A.N. This is the sequel to New Beginnings, Familiar Conclusions, set two years after the final events in that story. To be honest you could read this without having read the first story but it will make a lot more sense if you have!

This continues my mature, darker take on the Scooby Doo characters, where their lives have been that much tougher, the adventures that little bit more perilous, the stakes that little bit higher, and the villains...well they're not messing around put it that way, it's rated 'M' for a reason.

The sun was beginning to fade now but it didn't diminish the vigour of the vacationers that had flocked to Hawaii. The beautiful, sandy beaches were still filled with families, groups of youngsters having fun, and sun worshippers determined to get every last drop of the sun's rays onto their already brown and, for many, crisp, red bodies. Along the water's edge, surfers thronged the waves, competing for the best spots alongside the many other water sports taking place. Further out, boats could be spotted, filled with yet more tourists, snorkelling, or using the glass bottom of their vessels to examine the beauty of the clear crystal waters, and the sea life it was home to.

Away from the tranquil, tourist trappings of the resort however, deeper into the leafy parts of Hawaii, five familiar faces were once again battling some hideous, masked foe. As the mystery unfolded, they had split up to search for clues somewhere along the line; three splitting off to explore the dense undergrowth near the village they were staying in, the other two, a boy and a girl, exploring the village area but had soon been chased by some dastardly creature. At first, it all looked entirely familiar, but something about this story had already been flipped on it's head...

The door to a shack burst open, smashing back hard against the wall with an almighty bang from the force it had been thrown open with. As it continued to judder in the door frame, a young, blond man sprinted through, closely followed by his companion, a petite brunette with glasses, who was already gasping for breath.

As soon as she was safely through, the man reached again for the heavy door, and pushed his back against it to try and force it closed. Seeing his struggles, the girl too pushed both her hands flat against the metal, and shoved as hard as she could. It seemed to take a lifetime for the pair but eventually it slid into place.

The two leaned against it, breathing heavily from the chase and the combined effort it took to force the door closed.

The boy kept his weight firmly pressed against the door, grimacing as he felt the vibrations from the other side as something tried to force it's way through, thumping violently against the metal. He gritted his teeth as each new shove seemed stronger, hammering against his back and he fought to keep it closed, needing to brace his knees now.

"Velma! I can't hold this much longer, hurry up!" he instructed the brunette who was frantically looking around for something to barricade the door with. She eventually settled for a table and chair, which she hastily dragged into place underneath the door-jamb. There were a couple more frustrated shoves for them to withhold; it sounded like someone had thrown their whole body at the door, before finally the attempts ceased and everything was still again. Whatever was trying to get through, had obviously given up for the time being at least, much to the relief of the boy and girl.

Simultaneously, the pair slid down to the floor, breathing deeply from all their efforts to get away.

"Well Velma," the boy said, turning to his friend with a wry expression on his face. "We finally got to Hawaii just like you always wanted. Aren't you glad you came, huh?"

"Shut up Fred," she responded sharply. "I hope you have a plan!"

"Come on, you know me, I always have a plan, I can't believe you would ever doubt me," he said, flashing her a boyish grin.

"A good plan?" she replied, raising an eyebrow at the blond.

"You didn't stipulate that part," he replied breezily, before holding his hand out to her to help pull her up. "Come on, we've got to find another way out of here before our Tiki friend comes back."

"I sure hope Daphne and the boys are having a better time of it than we are," she sighed.

"Really guys?" the redhead rolled her eyes to the darkening skies in frustration, as she watched the young man and dog tuck into yet another snack.

He raised his eyebrow at her as if he couldn't believe she was even making an issue of it.

"Relax Daphne, mystery solving is hard work, I keep telling you that," he replied, grinning as he took another bite.

"But this is the third time already!" Daphne sighed despairingly, she couldn't believe in a village as small as this one, that there were as many outlets to buy food, their hosts were only too obliging to keep feeding them too.

"No wonder Velma wanted to ditch you guys," she added somewhat bitchily before noticing the grin rapidly disappear from Shaggy's face.

"Low blow Daphne, low blow," Shaggy sulked. "It's complicated between me and her right now."

"Reah romplicated," a second voice piped up and Daphne looked at Scooby in amusement.

