Chapter 10: Rebirth

It was the middle of the night when Scooby awoke suddenly. His stomach growled and ached. He was having a hunger attack. He sat up in his sleeping bag. Turning to Shaggy in the sleeping bag next to him, he gently tapped his buddy on the shoulder.

"Raggy?" Shaggy's eyes fluttered open.

"Hey Scoob, what is it?"

"Ri'm rungry."

"You know what? Me too," Shaggy responded with added enthusiasm.

The two crept out of the room and down the stairs towards the kitchen. They turned on the kitchen light and opened the fridge to find the left over chicken legs

Soos made for dinner.

"Like, how about a light snack," Shaggy said.

"Reah!" Scooby agreed.

Ford entered the shop from the passageway through the vending machine. After that dream, he couldn't fall back asleep. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of why he even had that dream. Why after almost a whole year? The recording of the whispering was enough to put him on edge. He's had these types of dreams before and he knew they meant something. They were never to be taken lightly.

Entering the house, he noticed the light on in the kitchen right away. He walked into the kitchen to see Shaggy and Scooby chowing down on the left over chicken legs, some sandwiches, and potato salad. Ford blinked a few times as he never saw anyone eat so much food so fast. He hadn't been around for dinner because he was busy with his research.

"Wow! Maybe I should study how a boy and dog can consume large quantities of food without getting sick or massive heartburn," he said. Shaggy and Scooby jumped at the sound of his voice as they turned towards him.

"Like, did you get a munchy attack too?" Shaggy asked.

"No. I just couldn't sleep," Ford admitted.

"Maybe you'd feel better having a bite to eat," Shaggy suggested. Ford looked at the food and realized he barely ate anything all day. It was so easy for him to forget to eat when he was working so hard.

"Sure. I probably should eat," he said. He picked up a chicken leg and took a bite.

Suddenly, the door from the shop leading into the house opened and closed. The three of then turned as Stan walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, if you and your dog eat all my food, I'm going to have to charge you again," Stan said to Shaggy.

Ford turned to his brother to point out his flawed reasoning.

"First of all Stanley, this is the food Soos and his grandma bought. Second, it will all go to waste anyway if no one eats it.

"I was gonna eat it. Some time," Stan insisted.

"What are you doing up, anyway?" Ford asked him.

"I don't know," he said. Then a bit quieter. "It kind of feels strange in the basement by myself. I feel like someone is watching me."

Shaggy and Scooby started shivering. "Like, don't say that," Shaggy moaned.

"I'm sure it's all in your head, Stanley," Ford assured him.

"Whatever. Are you coming down or not?"

"You're asking me to come sleep with you?" Ford teased.

"Hey! Shut it! That's not what I meant!"

Ford laughed. "Okay, I'll be there in a moment.

Stan shook his head. "Geez, you're actually loosening up and joking around. When did you start acting like me?"

"I'm not acting like you." He paused for a moment. "My jokes are much funnier than yours." By now Shaggy and Scooby were snickering at them.

Stan finally got up and headed back down the hallway.

"Okay, I'm going to sleep. Could you guys possibly clean all of this up?" Ford asked.

"Like, we'll lick the table clean, sir," Shaggy said. Ford raised an eyebrow, and then laughed lightly. He left the room.

As Ford entered the shop, he saw Stan standing in the shadows by the counter with his head down. It appeared very unsettling. Ford approached his brother, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on with you? Are you alright?"

Suddenly, Stan lifted his head, still turned away. "I'm—fine," he answered.

"Come on, let's go get some sleep," Ford said. They turned towards the vending machine.

Ford finally found sleep and didn't have any other horrifying dreams. He slept soundly until... Suddenly, he was jerked awake. He couldn't breathe. Something was suffocating him. His eyes popped open to see Stan above him. His hands were around his throat, choking him. In a fit of panic, Ford threw a full punch into Stan's face, knocking him back, loosening his grip from around Ford's neck. Stan sat on the floor with his head in his hands. Ford coughed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ford yelled. Then something occurred to him. The dream. He grabbed a nearby flashlight and shinned it directly into Stan's eyes. The pupils appeared normal. Stan covered his face.

"Ah! What the hell?" he cried out.

"Really? You're going to yell at me?" Ford asked angrily. "What's going on with you? You just tried to choke me!"

Stan stared wide-eyed at his brother. "I tried to do what?" Suddenly he grunted as he held his head.

"Stanley?" Now Ford was getting worried. Suddenly, a dark chuckle erupted from his brother. "Did you really think I was gone, Six Fingers?" Ford's eyes grew wide. He grabbed his gun and aimed it at Stan. Stan turned and Ford could see the yellow eyes with black slits. He shook his head as he got to his feet.

"No—I'm dreaming— You can't be here!" Ford held the gun out, keeping the aim at Stan's head.

