A/N: Here we are already, week 2 chapter 2! Longer than the opening, this chapter again covers unseen time from the last little bit of Darkest Moments which you might recall had a very wooly (and deliberate!) 'six months later' style time jump. Still nothing explicit but there is a 'heated' scene incoming...

Chapter 2 – Can't Let Go

One month later, March 2013

"Fred!"

Daphne suddenly came running into their kitchen one evening where Fred was in the final stages of cooking them a delicious smelling lasagne from scratch. She careened in at such speed, breathless, that Fred quickly turned the oven off, fearing imminent terrible news.

"What is it?" He asked her in alarm, slinging the oven mitt over his shoulder. "Is everyone OK?"

"Everyone's fine," she reassured him quickly before shifting a little uncomfortably on the spot. As his heart rate returned to normal, Fred finally noticed her cell phone clutched tightly in her hand. She looked sheepish, reminding Fred of how a child looked when they were waiting outside the headmaster's office and knew they were about to be told off. His concern quickly turned to nervous dread as she began to speak. "Look Freddy, I know I said I wouldn't look into Mario..."

And there it is. Mario. I knew she couldn't let go he thought despairingly. "Oh god Daph," He interrupted her, automatically releasing a little sigh of disappointment. "I told you not to do it because I feared it would only lead to frustration!"

"But I actually got a lead Fred, I found a guy who's also looking for him," she revealed with her eyes shining brightly as she spoke. "He's a Private Investigator over there. I got in touch with him; turns out, he's actually a retired cop. He's adamant he could still be in Italy after all!" She announced, her tone bubbling with excitement.

Fred bit back his visible disappointment that Daphne had gone behind his back to search for Mario anyway, despite her proclamations last month she would do nothing. She seemed to be a woman in need of a new crusade ever since they finally lifted the spectre of Devon and there hadn't been a sniff of a new mystery to solve in Coolsville. He forced himself to sound interested even though his stomach was already churning with anxiety. "Why is this PI guy so convinced he's still in Italy? Why would Mario stay there when he could go somewhere he's much less likely to be recognised?"

Daphne shrugged. "There's actually been some unconfirmed possible sightings that he's looking into right now," she revealed. "And suspected contact with family members too. It's looking increasingly likely right now. It would be so typically brazen of Mario too," she added scornfully. "He probably knows the police aren't even bothering to look for him, so he's hiding in plain sight, laughing at them all. Well, that's what Esposito thinks anyway and I'm inclined to agree with him."

"Esposito?"

"Santo Esposito," Daphne explained patiently. "That's the name of the Private Investigator. He has made it his personal mission to track down Mario and his brother. He told me he was actually part of the initial early investigation team into the sexual assault allegations made against Mario, but they just could never get anything to stick; there was too much interference. He retired early in disgust at what he believed was coercion, intimidation and a frightening level of corruption even at the very top of the Italian police ranks."

"Wow, so what you have told him?" Fred asked her curiously.

"I told him that I was one of his many previous victims who was too scared to come forward at the time," she admitted. "I told him I'd stumbled across the news of his release and it had infuriated me."

Fred nodded understandingly but it still ate away at him that was the truth; she had been too scared to tell anyone for such a long time that Mario had actually assaulted her, and that even today she didn't know what the actual truth was.

"I told him to contact me again if he manages to find them for definite," she added, to Fred's immediate consternation and rising panic.

"Whoa. To do what Daphne?! You're not seriously thinking of actually going to confront that lunatic? You've said yourself many times how dangerous he is!"

It was Daphne's turn to sigh. She knew Fred would not exactly be thrilled at the prospect of her flying to Italy to try to see Mario, but she knew firmly in her heart this was something she needed to do if the chance arose. There was definite unfinished business.

"I have to speak to him Freddy. I have to know the truth," she confessed to him brokenly. "I know how unlikely it is that Esposito will even truly track him down, but if there's a chance he can be found and I can speak to him, I have to take it."