Nobody could remember the exact moment Scooby Doo started to 'talk', Shaggy thought it had happened somewhere between Rome and Budapest on their European adventures. Despite Velma instantly making it her life's mission to find out HOW Scooby Doo began to talk, they were yet to make any serious headway on the reasons behind it too.

Once they had, quite reasonably, got over their initial shock at this unthinkable feat, they had all very quickly embraced it, so much so that a Great Dane with a speech impediment became something entirely normal to them. It became the unwritten rule of the gang not to question it. Scooby Doo had always been their mascot, this unusual development led to him becoming the outright fifth member of their group.

And nobody was happier about this unexpected development than Shaggy. The only remaining emblem of the Rogers' family, Shaggy had always had a loving bond with the dog, but always considered his closest relationships were always with Fred, and later, briefly, Velma.

Those complicated reasons with Velma, of being together and then falling apart over and over again, had led him to seek solace with his four legged friend instead.

Regarding Fred though, although he remained his best friend in name, in reality over the last two years, Shaggy had started to feel him drift further away. He hadn't wasted much time leaving their shared apartment to go and live with Daphne, and whilst they still remained close within the gang, it was Scooby who had become Shaggy's real best friend, hilariously offering 'advice' on his continuing and tiresome relationship woes with Velma.

Sensing yet another awkward tension between the pair, Fred had surprisingly and generously agreed to pair himself with Velma today, leaving Daphne with Shaggy and Scooby.

At first it had been a lot of fun for her, nothing could make her laugh like the goofy antics of Shaggy and the giant Dane, but after the third snack stop in a ridiculously short time period, she was beginning to lose her patience.

Taking charge, she dragged them both away from the latest snack shack before they could contemplate ordering anything else.

Scooby fixed her with his saddest, 'puppy dog eyes' act, and she almost wavered before she shook her head resolutely.

"Sorry Scoob, we're here to solve a mystery," she stated firmly.

"Fine," Shaggy sulked again, reluctantly following Daphne away from the shacks and into the jungle they were supposed to be investigating.

They walked together for a little while, until sharp-eyed Daphne suddenly saw something glistening on the ground, which she stopped to pick up. She held it up for Shaggy to look at, who shrugged his shoulders uncertainly. As she was about to climb back to her feet, his expression changed markedly and she too could feel a presence behind her. She didn't have to ask them what it was; both his and Scooby's eyes were wide as saucers and they started to shake uncontrollably.

"Ti...ti...ti...ki...man!" Shaggy eventually stammered out, still rooted to the spot.

Without even looking behind her, Daphne stood up, delivering a timely elbow right into the guy's ribs as he attempted to grab hold of her.

Without hesitation now, Shaggy's arm shot forward to pull her away, and she struggled to keep up with the lightning quick Shaggy and Scooby as they raced away, the Tiki menace hot on their heels.

"Don't worry Daphne..." he panted, still grabbing onto her hand tightly. "If there's one thing Scoob and I have learnt to do very well over the last few years, it's how to run away from the creeps in the masks!"

"Re're rold rampions," Scooby told her proudly.

Daphne glanced fondly at Scooby, as Shaggy turned back to say something further but took his eyes off the route ahead.

"Shaggy, look out!" Daphne called in alarm but it was too late, Shaggy had already made acquaintance with the tree's low lying branches and he shuddered to the floor from the impact, losing grip of Daphne.

"Scatter!" she shrieked as the Tiki Man closed in on them all. Shaggy recovered quickly from the collision to grab Scooby Doo in time and carry him away. He caught a glimpse of Daphne's vibrant red hair fly past him before she disappeared from his sight.

Assessing the situation quickly with the dense undergrowth all around him, he sensed a hide and wait it out was the best strategy here. Keeping several paces ahead of the masked nightmare, he quickly dove into a bush, urging Scooby to keep quiet, Scooby Doo did not have to be told twice, curling up without a sound. Shaggy held his breath and began to count to 300, waiting for the footsteps to fade away. He reached 287 before he finally felt safe enough to re-emerge. Peaking his head cautiously from the bushes, he looked every which way before breathing a contented sigh of relief and stepped from the bush. The Tiki Man was gone.

"See Daphne," he called her flippantly. "I told ya Scooby and I are experts in evading the nut jobs."

He waited to hear the rustle of the bushes that would announce Daphne's arrival, or the sarcastic comment she was sure to follow up with, but neither were forthcoming.

