Disclaimer: I don't own Scooby Doo
Authors note: The flashback is written in Italics, while the story that is taking place is written with regular font.
The wind was blowing and howling outside. Peeking out the window, Daphne saw a streak of lightening and rain pouring down to the soggy ground. She was slightly unnerved at the booming sound of the clap of thunder. It was a perfect day for a mystery and the mystery of the mud goon at that. Daphne, Fred and Velma were looking for clues at Durks Manor, trying to solve the case of the mud goon. Shaggy and Scooby were running around looking for the kitchen as usual. Methodically, Fred and Daphne continued to go through the stacks of old newspapers and books that were on the desk.
"Hey guys, look a restaurant plan!" called Daphne, as she pulled out a large piece of paper. Velma hurried over, and the three of them studied the plan for a second.
"With all these clues, I think we can solve this mystery! It's time to set a trap. Come on lets go get Shaggy and Scooby," announced Freddie. He was interrupted by a low growl. They looked away from the paper to see the mud goon towering over them, waving his hands menacingly. Without wasting any time, they ran out of the room and headed for downstairs. They sprinted with the mud goon growling in heavy pursuit of them. They quickly turned and ducked into another dark hallway. The ground creaked with every step and Daphne was afraid it would give away. Before she could realize what was happening she had tripped over a loose floorboard and went flying across the room. She landed with her foot twisted at an odd angle.
"Daphne!" cried Fred running towards her. "Are you alright?" He put an arm around her. Daphne tried to get up but she couldn't walk or stand properly without falling down all over again. Velma came up beside her concerned and also studied her ankle.
"Well we can't just sit around her. The mud goon could be here any second! I'll manage. We have to get out of here," Daphne cried nervously. She grimaced when she tried moving it again.
"Don't move, I'll carry you," ordered Fred as he picked up his girlfriend and carefully placed her over his shoulder. Just as they were ready to run, they saw the mud goon headed towards them. Once again they took off and rounded the corner and ended up in the kitchen with Scooby and Shaggy.
"You know what guys? We are usually the ones always getting chased by the monster, but for over three hours we haven't met up with the MUD GOON!" announced Shaggy. He shouted the last two words because he saw the mud goon right behind Velma.
"OOOOOOO," threatened the mud goon. Shaggy was quaking in his shoes out of fear and he jumped right into Velma's arms. Scooby was stumbling around because his twenty inches high sandwich blocked his vision.
"Ronster?" asked Scooby terrified. Not knowing where he was going, he plowed right into the mud goon, pressing him down. The gang watched in shock and then relief.
"Yay for Scooby! He got the mud goon!" they cheered. Scooby looked around confused as he popped the sandwich in his mouth in one bite.
"Ri rid? Ri rean roh res ri rid!" he laughed. Setting Daphne gently down on the floor, Fred then pulled of the mud goon mask.
"It's Mr. Jokks, Mr. Durk's crazy neighbor," they exclaimed at once.
"Mr. Jokks wanted to scare Mr. Durk's of his land so that he could build a restaurant here," Shaggy explained gleefully.
"I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!" snapped Mr. Jokks. Mystery Inc. laughed while Scooby Doo called out happily.
"I'll be calling the police now. Thank you so much for helping me. How can I ever repay you? Please at least stay for the night. The storm is blowing hard and I have four guestrooms upstairs," thanked an extremely grateful Mr. Durks. He clapped his hands together in delight.
"We'd love to, but we need to get Daphne to a hospital. I think she sprained her ankle when she tripped," explained Fred.
"Is there anything I can do to help? Please tell me what I can do. I feel responsible because you were running away from the mud goon when she fell," answered Mr. Durks.
"It's ok. We just need to get to the Coolsville hospital, but thank you for offering anyways," replied Fred. He carefully picked up Daphne again. They bid their farewells to Mr. Durks, who asked them to visit any time. The gang found the Mystery Machine and piled inside.
