She was staring down the batter, trying to decide which pitch she was going to throw out. Standing straight up and placing her slender right hand which was holding the ball into her glove, she moved her purple bangs out of her eyes.
"Come on Sibella!" the shout came from first base. Sibella glared over at the orange haired woman staring back at her.
"Winnie, don't rush me. I need to select the most fangtastic pitch for our young friend." As she looked back to the little witch girl standing at the plate with her bat up and ready, she saw the frightened look she gave her. The girls were all back for a reunion, having reached their own graduation about 2 years back. During their visit, they were participating in an alumni softball game.
Shifting suddenly to smile at the witch, Sibella let off a quick pitch which flew by the poor young witch as she swung hard, but not fast enough.
"Ok, that's enough teasing for the day Sibella. Let's see you get one by me." A large woman with tall black hair which displayed a white stripe down the side stepped up to the plate, hefting two bats before deciding which one she wanted to use. She tossed one back to the bench and stepped into the batter's box, offering a few experimental swings.
Elsa had taken over as the Science Instructor upon her graduation. This meant she was very protective of the girls. She smiled at the purple haired vampire woman standing on the mount who was now pouting at her. Else then pointed her right finger to the fence, drawing a mixture of laughter and gasps from the girls and women there for the game.
Sibella set her jaw, returning her concentration to the young mummy behind the plate. "You can do it, Sibella!" Tanis called her encouragement from her position as catcher.
Sibella drew her arms back for her wind up and whipped it forward, letting the ball fly. It whipped forward and resulted in a satisfying thud as it hit Tanis' glove.
"Strike one, hehehehehe." The blue ghost floating over near second base cackled.
Sibella waited for Tanis to throw the ball back, catching it lightly in her glove. She took a deep breath before turning back to face Elsa. She went into her wind up and once again was rewarded with the satisfying thud.
Else was standing stock still, just smiling. As Sibella caught the ball once more, Elsa allowed her grin to grow a bit more and pointed once more. This time the move was met with more laughted.
Sibella wound up once more before letting the ball fly. For some reason she found her eyes closing, waiting to hear that final thud.
Instead, there was a loud crack. The ball was flying high, lost in the sun. Sibella knew, however, that it would be out of the park. She took off, heading for the fence. Maybe she wouldn't have to change into her bat form. Like a flash she was at the fence, ready to jump over. She threw her arm up, ever the competitive one, just in time to have the ball slip over her glove as she collapsed over the fence in a heap. She could hear the cheering from the field already, the teasing that would come.
Instead, there was suddenly a meaty thud. "Like, great hit Elsa."
"You alright Sibella?"
Suddenly Sibella found herself looking up into some very familiar eyes as a shadow fell over her. She felt a strong arm reach down to help her off the ground. She looked up and absorbed his face, her breath catching in her chest.
"H-Hey Coach!" Sibella threw her arms around his neck, giving him a huge hug. Smiling warmly, Shaggy hugged her back for a moment. He stepped back, releasing her from the hug and turned toward the field. Sibella felt like the hug had ended too soon, but she didn't want anyone else to know she felt like that. As the Vampire Princess, she did have a certain level of 'coldness' to maintain. Besides, this was her coach. She couldn't feel that way about a human, and about him.
She turned to join him in getting back to the field. As she ran over, she watched his lithe form jump the fence at a short run. She, being only about 6' herself had to vault over. Of course that was far less painful than her initial trip over.
As the two returned to the field, all of the current students got caught up in the excitement of meeting the famous 'Coach' that all of the alumni had talked about. As they saw the tall human walking toward them, the reactions were mixed. Some were scared to have a human in their midst, shocked the think he could be this famous Coach. Others, more accustomed to being around humans could not deny that the lanky man was handsome.
All confusion was removed as the alumni ran up to hug the man, shouting to him, "Coach!"
Shaggy and the girls gathered around home plate, questions flying fast as everyone tried to catch up.
"Hey Coach, how have you been?"
"When did you get in?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Have you seen Miss Grimwood yet?"
"Where is Scooby?"
At the last question, Sibella saw the man's face fall, but only for a second. She would have to ask about that later.
