***Shaggy POV***

"Well Scoob...this may like be the best one yet." I smiled, looking at our quadruple decker ham, cheese, egg, pasta, turkey, chocolate sauce, banana, orange, apple, peanut butter sandwich. "You want first bite buddy ol' guy ol' pal?" I asked my companion, running my hands through my shaggy blond hair.

"Reah!" Scooby Doo, my brown great dane said as he took a huge bite, changing the quadruple decker sandwich into a single one. "Rooby Rooby Roo!" he laughed. Smiling back weakly I started to clean the soiled counter. "Ruts Rong Raggy?"(What's wrong shaggy?) Scooby asked me. I was always ready to eat, but for the first time I found that I wasn't.

"Guess I'm just like, not hungry." That was the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. Truth is, it has been 8 years since we solved our first mystery, but it was the first that we have spent not running from monsters or celebrating the start of Mystery Incorporated. Still sulking I sauntered to my room in our small one bedroom apartment. Closing the door behind me I pulled out a small binder, filled with pictures, newspaper articles, and magazine interviews. The five of us were standing around a knight, who had his helmet taken off revealing a person. I still remembered how scared me and Scoob were that night.

"Raggy...Ri Riss Ra Rang."(I miss the gang) Scooby said, putting his heat loyally on my knee. I patted his head as we flipped through the memories of what used to be.

*** Daphne POV***

"Darling you look Fantabulous!" The skinny blond man cheered. I spun in my silky white dress, my hair brushing over my shoulders. The skinny man was Pierre, not only my agent, but also my personal stylist. After my acting career went down the toilet I was introduced to the world of modeling. Luckily, my figure was so perfect that I never had to diet.

"Thanks Pierre!" I twirled my long red hair around a finger.

"Although I wish you would just dye your hair to brown, you'd look so...whats the word..." He said, pondering the thought.

"Not me... I'm never going to change my hair color, sorry Pierre." I smiled. He had been pushing me to change my firely locks for years now, and often pushed me over the edge in frustration, but I was determined to never let him get to me. My red hair was a trademark, to Daphne Blake, the mystery solver. I'd grown too tall for my purple dress, so my hair was the only thing I kept. I walked to my dressing room, where I would get ready for the show tonight. Closing the door I changed into my purple bathrobe and sat sadly at my dressing room table, putting my head in my hands. A picture of Shaggy and Scooby wrestling on the grass was in the top left corner, while a picture of Velma holding 3 masks and making a funny face at the camera was in the other corner. My most treasured picture is one of Freddy, smiling at the old Malt shop we went to when we were teens. I missed the past, if only things didn't happen the way they did...maybe then the mystery Inc would stay together. But we can't change time, so what happened happened and I'm going to have to deal with it.

***Fred POV***

"Fred! Get over here NOW!" A rather large man in a brown suit called to me.

"Yes sir." I said, Balancing a stack of papers on my arm while I shoved my blackberry into my pocket.

"What did I tell you about these 'mystery stories'?" He asked angrily. "That they're not real, only a scam or a teenager pulling a prank!" He said, holding up my last article about several disappearances by an old abandoned house.

"Yes sir." I said, looking down. He sighed, obviously annoyed.

"You're a good writer Jones, just get a good story and you'll be in the New York Times pretty soon. Now go and get a scoop, or It's bye bye for you." He said sternly. Stressed, I walked back to my desk, popping two Advil pills, and sitting back in my chair. So much had changed in my life. Mystery Incorporated was doing wonderful, solving our 175th mystery only a year ago..then came the fight. A few days after solving the mystery of the haunted vending machine Velma called us all for a meeting.

***1 year ago Fred POV***

"So Velms, like, whats up?" The Hippy in the pea green shirt asked Velma.

"So you know how I've still been working hard in school even through solving mysteries." She started, smoothing down her skirt and adjusting her glasses.

"Yeah, you've been in your books since we've known you, so what." Daphne said, playing with a stray piece of hair near her face. Her hair gently falling past her pale complexion.

"Well I applied for early action..and I got into Harvard." She blushed. Wow, that really sucks.

"Root Root! Ray Relma!"(Woot Woot! Yay Velma!) Scooby Doo said, jumping up onto Velma to give her a wet slobbery kiss.

"Scooby, get down...And I accepted...School starts in 2 weeks...which means I can't help you guys with they Mysteries." She said, looking down with sadness.

"Well, I'm sorry about that Velma. But staying here is the right decision." Daphne and Shaggy gasped and stared at me hard. Velma looked up shocked.

"But Fred...A full scholarship... to Harvard! Do you have any idea how rare that is? It's been my dream since I was little!" Wait...she's actually considering this? No way.

"Velma, we need you. If you go to Harvard then we can't solve mysteries. Who else will get all the technical stuff?" I asked, my confusion showing through.

"We could just do it when I'm home for the summer, but I'm not giving up on my dream Fred." Velma said shakily.

"You can't just think of yourself in this situation Velma! If you go you're letting us all down, your choice." I argued, standing up. I can't understand why she would abandon us!

"You're the one thinking about yourself! This is my dream, and if you can't appreciate it then I quit! I'm not in Mystery Inc anymore!" Velma shouted. Her face red with anger she sped out of the house.

"That was like, not cool man." Shaggy said, jogging off after Velma. Daphne stood up next.

"Wow Fred...I didn't know this was the real you." she said softly, her heels clicking on the wood floor as she walked out.

"Scooby.." I said quietly. He was the only one I had left.

"Rorry Red..."(sorry Fred) Scooby muttered, licking my hand before he turned after Daphne and Shaggy...and suddenly I was all alone.

