Sponge: Welcome back! The title of the last chapter, "Where Are You Now" is a song by Mumford and Sons. (Technically it's also a song by Justin Bieber, but that's spelled "Where Are U Now?" as opposed to "Where Are You Now?" which is the title of this chapter.) Enjoy the second part chapter 15! Warnings: language, peril, violence, and some kissing. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera.
Chapter 15, part 2: The Great Escape
The rain hammered down on the roof of the Mystery Machine as Fred pealed out of the neighborhood. "Shag, Scoob," he called to the backseat. "Take an inventory of the supplies back there. I need to figure out our options for traps."
Quickly, Shaggy and Scooby began sorting through the miscellaneous trap items that Fred had. While they were busy with the ropes, nets, and hooks, Daphne watched Fred drive. She could almost see the gears in his brain turning.
"Do you have a plan?" she dared to ask.
Fred shook his head. "Not yet. I need to see where he's keeping her before I know for sure. The logistics of the location matter to the kind of trap I set."
Daphne whimpered slightly and looked out the window, where lightning continued to sporadically illuminate the sky and raindrops chased each other down the windowpane. Usually she was the one in trouble, and as scary as that always was, it was much more terrifying to be on this side of things. At least when Daphne got kidnapped, she knew she was alive and that the gang would find her eventually. She didn't know if Velma was okay – or if she believed they'd come for her. "I hope we're not too late," she murmured.
"We won't be," Fred said, reaching out for her hand and giving it a tight squeeze.
Unbidden tears pricked Daphne's eyes at the familiar gesture. "I was so mad at her," she whispered. "For keeping secrets…and then for telling mine." She shut her eyes and let the tears slip down her cheeks. "But I'm not angry anymore. I haven't been for weeks. What if I never get to tell her that?"
"Of course you'll get to tell her," said Fred, forcefully. He would not allow his mind to go somewhere so dark.
By the time they arrived on campus, the rain was coming down in sheets. They parked behind Darrow Hall and hustled up the slope from the parking lot, trying to shield themselves from the rain as best as they could.
"This building is enormous," Fred said as they entered. They had slipped through a back entrance and now found themselves standing in a small lobby near a recital hall. "So we should split up, we'll cover more ground that way."
Scooby shook himself dry and the others stepped out of the way. When he was finished, he looked up at everyone else. "Ro," he said, surprising them all.
"Like what do you mean, 'no?'" asked Shaggy.
Even if they did have a better chance of finding Velma by splitting up, Scooby was nervous about it. Like Fred had said, the building was huge, and what if Velma needed help immediately? They couldn't wait for everyone to find each other if her safety hung in the balance. So Scooby pointed to his nose. "Rye can rmell her," he stated.
Daphne raised her eyebrows. "Jeepers. Scooby is right. We can use his nose to find Velma."
Fred nodded. "All right, Scooby. Lead the way."
Scooby closed his eyes. If Velma had been in this building at all, the natural air currents would waft her scent to him eventually. One nostril twitched, and he put his nose to the ground. He smelled something familiar – it was faint, but it was unmistakably hers.
"Rhis way," he commanded, dashing off to the right towards a flight of stairs.
The others zoomed after him, climbing up the staircase and arriving in the main hallway. Every now and then, Scooby would stop, put his nose to the ground to find the scent again, then speed off in a new direction. By the time they arrived at a door that said "Library Reading Room," everyone was out of breath. Scooby stopped outside the door and studied it.
"Is she…in there?" asked Daphne, clutching a stitch in her side.
Scooby blinked at the door. "Rye rhink so," he murmured.
"Let's look inside," Fred whispered, turning towards the decorative translucent windows on either side of the door. "I want to see the layout."
The gang peered through the windows and discovered they were looking at the top portion of a two-level room. The area they could see was filled with bookcases and tables. Several soft-looking couches lined the walls, and a wooden banister separated the surrounding balcony of the reading room from the rest of the fine arts library. It was difficult to see many details because of the glass-block style of the windows beside the door. Fred signaled for the others to follow him down the wall, where the windows became more transparent, and they could see the room below.