"Well it is good to see you too ladies. One t a time but I will try to answer all of your questions. I actually just got in, so no I haven't seen Miss Grimwood yet. As for why, I heard my favorite women were having a reunion and I knew I couldn't miss it. It is a good thing actually, it has been a long couple of months. Like, as for Scoob, he won't be joining." Damn, he had almost made it through without his trademark 'like'. These days it really only came out when he was nervous. The last bit was said with a forced smile. Luckily it looked like no one noticed. Shaggy wasn't really up for talking about his lifelong best friend.
"Well we're glad you're back, Coach." Elsa said, stepping back from the group hug.
"Yeah, you made it just in time!" Phanty added with a laugh.
"Come on everyone, let's get back to the hooowwwwwwuuuuuusse!" Winnie howled the last word as she took off for the mansion. The rest of the girls followed her out.
Sibella slowed down and looked back at Shaggy who seemed a bit lost, staring at the ladies. "Coming?"
Shaggy offered her a soft smile before jogging up to join her. "Gladly."
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Shaggy settled down into bed. It had been a long day. After his past few months, the day was nice, but tiring. He had arrived back at the Grimwood place just to be swamped by hugs and requests for stories. After a few hours, and several trips down memory lane with the girls later, Miss Grimwood had stepped in and asked the young ones to head for bed. This request was met by cries of not fair, but after Miss Grimwood reminded them that Mr. Rogers would still be there tomorrow, the girls relented.
He had then sat for another hour while the young alumni caught him up on their lives. Shaggy thought back on all he had learned.
Elsa was still at the school teaching science. She and her dad had grown close over the time and Elsa had even found a young man for herself down at the Callway place. They had been dating for 6 months. She was as tall as her father, reaching seven feet tall. She had grown into her feminine form, looking like a body builder with her broad shoulders. Her curves had developed quite nicely.
Phanty giggled her way through her story. She had taken up helping some ghost hunter groups while stopping by some old houses to haunt them just for fun. She had been 'shacking up' with one of those cute ghost hunters, in her own words. Phanty was not much taller than she had been before, but being as she floated most places, height did not seem to matter. She was still blue with white hair. Her figure had stayed slim but she had hips now and an ass that wouldn't quit.
Winnie and Tanis were a couple. Winine, having learned to hide her wolfside for most of the month, had become a physical education professor at a local boarding school. Winnie had developed too, growing into her wolf form. She had grown to about 5'8", but had maintained her trim waist. More than that, her chest had grown quite…large.
Tanis, to her credit, had graduated from Grimwood's before the others, even though she was younger, and had managed to graduate with her bachelor's degree about the same time as the other ladies had been graduating from Grimwood's. She had done a Master's degree in one additional year and was now teaching at the community college near Winnie…or rather, she was teaching online courses for them since being in front of a class probably would not be the best. Tanis had grown into quite a woman in her own right, standing about 5'10", only slightly taller than Winine. She was fit, but wrapped herself in her bandages to hide her shyness about her figure. The same could not be said for Winnie. Shaggy had to admit they made a cute couple.
That only left Sibella. The Vampire Princess had been travelling the world. She would naturally be an heiress to Dracula's fortune and kingdom. Of course she didn't really care about that. In typically Sibella fashion, the young vampire had been visiting different vampires around the world, seeing how they treated humans, how they interacted with one another, and just understanding the monster world. The travel had done nothing to slow her down in becoming a gorgeous woman. She still had her purple hair but had remained trim and fit from her travels. She had soft shoulders which flowed down into her perfectly formed breasts before finding their way down across the very flat stomach which peeked out from her tank top she had not changed out of since playing softball. Her hips flared out gently to stretch into long legs, suited just right for her 6' frame.
Of course most of this info came not from Sibella herself but from Winnie. As Shaggy learned later, apparently Winnie and Sibella had been in a relationship, and even after a rough breakup the two had stayed close. This caught Shaggy off guard, though he really didn't know why. Why did he care who she had dated? In his confusion, Shaggy missed the blush in Sibella's face during this revelation and the glare she gave to Winnie.