***Velma POV present time***

"And that concludes our lesson for today. Do page 932 questions 21-85. and the two essay questions on 936." The professor said from the front of the room. I scrambled to write down the assignment as class ended. I grabbed a quick coffee and headed up to my room.

Sitting down on my bed I tried to make sense of the calculus the professor was talking about. I pushed my glasses up my face, brushing aside my matted, messy hair. I had always thought that I was so smart, that I could take on anything. Back in the day my teachers told me that I was too smart to be in the school I was. But coming to Harvard made me realize that I wasn't as smart as I thought I was. I was getting a hour or two of sleep, and I hadn't talked to anybody on campus. My grades were C's and B's, not acceptable to the A+ student of 14 years of schooling!

Frustrated I threw my book down. I couldn't handle this anymore. I looked at myself in the mirror. I'd lost a good 10 pounds, my ribs were sticking out of my t-shirt. I don't remember a time when I was well rested. I'd only been in school for a year, but it had already taken it's toll. I looked back to the mirror and saw tears swelling in my eyes.

Through blurred vision I saw a picture of the gang in a frame behind me. I walked over, tears streaming down my cheeks. I looked at the Velma I once knew. Orange turtleneck sweater and school girl skirt with matching shoes completed her attire. Big glasses and dark brown hair framed the smiling girls face. I wiped the tears away, remembering everything. I hadn't talked to any of the gang since the day I left for college. And Fred and I haven't talked since the incident. It wasn't that I hadn't forgiven him...he was just confused...as usual, but things between us just weren't the same.

I turned to look at myself in the mirror again. The girl I once knew was falling apart. I had to get away, I couldn't stand looking at myself like this anymore! Quickly gathering some money and clothes in a backpack I ran out of the campus. My eyes still streaming with tears. I hailed a cab.

"Where to lady?" The cab driver said, unaware of my situation.

"2124 Santa Street." I said. The cab driver turned around.

"Lady, I have no Idea where that is." He said, confused.

"Oh, sorry. It's in Vermont." The man turned to me, eyes wide.

"Sorry ma'am, but I can't take you that far! You've gotta take a bus or a train. I could get you to either station.

"can you get me to the train station?" I asked. The cab driver nodded and we drove in silence. I paid him and I checked the schedule. Leave it to the smart girl to not remember how to read a map.

"Excuse me." I said to a man at a ticket counter. "but what train can I get on to get me to Burlington, Vermont." The ragged old man looked me over, trying to determine if I was a runaway.

"Train leaves in a few hours. That will be $29.62." The man said. I gave him most of my cash, stupidly bringing on 45 dollars. The man smiled at me as I turned and took a seat on a bench. My head was throbbing and my face was pale, I must have looked half dead from the stares I was getting. I closed my eyes for what seemed like a minute.

"Track 5 boarding Burlington Vermont. Leaving in 5 minutes." the announcer said. Jumping in surprise I grabbed my things and headed towards track 5. Taking a seat I opened my phone, realizing how late it was already. Class ended at 5. and the train was leaving here at 9...which would mean I would get there about 3 in the morning! I was so stupid, why didn't I think about this, wait till tomorrow to leave! And I have a History test tomorrow! If I don't take that I'll fail! Oh man, and I didn't even start my calculus homework. Why did I do this! I should just get off and get back. Just as I decided to go back the whole train jolted forward, causing me to fall back into my seat. We were leaving, there was no stopping this. I can't believe that I had just given up the opportunity of a lifetime because I was too weak. I watched the view of Massachusetts disappear, reminding me of what coming here was like. I closed my eyes, sleepily, wondering what everyone would think of me when I got back

***Three Hours later, Velma's POV***

The train stopped, jolting me awake. My body was haggard and just wanting to go back to sleep. I pushed myself up and out onto the street. I remembered this place of childhood. Running the streets with friends. I continued to walk down a small street, noticing the bookshop I used to practically live in. I couldn't go home, no, my parents would kill me. They wanted nothing more than their Velms to get a scholarship and become a world rewound doctor. The malt shop came into view next...well what used to be the malt shop. It had been taken over to a 'red robin'. The 24 hour sign was still up. My stomach churned thinking of eating. A year of Coffee and the occasional sandwich had destroyed my appetite. The shops turned into houses and I finally found Santa street. My feet were almost as pleased as I was. I was beginning to sway on the sidewalk, my headache returning. The house finally came into view. A small green condo with a single pink flamingo on the lawn. My eyes filled with tears as I turned to the driveway, a large green van labeled "the Mystery Machine" sat idly, obviously out of service.. I walked slowly up to the door. Taking a deep breath I rang the doorbell.

**Shaggy POV**

"Wow! The biggest veggie burger ever? Sure I'll eat it!" I said to the tux man. The delicious soybean patty was just centimeters from my mouth when I heard a buzzing noise.

"Oh sorry, time's up." The tux man said.

"Nooooo!" I cried!

I woke up with a jolt. The doorbell rang, that was what interrupted my dreams. Scooby lifted a ear and opened one lazy eye, before closing them and falling back asleep.

"Fine then, I guess I'll, like, get it." I said groggily. Slipping on my slippers I headed to the door. Who was at the door this late? I looked at the clock in the kitchen, it read 3:25 in the morning. I opened the door, to see a haggard looking homeless girl. She was wearing an oversized hoodie and ripped jeans.

"Uh, do I like, know you?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Shaggy." She said softly. She took one step forward before she fell into my arms. Suddenly, it all came back.

"Velms?"