Sponge: Welcome back! The title of the last chapter, "Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police. Congratulations to AnonymousAva for the correct guess – and also thank you for the very kind review! Hope you all are ready for this very intense chapter. Warnings: language and angst. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera.

Chapter 11: You Oughta Know

Fred, as he'd suggested all those weeks ago, procured a nanny-cam the following day and put it inside Velma's locker. Unfortunately, it didn't do much good. The secret admirer didn't put any more notes in Velma's locker that week, and even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered – the slats in the locker door were indeed too thin to capture a good image of anyone on the other side, as Tony had predicted.

"What should I do?" Velma asked Shaggy on Thursday night. She was at his house again, laying beside him on the couch in his basement. They'd been making out, which had been a great distraction, but now the worry was back. She wasn't one to fret, but this situation was freaking her out – and that was making her short-tempered.

Shaggy stroked her arm comfortingly. He could only think of one thing to say, and he didn't think it would be particularly helpful, but it was the only response he had.

"Are you like...absolutely certain it's not Tony?" he asked her.

Velma glared at him. "Does that note sound like Tony?"

"Well, no," Shaggy admitted. "But he like, makes the most sense, doesn't he?"

"No," Velma insisted. "He doesn't make any sense."

"But he used to go out with you!"

"It's not him. Trust me."

Shaggy sighed. "Well, he's like, the only lead we have."

Velma grumbled and sat up. "He's not a lead Shaggy! I'm telling you, it's not him!"

"How do you know?" Shaggy asked. "Have you ever like, asked him about it?"

"No, have you?" Velma asked, her tone biting a little.

"You asked me what you should do!" Shaggy exclaimed, sitting up as well. "I'm like, giving you my advice. Ask Tony about the notes."

"Well that advice is stupid," Velma mumbled.

Shaggy groaned, starting to feel frustration bubble up in him. "You're like, being kind of impossible right now," he told her, rubbing his temples.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Velma spat. "I wouldn't know anything about dealing with an impossible person – like for example, my commit-o-phobe boyfriend who cares more about his dog's feelings than admitting that we have a relationship!"

Shaggy blinked at her, momentarily stunned into confusion. Why was she bringing that up? It was completely off topic. "Like we're not even talking about that right now!" he cried when he got his voice back.

"We're always talking about that," Velma insisted. "It's the foundation that this entire relationship is built on. And we both know that I wouldn't be getting these goddamn notes in the first place if people at school just knew that we were seeing each other!"

"Raggy?" came a voice from the top of the stairs.

Aghast, Shaggy and Velma stared at each other for a split second. Without a word, Velma crept out of sight while Shaggy waited for his heart to quit pounding.

"Like what's up Scoob?" Shaggy called up once the adrenaline had ebbed a bit.

"Rye heard roices. Are roo rokay?" Scooby replied.

"Everything's fine," Shaggy said, though he wasn't sure it was. He and Velma had never had a fight this big before. And something told him that it wasn't over.

"Rokay," Scooby responded. "Rye'm roing to bed."

"I'll be up in like a sec," Shaggy replied. Once Scooby's paws had padded away, Velma came out of her hiding place.

"I should go," she mumbled.

Shaggy didn't want her to go. But if she stayed, they might fight again, and he wanted that even less. "Probably," he agreed.

They wordlessly crept upstairs. Velma knew she should apologize – it was her fault they'd argued. Shaggy had just been trying to help. It had been unfair of Velma to bring up Scooby. Shaggy was right – that didn't have anything to do with the secret admirer notes. If I apologize, it'll all be okay, Velma told herself. But her pride prevented her from doing so.

Still, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she left. "See you tomorrow?" she whispered.

Shaggy nodded. "Like, bright and early," he replied. He watched her scamper away through the trees. We'll be in like, better moods in the morning, he told himself.

x.X.x

But Shaggy was wrong.

Neither of them were in better moods in the morning. He still felt surly by the time Fred pulled up in the Mystery Machine and he didn't speak to Velma at all on the ride to school. Whether this was because he was nervous about Scooby catching on or whether he was still feeling mutinous after his fight with Velma, he wasn't sure. He knew that he shouldn't give her the silent treatment, that it would drive her crazy, but he couldn't help himself. It was like his heart was acting in spite of his brain.

