A/N: Hello again and welcome to the second part of Songfic Central! This next one will switch between all five viewpoints to tell the whole story. I was a little bit stuck on where to go with it once I was almost to the end, but right around then RussM published his amazing and heartbreaking tale 'Sleep of the Saved' and that made me go 'I've gotta finish it now!' It's so beautiful. Seriously, all of you should go read it. Thank you to everybody who reviewed last songfic! You all made my day! So here ya go, awesome people!
I do not own this song or any part of Scooby Doo.
Song: Paperthin Hymn by Anberlin
Main Focus: Gang Breakup
"What do you mean, the gang broke up?"
Shaggy cringed at the tone of voice his mother used. "Like, just that. We agreed to disagree and went our separate ways."
"Why on earth did you ever let that happen, Norville Rogers? Don't tell me you got into a spat with your friends too!" She sounded so heartbroken. She had helped them pick out their group name when they were still kids, cracking down on pranksters.
He hung his head. "I did. I didn't, like, mean to, it's just…personality clash."
"Fred and Daphne again?"
"Yeah, but this time they dragged me and Scoob and Velma into it too, and it got out of hand, then, like, Fred suggested we disband like civil human beings and we all agreed to agree to disagree on the disagreement."
"So where is everyone going?"
He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know where they're all going, but Scooby and I are going to try to get a job."
"Are you moving out?" His mother seemed sadly expectant of the answer, so when he nodded surprise didn't cross her face. Only sorrow. "Well then, Shaggy, if you ever need a place to stay while you're in town, you know your father and I will always leave the door open for you. Or any of your friends."
Anger at what had happened bubbled under his skin, but he simply nodded again. "I understand. Bye, Mom. I love you."
"Rood-rye, Rissus Rogers," Scooby said, waving.
They turned away and left too soon to see the tear that fell from the eye of a mother who was watching her son's dream die.
Shaggy and Scooby checked into a hotel for the first night, one that allowed dogs. Shaggy was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow; and he dreamed of hands. Gentle, soft hands sliding along his cheek, and a girl's voice whispering. "It's all going to be okay, Shaggy." He wished it were true. He couldn't remember who she was, but he knew she was special to him, somehow, in another life.
One that wasn't a dream.
When your only friends are hotel rooms
Hands are distant lullabies
Velma stared at the floor, not knowing what to do. She hated feeling incompetent. She was supposed to be the smart one, and now that they were gone she didn't even know if she was still alive. Legally, yes, but emotionally…when had anyone ever thought she could feel? Never, as far as she knew. She was just the smart one. Robotic. Emotionless.
No one could see past the glasses.
She wished she could go back. She'd moved into headquarters when the rest of the gang had; and somehow she didn't want to tell her parents about the breakup. Breakup. What an ugly word. It implied more of a romantic relationship than a formal business relationship.
But that wasn't all it was, was it, Velma? she asked herself. You were friends, best friends, and you wished you could be more than that…don't, she thought fiercely. Shut up. It doesn't matter now. You're a moron. Go to sleep.
The hotel bed was harder than she'd anticipated, even from just sitting on it. She thought wistfully of the headquarters where the gang had been so happy, joking that they'd live there until they graduated college.
They hadn't even made it past the university's freshman year.
There was a knock on the door, making her jump. "Room service," a thickly accented voice called.
"I didn't ask for room service," she responded, getting to her feet. Through the peephole she could see the woman was holding a tray. "Try the next room," she advised.
"Oh, sorry, so sorry, did not mean upset guest!"
"You didn't. Just been a long day." Wasn't that an understatement. It had been a horrible day, longer than just 'long.'
She wished they hadn't split up.
If I could turn around,
I would tonight
Fred turned out the light, still boiling. How dare she! How dare she call him an egotistical jerk! She knew perfectly well that as the leader of the gang he was responsible for making the decisions for the group, and that his judgment was perfectly sound! Just because he thought they should look into a tropical area didn't mean he was thinking solely of the…scenery.
