Sponge: Oh my goodness, the penultimate chapter is upon us. Warnings: some angst in the beginning, plus language and kissing later. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby-Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera. All lyrics to the songs "Maybe (Next to Normal)" and "Hey #3/Perfect For You (Reprise)" belong to Brian Yorkey. All dialogue in bold comes from the Next to Normal script. Also a note: There's a little bit of disparity between the script for Next to Normal and the soundtrack – the soundtrack states the baby died at eighteen months, while the script says eight months. I'm going with eighteen months because it's the age given in the soundtrack, which is more widely accessible. Anyway. Enjoy!

Chapter 16: Hey #3/Perfect For You (Reprise)

Fred dropped Shaggy and Scooby off at their house first. Shaggy's father was sitting on a couch in the living room, pouring candy into a bowl to get ready for trick-or-treaters.

"Hello son," said Mr. Rogers. "Your mother went to the store for more candy. Are you and Scooby going to have your Vincent Van Ghoul marathon tonight?"

Shaggy nodded. Ever since he'd decided he was too old to go trick-or-treating, he and Scooby had spent Halloween night watching scary movies starring their favorite actor while his parents passed out candy.

"Rant re to ret rhe rovies?" asked Scooby.

Shaggy laid a hand on the dog's head. "Like not yet, Scoob. I want to talk to Dad first. And I want you to be here." He was glad his dad was the only one here - he wanted to get a feel for how he'd react before he talked to his mother. He sat down on the couch beside his father.

Mr. Rogers looked at his son warily. "What's going on?" he asked, concern coloring his tone.

"It's like nothing big, Dad," Shaggy said, even though it was. "I just..." He swallowed and looked down at Scooby, who nodded for him to go on. Shaggy took a deep breath. "You know how like, I'm in this play at school?"

Mr. Rogers nodded. "Yes. When's opening night? You never told us. It must be coming up soon."

"Like yeah, it's a week from tomorrow," said Shaggy.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" asked Mr. Rogers.

Shaggy said nothing. Scooby nudged him.

Mr. Rogers furrowed his brow. "What's going on, son?"

Shaggy took another deep breath. "I like...I didn't say anything earlier because I wasn't sure if you and Mom would want to come."

"Why wouldn't we want to come?" Mr. Rogers asked.

Shaggy forced himself to look his father in the eye. "Because it like...it hits a little close to home."

"What do you mean?"

Shaggy paused. "Dad," he said finally. "Like...why don't we ever talk about my sister?"

Mr. Rogers' expression didn't change, though the worried gaze in his eyes softened. "I don't know, son," he answered after several moments. "I think it's because I don't want to upset your mother."

"I get it," Shaggy said. "I like, feel that way too. But this play I'm in...it's so similar to what happened to us. And like, I was afraid that if you and Mom came to see it, it would make you remember everything."

Shaggy's father looked at him sadly. "Son," he murmured, his voice breaking. "Of course I remember Maggie."

Hearing his sister's name come out of his father's mouth made a lump rise in Shaggy's throat.

"I think about her every single day," Mr. Rogers continued. "And I miss her every single day."

"So do I," said Shaggy thickly.

"Re roo," Scooby admitted, laying his head on Shaggy's knee.

Mr. Rogers sniffed and cleared his throat. "So the play is about a family who loses a child?"

"Like basically," Shaggy replied. "Daphne plays the mom character who's bipolar depressive. Freddie's like, the dad. Velma's their daughter. This kid Holden plays like, the ghost of the son who died. And my friend Tony plays Daphne's doctor."

"Who do you play?" asked Mr. Rogers.

"Velma's...boyfriend." Astonishingly, Shaggy felt a thrill go through his body as he used the word 'boyfriend' to describe himself in relation to Velma. In spite of the heaviness of the conversation they were having now, thinking of his relationship with Velma made him feel lighter. How was that possible? He wished she were here with him. Not wanting to dwell on this, Shaggy continued. "The play's really good. We've been like, working really hard. But I wasn't sure if you and Mom would be okay to see it."

"I'll talk to your mother with you," Mr. Rogers promised. "But even if she doesn't think she's ready, I'll be there, at the performance."

"Like thanks Dad." This meant more to Shaggy than he could say.

"And never feel like you can't talk to me about Maggie," Mr. Rogers whispered. "It must have been terrible for you to go through the rehearsal process with no one to talk to."

