A/N's Notes: Rivy: I think most of this chapter was written by Torpe. Nora, I love you basically for your faults.

Torpe: Rivvy, I'm sure Nora has mutual feelings for both of us. And kids, always tip your waitresses. C:

Disclaimer: If only, if only, the authoresses sighed...

Nora's eyes fluttered open as she heard the muffled echo of a car door shutting. It didn't register at first, but she recognized that engine. She was disoriented, not sure of where she was. Queue in the wallpaper and bad breath from Mac 'n Cheese gone untreated... "Oh, yeah." Nora sat up, at first thinking the engine was that of her mother's car, but, no. She pulled back the curtain to see a unique van, to say the least, pull out of the drive way, then made its way down the street. Nora didn't move long after it was around the corner.

"Where, is he going?" She asked no one in particular. She sighed and made her way down the stairs.

Nora quickly found her way to the kitchen, lead by a delicious smell of french toast. Nora opened the oven door, and used a near-by oven-mitt on the counter to get the cookie sheet with more pieces of bread than she could probably eat, and placed it on the stove. It was then she looked over to the table that she saw a note. She read it aloud,

"Dear Norry,
Like, sorry to leave you, but I thought you'd like to sleep-in on your first day of Summer-"

"So much for that," Nora said as she rolled her eyes. "Only Uncle Shaggy would write what he'd say, word-for-word." She continued to read.

"-Sorry, but I had to fill in at work. So, like, make yourself at home. There's breakfast for you in the oven. Just put any leftovers in the fridge. I'll, like, be home by 5. If you have any questions, just, like, ask Scoo-"

Nora stopped reading instantly. The dog. She, was left home, with the dog. Nora gulped; where was he? Her heart raced as she tried to keep calm. 'Okay, he hasn't come for you yet; maybe he ran away! Just, stay calm, and sneak back up to Uncle Shaggy's room-' If Nora had any dreams of becoming a ninja, she'd probably have to give them up; in an attempt to turn around, she cleanly knocked over a chair.

"Rorra?" A brown head popped in through the doggy-door just across the room from where Nora stood.

"N-no! Stay!" Scooby continued to advance on the girl. Nora searched for the correct command, "Freeze! Halt! ¡No Más! Don't come near me!" When he didn't stop, Nora took off, all but screaming. Okay, she was screaming, but she didn't mean to.

Scooby, convinced she wanted to play a game, took off after Nora. Tag! He was so happy! Finally! She liked him! He chased her around the couch, back through the kitchen, up the stairs, and he ran right into the door of Shaggy's, which was slammed into his face. Scooby hobbled backwards a bit, then shook his head clear.

Huh?

Scooby, always one to say exactly what he thought, voiced his mind. "Ruh?"

Scooby's ear perked when a muffled voice came from behind the door. "L-Leave me alone! Go, sit! Er, I mean, don't sit. Walk away! GO!"

The Great Dane dropped his head, stricken. So much for that.

"Rokay…"

No where to go but downstairs, Scooby headed there, tail between his legs.

Why didn't she like him? What had he done?

On the other side of the door, Nora heard the click click of nails and a tinkling noise move away from the door. Fear turning to surprise that he'd actually listened to her, the young teen opened the door suspiciously and peeked through the crack.

The large dog was all but slumped to the floor, looking for all the world like a kicked…well, puppy. He lumbered down the stairs, head and tail low.

Despite the logical part of her brain (that was still screaming for animal control, by the way) Nora felt a pang of guilt for her Uncle's dog. Maybe she had been a little harsh.

Nora twisted her mouth up one side. Well, just a little.

She shut the door, wondering how her stomach could possibly still be hungry despite its midnight meal.

Scooby-Doo, on the other hand, brightened up quickly when his nose caught the scent of cinnamon. Ohhh….that's right, Shaggy had made cinnamon toast for breakfast!

Sniffing excitedly, the dog began to droll and trotted into the kitchen, pushing himself up to his hind legs and leaning on the counter, staring at the grill, still layered with French toast. His tail took up a fast swing behind him, sharing his eagerness.

"Rum-rum!" He spoke to himself, then opened his mouth and extended his tongue, ready to scarf up every last morsel.

When words Shaggy had said just before he left rang in his ear as clear as day.

