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alphashley14 · 1 year

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One Of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

Chapter Eleven

Keep on Living

After their impromptu concert, the Mystery Skulls gave their guests a full tour of the mansion - the parts they were allowed in anyway - and they were told about the house’s other ghosts.

First were the suits of armor, which lined the hallways and seldom moved, but were very much haunted and would come to life to defend the house. And then there were the paintings, which were also haunted, moved and spoke like in Harry Potter, and apparently could be real assholes. So they were advised to walk quickly past the paintings and to try to avoid interacting with them. They were also warned about the mirrors, which apparently sometimes “showed upsetting things in your reflection.” But when asked, the Mystery Skulls couldn’t elaborate much on what exactly that meant, because what the mirrors showed varied a lot person-to-person.

“That shouldn’t be an issue though,” Lewis explained. “It’s usually just the free-standing mirrors that do that, but those were all covered up.”

His use of the word ‘usually’ did not put anyone’s minds at ease.

“Apart from that, we get your usual run-of-the-mill haunted house activity. Moving objects, doors opening and closing, the occasional spirit orb. The usual.” Vivi shrugged.

“‘The usual’, she says.” Ricky said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

“No kidding,” Scooby agreed behind him.

“But like, what about the ghost from this morning?” Shaggy asked.

The other five guests stopped, looked at Shaggy, and asked in unison: “What ghost from this morning?”

Lewis looked alarmed. “He’s- around,” He said quickly. “And he is… the most powerful spirit under our domain. But he cares about us, and he won’t hurt anyone. He prefers to keep hidden, at least for now. He’ll show himself when he’s ready. And he uh- he wanted me to tell you Shaggy, that he’s sorry for how he acted this morning. He was worried about Arthur, and sometimes his temper gets the better of him.” Lewis said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry - time out. How exactly ‘did he act this morning’?” Velma demanded.

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“Alright then, if we’re going to take on Professor Pericles, then what’s the plan?” Marcie asked, scratching the head of the Dead Beat that was hovering in the air beside her.

“Ever-changing,” Arthur replied from his seat in Mr. E’s armchair. “There’s a lot that Ricky didn’t know, so phase one of the plan - which I hope to have done by the end of the day - is mainly reconnaissance, testing the waters… and setting the stage.”

“What do you mean by that?” Marcie asked.

“As of right now,” Arthur said, “Pericles and the others see Ricky as a doormat. They’re convinced they’ve got him all figured out and aren’t bothering to tread lightly with him or to give him a single ounce of basic respect or privacy. Ah - speaking of: Dead Beats, I have a job for you.”

The three ghosts went rigid at attention.

“I need one of you to haunt the spaces around these rooms to give us advance warning if someone is coming. Even when we need to leave these rooms to do other things, I still need one of you to be here at all times unless I say otherwise in case someone tries to sneak in and snoop or install monitoring equipment. Can you do that for me?”

The little ghosts made an affirming chirp, bickered amongst themselves for a few moments, then one of them sped off to do as Arthur had said.

“I can’t believe I didn’t think to do that earlier. It would be astronomically bad if one of them overheard or even knew I was talking to you. As for you Marcie, there are several things I need from you. First and foremost is a laptop. One that isn’t being monitored by Destroido or by Professor Pericles that we can use to hack into the system.”

“I don’t have one.” Marcie immediately lied.

‘Arthur’ inhaled sharply through his teeth, steepled his palms together, then pointed them at her. “Marcie, let’s be real: that’s bullshit. You’ve betrayed Mr. E twice and were most likely already planning to do it again. There’s no way you don’t have a device at the ready. Or at the very least, that you don’t know how to make a computer that way. Ricky has been prohibited from using the internet and all of his activity within Destroido’s own systems is being monitored. Even sending you that message was a calculated risk. I literally cannot do anything if you can’t or won’t get me a device.

“But at the same time, I understand why you’re holding out on me. You still aren’t fully convinced that I’m not Mr. E, that this isn’t some kind of trick, or that the torture-button even exists. And if this hypothetically was a trick and you exposed just how prepared you were to betray Mr. E, the consequences would be really bad for you. So… I guess I’m going to have to prove it.” He groaned.

The Dead Beats warbled with concern.

“Don’t worry, guys. I’ll be fine. This was already part of the plan, anyway. Looks like it’s just going to happen sooner than I thought.”

“What are you going to do?” Marcie asked.

“Hit several metaphorical birds with one stone,” Arthur replied. “How quickly can you get your stealth suit? The one that makes you invisible and allows you to climb walls and stuff? Ricky told me about it.”

“I can’t,” Marcie said. “I know where it is, but Mr. E put it in a password-protected safe.”

“Iscariot.” Arthur said.

“Huh?”

“I-5-C-A-R-1-0-T. Iscariot, but with a couple of letters switched for numbers - that’s the passcode. It’s a reference to the traitorous disciple, Judas Iscariot. Ironically, according to Ricky, Professor Pericles came up with it. He figured none of you would ever guess that the passcode came from Christian Lore, given that none of you are religious and Professor Pericles is evil as hell.”

“Oh, wow. That is ironic.”

“Very. Especially when you consider that it was Pericles who was the Judas of their group. So, knowing the passcode - assuming that is the passcode - how quickly do you think you can get it?”

“From here? If I use the vents it’ll take me like two hours there and back to get it without anyone or any of the cameras catching me.”

“And if you have a small, invisible friend looking around corners and messing with security cameras as you pass?” He asked, pointing at the Dead Beats.

“That- … would cut that time in half.”

“Great. Then… it’s about 1:00 now, and taking into account what I need to do… hold on, let me think… at 4:00, I want you in your stealth suit, hiding in the rafters above the hallway where the Dead Beats picked you up - where you have that camera hidden for Velma.”

If Marcie had a drink in her mouth, she would have spit it out. “So you do know about that!” She cried. “I knew you asking for me in that hallway wasn’t a coincidence! But how?”

“Shaggy told us about it,” Arthur said. “I needed anything and everything I could use, Ricky was giving me all this info, and Shaggy wanted to help too.”

“Uh-huh… and what do you want me to do once I’m there, exactly?”

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“Jeepers, Shaggy. That must have been scary.” Daphne exclaimed after Shaggy finished telling them about when he’d woken up in Arthur’s body.

“Like yeah, it was,” Shaggy said. “But like, that was pretty much the only scary part. The Mystery Skulls were super nice to me after they realized what had happened. And I didn’t see any more ghosts until I met the Dead Beats with you guys. So like, I’m all good.”

“That’s no excuse!” Velma exclaimed angrily, rounding on the Mystery Skulls. “Don’t you think you ought to have better control over your ghost?”

“Oh, we don’t control that one. It’s his responsibility to control his damn self," Vivi said dryly, giving Lewis the side-eye. “But, we can’t fault him this time. He thought he was talking to an evil spirit and that Arthur was in danger.”

“He gets um… pretty defensive and aggressive when it comes to Arthur,” Lewis explained.

They concluded their tour without further incident, and once they reached the end Lewis informed them, “The only place that’s strictly off-limits is the basement.”

“And Lewis is going to tell you why that is,” Mystery said pointedly, “because you’re a bunch of meddling kids and your first instinct will probably be to go looking for the basement if we don’t tell you why you should avoid it.”

There was a beat of stunned silence.

“That’s- he’s… out of line, but he’s right.” Fred admitted.

“It’s about the spirit we were talking about earlier.” Lewis explained. “The basement is the paranormal center of the house, and it’s also where he lives. There’s a lot of energy down there that I don’t want you guys around, and neither would he. So… please don’t go down there.”

“There’s also a section of the library you shouldn’t look at unless one of us is with you, because the tomes are magical and/or cursed.” Vivi added, “We’ll show you where it is when we go into the library later. And obviously, use your common decency and don’t go into anyone else’s bedroom without permission.”

“Speaking of: we figured we’d save where you’d be staying for last.” Mystery said.

The Mystery Skulls’ rooms were all in the West Wing of the mansion. They set up their guests in the set of guest bedrooms in the East Wing and let them pick their own rooms - save the one closest to the connecting hallway, which apparently was already taken by their informant.

Fred and Daphne naturally took the largest bedroom at the end of the hall. And wanting to stay close together, the others took the rooms closest to theirs. It made Ricky smile bittersweetly at the sound of Shaggy and Scooby romping like a couple of youthful idiots into their room. Velma, shaking her head, took the one across from theirs. Leaving Ricky (who just stood back and let the others pick first) with the last room, which was adjacent to the room that was already taken.

