"Hey Daphne? Can you like' close your eyes? Pretty please? We're like, almost there and I don't want to ruin the surprise..."
The car ride had been long, and a lot had happened. But since they were getting closer, he didn't want to mess up his grand plan, with her seeing things before they were going to be revealed. At least he had asked nicely this time, he didn't want to have a repeat of what happened last time. Velma had lectured him for a really long time, about his use of blindfolds for this kind of thing... And that was a no-no. So that was why he was asking politely this time.
Daphne's response was about what he was expecting in response to the request.
"WHAT?"
Turning from where she had been sulking, she shot him a hot and annoyed glare. Her mind formulating many mean things to do to him at the moment. Nothing major, but enough to make him pay for the trip so far.
"You kidnapped me. Then proceed to drive me in circles; just to see if I might notice I might add... And now you have the audacity to ask me to close my eyes, so you can drive me to some kind of surprise you have cooked up?" She finished with a huff.
"Yes." He said simply, giving her a nod with his head and smiling.
Bringing up a finger, she was about to argue when her mind failed to come up with a valid thing to say against the idea. Sure, he had kidnapped her, but he had warned her ahead of time. And he was rather polite about it all, chipper even. In the long history of her and mysteries, it was the nicest and more gentlemanly kidnapping to date. She was finding her anger fading long with her argument, and she couldn't bring herself to yell at him... let alone be that made at him. But that didn't mind she couldn't grumbled about it.
"Fine! ... But you make a lousy kidnapper."
He chuckled as she closed her eyes. She had been making a big show of it, but since he had asked so nicely she couldn't bring herself to cheat and look. What was he even thinking? This all seems just random and silly. A waste of time, I could be doing other things... Her schedule had been pretty full today, and there was still much to do. People to talk to, things that needed to be typed up and printed out. But now she was finding herself somewhere, probably far from any from anything she should be doing... And he wouldn't even tell her where they were going!
That was probably the part that was bothering her the most. While she had other things she liked, she was a mystery nut just like the rest of them. And she was having very little clues to actually tell her where they had been going. Like a nagging feeling, the mystery was chewing at her. She usually liked mysteries, but mostly at the end when things were all wrapped up and over with. Sure, getting there was half the fun, but a clue or two might be nice. But all she had to go on was the sounds of the van, and a feeling of it turning into somewhere. With her attention drawn to the feeling of the van, she was paying attention as the wheels hit from asphalt to something else. Concentrating on the feeling, she recognized the feel of the van going across the dirt under them. So we are somewhere dirty? Great...
But she didn't get a chance to dwell on it for long, because after a few turns, they had reached their destination.
"We're almost like' there. We'll have to walk the rest of the way. I need you to still keep your eyes closed though. Sorry." Shaggy apologized.
"What? Not carrying me off to your evil lair like a proper villain?" Daphne quipped, thinking that Velma was rubbing off on her too much. She would have to give that girl a nasty head rub later...
"You want me too?" Came the voice of a way too eager voice from Shaggy. He was joking of course, but Daphne wasn't going to take the chance.
"NO! No... Walking is fine." Flailing her arm, she tried to add hand gestures to the fact that she would be more than willing to walk the rest of the way. With his snickering, she figured he had agreed to her request to walk herself. As her arm slowed down, she felt his hand grasp lightly upon her wrist, tugging it slightly.
"Come on. It's not a far walk."
Fumbling at the seat belt, she got it off and followed her arm out of the van. Placing his hands on her sides, he helped her out and on to the ground. He only let go, once he knew she was going to walk on her own two feet without a problem. Pausing, Daphne tilted her head to listen to where they were. Moving one toe back and forth, she heard the familiar sound of dirt shifting under her foot. Tightening her eyes, she chided herself for wearing her nice pair of heels today. But then again, she really hadn't planned for something like this too happen.
"If I break a heel in these because of you... You SO owe me a knew pair." Daphne grumbled, turning her head to look at where she thought his face was. She missed by a bit, but it was close enough.
"Noted! I will make sure to take you shopping, if that happens." He nodded at her, even though she couldn't see him doing so. Well, she might have been able to guess what he was doing, since he was shaking the rest of himself as he bobbed up and down.
"Alright. Fine. So let's get on with it. I have things that I have to get back too."
Feeling him move up close to her, he made sure that he would be able to steer her away from anything major. With one hand on her arm, he placed the other on her shoulder, making sure to only put enough pressure on her to guide her forward.
"Is it anything like' important? The stuff you have left to get done?" Shaggy asked, his curiosity peeked.
