Author's Note: Hello, readers! This story is still happening! As the author, I knew I had to finish what I started. I just wasn't exactly feeling my last few chapters initially as most of my first drafts were rushed in an effort for me to get the story out ASAP as opposed to carefully planning the climactic set pieces. And so, now that they've been fixed, I hereby present the concluding chapter that neatly ties everything together. Enjoy!
Later on, when night had passed over the land, the police arrived at the scene of the rundown apartment to arrest Beck who had been thrown into a cop car and driven away like any petty criminal. Even though he was of supercriminal status, he still deserved the petty criminal treatment of being driven to Rykers for his crimes of disturbing the peace, damaging property, and abducting not three, but six different girls - five of which were now interviewing Captain Stacy on their abduction.
From where he stood with the Mystery Gang and his friends watching the madman get hauled off, Spidey pointed to his most recent capture with pride lining his unseen face.
"Off to Rykers with that one!" Spidey boasted as if he took care of it all himself.
"Just remember, if it wasn't for us, you wouldn't have taken him down yourself," Fred chimed in, giving an all-inclusive praise for, not just himself, but his gang too. For once, Fred showed humility no one had seen yet.
"Aww, really it was no biggie," Spidey remarked, showing more confidence in himself before lowering his hands in submission. "Well, really, if it wasn't for you guys and your trap tactics, I wouldn't have had a band of unlikely allies to help me out, so thanks!"
The gang collectively smiled together at the humility displayed in Spider-Man's expression of gratitude. Their debt was to him after all that had happened since their arrival in Manhattan; after joining their team and giving them their support, their most recent adventure had been a thrill ride unlike any other. The way he helped them discover the clues to the mystery, evade traps and illusions, rescue them at every turn - especially Danger-prone Daphne - and take down a giant killer robot in their favor was all worth it in the end.
That and their comradery; they couldn't have made more likely allies, unlike what Spider-Man said. Between Fred's planning, Daphne's winging, Velma's brains, Shaggy's instinct, and Scooby's bravery, Spidey saw lots of pieces of himself in the gang that made him that much more compatible with them. With him still being too young to join the Avengers, he basically started his own team he could rely on for years to come.
"Don't mention it… Spider-Man!" Velma responded, protective of his secret of which Daphne and the other girls still bore no knowledge of.
"Don't suppose you would've guessed it was Quentin Beck yourself?" Spidey asked her of curiosity. According to their vlogs, she was always the one who guessed the culprit prior to their big reveal.
"There was a strong possibility, but I wasn't too certain," Velma began. "He did say something about the Hex Girls becoming irrelevant in today's world, but even that was subtle. However, he was also the one person who had access to the band's backstage area, special effects assistant, and their hotel location. No doubt he knew our location too if he had his methods."
"Wow, Velma, are you like omniscient or something?!" Spidey asked sarcastically.
"What can I say? I'm just that smart!" Velma pointed to her thick cranium in pride.
"Like, you said it, Velm!" Shaggy added.
"Reah!" Scooby giggled with cheer knowing he was safe with her.
Daphne laid a shoulder on Velma prompting the latter to turn her direction. The two of them smiled at each other before turning back to face Spider-Man. This moment couldn't have been more definite between the six of them. After that giant Mysterio robot attacked them, there was nothing quite like the company of a band of likely heroes relishing their victory knowing that a superpowered being had their back the whole way through. Seeing as their Spring Break was ending soon, however, there would only be a matter of time before they had to part ways again. Even so, they would cherish every moment they spent with either Peter Parker and Spider-Man until they departed.
Having recovered from the trauma of being kidnapped, the Hex Girls went on to perform their ultimate concert in New York. It took place in the same Central Park arena set up before, only this time their performance finally went uninterrupted knowing that the menace of Mysterio was finally doing his time. Lights flashed and smoke poured across the stage as the band rocked out with their latest hit "It's A Mystery" causing the audience to go as crazy as possible. MJ and Gwen were rather proud yet at the same time, they found a new appreciation taking it easy at concerts. As crazy as it was to get kidnapped by Mysterio, they decided to just simply take it easy with Peter by their side like always. Boy, was he sure glad they were safe and unharmed after what happened before.
And for a change, the Mystery Gang wasn't backstage; instead, they decided to take some time to be with their new friends - the "Midtown clique" according to Velma. Already, Gwen and Peter had much appreciation for them - especially the former with Velma - and so, upon request, they got to have the day off from being bodyguards to just sit back and hang out with one another. It definitely helped now that Daphne and MJ were friends after bonding in their journey to pose as the band before they got kidnapped. All it took was Daphne realizing MJ wasn't a bad person to get them to open up to one another; boy, did Daphne steer herself wrong.
