Characters are property of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Hanna-Barbera.

A Change in Routine

When the first rays of the sun reached his bedroom that morning, they created angular patches of yellow. Not a bright yellow, but an incandescent one, the kind he expected from candles. The swatches illuminated a small pile of clothes by his dresser, his collection of albums, and a brown and black dog sleeping on the worn area rug.

Shaggy Rogers woke to sunlight on his face and laid about in bed for a while. He watched the color slowly creep around the room as the sun rose over the rooftops outside. The bedroom was a bit colder than usual, but the snow stuck to the windowpane explained that.

Becoming more aware of his surroundings, he wondered what time it was, but was not willing to look at the clock yet. He knew it was too early to wake Scoob. Hell, it was too early for him to be awake. Shaggy raised himself from the bed a bit and gave in to checking the time. The clock read 6:15. He had almost another hour before she came. His stomach turned at the thought of what he intended to do.

It was a routine. Velma was an organized woman who lived by schedules and tried to keep the whole gang on one. Waking up at seven everyday was not Shaggy's favorite thing to do, but it kept everyone consistent. Fred may be the group's leader, but it was Velma who took care of the small things that would otherwise be overlooked. Under her watchful eye, the gang and their business ran like a well oiled machine. They were up and ready to leave by nine, the bills got paid, the laundry washed, movies returned, and appointments remembered.

He did not know what time Velma got up, he had never woken up early enough to know. But he knew she was always the first showered and dressed. 'She must be awake by now.' He thought. Soon she would make her way down the hall knocking on each of the three doors. 'Two doors.' He mentally corrected himself. A few months earlier, Fred had moved into Daphne's room and turned his old bedroom into a group office.

Shaggy thought about the young couple in the room next to his. They were probably still curled up in bed, unaware that they did not have much longer to sleep. His heart ached a little at the thought. How lucky they were to both love each other. 'It must be nice.' He mused, but his train of thought quickly changed. His love was a solitary one.

He looked at the clock again; 6:37 this time. The yellow tinge was now gone from the light; it had disappeared as swiftly as it had woken him. Shaggy lay back down and turned his thoughts back to Fred and Daphne. 'Good thing Velma only knocks.' He thought as he smirked. Last night he had heard them not-so-quietly making love. 'Must be nice.' His mind suggested as he started to wonder what it would be like to make love to Velma. As quickly as the idea rose into his thoughts, he pushed it back. She didn't love him; it hurt too much to think about.

His chest felt like heavy lead weights had developed in it over time. He carried the weight and shame of his love for his friend around for what seemed to him like ages. Shaggy tried to keep it deep within himself where it could be safe. Though, he always imagined that Velma's eyes had the ability to see into him. He wondered if it had something to do with her glasses.

Anxiety was starting to set in and he distracted himself by trying to mentally catalog all the things he loved about her. Shaggy absentmindedly wrote the letters of her name with his fingertip on the wall next to him. When he finished the last cursive letter, he said it just to hear it. His heart meekly started to council him. 'You have to tell her sometime, you cannot live like this much longer.' The notion prompted a familiar scene to play out in his conscious. Velma would look disgusted, he would reach for her, she would turn away, and his embarrassment would lead him to pack his worn suitcase. He lay in bed and wondered if he should even tell her. He could always just leave, right? Then Velma and his friends would never have to find out.

His love for her had reached that critical point though. Telling her and trying to move on with his life was much better than suffering in silence. He questioned how much he would regret moving and trying to find his own place, but he did not see a much better alternative. He wondered if Velma would forget and knock on his door after he left, telling the empty room it was time to get up. No, she did not make mistakes like that. She would put him in the part of her life she considered to never have happened; he would have a space in her mind right next to Ben Ravencroft.

Shaggy had felt sick to his stomach since he made up his mind to tell her last night. Thinking about his decision now was not making him feel much better either. Last night he had planned what he would do. He would try not to look too hurt when she rejected him, and the next morning he would probably wake up in his old room at his parent's house.

