Author's Notes: Scooby Doo and all related characters and trademarks are copyright 2014 Hanna Barbera Productions/Warner Brothers Animation/Cartoon Network/Boomerang, and any other companies that have ever been involved with Scooby Doo over the years.
As is the case with all my fan fiction pieces, I am not making any money from writing this story, I am but a humble fan.
Additional Author's Note: This fan fic, and all of my fan fics in the future are dedicated to the memory of two people: Thomas Hartman, a member of the Velma Dinkley Yahoo Group and several other groups/chats(in addition to this site), whom I got to know online for several years until his passing a couple of years ago. He was a great fan of Scooby Doo, as well as Kim Possible and he was a wonderful person to talk to whenever I was online.
This fan fic is also dedicated to the memory of Casey Kasem. Casey was an extremely popular radio Disc Jockey in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Detroit and a couple of other American cities before becoming host of the nationally syndicated radio countdown show American Top 40 in 1970. He hosted AT40(as it was also known) until 1988; he then returned to hosting a countdown show with Casey's Top 40 in 1989, which he hosted until 1998.
He then returned to hosting American Top 40 for another radio syndicator in 1998 and hosted the new AT40 until 2004. He also hosted Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary formatted countdowns called Casey's Countdown and Casey's Hot 20 under Westwood One's syndication, and American Top 10 and American Top 20 under the syndication of the Premiere Radio Networks.
Casey was also known for voicing literally thousands of commercials, doing voice overs for the NBC Television Network and for providing the voice of Norville "Shaggy" Rogers on Scooby Doo, Robin the Boy Wonder on various Batman cartoon series and the Super Friends cartoon series and Alexander Cabot on Josie and the Pussycats.
I'm probably forgetting some of Casey's voice roles, but nevertheless whoever he voiced, whatever show he hosted and wherever his voice was heard, Casey Kasem was someone you could depend on to pick you up if you were feeling bad, or if you were happy his countdowns would tell you what songs were popular throughout the U.S. and around the world and you could always count on the fact that there was at least one or more songs that you could listen to and maybe even dance to, depending on how you were feeling.
I know many people will be providing their own tributes to Casey for the next few days, months, years, etc., but for me I can think of no better tribute to the original Shaggy Rogers then this fan fiction, and to repeat his classic sign off, which we all should take to heart in our lives: Keep Your Feet On The Ground And Keep Reaching For the Stars.
I know I'll always remember that, and to Casey Kasem, who brought me and many others so many memories over the years: Thank You and I'll certainly always remember you.
Chapter 1
Norville Rogers or Shaggy to his friends, had an interesting family to say the least. He had an uncle who owned a detective agency, an uncle who was a colonel in the Civil War who left him a mansion in the Deep South, and other assorted relatives.
Because of his exploring the world and what it had to offer, he sometimes neglected that family as there were sometimes that he couldn't visit them.
Whether it was because he was in some remote part of the world doing research on the supernatural, or visiting conventions for aspiring cooks or restaurant owners(two lines of work that he wanted to get into over the years), he very easily lost touch with his various relatives and particularly his mother and father.
It wasn't that he didn't like his parents, he did like them and would visit them on holidays and whenever possible. But as sometimes happens, people who are quite busy with other hobbies and interests tend to put their family on the back burner, and Shaggy Rogers was no exception.
All of this though would change though one beautiful April day; Shaggy was living in Los Angeles with his faithful Great Dane and compadre Scooby Doo He had inherited his Uncle Fearless's detective agency many years ago, after his uncle's passing, and had decided to use the inheritance Uncle Fearless had left him, as well as money he had put away in the bank from various odd jobs and solving mysteries over the years to open a new Fearless Detective Agency in downtown L.A.
While operating the agency, he uncovered many unusual mysteries and met very unusual characters; he also had decided to rent an apartment in the Westwood area of the city. Very trendy to be sure, but with the funds available to him, he could very easily afford it.
On a sparkling early Spring day in the city of angels, Shaggy relaxed in that new office he presided over. At the same time, Scooby Doo slept on a nearby rug; both of them were quite exhausted as the sandy haired sleuth and his canine assistant had dealt with creepy mansions, greedy relatives wanting to get their hands on a fortune and other mysterious happenings in the last few weeks.
The private detective business was definitely a tough one, but it was one that Shaggy and Scooby wouldn't trade for anything no matter what. It was why the chicken hearted sleuth could afford such creature comforts as a top of the line computer, a flat screen television and a warm fireplace for his office, mainly for those cold Winter nights in Southern California, few they might have been.