Shaggy's mouth went dry as he recognized it. He and Velma had gotten lost in this room together during their prospective student tour last summer. He could see the top of the checkout computer and the desk it sat upon. The tall imposing rows of file cabinets cast shadows throughout the room, which was already dark from the storm outside. The only light came from a small lamp on the checkout counter – by the light of which he could see Velma and Leon staring at each other. Leon leaned nonchalantly against the counter while Velma sat in a wooden chair. Her hands were bound behind her back and attached to the chair with duct tape.
"That bastard like, tied her up," Shaggy whispered, full of rage. Then he felt his stomach clench as he noticed the glimmer of a knife in Leon's hand. "Zoinks," he breathed, his fury devolving into fear.
"Shh," Fred warned. He cupped his hands around his eyes and peered into the room, taking it in. Daphne, who had also noticed the knife, wrenched her gaze away from Velma to look at Fred. She saw his eyes wandering from the banister railing to the space below where Velma and Leon sat.
"Do you have a plan?" she murmured.
"Yes," he said. "But we need materials from the Mystery Machine. Okay, listen close everyone. Daphne and I will go get the supplies. Shaggy, call Tony and the others and let them know what's going on, and to bring the sheriff."
Shaggy didn't take his eyes off the window as he pulled out his phone to call Tony, and Fred and Daphne dashed through the hall. They sprinted back down the stairs and burst through the back door out into the storm.
"What's the plan for a trap, Fred?" Daphne shouted when they arrived at the Mystery Machine. She had to shout in order to be heard. The rain was pelting them – they were soaked to the skin within minutes of exiting the building.
"A classic net drop," he said, loading his arms with hooks and rope out of the back of the van. "No pulley systems. No levels and fulcrums. No Rube Goldberg. This'll be simple, just you and me. We'll string up a large net between the banisters, and then drop it down on him once he's in position."
"But won't that catch Velma in the trap too?" asked Daphne, helping him to gather the items.
"No," he replied. "Shaggy and Scooby will create a diversion to lead him away from Velma."
"Fred!" Daphne gasped. "Leon is dangerous. Priya told us that he's unhinged – we know what he did to Julie, and you saw that knife! We can't ask Shaggy and Scooby to put themselves in danger like that."
"We don't need them to actually act as bait," Fred told her. "They just need to distract him. Shaggy can throw his voice, or Scooby can knock something over. But it's the only way this works. Velma is tied up. Defenseless. She's the one in danger right now. And I'm guessing that Shaggy will do whatever it takes to protect her, if he feels about her the same way I feel about you."
Daphne gazed at him, her breath catching in her throat.
"I miss you!" she blurted out before she could stop herself.
Fred stopped gathering trap materials and turned to stare at her.
Daphne hadn't meant for it to slip out. It had been months since he'd broken up with her, and she knew she didn't deserve his forgiveness. But she was so full of fear and regret, she just rolled with it, consequences be damned. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about NYU," she continued. "I never wanted to hurt you, and I feel terrible that I did. I might not get a chance to make up with Velma, but I'll never forgive myself if I don't apologize to you. You're the most important person in my life, and it makes me sick that I hurt you. I'm so sorry for everything. I just…I miss you so much."
The only sound now was the hammering of the rain as it splashed down from the heavens, and the claps of thunder which were growing steadily louder. Or was that the pounding of Daphne's heart?
"What about Red?" Fred asked after several long moments.
Daphne furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I thought the two of you were…" Fred couldn't make himself say the phrase back together.
But he didn't have to say it. Daphne understood his meaning and immediately shook her head. "I never wanted that with him. I only wanted to make you jealous. I'm sorry – I shouldn't have done that to you. But I promise you, there's no contest. It's never been Red. It's always been you. You don't have to believe this, and I would understand if you didn't, but…" She bit her lip and paused as tears came to her eyes. She wiped them and the rainwater away, and her voice trembled when she finally said, "I love you, Freddie. I always have."
They stared at each other as the seconds ticked by.
In the next moment, Fred had dropped the items he was holding and taken Daphne in his arms to kiss her hard on the mouth.
Daphne tossed the materials in her arms back into the van and clutched herself as close to Fred as she could. Their clothes and skin were slick with rainwater, and Daphne's tears mingled with the downpour from above, but neither of them cared. Fred kissed Daphne like she was oxygen and he couldn't breathe.
After an eternity, they finally broke apart, Fred trying to dry the rain and tears from Daphne's face.
"I love you too, Daphne," he told her, seemingly trying to hold back tears of his own. "I love you so much. I never should have let my temper get the better of me... I'm so sorry. I love you."
