Sponge: I have been so excited for this chapter. It's a little long, but I hope you all enjoy. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Warning: some language, and lots (and I mean LOTS) of Shelma kissing. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. All dialogue that's in bold font comes directly from the Next to Normal script. All lyrics to the song "Perfect For You"belong to Brian Yorkey.


Chapter 4: Perfect For You

Monday dawned bright and early. Shaggy watched the sun peek through his drapes as his alarm went off and he groaned. Mondays were always torturous, but especially this Monday, since he wasn't sure what rehearsal would bring.

Scooby, who had been asleep at the foot of the bed, jolted awake at the alarm. He glanced up at Shaggy, who still had his head buried under his pillow. Shaggy, of course, had not told Scooby what was bothering him, and this was torturous in its own rite. Shaggy and Scooby were best friends. There wasn't a thing that one didn't know about the other.

Except this.

This attraction-or-whatever-it-was that Shaggy felt for Velma was by far the biggest – and only – secret he'd ever kept from his beloved pet. Shaggy wasn't sure that Scooby would understand. It had just been the two of them for years now. Besides, Shaggy wasn't even sure how to describe whatever this was. And Velma had said, on more than one occasion in no uncertain terms, that she was more attracted to the academically inclined. Shaggy wasn't a genius by any means, and regardless, he certainly didn't think Velma felt the same way about him as he did about her. Whatever that was.

Scooby, for his part, could tell that something was troubling Shaggy, but had no idea what it could be. Was it nerves about the play? Stress over the Ultimatum? Scooby had never told the rest of the gang about his conversation with Leesa – perhaps he should. If the gang had a mystery to solve, maybe Shaggy wouldn't be so worried about – whatever it was that worried him. Though, wouldn't solving a mystery give him just another thing to be concerned with?

"Norville Rogers!" The voice of Shaggy's mother sounded through the door, permeating both of their thoughts. "You'd better get out of bed right now or you'll be late for school, young man."

Shaggy groaned again and grasped his pillow. Maybe if he didn't acknowledge his worry, it would go away.

x.X.x

He needn't have worried, it turned out. That day, and the following in fact, rehearsal was spent in music practice. Several of Velma's band classmates had been chosen to be in what Daphne called "the pit orchestra," and her band instructor Mr. Harrison was the conductor. The whole cast ran through the opening number together, and continued working on multiple songs from the first part of Act I. Performers who had solos, like Daphne and Velma, were responsible for learning those songs themselves, so everything they did on Monday and Tuesday were the bigger numbers.

It wasn't until Wednesday that Shaggy's fears caught up with him.

"Dinkley, Rogers," Mr. Atwood said that afternoon, once he'd told the cast to "shut the hell up" as he normally did. "I think I'd like to rehearse 'Perfect For You' today."

Shaggy gulped. "Perfect For You" was the first love song, a duet between Henry and Natalie. At the end of it, the characters kissed for the first time. He dared a sideways glance at Velma, but she looked as cool as a cucumber.

"How well do you know the song?" Mr. Atwood asked them.

Shaggy actually knew the song quite well. He knew all his songs pretty well, in fact. He'd been listening to Henry's songs on repeat ever since he'd been cast in the role. At least that wasn't something he'd need to worry about.

"I'm very familiar with it," Velma replied. Of course she was.

"Like, me too," Shaggy mumbled.

"Great," said Mr. Atwood. To the others he called, "Actors, run lines together out in the house, please. Light and sound people, Beamer has a checklist of everything we'll need. We don't have a cue sheet yet, but this'll be a good place to start." He beckoned to Shaggy and Velma. "You two, come with me."

Daphne and Holden sat together to run their lines. Fred scowled as he watched them sit down together. Tony sat alone, going over his own lines by himself. Shaggy and Velma followed Mr. Atwood up to the stage. "Let's run the scene leading up to the song first," he said. "Are either of you off-book for this?"

Shaggy and Velma blinked uncomprehendingly at him.

"Do you have your lines memorized?" he clarified.

"Yes," Velma replied. Of course she did.

"Like, almost," Shaggy said. He reached into the pocket of his jeans - the script was thin enough that he could roll it into his back pocket - and read through the lines in his head.

The stage direction read, (Henry and Natalie in his bedroom. He's packing the bowl of a big-ass bong.) Shaggy had never used a bong before - only a marble pipe that his former buddy Brannen had given him back in California. He'd watched Brannen use one though, so he knew the basic mechanics.

"How do you want us to move?" Velma asked as Shaggy quickly skimmed through the lines.

