Sitting by the window, Fred found himself watching the guys play outside. Shaggy and Scooby never seemed to care where they horsed around, and the front yard was as good as any. As he watched the two tumbled in the grass, mock fighting in the lawn. Though 'fighting' might have been too strong of a word, as their battle was mostly made up tackles and throws. Not really the best battle tactics, unless you were fighting at recess. But not like that mattered to the two goofs, they were having fun either way. A little bit too much fun, if you asked Fred. He was sometimes jealous the two, as they were able to make something good out of anything. Even the front lawn.

To him, the front lawn was something that had to be mowed every so often, not somewhere to roll around. A bunch of grass that existed to take up his time and make him bake under the sunlight. But there seemed to be a joy in their actions, one that brought him outside to sit at on the stairs to watch. Maybe a part of him was just puzzled, wondering why they could be having such fun with something that seemed so simple. They were just rolling around, wrestling this way and that. Yet they made it seem like it was the most entertaining thing in the world.

Was he missing something? Had Fred become too much of an adult to see why playing in the grass was so much fun? Was there some rule that said that this was a bad thing? Or did society just frown upon adults acting like little kids? He was still the same, responsible Fred. But couldn't he also indulge his inner Freddie and join his friends playing in the grass before him? Was it so wrong?

"They should be shot..." Came a voice from behind him. He turned to look, and watched Daphne come out from inside.

"How dare they do such terrible things to their clothes. Do you even know how long it takes to get grass stains out of fabric?" Daphne said with a huff, sitting upon the same stair that Fred was on. It seemed that their antics, had also drawn her to watch. He laughed, knowing that she must be fighting the same argument he was having with himself. He smiled, shaking his head.

"And yet, with all the threat of stains and dirt... that still looks like fun, doesn't it?" Fred offered, waving a hand in Shaggy and Scooby's direction. Daphne turned her head away with a pout, crossing her arms. She was losing the battle, just as much as he was. Though maybe this was a good thing for Fred. It would look better for a group of adults to all be making fools of themselves together, rather then just him.

"Yes, which is why they should be shot." She turned back and shook her head at herself and the guys, the sides of her mouth looked strained against her tight lipped pout. Almost like she was fighting it. "Why do they make getting dirty, look like a blast?" She said annoyed, tossing her hands in the air with a sigh.

Resigning herself, she slumped over to glare at the pair. Settling an elbow to her leg, she leaned her head against her palm. She was confused and curious at the same time. Her fashion sense was clashing with her sense of adventure. She wanted to kick them both, if it didn't look like something he wanted to actually do herself.

"Having some troubles Daph?" Velma popped up from behind the other woman, and shifted all her weight upon the other woman's head. Crossing her arms, Velma placed them on her friend's head and then placed her chin upon it. She had a grin plastered against her face. Velma might not look like the kind of person who would join in the tumble in the grass, but out of the three upon the stairs... She would be the first to join.

"Yes, how dare they have fun." Daphne was obviously over acting, her mask breaking as Velma was added to the mix. She had a image to maintain, and the younger woman had just broken it. Which was probably the reason Velma did it.

"Velma... I was on a roll!" Daphne laughed with the brunette, who slid into the stair beside her. When she had gotten to her seat, she gave the woman a half hearted whap on the shoulder. Her resolve to be mad at them faded, as Velma was added to the mix. There was something about all of them being there, that made it feel more natural. Like if Velma and Fred joined, Daphne would be able to as well. Not that she would ever say that aloud.

"Ah yes, you could have been a movie star!" Velma fawned, placing the back of her hand to her forehead. She was quickly bumped by the slightly offended woman who laughed anyway at the comment. Which broke into a small shoving match, grins growing upon both their faces. Fred was soon pushed back as result, earning a laugh from him.

"Ladies, Ladies.. Why don't we stop all this bickering and join those silly fools on the lawn? What do you say?" Fred offered, finding it too hard to sit on the stairs and he really wanted to tackle Scooby when he faced away from him. Not like they were helping either, as they nearly were starting something on the stairs anyway. Stopping, the two women gave each other a knowing look before looked at him. Velma let Daphne do all the talking.

"Two words..." Daphne spoke, holding up two fingers. "...New clothes."

Daphne said before a short pause, her brows furrowed as she thought of something that she should add to the previous statement. "Actually, old clothes to be correct. I am not letting you get grass stains on that classic white shirt look."

"And as much as I love my sweaters and skirt, I'm with Daphne on this. Old clothes it is." Velma agreed, she was not really willing to toss around in the grass with her skirt. She might not really have much choice on a mystery, but she would rather not flash the neighbors if she had the option. Skirts plus gravity tended to end up embarrassing Velma. And if she could help it, pants were a simple solution. That and she had already gotten the grass stain lecture from Daphne, and didn't want to repeat it again. It was safer that way.

With Daphne Taking the lead, Velma rose up from her seat to get into position. Scooping up on either side, Velma and Daphne grabbed Fred and lightly tugged him to his feet. (Though they could have easily carried him, if either had so wished.) And led him inside to get changed.

Rolling over, Scooby invited a tackle from Shaggy, Belly exposed and tail wagging at his human companion. Shaggy could not waste that opportunity, and easily took the bait. As the two tumbled in the grass, they waited a bit before stopping. With the two in a tangle, they looked up at where they gang had disappeared into. A smile formed on the duo's face, Shaggy giving Scooby a head ruffle.

"Looks like' our plan worked Scoob."

"Rah! Rah!"

