Author Note: I'm attempting to keep as close to canon as possible but I want to give the gang new depth. In the original show, the whole point was the overarching story (which I'm in love with) but the characters felt shallow to me. So the gang may be a bit OOC but I'm attempting to keep their base personality. My first chapter is the start of Season 1 episode one. Shaggy and Velma are not in a relationship. It's also my headcanon that the gang is in a polyamorous relationship minus Scooby.
"Another mystery solved! Great job gang!" Fred announces and they all do a group high-five. Each of them starts dancing.
"Yeah let's celebrate!!" Daphne exclaims.
"Uh-huh! Let's celebrate." Scooby agrees as they all begin to walk out of the cell. Which is slammed in their faces.
"Nu-uh, no celebration for you. You see this badge, you know why it's here? I'm the sheriff in this town so only I can solve mysteries." He makes his way to the door and turns on his heels to face the gang.
"Oh, by the way, I've called your parents, who I have now have on speed dial. You guys are in a lot of trouble." He states as he slams the door behind him. Fred lets out a breath as he drapes his arms over the bars. He watches as Shaggy lets out a shaky breath as he slumps against the bars, running his left hand through Scooby's fur. Glancing over at Daphne, her cheer disposition plummeting as she leans all her body weight into the bars. Velma grabs the bar with both her hands and slumps over. What could he do to liven their spirits? Food for Shaggy and Scooby obviously but he didn't have any on him, Daphne had lately been enjoying doing yoga and karate, and Velma was usually happiest with a book, lately she had been reading astronomy books. Since by the time they would all be able to get out, all the restaurants would be closed, and late-night yoga/karate didn't sound all that fun. As he gets lost in the options, Shaggy lays his head on Fred's shoulder and Fred smiles at him. Finally, he settles on stargazing.
"I have an idea gang!" Fred says and they all turn towards him. "I'll leave the usual window open, we can all meet up at my house and go stargazing on that hill overlooking the town." He adds on. He watches as Velma's eyes light up. Daphne's lips twitch up in a smile, and even Shaggy is smiling. Fred did a mental cheer at the smiles.
"Like sure man. That sounds groovy."
"I'm in!"
"I can't wait to see what constellation we'll be able to find!"
"Sounds like it settled then, how about we try to meet around midnight?" Fred suggests, setting this watch as they all nod.
"Do you know any of the constellations we'll be able to see?" Daphne asks, turning to Velma.
"I know that we'll be able to see mars, but that's about it. I'll bring my book just in case." Velma admitted.
"Like don't bring it, we can make our own constellations," Shaggy says.
"I have a weird feeling all your constellations will look like food." Daphne quips.
"And all of yours will look like clothes." Shaggy replies with a smile.
"Are you insinuating that my only interests lie in fashion?"
"Well if the purple shoe fits." Daphne let out a laugh.
"Well if you're not careful Norville, that shoe could be connecting with your stomach." Fred felt his lip twitch further upwards at their teasing.
"At least your constellation won't be traps like a certain person I know." Velma teases.
"Hey now, I wouldn't be talking, book constellations aren't' that cool to look at," Fred replies.
"They'll all be unique for sure," Daphne concludes as the door to the Sheriff's office swings open. Fred goes rigid, and Shaggy places his hand on his back. The sheriff smiles smugly at them as he opens up the cell, his dad grabs him by the ear and drags him across the room.
"What have I told you about solving mysteries, Fred!"
The lecture must have gone on forever, but finally, his dad stomped off to his bedroom. Sighing Fred face planted onto his bed. A few minutes pass and Fred pushes him into a sitting position. Grabbing the trap magazine, he begins flipping through the pages. Usually, the traps were enough to keep him occupied but his mind kept wandering back to his friends. Was the gang still in the cell? Had their parents yelled at them like his dad? Why was their meetup two hours away, how was he going to pass the time? Letting out another sigh, Fred grabs the trap magazine once. The time moves at a snail pace but finally, it's time to go. Slipping on his shoes and a coat, he silently moves through the house. Getting to the window, he gently pushes it upwards, popping the screen out, then jumping down. Quickly he puts the screen back on then, leans against the house. First, to arrive is Daphne wrapped up in a coat, and fuzzy boats. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail and her purple eyes were bloodshot. She waves and he waves back.
