Chapter 3: Reunion

Driving the Mystery Machine through the streets of Coolsville at this time of day, proved to be a real challenge, fortunately for the gang, Fred was an excellent driver. Driving the Mystery Machine in busy, noisy and complicated traffic was Fred's specialty.

"Geez, this traffic is a complete mess!" Daphne groaned in annoyance.

"It's even messier than my brother when he's eating spaghetti and lasagne at the same time, you know?" Sebastian chuckled.

"Like, your brother still has the same appetite he had the last time we saw you guys?" Shaggy asked, as he grabbed a pack of sweets and gave a few to Scooby, who swallowed them in one gulp.

"It's worse than before… I tell you, his stomach is always hungry. Not to mention, I think he's a living garbage disposal, always shoving food down his throat. I'm surprised with all the food he eats, he never gets fat, while I gain weight just by drinking water." Sebastian said in amused disgust. "Why do you think we go to those gastronomical conventions and the 'All You can Eat Buffets' there is, when we're on trips? Most of the time, we're going to some place just so he can try some new gastronomical specialty or to have dinner in a restaurant where the critics say the food is good."

"Well, Scooby and Shaggy are the same… but, since they always win the prizes, we end up gaining something from it as well." Fred said, goodnaturedly. "By the way, which hotel are you and your brother staying at?"

"At the Coolsville Ritz."

"The Coolsville Ritz!!! But that's the most expensive hotel in town! How can you afford to stay there? They charge about 2000 dollars per person, for each night." Daphne exclaimed in shock. "I mean, of all of us, only I have ever stayed there and that was when I was twelve, because my parents could afford it."

"Let's just say the people I'm with can afford to stay there." Sebastian said, a sly smirk on his face. The mystery of who these people were, was making the Scooby gang crazy.

Amidst all the chatter, Velma was conspicuously silent. She had been quiet ever since they'd left their headquarters. She didn't pay attention to the conversation at all, her mind was light-years away. She couldn't stop thinking about Sebastian, even though he was only a few centimetres from her.

"Hey, Velma! Sweetie-pie, what are you thinking?" The one she was fixated on, suddenly asked.

Velma jolted to awareness when Sebastian called her that sappy name. She blushed at being caught day dreaming. She really hated to be called cutesy names because they didn't feel personal to her. But despite that, her heart was going like a trip hammer from him just speaking to her. Seeing Velma tongue-tied and blushing, Daphne decided to intercede, just as she had promised Velma earlier.

"Okay, that's the second time you've mentioned these mystery people… can't you give us a clue who they are?" She wheedled, giving Velma a wink. Velma gave her a grateful look. .

"Uh...uh...Not this time… they would never forgive me if I revealed their identity. You'll just have to wait." Sebastian told her, still smirking.

Sighing in resignation, Daphne let it drop and watched the traffic. Soon Fred was able to exit from Main Street onto the quieter side street where they quickly came upon the Coolsville Ritz Hotel.

The building was a magnificently huge structure with fifty floors. It was one of the tallest and most imposing buildings in the whole city. Its illumination, which consisted of multiple spotlight projectors, revealed the building was a warm ginger colour. The beautiful garden, located right next to the entrance was a riot of flowers. There was a swimming pool in the shape of a dolphin, with the emblem of the hotel on the bottom. The entrance looked like it was taken from the pages of a fantasy book. The enormous fountain in the main hall was sprinkling rose-tinted water. The green marble sculptures of Apollo graced the entranceway, one on each side, making the place look even more spectacular.

As soon as the Mystery Machine pulled up to the entrance, a valet jumped forward to take the keys. Fred handed the keys over, the valet handed him a card to retrieve their vehicle later, and as they made to head for the doors, Sebastian tipped the valet ten dollars.

Entering through the doors the doorman held open for them, they walked across a grand lobby dripping with wealth toward the massive reception desk. The desk clerk gave them a smile.

"Yes, may I help you?"

"I would like the key to the Imperial Suite, please. It's registered under the name of Sebastian Milnor." Sebastian told the clerk. The man turned to check his computer first then nodded and retrieved a keycard.

"Welcome back sir, here's your keycard!" The man said politely handing it over.

Sebastian smiled in return and took the card then signalled the others to follow him to the bank of elevators. He blinked in surprise when he noted Shaggy and Scooby were not with his friends.

Sighing, Daphne said, "I can guess where they are. Where's the restaurant?"

Sebastian nodded and smirked as he turned away from the elevators and walked down a short hall from the lobby into an incredible restaurant. There the pair was looking at the menu, trying to figure out what to order. They walked up behind the two.

"Like, what do you think we should order, Scoob?" They heard Shaggy ask Scooby, as he gave the menu a quick scan. "It's all in French and the only thing I know in French is French Fries and that's not even on the menu."

"Reah…"Scooby sighed.

