I'm sorry for the delay with posting this one! I really don't have any excuse. I just wasn't happy with how this one was turning out, but I like it now and I hope you do too :)

CHAPTER 43

Sometime during the night, Daphne fell asleep with her head resting on Fred's arm. Scooby had moved to the front seat and was quietly chatting to Fred in an effort to keep him awake. Velma knew the journey they were currently undertaking was fraught with perils, but honestly, she was simply too exhausted to care. It was clear the others felt the same.

The night drive was so reminiscent of something they would've done before the war. Fred would be at the wheel, Daphne and Velma beside him and Shaggy and Scooby rolling around in the back. Often they would have the windows rolled down with music blasting through the speakers. They would sing along (terribly) and chatter loudly amongst themselves. Their road trips were usually long, and after a while as they got tired, the music and chatter would disperse into a comfortable silence. If it was cold enough, they'd throw the blanket they kept in the back of the Mystery Machine over their laps.

Velma sighed; this mad dash for Headquarters was not quite as aesthetic as that. She had her elbow resting on the window, desperately fighting off sleep. With no traffic on the road and no reason to obey the road signs, the trip was talking much shorter than expected, and they were probably over halfway there now. On a normal day, Fred's speed would've worried Velma, and she would not have hesitated to tell him exactly that. But tonight, it was a race against the sun. She just prayed they wouldn't run into any night patrols or convoys.

'Fred, how's Daphne?' Velma asked suddenly, remembering what Daphne had done earlier that night.

'She's asleep. She seems pretty good to be honest. I mean, all things considered.'

'I think we all need to become accustomed to doing this. Daphne's done it – that's a good start.'

'Like, just what exactly are you sayig?' Shaggy popped up suddenly from the back seat.

Shaggy's sudden emergence into the conversation had caught Velma off guard. She thought he had been asleep. 'I'm just saying…' her voice faltered.

'Like, I dow exactly what you're saying, ban,' Shaggy spoke through his blocked nose. 'Why else would you like, word it like that? Daph's dode it, dow you expect Scooby and I to do the sabe.'

'That's not…'

'It is, Velma,' Fred said.

'Fine. So what if it is? It's important that we…'

'No! It's not important that we all kill. Some of us are better suited to it than others. Shaggy and Scooby aren't cut out to do that kind of stuff. But that doesn't mean they won't help us in other ways.'

'You don't understand! You boys and Daph won't do it. It inevitably falls on me. I'm doing the dirty work. You seem to think I enjoy it. Because, just for the record, I very much do not!'

'Like, you are in dno positiod to say that stuff right dow,' Shaggy said crossly. 'Daph just saved bme and Scoob's life back there. Fred's killed the soldiers in the bush.'

'Don't forget Daphne set off the match at City Hall,' Fred added.

'Okay,' Velma said, then looked expectantly at Shaggy. 'And you?'

'What?'

'You're too faint-hearted.'

Shaggy knew Velma meant it as an insult, but he didn't really feel offended by it. He would happily label himself as a faint-hearted coward.

'Re can't measure bravery by racts of rilling,' Scooby said softly.

It was such a wise, out of character thing for Scooby to say that Velma was too stunned for words. She recalled having a similar feeling a couple of weeks ago – yet another reminder by how much she had always underestimated Scooby's capacity for compassion and wisdom.

'You're right Scooby,' Fred said. 'You and Shaggy showed immense courage and quick thinking tonight by volunteering yourselves for the distraction.'

Velma knew she had just delivered a terrible insult to everyone present in the van. For the most part, it wasn't even true. She knew she was being far too critical of her friends. She had her own faults too. It was always worse picking on Shaggy and Scooby, because they never thought back. Often, they just made her feel guilty for attacking them in the first place.

'That's true,' Velma said. 'I mean, the soldier even shot at you two! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you. It's no excuse, but I guess I'm just tired and cranky.'

'Hey, like no hard feelings,' Shaggy smiled. 'And like, I think we're almost there.'

Velma sighed. She admired Shaggy for his forgiving nature, but she hated how easy it was for her to treat him as a doormat.

Fred turned onto Koda Crescent and drove the Landie down towards the bushes at the end of the street where the Subaru was parked. Velma shook her head in disbelief. That was so much quicker than she had expected. She didn't even want to know how fast Fred had been travelling just then. They weren't bothered to properly conceal the Land Rover at this point, so Fred just parked it at the end of the cul-de-sac.

