HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D

We're getting closer to the end and boy, this is where it all comes down. Thanks for sticking with me this long and your patience. Life has been a wondrous blur of chaos and beauty. Plus, I needed to plan this right. Enjoy and thanks again for reading :D

"His name is Paul Giddeon, age 32. Technician." Velma read off from his profile that the ghostly brother had revealed to her.

"Fired as of – this was only a few months after the murder!" Daphne noted and nodded at Velma.

"We have work to do, gang." Fred spoke up as he gazed about the office, only imagining what knowledge would unfurl.

Long into the night the gang researched Purple Guy or "Paul Giddeon" as he was properly referred to. Shaggy and Fred watched old security tapes and recent ones to track down the man in question. What they witnessed they had made note of and were not surprised to find that his murders had taken place off screen where the camera could not detect him. Daphne and Velma examined his file and researched everything they could about the original Fredbear's Family Diner.

There were only two animatronics in the diner – a golden bear called Fredbear and a mustard shaded rabbit called Spring Bonnie (which the Internet commonly referred to as 'Springtrap'). One of the video tapes gave way to Paul Giddeon helping an employee into a suit, causing Velma to research the suits of Fredbear's Diner. Only Spring Bonnie and Fredbear could easily be entered through assistance and delicateness so that the wearer should not activate the springs, causing imminent death. Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, and Freddy were not spring traps. They were walking, talking animatronics and served as a modernized update to the old spring traps and for good reason. They welcomed guests during the opening of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

The use of spring trap suits came to an end when someone had died within the suit. It wasn't the bite of 87 per say, but it was a situation wherein someone attempted to wear the suit. The person had died in the suit the past year. An old newspaper clung to the back of the file cabinet drawer, telling of how a worker died at Fazbear's trying on the springtrap suit. The springs might have been rusted or water may have splashed upon them, but either way, something triggered them to completely crush the person inside. The person was entirely mangled within the suit to abstract any DNA from, but along with the story a warning was issued to all Fazbear employees. It was a bold, direct paragraph as to how employees were to evade the springtrap suit and that should any be found that they were to notify Carl so he could properly take care of them.

Velma couldn't believe this. If they stopped wearing the spring trap suits when the animatronic suits were introduced, then why would a springtrap suit be worn again? Or even somewhere on property?

The animatronics would peek in every so often and ask them questions about Paul Giddeon and every so often, the bodiless brother would be summoned or appear on his own accord and tell them what he knew.

Though of course, the bodiless brother's corpse still lied on the dining hall floor. Most of the night was devoted to the proper removal of the cadaver. It had to be respectful and as sanitary as possible without being caught on camera. Velma mopped up the blood and bleached the floor, causing Daphne to cringe at the smell, but it had to be done. Fred – the saner one of this venture – worked with Velma to secure the body and bound it tightly in table cloth that Shaggy could easily replace from the storage closet. Fred and Velma disappeared for a while, disposing of the corpse in a humane manner, leaving Daphne and Shaggy alone in the office together.

"I'm glad you and Velma are finally together." Daphne started in her usual sincere tone. "We've been waiting forever to-"

"We?" Shaggy inquired, turning away from his work for a minute.

"Yeah, me , Fred, Scooby, and Velma. She's had a crush on you for years."

Shaggy's eyes widened as he mentally kicked himself for not noticing before, but he was glad that now they were together. Albeit, he had loved Crystal and some other girl….Sookie, Schookie, Googie, years ago, but that was before how he felt now. Now he felt as though the love bug had bitten him full force as opposed to the passing years when he would look at Velma with admiration filled eyes. Sometimes, he now recalled, how he would secretly smile when she would announce some grand deduction regarding their mysteries. He knew back then he wasn't ready, but now, now he was more than ever ready to embrace that wondrous feeling titled 'love'.

"She never told you." Daphne snapped his thoughts. "I think it was because you were always with someone or she didn't want to ruin your friendship with her."

"Like she'd never ruin it or what I want with her." Shaggy spoke in that dream swept tone and Daphne smiled.

