Whew! Sorry for the long wait. Turns out, the higher the grade in school, the more time it demands from you. BUT it's done. YAY LAST CHAPTER! I hope you enjoy. I really hope so. Tell me if you do. Tell me if you don't. Either way, review please!

Debutante Dramatics

Chapter 4

"Hold on a minute, Sweetums. Scooch in closer to Velma. That's it. Freddie, square your shoulders. Scooby, stop scratching at your bowtie. You'll mess it up. There! Now hold still."

"Mom!" Shaggy groans.

"Smile," Mrs. Rogers chimes, showing off her own teeth as an example of what she wants from the children.

The three kids and canine smile yet again for yet another picture. Shaggy's cheeks were getting tired. His mother means well; buying him the best tuxedo, helping him make sure he has it on right, keeping food away from him until the party so as not to stain the flawless material, but when it comes to major events, she sure could be annoying when wielding her camera. Worst of all, she has the other cooing mothers on her side. They stand behind her, commenting about how adorable their children are.

Mrs. Rogers has done nearly every possible grouping for pictures there is: Fred and Shaggy, Shaggy and Velma, Fred and Velma and Shaggy, Fred and Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, everyone together, each person individually…and it went on and on. Shaggy's almost thankful Daphne isn't there with them. The pictures would take twice as long with an even larger amount of possibilities. The only thing keeping the doting mother from sneaking into the party is Daphne's guarantee that the eager mother will receive copies of the pictures the professional photographer will take.

"Mom, we have to get going, like, now," Shaggy says for the third time. He glances at the clock on the wall. If they left now they would be halfway between when the doors open and when the debutantes are supposed to have their grand entrance.

"Oh, alright." Mrs. Rogers snaps one more unexpected picture of the group. "You all just look so adorable."

"Such handsome boys we have," Mrs. Jones says to Mrs. Rogers.

"And a lovely flower of a daughter," Mrs. Dinkley says, clasping her hands together in an endearing manner.

"Rey!" Scooby-Doo pipes up.

"And a fine-looking pup," Mrs. Dinkley amends.

Scooby sits up straighter and smiles. "Rank rou."

"Yep. We're amazing. You have wonderful kids. It's a miracle. You did a flawless job of raising us." Fred says. As he brown-noses the mothers, he takes Shaggy and Velma's arms and guides them to the door. The others get the idea and disappear out the door. Fred is on their tale. He has the doorknob in hand as he says the last few words. "But because you raised us right that also means letting us out into the world now and then. For that we thank you. We will be home around midnight. Promise. Goodnight!"

With that Fred shuts the door, successfully cutting off the affectionate mothers from further embarrassing statements. He sees the others waiting for him at the end of the walkway. He quickly catches up to them, and what's left of the gang sets out on its way.

Although Daphne's house was a short walk from Fred's, it didn't help Velma any. Her shoes were higher than what she was use to, making it difficult to walk anywhere—at all.

"Jinkies, why did I let my mom talk me into wearing these?" Velma mutters as she stops to fix the strap on the back of her shoe. "Oh that's right, because she said they matched my dress," she says in a mocking voice. Usually it's Daphne who's the one to convince her to try bolder outfits, but never more than the brainiac can handle. But these shoes were too much.

Velma staggers as she fumbles with the shoe. Fred is there to steady her.

"Don't feel so down, Velma. I think you look great. Shoes an all," Fred says, offering his arm to Velma who has no hesitation in taking it. She blushes significantly, doing a very good job of matching the color of her over-the-shoulder crimson dress that hugs her form until flowing out from her hips down to her knees. Suddenly the shoes are the best thing she owns.

Shaggy gives a secretive grin to Scooby-Doo who rolls his eyes and grins back. The beatnik then discreetly checks his inside jacket pocket once again. Yep, Daphne's gift is still in there.

The destination soon comes into view. The large, extravagant house is lit up with white lights. Cars and limos come and go, dropping off guests who have shown up wearing ornate gowns and pristine suits. Shaggy suddenly feels self-conscious. He looks down at his clothes then checks his slicked hair to make sure everything is in place. The last thing he wants is to embarrass Daphne. He glances over at Fred and is slightly jealous of how at ease he seems to be.

They show the doorman their tickets. Daphne followed through on her word. Scooby-Doo is invited. He is on the list, therefore, allowed in. The doorman doesn't even give him a second glance. Shaggy is grateful. It also gives him hope that nothing will go wrong. And no monster will show up randomly and kidnap one of the debutantes. You'd be surprised at how many events were ruined that Mystery Inc. was at because of a random villain swooping in.