He wandered a little further in, Scooby at his heels, assuming she too had simply hidden.

"Daphne?" A cool, clammy sensation started to settle on his neck at her continued absence.

"DAPHNE?!" he shouted a little louder, hoping against hope she simply could no longer hear him.

"Raphne?" Scooby also called.

Shaggy desperately tried to ignore the rising sense of panic building within him and tried to cover the moment with his trademark humour.

"Daphne! This isn't funny, hide and seek finished ages ago," he called airily, "come out, come out wherever you are...please?" he added feebly.

"She's rot rere Raggy," Scooby said sadly.

"Yeah, I can see that Scooby!" Shaggy snapped, he had gone past simple panic already and was now heading into full scale meltdown mode. "What are we going to do Scooby?!" he wailed, a look of pure despair on his face. "First time we ever get to go off with Daphne and we freaking lose her!"

"Red's gonna kill you," Scooby stated solemnly and all the colour immediately drained from Shaggy's face as he came to the same terrifying realisation.

"Shit. Fred. What the hell am I going to tell Fred?! Oh godddd...I am so screwed Scooby!" Shaggy's hands were on his head now and he started to pace in little circles, talking to himself now.

"And Velma! God imagine how smug she's going to be about this! I can just hear her now. Trust Shaggy to get Daphne kidnapped by the Tiki Man..."

"Raggy..."

"Shaggy the screw up!"

"Raggy..."

"I told you Shaggy couldn't be trusted...what is it Scooby?" He finally asked in irritation, looking straight at his dog now.

Scooby grimaced and waved a paw at him to indicate an approaching presence behind Shaggy, who sighed heavily, resigning himself to his doom.

He almost wished that it was the return of the Tiki Man, figuring that he would probably be preferable to the wrath he was about to face right now.

Confirming it was exactly what he dreaded, he heard Velma first before spinning on his heel to face the music.

"What can't you be trusted about Shaggy?" Velma asked him coldly, standing arms folded, alongside Freddy.

Fred looked much more chilled and good-natured as they approached but Shaggy noticed the beginning of signs of confusion on his features, and a little frown start to appear on his face as he clocked Daphne's obvious absence from the group.

"Um guys...where's Daphne?" Fred asked the question calmly enough but as his eyes darted around, Shaggy knew he was already beginning to panic a little.

Shaggy bounced nervously on his heels, wishing the ground would swallow him up right now, he tried to look anywhere but at Fred's increasingly worried expression as he looked to Shaggy expectantly.

"Um well..." Shaggy began nervously, "the thing is, we were attacked by the Tiki terror and well, we got kind of, uh, separated..."

Fred took a step closer to Shaggy, looking fully alarmed now. "Separated?! What does that mean, where is she now Shaggy?!"

Shaggy looked down at the ground in shame, swallowing hard, his mouth was becoming so dry.

"Well Scooby and I erm, hid, and we thought Daphne had too, but when we came out, the Tiki Man was gone but uh, so was...Daphne. Sorry Fred."

"Rorry Reddy," Scooby echoed sadly.

Shaggy winced, bracing himself, expecting an instant explosion of rage from the blond man but for the first few seconds on receiving this news, he remained silent, simply taking in what Shaggy had said and he sunk down to the floor.

"You left her in danger alone," Fred finally stated quietly. "You left her alone. Why would you do that Shaggy?"

Fred was using the 'quietly disappointed voice' so beloved of teachers and parents and it was having the desired impact on Shaggy. He would rather have Fred shouting and screaming at him, hitting out at him even. This quiet brokenness Fred was displaying right now, was destroying him as he already felt guilty enough about Daphne's disappearance, in fact, it was eating him up inside.

Fred actually looked to be on the verge of tears now, Velma laid a hand on his shoulder, and he seemed to be quite calm but suddenly he was on his feet and attempted to rush Shaggy, catching both him and Velma completely off-guard.

"Why weren't you watching out for her?!" he hurled angrily at his friend, looking fully enraged now. Velma had to step in smartly to hold Fred back as he tried to go for Shaggy. She held him tightly, a squirming mass of unbridled rage as he violently accused Shaggy, pointing his finger towards him. "You got her kidnapped!" He spat, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he said it.

"GOT me kidnapped? Please, I can take care of myself just fine," a very welcome voice suddenly cut through the tension.