"What do you want with her?" Daphne asked curiously with a coy smirk, causing Shaggy to almost sink into his chair out of happiness. He basked in this moment as a reprieve from the murder and mystery as he imagined a future with Velma Dinkley.

"I want someone to like…snuggle with while watching movies and I just want to like listen to her and every single thing she says and be there for everything she does. Like I want to be by her side."

Before Daphne could unleash that little 'awwww' resting behind her lips, Tabitha had beaten her to it followed by a childish giggle. Daphne smiled and Shaggy laughed some to himself before returning to his work.

By the time the information was gathered and the brother's cadaver had properly been disposed of, morning was just starting to seep in. As the clock sounded six, the gang looked at each other in knowing that this day would bring about the final night at Freddy's. Time seemed to have flown by with the meeting and conversing with the children's souls trapped inside the suits, losing and regaining their sanity, learning about Fazbear's (more than what the Internet could ever tell them), and trying to understand the mind of a sick madman.

"It's your last day, Norville." Carl spat as he gazed at the empty hall. Shaggy stood beside him, gazing at the child less chairs and tables. "You were good for a security guard."

That day was filled with restlessness, coffee, and research. Velma had gathered the final results of the children's DNA samples to confirm their identities. Yet her mind was still baffled by the springtrap demise and Paul Giddeon's status. Clearly, they could have been tied together, but why would Paul return and enter that suit? Was it a form of suicide? The final strand of sanity leaving his mind? She couldn't decipher the motive to save her or perhaps, it was the lack of sleep getting to her. Exhaustion couldn't get in her way now and even Fred had offered a few suggestions. What if those children's families had somehow wronged him? Or if the kids themselves had done something to him? At some point she had fallen asleep as well as everyone else, but only she rose a few hours later to continue her search.

Shaggy stood (by some miracle) as he still mentally tried to piece together everything he had noted about the eatery before falling asleep. Despite his protests and wanting to stay awake and help, he was directed to bed. Even Scooby Doo sent him to bed, knowing how tired his master was. The security guard position was draining him of sleep and energy. Thankfully, this was the last night. Yet when he awoke only hours later, he demanded to know everything that had been discovered and Velma filled him in on the information. While he did listen to her, he couldn't help but to dreamily stare at her as she explained what she found.

"Like th-"

"'specially when you were talking to those robots." Carl interjected and the room grew thick with silent tension.

Shaggy froze. He swore he felt his heart stop and his throat run dry. Words eluded him and the only thing that came to his mind was that at any minute the police would burst through the front doors and take him away. The gang wouldn't be able to get in or solve the mystery and the kids would be trapped here forever, crying blood for all eternity. The children would never forgive the gang and they would probably haunt them in their dreams, longing for freedom from their robotic caskets and filling their nostrils with that ghostly gore scent.

"W-w-what? Like I thought-"

"I didn't care? I don't." Carl paused, glancing at the absolute dread on Shaggy's face. "But it's a job and I have to follow my duties as a manager. Part of my guidelines instructs that I watch the night guard's security tapes. You know, to see if any funny business goes down that they don't tell me 'bout. This went into place after the murders."

Funny business HAD gone down. Talking animatronics, robots that cried blood, children trapped in mechanics, friends of the employee in the facility when they weren't supposed to be, the list went on. Shaggy forgot how to breathe as he dared not meet Carl's eyes which closed and his lips gave way to a smirk.

"Y'know they never talked to Mike Schmidt."

"Mike Schmidt?" Velma had mentioned his name before and probably went into detail regarding him, but he couldn't remember. He only wanted an explanation from Carl as he tried to piece together an escape route should the cops appear or Carl tried to restrain him.

"Yeah, our old guard. I guess he didn't look like anyone they knew before…," Carl's voice trailed off rather roughly. "They just kept scaring 'im. He couldn't take it and left, right before you guys came along."

Looking over at Shaggy he saw that the slender man's body was quivering some and he patted him heartily on the back.

"It's your last night. I ain't gonna report you to the police as much as I should, given all the things you've done. Yet you managed to talk to those kids and hey, if you can get them outta 'ere, be my guest. This place is closing anyway. No one should be left behind."