"Wow. It's beautiful," Velma says.

The house is decorated lavishly. The room is dimly lit with white lights and candles spread across the vast area, giving the room an elegant, almost romantic feel to it. Tables covered with white tablecloths and pink flower centerpieces surround the large space set apart for dancing. On the far side of the room is a line of tables filled covered with horderves with a seven tiered white cake on the end. That is where the four friends head to first. There is a long array of different food choices, each with a delicious aroma. Scooby ties a napkin around his neck and grabs a fork and knife, but before he can dig in Shaggy pulls him back by the collar.

"Easy, Scooby-Doo. We promised, remember?" Shaggy says.

"Raw." Scooby's head dips and he takes off the napkin. Shaggy feels his best friend's pain. He wants sample all they can get their hands (paws) on too. His mouth waters in anticipation. But he has to pace himself. He fills a plate for himself and Scooby, not going over the limitations Velma helped him set. No more than five appetizers each and two drinks. That's what Shaggy has, but boy, does he want more. The four friends take find their seats. It's a small table with a nice view of the dance floor.

A waiter walks by. He lowers a tray to them. The four friends each take a glass of club soda. Shaggy notices the host and hostess chatting with guests. Nearby are Daphne's four redheaded sisters.

Velma notices where the beatnik is looking. "Wow. Haven't seen them all together in a while."

"Yeah," Fred agrees. "What is each of them doing again?"

"Daisy's in school to become a doctor. Dawn is already an international model. Dorothy is training to be a racecar driver. And Delilah is in the Marine Corps."

"Whew, they sure are motivated. No wonder Daphne sometimes worries about her future."

A pang of sadness sets itself in Shaggy's stomach. Daphne rarely shows her panic about the subject, but it still happens occasionally where she goes on about what her sisters are up to and how she isn't sure what she wants to do exactly, but all her sisters knew exactly what they wanted to do ever since they were little and now they're doing it and Daphne still has no idea because her hobbies don't exactly seem like likely career options and her parents don't approve or disapprove so she isn't sure what they think and…Shaggy can still hear the apprehension in her voice. It's no wonder she wanted things to go well tonight. She needs to show she is on the same path to success her sisters have treaded before her. If not to convince others, then to convince herself.

There is a loud tapping sound. All eyes turn to the top of the stairs. A well dressed man stands atop of the staircase looking down upon the guests below.

"The presentation of the ladies shall now commence." The man moves to the side of the stairs, out of the way. A couple steps forward. Jessica appears at the top of the stairs, standing tall and with a look on her face that tells everyone she thinks she is the most important person in the world. At her side is a well-built young man who has no emotion on his face. He almost looks bored.

"Presenting Miss Jessica Tawny and her escort Sir Maxwell Lonsford," the man says in a loud voice for all to hear. The couple descends the staircase and move to stand next to the railing at the bottom of the stairs.

The second person to be presented is Chloe. Although her shyness keeps her from bringing her gaze up to the audience, she does have a smile on her face. Her escort helps keep her moving forward.

Third and fourth are the twins. Somehow, they convinced their parents to allow them to be presented together. Their inside arms linked with each others' with their escorts on either side of them.

"Daphne's next!" Velma whispers excitedly.

Shaggy's heart begins to beat a tiny bit faster—or a lot faster. His hands grip the back of his chair tightly as he unblinkingly watches the top of the stairs.

Then she arrives.

Shaggy momentarily forgets how to breathe.

There at the top of the stairs like a princess looking down upon her subjects is Daphne. In her strapless white ball gown and white gloves with white high heels to match a simple, yet elegant updo hairstyle, the lovely redhead descends the stairs with grace and poise upon hearing her name announced. She delicately holds the extended arm of her escort but keeps her smiling face to the crowd.

When they reach the bottom of the stairs the rest of the debutantes come to stand beside them. Then together they walk forward to the middle of the dance floor. Forming a circle, they face their partner with hands in place in preparation for the dance. The music begins to play and the five couples begin to sway across the floor.

Shaggy keeps his eyes on Daphne. Her refined movements have him mesmerized. Then a brief moment passes where Daphne looks over to their table. The ever-present smile seems to change to a more intimate one. And for a quarter of a second Shaggy is sure she winked. At him. The beatnik feels like he might have an apoplexy right then and there.

