Well, here it is... the dreaded chapter 13. I really hated this when I wrote it (mushy - bleugh), realised the ending was stupid and ended up with a major plot hole so that I had total block. I must apologise to all my readers (if any of you are left) and thank Kuja for helping me finally get this chapter up. Thanks Kuja! =] I still don't like this chapter, but let me know if you have any suggestions for it or the rest of the story. Thank you. =]
Chapter Thirteen: Unbottled Emotions
The sound of screaming steadily increased in volume. All of a sudden, something shot out of the opening and straight into the water below, floundering about beneath the surface in a state of panic.
Velma followed the direction of the sound, and swum over and down towards it. Grabbing what she presumed to be an ankle, she made back to the surface and inhaled sharply.
A split second later was another intake of breath. This time it was Shaggy.
"Velma!" he spluttered.
"Yeah, it's me Shaggy," she replied. "Have you seen my glasses?" she asked as they treaded water.
Rubbing water out of his eyes, Shaggy looked straight at her. It seemed silly, but he had never really seen her without her glasses before. He felt as though he had never actually 'seen' Velma before at all, at least not truly. It was probably a good thing she didn't see the look of wonder painted across his features.
"Uhh - wha?" he replied, somewhat in a stupor.
"My glasses!"
"Oh!" he looked around and caught sight of them floating on the surface of the water a little way off. He paddled over, grabbed them, and returned to her.
Sensing he was near, Velma's hands went up to grab back her precious vision, but Shaggy pushed them back down and carefully slid the glasses onto her face.
"Thanks," she said, relieved.
"No problem," he replied. Suddenly she was the same old Velma again, and he snapped back into reality.
There was a pause before either of them said anymore, then:
"Uh, Shaggy?"
"Mm?"
"They're upside down," she said, and pointed.
"Whoops!" Shaggy chuckled as she turned them around and put them back on. She was laughing too, as they both made their way to the edge of the pool.
They hauled themselves out, and collapsed on the tiles.
"Hey," panted Shaggy, thanks for saving my life before!"
"Well, I wasn't going to let you and Scooby be piranha bait," she replied.
"Yeah, but still - I owe you big-time."
"Oh don't worry about it! You owe me nothing."
Shaggy was too exhausted to argue. He lifted his head from the floor and peered around the room.
"This is one big swimming pool," he said. Velma stood up and attempted to dry her waterlogged glasses on her soaking wet jumper.
"I wonder how deep it goes," she replied.
"Hey - do you see a way out of here?"
Velma quickly surveyed their surroundings. "Good point."
The pool reached up to the wall where the chute came out, and the opening was up a height so there was no way to get to it, and even if they did, the chute was so steep and slippery they'd have little chance of making it to the top anyway. There were no doors, and no windows - the room was lit by old-looking ceiling lights.
Shaggy stood up too and began to wring out his soggy t-shirt.
[note to Quetz: the mushy part which can be ruled out if neccessary begins here]:
Velma sat down hopelessly. She looked so lost and afraid he went to sit next to her.
"Hey," he said, attempting at a soothing voice. "We'll get out of this. Like, we always do, don't we?"
Velma sighed. "I just can't stand this - Ben Ravencroft about to take revenge on the world, and we're just trapped here, nothing we can do about it."
"I know..." Shaggy agreed, and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders. "But, like, at least we have each other's company, right?"
She looked up at him and smiled. Shaggy's heart was racing. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then changed his mind and closed it again. He didn't know where these feelings had come from, but he knew he couldn't suppress them any longer. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and withdrew his arm as he turned to face her.
"Velma..... I don't know how to say this, so, like, I should just come out with it."
Velma blinked at the serious expression on his face. He continued.
"I... I think I'm falling in love with you."
His heart was absolutely pounding in his chest now. The tension rose to an unbearable height during the silence that followed. Without realising, they were both holding their breath.
Then Velma let hers out.
"Shaggy... over the last few months - well in truth it has been longer than that - but... I think I feel the same way."
She could not believe it. After all this time, it turned out they genuinely had feelings for one another. And after all this time, Shaggy, who was by all means known for, and even proud of his cowardess, was the only one to have the courage to bring those feelings out into the open.
Feeling a tear come into her eye, Velma let herself fall against him as he wrapped his arms around her at the peak of the emotion. Shaggy closed his own eyes as they began to well up.