After all that trap and illusion busting back in the lair, Peter sure was fond of the company he got to spend time with. Just the thought of his best friends hanging out with his biggest role models was enough to put him at ease knowing that they wouldn't have to face the likes of Mysterio sabotaging the show any longer.
Despite that, he soon realized there was one thing he neglected to think about during his recent episode: his best friend, Harry.
Prior to being rushed to the hospital, Harry had left Peter on a bitter note stating that they weren't friends anymore, and for illogical reasons too. And so, Peter began to worry about what Harry would think of him, his smiling at the concert's presentation turning into a slump of shame as he turned away. What would Harry think of this? Silently, he walked away from his new clique, garnering the attention of Gwen who spotted him leaving first.
"Hey, what's up with Peter?" Gwen asked of concern before she nudged her best friend.
"Probably off to take photos again," MJ assumed predictably. "Either that or we need to give him time."
As he departed from the crowd, the music slowly began to fade behind Peter. His head down, slowly, but surely, he could feel his connection to the gang severing all because he didn't want to let his best friend down. If only there'd be some way to remedy this, Peter thought to himself. He searched his mind for a way to make things right in this situation. Would he go to the hospital and tell Harry he's sorry for hanging out with some new friends he didn't know were going to be in town? Or would he run back to the gang, lie and say he had to go home early, vowing to never see them again? Whatever the outcome, Peter felt the need to make his choice.
Suddenly, Peter's hearing honed in on a thud hitting the ground right in front of him, startling him almost. In an instant, he had his thoughts and choices broken up by the person standing in front of him whoever it was. He looked up to find that the person stepping in front of them was somebody with crutches. That somebody… was Harry.
"S'up, Pete?" his best friend called out to him.
"Harry," Peter said, craning his neck to peer over at his crew. "What are you doing… out of the hospital like this?"
"Only the miracles of modern medicine, Pete. Plus, I hear this is a Mystery Inc. hotspot." His words caused Peter's stomach to jolt somewhat with surprise, yet somewhat with joy. "You think I could maybe squeeze in with you guys?"
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Peter squinted, motioning his hands in demand for his friend to hold up. "You mean the Mystery Inc.?!"
"Yeah, man. I heard about their heroics in taking down Mysterio with Spider-Man - whom I must add is a cool guy. And so I figured I should find a way to get to know them before they leave."
Peter could not believe his ears. His best friend, the one whom he worried would disapprove of him bonding with Mystery Inc. again, had all of the sudden developed a change of heart toward the group all because of a simple news report? And he was willing to go out of his way to be with them prior to their departure? The moment the smoke and lights raised behind him, Peter smiled, overjoyed to hear that his best pal in the whole world was no longer jealous of his new friends. Whether his dad told him something, or he decided for himself was a mystery, but it was a mystery Peter was willing to accept as unsolvable.
"Well then, Harry, come right this way!" Peter motioned his arm into a swing to guide him toward where Mystery Inc. stood. For the first time in roughly two days, Peter had the chance to walk with the most important pal in the world even if he was getting around on crutches. All he needed now was for him to officially apologize.
"Look, Pete, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about all this. I acted overly jealous of your new friends to a point where I failed to realize that they're just a bunch of wannabe cool kids, you know, kinda like you and me. Plus my dad says I shouldn't be afraid to expand my horizons - especially when it comes to music and making friends."
There it was. Everything Peter needed to hear.
"It's alright, Harr," Peter started off. "I know I might have come off like a jerk at times, but I promise it won't happen again. I just hope you can forgive me for blowing you guys off like I usually do."
"You're forgiven, Pete. I just hope you can forgive me."
"Forgiveness in full, Harry!"
Soon as their exchange concluded, they approached their gang from the backside, listening to their cheers as they waved their arms. The Hex Girls were now transitioning to a new song that talked about petrified brides - a song which, while not on their CD, at least got some attention from the superfans. Just the simple fact that Harry reconciled his feelings of jealousy and was now hanging out with their old friends as well as accepting new ones to put them at ease knowing there was a sense of unity between them. This night just couldn't have gotten any better.
Surely enough, the entire gang - Midtown and Mystery gangs - all piled into the Silver Spoon later that evening following the concert. Once they claimed a rather large booth fit for all nine of them, Peter squeezed in first to sit across from Scooby and Shaggy while Gwen sat across from Velma and Daphne to MJ. This left Fred to sit facing Harry on the edge of the table - the perfect setup for the end of a perfect day. The place was a dream come true for Scooby and Shaggy's eating habits. Whilst they chowed down on two orders of beef stroganoff, the gang began to have conversations of their own regarding previous events, their best interests, as well as the simple fact that they were all together. In addition, Harry decided to open up and share the fact that he was rich with the gang. This garnered the attention of Daphne who was equally so according to Fred at least.
