Notes: This was inspired by an adorable piece of fanart from the-scooby-gang on tumblr that I just had to write a piece for, and I decided to post it today, on what would've been Heather North's birthday; this still takes place in my fic timeline, after the events of "The Lyre of Apollo."

This is most likely my last piece of the year, but I'll be back next year with the next multichapter installment in my series!


With the knowledge that Asmodeus and Hades were no longer trapped in the Underworld, Daphne had expected that her and Shaggy's magic lessons would increase in intensity, given how they needed to be prepared for whatever their foes had planned.

She was, therefore, utterly surprised when, after she and Shaggy had passed their first exams, just before the seal on the Underworld broke, Vincent didn't seem to be urgently pursuing their lessons. Oh, they still had their lessons, of course—but not at the breakneck speed she had been expecting.

And she certainly had been utterly baffled when Vincent had suggested that they all spend some time in the Scottish Highlands near Drumnadrochit—the ancestral home of Daphne's paternal family, Clan Blake.

It was an enjoyable trip—and Daphne had found that while her twelfth-great-grandmother, Isabel Blake, had left Blake Castle with her son after the death of her husband Stefan, it had turned out that Stefan had a younger brother, who had inherited the castle and continued the family line in Drumnadrochit while Isabel's son went on to continue the line in America. Subsequently, Daphne had gotten in touch with relatives that she'd only vaguely known about, striking up a friendship with her cousin Shannon, who, like the rest of the Scottish Blakes, were delighted to get in touch with one of the American branches of the family tree.

Daphne had ended up wanting to stay in Drumnadrochit a bit longer, and Vincent readily agreed, as did the others—Flim-Flam was having the time of his life exploring the area with Scrappy, and Shaggy and Scooby were eagerly on the lookout for food. Combining both ideas, Daphne suggested a picnic on the banks of Loch Ness, with a plan to investigate some nearby caves after lunch.

"It's not that we're not grateful for the vacation and the food," Shaggy said, as he piled a sandwich as high as he could. "But do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be? I would think Daphne is enjoying getting in touch with her family history," Vincent pointed out. "We can do the same for you, as well, if you like."

"I am enjoying this very much, Vincent," Daphne promised, with a smile. "But I think Shaggy was getting at one of two things—either he's wondering, like I am, as to why we're not spending every spare moment training since we know Asmodeus can attack us at any time, or he's worried about the Loch Ness Monster."

"Rhoch Ness Rhmosnter!?" Scooby yelped, as Shaggy gulped.

"Monster?" Scrappy echoed, an eager grin on his face as he stared out onto the water. "Let her just try something in front of me—I dare her!"

"Like, I didn't even think about her," Shaggy moaned. "Why'd you have to go remind me about that…?"

"Come on, now—after encountering the Yeti near my castle and seeing that the stories about his ferocity are unfounded, surely you know better than to jump to conclusions regarding poor Nessie, as well?" Vincent chided. "Appearances can be deceiving—I happen to know that you were all wary of me when we first met, and look at us now!"

"…I guess you got a point there, Vince," Flim-Flam admitted. "Hey, Scrappy, maybe we oughta leave Nessie alone."

"Oh…"

"So we've got nothing to worry about…?" Shaggy asked, casting a wary glance over the water.

"Maybe not from Nessie," Daphne admitted. "But you were thinking about Asmodeus—and he is a threat."

"Yes," Vincent admitted. "He is."

This prompted everyone to look at Vincent in surprise as he calmly drank his tea from the #1 Dad mug they had given him some time ago.

"Then… why are we here?" Daphne wondered.

"Yeah, like, shouldn't we be preparing nonstop for Asmodeus's return rather than going on picnics on other continents?" Shaggy asked.

Vincent took another sip of his tea and sighed.

"Believe me, Kids, I have given this quite a lot of thought," he assured them. "And as counterintuitive as it seems, I believe this is the best course of action. Relentless training will only make you more nervous—and fatigued. And that simply won't do."

Scrappy tilted his head in puzzlement.

"I… guess that makes sense… kinda…" he said.

"And furthermore," Vincent continued. "With the knowledge that dark days are coming, it makes sense to enjoy the light while we can." He sighed. "We won't have as much time for these little jaunts together once Asmodeus puts his plans into action."

Daphne managed a wan smile.

"You really are an old softie, you know that?" she said.

"I don't know what you're referring to," he bluffed.

"Rhi do," Scooby returned, also managing a smile.

It had taken some time for them to get past the warlock's icy exterior, but their perseverance had paid off in revealing a caring and compassionate man who was like a father to them all—particularly in Daphne's case, given her struggles with her parents over the past year, which had prompted her to lean on Vincent for parental support.