"Actually, I like, ended up telling my friends," Shaggy admitted. "It really helped to talk to them. Especially...especially Velma." Damn it like, don't blush now! Shaggy thought to himself as he felt heat rise up his neck. He continued regardless. "Talking to her like, helped me realize how important it is for us to talk about Sugie."

Mr. Rogers chuckled sadly. "I had forgotten that you called her that," he murmured. Tears filled his eyes, and, to Shaggy's horror, he felt his own eyes well up. Both of them blinked their tears away before they could fall. "You have good friends, son," said Mr. Rogers. "I'm sorry that it took your mother and I so long to come around to them. Especially Velma. She's good for you. They all are."

Forget about blinking tears away. Shaggy felt them fall before he even realized they were there. "Like thanks, Dad," he murmured.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway took them out of the moment.

"Your mother's home," said Mr. Rogers. "Are you ready?"

Shaggy nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Like yep."

"Re roo," Scooby agreed.

They sat together, steeling themselves for the difficult but necessary conversation that was about to ensue.

x.X.x

"Ruess rhat?" Scooby barked as he and Shaggy climbed into the Mystery Machine the next morning.

"What?" asked Daphne from the front seat.

"We like, talked to Mom and Dad about Sugie last night," Shaggy replied.

Velma, who sat between Daphne and Fred, turned around and blinked at him. "Jinkies," she said. "You did? How...how did it go?"

Shaggy shrugged. "It was like, fine," he said honestly. "We all got a little emotional. But I'm glad we did it. And like, now Mom and Dad are gonna come to the play."

"That's great, Shag," said Fred from the drivers' seat.

"It is," Velma murmured. "I'm so glad you talked to them. I know that conversation was probably really difficult."

Shaggy looked her in the eyes. "It was," he said seriously. "But it like, needed to happen. And it couldn't have happened without you."

Velma stared at him, suddenly finding it difficult to swallow.

Shaggy blinked and looked away from her. There was something about that exchange that had been extremely intimate, and he didn't want anyone to notice – especially Scooby, who was sitting right next to him. "All of you," he said to the group at large. "If I hadn't like, talked about her that day at rehearsal, I don't think I ever would have found the courage to bring her up to my parents."

Daphne, ever the empath, reached across the back of the seat to put a hand on Shaggy's shoulder. She gave him a watery smile. "I'm glad we could do that for you," she said.

"Me too, Shag," said Fred, looking at him kindly through the rearview mirror.

Velma patted Scooby Doo on the head and bit her lip. She did not look at Shaggy.

This was now the third day in a row where they had no plans to meet in the practice room and if Velma was being honest with herself, it was kind of driving her crazy. She missed his touch, his closeness. She wanted to feel his skin on hers, to melt into his arms. She wanted to embrace him and whisper how proud she was of him for talking to his parents.

Shaggy wished he could tell Velma more plainly how much it meant to him that she'd helped him find the courage to start that conversation with his parents. He, too, missed her more than he cared to admit. It had been different before homecoming, when they were mad at each other. Now when he sat beside her in class, he just felt…sad. It was like a break-up. But could you break up with someone that you weren't technically dating?

He wished he could turn his brain off.

x.X.x

Now that the Phantom was no longer wreaking havoc, everyone was able to focus and dress rehearsals commenced. In Scooby's opinion, the cast had never been better. Everyone sounded phenomenal. The acting was on point. Fred remembered all his lines. Everything behind the scenes was going well too. True to her word, Leesa did not do anything more to sabotage the production. Fred wasn't sure he'd ever be able to truly forgive her, after what she'd done to Daphne, but he was glad things were back to normal. Or...next to normal, as it were.

Now that they had begun dress rehearsals, the cast was no longer allowed to watch the performance from the house. Instead, they had to remain in the dressing rooms or the wings while waiting for their next entrance cues. Because of this, there wasn't much opportunity to talk to each other during the run-throughs. But Shaggy had to admit that the final result was going to be pretty incredible. That afternoon at the first dress rehearsal, he actually felt himself getting a little emotional during Daphne and Velma's song "Maybe (Next to Normal)," where Diana decides she's going to stop treatment. Velma was in her formal coat, and her dress peeked out from beneath it.

They were midway through the song now, and Daphne/Diana embraced Velma/Natalie before continuing.