Mr. Atwood shrugged. "Just do what feels natural right now. I'll let you know if I want you to change it. Though I think I'd like you to start out sitting on the floor."

Shaggy plopped down cross-legged on the ground, putting his script off to the side. Velma sat beside him, tucking her legs under her short red skirt. He tried not to stare there.

"Action," Mr. Atwood said, indicating that they should begin.

Velma had the first line. "Your mom is like, in the next room," she said in a stage whisper.

Shaggy felt that Henry would shrug here, so he did. "She's in denial - it's totally convenient." As per the stage direction, he pretended to take a hit from the bong, and offered it to Velma/Natalie. In character, she just stared at him. "Dude," Shaggy/Henry said. "It's therapeutic."

"Right," Velma/Natalie replied with a skeptical nod. "It's medical marijuana to treat your ADD."

Shaggy/Henry took another "hit" from the pretend bong. "Totally..." He mimed offering it to her again. "Huh?"

Velma/Natalie shook her head. "I don't put anything into my mouth that's on fire."

"I guess that's a good rule," Shaggy/Henry replied. He couldn't remember what happened next, so he peeked at his script. The stage direction read, (He goes to kiss her.)

Shaggy gulped, all pretense gone. He wasn't Henry anymore. He was Shaggy, and he felt more terrified than he'd ever been. He glanced quickly at Mr. Atwood, who motioned for him to go on.

Shaggy leaned forward ever so slightly, but Velma was on her feet in an instant. He felt relief wash through him. He'd forgotten the next stage direction was, (She pulls away abruptly.)

"Look," Velma was Natalie again. "I can't do this. Not with my life. I'm like one fuck-up from disaster."

Shaggy tried to get back in character and also stood up, but he felt heat rise to his face with him. There was something about hearing Velma say fuck that got him a little riled and excited. This had happened at auditions too, when she'd sung "Everything Else." He tried to shake it from his mind.

"Your life is not a disaster," he told her. "The environment is a disaster. Sprint is a disaster."

"You're stoned," was her response. It was the final line before their song.

"Cut!" Mr. Atwood said. "Good start. I have a few notes, though. Let's try again."

They ran through the scene again and again, Mr. Atwood trying to get Shaggy to move closer in his attempted kiss each time. And each time, Shaggy got slightly closer, but not much.

Velma, for her part, felt just as nervous at the notion of kissing Shaggy, and admitted to herself that she always pulled away sooner than Mr. Atwood would probably have liked. For all her bravery in the face of monster-hunting, she was terrified of this. When she'd dated Tony Moretti back in ninth grade, they'd done a little kissing, but nothing serious. Her experience in this department was minimal, and only increased her nervousness.

"Cut," Mr. Atwood said again, after the fourth or fifth run. "It's looking good so far. But before we run the number, let's talk about the kiss at the end of the song."

Neither Shaggy nor Velma looked at each other, though both of their faces were burning.

From the house, Daphne heard the word "kiss," and looked up immediately. Ever since they'd all been cast in this show, Daphne was dying to be there for the first time Velma and Shaggy kissed. She started to move closer to the stage.

"Where are you going?" asked Holden, who was still rehearsing lines with her.

She beckoned with her head. "Come on!"

Holden rolled his eyes and followed her. Fred, who hadn't taken his eyes off Daphne and Holden since they'd sat down, crept behind them, and Tony moved forward as well. Scooby and Leesa turned their heads towards the stage with the others.

"In my experience," Mr. Atwood was saying, "the first time actors kiss, there's always some nerves and awkwardness involved, and it's best to just get that first one over with." He gestured to them. "So go ahead."

Shaggy's head shot up and he stared at Mr. Atwood. "What, like, now?"

"Yes, now." Mr. Atwood gestured again. "Go on."

Shaggy glanced out at the house. All of the actors had stopped what they were doing to watch. Heat rose to Shaggy's face, and a quick look at Velma told him that a blush had stained her cheeks as well. He gulped. Was Mr. Atwood crazy, making him kiss her in front of everyone? True, he would be kissing her in front of an entire audience eventually, but this was a lot of pressure. What if he messed it up somehow?

You're like, psyching yourself out for no reason, man, he told himself. He had kissed a few girls back in California. That had turned out fine. So would this.

Shaggy took a deep breath, leaned in, and placed a quick and careful kiss on Velma's lips.

It was over so fast, she didn't even have time to react.

Mr. Atwood frowned. "Rogers, what the hell was that?"

