Coming into the station, Dastardly spotted the Buzz Wagon and its occupants by one of its pumps.

"Excellent," Dastardly whispered with a grin. "I can knock that ridiculous lumberjack and his burly beaver off our tail in one fell swoop. Muttley, it's time to see what you can really do."

Muttley whined again, tearfully this time. Dastardly rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently.

"Alright, alright, fine, do what you have to," he conceded, then the impish grin reappeared again. "But not before you hear my plan."

Muttley listened carefully as Dastardly lowly spoke into his ear, even with no one else around to hear them in the car. The floppy-eared puppy chuckled.

"You got it?" Dick asked, then Muttley nodded. "Well then, get on with it, and make sure they don't see you!" The man demanded in a strict tone. He then pointed to the rear with his thumb. "The back exit is right through that hatch behind me. I'll go get the disguise."

Muttley nodded again and went out from the backdoor of the car, hiding himself in the grass. Dastardly parked his car on the other side of Rufus and Sawtooth's pump. From under his seat, the nefarious villain got out the disguise he needed, left it on the floor of the car, and prepared the rope for the plan. This was going to be fun.

Dastardly got out of the Mean Machine and started to refill the tank, locking the gas pump nozzle into the car. As he did this, he overheard the conversation the other two were having.

"I'm telling ya, Sawtooth, we shouldn'ta used up so much of our fuel on cutting those trees down back there. The stumps and hills got in our way, anyway."

The beaver chattered with an annoyed tone.

"Well, how wuz I supposed ta know it would damage the car?!"

Yeesh, Dastardly thought as he climbed to the top of the pump and tied the end of the rope around it, making sure he wasn't seen by the two. Like an old married couple.

Dastardly saw that Muttley had returned to the car and was trying the costume on for size. Much too big for him, but it'll have to do. Muttley peaked out from under the mask and gave a cheeky smile along with a thumbs up. Dastardly returned the gesture, climbed down from the pump, and opened the hood of the Double Zero.

The two were still arguing. Good. They won't be expecting this at all from Dick. Now was their chance.

"Alright then, Muttley," Dastardly whispered, grinning wickedly. "Make with the nasty laugh!"

Muttley laughed heartedly. Rufus and Sawtooth stopped and shook their heads around, trying to find the source of the sound.

"What in the world is that?" Rufus asked perplexedly. "Sounds like some sort of…whistling tea kettle or something."

Sawtooth shook frightfully as he clung to his partner. Rufus looked at him irritatingly.

"There's nothing to be afraid of! Must be some sort of deranged coyote or somethin'. Hey, Dastardly!"

Dick started at his name. He was still standing near the pump, trying to look innocuous by holding the rope behind his back with one hand while putting the nozzle back into the pump with the other.

"Dastardly, do ya know where that sound's coming from?"

Dick couldn't hide the small smirk on his face as he shrugged. "No idea! But it sounds haunting, doesn't it?"

The soft laughter wasn't letting up as it continued unabated, louder and louder. Ruffcut was starting to shake too.

"Ohh, gee, what does it want from us? Maybe we should go, Sawtooth."

With both their backs turned to him, Dastardly turned on the engine, stood on his car seat, and pulled the rope. Muttley launched out from the Mean Machine, flew above the pumps, and hung right over the shaking pair. The two slowly turned around and looked up, then they yelped in fright at what they saw. Muttley, wearing a large and horrifying tiki mask, raised his arms up and laughed terrifyingly. The lumberjack and his beaver held each other tight as they screamed loudly.

"Now! I got you!" Dastardly shouted as the small dog swung over back to the car, let go of the mask and rope, and dropped into the man's open arms. Sitting back down, Dastardly quickly hit the gas, drove around the pumps and back onto the road, leaving Rufus and Sawtooth standing in shock.

"Maybe you should've appeased the spirits more!" Dick called out as he laughed evilly with Muttley sitting on his lap, chuckling along. Dastardly brought the hood back down and stepped on the gas more. He looked down to see the puppy still wheezing, holding onto Dastardly's jacket in hysterics, practically in tears. Dastardly petted the little thing on the head to calm him down.