"Maybe we can't be okay.

But maybe we're tough and we'll try anyway –

We'll live with what's real.

Let go of what's past,

And maybe I'll see you at last."

Velma/Natalie broke away and shook her head. "I don't believe you," she said, turning to go.

Daphne/Diana watched her for a few steps before she spoke again. "Seventeen years ago," she began. Velma/Natalie turned back to her. "Your brother died of an intestinal obstruction. He was eighteen months old. I'm sorry we never talked about that. We tried to give you a normal life, but I realize now I have no clue what that is."

Velma/Natalie looked at her sadly for a few moments before she sang.

"I don't need a life that's normal –

That's way too far away.

But something…next to normal

Would be okay.

Yeah, something next to normal –

That's the thing I'd like to try.

Close enough to normal

To get by…"

Daphne/Diana sang back. "We'll get by…"

Then Velma/Natalie had the final line. "We'll get by…"

Daphne/Diana nodded resolutely. "Okay. Now go to your dance."

They exited separately as the lights and music changed. Shaggy, wearing his full tuxedo, entered from stage right and stood alone. In the stage left wings while she removed her coat and handed it off to Harmony's waiting hands, Velma looked away, trying very hard not to feel self-conscious, and trying even harder not to notice how handsome Shaggy looked across the stage. She shook herself as the music reached a crescendo. This was her cue to re-enter. With a deep breath, she stepped into the light, and everyone saw her dress for the first time.

Tony stood in the stage left wings and looked on with a smile. Holden, who was standing in the stage right wings near Scooby's desk with Daphne and Fred, whistled lowly. "Wow. I thought she looked like a different person at homecoming. This is…something else."

"She's so beautiful," Daphne murmured proudly.

Fred nodded in agreement. Even Scooby from his ASM desk nearby was astounded by the transformation.

But none were as awestruck as Shaggy.

As he stared at her onstage, his breath caught in his throat. The strapless dress was midnight blue, the stage lights reflecting off the subtle sparkles sewn into the fabric. Shaggy had never seen Velma in a color other than orange or red before. The hem fell to the middle of her shins. She wore simple black flats on her feet. And she looked at him self-consciously, though she had no need.

She was lovely.

He was so distracted by her that he almost forgot to come in when the song began.

"Hey," he sang, just in time.

"Hey," she sang back.

"You look like a star," he continued softly.

"A vision in blue."

She looked down demurely. "Oh, I do?"

Shaggy took a step towards her. "And you are." She truly was.

"Hey," he went on. "You came."

Velma shrugged. "Well I said that I might."

He took her hand. "I thought we were through,

Me and you…"

She shook her head. "Not tonight."

Shaggy/Henry: "Will your mom be okay?"

Velma/Natalie: "Well, she might be, some day."

Shaggy/Henry: "But for now it's all fine?"

Velma/Natalie: "She's still on my mind."

Shaggy/Henry: "Can you leave it behind?

Stay."

Velma/Natalie: "Hey…hey…"

Shaggy/Henry: "Let's see this thing through."

Velma/Natalie: "Am I crazy?

I might end up crazy."

Shaggy/Henry: "I'll be here for you."

Velma/Natalie looked at him with a slight shake of her head. "You say that right here.

But then give it a year,

Or ten years, or a life—

I could end up your wife.

Sitting, staring at walls,

Throwing shit down the stairs,

Freaking out at the store,

Running nude down the street,

Bleeding out in the bath –"

She cut herself off as Shaggy grabbed her and held her to him.

"Shh," he soothed, whispering into her hair. While she'd been singing, he'd been thinking about that first day they'd gone to the practice room together, how much the emergence of their passion had surprised them. He knew he liked her. He'd known that since the beginning. But these past several months, as they'd grown closer, everything had intensified for him. Now he understood why, and as he held her in his arms, he was finally ready to admit the truth. The whole truth.

He had feelings for Velma. Romantic feelings. And he had for a long time.

It was the first time he'd ever allowed himself to have that thought. There was so much more to their relationship than just the physical aspect, or even a regular friendship. The reason their intimacies were so amazing was because Shaggy felt romantically about Velma.

In the back of his mind, he heard Mr. Atwood's voice from that rehearsal where they'd had their first disastrous attempt at a kiss.

"Remember," he'd 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."