"Scoob, I'm like, leaving these for Norry, alrighty? If you ask I bet she'll share, but don't go eating these until she's eaten, like, got it?"

"Rokay Raggy!"

Scooby dropped back onto all fours and stared at the linoleum sadly, mulling over his predicament.

If Nora didn't come down, she couldn't eat. If she didn't eat, he couldn't eat.

The Great Dane heaved a heavy sigh, then stood back up on all fours. He knew what he had to do, he had to be the better man-er dog, in this case. Scooby began rummaging through the cupboards…

Maybe ten minutes after being chased by a manic dog, Nora, who was curled up on her Uncle's bed, heard that clicking sound again head for straight for her door.

Even expecting it, she still jumped when a knock-a knock?- Came from it.

"Rora? Rar you in rare? Rello?"

Steeling herself, she answered back "Yes. What do you want?"

"Ry rought you reakrast!"

What?

"What?"

"Reakreast! Ry rought you rome!"

Did he just say breakfast? He brought her breakfast, of all the- Nora was curious now, she unfolded herself from the bed and tiptoed across the floor, reaching the door and turning the knob slowly.

Whatever she expected, it wasn't this. On a tray similar to the one outside her door last night was a plate heaped with French toast, and a large glass of orange juice. Scooby sat across from it, the food between her and the dog. His tail was wagging slowly, his expression contained glee. It was obvious he wanted nothing more than to lick her face, or eat that entire plate of food, but he was sitting, sitting like a good dog.

Nora opened her mouth, then closed it, and opened it once more. Scooby just wagged his tail and smiled -could dogs smile? Of course, dogs also didn't speak english, either, no matter how broken their speak was. Nora held firmly to the door just in case, though she didn't think Scooby would attack her by this point. But that didn't stop her from feeling uneasy around him, or more importantly, with him around her. She struggled to find her voice when Scooby chirped, "Reak?"

Nora's eyebrow shot up. 'Reak? Did he just insult me?'

Scooby tried again, "Reak? Ralk? Rith rou routh?"

It was then Nora understood; Scooby was trying to tell her speak. "Th-thank, you."

"Rora eats, Rooby-Doo eats roo."

Nora slowly bent down to the food, eyes on Scooby the entire time. Just before she could grab a slice of french toast, it clicked. 'Scooby made me a plate. Scooby had to carry it in his mouth, then to the plate...' Nora's face turned six shades of green, she covered her mouth, and slammed her door in Scooby's face once more.

"Rora?" Scooby jumped up, worry written all over his face.

Nora dry hurked. "I'm-oh God-I'm, not hungry! Eat it! I don't care."

"Really!"

Closing her left hand in a fist to stop her gag reflex and began to recover some of her senses. "Really really, it's all yours, dog, you've already had it in your mouth anyway!"

A pause, Nora could no longer hear his tail thumping either. "Rhut?"

She rolled he eyes skyward. Obviously, for all his talking he didn't have much going on in his attic. She'd have to spell it out for him.

"If you made a plate of food, and you're a dog, ("Rog? Rhere?") Scooby-Doo, then how did you get the food to the plate?" She spoke slowly, as if to a small child.

"Ra roven ritt."

Now it was Nora's turn to pause, "…What?" 'Did-Did he just say what I think he said?'

"Rell…rit ras rot, ro Ri rut on Raggy's roven ritt and-"

Nora pulled open the door in a flurry, forgetting her fear and disgust in the moment. "You have hands?"

The Great Dane stared at her as if she had just told him she could use her hands, too. He slowly held up a paw, and wiggled the extra digit back and forth. He stood to his haunches, (towering over Nora by the way, who was none to happy to learn she was shorter than her Uncle's dog,) bent over and picked up the plate with his paw.

"Ruh-huh." He showed her.

Three seconds before Nora fainted dead away, she managed to say "Oh my god I've been trapped in a house with Lassie."

Ugh...What happened?'.

Nora awoke on her uncle's bed, head pounding. She inhaled deeply and groaned, sitting up and lifting a hand to her forehead. It was wet, slimey...

"Rora!"

Nora flinched when a massive brown blur yipped happily, wetting her face further with doggy-kisses.

"Ew, no, yuck! Off!"

Scooby backed off like the girl ordered, but fanned her with one paw and a small fan he held with his tail. "Rou ro-kay?" He asked. Scooby looked genuinely concerned, but Nora tried to ignore it. She hated dogs; this one would be no different. Nora turned her nose up and looked in the opposite direction.