He had not slept much last night either and a part of him wanted to close his eyes and dream about her. His imagination was quickly shut down by his perceived reality. Instead he sat at the edge of the bed to fight his tiredness. Smart, lovely, quirky, practical Velma could not love him. He steeled his heart and sat facing the door. He was running out of time and kept his panic at bay by trying to find a way to explain to his friends and family why he had left Mystery Inc. By the time he imagined reasoning with Fred, he head her rap at the door.

"Like, come in Velma." He heard himself say. The other side of the door was silent for a moment. He could picture her standing in the hall wondering what he wanted. He watched the handle of the door turn slowly as she peeked in and eyed him at the edge of his bed.

"I didn't think you were up yet, Shaggy. Are you alright?" Velma asked, noting that he looked somewhere between sad and ill. She took a few steps into the bedroom to examine him more closely.

"Not really Velma…" His bravery faltered, he could not tell her the truth just yet. "I'm leaving Mystery Inc." Shaggy lifted his head to look at her as she gasped.

"Shaggy! When did you decide this!"

"Last night."

Velma shook her head as she tried to imagine their group being split up. "Why would you want that? You and Scooby belong here with us."

He could feel her looking inside him for an answer, her eyes searching his face, while her own settled into a frown. He heard his voice crack when he whispered his answer. Shaggy had not intended to whisper, but the words did not want to come out.

"I just can't stay here anymore, Velma." His face felt like it was on fire. "I care about you too much and I know you don't feel…" His voice trailed off as she turned away and walked towards the door. Shaggy sighed and rested his elbows on his knees as he held his head. He ran his fingers though his hair and stared at the floor as he heard the door close quietly. It was just how he imagined, but much worse in reality. The door clicked into place in its frame, soon followed by a second small metallic creak. 'That sound…' He thought and glanced up. To his astonishment, Velma hadn't left, but was instead locking the door for privacy.

She walked back to him and sat at his right on the elevated mattress. Her small orange socked feet barely touched the floor. He allowed himself a small smile and added 'how she walks around the house in her socks' to the list of things he loved about her.

Velma sat alongside him and had started to rub his back in a soothing manner. Shaggy had not realized that he was still shirtless and in his pajama pants. He had intended to get dressed before she came, but forgot somewhere along the way. He was about to say something about putting on a shirt when he felt her head lean against his shoulder.

"Please tell me you won't go." She whispered.

"No, Velma. I care about you too much and I can't live here when I know you don't…" He stopped as she sat back and put her hand gently on his cheek.

"Don't talk like that, Shaggy. I never said that."

Struggling for words, he felt Velma press her lips to his. The lead feeling that had settled in his ribs now felt light, like growing vines, holding him together and blooming. His mind was reeling as she pulled away and smiled shyly.

"I've been waiting for you to tell me. I've known for a while now."

"Like, how Velma? I didn't tell anyone." He asked, embarrassed. Had he been that obvious?

She chuckled. "You've never been very good at hiding things."

He still felt stunned. His mind ran in circles, trying to find the right thing to say. Nothing came. He just gazed at her, taking her in. Her eyes, her smile, her freckles. He brushed her hair behind her ear and felt daring as he lowered his head to kiss her.

"Shaggy?" Velma whispered after they separated. "It's freezing in here!"

He felt his face break into a smile and they shared a laugh.

"Then stay with me a while." Shaggy said as he started to climb back into bed and made room for her. This action caused Velma's face to change from content to suspicion. Shaggy was quick to realize his mistake.

"Like, I don't mean any harm." He said nervously. "I- I just want to hold you."

Velma visibly relaxed and blushed. "I think I'd like that."

Shaggy pulled her close after she lay down. This was something he had always wanted to do. He could feel Velma snuggled next to him, trying to get comfortable against his body. Even though he hadn't been able to tell her that he loved her this morning, he realized there was always time for that. Right now he just wanted to hold and kiss the beautiful woman who rested her head on his shoulder. In that moment of peace, a sudden thought occurred to him and made him jump in surprise.

"Are you going to wake Fred and Daphne?" Shaggy asked.

"Hmm. What time is it now?"