Of course this did bother Velma, but she said nothing about it. Only scowled to herself and occasionally shot malevolent glances at Shaggy that no one caught but him.

Marcie didn't join them for lunch again, which put an even bigger damper on Velma's mood. Fred spent the period trying to get the gang to commit to going to a trap exhibition at the convention center in Lyonsville, hosted by his favorite magazine Traps Illustrated.

"I think it'll really be good for us," he was saying. "And maybe we'll get some ideas for how to catch whoever's leaving the creepy notes. What do you say?"

"Um…" Daphne hedged. Her NYU audition was on Monday, right at the beginning of spring break. Velma was still the only one who knew about it. Daphne's mother had helped her procure a plane ticket, and Holden was going to meet her at the airport to take her to her audition. She'd fly back later that night. There was no reason Fred needed to know she'd even been gone – unless of course, he planned to go to that exhibition on Monday. Daphne shot Velma a help me glance, and Velma took the hint.

"I can't do Monday," Velma spoke up. "My sister and her family are visiting for Passover. They're flying in from Seattle tonight for the Seder, so I'll be playing hostess. But I might be able to convince my parents to let me go later on in the week, as long as I'm back for dinner." This was all true, but Velma couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that she had to come to Daphne's rescue like this.

Grateful that Velma had given her an out, Daphne sighed with relief. "Maybe near the end of the week then?" she suggested to Fred. "How about Friday?"

Fred nodded. "Works for me."

"Like us too!" Shaggy agreed, gesturing to himself and Scooby.

Velma scowled again. Shaggy talked about himself and Scooby as an us more than he ever did about himself and Velma. Her bad mood grew steadily during study hall and biology. There wasn't much to distract her from her irritation – they should have had a lab today, but because it was the last day before spring break, their teacher, Dr. Stern, had decided to give them a free day.

"Remember, after spring break, we'll be doing AP test review twice a week," he reminded them as the bell rang. "Your test is on May 14th, so you have exactly seven weeks from today!"

"Don't remind me," Tony muttered to Velma, grinning slightly. In spite of herself, Velma chuckled as he left. But as her other classmates began to file out of the room, Velma was struck by a sudden impulse. She knew it wasn't true, but at least this way maybe she could get Shaggy off her back about it.

"Hey Tony, wait up!"

x.X.x

Maureen Fischer was so ready for spring break.

She was ready for a vacation from school, from studying her ass off for these AP exams. She was ready for prom, ready to graduate, ready to leave Coolsville for UVA at last. One thing at a time, she told herself with a huff as Dr. Stern reminded her biology class about the exam in May. She still had one more class until break started. A little wistfully, she watched Fred Jones wave to Tony Moretti and Velma Dinkley as he left the classroom for his last class of the day. Tony muttered something to Velma that made her chuckle, and Maureen scowled. She tried not to give anyone in that weird mystery group much space in her brain (other than Fred), but they were such a strange anomaly. They only ever hung out with each other, like a weird little cult. It was like they thought they were too good for anybody else at Coolsville High, and it infuriated Maureen. She didn't give two shits about the dog and the hippie (although he had caused her friend Rachael to get detention two years ago), but it bothered her that Fred was so entrenched in Daphne Blake and solving mysteries that he wouldn't even give her the time of day. And as for Velma Dinkley…well, ever since she'd slapped Maureen in gym class two years ago, she'd had a personal vendetta against the bespectacled girl. But the rumor that she was a lesbian and run its course, and no one cared anymore. If only there was some way that she could truly humiliate that four-eyed freak.

Maureen noticed Velma set her jaw and call out. "Hey Tony, wait up!"

He turned at the sound of her voice. "What's up, Dinks?"

"I have to ask you something," Maureen heard Velma say.

Tony looked puzzled, but stopped walking. "What do you need?"

"Not here," Velma whispered, glancing around. "Come with me."