"Ouch," she whispered as she accidentally moved her ankle again. Daphne was lying down across the front seat next to Fred. Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby were sitting in the back. As usual, Shaggy was fortifying himself with a Shaggy sandwich, while Scooby was going through yet another box of Scooby snacks.
"Being nervous makes us hungry," explained Shaggy as he stretched and yawned. The rest of the gang just rolled their eyes. They weren't hungry, but they were tired too.
"It's going to be ok sweetie," whispered Fred. The rain was still coming down hard, and Fred was trying to drive fast to the hospital but to get there in one piece. After swerving and trying to see in the rain, they were finally at the hospital.
"My girlfriend hurt her ankle when she was running. She tripped and her ankle was twisted at an odd ankle," explained Fred to the nurse who greeted them, leaving out the part about running away from a mud goon.
"The doctor will be with you in a moment,"
Shaggy was rubbing his eyes trying to keep awake. He was bushed and it was clear Scooby was too. It had been a long day.
"You guys can go home first. I'll stay with Daphne," Fred said noticing that they were exhausted.
"You sure," asked Velma worriedly. Both Daphne and Fred nodded. Although they were indeed bushed they were still hesitant about leaving.
"I'll call you in the morning to let you know how I am. You guys can take the Mystery Machine. I'll get my driver to pick us up," said Daphne. The three of them finally gave in to their exhaustion and took up Daphne on her offer.
Daphne was sitting in a wheelchair trying not to move her ankle too much.
"It's going to be all alright," comforted Fred again, stroking her hair. Thunder clapped again. This wasn't the first time that Daphne had sprained her ankle though. Both of them had no trouble remembering the first time she had done so.
The soft autumn wind blew in through the window. Fred and Daphne were spending the evening at Fred's house. The rest of the gang was supposed to have come too, but had been unable to. Shaggy and Scooby Doo needed to go to the supermarket and Velma was off in another state presenting her science fair entry. The little red head was perched on Fred's sofa flipping through a fashion magazine. Daphne had escaped from another one of her parent's fancy luncheons. She tugged at her hot pink scarf, which matched her pink jumper. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and she didn't have anything to do. Fred was sitting next to her and reading the latest copy of the National Exaggerator. He on the other hand was a fan of white and blue. The blonde boy dressed in a white polo shirt with long blue pants and with an orange ascot to finish off his outfit. Daphne looked over at the boy. It wasn't that she didn't like Fred, in fact she rather did. When she had first met him years ago, she had been immensely attracted to him. After becoming friends with him though, she had made a conclusion that he could be immature and egocentric. He was obsessed with his theories on Martians and pinning the blame on Red Herring. Although he did have his flaws, Daphne still found Fred rather attractive.
"Haven't you outgrown that stuff yet?" complained Daphne. "You're turning twelve this year!" She rolled her eyes.
"How do you know this isn't all true? The mole men could be coming!" he argued.
For Fred, he also had been attracted by the little redhead since he first saw her. After getting to know her better, he felt that she could be overly whiny and controlling. He also couldn't help liking Daphne, but he tried not to show it too much. One thing the blonde boy did make sure off was that whenever the gang "split up", he would pair himself off with Daphne.
Daphne laughed silently, as she got up to leave. She planned to go home, curl up, and watch a good movie to pass the time. If she had dared to, she would have asked Fred to come along.
"I'm going to go home now. See you,"
Fred looked up when she spoke.
"See you tomorrow,"
He let his eyes linger for a moment.
Daphne made her way out the door and into the garden. "When is Freddie going to grow up?" she complained silently. Then she remembered the little butterflies Freddie would give her when he was near. "Errrr, what is it with me?" she whispered quietly. If she hadn't been so deep in her thoughts, she would have noticed the water pipe that was lying out in front of her. Instead, Daphne fell over the pipe landing on her ankle. Giving a cry of pain, she bit her lip, as her ankle gave out, and she fell onto the grass. She struggled to get up but was unable to. Hearing the noise in the front yard, Fred placed his magazine back down onto the living room table, and went out to investigate. He went towards the direction of the noise, and found himself in front of Daphne. Crouching in front of her, Fred asked, "Daphne, what happened? Are you alright?"