Which was fine with him; the rooms were all about the same. Peeling mauve wallpaper with a Victorian-style heart pattern, the same redwood paneling as the rest of the house, their own stone fireplaces, and their own bathrooms. The furniture was a similar redwood, with skulls and broken hearts worked into the designs. And the beds were… unique.

“Hey, the bed is coffin-shaped! This place is awesome!” Everyone heard Fred exclaim excitedly. And when the others walked into their own rooms, they found that theirs were the same: irregular six-sided kings with black sheets and comforters, very tall headboards, and tattered raspberry-colored bed hangings that matched the carpets and curtains. It was macabre, but it fit the spooky vibe of the rest of the house perfectly. Ricky’s space back home was kind of dark, but this was dark in a different way - and Ricky kind of liked it.

Ricky let himself fall back on the black plush mattress with a sigh. What and where even was “home” anymore? He’d lived at Destroido for years. But try as he might, he couldn’t muster much attachment to the place. He was proud of his company and what he’d accomplished, but at the end of the day it was just a building that gave him a roof over his head and made him money. His personal space wasn’t a place he ‘looked forward’ to retiring to, and apart from his keytar there wasn’t really anything waiting for him there. What had ever really made it “home”?

He had no idea which of his relatives were still alive or if they’d even want to see him if he came out as not-dead. He’d renounced Pericles and the others (though they were still oblivious to what extent). And Cassidy was-

… Cassidy was gone. She was gone, and she was never coming back.

And it’s all your fault. You killed her. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He’d said such awful things to her the last time he’d seen her.

“Ah, yes. The naive Cassidy I once fell in love with.” He remembered his own mocking tone so clearly. Cynical, bitter bastard. No matter how much it hurt or how frustrated you were, why would you take that out on her? ‘Once’ my ASS. As if you could stop loving her!

He knew all too well what he’d done to drive Cassidy away, so of course he knew they hadn’t been close for a while by the time she…

And yet, he couldn’t help but feel her loss stabbing at his chest, clawing his heart out - as if he’d lost the only thing he had left.

He was at least being treated well by the Mystery Skulls and the kids, but how long would that last? They wouldn’t need him around anymore once the body-swap was fixed, this mystery was solved, and his former friends and the entity were dealt with. And he couldn’t see why they would want him around after that either. Or rather, why would anyone? If he was being honest with himself, with Cassidy dead and him finally breaking away from the rest of the original Mystery Inc., he… he really didn’t belong anywhere, anymore.

It wasn’t safe and he hated it there. But… maybe now the only place left for him was as a shoulder for Pericles to perch upon.

Or better yet: maybe the world was better off without him in it.

No. Absolutely not. No way. Where the hell did all of that even come from? He asked himself, running his hands over his face. Going back to Pericles? Dying? Did you hear nothing your better half said? That’s ridiculous!

‘I don’t think you realize just how bright our future could be.’ That’s what his better half had told him. But Ricky just couldn’t see how that could be.

I don’t want to think about this anymore. And I have more important things to think about anyway. Back in the box you go.

Holy fuck, this had been a long day. And given that it was just a little past noon, it was far from being over. Shit, was it seriously only 2:00? He swore it felt like this day had just dragged on for weeks. He was exhausted.

But he couldn’t fall asleep. Nope. And just to make sure of it, he sat up. Arthur was working his ass off and probably doing some pretty stupid and dangerous shit on his behalf right now, and the least Ricky could do was return the favor.

Right at that ideal moment, there came a knocking at his chamber door.

“Come in,” he called.

Vivi opened the door and poked her head in. “Hey, Mystery- sorry. Mister. E. Is the room okay? If it’s awkward for you to be staying this close to the kids, we could move you elsewhere if you want.”

“It’s fine.” Shit, that came out snappy. And after she’s been nothing but nice to you! At least pretend not to be an asshole! “But- thank you for asking. This is… nice.” He added quickly and in a better tone. It really was a nice room. Spooky, yes. Macabre, definitely. But he supposed that if he was going to stay in a haunted house, he might as well go all-in.

“I’m glad you like it. Do you have any requests?” Vivi asked. “Lewis is thinking about dinner, and Fred and Daphne were going to make a groceries-slash-clothes-slash-essentials run. Like, are you vegetarian? Pescetarian? Allergic to anything or- oh. Right. You’re in Shaggy’s body. So I guess I should be asking him.”

“I’m not vegetarian. And I sincerely doubt that boy is allergic to anything.”

Vivi snorted. “True.”

“I suppose… Apart from clothes, I just need a toothbrush and toothpaste? And 2-in-one? I don’t care what brand,” He shrugged.

“Got it. I’m pretty sure Mystery Inc. is planning on picking up clothes from Shaggy’s house for you while they’re out. Will that be fine?”

Ricky nodded.

“Cool. And dinner? Lewis was thinking of doing enchiladas.”

“Enchiladas are fine. I’m not going to request anything. I’m just grateful to have someone willing to cook for me. It’s… been a while. Would Lewis like any help when he starts in the kitchen?”

“Probably not, but I’ll let him know you offered. He feels really bad, by the way - for what he said earlier. He’ll probably apologize later.”

Ricky cocked an eyebrow. “What did he-?”

“Back at the hilltop, when he was freaking out about Arthur.”

Ah, right. He remembered, now. “It’s fine, really. He was scared for his friend. Arthur is lucky to have friends like you.”

“One’s own emotions are an explanation for one’s shitty behavior, not an excuse,” Vivi said, hands on her hips. “Lew knows that. So just don’t be surprised if he brings it up.”

Ricky didn’t have time to formulate a response to that statement, because that was when his stomach growled. “You have got to be kidding me. Breakfast was fucking huge. How are you this hungry already?” He scolded his own stomach. Ricky was no stranger to overeating. He’d gone through a difficult phase where food had become a coping mechanism and his real body had never lost the weight. But this was ridiculous!

Vivi giggled. “Apparently it takes a truckload to keep that body satisfied.”

“Shaggy had better be glad that he was born to well-off parents, because if they couldn’t afford to feed him then I don’t know what would have happened to him.” Ricky said, shaking his head.

“Well come on, let’s get you something to eat. Then you, Shaggy, Scooby, Mystery, and I will get started in our library while Fred and Daphne are out for essentials and Lewis and Velma are out collecting materials from the library and haunted museum.”

“Anything I can do to help,” he agreed. Then he followed her out the door.

Maybe he wasn’t one of them. Maybe things would get awkward and they wouldn’t want him around anymore once he was no longer needed. But for Arthur’s sake, he wouldn’t dwell on that.

And for his own sake, maybe he could keep pretending for just a while longer.

But of course, there just couldn’t be a dull moment. Because that’s when Scooby came running out of the room he shared with Shaggy.

“Vivi! Vivi HELP! Raggy needs help!”

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“What hole do you think Ricky’s gone and hid in this time, Brad?” Judy asked, ducking her head into yet another Ricky-free Destroido lab space.

“I’m not sure, Judy. We’ve checked all the labs. If he was doing his rounds, we should have run into him by now.”

“Then he must not be doing his rounds, Brad. Perhaps he’s in the garage working on the old relic he’s so attached to again.”

“I bet you’re right, Judy!”

But even after Brad and Judy sauntered all the way to Mr. E’s personal closed-off garage, there was no sign of Ricky to be had there.

Honestly, where else could he have gone? They had to ask themselves at this point. Ricky was usually nowhere near this difficult to find.

Brad snorted.

“What’s so funny, Brad?” Judy giggled.

“Oh, I was just wondering how it’s possible for someone that fat to hide this well.”

Judy laughed. “It is impressive, isn’t it Brad?

Still though, in the back of their minds, they couldn’t help but be a little bit concerned. Hunting for him like this was usually almost as fun as their games with him that followed, but at this point it was getting frustrating. The one place they hadn’t checked was the dungeon Ricky called “home”, but they hadn’t been there since they’d helped Professor Pericles sneak sleeping powder into his dinner, then inject that capsule into his back. And Ricky didn't spend a lot of time there, anyway. It would certainly be unusual for him to be there at this time of day. But then again… he’d been acting differently ever since Professor Pericles came clean about Cassidy.

“You know Brad,” Judy mused, “Ricky was rather brazen this morning. You don’t think he tried to run for it, do you?”

“I don’t think so, Judy. He knows that would happen if Pericles found out, and he knows he’s too weak to withstand it.”

“That’s true, Brad. He has always been a coward.”

“Ding-dong Daddy-o. Do we have to go in there?” Brad whined.

Judy laughed. Brad’s impression was right-on. Classic Ricky.

“Y-you guys, I don’t want to do this anymore. Let’s just go home!” Judy tried out her own imitation, and Brad laughed at it before doing another of his own.

