Disclaimer: If I did own any intellectual properties, wouldn't I be making this an official canon story instead of fanfiction?
Right off the bat, I'd like to thank The Keeper Of Worlds for the plot idea for how Mystery Inc meets our next girl. I hope this satisfies!
Meet My Student: Phantasma
Business was slow for Mystery Inc throughout the past two months. No monsters, no creeps in costume, not much to do in Coolsville for money, aside from normal crimes and mysteries that the town's police force normally did not like outside interference with. Even Velma was itching for some criminal to give her a challenge and that was certainly unlike her.
For Shaggy and Scooby, however, it was a vacation. A break from having to run for their lives and face their fears. Some time away from weirdos and monsters. It was relaxing to actually go to Coolsville's local hangouts and just do whatever. Some games at an arcade here, jamming out to local musicians there, eating wherever…
But, like a lot of good things, it would soon be interrupted by the ghostly hand of fate. Oh, and three ghosts too….
The landline phone rang incessantly in the Mystery Inc Office of the gang's apartment building. A rare occurrence in this new time of constant cell phone use, but then again, it was their business line. However, no one had been in the office yet, so it kept ringing until Velma finally entered, planning to do some research on her computer. Noticing the ringing phone and hoping that the poor caller hadn't been waiting long, she quickly rushed over to the desk and answered the phone.
"Hello! Mystery Inc. This is Velma speaking. How may I help you today?"
"Nyuk nyuk nyuk! Hey there! About time ya answered. We were just dying to get a hold of somebody. Hehe…" the voice on the other line answered, sounding a little hyperactive. Velma got indignant.
"Well, jinkies, you don't have to be rude about it, sir. I apologize for the delay. Now what seems to be the problem?" she asked, getting down to business. She understood that some callers might be under pressure from whatever situation they might have found themselves in.
"Not a problem with us, I assure ya. But it's about someone we know. Hey, is Shaggy Rogers available? I'd like to talk to him about this." the voice replied.
"Shaggy? Why, yes. He's in his apartment right now. I could get him for you. May I ask what this is about?"
"You may. But I'm not sure if I should tell. It is mainly his problem. Well, NOW it's his problem. It was originally HER problem. Then it became OUR problem. We're pretty sure he can help solve it, so it's HIS problem."
Despite liking a good mystery, she tended to get annoyed when a caller went all cryptic like this. Even mysteries need basic information in order for her to begin solving it. "Sigh… Alright. Give me a minute to get him. Hold, please." she said before placing the phone down on the desk, still off the hook.
It actually took about 5 minutes for Velma to go up to Shaggy's place and fetch him, but even so, Shaggy obliged. He picked up the phone. "Like, hello. Shaggy speaking."
"YO! Shaggy! It's been ages! How the hell are ya?!" a cheerful but familiar voice asked. Where the heck had he heard it before. Shaggy couldn't tell just yet.
"Like, hi? Umm… I'm good, I guess? Uhh… You?"
"Good, good. Ya know, you never stopped by the ol' mansion of yours to see how we're doin'. Kinda gettin' the impression ya don't like us anymore." the voice answered, snickering. He didn't sound threatening or anything, at least. Mansion? Since when did he have…? Oh wait…
"Uhh… Well, I've been pretty busy… Like, we've travelled so much, I've haven't had the chance to visit a lot of old friends…" Shaggy said, not wanting to offend the caller by admitting that he couldn't remember exactly who he is yet.
"Oh, I can tell… Trust me, pal. I know what ya mean. Hell, that's one reason why I'm callin', man. Ya see, we gots a problem here."
"Gulp… A problem? Like, is it a monster or somethin'?" he asked, nervous. Why else would people call Mystery Inc about a problem?
"Not monsters, really. More like ghosts. Well, one ghost… Just one." the voice said flippantly.
"Ok… Like, what's he doing?"
"She, actually. And ya don't have to worry about being in danger when ya come down here to help. It's more like what she's NOT doing. She's not being herself, man."
"Like, what do you mean?"
"Well, she used to be all happy and flighty and chaotic. Tons of fun, that one. She'd cause quite a mess sometimes whenever she visits. But then she stopped visiting… We got worried, so we went to find her. Well… We found her alright… We think she's having a…. what's it called…? A mid-death crisis? Something like that… Anyways, we found out that she knows ya, so I figured you could come down here and cheer her up, man. Could ya do that for us? Please?"
Ghost? A female ghost? That knows him? That mental rolodex of his was rolling, trying to come up with who that could be. Not to mention, who this caller was…
"Um… Like, I'm sorry to hear that about her. So… Where shall we go if I were to help out?"
"Are ya kiddin' me?! Your mansion, of course. Ya DO remember it, right? The Beauregard Mansion? Down in Louisiana? Jeez, ya gave it to us for helpin' ya bust that loser that wanted the treasure. Wow, how busy have ya been?!"
Now that jogged his memory. "Like, is this…. The Boo Brothers?"
"Well, one outta three ain't bad. Can ya guess which one? Nyuk nyuk nyuk!" the ghost asked, snickering.
"Umm…. Is it…. Shreako?"
"Lookit the brain on this one! Correct, man! Anyways, you come down here and help us out with our cousin, man. She needs a good boost. If she don't get it…. Well… I've heard that ghosts can just fade into nonexistence for believing too much that they have no purpose or no unfinished business or somethin'… Ya gotta help, man."
"Your cousin? Well… I guess I can try. You say I know her?"
"I certainly hope you haven't forgotten her too, man. But yeah, she knows you. Claims ya taught her at school, man. She told us about you when she graduated, back when she was happier. Man, I dunno what happened to bring her down so much… But if you could bring her back, we'd be grateful. Seriously." Shreako trailed off.
"Sigh… Like… Alright, I'll come down… Within the week."
"Thanks, man! Much appreciated! Hey, I'll see ya when ya get here. I trust ya remember where the mansion is. Should be able to GPS it. Freako found a way to get this place on the wi-fi or whatever that gimmick shnabitz is called. Later, man!" With that, Shreako hung up before Shaggy could respond.
So much for that vacation. At the least, there shouldn't be any danger, if what the Boo Brother said was true about the situation.
Fast forward three days to the Mystery Machine driving through a dirt-and-mud path somewhere deep in Louisiana, close to the Beauregard Mansion. The rest of the gang were amicable toward going on another case, but had to ask about the specifics when Shaggy told them what's up. Daphne was skeptical that actual ghosts would call them, of all people, to help deal with other ghosts. There was the chance that it could be some sort of trap. But Shaggy had dispelled any doubts by telling his story about inheriting his late uncle Beauregard's mansion and the chaos that happened because of it.
Soon enough, the old, run-down mansion came into view. Three pale figures were floating around on the porch. One hovering in place while the other two floated around him in a circle, all looking like they were impatiently waiting for something.
"Like, that's them… The Boo Brothers. Huh… Looks like they haven't changed a bit." Shaggy remarked as he noticed Meako and Shreako accidentally pass through each other, Shreako slapping Meako as a reaction. The three ghosts even still had their respective head gear of a green aviator helmet (Shreako), a red backward baseball cap (Meako), and a yellow park ranger's hat (Freako).
