Sponge: Here's chapter 14! Warning: language, kissing, some gropage, and mild peril. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. All lyrics to "Why Stay/A Promise" belong to Brian Yorkey. All dialogue in bold comes from the Next to Normal script.
Chapter 14: Why Stay/A Promise
In her bedroom that evening, Velma paced and muttered to herself. She couldn't be falling in love with Shaggy. What had changed? Was it just because he'd opened up to her, shared his feelings, and told her about his tragic past? That was ridiculous. That was absurd. That was…
…Accurate.
She realized this and sat on her bed, stunned. Shaking herself, Velma relayed the facts in her head. She'd always had a crush on Shaggy. That much she admitted. And it had manifested itself into physical intimacies once they'd started meeting in the practice room. But if she was being honest with herself, deep down, she'd always known this had never been purely physical for her. Sure, it had been a big part of it. He was attractive and his touch was gentle, and his kisses were…
No! Stop! she scolded herself. She couldn't think about that, it was too distracting. In any case, all of that was true, but he was more than just an attractive guy. He was funny. He was kind. He was even sort of smart, though obviously not the same caliber as she was. But still. Even though he wasn't necessarily her type, something about him had drawn Velma in from the beginning. And now that he'd let her in and told her about what happened to his sister – which Velma still couldn't quite believe – her feelings for him were intensifying.
She groaned and flumped backward onto her pillow. Nothing could ever come of this, she knew. Even if Shaggy felt something for her (though Velma doubted it would be anywhere near as intense as her feelings for him), he would always be too chicken to admit it. And even if he did feel the same way about her, they'd never make it public because Shaggy was too paranoid about what would happen if Scooby found out. Which, again, was insane.
Besides, she realized as her stomach twisted. This has always had an expiration date. Velma knew that they wouldn't be able to continue hooking up (finally, she could call it what it was) after the play closed. They would no longer have an excuse.
Maybe it's better to just end things now, Velma thought to herself sadly. No point in putting off the inevitable. Though it pained her to do it, she knew it was the right thing. It was the only way to protect her feelings. With a heavy heart, she resolved to put a stop to the practice room meetings with Shaggy tomorrow.
x.X.x
She nearly lost her resolve the next morning, when she, Fred, and Daphne stopped to pick Shaggy and Scooby up for school. She scooted over to make room for the two of them in the back and dropped her gaze from Shaggy's big brown eyes.
The day was agonizing for Velma. She argued with herself through every class, half of her brain trying to find a way around her decision, the other half trying to keep her on the straight and narrow. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized there was nothing she could do, as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise. At lunch, she tried to distract herself by bringing up Fred's theories about who the Phantom might be.
"I'm still a little suspicious of Holden," Fred admitted when she asked him about it. "But I think I was hasty in accusing him. We need more evidence. Like you said, it's possible that anyone who's working on the play is responsible."
"So let's talk about what we know already," said Daphne as she jabbed a green bean with her fork. "We know that the Phantom destroyed the girl's dressing room and wrote 'quit mystery freak' in lipstick on the mirror."
"And we know that she's probably after you," Velma added, glancing at her. "Based on the incident with the sandbag."
"Scoob's like, seen her three times," Shaggy continued. "Like once on the catwalk, once at homecoming, and once the day the dressing room was ransacked."
"Rand ro one relse ruz raround," Scooby finished. "Rye ruz ralways ralone."
"Well like, except that last time, when we both saw her," Shaggy reminded him.
Scooby nodded slowly. "Ris rhat reverything?"
Fred exhaled. "It's everything I can think of. But it's not much. We don't even have a motive. Why would someone want to sabotage the performance?"
Daphne sighed in response and hooked her arm through his. "We solved the mystery of the Wendigo in like a week," she said. "But this has taken us months. Why?"
"Because we're so distracted," Velma replied. "This play takes up a lot of our time with memorizing lines and rehearsing songs and bonding –" She stopped short as soon as she said the word, not daring to look at Shaggy.
But Daphne didn't seem to notice. "Well at least we know the play will be successful," she said, brow creased. "As long as the Phantom doesn't do something truly disruptive."
"We'll catch her before she tries," Fred promised, planting a firm kiss on Daphne's temple.
