Author Note: Hey everyone, I am back with a brand new story! I hope you enjoy this one - I am really excited about this concept!

A few notes to preview the story in-depth:

1. This takes place just a little after the ending of my other story, "Of Monsters and Meddling Kids," so Daphne and Fred are still a couple, and there may be some allusions to the plot and characters within that story.

2. While this story does begin from Velma's POV, it will primarily be told through first person/Fred's POV, so look for that to change in the rest of the story. It will probably bounce back to Velma's periodically, or at least, that is the plan for now.

3. This story was inspired by the idea of Schrodiner's Cat, and the idea that there are hundreds of parallel lives and alternate actions that branch off from one moment. It will be explained more in depth later on in the story.

4. The story is rated T for teen as of now - just to be safe.

And I think that is everything! Again, I really hope you enjoy this new story. As always, I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and review my work! - iamacliche

Chapter 1

Velma Dinkley loved science.

She loved everything about science: she absolutely loved being curious and asking questions, she loved taking those inquiries and positing them into a single hypothesis, she loved swamping into uncharted or undeveloped areas of study, and she loved attempting to secure tangible, concrete answers in the form of data and statistics and studies upon studies upon studies. She loved the arduous task of interpreting her results, and even when the results didn't work out in her favor, she loved the process of starting over, of opening a fresh, crisp new notebook so she could articulate where she should reconsider a method or a variable. But above all, Velma thrived for those occasions when her hypothesis proved correct, when all the sweat and tears and time spent away from solving mysteries with her friends was rewarded with the exact answer she was seeking. On those occasions, Velma felt as though her whole life had culminated in that single, golden moment: her heart would hammer in her chest and her toes would tingle and her breathing would become staggered and her mind would start spinning, as if all of her senses had merged, and for one delirious, perfect moment, Velma would feel as though she was doing exactly what she was created to do, as if some deity or higher power had carved out this role specifically for her.

So it wasn't a surprise that Velma was still working in Coolsville High School's main science lab five hours after school had concluded for the day. Aside from when she was solving mysteries alongside her friends, Velma felt most relaxed when she was working in a science lab. The instant Velma walked into the lab she could always feel the tension leaving her body as her shoulders relaxed, and she would involuntarily break into a grin as she would bounce around the lab, prepping her station and assembling the materials she would need for the day. No matter what was happening in Velma's personal life, whether it be a particularly baffling or terrorizing mystery, drama with her best friend, Daphne Blake, or frustration over how to handle her developing crush on her friend, Shaggy Rogers, Velma knew the science lab would always be her one consistent safe haven.

Velma was cheerful as she worked tonight, and the fondness and appreciation she felt towards the science lab was heightened as she worked. She inhaled deeply, smiling as she relished the sterile scent of the science lab, which was currently laced with the musty smell of the green liquid that bubbled within the six translucent test beakers she was carefully observing. The table beside Velma's work station was cluttered with dozens of loose notebook papers containing her tiny, block letter handwriting. This would feel disorderly and chaotic to anyone else, but disorganized was just the way she liked it: she often joked that it was an accurate reflection of her state of mind. The poster of the periodic table hanging on the wall was curled at the edges as a result of needing more tape, the paint on the walls had started chipping years ago, and the fluorescent lights hummed and flickered occasionally, especially during late evenings, but none of this mattered to Velma: this lab was her second home.

She glanced at her watch; her left foot was tapping in anticipation of the results the beakers would potentially yield within the next ten minutes, and her mouth was practically salivating at the thought of how her findings could radically change the future of the human race, and –

"Like, hey Velms, there ya are! Scoob and I have been lookin' everywhere for ya!"

Velma jumped, startled when she heard her friend Shaggy Rogers speaking from behind her. She turned to face the lanky, skinny young man, who was walking beside their Great Dane, Scooby Doo. When Scooby saw Velma, his tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he rushed forward to lick her cheek, slobbering all over her lab coat in the process.

"Okay Scooby, okay! It's good to see you too," Velma laughed, gently pushing the dog away with a smile. "You two scared me! I must have been so absorbed in my work that I didn't hear you guys walk in."

"We've been lookin' everywhere for you!" Shaggy said again, his eyes twinkling as he spoke. "I can't believe you're, like, still here! School got out hours ago!"

Velma's eyes darted toward the clock on the wall, and she cringed when she saw that it was 9 PM sharp: she had accidently stayed past the school's curfew. Again.

"Wow, I can't believe I stayed past school curfew again," Velma groaned. "But I'm almost done and if I end now, I'll lose all of my work. I'll have to leave once I'm finished up here."

Shaggy's eyebrows furrowed together. "But Velma, we thought ya might wanna join us at Sherry's Diner for some milkshakes tonight before ya head home. Maybe you could, like, take a break and come grab a bite to eat with me and Scoob? Fred and Daphne are studying for a history test together at Fred's house, so it'll just be the three of us!"

Velma's breath hitched in her throat and her palms began to sweat when she realized the possible implication of Shaggy asking her to join him at Sherry's Diner, just the two of them; sure, Scooby would be there, but he was their dog, and besides, Shaggy never had never asked Velma to go somewhere before with just the two of them.

Before Velma could respond, she saw Scooby sniffing in the corner of the science lab, freezing as he stared up at a giant, eight-foot cube the color of gunmetal. He paused in front of square shape cut into the cube, which mimicked the appearance of a door.

"Rock rock, whose there?" Scooby knocked his front paw against the door, giggling at the tinny sound that echoed beneath his paws.

