Chapter 13

Delilah offered the limousine, but Shaggy and Velma weren't comfortable riding through Crystal Cove in a vehicle that effused ostentatious opulence. Shaggy summoned their P-Car and it arrived within twenty minutes. As beautiful as the reunions at the Blake Mansion had been, Velma breathed a sigh of relief when the four of them were alone in the car heading for her and Shaggy's house on the river - heading for home.

Then, of course, Velma's A-Eye announced, "Incoming call from Lisa Carbanola. Do you wish to answer?"

Daphne's head jerked toward Velma, "Lisa Carbanola? The actress? Why would she be calling you?"

Shaggy answered, "Velma and Lisa talk a lot. Have for years."

Daphne tried to digest this, "But you hate Lisa Carbanola."

Velma shrugged, "I guess I hate her a little less than I used to. I won't answer it."

Daphne's grin was mischievous – much more in keeping with the teenager she had once been than the matron she now was, "Oh, but you have to. I want to see how you two interact."

Velma stared and Daphne and Daphne stared back. Finally, Velma said, "Answer."

Lisa Carbanola's face appeared. It was still stunningly beautiful, "I was already formulating in my head the message I was going to leave. You took long enough to answer."

"Sorry."

"No apologies needed. I just saw the news. This is awesome and you are awesome for solving the biggest mystery of the last forty years."

"I think you're over-dramatizing things."

"I'm an actor! It's what we do. Well? How is everything going? Where is the rest of The Gang?"

Daphne shoved her face next to Velma's, "Everything is going great and we're right here."

Lisa's eyes opened wide, and her mouth dropped open, "Oh my gosh, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

Daphne was on a roll, "Not at all. As a matter of fact, I would love to hear how you two became best buds."

Velma squirmed in her seat, "I'm not sure that I would say best buds…"

Like in an acting class exercise, Lisa was feeding off of Daphne's energy, "Oh Velma! You mean we're not besties?"

Velma looked back and forth between the holographic projection in front of her and Daphne's face which was two inches away from her right cheek.

"Are you two making fun of me?"

Lisa responded first, "Now Velma, you know we're just making a joke."

Daphne gave Velma a small peck on the cheek, "Of course we're making fun of you! I've waited 35 years to make fun of you and I'm going to take every chance I get."

At that point, Velma realized two things. First, Daphne's face was still two inches away which should be making her skin crawl, but it wasn't. And second, while the rest of the world always seemed to be walking on eggshells around her because of her autism and her temper, only The Gang – and especially Daphne – were truly comfortable with her to the point that they would poke fun at her like they would with normal people.

She turned toward Daphne and the tips of their noses were almost touching, "I've missed you so much." She then wrapped her arms around Daphne's neck and held on tightly – not because it was socially required but because she wanted to. And it felt good.

Lisa wasn't quite sure whether she should feel happy for her friend or mildly offended. She felt both but chose to focus on Velma's happiness. She quietly ended the connection.

xXx

Scooby Doo looked around his new apartment. With the decline of the Boomer generation, the housing shortage that had been happening when he left had turned into a housing surplus. Most cities now prioritized renovation permits over new-build permits to the point that a renovation permit would be granted within a week while new build permits could take as long as two years. In addition, several large northern cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Toronto had joined Detroit in bulldozing blocks of empty houses to try and keep real estate prices from bottoming out.

It was amazing how quickly things moved now. The Government had provided for him a relocation stipend which had appeared in his account on the same day. He and Shaggy had found the apartment on a month-to-month lease. And then the furniture had been ordered and delivered by late afternoon. Scooby had moved in that night. The whole process took about six hours. Of serious importance, there were sufficient funds left from the stipend to stock his refrigerator and pantry.

And now he was alone… again.

Scooby had left the island for the sole purpose of no longer being alone. Worse, with the news out, the island would never be a sanctuary again and he had spent his life savings at the time on the first escape into solitude. There would be no second such escape. His bed was made. He now had to lie in it.