Shaggy looked over her shoulder at clock on the dresser. "7:13." He answered.

Velma took off her black glasses and reached behind her to set them on the nightstand. She turned back to her previous spot and smiled at him. "No, they can get up themselves today. I am sleeping in!" Her smile charmed him and he couldn't help but kiss her. To Shaggy, seven o' clock seemed much too early to get up when you have someone to hold.

They awoke a while later when Scooby needed to be let outside. Velma had been waiting for a day like this to come, and consequently, it did not feel real yet. She tried to remember and retain everything that had happened. She smiled at the newest memory of Shaggy sitting on the bed scratching the Dane's ears and telling him good morning. She had never once doubted that he was a gentle soul.

When Shaggy let himself into the room a few minutes later he had the remains of snow on his jacket. Velma moved over to let him back in and regretted it as soon as she felt how cold he was. He settled and turned to face her.

"Velma, I was thinking. Why did you never tell me that you knew?" He asked.

"There was no need to confront you or make a scene; I knew you would tell me in time."

Shaggy smiled and wrapped his arms around her, stealing her heat. She felt a little braver then he did however, and continued to steal kisses from him.

Daphne Blake fumbled down the hall in her silk bathrobe and slippers. It was almost nine thirty in the morning, but she wasn't fully awake yet. Fred had already got in the shower after they had woken up and concluded Velma must be sick. It wasn't like her to neglect this crucial part of their routine.

She stopped and knocked at Velma's door. "Velms, are you alright?" Daphne waited for an answer, and after she did not hear one, pushed the bedroom door open. Daphne was perplexed by the empty room. The bed was made and the curtains were open, but there was no sign of Velma. She closed the door and headed down stairs to look for her friend.

Velma was not in the kitchen or living room and her bike was in its spot on the back porch with a couple inches of snow accumulating on it. Daphne found footprints on the steps, but with the dog tracks right next to them, she quickly concluded that they were Shaggy's. Not being able to find Velma was starting to worry her now. Disappearing without telling someone was not something she could imagine Velma doing. She went back upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door.

Fred opened the door and continued to button his shirt. "How's she doing, Daph?" He asked.

"I don't know. She wasn't in her room, Freddie. Did she say anything about staying at her parent's for a night? I think I would remember her telling me something like that though."

Fred stopped what he was doing and started to look concerned. "She didn't leave a note?"

"No. There wasn't one on the fridge."

"Man, Daph. I'm not sure. Maybe Shaggy and Scooby know? Why don't you ask them, I'll be out in a minute." Fred told her with a furrowed brow.

Daphne left Fred and went down the hall to Shaggy's door and knocked. She soon heard rustling and Shaggy's tired voice.

"Like, who is it?" He asked undoing the lock.

"Daphne." She answered as he cracked the door a few inches to talk to her.

"Like, what's going on Daph?" Shaggy asked, looking tired and confused.

Instead of answering immediately, it only took Daphne a few seconds to evaluate the situation. At this point everyone was used to the fact that Shaggy slept without a shirt. No one really seemed to mind him strolling to the bathroom that way in the morning, hell, Fred did the same thing. It was not his lack of a shirt that surprised her, but the small light purple bruises that decorated his neck and collar bone.

Daphne smiled deviously. "Never mind, Shaggy. It's nothing." She watched him close the door with a puzzled look before she ran back down the hall to Fred.

Shaggy walked back to his bed thinking about how he was destined not to get any sleep today. Velma on the other hand had not even woken up when Daphne knocked. He looked at her for a while before climbing back into his spot. As he pulled the quilt back over them he caught a glimpse of himself in the dresser mirror.

"Zoinks! My neck!"

Fred was just about to go start breakfast when Daphne nearly collided with him in the hall.

"You're excited. Did Shaggy know where Velma went off to?" He asked casually.

"Oh, Shaggy knows exactly where she is." The redhead said with a smirk. "I bet you can't guess where."

"No way!" Fred exclaimed, but Daphne shook her head.

"Yep! Just as we always thought."

Fred smiled at her. "It's about damn time!"