Aw, thanks guys. Just in case any of you were wondering, I didn't die so don't worry. I'm really sorry it took so long to update. It's a long chapter, and there was another delay, but that's a long story. I tried to cut this chapter a bit shorter than planned so I could have it up for you sooner. I don't own Scooby Doo, never had, and never will. Don't forget, any suggestions, comments, or ideas are welcome. Here:

Darian pulled my chair out for me and, to my horror, the thought that it was usually Freddie who did that didn't cross my mind for hours. Fred sat on my left, Darian my right, and Velma opposite me between Shaggy and Scoob. How Darian had convinced a five star restaurant into letting Scooby in over the phone was beyond me. But I was definitely grateful, even if the boys did eat everything in the building. Darian helped me translate the menu to the others as our waiter, who looked suspiciously like the man who served us at the café Scooby and Shag left crumbless, took our drink orders.

Once that was done, I asked Velma about her day.

Oh, he started out innocently enough, paying attention to the girls' conversation about the Seine, only occasionally, politely slipping in a comment. But, as soon as Velma finished, Duval made some clever joke and Daphne laughed as I my clenched fist almost bent the fork in my hand. Sure enough, now that he had Daph's attention, he was not going to let go. He asked her about her day and Velma slowly fell out of the conversation and it was just them, and I couldn't find a single way to enter their exchange without being rude. She laughed at some hiLARious story about Darian's younger brother. Each laugh that came from Daphne was like a dagger being twisted further and further into my heart.

I had to sit through that misery all of lunch while Daph was having such a great time, completely under Duval's stupid, French spell, that she didn't even notice Scoob and Shag eating mousse with escargot. Their were very few things they guys were putting in their mouths that they could identify. But this is Shaggy and Scooby we're talking about, they didn't care and undoubtedly never would as long as it was edible.

***

"Escusez moi, Un moment," Darian apologized with a worried frown as he answered his vibrating cell phone.

"Is everything all right, Darian?" I asked as the others walked out of the restaurant's front doors.

"It's my brother, Lucien. He's been running around Paris again," Duval said with an exasperated sigh. "Fortunately, Pierre caught him at Notre Dame."

"We'll come with you to pick him up," Daph offered.

"We will?" I asked only to receive her elbow in my gut and her vivid, burning blue glare.

"Daphne? May I speak to you for a minute?" Duval asked as she continued to give me a look through the brilliant orange hair falling across her right eye. She unfolded her arms, turning to him. "In private?" he added, his eyes definitely glancing at me for at least a second.

"Of course," she said, brow furrowing adorably in puzzlement, still incredulous.

"Do we have to go?" I muttered bitterly, crossing my arms when Daphne was out of ear shot.

"Freddie…" she scolded disapprovingly, also sending me a look and elbowing me, though a bit gentler than Daph.

It is just NOT my day…

They were still in sight, but out of earshot, Duval's back turned to us. I tapped my foot impatiently, arms crossed, hoping that Daphne might look over her precious Darian's shoulder; I had a bad feeling about this.

"Might I be honored with the pleasure of dining with you tonight, Daphne?" Darian asked, rich, deep, chocolate eyes glowing warmly. "And, should it not work out well, I assure you that it won't harm our friendship," he said, knowing I'd be worried about that and taking my hand to assure me more, and to slide a flower into my palm.

Darian was sweet, polite, charming, clever, funny, romantic, kind, courteous, gracious, handsome, noble, giving… perfect. I loved spending time with and he was a true gentleman. He always knew what to say, or what not to say, to anyone and everyone, but Freddie…

I saw Daph's eyes widen ever so slightly, the confused lines on her face smoothing, surprised. That bad feeling in the pit of my stomach? Yeah, well, seeing that expression… my stomach dropped completely. I stopped tapping my foot, looking at her, face still, trying to hide my desperate pleading and the pain that overflowed me when I guessed what Duval was saying. Daphne Blake glanced at me, hesitating, and I uncrossed my arms, panic flooding me.

