Sponge: Thanks to those who read and put this story on their favorites this week! The title of the previous chapter, "In Love with the 80's (Pink Tux to the Prom)" is an older song by Relient K. Enjoy chapter 3! Warning: language. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera.

Chapter 3: Earth, Wind, Fire and Air

The Coolsville Concert Hall was absolutely packed. It seemed as though the entire town had come out to see the Hex Girls – and even some people from the surrounding towns.

"Wow, who knew we could fit the entire state of Ohio in this building?" Velma said dryly as she and her friends made their way through the crowded lobby into the theater. They'd had their tickets checked at the door and were now heading for their seats.

Fred chuckled as he looked around. "Yeah, there sure are a bunch of people here. Even...hey!" Abruptly, he stopped walking, causing Shaggy to bump into him. He and Scooby had loaded up on snacks at the concession stand and a bit of soda sloshed out of his cup and down to the floor.

"Dude like what gives?" asked Shaggy.

"Reah," Scooby added, looking around to see what Fred was staring at.

"It's Tony Moretti and..." There was the tiniest of beats before Fred continued, "Marcie Fleach!" Fred waved across the throngs of people, silently thanking his brain for catching it before he accidentally used Marcie's old nickname – Hot Dog Water. Ever since Marcie and Velma had become better friends, Fred had worked actively to unlearn the nickname, which he had picked up back when he'd been on the football team. He'd slipped up a few times, but he was getting better – and he'd never used it in front of Marcie.

"Jonesey!" Tony exclaimed when he and Marcie had made their way to the gang. He slapped Fred five and grinned broadly at the others in turn. "Dinks! Blake! Rogers! Scooby! Good to see ya!"

"Hi everyone," Marcie greeted them, waving at Velma with a grin.

Velma grinned back. "Hi Marce. Good to see you." To Tony she said, "I didn't know you were a fan of the Hex Girls."

Tony grinned sheepishly. "Truth be told, I'm just here to show support for my brother. His band is the opening act so I got two comp tickets. I've never heard of the Hex Girls before, but I found out that Fleachy was a fan, so I asked her to come with me."

Velma stared at Tony aghast. "How have you never heard of the Hex – never mind," she sighed, holding up a hand as though done with the conversation. She and Marcie shared a look.

"That's what I said," Marcie told her.

Shaggy couldn't help but gloat a little in his mind. Maybe Tony and Velma had dated once before, but Shaggy was the one who knew the Hex Girls were Velma's favorite band – even though he, too, had never heard of them before he met her.

"Hold on," Daphne said to Tony. "Did you say your brother's band was the opening act?"

Tony nodded, a full smile back on his face. "Yeah! He's pumped – he can't believe they're opening for a group here."

"My older sister told me that one of her friends is in that band," Daphne said. "Priya Dandekar?"

"Yeah!" Tony nodded enthusiastically. "She's their keyboardist. My brother Joey plays guitar. And his girlfriend Julie is the lead singer. If you want, you can come meet them backstage after the show with me and Fleachy here. They'll let ya through as long as you're with me."

"It would be neat to go backstage," Fred said.

"Jinkies, are you sure?" Velma asked. "Thanks, Tony. That would be amazing!"

"Meet us in the lobby after the show," Tony told them. "See ya!" With a wave and his signature lopsided smile, he headed for his seat, Marcie waving over her shoulder as she followed him.

"Tony and Marcie, huh?" Daphne murmured under her breath. Shaggy was standing nearby though, and heard her.

"Yeah," he murmured back, jerking his head towards them. "Are they like here together? Like...together together?"

To Shaggy's surprise, Velma's voice was the one that answered.

"No way," she said, shaking her head emphatically. "Marcie's a lesbian."

Fred's eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that what people said about you at one point?"

Shaggy shifted his weight. He didn't necessarily enjoy being reminded of the rumor from ninth grade that Velma liked girls, as the rumor had been the reason she'd started dating Tony. But based on everything they got up to, Shaggy was pretty confident in Velma's interest in guys.

"No, but Marcie is actually a lesbian," Velma insisted. "She's out and proud. Has been since middle school."

"Oh," Fred replied. Then, "Good for her."

"Come on," Daphne said, tugging Fred's arm. "Our seats are in this row."

They filed out of the aisle into their seats. Fred went in first, with Daphne next to him. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby followed, in that order. The gang had a pretty good view of the stage from their seats, and they had a clear shot of the drum kit and the electric keyboard for the first band. Velma noticed the name of the band printed on the face of the bass drum: "Heavy Meddle." She nudged Shaggy with her elbow and pointed it out to him, grinning. He chuckled in response, appreciating the play on words.

At that moment, five college-aged students walked onstage from the wings, and the audience erupted into cheers. The band members waved to the crowd as they made their way towards their instruments. Velma recognized Joey Moretti immediately. Not only had she met him briefly before, but he looked nearly identical to his brother. She also vaguely recognized the young brunette woman who followed him and placed herself in front of the microphone, though it took her a minute to place her. After staring at her for several moments, Velma realized that it was Joey's girlfriend, Julie, whom they'd also met briefly last year.