"Maybe we should, like, ask… Hey! What's the big idea, girls?!" Shaggy exclaimed unhappily as he and Scooby were grabbed by their collars.

"You guys should be ashamed of yourselves! When we have to solve a mystery, you chickens always try to get away, but when it's about eating, you're the first ones in line! And besides, we're not here to eat!" Velma scolded them as she and Daphne dragged them away.

"Ah come on, Velma, you know what we say… anytime you get a chance to eat is a good time because you never know when you'll get the chance again during a mystery… right Scooby-Doo?" Shaggy whined.

"Reah!" Scooby agreed, nodding his head rapidly

Daphne and Velma just shook their heads in disgust as they pulled the pair back to the elevator bank.

As soon as they were standing before a car, Sebastian pressed the button and they all climbed on. He hit the button for the top floor. The gang was still reeling from learning Sebastian was staying in the Imperial Suite.

When the elevator stopped they stepped off onto a small entryway and before them was huge white wooden door with Indian motifs carved on it. Sebastian walked to it and swiped his keycard in the discrete reader on the wall beside the door.

There was a soft click then Sebastian pushed the door open and they stepped into a small foyer. He led them through to a grand living room decorated with exotic furniture. The room was coloured in apple-red, orange and pale yellow, while the floor was covered in a beautifully patterned rug. Expensive paintings covered the walls and various statues and vases graced the room here and there. A huge wet bar was located in one corner; a dining table of oak was set near a bay of windows, surrounded by comfortable padded chairs. An arrangement of black roses were in a vase at the centre of the table. On the right side of the room a doorway led off to a hallway where the bedrooms were located. To the left side of the room and set before a huge wall screen TV was a half circle of comfortable couches and an elegant coffee table.

Resting indolently on one of the couches watching TV was Sebastian's brother, Zack.

"Hey, Zack! I brought a few guests I think you'll be happy to see!" Sebastian sang out.

Zack had a huge smile on his face as he got off the couch and greeted them. Unlike his brother, Zack hadn't changed much. His hair was still the same golden brown they remembered. He was wearing a violet shirt, a pair of black trousers and a pair of white sneakers. But his most distinctive feature was the fact that he was wearing a glove on his left hand, but he was not wearing one on his right hand.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!"

"Rack!" Scooby jumped at him, licking his face, giving the same greeting he had Sebastian.

"Hey, how you doing, Scooby, you old hound?!" Zack asked warmly as he petted the dog.

"Well you haven't change." Fred said coming up to them.

"Yeah, but back then I was a little bit taller than you, Fredster, and now, it's the opposite. You're the one who's a little bit taller than me." Zack said happily as he shook Fred's hand.

"True… but still, your style hasn't changed a bit."

"Thanks, Fred!" Zack grinned then turned to Shaggy. "Like, brother Shaggy! What have you been doing?"

"Like, brother Zack, being chased by ghosts and monsters, solving mysteries, participating in every kind of contests and hanging around with my best buddy, Scooby-Doo, among other things" Shaggy answered. "Like, what about you?"

"Same thing, except for the part of solving mysteries and being chased by monsters and ghouls, of course." Zack said, snorting in amusement. "Still, I bet I can eat more pizzas than you, in ten minutes!"

"You really want to try it?" Shaggy challenged him excitedly.

"You betcha!" Zack dared him.

"Those two are already on cloud nine… talking about food and those two will have a conversation theme for a whole week." Velma commented.

"Yeah and we won't be seeing them for a while either." Daphne snorted then turned to Sebastian. "So, can you tell us now, who these mysterious people are that is paying for all this?"

"Oh course, Daphne." Sebastian assured her. "Hey Zack, where are they?" He asked his brother.

"They're on the roof patio, practicing." Zack responded.

"Thanks. Come on, everyone! Follow me and see who came along with us to Coolsville."

Sebastian led the way across the room to the hallway. The first door they came to turned out to be an elevator. He pressed a button and the doors opened. They entered and Zack pressed the up button. The ascension only took a few seconds then the doors zipped opened and a familiar song reached their ears.

It brought back old memories of an unusual adventure they'd had, one they would never forget. Stepping out of the elevator they saw before them a beautiful roof garden with comfortable chairs and sitting in the chairs were the mystery people.

Singing and playing the guitar, the piano and the drums, were three girls... Thorn, Dusk and Luna, well known as the Hex Girls, old friends of Scooby and the gang. They were all wearing their usual gothic dresses, which made Fred and the others think they were really giving a concert, on top of the Coolsville Ritz.

As the music went on, a mystical aura was created and grew stronger. The Hex Girls created this aura to open portals into another dimension where music ruled. The three girls were so focused on what they were doing, they didn't take note they had visitors. No one said a thing as the three sang. Finally, the song ended and the aura faded. They were startled by the clapping of hands.

Thorn and the others turned around and saw Scooby and the gang, along with Zack and Sebastian applauding their performance.

