Daphne sat in mild disbelief on the set of her television show. She had explained to her audience and co-host her adventures on Moonscar Island with the gang without proof; her video camera with all of the footage of real zombies had sunk in quicksand and her guest star, Detective Neville, had been forced to cancel his appearance at the last minute due to the reason he had to investigate a robbery. Fred had managed to persuade Daphne to discuss their zombie fright night anyway and in result the audience and the co-host did not believe her and they had actually started to laugh. Daphne looked at Fred for help but he shook his head, obviously not wanting to leave his position backstage and get involved. Daphne felt a small surge of anger pierce through the humiliation.

She stood on her feet and ran off the set, everyone laughing too hard to notice. Fred tried to stop her but she pushed him aside and rushed to her dressing room. She burst inside and grabbed her jacket and purse before racing back out. As she put on her jacket, Daphne ran past the semi-laughing, semi-startled crew, fighting back tears. She was not going to cry in front of everyone and as for Fred, he could officially consider their relationship over. She had never loved him in that fashion anyway; she had only gone out with him as an attempt to get over a guy whom she had never expected to have fallen in love with. Daphne now saw that, after their escapade on Moonscar Island, she had to accept those feelings and let Fred go out of fairness to him. She had stayed with him out of guilt for using him and partly out of hope to fall for him instead of the other guy and failed tremendously; her feelings for the other guy only grew as time passed, much to Daphne's disbelief. But seeing Fred not stand up for her on live television gave her the kick in the butt she needed to break it off with him. She just had to calm down first so that she didn't kill him in the process.

Daphne ran out of the building and across the parking lot. She reached the Mystery Machine and jumped inside, slamming the door shut behind her. She put the key in the ignition and started the engine, making it roar. She slammed her foot on the gas pedal and drove off without a second thought.

The Mystery Machine pulled easily into the driveway and Daphne turned off the engine and pulled the key out before stepping outside. Her mansion stood before her and Daphne was glad to be home. She walked up to the steps and went inside her house, happy to be somewhere where no one could laugh at her and accuse her of having a vivid imagination.

Daphne was hanging her coat and purse on the coat hanger when she heard noises coming from the kitchen. Smiling slightly, she walked to her kitchen and found Shaggy and Scooby-Doo raiding the fridge. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo lived in the neighboring town and since they had arrived from Louisiana late last night Daphne had suggested they both spend the night at her place, which they had heartily agreed. It was in Shaggy and Scooby-Doo's plans to return home early the next day but Daphne had insisted that they stayed for at least a week. She had missed them – especially Shaggy – and was overjoyed when they had accepted her offer. Shaggy stayed in the room next to Daphne's while Scooby-Doo, for unknown reasons, stayed in the living room, something Daphne found odd.

When she had entered the kitchen, Shaggy took his head out of the fridge and grinned broadly at her. Daphne felt herself melt a little.

"Like, hey, Daph," Shaggy greeted cheerfully. "You're home early."

"Yeah, I know," she replied, still a little disarmed by his smile.

"What happened? I thought your show lasted an hour?" Shaggy enquired.

Shaggy's charm wore off and Daphne returned abruptly to reality. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came. She shook her head and ran upstairs. She entered her bedroom and threw herself on her bed, finally giving in to her tears.

Shaggy watched Daphne run out of the room visibly upset. What had happened on the television set? Shaggy had been on his way to watch her show but he had stopped by the kitchen for a snack. There was no point to tuning in to the show now with Daphne home. Shaggy was torn between going to Daphne and staying with his dog. He wanted to go talk to her but she had rejected people coming to her before; she didn't always do it but it had happened.

"Go rafter her, Rhaggy."

Shaggy looked over his shoulder and found Scooby-Doo watching him closely. Scooby-Doo knew how Shaggy felt about Daphne: the young hippie was in love with the pretty redhead, which was why Scooby-Doo slept in the living room instead of with Shaggy. He wanted to give Shaggy and Daphne their privacy if anything happened; they were young adults after all. Shaggy had been surprised yet appreciative of his dog's reasoning.

"You sure she won't just slam the door in my face if I try?" Shaggy asked uncertainly.