The dance soon ends. The debutantes bow to their partner. Once more they are addressed to the crowd before being allowed to mingle among the guests. The gang waits patiently as their fifth member is soon surrounded by people wishing to congratulate her. Eventually she gets herself free and makes her way over to the friends she has missed immensely these past weeks.

"Hey, guys!" Daphne greets. Velma is first to embrace her. The girls exchange a few giddy words about hair and clothes and decorations. Typical girl behavior. When this passes, Daphne gives Fred a brief hug.

"Nice party, Daph," he says jokingly, "but I think I could do without playing dress-up."

Daphne gives him a look that clearly said deal-with-it. "Too bad, Freddie. Tell you what; next party will be a pizza and movie party in the private movie theater downstairs. Sound better?"

"Much."

Scooby-Doo nudges Daphne's rather poofy dress. Daphne bends over and pats the dog on the head. Scooby leans forward, but Daphne leans back.

"Sorry, Scooby, but it took me forever to get my make-up perfect and I'd rather you didn't lick it off just yet. I still have to get through pictures."

"Rokay," Scooby-Doo dips his head in obedience, enjoying the scratch behind the ears Daphne gives him.

Shaggy stands rigid. A bad case of nerves has suddenly overtaken him. The most beautiful girl in the world—no, the universe—is standing there, staring at him. Wait. Just staring. Why is she staring and not taking, or hugging, or kis—laughing! Laughing. Why would she kiss him? Heh, heh. Shaggy tries to drop the thought and instead take up trying to figure out why Daphne simply stands there with wide eyes and a small smile on her face. Is there something on his face?

"Shaggy? Norville Rogers is that you?" The use of his first name is uncommon and most often used to make a point.

"Like, yeah. It's me." Shaggy gives her a half-smile, unsure of where she is going with this. All he wanted was another hug…

"Shaggy, look at you!" Daphne exclaims. "I don't think I've seen you spiffed up like this before."

"Really?" Shaggy racks his brain to think of another situation where he dressed up in front of Daphne. He came up with nothing. "Huh. I guess not. Do I look ok?"

"Ok?" Daphne fiddles with Shaggy's lapels while giving him her famous Blake smile. "Shaggy, have you looked in a mirror? You're downright dashing. How many pictures did your mom take?"

Shaggy laughs, thankful for a change in topic away from the good looks he never knew he had. "Like, I think there's film left somewhere in the world."

Daphne laughs too. "Good. I want a picture of you like this. Who knows when I'll get to see you all gussied up again? Oh, and thanks for leaving some food for the rest of the guests. As a reward, you may have two pieces of cake."

"Thanks, Daphne."

Daphne opens her mouth to say something else, but someone pulls her aside to give their congratulations. The gang moves away to give Daphne to the other guests for a while.

"Hey, Fred," Velma says quietly.

"Yeah?" Fred leans down to hear her better.

"Have you ever seen Shaggy so red?"

Fred looks at the beatnik who is currently re-straightening his suit. A small smile is on his face. Fred finds himself smiling as well. He knows the cause of such a content look. He's seen it before on a few others and now Shaggy as well.

"No, can't say that I have. But I don't mind one bit. I think they'd be good together."

Velma sighs happily. "As do I."

The night passes and after dinner the time comes to cut the cake. The delicious treat is passed around. Shaggy takes his first piece, hoping Daphne will comment on this and demand he take another. And possibly another if he's lucky. Hey, five appetizers and two drinks is not enough to sustain a growing teen for long. Especially one as hungry as Shaggy.

Daphne's word is never broken. She personally brings over Shaggy's second piece. And to Shaggy and Scooby's delight, a second piece for the Great Dane as well.

"He restrained himself as well," is Daphne's explanation. "It's mustn't have been easy for you, huh, Scooby-Doo?"

"Ruh-uh," Scooby whines through gulps of chocolate cake.

"Then I bet you need more. We have enough left over food. After four other debutantes, my mom knows a thing or two about how much food to order. You and Shaggy may have free reign on the buffet now. Everyone else has had their fill."

"Really? Groovy!" Shaggy says. Patience has paid off.

Shaggy and Scooby stride of towards the remainder of the food. They start at the bottom with the basics, the meats and cheeses for a good foundation then go on to take some of the fancier foods that Shaggy couldn't pronounce the name of if he tried. Soon he and Scooby both have their own plate filled to the brim which becomes a tipsy tower Shaggy has no fear of balancing. With skilled precision he maneuvers his way over to the drinks with Scooby by his side.