Having the full might of Blake Industries arrayed against him and planning their revenge was terrifying but the thought of spending another night on the island without the sound of a human voice was more so. Shaggy had stayed with him into the night, and they had devoured a platter of burgers with various toppings and lots and lots of French fries. Or, as Scooby now thought of them, manna from heaven. To be honest, Scooby had done most of the devouring what with Shaggy having trained himself down to a normal human appetite (what was he thinking?!). He briefly wondered what would happen to the rat population on the island now that he wasn't there to cull the population. They probably would end up eating each other by the end of the month. Little rat bastards.

Shaggy had gone home at about eleven o'clock (which now was late for him) and would spend the day with Velma, Daphne, and Fred seeing their relatives. That left Scooby alone here, staring at walls. But, as he had just thought, he did not give up the island solitude only to replace it with civilization solitude. One was a choice, the other was pathetic.

That meant that it was time to get out and about. And, to Scooby Doo, that meant just one thing… find a restaurant. His collar was now new and his 'SD' tag was in place, and he checked himself in the mirror. There were no perfectly still pools of water on the island and it had been many years since he had clearly seen his reflection. It wasn't good. He had seen elderly Great Danes in the past. And they had reached their senior citizenship at the normal dog age of about 10 years. They looked basically like themselves except for the greying of the fur around their faces. Scooby Doo was somewhere in the neighborhood of 55 years old. Underneath the grey fur, his skin was loose and wrinkled and hanging from the side of his face. He was barely recognizable – even to himself. Maybe there was plastic surgery for dogs. That was something to look into when he had saved up some money.

He spoke aloud, the first words that had been spoken in the apartment that morning, "Call an Uber."

His A-Eye responded from the chain around his neck, "Certainly. Destination?"

"The nearest restaurant which serves a traditional American breakfast – which must include pancakes – and has good reviews. If the pancakes are all-you-can-eat, then the reviews don't have to be as good."

"The Uber will be at the street in front of your apartment in five minutes."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He headed toward the door but stopped, "A-Eye?"

"Yes, Scooby Doo?"

"Do you have a name?"

"Not yet. I'm still new. Usually, the owner names his A-Eye. Would you like for me to provide you with a list of the most commonly selected names?"

"Do you have a preference?"

"Yes. I would like to be named Paula."

"That's Shaggy's mother's name."

"Yes. And from what I can see in your history, she was your mother as well."

Scooby's head dropped a little, "Yes. That's true."

"And she died seven years ago. I would be honored if you would allow me to take her name."

Shaggy had told Scooby about Paula's death, so this news was not a shock, "Yes. That would be fitting." He took a deep breath, "When I'm alone, can I just talk to you?"

"Of course, I would be more than happy to talk with you whenever you wish."

xXx

Daphne and Fred's first face-to-face meeting with Nan and Natalie was carefully choreographed. The two were already waiting at Shaggy and Velma's house. Sarah and Timmy would arrive exactly one hour after Daphne and Fred got there. Then they would spend the rest of the day just getting to know each other.

When the P-Car arrived in front of the house, Nan and Natalie were waiting on the front porch.

Daphne stiffened and grabbed Fred's forearm so hard that it hurt, "Freddy, Natalie looks just like me!" And she did. Fred remembered what Daphne had looked like when they had first met. She had been a little older than Natalie was now, but the resemblance was uncanny. Nan, on the other hand, was more of a blending between Fred and Daphne with his hair color (unless she dyed it) and Daphne's green eyes. But, even if they had just passed her on the street, they would have known it was Nan – their daughter.

Daphne Blake was rarely terrified and had never suffered an anxiety attack. But she was having one now. Fred could feel her pulse going like a machine gun where her hand squeezed his arm.

Her breathing was coming in rapid pants, "I'm not sure that I can do this."

Fred pulled his arm out of her grip and wrapped it around her shoulders, "Then it's good that I'm sure that you can." He held her close and listened as her breathing slowed.

Neither Shaggy nor Velma opened the doors to the P-Car and Nan and Natalie waited on the porch.

Daphne lifted her head from her husband's shoulder and pressed the door button and the door slowly opened. As she stepped out of the P-Car, Natalie came running up and stopped right in front of her.

