A/N: I've just finished watching Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, and I was surprised at how much I loved it. I came to really love Fred's character and his ridiculously complicated family relationships. I wanted to explore Fred's relationship with his Mayor not-Dad, so I started writing this thing. Fred Jones Sr. is a complicated character, as he desperately cares about the treasure, but he does actually care about Fred, and I wanted to get into that.
Brad Chiles was back in Crystal Cove.
Fred Jones frowned and stared in disbelief at the young, blond man who definitely shouldn't be here. Fred Jones had chased him, and the other members of Mystery Incorporated, out of town. He'd thought that the threat to their families from the Freak of Crystal Cove would have been enough to keep them away for good, but apparently Brad Chiles didn't have nearly as much familial responsibility as Fred Jones had thought.
There was something...different about Brad Chiles. He looked pretty much the same, except he looked slightly more like a man than a teenage boy. What was different wasn't his physical appearance, but his demeanor. Brad Chiles wasn't playing detective with the rest of his friends. Not even Judy Reeves was at his side, and Fred Jones couldn't remember ever seeing Brad without his girlfriend at his side.
As strange as it was to see Brad without all of his friends, what made it even stranger was that he wasn't alone. Remarkably enough, there was a child, an infant, in his arms. A child that looked a lot like Brad, but not without some Judy Reeves in there. Fred Jones had known that Brad and Judy were close, and they were adults now. It would make sense that they would take their relationship to the next level, but...but a baby?
Maybe the fact that Brad had a child wasn't so odd in and of itself, but what Fred couldn't understand was why Brad would bring his child with him back to Crystal Cove when he thought there was a monster and a curse out to get him and his family. It was reckless, and foolish, and Fred Jones needed to figure out what the young man was thinking.
Fred Jones frowned. He followed Brad Chiles from a distance as he walked around town. Fortunately, they didn't pass anybody who knew Brad Chiles personally. Nobody looked twice in his direction, which was in both of their best interest. If people knew that Brad Chiles was still alive, Fred Jones would either have to make good on his threat to ruin their families, or do nothing and risk Mystery Incorporated calling his bluff and all returning to find the treasure. His treasure.
Fred Jones just hoped that he could get Brad Chiles to leave before causing a scene, and this time make him stay away. Fred Jones wasn't sure if he had the stomach to do anything really drastic, but he couldn't just back off and let them take the treasure. He had dedicated so much time and effort, as well as abandoned some of his previous morals. He'd come so far, he wasn't going to just abandon all of his hard work because he was queasy about taking things a step further than he already had.
Fred Jones scowled as he saw Brad walk into the town library. Brad wasn't a reader, Fred Jones doubted that much had changed in just two years. Brad didn't read for recreation, but he would if he was looking for specific information...like the location of a piece of the Planispheric Disk.
Fred Jones quickly followed Brad into the library. An instinct deep inside him, like a strong pull, told him to dig out his old Freak costume and scare Brad Chiles all over again, but he resisted. He may be near obsessed with the treasure, but Fred Jones still had self control. He may desperately want Brad to leave, but he had to be smart about this. Threats hadn't worked earlier, and they wouldn't work now. Not unless Fred Jones found out exactly why his general threat of a curse hadn't been good enough, and he came up with a new plan.
Fred Jones watched Brad Chiles as he browsed the shelves, though just a few moments later the baby began to cry. Fred Jones didn't know a lot about babies, but he knew this wasn't anything unusual. Babies and children cried when they were distressed. The baby was probably just tired or hungry. Or it could just be trying for unknown reasons and needed a few minutes to calm down. Whatever the case, Brad Chiles, as the father, or at least the caretaker, of the child, had to do something to deal with it. Stop the crying. However, Brad Chiles did nothing.
Actually, he didn't do nothing. Brad Chiles tried bouncing the baby for a moment before he groaned and looked around desperately. Fred Jones backed up behind a shelf, getting himself out of sight. He didn't want Brad Chiles to recognize him, at least not yet.
"Excuse me, do you need help?" A woman's voice said. She sounded friendly enough.
"Yes," Brad Chiles said quickly. There was a bit of rustling. "I can't get him to stop crying, but I have some really important work to do, would you mind?"