"Carl, like, do you know what happened?" Shaggy hesitantly asked his eyes following Carl's as they seemingly drifted into the backstage area. The quiet air suffocated Carl as he took a breath to regain his memories and words. Shaggy felt slightly at ease knowing that Carl wouldn't have him arrested and so the escape plan in his head fell away. Yet wherein his solace was to be found, more questions arose regarding Carl and the murders.

"I always thought it was some damn punks pulling that shit. Bleeding animatronics, the smell. Thought it was stink bombs. I never thought there were kids in there til you started talking to them."

"And like the parents?"

"I thought they were in on it. Everyone's close in this town, even down to pulling pranks on each other. It's something they do for fun, but this…I didn't get it." Carl sighed, kicking himself mentally for his stupidity.

"Like what about Paul Giddeon?"

"Eh, you found bout Paul huh? He was a great technician. He kept trying to bring back Springtrap from the ol' diner, but it never came to. He's been missing since the last murder."

"Like where did he go?"

"We have no idea where he ran to. No one's even reported him or talked bout seeing him. So we marked him as 'fired' and never filled the job." Carl sighed. "They put a missin persons report on him but nada." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Shaggy knew how hard and terribly Carl was suffering from the guilt crashing down upon him. "I thought if I kept it going, keeping this place open, kicking the parents out, trying to get rid of hate and suspicion, that I could just ignore everything. That it could just be the way it used to be. I love seein those kids smile and laugh, I love this place – y'know the original Fazbear diner started here."

"Yeah like me and my friends looked into it."

"This place has always been a part of my life. It was so weird and amazing to see these robots gettin' up and dance and sing and people ate it up. Heck, I was one of them!" Carl's weak laugh was rough and bittersweet and it made Shaggy suddenly understand the manager more.

"But you can't run from the music forever. I shoulda let them ask questions, do anything to try and get their kids back. Maybe…maybe it wouldn't have had to come to this."

"Like don't you think Paul had something to do with the murders?"

"I-," Carl fell silent, biting his lower lip hard to staunch the guilt raking his back. "I mean, I-" words eluded him, knowing that someone had thought the same thing he did. "It's possible. He had vanished after the murders. No one's seen him. It's somethin I always thought about, but we could never find him, and everythin was so damn clean on the suits and tools. Like he was a ghost touchin 'em."

"Carl-"

"Look, I don't know anythin else, I swear. Just get 'em outta 'ere, k?"

What Shaggy had wanted to say was that it wasn't right for Carl to cower from reality. If he had anything to say, he should say it. Not cower or make for the door as he did now. He knew he wouldn't get anymore answers from Carl as he watched the short man walk with a guilty boulder clinging to his back. His intentions seemed well, but, what good did they do in the end? He bit his tongue, knowing that reprimanding a man he would never see again would do nothing. Plus it appeared that Carl had learned his lesson. Giving him a solemn nod, Carl turned from the entrance and looked back with a sorrowful stare.

"Good luck, Norville."

Once the gang had entered, they began their task of tearing down that door backstage. As they did so, Shaggy had told him of everything that had transpired between himself and Carl. Shaggy hadn't informed Carl of anything that they had found, believing that the man had seen everything on camera. Come to think of it, Carl hadn't mentioned removing that wood or eliminating the door. Perhaps Carl knew, Shaggy noticed his stare earlier when looking at this area. It was a stare full of worry and distress and maybe he knew something, but didn't want to say it. There was really no reason for him not to say anything, especially since this was the last-

"Okay," Fred broke Shaggy's thoughts. "On the count of three we all pull, okay?"

The animatronics eagerly nodded as well as their human companions. Troy still whimpered and clung to the corner of the dining hall. Everyone let him be, knowing that it was possibly too rough for him to handle. Even Foxy trembled in fright and Selene dared not move, not wanting to quake and terribly influence Tabitha.

"One."

Daphne flashed her light over the wood sealed door. Her fingers trembled as she stared at the slab. She always hated jump scares and she wouldn't be surprised if something lunged no sooner they took that wood away. She would just have to be brave and do her best not to scream. Sucking in her breath, she watched the space before her.

"Two."