"I also want you to encourage Fred and Velma to stay with us in the castle more often now," Vincent continued. "Asmodeus knows how much they mean to you—they will be safer with us."

"Like, we know that and they know that, and while Freddie could do his novel writing work remotely, Velma can't exactly do that with her Mars probe," Shaggy sighed.

"…I suppose not," Vincent agreed. "Well, perhaps we can spend more time in Florida, then…"

"I'd like that!" Flim-Flam chirruped.

"Me, too!" Scrappy added.

"I think we all would," Daphne said, as Shaggy and Scooby nodded in agreement, too. "Honestly, as long as we're together, it doesn't really matter where we are."

"Indeed," Vincent concurred, with a smile. "We'll work out a plan soon enough—in the meantime, I do believe you wanted to explore those caves?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Scrappy exclaimed, quickly bolting down the rest of his lunch and heading that way with Flim-Flam.

"Rhey, wait for us!" Scooby called, stuffing the rest of his lunch in his mouth before bounding after them.

Shaggy followed behind him, still holding a towering sandwich in his hands.

"I wonder if he'll actually get to finish that," Vincent mused, as he and Daphne followed behind them.

"It's a toss-up," Daphne grinned. "For as many times as he actually gets to eat it, he'll also have lost it to Scooby."

Vincent chuckled, and then called out to Flim-Flam and Scrappy not to get too far ahead.

The caverns were beautiful and vast, with waters from the Loch entering the lower levels of the caverns, creating large pools that led in and out of the Loch proper.

"Hear me out, Scrappy," Flim-Flam said, indicating the glittery rocks all around them. "Genuine Loch Ness rocks—people would absolutely buy those."

"You know, I bet you're right!" Scrappy agreed. "Let's find some good ones."

Vincent shook his head in amusement as they carried on; Daphne was now trying to catch up with Shaggy, who was trying to keep Scooby's attention off of his sandwich.

"Like, come on, Scoob—you had your lunch already!" Shaggy pointed out.

Daphne was about to say something when she saw a glowing pair of eyes in the water near where Shaggy was standing. Before she could say a word, a small, reptilian head on a slender neck stuck out of the water, stuck out her tongue, and grabbed Shaggy's sandwich right out of his hand.

"Hey, who did—Zoinks!"

The reptile gave a high-pitched, inquisitive sound.

"Nessie stole my lunch!" Shaggy protested.

"That's… not Nessie," Vincent said, his eyebrows arched. "Nessie is far larger than this little one."

"Rhittle one?" Scooby repeated, incredulously. Indeed, the reptile's flippered body, visible in the clear water, was about as large as a car—not counting her long neck.

"Yes; I do believe this is Nessie's offspring," Vincent confirmed.

"What's that gash on top of her head?" Daphne asked, frowning. "At least, it looks like a gash—I think she got hurt somewhere."

"I fear you may be right," Vincent said. "What could have caused that?"

"I think I know," Shaggy sighed. "Back in Florida, we've seen manatees in the water with scars from boat propellers—they're not fast enough to get out of the way of boats. I bet that's what happened here."

Nessie II let out another high-pitched whine, prompting Daphne's heart to twist.

"Can't we help her?"

"Of course we can," Vincent said. "I could use your assistance, Daphne—two healing spells are always better than one in an unfamiliar case such as this."

"Right!" Daphne agreed, grabbing the staff she used in her magical training.

Vincent now held a hand out to Nessie II.

"Lean your head towards us, Little One; we will help you—I promise!"

Nessie II still looked at them curiously for a moment, but then did as Vincent instructed, leaning closer to them.

"On the count of three, Daphne," Vincent said. "One… two… three!"

"Esuna!" they both called out.

They'd both done this enough times to know it would work; Flim-Flam and Scrappy went back to looking for rocks even as Nessie II was patched up. Scrappy hopped up on a small ledge leading deeper into the caverns, and then frowned as he got hit with the smell of fish.

"Yuck! What on Earth…?"

The puppy trailed off as he looked up, his gaze following a similar reptilian head and bright eyes—but much, much larger.

"…Hey, guys!?"

"Rhat's up—RYIKES!"

"Zoinks!" Shaggy yelped again, as the smaller reptile happily called up to the larger one.

"…That… That must be Nessie!" Daphne realized, stunned.

"In the flesh," Vincent said, unafraid as he waved up at her. "Salutations once again, Old Girl!"

"…You and Nessie are pals?" Flim-Flam asked, his eyes wide. "…Somehow, I'm not surprised…"

And Vincent then proceeded to introduce the gang to the Loch Ness Monster; it was a most unexpected adventure, but one that was par for the course for them—and ended up being surprisingly enjoyable.

As Vincent had said, dark days would soon be coming, but they would certainly make the most of the light-filled days they had until then—together.