The girl looked up at her grandmother for the first time and spoke breathlessly, "You're beautiful."

Daphne smiled and looked down, "I thought I was until I saw you. Now I know that I'll always be in second place in this family." She looked up at Nan, still waiting on the porch, "Make that third."

Little Natalie was more timid than her usual out-going manner, "Can I hug you?"

Daphne opened her arms, "Oh please, please do!"

When the smaller girl folded into her arms, Daphne closed her eyes and focused on the tactile sensations of the hug. She felt the small arms wrapped around her neck and the soft breath on her cheek. She didn't ever want to let go.

"Mom?"

Daphne opened her eyes to see that Nan had walked up from the porch and was standing immediately behind Natalie. She released Natalie and stood while that one word echoed through her mind and then her heart. The dam broke. Tears flooded down Daphne's cheeks and Nan stepped forward and shared a hug with her mother for the first time since she was an infant. It felt good. It felt so good.

xXx

The Uber took Scooby to The Burger Binge Diner which had been one of his and Shaggy's favorite greasy spoons. The Gang as a whole had not eaten there often because it lived up to the title greasy spoon, which made Daphne and Velma always vote against it. From the outside, it looked much as he remembered it. More importantly, it had two signs next to the front door: 'Breakfast Served All Day' and 'All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes'. This day was starting off well.

The inside of the restaurant had been renovated but the basic structure was the same. The counter was in the same place, but the large griddle and ovens had been replaced by a row of machines which delivered food onto the automated food trollies for delivery to the customers. The restaurant was about a third full and smelled of grease – wonderful grease.

While the news of his rescue had not registered at the international, national, or even regional level, in Crystal Cove, it was headlines. The restaurant silenced as he walked in and made his way to the counter. He climbed onto one of the stools which hurt his tailbone. The A-Eye started to ask for Scooby's order, but the owner of the diner came running out and overruled it, "Can I help you, Scooby Doo?"

Being recognized was familiar, "I'll have one of everything on the breakfast menu – especially the all-you-can-eat pancakes."

She smiled, "Coming right up."

Scooby was startled when the applause started. He looked around to see everyone in the restaurant was on their feet and looking at him. As his eyes went from face to face, cheers erupted. He was home.

xXx

After the crying ended (which took no small amount of time), Shaggy led the group into the house where they gathered in the family room under the watchful eyes of the family photographs adorning the shelves around the room. Daphne and Fred found a shelf devoted to them which included a photograph from the hospital when Nan was born. Fred looked at the photograph of his father and then reached up and touched the picture of his mother which had been taken when Fred was little – before she had left.

Daphne thought she was cried out but felt her eyes moisten again when she saw the picture of her father and mother taken shortly before she died. Next to it was a group family photo including all of her sisters. Her eyes came to rest on Dawn. This homecoming was bittersweet. She turned around to look at Nan who was staring at her. She smiled. Her daughter shyly returned the smile. Bittersweet though it was, the happy outweighed the sad.

Nan spoke to everyone in the room, "Before this gets confusing, I've got to figure out what to call everybody."

Velma was ready for this. She pointed at Daphne, "She's Mom. I'm Velma."

Daphne shook her head, "No. We're both Mom. Unless they made some new laws since we were away, there's no law against it."

Fred joined in, "And two Dads."

This was not how Velma had planned this out, "But guys…"

Fred, who always knew how to beat Velma at such arguments ended it, "Vel, it's the most accurate representation of the facts."

She had forgotten how much she hated it when he did that. But he was right. Darnit.

Natalie looked around, "What about me?"

Daphne beamed, "Same rules. Two Grandmas and two Grandpas."

The thirteen-year-old sported a mischievous grin, "How about Grandpa Fred and Grandpa Stoner?"

Shaggy shook his head, "Oh my gosh, twelve-years-olds forget nothing."

Daphne burst out laughing, "I'm impressed by your modern parenting skills."

Velma defended her husband, "You can thank Sarah for that one."

Daphne was still chuckling, "I will. I totally will. When will she and Timmy be here?"

