Daphne and Velma watched in astonishment as Devon ran back towards the flames of the factory before disappearing in the smoke. All around them, police car after police car was screeching up onto the dirt track. Daphne regarded them with wide eyes.

"Velma, did you...?"

Velma shook her head emphatically. "No, it wasn't us."

Daphne had already picked up on Velma's earlier panicked calling out of Shaggy and deduced he too was along for the rescue mission.

"Shaggy? Is he...?" She nodded towards the factory where the flames were spreading rapidly, amid sounds of smaller explosions from within.

Velma nodded again sagely, "Yes, he went in with Scooby Doo to find Fred."

Her statement caught Daphne by surprise, and she turned her gaze away from the police to scrutinize Velma, "How did you know about Devon taking Fred?"

Before Velma could answer, the first of the police were exiting their cars, and Daphne ran towards them urgently. "You have to find him!" she pleaded, "there's a boy trapped inside the actual silo!"

A female with brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, in her late twenties or early thirties who seemed to be leading the charge, reacted first to Daphne's cry. She conversed quickly with an older male, who lead another group and he hurried past the girls towards the silo end of the building. The woman reached for her walkie-talkie and made a further request for the fire services before she spoke to Daphne and Velma.

"Are either of you Daphne Blake?" she asked, looking from one girl to the other, who both reacted with surprise.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Daphne felt on edge straight away, she exchanged a glance with Velma before casting her eyes suspiciously on the woman. "Everybody knows Daphne Blake is dead," she answered cautiously.

The woman nodded, trying again, "we don't believe that to be the case and the boy you say is trapped in there, he's called Fred right?"

This was obviously even more astonishing to the girls, who were even more bewildered.

"Yes – Fred, Fred Jones." The shorter girl with glasses answered, also clearly unsure whether she could trust her or not.

"There's very little time to explain girls, but we know everything about Devon Blake and his operation and the hostage he currently possesses. My name is Detective Stella White and I'm here to help."

There was something about the authoritative way Stella said this that made Daphne instantly feel she was able to trust her.

"I''m Daphne Blake," she admitted.

Stella nodded, she had suspected as much, the dark, bluntly cut hair was an obvious rush dye and cut job and she had used coloured contacts but the beautiful girl who had adorned the cover of their newspaper on many occasions, was still very apparent underneath the tame disguise.

Daphne couldn't even begin to comprehend how the police now knew about what happened or how they knew where to come to but she knew there would be time for explanations later, right now there were more pressing issues at hand.

She noted a couple of ambulances starting to pull up and realised with dismay that Stella was beckoning the emerging paramedics right towards her.

"No! I'm fine!" she stated resolutely. "We have to save Fred! Not to mention Devon ran back in there too, we can't let him get away with this."

The paramedic barely had any chance to look Daphne over before she waved them away agitatedly. She couldn't get the image of Fred trapped helplessly in the silo, out of her mind.

Both she and Velma made a move to follow Stella and her extensive teams but Stella put a steady hand on Daphne's arm. "You need to stay here Miss Blake, let us do our job. Stiles! Dewhurst! Look after these girls." She instructed two young officers before departing with her team.

Velma pulled Daphne back reluctantly and they watched as some police dispersed into the building, whilst others patrolled outside, the sound of further sirens drawing closer in the distance competing with the crackle of flames.

The kindly male paramedic placed a blanket over the girls' shoulders as they continued to stand, wrapped in each other's arms.

"They'll be OK, you know" Velma said, trying to sound confident and hopeful. "The police will find them and Devon."

Daphne watched glumly as the other cops began to gather the remainder of Devon's drugs into evidence bags and the flames from the building get larger and spreading. Fire trucks had now arrived on the scene and they quickly set to work preparing their hoses. She could only hope Velma was right and that they would get to them in time.


"Shit, what should we do Freddy?" Shaggy panicked, immediately falling back into the familiar step of looking to Fred for leadership and advice.

Fred eyed the advancing flames in the corridor with a sinking heart, he didn't have a solution, he didn't know if there was any other way out of the silo.

"I don't know," he admitted, looking pained and defeated.