This elicited a few snickers from the cast and crew in the house, and Shaggy's face burned hotter. All he could do was shrug and look down.

Mr. Atwood sighed. "It's okay. Like I said, there are always nerves involved. Let's try to get into the mindset of the characters. Look at me." Shaggy did. "Now, look at her." Shaggy cast his gaze at Velma, who didn't quite meet his eyes, her cheeks faintly pink as she bit down on her lower lip. Shaggy's heart pounded.

"Remember," Mr. Atwood said. "To Henry, Natalie is the most beautiful girl in the world. All he wants in this moment is to kiss her, and convince her that they should be together."

Neither Shaggy nor Velma said anything, both still too embarrassed.

Mr. Atwood finally noticed the students in the house. "And all you pseudo-voyeurs aren't helping, you know."

"Rorry," came Scooby's voice. Truthfully, Scooby didn't feel one way or another about Shaggy's and Velma's kiss just now. His concern was with how embarrassed Shaggy had seemed by it.

Mr. Atwood sighed again. "Walsh," he called out to the house. "When you and Beamer were in The Crucible last spring, how did you improve your onstage chemistry?"

Holden stood up and walked closer to the stage so he wouldn't have to shout. "We'd sit in the practice room for a few minutes before and after rehearsal, just shooting the shit. Talking like that helped us let our guard down with each other."

"How long would you do that?" asked Mr. Atwood.

Leesa spoke up then. "No more than five or ten minutes. But it did wonders to help us feel more comfortable together." The two of them fist-bumped, as if to prove a point.

Mr. Atwood nodded. "All right then. Jones, Blake, and Walsh, come on up here so we can block the scene between 'Perfect for You' and 'I Miss the Mountains.' Beamer, can you help Moretti with the 'Who's Crazy' dance? Out in the hallway, please."

"Sure," Leesa nodded once, and she and Tony headed out into the hallway.

Fred, Daphne, and Holden climbed up to the stage as Mr. Atwood turned to face Shaggy and Velma.

"You two," he said. "I know you're close friends already, but I think that may be the problem. I think it might be making it awkward for you two to be physical. Give yourselves ten minutes or so in a practice room to talk to each other and try to get past the awkwardness. Then we'll try the song and the kiss again afterwards." He shooed them off and turned towards Fred, Daphne, and Holden. Shaggy and Velma took that as their cue to leave.

The entire walk to the practice room was silent, and once they arrived and shut the door behind them, it didn't get any better. They wasted a solid two minutes standing next to each other staring at the clock that hung above the piano as they leaned against a wall.

Velma cast wildly about in her mind for something to say. She felt just as awkward about this as Shaggy did, though she admitted to herself that a small part of her had felt a little excited as he leaned in for the kiss. But it was so awkward, and quick. He clearly hadn't wanted to do it.

Well, Velma thought to herself. He's going to have to do it, regardless. And I have to figure out a way to get him there. She steeled herself, and turned to face him.

"Look," she said, mustering up all the bravado she could manage. "You want this play to be successful, right?"

Shaggy looked up and blinked at her. "Like, of course."

"Then we both have to get through the awkwardness," she said. "I think Mr. Atwood is wrong. I don't think our friendship is a hindrance. We can probably use it to our advantage. The problem is –" Velma broke off and looked away. "The problem is the physicality of it."

Shaggy didn't understand. "Like, what do you mean?"

"We're already comfortable with each other as friends," Velma said. "That's not the thing we need to work on. We need to work on…the physical contact."

Now he understood. "Are you saying we should like…practice kissing?"

Velma's face flamed, but she kept going. "It's the only thing I can think of to get us over this hurdle."

Shaggy felt a blush of his own creep up his neck. In theory, it made sense. And she was right – the only way out was through. So he nodded. "Like, okay," he said in a whisper.

Nothing happened for a few more moments. Then Velma turned to face him. She stood on her toes and shut her eyes. She was close enough that Shaggy could have counted the freckles on her cheeks. In another moment, their lips met.

Shaggy was surprised by the feel of her lips on his – how soft and warm they were. He hadn't noticed before. That first kiss had been so short. But this one lingered and traveled all the way down his spine. He closed his eyes in turn and kissed her back.

She broke away briefly to gasp in a breath of air, then kissed him again. When she did, the kissing became ardent. Shaggy responded in kind, placing his hands on her waist and bringing her as close to him as possible. Maybe it was because they were alone now, away from the prying eyes of their fellow actors and crew members. Whatever it was, it was much preferable to kiss her here.

