to his lap.

"What was Bill like?" Winnie asked curiously as she sat back down on the sofa.

Betty Jo sighed as she shared a look with Clyde. "The first time we met him it looked like he worshipped the ground Linda walked on," she said in a tired tone. "It was a couple months after they'd gotten married in a spur-of-the-moment ceremony in Las Vegas, and only a month or so before Linda found out she was pregnant with Candace. He was polite enough, I suppose, but really only barely paid us any attention."

Clyde shook his head. "He didn't let Linda get more than a few feet away from him for their entire visit. Of course, other then calls of nature, Linda wasn't inclined to separate herself from him anyway."

"He went out on one tour during the pregnancy," Betty Jo continued. "He was a roadie, which is how Linda met him in the first place. Then he promised he'd give up the road and settle down with the new family, find a job in Danville to support them."

"Didn't Linda have enough money from her music career to do that on her own?" Winnie asked.

Linda's parents nodded. "She most certainly did," Betty Jo replied emphatically. "As much as she got herself caught up in the bright lights and attention, she at least listened to me about investing a decent amount of her earnings. I told her she could splurge with the money from her second album."

Clyde shrugged. "Which didn't happen."

Reg gave them a shrewd look. "I take it that promise of his didn't last too long after Candace came around," he guessed.

"Not long at all," Clyde said a bit darkly. "In fact, he missed Candace's first birthday because he was out on tour. A couple of weeks later he got back, an armload of presents for his girls as he called them, not understanding in the slightest why Linda was upset."

"Linda kept making the same demand: give up being a roadie and work on the family. And after every tour he would do it for three, four months. He'd pick up a temporary job at a factory in the area and play at being a husband and a father." Betty Jo sighed. "And you wouldn't believe how possessive he was. The calls I'd get from Linda, crying because he'd accused her of being interested in finding another man when she'd taken a little longer at the store than she'd expected. Or because he'd gotten into a fight with another man for letting his gaze linger too long when they'd gone out for the evening." She shook her head. "It was all or nothing for him."

"He called her at all hours of the day and night when she'd bring Candace over to visit with us, checking up on her to make sure she was where she'd said she'd be," Clyde added. "And when she'd give him an earful for waking everybody up in the middle of the night, we could hear him yelling back through the earpiece that he had every right to know where his wife was whenever he wanted."

Betty Jo smirked briefly. "That was usually when she hung up on him and pulled the phone cord out of the wall."

Clyde nodded. "Fortunately he knew better than to show up at our door to try to keep it going in person."

"He always apologized, though, and she always tried to forgive him," Betty Jo said sadly, shaking her head. "She wasn't ready to let his words wreck her marriage. She took her wedding vows seriously."

"So what finally did it for her?" Reg asked. "Why did she finally end things with him?"

A spark of righteous anger flared up in Betty Jo's eyes. "He was unfaithful," she practically growled. "Linda started hearing things from friends that were still on the road, stories about the women he was seen with and how much time they were spending together. Bill always denied it when she confronted him, but the last time, well…" The redhead took a deep breath and released it slowly to keep herself under control. "He denied it like always, and they… made up, intimately. If you know what I mean." She nodded and continued when the other couple gestured that they did indeed understand what she was saying. "Not to be too indelicate, but he called out the wrong name. From what Linda told me afterward, she barely took the time to throw on a robe before taking his unpacked bags as well as another bag filled with what few things he kept at the house while he was gone and tossed them out the front door. Then she told him he should just follow them right on out, and to do it immediately. He could just tuck himself away in his Lincoln and scuttle off to be with his precious Elaine."

Betty Jo clenched her jaw for a moment then blew out another calming breath. "He stood there at the front door flabbergasted while Linda stormed back into her bedroom," she continued. "And apparently Candace had woken up at the sound of the front door slamming and came downstairs to find her father - who she'd happily greeted just hours before - putting on his jacket and getting ready to leave. When she asked him where he was going and why, he barely even looked at her. He just zipped up the coat and walked out. He walked out on his four-year-old daughter without saying a word! I still don't understand how he could do that!"

Clyde immediately wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders. "It took Linda a long time to convince Candace that she hadn't done anything to make her daddy leave," he concluded. "Not long after she did, she met Lawrence, and the rest is history."

"Wait, wait," Reg said, raising a hand with an extended index finger. "You never said anything about Phineas."

"Linda has always said Phineas is the last good thing Bill ever gave her," Betty Jo said softly. "He was born after the divorce was final."

Reg and Winnie's eyes widened as matching expressions of realization dawned upon their features.

Clyde cleared his throat and spoke before any more questions could be asked. "So what are we going to do about this thing those kids are planning?"

"I'm not sure we should let them go through with this," Winnie said with a sigh. "As wonderful and resourceful as they are, they're still children going after a man who has no qualms about kidnapping. What if he were to get violent with them?"

"Oh, I don't think they're planning on actually confronting him," Betty Jo refuted, shaking her head. She smiled at the confused looks she received. "Reg here isn't the only one who's been eavesdropping."

"And just when were you doing your bit of spying?" her husband asked.

"It was yesterday after Candace and Isabella went outside to let us talk," Betty Jo said calmly. "You know how I went into the kitchen to put together some drinks and snacks? Well, I heard Candace from outside say that she didn't want to just sit around doing nothing any more, and Isabella agreed. That's when I perked up my ears; Candace is just as capable of coming up with big, impulsive ideas as the boys are. But they just decided to ask a few questions and gather information. They even directly said that they'd tell the police anything they found out, and would back off if anything looked like it was getting dangerous. I'm not sure how much trouble they can get into that way."

Winnie considered it. "And I'm not sure they'll be able to get much information without access to the files the police are putting together," she conceded.

Reg looked at the ladies with raised eyebrows. "Considering the plotting going on upstairs, I'd say they've put more than a few things together."

"But that has more to do with who they suspect, not anything they found out," Betty Jo said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they spend most of their time just looking around a bunch of abandoned buildings. What's the likelihood of them actually finding Bill and the boys?"

"It depends on how much they actually put together," Clyde said. "But I think you're right. They don't have all the information the police have, and they're only looking around and asking a few questions here and there. If we keep our eyes peeled and our ears open, I think we'll be able to head anything off before it goes too far."

The other three nodded. "That sounds like a crackin' plan," Reg said with a smile. "We'll definitely keep tabs on the kiddies. That should be more than enough." He picked up his photo album. "Now, I believe I said something about Lawrence, Adrian, and mud pies…"

Chapter Text

Phineas had pretty much let himself slip into the routine by the time the fourth day came around. It was the easiest way to let William believe he was getting his way, which was the easiest way for Phineas to keep the man's attention away from Ferb. The green-haired boy had used the entire day before to scrape away the paint from the screws on one side of the air vent cover with the stolen nail file, standing on the metal headboard of Phineas' bed to reach them. He only had to finish up the other side, and the two boys could start to make their escape plans.

Of course, Phineas was still ready to send only Ferb out on that escape. He thought it might be easier to keep William distracted by staying, giving Ferb the best chance of not being followed, and the police the best chance of finding William. The redhead had successfully avoided referencing his brother, and was almost completely sure William was barely even thinking about him.

The majority of the day had gone as the other three had: the boys were taken out before breakfast for a morning bathroom run in a small water closet behind the room they slept in and at the end of a hall on the opposite side of that room from the way William and Phineas usually went later in the day. Phineas then requested three plates full of food that he shared with Ferb, was taken out to the large room down the main hall as soon as the morning meal was finished, and, with only a brief break for lunch, was bombarded with self-centered tales and desperate, deluded attempts to be his one and only daddy.

When the stories, rants, and disconnected questions were finally at an end for the day, William guided Phineas back to the bedrooms, the blond man practically glowing. Phineas could only guess what the man was thinking, most likely something congratulatory about how well things seemed to be going. Oh, if only he knew what was going on in Phineas' head…

"I'll get your supper started in just a few minutes," William said once they'd reached the room at the back of his own bedroom. He started to unlock the door. "And if you eat like you have the last couple of nights…"

William's words trailed off as he opened the door and looked inside. It was easy for Phineas to see the reason for the man's shock as the redhead stepped inside; the room was empty, only the furniture to be seen. Ferb was gone.

Phineas couldn't help but smile. A quick glance up at the air vent showed it still in place, no sign it had been tampered with. Ferb had done a great job of disguising his escape route. Phineas also hadn't heard a thing from the ducts, so Ferb had managed to figure out a way to muffle the sound of his passage, something that had been worrying them both the night before. A weight lifted off his shoulders, one he hadn't realized he'd been carrying.

But his relief didn't last long. A second after everything had registered, two large hands gripped Phineas' shoulders painfully and spun him to face an absolutely furious William. There was an insane rage in the darkening eyes glaring daggers into him. And the voice that came out of the man's mouth was rougher and deeper than it had ever been before.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know," Phineas answered quietly. He fought the urge to lick his lips nervously as he held onto every ounce of courage he had.

William gave him a violent shake. "Where is he!" the blond man shouted, spittle flying.

Phineas flinched but held onto his composure. "I really don't know," he insisted. He couldn't hide the quiver in his tone. His fear was rising exponentially. Could he hold on until Ferb got back?

The thin fingers dug even more sharply into the soft flesh of Phineas' upper arms. "You've been planning this all along," William growled, his eyes narrowing. "You distracted me while that… gremlin of a boy snuck out. You wanted him to bring back the people who would make everything fall apart in flames!"

"What?" Phineas blurted out in reply. It was true, he knew, at least the wanting Ferb to bring back help, but something in the man's voice screamed there was so much more to the accusation. He just didn't know what that something was.

"You're against me! She turned you against me!" William shook Phineas again, squeezing even harder, this time causing the boy to involuntarily let out a yelp of pain.

Meanwhile, from where he'd been frozen under his bed, Ferb realized the time to do something was now. The constant rubbing of his chest against the somewhat rough walls as he scraped away the paint from the vent cover screws had caused the button of his shirt to loosen, eventually leading to the threads breaking and the button to fall to the floor. Thinking William might notice the missing piece of plastic and suspect some kind of an escape attempt, Ferb scrambled to find it, his search leading him completely under the bed and into the darkest corner. He had just managed to catch a tiny glint when he heard the key in the lock, making him scoop up a handful of dust along with the button.

But just before he would have pushed himself back into sight, he realized he still held the nail file in his hand. Ferb scowled at the piece of metal in frustration. He would shove it into a pocket, but his sudden reappearance might make William suspicious enough to search him, and the file could not be found before he and Phineas were ready to leave. He also couldn't just leave it on the floor under the bed; William was sure to examine the space where it would look like Ferb had been purposefully hiding himself. So just as William started his interrogation of Phineas, Ferb gently and quietly slipped the file between the mattress and the metal frame it rested on, leaving just enough sticking out so it would be easy to recover later.

Phineas' cry of pain made Ferb flinch as much as he would have if he'd been the target of William's wrath. And he knew he'd run out of time. With one big push, Ferb slid out into the middle of the room. "I'm here," he said as soon as he'd cleared the bed frame and sat up. "I'm right here."

William shoved Phineas away from him, ignoring how the redheaded boy barely managed to land on the other bed, sprawling across it as the man stepped forward and loomed menacingly over Ferb. "And just what were you plotting by hiding under that bed?" he asked darkly, his volume lowering once again.

"Nothing," Ferb promptly replied. He held out the hand that held the button. "I was fidgeting with the button of my shirt and it came off, falling onto the floor and rolling under the bed. I came out as soon as I managed to finally get a hold of it." He gestured to the remains of the frayed threads near the collar of his shirt when William's eyes started looking him over.

"I see," William said slowly, taking in both the button and the threads. He took a pair of deep breaths and released them deliberately. "I see." And then it was like a switch flipped inside him, and he turned to Phineas with a bright smile as though nothing had happened. "I'll bet you're hungrier than ever tonight. I'll get to work on supper for both of us."

Phineas just blinked from his position on his bed, half-propped up by the arms he had extended behind him as he lay on top of the blankets. He then watched as the lack of an answer seemed to be as good as a verbal confirmation, William giving him a wink before calmly turning around and leaving the room, the door shutting lightly behind him before the lock was once again latched into place.

Ferb hurried over to him. "Are you all right?" the green-haired boy asked. "Did he hurt you?"

Phineas turned his head and blinked wide-eyed at his brother. "You were right, Ferb," he whispered. "We both have to go together."

"That doesn't matter right now," Ferb insisted. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Phineas said dismissively, sitting up completely. He unconsciously flinched at the movement as he stared at the door. "He really is going to just go and start cooking supper. It's like that whole thing never happened."

There wasn't anything for Ferb to say to that. It was simply true. What worried him, however, was the way Phineas' hands unconsciously came up to rub at his upper arms where he'd been held. Ferb silently reached out and pushed up the short sleeve closest to him, his eyebrows furrowing together when he saw the already-forming bruises.

Phineas came back to the present and turned his head to watch when he felt the fabric of his shirt moving, his own eyebrows furrowing at the reveal. "Oh, wow," he murmured. "That actually hurts."

"I'd be more surprised if it didn't," Ferb said, letting go of the sleeve.

"Yeah." Phineas looked at his other arm and frowned at the matching marks there. He sighed as he put the sleeve back in place. "I never thought he'd go this far," he whispered.

"I hoped he wouldn't," Ferb said, sad to see the effects of Phineas' rose-tinted glasses being torn away in such a violent fashion. He chose to focus on that emotion rather than the rage he was feeling over his brother's mistreatment; there wasn't anything he could do about the latter. At least, not at the moment.

Phineas nodded. "This just got a lot more dangerous." He brought his head back up and looked at Ferb. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible. And I think I have an idea for how to do it quietly."

Ferb gave him a small smile. He knew Phineas could bounce back, and the strong determination in his eyes was great to see. Now to put together that escape plan…

 

* * * * * * * *

 

During the fourth full day of Phineas and Ferb's disappearance, Candace and the rest of the kids finalized their list and tried to decide where to go from there. "This is a huge list," the redheaded teenager said as she stared at the printout she held.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Buford asked aggressively from where he was sitting next to Baljeet on Candace's bedroom window seat.

"Yeah, I don't think we can pare it down any further," Jeremy said from his position standing next to his seated girlfriend.

"But it's too big for the six of us to handle on our own," Stacy said as she bounced on Candace's bed and made Isabella have to catch her balance on the other side. "It'll take forever to go through all those buildings."

Isabella stood up to keep from getting tossed around further then paused to think. "What if we had more people to help? I know the rest of the Fireside Girls would be happy to do that, and there's always the rest of Phineas and Ferb's friends." She gestured at Candace and Jeremy. "I bet you guys know more people who would help."

Candace and Jeremy shared a look. "Sure we do," Jeremy agreed. Candace nodded.

Baljeet raised a hand to get everyone's attention. "Are we sure this is the best place to be continuing this discussion?" he asked nervously. "Your parents and grandparents are here in the house, Candace, and we cannot be sure if we can be overheard. I do not believe we would be allowed to continue our plans if they were to know about them."

"You weren't worried about that when we were talking yesterday," Buford protested.

"We were discussing the particulars of the buildings, not the particulars of a plan to thoroughly search and examine them," Baljeet refuted. "There is a difference."

"He's got a point," Candace said before Buford could say anything else. "There are a lot more people than usual, and there's no way to keep track of them all, especially not from here with the door shut. I'm not even sure the backyard is safe, not with how many things I've overheard going on back there the past couple of summers. So where do we go?"

Isabella smiled. "How about Danville Park? No one would think twice about a large group of kids getting together there, and as long as we don't go around shouting or deliberately grabbing people's attention, no one should pay close enough attention to what we're doing and saying to figure anything out. I can have the troop there in a half-hour, tops."

Candace considered it. "I have to make a few phone calls, and I can't guarantee a lot of people, but I'd say a half-hour, forty-five minutes is reasonable."

Jeremy nodded. "That's about what I was thinking."

"Baljeet, Buford, could you two get the rest of our friends?" Isabella asked them. "I'll organize everything at the park. You know, by the shelter. We can organize the picnic tables into a semicircle and use the one cinder block wall to tack up a large map of Danville with all the buildings on our list marked on it." She shrugged. "It'll make it easier to assign sections to the groups we'll have to split up into."

"We're on it," Buford answered for the pair of boys, jumping to his feet. Baljeet did the same a moment later.

"Then let's do this thing," Candace declared.

It was an hour later before all the kids had gathered at the park shelter, rearranged as Isabella had described, the Fireside Girl troop leader and Candace standing to either side of the enlarged map of Danville they'd printed out before separating to gather their respective recruits. "I'm thinking we should have at least one teenager with each group," Candace said after getting everyone up to speed with the situation. "That way we have drivers if we can get access to enough cars, and someone old enough to deal with what we could possibly find in any of the buildings."

Isabella nodded her agreement. "That makes a lot of sense. Now who's willing to lead the groups? The more we have, the less buildings each one has to search." Her positive expression fell when only Candace, Jeremy, Stacy, and Coltrane raised their hands. "Really?" she asked. "That's it?"

There was nervous shifting amongst the other teenagers. "I'm sorry," Jenny said sincerely. "I really want to help, but I'm not sure this is the kind of confrontation I can handle leading people into."

"And I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to being in charge of something like this," Jeremy's drummer Dustin said with an apologetic shrug. "I'm more than game to tag along, though."

"If Albert were here I know he'd be willing to take charge of a group," Irving said confidently. Baljeet and Buford had found him sitting alone in his bedroom, shades drawn, slowly leafing through each of the scrapbooks he'd devoted to Phineas and Ferb's exploits over and over again. His mother had said it was what he'd been doing since he'd first gotten word of the boys' disappearance. It was amazing the kind of transformation asking him to help search for his heroes had brought about in him. To say he'd been overjoyed was an understatement.

They could all only hope he'd keep his emotional enthusiasm under control.

Ignoring the last comment, Isabella put a smile back on and nodded decisively. "Well, that's fine, then. We'll just break up into four groups. Thinking about it, the numbers will work out better for safety anyway." She turned to the strip of blank paper that bordered the map and listed each teenage leader with a number beside the name. "Let's get the groups organized."

When all was said and done, Candace had the smallest group, consisting of herself, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford. They'd tried to even out the number of teenagers, since there had been eight of them there, but Jenny's cousin Sarah had refused to be separated from her relative, who'd already been randomly assigned to Stacy. Jeremy had volunteered to take Irving in his group, seeing his girlfriend's expression get uncomfortable when his name came up. Everyone else was divided up evenly, then the city was quartered, and the appropriate list of buildings to be searched was given to each team leader.

"Just remember, we're mainly looking for information," Candace told them all once everything had been sorted out and looked ready to go. "As much as I may wish we could do otherwise, we can't afford to confront the man who has taken my brothers. Whoever finds out where Phineas and Ferb are has to call the police as soon as possible, then stay back and watch the building until they arrive. Answer whatever questions you have to as honestly as you can. And be sure to call the rest of us. I think it's safe to say we're all eager to know where the boys are and if they're safe." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Please let them be safe," she whispered to herself.