Nora didn't react quickly enough when she felt the weight on the bed shift and the springs groan. Before she knew it Scooby Doo's head was in her lap, looking positively adorable. Nora breathed in sharply, making a hissing sound, as if she were some unholy monstrosity burned with a cross dipped in blessed water. She tried several tugs with both hands to move his head, but he didn't budge, oblivious.

The ringing phone was what saved Nora at last. Scooby jumped up and trotted downstairs to answer it. Nora ran down the hall, in the opposite direction Scooby had gone, and slammed the door to whatever room she locked herself in. 'Hopefully, Scooby won't-'

Nora's thoughts were interrupted by the sniffing of a big black nose under the door. She held her breath.

"Rora's rin ra rathroom, Raggy," She heard Scooby say. She couldn't hear what Shaggy said back, but the conversation ended shortly after that and a few "Ro-kays," and "Ruh-huhs," and a "Rye-rye, Raggy." Nora listened silently as Scooby padded back downstairs, and kept listening to make sure he wasn't coming back. She sighed when she didn't hear him return.

Nora looked around the room for the first time; it was the bathroom, a plain one, decorated straight from the 60's. Any beads, it would for sure be from 1969, exactly. Nora stared at herself in the mirror; she was still a mess from last night at the barn. The smudge of dirt remained on her brow even. Not to mention she had some serious bed-head issues. She flinched a little, and creased her eyebrows.

'I'm such a mess,' Nora thought as she made a face to the girl in the mirror. She opened the hutch next to sink and found the towels she hoped were there.

"Might as well shower while I'm being held hostage by Underdog."

It took maybe a total of five minutes to figure how the shower worked, and which knob led to cold or hot water. She peeled off her clothes, which looked just as happy to be off her bed-raggled body as she was to have them off, and undid her hair, unbraiding the long strand and let it loose behind her.

The small teen stuck her tongue out at her shapeless figure in the mirror and disappeared behind the flower-power and peace sign covered curtain. For a minute she just stood there, letting warm waves of water envelop her and begin to work out the stiff muscles in her neck and shoulders.

A quick shower turned to a thirty minute one, until the hot water was nearly emptied and Nora's fingers were long, wrinkled prunes.

Nora closed here eyes as the warm water hit her face and ran through her hair. There was always something about shower, or just bathing in general, that calmed her, no matter the situation. She sighed happily, feeling renewal with every drop of water. After just standing under the water for a good five minutes, Nora reached for the shampoo and turned to feel the pressure on her back. She rubbed in the gel in as soothingly as she could, giving herself a scalp massage. She smiled to herself, as she let the world melt away.

After another ten minutes, Nora, reluctantly, turned the dial to shut off the water. She listened to the soft drip-drop of the water falling from her hair onto the floor of the tub. She opened the curtain, stepping out onto the fuzzy mat, and wrapped the purple towel around her bare body, and her hair. She sighed as she stared at the mirror right across from her. Well, this girl she saw looked a lot better than the one she saw before, as far as cleanliness.

Nora looked through the medicine cabinet for mouthwash and small dixie-cups. She'd of course come back with her tooth brush, but needed to do something until then. She gargled and watched herself make faces in the mirror for one minute exactly and spit into the sink.

Nora picked up her closed and tip-toed to the door. She opened it slowly, a very minuscule squeak sounding as it became ajar.

'No Scooby yet.'

Nora, holding her towel to tightly with one hand, clothes in the other, made a dash for her uncle's room to her suitcases. She slammed the door behind her, glad to see no Scooby yet again. She sighed in relief and opened one of her bags and began to dress.

Nora was in the midst of brushing her long, wet hair when she heard a rumble and froze.

'Keep calm, keep calm. Maybe, it's just your stomach?' She tried to kid herself. 'Or maybe the dog found a cat outside?' Nora, dropping her brush, forced herself to walk to the window and pull back a curtain. The morning's blue skies had darkened, and Nora wanted to throw up. 'Oh, oh-no..' A mighty crash sounding and echoed, but was drowned out by Nora's blood-curdling screams.

The large Great Dane crawled in through his doggy-door just as the first few drops of water hit the pavement outside, and his coat was only moderately wet, and he was pleased. He was just in the moment of giving his body a huge rolling shake when a sudden scream nearly shot him out of his skin.