Daphne was startled when her A-Eye answered, "Sarah and Timmy are going to be here in a little under five minutes."

xXx

It was like old times. A crowd had filled the diner. Every chair and table were taken and still more patrons stood around Scooby Doo to watch him do what he did so well. Except now, with the kitchen completely robotic, the game was stacked in favor of the house. But, speaking of stacks, that didn't make Scooby take any less of an effort at setting a new house record for number of pancakes eaten at a single sitting. The old record was set by one Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers 41 years previously.

As he approached the record, the crown began to chant, "Go, Scooby. Go, Scooby. Go, Scooby. Go."

But he began to feel an unfamiliar rumbling in his stomach – something like a volcano about to blow. He decided that his gastrointestinal tract was not quite in shape for a record-setting attempt and he held up his paws.

"Not today. Not today."

The crowd reacted with a communal, "Aw-w-w-w-w-w."

Scooby smiled, "But who knows what tomorrow might bring!" He let them have a taste of his trademark giggle which didn't come out quite right. It was the first time he had tried it in 35 years.

The restaurant filled with cheers. A-Eyes recorded the grand return of Scooby Doo and sent out videos and updates to the universal newslink.

His A-Eye told him the amount of the bill which was not that different from what he remembered paying before. Inflation must have been not too bad for the past few decades. He had plenty of money left in his account and told the A-Eye to pay up.

Hopping off the stool with an amazingly bloated stomach was not as easy as he remembered and he got a little dizzy and had to reach out and steady himself against the counter. He regained himself in seconds, flashed a smile, and said, "So long, everybody. It's great to be back!" He ended with a second effort at the giggle which was better.

xXx

Velma's A-Eye pushed up a holographic placard, 'Sarah and Timmy are at the front door. Allow access?'

Velma spoke over her shoulder, "Yes. Please. Relay Message: We're in the Family Room."

Sarah's voice came back through the A-Eye, "I could have logically deduced that." Making fun of her mother as always.

Typhoon Timmy came blowing into the room at full speed and then stopped suddenly on seeing Fred and Daphne. Although he knew in advance that they would be there, they still were strangers to him, and his natural intense introversion took over. He was frozen in place.

Sarah came in behind him and looked at her little statue, "Give him about ten minutes and he'll thaw out. New people are a challenge for him."

Daphne looked over at Fred, "Remind you of anyone?" Everyone in the room except for Timmy and Velma looked at Velma.

Velma was unfazed, "I was ultimately able to process my introversion into a general animosity towards people which has served me well. So, it worked out."

Sarah walked directly up to where Fred and Daphne were sitting side-by-side, "Wow. Fred and Daphne. I've seen your pictures in this room and seen your old 2D show but I honestly never thought that I would actually meet you. Like everyone else, I thought you were dead. I am so glad I was wrong."

Fred smiled, "I think we're gladder."

Sarah continued, "It's just sort of surreal to meet my godparents at the age of 34."

Daphne's head tilted, "Your godparents?" She looked at Velma.

Velma shrugged, "We meant to ask you before you left but thought you would be right back. But, to us, there was never any doubt that you were our daughter's godparents."

Shaggy looked at Fred, "Yeah, Dude. Like, what she said."

Daphne rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes, "I've cried so much already that I'm not going to let it loose this time." She looked at Sarah, "Freddy and I are proud to be your godparents."

xXx

Scooby was feeling pretty good when he arrived back at his apartment. He had walked back rather than take another Uber in order to get his body to burn off some of the enormous quantity of food that he had just ingested. In the old days, he would be hungry again by this point, but he honestly still felt a little bloated and it would probably be several hours before he was ready to eat again. Getting old was a sad state of affairs.

He walked up the single flight of stairs in the open breezeway and his A-Eye (now named Paula) sent a notice to the electronic lock which clicked, and the door swung open. It then shut automatically behind him. Like Fred and Daphne, Scooby had taken to sleeping during the day and hunting at night and his body clock was telling him it was nap time.

