Notes: And here, we have the next installment of my "13 Ghosts: Season 2" project! This is my way of showing how Fred and Velma found out about what had happened. Please keep in mind that the only parts of the Curse movie that I take into consideration are the flashbacks to Vincent's past, as well as Asmodeus being the final ghost and his connection to Vincent—so do not expect Fred and Velma to behave in my fic as they did in the movie, as I found them (Velma especially so) to be very poorly written in the movie.

Secondly, as the title suggests, this fic will draw a lot of inspiration from the Back to the Future franchise (the second half of this fic, in particular—the first half of this fic is more my rewrite of Curse). As such, the chapter titles for this fic are from the Huey Lewis song, "The Power of Love," which was featured in the first Back to the Future movie.


Daphne looked at her reflection, satisfied, as she tried on her new purple evening dress. It was perfect.

Contented, she sighed and grabbed a small suitcase, stepping out into the corridor of the turret of Castle Van Ghoul—a castle on a mountaintop on the Nepal-Tibet border that had been home for the last several months. As much as she missed the Floridian town she grew up in, Daphne loved it here—for she, Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy had dear friends here who were pretty much family to them by now. There was Flim-Flam, a boy the same age as Scrappy; the two of them had connected right from the start.

And then there was Vincent Van Ghoul, owner of the castle and the most powerful warlock in the world—and also their dear friend and mentor. Their connection with him had been a most unexpected one, for all concerned—at two thousand years old, with most of his years spent in solitude, Vincent had never expected himself to get attached to a bunch of mortals who had inadvertently opened a cursed Chest and unleashed 13 demon ghosts upon the world. But, in spite of himself, the warlock had gotten protective over them, and with 12 of the 13 ghosts recaptured, Vincent had more or less began to treat them as he would his own kids about a quarter-way through their quest.

It was because of that they had stayed on, even though Vincent had been assigned a new quest by the goddess Athena to contend with other monsters at her behest; Vincent had tried to push the gang away for their own safety, but they had pushed back, insisting they were as good as family by this point, and he had relented.

And with the adventures they had been on since then, they had only grown closer to the warlock as a result; Vincent had finally made the decision to teach them protective magic—as they had no magical energy (known as mana) of their own, Vincent was planning to provide them with what they'd be needing. And Daphne had expressed an interest in learning more than just protective magic—Vincent had said that after they'd finished catching up with Fred and Velma, the lessons would begin, and Daphne was the one most eager to learn.

As eager as she was, she had to admit that she was also eager to see Fred and Velma again, not having seen them in person since the winter holidays. This banquet they were going to in order to celebrate tomorrow's launch of a new Mars probe—the pet project of Velma's supervisor at NASA—was going to be a time to unwind and catch up… well, as much as Daphne and Shaggy could catch up, as Fred and Velma didn't know anything about the 13 Ghosts—or Vincent.

Daphne sighed. She had no intention of divulging the truth about the 13 Ghosts, but she did want Vincent to meet Fred and Velma—they'd met Flim-Flam over the holidays and had taken a liking to him, pleased that Scrappy had a friend his age to confide in. But, in spite of Daphne and Shaggy's best efforts, they hadn't been able to convince Vincent to go to the banquet with them.

"I would feel as though that I would be intruding," he had said. "It's far easier for Flim-Flam to fit in than me—and far easier to explain his presence, rather than mine."

Daphne didn't care about coming up with explanations at this point—they'd managed to introduce Vincent to Shaggy's parents a couple weeks ago when the warlock had desperately needed rest and recovery during a misadventure in Massachusetts. She knew Fred and Velma would like Vincent, too, but she did acknowledge that meeting people wasn't easy for the mage, especially after living such a large part of his life alone. But Daphne hoped that, someday, he would let them introduce him to Fred and Velma. Until then, she would continue to dream about what could be.

Flim-Flam now entered the corridor from his room, having temporarily swapped his sweatpants and hoodie for a small-sized Daura-Suruwal combo—the traditional male formal wear of Nepal.

"Well, it's not my first choice, but I think I make it work," he commented.

"You certainly do," Daphne said. "You look very nice, Flim-Flam."

"Thanks," the boy grinned. "You look nice, too!"

"And what about me?" Shaggy asked, stepping out of his room now.

