Notes: this oneshot is meant to be a follow-up to episode 5, and is pretty straightforward, and I even managed to patch up a plot hole that WB created—by revealing in Curse that Vincent had to recapture the 13 Ghosts once before (which is pretty much the only aspect of Curse that I'm taking into my timeline), it left a question as to why he hadn't recognized Zomba in the original episode 5 until after she'd dragged him and the gang into the movie. I've managed to answer that here (as well as show what Zomba's powers were capable of before the invention of movies).

Being an immortal living in the modern age, Vincent still found himself bound to the ancient traditions at times, whether by habit or by a simple wish to see that some of the old ways didn't die out completely.

Hospitality was something that had been held in high regard in Ancient Greece—xenia, it was called. By the rules of xenia, hosts were expected to welcome guests, whether expected or unexpected, into their homes and treat them well; in return, guests were expected to reciprocate this hospitality when given the chance to do so. Vincent had invoked the rules of xenia with Byron Befuddle several weeks earlier, who had accepted his responsibilities and put the youngsters up for the day while they recovered from their encounter with Morbidia; even before that, two years ago, he'd taken in Flim-Flam under the same rules when the boy had turned up on his doorstep, starving and suffering from hypothermia.

The thought of xenia crossed his mind again one afternoon; while reading in his study, Vincent noted that his crystal ball was picking up chatter from the second crystal he had loaned to the gang. He didn't think much of this at first, until he realized that 2:00 in the afternoon in Tibet was 2:00 AM in Florida (apparently, reminiscing about home during their conversation in Marrakesh had gotten Shaggy and Daphne homesick enough to spend some time there again at the house she owned while they waited for the next of the 13 ghosts to reveal themselves, and Flim-Flam had opted to go with them, eager for a change of scene).

They were planning to watch a movie—at that hour, yet. Vincent had been ready to shrug it off and continue with his reading, but they seemed so eager and excited, and his curiosity was getting the better of him.

And so, he decided to invoke the rules of xenia; he teleported in, essentially inviting himself over to Daphne's house—though he did bring refreshments along with him, as a good guest would. He'd fully been ready to explain how xenia worked had they questioned why he'd invited himself over, but it turned out that he didn't need to—none of them had flickered an eyelid at his showing up, and Shaggy had included him in the popcorn count without missing a beat.

It might have ended up being another enjoyable night had Zomba not made her move then and there. If he hadn't been so concerned for the youngsters, Vincent would have been furious at knowing that Zomba had gotten the drop on him twice now—the first time over three hundred years ago, when he and Mortifer Quinch had been recapturing the 13 Ghosts for the first time. Knowing that his power was greater than hers, Zomba had resorted to an ambush to get him out of the way, trapping him in a world within a painting while his back was turned.

Though he had been working on a way to teleport out back into the third dimension, he'd been spared the effort by Mortifer, who had somehow managed to trap Zomba in the Chest, breaking her spell and releasing Vincent from the painting; exactly what Mortifer had done, Vincent never knew—his mortal companion had been in such a hysterical state due to worrying over him, and for Mortifer's sanity, Vincent hadn't pressed the issue, but now, he'd wished he'd done so, for he never did find out what Zomba looked like, and that had, unfortunately, been why he hadn't recognized her until after feeling the same sensation he had when he'd been thrown into the world within the painting when she'd sent him and the gang into the world within the film.

At any rate, thank Athena that he had invoked xenia and invited himself to the gang's movie night! If he had not, the youngsters would've been trapped in that film without him—no doubt terrified at being stranded with potentially no way to reach him for help. He had hoped his presence had granted them some amount of reassurance, and, indeed, it seemed that they were no worse for wear once they had captured Zomba and returned back to the real world.

…Though there had been a slight snag when they'd accidentally brought back the Frankenscoob Monster along with them. Scooby had been most reluctant to send his "creation" back into the world of the movie, and so, Vincent opted to give the monster a home in Wallachia, amongst the werewolves who would gladly welcome the dog-like creature into their fold.