As Shaggy settled down into his bed, his thoughts shifted away from the women he was here to visit and came back to the true reason he was here. It was a painful to consider that and it was not something he wanted to think about. He rolled around in the bed for hours before noticing he could not get away from these thoughts.
He sat up, hugging himself. He felt a tear fall down his cheek. He really missed Scoob.
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Sibella was slipping through the hall to the bathroom when she heard it. She wasn't sure it was what she thought at first, but as she drew herself closer, she knew she recognized the sound. You couldn't mistake that sound. It was coming from the window. She carefully stole her way out of the window where she saw a figure near the edge. The figure was clutching themselves, rocking. Then she heard the sound again.
Crying.
As Sibella drew closer, she saw the red shirt. Then, as the moon came out from behind the clouds, she saw who was crying.
Slipping quietly down to sit beside him, Sibella suddenly froze about a step away from him. What was she doing? This was Shaggy. For all she knew, he did not want anyone here. She had seen that look when talking about Scooby. This was not a good time. She turned to head back inside.
"Hey Sibella."
She looked back shocked. He hadn't even turned around, yet he knew who was there.
As she was studying him, he turned to look into her eyes. "Care to sit?" There was no hint he had been crying. Even his eyes weren't red.
"Sure." She said, trying to keep her composure. As she sat, she studied him more closely. This was not the same guy who had been their coach at 18. That was 7 years ago. He had been tall and lanky back then. Sitting next to him, she now realized how much had changed. She had noticed how tall he was earlier. Easily 6'5" maybe even 6'6". But now that she sat beside him she began to realize other things. His face was squarer. He was still skinny, but she could see hints of muscle peeking from his arms, draped around his knees.
"So how did you know it was me?" She asked, almost hesitantly.
With a gruff laugh, "You smell like iron and strawberries." It was a plain simple statement, but it still caught her off guard.
Putting on her cold Vampire Princess front, she shot back. "How would you know what I smell like?"
He tensed for a moment, then she felt him relax. "Ask your dad sometime. So what are you doing out here?"
She wasn't ready for that. She didn't want to bring up the crying, but she wasn't sure what else to say. Well…
"Wait, ask my dad? Why should I do that?" Ok, that wasn't what she had meant to say.
Here he let out a real laugh. "Nothing for you to worry about Sibella. Just an old beef between us." With that, he looked back at the young vampire, redirecting her back to his question.
"Umm…well…" Damn, why did he mke it harder by looking at her like that, she thought.
"You heard then." It wasn't a question.
"I'm sorry Coach. I didn't mean to intrude." She apologized.
He looked at her with his Green eyes. She realized that those eyes which were so familiar earlier suddenly didn't seem as familiar. There was a pain there, yet strength.
"Don't worry about it. You always were a bit more perceptive than anyone else. Besides, it is nice not to have to hide it." His shoulders slumped as he said this. The Vampire Princess carefully reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. She almost drew away as he tensed again, but the tension was gone almost as soon as it appeared.
After a few minutes, she let her hand slide down his shoulder and turned to face the lawn. Not sure of what else to say. "So you enjoying the view?"
"Like, what?" his breath caught in his throat. He was worried she had seen him staring at her. She was distracting him from his thoughts and was certainly a welcome distraction.
"I mean that you and your friends never really seemed to enjoy the landscape here at Grimwood's quite as much as we girls."
He laughed, appreciating her trying to forget his crying. "Sibella, I was just remembering all the good times we shared with these girls."
"And that made you cry?" she looked at him skeptically.
"Like, what? No Sibella. They were very good memories. They just reminded me of…other things. That's all." He turned to face her, pulling her around to face him. "But trust me, Sibella. Nothing that you or any of the girls here have done could ever make me cry. You Are…You all are amazing."
She found herself getting lost in his eyes. After staring for what felt like forever, she felt her body involuntarily shiver.
Suddenly realizing how cold it was, Shaggy pulled her into a hug against him. He was incredibly warm. She felt herself wanting that hug to last forever.
"Sibella, I was out her crying because it has been a long time for me. I have been fighting what felt like a losing battle for a long time. And in that process, I have lost all my friends…even Scoob." The end was so quiet, she wasn't sure she heard it.