"You heard Candace," Jeremy chimed in, stepping forward. "Let's move out." He turned to his girlfriend and took a gentle hold of her shoulders, causing her to open her eyes and look at him. "You're doing great, Candace. Now get out there and find your brothers. And whatever you do, stay safe." They shared a loving smile and a soft, lingering kiss before Jeremy led his team to the car he'd borrowed from his parents.

"Well, you heard the man," Candace said to the trio she sensed had gathered around her as she watched her boyfriend get into the car and disappear into traffic. "Let's get this party started." She grinned wickedly. "William Connors is going down, down, down."

 

* * * * * * * *

 

The building search ended at suppertime, no one wanting to alert or worry anyone's parents, sharing what they'd learned so far when they met back up at the agreed-upon gathering spot of the park shelter. They would again gather around mid-morning the next day to review where everyone would be going before heading out once more. There hadn't been an enormous amount of progress since they hadn't been able to start until a little after lunch, but hopes were high for tomorrow.

Perry the platypus had noticed the second gathering in the park on his way down from Doofenshmirtz's building - and the minor explosion of the Left-Shoe-Inator he'd caused to thwart the evil scientist's latest attempt to take over the Tri-State Area. The secret agent still couldn't help but roll his eyes when he remembered the plan; Doofenshmirtz had intended to use his Inator to make all the shoes in the Tri-State Area left shoes, thus making all the citizens extremely clumsy - and by extension conquerable - because of their two left feet. The man admitted that it was a bit of a stretch, but since everyone's right foot would be excessively uncomfortable being in a left shoe there was still a good chance it would have the intended effect. Perry had quickly disabused him of the notion.

The platypus managed to get to Candace's side as the debriefing started, where he was shocked and a little bit impressed at the level of organization and thorough detail everyone was putting into the search. He looked over the map before Isabella rolled it up to take home for the night; he'd already searched a number of their intended targets the day before. He hadn't found what he was looking for, unfortunately, but that also meant he was sure whoever went through those buildings would be safe.

His only problem now was that he wasn't sure if he'd have time to search the rest of the kids' proposed sites before they got there. This latest plot of Doofenshmirtz's had been relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, so it was quite likely he'd have another one up and running the next day. That meant no hunting until his nemesis had been taken care of, and there was never a solid timeline for that. Perry sighed. He'd just have to do the best he could, and trust that the care and consideration the kids were putting into this would keep them from harm.

And who knew, maybe they'd actually succeed. Perry could only hope they would.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Coltrane pulled up in front of a sprawling, single-story old factory building on the north side of Danville the next morning with the rest of his team filling his semi-restored powder blue Bel Air. "Well, this is our first stop of the day," he announced as he turned off the engine. "Let's keep it quiet and stick together."

"Yes, sir!" Milly, Katie, and Holly replied cheerfully from the back seat.

"I'm cool with that," Coltrane's punk friend Johnny said from the passenger seat.

They all got out of the car and paused to examine the property. There was a fence around it, a closed gate restricting access to a driveway of sorts that led around back, most likely to an employees-only parking lot as well as delivery docks. The chain and padlock keeping the gate closed appeared old and rusted; it certainly hadn't been tampered with any time in the recent past.

"If Phineas and Ferb are in here, Mister Connors didn't use the gate to get inside," Milly said.

"Let's walk all the way around," Coltrane suggested. "Maybe we'll see some kind of opening somewhere a little more out-of-the-way." The others nodded and followed.

"Aw, man, I think we found where these guys dumped their garbage," Holly complained on the other side of the building, a look of disgust shaping her features as she pointed at the overflowing dumpster half-hidden behind a crumbling brick wall.

Katie gestured to spot up ahead. "Look! There's another gate in the wall here!" She ran over to it. "There's no chain and no lock."

Coltrane quickly joined her. "You're right. Good eye." He gave her a smile, and the blonde girl blushed.

Milly stepped up next to Katie as Johnny and Coltrane tested the gate to see if it would make too much noise when they tried to open it. "I think you just earned a 'Got a Cute Boy to Smile at Me' patch," she whispered with a wicked grin. Katie just rolled her eyes and elbowed her friend, her blush deepening.

"At least we don't have to worry about multiple floors to check out," Johnny quietly commented once they were all inside and he'd picked the lock to the back door of the factory.

"That'll help make this search quick," Milly agreed.

Coltrane nodded his agreement. "I'm also thinking this much dust and dirt doesn't bode well for finding the boys," he said, gesturing at their surroundings. The layer of said dust and dirt was thick and smooth, only rarely disturbed by tiny animal tracks.

Holly's lips turned up in a sardonic twist. "If they were here I think we'd be able to track them down by their sneezing."

"Well, as long as we don't kick up too much of this stuff, I won't have to worry about taking a shower before I meet up with Vanessa later this afternoon," Johnny said with a shrug.

"She couldn't come along today, huh?" Coltrane asked.

"Nah, I just told her I'd meet up with her around dinnertime," Johnny said. "This place wouldn't be her kind of scene."

The dreadlocked bassist stopped in his tracks and turned to face his friend. "You mean you didn't even ask her if she could join us?" he asked. "I told you yesterday we could use all the help we could get for this search."

Johnny blinked at the shock and intensity in the low-volume voice as the three girls backed away slightly. "Hey, man, I don't think she even knows these kids. And she's been real moody the last three, four days. I wasn't going to bug her about it." He frowned. "And I'm here, aren't I?"

Coltrane just sighed. "Yeah, you're here. Sorry to give you a hard time." He took a deep breath and released it. "Let's finish checking this place out and move on to the next one. I really don't think they're here."

Silently, the five of them did just that.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

"We are stopping for lunch after we're through here, right?" Sarah asked as the five members of her group carefully checked out the second-floor offices of the factory they were in. She glanced at her cousin. "You're hungry, too, aren't you, Jenny?"

"This search is more important than hunger," Jenny declared in a low voice, peeking around a standard office partition wall.

"Will you two please focus?" Stacy asked from a little ways ahead. She was about to open a door marked "Office Manager". "I can't hear if there's anyone in here or not."

Django sighed and looked at Gretchen. "I bet if someone's in there they can hear us," he whispered. Gretchen grinned.

The Fireside Girl then softly cleared her throat and got the older girls' attention. "We should probably reduce the volume of our discussions," she suggested quietly and politely.

Stacy shot her an apologetic look. "You're right," she whispered, then turned to Sarah. "We'll get lunch when we're done here, before we go to the next building. Now please focus on the search. Phineas and Ferb are counting on us."

"Well, they're probably counting more on the police," Sarah muttered sourly to herself, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked around the corner of another partition and tossed her long blonde hair back over her shoulder.

"Of course, Stacy. I want them back as much as you do," Jenny said with a smile. "Sorry about that."

As the younger pair had guessed, the manager's office was empty, showing no signs of anyone having been there in quite some time. The rest of the second floor proved equally as deserted. The first floor was almost totally open with only cinder block pillars holding up the upper story, so it was relatively obvious no one was being kept there. However, the back fifth or so of the space was lost in a mostly windowless gloom, so they were forced to go closer to make sure of their guess that the building had been completely abandoned.

Stacy led the way, swallowing nervously. She was beginning to regret taking on this whole leadership thing. A step and a half behind her were Gretchen and Django. The younger kids were eager and wary, their eyes darting around carefully and observantly. Last in line were Jenny and Sarah, the blonde getting closer and closer to her brunette cousin with every stride forward. They were also looking around carefully, but only Jenny was doing it for the right reason.

And then it happened. A shuffling noise came from the far right-hand corner followed by a squeak, and then a dark shape dashed by in a blur.

Sarah screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped on Jenny, wrapping her arms around the other girl as she practically tried to climb on top of her. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I felt it brush my leg! It brushed my leg!"

"Where did it go?" Stacy exclaimed wildly, the other girl's panic becoming contagious. She spun around then jumped back, crashing into Gretchen and Django. The three of them fell to the floor in a heap.

"What was it?" Jenny cried, too tangled up with her hysterical cousin to do much of anything. "I didn't see anything!"

"It's still here, I know it is!" Sarah sobbed.

Gretchen managed to extricate herself from the pile and looked around. "I don't believe anything is still in the building with us," she said gently in an attempt to soothe.

Sarah glared at her. "You can't say that for sure!"

That made the scout scowl. "I don't believe any animal would remain in the building with all the racket you're making," she shot back.

"But where did it go?" Stacy reiterated as she pushed herself back up to her feet. She continued to shakily look around.

"It went that way," Django said, pointing toward a gap beneath a door where the shipping and receiving department had to have been. "It had to have gotten out of here by now. We should be fine."

Jenny gave him a grateful look as she tried to pry her cousin off of her. "Well, we should get going then. And maybe use the other exit?" She finally pushed Sarah away.

Stacy fought hard to get her breathing back under control then nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that's what we should do," she agreed, her voice still a little wobbly. "Phineas and Ferb aren't here anyway, and it's definitely time for lunch." She looked around one last time and started walking toward the door they'd used to get in - conveniently on the opposite side of the building from the place Django had gestured toward. "Let's get out of here."

"What?" Sarah screeched. "You're going to move when you don't know for sure where that monster is? You're crazy!"

"Well, it beats standing here waiting for it to come back," Stacy retorted as she continued to move. Her irritation at the other girl's attitude let her totally regain her composure. She still couldn't help but let her eyes dart to all the shadows in the spooky place, but she was hoping no one would catch that. "We're leaving. If you want to stick around by yourself and welcome the thing back, go right ahead."

Sarah watched the other four take a few more steps toward the exit. "Fine!" she exploded as she scrambled to catch up. "But if we run into that nasty beast again I'm blaming you."

Stacy just shook her head and rolled her eyes, and before long they were all back in the car she'd borrowed from her mom. "Now lunch," she declared, turning the key in the ignition. "And I think we need to have a little talk about strategy."

Gretchen smiled at her from the front passenger seat. "That's a great idea, Stacy," she enthused. "I can help with that if you'd like."

"That would be great."

"Don't go there," Jenny murmured to her cousin when she heard the blonde let loose a low scoff at the exchange, the pair sitting together with Django in the back seat. "You have no idea what the Fireside Girls are capable of. Besides, your attitude this whole morning has been totally negative. If you don't lighten up, you could totally wreck our chances of finding Phineas and Ferb."

"And how would I do that?" Sarah replied in a whisper just as quiet as the original comment. "I've been helping look, haven't I?"

She didn't see Django roll his eyes at the question.

Jenny turned her head to look at her. "You don't really think we're going to find them," she said bluntly. "Your attitude is totally negating the power of positive thinking the rest of us have going. And we need all the positive energy we can get right now, because we all really want to get Phineas and Ferb back safe and sound. I know you like them; now prove it by really putting your heart into the search."

Sarah was taken aback by the intensity of Jenny's plea, and she realized she'd never taken this attempt to find Candace's brothers seriously. Finding the boys was something the police were supposed to do, not them. But just looking was obviously vitally important to these people who knew the kids more intimately than she did, and so, because she loved her cousin and liked her cousin's friends, she finally resolved to truly help instead of just go through the motions. She smiled and nodded.

Jenny's pleased and relieved smile in return made the decision all worthwhile.

And with that, the fivesome continued on their way to lunch and the second half of their search for the day.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Phineas spent the morning of the fifth day more nervous than any day previous. Would what had happened the evening before come back to haunt him? His shoulders still throbbed slightly, especially when that question crossed his mind. William hadn't shown any signs of that, either when he took the supper dishes away or at the start of the day. But the redhead couldn't help but watch carefully for any sign that the mercurial man was about to go the other way.

There had been more sports talk when the two arrived in the open space reserved for that. William talked about visions he had for the future, when he'd take Phineas to see some college and professional games, maybe even take him overseas since the boy liked soccer so much. He talked about vendors and snacks, catching foul balls and getting players' autographs. He could see things so clearly; didn't those ideas excite Phineas, too?

No. No, they did not. Phineas wasn't about to tell him so, however. He wasn't about to rock the boat at all if he could help it. He just said what he thought William wanted to hear, and hoped Ferb could finish getting the paint off of the last two screws - a task that had been interrupted by the violent mess the day before. Neither boy could bring himself to get back to it before going to bed, either; they were too shaken up.

Lunch finally rolled around, and William brought out the usual table and chairs from the utility room that took up the back part of the space. He'd started totally clearing them away when he took up playing with the sports equipment, and had to bring them out at lunchtime. Phineas had regretted it at the time; he thought there might have been potential for part of the table or one of the chairs to be used in an escape attempt.

But now Phineas sat on one of those chairs at the table, watching William making something on the two-burner camp stove he used to prepare food. He also listened very carefully to the rambling the man did as he cooked. He'd tuned it out on the previous days because it was said in low tones and filled with random phrases and ideas he couldn't make sense of. Now it could hold keys to the man's mental state.

"Yeah, yeah, games will be great," William muttered. "We could go down to San Diego, or maybe up to San Francisco or Oakland… We can stay around for baseball… And L.A. has a soccer team, doesn't it? Yeah, I think it does… Something about Beckham… At least he likes soccer, he likes sports… He's a real boy… Into boy things… Don't have to worry about that… He's coming around… He's coming around… And then he can help me… Help me talk to her, convince her… Yeah, he'll help me… Then she'll know I'm serious… She'll see everything I got for her… Know I thought of her, want her to be happy with me… She'll know who her real daddy is… She'll come around… And he'll help me… Yeah…"

Phineas blinked and swallowed nervously as what William was muttering about came home to him. He was actually going to be expected to help convince Candace to stay. William was going to take Candace. And everything William got for her? That must mean that shelving unit with the pink curtains and girl's items was meant for his sister. On top of that, Phineas had a feeling the two beds in the room he and Ferb were staying in were meant for him and Candace. But why hadn't she been taken in the first place?

It was something he couldn't worry about right now. No, right now he and Ferb had to finalize their plans to get out of there and then do it as soon as possible. There was no way he was going to let William kidnap his sister.

There was absolutely no way.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

"I'm pretty sure I saw another door on the first floor. In fact, I know I did."

Jeremy sighed to himself as Irving insisted on doing another sweep of the first floor of the building his group was searching. It was the second one they'd tackled after lunch; the blond teenager was beginning to wonder if there'd be a third before suppertime called a halt to their activities for the day. Irving seemed determined to thoroughly examine every square inch of every structure they went into, even when it was obvious the area was deserted. Apparently his enthusiasm had been channeled into an intense anal-retentive focus on every last little detail, beyond what was absolutely necessary. Jeremy couldn't help but worry that he wouldn't be able to keep the younger boy from diving in and doing something dangerous and foolhardy if the group came across any signs that Phineas and Ferb were actually there.

He was also extremely glad he'd offered to take Irving on his team instead of letting him volunteer himself for Candace's. She would have snapped by lunchtime.

"Oh, come on, Irving!" Adyson complained. "We have two more floors to search. If we keep going at this pace we'll never finish going through the buildings on our list!"

"She's got a point," Dustin leaned over and murmured to Jeremy.

"How can we say we've really searched the buildings completely if we don't examine every single corner thoroughly?" Irving shot back.

Adyson rolled her eyes and planted her fists on her hips. "I think it's a safe bet to say there's no one on this floor when we can see the entire expanse of it! There may be a few shadows in the far corners, but that's it. That's it! Can we please go up to the second floor now?"

Irving scowled. "Fine, you can go up if you want to. I'll just finish looking around down here."

"That's not happening," Jeremy finally interjected. "We don't separate, remember?"

"Come on, Irving," Ginger entreated. "We can take another look around here on our way out, okay?"

The bespectacled boy stared at the taller Fireside Girl for a long moment, his expression a little lost, then sighed and dropped his gaze. "Yeah, that'll be fine," he said, crestfallen. "And you're probably right, Adyson. We need to search faster." He started for the stairs to the second floor. "Let's get going."

The others followed. Jeremy resolved to have a talk with Irving when they were done there; he hadn't wanted the younger boy to be so gung ho, but he also didn't want him to be so dejected. Neither mental state would help in the long run. Jeremy just had to make him see that.

For now, though, the search continued.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace sighed as she and her group got back to her parents' car after finishing up the search of their last building of the day. "That took a lot less time than I thought it would," she commented, leaning against the side of the car.

"We're getting good at this," Buford said with a shrug, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I wish we did not have the occasion to do so," Baljeet said, then took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Well, yeah," Buford conceded, "but at least we're doing what we gotta do better than anybody else."

Candace sighed again and glanced around without really seeing anything specific. "So how many places do we still have on our list?" she asked.

Isabella pulled out the piece of paper she'd jotted down their team's portion of the targets the day before. It was her turn to sigh. "I'd say a full day's worth, if we have to search all of them," she replied sadly. "We won't be able to take much of a lunch break, either."

"I can't believe we found so many buildings that fit our criteria," Candace said, frowning.

"Well, the number is not so great, really," Baljeet refuted thoughtfully. "We must necessarily take a certain amount of time to carefully search each building, which limits the number we are able to go through in any set timeframe. Those limitations may make a smaller list seem much longer."

"I can understand that," Candace said after a moment of consideration. "However, it's not helping with the thinking this is taking too long. What if the boys don't have the time for us to check everything off the list?"

Isabella reached out and placed a gentle hand on the older girl's arm. "Don't let yourself think that way," she said firmly. "We can't do that to ourselves. We're doing what we can, and that's all we can do."

Candace gave her a shaky smile and brief nod.

The others silently let the teenager get herself back under control, then Baljeet spoke up. "Are we not supposed to meet the others in the park before going home for supper?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, we are," Isabella confirmed. "We should probably get going."

"We should," Candace agreed. "Come on, get in the car. We'll get moving."

"I'm looking forward to my mom's spicy tacos tonight," Buford said as he hopped into the back seat with Baljeet. "She made sure to tell me about it before I left this morning."

Baljeet rolled his eyes and buckled his seat belt. "Then I am glad I will not be staying with you tonight."

Buford snapped his head around to glare at the smaller boy. "What was that, nerd?"

Isabella turned to look back from the front passenger seat and frowned. "Buford, you have to admit you're not the easiest to be around after you've eaten something spicy. I've gotten a few whiffs from your tent when we stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Flynn's cabin." Her expression turned wicked. "Let's just say you inspired me to hurry off and take care of my morning rituals."

"Well, if that's what it takes to run you away like a…" Buford's eyes glittered with equally-wicked glee.

"You do not want to finish that thought," Isabella growled, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Buford clamped his mouth shut, proving the black-haired girl correct.

Candace chuckled and shook her head at the others' antics, relieved to have something help take her mind off her troubles, if only partially. "Let's not distract the driver while she's driving, all right?" she quipped, making a left turn to head for the park.

"Yes, Candace," the other three chimed in unison.