Again, Velma averted her eyes and avoided Shaggy's gaze. It was already hard enough knowing what she had to do. She was happy that Fred and Daphne weren't fighting anymore, but she didn't need them serving up hot and fresh Relationship Goals right in her face, taunting her with what she could never have with Shaggy.
At the end of the day, she waited in the practice room for him to arrive, running through some of Natalie's piano part for "Make Up Your Mind" to distract herself from what was sure to be a difficult conversation. The door opened, and she turned around to find Shaggy had arrived. He locked the door and took two steps towards the piano bench. Velma stood up.
"Like hey," he said softly. Velma's heart thundered in her chest cavity as he looked down into her face. She felt a subtle blush creep up her cheeks but remained focused on her task.
"Hey," she replied, distressed that her voice sounded just as gentle. No, you have to end this today, she scolded herself. Even though she wanted nothing more than to stay in the practice room with him for hours, she couldn't give him that impression. It would only make it harder when she said what she needed to say. But before she could do anything, Shaggy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. She tried not to breathe his scent too deeply while still appreciating the warm comfort of his embrace. Jinkies, this is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought. And she had always known it was going to be hard.
"I just wanted to say...like, thank you. Again," he murmured into her hair. "Yesterday was…I don't know. I hadn't expected it all to just like, come out like that. But I'm so glad I talked about it. I'm so glad I told you. It was like, really hard and scary to talk about, but you made it so much easier."
Velma listened to his soft words and felt her stomach twist in desire. He pulled away from her slightly to look into her eyes and tenderly brushed her bangs from her forehead. Damn it, Velma thought wildly. If he kisses me now, I'm a goner.
Sure enough, he lowered his face and captured her mouth with his. The kiss was sweet and warm, and Velma's automatic response was to close her eyes and kiss him back. He was impossible to resist. She wanted him too badly. All thoughts of ending things flew from her mind.
She locked her arms around his neck as he gripped her passionately. One of his hands snuck up under her sweater and she gasped through the kiss at the contact of his fingers on her bare skin – a sound she couldn't help making. She twisted her fingers into the hair at the nape at his neck to pull his face even closer to hers. She felt him sigh into the kiss as he opened his mouth to her. While their tongues clashed, his hand snuck further up her body until it had arrived at her chest.
Fireworks shot off in Velma's brain as she pressed her back up against the wall under Shaggy's touch. A small kernel of a thought tried to nudge its way to the forefront, but it was lost in the haze of passion that currently occupied Velma's mind. All she wanted was Shaggy's body against hers. It was still true, what she'd said on Friday. When they were in here together, she didn't want to be anywhere else. Even though she knew it wasn't good for her heart in the long run.
At the moment this thought finally burst through, a knock at the door sounded. "It's Tony," came the voice that accompanied the knock. "Atwood's back. Time for rehearsal."
With a reluctant sigh, Shaggy broke the kiss and removed his hands from Velma. "All right, like, we're coming," he called back. He brought his face back down to hers for one last kiss before turning towards the door. "Like, you ready?"
Velma nodded. "Yeah," she replied, still a little breathless from the kissing. "Let's go." As she followed him to the auditorium, she fixed her jaw. Her desire for him had gotten the better of her this time. But she would officially put a stop to it after rehearsal today. She had to.
x.X.x
Meanwhile, Fred and Daphne were in the girl's dressing room, having a little private time of their own. They could hear the muted chatter of the drama kids onstage, but they were alone in the dressing room. Fred had told Daphne he had something important to tell her, so here they were, sitting on the couch.
"Listen, Daph," Fred said. "I've been thinking a lot about…why I've been acting this way. You know, over-protective and suspicious and jealous. And it's because…I've been feeling insecure."
Daphne furrowed her brow in confusion. What in the world could Fred Jones, golden boy, ever feel insecure about? "What do you mean?"
Fred took one of Daphne's hands. "I've been thinking a lot about us."
Daphne's breath caught in her throat and she felt her chest tighten with anxiety. Was this…a break-up? No. No, it couldn't be. She hadn't told him she loved him yet! "What exactly have you been thinking?" Daphne was glad that her voice didn't betray her panic.
"Well, that's not exactly true," Fred admitted. "Mostly, I've been thinking about my dad."