"So you and Peter have sleepovers regularly at your dad's penthouse?" Daphne asked him. "That must be quite the view especially for him."
"Eh, it's not much," Harry responded, being so used to the Manhattan skyline that it wasn't really a novelty to look at anymore. "Besides, what I wouldn't give to have a mansion on the ground. Like the X-Mansion, but better!"
"You could always visit Blake Mansion in Coolsville someday," she offered. "We have everything from a pool to a basketball court and enough room space for me to sneak the gang over for sleepovers."
"Her parents claim that they can't stand me because of my status as the 'Jones boy'," Fred butted in, remembering all the times his traps freaked them out.
"Is that because of all your traps and such?" Harry asked.
"Admittedly, but I am grateful that they help in dire situations for the most part," Fred boasted.
"Well, no matter if you guys are trap experts or rich like me, I've come to realize that you're all very cool," Harry complimented. This was the first compliment he gave to them and he felt proud of it.
"Aww, thanks, Harry! You're so sweet!" Daphne replied.
"Yeah, thanks for the support!" Fred followed.
Harry's face went from stoic to smiley all in an instant. "Don't mention it, guys!" It was the first time he had ever felt a true change of heart. He had all the reasons to be jealous of Peter beforehand, but hanging out with his best friend's idols made him see fully just how wrong he was. If anything, he finally learned to be more accepting of new friends coming into town.
Although unaware of his initial distaste, Fred wondered if that jealousy Daphne harbored toward MJ still lingered. They were getting along just fine, but something still nagged at the back of his mind and he couldn't put his finger on what it was. If she was only faking it, she seemed to be doing an impressively good job at acting. Then again, Velma would probably use logic and reasoning to deduce that she wasn't. And, yet still, he wasn't Velma. Hoping to find remedy for his discomfort, Fred laid a hand on Daphne's to get her attention.
"Daphne, can I see you for a second?" he asked anticipatedly.
"Sure, what's up?" she responded.
"I'll tell you outside."
The two of them got up from where they were seated away from all the fun conversation and meandered out the door nearby. The night air was beginning to show signs of Spring warmth, which made perfect for the fact that Fred was about to unthaw his frozen heart after what felt like an eternity of hiding his feelings from the person who needed to hear them most. When it was all over, he knew it would finally be worth it. The two of them stood on the curb watching one another as cars flashed their lights toward them before venturing off into the distance. Fred didn't care about the world around him. All he knew was that he had to get some things off his chest.
"Look, I just wanna say how sorry I am about all this. Between making you think I loved MJ to completely neglecting a counter trap for Mysterio and then you nearly getting hurt, I have every reason to feel bad about this trip," Fred started, relieved to get that out of the way.
"It's okay, Fred," Daphne said after letting him finish for a change. "It was mostly my fault for not thinking straight. I completely misread your signs with her and then, when Spider-Man came, I didn't think I needed your help anymore. So, ultimately, I think I need to apologize for being so selfish and over-reliant on my assumptions." She paused. "I hope this doesn't make you see me any differently."
This was such an unexpected twist for Fred that he almost didn't know what to say. Here he thought he was supposed to be the one to apologize. "You're forgiven, Daph. I never would have seen you any other way. I mean, I definitely enjoy the idea of redheads and, well… maybe I was just too blind to see that… you're the best of them."
This was it; the exact words Daphne had been waiting for. She gasped in awe of his sweet words thus far. "You really mean that, Fred?"
"Yeah, what's not to love about you? You got great looks, a nice personality, and a sense of trust to you that I can hardly match. What every girl wouldn't give to be you, Daph."
Daphne's eyes were welling up in total happiness towards Fred's sweet words. She knew, without a doubt, that Fred tended to have trouble expressing his feelings, but this was all the proof she needed to know that she really meant the world to him. And for a change he didn't stumble over what he was trying to say. It was almost as if he learned to wear his heart on his sleeve.
"Oh, Freddy. Thank you!" Daphne leaped in to hug him to which he almost didn't hug back because he was somewhat surprised by her sudden, but warranted affection.
"Don't mention it, Daph," Fred said in return, nearly fazed by her energetic response.
Ultimately, he wrapped his arms around her willfully, vowing to himself never to let her go, no matter if someone were to split them apart.
The rest of the night was very much everybody talking about what new adventures awaited for them before they had to leave. As the Mystery gang waved goodbye to the Midtown clique, they were certain one day their posses would cross paths again - if only time allotted for it. And so the Mystery Gang drove the Mystery Machine back to their hotel for the last time ready to sleep for one last night in Manhattan knowing they finally solved yet another mystery.