Shaggy closed the door despondently, like Fred, realising they were probably trapped now. Smoke was starting to filter in now and they backed away further into the silo. He expected Scooby to cower away instantly but his dog was strangely resolute until he suddenly shot off.

"No Scooby!" he shouted, "not that way!"

But Scooby went past the silo trap, barking excitedly at what seemed like absolutely nothing to the boys. Curious, they watched Scooby frantically pacing and barking and realised he must have found something. They followed Scooby to the darker corner of the silo and this is where the dog paced up and down, trying to get Shaggy to notice something.

It was so dark that Shaggy had to run his hand across the wall to guide him and he frowned in confusion when his hand suddenly connected with thin air, Scooby continued to bark incessantly. He looked up and found a partially covered sign, he brushed away the dust to find what it said: maintenance tunnel. Shaggy looked at Scooby with pure joy. Scooby Doo I love you!

"I think Scooby Doo found another way out!" he said, turning to Fred excitedly but his heart rate immediately dropped. Fred had slumped to the floor, coughing from the smoke that was now filling the small chamber.

"Hmmm?" Fred answered drowsily.

Shaggy tried not to panic but knew how deadly even the smallest amount of time inhaling smoke could be, especially when he was already so weak. He knew he needed to get Fred out of there. Shaggy ran to his side, helping him up and holding onto him around the waist.

"I'm getting you out buddy," he promised him.

Shaggy forged forward following his dog who had led the way, after just a few steps, he felt a cool rush of air, hinting it was indeed a maintenance worker's tunnel that lead to the outside, this must be how Scooby had got in.

It was pitch dark but in this moment, Shaggy felt no fear, he was solely focussed on getting Fred to safety. The further they got, the air became clearer and fresher and with it Fred's breathing began to improve, determinedly Shaggy dragged him along. Finally, they reached the end and the darkness quickly gave way to bright lights, red and blue ones, dozens of them in fact, and Shaggy had to lift up his spare hand to shield his eyes. Had Velma managed to call the police? With Fred draped across his shoulder, now breathing steadily, he walked uncertainly towards the lights.

Fred didn't let onto Shaggy exactly how much he had been struggling, all his limbs hurt from being tied up for so long and the smoke was starting to get into his lungs. He knew there was literally a light at the end of the tunnel although he didn't know how long he could hold on for. As they got closer to the end of the tunnel, the pressure on his chest eased as cleaner air filtered into his lungs, he began to breathe normally again, and he allowed Shaggy to continue to carry him outside. The distant lights got brighter and clearer and he raised his head to regard them curiously, they flashed incessantly red and blue in colour and his eyes followed the spinning colours. As they got closer he realised they belonged to several emergency vehicles and there was quite the crowd of people there, even an ambulance, Shaggy really had brought the cavalry!

"You brought all these?" Fred questioned, turning to look up at Shaggy.

Shaggy replied, without even looking at Fred, "Not me man," his gaze was instead already focused on something else.

Fred lifted his head to look at what Shaggy was staring at, and felt a powerful, emotional jolt run through his battered body. Two figures were moving at speed towards them, running beyond the police cordon, oblivious to the shouts behind them demanding them to 'stop'.

"Is that..?" he hardly dared to believe it could be so but knew Shaggy was thinking the same.

"Yes, yes I think it is," Shaggy replied emotionally.


With all eyes focussed gloomily on the fire-consumed end of the building, at first little attention was being paid to elsewhere but suddenly one of the rookie cops spotted two figures and a dog emerging from the smoky darkness at the side of the building.

" Look! Someone's coming out there!" his warning cry startled the assembled emergency personnel but ultimately it alerted Velma who nudged Daphne in disbelief.

Daphne stood up quickly from the edge of the ambulance she had been sitting on, hardly daring to believe her own eyes but as Velma grabbed her elbow, nails digging in sharply, she knew she was seeing the same thing. The girls didn't even need to say anything to each other, the reaction was instantaneous. She started running the same time as Velma.

The officers that were supposed to be protecting them were caught completely offguard as the girls sprinted past. They were commanded to 'stop' but there wasn't a chance they were going to listen.