She had that haunted look in her eyes again and Fred recognized then that she was still deeply scarred by what had happened and even more so, the uncertainty of exactly what had happened to her. He could understand her determination right now but it also terrified him; he silently hoped and prayed that a day of finding Mario Materazzi was a day that would never happen, especially with what she asked of him next.

"I need you to promise me something Freddy; I need you to promise me that if he is ever found; that you'll be right by my side to help me get answers?" She looked at him so earnestly then, with hope pooling in her eyes; it almost broke his heart. He quickly wrapped her into his arms, his head resting on top of hers as she melted against his chest. It always felt so right when he held her like this. He placed a kiss on the top of her forehead before sincerely saying one single word.

"Always."

Summer 2013

While Daphne was still able to check in with Santo Esposito now and again over the following months, it was also becoming increasingly clear that a once promising trail was now very much going cold. Subsequently all of that passion she had for one final showdown with Mario was fading by the day. Suspected sightings from Esposito's anonymous sources were drying up; the only likely conclusion was that Mario was getting better at covering his tracks.

Fred was of course privately relieved by this turn of events and did his best to keep Daphne's mind off the search for Mario, not least with his own developing 'mini-investigation.'

Ever since Fred had heard of Ethan's incredible and heartbreaking story of the boy he fell in love with in Hong Kong, Tao, he had found it so hard to forget. Not only had he been enormously moved, he had at once become privately committed to doing all he could to try to track down the young man who had stolen Ethan's heart. When Daphne later found out what he was up to, she had immediately shown visible disapproval at Fred's attempts to 'meddle' in Ethan's love life but she couldn't (of course) purposefully object because she had been fully wrapped up in her own bleak quest to track down Mario Materazzi. She knew it would have been the height of hypocrisy.

Instead, she had reluctantly assisted his tentative search with the only extra information Ethan had ever shared with her about Tao. Ethan had never disclosed, even to Daphne, the true depth of his feelings for the man, but he had once spilled the beans to her somewhat; gushing all about that 'magical' first date where he had felt an 'immediate connection.' Daphne had then racked her brains for the information he had shared about that date, eventually recalling that Ethan had said he was a 'tutor of kids' of some description.

It wasn't very much to go on; Hong Kong was such a truly vast city after all, but it was something and Fred took that extra slice of information and ran with it, immediately getting in touch again with the only person he knew who could help him over there; Mei-Ling.

For Mei-Ling, an innocent woman who had inadvertently been swept up in a dramatic and terrifying adventure with Fred and Daphne in Hong Kong the previous fall, it was fair to say she was definitely wary of getting involved with Fred again. Despite her initial hesitation, she was though quickly relieved that all he wanted her to do was to track down some random guy.

Of course, nothing with Fred Jones was ever that simple so it came as no surprise to Mei-Ling that actually, it wasn't just 'anyone' he wanted her to find. No, it was the ex-boyfriend of Fred's friend Ethan. Fred's friend Ethan, also the half-brother of Fred's current girlfriend Daphne. Fred's friend Ethan, who she supposedly had watched a video of (in her own home no less!) being freaking executed. It had taken her a LONG time to get over that one. Forget the book deal she had once half-jokingly teased the pair about; Mei-Ling was now confident someone would actually make a movie about their breath-taking adventures.

After she had dropped Fred and Daphne outside their hotel the morning after the crazy night before, it seemed like what was already an incredible story went off into the stratosphere with twists that left her gasping every time she thought about it. 'Execution victim' Ethan was actually alive. (The video nasty was some other poor soul) Daphne and Fred only found this out when he spectacularly betrayed them by having them 'attacked' in Hong Kong. Back in the States, the true 'Big Bad' of the entire sorry piece, (and Daphne and Ethan's uncle) claimed to have kidnapped their good friend Velma's sister, but this was all a massive bluff to draw them to him. The 'gang' and Ethan then pulled off some elaborate deception tricks (complete with a bit of 'fake death' fuckery that made Mei-Ling's head spin) culminating with the final jaw-dropping twist to the tale; Devon Blake's vicious murder. With no shortage of candidates with motive to kill the evil crime lord, his cause of death actually came from a somewhat unlikely source. A young cop, who had assisted Ethan in Hong Kong and then the gang in Coolsville, stunned them all by shooting him dead. In January this year, he had been convicted of first-degree murder. Even as far away as Asia, the case had caused shockwaves. Of course, Mei Ling had been privy to some extra context to the situation that made the cop's actions somewhat more understandable – he had lost the love of his life at Devon's murderous hands years previously. It was nothing but an act of long-simmering vengeance.

