Too Late

Daphne Blake had never been so scared in her life.

She'd spent most of her life chasing after (and being chased by) 'ghosts' with her best friends, Fred, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby Doo, and yet the terror she'd felt then was nothing compared to how she was feeling now, all because she was getting married the next day. All her family and friends had travelled, some across oceans, just to make it to the little chapel in her hometown to watch her become Mrs Daphne Jones, and she was petrified because she didn't know whether she could go through with it. It wasn't that she didn't love Fred, their relationship may have not been the easiest ride but she had never once doubted her feelings for him, and it wasn't that she wasn't ready, okay, maybe she wasn't really thatready, but she had been with Fred for god-knows-how-long and everyone had been placing bets on how long it would be before they tied the knot, so she really should have been. The only coherent reason she could think of was that something was missing in their relationship, and that fact frustrated her as she'd always been so sure of everything in her life, sure that nearly 100% of the monsters the gang had chased were imposters, that purple was soooooooo her colour and that Fred was going to propose on that night when he took her to a fancy French restaurant that must have cost him a fortune, and yet she had no idea what it was that was missing which was making her get cold feet.

So there she was, pacing her room in the dark, wedding dress hanging up inside her wardrobe and butterflies going crazy in her stomach. She had to call someone, she had to talk this through and be convinced that she could do this. Fred was off limits, for obvious reasons, and her parents wouldn't understand. Velma was probably asleep, she always did like to go to sleep early and got cranky if she was woken up, and Scooby Doo didn't have a phone, and, besides, he was a dog. That only really left Shaggy, so Daphne turned on her bedside lamp and scrolled through her phone until she came to his name, pressing the little green 'call' button before she could tell herself not to.

Shaggy was awoken by a loud ringing noise coming from his beside table. Groggily, he wiped his eyes before taking the call, not bothering to check to see who it was.

"Like, hello?" he mumbled.

"Shaggy? Hey, it's Daphne," the redhead said, trying to resist the urge to bite her nails, "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but no worries," the hippie smiled to himself. Besides Scooby Doo, he was probably closest with Daphne in their friendship group, as he and Fred were too different to be that close and Velma had always seemed too intelligent to care about the things he liked. Anything that Daphne needed, he would be happy to help with, "What, like, do you need?"

"It's about the wedding," Daphne said, so quiet it was almost a whisper.

"Getting cold feet?" Shaggy joked, knowing that it couldn't be true. Fred and Daphne were the perfect couple, the kind that everyone was jealous of because their relationship was so flawless. No way could she be having second thoughts about a guy like him!

"Yes, actually," Shaggy's mouth dropped open at her reply.

"Like, seriously?" he questioned.

"Yes!" Daphne responded, almost impatiently, "I just don't know what's wrong with me! Fred's the perfect guy- he's handsome, a gentleman, smart, a good leader... I'm don't know why I feel like this!"

"Daphne, like, calm down!" by then, the redhead was almost in hysterics, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "Have you told him?"

"Gosh, no, I couldn't! He'd be heartbroken!"

"But if you're, like, gonna break his heart anyway..."

"I just can't do it, Shaggy!" Daphne snapped, her words coming out harsher than intended, "Wait, I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Shaggy replied. He could never be mad at Daphne, "But, like, I think you should tell him."

"I know," Daphne sighed, "I'm just scared, you know? He's one of my best friends, I don't want to let him down if I can't go through with it."

"You won't be," Shaggy reassured her, "Why don't you want to marry him, anyway?"

"I do want to marry him, but it just feels like there's something missing," Daphne explained.

"I get what you're saying," Shaggy replied, "But, like, you're a fantastic, beautiful girl Daph, and you clearly love eachother. I think you should give it a shot."

There was a long silence, before Daphne spoke once more, blushing from Shaggy's kind words.

"Okay," she sighed, finally calm, "I think I can do it now. All I needed was some convincing," she forced a smile even though she knew nobody could see, "Thanks Shaggy."

"Like, anything for you Daphne," Shaggy grinned as well, "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," she breathed, "Sweet dreams, Shaggy."

"You too Daph," the hippie said before hanging up.

Once she was sure he was gone, the redhead let out a deep breath. She could do this. She could marry Fred and be happy with him. She could do it.

And then it hit her.