Fred turned and parked the Mystery Machine near the porch, getting the attention of the three ghosts, who immediately floated over and stuck their heads through the passenger side wall of the van that faced them to see who their guests were. Upon seeing Shaggy, the trio cheered up in a united whoop of "You're here!/About time!/Welcome back!". Understandably, the three other humans flinched nervously. Shaggy had failed to mention their impulse behavior…
After the gang exited the vehicle, Shaggy introduced them to his personal three stooges, although the trio had to cut into their friend's introduction with a jovial "We're the Boo Brothers!" before instantly degenerating into a session of slapping each other around when Freako accidentally put an arm through Shreako.
"Shouldn't you stop them, Shaggy?" Daphne asked, hoping the new acquaintances don't get upset.
"Like, meh… This is normal." Shaggy said with a bored expression. "Guys! Like, where's Phantasma?" During the ride down, he had remembered the only ghost girl that he had known that was actually friendly toward him. At the mention of their cousin, the slap-fest stopped and the three noticeably turned depressed.
"Right, right… Yeah… This way, man…" Shreako said, phasing through a nearby wall into the mansion. When Mystery Inc entered the mansion and tried following Shreako (who had phased through the ceiling to the next floor, leaving them to find the stairs the hard way), they heard a loud, mournful wail, slightly muffled by the walls and ceiling.
"That… sounds like our girl…" Fred said, the wail having unnerved him.
"You sure you know her, Shaggy?" Daphne asked, also scared and forced to carry a scared Scooby who had jumped into her arms. Shaggy nodded. Even he was disturbed by the sound of his former student. Must be a ghostly ability…
It took them a little while to find a stairway and get upstairs, the broken-down mansion being fairly sizable. Within that time, the wail was heard two more times, freaking everyone out again. The third wail helped them narrow down which room on the second floor she could be lurking in. The furthest bedroom from them.
Shaggy carefully opened the door to see, amongst the old furniture and décor, Shreako at a corner of the room, trying to console a young woman that Shaggy immediately recognized despite her back facing him, due to her blue skin tone and thick blue-and-white hair. She was more transparent than he had ever seen her. Perhaps she was fading away already. Phantasma was sobbing.
"Like… Phantasma?" Shaggy greeted nervously. The sobbing immediately stopped, reduced to sniffles. "Hey there… It's me. Shaggy. Uhh… I hear you've been feeling a little down." Before he could continue, a blue and white blur tackled Shaggy as Phantasma wrapped herself around him, her face buried in his chest as she let out even more sobs. The rest of Mystery Inc looked on as their friend awkwardly tried to comfort the ghost girl, his hands going through her due to her weak state. Strange how she could touch him, though.
Eventually, Phantasma calmed down enough to try to talk. "Coach… You came... for me?" she said quietly, completely opposite from the loud and boisterous self that Shaggy had taught. "Like, of course I did. Your cousins managed to, like, get in touch with me and told me what was happening, so we came over." After a long, snotty sniffle, Phantasma let out a couple of light giggles. "Oh, those guys… Always worrying… But I should thank them, since you're here now. But…. Sigh… I'm not sure how much you can really help me… It's a…ghost problem…" she said, at first sounding thankful but then resuming her gloom.
"Maybe you could, like, tell us what's got you this way?" It was then that Phantasma noticed that he was using a plural form instead of indicating just him. At first, she thought that he meant Scooby, as her Coach always at least had the big dog with him. But when she looked around, she finally noticed the three unknown humans accompanying the familiar dog. "Oh? ….Are these… friends?"
"My friends, yes. When your cousins called, one of my friends answered. And I would have ended up telling then anyway since, like, the vehicle we use isn't my van. Besides, I figured it'd be nice to introduce them to you." At that, Phantasma untangled herself from her former teacher and floated toward the humans for a closer look. "Hmm…." She looked them over like a shopper taking a good look at an interesting item. The humans silently agreed that she looked like she had been crying nonstop for a long while, with bags under her eyes and a very snotty nose.
"They look nice… Are they as cool as you?" she asked, hovering around the other four Mystery Inc members like a roaming balloon.
"Uhh… Well, I'm not sure about me being cool, but they're good people." Shaggy modestly replied, watching his gloomy student's actions. Phanty stopped moving in front of Fred and stuck a hand out. "Um… Hi. I'm Phantasma Phantom…"
"I'm Fred Jones. Uh… Nice to meet you." he said, trying to shake her hand, but the hand went through hers.
"Hi. I'm Phantasma Phantom…" she repeated after moving toward Daphne. "Hello. Daphne Blake. I hope we can help." the redhead answered, attempting to shake her hand, but ends up miming a handshake when Phantasma just shrugged and moved her hand up and down when the human's hand was inside hers. "Thank you." the ghost solemnly said before moving to Velma. "Hi. I'm Phantasma Phantom…"
"Velma Dinkley. So… you're a friend of Shaggy's?"
"He was my Coach at my school. He was wonderful to us, despite us not being human, like he thought we'd be… It's a long story…"
"Like, I'll tell it to ya a little later. But perhaps we should focus on Phanty. Man, I've never seen you this dim before… Your cousins said something about a 'mid-death crisis'?" Shaggy took over, his concern and curiosity reaching its peak as he had not noticed one sign of the loud girl's normal cheery behavior whatsoever.
"I guess that's one way to call it…" Phanty said, deflating again as she floated over to Shaggy and gently wrapped herself around him until she looked like a ghostly backpack on him. "Ever since we graduated school, I've done some traveling… I don't exactly have an actual place to haunt, so I took to wandering around. Ya know, seeing the sights and looking at humans and everything… It was fun for a while. Lotsa neat stuff… Especially music stuff… I love music stuff… Ever haunted the Grand Ole Opry before? That was a scream that one time…" She said, a few sad snickers following at the mention of a more-pleasant memory.
"But lately… I've been seeing something. You ever feel like you don't know you need something until you actually realize that you need it? And by then, it might be too late? So you're all like 'CRAAAAAP!'?" she asked, suddenly getting loud at her interpretation of a reaction, causing everyone (especially Shaggy, since he was point-blank) to cover their ringing ears.
"Ouch… Ears…. Grr… Like, yeah, I know what you mean." Shaggy answered, remaining as calm as he can, not wanting to depress her further.
"Umm… I've seen some of you humans… together…" she said, her face going red before she buries it in Shaggy's neck.
"Together? Like how?"
"Ya know… A man and a woman… together…"
Everyone suddenly grew awkward. "Wait… So you've peeked at people having sex?!" Fred asked, deciding to be the one to be blunt about it. Phantasma let out an 'Eep!' before burying her face again.
"Oh, no! Not like that, no! Well… There was one time…. But that was by accident when I was flying through hotel rooms one night… But intentionally, no. But, what I mean is… well… couples doing couple-y stuff… Hanging out, holding hands, having a nice meal, having kids…. Uhh, not like that! You know, seeing families and ya know that the guy and girl have been together a long time…" she trailed off. Phantasma had never been one for feeling like she put her foot in her mouth, no matter what she said. This had been a first, at least, a first that Shaggy noticed.
"I realized that I need a companion… A romantic companion…" she blurted out, going silent as she buried her face in Shaggy's neck again, this time managing to be embarrassed enough to accidentally phase her face inside him. "Yaah! That's cold, Phantasma!" Shaggy shrieked, surprised by her actions. Phantasma shrieked herself, drawing herself out of Shaggy, red with more embarrassment. "Sorry, Shaggy!" she said, her head leaned back, but refusing to let go of her clingy grip on him.