Whenever she (often) reflected on the whole sorry saga, Mei Ling found herself struggling to believe how her always brave, but ultimately sweet American ex-boyfriend Fred had ever managed to get mixed up in something quite so deadly and dangerous. A saga that began when he was still just a teen.

Despite her immediate fears at the time, she had no hesitation in helping him and Daphne when they dramatically turned up on her doorstep in Hong Kong in desperate need of help. Once they finally left China, she had been unable to concentrate on anything until she finally heard they were safe again. Damn Fred Jones burrowing his way back into her heart and consciousness.

She continued to drop friendly emails and video calls catching up with Fred for a while after, and it seemed like things were starting to calm down for them and his life was finally becoming' 'normal' again. She was pleased for him but was also relieved; she slowly began to move on from him again and concentrate on her own life and neglected relationship. It was a little like a bolt from the blue then when he contacted her again with his bizarre request, but after a little initial unease, she had eventually agreed to help him try and find this Tao. It was simply a favour for a friend, wasn't it?

She settled into the search with enthusiasm at first but that soon waned at the enormity of the challenge in front of her. Even in the modern age of the internet and blossoming social media, she quickly discovered that finding this guy was a near impossible task. Fred hadn't given her much at all to go on; they didn't even know his second name. Worse than that, the only clue they did have, 'tutoring,' was becoming such big business in China, and Daphne did not even know exactly what he was tutoring or for what age group. Mei Ling had started to meet up with various young tutors under the guise of trying to find the perfect one for her 'niece' but hadn't yet come close to finding Tao. It was the proverbial needle in a haystack hunt.

Like with Daphne and Esposito, Fred received a solitary update from Mei-Ling now and again but it was obvious she wasn't having much luck and her efforts had probably understandably dwindled too. At the same time, Daphne's quest to find Mario had clearly hit a brick wall too. With the couple being so fully consumed with their very different missions, it had put a noticeable strain on their relationship, with both becoming irritable and snappy at each other as they failed to deal with their relative frustrations, summer was sliding by in the blink of an eye.

After the latest 'no luck' response from Mei Ling and a big fat nothing coming from Italy, a worried Fred decided to take matters into his own hand.

"We need to talk," he announced to her one warm late June night as she once again was sat with her laptop glued to her knee.

"Need or want to?" Daphne replied huffily barely giving him eye contact.

What Fred wanted right then was to rip that damn laptop from her hands but instead he kept his voice steady and calm.

"I want to talk Daph, please, just look at me?"

Daphne set the laptop to the side and looked up at him. "Okay, you have my attention, let's talk then."

But Fred shook his head. "No, not like this, not where it's obviously an inconvenience to you. I want you to put that laptop down and I want you to come with me."

"Fine," Daphne agreed easily. "Just give me five minutes to get ready and grab my stuff…"

"No!" Fred said exasperated. "You don't need 'stuff!' just you, that's all I need."

Daphne bristled at his slightly abrasive tone and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. "Okay, but can I at least get my jacket and my cell phone?" she said indicating the thin sweatpants and tank top she was dressed in.

With darkness quickly descending and despite the humid evening, Fred nodded it was fine for her to go ahead and grab her jacket. "But no cell phone," he quickly added to Daphne's frustration.

"But Fred!" she protested. "What if someone tries to call me?!"

"Huh," Fred snorted. "I don't think you need to worry about Esposito calling, how long has it been now?"