However, on this day Shaggy and Scooby would be pulled from their comfort, back to somewhere they had been before, and to pay tribute to someone very close to the sun drenched private investigator.
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It was late afternoon, and Shaggy was attempting to work out a crossword puzzle from the day's Los Angeles Times, or at least he was until he received a knock on the office's front door.
The twenty something sleuth sighed, sounding slightly annoyed that his relaxation was being interrupted. However, he guessed since someone had taken the time to visit him that he probably should answer his visitor.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Shaggy yelled, as he pulled the chair aside and got up from it.
He then walked to the door, making sure not to interrupt his canine's slumber. Once he was at the door, he unlocked it, then opened it to see exactly who would be visiting him; standing in front of the door was a well dressed man who looked to be in his mid 30s.
The man was wearing something akin to what bell hops usually wore, and was carrying a simple white envelope. Shaggy was rather perplexed at what this man could want, and especially by the envelope he carried; but rather then play a game of twenty questions, the sandy haired detective decided to let the man in.
"Good afternoon, would you like to come inside for a few moments?" Shaggy asked.
"I suppose I can, I'm very busy though." the man replied, before stepping inside the office.
"That's alright. Can I offer you some Iced Tea, some coffee, water, or anything else to drink?" Shaggy inquired.
"No thank you. I'm just here to deliver this letter to a Norville Rogers and Scoobert Doo." the man responded.
Now Shaggy's curiosity was really piqued; not very many people knew his and Scooby's given names, other then the other members of Mystery Inc., who he had solved mysteries with for many years prior to he and his Great Dane going solo in investigating.
"A letter? Hmm... I wonder who it's from?" Shaggy wondered aloud.
"I don't know, I was only instructed to deliver this letter to a Norville Rogers. I'm guessing you are him correct?" the man asked.
"Yes, I'm Norville Rogers." Shaggy said simply.
"That's good to hear. I was afraid I would have to carry this around all day." the visitor replied, chuckling a bit as he spoke.
"Nope, this is the Fearless Detective Agency, Norville Rogers owner. Of course my nickname is Shaggy; I'm not too fond of my real first name, but what can you do." Shaggy replied, although he whispered the last part of his statement.
"I completely understand Mr. Rogers. Well, here we are." the man responded, handing the private investigator the envelope.
"Thank you sir. Oh, would you wait a second, I have to get something out of my wallet." Shaggy replied, before stepping back to his desk.
As he stood in front of the desk, he reached into the front drawer of it and pulled out some money; when he returned to where the man stood, he handed it to the visitor that delivered it to him.
"Here you are, for a job well done." Shaggy said, handing a twenty dollar bill to the man, who was surprised to say the least.
"T-thank you Mr. Rogers, that was very generous of you." the man replied, which brought a smile to Shaggy's face.
"You're very welcome, I was more then happy to do it." the sandy haired detective responded.
"Well thank you again, and I hope that envelope brings you good news." the man replied, as he placed the twenty dollar bill in his pocket and began to walk towards the office door.
"I hope it does too, and thanks again." Shaggy remarked, as the man had reached the door and before you could say Zoinks, he had made his departure.
Holding the envelope in his right hand, Shaggy Rogers then returned to his desk, while Scooby Doo had woken up from his nap having been stirred by the door opening and Shaggy's conversation with the visitor to his office.
"Rho ras rhat Rhaggy?" the canine sleuth asked.
"Like a messenger Scoob. He had an envelope to deliver and I gave him a twenty dollar tip as he sounded like a nice guy and was very friendly." Shaggy replied.
"Rhat's rood. Rhat's in the envelope Rhaggy?" Scooby inquired.
"I don't know old buddy, but why don't we find out together." Shaggy responded.
The sandy haired sleuth then reached into the front drawer of his desk again, and pulled out a letter opener. After retrieving the device, he slid it along the top of the envelope and prepared to see what was inside; however, before he did so he noticed the address that was on one corner of the envelope.
"Plymouth, Massachusetts? Huh, who do I know in Plymouth?" Shaggy wondered aloud, before remembering that his mother and father now lived there.
"Heh, I should have figured this out, some detective I am. I wonder what mom and dad are up to; I haven't seen them since Maggie got married. Hopefully it's not bad news, although I know dad's been in poor health for a while." the sandy haired detective remarked with a frown on his face as he opened the envelope to see what was inside.