But something goes wrong. Just before reaching his destination, Shaggy's foot snags something. With the piled food blocking his view he can't see exactly what it is. The loss of his center of balance sends the plate and its contents up into the air with Shaggy going the opposite way. He falls forward into the table containing the bowl of punch. It topples onto him, the sweet juice soaking him through. The food soon follows, coming down from its short flight to crash onto the floor and the young teen.

Dead silence. Shaggy removes a piece of quiche mixed with cheese dip from its resting place on his eye. He looks up to see everyone staring at him. The light chatter of the crowd has subsided upon hearing the commotion he has caused. He looks at each individual face and sees horror, disgust, and pity. All except one face. To his right is Young Master William. Most people are behind him so the boy doesn't hide his cruel grin, practically giving away his hand—or foot—in this whole affair.

Shaggy turns away from him and sees what he has been trying to avoid all night. Daphne stands there looking at him from a little ways away. Shock and sadness mix in her face. The pain of embarrassment and the fact of knowing he disappointed Daphne sink themselves deep into Shaggy's stomach. The blissful feeling he received when Daphne called him handsome is shattered.

"Raggy?" Scooby takes a step forward to check up on his young master.

Shaggy doesn't take the comfort his faithful dog offers. He leaps to his feet and sprints out of the room and through the house, away from the pain the ballroom now holds. Normally in embarrassing situations he would laugh it off. He is usually very laid back, but tonight was important. He really wanted to be there for Daphne and…be there with her too. But it's ruined.

Daphne finally gets the idea most girls do about Shaggy and it hurts. He's fun to have around and good for a laugh, but not dating material. Not worth the time. Shaggy knows this. He has seen the way girls look at Fred when he walks down the hall then whisper when he gives them a smile. Shaggy has never gotten that. And he thought Daphne—beautiful, elegant, lovely, sincere Daphne who is also one of his best friends in the world would maybe see him in the same light those girls see Fred. But no. How could he forget he was Shaggy? Scared, lanky, screw-up Shaggy. How could he have been so stupid?

Finally, he reaches an exit. Going through the door, Shaggy finds himself in the back garden. It is lit up by lanterns which line the path through the plant life. The beatnik begins to walk down the path. He tries brushing off the food still stuck to him, creating a path of leftovers on the ground. His suit is ruined beyond repair, Shaggy concludes. The red punch has soaked his white shirt and the food will never get out of the material. It's done for. His mom will not be happy.

With a sigh, Shaggy has a seat on one of the benches next to a small pool of koi fish. He watches the small creatures circle around one another, his mind absent of all thought, simply focusing on the memory of Daphne's sad face. The sad face he caused. He couldn't go back in there. He can't face her right now or anyone for that matter. Maybe if he climbed the fence or found a hole between the shrubberies he could escape.

Shaggy was contemplating if he could possibly use a gardening tool from the shed to pole vault over the fence when he hears the small clack of footsteps on the path. He turns to see a white-clad figure approach.

"Daphne!" Shaggy exclaims, surprised. He stood up and automatically tried to clean himself further.

She was the last person he expected to see. What he didn't know was Daphne had told everyone to hang back while she went to talk to him. Scooby-Doo took some convincing, but it is her party after all. She must be obeyed.

"Hello, Shaggy," Daphne says calmly, watching Shaggy fidget.

"Great party." Shaggy gives a forced laugh to hide his nervousness. He realizes his hands are shaking so he busies them by trying to clean his dirty appearance. "Up until the food fiasco, it was a lot of fun. Sorry about that."

"Shaggy—"

"Like, really, really sorry. Heh. I guess I'm a clutz by nature. Always running into stuff; monsters, secret passages, Fred's traps. It's gotta be a gift—or a curse. Like, maybe one of those witches we ran into cursed me." Shaggy shoves his hands in his pockets, an action he rarely does, showing just how insecure he's feeling. He stares at the ground as he continues speaking also beginning to pace unevenly across the small paved area before the pool. "I didn't mean to ruin your debutante ball."

"Shaggy, you didn't—"

"Please don't sugarcoat it. Like, don't even talk about sugar. I messed it up. You were really looking forward to tonight. You put in a whole lot of work. I mean did you see the place? Fancy. Everything's fancy. I don't work with fancy as if my fall wasn't enough of an example. I tried, though. I really tried. The suit was working. Well, at least you told me it looked alright."

