Sponge: Welcome to chapter 5! Last week's chapter title was a song by Elton John. Congratulations to Terrence and iamacliche for giving the correct answer. Now let's begin! Warnings: language and kissing. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera.

Chapter 5: What Comes Next?

"Hello?" Marcie snapped her fingers, breaking the gang out of their stupor. "What's going on?"

Shaggy and Scooby glanced at each other in the dim light of the library's study lamp. Fred brought his arm tighter around Daphne.

"I was almost run over last night, in New York," Daphne admitted quietly to the others.

Everyone gaped at her.

"What?" breathed Julie, shocked.

"I was distracted," Daphne told her. "I got a text, and I stopped walking in the middle of the street to read it. I thought it was my own fault for not paying attention to the road…"

Tony was staring at Daphne intensely. "Holy shit, Blake," he murmured. He blinked, and then glanced at his brother. "Maybe that asphalt comment was more than just an empty threat after all."

"So, do you think the accomplice was in New York last night?" Joey frowned. "But how would they have known you were there too?"

"Leon did say someone was watching them," Priya reminded him. "He said that someone had been watching them since the beginning."

Daphne shuddered, and Fred held her closer.

Shaggy suddenly gasped, and everyone's heads swiveled to face him. He didn't have epiphanies often – usually it was Velma or Fred who figured out important information while solving mysteries – but he'd just had a thought. And it was a terrifying one.

"Like hey Daph," he murmured. "What if that text…was from the accomplice? And like, it was sent in order to distract you while you were crossing the street?"

Fred and Daphne stared at him astonished, but Velma frowned skeptically.

"I'm not sure, Shag," she replied. "I still think it makes more sense that the texts are coming from Brad and Judy. They're obviously a code. And the fact that we've been receiving them either before or after we learned new information about them…I feel like that can't be a coincidence."

"Wait…" said Tony, looking confused. "Who are Brad and Judy?"

Fred felt his mouth go dry. Admittedly, he'd totally forgotten the others didn't know about Brad and Judy, and he realized he'd have to tell the story again.

Thankfully, Velma took the reins.

"Two nights ago, before we left for New York," she began, speaking in a low voice even though they were alone in the library. "The mayor told us that Fred's not his biological son."

There was a silence as everyone let this sink in. The band stared at them incomprehensibly.

"I'm sorry, what?!" exclaimed Tony, looking stricken.

"How…but…" Marcie stammered, utterly flabbergasted.

"That's what we said," Velma told her. "Apparently his birth parents – Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves – had left him with the mayor because they were in danger."

"What kind of danger?" asked Marcie, glancing at Fred.

"We don't know," Velma replied. "We thought we might try to find them and ask. So, we decided to start in New York to follow up on the mayor's lead – they'd sent him a CD in the mail from an address on Long Island. But right before the mayor told us about them, Fred got a message that said 'Heel 7.' And last night, in Farmingdale, right after we learned that they had moved to Chicago, Daphne got a text that said 'Toe 11.'"

"That was the one that distracted you as you crossed the street?" asked Priya, looking at Daphne.

Daphne nodded. "We thought it must mean something," she explained. "I mean, we get texts every time we discover new information. Maybe Brad and Judy are trying to help us find them."

Marcie frowned. "But how would they know?" she pointed out. "Unless you'd been bugged, and I don't think you have, they would have no way of knowing that you were even looking for them."

"That's like, what I said," Shaggy added, nodding in agreement. "I admit, these random messages about feet are like, really weird, but I can't see how they have anything to do with Brad and Judy."

There was a brief silence before Velma gasped. "Jinkies," she muttered, staring at Shaggy. She took his face in both of her hands and pulled herself forward to kiss him, then swiftly grabbed her laptop from Marcie.

Shaggy's breath caught in his throat as she pulled away and he gaped at her stupidly for several seconds. Not counting the musical, when they'd played love interests, they'd only kissed in full view of others one time – at their prom last month. What had prompted this sudden public display of affection?

His tongue couldn't quite articulate his confusion, and it didn't help that kissing her always muddled his brain a bit, anyway. "I…what? Huh? What…the like…what?" he stammered.

"You're a genius," Velma told him, still absorbed in her laptop.

Shaggy was still feeling too dumbfounded to accept the compliment. He just stared at her, bewildered, but mostly pleased. Absentmindedly, he brought his fingers to his lips, to touch the place where Velma had kissed him.

But Velma herself was totally fixated on her laptop. "A-ha!" she exclaimed after a moment.

