23. Chapter 22: A Fresh Start (1/2)

author note: weeeelllll, this is it - the final chapter! i can't believe that i managed to finish writing my first ever fanfic; to be honest, i almost felt a little emotional as i finished writing it.

just a little bit of context and some notes on this story since it's the conclusion and i plan to stick around writing future stories:

1. this story started as a small grain of an idea after i spent years pouring through all these wonderful fanfic stories on here. i was especially happy whenever i found stories told from daphne's pov, since i find her to be a compelling and often overlooked character (especially in the original series from the 70's), so i always knew i would start my first fanfic through her pov. i am thankful for the reviews and comments saying that it feels as though the reader is inside daphne's head, and i am really proud of myself for accomplishing this, especially since it's been years since i've written anything creatively.

2. while some people may shy away from pairings within the gang, especially "fraphne," those have always been my favorite narratives in the fanfic community, and i would (and still do!) seek those out regularly. over years of being a scooby doo fan, i have enjoyed the cute and little moments shared between the two, especially in zombie island, stage fright and the scooby doo: mystery incorporated series. however, i was often frustrated with how the series would tease the two being together as an "official couple" only to turn around and go back on that premise in the conclusion of a movie. more recently, the scooby apocalypse comics seemed promising initially, but after finishing its conclusion, i became even more frustrated with the fraphne depiction, and so my desire to give daphne and fred a happy ending intensified, ultimately culminating in this story. so in that vein, i can definitely understand and concede to anyone's point who may have wanted to see more of shaggy and scooby and even velma in this story, but i really wanted to contribute a story with an interesting enough mystery and an examination of how i think fred and daphne could be portrayed as a real couple. in the end, i can at least say that i wrote a story i would have enjoyed reading, as i've been reading fanfic on here since 2013. i was inspired by one of my favorite authors, toni morrison, who once said - "if there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." while i appreciate each representation of fraphne or fred and daphne individually on this site, i really wanted to see what would happen if i sat down to write my own representation. in doing so, i set out to write something complex while still remaining true to the canonical gang represented in the scooby franchise, and i really hope this was reflected in every chapter.

3. and finally, i just wanted to announce that i don't plan to end my fanfic writing here. i will admit that i have heavily considered it since this did become time consuming towards the end, but i love writing so much, and i have really enjoyed offering my representation of the gang: as long as there will be someone who reads and appreciates my work, i want to continue writing. this summer is pretty event packed and i can't guarantee i will update as frequently as i would like, but i do have a story i am going to begin working on over the next few days, and i am really excited to post it within the next week.

if you read all of that, then thank you, you're the best! i appreciate everyone who has taken the time to leave a review, message me, and read this story over the past couple months. even though this is the last chapter, i am especially curious to hear your overall thoughts on this story, so if you have anything to share or any feedback, i would love to see a review. again, this was my first fanfic, and i didn't intend on having it clock in at 60k words, but here we are and i wouldn't have it any other way. thanks for your continued support, and i hope you love this final chapter! - iamacliche

chapter 22: a fresh start

shaggy and scooby grinned as they hungrily eyed their triple scoop ice cream sundae drizzled with cherries and sprinkles. "like, i've never been so happy to see the end of a mystery before, like ever!" shaggy said, as he dug his spoon into a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

"rah rah, ro more rombies and rall re rice cream we can eat!" scooby agreed, as he slurped down his mountain of ice cream in two whole bites.

"woooow scoob, two bites! i think that's a new record, but like, you've got nothin' against the shagster!" shaggy smiled

oadly, before dumping all three scoops of ice cream into his mouth at once and swallowing everything in one gulp. he smiled victoriously as the customers in sherry's dairy and diner exploded with clapping and laughter. fred, velma, and i all shook our heads with amusement at the scene these two were causing.

suddenly, shaggy's eyes widened and his mouth dropped into a rounded "o" shape, and he yelled, "like, zoinks! i just got, like, the mother of all

ain freezes!" he scrambled out of the cherry colored booth and began running around the diner in circles, as if that would soothe the dull throbbing in his head. again, his actions were met with laughter and applause, as if he were an entertaining circus act.