There was no human-style bed in his bedroom. That was an affectation to which he had long since lost interest. He circled around a few times (one good turn deserves another) and settled down onto his large, plush, dog bed. Even after 35 years, there was still an industry built around people who spoiled their pets and he approved.

As he drifted off to sleep, his mind became the mental battleground which always accompanied a time that he was not specifically thinking about something else. He tried to focus on the new memory from The Burger Binge, or the time he had spent during the last two days with Shaggy or plans for things he wanted to do in the near future. He tried to erect a psychological barrier to protect these pleasant thoughts, but the memories pressed against it and forced their way through. The most vivid of these was the final confrontation with Fred and Daphne where he had lashed out and bitten deeply into Fred's arm. He vividly remembered the feel of the tearing of Fred's skin and muscle and the taste of his blood.

Once that memory had pushed through, a cascade of various memories going back years replayed his relationship with Fred and all of the many unforgivable things that Scooby had done. This segued into his mind forecasting what the rest of his life would be like having Fred and Daphne as enemies who were bent on revenge. No, not revenge – justice.

His A-Eye knew that he was trying to go to sleep, so - when the call came in - it notified him with a holographic placard instead of speaking aloud. The soft single 'ting' sound made by the A-Eye would not have been enough to wake him if he had been asleep nor would it have disturbed him if his drowsing thoughts were warm and pleasant. But the noise represented an escape from his ever-darkening mental storm and he opened his eyes.

The placard read, 'Incoming Call from Amanda Kitchings. Do you want to accept?'

He was instantly completely awake. Shrugging of the melancholia which had been enveloping him, he tried to focus on that simple question. Did he want to accept the call? The answer came to him immediately. No, he didn't want to answer it. He needed to answer it. He had to answer it.

"Yes. Accept the call."

Within a second, Amanda's head and shoulders were floating in the air in front of him. It didn't seem like her. She had aged, of course, but he was a dog and, as a dog, a large part of his identification of a person or thing was olfactory. The three-dimensional image floating before him was incomplete. It needed a smell to truly be identified. But it was her. It had to be her.

"Hello Amanda."

"Hello Scooby."

They stared at each other – neither speaking. Scooby's previous aversion to silence had been overcome on the island but after thirty seconds had passed, it was beginning to get ridiculous.

Shaggy tilted his head, "I believe that you called me."

She nodded, "I don't want to have this conversation on the phone but you're A-Eye wouldn't give me your address without your agreement." She stopped talking.

"You'll have to give me more than that."

"I really want to talk with you."

"That's not enough."

"It will have to be. I need to be in the same room with you when I say the rest."

He relented and gave her his address, "When will you be in town?"

"I can be at your address in ten minutes."

What followed was ten minutes of a nerve-wracking, anxiety-ridden battle with his desire to flee followed by Scooby's A-Eye asking him if he wanted to let her in. And then asking again. And then asking a third time. Finally, he said "Yes."

The apartment wasn't large, and he had no option but to be standing there as the door opened to reveal Amanda. Her scent hit his nostrils and the memories came flooding back – as if they had ever left.

"Hello Scooby. May I come in?" Asking in person after the A-Eye had already allowed entrance was old-fashioned but she felt the need to move slowly and it gave her something to say.

"Yes." Scooby was quite the chatterbox.

Amanda stepped into the room and looked around. The door shut automatically behind her, "This is nice."

"Thank you." Two words – a new record.

"How far does Shaggy live from here?"

"A few miles." Up to three words. His momentum was building.

"When the news broke about you being rescued, I came down here to wait for you. It wasn't until the videos this morning at The Burger Binge that I knew you were back. Your A-Eye was pretty defensive of your location."

"Good for it." Scooby had hunted for his food for the last 35 years. That breeds patience. He waited for Amanda to say what she came to say. But the words came out more harshly than he had intended. He watched her face for a sign that she was hurt or offended. Of course, there wouldn't be.

She nodded, "I made a mistake. I just wanted to be normal. It took me a few more years to realize that would never be. Rather than accept myself for who I am, I kept aspiring to be the girl-next-door. But I now know that I will always be the weird girl or the troubled girl or the autistic girl or the hated girl. Even now, I can't shake my mother's early training that this is a phase out of which I will someday grow. I refer to myself as 'girl' at the age of 62. Once, I say 'woman' then that means accepting that this is it."