Velma waited at the office due to Shaggy's concern and should something run from this secret hideaway then she would let everyone in before closing the doors. All cameras were moved to the backstage area. Some even offered her a glimpse into the area where if she looked close enough she could see Shaggy's legs shaking.

"Three!"

The weight of the animatronics and Shaggy's and Fred's strength bore down on crowbars that were wedged beneath the wood. The slab easily fell from its hinges as it landed with a crash and Shaggy felt his heart stop, having sworn that that wasn't the only sound he heard. As the wood struck the ground he swore he heard a loud cry erupt from – yet another door? Before them stood another door leading into the room with one lonely lock barring its entrance.

"Another door?" Daphne cried out and Tabitha groaned in sadness.

"We'llnevergetout!" The purple rabbit cried and the other animatronics looked at each other nervously.

"Don't say that," Selene chided, sending a glare at Fred who shuddered some. "We have to figure something out."

"Selene's right!" Fred spoke almost nervously, his spine still trembling from her stare. "Now where could the key be?"

Before Daphne could even blink, all eyes from the surrounding animatronic heads stared at the gang. Not the ones they befriended, no, no, but rather the ones on the walls. They had been glaring at the gang since the start of this mystery and not once did they offer any solace or comfort. Daphne wasn't sure what caused these bodiless heads to stare in such malice, but it made her blood run cold. She had felt their stare strengthen as they tried to pry open the door and now searching for the key. Shaggy whipped out his ring of keys assigned to him on the first day and tried every one, but no key matched the lock. The still eyes never ceased their stare upon the gang as Daphne swallowed hard.

Velma had entered in to see how they had made out as she eyed the door. Didn't phone guy say something about checking the heads? Her eyes widened as she looked around the room at the heads that glared them with darkness in their orbs. Maybe phone guy was onto something, she mused.

"Maybe," Velma started in a frightful tone. "Maybe the key is in one of these heads."

It was on this night Daphne regretted wearing her trademark heels because it gave her a slight advantage to reaching the heads above her. Fear shook her bones some at the chances of a head coming alive and biting her hand off. It was a silly notion, but given everything that had occurred at Fazbear's she was surprised that the heads hadn't lunged at them by now. Perhaps the spirits only haunted the suits and nothing else and besides, it had to be her imagination playing tricks on her. There was no way that the all of the heads' eyes were glaring at her as she neared the first one above her. Swallowing hard, she felt the cold glare pierce her eyes and hover around her soul. Those eyes, she knew, would never leave her mind.

"Okay," Daphne shakily spoke trying to calm herself. "Here it goes."

Her fingers trembled as her fingers neared the open jaw of the Freddy Fazbear head. Its eyes watching her fingertips as they slowly inched ever so closer and she quickly turned away, not wanting to see what would happen. She wouldn't be able to do much with one hand. Her job would suffer, Fred (would Fred leave her? The idea now frightened her) would have to take up most things, and her life would no longer be the same.

She had been on mysteries before where she could have lost a limb or even her life. Heck, she was even hypnotized at one point by a circus clown. She still had nightmares about that time, but Fred remained true to her. Everyone had seen their fair share of lunacy in their lives, yet the notion of her losing a hand had never seemed more prevalent than now. Clamping her eyes shut, she shoved her hand into the mouth and felt around the shelf and head. Nothing. No key, no lost hand, no chewed off arm, nothing. Daphne swore her head reeled and that she could faint, but the situation at hand kept her grounded.

"Try the other heads." Velma suggested and Daphne felt her heart stop. There were tons of more heads in the room. She watched as Velma slowly creeped to one of the heads in an attempt to help Daphne. Shaggy and Fred did the same. Their breaths held as their fingers slowly slipped between the jaws of the heads. Terror embraced them until their fingers felt nothing and their hands were spared. Solace soothed their soul even down to the last head when they believed that nothing would be inside. Yet Daphne had to check for the sake of this case and to satisfy her curiosity.