I glanced at the blonde as he looked at me, face inscrutable, an emotion I'd never seen in his eyes before and couldn't identify. Who knows, maybe it'll make Jones jealous… I scolded myself for the thought and turned back to Darian. His bright eyes made the hairs on my arms stand on end as my heart leapt into my throat and melted. I smiled brightly, stroking a petal of the flower he gave me. And if it doesn't work out, even Darian said we can still just be friends…

I turned back to Darian, smiling brightly as his eyes warmed my heart again.

"Yes. I'd love to, Darian."

She turned back to Darian as I took a step towards them, Velma's hand on my arm keeping me from taking another. Daph smiled that breathtaking, mind numbing, heart stopping and melting and jumping smile of hers, nodding, her full, smooth, glossy lips forming the word "yes." My world was spinning and I needed to lean on Shaggy and Scoob for support.

No, no… Daph…

I managed to straighten, still feeling like I was about to be sick, as Duval turned and the two walked back to us. Hoping my assumption wasn't right, I kept my eyes on Daphne. Her eyes were sparkling like two bottomless pools glittering in the sun, a smile pulling at her perfect lips.

My heart sank and I grabbed Daph by the wrist as I stormed towards the mystery machine.

She waved to Duval as she hurried her pace to keep me from dragging her towards the van, saying something about meeting him at Notre Dame. She scowled, glowering, once we reached the van, jerking her hand away from me so she could plant both on her hips.

"Fred Jones what was that for?! How…?!"

"I'm not in the mood, Daph," I said without glancing at her, sliding behind the driver's wheel.

"Uhhhhh! Fred Jones!" she cried, crossing her arms and sitting in Velma's usual spot.

The brunette glanced at her, me, and then back to her. She quickly got in the back with Shaggy and Scoob.

"I don't want to get in the middle," was all she said.

"Fine," Daphne snapped, arms still folded, glaring dead ahead, her fiery, irreversible temper still ticked with me.

I ignored her as she ignored me, my fury making me grip the steering wheel so tightly my veins bulged again. But I didn't let if affect my driving, I was used to driving angry with fiery, temperamental, obstinate, oversensitive, and passionate Daphne as my best friend.

Just when I thought I was going to explode, infuriated that he was ignoring me when I was ignoring him for the first time since we were teens, he spoke. If you could call his harsh, rough, inflectionless, cold tone speaking.

"When's your date?" he almost growled, fingers clenched even tighter, face expressionless, and hard and unchangeable as stone.

I blinked, surprised. How had he known…?

"That's really none of your business," I informed him.

"None of my business?" he asked, turning away from the road, loud but not yelling; I hadn't heard him talk like that in who knew how long.

"Freddie, look out!" Velma and I cried as I spun the wheel, the mystery machine swerving away.

He regained control, face as stone as his thick muscles again.

"Tonight," I answered softly but confidently after a few long moments of silence as he drove.

I saw him grimace in my peripheral vision.

"What?" she demanded. "Don't tell me you think Darian's 'wrong for me'," she said, rolling her eyes, lip pouting as she frowned at me.

I kept my eyes on the road, refusing to admit what I was thinking. No. that wasn't it at all. Quite the opposite. If Duval was as he seemed, IF, then even I could picture Daphne with him.

Stop it, Fred. They haven't even had their first date…

I was used to the inflamed jealousy I felt when Daphne dated other guys and when guys flirted with her. And, over the years, I had gotten a lot better at hiding it from everyone. But there was something about Darian Duval that made me even more furious and enraged and envious. Maybe because I could picture Daph falling for him, because he was so charming and perfect and wealthy and everything I wasn't and could never be…

"We're here," he said, refusing to reply.

I glared at him and slammed the door open, quickly getting out, but not as swiftly as Fred.

Stupid quarterback…

He stood there as Velma, Shag, and Scooby got out of the van. The way he stood was strong, unshakable, confident, bold, and yet humble as always. We headed towards Notre Dame.

Darian was walking towards the building and waited when he saw us. Freddie scowled and I smiled at the Parisian. We all looked up in surprise when we heard someone yelling in French.

"Un vampire! Un vampire!" a boy who couldn't be more than eleven cried, rushing out of the huge doors.

"Lucien, what do you think you're…?" Darian started, frowning at his younger brother.

The fair-skinned boy, his black hair smoothed back, ran into him and, realizing who he had bumped into, threw his arms around him and held on tightly. Darian blinked, startled, as Lucien spoke so rapidly I almost couldn't understand him.