With that accomplished, however, Vincent was left wondering what to do. True, he had invoked xenia, but he hadn't really announced that he had done so, or said how long he'd intended to stay.

On the one hand, the youngsters probably could use a good sleep for the rest of the night, and didn't need him around. …On the other hand, if Zomba had been able to get to them, was it really wise for him to leave them unprotected?

He was jolted from his thoughts by Daphne addressing him.

"Mr. Van Ghoul?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to know if you'd like to stay in one of the guest rooms," she said. "You're welcome to stay here and rest—there's more than enough room. …Unless you really wanted to get back to Tibet for some reason. But we'd be happy to have you here."

Vincent stared in surprise. He doubted very much that Daphne knew anything of the concept of xenia or its importance to the Ancient Greeks, and yet she had opened her home to him without hesitation, in spite of his unexpected arrival.

"Well…"

"Aww, come on, Vince—why not put your feet up and join our little pajama party?" Flim-Flam grinned.

"Or… something like that," Shaggy mused, noticing that Vincent was still wearing his cape and tuxedo combo.

"…Perhaps it would be wise for me to stay—just in case," the warlock replied.

Daphne smiled.

"We really appreciate it," she said. "Shaggy, can you show Mr. Van Ghoul to a room? I'll be right back."

She grabbed the keys to the red van and headed out.

"I'll get the laundry started," Flim-Flam offered.

"The laundry?" Scrappy asked. "Now?"

"I'm just not that sleepy right now," the boy replied, with a shrug. "I guess the adrenaline still hasn't worn off yet."

"Rheah, Rhi'm not sleepy, either," Scooby agreed.

"Yeah, me, too," Shaggy sighed. "But I'll show you to your room anyway, Mr. V—you can freshen up or turn in or whatever you'd like."

Vincent suppressed an amused smile as he glanced at the others, but nodded and followed Shaggy to a guest room upstairs.

"It's not much, but let us know if we can get anything for you," Shaggy was saying. "And you can adjust the temperature, too—I usually keep my room at, like, 80, but that's just me."

"This will do nicely," Vincent assured him. There wasn't much to the room—a bed, a bedside table, and a dresser—but it was still very much within the spirit of xenia.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." Shaggy said. "Oh, and, um… Thanks for back there—catching me when I was falling." He gave a nervous chuckle. "That would've been a rough landing if you hadn't…"

"I'm glad you're alright," Vincent returned, sincerely.

It had been a purely instinctive reaction for Vincent; even if this had happened before they'd broken the ice in Marrakesh, he would've reacted the same way—only now, having broken the ice, he'd felt extraordinarily protective over his crew of apprentices.

…When had he gotten that attached to them, anyway?

Shaggy could see that he was going over something in his mind, and so, he let him be and headed back downstairs, leaving Vincent alone with his thoughts.

Vincent could only marvel at how these youngsters were full of surprises. He'd been utterly dismissive of them in the beginning after Daphne had insisted they search for their plane in the Tibetan temple against Vincent's advice, and after Shaggy and Scooby had opened the Chest as a result. But, in spite of those initial blunders, they were far more resourceful and independent than Vincent had expected; even with Vincent being more helpful and watchful over them now, they still tried to avoid asking him for things. Truth be told, Vincent had been expected a barrage of requests for things that he could provide with his powers once they'd learned he was the most powerful warlock in existence. But they'd asked for nothing for themselves; even when he'd been showing them around Marrakesh, they'd insisted on chipping in for the meal that they'd all shared together.

And now, their initial plans to share a movie together had been altered into sharing an adventure together. They'd trusted him without question to help them get out of their predicament, and now that it was over, they had offered him a place to stay, despite knowing that he could easily teleport back to Tibet at any time.

And Vincent knew why—just as with sharing a meal, they probably didn't realize how steeped in ancient tradition it was to put up a guest in the house, but they knew it only served to strengthen their camaraderie further. They wanted this. And Vincent could see the practicality behind it—who wouldn't want to be on friendly terms with a powerful warlock?