It wasn't the smoothest ending to a stressful day, but at least there was still hope for tomorrow. And they were all going to hold onto that thought like a lifeline.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry drifted back to the Flynn-Fletcher home just after supper had been served, and he was totally exhausted. His assignment that day had been to follow Doofenshmirtz all around the city, Monogram and Carl unable to piece together what his latest plot was as he hadn't been seen actually buying anything. As far as the secret agent could tell as the day went on, that fact had bothered the evil scientist as much if not more than the two that had given him the mission.

The only plus in an otherwise boring yet confusing day had been how early the job had ended. About one-thirty in the afternoon, Doofenshmirtz had stopped in his tracks a couple of blocks away from his building and turned to face Perry - unerringly staring directly into the platypus' hiding spot. "I am going home now, Perry the Platypus," he'd said, irritation as thick as his Germanic accent. "I have decided to give up for the day. I'm obviously not meant to get any evil done." He'd paused, and inspiration obviously struck. "But I have the best idea for tomorrow's inator! I promise it will more than make up for today. I have to start getting it ready!" And Perry watched as the excited man ran off, his white lab coat flapping in the breeze behind him.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

But there was the rest of the day to consider. Perry immediately called in to Monogram, turning his watch around so his superior could see his target disappearing into the Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. building, letting the picture explain the situation. He'd been congratulated for a job well done… even if it wasn't understood exactly what job had been done. With one last "Good job, Agent P! Get ready to do it all again tomorrow!" the communicator went dead, and the platypus was left to his own devices.

There was a search to continue.

And search Perry did, going through his copy of the list of buildings the kids had put together and investigating as many as he possibly could. He only skipped the ones he found were being checked when he came upon them; he was happy to see the kids were being careful and had insisted on staying together in groups. It soothed a few fears. Fortunately for the teal animal, his being small, unobtrusive, and loaded with spy gadgets made his searches even more quick and efficient.

Even so, time was an enemy that would not be denied. The dinner hour arrived, and Perry still didn't want anyone to note his disappearance beyond the usual. So, he headed home. But he'd gotten through the overwhelming majority of the buildings on the list, leaving only three contenders for the next day. He was sure Phineas and Ferb would be found in one of them; he was confident the kids had hit upon the right track of thought in developing the lead. He'd do a little bit of research on the three targets after the household had gone to bed, see what particulars he could dig up on each building so he'd know what to expect when he got there. It shouldn't take too long, and then he could get some well-deserved rest for the night.

Tomorrow wasn't just going to be interesting, it was going to be exciting and action-packed. Perry just knew it.

Chapter Text

The sixth day was filled with anxious anticipation for both Phineas and Ferb. They'd figured out the best plan they could under the circumstances, and it started with a long wait. They wouldn't be leaving until after supper that evening as that was the only time they were together and left alone for any length of time. While Phineas would adhere to the normal script with William, Ferb would be loosening the screws of the air vent cover to make sure they could be undone quickly and easily later. He'd tighten them again before William's return with his brother so they wouldn't be noticed.

It was harder to calmly keep quiet while William went on and on Phineas noticed. That day's topic was the possibility of the redhead noticing girls in that certain, special way, and tales upon tales of William's own blossoming into hormone-driven angst and acne-filled nightmares. If the boy had actually been listening to the details, he might have been terrified of "the great change" as William called it. But luckily the words were only an annoying buzz in the background as he forced himself to mentally go over the escape plan looking for gaps and possible trouble spots.

Lunchtime brought Phineas back to the present once the food had been served. William smiled at him eagerly and watched as the boy started to eat his meal. "It's good to know you have a healthy appetite," he commented as Phineas chewed. "Your sister has one, too, right? A healthy appetite? No eating disorders or anything?"

"What?" Phineas replied in shock as soon as he'd hurriedly swallowed. "Eating disorders?"

"Oh, I'm not trying to say she has one," William said soothingly. "She doesn't really look like she does. I just wanted to be sure she was all right."

William had seen Candace? Well, Phineas had figured that the man had been at least watching the house for some amount of time, to know that it was rare to find one brother without the other, but he hadn't taken the logic as far as watching Candace as well. It only made sense now that he thought about it, but at the same time it didn't make it any less creepy.

Phineas shook his head. "No, Candace is fine. She eats like the rest of us."

William's smile grew. "That's good, that's good." He chuckled. "Of course that means I'll have to stock even more food, if she eats anything like you do."

"Yeah," Phineas said with a weak little laugh and even weaker smile. He was suddenly more glad than ever that he and Ferb were leaving that night. He really didn't think he could keep up the act any more. This was just too much.

"I may have to think about getting another refrigerator," William mused, tapping his chin with his right index finger. "The extra room certainly couldn't hurt, right?"

Phineas could only give another weak smile, happy for the mouthful of food that provided an excuse not to actually speak. Not that it mattered. William proceeded to ramble on about the adjustments he'd need to make when Candace joined them and how much fun they'd all have, going into the details of what he thought they could do that proved just how little he actually knew about who Candace and Phineas really were as individuals. The man just seemed to be lost in his dream world where the three of them would instantly become a happy little family.

With a mental shudder, Phineas realized suppertime couldn't come too soon.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry the platypus found himself stuck in his normal routine the sixth day, and every step of it seemed to take longer than it ever did before. It took longer than usual to be able to get away from the family unnoticed. Monogram bantered with Carl for an extended amount of time before giving the secret agent his assignment, although the extended briefing revealed one piece of good news: Simon the squirrel - the second Agent S - reported that the lady who owned the property his tree was situated on had given the police a valuable clue about the car the man who had taken Phineas and Ferb had been driving the day of the boys' kidnapping. The vehicle was being searched for as they spoke.

When Perry arrived at Doofenshmirtz's residence - again, taking more time than normal for some reason - he found out the evil scientist's trap was more effective than usual, the metal the cage was made of not something that could be cut apart easily and quietly. The cage had also locked with some sort of platform installed in the floor. Escape was going to take a while.

Doofenshmirtz was especially smug that day. There was an extra bright glint in his eyes as he began his customary explanation of his plan. "Ah, Perry the Platypus," he began once the cage had locked into place around his nemesis. "You're just in time to witness the culmination of the last twenty-four hours worth of work!" His smile immediately transformed into a look of apologetic reconsideration. "Well, minus eight hours of sleep, of course. And I can't forget the time I took to make meals and eat. And then there was that call from Vanessa…"

Heinz shook his head and got back to the task at hand. "Never mind all that. What's important is that I have created something that will allow me the great satisfaction of seeing true justice done!" He looked Perry right in the eye. "And just what kind of justice, you ask? Who is the target of this justice?" He gave a quick evil chuckle. "Well, let me tell ya."

The brown-haired man strode over to a poster board on an easel next to a bulky cloth-covered machine and turned it around so a picture collage of various vending machines could be seen by his captive audience. "You see here all of the vending machines that have plagued me over the last few days. No matter where I went, no matter what I wanted, these infernal machines refused to give me what I legitimately paid for! And it was like they were taunting me…" He made a low, wordless growl. "Bags of chips would hang from the shelf, candy bars would get wedged between the metal spiral and the slot divider, sodas would lean precariously over the chute… and nothing! They would stay like that! Even when I would bump the machines, nothing would happen. I even tried to buy another item from the same slots - nothing!" He threw his arms out wide to emphasize his point and knocked over his display. He ignored it and began pacing.

"You know, I have always been suspicious of vending machines. There's more to them than meets the eye, I just know it. And what's been happening to me lately in regards to them just makes me think that I'm right to suspect that they have a secret plan in place. I wouldn't be surprised if it's all in retaliation for creating a strategy to combat them if they should…" Doofenshmirtz's words trailed off as he saw the highly skeptical look Perry was giving him.

"Never mind," he said with a wave of his hand. "What's important now is that I have created the perfect way to get what the machines would try to deny me - and without taking the chance of them falling down and crushing me." He put his fists on his hips. "Do you know how many people die every year by vending machines falling on them? Do you?" He paused as though waiting for a response from the platypus, then waved his arms around again. "Well, I don't know the exact numbers, but I've heard it's more than people who are killed by sharks. Sharks! You can imagine my reluctance in dealing with such a formidable foe."

Perry rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. This scheme was beginning to verge on the ridiculous, like the time the evil scientist had taught himself whale song to insult a whale that had stolen a former girlfriend. He'd found the release mechanism on the cage; he'd let his nemesis actually show off his invention before deciding whether it was worth his time to thwart the plan.

Doofenshmirtz returned to the tarp-covered machine. "So I created a machine that would allow me to give the vending machines the agitating they require to give up my items. I give you…" he yanked off the cloth to reveal a giant laser device somewhat similar to others he'd built in the past, "the Shake-Inator!"

He let loose a maniacal laugh then leaned in close to Perry. "I shall use this to cause the ground in a small radius to shake just violently enough to free any items that were already about to fall, and then I will have everything the vending machines thought they could keep from me!" The doctor's expression turned sincerely concerned. "It won't be enough to rival real earthquakes or anything, or make people fall down… well, unless they were already off-balance… or knock down buildings… unless they were old and rickety, maybe ready to fall down on their own…" Heinz stopped and straightened. "Hmm. I guess it could cause a few more problems than I thought."

The man quickly shook off the consideration. "But no matter! I will have my revenge on those vending machines!" He shrugged. "The rest can sort itself out later." He turned to the device and began pressing buttons in sequence. "Now to program in my route from yesterday…"

Perry's eyes had widened as Doofenshmirtz had explained exactly what the new inator did, and then widened even more when he heard the man's last sentence. Yesterday? He thought back to the path he'd gone on as he followed his nemesis around, and realized parts of it came dangerously close to some of the buildings Candace, Isabella, and their friends would be searching that day. He couldn't be sure they were all strong enough to handle the shaking the machine was sure to cause. Which meant he couldn't allow this scheme to go on any longer.

As if he needed any other motivation.

Perry quickly used the release mechanism and dove out of the cage. One well-aimed flying kick cut off the expected startled exclamation of disbelief when Doofenshmirtz caught sight of him, and then the fight was on. Blows were exchanged, things were thrown at one another, unexpected items were used as weapons. And of course, in the midst of things, somehow someone or something hit the firing button on the inator.

Since the device hadn't been programmed yet, it shot out red beams of light randomly through the open sliding glass wall that led out to the balcony. Perry had no idea what they were hitting. And that thought was absolutely terrifying. He swiftly shifted his focus from the inventor to the invention, and one mighty blow with a large wrench to just the right spot had sparks flying and usual explosion imminent. The secret agent tossed the tool aside and ran for the edge of the building, diving off and activating his glider.

"Curse you, Perry the Platypus!" was the last thing he heard before the top floor blew up. He barely noted the expected expletive; his mind was already on the mad dash he was going to have to make to find out what effects the inator had caused. He had to know if the children were safe.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace, Baljeet, and Buford stood around Isabella, and the four of them stared at the list the black-haired girl held. Every item there had been checked off except for one: the building they could see a half-block down the street. It was late in the day; it was just about suppertime. But none of them were willing to put this last building off for another day, even if it meant their parents would be a little worried.

Even if it meant they wouldn't have found Phineas and Ferb.

"This is our last chance," Candace murmured, then swallowed down the sudden lump in her throat.

"What will we do if we do not find them?" Baljeet asked. "What if the others also do not find them?"

"We can't think about that," Candace said firmly.

Buford looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I think we have to. We don't have any other decent places to look here in town. Are we just going to sit in your backyard and wait for the police?"

Candace gave him a stricken look. "I don't want to do that," she whispered. "But we may have to."

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it," Isabella said decisively. "We haven't even searched this last building yet, and no one else is finished with their list either. We don't know if answering those questions is even necessary." She folded up the piece of paper and returned it to her pocket. "Now come on. Phineas and Ferb are waiting for us." She began to walk toward the group's target.

"Hold it!" Baljeet hissed as he quickly caught up with the Fireside Girl and pulled her to a halt. "We cannot just walk up to the building! Remember the last time we did that?"

Isabella bit her lower lip as she did just that. Earlier that day the four of them had simply walked up to what had appeared to be an abandoned structure and were met by six or seven rough looking older teenagers wearing gang-style clothing. Fortunately things hadn't gotten violent, but from then on they resolved to be more careful about their approach to the buildings. "Sorry."

Candace patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry about it, Isabella. Let's just keep moving."

The quartet used the other empty buildings in the two-block former industrial district to cover their approach, then looked over the one they were aiming for from an alley across the street. "Looks empty," Buford commented.

"Empty enough to approach," Baljeet amended.

"I agree," Candace said, nodding. "Let's do this."

They eyed up the four-story building with its surrounding rickety fence then carefully crossed the street. A quick, unobtrusive search along the perimeter revealed a gap between the wide boards that they could all squeeze through. Once they'd done that, they found themselves facing the back of the old shoe factory, the aged bricks well-illuminated in the light of the setting sun. Fortunately there weren't many windows facing them.

There was a small door with a faded sign above it that probably once said "Employees Only", although they were guessing at that one, and they used it to quietly slip inside. They found themselves in a small, old locker room, complete with wooden lockers and benches. A quick glance confirmed it was deserted, and they moved through to the factory floor proper.

"We need to hurry," Candace said with a worried expression, glancing around nervously. "I don't know why, but I know we need to hurry." She returned the surprised looks she'd elicited. "Oh, don't ask. I can't explain it. But I'm thinking we should split up and get through all four floors as fast as we can. Buford, Baljeet, you two take the first and second floors. Isabella and I will take the top two floors. We'll meet up outside when we're done. And make sure you're out of sight. I want to be extra careful about that."

"All right, Candace," Baljeet agreed after sharing a glance with Buford.

"Come on, Isabella," Candace said, giving a nod to the boys. The two girls hurried off.

The boys followed the other pair up the first flight of stairs to the second floor, then moved into the open space that was found there. The fact that it was so open made their job easier; at first glance it was easy to see it was likely that no one was hiding or being held there. They made a careful circuit anyway, knowing looks could be deceiving. They quickly confirmed their first impressions.

Returning to the first floor, Baljeet and Buford realized that search was going to take longer. There were offices toward the front of the building, with brick walls and solid wood doors that told the tale of how long ago they'd been constructed. Small windows were made of thick frosted glass that were impossible to see anything but silhouettes through but presumably had let in enough light to keep the former occupants from feeling like they had been entombed in their offices. They also made it hard to tell if anyone was either hiding or being kept inside.

Slowly and carefully, Buford and Baljeet opened each door and checked every nook and cranny of all four offices. The only excitement had come from a random rat they startled from its nest in a corner of one of the closets. The boys had thrown themselves into each others' arms, faces buried in the opposite shoulder to keep from making any noise… and then jumped wildly away from each other, cheeks flaming and eyes looking anywhere but at each other. They cleared their throats as quietly as possible and moved on, silently agreeing to never mention the incident in the future.

Once they were finished, the boys left the factory the same way they had entered it. They slipped back through the fence and crept back around to the front of the building, then dashed across the street to wait in the alley they had started from. The shadows, dumpsters, and other random items had made it the perfect spot to do their reconnaissance earlier. Now it would make the best place to regroup and figure out where to go next. The girls were sure to meet back up with them soon.

While the boys were heading back down to the first floor, Candace and Isabella had finally reached the fourth, having carefully gone up the stairs so as to avoid their steps making noise. Once there, they did a measured circuit of the open space, a few partial walls and the boarded windows creating quite a few shadows that made being certain of the space's emptiness questionable until the areas were checked up close. They also found themselves freezing in place when a strange sound suddenly came from above them; they nearly laughed in relief when it turned out to be an owl waking for its nocturnal hunt.

The girls made their way down to the third floor then, another open space with shadows to examine. Another deliberate circuit was made, this time without any animals rousing to almost startle them into giving themselves away. Something that did catch their attention was a breeze that started blowing in through boards over broken windows, stirring up dust from the floor. They both couldn't help but shiver, neither one of them sure if the wind was the only cause.

The second floor was empty when Candace and Isabella paused there briefly on their way down to ground level. It was what they'd been expecting. The emptiness of the first floor was a touch more surprising, neither girl thinking they had taken that long upstairs. They both turned around in place to make sure the boys weren't still there but out of immediate sight, and then another breeze fluttered in. This time, however, a pair of shivers weren't the only lingering effect.

"Did you see that?" Candace barely breathed into Isabella's ear, pointing at a pair of dusty colored curtains that flickered in the light current against the back wall of one of the offices. The younger girl nodded, and the two of them tiptoed over to check the disturbance out.

The first thing they realized when they reached the slightly tattered cloth was that they might never have seen them had the breeze not picked up right at that moment. The shadows were thick there, and the material blended in almost seamlessly. Somehow both girls knew neither of the boys had seen them. Sharing a look with Isabella, Candace reached out and gently lifted one of the obstructions.

There was a door behind it, a thick wooden door with plain iron hinges and a simple iron doorknob. Candace opened it slowly and carefully, doing her best to avoid noise and agitating the curtain. When they saw stone stairs leading down into a basement, a light from some sort of electrical source emanating from below if their eyes could be believed, the girls shared another look and headed down. They knew there was no time to go get the boys or find a way to tell them what was going on.

At the base of the steep steps was a hallway, the distance to the left at least double what reached to the right. Across from them was another door that proved to be locked upon a quick gentle test. With an unspoken agreement, the girls turned to the left to explore what could be revealed that way, the right ending in a corner that hinted at another, narrower hallway steeped in shadows. Bare light bulbs inside simple metal cages could be seen strung along the ceiling from about that point at inconsistent intervals, also headed in the direction they had chosen.

It wasn't long before the girls entered an open space. It was lit by the same bare bulbs, extra wire disappearing into an open section in the wall to their immediate right where a soft hum suggested some kind of generator was providing the power. There were frosted glass block windows in the wall they were facing, below which were a dorm-sized refrigerator and a camp stove resting on an old workbench, its propane tank on the floor underneath. The wall to the far right of the area was covered in a curtain similar to what had been covering the entrance to the space they were now in; it could be guessed they had been used in another lifetime to cover some of the windows of the factory, perhaps in the offices.

What surprised them both was what was against the left-hand wall. There were two large metal shelving units, one in each corner, the first wrapped in navy blue drapes while the second had pink ones. The cloth wasn't perfectly closed, so they could see the sports equipment behind the navy screen and plush animals and other typical girlish items behind the other. In the center of the room was a square card table and two folding chairs.

Candace and Isabella shared a look tinged with dawning comprehension. "This has to be where they were taken, doesn't it?" the older girl breathed, brow furrowing. "Phineas and Ferb are somewhere around here."

"That's what I'd guess," Isabella replied at the same volume. "My bet would be they're behind that locked door we saw when we first came down the stairs."