"Did you have any trouble getting back out?" Fred asks.
"Nope, mom and dad didn't say a word," Daphne states as she fiddles with her fingers. Why were eyes so red then?
"Are you excited?" Fred asks and Daphne nods.
"This was a good idea" Fred flushes at the praise, "I think it will help raise all our spirits."
"I'm glad, we did a good job and shouldn't get thanked by being thrown in a jail cell," Fred says.
"You can say that again," Velma interjects causing the other two teens to jump. Fred put his hand on his heart.
"Jeepers! Velm I didn't see you there."
"Me neither gave us quite the fright." Velma smiles sheepishly at the two of them. Fred motions to her and she came closer to them.
"Everything go okay with your parents?" Fred asks and Velma nods.
"Just have to work in the museum tomorrow." She lets out a huff, "All those monsters we unmasked, and I have to pretend they're real, I hate it." She mumbles, and Daphne rubs her shoulders. Without saying a word Velma snuggles into her. Adorable. Fred shook his head at the thought, he needed some sleep. After a minute, Daphne steps back and grins.
"You didn't bring your book!" Daphne exclaims with a clap.
"I figured Shaggy was right, it would be a lot more fun to make our own than those boring premade ones," Velma admits.
"But just in case we want to know the real ones,
you have a cheat sheet right?" Fred asks and as Velma's cheeks go pink, he lets out a laugh. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Daphne holding back her giggles.
"Fine, you caught me red-handed. But in my defense, Shaggy will be the first one to ask me what a certain constellation is." Velma admits as she pulls out a folded-up piece of paper with a small smile.
"Are we going to take the mystery machine or will it be too noisy?" Daphne asks.
"I was planning on taking it, the hills a good mile or two there, plus when I was cleaning it out, I found a massive pile of blankets in that secret compartment where Shaggy and Scoob usually keep their extra snacks. It's kinda crazy how many things they can fit back there." Fred explains and both of them nod.
"I wonder why it's blankets and not food right now." Velma wonders, rubbing her chin. Daphne clapped her hands.
"I got it. It's probably in preparation for that Vincent Van Ghoul drive-in marathon." Daphne exclaims.
"Isn't that like a couple of weeks away?" Fred questions.
"Yeah, but you know how excited they get about those movies. For two people who hate real-life horror, I'll never understand why they like those movies so much." Velma states.
"Speaking of those two, I wonder where they are."
After a minute of silence, Daphne looks at Velma.
"Do you think they could still be with Sheriff Bronson?" Daphne asks.
"No way. If Shaggy's parents hadn't picked them up, Sheriff Bronson would have kicked them out around midnight after all he would have to watch them all night." Velma reasons. Almost like magic, all three of their phones buzz. Fred watches as Daphne fumbles with her phone as she attempts to open it quickly. Fred let out a small chuckle as he digs his out of his pants pocket.
"Says to meet him at the hill, he left something at home," Velma says and Fred drops his phone back into his pocket.
"I guess we are off then." They climbed into the mystery machine and Fred's mind couldn't help but wander. Why had Daphne looked so upset, he longed for the right words to say, but before any came, to mind they were at the hill. Daphne and Velma both gasp at the scene in front of them, and Fred could feel his jaw hanging. At the very top of the hill was a quilted blanket with two candles lit in the middle surrounded by finger foods. As Fred got out of the van, he could hear Frank Sinatra's voice floating in the air quietly. It was beautiful and so well made, Shaggy must have been setting this up for a while. He closes his jaw, shallows the lump
in his throat, but just like earlier can't find the right words. Can't even describe what his heart is feeling.
"You did all of this?" Daphne says, her eyes wide. Shaggy nods.
"We deserve to celebrate and I figured it would be a nice treat." Shaggy scratches the back of his neck. "Is it like too much, I just grabbed candles cause they were easier than flashlights," Shaggy says.
"No no, it's amazing. Thank you." Velma says with a wide smile on her face and Fred just nods along. Shaggy's cheeks became pink. He was adorable. Fred's eyes widen as he attempts to rid the thought from his mind. What was up with him, Velma was adorable, and now Shaggy? At least Velma was the opposite gender.
"I agree, I can't imagine how much time this must have taken to set up. Thank you." Daphne says, and Shaggy's blush deepens. He waved his hand in the air to dismiss their compliment and then waves them over.
