A/N: First, the disclaimer... hrrumph! "I do not own any of the Scooby-Doo characters, concepts or other intellectual property."

Now, for those of you looking for something altogether different in a Scooby gang fanfic, here's an offbeat (and sexy) tale which takes place soon after the events of the movie 'Camp Scare':

The Encounter at Little Big Moose

Chapter 1: Cold Feet

"Ooh, Velma; where the hell are we?" groaned a worried Daphne Blake, deep within the thick forest that surrounded the newly renamed Camp Little Big Moose.

"Hmm," considered Velma Dinkley. "Based on the position of the sun, the current wind direction and the general topography of the area, I would conclude... that we're totally lost."

"Great!" Daphne grumbled, slapping a hand to her forehead. "You know what? If Freddy says one word about us coming back here next year, I'll hang him up by his ascot."

Dressed in their official camp counselor T-shirts and shorts, the girls looked more resourceful than they felt at the moment, as they picked their way through the dense brush. "This is my fault," declared Velma, ruefully. "If I hadn't gotten mad at Shaggy and decided to go hiking on my own, despite my negligible wilderness skills... well, you wouldn't have insisted on coming with me, and neither of us would be in this fix."

Daphne raised an eyebrow and grinned at her best friend. "That's okay, Vel; when somebody as smart as you does something dumb, it means there's hope for the rest of us." She paused to wipe her brow and brush back her red hair. "Why don't you and Shag go ahead and sleep together, already? It really helped Fred and me."

"Oh, we want to... at least I think we do," admitted Velma. "But I just can't get that big, skinny twit to focus! Every time we start making serious headway, he gets distracted by food, or Scooby, or food, or sports, or food...." She took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I've begun resorting to drastic measures; you probably noticed I left off my bra this morning."

"Yeah, I saw right away that 'Dinkley Dairies' was advertising," quipped Daphne, with a good-natured smirk. "So did Fred; but I let it slide 'cause, heck, even I like to look at your boobs. They're just so perfect!"

"Well thanks, Daph," replied Velma, coloring slightly. "Shag was appreciating them too, until he scoped out the picnic table. After that, I might as well have been wearing a parka." She sighed, exasperated. "So I had to get away for a while, before I killed him."

"That's our Norville," shrugged Daphne, in sympathy. "He's a complicated guy. Look, my best advice would be to stop thinking it to death; someday it'll just happen, and you'll both be surprised."

"Maybe," conceded Velma, frowning. "We have so many differences; I'm logical, he's impulsive. And to be honest, I'm about as bad as he is to get cold feet."

"Cold feet... Is that why you always wear those darn orange kneesocks of yours, even in the summer?" teased Daphne, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ho, ho. You get comical when you're lost in the woods, you know that?" remarked Velma, wryly; then she perked up: "Hey, Kathy Griffin; it's looking better up ahead."

To their relief, the girls stepped out into a large clearing where the noonday sun shone brightly. "Okay, this is a definite improvement," declared a tired Velma, glad to be out of the towering trees. "Let's rest a few minutes."

"Yeah, it's a lot nicer here," agreed Daphne. Sitting down, she pulled off her hiking shoes and socks, and planted her slender feet deep in the grass. "Oh, that feels sooo good..." she purred. "Why don't you join me?"

"I'll pass," Velma said, pursing her lips. "As you pointed out, I'm not really a barefoot sort of girl." She sat down next to Daphne and shook her head. "Ah, I don't mean to be irritable. I'm just... tense lately."

Daphne put a comforting arm around her. "Vel, you're the most together person I know," she said. "But it wouldn't kill you to loosen up a little more."

Velma sighed again. She had tried to unwind since they'd come here, once even putting on her new white bathing suit for a swim in the lake; but the water had seemed too cold to her after dipping a toe in, and the effort went no further. She wasn't that comfortable in clingy swimwear anyway.

"Actually, it's not that easy..." she began, then broke off as a peculiar sensation came over her. "Whoa; do you feel that?" Daphne nodded; something about the air had changed.

Abruptly, a gleaming silver sphere as big as a house shimmered into view before them, as if out of nowhere. It looked like a classic example of a UFO, ringed with pulsating amber lights; an array of glowing, wand-like antennae fanned out from the top of the ship.

Stunned, the girls scrambled to their feet and gaped at the strange craft, listening to it drone softly. At last, Velma picked up a pebble and tossed it, seeing it bounce off the sphere with a distinct metallic 'ping' - definitely not a projection or hologram. Velma looked at Daphne and said, dry-mouthed, "Something tells me this isn't just another Little Moose legend."