"What'd you find?" asked Fred.

"Shaggy's right," said Velma. "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. These texts are both about feet – a heel, and a toe." She looked at the others excitedly. "You know what else have heels and toes?"

"Um…shoes?" asked Marcie.

"Close," Velma replied, turning the laptop around so everyone could see. "Socks."

Everyone stared at the screen, where Velma had pulled up a map to a baseball stadium.

"The Chicago White Sox?" whispered Daphne.

"Like I don't see the connection," Shaggy admitted.

Fred scratched his head. "I think I do," he said slowly. He looked up at Velma. "You think these texts are trying to lead us to the stadium?"

Velma nodded. "Of course, it's just a hunch," she admitted. "But it's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. Maybe Brad and Judy live somewhere in Chicago's South Side, possibly in the Armour Square or Bridgeport neighborhoods, which are near the White Sox stadium."

"But what about the numbers?" asked Daphne. "Those still don't make any sense."

Tony frowned. "Well, I'm no detective," he began. "But…maybe it's their address? Like they live at 711 Maple Street or whatever."

Fred frowned. "It's possible," he said.

At that moment, Shaggy's cellphone vibrated loudly on the table.

"Like you've gotta be fucking kidding me," he said, staring at the phone as though it had suddenly started sprouting wings.

"Is that them?" Julie shot up from her chair and bolted to Shaggy's side. "You think they're texting again because we're close?"

"But again, I have to ask," began Marcie. "How do they know?" She looked around as though she was searching for hidden cameras or microphones.

"Well first let's see who it's from," said Daphne, leaning anxiously towards Shaggy.

Shaggy reached for his phone, which had been face down on the table, and slowly picked it up.

"Like it's a text from an unknown number," he announced, his blood running a bit cold.

Scooby whimpered nervously.

"What does it say?" asked Velma.

Shaggy furrowed his brow. "Arm 14," he read aloud. He exchanged a confused glance with Scooby. That didn't fit the pattern of feet. Daphne and Fred both looked perplexed as well.

But Velma clapped her hands in glee. "I was right!" she exclaimed.

Everyone stared at her in in bewilderment. "Uh…how so, V?" asked Marcie.

"Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves are amateur cryptologists," Velma explained, yanking a notebook and pencil out of her messenger bag. "They used to write and solve codes – the mayor told us all about it. I knew there was a message in these texts…and I think now that we've gotten them all, we can use a mathematical algorithm to crack the code!"

"Dinks, speak English," said Tony, leaning forward on the table. "What are you talking about?"

"I still think this is a clue to lead us to the White Sox stadium," said Velma, gesturing to the map. "Heel and Toe for the White Sox, Arm for Armour Square – the neighborhood where the stadium is. That must be what the words mean."

The others stared at her a bit bewilderedly.

"Okay…" Fred conceded slowly. "Let's say you're right. The words are leading us to the White Sox stadium. It still doesn't explain the numbers."

"Oh yes it does," said Velma, excitedly writing an equation in her notebook. "It's simple math. Check this out."

Everyone gathered around the notebook and saw that Velma had written an addition problem:

7 + 11 + 14 = ?

"What's seven plus eleven plus fourteen?" she asked the general group.

Marcie got there first.

"Thirty-two," she answered promptly.

Velma wrote "32" at the end of the equation.

"And how many texts have we received?" she asked.

"Three," replied Fred.

Velma wrote "32 + 3" in the notebook.

"Thirty-five," said Daphne, before Velma could ask.

Now Velma gestured to the computer screen again. "And what's the address of the White Sox stadium?"

Everyone leaned forward to gaze at the laptop.

"333 West 35th Street," Shaggy read aloud.

The pieces slowly came together for everyone. Three texts, with numbers that added up to thirty-five. Clues that pointed to the Chicago White Sox. Maybe Velma had been right all along.

Shaggy gazed at her awestruck. "Velma like, you're a genius," he murmured, returning the compliment she'd given him not long ago.

Tony gave a low whistle. "Goddamn, Dinks," he said, shaking his head in amazement. "That's fucking brilliant."

Marcie looked at Velma proudly. "No wonder you were valedictorian," she said.

Velma shrugged humbly. "Knowing that it was a code helped," she confessed.

Julie sat back in her chair and gazed at the gang. "So, what are you going to do now?" she asked.

Fred glanced at the others. "What time is it?" he asked.

Joey checked his watch. "Almost ten-thirty," he answered.

Priya frowned thoughtfully. "It's probably too late to drive to Chicago tonight," she said.