"We did it, Muttley! Man, what a rush. I don't think even I could've done that myself. Well done, very well done!"

Muttley sniffed a little and looked at Dastardly through misty eyes. "R-r-you think so?" he grumbled out.

Dastardly started from hearing the words. He didn't expect for the pup to react so strongly from the prank. He looks like he's never heard of a compliment before, Dastardly thought.

The villain tried to play it cool and said nonchalantly while petting Muttley's head again, "Yes, yes, you were good. Now, stop sniveling! We're in the lead, and we're going to stay that way."

Dastardly found a slightly used hanky and gave it to the snotty little furball. Last thing he wanted was his jacket getting wet again, especially not from puppy sniffles. Muttley blew his nose into it hard, then smiled weakly at Dick.

"I know that was exciting, but keep your wits about you! We don't have much of the race left to go," he gave Muttley a confident smile. "So… now's a good time to stop and plant a trap!"

Little Muttley chuckled.

Dastardly went about a few more miles before finally stopping at the side of the road, near a fast- moving river. Muttley yawned a bit as Dastardly stepped out of the car, leaving the puppy in the driver's seat. Dastardly turned to look Muttley straight in the eye.

"This isn't the time or place for a nap, Muttley! Besides, I know what plan we'll be implementing now. I call it- 'Operation: Strike, Drop, and Roll'! Lucky for us, I'm pretty sure we got everything we need: a bowling ball, pins, rope, an axe, a box of matches, and lots of dynamite, as per usual with me. It's a good thing I always come prepared for such an occasion," he added conceitedly. The truth was that he didn't have the time to work out the trap in the last race, since his car blew up before he could even attempt it.

Muttley immediately brightened. He reached for the guide, opened up to the page needed, and showed it to Dastardly.

"Yep, that's exactly it. So, you know what to get- good! Gather the stuff, and then I'll explain the plan as we go along. I think you're ready to help me out with setting up a trap now."

Muttley laughed into his paw, then quickly started to crawl around the Double Zero to get the necessary things. As he searched, a familiar sounding voice cut through Dick's ear.

"Setting up another trap, Dastardly?" the narrator curiously asked.

"Why, of course," he said with a prideful chuckle. "That is my M.O., ya know. Although, I haven't heard a peep from you since I turned at that fork. As a guy called 'the narrator', you don't seem to narrate a lot, do you?"

"Let's just say your earpiece was turned off by the management for, ahem, for your own convenience."

"My, how gracious of them," he replied flatly. The puppy popped his head out from the back of the car, snickering. Dastardly walked over to him and asked, "You got everything, Muttley?" The little cur nodded, then widely yawned again. Dastardly dismissed it for now. "Good, good, let's set things up."

The man stopped as the narrator interjected, "Overworking the kid, Dastardly? I had no idea you'd stoop so low for help."

Dastardly quickly turned to stare daggers at the camera. "I'm not making him do anything if he doesn't want to!" he vehemently said. "Here's another favor you can do for me: buzz off!"

"We'd like to take this moment to apologize to all the good little boys and girls watching at home. Remember: these are trained professional racers, and they are racing on a closed course. Do not try to imitate anything you are seeing - or hearing- on this program at home. Thank you."

Dastardly scoffed and shook his head as the narrator's voice fizzled out of his ear. "Unbelievable," he whispered to himself in angry disbelief. Him, overworking the kid? Stooping too low? Impossible.

Shoving this train of thought to the side, he turned back to Muttley, a smirk returning to the man's lips.

"You ready?"

Muttley nodded ecstatically.

"Then let's set it up quick, and then I'll explain on the way."

As they laid the trap, the villain expounded on his plan: "First, I'll send a bowling ball right down the middle for a strike, which then activates the trigger that pulls the rope down, swinging the metal axe near the precisely placed match, igniting it! The match will then light the strategically laid dynamite, which will all then explode, opening up a large crater in the road and towards the rushing river! The river will flood into the road, making it impossible for the other racers to cross!"

