Quest for the Truth

By Mlle. Dinkley

A "Scooby-Doo" fan fiction piece inspired by Disney's "The Lion King."

Author's Note:As far as Scooby-Doo fan favorites go, Fred Jones is usually at the bottom of the list. It seems that many fans dislike him, citing his dictatorial ways and seemingly non-existent personality. He tends to be neglected by fan fiction writers, too, as many consider him to be a boring character. It is true that in comparison with the other characters, not much is known about Fred's personality and family background, but that is what makes him interesting for fan fiction writers.

I got the idea for this story while watching "The Lion King." And while there are certain recognizable elements (and even lines of dialogue) from the movie in this story, this is not a 'Scooby-Doo'/Hanna-Barbera retelling of the Disney tale. What I wanted to do here was to write a "coming-of-age" story that centered on the least popular character in the gang, Fred Jones.

Enjoy.

PART 1: New Life, New World

"Congratulations, it's a boy."

Kimberly Jones sat upright in the hospital bed, cradling a tiny bundle in her arms. It had been an arduous, eight hours of labor, but it had all been worth it, for she now held in her arms a beautiful child, the product of her and her beloved husband, Frank. And while she knew that she would have nearly eighteen very special years ahead of her, she savored those first moments of contact, for she knew that there was something very magical about the first hours of a baby's life. Glancing at the infant, she drifted off into a daydream, wondering exactly what the future would hold for her son. She tried to imagine what he would be like when he got older—a tall, athletically built blond, like her husband, perhaps; or a calm, level headed, insightful leader, like her brother-in-law, Max. There were so many possibilities for this new life, and Kim Jones beamed with pride as she thought about it.

Caught up in her reverie, Kim didn't realize that she had yet to choose a name for her son. As she gently rocked the baby, she thought about the myriad of possible names, trying to imagine the perfect one for her child, one that was traditional, yet not overly common, one whose sound brought to mind images of greatness past and future potential. A smile crossed her face as she came upon the perfect name for her child, a name that, through the years, had been linked to strength and dignified leadership, the very same qualities that she hoped her son would one day possess. She looked lovingly at the boy nestled in the folds of the receiving blanket as she spoke his name. "Frederick. Frederick Allan Jones." The child gave a soft coo, as if acknowledging his new name.

Frank Jones favored his wife with a warm smile. "You two should get some rest," he suggested, "once everyone gets here, it will be rather difficult." The attendant nurse seconded Frank's assessment. Kim was hesitant to part with her newborn son, but the nurse explained that the two would be reunited once visiting hours commenced. Somewhat reluctantly, Kim allowed the nurse to take the boy. A twinge of sadness ran through her body, but she soon found that she was too exhausted to dwell on it. "Frederick," she sighed, dreamily, before settling back into the bed and succumbing to her exhaustion.


Several hours later, Kim Jones sat surrounded by her family and friends, all of whom had arrived to offer their congratulations and to welcome the new baby. Among them was the former Marilyn Walton, Kim's best friend from high school, who had just completed her doctorate in Marine Biology. Kim had been the maid of honor at the wedding three months earlier when Marilyn had married her research partner, Harold Dinkley. Marilyn adjusted her glasses as she leaned over to look at the newborn baby. "Oh, Kimmy," she cooed, softly, "he is absolutely adorable." She put her finger under the infant's chin, then glanced lovingly at her husband. "Don't you think so, Harold?"

The brown haired, bespectacled man nodded in response.

"She's so lucky to have a child," said Marilyn, dreamily, stepping back and putting an arm around her husband's shoulder, "it's truly a blessing." She flashed her husband a gentle, maternal grin.

Harold Dinkley nodded; he knew exactly what his wife was implying with that look. He smiled back, then added, "Perhaps someday, but not just yet."

A tall, thin woman with shoulder-length, sandy-brown hair made her way to the bedside and placed a large vase of flowers on the bedside nightstand. "Whew, I didn't think "I was going to make it this far with this thing!" she breathed. "You're certainly going to have your hands full, now, Kimmy. I ought to know; I have a three month head start on you with my boy back at home!"

Kim smiled at the other woman. "Thank you, Marjorie. And how's your little boy doing?"

"Norville? He's fine, he's home with Sammy right now. You know, for a baby, that boy has the biggest appetite I've ever seen. I swear, I feed him at least twice every hour, and he's still hungry."

Kim grinned. She had seen little Norville just after he was born, and she had stood at Marjorie's bedside just as Marjorie now did for her. "It's so nice that our children will be able to grow up together," she commented.

Marjorie Rogers nodded. "Well, they're a little young now, but some time in the near future, we can introduce them to each other."

"I'm certain they'll get along, and that they'll become close friends." Kim gave her infant son a gentle kiss on the forehead. "You have so much to look forward to, little Frederick."

"Hey Frankie!" The shrill cry interrupted Kim's reverie; she quickly recognized it as belonging to her brother-in-law, Edward.

Frank rolled his eyes, but with a smile. "Hello, Eddie."

