I do not own Phineas and Ferb. May and Misty are mine.

Chatters and Croaks

Candace leaned against her pillows, dark blue eyes closed and her bandaged ankle propped up. It was the morning after the whole kidnapping fiasco, and the redhead was just glad to be back in her own room. Although she really didn't want to use crutches for the next few weeks until her ankle healed.

Her pink cell beeped and Candace hastily answered it. Her mom had grounded her for two weeks for sneaking out and doing something dangerous. The only reason it wasn't worse was because she managed to locate the Monogram sisters and tried to help them. She wasn't supposed to be using her phone or computer, but since Linda forgot to take away her cell, Candace certainly wasn't going to remind her.

"Hello?" she whispered, casting a glance at her closed bedroom door.

"What's up Candace?" May's tired voice asked from the other end.

"Well, I was trying to sleep, but for some reason I just can't fall asleep." Candace adjusted her position on her bed and pulled her pink covers tighter around her. "How are you doing?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night and Dad is keeping us in lockdown until his paranoia wears off. He's still got agents tailing Monty. Oh, hold on-yeah. There goes Misty out her bedroom window. She's crossing the street...and now she's in your backyard."

Candace snorted. "She probably doesn't want to spend too much time away from Ferb." May had told her all about Misty's crush on her stepbrother.

May giggled. "Misty Fletcher...it's got a nice ring to it."

"How come you're not sneaking out?"

"What exactly am I sneaking out to see? You're grounded for two weeks. So I figured I'd call you up and see if you still had your phone."

"And if Mom catches me talking to you, I get my phone taken away and another week of grounding," Candace pointed out.

"I'll be quick. I'm just bored out of mind," May groaned.

"Did Frederick come and 'talk' to you yet?" Candace asked.

"Actually...I've kinda been making sure Misty's been around me every time I go downstairs. Then I lock my door when I'm in my room," May admitted sheepishly.

Candace snorted. "Are you afraid of your pet frog?"

"Has Perry been to see you?" May demanded.

"Okay, fine, I've been staying in my room for most of the day and kept my door shut," Candace muttered. "But what am I supposed to say to him?"

"How should I know? I-aagghh!"

Candace bolted upright, eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"Frederick just popped out of my closet! I mean he literally popped out of my closet! Hey! I'm trying to have a conversation-"

The dial tone buzzed and Candace chuckled. She hung up and slipped her phone back in its little hiding place. "Looks like May got cornered by her pet frog." A knock sounded on her door and she called, "Come in!"

Phineas entered her room, holding Perry. Candace gulped nervously and eyed him warily. "Hey Phineas. What's up?"

Her little brother smiled. "I just wanted to see if you're okay. Do you need anything? Entertainment? Food? I can-"

"Thanks for the offer Phineas," she interrupted. "But I'm fine. You better get back and hang with Misty before her father comes and drags her away."

"He'll have to tear her away from Ferb first," he joked. "I think I can see a Misty Fletcher in our future."

Candace laughed. "We'll see bro. Now go have fun. Because when my ankle heals, I'm back to trying (and failing) to bust you."

"Looking forward to it!" Phineas said cheerily and placed Perry by Candace's bed.

"Wait! Don't you want to take Perry with you?" Candace asked desperately.

"Actually, Perry's been sitting outside your door all night and for most of the morning. I think he's worried about you." The redheaded boy gave Perry a fond pat on the head. "I know your ankle hurts so I figured you couldn't open the door for him."

Phineas left the room and closed the door behind him. Instantly Perry got up on his hind legs and glowered at her, arms crossed. Candace threw up her hands in defense. "Hey! It was all May's fault! She made me do it!"

Her platypus jabbed towards her busted ankle. Candace lowered her hands. "Oh...that. Well, what was I supposed to do? Besides, it's not like-ouch!"

For Perry had whacked her across the head with his beaver-like tail. Candace massaged the back of her head and scowled. "What was that for?"

Perry grabbed a pen and notebook from her nightstand table and wrote, 'That was for being an idiot!'

"I'm not an idiot!" Candace cried in offense.

'You snuck out of the house at two in the morning, went all the way across town towards the warehouses and intended to rescue May and Misty yourself without backup and without telling anyone. I consider that idiocy.'

"What was I supposed to say?" Candace demanded. "May has a tracking device in her pocket and that's how I found her? Then they would ask why she had a tracking device on her and I couldn't give the truth!"

'So you did put a tracking device on me! I knew there was a reason you let me stay in your bed!' Perry glared at accusingly.

"May wanted to do an experiment and I thought I'd go along with it! I seriously didn't think you'd be a secret agent!" Candace snapped. "And I keep telling you to stay out of my bed, but you never listen!"

'Do you know I'm going to need hearing aid in the future because of your inhumane shrieks?'

Candace flopped back against the pillows. "Geez, fine. I'm sorry for being so mean, I'm sorry for being a crappy owner, and I'm sorry for stalking you."

Perry hopped on her stomach and frowned at her. He held up a piece of paper. 'You are not a crappy owner. You're just...completely annoying, frustrating, and have unpredictable mood swings.'

Candace arched an eyebrow. "Fantastic qualities."

Perry rolled his eyes. 'You wouldn't be you without them, and I know you care about me, just like I care about you. One thing though, no more dressing me up in pink dresses.'

"Or you'll what?" Candace teased, poking Perry in the bill.

'Or else I'll kick your butt.'

"Geez! Okay, no more dress ups. And I'm really sorry for invading your platypus privacy," Candace said sincerely. "Next time, if I'm in trouble, I'll tell you."

'Apology accepted. So, can I sleep in your bed now?'

"Perry!"