Meanwhile, Harry dropped off Peter and MJ at their next door homes and waved them farewell, leaving them alone in the moonlight. Time seemed to stop there for a moment as Peter thought about what to say to her regarding his own stuff he had to get off his chest. If only he had known about what Fred got off his chest before then he wouldn't be at such a loss. However, after Fred told him he ought to open up, he knew someone had to learn of his identity soon enough.
"So, MJ…" he trailed off, uncertain of where to take the conversation besides the most obvious place.
"Yeah, Pete?" she asked him, her interest sparked.
"Not that there's a problem, but there's something you ought to know."
"What's that?"
He searched for words beyond even his own comprehension. A sense of obligation to do it overrun him and yet there was an air of hesitation holding him back. It was now or never to tell her who he was.
"I'm…" he cut himself off keeping MJ waiting in suspense. He sighed and lowered his head to which she gave him a look of concern in return, wondering what he was about to say. Finally, he lifted his face to her. "Maybe it's better if I show you."
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a silvery metallic webshooter lining his wrist. From it, he spun a short strand of silky spider that latched onto her hip catching her off guard. Without much time to react, MJ found herself yanked right into Peter's arms, her breath caught in exhilaration.
"Whoa, Tiger! Getting a little antsy there with your webs?" she said as she held him at the shoulders.
"'Spidery' is more like it," he responded cleverly looking down and fidgeting with his shooters. "So, yeah, this… is me, and… I wasn't sure if you would care, but-"
She shushed him. "No buts, Tiger. I always knew."
She knew?! He thought to himself. She had to have known. After all those times she stood up for him when Gwen, Harry, and even his deals with Mystery Inc. were giving him trouble, she was the only one who understood. There was a strong chance she may have seen him jump out the window a few times, but he didn't feel the need to worry about it. All he did was smile at her as she smiled back. The two then leaned into one another, pressing the other's lips firmly against the other silently sealing the deal with a kiss. This was the moment that Peter knew, more than ever that he loved MJ enough to even share secrets with her.
"So I take it you're not made a me, huh?" he asked her firmly.
"I may have seen you sneak out a few times," she confirmed.
"Pretty please keep this to ourselves?"
"Your wish is my command!" she ultimately affirmed. If anything, she could now be his loyal sidekick and no one would care. If there was anyone in the world he could trust, it would have to be her.
As the Hex Girls' tour bus took the highway that steered them out of Manhattan and the Mystery Machine followed, Scooby and the gang looked back on the big city that now lied behind them. It sure was a nice change of pace for them mentally and physically. For one, they could now say they've set foot in a big city before. And two, they got the chance to meet and work with a superhero that frequently took care of everything they did, but in a much bigger sense. Daphne especially sighed over the fact that it would only be a matter of time before any of them needed Spider-Man again - whenever their next big case would be.
"It's so sad we have to leave Manhattan behind," Daphne commented. "No more big buildings, no more central shopping districts… no more Spider-Man."
"Yeah," Fred chimed. "And we were just getting to know the guy too."
Daphne's eyes widened over the realization that, as much as she initially loved Spider-Man, she never had the chance to know what he was like or even who he was under the mask. "Yeah… I guess we can save that for another day…" she trailed off before turning directly toward Fred, curious to know he meant anything more by what he just said. "Unless you know something that I don't."
"Uh, what? I'm not sure what you're talking about," Fred said, locking eyes with her. After a moment of awkward silence, the two simply giggled next to one another, enjoying each other's company in the fullest. Hopefully, it could be like this more often.
From behind them, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby were talking to one another about their next moves. Velma had been reading the Mystery Machine's computer, scanning for any possible criminal activity on the way to their next destination on tour with the Hex Girls.
"I've picked up satellite readings of the area ahead. It looks to me like our next location should be relatively low on masked criminal activity," she observed reading out crime statistics for their next stop in New Jersey.
"Like, that's good news for us!" Shaggy began to leap for joy inside. "But if we encounter anything we'll just remember everything Spider-Man said! Won't we, Scoob?"
Scooby winked at him. For once in his long dog life, he felt there would be a possibility of him actually manning up to the foes he would catch on a regular basis. And so, he walked up to the front of the van and stuck his head out of Daphne's window, sticking out his dog chest in pride of his role as both team mascot and scout.
"Scooby-Dooby-DOO!" Scooby howled off into the distance as the fresh air signified what new adventures awaited him next time. "And Spider-Man, too!"
Thank you all SO much for reading! It has been a pleasure of mine to finally put out a full story worth telling onto this website that anyone can read and enjoy! However, even right now I am not completely satisfied with the final result. I am still considering maybe a chapter or two to make parts of it feel a little more "complete" (i.e.: the Hex Girls, Mysterio's fate, etc.). So, without further adieu, expect a little bit more to be done and, for now, I hope you all enjoyed the main story as I enjoyed writing/rewriting it.
You guys have good days and, until next time, Mastah Jasonic signing off!