To Shaggy, Velma was the most beautiful girl in the world. And all he wanted in this moment was to kiss her, and convince her that they should be together.

He wasn't Henry anymore. He was Shaggy, and he felt more brave than he'd ever been. He tilted her face upward so he could look in her eyes, and poured every ounce of his being into making these lines believable.

"Perfect for you…" he sang.

"I will be perfect for you.

So you could go crazy,

Or I could go crazy, it's true…"

He stroked her freckled cheek with his thumb. The gesture was so gentle, so sweet, that Velma came out of character herself as she stared into Shaggy's eyes.

"Sometimes life is insane," he continued.

"But crazy I know I can do.

'Cause crazy is perfect,

And fucked-up is perfect,

So I will be perfect…"

Velma echoed him. "Perfect…"

And they both sang together. "Perfect for you."

They kissed tenderly as the lights came down. As soon as it was dark, they exited stage left, albeit reluctantly. Neither one had wanted to end that kiss. Especially now that their kisses were numbered. They don't have to be, Shaggy realized. I can like, do something about it.

But there was only one week till opening night. If he was going to do something, he had to do it now.

"Great song guys," Tony whispered to them as they passed him in the wings. "That was really somethin'."

"Thanks Tony," Velma replied.

"Hey Velm," Shaggy said. "Can we like, talk for a minute?" They had a little time before they had to re-enter for the finale. Shaggy had to change out of his tux, but Daphne had a song, then Fred and Holden had one before Velma had to be back onstage.

"Okay," said Velma. She led the way into the girls' dressing room and they closed the door behind them. She thought she saw Tony shoot her a knowing look, but she ignored it.

Shaggy looked around. He hadn't been in here since the day it had been trashed. It looked much better now. They went to the couch and took a seat beside each other, not saying anything at first.

"I'm like, a little hungry," said Shaggy after a while. "You don't have a snack, do you?"

Velma chuckled wryly and reached for her nearby messenger bag. "I have Scooby Snacks. Is that okay?"

"Like, perfect," Shaggy replied, taking a few. He'd known she'd offer him Scooby Snacks. He had planned this. They were excellent sustenance to give him the boost of courage he needed.

"Tony was right," Velma said while Shaggy chewed. She didn't look at him. "That was a good song. I think it's the best it's ever been."

Shaggy swallowed the snacks and turned to look her in the eyes. "I meant it," he said in a low voice.

She blinked at him, uncomprehendingly. "What?"

"The song. I meant it," Shaggy repeated. When Velma didn't respond, Shaggy took a deep breath and gathered his courage. "I figured out why our meetings in the practice room meant so much to me. It was more than just like, a physical thing. It was more than like, just getting our chemistry up for the play. It was real for me. This is real for me. I..." Shaggy took another deep breath and mustered all the bravery from the Scooby Snacks that he could. "I like you, Velma."

Oh what a relief to finally say the words out loud.

Velma's face remained impassive. "Is it the dress?" she asked after a while.

Shaggy furrowed his brow. "Like, what?"

"Is it because I'm wearing this?" Velma continued, gesturing to her costume.

"What? No, like, of course not," Shaggy exclaimed. "I mean, the dress is great Velma, but like, that's not what I'm talking about." He took a deep breath. He had to get this all about before he lost his nerve. "Listen, I've like, always been grateful to you, Daphne and Fred. You all really helped me a lot when I first moved here, and next to Scooby Doo, you guys are my best friends in the world. But like, I always felt differently about you than I have about anyone else. Especially after everything we talked about in the practice room last week. You have no idea how much that meant to me. How much you mean to me. I've always had like, stronger feelings for you. And I'm finally realizing that it's because they're…romantic feelings. Like the feelings Henry has for Natalie. I feel that way about you." The Scooby Snack courage was wearing off. He was talking too much. He had to shut up.

But Velma looked at him in disbelief. "You do?" she asked, sounding skeptical.

Shaggy dug deep for the last dregs of bravery from the Scooby Snacks. "Like yes," he said adamantly.

Velma blinked at him. Before Shaggy knew what was happening, Velma had closed the distance between them with a kiss so passionate it made his head spin. Shaggy wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the kiss while she enveloped his neck with her arms.

"Jinkies," Velma breathed when they broke apart. "I never thought you'd admit it."