"It's like, a seven-hour drive," replied Shaggy, who had looked up the route many times.

Felix nodded. "Yeah, you shouldn't try that trip tonight," he told them. "You should rest."

"You're right," Fred agreed with a sigh.

There was some hesitancy in his tone, which Daphne caught. "But you don't want to go home?" she asked.

"I just…" Fred exhaled. "I don't think I'm ready to talk to my d – the mayor, yet." Damn, was he ever going to stop calling the mayor dad?

"I get it," Daphne assured him. "Come to think of it, none of us should go home tonight. It'll take too much time to explain to our parents. Plus…" she glanced at the others apologetically. "I may have texted everyone's parents to say that we were staying in Morgantown."

"They were all okay with that?" asked Velma.

Daphne nodded, but shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Everyone's parents had responded to her text – except for her own. Even the mayor had texted back, but her own mom and dad had ignored her. Her parents were so wrapped up in their divorce that they hadn't texted Daphne once since dropping her off at Fred's two nights ago. She could have died in New York last night and they never would have known.

"Well," said Julie pragmatically. "Since going home doesn't seem to be an option for any of you…how about you spend the night at our place?"

"That's a great idea," said Fred. That way, he wouldn't have to see the mayor, and they could all get some rest before finally putting this mystery to bed.

"Uh…honey?" Joey murmured to Julie. He shot a significant glance in Velma's direction. "We only have the one spare room…and it's Leon's old room."

Julie's face flushed bright red. "Oh, fuck," she whispered. "Velma, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

But Velma shook her head. "It's no problem," she insisted. "We'll be all right."

Daphne glanced at her bespectacled friend. "Are you sure?" she murmured. After all, Velma had been threatened at knifepoint in that room less than a month ago.

Velma only nodded. "Of course," she said. "It's our best option." She nodded at Julie. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Julie, though she still looked skeptical.

Felix came to the rescue. "How about you stay in the living room?" he asked them. "It's pretty comfortable. Two of you can sleep on couches, and we have bedrolls and sleeping bags for the others."

"We actually all have our own sleeping bags," Fred told him. "But yeah, that's a great idea. Thanks!"

Velma gathered the files into neat stacks and handed them to Marcie and Tony. "Can you two hold on to these?" she asked. "We don't have a good way to store them in the Mystery Machine, and it might be useful to have these on hand."

"Sure thing, Dinks," said Tony amicably.

Velma turned to the others. "Okay. Let's lock up and head out."

x.X.x

It wasn't a very long drive from the library to the small house near Coolsville U that Heavy Meddle rented. The entire journey took about fifteen minutes. But it was long enough for Velma to convince herself that she was really okay.

Even though she wasn't.

She wasn't very keen on returning to the place where she'd been forced at knifepoint to follow Leon into the fine arts library at the college across the street. She wasn't eager to relive all the memories that she'd spent the past several weeks carefully filtering and trying to delete from her brain.

She noticed the significant glances that Daphne kept shooting at Fred – clearly Daphne was more intuitive towards Velma's feelings, and wanted to convince Fred that spending the night at Heavy Meddle's home wasn't good for her mental health. But Velma felt she had no logical reason to feel upset. The hearing was over. He was on house arrest. She had nothing to worry about anymore. His trial would happen soon, and then Leon would surely be convicted and sent away to prison.

Wouldn't he?

The couches in the living room weren't sofa beds, so Velma and Daphne each took one while the boys and Scooby laid their sleeping bags on the floor. The others fell asleep relatively quickly but Velma, as she'd known would happen, lay awake for hours, staring at the dark ceiling.

Once she was sure the others were asleep, Velma sat up slightly on the couch and put her glasses on. She gazed around the dark living room at her friends. Daphne was dozing peacefully on the other sofa. One of her hands was dangling off the edge, very close to Fred's hand. It was sweet. On the floor next to Velma, Shaggy and Scooby snored lightly. She grinned affectionately at the sight, then quietly scooted to the end of the couch, climbed over the arm, and padded silently down the hallway.

There were four bedrooms down this short hallway, three of which were occupied – Priya's to the left, Felix's to the right, and the one that Julie and Joey shared at the very end. The fourth, on the right beside Felix's room, was the one Velma sought. Maybe she could sleep if she got closure. And maybe she'd get closure this way.

The door, like its' fellows, was closed, but Velma knew there was no sleeping college student behind it. She inhaled a deep breath, then quietly eased the door open and switched on the light.