"I think I sprained my ankle," she whimpered. He had learned in health class that you weren't supposed to move the injured person.
"Daphne, don't move! My parents are out, but I'll call them." He ran back inside the house. Panicking, Fred dialed the numbers of his parents, Daphne's parents, neighbors, Shaggy, Velma, anyone he could think off. He was unable to reach them. Daphne's servants had taken the day off and he didn't know what he could do. "Think Fred, think," he ordered himself. Not knowing what to do, he went back outside.
Daphne was sitting up looking at her ankle, looking sort of sad. Fred figured it was just because her ankle hurt and she was scared.
"Daphne, I wasn't able to reach anyone, but I promise I'll think of something." Daphne nodded. Fred sat down next to her on the freshly cut grass.
"Do you need anything? Ice, water, cushion?" Daphne shook her head.
"Freddie?" she asked.
"Yeah," replied Fred getting up to his feet, ready to help if she needed something.
"Thanks," was all Daphne said. Neither of them said anything for at least three minutes. Fred tried to read her expression and see what she was thinking, but wasn't able to. She gave him a small smile when she realized he was studying her, but resumed thinking. Her face looked troubled, but she quickly hid it.
"Daph, are you okay?" The young girl was blinking back her tears, but three came loose and fluttered down her cheeks one after another.
"Daph?" Fred wanted to know what was going on, but couldn't figure it out.
"What's wrong?" he tried again. Daphne gingerly wiped another tear away from her eye with her fingers. She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to speak.
"Why can't I do anything right?"
"What do you mean?" Fred was puzzled at the girl's question.
"I'm so clumsy. I mean I walk into a room and I'll trip over the rug and break a bone."
"Daph, you don't always knock into things." He tried his best to comfort her, but he didn't know why being clumsy would depress her so.
"My parents always expected me to be, you know graceful like a little princess. Every time my dad introduces me to his business partner's daughters they are always so perfect and flawless. They don't trip over rugs and bang into things. They always know the right things to say and the right things to do. Their faces are always flawless and they look like a beautiful princess out of a fairytale. I can't help but feel like my parents compare me to them and I come up short. I mean what am I compared to them…" Her face was covered with more tears, and she took another deep breath like she was going to continue, but then grew quiet. Fred was surprised at what he had just heard. He always thought that he had known Daphne well, but she was revealing to him a side that no one else, including him, knew before.
"If it helps any, I don't think your just a klutz and ungraceful" Daphne managed a small smile.
"Thanks," she whispered. Fred continued quietly.
"I don't think you come up short at all, personality or appearance. I've always thought you were beautiful," Daphne looked up at him not saying anything. Impulsively, he reached out and took her hand gently. Daphne didn't withdraw her hand, but smiled up at him instead. Fred squeezed her hand, both out of trying to comfort her, and also to see how she felt towards him. She squeezed his hand back giving her his reply. The world seemed to stay still. Remembering, that Daphne still needed to go to the hospital he got up to try to call again, but he hated releasing her hand.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to try to call again." Daphne also hated to let go of his hand and the warmth of his hand lingered in hers. She wasn't sure why she had just revealed her thoughts to Fred, but it felt right, and she was glad that she had done so.
Fred made a mad dash for the phone and tried his parents' number and to his delight his mom picked up.
"Mom, Daphne's sprained her ankle! You need to come quick," he cried into the telephone.
"I'll be right there," promised his mom. He went back outside to wait with Daphne.
"My mom will be here very soon," reassured Fred as he sat back down. Neither of them really knew what to say to each other.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, thank you," Wanting to cheer Daphne up, he decided to bring up another topic.
"You really think National Exaggerator is just a bunch of lies," he asked Daphne, who had dried all her tears and was looking happier.