The villainous duo laughed. He really did enjoy having someone listen to his plans. It made him feel actually important. Dastardly picked up the bowling ball and evened himself between the bowling pins. "Alright," he said carefully as he set himself up for the roll, sticking his tongue out in concentration. Finally, he brought his arm back and exclaimed, "Here we go!"

He unleashed the ball down the "lane" and… knocked out three pins to the side.

"Drat!" he yelled, snapping his fingers in frustration. Muttley looked at him disappointingly, and Dastardly could only respond with a helpless shrug.

"Well," he said, sheepishly smiling. "I'm not exactly a bowling champion, you know."

Little Muttley walked over to the other pins, pushed them all aside, and pressed the trigger located behind the set-up, starting up the trap.

Dastardly walked over and stopped behind Muttley, hands on his hips. He shook his head and clicked his tongue in disapproval. "For shame, Muttley. Now, where's the fun in just pulling the trigger, huh? Where's the excitement, the thrill of seeing a good trap go through all its necessary steps to- say, where are you going?"

Muttley was running back to the car in a panic as the axe came down and ignited the match, which then sent its flame up the fuse and towards several dynamite sticks. Dastardly's eyes slowly bulged in realization as they darted from Muttley's shrinking figure in the distance and back to his trap, where he was standing right near the dynamite.

"Oooh…" he muttered as he fearfully clutched his hands, then he drooped his arms down and resignedly said to the camera, "Drat."

The dynamite exploded right from under him, sending Dastardly screaming into the air and careening towards the rushing river. The dynamite was not distributed well, and it didn't create a crater at all, but only a black mark on the pavement. The panicked man fell right at the ledge of the road, his fingers desperately hanging on to its edge as his legs dangled frantically over the stormy waters. Throughout his years, he's been in many precarious predicaments, but he couldn't remember the last time such a phrase fitted his situation so well. He also couldn't remember the last time he was in such a dangerous circumstance.

"HEEELP! Somebody, anybody!"

Was this the end for the failing villain, and was this to be his last act in daredevilry? Dastardly could've sworn he saw his miserable life flash before him, until he felt a pair of hands pull his wrists up and over the ledge, slowly bringing him back up to the safe earth. Dastardly gave a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he blurted out as he was being dragged up. "You don't know how lucky I am that you happened to be passing by to save me. I'm forever grateful to-"

He stopped short as his head peaked up over the ledge. It was the brown puppy, straining with every fiber of his little being to pull the larger man over to safety. His tail was spinning rapidly in circles, as if he were trying to use it as a propeller to bring some extra leverage for the two of them.

"You!" Dick yelled in bewilderment. "You saved me?!"

Muttley opened his eyes and exchanged stunned looks with Dastardly. He quickly pulled the rest of the man's body out from the ledge, ran over to him, and hugged him so swiftly and tightly that it made the man grunt in surprise. The little dog shuddered as he whined loudly. Dastardly took a moment to absorb in astonishment at what was going on. Then, once it came to him, his arms slowly and uncertainly came around to return the hug.

"Hey now, it's ok, it's ok," Dastardly worryingly whispered as he lightly patted the frightened little thing on the back, trying to calm him down. "I'm fine now, really. I'm telling you, I get into these sorts of things all the time, but I always come out alright. Honestly so."

Muttley sniffed and looked up to Dastardly's face in tears. "R-rreally?" he growled out.

"Sincerely…really," he said with a reassuring smile, then it slowly turned into a concerned frown. He sighed slowly, then whispered, "No…No. No, you can't do this. This is too much for you."

Muttley stopped and looked at the man, unsure of what he was saying.

He continued. "I…know what it's like to have to grow up too fast. Living on the streets…doing things other kids my age weren't usually doing. Seeing things you shouldn't be seeing. It feels exhilarating at first, until reality kicks in later in life."

The man swallowed. "I wouldn't want to pressure someone as young as you to do this with me, and yet that's exactly what I've been doing. I know I said I'd treat you like an adult, but you're not one yet. And you probably won't be until who knows how long."

Dick put his hands on the puppy's shoulders. "Listen, I know I'm bad at this. I know there are other people out there who could take you in and give you a normal life, and I wouldn't be against it if you wanted it. You can just say the word, and I'll… help you find someone better who can take care of you." The words stung for him to say.

