Have a holly, jolly Christmas

Disclaimer/Author's Notes: All Scooby-Doo characters are property of Hanna-Barbera/Warner Bros. The original lyrics to the songs quoted in this chapter and the music are the property of the respective author, artists and labels. All other characters are part of the author's vivid imagination (he, however, is not responsible for all of their actions as he is barely responsible for himself much of the time….). This is a strictly not-for-profit, just-for-fun work.

A/N Forward:

Thank you to my readers and reviewers for your continued support and encouragement. Your words and reviews have fueled me.

This is the final chapter of this story, but, fear not: there's more, as you'll read about in the story itself and the afterward.

And now, without delay:

Chapter 16: A ray of hope, and trust is born

"Before we continue, I have some more announcements to make," Jonathan stated after Jamie ran offstage into her father's arms, and Velma looked up at him as the audience applauded.

'What else do you have planned, Jonathan?' Velma asked herself.

"First, I'd like to thank all of you for coming out tonight and opening your stomachs," several laughs came out of the audience along with several loud cheers, "and your wallets," and even more cheers came.

"There's going to be a cover-page story, tomorrow in the 'Dallas Herald,' and you all will get the first peek at the story. That's why our guests are back there," and Jonathan acknowledged the soldiers and agents standing at the back of the room that had come in at intermission, "and one of the reasons that this concert is being recorded," and he pointed out the cameras around the room. "But, before I give you the headline, I'd like to invite Jamie's mom and dad up here: Frederick Jones and his lovely wife Daphne Blake-Jones," and the audience's applause grew even louder than it began when several of the audience members recognized Fred and Daphne, and there was a murmur going through the audience. "And, their children: James and Jamie Jones, and George and Allison Jones," and the twin twins joined their parents onstage.

"We have some other friends here, as well: Norville Rogers, who goes by the name 'Shaggy,' and his lovely wife, Mary Jane Rogers," and the two of them joined the Jones' on stage to their own loud applause as they, also, were recognized, with one or two gasps coming from the audience. Jonathan stage-whispered, "No pie for you, Mary Jane," and she responded by grinning evilly at Jonathan, who then shuddered (much to the delight of the audience).

"Fred and Shaggy have something that they'd like to say. Who's going first?" and the audience laughed as Fred and Shaggy played Rock, Paper, Scissors: Shaggy won.

Shaggy walked back to his wife, holding the microphone.

"Mary Jane, you never gave up on me. When I was at my lowest, when Scooby died," and there were several gasps of recognition from the audience members, both young and old, "you never left my side. You had every right to, Mary Jane: I offered you nothing except a snack-eating old hippie. I've turned my life around, and it's all because of you.

"Folks" and Shaggy turned to face the audience, "in a week our family will grow from the two of us to six: we've adopted four kids," and the audience applauded wildly.

"Can I call you for some help on the food bill, then?" Shaggy asked jokingly after the applause died down, and the applause was replaced by laughter.

"But, even that number is wrong, now: before we left home, we found out that Mary Jane was pregnant," and the audience jumped to their feet applauding, and Mary Jane blushed deeply as Shaggy pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.

"…and, I wasn't joking about that help with the food bill, folks, but maybe it'd be better spent on food for her," and the men in the audience laughed and the women gave him faux boos and laughed, as well, as Mary Jane punched him in the side.

"Those are good reasons to keep a family together, all right, but the best reason is love, and I've never stopped loving her," and the audience aww'ed as she mouthed 'Me, either.'

"That's why I'm following in Jonathan's footsteps, so to speak," and Shaggy fell to one knee, reached into his inner pocket, and retrieved a box. "Mommy MJ, will you marry me, again?" and Shaggy opened the box to reveal a beautiful emerald and diamond set ring that he slipped on Mary Jane's finger. Mary Jane stared at the ring, then Shaggy, then back at the ring, then back at Shaggy, and a huge smile grew on her face.

"YES, YES, you lunatic, YES!" and she pulled him up, as well, and kissed him to the rousing applause, cheers, and yells from the audience, all led by Melanie, Father Queen, Rabbi Schneider, Jonathan, and Velma.

Daphne was crying and applauding, and she suddenly had an ominous feeling. She looked over at Fred: he had a grin on his face and a bulge in his coat pocket.