"Really?" The voice still sounded like his brother, which was even creepier. "You would actually shoot your own brother?" Ford realized that would be an insane move. Plus, he had to make sure he wasn't going crazy. All at once, he bolted for the elevator. He ran through the door. Turning back, he saw his now possessed twin walk towards him as the elevator door closed.

Shaggy and Scooby were about done with their midnight snack, as chicken bones were the only left on their plates.

"Well Scoob, I guess we've cleared out a bunch of food. We should leave some for the others." At this point, there was only a jar of olives and salad dressing left in the fridge. Looking at the mess, Shaggy recalled Ford asking them to clean up.

"Well, we did promise to make sure the table was spotless." The two cleared the plates off the table. Scooby literally began licking the table clean. Suddenly Ford ran into the room with panic plastered on his face. Some of it subsided as he eyed Scooby for a moment.

"I didn't think you meant that to be literal," he said. Then, remembered the danger following him. "Okay, I need for you guys to go back to your room."

"Huh?" Shaggy scratched his head.

"Oh Fordsy!" he heard his brother's voice behind him.

To Shaggy and Scooby, they didn't see the problem with Stan's appearance.

"Like, Mr. Pines, hi sir. We're just cleaning up," Shaggy said cheerfully.

Ford drew his gun and aimed at Stan. "Zoiks! W-what's going on?"

"Stay back!" Ford yelled to Shaggy and Scooby. "Get under the table!"

The two of them didn't argue as they dove under the kitchen table. Ford stared at his brother, now realizing that it wasn't Stan anymore. He was now looking at Bill.

"Come on Fordsy, go ahead and shoot me," the demon challenged.

Ford aimed the gun at his brother's left leg and pulled the trigger sending an energy beam into it. His body lost balance and fell to the floor.

"I can't move this stupid thing," he cried out.

Ford studied his brother for a moment. "How about you start explaining. What the hell are you planning to do with my brother's body?" Ford asked hastily.

From inside Stan erupted a shrill laugh; the one Ford would always recognize.

"Well, this is the host I ended up going into, duh!"

"But, I erased you," Ford said coldly. "There's no way you should—"

Shaggy and Scooby huddled together underneath the table.

"Like, this isn't good Scooby," Shaggy whispered.

Scooby responded with a small whimper.

"Oh, that's right. You Pines twins tricked me and then tried to erase me," Bill said. He recalled being in Stan's mind as the blue flames engulfed him. He looked at Ford, using his brother's mouth to form an eerie wide, toothy grin. He raised his hand, lifting Ford off the ground. Ford cried out, as he didn't expect Bill could do this in his current state. With a quick hand jerk, he tossed Ford hard into the wall. Ford lay on the cold floor, coughing and gasping for air. "That was really stupid, Ford! You should have just let me into your mind. Now you and your entire family are going to die!"

Suddenly a bunch of footsteps ran towards the kitchen. Fred and Soos looked inside the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Fred asked.

Soos watched as Stan grabbed Ford and held him against the wall. Since he didn't know what was really going on, he believed Stan and Ford were having a brotherly quarrel.

"Guys! Don't fight. Please—" Soos ran towards the two brothers.

"Soos! Stay back!" Ford warned. "It's not Stan!" Soos stopped, his face contorted with confusion. Stan's body turned around. Both Soos and Fred saw the yellow eyes; they both backed up. Bill used Stan's free hand to wave, sending the two back into the wall. They lay there motionless for a moment.

"How are you doing that?" Ford demanded.

"Oh, the whole telekinesis thing?" Bill asked innocently. "I think one of those anomalies you found in the Artic had that ability. I just absorbed their power."

Ford's eyes widened. "Since when can you—"

"—Absorb powers of other creatures? I guess its one of the abilities I gained after invoking the ancients. Who knew? Now, where are your precious niece and nephew? I wanna say hi."

Ford's eyes grew dark. "If you go anywhere near them, I'll make you you'll regret it!"

"Oh okay. I'll head your little threat," Bill spoke sarcastically. He tossed Ford to the floor and walked into the hallway towards the stairs.

Bill used Stan's body to walk all the way upstairs. He still felt the tingling from the shot in the leg, but it was wearing off rather quickly. He approached the door into the attic.

"Hey kids! You're uncle wants to come have a late night chat with you!" he spoke through Stan. He opened the door to see Dipper and Mabel fast asleep. "Aw! How cute!" He slowly crept over, standing between the beds. He let out a sigh, and then raised his hands upward. The two twins were lifted off their beds, hanging in mid-air. As they hung there, their eyes slowly opened.

"W-what? What's happening?" Dipper yelled. Mabel looked down at who she believed was her Grunkle.

"Whoa! Grunkle Stan! We somehow learned how to levitate!" she said joyously.

"Uh, Mabel, I don't think that's what going on here!" Dipper yelled to her.

"Oh, trust me, Sweetie," Stan's voice jested. "You're not talented enough to do this!" He dropped his hands to his sides and both twins came crashing down on their beds. Dipper switched on the lamp on their nightstand. The kids looked into the eyes of their uncle to see the yellow irises and black slits. Both of them cried out.