"Safe bet." Candace looked up at the ancient pipes and air ducts crisscrossing the surprisingly tall ceiling as she considered what to do next. "Connors obviously isn't here at the moment, but we can't be sure when he'll get back. We have to get out of here and call the police." She cringed at her own words. "I hate just turning around and leaving when I know how close we are…"

The redhead's words trailed off when a light thump seemed to come from the ducts behind the wall the electrical wires went into. "What was that?" Isabella asked, eyes wide.

Candace shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe it's just the building settling."

Isabella nodded. "That could be it."

"We have to go. Every second we stick around here is another chance of getting caught before we can help my brothers." Candace then grabbed Isabella's hand and led her back the way they'd come.

The two of them had just started back up the stairs and were barely out of sight of the doorway at the bottom when heavy footsteps from the direction they hadn't gone got louder and louder. The girls froze in place, not wanting to do anything to give themselves and their position away. They knew there was no way to open the door at the top of the stairs without being noticed.

A few seconds later William Connors walked up to the base of the stairs, pausing at the locked door to lay a gentle hand on it and sigh contentedly. But before he could travel on to his destination - which the girls were sure was the open area they'd been in moments ago - a strange, unnatural shaking rippled through the ground and building around them. Candace and Isabella did their best to brace themselves against the walls of the stairwell they were in so they wouldn't fall to the bottom; William nearly lost his own balance, grabbing at the knob of the door he'd been caressing just in time to keep it. As everything started to settle, there was a horribly loud clattering of twisted metal and falling items from the shelving units, joined by startled yelps that were far too familiar to two sets of feminine ears.

What scared the girls even more than the thought that Phineas and Ferb had been injured somehow in the minor quake was the fierce, strangled growl that emerged from William's throat as he quickly righted himself and ran off in the direction he'd originally intended to go. What had happened? And what exactly was William going to do when he reached his destination and saw the scene that awaited him?

Fighting the urge to run after the man that thrummed through every muscle in their bodies, Candace and Isabella carefully snuck back down the stairs and peeked around the corner to make sure the way was clear. As they lightly and silently stepped into the corridor, an outraged wordless roar made them straighten utterly and come to a complete halt.

"No!" William bellowed, the word echoing around the stone and cinderblock walls. "You were coming around! I was winning you over!" Candace and Isabella hurried on as the rant continued. "I'm supposed to be your daddy!"

The girls skidded to a halt in the opening to the large open space and gasped at what they saw. William Connors stood ramrod straight a few feet into the room, shaking in his obvious fury, glaring at the tangled and twisted metal that was strewn across every surface. The pipes and duct system had collapsed onto the card table, crushing it, and both shelving units had come crashing down as well. The real targets of the man's rage, however, were the two boys sitting in the center of it all. It wasn't immediately apparent how they'd gotten there, but it seemed their current location wasn't where they were supposed to be.

"You can't wreck this chance! I won't let you!" William snarled, stepping even further into the mess.

Phineas and Ferb began scrambling back away from the mad man, fear livid in their eyes. "Stay away!" Phineas cried. "Leave us alone!"

There was another wordless roar from the blond man, but before he moved another inch, Candace jumped into the fray. "Don't you dare touch my brothers!" she cried, catching her balance after her literal jump had her landing on some pipes unexpectedly. Isabella had followed a little more carefully, tiptoeing in the spaces in the jumbled pieces of metal.

"Candace!" Phineas exclaimed, utterly surprised now that the males in the room had noticed their audience.

The relief in his eyes along with Ferb's only lasted a short time, though, because William quickly spun around to face the newcomers. "You!" he sneered viciously. "Did you do this? Are you the reason it didn't work?" He started to shift his weight to change his trajectory. "What kind of things did you tell him about our little meeting in the mall?"

Candace used her anger to keep her fear at bay and continued to glare at the man. "I didn't have to tell him anything."

"You're lying. You've been turned against me, and you're lying!"

"I have no reason to lie!" Candace snapped back. "And the only person who did anything to turn me against you was you!"

"What could I have done?" William yelled back.

Candace gasped and drew back slightly. "What could you have done?" she repeated in amazed disbelief. "What could you have done? You left me! You abandoned your four-year-old daughter! And all in the middle of the night with her standing right in front of you! When I asked where you were going, you didn't say a word. You just picked up your bag and walked out the front door, nearly slamming it behind yourself. You barely even looked at me before you just walked away!"

William's face scrunched up in anger. "That's not how it happened!"

Candace straightened to her full height as her eyes widened in outrage. "Don't you dare even try to tell me I'm remembering things wrong! Out of all the memories I have from when I was that little, from when you were in my life, I guarantee you that is the clearest one. I may wish otherwise, but the utter betrayal and abandonment you put me through made sure that one was there to stay for the rest of my life!"

Isabella used the two antagonists' focus on each other during their argument to slip around the redheaded teenager and get closer to the boys. "Phineas, Ferb!" she whispered urgently as the yelling continued. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine, Isabella," Phineas assured her quickly, his eyes still on the confrontation behind her. "He didn't really do anything to hurt us," he missed the incredulous look Ferb gave him at that statement although Isabella didn't, "and the pillows we were using to muffle the noises we were bound to make during our escape through the ducts cushioned our fall."

"Then we really need to get out of here before he can stop us," Isabella urged, gesturing for them to follow her back the way she'd come. The boys both nodded and moved to do so.

The three kids only got to a position behind Candace before they were noticed, stopping William's retort to the teenager's last accusation. "You are not distracting me that easily!" he shouted, pointing at Candace while reaching behind him with his other hand. He stepped forward. "I will not let you…"

His sentence was cut off by another rumbling wave that passed through the building. Only this time the old building couldn't completely take the strain it was put under. Bricks and cinder blocks rained down on the five people from all sides, dust and debris choking the air. And when things started to settle, there were no words, no noise, and absolutely no movement from the basement room.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Baljeet and Buford were just starting to get worried about the girls when the first shock wave hit, sending boxes and crates down upon their position. They scrambled out from beneath the pile; fortunately both were unharmed. They quickly looked across the street and saw nothing had changed.

"There's no way it should take this long to go through two floors of that building," Buford said as he brushed himself off. "The girls must have found something."

"You cannot be certain of that," Baljeet refuted, picking splinters out of his hair.

"So what's taking them so long then, dweeb?" the bigger boy asked belligerently. "What could possibly be on one of the top floors that would keep them from meeting up with us by now? Better yet, why didn't we hear any yelling during that mini-earthquake?"

Baljeet chewed on his lower lip for a moment as he considered the questions. "I suppose there may be more offices," he offered. "Perhaps they were in one of those when the quake occurred."

Buford narrowed his eyes for a moment then shrugged. "Okay, that's a possibility. But I still think it's more likely that they found something."

Baljeet sighed. "That is just as likely," he conceded. "Maybe we should call the others and see if they are able to join us."

"Not a bad idea, 'Jeet." Buford pulled out his cell phone and pulled up his contacts list. He'd added each of the team leaders before they'd split up the first day of the search.

The brown-haired boy shot off a quick text message with their request and returned his gaze to the factory. "You don't think we should go back in after them, do you?" he asked his companion.

Baljeet shook his head. "We have no idea what the girls' situation is," he said. "We could make things worse for them - and for ourselves - if we were to return to the factory."

Buford's phone gave a quiet beep, alerting them to an incoming text. "Jeremy says he's on his way," the husky boy announced after reading the message. He pressed a couple buttons. "And Stacy does, too." He frowned. "At least, I think that's what she's saying." He showed Baljeet the screen.

The Indian boy narrowed his eyes as he took in the textspeak. "I will go with your guess," he said after a moment. "She has used too many abbreviations for me to be certain, however."

"Eh, close enough," Buford said with another shrug.

"What about Coltrane?"

"He and his group are probably in the middle of a search. He'll get back to me when he's done."

A few minutes later the second quake hit out of nowhere, once again throwing the boys to the ground and dumping random junk on top of them. There wasn't nearly as much as the first time, but that wasn't their main concern. Across the street, part of the building collapsed on itself, dust and debris billowing into the air as a hole in the ground was partially revealed.

The scramble to freedom was even faster than the first time, and Baljeet and Buford looked at each other in horror. The smaller boy began to dash forward, but was held back. "Don't do it!" Buford warned sharply. "That place is way too unstable!"

"But our friends!" Baljeet protested.

"I know," Buford said sadly. "I know. I think we can get a little closer, see if we can see them in all that. And if we do, or if we hear them, I'm all for jumping in and helping."

Baljeet sighed. "Let us move closer then," he said. "I would not wish to miss a cry for help."

Buford nodded. "I hear ya there."

With that, the boys moved closer to the crumbling building. It was time to wait.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

It was shadowed and the air was filled with lingering dust when Candace came to an indeterminate time later. She started to move her eyes from side to side, a low moan escaping her lips while trying to see what she could without moving her head. It wasn't much.

"What happened?" she whispered. Her brows furrowed as she tried to remember. "Man, my head hurts." She lifted a hand to her forehead, blinking when she felt rough stones fall away from the limb. In the odd, eerie light, Candace's eyes widened and everything came back to her. Some kind of small earthquake had hit the building, causing part of it to come tumbling down on them all just as William Connors was about to attack them. Well, she thought he was going to attack them. He'd looked angry enough to do it, at any rate.

Considering there was still light, sporadic and spooky as it was, it was probably a safe guess to say the room with the generator was mostly intact, as well as a good number of the light bulbs. Candace pushed herself up to a sitting position, hoping to use the stroke of good luck to find her brothers and Isabella and get them all the heck out of there before William dug himself out.

Candace froze then jerkily looked around. William still needed to dig himself out, right? He wasn't just sitting or standing there waiting for the kids to reveal themselves?

No, no sign of him. Candace sighed in relief.

To Candace's right was the open doorway where she could see the hallway was still relatively intact. There was no way to be sure of the stairway to the ground floor, but they'd have to take their chances if they wanted to get out. To her left was the darkest patch of blackness, where William most likely was if she remembered correctly which way it looked like he jumped. In front of her was the largest part of the room, piles of rubble of various sizes adding to the weird shapes of the shadows. And now that the dust was actually settling, a few beams of true daylight could be made out coming down from the ceiling.

The teenager's eyes made a second circuit around the room, and came to screeching halt at something she'd missed the first time around. About ten feet away from her was a shock of dust-covered green hair, making the girl scramble forward to check on the source. She pushed aside the bricks that hid the rest of Ferb's head and gasped. The side of the boy's face she could see was covered in blood, and his eyes were closed. Biting her lower lip, Candace reached out a shaky hand and gently placed her fingers over his carotid artery, scared beyond belief. "Please, please, please," she pleaded softly, desperately.

She nearly broke down into tears when she felt the warmth of his skin and steady beat of his heart beneath her fingertips. "Oh, Ferb," she sobbed without letting the dam break. "Thank you. Thank you." Her chin dropped to her chest and her eyes closed as she shifted her hand slightly to rest on his shoulder.

"You… you're welcome," a soft voice replied with a British accent.

Candace's eyes sprang open as she gasped, then looked down to meet a bleary, half-lidded dark blue gaze. Her smile formed without any thought, and was returned. "Hi, Ferb," she said simply.

Ferb's smiled widened a bit, then his expression turned slightly confused. "Um, why were you thanking me?"

Candace gave a short, choked laugh. "You're alive, you nut," she explained, finally starting to clear the rest of the rubble off of him. "With all the blood that's on your face, and you weren't moving…" She paused and shuddered, then took a closer look at Ferb's hairline. "You've got a cut above your right temple," she said.

"Head wounds tend to bleed quite profusely," Ferb said, bringing a newly-freed hand up to touch the affected area. He blinked at the sight of red staining his fingertips when he pulled the appendage away.

"We should clean that up before we find the others," Candace said, looking around the room once more. "Then we have got to get out of here."

"Right." Ferb sat up carefully and shifted his legs out of the light layer of rubble that covered them. He then started studying the area for any signs of Phineas or Isabella.

While Ferb did that, Candace looked for something to clean her brother's face. Her gaze fell on the pink curtain draped over one of the fallen shelving units; it wasn't long before she had a few pieces of the cloth torn off. She quickly wiped most of the blood from Ferb's cheek, then had him hold the scrap of fabric to the cut. "Did you see anything?" she asked, looking around for herself.

Ferb shook his head. "Nothing that immediately stood out. They should be in that direction, however." He pointed further into the room, somewhat toward the far left-hand corner. "I think I remember them jumping that way as the walls started to fall."

"That's good enough for me. Stick close while I check it out." Candace began making her way through both layers of rubble and around the larger piles in the direction Ferb had mentioned. "I wish we would have remembered a flashlight," she grumbled.

"That would be helpful at the moment," Ferb said dryly from right behind her, tucking the makeshift bandage away.

"Thanks for the support."

The two of them had just gotten around a smaller pile of broken bricks when a low feminine groan reached their ears from not too far ahead. "Ph-phineas?" Isabella's voice asked weakly. "Phineas?"

It was easy then to get to the source of the sound. Candace and Ferb crouched down close to where they thought Isabella's head was, signified by a darker patch of black with a slight sheen to it. "Isabella?" Candace asked, hesitating to reach out and touch the younger girl in case she was injured - or she wasn't where it was thought she was. The teenager didn't even want to think about the possibility of touching the girl, but in the wrong spot.

There was a brief moment of silence before Isabella spoke again. "Candace? That is you, right?" Her voice quivered a bit with nerves.

"Yeah, it's me. And Ferb's with me," Candace soothed with a small smile.

"Um, why can't I see anything? Are all the lights out?" Nerves were starting to transition into fear.

Ferb merely reached out and pushed Isabella's hair back behind her ear, having used her questions to pinpoint where exactly they were coming from. It hadn't taken much from there to figure out what the problem was.

Isabella blinked in surprise for a moment then smiled in relief. "Thanks, Ferb. I was getting a little scared there." The happy expression faded quickly. "Is Phineas with you? What about Mister Connors?"

Candace involuntarily glanced behind her before responding. "I have no idea about Connors, which doesn't bother me nearly as much as the fact that I don't know where Phineas is. Do you know what happened to him after the second quake hit?" She joined Ferb in clearing the debris off of the other girl.

"He… he yelled… something, I don't even know if it was a word," Isabella began, keeping still while the other two worked. "Then suddenly he leaped forward and grabbed my wrist, then threw me back into the room and tried to jump after me. I saw Ferb fall back and Phineas start to go to the ground…" She shook her head lightly. "Then it felt like my head exploded, and the next thing I know it's… now." She sighed. "I'm sorry if that doesn't help much. I'm not feeling my best at the moment."

"Gee, I can't understand why," Candace said, rolling her eyes with a small, fond smile. "You don't have to be perfect right now, Isabella. What you've told us is enough."

"I'm not perfect," Isabella protested. "I just want to help the best I can."

Ferb paused in his work and placed a gentle hand on her exposed left shoulder. He waited until she met his gaze then gave her a little, uplifting smile.

It was enough.

"Thanks," Isabella whispered.

"Beside your head, are you hurt?" Candace asked, finishing freeing her younger friend.

"I don't think so," Isabella mused, mentally evaluating herself. "At least, nothing beyond a bunch of cuts and bruises. I'll be fine until we find Phineas and get out of here."

Candace smiled and nodded at the obvious determination, knowing it was shared by them all. "Good. Then why don't we do that?" She turned around and started to take a closer second look at the area between where Ferb and Isabella had been found. That seemed to be the best bet from what Isabella had told them.

It felt like forever, but it was only a few minutes before a flash of dark red hair sticking out of a small pile of brick and cinder block shards caught the trio's attention. They quickly moved to clear it, all of them worried at the lack of sound or movement from the boy. When Phineas was free of the debris, Isabella examined him, citing her First Aid Patch as qualification. It was good enough for Candace and Ferb.

The black-haired girl cringed along with her unconscious patient when she ran a hand along his left arm. "I think it's broken," she said, looking at the other two over her shoulder. "It's not sticking out of the skin or anything; I don't even think it's really out of alignment. But we should probably make a splint and sling for it to keep it from getting too jostled either when we move him or when he wakes up."

"I'll go get more strips from that curtain," Candace offered while Ferb dug out some of the pipes that had previously run along the ceiling.

"This won't take long," Isabella assured them once she had the supplies she needed. Not only did she splint the forearm and place it in a sling, she also used another strip of cloth to secure the arm to his chest, making it completely immobile. "We'll have to help him if he's awake and we have to climb."

"Not a problem," Candace said firmly.

Before anyone could suggest leaving, Phineas' eyes began to flutter, and his head rolled slowly from side to side. "No," he moaned. "Leave them alone. No!" He sprang into a sitting position with his last word, the shout startling everyone including himself. Phineas blinked and came back to reality. "Uh, hi, guys," he said a touch breathlessly. "Are you all okay?"

Isabella and Ferb grinned while Candace chocked out a teary laugh. "Trust you of all people to be more worried about everybody else when you're the most injured," the teenager said. She resisted the urge to hug her brother fiercely and instead channeled it into a tight grasp of his right forearm.

Phineas gave her a smile. "But I know I'm hurt," he refuted. "It's you guys I couldn't be sure of. Especially after the dream I just had." He shuddered, then flinched when the movement set off a flare of agony up and down his left arm. "Oh, wow. You weren't kidding about me being hurt pretty badly."

"Would I do that?" Candace shot back. "Now, Isabella thinks your arm may be broken and put it in a splint and sling. Don't try to move it. We'll help you get up and over things."

"Thinking of getting up and over things, I believe we should be going," Ferb said, the urgency in his tone only apparent because the people with him knew him so well.

Ferb and Isabella flanked Phineas once the redheaded boy had been helped to his feet while Candace led the way out of the room. "Are you guys really okay?" Phineas asked his two closest friends in a low voice as they walked. "Don't try to spare me just because of my arm."

Isabella gave him a soft smile. "My head hurts," she told him honestly. "A brick or something like it hit me and knocked me out for a while. But other than that I'm fine."

Ferb pointed at his hairline when his brother turned a gaze on him. "It looked worse than it was, although I'm sure we should all be examined by medical personnel. I'll be fine."

"Good." Phineas' gaze dropped to the floor for a moment. "That's… good," he finished in a barely audible whisper. He went a few more steps then took a deep breath and shrugged off as much of the negative feelings as he could. "Then let's all get those examinations."

The group had only gone a few more steps when the sound of shifting bricks came from the dark corner it was guessed William Connors had thrown himself. They shared a sudden wide-eyed look filled with fear, then began to hurry through the doorway and into the hallway. The scraping sound only got louder.

"Come on!" Candace cried, tears welling up in her eyes. They were so close, so close! They couldn't get caught now.

"What about the building above us?" Isabella asked. "Will we even be able to open the door?"

"Doesn't matter. We have to try." Candace forced some steel into her tone as she started up the steps.

A louder shift of bricks echoed to the four kids, followed by a deep, pain-filled grunt and groan.