"Not a bunch of lies Freddie, more like exaggerations. It is called the National Exaggerator after all," she answered. "But it doesn't matter if you enjoy reading them though. I mean I love fashion magazines and you don't like them." Daphne didn't really detest Fred enjoying the National Exaggerator. It was only when he went on and on about it that it annoyed her.
As if he knew what she was thinking Fred said, "If you really don't appreciate it, I won't keep on telling you about mole men, chickenstein, etc." Their conversation was interrupted by the squeal of tires, and they saw that Fred's mom had arrived.
"Daphne, we'll get you to the hospital in no time," she said as she and Fred both carefully picked Daphne up and lay her down in the backseat.
"Thank you, Mrs. Jones," she replied gratefully. Fred quickly got in the front seat and they drove off. When they arrived at the hospital, Fred's mom managed to reach Daphne's parents. Daphne's ankle was wrapped up and she was in crutches. She gave Fred a wave before she left.
"That was really mature of you, Fred. You were calm and handled the situation carefully," praised Fred's mother as they got in the car. "You did a good job making sure Daphne didn't get more injured and keeping her calm."
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"Daphne, hon, you feeling better?" asked Daphne's mother.
"Yes," she replied sounding a lot happier. Daphne was thinking about Fred, and the little conversation she had just had with him. Also she remembered how he had squeezed her hand, and just thinking about it made her feel warm inside. After getting ready for bed, she limped off to lie down and get some rest.
Morning came, and Fred groggily woke up. He had a mission though, he wanted to go to Daphne's house, and check up on her. Secretly, he also just wanted to see her again, and he wanted so badly. Riding his bike over, he rang the doorbell at Blake Mansion.
"It's Fred Jones," he said into the intercom.
"Ah, yes sir, Daphne will see you," answered Jenkins, opening the gates to let Fred in. Jenkins then opened to front door, and took Fred up to Daphne's room. When he opened the door, Daphne was already awake.
"Hey Daph," he greeted sitting down on the bed careful not to hurt her. Daphne was already dressed and had climbed back into bed so she wouldn't put too much pressure on her ankle.
Fred nervously took Daphne's hand in his again and just held it. Neither of them really felt the need to say anything. It was an unspoken connection.
Fred and Daphne both smiled at the memory. Daphne had grown up into a beautiful woman and her beauty now surpassed any of those "beautiful princesses." Although she tried not to be, she still could be very clumsy and a bit "danger prone." Fred had also become a handsome man with basically perfect features and a buffed body. He also had matured and was no longer obsessed with mole men. In fact he was the opposite and was firmly convinced that there were no such things as monster, ghouls, or Martians.
"The doctor will see you now," announced the nurse. She pushed Daphne's wheelchair into the doctor's office and Fred followed behind them.
The doctor examined her ankle and concluded that she had indeed sprained it. He wrapped up her ankle and handed her some crutches.
"Keep off it for a couple of days."
"Okay, thank you for everything," Daphne said.
"Familiar isn't this?" Daphne joked. Fred laughed at her remark then helped her get outside to her car.
"Ready to go home," he asked.
"Yeah," she replied. Once back home, he helped her inside and to her room. Daphne had moved out from her parent's house a year ago, but still visited often. She liked her new house though because Fred lived only a street away. After helping her into bed he stood by her bed.
"Thanks for everything, Freddie,"
"You're welcome,"
"I'll see you in the morning. I'll come by as early as possible tomorrow morning." Fred gave her a kiss.
"Thank you, Freddie," Daphne said all of a sudden.
"You just thanked me for helping you," He looked at her perplexed.
"This one's for loving me even before I was beautiful, not to sound ego centric or anything, but…" Fred cut her off by kissing her gently.
"I know what you mean, but you were always beautiful to me," was all he said.
"I love you," he said softly.
"Love you too," she whispered back. Giving her another kiss, he then turned to go. Daphne drifted of to sleep, thinking about Fred and that special Saturday afternoon so many years earlier.