Daphne was confused again. "I don't understand."
Fred sighed and took Daphne's other hand. "Do you remember what I said yesterday, when we had our full-cast bonding? About…what happened with my mother?"
How could she forget? Daphne's heart had broken for Fred that afternoon. The image of tears in his eyes would be burned in her memory forever. "Of course," she replied softly.
Fred took a deep breath, apparently steeling himself for a difficult confession. "I've always had a fear that the people I love will all leave me one day," he told her. "I didn't even realize I felt that way until I was thirteen and found that letter my mom sent to my dad. I mean…if my own mother could leave me behind like that, what was stopping my dad? My friends?" He exhaled and looked into Daphne's eyes. "It even happens in this play. Diana leaves Dan at the end. Just like my mom left my dad. Just like she left me." He shook his head. "You and the gang are the most important people in my life. And when Shaggy's dad said that thing at the end of the summer, about how one day we'll all go our separate ways…I started to panic." He swallowed. "I don't want anyone in the gang to separate, but I'm terrified of losing you the most."
Daphne blinked back tears. Remembering how annoyed and angry she'd been with him just last week made her stomach twist in regret. Of course he was committed to this play. Of course he was committed to her. He was so committed that his biggest fear was her leaving him. How could she have ever doubted his feelings? Or hers? She felt herself falling in love with him all over again. "Fred Jones," she whispered. "How could you think that I would ever leave you?" She threw her arms around his neck and cradled his head against her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, Freddie," she promised. "You'll never have to worry about losing me. I'm your girl. And I'll stay by your side as long as you want me there."
Fred wrapped his own arms around Daphne and gripped the back of her dress. Then he moved his head upward to kiss her jawbone. She shifted so he could reach her lips, and they kissed for a long time.
As their lips moved together, Daphne had a realization. This was it. This was the moment. I have to tell him I love him now.
Daphne broke the kiss and looked Fred full in the face. "Freddie," she whispered. "I…"
"Rister Ratwood's rack! Rit's rime ror rehearsal!" Scooby barked, barging into the girl's dressing room. When he caught the position Fred and Daphne were in, he eyed them suspiciously. "Really roo ruys?"
Embarrassment colored their cheeks as they stood up and followed Scooby out to the stage.
x.X.x
Mr. Atwood had indeed returned, and he was full of announcements.
"All right everyone, shut the hell up," he said as he bounded onstage, where the cast had all gathered. The orchestra were tuning their instruments in the pit, while the crew members hung out in the booth or the wings.
"First things first," said Mr. Atwood. "I'm feeling a bit better. Thank you to Beamer for keeping the ball rolling while I was away."
Leesa flashed a light from the booth to indicate she accepted the praise.
Mr. Atwood continued. "I'm eager to get back to work. Now who can tell me what Thursday is?"
"Ralloween?" said Scooby, who was sitting at his ASM desk with his headphones affixed.
The cast chuckled and Mr. Atwood did too.
"Very funny, Scooby. Yes, technically that's correct. Thursday is Halloween. But it's also the official beginning of what we in the theater like to call 'tech week.'"
"You mean 'hell week,'" Holden quipped. Daphne and the other drama kids snickered again.
"Tech week is the term for the week before the show opens," Daphne explained to the gang.
"I'm kinda nervous to ask about where the 'hell' part comes from," Tony remarked.
"It's just because there's so much work involved," Daphne replied.
"More than we're already doing?" Fred asked.
Holden shook his head good-humoredly. "Can you believe it? Like we're not already working like dogs."
"Rey!" Scooby exclaimed from his desk.
More laughter.
"And all your hard work is paying off," Mr. Atwood said. "The show is nearly fully blocked, almost all the cues are finished, and we'll be ready to start dress rehearsals next week, just in time for opening night next Friday." Mr. Atwood clapped his hands together. "Let's get to work."
They worked steadily for the rest of the afternoon, and made a lot of progress. Even Fred made great strides, and only needed to look at his script and call for line a few times. By the end of rehearsal, everyone was feeling good. Everyone except for Velma, who felt her resolve weakening again as she followed Shaggy down the hall to their practice room.
Maybe if I can get the words out as soon as the door closes, before…anything else happens, she thought to herself.
