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Shaggy is the one that sees them make the pit stop.
They’ve been driving for near six hours now, only pausing for Fred to swap out with Velma, who claims the bed at the back of the van and falls asleep, curled around a lumpy pillow. Scooby, who hadn’t moved from the bed and had no plans to, had simply lifted his head to rest it on her legs and thumped his tail.
Unfortunately, they still have a number of hours to go. It’s the unfortunate reality of what they do. Sometimes, when they’re lucky, they have cases in the same state. Other times, they have to cross what seems like the entire width of America to get from one case to the next.
Thankfully, after so many years spent doing this, they have some rough knowledge as to how it all goes. Velma always takes the early morning, when she’s jittery and can’t sleep. Fred then takes over for the morning into the afternoon, whilst Velma sleeps at the back. Shaggy makes them breakfast on the go and they play car games until they grow bored, at which point Daphne will switch on the radio. After lunch, during which Scooby will at last wake and get to stretch his legs, Daphne takes on the driving responsibilities and Velma will sit in the passenger seat, tinkering away with something. It’s always Shaggy who does the final late night stretch, wide awake and Scooby will sit in the passenger seat, sticking his head out the window.
Still, even then, there is only so long they can drive for and only so long they can stay seated for. Shaggy likes to think that one of his most important jobs is making sure the gang’s all happy and that no one’s about to take anyone else’s head off.
Which happens, especially when they ran out of coffee that one time.
Needless to say, it’s a little after one when the gravel road they were on comes to a rather abrupt end, opening up into a random paddock that sits across a wooden bridge, which Fred refuses to drive across because of how old it looks.
“The van will fall right through, and I wouldn’t want to damage her!”
Daphne hums her agreement. “Velma would kill you if that happens.”
“Exactly!” Fred says. He puts the car into reverse.
“Wait wait wait!” Shaggy shoves his head between the front seats.
Abruptly, Fred stops. “Is that the only way forward?”
“Nah, but we can have a picnic!” Shaggy says. He returns to his seat. “Scoobs, picnic time!”
Scooby barks, tail wagging and leaps up, displacing Velma. As Velma yawns and complains about being woken, Scooby fishes out a basket and Shaggy finds a red-checked towel. Both escape the vehicle before anyone can say anything else.
In the end, the other three can only laugh. Fred grabs out the sunscreen and Velma unearths the cooler and Daphne takes the portable radio. It’s not exactly what they expected to be doing this afternoon, but there’s nowhere else they’d rather be.
With only the laughter and the sun for companions, they want for nothing. Instead, they stay out in the sun for hours, until even Fred with all his sunscreen burns and Velma’s freckles have freckles. They stay out until the sun sets and the stars come out and it’s only then, when the today is beginning to tick over to tomorrow that, at last, they get back in the van.
And the journey starts again.