“Professor Pericles, come back! Professor Pericles, I’m scared. Shouldn’t we just leave this to the Smokies?”

“I’m going to cower behind Cassidy even though she’s half my size. Ahh! A monster! Now I’m going to jump into Cassidy’s arms even though she’s so small it’s a miracle she can hold me up at all!”

“You keep her name out of your thin fucking mouth, Judy.”

The two of them had been so caught up in their mockery they hadn’t noticed the very subject of it lurking in a doorway until they were face-to-face with him.

“Ricky! So there you are.” Judy said quickly. Her mouth was not thin. Who did this fat twerp think he was?

“Yeah. We were just looking for you,” Brad said menacingly. How dare that ugly bastard insult his Judy?

Usually, this would be the part where Ricky backed off or tried to make some excuse to leave.

But he didn’t do either of those things.

Ricky just leaned against the wall, giving Brad and Judy a look that was equal parts blank and judgemental, before he took a swig of the entire bottle of wine he was carrying and went right back to regarding them. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t cower. Didn’t puff up, either. He just… stood there.

Something was wrong with this picture.

Mr. E’s signature scowl wasn’t nearly as hard, and where usually there would be fire behind his anger, all Brad and Judy saw was this… coldness. It was like a part of the soul within that disgusting body was gone, and something sad and empty was all that remained.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything, Ricky?” Judy demanded after a few seconds of unbearable silence.

“That’s Mr. E to you,” Ricky corrected quietly. “Only my friends called me Ricky. As to whether I’m going to say anything, I really dunno. What do you want me to say, Judy?”

And Judy- didn’t have a retort for that. But she was such a lucky girl, Brad came to her rescue.

“Where have you been all day, Ricky?” He demanded.

“Hmm. Not sure, to be honest. I lost time for a bit. Then I played my keytar for a while. Cassidy liked my keytar - music in general, really. Found this new band recently. I think she would’ve liked them too. But I can’t tell her about it. I can’t tell her any of the things I want to tell her. Because she’s gone - far away from me, probably in a better place than Crystal Cove. Where I’ll never see her again.” Then he laughed half-heartedly, “Classic Cassidy. She always moved on to new things before I did. I never could let go of the past, but her? Hah! She was dynamite. Always blasting forward. Why should death be any different?”

“Are you fucking drunk?” Brad demanded.

“I wish,” Ricky said. “But my tolerance is too high for this to do much to me. I considered something stronger, but she deserves better than that. Someone has to feel this pain for her. Because you seem to have forgotten, but thanks to Pericles she didn’t have any family - none of us do. She just had us, and those kids. And you two sure as fuck aren’t shedding any tears for her. Just like no one’s going to shed any tears for us when we die.”

“Cassidy? That’s what this is about?” Judy scoffed. But Ricky wasn’t even looking at her. He was taking another long drink, his other hand in his pocket, weight casually favoring one hip. “She has no one to blame for what happened to her but herself, just like you don’t have anyone to blame but yourself for where you are.” Ricky finished his swig and looked at the label on the front of the bottle - not at Judy. Why wasn’t he looking at Judy?! “You’re fools, the both of you. And that bitch-”

Whatever vile thing Judy was about to say next died on her tongue. Because that was when Ricky suddenly overturned the bottle of red wine over Judy’s head, and the entirety of its contents poured down upon her. Soaking her blonde hair red, running down her face, then soaking into her blouse and dying her white pants.

Brad and Judy were so utterly stunned that they froze, neither moving nor speaking. Their brains simply not computing what Ricky had just done.

Ricky shook the bottle lightly to get the last drops out, which pitter pattered onto the top of Judy’s head. Before he finally took the bottle back, read the label one last time, and then chucked it at the wall. It shattered with a loud CRASH that made both Brad and Judy jump. But they were still too shocked to retaliate.

That same shocked silence hung heavily in the air for another few moments. During which time Ricky scratched the back of his head, momentarily inspected his fingernails, then finally looked at Judy, his eyes scanning her wine-soaked, shaking form. An eyebrow cocked, and his lips pursed. “This is a good look for you.”

That was all it took to snap Brad out of it.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?!” He thundered!

Brad surged forward out to grab Ricky by his collar but Ricky just expressionlessly snatched one of Brad’s fingers mid-grab and twisted it back at an awkward angle as far as it would go. “Don’t fucking touch me Chiles,” he said plainly.

Brad cried out with pain and had no choice but to yield immediately, bending his knees and twisting his whole body awkwardly to lessen the stress on the digit.

Judy just stood there. Cold. Wet. Red. Shaking, twitching.

“What. Are you… doing?” Brad ground out.

“Letting the intrusive thoughts win I guess,” Ricky shrugged. “I’m kind of fucking tired of you two treating me like your own personal litterbox to shit on, and I seem to have lost the will to care about the consequences. My heart’s being torn apart. I think my soul might be dead. It’s agony. But holy shit, do I feel fucking free.”

“Just you wait! Professor Perciles is going to hear about this and- Aah!” Ricky twisted the finger in his grip back further.

“Go ahead,” he said flippantly, “tell Pericles. I won’t be hiding. In fact, by the time he comes after me I’ll probably be existing somewhere in the hallways outside of Central Lab H. That seems like a good direction to wander. Then you all can torture me. Drag me into Hell with you. Destroy everything I’ve built. Disgrace my name. Use my resources to tear this town apart. We aren’t going to survive this mystery, and I’m glad! The last fuck I had to give died with her.”

Ricky finally let go, and Brad jerked his hand back, cradling it. His jaw was locked, and he was so angry. But that face- those eyes. They were so fucking dead that Brad knew in that instant that nothing he could say or do, no matter how personal or vile, would pierce through to whatever heart was left.

But Professor Pericles would.

With a snarl, Brad turned sharply and stormed down the hallway, ushering Judy along with him.

And Arthur Kingsmen watched them go.

He didn’t dare let out his sigh of relief until after they turned down the next hallway and vanished.

Wow. Had that been him? Had he really done that?! His heart was hammering the whole time, and he’d never stopped feeling the urge to run, but he hadn’t! He felt like he could climb Everest right now! He was on top of the fucking world!

But the job’s not over yet.

And the consequences of those actions were coming.

Arthur wasn’t looking forward to them, and he wasn’t sure if he could keep up that act through the pain. But he could sure as hell try. And even if he failed, he’d still have the evidence he needed.

Poor Brad and Judy, Arthur almost felt sorry for them. They were supposed to be the ultimates in their craft, but how the mighty had fallen. They were so warped by the curse, absorbed in their hunt for the treasure, in each other, and in their own wickedness, that they failed to recognize what they were really headed into: a trap.

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Owwwwwww. Ow ow ow ow OW.

Shaggy had felt the first twinges on the ride to the mansion in the Mystery Machine. But everyone had been talking so nicely with Mr. E, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it at that time anyway, so he hadn’t wanted to worry anyone.

Then they got in the mansion, they got to meet ghosts, Lewis, Vivi, and the Dead Beats gave them that nice song, they got to tour a haunted house, and Shaggy had been so busy taking it all in that he didn’t notice the twinges getting worse.

And worse.

At first when he’d noticed them again, he’d tried to ignore them a little longer because he didn’t want Scoob to worry.

But he ignored it for too long.

And now it hurt so much he could hardly focus on anything else.

Like, holy cow. No wonder Arthur felt like he could handle whatever Mr. E was dealing with. He’d been tolerating this for how long? And making it appear like he was perfectly fine to boot?

Shaggy shut his eyes tight where he was curled up on the black comforter, clutching his shoulder where flesh met metal. It was so weird. It wasn’t just the shoulder that hurt, it was as if the whole side and that whole arm hurt. Only that didn’t make any sense, because the arm wasn’t there.

That was when Scooby came bounding back into the room, followed closely by Vivi and Mr. E in Shaggy’s body.

Oh, Shaggy’s body! His skinny, intact, scruffy body! How he’d taken it for granted. He really, really missed it. He didn’t want to be Arthur anymore. He wanted to be Shaggy again, so he wouldn’t have to deal with this!

“What’s wrong?- Oh no,” Vivi said, and Shaggy could tell from the look on her face that she’d immediately put together what was wrong.

“Arthur’s pain medication!” Mr. E cried, smacking himself on the forehead. “I’m so sorry, Shaggy! We got so caught up in the other stuff that I completely forgot!”

“L-like don’t beat yourself up about it man,” Shaggy tried not to groan, “l-like, I’m the one who ignored it too long. We both forgot.”

“What about Arthur’s pain medication?” Vivi demanded.