She felt her arms wrap around him. "I'm sorry Shaggy." He felt himself shiver at that. It was the first time she hadn't called him 'coach' since he had seen her back at the field. It felt good.
They sat there for a while, just being quiet. Neither one said anything.
Then they went back to their rooms as if it had never happened.
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As another day began at the Grimwood School, girls were up early running around. Shaggy, after his late night, woke up and made his way down to breakfast. On entering the room, he saw Miss Grimwood looking crazed. As she saw Shaggy, she jumped to him.
"Thank goodness Mr. Rogers. These girls are all a bit too excited. I was wondering if, for old times' sake, you might be willing to provide them with a good old physical education lesson."
Seeing the room, which appeared on the verge of collapse itself, Shaggy knew he couldn't turn her down. "Sure Miss Grimwood. No problem."
Turning his attention to the girls running rampant around the room, he raised his voice. "Listen up!" Instantly everyone came to s top to stare at the man who suddenly had a commanding appearance. "Ladies, outside on the double now!"
Leaving no room for argument, Shaggy disappeared out of the room himself and was quickly followed by all of the current students. Sibella stared in awe at the command he had of the room. Winnie snuck up behind her.
"Hello Miss Berries and Iron."
The statement caught Sibella's attention. "What did you say?"
"Exactly what I have always said. You smell like Strawberries and Iron. That is what you smelled like when we dated. Sorry for bringing that up last night by the way."
Seeing the look on Sibella'a face, somewhere between confusion and realization, Winnie moved forward.
"What's wrong Sibella?"
"I saw Shaggy…Coach, outside last night. I tried to sneak up on him but he knew I was there. He said I smelled like that. Said it had something to do with my dad."
"Well duh!" Winnie jumped to her feet.
"What do you mean, Winnie?"
"Sibella, you do know, right? About Coach?"
Sibella looked at her completely lost.
"Well apparently daddy's little girl doesn't get all the news travelling the world." Winnie mumbled under her breath. "Look SIbella, if he hasn't said anything, I am not sure its my place."
SIbella grabbed her arm as Winnie began to move away. "Please tell me Winnie?" Seeing the look in Sibella's face, Winnie began to grin. "Ok, but first you have to answer my question."
Sibella stopped in her tracks. This seemed like a dangerous idea. But she suddenly felt as if she needed to know and there was no way she was going to go ask her dad.
"Ok, what is it?"
"How long have you liked Coach?"
"What?" That was not at all what she had been expecting.
"SIbella, the reason we broke up was because you were too cold. You were too busy distancing yourself from anyone and everyone. Sue we're friends, but you are still a very distant person to me. But here we are and you are out comforting Shaggy in the middle of the night?"
As Sibella turned to respond and defend Shaggy, Winnie raised her had to cut her off. "Don't. Super werewolf hearing, remember?"
Sibella collapsed down into her seat. She did like Shaggy, and as more than her Coach. She knew that. How long was a different question. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Sibella dove in to answer Winnie. "I'm not sure how long, but I know I don't want to be so cold toward him. But I also know I need to be. He is older than us-"
"By 6 years. Not so big a deal now days." Winnie cut her off.
"Plus he is human." Sibella continued.
Winnie let out a roaring laugh. "Ok, I guess I should answer your question next. See, I know something about Coach that most people don't know. He hides it very…VERY well. See, after Coach left here, he got involved in racing. He, Scooby, Scrappy, and Coach's girlfriend went off racing every weekend. Coach was good…really good."
Sibella took it all in. Shaggy was a racer and had a girlfriend. Ok, that didn't matter. It made her decision easier.
Winnie went on. "Well, you know that race your dad holds for the monsters every year? Yeah…so Pops decided he wasn't going to run it about three years after Coach left. Well Old Bats couldn't have that. He cast a spell to find a replacement wolf man. You know how that works, wolf man is essentially the strongest of the werewolves. Starts their own line. In some years serve your family. You know the deal. Well Dracula wanted someone to race the wolf man car. Do I need to continue or do you know who the spell grabbed?"