"It does. Shaggy, you look—"

"But you. You look…" Shaggy pauses in his pacing to gaze at Daphne. She blushes under his sudden intense eyes. "Like, beautiful isn't a good enough word. Daph, you're going to be great at whatever you try. I know you are worried about the future and wondering about whatever it is that you're going to do. But you, like, have more spunk than all your sisters combined. You'll be fine. I promise not to get in your way."

"Get in my way?"

"Like, you deserve better than me. You could find a nice version of Young Master What's-His-Face. You could marry royalty if you want to. I promise to be your friend if you still are willing to talk to me after tonight. Or I can take myself out of the picture if you, like, want me to. I am Shaggy after all. I can't promise that I'll be—"

"Enough Norville," Daphne says firmly. She grabs Shaggy's arm to stop his continuous pacing. She was fed up with him putting himself down. "Shaggy you are both right and wrong."

"But, Daph, I—"

"No. I listened to you, now you listen to me. I am worried about my future. I have no idea what I want to do. I've been throwing around different ideas since hearing Delilah say she was joining the Marine Corps. I am more scared of that than any ghoul we could ever encounter. But it is friends like you, Shaggy, that keep me going. Do you have any idea how stressed I was planning this party? I was going insane. Remember when we went mini golfing and talked in the park? Those moments helped me through it. You helped keep me sane, Shaggy."

"But—"

"Uh-uh. No if's, and's, or but's. This is where you are wrong, Shaggy. Do you have any idea how much I care about you? I've known you forever. I know every odd quirk of yours, all your favorite places walk Scooby, what you do in your spare time, and where your favorite places to eat are. I've faced all kinds of monsters with you. I like you for you, Shaggy. Do you honestly think after all these years of weird trouble that I would drop you just like that because William tripped you? Yes, I saw William trip you. The jerk! I kicked him out. He is never setting foot in my house again. But I don't care about the mess. I do care that you thought I would drop your friendship like last year's sweater styles. Don't you know me at all?"

Shaggy has dropped his gaze again. Daphne gives an angry huff and grabs his chin with one hand to lift his face up until he looks her in the eye. When he does, she takes her hands and places them in his. Shaggy tries to pull away because his hands are still coated in food bits. Daphne's grip only tightens.

"Shaggy," Daphne says, calmer now, "answer me honestly. Do you want to stop being my friend?"

Shaggy's eyes widen in shock. "Like, of course not. Never."

"That's how I feel about you. I want you in my life, Shaggy. The gang wouldn't be the same without you. I wouldn't be the same. Do you understand?"

Daphne's earnest expression makes Shaggy smile. He did understand. And with the embarrassment passed, he can think clearly again. He could never leave Daphne, or any member of the gang. Mystery Inc. wouldn't be the same without all four teens and their faithful dog.

"Like, sorry for sort of freaking out," Shaggy says, grinning shyly.

Daphne giggles. Ah—music to Shaggy's ears. "You are forgiven. We're teenagers. Freak-outs are a part of the deal. Now can we please go back inside? I put Jenkins in charge of the cleaning so it's probably been done for a while now. I don't care about your appearance, Shaggy—" Daphne says quickly when Shaggy again tries to clean his suit. "Although that suit fits you to a T."

"You think?" Shaggy asks.

"Definitely, but…" Daphne gives the beatnik a scrutinizing look before taking a step closer. Suddenly, the redhead is very near him. The thought of a kiss again passes across his mind. But he becomes disappointed a second time when Daphne reaches up and runs her fingers through Shaggy's still slightly damp hair. It had enough gel in it to keep it fairly intact. Shaggy needed a lot of gel to tame his mop-top. "Your hair looks a whole lot better when you let it hang naturally. There. You look very handsome. I like your hair better like this."

Shaggy dips his head in delighted embarrassment but still gives Daphne a smile. Daphne returns the gesture and says, "Let's head back. And since you did ruin the buffet, I declare that you owe me a dance."

"Like, anything for the princess. Allow me, m'lady." Shaggy holds out his arm before remembering it's covered in ruined cake. But Daphne never gives him a chance to pull back. She takes his arm. They begin striding toward the house.

"You know what I'm really looking forward to?" Daphne says.

"What?" Shaggy asks, feeling completely at ease, until finally processing that he is going to dance with Daphne. He crushes the mild panic rising in order to listen to Daphne's response.