The young Indian woman with curly black hair at the keyboard had to be Daphne's sister's friend, Priya. The two other people on the stage were guys – a young Black man with a shaved head sat at the drums, while a tall guy with glasses and floppy brown hair entered holding a bass guitar.

Without any preamble or introduction, the band immediately launched into their first song, which turned out to be a cover. Shaggy recognized the tune and turned to Scooby.

"Like, is this 'Walking on Sunshine?'" he asked.

Scooby cocked his head. "Rye rhink so?"

At the microphone, Julie began to sing. "I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I'm sure.

And I just can't wait til the day when you knock on my door."

"It is 'Walking on Sunshine!'" Shaggy exclaimed. "I love this song!"

"So do I!" said Velma. They glanced at each other smiling, as Julie continued to sing.

"Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down

Cause I just can't wait 'til you write me you're coming around."

Julie gestured to the crowd, and the whole audience joined in on the chorus.

"I'm walking on sunshine! Whooaa!

I'm walking on sunshine! Whooaa!

I'm walking on sunshine! Whooaa!

And don't it feel good!"

The lead singer had a great voice, and the rest of the band members were just as talented. Midway through their set they introduced themselves, but the names went in one ear and out the other for Shaggy. The band played several more covers from all different genres and decades – and they were all excellent.

Their final song was a pretty rousing rendition of The Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," and once the applause from the audience had died down, the lead singer looked out to the crowd, eyes sparkling.

"Thank you, Coolsville!" she shouted into the mic. "We are Heavy Meddle. Did you have a good time with us tonight?"

The audience applauded and whistled.

Julie grinned charmingly out at the crowd. "Now are you ready for the girls you came here to see?!"

Uproarious cheers erupted from the audience.

"Then give it up…for The Hex Girls!"

As the members of Heavy Meddle exited the stage, new voice sounded over the speakers. "Hit it, sisters!"

A platform began to lower itself from above the stage, and a resounding rock and roll riff began to sound through the amplifiers. From their seats, the gang could very clearly see The Hex Girls on the platform – Dusk on the drums, Luna on the keyboard, and Thorn on lead guitar.

The crowd went absolutely nuts.

The platform got closer to the stage, and Thorn began to sing.

"I'm gonna cast a spell on you

You're gonna do what I want you to

Mix it up here in my little bowl

Say a few words and you lose control

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

Luna and Dusk echoed.

"I'm gonna put a spell on you!"

This time when Thorn sang again, she beckoned for the entire audience to join in. They did, obligingly.

"I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you

Put a spell on you!"

Shaggy glanced at Velma out of the corner of his eye. She was beaming – her entire face was alight with euphoria as she jumped up and down, singing along with the Hex Girls at the top of her lungs. He felt his mouth curl upwards into a huge smile. She was so happy. And he had done that for her.

"You'll feel the fog as I cloud your mind," sang Thorn.

You'll get dizzy when I make the sign

You'll wake up in the dead of night

Missing me when I'm out of sight!"

Shaggy was still looking at Velma and he caught her eye. She smiled radiantly at him and he felt his heart expand. He loved the fact that she felt this way, because of something he'd done.

"I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you," the Hex Girls sang.

"I'm gonna put a spell on you,

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you

Oh yeah!"

It was a little bit as though Shaggy was under a spell – Velma's spell. Her smile and the sparkle in her eyes were making him feel some kind of way. Unable to help himself, Shaggy reached for Velma's hand. He let himself hold it briefly, but he squeezed it once and dropped it before Scooby could notice.

The Hex Girls kept singing.

"With this little cobweb potion

You'll fall into dark devotion

If you ever lose affection

I can change your whole direction

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you

I'm gonna put a spell on you

I'm a Hex Girl and I'm gonna put a spell on you

We're gonna put a spell on all of you!"

x.X.x

The concert was incredible. Velma couldn't stop talking about it as they headed out into the lobby to meet Marcie and Tony. Daphne had linked her arm through Velma's and chuckled at her friend as she talked a mile a minute. Shaggy and Fred grinned at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Velma was known to nerd-out on occasion, but this was a whole new level. Even Scooby had to laugh – he'd never seen Velma so animated, even when they solved a mystery or she won the science fair.

Speaking of the science fair, Scooby was not surprised to find Marcie also talking Tony's ear off when they finally reached them in the lobby.

"Hey guys!" Tony greeted them when he noticed them approaching. "Great show, huh?"

"Amazing!" Velma exclaimed.

"Indubitably," Marcie agreed.

"You ready to come backstage?" Tony asked.

Everyone nodded enthusiastically.

"Thanks again for letting us come backstage with you," Daphne said.

"No sweat!" Tony grinned.

They headed down a hallway until they came to a door with a guard. Tony gave his name and introduced the others as his guests, and the guard let them in.

They found themselves in a pretty lavish green room. The members of Heavy Meddle were lounging on a few of the couches and chairs, but the lead guitarist shot to his feet when he saw that Tony had entered the room.