As Daphne got closer to the shadowy figures she began to fear they were just a mirage or it was a dream, and she was really passed out in the ambulance. Velma was running in step alongside her though, so she knew it was real. It seemed to take forever to close the relatively small distance from the ambulance to the figures but as they got closer the figures became clearer. Despite all the pain from everything she had gone through on this awful night, both emotionally and physically, she shook it all aside to reach their side.

Could it really actually be him? Surely he wasn't OK? The last time Daphne had seen him, he was on the verge of being suffocated by millions of kernels of grain. But, as she came within mere millimetres of him now, she could see his anguished face break out into a small smile.

Oh god it truly is him and he's OK!


Velma knew she was fond of him, she had developed those feelings further when they shared a bed but still she hadn't been sure exactly how much she cared for Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers until this moment. Not until she had allowed herself to contemplate a life without him, not until she had allowed herself to imagine him NOT coming back out of that factory. Those minutes spent in the ambulance had near enough ripped her heart out actually so when the cop had shouted and she had a glimpse of him again, damn she had actually sprinted towards him and Velma Dinkley hated running. She could see him properly now, emerging from the smoky darkness, Scooby Doo at his heels and carrying an injured but alive Fred in his arms. His eyes briefly met hers and she thought she was going to pass out in relief. Had there ever been a more beautiful sight in the world? Velma didn't think so, she was in love with an actual fucking hero.


Nobody had a hope of catching the girls as they broke free past the cordon, no intention other than reaching the figures who had just appeared as if from nowhere.

Young Officer Rory Dewhurst who had spotted the two young men urgently radioed in to his superior inside, whilst running after the girls, aware he was toast with Detective White if anything happened to them.

"Ma'am? I think we might well have the hostage out here with us." Detectives White and Barnum were obviously stunned by this and Officer Dewhurst quickly relayed everything he could whilst answering their questions.

"Another boy, similar age I think, there's a dog too. The girls have gone straight to them. What? No, they were far too quick! Well he's alive, I can see that much."

Officer Dewhurst reached the group just in time to see the two young girls run into the free arms of the two boys. The previously stricken blond who had been virtually carried out by his friend was standing now and the tall dark haired girl, Daphne, had ran straight into his arms. The tall boy in turn enveloped the bespectacled girl and the four of them moved closer together closing ranks into a monumental group hug. Officer Dewhurst could feel a lump rising in his throat as he watched the obviously emotional reunion of the four teenagers.

White and Barnum told him to stay put but to stay alert for any sign of Devon Blake who had yet to be apprehended. Detective White then asked how Fred Jones was and Dewhurst watched awe-struck as Daphne Blake placed a tender kiss on his lips. "I'd say he's doing OK."


From nowhere Fred had somehow found the strength to stand unaided now and in a blur of tears, she had ran into his arms. He cherished her scent and being able to hold her once again and he buried his head in her soft, dark hair, as she sobbed into his chest.

"Oh god Fred, I'm so sorry!" She kissed him briefly on the lips and he tried not to tense up from the pain as she met his bruised lips.

He quickly found himself crying too, but this was in pure relief, when Shaggy had said Daphne was here and knowing Devon's intentions for her, he had really feared the worst but here she was and she was safe.

"It's okay," he whispered, "it's okay," he repeated, stroking her hair.

She looked up at him, her beautiful face glistening with tears as she saw the cuts and many bruises, including the egg-sized lump on his temple from where Devon had smashed him with the gun more times than he could count. She reached out to cup his cheek gently and her eyes filled up again. "Look at you," she said barely above a whisper, "look what he did to you!"

Her hands caressed the bruises on his face and he gently pushed them away, holding them softly in his own calloused hands.

"Daphne, I'm fine," he tried to smile but even that hurt, the bruising around his mouth from being hit by both Devon and Cain meant it was incredibly painful. As he tried to reassure Daphne he was fine, he was painfully reminded of who was not OK and he couldn't help it but he broke down in front of her, Shaggy and Velma as the paramedics reached their side now, gurney in tow.