i watched as scooby, velma, and fred doubled over with laughter as they observed shaggy, and i felt my heart tug in my chest as i wished that i could join them in this carefree moment, but for some reason, something was holding me back. i couldn't quite place my finger on it, but ever since we had walked into sherry's diner after defeating shaina, i had gone from feeling on top of the world to feeling despondent, and even lonely. i knew that it was silly to feel this way, especially since we had just closed one of our most dangerous cases to date, but no matter how hard i tried to ignore this pang of sadness, it was still there, ebbing and flowing like the tide.

i finally decided that i needed to be alone with my thoughts. luckily, i was seated at the end of the booth, so none of the gang noticed when i slipped away discreetly: scooby and shaggy were calling sherry over to our booth so they could order another round of triple scoop sundaes, fred was trying to talk them out of this poor decision, and velma was dabbing the ice cream slathered all over shaggy's chin with a napkin, a content smile pasted on her lips. i noticed that velma and shaggy seemed to be getting closer and cozier more gradually over the past year, and while no one had yet to voice it, i couldn't help but wonder if their relationship would eventually blossom into something past "just friends."

as i stumbled out of the front door of sherry's diner, walking quickly and with my head down as to avoid eye contact with the customers who had spent the past few hours thanking us profusely for saving them from shaina this evening, my mind snagged on the phrase "just friends," and it began to sink in that perhaps that was what had been bothering me. sure, fred and i had been through a lot together during this mystery, and yes, we had finally confessed our feelings for each other, but what was supposed to happen next? do we move forward as an "official couple," or would we find that we were better off as friends? could i handle the answer if i asked fred?

once outside the diner, i walked towards the mystery machine, still staggering and tottering unevenly on my ankle injury. velma had helped me wrap it in the back of the van on the way here, but i was most likely going to need crutches for at least the next few weeks. the late night was bleeding into the early morning now, and i could see hints of the dawn on the horizon as the sun was beginning to slide across the sky. the sky above was starting to look like a child's messy watercolor painting, as the dark navy sky was spread with bursts of oranges and reds and yellows. i sighed, remembering the night the gang and i had shared a sunrise just like this one right here in this exact parking lot, and i felt myself pining for those days as if they were irretrievable, even though the gang was right inside the diner. even though the sunrise and the signaling of a new day and a fresh start should have made me feel excited, it only sharpened the ache in my chest.

i grasped the door of the mystery machine and in one motion i heaved myself onto the roof of the van, wincing as my ankle burned beneath my wrap. just as i did with my friends six months ago, i laid on my back and watched the sunrise over coolsville, oblivious to the sound of customers drifting out of the diner as they returned to their homes, most likely so they could begin rebuilding downtown cooslville after shaina had destroyed it. just like with past mysteries, this one too would take some time to clean and recover lingering wounds, both physical and emotional, but in time, i knew coolsville would move on and recover as it always did; however, unlike coolsville, i was starting to wonder if i would be able to fully recover after this recent mystery, too.

"there you are! i've been looking everywhere for you."

i jumped at the sound of the voice coming from behind me and sat up a

uptly, turning to come face-to-face with fred, who had quietly hoisted himself on top of the mystery machine as i was preoccupied with watching the sunrise. for some reason, despite everything we had been through over the past few days, i felt myself blushing, unsure of what to say in response.

"daphne, is everything okay? i noticed you slipped out of the diner a bit ago, and it seems like you've been quiet for the past few hours," fred said tentatively, as if he feared my answer.

at first, i didn't respond: my tongue felt thick, and i wasn't sure how to answer his question. fred dropped down beside me, crossing his legs and gazing up at the sky as he waited patiently for me to answer. reaching over in the hazy, early morning sunlight, he grasped my hand in his, and slowly, our fingers laced together.

i still hadn't found a way to answer, but fred didn't seem to mind. instead, he gestured towards the sky, and said, "ya know, i can remember another early morning with a beautiful sunrise just like this one, and i watched it with the same beautiful girl i'm sitting with right now."

i felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment and couldn't stop the smile playing on my lips. "you – you remember saying that six months ago?" i stammered.

fred returned my smile. "yeah, of course! i don't think i'll ever forget that."

another few moments of silence stretched between us, and while it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, i could sense that we both felt tense. i shifted nervously, unsure of what to say, until fred finally