Have a holly, jolly Christmas
Disclaimer/Author's Notes: All Scooby-Doo characters are property of Hanna-Barbera/Warner Bros. All other characters are part of the author's vivid imagination and (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions as he is barely responsible for himself much of the time….). This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.
And now, without delay:
Chapter 9: Snow, secrets and stew, oh my…..
- - -
Daphne fell into the chair. "I've become my mother," she barely got it out before Mary Jane and Velma laughed again as Daphne held her head in her hands. All three of them looked at the kids playing under the tree, laughing and fighting and moving presents, and then they looked at their husbands talking seriously by the fire, and they all thought out loud:
"It's not such a bad life to have," and the three ladies hoisted their coffee cups in a toast, and drank deeply.
- - -
"So, what happened after the wedding and honeymoon, Velma?"
"Mary Jane, we got back to work," Velma replied, "and it only became stranger as we researched and found more information. Daphne, this was worse than any mystery we had ever experienced because we knew we were going to turn the worlds upside down before we were finished. And Clarke asked an innocent question that scared all of us:
'There can't just be this one bridge, can there?'
'That shouldn't matter-', and I stopped after I made the statement, processed his question mentally for a moment, and stared at him. 'We can only work the known issue now, Clarke, but that's a frightfully good question.'"
- - -
"Mom, we've finished with our box."
"Thank you, George. It's time for all of you to go to bed, or at least to your bedrooms," Daphne said, and smiled as all 4 turned to Fred to try to get more time and whined as Fred shook his head in the negative.
"You can stay up in your rooms for another 30 minutes, but I'm certain that you want to be bright-eyed in the morning to open presents," was Fred's continuance, and that encouragement resulted in both sets of twins rising, kissing Mom and Aunt Velma and Mary Jane good night and collecting high fives from Shaggy and Jonathan as Fred herded them towards the bedrooms.
"They grow so quickly," Mary Jane whispered, and then turned to Daphne and said, "You have wonderful children, Daphne," as she snuggled with Shaggy.
"Most definitely, Daphne," Jonathan agreed as he and Velma followed in the snuggling mode.
"Thank you," Daphne replied, blushing a bit. "You all 4 realize that it's your fault that they are the way they are, don't you?" and Daphne grinned evilly.
"What?" was almost the 4-part choral response.
"Certainly, you are to blame, partially; they've spent their lives hearing about Shaggy and Velma and Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. from Fred and I, they've read the press clippings, they've heard about Aunt Velma disappearing and now reappearing in another plane of existence, and now they've traveled to that same plane. They've been challenged to stretch their minds all of their lives by Fred and I, and you 4 (excuse me, Scooby Jr.: 6, including you and your dad," and Scooby mumbled thanks and rolled his other side towards the fire so he could get equally toasted) "have given them and their friends the reasons to imagine the possibilities that none of us even considered when we were their ages." Daphne stopped, and laughed. "Yes, Fred was convinced that there were spacemen everywhere, but no one took him seriously: the only bad thing is that now, he thinks he was right all along!"
"Of course I was right," Fred said as he reentered the room. "Right about what?" and Mary Jane and Velma giggled while Daphne rolled her eyes. "They're in their rooms, trying to figure out how much damage they can cause with the computers and video equipment. I told them lights out in 30, and Daphne would be back to enforce," he completed, sitting with his wife and kissing her cheek as he joined the snuggle-fest.
"Well, should we do it now?" Jonathan asked.
"Do what, dear?"
"Give our special 'gifts' to each other," he said, poker-faced.
"Oh, those 'gifts.'" Velma replied. "Certainly. Let me go check on one thing, and I'll bring our 'gifts' back," and she stood and headed down the second hall to the master wing of the house.
"Come with me, guys, and I'll show you another part of the house," Jonathan motioned for Fred and Shaggy to follow him towards the kitchen, leaving Daphne and Mary Jane alone with the fire and Scooby.
"Mary Jane, I'm so jealous of you," Daphne confessed after she was sure that Fred was out of earshot.
"You? Jealous of me? Daphne, I've been the jealous one, not the other way around," Mary Jane was shocked and humbled at the same time.
"Look at you, Mary Jane. You're brilliant, gorgeous, independent, I'd kill for that dress, and – "
"I'd have given it all up for kids rather than dogs, for a stable husband all the time as opposed to Shaggy who, until only a few years ago, hadn't figured out that the 60's were over."
Mary Jane was silent for a bit, then looked at Daphne with the saddest face that Daphne had ever seen on her. "Daphne, did you know that we can't have children?"
"WHAT?" Daphne couldn't say anything else.