"I love you too Freddie," Daphne smiled through her tears. They kissed again, softer this time, and so familiar. In that moment there was nothing else – no rain, no thunder, no lightning. Just Fred and the feeling of his arms around her, and his lips on hers. He was everything she had longed for, everything she had missed. She never wanted to be apart from him as long as she lived.
"And you will get a chance to make up with Velma," he murmured when they broke apart again. "I promise."
They kissed once more but didn't let themselves linger this time – they had a job to do. Fred helped Daphne gather the ropes and hooks into her arms before grabbing the net, and they raced back into the building. They were dripping rainwater everywhere, but they didn't slow down.
They found Shaggy and Scooby where they'd left them at the windows.
"Did you call Tony?" Fred asked as quietly as he could manage.
"Like yeah," Shaggy whispered. "He and Marcie were already with the sheriff, so they called the band. They're like, on their way."
"How's Velma?" Daphne murmured, wringing out her hair before peering through the window. Not much seemed to have changed – Velma was still restrained to the chair, and Leon was still leaning on the counter in front of her with the knife.
"Still alive," Shaggy replied in wry tone that didn't quite disguise his worry. "I think they're talking, but I like, can't make out what they're saying."
"Well, we'll be able to eavesdrop on them better in a minute," Fred told him. "Here's the plan."
Shaggy and Scooby listened intently as Fred explained how they would sneak into the upper room so he and Daphne could rig up a trap. Once it was in position, Shaggy and Scooby would lure Leon away from Velma right into the path of the net, so that Fred and Daphne could incapacitate him.
"Don't do anything until the trap is in place," Fred reminded them. "And seriously – be careful."
"Like you don't have to tell us twice, man," Shaggy replied.
"Reah," Scooby agreed.
Fred steeled himself and took a breath. "Okay. Quietly, now." With a finger to his lips, he cautiously eased open the door to the reading room and everyone snuck inside. Fred signaled for everyone to get down on their hands and knees so they could crawl to the railing and peer down to where Leon and Velma were. Fred and Daphne were still soaking wet and tried not to squelch on the carpet.
"So why even leave me notes in the first place?" Velma was saying. She looked calm, unflappable, but Shaggy could hear the hint of fear in her tone. It made his heart twist with terror and agony.
"I needed to get to you somehow," Leon replied. He was still holding the knife. "That's why I volunteered the band to play your prom. And then at our first meeting, when you showed us that secret admirer note, I figured that was an easy way in. Although I thought that you would meddle a little more to try to figure out who was sending the notes. I didn't expect it to take so long for you to figure out there were two people – and that I was one of them." He smirked. "I understand your need to prove how smart you are. Dottie was the same way. Would you have worked harder to solve the mystery if there had been a code you needed to crack? A Caesar shift? A Vigenere cipher?"
Velma didn't respond, just clenched her jaw.
Fred quietly crawled to the other side of the balcony, being careful not to let the ropes and hooks in his clenched fists make any noise as he dragged them along the floor. The others watched him cautiously. Below, Velma and Leon seemed not to notice any activity from above. Once Fred had begun to tie off his section of the trap, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby glanced back down into the lower part of the library.
"What had you hoped would happen?" Velma asked Leon. "When you started leaving me notes? You said you hadn't expected I would come find you. What had you wanted me to do instead?"
Leon chuckled. "This is where I suppose my ego got the better of me," he said. "I'd thought that Dottie would have told you about the relationship we'd had in high school, and you would have made the connection. I had hoped that you would call her when you figured out who I was. Sisters can be jealous, and I thought that she'd start to feel that way when she heard all the things I was writing to you."
"You mean all the creepy things?" Velma snarled.
Fred had finished tying off his section of the trap and caught Daphne's eye. He indicated that he was about to toss the other end of the rope across the balcony to Daphne. Shaggy waited with bated breath – if Daphne didn't catch the rope, it would drop down into the main area of the room. The fine arts library was large enough that Leon or Velma might not notice, but none of them wanted to take that chance.
Luckily, Fred threw the end of the rope in a high arc, and Daphne only fumbled slightly. Shaggy breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the rope clenched tightly in Daphne's hand, and went back to watching Velma and Leon's interaction below.