Not solely.
He fumed silently, trying to close his eyes. "Daphne Blake," he whispered out loud, just to hear her name sliding off his tongue. He hated her.
No.
He hated that he still loved her.
She was beautiful, femme fatale. Evil. Dripping with poison and so beautiful. He thought of the others, their faces when he'd pulled them into the argument. Why had he done that? He'd insulted them all, and they hadn't done anything. Poor Scooby had looked like he was going to cry, if dogs could cry. Shaggy had crossed his arms protectively, crouching beside his dog, and Velma had just stared at them in shock. Yes, he and Daph had had previous arguments, but nothing so – so explosive, so wild, so out of control, so involving of the whole group. Usually they could get over it, but she'd gone too far this time.
Fred Jones was not a womanizer. Women just liked him better than they liked most men, that was all. If Daphne Blake got a little jealous over the attention he received, what made that his problem? He could live without that girl.
He didn't need Daphne Blake, and he didn't need the rest of the gang.
As his mind drifted into the unconscious world of sleep, an involuntary thought flitted through his mind and did an elegant twirl to make sure he remembered it: We shouldn't have broken up the gang.
These roads never seemed so long
Since your paper heart stopped beating
When Daphne woke up in the morning it was in a strange bed. She jumped up and threw a pillow at the wall before it came back to her that she'd checked into a hotel. Then hatred washed around her, threatening to strangle her with its black tendrils. Frederick Jones…even the name was an ugly lump of betrayal. He was nothing to her.
That was a big, fat lie. He was her whole world. She loved him, she loved the way he said her name, she loved the way his smile was always just a little bit off center. She even loved the stupid piece of paper he had cut into an asymmetrical heart this past Valentine's Day – he'd said as long as it survived he would love her.
Because I really believed you, Freddy. The thought invaded, uninvited and unwanted. She had believed him, she had. But not anymore. Not after what he'd said…and then he'd had to go and drag the others into it! What a complete idiot.
What had she ever seen in him?
She dressed only half-consciously, jamming her feet haphazardly into a pair of heels she thought looked relatively safe to walk down the stairs in. Maybe she could find someone to make him jealous for once. After all, it was his turn to feel rejected, cast off, and used like so much tissue paper.
She left her hotel room to go eat breakfast. She only panicked when she found she couldn't remember any of the rest of the gang's phone numbers.
Then she remembered she didn't need them anymore.
Leaving me suddenly alone
Will daybreak ever come?
Scooby woke up with a start, scrabbling at the floor underneath him. Somehow he'd fallen off the foot of the bed, and the snores of his friend relaxed him. He wasn't alone. And yet, he was, in so many ways. Fred had called him useless, a sniveling coward. "Some Great Dane," he'd scoffed.
He looked out the hotel window, propping his paws on the sill. It was still dark outside, and Scooby thought to himself that maybe it would stay dark, forever and ever, until his friends got back together. Could he even still call them that, friends? Where were they now? Shaggy, he knew, was still in bed, snoring gently right behind him. Velma probably was getting a job at some really smart place – what was the place she always talked about so reverently? National Air and Space Academics or something? He knew the initials – NASA – were right, but wasn't so sure about the words he'd thought of. Daphne would be flying to Paris right now, ready to be interviewed by that one of those companies she liked – Saxophone Lane or something like that. Sax…Saks Fifth Avenue? Could be.
He didn't want to think of where Fred would be.
He turned from the window with a sad exhale. His stomach growled to remind him that, even though the sun wasn't up, it still wanted food. A smile lit on his face as he realized that was one problem he could solve easily, without thinking and without people claiming to be friends:
Scooby Snax.
Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?
Who's gonna drive you home?
Velma kept her eyes closed when she awoke. She stretched her mind's fingers out, reaching for the dream she'd lost, aching when she discovered that was all it was. Dreams hurt too much. They reminded her of everything that had been snatched from her in so short a time.