"It's true, Daphne," Mary Jane had tears beginning to flow. "We tried for two years after we got married, and I went to a specialist afterwards alone because I didn't want Shaggy there. He said that there were genetic problems with my body, and that I couldn't bear children. I sat in the parking lot outside of the doctor's office for an hour crying, and then I drove home, told Shaggy what the doctor told me, and told him that he could have a divorce if he wanted. That big lug just looked at me and said, 'Mary Jane, that's a really big bummer. Well, I guess we'll just have to adopt and take care of kids that no one else wants.' How can you fail to love someone like that?"
"Mary Jane, I'm so sorry, I didn't know…" Daphne was speechless as she stood and held her arms out to catch Mary Jane as she fell into them crying. "Why didn't you tell Fred and me?"
"You have the perfect life, Daphne, and we didn't want to bother you."
She wiped at the tears, and suddenly a huge smile assaulted her face through her wet eyes. "Besides, it doesn't matter anymore. We're going to be parents in a week!"
Daphne's eyes got big.
"The adoption papers will be final in a week, just before the year break." Mary Jane continued, smiling even more as Daphne's eyes and smile both got bigger. "They are adorable: a boy George's age, and his 3 siblings, ages 9, 7, and 4 years. Their mom was a bank executive who was taken hostage and killed in an aborted bank robbery 3 years ago, and their father left after the youngest was born and can't be found. Daphne, they're so gorgeous," Mary Jane continued, gushing, "and you should see Shaggy with them! I'm not sure who the kid is in the relationship, but they all adore him. Little Hope crawled up into his lap in her footie pajamas the first time that she met him and asked, 'Are you going to be my new daddy?' He was so done for in that moment. He's so wrapped around her little finger, she'll never need a LBD," Mary Jane laughed.
"This is our surprise: we were going to tell everyone in the morning, so please don't tell Fred or Shaggy, ok?"
"Mary Jane, you just gave me the best Christmas present ever: you and Shaggy and Scooby Jr. and 4 kids: talk about family, just add water; or, tonight, just add snow!" Daphne hugged Mary Jane even tighter as both ladies shed tears of happiness.
"I know," Mary Jane admitted. "I couldn't believe what we were doing, Daphne, but it just felt so right when we saw Javier's picture for the first time, and finding out that he had brothers and sisters just made it feel more right the further along we went with the process.
"I know that you don't think that Shaggy has it all together: we know that sometimes people think he's 4 cheeses short of a 3-cheese pizza," and Daphne couldn't help but laugh out loud at that remark, "but he's got such a good heart: that's why I married him. These kids, and having to have Scooby put down after the accident, have changed him incredibly: he's turned his love of 'unique foods' into a great organic gourmet business. You'd be surprised how many actors and actresses order fried bass, goat-cheese, and marshmallow sauce pizza topped with chocolate sauce and roasted red peppers a la 'Norville' to be shipped to them all over the world in quantities that rivaled a Shaggy/Scooby eat fest, and the orders have almost come in so frequently and large that he may have to franchise: I suggested GhostChaser's Eatery, but he vetoed that idea for Mystery (Inc.) Pizza.
"Now, I know, he's ready to be a daddy, Daphne: He's more excited about the Christmas that we'll have when we get back for the kids before we bring them home, only the chance to see Velma again could drag him away from the house."
"What is it with our men and Velma?" Daphne, wearing a mock pout, asked Mary Jane, and Mary Jane just shrugged and laughed.
"Shaggy told me about the breakup of Mystery Inc. some years ago, and atomic bonds, Daphne," Mary Jane, suddenly tired, sat down on an ottoman. "He told Velma that you 5 were like atoms: the bonds could be broken only after a great deal of pressure, but the result would be something even bigger and better."
"Shaggy? Atomic bonds? Deep, philosophical discussions?"
"This is the Shaggy that you all never knew, Daphne, the deeply philosophical person with a profound faith. He always played the bumbling fool because he never wanted to be in the limelight, and he took himself too seriously and almost became it. The trip to Spooky Island started his turnaround: seeing all of you, meeting me (and Mary Jane grinned with that statement), and all of you getting back together started him on the path he's on today," and Mary Jane stretched her legs, kicked off her shoes, and rubbed her feet. "They'll never make heels that are as comfortable as a good pair of walking boots," she grimaced in a total non sequitur as she popped the knot in the bottom of her foot.
"But, they can make and sell faux ascots," Daphne pointed out, and both ladies laughed.
"So, did you bring pictures?" Daphne asked, grinning and enjoying seeing the smile back on Mary Jane's face.
"Did I bring pictures? Does Fred love his ascots?" and both ladies laughed. "I'm saving them for the announcement in the morning."
The two ladies, bonded now even more than before by a shared secret, sat and watched the fire continue to burn and Scooby Jr. mumbled in his sleep.