Sibella was staring wide-eyed at the werewolf. "You mean he is…but that means…then that's how he smelled me?"
"Without a doubt. See, Dracula told Coach that if he won the race, he would turn him back. Naturally your dad being…well, himself, didn't keep his end of the bargain. He threw everything he could at Coach to try and get him to lose. But Coach didn't. He overcame everything and won that race. It was amazing. But your dad didn't keep up his end. He sent Coach home without taking the Wolf Man power away.
"Apparently it was a rough few years for Coach. He had a hard time getting a grip on his powers. I don't know what really happened over the next few years, but based on that crying last night, it was bad."
"Wow" SIbella wasn't sure what else to say.
"Look, Sibella, I know you don't think anything will work. I really don't want to see Coach hurt, but he seems like he could at least use a shoulder to lean on right now. It is your life and all, so I don't care what you do, just promise me you won't hurt Coach."
Sibella blindly nodded, taking in all Winnie had said. Winnie gave her ex an exasperated sigh before sauntering off to find Tanis.
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Shaggy found the run to do him a lot of good. He just had so much pent up energy lately. That, plus his emotions were driving him mad and meant very little sleep. The run had burnt off a great deal of that energy, but he'd had to slow himself down quite a bit so the girls could keep up. Ah well, maybe he would take another run later. Of course thinking about not sleeping, last night hadn't been so bad. He hadn't slept, but it was more peaceful than normal. Maybe he could get Sibella to chat with him some more. He would need to chat with her about it.
He strolled up the stairs heading for his room in order to grab a shower as Tanis came down the stairs.
"Hey Coach, how was the run?"
"Refreshing. Those girls got nothing on you ladies though. Maybe one day if they work hard." He said the last part loud enough for the rest of the hall to hear and was rewarded with some squeaks from the girls peeking around the corner.
He continued in a quieter tone. "Say Tanis, have you seen SIbella recently?"
Tanis felt her lips curl into a smile. "Now why on earth would you want to see Sibella, Coach?" She knew what had happened last night. Winnie had shared all of it as the two had finished a late night love making session.
"Just wanted to ask her something." He could feel the blush rising in his cheeks as Tanis almost seemed to be staring through him.
"Coach, my girlfriend is a werewolf. She has incredible sense of smell and hearing. Therefore, I know all about your late night rendezvous. So tell me this, do you like out Sibella?"
Trying to hide his embarrassment. "Like, what do you mean? I like her just like I do the rest of you."
Tanis let out a small giggle. "I highly doubt you like her the same way. Come on Coach, you can tell me."
Shaggy felt his shoulders drop in a defeated way. "Ok Tanis, perhaps I do care more for Sibella. She has always been such a woman. That smile, the way she picks up on things, even the purple hair. But I am quite a bit older and I am a broken old man after all I have been through."
Seeing the dejected nature in his eyes, Tanis jumped in. "Look here Coach, the age thing is a bit outdated. You are only 6 years older. As for the broken piece, I don't know. Everyone has their own struggles, but I know the girls will agree with me that you deserve to be happy. Besides, it might be good for Sibella. She has been so distant, trying to be the big bad Vampire Princess."
With that she strode off leaving the now shocked Shaggy standing halfway up the stairs. As she reache the bottom, Tanis glanced back and giggled. "Last time I saw Sibella, she was talking to Winnie at the breakfast table." And she was gone.
Shaggy felt his stomach clench a bit. Winnie knew more about him than anyone else and he really wanted to tell Sibella on his own. Of course if they had already been talking…well, forget it. For now he would shower.
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This time, Sibella wasn't surprised.
"Hey Sibella."
She smiled as she walked up to him. "Mind if I sit down?"
He glanced up and saw her smile. "Not at all."
As she sat, the two stared quietly for a while. They were drinking in the sight of the moon as it rose steadily into the sky. After half an hour, he broke the silence.
"So, Like, how much do you know?"
"Well, I have begun debating going to visit my father."
"And why would that be?"
"Because he doesn't have the right to do that." She stopped and turned to look at hi sheepishly. "Especially not to you, Shaggy." She almost whispered his name. He loved how it sounded. She continued. "Maybe I could get him to reverse it…if you want?"
