The Kiss that Never Happened

Disclaimer: Scooby Doo and all related characters are owned by Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., and/or Cartoon Network. All other characters, names, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, locals is coincidental.

A/N: In the movie SD 2 Monsters Unleashed, there is a scene where Velma gives the control panel to Shaggy and they have a quick conversation. I've often thought that the writers missed a golden opportunity for us S/V fans. What if in that scene, Velma had kissed Shaggy? Not a big romantic "I love you" type of kiss but not just a friendly sisterly one either. How would our favorite couple handle such a kiss? And what of Patrick, who the writers want us to accept as Velma's new love interest? This is my take on the kiss that should have happened but never did and its ramifications...

Chapter One: The Ghoul From The Past

"Arousing from the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream. Yet in a second
afterward, (so frail may that web have been) we remember not that we have dreamed"
-----Edgar Allan Poe, The Pit and the Pendulum

"From ghoulies and ghosties
and long legged beasties
and things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
-----Old Scottish Saying

------------Xxxxxx

Shaggy was alone, pacing the living room of Mystery Inc. It was a big comfortable room with plenty of overstuffed sofas and chairs in which he could have reclined but chose not to. The fireplace blazed brightly, warming the room.

After they had solved the mystery, and Fred and Daphne had kissed before the news hounds could get to them, they had started to date as a real couple. They had left earlier for dinner and a movie. Patrick had picked up Velma for their third date. Lunch, something to do with the museum then dinner.

Scooby had paced with him at the beginning but had given up, stretching out on one of the sofas. And so Shaggy paced, alone, like a tiger in a cage; His pacing had nothing to do with his friends or the fact of being alone.

Shaggy had helped solve the mystery, facing all the monsters from his past---all but one. That was the reason for the pacing; and the fact that it had been three weeks and he hadn't done what he had promised himself he would do.

** the scene**

Shaggy, Scooby and Velma were hiding from the "skeleton screw balls" as Velma called them. She gave him the control panel, explaining what to do with it, what button to push, and all he could do was look at her beseechingly; sliding down the wall, clutching the panel to his chest.

"We can't!" he had come close to screaming, "we tried to be heroes like you guys! But we're not, Okay! "We're just not!" Tears (of shame, that they weren't really heroes?) threatening to slide down his cheeks.

She had knelt beside him, "That's funny, I always wanted to be like you guys." In the end she had kissed him; not on the lips, which would have blown his mind, but not a light sisterly kiss either. Somewhere in between. She had caressed one cheek while kissing the other. To Shaggy it felt like she stayed like that for a long time, kissing his cheek, but in reality it had lasted only a few seconds.

"Here I go." She had said then ran away to divert the attention of the "skeleton screw balls" and she was gone.

"Heroes?" Scooby had asked.

**end of scene**

"Heroes...she called us heroes..." Shaggy looked at where she had disappeared, touching the spot where her lips had kissed his cheek only moments ago, "Scooby, I think we can do this! And Patrick is going to find he's got competition!"

But he hadn't the courage and Patrick, museum curator, had had a clear field with Velma for the past three weeks and had taken advantage of said field. Thus the pacing; how to give Patrick some competition? Several scenarios had presented themselves for consideration, from kidnapping Patrick and sending him to some far off country to challenging him to a meeting in a dark alley and beating him severally about the head and shoulders. All the scenarios had been considered and summarily rejected.

Then the pacing stopped, not because he had discovered the answer to Patrick, he hadn't, but because another memory burst upon him. The green scaly claw, reaching for him, the bulging eyes watching him! The memory of the one monster he'd never had the strength or courage to face.

Scooby, stretched out on the sofa, woke from his own dogie dream, becoming aware that his master had stopped pacing. Good, maybe food was in the near future.

The darkness began at the edges of Shaggy's vision, closing to tunnel vision, threatening to close completely.

"No! Not now!" Shaggy screamed at the waking nightmare. Scooby, food forgotten for the moment, jumped off the sofa, making his way quickly toward his best friend.

"NOOOOoooo!"Shaggy screamed at the intrusion of the unwanted memory. He tried to repress the shaking that shook his whole body. He failed. The darkness, like an executioners hood claimed the last of his vision.

Shaggy pitched forward, his head bounced on the carpeted floor. He lay still. Reaching Shaggy, Scooby nudged his master and when he didn't respond, Scooby laid as close to his friend as he could, resting his head on Shaggy's chest. And waited.

---------Xxxxxx

For Velma, it had been a whirlwind three weeks. The museum had hired her, (at Patrick's insistence), as his assistant to recondition and prepare the displays before the re-opening of the Coolsville Criminology Museum. It wasn't an exorbitant fee but it would look good in her savings account.

Patrick had been wonderful; picking her up earlier in the day for a delicious lunch. His fingertips had found her bare arm when their lunch had been served and the waitress had departed; traveling gently, lightly down her arm, leaving a million goose bumps in their wake. His hand had found hers, the invitation clear. She offered no resistance, accepting the invitation to intertwine their fingers.

It had been awkward; eating with her left while Patrick held her right...awkward but very pleasant. They smiled at each other as they ate; his thumb massaging the soft area between her thumb and index finger, forming more goose bumps and a pleasurable tremor up and down her spine. He had even held the car door for her when they left the restaurant for the drive to the museum.

"That should do it," Patrick placed his arm around her waist and she let him pull her close. She looked forward to dinner; the perfect ending of a perfect day.

"Yes, where are you taking us for dinner?" Velma said, changing the subject.

"It's a surprise," he replied, looking down into her eyes. She looked so beautiful.

She screamed, grabbing her head; her eyes rolled back into her head. She fainted, slumping into his arms.

"VELMA!" Patrick shrieked.

TBC