Muttley's ears drooped as he looked at Dick with huge eyes. And as the man gazed back, he felt something break inside his chest. Dastardly forcibly closed his eyes, then slowly turned his head away from the puppy.

Muttley stepped back from Dastardly, took a good look at him, then ran on all fours back to the car.

Dastardly opened his eyes at the sound of the puppy's scurrying. "What is he…?" Dastardly muttered as he got up to run after him. He found the fuzzball again, digging around in the vehicle. Muttley then stood up on the driver's seat, presenting Dastardly with the guidebook in his paws. His muzzle quivered, and his large, wet eyes looked beseechingly at the man.

"What? What is it, Muttley?" Dastardly asked urgently.

Muttley whined, then he grumbled out some words in a worried tone. Dastardly's eyes widened. He doesn't know how, but he could now understand what the puppy's grumblings meant. And yet, he felt as though this wasn't supposed to be a surprise to him. It was as if he knew this would've happened on its own, eventually with time.

"You," he slowly translated in a whisper, his face growing wider with shock as Muttley spoke. "You…like being with me…and you want to stay with me? You wouldn't want to go anywhere else without me? You…"

The little puppy dropped the book and jumped into Dastardly's arms, chuckling and wagging his tail. Dick's startled eyes began to water, and he felt some tears run down his cheeks. Then, he smiled softly, and deeply returned the hug.

"Are you sure this time? No take backsies."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Dastardly sniffed and rubbed his nose. "You- you little idiot," he teased, wiping his wet face. "Well then, that settles it- again!"

But then he wagged his finger in front of the puppy's nose in admonishment. "But you're going to need more training than ever, you floppy-eared, little fleabag! No more surprises for either of us, that's for sure! You got it?"

Muttley nodded in agreement, happily wiping his own tears away with a grin. Suddenly, a gigantic yawn escaped from his mouth.

Dick raised an eyebrow in jest. "Well, gee, I had no idea I bored you that much with my spiels, Muttley. You look like you can sleep for a week."

Muttley growled out some words.

"You were up all night trying to study my plans? Oh, boy," he rolled his eyes. "How long did it take for you to read them all, anyway?"

Muttley grumbled, shrugging his shoulders.

"You only studied the pictures?! You dimwitted dog, you could've just asked me to explain them all to you once we were on the road- I personally would've loved nothing more."

Muttley laughed a bit, then yawned again. Dastardly sighed in both resignation and satisfaction as they both got in the car again. The Machine was undamaged from the explosion, thankfully.

As Dastardly sat back down into the driver's seat, he looked straight into the camera with a nervous smile. "Okay, I'm almost afraid to ask this, but…"

The narrator's voice fizzled back into Dick's ear. "Oh, you won't have to be for long, Dastardly. You're in last place again. The other racers have already crossed the finish line."

"Of course…" he whispered disappointingly, but with a small smile. Dick started up the car and drove forward with Muttley sitting on his lap again, who struggled to stay awake for the drive.

After a few miles more, the two finally crossed the finish line last as Dick warily said to himself, "Yeah, well, like this race even mattered, anyway. It could've been far worse."

"Well," the narrator said. "The good news is that for the first time this season, you passed the finish line with your car still in one piece."

Dastardly laughed sarcastically at the little factoid. "Great. And what's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that since you crossed with an unregistered partner, you technically forfeit the race either way. So, even with the last place finish, it won't be counted into your overall score by the end of the season."

"Oh," Dastardly said with mild surprise. "Drat."

A very tired Muttley grumbled some words out and wagged his tail. Dastardly looked at him somewhat confusingly.

"I didn't catch all that perfectly but… I'm going to assume you said you're happy at least you became my partner today, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Well, it's going to take some extra time for me to say if this has been all worth it to me in the end but," he lightly petted Muttley's head, "I'd like to say you're getting there."

Muttley wagged his tail more and looked up at Dastardly gleefully. Dastardly couldn't help but smile in response, but then his eyes wandered off to the side and his smile dropped.