Of course, this didn't pan out. Velma was the one who closed the door and as soon as she did, Shaggy pushed her up against it, locked it, and cupped her face in his hands to bring her lips to his.
Velma's head spun as they kissed. It was impossible. How could she end this? How could she say no to the feel of Shaggy's warm embrace, or his gentle mouth on her skin? How could she stop her voice from gasping his name as he moved his head down to kiss her earlobe, her jawline, her neck? How could she say no to his hand on her breast or possibly even between her legs again one day? How could she stop her own fingers from traveling down his body to touch him, knowing the reaction he would have? She'd never been the source of so much pleasure for one person. And he was so hard to resist.
Resist.
That's what she was supposed to be doing. What she had to do. She had to end this now, before she was so far gone there was no coming back. Her resolve had returned.
"Shaggy," she murmured, agonized that her voice sounded so full of desire. "We have to stop."
To his credit, Shaggy removed his hands from her immediately and took a slight step back. "Like what's the matter?" he asked, full of concern. "Did I do something wrong?"
Velma shook her head incredulously. After everything they'd done in here these past few months, how could he possibly think he was doing something wrong? "No," she told him. "I mean...we have to stop meeting here." Her heart and body screamed in protest as the words left her mouth, but she ignored them.
Shaggy's concerned expression changed to a confused one. "Like why? It's helping our performance so much."
"That's why," Velma replied. "We only started doing this when we were cast in the play. And…I won't lie. It's been great. More than great. But Shaggy...the show's almost over. We open a week from Friday. And then we'll have no more excuses to meet in here. We have to stop eventually." She shrugged. "It might as well be now."
Shaggy furrowed his brow. "But like...if we have to stop at some point, doesn't that mean we should keep doing this as long as we can?"
Velma splayed out her hands. "Listen," she said, looking him in the eye. "I meant what I said on Friday. I don't want to stop. I really don't. But I think we have to." Her skin tingled in the places where his lips had touched her, as though burning to remind her of everything she was giving up. She took a deep breath and kept on. "We've come so far from that first rehearsal, I don't think our performance will suffer. Besides," she continued, thinking of the conversation they'd had at lunch. "Once we're not distracted by meeting in here anymore, we can focus on something real, like figuring out who the Phantom actually is."
Shaggy looked taken aback, and Velma wondered what she'd said wrong. She found out in moments.
"Like, 'focus on something real?'" Shaggy repeated, staring at her in faint disbelief. His voice sounded vaguely hurt as he said, "Is this...like, not real to you?"
Velma's heart thudded again. "Is it real to you?" she murmured, stepping closer to him. Her pulse quickened. Was there a chance they wouldn't have to stop hooking up after all? Shaggy looked down into her eyes, but said nothing. "Shaggy," Velma said, gathering the gall to ask him the question she'd been wanting to ask for weeks. "Is there something more to this for you than just getting our chemistry up for the play?" When he still didn't respond, she grabbed his hands. "Tell me the truth. Please."
Shaggy swallowed, blinked, and remained silent.
Velma sighed, shoulders slumped, and felt as though her heart had been wrung out. Shaggy was never going to admit if he had feelings for her. She had to accept that. This was the reason she had to end it. Unable to resist one last time though, she stood on her toes to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. A goodbye kiss. "I'll see you in the Mystery Machine, Shag." With that, she let go of his hands and turned to let herself out of the practice room.
x.X.x
Two days later it was Halloween, and the show was ready for its first full run-through. They had made it through the first act with no major issues – and Fred hadn't needed to call for line once. This was a small miracle.
"Freddie!" Daphne exclaimed when they broke for 'intermission.' "You're doing so great! I'm so proud of you." They were standing in the stage right wings, near the lumber room and Scooby's ASM desk. Mr. Atwood, who still seemed ill, had left the auditorium after the last number of Act I, so Scooby was listening intently to Leesa on his headset as she was giving directions now.
Fred shrugged. "Now that I'm less focused on trying to prove Holden guilty, I have more space in my brain for my lines." He grinned at her and she grinned back.
"I know this hasn't been easy on you," she said, touching his arm. "But you've come so far. And it means so much that you're trying so hard. For me."