"Oh, not at all," The woman said. "I know how hard it can be to get anything done with kids around."
"Thank you so much!" Brad Chiles said eagerly. There was some more rustling and the baby's cries got louder. It seemed this didn't worry Brad Chiles at all, because a second later the younger blond came walking past him, his arms empty...without a child in them.
Brad Chiles ran off to look through bookshelves, grabbing promising looking books as he went. Fred Jones' deep instinct told him to go after Brad Chiles before he could get invested in the mystery of Crystal Cove all over again, but he could still hear the baby crying, as well as the woman speaking soothingly to him.
No, he wouldn't...Even Brad Chiles couldn't be so self centered as this. Fred Jones poked his head out from behind the shelf and looked towards the crying. His eyes widened when he saw a woman holding the small baby, who was still crying.
Fred Jones seethed. What kind of responsible parent left their child in the hands of a complete stranger who may or may not want to harm the child? It was absolutely horrible. This lady certainly seemed nice, but seeing her holding the baby just felt extremely wrong. Fred Jones felt the need to do something. It was similar to the pull to stop Brad Chiles or any of the other kids from Mystery Incorporated from getting the treasure, except this pull was even stronger.
Fred Jones cleared his throat, messed up his hair slightly and adjusted his clothes so he wouldn't appear as stuffy. He loosened his tie so it didn't even look proper, but like something that he would often see the other college students wearing. They seemed to think it was cool. Fred Jones just thought it was sloppy, but that wasn't the point at the moment.
"Brady, honestly, you couldn't wait a few minutes for me outside?" Fred Jones asked as he stepped out from behind the shelf. "I told you our child would be fussy because it's napti-oh," Fred Jones trailed off as he looked at the woman, who was staring at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, but why are you holding my son?"
"Your son?" The woman frowned in confusion and clutched the child tightly. She was protective, which was nice, but annoying to deal with.
"Yes," Fred Jones said in a tone that was completely even and left no room for argument. He may be lying, but he'd found that if he talked like he knew what he was doing, people would believe him. "I knew my husband had some work he had to do at the library, but the bus was late so I couldn't get here any sooner. Still, I can't believe he would ask a stranger to watch over our crying child. I honestly expect more from him," Fred Jones sighed in disappointment.
The woman didn't look convinced. "Your husband...what does he look like?"
"He's about this tall," Fred Jones indicated with his hand. "Broad shouldered, somewhat muscular, blond," Fred Jones gave the child a small grin. "Fortunately, our son got his good looks,"
The woman brightened. Fred Jones' description of Brad seemed to have convinced her. "Oh, don't be too upset with your husband. He didn't ask me, I volunteered," The woman held out the child, and Fred Jones immediately took him in his arms. "And it's only been a moment. I just thought I would provide some relief,"
"And that is very kind of you," Fred Jones said. "But if you don't mind, this little boy has to go take his nap. Thank you, miss, and good day," Fred Jones would normally shake her hand, but his hands were full so he nodded at her instead and made his way towards where he had seen Brad run off to.
Fred Jones had only taken his eyes off of Brad Chiles for long enough to get a hold of his child, and yet the younger man seemed to have disappeared. Fred Jones couldn't find him anywhere, and the baby in his arms was still crying. Fred Jones was starting to get some angry looks, and he thought it best if he left the library before he got kicked out. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself, and holding a screaming child had a tendency to do just that.
Fred Jones knew he couldn't exactly leave, as that would defeat the purpose of coming here to talk to Brad in the first place, so he did the next best thing. Fred Jones went to the entrance of the library, walked just outside, and kept an eye out for Brad Chiles from out there. The younger man had to leave eventually, it was just a matter of waiting.
In the meantime, the crying was starting to grate on Fred Jones' ears. He didn't know what the child wanted. He didn't know a lot about babies, but he knew that one way to keep babies from crying was by giving them a pacifier. Fred Jones didn't have any of those, but he didn't think it really mattered what was in the baby's mouth, but just that they had something to suck on.