If Maureen hadn't been paying attention to them, she may not have noticed that exchange. But because she'd been watching Velma so closely, she caught their whole conversation. Hmm, Maureen wondered. What could they be scheming? Stealthily, Maureen gathered up her things and followed Velma and Tony at a distance until they ducked down an empty hallway. Maureen leaned up against the wall around the corner and dug out her planner, pretending like she was checking her homework assignments while actually listening intently to Velma and Tony's conversation.

"Listen," Velma said. "There's no good way to ask this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Are you leaving notes in my locker?"

Maureen peeked around the corner. Tony and Velma didn't notice her, but she could see Tony frown.

"You mean the secret admirer ones that Fred told us about?" he asked, sounding perplexed. "No. That's not me."

Maureen scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. Who in their right mind would leave secret admirer notes for a dork like Dinkley? Other than as a joke.

Velma sighed. "I didn't think so. But Shaggy's convinced it's you, so at least now I can tell him how off the mark he is."

Tony creased his eyebrows further. "Wait…he's not the one leaving them?"

Velma scoffed. "Why would it be him? You think that because we've been in this secret relationship since last year, he's using notes as an excuse to tell me how he feels without raising any suspicions?"

Tony shrugged. "Well…yeah, honestly."

Maureen felt her jaw drop. Shaggy and Velma were dating?! Since when?!

"That's why I always try to change the subject when someone brings it up at band meetings," Tony continued. "I didn't want the secret to be spilled in front of Scooby."

Velma rolled her eyes. "You know, he's been saying he'll tell Scooby about us for more than a year now. I'm starting to think we'll never go public with this."

Maureen could hardly believe what she was hearing. Shaggy Rogers and Velma Dinkley had been in a secret relationship for over a year?! And it was a secret because Rogers didn't want his dog to find out?

I think I just figured out how to get back at that dork.

But she had to act fast.

x.X.x

Shaggy always took Scooby out right before their last class of the day. Everyone in their grade knew that he'd gotten an exemption from the principal, Mr. O'Donavan, so he was allowed to be out of the building near the woods a few times a day in order for Scooby to do his business. In two years, no one had ever joined him outside.

Until today.

"Hey, Rogers."

Shaggy had been leaning against the chain-link fence near the outdoor track, but started at the sound of the voice. He felt his stomach lurch when he saw that the voice belonged to Maureen Fischer.

"Uh…" was all Shaggy could think of to reply. Had he and Maureen ever exchanged words? Not counting sophomore year, when she had antagonized Velma into slapping her. He didn't know what was going on here, but he had an ominous feeling.

"Where's your dog?" Maureen asked conversationally as she approached him at the fence.

Still apprehensive, Shaggy indicated the tree line a few yards away, out of earshot. "Like in the woods. Why?"

Maureen shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure we wouldn't be interrupted."

Oh, this wasn't good at all.

Maureen glanced off into the distance. "Thought much about prom?"

Shaggy furrowed his brow. He was so confused. Did she want to talk about Heavy Meddle? "Uh…well, like we meet with the band once a week," he replied.

Maureen scoffed and looked back at him. "I meant about who you're going to take."

"I think like, the gang and I are all gonna go as a group," he told her.

"Well sure, your little polyamorous mystery squad will travel together," Maureen said, rolling her eyes. "But I'm sure that Fred and Daphne will pair up. So who's gonna be your date…the dog, or the dork?"

Shaggy blinked, still not getting it.

Maureen sighed. "Or, maybe Dinkley's secret admirer will show their face by then, and you won't have to worry about it."

Shaggy stared at her. "Wait a minute," he said, confused. "Like, how did you know about the secret admirer?"

Maureen grinned wickedly, apparently glad to have gotten Shaggy where she wanted him. "I overheard Dinkley talking to Moretti about it in the hallway just now. Apparently, he was one of your suspects?" An evil glint shone in her eye. "But he had a pretty interesting theory of his own."

"Like what are you talking about?" Shaggy whispered, afraid to hear the answer.

"He thinks it's you," Maureen replied, still with a nefarious smile playing at her lips. "But Dinkley shot that theory down, even though she said that apparently the two of you have been in a secret relationship since last year."

It felt as though all the blood in Shaggy's veins had frozen. His heart skipped a beat and the oxygen in the atmosphere seemed to have evaporated. This was nothing like when Julie had asked him about his relationship with Velma. This was much, much worse.