Leon smirked. "I never meant any of them, you know. No offense. I pretended I was writing those letters to Dottie. I only wanted her, and you were my way of getting to her. I admit, I got a little impatient towards the end, especially after you stopped coming by the house for band practices. But I think this will work better anyway." Leon grinned. "Now that you're here, I can use you as leverage. Where is she these days? Still in Seattle?" He shook his head. "I was so angry when she left town to go to college out there. But I bet she'll come back to rescue you."
Velma glowered at him.
"It won't work as well as you think," she told him. "You must know that she's married."
The faintest flicker of rage flashed across Leon's face. Evidently, he either hadn't known, or he didn't like to be reminded.
"She met him in college." Velma continued, glaring at him balefully. "They have a baby, a little girl. She's almost two."
"Stop talking," Leon snarled, but Velma ignored him.
"You can keep me here as long as you want, but nothing you do or say is going to make Dottie abandon her family," she told him. Velma was frightened – Shaggy could tell from the slight tremor in her voice – but she seemed to be deliberately antagonizing Leon now. "She cares about them more than anything else – and that includes you."
"Shut up!" Leon yelled, standing up fully.
"You know, she never mentioned you, not once," Velma shouted back. "I never heard your name before we met the band at the concert hall. Do you know what I think? I think Dottie didn't even know you existed. Why would she? She was a cool, beautiful senior, and you were just a dorky freshman who pined after her. You started playing piano to get close to her but that didn't work, so you gave her those earrings to try to win her affections, but that didn't work either. And now here it is, years later, and you've still never gotten over your pathetic crush on a girl who was so far out of your league that she was the brightest star in the galaxy and you were a tiny speck of space dust, thousands of lightyears away. So you need to get over yourself, because Dottie will never –"
WHAP!
Everyone on the balcony stifled a gasp as Leon backhanded Velma across the face so hard that her glasses flew off and landed with a clatter two feet away. Velma let out a cry of shock and pain.
Shaggy shot to his feet in a rage, but Daphne frantically pulled him back down to a crouch.
"Shaggy, no!" she hissed.
Anger burned him like fire. "Did you…like…he hit her!" he seethed, trembling with fury.
"Yes, I know," Daphne whispered, her shoulders shaking with anger and her cheeks very pink – it seemed to have taken all her self-control not to jump to her feet as well. "And I'm furious, obviously, but we have to be smart. We can't let him see us, otherwise all of this was for nothing."
Fred had just crawled back over from the other side of the balcony, looking very white in the face. Shaggy glanced back down at Velma, who was still gasping as Leon glowered over her. She'd clearly had no idea that the phrase get over yourself would trigger him.
"Don't you ever talk to me like that again, you little bitch!" he snarled. He pulled out the knife again and held it threateningly up to her throat. Shaggy gripped the balustrade so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Velma, still panting and whimpering, avoided Leon's gaze until he put the knife back down, and only then did Shaggy relax his grip.
However, Leon picked up the duct tape and forcefully tore a strip off and roughly slapped it over Velma's mouth before she could even scream. "That should shut you up," he said menacingly.
Daphne's hands trembled – she couldn't hold the rope steady enough to attach it to the railing. Fred put his hands over hers, and the warmth of his touch calmed her. She peered up at him gratefully, then glanced back at Shaggy, who was still shaking with fury and fear.
"Help me and Freddie tie this off," she murmured to him. "Then you and Scooby can distract Leon so we can get Velma out of here, okay?"
Shaggy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Okay. Like that sound good to you, Scoob?"
There was no response.
Shaggy whirled around, but he didn't see Scooby anywhere. "Scoob?" he whisper-called.
Daphne's eyes were wide. "I didn't notice where he went," she murmured.
"Neither did I," Fred added, looking anxious.
Shaggy's heart pounded. "Scooby Doo," he hissed. "Where are you?"
x.X.x
Leon slapping Velma had been the last straw. The minute he'd seen her glasses flying, Scooby had slunk away from the others and crept down the stairs as quietly as he could. He knew he was diverting from the plan, that the trap wasn't in motion yet, but he had to get Velma away from this crazy person, before he hurt her worse. Like he'd hurt Julie.
So Scooby was going to do what he did best: create a diversion.
Why was it that when there was a ghost involved, Scooby's initial response was to run away, but now, when there was a human monster, he charged bravely into battle? His fight-or-flight response seemed to understand the difference, even if Scooby himself didn't.