"DAPHNE!" They all chorused, and Fred quickly untangled himself from Velma's grasp and sped towards her as she appeared, slightly dishevelled, from within the bushes.

Shaggy virtually collapsed to the floor at the sight of his friend safe and well.

Fred hugged her tightly, too tightly and she gasped a little and gently pushed him away.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so relieved," he apologised for the crushing squeeze he gave his girlfriend and then turned to his friend, looking suitably embarrassed. "Shaggy man, I'm sorry too, I just lost my head for a minute..."

"It's cool," Shaggy replied, taking his turn to hug Daphne. "So how did you escape?" he asked her.

Daphne's brow furrowed and she shook her head. "I was never kidnapped Shaggy. I'm sorry that I panicked you in to thinking that I was. After we got separated, like you, I hid, but then I went further into the jungle, I was just heading back to find you and Scoob but then I found something else instead. Come on, I'll show you."

The four of them followed Daphne as she made her way back the same way she had just came.

Clearly feeling massively overprotective, Fred fell into step beside her, leaving Scoob walking just behind the two of them, and then, awkwardly, Shaggy and Velma.

She walked briskly, seeming to steadfastly avoid eye contact with him, so Shaggy didn't even bother trying to look at her as he tentatively asked the question.

"So, do you want to talk about it yet?"

"Nope," she said abruptly and marched ahead further still.

Shaggy rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "girls". It was unheard by Velma but not by Scooby, who paused to snicker but was quickly stilled by Shaggy's stony glare.

"Rorry Raggy."

They trudged on through the sand, trailing behind Daphne until they had walked into a little cove beach.

"Wow," Fred whistled, immediately appreciative of his surroundings, "this place is stunning."

"Isn't it?" Daphne beamed at them all and Shaggy had to admit that it was one beautiful beach.

Unlike the tourist heavy beaches in the central part of the resort, overly populated with deckchairs, beach towels and commercial stands, this beach seemed untouched by the population at large. It was small but completely secluded with a cave. There was no whooping of surfers riding a big wave, no kids screaming over a volleyball net, it was tranquil, unspoilt, peaceful.

The sand seemed softer here, delicately crunching underfoot and the sea was impossibly clearer. Velma and Daphne stood by the edge of the water, marvelling at the sea creatures they could see in the crystal blue waters.

Fred nudged Shaggy, turning to him with a grin on his face and simply mouthed the word, 'here'.

At first, Shaggy thought Fred was suggesting this beach for the inevitable trap he was about to concoct, but he quickly understood what Fred was implying and he gave him a silent thumbs up.

Fred walked behind Daphne, gently placing his hands on her shoulders and kissed her neck.

"As stunning as this place is Daph, I'm not sure this is what you wanted to show us."

Daphne tore her eyes away from the sea turtles and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh right no, let me show you what I found inside the cave."

She led them into the little cave and stood with her arms folded. "What do you think guys?"

"I'd say you just smashed this mystery," Velma enthused. "Nice one Blake," she said, high fiving her friend.

"Well then, all that's left to do is to trap this Tiki terror," Fred asserted. "Given what Daph found in there, it's a safe bet he'll be back soon. That means we just need some bait," he added, already eyeing Shaggy and Scooby.

Shaggy sighed loudly and Scooby flopped to the floor, already defeated, but Daphne stepped in front of them.

"No, you guys can sit this one out," she declared, much to everybody's surprise. "This mystery has already been pretty much opposites day right? We split up in a different way, maybe we should switch the bait up too."

"No Daphne..." Fred shook his head, already fearing her next suggestion.

"I'll be the bait," she confirmed, her eyes sparkling.

"No!" Fred predictably protested vehemently. "No, I won't let you!"

"Well, I won't be doing it alone," she smiled sweetly at him. "It has to be me, he's sure to come after me, knowing what I found in there and also before, when he attacked me and Shaggy. If he's after me then I know you're going to want to be there to keep me safe so...you and I will both be the bait this time Freddy."

"WHAT?!" Fred yelped, looking panicked at the very thought.

Velma clapped her hands together in glee.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"But I can't be bait!" Fred continued to protest loudly, "who's going to do the trap?"

"We'll all help build the trap," Daphne explained her plan. "And then Shaggy and Velma can operate it."

