A/N: This is the penultimate chapter. THE END IS NEAR. But not here yet.

Chapter 38:

Snow was falling. Perfect.

The slopes were waiting.

Velma and Shaggy buckled Max into his car seat inside the Mystery Machine, right next to Janice's. The great thing about the fact that Daphne's father owned the ski resort was that for a few days, he could close it to everyone but Mystery Inc. Janice's secret was safe. One might have argued that what did it matter, Janice was far too young to ski anyway, but it was nice being able to have normal, "family," trip, as normal as either the Jones or the Rogers families ever would be.

Daphne came out of the house, holding the tiny bundle that was Daniel in her arms. True to Daphne's holiday prediction, he had arrived almost at the stroke of midnight between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Sure, his birthday was officially December 24, but Mystery Inc. would probably always consider him a Christmas baby. Daphne had even posed the possibility of naming him Nicholas, but Fred had really been looking forward to naming him Daniel, so they dismissed the suggestion.

Daphne placed Daniel into the newborn-sized car seat. "You know," she commented, sliding into the front seat next to Freddie, "It was pretty sweet of Daddy to set up that one little room as a nursery over at the lodge."

"Yeah," the others agreed. The whole thing was pretty amazing. Everyone in the gang, except of course Scooby and the newest members, was married. They had children, who were already growing up too fast. At one year old, Janice was now taking her first steps, her unnecessity for walking not preventing her from learning in the slightest. Max was four-and-a-half months old and as active as a kid could be at that age. Daniel was the baby now... already four days old.

The van drove off, fuller than it ever had been, happier than it ever had been.

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Velma was just putting her skis away after venturing a new slope with Daphne when it struck her like lightning.

How could she have forgotten?

She raced up to the lodge, where Shaggy and Scooby were engaged in a juvenile game involving the marshmallows from their hot chocolate and the utterance of a phrase concerning rotund logomorphs.

"Rubby Runnies," Scooby said, perhaps eighteen marshmallows crammed into his cheeks at once.

"Ha! You lose, Scoob!" Shaggy told him victoriously. Scooby made a face, his canine speech impediment having once again lost him a round of Chubby Bunnies.

"Shaggy..." Velma told her husband, approaching their table.

"Like, hi, Velma..." Shaggy told her, almost forgetting to swallow his marshmallows first.

Velma motioned for him to follow her outside, but she stopped by the nursery first, where Fred was taking his shift with the kids.

"Hey, Freddie... can we have ours back?" Velma asked jokingly.

She picked up her son and bundled him up. She carried him outdoors as she led Shaggy to the smooth patch of icy snow near the parking lot. Shaggy was still inquisitive, until she handed him a shovel. Now he had an idea, but still...

"This is my New Year's resolution," Velma explained.

"Aw, Velma, that's like not for another few--"

"I'm not talking about next year's resolution, Shaggy. I'm talking about this one."

Shaggy thought back. "About not being a procrastinator?"

Velma laughed. "Well... obviously I didn't keep that one too well. I made a second resolution and now I'm just getting around to it." She started cutting blocks with her own shovel, somehow managing while holding Max at the same time.

Shaggy caught on and quickly helped assemble the igloo. They moved quickly and efficiently, the baby somehow not slowing them in the least.

There. It was done.

Eagerly, the little family crawled inside, keeping each other warm. Max smiled. He seemed to understand that his parents had meant to do this a long time ago.

"So," Shaggy began, after nobody had said anything for a while. "Like... it's been quite a year, hasn't it?"

Velma nodded, thinking. "I guess we just had to come back to the igloo, you know that?"

"Definitely," Shaggy wholeheartedly agreed.

"Because I think this is where everything else started."

Shaggy's mind replayed the scene that had occurred about a year and a month ago. The scene he didn't think he would ever forget. Three and a half hours of sheer bliss... and blizzard.

He looked down at the infant he was cradling. He now believed Velma's statement was correct. He kissed the child's forehead.

"It's also where we got the courage, I think," she continued. Shaggy saw how she was correct in this matter also. She was referencing how she and Shaggy had kept their love a secret for a while. But now they had their whole lives meshed around each other. How could they have ever done that much without first stating the basic, simple fact that they were in love?

"And like, look at us... a year later."

"A lot can happen in a year."

"Like, just wait and see what might happen after another one... or two... or ten or twelve..."

" 'Till death do us part,' " Velma stated, happily feeling the words' significance in realizing that they really would be together in ten or twelve years, and in fifteen... twenty... fifty... maybe, if they were lucky, they would both live long enough to someday celebrate their diamond anniversary. Who knew?

"And can we build the igloo next year? And maybe the year after that?"

"Sure... why not? We can make it a tradition!"

Shaggy smiled, the anticipation gripping the three of them and warming the icy igloo into feeling like a tropical hut in paradise. A family tradition.

A family.