'Raphne, rake up! It's food time!'

They almost upended the Subaru in their desperation for food. Less than a minute later, they were tearing into packets of muesli bars, dried cereal, nuts, chips, chocolate – not the most sustaining food, but it was absolutely better than nothing at all.

'We need to be careful not to eat so much!' Velma warned.

Everyone briefly looked up from their food and rolled their eyes at her.

'No, seriously! What if something like this happens again?'

Fred's eyes lit up. 'Then let's go on a supply raid!'

'Now?'

'Yeah, right now! Quickly, before sun up!'

'Didn't they raid all the farmhouses down the road?' Daphne asked.

'No,' Velma said suddenly. 'They wouldn't have.'

'Why not? Apparently they can do whatever the hell they want.'

'No, listen. I was thinking about it. I think they raided the farmhouses because of the crops and the animals. All the other houses were raided for valuables. Why would the soldiers go to the trouble of looting ordinary houses for food?'

'True,' Daphne said. 'They must be importing truckloads of it. Plus they have access to the supermarkets and the farms beside the industrial area. They literally have nothing to gain from raiding regular houses for food.'

'That's settled then,' Fred said, who seemed to require no further convincing. He shoved a handful of trail mix in his mouth and said, 'Well? Let's get going then!'

'Raggy and Ri will rtay here. Raggy needs some rest,' Scooby said sensibly.

'Good point. You get some rest, Shaggy, and try to get rid of that cold,' Daphne replied.

'Like, thanks guys,' he smiled.

'Don't eat all the food!' Velma called back.

'Like, as if!' Shaggy said jokingly.

Velma was quickly ashamed of what she had just said. She knew what a conscious effort Shaggy and Scooby had put into rationing. Shaking her head at yet another one of her nasty, short-tempered outbursts, she followed Fred and Daphne back to the Landie and clambered into the backseat.

'Where are we heading, Velma?' Fred asked eagerly, hands patting the steering wheel.

'Umm, any street between Koda Crescent and err, Marcie's street?'

'Sure.'

Daphne turned around and winked at Velma – subtle enough for Fred not to notice, but obvious enough for Velma to take the hint. Daphne didn't stick around long enough to gauge Velma's reaction. Instead she turned around and tucked herself up against the window. She had been exhausted on the way in, just like they all had, but she was strangely energised after eating the random assortment of food. It seemed Fred was too. He looked and acted like he was on five or six cups of coffee.

They pulled in to a driveway and slowly piled out, grabbing their hiking packs.

'Fred, I think this is still the farmlands,' Velma said.

Fred shrugged. 'I don't want to go too far into town. Remember what happened last time –' Fred broke of suddenly, feeling like an idiot. Of course Velma remembered watching her own house get blown to smithereens. 'I… Sorry Velma. I wasn't thinking.'

'It's okay. Besides, you're right. I just hope this place hasn't been looted.'

It was a quaint old cottage, with a typical white picket fence. There was a creepy statue of a gargoyle in the middle of the path, giving Fred, Daphne and Velma the distinct feeling they were being watched. In the corner of the yard, there was a large birdbath with murky water floating around in the bowl. Unlike some of the houses they had been to since the war started, this house looked like it was unkempt even before the war.

'Righto,' Fred said solemnly. The dishevelled and creepy exterior was giving them all an ominous feeling. 'In then out.'

Velma nodded. 'Fred, you take the shed for supplies. Daph and I will get food from inside…'

Fred was shaking his head vehemently. 'I'll come with you.'

'You don't have to,' Daphne said.

'I know. But I'm coming anyway.'

They walked tentatively up cobbled stone path and ascended the steps to the front door.

'Lock picking?' Daphne whispered.

Fred nodded, and Daphne bent down to examine the lock. But as she pushed gently on the door, it opened. She jumped back into Fred's arms. She and Fred looked to Velma in alarm.

'It could just be they forgot to lock their door when the soldiers came down their street and shepherded the people away,' Velma whispered. 'I mean, why would you remember that at a time like that?'

Fred and Daphne still continued to stare at her hesitantly.

Velma sighed. 'I agree. I'm getting a bad feeling about this. But what choice do we have?'