"But they can't!" Fred exclaimed, and then after receiving icy stares from both Velma and Shaggy, he simpered, clarifying himself further. "I mean, of course they can, just er, they can't together, at the, uh, moment."

"Oh," Daphne blushed, as if the thought hadn't even come to her. "Oh...well...uh..."

"Oh please," Velma scowled, slapping Shaggy on the back. "We can still be professional, can't we Shaggy?" she said in a tone that dared him to disagree.

"Sure," Shaggy nodded enthusiastically. "I am nothing but the consummate professional."

"So that's settled then," Daphne beamed happily, "let's get ready to trap this Tiki!"

Twenty five minutes later, their trap was set, and Daphne and Fred were 'bait ready' for the first time.

"I feel absolutely ridiculous," Fred grumbled. He was dressed in a cliche-tastic Hawaiian tourist outfit; the loudest, gaudiest printed shirt they could get their hands on, outrageous plastic white shades and beach shorts.

"You look gorgeous darling," Daphne winked, fixing a flower in her hair. She looked adorable, dressed in a long, tightly fitting purple skirt and a light pink top, tied above the midriff. Velma came forward and hung a chunky camera around Fred's neck, and then Shaggy and Scooby brought out the final flourish.

"Oh COME ON!" Fred protested in horror as the flower garlands were placed around his and Daphne's necks.

"Just one last thing," Shaggy insisted, clearly completely relishing this moment. He whipped his cell phone out and snapped a quick photo of a fuming Freddy before he could stop him.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Fred accused.

"Frankly, yes," Shaggy nodded. "Scooby and I are enjoying this A LOT."

"I guess this is some kind of payback," Velma contemplated. "I mean just think of how many times Shag and Scoob have been bait," she said with a softening smile towards the boys.

"Yeah but they don't have to dress like an idiot to do it!"

"Rehem," Scooby said crossly and Shaggy folded his arms too.

"What about when you made us dress as beefeaters in London?" Shaggy reminded him.

"And rirates," Scooby chipped in.

"And in a cow costume?" Shaggy continued.

"And as restlers!" Scooby added.

"And..." Shaggy attempted to count another one off on his fingers but Fred stopped him.

"Okay Shaggy, I take your point," Fred conceded, trying not to think about the cloying fabric clinging to his chest. "Are you three all set?"

"We're ready Fred," Velma confirmed, "it's all on you two now."

"See you later," Daphne waved, grabbing onto Fred's arm, steering him away from the trap. "Come on honey."

Daphne and Fred walked in silence for a little while before she turned to him with a half smile.

"So Fred, what WOULD you have done to poor Shaggy, if I hadn't turned up at that very moment?"

Fred felt embarrassed, the terrifying thing for him was that he didn't know what he would do. For a second, all his senses had been taken over and he could focus on nothing else but his rage for what he believed was Shaggy's unforgivable failure to protect Daphne.

"I just lost it," Fred explained. "When I saw you weren't there and knowing that the freak was out there... It scares me how much things happening to you affects me, just the thought of you being taken there..."

Daphne rested her hand on his arm as they kept walking together.

"I told you Freddy, I can take care of myself. I really wish you wouldn't worry so much. We're both adults now."

"You know I can't help it," Fred replied, trying to look nonplussed on the outside but with his heart seizing up inside at the mere thought of anything happening to Daphne. He quickly changed the subject.

"So uh hey, what do you think is going on with Velma and Shaggy? I swear I can't keep up."

Daphne laughed lightly, "tell me about it, I keep trying to get Velma to talk about it but she's a closed book. I'll try and get to her later, I can't take much more of this."

"Agreed," Fred replied. "So how does this work exactly, we just wander around until this creep finds us? That could take a while."

"No, I guess if we're bait we have to do something to attract him. You know act more bait-y?"

"Bait-y?" Fred said skeptically, "how do we do that?"

"You know," Daphne said brightly, "we have to play our roles."

Fred was still a little bewildered what she meant by this when she completely startled him by speaking very loudly in an exaggerated accent.

"Oh. My. God. Honey! This place is just perfect Buck!"

'Buck?' Fred mouthed in amusement and Daphne gave him a pleading look that said 'play along!' Fred knew exactly what role Daphne wanted to play. Pleased that there was no other audience other than the Tiki they were hoping to trap, Fred relented and cleared his throat in preparation.