“His dosage needs to be adjusted,” Mr. E explained. “Arthur warned us that it hasn’t been working right for a while. Fuck- I was so caught up in everything else, it didn’t even cross my mind!”

Vivi cried out in frustration and spun around to the doorway, where a couple of Dead Beats were looking in with concern. “You - go get Arthur’s meds. You - go get Lewis. Now. Hurry!”

As the Dead Beats rushed off to do as she’d asked, Vivi calmly sat down on the edge of Shaggy’s bed. “I’m going to help you take Arthur’s arm off. Removing the extra weight should help the pain a bit. Then just stay on your side.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Mr. E asked, “I could get you something or…?”

“There’s not much that can be done besides prescription meds. Just- go find Shaggy’s friends. They shouldn’t have left yet.”

“No! No. Like- uugh… I don’t want to worry them.” Shaggy said. “And like, they’ve got more important stuff to do-”

Vivi flicked him hard on the nose.

“They’re your friends and they love you. I don’t know your group, but I know that when Arthur’s in pain, nothing is more important to me. Especially not a mystery. And I imagine that your friends feel the same way about you.”

“Reah, Shaggy. Fred, Daphne, and Velma will be sad if you don’t tell them.” Scooby agreed. “If one of us was hurting like this, wouldn’t you want to know?”

Oh. Shaggy hadn’t thought of it that way before.

“Oh. Like um… okay then.”

With a nod, Mr. E swiftly left the room to find the others. Right as he was leaving, Lewis came rushing in with a couple of Dead Beats.

“They said something about Arthur’s arm. What happened?”

“Stupid Arthur,” Vivi snapped as the metal arm came off with a click, “didn’t bother mentioning that his pain medication wasn’t working anymore. And now Shaggy’s dealing with the consequences.”

“Oh, Arthur…” Lewis pinched his temples. “Shaggy, be glad you’re not Arthur. Because when we get him back, I’m gonna kill him. What now, Vivi?”

Just then, the other Dead Beat returned with Arthur’s medicine in two bottles. Vivi took them from it and set one on the nightstand, and kept the other in her hand.

“Go call Dr. Madrigal,” Vivi told Lewis. “We can give him more of this as needed, but we can’t give him more of the strong stuff willy-nilly, and we need to know by how much to adjust his dosage for the future.”

“L-like… how long will that ta-a-aaake??? Owww!” Shaggy whimpered. It was throbbing, now. There was like a couple moments of relief when Vivi took the arm off, but now it hurt even more. Shaggy could feel it with every beat of his heart.

“I’m so sorry, Shaggy. I know it hurts, dude. But hey-”

And Lewis started doing a little dance, singing,

“You got to keep on livin’,

Livin’ for the good life,

Holdin’ on, holdin’ on, holdin’ on-

“You know what? Sorry. I think I made it weird. I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

“L-like it’s okay, man. You were just trying to cheer me up.” Shaggy half-laughed.

“If it’s any consolation, It’s not usually this bad,” Lewis grimaced.

“It’s worse for Shaggy because he’s not used to it,” Vivi said gently. She put the other bottle between her legs so it wouldn’t roll off the bed, placed her hands on Shaggy/Arthur’s stump and started to massage it and the shoulder around it with practiced ease. “That, and Shaggy hasn’t done any of the mirror therapy Arthur has, so it’s possible that it’s been rendered null and void. And today’s been really stressful - which can make ghost pains worse.”

“G-g-ghost pains?” Scooby cried, shaking.

“Don’t worry, Scooby. It’s not that kind of ghost.” Vivi explained. “Lew-lew, get one of the Dead Beats to bring us a bottle of water. Shaggy needs something to swallow his pills with.” Lewis nodded and left, and Vivi went back to talking to Scooby. “Basically Scooby, Shaggy’s body- or rather, Arthur’s body, is supposed to have two arms. So Arthur’s brain is confused as to why it doesn’t. So even though it’s not there, to Arthur - and therefore to Shaggy now - it still sometimes feels like it is. Sometimes it feels like when one of your limbs falls asleep. And other times it can hurt a lot more. The pain is real, and it feels like it’s happening in the missing body part, even though it’s not there. That’s why people call them ‘ghost pains’. It’s very normal for amputees like Arthur to have them - lots of them do.”

Just then the rest of Mystery Incorporated came rushing into the room with Mr. E not far behind, totally out of breath. It suddenly occurred to Shaggy that they were quite a distance from the front entrance of the house, and he’d probably run all the way there and back just to make sure he caught Shaggy’s friends before they left.

“Shaggy!” Fred, Daphne, and Velma cried as they rushed to his side.

“L-like, hey guys,” Shaggy groaned, smiling.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Fred asked.

“Like, I’ve got ghost pains,” Shaggy laughed half-heartedly. “But like, not the kind of ghost I can run away from.”

“It didn’t even occur to me that Arthur might experience those, or that Shaggy would have to deal with them. I’m so sorry Shaggy,” Velma said, gently taking his hand in hers.

“It’s not just ghost pains either,” Vivi sighed.

“There’s something else?” Daphne exclaimed.

Vivi sighed. “Arthur has another condition that many amputees have called heterotopic ossification.”

“I know what that is,” Velma said. “Bone starts growing where it shouldn’t be. A lot of people get it after a major surgery or major injury.”

“That’s about it,” Vivi said. “It manifests as a bony, often painful lump under the skin. In Arthur’s case, he’s pretty lucky. His isn’t located on or near a joint, so it doesn’t restrict his mobility. And it’s pretty small - only about the size of a grape - and doesn’t show any sign of getting bigger. But it does bother Arthur every now and then. He could get it surgically removed, but because it’s at the site of his amputation and Arthur’s arm port is connected directly to his body and nervous system, it would take the greatest surgeon in the world to not ruin it.”

I can afford the greatest surgeon in the world, it suddenly occurred to Ricky. If they all survived this, then Ricky saw no reason why Arthur should have to keep living with an extra hunk of bone in his arm. If it was causing him pain and he simply couldn’t afford to have it safely removed, then what were rich friends for?

… Huh. How long had he thought of Arthur as a friend? They’d met literally this morning, and one could even argue that didn’t count, considering it was via astral projection. No, it didn’t make sense for him to jump to calling Arthur a friend. Arthur just… pitied him. And understood him. And for some reason saw fit to treat him with more kindness than he deserved.

Yeah - he’d help Arthur out. But it would just be him… repaying Arthur’s kindness. Especially considering that Arthur was probably putting himself through a lot of pain on Ricky’s behalf.

… But it made Ricky absolutely sick to think about that.

Another hiss of pain from Shaggy broke him out of his thoughts. Ricky suddenly felt very useless, and very guilty. Why? Why should Arthur and Shaggy be the ones hurting? If they were going to get body-swapped, then why hadn’t Ricky simply switched one pain for another? Why did he, the one who deserved it the least, get to be the healthy one?

Just then, a pair of Dead Beats entered the room and zoomed above Ricky’s head - one of them carrying a bottle of water in its mouth. Mystery (looking oddly guilty) followed close behind, passing by Ricky’s feet. “Any word? Did Lewis get through to Dr. Madrigal?” Vivi asked, taking the water bottle and uncapping it for Shaggy.

The Dead Beats shook their heads and did a short duet that was undoubtedly an annoying imitation of hold music.

“Ah. He’s on hold. It’s a doctor’s office, so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.” Vivi said, handing the water to Shaggy and unscrewing the medicine bottle. She handed Shaggy two pills, and he obediently swallowed them with a mouthful of water before putting the water bottle on the nightstand and laying back down. “Scooby,” Vivi said, re-capping the bottle, “can you run down to the kitchen and get Shaggy a snack? He hadn’t eaten since breakfast and if he doesn’t put something in his stomach, then he’ll get really queasy and it’ll take longer for the medicine to kick in. There should be crackers in the pantry and cheese sticks in the fridge.”

“Roh-kay!” The dog said. And he obediently hopped off the bed and trotted out of the room.

“Remember to get him a normal-sized snack, Scoob! Arthur’s body doesn’t eat as much as Shaggy’s does!” Fred called after him.

Shit, all this talk of food was reminding Ricky how hungry he was. Don’t you fucking dare growl right now, he thought at his stomach.

“So like, what now?” Shaggy groaned.

“Scooby’s going to bring you something to eat, and then you’re going to take a nap, okay?” Vivi said.

She reached out to ruffle his hair, but stopped herself. That’s not Artie, she reminded herself. He looks and sounds like him, but he’s not. Remember, Vivi. He might not like you doing that.

Fuck, she missed Arthur.

“You’ll- you’ll feel a lot better after you rest a while and give the meds time to kick in.” Vivi said, taking her hand back and hiding her sadness behind a smile.