- - -
Velma walked alone down the hall to the master wing, and went into her study. She opened the closet and pulled out the presents that she had purchased for Daphne and Mary Jane. Then, she checked the house security monitors, watching the snow fall out front and in the back, piling onto their woodpiles and the storage sheds. She switched the picture to an interior room, made sure that everything was well, and double-checked the remote monitor controls. She entered the room that she was monitoring from her study, stood in the door, smiled, said in a whisper, "Sweet dreams; I'll be back to check on you later tonight, and won't you be a surprise in the morning!" closed the door quietly, and headed back to the living room with another cart, this one now containing gifts.
- - -
"This is our cooks' sanctuary," Jonathan said as he opened the door and flipped on the lights to reveal –
"Oh, man, this is beautiful," Shaggy could barely speak.
"Wow," was Fred's only response.
The room contained shelves stocked with food (canned, dried, and a fresh-food bin wall for root vegetables and peppers) and lined with cookbooks, an extra refrigerator and freezer and stoves, and a large open island in the middle with a huge sink.
Jonathan went to one of the doors along the wall, opened it, and revealed the gifts that the guys had sent earlier as well as the things that he had purchased, wrapped, and tagged. Shaggy shoved a cart towards him, and he piled the gifts on shelves below and on top.
"Why do you have all of this, Jonathan?" Fred asked.
"With as much entertaining as we do, I keep lots of stock on hand. And, you know Velma cooks, as well, and she's taken a liking to very spicy foods."
"Ah, she got that from me," Shaggy interjected, and Fred laughed, "the enjoyment for spicy foods, Fred! Some of the things that Scooby and I would whip up at first almost burned her mouth away, but she grew to enjoy it. I guess she kept going."
"My gosh, yes," Jonathan continued. "She makes some things that even I was blown away by, at first."
"So, Jonathan, does she cook back here?" Fred smirked, and Shaggy laughed as Jonathan just nodded with a huge grin on his face.
"You'd be amazed at what Velma can prepare, Fred, but don't worry: you'll get to taste some of it tomorrow at dinner," Jonathan replied, eliciting a bigger grin from Shaggy as Fred tried to correlate his statement and Jonathan's response. "Let's go back and stir up some more trouble, guys," Jonathan said as he pushed them and the cart out of the room and extinguished the lights. "Besides, Shaggy, I have to check on the stew."
"What stew?" Shaggy asked as they reentered the kitchen.
"A family tradition, Shaggy," Jonathan said as he pointed towards the 4 of the largest slow cookers that Shaggy had ever seen.
"Feeding an army, Jonathan, or just Scooby and me?" Shaggy lifted one of lids, bending over the pot as he smelled, and smiled. Looking up, he asked, "Family tradition?"
"Yes. My folks began spending Christmas evenings at the local shelter providing dinner when I was older, and Mom started bringing a cauldron of stew for the latecomers in case they ran out of food the second year that we went. Several of the folks told me the next year that we came that they gave up their places in line for the traditional dinner just so they could have some of Mom's stew."
Jonathan checked the cookers, and added some water and broth from pots simmering on the stove. "I always enjoyed being there with Mom and Dad, so I discussed it with Velma after we got married. She agreed to come with me the first time, and she got hooked on the group of people that she met there; I think that she enjoys this more than I do. We've started doing it with a group of friend on a regular basis throughout the year, bringing everything from sandwich makings to a giant Texas outdoor cooking fest with something for everyone: brisket and sausage and ribs for the carnivores to a huge grilled vegetarian feast and a massive mound of fresh-baked breads and tortillas of all kinds. We've worked with the community garden programs around the area, so the shelter can provide both work for the folks that need it as well as fresh fruits and vegetables." Jonathan was bubbling as much as the stews.
"That sounds like you're having a great time doing this, Jonathan," Fred said, as he smelled the aromas and smiled.
"Just one more blessing that I have been given from Velma: the joy on her face has made my Christmases so much better since I lost my parents. She's help me carry on the tradition and expand it." Jonathan turned, and grabbed the cart. "Let's go back and stir up some more trouble, guys," Jonathan repeated, and they headed out of the kitchen.
"Shaggy, would you take the cart? I just remembered something that I forgot back in the sanctuary."
"Sure thing, Jonathan," and Shaggy pushed the cart behind Fred, and Jonathan turned and went back into the sanctuary, closing the door behind him.
He popped his phone and hit a speed dial number, waited for a response, and spoke.
"Hi there. Are you comfortable?" Silence, then "do you need anything?" Silence. "How was dinner?" Silence. "All right, I'll call you in the morning. Good night, you two," and he disconnected from the call, leaving the room, closing the door behind him, and rejoining everyone who, by now, all had piles of presents in front of them for exchange.
- - -
"A case of Scooby Snacks?"
"Police whistles?"
"Beads?"
"Orange ascots?"
"Glasses straps?"