Somehow their mouths opened against each other, and that first taste made Shaggy feel dizzy. This was far beyond his (admittedly limited) kissing experience, but it seemed as though his tongue automatically knew what to do. He let instinct take over as he grasped her waist tighter.

Velma, for her part, felt as though she was on sensory overload. His scent, his taste, the feel of his mouth on hers drove every other thought out of her head. This was nothing at all like the kissing she and Tony had done. Everything about this was intoxicating, more so than when she'd accidentally had too much to drink at Brandon Michaels' party last winter. And kissing Shaggy was much more pleasant than that had been.

When they broke apart minutes later, they were surprised with the position in which they found themselves. Shaggy's back was up against the wall, his hands still gripping Velma's waist. Velma's fingers had curled into fists around the fabric at the front of Shaggy's shirt.

"Jinkies," she whispered. "I uh…I guess we probably won't be able to do that in rehearsal."

Shaggy shook his head, feeling breathless. "Like, no," he replied once he found his voice. "I guess not."

Velma glanced at the clock. "We still have some time left." She looked away. "Should we…?"

"Keep going? Like yes." Shaggy's response was immediate.

Velma's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You want to?"

"Absolutely." There was nothing Shaggy wanted more in the world right now than to kiss Velma Dinkley over and over and over again. He didn't even want a snack that much right now. This realization overcame him, and he dipped his head down to initiate the kiss.

This one was even more passionate, and now that they were both over their nerves, they were braver. Velma wrapped both her arms around Shaggy's neck. Shaggy's hands moved down to Velma's hips. Their breathing came in hot and heavy as they grasped at each other and kissed open-mouthed. Velma tugged lightly at Shaggy's hair, and he gripped her tighter. He gently bit Velma's lower lip and she felt her knees go weak.

Again, minutes later, they broke apart to breathe and looked at the clock.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy muttered when he saw the time. "We have to like, go back to rehearsal."

He felt disappointed, and he heard it in his voice. Could Velma hear it too?

Her face betrayed no emotion, but he thought he detected a wistful sigh as she said, "You're right. Let's go."

x.X.x

Once they were back in the auditorium, Mr. Atwood brought them onstage. They had an audience again, but Shaggy didn't feel quite as awkward about the other actors watching this time.

They ran through the scene again – this time, during the attempted kiss, Velma let Shaggy get close enough to graze her cheek before she pulled away. The pit orchestra started up the opening notes for their song, and Shaggy began to sing.

"Our planet is poisoned, the oceans, the air,

Around and beneath and above you."

Velma, as Natalie, tried to convey incomprehension at this. "Um, Henry that's true, and I totally care…"

Shaggy/Henry: "I'm trying to tell you, I love you."

Shaggy had never actually said these words to a girl before, at least in a romantic context. Velma/Natalie reacted the way he would have expected if he were to confess something like this.

Velma/Natalie: "What?"

Shaggy/Henry continued. "The world is at war, filled with death and disease –

We dance on the edge of destruction.

The globe's getting warmer by deadly degrees – "

Velma/Natalie interrupted. "And this is one fucked-up seduction."

There it was again, the heat that invaded his body when Velma said "fuck." He tried to ignore it.

Shaggy/Henry: "This planet is pretty much broken beyond all repair…

But one thing is working

If you're standing there.

Perfect for you…

I could be perfect for you

I might be lazy, a loner

A bit of a stoner – it's true

But I might be perfect –

I'll make myself perfect…

Perfect for you."

Velma couldn't help but feel a little taken in by the words. Was it just because they'd been kissing moments ago? And she knew that moments from now, at the end of the song, they'd be kissing again? Was everything she felt just physical? She tried to concentrate.

Shaggy/Henry was still singing. "You square all the corners, I straighten the curves."

Velma/Natalie sang back. "You've got some nerve Henry, and I'm just all nerves." Truer words had never been spoken. Or sung.

Shaggy/Henry again. "But even if everything else turns to dirt."

And then, both of them together, "We'll be the one thing in this world that won't hurt."

Shaggy felt that Henry would take Natalie's hands here, so he did. Or was that just Shaggy wanting to take Velma's hands? He tried not to think about it too hard.

"I can't fix what's fucked up," he sang. "But one thing I know I can do…

I can be perfect for you."

Velma/Natalie: "I can be perfect for you."

Together again: "Perfect for you…"

As the last notes of the song faded out, Shaggy and Velma came together. This kiss was different from the ones they'd just shared in the practice room – gentler, and much more careful. But the feeling of her lips on his sent a jolt through Shaggy's spine nonetheless.