“But like- you need help in the library…”

“And you will help us. After you rest. Don’t worry. I’ve got Mystery and Mystery- pffft. Mystery and Mister. E. to help me with that.” Vivi corrected herself with a laugh.

“And what should we do?” Fred asked.

“Just go, guys. You’ve got important stuff to do and like, I’m alright. The meds’ll kick in,” Shaggy said.

“If you’re sure, Shaggy…” Daphne said apprehensively.

“Really guys. I’m fine. Like, I’ve got Scoob.”

“Okay then. I really hope you feel better soon Shaggy,” Velma said. She affectionately ran her hand over his hair and bent down to place a kiss on his forehead.

“Aw, Velms…”

As the other members of Mystery Inc. took turns fussing over Shaggy and bidding him goodbye, Ricky stood back in the doorway, and his heart screamed.

Because he’d realized something.

He had failed. Again. Their parents didn’t care enough, and Cassidy was gone. So that just left him to have the backs of the new Mystery Inc.

He had no family. He had no friends. His company didn’t matter. With Cassidy gone, he had exactly one thing left in this world left for him to care about. One thing that he still had the opportunity to do right. And that was these kids.

Velma, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Scooby. And maybe Arthur, Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery too.

Ricky cared about those meddling kids.

Cassidy had loved those meddling kids.

In a big way, they were all that was left of her. They were her legacy. And they could be his, too.

He couldn’t die. Not even when he got his own ugly, expendable body back.

Even if he had no way of seeing what good times could possibly lie ahead for him, he had to keep on living. Not for himself. Not for Pericles. Not even for her - because what good would holding on for the dead do? He had to keep on living for them. They would not fall apart like him and his friends had. They would grow up, and they would grow old. And they would be happy. And if Professor Pericles wanted to destroy them, then he’d have to destroy Ricky, first.

And if it came to that, then Ricky would be damned if he wasn’t going to take the bird down with him.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Vivi slip past him.

Shaggy was taken care of, and with everyone else distracted, this was Vivi’s chance to sneak off and make a call. It hadn’t occurred to her to do it when she and Lewis were in the van earlier, so she had to make that call now. Vivi made her way to the West Wing and went into her room, locking her door behind her so she wouldn’t be overheard. She moved Boku the turtle plushie aside and sat down on her blue bedspread. Then she pulled out her cellphone, and dialed.

It rang for a few moments, then the person on the other end of the line picked up. “Hey, Uncle Lance! It’s Vivi- oh! Cassidy! Hi! Just who I wanted to talk to! Yeah - it’s time. We need you to come back to Crystal Cove. Like, now… Yeah! We've finally teamed up with the kids. They’re great! Also, Arthur’s once again wound up in a crazy, supernatural-related mess, and Ricky’s in trouble-... Yeah, he’s not hurt. And he’s safe now. Sort of. He’s with us, and we’re taking care of him, don’t worry… Yeah, he’s definitely not working with Pericles anymore… Yes, we’re sure…. It’s a long, and very crazy story. You’ll have to see it to believe it… No, we haven’t told them you’re alive, and no we haven’t told them about us. But we’re going to tonight. Think you can get here in the morning?”

At LAST! Chapter Eleven is posted!!! And I hope you all liked it! This was definitely a chapter where I gave some of the other characters some attention. It's no secret that Ricky is my favorite character and I love writing him, but this isn't just his story. Speaking of: as sad as it is to see Ricky's negative thoughts coming back, one pep talk is not magically going to make those go away. Even if it was a good pep talk, and it did help. Writing Brad and Judy was... fun, actually. As much as I hate them, there's something satisfying about writing characters that are unabashedly deplorable and pathetic. Especially when they get (at least part of) their comeuppance within the same scene. GOD, I hope you all enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. Because that jjjust might be my favorite singular scene in the entire fic so far. And of course, sorry Shaggy, I couldn't forget about Arthur's pain. And any amputees who read this: I'm not an expert. I did like two hours of research and then went where the fic took me. So if I got anything horribly inaccurate, then deepest apologies. But HEY - Cassidy's coming out of hiding soon! Woot woot!!! 🎉 Make way for the QUEEN!!! 👑 This is the longest chapter of the story so far, at about 7,600 words or so. I really do try to write shorter chapters or split up longer ones so updates may be more frequent, but this time I just couldn't. Also, I would like everyone to know I just got a new job. On one hand: YAY! MONEY! On the other hand: even though it's only 20 hours a week, it takes up what are usually my most productive hours of the day. AND I have to juggle it with commuting to school. So between job, school, and schoolwork I have to do at home, I'm exhausted and there's hardly any time for writing so... updates will probably take a lot longer now. 😔 So it's only fair that my last chapter unemployed is a long one. I decided to post Chapter Eleven here on Tumblr before on AO3, just because the response on Tumblr has been so good. 😊 I'll post chapter eleven to AO3 tomorrow morning. EDIT: Fuck it. I've got time and my readers on AO3 have been good to me too. I'm posting it there this evening instead.

Chapters One through Ten of 'One of Us' are presently posted on Archive of Our Own.

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alphashley14 · 1 year

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One Of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

Chapter Eight

555

“Lewis! Calm down!” Vivi snapped.

“Calm down? Calm down? Vivi, there’s no way we can let Arthur go through with this!” Lewis roared.

“Like, dude,” Shaggy said with a bit of caution, “I know that you’re like, worried about Arthur. But like, it isn’t up to you.”

“The hell it isn’t!” Lewis snapped. He paced anxiously, running his fingers over and through his hair as he struggled to maintain his mortal illusion through his emotions. “Arthur, you idiot! Why would you offer to do such a thing? He could be seriously hurt, or killed! And without us to protect him-”

“I told him the same thing.” Ricky said, wringing his hands. “I tried to talk him out of it. I swear I did. I made it clear what the risks were, I offered alternatives. But he was very insistent and all I could do in the end was tell him everything he wanted and needed to know to get it done.”

“And why should we believe you? ” Lewis rounded on him. “It’s your mess Arthur’s caught in. You’re probably glad he’s stuck dealing with it for you!”

“Like, hey! Uncool, man!” Shaggy said. Ricky looked over at him bewildered that he was being stood up for. “Like, I get it. You’re upset about the situation and worried about Arthur. But like, I was there, man. And that’s like, totally not how it went down! Mr. E’s telling the truth. About like, everything. Arthur confirmed it. Which is why he wanted to do this.”

“I don’t know about this Shag,” said Fred. “Mr. E’s lied to us a lot in the past.”

“Yeah Shaggy,” Daphne agreed. “Mr. E gives me the creeps- uh… no offense?”

“Some taken.”

“And anyway, how do we know we can trust him this time?”

“Like, um…?” Shaggy glanced over at Mr. E and rubbed the back of his neck. “Things got like… pretty deep while we were in the Sitting Room. I don’t think it’s my place to say all that was said but like, he’s earned my trust. And Arthur’s- And like, Angel had some faith left in him, too. Right to the very end. And like, we all know we should have trusted her! So like… can’t that be enough?”

“You don’t have to hold information back on my account Shaggy,” Ricky mumbled, swallowing to chase away the feeling rising from the back of his throat at the mention of Cassidy. And that she’d had faith in him. “It’s not like I’ve earned it.”

“Hey man. Like, you opened up a lot back there. This isn’t an ‘about you’ thing more as a ‘having basic respect for other people’ thing.”

Even so, it was pathetic how touched Ricky was by the gesture. “Even so,” he gulped, “There’s nothing I told you back there that I don’t want the specific people here at this moment to know.”

“Thank you for that. And I’m sure we’ll have a discussion about that in the near future. But not here and now. Our focus right now needs to be on Arthur.” Said Mystery.

“Mystery is right,” Vivi agreed. “We may not like it, but if Arthur’s decided to do this, then as his friends all we can do is support him from the sidelines.”

“You’re seriously agreeing to this? Vivi-”

“It’s non-negotiable, Lewis.” Vivi interrupted her boyfriend. “However, you do have a point that doubt is warranted.”

“He knew you’d have doubts.” Ricky said. “He told us: ‘he wanted to be brave like Galahad-’ sorry- ‘ Gala-ham ’.”

The Mystery Skulls looked at each other.

“I didn’t mention Galahad to anyone. Did you?” Lewis asked.

“Nope. What about you?”

“I did not.”

“Then this confirms it. They’re telling the truth. They really did talk to Arthur.”

“Wait. Time out. Sorry, am I missing something? Who or what is Galaham?” Velma asked, hands on her hips.