"Drat, I forgot! The other racers! I can't let them see me like this!" he roughly grabbed Muttley, unfastened some of the buttons on his long coat, and pushed him under there. He left the car and started to casually walk off the track, whistling as he went. But as soon as he only took a few steps away from his car, it seemed like all the racers this time crowded around Dastardly, with all of them shouting out different things.

"What happened, Mr. Dastardly?"

"Did you hit your head on a tree or somethin', Dastardly?" "It looks mightily sore to me, sarj."

"We got into that danged oil slick you sent out- not fun, I tells ya!" "You tell 'im, boss!"

"And those nails, just frightfully awful!" "Friiiightfully so."

"Dun't forget that dreadful detour sign- I've zeen two-year-oldz with better art skillz!"

"All a' us came out ahead and we saw neither heads nor tails of ya besides yar car on side of the road. We had na' idea what happened to y'all."

"I must admit, even I was feeling remiss about the whole thing."

"DASTARDLY!" a giant booming voice came out from the back, belonging to Rufus. Dastardly stepped back nervously with an uncertain chuckle as the muscular man and his angry beaver came closer and closer to him.

"I got a bone to pick with ya! What's the meaning of scaring us off like that, something fierce? And who was that giant chipmunk with ya with that giant tiki mask? Did you kidnap him from the forest or somethin'?

"Giant?"

"Chipmunk?"

"With Dastardly?"

"Dickie, old boy, what in the world happened to you?" Peter asked worryingly. "And what is that thing poking out from under your jacket?"

"NOTHING HAPPENED! ABSOULTLEY NOTHING HAPPENED! And I'd appreciate it if all you ninnies would give me some space!" Dick screeched out in frustration, gesticulating everywhere while struggling to keep his hands covered. "And there's nothing underneath my jacket, absolutely nothing at-"

A little whimpering noise came from underneath his coat. Within a short moment, Muttley snuggled his little head out from in between the opened fastenings, grumbled a few words, yawned widely, then closed his eyes and gently fell asleep right on Dastardly's chest. Dastardly's face became as bright as a tomato.

"AWWW!" all the racers cooed at the same time.

"Ohh, Dastardly," Peter lovingly said. "Why didn't you tell us you had a baby?"

"A ba—does this look like a baby to you?! He's clearly supposed to be a puppy!"

"Oh, I know, I was just teasing. I mean, look at him. He practically looks like your baby."

"Is that supposed be an insult or a compliment?" Dick deadpanned.

"Oh, how adorable!" Luke said, squeezing Blubber tightly. "Looking at him reminds me of when I first saw Blubber here as a little, itty bitty cub. Right, Blubber?"

The bear rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Gee, Dastardly," Rufus said apologetically. "If I would've known it was just you and that little pup doin' us in, I wouldn'ta been so scared. Now, ain't that right, Sawtooth?" The energetic beaver clicked in agreement.

Penelope stroked the little puppy's head with two fingers. "He's downright precious, Mr. Dastardly. What are you gonna call him?"

"I don't understand any of you," Dastardly said as he unconsciously brought a protective hand over his puppy, making Penelope retract hers in surprise. "This dog is obviously going to grow up to become a vicious, man-eating hunter, and yet you all treat him as this harmless, innocent little cherub. He's not going to be like this forever, ya know."

"Mmm, that's true, Mr. Dastardly," Penelope replied earnestly. "But I think that's what's so special about being a baby. You don't know how or what they'll grow up to be. And that's why it's so precious to appreciate them when they're still young. Because before you know it, they'll be all grown up lickity-split."

Dastardly looked down at the sleeping Muttley with a slightly worried expression. As much as he can admit he never had a childhood himself… he also reluctantly admitted that he never really grew out of it either. Muttley is still a puppy, and he knew he couldn't impose his own choice onto him. But…the idea of appreciating what that meant didn't come to his mind before. He hated his own childhood but…maybe it doesn't have to be the same here.

"M-maybe," he whispered. Finally, he conceded to her with a sigh. "Muttley…his name is Muttley."

"Awww," another round of cooing irritated Dastardly's ears, making him cringe.

"Well," Penelope said as she petted the sleeping puppy. "That's a cute little name for a cute little critter like Muttley."

