A/N: This is the last chapter. The end. Cry. No more after this. Even if there were, I wouldn't be able to post them for over a week, 'cause I'm going away and will NOT have internet access. I don't know if I'm gonna post any more fanfic after that or not... I've got lots of ideas but lots of summer homework. And there is no way I'll have time during the school year. Sorry. Thank you so much for reading, but you're probably tired of this by now anyway. I might be getting kinda tired myself. Thanks for all the reviews!

Chapter 37:

Christmas carols filled the room as packages were torn open left and right. It was funny, really, watching the adults go crazy as the only child in the room fell asleep. She had the largest pile of presents, of course, and couldn't have cared less. In another year, of course, it would be an entirely different scenario.

Freddie was opening her presents for her. Scooby was in hog heaven, having just unopened his twelth box of Scooby Snacks. Shaggy and Velma were kissing under the mistletoe, feeling liberated now that they could be open about it. When they were done, Velma reached under the tree, pulled out a package, and handed it to Daphne.

"Here," she told her. "This isn't really a present; I'm returning something."

Daphne opened it.

It was the outfits she had given Velma last August.

"Bet you didn't think you'd fit into them again," Velma told her, grinning.

Daphne blushed and smiled at the same time. It was true; virtually everything she had gained during pregnancy had come right off during the last month. Somehow Daphne was good at that sort of thing.

"Anyway, I figured if they would fit you again, you should have them back." Velma didn't mention that it was one of two criteria for Daphne's possession of the clothes, seeing as the other was a joke that Daphne probably didn't remember. The scary irony was that both happened to be the case here.

"Thank you so much, Velma!"

Velma turned back to the mistletoe, where Shaggy was anxiously awaiting.

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Somewhere over the course of the day the gang had drifted into the room with the fireplace, hot chocolate and rendeer-shaped cookies in everyone's hand except Janice's. Mr. Blake stopped by for a couple hours, then went home. His granddaughter was his world now, the world he had nearly missed, the world he loved to visit every day.

He would spoil her rotten, Daphne amused herself by thinking.

Around nine o'clock-ish, Daphne and Freddie went up to bed. With Janice awaking them every few hours, they needed all the sleep they could get. They first showed Velma, Scooby, and Shaggy their quarters. They had decided to put their friends up for the night, seeing as it was late and some of the neighbors partied too hard on Christmas, making the prospect of driving home slightly nerve-wracking.

Now Shaggy and Velma sat, content, in front of the fireplace, once more blissfully alone. Scooby was already up in their room, still enchanted at having opened more boxes of Scooby Snacks than he had ever owned in his life.

They watched the flames merrily dance and play.

"Merry Christmas, Velma," Shaggy told his girlfriend.

"Merry Christmas, Shaggy," Velma answered, leaning against him.

She checked the clock on the mantle. Midnight. Three hours together really could fly by. Yet they were likely shorter for Velma than they were for Shaggy, due to the fact that once they were over she had to tell him what she feared would have spoiled his Christmas.

She opened her mouth just as he was opening his.

"It's been great, hasn't it Velma?" He was so secure, so unassuming...

She nodded. "Yeah... it has..." She felt his warm, comfortable hug linger on her, then she sat up.

"Shaggy?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"There's something I need to tell you. Something we weren't counting on…"

THE END