Daphne didn't like to point out that they actually had quite a few other options. For starters, they could simply return to the Subie without the food, which wasn't a terrible option. It was fairly well stocked. It could do with a replenishment, but it would last them another couple of weeks.

'I don't know about this,' Daphne admitted.

'I don't want to waste a journey,' Velma said stubbornly.

'We can just try another house…'

'We're already here. It'll be too close to sun up to drive to another house and start looting.'

'Velm, we could always do this another night.'

'I'm going in. I don't mind if you two want to wait out here,' Velma decided.

'No, we're coming with you then,' Fred said.

They stepped hesitantly inside the house and were immediately hit with a stuffy musty smell. They started to walk down the darkened hallway, lined with an antique Persian rug with frayed tassels at the ends. There were at least four hand-carved wooden tables in the small space, and about a hundred pictures on the wall. All were coated in a thick layer of dust.

'See?' Velma said with bolstered confidence. 'No one's been here for a while.'

For one thing, the kitchen was well stocked, and they managed to chuck in whatever wasn't off and mouldy, which mostly consisted of tin cans. There were so many tin cans; in fact, there were enough to completely fill the entire pantry, which was quite odd. Packs full, they snuck out the way they came and shut the door quietly behind them.

'Well, that was weird,' Daphne said.

'I'll say. Spooky. Anyways, I want to go check the shed,' Fred said gleefully, rubbing his palms together.

They hauled the packs down the path past the creepy gargoyle then chucked them in the backseat of the Landie.

'God those cans are heavy,' Daphne groaned.

'Yeah, I…' Fred looked at Daphne strangely. 'What's wrong, Daph?'

She was gazing up into the window of the cottage with wide eyes. 'I… I thought I saw something moving up there.'

Fred followed her gaze. He didn't doubt Daphne in the slightest, and her observation certainly unnerved him. They exchanged a worried glance and ran after Velma, who was already halfway to the farm shed. Fred grabbed Daphne's hand along the way, and she pulled him closer to her.

Daphne took a nervous glance back to the window, but there was nothing there. 'Maybe I imagined it.'

'Maybe.'

'But maybe I didn't.'

'Maybe.'

'What do we need?' Velma asked.

'Shh!' Fred and Daphne whispered.

She took one look at their faces. 'What's wrong?'

'I feel like we're being watched,' Daphne said quietly.

Velma pursed her lips together. 'Elaborate.'

'I swore I saw movement in the window.'

'Well, if it was a soldier, we'd be dead by now, so take comfort in knowing that. Let's just get what we need and go.'

'I can't focus. I'm too on edge, can we just leave?' Fred said in a jittery tone.

Daphne and Velma appeared to agree without argument. But then Velma motioned to a pile of weapons stashed beneath a wooden working table in the shed.

'I want to take these.'

'Velma, no,' Daphne said quietly.

'They will come in handy. For self defence only. You can attest to that,' she added.

'F – '

'Look, I don't want to stand around here and argue with you. I can see we're not going to leave until you get your way,' Fred sighed. 'So, fine, take them.'

As Velma carefully loaded all the guns into her pack, taking care that the safety catches were on, Daphne pulled Fred into a hug.

'Are you alright?'

'Yeah. It's always made me feel uneasy, you know? Like the whole eyes-in-portraits-following-you thing. I know it happens to us all the time, but there's something very terrifying about someone watching you.'

'Of course there is,' Daphne said kindly.

Fred cautiously watched that window the entire walk back to the car. He saw nothing, which was comforting, but they were being very quiet. Fred was dreading starting the engine. With the bags taking up all of the room in the boot and backseat, Velma had to shimmy into the front with Fred and Daphne.

'You sure all those safety catches were on?' Fred asked as he delicately placed the gun pack on the last free seat.

'Positive.'

In light of Velma's perfectionist ways and extreme OCD, Fred trusted her judgement.

Fred clambered into the driver's seat. 'Can you move over a bit? I can't get to the handbrake.'

'Oh, sorry. There's no room… hang on a sec.'

'I've got it.' Velma dragged Daphne onto her lap and Daphne pulled the seat belt over both of them.

'It won't be for long,' Fred reassured. He revved the engine and the car lurched forward suddenly.

Velma grabbed Daphne's waist to stop her falling forwards and crashing into the windscreen.

'Sorry girls. Hold onto her, Velma.'

Daphne smiled at that. She felt for Fred's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. He grinned back at her and pulled out of the driveway.