She sat up suddenly when another thought hit her. She couldn't drive! How was she supposed to get around Coolsville now that Fred and Daphne's spat had removed the van as a source of transportation? Ohh, jinkies. That was what she was worried about? She really did have issues. She shut her eyes again and fell back onto the pillow, wincing at the hardness. Stupid hotel; couldn't even get decent mattresses.
Sundays were going to be hard, too. Shaggy always checked in on Sundays to make sure she didn't need help with anything. Sometimes, she had to admit to herself, she said yes just so he would come over. He was so sweet, always offering to help, carrying boxes of books for her, even just sitting in silence when she needed it. She was going to miss him.
Who was she kidding? She already missed him.
She missed Scooby, too. Scooby had a purely childish innocence, a way of looking at the world and seeing only the good, a way of seeing that she had never been able to call her own even after she got her glasses, a way of interpreting his surroundings that was so…good that it made her feel nostalgic. And when he said something, it was always right, always true, always exactly what they needed to hear. He was truly a blessing on them all, something they didn't deserve.
And Daphne. They had been friends ever since Daphne had told off a bunch of the 'cool' kids for making fun of her. She had been there when Daphne excitedly related her very first kiss - from Fred, of course - she had been there when Daphne cried after her first breakup, she had been there when Daphne just needed to blow off some steam. That's what friends were for, wasn't it?
She didn't know anymore. It scared her, not knowing something.
What about Fred? She thought. He was such a generally good guy that there wasn't much to say. Even after the five of them had become friends he still somehow managed to hold on to his popularity – and his position as football team captain, a rarity for someone who was friends with a group of misfits.
That's what they were, she thought. Misfits. Daphne, the girl who should have been popular but gave it up for real friends. Shaggy, the boy who was scared of his own shadow and yet brave enough to come up with witty comebacks when teased. Scooby, the Great Dane with opposable thumbs and the ability to speak intelligible English. And herself, the girl in the back of the room with all the answers and her nose permanently stuck in a book.
What had that dream been again? Something about the gang, together again, doing what they loved and no more clash of the strongest personalities. Something beautiful.
Something she couldn't have anymore.
I just want one more chance
To put my arms in fragile hands
Shaggy didn't want to wake up. He wanted to stay there, with the girl he couldn't remember, in the world with no problems. It was such a wonderful place. Nobody argued, nobody called his dog stupid, nobody hurt.
And she was there too.
She didn't shy away when he tried to talk to her, she didn't barricade herself behind a wall of long and confusing words, she didn't pretend not to understand what he really meant when he asked if she needed help, and she didn't say to bring Scooby too. She…liked him there. He wished he'd had the chance to tell her for real. He would tell her now, now that he knew what it was like to know he'd never see her again. Now he would run and spin her around, and he would tell her.
He wondered if her hands really were so gentle. In his dream she'd grabbed him by the arms, holding him back when the monster ran by. It wasn't rough though; he wasn't sure she could be. He knew most people they met thought she was thorny and incapable of emotion, but he knew better. He'd seen the way her eyes lit up at the mention of something scientific only she could do. He'd seen the surprise register on her face when something didn't turn out the way she thought. He'd heard her console Daphne after a date gone wrong. He knew she wasn't really so prickly. It was just an act, because she didn't know how else to fend off the attacks of people who just wanted to use her for answers. He knew, because before he'd gotten to know her he'd been one of those people.
He rolled over, dragging the pillow across his face in an effort to wake himself up. A sad attempt, but an attempt nonetheless. "Like, Scoob, I need help waking up," he mumbled. There was no answer. "Scoob?" He sat up with wide eyes, terrified. Scooby couldn't leave him too!
A shadow fell over the floor as Scooby trotted in from the bathroom, mouth full. "Res, Raggy?"
Relief swept his heart into a normal rhythm again. "Never mind. I just didn't know where you were."
"Ri ras rying rot to rake you rup," Scooby said apologetically. He held out the box of Scooby Snax. "Rant rome?"
He thought about it. Scooby Snax were always comfort food. This situation definitely called for comfort. "Sure." He reached out and took some of the snack food for himself. Maybe it really would make him feel better.
