Prologue

Daphne wasn't crying which was a miracle in and of itself. Everything that she had heard about the hormonal roller coaster of pregnancy did not hold a candle to the reality. The previous day, she had boo-hooed when she found no Wheat Thins in the pantry. But earlier today, she had sat down and calmly discussed the trial separation with Fred and they had agreed that they couldn't afford for her to stay in the house while he rented an apartment. Fred moving in with his father wasn't an option since his father had turned Fred's old bedroom into a shop to operate his plumbing business out of his home and stop paying rent for a separate shop. The logical thing was for her to move back into Blake Mansion and put up with the constant belittling torment that was her family. Fred would stay in the house.

She had refused to lie to Fred, but her family was a different matter. The version of events they would hear would be that she had unexpectedly found herself pregnant and that he had refused the child and kicked her out of her own home. Her family already hated him. It was just adding a little fuel to an already blazing fire. She would skip the part where she had wanted a child and deliberately gotten pregnant because she was too impatient for him to process the PTSD that he had gotten saving her life. That was a story that she didn't like nearly as well.

It wasn't really necessary for her to tell them anything immediately. She wasn't showing her pregnancy yet so, as long as she did her throwing up before she came out of her bedroom in the morning, it would be two to four weeks before they would be able to see with their own eyes that something was up. Hopefully, in that time, she and Fred would have worked through this, and they could announce the coming baby as a family. And that thought was the end of her not crying. She had to pull off the road and wait for the cry to finish and then do field repairs to her make-up before proceeding to Blake Mansion.

Daphne parked her car in the roundabout driveway in front of the mansion, got out, and wrestled her two big suitcases from the trunk. As a rule, family members parked in the family parking area behind the main garage and the roundabout in front was for guests. Fred had always parked out front as one of his micro-rebellions and she had gotten into the habit. The day was cold and she was underdressed but something stopped her in the driveway. She stood with a hand on each suitcase and looked up at the huge edifice – her childhood home - to which she was returning in failure and disgrace and, of course, with child. This was not very Blake-like and her sisters were just the ones to make sure that she knew it. This was going to be like taking a beating which was probably exactly what she deserved.

The family entrance was also in the back from the patio which was next to the family parking area. It entered into a cozy nook off of the breakfast room. It was warm and inviting and congratulated those who entered therein for having the good fortune to be a Blake. The front entrance might as well carry the sign Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here. It entered into a cold, white three-story atrium, intended to let the supplicant visitor know their stature compared to the mighty Blake Clan. Sweeping mirror-image staircases emptied into the same foyer from the inside allowing the Blakes to make grand entrances, descending on the supplicants from above. She walked up to the front entrance and rang the bell.

The butler that the Blakes had always called 'Jeeves' answered the door, "Welcome home, Ms. Daphne."

"Thank you, Jee…" She stopped and turned to directly face the servant, "Your name really isn't 'Jeeves' is it?"

"No, ma'am. It's Aaron."

She played that name over in her head and realized that this man had been a part of her life almost since birth but she had never heard his real name before and never asked, "Aaron, I apologize for being a piece of shit that never cared enough to learn your name."

"You are who you were raised to be, ma'am."

The response was so outside the expected that Daphne froze for a moment before responding, "Fuck you, Aaron."

There was something about one of the Blakes finally recognizing the years of demeaning treatment which they had imposed on him which made his veneer of professionalism slip, "And same to you, ma'am."

This exchange fit so neatly into Daphne's view of herself and her life that she did little more than tilt her head slightly to process what he had just said, "Could you ask someone to take my luggage to my room, please."

"Certainly, Ms. Daphne."

"Since you and I seem to be reassessing our relationship, could you call me just 'Daphne' rather than 'Ms. Daphne'?"

"No ma'am. That would be above my station."

"Yeah. It would probably be above mine, too." She turned and walked between the two staircases and into the main house.

Aaron (Jeeves) stood for a moment and wondered if he should update his résumé. "What will be, will be," he muttered under his breath before heading off to find one of the younger staff to carry the luggage upstairs. The Doris Day song was stuck in his head the rest of the day.

Daphne walked through the house wondering whether or not her mother would be at home. She wasn't sure which she wanted the answer to be. While her relationship with her mother had been much improved over the last few weeks, the improvement was from intolerable to tense. The point became moot when she turned into her mother's sitting room and found her at her desk working on a hand-written list of some sort.

The Blake matriarch jumped slightly, "Oh… hello Daphne. You startled me. Was I expecting you?"

"No Mother. I apologize for coming over unannounced. I was wondering if maybe I could stay here for a few days while I get some things… attended to."

Daphne braced. In the Darwinian world of the Blake Clan, she had just shown a weakness and a need. Her mother's response would be cutting and brutal. In a coping mechanism honed since youth, she had deliberately ended a sentence with a preposition hoping that her mother would fixate on that and thus avoid rubbing salt into her daughter's gaping emotional wounds.

There was a brief silence before her mother responded, "Of course dear."