Authors note: The flashback is written in Italics, while the story that is taking place is written with regular font.
The wind was blowing and howling outside. Peeking out the window, Daphne saw a streak of lightening and rain pouring down to the soggy ground. She was slightly unnerved at the booming sound of the clap of thunder. It was a perfect day for a mystery and the mystery of the mud goon at that. Daphne, Fred and Velma were looking for clues at Durks Manor, trying to solve the case of the mud goon. Shaggy and Scooby were running around looking for the kitchen as usual. Methodically, Fred and Daphne continued to go through the stacks of old newspapers and books that were on the desk.
"Hey guys, look a restaurant plan!" called Daphne, as she pulled out a large piece of paper. Velma hurried over, and the three of them studied the plan for a second.
"With all these clues, I think we can solve this mystery! It's time to set a trap. Come on lets go get Shaggy and Scooby," announced Freddie. He was interrupted by a low growl. They looked away from the paper to see the mud goon towering over them, waving his hands menacingly. Without wasting any time, they ran out of the room and headed for downstairs. They sprinted with the mud goon growling in heavy pursuit of them. They quickly turned and ducked into another dark hallway. The ground creaked with every step and Daphne was afraid it would give away. Before she could realize what was happening she had tripped over a loose floorboard and went flying across the room. She landed with her foot twisted at an odd angle.
"Daphne!" cried Fred running towards her. "Are you alright?" He put an arm around her. Daphne tried to get up but she couldn't walk or stand properly without falling down all over again. Velma came up beside her concerned and also studied her ankle.
"Well we can't just sit around her. The mud goon could be here any second! I'll manage. We have to get out of here," Daphne cried nervously. She grimaced when she tried moving it again.
"Don't move, I'll carry you," ordered Fred as he picked up his girlfriend and carefully placed her over his shoulder. Just as they were ready to run, they saw the mud goon headed towards them. Once again they took off and rounded the corner and ended up in the kitchen with Scooby and Shaggy.
"You know what guys? We are usually the ones always getting chased by the monster, but for over three hours we haven't met up with the MUD GOON!" announced Shaggy. He shouted the last two words because he saw the mud goon right behind Velma.
"OOOOOOO," threatened the mud goon. Shaggy was quaking in his shoes out of fear and he jumped right into Velma's arms. Scooby was stumbling around because his twenty inches high sandwich blocked his vision.
"Ronster?" asked Scooby terrified. Not knowing where he was going, he plowed right into the mud goon, pressing him down. The gang watched in shock and then relief.
"Yay for Scooby! He got the mud goon!" they cheered. Scooby looked around confused as he popped the sandwich in his mouth in one bite.
"Ri rid? Ri rean roh res ri rid!" he laughed. Setting Daphne gently down on the floor, Fred then pulled of the mud goon mask.
"It's Mr. Jokks, Mr. Durk's crazy neighbor," they exclaimed at once.
"Mr. Jokks wanted to scare Mr. Durk's of his land so that he could build a restaurant here," Shaggy explained gleefully.
"I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!" snapped Mr. Jokks. Mystery Inc. laughed while Scooby Doo called out happily.
"I'll be calling the police now. Thank you so much for helping me. How can I ever repay you? Please at least stay for the night. The storm is blowing hard and I have four guestrooms upstairs," thanked an extremely grateful Mr. Durks. He clapped his hands together in delight.
"We'd love to, but we need to get Daphne to a hospital. I think she sprained her ankle when she tripped," explained Fred.
"Is there anything I can do to help? Please tell me what I can do. I feel responsible because you were running away from the mud goon when she fell," answered Mr. Durks.
"It's ok. We just need to get to the Coolsville hospital, but thank you for offering anyways," replied Fred. He carefully picked up Daphne again. They bid their farewells to Mr. Durks, who asked them to visit any time. The gang found the Mystery Machine and piled inside.