I thought you said forever
Over and over
Daphne ate without tasting, half a bagel and a glass of orange juice. She threw the paper plate and cup away before click-clicking out the door of the hotel. She needed to think. She could do that while she walked. For some reason motion cleared her head, making room for what she wanted to think about instead of what chose to dance across her mind unbidden. That didn't make sense to the rest of the gang – Shaggy and Scooby's best thoughts were thought while eating, of course; Velma had to be sitting down with a book in front of her. Fred was the closest to understanding – he paced. He was so cute when he paced. His face would screw up in deep concentration, and sometimes a little piece of blonde hair would fall into his face in just the right way.
She walked faster. This next issue required a lot of thought. Should she leave Ohio? Her fashion sense was good enough to be called brilliant, so she was fairly sure she could get a job at a fashion line if she wanted one. Ralph Lauren, maybe. Or something better? Armani, Coach, even the all-wonderful Saks Smith Avenue…she could be anyone, do anything, go anywhere. Without the gang, she was free now! This was what she'd always wanted, wasn't it? To go into fashion, start a career of her own?
Wrong.
What she wanted was a group of friends who would never leave her. What she wanted was to solve mysteries with them. What she wanted was a life with one of them in particular. What she wanted was to prove that the only bad guys were men in masks.
Except, she thought, sometimes the bad guy is actually really cute. And pretends to be your friend.
She turned a corner and saw the airport. Her heart skipped a beat. She really could leave. She had enough money, that much was certain. She had enough talent. She could leave…
…and yet, she couldn't. She would never be able to leave until she knew that he would come with her, wherever she went.
A sleepless night becomes
Bitter oblivion
Fred stared at the sun as it stretched its way into the sky. There were tell-tale dark circles under his eyes, belying the fact that he hadn't gotten any sleep after those first few blissful minutes. He had woken up, the thought of her in his mind, and not been able to go back to sleep again. Her red hair was like a beacon, calling him, coaxing him back into the idea of the gang. He wasn't going to go back now, though. Never would he return to those people whom he had hurt. He couldn't.
He didn't know how.
He turned away from the window and closed his eyes. Her laughter filled his ears, making him cringe with regret. He was such a horrible person. How could he have done that to her? To all of them, he reminded himself. None of them deserved this. They all loved the gang just as much as he did, maybe more. How could he know?
He couldn't, he found, and he silently berated himself as he dressed to go eat breakfast. Everything was his fault. He was their leader. He should have stopped the breakup.
He should have done better.
These thoughts run through my head
Over and over
Scooby watched his friend eat the snacks that always fixed every problem, tail wagging gently. He thought of the friends he'd lost. His mind wouldn't leave them.
People always told him he had a one-track mind as they laughed and scratched his head, but usually they were referring to food-thoughts, not friend-thoughts. Maybe they were right, and he really did have a one-track mind. Probably. People were always right. That's why when Fred told him he wasn't worth the trouble it took to get him to help, he'd believed him. But Shaggy told him Fred was wrong.
This statement upset one of his deepest beliefs.
Fred wasn't wrong. Well, except in other languages, but about the gang? Never. Fred wasn't right all the time, like Velma was, but he wasn't wrong when it came to the gang. Fred was the leader. He was right about them, always and forever.
That was the way it was, and that was the way it was supposed to be.
"Like, Scoob?"
He looked up. "Res, Raggy?"
"Do you think we'll ever see the gang again?" He looked so sad, and sounded even sadder. What was the word for that?
"Ri rope so."
"Me too, buddy. Me too." Wistful. That was it.
Complaints of violins
Become my only friends
Someone walked by the bench Daphne was occupying. "Noisy band practice, isn't it?" they commented.
She shrugged half-heartedly. "Sounds okay to me."
"Well, I think it's much too loud. And so terribly off-key! Just listen to that cello. It's despicable."