Daphne and Flim-Flam could only stare, seeing Shaggy in a pair of slacks and a t-shirt that had a tuxedo design printed on it.

"Oh, no," Daphne said, once she'd found her voice. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"What?" Shaggy asked, as Flim-Flam had to look away to keep from laughing out loud. "I wore this to Scooby's rockstar cousin's concert, remember? You didn't have any objections then!"

"Oh, I did have plenty of objections then—I just didn't think it was a battle worth fighting!" Daphne retorted. "But this a really important evening for Velma—if you show up at the banquet in that, she'll be after you. And then she'll be after me for letting you wear that in the first place!"

Flim-Flam couldn't hold in his laughter any longer; he had to lean onto the wall to keep from falling over.

"Well…" Shaggy trailed off, shrugging. "This is the most formal thing I've got!"

"…Seriously?" Daphne asked, facepalming. "Alright, we're solving this problem right now."

"Huh? How are we—?"

Shaggy was cut off as Daphne grabbed him by the hand and led him through the turret; not about to miss the fun, Flim-Flam was right behind them, following them to Vincent's study, where Vincent was reading a book in his armchair while Scooby and Scrappy were amusing themselves by going over the newest rules for some of Scrappy's favorite tabletop games. The three of them looked up as Daphne, Shaggy, and Flim-Flam arrived.

"Mr. Van Ghoul, Shaggy claims that is the 'most formal thing' he's got!" she said, gesturing to him. "Please, help!"

Her request sounded so dire, and Shaggy looked so affronted—Vincent was struggling to keep his expression neutral, which wasn't easy with Flim-Flam giggling off to the side, and being joined by Scooby and Scrappy, who quickly saw the humor of the situation.

"Yes, I see the problem," Vincent said, calmly. "But it's nothing I can't resolve with a little conjuring. Now, then… this little number here was once the very height of fashion, as I recall…"

An Elizabethan-era raiment appeared in his hand, complete with frilled collar—Shaggy's eyes widened in horror at the thought of wearing it, and Daphne facepalmed again.

"Uh-uh! Nooooo way!" Shaggy insisted, as Flim-Flam and the dogs were now howling with laughter.

"…Could we bump that up by a few centuries, please…?" Daphne asked, still facepalming.

The raiment was replaced instantaneously with a 19th century ensemble, with frilled sleeves and cravat.

"…That's definitely better, but, like, I'm not into the whole 'frilly' thing," Shaggy said. "What have you got in modern-day?"

The ensemble was then replaced with a modest-looking modern-day suit.

"That'll be perfect," Daphne declared, taking it from him and handing it to Shaggy. "Wear that."

Shaggy shrugged and went back to his room to change, and Daphne just sighed.

"What am I going to do with him?" she said.

"Whatever it is, you've done a good job of it so far," Vincent mused.

Daphne managed a smile at that.

"Thanks," she said. "And you've done a good job with all of us. I can't believe in another 6 weeks, we'll have known you for two years now."

"Yes, and it has been a most fulfilling two years," Vincent assured them, as Shaggy now returned in the suit. "That certainly is an improvement."

"Yeah, like, I guess you could say it suits me," Shaggy grinned, prompting Daphne to facepalm a third time as Scooby groaned.

"Quick, let's get to that banquet before he comes up with any other zingers," Flim-Flam pleaded.

"Very well, if you're ready…" Vincent said, reaching for his crystal.

"We sure are," Scrappy said, eagerly. After a moment, though, his face fell. "But, gee, I still feel really bad that we'll be leaving you behind."

"Rheah," Scooby sighed. "Are rhou really sure rhou can't come with us?"

"Yeah, the invitation is still open," Shaggy added.

"Yeah, come on, Vince!" Flim-Flam encouraged.

"They're right," Daphne said, with a wan smile. "I know Fred and Velma are going to get along great with you if you meet them. Won't you please reconsider?"

Vincent could feel his resolve weakening as they all begged and pleaded, but he was determined to stick to his decision. This was not the ideal moment to introduce himself—some other time, perhaps… but not now.

"I'm afraid not," he insisted. "This is your friend Velma's moment in the limelight, and I see no reason to draw it from her."

"You wouldn't be," Shaggy sighed. "But, I get it if it's not your thing—you don't have to go. And you're free to change your mind at any time and show up."