"Well, I have to get back to my mother... She was explaining something about a cousin of mine that I really wasn't paying much attention too. But she has to tell me about. And I have a bit of typing left to do on my article for next years edition for Fashion magazine. And..." She was about to continue, when Shaggy pipped up.
"So... Nothing pressing?" He stated plainly.
"Well... My mother..." Daphne tried to argue.
"You can talk to her later. And I bet she would have another story to tell you about then as well. Might as well get them both out of the way at the same time." Shaggy pointed out, familiar with Daphne's mother and her love for family gossip. It could and has gone on for hours. And he had felt that she had been through enough to earn a break.
"But my article..." She tried to add, shifting to another topic, but was failing against his simple logic.
"...For next years magazine. I know you like getting it done ahead of time, but I think you can play hooky for one day." He smiled, or at least Daphne figured he was smiling. "Besides! That's why I dragged you out here! TAH DAH!"
Stopping, he let her go and spread out his hands to show her his master plan. Since he was being so dramatic, she used the eye that was further away from him to peek at the great reveal. Blinking, she opened both eyes and looked around. Empty. She could notice that she was in a forest, an empty forest. Probably not too far from where they lived, which accounted for why he was driving in circles. Had he came straight here, it would have been a far shorter trip. That and she would have been able to figure out where they were going. Clever, but that only earned him one brownie point. And he was going to loose it, unless he let her in on his plan.
"So where is it? Did you put it in a tree of something? Or is it hiding behind those swings?" Casting one of her arms, she flung it out at the one thing that stood out among all the trees. Everything around was trees, branches and leaves... except for the two swings that had been recently installed on one of the stronger branches that hung over the small clearing they had traveled too. But his smile grew when she mentioned the swing.
"No... Wait... Let me get this straight. You kidnapped me, drive me in circles, only to bring me to a silly little tire swing?" Placing her hand upon her forehead, she felt a headache coming on.
"Yep! Oh, and a normal swing too. I wasn't sure which one you would like, so I made one of each." Shaggy beamed. Once he saw her so tied up with her conversations, he got the crazy idea to do this. Running off to the nearest store that might have it, he purchased the parts and to the perfect place for it. Thankfully Velma had made sure to have a ladder that would be able to reach most heights, installed in the Mystery Machine. Sure, he could have climbed his way up due to his gymnastic training, but why when there was a perfectly good ladder. And it was rare enough that most of the objects in the van got to be used for their intended purpose. So he wasn't going to deny it the use, just for old times sake. That and it made getting the stuff up to attach it all, a lot easier.
Sighing, Daphne gave in. They were here, so she might as well let him get on with his silly plan. But she really didn't know what it was going to do for her. Seeing her hesitation, he waved at the swings and moved towards them.
"Trust me... Scouts Honor." He said with a smile, holding up one hand to show her. Daphne eyed him, feeling that there was something off with his statement. But even with him talking oddly, she did trust him. Or she wouldn't have gone along with this crazy idea in the first place.
"Oh my god..." Shouting with the suddenness, raised her head to the sky, her head spinning. She couldn't believed she was doing this.
"Put your hand back! Hand back!" Shaggy laughed as he shouted, trying to help her out.
"I'm going to puke! Awuuuuu... I'm going to puke." With the rattle of chains, she clung to them for dear life. Watching the world continue to spin around her.
"Oh no, no." And after a short pause, Shaggy asked, "You alright?"
Giving in to his request, she had moved to look at the two swings that she was being offered. One was the tradition kind of swing. Attached to the thick branch with two chains that met at a wooden board that had been shaped to be more comfortable to sit upon. The other was a simple tire swing, attached by a large rope that had been tied up above. She had just slid herself into the traditional swing to see how comfortable it was, when Shaggy struck. Moving like lightning, the man became a blur as he began to spin her. With the chain wrapping up above her head, she soon was lifted slightly off the ground, making her legs hang in the air. But the chain could only take so much before she started to slow down. But it wasn't the end, since it had to then unwind. It was then when she called out to the heavens. But thankfully it didn't last long. As the swing snapped back and forth at the end of it's journey, Shaggy was able to stop laughing long enough to catch her and bring her back to a forward position. The spinning had mussed her hair, and her knuckles were white with the effort to hold on, but there was a huge grin plastered on her face. Pulling back on the swing, he started to do something.
"Now don't do it again..." She warned.
As much as it was fun, it was also very dizzying, and she had to recover from the first time. He was good though, and only gave her swing a push before he moved to jump on the tire swing and swung beside her.
"Oh, but it's fun!" He said pushing off, making his swing moved to keep pace.