Rolling her eyes to herself, she said, "I think that's a violin, not a cello. Cellos tend to be deeper." She remembered this from the high school band. Freddy had been annoyed that she called his cello a violin and corrected her.
"Really?" The woman sounded surprised. "Where did you learn that? I always thought that was the other way around."
"My friend – " She bit her lip and chewed for a while. "I used to know someone who played the cello," she finally told the woman.
"Ahh, okay. Thank you for that little tidbit. You learn something new every day, I guess!" Then she was gone.
Why did she say her friend? Fred wasn't a friend, not anymore. He'd made that clear enough. Then he'd ruined the other three friendships she had enjoyed for so long.
So much for having friends.
August evenings
Bring solemn warnings to remember
To kiss the ones you love good night
Fred had forgotten.
He'd forgotten to kiss her on their last date. She hadn't seemed bothered by it, but now it plagued his mind ferociously. "Good night, Daphne," he'd said, and then left. He'd been halfway home before he smacked his forehead on the steering wheel of the van and groaned to himself. He was such a horrible person.
They hadn't gone out since fall. It was summer now, almost a year since they'd decided to take it easy after being caught making out during a mystery by their employer. That was embarrassing.
He pushed his plate of eggs away, suddenly not hungry anymore. He wished the gang could get back together again, and soon, because if they didn't her memory would eat him alive from the inside out. He would never be able to make up that forgotten kiss.
Wouldn't that be wonderful? he thought to himself. Consumed by the one you love. It reminded him of one of those spiders…the kind that mated and then was eaten by the female. Destructive love. He wasn't sure the gang would get a second chance at friendship, not after what he'd said. He wanted to apologize. But to who first? Even as he thought it, he knew who.
To her.
You never know what temporal days may bring
So laugh, love, live free and sing
When life is in discord,
"Praise ye the Lord"
Shaggy liked the weather today. Or at least, he would, if it were a normal day. It was nice out, sunny, just like yesterday. Yesterday – the day that had torn his life apart. Stupid weather. Who ever heard of weather as an omen of the kind of day? Rain could come on the best day of his life and sun would manage to creep in and steal the worst.
What an ironic way to live.
Scooby nudged his hand. "Ran re ro routside? Ri rant to ro for a run."
"Legs itchy, buddy?" He scratched Scooby's head and tried to smile. "Sure. Let's go, like, take a walk. Maybe we can stop by the store and see if they've got the new flavor of Scooby Snax." He sure hoped so. They were keeping him sane, those magical little treats. They were so good. He wondered why the rest of the gang hadn't ever tried any.
Ouch. He tried to avoid that thought when he remembered what Fred said. "You eat dog treats, as if you don't even know you're human!" he had sneered at him. Shaggy hadn't known how to respond to that. He knew he was human. Why not eat it if it was good and not harmful to your health?
"Rome on!" Scooby dragged him out the door and down the hotel stairs. "Ri'm rot retting rany rounger!" He had to laugh at that. Scooby always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better. "Rhat are rou raiting ror, rinvitation?"
An invitation. "No, sorry, Scoob. Like, slow down, will you?" Scooby obeyed and slowed to a steady trot. An invitation. That's what he'd wanted, every Sunday, but never gotten it. Just an invitation. Not really anything big, just maybe if she'd called first and asked him to come over. But that would have broken their routine, so he had dismissed the secret want as stupid. She didn't think he was stupid though, did she? He hoped not. An invitation.
Who's gonna call on Sunday morning?
Who's gonna drive you home?
I just want one more chance
To put my arms in fragile hands
I thought you said forever
Over and over
They had all said – no, promised – 'forever'. Velma could remember Fred writing up a pact back in fifth grade promising they'd be friends forever. Daphne, of course, had signed it first with her pretty, swirling handwriting. Velma couldn't help but notice how plain her own printing looked next to that girly script – not quite cursive, but more formal than simply printing. Shaggy and Scooby's writing bordered on scribbling; but that was okay. She could read anything he wrote. It was part of being friends. Part of –
Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up. She held her head in her hands, closing her eyes. She was getting hungry, but she didn't want to go down the stairs and eat just yet. Food was a constant reminder. Ever since Scooby and Shaggy had made that chart that showed what food items the members of gang were most like and hung it on the wall she hadn't been able to eat chocolate chip cookies without feeling guilty, as if she really was eating herself. That was the strangest feeling she'd admit to having.