Still embraced, the two of them just let the tears stream down their faces due to the relief of the bottled up emotions they had harboured for so long. They remained there for some time, as still as two leaning trees in a forest, and feeling as though they were suspended in some other timeless reality where nothing existed but each other.
Chapter Thirteen: Unbottled Emotions
The sound of screaming steadily increased in volume. All of a sudden, something shot out of the opening and straight into the water below, floundering about beneath the surface in a state of panic.
Velma followed the direction of the sound, and swum over and down towards it. Grabbing what she presumed to be an ankle, she made back to the surface and inhaled sharply.
A split second later was another intake of breath. This time it was Shaggy.
"Velma!" he spluttered.
"Yeah, it's me Shaggy," she replied. "Have you seen my glasses?" she asked as they treaded water.
Rubbing water out of his eyes, Shaggy looked straight at her. It seemed silly, but he had never really seen her without her glasses before. He felt as though he had never actually 'seen' Velma before at all, at least not truly. It was probably a good thing she didn't see the look of wonder painted across his features.
"Uhh - wha?" he replied, somewhat in a stupor.
"My glasses!"
"Oh!" he looked around and caught sight of them floating on the surface of the water a little way off. He paddled over, grabbed them, and returned to her.
Sensing he was near, Velma's hands went up to grab back her precious vision, but Shaggy pushed them back down and carefully slid the glasses onto her face.
"Thanks," she said, relieved.
"No problem," he replied. Suddenly she was the same old Velma again, and he snapped back into reality.
There was a pause before either of them said anymore, then:
"Uh, Shaggy?"
"Mm?"
"They're upside down," she said, and pointed.
"Whoops!" Shaggy chuckled as she turned them around and put them back on. She was laughing too, as they both made their way to the edge of the pool.
They hauled themselves out, and collapsed on the tiles.
"Hey," panted Shaggy, thanks for saving my life before!"
"Well, I wasn't going to let you and Scooby be piranha bait," she replied.
"Yeah, but still - I owe you big-time."
"Oh don't worry about it! You owe me nothing."
Shaggy was too exhausted to argue. He lifted his head from the floor and peered around the room.
"This is one big swimming pool," he said. Velma stood up and attempted to dry her waterlogged glasses on her soaking wet jumper.
"I wonder how deep it goes," she replied.
"Hey - do you see a way out of here?"
Velma quickly surveyed their surroundings. "Good point."
The pool reached up to the wall where the chute came out, and the opening was up a height so there was no way to get to it, and even if they did, the chute was so steep and slippery they'd have little chance of making it to the top anyway. There were no doors, and no windows - the room was lit by old-looking ceiling lights.
Shaggy stood up too and began to wring out his soggy t-shirt.
[note to Quetz: the mushy part which can be ruled out if neccessary begins here]:
Velma sat down hopelessly. She looked so lost and afraid he went to sit next to her.
"Hey," he said, attempting at a soothing voice. "We'll get out of this. Like, we always do, don't we?"
Velma sighed. "I just can't stand this - Ben Ravencroft about to take revenge on the world, and we're just trapped here, nothing we can do about it."
"I know..." Shaggy agreed, and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders. "But, like, at least we have each other's company, right?"
She looked up at him and smiled. Shaggy's heart was racing. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then changed his mind and closed it again. He didn't know where these feelings had come from, but he knew he couldn't suppress them any longer. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and withdrew his arm as he turned to face her.
"Velma..... I don't know how to say this, so, like, I should just come out with it."
Velma blinked at the serious expression on his face. He continued.
"I... I think I'm falling in love with you."
His heart was absolutely pounding in his chest now. The tension rose to an unbearable height during the silence that followed. Without realising, they were both holding their breath.
Then Velma let hers out.
"Shaggy... over the last few months - well in truth it has been longer than that - but... I think I feel the same way."
She could not believe it. After all this time, it turned out they genuinely had feelings for one another. And after all this time, Shaggy, who was by all means known for, and even proud of his cowardess, was the only one to have the courage to bring those feelings out into the open.
Feeling a tear come into her eye, Velma let herself fall against him as he wrapped his arms around her at the peak of the emotion. Shaggy closed his own eyes as they began to well up.
Still embraced, the two of them just let the tears stream down their faces due to the relief of the bottled up emotions they had harboured for so long. They remained there for some time, as still as two leaning trees in a forest, and feeling as though they were suspended in some other timeless reality where nothing existed but each other.