Placing her hands up higher, she gave the swing a kick and started to make it move on her own power. There was something oddly satisfying about being on a swing and making it move. She had to agree with him; it was in fact, fun.
"I didn't think I would be doing this again." Daphne admitted. Shaggy had a certain look on his face, as if he had known that this had just been exactly what she needed today. She had been so caught up with taking care of everything, she had neglected to take care of her own sanity as well. She had been stressing over getting everything done, it had been diving her crazy. And dealing with her mother for several hours in one sitting, didn't help either. Turning her head, she regarded him for a second. He wasn't the smartest guy at times, but there was something about him that made him perfect for things like this.
"Thanks. Thanks for kidnapping me. You're not that bad of a kidnapper after all."
Chuckling, Shaggy hopped off the tire swing and went behind her. Curious, Daphne watched over her shoulder as he moved far enough behind her, to not get hit as she swung. Stopping, he made a huge exaggerated bow.
"You're welcome. And for my next evil plot... I need to grow a black mustache before I... Do this!"
As she was reaching the highest point of her back swing, he snatched the back of her swing with both hands. It felt like she hung in time for a second, before Shaggy threw his whole weight against the swing. She had only been half heartily swinging, since if she went full out it would be harder to hold a conversation. But this was A LOT faster then she had been going. The wind rushed past her face, flaring her crimson hair out behind her. But Shaggy wasn't finished with just a push. He had ran with the swing, trailing behind it. And once it got to the bottom of it's decent, he jumped off the ground to land on the seat on either side of her. The momentum he created rocketed them skywards, the chains attached to the tree made sure that they didn't just keep going.
"Wheeeeeeeee!" Daphne couldn't contain herself. The rush was exhilarating! Almost like being able to fly, but then having to swing back to earth. But with Shaggy pushing from behind, the next swing was even higher then the last.
She wished it would stay like this forever. Being able to enjoy herself in such a childish thing like a playing on a swing. But there is something to be said about the simple things in life... The only problem is that nothing can last forever.
Riiiiiing... Riiiiiiing...
As the swing hit its the highest point on the forward arc, Shaggy pushed himself off the swing and towards the ground in front. With his years of training, he hit the ground and rolled. Dust kicked up as he tumbled across the dirt ground. Popping up with no effort, he was able to turn around and get a grip on the swing, slowing Daphne down so that she could fumbled for her phone that was ringing in her pocket.
Riiiiiiing...
Once she was close to the ground, Shaggy was able to peer around to see who was calling. Looking up from the cell, her brows knotted together. Calling: Blake Residence. It was Daphne's mom... Looking over at her, he gave her a sympathetic look and shrugged. He had gotten her out here, but he could do nothing to stop her mom from calling. So he would understand if she wanted to take it.
Looking back down to the phone, she flipped it open and hovered her finger on the receiver button. But she paused, looking back at Shaggy who had hung his head. He had tried so hard to give her this swing and get her away from her phones. Sighing, she nodded in reassurance to her discussion. The snap of the cell phone closing, gave Shaggy a start. He looked up to see Daphne shooting him a mischievous look.
"Mom can wait... But you can't. I challenge you to a duel sir! I bet you a weeks worth of Pizza from Pete's Perfect Pizzeria if you beat me in a swing contest. Whoever gets the highest, wins. And the loser has to treat the winn... the whole Gang! To pizza!" To up the ante, she added the whole gang into it. Might as well let them get a treat when she beats the pants off of him!
With his eyes lighting up, Shaggy was on the tire swing in an instant.
"You're on! And Soda's included!" Shaggy added his own term into the bet. What fun was it to have Pizza, without soda to wash it down with?
"You got it... Readyset GO!"
"Hey! Wait!"
They swung far into the night. It was hard to say just who had won that night. But their laughter echoed across the forest, enjoying the competition more than just the prize at the end.
Slowly, Daphne managed to drag herself into the passenger seat of the Mystery Machine. She was so tired, she just oozed into the seat and stayed there as Shaggy had the hard job of driving them both home. As the darkness of the forest parted, they drove right past their old clubhouse. Daphne's eyes grew wide, realizing just how close it had really been to their 'backyard', at least from their old hangout. She weakly laughed at the idea, having been so blind earlier not to see what had been right in front of her nose the whole time. Though Shaggy said nothing, but he still had on that devious smile on his face that had lasted all day.
"Why you... Never mind." Daphne shook her head, turning to then look out her window. She got lost in her own thoughts as they came close to home. As he moved to turn down their drive way, something finally hit her...
"Wait!.. You've never been a Scout! You lied to me! Hey! Get back here Rogers! I'll get you!"