The last head. Usually the last of something often foretold doom and horrors of the unspeakable kind. Daphne had been well acquainted with that notion through movies and mysteries. Even a few mysteries started off with 'The Last…' or 'The Last of…'. Both were terrifying in their own right because what if they weren't the last? What if it was all just a decoy for a far greater population of the last of the aliens or the last hellhound? Or, as Shaggy usually dreaded, the last slice of pizza. That thought made her laugh some and she agreed she had a similar experience to that only regarding sushi. Sushi seemed nice now – a comfort food offering relief from this Fazbear nightmare. She would most likely get it back home with Fred to drown out the wailing of children in the suits and how they got there.

One more head to go and she would be temporarily fear free. It hadn't been so bad, what with everyone helping her and the heads proving to be key less. But then, where could that key be? Daphne reached her hand forward toward the final head.

"Ow!" Velma cried out and Shaggy was automatically at her side. She gripped her wrist, clinging it to her chest.

"Like are you old, Velms?" Shaggy asked without hesitation and was rewarded a kiss on the cheek from

Velma. Smiling somberly, her expression relieved Shaggy some.

"I'm okay. I drew my hand back before I could get bit. It looks like some of these heads are old. Rust may have damaged their gears, causing them to-"

CHOMP.

Daphne had unconsciously put her hand in the mouth of Freddy Fazbear's head. Her hand felt motionless and numb as though it wasn't there. Yet her arm was trembling and she dared not look over, not wanting to believe the reason why her fingers felt so ghostly. From the corner of her eye the head's eyes glared at her, fresh crimson staining its old dusty teeth. What rested between the two jaws, she knew as she felt the teeth still sinking down into her wrist.

Screaming was captured in her throat. When she tried to make that sound it eluded her. Instead she sounded like a skipping vinyl record, her head gradually turning to meet the fate of her hand. She swore Fazbear's eyes watched hers in horror as her voice became captured in her chest. It was suffocated by her brain going awry, sending a thousand commands but none were being accomplished other than standing still and staring. Run, scream, feel for the fingers, the fingers, where are the fingers?! Her brain shrieked and she couldn't respond, no, she didn't wantto respond, knowing damn well where those fingers were along with her palm. Call for Fred, Fred will know what to do, Fred, Fred, Fred, Fred, her mind was stuck on autopilot even as Fred tried to snap her to her senses. She wouldn't come to, her eyes staring in a trance at the Fazbear head and knowing what she would see if they parted the jaw. Oh but they had to. They had to part the jaw because Daphne knew her hand was inside.

"Shaggy, hand me the crowbar, quick!" Before he could even finish, Shaggy handed him the tool.

"Whathappened?" Tabitha called over, only hearing the bite and not wanting to believe what had occurred. Selene, judging by the sound didn't want Tabitha to see what happened and pulled her close.

"Is-is-is she okay?" Andrew asked, his one animatronic eye trying to get a glimpse of what just happened.

From the dining hall, Troy was still crying blood intermingled with mucus as it spilled onto the clean tiles from the day. He hadn't heard the snap, but he knew what waited for them was much worse.

"Daphne! Daphne!" Velma gripped Daphne's slender shoulders and shook her. She knew she had to regain Daphne's senses while struggling to keep hers' and that it wouldn't be easy. Velma believed what occurred as much as she didn't want to, but denial wouldn't have helped. Velma locked her eyes with Daphne's, trying to help her awaken from her terror induced trance. Daphne felt like a shaking limp noodle and Velma knew that she was possibly enduring shock. It was something she had read about in medical records and victims were offered special blankets to help reduce the feeling. There were no shock blankets to be found let alone any solace. Knowing this, Velma had to shake her awake against the medical journals' advice on not to do so.

"Daphne! It's Velma! Daphne!" Ignoring the blood on her friend's dress and cheek, Velma shook her gently to rouse her. Daphne was still locked in a trance, but only now her eyes began to water. Velma wasn't hurting her, by no means did she intend to if she was, and she watched as her friend's orbs began to swell greatly.

"Daphne?!"