Inside the envelope was a simple hand written letter. As he unfolded it, he remembered his mother and father weren't too much into technology and still did many things the old fashioned way, like writing.
As Shaggy read the letter, an expression of sorrow and mourning began to take hold on his face. His fears were confirmed, as it was definitely bad news; at first he couldn't believe it, and tried pinching himself to see if he was indeed dreaming, but after he did so and after he read the letter again, he realized that the letter was true, and that Shaggy would have to make a long journey very soon.
"Like I-I can't believe it." the sandy haired sleuth said, trying to wipe the tears off his face.
"Rhat's the rhatter Rhaggy? Rhat does the retter ray?" Scooby asked.
Shaggy attempted to smile in order to explain what was going on to his Great Dane companion, but alas it was to no avail and he began to tear up once more.
"Scooby, the letter I got is from mom in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It says... that my dad... has passed away." the normally cowardly sleuth said, as his eyes filled with tears; he then placed the letter and envelope on his desk and began to try and make some sense out of a situation that he had no idea about, until a few minutes ago.
"Ri'm rorry Rhaggy." Scooby Doo replied, patting his master and sleuthing partner on the shoulder.
"Like thank you Scoob, that really means a lot to me." Shaggy responded, smiling through the tears.
"Ro problem Rhaggy." the Great Dane said simply.
The sandy haired detective then picked up the letter and began to read it again. It said that his father had passed away about a week and a half ago and that funeral services were scheduled to be held in a week or so.
"I guess I should probably make plane reservations to Plymouth. Not to mention let Fred, Daphne and Velma know; they most likely would like to pay their respects as well." Shaggy remarked.
The sandy haired detective looked on his desk and saw the latest Los Angeles area phone book. He brought it over to him and opened it, looking for the airlines section; once he found it, he got on the phone to the various airlines that flew from LA to Massachusetts and began looking for a flight out for the next morning, which would give him plenty of time to get ready.
Once he found a flight out to the east coast, he got on the phone again. First, he called Fred Jones who was currently a very successful mystery writer based out of Miami, Florida, and who was married to Daphne Blake, his longtime sweetheart.
The two of them had got married a few years ago, a ceremony which Shaggy and Velma Dinkley attended, along with all the gang's relatives. Once Shaggy got on the horn to Fred, he asked him how he was doing and how Daphne was doing and that sort of thing; he then shared the news about his father's passing, which surprised the blond mystery writer and former sleuth.
The blond sleuth then gave the phone to Daphne, who was a romance writer and who briefly dated Shaggy in the past. Shaggy and Daphne's relationship was an interesting one, but after a while Daphne realized she and should just stay good friends; after Shaggy shared the news of his father's passing with Daphne, she couldn't believe her ears.
Shaggy's father had been one of the people who had encouraged him and his friends to solve mysteries in the first place, as he was the former Chief of Police in the gang's hometown of Coolsville, Ohio. The sandy haired detective didn't have to ask twice about inviting the two to his father's funeral, and they very quickly accepted.
Next was calling Velma Dinkley, who the last Shaggy heard was working as a part time NASA employee and college science teacher in Texas. There were the usual pleasantries, asking Velma how she was doing, how work was going, and so on; when the subject came to Shaggy's father though, Velma felt the same as Fred and Daphne did.
Mr. Rogers was something of a mentor to the five sleuths, and none of them could imagine his passing away, so when Velma learned of it she immediately accepted the invitation to Shaggy's dad's funeral.
With the invitations to Fred, Daphne and Velma out of the way and after talking to the bespectacled detective, Shaggy turned to packing for the trip back to the East Coast. The next several hours were something of a blur, as the sandy haired sleuth made sure everything was ready for the next day, including clothes, toiletries and other items.
The night seemed to pass rather quickly and soon it was the next day, which means that Shaggy and Scooby were headed to Los Angeles International Airport. Before long, the pair of sleuths went through the necessary boarding procedure and soon they were on a plane headed for the East, and specifically Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The several hour flight also seemed to pass pretty quickly, but while it was in the air Shaggy had some time to think. What was he going to say to Fred, Daphne and Velma when they arrived in Plymouth? What was he going to say when he saw his mother? Those were questions that needed answers, and before the duo's flight arrived on the East Coast Shaggy was going to have to come up with those answers.
Soon the sleuthing pair arrived in Massachusetts, and after Shaggy and Scooby received their luggage from the Baggage Claim, the former rented a car from a rental company at the local airport and before long, Shaggy and Scooby began the all to familiar journey to the former's parents home in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The scenery was something to behold as usual, with thousands of trees and flowers along the route to see, all beginning to blossom and show their Spring colors. However, for Shaggy Rogers scenery wasn't much on his mind; instead, his thought all involved his father.