'Shit.' Velma's grip on Daphne tightened. 'You're right. I just saw someone up in that window. It was definitely a person. Shit.'

Daphne's blood ran ice cold. 'What are we going to do?'

The Landie's acceleration began to match Fred's accelerating heart rate. He was desperate to put as much distance between them and the creepy house as possible.

'Fred, slow down!' Daphne cried.

'No!' Fred said chaotically.

'Slow the fuck down, Fred, or we're going to skid and crash,' Velma shouted.

Fred obeyed, dropping his speed by at least half, which was still very fast.

'We need to think quickly,' Daphne said. 'Should we be heading back to Koda Crescent right now?'

'Okay, okay,' Velma agreed. 'Is that person actually going to follow us? No. They don't have a vehicle. I don't think it's necessary to lead them off the trail.'

'You said yourself that you didn't think it was a soldier,' Fred said. 'It's just someone like us, right? That explains the tin can and the… guns?'

'Who is it then?' Daphne wondered.

'Does it matter?'

'What if it was a spy?'

Velma pursed her lips together in response.

'And they saw the bloody Landie,' Daphne said.

'We need to get rid of the Landie. Someone might recognise it!'

'How are we going to hide a big ass car, Velma?' Daphne groaned.

'She didn't say hide though,' Fred said quickly. 'I have an idea. We'll put it in neutral and let it sink into that river near the Koda Crescent houses.'

'Is it deep enough?'

'It'll work.'

They drove in a tense silence towards the houses that they had seen get looted all those weeks ago. At one point, Daphne clambered out of the car to open the gate to the closest paddock to the river. Fred slowed down as they approached the mouth of the river and swung the car around so that the rear was facing the river. Fred put it in park and they hauled the packs out of the backseat. Then he shifted the gearstick and put it in neutral.

Daphne pat its bonnet affectionately as it started to slowly roll down the slope. 'It was a good car. Got us through a lot.'

'Saved our lives.'

The Landie began to pick up some momentum and after a final shove from Fred, careered into the water. It bounced and floated for a second or two before it was overcome by the water welling into it, and sank to the bottom, leaving behind a trail of bubbles. The water level rose only slightly, and they couldn't see the top of it at all. Just a few minutes later, it looked like nothing had ever happened.

'Ah,' Fred sighed. 'We really didn't think this through.'

He gestured at the heavy packs lying at their feet that they would have to lug all the way back to Shaggy and Scooby and the Subaru.

'Maybe you should've dropped us out first,' Velma said bitterly.

'Hey, stop. It wasn't his fault. You could've said something too,' Daphne shot back.

'I know. I wasn't attacking Fred. I didn't mean for it to come off like that.'

'Well, it did,' Daphne said.

'It was the heat of the moment,' Fred said. 'We were panicked, and rightfully so too. I guess we better get a move on then.'

Fred picked up a pack – he purposely chose the heaviest one – and started walking up the slope from the river. Daphne and Velma exchanged a look and not wanting to look lazy, picked up the other packs. As the crossed through the paddock, they fell into step beside Fred.

Fred smoothed down his sweaty, matted hair. He was so confused. He was extremely shaken up by that whole incident. The funny thing was, in comparison to all they had done, it really wasn't a big deal. Other times, they had barely escaped with their life, and this time couldn't even compare to that. He reached an arm out and smoothed down his hair again. To his surprise, he realised he was shaking.

Was getting rid of the Land Rover really necessary? The more he thought about it, the more he thought they didn't need to do it. But – what did he say before? It was the heat of the moment. They couldn't afford to have anyone identifying the car they stole from the murdered soldier.

Sensing his discomfort, Daphne reached out and put an arm over his shoulder. He was grateful for that, and returned the gesture to that they were supporting each other and spreading out the weight of the heavy packs.

'You want some help, Velma?' Fred asked, motioning to the support system between him and Daphne.

Velma, who had always been awkward with physical contact, replied, 'Err, I'm not…'

It wasn't long before Fred threw an arm around her, and the trio stumbled down the sloshy dirt track. They were exhausted. Personally speaking, Fred had been awake and active for well over two days. Fred reminded himself that they had woken up at 5 am and spent that entire day hiking through acres and acres of unfamiliar bush. Then they had hijacked a car, oh, and they had murdered soldier. Fred had driven tirelessly for an hour to Koda Crescent. Then they went on a traumatic supply raid, dumped the Landie, and now they were hiking another ten k's back to the Subaru, carrying packs that were probably heavier than Daphne.