"Ouch," she whispered as she accidentally moved her ankle again. Daphne was lying down across the front seat next to Fred. Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby were sitting in the back. As usual, Shaggy was fortifying himself with a Shaggy sandwich, while Scooby was going through yet another box of Scooby snacks.
"Being nervous makes us hungry," explained Shaggy as he stretched and yawned. The rest of the gang just rolled their eyes. They weren't hungry, but they were tired too.
"It's going to be ok sweetie," whispered Fred. The rain was still coming down hard, and Fred was trying to drive fast to the hospital but to get there in one piece. After swerving and trying to see in the rain, they were finally at the hospital.
"My girlfriend hurt her ankle when she was running. She tripped and her ankle was twisted at an odd ankle," explained Fred to the nurse who greeted them, leaving out the part about running away from a mud goon.
"The doctor will be with you in a moment,"
Shaggy was rubbing his eyes trying to keep awake. He was bushed and it was clear Scooby was too. It had been a long day.
"You guys can go home first. I'll stay with Daphne," Fred said noticing that they were exhausted.
"You sure," asked Velma worriedly. Both Daphne and Fred nodded. Although they were indeed bushed they were still hesitant about leaving.
"I'll call you in the morning to let you know how I am. You guys can take the Mystery Machine. I'll get my driver to pick us up," said Daphne. The three of them finally gave in to their exhaustion and took up Daphne on her offer.
Daphne was sitting in a wheelchair trying not to move her ankle too much.
"It's going to be all alright," comforted Fred again, stroking her hair. Thunder clapped again. This wasn't the first time that Daphne had sprained her ankle though. Both of them had no trouble remembering the first time she had done so.
The soft autumn wind blew in through the window. Fred and Daphne were spending the evening at Fred's house. The rest of the gang was supposed to have come too, but had been unable to. Shaggy and Scooby Doo needed to go to the supermarket and Velma was off in another state presenting her science fair entry. The little red head was perched on Fred's sofa flipping through a fashion magazine. Daphne had escaped from another one of her parent's fancy luncheons. She tugged at her hot pink scarf, which matched her pink jumper. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and she didn't have anything to do. Fred was sitting next to her and reading the latest copy of the National Exaggerator. He on the other hand was a fan of white and blue. The blonde boy dressed in a white polo shirt with long blue pants and with an orange ascot to finish off his outfit. Daphne looked over at the boy. It wasn't that she didn't like Fred, in fact she rather did. When she had first met him years ago, she had been immensely attracted to him. After becoming friends with him though, she had made a conclusion that he could be immature and egocentric. He was obsessed with his theories on Martians and pinning the blame on Red Herring. Although he did have his flaws, Daphne still found Fred rather attractive.
"Haven't you outgrown that stuff yet?" complained Daphne. "You're turning twelve this year!" She rolled her eyes.
"How do you know this isn't all true? The mole men could be coming!" he argued.
For Fred, he also had been attracted by the little redhead since he first saw her. After getting to know her better, he felt that she could be overly whiny and controlling. He also couldn't help liking Daphne, but he tried not to show it too much. One thing the blonde boy did make sure off was that whenever the gang "split up", he would pair himself off with Daphne.
Daphne laughed silently, as she got up to leave. She planned to go home, curl up, and watch a good movie to pass the time. If she had dared to, she would have asked Fred to come along.
"I'm going to go home now. See you,"
Fred looked up when she spoke.
"See you tomorrow,"
He let his eyes linger for a moment.
Daphne made her way out the door and into the garden. "When is Freddie going to grow up?" she complained silently. Then she remembered the little butterflies Freddie would give her when he was near. "Errrr, what is it with me?" she whispered quietly. If she hadn't been so deep in her thoughts, she would have noticed the water pipe that was lying out in front of her. Instead, Daphne fell over the pipe landing on her ankle. Giving a cry of pain, she bit her lip, as her ankle gave out, and she fell onto the grass. She struggled to get up but was unable to. Hearing the noise in the front yard, Fred placed his magazine back down onto the living room table, and went out to investigate. He went towards the direction of the noise, and found himself in front of Daphne. Crouching in front of her, Fred asked, "Daphne, what happened? Are you alright?"