"Like, no harm done. So… you're, like, lonely?" Shaggy asked. He understood that feeling. All he had was a short relationship with that blonde, Googie. Two short relationships if he counted that redneck stalker chick, Sadie-Mae, that he had to deal with the last time he was at the Beauregard Mansion. He suddenly began wondering if she was still around and if she remembered him…. He gulped at the thought.
"Very… Do you know how hard it is for a ghost to find a spouse when they're a ghost? It's one thing if I had found love when I was alive and I could be with him after we both die… But looking for love now? Sure, there's a fair amount of ghosts around… But most of them are too fixated on their obsession to be relatable. And then there's the corrupt ones… It's too late for those poor souls, they're too much like 'Kill! Kill! Kill!' and all that… And then there's those that just think you're too loony to date…" she began sobbing a little again at that. Clearly, she had been rejected a few times. Shaggy imagined that either she had come on too strong a couple of times, knowing her, and gotten harshly turned down or some guys had been real jerks. Perhaps both…
"What's wrong with me, Shaggy? Am I that insane? Or ugly? What if needing love is my obsession? I always thought my music was my obsession… But I feel so horribly alone… It hurts… Tell me, please… Am I dateable…? Be honest…" she griped, her grip on him tightening as she began to quiver with sobs again.
"Oh, the poor thing…" Daphne said, feeling terrible at the ghost's predicament. She knew a couple of lady friends in a similar quandary, but having to deal with that as a ghost? For possibly all eternity?
"Like, Phanty, it'll be alright. You're not a bad girl at all." Shaggy put forth, not having much experience with comforting women about such a topic. Phanty shifted herself around so that she was clinging to Shaggy's front and she was looking at him face to face. "Really, Shaggy? Am I not too loud and shrill? Am I not a horrible singer…?" she said, more mad at herself than at him.
"Phanty, please… Who, like, told you that load of garbage?"
"….Guys I liked… that I thought liked me… It always ended the same way… Me getting told I'm….psycho… or creepy…. or ugly… Nobody loves a ghost…" Was it Shaggy or did Phantasma seem to get even dimmer. He had to do something.
"Phantasma, those guys were jerks. You're not creepy or ugly or anything."
"You're just trying to butter me up…" Phantasma sniffled.
"No, I'm not. Like, I think you're pretty."
"….Really?"
"Yeah. And I think you're, like, very nice. You're not crazy. You're just… really energetic. I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
"...There's something wrong with me somehow… Nobody wants to date me…"
"Oh, that's not true."
Phantasma suddenly glared in Shaggy's face. "Name one guy that would! ONE!"
"I….Uh…! Err! Um! Uh!" Shaggy stammered. What could he say? He didn't know THAT many people. Most of his friends were humans. Who would be willing to date a ghost? "I'm waiting…" Phantasma said, her glare slowly giving way to depression again. Velma and Daphne could sense their friend's panic a mile away.
"He's gonna crack…" Daphne whispered worriedly to Velma.
"I just hope this doesn't lead to something regretful…" Velma whispered back.
"You can't even name one guy…" Phantasma moped, her head sinking and her grip weakening. She dimmed even more. "I have no purpose… Nobody wants me… I'm just… Why am I even—"
"I'd date you!" Shaggy declared, frantically trying to gather her up in his arms despite her complete transparency. Phanty's head shot up in surprise. "Wh… What?" she asked in a soft voice.
"I'd date you… I mean, like, I know I was your teacher and that might feel a little weird, but… I would love to take you out… if you want to… I mean, you're not worthless. Like, please don't ever think that nobody cares... Your cousins care about you. So do I. So… let's go out." he said, finishing lamely. He was sure that his statement sounded pretty foolish to everyone else, even though he was genuine about people caring. Shreako, catching Phanty's eye, frantically nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, hoping that she would take the chance to cheer up.
"You're not just trying to get me to stay, are you…? You actually want to get to know me better…? Really-really? Because it would be SOOOOO devastating if it turned out you're just stringing me along. I mean, I do think you were the best teacher a girl could ask for, not to mention, the nicest guy…" Phantasma said, brightening just a little. Velma and Daphne glanced at each other. 'Yup… He cracked…' they simultaneously thought. Leave it to Shaggy to be put in a position where a down-on-her-luck woman's (after)life was completely in his hands and his grip on it was extremely precarious….
Fred cut in. "Uh, Ms. Phantasma, could we speak to our friend for just a minute before your big date?" he asked urgently, a cheesy fake smile on. Shaggy raised an eyebrow. Phantasma, slightly better, nodded. Fred grabbed Shaggy by the back of his shirt and dragged him into another room, the other humans and dog following.
They spoke in quiet, low voices. "Shaggy, are you out of your mind?!" Fred started with a harsh whisper. "This girl obviously has you placed on a high pedestal and you're just going to take her on some sort of pity-date? What happens if she grows feelings for you and you show that it was only to cheer her up? Do you have ANY idea how hurt she might be, being rejected yet again?"
"Like, what else was I supposed to do, man?! If a ghost feels too much that they have no reason to exist, then they stop existing! And you saw her, Fred. She was fading out, fast! You want me to just stand back and, like, let her die again?!" Shaggy fired back, careful not to raise his voice any.
"Now hold on a minute, guys. Shaggy has a point. He only did what he could to save her life… uh, I mean, existence? I think? Oh, you know what I mean!" Daphne flustered. "Even so, you did corner yourself, Shaggy. You gotta find a way to get this Phantasma back to whatever her normal attitude was and get her mind completely off her troubles. I imagine that might be a challenge, if we are dealing with a ghostly obsession…"
"Shaggy, what's your opinion of Phantasma? Uh, when she was normal, I mean." Velma simply asked, not wanting to add more fuel to the argument with her own concerns.
"Like, that was years ago… But she was a nice girl. Hyperactive all the time, though. And eccentric. But, like, she usually meant well and was pretty funny, once you got used to her brand of attitude. It's not surprising that not many would want to date her on their first impression of her, but she could get someone. Like, a guy just has to actually stick around and get to know her past her crazy exterior." Shaggy answered, memories of his time at Grimwood passing by his head.
"Riamond in the rough…" Scooby muttered.
"Like, yeah. Something like that."
"Jinkies. Well, you seem to like her ok. It's a start."
"A start to what, Velma?" Shaggy asked, tilting his head.
"Building her back up, of course. You two go out on a nice date. You get to know her better. It doesn't have to get super-romantic if you don't want to. Ask her about things about herself that she might not have brought up when you knew her before. Give positive feedback. Tell bits and pieces of yourself too, when appropriate. Do it the right way and she might be happy with friendship. Heck, you could even show her how to properly talk to a guy she likes, as I assume her supposed hyperactivity was always on display when she did try to hit on someone. Not always the best way to introduce yourself…" Velma strategized. Good ol' Velma, always coming up with ideas.
"Like, and if she keeps pressing me about romance…?" Shaggy asked.
"Roll with it." Velma answered bluntly. ALMOST always coming up with ideas… "Sorry, but Fred did have a point. Perhaps there will be an opportunity for you to convince her otherwise without hurting her."
Shaggy raised his hands in resignation. "Alright. Like, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll go tell her the good news. Perhaps, like, a dinner and a movie might be a good plan."
Phantasma floated in place where Shaggy had left her, not wanting to disappoint her favorite teacher by eavesdropping. Shreako, on the other hand, came back just as Shaggy had got done talking with the others. A part of the loopy Brother could understand why the other humans had reservations about Shaggy being willing to take his cousin on what indeed seemed like a 'pity-date'. But he wouldn't mention that to Phantasma. He decided that he wasn't going to tell the other two goofs he called brothers either, in case they blew it again like the trio seemed to do often.