Candace threw herself at the door at the top of the steps with a wordless cry of frustration, then nearly bounced back down the stairs when it only opened a couple of inches. Apparently Isabella's concerns were quite valid; a pile of rubble was preventing a clear path to freedom. There was only a small open wedge that the door had caused.

It wasn't nearly enough to get a body through.

"What do we do?" Isabella whispered.

"I don't know," Candace replied, nearly crying. "I don't know!"

Ferb silently moved up next to his sister and pushed against the door. It moved fractionally, so he pulled the door nearly closed and used it to slam against the rubble. Then he looked back at Candace.

The redheaded teenager gasped in surprise and blinked back her tears. "That might work," she murmured. She added her weight to the next effort once Isabella and Phineas moved down a step to stay out of the way, and the door opened another fraction.

"I don't know if that's going to work in time," Phineas said nervously, glancing back into the basement.

"We have to try," Candace said through clenched teeth just before she and Ferb did it again.

"I know," Phineas said. He and Isabella shared a concerned look.

Before the two siblings could deliver another blow, more echoing sounds of shifting bricks reached them. The four of them shuddered, then froze at an even louder noise, a rumbling from the ceiling not far from where they were. Dust began to rain down into the hallway below, and Phineas and Isabella instinctually moved up as far as they could go.

"The ceiling's going to go," Phineas declared, his eyes wide.

"And very soon," Ferb added.

"We're not getting this open before then," Candace warned. She swallowed anxiously.

Suddenly it was like a clap of thunder crashed right next to them. They all huddled together, and the ceiling behind them came down with a deafening roar. It sounded like the whole world was coming to a violent end.

Chapter Text

Buford and Baljeet warily checked the boundary of the debris field, listening for any sign of their friends and hoping the other groups would arrive soon. The front right-hand corner of the building had lost two and a half floors, and the bricks, twisted metal supports, and splintered wooden floorboards had spread out in an approximate ninety degree wedge. The material had spilled into the street and through the surrounding fence onto the lot next door to the right. Between the dangers in the middle of the mess and the possibility of the rest of the building falling, caution was more than called for.

"Do you think Candace and Isabella were caught in the part of the building that collapsed?" Baljeet asked quietly, looking into the gaping hole for any signs of life. His efforts were hampered by the fact that the setting sun was behind the building. It was pitch black, any details hard to make out.

"How should I know?" Buford snapped, the concern in his eyes belying the sharp tone.

Baljeet sighed. "I am worried, too."

The two boys were just starting to make their way closer when the sound of creaking metal and grinding bricks made them pause in their tracks. Glancing at the building proper, the small section of the right corner that hadn't fallen shifted downward a couple of inches, which caused the edge of the remaining building to quiver. When another groan of metal and wood shot out, Buford and Baljeet dashed back the way they'd come. They'd reached their limit of daredevil bravery for the moment.

They had just managed to dive into the alley across the street when the rest of the front of the building came crashing down, bricks and other building materials flowing into the street like water from a broken dam. The boys looked at each other wide-eyed; were their friends still in there for that? As soon as the debris appeared to stop raining down and with their ears still ringing, they were off like a shot, fear for their friends easily overcoming their fear of the collapse of the rest of the building.

"Wait a moment," Baljeet said as he and Buford came to the edge of the fallen bricks in the middle of the street, stopping his run. "Where is the rest of the debris?"

"What are you talking about?" Buford asked with some irritation, taking a few extra steps before coming to a stop himself. "You're unhappy with the size of the mess?"

"That is not what I am saying," Baljeet refuted. "What I am saying is that the mess should be bigger. The entire front half of the building has collapsed; where did all of the materials go?"

Buford frowned and was about to threaten the other boy with a wedgie if he didn't let this stupid idea go and get back to looking for the girls, but then he actually thought about what he'd been told. He blinked and took a closer look at the remains of the factory. A huge chunk of the structure was gone, at least the front third if not the entire front half had crumbled. The rubble had spread out enough to take out the fencing along the street as well as a good chunk from either side, but it was spread thin enough that it wouldn't take much effort to get through it. It was… lacking.

"Okay, fine. You've got a point," Buford conceded. "But where does that leave us?"

"We should move forward even more carefully than before. If the debris did not fall out, it most likely fell down." Baljeet began to do as he suggested, Buford following suit.

Even going as carefully as they were, it was still a close call when they came to the edge of a brick-filled pit where the front of the building used to be. "Whoa," Buford said in surprise as he made himself jerk to a halt. A couple of bricks skidded forward with the motion and bounced down out of sight. "That's a huge hole."

Baljeet nodded his agreement. "I believe this is a basement," he said, looking down into the crater.

Buford looked at him, his eyes narrowed. "But we didn't find any way down to a basement."

Baljeet's eyes widened. "That is what the girls must have found, an entrance to the basement!" His expression turned horrified. "What if they were examining the basement when the building collapsed?"

"Aw, man, you had to say it, didn't ya?" Buford griped, his expression just as horrified. He turned to face the gaping hole. "Candace! Isabella! Are you down there? Yell back if you can hear me!"

"We will help you if we know where you are!" Baljeet added, deciding at the last minute that his companion was well aware that if the girls had been in the basement they wouldn't be able to call back at all. He would think positively as long as he could.

The boys gave it a few beats before trying again. "Come on, you guys!" Buford called, cupping his mouth with his hands. "You gotta give us a sign here! How can we dig you out if you don't say anything?"

Baljeet swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. "Please! Call to us so we know where to find you!"

Another moment of silence went by, and then the Indian boy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Buford asked.

"I am calling the police," Baljeet explained. "They will be much better equipped to handle a rescue of this magnitude if Candace and Isabella are indeed under the debris. We will still look, of course," he said hurriedly at the scowl the other boy gave him, "but this way we will have all our bases covered."

"Fine," Buford said after a moment. "As long as you're not giving up."

Baljeet gave a little smile. "Of course not," he murmured. He then made his call and explained the situation to the operator. "They will be here as soon as they can," he said after ending the call. "Apparently there are a number of quake-related incidences all over Danville."

Buford nodded. "All the more reason to keep looking on our own." He cleared his throat. "Candace! Isabella! We're still here! Give a shout so we know where you are!"

"Perhaps we should…" But Baljeet never got a chance to say what they should do, because another sound cut him off.

"Buford! Baljeet! Where are you?" Candace's shout sounded distant but clear.

The two boys grinned madly at each other then turned back to the factory building. "We are in front of the building!" Baljeet cried. "What part of the basement are you and Isabella in?"

A moment of silence almost had the boys worried. "We're on the stairs to the basement!" Candace yelled. "The hallway at the bottom is almost totally blocked off, so you're going to have come inside and help with the door! There's a pile of junk in front of it, too, but not any worse than it was before!"

Buford looked at Baljeet. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"

"Well, I suppose there was a door closing off the stairs to the basement, and it was buried during one of the earlier quakes. We will have to help them clear it."

"Good enough for me." The husky boy turned back toward the structure. "We're on our way!" he called. "We shouldn't be too long!"

"Hurrying is a wonderful idea!" Candace shouted as the boys carefully skirted the hole and tiptoed through the debris.

The street lights flickered to life as Buford and Baljeet got past the rubble and started running to the back door. The sun hadn't quite set, but had still gotten low enough that it was hidden behind the skyline. The boys didn't linger long in the now-shadowed rear of the building; after a brief pause to make sure there were no signs the rest of the structure was about to collapse, they went inside.

There was more light than either boy had expected once they'd gotten through the locker room and into the factory floor proper. Apparently the quake had caused a lot of the boards that had been covering the windows to fall off, and so a mix of dying sunlight and artificial light from the street lamps was able to filter through, on top of what light streamed in from the now-open yet drooping front of the building. It was also obvious what pile of junk Candace had been talking about when they saw the six-foot tall mound of bricks and broken pieces of wood in front of one of the last vestiges of the left-hand office walls.

"So where was the door hidden?" Buford asked as they reached the pile and began looking it over to figure out how they were going to clear it out of the way.

"I believe there was some kind of fabric covering it," Baljeet said, pointing at a bundle of dark, dirty, and torn material sticking out of the rubble. "It is the only reason I can think of for why we would have missed it."

"It was kind of dark in here," Buford mused. "Lots of shadows."

Baljeet ignored the statement and narrowed his eyes in consideration. "I would be better able to figure out what we need to do if I could determine where exactly the door was."

Buford shrugged. "That I can help with." He took a deep breath. "Okay, we're in!" he hollered, making Baljeet to flinch away and cover his ears. "Where's the door?"

A few loose bricks fell to the floor from the ceiling. "Buford! You have to be careful!" Baljeet admonished him, his eyes wide. "The whole structure is unstable!"

The sound of more bricks tumbling down the pile in front of them returned the boys' attention to the matter at hand. Then Baljeet gasped and pointed. "There! At the top of the pile! That was a hand!"

"You mean someone pushed those bricks?" Buford asked, looking for himself. He grinned when said hand waved. "Someone did! Is that you, Candace?"

"Yes," Candace replied, at a volume less than a shout but still audible through the debris.

"Baljeet's right," Isabella's voice chimed in. "We should be careful about yelling now that we're close enough. All the rubble shakes when we shout."

Both boys released a breath of relief at the evidence that Isabella was also all right. "We'll start digging where we saw your hand, then," Buford said.

Baljeet again pointed toward the top of the pile. "We should begin there and take it down from the top. The pile will be less likely to topple onto us that way."

"I'm all for not getting buried," Buford agreed.

The two of them started tossing bricks aside, hurrying as much as they thought they could get away with in deference to the threat literally hanging over their heads. There was help from the other side of the pile as well. But there was cause to pause when they'd cleared about a foot worth of debris and they caught sight of green hair and smaller hands taking bricks and passing them in the other direction. There were also flashes of darker red hair further back.

"Ferb?" Buford asked, shocked, sticking his face into the hole that had been created.

"And Phineas?" Baljeet asked in the same tone, his face appearing next to Buford's.

"You found them?" both boys asked simultaneously.

Candace closed her eyes and released a slow breath. "Yes, thank goodness."

Phineas poked his head between his brother and sister and gave his friends a wide smile. "Hi, guys. Thanks for coming." Ferb gave them a thumbs up.

Buford shook his head and returned the expression. "Only you, Dinner Bell. Only you would just stand there and say thanks in this situation."

"Are those bandages you are wearing?" Baljeet asked, pointing at what he could see of Phineas' sling.

"We'll tell you everything once we're out of here," Candace interrupted.

"Right," Buford and Baljeet again said in unison, then went back to work.

It wasn't too much longer before they had another foot cleared from in front of the door and a path from the door to the lower part of the pile. Buford and Baljeet then took Phineas' right hand and pulled while Candace carefully helped lift him to make up for his inability to use his left arm. Isabella was next, the girl gingerly accepting help from the two boys outside the stairwell due to a pounding headache. Ferb quickly followed, and Candace made sure to come out last. Once they were reunited, there was a huge sigh of relief from all of them.

Buford and Baljeet led the six of them out of the factory through the backdoor. They went around the right side of the building, now being lit almost exclusively by the street lamps. As they reached the front of the structure, Baljeet glanced down into the shadowy hole made by the basement and paused. "That is odd," he mused, his brow furrowing.

"What's odd?" Phineas asked, curious but not moving closer to the pit.

"This side of the basement is not as filled as the other, as though the only debris came from the first partial collapse." He glanced at the redheaded boy. "Or at least not much from the second collapse. It merely struck me as strange."

"That is strange," Isabella agreed nervously, eying the dark hole warily. "Especially considering that's where Mister Connors was the last time we saw him." Baljeet gave her a surprised look.

Candace stared for a long silent moment at that part of the basement, flinching at the sound of shifting bricks that happened every now and again. Finally she shook her head and looked away. "Let's get away from here, maybe take a rest on the curb across the street. Then I can actually think and remember where I parked the car so we can go to the hospital."

Baljeet glanced around. "Actually I am hoping the police have not been here and left while we were inside," he said. "I do not believe I heard anyone approach, but I cannot be certain."

Buford shrugged. "You said there was a lot of stuff that happened around the city, so I doubt they were here. We should probably just wait."

"You called the police?" Candace asked, surprised.

"Yes, after the remainder of the front half of the building collapsed and we were afraid you had been buried in the rubble," Baljeet explained. "They could not be sure when someone would arrive as there were many quake-related incidents all over the city."

"Oh, okay," Candace said, blinking. "Then I guess we can sit and wait for a while."

A thought occurred to Buford and he pulled out his cell phone as the group moved across the street. "That's what I figured," he muttered after pressing a few buttons. "You know, there's another reason to wait. The other groups are meeting us here, remember?" He elbowed Baljeet in the ribs.

Isabella looked at him as she and Ferb helped Phineas take a seat on the curb. "Really? I would have thought they'd gone home by now."

Buford shook his head. "Nah. I sent them a text after the first quake, when we got a little… concerned that you might have been inside. Kinda forgot about that until just now, though."

"That's pretty understandable," Phineas said with a tired smile. He then sighed and let his eyes close.

Ferb saw the action and immediately knelt down slightly behind and to his brother's right. It allowed Phineas to lean back a bit and start to relax, just as it was meant to do.

Candace watched her brothers and bit her lower lip when she saw the deep breath Ferb released when they were settled, a few tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't want to imagine what they'd been through. The questions that thought brought to mind set the girl to pacing, her entire body tense and anxious.

A few moments later, Isabella swayed slightly, closing her eyes, and barely caught her balance. Baljeet noticed and quickly moved to her side. "Are you all right?" he asked the black-haired girl.

"I'm fine," she said, reopening her eyes and giving her friend a small smile meant to be reassuring. "Just a little bit of a dizzy spell."

"Perhaps you should sit down," Ferb offered. "You most likely have a concussion after all."

"You're probably right," Isabella conceded, "but I'll be fine. The feeling's already gone."

Candace paused and gave her a narrow-eyed glare. "Oh, just sit down, Isabella," she ordered. "You don't have to prove anything to anybody."

Phineas looked at her with concern. "Yeah, Isabella. We're just waiting for the police. Come on and sit down with us."

Isabella looked at the sincere redhead and let her shoulders droop. "All right," she agreed. She gave him a half-smile. "I'm not sure how much longer I could have kept standing anyway." She then gave Baljeet's arm a squeeze as he helped lower her to the curb next to Phineas.

"That's driving me crazy," Candace said with a wave toward the half-tumbled factory as she began pacing once again. "Every time I hear those bricks shift I feel like jumping fifty feet in the air."

"Yeah, it makes me jumpy, too," Phineas said. Ferb nodded his agreement.

"And me as well, although it is for multiple reasons," Baljeet added. "Who knows when the rest of the building will come down?"

Buford stomped over to Baljeet and punched his arm. "You just had to bring that up, didn't ya?"

Baljeet flinched and rubbed the sore spot. "Sorry. But it is bound to happen, most likely soon."

Before another punch could be thrown, there was another shift in the bricks followed by the sound of multiple running feet along the sidewalk in their direction. All six kids turned their heads sharply to the left to see what was coming at them. The relief was palpable when Jeremy Johnson could be seen running ahead of the rest of his searching team.

"Jeremy!" Candace cried, even as a louder scrape of bricks moving could be heard. She stopped moving just to Ferb's right and clasped her hands together, bringing them up to her mouth. Finally someone was there to help her with all of this, to help her be strong! She wasn't sure how she'd done so well up to that point.

"No!" a different, hoarse voice shouted from across the street. "This can't happen!"

Everyone snapped their heads around to see a very dusty and bloody William Connors standing on the edge of the hole that used to be a basement. He had an insane glint in his eyes and, exponentially more frightening, a handgun pointed in the direction of the Flynn-Fletcher siblings. His arms seemed a bit shaky, but no one doubted his aim would be true at such a short distance.

The blond man was breathing shallowly, his chest heaving with the effort he'd expended climbing out of the pit. It kept his rambling raspy and scratchy. "You… you won't ruin this! This was mine! They were mine! And… and then they…" He struggled to take a deeper breath. "Traitor… So close…" The barrel of the gun started to dip slightly. "And then… then… You! I won't let this go away!"

The events that happened next went by in a blur. William fired. Jeremy - who had only paused briefly before continuing his hurried approach - dove at Candace with a cry of her name. Ferb and Isabella dove on top of Phineas, all of them cringing in anticipation of a potential bullet wound. Buford threw Baljeet to the ground and covered him with his body. Dustin and Adyson made sure Ginger and Irving hit the deck and were protected, even being as far back as they were.

They all waited for the madness to continue, totally afraid to move.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry had done a swift but thorough search of the structures he knew the children were supposed to be looking through during his fight with Doofenshmirtz, happily finding no one had been harmed. Unfortunately he had also seen that the blasts that had escaped the D.E.I. building had been somewhat more destructive than the evil scientist had anticipated. The local authorities had responded quickly, however, and had everything in hand. Traffic was going to be a bear for some hours to come, though.

Luckily, Perry didn't have to worry about the streets of Danville since he was using his hovercraft. Once he'd made the rounds of the kids' search schedule, he decided to check out the last three buildings on his own personal list that he hadn't be able to examine the day before. It was later than he normally would have been out, but he didn't want to put this off another day. The aftereffects of his battle with his nemesis had him feeling a bit uneasy with the situation. He figured as long as he showed up before the family went to bed any concern would be short-lived and quickly forgotten.

The last building on his list was an old shoe factory, built in the early part of the twentieth century. Perry's feeling of anticipation grew as he got closer; Phineas and Ferb had the best chance of being there according to everything he and the kids had come up with. But as he started to make his approach, his heart fell into his stomach. He could see part of the building had collapsed, although he couldn't be a hundred percent sure of the extent of the damage. Had the boys been hurt? Doofenshmirtz would be sorry if they were, even if the platypus knew the man hadn't intended any such thing.

Perry landed the hovercraft on the building across the street to better assess the situation. As he moved to the edge of the roof, several things caught his attention. Phineas, Ferb, and Candace's group were on the sidewalk right in front of the building he was on, which explained why he hadn't seen them previously given the direction he'd come from. Jeremy and his group were running to join them. And William Connors was yelling and aiming a gun at Perry's family.

The secret agent stiffened. No. Not on his watch. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Activating his glider, Perry dove off the roof and headed directly for the gun-toting man just as the weapon was fired. He heard the screams and the echoes of the concussive blast… and saw red. Letting go of the crossbar, the platypus hit Connors with all the force his momentum provided, sending them both down into the brick-filled pit amidst the ruins of the factory. When they landed, Perry kicked the gun away from his target, then landed a number of blows to various parts of Connors' body.

Doofenshmirtz had once described Perry as a suave, semi-aquatic personification of unstoppable dynamic fury, but even he would have been stunned by the intensity of the platypus' attack on William Connors.

