Daphne was lying on her side, on the floor of the room, pillows all around her, wearing her warmest pajamas, tissues all over her floor. She hadn't stopped crying, even though it had been exactly a week since it happened. She hadn't told any of her friends, and they must have been worried sick about her. Her hair was up in a messy bun, she had no makeup on, and she hadn't even left her room, aside to go to the bathroom. Sleep was impossible. She must have had five hours of sleep the whole week. Every time she closed her eyes, she could feel hand prints on her. Hand prints that didn't belong on her body. She could hear her own screams. She could feel herself struggling to get away, but being unsuccessful.
She heard each of her friends come to the door, day after day, to ask if Daphne were okay. But the answer was always the same. 'Daphne can not come to the door right now.'
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt...she had to at least send her friends an email, to explain some of it...but she wouldn't lie. Daphne was not okay.
She picked up her phone, finding enough strength to sit up. She turned it on. The light made her eyes hurt. She went to her email, and typed in all of their addresses, before starting to type.
"I'm safe. I'm home. I can't do mysteries anymore. Not for awhile. I was attacked-'
She sat for another half an hour, hardly able to breath. She sent the message, without the full context. She couldn't do it. She couldn't say it.
After two hours, and multiple responses, Daphne was finally able to type it. In another five minutes, she hit send with all her willpower, and threw her phone across the room, lay back on her side and sobbed.
Shaggy was sitting on his couch in his living room, staring at his phone in anticipation. He had been there for two hours, only getting up to eat. Finally, after a week, Daphne had made contact with them. She had been attacked? How? Where? Who?
He had written many replies, waiting anxiously for her reply. He needed to know what happened. He needed to know she was alright. Suddenly, he got a message.
His heart stopped, and Shaggy dropped his phone. He felt a pit in his stomach, and he felt rage. Rage to really know what happened. He was going to cry, if he didn't stop himself. He almost wished he could forget the words that appeared on his phone, but he couldn't. They were there, scarred into his memory.
He screamed for his Mom, the smartest person he knew for this situation. How could he deal with this? How was he going to help Daphne? He needed an expert in this situation.
The words that Daphne sent were, 'I was raped.'
Fred, Shaggy and Velma all sat in the Mystery Machine, in silence. It had been a day since they got the email from Daphne. No one really knew what to say. The car was parked, near the pizza restaurant. No one knew how to start, really. They never expected this to happen.
"Are we ever gonna see her again...?" Shaggy started.
"Yes," Fred said, sharply. "She...she wouldn't just cut us off, would she? Daphne is still our friend. She wouldn't abandon us."
"She's not abandoning, us, Freddy...it's more complicated than that," Velma said.
"I know!" Freddy said. He looked away, there were tears threatening in his eyes. "I'm sorry...I'm just..."
"Angry..." Shaggy said.
"And sad," Velma added.
"Yeah.." Fred said. "I just...wish I knew who did this to her. I'll beat the shit out of him."
"I just hope we'll be able to be there for Daph..." Shaggy said. "I hope we get to, like, see her again. I don't want to lose her. She's been with us, for like, ever. As long as I can remember. I want to be able to comfort her. Like, she's one of my best friends."
"I agree with Shaggy," Velma said. "Daphne is my main concern...I really just want her to be okay."
"Like, she's not gonna be okay for a really long time..." Shaggy said, looking away.
Two week later, and after several meetings between the three, Daphne sent another email, telling them that they could come over. Each of them stopped what they were doing and headed right over.
Fred was the first to arrive. The second he saw Daphne, he gave her a big hug, which resulted in Daphne screaming, and pushing him away.
"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, Daph..." Fred said, backing away. Daphne was taking in deep breaths.
"Please...don't touch me," She said, looking away.
When Velma and Shaggy arrived, moments later, Fred filled them in. Daphne was no longer allowed to be touched.
They all sat down in Daphne's living room. Daphne looked very different. Her long red hair was tied up, and looked greasier and messier than they had ever seen it. Her face had absolutely no makeup on, showing her puffy red eyes and black bags under them. She wore a pair of baggy pajamas, unlike what she usually wore. She looked like crap. But none of them blamed her.
They were all silent for awhile.
"Are you okay?" Velma asked.