"Yeah, and then she said something about how you're worried about your dog finding out?" Maureen giggled. "To be fair, I completely understand. I wouldn't want anyone finding out about that either. It must be embarrassing to have to stoop so low for a date. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel, huh?"

Shaggy was too astonished to even stand up for Velma. His throat had closed up with shock. Other than Scooby, Maureen was the worst person to learn about this.

Maureen kept grinning at him, mirth evident on her face. "Don't worry Rogers. Your secret is safe with me. For now." She glanced over at the trees, where Scooby was now emerging. "At least until spring break is over." With one more evil smile, Maureen turned and headed back for the school. "Anyway…just thought you ought to know."

Shaggy was still staring speechlessly after her when Scooby reappeared.

"Rut's rong, Raggy?" he asked.

Shaggy's voice hadn't yet returned to him. But the ice in his blood had melted, and he felt his body overtaken by a white-hot rage. How could Velma have been so careless? This wasn't even the first time it had happened – this was how Marcie had found out about them too. But this was so much worse than when Marcie learned their secret.

Now, Maureen Fischer knew about them.

Which meant it was only a matter of time before the whole school knew about them.

Shaggy let himself get worked up in art class. He sat stewing in his fury, allowing the anger he felt to consume him like a dark shadow. He remembered how it had been after Maureen had spread that rumor about Daphne and Fred two years ago. That had been bad enough, and it hadn't even been true. But this…this was going to ruin everything. Maureen would spread it around as soon as they were all back from break. Daphne and Fred were bound to hear whispers in the hallway, or else be asked point blank about it. And then they'd ask Shaggy and Velma, probably right in front of Scooby.

And then it would all be over.

As soon as the bell rang, Shaggy shot to his feet. "Scoob like, you go on out to the Mystery Machine," he muttered, making his way out of the classroom and down the stairs. "I'll meet you there."

"Reverything rokay?" asked Scooby concernedly. He had noticed Shaggy seething during class.

Shaggy gave a curt nod. "I'll like, see you in a bit."

Scooby confusedly headed towards the front door, but Shaggy raced off for the fine arts hallway. Velma had just exited the band room when Shaggy caught her.

"Can I talk to you?" he hissed.

Velma glanced up, startled. "Shaggy! Jinkies, you scared me." She glanced around him. "Where's Scooby?"

"I need to talk to you," Shaggy repeated.

Velma furrowed her brow at the intensity in his tone. "Why? What's going on?"

"Just…like come with me." Shaggy took Velma's wrist and led her across the hall to an empty practice room and shut the door behind them. Too late, he realized that it was the exact same practice room where they'd spent so many hours last year during the play, kissing and touching and embracing. It was where they'd first discovered the depth of their feelings for each other.

Velma noticed where they were too, and looked at Shaggy in confusion. "Shaggy, I have to go to my locker…"

"Did you talk to Tony Moretti about us today?" he asked bluntly. He heard the bite in his tone.

Velma heard it too, and shot him a withering look. "Yes. I asked him about the secret admirer notes, like you wanted, and he says they didn't come from him. He actually thought –"

"—that they were from me, right?" Shaggy interrupted.

Velma furrowed her brow. "How did you know that?"

"Because like Maureen Fischer told me," Shaggy said hotly. He was having a difficult time keeping his anger from leaking out, after letting it simmer inside him for the entirety of art class.

Velma still looked confused. "Maureen Fischer…? But how could she…"

Shaggy saw the moment of realization dawn on Velma's face as her mouth went slack and her eyes widened behind her glasses. "Oh no," she murmured in a small voice.

He wasn't sure why this reaction from her incensed him so much, but it did. The lid keeping his fury contained blew off, and he exploded with rage. "Yeah, like, 'oh no!'I cannot believe you did this again!"

"Hey!" Velma's eyes flashed angrily towards him, all thoughts of apologies forgotten. "You can't blame me for this. The only reason I was even talking about us in the first place is because of your stupid and unfounded hunch!"

"What are we going to do, Velma?" Shaggy steamrolled on, tossing his hands in the air. "Maureen's like, gonna tell the whole school about us!"

