A/N: This is my very first fan fic ever. It was written kind of as a response/spin off to episode 23 of Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated. In it (spoiler alert), Fred tries to control Daphne with over-the-top schedules. Daphne's response to this is that she will never leave Fred. This kind of has abusive relationship written all over it. :P To feel better about my favorite character submitting herself to this, I wrote a fan fic. I probably wrote it in only three hours, so I know it's not that good, but I needed to be done with this so I could move onto happy fics :)
Disclaimer: If I owned Scooby Doo, the events in episode 23 that prompted me to write this story would not have happened, and this story would not exist.
"You're never going to lose me, Fred."
These were the words spoken by Daphne when comforting Fred at his home. And she had meant every one. Daphne was a very loyal person. She stood by those she loved and always kept her promises. If that meant following Fred's tedious schedules, she would do it.
It had been a bit of an adjustment at first, but after a few days Daphne found herself at ease with the schedules. They were always there and rarely changed from day to day; they were reliable. There was a sort of comfort that came from always knowing what to expect. Instead of spending her time worrying about what to do or when to do it, she could focus all of her energy on the one she cared about the most: Freddie.
Daphne had no reason to believe that today would be any different from any other day until she arrived at school at didn't see him waiting for her. The schedule explicitly said that he would meet her at her parent's car, she would give him a peck on the cheek, and he would walk her to class. And yet, here she was, at exactly 7:53, and Fred was nowhere to be found.
Checking her phone, she found a text from Fred telling her that his dad had taken Fred with him to a small town tourist convention specializing in haunted tourist attractions. Fred had been so excited to spend time with his dad that he had nearly forgotten to tell Daphne. Daphne was happy for Fred's chance to connect with his dad, and made her way to school alone.
The classes themselves passed by quickly, but Daphne was surprised to find the walks between classes seemed gut-wrenchingly long. When she was with Fred, he would guide her to her class with speed and precision, but without him, she found herself slowing down and getting lost in the shuffle. She was soon wondering to herself if there was possibly a chance that the school hallways had tripled in size overnight as she walked into the lunchroom.
The lunchroom normally would have been difficult to navigate with long lines of waiting people crossing the room, but since it had taken Daphne twice as long to get to the lunchroom, there were very few people waiting in line, and she was able to easily walk to the gang's lunch table and take a seat. Velma, as always, was absorbed in her laptop while eating a salad brought from home. Shaggy joined the table soon after, his tray piled high with all of the sandwiches left in the kitchen. Shaggy glanced at the empty seat next Daphne and asked,
"Like, where's Fred?" Daphne placed her chin in her hand and sighed before responding,
"He's with his dad at a haunted tourist attraction convention."
"Cool," Shaggy slowly nodded his head, "So are you not eating today?"
"Oh," Daphne hadn't quite realized that she didn't have a lunch, "No, I will. I just- Fred usually brings egg salad sandwiches for us. But since he's not here, I will just buy my lunch." Daphne started to get up, but paused as Shaggy placed his hand on her arm.
"You don't want to do that. Now that all the sandwiches in the lunchroom have been bought," Shaggy motioned to his tray, "The only thing they have left is three-week old mystery meat. Why don't you take one of my sandwiches?" Well, it's better than nothing, Daphne mused, as she held out her hand for a sandwich. She turned back to the lunchroom door, wishing that Fred would walk through the doors with two egg salad sandwiches. But wishing was pointless.
"Hello? Earth to Daphne!" Daphne snapped her head around to see Shaggy staring at her expectantly. "Like, I asked you what kind of sandwich you wanted. We have chicken, ham, and turkey." Daphne's mouth twisted into a pout.
"But Freddie and I always have egg salad sandwiches," her voice trailed off. Shaggy shrugged, and without missing a beat, responded,
"Hey, it never hurts to try something new."
Daphne's eyes narrowed. She had that horrible feeling that she was missing something. Something just wasn't right. How could she not eat an egg salad sandwich? That's what the schedule specifically called for. And then here comes Shaggy, offering her a choice.
A choice.
It had been three weeks since she had really had to make one of those. She had been so caught up in schedules, that she hadn't even really seen what was happening. Why did the thought of making such a simple choice make her suddenly so anxious? Determined to be rid of the feeling, she quickly pointed to a sandwich.
"Ah, the chicken," Shaggy nodded with a smile and held up a small bottle, "Might I suggest a little hot sauce? This sandwich is pretty bland without it." Well, if I'm going to go against the pre-determined lunch schedule, I may as well do it in style. Daphne took the bottle and began to add it liberally to the chicken. Shaggy raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Daphne picked up her sandwich.
"Well, here goes nothing," she muttered as she took a large bite from her sandwich. She instantly felt like her taste buds had been lit on fire. Her face turned red, eyes watered, and there was a fairly good chance that smoke was coming out from her nose. Oh, but the flavor! The way the hot sauce danced on her tongue in a medley of spices and tastes was unlike anything she'd had before. Such a flavor would never be found in one of Fred's egg salad sandwiches. Those, while reliable, were so very plain. This chicken sandwich, on the other hand, caused all of her senses to be on edge in anticipation for the next bite. The burning of her throat was merely an echo of her burning desire to try more new things. It was like something dormant inside her suddenly came alive. She had no idea that such a choice as a sandwich could have such an impact.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she saw Shaggy covering his mouth in a desperate attempt to not laugh at Daphne's reaction to the hot sauce. But something in the way his face contorted and his eyes sparkled in amusement caused Daphne to laugh harder than she had in months. This, in turn, broke Shaggy's silence and peals of laughter were heard throughout the cafeteria.
Daphne was a very loyal person. She stood by those she loved and always kept her promises. If that meant following Fred's tedious schedules, she would do it.
But sometimes, it never hurts to try something new.