“Arthur’s handicapped hamster.” Lewis explained. “He travels with us sometimes, but he’s back home with Arthur’s Uncle right now. There’s no reason either Ricky or Shaggy should know he exists unless-”

“Oh, come on! This is ridiculous and has gone on long enough!” Velma cried. As hard as she was denying it, Velma was seriously beginning to freak out. Body swapping? Interdimensional beings? Parallel Universes? If it was true then it would change everything she’d ever known about the world, and her knowledge was how she kept her reality grounded. To have it ripped out from under her feet in such a way would be… devastating.

So what could she do but deny it harder?

“Seriously, Velma? I think we’ve all established that what we’re dealing with is the real deal.” Said Fred, exasperated.

“Oh, please ! There are so many holes in this story and so many ways this all could have been faked that it’s not even funny.”

“There’s a skeptic in every family,” Mystery grumbled, rolling his eyes from where he laid in the open back of Arthur’s van.

“Name them.” Ricky challenged.

“Name what?” Velma asked.

“Name the holes. Because it’s clear to me Velma, that you might be one of the smartest people here, but you’re going to be of absolutely no help until you’re on board.”

“Alright. Fine. To start, Shaggy, it’s impossible to prove that you’re actually Mr. E. A good actor could easily pull off acting like another person.”

“Like that’s easy to explain: I can’t act.” Shaggy laughed in Arthur’s body. There were nods of agreement from Fred, Daphne, and Scooby as well.

“Even so, you could easily have gotten everyone else in on this as part of some elaborate conspiracy or prank that I can only assume that I’m the target of!”

“Velma, we’re not pranking you,” Daphne said.

“There is no conspiracy,” Said Vivi.

“Nope,” Lewis nodded.

“We’re really not,” Fred shrugged.

“It’s not a prank. That’s not Raggy, so it must be Mr. E.” Scooby said.

“Of course you would all deny it!” Velma shouted. As ridiculous as she was being, Ricky couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She was so frustrated that everyone could see tears in the corners of her eyes.

Ricky took a deep breath. “I understand that this is a difficult thing to definitively prove for you Velma,” he said, “But what we’ve been telling you is the truth. So. What can we say or do to make you believe it?”

“Just- prove it . Prove that you’re really Mr. E!”

“Very well. Ask me a question. Any question. Something Shaggy wouldn’t be able to guess or make up an answer to.”

Velma thought for a moment.

“Shaggy- ‘Mr. E’ , if that’s who you’re supposed to be - you keep saying that you regret your decisions. That you’re on our side now, and that you never should have left it. So answer me this: what changed? And don’t just give me the enslavement story, because there’s presently no way to prove that . Even if it were true, there would still have to be more to it than that. If you’re so remorseful, then why did you agree to partner up with Professor Pericles again in the first place, when you knew what he was really like and what he was willing to do?”

Ricky knew he had to answer… but he really didn’t want to. “Um… wow. There are… a lot of layers to that question.” He finally got out, fidgeting. Ricky crossed his arms to stop himself from messing with his hands too much, and he felt himself involuntarily shrink a bit. Where should he even start with this one? “First off, everyone. I want to make it clear that I’m not making excuses. At least I’m not trying to. I’m… attempting to explain my behavior. It’s a long story, and this isn’t exactly a conversation I thought I would be having or a box I thought I would be opening today, so there are some things I might struggle to put into words and-” Ricky’s nervous rambling was cut off by a small body nuzzling against his calf.

“There’s no pressure. It’s a very personal question,” Mystery looked up at him through gold spectacles. The dog gave him a nudge, then jumped back into the Mystery Skulls’ van and sat down on the edge, indicating for Ricky to sit beside him. “Just take your time.”

Ricky followed Mystery and fell back to sit inside the open van. Then he took a few deep breaths, avoiding the expectant gazes of the others, and began. “I guess the first part of my explanation goes back to my youth, as cliche as that might sound. My family was close when I was young, but then my Mother got sick. Cancer. Stage three. And we all… drifted apart. She tried to be a good mom even while fighting for her life, but eventually she ended up in the hospital and never left. And my father was so hellbent on her that he ignored me. Even after she died when I was fourteen, I think… Either I reminded him too much of her, or maybe he felt guilty for not being there for me when she was still with us. But we were never close again. It was a lonely time for me, and that’s when I met Professor Pericles. I was eight, playing in my front yard, and he crash-landed right in front of me with a broken wing. I nursed him back to health, but when he got better he just… stayed.

“I know your only frame of reference for imagining our relationship is by comparing us to Shaggy and Scooby, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You two are mentally about the same age, so you’re such close friends that you’re practically brothers. But Pericles was decades older than me. Hell, he was older than my parents. And mine weren’t around. So Pericles practically raised me. He was my best friend and my surrogate parent all at once. Given such, he… knows me. I know it’s pathetic but… he’s- just-”

“Manipulative.” Mystery growled helpfully.

Ricky groaned and ran a hand over his face. “... Yes. Which… brings me to the next part of my explanation.” Ricky had to look away for a second, rubbing the back of his neck and anxiously tapping his heel as he searched for words. “I… I don’t do well on my own. Never have. As much of my life as I’ve spent pushing people away, the truth is I hate it. After my frien- after Brad, Judy, Cassidy, and I left Crystal Cove twenty years ago, we stayed together for… all of two days.”

Mystery Incorporated’s interest was immediately peaked. They had solved the mystery of their predecessors long ago, but they’d never heard a thing about what had happened after the original Mystery Inc. had disappeared.

“We drove for an entire day when we fled Crystal Cove, getting as far away as we could. Then we rented a cheap motel room and hid the Enigma Engine. At the time all of us were just- reeling. We’d just lost everything apart from the van, each other, and the clothes on our backs. We were angry, hurt, scared, confused, and none of us had any idea what our next steps were. Then when Cassidy and I woke up the next morning, Brad and Judy had ditched us. For the first few years, it was just Cassidy and I. Then… I guess life happened,” he sighed.

“We each had our own bullshit- okay, no. It was mostly me. Pericles’ betrayal… It really messed me up and affected all of my relationships going forward. And not in a good way. Because if he could betray me, then in my mind anyone could. And eventually, it pulled Cassidy and I apart. I had a few girlfriends after her, but I didn’t- couldn’t love any of them. Because truth be told, I never stopped loving her. I just- one of my biggest regrets is not making sure she knew that when I had the chance. Anyway, I tried to move on. To make other relationships work, but I was in love with someone else and so afraid of being betrayed or abandoned again that none of them went anywhere. So eventually I gave up, leaving the only relationships I had left work-related.

“After I founded Destroido, I had a string of PAs until Ed finally stuck. He was there through… some hard times for me. He was my employee, yes. But he was also a friend. And the only person apart from the original group whom I ever told my true identity. Eventually, I worked up the courage to move back to Crystal Cove and built my main facility here. Once I knew it was safe and my cover was good enough that the Freak wasn’t coming after me, I reached out to Cassidy. Then she moved here and we started working together again, so for a while I had her and Ed… and you kids, if I’m being honest with myself.”

God, this was so humiliating to admit. Ricky ran a hand over his face. “Looking back, I regret not reaching out to you in person. I know this is going to sound stupid but…”

Ricky thought back to the dark times he’d put himself through, before them. All the pills he’d had to take just to get out of bed in the morning, the constant temptation of the bottle, the eating, and the suicidal thoughts. Then one day, on the cameras he’d taken to monitoring in lieu of going out and actually interacting with people, he’d seen them. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby. And they had looked so much like- that for just a moment, it was like he was a meddling kid, again. For a while after that, he observed. Updated and upgraded his cameras, and had more installed. He saw mystery unfolding in the town below, and he watched with glee and pride as his successors solved them one by one. Until one day, the temptation became too much.

And ‘Mr. E’ sent Mystery Incorporated his first clue.

Within a month, he didn’t need the pills anymore.

“Helping you kids with those early mysteries was one of the greatest honors and pleasures of my life,” he admitted solemnly. “I won’t go into it, but I was in a very dark place back then. And if I hadn’t worked up the courage to start sending you those clues… I might have never gotten out of it.”

He looked up at them at last. Mystery Incorporated looked very taken aback. Even Velma, in all her skepticism, looked… honored? And the Mystery Skulls, just as Arthur had, looked as though they understood.

“Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “You all know how it was. At least for a while. Then… I ruined it. I think it started when you found your first piece of the planispheric disk. And I started to think about that damn treasure, again. But I think the nail in the coffin started when Pericles got out. I was so angry and also so terrified when he escaped. It brought back so much that I’d finally managed to lock away, and I couldn’t force it back in the box. From that moment on, it wasn’t about you and your mysteries, anymore. You were pieces on the table in my war against him.