"Daph, I'm sorry, I tried, I tried so hard!" His face immediately crumpled in agony as he remembered the brutal fight to save Ethan. Daphne pulled him closer, palms encircling his back, as he cried onto her shoulder. "I did everything I could, I'm so, so sorry."

Shaggy realised he had been so intent on finding Fred that he had forgot all about Ethan. Shit, Ethan didn't make it, he realised sadly as he and Velma watched broken-hearted as Fred cried in Daphne's arms.

"It's not your fault," Daphne whispered through tears of her own as she bitterly recalled how Devon had taken Ethan from her and then revelled in it. "I know you tried to save him Freddy."

"But it wasn't enough!" Fred sobbed, the emotional pain of his ordeal suddenly hit him hard. "I couldn't save him!"

"Okay son, take it easy," the male paramedic had reached Fred now, and was attempting to gently prise him away from Daphne, who was having none of it.

"He's dead," Fred trembled, repeating it over and over, "he's dead, I couldn't stop it."

"We need to get him to hospital right away," the paramedic declared decisively, glancing at the stricken young man, he wasn't much older than his own son but it was clear he had gone through a terrible ordeal. His shoulders were shaking now, his skin had paled significantly and he began to sweat, the man observed his pupils start to dilate. He reached out a hand now to firmly take the blond man from the girl's grasp. "I think he's going into shock sweetheart."

His colleague immediately grabbed the gurney, and they both helped get Fred onto it, easing him down and swathing in blankets, and covering his mouth with the oxygen mask.

Daphne was back in the arms of Velma and Shaggy, watching numbly as they wheeled Fred back to the ambulance. Her friends wore equally concerned expressions, watching wide-eyed and helpless as he was loaded into the vehicle carefully. The doors closed on him and their final view was of Fred, struggling to breathe normally as the paramedic worked on him.

The ambulance with Fred in, drove away in an instant, a peel of red and blue lights and the siren piercing the still air.

It took a few seconds for Daphne to recover, staring after it in shock, she had just got him back, she couldn't lose him again.

"I have to go with him!" she shouted, trying to push out of Velma's hold, but she held onto her easily, stopping her breaking free. Why wasn't Velma letting her go, hadn't she seen Fred taken away from them once again?

"Velma! Let me go!" she demanded but Velma was unmoved.

"Shaggy!" she screamed at the tall teen, "Shaggy make her see sense!" she screamed desperately, but Shaggy too was unmoved, and she squirmed in frustration, finally taking her eye's off Fred's retreating ambulance to see Velma and Shaggy weren't so much unmoved as actually transfixed at something else. She stopped struggling as she saw the two detectives re-emerge from the fire ravaged building, closely followed by two men carrying a long black bag.

Detective Stella White walked towards the trio solemnly, Daphne didn't take her eyes off the bag even as Stella began to speak, only staring past her as the men laid the bag on the floor and both police and fire brigade flooded out the building behind it.

"The building is too dangerous to search now," she stated looking between the faces of the three teens. "We got word the hostage was found, how is he?"

Stella had directed the question at Daphne, but got no response so Velma cut in quickly, "he's on his way to hospital right now, he started to go into shock."

Stella nodded, seeing the anguish this development caused them."He's undoubtedly in the very best care right now", she assured them, focussing now on the taller, brown haired teenager she hadn't met before. "I understand you went in and found your friend, that was very brave of you," she commended. "Foolish but brave. You should also be checked over by an EMT you know, you all should be, you've all gone through such a terrible trauma..."

"Is that him?" Daphne suddenly asked her, never taking her eyes away from the bag. "Is that him?"

Stella sighed, "we searched the building as much as it was safe to, the fire was spreading very quickly, the fire marshal had to make the final call...he was the only occupant of the building that was found before the marshal pulled all the crews out. He probably died from smoke inhalation."

As if to emphasise the point about the danger of the fire, there was another small explosion from inside the building and the sound of some masonry falling.

"The crews will try and put the fire out from the outside now but it could be days before we could be allowed to formally search the building again...we think..."