Fred Jones sighed and used his free hand to pull his loose tie off. He hesitated for just a moment before putting the tie in the baby boy's hands. The child blinked in confusion before he squished the tie in his fingers. The baby's cry began to quiet to a whimper as he put the tie in his mouth.
Fred Jones grimaced in disgust. He tried to tell himself it was okay. It was unnerving to see a baby trying to eat his custom tie, but he knew there would be no permanent damage done. The baby had no teeth, it was just sucking on the tie aggressively. Baby slobber was getting everywhere, but Fred Jones had been planning on washing that tie anyways.
Now, he couldn't think about the baby. He wasn't crying anymore, so Fred Jones could focus on what was important, getting Brad to leave town forever.
It was a half hour or so before Fred Jones saw Brad Chiles come to the front desk of the library. He had a high pile of books in his arms. If he was bringing that many books out with him, Fred Jones doubted that he'd done any research in the library itself, which was a relief. He could nip this issue in the bud.
A minute later Brad Chiles walked out of the library, looking far too pleased with him. Fred Jones put his face into a neutral expression. He couldn't let Brad know that he was unhappy that he was in town. The key to keeping the Mystery Incorporated members away from town was by making sure they thought the curse was real.
"...Brad Chiles, is that you?" Fred Jones asked. The blond man jumped and looked at him in alarm. It took him a moment before recognition flashed in his eyes.
"Freddy, long time no see," Brad Chiles adjusted his pile of books. "What are you-" Brad's original question trailed off as he looked at the baby that had fallen asleep in Fred Jones' arms. "What are you doing with my son?" He didn't sound concerned or panicked, just confused. "And is he asleep? That's incredible! We haven't been able to get him to sleep in weeks." And now Brad looked far too excited that a man he barely knew and hadn't seen in two years had gotten his baby to fall asleep.
Fred Jones hadn't even done anything special. He'd just held the child and let him suck on his tie. It wasn't anything that extraordinary. It was the absolute minimum that he could do. Did Brad Chiles really think that was something to be admired?
"Where have you been?" Fred Jones asked. He'd been keeping a vague out for the Mystery Incorporated members, but he hadn't really cared much for where they actually were, just so long as they weren't in Crystal Cove. But knowing where they were might do some good, especially if all four of them were still together and trying to find the Planispheric Disk.
"Around," Brad Chiles said casually. He didn't seem all that eager to share his information.
Fred Jones had no patience for Brad's attempt at beating around the bush. He would get his answers, he just had to go about it a different way.
"What happened to you?" Fred Jones asked. He already knew what happened to them, as he was the one responsible for it, but he wanted to know what Brad Chiles was going to say.
"Oh, we had to leave," Brad Chiles said. "All of us. There was this monster, the Freak of Crystal Cove. It threatened to destroy our families if we came back. A monster. It. Was that what Brad thought of him? Somehow, Fred Jones was more amused than anything.
"If your family was threatened, why would you return with your child?" Fred Jones asked, and why wasn't Brad taking his child back? Fred Jones was still holding the baby. It didn't seem right.
"My family left town," Brad Chiles grinned smugly. He thought he had found a loophole, but Fred Jones wasn't going to let him get away with that. "As for the baby, me and Judy got married and had him a few weeks ago." So this wasn't just an infant, it was a newborn.
"Where is Judy?" Fred Jones asked. She was a mother now, so why wasn't she with her child?
"She's taking a break." Brad said. "Pregnancy was really hard on her...on both of us, actually," Which Fred Jones didn't understand. How would Brad be affected by the pregnancy? "Judy's body changed a lot more than either of us were expecting, and we agreed that while she was recovering, I would take the baby until she felt ready for this." Ready for what? To take care of a child? They'd had nine months to get ready for this. Fred Jones knew that taking care of children was difficult, but Brad and Judy really should be better than this. They had a child.
Fred Jones knew that Brad and Judy loved themselves almost as much as they cared about each other, but he didn't remember either of them being this vain. They had changed in these two years. Fred Jones wouldn't normally have a problem with it. He didn't care what other people's personalities were, as it didn't affect him at all, but who it did affect was the baby in his arms...a baby that Fred Jones hadn't heard a proper name for.