Edward Jones sidled up to the bed and looked at the baby, who had fallen asleep in his mother's arms. "You know, I see a potential investigative reporter in that little guy," he observed.

"For yournewspaper? I should hope that Freddie would be above reading that piece of trash," said Kim, a jocular tone coloring her voice.

"Hey, it's news!" Edward quipped, defending his newspaper. "And besides, it's important that the public know about these things."

Kim shook her head and smiled. Eddie was eccentric, but harmless.

The younger Jones leaned over and whispered to his older brother, "Hey, you better keep an eye on that little guy. I hear the Baby Snatchers from the galaxy Strigiphilia have landed in the area and may be roaming the halls of this hospital. They like to disguise themselves as maternity room workers, you know."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so I've heard. Thanks for the warning."

"Hey, it's cool. Besides, I'm only looking out for the well being of my favorite little nephew."

"For the moment, he's your onlynephew."

Edward grinned, sheepishly. "Oh yeah. I forgot."

"Leave it to little Eddie to mention alien baby snatching plots in a place like this." A tall, blond man in military dress whites stood in the doorway.

"Hi, Max," said Kim, "I'm so glad that you could stop by, even if it's only for a few minutes."

Max, the eldest of the Jones boys, was a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps, and because of his frequent trips overseas, was rarely able to see his family. For this particular occasion, though, he had managed to take one day of personal leave; it's not everyday, he reasoned, that your younger brother becomes a father. "So, what is his name?" Max asked, curiously.

"Frederick," Kim answered. "Frederick Allan Jones."

Max leaned over to get a look at his newborn nephew. "He has the potential to become a great leader," Max surmised, "and perhaps someday, he will." He flashed the child a quick grin. "You have it in you, Frederick," he whispered, "and one day, you will realize that potential." Max glanced furtively at his watch. "I do hate to be rude," he apologized, "but I do have to be returning to the base." He gave Kim, Frank and Fred a last congratulatory grin, then turned to walk out to his car. On his way out, he narrowly missed colliding with someone who was trying to enter through the exit door. Turning to apologize, he saw the face of someone he hadn't seen in years, and certainly had not been expecting to see. Pulling himself up to his full six-foot plus height and assuming a demeanor he usually reserved for the Corps, Max gave the other man a stern look of reproach. "Geoff," he growled, not expecting to see his younger brother, "what brings you here?"

The younger Jones greeted his older sibling with a smirk. "What?" he quipped, sarcastically, "doesn't a man have a right to see his older brother and newborn nephew?"

"You are not exactly what we would call a 'participatory member' of the family," Max remarked, calmly, "so we were not expecting to see you. Furthermore, you are a little bit late--visiting hours are over for today."

Geoff Jones shook his head. "You military folk run your lives by the clock. You're so strict, lighten up a bit, buddy!" He slapped his older brother playfully on the shoulder; Max was not amused by the gesture.

"It's not a matter of 'lightening up,' as you call it, it is a matter of respecting and following the rules." Max brushed the dust off the shoulder of his jacket. The younger man's brotherly gesture had left a huge spot of dust on the older man's neatly pressed dress jacket. "Although," Max continued, "following and respecting rules was never your strong point. Besides, you know how Frank feels about you, how do you think he and Kim would react if you were to just walk into the room unannounced?"

"I don't know how Frank would react, but I know I would be happy to see Kimmy."

Max shook his head. "She's married, Geoff—married to our brother, and now she has a child to care for. If I were you, I would give up this infatuation. It won't lead to anything good."

"I was in love with her," the younger Jones brother growled, his voice growing louder, "he stole her from me!"

Max managed to contain his growing impatience towards his younger brother, but just barely. "Geoff, don't be foolish," he chided. "You were thirteen years old at the time; Kim was eighteen. Not only would it not have worked out, but it would have ended very badly for both of you."

The younger man's eyebrows arched downward in a decidedly sinister manner. "It's not over yet, believe me. And it may still end badly...for everyone involved." He shot his brother a final, dirty sneer before stomping back through the door.

Max shook his head, partly in disgust, partly in despair. "He'll never learn," he mumbled to himself. "And one day, that attitude of his is going to get him into trouble."


Geoff Jones' downward spiral began as a four-year-old, when he lost his status as the baby of the family to his brother, Edward. With the newest member of the Jones family now garnering the attention that had once been lavished upon him, Geoff had resorted to unruly behavior in order to get the attention of his parents and his older siblings. The plan, though, had not worked quite as he had envisioned it; in fact, instead of making him the center of attention, it had quite the opposite effect, causing his parents and siblings to ignore him. The more they ignored him though, the more Geoff's tantrums escalated and the more the family regarded him as a nuisance. The frequency of his outbursts led his parents to question his behavior. "Why can't you be more like your brothers?" was a comment Geoff Jones heard all too often when he was growing up. And the more times he heard it, the more he grew to resent his brothers, Max and Frank.