The platypus smirked and teasingly poked her in the nose. 'It's the least you can do after I saved you from that exploding island.'

Candace furrowed her brow in confusion before realization dawned on her. She turned red and buried her face in her hands. "This is humiliating."

Perry chattered in amusement and Candace glared at him. "Oh alright...you can sleep in my bed. But you have to take one day off when that crazy pharmacist is pulling one of his evil schemes."

Perry shook his head and smirked. Candace scowled. "Hey! I just remembered I have a bone to pick with you! You were that stupid robot when I was trying to use that DVD to bust my brothers!"

The platypus grinned and jumped off of Candace's bed. He walked over to the door and went to turn the handle. Candace grabbed one of her pillows and chucked it at the amused platypus as he ducked from her bedroom.

"Don't walk away from me! Perry! Perry!"

...

"How should I know?" May asked, lounging on her bed and talking into her purple cellphone to Candace. "I-aagghh!" she shrieked when her closet door flew open and Frederick sailed into the room, landing on his flippers and glaring at her.

"What's wrong?" Candace cried from the other end.

May scrambled up and shrieked, "Frederick just popped out of my closet! I mean he literally popped out of my closet!" Frederick hopped onto her bed and grabbed her phone. "Hey! I'm trying to have a conversation-"

He hung up on Candace and tossed the phone aside. May scowled and crossed her arms, glaring at the closet. "How the heck did you get in here?"

"There's a secret entrance in your closet that's behind the shoes," a deep, less than impressed voice said.

"You mean they're all over the house? That's just-wait!" May stared at her frog in disbelief. "You just talked!"

The deep voice spoke again, coming from her frog. "Major Monogram managed to get his hands on an animal translator." He gestured towards a small headset on his head that was barely noticeable and said, "Now I can speak to you and you can't avoid me."

"I wanted to be alone," May muttered and slunk against her pillows and stared determinedly at the ceiling. "Thank you for rescuing me, by the way."

"That's not what I want to talk about." Frederick crossed his little arms and stared at her. "I want to talk about why I didn't tell you I was a secret agent."

"It's none of my business," she muttered. She had already come to terms with the fact that Monty knew, but he was still getting an earful the next chance she got.

"I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would worry. I knew you would be concerned. And you don't have to be! I know what I'm doing," Frederick said firmly. "I have always trusted you Maybelle, and I still do."

May was silent. Frederick sighed and tilted her chin up a bit so she was looking at him. "You know, you can't avoid me forever."

"Not when you're popping out of closets like that," she snorted. "You scared the living daylights out of me."

"So a frog flying from your closet scares you more than a kidnapper with malicious intents?" Frederick asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"Wow, that's one big vocabulary for a frog," May said jokingly.

"Maybelle..."

"What can I say? I'm a strange kid."

"I'd say brave," Frederick corrected. "You faced your kidnapper with little fear. That reminds me..."

Frederick jabbed May hard in the side and the blonde yelped. "Ouch! Why do you keep doing that?"

"Because you keep doing something stupid!" Frederick crossed his arms sternly. "The first thing you should have done was get to safety! Not stick around and fight the bad guy. That's my job."

"But you took forever!" May complained, rubbing her bruised side. "And you got your butt kicked! I thought you said you could take care of yourself?"

"You're crossing the line kiddo," Frederick warned.

"What are you going to do?" May teased. "Poke me in the gut again?"

Faster than May could blink she found herself tossed from her bed and sprawled on the floor with a smirking Frederick looking down at her. "You were saying?"

"Geez!" May complained, gingerly pushing herself up and rolling over. "I got pwned by my pet frog."

"And don't you forget it." Frederick hopped down and landed on her chest. "So, is all forgiven?"

"Well...if I could just keep my tracking device on-"

"Absolutely not."

"But why? I just want to-"

"I know you! You're going to end following me and try to help. I am not going to let that happen. Besides, I think you should wear it instead."

"Dad is already making me," she muttered. "He slipped one on Misty too. But I still think-"

"Maybelle..."

"Alright...all is forgiven." May smiled and hugged him tight. "But I'm still going to be the overprotective parent."

Frederick rolled his eyes and smirked. "I wouldn't expect anything less. But I swear, if you smother me just to annoy me I'm putting Reginald in your bed."

"You wouldn't!" May shrieked.

"Try me."

"Ugh! I liked you better when you were a mindless frog," May muttered.

Frederick grinned. "I don't know. I like this arrangement better. I can keep an eye on you without being inconspicuous and annoy you whenever I feel like it.

May narrowed her blue eyes. "That's it. I'm destroying the translator." She lunged for him and Frederick hopped out of the way, flipping in the air and landing back on the bed. "Show-off!"

"Are you really going to try and take on a trained agent?" Frederick asked, smirking and watching her every move.

"You may be an agent, but I'm taller," May retorted and tried tackling him again. She landed on the bed and glared at Frederick, who had dodged once again and was resting in his pond. He grinned at her and May jumped again. Frederick jumped back on the tiled floor and used his hind legs to push May further into the pond.

"I can't wait to tell everyone about this," he teased, looking at his owner in amusement. "Come on, I thought you were smarter than that."

May sent a wave of water towards him. Frederick coughed and wiped the water from his eyes and glared at her. The blonde grinned innocently. "So, did I destroy the translator?" she asked, pushing her soaking blonde hair away from her face.

"Nice try Maybelle. It's water proof. You know, I think I might give one of these to Perry. I'm sure he'd love to have one." Frederick grinned wickedly. "I can see it now; a semiaquatic mammal and an amphibian driving two teens to insanity. Sounds like fun."

"Frederick!" May snapped, but soon dissolved into giggles.

Everything was well once more.

And she couldn't have been happier.