"Hey, cuz! Good news! Ya got a hot date tonight!" Shreako said as he phased in. "The others were just… giving him a pep talk, that's all." He added as a familiar smile started to form on Phantasma's face. It wasn't her full grin, but it was a sign that the news had started to improve her mood. She became somewhat more solid again.
"Oh, that's wonderful! I knew he liked me… As a student, anyway. But I wonder if I can get him to like-like me. He always seemed to understand me in school, even if he is a scaredy-cat. Maybe he knew a few other loonies before me…" Phanty mused, sounding a little like her old happy self. Shreako rolled his eyes at her last statement, also recalling the blonde stalker hillbilly girl that Shaggy was frightened of years ago.
"Yeah, I'm sure you two will have a nice time." Shreako said right before Shaggy and the others walked in. The foodie didn't even get two steps in before an excited Phantasma was in his face again.
"Shaggy! Shreako just told me the great news! I'm glad you actually want to go out with me. Ooh, this is going to be fang-tastic! Aww… Saying that suddenly makes me miss Sibella. Oh well! What did you have in mind for our date?" she asked, backing up a tiny bit to give him some space. Shreako gave Shaggy the 'a-ok' hand gesture with a wink while Phanty's attention wasn't on him, showing that he had overheard but wouldn't tell her what was really up.
Shaggy took a moment to think, noticing how the ghost girl had changed over the time since school, now that she wasn't as distraught. She still looked a bit tired, but other than that, her face had matured into young-womanhood. Her expressive mouth, usually turned upward in a crazed-looking wide grin, had developed a pair of lips that Shaggy had to admit looked fairly kissable. Her hair was longer, the front swath of her 'do almost completely covering one of her eyes. She gave up the simple one-piece dress for a blue tank top and daisy dukes, revealing her petite figure. She kept her white heeled boots, though.
"Like, how do you feel about dinner and a movie?"
"Pretty standard… but me likey anyway. It'll be new to me! There's a ton of movies I haven't seen before. Busy doing ghost stuff. Like, you know… being a ghost! And there was school, of course. Ms. G. didn't exactly have a movie collection laying around. Are there any good ghost movies? I'd like to see some kickass ghosts. Umm… If that's OK with you, Shaggy." Phanty rambled energetically, looking like she was hopping up and down in excitement despite her actually hovering.
"Sure, uhh… no problem. Like, you'll have to travel with us to get to town, since we only have our one van and this place is a bit outta the way." Shaggy informed, to which Phanty giggled in response.
"That's cool. It'll gimme a chance to get to know your friends a little. It's so nice to meet other humans! Well, usually… I didn't really like those ones that live near here. A little too shoot-y for me. But your friends seem good. I mean, you know them, so they must be good!" the ghost gushed, the familiar crazed-looking grin finally adorning her face. The grin was unsettling to Fred, Daphne, and Velma. But the trio quickly figured that if Shaggy, the resident chicken, trusted and befriended her, then there was no threat.
Shaggy shuddered, again remembering the kiss-crazy blonde and her gun-crazy friend. Good thing they weren't going to stay long. "Uhh, yeah. They're good people when ya get to know 'em." Shaggy remarked as Phantasma clung to him in a rush of glee. He was glad that the ghost was on the right track back to normal.
"Let's get going! Now that there's something good going on, I'm tired of this li'l ol' mansion." she declared as she used her flight power to lift herself and Shaggy up and through the opposite wall that led outside. Of course, Shaggy got a little frightened by the sudden trip, the feeling of phasing through a wall was strange. Shaggy thought he was going to hit it but then suddenly, briefly, sees the insides of the wall and then the other side. Freaky…
Phantasma lowered Shaggy to the ground near the van, Freako and Meako apparently fighting about something. Shrieko phased through the wall near them and slapped them upside the head. "Howdy, y'all!" Phanty greeted, waving to her cousins. Seeing her cheerful and back to her normal healthy transparency, the three bumbling ghosts flew over and captured her in a clumsy group hug, which was the sight that greeted the rest of Mystery Inc when they came through the front door.
As the humans and dog walked over, the ghosts broke away and faced Shaggy. Freako took the opportunity to speak. "Whaddya know? Once again, ya help us out, Shaggy. I dunno what it is ya said, but Phantasma's happy again."
Shreako grinned. "Oh, I know… Seems our boy has a little interest in our dear cousin."
"Uhh… Interest? I didn't even know money was involved." Meako said, confused. Shreako slapped him upside the head. "Not that kind of interest, you mook! I mean all romantic like!"
"But… he's human." Freako pointed out, also looking unsure but not for lack of brainpower. It was rare for ghosts and humans to date and even so, it usually involved two souls that were romantically connected when both were alive. Or something like that. Freako wasn't an expert. He just went with what he had heard.
"Oh, like we're SOOOO populated with potential ghost guys for our cuz to date…" Shreako sarcastically retorted, his arms crossed. "Ya know there's a good reason our species ain't exactly known as one that 'seals the deal', if ya get what I mean. We ain't like those hottie vampire babes or those animal-instinct werewolves."
"Well, yeah… Alright. Uhh… Take good care of our cousin, OK Shaggy?" Freako asked, still a little put-off but trusting Shaggy to not have any harm come to Phantasma.
"Like, don't worry about it, guys. Phantasma'll have fun. Promise." Shaggy felt weird about the prospect of dating someone just to cheer her up, but he was trying to be an optimist. It should be fun anyway and Phantasma wasn't a bad person to spend some time with. After a few moments of the gang saying farewell to the Boo Brothers, Mystery Inc (plus one ghost) departed for the nearest town.
The first few minutes of the van ride were oddly silent, save for the odd giggle from the hyped ghost. Soon enough, curiosity got the best of someone. "Alright, Shaggy, I think it's time we learned about this Coach job you had." Velma said taking the rare role of leader. Phantasma snickered and cut right in.
"Oh, Shaggy was just a trip to work with in school! When he first saw us, he wouldn't stop runnin' around like a hellcat on a bender, screaming. I almost thought he was trying to match my singing. Well, until I realized the poor guy was scared… I felt so bad about that! Ya see, Shaggy had signed on to take the role of our gym teacher back when we was just giggling schoolgirls. Um… I think he might have been confused."
"Like, yeah… The ad in the paper said nothing about it being a school for monsters. Just that it was an all-girls school. I figured, like, whatever brought in the money. Until I got there, anyway…" Shaggy added, remembering how he kept bumping into one student after another when he first showed up. Phantasma giggled again. "You silly man… Why would we broadcast our existence? I think Ms. G wanted it to be a…whatchamacallit? Oh yeah, a need to know basis thingy. Besides, I bet some people would think that Ms G was just prankin' everyone if she blatantly talked about monsters and we wouldn't get many inquiries. Turns out she was right either way. You're the only one that applied."
"Funny how things worked out." Daphne mused aloud. Of all people, only the biggest coward Mystery Inc knows answered a cryptic want ad hiding a monstrous secret. Either the human locals saw right through it, there weren't many teachers around, or they just didn't care…
"Like, yeah. But I soon found out that they weren't out to get me. And Ms. G kinda pointed out that I was, like, under contract and therefore couldn't leave… Like, a school full of monsters and I get trapped by legal-ese!" Looking back on it, Shaggy had to slump his shoulders at the irony of it. Whoever heard of combating monsters with lawyers? Not that Shaggy had one to use, of course.