"C'mon I'm hungry!" Shaggy announces and they make their way other to the blanket.
"Where did you find a store open this late?" Velma asks.
"Oh, this was just lying around the house," Shaggy says, and then Fred notices.
"Where is Scooby?" He asks.
"Oh! He like fell asleep as soon as we got back to the house. Once I finally got him up, he like didn't want to come along." Shaggy explains and Fred nods.
"This is nice, thank you." Fred states. Mentally groaning at the words. Oh well.
"So what are we eating Chef Shaggy?" Daphne asks.
"Like this meal is one our most coveted. Two large pizzas, a bowl of chips and to drink some sparkling wine." Shaggy announces, gesturing to each as he listed them. With a giggle, Daphne took a chip and ate it.
"Hmm, this must-have cost a fortune." Daphne states. Following suit, Fred grabbed a piece of pizza as Shaggy poured the juice into plastic wine glasses. Taking a bite, Fred rested his hand on his heart.
"This must be the best I've ever tasted, straight from Italy."
"And this wine must be from France," Velma says without missing a beat. They all sit in silence for a moment before breaking out into a laughing fit. They ate in a comfortable silence until everyone was done. Quickly the four of them gathered up the dishes and put them in the picnic basket. Then they arranged themselves in a star pattern with their heads almost touching as they laid looking at the stars.
"Are there any constellations we can like actually see?" Shaggy asks, and Fred couldn't help but laugh. Which caused Velma and Daphne to laugh as well.
"What's funny?" Shaggy asks.
"Oh when we met up Velma hadn't brought her book but Fred guessed that she had a cheat sheet. Which she countered by saying you'd be the first to ask about the real constellations despite being the one to suggest we made our own." Daphne explains. Shaggy smiles.
"I didn't realize I was so predictable." Shaggy states and Velma smiles at him.
"I didn't think I was either." Velma chuckles, "You can see the Little and the Big Dipper." Velma says as she points out the outline of each.
"I think that bright star is Mars." She explains and Fred smiles, starting at what seems like such a small star was a planet.
"You guys ever wonder if we'll be able to solve a mystery on another planet." Fred wonders, his excitement growing. "Imagine making a trap without any gravity."
"That would be insane," Shaggy says.
"Imagine going to a different planet," Velma says with stars in her eyes.
"It would be awesome all four of us plus Scooby all in a spaceship. Maybe we can find an alien." Daphne states.
"The alien would just be some crazy astronaut in a mask." Velma chimes and they all laugh at that. Fred lays back on his hands and stares up at the stars. Somehow today felt different. Not today, this moment. Was it because Scooby wasn't here? He wasn't sure, they had hung out without their loyal canine before, but it didn't feel like this.
"Freddy?" Daphne's voice pierces through his thoughts.
"Huh?" Fred asks.
"Were you in outer space with the alien?" Velma teases. Fred let out a chuckle.
"Just dreaming up traps." Fred looks down at his watch and groans.
"We should be going back, it's 3 am, and we do have school in the morning." The other three groan.
"We should have a sleepover in the mystery machine!" Daphne announces and as good as that sounds, it would probably get them all in more trouble than they already are.
"I wish I could, but my mom was already pretty mad about the jail thing. If she wakes up in the morning not to see me there, I might not be able to go on another mystery for a while." Daphne pouts and Velma chuckles. Fred couldn't help but notice how adorable she looks. Fred internally smiles maybe he was back to normal.
"You didn't let me finish. I was going to say let me think of a cover story and we can set one up later this week." Velma says and Daphne's smile lights up her face.
"You're the best!" She exclaims and Fred couldn't help but smile.
"Like maybe if it's warm enough, we can sleep under the stars, and that time we can like make our own constellations." Shaggy chimes in as he finishes folding the blanket. Fred made his way over to Shaggy, grabbing the basket and blanket from him.
"It's the least I can do for such a well-crafted meal under the stars," Fred says with a wink. Shaggy smiles as the two of them make their way to the van where Velma and Daphne have already climbed in. Fred put the stuff in the back, then slipped into his spot. First, he dropped off Velma, Shaggy, and then finally Daphne. He made his way home, snuck back into the house, and laid on his bed. He felt himself smile as he recounted the day.