"Cut!" Mr. Atwood's voice interrupted the moment and they broke apart. He was grinning at them. "That was MUCH better you two."

The students in the audience applauded.

"You look hot when you kiss!" Holden called out. Daphne, who sat nearby, elbowed him in the side, but she was grinning. She glanced over at Fred, who was already looking her way. He smiled tiredly when she caught his eye. Scooby sat by Leesa and furrowed his brow. Something about that kiss had been different from the short one Shaggy and Velma had had earlier, and it confused Scooby.

Shaggy couldn't help but cast a shy grin Velma's way. She smiled back at him, and he felt his heart somersault.

"I think that time in the practice room was just what you needed," Leesa told them. "Maybe you should chat in there every day, before and after rehearsal? Just for like five minutes or so."

Well...there hadn't been a whole lot of chatting going on. But Shaggy was not about to say no to more alone time with Velma, especially if there would be more kissing involved.

He looked at her, suddenly self-conscious of her response. "What do you say, Velm?"

"I say sure," she replied. She maintained a nonchalant facade, but inside she was doing a frantic dance of joy. They had basically just prescribed her and Shaggy to kiss. Not that any of them knew that, of course.

"Let's keep going with the scene," Mr. Atwood said. Shaggy felt excitement pump through his heart - there was a lot of kissing in this scene that followed their duet. Daphne, Holden, and Fred, who were all part of the scene, headed up to the stage. Once they'd assembled and were ready to begin, Mr. Atwood called, "Action!"

Shaggy had the first line after the end of the song. They were meant to be standing on the porch of the Goodman home but since the set hadn't been built yet, they just stayed where they were. "Nice house. Can I come in?"

Velma/Natalie looked aghast. "Oh my, no."

Shaggy/Henry chuckled and shrugged. "Okay."

He leaned in for another kiss. Their lips moved together through the entire conversation Holden/Gabe and Daphne/Diana had, and they only barely paid attention, too focused on each other to do much else. He held her face close to his as she gripped his shoulder for support.

Holden/Gabe approached Daphne/Diana, who was standing where she imagined a window would be once the set was built. "Are you spying on your own daughter?" he asked.

Daphne/Diana seemed astonished. "When did she get a boyfriend? How did I miss this?"

Holden/Gabe shrugged. "Well...you kind of miss a lot."

Daphne/Diana continued to stare at Velma/Natalie and Shaggy/Henry. Daphne came out of character for a moment to appreciate how good they looked together. How excellent their chemistry was. Holden was right - their kissing was pretty hot. "Do you think they're in love?" she asked Holden/Gabe, back in the moment.

He shrugged again before exiting. "Who knows? They're young, they're horny...it happens."

Daphne understood that for sure. That's how it happened with her and Fred. She knew she loved him, but she hadn't told him yet.

Fred entered then, as Dan, in a flashback. "Marry me," he said to Daphne/Diana.

Daphne/Diana blinked at him. "What?"

Fred/Dan held his script out in front of him so he could get the lines exactly right. Because of this, he was not looking at Daphne when he said, "Marry me. Let's have a family. I know, we're too young, but we're not, I'm almost twenty-two, and how do you know this isn't a sign saying we belong together?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Daphne noticed Shaggy and Velma still kissing. Damn, they were committed. Velma must be on cloud nine, Daphne thought. She knew that Velma had had a crush on Shaggy since last year, and she was dying to talk to her about all this. But first they had to finish this scene. She turned back to Fred/Dan. "How do you know it's not a sign saying to get new rubbers?"

Now Fred/Dan looked up briefly at Daphne/Diana when he said, "Because I know it's not. I love you, and this baby –"

Daphne felt her heart climb into her throat. She knew that it was Dan saying it to Diana, not Fred saying it to her, but it didn't matter. Maybe it was watching her best friend kiss her long time crush. Maybe it was the romantic song she'd just listened to them sing. Maybe it was the dialogue she and Fred were sharing right now. Whatever it was, it convinced her. She was ready to tell Fred she loved him.

"Dan," she said, as Diana again. "This is crazy."

At the same time, Velma/Natalie finally broke apart from Shaggy/Henry to say the same thing. "This is crazy."

Shaggy/Henry and Fred/Dan said, in unison, "Maybe it is."

Fred/Dan exited. Upon hearing Shaggy/Henry, Daphne/Diana turned back to watch him caress Velma/Natalie's cheek with his thumb, and kiss her one last time. It seemed to Daphne that this final kiss lingered, and it only stopped because Mr. Atwood called "Cut!"