Daphne just stared at her for a minute, before turning her head away.
"No..." She said, quietly.
After a few months, they met up with her more frequently. She grew to be a bit more talkative, and even joke around a little bit. She always looked really rough, and didn't say too much. They all tried to be as encouraging as possible. They talked to her everyday, told her about what was happening with them, always telling her they were happy to see her. Daphne was slowly getting back into the hang of things, but not as much as they all had hoped. She still freaked out whenever they touched her.
Until one day, when Shaggy had to leave early, Daphne got up and gave him a hug. All of them were shocked, but especially Shaggy. Shaggy didn't know what to do with himself for the rest of the day.
One day, Daphne invited just him over.
They stood in the kitchen. Daphne was making herself some noodles, and chatted to him about small, mindless things. Shaggy was still bothered, and didn't respond much.
"Daph..." He said, quietly. Daphne looked up.
"Yeah...?" She asked.
" Like, why didn't you invite the others over?"
"Oh, uh..." She said, hesitating. "I just thought...we could spend some bonding time together. We don't, very often."
"Daphne," He said. "I want to know, for real. Why did you hug me, but no one else?"
Daphne turned away, giving a small sigh. He waited in silence, for a few minutes.
"Because I feel safe with you..." Daphne admitted. Shaggy blinked.
"You mean, like, you don't feel safe with the others?" He asked.
"It's not that I don't feel safe with the others, it's just...I feel safest with you," Daphne said. "Velma doesn't really understand it. She keeps expecting me to be the old me...when we talk in private, she pressures me to be how I was...and Freddy, well...whenever he touches me, even if it's small, it just reminds me of...him. The way it felt when he touched me. And, it scares me. I know it's just Fred. I know Fred would never hurt me, but...they have similar physicality, similar personalities...and I love Fred, don't get me wrong...it's just, scary...but with you, you've never pressured me into anything. You've always been patient, and understanding. You've waited for me to be ready, and you've just been so kind..." Daphne had started crying somewhere in there, as she talked. Shaggy kept a distance from her, listening and holding on to every word.
"Gee, I didn't even realize..." He said. "I guess...I just do that out of, like, habit..." He sucked in a breath. "Before I was born, my Mom was raped, too. She had no one around her at the time. She was all alone, with no one to turn to, I guess. And like, when I was growing up, she always told me, if I were in a situation where someone I knew was hurt, that I'd be the person she needed. So, like, I guess I'm just trying that..."
Daphne began crying harder, and pulled him into a hug. It was the most physical contact Daphne had made in a long time. She cried against Shaggy's chest, burying her face into him. Shaggy hesitantly held her back, and when she didn't flinch, Shaggy held her tighter. Daphne didn't pull away. She just kept crying, and Shaggy didn't dear move. He held her close, as if he let go, something bad would happen.
After awhile, Daphne pulled away. She wiped her tears away.
"Thank you, Shaggy," She said.
"Anytime, Daph," He said.
Moments like this continued. Shaggy came over to Daphne's more often than any of the others. He'd hold her as she cried. They'd talk. Daphne would open up about it, and Shaggy would comfort her. Shaggy would listen, and tell her what she needed to hear. Everything worked perfectly.
One day, Shaggy, Velma and Fred were getting pizza together, all of them discussing Daphne. Something Velma said, really struck Shaggy.
"I just wish she'd be herself again. This is getting annoying. She just...won't change. I hate it," Velma said. Shaggy looked at her, with wide eyes.
"Vel, things like this aren't just fixed easily," He said. "It, like, takes time. Daphne isn't going to be the same for a really long time. She needs all the support she can like, get."
Velma quickly agreed and took back what she, but the tension still hung in the air. Shaggy wasn't going to forget what she said.
"I want to go out," Daphne decided, one day. She and Shaggy were sitting on the couch, watching a cheesy romance movie that Daphne had wanted to watch.
"Out? Like, out of the house, out?" Shaggy asked.
"Yes," Daphne said, nodding her head. "Lets go get some pizza, or something. I'm sick of this house. I'm sick of living like a hermit."
"Okay!" Shaggy said. "Lets go!"
"In a minute...I want to get ready," Daphne said. She stood up, leaving him alone for about twenty minutes. When she came back, her hair was down and washed, and she was wearing her usual purple outfit. Shaggy smiled.