"I think I sprained my ankle," she whimpered. He had learned in health class that you weren't supposed to move the injured person.
"Daphne, don't move! My parents are out, but I'll call them." He ran back inside the house. Panicking, Fred dialed the numbers of his parents, Daphne's parents, neighbors, Shaggy, Velma, anyone he could think off. He was unable to reach them. Daphne's servants had taken the day off and he didn't know what he could do. "Think Fred, think," he ordered himself. Not knowing what to do, he went back outside.
Daphne was sitting up looking at her ankle, looking sort of sad. Fred figured it was just because her ankle hurt and she was scared.
"Daphne, I wasn't able to reach anyone, but I promise I'll think of something." Daphne nodded. Fred sat down next to her on the freshly cut grass.
"Do you need anything? Ice, water, cushion?" Daphne shook her head.
"Freddie?" she asked.
"Yeah," replied Fred getting up to his feet, ready to help if she needed something.
"Thanks," was all Daphne said. Neither of them said anything for at least three minutes. Fred tried to read her expression and see what she was thinking, but wasn't able to. She gave him a small smile when she realized he was studying her, but resumed thinking. Her face looked troubled, but she quickly hid it.
"Daph, are you okay?" The young girl was blinking back her tears, but three came loose and fluttered down her cheeks one after another.
"Daph?" Fred wanted to know what was going on, but couldn't figure it out.
"What's wrong?" he tried again. Daphne gingerly wiped another tear away from her eye with her fingers. She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to speak.
"Why can't I do anything right?"
"What do you mean?" Fred was puzzled at the girl's question.
"I'm so clumsy. I mean I walk into a room and I'll trip over the rug and break a bone."
"Daph, you don't always knock into things." He tried his best to comfort her, but he didn't know why being clumsy would depress her so.
"My parents always expected me to be, you know graceful like a little princess. Every time my dad introduces me to his business partner's daughters they are always so perfect and flawless. They don't trip over rugs and bang into things. They always know the right things to say and the right things to do. Their faces are always flawless and they look like a beautiful princess out of a fairytale. I can't help but feel like my parents compare me to them and I come up short. I mean what am I compared to them…" Her face was covered with more tears, and she took another deep breath like she was going to continue, but then grew quiet. Fred was surprised at what he had just heard. He always thought that he had known Daphne well, but she was revealing to him a side that no one else, including him, knew before.
"If it helps any, I don't think your just a klutz and ungraceful" Daphne managed a small smile.
"Thanks," she whispered. Fred continued quietly.
"I don't think you come up short at all, personality or appearance. I've always thought you were beautiful," Daphne looked up at him not saying anything. Impulsively, he reached out and took her hand gently. Daphne didn't withdraw her hand, but smiled up at him instead. Fred squeezed her hand, both out of trying to comfort her, and also to see how she felt towards him. She squeezed his hand back giving her his reply. The world seemed to stay still. Remembering, that Daphne still needed to go to the hospital he got up to try to call again, but he hated releasing her hand.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to try to call again." Daphne also hated to let go of his hand and the warmth of his hand lingered in hers. She wasn't sure why she had just revealed her thoughts to Fred, but it felt right, and she was glad that she had done so.
Fred made a mad dash for the phone and tried his parents' number and to his delight his mom picked up.
"Mom, Daphne's sprained her ankle! You need to come quick," he cried into the telephone.
"I'll be right there," promised his mom. He went back outside to wait with Daphne.
"My mom will be here very soon," reassured Fred as he sat back down. Neither of them really knew what to say to each other.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, thank you," Wanting to cheer Daphne up, he decided to bring up another topic.
"You really think National Exaggerator is just a bunch of lies," he asked Daphne, who had dried all her tears and was looking happier.