"We're glad you stayed, Shaggy. You were the best Coach ever. A very fast runner, for one. Although, I think that's the most obvious fact about him… Always running from something. An angry Winnie… One of Elsa's experiments gone wrong… Matches, our pet kid dragon…. Yep, allllllways running. Scooby too. And that little one, Scrappy. Whatever happened to him anyway?"
"Uhh, he went back home with Scooby's family." Shaggy answered, matter of fact.
"I see. He was hyper. Kinda like me on a sugar rush. Hey, imagine that. Hehe… But let's see… Then came the other things, like volleyball, dodgeball, ballet dance lessons… Hey, did he ever dance with you guys? He looked so funny with that tutu on!"
Velma and Daphne giggled at this as Shaggy's face went red, remembering that particular lesson plan. "Really, Shaggy? A tutu? Man, if only there was a picture or something." Daphne joked, having a good laugh over it. Phantasma floated closer to Shaggy and patted him on the head. "Aww, poor Shaggy. But it's true! You did look pretty funny. But you danced so wonderfully. That's nothing to be embarrassed about. You're agile. That's good. And very useful! Remember when you had to save us from that creep? Ya know, ol' what's-her-name? Oh, I can never remember. Heh. Shows how good a villain she was. Already forgotten! Hehehe…"
"Wait… What's she talking about?" Velma asked, curious. Since when did a semester of school involve rescuing people from bad guys?
"Well… There was some witch that, like, lived deep in a nearby swamp. She had, like, some sort of plan to take over the world or something involving my students. We were very scared, but we knew we had to, like, do something… So we did. Man, was that castle dangerous! Like, one trap after another, creepy magic, and the fact that the girls were brainwashed… By sheer luck, we managed to stop her and save everyone. Sheesh… Guess I couldn't get too far away from the ol' mystery-solving grind, huh?"
"'Ol' mystery-solving grind'? Like, you've done that before? So whatever-she-was wasn't the first baddy you stopped? Wow, Shaggy! We didn't realize we had an experienced hero as a teacher. My, my… That fact definitely makes you seem more… more awesome! And, if I might say…" she paused, pressing herself against him in a hug. "…more attractive as well, my date." Shaggy gulped, the reason for the gang's extra companion once again brought to the forefront of his mind.
"Like, I dunno about me being an 'experienced hero'… Umm… We just end up stopping human criminals… Like, for whatever reasons, they would disguise themselves as monsters to scare people so that it's easier to commit their crimes… I wouldn't know how to properly beat up, like, a real ogre or something if one were to show up." the foodie admitted, trying to stop the ghost from getting too infatuated with him. He began to get a bad feeling that trying to 'friend-zone' Phantasma would be harder than it seemed.
"Fake monsters? Now that's tacky! And it gives us a bad name too. That's got to explain some of the rumors flying around about what certain monster species can and can't do. Sparkling vampires? What the hell's that about? Heheh… No offense, Shaggy, but your species' imagination can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. Or is it ignorance? Both? Oh what am I doing, criticizing my date's species!? That's no good. Sorry, Shaggy." Her happy grin never faltered throughout her whole spoken train of thought. She was definitely back to relative normal alright.
"Like, it's ok. There's always a few bad apples in every bunch."
"Heheh… Now you got me thinkin' about apples. I used to like 'em when I was alive. One of the few things I remember… You like apples? Wait… I bet you like apple pie! Ooh, can we go somewhere with apple pie for dessert?! That'd be great! Mmm… Maybe a diner? Or maybe you can show me some other human foods? I don't need to eat, really, but I can if I want to. I mean, food is good, so why not, right? As long as you don't take me to anywhere that serves any hillbilly stuff… Ya know those weirdos that live near my cousins' mansion? I dunno what they make, but I never liked the smell of it whenever I explored near there. Just eww… So nothing like that, please!" Phanty went on in a rapid pace, her signature energy at work.
As Phanty began droning on about the worst things she ever had to eat, Fred talked over her. "I see what you meant about her being hyper." Even though he talked, Phanty kept talking. "Huh… A regular chatterbox." the blond added.
"Like, yeah…"
"Shaggy? Are ya listening? I was just about to get to what happened to the others! Oh, so many things happened since you left! Like Winnie, for instance! Can you believe she somehow became a model? Yeah! A model! In the human world. Amazing how she managed to blend herself in while in the spotlight. You'd think the body fur would hinder that…"
"Uhh… Body fur, Shaggy…?" Daphne asked.
"Winnie's, like, a werewolf. But wow… Werewolf supermodel. That's a new one."
"Yeah! I like what she's doing. People like her and want to mate with her! But she says she'll only pick someone special. So that's good. Hmm… Let's see… Little Tanis isn't so little anymore. She had a growth spurt! She had to redo her bandages over these few years. Strange thing, though… On her travels back home, she ended up gaining some sorta human followers on the way. I think they think of her as some sort of Egyptian icon or something. Little Tanny's a cult leader! Well, a reluctant one, anyway. You know how adorably sweet she is. On the bright side, she's probably treating those guys like friends or something. If she's finally gotten used to them lurking around her pyramid, that is. She's still shy…"
"Zoinks! I hope she isn't overwhelmed by all the attention."
"Let me guess… A mummy?" Velma asked. Shaggy nodded. If they thought about it, Mystery Inc could recall a time or two where they came across a criminal posing as a mummy. Common gimmick for Egypt or Egyptian exhibits in museums, really.
"Yup! You'd all like her. She's so sweet! But where was I? Oh yeah. Elsa managed to find herself in an interesting situation. Being the brain that she is, she managed to recreate her father's creator's method of making people and created a batch of 'sisters' for herself. That'll make ol' Frankenstein proud! Not sure what Elsa made them for, but I hope she's doing good things." Phanty continued as she began to miss her friends.
"Holy crap. Frankenstein?" Daphne wondered how many legendary monsters Shaggy actually encountered during his time away.
"Elsa's his daughter. I mean, what else would he and his Bride do, am I right?" the ghost quipped with a cheeky grin. The others groaned at the implication. There's a macabre riddle for ya: Was Elsa created via sex or via surgery like her parents? Most would probably hope it's the latter just to spare themselves from even the mental image of her parents in bed…
"Roo ruch rinformation…" Scooby muttered, placing a paw over his face.
"Like, what about Sibella?" Shaggy asked, moving the conversation along.
"Oh, that vampire can get things done! She took over the vampire race after her batty father made one too many mistakes. Hehehe… Funny how even Dracula can get senile. Then again, he had lived for practically millennia, so yeah… Soon before I got stuck moping, I had heard from her. She says she's been looking for a mate to rule with her. I found it funny. Wanna know why? She says she preferred skinny, funny, slightly-timid guys. Gee, I wonder where she got that idea from, o date of mine." Phantasma finished in a teasing manner, causing Shaggy to blush. He remembered the purple vampire alright. Even then, he had to admit that she was indeed attractive. Vampiric beauty in action, he figured.
"Jinkies. Somebody left an impression on his students…" Velma joined in. She wasn't surprised that some women would actually enjoy his personality. Lord knows Velma would prefer Shaggy over some macho oaf or some bad boy. The man in question's head drooped, modestly awkward about the idea of changing a woman's preferences. He didn't think he was THAT cool.