"Oh, no, you don't!" she whispered, and she reached into his inner pocket and pulled out three clip-on ascots.

Fred took the microphone from Jonathan who had retrieved it while Shaggy and Mary Jane were otherwise indisposed.

"Most of you don't know that Daphne and I thought, for the longest time, that Velma had died in an explosion," Fred began, and the audience dropped to a negative decibel level.

"Three days after the explosion, I went to Daphne's house and begged her to marry me: I couldn't stand the thought of spending another day without Daphne or the thought that I might die without her knowing how I felt about her," and Fred's voice wavered but only a bit as he spoke. He glanced over at Daphne and smiled, and she mouthed back 'I love you.'

"We've had a great life, relatively safe; well, except for the mysteries," and several of the audience members who weren't sure before were sure now. "Then, we, like many of you, were shaken out of our comfort zones by attacks on our soil.

"We have tried to understand, but we haven't done a very good job of it, have we? Now, my wife is planning to leave her relatively safe job as a media executive and run for Federal office: The Congressional seat representing Coolsville, to be precise," and more pieces fell into place for more audience members.

"I've been scared before, but never like this," and Fred looked at his lovely wife and their four special children, his voice cracking a bit. "Now, I have to be worried that someone might take the mother of my children and the love of my life away from me, and now I think that I have a small inkling of understanding of what the survivors felt." He had been moving slowly over to Daphne's side all while he was talking, and now he was next to her.

"Their loved ones never had the chance: to show their feelings, but I do, now," and Fred quickly stepped in front of her, dropped to one knee, reached into his back pocket, and pulled out the ring box.

"Fooled you, Daphne," he whispered, and he opened the box.

"Daphne Blake-Jones, you've stood by me when I was a fool, an idiot, and a dreamer. You've never judged me…much," and men in the audience laughed and were shushed by their wives, dates, and partners, "and you've always raised me up. You've been my partner, standing besides me, and giving me four wonderful children. Please, Daphne, do me the honor of allowing me to stand beside you one more time. Daphne Blake-Jones, will you marry me, again, this time with Velma as your maid of honor?"

Daphne pulled Fred up and gave him her answer in the form of a kiss, much to the dismay of several single men in the audience. The audience was on its feet, once again, and even louder than before. Three proposals in one night, and they were witnesses to all?

Velma pulled away and grabbed Fred, locking him in a hug that almost cut off his circulation and the audience howled as Fred struggled to pull away and gave in to the inevitable.

Velma finally released Fred, looked and Shaggy and Jonathan, and asked:

"No one else is proposing tonight, right?" she asked, expecting no responses. What she got was a familiar voice -

"Well" and Velma whipped around to the source of the sound, and realized that she recognized the source:

Velma's father was pulling his wife from the audience onto the stage, and the look on her face was indescribable.

"Mr. Dinkley, I yield the floor to you," Jonathan stated, and Harold wasted no time.

He dropped to one knee, pulled a ring out of his pocket, slipped it on Marilyn's finger, and looked up. She smiled, nodded, and he stood and embraced her.

The audience was perplexed: no show?

"I've already told her 'why' far too many times in the last 5 years," Harold explained simply, and the laughter and the applause were equally loud as he kissed Marilyn in public for the first time since their wedding, and Velma was his loudest cheerleader.

Marilyn was, to say the least, not upset in the least at her husband's unexpected public display of affection.

There was a commotion at the back of the room, and the audience turned around and saw several men in robes enter the room, all carrying large bags and backpacks. One of the agents reached inside her jacket, but her supervisor standing next to her put his hand on the other agent's arm, leaning over and whispering something to the first agent, and she visibly relaxed

"Iman!" Rabbi Schneider yelled, and he ran and met his friend in the aisle halfway to the stage, and several members of the audience breathed a sigh of relief.

"For those of you who do not know, this is Iman Davi, one of the leaders of the largest Islamic worship center in the D/FW Metroplex, and he has very special news.

"Thank you, Rabbi. Ladies and Gentlemen, we come offering gifts to the Center here for all of the good work that it does, regardless of the recipients' beliefs. From our mosque and our families, we offer as support to the Center $450,249.79," and the men carrying the bags brought them all to the front of the room and placed them on the stage.