Fred looked at her tenderly. "I'd do anything for you, Daphne," he told her, bringing her close for a kiss.
"Ra-hem," coughed Scooby loudly from his desk. Apparently he had finished his conversation with Leesa.
Fred and Daphne both blushed.
Shaggy watched this happen from the open door of the boy's dressing room, where Holden was pulling on parts of his anesthesiologist costume for the beginning of Act II. It wasn't a full dress rehearsal, but the actors were working with as many costume pieces as possible today.
"I always liked dressing up on Halloween," Holden said as he adjusted his surgical cap. "I went as a butterfly one year, when I was nine, I think. I can't believe no one realized then that I was gay. Not that butterflies are effeminate, or that only gay boys can like butterflies." He laughed.
Shaggy said nothing.
Holden turned from the mirror and faced him. "All right, Rogers. What's with you?"
Shaggy blinked and focused back on Holden. "Like, huh?"
Holden crossed his arms. "You've been so out of it for the past two days. I mean, your performance has been fine, but offstage it's like your head's in the clouds. What's going on?"
Shaggy just stared at him. "Like, I don't know," he replied. "I'm fine."
This wasn't true. He'd been feeling down ever since Velma had put a stop to their meetings. Like an idiot, he'd stopped by the practice room both yesterday and today after school to see if she'd changed her mind, but she hadn't been in there either time. What had changed? She'd said she hadn't wanted to stop the meetings. So why had she? There had to be more to it than what she'd said on Tuesday.
And he couldn't even ask anybody for advice. Usually when he had a problem he talked to Scooby, but Scooby could never find out about Velma. And no one else in the gang knew.
But Tony knows.
Shaggy considered this for a full five seconds before realizing how utterly ridiculous it would be if he went to Velma's ex-boyfriend for romantic advice about her. He was just going to have to suffer in silence. Alone.
On the other side of the stage, in the girl's dressing room, Velma was getting ready for her first scene of the second act, at the club with Henry. She had on a red party dress and black leggings. While she'd never wear anything like it in real life, she was more comfortable in this dress than the one she had to wear near the end of the play – a strapless, rather formal tea-length dress for the spring dance scene. The only person who had seen the dress besides Velma was Harmony, who was adamant that the costume be kept a secret until dress rehearsals began, lest there be another "Phantom" situation. Luckily the costume department had been able to successfully fix Holden's tuxedo, but Harmony didn't want to take any chances if the Phantom decided to truly destroy a costume.
There was a knock on the door. "Dinks, you in there? Can I come in?" It was Tony.
Velma looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. "Yeah, sure," she called. Tony let himself in. "Nice lab coat," Velma said, when she saw that he was wearing his costume for Doctor Madden.
"Nice dress," he replied, quirking an eyebrow.
Velma rolled her eyes. "At least this one has straps." She pulled her baggy orange sweater over her head and felt much more comfortable. "What's up?"
Tony closed the door and looked at her seriously. "Are you okay?"
Velma blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
Tony shrugged. "I noticed that you and Rogers haven't been ah…meeting up lately."
Velma blushed. "That's none of your business, Tony."
He held up his hands. "I just wanna know why. It seemed like it was what you wanted. Did he push the brakes?"
Velma sighed. "No. I did."
Tony furrowed his brow. "How come?"
Velma sat on the couch and looked at the floor. In a whisper, she said, "Because I like him, Tony." It was the first time she'd ever said it out loud. She hadn't even admitted this to Daphne. "It's going to come to an end as soon as the play is over. It'll be better for me in the long run if I put a stop to it now."
Tony sat beside her. "Why does it have to come to an end?"
"Because he doesn't feel the same way about me."
Tony stared at her dubiously. "Come on," he said, incredulity coloring his tone. "You and I both know that's not true."
"Well, he's never going to admit it," Velma grumbled. "He's too worried about what Scooby'll think."
Tony seemed confused. "But…Scooby's a dog."
"Exactly." Velma sighed. "It's just not going to happen, Tony. It'll be better once this is all over and we can go back to just being friends."
Tony shook his head. "I don't know if that'll be as easy as you think it will, Dinks."
Velma snorted. "Why not? You and I did it no problem."