"What's your son's name?" Fred Jones asked.
Brad Chiles chuckled slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, we haven't had the time to come up with a name yet."
"...what?" Fred Jones stared at Brad Chiles in shock. "You haven't named you son, and it's been a few weeks?" Again, they'd had nine months to come up with a name. It was clear that not only were they completely unprepared to be parents, but Fred Jones didn't think they ever would be.
"Hey, it's not easy to be a parent," Brad said, like he had done anything worthy of being called a 'parent' thus far, and Fred Jones highly doubted he had.
"If you're such an amazing parent, why would you bring your son here when your family was threatened?" Fred Jones asked. Brad Chiles had to know that his family was made up of more than just his parents. It now included Judy, his wife, and his unnamed son. If Brad Chiles wasn't completely positive that his son would be safe, why would he take the chance? It was idiotic, and showed where the man's priorities were.
If Brad Chiles didn't understand that his son was in danger, and that he really shouldn't have returned to Crystal Cove, Fred Jones would have to make him understand.
"Listen, I have work I have to do," Fred Jones said. "I never signed up to be a babysitter." He offered the child out to his father. Brad Chiles didn't look at all pleased, but he reluctantly put his books on the ground and took his son. Fred Jones picked up the books and looked them over. They were books that covered the occult, specifically curses, the history of Crystal Cove, Spanish conquistadors. It was clear that Brad was looking for information that might help him find the Planispheric Disk.
Well, that just wouldn't do.
"While you've all been gone, I've found some additional information that might interest you," Fred Jones said carefully. "At the old Spanish church," Brad's interest was immediately caught. "Find someone to watch your son, and then we can meet up there.""
"That sounds great, thank you," Brad grinned excitedly. "Just give me fifteen minutes and-"
"Two hours," Fred Jones said sternly. He needed time to put his plan into action. Besides, the sun would be down in an hour and a half, and for what Fred Jones had in mind, he would work best in the dark. Books in his arms, Fred Jones turned and made his way back to his home. He didn't rush. Fred Jones was calm and collected. He knew what he was doing, and he wasn't hesitating.
Once he was back in his home, Fred Jones dropped the books in the sitting room and hurried to his bedroom. He had a safe above his bed where he kept a piece of the Planispheric Disk, as well as his Freak costume.
It seemed that Brad needed a little reminder. The Freak of Crystal Cove wasn't just a monster from Brad Chiles' nightmares. He was someone who wasn't to be taken lightly.
Fred Jones dorned his old costume, which he hadn't thought he would have to wear again. It seemed like the Freak of Crystal Cove would have to come out of retirement.
As the Freak, Fred Jones spent more than an hour in his own home, moving around and refamiliarizing himself with the Freak. He couldn't let Brad Chiles recognize his voice, speech patterns, body language, mannerisms, anything. He couldn't just be Fred Jones in a costume, he had to truly become the Freak.
By the time Fred Jones was confident that Brad Chiles wouldn't recognize him, even subconsciously, the sun was beginning to set. There were just enough shadows around for Fred Jones to travel in and through without being seen. This disguise was for Brad, not for the whole town. Fred Jones wasn't eager to become the next local legend that everybody talked about. He just wanted Mystery Incorporated out from under his skin.
Fred Jones had nearly an hour before he and Brad Chiles had planned to meet, but he didn't plan on confronting the man quite yet. He needed leverage first, and Fred Jones thought he knew exactly what, or rather, who that leverage should be.
It was unnervingly simple to find who Brad had left his son with. In just fifteen minutes Fred Jones had his hands on the baby. The designated babysitter was a teenage girl who was far too busy making out with her boyfriend to even know that the baby she thought was in the other room was being taken right out from under her nose.
Why Brad Chiles thought that this girl would know how to take care of a newborn child, Fred Jones wouldn't know.
With the baby boy in his arms, Fred Jones left and made his way towards the old Spanish church. As soon as Brad Chiles began to approach, Fred Jones would get him. He would make Brad Chiles wish that he'd never even thought of returning to Crystal Cove.