The audience was silent, in shock.

"This is our country, too, and we share in the joys and the sorrows.

"I lost my brother on 9/11; he was one of the many people who ran into the World Trade Center to help get people out, and he didn't make it out: his wife was on the 93rd floor of the first Tower that fell.

"His sons are in the US Marines, serving in Afghanistan, and they are definitely 'in harm's way.'

"Most of all people of the Faith want peace; there are people everywhere, and of every faith, who do not want the killing to stop, but-

"We are here to let you know that we want it to stop," and the crowd applauded.

Daphne stepped forward, and spoke softly while the applause continued.

"Iman, my name is-" and he gasped in recognition.

"Daphne Blake! It is you, isn't it?" he stage-whispered and smiled broadly.

"Now, it's Blake-Jones, but, yes, it's me," and his smile grew even bigger.

'You finally married Freddie! I'm so happy for you," and he leaned over and whispered softer, "I've been a fan of your, forever. We shall talk later. I'm so happy you came," and he and the three other religious leaders all came to the front of the stage and applauded the audience and the gentlemen who had arrived bearing gifts.

"My turn, oh husband-of-mine," and Velma took the microphone from a surprised Jonathan as the audience sat back down and the religious leaders all took their seats.

"Guys, you can listen if you want, but take very good notes so you don't get in trouble and forget," and the ladies in the audience all laughed.

"Ladies," she started, "I want you to see and hear why I so love this man. You've heard him sing, but you've not heard him sing like this," and she motioned to Melanie and Donald. They brought the twins up on stage, and Jonathan was shaking his head violently in the negative.

"Oh, yes, you are, oh pie-man of mine, my love," she whispered to him, and she continued as he grinned.

"He wrote a lullaby, many years ago, for his baby sister, and he started singing it to the twins and me before they were born. The first time that he sang it to them when they were fussy, they quieted down almost immediately. He's gonna sing it for you, tonight," and Velma handed him the microphone and picked up her guitar, and she started the accompaniment before Jonathan could say anything, standing next to him and smiling and egging him on to sing.

The chords were simple, and they even calmed the audience.

Velma played the melody through twice, coaxing Jonathan to sing with her guitar. Even the audience got into the act, and they began to encourage him. Daphne and Fred stood on the stage, holding each other, and Shaggy and Mary Jane had sat down on the stage along with many of the kids who were on stage earlier and had now returned to listen.

Finally, Jonathan sighed deeply, looked at his wife, then walked over to his children, took them in his arms, and he began to sing:

"Go to sleep, little ones,
we will always care for you.
Go to sleep, and always know
that your dreams can come true."

Jonathan's face changed visibly as he sang: his smile became soft, and his eyes were focused on the two gifts in his arms.

"Go to sleep, and dream of us,
we'll always be with you.
Go to sleep, and always know
we will always love you.

Sleep well, and dream of love,
we will be beside you.
All the days, and all the nights
so your fears won't come through."

He rocked them gently in his arms, and Harold nudged Marilyn and pointed to the faces: the twins were smiling; Velma was worshipping her husband with her eyes and her hands as she continued to play, and the audience was absorbing the sounds of the music and the voice.

"Go to sleep, and dream of love,
we will always guard you.
Go to sleep, and always dream,
for your dreams can come true," and Velma joined him in harmony on the final verse,

"Go to sleep, and dream of us,
we will always care for you.
Go to sleep, and always know
we will always love you."

Jonathan ended the lullaby, and the audience respected him with their silence. He handed the twins to Harold and Marilyn, they nodded, and they left the stage, placed them into the strollers, and moved to the back of the chapel.

Jonathan turned to his wife and kissed her cheek, and then gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. He walked over to his chair and sat down, picked up his cello, and smiled to the audience.

"Enjoy the snow?" he asked as he checked his tuning, and the audience chuckled.

"I always was jealous of folks that had a white Christmas until was I stuck in an airport in Wisconsin, waiting for a plane that wouldn't land for eight hours. It was at Christmastime several years ago, and I heard "Winter Wonderland" more times than I wanted to on the overhead music," and the audience, feeling his pain, laughed with him.