"Well, I- um," he mumbled, unsure of what to say about that. The idea of Muttley being cute didn't cross his mind until now. Was that what he saw when he looked into the puppy's eyes?

"Well yes, he is…rather cute, I can say," he reluctantly admitted. He then turned to leave. "Well… I guess I'd might as well head down to my motel now. Got nowhere else to go, anyways…"

Peter reached out a hand and touched Dastardly's shoulder. "Oh, you won't be staying at any more motels now, Dickie."

Dastardly turned back in shock. Peter continued, "You'll be staying at the same resort as us, at no extra charge. And you'll have your own suite, along with little Muttley here, of course. Plus, room service!"

Dastardly's eyes became huge as he imagined all the food he could order, mountains and mountains of it. Finally, a decent meal for the first time in months. "Yes, room service," he said quietly, smiling a little. "That…does sound rather nice."


Dastardly stood close to the fire as he laid his small puppy down onto the soft, woven dog bed. The hotel room was wonderful: it was spacious, clean, and it had two bathrooms with a walk-in shower in each. The warm, crackling fireplace illuminated the walls of the darkened living room with a pleasant shade of wavering orange. Dick had left all his clothes to be washed up by the staff and, as he sat himself down on the couch while wearing a nice, plush robe, rubbing his large, satisfied stomach after eating the first big meal he's eaten in a long time, he admitted to himself that he's never felt so…good. The place had even given Muttley a full, puppy-sized meal with complementary dog food, plastic saucer plate, and toys.

With whatever money he had left, he had ordered for a cheap camera and a nice bed for Muttley. Muttley was too small for the bed now, but Dick was sure he'll grow into it.

Dick opened the back of the camera and started to wind his only film roll, finicking with the timestamp setting as he did so. He wanted to keep this moment. He wanted to remember him like this. He needed to. However Muttley will grow up to be, at least Dick'll have a picture of the little puppy that reminded him so much of himself when he was young and unaffected by the world. A reminder of the day the little puppy chose to stay and be with him. Him, of all people.

A companion. A partner. Someone to be there with him, through thick and thin. Whatever happens, at least he'll have this moment.

Dick Dastardly held onto the camera as he knelt down on the carpet near the woven bed. Dick noticed that even while asleep, Muttley still wore a contented smile. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted a hand and stroked the puppy's small, messy head, tenderly combing the thick fur through deft, careful fingers. Once he adjusted the hair to his liking, Dick pointed the camera, shot the photo…and messed it up. He rolled the film, shot a photo, and messed it up again. Again, and again, until finally, on his last chance, he got the photo he wanted.

THE END


Author's Note:

I've always had this question ever since I first started watching the original cartoon as a child: did they really care for each other? Why does Muttley stay with Dastardly if he treats him so poorly? Muttley is fully capable of leaving if he so chooses, but the two have never been seen separated for too long. What makes him stay, other than being able to enjoy seeing his big-headed partner be embarrassed on a daily basis? And after watching Scoob!, I finally got my answer. They really do care for each other. Sincerely so. And it makes my heart feel warm just thinking about it. And compared to Shaggy and Scooby, their origins of how they met have never been explored. I just wanted to write this fic to fill up this gap.

This was also written after I saw that adorably sweet photo of baby Muttley in Scoob!. The photo speaks volumes to me. If a villain like Dastardly could take such a sweet and innocent photo of his puppy for keepsakes, and then hold onto it for such a long period of time throughout their adventures, through thick and thin, it only furthermore sealed these feelings for me.

This is the story of how Dick Dastardly took that picture.

Deep down, I still think I made DD too nice and self-observant here. He's not exactly the introspective type, if I'd say so. He's still a rookie here and he hasn't lost as many races yet, so I interpreted the character as not being so jaded and short-tempered as he in the original show. The same with Muttley since he's only a puppy here and is experiencing all this for the first time.

Either way, I just wanted to see them happy and satisfied for once, dangit.

Thank you for reading this little story, and I hope you enjoyed it! And thanks to everyone who left a review and a favorite- y'all are awesome! And an extra special thank you to the HB discord group for all their help! *wink wink*

Til next time!