"Nah, not you, Rhaggy. She rikes you," Scooby-Doo replied confidently.

"Well, she likes Freddie and Velma too but that doesn't mean she always lets them in and she's dating Fred. See where I'm going here, Scoob?"

Scooby-Doo slapped a paw to his face and Shaggy wondered why the Great Dane looked so frustrated. It seemed that Scooby-Doo knew something his owner did not.

"Go, Rhaggy," Scooby-Doo pressed on impatiently, butting Shaggy gently in the behind with his head, making Shaggy stumble forward.

"Okay, okay! I'm going!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Like, chill, man."

He left the kitchen and went upstairs. He made his way to Daphne's bedroom and knocked softly on the door. He was greeted with a muffled "Go away!" but Shaggy wasn't going to give up so easily; Scooby-Doo had seemed so sure of himself and Shaggy trusted his dog's judgement. He took a deep breath and opened the door before stepping inside.

Daphne was lying on her bed. She had raised her head when Shaggy came in and he saw tear tracks glistening on her cheeks. It saddened Shaggy to see her in such a state. He closed the door and sat on her bed.

"I thought I told you to go away," Daphne said weakly.

"You did. But I came anyway," Shaggy replied softly, gathering her in his arms. She did not resist; Daphne buried her face in Shaggy's shoulder and cried silently. Shaggy waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"Like, what happened, Daphne? I've never seen you so upset," he asked.

"Oh, Shaggy! It was so humiliating! I don't know why I listened to Fred," Daphne cried.

"What do you mean?"

"I let him persuade me into presenting our adventures on Moonscar Island without any proof and everyone laughed at me in result."

"Zoinks! Like, I thought Detective Neville was supposed to be there?"

"He was but he had to cancel due to a mass robbery at a jewellery store on the other side of town."

"Oh," Shaggy said.

"The worse part of it was that Fred didn't even defend me. He just stood there, cowering backstage," Daphne continued tearfully.

Anger rose inside Shaggy. He might frighten easily but he never let his fear stand in the way of defending a lady. He was raised to be a gentleman and the idea of Fred looking out for his own interest instead of standing up for his girlfriend repulsed the modern hippie.

"Don't worry, Daph. I'll set him straight," Shaggy said angrily.

Daphne pulled away from him and gave him a watery smile.

"Thanks, Shaggy, but that won't be necessary. It's over between me and Fred," she replied.

Shaggy deflated. "You – You guys broke up?" he asked, half-hopeful, half-disbelieving.

"Well, not yet but the next time I see him I see him I'll break it off with him" Daphne said, determination breaking through the sadness.

Reason overcame hope as Shaggy asked, "But don't you think you're, like, acting kind of rash? Talk to him first, Daph."

"Shaggy, I've never told anyone this before but I don't love Fred in that way. I never did," Daphne confessed.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed in surprise. Daphne nodded.

"You can say that again," she sighed. "I shouldn't have agreed to go out with him; it's not fair to him."

"But why did you do it?" Shaggy asked incredulously.

"W-Well…" Daphne stammered, her cheeks turning into a delicate shade of pink.

"Daphne," Shaggy said sternly.

"I-I fell in love with someone I never expected to fall in love with. It scared me to go for a different kind of guy even though he's a sweetheart and is so much better for me so I went to Freddie, who is the type of guy I usually date. I thought doing that might steer me back into falling for I guess the jock type is what you can call them. Jeepers, I'm terrible!" Daphne explained, hiding her face in her hands.

Shaggy put an arm around her shoulders. "H-Hey," he said, "it's okay: you were scared. Trying something new is always scary. Like, everything is." Daphne giggled and Shaggy smiled. "Follow your heart like Scoob and I follow our stomachs; you'll never be wrong."

"You know what" You're right; I should follow my heart and go to the guy I love!" Daphne exclaimed, looking suddenly energized.

"Good for you," Shaggy said, wishing that the guy she was talking about was him. "Go to him and, like, tell him how you –"

The end of the sentence was lost when Daphne suddenly leaned over and kissed him. Shaggy was so in shock that he froze; he had not expected this in the least. Daphne slowly pulled away from him and looked at him dead in the eyes.