"Knowing what I was going to do tonight, I asked Velma to learn this song with the opening that she wasn't familiar with; now, she knows why, and leave it to her to 'improve' upon it," and Jonathan started the introduction as Velma winced, and then grinned at Jonathan.

Velma swayed to the music, a huge smile on her face, and she strutted over to Jonathan and kissed his forehead while he played the introduction. Jonathan fumbled, Velma laughed, and the audience responded with a laugh. Velma shushed them, the audience gasped as an invisible orchestra came over the sound system to play along with Jonathan's cello, and then Velma began:

Over the ground lies a mantle of white,
a heaven of diamonds shine down through the night
eight hearts are thrillin'

In spite of the chill in the weather.

Love knows no season, love knows no clime,
Romance will blossom, in weather sublime,
here in the open

We're walking and hoping together!

During the first verse, Velma swept the stage, covering all of the 'proposers' and 'proposees,' including herself and Jonathan, in the grouping of 'eight hearts,' and the audience laughed as she kissed at the air as she sang.

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening
in the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight
walkin' in a winter wonderland

Gone away is the bluebird
Here to stay is a new bird
He sings a love song as we go along
walkin' in a winter wonderland

In the meadow they will build some snowmen
Then pretend that they are Rabbi S,

(and she spoke the next lines)

or Pastor P,

or Father Q,

or Iman D,

(then she started singing, again)

They'll ask: are you married
We'll say oh, yes,
And you can do it one more time in town

Later on we'll conspire
As we all dream by the fire
To face unafraid
The plans that we made
Walkin' in a winter wonderland

Later on we'll aspire
to our dreams, by the fire
to face without fear
the fact that we're here
Walkin' in a winter wonderland.

The audience loved Velma's antics on stage, and they rewarded her with a huge round of applause.

Velma curtsied, and pulled her friends and her husband all together for a group bow, and then she sat down and started playing a haunting melody.

Jonathan stayed on the stage, and the rest went to their seats while Velma continued playing softly.

"Tonight," Jonathan started, "is a very special night for several reasons.

"You remember that headline that I told you about, earlier?" and several people nodded.

"Well, for those of you that don't know, in my spare time away from raising twins and being blessed as the husband of the most beautiful woman in the world," and Velma twanged a note on her guitar, and the chuckles came from the audience, "and playing a little cello," and the audience laughed, "I'm also a theoretical physicist.

"Well, sometimes theory becomes real life, and that's what happened to me," and Jonathan stepped aside as four men in military uniforms rolled 60-inch plasma screens to the front of the stage, plugged them in, and turned them on. Velma stopped playing when the sets were turned on.

Both screens powered up and revealed the seal of the President of the United States, and then a different person appeared on each screen, and both screens then split three-way to show the other person and Jonathan. The audience and the guests recognized one President, but not the other, and not the same person in all cases.

"My fellow Americans," both Presidents started at the same time, and they laughed.

"You first, President Bradford," and the President on the left began to speak.

"My fellow Americans; but you are not "my Americans," and he smiled, "for you are in another place, with other Americans from your plane of existence," and the audience was sound-absorbent.

"I bring you greetings from Jefferson, DC, our nation's Capital. Some of you there know of it," and he smiled.

"And, by the way, that's for Thomas Jefferson, not Jefferson Davis: I thought I'd better clear that up, for a start," and members of the audience laughed while others took a deep breath of relief.

"Thank you, Mr. President," the other President spoke. I bring you greetings, as well, from our nation's Capital in Washington, DC, and I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all peoples, in both of our planes."

"Thank you, Mr. Presidents. Maybe I'd better explain," Jonathan smiled, and the Presidents nodded their agreement.

"Scientists have theorized that there were other worlds, other universes, parallel existences, different 'planes of existence," so to speak, as have science fiction writers over the years.

"An explosion in one of these 'planes' and a test taking place in another 'plane' resulted in the transfer of a person from one plane to another.

"As a result of that accident, we've identified the cause of the transfer and been able to successfully communicate between planes. We have identified that signals from one plane have somehow been 'leaking' to the other, and most of you have seen the results of that leakages through an inter-plane hole: more on that, in a moment.

"We are all humans, homo sapiens, living, breathing creatures, who have needs, desires, fears, and heartaches. We are as capable of love on both planes as we are of hatred. We believe in our deities, and in many cases the beliefs are common or very similar on both planes.