"Speaking of impressions, we should be thinking about the one you're gonna leave on me, Shaggy." Phantasma cooed in Shaggy's ear, leaving him nervous and confused. Did she mean the date? Was she implying more than that? Whatever it may be, he worried yet again about the outcome of this.
When they got to town, it took a little while to find a decent-looking restaurant for Shaggy and his 'hot date' to eat. It was a small Italian place that wasn't too busy, perfect for Phantasma to be there without her appearance causing too much of a fuss. Especially when she demonstrated an ability she claimed to have acquired over time. She could become a solid being temporarily. The blue skin, however, she couldn't change. She was a ghost, not a shapeshifter.
Fortunately for Shaggy, the made-up story that his date 'enjoyed dressing up in crazy fashions' managed to get them out of the path of too many prying eyes and questions, even if a couple of the stares Phanty had gotten weren't exactly friendly. After an awkward scene involving Phantasma rambling aloud about the whole menu to try to make up her mind on what to get while the waiter was there, the 'body-painted human' settled on a salad and some mozzarella sticks. Shaggy decided on a light meal. Nothing less than 4 heaping bowls of fettuccine alfredo with 2 sides of onion rings and a whole thing of breadsticks. As Mystery Inc would confirm if they were around, that was indeed a small meal for the cowardly foodie.
As they ate, Shaggy and Phantasma awkwardly talked, starting off with fishing for topics. Phanty hadn't seen much TV as she had spent most of her time homeless, wandering the land and seeing the sights before her depression hit. Shaggy didn't know what it was like to fly, so he couldn't relate there. Phanty did like the concept of movies, as she had peeked into a couple of theaters amongst her travels. Of course, listening to music was a common ground for both, although Shaggy did prefer music to be actually on-key when he remembered how the ghost usually sang... Not that he would tell Phanty that out loud, of course!
Surprisingly to Shaggy, he discovered that the ghost liked to read. Although, she did like to read about death and the undead. He supposed he should have seen that coming. "Yep! I read a lotta stuff on being dead during my travels. Let's see… The Necronomicon, the Handbook For The Recently Deceased, something called a Death Note which was just a buncha names and words, Dante's Inferno… Lotsa neat stuff." For some strange reason, Shaggy couldn't help but gulp at her reading selections.
And so they kept talking. Shaggy curiously brought up the topic of Phanty's past, wondering what she remembered of her time alive. She admitted that she didn't remember a lot, mainly just bits and pieces. Immediately, she fired back a question of Shaggy's past. The foodie modestly told her of how he met his friends when he was a kid in his hometown of Coolsville and how they'd often run afoul of the town's local bully. Phantasma giggled loudly at the name of this supposed bully. How often do you run into people named Red Herring? "Seriously, Shaggy! What's next? Maltese Falcon? Gum Shoe? Humphrey Bogart? Oh, wait… That last one was a real guy… Right." Shaggy began to feel glad that he chose not to tell her about that phase of his childhood where he would sometimes pretend to be a superhero… What kinda superhero name was 'Commander Cool' anyway? One a kid would think of, certainly.
"Speaking of crazy names, I just remembered something! When I was a little ghost, I used to like pretending I was a superhero, fighting all sorts of baddies and protecting people living and dead. Isn't that weird?" she giggled. "What a name I gave myself, though. Super Specter… Hah. That's childhood for ya!" The coward's eyes widened. How odd that they both did the same thing in their youth. He then smiled playfully and said "Yeah? Well, back in my day, you'd be looking at one Commander Cool."
Phantasma went into another fit of nonstop giggles, but knowing that the ghost had done the same thing before, Shaggy didn't feel embarrassed from her laughter. "Well, Commander, you at least know how to show a superheroine a good time so far." the ghost said in what she considered to be a flirty tone, a hint of her usual psychotic energy slipping out.
Shaggy blushed. Truthfully, Phantasma was proving to be a fun person to hang out with. Unlike what he was mentally afraid of, she hadn't caused a scene with her loud personality or anything. He was beginning to wonder if he should hang out with her again like this.
"Hey, Commander Cool… You think you can match wits with the Super Specter? I'll race ya to the movie theater after this!" Phanty cut in, a challenging smirk on her face. The keyword to his previous wonderings quickly turned to a big 'IF'…
After dinner, Shaggy and Phantasma were picked up by the Mystery Machine. Phantasma was adamant about racing Shaggy to the theater. When Shaggy pointed out that they don't even know their way around town, Phantasma just replied with "That's half the fun, don'cha think?". But she caved to her date's logic when he pointed out that they didn't have that long until their movie started. As soon as she got in the van, Phanty went transparent again, mentioning that she needed a break from using her ability.
When they got to the theater after some time trying to find it, Phanty suggested that she go invisible until they were in the theater so that Shaggy could only pay for one person and save money. Of course, the others grumbled a little about it being a crime. But they had to admit that it would be pretty strange to pay for a ghost that could just fly in and out at their own leisure. Not to mention, Phanty's ability to solidify hadn't fully recharged yet.
And so, to Shaggy's awkward embarrassment, he purchased one ticket to the movie Phantasma wanted to see: Nature Trail To Hell In 3-D (1). It didn't exactly have ghosts, but the slasher movie appealed to Phantasma anyway for reasons Shaggy was still unsure of. After the first couple of brutal killing scenes, one reason became apparent. Well, it would have been more apparent if he weren't scared out of his mind already… Shivering like a leaf, Shaggy wondered why he was there, seemingly unaccompanied by anyone in a half-full theater, watching something he already had enough of dealing with in real life. But then, he felt something. The familiar barely-there-but-definitely-present feeling of a ghost touching him. More specifically, Phanty wrapping her arms around him invisibly.
He heard her quiet whimpers (somehow mixed with giggling) as she quietly whispered to Shaggy over the volume of the movie. "I've never been to a horror movie with a date before. I kinda wanted to know what it was like to cling to my date, scared…"
Shaggy instantly knew what she was talking about. The idea of getting close to your lover through movie-induced fear. He had to admit, during the lull between scary scenes, he could see the benefits of this. He hoped it wouldn't turn out like that one drive-in movie date he had with his ex-girlfriend, Googie, where he ended up kidnapped and cursed by Dracula. But that was then. If only his date were solid again…
And so, he endured the movie, one scene after another. After every kill scene, his own fright would mingle with his odd enjoyment of (sorta) feeling Phantasma cling to him. "This movie is horrible… terrible… slaughter-tastic… Now I'm making up words… It makes me wanna puke… or punch that killer guy in the face… or both! Hehehe… Vomit punch. That'd be funny. But I like how it's making me grab on you like this. You like it too?" she whispered, barely restraining herself from giggling loudly at her date's reaction of blushing and stammering quietly. She thought that was adorable.
An hour and 45 minutes of gore later, a frightened Shaggy exited the theater. The movie managed to win the duel within Shaggy's head between it and enjoying Phantasma's constant grip on him with the grim climax scene, scaring the couple. In fact, Shaggy had lost the feeling of Phantasma on him since that scene. He had assumed she was floating invisibly behind him. After stuttering through a call to Fred that the movie was over, Shaggy waited patiently at the side of the road on a bench near the theater.
When it looked like nobody was around, he called out for Phantasma. Nothing. No response. "Like, Phanty?" Again, nothing. "Coast is, like, clear. Ya can appear now." Now he was getting concerned. Did she stay behind? Did he lose her in the lobby something? Before he got up off the bench to go back in and look, a ghostly blue and white head popped out from his chest. "Is it over, Shaggy?" she asked, nervously, looking around from her new vantage point. Shaggy yelped, not expecting that at all.