The room looked totally different than it had last month. All of the furniture was gone – there were nothing but bare walls. No bed, no dresser, no wardrobe in the corner. Even the stand for his bass guitar was gone. His parents must have cleared everything out after his initial arrest.

Velma exhaled shakily and looked around. He's not here, she reminded herself. He's gone. He can't hurt you. She closed her eyes to collect herself.

In a flash, she was transported back in time, her brain catapulting her to the past.

With a gasp, Velma whirled around, dropping her phone to the ground. Leon was standing in the threshold of the door with his bass guitar slung over his shoulder, hands in his pockets. He was staring at her with a curious intensity. Velma's heart thundered. She watched as Leon slowly approached her and quietly shut the door behind him, blocking her only exit.

Leon stared at her. "You finally figured it out," he murmured. "Congratu-fucking-lations. Although…I hadn't anticipated that you'd break into my house. Oh well. No matter. You're here now, so I suppose I'll have to improvise." He put the bass in its stand and continued to walk towards her.

Heart in her throat, Velma watched numb, terrified, as he continued to approach her. She couldn't move, she couldn't even scream. All the bravery that her adrenaline had awarded her evaporated…

Leon still gazed at her. "We shouldn't stay…" He cocked his head towards the door. "Let's go for a walk."

Velma trembled from head to foot. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she whispered, trying to sound braver than she felt.

Leon took his hands out of his pockets and stepped closer to Velma. "I don't think you understand," he murmured, his face twisting into a menacing grimace. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." He was now right in front of her, looming over her, as intimidating, threatening, and frightening as he'd ever been. Velma's breath caught in her throat as Leon gave her an ominous smile.

And that was when she noticed the knife in his hand.

"Velma?"

The voice shocked her out of her reverie, and she spun around, startled. She let out a soft, involuntary shriek.

But it was only Fred, gazing at her concernedly.

"Jinkies," Velma gasped, trying to steady her breathing. "Way to give a girl a heart attack."

Fred shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to scare you. I woke up and saw a light on, and noticed you were gone. I got worried."

Velma shook her head, incredulously. This was now the third night in a row that she'd been caught awake by one of her friends when she was meant to be sleeping.

Fred frowned. "What are you doing up anyway?"

"What are you doing up?" Velma retorted.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "I asked first."

"I asked second!" Velma shot back, though she knew it was a weak defense.

Fred just looked at her.

Velma blew out an exasperated puff of air. "I couldn't sleep," she replied, not meeting his gaze.

Confused, Fred glanced into the empty room behind her. "So, you decided to re-visit the scene of your trauma?" he asked, his tone skeptical.

"That was more in the fine arts library," Velma muttered. That memory, she was even less eager to revisit. She could still feel the duct tape adhered to her wrists and mouth. Her cheek still stung with the harsh slap of Leon's knuckles as he'd backhanded her across her face. She closed her eyes again.

Fred knit his brow, turned off the light in Leon's old room, and quietly shut the door. "Come on," he whispered. "Let's get out of here."

"I'm fine," Velma insisted, though her voice wasn't very strong.

Fred quietly led her back through the living room and into the kitchen. He sat her down at the small table there, while Velma regained control of her breathing.

"I'm fine," she said again, looking Fred in the eye. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to worry you."

Fred sighed. He hadn't missed the furtive glances Daphne had been shooting him in the Mystery Machine on the way over here. He'd known that staying here was a bad call. And now it was confirmed. He felt terrible. "Velma, I need to apologize to you."

Now it was Velma's turn to furrow her brow. "Apologize? For what?"

"For insisting that we stay here tonight," Fred said. "I wasn't thinking about your needs when I said yes to Julie."

Velma shook her head again. "No Fred, I should apologize," she said sincerely. "For the way I acted in the Mystery Machine, before Marcie called. I'm obsessed by this mystery about Brad Chiles and Judy Reeves, and how your da – how the mayor might be involved." Velma looked down, embarrassed at her verbal flub.

Fred kept his face impassive, but his heart twisted a bit. It seemed like everyone was still getting used to not thinking of the mayor as his father.

"Regardless," Velma continued. "I wasn't thinking about your needs when I suggested we talk to the mayor. I'm sorry."

Fred shook his head now. "This whole situation is so strange," he said. "I'm still figuring out how to feel about it. But it can't come at the expense of solving the mystery."

"We really don't need the mayor," Velma told him. "We have clues now. If we go to the White Sox stadium tomorrow, I'm sure we'll find answers."