As he snuck between file cabinets, he tried to keep a close eye on Velma. Leon had put the knife down, though Scooby knew it was only a matter of time before he picked it up again. But how to draw him away? Glancing at the file cabinet behind him, Scooby got an idea. It was a little reckless, but it was the only way he saw to get Leon to leave Velma's side. Clenching his teeth to brace himself, Scooby donkey-kicked the file cabinet with his hind leg.
The cabinet didn't fall, but the loud, resounding clank caused heads from all over the room to whip around. There were too many other file cabinets in the way for Leon to see Scooby, though the dog noticed Shaggy, Daphne, and Fred looking down on him from the balcony above with thunderstruck expressions.
"Who's there?" Leon called, eyes wild and voice angry. He picked the knife back up and began making his way towards the source of the noise. Scooby heard him coming to investigate and crept away between file cabinets, deftly avoiding Leon. Eventually he arrived at the checkout desk and the chair where Velma was tied up.
"Relma," he whispered as he approached.
She whirled her head towards the sound of his voice. Her eyes widened and she made a muffled noise of disbelief. Scooby knew that without her glasses, Velma couldn't see him very well, but she still recognized his voice.
"Rye'm ronna ret you out of rere," he promised, starting to gnaw at the duct tape attaching her wrists to the chair.
She gave another frenzied mumble that Scooby thought sounded like, "My glasses."
"Ron't worry," he told her. He would get her glasses, but he needed to get her free first. He knew that as soon as Leon realized there was nothing in the direction the noise had come from, he'd return to Velma. Scooby needed to get her out of there before that happened. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Shaggy, Daphne and Fred above him working frantically to finish tying off the other section of the trap.
Scooby continued to gnaw through the duct tape as quickly as his teeth would allow. He was almost finished…
Suddenly, they heard Leon stomping back towards them. Frantically, Scooby bit through the final fiber. There was still the duct tape that bound Velma's wrists behind her back, but at least she wasn't attached to the chair anymore. She could escape. And now it was time for the second thing Scooby was best at – acting as bait.
"Relma," Scooby whispered. "Hide."
Velma ducked under the counter a moment before Leon reappeared. For a split second, the young, bespectacled man stared at the empty chair confused. Then he noticed the huge Great Dane in front of the counter and dropped his knife in astonishment.
"Scooby?" Leon muttered. He blinked in disbelief.
Scooby just glowered at him. "Come and ret re," he challenged.
And he took off.
Leon, realizing that Velma had escaped and Scooby was to blame, stampeded after the dog. "Get back here, you mangy mutt!" he shouted as he chased after him. Scooby, desperate to get away, pushed down a file cabinet to hinder Leon's progress. As the dog ran, he apologized silently to the staff and faculty members who'd have to clean it up – especially as it crashed into another file cabinet, and set off a chain reaction of falling, clanking metal. The noise was deafening.
Shaggy watched all this from the balcony above, his heart pounding in his chest. Scooby could certainly keep Leon distracted, but Velma was still a sitting duck. A blind sitting duck. At any point, Leon could abandon his pursuit of Scooby to try to find Velma again. And Shaggy didn't like Velma's odds. He didn't like Scooby's odds either, for that matter. He needed to help them both.
"Fred!" he cried – he was able to be loud now, the noise from the falling file cabinets drowned him out.
"We've got this," Fred replied. "Daphne and I can finish the trap – you go get Velma and Scooby."
Shaggy bolted. Leon and Scooby were far from the staircase now, and the file cabinets closest to him were still standing upright. He knew Velma was hiding behind the checkout desk but discovered her glasses and Leon's knife on the floor nearby. He picked them both up and put them in his pocket before he ducked behind the checkout counter, where he found Velma trying to wriggle out of the duct tape. She was facing away from Shaggy so she didn't notice when he knelt beside her.
"Velma," he murmured, reaching out to touch her hand. He felt a surge of electricity as his fingers made contact with hers.
Her head shot up and she whirled around. She still couldn't see without her glasses. Everything was just shape and shadow. But she recognized that voice. And that touch.
Shaggy reached into his pocket and pulled out Velma's glasses. Gently, he placed them on her face. "Like it's me, Velm."
She blinked at him, as though unable to believe her eyes.
As carefully as he could, Shaggy removed the duct tape that gagged her.