The trouble is that Daphne was already braced. Her emotional walls were up and prepared for the siege. The unexpected lack of which brought up her damn hormone-fueled emotions and she fought to control yet more tears from spilling down her cheek. Her lip even began to quiver… in front of Nan Blake!

Her mother stood from her desk, walked around it and wrapped her arms around her daughter. This was unprecedented. But it felt good. A warm, maternal embrace in time of need was just not a Blake thing. But here it was, and she needed it desperately.

She laid her head on her mother's shoulder, "I'm not having a very good week, Mother."

Her mother's whisper landed on her ear, "I surmised that."

They held the embrace for a several more seconds before her mother pulled back. She was smiling, "At dinner tonight, why don't we just say that Fred is out of town for a few days and you're taking the opportunity to be pampered by our service staff. A little white lie never hurt anyone."

Daphne wanted to ask who this woman was and what had she done with her mother but held back. A stupid joke felt wrong. For whatever Nan Blake had been, she was trying to be someone different now. Daphne could at least support the effort. "I would appreciate that. I think I'll go up and get settled into my room. Dinner is at 6:30?"

"As always."

Daphne headed back through the house toward the back stairwell which led up to the family bedrooms. She was halfway up when she heard the front doorbell. From a combination of curiosity and not wanting to go and sit alone in her room for the two hours before dinner, she wandered through the bedroom wing until she came out at the top of the front stairs in the entry lobby. She arrived there just as Jee… Aaron was opening the door, "Hello Ms. Velma."

Velma stepped in, "Hi Aaron. How's Amelia?"

"She's doing well, ma'am. And how is Mr. Shaggy and the animal?"

"Shaggy and Scooby are well. It's been a week that contained more excitement than we would like."

"I believe that Ms. Daphne is in her bedroom."

Daphne called from the stairs as she hurried down, "No, Aaron, I'm right here." She came down the stairs at a pace approaching a run. Velma braced for an impending emotional embrace but Daphne stopped just short, "Thank you for coming, Vel. I can't explain how happy I am to see you."

Velma as usual looked for appropriate words and came up blank.

Daphne didn't leave her hanging and continued, "Let's go up to my bedroom so we can talk." It was a high school flashback for both of them. And just like high school, the primary topic was going to be Fred.

As they started up the stairs, Daphne glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the butler had left the room, "How long have you known his name is Aaron?"

Velma shrugged, "I don't know. Forever, I guess. Why?"

Daphne took two steps, "I think you're right Velma."

"Probably. About what?"

"Rich people suck."

"Oh. Yeah. Totally."

Daphne frowned, "Considering where you are, you could have pushed back a little. Or maybe hesitated."

"When have I ever considered peoples' feelings before giving my opinion?"

"Good point."

Daphne was already relaxing as the rhythm of the conversation with Velma settled into the usual routine. They arrived at her door which had been left open when the staff had brought up her suitcases. The baggage was nowhere to be seen as it had all been unpacked, everything put in its proper place, and the luggage itself stored in the luggage closet. Until she had gotten married and moved away, this had seemed normal. But people that she didn't know had just gone through all of her things. It was an exchange of convenience for privacy. Why had she never seen that before? Was it because she had never really thought of the servants as people? And therefore, they had no impact on her? The only answer was 'yes.'

She didn't realize that she had reached out and taken Velma's hand. Velma noticed, and in a perfect world, it wouldn't be happening. But if her friend was inexplicably holding her hand, then it meant that she needed her hand held. As weird as that was in Velma's world, she had accepted that people needed what they needed and when someone she loved was hurting, she would do what she could.

They had passed a young maid who was putting things away in a linen closet. Daphne paused in her bedroom doorway, looked at Velma, and gestured toward the maid, "Do you know her name?"

Velma shook her head, "No. I've never met her before."

Daphne stepped back out into the hallway and tapped the woman on the shoulder. The maid was shorter than Daphne and just a little taller than Velma. It made her look very young. She whirled at the touch.

Daphne stepped back, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm afraid that I don't know your name?"

The young woman actually curtsied which reinforced her youthfulness, "It's Sarah, ma'am." Her eyes seemed to be shifting quickly back and forth which Daphne's training told her she was trying to think of something.

Daphne squinted slightly, "Wait… do you know who I am?"

The processing look turned to panic, "Please ma'am! I'm sorry. I'm new and I haven't learned all of the names, yet. I really need this job!"

Daphne realized that this was the only way the girl could have reacted to that question and immediately felt like a failure. She couldn't even make the simplest human connection without screwing it up. Didn't that used to be her strength? She reached out and laid a hand on one of Sarah's shoulders, "Sarah! Sarah! I'm sorry. I was just…" How did she explain that she was expecting the maid to know her name and that would allow her to chastise herself for being distant with people? How could she further explain that Sarah not knowing her name actually made her feel better about herself? Just how screwed up was she? "I was just being a ditz. I didn't mean to upset you. My name is Daphne."

"Oh. Of course, ma'am."

"How long have you worked here?"

"This is my second week."

"I haven't been here in the last two weeks. You've never seen me before."

"But Aaron… I mean, Jeeves gave us pictures and told us to memorize them and I just haven't had time yet and you all look so much alike…" Her hand went to her mouth expecting that to be the final straw.