He felt himself perk up at this. The thought had never occurred to him. Then he thought about it…if he wanted? What did he want? He looked over at her. She seemed so fragile, so quiet.
"Sibella, do you know what I have been through? Because of this curse, I had to give up racing. As I was learning to control the powers, Googie left me and she was the first serious girlfriend I had ever had. Controlling those powers was so hard. I never thought I would get the hang of it. But Scoob was there the whole time. He kept telling me I could do it. He even stopped me a few times when I almost attacked people in my wolf form. Scooby and I went back to the gang while Scrappy went off on his own adventures." He paused for a moment. He had no idea why he was sharing all of this. He had never told anyone else about all the pain he had travelled through. Yet here he was telling her. He wanted to make her feel better about her offer, but she looked like she was getting smaller.
"Well, the gang and I took on some more adventures. It was just like old times. Well, till we split again. Velma got fed up with my foolishness, Fred and Daphne wanted to do their own thing. We had split originally so everyone could go to college…well, everyone but me. Of course Scoob and I found our way, but it felt like everything was right when the gang got back together. We had several more adventures, we even found old Scrappy, but that one didn't end well. The poor pup went off the deep end and ended up in a criminal animal asylum. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. We were off and out again, all needing space. I hated it. I felt so alone. But at least scoob was there."
He let out a breath here and looked at her. She didn't know what to say. She looked up into his eyes, now glistening with tears and pain. She held her breath as he went on.
"There were other issues. I began to control my power, becoming stronger and more confidant. I figured all would be well. Scooby and I even went on a few adventures of our own, saving some folks. It was one heck of a wild ride. I finally felt confident enough to be around other people. We went from living in the van to living in an apartment. It was great! The old gang even came to visit. Daphne and Freddy and their little girl, Velma with her fiancée, it was awesome. We were all just so happy to see each other again.
"But even the best times don't always last."
As he stopped to stare out over the grounds, Sibella hesitated. She wasn't sure what she should do. She desperately wanted to comfort him, but the sag in his shoulders told her he wasn't done. She laid a hand on his shoulder and waited. After a few minutes where she could feel him fighting back the tears, he went on.
"Well, something you are never really prepared for. I woke up late one night about two days after everyone had arrived. I felt as if something was wrong, but I had no idea what. Then I felt a presence I had not felt in years. It was your father. He was in my head again, teasing me. He was taunting me. He kept showing me everything I had lost. And then I gave into the anger. I let myself go. I finally gave in to the wolf. And it was bad. I began thrashing around. As your dad put one more vision into my head, I broke. I began to tear the apartment apart. I was scary. Being a wolf man made me one hell of a danger. Of course the only person there who really knew was Scoob. Everyone else thought it was another mystery or something, but it was bad. Scoob managed to get everyone out, but not soon enough. Apparently I turned on them. My wolf side wanted to destroy them. As I charged, Scoob proved he was a greater friend then anyone had ever known. He charged at me."
Here Shaggy broke into full tears and collapsed against Sibella's shoulder. "My stupid best friend saved everyone there. That coward stopped me from doing something stupid to them." He sobbed for a few more minutes.
"That action sent me back into myself. I knew immediately what I had done. I dropped to my knees and felt myself transforming back. Everyone was shocked. They stared at me blankly, not fully comprehending what had just happened. Scoob lay there bleeding and I was a mess. I grabbed him in my arms crying. Next thing I knew, Fred was dragging me to the emergency clinic with Daphne and Velma hot on our heels. The vet took Scoob and said it would be a while. At this point, Freddy looked at me expectantly. So did Velma and Daphne. I could see the terror in their eyes. I didn't know what else to do. Fred stood away from me and said, 'perhaps you should…go.' I looked at Fred. 'take care of him' I said, and I ran. I ran all night long. I ran for days in so many different directions. Finally, I collapsed. I was just outside a local school, which didn't seem like the best idea, but I didn't know what else to do. I woke up on a bench with none other than Miss Grimwood sitting beside me. She said nothing about where I was or what had happened. There was no pressure. She just looked at me and handed me a card and walked away calling over her shoulder, 'I know several of the ladies would like to see you…a few could really benefit from seeing you.' She ended with a wink."