He knew he had been busy with mystery solving, but why didn't he take the time out to visit his father, especially when he was close to his death? All of this was a lot to take in for him, and he had plenty of time to take it in as he ventured closer and closer to Plymouth; finally, after a several hour drive the aforementioned town came into view.
Shaggy felt relief, sorrow and a little confused as the rented Chevrolet entered the small town. He was relieved that the journey was finally over, while sorrow entered his mind at the prospect of seeing his dad again, not to mention the confusing feelings that would run through his mind as he saw his friends again, but not under the best circumstances.
Before long, the old house Shaggy's mother and father came into the sandy haired sleuth's sights. A whole flood of emotions again ran through his mind and what he was possibly going to say when he saw his mother.
Could he possibly live with himself knowing that the two hadn't spoken in years and that she was most likely wondering where he had been and why hadn't he visited? He was going to find out very soon, as the car entered the driveway; Shaggy then parked the vehicle, and after the car was turned off he and Scooby exited it and walked up to the front door.
While his mind filled with all kinds of different emotions, Shaggy began to notice something interesting, and a little confusing. There were numerous cars along with his in the driveway: a dark blue Toyota and a purple sports car among them.
Could Fred and the girls have gotten here first? No, he thought; that has to be a mistake, there's no way they could have gotten here, as he figured the three of them were staying in hotels. But still, this fact was bothering him all the while as he walked up to the front door.
Shaggy rang the door bell and soon his request was answered, and an all too familiar face stood in the doorway to greet the twenty something detective.
"Norville?" asked an older woman, wearing a Kelly Green apron and oven mitts.
"Mom?" Shaggy asked back.
"Norville, oh it's wonderful to see you again, and Scooby Doo too." Mrs. Rogers said with a smile as she petted the canine and hugged the sandy haired sleuth.
"Hi Mom, it's nice to see you again too. I just wish it was under more joyful circumstances." Shaggy replied.
"I know dear, I know." she responded.
"Mom, can I ask you something?" Shaggy inquired.
"Certainly sweetheart, but first I have a surprise for you." Mrs. Rogers replied, which produced a quizzical look on Shaggy's face.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Just come inside and see." Mrs. Rogers said simply.
Shaggy nodded as he and Scooby entered the living room of the Rogers home. After making sure he closed the door behind him, the sandy haired sleuth's eyes almost bugged out as he saw three familiar faces also in the living room, one sitting in an easy chair, and the other two sitting on a sofa.
"Surprise Norville honey!" Mrs. Rogers declared.
"I-I don't understand. Fred, Daphne, Velma, what are you guys doing here? I thought you would be staying in a hotel or something." Shaggy remarked, his eyes moving back and forth and looking quite shocked as he spoke.
"Yeah, we thought were staying in a hotel too. But Mrs. Rogers sure surprised us by doing what she did." Fred replied with a chuckle.
"What did she do?" Shaggy inquired.
"After your dad passed away she knew that you were going to want to invite us to your dad's funeral, so she took the liberty of inviting us first." Daphne replied.
"I was always one step ahead of you when you were a teenager Norville. And I guess I still am." Mrs. Rogers said, giggling as she spoke.
"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe you should go into the private detective business mom." Shaggy replied, chuckling himself.
"I don't know sweetie, detective stuff has always been the realm of you and your friends. I don't think I could handle it, even if I tried." Mrs. Rogers remarked with a broad smile on his face.
"I bet you could mom, heck you could even use a rolling pin instead of a gun." Shaggy replied, still chuckling.
"Which reminds me, I'm glad we were all able to be here. To honor your dad Shaggy." Velma responded.
"Me too Velma, me too." Shaggy responded.
As he stood in the living room of his parents home in Plymouth, Shaggy realized that his father had meant a lot to him, and his friends. Although he never really visited him in his later years, Norville Rogers realized that his father was watching over him now from heaven, and that he would be proud at the gathering in the small house.
He would be proud of his son, and he would be proud that his son had such great friends, and that they would all come together to honor a great man, and a great father.
Author's Notes: I thought about making this a one Chapter story, but as I began writing this, I realized that there was way too much involved to keep it as a one Chapter fan fic.
This will probably be a 2 chapter fan fic altogether, as Chapter 2 will mostly include Shaggy's dad's funeral and a few other surprises.