"Only at very low-level DNA markers are any differences observable between persons of the different planes. Scientists from both planes agree that these markers have no impact; in fact, persons from one plane could, theoretically, have children with people from another plane.

"We have, after that person was transferred accidentally, been able to communicate, as I stated earlier, and subsequently been able to successfully have individuals from both planes travel to the other.

"We have not, unfortunately, determined how some signals were transmitted in the past from one plane to the other, originally.

"This, as some of you have already figured out, is the explanation of how animated characters that some of us grew up with in the 1960's and have seen their resurgence in the last few years thanks to the wonderful people of the AnimaTastic Channel and the folks at the Zebra Movie Studios.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you again, and for the first time, our guests from the 'Jefferson' Plane, as it has been named, your Mystery Inc. in the flesh:

"Frederick Jones, and his lovely wife Daphne Blake-Jones!" and Fred and Daphne came forward to a thunderous applause from the audience.

"Noville "Shaggy" Rogers, and his equally lovely wife Mary Jane Rogers," and the couple came forward to even louder applause and cheers and some gasps.

"Scooby Doo, Jr," and the applause doubled as Scooby came forward, saying "Rank Rou!" and "Rour're Roo Rind!" as he joined Shaggy on stage. Shaggy pulled a Scooby Snack out, and Scooby grabbed it and laughed as the audience laughed with him.

"And, for me," Jonathan spoke after the audience calmed down and retook their seats, "my personal favorite of the gang: brains and beauty all rolled up in a wonderful package, even in orange," and the audience began to applaud, and Jonathan held up his hand to quiet them, "and the mother of our children and my far-better half, Velma Dinkley Dace-Davis!" and Velma stood to the thunderous applause, walked over to Jonathan in as sultry a manner as he had ever seen, and pulled him down to her face level and kissed him passionately.

The audience liked the display, for they continued to applaud and cheer for another full two minutes.

Finally, Jonathan came up for air and looked at the monitors: both Presidents were laughing.

"Well," President Bradford said, wiping his face now wet with tears of laughter, "I guess you proved that part about cross-plane families," and the audience laughed along with the other President that many had just met.

"And, Velma," the Washington-Plane President added, "you and I are going to need to have a serious conversation about colors and fashion," and the President stood and stepped from behind the desk to reveal the orange full-length skirt that she was wearing, and the audience lost it, again.

"Yes, Madam President," Velma dead-panned and then grinned. "I thought, however, that you'd have 'gone green,'" and the some members of the audience finally caught on.

"Oh, my, God, it can't be," Daphne whispered to herself as she looked at Mary Jane in the Oval Office. The audience had been so busy looking at the President's orange skirt that they had now begun to realize that the President's almost-identical twin was, in Jefferson, Mary Jane Rogers, the wife of Mystery Inc.'s Shaggy Rogers.

"Madam President, I regret that I cannot come to Washington at this time, just as you cannot come to Jefferson. I am, however, sending to you our first ambassadorial exchange and his credentials for your government's advice and consent," Jefferson's first African-American President, strikingly resembling a Washington-Plane newscaster, presented his first representative.

"The first Cultural Ambassador from US-Jefferson to US-Washington is the perfect person for then job; well, except for his neckwear.

"Mr. Ambassador: please rise, Frederick Jones," President Bradford announced, and the audience was louder than anytime that night as they jumped to their feet and cheered wildly as Fred stood, sheepishly, and accepted the accolades.

"When were you going to tell me?" Daphne whispered to him as he stood in the midst of the cheers.

"Well…now?" Fred responded quietly, and Daphne whacked him on the back of the head, and just as the audience was calming down did they get even louder, this time with laughter and more cheers.

"…and now, the clip-on ascot will become Jefferson's best-known export," Velma whispered to Jonathan, and he grabbed his wife and kissed her again to the applause of the audience….

After the cheers had all died down (some 5 minutes later), Jonathan returned to the microphone.

"Our 9/11 was Jefferson's 7/4, so we have shared more than either side would have wished to share; and hopefully, we can learn from each other. Maybe, with the headlines tomorrow and the joint world announcements to be made later tonight at the 10:00 special broadcast by both Presidents, we can begin to heal the problems that have impacted so many lives on both our 'planes.'