"Emergency food rations? What are MREs?"
"Bullhorns?"
"A stuffed cello?"
"Not the Spooky Island Shirts?"
"Where's the extra pie, Jonathan?"
"Roh Roy! Rooby Racks!"
"A case of herring?"
"Rubber spiders?"
"A toy Mystery Inc. van?"
"A bouquet of plastic purple flowers?"
"Blonde hair dye?"
And the boxes continued to open and the jokes and laughter continued to flow as they opened the gifts that really showed the recipient how much that the person meant to the giver.
- - -
"I can't believe it. I know that I haven't laughed that hard in years," Fred said as he hugged Velma.
"Speak for yourself, Blondie," Jonathan said as he hugged Mary Jane.
"Amen, brother," Shaggy concurred as he shocked Daphne by pulling her into a kiss, and then laughed as Fred glared but was cut off as Daphne responded, kissing Shaggy with far too much enthusiasm, in Fred's opinion.
"I like that idea," Fred said, and he grabbed a surprised Velma and performed a perfect tango dip and kissed her.
"Pucker up, cobbler man," Mary Jane said with a big grin as she joined the party and kissed a surprised Jonathan.
"I always wanted to do that, Shaggy," Daphne said as she separated from a shocked Shaggy.
"This could confuse the kids in so many ways," Velma said as Fred let her go, but she was smiling. "But," she continued, "not bad, Ascot-Man," and punched him in the arm.
"If that was for the cobbler, what do I get for the pie?" Jonathan asked as he and Mary Jane separated, and she whispered into his ear. Everyone else broke into riotous laughter as Jonathan stood there with a shocked look on his face and Mary Jane just smiled. Jonathan thought for a moment, then looked at Shaggy and repeated his statement from earlier in the evening:
"'Green is good," he smiled, "but I still prefer Orange," and he pulled Velma into a passionate kiss.
Velma came up for air, looked at Mary Jane and said with a straight face, "and I think Chocolate's pretty tasty, too," and they all laughed.
'The real surprises are coming in the morning,' thought Jonathan.
'The real surprises are coming in the morning,' thought Mary Jane.
'The real surprises are coming in the morning,' thought Fred.
'The real surprises are coming in the morning,' thought Velma.
'The real surprises are coming in the morning,' thought Shaggy.
'The real surprises are coming in the morning,' thought Daphne.
'Rhere's rie?' Scooby Jr. thought as he looked up and watched the group of laughing people for a moment, and then decided that no more pie was coming and that sleep was a better idea.
- - -
"MOMMMMM!"
"DADDDDDD!"
"Kill me now, just kill me now," Fred mumbled as he and Daphne headed down the hall. "You'd all better be asleep by the time we get there," they chorused, and Mary Jane and Velma laughed.
"What's so funny?" Shaggy asked.
"No kids, huh?" Jonathan punched him in the arm.
'Not yet," Shaggy thought, and then smiled at his wife and grinned even more as she smiled back.
- - -
"Mary Jane, we never got back to your question about what happened; we seemed to have been distracted," Velma restarted her reply as everyone had settled down from the kiss-fest, and Mary Jane had stopped splashing Fred with deadly accuracy by tossing beads into his coffee mug, "and the research continued to became stranger as we discovered more and more. Clark's question: 'There can't just be this one bridge, can there?' almost took down a bunny trail, but the team agreed to put Clark's question up as a parking lot issue and move forward. The energy requirements continued to look massive, but we seemed to find a new item each 2-3 months that allowed us to reduce the consumption requirements to drop to a bit more manageable levels.
"Finally, after several failed attempts and disappointments, we were on the cusp, it seemed, of finally making a successful connection to the other side. The team had adopted my references of the "Jefferson" and "Washington" names of each side of the bridge since identifying the relative sides by the name of each first US president seemed to be the easiest way to keep the references straight.
"Do you want the honors, Velma?" Jonathan asked.
"I do, but I think that the first contact opportunity should go to Clark."
"Me?" Clark was shocked.
"Yes, you, Clark. You've provided many advances on this project, and you deserve this chance. Do you have your note?"
"Yes, I do," and he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"What is your target?"
"Clarke Lexington's remaining lab. I expect, Velma, based on what you told me about his research, there will still be work on-going, so someone will find this and, hopefully, be able to respond once they follow the directions."
"Let's fire it up," Jonathan said, and he turned to Clark as Clark placed the note onto the scanning device and started the process to, he hoped, make history.
- - -
chapter now complete….
- - -
A/N:
Christmas is coming….and everyone has more surprises in store and more food!
Thank you, one and all, for your support and encouragement. There's so much more to share, and we're heading towards Christmas morning! There's still more presents to put under the tree tonight, and more fun to be had by all, so please drop again back. Try the fruitcake; you'll love it!