Daphne swallowed hard. "You think it's real? I mean, really real?" she babbled.

"After all the hoaxes we've exposed, I would consider us eminently qualified to identify an authentic paranormal phenomenon," observed Velma, with a kind of forced calm. "So, to answer your question: Hell, yeah; it's real!"

"Jeepers..." mumbled Daphne, trying to wrap her mind around the situation. "But how could it just appear like that?"

Velma shrugged. "I'd guess it was probably here already, just invisible somehow."

Before the girls could decide on their next move, both jumped as a flash of light deposited two small figures in front of them. To their astonishment, Velma and Daphne found themselves looking down at a strange pair of bluish-skinned beings no more than three feet tall.

For a moment, they could only stare in awe at the little blue men, noting their greatly enlarged heads, apparent lack of noses, elongated fingers and broad, flat feet. Dressed in tan coverall uniforms, the aliens quietly looked back at the girls with gleaming, dark eyes.

"Y'think they're, uh, real, too?" squeaked Daphne, her voice barely audible.

"I know they are," murmured Velma, now more intrigued than afraid. "They just told me."

Daphne gave her friend a curious look: "They told you? I didn't hear them say anything." She was correct in that neither of the blue men had moved his thin slit of a mouth.

"Really?" said Velma. "I guess they didn't actually speak, but I heard them clear as a bell... in my mind. Jinkies!"

Daphne's skin prickled. This was getting entirely too weird for her, despite all the spooky things she'd seen in the past (which had mostly been bogus anyway); and UFO stories had always especially creeped her out. "Are they... saying anything else?" she asked.

Velma nodded, in utter fascination. "Yes; a lot, actually. It's more concepts than words. They mean us no harm... and they're inviting us aboard their ship!"

Daphne bit her lip. "Tell them 'thanks anyway'," she said in a taut whisper, quickly slipping her shoes back on in case they had to run for it. "We don't want to do that..."

"Don't we? C'mon, Daph," admonished an increasingly eager Velma. "Think what an incredible experience this could be!" She turned back to the aliens, who were communicating with her again. "Hang on, they're asking... they're asking if we'd be willing to let them examine us. Painlessly, of course." Her hazel eyes lit up with interest: "What a scientific opportunity..."

"That's not what I'd call it," muttered Daphne, a chill running down her spine; alien abduction stories, with their cold metal tables and intimate probings, creeped her out even worse. "Lookit, let's just wish them the best of luck... and get out of here."

Velma silently weighed all the factors - then decided, for once, to listen to her gut. "Daphne, I'm going," she said, feeling anxious, yet elated. "This is a chance to investigate our biggest mystery ever. You do what you have to do, but If I pass this up, I'll never forgive myself." The shock on her friend's face was evident, but Velma had made up her mind.

"You can't be serious!" blurted Daphne, with grave concern. "What if they're lying to you? What if they get you in there and, and dissect you or something, and... Oh. Ohhh, my God."

Daphne fell quiet, nodding. She could finally 'hear' the aliens' thoughts, and they had a calming effect; a gentle wave of good intentions washed over her, and it didn't feel like hypnosis or mind control - just truth.

"Isn't that amazing?" chuckled Velma. "Apparently, it took them a little longer to find your 'frequency'. Now do you believe they won't hurt us?"

"Yeah... I guess I do," admitted Daphne. "But I'm still not going." Tears welled up in her eyes: "I'm sorry, Velma; it's just more than I can handle. I mean, I even freak out at my gyno exams, and this-"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Daph; I understand," said Velma, hugging her tight. "I've got a stomach full of butterflies myself, but this is something I need to do."

Daphne wiped her eyes and managed a small grin. "It's more your kinda thing anyway," she conceded. "Go; have fun. I'll wait right here for you."

"I know," said Velma, tenderly. "It shouldn't take too long. Don't worry; I'll be fine." She took a deep, steadying breath and let it go, then smiled at the patiently waiting blue men: "Okay, guys; I'm ready." With another flash, Velma and the extraterrestrials vanished, as the spacecraft promptly shimmered out of sight again.

Daphne cautiously crept up, feeling in front of her, until her fingers touched the invisible ship; it was still there, all right. She found a suitably shady tree and sat beneath it, uneasy in spite of the aliens' assurances.

"Just come back, Vel," murmured Daphne. "Just come back..."