"D-Daphne!" Shaggy stammered, blushing profusely, his heart pounding.

"Shaggy, you're the one I fell in love with. And I know that what I did with Freddie was wrong and I'll definitely understand if you don't want to become involved with me romantically. I just needed to tell you how I felt," Daphne said.

"Are you crazy? Like, of course I want to go out with you! Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this moment?" Shaggy wanted to know.

"What?" Daphne blinked.

"Daph, I fell in love with you years ago. I just never mustered up the courage to tell you," Shaggy said gently. "When I heard that you were dating Fred that almost killed me. I was so devastated; you could ask Scooby about that if you don't believe me."

"Oh, but I do believe you. I'm so sorry, Shaggy. I never meant to hurt you," Daphne replied sadly.

"It's not your fault; you never knew about my feelings. Maybe if I had spoken up things might have turned out differently."

"I'm still responsible for my actions, Shaggy. I may not have known that I as hurting you but I was aware that I was leading Fred on. I have to apologize to him."

"And you will and he'll, like, totally understand. Fred's not unreasonable, Daph."

"You sure about that?" Daphne raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yep! Well, maybe not, like, one hundred percent…" Shaggy trailed off.

Daphne laughed whole-heartedly and Shaggy grinned happy to see her cheerful again. Then Daphne looked at him intently and Shaggy felt his cheeks burn as he realized what she wanted. Summoning his courage, Shaggy leaned toward Daphne and gently pressed his lips against hers. Daphne responded to his kiss and it soon became more heated, more passionate. Shaggy felt Daphne's arms snake their way around his neck and pull him down as they both fell back onto the bed, his brain barely registering what was happening.

"Uh, ram I interrupting romething?"

Shaggy and Daphne quickly disentangled from one another and abruptly sat up. The bedroom door was open and Scooby-Doo was standing at the threshold, starring at them. Shaggy glanced at Daphne and was certain that his face was the same shade of scarlet as hers was.

"Um, hey, Scooby. N-No you're not interrupting anything I think," Shaggy replied, slightly embarrassed. Daphne roughly shook her head as if to confirm his statement.

"Rokay," Scooby-Doo said, smiling knowingly. "Rhaggy, there's a Rincent Van Ghoul movie on. You roming?"

"Uh, yeah. Just give me a minute, Scoob."

Scooby-doo nodded and went back downstairs. Shaggy turned to Daphne who was watching.

"Like, sorry, Daph. I got a little carried away back there," he said nervously.

"You weren't the only one," Daphne replied, smiling a little. "I have never known what it was like to kiss someone I love until now. Your kiss energised me instead of disappointing me. It was so amazing that I let myself go on further than I usually do."

"Yeah, I went a little further than I thought I would have too. I don't know about you but I'd like to wait a while before… you know…" Shaggy said awkwardly.

"Agreed. Let's wait as long as we can, okay?" Daphne said, placing a hand on the side of his face.

"Like, groovy!" Shaggy exclaimed cheerfully. He jumped to his feet. "Wanna come and watch the movie with us?"

"Why not? Just make sure that you hold me during the scary parts," Daphne replied, taking his offered hand and standing up.

"Deal!" Shaggy said as they left the room.

The movie credits rolled on the television screen and Daphne finally loosened her grip on Shaggy's hand. He massaged his obviously throbbing hand and Daphne giggled apologetically. She had warned him that she was barely tolerant of scary movies – which was slightly ironic due to her always chasing after ghosts and monsters – and that she had a firm grip when scared. Shaggy had told her that it was all right and he didn't seem to feel anything until now. Daphne was slightly amused

As they cleaned the mess of popcorn on the floor (Scooby-Doo had at one point knocked the gigantic bowl of popcorn to the ground out of fright), the doorbell rang. All three of them jumped, still in the movie's atmosphere. They dropped their task and went to answer the door.

Daphne opened the door and, much to her surprise, found Fred and Velma standing on the front porch. The pair of them was looking anxious and Daphne was sure that it was not for the same reason.

"Daphne! I saw what happened on TV and came the minute I could! Are you all right?" Velma asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Daphne replied truthfully.