Daphne glared at him in annoyance. "I didn't mean Esposito, I was more thinking about Velma…or Shaggy. What if there's a case?"

"We both know the likelihood of that is pretty much nil right now," Fred replied solemnly.

Daphne didn't protest further as Fred locked up and they walked to the van together in near silence.

"You know, when Ethan did this, he came back to utter chaos," she declared a little sulkily as they opened the doors and climbed in.

"What?" Fred said in irritation as he eased the van out. Daphne looked out of the passenger window, deliberately not making any physical or even eye contact with him.

"This," she gestured sulkily. "Going off grid, without a cell phone. It's dangerous."

"Daphne," Fred said with a little sadness now. "We're not going off grid, I just wanted to go somewhere we can properly talk without any distractions. You truly can't be happy with how things are between us right now?"

Daphne caught the little note of regret in his voice and immediately softened. "Of course, I hate it too," she admitted quietly.

Fred nodded and drove to his intended destination, the edge of the Coolsville woods.

Daphne didn't say a word as they parked up in the deserted parking lot and Fred killed the engine and turned to look at her.

"So, who goes first?" she said tentatively.

"I will," Fred offered, unbuckling his seatbelt and shuffling along the front bench a little but still with a gap between him and Daphne.

"Let me start by saying of course I understand why you want to find Mario, but this thing, it's consuming you Daphne. You jump every time your phone so much as beeps, it's not healthy."

He expected her to get defensive, retaliate by throwing back his own 'obsessive' hunt for Tao, but instead she just nodded softly. "I know. The thing is Freddy; I really thought we had a shot! Esposito made it seem like he was so close to finding him! It's so frustrating. I thought I might finally get answers. You'll never understand," she added a little unfairly.

"I've tried to understand! But you just shut me out of it Daph!" Fred said, his voice starting to rise a little. "That bastard is now ruining our lives without even being here! When was the last time we spent an evening together, just for us? Even just watching a goddamn movie together?"

"Hey! Let's not just put this all on me," Daphne bit back angrily. "For every night I've been on the laptop, there's been another where you've been tapping away messaging or skyping Mei-Ling. Your ex-girlfriend let's not forget!"

"You're kidding me?" Fred said incredulously, staring open-mouthed at Daphne now. "You're jealous of Mei-Ling?! She's trying to help me!"

"Of course, I'm not jealous, I'm not some insecure bimbo!" Daphne dismissed the barbed accusation easily. "But am I envious of all the time and attention she's getting from you right now? Sure." Daphne folded her arms defiantly across her chest. She did her best to cover it up but Fred could see her braless nipples harden under the top.

Fuck.

She was so attractive when she was angry. He unconsciously licked his bottom lip. "So, it's just my attention you want is it?" he said a little huskily, sliding a little closer to her across the front seat. The closer proximity made Daphne's heart race a little faster as he closed the distance to her and leaned in closer. "Just what kind of attention do you desire?"

It was impossible to say who made the first move, the sexual tension inside that van was suddenly sizzling. Suddenly Daphne was in Fred's lap, her lips on his, her hand on his crotch. Fred had one hand tangled in her hair, the other immediately slid underneath her tank top.

"Is this enough attention Daphne?" he growled and Daphne groaned as he sucked on her bottom lip. She fully wrapped her legs around his waist and in one fluid move had pulled her down on top of him. In response, he yanked her top fully down exposing her bare chest, which he adorned with kisses.

"Not yet," she managed to quiver and Fred stopped and grinned at her mischievously.

"Really?" he said quirking a blond eyebrow. He slid further down the bench, smoothly taking her sweatpants with him, causing her to gasp. She wasn't wearing any underwear. He gave her all of his undivided attention before Daphne returned the favour. And some.

Afterwards, they lay naked but content in each other's arms, wrapped in a blanket in the back of the Mystery Machine. In the heat of the moment and at the height of the passion, Daphne had not for one second considered the fairly precarious position they were in but as the afterglow of their lovemaking faded, the reality of them having sex in a public parking lot set in for her.