Crunchy on the outer edges to deter the unworthy but softer in the middle to those who would go beyond first impressions. No, that really was their wording. She'd memorized it. What were the others again? Oh, yes.
Fred was a hot dog. Sporty, fun, and great with anything, they'd said. Especially zesty mayonnaise. She wasn't sure if the mayonnaise was part of the metaphor or if they just really liked zesty mayonnaise on hot dogs, and frankly she really wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.
Daphne was angel food cake. Light, fluffy, sweet and soft all the time, sometimes with surprises (for that part they'd added chocolate icing and sprinkles to the carefully drawn picture to the side).
And for themselves? She swallowed the lump in her throat. They hadn't even done themselves. They said that it wasn't their job to go painting themselves as specifically this or that. And they were right. Shaggy and Scooby were just too, too different to fall under any stereotype. They could get away without being labeled because they refused to match up with labels.
They were practically geniuses. In disguise.
And now she really was hungry. With a sigh she got up and pulled on some shoes to go downstairs. Might as well.
A sleepless night becomes
Bitter oblivion
These thoughts run through my head
Over and over
Complaints of violins
Become my only friends
Fred couldn't take it anymore. He threw away the eggs he'd only half been able to eat and left the hotel without a word to anyone, without even glancing at the giggling girls watching him. Daphne wasn't there to cross her arms and huffily say something about them probably having an inside joke or something. It wasn't worth taking notice of if she wasn't there. Nothing was worth it. So he'd been a little self-indulgent. She needed to learn to deal with some things, he told himself.
But it still made him feel guilty. Even though he was telling himself it was okay to get a little variety in his life, he still felt guilty. Why? Why did she do that to him? He sat down hard on a bench, steaming mad at himself. He couldn't live with her and he couldn't live without her. If this was love it sure sucked. The more he thought about it, the more he missed all of them. Why had they left? He remembered telling them they were going to investigate a tropical area next and then Daphne exploding at him. Somehow the other three had gotten involved too; he wasn't quite sure how as the whole thing was a little fuzzy. The next thing he knew they were agreeing it would be best to split up permanently.
There. He was satisfied. It wasn't his fau-
Arrgh. Fred couldn't even finish the thought. He dropped his head into his hands. It is my fault, he thought. I could have stopped the breakup and they would have all stayed. She would have stayed, with me.
With me.
He closed his eyes and leaned back on the hard wooden bench. He had decided. As soon as he could find them all, he would apologize. Because it was his fault. And now he knew it.
Friends!
Scooby wagged his tail ferociously as he bounded along the path in the park. "Rurry Raggy rit's a ruirrel rit's retting aray rurry rurry rome on Raggy rurry!" He glanced over his shoulder at the lanky human half-stumbling to keep up.
"I'm coming, buddy! Where's the squirrel? Where'd he go? Like, I can only go so fast when there's nothing to run from!"
"Retend!" Who needed real motivation when there was a squirrel on the loose?
Suddenly Scooby halted, causing Shaggy to collide with him and tumble headfirst onto the ground. "Like, ow," he complained. "Scoob, give me warning when the squirrel stops next time, okay?"
"Rorry." The tone of his voice said otherwise as Scooby sniffed around the tree. Where had it gone? Even he knew squirrels couldn't just disappear. He caught a whiff of acorns and fur and looked up. The squirrel chattered down at him from a branch above, then darted around the other side of the large tree. "Ri've rot him!" Scooby dove around the other side, yanking on his leash so Shaggy would keep up with him. Nothing stops a dog on a mission, and he certainly was. This squirrel was going to be caught if it took him all day! He jumped up to put his front paws on the trunk of the tree, stretching as high as he could and craning his neck. "Rou rill remember rhis day ras rhe ray rou rere raught ry Scooby-Dooby-Doo!" He ended his name in a happy howl. The squirrel chattered back at him.