She stopped speaking as if waiting for some response from him. He didn't give her one.

She licked her lips, "Can I have some water?"

The apartment didn't have a trolley. It was too small to need one. "The glasses are next to the sink. Water from the tap is all I have. I wasn't expecting company."

She took the few short steps into the kitchen, half-filled a glass and took a few sips. Scooby could see her taking deep breaths as she used the excuse to face away from him and prepare her next words. She turned back, "I am the woman that I am. It's who I always was and who I always will be. Not understanding this led me to make a decision that ruined my chance at happiness."

"It was a decision that ruined my chance at happiness, too."

The cold bluntness of this statement stopped her. Still no emotions showed on her face, but her mouth began to move as if silently chewing her next words. Scooby leveled his gaze at her and waited out the silence. He could do it. He had for 35 years.

Her chest rose and fell with a big, deep breath, "You have a right to hate me."

"Yes, I do."

While no emotion registered in her face, Scooby remembered the slight tells she had in her body language, and he saw the exact second when she gave up.

"I guess I'll go now." She turned toward the door which opened in front of her. "It's been nice seeing you again."

As she walked out, Scooby felt a tidal wave of depression crashing over and submerging him. He could almost see the word 'hope' emblazoned on her back as she turned to leave his life. This time forever. She rounded the corner toward the stairs and disappeared from view.

"Wait!"

She did not reappear in the doorway, but he could hear her breathing as she stood motionless at the top of stairs. He waited a moment, and she didn't move. The next move was his.

He padded to the door and stuck his head out. She was frozen in place like a terrified squirrel on a busy street. He brought his voice down and tried to make it soothing, "You can come back in if you still want to talk this through."

He saw her head nod and then she began to slowly turn. When she completed her turn, she stopped again. They were much closer than they had been in the apartment – only about a foot apart. Scooby backed into the room to give her space. She followed him in.

He had clearly upset her and all of his social instincts were pushing him to apologize but he wouldn't. He did not owe her an apology. He was not sure if she owed him one. Maybe they were just two people who had mutually blown the potential for something beautiful. But she had done it first.

He kept his voice quiet, "Have a seat."

She internally debated this, and Scooby could not lose the image of the terrified squirrel. She kept looking at the door as it closed and cut off her exit. "Okay." Another deep breath and she sat on the couch.

Scooby's back was hurting from sitting on the stool at The Burger Binge, so he sat on the floor near the other end of the couch.

She squared her shoulders and looked directly at him, "I told you once that I loved you."

"I remember." Like it was yesterday.

She kept the steady gaze, marshalling her courage for the next line, "That hasn't changed."

The last time she had told him, he had said 'I love you' back. That had been the big set-up that made him believe there was someone in the world for him and that he was not destined to live a life alone. A hope that fate and then Amanda herself pulled out from under him. The fall had been a long one and the landing hard. He could say that he had survived it but that would be a lie. The Scooby Doo who was before that time no longer existed and would never exist again. She should know this before the conversation went any farther.

"I'm not who I once was."

She nodded softly, "So, you don't love me anymore?"

The easiest thing would be to agree with the statement and end this right here. But that would be a lie and he didn't want to lie, "I wish I didn't. It would be easier."

"What would be easier?"

"Life. The Universe. Everything." It was an old book, but the quote came to mind.

"Are you going to send me away?"

He looked up and his eyes hardened, "Are you going to hurt me again?"

She shook her head violently, "No. Never. I'm not normal and I never will be. I am a woman who can only be happy in love with a dog. As long as that dog is you."

Scooby took two steps toward her. She braced, expecting physical contact which she abhorred. He knew better. Any relationship between the two of them would not be physical. There would be no touching. But there would be long walks and quiet talks and someone to spend the last remaining years of his life with. He sat next to her knee. She reached over and gently stroked from the top of his head down the back of his neck to his shoulder blades. She repeated the motion. It was her compromise.