"Like, man! What is this thing, Velms?" Shaggy asked, his eyes wide with childlike wonder and his voice dripping in astonishment as he gazed up at the cube.

Velma hurriedly grabbed Scooby by the collar, pulling him away from the cube and shoving him towards Shaggy. "If all goes well tonight, you'll both find out soon enough! But honestly guys, I just really need you to both leave so I can complete my tests for tonight, and before Scooby has a chance to break something in the science lab. I'll see you both tomorrow."

As soon as Velma spoke she cursed herself, flinching at the way her own voice sounded icy and cold, but Shaggy merely nodded, as if he understood. "Like, okay Velma, if you say so – sorry for buggin' ya. Come on, Scooby old pal, let's go to Sherry's for some milkshakes on our own!" And before Velma could stammer out an apology for being so blunt, Shaggy and Scooby turned and exited the science lab.

Once the door slammed shut behind Shaggy and Scooby, Velma felt a pang of guilt for the way she had blown off Shaggy's invitation to go to Sherry's. She could practically hear Daphne's voice now: "How is he supposed to know that you like him if you shoot him down and make excuses to avoid him all the time?!" she would ask, exasperated, "And why don't you at least give him the time of day?!" And of course, Daphne would be right; after all, there was no need to be so abrupt and brush Shaggy off as though he was a bug beneath her shoe. But Velma was never one for social cues, especially in the midst of a science experiment, and –

Velma's thoughts were punctured by the sound of the green liquid fizzing out of the test tubes and pooling onto the smooth surface of the table. Swearing under her breath, she frantically rushed towards the tubes, gathering what product remained in each of the six tubes and dumping them into a one larger cylinder shaped beaker. Once the liquids were combined into the cylinder she moved quickly, her motions fluid as she flowed from the table with the test tubes to the cabinets at the back of the science lab, retrieving a plastic syringe tucked out of sight in from the cabinet drawer. She slammed the cabinet door, syringe in hand, and briskly retraced her steps back to the table with the cylinder containing the green fluid. Once she was standing before the cylinder again she didn't hesitate to insert the syringe into beaker, and she watched the fluid filter slowly into the syringe as she pulled the cap back. She paused when the syringe was completely full and tapped the side of the syringe with her nails, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Next, Velma retrieved a silver dish from beneath the cabinet, and flushed the contents of the syringe into the dish. Once she could no longer see the bottom of the dish, she grabbed the dish and moved to a table positioned near the gunmetal colored cube that Scooby had been sniffing. There was a blanket covering a boxed shaped object placed on top of the table. Velma removed the blanket, revealing a small shiny cage containing a white colored mouse, who blinked its tiny eyes at Velma once the blanket was no longer covering the cage.

"Hey little guy," Velma cooed. She unlatched the door of the cage and reached her hand inside, stroking the mouse's round belly soothingly. "Are you ready to help me out with something important?"

Velma picked up the silver dish again and carefully placed it inside the cage so that it was placed directly in front of the mouse, who didn't hesitate to lean into the dish and drink greedily.

"Good boy," Velma tutted, marveling at how seamlessly everything was going thus far. Velma tried not to think about the fact that this was the farthest she had successfully obtained in her research thus far, and she tried to ignore the way her palms and forehead felt sticky with sweat and the way it felt as though a fist was clenched inside her stomach. Instead, she focused on the mouse, who had drained the dish of the fluids, and was now struggling to keep its eyes open as it withdrew into a drowsy, furry little ball.

Once the mouse was completely still, Velma pulled him from the cage and walked towards the cube, keeping the mouse cupped carefully in her hands as she moved. She heaved her shoulder against the heavy door of the cube, and sighed with relief when the door finally began to groan as it opened bit by bit. After the door was opened, Velma walked into the cube, pausing to admire the iron walls and the floor of the cube, which were the same gunmetal color as the exterior. It had taken Velma all four years during her time spent at Coolsville High to persuade the school board to approve the funds for this cube, and now that she finally obtained it for her senior year, she was ready to prove that her work was valuable and worthy of the money.

Velma drifted towards the middle of the cube and stopped when she was in the center. She leaned down and gingerly placed the sleeping mouse on the pristine floor. "Happy trails, little guy," Velma whispered. She paused for a moment, rooted in place as this moment which would prove her hard work was becoming more concrete and tangible. When she noticed the mouse's eyes begin to blink slowly Velma finally moved, propelled by the adrenaline and anxiety pumping through her veins as she quickly walked out of the cube. She slammed the door and listened as the vault latched in place behind her, then she set the timer on her watch and reminded herself to breathe as the seconds ticked by noiselessly.

At five minutes on the dot, Velma inhaled and held her breath. It's now, or never, she told herself. Come on, Dinkley – let's see if this was a flop, or a success.

Slowly, Velma walked towards the door of the cube, and again shoved her shoulder against the door until it opened, slowly and stubbornly. She took one hesitant step inside the cube and blinked when she saw that it was empty – the mouse was gone.

Velma stood, unmoving, her gaze sweeping over the inside of the cube to confirm that the mouse was indeed missing and not hiding somewhere. A minute later Velma finally allowed herself to feel the relief flood through her body. Overwhelmed, she dropped to the ground and fell on her knees. Her smile stretched so wide that it was hurting her face, and her vision was blurring as her eyes flooded with tears.

"I – I don't believe it," Velma stammered. "It – it worked! This is going to change the world!"

She couldn't wait to tell the world all about it.