"Like, cool, Daph," Shaggy said.
"Thanks," She said. She and Shaggy walked to the door together. Daphne took Shaggy's arm, and clung to it as Shaggy opened the door, as the fresh air hit her. Daphne took in a deep breath, as they took a step out.
"This isn't so bad," Daphne said, smiling a little. "Really, not bad at all. I missed outside..."
"I missed you, like, being outside. I'm so proud of you," Shaggy said.
The two of them drove down to the pizza shop. Daphne stared out the window the whole time, not saying anything. As they entered the restaurant, Daphne looked a little stressed.
"You, like, wanna go back to the car, Daph?" Shaggy asked.
"No, I can do this. I can do this," Daphne said.
"You sure?"
"Positive."
They walked inside, and to the counter, to order their meals. Daphne ordered exactly what she used to order, and Shaggy ordered a separate pizza, just for himself. They waited a few minutes for their order. Daphne nervously taped her nails against the counter, in anticipation.
"Hey," Shaggy said, calmly. "You're okay."
"I know..." Daphne said.
Their food came a minute later. Daphne bit in to the hot pizza, and a smile appeared on her face.
"This is delicious," She said. Shaggy smiled.
"Isn't it? This is my favorite pizzeria," He said.
"I know, it's mine, too," Daphne said.
Shaggy frowned.
"What's wrong?" Daphne asked.
"No, it's nothing..." Shaggy said.
"What's up?" Daphne asked, again.
"I just...kind of forgot you were a person, before everything happened..." Shaggy said, quietly. Daphne stopped. She didn't say anything for a minute. She looked around the Pizzeria, at the cashier, a person she used to know. She saw a few people from her old school. She recognized the seating, everything. Everything was still in place, even after it happened.
"I need to go," Daphne said, standing up and walking out of the pizzeria, and to Shaggy's car. Shaggy quickly hurried to pay, so that he could catch up with Daphne. Moments later, he got to his car. Daphne was in the passengers seat, crying.
He sat down, putting his hands on the wheel, but not starting the car yet. They sat for a minute, Shaggy silent, just staring forward as Daphne said and cried. After awhile, she stopped, wiping her eyes, looking away.
"I'm sorry..." She said. "I ruined it..."
"No, Daph, of course you didn't! Don't apologize," Shaggy said. "Like, you did nothing wrong."
"It's just..." Daphne said, taking in a sharp breath. "I forgot I was a person before this, too."
It had been two years since the incident. Daphne hadn't fully recovered, but the progress she had made was remarkable. She could go out with the other three, even solve a mystery once or twice. She wore what she used to wear. She smiled like she used to smile. She could go out for pizza, and laugh, and joke around. She could almost be as she used to be.
Whenever she was panicked, or afraid, or starting crying, she'd always text Shaggy, and he'd head right over and comfort her. They'd watch a movie together, and by the end of the night, when Shaggy left, Daphne was always in better spirits than she had been, previously.
One night, during a mucky day in the spring, Shaggy was invited over, but not because Daphne was having a panic attack, instead, just to hang out. When he got there, Daphne looked even more stunning than usual, if that were possible. The place was cleaner, and the house smelled nicer than usual, as if a candle were lit, or something.
"Like, what's all this about?" Shaggy asked. Daphne walked up, and pressed her lips against Shaggy's.
Shaggy was shocked. He stood there, paralyzed for a long time after Daphne pulled away.
"Daph..." He whispered. "You didn't-"
"No, before you say anything," Daphne interrupted. "I know what I want, and I know what I'm okay with. I haven't felt this alive in almost three years. After this long, I know one thing is for sure. You're safe. You're safe, and you'd never hurt me. And, I really care about you. I'm not ready for a big commitment, but I really, really like you, and I want to be with you. For real."
Shaggy couldn't contain his joy. He grinned, clasping his hands together. He had been in love with Daphne as long as he could remember. He felt positively giddy. Not just because she liked him, but because she was more okay than she had been in a long time. She was doing better. She was finally alright.
"Like, I'm so cool with all of this," He said. "Permission to kiss?"
"Permission granted," Daphne grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissing him gently. Daphne was finally happy again.