"J'ai vu un vampire! Il y a un vampire dans la notre dame!"

And then he was speaking so rapidly that I could make out a word.

"Lucien! Lucien! Respirer, mon frere. Je ne peux pas comprende un mot de vos propos," Darian said, resting his hands on the boy's shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"Mais il ya un vampire…"

"What iz all zis vampire nonsense?" Pierre Gautier asked with a skeptical and disapproving frown as he walked out of the cathedral.

"Like, uh oh," Shaggy said as he and Scoob gulped. "I was afraid he said vampire."

"It iz not nonsense!" Lucien cried indignantly in his thick accent, speaking in English because Pierre and Darian were. "I saw him! He 'ad glowing red eyez and a face whiter than a sheet and 'air black as night! And zose FANGS…!"

"Like, yup," Shag whimpered. "Sounds like a vampire all right…."

Not AGAIN! Ugh. Please don't be a real vampire. Well, a real person dressed up like a vampire…

"Where exactly was this vampire?" Velma asked.

"In ze north tower," Lucien said, pointing.

Darian sighed, rolling his eyes.

"All right, let's go see this mysterious vampire. Then we're going to have a long talk, young man," Duval said, sending Lucien a look as he followed him into the cathedral.

"These are Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby."

***

"See, Lucien? Nothing," Duval said, gesturing to the empty staircase.

"I saw 'im! 'E's probably at ze top! Maybe 'e's hiding near ze bells!" he suggested, racing up the stairs, suddenly quite fearless.

"Lucien!" Duval called after him.

"Don't worry, I'll go with him," Daphne offered with a sparkly-eyed smile, following Lucien up the stairs. "Wait for me, Lucien!"

"Where'd Gautier go?" I asked.

As if in answer, someone yelled a loud "Sacre bleu!"

We rushed back down the hall to find Pierre staring, jaw dropped, at a painting, the one with the vampire on Notre Dame.

He started speaking rapidly in French, probably swearing too, and then spun on Scooby when he came near.

"You! You did zis! Zis painting is PRICEless you filthy…!" Pierre started, reaching out to a cowering Scoob as if he was about to strangle him.

Ignoring the stunned shock of seeing the impassive, emotionless, proper Gautier losing his temper so severely, I turned to the painting. It was covered in scratches, like someone had clawed it to ribbons.

"Like, Scoob didn't do it!" Shaggy protested.

"Rike, ra! Ri ridn't ro it!"

Velma took a closer look.

"It hasn't been clawed. They're… teeth marks. But not canine," she quickly covered. "See?" she said, running her finger along a scratch. "Two long, pointed teeth would have done this. And in this corner…" She held it up. A crescent cut out was there. A crescent that looked like a human's bite. "But you obviously can't see the fangs because the other teeth ripped all of the canvas off and the fangs couldn't be imprinted if there's nothing to imprint in."

"Mizz Dinkley, are you actually suggesting that a, a vampire did zis?"

"No. Anyone can wear fake fangs. But whoever did this wants you to think they're a vampire."

"Zis iz ridiculous! Why would anyone want…?"

Then there was another scream, much more frantic and terrified than Pierre's had been.

***

"Lucien, I'm telling you. There's no…" I started, walking up the last steps as Lucien looked under a bell.

I cut myself when I saw it though. In the shadows, behind the bell, two lights crimson as blood, the size of eyes, suddenly appeared. A foot in a black boot stepped out, as did a tall, strong man. His cruelly and terribly handsome face was white as snow, lips nearly as red as his glowing eyes. His hair was pure black, and the light striking it, if possible, made it shine black as well instead of blue. His eyes stopped glowing as he came into the light, irises black as his hair. His red lips opened, flashing fangs even whiter than his face.

"Um, Lucien, come here…" I said, trying to keep the panic that was building out of my voice. The boy didn't come out from under the bell, but the man in the black cloak took another step forward. "Lucien!" I screamed, running under the bell and grabbing him by the arm.

I'm taking a vote. Do you want the vampire to be real or a guy in a costume? If you care about that at all, vote, because the winner's decision will be mine as well. Sorry again for taking so long to update.