"Velma and I and the gang here at the Center invited some guests to help us with this last group of pieces. You've already heard them, earlier: Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, via remote to the Sanderson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas, the North Texas Symphony Orchestra, the 'Symphony at the Trinity,' and their Maestro, Gene Sanford Sanderson!" and the screens split to reveal the stage and the orchestra as they begin to play 'Jingle Bells' and 'Sleigh Ride,' followed by their arrangement of 'Winter Wonderland.'

"Not to be outdone, President Bradford has graciously arranged to have perform for us the President's Own, Jefferson's US Combined Armed Services Wind Band, under the baton of Major James Sanderson Sanford!" and the second screen split to reveal the band at full attention, then sitting with military precision with the unison stomp of 90 pairs of boots, and the Major stepping out and firing off wind-only versions of 'Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night," followed by an entirely different version of 'Winter Wonderland.'

The audience applauded wildly, as the two conductors bowed to each other and the audience noticed the striking resemblances in the two men.

When the applause completely stopped, Jonathan stood again and took the microphone.

"I know, this has been a shock for many of you. Trust me, I understand: when I walked into that room and saw Velma lying on a table, I was surprised and scared at the same time."

"What, you were scared of orange? You probably weren't any fun at Halloween, were you, Jonathan?" Velma replied with a straight face, and the audience hooted.

"No, Velma," Jonathan laughed with his wife and the audience, "we've all spent too much time being scared of the unknown, whether it was little green men or people who looked different that us or people who believed different than us. We all want to be open to change, to new things, but we all fear change.

"What we all need, have all wished for, what we all want is more hope, more trust," and with that, Velma began to sing a cappella:

A ray of hope flickers in the sky

A tiny star lights up, way up high

All across the planes dawns a brand new morn',

This comes to pass when trust is born.

Then, Jamie and her brothers and bongos and conga drums from the symphony and the wind band begin a calypso beat….

A silent wish sail both seven seas

The winds of change shout out thru the trees

And the walls of fear crumble, tossed and torn,

This comes to pass when more trust is born.

Then, the Symphony and the Wind Band and their respective choruses join in to back up Velma ….

A rosy dawn settles all around

You know your feet are on solid ground

For a spell or two, no one seems forlorn

This comes to pass, when more trust is born

It's not a dream, illusion now: no more

It has come true, more than we've wished for

All across the planes dawns a brand new morn

It's come to pass; Now that trust is born.

It's come to pass; Now that trust is born.

The audience listened intently to the words sung so powerfully by Velma, and they roared their approval and jumped to their feet in wild leaned over to Scooby Jr, and asked, "Man, did you like want to get up and Hula?" and Scooby nodded vigorously.

Mary Jane stared at him and resisted the urge to whack his hand.

Shaggy calmly replied to her non-vocal dressing-down: "Wow, Momma MJ, you've got that 'mother look' down, cold, already!" and grinned. She glared for a moment, then grinned back and kissed his cheek while…

Both Presidents stood and applauded Velma and her 'backup band', and she acknowledged her local musicians, and the Symphony, Wind Band, and their respective choruses.

But, while Jonathan was walking to the front of the stage, and the applause had died down and people began to sit, a single solitary tenor voice began to sing softly and clearly…

Let there be peace on our earths

And let it begin with me.

Let there be peace on our earths,

the peace that was meant to be.

The audience turned and craned to see the source, and the cameras searched thru the audience and found the culprit: a young man, mid-to-late 20s in his appearance, wearing a well-worn suit and tie, but neatly dressed. His voice was clear and pure and powerful, and he continued to sing as if he were the only person in the room:

With God as our Creator

Family, all are we.

Let me walk with my family

in perfect harmony.

Let the peace begin with me,

Let this be the moment now.

With ev'ry step we take

Let this be our solemn vow;

To take each moment

and live each moment

in peace eternally.

Let there be peace on our earths

And let it begin with me.