The sound of sirens brought Perry back to himself. Looking Connors over, he saw the man was unconscious and more battered than he was before, but he'd live. The OWCA agent brought the gun closer so that it could be found with the one who'd used it to threaten the lives of the children. Taking a deep breath, Perry calmed himself and quietly climbed out of the hole and into the shadows. Then he tucked his fedora away and reverted to mindless pet mode, wanting nothing more than to hear a certain almost-magical phrase…

 

* * * * * * * *

 

The kids were surprised when they heard the sound of sirens and nothing else had happened to anyone. There had been a clattering of bricks, but no further gun shots. And when they were brave enough to open their eyes, William Connors could no longer be seen.

"What happened to him?" Phineas asked as Ferb and Isabella helped him back into a sitting position, then checked him over to make sure they hadn't injured him further. "Where did he go?"

"I bet the blast knocked him back down into the basement," Buford suggested as he sat on Baljeet, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You can get off of me then," Baljeet said weakly, the breath still knocked out of him.

Buford waited a few moments to be cruel, then complied.

Candace fought to keep from hyperventilating underneath Jeremy. She'd heard a grunt of pain as he'd tackled her, but she wasn't totally sure where it had come from, and her mind was filled with images of one or both of her brothers bleeding to death as she lay there. "Jeremy?" she finally whispered. "I think it's okay to get up now." She involuntarily took a deep breath when the blond teenager started to move. "We should check to see if anybody's… hurt…" Her words trailed off and her eyes grew wide when she saw the blood streaming down Jeremy's arm as he rolled off her. "Jeremy!"

"I'm okay," Jeremy said through clenched teeth as his left hand quickly clapped over his right upper arm, the source of the blood. "I'm pretty sure it's just a flesh wound."

"Oh, Jeremy!" Candace sobbed, sitting up. "You got hurt protecting me!"

As the rest of the kids including the remainder of Jeremy's building-hunting group began to surround the couple, a police car with its siren running pulled up, an ambulance not far behind. An officer quickly came over to them once the sirens fell silent. "Are you kids all right?" the man asked. "Were you caught inside when the building collapsed?" He pointed at the fallen factory.

Candace didn't know how she did it, but she took one last look at her injured boyfriend and pulled herself together. "Some of us were, yes, but we were only in there because that's where my brothers were being held captive by my mom's first husband."

"Your brothers?" the officer asked, looking where the teenager had gestured. Phineas and Ferb waved back. "Oh! The Flynn-Fletcher boys!" he exclaimed, recognizing them after only a brief moment. He smiled. "It's good to see you boys safe! Now I've got to call this in, but I'll send the paramedics over to take a look at you. Then you can tell me just what happened here."

The two EMTs came over and checked them all out, Jeremy and Phineas first. The woman examining the younger boy complimented Isabella on her first aid, making the Fireside Girl blush. Her cheeks got even redder when Phineas added his own compliment.

Just as most of the examinations and preliminary care were being completed, a second patrol car and ambulance arrived. The second team of paramedics hurried over to where William was supposed to have fallen, and along with an officer made their way down to examine him. Meanwhile, the first team started to make the arrangements for transportation.

Phineas was sitting on the curb letting everyone else's words wash over him when he felt a familiar rub against his right leg. He looked down, startled, to see Perry next to him. He grinned. "Oh, there you are, Perry," he said, then managed to scoop the platypus up with his good arm and gave him a hug. "Take a look, Ferb," he said to his brother, who had just finished having the cut along his hairline bandaged. "Perry was so worried he came out looking for us." Ferb simply came over and embraced the beloved pet.

Perry just sighed and gave a contented chitter.

It wasn't long after that when all the arrangements had been made and all the injured children were being transported to the hospital. Candace grabbed Perry, Baljeet, and Buford and followed behind in her parents' car, while Dustin drove Irving, Ginger, and Adyson in the vehicle Jeremy had borrowed from his parents. A quick text message to Stacy and Coltrane ensured that their teams would be meeting them at the hospital as well.

It was when she had arrived at her destination that Candace realized she still had one extremely difficult call to make. Well, equal parts difficult and best-news-ever.

Her parents.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Candace had Buford and Baljeet call their parents before she gathered up her own courage for a similar phone call. Dustin and the others hadn't arrived yet; the four kids who had been transported had been taken back for examination. Even William had been hurried through - complete with a police escort - for some emergency surgery. The redheaded girl took one last look around the almost empty ER waiting room, then found herself an out-of-the-way corner and hit one on her phone's speed dial.

"Candace, where are you?" Linda's worried voice asked after only half a ring.

"Mom, hold on. Please." Candace took a deep breath and steadied herself, suddenly wondering why she hadn't gotten a phone call of her own. She pulled back the phone and glanced at the display; she cringed when she saw the voice mail icon with the number three next to it.

"Candace?" Linda asked again, her voice now softer and filled with concern. She could hear the shakiness in her daughter's tone.

The teenager licked her lips before responding. "Mom, we found them," she whispered.

There was dead silence for a long moment. "You found who?" Linda asked quietly.

"The boys," Candace said through a choked sob. "We found Phineas and Ferb. Connors took them, just like we all thought!"

"What? Bill?"

"Oh, Mom, they were in the basement, and there were a couple quakes, and part of the building fell down on top of us, and then he shot at us…"

"Candace… Candace!" Linda cut her off before she could completely lose it. "Just tell me where you are."

Candace sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "The hospital. We're at the hospital."

Linda gasped. "What? Are you all right? What about the boys?"

"I'm fine, Mom, and so are Phineas and Ferb." She paused. "Well, they will be. Phineas' arm is broken, and they both got hit in the head by falling bricks. The doctors are looking at them now."

"All right." It was Linda's turn to have a quiver in her voice. "We'll be there as soon as we can. Just hold on until we get there."

"Mom, wait." Candace took a couple of deep breaths, finding it harder to keep control. "Can you call Isabella's mom? And Jeremy's parents? I don't think I can hold it together for those calls."

Linda paused before speaking again. "What happened to them?"

Candace couldn't help but smile slightly. Their friends' welfare was always important to her mom. "Isabella got hit in the head, too, and has a concussion. She's awake and talking and everything, so she should be okay. Jeremy…" She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "Jeremy got grazed by a bullet. Just a flesh wound. They're stitching it up as we speak."

"A bullet?" Linda practically screeched.

"Mom, please!" Candace sobbed. "I'll explain everything once you get here. I just… I don't think I can do it over the phone."

Linda took a few deep breaths. "Okay, okay, sweetheart. We'll be there as soon as we can, and I'll make those calls for you. I don't know if I'm going to tell Mary Johnson her son's been shot, though."

Candace nodded, not thinking about how the gesture couldn't be seen. "Thanks, Mom," she said softly, doing her best to blink away the tears that refused to go. "I just…" She sighed. "Thanks."

"I love you, sweetheart. We'll be there soon."

"I love you, too."

Candace hung up just as the other three groups of kids came into the ER's waiting room, quickly followed by a police officer emerging from where William had been taken. The man flinched at the increase in decibel level and declared that everyone who wasn't at the shoe factory had to go home. Even Dustin, Adyson, Ginger, and Irving were told to go and come down to the station in the morning to give statements.

Stacy and Jenny gave Candace a quick hug on their way out. "You better call us tomorrow and tell us what happened!" the Asian girl demanded with a smile.

Jenny nodded her agreement. "Definitely. And we want to make sure everyone's okay."

"I'll give you both a call as soon as I remember," Candace replied to them both, giving them a tired smile.

"And you did great through this whole thing. I want you to know that," Stacy said seriously. "You really took charge and made everything happen. I'm totally proud to call you my best friend."

Tears welled up again in Candace's eyes, and she pulled Stacy in for a tight embrace. "Thanks for being there for me," she whispered, then looked at Jenny standing behind them. "You too."

Stacy gave her another squeeze and stepped back. "Any time, you know that. Now we better get going before that cop literally tosses us out. I'll get Django and Gretchen home, don't worry about that, and Jenny and Sarah are on my way home. My group's good."

Candace just nodded and gave them another hug before watching them leave.

"I'll take care of Johnny, Holly, Katie, and Milly," Coltrane said as he stepped up to Candace a moment later. "I'm just sorry we couldn't get to you in time to help."

"You were a big help, Coltrane," Candace told him with a smile. "Don't ever think you weren't." She hugged him. "Thanks for being there for me. It meant a lot."

"You're my friend," Coltrane said simply once they'd separated. "Now we're going to get going." The two teenagers shared another smile, then the bassist rounded up his group and got them going, the Fireside Girls waving as they went.

Dustin watched them go then came over. "Do Jeremy's parents know about what happened yet?"

Candace sighed. "My mom said she'd call them on her way over here."

The drummer nodded. "Then I'll use Jeremy's car to take Adyson, Ginger, and Irving home. Let his parents know I'm dropping it off at their place when I'm done, okay? My bike's there, so I've got a ride."

"I'll make sure of it, Dustin. Thanks for everything."

"Not a problem. I'm just glad everything turned out okay. Now we better go." Dustin grinned. "Talk to you soon, all right?" He winked when Candace gave him an affirmative nod, then rounded up the younger kids and led them out.

Once they were gone, Candace released a large breath and flopped down onto one of the armchairs, grateful this hospital didn't use those hard plastic ones you always read about in books. She looked over at where Baljeet and Buford sat nearby and smiled slightly. "It's just down to us, I guess."

Buford shrugged. "It was bound to happen eventually," he said shortly, his eyes constantly shooting over to the entrance.

"I do not know about either of you, but I am afraid of what my parents will say when they arrive," Baljeet said, not even bothering to hide his own gaze at the ER doors. "They did not say much when I told them where I was, only that they would be leaving immediately."

"It'll be okay, Baljeet," Candace tried to soothe. "If nothing else, I'll explain everything and tell them it was all my idea. I don't want you to get in trouble when you were so much help. I don't want either one of you to get in trouble. In fact," here the girl swallowed a bit nervously and glanced between the two boys, "if it weren't for you two and Isabella, I never would have been able to do this, and who knows what would have happened to Phineas and Ferb if we hadn't found them in time?" She gave a short laugh that ended in a strangled sob. "Just… thanks for everything."

Both boys turned their heads and looked at her with wide, surprised eyes for a long, silent moment, then returned the sad, tired smile she struggled to maintain. "They're my best friends," Buford said quietly, reflexively looking around for witnesses. "Them and Isabella and even the nerd here. I'm just glad you gave me the chance to do something to help them." He straightened and gave them both a stern look. "And if you tell anyone else I said that, I'll deny it, then make you pay for it."

Candace just chuckled and shook her head while Baljeet did his best to hide his amusement. "I am also grateful for the opportunity to help find them," the Indian boy said. "I do not know where I would be without Phineas and Ferb. I am glad I do not have to find out."

Buford's mother arrived first and pulled her son aside to speak with him. Her heavy concern was crystal clear in her expression, and although Candace couldn't hear her words precisely, the tone was sharp. It was slightly amusing to see the woman's immediate and thorough physical examination to make sure the husky boy's claim of being unharmed beyond a few scrapes and bruises was true, however.

A similar scene happened when Baljeet's parents arrived and politely excused themselves to another quiet corner of the large reception area. The couple was more discreet about making sure their son was all right, and Candace could make nothing out beyond a soft murmur as they spoke. She really did hope neither boy got in trouble for helping her; she'd take being grounded for a year on their behalf for the help they'd given her. And that help had been so much more than physical. Their moral and intellectual help had meant everything, and had been a huge reason for their success.

"Oh, my baby's a hero!" Biffany Van Stomm cried suddenly, then wrapped her son in a nearly suffocating embrace.

"Mom!" Buford protested, even as he returned the hug. "There are people here!"

The police officer approached them once they stepped apart, having been kind enough to allow them a reunion before taking care of the required details. They spoke for a short time, then the officer moved back to his original position close to the reception desk, this time waiting for Baljeet and his family to finish talking. He gave Candace a small smile and nod as he resumed his post.

Buford walked over to Candace and shoved his hands in his pockets. "The cop says I can come in tomorrow morning and give a statement because it's so late," he explained. "And since I'm not hurt I can get out of here." He glanced back at his mom, who stood a few steps behind. "She's been real worried, so I'm gonna go. You gonna be okay?"

Candace gave him a smile. "I'll be fine. My parents and grandparents are on their way. You have a good night."

"Night." With a nod the boy was off, his mother hovering protectively over him the whole way.

Candace looked back over at Baljeet just in time to see his mother kneel in front of him and take him into a warm embrace, his father smiling as he laid a gentle hand on top of the boy's head. It was good to see that had worked out well. At least, she hoped it had. She didn't always - okay, almost never - understand Baljeet's different heritage, so she was really just guessing. Smiles and hugs were good things, right?

Again there was a brief discussion with the officer that ended with the officer returning to his post and the Indian family preparing to leave. Baljeet came over while his parents waited by the doors. "I am going to give a statement in the morning," he said. "For now, my parents will be taking me home."

"You're not in trouble, are you?" Candace asked.

"Actually, my parents say they are quite proud that my actions led to finding my friends and keeping them safe," Baljeet answered, sounding a little shocked. "That, and they are happy that I am relatively unharmed."

Candace smiled. "That's great. You should let them take you home, then. My parents and grandparents are on their way, so I'll be fine."

Baljeet hesitated. "If you are sure…"

"I'm sure. Now go home and get some rest."

"All right. I hope the rest of your night goes well." He gave a little wave and left with his parents.

Once she was alone, Candace blew out a deep breath and slouched in her chair, her smile fading away completely. The tears she had been fighting most of the night swelled up again, and this time she couldn't keep them from silently streaming down her face. All of her fears for her brothers had come to a head that day, on top of all of her pent-up anger at her birth father for what he had done to her so long ago as well as over the past two weeks. She closed her eyes and let herself sob quietly, covering her face with her hands. It was all too much to bear, especially by herself.

Then the doors to the ER banged open. "Candace?" Linda Flynn-Fletcher cried. "Candace, where are you?"

"Candace, darling," Lawrence Fletcher chimed in. "Are you all right?"

"Mom! Dad!" Candace cried, jumping to her feet and running over to where her parents stood in the middle of the lobby. She threw herself into her mother's waiting arms. "Oh, Mom! I was so scared, but I had to hold it together, and… and…" Her words trailed off into uncontrollable sobs.

Linda looked at her husband and both sets of grandparents as she held her daughter tight. "It's okay, Candace, I'm here," she soothed, beginning to rub Candace's back in circles. "We're all here. Can you tell us where your brothers are?"

Candace nodded against her mother's shoulder and sniffed in an attempt to get herself under control again. "They… they were taken back to the examination rooms," she explained, her breathing hitching. "I'm pretty sure they mentioned scans and tests. And Phineas needs to have a cast put on his arm."

The adults of the Flynn-Fletcher family breathed an audible sigh of relief, even though Candace had already told Linda those facts over the phone. "All right, Candace," Linda said gently, nodding at Lawrence who gestured toward the reception desk. "Your father is going to go ask the nurse about Phineas and Ferb. Can you tell us what happened today?"

"Well," Candace drew out as she straightened and moved out of the embrace. She grabbed some tissues from a nearby table and wiped at her eyes and nose.

Before she could go on, Vivian Garcia-Shapiro and Jack and Mary Johnson came into the ER and hurried up to Linda. "Linda," Vivian said, her face pale. "Do you have any news?"

Linda shook her head. "We just got here ourselves. Lawrence is talking to the nurse."

The three newcomers nodded. "We'll go check, too," Jack said and led them away.

"Why don't you go ahead and tell your story?" Betty Jo said, eyebrows raised.

"I… have a suggestion," Candace said, her shoulder sagging and her voice tired once again. "If it's okay with all of you, I'd rather just have to say it once. Can we bring the officer over and make this my official statement? And we can have Mrs. Garcia-Shapiro and Mister and Mrs. Johnson there, too. I'm sure they'll want to hear it."

"That would be fine," Linda agreed.

Lawrence came back to them at that point. "I had to sign a bit of paperwork, but it sounds like the boys will be fine. They're being transferred to a regular room for the night for observation, and we'll be able to take them home in the morning."

The rest of the family brightened. "When can we see them?" Linda asked.

"In forty-five minutes to an hour, or so they tell me," Lawrence answered. "There's admission paperwork, letting them get settled into their room, that sort of thing."

"Sounds like just enough time to hear what Candace has to tell us," Reg declared.

They talked to the officer, and he was more than happy to take Candace's statement. He spoke with the nurse on duty who arranged to let them speak in a small meeting room for privacy. Vivian joined the group, in the same boat as the Flynn-Fletchers with Isabella also being kept for the night for observation. But before they could ask Jack and Mary, Jeremy came walking out from the examination rooms.

The blond teenager immediately hugged his worried parents and assured them he was fine. He'd only been kept in back so long because their signatures were needed to release him. Then he walked over to Candace and gave her a warm embrace. "Are you still doing all right?" he asked gently. "I know how tough today has been for you."

Candace smiled at her boyfriend. "I'm fine now that my family's here and I know everybody's going to be okay."

"Candace was just about to give her statement to the officer here and let us all know what happened," Linda said to Mary. "You're more than welcome to join us."

"I don't know," Mary said, staring at the bandage on her son's right arm.

"Please, Mom," Jeremy said, facing her. "Candace doesn't need to say this more than once right now, and there are things I'd like to know, too." He turned back to his girlfriend. "Is that all right? Do you want me to sit in on this?"

Candace's small smile turned soft and she nodded. "I'd like that," she said simply, taking his hand.

The group proceeded to settle themselves in the room the nurse had provided, and Candace began to tell her tale. She went through everything she had done, how she, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford had worked out their theories and strategies, how they'd recruited the other kids and organized the search efforts. She described that day's hunt, how they'd reached the last building on their list with sinking hopes, and how she'd had a feeling they needed to be as quick as they could be without sacrificing thoroughness. She told them how she and Isabella had seen the curtain that had covered the door to the basement move in the evening breeze that had come up, and what they had seen when they explored the new discovery.

From there, Candace had a hard time telling her story smoothly. Jeremy gave the hand he still held a comforting squeeze, and the adults were kind enough to let her speak at her own pace. Finally she reached the point where the first police officer had arrived at the shoe factory. Her words trailed off, then she took a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips.

"Oh, Candace," Linda whispered, smiling, moving over to wrap her arms around her daughter.

"I promise, Mom, we were going to get the police. That's what Isabella and I were trying to do when everything happened." Candace squeezed her mother tightly and buried her face in Linda's shoulder.

"I know," Linda said. "I know. While on one hand I wish you would have left things to the police because it would have been safer, I also know that what you did probably saved your brothers. And I can never thank you enough for that."

Once the mother and daughter pair pulled apart, Candace looked at the other parents in the room. "I hope you aren't angry at Jeremy or Isabella," she said quietly. "It was all my idea to start with, so if you're going to be mad, it should probably be at me."

Vivian smiled at her. "Oh, my Isa is too headstrong to do anything she doesn't want to do. And she thinks too much of your brothers to not want to help them. I'm not angry at you, Candace."