"Well right you are there 'Wanda,' he shouted loudly in a similarly exaggerated accent, causing Daphne to smile in delight. "It sure is pretty. Not as pretty as you though darl'."

"Oh Buck! This is where I found it, that little old precious pearl in the oyster! Maybe you could look around and see if you can find another little old pearl for little old me hon! They'd make the darlingest little earrings!"

"Now honey, I told you, there ain't no real pearls in oysters, it had to be a fake."

"Oh please look for me, Buck! Please, just a little look for me."

Daphne was clearly getting into her role and Fred could only hope it would have the desired effect and draw him out.

Spotting a slight rustle in the bushes, innocent tourist 'Buck' wandered over.

"Well hey Wanda, I'm gonna check over there by those trees, I thought I mighta seen somethin' shining!" he declared loudly.

He got within a few feet before sure enough, the bushes dramatically separated and the Tiki Man pounced, leaping out right in front of him.

"LEAVE THIS PLACE IMMEDIATELY FOOLISH MORTALS!"

He clearly expected the young tourist to immediately flee but 'Buck' stood his ground.

"Hey there, you didn't happen to see a pearl in there, did you fella?"

Tiki seemed completely astonished that his mere presence did not have this boy scurrying away in terror. He tried again.

"DID YOU NOT HEAR ME BOY?! YOU HAVE DISTURBED THE SACRED BURIAL GROUNDS OF THE GREAT MANO TIKI..."

Fred refused to be intimidated and interrupted his practised spiel quickly, dropping the act and accent this time.

"Sacred burial ground? Now that's not quite the story is it?" He challenged the Tiki Man cockily.

Tiki recovered quickly from the show of defiance, realising he had been played. He took a step forward and yanked Fred's white sunglasses off his face and at once, his eyebrows knitted together in fury.

"You!" He spat in pure contempt, recognising one of the young 'investigators' who had meddled in his affairs earlier.

"Yeah, I heard we were getting somewhat famous, you might have heard of me," Fred quipped.

The Tiki Man reached forward and grabbed Fred violently by the throat, lifting him off the ground with ease.

"I will break every bone in your body for daring to interfere," the Tiki Man promised, gripping Fred tightly.

For a fleeting few seconds, all Fred's previous fears came rushing back and he swung quite helplessly in his grip, feeling his vision start to fade.

Two years with Mystery Incorporated worldwide had toughened Fred up however, this was not the same Fred Jones who froze in the arms of a villain.

Instead he smirked, preparing to attack, as he dangled like meat on a hook. Gaining enough momentum, he swung his leg back, before aiming the hardest kick he could, right at his crotch.

The Tiki Man dropped him instantly, eyes watering from the excruciating pain, he doubled over and Fred said to him with satisfaction, "not today freak!"

He ran forward and grabbed Daphne's hand and they fled together, leading the Tiki Man on a merry dance through the jungle and back towards the trap they had set, and where Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby were waiting. The Tiki Man was enraged by their ruse, screaming threats as he pursued Fred and Daphne.

"You two are dead, you hear me DEAD!"

At the trap site, Velma and Shaggy were unsurprisingly waiting in silence. It was one of the more simple traps Fred had created, and it hadn't taken much setting up. This then maximised the time of potential awkward silence as they lay in wait. Fed up of the stillness, Shaggy decided on humour to try and alleviate the tension.

Velma was on one side of the net, Scooby and Shaggy, the other side, they could only just see each other's outline, positioned as they were, hidden in the bushes.

"So, is the trapping side of things normally this boring?" he started, catching Velma by surprise."Gotta say, I think I might just prefer being bait! What say you Scooby Doo?"

"Ruh oh!" Scooby disagreed firmly. "Like Roh way!"

"Yeh boy, I guess you're right. Being live bait hasn't been too much fun huh!" Velma smiled in spite of herself. "It can get a little boring," she admitted. "It can be a really long wait for you guys sometimes, actually."

"So what do you do for fun then?" He called to her.

"Well Fred likes to tell lame jokes sometimes...that is, if he isn't, 'you know', with Daphne."

Shaggy's eyes instantly widened in disgust. "When you're trapping?! Ew gross!"

"Oh they don't go THAT far but there's definite...interactions." Velma confirmed, causing Shaggy to squirm at her choice of vocabulary.