Fred shrugged. "I think you're right about the CD though," he admitted. "It might be important, more so than just confirming that it's from Brad and Judy. We'll stop by my house tomorrow before we head out so we can grab it."

Velma knitted her brow. "Are you sure?"

Fred nodded. "Absolutely," he said.

Velma sighed. "Okay," she replied. "If you want, I can go in with Daphne or Shaggy or Scooby, so you don't have to risk running into the mayor. I understand if you're not ready to talk to him. And then we can hit the road and look for Brad and Judy in Chicago."

Fred nodded again. "Works for me. As long as we don't forget to visit Roosevelt, too."

"And every deep-dish pizza joint in the city," Velma remarked with a smile.

Fred returned the grin and looked back through the doorway to the living room, where his Daphne was still sleeping soundly. "It's weird, isn't it?" he mused. "That you and I, who are so rarely emotional, fell so hard for Daphne and Shaggy, who are in their feelings all the time?" Of course, Daphne's feelings were usually care and compassion, whereas Shaggy's were shock and terror, but still.

Velma smirked. "I guess we fill in each other's gaps," she replied. "We all help each other look at each side of a problem. It's why we work so well as a team."

"Yeah," Fred replied, still gazing at Daphne's sleeping form.

Velma sighed. "You really love her, don't you?"

"More than even realized was possible," he responded in a murmur. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love her."

Velma chuckled. "What was that you said about how you're rarely so emotional?"

Fred gave a quiet snort, then sighed. "I don't want to say goodbye to her," he admitted. "I'm dreading it. And I know I should be thankful that we have this last summer together…but God, it's so hard to enjoy something when you know that the days are just counting down until it's over."

Velma nodded in understanding. "I experienced something similar like that with Shaggy," she told him. "When we were in the play."

"You mean when you'd sneak off to make out before rehearsal?" Fred teased.

Velma shoved him playfully. "Yeah. I knew that would come to an end eventually, and I was afraid of the way I'd feel when it was over. So, I tried to end it prematurely." She shrugged. "But then once we admitted to ourselves, and each other, how we felt, we started dating. We shouldn't have kept it a secret, but…"

"Scooby," Fred finished for her, nodding sagely.

Velma frowned thoughtfully. "You know what you said about how it's hard to enjoy something when you know it'll be over eventually? I think that's why Shaggy kept our relationship from Scooby for so long. And why Daphne kept her NYU audition from you." She glanced out the doorway towards the redhead on the couch, then back at Fred's quizzical stare. "Shaggy and Daphne were both afraid of the possibility of something ending – his friendship with Scooby, her relationship with you – and so they just…didn't say anything." Velma rested her elbows on the table and placed her forehead in her hands. "And so, I said something. I forced all those secrets out, and I almost ruined us forever."

"That's not true," said Fred, placing a comforting hand on Velma's shoulder. "Remember what Daphne said, the night of our graduation? Before we asked our parents about the road trip? Our friendship is stronger than anything. Even as mad as we all were at each other back in the spring…I think that fight was good for us. It made us – made me – realize how much we need each other. As a gang. As a team." He nudged her. "As a family."

Velma looked up and grinned gratefully at Fred. "Thanks, Freddie," she said. She sat up. "Speaking of family…are you sure you want to keep looking for Brad and Judy? We really don't have to if you'd rather not."

Fred nodded firmly. "I do want to keep looking for them," he assured her. "I mean…after all the detective-work you put into figuring out that code? I think I owe it to you."

Velma rolled her eyes, but grinned.

"Besides," Fred continued. "I'm…just really curious. Why go to all the trouble to leave me behind all those years ago, only to send us cryptic, coded text messages to help me find them now?"

Velma shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "But I'm eager to find out."

"Me too," Fred agreed, nodding resolutely.

Velma noticed the green digital clock on the microwave just then. 2:42 am. "Jinkies," she whispered. "Look at the time. You should really try to get some sleep – you have to drive tomorrow."

"You're right," said Fred, rising out of his kitchen chair. "Let's both try to rest, huh?"

Velma nodded and followed him back into the living room. She climbed back onto the couch while Fred leaned over Daphne and kissed her softly on the temple before slithering back into his sleeping bag. Velma looked down at her own sleeping boyfriend and softly caressed his cheek with her thumb.

Scooby opened one eye and shared a glance with Velma. Then he nuzzled her outstretched hand affectionately before scooting closer to the couch – closer to her – and falling asleep again.

Sponge: Thanks for reading! This week's clue is Shaggy's text, "Arm 14." Review if you please, and don't forget to guess where the chapter title comes from!