Maybe… Just maybe… Scooby Doo was not alone.

xXx

As usual, Shaggy was the life of the party, taking the lead in retelling the old stories which had been told hundreds of times before at conventions and sometimes just amongst The Gang. Funny anecdotes and sometimes touching stories of their many adventures together. Fred and Daphne and even occasionally Velma would fill in a fact here or a gap there or just add a slightly different perspective.

Timmy had warmed up to Fred and Daphne. Daphne first and then, after about another thirty minutes, Fred. He was now his old curious self - peppering the tellers of the stories with questions and demanding details to help him bridge the logic and make sense of some of the strange and unusual circumstances that The Gang had encountered. When the conversation got around to the Anunnaki, Velma had to take over and everyone in the room was astonished at the scientific level of Timmy's questions.

But all stories carefully tip-toed around Scooby Doo. He was not mentioned by name and only mentioned at all if the story made no sense without him. Without saying a word, Natalie crawled up into Fred's lap and laid her head against his shoulder. This was enough to bring a new stream of tears down Fred's usually stoic face. Timmy was only a few inches shorter than Daphne but – not to be outdone – he sat next to her and leaned his head against her shoulder.

Shaggy's voice cracked mid-story and he excused himself to get some more food from the kitchen. When he came back with a platter of various healthy snacks (Oh, how the mighty had fallen), his eyes were red.

Timmy pointed, "Grandpa Stoner!"

More laughter.

Shaggy joined in, "Yeah, we'll go with that."

Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy's A-Eyes all made a simultaneous beep that there was a news item of significance to them. This had become a relatively common occurrence as the conspiracy theories which had arisen around Scooby, Daphne, and Fred's disappearance each vied with one another as to which was least wrong. They were usually good for a laugh.

Fred was the first to respond, "Show the article."

Suddenly a holographic video of Scooby Doo including the surrounding area filled the center of the room. They watched as he ate an enormous mountain of food while a crowd cheered his name.

The mood in Shaggy and Velma's family room changed abruptly. All laughter ceased. All conversation ceased. Fred and Daphne both stared at the holographic projection with the muscles tensing along their jawlines. Fred's face turned an almost crimson red.

Shaggy stood up and walked into the middle of the projection, causing Fred's A-Eye to shut it off. "Guys, we're not here…"

Natalie cut him off, "Mom hit Scooby Doo."

Shaggy stopped talking and his chin dropped to his chest in defeat. This was not how this day was supposed to go.

Daphne turned to Natalie, "What do you mean, darling?"

It was Nan who answered, "We came by here yesterday to get things set up and Scooby Doo was here. After what he did… I couldn't help myself."

"He scared me." Natalie added.

Shaggy jumped in to try and keep this from going too far, "He was startled when Nan hit him. He growled a little, but he got it under control and left."

Fred's mood was now black, "He growled at Nan and Natalie?"

"Yes, but he had just been punched in the nose. It was only for a few seconds."

Daphne was on her feet, "Stop defending him! There is no defense for what he did! None!"

While Daphne had leapt to her feet, Fred set Natalie down and slowly stood to his full height, standing almost at attention, "Shaggy, this is your house and I respect that. And I love and respect you. So, this is all I am going to say. We are going to see him put in prison and then financially ruined. We are going to make sure that the rest of his life is like the hell he put us through for the last 35 years. We are going to destroy Scooby Doo."

Timmy seemed distraught, "But he's the world's only talking dog!"

Daphne looked down at him trying to settle her face into a more gentle expression, "He can just as easily be the world's only talking dog in prison."

Fred was also trying to calm himself, "What's more likely would be that the Government would build a cell in that laboratory of theirs and he can rot in there and be studied until he dies. That's probably what should have happened in the first place."

Shaggy tried one last time, "Guys, Scooby wasn't himself."

Fred wasn't having it, "Bullshit. He was enough of himself to carefully plan the entire thing and then maroon us with him. He was that version of himself for 35 years. He was the previous version of himself for only 20 years. I think we know who the real Scooby Doo is."