Climbing down from the chandelier above the dining room table, Scooby frowned to himself, then looked horrified. What if there was a banshee in the house!

Another rumbled of thunder, followed by a cry of more terror than Scooby had ever heard in his life….excluding Shaggy or himself, that is.

He walked over to the stairs and stared up them. "Rora?" The only reaction he got was a door slamming, and the T.V. suddenly flickered off along with the couch side lamp.

"Rikes!" Scooby shot for the kitchen, rummaging shakily around for the flashlight Shaggy kept in the house.

"Rora? Rhere areee rou?" He called, ear up for an answer. A streak of lightening brightened up Shaggy's room for an instant, and Scooby peeked in there.

Shaggy's room was empty, but Nora's suitcases were open and clothes everywhere, like some had knocked them aside in a hurry.

The dog frowned, trying to emulate what Fred would do. Maybe…check the other rooms? She couldn't be downstairs, he would have seen her.

Eventually, Scooby-Doo did find Nora. Or at least, a shell of the girl, who was curled up in the closet that was to the left across from Shaggy's room. She was on the floor, hiding behind a long winter coat and sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to her chest. A shock of lightening alerted Scooby to the storm behind him, and the storm reached its climax.

Nora was beyond the point of rational words, she only gave whimpers and indistinguishable babbles when he dropped his head down and sniffed her curiously. What was she so scared of? This was a reaction worse than what he and Shaggy did, because they had the common sense to run away from what ever it was, but Nora was…cowering, quivering, practically in a puddle of fear.

Nora hiccuped, and Scooby noticed she was crying. "Raw…" He looked sad and sympathetic all at once, then sat back on his haunches and watched the girl, trying to figure out what to do.

Already forgetting most of this morning's incidents, Scooby was already willing to lend a hand, er, paw. He reached up a shelf and pulled a fluffy, pink blanket down from a low shelf, draping it over the trembling Nora. He tugged it around her, then nudged her back against him, he was a big dog, she fit into his side so both of them were comfortable, and Scooby curled around her, tail on one side and his head on her other.

"Rit's rokay." He mumbled over and over, reaching up periodically to lick her shoulder or cheek, in what he hoped was gentle and careful.

Nora began to gain some senses over the rushing in her ears, and her frantic breaths began to quell. Finally, she could think clearly enough to figure out where her fear had gotten her this time. As her heart still threatened to beat right out of her chest, she figured out she was A) in a closet and B) curled up against Scooby-Doo, who was curled around her, tail wagging rhythmically.

Adrenaline ebbing away, Nora was left feeling drained, and after a while the noise from the thunder and the shaking house faded back into a brown and black haze, like thundering booming on the other side of a hill. Her head dropped back down on what she decided was Scooby's shoulder, and the door began to shut with the help of Scooby's tail.

Scooby listened to the storm while Nora teetered on the verge of sleep, he had gone alert when her head fell against him, but after deciding it was nothing but fatigue, he relaxed. It was easier to listen in darkness, and he waited patiently, still curled up around his niece, listening to thunder and listening for something else.

Scooby's ears perked, and Nora felt him pull away, Where is he going? She forced her gaze up to see Scooby standing on all fours, one paw on the door. His expression was unreadable, but he suddenly dropped to all fours and took off at a run down the hall and the stairs.

Before she could stop herself, Nora saw her hand out an arm's length reaching for the dog. What am I doing? She thought frantically, surprised by her sudden actions toward Scooby, but any other coherent thoughts were drowned out by another, unexpected boom of thunder.

Her body reacted before her mind and back in the closet she went.

"Scooby-Doo what's wrong with you?" Shaggy exclaimed irritably from the floor. He had just spent a busy Saturday morning and lunch covering a shift for his boss…and this was the thanks he got? Being flattened by his dog tackling him from the landing and ending up half outside half inside? At least he got home earlier than he thought he'd be home. The rain had already gotten him soaked between the van and the door, he wasn't in an overall pleasant mood, less, even.

Scooby seemed too excited for words. He picked himself up, then his best friend, and began tugging insistently on his shirt, pointing at the stairs and tugging. Lightening streaked outside and light up the room and Shaggy wondered if the power had gone out.

"Like, at least let me get a flashli-" Shaggy was cut of as he was yanked away from the kitchen by his collar.