"I can't believe we just did that," she said sitting up, feeling the shame creep in a little.

Fred sat up with her, and kissed her neck. "Relax," he soothed glancing at his watch, "it's…wow 12.38! I guess we got carried away," he grinned. "No way anyone's around at this time of night. Don't worry about it."

"But there could have been a park ranger patrol, anything!" Daphne squeaked in protest and Fred pulled her back down to kiss her passionately again.

"It's highly unlikely, what even is there to patrol here?" he murmured between kisses. "And besides, didn't the possibility of getting caught give you a little thrill? Admit it, you love living on the edge. You have to... after everything we've been through."

A thought occurred to Daphne and she stared at Fred a little suspiciously now, "wait did you bring me here just to do this?"

"No way," Fred protested his innocence. "I did want to talk but I guess it's true what they say, the sex is so much hotter after an argument!"

Daphne couldn't disagree with that. "You're right," she conceded. "I have been too consumed with Mario. I have been neglecting you, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't be giving all my time and attention to Mei Ling," Fred admitted.

"So, what do we do about it?" Daphne asked.

"Well," Fred said, "let's start with repeating this," he smiled.

"Sex in a parking lot? Freddy, as great as this was, it was a one-off, the heat of the moment! It can't happen again!" Daphne protested wide-eyed.

Fred laughed loudly. "I don't mean 'this' specifically. Although I would definitely be up for something like this again," he winked. "But I do mean 'us'. Our priority has got to be 'us'. Not Mario, or Mei-Ling or even the gang and Ethan. Let's just do things for us. Let's have regular date nights again, heck let's go hiking together!"

"Um, okay," Daphne said uncertainly. "If that's what you want."

"I do," he said earnestly. "And we can do things that you want to do too. We can have the Dirty Dancing/ Ghost/ Pretty Woman movie marathon you've always wanted!"

"Ahem!" Daphne said, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Let's not even pretend that would be for my benefit Fred Jones! But that does sound good, I'd like that a lot." She said taking his hand.

"And not just that," Fred said, lazily circling her bare shoulders with his finger. "We need to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. We need to be open and honest with each other, no more bottling things up."

"I agree," Daphne said softly. She grasped for the bottles of water she knew were still rolling around the Mystery Machine floor and grabbed one, handing the other to Fred. They uncapped the lids and took a sip.

"To us," she saluted, clinking her bottle against his.

"To us," he repeated, kissing her softly, his heart filled with nothing but love.

After that massive heart to heart (and skin to skin!) in the van, they both agreed to try and put the past behind them and keep that focus on each other that they had promised. Very quickly, far from the tension filled nights that had recently filled their time together, things between Daphne and Fred had never been better. They spent their nights lavishing in nothing but each other; imaginative date nights out, cosy movie nights in, and soaring electric nights of passion. They reconnected with each other on an emotional, physical and spiritual level. They even started 'that hiking thing,' which despite Daphne's reservations; they developed into a shared passion for the great outdoors.

Their closeness and love for each other was firmly cemented when Fred spontaneously proposed to Daphne while on one of those hikes. They were living in an absolute bubble of bliss, so it was absolutely typical that they were soon rocked to their foundations again. It was during those three weeks between the proposal and the impromptu wedding in Hawaii when Santo Esposito finally got in touch after a prolonged absence with the most promising lead on despised Materazzi so far.

Late August 2013

Fred had never exactly 'banned' Daphne from any further search for Mario, it was just that the optimistic 'mission' to find him seemed to have come to a natural end and Daphne had not spoken to Esposito in weeks. They were completely full steam ahead instead on their clandestine plans for the wedding in Hawaii, with every spare minute of the day taken up with phone calls and emails to their good friend Makani in Honolulu who was helping to organise everything. The very name 'Mario' had not been uttered in their home for weeks and Fred couldn't have been happier about that. It was typical then, days before what was going to be the happiest moment of their lives, that Esposito suddenly dealt a hammer blow of an update and Daphne was immediately sucked back into the drama much to Fred's despair.