"Hey, I helped because I wanted to help," Jeremy said with a look at his parents. "No one made me do anything. I like your brothers, and I knew how much it meant for you to help find them. As for this," he gestured at his bandage, "there's no one to blame but Mister Connors. He's the one who fired the gun."

"When the boy's right, he's right," Jack said with a half-smile. "You kids are a little too impulsive for your own good sometimes, I think, but everything worked out for the best in the end."

"I think we'll save our anger for this Mister Connors," Mary said darkly. "He's the one who really hurt our boy, and took Phineas and Ferb in the first place."

Linda flinched at the statement, causing Lawrence to come over and put an arm around her shoulders. "You couldn't have known he'd do any such thing, darling," he said comfortingly. "There was no reason to suspect anything."

Mary suddenly looked abashed. "I'm sorry, Linda," she said contritely. "I didn't mean to say anything bad about you."

"I know," Linda said with a sigh.

"Bill better hope I don't get a hold of him, with everything he's done," Betty Jo growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ignoring the comment, Candace looked over at the officer, who was just finishing writing up his notes. "Is that enough, Officer?" she asked. "Do you need anything else from me?"

The man looked up and smiled. "That should be enough, Miss Flynn. Thank you for being so thorough. If there is anything else, I'll be sure to be in contact." He looked at Linda and Lawrence. "Detective Walters was wondering if he'd be able to come speak with your sons after they've been released." He looked at Vivian. "And your daughter as well, if that's possible."

"If the boys are up for it, I don't see a problem," Lawrence said. "We'll call the detective as soon they're settled in at home."

"Oh, si. I'll call him, too," Vivian agreed.

"Where is the detective?" Winnie asked.

"He's dealing with William Connors, and all the details in regards to that," the officer explained. "I'm going to go file my report, and leave you people in peace. Have a good night." He stood and left with a friendly nod.

Mary and Jack stepped over to Jeremy. "We're going to get home ourselves," Mary said. "It's been a long night."

Candace blinked as she remembered something. "Oh! I was supposed to tell you Dustin took Jeremy's car back to your house after dropping off Adyson, Ginger, and Irving."

Jeremy smiled at her. "I was wondering about that. I'll give him a call tomorrow and thank him." He hugged the redheaded teenager. "I'll call you, too. Will early afternoon be all right?"

"That should be perfect," Candace replied dreamily.

"I'll talk to you then."

"Just give me a call when everything settles down a bit, all right, Linda?" Mary said as her family headed for the door.

Linda nodded. "I'll do that. Have a good night."

Lawrence glanced at the clock in the room when the Johnsons were gone. "I think the kids should be set up in their rooms by now," he said.

Vivian practically jumped to her feet. "I need to find out what room my Isa is in," she said eagerly. "The doctor said there probably wasn't anything to worry about, that he was just admitting her because of her age and how long it took for her concussion to be treated, but I won't be sure of anything until I see her for myself."

"I think we all understand completely, Viv," Linda said with a smile. She stepped over and hugged her best friend. "We feel the same way."

"Oh, si, si, of course you would," Vivian said as she returned the embrace. "Now let's go find out where those rooms are." She hurried out of the room, the Flynn-Fletcher family close behind.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Perry had stayed in the car when Candace had first parked in the hospital parking lot and led Baljeet and Buford inside, knowing his appearance with them would draw the wrong kind of attention. He was fully capable of getting inside undetected; he wanted to take advantage of some time alone to get his emotions back under control. He also used the time to use his OWCA-issued tablet to compose a message to Monogram informing him that the boys had been found and were currently safe at the hospital. He mentioned William Connors' presence in the same place as well as that he was in police custody, although he decided to leave out his own part in sending him there.

The platypus witnessed all of the arrivals of the rest of the kids and of the families, and also saw most of them leave once again. Once things looked like they were settling down, Perry decided he could make an unobtrusive appearance and find out what was going on. His priority was to find out how Phineas and Ferb were doing, of course, but he also wanted to make sure Candace was holding together all right. He'd watched her at the shoe factory earlier and knew how much pressure she was feeling.

He slipped inside just in time to see the Flynn-Fletcher family as well as a police officer and Isabella and Jeremy's parents go into a private room. Hurrying, he managed to join them before the door closed, lucky enough to avoid being noticed. It was interesting to hear the whole story from Candace, and he was filled with even more pride for the girl. She'd been a very effective leader. It was also nice to see the support she received from everyone in the room. She didn't just need it, she deserved it.

It was a little more difficult to find his way to the boys' room without being seen by anyone. Perry heard the room number and decided taking the elevator would not be in his best self-interest, and so took the stairs. Fortunately the door was open, but he knew he couldn't give in to the impulse to join either boy on their bed. There was no way they'd let him go, and there was equally no way the family would let him stay. So he quietly padded his way inside and under the nearest bed, Ferb's.

The reunion was heartwarming. There were tears and reassurances and hugs and kisses, all signs of the love the blended family shared on all sides. Phineas showed off his orange cast, saying he picked it because it matched his shirts. Ferb pointed out the bandage covering the cut above his temple, proudly displaying a popular cartoon character, although Perry didn't know who he was. Both boys were grateful their parents had thought to bring their regular pajamas, commenting how nice it was to finally wear clothes of their own that hadn't been worn for a week straight. It was quiet for a few moments after that statement, but an appreciative hug from both boys once they'd changed brought the mood back up nicely.

Candace and the adults couldn't stay long. The boys were exhausted, having only managed to stay awake as long as they had because they knew the family was there and coming up to see them. Their sister was also tired, although she fought showing it since she felt like the boys' needs should come before hers. There was one last round of hugs and kisses, and then the family left with the reassurance that they'd be back to take the boys home in the morning.

A nurse came in soon after that and did a last check-up before letting the boys sleep. Once she'd shut the door behind herself, and the sound of soft, slow, and steady breathing could be heard coming from both beds, Perry finally came out from his hiding place and glanced from boy to boy, reveling in the fact that they were healthy and whole - well, as much as could be expected - and, most importantly, free. He hopped onto Phineas' bed and snuggled next to him, a warmth spreading through the platypus when the redhead reflexively wrapped his cast-free arm around him in his sleep.

Perry really only dozed that night, fully intent on guarding his boys from anything and everything that would harm them, even if it was only a nightmare. He also knew any nurse checking up on them wouldn't appreciate the animal's presence, so he was ready to hide whenever he heard the door opening. But mostly, he merely enjoyed being able to indulge in his usual nighttime routine of sleeping with one boy for a time then switching to the bed of the other. They all seemed happier for it.

By the time morning came, he could proudly say his self-appointed mission had been a success. There had been no danger the whole night through. And best of all, no one in the room had been affected by nightmares.

Chapter Text

A week later, Heinz Doofenshmirtz was drawing out plans for yet another evil inator (he wasn't entirely sure if it was going to make everyone's shoelaces in the Tri-State Area stay permanently untied, or if it would make the shoelaces tie together) while Vanessa sat on the couch in the main living area listlessly leafing through one of her punk fashion magazines. What was even stranger than the fact that she hadn't retreated to her room - again - was that she hadn't glared at him once. Not even when he originally described his plan to her. She'd just given him a tiny, indulgent smile and looked back at her open periodical.

Vanessa's uncharacteristic behavior was distracting Heinz from the project at hand. How could he focus on being evil when something was bothering his little girl? The worst part about the source of the distraction was that he couldn't even really get angry about it. He just couldn't be angry with Vanessa.

The evil scientist sighed. Underneath it all, he knew it was more important to help his daughter than work on the new inator plans. So, he capped his dry erase marker and set it in the tray at the bottom of the scribble-filled board, then turned to look at the brunette teenager on the couch. "Vanessa?" he asked tentatively. He was always afraid of pushing too hard.

Vanessa glanced up from her magazine. "Yeah, Dad? Did you need something?"

"I was just wondering what was wrong. You don't really seem interested in your magazine, and you've been a bit… mopey since you got here. Is there anything I can do?"

"Oh, Dad," the girl said with a sad little smile. She closed the publication and tossed it onto the coffee table. "Thanks for caring so much, but I'm not sure there's anything you can do." She shrugged. "I'm not sure there's anything actually wrong, either. It's a little confusing."

"Well, why don't you tell me what's going on?" Heinz suggested as he came over and sat in the chair closest to her position on the sofa. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Confusing things are my specialty."

Vanessa fought back a smile at the comment, knowing how true it was, although not as her father had intended it. "Did Mom tell you about what happened to her friend's sons?"

Heinz blinked for a moment, not immediately making the connection but willing to go with it. "I'll admit she sounded… happier on the phone when I talked to her this week, but she didn't say anything specific. I take it the police found them? And they were all right?"

Vanessa nodded. "They were found, yes, but not by the police. Their sister organized a bunch of her friends and the boys' friends in a search, based on some theory she came up with. I guess they really saved the day, too. It was late last week."

Heinz's brow creased in confusion. "That's a good thing for you, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah, of course. That's not what's bothering me. It turns out Johnny is friends with one of the sister's friends, and he was asked to help out."

"So Johnny didn't help?" Heinz asked. On one hand, he wouldn't have blamed the boy if he hadn't, but on the other it was for a couple of kids. He could go either way on that one.

"No, he did. That's kind of the problem."

Heinz straightened and blinked again. What was it with teenagers? "You've lost me. How is that a problem? Didn't you want Johnny to help look for those boys?"

Vanessa sighed. "I never knew he was looking, Dad. He never told me what he'd been doing those two days."

Her father nodded. "All right. So you're angry because he didn't tell you about looking for the boys?"

"Not really."

"You're going to have to tell me exactly what the problem is, Vanessa. I'm not seeing it."

"It's okay, Dad," Vanessa said with another sigh. "Like I said, I'm not even sure there's a problem."

"Wait a minute," Heinz protested gently. "Something is obviously bothering you. To me, that's a problem. Please, just tell me what it is."

Vanessa looked him in the eyes for a long, quiet moment, then dropped her gaze to her lap. "I guess when Johnny was asked to help, his friend told him to get as many other people as he could to help too. I don't know if he asked Eddie, Greg, or Lacey, but he never asked me. He said he knew I wouldn't want to go wandering around getting dirty in some old, dusty buildings all day, so he didn't bother." She shrugged and shook her head slightly. "There's no way he could have known that I knew about the boys he was looking for, it's not that any of that came up in conversation or anything. And he thought he was putting my considerations first, so that's something. But… I never thought of myself as someone who worried about getting dirty when something important was going on. That's… shallow."

Heinz watched the girl for a short time, feeling a little awkward with where her comments had gone. He was fully aware of how shallow and petty he could be from time to time. He didn't want her to think badly of him because of that streak in him. Then he shook his head. It wasn't the time for self-centered thoughts; his little girl needed her daddy on this one. He reached over and took her hand, causing her to look back up and meet his gaze. "You aren't shallow, Vanessa, I promise you that," he said sincerely. "Although I'm not sure I had anything to do with it." They shared a smile. "It makes sense that it would bother you that your boyfriend would think of you like that." He brightened as an idea struck him. "I could invent an inator that would make him extra clumsy whenever he had bad thoughts about you!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes, her smile widening. "That won't be necessary, Dad, but thanks for the thought." She chuckled then calmed, her expression turning soft. "And thank you for the pep talk. It means a lot that you think that way about me."

"I'm your father," Heinz said as he stood and took Vanessa into a warm embrace. "I'm supposed to think highly of you." He pulled back to arm's length and let his smile turn a bit impish. "You just make it easy for me."

"So you say now," she refuted. "I seem to recall a few times growing up…" She left her sentence dangling, knowing he could finish it in a variety of ways.

"Well, that's not important," Heinz said dismissively, letting her go as he spoke with his hands. "I just know you're a wonderful girl, and any boy is lucky to have you. Very lucky, considering if I had my way you wouldn't be dating until you were thirty. Maybe."

Vanessa's eyebrows rose. "You invited Johnny to my birthday party last year when you knew how I felt about him."

Heinz cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes, well, I thought of it more like a little schoolgirl crush. I thought it was cute. I didn't think it was serious."

"Oh, Dad," Vanessa chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm going to go give Lacey a call, see what she has to say. Maybe she knows something about this I don't."

"All right, Vanessa. I'll let you know when lunch is ready in a little while."

"Thanks, Dad," Vanessa said as she started to leave the room. She paused before disappearing down the hallway. "For everything."

Heinz smiled as she went into her room and shut the door. His little girl was going to be okay, and he'd helped. Life couldn't get much better than that. With that thought in mind he threw himself back into his evil plan with gusto.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Just over a week after Phineas and Ferb came home, Candace sat in her room late at night having a hard time feeling like things had gotten back to normal. Sure, the boys had gone back to implementing their big plans - they were inventing a new multi-player video game for the network they'd created for themselves and their friends the year before out of deference for their need (and Isabella's) to take it easy for a week because of their concussions - but she could see circles under their eyes when they came down for breakfast in the mornings. She was pretty sure she had them, too; she didn't want to count how many nightmares she'd had since they'd gone missing in the first place. She just didn't know what to do to make things better.

Their parents and grandparents had been great about everything. They gave the kids space when they needed it, but were there to listen when that was required. No one pushed too hard for information that wasn't freely given; neither Phineas nor Ferb had mentioned everything that had happened while Connors had kept them in that basement, everyone was sure of it, but it was also known that if it was important it would be shared. Grandma and Grandpa Flynn were set to leave just after Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher's flight left a couple of days later. It was nice to spend so much time with both sets of grandparents.

Candace had found herself checking up on the boys randomly as the days went by, making sure they were where she thought they were and that they were all right. She usually didn't realize what she was doing until she'd caught sight of them; she was always a little embarrassed, but since she already had a reputation for wanting to know what they were up to on a regular basis, she didn't think the boys had caught on to the new rationale. And was she ever grateful for that.

She sighed and turned off her laptop, having tried to play around on the internet until she was exhausted enough to go to sleep without having to think about it too much. If she went to bed when she was just starting to feel tired like she normally did, she stayed awake thinking, and thinking led to the really bad nightmares. But it wasn't working like it had before. She had been just going through the motions, her mind whirling with thoughts she was doing her best to avoid through the activity.

"Fine," Candace said to herself, "I'll go get myself a glass of warm milk. And then I'll go through the magazines Stacy got for me today until it kicks in." She stood up and grimaced. "Hopefully that actually works."

She took her time drinking her warm milk in the dark kitchen, trying to keep her mind blank and her body relaxed. She was actually feeling a little better about her chances as she carefully returned up the stairs. Her shoulders didn't feel as tense, and her mind was clearer than it had been at that time of night all week.

A muffled shout as she passed Phineas and Ferb's room made her muscles taut all over again, and stopped her in her tracks. Candace leaned into the door, hoping to find out it was a one-time deal and needing to hear if it wasn't. She couldn't be sure if the voice had belonged to Phineas or Ferb, but it would be unpleasant either way she was sure.

"Candace!" Phineas cried a moment later. "Candace, no! Don't go to… Leave her alone! Don't… Please…"

Candace was inside the boys' room in a flash, quickly but carefully closing the door behind herself to avoid waking up their parents. Phineas was thrashing from side to side under his covers, tears streaming down his face as his protests disintegrated into sobs. She glanced over at Ferb as she hurried to her redheaded brother's side and saw him also turning fitfully in the moonlight that streamed through their window. The teenager bit her lip as she sat on the right-hand edge of the raft that served as Phineas' bed; then, suddenly, Perry was at Ferb's elbow, nudging it with his bill until he'd gotten into the crook of the green-haired boy's arm. The platypus' physical presence seemed to be enough to calm Ferb down somewhat, allowing Candace to focus on the quietly crying Phineas.

Just before Candace could lay a gentle hand on her brother's shoulder to wake him, Phineas started thrashing even more violently than before. "No!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "Bring them back! Bring them back!" He sprang into a sitting position, his arms reaching out toward whatever the source of his nightmare was, his sister barely able to keep from being accidentally slapped in the face. Yet he was still asleep.

Candace instinctually wrapped her arms around the distraught boy. "Phineas, I'm right here. I'm right here," she said soothingly as he struggled slightly. The sound of her voice made him go limp and made her readjust her grip to keep them both upright. "Candace is here, Phineas. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here." She started to rub a hand up and down the top of his left arm.

Phineas turned his head into her shoulder and started crying in earnest, almost knocking the wind out of her when he brought his cast-covered arm around and connected with her side rather forcefully. "Don't let him be your daddy, Candace," he sobbed, his voice muffled by the girl's robe. "He doesn't know how to be a daddy. He just wants us to take the place of his other kids."

Candace was horrified by the pleas, immediately understanding what he had to be talking about. She squeezed her brother tighter. "William Connors is not and will never be my daddy, Phineas, no matter how much he may want it," she insisted. "I promise. I promise." She had to fight back her own tears at that point. If this is what had been haunting Phineas' dreams, that she could be talked into going away and joining Connors, into letting him be her daddy and go back to being his baby girl…

She shuddered at the mere thought.

Phineas nodded and began to sniff. "And… and do you have Ferb with you?" he whispered. "He was almost a skeleton the last time he let me see him…"

"Ferb's here, too," Candace assured him, frowning in confusion. What was he talking about now? "And I promise he's just fine, perfectly healthy."

"Oh, that's good," Phineas breathed with a huge sigh of relief. He squeezed his sister tighter. "And you're okay, too? He didn't hurt you?"

"He didn't hurt me, Phineas. I'm just fine." She couldn't fight back the image of Jeremy diving headlong at her to keep her that way, though. A different part of Jeremy taking that bullet was one of her least favorite recurring nightmares.

Phineas merely nodded and took another deep breath. His posture subtly shifted as he released it, and Candace could feel his brow creasing through the thin fabric of her robe. His hands clenched into loose fists against her back, balling up the material with them. "Candace?" he asked tentatively.

Candace smiled when she realized he must have finally woken up. "It's me, Phineas. Are you okay?"

"Man, that was a nasty nightmare," he admitted, letting himself rest against his sister when she didn't let go. He turned his head to the side and opened his eyes, blinking in the moonlight. "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't," she said. "I'd gone down for a glass of milk to try to get to sleep in the first place, and I heard you on my way back to my room."

"Then I'm sorry that I kept you from getting to sleep."

"Oh, stop it. I wasn't that tired. And helping you is way more important." She rested her head on top of his.

Phineas just nodded. "You know, I'm really glad you were here," he said after a moment. "I feel so much better than I ever have before after one of these things." He hesitated. "Was I… talking in my sleep? Asking you questions?"

Candace lifted her head and looked down on him, his position never changing. "Yes. Yes, you were," she confirmed, really hoping he wasn't going to get embarrassed and not tell her anything.

"Then that's what did it," Phineas said with a small smile, giving Candace a squeeze. "I heard you giving me real answers, and it changed the way that dream always turns out. Things ended a lot better this time." He took a relaxed breath then paused before releasing it and his fists. "Is Ferb… okay?"