"Are you sure?" Velma pressed on.

"Yes. Don't worry, Velm. I've had help," Daphne said, looking at Shaggy. He met her gaze and they smiled at each other. Daphne saw the bespectacled girl watching them closely and she knew that Velma's mind was working furiously.

"Daphne." Velma smiled warmly.

"What?" Daphne replied nonchalantly, her face feeling a bit hot.

"Let's go in the kitchen," Velma said, sounding as if she could barely contain her excitement.

"You girls go talk. Freddie, Scooby and I can go in the living room and see if there's another Van Ghoul movie on TV," Shaggy said as Scooby-Doo nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a plan," Fred chimed in.

Daphne stepped aside and let her friends come in. The guys aimed straight for the living room and Daphne heard Fred ask why there was popcorn all over the floor. She then heard Shaggy ask him if he could help them clean up and her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend agreed. Daphne was anxious to get this breakup over with and start a new life with Shaggy.

She and Velma entered the kitchen and Daphne got them both a glass of homemade lemonade. They both sat at the island and Daphne saw that Velma was bursting with curiosity to breaking point. Daphne smiled at her friend's excitement.

"So you finally broke it off with Fred?" Velma asked suddenly.

Daphne stared at her. "What?" she answered.

"Did you finally break it off with Freddie? Judging by how you were looking at Shaggy, I say you did," Velma said, sipping her lemonade while eyeing the redhead over the rim of her glass.

"Um, well, I didn't, actually," Daphne admitted. "I was planning on doing it the next time I saw him. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner and what did you mean by 'finally'?"

"Daphne, anyone with a brain could tell that Fred's love for you is unrequited," Velma replied matter-of-factly. "And it was obvious for a long time that you love Shaggy. I have been wondering for how long you were going to continue to lead Freddie on and be dishonest with yourself."

"I know. I feel terrible for lying to Freddie. But I won't anymore; I'm breaking it off with him today."

"That's the spirit! Now, what about Shaggy?"

"What about him?"

"When are you planning to let him know that he's your knight in shining armor?"

Daphne rolled her eyes with a smile at Velma's analogy. She then pretended to look coy as she drank her lemonade and Velma gasped in comprehension.

"You told him already?" she exclaimed loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" Daphne shushed her. "And yes, I have. It turns out that Shaggy has been in love with me for years! Can you believe it?"

"I can," Velma replied more calmly. "I had suspected that Shaggy has had a strong infatuation with you that later blossomed into love He's been crazy about you since high school."

"And I've never noticed." Daphne slapped a hand over her eyes. "Am I really that blind?"

"Don't be hard on yourself. It happens to not realize that someone loves you, especially when you're not interested in that person," Velma told her gently.

"Then what has been my excuse for the last two years? I started falling for Shaggy when I was eighteen and only found out today that he feels the same way," Daphne continued, slightly crestfallen at her ignorance.

"You were busy with establishing your career and with Fred. Better that you realize it now than in later years when it might be too late," Velma replied wisely.

"Yeah…" Daphne said thoughtfully. She did not want to think what would might've happened if she had reached out to Shaggy too late. She did not believe she would have been able to bear that pain of losing someone so dear to her.

"Well, I think that and Shaggy are in it for the long run," Velma said reassuringly.

"I think so too," Daphne added, smiling.

A loud yell came from the living room, casing Daphne and Velma to burst out laughing.

"I think the guys have found their horror movie," Velma giggled.

"C'mon, let's go see what scared them," Daphne said enthusiastically.

They left the kitchen and made their way to the living room. There they found Shaggy and Scooby-Doo clinging to one another as they stared wide-eyed that the television set. Fred was sitting in another chair, visibly fighting down laughter as he tried to concentrate on Vincent Van Ghoul chasing a monster with a chainsaw. The girls giggled and the guys looked at them.

"Hey, girls. Care to join us?" Fred asked.

"I will. I don't know about Daphne though," Velma replied, looking at Daphne meaningfully.

Daphne understood. "Maybe later," she replied. "Freddie, can I speak with you in private, please?"

