"Well kids, as an official token of appreciation for busting that counterfeiting ring…..."
Mystery Inc. had been invited to speak with Crystal Cove's Mayor in his office. Of course, this wasn't their first time meeting the Mayor given that he was the father of Fred Jones, Jr. But it was rare they were given an official invitation as it was no secret that Mayor Jones did not approve of their vigilante investigations.
"...I present you with these free Crystal Cove novelty pens! As you've probably noticed, each pen is themed to a famous Crystal Cover monster. Many of which, you kids have successfully…." the Mayor's smile began to forcibly lock in place, "...debunked." He always hated it when Mystery Incorporated unmasked potential tourist attractions.
"As another plus, each pen makes a neat clicky noise! Go ahead, take some."
Velma picked up a pen themed after Captain Cutler's Ghost. It did indeed make a clicky noise. Fred lunged at his father's hand and started furiously shaking it.
"First off, I would like to say what an honor it is to receive this award, Dad! I know you don't always approve of me and my gang but receiving any kind of encouragement at all is enough to-"
"Oh for God Sake's Fred, no need to get all girly! Just take the pens and leave!" The Mayor snapped back.
The room took on an awkward silence. Fred was visibly dejected by his Dad's rejection but still tried to put on his usual Level-Headed Leader front.
"Gee, sorry Dad. I guess we'll be heading out."
And with a half-hearted "Come on, gang", Mystery Inc. shuffled out of the Mayor's office and back into their van. As usual, Fred was driving while Shaggy & Scooby hung out in the back and smoked weed. However, the seating arrangement for the girls had changed ever so slightly. Usually, Daphne sat right next to Fred while Velma smoked a cigarette in the back with Shag and Scoob. But now, Velma had begun sitting in the middle of the front seat so as to create a buffer between the two ex-lovebirds. This was at Daphne's request, of course. Though if Fred minded, he never outwardly expressed this. Nowadays, he mostly just sat in silence. This was good news for Velma as she couldn't stand Fred's condescension towards the other members of "his gang". Plus, it gave her a chance to get closer to Daphne. Still, even she couldn't help but feel sorry for Fred at the moment. Even though Fred made her skin crawl, seeing his dad coldly discard his son's admiration did not sit well with her. It did, however, provide insight into why Fred was so emotionally fucked up. Daphne would've felt the same way but she was used to seeing Mayor Jones treat his son that way. It drove her crazy that he would freak out and order her around at the slightest inclination but could never stand up to his old man. Besides, Fred didn't mention the incident the rest of the car ride. He just calmly drove the gang to their respective houses. For all they knew, Fred drove back to his dad's mansion and peacefully turned in for the night. But that was not what happened. Instead, Fred spent the night the way he spent most nights. Sitting inside his van, listening to a police scanner, while parked on a cliff overlooking the town. The scanner helped him keep his mind off of what had happened that afternoon.
He even made it most of the night without bawling into his own arms.