"Bravo!" Fred exclaimed.

"Like, encore!" Shaggy cheered.

"You girls really know how to rock!" Daphne said, smiling.

"Hey, guys!" Thorn exclaimed, as she put her guitar down and went to greet Scooby and the others.

"I thought you guys would never arrive" Dusk said, as she hugged Velma.

"Don't tell us that Sebastian got himself lost and you guys had to go look for him?" Luna asked them, as she blew a kiss to Scooby, who in return tried to catch it, but ended up knocking Zack down. Seeing that, the others laughed.

"Now, I know why you were lodged here, Sebastian. It's Thorn and the girls who are paying for everything." Daphne said.

"Actually, it's the discography company who's paying for our stay here." Luna said, while giving a hug to Shaggy.

"But, there's still one thing that I don't understand… How do you guys, know Thorn, Luna and Dusk?" Fred asked Sebastian and Zack, curiously.

"Well, that's actually quite simple." Zack began. "But, why don't we go back inside, and we'll tell you everything?"

Following Zack's suggestion, they all went back inside, where he and his brother, with a little help from the Hex Girls, started to explain.

It happened while they were in Germany. Sebastian and Zack were leaving and were at the Frankfurt airport getting ready to check in at the counter when Zack accidentally bumped into Dusk and knocked her over.

Sebastian came to her side to help her back on her feet. Luna spotted Zack's tickets that had fallen to the floor and picked up. She noticed the destination was the same as theirs. As apologizes were given and they all got in line, they just naturally fell into conversation. By the time they boarded the plane, they were jabbering a mile a second and enjoying each other's company.

During the conversations, the Hex girls related the problem they'd had in their hometown of Oakhaven. They told the guys about working with the Scooby Gang in helping them solve their problem with a real witch. They also told them of the time they were kidnapped in Australia by a ghostly trio of musicians as well as the time a pair of twins tried to pose themselves as vampires to scare them away from a castle where they had been shooting a video. Those and many other stories, they related as their plane flew over the Atlantic.

Sebastian and Zack related their own experiences with the Scooby Gang and how they had been a part of the group in their early years and that they hadn't seen their old friends in many years.

Needless to say, they were pleased to discover they both knew the Mystery, Inc. crew. This was when the two brothers related their own mystery and that they were going back to Coolsville to ask their old friends for help. Of course, Sebastian and Zack were shocked to learn the Hex Girls were on their way to see the gang as well. It was then they all decided to travel and stay together.

"Talk about coincidences… what are the chances of something like that happen?" Fred asked rhetorically.

"Almost none… but, hey, I bet you weren't expecting us to be here?" Thorn laughed.

"You bet we weren't… last time we heard from you, you guys were on tour in Europe." Daphne said.

"Yeah we were, but our tour ended a couple of days ago and we decided we needed a little rest." Dusk said. "We intend to go to Oakhaven for a couple of weeks, but first we decided that we had to make a little stop here in Coolsville and see how you were doing."

"And besides, we're trying to find some inspiration to write new songs for our new album." Luna added. "It doesn't have a name yet, but we're very confident that in a matter of weeks we will have found what we need to start working on it."

"Well, maybe we can help. You know that with us, things never stay still for too long." Daphne declared.

"Yeah… like, we're always bumping into ghouls, ghosts, spectres and other spooky stuff, all the time that we sometimes don't even have time to breathe." Shaggy said, while Scooby pretended to be a huge scary monster, making the others laugh.

"I hate to interrupt, guys, but we have a mystery on our hands." Velma said.

"She's right, we still have to get to the Coolsonian and find out if there's something there that will help us solve this mystery." Fred said.

"Yeah, we just came here to get Zack… of course, we weren't expecting to finding you here, girls." Daphne said. "Do you want to come with us, too?"

"Are you kidding, Daphne? Of course, we want to." Thorn spoke for the three of them. "Come on girls."

"Like, do we really have to?" Shaggy whined.

"Reah? Do we really have go?" Scooby pleaded, while making a sad puppy-eyed face.

"Why can't we just stay here and talk?" Zack chimed in; his brother gave him an angry look.

"You're coming whether you like it or not, you chickens!" Sebastian said, grabbing Zack by the arm. "I'll just go get one of my pistols I have in my suitcase and we can go."

"We won't even have to take the Mystery Machine to get there." Velma declared. "The Coolsonian it's only a few blocks away from the hotel. We'll get there in a matter of minutes."

"But, how are we going to get out of the hotel, without being seen? In case you don't remember, we're one of the most famous girl-bands in this country, not to mention in the world." Luna warned.

"Yeah, we're bound to run into someone who'll recognize us and the last thing we want now is the media to know we're here." Dusk finished.

"That won't happen, because I've got a plan!" Fred said with a gleam in his eyes. The others eyed him worriedly. Fred's plans tended to backfire spectacularly.