"Sure thing, Daph," Fred replied, standing up. Daphne felt everyone's eyes on her as she led Fred all the way out to the front porch. She slowly closed that door and motioned Fred to sit on the porch swing. He did so and Daphne joined him, feeling slightly nervous. Fred was watching her closely and she took a deep breath before beginning.

"Fred," Daphne began, "we need to talk."

"About what?" Fred asked.

"About us. Things really aren't working out between you and I –"

"Is this about earlier? Daphne, I'm sorry that I didn't defend you. I should have and I made a mistake by not doing so. Please don't break up with me because of that," Fred pleaded.

"I'm not breaking up with you over that. The truth is that I never should have agreed to go out with you in the first place," Daphne replied calmly.

"Huh?"

"Freddie, I'm in love with someone else and I've been in love with him since before I got involved with you. I used you as an attempt to get over my feelings for him because I was scared and I'm so sorry. You have every right to be angry."

Fred sat in a stunned silence and Daphne breathed a sigh of relief. It felt good to have gotten that off her chest. She waited patiently for Fred to overcome the surprise of her news.

"So… you've never loved me?" Fred asked, hurt making his voice shake.

"Of course I love you, Fred," Daphne replied, placing a hand on his knee. "I was just never in love with you. There's a difference between loving and being in love; I'm afraid that it's not the latter with you, and it has never been that way."

"I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. I had always thought that you were distant whenever we kissed and touched though I kept denying it to myself. I wish that you had told me sooner instead of waiting two years to do it," Fred said.

"I know and I'm so sorry, but it was only recently that I've accepted my feelings for the other guy and let myself go to him. I've finally stopped resisting and that made me see how unfair I was being to you, which is why I'm terminating our relationship. I'm aware that I've said this twice already but I'm so sorry."

Fred covered her hand with his own. "Hey, no hard feelings," he said with a small smile. "I know that it wasn't your intention to hurt me; you made a mistake and it happens to the best of us. I want you to be happy and if this makes you as such then I'm all for it."

"Oh, Fred," Daphne said, touched. He was being more understanding than she had expected he was going to be, confirming Shaggy's earlier statement on how Fred was not an unreasonable person.

"So, who's the lucky guy?" Fred asked curiously.

"You're probably not going to believe this but it's Shaggy," Daphne confessed.

"Shaggy?" Fred repeated in disbelief. Daphne nodded. "Okay. I, uh, believe you," he added.

"Don't give your brain a hernia trying," Daphne said, amused. Fred smiled.

"Did you tell him how you feel? I have a feeling that you did," he wanted to know.

"I did."

"And?"

"Shaggy's in love with me too."

"I knew it! I was so sure at times I caught him staring at you in class."

Daphne giggled. Fred then stood up and she stared at him.

"C'mon. I've got to congratulate the happy couple," he said in a slightly teasing tone.

Daphne got to her feet and swatted Fred playfully. "We didn't get married!" she exclaimed.

Fred chuckled and they both went back inside the house. They returned to the living room where they found Velma lying on the rug with Scooby-Doo, petting him, and Shaggy was lying on the couch as they watched a comedy.

"Is the movie already over?" Fred asked, making them jump.

"Jinkies, you guys! Make some noise of something," Velma said, sitting up.

"We'll remember that next time. What happened to the movie?" Daphne said, sitting next to Shaggy as he made room on the couch for her.

"Roo scary," Scooby-Doo replied, shuddering.

"Yeah, I think it was, like, too much for us to handle after the last one," Shaggy added.

"As for me, I had to turn it off or else I wouldn't have been able to sleep for a week," Velma chimed in. "I like horror movies but that one was a bit much."

"Well, while we're all not paying attention to the television, I have an announcement to make," Fred said, clapping his hands together. He turned to Shaggy. "Shaggy, I just wanted to say that you are a very lucky man. Daphne is the greatest girl in the world and I'm really glad that you have enough sense to see that."

"Why, thanks, Fred," Shaggy replied in a slightly surprised voice.

Velma looked at Daphne. "You told him?" she asked with a smile.

Daphne nodded and pressed a finger to her lips before focusing on the guys again.