Daphne responded with an ear splitting shriek that silenced Velma's method and brought the animatronics to their knees and against the wall, trying to cope with this sound. They hadn't heard screams like this before or in the least since the ones they cried during their murders. It was a sound that they never imagined would cause them to cringe – the screaming of a woman whose hand was lost to something they did not control, much like their lives. Tabitha clung to Selene, Troy coiled upon himself so terribly that he heard Freddy's internal wires and beams groan in protest, and Andrew pressed himself to the wall to stay grounded despite the fear shaking his soul. Shaggy reeled on his heels, having never heard Daphne shriek sound so loud since one of their old mysteries. Though he was surprised that she hadn't broken earlier or screamed from all the sights they had endured. Perhaps her tolerance was increased and she was far braver than he imagined. Regardless, Velma fell away from Daphne and stayed close to Shaggy, knowing her work was done. All she could offer now was her presence to be there for her.

Daphne's scream instilled so much strength in Fred that he pried apart the jaw with ease. Shoving the crowbar between the jaws, he turned his focus to Daphne. He swore Fazbear's eyes rolled over to him and he knew better than to stick his hand inside without some support preventing a fate similar to Daphne's hand. Looking into the parted reddened maws, he felt his stomach curl and churn as though he had ridden a roller coaster consisting of nothing but loops. He had seen bloodied victims before in cases and yet, nothing could prepare him for the sight before him.

Daphne's hand lied like fresh roadkill. Granted, if it were anyone else's hand that wasn't a part of the gang he would feel sympathy, but not the terror coursing through his veins. This was the hand of his beloved's, his wife's, his everything. This was the hand that would stroke his cheek and hair, that would make him lunch for work and dinner when he came home, that would hold him close, that he would kiss dearly and tenderly. This was a part of his woman that had been lost to a rusty old head and he swore he would most likely destroy this head in particular, if not all of them. It was the last night here and it was never opening again, so who would notice? He would make sure no harm would come to anyone, especially with this case. If Fred ever found out where Paul Giddeon was, he would never let him live it down especially due to the loss of his wife's hand.

Crimson stained Daphne's pretty fingers and the palm that he once held. He swore more blood poured out from the frayed nerves and veins that sparked out from the lost appendage. It made the hand pulsate like a heart and twitch like uneven electric currents and he bit his inner cheek to swallow the bile building in his stomach. Daphne's pupils moved to how her hand rested away from her wrist and how her frayed nerves still made her arm, if not her body tremble. She swore she was screaming, but she wasn't now. The sound tried to make its way through her throat once more, only what came from her lips was a culmination of sobbing and short, choked shrieks.

Daphne's delicate fingers loosely clasped a key. But it wasn't just a key. No, no. This was the key that had brought them to the ultimate point of no return. The final bout of sanity loss (they hoped) in this case, wherein they would open the door, peer into that secret room, and discover Paul Giddeon or hopefully, the resolution to this case. Yet why did she have to suffer for it, Fred mused to himself rather angrily. She was safe this whole time, not a scratch had come to her, but now – now in their final time of this ungodly mystery did harm have to fall upon her. Fred had endured a terrible cut, Shaggy some sanity loss, and even Velma some sanity loss, but Daphne, nothing had ever touched her in this case. If Fred could have, he would have punched a wall a few times and cursed this place to the ground, but not with Daphne and his friends still inside.

"We need to get this medically treated." Velma tried to bring reason to table while swallowing her own fear. Quickly grabbing a pair of scissors on the work table, Fred cut off the sleeve of his sweater and used it as a makeshift bandage on Daphne's new injury. Daphne dared not struggle or protest against his treatment and when he secured the wound, he kissed the cloth before kissing her lips. She didn't respond, still too stunned from what had just occurred and the thousands of thoughts unraveling in her head.

"Velms, like, get Daphne to the hospital," Shaggy spoke despite his knees shaking with fear at what had just occurred. Trying to keep a grip on the situation at hand, it was immediately broken by Daphne glaring at him with tearful eyes and puffy cheeks.

"I want Fred!" Daphne screamed in panic. "I need Fred, Fred don't leave me please, Fred-"

"Daphne," Fred cooed and quickly embraced her as she sunk into his arms. "I will not leave you or love you less than this. You need to get to a hospital, okay? Shaggy and I will stay here and try to put an end to this. Daphne? Daphne?!"