"Opening presents. My sisters are all here for a few more days and I get to spend time with them. It's been forever since we all have down time. It's a tradition to open presents together after the debutante ball. Now it's my turn."

"Zoinks! Like, that reminds me." Shaggy quickly rummages in the front pocket of his jacket pocket. He pulls out the envelope containing his gift to Daphne. There is a red stain in the corner of the envelope from the punch, but other than that it is undamaged much to Shaggy's relief. He hands it to a surprised Daphne. "Congratulations, Daphne."

"Shaggy," Daphne breathes. She smiles. Good, she's not mad. Shaggy feared she would be angry after making him promise not to get her a present. "You didn't have to. I told you—"

"I know, but, like, what's a special occasion without presents? Open it."

"Now?"

"Yep!"

Daphne carefully tears open the envelope and takes out the piece of paper. She unfolds it and gives a small gasp. On the paper is a drawing of Shaggy and Daphne. Shaggy's arm is slung over Daphne's shoulders and Daphne has her arm around Shaggy's waist. They are smiling at the real Daphne who is stunned to silence.

"Did you…you drew this?" Daphne asks quietly.

"Yes, I did," Shaggy says happily. "I took one of the old photos of the gang where we were standing next to each other and redrew the two of us. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Shaggy, it's beautiful." Daphne could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Good. I was hoping you would. I know it's not a diamond-studded picture frame, but I thought you could, like, maybe put it in one of them that you get. You know, only if you want. It's up to you. But it's a little stained. I could redraw it if—"

Shaggy is cut off when the air is forced out of his lungs from Daphne's strong and unexpected hug. As happy as he is about this, Shaggy has to object. "Uh, Daph. I'm covered in a waste of delicious food. I'll stain your white dress."

"Shut up and hug me," Daphne mumbles against his ruined suit. Shaggy shuts up and wraps his arms around Daphne. He goes a step further even to rest his cheek against her hair. The stupid grin from the last time they hugged has returned. And it's not leaving this time.

Then something unexpected happens. Daphne breaks away. She grabs the taller boy by the lapels and pulls him down towards her. She presses her lips to the tricky spot that isn't quite his cheek and not fully his mouth. She pulls away and gives Shaggy a tear-filled smile. Black mascara stains trails down her cheeks. Her dress, as the beatnik predicted, is now similarly covered in food. Daphne might hate her appearance right now if she looked in the mirror, but at that moment, Shaggy has never seen anything so wonderful in his life.

"Thank you, Shaggy, for the best present ever."

It takes Shaggy quite a few more seconds before he has processed the phrase then formulated a response through the glee overtaking him. "You're welcome. But, like, it's going to be hard to top the 'best present ever' when your birthday comes."

Daphne laughs and takes his arm again, practically dragging him back to the ballroom. The mess has been cleaned and the room has become spotless once again. Daphne was right. Jenkins has it covered.

By now Shaggy has gotten past the totally shocked phase and is now in the totally, insanely happy phase. They wave to Velma, Fred, and Scooby-Doo who exchange happy and knowing smiles with one another as the couple heads for the dance floor. Daphne places one hand on Shaggy's shoulder and the other in his hand. Shaggy places his other hand on Daphne's waist. Then with a nod from Daphne to the stringed quartet they begins to play and Daphne and Shaggy start dancing. It's not as graceful as before. Shaggy hasn't had the large amount of practice Daphne has, but neither seems to notice or care. They're in too high of spirits.

Over Shaggy's shoulder, Daphne notices the photographer taking pictures of them. She stops dancing and turns Shaggy to face the camera. She puts her arm around his waist and Shaggy places his across her shoulders. They smile at the camera as the flash goes off.

Daphne's debutante photo album is filled to the brim much like her sisters'. But there is a small difference. The single framed photo tradition of the Blake sister being presented at the top of the stairs is broken. Instead of Daphne and Young Master William, Daphne has replaced it with the picture of Daphne and Shaggy in all their food-covered glory on the dance floor, smiling like nothing could be better than that moment. This is Daphne's third favorite photo. Her second favorite is the one of the entire gang together after the food fiasco, arms slung around one another carelessly. Her absolute favorite photo isn't even a photo. The red-stained, hand-drawn picture of Shaggy and Daphne has the place of honor on Daphne's top shelf in the nicest frame she owns. There it stays for years to come.