As Shaggy reached the end of his tale, Sibella didn't know what to say. She gave him a hug and went to stand, fury present in her eyes. But as she tried to stand, a hand pulled her back.
"Please don't leave, SIbella. I can't lose anyone else I L…." He stopped himself short of saying it. "I can't lose anyone else."
"Coach…Shaggy." She softly took his hand in hers. "You aren't losing me. I need to…speak with my father. You shouldn't have to be living with this." She moved again to head away. This time Shaggy stood and wrapped her in his arms.
"Sibella." She couldn't meet his eyes. "Sibella." He called again. This time she slowly drew her eyes to him. "Look, I know I'm a monster. I have done terrible things. If you want me to leave, say so and I will go."
With that he slowly let her out of a hug. As she stared at him, she realized what he was saying. He thought she was leaving because she couldn't stand what he had done. Being a monster herself, she knew his pain all to well. Now it was her turn.
"Shaggy…Shaggy, look at me." He drew his eyes to hers. "Shaggy, you are an amazing person. My father was a fool to mess with you. I promise, you are not a monster. You made the girls and I feel better about ourselves than we ever knew possible. You treated us like we were normal. And I understand being treated and seen like a monster. I know better than most, especially after travelling the world. But, if you let me go for a moment, I will go see my father and this will no longer be a problem. I want to do that for you Shaggy, because I…care about you."
She stopped there, not trusting herself to say more. Suddenly she was returning her hug, not letting her go. She was a bit confused, but she hugged him back.
"Sibella, I have never told that to anyone. No one has ever cared enough, not in the past few years. The only person who ever made me feel that safe was Scoob. You are an amazing person, just so you know."
He looked down, realizing how close they were. As she stared back into his green eyes, she felt her cheeks blushing. He continued.
"At least when you let them in."
He stepped back and instantly wished he hadn't. He enjoyed the way holding her made him feel better. But he couldn't bring himself to put that pressure on her.
"As for going to see your father, don't worry about it on my account. I won't give him the satisfaction. Besides, I don't really want to be just human again. That really gets in the way of…" He cut himself off, realizing what he was about to say. Sibella didn't miss this one however.
"Gets in the way of what, Shaggy?" She asked, moving closer to him.
Feeling a bit braver…yet not, Shaggy decided he had already bared his soul to her. "Like…ummm, well, like, you see…Sibella…"
She smiled at him, suddenly feeling more confidant. "Yes, Shaggy dear?"
"Like, well, ummm…"
She suddenly stepped back. "Perhaps I should get back to bed Coach?" She offered him a nervous glance. She wanted nothing more than to be pressed up against him, but she didn't want to force him into anything.
"Oh for fuck sake, kiss each other already!" The shout from a window above them was followed by a slapping sound and a giggle. "Ouch Tanis, that hurt. If you could smell the tension…"
Looking back down, Sibella suddenly felt embarrassed. She wrapped her arms around herself. Shaggy suddenly found his confidence and pulled her close to him.
"Sibella, I have lost so many people in my life. I have become a monster and don't deserve to have someone as incredible as you care about me. You should walk away and run for yourself because I am dangerous." He offered a toothy grin barring his fangs with the end of his sentence.
"Shaggy, I am a Vampire Princess. I am the thing that goes bump in the night. But even when you were just a human you did not run from me. Therefore I won't be running from you." 'at least not in fear' she thought to herself.
At this point, Shaggy felt his resolve break. He bent down to kiss the woman in his arms. As their lips met, there was an electricity between them like one could never imagine. The tension between them disappeared as they gave in to that kiss. Holding her close, Shaggy felt a peace like her hadn't felt in years. He felt his body calm down in regards to his wolf side (though it did heat up in another sense as he realized that he was holding a sexy vampire goddess in his arms).
"Rit's Arout Rime!" Came a shout from Shaggy's window. Both of the young lovers turned to face the voice.
"SCOOB!"