But Daphne wasn't listening any longer, and broke forward before anyone could stop her, she pulled at the zipper and recoiled away from the badly burnt body inside, tears springing to her eyes again.

Stella watched the young girl break down next to the body and explained what Daphne had just discovered, "we think Devon Blake managed to escape," she finished resignedly.

Shaggy watched Daphne open the bag to reveal the body of a man in a werewolf costume. Undoubtedly the same werewolf he had left in the control room. He felt his heart plummet to the floor, this wasn't over. "He escaped?! What do you mean he escaped? How could he get past all your men?!"

Stella was just as frustrated as the kids, "we don't know for certain, he could still be in there," she jerked her head towards the burning building. "But, we don't think so. I'm sorry Daphne, rest assured your father is our most wanted man in a long time in Coolsville."

Daphne had been silent since discovering it wasn't Devon in the body bag.

"He isn't my father," she replied coldly. Velma and Shaggy each reached out a hand to help her up from the ground, the fire raging behind them, even after all they had gone through tonight, rescuing Fred, this nightmare still wasn't over. Shaggy felt nothing but despair.

Stella didn't miss a beat as she considered what Daphne had said. She had a feeling this already incredible story was going to take another twist and already had her suspicions about how Devon could have pulled off his Houdini disappearing act.

"Come on," she said kindly to them, placing a hand on Shaggy's shoulder, "let's get you all to the hospital, I have a feeling we have a lot to discuss."


It was nearly 6am by the time the three exhausted teenagers reached the hospital, they had all been checked over in the ambulances on the way there. The EMT's were satisfied that none of them needed to be admitted for any physical injuries, though they still strongly recommended they be kept in to recover from the trauma of their ordeal. There was only one place the kids wanted to be though and they assembled one by one outside Fred's hospital room, where armed guards were stationed ominously.

The medical team had managed to return Fred's temperature to normal and had administered fluids in the ambulance, by the time they had reached the hospital, his skin had lost the clammy sheen and he was able to breathe on his own again. His head was bandaged as was his left wrist and he was still hooked up to fluids, had bloods monitored and a tube was inserted through his nose but as they encircled his bedside, he sat up quickly in the bed, his eyes shining.

"Hey!" he greeted them warmly.

Daphne, having managed to compose herself in the ambulance for nearly an hour, couldn't help it and burst into tears again at the sight of him. She sat down by his side, grasping for his hand which she took gently in hers.

"Hey you, you gave us all such a fright!" she said through her tears, her relief that he was okay, tangible and shared by Shaggy and Velma.

Shaggy reached down to carefully hug Fred, taking his other free hand, which he gratefully clasped, pulling him to him the best that he could.

Velma, as usual, stood awkwardly watching the obvious displays of emotion from Daphne and Shaggy, she saw the blond man watching her carefully from the bed and he grinned, waiting to see what she would do.

There was no doubt at all that Velma was just as happy as any of them that Fred had been rescued and was for the most part, OK, but it didn't stop her usual social awkwardness.

"It's good to see you Jones," she said quickly, stiffly and formally as possible.

Fred acknowledged this, glad in a way that despite the horror ordeal they had gone through, she was still the same old ice maiden Velma.

"Dinkley," he saluted back playfully.

"There's someone else who wants to say hello, DS White said he could have 5 minutes. Exceptional circumstances and all." Shaggy said smiling, rising up from Fred's bedside to open the door and take his dog from the policeman who had been looking after him. Snapping the lead free, Shaggy let him loose, Scooby Doo leapt into the room and immediately climbed eagerly onto Fred's bed, ignoring Shaggy's plea 'to be careful Scooby!'

"Well, if it isn't my brave rescuer!" Fred said happily, making a huge fuss of him, "hi Scooby!"

Scooby licked Fred's face delightedly, he had been so worried when he disappeared again and saw the worry on his friend's faces but look, here he was, he was OK! He climbed a little onto Fred's chest so he could reach to lick his ear, a favoured spot, and Fred let out a little groan of pain.

"Ooooophhh!"

"Scooby!" Shaggy instantly chastised, "I told you Fred was hurt!"