Velma gasped as her mouth was freed, still staring wildly. "Shaggy?" she whispered, and his heart wrenched. It had been so long since he'd heard her say his name.
He didn't respond, simply reached behind her and used Leon's knife to cut off the duct tape that bound her wrists together. His face was so close to hers that each freckle on her cheeks stood out.
As soon as she was free, Velma closed the slight distance between them and threw her arms around Shaggy. He froze, but just for a second. He'd nearly forgotten how it felt to hold her, to be held by her. But now that they were here, the sensation was so familiar that it was as though the last two months had never happened. He embraced her in return and deeply breathed in her familiar scent that reminded him of vanilla and cinnamon. He suddenly became aware that she was trembling, and held her closer.
Velma had spent so much of the evening trying to be brave, trying not to let Leon see how frightened she was, that she felt physically and emotionally exhausted. And now that she was safe in Shaggy's arms, she had no reason keep up the pretense. Her throat burned with everything she'd longed to say for the past two months, every regret, every apology, but none of it came out. She just wanted to hold him, to be near him. She buried her face into his shoulder, which knocked her glasses slightly askew, but she didn't care. She just gripped him tighter, and he responded in kind – he had no intention of letting her go.
At least, not until Scooby bolted around the corner behind them, with Leon in hot pursuit. Shaggy and Velma both jumped apart instinctively, but Scooby simply barreled past them. "Run!" he barked.
Leon's angry eyes flared as he noticed Shaggy and Velma behind the desk.
"Let's go!" Velma shrieked, hurriedly rising. She gripped Shaggy's wrist as they followed Scooby out into the center of the room. Cabinets crashed to the floor in their wake.
"Get back here!" Leon boomed, thundering after them.
"Daphne, NOW!" Fred's voice came from above.
There was a snap and a whoosh, and suddenly, Leon was suspended above the ground in a net. Scooby, Shaggy, and Velma clutched each other at the foot of the stairs as Daphne and Fred came rushing down towards them.
Daphne threw her arms around Velma as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Oh my God," she sobbed, as her panic gave way to relief. "Oh my God, you're okay!"
"I am now," Velma replied, also feeling emotional and hugging Daphne back. Daphne was soaking wet, but Velma didn't care. "How on Earth did you know where I was?"
"We guessed," said Fred as he also came over to join in the embrace. He was wet too but again, nobody minded. "Marcie called us after she got your voicemail, and then the band figured out that Leon had you, so we tried the fine arts building and Scooby tracked your scent. Then Daphne and I rigged up a trap while Shaggy rescued you and Scooby distracted Leon."
The aforementioned villain was still struggling in the net, trying fruitlessly to free himself. Shaggy was grateful he'd grabbed Leon's knife.
Velma disentangled herself from Daphne and Fred to kneel in front of Scooby.
"Thank you," she said, looking him directly in the eye to convey the gratitude she felt. "You put yourself in danger for me…and I didn't even deserve it."
"Rhat are roo ralking about?" Scooby asked, confused.
Velma clamped her lips together as tears suddenly sprang to her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she told him, her voice shaky. She glanced up at the others. "To all of you. For what I did to you…" She looked at Daphne and Fred. "…And to you…" Her gaze turned to Shaggy and Scooby. "…To all of us." She took another deep breath. "I made such a huge mistake when I left the gang. I said all kinds of things I didn't mean. I was just…so angry, and so hurt. I took it out on you all, and I should never have done that. It doesn't matter if our friendships make any logical sense – you're the best friends I've ever had, and that's a fact. I'm so sorry for lying and telling secrets and hurting you all." A tear escaped, and she quickly brushed it away. "Can you ever forgive me?"
Daphne, who had already begun to cry, knelt beside Velma and embraced her again. "I already have," she murmured through her tears.
"Ro have Rye," Scooby agreed, joining in the hug.
"Me too," Fred said, his throat tight.
"Like same," Shaggy mumbled, his eyes also swimming.
In moments, everyone had joined the group hug. They were a gang again. Together. United. Whole.
The main door to the library burst open at that moment, and a barrage of people stormed in. Sheriff Stone and his deputies led the way, followed closely by Marcie and Tony, with the members of Heavy Meddle bringing up the rear. They apprehensively glanced up at the net holding Leon, and he stopped struggling when he noticed them.