At the end of rehearsal, Mr. Atwood gave notes and dismissed everyone. "Great work today, overall. It's really starting to come together. See you tomorrow."

"You guys go on ahead to your post-rehearsal bonding," Leesa told Velma and Shaggy. "Scooby and I will clean up a bit." Shaggy nodded and avoided eye contact with Scooby, which puzzled the dog further.

"And I'll bring the Mystery Machine around," Fred said. It was parked in the student lot. Fred looked tired, but he smiled at Daphne nonetheless and reached out his hand for hers. "Coming, Daph?"

She smiled radiantly at him. "Of course." She took his hand and they walked outside together. Scooby and Leesa stayed behind to help Corinne Faulkner and her team put the props away. Scooby tried to clear his mind of his confusion and made a mental note that he needed to find something they could use as a bong for Shaggy's scene. Maybe Corinne could help him out with that.

Shaggy and Velma headed down the hallway for the practice room. Velma felt suddenly jittery with nerves again. Was Shaggy as into this as she was? She somehow doubted that. Of course, she couldn't read his mind.

Shaggy was nervous, but it reminded him of the nerves that accompanied him when he was about to run a track meet. Something he was excited to do, but worried about messing up somehow.

When they arrived at the practice room, though, their nerves caught up to them and neither one made a move. They simply stood a few feet apart, grinning shyly at each other.

"So..." Velma spoke first.

"Like...yeah," Shaggy replied.

"I guess our time in here earlier did help, huh?"

"Like, yeah." Goddamn, could he say anything else? Come on, man, he shook himself mentally. Like, get your head in the game.

"They don't know," Velma said after a moment.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Atwood and Leesa and everyone. They think all we did earlier was talk. They don't know..." She broke off, embarrassed. "They don't know what really happened in here."

A silent thrill went through Shaggy. She was right. None of them had any idea.

"It's like...kind of exciting," he said. "Keeping it secret from everyone."

"It is," Velma agreed.

"Like for all they know," he said, taking a seemingly involuntary step toward her, "We could be talking right now."

"We are talking," Velma reminded him, drawing slightly closer.

"Should we like...keep talking then?" Shaggy felt a smirk creep up the side of his mouth.

Velma had a flirtatious glint in her eye. "No, I don't think that's necessary."

Were they flirting? Shaggy couldn't remember the last time he'd flirted with a girl. But Velma seemed into it, and dammit, so was he.

"So like, what should we do instead?" he asked in a whisper. The words were barely out before Velma closed the distance between them with a kiss so fiery that Shaggy's knees buckled a little. Every time they kissed, it seemed, was better than the last time. He pushed her up against the wall, one arm braced next to her head, the other curled around her hips.

Velma's arms had wrapped around Shaggy's torso and her hands grasped the back of his shirt. Fistfuls of green fabric curled into her hands as she tried to bring him closer than he already was.

Shaggy's left arm abandoned the wall and curled around Velma's petite shoulders, pulling the upper half of her body into a passionate embrace. Her teeth gently nibbled on his lower lip and his breath hitched when he opened his mouth and felt her tongue slip inside. Their breathing became more heavy, their kissing more urgent. The passion that engulfed them surprised them both as they gave in to each other over and over again.

And then there was a knock on the door.

They broke apart quickly and whirled around in the direction of the door. It hadn't opened, but Daphne's voice sounded through it.

"You guys in there?" she called. "We're here with the Mystery Machine!"

"Ready to go when you are!" Fred said.

"Rye'm rungry!" came Scooby's voice.

Shaggy and Velma glanced at each other. They had jumped quite far apart, so even if someone had entered the room it would be hard to tell that they'd just been kissing. Apart from the fact that Velma's glasses were slightly askew and the back of her hair was a little messy from being pushed up against the wall.

"All right," Velma replied. "We're ready too."

"Like hold on," he murmured, beckoning her to come to him. He fixed her glasses and had her comb her fingers through her hair. She fixed his shirt - it was a little mussed - and smiled at him.

"Thank you," she whispered. She looked as if she wanted to kiss him again. Shaggy wanted to kiss her too, but their friends were right outside, and he did not want them to know about this. So he stepped back and headed for the door.

"So uh...like, you coming?" He turned back to look at her. She looked...discouraged.

"Yep," she replied. "I'm right behind you."


Sponge: PHEW I'm so glad I was able to finally write this chapter. I've had those practice room scenes in my head for YEARS. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review if you please!