"And we'll be hoping you do," Daphne finished, as the others nodded.

"Hmm, well, let's focus on getting you there," Vincent replied, dodging the conversation completely. He took the crystal in his hands. "Be sure to contact me when you're ready to return here—though I imagine you'll want to stay a few days with your friends. But don't hesitate to call me if you need anything at all."

"Rhe won't," Scooby promised.

"And you call us if you need anything, like a ghost that needs splatting!" Scrappy grinned.

"I'll be certain to let you know if that happens," Vincent assured him. "Now, stand together—and make sure you have all the luggage you'll need."

"Got it right here, Vince," Flim-Flam replied, indicating the three small duffel bags that held the kids' casual clothes, as well as the other things they'd need.

"You will be careful…?" Vincent reminded them.

"Sure, Dad, sure," Shaggy said, only half-teasingly.

Daphne was biting back a smile; it was always heartwarming when Vincent acted like this—his "mother hen" mode, as she liked to refer to it. The warlock wasn't one for sentimental words—but he made his care and concern known by his actions like this.

"Shaggy and I will look after everyone," she promised.

Satisfied, Vincent nodded.

"Have a good time, then," he said, and, with that, he teleported everyone to the banquet hall, still a few minutes ahead of Fred and Velma's arrival.

With a sigh, he placed his crystal back on the withered hand that had served as its stand. It would be impossible to concentrate on reading now that the castle was empty again—ironic, considering how he had once relished solitude. He would have enjoyed the banquet, it's true—but, again, this was Velma's day, not his. There would be other opportunities…

"It's certainly quiet here without them isn't it?" a woman's voice commented.

"It is indeed, My Lady…" Vincent trailed off, realizing that Athena herself had just arrived. He got out of the armchair to bow before her in reverence. "You grace me once more with your presence. Might I assume that you have another assignment for me?"

"You would assume correctly; there is a Time Worm on the loose—a large, burrowing creature that can tear through the space-time continuum," she said.

"And where might this creature be?" Vincent asked.

Athena's expression grew serious.

"Vincent, you must know… this beast was brought from the Underworld by Asmodeus," she said, referring to the last of the 13 Ghosts—and the corrupted, demonic form of Vincent's ancestor. "Asmodeus knows that a confrontation with you is inevitable, but he also knows that your powers are stronger than his. So, he is summoning this creature to attack you in the way he can hurt you most—by attacking those whom you love most."

Vincent grew pale.

"The kids…" he realized. "He's going after the kids! But how did he know that they were going to Florida!?"

"He's been waiting a long time for them to go back there," Athena responded. "It would seem that after you dispatched of the poltergeist he had sent to Arizona, those two minion ghosts of the Thirteen finally found Asmodeus." She was, of course, referring to Bogel and Weerd—the ghostly duo who had tricked Shaggy and Scooby into opening the Chest in the first place. "They informed him of the house young Daphne has there, and he found it prudent to wait in Florida, knowing that they would undoubtedly return at some point to visit old friends."

"And tonight, they have—so he's summoned this beast," Vincent realized. "My Lady, I must—"

"Yes, you must go to them," she finished. "But, Vincent, you must be careful—remember that Asmodeus's goal is to get you to become like him, and he will endeavor to break you by taking away all that you love." Her expression was now one of sorrow. "You know what happened the last time you confronted him directly."

"…I can never forget it," Vincent replied, his thoughts turning to his departed former companion, Mortifer Quinch.

"Then you know why I say that now is not the time for a direct confrontation with Asmodeus—not until you have finally had a chance to teach your apprentices how to magically defend themselves. Focus on the Time Worm, and as much as you yearn to avenge Mortifer, I must instruct you—do not try to seek Asmodeus out; as he sees you as a bigger threat, he will not attempt to seek out a confrontation with you, either—yet."

"…I understand, My Lady. My priority is—and will forever be—ensuring that no harm befalls the kids."

"Then go to them, Vincent," she replied. "And may my grace be with you."

She returned through her doorway of light, back to her abode on Mount Olympus, leaving Vincent to quickly gather his thoughts and prepare to teleport out to Florida. He regretted that he would have to end up muscling in on Velma's moment after all—but for her own sake, as well as the others'.

So long as he drew breath, he would not allow Asmodeus or his minions to harm his family.