Shaggy stood to brush himself off. "And Shaggy too!" he cried, mimicking his friend's howl. "Like, squirrels don't stand a chance against us, do they?"
Scooby high-fived him. "Ro ray! Rake rhat, ruirrels!" His ears pricked up at a familiar tread on the path. "Raggy! Rit's Raphne!"
Shaggy clamped Scooby's mouth shut. "Shhhh," he hissed. "She doesn't want to be friends with us anymore, remember?" He looked so sad. Why was he sad?
Scooby worked around his friend's hands to say, "Rut Raggy, it's Raphne. Ran we ray ri?"
He shook his head. "Let's hide here. That's all we're good at anyway…"
I thought you said forever
Over and over
This sleepless night becomes
Bitter oblivion
Daphne thought she heard Scooby's familiar triumphant howl. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. "He's gone," she whispered to herself, "forever." Thank you for driving away my best friends, Freddy, she wanted to add out loud.
The words died on her lips when she saw a blond man sitting on a bench ahead of her. It would only take a moment to spin on her heel and walk away from the person who had destroyed what little she knew of forever. She hesitated like that, one foot poised to spin, the other hovering in the air to continue walking, for what could have been ten minutes in her mind but in reality only lasted a few seconds.
In the end she kept walking. Daphne Blake never turned around, not after freshly labeling someone as an ex-boyfriend and certainly not to cower from Fred Jones. She had almost passed him when his hand shot out. "Daph."
It was only a whisper, she told her wildly beating heart. You're just imagining things. "Let go of me," she said stiffly.
"Daphne." He stood up. "I need to talk to you."
"You've already told me what you think of me, but thank you anyway. I'm sure one of your tropical girlfriends would love to listen to whatever silky lies are going to drop out of your mouth next."
"No, Daphne, I need to talk to you," Fred pleaded, "you and the rest of the gang."
She snatched her hand away and stared at him, daring him with her eyes to speak. "What gang?" she asked through gritted teeth. "There is no gang anymore. Didn't you make that perfectly clear when you told them all off and said 'Let's split up, gang' for the last time?" He didn't say anything. "Didn't you?" she demanded, grabbing him by his precious ascot and pulling him down to eye level. "Tell me you did!"
"I did," he said softly, "and I'm sorry."
"No you aren't! If you were sorry none of this would have happened! If you were sorry everyone would still be back at headquarters joking around and looking for a new case! If you were sor- " She was cut off by his kiss.
"Daphne," said Fred, "I am sorry. I am sorry. I'm sorry for throwing out of my life the one person who made everything worthwhile. I'm sorry for breaking up a friendship. I'm sorry for hurting all of you guys. Please don't make me say that again because it's hard enough as it is, alright?"
These thoughts run through my head
Over and over
Complaints of violins
Become my only friends
Something out the window caught her eye. Velma slowly stood, keeping her eyes focused on the window as she swept a few stray crumbs into the trash can. What was going on? With a grim smile to herself she thought, Curiosity killed the cat. Good thing I'm already dead.
It didn't take long to cross the street to the little park where the two people in question were talking. She crouched behind a bush to watch.
"…sorry for hurting all of you guys. Please don't make me say that again because it's hard enough as it is, alright?"
Fred was apologizing? Fred. Apologizing. Of course. Daphne could get him to say anything. Velma scowled and started to get up when Daphne spoke.
"Why, Freddy?" She sounded close to tears. "Why? You always flirt with every girl over sixteen we meet and it's like I don't exist! You're not sorry. I won't believe you."
Velma didn't blame her.
"Daph, I said I was sorry, okay? I need to find the others and apologize to them too."
Well, she wasn't going to take it if that was how he apologized.
Daphne grabbed his arm, staring him down. Finally he sighed. "I only flirt with other girls because I like to know you care, okay?"