"I'm fine," Ferb answered quietly from the other bed before the teenager could respond. Candace and Phineas looked over to see him lying in bed watching them, his arms wrapped around Perry.

Candace noticed the touch of need in the steady gaze and smiled, reaching a hand out to wave him over. "Come on. There's more than enough room for one more."

Phineas grinned as his brother began to take them up on the invitation. "Well, two more. Wouldn't want to forget Perry."

Candace wrapped her extended arm around the green-haired boy once he'd crawled onto Phineas' bed and was a little surprised when he let go of Perry and threw both arms around her waist to burrow his face into her shoulder. He shook slightly when she tightened her grip and laid a kiss on the top of his head. "It's all right, Ferb. I'm here," she said gently. "Phineas is here, and even Perry's here. Mom and Dad are just down the hall, Grandma and Grandpa Flynn are in the spare room, and Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher are up in the craft room. We're all here, and we're all fine." She felt him smile and nod his head, but he didn't let go.

"She's right," Phineas added softly, not leaving the circle of Candace's other arm. "We're here. Even better, we're home, both of us, just like we agreed."

"I wouldn't have left you behind," Ferb said, turning his head slightly so he was sure to be heard.

"I know," Phineas said with a small smile.

Perry chattered then, managing to rub against both boys at once and drawing the attention of all three kids. The action also reduced the tension in the air. With the release, Phineas and Ferb sighed and leaned against Candace, and the girl closed her eyes and gave them both a gentle squeeze.

Phineas yawned. "I think I can actually get back to sleep," he said, his voice matching the words. "Or, well…" He blushed slightly, looked down for a second then glanced between his brother and sister. "I feel really weird asking this, I mean since we're not little kids any more, but…"

Ferb gave him a knowing smile. "I'd feel better if we shared the bed this one time, too," he said simply.

"Candace," Phineas said after he'd shared a grateful smile with Ferb, "could you maybe stay until we actually fall asleep?" He gave her a big-eyed look that was all the more endearing for the fact that it wasn't consciously being used for manipulation purposes. "It just feels better with you around right now."

"I'll stay," Candace agreed. "It'll make me feel better, too."

Phineas and Ferb got under the covers, then Candace stretched out on top of them next to the boys, her arm draped over both and her hand between Ferb and Perry. The platypus had curled up in the tiny space between the green-haired boy's stomach and the edge of the bed. Phineas managed to keep his cast out of the way by lying on his left side and tucking it under his pillow. For all that they were crammed together, they all felt contented, and it wasn't long before the boys were fast asleep. Candace watched them with watery eyes and a fond smile, feeling like the missing piece to normal had finally been found.

And when Linda and Lawrence poked their heads into the boys' room in the morning to make sure they were all right, the sight of all three of their children and Perry sleeping peacefully together was one they would treasure for the rest of their lives. The picture they quietly took certainly didn't hurt, either.

 

* * * * * * * *

 

Two months later, Phineas sat on his bed in the middle of a rainy afternoon doing the exercises he'd been given by his therapist for his left arm as he stared out the window lost in thought. Ferb was downstairs in the study fixing the family computer; no one was exactly sure what Lawrence had done, but something inside the tower had definitely fried. Ferb's actions were the last attempt to save it before they finally gave in and bought a new one.

As far as his arm was concerned, Phineas was glad it was starting to look normal again. It was also regaining strength pretty quickly since he was very good about keeping up with his exercises; it didn't hurt that he also insisted on using it while he and Ferb built and used their inventions on a daily basis. His physical therapist always sighed and rolled her eyes before reminding him what could happen if he overdid things when he admitted to his amount of activity. Then she ended up praising him for his accelerated level of recovery, not that it excused ignoring her advice. Phineas was just glad that he'd pretty much be back to normal before school started not too far in the future.

What was really on his mind at that point went deeper than lingering physical issues. There was an action he wanted to take, to help heal a wound he'd only realized he was suffering from about a month and a half ago. But he needed to talk to Candace about it first, to make sure it was the right thing to do.

As though the thought had summoned her, a set of footsteps coming up the stairs along with the teenager's voice saying goodbye to Stacy reached Phineas' ears, and he was suddenly moved to act. He opened the bedroom door just as Candace reached it. "Candace? Could I talk to you for a minute?" Phineas asked as she closed her flip phone to end the call to her best friend.

"Um, sure, Phineas," Candace replied, confused. "What do you need?"

"It's actually kind of important," he said as he waved her inside his bedroom and closed the door behind her. He waited until she sat down on the edge of Ferb's bed before continuing. "It's about, um, William Connors."

"What about him?" Candace practically growled. The man was a topic almost certain to always set her off just at the mention of his name. "Are you having nightmares again?"

"No, no, that's not it," Phineas quickly assured her. Those had started to fade away right after Candace had comforted him in the middle of the night soon after he and Ferb had returned home, and had pretty much ended as soon as they'd been told the man had been declared incompetent for trial and institutionalized in the secure wing of the Tri-State Mental Health Hospital a little ways out of town. It had been a pleasant surprise to see how fast the wheels of justice had turned for the case.

Candace narrowed her eyes as she eyed up her brother. "Well, something's bugging you about him. You're not worried about him getting out or anything, are you?"

Phineas shook his head. "Not really. Although I suppose you could say this is somewhat related to that, at least indirectly."

Candace rolled her eyes. "Phineas, just spit it out. You're making me nervous."

"I don't want to be linked to him any more," he said simply. "I don't want there to be a connection he thinks he can use at some point in the future to try to come back into my life." He shrugged. "I want to be able to move on, and away from him."

"Are… you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I was thinking of trying to have William Connors' parental rights terminated." Phineas sighed when Candace's eyes got bigger and her jaw dropped at the statement. "But I don't think I should do it alone. It doesn't make any sense to just terminate his rights for me, so I wanted to talk to you and see what you thought of the idea. If you don't want to do it, I won't worry about it any more. It's not like he's going to get out of either the hospital or prison before I'm an adult and can take care of myself anyway."

Candace raised a hand to cut off her brother's rambling. "Wait a minute here. Let me see if I got this straight. You want to terminate Connors' parental rights, but you won't if I don't want to."

Phineas nodded. "That's right."

Candace chewed on her lower lip. "I hadn't even thought about it, to be honest."

"Really? Wow. I'm actually kind of surprised by that," Phineas said with a shrug.

"What do you mean?"

"Candace, you practically explode if the name William by itself is brought up in casual conversation, and I really feel sorry for Mrs. Connors at the library after the way you reacted the last time you were there and heard somebody call out to her." The boy's eyebrows rose as his expression screamed, "Well, am I right?"

Candace frowned, the expression all the deeper for the fact that he was right. "Hey, I apologized for that."

Phineas couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, well, she still flinches every time she sees you walk in the door. You really left an impression on her."

"Great. Now I'm scaring librarians." Candace sighed.

"No worries, big sister. She's getting better every day."

"Anyway, back to what we were talking about," Candace said in a rush, blushing. "Are you serious about wanting to terminate Connors' parental rights?"

Phineas' happy expression faded and he grew serious. He nodded. "It's like he still has a little bit of a hold on me, with that legal connection. I mean, it's not like he's going to be paying any more child support, so we don't need him for that. And Dad is our dad. I don't need or want another one."

Candace considered what he'd said, staring at her lap as she chewed on her lower lip. "I think you're right," she finally said quietly, not looking up. "Lawrence Fletcher is more of a father than William Connors could even dream about being, and Connors is going to dream about being one as long as he thinks he has kids to be one for." She lifted her head and met Phineas' gaze. "I think we should do it. How do you want to start?"

Phineas came over and sat next to his sister. "I think we need to go to Mom and let her know what we want to do. I'm pretty sure she'll have to be part of everything, too."

"Yeah, and she'll probably know a lawyer who can take care of things for us." Candace took a deep breath and released it. "So what did Ferb say when you told him about this?"

"I haven't talked to Ferb about this." Phineas dropped his gaze to his lap.

"You haven't? Why?" Candace asked.

Phineas shrugged. "I couldn't help but think this had to be between you and me, at least at first. Once we talk to Mom I'll tell him everything. He deserves to know."

Candace gave him a sympathetic look. "Don't feel bad, Phineas. I know Ferb's your best friend as much as he's your brother, but sometimes there are things you just can't share right away. It's happened a few times with Stacy, and I never enjoyed it."

"Did you end up telling her?" Phineas asked, bringing his eyes up to meet hers.

"Every time but one," she answered candidly. "I haven't told anyone about that one."

"How did she take it?"

Candace smiled. "The first time was bad, but we were eight. The last couple of times she understood once I explained why. And I guarantee you, if anyone will understand Ferb will."

Phineas returned the expression. "Yeah, he probably will. At least I hope so."

They sat there for a moment longer, then Candace's brow creased as an idea occurred to her. "You know, there's something else we can do once we dump Connors," she offered.

"What's that?"

"We can ask if Dad would be willing to adopt us. Make the relationship we have with him totally and completely legal." The more she thought about it, the more the idea excited Candace.

"But it's already legal," Phineas said, a bit confused. "He can sign papers for us and things like that."

Candace nodded. "Yeah, as our step-father. But if he adopts us, he'll just be our dad. Completely and utterly. No questions."

Phineas blinked. "And then there wouldn't be any room at all for William Connors to try and get back into our lives." He started to smile. "This idea sounds better and better."

"You bet it does!" Candace was getting more and more energized.

"And then Ferb will just be my brother, not my step brother." Phineas' smile grew wide. "Not that I thought of him as anything else anyway, but there's that whole legal thing you mentioned."

"Oh, this is going to be great!" Candace enthused, bouncing on the bed.

Phineas chuckled and shook his head, then sobered somewhat. "Well, we do still have to ask Dad if that's what he wants to do," he reminded his sister. "And we should ask Ferb, too. And Mom might have something to say about it all."

Candace hopped to her feet to cover up her sudden nervousness. "Yeah, we have to do that," she said, subdued. She looked at Phineas with a worried expression. "Do you think anybody's going to have a problem?"

"Not really, but we still need to ask. They might need some time to think about it, or get used to the idea."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Candace said, somewhat mollified. "Do you think we should talk to Mom now?"

"That might be best. Hopefully we can be done before Ferb finishes with Dad's computer." Phineas pushed himself to his feet, and the Flynn siblings headed downstairs.

As luck would have it, Linda was in the garage doing laundry when Candace and Phineas found her. Candace made sure to shut the door behind them as Linda gave them a slightly confused smile. "Well, hi, you two. Is there something you needed from me?"

The siblings shared a brief look. "There's something big actually," Phineas began. "I've been thinking about it for a while, and I just talked it over with Candace. We're in total agreement."

Candace nodded. "We sure are."

"And just what are the two of you in agreement on?" Linda asked as she slowly placed the shirt she'd been folding in the basket at her feet. "What is this about?"

"We want to terminate Connors' parental rights," Candace said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's never been a real dad to either one of us, and now after what he did to Phineas and Ferb, neither one of us wants anything to do with him ever again." She shrugged. "Why should we be legally connected to him?"

Linda's eyes grew large and she withdrew slightly. "That's what you've been talking about?"

Both kids nodded. "At least just now," Phineas clarified.

There was a long moment of silence as Candace and Phineas watched Linda stare at the floor and rub her hands together. "I feel like I should apologize," Linda said finally. "I never realized what kind of man Bill could become, and how much that oversight would come to hurt you." She looked up then with tears in her eyes. "I could have terminated his parental rights years ago, using abandonment as the reason. But I wanted him to pay his child support, to be forced to accept at least some responsibility for your welfare. And I'll admit making him have to send out those checks was a little bit of revenge for treating Candace and me so poorly while we were together. Now you've both had to suffer for my selfishness."

"Mom!" the kids cried, dashing forward and throwing their arms around her. "No!"

"That's not what this is about, Mom, I promise," Phineas said firmly, his head pressed against her upper chest.

"It's not your fault he's an idiot. You had every right to expect him to take care of his responsibilities," Candace added, her chin resting on Linda's opposite shoulder. "His issues are his fault, not yours."

Linda squeezed them tight, releasing a little breath of relief at their lack of blame. "I love you both so much," she whispered. "You're the only good things to come out of that marriage."

They stayed like that for a short time, then stepped back and shared a loving smile. "We love you, too, Mom, and would never want to hurt you," Phineas said. Candace nodded her agreement.

"I know," Linda said. "Now why don't you tell me exactly what brought this discussion up? I mean, I understand why it would, I just want to know the particulars."

"A while back I realized as much as Ferb and I were home, and he was locked away at the mental hospital, I didn't feel like I was free of him," Phineas began to explain. "There was something lurking over my shoulder that was just… haunting me. I went over a bunch of things he said to me while he was trying to win me over and I just knew it was that connection he kept claiming to want to recreate with me. And I also knew I didn't want that connection. It took me a little while to figure out what I could do about it, though. Then I figured if it was going to happen, it should be for both Candace and me or it just wouldn't make sense. So I talked to her earlier today, we agreed on it, and then we came to talk to you."

Linda stared at her son for a long moment. He was completely sincere - he almost always was - and he'd just explained the feeling she'd had since the boys were returned that things weren't finished yet. And he'd also given her the solution she didn't know she'd been looking for.

The silence went on long enough for Candace to start getting nervous. "Mom? You understand why we want to do this, right? You're okay with this, aren't you?"

Linda blinked and turned her attention to her daughter. Her brothers being missing had been bad enough, but this whole thing had also dredged up all the old hurts Bill had done to Candace when she was just a preschooler. She deserved better than that. "I understand, Candace, and I'm perfectly fine with it." She gave her children a somewhat shaky smile. "I don't see why we shouldn't just go ahead with this. It'll sever my last connection with him, too, and maybe I need that more than I ever realized before." She stepped forward and once again took them into a tight embrace.

"Um, there is one more thing," Candace said once they'd separated again.

"There's something else?" Linda asked, surprised. What else could there be to this?

"If you're okay with this, and Dad is, and Ferb…" Candace shared a quick look with Phineas, who gave her an encouraging one in return. "We'd like to ask Dad to officially adopt us once Connors is out of the picture. He's always been our real dad if not our biological one, and we want to make that official. Tie it up all neat and legal like."

Linda's eyes widened again in shock at the suggestion. It was only a second later that she began to smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea," she said with a small chuckle. "And I think your father would be honored."

"We still want to make sure we ask him, though. Him and Ferb," Phineas insisted. "We want this to be a real family decision. We won't push for it if anyone's uncomfortable."

"Definitely," Candace agreed.

Their concern for the family made Linda proud, and she just couldn't resist giving them another hug. "How about we talk it over after supper tonight?" she offered once she'd let go. "We can get everything decided, and then you two and I can go see my lawyer tomorrow and get whatever paperwork started that we need."

Both kids brightened at the prospect, then asked about what they were having for dinner. It didn't take long from there for things to go back to normal, Phineas returning to his room while Candace went into the living room to watch TV and call Jeremy to talk until the evening meal was ready. Linda just finished folding the laundry then went in to start her pot roast.

The meal went like it usually did, with lots of talking and laughing, but also with an undercurrent of anticipation. Candace quickly cleared away the dishes when everyone was finished, then surprised both Lawrence and Ferb by returning to the table. "Is it time?" she asked as she sat back down. "Can we start?"

Linda rolled her eyes. "Yes, Candace. Why don't you go ahead and explain to your father and brother why you're about to burst at the seams?"

"Did you get some kind of exciting news earlier today?" Lawrence asked, an amused smile on his face.

"Nope," Candace answered brightly. "But I think I'm going to let Phineas start. It was his idea."

That made Ferb give his brother a startled look. They hadn't discussed anything particularly exciting lately. What kind of news could Phineas have that he wasn't already aware of?

Phineas gave the green-haired boy a slightly guilty look in return. "I didn't mean to keep anything from you, bro. This was just something I needed to work through on my own, and then I needed to talk to Candace first, and…" He took a deep breath and blew it back out slowly. Settled, he then proceeded to explain his idea for terminating William Connors' parental rights, and why it was so important to him.

When he was done, Ferb simply placed a light hand on his brother's forearm and gave him a small, understanding smile. That was the kind of thing that was most certainly personal, and the rationale given was more than enough to erase any hurt that might have been inadvertently delivered.

"Thanks for understanding, Ferb," Phineas said quietly.

"And that was just the start?" Lawrence asked, noting the exchange between the brothers out of the corner of his eye but aiming his question at Candace. "What more could we have to talk about? I mean, of course I support the decision you two have made in regards to the termination, I would never even think of doing anything else, but…" His words trailed off a bit helplessly as his confusion came to the fore.

Candace shared a smile with Phineas, and the girl looked Lawrence right in the eyes. "Dad, we were wondering if after this whole thing goes through if you'd be willing to officially adopt Phineas and me. I mean, I told you right after the boys went missing that I consider you my real father, and I know Phineas feels the same way, and no matter what that won't change, and…"

"What Candace is saying is that we'd really like to make it completely and totally legal," Phineas finished for his sister. He turned to Ferb. "That is, if both of you are all right with it. We don't have to change anything if either of you don't want to."

Ferb's expression turned surprised all over again, but he made no further gesture or comment.

Lawrence looked from Flynn sibling to Flynn sibling, took in their earnest, eager expressions, and felt the tears well up in his eyes. "I would be honored to adopt the both of you," he said in a gentle, emotion-filled voice. "I've always loved you like you were my own from the very start." He spread his arms wide, and both Phineas and Candace got up and rushed into the warm embrace that had been offered.

"Hey, Ferb," Phineas said once the hug had ended. "Are you okay with all this? If you're not, we won't do it. I mean it."

"I'm all right with it," Ferb said slowly, his face undecipherable. "But if it's going to happen, I have a request of my own."

"What request?" Phineas asked before anyone else could. There was a fear behind his question that spoke of a worry that a barrier was about to come up between them.

Ferb merely looked at Linda - who'd been watching the whole proceedings with a hopeful, sentimental gaze - and smiled. "If Father is going to adopt Phineas and Candace, I would be grateful if you'd do me the honor of adopting me. Then our family would be complete."

Linda gasped, the sound echoed by both Candace and Lawrence, and brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise. Phineas began to grin. Ferb continued to gaze at his mother expectantly.

"Of course," Linda whispered finally, a smile of her own breaking through when she dropped her hands back to the table. "I would love to adopt you, Ferb. I love you!" She gave a little laugh and offered the boy a hug of his own, and he quickly took her up on it.

"This is just awesome!" Phineas exclaimed as Ferb took a step back.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Ferb agreed with a tiny smile.

There were more hugs and laughter after that, along with a discussion about what was going to be done the next day. They all came up with questions for the lawyer, and decided they would all go to the appointment Linda would arrange. And when they went to bed that night, all five of them had light hearts and bright expectations for the future. The hard journey William Connors had put them through was finally over, and they had come out the other side stronger and better than ever. Life was simply wonderful.