If you didn't read Busted and Broken (number 7 in this collection) this won't make complete sense.

Self-harm, implied past character death, insane Phineas.

Candace knew she should go straight back to the time machine. The sooner she undid this, the sooner the future would go back to the way to was meant to be.

Instead, she found herself running through the streets in the opposite direction, driven by an overwhelming desire to go home.

Not the home she'd raised her children in, the one she'd been raised in. She needed to know they were okay. It didn't matter that this timeline would be erased, she had to know.

Turning onto Maple Drive, she slowed. Some part of her had believed this part of Danville wouldn't have been touched, but it was just as grey and desolate as everything else.

Candace came to a stop in front of her parent's home. She barely recognized it. The mailbox simply read Joe. Anyone could've been living there now.

She walked across the yard, the dead grass crunching under her shoes. The broken step shifted under her weight when she stepped on it.

Her hand hovered near the door a moment before she knocked.

Time dragged, and Candace started to think that maybe no one lived here anymore.

Then the door opened.

"Dad!" She practically fell onto him, wrapping her arms around him, and burying her face into his shoulder.

He immediately returned the embrace, rubbing her back in comfort. "Candace, what's wrong?"

There was so much wrong, she didn't even know where to begin. She pulled back but, not completely. "I just-It's nothing. Are you okay? Mom? Phineas? Ferb?" The names came out in a rush.

His hands stilled. Dad frowned at her, a sudden pain filling his eyes. "Yes to myself, your mother, and, I suppose Phineas. He's doing the same as usual."

Candace didn't know what to make of that comment. "What do you mean?"

"Are sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. But what's wrong with Phineas?"

He let go of her to close to the door. "Only the same as usual." His hand stayed on the door. "He's upstairs if you'd like to see him. It's been a while since you've stopped by, he might appreciate it."

Her heart sunk. Phineas shouldn't be here. He was thirty. He was meant to be at an award ceremony.

"I'll do that." She turned away. He must be sick. The way Danville looked, she wouldn't be surprised if the medical care was lacking. Even a cold might be enough to have him back at home if things were that bad.

She took her time going up the stairs. Each one creaked, something she'd never heard their stairs do before. The whole house was rundown. Her brothers should have been keeping it up. Even after they moved out, she remembered Mom telling her about Ferb insisting on doing any and all handyman work for them.

It hit her as she reached the second floor that Dad hadn't mentioned Ferb.

She'd just have to ask Phineas. Sick or not, he'd know.

Candace almost went straight into his room, before stopping to knock.

There was no reply.

Frowning, she pushed the door open. "Phineas?"

The bareness of the room startled her. The colorful walls and ceiling having been painted over with white. Minimal furniture, a dress and two beds, made the room seem larger than she remembered.

Phineas had his back to her. His shoulders hunched as he sat on one of the beds.

"Phineas?" She was starting to regret coming here. If she'd just gone back to the time machine, she could have told herself they were fine.

Reaching the bed, she gently touched his shoulder. "Phineas?" When he still didn't respond, she came around to his font.

And immediately stepped away from him, her hands covering her mouth. She really shouldn't have come.

Something kicked in, sisterly love or motherly instinct, she didn't know, but she grabbed the sheets covering the bed, easily tearing the fragile fabricate. Trying to find a first aid kit felt like a waste of time. She took his left arm first, wrapping the sheet around it.

The feel of the blood running down onto her fingers made her stomach turn.

She moved to his other arm, repeating the process. Crouched, she dropped her head. The small knife glistened on the floor. "This is... this is so wrong." Her fingers curled around Phineas'. Fear gripped her. What could make her upbeat, do-the-impossible-without-breaking-a-sweat brother... this?

Surely, not the busting. Things had gotten bad, but it couldn't have been so bad as to do this? Right? This couldn't be her fault. Destroying Danville, the future, was one thing, but destroying her brothers?

Her brothers. "Where's Ferb?" Her hand tightened on his. "Phineas, where is Ferb?"

"He'll come back." The words were spoken so quietly she almost missed them.

"Where is he?"

Phineas didn't look at her. His dull, blue eyes stared out at nothing. "Mom and Dad said he's not. But he promised. He'll come back."

"Why wouldn't he come back?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"He'll come back for me."

Candace could cry. This wasn't what she wanted. This was so far from what she wanted. All she ever wanted was for Mom to believe her. Getting the boys in a little trouble was just a bonus for all the years she'd couldn't achieve that.

She never wanted them like this.

"I am so sorry." The tears slipped down her face unchecked. "I just wanted to bust you, I never thought..."

"Bust us."

She raised her eyes to his.

Phineas was looking at her down. His eyes focused. "Bust us," he repeated, as if testing the sound of the words. He blinked. "You busted us."

"I didn't mean for any of this-" She didn't get to finish her sentence. She wouldn't have thought Phineas could move so fast. But one moment he was on the bed, the next he was on top of her.

His knees dug into her stomach. His hands found their way to her neck. The glint in his eyes showed nothing but hate. "Youdidthisyoudidthisyoudidthis..." he kept up the muttering.

Candace clawed at the hands, eyes wide. She pried off one of his hands. "Dad! Help!"

Creaks and pounds came before he burst into the room. He wrapped his arms around Phineas, pulling him backwards, and holding him against his chest. Phineas still swiped at her. Mad ramblings flying from his mouth.

Candace couldn't move. This had to be a nightmare. A waking nightmare. At any moment, the talking zebra would show up and prove it.

Dad switched to a one-armed hold to stroke Phineas' hair.

Phineas still glared, but the muttering stopped.

"Candace, go."

She scrambled from the floor. Once outside the room, she wiped at her eyes. How had one bust caused all of this? It didn't make sense.

After a few minutes, Dad joined her, closing the door behind him. The knife held loosely in his hand. "I'll have to start locking up the silverware."

"Dad, what happened to Ferb?" She'd hear the answer then she'd fix this like she planned.

He didn't question why she was asking. It was a small relief, she didn't think she could deal with having to tell him what she did.

"They found him in the M.O.A.T."

It only took a second for the implications to sink in.

Candace shook her head. He couldn't be...

But Dad's expression showed he was.

Her legs felt weak, and she sunk to the floor. A sound of disbelief bubbled up before she hugged her legs to her chest.

She'd finally gotten what she'd always wanted and destroyed everything she'd had in the process.

Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into her knees.