Scooby too made a face, "I rink I rike being rive bait!" he whined, making Velma and Shaggy laugh.

"So did Fred tell you anything more about his plans for later?" she asked, relishing the opportunity for casual conversation and not the awkwardness that had once again descended over them like a black night.

"Makani and Akuma are going to hold a beach party for us, so you're going to take her to get ready while I help Fred set everything up."

"Will that give us enough time?"

"So long as we wrap this pretty soon, we should be fine. I'm sure Fred's very aware of the time."

"Hmm, speak of the devil," Velma commented, spotting the top of his blond hair and outrageously loud shirt appearing in the distance. "Get ready guys!"

Fred felt he was a fairly fit young man, he played sports, he jogged, but running for your life from some masked nightmare was something he obviously hadn't trained enough for. He was currently desperately trying to stave off the beginnings of a stitch, as he kept to the same relentless pace, almost crying in relief when he finally saw the grounds they'd built the trap in earlier.

The trap was an absolute classic in his eyes, good old sturdy net, rigged up between two trees and covered by a bed of leaves. Though he loved nothing more than to dream up elaborate traps, sometimes the old ones were the best. They'd never done it with Shaggy and Scooby operating it but there was a first time for everything. Fred didn't think he'd be repeating being bait any time soon.

He risked a little glance at Daphne, and got a smile, reassuring him she was okay. The Tiki had stuck doggedly to their tail and she too was beginning to tire.

Catching sight of Velma and Shaggy now, he raced through the trap, waiting for Daphne to clear it too before diving clear into the bushes on Shaggy's side. Daphne ran through and leapt for the bushes on Velma's side and the Tiki as they hoped, stopped in confusion, wondering where they went.

Shaggy and Velma watched intently until they were both sure the Tiki was standing fully on the net. As soon as he was in the right place, they would both pull their ropes and he would be hoisted high in the net.

Palms sweating, Shaggy prepared to pull his rope, waiting for Scooby to give the signal. On the dog's whistle, both Velma and Shaggy pulled at the same time and the astonished Tiki Man was whipped off his feet and bundled into a net between the trees.

Velma had already contacted their hosts Makani and Akuma, and they emerged with the Honolulu Police. She walked over to Shaggy and shyly held out her hand for a high five, which he obliged with. Daphne brushed herself down and they walked to the net, it was unmasking time.

They all looked around for Fred, with a fleeting moment of concern until Shaggy spotted him, still bent over, hands on his knees, recovering against the tree. He was wheezing hard and struggling to get his breath back, a sight that had Shaggy struggling to hide his amusement.

"Hey Fred, you okay there buddy? You need a moment?"

Fred held a hand up in acknowledgement but took a few seconds to speak. "No...no...I'm good. Let's do this."

He strode confidently over to where the Tiki Man was bundled high up in the net, desperately trying to rip his way out, unable to see anything through the thick fabric.

"Nice try but you're stuck, these are the finest nets that money can buy," Fred shouted up to him happily.

"You think you and your silly friends and a net is enough to stop me? You're all going to be shark bait!" he savagely promised.

"If you say so sir," Shaggy sighed in a tone so weary, he must have been used to such threats. They stood around underneath the net whilst the Honolulu Police silently got into place. Once they were in position, Fred cut the ropes holding the net aloft and it slid to the ground with a whooshing sound, and then a groan, as the man hit the sand hard.

Before the dazed prisoner had chance to react, Fred had grabbed him in a choke-hold, preventing him squirming away. As his arm locked underneath his neck, it nudged the mask upwards revealing a very human chin.

"Oh whoops, look what I did," Fred mocked. "Turns out that shockingly you're not really the ghost of Mano Tiki Tia at all..."

Keeping one arm securely around him, he used his free hand to fully rip the mask from his face now. "It was just our friendly neighbourhood tour boat operator...Koi."

Furious at being unmasked by the same cocky American who had plagued him all day, Koi used his weight advantage to break the stranglehold grip and flip Fred onto his back. His hand once again wrapped around Fred's throat, intent on strangling him.

"Fred!" Daphne screamed, and the police quickly broke cover now, guns drawn all around them.

"Koi! Let him go NOW," he was quickly instructed by the Chief of Police.

"You brought the police?" Koi hissed into Fred's ear, not yet relinquishing his death grip on his throat. "Lucky for you."

