Now her daddy's in the kitchen - starin' out the window
Scratchin' and a rackin' his brains
How could 18 years just up and walk away
Our little pony-tailed girl growed up to be a woman
Now she's gone in the blink of an eye
She left the suds in the bucket
And the clothes hangin' out on the line

-Sara Evans; Suds in the Bucket

The Mystery Machine was slightly more crowded today; Fred, Velma, and Daphne sat in their usual spots in the front seat, and in the back was where Shaggy and Scooby-Doo took up residence, along with their new guest, Mike.

"Like, so you're from Ireland?" Shaggy asked, looking up from the Go Fish game he was playing with his Great Dane, "Like, are the potatoes better over there than over here?" Mike arched a brow, unsure of how to answer such a random question.

Velma turned in her seat to face them. "Don't worry, he's always like that," she reassured.

"So I gathered," Mike murmured, watching the lithe man beside him pull several sandwiches from the cooler that sat in the corner. As Shaggy's back was turned to collect two cans of soda, Mike watched in silence as the dog snatched a few – or more than half – of the sandwiches, gulping them down in a few bites. Scooby hiccupped when Shaggy turned back around. Upon seeing half of the food items gone, Shaggy shot the Dane an exasperated look. Scooby replied with a solitary hiccup.

"Alright," Mike stated, "Time for me to ask you a question."

"Like, fire away, man."

"Do you own a dog or a garbage disposal?"

Scooby crossed his forearms and yipped out a "Humph!" – he even stiffened his lower lip to add to the aloof expression on his face. Mike laughed.

"Aw, c'mon it's a joke, Scoob," Shaggy chortled.

Scooby looked over at Mike, still maintaining a somewhat stuck-up manner. Daphne noticed and reached into the glove box, pulling out a small plastic baggie. She tossed it to Mike, who promptly caught it.

"What's this?" he asked.

Daphne grinned. "Scooby Snacks. He loves those things."

"Like, so do I!" Shaggy interjected, emitting a few low grumbles from his cohorts. Mike chuckled and took a Snack from the bag.

"Hey, Scooby. I'm sorry about calling you a garbage disposal. I want to apologize," he said, holding up the Snack. Mike's eyes went wide as the treat disappeared before he had finished his statement. Scooby sat in front of him, chewing contentedly.

"I think you're forgiven," Velma joked, emitting laughs from the others.

Fred stopped the van in front of a somewhat worn-down building. It was one story, with large, blocky letters spelling out the words MALT SHOP above the main entrance. The blonde man called out, "Alright, gang, we're here!"

Shaggy and Scooby bolted from the back doors and skidded on the sidewalk as they scrambled frantically into the front doors. Mike followed them at a walk, hopping out and shutting the doors, all the while shaking his head and laughing to himself. Fred, Velma, and Daphne flanked his side a moment later.

"You'll like it here," Daphne said.

Velma nodded. "Best malt shop in town."

Fred elbowed her. "It's the only malt shop in town."

"Enough with the chit-chat, let's get inside before Shaggy and Scooby eat the place out of business," Daphne interrupted, smiling inwardly as she walked up to the main entrance.

"Eat them out of business? In one sitting? That sounds impossible!" Mike told the redhead as he followed Fred and Velma inside. Daphne's expression turned flat as she countered, "Believe me, they are capable of doing so. If myself and the others weren't there they would've victimized this joint long ago." Mike laughed and walked beside her through the door. They neared the gang's usual table.

Daphne smacked her hand to her forehead when she saw Shaggy and Scooby having a staring contest, whilst between them sat a monstrous dish of various flavors of ice cream. "Oy!" she groaned. Velma scooted back and allowed Mike and Daphne room to sit down. Mike looked away, acting as if he didn't notice Fred's intent stare.

They were handed menus shortly. While they browsed the collection of choices, Fred journeyed to the newspaper rack and returned with a copy of the daily newspaper. He pulled it open and proceeded to read the cover story. In the meantime, Velma and Daphne had ordered, and the waitress was waiting for Mike to make up his mind.

"Hmm," he mused, "How about a mint chocolate chip malt, please?" he said, handing the menu to her with a smile. She jotted it down onto her tablet.

"Great choice, sir." The waitress looked over at Fred. "How about you?"

Fred looked up. "Chocolate malt, please. And don't hold off on the gummy bears." Velma and Daphne rolled their eyes. The waitress nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"So, what's the headline?" Daphne asked.

"What a surprise. The title goes: Mysterious Creature Haunts Abandoned Warehouse"

"Why!" Shaggy whined, "Every time we go someplace nice for the day!"

"Strange coincidence?" Daphne answered with a slight shrug.

"Whether it's a "strange coincidence" or not," Fred declared, looking squarely at Mike for the moment, "Mystery Inc. is going to investigate that warehouse."

"When?" Shaggy asked, clinging to his dog and shivering. Scooby was replicating his owner's actions by clinging to him in return and whimpering.

"Tonight, so we can catch our creature in action," Fred replied.

Velma nodded. "No crook, or monster for that matter, would want to be seen in broad daylight."

"Alright, so let me get this straight," Mike said, "We are going to an abandoned warehouse at night, to look for a monster?" Daphne nodded.

"Yeah, it's hardly ever a real monster, just a guy in a costume. It's kind of a hobby of ours. But we are still aware of the danger, so we always take precautions."

"Okay, then. May I come with?" he asked.

"Like, yeah! He can go and I'll stay with Scooby!" Shaggy whimpered. The hulking canine nodded in agreement.

"After all the years we've been doing this, you're still petrified of going on these mysteries?" Velma grumbled.

"Like, call it a natural reflex."

"Right," Fred implied, "But for now, we'll just call it cowardice."

"Like, okay, okay, we'll go. Mainly because I've run out of witty comebacks."

Shaggy grinned, and they all shared a laugh. At that moment their orders had arrived: a mint malt for Mike, strawberry for Daphne, chocolate for Velma, and chocolate topped with gummy bears for Fred. Shaggy and Scooby had ordered another heaping pile of ice cream.

"I wouldn't eat that too fast, Shag," Velma said, watching the skinny man devour the dessert.

"Other wise you'll get-" Mike started, but was cut off by Shaggy and Scooby yelping as they chattered their teeth uncontrollably.

"A brain freeze," Daphne ended, trailing off.