"Those guys had been spending too much time inside. The like' needed to get out and enjoy the air. Our work here is done."

Getting an evil gleam in his eye, Scooby took advantage of Shaggy's distraction towards the house. Pushing with his back feet, he tossed his lanky buddy aside and jumped on top with a whoop of victory. Laying upon the floor, Shaggy sighed into the grass. While their plan to get the rest of the gang worked... Now what? He would have to think about it... Once he managed to pin Scooby into the grass.

The fighting had resumed by the time the rest of the gang had come back outside. The rest of them would never know about the conversation that had happened while they were away, revealing the cunning plan that had been in motion all along. Not that it really mattered to anyone, since the plan had worked.

Fred was the first to emerge, standing in his old pair of jeans and a raggedy t-shirt he used when he worked on the Van. Various oil stains and bit of paint dotted the clothing, being the perfect kind of outfit to get down and dirty in. The kind of clothes that were ok in Daphne's book, that was made for that kind of thing. Velma was second to come out, mainly because she had to search a bit longer for her work clothes. She had been teaching young Marcie how to skateboard, and her suspenders had been in the wash. So trying to find it among the rest of the wash that made up the laundry room, was a bit of a challenge. She also opted for her sneakers, as they would help grip the ground far better then her Mary Janes. Standing beside Fred, she watched Shaggy and Scooby in the grass.

"So, you want the tall one? And I'll go for the fuzzy fiend on the ground?" Velma offered to Fred, giving him the option to take on Shaggy. Which was obviously the harder target to manage, knowing Fred always liked a challenge. That and she and Scooby had a tally going, and she was on the loosing end. She needed to fix that. Too many times Scooby had caught her off guard while she was reading, and she needed to pay the Dane back for all the surprises.

"Heh, sounds good to me. Though do you think you can handle it? He's a wily one, that Scoob." Fred said with a hip bump, picking on the younger woman. Though she wasn't ruffled that easily. Taking his challenge, she made sure to give him a bump back, but with interest. Fred stumbled a bit, but took it in stride. He laughed at his loss. At least she didn't give his arm a punch, those tended to hurt!

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Looking back, the two found Daphne posed and ready for the day. With her hands placed at her hips, she looked ready to take on the world in her purple jump suit. She had used it ages ago for several mysteries, but it had long been retired. But she was not one to waste a perfectly good piece of clothing, just because it was out of style. So it became her junkie clothes; used for her dark room, painting and anything else that might get her dirty. Like romping around on the lawn.

"Well... Shall we?" Fred smiled, offering his hand towards the pair. Though he wasn't really sure this was a situation that deemed worthy of 'Ladies First'. As much of a gentlemen he was, he didn't know if this feel into the rules of proper conduct. Oh well...

Jumping the stairs, Fred made a odd beeline towards Shaggy. Had Fred gone straight, the impact he figured, would put them both on the sidewalk. So he put a curve on his run and aimed to hit the other man, sideways. He had lined it up perfectly... except that Fred didn't plan to have Shaggy pop up right before he impacted.

"I have a pl-WAH!" Shooting up to his feet, Shaggy hadn't noticed that Fred had been running at him. Instead, his mind had been occupied with the thoughts of what to do, rather then paying attention to his surroundings. But it had been worth it, since he had figured out the perfect thing to do with the gang. Fred had been shooting to hit Shaggy on the ground, but with him getting to his feet, Fred hit him about the legs. Which send both men into a tumble, away from the surprised Scooby who had been aiming to jump back at Shaggy for a tackle of his own. Taking a moment to realize what had just happened, Scooby then turned to laughing at Shaggy's misfortune. It did not last long, as the girls took the opportunity to catch the Dane off guard with a double flying tackle.

"Bonzai!"

A small battle began on the front lawn, each party battled against each other for a bit thought one was fighting extra hard to get free. But not for the reason that most might want to get free.

"WAIT! " Shouting aloud, Shaggy was the one to stop all the chaos. All eyes turned on him, waiting to see why he had stopped them all. Letting the man go, Fred looked at his friend as he waited to hear what could be the reason he stopped them all. Especially when they had just started to have fun.

"I have a better idea."

And with that, the gang was soon sitting upon the stairs awaiting to hear the reason for the ceasefire. Each sat organized upon each step, looking at the scruffy man that looked them over with a satisfied nod. He paced back and forth for a little bit, eying them before he finally spoke.

"I mean, this is fun and all. But I think the day to too nice to waste without some kind of point."

Blinking, Fred was not sure how to take this. Playing had a point? It sounded like it had merit, but it sounded odd coming out of one of the goofiest member of the gang. So at least he had gotten Fred's attention, and looking at the others, he had theirs as well. The girls and Scooby had all eyes on Shaggy, waiting for what he was going to say.

"There is like' a reason for my crazy... er. That's not right. Um, what is the saying..." Stroking his goatee, Shaggy tried to remember what he was trying to say.

"Method to your madness?" Velma offered, Flipping one wrist skyward. Shaggy shook his head up and down.

"Like' what she said. Since everyone has come out, why don't we play a game? A true test of courage, brains and skill." With each word, he moved his hands and arms to emphasis his words. But he just made Fred puzzled, what could be a test of courage, brains and skill?

"So what do you have in mind?" Daphne asked aloud, wondering what he had up his sleeves.

"Tag my dear Daphne. A simple game of tag." Shaggy said with a smile, bowing to the red head and hamming up up for all to see. Finally revealing his master plan.