"Yeah," Tony relented. "But you and I never…you know, met in a practice room. Every day. For months." Tony turned slightly red, and so did Velma as she remembered the humiliation she'd felt the day Tony had caught them.
Tony cleared his throat to break the awkward silence. "You want me to talk to him?"
Velma laughed out loud. "Are you kidding? That wouldn't help at all."
"How come?"
"Because Shaggy's jealous of you."
Now it was Tony's turn to laugh. "Jealous of me? Why? Because I used to go out with you?"
Velma shrugged. "I guess. He's never said as much, but I kind of got that impression at homecoming."
Leesa Beamer's voice came through the speakers in the dressing room. "Quick cast meeting before we begin Act II. Everyone come out to the stage please!"
Velma pressed the intercom button so she could speak back to the booth where Leesa sat. "On the way," she replied with a sigh. She turned back to Tony. "We should go."
They both stood up from the couch and headed onstage. The rest of the cast were arriving as well. Velma noticed, with some satisfaction, that Shaggy had a small scowl on his face when he saw her entering with Tony. Tony noticed too, and shook his head subtly at Velma. "I'm your friend, Dinks, but I wanna be his friend too," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. "Don't put me in the middle."
Velma sighed. "You're kind of already there," she murmured back. "You're the only one who knew about us."
"Okay actors," said Leesa's voice amplified over the microphone. "Mr. Atwood's stomach bug apparently hasn't completely gone away, and he went home again. So we'll be finishing the show without him. Places for the top of Act II, please."
Act II went quite smoothly. Everyone sounded great and the acting was excellent. Fred remembered all of his lines, and Daphne was able to dig into the sad stories they'd heard on Monday for the correct emotional response in "How Could I Ever Forget?"
"He was a baby when he died," she murmured, blinking back tears at the end of the song. "But I remember him…older."
Fred/Dan shook his head. "No. He was a baby." He paused. "We should call Doctor Madden."
The music started up from the pit, quick and a little chaotic.
Daphne/Diana stared at him. "Why would we call Doctor Madden? I'm just trying to make sense of this. God – what was his name? I don't remember ever hearing you say his name. Why is that?"
Fred/Dan: "Diana."
Daphne/Diana: "What was his name? Tell me."
The music caught up with the dialogue, and Fred/Dan began to sing.
"It's gonna be fine.
It's gonna be fine.
Gonna go back to the doctor,
Cause we caught it just in time.
We'll take the pills and pay the bills,"
Daphne/Diana interrupted. "His name..."
Fred/Dan continued. "We'll do more ECT…"
Daphne/Diana: "Our son."
Fred/Dan: "It's gonna be good you'll see."
Daphne/Diana: "What was his name?"
Fred/Dan: "It's gonna be good you'll see."
Daphne/Diana: "What. Was. His. Name?"
Shaggy/Henry entered, wearing a tuxedo jacket, but not the full ensemble. Velma/Natalie appeared at the top of the stairs on the set, wearing a formal coat, but not her dress.
Fred/Dan and Daphne/Diana continued, oblivious to them both. Daphne/Diana repeated "What was his name?" over and over again while Fred/Dan kept insisting "It's gonna be good," until he grabbed the music box from her and dashed it on the ground, where it made a loud crash.
Velma/Natalie gasped. "Jesus, Dad!"
She looked at Shaggy/Henry for a millisecond. Embarrassed at the scene her parents had caused, she fled back into the bedroom. Without hesitation, Shaggy/Henry ascended the stairs and followed her.
"Natalie!" cried Fred/Dan.
A new song began.
"Why stay?" sang Daphne/Diana.
"Why stay?
So steadfast and stolid
And stoic and solid
For day after every day…
Why stay?
Why stay?
Why not simply give in
And get on with livin'
Cause everyone knows you tried,
But somehow something died
On the way.
So tell me why you stay."
Lights came up on Velma/Natalie's bedroom for a split scene. Shaggy/Henry gently opened the door and Velma/Natalie turned to confront him.
"Why stay?" both girls sang.
"Why stay?
Enduring and coping
And hurting and hoping
For day after fucking day –
Why stay?
Why stay?
Why not simply end it?
We'd all comprehend it
And most of the world would say,
'He's better off that way
To be free…
And maybe so his she.'"