Velma stepped in, "I know… right? It's like something from a Stephen King novel."

Daphne smiled, "It even weirds me out sometimes."

Sarah turned her face away to try and hide a small laugh.

Daphne finished up, "It was nice to meet you, Sarah. I hope you enjoy the job."

"Thank you, Ms. Daphne."

"Is there any chance I could get you to call me just 'Daphne'?"

"I'm sorry, but Jeeves is really clear on the house rules."

"I understand. See you later."

Daphne led Velma into her room and flopped down on her bed. Velma dragged one of the comfortable (and heavy) chairs over from the sitting area to next to the bed and sat, "That was very unDaphne-like of you."

Daphne adjusted herself to a comfortable position on her back and lay on the bed with her eyes closed, "What do you mean?"

"Talking to Sarah that way."

"I try to talk to everybody."

"Yeah, but it's usually fake. That seemed real."

Daphne's eyes jerked open, "Have you ever thought of backing off a little on the 'brutal honesty' bit?"

Velma tilted her head and blinked, "Was that brutal?"

"When you're someone like me, most honesty is."

"I didn't mean to be brutal. I'm sorry."

Daphne lifted her head from the pillow and looked at her friend, "Did you just apologize? That was very unVelma-like of you."

Velma raised her hands and waved them like an old woman at a tent revival, "The new Velma! Woo-hoo!" Sarcasm oozed.

Daphne smiled, "The 'New Velma' stuff really gets under your skin, huh?"

"What tipped you off?"

Daphne dropped her head back to the pillow and closed her eyes again, "Thank you for coming. You don't know how much I need this."

"You haven't been to the office since we finished the Rappaport thing on Wednesday and then, this morning, Fred comes in and says that you're moving in with your parents."

"That's how he said it? That 'I'm moving in with my parents'?"

"That was how he phrased it."

"I see."

Velma waited for her oldest friend to say something. She said something that she never thought she would say, "What's going on, Daphne?" Maybe she was a new Velma. Daphne had told her several days before that she had deliberately not replaced her birth control patch for the month. It was clear that Fred had found out about this on Wednesday night. The only question outstanding was precisely how he had found out. The most logical was that Daphne was pregnant. Before coming over and Velma-ing by blurting this all out, she had run it past Shaggy. He had recommended that she ask it as a question and let Daphne choose how she told the story.

"I screwed up, Vel. I screwed up really badly."

But Velma can only hold back her Velma-ness for so long, "You're pregnant."

Daphne nodded vigorously, "What am I going to do?"

"You've decided to keep the baby?"

Another nod.

"Then you're going to do what we all do and what you've always done."

"And that is?"

"You will get through the end of today and then you'll get up tomorrow and do it again, and then the next day and the next day and the next day."

Daphne digested this for a moment, "With all of your years of therapy, that's the best you've got?"

"I thought it was pretty damn wise."

"There's no 'snap my fingers and everything is better' version?"

"I'm fresh out of those."

"Then what the hell good are you?" Daphne's smile was wan.

Velma got up and scooted the chair a little closer. She sat on the front edge of the chair and leaned across the bed to take Daphne's left hand in both of hers, "Not much, I suppose. But I'm here as long as you need me."

Daphne squeezed the two smaller hands and held on for dear life.

xXx

Friday night was a big night at Shaggy and Scooby's restaurant. Things had ebbed a little since the crazy days in the immediate aftermath of the lifting of the Covid protocols but that just meant that average waiting times for a table had dropped from nearly an hour and a half to just over thirty minutes. But all of the tables were full and would be full until closing.

Shaggy shared his time between overseeing things in the kitchen and coming out to visit with the regular customers at their tables. He needed to make sure that there wouldn't be any less than stellar reviews hitting the internet at the end of the night.

The party room was booked with some pre-holiday corporate function for some company from Riley and Scooby was scheduled as the master of ceremonies for the Secret Santa portion of the evening. It seemed odd to be doing Secret Santa before it was even Thanksgiving, but the party room rental rate went up 25% in December. Maybe they were just cheap.

Scooby had done the Secret Santa gig a million times and had a bunch of surefire jokes that killed. It meant spending nearly an hour standing on his back legs which would create a backache in the morning but a small price to pay for an extra paycheck. These folks weren't the only ones who could be a little cheap. He waited outside the door for his cue music and up it came:

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You? We got some work to do now!

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You? We need some help from you now.

Come on Scooby-Doo, I see you... Pretending you got a sliver

But you're not fooling me, cause I can see, the way you shake and shiver.

Scooby was supposed to enter after the first line but he froze. He was suddenly remembering or hallucinating that night back in the lab when he had lost time. There was a knock at the door, and the door opened… Something was coming into the lab… Or maybe it wasn't. He was trying to bring the memory into focus in his mind but it wouldn't gel. And then Scooby realized he was standing outside of the party room and had missed his cue. The music was just getting to the 'shake and shiver' line.

Scooby shook it off and jumped into the doorway, "Scooby Dooby Doo!" He was a professional and the show must go on.