"Si Daphne, he is definitely still in Italy," Esposito dramatically told Daphne in a late-night phone call. "I have now discovered that he is using a false name and he seems to be on some kind of tour, posing as a musician."

"A musician? What a great way of meeting vulnerable women," Daphne bit back sarcastically. "What about his appearance, has he changed much at all Esposito?"

Esposito told her that it seemed Mario was now blond, rather than dark-haired, which surprised her a little; it confirmed to her that he was actively trying to conceal his identity. As soon as Esposito confirmed he was still in Italy and performing as a touring artist, her excitement for the wedding was immediately shelved, with her mind starting to run wild with concerns of exactly what Mario could be getting up to. There was no doubt in her mind anymore; she had to go to Italy.

Fred had watched the way she sat up straight and listened calmly as she took the call just after they had got into bed together; Mario had been found. He didn't visibly react but he knew exactly what was coming next. He was far from happy but he had made a promise he firmly intended to keep. He also knew he had absolutely no chance of dissuading her, and kept his eyes steadfastly glued to the crime novel he had been reading but during the ten-minute call, he hadn't truly taken in a single word. When she ended the call with a determined 'see you soon.' he carefully set his book on the nightstand and turned to face her slowly; Daphne immediately looked in the mood for another fight. He did not intend to give her one.

"They found him, didn't they?" he asked softly.

Daphne nodded. "Yes."

"Should I start looking at flights then? Where exactly in Italy are we heading to?" he asked her amiably, reaching for his phone now.

Daphne blinked at him in surprise at his apparent willingness. She thought for sure that he would continue to strongly protest her intention to go to Italy to confront Mario now it had actually become a real prospect rather than just an idea.

"You're not going to tell me it's a terrible idea? Tell me not to go?" she asked, peering at him doubtfully.

"Daph, you know exactly what I think about the whole thing, I've made my feelings perfectly clear," he said with a throaty laugh. "But I also know I'm never going to change your mind on this. Despite the fact I completely despise the idea of you coming close to him again, and just the thought of his smarmy face is driving me to violent thoughts right now; I cannot and will not stand in your way. I completely understand why you have to do this, and you had better believe I'm going to be right there with you just like you asked me to. I can't lie, although the idea absolutely terrifies me, I'm so proud of the stance you're taking here sweetheart."

Daphne beamed tearfully at her soon-to-be husband before jumping on him and embracing him hard. "Thank you Freddy, I love you so much. Do you think I should call the rest of the gang on this?"

"No," Fred replied. "I think this is something we have to do alone together. Have you ever told Velma what happened?"

"No, I couldn't," Daphne admitted, looking anxious again. "She doesn't know anything about Mario being out early, or what he did to me. The only people who know are you, and Ethan."

Fred nodded thoughtfully, "well maybe that's for the best. We don't want to worry her and Shaggy unduly. Hey, I guess we finally found a destination for our honeymoon?" he smiled.

"Fred," Daphne replied shocked. "You don't have to make this part of our honeymoon!"

"Why not," he shrugged. "I know you'll want to go to Italy as soon as possible and we are getting married in three days, just no one knows it yet! We could fly out shortly after the wedding, providing nothing crazy here happens in the meantime, of course," he added with a little chuckle.

"Aw, see now you just jinxed it!" Daphne complained ruefully, hitting him in the head with a pillow playfully. "Why would you even say that, Freddy?"

"Hey, I think we have both had just about our complete fill of crazy now," Fred told her confidently, before stealing in for a passionate kiss that quickly turned into something more.

As it happened, he was so very, very wrong. With one visitor to their apartment, it was Fred's turn to have his world turned upside down.

A.N. - Yes, next chapter we are finally up to date and are going there -you'll get to see what happened after that mommy dearest cliff-hanger in Darkest Moments at last! See you next Sunday for that!