"Like, you were inside me?!"
Phantasma blushed, realizing how this situation might be interpreted. She turned her head around to face him, the rest of her still inside Shaggy. "Um… Yeah. That last scene was really scary… I hope you didn't mind me hiding in you… I think that's another ability of mine, to go inside someone without possessing them. I mean, I can possess if I want to. But I'm not like that. This way, I can kinda 'piggyback' off of someone. Experience what they experience, feel what they feel, that sort of thing… Is that weird?"
"Well… I guess it's not that weird, like, for a ghost. Uh… Could you come out of me now?" Shaggy asked, blushing. He liked the idea of having a girl on him and he would occasionally have a dirty thought or two about it, but having one actually inside him wasn't what he was expecting. But he trusted Phantasma. Even so, it was odd to talk to a head that was sticking out of his chest…
"Kinda reminds ya too much of that Alien movie with those chest-burster things, eh? Alright, alright. I'll get out." Phanty giggled in a playful tone of pseudo-resignation as she effortlessly pulled herself out of Shaggy and floating down to sit beside him. She had a huge grin on her face.
"Like, you look happy." Shaggy simply said, his awkwardness kicking in again. He wasn't exactly a natural ladies' man, of course.
"Why shouldn't I? I just had the most amazing date ever! Ya think we could do this again? I'd like to. I really would! I'll even let ya pick out the movie next time. As long as it's a good one! Perhaps one with ghosts will come out soon. Or we could just pick one from your home. You have movies, right? Pfft, of course ya have some movies. Lotsa humans have movies at home, so I've seen. So how about it? Another movie night? Just the two of us? Huh? Huh? Huh?!" As she energetically rambled on, she had slid herself closer to Shaggy until she was practically in his face. Shaggy nervously chuckled. The girl sure did have spirit…
To ensure a second date, Phantasma decided to accompany Mystery Inc when they decided to do some traveling again, instead of returning to Coolsville. Initially, the others were unsure and hesitant. But Phantasma managed to convince them that Shaggy made her feel a lot better about herself but felt that being with friends would be best for her. Thus, the blue woman was introduced to their ways of solving mysteries soon after joining, as they had come across another town troubled by a monster that ended up being some goon in a suit. Even though Shaggy had told her of these criminals before, she found it even more hilarious when faced with it in person. She would have to tell her old friends of how silly some humans are.
With Phantasma's newfound fondness for watching movies with Shaggy, the ghost was introduced to Netflix by way of Velma's laptop computer. Obviously, horror movies were quite a popular choice for her, although she preferred ones with comedy mixed in it, rather than straight-up 'everyone dies horribly' bloodbaths. Also, she picked out plenty of music specials as well, especially when Shaggy divulged what type of human music he liked and she wanted to try his style.
Months of travel and adventure later, the group decided to take a vacation. Which led to the evening that Shaggy found himself taking his strange relationship with Phantasma further and into quite bizarre territory…
They were relaxing at a beach in Miami. No monsters, no traps, no need to run from anything. Just sand and surf and the setting sun. The six members of Mystery Inc had split off to do their own thing when they arrived hours ago. Shaggy and Scooby had decided to go for a swim for a while and were just heading to shore when they noticed Velma swimming out toward them in a bikini as orange as her infamous sweater. Surprising. Not the bikini, as she had worn that before in past beach trips. It was the fact that she was swimming. It wasn't that she couldn't or wouldn't, but a lot of times, she would just relax on the beach with a good book.
"Hey, guys! I guess the water's fine, huh?" the brunette genius greeted, swimming around the lanky man and his dog. Shaggy agreed, although he found it strange that Velma seemed so energetic in the water today. A really good mood, perhaps.
"Like, yeah. Guess we shouldn't underestimate how, like, refreshing a vacation is. No worries, man!"
"Yeah. So, uhh…. How are things with you and Phantasma? Good?" she asked out of the blue, switching to the backstroke.
"Like, I guess. She hasn't really been talking much about a relationship and just seems to be enjoying herself here, so that's good." he said, deciding to copy her and backstroke as well. Both eventually decided to just float, gazing skyward.
"How about you, though? What do you think of her?"
"Like, Phanty's… She's Phanty. I mean, I like her and all…" he replied, unsure of what to really say about that.
"But…?" Velma prodded, noting the obvious hesitation of her friend, an odd look in her eyes.
"…I'm not sure about this. I mean, like, does she really like me or is she just settling? Like, do I like her like that? She's fun to be with, but this thing was kinda… ya know… pushed on me. Then there's the whole 'ghost' thing… Like, won't that get in the way? I can only kinda feel her when she's transparent and she can only go solid for, like, a little while. If I decide to go for it, I'm sure we can work. We like the same music, we have fun with movies, like, we talk about anything… but…"
"She's not settling, Shaggy. At least, not now, she isn't." Velma replied immediately, suddenly serious. "You do know that you're not the only one she talks alone with, right?"
Of course he knew. Often, Phantasma would share a hotel room with Velma, even though she could just float invisibly anywhere she wanted. She chose Velma because she didn't want to seem too clingy to Shaggy and she knew of Fred and Daphne's close relationship and didn't want to be in their way. And so, the two women would have many girl-talks.
"Like, touche… Well, that's good to know. I wanted her to be, ya know, fully okay with how things are."
Velma let her body sink back down so her head and shoulders weren't submerged, turning to look at Shaggy. "Very noble, considering the situation. I'm pretty sure she thanks you for that..." she said in a sly manner, one that Shaggy raised an eyebrow at.
"Like, what's up, Velma? Something about Phanty and I bothering you?"
"Mmm, not anymore. You just cleared something up for me." she paddled her way over to him. "In fact, I think it's time I cleared something up for you." Shaggy, noticing her closeness, also let his body sink, if only to get a little space. He started to feel a little suspicious. Before he could do anything, Velma reached out and pulled him close, her lips crashing into his.
His mind exploded with one singular thought of 'What the hell!?' as he struggled to escape the genius' grip on him or at least, her mouth's apparent death-lock on his lips. After a minute of kissing, she finally broke it, giggling to herself. After about ten seconds of Shaggy recovering from his shock, he opened his mouth to demand answers, but stopped when he noticed something about Velma. Her eyes. They were a different shade of color…. Phantasma's color.
"Wha…? Like, you possessed Velma?!" he cried out in surprise.
"Guilty! Hehehe! Well, only half-guilty, anyway. She's still here and she knows what's going on and can feel what happened and everything. So it's like you're dealing with both of us. Now, before you think that I just embarrassed Velma or something, there's something ya oughta know. When we have our girly talks, we yammer about a lotta things. Boys, music, TV, movies, makeup, places to haunt, food, what happens if I scare the crap out of some guy posing as a ghost, books, what it's like to be dead. Ya know, basic womanly things. Well… I told Velma how we were getting along one time and I noticed she got a little bummed. I didn't know why, so I asked. And I asked and asked again. She wouldn't budge. And I kept going and going and going and going and… Well, ya get it… Turns out she likes you too, Shaggy… Can ya imagine how bad I felt about ruining someone else's chances because I got mopey all those months ago? Really bad…! She revealed this to me shortly before this vacation. So I got to thinking. And the answer hit me like Winnie during a full moon in a bar fight. I wanna take 'us' further, but for that, I need a body. My solidifying trick does require focus and I might lose focus if we're screwin', so yeah… Turns out she had one and we both like you, so here we are!"