Even though they'd scheduled a time to meet, Brad Chiles showed up early, like Fred Jones had suspected he would. He was betraying Brad Chiles' trust, and just assumed that the other man wouldn't hesitate to do the same to him. He'd thought that Brad Chiles would try to get a head start on finding what Fred Jones had spoken of.
He really would be sorely disappointed.
When Brad entered the church and began to look around Fred Jones gave him a moment before he leapt down from the rafters as the Freak and landed in front of the startled man. Brad Chiles looked alarmed at first, but that startled look turned to one of horror when he noticed the sleeping baby in the Freak's arms.
"Me warn you," The Freak said roughly. He drew his finger across the sleeping infant's cheek, not harming him, but sending a clear message to his father. "No listen when me say no return to Crystal Cove,"
"Wha-hey!" Brad Chiles was trying to put on a brave face, but The Freak could see his hands shaking and he could hear the tremble in his voice. "Leave the kid alone. He has nothing to do with any of this." This was the first moment that Brad Chiles had actually sounded like a father, but too little too late.
"He your family," The Freak teased in a voice almost like a taunt. He waved a finger at Brad, as though to scold him. The Freak got serious a moment later. "Me was clear. No return to Crystal Cove!"
"I know, I know," Brad Chiles said desperately. He moved a hand like he wanted to grab his son, but he held himself back. He didn't want to give The Freak any further reason to harm the child. "Look, I'll leave, okay? We'll never come back to Crystal Cove. Just give me back my son. My wife will not be very happy if I return without him."
The Freak snarled. It almost sounded like Brad Chiles cared more about what Judy would think of him than the safety of his child. "Not good enough," The Freak held the child close to his chest in a way that could be seen as protective if the circumstances were any different. "New deal. Baby be safe if you no return to Crystal Cove...without baby."
"W-what?" Brad Chiles' eyes widened. "You...you can't be serious."
"Am serious," The Freak chuckled darkly. He wrapped his fingers in a feather-light grip around the boy's neck. He wasn't hurting the child, but he was certainly scaring his father. The Freak laughed when he heard Brad Chiles let out a cry of alarm and panic. "Leave!"
"But…" Brad Chiles looked at the Freak desperately, but he wasn't in the mood for giving mercy. He was sparing the child's life, and he'd made his conditions very clear. Brad Chiles would regret it if he tried to defy him again. Finally Brad Chiles' shoulders drooped. "Fine, you win, I'll leave."
"Child stay," The Freak said. He needed Brad to understand that he had made a mistake coming back, and that mistake wasn't without its consequences.
Brad swallowed thickly. "Yeah, the child stays, just...you can't hurt him!"
"He be safe if you no return," The Freak said. "Last warning." The Freak pointed to the door. "Leave," He didn't just mean the church, and Brad Chiles knew it. The man stared desperately at his son, his eyes wide. He lingered for much longer than The Freak liked, but finally the man closed his eyes and ran out of the old Spanish church, not looking back once.
The Freak didn't relax right away. There was always a chance that Brad Chiles would be foolish enough to turn around, so he waited. After nearly fifteen minutes The Freak felt confident that it had worked. Brad Chiles was gone, and with any luck he wasn't going to come back.
He sighed and let his Freak persona slip. Instead of the Freak, Fred Jones was the one who stared down at the still sleeping child in his arms. He'd managed to get rid of Brad Chiles, hopefully for good, but he now had another problem on his hands.
"What am I going to do with you?" Fred Jones asked. The baby just muttered in his sleep in response, completely unaware that his father wasn't there, and that he may never be there again. The child's whole life was in Fred Jones' hands, and he had no idea what he was going to do with it.
A/N: This is going to be a multi-chapter story, but it may be a little bit before I get the next chapter out. I have other stories that I really should be working on, but I really wanted to write at least this first chapter.
Also, did anyone else wonder just how Fred Jones Sr. got Fred in the first place? The show didn't actually say whether Brad left Fred with Fred Jones Sr., or if he left him with The Freak. I went with The Freak, because why would Brad Chiles listen to Fred Jones Sr. say that his son would be unharmed if Brad never returned to Crystal Cove? As far as Brad was concerned, Fred Jones Sr. wasn't a threat to his son.