When he finished, the audience turned in surprised as they heard applause coming from the direction of the stage and over the speakers in the room:The two Presidents were standing and applauding the surprise soloist, and their applause was joined by the symphony and wind band members and their choruses and all of the people in the room…

"Sir, please, come up, please," Jonathan begged, and the audience cheered as he slowly and reluctantly came forward, but the look on his face turned into a large grin as Daphne and Mary Jane each took one of his arms and escorted him to the stage, and then he blushed mightily as they each kissed one of his cheeks, then moved to the side so he could accept his applause.

"Thank you, sir," and Jonathan came to him and shook his hand, then hugged him quickly, "you sang so clearly what we've been trying to say."

"I just sang it because it felt right," he replied softly, and the audience cheered and stood, applauding him. He looked uncomfortable in the limelight.

"It felt right because it was right," Jonathan replied, then he asked, "Are you one of our guests?"

"Yes; I just came in for the stew, and my family got some of that turkey: it was real good!" he smiled, but then the smile ran away. "We didn't have anywhere else to go, so we came in here for the concert, too. It's cold outside, so I thought we could find a place here, or a place to bunk."

"Sir, do you not have a place to stay?" the Washington–plane President asked him directly, and he looked shocked: the President of the United States was speaking to him!

"No, ma'am," and he bowed his head, embarrassed to admit it. "Me and my wife and kids have been sleeping in our car," and the President chocked back her tears.

"Not on my watch, sir, not on my watch. Jonathan, please make sure that this man and his family get to the Hotel Adamson downtown, and tell the manager that he and his family have my suite for as long as they need it. James will understand; if he balks, tell him to call me at the White House," and the audience cheered. "Tell James that anything that they want, they get, and it's on my personal tab."

"In fact, Jonathan," and she grinned, "make sure that the folks here at tonight's concert who don't have a place to stay all have a place to stay for the next month: send me the bill, and I'll pay it, personally."

"Sir, you must be working as a singer, somewhere, aren't you?" and he shook his head no.

"Well," and Jonathan grinned, "this is history repeating itself," and he looked at Velma, and she smiled and let a single tear escape, "we've received calls from agents who want to talk to you," and the man broke down and grabbed Jonathan, shaking as he released his pain.

"Thank you," he whispered, "thank you so much. I lost my job, and we lost our house…."

"I don't even know your name," Jonathan grinned as they pulled back.

"David Advisor," and he stuck out his hand.

"David, I'm Jonathan. Let's talk later: I want you on my next CD; that is, if you're willing to work with me," and the audience cheered and yelled and whistled, and Velma came over and hugged both Jonathan and David.

"Daddy!" and a little girl came running up to the stage, followed by a young woman carrying a young boy.

David reached down, picked up his daughter and hugged her.

"See, Daddy, I told you we should come here tonight. There are angels all around here!" and she hugged her daddy's neck, and the audience cheered again as David's wife and son joined the hug.

Daphne and Mary Jane took them to seats in the front of the audience, and the applause finally died down, but David smile was etched into his face as he hugged his wife, neither of them believing what had just happened.

Jonathan walked back to the center of the stage.

"We've only one more song to sing, tonight," Jonathan stated, and the audience boo'ed heartily.

"You can't boo Christmas!" Jonathan exclaimed, and the audience laughed and started cheering, instead.

"Velma and I want to thank you for coming out in this wonderful weather, the biggest snowfall in the last 150 years in North Texas history. We want to thank you, on behalf of the North Texas Coalition Center, for your love and support," and he looked at David and his family.

"They are still counting the money," and the audience cheered, and Jonathan held up his hand for silence, "but, so far, including the contributions from our friends at the Islamic Center, we're over US $1.2 Million dollars," and the audience stood and cheered.

The four religious leaders were all in shock: $1.2 Million dollars?

"And they're not finished counting, folks," and the cheering went up.

"This is a record, just like the snowfall. Thank you, from all of the people you're helping who are not here tonight and from those who are. Dreams do come true," and Jonathan looked at David and smiled, and David mouthed 'Thank You,' and Jonathan finished his sentence, "now that trust is born between our two planes."

"There's only one song to end an historic evening like we're had tonight." And Jonathan sat back down and he started playing what seemed to be a random pattern of notes that unwound into a recognizable melody that was joined by the President's Own and the Symphony, and they began the introduction to the Christmas Song.

Jonathan put his cello down and went back to the microphone and motioned for the children, David and his family to come back to the stage. The musicians vamped, and Velma came over and stood with her husband at the microphone, carrying their children.

