A Mess on the Mesa

Disclaimer: Scooby Doo and all related characters are owned by Hanna-Barbara, Warner Bros., and/or Cartoon Network. All other characters, names, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, locals is coincidental.

Chapter One: The three R's

She was free! But they would be coming, probably were on her trail already. The only thing she could think of was to run, put as much distance as possible between her and them.

The desert dunes loomed ahead as far as the eye could see. Her whole body ached with the fatigue of running in sand. Sand that shifted, spilling her head first several times, draining what little energy she had left with each step. The sun beat down on the red head mercilessly; no tree broke the stark landscape with a hint of protection.

Facing dozens of perils had never deterred her friends and especially Fred from coming to her rescue in the past. They had always beaten the bad guys and had a good laugh afterwards. She wished she could laugh now.

She lunged up the next dune, her feet sinking into the bottomless sand, falling backwards. The woman lay panting, crying, her tears of fear disappearing into the dry grit. One hope, one chance before her pursuers arrived. Pushing herself up, she gave forth a scream filled with the hope that Fred and her friends might hear.

"Freddie!"

Daphne's voice reverberated through the barren hills, the echo fading away into silence. There was no way to detect the source, no way to tell in what direction the call had originated. The blond headed man shaded his eyes with his hands, searching the wasteland before him. There was nothing to see but endless sand dunes. With his heart pounding in his throat, Fred turned to his friends.

"We'll have to split up and search for Daphne."

"We can't do that, Freddie!"Velma's voice faltered, "there are no landmarks and we have no water. If we split up we'll all be lost in this desert wilderness!"

"Where are you, Freddie!" The voice repeated, the echo dying away in the distance.

"We have to do something! We have to find Daphne!" Fred replied, the fear of failure thick in his voice; he turned, walking off into the desert alone.

"Shaggy, Scooby, spread out but stay in sight." The three friends followed their friend into the barren landscape.

"Help me, Freddieeeeeee!" The dunes devoured the echo. Over time, four sets of footprints dissolved into one.

Alone, Fred trudged through the sand; tripping, falling, rising, "I'm coming, Daphne!"

-Xxxxxx

"Freddie?"

Fred jerked up, bathed in a cold, clammy sweat, tangled in the bedsheets. The sun tried to fight its way through thick drapes, leaving the bedroom in subdued darkness.

"Freddie! Wake up!" It was Daphne's voice, calling him from the disturbed slumber.

"Daphne! It's you! You're here!" He grabbed her in a hug, "I thought I'd lost you!" He held her tight as if afraid he'd lose her again.

"I'm here. It's okay. It was only a bad dream." Her voice, soft and soothing, she returned the hug, which was fast turning into an embrace, holding him as his heartbeat slowed to normal. "Come on, go take a shower and get dressed. I think Shaggy and Velma are getting breakfast ready."

Entering the brightly lit dinning room, Fred found Daphne and Shaggy sitting at the table, Daphne pouring syrup over a stack of pancakes. Velma dished up 'cakes, eggs and sausage, setting the plate in front of Fred. "Coffee?"

The red head got up and placing her arms around his neck, whispering, "You okay?" Getting an affirmative squeeze and a "I'm fine," she returned to her seat unconvinced, the dark circles under his eyes and haggard look belied his statement

"Freddie, I don't want you to get upset but I called Uncle Matt and explained about the dreams you've been having. He agreed you might benefit from a rest so he invited all of us out to his ranch. We can go camping, fishing or just be lazy. How does that sound?"

"Being lazy sounds good." Shaggy said around a mouthful of food.

"You've had plenty of practice." Velma snickered lovingly, placing her plate on the table. "That sounds like a good vacation, Daph."

"No deserts, no mysteries, Daph?" Fred grinned but his voice sounded strained.

"A few desserts maybe but no deserts, no mysteries."

"And no GPS this time, Fred. Remember the last time." The brunette smiled at the thought. They had been headed for the mountains that time too but ended up with the Mystery Machine buried in six feet of muddy water, miles from their destination.

"Do you think this is a good idea, Daph?" The pretty brunette dried her hands on a tea-towel. She and Daphne had finished cleaning the breakfast dishes while the guys were checking out their camping gear in preparation for their departure the following morning.

"I think we all could use a change of scenery." The red headed detective replied.

"What was that about deserts Fred was referring to this morning?"

"I'm not sure. Fred woke up from a nightmare saying he was afraid of losing me. I'm hopeful that he'll talk about what's bothering him while we're at Uncle Matt's ranch if we can find some time alone."

"I'll keep Shaggy busy and you can take Fred on a long walk, a very long walk."

"I'm sure you will. Let's just see what happens, okay?"

"Okay, but, ahem, what about the changes we've made here at headquarters?"

"We'll just be discreet and not say anything. Let's go get our stuff packed."

-Xxxxxx

It was dark and cold early next morning when the fully loaded brightly painted Mystery Machine made its way out of town, turned onto the freeway and headed west.

"What did you tell your uncle?" Fred asked, glancing at the red head sitting beside him. A folded map lying in her lap. A quick glimpse at the rear view mirror showed Shaggy and Velma lying on two sleeping bags, taking advantage of the moment to catch some extra sleep. Scooby lay across both bodies, snoring softly.

"Nothing more than you haven't been sleeping well recently. How could I when you haven't told me anything about the nightmares?"

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. I haven't had nightmares since I was a kid. I'm sure it'll pass." The blond put his arm around her shoulder, she scooted over on the bench seat, snuggling close. "I haven't told you that I love you this morning. I do love you, you know."

"I know, Fred. I love you too. That's what has me concerned, I can't help if you don't tell me what's bothering you." The heater hummed, making the interior of the van comfortably warm. Resting her head on his shoulder, she drifted off to sleep.

The sun shone brightly in the rear view mirror, promising a nice day for driving when Fred pulled into a service station with a near by restaurant. Killing the motor and kissing her sleeping lips, he whispered, "ready for some breakfast?"

"And a clean bathroom!" A sleepy Daphne said, straightening up.

"Amen!", "Someone say breakfast?" The first from Velma then Shaggy yelled from the back.

"The magic word." Daphne looked back to see her two friends begin to stir.

"Scoob, I have a bad feeling about this vacation." The thin sandy haired detective said later while walking his dog.

"Rhy, Raggy?"

"What happens on all our vacations?"

"Ronsters! Rysteries! Rand Running!"

"Yep, the three R's of Mystery Inc. Monsters, mysteries and a lot of running."

TBC