Have fun with it. It was just something I felt a need to write.

Velma Dinkley nervously sat on the couch, waiting for the doorbell to ring. Daphne Blake looked up from her wedding magazine to notice this. She gave her fiancé, Fred Jones, who stood in the kitchen cooking, a knowing smile.

"Scooby, you can't come with me tonight. You have to stay here," said the voice of Norville Rogers, better known as Shaggy.

"Rrrine," said Scooby, dejectedly and ran into the main room. The other three members of Mystery, Inc. watched with surprise as he jumped onto the couch between the girls and laid down. The two girls looked at each other. It wasn't like Shaggy to use that voice and definitely not towards his best friend.

"Something's wrong," said Velma and Daphne concurred.

"I haven't seen him like this since he and Mary Jane split," said Daphne. They were quiet a moment after that. All of them remembered what Shaggy had been like after the amicable split between him and Mary Jane. It hadn't been helped by Jacobo's actions as the news reporter, but he had seemed better afterward. Now his voice again had an angry edge. Daphne put the magazine on the couch and started to rise, but Velma stopped her.

"I'll talk to him."

"Okay" said Daphne, but she was surprised as Velma exited. Velma had become a close confidant of Shaggy's ever since that night in the mines. Velma knocked lightly on the door, but waited for an invitation before entering. Shaggy was still in his boxers with half his wardrobe on the floor.

"Shaggy?"

"I'm meeting someone for dinner tonight," he explained. He pulled at his hair.

"Calm down, you'll be fine. Just be yourself," said Velma, picking out a clean green shirt and brown pants.

"No, that like won't work cuz it's a fancy place," said Shaggy. Velma changed it to a green suit and Shaggy began putting it on.

"Who's the girl?"

Shaggy hesitated in the middle of pulling his pants up.

"I...I don't wanna say."

Velma raised her eyebrows, but Shaggy could not be moved and she dropped it. She heard the doorbell and left him by saying, "Good luck."

Patrick stood in the common room with Daphne close by, but he still looked at Velma, jaw dropped, as though it were the first time. Velma smiled, embarrassed at the attention. He took her arm and led her to his car outside.

Their stop was the ritziest restaurant in town.

"Here?" Velma asked, not used to this.

"You're worth it," said Patrick, but there was something in his face that Velma couldn't read. A waitress seated them near the band and they gave their drink orders.

Shortly after that, Patrick was looking at a table in the corner. Velma followed his gaze to a very familiar couple.

"That's Shaggy and Mary Jane," said Velma and then realized, "Mary Jane!"

"Who's Mary Jane?" asked Patrick.

"The love of Shaggy's life, they got really serious and then they just broke up."

"What happened?"

"He's never talked about it. Daphne thought they had reached what she called 'a relationship plateau,'" said Velma, who looked only slightly less confused than Patrick.

"'A relationship plateau?'"

"Yeah, we figured that they would get married, but instead they split. He took it really hard. I wonder if they're back together."