"Y-you're not our Grunkle!" Mabel screamed.

"No duh, Shooting Star!" Bill's shrill voice came out. Dipper and Mabel gasped. Dipper grabbed a bat by the side of his bed and held it, ready to strike.

"How the hell are you inside our uncle?" he yelled furiously.

"Geez! You Pines family have short-term memories. Your uncles switched places and I ended up going in Stan's mind instead of Ford's."

Dipper smirked. "Oh, so you forgot how to count fingers, huh?"

"Shut up, Pine Tree!" Bill raised Stan's hand lifting Dipper up by the throat this time. Dipper dropped the bat and grasped his neck as he choked.

"Stop it!" Mabel yelled. She grabbed the bat and swung at her uncle's knees. His body toppled over. Dipper fell back onto his bed gasping for air. Suddenly, Mabel felt bad because she realized she may have hurt Stan more than she meant. At least Dipper could breathe again.

The twins ran for the door. As they were just about to reach it, the door swung open and Ford rushed inside with Soos and the Mystery Inc. gang behind them. Ford saw Stan kneeling on the ground, grunting in pain.

"Stupid old man and his bad knees!" Bill fumed. Ford aimed the gun at his chest. He knew he had to take the shot, but he couldn't make his finger move.

"Wait Grunkle Ford, don't shoot him," Mabel pleaded. "Let's just knock him out." Suddenly, Bill used Stan to make a force strong enough to pull the gun from Ford's hand. Then, the gun was disassembled right in front of his eyes.

"Whoops, looks like your only threat is gone, Fordsy. Not that it was much of one." Stan's body stood up, his eyes looked at the people in the room until they spotted Scooby. "Let's see, step one, find all the anomalies and absorb their energy." Bill used Stan's hand, holding it out as it glowed in blue flames. The force pulled Scooby right to him.

"Relp!" Scooby yelled.

"Oh no! W-what are you doing to my best pal?" Shaggy stuttered.

Scooby floated in the air as his energy seeped into Stan's body. It happened in a matter of moments, then Scooby was dropped onto the ground.

"Now, step two," Bill continued. "Find my stone body and be reborn!" He used Stan's body and ran to the triangular window. He pushed open the glass pane and jumped out. Everyone gasped as they ran towards the window. Somehow, Stan landed on the ground unharmed. He continued running towards the woods.

Shaggy knelt down next to Scooby. "S-scooby, speak to me," he tried. Scooby opened his eyes and stared warmly at Shaggy. He opened his mouth and then...

"Ruff! Ruff!" Scooby barked.

"Oh, you're okay," Shaggy said. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Scooby barked again. "Ruff! Ruff!"

"Aren't you going to say anything else?" Scooby cocked his head. Ford knelt down by the dog. He looked into the mutt's eyes. They appeared different. Downstairs in his lab, he felt like he was speaking to another intelligent human being, but right now, he only saw the eyes of a dog.

"Something's changed," Ford said.

"What's going on with Scooby?" Velma asked.

"Yeah, its not like we've never heard Scooby bark, but after an event like that, he would be saying something," Fred noted.

"Yeah, like how scared he is or how hungry he is," Daphne added.

"Scooby, are you scared?" Shaggy asked. Scooby barked. "Hungry?" Shaggy asked further. Scooby barked again.

Ford blinked a few times then he nodded, finally understanding what happened.

"Scooby can't talk," he said. "He lost the ability." Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed for a moment.

"How can my pal just lose his ability to speak?" Shaggy asked.

"Wait a minute," Velma began. "It's because of what Bill just did to him, right?"

Ford nodded. "I think so. He said he's been absorbing powers from different anomalies. Scooby's ability to speak was just absorbed by him."

"But why would he want it?" Fred asked.

"I can only guess that he needed it so he could be reborn, from what he said."

"But why?" Daphne asked. "It doesn't make sense."

Suddenly Dipper let out a groan. "Who cares? Right now he's using my uncle's body and he's gaining power as we speak. If he becomes reborn and gains his physical body, it's going to be Weirdmageddon all over again!"

"Dipper is right," Ford said as he stood up. "We need to stop him, and I have a way. I always was suspicious of Stanly getting his memory back so quick." He turned to Mabel. "Not that I wasn't happy you helped him, Mabel, but—it was too easy. I have a way to suppress Bill's power, but I'm going to have to work quickly to put this formula together."

"Like, I want Scooby back too, but going against this demon—" Shaggy began.

"Okay, Look, I realize you guys are used to solving mysteries and not having anything supernatural being the cause. You guys catch the bad guy and unmask them. That's how you guys do things," Dipper said. "And now," he picked up his bat and slammed the end of it into his hand. "We're going to show you how we do things."

The Mystery Inc. gang looked at each other, then at Scooby.

"Sure. We're in," Fred answered.