Daphne didn't move, her head buried into Fred's shoulder as her body seemed lighter than usual. Velma leaned up, feeling for a pulse at her wrist before flinching and quickly switching to her neck.

"She must have fainted." Velma remarked quietly as Fred held her tightly and buried his head into her hair. He couldn't cry now as much as he wanted to. He had to be the strong one. He had to remain the strong one in this case and biting his lower lip hard, he swallowed the tears building in his eyes. He should have made her stay with Scooby Doo in the hotel room or in the least, keep her away from all of this. Yet it couldn't be helped and no one knew this would happen. Holding her tightly, Fred felt his spine tremble in fear and concern for Daphne.

"Velma, take Daphne to the hospital." Fred spoke sternly, not making eye contact with anyone. "Shaggy and I will deal with whatever's behind that door." Velma nodded, only to look over at Shaggy who somberly returned the gesture- not wanting her to go, but for her to stay to act as his source of strength.

Taking a deep breath, Fred fished the keys to the Mystery Machine out of his pocket and tossed them to Velma. Hoisting Daphne into his arms properly, he bit his inner gum as he was suddenly reminded of his wedding day. The last time he had carried Daphne like this she was awake and smiling, her eyes and grin as bright as the sun. Her dress was long and trailed, even as he carried her down the aisle. The guests greeted them with cheers and smiles and he remembered how Shaggy and Scooby happily cried to see their good friends finally tying the knot. Sunlight poured in from the stained glass windows that day and only now did he long for the warmth of the sun as opposed to the dark, cold interior of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

Looking down, he saw Daphne's cheeks were puffed and tinted with blood drops. Her tangerine strands fell loosely around her as opposed to her wedding when they were stylized like her face. Her hands….hand, hung loosely at her side not only onto his suit or a bouquet. Fred grit his teeth and watched from the corner of his eye as Shaggy cooed sweet nothings and promises of safety and staying sane to Velma. She nodded with every crossing of his heart he did and believed everything he said. In a matter of this week he had become a magician of words powered by the love pumping in his heart for the short brainy woman of the group.

While Fred would have smiled, for a moment he felt envy that he wished he had the moment that the two shared. Oh yes, he had had times like this before where he would reassure Daphne that everything was all right, but now, now he needed that moment the most. Because he wasn't sure lied behind that fateful door and only now did he wonder if whatever was beyond it would cost him his life. To never see Daphne again would crush him entirely, to be deceased to the whole gang would break his very soul, but if it was to put this case to rest then maybe it would be worth it. Velma's little laughter broke his thoughts and he sighed to himself. Envy was not healthy and he was happy that the two beside him started something new that he knew was wonderful.

"Like text me when you get there and when Daphne's up." Shaggy spoke softly and Velma reassured him that she would, before kissing him as though he were about to go to war and never return. Normally, he would have responded in his dumbfound nature being surprised by the wondrous feel of passion radiating from her lips. If anything, he held her close as though he would never see her in a thousand lifetimes and returned with his own brand of love that she seemingly melted into.

"Be safe." Velma murmured against his lips and embraced him once more. Placing a final kiss on his cheek, she turned on her heel and allowed Fred to lead the way.

"Don'tworry," Tabitha chirped. "Wecandothis!" The hope of a little girl trapped within a mechanical coffin was enough to break and warm their hearts. Her saddened fate made their hearts beat dismally, but to know that she was more than determined to be free was enough to strength them some. Even Selene's soul smiled at the Bonnie bound girl and knew she would be joining her as well in the afterlife.

As they walked toward the back exit of Fazbear's, Shaggy felt his spine run cold as though someone was watching him. Yes, all eyes within the room still fell upon him from the bodiless heads, but it was the animatronics who scared him more than ever. Selene and Tabitha rushed behind Shaggy like children scared of lightening and Andrew stood his ground like a guard dog on the attack. All eyes now shifted from Shaggy to the door as from it came a rather loud noise that sounded like hands slamming on a hard surface.

"Whatisthat?!" Tabitha cried out, terror crawling from her frame.

"Don't be scared, we're almost there!" Selene responded sharply.

Shaggy swallowed hard, knowing that it was still a long night to go, but hopefully it would be the last.