When all of the young people and David and his family were seated and still on the stage, the musicians bridged from their vamp, and Velma took the first and second verses, and Jonathan took the third and fourth:

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,

Jack Frost nipping at your nose,

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows that turkey and some mistletoe

Help to make the season bright,

Tiny tots with their eyes all a-glow

will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way,

He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh,

And every mother's child is gonna spy

to see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase

To kids from one to ninety-two,

Although it's been said many times many ways

"Merry Christmas to you"

The symphony's principal cellist took the melody for the bridge, and Jonathan and Velma held each other and each kissed one of their babies, then they sang a duet for the remainder of the song, Jonathan taking the melody….

And every mother's child is gonna spy

to see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so we're offering this simple phrase

To kids from one to ninety-two,

Although it's been said many times many ways

"Merry Christmas to you"

…and a French horn ended with the opening tune: Chestnuts, Roasting on an Open Fire…and faded out.

"Thank you all, ladies and gentlemen, for everything. We hope that you've enjoyed tonight's concert, and we sincerely hope y'all a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year, no matter what plane you're in.

"Velma and I have to go: we've got weddings to get ready for!" and the audience roared its approval and stood as the family of four turned and left the stage, then returned to even more applause after almost a full minute of applause while Jonathan and Velma stood backstage, holding their children and each other, celebrating Christmas in the new and changed world.

David's wife and son hugged David and his daughter, and David was smiling and thinking:

"It's gonna be a great New Year, and it certainly won't be boring!"

While the audience applauded and cheered, David's daughter looked up from her daddy's shoulder and pointed at corner of the ceiling, smiled real big and clapped, and Scooby Jr. looked up and saw three angels, two giving a thumb's up:

Samantha, Ethan, and…

Scooby Jr. then heard his Dad's favorite yell:

"Scooby-Dooby Doo!"

story complete….

A/N afterward:

They've requested a moment of your time to thank you…and who am I to argue with them?

Velma: I'd like to thank all of you for listening to our story. You all got me through the tough times of the gang's breakup, and gave me the chance to find true love for the very first time in my life, and I thank you all for that. I loved Ethan, and I almost lost it when he died. But look what I have, now! This wonderful man, Jonathan, has been my dream come true, and he just keeps giving me one surprise after another!

Come by sometimes, and Jonathan and I will cook dinner for you! Besides, you've got to meet the twins: they're growing so fast!

Oh, and by the way, if I might be allowed a personal note, to a certain 'Mlle. Dinkley.' Good luck on your degree; I look forward to having another Dr. Dinkley in the family. And I liked your picture from that Halloween: orange is a really good color for you!

Daphne: I'd like to thank the Presidents for allowing us to share this story with both planes, and especially to all of you that cheered my Freddie into opening up! You know Fred: he's soo not willing to show his emotions. You all rock! And, my Freddie, an Ambassador: how cool is that!

Shaggy: Thank you for your support through all of the tough times; you all have stuck by me just like Mary Jane did, and now I'm looking forward to being a Daddy times five! And, to top it all, my wife's Plane-twin is President! Green is good, in sooo many ways….

Jonathan: Thanks for reading our tale. I thought that, when Sam left, I'd never smile or love again. My life has not been the same since Velma came into it: it took a crazy man trying to blow people up to bring my Velma to me, and while I do not normally condone space/time explosives, I'm glad that he failed so miserably. Samantha and Ethan, I know you're out there listening, and thank you both for giving us the chance to say thank you to you 'in person,' so to speak.

Velma, we'd better go: we have a wedding to prepare for!

Fred/Daphne/Shaggy/Mary Jane/Harold/Marilyn: and, don't forget, you two: it's not just your wedding, anymore!

There will be at the least a second arc to this story: the weddings to end the Old Year and start the New Year and the new Plane View after the historic North Texas snowfall, and other surprises in store.

Thanks for sharing this ride with all of my friends, all of you wonderful readers and reviewers. Stay tuned for weddings and surprises, both happiness and angst galore!

Have a holly, jolly, very merry, blessed, and safe Christmas and holiday season, and thank you for allowing me to share your time.

Stay tuned for the next story in this tale:

Hope grows.

…cpneb