"YO!" Joey Moretti's excitement at seeing his brother permeated his tone. He grabbed Tony's hand with one strong arm, wrapping the other around Tony's back. "You made it!"

"'Course I made it!" Tony grinned back, just as exuberantly. "It was a great show!"

"Really phenomenal," Marcie added. "I was just as impressed with you as I was with the Hex Girls."

Joey shrugged humbly. "It was an honor just to play alongside them."

"Joe," said Tony, bringing Marcie up closer. "This is Marcie Fleach. She's a friend of mine from school, president of the science club, and biggest fan of the Hex Girls I know."

"Ahem," Velma coughed, raising an eyebrow. Tony, Marcie, and the gang chuckled. Scooby noticed the bassist glance sideways at Velma.

"Second only to Dinks, of course." Tony shrugged a shoulder to indicate Velma to step forward.

"I remember you," said the lead singer, a pretty young brunette with sparkling brown eyes. "You were in that play we saw at the high school last year, right? All of you?" She gestured towards the rest of the gang.

"That's right," Fred said, stepping forward. "I'm Fred Jones. That's Velma Dinkley, Shaggy Rogers, and Scooby Doo." He indicated each in turn before gently pulling Daphne towards him. "And this is my girlfriend, Daphne Blake."

Daphne bit her lip and preened a little bit. She still got butterflies when Fred introduced her as his "girlfriend," even after all this time.

"Nice to meet you all again!" the brunette said with a dazzling smile. "I'm Julie St. James. Joey is my boyfriend. These are the other members of our band. Our drummer, Felix Barnwell," (the young Black man nodded his head in greeting), "our bassist, Leon Berger," ("Mmm! Rurgers!" said Scooby), "and our keyboardist, Priya Dandekar."

"I think you might know my sister," Daphne said to Priya. "Delilah Blake? She said you were at Coolsville U together."

Priya's face broke out into an even wider smile. "I remember Delilah! How is she? I hope she's doing well?"

Daphne and Priya talked about her sister while Tony and Marcie approached Felix and Joey. Shaggy couldn't help noticing that the bassist, Leon, was still looking towards him, Velma, and Scooby. He was the only member of the band that wasn't smiling. He looked…calculating. As though he were trying to figure out a puzzle. Did he suspect that Velma and Shaggy were boyfriend and girlfriend, too? Man, you're being like, paranoid, Shaggy scolded himself. There's no way he would like, have any idea. But all the same, he took a slight step away from Velma.

"So how well do you know the Hex Girls?" Fred asked the lead singer.

Julie shrugged. "I mean, not very. We only met them for the first time during soundcheck. They're really nice, though. They told us that in each stop on their tour, they're getting a different local band to open for them."

"That is nice," Velma said. "What made them decide to do that?"

The bassist was the one who responded.

"They think it's important to give local bands visibility," he said, shaking his brown bangs out of his eyes. "They understand how hard it can be for small town local bands to get their start, since they started off as a local band from a small town."

"Oakhaven," Velma and Marcie said in unison.

Leon smirked. "You really are big Hex Girl fans."

"We're really grateful to them," Priya said. "We've played a few shows at the university, but this is the biggest audience we've ever played for. A few agents have even approached us asking to represent us."

"That's awesome!" Daphne exclaimed, as the rest of the group echoed her congratulations. Tony slapped his older brother gleefully on the back.

Suddenly, Fred gasped. "I just had an idea," he said. "What if I asked them to play our prom?!" He grinned around at the group, but everyone stared back at him blankly.

"Asked who?" Daphne asked.

"The Hex Girls!" Fred cried.

"Fred," said Velma with a sigh. "They're an internationally acclaimed rock group. I don't think they would play a high school prom on our budget. Besides, they'll still be on tour in May."

"When in May is your prom?" asked Leon.

"The twenty-ninth," Fred replied. "It's a week before our graduation."

"What's your budget?" Leon asked.

Fred told him.

Leon glanced at Julie and Joey. "What do you say? We could do it."

Julie looked at him with an expression that Fred couldn't quite decipher.

"Leon, are you sure?" Julie said quietly.

Leon rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. "They need a band. We're a band. I'm just trying to be helpful."

"I like the idea," Priya spoke up. She appeared to be trying to head off an argument. Fred saw her shoot a cursory glance at Felix, who nodded immediately.

"I'm down," he said. "It would help us get our name out there, among the younger crowd."

Joey looked to Tony. "Would you mind if your older brother played your senior prom?"

"You kiddin?" Tony grinned broadly. "That'd be great!"

Julie was the only one in the group who still seemed hesitant. "Well...we need to have a conversation as a band first. Can we let you know by tomorrow?"

"Sure," Fred told her.

At long last, Julie smiled again.

"All right," she said. "I'm in."

Fred breathed an audible sigh of relief.

Sponge: Yes, the band's name comes from the tag for Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated. It was too good not to use. Thanks for reading. Review if you please, and don't forget to guess where the chapter title comes from!