Siblings' Quest |Phineas and Ferb Story|

Part Sixteen: The Worst Is...In Front of Us

(A/N: lmao I just realized that like, both Candace and Linda had birthdays in the beginning of summer and they spent it HAVING FAMILY ISSUES LMAOOO what a mood tho. Anyway, if you thought the worst was over you thought wrong, my friends)

Having to face her family after everything that happened was the hardest thing Candace ever had to do. She felt overwhelmed by guilt and shame, she didn't even know how to apologize no matter how sincere it was. But when she did admit to her mistake, she was easily forgiven. She felt she didn't deserve it, but was grateful nonetheless. Now her family could finally get back to their normal routines.

Two days passed since her return, and they all tried to spend as much time together as possible, especially the siblings. Candace procrastinated going back to her apartment to finish moving in with Stacy, since the thought of leaving her brothers and parents so soon burned her heart. She wasn't sure when she'd be ready to leave them again, but it wouldn't be within the next week for sure. It wasn't like she wouldn't ever come back to visit, but she just hated saying goodbye already. Besides, it was still summer vacation, it wasn't like she was busy.

The Flynn-Fletchers decided to celebrate their reunion by eating out at Nosh Olé (since they were friends with the Garcia-Shapiros and got a discount). They arrived at the café pretty early in the evening, but they stayed there for hours talking endlessly about funny memories, inside jokes, and embarrassing moments. So by the time they decided to pay the check, it was near closing time and the restaurant was almost completely empty.

As Isabella handed them the check, she refilled their cups of water for the last time and smiled, noticing how they were calming down from a fit of laughter. "Well, it looks like you guys are having fun." She commented. She looked down at Phineas and nudged his shoulder, "See? I told you things would turn around."

Phineas blushed, but ignored it and instead gave her a smile of gratitude. She was right, and if it hadn't been for her comfort that one night, he might not have lived to see his family this happy again. "Yeah, they really have." He nodded, patting his brother's back. "I think the worst is finally behind us."

The five exchanged a glance, all silently agreeing with him. If anything, the whole ordeal seemed to have brought them closer somehow. They spent almost every chance they had to be around each other, playing board games or going for rides around neighborhoods. Their summer was finally looking up.

But maybe celebrating their ability to move past the drama was jinxing it.

Linda's eyes instinctively averted toward the entrance upon hearing the bell ringing. She found it odd that someone was coming to eat this late, almost right before closing. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was who had entered the café.

"Or right in front of us." She murmured wearily, quickly looking down to avoid any eye contact just in case the man looked in their direction.

Lawrence noticed her sudden change in attitude, which made him concerned. "Linda, darling? What's wrong?" He asked, but she merely shushed him in response. She didn't want him or the kids to know, she just wanted to pay the check and get out while they still could.

The man, waiting at the front counter with his hands in his pockets, seemed to take notice to the family. Not only because they were the last customers left in the restaurant, and not only because the kids were laughing so loudly that he heard from where he was standing.

But when he saw her, he was overwhelmingly shocked.

Candace, Phineas, Isabella, and Ferb were talking amongst themselves, so lost in their own conversation that they didn't even notice. Not even when the man began to approach their table. Unfortunately, Linda did, and it only further upset her. What nerve did he have coming over to them like this? She specifically told him to stay away from her and her family. Granted, it was years ago, but she stood by her words.

Lawrence didn't need to ask her what was wrong anymore. He could sense what was happening, especially since the man resembled his stepson in so many ways, it was almost like they were the same person. Only this man appeared as though the years hadn't been kind to him.

The kids soon noticed his presence, and were a bit confused by the way he was observing them. They shared a look, silently questioning what he was doing. Candace decided to be polite and ask, "Hey, can we help you?"

Linda mentally cursed her daughter for talking to him, but she couldn't blame her for it. She just wished she hadn't.

The man suddenly smiled, tears forming in his eyes. "Candace? Is it really you?" He asked, putting a hand to his chest. "I-it's me, sweetie."

It didn't take more than two seconds for Candace to realize what was happening. Her face dropped, her eyes popping open in awe and disbelief. "Dad...?" She whispered, covering her mouth.

Linda rubbed the side of her head while the man just nodded, already feeling the dread and heartache from before returning all at once.

Candace then smiled, hopping up from her seat. "Dad!" She cried, practically jumping into his arms, clinging onto him tightly. "You're here! I can't believe you're really here!"

The man, otherwise known as Cameron, held onto his daughter and spun her around in a circle. "Oh Candace, look how big you've gotten! You're so grown up!" He said, kissing her cheek. "It's been too long."

Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella watched the interaction with conflicted emotions. While they wanted to be happy about the long awaited reunion, they knew this wouldn't end up as well as they hoped. Especially if Candace found out why he left in the first place.

Linda rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breath, "Not long enough."