…But for Vincent to have so readily accepted it, perhaps it meant that he had wanted this, as well…? Surely there was no benefit for him if he befriended them, so why had his heart gone soft over those young mortals?

You were supposed to stay aloof, a voice chided from somewhere. But now you're getting attached.

He could stop this, he knew—he could put a stop to it right now and just go back to Tibet, forgetting all about pointless things like movie night and refreshments, and just focusing on the task at hand instead…

"Mr. Van Ghoul?"

He was jolted from his thoughts by Daphne knocking on the door of the guest room.

"Sorry I took so long," she said, after he'd opened the door. "But I knew I didn't have anything your size, so I did a quick run to go get these—some pajamas, a robe, and slippers. Let me know if there's anything else you need."

Vincent stared for a moment.

"You went out for that?" he asked. "Daphne… you really didn't have to—I could have conjured up anything I needed."

"I had a feeling you could," Daphne admitted.

"…And you still went?"

"Well, sure—you're our guest," she said. "I don't mind—really. I'm pretty wired from what just happened, honestly, and it gave me something to do; I'm not going to get any sleep for a bit."

"Yes, I understand," Vincent said, with a wan smile. "I'm not that tired, either."

"Well, you did bring us those drinks—and there's all that popcorn downstairs, too," Daphne said. "Sure seems a shame to let it all go to waste. How about joining us for a little late-night snack?"

Once again, Vincent reminded himself that he could put a stop to this by refusing—explaining to them that they didn't need to go through with all these pleasantries just to keep him on their side.

He could not fathom, of course, that wasn't at all the reason for why the youngsters were acting like this—he couldn't imagine that the concern and compassion he felt towards them was returned, because what role did a cantankerous old warlock have in the lives of mortals? Surely they were smart enough not to get attached—but smart enough to know that they needed his expertise and experience.

Nevertheless, he was the one who made the mistake of getting attached, so he might as well continue with it.

"Yes, I think that sounds nice," he said, calmly.

Daphne smiled and led the way downstairs, pausing as she saw Vincent notice a framed picture above the stairs—with her and the rest of the old gang in their caps and gowns, with Scooby and Scrappy celebrating with them.

"That's us with Fred and Velma the day we graduated high school," she said, smiling again. She recalled what Byron had said during his argument with Vincent in Kiev, and the names he had dropped. "You had a gang of your own long ago, too, didn't you—you and Mr. Befuddle?"

"Yes, formed during our schooldays, as well," Vincent said.

"Did you have adventures, too?"

"Oh, yes," he replied, with a chuckle. "Far more than we should have, I'm sure."

Daphne looked as though she wanted to ask more, but decided against it; if Vincent wanted to share about his past, she would let him volunteer it, like he had in Marrakesh.

She led the way back to the living room; Shaggy was bringing the load of laundry from the drier as they sat down.

"Hey, Scoob!" he called, placing the clothes on the sofa. "Laundry's done!"

"Why would Scooby care about the laundry?" Vincent queried. "He doesn't even wear clothes."

Scooby then bounded into the room, gleefully burrowing into the pile of warm clothes with a contented sigh.

"Does that answer your question, Mr. V?" Shaggy asked.

"…Perfectly."

Daphne had to suppress a giggle, and as Flim-Flam and Scrappy now returned to the living room, as well, they all sat down with their popcorn and drinks. And instead of watching a movie, they ended up having another conversation—this time, it was Daphne and Shaggy regaling Vincent with some of the places they'd been to and the things they'd seen, with Scooby and Scrappy chiming in.

And Vincent had to privately concede that, if it hadn't been these mortals, Bogel and Weerd would have, undoubtedly, tricked others into opening the Chest—others who were either even less prepared or simply apathetic about their task and apathetic towards him. These youngsters had traveled around a lot and seen more than Vincent would've expected them to have seen in their young lives, and, more than that, they had accepted their responsibilities and treated him with respect.

And, if nothing else, he was glad to be able to share these brief moments of peace with them—even if he'd never admit it outright.