"Not a bunch of lies Freddie, more like exaggerations. It is called the National Exaggerator after all," she answered. "But it doesn't matter if you enjoy reading them though. I mean I love fashion magazines and you don't like them." Daphne didn't really detest Fred enjoying the National Exaggerator. It was only when he went on and on about it that it annoyed her.
As if he knew what she was thinking Fred said, "If you really don't appreciate it, I won't keep on telling you about mole men, chickenstein, etc." Their conversation was interrupted by the squeal of tires, and they saw that Fred's mom had arrived.
"Daphne, we'll get you to the hospital in no time," she said as she and Fred both carefully picked Daphne up and lay her down in the backseat.
"Thank you, Mrs. Jones," she replied gratefully. Fred quickly got in the front seat and they drove off. When they arrived at the hospital, Fred's mom managed to reach Daphne's parents. Daphne's ankle was wrapped up and she was in crutches. She gave Fred a wave before she left.
"That was really mature of you, Fred. You were calm and handled the situation carefully," praised Fred's mother as they got in the car. "You did a good job making sure Daphne didn't get more injured and keeping her calm."
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"Daphne, hon, you feeling better?" asked Daphne's mother.
"Yes," she replied sounding a lot happier. Daphne was thinking about Fred, and the little conversation she had just had with him. Also she remembered how he had squeezed her hand, and just thinking about it made her feel warm inside. After getting ready for bed, she limped off to lie down and get some rest.
Morning came, and Fred groggily woke up. He had a mission though, he wanted to go to Daphne's house, and check up on her. Secretly, he also just wanted to see her again, and he wanted so badly. Riding his bike over, he rang the doorbell at Blake Mansion.
"It's Fred Jones," he said into the intercom.
"Ah, yes sir, Daphne will see you," answered Jenkins, opening the gates to let Fred in. Jenkins then opened to front door, and took Fred up to Daphne's room. When he opened the door, Daphne was already awake.
"Hey Daph," he greeted sitting down on the bed careful not to hurt her. Daphne was already dressed and had climbed back into bed so she wouldn't put too much pressure on her ankle.
Fred nervously took Daphne's hand in his again and just held it. Neither of them really felt the need to say anything. It was an unspoken connection.
Fred and Daphne both smiled at the memory. Daphne had grown up into a beautiful woman and her beauty now surpassed any of those "beautiful princesses." Although she tried not to be, she still could be very clumsy and a bit "danger prone." Fred had also become a handsome man with basically perfect features and a buffed body. He also had matured and was no longer obsessed with mole men. In fact he was the opposite and was firmly convinced that there were no such things as monster, ghouls, or Martians.
"The doctor will see you now," announced the nurse. She pushed Daphne's wheelchair into the doctor's office and Fred followed behind them.
The doctor examined her ankle and concluded that she had indeed sprained it. He wrapped up her ankle and handed her some crutches.
"Keep off it for a couple of days."
"Okay, thank you for everything," Daphne said.
"Familiar isn't this?" Daphne joked. Fred laughed at her remark then helped her get outside to her car.
"Ready to go home," he asked.
"Yeah," she replied. Once back home, he helped her inside and to her room. Daphne had moved out from her parent's house a year ago, but still visited often. She liked her new house though because Fred lived only a street away. After helping her into bed he stood by her bed.
"Thanks for everything, Freddie,"
"You're welcome,"
"I'll see you in the morning. I'll come by as early as possible tomorrow morning." Fred gave her a kiss.
"Thank you, Freddie," Daphne said all of a sudden.
"You just thanked me for helping you," He looked at her perplexed.
"This one's for loving me even before I was beautiful, not to sound ego centric or anything, but…" Fred cut her off by kissing her gently.
"I know what you mean, but you were always beautiful to me," was all he said.
"I love you," he said softly.
"Love you too," she whispered back. Giving her another kiss, he then turned to go. Daphne drifted of to sleep, thinking about Fred and that special Saturday afternoon so many years earlier.