Okay, well maybe he wasn't quite okay yet Scooby thought, and reluctantly jumped down from the bed a couple of minutes before DS White entered.

"I think that's your time up now," she said, with regret, as the dog handler came back in to reclaim Scooby. "Don't worry we'll take good care of him Shaggy," she reassured him, seeing the sadness in the boy's eyes. "You and Scooby Doo are heroes!"

Scooby left the room with the handler and Stella followed closely behind."Obviously we have a lot to discuss with Fred, well with all of you really, but we'll let you catch up first," she said kindly, closing the door so it was just the four teenagers.

The four looked from one to the other, nobody wanted to speak first, there were so many gaps to be filled in, so much needed to be said.

"Fred..." Daphne started but Fred quickly stopped her in her tracks.

"Please don't say you're sorry again Daphne, none of you in fact. What happened to me was not the fault of any of you, I don't want any of you to shoulder any blame. He tricked you."

"But Fred, I should have known! More than anyone here, I should have known!" Shaggy said in anguish as he recalled the panic he felt when Fred disappeared.

"He was clever Shaggy, he had thought of everything, that message he sent, it was plausible given my past. He wanted you to think I had left all of my own making. I assume you found the box with the bullet?"

Velma nodded.

"See, the note, the bullet, the logical conclusion there is that I had run away because of the threat."

Shaggy wasn't appeased however.

"I still shouldn't have fallen for it."

"You didn't give up on him though Shaggy, you hunted Greg down, you wouldn't stop until you got answers. I was the one who convinced Daphne that you had really gone. I let my personal feelings over the past colour my judgement now, for that I am truly sorry. God I need some air!" Velma cried tearfully, getting up and running out the room abruptly, Shaggy quickly followed her.

"I said no 'sorry's' Velma!" Fred shouted wearily after them, before glancing again at Daphne. "This was not your fault either Daph. I will not have you blaming yourself. If anything I can just as easily blame myself, the signs were there that everything wasn't quite right and yet I walked head-first into a trap."

Daphne listened as Fred then recalled painfully and with some bitterness, how he received the gift at work and Greg sold him a sob story about his girlfriend breaking down in Ledervelle and instead lured him to Devon, hidden in a van. He spoke of the panic he felt when he realised the truth, the feeling of betrayal when Greg walked away, leaving him in the hands of a psychopath. He told how he woke up in the factory and his voice cracked a little as he told of how he found Ethan locked in the room with him. Daphne held his hand tightly as Fred tearfully revealed that he and Ethan tricked one lackey, allowing them the chance to escape.

His eyes glazed over as he reached the part where Ethan was attacked by the other of Devon's men.

"It all happened so quickly," he said, "one minute he was there and then the next..." his right hand curled into a fist as he recalled the painful moment. "He stabbed him before I even had chance to react," he sobbed. "And then...then...he began choking him," he said shakily, "his huge arms were around his throat and oh god Daphne, I had to do something!"

Daphne was crying along with Fred now as he told of the single worst moment of his captivity.

"I pushed him, and he fell straight over the rail," he finished in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "I never wanted to kill him, I just wanted him to let go of Ethan."

Daphne was stunned and heartbroken for Fred, at just 19 years old, he had taken a life, it was something he was unlikely to be able to get over.

"Oh Fred," she stroked his arm, "you did what you had to do."

"But it didn't even save him!" Fred cried bitterly. "I tried so hard, I patched him up the best I could, I carried him, I pushed him outside ahead of me even though it meant being caught again! And still it wasn't enough! They still killed him Daphne!" He cried openly now, as Daphne closed her eyes and kissed Fred's forehead.

He glimpsed Velma and Shaggy returning and whispered urgently in her ear. "Please don't tell them Daph, I don't want them to know!" Daphne squeezed his hand tightly, a silent assurance that she wouldn't.

Velma rarely cried, definitely not in front of people anyway, and yet tears streaked her face again as she walked back in to hear Fred tell of how he bravely and selflessly tried to save Daphne's cousin.