“Then everything really started to unravel after Ed was murdered. At the time, no one knew who’d done it. I only realized recently that it was Pericles. Even that far back, he was trying to get me isolated and desperate, because he knew exactly how to get what he wanted from me.

“And because I had abused the trust you kids had in me, you stopped trusting me too. Then not long after that, Cassidy and I had another falling out. Over you kids, actually. From the start, I had kept my distance. I thought it would be better that way. But Cassidy was never the coward I was. She met you, became your friend, and cared about you. And she wouldn’t have any part of it. So then, for a while after your gang split up, I had you and Marcie, Velma. Until… I didn’t. And it was my fault because I should have treated you better. Having the two of you agree to work with me was a privilege, and I abused it.” Ricky shook his head at his past self and scoffed, “Then I had the audacity to approach you, again-”

Velma looked up sharply. “Say that again.”

“I approached you again and asked for a partnership. With you, if not all of Mystery Inc. Outside the ice cream shop. Remember?”

“What’s he talking about, Velma?” Daphne asked.

But Velma didn’t answer. She was looking at Shaggy- Mr. E with opened eyes. Oh my God. “No one- I never told the gang about that. No one knows except… Jinkies! You’re not Shaggy!” She blurted out.

“Told ya,” Vivi, Lewis, and Mystery said at once.

Ricky looked up at the sky and put his hands together in a mock prayer, “Praise the heavens above, she finally gets it.”

“Seriously, Velm? Out of everything he just said, that’s what convinces you?” Fred exclaimed.

“Like, we’ve been trying to tell you that all day.” Shaggy laughed from Arthur’s body.

“So y-you’re really- Mr. E!” Velma cried, “But you can’t be, and you have to be Shaggy, because body-swapping can not happen ! There can’t be inter-dimensional beings or curses because magic isn’t- can’t be real! But it is, so it has to be, and that doesn’t make sense. I need it to make sense!”

Velma started to hyperventilate. “Everything I know is wrong! Science is useless! So I’M useless! My life is a lie-”

“Velma! Velma! Velma, sweetie! Calm down!” Vivi said, placing a hand on her counterpart’s shoulder. “You’re not wrong or useless and neither is science- oh crap. How did Arthur always put it?”

“What are the three primary colors?” Mystery asked, hopping down from his seat next to Ricky to lean against Velma.

“Colors?” Velma cried, hysterical. “The universe is falling apart, and you two want to talk about colors ?”

“I can assure you, the universe is not falling apart.” The little dog chuckled. “It is exactly as it has always been. Now, humor us. What are the three primary colors?”

“Well, that depends.” Velma said, straightening her glasses from where they’d gone askew on her face. “Light or pigment?”

Mystery laughed, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. “Both. More artistic people would reply red, blue, and yellow. The sciency sort would say red, blue, and green. Mix all pigments together, you get black. Mix all light together, you get white. They are different, sometimes even opposite. And yet both are valid.”

“What’s your point?” Velma sniffed.

“That magic is real;” said Mystery, sounding every bit his true age at that moment. “It’s a part of this world, and always has been. It’s older than you and I, older than the curse on this town, older than the beast behind it or the others of its creed. And it will continue to exist until long after the Andromeda galaxy collides with our Milky Way in about three or four billion years. It doesn’t follow any rules you know, but that’s not to say it isn’t lawless. Just as math is different from art, yet at times intertwined with it, similar is the relationship between magic and science. Its existence does not negate the science and logic you know. It just means that the way the two coexist isn’t fully understood, yet.”

Velma looked pensive for a moment, before the shame became apparent on her face. “You must all think I’m such an idiot,” she said, “The rest of you knew almost immediately that you two weren’t who you appeared to be. Oh, Shaggy. I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, rushing over to give Shaggy a hug.

“Like it’s alright, Velma. You didn’t know.”

“That’s no excuse! You were so scared, and you needed your friends more than ever. And I wasn’t there when you needed me! And you!” She stormed over to Ricky and grabbed him by Shaggy’s green shirt. “I know you’re denying involvement and I heard about the Sitting Room with everyone else, but if I find out you had anything to do with this, they’ll never find your body, Ricky Owens!”

“As you should.” Ricky said defensively, nodding profusely.

Velma let him go, and he fell back on his butt in the van. “Still,” she said, hands on her hips. “For the record, if Professor Pericles really has weaponized cobra venom, and if he really is using it to hurt you as you said… then I’m sorry. Even after everything that’s happened between us, and everything you’ve done… you don’t deserve that.”

Now it was Ricky’s turn to be taken aback.

“Now, assuming the latter is the truth,” Velma said, “what can we do to help Arthur?”

“Like, he has a plan,” Shaggy said. “Mostly, he wants us to leave it to him. But there are a couple things he asked for specifically.”

“The first and most important thing he said he wanted was…” Ricky made a face. “He wouldn’t tell us exactly what it is, but he said you guys would know. He needs to borrow a couple of… ‘deadbeats?’ From Lewis? Does that mean anything to you?”

Vivi and Mystery both turned to look at Lewis. “Yes,” he cleared his throat, “we’re all quite familiar with what a Dead Beat is.”

“Well, what is it?” Asked Daphne.

“One of the ‘secrets’ Arthur mentioned,” Lewis explained, folding his hands behind his back, “and not a conversation to be had here. Just know that I’ve got it covered.”

And indeed, at that very moment, so discreetly that none save Vivi and Mystery noticed, three orbs, aglow with pink light, appeared in Lewis’ hand behind his back.

“You know, you guys are still withholding a lot considering that you swore to be more upfront from now on.” Velma said cynically. Behind Lewis’ back, the three Dead Beats bounded from his palm and raced down the hillside, bound for Destroido to fulfill their Master’s silent order, swerving to and fro like serpents rushing through blackened underbrush.

“The secret we’re keeping is… a big one. I don’t know what to say other than that,” said Vivi. One of the Dead Beats paused and looked back, causing the one behind it to bump into it.

“It’s a cryptic answer, but that’s about right,” Mystery shrugged. “What we’re hiding is huge, hard to believe, and connects to a lot of other things. It is, in essence, the true nature of the Mystery Skulls.”

The two Dead Beats stopped momentarily to fuss at each other, before the third reappeared from the front and roared quietly at the two of them, pointing ahead with a nubby arm. Then the three were winding down the hill towards the toxic fortress once again.

“It’s a lot to unpack.”

“Whole other box of worms.”

“This is not the time nor the place.”

“You’re just gonna have to trust us.”

“Back to Arthur. Did he have any other directions?”

“He said he wanted to talk to Lewis directly about the final stage of his plan. But like, I don’t know how you’re supposed to do that.”

“Like, he also said he wanted us to keep an eye out for Hot Dog Water,” Shaggy said.

“Marcie?” Velma perked up.

Mr. E nodded. “Marcie’s only still working with- ‘me’ and the others because she’s being blackmailed. She works with me, she stays out of jail- I know, I know! Don’t look at me like that! The point is, that this works in our- or rather, Arthur’s favor right now, because she’ll be trustworthy and willing to betray Pericles at the drop of a hat. It’s not like she hasn’t done it before.”

The three dead beats were cautious to not be seen as they approached Destroido. They swerved under and between cars as they crossed the parking lot.

“Of course! Hot Dog Water can help him from the inside!” Fred said.

“And knowing how much she has in common with Velma, she’ll probably want to confirm the body-swap for herself. Which will send her looking for us,” said Ricky, pointing between himself and Shaggy.

“And like, if he has more instructions for us, then he’ll probably send them through her,” Shaggy added.

“Apart from that, he just wanted us to stay together.”

At the bottom of the hill, the Dead Beats came around the side of the building and split up, searching in serpentine patterns for a way in where they could avoid being seen.

“Like, don’t forget the other thing. He seemed pretty insistent about it.”

Ricky sighed, “He also said that I should talk to Lewis and Mystery… about some things.” Ricky said nervously.

Mystery tilted his head. “About what?” Mystery asked.

At the bottom of the hill, one of the dead beats found an air vent. Too small for any human, covered in stainless steel mesh too strong and fine for any device. But not too fine for the Dead Beats - manifestations of energy with no solid body to keep out by such mortal means. With a howl, the tiny creature called for the others.

“Nothing important. Personal matters.” Ricky said quickly. He cleared his throat. “We shouldn’t stay here any longer. We’ve been here way too long as it is. The longer we stay, the higher the chances that Destroido detects we’re here. And if that happens, it could put Arthur in a very precarious position. Which is saying something, because his position is already precarious enough.”