"Holy…" Sheriff Stone muttered, glancing around at the chaos of the fallen file cabinets and the trap that had been rigged up from the banister.
"Velma!" Tony and Marcie cried in unison, rushing towards the gang. Everyone rose to their feet and made way for Tony and Marcie to embrace their small, bespectacled friend.
"I'm glad you're okay, Dinks," Tony said as he released her.
But Marcie kept Velma in a fierce embrace, locking her arms tightly around her. When she finally pulled away, the two girls looked at each other for a very long moment. Shaggy watched, heart in his throat.
"Leon Berger," Sheriff Stone was saying, which caused everyone to glance over at him. Marcie and Velma stepped apart. The sheriff and his deputies had cut Leon down and were now putting him in handcuffs. "You are under arrest for the stalking, harassment, and abduction of a minor. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say…"
"I'll get you for this!" Leon bellowed, interrupting the sheriff as he led him out of the room. "I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids and your damn dog! You'll pay for this!"
He kept shouting all the way down the hall, but he became increasingly less coherent the farther away he got.
A deputy looked over at the gang. "Listen," he said. "We're going to need to collect statements from everyone. If you all could come down to the station with us, it shouldn't take too long."
x.X.x
Everyone's parents were at the police station by the time they arrived, much to the gang's chagrin. The Dinkley's fussed over Velma as everyone took turns going into the interview room to give their statements. The members of Heavy Meddle went first, then Tony, Marcie, and each member of the gang. In between interviews, everyone filled the parents in on the full story – the secret admirer notes, Leon's infatuation with Dottie, and how everyone had discovered his involvement. By the time it was Velma's turn to give a statement, the parents had been caught up and while they were none too pleased with the circumstances, they felt better knowing that the danger for the teens had passed.
As Velma was led into the interview room, she and Marcie shared a small grin. Shaggy watched, a tight pain in his chest.
"Hey," Marcie said, once the door to the interview room had closed behind Velma. She looked at Joey. "What are you going to do about prom now?"
Joey furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
Daphne, who had been resting her head on Fred's shoulder, lifted her face up to glance at the band. "Jeepers. That's right – you don't have a bass player anymore."
Julie shrugged, unconcerned. "Well, we don't necessarily need one. Bass adds an extra layer, but it's not strictly necessary. We may need to finagle the set list a little, but we can do it." She looked at the gang conspiratorially. "What do you say? You want to come by for one final meeting on Monday? We'll bring the pizza."
"Rizza!?" Scooby exclaimed excitedly. Everyone chuckled.
"Yeah, that sounds great," Fred answered, bringing an arm around Daphne, who snuggled into him once more.
Tony indicated them. "So are you two back together, then?"
Daphne glanced up at Fred. "It's your call, Freddie," she whispered.
He looked at her seriously. "Being apart from you just made me realize how much we belong together," he told her. He ran a thumb across her cheek as he gazed at her. "I made a huge mistake breaking up with you. I'm so sorry. Will you be my girl again?"
Daphne smiled softly at him. "I've always been your girl," she murmured.
They kissed until Mayor Jones cleared his throat, and then they broke apart, slightly embarrassed. They'd forgotten the parents were all still there.
"Uh, in fact," Fred said, desperate to change the subject. "I think the whole gang is back together now. Right?"
"Reah!" Scooby nodded happily.
Tony grinned wide for one and all. "Well hey, that's great news! Everyone's back to normal now, huh?"
No, Shaggy thought to himself, glancing at the door through which Velma had disappeared. Not quite.
He and Velma could never go back to the way they'd been. Scooby's reaction two months ago had made that pretty clear. He'd reacted to the news just as Shaggy had imagined he would, and he couldn't put him through that again. Besides…now there was the Marcie factor. Shaggy was pretty sure she'd almost tried to kiss Velma earlier this evening. And besides, she'd admitted that she'd had a crush on Velma for a long time, possibly longer than Shaggy had even known her. Marcie been the original secret admirer, and the only reason she hadn't confessed her feelings to Velma earlier was because Shaggy had been standing in the way. And after how they'd broken up, Shaggy was pretty sure that Velma had moved on.
She had said that she regretted leaving the gang – not that she regretted leaving him.
The answer was clear. They were done. They were over. And he had to let her go.
Sponge: Penultimate chapter next week, folks! In the meantime, review and don't forget to guess where the chapter title comes from!