Shaggy's heart stuttered, astonished at how the song pertained to his current situation. Was this why Velma didn't want to meet in the practice room anymore? Because she thought they were better off without each other? That was a depressing thought.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Fred, who looked Daphne in the eyes and sang to her.
"A promise,
A boy says forever,
A boy says…"
Shaggy took Velma's shoulders and sang the next lines with Fred.
"Whatever may come we'll come through.
And who can know how
When all I know now
To be true
Is this promise that I make to you."
As he sang, Shaggy saw a flicker of something in Velma's eyes. Longing? Regret? This song was making her feel something.
Fred/Dan kept going.
"A question
A boy wonders whether,"
Shaggy/Henry echoed. "A boy wonders should I stay?"
Fred/Dan: "The two stay together
The way that they stay.
For year after year
For love or from fear,"
Both: "Either way,"
Fred/Dan: "That's the promise that I made that day."
Shaggy/Henry: "Here's what I say,"
Both: "To the girl who was burning so brightly
Like the light from Orion above."
Fred/Dan: "And still I will search for her nightly,
If you see her, please send her my love.
And the boy was a boy for all seasons,"
Shaggy/Henry: "The boy is long lost."
Fred/Dan: "That boy is long lost to me now."
Shaggy/Henry: "So lost."
Fred/Dan: "And the man has,"
Both: "Forgotten his reasons,"
Fred/Dan: "But the man still remembers his vow."
Shaggy/Henry pulled Velma/Natalie to him in a soft embrace as he sang, "Now…"
Velma's heart was in her throat. What she wouldn't give for Shaggy to actually use these words, not as part of a scripted play, but for real. She shut her eyes against his chest, wishing she could just turn off her feelings.
Fred, for his part, had completely abandoned his character. He and Daphne had come away from their argument in the costume loft a stronger couple, but he needed her to know how much he cared for her. How committed he was to her. This was not Dan singing to Diana. This was Fred singing to Daphne. It always had been.
Fred took Daphne's hands, looked into her eyes, and started the last part of the song.
"A promise,
A man says forever.
A man says, I'll never regret or let you,
The promise I made
To stay, and I stayed true…"
He tucked a strand of hair behind Daphne's ear and let his hand linger on her cheek. Daphne felt her heart skip a beat.
"Knowing one day we'd remember that joy,
You'd remember that girl, I'd remember that boy,"
Now he took both her hands again. "Til we do,
The promise I made,
I'll make it brand new –
The promise that I made to you."
Fred and Daphne were still. Shaggy held Velma to him.
Two couples.
And then Holden.
The music changed.
"I am more than memory," Holden/Gabe sang, as he emerged from fog via the stage right wings.
"I am what might be, I am mystery.
Come closer…"
Daphne/Diana noticed him and let go of Fred/Dan's hands. She took a step back.
"Dan," she murmured.
"Come closer." Holden/Gabe began to approach her as Fred/Dan watched her back away.
"Diana, there's nothing there," he said.
A movement from above caught Velma's eye. Her face was still half-buried in Shaggy's chest but she turned slightly to try to figure out what it was.
Oblivious to the movement in the fly space, Holden continued. "I'm as old as time and forever young,
I am every song that will stay unsung,
I'll find you."
"Oh no," Daphne/Diana whispered, continuing to back away.
"Goddamn it," Fred muttered, watching the space where Holden/Gabe stood without seeing him. Daphne/Diana took another step back.
"Remind you," Holden/Gabe continued, gazing at Daphne/Diana.
Velma gasped as she realized that the movement above her was something descending from the fly space.
Or rather…someone.
"Shaggy," she said, breaking away from him and pointing. The figure wore a white lace dress and had black stringy hair.
It was the Phantom of the Auditorium.
And she was landing right in Daphne's path.
Holden noticed a split second after Velma did. "Daphne, look out!" he cried.
Daphne whirled around and found herself face-to face with the Phantom. She screamed and tripped forward in shock. The Phantom caught her.
Fred reached for Daphne but, to everyone's horror, the Phantom began to soar back up into the fly space, taking Daphne with her.
"Daphne!" cried everyone on stage.
And then the lights went out.
Sponge: Sorry for the cliff-hanger. Thanks for reading. Come back next week and review if you please!