He released Fred then, pushing his face into the sand as the police sprang forward and handcuffed Koi.

Fred got to his feet slowly, holding his neck, there were already visible bruises from the first time Koi had attempted to choke him and now there were further finger markings.

"What is this all about?" The Chief of Police asked the assorted members of the gang.

While Velma loved a good mystery synopsis, she knew this one would be much easier to show not tell.

"Follow us Detective," she smiled, leading the way to the cove. With Koi in tow, the police walked inside, jaws dropping instantaneously at the sight.

Golds and silver shimmered and sparkled in the dim light amongst jewels and other treasures.

The Police Chief was quick to recognise the significance of the haul straight away and turned to Koi open-mouthed.

"You actually found the missing wreckage of the Princess after all these years?"

"I did. It was all going to be mine."

"Koi hid the treasures in this cove until he could smuggle it all away. This is only a fraction of the true haul I'd imagine," Velma explained.

"Yes," Koi answered smugly, "many of it is LONG GONE now."

"But why did he dress up as the ghost of our great Mano Tiki Tia?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Daphne shrugged. "He did it to keep any curious onlookers and tourists away. He knew the actual burial site was close by, so he exploited the local legend of the curse to scare away anyone that found this place and stumbled upon his operation."

"Yes," Koi scowled, " and it was working perfectly, until you interfering interlopers came along and ruined everything!"

"Well," Velma reflected a few minutes later, after the police had taken Koi away and they were heading back to the village.

"You know we're getting old when the bad guys don't even refer to us as 'meddling kids' anymore."

"Good, I always hated that," Shaggy commented.

Walking directly behind him, Shaggy noticed the dark bruises that adorned Fred's neck, leaving a reminder of Koi's attacks.

"Wow, so he really didn't like you, hey Fred?"

"Yes," Daphne replied, "the villain normally only has one attempt on your life..." she said only half jokingly. "This guy tried twice."

"Well, he did take an instant dislike to me, remember?"

They stared back at Fred with blank faces.

"I don't think they're ever particularly fond of any of us, given what we do Fred," Velma replied.

"He sure liked you Daph," he said to everyone's continued confusion until Shaggy suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Of course! You mean on the boat, not as Mano Tiki Tia."

"Ah yes, Koi was very sweet on Daphne, as I recall when we took that boat tour. He was most peeved the next day when he found out she was with you," Velma winked.

"Remember guys, we meant what we said, we would love to celebrate with you later as a thank you, a big traditional beach party just for you guys!" enthused Makani.

"That's so kind of you, thank you Makani, I'm feeling pretty beat right now," Daphne admitted. "I think I might just go take a nap for a couple of hours."

She kissed Fred before turning back to him with a wink. "Oh and babe? Thanks for the role play earlier!" she shouted before walking into her room.

Fred looked embarrassed and everyone else stared at him uncomfortably, and he realised they thought she had shared something entirely more awkward with the whole group.

"Hey, whatever floats your boat man, but maybe you should keep some things private next time?" Shaggy said teasingly, but feeling the need to avoid eye contact with his friend.

"What, No!" Fred immediately flushed red, desperate to set the record straight. "She didn't mean that kind of role play guys! She was talking about when we were bait!"

"Oh of course!" Velma sighed with relief, they were a close group of friends but this was a level of over sharing she never wanted to be comfortable with. "Wait, you played actual roles? Like characters?" She couldn't help but smirk and Fred scratched the bruises on his neck nervously, anticipating the ridicule.

"Um, she wanted to be Dr. Brennan and Seeley Booth's undercover identities," he muttered sheepishly.

"From Bones?" Velma burst out laughing, but Shaggy, Scooby and Makani were none the wiser. "And you went along with it, accent and all? God I'm sorry I missed that."

"It's her favourite show," Fred replied defensively.

"You two are so adorable, it's quite sickening really. Speaking of which, you did say it was going to happen, as soon as we wrapped up the mystery and before we left Hawaii, are you still going through with it?"

They all looked to Fred in anticipation now and his face broke out into a grin. "I sure am Velma, and I'm hoping I can count on all of your help to get it all ready."

"So you were serious with what you told me about the cove earlier? You're going to do this tonight?" Shaggy smiled, feeling so happy for his friend.

"Yes, Shaggy. I'm going to propose to Daphne at the cove tonight."