"That's a stupid answer!"
"I'm a stupid guy!" Fred stopped a second. "Wait, did I just…oh, never mind. You're cute when you're jealous."
This wasn't helping the pinprick of ache inside. She waited until they both had their backs turned to stand and start creeping away when she spotted a familiar tail. Now what was Scooby doing behind a tree? She took the chance to sneak over. "Scooby," she whispered.
Scooby leapt a foot into the air, then spun around. "Relma!" he cried in a hushed voice. "Relma, rook, rit's Red and Raphne!"
"I know." She looked up over Scooby's head and tried to smile. "Hi, Shaggy."
"H-hi," he said awkwardly. "Um, like, how are you?"
"I'm fine…" This really wasn't how she'd envisioned meeting back up with them. "Do you think he means it?" she asked suddenly.
"What?"
"Fred. Do you think he's really sorry?"
"Ri do," Scooby said loyally. She couldn't help smiling. If everyone could forgive as easily as Scooby, war would be a thing of fairytales.
I thought you said forever
Over and over
These thoughts run through my head!
This really was not at all how Shaggy had thought they'd see each other again. Firstly he hadn't expected it to be so soon. Secondly?
The tree wasn't nearly big enough to hide all three of them short of climbing it. "Guys?" Daphne's voice made them duck simultaneously. He heard her laugh and looked sheepishly over at Velma, who looked a little embarrassed herself. Scooby popped up and flew over to Fred and Daphne.
"Red! Raphne! Ri! Ri! Rou rame rack!" He was already eagerly licking their faces intensely, tail shaking so hard he looked as if someone had turned him on vibrate mode. "…rand Ri rhased a ruirrel rup a ree rand rhen re reard rou rand rid rehind rhe ree…"
"Like, they can figure it out for themselves," Shaggy interrupted Scooby hurriedly, getting up and pulling his dog away by the collar. "Sorry for bothering you two." His voice was pointedly polite and he didn't dare meet their eyes. "C'mon, Scoob. They're, like, busy making up."
"Raking up? Rhen rhy are re reaving rif rhey're raking up?"
"Because we weren't invited." Velma had finally come out. She gave Scooby half a smile. "Or did you just conveniently forget the rest of us existed?" she turned to Fred.
Now why couldn't he think of something like that to say?
"I was going to come find you all," Fred started, but Daphne stepped on his foot.
"I think he's sincere. Although Freddy, how do we know?" The redhead crossed her arms.
"Because I've lost the keys to the Mystery Machine on my way looking for you guys, any of you," Fred responded. He seemed to realize what he'd just said. "Oh crud, I've lost the keys to the Mystery Machine!" His hands flew to his pockets.
Daphne burst into giggles. "That was a test, silly." She tossed him the keys.
This was new. Fred didn't notice the keys were missing? The keys. To his precious van. Might as well have been the keys to his heart. Shaggy was starting to believe him. Maybe he really was sorry…maybe he… Maybe. But maybe not.
"Ri rerieve rou, Reddy," Scooby said loyally, licking with vigor.
Fred laughed. "Thanks, pal." He pushed Scooby gently down and looked at the other two. "Forgive me?"
Silence.
Daphne seemed to be wanting to say something. Finally she blurted, "Look, I'm sorry too. I know if I hadn't gotten all worked up over Freddy none of this would have happened. So I guess it's my fault really." She hung her head.
At this Velma reached forward to touch Daphne's shoulder. "It's okay," she said quietly. Eyes flicking from Daphne to Fred, she said, "I'll believe you."
Now only Shaggy was left. What could he say? Scooby was okay with it. She was okay with it. He smiled. "Like, me too."
So maybe he couldn't really do all he'd imagined. But having the gang all back together was good enough for him. He reached over and took Velma's hand. She looked up in surprise, then gave him a small smile.
As the five newly rejoined members of Mystery Inc. walked back to headquarters together, he reflected that maybe sunshine could come on good days after all.