Fred's tears soon gave way to anger as he recalled how Devon taunted him in the hours since Ethan's death, over the fun Devon had in making Fred one of his werewolves. Only Daphne knew the true real reason for this shocking development but the others were stunned as Fred spoke of his disgust at becoming Devon's new right hand man.

"He gave me no choice," Fred said angrily, "he made me put on that ridiculous costume, and help unload his filthy cargo and I felt disgusted but you came through Velms, you really came through!" He smiled for the first time since he had began recalling his kidnapping. "What you did was so smart, and it was hilarious how he reacted, he was FUMING and I just knew it was you. I just prayed you had all got away but then I saw you Shaggy..."

Velma, Shaggy and Daphne were reeling from the revelation that Fred was actually one of the werewolves at the docks under duress. Even before Fred finished, Shaggy had put the missing piece together of his miracle escape from the dockyard when seemingly he was trapped.

"It was you?" he asked in disbelief, remembering how the other werewolf had gone from seconds away from catching him to falling on the floor in a heap.

"I couldn't let him get you Shaggy," Fred smiled warmly at his friend. "I took him out," he confirmed proudly, "I got a kicking for my troubles after but yeah I took him out."

"Unbelievable," Shaggy marvelled, "I would never have believed that was you, why didn't you just try and say something?"

"I was gagged," Fred grimaced at the memory of the discomfort of the gag and the mask. "Hey what about you guys though? You actually came and took his drugs! He was SO pissed off! I can't believe Greg finally came through in the end huh! And just in time."

"His conscience must have got the better of him," Shaggy mused, "he did actually sound distraught on the phone."

"Well, I'm glad it did, he actually came through in a big way for us, bringing the police in like that, I don't think we could have done it on our own."

"But he couldn't have Velma!" Daphne said suddenly, looking worried. "You told me, Greg didn't know where Fred was being held and that you only knew where to go because of the tracker you planted on me. So either he lied to you or he couldn't possibly have been the one who brought the police in."

The gang were troubled as they realised Daphne was correct, neither Velma nor Shaggy nor Daphne had brought the police with them, Devon had gone to great lengths to secure his hideout so the questioned remained, just who had?

Fred had just assumed that one of the gang had gone behind the other's back and got the police or failing that, Greg had called the cops on their behalf after talking to Shaggy but it was extremely worrying now it was clear that this could not be the case. For the first time since he had awakened, he noticed the two armed policemen stationed outside his room.

"Guys, why are they here?" he demanded nervously.

Velma and Shaggy exchanged glances, Daphne couldn't look Fred in the eye, they didn't want to have to tell him this but what choice did they have?

"Fred," Daphne told him, nothing but pain in her expression, "they're there for your protection because...well, Devon's still out there," she finished morosely, eyes downcast.

Fred immediately stiffened in the bed, tensing up inside."But the fire? The police?" he said confusedly, "how could he possibly escape?"

"We don't know," Velma admitted. "DS White thinks he somehow got to a car. There's an APB out on him."

"But that's bullshit!" Fred said venomously, fearfully.

"He must have had some help on the inside to escape, he always bragged about having the police in hand." Velma theorised aloud.

"He wouldn't come here," Daphne tried to say reassuringly. "He'd be absolutely stupid to try anything in Coolsville now."

But Fred was not pacified, "something's not quite right Daphne! What if all this is still some big game, if none of you called the police and it wasn't Greg either... Well then, who the fuck did?"

Stella entered the room at this point and they all turned to stare.

"That's a very good question. I was waiting for the right moment to do this but I guess there's no easy way. You have to ask yourself Mr Jones, who is the only other person who could possibly have told us where you were being held?" She gave a small, mysterious smile and moved aside slightly, allowing the kids a small glimpse behind her.

A set of wheels slid slowly into view, followed by a strong, male voice. "That would be me."

Shaggy and Velma gasped, Fred stared forward in amazement, gripping the side of his bed. Daphne took two steps forward before collapsing onto the floor.

It wasn't possible, this simply wasn't possible but as he wheeled himself fully into the room, she slowly crawled onto her knees and saw him clearly now. He smiled down at her.

"Hey there cuz."