"Wait," said Shaggy, looking at her inquisitively. "Did you know? How did you know? Like, I didn't even know."

"I had a hunch," Velma replied with a shrug. "I'm a detective you know."

Shaggy smirked and pulled her closer for another kiss.

"By the way," she said when they came up for air again. "I feel that way about you, too."

"I like, figured that out," Shaggy said, gesturing to the non-existent space between them. "I'm a detective too."

They kissed again, letting their mouths open against each other. Shaggy didn't worry about anyone catching them - the others were either already onstage (he could hear Daphne singing through the speakers) or else waiting for cues. He would happily stay in here with Velma until they needed to go onstage themselves. He gripped her tighter as he felt her tongue brush his own.

"Zoinks," he whispered after several moments when they stopped to breathe again.

"I know," Velma replied softly.

They kept kissing. Shaggy brought his arms further around Velma and dipped his head down into the crook of her neck. "I like, do really like the dress," he admitted. It made it much easier for him to reach the tender skin on her neck, but he didn't say that.

She seemed to understand his meaning though, as she shifted slightly to give him more access. "Appreciate it while it lasts," she told him quietly. "Because I'm never wearing this thing again after next weekend."

"I guess I'll like, just have to enjoy it while I can," he murmured, nipping along her skin.

She whimpered slightly. "Shaggy," she breathed.

He gripped the fabric of her dress in response. God he loved hearing her say his name like that.

"Shh," he teased. "You like, gotta stay quiet. You don't want anyone to hear us again, do you?"

In response, Velma nibbled his earlobe and he sucked in a harsh breath of pleasure. "Well then you better not do anything that'll make me lose control of my volume."

Shaggy gripped her tighter, remembering the events that had led to the time Velma had gotten too loud. It was certainly an arousing memory.

"Besides," she continued, planting kisses all along his neck and jawline, "You weren't so quiet yourself. So tell me if it's getting to be too much for you to handle, and I'll stop."

Shaggy groaned softly and claimed her mouth with his again. He didn't want to stop. He wanted to keep kissing her, like this, forever.

But they could hear Daphne's song coming to an end, which meant that Fred and Holden's song was about to begin. Which meant they'd eventually have to leave the confines of the dressing room. And Shaggy still had one more thing he needed to say.

"Listen," he said the next time they broke the kiss. "There's like, something else we should talk about."

"Okay," Velma replied with a wry smile.

Shaggy gulped. "I uh...don't think you're gonna like it."

"Ruh-roh," Velma quipped, kindly mimicking Scooby.

Shaggy chuckled in spite of himself. "Actually, it's like, kind of about...him."

Velma lifted a shoulder. "I figured it was."

They sat in silence.

"You really don't want to tell him?" Velma said after a few moments.

"It's not that I like, don't want to. It's that I can't," Shaggy told her. "Believe me, I would like, love to not have to sneak around. But I don't see any other way." He stroked her cheekbone with his thumb. "You're both important to me. I like, don't want him to react badly to us, the way he does to Fred and Daphne. I want him to be like, happy for us when I tell him. I just have to figure out how to do that."

Velma nodded. "Okay. I understand. That seems reasonable. And until then...we'll keep this a secret from everyone?"

Shaggy nodded as well. "Is that like, okay?"

Velma shrugged and smiled. "I guess I can hold out on making this public a little while." She leaned in to give him a kiss. "We'll have to be creative about how to meet up, though. After the play's over, we won't have as many opportunities."

Shaggy returned the kiss. "You should come over and watch a horror movie with us," he said. "Even if Scoob's around, you could always grab my hand at the scary parts. As for like, the other stuff..." He kissed her collarbone and she gave a small gasp. "My parents always go to bed super early, and Scoob's a heavy sleeper. It would be like, pretty easy to meet up at my place."

Velma buried her face into his neck and planted kisses along the side of it while Shaggy shut his eyes and gripped her tighter. "I like the sound of that," she whispered into his shoulder.

He inhaled her sweet and spicy scent. "I have to like, go back to my dressing room," he mumbled reluctantly. "I need to change out of my tux for the last number."

"All right," said Velma, letting him go. "We'll have more time later."

He looked into her shining eyes and felt his heart expand. Unable to help himself, Shaggy leaned in to kiss her again.

It was true. They had all the time in the world now.

Sponge: Thanks for reading. Final chapter's coming next week! Review if you please!