"But," Fred continued, "if you ever make her shed just one tear you'll have me to answer to. You got that?"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Shaggy said hastily.

The girls and Scooby-Doo laughed. Daphne placed a hand on Shaggy's lap and he covered her hand with his with a bright smile. Daphne rested her head on his shoulder, sighing peacefully. Things were taking a turn for the better.

"Hey, Shagg," Fred said suddenly. "Lay one on Daphne for us."

Daphne straightened up and looked at Shaggy, who seemed to be a little confused.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Freddie's saying to kiss your new girlfriend in front of us," Velma explained bluntly yet cheerfully.

"Oh." Shaggy looked at Daphne timidly and turned red again. She giggled at his shyness and smiled encouragingly at him. Shaggy returned the smile and slowly leaned in. Daphne closed her eyes as she felt his soft lips touch hers and she felt as if she was in pure bliss. Velma and Fred cheered, causing the young couple to pull away and laugh softly. Scooby-Doo was watching them with mild interest.

"Raaaw," he said half-mockingly. Shaggy, grinning, threw a cushion at him.

"And in a few years we'll be making plans for a wedding!" Velma exclaimed.

"Like, whoa there, Velma," Shaggy said, his eyes wide at his friend's eagerness.

"Shaggy's right. Give us the chance to actually begin our relationship before we discuss something as important as marriage," Daphne added reprovingly.

"It's still a possibility that has yet to be ruled out," Velma replied, pouting. "I for one think there's a strong chance that it'll happen and I'm never wrong."

Daphne and Shaggy looked at each other. "Yeah, me too," Shaggy whispered.

Daphne felt her heart flutter. She had a really good feeling about her relationship with Shaggy. The option of marriage was still out of reach but one never knew what could happen in a few years.

Shaggy stood at the altar eight years later with Fred and Scooby-Doo on his left and Velma and Daphne's sisters on his far right. He could barely contain his happiness as he watched the most beautiful bride he had ever laid eyes on make her way toward him. Daphne's gown sparkled in the light of the church and she was smiling radiantly at her groom. Shaggy resisted the urged to run up to her and bring her the rest of the way to the altar himself.

Daphne finally reached him and she kissed her father before he gave Shaggy her hand. Mr Blake then clapped his new son-in-law's arm and smiled at him.

"Take care of her," Mr Blake whispered.

"I will," Shaggy promised softly.

Mr Blake nodded and went to sit next to his wife. Shaggy looked at Daphne and saw that there were tears of happiness sparkling in her eyes. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds for a few seconds before turning to the priest.

As they ceremony proceeded, the tears continued to flow for many, especially from the bridesmaids and the maid of honor. A stray tear or two occasionally escaped Daphne's eyes and she quickly wiped them away; Shaggy's voice was strained with emotions as he spoke.

"Do you, Norville Rogers, take Daphne Blake to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest asked.

"I do," Shaggy said. Daphne's eyes watered again and she dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief her mother had given her.

"Do you, Daphne Blake, take Norville Rogers to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked.

"I do," Daphne replied, her voice shaking slightly. It was now Shaggy's turn to have tears roll down his cheeks. Daphne handed him the handkerchief and he gratefully took it.

"By the power invested in me by the church, I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs Rogers," the priest declared, smiling. "You may now kiss the bride."

Shaggy and Daphne grinned broadly before sharing a kiss, earning an applause from their families and friends. The newlyweds grasped each other's hands and walked back down the church with Fred, Velma and Scooby-Doo on their tails. Outside, the Mystery Machine was waiting with banners reading 'Just Married' hanging off its sides. The gang waved at the crowd gathering in front of the church and hopped inside the van.

"I can't believe that you're finally husband and wife!" Velma exclaimed happily as she sat in the front with Fred and Scooby-Doo.

"It's, like, the grooviest thing that's ever happened to me," Shaggy said, gazing lovingly at Daphne.

"You can say that again," she replied, kissing him.

"All right, gang! Now it's time to party! Who's with me?" Fred exclaimed excitedly.

"We are!" the others chorused.

"Scooby-Dooby-Doo!" Scooby-Doo said cheerfully as they drove away from the church and toward the reception hall.

The end