"Well you know what, maybe it's better that way!" Velma barked. "Maybe now that it's finally out in the open we'll be able to stop sneaking around and actually act like a goddamn couple for once!"

"This is not how I wanted Scooby to find out!" Shaggy yelled.

Velma let out a noise that was simultaneously a groan and a shout. "All I hear about is Scooby!" she bellowed. "I am tired of tiptoeing around the feelings of that stupid dog!"

Heat blazed in Shaggy's vision. "Like you take that back," he snarled.

"No," Velma retorted, fire in her eyes. "I'm sick of playing second fiddle to a Great Dane. You've always cared more about his feelings than mine, don't deny it."

Shaggy was silent, just stared at her angrily.

Velma bristled, thinking back to what Marcie had asked last week at that party – Are you going to ask him to choose? – and perhaps the memory of that question caused her to say, "You have to decide, Shaggy. Which one of us is more important to you – me or Scooby?"

Shaggy felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. His anger ebbed ever so slightly, replaced by disbelief. What kind of question was that? Velma or Scooby? It was an impossible choice. He loved them both. He wasn't going to make a decision that cut one of them out of his life.

"Why would you ask me that?" he murmured. The pain the question had caused felt as though a searing knife had slashed him in the chest. "Scooby Doo is like, my best friend."

"I know," Velma exclaimed, fuming. "I know he's your best friend. But what about me? How do you feel about me?"

Shaggy stared at her, heart pounding, throat tight. He could fix this, he knew he could. Right now, he could say the thing that would erase the need for a choice this agonizing.

I love you, Velma. I'm in love with you.

But what he ended up saying was, "That isn't a fair comparison."

Velma scoffed. "Don't talk to me about fair," she told him through gritted teeth. "I've been making that comparison every single day for the past year and a half. But it's worse, because you've made me choose between Scooby and myself. And I chose him every time, because I thought by choosing him, I was choosing you. But I'm sick of not choosing myself. I can't do this anymore."

Wait. Wait.

"So like…what are you saying?" Shaggy murmured. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant, could she? "Are you saying that like if I don't pick you, then…" He had to swallow a lump in his throat before he finished. "Then we're…then we're done?"

Done.

The word was severe, harsh. Final.

The sharpness took Velma by surprise. Her eyes sparkled with tears, and her voice trembled with her response.

"I'm saying…are you going to choose a dumb dog over a real girl?" she whispered.

Shaggy felt anger rise up in him again. "Well like, a dumb dog would never ask me to make a choice like this," he retorted. He set his jaw and waited a beat. Finally… "So I guess I choose Scooby Doo."

It was like an invisible fist had punched Velma in the stomach. Tears slipped under the rims of her glasses before she could stop them.

It occurred to Shaggy, as he stood less than two feet away, that in all the years he'd known Velma, he'd never seen her cry before. He'd seen Daphne cry plenty of times, and he'd even seen Fred shed a few tears last year during the musical. But never Velma. Not till now.

When he was breaking her heart.

Well, Shaggy thought bitterly. She broke mine first.

If she really cared about him, she wouldn't have foisted this impossible choice upon him.

But she had.

So he'd chosen.

Velma hurriedly brushed the tears from her cheeks, trying to ignore the gaping wound opening up within her. She'd been right. He hadn't chosen her. It was so clear – there was no contest in his mind. Scooby would always come first. She never stood a chance.

"So..." she trailed off, trying to steady her voice and gulp back more stinging tears. "That's it?"

Shaggy exhaled. The knot in his chest threatened to strangle him.

"Yeah," he said quietly, blinking back tears of his own. "Like I guess that's it." He stared fixedly at a point on the wall so he wouldn't have to look at her.

Velma sniffed and wiped her eyes again. "The gang's probably waiting for us," she said, her voice still shaky.

Shaggy nodded and took a shuddering breath. Keep it together. "Yeah," he whispered. "We should like…go." He felt a tear leak out of the corner of his eye and rubbed it away.

He didn't want this.

She didn't want this.

So how had it come to this?

Anger and pride prevented them from apologies and declarations of love. And now, there was no going back.

Sponge: Yeesh. Thanks for reading! Review if you please, and don't forget to guess where the chapter title comes from!