As the boys grew older, each developed his own, unique personality. Max, the eldest, was methodical and organized and was clearly emerging as the leader of the four. Frank was intelligent and athletic, and a rising star in both Little League Baseball and junior football teams. Edward, the youngest, had a paper route and was showing a nascent interest in journalism, but he also had a strange fascination with space aliens, haunted houses and the emerging "Bigfoot" legend, interests for which he was frequently teased by his siblings. And while his parents didn't exactly approve of these unusual interests, they knew that they were nothing more than benign, childhood fantasies that would soon pass. Geoff, however, lived in the shadow of his siblings, constantly expected to be as smart as Frank, or as creative as Edward. By the time he was thirteen, he had already been in trouble for stealing a bottle of soda from the corner drugstore. The older he got, the more frequent and severe his digressions became, causing a rift to develop between him and his family. But the one thing that had driven a permanent wedge between him and his older brother, Frank, was a pretty, young girl named Kimberly Maclean.

Geoff Jones first laid eyes on Kimberly when he was still in junior high school. At age thirteen, in the throes of early adolescence, he immediately found himself infatuated with her. The infatuation had started with a simple request from Kim. "Geoff, would you ask your brother to come down here?" The young boy was so smitten with the pretty teenager that he forgot to even call for his brother; he just stood and stared at the girl on the other side of the front door's threshold.

"Uh, Geoff, could you ask your brother to come down here?"

A series of stuttered "uh"s was all that Geoff could muster. By the time he gathered the courage to tell his brother about the visitor, Frank had already come down the stairs. Ignoring his younger brother, Frank stepped into the doorway. "Kim! What a surprise! What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me and the rest of the gang at Spencer's for a soda."

Geoff craned his neck to glance at Kimberly; he silently cursed his older brother for blocking his view.

"Sure!" Frank turned towards his parents who were settled in the living room area. "I'll be back in a few hours, okay, Mom?"

"Uh, do you guys mind if I join you, too?" Geoff asked, finally managing to squeeze into view. His voice cracked on the last word and he cringed with embarrassment. Why did that have to happen now?

"Geoff, go away," Frank chided, pushing his younger brother aside. "Go play with your army guys or go bother Mom."

The younger Jones cringed. Army men? Mom? Why did his brother have to humiliate him now, in front of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen? "Please?"

"I said no. Now go way." Frank waved his hand to the side, his gesture punctuating his comment.

Geoff Jones tried to contain his anger, but to no avail. "Fine! See if I care! I hate you anyway!"

Frank accompanied Kimberly out the door, closing it behind him as he left the house; he could still hear his younger brother screaming and cursing.

Six months later, at Frank's high school graduation, Geoff once again ran into Kimberly. She acknowledged him, politely, and her words sent a tremor of lovesickness through the young boy's body. "Uh, Kim, if you're not doing anything..." He was cut off by his older brother, Frank, who had emerged from the crowd and now flanked Kim's side.

"Geoff, give it up, already," Frank chided; he was clearly less than amused by his younger brother's antics. "She's five years older than you."

"So? Mom's five years younger than Dad."

"It's not quite the same, and besides, she's already taken."

The words cut through the boy's heart like a hot knife through butter, but he knew he had to hide his disappointment. "Uh, by whom?" he asked, meekly.

Frank stood proudly beside the younger girl. "Me."

The younger boy's decorum fell immediately. "I hate you!!" he screamed, "I hate you so damn much!!"

Geoff's father immediately restrained his son. "Not here and not now," he scolded, striking the boy across his backside. "Can't you even act like a human?"

The shock from the blow momentarily calmed the boy, but it was too late; the damage had been done. "You'll never forget this day!" Geoff screamed, though in a much more subdued tone than his earlier outburst, "I swear, if it's the last thing I do, I'll make you wish you never met her!"

As a punishment for his behavior, Geoff Jones was sent to bed without dinner that night.

The years passed and the Jones boys had grown up and established themselves. Max had graduated from West Point and was now a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps. Edward had studied journalism in college, but had never really gotten over his childhood fascination with aliens and other strange phenomenon. Appropriately, he now worked as an assistant to the publisher of the National Exaggerator, a less than reputable newspaper that covered such newsworthy events as alien sightings, alien invasion plots and half-human, half-animal beings living in caves in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Frank had entered the world of finance, content to be a salaried worker, but the black sheep of the Jones family had never found his niche in the world. By the time he was 21, Geoff had already had several run-ins with the law, including a barroom fight over a girl that ended with a DUI conviction that same night. None of the Jones boys had seen or heard from their sibling; and when Frank and Kimberly had gotten married, it did not surprise Frank one bit that Geoff was not among the attendees at the wedding. And given Geoff's track record, it did not surprise Frank one bit that his brother was not in attendance at Fred's birth


Frank Jones looked adoringly at his wife and newborn son, blissfully unaware of the heated exchange that had just taken place in the hospital lobby. He was a father, now, and it was his responsibility to protect his new family. Little Fred gave a contented gurgle before falling asleep in his mother's arms.