The reason why she couldn't marry Fred was because something missing, and that something was...Shaggy?

She shook her head. No way could she love Shaggy like that. She'd always seen him as a brother until then, and anyway, Velma had a massive crush on him, so she would never get in the way of them. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she did like Shaggy in that way. He had always been there after she'd had an argument with Fred, and they had fun together every time they hung out. She'd even found herself blushing whenever he wore a suit or did his hair a different way. Oh gosh, why couldn't she have realised this before, when it would have been easier to break up with Fred, instead of the night before their wedding? How could she go through with their marriage when she loved someone else?

And yet, despite these feelings for Shaggy which were stronger than she had previously realised, she knew that it must be too late. She was marrying Fred, and that was all there was to it.

. . .

This is it, Daphne thought as she walked up the aisle, clinging tightly onto her father's arm as if her life depended on it, No going back now.

With her red hair cascading over her shoulders and her white dress moving gently with every step, she looked just like a princess, and boy did she know it. Velma had been in the same dressing room earlier and that was all she could go on about.

"How come you look so perfect and I just look like...this?" the intelligent girl had pouted, fixing her purple bridesmaids dress.

"You look lovely Velma, trust me," Daphne had reassured her, and she was telling the truth. The dress clung to her curves, showing off the figure that was usually hidden beneath baggy orange jumpers, and her makeup really made her eyes stand out. She was sure Shaggy wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of her, and she truly did feel happy for Velma, despite the butterflies that fluttered around in her stomach even at the thought of Shaggy. No, she told herself, You love Fred, remember?

She was telling herself the exact same words now as she allowed her eyes to move from the floor to look at her soon-to-be husband. Fred certainly looked handsome in his suit with his blond hair slicked back, but it was when she saw Shaggy standing beside him that her breath hitched in her throat.

He looked perfect.

His lanky figure was in a suit that looked slightly too big for him, but she found that endearing, and his hair was already messy despite the effort that had clearly been made to neaten it. His eyes met hers, and she felt those familiar butterflies.

Stop it! Her brain screamed.

Oh how she wished she could, but her heart was beating out of her chest and when he smiled his goofy little smile she swear she felt it stop. She wanted nothing more than for him to be the man she was marrying, but it was too late. As she faced Fred, she tried to force a smile, but found herself thinking once more about Shaggy as the vicar droned on. She could see him absent-mindedly stroking Scooby, who was the ring bearer,over Fred's shoulder.

"If anyone has any objection to this marriage, speak now."

Daphne waited, hoping Shaggy would say something despite not knowing whether he felt the same. But as the moment passed, she realised he wasn't saying anything.

And then it was too late.

The vicar began speaking once more, and Daphne realised that this was it. She was marrying Fred, and there was no going back.

Or was it?

"Wait!" she said, before she could stop herself. All eyes were on her now, and there were a few gasps at the interruption.

"I... I can't marry you Freddie. I'm sorry!" With that, she picked up her dress and fled the building.

"Daph!" Fred cried, but made no move to follow.

"Like, Daphne, wait!" she heard Shaggy call as he ran after her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't face anyone at that moment, especially not him.

Shaggy had other ideas, though, and he managed to grab her arm before she could run too far. She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I thought you were going to marry him?" Shaggy said, guiding her to sit down on some steps with him.

"I couldn't go through with it," Daphne buried her head in her hands, "Oh gosh, why has this happened to me of all people?"

"Hey, like, if you couldn't do it, Daph, then you couldn't do it. I'm sure once you explain it to Fred he'll understand."

"No, he won't!" she cried, "He'll be so embarrassed! All our family was there to see us get married and yet you were the only person I wanted to be married to!" Daphne burst out, before sobbing once more.

Shaggy fell silent. Daphne loved him? He'd never seen that coming, and yet he felt elated somehow.

"Daphne-" he began, but was cut off.

"I only realised until it was too late, Shaggy, I'm sorry! I didn't want to ruin our friendship, but now look what I've gone and done!" she sobbed loudly, "I love you, but it's too late now."

"Hey, like, don't worry Daphne," he pulled her into a hug, one of those warm, comforting ones he'd always given her when she was sad that never failed to cheer her up, "Fred will forgive you. Your parents will understand. Velma and Scooby will love you anyway. So will I. And you know what?"

She shook her head.

"It's never too late for us to be happy."

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