'I wish we could phone Shaggy and Scooby and ask them to pick us up,' Daphne complained.

'We could just leave the packs here and go to them. Ask them to drive the Subie over here,' Velma suggested.

'Honestly considering it.'

'Let's wait for some good scrub to stash the packs, then we'll dump them,' Fred said. He was really just saying that in an effort to turn the girls off the idea of leaving the packs. He felt uneasy with the idea of having to come back along this road in another car. Fred really just wanted to get back to the Subaru in one piece as quickly as possible. Then, he thought serenely, they would relax down in Headquarters.

His blissful thoughts of the clearing and the creek were interrupted when Daphne suddenly collapsed beside him. She fell face first, with only her hands to block her fall. As her pack crashed down on top of her, she rolled over and over into the dirt at the side of the road.

His exhaustion forgotten, Fred acted quickly and pulled her pack off her back and bent down beside her. He rested a hand gently on her back. Daphne didn't say anything; she simply burrowed her face into the dirt on the ground. Fred turned to Velma in alarm, seeking support and understanding. Velma shrugged in bewilderment and flopped down beside her.

'Daphne?' Velma whispered. 'Okay Daph?'

Fred rolled her over on her back and was met with a horrific sight. Her entire face was smeared with dirt except for her cheeks, where big tears were already carving their way down her face. Her face was twisted in pain, and she was trembling in an effort to hold in her sobs.

Fred sat her up and started rubbing her back and murmuring over and over again, 'It's alright, you're okay.'

Daphne finally gave in to her tears and let out a few loud, shaky sobs. She covered her face in shame every time one escaped her, but she just couldn't help it.

Fred took her hands in hers, his concern increasing as he felt how sweaty they were. It took a Fred a moment or two to remind himself that Daphne had just killed someone for the first time earlier that night. He remembered the first time he had done it, and telling Daphne that he hoped she would never have to do it. Once you did it, you'd live with that guilt for the rest of your life, regardless of whether it was the right or wrong thing to do. He never wanted that for anyone, especially Daphne.

He brought his face closer to hers and said softly, 'If it makes you feel any better, I understand exactly how you feel.'

Daphne suddenly turned around and grabbed his shoulders. 'I can't… I'm going to have to do it!'

Fred gripped her shoulders and stared into her eyes. They were wide and glassy, like emeralds staring into his soul. 'What are you talking about?'

He was bewildered, but Velma seemed to catch on. 'Oh no, no no!'

Fred looked back and forth between Daphne and Velma until the still air was suddenly cut by a piercing scream. Fred jumped until he realised it was his girlfriend. Horror flooded through his veins and he pounced on her to try and muffle her scream.

It was less than five seconds, but for Fred, it could've been a whole hour. In fact, he didn't realise she had stopped until he found himself lying beside her, panting heavily. She gave Fred a small smile and touched his arm affectionately.

'Same,' Velma commented matter-of-factly.

Daphne started giggling at that.

Fred couldn't even pretend that he wasn't beyond confused. Had Daphne really just cried, screamed, then laughed in the space of a minute?

'It's her coping mechanism, Fred,' Velma said, as if that explained everything.

'Err, right.'

'Sorry,' Daphne said rather sheepishly.

'Well. Better out than in,' Fred shrugged.

'Yeah. I think I'm on the brink of a total breakdown.'

'We all are,' Velma said sympathetically. 'Try and save it for Headquarters, or at least until we get to the Subie.'

'You're okay. Take a few deep breaths.'

Daphne inhaled through her nostrils, revelling in the sweet night air and – was that a hint of mint? She looked to her left and saw that they were actually right beside a herb patch that evidently belonged to one of the families who owned a farmhouse. She took three deep breaths, and was surprised at the effect the minty smell had on clearing her head.

'Daph?'

'Thanks. I'm okay now. Just really, really tired. I'll just rest here for a moment.'

'Sure.'

She sank back into the mint bush and rested her head on the soft dirt below, instantly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. As she shut her eyes, she felt Fred and Velma flopping down on either side of her.

'We'll stay here for a bit…'

~oO*Oo~

As the rising sun hit his face, Fred started to come out of his drowsy state. He smiled at the warmth of it hitting his face. But the serenity was abruptly broken when he heard a car approaching them.