"Ro!"

Wringing out what he could of his shirt, the beatnik let his dog haul him up the stairs and a little ways down the hall to the storage closet.

"Like, what-" This time Shaggy was cut off by a crash of thunder and a scream following it that sounded like it came from the closet.

Shaggy jumped at the scream. 'Like, what-" Shaggy didn't even finish his sentence before Scooby shot off to the closet, instinct telling him to follow. Scooby stopped on a dime, nearly causing Shaggy to tumble right over him. Sobs and whimpers could be heard and a pitiful cough. Shaggy dropped to his knees as he pulled the pink blanket back to see his niece on her side in the feeble position, rocking back and forth. Her eyes were wide and staring straight ahead. Her cheeks saturated with new tears.

"Oh, kiddo! Norry! It'll be alright!" Shaggy scooped up the pathetic creature. His niece was so short, and looked even smaller when all curled up. "Like, good boy, Scooby," Shaggy said quickly and carried Nora downstairs. He sat with her on his lap like a mother would her new-born infant as Scooby rested his chin on Shaggy's knee, not having enough room to cradle Nora. Shaggy held her face against his chest when he knew another crackle of thunder was about to irrupt. It became almost a game after a while, and Nora seemed to be playing along, knowing just when to brace herself. If Shaggy's shirt wasn't damp before, it was soaked now from Nora's tears as she wailed into his shoulder, burying her face.

Shaggy tried rocking back and forth lightly to calm her, tried soothing shushes, and stroking her back, everything he could think of. He was running on plain instinct, as parenting wasn't normal for him, and a little awkward at that.

The clouds in the sky changed from a depressing gray/black, to a lifeless storm seemed to be dying down again as the thunder became a low rumble. Nora's sobs became loud sniffles and hiccups.

Shaggy looked at her sad eyes, "Like, Nora, you okay?"

The lump in Nora's throat hurt was sore. She bit her lower lip hard and shook her head. 'No.'

"Like, will some hot coco with whip cream and cookies make you feel better?" If it didn't at least help Nora, it definitely wouldn't hurt Shaggy's nerves at the moment. Shaggy moved and spoke slowly, worried that the slightest motion or word could set the young girl off into another fit.

She shrugged, not wanted to really give a straight answer.

Shaggy picked the girl up, setting her next to him on the couch and stood. He didn't make it two steps when two arms encircled their way around his waist and refused to let go. "Like, Nora, I can't make you anything with you holding on like that," Shaggy tried to reason, but a small whine began to crescendo, and he began to try and cover up his mistake, "er, I, just, zoinks, Scooby will stay with you, won't you buddy ole' pal?"

Scooby was beside them by time his name was mentioned. Hesitantly, Nora, whom still wore the pink blanket around her shoulders, let go of her uncle, and reached for Scooby's collar. Shaggy walked into the kitchen and Nora wanted to find the place she felt most at ease. A place were her worries washed away. She began to take determined, though small, strides to the stairs. Scooby pulled her in the direction of the couch, but she pulled back harder.

Scooby let her lead him, this time.

Shaggy entered the room, surprised her hadn't heard a peep from either members of his family while gone. "Okay, like I've got oatmeal cookies, chocolate chip, and ore-os?" Shaggy looked around. Nobody was there. "Like, Nora? Scooby-Doo?" He called.

"Rup rere, Raggy!" Scooby called back.

Shaggy followed the voice, balancing a tray of drinks in one hand, and a plate of cookies in the other. He walked up the stairs, and down the dark hallway, lit only by light from windows in the rooms to either side of the hall. Shaggy stepped into the open bathroom. Nora and Scooby were sitting in the empty bathtub. Shaggy gave them a strange look, "Like, what are you two doing in here?" But received no answer. "Well," he began, as he carefully set the plate on the edge of the tub and gave everyone a mug of warm, soothing coco, "If, like, you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Shaggy sat awkwardly, on the end opposite of Nora, with one leg completely out of the tub, no room left.

Nora, for the first time in nearly an hour or two, spoke, well more like mumbled, for only the Great Dane to hear as she snuggled further into the pink blanket once more.

"Good boy, Scooby Doo."

A/n's Note: That sort of reaction isn't uncommon. That's how my little cousin is, the poor thing, and only one her big brothers could calm her down.