Lewis tensed anxiously. “He’s right Lew,” Vivi said soothingly, hooking her arm with his. “I hate to leave Arthur like this just as much as you, but trusting him is probably the best thing we can do for him.”

Down below, the three Dead Beats, one after another, passed through the mesh as easily as air, slipped into the vent, and entered the dark labyrinth to look for Arthur.

Lewis released a long breath. “You’re right. Let’s just- get everyone back to the mansion. We have plenty of rooms, and it’s well-protected and hidden from Destroido’s sight. Is that alright with you all?”

“You guys are staying at a mansion?” Fred exclaimed, surprised.

“Correction: we have a mansion. Or rather, Lewis does,” Mystery corrected.

“Here in Crystal Cove?” Daphne asked.

“Yep. And we’ll lead you there,” Lewis said. “Just follow us. Same seating arrangements as before.”

“When we get there, we’ll scour our tomes for any information that may be useful. And the materials we took from the Burlington Library - we still haven’t had time to look through all of those. And Velma, it would be helpful if you could check your mother’s collection. As well as the Crystal Cove Library and the library at Darrow University. It’s a longshot, but you never know. And I think I’ll contact our network to see if they know anything. And to give them a heads up about Nibiru.”

“Your network?” Scooby asked with a tilt of his head.

“We’re far from the only supernaturally inclined people in the world,” Vivi said excitedly. “Over the years we’ve collected contacts of others with experience in the paranormal.” She counted off on her fingers, “The Addams Family in New Jersey, Sabrina in Greendale, Lydia and Bee- BJ in Peaceful Pines... There are a couple others. And they’re invaluable sources of information.”

“And sometimes backup,” Lewis added.

“Though,” said Mystery with a pinch of smugness, “we seldom need it.”

“Then this evening,” Vivi said, “seeing as we will all be staying together until we see this through, we’ll have dinner. Which will be a real treat. Lewis’ food is amazing.”

“Vivi…” the ghost blushed.

“Like, oh boy! If it’s half as good as breakfast was, then like, count me in!” Shaggy said, already starting to drool.

“Oh boy!” Scooby licked his lips.

“Then after dinner, we’ll come clean.” Mystery interrupted. “Given today’s revelations, I think it’s best that you all have a few hours to process and brace yourselves before a whole new bomb explodes in your faces.”

“There is however, something you all need to be made aware of before we arrive at the manor,” Lewis said sheepishly.

“What’s that?” Fred asked.

The Mystery Skulls looked at each other.

“Well…”

“It’s kinda-”

“Sorta-”

“A little-”

“ Extremely-”

“Haunted.”

At this point, ‘Zoinks’, ‘Jeepers’, and ‘Jinkies’ did not begin to cover it.

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Within the labyrinth that was Destroido Corp, Marcie Fleach sat in her room, stared at her computer, and tried to quell her rising panic.

Mr. E had sent her an email. Asking to meet with her in a very particular hallway.

Not just any hallway.

The hallway where, near the ceiling, there was concealed a small camera that Marcie had installed for Velma in secret some weeks ago.

It was too specific to be a coincidence.

But Mr. E couldn’t possibly know. How could he? She’d been so careful . She’d worn stealth tech while installing it! She’d literally been invisible.

If he didn’t know, and it was a coincidence or a test, then Marcie’s only hope was to play dumb.

But if he did know… then this was bad. Like, really bad. He’d given her so many chances, and she’d betrayed him so many times. And Pericles had been acting so much more deranged lately. If they found out she’d betrayed them again… they might just kill her this time.

But.

Something was off.

First of all, Mr. E had sent her an email. Usually, he called or sent someone to fetch her directly when he had an assignment for her or wanted to see her.

Second of all, in said email, Mr. E just… did not sound like himself. Something about his wording was just way too… polite? Mr. E didn’t ask Marcie to do things. He gave orders. But this didn’t read like an order. More like an urgent request.

Third of all… there was the link. At the bottom of the email, Mr. E left her a link. When she clicked on it, it took her to a video on a website called MysterySkullsBand.com. The Mystery Skulls were, according to the website, an indie pop/electronica band. And if she wasn’t mistaken, this was the group who had defeated Rude Boy not too far back. To her knowledge, they were still in Crystal Cove. Then when Marcie clicked on the video, it showed her one of their performances from about a year ago of a song called 555.

It started with special effects. Thick pink, blue, and orange smoke that cleared to reveal the band’s members. The song began with a girl in blue on the electric guitar, and a young man in orange on the synthesizer. Then in the center of the group, the band’s vocalist, dressed in pink, began to sing.

"Yeah.

So please don't look into my eyes.

You might just see the other side.

There lie some secrets deep in mine.

Can't you pretend it's all okay?

"But I know it's not what you wanted.

And you just wrote this, fucking bought it.

It's like I haven't got a clue, and-

Yes, things just might be strange

Keep pretendin' it's okay!

"And my mind keeps on changin',

I've gone blind, I can't see it through!.

And my minds fully fadin',

And I know this might seem strange

Keep pretending it's okay!

"You're probably right to think I lied.

There's something 'bout it, but I tried.

And we can't pretend it's all okay.

What a nightmare love becomes,

When the way up fills your lungs, hoooh!

"And I'm tryin' to leave you, let you choose it.

Cause you were right, I'm a bit confusing!

I'm driving fast, heartbeat's improvin'.

But the way out's just the same,

Keep pretendin' it's okay!

"And my mind keeps on changin',

I've gone blind, I can't see it through!

And my minds fully fadin',

And I know this might seem strange

Keep pretending it's okay!"

Mr. E liked puzzles, she supposed. But after watching the video multiple times, Marcie… still had no idea what the point of it was. He said nothing about the link in the email (except the obvious - “PS: Watch this”), leaving the video and website itself as her only clue.

It was too deliberate to be random. She knew he was trying to tell her something, but didn’t know what. Was he planning to use the Mystery Skulls, somehow? Or was he suspicious of them? Or was there some sort of message in the lyrics or notes of the specific song he’d made her listen to? Because from the look of it, 555 was far from one of the group’s most popular songs. If he’d wanted to give her an idea about the group and their music in general, it would have made more sense if he’d made her watch one of their more popular songs, like Magic, Freaking Out, Money, or The Future.

The possibility prompted Marcie to listen to the song another couple of times.

She couldn’t discern anything from the notes. But then again, Mr. E was far more musical than she was. So maybe he’d taken something from it that she just couldn’t see. Which left her the title and lyrics.

555 was known as an angel number among the religiously minded. But Mr. E wasn’t religious (that she was aware of), and she was pretty sure it wasn’t relevant.

On to the lyrics. Was it a request to pretend everything was normal? “Yes, things just might be strange. Keep pretendin' it's okay!” Was a memorable line from the chorus that was repeated multiple times throughout the song. And there were similar lines in the other verses, too. If that was the case, then was there something going on she wasn’t aware of?

She couldn’t tell.

There were countless other lines in the lyrics that could also be a message. She checked the email and the song for some kind of cipher, but couldn’t discern one. And Mr. E knew her capabilities. He wouldn’t send her a cipher she couldn’t solve in an hour if that was the amount of time he gave to meet her. Which meant there probably wasn’t one.

One thing was for sure, it was very unlike Mr. E.

It was weird.

Too weird.

Weird enough that it prompted Marcie to trace the email back to its original sender just to make sure that it actually came from Mr. E.

Sure enough. It was sent from Mr. E’s account. Right from his personal computer at Destroido. The question was: did Mr. E, himself send it? Or could Pericles, one of Fred’s parents, or someone else have hacked his account?

Marcie couldn’t find out without hacking into Destroido’s security cameras and checking the footage that aligned with the timestamp of the message. But that, she didn’t dare do. They didn’t trust a hair on her head as it was. If they caught her hacking their security…

Unfortunately, all that left for Marcie to do was as the email asked. She had watched the video. Several times. Next, she still had about an hour to kill before she had to meet Mr. E, but in the meantime she had to wonder: what was Mr. E trying to tell her with that link. And if Mr. E didn’t send that email… then who did?

It took me forever to find a song that fit for this chapter, but then I listened to 555 for the first time and just sat back SHOOKETH. It's as if it was WRITTEN for the express purpose of being Arthur's hidden message to Marcie for this fic. Most of the song's lyrics fit with the context! I could literally make a whole post about it. (And maybe when I have the time to, I will!) And it's sadly true that 555 is extremely underrated. But I for one think you ought to give it a listen if you haven't heard it before, because it is a BANGER. - Or maybe it just tickles my neurodivergent brain just the right way. I can never tell. Lmao

Chapters One through Ten of 'One of Us' are presently posted on Archive of Our Own

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