'Yikes.' He scrambled up, hissing, 'Daphne, Velma! Someone's coming!'

As the girls slowly woke up, they tumbled deeper into the bush just as the car pulled up beside them. Fred shut his eyes in agony as the car slowed down when it approached them. After all they had been through – was this really how it was going to end?

They heard the car door open, and Fred pushed the girls down in a feeble effort to protect them. Then –

'Like, get in losers, we're going shopping.'

The three of them popped their heads up in shock. Shaggy was at the wheel of the Subie, and Scooby was beside him in the passenger seat with the door hanging open.

'Shaggy? Scooby? What, I… I – '

'Ah, like it's not often the wise Velma Dinkley is lost for words,' Shaggy grinned.

'Shaggy, was that a Mean Girls reference?' Daphne teased.

'Like, obviously. It's one of my favourite movies!'

'Oh! Shaggy, your cold is gone!'

'Like, yeah, almost! I slept the whole night through and it was like, the best thing I've ever done. I feel like, so refreshed. But enough about us, Daph, are you like okay?'

'Reah! Ri reard screaming and Ri rnew it was you!' Scooby said.

'Then Scoob, like, woke me up and we immediately turned the Subie around and drove in the direction Scooby thought he heard you.'

'Re were really rorried. We ridn't know rhat to rexpect,' Scooby said, shuddering.

'Like, I didn't hear anything at all. I was too deep in sleep. But I fully trust Scooby's judgement. Like, I'm just so relieved we found you! What happened?'

'Umm…' Daphne began uncertainly. 'I, err, had a moment.'

'Ah,' Shaggy nodded. 'Perfectly understandable.'

'Well, now we don't have to lug these heavy packs down the road!' Velma said.

'Rhere is the Randie? What rappened at the rouse?' Scooby questioned.

'It's quite a story,' Fred replied. He helped Shaggy and Scooby load the packs in the Subaru, and then climbed in the back with the girls.

Shaggy and Scooby listened intently all the way back as they recounted their night. As he was telling the story, he realised just how random and incoherent the entire night seemed. It was like the morning after a hard party, trying to piece together various memories and segments from the night before. Two things stood out to him most: the intense fear from seeing the stranger in the window, and the panic as Daphne's terrible scream filled his head.

Shaggy and Scooby gasped at all the right parts, and cheered when they got wind of how much food they were able to snag. They too were horrified at the thought of someone watching them in the house.

When they got back to their hideout on Koda Crescent, Shaggy thought the best thing to do was let them all sleep. He briefly confided in with Fred and Velma that he was extremely worried about Daphne, which they all agreed to. But while he watched the others sleep, Shaggy realised that he was maybe placing too much emphasis on Daphne. People express their inner turmoil in different ways.

Fred had become less sure of himself. Shaggy noticed how he had begun to look to Velma for their next course of action instead of launching ahead with his own ideas, which he usually did. Physically, he looked so much older than he had just months earlier. Then there was Velma, who expressed her emotions in her snarky and mean comments. Velma had always spoken her mind, but lately, she was becoming impossible to get along with. She had two moods: bossy and in control, and moody and sour. Daphne's response to the stress was certainly the most distressing out of all of them. She frequently woke up screaming and crying, and she had begun to rely so heavily on physical contact for comfort. Then Shaggy reflected on himself. In the early days of the war, he had tried to understand the soldiers' point of view and see the light in the depressing situation. But Shaggy now recognised that his innocent, characteristically optimistic view of the world had been brutally snatched from him. Even if they did get out of this alive, he knew he would always be distrustful of people. Not to mention it had intensified his already jumpy nature.

And then there was Scooby. He was different, and it made Shaggy wonder whether Scooby always had this astute layer hiding inconspicuously beneath his goofy personality. He was quieter. But Scooby suddenly seemed worldlier, and he was the only one who hadn't completely broken down yet. He had kept something everyone else had lost: his childlike innocence. At the moment, he was the perfect balance between childlike and mature. But then that begged the question: was Scooby okay? Shaggy felt a sudden surge of guilt that he hadn't even asked his best friend how he was feeling lately.

If Scooby had some positive changes, did that mean the rest of them had too? Shaggy tried to do what he had done all his life: think optimistically. Of course they had all changed in good ways too. Right?