Shaggy took a minute to process Phantasma's rambling story. He didn't know what surprised him more: The fact that Phantasma had the nerve to possess Velma, that Velma had feelings for him as well, or that Phanty thought the answer to the love triangle conundrum was as simple as sharing a body. Even the listening Scooby had his jaw dropped since the kiss, the explanation not exactly lessening his own shock.
"That's… uhh… Like… that…. Um…. Did Velma approve of this?" Shaggy finally got out, the first clear question to make it past his addled mind and out of his mouth.
"Oh, yes! I told her how I felt about things and made the suggestion. I totally left it up to her. I know I get a little pushy, but there's boundaries some just don't cross without permission… Now, c'mon! Velma got us our own room at the hotel. She picked one with a single bed for the three of us to play with. Hehehe…" 'Vel-tasma' snickered as she excitedly swam toward shore, thoughts of what could happen fueling her swimming prowess.
Shaggy watched the bikini-clad woman transition from swimming to running as the water got too shallow. Then he glanced at Scooby. Then he looked back toward shore. Then, Scooby again. Both human and animal had one thing to say about this.
"Like, what the hell just happened?"
A half-hour of walking and thinking later, Shaggy found himself in front of the door to the hotel room that Velma (or Phantasma…or somebody) had reserved for them. He still had some doubts. A part of him was annoyed that Phantasma had, again, roped him into something. Now she roped Velma in, involving her alleged feelings for him. He doubted Phantasma was lying about any of it. She was impulsive, sure. But she hadn't lied about anything. Still, it added more to think about. Maybe if he just went in and talked things out…
He opened the door. As soon as he entered, he knew his talking plan might fall on deaf ears. There lay Velma, still clad in her bikini with an expectant look in her now-glasses-covered eyes. Floating next to the bed, clad in absolutely nothing, was Phantasma. The ghost displayed her petite blue body in such a way where nothing was hidden. Shaggy gulped.
"Hey Shaggy…" Velma shyly greeted, a timid smile forming and her freckled cheeks blushing. Overall, Shaggy found that look quite endearing. He had thought the nerd was pretty in her own way, the baggy sweaters she wore hiding a nicely voluptuous figure. He liked how nice she was, but he thought she would have preferred someone as intellectual as she was. So he didn't think to pursue her. "Er, hi Velma… Like…" he trailed off. What could he say, really?
"I know what you want to ask… I'll keep it simple. I do like you, Shaggy. A lot. You're a sweet guy, you know that? Not a lot of those left these days. I always thought I'd have time to say how I felt before, what with my quest for knowledge and thinking about what I would want for a career. But then Phantasma happened and you got into this…uh…relationship? It made me realize that I shouldn't have delayed. The rest you have heard from Phantasma." the brainiac explained as clinically as theorizing over a criminal's motives, due to trying to keep her nerves from interfering.
"Like, this is nuts, man… Both of you like me?" He had heard both women say it, but he didn't know what to do about it. What was the right answer? A certain hardened part of him sorely gave him one idea, but his mind held that back.
Phantasma got impatient, knowing Shaggy would be hesitant about it. "Ugh… Shaggy! Don't be a dip about this. Why do you think we talked about this before coming to you? Ya think I want a catfight with Velma about this? Nope. She's cool. I like her. Good friend. Smart friend. Besides, I'm a ghost. Ya think I can just ride you? Not that simple, as I said. I need a body."
"And I'm willing to provide that. She was indeed right about me being able to be aware and feel everything, despite her taking control. Yes, it is strange, this whole situation. But I think we're all mature enough to handle it. Was that what's bothering you?" Velma added. She hoped he wouldn't clam up. She knew he had enough problems figuring out if he actually liked the ghost romantically. But Phantasma was quite insistent… And she did want a chance to act on her feelings for once.
"Like, that and trying to figure out the right thing." He suddenly felt something shove him gently toward the bed and Velma. Phantasma. "Oh, bah! So there's a few moral obstacles to mentally wrestle with. Who doesn't have that? And what awesome goal doesn't have an issue or two in the way? You said it yourself back in the big drink. You like me! You really like me. This is ridiculously easy. I want you, you want me, Velma wants you, you like her too, I need a body, she has one, so I possess and you have fun with both of us! See? Simple."
By the time she finished rambling, she had managed to force him right to the foot of the bed. "Phanty, you know that's not all there is to it… Yaaah!" he suddenly cried out as Phantasma gave him a shove, sending him toppling toward Velma, who caught his head before it could smack into her stomach. Shaggy had never been this close to Velma, especially when she was showing plenty of skin. His manhood throbbed again as he raised his head and took in the view of Velma's head peaking over the decently-plump, bikini-covered 'mountains'.
"That's more like it!" cheered Phantasma before she phased herself into Velma, who then started giggling. Well, his resistance was good while it lasted… He knew he underestimated how horny Phantasma, Velma, or both were when his head was grabbed again and was directed further downward instead of pulling his body up to align with hers.
At least he could say that he got what, deep-down, he wanted.
The next morning, Shaggy couldn't believe what he woke up to. The sight of two naked women sleeping next to him, one living and one undead. His head felt clearer than it had been for a little while. He did have feelings for the both of them, who reciprocated with no problems. Why not give the love triangle a try? If things don't work out, he had a good feeling that they would all remain friends. He began to wonder why he was so stubborn about his doubts. Then again, after a night of crazy sex, everything involved with it seems like an awesome idea…
As Velma subconsciously snuggled against him in her sleep, Shaggy began to wonder how the others would react to this. But first thing's first… Now that they had crossed that line in the relationship, perhaps the ladies would like a 'wake-up call'. If only he could figure out how to do anything to a sleeping Phantasma while she's transparent.
Author's Note: Three down! I've been a little stuck on this one. Hmm… Did I do the second half of this one alright? I'm not sure, to be honest with ya. Anybody ever have the feeling like you could do something better than you did, but can't figure out how to improve it and you think what you have is the way to go anyway? Something like that? Moments like this, I wonder if I need a beta reader… If enough people feel that some of this needs a revision, I'll see what I can do. But we shall see.
I figure that, with my gimmick, it'd be surprising to add Velma to the mix somehow. I just figured that, Phanty being a ghost, she would need a body to possess if she were to have sex with Shaggy. Yeah, I did say she could temporarily go solid as an ability, but I figure that ability requires a little focus to maintain it. Imagine Shaggy clumsily slipping through Phantasma mid-bang because she lost focus via orgasm. Funny, but impractical. Lol. I didn't want that ability to be some 'be all, end all, problem solved' ability or something. Thus, my twist to make it Velma/Shaggy/Phantasma. All three characters' problems solved!
Speaking of being stuck on something, I know it makes a bit of logical sense to have "head girl" Sibella be the final chapter, but I do have an idea for her chapter, but no ideas for little Tanis yet. If anybody has any ideas for the adorable little mummy's turn, let's hear them. Otherwise, it may be that Tanis will be the Main Eventer here.
Footnotes: 1) Anyone for Weird Al Yankovic references?
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed the first two chapters of this. I'd go into specific replies, which is my usual post-chapter gimmick, but the latest batch of reviews were pretty straightforward (although, I did reply to one via Private Message). So a HUGE thanks to everyone! I hope this chapter is just as good as the first two.